From: Disruptor Subject: [Eva/Devilman][FanFic] Dema-fa, Chapters 01-06 Chapter 01 Walking aimlessly, Shinji Ikari thought of his recent battle with the Squid-like fourth angel. He had left the NERV complex, about sixteen hours ago, to try and clear his head. A sudden snarl snapped Shinji back into looking at reality. Standing before him was a large two meter tall bear. The bear had a gaunt look about it and eyed the young boy hungrily. Shinji backed up quickly. Unfortunately he tripped over his own feet and fell backwards and his head bounced painfully off of a rock. "NO! NO! GET AWAY!" Shinji screamed while covering his face with his arms. The bear growled menacingly as it came forward, spittle dripping from its jaws. Seeing his death in the bear's eyes Shinji screamed and thought of how the world would never miss him. He heard a muffled thud and looked up. Standing over the dead bear was a teenager dressed in black school uniform. The front of the jacket was open, but there was no shirt beneath. The teen's left fist was held out to the side and over the bear's head. Shinji took a closer look at the bear and noticed that the bear's skull had been caved in by this person's blow. The teenager looked at Shinji curiously and started speaking. "Are you all right?" the man said, "You really shouldn't be out here alone." "I'm fine. Thank you for saving my life. How did you manage to kill it?" "I just have a knack for killing dangerous things. By the way, what's your name?" "I am Shinji Ikari. I was out here trying to clear my head." "Well, Shinji you can call me Dema-fa," the boy said and then thought to himself, *If I told you who I really was you'd freak. I think I'll be able to use him to help me get to Seele.* "You look like you're a student," Shinji stammered, "but I never saw you in class" "Ikari-kun, how old are you?" "I'm fourteen," Shinji answered "Well then there's your answer," Dema-fa said cheerfully, "I'm sixteen. I'm two years your senior. Seriously, I probably don't attend your school. My school has been closed down, due to Angel attacks." "I'm sorry." Dema-fa replied, "What for? It's not your fault they are attacking," he muttered under his breath so softly that Shinji couldn't hear, "If it's anyone's fault, it is my parents fault for awakening THEM from the ice." Looking up, Dema-fa saw some military personnel coming towards the two of them. Thinking quickly, he pushed the bear into some bushes with his foot. He put a hand on Shinji's shoulder and turned him to face the oncoming patrol. Shinji, recognizing the uniform of NERV operatives, slumped his shoulders in defeat. *I know you don't want to go through with this Shinji, but there are things that only you can do,* Dema-fa thought and then said, "Courage, Shinji." The NERV operatives came up and surrounded the pair of teens. One of the operatives noticed the dead bear and looked at Dema-fa. He noticed that Dema-fa's left hand was covered in blood. Whispering to his superior, he pointed out the dead bear and the blood. Frowning the officer, motioned to his men to bring Dema-fa along with them. The men pointed their guns at Dema-fa, who just chuckled darkly. The small group left for NERV HQ. ________________________________________________ When the group reached NERV headquarters, the security force led Dema-fa and Shinji into a small room with little light. The guards locked the door and waited. To Shinji it seemed like hours were passing. Dema-fa just looked at the walls of the room. "Nice cell, I wonder what they feed prisoners," Dema-fa cheerfully said. Shinji looked up at him and said, "Are you always so cheerful? I'm going to get discharged for abandoning the base and you might never see the light of day." Shaking his head, Dema-fa replied, "Shinji, whatever else happens, NERV needs you to pilot that purple robot. I doubt that they will get rid of a pilot just because he was having doubts about a mission. You'll probably be yelled at and maybe stuck in a prison for a few days, but that is all. You are needed to fight the angels to save humanity." "Why me? I'm nothing special." Sighing, the older boy rubbed his forehead with his fingers and said, "Maybe that's why. You believe you have no worth and need to do something to prove that you do." Dema-fa was about to say more when the door burst open and a furious Misato came in. "Shinji, what was the idea of you wandering around for three days?" Misato demanded. "I needed to clear my head, Misato. I was trying to figure out why I'm piloting an EVA for." "Well are you?" "I guess. I feel that I should for you and Toji and..." Shinji started to say. "If you don't want to pilot it for yourself, then your not going to be useful as a pilot." Dema-fa decided to speak up, "Oh. I suppose you know what's best for Shinji. He's piloting that giant robot to protect others. That is more self-sacrifice than being selfish. All you're doing right now is undermining whatever self-confidence he has. Maybe if you looked at the human instead of the pilot, you could have seen he has a problem with his self-esteem." Misato whirled to face Dema-fa and shouted, "Who are you to judge me?! Just who are you?!" Dema-fa chuckled deeply, which sent shivers down Misato's spine, and said, "I call myself Dema-fa. I can judge you because I can see past the surfaces that blind most people. I would also like to think that I'm Shinji's friend." "Well is he?" Misato asked Shinji. Shinji replied, "I-I think so. He did save me from a bear that was going to attack me." Misato sucked in her breath sharply and asked, "You were attacked by a bear?" Shinji just nodded. Misato looked at Dema-fa and said, "You saved him?" After another deep chuckle, Dema-fa said, "Yes. The bear was sick with hunger and looked like it had came down from the mountains to find something to eat. I was able to kill it before it got near Shinji." "Thank you," Misato said and then continued, "Just how did you manage to kill the bear?" "I gave it a concussion by hitting it with my fist." *He killed it with his bare hands?!?!?* Misato thought, *What the hell is he?* After a few silent minutes, Ritsuko and some armed guards came into the room. "Dema-fa, we would like to runs some tests on you. IF you would accompany us to my lab, we can begin." Dema-fa looked at Misato with an evil smirk and addressed Shinji, "Remember Shinji, you ARE needed." Misato shuddered when Dema-fa looked at her, *Damn it; he's only sixteen. Why should I be afraid of him like he's the devil incarnate?* Dema-fa looked at the guards and said, "Lead the way goon squad." The NERV security men didn't like being called that, but a throat clearing by Ritsuko told them to ignore it and they led Dema-fa down to Dr. Akagi's lab. After they had left, Misato addressed Shinji, "I'm sorry Shinji. Your new friend was right. I couldn't see the boy who needed some sort of encouragement. All I could see was a pilot going AWOL. I'll talk to Commander Ikari and see if I can have him ignore this incident with you wandering around the countryside." "Thanks, Misato-san." ----------------------------------------- Ritsuko felt like she wanted to pull her hair out by the roots. The tests on Dema-fa showed multiple abnormalities. She went into Gendo Ikari's office and gave her report. "Sir, the tests on Dema-fa are done," Ritsuko said, "And they are confusing at best." Gendo just crossed his hands and said, "Such as?" He was still a little surprised at Katsuragi's request to ignore Shinji's going AWOL, but agreed with her that it would not be in their best interests to press it. "Well for one, he is a bit larger than Shinji yet his weight is more than twice that of Shinji." "Go on." "I ran tests on his blood to see if he was human. The results came back mostly positive, but there were some unidentifiable elements in the blood. We are still trying to identify them now." "Could he be an Angel?" Speaking in a frustrated voice, Ritsuko answered, "I thought of that and I used the scanners to see if his pattern was blue," she paused and took a deep breath, "The pattern came out orange with traces of RED in it. What the hell could have a red pattern?" Gendo frowned and, thinking deeply, replied, "I don't know. Maybe he's some sort of enhanced human. I wish to keep him under observation. Since he seems to have made friends with Shinji, see if Misato can make room for him." "Yes, sir. By the way, do you think that he might be a spy?" Without opening his mouth, Gendo let out a long breath and said, "That is another reason why I want him observed. We know nothing about him." "Okay, I'll get right on it." Gendo looked over the reports and thought to himself, *Dema-fa reminds me of that weird classmate of mine, when I was sixteen. What was his name? A...aki... Fu... Akira Fudo? It's probably not important." -------------------------- Chapter 02 Misato was having reservations of having Dema-fa stay at her apartment, even though she could see the wisdom of it. The fear she felt from him was part of it. Another reason was the way he always had a slightly lecherous smile on his face. She still blushed at the comment Dema-fa made, when he found out he was going to be staying with Misato for the time being. The comment was so full of sexual innuendo that it would make a hooker blush. The only thing that she was glad about was that Shinji didn't here the comment. She put her reservations aside as she opened her door. She waved the two teens in and addressed Dema-fa. "Well we're here. The bathroom is over there if you need it." Dema-fa nodded, "Right, it has been a while since I have had a bath. Well, if you'll excuse me." Dema-fa entered the bathroom and took of his jacket. He stopped when he sensed he was not alone. He threw back the shower curtain and saw a penguin. He picked the penguin up and smiled showing his very pointy teeth. "Dinner time." Pen-pen struggled frantically to get away from this menace. Letting it go, Dema-fa watched as the animal shot out of the bathroom in abject terror. Chuckling, he finished getting undressed and entered the tub. A heavy sigh came from the teen, as he recalled his own battles with forces from beyond. He knew it was just a matter of time before the Angels realized he was alive and what he was. *The future rides on Shinji. Shy and humble. Like me before the mergance. He pilots an Angel to fight Angels, where I merged with a demon to fight demons. I hope Shinji will have the inner strength needed to control that purple robot when....* He finished his bath and put his clothes back on. Walking outside, he saw Misato glaring at him. "What did you do to Pen-pen? He's terrified," Misato demanded. "You mean that bird isn't dinner? Man you really have some strange preferences. Pedophilia and bestiality. And, you called me a pervert," he replied, while stroking his chin with his right hand. Misato slapped him in fury. "Don't you ever say that again!!!" she shouted. Dema-fa just chuckled as he watched Misato lower her hand. His face remained unbruised from the slap. Misato shook her hand in pain. *What did I hit, a brick wall?* Dema-fa said, "I'm tougher than I look. As to your question, I just threatened your pet with the prospect of becoming my dinner. It didn't take it to well. I made that comment to prove something to you." Still fuming but curious, Misato asked, "Which was?" "You have nothing you can use to blackmail me with. I'm only staying here, because I want to help in the fight against the Angels." Coming out of his room, Shinji looked at the pair curiously, and hesitantly asked, "What is going on? I heard Misato shout." A quick chuckle came form Dema-fa, as he replied, "I just gave Misato a lesson in humility. She didn't like it." Misato looked away angrily as she ground out, "You will be helping with the chores around here." Dema-fa shrugged, "Fine. I have no objections with that. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll try and make a decent meal out of what you laughingly refer to as groceries. By the way Misato, Dema-fa isn't my name. It's just what I call myself. So that answers that question." Misato fumed as she watched Dema-fa walking into the kitchen. She wasn't to sure what to do. ----------- About a quarter of an hour after Misato's slap, Dema-fa finished cooking a large cheese omelet. He set the food down in front of his two roommates and offered them slices from the omelet. The two quickly dug in and found that Dema-fa was at least a good cook. Dema-fa took an omelet slice himself and started eating it. After his second bite, he made a comment. "If you don't mind, I'm going to need some money to get some proper groceries. I want to have more options when I'm cooking in the future." Shinji timidly asked, "You're going to cook every day?" "I don't see why not. Judging from what I see around me, it's obvious neither one of you knows how to cook. I know how. So, I guess that will be part of my chores around here." Misato was still a bit angry at Dema-fa's previous statement. But if he was going to cook every day, she was willing to overlook it. It sure beat trying to con Shinji into doing it and would probably help her cash flow out if she didn't have to order take-out so much. "I can't give you the money. But if you write down what you want, I'll pick it up," Misato said. Dema-fa nodded as he picked up a pencil and a piece of paper. He jotted down what he wanted and handed the list to Misato. Finishing his omelet, Dema-fa walked into the room he was going to be sleeping in and closed the door. Misato looked at Shinji and said, "It's late. I'd think we'd both better follow your friend's example and get some sleep." "Err. Okay. Um. Misato, will Dema-fa be going to my school?" Misato looked stumped, as she answered, "I'm not sure. I'll have to see what the commander wants to do about him." Shinji shrugged and went to bed, leaving Misato alone with her thoughts. *Great. I hope Commander Ikari has got some idea on what to do about Mr. Lecher. God, what a mouth.* She picked up the phone and dialed NERV headquarters. "Sir? This is Misato. I was wondering about my new charge. Will we be sending him to Shinji's school?" Silence answered Misato as Gendo thought. After a second, he replied. "Yes. He'll be in Shinji's class, but not as a student. He will be a teacher's aide. Have you found out anything out about him?" "Only that he has one of the most perverted minds I have ever come across. He has admitted that Dema-fa isn't his real name. He didn't give his real name. I'm wondering if he really is a spy." "I tend to doubt it. The way he acts points to an unknown human augmentation program. The Second Impact probably freed him and destroyed that project." "Are you sure of that?" "No. But then again, there are no other logical explanations. As a spy, he is way to obvious. His pattern is orange with a hint of red. The red probably came about due to his augmentation. But it still means, he isn't an Angel. He isn't a cyborg. What else is there? If it helps, I have some doubt about the situation myself. I want to keep a close eye on this person until we learn more about him." Misato slowly said, "I still don't like it, but I'll wait and see. If I find out anything, I'll let you know." "Good. Bring him to Geofront after school." "Err. Why?" "Dr. Akagi wants to run some more tests on him. One of them is going to be to see if he can synch with an Eva." "Commander, is that wise?" "Calm yourself. He's not going to pilot one. We just want to see if he can synch. Idle curiosity if you will." Misato let out a sigh of relief, as she replied, "Understood sir. See you tomorrow." -------------------------- Misato, Dema-fa, Shinji, and Rei were walking to NERV headquarters, since Misato's car was in the shop. Shinji was still a bit surprised when he learned that Dema-fa was in his class as a teacher's aide. Rei kept looking at the older teen and looking away when she realized she was staring. Dema-fa looked at the blue haired female and chuckled. Rei shuddered as she heard that laugh. Seeing a reaction from Rei, Misato figured that she wasn't the only person who was a bit scared of Dema-fa. "Ah. We're back at the prison. What's the charges this time?" Dema-fa said. "This isn't a prison. It is NERV headquarters." Dema-fa opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it as he looked at Shinji and Rei. "I'm not saying anything. There are two innocents present." Rei and Shinji looked at Dema-fa with confusion evident on their faces. Misato was grateful that Dema-fa had some tact when it came to making his comments. A quick glance up and to the west came from Dema- fa. "I think whatever you have planned for me, has just been canceled," Dema-fa said with an amused chuckle. Rei asked, "What do you mean by that?" The older teen gazed at Rei, who blushed, and said, "You'll see. Let's get inside." The four went inside NERV and headed to the Akagi's lab. As they entered the lab, a siren suddenly burst to life. Misato whispered, "An Angel." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 03 As alarms were blaring throughout NERV, Misato and the two Eva pilots rushed to the command center. Dema-fa, on the other hand, followed them at a leisurely walk. "What's the situation, sir?" Misato said, as she came running into NERV HQ. Gendo waited until Shinji and Rei had entered before talking. "An unidentified object has been seen in the sky, and it is heading this way. There is a very high probability that it is the fifth Angel. Rei, I want you to try to synch with Unit 00. We might need it. Shinji, I want you to be ready to launch in Unit 01." "Before you go, put up that force field that your robot has," Dema-fa interjected as he sauntered into the command center. "It might save you from a lot of pain." Everyone whirled to face the strange teen. "What do you mean by that?" Gendo asked, felling a bit unnerved by this boy. Dema-fa smirked as he replied, "Very simple, Genny. You're at war with these beings. They're not going to just let you take pot shots at them without fighting back. They might even be able to detect a hostile force approaching." Gendo Ikari silently fumed at being called 'Genny', but the advice that Dema-fa had just gave was sound. Ritsuko asked, "How did you know about the AT fields?" "Is that what you call them," Dema-fa said. He shrugged and answered impudently, "I saw you guys dump that bomb on that first Angel that attacked. It used a force field to repel most of the attacks. And considering it was defeated by the purple robot, I made the logical conclusion that your robots have force fields." "They are Evangelions or Evas, not robots," Ritsuko stated. Dema-fa shrugged and said, "We're getting off the subject at hand. Or, are we just going to let that Angel get close to us." "And just how may I ask, are we supposed to launch an Eva with its AT field up?" Misato put in. "If the piolt has any sort of control over the force field, he should be able to manipulate it so it is close to the body instead of a sphere. In other words, condense the field until it is small enough not to bother your lift catapults." Gendo, realizing he had lost control of the situation, quickly barked out some orders, "Rei head with Ritsuko and get Unit 00 ready. Misato, take Shinji and have him ready to pilot Unit 01." Commander Ikari waited until the other had left before confronting Dema-fa. "As for you, do not undermine my authority again." The teen looked Gendo straight in the eye. "What happened to you, Genny? You used to be so full of cheer and helpfulness. Now, you treat your own son like dirt." "What do you know of me?" Gendo demanded as he faced Dema-fa. "That you used to be a good person." Dema-fa turned and walked away, leaving Gendo momentarily stumped. After a few seconds, Gendo muttered under his breath. He was used to being in control and didn't like the fact that Dema-fa wasn't under his control. For a moment he debated on sending any information about Dema-fa to Seele or not. He came up with two very good reasons to do so. If Dema-fa was a spy from Seele, then sending in the information would convince Seele that he was still following their agenda. If he wasn't, then Seele would spend some time and resources tracking down who Dema-fa really was and would allow NERV to not be as closely monitored. And if they were lucky, find out something that could be used to control Dema-fa. -------------------------------- In the cockpit of Unit 01, Shinji was preparing himself for launch. He went over the recent meeting between his father and his new friend. He felt a bit envious of Dema-fa. This was a person who had a lot of self confidence and enjoyed life. While trying to form a fist with his right hand, Shinji sighed and wondered if he would ever have the courage to confront his father. A radio crackled to life in the cockpit. "Unit 01, are you ready for launch? Unit 00 is standing by if need be." "Err, yes. I'm ready," came Shinji's not too convincing reply. Maya shook her head and wondered if Shinji would ever be ready. "Remember deploy AT field before launch, and condense it so it is almost like a suit of armor." "O-Okay." Unit 01 was shot up the Eva catapult to confront the fifth Angel. As the giant mecha headed towards the surface, a slight shimmering of red surrounded it. Shinji started getting a headache from keeping the field so narrowly defined. Once Unit 01 reached the surface, the diamond-like Angel fired a positron blast at it. Unit 01 was knocked back through the launch elevator as the energy bolt struck the Evangellion's AT field. Shinji was hard pressed to keep the field up as he and his mecha were being bounced around like a baseball being hit by a fire hose. The intital blast caused Shinji to lose control of the tighter shape of his AT field and it sprung back into its sphere form. Inside the NERV command center, people were in a scramble in trying to give as much information to Major Katsuragi as possible. "Ma'm, the Angel started building power up before Shinji even had his AT field up." "Unit 00 is standing by, shall we launch?" "Conventional weapons standing by." Misato barked out, "Have the closest mortar fire at the Angel. Hopefully it will give Shinji enough time to get out of there." "Understood." Maya spun around and said, "Major, something is happening to the Angel." "What?" "I don't know?" Misato turned to the viewscreeen and saw that the Angel was glowing blue or rather part of it was. The part that was glowing was nowhere near the positron aperture was. "What the hell?" The Angel broke off shooting at Shinji and started firing wild blasts down at the ground. It was apparent from its blast, that whatever it was shooting at was hiding underneath it. "What is going on?" Misato asked as the blue area started getting more intense. ----------- Looking up through an open manhole cover, Dema-fa was staring at the fifth Angel. He was smirking, since the Angel was unable to hit him in the sewer he chose to launch his attack from. Raising his glowing blue hands, he intensified his attack. "That has always been your problem, Ramiel. You think you have the perfect defense and offense, but fail to consider an attack that uses your own body as a shield." Dema-fa's hands flared brightly once as he shoved his hands towards Ramiel. He nodded in satisfaction as he saw the blue energy engulf the fifth Angel. "Your shield is gone. I'll let Shinji do the rest," Dema-fa stated as he slowly faded away. ----------- Back at NERV HQ, Misato was stunned at the reports she was receiving. Apparently, whatever that blue energy was, it had completely destroyed the Angel's AT field. The mortar fire that she ordered struck the Angel and blew a big hole in the diamond. A slight flickering from the positron slash, showed that the artillery fire must have damaged the Angel's weapon systems. She saw Unit 01 struggling to its feet. Misato yelled into the radio, "Shinji, the Angel's AT field is down. Get to a weapons bunker and shoot it down." Shinji didn't bother to answer as he rushed to a building. Grabbing one of the rifles there, he turned and fired several rounds into the diamond. After a few seconds, the fifth Angel wobbled and fell to the ground. The remains rolled and came to a stop with the two mortar holes on top. Shinji radioed in, "Mission accomplished." Back at the HQ, Misato was thinking to herself, *Yeah, mission accomplished. But, what brought down the AT field and distracted the Angel? Dema-fa? No. The test results showed he was not an Angel. There is no way he could do something like this. Commander Ikari is not going to like this report.* ----------------------- Back at Misato's apartment, Dema-fa had faded into his room. He looked out the window and saw the smoking remains of the fifth Angel. He snorted as his smile faded. "Kind of ironic. Here I am, a person merged with a Demon, fighting to save humanity and the Angels are trying to destroy it." Dema-fa sighed heavily as he thought on words said by a demon by the name of Sirene. "No matter what happens to the rest of humanity, when I die I will go straight to Hell. The price I paid for merging with Amon. Oh well, at least I will enjoy myself until that day comes." Dema-fa's smirk came back as he thought about Seele. "Those miserable old bastards must be having fits at the moment. If I read Gendo right, they will soon send someone to figure out exactly what I am. Let the games begin." -------------------------------------- Chapter 04 Misato and Shinji opened the door to the apartment and were greeted by the smell of frying eggs. Leaning back from the stove a bit, Dema-fa greeted the two. "Ah, good you're back. The French Toast is almost ready." Misato looked at Dema-fa totally confused. Anger quickly suffused he features. "How did you get out of NERV headquarters when it was sealed up?" she demanded. Dema-fa chuckled as he replied, "I'm not telling you. This way you will spend time and effort into increasing your security in ALL areas, instead of just the way I got out." Misato glared at him, "I'm not going to get a straight answer out of you, am I?" "Depends on the question and whether I feel you are ready for the answer or not." "I guess not," Misato said as she walked towards the bathroom. Before Misato entered, Dema-fa said, "Misato Katsuragi, be glad that your father never found out what happened to the Fudo expedition. Otherwise, you would still be catatonic." Misato turned around and backed up, "Huh? What? What does the Fudo expedition have to do with anything?" "What indeed? Better hurry up. You don't want your food to get cold." Shinji watched as his two roommates had their conversation. He turned to the strange teen that had saved him. "You enjoy doing that, don't you?" "Yeah, Shinji, I love doing that. It keeps everyone on their toes. Which in this situation with the Angels is a good thing." Dema-fa shook his head and looked out the window, as he flipped the French Toast onto a plate. He sighed heavily as he continued. "There will come a time when I will give Misato the answers to her questions. But right now, I don't think she's ready for them. Despite my lechery, I do care about people and I want to help them." Shinji frowned a bit and asked, "Why?" Setting the plate on the dining table, Dema-fa replied, "You are not ready for that answer yet, Shinji. But, soon..." Misato came out of the bathroom, and remained silent. She had overheard the entire conversation. The thought that Dema-fa was keeping quiet to protect her was irritating. She glanced up as Dema-fa picked up a clean glass and gripped it with his right hand. He took the glass and set it in an empty cupboard. Dema-fa grinned as he saw Misato's confused expression. "Just saving you some time and effort, Misty," Dema-fa said, answering the unsaid question. Ignoring the 'Misty' remark, Misato said, "Shinji, Ritsuko and I will be going to a meeting tomorrow. It's some sort of budget meeting. We might have funding cut." Dema-fa looked straight at Misato and asked, "Do you mind if I go along? I might be able to convince some people that it isn't a good idea to cut funding." Misato was startled and asked, "Why?" "You know full well what will happen if a Third Impact occurs. So do I. I do not want to see that happen. NERV and the Evas are humanity's best known chance of surviving the Angel attacks." "I'll have to clear it with Ritsuko and Commander Ikari first. But, there are two conditions. First, no lecherous comments while were there. Second, you will wear a suit. I don't want to be embarrassed showing up with someone who doesn't wear a shirt" Dema-fa shrugged, "Small prices to pay. I will do as you ask." Misato somehow knew that taking him along would soon get out of hand, but couldn't think of any reason not to take him. She knew Commander Ikari would be glad to have him away for awhile and monitored at the same time. So, approval would probably be granted. She sighed as she realized that he would be going along. Misato hoped her nerves were up to it. ------------------------------- A helicopter was flying toward the remains of Tokyo. Riding in the NERV helicopter Ritsuko, Misato, and Dema-fa. The two women had lectured Dema-fa about not making any lecherous comments. He rolled his eyes and nodded. He fiddled with two large, rectangular, curved sheets that he had brought along with him. One of them was made out of metal with rubber lining the edges. The other was made out of cardboard. Ritsuko looked at the sheets and asked, "Why did you bring those along?" Dema-fa smirked as he said, "Visual aide." Misato sighed as she heard that reply. She was now more certain that something was going to go wrong. She felt the slight bump as they landed. Sighing, she got out of the craft and followed the other two. Misato stopped for a second as she tried to figure out why Dema-fa brought up the Fudo expedition last night. She made a mental not to find out as much as she could about that mission, when he had the time. She shook her head as she noticed that the others had already entered the building. *I'd better get in there before Dema-fa does something.* Entering the conference, Misato saw that Ritsuko and some man were yelling back and forth at each other. She also noticed that Dema- fa was shaking his head, while holding his two sheets. Dema-fa motioned her over. "She's not going to convince anybody like that," Dema-fa whispered. "I think I'd better take over." The premonition of disaster was even stronger as Misato whispered back, "What are you going to do?" Grinning broadly, Dema-fa replied, "This." He swung the metal sheet at the wall. Once it hit, it made a very large bong that was heard throughout the hall. He ignored the stares as he put the two sheets back together and walked forwards. "Now that I have everyone's attention. I would like to make some comments. First off, I'm not really with NERV. I'm their pet migraine. Second, I would like to make some comments about this situation." The man up front was a bit startled by the person walking towards him, "Pet migraine?" "Yep. I give them so many headaches, they don't know what to do. But, let's get back to the subject at hand: budget. Here hold this," Dema-fa said, as he handed the person the metal sheet. "No, not like that. Use both hands and hold it above your head." The General confused by the request did so. The metal sheet was now over his head like a slightly curved awning. Dema-fa nodded as he ripped a leg off a chair. "There that's good. Now hold it steady." To everyone's shock he swung the wooden leg at the metal sheet. With a resounding bong, the chair leg dented the sheet and sent the General to his knees. Dema-fa took the metal sheet and looked at it. He shrugged as he threw it into an empty corridor. Dema-fa helped the General to his feet and gave him the cardboard sheet and got the General back into the previous position. He was about to swing the wooden club again, when the General jumped back and dropped the cardboard. "Are you nuts? What are you trying to prove?" Dema-fa stepped on the cardboard sheet and replied, "That talking about cutting the budget for NERV is silly. The Angels are here to wipe humanity from the face of the planet. Being budget cautious is nice and fine, but not if it is going to cost everyone their lives." He pointed the leg at the General and continued, "What you are proposing is to use cardboard to stop the Angels. Sure the Evas are expensive, but they can get the job done. That was the entire business with the two sheets. The metal one represented an Evangelion: expensive, but tough. The cardboard represents your budget conscience Jet Alone. I want my government to use the best option available to me to protect my life. Especially if they lose, we are all dead. Jet Alone isn't it, since it can't make judgement calls. I have said what I came to say and I am done." Dema-fa sighed as he threw the leg at the ceiling. He walked away, idly noting that the chair leg had impaled the roof and wasn't coming down. He walked out of the conference with everyone watching him. Misato buried her face in her hands knowing that Dema-fa had managed to zing her again. Once she was sure no one was watching the exit, she rushed out after him. Catching up to Dema-fa, Misato demanded, "What do you think you were doing back there?" "Convincing people. Humans tend to ignore good advice, unless it is applied with a sledgehammer. Which is what I have done." "You could have warned me." "What, and deprive you of all the fun of having a nervous breakdown? Nah," Dema-fa said. "Seriously, I think you would have tried to prevent me from acting if you had known." Misato was about to reply when she saw a building split open. "I think you made the General mad. He's going to start the Jet Alone demonstration now." "Cardboard Tonka toy in action. This will be interesting." The two watched as the mecha slowly walked forward. The two made jokes about the thing, until it stepped right on top of the conference hall. "I think things have gotten out of hand," Dema-fa said, as he rushed towards a jeep. "You'd better find out what's going on. I'll try and figure out some way to slow that thing down." "How are you going to do that?" Misato yelled at him. Quickly hotwiring the jeep, he replied, "I'll make it up as I go along." Misato was about to ask another question, but gave it up when she saw that Dema-fa was driving away. She sighed as she rushed back into the conference. ------------ Dema-fa sped towards Jet Alone. He looked above him and sent a beam of blue energy up, severing a telephone line. He grabbed the line as he passed by and held on. He kept driving one-handed as the other hand just pulled more of the telephone line after him. After he felt he had enough cable he fired another bolt off and cut the telephone line again. He was now ready to bring down Jet Alone. Dema-fa pushed the accelerator to the floor and go ahead of the out of control mecha. He kept driving until he was several kilometers in front of Jet Alone. He tied one end of his cable around a large rock. He waited until Jet Alone was within sight. Spotting the rouge machine, Dema-fa twirled the end of the cable with the rock on it, over his head. The rock sped towards the legs of the robot and spun around them. Once the legs were entangled by his makeshift bolo, Dema-fa yanked hard and sent Jet Alone tumbling onto its back. He put his face into his left hand as he watched the giant robot kept trying to walk forward. "Cardboard and can't make judgement calls. Boy, did I call that one right. I wonder who sabotaged this thing," Dema-fa muttered as he tied the other end of the cable to the jeep and yanked hard enough to bend part of the framework. "Misato and the others know I'm super strong, but I'm not sure ordinary citizens are ready for me yet. This will give the military an excuse not to reveal what I can do." Dema-fa sat in the jeep as he watched as Unit 01 made its appearance. He watched as Unit 01 turned Jet Alone over so that Misato, in some sort of space suit, could get at the access port on the back. A few minutes later, he watched as Misato came crawling out of the deactivated machine. Dema-fa waved at her from his observation point. Shinji, in Unit 01, offered him a hand up. The three roommates waited for their pick-up. "You really didn't use that jeep to bring down Jet Alone did you?" Misato asked. "No. I pulled it down. The reason I set it up with the jeep is to prevent a panic among the citizens," Dema-fa replied. Misato looked at him with a grudging respect. He might be a lech and jerk, but at least he could put it aside to protect everyone. Shinji looked at Jet Alone in awe, "You're strong enough to do that? How?" "Yep and you're not ready yet for the second answer. So what do want for dinner tonight?" ------------------------- Gendo Ikari was sitting at his desk listening to Ritsuko. "The problem with Jet Alone went according to plan. The only problems were Dema-fa's and Major Katsuragi's interference. Dema-fa can't really expect us to believe a jeep was able to bring down Jet Alone." Gendo frowned as he said, "No. That is probably for the masses benefit, not ours. And, it helps us out even more. The ordinary citizen will not want to be protected by something that can be defeated so easily." "He is getting on my nerves. I almost had a heart attack when he did that stunt with the metal sheet." "I've sent a report of his actions to Seele. Hopefully, they will shed some light on the mystery of Dema-fa. But for right now, I want you to get things ready for another Eva unit. The Second Child and Unit 02 will be arriving next week by ship." "Understood, sir," Ritsuko said as she left Gendo's office. *The more I'm around him, the more I'm reminded of Akira Fudo. It's just a coincidence. He might be a relative of Akira's though.* ---------------------- Somewhere, a conference was taking place in a darkened room. Midnight black obelisks were arranged in a circle. Each obelisk had the word 'SEPH' and a number after it near the top. "This report from Ikari is interesting to say the least." "Yes, but could Ikari be using this Dema-fa as an excuse to hide something from us." "It is doubtful. The incident with Jet Alone proved that he is not a normal human" "Then it is agreed that we should send not only Kaji but Nagisa as well to keep an eye on him." "I do not like the idea of having Nagisa at NERV this early, but it might be necessary if it turns out that Dema-fa is one of the Angels." "I would hold off on sending Nagisa until after Unit 02 and THAT has arrived safely." Murmurs of agreement came from the other obelisks. One by one, the obelisks faded out leaving SEPH-01 behind. Lorenz thought, *Something is going that I don't know about, and I don't like it. The Human Completion project must succeed.* --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 05 During a bright Saturday morning, Dema-fa was fixing a stack of blueberry pancakes. As he was fixing the food, he kept glancing out a window. "A good day for a run," he muttered to himself. He looked over his shoulder, when he noticed a shadow on the wall. "Morning, Misato," Dema-fa cheerfully said. "I was thinking about making split-pea soup. But considering the condition you went to bed last night, I thought better of it." Misato grabbed her head in pain and put one hand over her mouth as she rushed to the bathroom. Dema-fa's voice was a bit louder than normal and the soup comment made her ill. Shaking his head in bemusement, Dema-fa flipped the last of the pancakes onto the serving plate. "Do you always have to tease Misato like that?" Shinji asked, as he came out of his room and witnessing that scene. "Nah. I just like to," Dema-fa replied. "Well, I've already eaten. So, I'm going to go out for a run. See you when you get back from your trip" Shinji looked up startled. "You're not going with us?" Dema-fa shrugged, "I've been on ships before. Take along a couple of your other friends. I'm sure they'd appreciate the experience. Besides, I don't think Misato has completely forgiven me for that Jet Alone incident." "What was going through your mind when you swung that stick at that general?" Shinji asked. "I can't believe you did that." "Life," Dema-fa replied, as he opened the door and left. "Life? What did he mean by that?" Shinji asked Pen-Pen. The penguin snatched a pancake and flipped it up with his beak. Shinji shrugged and started eating as well. A few seconds later Misato came out of the bathroom. After Shinji related his conversation, Misato felt a relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with Mr. Lecher. She was curious about the answer that he had given Shinji, though. Shrugging it off, she asked the third child which of his two classmates he would like to take with him. ------------------------------------------------------- Dema-fa jogged through the streets for about an hour. After he was sure that no one was around, he jumped up on top of a short telephone pole. From there he started bouncing off of rooftops, the tops of telephone poles, and the occasional overpass. A few times he thrust his fingers into the side of a building and just hung there. Satisfied that he could stay up by sheer strength alone, he pushed off and continued on his way. "Ah. Nothing so good as a light workout," Dema-fa said as the wind whipped through his hair. "Hey, there's Rei. I wonder if I can spook her just by my presence?" Dema-fa stopped his jog and watched the blue-haired girl. His fingers had poked a handhold in the side of the building he was on. He noticed that he was in a run down section of Tokyo-3 and wondered what Rei was doing here. Before he could come to any conclusions, motion caught his eye. Looking closely he noticed that there was a team of five men dressed in casual clothing. His experience and instincts told him this was a team of professionals and that their target was Rei. The five men stepped out of their respective areas and surrounded Rei. Dema-fa sighed heavily, "An espionage attempt against a fourteen year-old girl? Kidnappers, I suppose. Oh well. I'd better get down there." Dema-fa pushed off the wall with his left hand and dropped to the street. He angled his descent so that he would ;land on top of one of the kidnappers. The man that he had target to break his landing crumpled to the ground with several crunching sounds. He lay very still. His back and neck broken. Surprised, the other four men were caught off guard when Dema-fa picked up the dead body and threw it at them. *If it was just me, I would kill them. But, since Rei is their target, I've got to get her out of here,* Dema-fa thought as he picked Rei up and slung her across his shoulder like a sack of grain. "What are you doing?" Rei asked in her monotone voice. "I'm getting you out of here," Dema-fa replied. "Here we go." Foregoing any attempts at subtlety, he leaped up to a single story house and ran along the roof. After leaping to other buildings and getting some distance between them and the kidnappers, Dema-fa stopped underneath a railroad overpass. "I think we lost them," Dema-fa said. "How did you know that they would be there?" Dema-fa shrugged as he replied, "I didn't. I was out for my weekly jog, when I saw you. By the way, what were you doing in that part of town?" "I live there. It is where Commander Ikari said I should stay when I am not needed to be a pilot." Dema-fa looked straight at Rei and asked, "You live in a slum? What kind of security does that offer you? You could be killed, raped, beaten, or whatever." Turning away from the intense gaze, Rei replied, "It is where Commander Ikari has said I should live." "Well, I'm not Ikari. I'm going to take you to a place that is a bit safer. We'll get your things later." Rei kept her face turned away from Dema-fa as she blushed a bit at his concern for her welfare. "Where are we going?" Dema-fa sighed as he gazed into space, "I only know of one place that I have access to. I'll contact Gendo from there." Dema-fa picked Rei up with both hands. Rei wrapped her arms around his neck as she settled into position. After making sure she was secure, Dema-fa leaped to a building and started his journey. He noticed that Rei's heart was beating a bit fast as they jumped from building to building. A memory of another fast heartbeat came to Dema- fa at that point. "Easy, little rabbit. We'll be there soon," Dema-fa said to Rei in a consoling voice. *Little rabbit? Where did that come from?* Rei asked herself as she snuggled closer to Dema-fa. About an hour later, Dema-fa and Rei were standing before a mansion on a hill. Dema-fa set Rei back on her feet before he opened the door to the old house. Acting like an usher, he waved Rei inside. "Welcome to your new home," Dema-fa said. *It's been a while since I've been here.* The blue-haired girl walked into the house and looked around. She was about to remove her shoes, when Dema-fa stopped her. "Keep your shoes on. There's some broken glass that hasn't been cleaned up yet." The two walked through the mansion. One bizarre statue in the library caught Rei's attention. It looked like a demon's head. Yet the center of it had been hollowed out. Looking through the mouth of the statue, she could see the table through a hole in the bottom of the statue. For some reason, the statue and being in the very house made Rei very nervous and uncomfortable. "Well I'd better let Gendo know what's happened." Dema-fa said, as he played with a small brown book. "You will not be able to make a call from here. The phone lines are monitored and you will be disconnected the minute you call." "Oh, I'm quite sure the message will get to him," he replied as he started dialing the number. After hearing the phone line pick up, Dema-fa yelled, "Yo, Genny! I thought you might like to know that some nitwits tried to kidnap Rei. I'll call back in an hour to let you know where we are! Or, you can call me with you number tracking abilities! If you have them!" Dema-fa hung up the phone and looked at Rei who had her hands over her ears. Chuckling slightly, he motioned for Rei to sit down. After they both had taken chairs, Dema-fa struck up a conversation. "Do you think I was to loud?" "I do not know. Your yelling hurt my ears and that is why I covered them," Rei responded. Dema-fa stared at Rei for a bit before observing, "You really aren't one for conversations are you? Oh well." Dema-fa lapsed into silence and read from the small book he had in his hand. Rei kept looking around the library and shuddered. The atmosphere in the house was becoming oppressive. To try and fight her nervousness, Rei asked, "How come you are certain this house is safe?" Startled, Dema-fa looked up. Examining Rei's face, he saw a bit of fear etched into her features. He set the book down and talked to Rei. *Looks like Ryo's old house is getting to you,* Dema-fa thought as he replied, "This house has a wall around it. Not a wall of steel or stone, but of fear. This building radiates fear from it, keeping people far away." "Fear? How can a house generate fear?" "Something happened here long ago and the house picked up on the aura of fear and cruelty," Dema-fa answered. *And of course, around fifty dead demons in the basement dosen't help matters any. Ryo and I really should have found a way to clean that mess up instead of just sealing the basement up.* Dema-fa looked towards the demon's head statue and let out a long breath. He shook his head and turned his attention back to Rei. The blue-haired girl shuddered as she wondered what the significance of the statue was. Trying to keep the conversation going so she wouldn't be nervous, Rei asked, "Why are you here? You helped us with the Jet Alone problem, but..." "I am here to try and save humanity. Although at times, I wonder if I should. I have the means to stop a Third Impact cold. I'm going to trust you in keeping that quiet even from Gendo Ikari." An unfamiliar feeling of shock stole over Rei, as she asked, "You can stop a Third Impact? How?" Smirking slightly, the young man replied, "It's who I am, and what I am that allows me to do something like that. Hmmm. I think I'll pester Gendo again." Dema-fa picked up the phone once more and started dialing. As he dialed, he reminisced about the past as he flipped the pages of the brown book back and forth. *If it wasn't for Kozo Fuyutsuki of Gehirn, I would never have know about Seele and the truth behind the Second Impact. It is a real good thing that I got Mr. Asuka's diary back from him. He was a smart person and I will miss him. Just by the plan that Ryo's father had written in here, he was able to figure out who I was and what I became. I am surprised that he accepted that I was half-demon and that he wanted me to act as a second fail-safe against Seele. Oh well. At least I'm having fun. I have all these stuck up people that I can annoy.* After the other end of the phone line picked up, Dema-fa yelled into the phone, "I'm still waiting for you guys to call back! Come on, Genny! I know you want to know where Rei is!" Dema-fa smirked as he saw that Rei had covered her ears again. He quickly hung up the phone and stared at a wall. "I think Gendo should be calling soon," he speculated. To verify the statement, the phone started ringing. "Hi, Genny," Dema-fa said, as he picked up the phone. "I would tell you where I am at, but you wouldn't believe me anyway. So, I'll just leave the phone line open and your agents can trace this call." Dema-fa heard a growl come from the other end of the phone. After a few seconds, Gendo asked, "What do you mean that someone tried to kidnap Rei?" "A five man team was either going to kill Rei or kidnap her. I just happened by on my weekly jog and rescued her. And before you ask, I don't know who they were. You might want to send someone to pack Rei's belongings and bring them here. There's plenty of room. We could have Rei, myself, Shinji, Misato, and the walking dinner platter in here and still have room left over. When you're done tracing this call, please do a forced disconnect. Later." Dema-fa sat the receiver down beside the phone, smirking a bit at how peeved he was making Gendo. *I'm going to get him to lighten up or give him a nervous breakdown,* Dema-fa thought as he stood up. "Come on, Rei. I'll give you a tour of the rest of the house. Let's see which of the bedrooms is to your liking," he said, as he stuffed the diary in his jacket pocket. Clasping Dema-fa's hand tightly, Rei allowed herself to be led from the library to the upstairs rooms. She didn't want to be alone in this strange house and was glad to be out of the presence of that statue. She wondered what the event was that gave this mansion an aura of fear. ---------------------------------- Chapter 06 Carrying luggage, Misato and Shinji were standing outside the gates of the mansion where Dema-fa and Rei were holed up. They were accompanied by a brown haired girl, about Shinji's age, and a an older man. All of them were in a bit of shock at the size of the house. Behind the group, a penguin was waddling. "Misato, is this it?" Shinji asked. Misato swallowed heavily and nodded. "Yes. It is. The cursed Asuka mansion." "Hey!" the girl exclaimed. Misato shook her head. "No, Asuka. The name of the family was Asuka." Shinji glanced from the house to Misato and asked, "Cursed?" The man started explaining, "This house used to belong to Professor Asuka. In his last year, he went a bit crazy. He suicided by pouring gasoline on himself and then setting himself on fire. A few days after his death, his son Ryo was brought into a hospital with bruises and cracked ribs. He did not explain where he got them from. Another mystery was the fast paced at which he healed. A little while after he checked out of the hospital, he and a friend of his vanished, never to be seen again. Ever since that time, this building has had an aura of fear around it." Pointing at the mansion, Asuka crossly said, "I can't believe that we're going to be staying in a haunted house. Kaji, this has to be a joke." "I don't feel any fear coming from the mansion," Shinji quietly stated, ignoring Asuka for a second. "Shut up," Asuka said, as she spun to face Shinji. "Who asked for your opinion?" Kaji hid a chuckle and said, "Actually, he's right. There is no fear in the air, and it is a good place to stay. The reputation alone is a powerful enough deterrent." Asuka humped and replied, "All right. If you say so. I want to meet this so-called superman Dema-fa and see if he lives up to what I've heard of him." *So do I,* Kaji thought and said, "I didn't say so. Commander Ikari did. Once he found out where those two were hiding, he figured it would be the best place to keep the Eva pilots when they are not needed. The apartments are a bit to easy to get to and this place can easily be made into a fortress." Misato thought, *And, it also provides more eyes to keep track of Mr. Lech. God, he's getting annoying.* The four people made their way slowly to the front door of the mansion. Once they arrived, Kaji knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing the smirking Dema-fa. "Ah. I see Genny decided to take me up on it. Welcome to here. Come on in and make yourselves at home, since it is," Dema-fa cheerfully said, as he waved the group in. "By the way, keep your shoes on, I still haven't got all the broken glass up." Seeing the penguin, Dema-fa stated, "I see you brought the dinner platter." Before he could say another word, Misato angrily stated, "You are not going to cook or eat Pen-pen. He is my pet." Chuckling a bit, Dema-fa glanced at the group and saw Kaji and Asuka. "Hello. I call myself Dema-fa. Yes, it's a phony name. But, I like it. Now, who are you?" Asuka, flustered at this person's nature, replied, "Asuka Soryu- Langely. I'm the second child." "Will I meet your older sibling?" "Er. I'm an only child. I don't have any brothers or sisters," Asuka stammered. Misato rubbed her temples. "Not like that. She meant she was the second child chosen to pilot an Eva unit. Rei is the first child, Asuka's the second, and Shinji is the third child." Dema-fa shrugged and replied, "Oh that. Misato, you might want to find another term for them. It is kind of misleading." Kaji chuckled a bit, "Call me Kaji. Are you always like this?" "No. Sometimes, I'm a lot worse," Dema-fa replied. "Well. Did you have a nice trip, Shinji? I'm quite sure you heard what happened to Rei." "We were attacked by an Angel out at sea. We managed to destroy it." "I managed to carry the day," Asuka blurted in. Glancing at the brown haired girl, Dema-fa said, "Maybe you did, but I wasn't talking to you. Now, be quiet." Seeing that Asuka was getting angry, Misato blurted out a question. "Where is Rei? I have to make sure she's all right." Dema-fa pointed upwards and replied, "She's upstairs, asleep. Her room is at the furthest end from the stairs." "I'd better check on her." "You do that. Asuka, Shinji, the bedrooms are upstairs. You might want to pick one out while I get supper ready. Since Misato seems to be well, I'm fixing split-pea soup." Misato glared at Dema-fa's retreating form, before leading Shinji and Asuka upstairs. Getting out of everyone's sight, Kaji snickered a bit at Misato's discomfort. *I like this guy. Now, I have to figure out where he came from and what his motivations are. It's too bad I'm not going to be staying here. I would love to watch his actions in dealing with Misato.* -------------------- Walking into the room that Rei was in, Misato wondered what prompted Dema-fa to bring Rei to this house. Frowning, She watched as Rei turned in her sleep. It was obvious that she was not having a pleasant nap. Shaking the girl's shoulder, Misato said, "Rei? Wake up." Misato was taken by surprise as Rei snapped awake and grabbed her arm very tightly. The blue-haired girl glanced around in a panic. "Rei, ease up on my arm." Rei turned her head to Misato and released her grip. "I'm sorry. I do not know what came over me." "It's obvious. You had a nightmare," Misato responded, as she shook some feeling back into her arm. Rei shook her head, "That is not possible. I do not dream." "This place must be getting to you. Do you want to stay here?" Misato said. *Everyone dreams, Rei. You just don't remember them.* Rei thought for a long moment. "This place offers protection from the elements as well as safety from people trying to harm me. Despite the discomfort that I feel in being here, it is the best place for me to stay." Misato shook her head and asked, "Is that your only reason?" Turning her head, Rei replied, "Yes." What Misato couldn't see was Rei blushing slightly. Leaving the room, she went and checked up on Shinji and Asuka. Before exiting the room, she dropped Rei's belongings off. Once alone, Rei got up and put her few things away. After doing so, she looked into the mirror that her room had. *Why did I blush? I have no other reasons for staying here.* ------------------------------------------ About forty minutes after Shinji and the others had arrived, Dema-fa finished cooking supper. True to his word, he fixed a big pot of split-pea soup. But, he also cooked a twelve pound, honey glazed ham for the group. While the food was cooking, he had broken out a small table and chair for Pen-pen to sit at. Soon, the five people and one penguin were sitting at their respective tables. Starting up a conversation, Dema-fa asked, "Why isn't Gendo Ikari here? I thought he would at least want to check up on his son." "Commander Ikari is busy at the moment," Misato said, trying to kill this subject as quickly as possible. Seeing Shinji look away, Dema-fa thought, *O-kay. Better change subjects quick.* "His loss. So Asuka, what do you think of the place?" Still fuming a bit at Dema-fa's earlier attitude towards her, she replied, "The place is fine. It's who is in it, that I'm having problems with." "Maybe so. But until NERV figures out who I am, you're stuck dealing with me." Slamming her hands down on the table, Asuka demanded, "Why don't you tell them? At least tell them something other than that silly name. Do you know how annoying it is, referring to you in a name that you know is false?" Dema-fa smirked, "Yes, I know how annoying it is. That's why I did it. As to why, they wouldn't believe me if I flat out told them who and what I was. They have to be ready to accept that answer, first." Misato thought, *If I had anything to go on, I would figure out who you are. Even fingerprints would help.* A flash of memory came to Misato. She recalled how Dema-fa picked up an empty glass and gripped it and then put it up in her apartment cupboard. *Always one step ahead? All right Mr. Lech, we'll play it your way. I'll use those fingerprints that you so kindly gave me to figure out who you are. And when I do...,* Misato's thoughts trailed off. Asuka glared angrily at the older boy. "You are really getting on my nerves." "Too bad," Dema-fa replied, shrugging. "I enjoy being the way I am, and I make no excuse for it." "Ergh. Listen you screwball, I don't enjoy being treated like this. No one has ever talked to me like this before." "Oh well. At least, I'm first. Maybe if you didn't wear your panties so tight, you would be a bit more pleasant." Asuka flushing bright red, reached across the table and slapped Dema-fa across the face. "Don't you ever say that to me again!" Asuka yelled, while rubbing her hand. Instead of replying, Dema-fa rubbed his face and chuckled in a very deep voice. The laughter caused everyone around the table to shudder. "I think I'll head back to headquarters, now," Kaji said, while standing up. *Whew. This is one brave person or very crazy person. And, here I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore.* ---------------------- After dinner, Misato accompanied Asuka to her room. She wanted to have a private talk with her about Dema-fa. "God, what a jerk," Asuka muttered. "I can't believe anyone would say that to me." Shaking her head, Misato said, "Get used to it. He seems to have a knack for annoying people. I think I'd better tell you about what he has said and done, since we met him." Misato went on to explain all the exploits that Dema-fa had said. Asuka was startled at Misato's story about what happened the first night Dema-fa spent with her and Shinji. The fact that he brought down Jet Alone by himself, caused some concern for the brown haired girl. A bit calmer now, Asuka stroked her chin and observed, "He's totally irreverent, has huge amounts of strength, and wants us to figure out who he is. Something changed him. He's taking the somewhat wiser course of having us figure it out, instead of him just telling us. As we figure it out, we won't think of him as that object But, as a person who has been changed." Misato frowned, "You might be right. That is very perceptive of you, Asuka." "Have you forgotten, that I graduated from a university?" "Only because, I had to deal with Dema-fa." A flash of anger passed across Asuka's face, "He's still a jerk." ---------------------------------- Back at NERV headquarters, Kaji was talking to Commander Ikari. He gave his impressions of the house and of Dema-fa, himself. Pushing his glasses back on his nose, Gendo asked, "Were you able to get any information from Dema-fa." Kaji chuckled and replied, "After he made that comment to Asuka, I figured it would be best if I left. It'll be a lot easier to pump him for information if I didn't have to worry about him getting slapped." "And, how is Rei?" Kaji shrugged as he left. "She seems fine. She shuddered along with the rest of us when Dema-fa chuckled, though." Gendo frowned as he laced his fingers together. *Rei is showing emotion? Unexpected. Despite my misgivings about Dema-fa, I do have to give him credit. That house is a better location to keep track of everyone. I'll send some men to secure the grounds. There is something that puzzles me. Why was that phone left active? No one has lived there for years.* From: Disruptor Subject: [Eva/Devilman][FanFic] Dema-fa, Chapter 07 Disclaimer: All characters that are used belong to their respective creators. I do this for fun and do not take any money off of it. Please don't sue me. The stories are mine, so please don't use them without asking me. ----------- Waking up early, Dema-fa exited his bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. *I guess I should sweep up that glass. I think over a decade is long enough to leave broken glass on the floor and a week since the others moved in,* he thought as he pulled out a dustpan and broom. *The NERV people will be here later to fortify the place.* Dema-fa went to the hall with the broken windows. He shook his head at the boards nailed over the window to keep the elements out. Once he gathered the glass and disposed of it, he ran his hands along the boarded up window. "In a very real sense, this is where it started for me," he muttered. "When that creature forced its way in to kill us, I could no longer deny that there was a world of monsters and demons out there." "Just what does that mean?" came a voice. "And who else was in this house with you?" Turning, Dema-fa saw Misato standing there. Dema-fa shook his head and then grinned wickedly. "Are you sure you want that answer, Misato? Maybe you should wait until you know who I am or was before hearing my story." "Why?" Katsuragi asked. "It'll be more believable." Misato shook her head and replied, "Oh no, I'm not leaving here until I have at least a hint on what you are about." "Have it your way," Dema-fa said, with a shrug. "Follow me." Curious, Lt. Katsuragi followed Dema-fa into the library. As soon as he entered, Dema-fa went for the demon-head bust and picked it up. Turning around, he placed the statue over Misato's head. She looked like she was wearing a helmet that was meant for someone much larger than she. "What...," Misato began. "Just wait." A strange blue glow illuminated Misato's face as images and scenes were transmitted into her mind. After a minute, Dema-fa removed the statue. "There Misato, you have your clue. A recording of what once was." Collapsing onto a chair, Misato shuddered at the images that she had seen. "Of what once was? What is that?" Placing the stone demon-head back on its table, Dema-fa answered, "A record of the past. Human hands did not sculpt this statue." "Then who did?" Misato asked, feeling a bit uneasy. "I think you have an idea on what did carve it." Misato was quiet and handed Dema-fa a card. Taking the card, he looked at it. On it, were the words NERV and Dema-fa's picture. Flipping the card over, he saw a magnetic strip on the back. "That card marks you as one of our operatives," Misato explained. "Normally I would also hand you a folder explaining on what you should do in an emergency, but I have my doubts that you would follow it." Dema-fa grinned and stuffed the card in his pocket. "Plus, it's easier to keep track of me." Dema-fa picked up a small book and headed back to the kitchen. Sounds and smells of cooking soon wafted into the library. Misato ran a finger over the demon-head statue and recalled what she had just seen. "No. That can't be," she mumbled. *First, back to my old apartment and get that glass and find out who Mr. Lech is, I've been so distracted that I forgot to do so. Then, I'll come up with a reasonable explanation for this. I think I'll grab something at NERV headquarters. I need to know.* ----- Later in the morning, the three Eva pilots woke up and ate breakfast. Shinji was a bit surprised that Misato had already left for work. After the group had finished eating, they prepared for school. As soon as they exited the mansion, they saw NERV personnel approaching. Dema-fa waved at them. "Have fun remodeling the place while we're at school." "Why are you going with us? Your older than we are," Asuka demanded. "I work in your class as a teacher's assistant," came the quick reply. Asuka groaned. *Oh great. I have to put up with this jerk at school and at home.* Dema-fa chuckled, having an idea what was going through Asuka's mind. ----------- A siren blared through the city, alerting the EVA pilots that they were needed back at NERV HQ. Rei, Asuka, and Shinji ran to a waiting car as all but Dema-fa headed for the bunkers. Stretching a bit, Dema-fa said, "I think I'll take a walk." Toji yelled, "Are you nuts? There's an Angel coming. We have to get under cover." "No. An Angel has been spotted. It's not even near hear, yet," Dema-fa replied, watching the NERV car pull away. Toji shook his head and went with the rest of the crowd to the bunker. Walking in the direction of NERV, Dema-fa hummed a tune. *I'd better get over there. I want to see who it is.* During his walk he saw the three Eva's launch and head out. A bit later attack helicopters and jets went out and an uneasy feeling crept over him. "Something went wrong. No time for subtlety." With that, he jumped on top of a telephone pole and took to the rooftops. As he made his way to NERV, he spotted a helicopter making its way back. He jumped down to the ground in front of NERV HQ, startling a guard. "Hello. Pardon me. I want to check up on my friends. By the way, I am authorized to be in NERV," Dema-fa said as he showed his card. Entering the compound, he listened for the sounds of activity. He soon saw a group of people heading into a room. Among them were the EVA pilots and Commander Ikari. Without drawing attention to himself, Dema-fa joined them. The room that everyone was in seemed to be some sort of movie theater. Gendo said, "Lights." The lights in the room dimmed and a movie started playing. On the screen were the three Eva's and a humanoid Angel. "Just wait here third child and wonder girl, while I take care of this Angel," Asuka said from inside Unit 02 Unit 02 pulled out its prog knife and cut the Angel in half. "Ha. Easy enough." The Angel halves shifted into humanoids, looking like twins in different colors. The gold one grabbed Unit 02 and planted it face first into the ground. Unit 01 charged in and the silver one grabbed it and gave it the same treatment. The split angel closed in on Unit 00. The gold half and silver half grabbed the EVA by the arms and threw it into a hill. "This is pathetic!" Misato's voice came from the screen. *I agree,* Dema-fa thought. Gendo once again said, "Lights." The lights returned to normal and the screen went blank. "What's the status of the Angel?" Gendo asked. Misato replied, "A strike with several N2 mines has rendered it inoperable for at least 72 hours. I have an idea on how to defeat the Angel. The three EVA units suffered minor damage and should be ready by that time." Standing up, Dema-fa walked over to the three pilots, grabbing a gun from a guard on the way. Dema-fa slammed the gun's handle into Asuka's hand an forced her to hold it. He used his strength to point the gun at Kaji. "Come on, Asuka shoot Kaji. At least this way it'll be faster." Gendo held up a hand, halting any action. Stammering, Asuka asked, "What are you up to?" "Don't you want to see Kaji dead and have his lifeless corpse on your conscience? The same goes for you Shinji. Why don't you just shoot Misato? It'll be faster than waiting for the Angels to kill them." "I don't understand," Shinji quavered. "What's with you?" "What's with me? Nothing. What's with the three of you? You three are supposed to be a team fighting the Angels and protect all of humanity. There is no time for these one-up games that you guys are engaging in. If you can't learn to work together, we should just hand you some machine guns and let you kill all you classmates." Asuka struggled to free her hands, "Let me go, you creep." Dema-fa released her, while still holding onto the gun. He held the gun up in front of his face. "Your games will be the death of us. Outside of combat, that's fine. But when fighting the Angels, put it aside or we will give you guns and have you kill your friends," Dema-fa said while crushing the gun in his fist. Dropping the crumpled gun to the ground, Dema-fa left the room. Misato was tempted to go after him, but saw that Kaji had already done so. Looking at Gendo, she asked a question with her eyes. "He was right," Gendo said. "There is no time for those games. If I had thought of it, I would have done the same thing myself." Misato turned away and led the children away. *I'll explain my plan to them and I'll have a talk with Mr. Lech later.* Before they left, Gendo said, "The Fourth Child will be arriving tomorrow morning. His name is Kaworu Nagisa." "Understood, sir." ------------------ Kaji came across Dema-fa leaning against a wall. "That was cold and almost got you killed. Not to mention me." The black eyed boy looked straight at Kaji. "And what happens if the Angels break through? Everyone dies." Dema-fa sighed and continued, "I'm probably going to be hated by all three now, but they have to understand that this is no game and the stakes are very real." Kaji studied the boy closer, and asked, "Who are you?" "A friend and protector of humanity. Beyond that, someone very dangerous." "That's not much of an answer." Dema-fa's head snapped up. "It's healing too fast." Leaving a stunned Kaji behind, Dema-fa took off to the Eva hangers. "What does he mean 'It's healing too fast'?" ------------ Streaking into the Eva launch bay, Dema-fa quickly examined the tree damaged Eva's "Purple and red are still out of it. I guess the blue one will have to do." He quickly teleported inside Unit 00 and started it up. *Come on Akira, just think of it as armor that can focus your powers.* Misato's face came on the screen. "Get out of there at once! How did you get in there?" "Never mind. Take a look at the Angel's status. It's going to be up and running in a few minutes. Right now the kids are in no shape for another combat." Maya's voice came from off camera. "He's right. The Angel is on the move. ETA to the city 5 minutes. It'll be at least 10 minutes before we can get the others ready." "I guess we don't have a choice," Misato muttered. "Launch Evangelion Unit 00!" With a blast of flames, Unit 00 was rocketed towards the surface. Looking over the city, Dema-fa saw the Angel heading towards him. He readied Unit 00's prog knife and waited. As soon as the Angel was close enough, he guided the blue mecha to the attack. He quickly cut the Angel into halves. Before the Angel had time to shift, Unit 00 kicked one half into a wall. The blue EVA grabbed the silver half and did a pile-driver to it, giving it a taste of its own medicine. In NERV, Misato watched the battle nervously. *He's doing pretty good, but he doesn't know how to defeat Israfel. Hopefully he holds out long enough for Shinji and Asuka to get ready.* Not concerning himself with what NERV's feelings were, Dema-fa grabbed the golden half and skidded it across the ground. As soon as he threw the Angel half, Dema-fa guided Unit 00 to land on top of it and ride it like a skateboard. He guided the makeshift board into an abandoned warehouse. Unit 00 rolled back out of the building before it collapsed. Rolling to its feet, the blue EVA back kicked the silver half that was trying to sneak up on it. Using the speakers, Dema-fa said, "Fun's fun, but it's time to end this." Unit 00 pulled two lamp posts out of the ground and did a spin catch with them. Dema-fa waited for both the gold and the silver half of Israfel to emerge. Once they did, he threw the posts towards them. Each post drilled right through the S2 core of each Angel half. Not satisfied with doing that, Dema-fa guided Unit 00 to clothesline both halves and send them skittering into the bay. An explosion came from the bay and drenched Unit 00 with water. Clicking on the radio, Dema-fa said, "Sorry to borrow your robot without asking, Rei. But, I really didn't have time. Pardon me for a second." Dema-fa ejected from the Evangelion and dropped to his knees. The NERV personnel that went to retrieve Unit 00 found him kneeling on the ground throwing up. *I think I'd better not try that again. Not safe for my health." --------------- Somewhere Lorenz Keele was have a meeting with the other Seele members. Seph-05 said, "That was unexpected. How could he pilot an Eva? He is obviously older than 14." Seph 02 replied, "I don't know. We have no clue as to who and what he is." "Could his presence threaten the Humanity Completion Project?" Seph-08 asked. Lorenz replied, "That is what we are going to have to find out. An unknown element such as this Dema-fa must be accounted for and dealt with accordingly." --------------- Tom Mathews a.k.a. Disruptor http://home1.gte.net/mathews1/ http://home.earthlink.net/~dangaioh/ From: Disruptor Subject: [Eva/Devilman][FanFic] Dema-fa, Chapters 08-09 Chapter 08 Dema-fa was sitting in a bed in the NERV medical wing. He was coughing and rubbing the back of his hand against his face. "Yuk. I'm going be tasting bile for a week," Dema-fa muttered. He cocked his head to one side and looked lost in thought. "I think I'd better just beat up Angels with my bare hands." "That was an odd remark," Rei said as she entered the room. Dema-fa looked up and saw the blue-haired girl. He bit his lip and looked away. "So, Rei what are you doing here?" "I came to see if you were in good health after piloting my Evangelion," she answered in a monotone. Dema-fa mentally winced as he replied, "I'm sorry I took it without asking, Rei. But, the Angel had to be stopped." "That was not what I am here for. I want to know how you are doing." "Oh. I'm fine. I have no intention of getting back into one of those things. I really don't feel like puking my guts out. Although, it did give me something interesting to taste." Steeping into the room, Asuka caught that last remark. She blanched, flopped down on a chair, and said, "You are sick, Superjerk. Enjoying the taste of your own puke?" Dema-fa let that slide and addressed his visitor. "So, what can I do for you? Want to gloat that a few minutes in that robot put me into the hospital?" Taking a deep breath, the red-head replied, "How did you manage to pilot an EVA and defeat the Angel?" "I didn't have time for games. When I took Unit 00, the only thought going through my head was 'stop the Angel'. If it came to it, I would have did a suicide run to destroy the Angel." Cocking his head to one side, Dema-fa asked, "I have a question for you. Why aren't you bringing up that bit I forced on you with the gun?" A flash of anger passed over Asuka's face and she stood up and headed for the door. *Commander Ikari approved the action, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.* Rei answered for her. "Commander Ikari let your action go unchallenged and then admitted he would have done the same thing to get us to work together, if it had occurred to him." *I wonder what happened to Gendo. He's changed since we were classmates.* Asuka glared at Rei and stormed out of the room. Watching her go, Dema-fa shook his head. A long silence filled the room, as Dema-fa felt Rei's eyes constantly upon him. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he asked, "Rei is there something else you want? I would like to take a shower or bath." "I am not sure. Explain why you called me little rabbit." Shaking his head, he explained, "A long time ago, I almost got killed by a group of bullies trying to protect a rabbit. I was very lucky that the chain that was whipped at me only cut the surface of my skin and didn't give me a concussion or worse. When I carried you to the house, I could feel your heartbeat and it reminded me of that rabbit." Dema-fa was about to say something when Rei spoke. "I will see you at the house later." He waited until she left before using his room's facilities to get cleaned up. *I wonder what Rei wants. She was starting to freak me out there for a second.* --------------- Misato was sitting at a computer terminal in NERV, trying to get a handle on the mysterious Dema-fa. Using the fingerprints she had lifted from the glass, she started scanning files in trying to find a match. "I'll try from a decade ago to now. He should be in there." After a bit of time, the computer came back with no matches. She tried again using a picture and still came up blank. She decided to give the fingerprints another go, with an earlier decade. As she typed in the year '1994', her finger slipped and she typed '1904'. She did not catch her slip up until she hit the search key. She slapped her forehead as she saw the year. "No. It's going to take an hour before it's finished." Massaging her temples with her hand, she sighed and let the computer do its work. *Might as well let it go. It'll save me a bit of hassle.* The checking and processing of the computer came to a stop as it showed a positive match. Seeing that she had gained a bit of success, Misato raised both fists into the air with a feeling of triumph. "Yes. Now, I have a name to go with Mr. Lech," she said as she brought up the info screen. "His name is Akira Fudo and he...what the? This can't be right." Misato read through the file several times in disbelief. The file didn't change. "According to this, he attended school with Yui Ikari and Gendo." Biting her bottom lip, she continued to read. She read a line near the bottom of the file aloud. "Akira Fudo along with his friend, Ryo Asuka, vanished after an undisclosed incident put Ryo Asuka in the hospital. Whereabouts are unknown." Misato leaned back in her chair and stared at the monitor. A sudden thought came to her and she checked on the status of Akira's parents. What she saw there, confirmed her suspicions. "My father's expedition was sent to find out what happened to the expedition led by Akira's parents. What was it he said? Be glad that you didn't find them? Why did he say that? If he is Akira Fudo, how come he still looks so young? And, what happened to him before and after his disappearance?" Captain Katsuragi threw up her hands in fustration. "Arrrgh! I got an answer, but it just led to more and more questions." A telephone near her started to ring. She sighed and picked it up. "Katsuragi here. What's up?" The voice at the other end of the line said, "Captian, this is security. Dema-fa just showed up at the front gate and is trying to leave. What should we do?" Shaking her head, Misato replied, "Let him go. He's just heading back to the Asuka Mansion. By the way has the Fourth Child showed up, yet?" "Er. Yes, he has. We don't know where to put him, though." "If Dema-fa hasn't left yet, have Nagisa accompany him to the house. Otherwise, have a security force accompany Nagisa." "I see. I'll do both. Just to be on the safe side, you understand?" Smiling a bit, Misto answered, "Oh, I understand quite well." ----------------- Walking to the mansion, Dema-fa smirked at the size of the group he was leading. There was him, Shinji, Rei, Asuka, the new kid: Kaworu Nagisa, and a dozen NERV security guards. "Quite an ensemble. I wonder if people will think that we are a parade group that got lost," Dema-fa stated. Rei replied, "This is for our protection." Dema-fa laughed and said, "Well that might be true of you four, but as to me... I think they are here to keep an eye on me and try to figure out who and what I am." The older boy examined the new member of the household. Dema-fa saw that he had red eys, like Rei, and grey hair. He also noticed that Nagisa's eyes had a cast of sadness about them. He decided to strike up a conversation with the fourth child. "So, what do you think of NERV so far?" Nagisa replied, "I find it sad that everyone condems the Angels and yet hopes that their power will be used to save them." "Ah, the Evangelions. Well, I don't rely on them. I have other methods at my disposal." "Yes, you and Rei are like me." "Um. Rei might be. But, I am unique. There is no one else like me on the planet." Nagisa smiled slightly. "The mysterious Dema-fa who regulary annoys goverment officials. You have made quite a name for yourself as has Shinji, Rei, and Asuka." "Who wouldn't know who Superfreak is after that little stunt he pulled right before Jet Alone went berserk?" Asuka snidely asked. Dema-fa smiled at that. "Well, what do you guys want for supper. Steak? Hamburger? Hot dogs?" Quitely, Rei answered, "I don't eat meat." "Okay. Rei, do you eat eggs or anything that uses eggs as an ingredient? Such as, cake?" The blue haired girl thought for a second and replied, "I have had a slice of choclate cake before. I can eat eggs." Turning to the new boy, Dema-fa asked, "Nagisa?" Kaworu said with a slight smile, "I can eat eggs, but like Rei, I also don't eat meat." Cracking his knuckles, Dema-fa stated, "One omlet, minus the bacon, coming up. Shinji, you've been awfully quiet. Is there something the matter?" Startled, Shinji stammered, "N-no. It's just that I was thinking about what you said to Asuka and myself before you defeated the Angel. Is it true that we're all that can prevent the extinction of humanity." "After supper, Shinji. I don't like cooking while being depressed," Dema-fa said, while holding up a hand. *Seele used my parent's expedition to get to Lilis and then left mom to be eaten by the demon Jinmen.* --------------------------- Commander Ikari looked up from his desk as Captain Katsuragi entered. Lacing his fingers in front of his mouth, he wondered what brought his subordinate to his office. "Good evening, Captain. What can I do for you?" Taking a deep breath, Misato asked, "Commander, do you remember going to school with a boy by the name of Akira Fudo?" "It is odd that you mentioned that. Dema-fa has been reminding me of him. Why do you ask?" "Um. I'm investigating Dema-fa and I think he has a connection with Akira Fudo. What was Akira like?" Gendo leaned back in his chair and hummed, while he reminisced about his old classmate. "Before, he was a lot like Shinji. He was very shy and nervous, but had flashes of courage. He risked getting severely injured to protect a rabbit from being killed for sport. After, he changed. He made lecherous comments, had a lot of self-confidence, and wasn't afraid to say his mind. He was a lot like Dema-fa." "Before and after?" "That would be the arrival of one Ryo Asuka," Gendo explained. "Shortly after he arrived, Akira changed dramatically. The only person outside of Akira and Ryo who might have known what happened was Mikki, but she died a while back." Misato bit her bottom lip and said, "I see." "Did you find anything else out about Akira? I would like to know what happened to him, after he disappeared." "Not about him, exactly. It's about his parents. They led the Fudo expedition that my father's crew was sent to find. I find it kind of odd at the time between the two expeditions." "There were others before the Katsuragi expedition. It's just that your father's was the last one. Something always interfered with the groups' success." *How do I tell Commander Ikari that Dema-fa and Akira Fudo are the same person?" Misato thought. *He wouldn't believe it. Heck, I don't believe it.* Staring at his underling, Gendo said, "You would not have brought up Akira Fudo, if it wasn't important. Tell me what you have found." After taking a steadying breath, Captain Katsuragi explained, "I have recently compared the fingerprints of Dema-fa to those in the database. I came up with a perfect match. That match was Akira Fudo. The only conclusion is that Dema-fa and Akira Fudo are the same person." "That is highly improbable. Akira would be my age and not a teen-ager. Someone might have used his blood to clone Dema-fa and add in the enhancements." Dubiously, Misato said, "I guess so. Maybe. I'll inform you if I find anything else out." Gendo nodded at Misato's answer. The Captain bowed and exited Ikari's office. After she left, Gendo drummed his fingers on his desk and thought, *Akira alive after all this time? I can not accept that he remained unchanged by the passing of years. It's probably like I told Misato. He's nothing more than an enhanced clone.* ---------------------------- Chapter 09 At the Asuka mansion, Dema-fa was busy cooking up supper. He chuckled a bit has he heard the front door open. About a minute later, Misato walked inot the kitchen. "So, have a fun time with my fingerprints?" Dema-fa asked. Misato glared at him. "You knew that I would come up with something impossible to believe. Didn't you?" "Impossible? No. Not at all," Dema-fa replied. "What you found out is true." Exasperated, Misato ground out, "It just led to more questions. I need some answers." Dema-fa finished the omlet and put it on a plate. Leaning against the wall, he bowed his head in thought. "Misato, the Fudo expiditon found something in the Antartic ice. A being known as Lilis. An orginization known as Seele took Lilis and held her prisoner. Her freeing from the ice is what summoned the Angel known as Adam to Earth. What Adam and Seele didn't know was that other things were frozen in the ice and were getting out through the hole that was made when Lilis was taken." "Things? What things?" Misato asked uneasily, while backing up. Dema-fa grinned wickedly. "Later. It's time for dinner." Misato shook her head as she followed Dema-fa out to the Dining room. She took a seat as the omlet platte was set in the middle of the table. "There's a western custom of saying grace right before you start to eat," Dema-fa said. "But, since we're blowing away Angels, it's probably inappropriate." Asuka's head snapped up and she angrily asked, "Don't you take anything seriously?" Dema-fa closed his eyes and nodded. Opening his eyes and staring at Asuka, he replied, "Yes, there are. Minor things like this, I ignore or make fun of. I have my reasons to act the way I do." "There is no reason for your attitude," Asuka snapped. Twirling a piece of egg with his chopsticks, Dema-fa thought, *If you knew that I had proof that Hell existed and that no matter how good a life I've led my soul will go straight to Hell after I've died, I think your attitude on my position would be a lot different." Shinji sensing that a fight might break out, change the subject. "You said that we are defending all of humanity. How?" Snickering to himself, Dema-fa replied, "If an Angel touches Adam a Third Impact will be started. Now of course that's what the Angels want. It's what Seele wants as well, but on their own terms." "Huh?" came from several voices. "If an Angel comes in contact with Adam, human souls will be seperated from their bodies and judged idependantly. However, Seele's version of the impact has all the human souls merged into one being that is content to exisit." Picking up a leafy carrot, Dema-fa started to strangle the carrot. "You can do this, and it's content." He spun the carrot around by the leaf. "You can even do this and it's content." He quickly whapped all of the others on the head with the carrot, although not very hard. Despite the yelps of protest, he contiued, "And even doing that it's content." Dropping the carrot, he stated, "I am not a vegetable. But Seele's little plan intends to take everyone's free choice away from them. That's what the Evangelions are for. Once they defeat the Angels, they will be used to initiate a controlled Third Impact." All but Nagisa looked shocked at Dema-fa's little explanation. Rei because Dema-fa knew the truth. Asuka whispered in a shocked voice, "That's insane." "True, it is," Dema-fa replied with a smirk. "But, that is the only way Lorenz Keele, the leader of Seele can get into Heaven. Too bad for him, the leader of Gehirn found out and passed the information on to me." Misato stared at Dema-fa and whispered in a shocked voice, "So that's what's going on. How can it be stopped?" Dema-fa shrugged, "That's my job. I think I'll screw up the Dead Sea Scroll predictions with the next Angel. That should stop the Third Impact from occurring for at least another thousand years. Humans have the right to live as they see fit." Nagisa shook his head sadly. "You have no real idea what you're up against." "Actually, I do," Dema-fa replied. "It's the Angels who don't know they're facing. Now, please keep quiet about all of this. I've got something in mind that will give those jerks in Seele a major heart attack when I pull it off." Warily, Misato asked, "What do you have in mind?" The only answer was an evil smirk. ---------------------- A week after Dema-fa's revelation, the next Angel appeared. Misato and the EVA pilots were still struggling to keep quiet about what Dema-fa had revealed to them. Rei in particular was having a hard time. Her loyalty to Gendo was being outweighed by something she didn't understand. Right before the EVA's were about to be launched, the lights went out in NERV headquarters. In the main control room, Gendo demanded, "What's going on?" Maya reported, after conversing on a cel phone, "Apparently there's been sabotage. It'll take us at least six hours to repair the damage. The saboteurs have been identified as being part of the Jet Alone project. The backup generator should get the view screen on in a few minutes." Gendo looked at Dema-fa, who was leaning up against a wall. "Looks like you're humiliating them, caused them to retaliate against us. Anything to say, Dema-fa?" Dema-fa shrugged, "It would have happened anyway. They see money going somewhere else. They want said money." Gendo ignored Dema-fa and started ordering the manual prepping of the EVA units. If he had paid attention, he would have seen Dema-fa fading from view. The back-up generators kicked on and some of the consoles lit up. Maya took a look at her console and stared. Whirling around, Maya addressed Commander Ikari. "Sir? The Angel is almost at our door. We don't have much time. And, I don't know how to say this, but Dema-fa is standing on a nearby roof looking at the Angel." Gendo spun around and stared at the blank spot where Dema-fa was standing. "How did...," Gendo began to ask. Quickly facing Maya, he ordered, "Put it on the main view screen." "Yes, sir." ----------- Dema-fa looked at the approaching Angel. He frowned as he looked at the sleek dove like shape barreling in from the sky. It looked like a dove with its wings in the folded position and feet not in view. "Wasn't the next one supposed to be a ground based one?" Dema-fa asked himself. Cracking his knuckles, he smiled. "This is good. I've been wanting a challenge." With that, he concentrated and sent a beam of blue light at the Angel. The energy bolt struck and caused the Angel to let out a keening noise. Inside NERV HQ, Gendo saw the beam and was shocked. "What was that?" Equally stunned, Misato replied, "I have no idea. It seems to be similar to an Angels AT field, but that can't be right." "What's the status on the EVA's?" Gendo demanded. Maya shook her head. "Moving slower than expected." "Feed a link to the EVA bay. I want them to see this." "Done." They watched the screen as Dema-fa faced the new Angel. "Surprised? You should be," Dema-fa said. "You idiots showed up way too late to stop the real Second Impact. They got loose from the ice." The Angel hesitated for a moment upon hearing that. It fired a blast of energy at the building that Dema-fa was standing on. As the structure collapsed, dust obscured the figure of Dema-fa. As the Angel turned away, laughter caused it to stop and spin around. "If that's your best, you are in real trouble," Dema-fa's amused voice came from the obscuring smoke. As the dust settled, it was obvious that the building where Dema-fa was standing was gone. But, he was still in the same place he was, before the Angel fired. Inside the EVA bay, Asuka asked, "How's Superfreak doing that?" "That is puzzling," Rei said. As the area around Dema-fa cleared even more, all could see that his means of support were two giant bat wings extending from his back. The Angel floated back even further, hesitant on approaching this foe. "My name is Akira Fudo. I had to clean up the mess you idiots left behind. As I did to your foul brethren, I shall do the same for you arrogant Angels. I have another name as well." As he spoke his body started swelling and his hair gained a reddish hue as it grew and formed itself into a double bladed axe like shape. As his pants burst, it was revealed he had purple furry legs. Small horn like protrusions were at each wrist. His face had undergone a radical transformation from somewhat human to something else. "I am Devilman." Throughout NERV shock and horror were evident. Several of the more religious people were saying prayers upon the revelation of the demon in their midst. In the EVA bay, Asuka was coughing badly and Kaworu stared at the screen. "Amon," Kaworu whispered. Apparently the Angel facing Devilman whispered the same thing. Devilman stated, "I am not Amon. As Akira Fudo I merged with Amon. I am the one in control. The body, mind, and power of the Demon are mine. I am Devilman. I destroyed the demons and now it is your time to die. PREPARE!!!" Devilman launched himself at the Angel. The Angel took one look at the demon/human hybrid charging at it and turned around. Moving as fast as it could, it flew off with Devilman close behind. Heart pounding, Misato played with the cross she wore. *A demon? He's a demon?* *It is Akira. But merged with a demon?* Gendo thought, almost paralyzed with fear. Rei watched the screen with interest. *So that is why he is different.* Rei said, "That is an interesting ability. I wonder how Dema-fa... Akira Fudo gained it." "Aren't you scared?" Shinji asked, looking a bit green. Shaking her head, Rei replied, "He has done nothing to hurt us and has helped us out. What his outward appearance looks like doesn't change who he is." Kaworu snapped out of his shock and stared at Rei. He took a glance at the screen and then looked back at Rei. He covered the smile that was growing on his face. "Great," Asuka said with some asperity. "We're rooting for a demon to beat an angel. Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture?" Kaworu said, "Neither actually. The test of humanity will go on, but it will focus on Akira Fudo from here on out." The other EVA pilots looked at Kaworu Nagisa with curiosity on their face. "What are you talking about?" Asuka asked. Nagisa smiled slightly and replied, "The Angels you have been facing are a test to see if humanity is ready to ascend. Adam came here to tell your scientists to stop the cloning experiments, but some of them were aware of how to trigger the tests of humanity when Adam arrived. Dema-fa/Akira Fudo/Devilman or however he wants to be called was an unknown element." "How do you know this?" Rei asked. "I am the Angel Tabris. I was supposed to be the 17th Angel, but Devilman's surprising appearance threw everything off. In short, he made the Evangelions obsolete. The test will be to see if a human soul can guide a demon back to Heaven." -- Tom Mathews a.k.a. Disruptor http://home1.gte.net/mathews1/ From: Disruptor Subject: [Eva/Devilman][FanFic] Dema-fa, Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Akira Fudo/Devilman soared through the air. Spotting his Angel quarry, he smiled. "Let's see how tough you are," he muttered as he did a power dive towards the Angel. Devilman crashed into the Angel's back with an outstretched fist. As soon as he impacted, he grabbed the 'head' of the Angel and pulled upwards. A loud shriek was let out as the creature's head was slowly broken from its body. Devilman let go of his prey and watched as the two pieces of the lifeless body spun downward past the cloud layer, on their way to the ground. "A battle above the clouds. Those toys of NERV couldn't have gotten up here. I wonder how many heart attacks I gave Seele," Akira thought with some amusement. --------------- Lorenz Keele was holding his chest as the new images from NERV were displayed. He was almost alone because of the images. The shocking appearance of Devilman was too much of a strain for most of the other SEPH's. Some died from heart attacks. Others went insane and had to be locked up. Only himself and two others remained. "A demon," Lorenz muttered. "And just not any demon. The Beast of Hell: Amon. One of the Arch-Demons." Seph-11 asked, "What does this do to our plans?" Seph-07 said, "The scrolls mentioned nothing of this. There is no telling how he will affect the 3rd impact, if he hasn't already." Shaking his head, Keele stated, "He mentioned that the second impact had already occurred, and he took care of it. I need more information on this." A bleeping sound came from one of the panels. Lorenz walked over to it and pushed a button. A voice came over a speaker set next to a phone. "Keele, this is Kaji. Seems that Kaworu Nagisa revealed that he's an Angel and that the test has shifted focus from all of humanity to demon-boy. This is my last message to you. I'm going to a church. Bye." Keele clicked the phone off and sat down wearily. An angry look came over his face as he recalled the name Devilman called himself. "Fudo," Lorenz spat. "We had to bury his parents alive in the ice when we remove Lilis from it, and now he wrecks my plans years later." "Fudo?" Seph-11 asked. "Akira Fudo," came Keele's response. "Son of the leaders of the Fudo expedition that found Lilis. How he gained the powers of Amon is anyone's guess. Have some new spys set upon him and Tabris. I need to know more, before we can proceed." ----------- Devilman smirked as he saw NERV guards holding rifles pointed at him as he approached the complex. Not really wanting to hurt them, he faded out to their astonishment. He faded back in behind Misato and waited. He saw that the others were busy staring at the viewscreen in the control room. Misato said, "Where'd he go? I can't believe we had a demon in here with us." Speaking up, Akira said, "I teleported here. And technically, I'm half demon." All in the control room spun around and recoiled at Akira's demonic shape. He hadn't bothered to change back yet. With a deep chuckle, Devilman said, "If I had wanted to hurt any of you before now, I could have. If you could get me some clothes, I' like to change back without giving Misato a cheap thrill." Misato flushed a bit and almost slapped Devilman for his remark, but held back. "I'll be at the house and I'll explain all that I can there," Devilman said and faded from view. ------- A small group approached the Asuka mansion. Rei, Shinji, Nagisa, Asuka, Misato, Kaji, Ritsuko, and finally Gendo Ikari. Despite the fear that most of them felt, the curiosity over Devilman. Rei opened the door and walked in. The others exchanged glances and followed her. They soon found Akira Fudo sitting in the library reading a small book. His right arm was draped across a statue. Heraing footsteps, Akira looked up and back down at the book and started talking. "When my parents found Lilis and Seele took her away, it left a hole in the Antartic ice that allowed the demons frozen there to get out. The true second impact was the invasion of demons lead by Lord Xenon. That's why Antartica was destroyed. It was supposed to have been the blast that would incenrate all the demons on Earth. But, they had all escaped by that time. Lilis is a demon or at least that's how she's catergorzied as. Before Adam, she was the wife of Satan." Asuka sputtered, "You can't expect us to believe that?" Smirking, Akira replied, "What more do you want for proof? The fifty dead demons still in the basement from the time I first became Devilman?" "WHAT?!" Ritsuko and Gendo blurted out. Smiling wickedly, Akira continued his tale. "Afte Seele took Lilis away, they arranged for an accident to bury my parents in the ice. My father was lucky, he was killed instantly. My mom was eaten by the demon Jinmen and her soul caught in the demon's shell. Something wrong, Shinji?" Shinji shook his head, remembering to a time when he lost his mother. "What happened to your mother?" "I freed her and the other souls by killing the demon. If you or someone wants, I'll take them to Jinmen's shell. Now then. Professor Asuka became aware of the demon invasion and figured out a way to fight them. Now, at the time there were not that many ways to fight a demon. Save one. Mergance." Shaking his head, Akira passed Professor Asuka's diary to Ritsuko. "He merged with a demon, but found he could not control it and was taking control of him. He doused himself in gasoline and set himself afire to kill not only himself, but the demon as well." The others stared at Akira with sick looks on their faces. "That's insane," Misato whispered. Akira shrugged. "He didn't have the backing of a secret orginization or any goverment. The demons were a real threat and needed to be taken care of immediately. He was desperate and before he died, he outline the requirements needed for a person to be able to control a demon. A person pure of heart would be needed to control the demon after the merger. Before the merger, I was a lot like Shinji. Timid and non-confrontational. Not weak." "How did you merge with Amon?" Nagisa asked. "At first, I thought it was pure chance. Later, I figured out that the demon merge is governed by how much will a person has. Others who have merged by accident or design don't have that much will and a weaker demon is merged with the host form." "Others?" Ritsuko asked. "There were others like you?" "Not quite," Akira replied. "For a while Ryo was, but in the end he fell. The others are occultits who think they can control the demons or people who party and really give into their baser natures. Such as what happend below. A disco party where lust, alchol, and a total disregard for all of humanity's better traits went on. Ryo set it up to allow the mergance. Demons started taking over the people. At first I failed, since I was so timid. But, the demons preyed on fear as well. I became so terrified, it allowed Amon to enter me. Unlike the others, I took over and Amon was the one who was possesed. After that, I killed all the other demons at the party." "And Ryo?" Asuka asked. Akira Fudo closed his eyes and replied softly, "The demon he merged with was a bit more insidious than the others. It worked slowly on his desires and used them to fully merge with Ryo with the demon in charge. I was forced to kill him in a bttle that wrecked Hell. That demon was Satan. That was the final battle. Besides myself and Lilis, all the demons were dead. I retired until the founder of Gehrin found me and told me what Seele was up to." Gendo's head snapped up and he asked in a hoarse voice, "You were the back-up plan he talked about? A demon?" Akira smirked and nodded. "Yep. But it's half-demon. Well. Hmmm. Let's see I'm a full demon merged with a full human. I'm not sure half-demon applies. Oh well. As to my lechery and twisted humor, the mergance with Amon altered my personality." "For the worst," Asuka said. "Actually for the better," Akira countered. "I have learned to enjoy life each day and relish in just being alive. Even if I could, I would not change what has happened to me. I have gained too much." Shinji stared out the window and felt jealous of Akira Fudo. He was able to see his mother one last time. He now recalled how his own mother was lost. "Shinji? Are you all right?" Akira asked. "Shinji has been like that ever since you mentioned Jinmen," Rei said. "It is probably because Yui Ikari was lost inside Unit-01." Gendo was upset and demanded, "Rei? How could you tell him that? That was confidential infromation." Akira's eyes narrowed at Gendo and he ground out, "I'm going to put you in Hell by giving you exactly what you want." With those words, Akira teleported out of the house and inside the EVA bay. He walked up to the purple Evangelion and stared at it. "Yui? It's me Akira Fudo. The battle is over and I'm getting you out of there." Akira removed his jacket and shirt to allow his wings free access. Draping the clothes over his shoulder, he extended his wings. He flew up to the entry hatch of Unit-01 and extended a glowing blue hand into the hollow area. *If I could get Joan of Arc out of the real Hell with demons actively trying to keep her there, this man-made contraption will pose no problems for me.* Using his ability to see into a soul, Akira's hand encountered an arm. Thrusting his other hand into the area, he grabbed ahold of the arm with both hands and pulled. As he pulled, a hand grabbed his arm and held on. With a slurping pop, a naked women was pulled out of the nothingness inside Unit-01. Grabbing a spare plug suit, Akira threw it at the woman. "Here. Decency laws and all that." Blushing, Yui Ikari got dressed and asked, "How? The best machinery couldn't do what you did with your bare hands." Smirking, Akira recalled his wings and replied, "I'll let your son and husband explain. I don't want to go over it again so soon." Upon hearing that comment, Yui frowned, "Gendo. I have a lot to say to that man about how he treated Shinji." *Which is exactly why I did it. Gendo gets his wife back, but boy he's going to be in Hell because of it.* Akira thought to himself with a smirk. Putting a hand on Yui's shoulder, he calmly teleported the both of them back to in front of the Asuka mansion. A video camera had recorded it all. ------------- "I wonder what he meant by that," Misato said as she looked at the place where Akira Fudo once stood. Kaworu Nagisa smiled a bit and said, "He has the powers of an Arch-Demon at his command. He's able to do things that are impossibe for lesser Angels and Demons." Misato stared at Nagisa with hatred. "By all rights, we should be killing you. But if what you said is true, there would be no point." "You should also be killing Rei, since she's part Angel as well," Ritsuko added. "She is right," Rei responded. "I was cloned from Yui Ikari and Lilis. I am half Angel. Now I understand why I felt fear from this place when Akira carried me here. I felt the demonic energy that is stored in this place." "Rei..." Gendo began in anger, but was cut off as two people walked into the library. Akira said, "Sorry Rei, but this was the only place I knew that was safe. Before NERV took it off my hands, I've been using it as a base." Despite Akira talking, everyone ignored him and stared at the woman who had walked in behind him. Yui's eyes softened when she saw Shinji and hardened as she heard Rei's origin and stared at her husband. Akira knocked on his head and said with laughter in his voice, "Where are my manners? Everyone, I would like you to meet Yui Ikari. The wife of Gendo Ikari and mother of Shinji Ikari and apparently Rei Ayanami's mother as well." Yui stared coldly at her husband, "I want to talk to you in private. NOW." Gendo winced and followed Yui outside. Kaworu stared at Rei and then at Akira. "Akira, what do you remember of the demon-world or angel-world?" Akira shook his head and answered, "Not much. I get vauge dreams from time to time and know some demons and angels by sight and name." "I see." Akira glanced Nagisa and asked, "Is there something I should know?" Nagisa nodded and replied, "Yes. The laws that both Demons and Angels share." The others watched as Tabris confronted Devilman. "From what you have told us, Siren is dead. Rei told us that you carried her here and she didn't struggle to escape." Rei replied, "I do not see what his rescuing of me has to do with demon or angel laws." Tabris smiled a genuine smile and said, "There is a reason, Rei. This house was Akira's lair when he brought you here." Rei nodded, "Yes. He said 'welcome to your new home.' And he let me enter first." "That confirms it." Akira bit his lower lip and cursed the holes in the memories that he got from Amon. He knew there was something important going on. Tabris explained, "Angels and Demon's don't have churches. We do have judges and laws though. What Akira did is covered in the law. When a male Angel or Demon brings a willing female Angel or Demon to his lair, they are considered married. The only way to divorce your mate is to kill him or her. Siren was Amon's wife before you killed her." "Amon was married to Siren?" Akira asked in a shokced voice. "I thought she just wanted to kill me because I protected humans." Tabris stared at Akira. "You didn't even know that?" Misato cut in on the conversation. "Hold it. Rei and Akira can't be married. They didn't go to a church or a judge. Those laws shouldn't apply to them." Akira shook his head. "Misato, I think of myself as Devilman at times. That means I've accepted my Demon half." Misato and Ritsuko looked at the first child. Rei calmly stated. "I am married to Akira Fudo." -- Tom Mathews a.k.a. Disruptor http://home1.gte.net/mathews1/ From: Disruptor Subject: [Eva/Devilman][FanFic] Dema-fa, Chapter 11 Disclaimer: All characters that are used belong to their respective creators. I do this for fun and do not take any money off of it. Please don't sue me. The stories are mine, so please don't use them without asking me. ======================================================================= The personel of NERV were looking at Rei in shock, at her statement. Misato was the first to recover. "B-but you can't be," Misato stammered. "You're just a kid." "I am also part Angel and subject to their rules," Rei calmly replied. Akira collapsed into a chair and slowly shook his head. "I'm now married and hadn't realied it becuase the memories I get from Amon are swiss-cheesed." Akira Fudo threw his head back and laughed. Not the usual dark laugh that sent shudders through everyone's spines, but a mirthful one. "New surprises everyday." Nagisa said, "Your marriage is probably why Rei has been acting different. Her instincts from her Angel side caused her loyalty to shift to you, since you are her husband." Rei thoughtfully commented, "I have been wondering why I have been keeping secrets from Gendo Ikari, even though I am supposed to be loyal to him." "Don't have the honeymoon just yet," Ritsuko said. "We have other concerns. Kaworu, you said that the focus of the test will shift to Akira. Why?" Kaworu Nagisa/Tabris sighed and replied, "Demons and Devils are fallen Angels that hate humans above all else. Having one of them fight on the side of humanoty is supposed to be impossible. And yet, Amon merged with Akira Fudo does. It all comes down to how long Akira can maintain control over Amon." "Since I'm being tested, what tests will I be facing?" "Not fighting," Tabris replied, with a smile. "We do want to leave the Earth intact. Your first test will be Rei. How you get along with her." Akira bowed his head and gave an amused snort. "Basiacally, live as ordinary life as possible without giving into a demon's baser nature." Raising his head, Akira contiued, "First things first. I need to know where Keele is. As long as he's around, he's a threat to all the hard work and sacrifice that everyone has done to preserve humanity." Miasto said, "Thou shall not kill. You're giving into your baser nature, if you try to kill him." "Thou shall not murder. And, what is the punishment for killing? Death," Akira countered. "Besides, he's responsible for the death of my parents and the Impact that destroyed Antartica causing billions of deaths." Misato fell silent and the rest of the room stared at Akira. Kaworu found a piece of paper and wrote down some directions and handed it to Devilman. "Thanks," Akira said, as he stood up and walked towards the entrance of the house. As he walked, he removed his shirt and dropped it on a table, leaving his upper body bare. "Why did you do that?" Rei asked. "So I can use my wings without destroying my clothes," Akira replied, as his bat wings appeared. "I see." Akira gently placed his hand on Rei's chin. "I'll be back soon and then we can talk. I think we should know each other a little better, if we are married." Rei nodded and watched as Akira flew off. "I wonder what it's like," she muttered, and went to her room. -------------------------------------- At Seele headquarters, Keele had just recieved the report from the spys he had watching the Asuka mansion. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn that Akira Fudo for being alive," Keele ranted. "Everything is completely fouled up. Yui Ikari is back as well. Just what I didn't need." A buzzing sound told him that the remianing two Sephs were wiating for him. He took a few breaths to calm down and entered the room where they were. Seph-07 stated, "All our hard work gone in an instant. Any ideas on how to get the Human Completion Program back on track?" Seph-11 replied, "I am at a loss." "Then humanity can never evolve to its next level, because of Akira Fudo," Lorenz Keele said. A sudden crashing sound cuased all three to hesitate. Keele recoiled as he saw the transformed Devilman staning before him. The door to the room ripped from its hinges. "No more, Keele," Devilman said, as he appraoched the man responsible for the death of Antartica. Pausing for a second, Devilman stared at the two Sephs. "I know where you are and you are next." Keele closed his eyes and waited for the blackness to come. ----------------------------------------- At the Asuka mansion, Rei had changed her clothes. She was now wearing a low backed white swimsuit and white slippers. She was leaning over the bead and sweat was pouring form her face. As she was concentarting, she headr a knock at the door. "Come in," Rei said. Hesitantly, Yui Ikari entered the room. She looked at the girl, who for all intents and purposes was her daughter. "What are you doing?" Yui quietly asked. "I am trying to summon wings from my back. I should be able to, since I am part Angel." Yui sat down on the bed and looked at her clone/daughter. "You care for him, don't you?" "I-I don't know," Rei replied. Yui counted off on her fingers. "You held silent on a number of things, even though you are supposed to be in love with my jerk of a husband. You didn't raise an objection when that Angel/Demon marriage law was mentioned. And now, you are trying to summon wings, so you can fly through the air with him. I'd say you care for him." Rei blushed a bit and looked away. "I don't know." "I do," Yui said, with a sad smile. "He treated you like a human being and he does seem to care for you. As to the differences in ages, I talked to Kaworu, or Tabris if you perfer. He told me that in Angelic/Demonic terms, the two of you aren't that far apart in ages. To them, it's like Akira was born in Januray and you were born in May of the same year." Rei said nothing as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, rainbow colored angel wings spread from her back. Rei opened her eyes. "Like Akira, I accept who and what I am." The angel/human hybrid opened a window and took her first shaky flight. She almost hit the ground when she was caught by Akir Fudo. "Rei?" Akira asked in shock. "You have wings?" "Like you, I want to fly on my own," Rei replied. "Will you tech me?" Akiragave an amused chuckle and started the first lesson. Watching, Yui shook her head in amusement and whispered, "Keele was wrong. Humanity didn't need to trigger the Impact to evolve. Rei and Akira. The Adam and Eve of the new millenium." END -- Tom Mathews a.k.a. Disruptor http://home1.gte.net/mathews1/