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Where Darkness Falls	By : JME Category: +M to R > Neon Genesis Evangelion > Crossovers Views: 8996 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own this anime/manga, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Where Darkness Falls

Chapter 9 � Gathering Shadows

With great reluctance, Misato entered the woods, very much wishing that her flashlight beam was just THAT much brighter. Wishes and fishes, she thought, swallowing as she glanced down at the narrow path cutting through the trees, but the house is in the woods, so I guess I�m going into the woods.

Within ten steps of the small forest�s edge, Misato was entirely surrounded by an eerie silence � deeper even than the quiet that enfolded the town. No animals stirred in the underbrush, no insects chirped or clicked in the foliage, no breeze ruffled the trees. There was only deep, solemn stillness, broken only by the sound of Misato�s own, hesitant footsteps.

At least I know nothing will sneak up on me, she thought, trying to be optimistic. Hopefully there aren�t any of those� whatever they are hiding in the tre-

As if on cue, one of the beak-creatures exploded from a nearby tree stump, flying at the major�s face with a raucous screech. Entirely off-guard, Misato let out a small cry, dropping onto her back and jamming her pistol forward and up, the barrel connecting with the creature�s stomach even as she pulled the trigger. The gun�s report was muffled by its victim�s skin, but the effects were decidedly final. The creature�s squawk was cut short as the bullet tore into it, and its forward motion carried it on past Misato, sending it into the dirt with a loud crash.
Silence returned.
"S-so much for that idea," Misato managed, scrambling to her feet and sweeping the forest with her pistol. Somehow, the darkness seemed even deeper than before, as if the beak-creature�s appearance had somehow dimmed the flashlight�s beam.
Shaking herself, Misato hurried down the path, keeping her gun at the ready. I�m almost there, Shinji, she thought grimly, just hang on!

Though the path was dark, and she jumped at every shadow, Misato encountered no more monsters on her way through the woods. After several minutes she found herself on the edge of a clearing with a small log cabin in the middle. "Hello?" she called hesitantly, spying a small figure sitting on a stump at the far side of the clearing. "Amber, is that you?"
The tan-clad figure rose slowly to its feet, its arms hanging loosely at its sides, and started walking slowly towards the major. Semi-auto, Misato thought, her eyes catching sight of the pistol in the other person�s right hand, not a monster� but it�s too short to be Ritsuko or the Commander� and too tall to be Amber, so who�

"Oh my god�"
Misato drew a sharp breath as her flashlight finally illuminated the familiar face of,
"Maya?"
The technician�s expression was blank as she came to a halt fifteen feet away from Misato� and slowly raised her pistol. "H-hey� hey! Wait a minute-"
Misato�s instincts kicked in and she dove behind a nearby tree as the other woman pulled the trigger, the bang of her pistol echoing through the dark woods.
"Are you CRAZY!?!" Misato cried, wincing as two more shots rang out and the tree she was leaning against thumped hollowly. "Alright, if that�s the way it�s gotta be!!"
So saying, she leaned around the tree, bringing her pistol up and levelling it at the brown-haired woman. She gritted her teeth, willing herself to pull the trigger as the woman�s vacant brown eyes locked with hers. I can�t do it! she thought, ducking back behind the tree as Maya fired once more, I just can�t!! But if I don�t� if I don�t -- oh man what am I gonna do?

Misato bit her bottom lip almost hard enough to draw blood. Could she really kill Maya � the sweet, innocent technician that had cried her eyes out at Kaworu�s death and insisted that they give him a proper funeral, angel or not?
Could she?
"Maya," she called, peeking around the tree once more, "it�s me � Misato! Don�t you recognize me?"
The technician�s aim wavered, and Misato thought there was the briefest flare of recognition in her eyes� but then the woman fired again, her aim going wide as she shrugged her shoulders and half-turned away.

What is that? Misato thought, squinting at a small lump on the other woman�s neck.
"Maya!!"
Misato�s gaze flew to the other side of the clearing as Maya turned and fired into the woods.
"Maya," Ritsuko�s voice shouted out of the darkness, "put that gun down, Kohei � are you insane!?"
Maya�s reply was a rapid succession of ten gunshots, all aimed in the direction of the blonde�s voice.
Misato took the opportunity to study the abnormality at the base of the technician�s skull. God, she thought desperately, running a hand through her long hair, what do I do � what do I do?? It looks like she�s got something on her� could that be why she�s acting so weird??

Maya shrugged again, shaking her head slowly from side to side as her free hand came up, almost touching the thing on her back before falling to her side.
"Misato!" Ritsuko called, "something�s wrong with her � Maya HATES guns!"
"No kidding something�s wrong with her!!" Misato shouted back, ducking back behind the tree as Maya turned to shoot at her once more, "what should I do about that, genius!?!"
"You�re the tactician!!" Ritsuko screamed, "Figure something out!"
There was a moment of quiet as Maya shrugged once more. Misato took the opportunity to rifle through her pockets with her free hand. Cross, she thought, cross, cross, shotgun shell � damn it! This is all usele- She cut herself off as her hand wrapped around the small squeeze bottle. She pulled it out of her pocket as Maya opened fire again, aiming, it seemed, at her sempai. Well, Misato thought, here�s hoping. Maybe it�s knockout drops � wouldn�t that just be conve-

"Now, Misato!" Ritsuko cried as a series of dry clicks echoed through the woods, "She�s out!"
"Right!"
Jerking away from the tree, Misato ran towards the woman, spotting Ritsuko running at her from the far side of the clearing. "Get down," she warned, "she�s reloading!!"
Ritsuko put on a burst of speed, crying out as the technician succeeded in getting a fresh clip into her gun and brought it back up to bear.

NO!!

Without a second thought, Misato whipped her arm back and threw the squeeze bottle as hard as she could, watching it spin end over end before crashing into the back of Maya�s head, the thin plastic giving way under the force of the impact and showering the woman with the red liquid inside.
The effects� were impressive.
Maya�s hand opened, dropping the pistol on the ground as a bloodcurdling scream tore free from her lips.
"What did you do to her!?" Ritsuko shouted, clapping her hands over her ears as her understudy fell to her knees, screaming in agony and clawing desperately at her back.
Misato could only shake her head, unable to speak as the younger woman began convulsing, weak, wet, bubbling screams pouring out of her mouth as she shuddered and collapsed on her side in the tall grass. Neither of the older women dared approach her as she jerked and groaned in the throws of the mysterious red liquid.
"GOD!!"
Misato nearly threw up as something small and worm-like detached itself from Maya�s back, wriggling and squirming its way off of the woman�s body and falling to the ground as the woman fell silent. With a disgusted cry, Ritsuko brought her heel down on the thing, stomping it ruthlessly into the ground until it finally stopped moving.
The woods were once again quiet as the two women stood panting and sweating at the technician�s side.
Once she had regained her breath, Ritsuko knelt at the woman�s side, rolling her gently onto her back. "Maya," she called, checking her understudy�s pulse and breathing, finding them within satisfactory tolerances, "can you hear me?"
Maya�s eye fluttered open. "S-Sempai?" she asked weakly, struggling to get to her feet.
"Shhh," Ritsuko said softly, putting a restraining hand on Maya�s shoulder. "Misato, give me a hand."
Misato nodded, and between the two of them they managed to get Maya on her feet, draping her arms over their shoulders. Awkwardly, they led the woman to the log cabin and laid her down on a bunk in the sparse bedroom as Ritsuko checked the cabinets for anything they could use. Misato helped the still-dazed woman take off her shirt, sucking in a deep breath as she found an angry red wound on the back of her neck.
"Maya," Ritsuko said, pulling out a small first aid kit from one of the cabinets, "this will hurt a little alright?"
Maya nodded, then gritted her teeth and stifled a short cry as Ritsuko poured alcohol onto a cotton ball and dabbed it liberally onto the wound. "Are you alright?" Misato asked as the blonde applied a wide bandage to the younger woman�s neck.
"I think so," Maya gasped, blinking away tears of pain and leaning thankfully against the cabin�s wall.
Misato and Ritsuko exchanged a furtive glance. "I don�t want to sound like I�m unhappy to see you," Ritsuko said slowly, "buhat hat are you doing here, Maya? I thought you were moving to Kobe."
Maya nodded, rising painfully to a sitting position and slipping her arms into her shirt. "I was," she said, sounding much more together as she started fastening her buttons, "but�"
Misato and Ritsuko sat in perfect silence as the young woman told her tale.

**

Maya Ibuki pushed her front door open with a sigh. "What a long day," she groaned, glancing around surreptitiously and relaxing slightly as she found her apartment empty. "But it looks like I did it."
She took a look out into the empty hallway of her building and shut the door, turning the deadbolt with another, deeper sigh and resting her head against the door as she envisioned the letter of resignation she had just turned in. The letter itself was not what had the woman so jumpy, though she did have doubts that she would be let go so easily, no, Maya was far more concerned about her earlier trip to the NERV stockade.
"It was right," she told herself firmly, pushing away from the door and heading into her bedroom, "Sempai only did what she had to do� I know it." She hesitated as she pulled out a small suitcase and laid it on the bed. "I� don�t really know WHY you were there, Sempai," she admitted softly, "buo, Io, I won�t think about it anymore. I did the right thing�" she closed her eyes, raw memories of the 13^th angel filling her mind, "I did the right thing!"
In her mind, she could still see the Fourth Child�s maimed form being pulled from the entry plug, and she often woke in a cold sweat as Shinji�s anguished screams chased sleep away. Yes, freeing Doctor Akagi had been the right thing to do, she was sure of it. Surely the blonde�s crime had not been re ere enough to warrant level 7 detention!
"I swear he enjoys it�" Maya muttered bitterly, her mind turning to her now-former commander�s behaviour. Any man who did not care about his own son was not fit to be in charge of an organization such as NERV, in Maya�s opinion. After helping Ritsuko escape, she knew that she could not stay at NERV � even if it was never discovered that she aided the woman, she could not stand the cold, �only thttomttom line matters� attitude anymore.

How could Commander Ikari hurt her like that? Maya thought as she started to pack, She was always doing her job to the best of-

The woman�s thoughts were cut off as the front door crashed in, and even as she turned around to see what was happening, two large men were rushing into the bedroom, each catching her under one arm and slamming her into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster. Maya felt a sharp sting in her right arm� and darkness swam up to fold her in its icy embrace�

**
When Maya next awoke, she found herself strapped firmly into the back seat of a strange car. Her body ached as if she had been sleeping forever, and her mouth was so dry she felt as if she could feel each individual tastebud on her tongue. She shook her head groggily, trying to clear it, and looked around, taking in her surroundings. She gasped as she found the driver of the car slumped against the dashboard, blood dripping fitfully from a ragged gash in his temple and falling with a steady �plilp, plilp, plilp� onto the rubber floormat under his feet.
She managed to contain her scream, struggling desperately against the bonds holding her tightly to the seat, but it was no use � she was trapped. Where am I?? she thought desperatelooklooking out the open door on the passenger side and into the dark, foggy streets outside.
"Help!!! Somebody!" she shouted, finding the silence too unnerving to deal with.
Maya shouted until she was hoarse, feeling cold sweat break out all over her face as she realised no one was coming. The town outside looked quiet and dark, as if it was abandoned � a very frightening possibility. What if no one EVER came? She could be trapped here forever. She could DIE here, like a rat in a cage, without even the option of chewing through her wrists to free herself, as her arms were strapped securely to her sides. After what felt like hours, the door opposite Maya opened and a woman with long, dark hair and a deep blue evening dress slipped into the car, taking the seat at Maya�s side and closing the door after herself.
"Hello, Miss Ibuki," the woman said lightly, reclining on the car seat and stretching languidly. "Lovely evening, isn�t it?"
"W-who are you?" Maya asked uncertainly, shying unconsciously away from the woman�s clear, bright gaze.

Like a crow, she thought uneasily, or a dog�

"Don�t worry," the woman said warmly, "I�m not here to hurt you, Miss Ibuki." She tilted her head to the side, surveying the technician with her sparkling, laughing eyes. "Would you like a hand?"
Maya swallowed, wondering if the woman was mad. "Yes please," she said meekly, forcing her hands to unclench from the fists they had balled into.
"Alright," the woman said briskly, leaning across the seat and unbuckling one of the restraints holding Maya in place, "oh, and you canl mel me Alicia, by the way."
"P-pleased to meet you," Maya stammered, entirely at a loss for words as the woman quickly freed her from the restraints and helped her out of the back seat.
They stood outside the car and stared at one another for several minutes, Maya frowning faintly in confusion, Alicia smiling faintly in amusement, before Maya finally whispered simply, "What�s going on?"
Alicia smiled indulgently. "Well," she said, reaching down to scoop up a small folder she had apparently discarded when she climbed into the car, "Let�s just say a certain Mister Ikari had plans to replace one of his test subjects for a project he is working on in this town."
She opened the folder and handed it to Maya.
"Take your time, Miss Ibuki."

"Progress report, subject: R.K.�"

Maya�s eyes widened in horror as she scanned the folder�s contents. "Mister Kaji," she whispered, the folder slipping through her fingers and scattering its contents onto the concrete at her feet. "Oh no�"
A shiver worked through her body as the words �alternate subject� flashed through her mind.
"I see you understand," Alicia said, pulling a small photo from somewhere in her dress, "and at the same time, you do not� correct?"
Maya could only nod dumbly. That assessment sounded correct, for while she understood what was being developed, and what she was there for, she could not quite grasp how or why it had all come this far. What possible use could the Commander have for something like this �Sakura� the folder described?
"I believe," Alicia whispered, "that if you make your way here� you will find the answers you are looking for."
Maya took the photo, scrutinizing it closely for a moment. "But where-"
She cut herself off as she raised her head and found the street entirely empty.

**

"So," Maya finished with an uncomfortable shrug, "I was walking through the woods on my way to the house in the picture when I heard something behind me. I started to turn around, but then I felt something touch the back of my neck� I don�t remember anything after that."
Misato�s hands shook as she looked at Ritsuko, finding the woman�s teeth unconsciously bared in a display of almost feral anger. It was clear to both women just who the �alternate subject� was going to be, and based on how long Ritsuko had been in Silent Hill� Maya would have been sedated for weeks.
And once again, Alicia seemed to be instrumental in helping the NERV personnel in eluding the hangman�s noose.

But why? Misato wondered, gesturing to Maya with her eyes. What is SHE out to gain?

"I�m sorry about Kaji, Major�" Maya said softly as Ritsuko put an arm awkwardly around her.
"I know," Misato said gently, "I am too." She took a deep breath, doing what she could to fill in the blanks on �Project Sakura.�
"Th-the Commander was going to use this on the Children?" Maya asked, horror clearly evident on her face.
Her expression only grew worse as Misato and Ritsuko took turns explaining to the tech what had been happening in the town, omitting nothing, and describing their mutually held belief that some force or other was behind all that was happening.
"This may sound strange�" Ritsuko began hesitantly, "But� I think� we�re here in this town and yet we�re not here."
Misato was about to ask what the woman meant, but as she happened to glance out the cabin�s back window, she caught sight of the house depicted in the photo Alicia had given her.
And it was less than a quarter mile away.
"Ritsuko," she cried excitedly, holding up a hand as Maya tried to struggle to her feet, "you stay here with Maya � I will be RIGHT back!"
Without waiting for a reply, Misato hurried out the front door and raced towards the small house.

**

Misato marched straight up to the front of the house, the hunting rifle held firmly in her hands and a determined look on her face. Nothing was going to stand in her way� nothing.
"Alicia," she said softly, unsurprised to find the woman standing in front of the house�s front door. "What�s going on here?" she demanded, sick of the calm woman�s games, "Where�s Shinji? Is he in there? He better be ok, or I�ll-"
"Why now?" Alicia cut in smoothly. "After all you�ve put him through. You�ve never told him how you really felt about him, have you?" She assessed the operations director closely for a moment before continuing. "Did you notice how casual he was becoming in expressing his feelings after the 4^th Angel? How it stopped after you had Asuka move in with you? Have you the faintest idea how you treated him after that?"
"I�m aware of my shortcomings�" Misato replied uncomfortably.
Alicia shook her head. "Is that so? Then why didn�t you do anything about it? All you did was make things worse and give Asuka a reason to resent him when you told him he was the best. Did you really think she wouldn�t find that confrontational?" She raised a hand as Misato opened her mouth to protest. "Because of your insistence that you all live together, and her resentment of you and your relationship with Ryouji, she would scream at him to make her breakfast, lunch � everything. And after observing your indifference, she called him every name under the sun in an attempt to rile you, destroying what self-esteem he had gained when you lived alone with him. Because of you, she found it acceptable to treat him like a lowly dog, fit only to be abused. And when you noticed what was happening, did you have her move out? No� you simply hid behind the blanket excuses of teenage behaviour and jealousy. "
"But-"
Before Misato could reply Alicia cut her off. "I�ll tell you why you never got your priorities straight," she said calmly, "even when you kyou you were making a mistake, you never admitted it. How long have you spent deluding yourself with the idea that you were trying to reach him when all you did was push him away�? When Toji became the 4^th Child you should have told him, but instead you hid behind the thin veil of �adding stress� to Shinji�s life. Truly, you are a master tactician� but the only people you seem able to outwit on a regular basis are yourself, and him."
Misato�s mouth worked, but no words came out. She felt trapped by the woman�s harsh words, unable to counterattack because she knew every one of them to be true.
"Then there was the 16^th Angel," Alicia sighed, shaking her head sadly, "you ran away again, thinking he was afraid of women or love � which was not true. Shinji was only afraid of hurting � himself and others � and he simply was not used to the kind of intimate contact you offered. He had never even had his hand held� did you know that? And the farce of a kiss he shared with Asuka was so far from intimate as to be laughable. Did you ever stop to think WHY he pulled away?" Alicia narrowed her eyes as she concluded, "Through your inaction and blasé attitude towards him, you did as much damage as his father, Asuka, EVA, and the angels combined."
Misato wanted to slap this woman and yell that it was lies � all lies!! �but her conscience would not let her do either. All she could do was hang her head in shame, knowing that there WERE other paths she could have chosen had she only been strong enough.
"Kaworu Nagisa was an angel," Alicia said quietly, waiting until Misato lifted her head once more, "But he genuinely cared about Shinji. He was always open with Shinji, always treated him with kindness and more importantly�" Alicia continued, her tone softening, "Kaworu told Shinji that he loved him � he gave Shinji unconditional love, a higher, purer love� and love was something Shinji had barely ever known. In many ways� Kaworu was more human than you."
Misato winced, but again, she could not make herself argue with the woman�s point.
"There are people who would have exploited him, had he lived," Alicia pointed out, "and he couldn�t allow that to happen, so he was forced to ask Shinji to make the ultimate sacrifice. Suicide is nothing when held up to the duty of killing a loved one. But you didn�t care about any of that� all that mattered to you was that he died." Her voice took on a hard edge. "Then there is the matter of the 4^th and 9^th Angels � battles Shinji won in spite of your �advice.� And that grated on you, didn�t it? You could never stand to be proven wrong, but Shinji did what he needed to do. He knew that the 4^thangel was vulnerable to a well placed knife strike and after the 9^th Angel was defeated, was he supposed to let Asuka die?"
Alicia rubbed her eyes, as if pointing these facts out was making her tired. "Shinji never understood what you wanted," she whispered, "you keep saying you care, yet how many expressions of affection did you give him? Have you ever bothered to ask yourself �What do I REALLY feel for Shinji?� His true self eluded because you were never clear. How could he open up to a woman who is not even honest with herself?"
Misato averted her eyes as the question echoed over and over in her mind. How do I feel about Shinji? she asked herself, all this time I never admitted it � not even to myself � so what is it that I feel? He�s not just a Child, she realised, picturing the boy�s smiling face in her mind, he�s not just my co-worker, or my roommate� he�s just� Shinji � and right now, in my life� is there anything more important? Honestly?

"Well?" asked Alicia, waiting placidly for a response.
"I love him." Misato answered, the words flying out of her mouth before she could give it a second thought. "I love Shinji. He� IS my life right now, and if I have to go through you, Commander Ikari, and a whole goddamned army of those monsters out there, I will find him again and make sure he knows how I feel.
Alicia regarded her for a full minute in absolute silence before inclining her head in a brief nod of acknowledgment. "If you what you say is true, then proceed," she said softly, "he is waiting inside� somewhere." At her gentle , th, the house�s front door swung silently open, but as Misato stepped past her, Alicia spoke again. "It is almost time for the reckoning," she said coolly, putting a hand on Misato�s shoulder. "The sins of Miss Akagi, Miss Ibuki, Mister Fletcher, Mister Ikari� and yourself, must all be addressed, or the veil will never be lifted from this place. Remember, Miss Katsuragi� remember all the reasons you are here, and remember that those who go gathering shadows should not be surprised when they find themselves surrounded by darkness."
"What do you-"
Misato cut herself off as she turned to face the woman� and found only emptiness greeting her eyes.

I can still feel her hand, she thought, feeling goosebumps rising all over her body, God, if you�re listening� I could really use a hand here�

Taking a deep breath, Misato stepped into the house, swallowing hard as the door slowly swung closed of its own accord.
Somehow� she doubted that God was listening.
TBC

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Where Darkness Falls