ANGEL'S LOVE

Chapter 1 - The Battle

by Gunman

(Disclaimer: I don't own NGE or its characters.)

The Angel advanced towards the Geofront without anything in the way of resistance. It stomped to the middle of Tokyo-3 and was only a few blocks away from being right on top of the Geofront when a pair of large humanoid-shaped beings sprang up from the ground before it.

The red and blue EVA's regarded the Angel strangely. The body was like an EVA with huge pylons on it's shoulder, it's arms were long and whip-like, and it's head was deformed.

"Well, aren't you a pretty one." Asuka said as Unit-02 was released from it's harness.

"Begin attack." Gendo Ikari ordered from the safety of his command chair.

"EVA's commence attack!" Misato Katsuragi said as the two EVA's grabbed their weapons and charged into battle.

Back down inside the Geofront, Shinji waited for the order to release Unit-01 so that he too could join the battle against the Angel. But his father wouldn't allow that, not after Unit-01 went berserk against that scorpion-Angel after Rei's unit had been stung in the stomach.

Suddenly, he heard it.

"Asuka's unit is down, Unit-00 is under attack." he heard Maya's voice over the com.

"Remove the restraints from Unit-01 and sortie it immediately." he heard his father say.

As soon as Shinji heard this, he had hope. As soon as he was unlocked, he raced to the surface to join the others. As soon as he reached the surface he saw Unit-02 had been slammed into a building, and saw that Rei was struggling with the Angel. It's whip-like arms were digging into the blue EVA's. Rei screamed like she was in pain.

"Angel is trying to establish first-level contact with Unit-00! It's trying to merge with it!" he heard Ritsuko's voice over the intercom system.

Alright, first things first, Shinji told himself.

Quick as lightning, Shinji leaped into the air landed beside Unit 00 and the Angel. He grabbed Unit 00 around the waist and threw his foot into the Angel, kicking it forcefully away, ripping its tentacles out of Unit 00. Shinji hoped he hadn't hurt Rei too bad.
"Rei! Are you alright?"

No reply, and then. "I...am alive."

"Good. Pull back, I'll deal with this thing." Shinji said as he leaped at the Angel and began pounding away at it.

Shinji raised his AT-Field and blasted the Angel with enough force to take down several buildings. He forced it up against the mountainside and kept pushing with his field, as if trying to crush it into the ground itself. The Angel countered with it's own AT-Field. The pair struggled heavily against the other, until a powerful explosion knocked both of them backwards.

"What happened?" Misato shouted.

"The Angel's AT-Field repelled Unit 01's AT-Field. Rather violently." Shigeru explained.

"What's the Angel's status?" Commander Ikari said.

"Angel is still active, but immobile. A large section of it's chest has been torn out due to the blast, but it's core appears to be intact." Maya said.

"What about Unit-01?" Misato asked.

"Down but unharmed. It's still operational but the pilot appears to be stunned."

"Angel is regenerating itself. Magi confirm it will take exactly five hours before it is fully healed." Hyuga said.

"Rei! Return to base to fetch an N2 Mine." Commander Ikari said.

"Understood." Rei said as she got Unit-00 moving.

"Sir! What's the plan?" Hyuga asked.

"We will use an N2 Mine to destroy the Angel from the inside, destroying it's core utterly."

The plan seemed feasible, especially with all the momentarily unable to fight. Rei quickly returned, grabbed the N2 Mine and rushed to the Angel. She thrust the Mine into the Angel's chest, but the second she did, the Angel's whip-like arms lashed out and grabbed her. One arm wrapped around her throat and the other wrapped around her outstretched arm.

"Angel is holding Unit-00 in place!" Hyuga shouted.

"Has the mine been activated?" Gendo asked.

"Uh...yes sir."

"Good."

"But Rei can't escape. She's too injured to use her AT-Field to protect herself. If that mine goes off while she's that close, she'll be destroyed along with the Angel!" Misato said.

"Irrelevant. Destroying the Angel's is our top priority, the pilot's life is immaterial."

Rei heard the words come from the Commander. She almost shed a tear.

'..the pilot's life is immaterial'

The truth in his words spoke more to her than anything else.

Immaterial. Trivial. Unimportant.

But of course that was how she was viewed. She was replaceable. Then so be it.

She fought against the Angel and jabbed the Mine deeper into the Angel to ensure that the Mine was not removed and that it did go off.

"Rei? REI! What are you doing?" Shinji yelled as he tried to make his EVA stand.

"My job." she said in her usual monotone voice. "Goodbye, Shinji." she said, but this time, Shinji could heard something else in her voice. It almost sounded like...regret.

"No. Not this time!" Shinji whispered as he concentrated on one thing.

"MAJOR! Unit-01's synch ratio is rising! 93...127...still rising!"

"Shinji! What are you doing?" Misato shouted.

But Shinji didn't answer as Unit-01 began to repair and reenergize itself.

"SIR! Unit-01's AT-Field...it's turning inward!" Shigure shouted.

"That's Impossible!" Ritsuko shouted.

"What does that mean?" Misato asked.

"Unit-01 is using it's own AT-Field to increase it's power!"

"What are you talking about? In what way?" she growled, getting impatient.

"He's trying to make himself stronger!"

Suddenly, Shinji leaped into the air, a tremendous leap that EVA was otherwise incapable of doing normally. It landed right between Unit-00 and the regenerating Angel. Naturally, Rei was stunned.

"Shinji?"

"Sorry, Rei. No one's dying except this Angel!" he shouted as he grabbed Rei's unit around it's waist as he put his foot against the Angel and forced the pair apart. The N2 Mine was still inside the Angel and Shinji threw up his AT-Field as he held onto Unit-00 tightly.

The Mine exploded with incredible force. A blinding light enveloped all of Tokyo-3, all visual and comm. sensors went offline. A huge explosion and its aftershocks could be felt miles away. NERV was in complete silence.

Misato felt incredibly helpless as two of her favorite people were engulfed in white light.

"Shinji? Rei?" she uttered as the signal was slowly restored.

It was Maya who broke the silence.

"WE'VE GOT TWO SIGNALS! UNIT'S 00 AND 01 ARE ALRIGHT!" the young tech cried out.

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"Congratulations, Shinji!" Misato shouted as she hugged the young boy fiercely. "You killed the Angel and saved Rei in the process. Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

"Misato, stop it. You're making me blush." Shinji mumbled as he was buried in the woman's ample cleavage once again. "And I can't breath."

Ritsuko, Asuka, Maya and Shigure were all giggling at Shinji's expense.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to be Shinji. Hyuga thought as he slumped back in his chair.

"You know, most guys wouldn't be in such a hurry to get away." Misato laughed as Shinji forced himself away from the operations director.

"Well they must not like breathing." Shinji panted as Misato smiled and laughed again.

Rei was taking all of this in as she watched the affection pass between the Major and the Third Child and felt a tinge of jealously pass through her. Shinji had saved her while Gendo had ordered her off to her death, without remorse. And now the Third Child was being welcomed back and congratulated for his heroism. She vainly hoped that The Commander would have been grateful to see her alive.

But as she did not see Commander Ikari at the EVA cages, outside the locker room waiting for her, or even now on the bridge, she knew the truth.

She felt...heartbroken.

As she looked back to Misato and Shinji, she realized the obviousness of it all. Such a thing would not happen to her because she was not special. Because she was not loved as he was. There was a sad look on her face as she left NERV without being noticed.

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AN: Hope you liked this chapter. More on the way. I hope no one minds, but I was inspired to write this story after reading another fanfic called Baby Blue. I don't think it ever got finished.

Please Read and Review.