"Come on! Come on, damn it!"

"Synchronization failed. Start Sequence resetting."

"Fuck!"

Would things end before it even started?

His wish had been granted, Unit-04 was his to pilot. His own exclusive Evangelion Unit.

…But the unit rejected him.

The chance to be on the frontlines. To fight for everything he wished to protect. Like sand in the wind, his new dream was being blown away.

"Start sequence commencing."

Focus, Naruto, focus!

He closed his eyes, trying to remember all the minor details of the time he spent during the Harmonic Tests back in Tokyo-3. It had worked back then, they told him he could pilot.

Then, why-!

"Synchronization failed."

"Again!"

How many tries had it been? Five? Six? Did it even matter?

"Roger." Surely the voice speaking to him wasn't obeying him, but obeying Fuyutsuki. "Start sequence resetting."

'Ojisan believes in me…'

'I'm failing him…'

The LCL around him felt thick, the smell made him nauseous and the darkness of the cockpit threatened to swallow him whole. When the voice didn't speak, the silence was deafening.

"Synchronization failed…"

The beating of his heart was becoming unbearable. War Drums on his chest that seemed to never cease thumping.

"No, no, no, no."

They were losing hope. They were thinking that it was useless. That he was useless.

Was it because he wasn't wearing a Plugsuit like the others? Were the Neural Clips not working as they should? Or was it because…

He was a failure?

Naruto let go of the handles. Surely he must be looking quite pathetic in there, dry heaving and shivering as if the LCL was the coldest substance in the universe.

What was he thinking? Trying to act like such a hero…

He was a deadlast wasn't he? A dobe.

A failure.

*Thud!*

The shivering stopped, the fog in his mind cleared and the cold that threatened to freeze him to the core disappeared. Only a bruised, bleeding lip remained.

Thinking would get him nowhere, he decided.

It was too late to back out. Too late to hesitate. He had dug way too deep into this shady business on his own volition. And he didn't regret it one bit. It was, after all, his choice.

His blue eyes shone with determination, reflecting the bright flame burning with passion inside him. He took the handles once more, this time not to let go until the angel was clearly defeated.

"One more time."

This time for sure. He could feel it. He wasn't the same Naruto that he was a minute ago.

"Understood, pilot." It seemed that his conviction had reached the operator, and everyone else aboard the Command Bridge of the Ural-II, for they were willing to give him another chance. "Start sequence commencing…" He decided to die before betraying the faith everyone had placed on him.

"A-10 nerve successfully connected! Synchronization rate is above the Absolute Borderline, 45%!" He chose to fight. Fight for the others, for his precious people, and finally, for himself. And for that…

He'd make the Evangelion move or his name wasn't Naruto Uzumaki!

"Unit-04 activating!"

The beast awoke, and Naruto finally had the chance to experience how it felt to synchronize with the mecha. It was subtle, but the connection between man and machine was definitely there. Its power his to command!

"Pilot, please move to the designated spot."

Oh right, he had no time to lose.

Remembering the brief explanation about Evangelion he had gotten back in Tokyo-3, he focused in making the unit walk.

And so it did. The unit moved to Naruto's will, although with shaky steps, and slowly separated from the grids that held it in place. With each step becoming more graceful than the other, the Evangelion moved to the designated spot, the elevator that would take him into the fray.

His heart was thumping in beat with his emotions, his blood was burning.

The battlefield was calling to him.

He grinned. 'Time to kick some angelic ass.'

…Then the Eva tripped. With its foot.

"Whoa! Watch out!"

People scrambled in fear when they saw the shadow of the giant mech approaching. It felt so real that by instinct Naruto tried to hold on to something to save him, but that only made the Eva flail its arms wildly doubling the risk of hurting someone. Some people even had to jump out of the way as its arms destroyed some scaffolds.

The boy felt like he had just crashed his first car when the shock wore off.

"Sorry! Is everyone all right? It's my first time!"

That brief moment of arrogance was his downfall; he'd have to make sure to improve his skill before trying to show-off. In the meantime he had to see if he hadn't, accidentally, killed someone. Everyone seemed fine, even the ones on the catwalks if he had to guess, as they shook their fists in anger.

"Oi! I said I'm sorry!"

The Fate of a Divinity

Chapter 10: Life or Dead! A Foursome Dance in the Arctic!

"DIE!" Asuka roared and the unit-02 surged forward to clash against the Angel. Without weapons she would have to engage the foe in close-quarters. On the bright side the Acheron had functioning power sockets so she wouldn't have to rely on the internal battery, but still…

"KUH!" The angel's powerful tail impacted against the right side of Unit-02 and it actually numbed Asuka's arm. She was getting sloppy, she was getting tired. Any injury she inflicted on the Angel wouldn't last long before disappearing. 'This is so unfair!'

Even so, the Angel didn't seem to be interested in fighting. When Unit-02 backed away it took off towards the opposite direction to escape into the ocean.

"As if I would let you!" With a swipe of her powerful lance, Mari and the Unit-05 swatted the Angel away. But it just shook off the heavy impact as if it had been hit by a pillow. Its power kept rising, its regeneration accelerating, not even two Eva Units could manage to immobilize it long enough for one of them to land the finishing blow to its Core. "This isn't going so well, nya," Muttered Mari as the Angel slowly stood to its full height. At the rate the fight was going then the Angel would inevitably escape to the cold waters.

"Pilot Makinami, Pilot Sohryu, reinforcements are coming your way. Don't let the Angel escape in the meanwhile."

"Reinforcements…It can't be!"

The rumbling of the Acheron was easily detected by both pilots, even the Angel stood static as the rumbling intensified until it resembled a small quake. No doubt something big was approaching them. Suddenly, a new signal was detected by the pilots' Communication Interface. "Heh, sorry I'm late, but you know how it goes. A hero always appears at the last second!"

A hatch on the ceiling opened and from it came an elevator that the Bethany Base native Mari recognized as the one that was used during emergencies in order to quickly transport things from the hangar to any of the floors of the base. After hearing that voice in her interface she could guess fairly easy that inside that elevator awaited none other than…

"Evangelion…"

Asuka was also quick to join the dots, "The Stupid Rookie!?"

"Uzumaki Naruto has arrived!" With flourish the doors opened and silver armor greeted the raging winds, carriers of water and ice shards all across the arctic. Underneath darkened, crimson-tinted skies, Evangelion Unit-04 stood ready for action for the first time. "…And who are you calling stupid, Red?!"

God's in his heaven, all's right with the world.

That's the motto emblazoned on Nerv's proud insignia. Created to remember everyone watching it of the noble mission that the men and women of the organization were willing to fight and die for. The protectors of world peace, humanity's last hope, that's Nerv. Or at least what in the surface is.

In the commander's office sat Gendo Ikari, unmoving and stoic like a marble statue. To him, the motto is nothing more than just words that held neither meaning nor power over him. It was meant for the public eyes that wouldn't come even close to understand the real meaning of the institution that currently held almost the most resources in all planet Earth. Though, Gendo accepted, there was some of the truth in it: Gods wouldn't save them, if humanity desires to survive the oncoming ordeal, then they'd have to fight.

An example of that had manifested just a couple of days prior. The attack of the Fifth Angel was a dangerous reminder that normal days were over, now any day could be humankind's last. Nerv had prevailed once more thanks to the remaining Evangelion Units, its pilots and a risky plan that involved the use of the electrical power of the whole city. Nerv emerged victorious, but the scars of the battle remained, it'd take weeks, maybe months to demolish the Angel's large corpse, and many millions to repair the damage done to Tokyo-3.

Gendo leaned back on his chair. For the time being he'd have to take care of the nuisances, be them humans or Angels and then, only then, it'd be time for him to make his move. He decided to close his eyes and travel to a place reserved only for him, with a vision that only he would ever be able to appreciate. The sight of his beautiful wife's face…

"Ikari Gendo."

In the next moment he was no longer sitting on his chair, thinking of his wife and better days, but aiming a gun straight in the direction from where the voice came from. He may not seem like it, but his heartbeat was tremendously accelerated and the beat was so strong it almost hurt.

"It…it is you." Pupils dilated, heartbeat slowed and the arm holding the gun returned to the side of his body when he recognized the owner of the voice that had surprised him. Of course, who else would be able to sneak up on him like that? "I wasn't expecting you. How come you grace me with your presence today?" His tone wasn't sarcastic, it was more mocking than friendly, but still it wasn't hostile by any means.

Even with the light coming from the glass walls of the office, the figure was still shrouded from head to toes in the shadows. "I have come for an important reason, I assure you."

Returning to his seat, Gendo hid the gun in the lower drawer of his desk. Breathing deeply once more to calm his nerves, he addressed the figure hiding in the darkness. "So…? Why do you hesitate? Tell me already."

A moment of silence made Gendo think that his visitor had vanished from his office. "I felt it," It finally responded. "It has begun, Ikari."

Eyes widened behind orange tinted glasses. "It can't be. It's too soon!"

"It is what it is and it can't be stopped. It is just a matter of time now."

"Do you know what triggered it?"

"Yes. One of the creatures… one of the Angels as you call them was the key that triggered the Awakening Process."

"I see. Then the hypothesis about the Anomalies was correct after all." The shock caused by the news had faded, replaced now by frustration and annoyance. "To think those fools would be hiding something so dangerous from us…This was unexpected; our plan might be ruined before it can even come into motion."

"You're wrong. Indeed what happened was unexpected, however we can use it forour benefit. I suspect the Awakening will come slowly; there will be enough time to tie the loose ends before our turn comes up."

"Maybe so, but that won't even matter if he dies there."

"That won't happen."

"And why do you seem so sure of that?"

"Something as feeble like that creature won't be enough to kill him. Uzumaki Naruto is too tough, too stubborn. He won't die easily. I assure you."

With those last words, the figure vanished and the office basked in its silence once again, leaving Gendo to brew in his thoughts by himself.

"Naruto-kun, careful! It's coming after you!"

The moment Unit-4 stepped out into the open; the Angel's demeanor changed a whole 180 degrees. At first it seemed hell-bent on escaping into the ocean to wreak havoc another day, now its eyes shone a brighter crimson and any trace of what looked like signs of intelligence disappeared the moment it caught sight of the silver Evangelion. The sudden attack surprised all the pilots and Naruto seemingly froze as the Angel rampaged toward him.

"Don't just stand there, use your rifle!" Asuka's voice got him out of the shock and reminded him that the unit had been deployed with a fully functional assault rifle.

"R-right!" The unit kept a tight grip on the weapon; Naruto could feel the ghost of it in his own hands. He raised the rifle and aimed at the foe approaching him, but then panic won out. "Eh? How do I…?" Somehow, no matter how much the unit fumbled with the weapon, Naruto couldn't locate the rifle's trigger.

"Naru-kun!"

"Use the gun, Rookie!"

'Use the gun…all right, I got this!' Unit-04 changed its grip on the rifle, and then, with a might swing…!

*Twhack!*

"Hey, it actually worked!" Smacked the Angel right in the face, stunning it, breaking its bones, unhinging its lower jaw, and leaving the rifle in shambles in the process.

"YOU DUMMKOPF!"

"Crikey, it spoke German! She's really angry this time, Naru-kun…"

"What are you mad for? I kicked this thing's scaly a-WHOA!"

While the sudden hit did hurt the Angel, in its current berserker state something like that wasn't enough to stop it. The enraged beast answered with a shrill cry and launched itself to Naruto's unit, taking it down to the floor.

"Damn it!" With all the strength he could muster, Naruto tried to shake off the Angel. However all effort was in vain, the Angel was pining him to the floor with all of its weight.

Asuka recognized the foe's tactic. It had done the same to her. "Rookie, use the knife!"

"I'd love to! But I'm kind of busy right now!" It was taking a huge deal of effort for him to just manage to push the Angel's sharp beak away from him; he doubted he could keep it up for much longer.

"Tch!" After weighting her options Asuka realized that Makinami wouldn't make it in time to assist him, before the Angel inflicted some serious damage to the Unit-04. She, on the other hand, was near, so if anyone would save the blond then it'd have to be her.

She reached them before the Angel launched another attack and caught its thick, flailing tail. With a firm hold on the appendage Unit-02 pulled as hard as it could. "Grr!" Asuka clenched her teeth as the Unit used more and more strength, its arms straining, and Asuka felt the muscles tearing apart. She endured the pain, and the Angel yielded its position on top of the other Unit, but that only meant that its attention switched to her. It turned its nimble neck in an almost impossible angle and released a fierce attack with the jaws fixed on the head of the red Evangelion.

But Asuka saw it coming.

Unit-02 rolled under the attack, finishing it when it reached the silver Unit's side that was just beginning to rise from its prone position. Then Asuka willed an arm towards Unit-04 Shoulder Pylon, pulled out its Progressive Knife and in a swift movement turned in time to block serrated mandibles aiming to maim or kill her. "Kh!" Staring up the Angel's fearsome visage, Asuka managed to hold it back prior to pivoting the Unit's waist and deliver a side kick to its bulbous mid-section, that wasn't meant to damage the creature, rather than get it away from her.

The Angel stumbled back, and it'd have attacked again if a claw hadn't latched on its neck in the nick of time. "Hey chap, did you miss me?" Mari doubted she could kill it by herself, but that didn't matter, for the time being she needed to drive it away from her fellow pilots so they could recover. With that in mind, Eva-05 resumed its fight with the powerful Angel.

While Mari struggled with the Angel, Naruto decided that he should at least be grateful to the one that gave him assistance. "Uh, thanks,Red! Guess I owe you one!"

The red Unit turned to him, which meant that Asuka was paying attention to his words, but her answer confused him greatly. "Get out of here!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What else do you think I mean! I can't babysit you and fight at the same time!"

That's not true, Naruto wanted to protest. He didn't need to be protected; he must be the one doing the protecting! Still, her words did stung, and made him remember how he felt when the Eva refused to respond to his calling. 'Useless. Useless…' Nothing had actually changed.

"Get away, moron, you'll get us all killed!" Asuka repeated herself, this time stomping the Unit's foot to get her point across. Unknowingly, Asuka made a grave mistake that should never be done on the battlefield. Never take your eyes off your enemy.

Even while struggling with Mari and her Unit, the Angel kept its gaze fixed on the red Evangelion, waiting for a chance to retaliate. Mari noticed it too late.

"ASUKA!"

She felt the danger she was in, but all she saw was a blinding magenta light about to envelop her in its destructive wave. In a breathless gasp she realized that evading it'd be impossible even for her, so she closed her eyes, waited for the inevitable and hoped for the best.

Only that the pain never occurred.

Instead of being boiled alive inside the cockpit, or even worse, the pain form being pierced by the unholy energy beam, all she felt was her Unit hitting the metallic floor.

"I'm not useless…"

When the powerful wave of energy dissipated, and the light faded to allow her to open her eyes once again, a silver giant was occupying the same place where she almost met her demise.

"No…way." Muttered Mari in disbelief.

"Yeah, I may not be as good as you are piloting this thing, but I'm far from useless!" As Naruto started speaking, Unit-04 dropped its guard, gone was almost all of the armor covering its smoking arms, only some patches of melted metal remained. "If I have to become a shield for us to beat this monster, then fine, I'll become the best damned shield there ever was, ya hear me!"

"…" While Naruto was showing his bravado, Asuka couldn't believe her eyes. Had she just been saved form an excrucianly pain by the rookie? More importantly, how did he even survive the blast? She had felt at firsthand the power behind those beams when the Angel almost decapitated her earlier and this last one was, without a doubt, the deadliest one so far. Even if it was by instinct, for him to project an AT Field strong enough to allow him to walk away with just the damage in the arms…

"Hey, Red," his voice interrupted her thought. "Don't just sit there gaping at me. What's wrong, Ace-pilot? If you don't hurry and kill this thing I might do it and take that title for myself."

She saw his cocky grin on her Video Screen and she wished she could wipe it off his stupid face. Instead she opted to stare at his Unit's arm, inspect the damage, when the blond offered a helping hand.

"As if you ever could." She scoffed and stood up without his help. "Also, stop trying to look tough, idiot. It hurts, doesn't it?"

"What, this?" He gestured to the Unit's arms. "It's just a scratch, I can still fight!"

That idiot. "Whatever. Do what you want." At least he has guts, conceded Asuka. If he wished to pilot so bad that he was willing to take the full blast of an Angel's beam head-on, then who was she to deny him the pleasure. Besides, they were even now.

"Heh, I got your back, Red!"

She'd never the make the same mistake again, as soon as she stood up, her eyes were set on the Angel that seemed to be recovering its energy after unleashing that last attack. "Hn, try to keep up, Fourth Child. Oh… and try to not get yourself killed, it might look bad on my records."

"Oh, so you are worried about me?"

"Idiot, who's worried?!"

"Glad to see you're still in one piece, Princess." That was Mari, who had gone to join her fellow pilot's side.

The redhead sent a glare to the image of the other girl. "Fourth!" Asuka barked.

"Uh, you mean me, Red?"

"Who else would that be? Hurry up and connect your Unit's umbilical cable before its battery runs out."

He remembered that little detail about piloting just in time. "Ah, on it!" Then he went to do exactly that while the girls covered his rear. Unknowingly to him, Asuka took this distraction of his to exclude him temporally from the Communication Interface.

'Oh you proud thing…' Thought Mari.

When both girls were sure that the blond would not hear a thing, Mari broke the silence first. "It was really noble how you helped him before, y'know, but never take your eyes away from the action." She said.

"Halt's Maul!" That meant something along the line of shut up. "I'll only say this once so you better listen," Asuka took a deep breath, what she was about to do next was the hardest thing she had ever done. "We have to join forces to kill this stupid thing!"

"My, Asuka-chan, that's awfully mature of you! What brought this on?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measure. Are you in or not? I won't ask again!"

"Well…" Mari shrugged which annoyed Asuka for a reason. Actually, everything she did annoyed the redhead, maybe even more than her other partner of profession. "Why not? I'm with you on this one, Captain Princess!" Then she noticed Unit-04 running back to them, and unblocked Naruto from their conversation.

"Hey guys I did it. I plugged the cable thing!"

"Great, you've completed Piloting for Dummies 01, hope you stay alive for the next class." When he frowned, Asuka gave herself a pat on the back.

The self-proclaimed Beauty of the Glasses noticed that they had some more time to get ready as the Angel was either recovering or waiting for them to make the next move. "Princess, did you notice earlier?"

"Uh huh, of course I did."

"Girls, don't leave me out of this. What did she notice earlier?"

"Well, for some reason the Angel seems very hostile to you, way more hostile than what it was with us at first, Naru-kun."

"What?! Why me? I've done nothing to it, dattebayo!"

Asuka snickered, "maybe he just finds you annoying?"

"Why you!"

"Actually, that would make lots of sense, mate."

"You too, Mari-chan?!"

"Joking." Responded Mari. "Let's go for it, take the lead , Oh Mighty Princess."

"Hmph, I don't need you to tell me that!" Asuka harrumphed. "Fourth, stay there and-"

"No way! I want to help too!"

"Let me finish, Idiot! Your unit is badly damaged, wait for the right moment and then attack the Angel's blindspot!"

"But…!"

"Don't argue, Naru-kun. You'll have your time to shine!"

"Fine." With both girls teaming up against him Naruto wisely relented.

Said girls then nodded to each other and sprung forward towards the Angel, with Asuka taking the lead and Mari trailing behind.

"Dohryaaa!" Asuka, now armed with a knife, posed a real challenge to the Angel. Weave, duck, slash, repeat. She was faring well, but her knife couldn't slash deep enough in its hard, gray skin to leave any lasting damage. If she had to make a comparison she'd lean to say that it was similar in shape and toughness to that of an alligator's, a very big alligator.

Mari, on the other hand, had a very big lance equipped to her Evangelion. She circled around the Angel, attacking when it least expected it, but the Angel was smart, and nimble, only 2 out of 4 times did she hit it. Also, the Angel's tail was a hard problem to deal it as she had to be on the lookout every time she approached from behind. It was like the tail could think on its own!

'Wait for the blindspot. Wait for the blindspot. Wait for the blindspot… Now!' Naruto followed the girl's instruction as best as he could, but as soon as he saw his chance he took it. Unit-04 closed the distance quickly to avoid its discovery and when it came close enough to the Angel, it jumped and latched onto its long neck from behind.

"Gotcha, ya bastard!" The Angel squirmed, trying to stabilize with the weight of a multi-ton mecha riding on its neck.

"Nice timing, Naru-kun, don't let it get away!" Seeing this, Mari put into action the three remaining wheels the quadruped Unit had on its legs, backed away some meters and then the pilot led it into a charge with all the kinetic energy it could muster. With Naruto holding it, she was sure to hit. "Take this!" The surprise came when the lance met little resistance; she didn't have to neutralize its AT Field at all! Was it Naruto's doing? Either way, her attack pulverized a big chunk of the Angel's head, leaving its vital spot in plain sight. "The core's exposed, Princess!"

"I see it! Haaaa!" Asuka stuck the Progressive Knife into the hole of the Angel's skull made by the lance of Unit-05.

*Screech!*

The Angel squirmed even more when if feot the knife stabbing into its core. "Keep it steady just a little bit more, Fourth!" Sparks flew as the knife cut deeper and deeper, cracks began forming on the crimson 'heart' of the beast.

"I'm trying! Hurry it up, Red, can't hold it much longer!"

But the Angel refused to die just yet. It gathered energy and focused thought its eyes one more time. "Oh no you don't!" Asuka knew what was coming and jumped back to evade another blast. "Tch, couldn't finish it off!" Said Asuka, frustrated beyond belief.

"What an extraordinary regeneration…" Back aboard the Ural-II, Fuyutsuki and the rest of the crew observed how the situation evolved.

"Fuyutsuki, all the staff has evacuated the base! Let us blow it to kingdom come!" one of the former commander's lackeys suggested.

"Absolutely not! Nothing assures us that will destroy the Angel. Besides, the Units's current equipment is not meant for the ocean, if they fall to the water they will sink to the bottom!"

"We could try attacking with the ships missiles!" Another lackey commented.

Fuyutsuki quickly shot down that option. "Normal ammunition won't get past its AT Field."

"Then what do you suggest?" Asked the former commander.

Suddenly the doors to the Command Bridge opened. "They need weapons. Stronger weapons than what they currently have."

Fuyutsuki smiled when he saw who had arrived. "Ah, at last a familiar face. Kaji-kun, when did you get here?"

Ryoji Kaji casually strolled until he took a seat on Fuyutsuki's right. "Oh, Just a little while ago with some of the remaining men of the base." He took a smoke out of his jacket's pocket and rested it on his lips while he patted himself down in the search of his untrusty lighter. He halted his search when a flame was provided for him. He nodded to Fuyutsuki for the gesture and took a long drag from his deathstick, all the way into his lungs and then out. "Anyways, I might have the answer for our dear pilots current lack of firepower."

Fuyutsuki pocketed his lighter. Normally he'd chastise Kaji for his lack of professionalism, but what the hell, they might die that day. "Is that so. And, what do you propose, Kaji-kun, don't leave this old man hanging."

"Well, it is a plan straight from Katsuragi Misato's book of tactics. Still want to hear it?"

"All the more so."

Kaji chuckled. "I knew you would say that. I got a team loading them as we speak; let me tell you the details."

"Loading them?"

"Whoa!" Naruto couldn't keep his hold any longer. The Angel tossed its neck back and forth rapidly until the silver Unit relinquished in its hold and was sent several meters away through the air.

Mari was soon at his side, covering while he recovered. "Naru-kun, you allright?"

"Yeah, just one or two broken ribs. At least, that's what it felt like."

The Angel wasn't done yet though. "Blast it, here it comes again!" It was running toward them, thirsting for blood.

"Shit, can't catch a breath with this thing." Muttered Naruto angrily while urging the Eva to get back on its feet.

Then a large missile-like object slammed against the Angel, momentarily distracting it. "Eh? What was that?" Naruto turned to the sky and he saw several of the same objects flying through the air, some bouncing against the Acheron and others landing on the ocean. They weren't missiles, deduced Naruto, they weren't exploding.

"Pilots, those pods contain weapons and equipment. Catch as many as you can!"

The 'pods' kept coming, and the units had to evade getting hit by some of them. "Firing shit at us… That's a cool way to help."

"Yeah, I guess the folks of the Ural-II must be pretty desperate to try something like this. Not that I'm complaining, It is bloody cool!"

"Fourth, heads up!"

"Huh?" He reacted in time to grab whatever Asuka had thrown at him. "Oh yeah, now we are talking!" It was an axe of the sorts, probably functioning with the same technology that the Progressive Knife had.

"How're your arms?" Asked Asuka. She was trying to salvage as many pods as she could, even jumped to catch some airborne before they fell to the sea.

"Good as new now that I have this baby!"

"Hey, that's not fair, Princess! Where's my gift?"

Asuka continued collecting the pods and even put some next to the Unit's feet for easy access. "I doubt your unit can hold on to a weapon with that messed up hand it has."

"I resent that! It is not a hand, it is a claw! A claw you hear!"

"Focus! Fourth, same as before. I'll grab his attention!" As soon as she said that, Asuka fired at the Angel with a couple of Assault Rifles she had secured from the pods.

"I hear ya, Red!" The Angel switched its attention to Asuka when it identified the red Unit as a threat and then Naruto went for its blind spot. "Here I go! Off with the tail!" In a clean swing of the axe the tail was severed.

*Screech!*

The Angel was in pain, its severed tail wiggling madly on the floor.

Then Unit-05 came crashing into the Angel's side. "Don't forget about me!"

*Screech!*

"Next!" When a rifle was emptied out, instead of reloading, Unit-02 only stepped on the pods at its feet, discarded the old ones and grabbed the new ones, never stopping with the barrages of bullets.

*Screech!*

The Angel was being outnumbered. With attacks coming from all the sides, it couldn't focus on one unit. Even the rookie pilot Naruto managed to score a few hits with the axe. "This thing can take quite the beating! The others didn't seem that tough!" He commented.

*Screech!*

After causing another laceration, Naruto noted that the Angel's regeneration was slowing down. "Look, I think it's working!"

Asuka noticed it too. "Don't let up, keep attacking!" When she exhausted her next pair of rifles, Asuka switched to a weapon with more punch, the MM-144 Evangelion Custom Super-Electromagnetic Crossbow. Destroying the core was going to be a piece of cake with it.

"Wait, Princess, something's not right!" A cornered beast was the most dangerous kind. Injured and angered the Angel bean charging its energy. Mari gasped when she recognized the signs. "Take cover, guys!" She realized her blunder, there was nowhere to hide on the Acheron as it was a wide, open space, and their only option was to evade the incoming energy beams. Mari and Asuka did so easily, but the inexperienced pilot Naruto forgot to protect the Umbilical cable providing his Unit with energy which was sliced off by one of the beams. Other than that, he was also uninjured.

The Angel wasn't aiming at anyone in particular, it just trashed wildly, shooting its beam randomly, some into the sky, others penetrating into the base and reaching all the way to the sea below it. Everything the beams met was sliced cleanly.

"Main pillars 22 to 34 have been compromised! The main structure is collapsing!"

"Shit, what's happening?" Asked Naruto when he felt how the Acheron began inclining forwards.

"The base is sinking, that's what!" Asuka used the Umbilical Cable to support her Unit until it secured a secure place by stabbing the Progressive Knife.

"Hold on to something! Whatever you do, don't fall to the ocean!" Mari's mecha had the perfect legs to cling to the surface.

Naruto wasn't so lucky. "Girls, help!" His Unit was sliding head-first towards the ocean!

"Shite! Naru-kun!" Mari went after him.

"Main pillars 22 to 34 have been compromised! The main structure is collapsing!" Some of the pillars, the foundation of the base, were lost by the Angel's desperate attack. Without them the Acheron began inclining precariously, but that wasn't all…

"Commander, water is flooding the lower levels!"

"That can't be good…" Kaji, said.

"Block the chambers; don't let the water reach the other levels!" Fuyutsuki gave orders to the best of his capabilities, but he sincerely doubted the base could be saved.

The former commander of Bethany base approached him. "Fuyutsuki, tell them to activate the Emergency Buoyancy System!" And for the first time suggested a good idea. For him to be helpful surprised Fuyutsuki. "Don't give me that look. I also have my pride! Bethany Base will not sink today!"

Strangely, a dangerous event often led to the cooperation of those involved in it. Yes, humans were weird like that. "You heard the man! Do anything possible to stop the base from sinking!"

"Understood, Buoyancy System activated!"

"How are the pilots?"

This time it wasn't the Bridge's crew who answered him, but Kaji, who was staring curiously at the live image of the situation. "Well…it'd be better if you saw it for yourself."

Fuyutsuki gasped. "Naruto…God help us…"

"Ghh!" Just in time did Mari reach him. With its lance firmly stuck to the surface, and a claw holding onto one of the silver unit's ankle, Mari was able to save Naruto from becoming food for fished. "Phew, safe!"

But now, hanging upside down the way he was, Naruto looked exactly like bait. Bait for the monster slowly climbing the inclining structure of the Acheron.

He saw it approaching, its movements were sluggish, but its intentions clear. "You gotta be kidding me! This thing must really hate me!" It was going after him for one last time.

"Hang on; I'll try to get you to the other ledge!"

"Wait, no! This is perfect!"

"Have you gone off your trolley? You're an easy morsel like that!"

"Red!"

Asuka was slightly above them, preparing her weapon. "What? Give me a sec and I'll save your dumb blond head! Again!"

"Dumb blond head?" Naruto shook his head, now wasn't the time to argue. " Wait, that's not it! We need to hit the red thing to beat this thing, right?"

"The core! It is called a Core! Yes, what's your point?"

"My point is that I will get you a clear view of it! Just make sure to shoot it!"

"What are you, stupid? How the heck are you going to do that?"

"It doesn't matter how; just know I'll do it. You just be ready to fire!"

"Naru-kun, me think this is a bad idea, Nya…"

Despite the position he was in, Naruto trusted fully on his ability to improvise during dangerous situation. "Heh, trust me on this, just have to wait to the right moment, right?" He still had the axe which was a relief, but he had to admit that the sight of the Angel closing and opening its maws as it approached him was quite intimidating.

'Hope this works. No…' Hoping for the best wasn't his style; if he wanted something then he'd have to fight for it. 'I'll make it work!'

The Angel finally was at reach and it attempted to bite off the Unit's head! Naruto acted by instinct and stuck the axe between its maws effectively disabling its ability to close them. With the assurance that he wasn't going to be decapitated so easily, the Unit's hand grasped the sides of the Ange's mandibles, and pulled!

"Uuuoh!" He opened them enough to see the Core, and he did his best to minimize the Angel's movements. "Now, Asuka!"

'He's doing it. The idiot is actually doing it!' Asuka could also see its Core, but if she fired from her current position then there was a great chance of hitting Naruto. Should she still make the shot despite knowing that?

"Hurry it up, Red!" The axe's handle was beginning to crack from the extreme pressure coming from the Angel's jaw. If it did break, then his Unit's head would come off next.

"I know! But you're in the way!"

"You're the Ace-Pilot, aren't you? You can do it!"

Idiot, putting all that pressure on her… or was it trust?

Whatever it was, he was right in something, she's the Ace-Pilot. She will fire and she will hit, because she was the best at what she did. "The crossbow is at full-power, I'll finish it in one shot, you hear! As soon as you see the Core get hit let go of the Angel!" She faintly heard the blond saying he understood her indication, but after that, there was silence. Deep breaths, Asuka. Deep breaths.

Being a pilot was her life's purpose. All her training, all her effort, everything culminated into whether she could make the shot or not. 'I can't fail. I won't fail.' She adjusted her aim, and soon the Core was in the crosshairs. 'You're mine!' She let the supercharged arrow loose and it flew carrying her dreams and fate.

It hit in the center of the Core.

And it pierced through.

Inches away of Naruto's units head.

The core broke shattered into pieces, and Naruto let go.

*Screech!*

The angel fell into the cold waters.

"Did it work?" Naruto asked.

An explosion of energy emerged from the seas, soon reaching the skies and forming a cross shaped pillar of light. The pilots had to hold on to the surface will their strength to avoid getting blown away. "Gaahhh!"

Due to his flaying, Mari almost let go of her friend's unit. "Kuh! Relax, I've got you. And to answer your question…yes, I think that did it."

"Really?! All right! Nice shot, Red!" Finally it was all over.

No one noticed, but Asuka slumped to the back of her seat, exhausted physically and mentally. "Were you expecting anything else from the Ace-Pilot, Fourth Child?"

"Careful, Naru-kun, don't inflate her ego more than what it is already is."

But even exhausted, she couldn't let such comments pass. "Excuse me, Makinami? How many Angels have you beaten? Oh right, none!"

"Girls…"

"What are you on about? Weren't you all 'please help me, Mari, big bad Angel is too strong for pweety little me' just some minutes ago?"

"Hah?! Did you hit your head during the battle or something? That was not how it went!"

"Girls."

"It might have as well, Princess! I'll cherish the exact moment you asked for my help forever!"

"No no no. Forget that ever happened, it was a one-time thing!"

"Oh chill out, I'm just kidding."

"You chill out! Why don't you-"

"GIRLS!"

"What is it, Rookie?!"

They hadn't noticed that he was still hanging upside down.

"I'M GOONA BARF!"

"Blimey!"

The catastrophe was adverted; thankfully most people on Bethany Base survived the night and saw the sunrise again. The remaining hours of the night were spent celebrating the victory over the Angel, things like nationalities, past feuds, and sexual preferences were forgotten as everyone embraced each other, and partied like there was no tomorrow. Everyone was just happy to be alive. When the dawn came the staff returned to work, half of them were exhausted, and the other half were drunk off their asses, but the entire crew wanted to see their saviors off.

One Mari Makinami was leaning on the rails of a balcony watching from above how the workers of the dock made the finishing touches to the ships heading to Tokyo-03.

"So you were here after all."

"Hiya, Kaji-kun! Shouldn't you be preparing your bags right about now?"

The man shrugged. "Nah, I've got everything under control."

"Mmhmm, whatever you say. Oh, nice plan by the way! Using missile pods to send us weapons, brilliant!"

"It was nothing. Actually I still can't believe it worked." They had been lucky Ural-II had those empty pods that were just the right side to fit some of the smaller equipment. And they were also lucky the ship's weapons system could actually handle such improvisation. "Did you say your goodbyes to Naruto?"

Mari laughed. "Yup, He blushed so hard his face looked like a tomato!"

He laughed as well, but it soon died out. "…And to Asuka?"

The girl hesitated for a few seconds and then answered with a sad smile. "…Kinda?"

"You didn't tell her, did you?"

"…"

"Are you sure you're with that? In our line of work you should try living without any regrets."

What he though was some wise advice, was met with a frosty answer. "You know, Kaji-kun, girls don't like nosy guys."

"Scary, scary!" Kaji waved his hands in sign of surrender. "You remembered me of Asuka with that glare. Hmm, must run in the family."

"…"

"Ok, I get it. No need to get mad. I'll be leaving now."

"Take care, Kaji."

"You as well. I'll keep you informed as always."

With Kaji gone, Mari took in the sight of Naruto struggling to carry Asuka's trunk onto the ship while the redhead yelled at him to hurry up. She must have somehow tricked him in to doing it. A fond smile appeared on her face when she remembered her last interaction with the fiery redhead.

-Flashback-

"Ah."

"Makinami."

She was on her way to meet Naruto and wish him a safe trip when in one of the corridors leading to the makeshift docks she found a wild redhead blocking her way.

"Hey Princess, ready to leave?"

Asuka was acting weird, too tame, and that freaked Mari out. "Yes, but before I leave I need to tell you something."

Asuka wanted to talk to her. Well, that was new.

"Oho, now you've my attention. What's up?"

Mari could feel it; another verbal lashing was on its way!

"You're a competent pilot."

…or not.

The bespectacled girl was smart, cunning as a fox, very few things caught her off-guard, and receiving something similar to praise from Asuka was one of them "Eh?" Was she hearing right? Had she died in the battle against the Angel and was in some sort of alternate dimension?

The redhead turned her head away, suddenly her bite returned. "Don't make me repeat myself! I'm recognizing your skills as pilot that's all!" But then her face turned solemn. "…Also, at least I know that if something happens to me, my Unit will be in good hands."

Right, she was her replacement. The thought disgusted her. 'Don't…don't speak like that, Asuka. Don't even think like that…' Mari closed her hands into fists. Was the moment right? Should she tell her truth that she has been hiding for so long?

"Well, that's all I wanted to say. Guten Tag, Makinami."

"Wait, Asuka!"

"What is it now? If you're going to taunt me then do it quickly, I've got to leave soon."

She urged her dry mouth to speak. "I'm…you're…"But the words wouldn't come out. She must look stupid so stupid. "No, nevermind. Just…take care of yourself, ok?" She'd have to endure that stabbing for a bit longer. Someday she'll find the courage.

"…Huh? What are you, stupid?" Just like that, the old Asuka was back. Condesenting stare and all. "Even if I said all that it doesn't mean we're friends. I still think you're a thieving slut."

Ha..hahaha

She couldn't help but laugh out loud at her words. She was Asuka all right. And she was still Mari Makinami for the time being. Pilots. Rivals. There was no need to change that just yet.

"Yeah well," Mari wiped a tear that escaped during her brief laughing fit. "I still think you're a spoiled bitch."

From both sides, the insults didn't carry as much animosity as before. She actually got a small smirk out of Asuka. Maybe the day they'd be able to talk and joke as friends wasn't so far away.

"Ciao." And then she went on her way.

-Flashback End-

Naruto noticed someone had been watching him for a while and when he turned he saw Mari observing him from a balcony. He blushed, suddenly remembering the kiss she had given him as a parting gift. It was his first…

She blinked, and then waved.

Naruto smiled and waved back, careful of not dropping Asuka's trunk, before fully boarding the ship.

As the ship sailed away, she stood alone on the balcony, waving at Naruto and Kaji until the ship disappeared into the horizon. With them fully gone she returned to the innards of the base, ready to continue her mission. "Goodbye, Naru-kun. Watch over my bitchy little sister while I'm gone." For she also had a reason to keep on fighting.

"Happiness doesn't walk to me, because I'm walking to it
One day, one step. Three steps in three days
Three steps forward, two steps back
Life's a one-two punch..."

The Fate of a Divinity

ARC II: Welcome to Bethany Base!

FIN

E/N: Thanks for reading and sorry for the wait. Kind of rushed some parts, but I'm going out of town for a couple of days and wanted to upload this before I go. Please point out anything I need to fix and I'll do it when I edit this chapter (Might as well change the title). Also, please refrain from asking for spoilers in the reviews section, understand that I can't tell. But if anyone wants to chat, feel free to send me a PM. *Wink* *Wink*