Evangelion 1. Chapter 1: Apostolo Attack

The attack had come before just dawn. Just as the town watchmen were approaching the end of their shift, and tired. Such an attack suggests intelligence, but Ikari Shinji had never heard of the Apostolos being anything but feral, mindless animals. The young man swore softly as he dug through his father's drawers. The aging man was away on "business." Shinji had known by age fourteen not to ask. The bruise on his finger was enflamed, and shot bolts of pain up his forearm each time it brushed against the papers in Ikari Gendo's drawer. _Stupid, _the boy thought, _stupid to think you had a chance. You are no warrior, Ikari. You are a __**farmer. **_His right hand closed around brittle paper a half-second ahead of the scream from his sister's room.

"Rei!" Shinji was out of the room in a heartbeat.

He did not pause at his sister's door at the end of the hall, but merely braced his shoulder for the impact. The Apostolem, called after the Apostolo Sachiel, had carved three bloody lines into the youth's fourteen-year-old sister, hurling her across the room. Shinji heard her _crunch_ against the far wall as he slammed into the Sachiem, teeth bared. The Apostolem staggered as the boy made contact, then wrapped its long claws around him. Shinji gagged as the thick, salty smell of the ocean filled his nostrils as he stared into the bone-white beak of the invader. He quickly picked at the ribbon to the scroll and pressed the curling parchment up to the Sachiem's chest. The youth winced as the steely fingers sliced through his thin garment and slid along his upper arms and chest before the monster was hurled through the window it had climbed through by a pillar of white light. Shinji was already in motion by the time the blackened parchment had faded to ash. He quickly crossed the debris-stricken room and scooped his sister into his arms.

"S..Shi-Shinji… it hurts…" Shinji swore as Rei feebly wrapped her arms around him.

He quickly made his way out of Rei's room and into the dining area and kitchen. He carefully set the girl down on the table in a rough sitting position and began rummaging through the cabinets for something to bind her wounds. A dull _thud_ announced Rei's white-haired head smacking the rough wooden table. Shinji hissed out a combination prayer and condemnation of whichever gods might have been watching and began tearing strips off his shirt. Rei whimpered as he yanked her into a sitting position and cried out as he tightened the first makeshift bandage. Her small fingers dug into his biceps as he attempted to whisper something reassuring into her ear while he readied the next strip.

"Don't worry, little darling. You'll be fine. I'll be fine. Father will be fine. I just need to finish these bandages, then we ca-" Shinji found himself cut off by the Apostolem forcing itself through the wall.

The mysterious rainbow-hued force field that had deflected his earliest attacks with a hoe was back, pealing like a bell each time wood or stone fell upon it. The entire torso of the monster was smoking, and a red orb at the center of its chest glowed unhealthily. With remarkable speed, Shinji lifted his sister off of the table and began a strategic withdrawal down the hallway. Rei was crying openly by this point and had attempted to bury her head in Shinji's shoulder. The boy ran his left hand through her hair as he ducked into their father's room. Ikari Gendo hated leaving a messy room, and Shinji found the orderly appearance a welcome change from the morning's chaos. Then the Sachiem tore its way through the hallway-facing wall. Rei squealed as Shinji tossed her onto the bed and began searching for a weapon. The green monster had learned not leave the young man to his own devices, however, and, with startling speed, wrapped its left hand around his head. Shinji felt a curious warmth begin to tickle his right eye. The boy stiffened, then sank his fingers into the Apostolem's thin forearm, trying, in vain, to free himself from the monster's grasp. He felt a rush of air and heard Rei's scream, then knew no more.

Rei felt as though she had been screaming the whole morning. She still found herself unable to stop as one of her few remaining family members and the boy who had practically raised her fell over backwards, blood oozing from his right eye socket. The albino girl pulled herself back on their father's bed as the Sachiem turned to her. Taking a temporary leave of absence from its prior fluidity, the hulking monstrosity shuffled stiffly towards her, arm outstretched. Rei's scream was cut off by a low moan as the Apostolem began walking through the bed, force field flaring. The thin girl's hand made contact with the head of the wooden railing and she felt a moment of vertigo as it fell back. The floor under Shinji opened, and the boy's unconscious frame tumbled down the formerly hidden stairs. The disappearance of her brother was the last straw. Rei again began to scream, a toneless, animal cry. She screamed until the Sachiem wrapped its fingers around her skull and lifted her off the bed.

Shinji knew not where he had found himself, only that he could not see out of either eye. He felt a wet warmth when he put his hand up to his right eye, but nothing more. As the youth pulled himself to his feet, a wave of vertigo came over him, sending him careening into a dusty wall. The boy, lacking the facilities to come up with a better plan, placed his hands on the wall and slowly began to make his way down the hall. Hopefully down, at least.

The Sachiem had begun to worry about the state of its cargo, dimly, as it plowed through the wall of another small domicile. It still hadn't stopped screaming, and they had been walking for a long time. It idly checked the condition of its cargo's wounds. The one bandaged scratch had stopped bleeding, and the two open injuries were trickling. Physical ailments were not distressing the cargo. The Apostolem gave the equivalent of a shrug and plodded onward, stepping on the burned bodies of the dead. The Light of its Soul flickered as it stomped through a fire, moving steadily towards a great cart at the center of the former village.

A horn. Thick, metal teeth. Shinji ran his hands down what he assumed was a suit of armor, exquisitely crafted. The helmet had the feel of some demonic face, complete with eyes, though he could find no holes to permit vision. He slowly worked his calloused hands down one of the arms, finding no seam that connected the sleeve to the pauldron or gauntlet. The boy began to wonder if perhaps all he had found was a statue as he ran his hands along the chest. His fingers tightened as they felt a perfectly rounded orb. He gently applied pressure, finding it not unlike the bosom of many a village girl. He pushed harder, and the orb became stiff. Then, it pushed back. Shinji swore as the room was bathed in soft red light, having become quite well adjusted to the darkness. Then the young man swore again as the suit of armor was fully revealed. He was not ignorant of religion, finding solace in faith alongside many others in the endless war against the Apostolem. He knew the form of the Oni, the traditional demons. He had even seen carvings of demonic figures from the strange monotheistic religions from across the seas. The suit before him seemed to be these monsters incarnate. Slowly, Shinji mastered his fears and came closer to the masterfully crafted armor. Now, with the glow of the chest-piece, Shinji could see clearly the seams defining and separating the armor. An emblem on the forehead, just under the massive horn, caught and held his attention. It was richly engraved with gold and silver, the precious metals englarging and calling attention to a single letter. The letter _S _seemed almost to glow in the red young farmer slowly took a step forward.

It was called after the Apostolo Zeruel. It had stalked the village, searching for those who had fled. And now it observed the cart, hollow sockets seeing nothing, yet perceiving all. Calculations rolled through its mind, tabulating divisions of spoils, commendations, the healthiest captives, and other, incomprehensible matters. Its tabulations were halted when the Sachiem threw the albino girl onto the cart. As the being spoke, a rockslide started in the mountains hundreds of miles away.

_Where is the boy?_

The Sachiem turned to regard the Zeruem.

**Boy not required by Progenitor. Girl all demanded. Boy fought back. Injured self. Destroyed.**

The Zeruem floated over the cart, black tentacles flapping wildly. Rei twitched as the demonic skull-mask clicked shut over her head.

_A pity. The two would have made quite a pair._

The Sachiem emitted a chirp. Stray stones around the village split in two.

**Appreciate stay back. Found girl. Belongs to Sachiel. Ours**_._

The Zeruem shifted its sockets to the Sachiem. It began tabulating again, comparing the strengths of the Sachiem to its own weaknesses. The albino girl squeaked as the Sachiem slapped a hand down onto her, possessively.

**Ours by covenant. Not fault excellent rearing condition.**

At the mention of the covenant, the Zeruem deflated, sinking over to its side of the cart. It knew its standing was not high enough with its own Progenitor for the Apostolo of Might to intercede on its behalf. Were it, why would the Zeruem be attached as overseer to a group of mindless Apostolem raiding a small village? These thoughts, and many others, the likes of which a man cannot fathom, were cut off, suddenly, by the trembling of the earth across the village. The Sachiem caught Rei as the albino slid off the cart.

**What that?**

It had become clear to Shinji while donning the strange armor he had found that it had been designed for one much larger and stronger then a youth of seventeen years. He suspected that his size had no impact on how well he would perform, however, for the moment he donned the complete suit, it had felt as though it was carrying itself. He growled as his plate-reinforced hand shoved a length of wood into the face of an Apostolem, the type of which he could not fathom. The white light that seemed to compose its body slowly dimmed as he forced the blade deeper into what he assumed was the monster's head. Abruptly, with a mournful cry, the Apostolem dissipated. Shinji tumbled forward before his plate-mailed feet shifted, almost of their own accord, restoring his balance. The entire village exploded around him as Apostolem began a wild, disorganized retreat. They acted now like the beasts he had heard whispered tales of, and the young farmer hazarded a guess that the one he had just slain had been the group's leader. The flash of magenta light and the ground erupting at his feet quickly forced the boy to reevaluate his guess.

Before the death-moans of the Tabrem finished reverberating off the bones of the dead, the Sachiem was in motion. The Apostolem of Water was forcing its way through the retreating Apostolem as the Zeruem fought to regain control of the raiding party. A retreating Materem knocked over the cart with one spindly leg. The Zeruem expanded its Overmind and seized control of the spider-like Apostolem. The Apostolem of Might allowed itself to feel a moment of satisfaction before a third detonation and cry of rage signaled the demise of the Sachiem. The Matarem turned and ran, the flickering of its Absolute Terror field preventing the Zeruem from reestablishing control. The Zeruem twisted and fired a blast of energy, reforming its defensive shield into a weapon of destruction. By now, the armor that had once been undetectable was now as clearly outlined to the Zeruem as one of the Apostolem. And it kept on coming.

An idle fact, chewed and spat out during tabulation, now began to resurface, slowly pushing on the Zeruem's Overmind as it powered blast after blast into the thick purple armor of its attacker. Each Apostolem contains the memories of its Progenitor. These memories serve as the core of behavior for the non-sentient Apostolem and give sentient ones an edge. A latent memory, long buried in the past, slowly began to resurface. A memory of strange armors, pain, and death. Armors with the Light of a Soul. Armors that cut through Apostolem like fire burning through wheat. _Evangelions._ The Zeruem threw its Overmind back towards its Progenitor as the demonic armor charged.

Shinji slammed into both the floating Apostolem and the cart of bodies. A whip-blade slammed into his shoulder, chopping the straps that held the pauldron in place and almost cleaving the top of the boy's shoulder off. Shinji howled with pain and fury, slamming an outstretched hand into the Zeruem's face. He clenched his fist and began to yank. The Zeruem slammed a whip-arm into the armor's right knee, judging correctly that the Sachiem's attack had weakened the leather and chain joint. The young farmer hissed with pain as the full weight of the Evangelion collapsed onto his right leg. He kept a tight hold on the Zeruem, however, and used its weightlessness against it, slamming the skull-mask into the mud. The Apostolem almost instantly shoved its head back up. Shinji froze as he found himself staring into the deep sockets where eyes should have been. He had never been so close to an Apostolem before, and found himself oddly fascinated by its features. The hollow sockets were viewing him, of that he could be sure. The empty blankness seemed to plead with the boy, begging for… something. Something that he couldn't identify.

The Zeruem couldn't believe the hypnosis was actually working. But then, the Progenitor had answered its call. The Apostolem felt a heaviness settle into its mind and the dread, euphoric whisper of Zeruel itself.

_**You have done well, my servant. Rest now. I will assume control.**_

The Zeruem felt itself melt away from the burned village as all faded to darkness.

Shinji tried to yank off his helmet as the Apostolem rose, sedately. He _needed _to see the alien beauty with his own eye. He swore as the helmet refused to budge, almost melting into the platelets guarding his neck. The Apostolem clicked its teeth. Shinji shuddered at the thought of displeasing such an awe-inspiring creature. The Zeruem gently began to float towards him. Shinji slowly hobbled back, unable to face the exquisiteness of the Apostolem's face knowing that he had failed to perform even the simplest of its requests. As he shuffled back, his right foot touched something soft. It moaned, faintly.

"S-sh-inhi… Shi-inji?"

The veil lifted as the boy charged with a hoarse cry on his lips.

Zeruel roared as the Evangelion charged it. It tore at the purple armor with its terrible power and succeeded only in infuriating it further. The Zeruem the Apostolo commanded was not strong enough to overpower an Armor. How could it have been? _Why_ should it have been?

Zeruel retreated with the Zeruem still within its mind as its tabulations showed the battle to be lost.

Shinji collapsed as the Zeruem finally stopped struggling. He had hurled pieces of the monster across the entire village, finally stomping the red heart of the demon into oblivion. Then the pieces stopped twitching. The youth shuddered as the tears that had failed to come at the loss of his natural eye finally began to flow. He was cold, tired, and almost entirely alone. Everyone was dead. Almost everyone. Shinji sucked in a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet. He began walking back to the cart and the pile of bodies. After locking onto a pale arm and white hair, Shinji began to shift the mountain of corpses until he could work his sister loose. The boy gently cradled the limp girl in his arms. Tears began to cut lines down his cheeks as he rocked his sister back and forth. The tiny girl had had a history of illness, and did even appear to be breathing as Shinji rocked her back and forth.

"Please. Don't…leave me…..alone, Rei." The boy felt a wave of nausea take him as he contemplated having to bury his sister.

"Please. Don't. Please."

As Shinji stood, rocking the little body in his arms, he felt warmth begin to spread up his legs. The boy hissed as it reached his chest and he spasmed in pain. His shoulder and eye both itched, faintly, before the warmth spread into Shinji's arms. Rei gasped as the warmth reached Shinji's fingers. The albino girl shook in his arms as the boy heard a soft sliding noise and felt the internal shifting of muscle and tissue. She sagged in his arms, trembling, as the warmth slowly drained away. Shinji's lips twitched upward as her color visibly improved. Then he frowned as a crackling breath escaped her mouth. He turned for the village gate.

"Thank you, little Rei, for insisting that I learn to read." Shinji was careful to whisper as he slowly walked out of the village.

He dimly recalled having read in one of his father's old books that the nearest actual town was around thirty miles north of the village entrance. He knew not how he would cover the ground before he or his sister died of infection, but he knew he would try. The pounding in his forehead that had began after he had destroyed the squid-like Apostolem increased in intensity as he stepped onto the road. Shinji's eye narrowed to a slit as he felt his bile rise and the armor grew heavy upon his back and limbs. Rei whimpered in his arms as the mighty plate suit collapsed forward into the mud. As the mud slashed his tunic, the armor the young man still wore flared, the trim glowing a soft green. The light bestowed him with strength enough to reclaim his balance. Barely conscious, the young farmer left what remained of his village and started on the road north.


	2. Chapter 2: Saiyo

The country bumpkins called Taiyo a town, but the locals knew better. Taiyo was just another way station on the road from Tokyo the Third to the massive Nerv Fortress. The twin citadels, dating from time immemorial, were built, rather oddly, at opposite ends of the Island of Japan. The cult Seele claimed that the citadels were built to destroy the Apostolem, but no one listened to Seele. Locals were content to believe that the twin cities, supposedly alike in every aspect, were the "good" places, where the Apostolem did not attack, and everyone had a full belly.

Suzuhara Toji often wished that he lived in either of the massive cities, and never more often or more vocally then when he came in from the fields after the long summer days. The massive, deeply tanned young man frowned as Aida Kensuke ran by, apparently in a hurry. The pale, timid scholar often travel outside the town walls, looking for god-knows-what. It was generally known that he had increased the frequency of his trips since Seele had opened a church within the town square. Toji tolerated the strange Seele priests, and did his best not to laugh as they preached of the Apostolem and "Apostolos," supposedly the fathers of the Apostolem. No one knew where the Apostolem came from, and simply hoped that they all would soon go back there. Kensuke, despite his ties to Seele, was one of Toji's oldest friends, and it struck the farmer as quite odd that he had neglected to wave, or even stop and have a conversation. The tanned youth put down his hoe and began to jog after the skinny young man.

Kensuke had arrived at the Horaki household before Toji caught up to him, and the young farmer found himself nearly running down Hitori Horaki's youngest daughter, Nozomi, as she ran out the door. Puzzled, the young man entered the house, and utter chaos. Hitori was screaming at Kensuke, and the pale teenager was screaming back. Kodoma, the oldest, and Hikari, the middle child, were both attempting to comfort their mother. Hitori glanced towards the door and cut Kensuke off with a gesture.

"Toji. It is good that you are here." As Hitori spoke, Toji detected a slight tremble in the man's speech.

"Our friend Kensuke claims to have seen an Apostolem." The older man's wife burst into fresh tears as Kodoma gently rocked back and forth with her.

Toji narrowed his eyes at Kensuke. The young man looked sheepish, but met the glare unflinchingly. Hikari cleared her throat as her mother was led out of the room.

"Kensuke, why don't you tell Toji _exactly_ what you _thought _you saw." Hitori seemed to calm, noticeably, as his daughter spoke.

Kensuke was familiar enough with the Horakis to snort. "I didn't _think_ I saw anything, Hikari. I saw a damned _monster_ walking up that road."

He made sure to meet Toji's eyes before continuing. "I saw a tall, thickly built _thing_ walking up the road to the village. It glowed a sickly green, and gave chase when it saw me. It ran almost as fast as a _horse, _Toji. No man could do that. I managed to lead it into the woods and confuse it. I don't know if it's following me back."

Hitori burst in. "Kensuke came to me because of my military experience. He claims that I know how to kill it."

Toji pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. "_Do_ yah know how to kill it?"

"Wha-Bah- No! Of course not! I fought men, boy, not demons! I have no idea how you'd kill a monster like that!" The man had punctuated his every third word with a slam on the table.

"But certainly you'se heard tha stories of how dey do it?" Toji was gently rapping his knuckles on the table, trying to think. Hitori remained silent, glowering at the young farmer. Hikari crossed to the window, pulling on her ponytail nervously.

Before either man spoke again, Nozomi burst into the house. The fourteen-year-old girl was yanking a priest of Seele into the room, who was desperately trying to keep her balance. The priest collapsed into one of the remaining chairs and Nozomi took the last one. The hooded young woman buried her head in her hands as she attempted to catch her breath. She slowly began to speak.

"Mein Gott. Your daughter has a powerful arm. Excuse me." The priest coughed once.

"Now then. What is the matter?"

Toji cursed his luck as he picked his way through the dark forest. The priest had nearly fainted after Kensuke described for her what he saw. She actually _did _faint after Kensuke sketched rough representation of the glowing figure. Upon waking, she literally ran out of the house and returned within fifteen minutes with Seele's ranking priest within the village. After a time of private discussion with Hitori Horaki, a general call went out for a search party to be formed. Kensuke was chosen, as he was the only one who knew where he had left the figure, what the Seele priests were calling an Evangle. Toji and many more were chosen for their strength. Accompanying what the young farmer guessed to be half the village was the entire Taiyo chapter of Seele. The road behind him was alight with torches and lanterns. The Seele priests had told no one what exactly an Evangle was, but everyone had felt their excitement. Toji swore as he smashed his foot against a piece of metal. He instinctively tucked into a ball as he favored the injured foot, coming low enough to examine his assailant. The farmer found it difficult to make out what exactly he was looking at, but by tracing it with his hands, the boy determined the object to some type of gauntlet, though much thicker than those he had seen in woodcuts or on soldiers the rare times they came into Taiyo.

"I found something!" Toji stood and stretched his foot.

As a few lights detached from the road and poked into the woods, a green shimmer ran along the armor's length. Toji shuddered as two priests ran up.

"Och Mein Gott."

"Lylla be praised."

The purple gantlet seemed to react to the voices, glowing green lines embedding themselves along the length of the armor. The flowery designs were ornate enough to have been of a royal suit. Toji frowned as the torchlight came closer.

"Is that blood?" The priests followed his finger to the ground ahead of the gauntlet.

"Was someone supposed to have been wearing this thing?" Toji squinted, trying to see ahead into the gloom.

"The legends do not say." The priestess bent down to touch the gauntlet. The green glow dampened as her finger drew closer, fading as she made contact.

The fade of the glow spurred Toji into action. The young man surged to his feet and ran after the blood trail, dragging the priestess by the arm for the first hundred feet until she managed to get her feet working again. The two ran until the lights from the road grew dim, and still the blood trail would not end. As they paused for breath, Toji opened his mouth to voice the question he felt they both were asking. Before he could speak, the ground shook.

"_HELP ME! Somebody HELP!" _Toji snapped his mouth shut and began sprinting forward as the priestess did the same.

At least fourteen feet ahead, a tree forked in two. The same glow of the gauntlet faintly illuminated the cherry blossom's smooth curves. Toji turned around the right side of the tree ad the priestess the left. On the right, Toji had to grab onto the tree to keep from plunging into the river running lazily beside it. On the left, the priestess was nearly knocked to the ground by a skinny girl in ragged clothing. Toji's eyes widened as he heard a terrific scraping sound. The priestess froze, one arm around the girl.

"D-dn't. Tu'ch. Siste." The fingers stopped working as the single glowing gauntlet fell to the ground, sinking deeply into the earth.

The glow slowly faded from the limb, remaining only on the purple breastplate. Toji turned to begin a trip back when the priest from before almost ran into him. The river of light from the road had stretched into the forest.

Shinji found himself not awakening, but simply coming to full alertness. There was no sleepy, slow period in between physical and conscious waking- Shinji was simply _aware_. And that awareness was a terrible thing. For the second time in as many days, the young man burst into tears. Pain that his perceptions had denied flowed to the forefront of his consciousness. He couldn't even move, lest he disturb his heavily bandaged shoulder. The youth's itching skin told him the same about his eye. Slowly, the boy became used to the pain, and regained a modicum of composure. On a whim, he recalled the sensation of warmth seeping up from his legs. He remembered the sensation of it flowing into his chest and through his arms, and what it had done fo- A sharp tearing sound broke the young man's focus and he bit back a scream as the pain in his shoulder magnified. For a brief second, he felt the tissues of his arm burst free from the skin before stitching together and sinking beneath. The skin bubbled and became uniform. Shinji slowly reached up to his shoulder and removed the remains of the gauze; wincing each time his fingers grazed the raw flesh.

Toji almost spat the cup of water he was drinking across the room when the young man they had pulled out of the purple armor staggered out of his room. Chiyoko squealed with delight as the man winced and pressed a thumb against his bare chest. He coughed, deeply, and spat a globule of blood into his other hand. By then, Toji was in motion, and had managed to maneuver the stranger into a chair before he collapsed. Orome slapped the young man on the back with a laugh before settling into his chair.

"You'll have to forgive my daughter. She has utterly convinced herself that you are a brave and handsome knight, come to rescue her from the drudgery of one more day in Saiyo." The man's tone was jovial and his rolls of fat suggested prosperity.

Shinji grinned in response. "I'm flattered. Really." He winced as he tested his right knee with a finger.

"Is there a chance I could see my sister soon? Is she alright?" Orome waved a hand.

"The albino, correct?" A nod from the former farmer. "She is doing better than you are. Up and about yesterday, if Hitori tells it truthfully. I hear she and Nozomi are getting along _quite_ well."

Shinji allowed himself a smile. "Thank you for your kindness."

As a middle-aged woman who Shinji deemed the mother of the house walked into the dining room, carrying a wooden plate of corn cakes, a shadow fell across the man's face.

"You understand that I have no way to repay you for this." He slowly reached for a corn cake.

Orome laughed, filling the house with his baritone. "Do you think we country folk are as thick as the oak trees? Someone's seen every inch of you and your sister's body, my boy, and we've known from the start that you had no coin."

Shinji found himself unable to keep from smiling in the man's company. "The start? How long have I been here?"

Orome shrugged. "A day or two. Chiyoko would know better than I."

Toji cleared his throat at Shinji's confused look. "I'm Suzuhara Toji. The chick with the busted thigh," he stabbed a thumb at Chiyoko as Shinji frowned, "is my sister, Suzuhara Chiyoko. The laughin' man is our father, Suzuhara Orome, and the nice lady fetching _you _a shirt is his wife, Suzuhara Kitori. You've been here two days."

Shinji bowed his head. "I am Ikari Shinji. My sister is Ikari Rei. We thank you in advance for your current and future hospitality."

With the formalities of country folk out of the way, Shinji found himself able to relax around the family. The shirt he had been provided with was much too large, but few men Shinji's age were as narrow in the shoulders as he was. After breakfast had been concluded, Shinji had been persuaded to wait to go to Rei until the priests of Seele had finished with him. To the Suzuhara's surprise, the congregation sent only a single priestess who went by the name of Mayumi Yamagisha. Shinji had managed to embarrass her by kissing her hand when he was informed of her role in dispelling the rumor that he was an Apostolem. The last person he was introduced to within the house was Aida Kensuke, a young scholar who had arrived with both a better-fitting shirt and profuse apologies. He had arrived half-way through Shinji's interrogation by Mayumi and stayed until just before the noon-day meal.

"Chiyoko," Toji was preparing to take the young man to visit Rei when Shinji saw the crude cast on the youngest Suzuhara's left leg, "would you mind terribly if I took a look at that leg?"

Toji chuckled and folded his arms as he leaned back against the doorframe. Chiyoko blushed and pushed her plate away. The fourteen-year-old girl awkwardly pushed her chair out and slid her bandaged leg forward. Shinji knelt in front of her and gently placed his right hand on her left thigh.

"Now, I believe this is going to hurt, but I need you not to jerk away from me. I don't know what will happen if you do." Chiyoko grinned and nodded. Shinji weakly returned her smile.

He had felt the power he had used to heal his shoulder growing within him throughout the morning, and almost cried out when it reached a peak in the middle of the noonday meal. It was almost like pain, deeper then he could feel pain. He had felt steadily better all throughout the day and had discovered that his knee had mended itself when he excused himself to the outhouse halfway through his talk with Kensuke.

"Just hold still." Shinji roughly seized her thigh with his left hand and let the power loose as the girl cried out.

The power he released had a stronger revitalizing effect then he had anticipated, powering the tiny girl's muscles with enough strength to knee Shinji directly in the teeth, removing his hands from her leg and allowing Chiyoko to seize the writhing appendage with a shriek. Orome opened his mouth but was cut off by a loud _crack _as the girl's femur forcibly realigned. As the bone twisted back into place, the muscle followed suit, tearing free from the girl's flesh and cast and catching her next scream in her throat. She sagged in the chair as blood sprayed the chair and table around her. Within a second, the muscle was back under the skin and the flesh was bubbling. Two seconds after that, the excitement was over and the tattered remains of Chiyoko's cast fell to the ground.

Toji warmed up to Shinji after that. On the way to the Horaki home, the tanned man hadn't spoken of Shinji's seemingly mysterious powers or of the strange armor. Instead, he spoke of the Apostolem and of Seele, explaining to Shinji what he knew of the church's mysterious origins.

"Seele's supposed to be dah work of Houses Sorhyu and Langley, across the water." Shinji nodded.

Even in his home village, people were not generally ignorant of the outer world. The Germanic kingdoms, though existing across the sea, was deeply linked to Japan through the identical Nerv citadel within the walls of Berlin. As Shinji and Toji understood it, the city acted as a neutral zone, where representatives from the kingdoms could meet and Japanese coming through the trans-continental portals could be assured of a safe arrival.

"But, I hear from soldiers passin' through, and someof them _ahr_ German, that Lorenz Kihl ain't takin orders from _nobody_."

Kihl was the supposedly immortal leader of Seele. Shinji was of the personal opinion that there had been many Kihls, as the man (or woman) was rarely, if ever, seen in public. Toji believed Kihl to be truly immortal.

"Both soldiers and locals agree, however, that Seele's crazy stories of Apostolem and Apostolos are just that: total batshit."

Shinji chuckled. "Careful, my friend. The sane are often mocked as crazy until it's too late."

Each Seele chapter, no matter the remoteness, was equipped with ancient and priceless means of high-speed communication. Fully aware of these two facts, Mayumi slid down to her knees alongside the High Abbot with no little nervousness. As had been pointed out to the girl twice before, she had gone into the forest to find the holy armor, _and _had been the one to convince the Abbot to consider Kensuke as more then a raving loon. She still felt a stab of nervousness as the messaging device activated, bathing the chamber in white light. She felt a stab of nervousness as a background slowly began to resolve out of the light. And the poor girl almost fainted as one of the most recognized faces within the Seele hierarchy resolved out of the blurry lines to lock eyes with her.

Nagisa Kaworu found himself smiling as the priestess in Japan squeaked as the pair leapt into focus. The Abbot bowed, respectfully.

"_**Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, Sir Nagisa."**_

Kaworu waved a hand. "It is no trouble. And your first broadcast made it sound as though Taiyo had discovered something interesting."

The Abbot relaxed, though the priestess still looked on edge. She began to relax as she told her story, however, and even began to blush as Kaworu's interest slowly became obvious. As the light faded and the chamber was again given over to darkness, Kaworu felt an electric stab of energy each time he repeated the name, the name that his white armor remembered. _Shinji._

Kihl Lorenz smiled warmly as his only son entered his conference room. The boy of yesteryear was already showing signs of the man of tomorrow, already inheriting his father's wide shoulders and seemingly endless stamina. The boy would need all the energy he could get if he persisted in wearing the plate armor as he did. A sharp rap on the table from his guests forced the old man's attention back to the present. Kaworu slid into a chair without a sound as Kyoko Sorhyu gave Pieter Langley a dirty look. The aged nobleman remained unperturbed, however, and steeped his fingers underneath his nose.

"I would like a return to the discussion at hand." The man's voice could cut glass.

"Discussion? _Your_ daughter ran off with _my _son!" Kyoko pounded the table, red hair dancing.

Pieter smirked behind his hands. "My daughter's hatred of men is well known. And I'm certain any of your Sorhyu _tramps_ would be happy to spread her legs for your _precious _boy."

Kyoko Sorhyu spasmed before collapsing off her chair. Kihl would have been amused if he didn't need the cooperation of the two as badly as he did. Many would have considered it an incredible feat that Kihl had managed to get the two most powerful nobles in Germany, and, with the exceptions of Houses Robertson and Augostino, the entire continent, under one roof. But Kihl knew better. He still did not fully understand the relationship between Kyoko and Pieter, but knew that the animosity between the two went far past Kyoko's simply being a foreigner. It had never been hard to get the two together, but had proven nearly impossible to persuade the pair to _stop arguing _for over an hour at a time.

"There is news from Japan." Three pairs of eyes shifted to the young man in plate mail.

"The Apostolem have, it seems, entirely destroyed a small village." Such attacks, while not unusual, did not ordinarily lead to the destruction of an entire village.

Kihl allowed himself a smile as his son stepped into the conversation. Talk of Japan could usually be trusted to pull Kyoko's attention off of whatever disaster she had been chewing on. The mutual disappearance of the Langley and Sorhyu heirs was not a unique occurrence, as the two had managed to forge a friendship out of their parent's many visits to Seele's fortress. Being little more than children, the pair often abandoned their duties for days or even weeks, always turning up unharmed, for the most part.

"What _was _mostunusual about this attack, however, was the appearance of a _very_ interesting artifact at the gates of another, slightly larger village less than a day later. An artifact interesting enough to catch the attention of the local Seele chapter."

The young man set a miniature on the table with a faint _click._ Kihl felt his heart leap into his throat as Kaworu slid the figure forward with a single plate-clad finger. Kyoko stiffened and Pieter looked as though he had actually become interested.

"T-the Shogoki Armor has been awakened?" Kihl fought to keep his breathing under control. The Beast had been set free?

"Yes. But that is not the best part." Kaworu seemed to enjoy the discomfort of those around him.

"The Armor is piloted by an Ikari. Ikari Shinji."


	3. Chapter 3: House Katsuragi

Katsuragi Misato wrinkled her nose as the soldiers brought another body past her. It had been barely a week since the company had left Castle Kyoto for the tiny village. It had taken less time than that for the rot to set in. The young noblewoman uncorked an iron flask and lifted it to her lips. Before she received more than a tantalizing hint of alcohol, a hand pinched the flask out of her hand. As the young woman shrieked oaths to shame battle-hardened Apostolem, Captain Sartori Tsubaki took a long drink from the flask.

"Feh. Why are you drinking this _swill _before noon?" Misato lunged for the flask, kimono swirling, and almost lost her balance as the old man tossed it to his other hand.

"Because it's the only kind _Father_ won't notice!" Tsubaki snorted, then coughed as the cheap liquor went up his nose. A scarlet blush worked its way up Misato's cheek as the old man struggled to clear his airways.

"Give it back, you old pervert!" The young woman lunged again, slamming into Akagi Ritsuko and carrying both women to the ground.

Misato swore as Tsubaki broke down laughing. Ritsuko rubbed her nose as the raven-haired woman offered the apocathery a hand to her feet. She steadfastly ignored the helping hand until she had finished gathering up her scrolls and writing quills, then gratefully accepted it.

"Sorry, Ritsy. The Captain's being an ass." At this, Ritsuko cracked a grin. Tsubaki coughed one last time before handing back the flask.

"No doubt." The brown-haired woman turned to the old man; "I've finished my study, if you'd like to know what we think happened."

The Katsuragi captain's face fell like a load of mortar. Wordlessly, the aged commander waved the two young women towards his command tent, luckily on their side of the muck-stained square. Inside, the company thaumaturgi snapped to attention and one quickly made herself absent to retrieve the rest of Tsubaki's staff. Ritsuko dumped her double-armload of scrolls onto the table in the center of the tent and began unrolling ones with blue wax sealing them shut. The thaumaturgi drifted over to the table, each one nodding as the apocathery handed each a scroll. Then each one scowled at her as they finished their parchment in turn. Misato found a chair at Tsubaki's desk and did her best to disappear. The meeting began with the return of the errant thaumaturge and Tsubaki's staff.

"I have determined that Aposto_lem_ were responsible for this attack, and that there may be survivors." One of Tsubaki's men, a sandy-haired young man named Ayako, politely cleared his throat.

"My scouts have confirmed that at least one individual left on the road north."

Tsubaki gently rapped the table. "I hate to be the uneducated one, but what significance is it that Aposto_lem _conducted this attack?"

A thaumaturge spoke. "The Apostolos use a hierarchy much like our own. Aposto_em_ are the, ah, peasant class, and the Aposto_lem_ are the warriors. Apostoem attack villages all the time, but Apostolem might signify something more."

"And," Ritsuko tapped one of her scrolls, "I found thaumaturgic residue near the back of the village. High-order spell. Someone could have been here that we didn't know about, but the Apostolos did."

"Tracks outside had high thaum. residue as well. More than the spell." Tsubaki nodded, putting a hand to his chin.

"So, what order thaumaturge do I request the historians uncover?"

"Magus. He only got off a few high-order spells." Ritsuko began to reseal the scroll closest to her.

"No. Archon at the least." The thaumaturge refused to meet the others' eyes.

"Any particular reason you want the historians complaining to Shiro about me?" Tsubaki's lips were a white line.

"The footsteps outside the village were saturated with Power. I've met a number of Magi. They don't have that much power in their entire bodies." Tsubaki nodded and closed his eyes.

The man's lips began to move, silently, and his staff slowly began to depart. The thaumaturgi closed ranks and moved towards the north end of the tent. Misato eased off the chair as Tsubaki came towards her in a daze. The man sank into his chair, still soundlessly forming words, lips smacking slightly as his speed increased.

The noblewoman wordlessly crossed over to the conference table and began to help Ritsuko reseal scrolls. Tsubaki was still talking to a person the women could not hear when they exited the tent.

"Someone's got a lot to talk about." Misato opened her flask and took a long drink. Ritsuko made a face as the other woman corked the container.

"How can you stand to drink that stuff all the time?" Misato grinned.

"A lot of practice with the men." Ritsuko grimaced.

"Charming. How can any man resist the charms of a drunken noblewomen?"

"Shut up, you. You're even worse than I am." Ritsuko blushed as she hugged the scrolls closer to herself.

"Ikari Gendo is a _very_ desirable man. I'm not the only one with my eye on him."

Misato made a sound that seemed equal parts laugh and snort. "You're the only one _obsessed _with that creepy old bastard."

"I am not _obsessed_. I am _interested_. There _is_ a difference."

Misato opened her mouth but was cut off by a scream. An armored soldier smashed into Ritsuko from behind, carrying both into the muck. Misato whirled, snapping her mouth shut, and immediately opened it again. The Sachelim looming over her chirped like a cricket before a two-ton catapult stone hit it. The Apostolim fell to its knees and rolled before digging a four-pronged claw into the ground and chirping in such a way as to almost boil the muck of former bodies. Misato yanked a small dagger from her bosom and began running in the direction Ritsuko had been sent. Before the noblewomen managed to go ten paces, a cream-colored blur slammed into her, pinning her to the slimy ground. The Gaghiem roared and bent its head for a bite. It howled and flapped off of the woman as Misato sank her dagger into its flesh. The Apostolem curled like a snake, hissing. Misato growled and reversed the blade. Before the standoff could erupt, a bolt of purple light slammed into the side of the monster, vaporizing it in a heartbeat. Misato waved her thanks to a thaumaturge before charging back into the muck.

The Sachelim felt its rage grow as more and more of the Apostolem given to it fell. It hurled the catapult stone into a group of soldiers somehow holding off the Zerem charge. Half of them were scattered, but the rest continued to hold. A purple flash erupted on the Light of the Sachelim's Soul, spiking its anger. It fired a blast back at the thaumaturge, missing and aggravating the wound in its chest. The spike of metal, scarcely a foot long, was lodged securely in the core of the Sachelim's being. Each time it reflected an attack or fired off one of its own, the blade burned more at the fabric of the Sachelim. All of the Lilim's weaponry seemed similarly damned, cutting and slashing at the Apostolem as though their defensive fields weren't there. A number of armored individuals vanished with a flash of light and screams of agony, signifying that their armor was not of similar quality. Another purple flash drew smoke off the Sachelim's defensive field. It took some satisfaction that not even the combined attacks of the Lilim defilers could harm it. Then it shrieked loud enough to split trees for miles around as the blade imbedded within its chest ate away more of its strength.

Misato swore as Ayako shakily rose off of Ritsuko, tightly gripping his right arm.

"Gods above, Ayako! How in hell did you survive that?" The man's words were cut off by a horrific squeal from the Sachelim and the _crunch_ of Ayako's own twisting bones.

"Worry about Apocathery Ritsuko right now. That monster's coming for us." Misato opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by the sight of Ritsuko trying to rise.

The young woman quickly threaded her arms under those of her friend, slowly pulling the other woman to her feet and resting her weight on the healthier girl. The ground shook. With an oath, Misato scooped Ritsuko's feet into her other arm and prepared to carry the other woman away. The Sachelim collapsed at the trio's feet, smoking. Ritsuko whimpered and Misato stared in amazement. The monstrosity was still alive, but clawing feebly at Ayako as the young man quickly walked closer. It was using a single arm to support itself and green liquid dripped from a blade embedded within a glowing ruby orb on its chest. It was this blade that Ayako reached for, and Misato narrowed her eyes as she saw a thaumaturge rushing towards them, waving its arms and… yelling?

"Ayako… Ayako, STOP!" The young man turned to Misato as he pulled the blade free.

The flow of green intensified for a brief moment, before a flash of heat and light barbecued the man. He collapsed as the Apostolim slowly rose up on its haunches, glowing orb burning red. A burst of purple twisted it around faster than the eye could see. A second blast hit it square in the chest. The Sachelim appeared not to notice as the bird mask slowly shifted, peering across the village. A third and fourth blast impacted the massive Apostolim before it began to stomp across the battlefield and over the thaumaturgi trying to bring it down. A fifth and final blast of purple light set the treetops at the edge of the forest on fire before the Apostolim vanished from view. The few remaining Apostolem vanished almost as quickly.

To Tsubaki's credit, and to the credit of his men, order was restored less than an hour after the Apostolem attack. The thaumaturgi were instrumental in restoring order, weaving what was left of their magic into a restorative rain that sank into the skin without soaking it. The magic could do little for broken bones or torn tendons, but restored vitality and lightened the general mood. Within his command tent, Tsubaki allowed himself a brief moment of thanks that he had lost only two of his nine commanders.

"Would someone with a clear head explain to me exactly what it was that happened here?" The Captain was made for battle with men, and still had trouble wrapping his head around combat with the entirely inhuman Apostolem.

"The Apostolem have a reputation for being single-minded." Goro let out a breath as an aide checked his bandages.

"My guess is that they were looking for our mysterious Archon. Come in swinging, in case he's still here, get out quickly if he's not." A thaumaturge ducked out of the room as the man eased himself into a chair.

"Then we must leave at once! The Apostolem already have a lead of-"

"That will not be necessary." Margaret Thompson, thaumaturge second-in-command and House Robertson's Katsuragi representative, seemed to enjoy the attention she was paid.

"The Apostolem attacked with a massive force that _we_ managed to drive off. Ayako's scouts report that the remaining Apostolem are nowhere near the strength that they assaulted us with. No attacks are likely to be made upon the Archon, or this company, for some time."

Tsubaki accepted the woman's logic almost by reflex. Baldomero, Margaret, Ritsuko. His three advisors, who seemed to exist in perpetual competition. Baldomero was a scholar of the Apostolem, having studied their habits and possible motives from both books behind House Augostino's walls and on the front lines of war. Margaret had the coolest head and supposedly had the greatest potential of any thaumaturge on the Continent, but had little will to use her Power. Ritsuko was the daughter of House Akagi. Her skills as an Apocathery made her invaluable to the company, but Tsubaki never could shake the feeling that alchemical endeavors weren't the reason the girl was allowed to tag along.

"Where is Baldomero?"

The thaumaturge that had ducked out earlier returned. It irritated Tsubaki to no end that a member of the shadowy group seemed to always appear whenever he needed a question answered.

It was generally understood among Japanese farmers that living outside the walls of a village or town was an extremely dangerous idea. The frequency of Apostolem attacks on the island nation had always been a popular topic for thaumaturgi and military historians. Still, Shiori Noriko never truly believed the day would come when she saw an Apostolem with her own eyes. The green and black monster stood taller than the tallest trees and was moving towards the small farmhouse with purpose. The girl clapped a hand over her mouth as a purple beam lanced out from the bone-white beak and ignited her home. As the screaming began, her legs moved almost of their own volition, dragging the girl out of the field and towards the trees opposite the ones the Apostolem had come out of. As Shiori reached the tree line, a blast touched down just behind her, sending the now-shrieking girl deeper into the forest and filling the air with the smell of charred flesh and hair.

The Sachelim chirped as the Lilim disappeared into the forest. The blade had impaired its functionality more severely than it had originally believed. One of the remaining Gaghiem lifted off to give pursuit, and the Sachelim saw no reason to stop it. There was no hope of replacing the terrible losses the Apostolem had taken at the small village, but, with any luck, such replacements would not be necessary. The Apostolos had purposely granted the Sachelim the dregs of their forces, understanding the need to crush the Evangelion, but unwilling to expend their elite soldiers in the name of necessity. Had _Tabris _still been leading them, things might have been different. But Tabris was gone. Best to accept that. The Sachelim still couldn't entirely suppress the irritation it felt at twisting the Lilim it had found within the dwelling into better soldiers than it had been granted, better than even the Sachem granted by its _Progenitor_-

_**There **_**you are.**

The Sachelim quickly drove any thoughts that could be construed as traitorous from its mind and awaited its orders. Orders that did not come as the taste of the void entered the Sachelim's Overmind. The dread brood of Leliel was silent in its task, ferrying Apostoem and Apostolem from the midnight form of Leliel itself to the charred ground around the Sachelim.

**There has been a conclave. This mission's priority has been dialed up.**

The Sachelim sent a slightly shocked affirmation as it touched the Overminds of the new arrivals and realized what it now had at its disposal. Not the elite troops, to be certain, but competent soldiers and eager to follow orders. _Most _interesting was the pod of Zeruem sent alongside the usual Zerem. Even Zerem were costly and valuable workers and soldiers, but an Apostolim granted the use of Zeruel's tentacled higher orders was almost entirely unheard of.

**You must use these new warriors well. Zeruel feels it was coerced into this tribute.**

The Sachelim sent its affirmation. The bodies at its feet now lay still, and within the next twelve hours would join the Apostolim's company as Sachelim. Skills dialed lower then the current Sachelim's, to be certain, but more than powerful enough to fulfill their purpose.

Shiori had no idea how she had kept on running. The skin on her back was blackened and oozing pus, and simply running a hand along the back of her head told of the damage there. She screamed as she ran, hearing the Gaghiem's angry hiss. The girl didn't know the forest particularly well, but could pick her way through the trees more easily than a monster accustomed to the deep sea. A wet _crunch_ brought a hiccupping laugh to her lips as the Gaghiem smashed into yet another tree. An unseen force slammed into her stomach and brought the farm-girl to her knees with a choking sob before she could enjoy her small victory, however. A heavy, warm mass slammed into the girl, sending her sliding along the soil.

"No. No, no _no no no no!"_ The thing's heavy breathing in her ear sounded like the only thing in the world.

Her father, being a man of curios and fetishes, had heard tales of what the Apostolem did to their victims. Shiori had listened to those tales with morbid curiosity, never expecting to come face-to-face with Apostolic reproduction. She could feel the burned layer of skin peeling away as a sliver of the Apostolem's essence jiggled free of the whole. The red shard pulsed, scraping away charred flesh and obstructing bone as Shiori vomited. The pain was unbearable, somehow made worse by her inability to move or do anything about it. Her pupils dilated as the loose fragment of the Gaghiem's core slid in-between her ribs and fractured, digging into every surface it touched. The girl's fingers twitched, feebly, as the Gaghiem's thick saliva dripped onto her scorched head as the snake-like Apostolem rose off of her. Her eyes were already closed. She didn't react as the air above burst into purple flames and the Apostolem squealed in agony.

Baldomero de Augostino was simultaneously grateful and infuriated that the Apostolem had been extinguished so quickly. Grateful, for even the lowest Apostolem is higher than a man, infuriated, for now his attention was turned to the girl at his and Lady Misato's feet.

"Figlio di un pene-fariendo bastardo." Misato raised an eyebrow.

"What?" The Spanish thaumaturge had already dropped to one knee and reached for the red shard jutting from the girl's back. It sparked at his touch and the man jerked his hand back.

"It's already mated with her. I can't fix that." Misato's jaw dropped.

"'Mated?' Did you just say that thing _mated_ with her?" Baldovino eased his fingers under the girl's arms and slowly began to lift.

"Yes. That little red shard is a piece of the Apostolem." He winced as her head lolled while he gathered her into his arms.

"Son of a bitch. That's _disgusting!"_ Baldomero chuckled.

"Stick around. If the Archon's already moved on from Saiyo, this poor girl's final hours are going to be a whole lot more disgusting."


End file.
