[Warhammer comes from the light.]
     WH: I believe a man once said, "You should keep your friends 
close... and you enemies even closer." Who'd of thought that this would 
hold so true?

Teknos Warhammer presents

Seraphim's Judgment:
Part 8:
Wolf in Child's Clothing

Misato remembered the saying about the butterflies in the stomach. Well, 
whatever it meant, they were in full swing within her gut. No matter 
what she said or did, Asuka's demeanor had just dropped from sad, to 
just downright depressed. Her synchro rates fell to the point where she 
couldn't even start an EVA. She couldn't forget what happened. 

"COME ON! WORK!" Asuka screamed at the top of her lungs. The charts 
showing her synchro rates barely even went past the 1% level. She'd be 
lucky if she could even get the EVA to start. 

"Asuka, calm down. We're just seeing if you're still alright." Ristuko 
said, trying to console the pilot. 

" I AM CALM!" The pilot screamed back. A screen to her right opened up, 
showing Rei's emotionless face. 

"Open your mind to the EVA. It will follow through." She said calmly. 

She got as near to the screen and she could and screamed, "What does it 
_LOOK_ like I'm doing you reject from a star wars movie!" As usual, Rei 
took no offense for she didn't know about where Asuka's insult came 
from. 

Even words of encouragement from both Shinji and Touji were of no help 
at all. When it seemed she was not going to get anywhere at all, Asuka 
shut off the comm to and from the EVA and allowed herself to cry again. 

Misato's inattention to the road proved almost to be fatal as she 
swerved to avoid an incoming car. She made a note to reminisce about bad 
things when she wasn't driving. She looked to see the address of the 
newest pilot and found a boy about fourteen waiting for her. 

His hair was a gentle silver that waved loosely in the breeze. His 
gentle red eyes accentuated the good humored smile that adorned his 
face. He was dressed in a school uniform somewhat similar to Shinji's, 
yet hung a bit more, which said something about his lean physique. 

Stopping, she opened her door, stepped out and asked, looking at the 
boy. "Ano... are you Kaworu Nagisa?" 

     	The boy asked, "If I was not, who would I be? And would I be 
waiting for Kaworu Nagisa's ride, were I not?"

	Misato blinked at the rather unusual response. "So� does that mean 
you're him."

	The boy smiled and nodded again, "I am."

*************************************************

     In a meeting room of NERV, the four Children were told to wait. 
Asuka, for one, was starting to get restless. Touji was talking with 
Shinji, and whispering about his concern for Asuka. Rei was sitting on 
one of the chairs, deep in thought. 

     The door opened and the attention of the Children was caught 
immediately at Misato and her companion. 

     "Everyone, I would like to introduce the Fifth Child, Kaworu 
Nagisa." Had any of the four been paying attention, they would have 
noticed the apprehension in her voice.

     Shinji's eyes widened, "Hey! You're the guy I met a while ago!" In 
response, Kaworu smiled and nodded. 

     "Yep. I apologize for not moving out of the way fast enough." He 
walked forward, took Shinji's hand, and shook it like an old friend. 

     Touji, on the other hand, seemed to keep his distance as the other 
two boys re-acquainted themselves. Call it what you will, he felt there 
was something about the Fifth Child that struck him as off.

     Stepping forward, Asuka asked, "Oi! Misato, we only have four EVAs. 
If he's the fifth child then what's he going to..." Her eyes widened 
with horror at the realization. This boy was... her replacement. Her 
fists clenched and started to quiver with anger. 

     "Like man found out he was mortal when he perished... it is what 
you think, Sohryu-san." Kaworu answered with a sad grin. That only made 
Asuka madder as she stepped forward and struck Kowaru on the side of the 
face. After that, she ran out, not wanting everyone to see the tears 
that developed. 

     The others were shocked at the development. Misato had hoped that 
Kowaru's introduction would go a little smoother. Looks like it was a 
little too much to hope for.

     Touji stepped up and said with evident disapproval. "That wasn't 
real nice you know... you have no clue what she's been through." 

     The albino boy merely shrugged as he rubbed the sore part of his 
face. "Truth is not always easy, and it is still there, despite whatever 
happened beforehand."

     Touji's frown grew larger, turned to the doorway, and went after 
Asuka. Misato sighed and leaned against the wall, what else could go 
wrong? She shrugged and ran behind Shinji.  

     Rei's face remained neutral as the other two left. With the absence 
of everyone else, the white and red of Kaworu's eyes exchanged colors 
and Rei's own eyes followed suit. Her face formed a scowl, turning to 
Kaworu. The boy simply smiled and spoke in the inhuman whisper.

     {[<You know why I am here. >]}

     {[<How could I not Tabris? The taunts of you and the others gave 
enough fair warning. >]}

     {[<Words were usually wasted upon you. >]}

     {[<I am in no mood for games Tabris, you know what my answer is 
going to be. You do not know what you are trying to do. >]}

     {[<More than what you seem to know... freak. You construct of 
another. You don't even have a race to call your own. Instead you side 
with these self-absorbed apes that would treat you no better. >]}

     {[<That's where you and the others are wrong. Unlike with you, I am 
cared for here. There are those who think about me. >]}

     {[<Ah yes, your precious Commander Ikari, the man who made you in 
the image of his 'late' wife. Yet, because of his desire to create his 
own Impact, he made you and used a part of Adam. A thing to be used, and 
if his precious wife did return, you would be no more. >]}

     {[<Enough Tabris. I won't listen to your lies. No matter what you 
and Armisael may do or think, you both WILL be stopped. In one way or 
another, whether it is someone else or I. >]}

     {[<And who's going to stop us? You? Don't even try to make me 
laugh. You're too sterile when it comes to talking with others, you 
could never help to tell anyone. And who would believe you? I am just 
about as human as you are... in fact, I am more human than you are. >]}

Tabris/Kaworu smiled as his eyes changed color to normal and left the 
room. Rei was still fuming after he had left. The main reason being that 
he was right. Even if she could tell anyone, how could she prove it? The 
only time when she could was when he showed his power as an angel. Even 
she couldn't force such a thing.  

*************************************************

     In one of the lesser-used sections of NERV, a girl was sobbing in 
the darkness. Asuka curled her knees to her chest and placed her face to 
her knees, so the tears would probably vanish sooner. 

     Asuka felt like her world was falling apart, and she could do 
nothing to stop it. What was worse was the one thing that made her feel 
strong, was being taken away to be given to another. Now, nothing 
mattered anymore. She lost her zest for life when her own past caught up 
with her. 

     So, with Kaworu coming, she was of no use whatsoever to the safety 
of the world. One of the greatest fears she ever faced yet never 
overcame, had ended up beating her. The Fear of Failure. 

     A hand tapped her shoulder. She looked up to see Touji standing 
right beside her. She could see pity in his face. Pity for her, the 
failure of the four children. 

     "Leave me alone!" she hissed as she put her face on her knees 
again. From the differences in light, she could tell that he never left. 
More agitated, she looked up and repeated her order. 

     "I said leave me alone!" 

     "No. I won't." he said, crouching beside her. 

     "Why?"

     "Cause I don't like seeing people I know wallowing in their own 
self-pity, when I can do something about it."

     Her frown deepened as she snapped back, "Well, stop trying to play 
the white knight alright? I don't need your pity!"

     "You think this is pity? Get real Sohryu, I'm not doing this 
because I feel sorry for you."

     "What? Why then?"

     "'Cause I know that you're better than this. Sure, you're a 
self-absorbed, self-centered, competitive, loud-mouthed jerk, but you're 
also a great pilot. And when something like this happens you're ready to 
give up? Come on. I know for a fact that the real Asuka can still 
continue to being the pilot that she is no matter what happened." Touji 
ranted.  

Asuka looked back with evident disbelief, "What are you getting at 
Suzuhara?"

Touji leaned against the wall, gathering his thoughts. What Asuka didn't 
know was that Touji's next words were a big gamble that would greatly 
help or hinder.

"You, are NOT Asuka."

*****SLAP*****

Touji staggered from the blow given by the standing and growling German 
girl. Her face twisted with anger at Touji's choice of words. 

"I! AM! ASUKA SORYU-LANGLEY! AND IF YOU SAY THAT AGAIN, I'LL HURT YOU TO 
THE POINT WHERE YOU'LL WISH YOUR MOM ABORTED YOUR BIRTH!" she screamed 
as she stomped past him. 

A few seconds after Asuka went out of sight, Touji regained his 
bearings. He felt the cheek that received the brunt of Asuka's wrath. 
Somehow, Touji had expected this. Then he realized that the usual Asuka 
would have done that. A hurting smile crept across his face.

If the mark on his face meant the old Asuka was back, it looked like his 
attempt was successful. He blinked a few times, then said to himself, 
"Man, I'm good. OW OW OW!" he winced and held the sore part of his face. 
One thing for sure, she could slap with the best of them. 

*************************************************

     Confusion took over Shigeru as he looked over the scanner to see if 
it was correct. Then, he reset the scanner again and checked. It must 
have been malfunctioning. There was a cold front developing in the 
northern part of the continent, heading south.  

     "Hey, what's wrong?" Makoto asked turning his seat. 

     "Say, you know what usually comes with a cold front with clouds?" 
Shigeru said turning to meet his friend. 

     "Oh, let me think... snow? No way. The closest thing we get to that 
is weak sleet. The weather now-a-days doesn't let those kind of things 
happen... do they?"

     "Well, if it is a cold front among those clouds. Don't expect it to 
snow or anything, the weather's so screwed up you can't tell the 
difference between seasons anymore. Its all summer."

     Makoto smiled, "Well, you never know. It just might. Miracles do 
happen you know."

     Shigeru frowned, "So that's where my _Touched By an Angel_ manga 
went! You thief!" He jumped up and made a dash to a Makoto that wasn't 
there. 

     "It's not my fault. You left your door open when I just needed to 
borrow your umbrella. Then I saw it, I knew you wouldn't mind since you 
don't usually..." *BAP*

*************************************************

     That evening, Asuka remained rather quiet as the minutes turned to 
hours of an uncomfortable silence. Both Shinji and Misato had no clue 
why, but from her reactions earlier that day, they decided not to press 
the matter. Until...

     "Misato-san!" Asuka seriously announced, which made her other three 
room-mates jump," I want to try and pilot my EVA again."

     Getting up, Misato replied, "Are you sure? I mean, after the fight 
with the angel and all..."

     "Misato-san, I have never been so sure of anything else in my whole 
life! If there's any more of those angels, I want a chance to get back 
at them." Asuka said with her fist clenched and a dangerous looking 
scowl locked on her face.

     At first, Misato was about to tell Asuka that there wasn't any 
chance for her with Kaworu and all. But seeing her 'recover' like this, 
she found that a logical reason for why not couldn't be found. The elder 
woman smiled and put a hand on the German girl's shoulder. 

     "All right then. Tomorrow, I am going break protocol and pull a few 
strings. Be assured, if you are as serious as I think you are... you'll 
be piloting Unit 02 in no time at all." Misato said smiling.  

     Looking on, Shinji couldn't help but feel happy for Asuka. True, 
they were not on the best of terms, but seeing her like this made the 
ordeal from earlier easier to deal with. Asuka caught him looking at her 
and just when he thought she was about to hit him for 'leering', as she 
called it, she smiled back and walked to her room.

     Shinji considered, he heard that sometimes good people are brought 
out from bad events. Maybe the same held true with Asuka. If it was so, 
then he was glad. Maybe things would finally quiet down a bit. He caught 
himself and thought, <Fat chance of that. >  With that done, he went 
back to his book. 

*************************************************

     The next day, Asuka in her plug suit stepped into the test plug on 
the floor above the holding tanks for the EVAs. The only one in the 
control room was Maia, asked by Misato to see how Asuka would do. 

     "Though I don't know why we're doing this, get ready Asuka. 
Beginning the synchronization test." Maia said punching up the necessary 
sequence for the test. 

     Within the test plug, Asuka took a deep breath and exhaled some of 
the LCL. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind and remembered the words 
of another. 

     "Open your mind to the EVA. Everything..." 

     She paused when the thought half-finished. Why was she quoting her 
of all people? The answer made her frown. Rei was right. That still 
didn't mean she would like Wonder girl, but maybe it proved she was good 
for something. 

     With her breathing controlled, Asuka saw the walls of the plug 
change as always. Yet, they were a bit brighter than normal. She 
wondered why.

     "Oh my..." Maia gasped. At first, the meter only went barely above 
1% like the last time, but this time it stopped just below 10%. Even if 
it was below the level to pilot an EVA successfully, the sheer number of 
points she had increased in one day was staggering. Now Maia understood 
where the German girl got her bragging rights. She was good enough to 
prove it. Now it looked like she was getting her second wind. 

     When the test concluded, the lid on the test plug opened. Asuka 
poked her head out of the side to see a smiling Maia.

     "Well Langley-san, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you 
want first?"

     Asuka frowned as she stepped onto the platform with Maia, she 
always hated it when someone did this. "I'll take the bad first."

     "Well, the bad news is that your level still isn't high enough to 
pilot the EVA yet. The good news is that at this rate of improvement, 
you will be capable of piloting an EVA within a week or so."

     Asuka jumped for joy and in the throes of it all, hugged Maia. 
Asuka was able to recognize Maia's apparent lack of oxygen and released 
in time. 

     Just then, the alarm screamed. Maia looked up to the code red and 
started down to Central Dogma, while Asuka ran to the shelter. Yet, 
still made a note to grab her clothes from the locker room. 

     Taking her seat beside Makoto, Maia punched up the beginning 
sequences for the remaining three pilots in their EVAs. 

     "What's up?" She asked her fellow officer.

     "Look up there. That's what." Makoto, with a bandage on his head, 
said pointing at the screen for a second. Maia turned to see what the 
next angel looked like and blinked.

     It appeared to be a double helix arranged in a circle. Within the 
outside of the 'circle' an orange light seemed to glow from no apparent 
source. 

     While within their EVAs, the three pilots got a look at it. While 
the boys wondered what exactly the type of angel it was. The only one 
that was different was Rei, and she was scowling at the sight of the 
next angel. She whispered a single word into the LCL.

     "Armisael."

End of part 8

[Warhammer comes out again.]
     
     WH: {Revision notes} Well, as far as changes go, this has very few. 
But the most notable is the way Kowaru speaks. I never knew how he spoke 
and made the HUGE mistake of making him act like DJ Croft (Ick!) I can 
only hope the powers that be will forgive such a sin.

	For those that like paying attention to detail, examine the first type 
of chapter to the new one in the following chapters and compare to see 
which one you like better.

C&C, MSTs, and suggestions appreciated.

Finally, will everyone at NERV discover Kaworu's dark secret? Can Rei 
find a way to prove her claim to Kaworu's being? Will Asuka be able to 
raise her synch levels in time for the next battle? Can Touji fully 
recover from the wrath of Asuka? Will Kaworu succeed where the other 
angels failed? Find out in the next chaper. 

[Warhammer returns to the light.]


Teknos WarHammer-

Are they pants? Or trousers?
Depends.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/4853/index.html

-Knight of the True Fiancee. A.K.A. Akane Tendou
-Fanfic writer of Teknoman and other great manga and anime.
-Self appointed Guardian of Kiyone Makibi.
-And so much more!



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