This is a revised version of chapter 2. Chapter 3 to follow 
immediately hereafter.

------------------------------------

A Stitch In Time
A Neon Genesis Evangelion/Some other series fusion
Chapter 2

    *-*-*-*

DISCLAIMER

Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters thereof are the sole 
property of Gainax. They own the copyrights, and the appearance 
of their characters in this work of fiction is not intended to overly 
infringe upon their copyrights.

    *-*-*-*

Shinji groaned.

     Every bone, every muscle, every nerve in his body ached. He 
forced open his eyes to find himself lying flat on his back, staring 
up into a cloudless blue sky bordered on one side by broken cliffs. 
He blinked. "Well, at least it's not another ceiling," he thought to 
himself., levering himself to a sitting position. A quick glance 
around brought one fact to his attention - he wasn't in Tokyo-3 any 
more. At least not unless Tokyo-3 had suddenly become a barren, 
broken wasteland of parched earth and jagged outcroppings of 
rock. A very hot and dry wasteland, he realized as sweat began 
beading on his brow. He felt the first familiar twinge of panic caress 
him as he wondered where he was.

     A groan from behind him interrupted that chain of thought. He 
turned and saw Asuka lying prone behind him, face-down on the 
ground. Shinji scrambled to his feet and ran over to her. "Asuka? 
Asuka, are you alright?" She groaned again and Shinji rolled her 
onto her back. He saw that she had a ragged gash on her forehead 
that was freely leaking bright red blood down her face. He 
swallowed against a lump that had formed in his throat and gently 
shook her shoulder. "Asuka?"

     Her eyes fluttered, then slowly opened, accompanied by a 
throaty moan. She blinked several times as her pupils contracted 
against the light. "Vas... vas ist?" she mumbled. Her eyes focused 
on Shinji, who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Shinji? What 
happened? I... the angel?!" Asuka sat bolt upright, then clutched 
her head and toppled forward into the arms of a very suprised 
young boy.

     Shinji blinked at the unexpected action. He resisted the near-
overwhelming urge to pull away from her, silently repeating his 
familiar mantra of "I mustn't run away," over and over again. "As.... 
A.... um.... I," He swallowed again, forcibly calming himself as he 
did so. "Th- the angel's g-gone, I think." He glanced around. "At 
least, I don't see it any more." That he didn't see much of anything 
he left unsaid for the moment.

     Asuka rolled back to a sitting position. She regarded Shinji for a moment, deciding whether she wanted to get mad at him now or later. She decided to delay the decision and let him worry as she slowly looked around. 
"Mein Gott," she breathed.

     They were sitting in a vast rolling plain of sand and rock that sprouted jagged pillars of stone that stretched towards the sky like gnarled fingers.  It reminded Asuka of nothing so much as pictures she had seen of 
the American badlands, except that this particular landscape was a lot less colorful - everything was painted either dingy brown or muddy gray or a faded mixture of the two. They were in the shadow cast by a particularly 
large and rugged-looking column of rock, and Asuka was glad for that - it was hot enough without having to deal with the sun pounding down upon them.

     She spun to face him. "What the hell have you gotten us into now?"

     Shinji blinked, his fear shifting to defensiveness. "What do you mean 'what have *I* gotten us into'?" he fired back. "You were the one who said she knew where she was going!"

     "What, you're saying this was my fault?" Asuka fixed him with a withering gaze. "The great 'Third Child' trying to shift the blame? Who would've believed it?" She stabbed a finger at him. "What would everyone think o
f you now, hmmm?"

     He felt a ripple of anger at that, but it faded quickly. He looked away from her as he said quietly, "I'd ask them myself, if I knew where they were."

     Asuka frowned, her anger modulating. "What was that?"

     "Well, do *you* know where we are?" he asked, "Because I sure don't."

     "I..." Asuka was shocked to learn that she was at a loss for words. Shinji was correct, although it galled her to admit it, and she felt her anger drain away completely, if reluctantly. Sighing noisily she climbed to
 her feet and stretched the kinks out of her back. "Well, what do we do now, Third Child?"

     Shinji's eyebrows shot up at her sudden change of attitude. "I... I don't know," he admitted, rising to stand beside her. "I'm not much of an outdoorsman."

     She couldn't help but smile. "Really? I never would've guessed."

     He blinked in surprise, then smiled back at her. "I hide it well, 
don't I?" His smile faded. "What do you think happened?"

     Asuka mulled it over for a few moments. "It must've been the 
angel. It must've done something to us." She reached up and 
dabbed gingerly at the cut on her forehead. "All I know for sure is 
that I've got one hell of a headache."

     Shinji fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to 
her. "I suppose you're right. A-about the angel, I m-mean. We're 
sure not in Tokyo-3 any more." He kicked at the ground, throwing 
up a cloud of sand and dust. "Not nearly enough water, for one 
thing."

     She smirked. "Figure that out on your own?"

     He ignored her. "I suppose we should... um... try to find a way 
back."

     "Back? Back to where?"

     "What? B-back to Tokyo-3." He looked around. "Got any 
ideas?"

     "Now you're asking my opinion?" she asked loudly. She paused 
for effect, then shrugged. "Not really. I'm not much of an 
outdoorsman myself."

     He couldn't pass up the opportunity. "Really? I never would've 
guessed."

     "Very funny." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Do you have 
any ideas?"

     Shinji sighed. "We walk, I guess."

     Asuka raised an eyebrow. "Which direction?"

     Shinji once again surveyed the surrounding landscape. One 
direction seemed as good as another, he supposed. He found 
himself longing for Kensuke's advice in the matter. Being the 
survival buff that he was, surely he would have had something 
valuable to contribute. Shinji blinked back an unexpected tear and 
pointed in a direction that he guessed was away from the direction 
of the sun. "That way."

     Asuka stared in the direction he had indicated. "Any particular reason?"

     He considered telling her that he was hoping that he chose that direction because the sun was setting behind them - he hoped - but he changed his mind. She'd probably call it a stupid reason. "None at all," he replie
d, shaking his head.

     "Oh, well, in that case," she began, dusting off her skirt, "Let's get going." She smiled sweetly at him. "After you, fearless leader."

    *-*-*-*

"I don't know why I let you talk me into this," Asuka growled, staring at Shinji's back. "Walking through a desert without food or water. Under the blazing sun, to boot. Great idea, Shinji."

     Shinji ignored her, although he had to admit she was right about the lack of water. Between the oppressive heat and the sun's unrelenting assault he felt like a boiled lobster. He had removed his shirt and draped it 
over his head in a makeshift headress to protect himself from the sun, but that had left his back unprotected. Judging from the prickly sensation that he now felt, he was fairly well burnt.

     He spared a quick glance back. Asuka was trudging along behind him, having removed her vest and used it to cover her own head. Luckily for her she had a blouse underneath. Noticing his gaze, she scowled. "What? You c
hecking to see if I've stripped out of the rest of my clothes? Pervert!" She waved a fist at him. "Just turn around and quit gawking at me!"

     He quickly complied, turning back to the horizon in front of him. The sun was almost directly above them now, and Shinji cursed his luck. When he had first decided upon a direction for them to walk, he had assumed th
at it was late in the day - just like it was when the angel had attacked Tokyo-3. Obviously, as Asuka was quick to point out, he had been incorrect. Licking his parched lips, he feared that his mistake may cost both of th
em their lives. He'd heard stories about people dying of dehydration, and now he was facing the possibility of just such a fate himself. What was worse, he had consigned Asuka to the same fate. He hung his head wearily. "
Wonderful, Shinji. Just wonderful." he whispered to himself.

     *WHAP*

     Shinji spun around, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?" he whined.

     Asuka glared at him. "You were feeling sorry for yourself again." She stabbed a finger at him. "Don't deny it. I know you well enough to see the signs."

     Shinji blinked. "W-w-what?"

     She shook her head. "God, you are so dense sometimes." She began walking a slow circle around him. "I don't even have to see your face to know what kind of mood your in. And just now you were feeling sorry for yourse
lf, weren't you?"

     "No!" he blurted. Asuka glared at him, and he dropped his gaze. "I mean, um, well..... I.... yes."

     "I told you not to try to deny it," Asuka smirked. "I can read you like a book." She leaned close. "Any *why* were you feeling sorry for yourself?"

     Shinji avoided her gaze. "I'm sorry for-"

     *WHAP*

     "Dammit!" Shinji yelped, "What!?"

     Asuka stabbed him in the chest with a finger. "Quit apologizing!"

     Shinji resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Well, w-what do you want me to do?"

     "Stand up for yourself, for starters," she replied. "Try to be more like my Kaji. He wouldn't be feeling sorry for himself right now."

     "Well, I'm not Kaji, now am I?" he replied hotly. Asuka's eyes widened slightly and he felt a shiver run down his spine. The brief spark of courage flickered and died. "That is.... um.... I...."

     Her look of surprise shifted to one of disgust. "I'll be damned if I'm going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a wimp!" Asuka shouted, turning away from him. "I'll find my way back to Tokyo-3 by myself!"

     Shinji gaped as she started walking off. Was she serious? "A-Asuka? You'll d-die out there!" Her only reply was to shout something at him in German and continue walking. Shinji rubbed the lumps on his head and watche
d as she stalked away from him. Where did she think she was going all by herself? "Asuka! Where are you going?"

     She stopped walking. Slowly, she turned around to face him. "Why do you care?" she asked.

     "I..." Shinji paused. What should he say? Normally, when Asuka was in rant mode he would simply ignore her and listen to his SDAT until she calmed down. But now, stuck in the middle of a seemingly unending wasteland,
 he didn't have that option. If he waited for her to calm down here she could be miles away. No, it was better if they stayed together. "I... I don't want you to die."

     She raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about dying?"

     "Well, I... that is... um, we *are* in the middle of a desert."

     "So?" She planted her hands on her hips. "I've got better things to do than die in a God-forsaken place like this."

     Shinji rolled his eyes. Typical Asuka, he thought. "I'm glad to hear it."

     "What was that?"

     He blinked. Had he said that out loud? "Um, n-nothing, Asuka."

     She muttered something in German and turned away from him again. He watched her stand there, drawing circles on the ground with her foot. He opened his mouth to say something, realized he didn't know what to say, and
 closed it again. After several minutes, Asuka broke the silence. "Are you just going to stand there admiring me all day long?" She looked over her shoulder at him. "Or what?"

     "I.... I.... I...." Shinji swallowed nervously, unsure how to respond. Not that he really minded standing there admiring her - Asuka was rather attractive.... he shook his head. No time for that now. He took a step c
loser to her. "I don't want..."

     She turned completely around to face him. "Don't want what?"

     He allowed his gaze to travel across the barren landscape around them. Nothing to be seen except rock and sand, and more rock and sand. Nothing except for the two of them, alone in the wilderness. He frowned as the t
hought echoed in his mind - alone. His gaze fell upon Asuka, who was watching him with a frown on her face. He straightened, slightly. "I don't want... I don't... want to be... alone." He was surprised to find that he had
 been holding his breath, and he let it out in a long sigh. Damn, but that felt good. Both the exhalation and the confession.

     Asuka's mouth made a small "o" of surprise at Shinji's statement, but she recovered quickly. "Well, I suppose we should stick together, then." She cocked her head to one side. "You want to lead this time?"

     He pretended to think about it for several moments. "Um...... no."

     "Good." She flashed him an evil grin. "I wasn't going to let you, anyways."

     He walked up beside her. "So, which way?"

     She surveyed the horizon for several moments. "That way," she replied, pointing towards what seemed to be a line of clliffs that stretched across the horizon. "You agree?"

     Shinji looked at the distant cliffs, and then at her. "You're the leader."

     "Good answer."

-----------------------------------------------------------

End of Chapter 2

Any and all comments about this fanfic, good or 
bad, are freely welcomed. If you want to archive 
this fanfic someplace (such as a web page or 
similar) please let me know beforehand, if only 
so that I'll know where it's wound up.



Derek Sherman
doppleganger@pipeline.com
mondomage@aol.com