Elysium

Disclaimer: I don’t own Shin Seiki Evangelion it was created by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Or the song Ode an die Freude the Lyrics belong to Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) and the
Music belongs to Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), Ninth Symphony. So Welcome to the Wonderful World of Fanfiction.

Warning: So if you didn’t know this fic contains at least SHOUNEN-AI (guys kissin’ and cuddlin’) and possibly YAOI (explicit sex scenes between guys). And implied suicide attempts.

Author’s Note: I renamed the fic formally known as Tenraku or Fall is now Elysium. You might understand better if you read the translated lyrics to Ode an die Freude or Ode to Joy at the website (remove spaces): http:// www. assamites. de/odetojoy. html

Happy Reading!
-Na

Elysium

Chaputa-ichi

Red eyes fluttered open, vision obscured by silver locks. Raising a shaking pale arm to swipe the hair from his eyes he was able to focus on his surroundings. Looking around the palely-lit room, which was clouded in a hazy blue-grey from the artificial lights outside of the window. Taking in the white walls, of the single room, that he currently resided in. He noticed the kitchenette to his right; that is when he realized he was lying on a western style bed with clean crisp white sheets.

Sitting up Tabris registered the cold in his naked body moving to wrap his wings around his body for warmth, all he felt was an increasing ache in his back- his wings were gone; a single white feather, his feather, lay beside him. Now trying to place himself he glanced at the beside table to see his United States ID card for NERV along with a bankcard- Zürich International Bank, of course- The world could end and Switzerland would be unaffected.

Glancing around the room once more he took in the single bed, bedside table, card table, single chair, mini refrigerator, the telephone, and the hot plate. There was no doubt this had been his assigned room once he had be revived, the next morning he had been sent to Japan and Shinji.

Supposedly after the American branch had gotten their hands on Gendo’s files on the successful cloning of Ikari, Shinji including the successful gene splicing that had changed the XY of Shinji from Yui and Gendo to the XX of Ayanami, Rei from Yui. They had tried to duplicate a success, and failed. Until they flat out cloned Ikari, Shinji and thus Nagisa, Kaoru was created. He and Rei were perfect clones with the single exception of the albino trait that seemed to be a side affect of a stable body.

The explosion that was caused by Evangelion Unit 04’s Super Solenoid engine collapsing in Nevada had also destroyed a good portion of the facility that Nagisa, Kaoru was being created in, a mere day before he was to open his eyes for the first time. Which unfortunately set everything back, and that was why he had been in this Las Vegas apartment for only a night before SEELE called him.

And now he was back in this his first home, or more appropriately- living space, all he wanted to do was leave. Leave and go to Toukyou-3- 4? And see his Shinji the poor boy that had made him fall, had caused the pain in his back and heart. Thinking for a moment he realized by plane he was fourteen hours away from where he wanted to be. Not to mention he had fallen in to Las Vegas the city of perpetual gambling in the only American, state that prostitution was legal; Las Vegas- Sin city. Really he did not find Kami-sama’s sense of humor, or perhaps it was just irony, amusing.

Bypassing the cold, Tabris moved towards his ‘kitchen’ table and the telephone planning on immediately calling what was left of Nerv and being in Toukyou in sixteen hours or less. Picking up the receiver he dialed the number that had been burned into Nagisa, Kaoru’s mind along with full working knowledge of Japanese, no doubt to silently brag to Ikari, Gendo.

“The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Both communications and public transportation systems are currently down. There will be a minimum of… 368 days… twenty hours and… two minutes until they are operational again. If there is an emergency a relief volunteer should be nearby, look for workers in a florescent green vest. Thank you. …. Diese Nummer ist-“ Growling Tabris threw the phone down and paced towards his sink looking out the solitary window there.

Looking at the ruins of the nearby building an odd box on the side of every building caught his attention. So that was where the automated message had come from. But something as this would have taken time to erect. Hadn’t he fallen the day the world essentially ended? How long had he been asleep?

At that moment he needed answers and he wasn’t sure where NERV was. Moving towards the small closest that he knew he left at least one outfit in. He was disappointed to find that the only clothes he had were those that the doctors had sent him here for the first time in; slippers, light cotton pants, and a shirt that tied in the back. Getting dressed the fallen angel sighed it would seem he would first need to get clothes and perhaps food since he would be here for awhile.

Picking up the bank card, Tabris smiled Zürich International Bank would have to know where to find one of their worldwide clients, and if that failed surely NERV would be tracking all their accounts. With a new hope he left the apartment humming Ode an die Freude. One day he would thank Switzerland; such strength from such a small and often overlooked country.

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---An unknown amount of time has passed, for Shinji (and since I won’t know until I write it)---
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A brown haired figure lay looking up at the western style bed, above him. The night before he could not bring himself to sleep in the bed for this really wasn’t his home. Actually he never slept in the bed, only occasionally would he fall upon it in a whimpering heap, taking in the fresh clean scent of Kaoru that hung there more than anywhere else in the apartment.

Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels Prächt'gen Plan,
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,
Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.

Those lines, those words, this song Ode an die Freude, he always seemed to come to consciousness, for these lines in the morning every morning. He had long ago put all of Kaoru’s music on to his SDAT, or perhaps it was yesterday? Did the words really bring him to consciousness, since they had described what Kaoru had done, or did they just affirm that he was dead? That he too would fall soon at the creator’s feet and wander the heavens in search of his tenshi. And the explanation that he knew when the time came he would never ask for.

He supposed the simple question of alive or dead, hell or heaven would be answered soon. Although there were no communications or transportation currently, there was school. In the beginning it was just him, Toji, Hikari, Auska, and some kids in the younger or older classes making the grand total ten, ten students ages six to eighteen. If Pen Pen came into his room soon, than he knew he was alive, and there was school.

Pen Pen, wherever she had sent him Shinji didn’t know but he suddenly showed up here in this apartment. He remembered that morning, afternoon, night? Perhaps it was an hour ago? When the blue eyed boy went to go into the bathroom, when suddenly the door opened and there was Pen Pen, much the same as when they had first met.

The penguin seemed to on his own freewill become Shinji’s keeper. The first thing that had changed in the apartment was the knives and the razors blades (That Shinji didn’t need for any conventional purpose) were removed. Shinji had no appetite and if he were left to his own devices starvation and cutting would be at a draw, for his life. But Pen Pen somehow bought broth and rice, for Shinji.

Once Horaki their Iinchou, saw how little he ate she started making him a bento everyday. When she had asked him why he was often late for class, he didn’t answer. Actually he didn’t even recollect that particular conversation, or any for that matter. All he did know was that every school day Horaki and Suzahara, along with some others he wasn’t sure exactly who they were picked him up and took him to school.

So he supposed that he wasn’t dead, because surly if he was- he would be able to see Kaoru, the angle would have greeted with open arms a long time ago. He had to think that perhaps that was why the cuts on his wrist were white scars now, and not an endless flow of blood. He needed to see Kaoru again and thus he needed to go to heaven away from the Lilin and this Hell.

The shouji to the bedroom slid open, blue eyes non-blinking didn’t register anything until the plastic container hit him on the nose. A single hand then rose rubbing his abused nose before the blue eyes deeply studied said hand. Looking for who knew what perhaps blood or the hand itself. Pen Pen didn’t know or care he just needed Shinji to get up, for who knew if the boy ever slept. So the penguin began to push and prod the underweight boy until with a sigh he rose shakily to his feet.

Bending down the red sleeping shirt slipped over the head of brown, as a lithe hand picked up the bottle of chicken bouillon that had been thrown at him. Moving into the kitchen he set the bouillon down on the counter. Quickly rinsing the pot from the previous day out, he filled it with water, adding the appropriate amount of rice and bouillon covering the pot he left the kitchen knowing that Pen Pen wouldn’t let it boil over.

Walking back through the apartment; which he kept meticulously clean, a feat that was not all that hard to maintain. It had taken a while, he believed, before he came to the decision to unpack all of Kaoru’s things that were in boxes when he arrived. Or more like Pen Pen tore through the boxes looking for the pots and pans. And Shinji cleaned up after the penguin, and unpacked the rest of the angel’s things. His own belongings he retrieved while Auska wasn’t at home, they were still in their boxes, for this was not his apartment.

Slowly the young man, boy? He had lost count years ago, even before Kaoru. It wasn’t like he knew what a birthday was. Slowly he got dressed in his school uniform, for a long moment he stood there in his black pants and hugged the fifth child’s favored orange undershirt to his naked torso.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, never used for sleep the lonely human fell to the side, brown hair that had grown considerably in the time since he last cared, or perhaps more time had elapsed then he had realized. For the brown locks, a few centimeters longer than what Kaoru’s were when he was- alive, fanned across the white pillow.

Reaching under the pillow thin fingers curled around the white feather, that although used and worn, with pieces missing in great chunks still glinted, an unearthly silver. As if warranting the hope that lived in his heart, but ate at his soul. Or perhaps he was dead, surely that was clearer reasoning and he had made a mistake somewhere and this was hell. The feather glowed with false hope.

Curling tighter in on himself orange t-shirt and feather in hand, blue eyes clenched shut, silent crystalline tears streaked down the reddened cheeks. There was a knock at the door, so he was alive- in a way. A sound that Shinji had trained himself to hear after Pen Pen woke him. Slowly uncurling the brunette sat up.

Placing the feather under the pillow and carefully folding the orange shirt and placing it back in its spot across the back of the desk chair. Shinji deftly finished dressing and went to answer the door. Simply opening the door to his guests, than turned to the kitchen. Finding the warm rice and broth he poured it into a travel mug, which left the other half to Pen Pen. Mug in hand he picked up his bag; leaving the flightless bird that wouldn’t let him die to follow those who also wouldn’t let him die either.

Sitting in his seat blue eyes followed the energetic elementary children as they laughed. A high pitched semi-screech covered the laughter in his ears- Auska. He knew whatever hurtful words she was currently uttering, were meant as a jibe to simply get him to react.

No one knew why Shinji was even there, he didn’t speak everyone assumed he was mute after the Third Impact. Being that they were at ground zero the area was to be the last to be redeveloped. The people living, there had no way of leaving so they made by as they could, this meant no specialty doctors to help the third child. The best medical advice given to the school said that social interaction might be good, but don’t expect much academically.

So the day went by; the teacher talked and everyone worked. And the only thing that Shinji registered was the food being forced upon him. Hashi in hand he ate slowly as to not upset his stomach, for the chances that the bento that Hikari made for him revisited him was high.

Once Shinji was safely in his sanctuary, he let out a sigh of relief this was a time he was alone, Pen Pen was out- where ever a penguin went, he didn’t know, but Shinji was alone. Moving to the bedroom, Shinji kneeled down on his futon which he forgot to roll up that morning, and took the cello out from under Kaoru’s bed.

He had found that Kaoru owned both violin and cello, although to his knowledge the tenshi could only play the former. About the time Kaoru first came to NERV the organization was being pushed saying that they didn’t care for the children a string quartet had come to mind. Kaoru had died before the first practice. Since Kaoru was first violin, Auska second violin, Rei viola, and Shinji cello; they couldn’t become a triplet from the ‘trauma’ of loosing the lead violinist.

Upon finding the cello, Shinji spent much of his time teaching himself the favored, Ode an die Freude. Using his SDAT on repeat to learn the notes slowly, and now after who knew how long he could, and did play the song perfectly. The lyrics the only German he knew, although he wasn’t sure if he ever looked up a translation or not, he would think-sing since he didn’t speak.

Putting the bow to string he began to play the introduction. No, the last word he spoke, would be the first he would utter- Kaoru. And if the boy never returned, or Shinji never gets to go to him; than he would be mute- Kaoru. But the melody in the air, the words in his head, made his heart fill with hope- Kaoru.

Freude, Schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuer-trunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!

Deine Zauber binden wieder,
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt…

Author’s Note: Please no arguments on my explanation for the cloning or gene splicing. Since Yui was turned to LCL there would be inadequate DNA samples for cloning. And I am a FORENSIC Archaeology major that is theoretically possible, near impossible but Gendo is a determined bastard. And so you know all my German I learned in Switzerland (my penname is Swiss-German) so I have some Swiss pride in me. So what do you think? Please review.
-Na