Lagrange 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone

It was time for the daily routine. Get up, get dressed, have breakfast, escort Madoka to school, and head to his own place of learning. That was mostly how he had lied his life for the last couple of years. It was like a schedule that was closely done, down to the letter at times. The morning was taxing for him, but it was better than actually dealing with the norm of what his life had been like three years ago. He slipped out of his night top and sweats, slipping into his school uniform. It closely mirrored his own original attire, a collared dress shirt with buttons lined up and down, the first few undone to keep it from strangling him. The pants were black, though unlike his original choice of clothes, it didn't require a belt, and his shoes nothing but your average sneakers. His brown hair had also changed somewhat as well, growing out longer. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he felt as if he were looking at a younger version of Kaji, now sporting a small ponytail kept in place by a white band.

He slipped on the leather bag that sat on his chair stool, and stepped out, closing the door behind him. The corridor was quiet and somewhat long, having six doors, three located on either side of the walls. His room was the farthest down, opposing it was Madoka's room. The remaining two were guest rooms, while the one closest to the stairwell was his guardian. It was a simple set up, and rather easy to remember.

Below the main living quarters was the main attraction of this humble abode, a simple restaurant where the main source of income, minus the monthly checks, was earned. Every day, people would flood inside to get a taste for the wonderful food that both he and his guardian made. Naturally, though, he worked on every other day, at least during the week. On Sundays, the restaurant was closed. It couldn't be open all week.

Ah, but there he went, going into more detail than necessary. If he lingered any longer, Madoka would throw a tantrum, and that was the last thing he needed. He immediately stepped down the stairs, and found her waiting at the entrance. She was certainly eye-catching, and according to the few that knew her mother, she was the spitting image of her parent. Her brown hair was cut short, reaching to her chin and shoulders, which stood out broad and tall with pride. Because it was summer, the uniform was a simple summer edition with short sleeves and a red bow laced around the neck, along with a simple brown skirt that ended just above the kneecaps. Her bag hung over her shoulder, like his, but her slim yet athletic frame rested against the marble column behind her. When she saw him coming down, her brown eyes were knit into a narrowed glare. Displeasure was rather clear as she put her hands on her hips.

"You took your time!" she scolded him. "Come on! Let's go! We'll be late for school!"

He sighed, face-palming as he shook his head, looking over at the clock. It was still a good twenty minutes before school would begin. He said as much to her, but she refused to budge. Of course, simply because she wanted to hurry didn't mean she could pull one over on him. When he asked her if she had eaten breakfast yet, Madoka opened her mouth to form a retort-

Her stomach responded instead. Loudly, he might add.

"...okay, maybe I got a little rushed this morning." Madoka at least had the pride to admit as much as she rubbed her head bashfully, a rose red painted on her cheeks from the embarrassment. Even still, he smiled as he slid behind the counter, turning on the oven and began pulling various things from the cupboards. As he worked, Madoka sat at one of the stools, drumming along the wood as she hummed a familiar tune. He gave her a question glance, but only briefly before he returned to work. The song she tuned was the same one her sister taught her a long time ago. The "official Jersey Club" song she called it. He wondered what possessed her to actually make a club that did various activities, ranging from chores to deliveries to even helpers. Of course, the reason why it this particular club was called the Jersey Club was because all members wore a Kawogawa Girls School jersey uniform. He had the honor of seeing Madoka in it once, with her special hair-style, a green band at the top of her head to make a small tuft of hair stand out. He questioned what would possess her to do that, but merely shrugged, and kept silent.

"...Hey, are you alright today?" Madoka ceased her humming as he cracked the eggs against the steel pan, allowing the transparent fluid with the golden center to spill out. "I mean... no panic attacks lately? No nightmares? No... episodes?" She hesitated somewhat on that last one. He shook his head. He hadn't had any of those for the last few months. The last time he had that was when he had forgotten to take his medication. He would say this at least, however:

Phantom Pain Panic Attacks were not fun in the least. And he just HAD to have one right in the middle of Madoka's school as he helped her out with her daily routine.

So long as it was after school and before school, he was allowed on school grounds. As this was a girl's school, boys were not exactly welcomed all that much, sans the few decent male teachers that actually taught here. That being said, however, he, being Madoka's unofficial adopted brother, and apparently "cute" as having been described by one of the girls, he was very much accepted, especially when they found out from Madoka herself that he was made into an unofficial Jersey Club member.

However that worked. Could a non-student actually apply for a club? Sadly, the Club supervisor waved off his concerns, and told him to do his best.

"I see..." Madoka nodded, smiling. "That's good. Oh, Uncle Hiroshi said he was going to get a refill, so he said to leave the bottles out on the counter." He nodded back at her before he slid the eggs out unto the plate next to the pan. Setting the greasy red strips off to the side, he took hold of the edge and set it down in front of her. "Sweeeet~ My bro's home-made breakfast meal!" she cheered as she took hold of the knife and fork. "Time to dig in! Thanks for the food~"

He chuckled softly. Really... he enjoyed this life for all it was worth.

...it would be better if they were here too.

After Madoka had finished her breakfast, and after he escorted her to school, Shinji made his way to his own school, a public academy only a few miles down from Hiroshi's restaurant. It wasn't as big nor as fancy as Kamogawa's facilities, but it worked out just fine for him. He rode along his own bike, moving down the turns and streets before he reached the main path, which was along the shoreline. Even now, he still frowned in distaste when the smell of seagull and salt flooded into his nostrils. Not even 3 years has allowed him to get used to the pungent stink. He stopped briefly to admire the ocean, the blue waves rolling back and forth between it's large, endless body to the sandy beaches.

Then, his eyes landed on the black object that sat in the middle of the ocean.

Around the same time he found himself here had that large object appeared. It's structure was similar to that of a teseract, with spires curling all around it. At the very top, as if keeping it tamed or in place, was a spear of unknown origin. No one knew what it was. It appeared out of nowhere, much like himself. There were no records of his existence at all: certificate of birth, parents, identification... there was nothing. People assumed his identity had been stolen, so the proper authorities called in favors to establish a new one for him. Given that Hiroshi had offered to look after him, seeing as how he was already raising Madoka, he was unofficially adopted into the Kyouno family.

For the last three years, that was the life he had. He was Shinji Ikari Kyouno, an average 17-year-old teen living with an average (okay, that isn't actually true in Madoka's case) family, and living an average life... a life he so desperately wanted. There was no Angel attacks. There was no Evangelions. There was no Tokyo-3. There was no Second Impact... it was like those events were nothing but a nightmare.

But even still, he wished he had the little things in his life back... he wished Misato was here. He wished Ristuko and Rei were here. He wished Asuka and Toji were here. He wished Keisuke and Pen-Pen were here.

He wished his mother was here.

He sighed, his legs moving in the familiar motion as his bike moved back into motion. He had been thinking about them a lot lately, ever since the panic attacks from a few months ago.

As he was half-way across his route, he stopped when he found a girl staring at him. Normally, he wouldn't think too much of it, given that several girls often stare at him, be them teenagers or children (as he was kindly informed my Hiroshi). Shinji was very popular around Kamogawa, especially since he was a member of the Jersey Club, helping out around the city, though more often than not, he played the role of the delivery boy. Because of that, he was easily able to remember people's faces. That being said, the girl he saw was different for two reasons: the first was that her stare was not one of admiration or of infatuation, rather one of scrutiny, as if trying to solve an almost impossible puzzle. The second was that he didn't recognize her. She didn't appear to belong to Kamogawa at all, bearing bluish silver hair and mysterious, cold and yet soft eyes. Her attire was something else as well. It looked like some kind of leotard slash military uniform, blue and white in color scheme with knee-high white socks and black shoes.

"..."

There were no words exchanged between the two of them. One was watching the other intently. He didn't know why she was looking at him in particular, only why she was here in the first place. Perhaps she was a new residence? Or maybe a transfer student? No, couldn't be. He would have heard about it from Hiroshi, given that word travels scarily fast around this small town he had come to grow fond of. She also didn't appear to be hostile whatsoever, so he could rule out a threat.

"...can I help you?"

He asked without showing suspicion. He didn't want to sound aggrivated or anything. It might hurt her feelings. The question, thankfully, registered to the girl. She dropped her gaze almost entirely, and nodded her head. "...you are Shinji Kyouno, correct?" she asked him, her voice as calm as the ocean, and yet also void of any emotion, sans a rather familiar tone he could recognize in a mere instant. He head heard such a tone almost all of his life while he was with NERV. The tone of a soldier. "I am looking for Madoka Kyouno. Do you know where I may be able to find her?" He refrained from raising an eyebrow. Why was she looking for Madoka? Were they friends? He would have thought that she would inform him of having such a unique acquaintance. Nevertheless, she didn't appear to have any sort of malice, so perhaps he could trust her. He told her that Madoka was at school, though unless you have a guest pass by speaking with the faculty office, entry into the building was not permitted. The strange girl bowed her head, thanking him, and walked away.

He didn't miss the same glare she had given him earlier, however. She threw the look over her shoulder for only a moment before turning her head forward.

Such an odd girl... then again, the same could be said for Rei.

The day had ended on a regular note as it usually had. He sat at his desk, packing up his school supplies into his bag when he noticed a shadow standing over him. He didn't even so much as glance up to see who was standing in front of his desk. There was no point. "...do you want something?" he asked plainly as he slid his last notebook inside, clipping the folds together. "I don't have time for you."

He heard a growl, a sign that he had aggravated them. Not that he cared, mind you. "You got a lot of nerve, Kyouno..." Kaizuki Nokoto said venomously. He was at least a year older than Shinji himself, standing at a staggering height of '5, 9" ft, and well-defined muscles. As he was the star member of the wrestling club, he was considered the ultimate muscle, and often got his way through bullying. Many of the first year students were bullied, and ever since he arrived, Kaizuki tried to break him and bend him to do what he wanted. Of course, in the span of a year prior to attending Kamogawa Public Academy, Madoka had rubbed off on him considerably. Bullies didn't scare him as much, along with the fact that no one here could compare to the spitfire that was named Asuka Langley Shikinami. In fact, he doubted anyone could be as fiery as she was.

"I'm just stating the truth, Nokoto." he told him blankly. "I'm already busy enough as it is... and I sure as hell don't have time for your bullshit."

Had anyone known Shinji Ikari, they would have been gobsmacked. Even he admitted at one point that he was spineless and weak. He had no backbone, just a shy and meek boy with little interaction with others. The only things that brought him comfort were his music player and his own world of isolation. He whined and cried about the world being unfair to him, but really, hadn't he looked around more? He never noticed it up until a certain point, but he had people he could call his friends, people who would help him and understand him. As it stood, he was far from being isolated. Madoka reinforced that in his first days in the Kyouno household, and she had helped him grow out as a person. She, along with her sister, and those in Kamogawa, had given him what he lacked back then:

They gave him a backbone.

Kaizuki's face contorted with rage, veins pulsing along his brow and fists. "Y-you little shit!" he snarled, bearing his fangs as he reared his arm back. All he did was look at him impassively, his eyes telling the man everything that truly aggravated him beyond comprehension:

'Give me your best shot.'

The strike came hard and fast. It had thrown him off his chair, and his bag into the air. By the time his back hit the ground, Kaizuki was on top of him, his arm raised for another strike. However, before the second hit could land, a hand snaked around his wrist, leaving it in the air. He looked to the left, and smiled somewhat, despite the stinging pain on his cheek. Kaizuki glared at who it was, absolutely livid.

"Nice stupid stunt you pulled, Kaizuki." the one holding his arm said. He was his age, his brown hair reaching down to his shoulders, and swept off to the right. His bangs covered his right eye, but one could easily tell the color through the strands. His blue eyes were dark and gray, almost a tint, and a small bandage could be found underneath his left eye, a result of a guitar string lashing out after having been strained for too long. His uniform was the same, but the sleeves rolled down to the wrists, and his belt hung lazily off to the side. Hung onto his shoulder by a strap was a large case carrying a guitar. "Hope you enjoy being suspended."

"Stay outta this, Gan!"

"How 'bout no?"

He nodded his head. "Hello, Jinji."

Gan Jinji smiled back at him, nodding in return. "Hey, Kyouno."

Gan Jinji was one of the few friends he had made in his first year before joining the music club, and being announced as an unofficial member of the Jersey Club by Madoka. Gan had already seen his musical talent when he caught him in the music room one day after school, an cello in his hands. It brought forth one of the most beautiful musical pieces that anyone had ever heard. Gan was rather famous in the school himself, being a skilled lyricist with a guitar. On more than one occasion had he seen the boy practicing and singing out in front of the school, his trust instrument in hand. Coupled with being amazing with a cello, and being the second member of the Jersey Club, a feat in and in itself, he was widely approached, and his social circle skyrocketed. If Misato saw this, she'd be bouncing with joy, most likely.

Back to the real world, though, Kaizuki was becoming more and more enraged. His free arm was trembling, a sign he was going to lash out at Gan as well. Before he could, however, the sound of heels clacking against the wooden floor caused everyone who witnessed the sight to freeze. Gan smiled as he finally let go of Kaizuki's hand, and said bully went pale. His head slowly turned to look over his shoulder. There, standing in front of him, with arms folded over their chest, was the most terrifying person in the school.

The Student Council President, and Captain of the Disciplinary Team, Kagase Kurosaki.

"...would you care to explain yourself, Nokoto?"

Kagase Kurosaki was seen as both a woman to be feared, and someone to be admired for her diligence and hard work. Being only '5, 6" ft tall, she held a slim hourglass figure. As she was a female member of the school, she wore a skirt rather than pants, but made it a clear point to wear leggings, as she did not want an "accident" to occur. Her skin was smooth and clear, and soft as he learned by shaking hands with her when they met for the first time. Her hair was long, reaching down past her shoulders, and sitting atop her nose was a pair of thin-rimmed red glasses, which were oval in shape. Her eyes were a deep brown color, in contrast to her blonde mane. Though she and him were not friends, they could certainly be considered as such. He was a model student, completing his work diligently and following all of the school rules down to the letter, and on top of that, was a fan of the classical musical works, much like herself. Needless to say, despite both of them seeing themselves as mere 'acquaintances' they were already friends.

The Student Council room was as big as an average classroom, with a large square table in the center of the room alongside a pair of lockers at the very back. At front was a whiteboard and chalkboard, their purposes obviously meant for planning out events. There were also several boxes which were taped closed, their contents written in black Sharpe and organized in alphabetical order. Naturally, these supplies were for school events, such as the Culture Festival. He, alongside Gan, sat at the large table on opposing sides while Kagase sat at the head, holding a steaming cup of tea. She had offered to make them some as well, though they respectfully declined.

"Good grief, Kyouno..." Kagase sighed after taking a sip of her tea. "I understand that you wish to avoid getting into physical altercations, but taking a punch like that? Nokoto is a member of our school's boxing team. There was even a record that he broke one of his opponent's jaw with one hit alone." She pushed up her glasses, glaring at him. "Why would you do that? And don't lie to me. I know for a fact you could have dodged that and sent Nokoto to the floor."

He sighed. She was really on the ball, as usual. Nothing really did slip past her. True, he could have dodged it, given the fact that he had been engaged in various hectic activities with his adoptive sister, and given that it was Kaizuki who threw down first, it could be considered self-defense. "...I just didn't want to give him the satisfaction." he explained himself. "Besides, if I didn't fight back, he wouldn't be inside the Principal's office right now, wouldn't he?"

Gan chuckled. "50 yen says that he's on the list for expulsion."

"Sadly, no." Kagase sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm afraid his actions have yet to warrant such a thing yet. He will be suspended for a good month, although."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Good enough for me." he said. "Is that all?"

"No, not quite." He raised an eyebrow as Kagase pushed up her glasses again, this time leaving a glare to be reflected in her glasses. "Kyouno, have you considered my offer from before?"

He nodded. About a week ago, Kagase had approached him, offering him a place on the Student Council. It should have been expected, really, given his track record. That being said, he was already pushing his limits enough as is. In addition to dealing with Jersey Club related activities, there was also plans involving the music club, and his deliveries. He told her this much, stating that he doubted he would have the time. That being said, however, Kagase didn't look the least bit dejected. Rather, she smiled. "It doesn't have to be full-time." she informed him. "Only when you have the time. As you already know, I have only four other members, and two of which are already involved in various other activities. We can use all the help we can get... of course, your position is mainly paperwork. I doubt you'd want to help the Disciplinary Committee?"

He smiled. It was times like that he was glad she knew him so well.

When he returned from school, he found that Hiroshi's business had ended. The man himself was behind the counter, dressed in his Hawaiian red shirt and shorts, along with his apron. A rag was held in his hand as he washed down the counter. Once the man noticed his presence, he smiled as he nodded his head. "Hey, welcome back, kiddo." he told the boy. He nodded back at the man, smiling in turn. They didn't need to exchange words. There was no longer a point to that. Rather, they simply glanced back at each other.

Making his way up the stairs, he strode into the hallway, passing by the other rooms before slipping inside his own residence, closing the door behind him. A quiet, relieved breath escaped him, the chaos that had been his day falling on his shoulders in its fullest weight. He slipped off his shoes, and tossed his bag to his desk before his body fell to the bed, his face landing on the pillow. Oh, how he wanted to go to sleep... but he knew it would not come easy for him. He hadn't gotten a decent sleep at all in these last few years. He would still receive nightmares back when he was inside that cockpit, still fighting.

Shinji could still recall how he first shown up here. He remembered trying to save Rei, his body engulfed in overwhelming pain and agony, his mind screaming out, begging for the pain to end. Even still, his soul refused to bend to it all, all of it poured into saving that one girl. The Evangelion had responded to this overwhelming desire, it's eyes and green light becoming bloody red. The world shook under the overwhelming power it possessed as the Angel was becoming utterly demolished, it's existence slowly becoming destroyed. In the end, he had managed to pull her out of the damned thing... but whatever happened that was a blur. All of a sudden, he felt... weightless. It was like the pain and burden he had been engulfed in had suddenly ended with a mere snap of the fingers, like a magic spell.

The next thing he knew, he found himself aching, his body laid out on a sandy beach, staring up at the azure sky, and the crisp blue waters brushing up against him. Above him was Madoka, only she was still in middle school, and with her, her cousin Youko. He wasn't sure how he arrived there, nor was he aware of how exactly he found himself in the care of the Kyouno family. They were strangers, yet they openly welcomed him with loving, open arms. It was an odd sensation... yet it was so oddly warming. It had not taken him long to learn that wherever he was, it was most certainly not his world of origin. No one knew anything of the bloody red seas, nor the Second Impact, and not even the Angels. Hell, mechas were still in the realms of anime and television. It had boggled his mind, and it terrified him. What had become of his friends? Of Misato and Ritsuko? What had become of Toji and Keisuke? What had happened to Asuka and Rei? What happened to everyone in Tokyo-3?

Why was he the only one left here?

At first, he didn't interact with them much. As it turned out, Shinji Ikari did not exist in this world, thus there was no records of him ever actually being born. Naturally, they assumed someone had stolen his identity, and the Kyouno's opted to forge one for him... though it had been Madoka who brought up the idea of him being a member of their family. That had shocked him. Why? Why were they willing to take in a stranger?

Hiroshi's answer left him stunned. "It's because you remind me of how Madoka used to be, shortly after my sister died." the man confessed to him, having sat down next to him, a sad smile plastered across his face, equally represented by his droopy eyes. "She... really did look dead to the world, ya know? She wasn't as bright and outgoing as she used to be. Sometimes, she'd even skip school, staying in bed all day. Some days, I would even find her crying to herself. I tried my best to look after her and Youko, but hey, I'm not exactly an expert. Hell, I'm still single. I'm not even a father. I have no experience whatsoever raising a kid, and just winged it... but raising her has been one of the defining moments in my life, I will say this much at least. When got into high school, Madoka finally started to being her old self again. Do you know why? It was because Youko had the Jersey Club Spirit, that same outgoing, bright attitude her aunt had. It was thanks to her that Madoka became who she is today. Now... I want to do that as well. Shinji, I can tell by that look in your eyes that you feel as if your world has just collapsed all around you... but that doesn't mean you can let it weigh you down for the rest of your life. Even if you have to live with it... at least have someone there with you to carry it. If you'll let us... will you let us be the ones to carry that burden with you?"

It had taken him an hour to process those words. And after that, he could only nod wordlessly. Afterwards, he was officially named Shinji Ikari Kyouno. For the next three years, he found himself living a good life... a life he still felt he did not deserve. The past would also not leave him alone, as the pains and horrors that came before him inside the Evangelion came to him here, as if haunting him like a ghost that refused to be laid to rest. Panic attacks, anxiety, phantom pains... everything would come up to a screeching halt, and then slam into him with full force. It had gotten so bad that medication was required.

Nevertheless... Shinji felt at peace, even though, from the bottom of his heart, he wished for his old family to be with him here as well. He nudged his head slightly, looking over at his desk. There, sitting at the edge, encased in a wooden frame, as him, Asuka, Rei, and Misato, and the rest of the staff at NERV. He felt a long-forgotten smile fall into his face before he closed his eyes, hoping to find sleep.

It would take 2 hours before he finally fell into slumber.

Unbeknownst to Shinji, or anyone else, within the Tesseract like construction, a creature was in slumber, it's form set into a fetal position. To any who could have possibly have seen it's form, it would appear that it was asleep. However, for the briefest moment, it's eyes flashed, revealing green eyes.

"God Is In His Own Heaven. All Is Right With The World." -NERV Slogan