Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion in any way, shape, form, or size. One can only dream…right?

A/N: AU in every single way possible. I came up with this idea a sometime back while writing the first chapter for "Us Verses Them". In this story, I wanted to demonstrate how important of a character Shinji is. I wanted to write something about how things would be different in Tokyo-3 with the absence of Shinji. This will, most likely switch to become my main focus, so I'll work more on this fic. Like always, this will be an ShinjixRei fic. Please enjoy.

A/N: Beforehand, I would like to apologize for my English, it is my second language, I am Swedish and have been studying English for quite some time now, so bare with me.

There are a few things I would like to mention before you read this:

1). For the most part, I believe every character will be ooc in this fic.

2). This story takes place 14 years after third impact. That means the children will be around 27/28, the others you can do the math.

3). NERV is alive and well.

4). Like all my other fics, this will be ShinjixRei, don't expect anything different.

A Cut in the Bloodline

Chapter 1: The Facades of a Normal Excistence

"H-he... i-isn't coming back... is he..." the blue-haired girl said in between sobs.

The young brown haired scientist stood beside the genetic clone of herself, tears gliding down her cheek. All the once was proud mother could do was stare straight ahead at the walking figure, leaving through the doors of the giant underground complex.

"I don't know, I really don't..." the scientist said, not making any attempt to hide the hurt evident in her voice. It was as if her entire world had all come crashing down around her. For so long had she been waiting to be reunited with her son, now that had been taken away from her.

Shinji... my son... what happened to you...

You've changed...

14 years later...

Gendo's POV:

We are days away from celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of NERV. And there are massive preparations being held in that account. I laugh to myself silently. So much has changed over the years. For better, and for worse, and it has made me think. The old me never would of even thought about doing something like this. But like I said, things have changed. I have changed. After third impact and the rebirth of the human race, my wife, Yui Ikari, mentioned that it would be a good idea to start making changes in my life. 1) I gave up alcohol. Just the thought of alcohol is enough to make my stomach churn. Before third impact, I would always come home after work, and drown my sorrows with a bottle. I was miserable, and I never want to return to that state again. 2) I started eating healthier. Well, Yui more or less makes me eat healthier. And in turn, it has made me a lot happier. 3) Yui's been forcing me to visit the gym here in headquarters. She said something along the lines of dreaming that when she came out of Unit-01, that I would be some hunk with big arms and abs. Needless to say, she wasn't to impressed when she did come out. 4) I began repairing all the broken relationships I had previously damaged. Not all of them, but most. With the return of Noako Akagi, I was able to patch things up with her, sent her and her daughter on a three week all expenses paid trip to France. From what I've heard, they had enjoyed themselves as they rebuilt their bond. Ritsuko Akagi was another story. After battling with each other for sometime now, we came to an agreement. NERV would completely fund her next project into the Evangelion series. Fuyutsuki was fairly easy. I just had to prove to him that I had changed, and was no longer the "bastard king" as I was dubbed. Auska Soryhu was a bit of a challenge, but eventually saw an understanding between us. I would allow her to stay as a pilot, and give her exclusive ownership of Unit-02. And for Misato Katsuragi, although she is still pretty upset with everything that has gone down, I had recently promoted her. The pay raise and privileges were enough to keep her working with us.

Then there was Rei Ayanami. I think it is best if we left things the way they were. I ruined the life I gave her in every single aspect. I deeply regret it. But I cannot bring myself to like her, and I know she feels the same way about me. She reminds me too much of what I once was, a monster. I do feel sorry for her though. Because of my actions, she has been torn away from the only happiness shes ever had. My son. To this day, she still hasn't gotten over the lose of him. When he left, it had completely shattered her. Her entire life was a wreck. I know she not very liked around here, do to everyone knowing of her origins, yet another regret I bestowed upon her. Because of that, people tend to keep their distance from her.

Yui Ikari, my wife, the love of my life, the only motivation I have to keep going. She is the reason why I did all those things in the past. I missed her so much. But I've failed her. I've failed her in so many ways, I lost count. But she continues to stay with me. I can never bring myself to ask her, why she would ever think about staying with someone like me. Because, just like Rei, I have broken her too. It pains me more then anything to wake up to her crying over the bed, to see her so miserable in her office. She can't even be in the same room as Unit-01 without breaking down. She wanted to be reunited with her son so bad, and I took that away from her.

Shinji Ikari, my son. How I can never repair the damage I had done to him. I hurt him more then anybody else. I destroyed him, mind and soul. I know he will never forgive me for what I have done. In fact, I deserve everything he has coming for me. He left me. He left us. I am not angry at him for leaving me, as I left him, its only fair. But I can never forgive him for what he had done to everybody else. Yui Ikari, his mother, who longed so bad just to be with him, couldn't even look her in the eye. It broke her. Rei Ayanami, she was in love with him. He meant the world to her, and he just abandons her. It tore her apart. Misato Katsuragi, she took care of him when no one else would. She was like a second mother to him, and he doesn't even say goodbye to her. It killed her inside.

But I completely understand Shinji's motives. His life was a living hell, and he figured that the only way to escape it, was to run away. And so, he did. He left everything behind, to start a new life, perhaps a normal life. I am glad that he has found the strength to move on, and I can't help but hope that he has finally found something that makes him happy. I know that he will never be happy here, which is why I let him go. I haven't admitted it yet, but it pains me as well. Even through all the bad, at the end of the day, he was still my son. Its been over 14 years since I last heard from him. I don't know whether he is dead or alive. Its like he has completely forgotten about us. Not a single letter, or phone call. It hurt everybody. We have been trying to reach out to him. We have been since he left. His only requests were that he be left alone, and that everyone forget about him. But we didn't. We could never forget him. And so, we set to work right after he left, hoping to convince him to stay. But he got away. It had been 14 years, and still no sign of him. Like I said, for all we know, he could be dead.

We've tried every tactic in the book. We have sent section 2 personnel all over the world, to search for him. But as the years pass, hope starts running thin. But that's all we can do, hope. Hope that by some miracle, we find him. Its rubbing off on Yui as well. I believe she is loosing hope. But that still doesn't stop us from searching, even if it takes us a thousand years, we will find you, Shinji. This has become my new scenario. I will not fail Yui this time.

But this also leaves the question...

What happens when we find him? I've never actually put much thought into that. I would always assume that he would come back with us, and live happily. I know the old Shinji would of, but that's the thing. That was the old Shinji. Shinji has changed. How would the new Shinji react? That's what I fear. What if all this effort, is for nothing. The only thing I can think of that's worse then death, is rejection. What if he doesn't want to come back after all these years. How would this effect Yui? I can't even imagine what this would do to her. She still believes, even if its slowly declining, she still holds onto that glimmer of hope. That's her driving force.

I remember when Fuyutsuki passed away. It hurt everyone. Since third impact, he was looked up to as the 'grandfather' in a way. Yui saw this opportunity as a chance. She had the intelligence agency send her a list of all the Shinji Ikari's registered around the globe. She was getting desperate. Yui wasn't the type of person to use misfortune as a means of helping herself. But like everything, we were running out of options. That little glimmer of hope shot through her soul, this could be our chance she would tell me. She sent a letter containing the information of Kouzou Fuyutsuki's death, and funeral location to every entry on the list. Then the day of the funeral arrived. The atmosphere was full of ambition, and faith. But it was also one of sadness and loss. Shinji never came. Rei was quick to defend him, saying that the letter could of gotten lost in the mailing process, or that he never got it in time. But everyone else knew otherwise.

Quickly glancing over at my slumbering wife, I cannot help but feel a bit better. The love of my life has returned, though another lost, all was well. And with that final thought, I take my glasses off and rest my head onto the pillow. Sleep takes over quickly, and I soon find myself dreaming of a perfect world.

Shinji... you've changed... please return to us...

Rei's POV:

The psychologist told me that i'm getting worse. I haven't heard good results in the past six months. He said these past two weeks have been the worse scores he had seen from me. I know why.

It's his birthday soon. It's a NERV holiday. Every year for the past 13 years, all the employees come together to celebrate our hero, and all he has done for us. I look forward to this day every year. It is the day I feel the most happy. And the day I feel the most sad. It serves as a painful reminder, that he is gone. Commander Ikari usually holds a big feast for everyone, in celebration of his birth. The atmosphere is lively, live classical music is always playing, his favorite. The food is something that would put 5-star chefs to shame. Everyone laughs, share stories, sings and dances throughout the night. Everyone is invited, but I don't usually go. I feel that I am not welcomed there. I always hear people talking about the celebration to other people. Nobody ever tells me about the big celebration. I take that as a hint, that I am not invited. It doesn't matter though, I wouldn't of gone anyway. I dislike social gathers. Instead, I lock myself in my apartment, lay on my bed, and remember all the memories we shared together, as I cry. I take out my three most cherished possessions that I own. The letter Shinji-kun wrote to me for an English assignment, the gold necklace that he gave to me for my birthday, and his SDAT player. Every night, before I go to bed, I would read the letter over and over to myself, put the plugs of the SDAT player in my ears, and clutch the necklace tightly to my chest. This is where I feel comfortable. This is where I feel safe. This is where nobody can hurt me.

Every night, I would dream that he will come back. I don't know why, but I know that he will. Others are starting to lose faith, but I keep pressing on. Its why I'm here now. I want to be here when he returns. NERV has no real use for me. I'm a reserve pilot. Pilot Suzahara, Pilot Aida, and Pilot Hokari have all joined since Shinji-kun left. Thus I have been replaced.

Since third impact, NERV has come together as a family. The pilots all treat Commander Ikari as a father figure. He has changed since third impact. But he is plagued by the guilt for what he had did to his son. His wife is back, and that makes him happy. Since then, he had abandoned me. We rarely ever speak anymore. I rarely speak with anybody anymore. I can't help but feel as if they had all left me out of the bond they share as a family. Maybe Pilot Sorhyu was right. Who would ever love a doll? Why would anybody let a doll, into something as special as a family. I don't deserve a family, because I am not special...

But Shinji-kun thinks that I am special.

Shinji-kun is the only one who has ever thought of me as another human being. I don't know what his feelings are towards me now, and perhaps it is best if I do not know. I don't know what I would do if he felt ill towards me. I would lose the only person I have. I Don't want him to think bad about me, I want him to like me. I want him to love me, as I love him.

A tear escapes my eye, and travels down my cheek and onto my pillow. This happens almost every night. I would just lay there and cry all my pain and frustration out, until there were no more tears left. Then I would fall asleep, and dream that he would return, and that I would be in his arms again. Only to wake up in disappointment.

Shinji-kun... don't abandoned me again... please... please I beg you... please...

Misato's POV:

Well, that was exhausting. We're just about to touch down at NERV headquarters. The past 36 hours have been nothing shorter then a living nightmare. Nothing went according to plan. It was only supposed to be a simple snatch'n'grab, but things got complicated along the way. There was a slight change in the teams layout. Because Hikari had passed Kensuke's sync ratio, she was able to move up that latter, and that kind of messed up the formation. As usual, Auska led the team. Her leadership abilities have improved drastically since she was given the task as team leader. Normally, I wouldn't doubt her actions, but after what happened back in Kyoko, well, lets just say she is in for a quite a bitching from me. We were able to retrieve the micro chip Commander Ikari had sent us to retrieve, but things got a little ugly along the way.

First, they were expecting us. Thanks to Auska's little scene she made near the entrance, the guards were immediately notified of our presents. A long drawn out gunfight later, we were forced to fall back, and formulate a new plan. Second, we were out gunned in every way. Sure, we were obviously better trained then the thugs they call 'guards', but they still left us at a disadvantage. Third, the last 4 hours were spent in a wild goose chase across the city. But thanks to Toji's quick thinking, we were able to corner the black sedan, and obtain the briefcase containing the chip, with relative ease and a few bullets.

So, now I am left with the task of cleaning up our mess. Good thing NERV's funds are virtually unlimited. Perhaps I will have to arrange some... 'accidents', to those for were unfortunate enough to witness the events. Not to mention the U.N. will be on my ass about this. I will have to start covering it up, before they stick their noses somewhere NERV dosen't want them to. I think I'll need a beer as soon as we touch down. Maybe I should make a mental note to keep refrigerated beer stored inside the helicopter after every mission. That way, at least I have something to look forward to after a long day.

Despite our ugly performance back in Kyoko, the Commander was notably pleased with out efforts. I guess he doesn't care about how the job is done, just as long as it's done. I don't really understand all the hype behind this one tiny computer chip, other then Ritsuko stating that she wanted a chip just like it. Maybe this time, she can make some actual progress in the new Evangelion upgrades. Not like it would be relevant, for all we know, the angels may never come back. The Commander says that they will eventually return, and Ritsuko agrees. So I guess I have no choice but to put faith in their words... and pray to god they are incorrect.

I don't know if we could even stand against the angels again, it is said that they will continue arriving every 15 years. It's currently been 14 years. From what I heard, our current Evangelions will not be strong enough to go head-to-head with any newer angels. Hell, our Eva's took quite the beating during the last angel war. Then there's Unit-01. Ritsuko and the Commander are confident that Unit-01 alone, could fend off an entire angel attack. But that leaves us with a problem. Unit-01 will only activate for one person, and one person only. And as far as I know, he could be dead. Which is why we were sent to retrieve the micro chip. Ritsuko and Yui believe that power the chip holds, is enough to mimic the power Unit-01 possesses, and duplicate it into the other Eva's.

In context, the chip will be used to replace someone important, not only myself, but many people hold dear to their hearts, Shinji Ikari. He was the original pilot for Unit-01 during the angel wars, and the only one Unit-01 will respond too. At first, everybody believed that because Yui was trapped inside, that it would only sync with Shinji, but even after she had been freed, it still would only respond to Shinji.

I really do miss him though. Not because he can pilot, but because we have gotten pretty close over time. His sudden departure left everyone heart broken, including me. Even after his mother had returned, he still left. He didn't even say goodbye. Although a part of me is glad that he was able to escape this hell, another part of me wants him to come back. He just doesn't realize how important he is to everyone here. I can't help but wonder what kind of person he has become after all these years. I hope he hasn't changed too much.

But there is still hope. NERV hasn't stopped searching for him since he left. Family just isn't family without him. That's what the Commander, Yui, Ritsuko, myself, and everybody else want more then anything. To complete our family. But what would happen when we do find him. Nobody's even heard from him in 14 years. How do we know whether he is alive or dead. How do we know he will even return to us. What if he has changed so much, that we can't even recognize him anymore. I don't care, I just want my Shinji back. I want the son I wish I had back. I miss him so much.

Kaji was waiting for me at the exit. He and I have been married for 10 years now. Besides the rest of the NERV family, he is the only person who makes me happy. He is the only one who can take my mind off of the boy I miss the most. I love him more then anybody I know, and am glad I have him. Taking his hand, we made our way towards our car. I cannot wait to retire for the night, I'm honestly exhausted. But tomorrow will be another day, and that's all we have. Who knows what challenge it may bring us. As a promise I made to my former charge, I will always be ready to live another day, no matter the circumstances, as long as were together, nothing can stand in our way.

Somewhere in North America...

"Hey, why don't we stop here for the night." the younger looking agent suggested, pointing to the lit up motel sign. This caused an angry reaction out of his partner.

"You don't expect me to sleep in some filthy run down motel, don't ya new guy?" the older more experienced agent retorted, almost like he was being insulted.

There was an awkward silence that followed, until the older agent spoke up.

"You do know you work for NERV right? Money is not an issue."

The younger agent just nodded, and continued driving down the road.

This went on for another 30 minutes, until they arrived at a decent looking hotel, located in the heart of town. Both agents stepped out of the black SUV, and approached the front office to pay for their rooms. The older agent went about paying for their rooms, while the younger agent, took the time to observe the building. Placed on the wall beside the front doors hung a plaque. The younger agent made his way towards the plaque and began reading it.

The' Outback Hotel

Opened in 2025

Designed & Built by:

Ikari Drafting & Construction LTD.

"Ikari...?" the young agent thought to himself.

"Why does that name sound... familiar?" he said quietly to himself, not wanting to draw any attention to what he was doing. He made sure to make a mental note of the name, and research it once he got into his hotel room.

That's when the older looking agent made his way towards him.

"Room 229, second floor. Let's go, we've got a long day a head of us tomorrow." the older agent said, before turning around and making his way towards the elevator. The younger agent following close behind him.

Once both men got settled into their hotel room, the younger looking agent pulled out his laptop and made a quick google search of the company name "Ikari Drafting & Construction LTD". Luckily he was greeted with a website baring the same name. After going through a quick slide show of their work and projects, he was able to make it to the front page. There in big bold text said,

Founded by Shinji Ikari in 2019.

For any questions please contact out office at:

(663) 543-9230

Or you can e-mail us at:

IkariConstruction

A light bulb went off in the young agents head.

"Hey Thomas." the younger agent called out.

There was a long drawn out silence before the old man spoke.

"What is it Alex?" the older agent called out from the other room.

"Who did you say we were looking for again?" the younger agent called out again.

There was another long drawn out silence before the older agent spoke up.

"You really are an idiot aren't you. How could you have already forgotten, I told you like three hours ago. Jeez, rookies..." the older agent grumbled to himself, obviously unhappy with his partner. After getting nothing but silence in return, the older agent spoke up again.

"I'm only going to say this once more, if you want to make it to the big leagues, you're gonna need to-"

"Okay okay, I get it, just tell me the name." the young agent interrupted, ending the older agents rant.

Sighing out of frustration, the old man looked at the younger agent annoyingly.

"Shinji Ikari." he said in a defeated tone.

The younger looking agent gave his partner a weird look.

A/N: Well, there you have it. I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter to my new fic. I will be focusing most of my efforts into this story. I'll have chapter 3 for "Us Verses Them" out shortly. I've also been meaning to try my hand at some one-shots, so expect a few from me soon. Of coarse, they will be ShinjixRei. If you haven't already, please checkout and possibly follow my new group, it's called "Everyone Deserves a little happiness, ShinjixRei pairings". You can find it on my profile obviously. Its a ShinjixRei group (incase you haven't figured it out by now), since all the other ones died out. I'll end up needing staff for the group soon, so ya. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story, I been meaning to to write this for some time now. Thank you for reading, and stay tooned for the next chapter. Take care.