Hey, fellow Evangelion fans, just another fanfic I decided to write. I was going to do one regarding Rebuild but I won't do any Rebuild fics until I've seen the story's conclusion. This fic is geared towards melding the manga and anime together and having the characters stay on the same track instead of going OC. Basically, what the NGE should have been like. Anyway, I know there're fics with different time sequences and character introductions but in mine I decided to have Shinji come to Tokyo-3 at 10 years old. Warning: characters will not be as emo as Anno made them to be (I'm not that good).

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own any of the characters, settings, plot, etc. If I did this would be how it went…but I don't.

NGE: Another Take

Chapter 1: Boy Meets World

A young boy sat on the train staring intently at the object in his hands as if it would answer any question he asked of it. But this was not the case. The boy knew that no matter how much he gazed at the letter he would never get a direct answer to any of his thoughts. Shinji Ikari, only ten years-old, had never been one to get his hopes up ever since his early childhood. One could tell just from looking at him how bad his situation was. A young boy sitting alone on the half-empty train carrying only a small gym bag, likely housing his few belongings, and heading to a place he hardly even knew.

As a young boy, he had experienced many hardships that only a small portion of children even experience. The death of his mother had been a major blow to his life since the only person who ever showed unconditional love to him was gone forever. Added to that, his estranged father cast him aside in his time of need and left him in the care of one of his teachers, who treated as more of an obligation than family. That has happened years ago and only recently had he received the letter that would change his life – a letter from said father. The overall content wasn't much – just the normal "to" and "from" followed by one sentence telling him to go to Tokyo-3 to see his father. The sender wasn't even signed in his father's name but rather a company name…Nerv. It wasn't surprising since Gendo Ikari was a man of few words and blunt when it came to "trivial situations," so Shinji knew he didn't suddenly develop a heart and wish to get to know his long forgotten son. No, the boy knew there were ulterior motives for this, but with such a strange relationship it was hard to get any idea as to what motive it was. I guess I'll see when I get there. Not like I can turn back now since I have no idea how far this train even goes. Shinji put the letter away in his bag before leaning back and turning his head to look at the outside scenery. Father…why would you call me here?

It took about an hour but Shinji made it Tokyo-3 without anything disrupting him. As he exited the train he noticed small groups of people beyond the outer railing. Most looked like people waiting for welcome their relatives but there was one individual that stood out…and not in a good way.

A tall, muscular man was standing towards the back of the crowd holding up a large sign that said "Ikari Shinji" on it. Immediately Shinji knew this was going to be a very awkward first day in the new city. He could feel the eyes of all the onlookers as he slowly made his way towards the man in the black suit. As he got nearer to the man he could also pick up the whispers of people gossiping behind his back – some were along the lines of "rich kid" or "yakuza," but what caught his attention the most was "military." I could probably overlook the "rich kid" comment… and the way this guy is dressed plus my dad's disposition even I wouldn't put it past him to be part of the yakuza…but military? Well, he does kinda look like one of those drill sergeants. Ignoring the rest of the comments he eventually made it to the man, who looked even bigger up-close. The man lowered his head to look at the boy as if analyzing him.

"Shinji Ikari?"

"Uh…yes, sir." Shinji already felt like he was being given a data confirmation analysis by this cyborg. His gaze, obstructed by his sunglasses, could very well pass for an android that would turn on him with the slightest error.

"Come with me." He opened the passenger side of the car and gestured for the boy to get in, which Shinji reluctantly obeyed for fear of being stunned by a ray gun. Once he entered, the man closed the door and entered on the driver's side before starting the car and speeding off.

The ride was silent the whole way – partly due to the man's serious personality and Shinji's fear of the consequences if he talked. Eventually, the man drove up to large hangar where two caged gates opened up to let them through. After the car came to a stop, Shinji felt the ground beneath the start to shake and wondered if they were going to fall through. It wasn't until he saw a stream of light from the sky that he noticed that they were on an elevator and were miles above a large city, which contained a huge triangular building.

"Wow! I've never even seen anything like this! This is amazing!" Shinji felt like a kid that noticed his parents driving him to Disney World for the first time. He was so absorbed by the sight that he forgot his earlier fear of speaking to the cyborg sent to bring him to his dad.

"This is a Geofront. You could say like a city underground." Shinji just kept staring in amazement at the sights before him. "We're almost there, so you'd better sit tight." As they neared the end of the elevator, the agent prepared to shift into drive and they were already on their way to the triangular building.

"Excuse me…what's that building right there?" After hearing the agent talk for once the boy finally began opening up little by little, but hoping he didn't overstep his boundaries though.

"That's Nerv Headquarters right there. That's where we're headed, so let's make haste." It took only a few minutes to reach the main gate and when they got ready headed inside. Shinji made sure to stay close to his guide so that he didn't get lost – there were so many doors to go through and each place looked exactly alike, so it looked easy to get lost in. After taking another flight of stairs upwards they finally came to a long hallway where a dark door stood at the end. From Shinji's point of view it looked like a black vortex drawing him nearer with each step and he feared what was behind the door. Little did he know his instincts were right in more than one way.

The man stopped before the doors and slowly opened them but still made no movement to enter. Shinji stood directly behind him but still made an effort to look ahead and see what was inside the dark room. The inside appeared to be pitch black, so black that everything inside was hardly visible, except the light reflected in the glasses of the man behind the desk. The boy's eyes immediately recognized him and his childhood flashed back into his mind – images of a young boy crying as the man turn his back on the child and walks away, telling him to walk on his own two feet. It's enough to make Shinji regret ever coming in the first place, but part of him still wants to know if there's still hope. Hope that his father wants him after all.

"Permission to enter, Commander." The agent to the boy's side asked as he stood at attention before the silent individual. The young man felt more like being with the cyborg beside him than the shadowy figure inside. If he ever felt fear from the previous man it was nothing compared to the presence of his father.

"Enter." There was no demand or anger in his voice, but that's what scared to boy even more as he and his large companion walked towards his father's desk. The closer he got the more Shinji could feel his heart beat – so much that he thought it would jump out and hit the desk before he even got there. As the two reached the desk, Gendo Ikari stared at his son in the same manner the agent had when he first met the young boy.

"Hello, it's been a while hasn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question and the lack of emotion in his voice made Shinji regret giving a reply.

"Hello, Father." It was the only thing his brain would allow him to voice at the moment and he was grateful he hadn't fainted on the spot. Since when had he ever felt this intimidated by anyone?

"You're probably wondering why I asked you to come here, am I right?" Gendo received a mechanical nod and continued, "well, let's just leave that for a little later. As you are now you might not be able to comprehend how important the reason is."

As I am now? Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by a tall older man standing next to the desk. Was he here the whole time? Then again I barely had a chance to notice anything else under dad's gaze.

"Ikari…" The older man's mouth was turned into a slight frown, similar to a father's hearing his son make a rude comment. It wasn't a domineering comment but it let Shinji know that this person must have been pretty close to his father to be voicing his opinions openly. Even the muscle-man beside the boy didn't make any move to speak unless he was told to.

"I've already taken the liberty of finding you a suitable location to live. It's not substantial but it's more than enough to suit your needs." Gendo's eyes still held their position on the young lad and his mouth was still hidden by the folded hands resting in front of it.

"Father…does this mean…I'm going to be living alone? I'm only ten years old, I can't live on my—"

"There's no need to worry, I've already assigned agent Akai to tend to your needs. There will be no problems." Shinji followed his father's eyes as they shifted to the man standing beside him. *Beep*Beep* The intercom on his father's desk rang. His father pressed the button. "Go ahead."

"Commander, we're ready to begin." A feminine voice called over the speaker.

"Good. I'll be there shortly." Gendo rose from his seat and walked around the desk, followed by the older man. "We'll have to cut this short I'm afraid. There's something that demands my attention so for now I'll have Akai escort you to your new home." The next thing he knew his father had already reached the end of the hallway and arrived at the elevator. After that his face disappeared behind the elevator doors.

"Let us go now, Mr. Ikari." The tall man motioned to follow the directions of his father.

"Please, call me Shinji. Mr. Ikari sounds too much like his name." Shinji's hands tightened slightly at the thought of being called similarly to that man.

"Very well, Mr. Shinji. It is already late so we must get you home soon." As the elevator descended to the bottom floor, Shinji's mind was recalling all of the events that took place that day. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.