Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to GAINAX.

Children

It was a long tiring day that seemed to take an eternity to end. In the eyes of Major Katsuragi Misato, the perpetual image of overflowing piles of paperwork refused to leave her weary eyes, even as she ascended the elevator toward her humble abode. After tiredly sliding the key through the card reader, she sighed happily just hearing the hiss of the pressurized door open for her to enter. Not long after she dropped her shoes by the doorway, the fatigued major made her way to the fridge to grab her favorite refreshment, Yebisu beer.

Effortlessly guzzling down half the can of the liquid, the purple-haired woman wanted nothing more than to fall into the comfort of her own bed and sleep until the Fifth Impact. Sadly, she knew that that was impossible with her line of work. Constantly defending mankind against the treacherous creatures called angels was a big energy-draining job, even if she wasn't the one on the battlefield. Paperwork took up most of her time and left her little patience.

Now starved and quenched, the major rummaged around the kitchen for the meal she was sure her charge had left for her. Popping open the microwave, the woman smiled happily at the plate of delicious food. She pressed the start button and watched as her meal spun around, completing a few revolutions before the mechanical box beeped, signifying the end of the warming process. Misato removed the plate from the microwave and inhaled the smell of the rice and fish with an even larger smile. At times like these, she was glad that her charge was in charge of the cooking. If anyone knew her cooking skills, it would be the two children she considered her own, and her best friend.

Her day had been horrible. Not only did she get her butt chewed out by Ritsuko for falling asleep on yet another meeting, but she had been surprised with a ton of paperwork dealing with the reconstruction of Tokyo-3 and an annoyingly handsome man that seemed to always be unshaved. Her only concern was sleeping the day away on her day off tomorrow.

After quickly devouring her steaming hot meal, Misato placed the dish in the sink for Shinji to wash the next day. She was too tired to anything, not to mention stay awake at this moment to feed her hungry stomach. Trudging into the living room to reach her room, the weary major was greeted with a sight that made her insides warm. Her apartment was spotless, as always, thanks to the diligent Third Child. Although the television and lights were on wasting electricity, the major couldn't care less. On the couch were her two beloved charges that she considered her own children.

Pen-Pen was nowhere in sight, most probably sleeping the night away in his own little fridge. However, that revelation was not what got the tired woman smiling. The Third Child, Ikari Shinji, sat on the couch sound asleep, his SDAT surprisingly nowhere in sight. By his left slept the rowdy Second Child, Sohryu Asuka Langley, sitting Indian style and head resting on the other child's shoulder. It seemed as if she had fallen asleep and had unconsciously used the closest object as a pillow.

Misato could just imagine the younger girl's reaction when she would wake up the next morning, but chose not to wake either of them up. Both looked so peaceful, contrary to what they usually were when awake. The older woman knew what a dangerous and stressful occupation piloting a giant beast could be, so she couldn't blame them for the way they acted. Taking a seat on the nearest couch, Misato continued to watch as her children slept with hints of a smile on both of their faces.

She wished so much that these children didn't have to suffer as much as they did and hoped that once this whole ordeal was over, that they could be nothing more than normal teenagers. Just that thought brought back memories of own childhood and she cringed, blinking back unwanted memories. Glancing at the children before her, she knew that her past was nothing compared to what they had went through.

Shinji had at first grew up normally with a loving mother and a caring father. One little accident shattered the world for the boy, forcing him to find running away as a mean to escape the world and its harsh reality. His mother had been torn away from him, his father had abandoned him, and he had been sent to live a man Shinji had never met—Shinji seemed to have mentioned him being his sensei. The kid lived a hard life without the love of a parent, which she was fortunate enough to have through her mother.

Now, after ten years of no contact the man who was supposed to be his father, called the boy back to pilot this gigantic beast to destroy a monster that terrorized the city. Misato frowned at the thought. The man was not fit to be a father and could make an ice cube look warm. She knew that running away was Shinji's outlet to all the pain he had suffered through while in the Eva, but it still unsettled her to know that he was emotionally unstable up to the point that he had to run away multiple times.

Then there was the Second Child. Asuka wasn't much better off. Misato had been with the child briefly while she worked in Germany and knew story quite well. Comparative to Shinji, Asuka had both parents in the beginning as well. All seemed fine, but if one looked closely, he would discover that the image of a happy family was nothing more than a lie. The truth was brought to light when an accident occurred. The young redheaded German girl had her share of torture as well. Her father didn't really love his wife or his daughter. In fact, he was involved with another woman and even had a daughter with her.

Asuka's mother was involved in a failed experiment that had driven her insane up to the point that she failed to recognize her own daughter from a doll. The insane woman became suicidal and killed herself off with the doll that she thought was her child. Young Asuka walked in on the scene of the hanging woman and doll when she came home to express the good news of becoming an elite pilot, only to find trauma and despair. Asuka was sent to live with her father and stepmother, but she knew that she was not welcomed, and most definitely not wanted. She was hardly cared for except at the beginning. In an attempt feel important and wanted, she felt the need to be the center of attention. She was not a forgotten child and prove to the world that she could be the best, but also impossible to hurt—by driving those who wish to become close to her away. With her determination, she was able to graduate college at the mere age of thirteen and the pilot with the highest synchronization ratio.

Misato saw through the girl's façade and hoped that she could do something to help her wounds heal so that she no longer had to driver others away or become the center of attention just so that she would not have to feel the pain of being forgotten.

Now that she had compared herself to these two children, she didn't feel quite as bitter toward her father as she had thought. Although he was a despicable man that drowned himself with work to avoid his family and the reality of the world, she couldn't help but admire and love him for risking his life to protect hers, so that she may live.

Misato continued to watch the sleeping teens with a warm smile before dragging her tired body to the cupboard to retrieve a blanket. After throwing the blanket over the two children, the major collapsed on the couch she had previously occupied before welcoming the darkness of sleep.

When the major awoke the next morning, she was greeted by the mouth-watering aroma of breakfast. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Misato looked down for the first time to realize that the kids had thrown the blanket she put on them, over her. She couldn't help but smile at their thoughtfulness, although they were quite difficult to handle at times. Lazily stretching as she made her way toward the kitchen, Misato plopped down on the chair in front of her and read the note beside her plate of food.

Misato,

We know how tired you've been lately and that you came home late last night. So, Shinji and I have made you some breakfast, but don't expect me to be this nice to you all the time. I will capture Kaji-san's heart one day, so stay out of my way! Oh, and incase you're wondering where we went, I'm dragging Shinji out to the mall to get him and myself some new clothes. Do you know how many sets of school uniforms he has? By the way, I want steak for dinner, so let's go to that restaurant you promised to take us to.

Asuka

Misato continued to smile and placed the note down on the table before beginning to eat her breakfast. Then suddenly a thought she never considered flashed through her mind. Tomorrow was payday.

Hmmm, I can't believe I actually created something for Evangelion. I haven't watched the series or read any fanfiction on this for years and then all of a sudden this comes out of nowhere. Heh, quite awkward huh? Anyways, I know that there probably won't be a lot of readers for this since it's general and I know a lot of people are pairing fans. This is a little idea I had for quite a while. I hope you enjoyed it, and for all those Asuka/Shinji fans, if you look closely there's a subtle hint in there somewhere ;-)