A/N: Alternate-ish ending to EoE. Bear with me. And apparently we all hate Hideaki Anno?


Shinji Ikari stared into the blood-orange abyss for an eternity. A monolithic figure in the sky bore her gaze down upon him, unblinking, and unwavering. A dissonant chorus of artificial Angels circled him and the figure, like scraggy red vultures.

The godlike Rei, having merged with Lilith and Adam, repeated the words to him.

"What do you choose, Shinji?" The voice, it should've boomed out to his ears, but instead it fell like a loving whisper in the teen's ear. Said Eva Pilot shivered at the contorted words of what was once an old friend.

"Not Instrumentality… There has to be a better way…" Shinji mused, ignoring the titan behind him. He stirred and fumbled around in the orange sea, turning to face the visage of Rei.

'If I could just… Get the chance to make things right… I could stop all those needless deaths and halt all the pain… If I could get one more shot to make Rei feel loved, or to comfort Asuka… To save Kaworu…' Shinji's thoughts were a mess, and the images of his deceased friends filled his mind, almost mockingly.

"Is… Damn, was peace possible between us?" He asked the being, who appeared unfazed at his question.

"Peace is impossible between Lilin and Angels. One was bound to destroy the other. That is why the two are separately launched during the spread." The godly merge spoke. Shinji's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Then Earth was an anomaly, yes?" He asked the entity, who turned her head at the comparatively microscopic human.

"In regards to the Seeds of Knowledge and Life landing here, yes. Now, however, Earth will have another chance to grow, if you decide, Shinji." The whisper told him. Shinji's shoulders slumped as he thought harder and harder.

"But… Both Seeds landing on Earth… It was bound to happen, wasn't it?" He asked the face of Rei. The being actually took time to think upon the cosmic equation and inevitability that was both Seeds landing on a planet at once.

The face gave Shinji a look of outright confusion.

"Yes… What is your point, Shinji?" It asked of him. Shinji took a deep breath, and having had enough of wallowing in his self-deprecation, he stared unflinchingly at the monolithic Rei.

'There… There is a better way… To find what drives the Angels – to find if they contain pilots of their own, to find a way to make them stop.'

"I reject Instrumentality. I opt for a do-over." He said, simply, making his way to shore. The merged being again blankly stared at Shinji Ikari for some time, before it broke the heavy silence.

"A do-over?" It was not that well-versed in the idioms of Lilin conversation. Shinji rubbed the back of his head as he stared down at his feet.

'To find peace between our races… After all, we're not that different, genetics-wise…'

"Uh… I mean… I'd like… If you gave me the chance, I could… I could make peace with the Angels!" Shinji declared. "Rei" continued to stare, to make the teen squirm under her gaze.

"You say that you could stop the Angels from reaching Lilith and Adam - that you could make them go against their nature?" It asked him. Shinji looked down again, and a new purpose filled and energised him.

"There has to be a way. I will not stand here and wait for the world to come to me. I will not let all those senseless deaths happen, and-"

"What of Adam's vessel, Kaworu? He sought you out, befriended you, and yet still you were unable to convince him to abandon his nature." The visage interrupted back, monotonously.

'Kaworu…'

"I… I was weak! I will do better this ti-" Shinji pleaded, his anger and angst rising by the second.

"And what of Rei Ayanami? Part Lilith, she was ever-so-closer to your kind than Kaworu was, yet even she succumbed to her natu-"

'Rei… She'd been plagued with loneliness all her life…'

'No.'

'NO!' Shinji's face turned dark, and he braced his lungs for a verbal lashing.

"I WILL MAKE THINGS RIGHT! I WILL FIND A WAY TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE ANGELS!" He yelled, with all his might, to the gargantuan image of Rei. She continued to stare at him with an unwavering neutral expression.

Shinji took another breath and further braced himself.

"I WILL SAVE EVERYONE! AND I WILL NOT LET MY FRIENDS BE HURT!" He belted out of his chest, forcing his throat to vocalise until he was ragged. He stood firm against the rolling LCL tides, and huffed as "Rei" continued to stare at him.

She eventually twitched her head, indicating something had reached contact with her.

For a while, Rei continued to stare at Shinji, until a spark of life welted in her eyes.

"It appears that Those who came before us have allowed this. They will bend time and space so that you may attempt peace with Adam's kind, Shinji Ikari." The figure stated, extending it's AT Field-wings out so that it could garner the cosmic energies needed to reverse time.

As the world around Shinji began to reform, a sight it was to behold, Rei's visage met his in a grim stare.

"This world is not a perfect recreation, Shinji Ikari." She mentioned, before Shinji was swallowed whole by the raging LCL tides. His consciousness remained, despite his deformation in the rolling orange sea.

Amidst his rebirth, the Eva Pilot could only hear static, could only see white, but nonetheless was fed raw data through the life-making LCL waters.

"Two minusTwo plusDaughters of AdamContainedBeyondFirstSecondDevour…" And with that, Shinji screamed as he was born again. The voices ceased, and he was returned to an infantile state of mind.

It wasn't until his 12th birthday that he regained the memories of his past life, and there was nothing he could do to halt the merging of his mother to Eva Unit 01's core. There was nothing he could do to stop Gendo from sending him away, and he'd emotionally let go of the man.

The more he thought on it, Shinji realised that his dwelling on his father, wanting to be loved and wanting to gain acceptance was not the way to go, this time around. He would not dwell on his own pain and sadness – he had to be the change he wanted to see in the world around him.

Shinji had to help Rei with the pain she'd suffered silently.

He had to break past Asuka's aggressive shell, to help her cope with the pain of losing a mother.

Even if it meant ignoring his own, he would help the others with his pain. To gain their love and acceptance, he would sacrifice that much and more.

So that was it – no more "father", and no more meandering in his self-worthlessness.

At least not until he was sure the world would be saved.

Shinji Ikari took it upon himself to hone his body for the responsibilities ahead, assuming this future would play out mostly the same, and thus devised a workout routine, along with a diet, to prepare for what the new future held.

He also investigated a part-time job, to earn a little extra pocket money, and bought some swimming lessons.

'I might as well make this existence easier on myself… I could buy some new furniture, or even rent out my own apartment when I get to Tokyo-3…' The boy reborn thought.

Years passed, and he came to the age of 14, deep in thought as he was brought into a psychologist's office.

'This was the guy who forwarded my psyche profile to NERV…' Shinji mused inwardly. He intentionally led the doctor to relaying that he had depression. It was all part of the Evangelion Program – that the pilot's had to be 14 year olds, and that they had to be, at their cores, broken.

Reporting back to NERV that Shinji was perfectly healthy would be a problem. Gendo would have no use for a pilot with a healthy, non-manipulable mindset.

So, beyond his goals, Shinji gave the impression of what he'd been in his previous lifetime.

In the end, it worked. Although, not until much later.

2 more years passed, bringing his and the other, capable pilot's ages to 16. Despite his fears of the Third Angel's attack and the possible absence of a letter requesting his presence, he continued to improve himself. He eventually took some driving lessons, despite his age.

After all, life after Second Impact didn't hold much care for the preservation of life. Especially in teenage minds. Despite it not being legal, Shinji managed to find a suitable instructor away from his appointed guardian at the time.

Shinji also took up coding as practice for when the 11th Angel would attack. For that beast, he knew at least he had a chance of communication if he could speak its "language".

A chord of worry struck the teenage boy as the date he'd predicted the Angel would attack passed over him, and it was only on the same day, 2 years later, that his father had reached out to him with a simple letter, via Misato.

And so it was that Shinji packed his things, and went, intent on not wasting any time.

He took the trains, and shuttled himself into an evacuating city, as soon as he received his letter.

Sachiel had risen from the depths, and brought with it horror unseen for 17 years. Shinji smiled at the thought of NERV staff and JSSDF forces rushing through the former's offices, attempting to stall the advance of the Angel with everything they had.

(…)

"It's been 17 years, hasn't it?" Kozo asked his pupil, worry not evident in his physical features, but marring his mind. Gendo nodded his head, his hands intertwined, hiding his face from view.

"Yes, yes it has."

"God damn it, Ikari! Where's the third EVA pilot!? Our ground forces are barely halting this thing's walk, and Tokyo-3 is left defenceless until your new kid is here!" The acting commander of the JSSDF called to the stoic-faced stonewall that was Gendo Ikari.

He pushed his glasses, just a little up the bridge of his nose.

"He will come. Keep the assault on; don't let it get a minute to breathe." Gendo ordered, knowing full well said order would be taken on as a suggestion. The JSSDF commander growled under his breath and directed his forces with a remote headset.

(…)

Shinji's strides became long and fast, and he fastened his bags straps as Misato Katsuragi came speeding around the corner. He held his hands up and yelled something wordless at her. The NERV captain slammed the brakes on her car, and the brown-haired would-be saviour-of-humanity didn't waste a second getting into her car.

"Drive. Now." Shinji barked at her, with a worried expression. With that, Misato reversed and sped back down the way she came, narrowly avoiding a beam of rebar which slammed down behind her car.

'God damn. Shockwaves from the VTOL's… They're not doing anything to the Angel!' She thought, mind set on speeding towards HQ.

'I've saved about… 2 hours' time. The UN hasn't made use of the N2 mine, yet.' He thought to himself, trying to steel his nerves as the titan's steps quaked the earth.

"I'm Captain Misato Katsuragi. You can call me Misato for now, I'll properly introduce myself once-"

"Once the unholy alien giant raiding the city is dead, I understand completely." Shinji said with a short laugh, making Misato smile, despite the tenseness of the scenario. He sighed as they rounded the winding streets, and picked up the manual Misato had in a compartment of her car, trying to see if he'd missed anything since the last time he was with her.

'I can't let her know my secret. Not yet. I'll do it when I've tried contacting the Angel…' He mused, inwardly – thinking on how he'd be able to do such with the big bad baddy currently looming towards the GeoFront.

He knew why it was so intent on reaching the expanse. It wanted Lilith. The instinct to drive it only gave it the direction and the means to do so. Shinji didn't even know if the being could think, let alone communicate with him.

'If you can even talk… Just know that I'm willing to give you a chance before I must kill you.' The now-Pilot Ikari sent thoughts the beast's way, and for a split second, he swore he could see Sachiel's contorted visage snap a look at him.

The second after, it was back on its path to the GeoFront.

(…)

Shinji led Misato silently through the HQ's tunnels, after she realised she didn't know the way around her workplace. She kept her mouth shut as she imagined that Shinji just… had the instinct on where to go.

They found an elevator, and rose up to meet the down-looking face of Gendo Ikari. The Commander of NERV held no emotion as he spoke towards his son. He was, however, taken aback to see that his son didn't even flinch or awe or… do something at the sight of the biological behemoth in front of him.

"Shinji. It's been a…" His words died in his throat as his son emotionlessly strode onto the scaffold which led to the Entry Plug.

"Hand me the Neural Clips, and hurry up. There's no time to waste." Shinji said, feigning ignorance of his father's words, and holding his hand out to a technician near the Plug. The technician handed Shinji the A10 Neural Clips, and Shinji threw the headpiece on, before sitting in at the helm.

Gendo shook his head and quietly cleared his throat.

"Hm. Alright, then. Engineering, prepare to mobilise Eva Unit 01!" He yelled to the shocked crew.

(…)

Shinji sighed, feeling the old platform back in his grasp. He had to forgo the Plugsuit to save time.

As the Entry Plug slid into the spinal cord of Eva-01, the neural presence of the beast surrounded him, and he shivered.

'I mustn't run away.'

The overbearing breaths of the lumbering titan he was encased in served to make him fear, to make him worry. But he squashed those emotions and focussed his mind on the mission.

'I must save everyone.'

He closed his eyes, and drowned out any chatter he heard over the communicators. He then felt the heavy ascension up to the surface of Tokyo-3.

"EVA Launch!"

'I… I will save everyone.'

At the time of his eyes shuttering, he saw a vast expanse of blackness appear in front of him, as if in a barren world of nothingness. It was there he could barely make an outline of two people, vaguely feminine.

'M-mother…'

(…)

"Doc-DOCTOR! Come and have a look at these Sync Rate readings!" Shigeru Aoba reported to Ritsuko Akagi. She rushed to the screen readings and adjusted her glasses.

"I'm… I'm seeing things, aren't I?" She whispered to herself. Gendo viewed the screen from afar, like a hawk, and inwardly balked at his son's synchronicity with his EVA.

"It's… jumping from 900% to 1000%." Makoto Hyuga said, double-checking his co-worker's monitor.

"And no damn Plugsuit!? Are you sure our readings aren't off!?" Maya Ibuki asked, trying at first by herself to locate the source of any bugs in the NERV systems.

"Get me a visual of the cockpit, NOW!" Ritsuko yelled, and as the dull screen showed itself, her heart leapt in her chest. Shinji was staring directly out of the eyes of the EVA – they had reached beyond perfect sync, without the young boy dissolving into the life-giving waters of LCL.

His eyes were green, just like 01's, and every twitch of skin he made, the EVA mimicked perfectly. As Shinji was drawn out of his trance, the Sync Rate dropped dramatically, and he lurched forward to catch his breath in the flooding container of LCL.

"Shinji! Pilot Ikari, come in!" Misato gained contact with Shinji once more, and noticed him stir. He smiled at the screen and chuckled.

"Let's get to it. Send everything else back, they'll only get in the way!" Shinji demanded, as it was as much as he could do. The EVA pilot decided that any unnecessary deaths were just that – unnecessary. He would save all that he could.

The remaining forces evacuated the danger zone, and left the Angel to stare dumbly at the equally tall giant that was Evangelion Unit 01. The fleshy, titanic cyborg growled.

(…)

"Shinji's Sync Rate is still astronomical, especially for a first-time pilot. He's keeping steady at 95%. He and the Eva are practically one and the same!" Maya Ibuki said as she forwarded the information to her immediate superiors.

Gendo watched his son, and quelled the pang of worry he felt bubble inside of him. His face remained in an impassive, grim line.

"What is the Angel doing?" Gendo called. Visuals were gained as two massive monitors gave two separate vantage points of the battle that was about to unfold.

"The Angel appears to be stationary. I think… I think it's staring down Eva Unit 01, s-sir." Aoba called out to the Commander, who didn't even nod back to him.

"Pilot Ikari, attack the Angel." Gendo wasn't sure how Shinji knew what to do, how he knew how to pilot the Eva, let alone reach such incredibly high rates of synchronicity. He wasn't about to let the use of this run out prematurely, however, so he sought to command his son as if he'd been piloting for years.

Shinji heard the command, and switched off communications with NERV HQ, severing his video link with the base. His audio feed remained active, however.

He cleared his throat.

"Angel!" The sound came out through exterior broadcasters on Eva-01's armour, yet Sachiel remained impassive. Shinji then further removed the audio feed on his Plug.

'Sachiel…' A voice in the LCL whispered to him. Shinji's became alert and fearful of the voice, yet still kept his gaze forward towards the unmoving Angel.

"S-Sachiel!" Shinji called out to it, and the lumbering alien beast blinked. It tilted its otherwise motionless head.

'It responds only to its name in this form.' The voice called again. Shinji nodded to whatever it was, despite the chill running up his spine, and pressed forward towards the now-named Third Angel.

'Crack the core. There… find… commune…' The voice began whispering way into nothingness, and Shinji was left to actually fight against the Angel one more time. He and the Eva roared as one with a leaping charge at the third Angel. Sachiel was too slow to move, and was pinned down by Eva-01, despite its struggles.

Shinji's Sync Rate rose as combat came to him.

(…)

"Good god… His rate's rising again! 150%!" Shigeru called again, desperately trying to reconnect to Shinji's video feed.

"Ritsuko… If Shinji gets injured in that thing, what will happen to him?" Misato asked, deeply afraid for the boy's safety – for he was still just that – a boy. Ritsuko shook her head and looked down at the ground in sheer disconnect.

"I don't want to know, and I pray we don't end up knowing what happens, Misato." She said, watching as Eva-01 successfully pinned Sachiel down.

(…)

Eva-01 drew its Progressive Knife, and expertly wrapped it's invisible AT-Field around the blade, before striking it down up on the wildly writhing Angel. Silently, and coldly, the knife cut the Angel's arms at the shoulder, leaving nothing but a kicking and roaring beast beneath.

That was when Shinji heard a cry behind him. He turned his head, green eyes present yet again, and saw a familiar face.

It was Toji's sister, Sakura, and she appeared to be shocked frozen, staring endlessly at the duelling titans. Shinji shook his head and growled.

"Run! GET OUT OF HERE!" He tried getting the girl to move, but nothing seemed to work.

Sachiel saw its opponents opening, and took a shot. It charged a red beam of light from its eye sockets and fired directly at Eva-01's chest-plating, intent on destroying the cyborg giant's own power source.

Shinji and the Eva roared together as pure, unbridled pain shot through them both – enough to initiate a pre-berserk state. It thrashed its metal draped fists into the quickly brutalised flesh of Sachiel in retaliation.

Shinji snarled and drove his hands to Sachiel's "face", attempting to rip it off. In their state, the pilot and the cyborg didn't want to kill the Angel – they simply wanted to cause it pain. Slowly regenerated, Sachiel shot forth a recreated arm into Eva-01's, breaking it with a mighty force.

Blood rushed to Shinji's forehead as he fought his body's urge to collapse. Another primal, ripping roar screamed from Eva-01, snapping its jaw-braces. Shinji and the Eva latched their mouth around Sachiel's flesh, and dug in.

(Back at NERV)

"He's… Shinji's gone berserk!" Ritsuko announced, the bridge workers confirming her statement. Misato turned to Gendo with a dangerously worried look.

"Sir, he's just a child, we have to disable the plug before he damages himself!" Said Misasto, her voice shaking at the horror of the sights.

Gendo's mouth stood slightly agape, and anxiety flared with him at his son's condition. Despite all that had occurred, despite how he appeared to others, his son's safety close to the top of his priorities.

Bringing Yui back was first,

Shinji's wellbeing was second,

And humanity could take third spot, for all he cared.

Despite all this, his son had use as a pilot, and he'd be damned if that talent of Shinji's was for nothing.

"Not yet. Override his communications and re-establish a link. Make sure to keep every camera we have centred on him and the Angel." The NERV commander ordered. The colour drained from Misato's face.

"S-sir, he's your child!"

"That was an order, Captain." Gendo reprimanded her, letting the tiniest break in his voice become audible.

(Tokyo-3)

The Angel was left defenceless, and despite every sign and signal urging it to suicide bomb the aggressor, it couldn't muster the energy to do so. It simply lied there as Eva-01 tore into it, eventually snapping off one of its ribs to drive deep into the core.

'Core! …STOP!'

With that Shinji regained control. Angel flesh fell from Eva-01's mouth, and Shinji was able to taste it all. Resisting the urge to vomit, he violently plucked Sachiel's blood-red core from the shreds of its remains.

Evangelion Unit 01 cradled the core close to itself, and witnessed what lied within it.

'This… This is… Is this what all Angels contain?' Shinji thought, his hands shaking violently as he bore witness to the rocked, pained form of a human-looking woman who slept in the core of the Angel.

'Tear it open. Consume the remains. Initiate contact.' The LCL voice whispered. In time with another, Shinji and the Eva shaped their AT Fields around their fingers, deftly piercing the core of the Angel, yet leaving its "pilot" intact.

The passenger within the core was plucked out, and the remains were consumed, much to the disgust of Shinji. He bit back the bile, and finally swallowed the fleshy, spherical core.

He needed to make peace with the Angels, one way or the other.

But if he couldn't, then he'd need an S2 core, or an S2 engine to fight the Angels.

He took note of the human-looking… Angel? What was she? He could clearly tell that whatever she was, she only appeared to be a few years, if any, older than Shinji.

The Eva cradled the woman in his arms, and returned to the bowels of the GeoFront.

(…)

"Communications re-established!"

"Captain, please explain to me what the hell the Third Child just did." Kozo Fuyutsuki asked of his subordinate, Misato. She couldn't believe the horrific sight herself, so she turned slowly to her superior officer and shrugged.

"Shinji- The-the… They just killed and ate the Angel, C-Commander…" She managed to whisper out.

NERV's very first opportunity to prove the Evangelion series in combat, and they flourished.

"Hey… Did you guys see him use the Knife? How… How did he even know to use that?" Shigeru asked, as flabbergasted as anyone. Maya looped and replayed some footage showing Shinji's extensive use of the weapon.

"He was even able to mould his AT Field around the blade to make it strike deeper and cut cleaner." Maya said, before emptying the contents of her stomach within a nearby bin. She didn't know whether it was just nerves, or the fact that the beast NERV had built had just torn open and ate an Angel.

"What is he carrying?" Gendo asked, overwhelmed with relief that his son appeared to be okay, if he could tell properly from the open video screen.

"It appears to be a person, sir." A tech called out, as the main camera feed zoomed in on Eva-01's cradled palm. Shinji stared at the video monitor which connected him to NERV HQ.

"Prepare another space at the medical wing. And Commander?" Shinji asked, staring at his monitor as if to stare directly into his father's eyes. Gendo held back a flinch, appearing not to emote at all.

"Yes?"

"I need to speak to you. Make room in your schedule for me." Shinji said with a bitter laugh. Gendo did naught but a nod as his son's communication went dark for a moment.

(Later…)

Shinji placed the "woman" in care of NERV's medical staff, praying that they wouldn't yet discover her true origin.

Misato led Shinji to the Commander's Office, and upon arriving at the door, it swung open. It was being held by Gendo's hand.

"Thank you, Captain. That will be all." Blinking at the Commander's actions, Misato let Shinji enter, and stood at the door, even as it closed.

Shinji sighed and ignored the bloody smell of the LCL staining his body. He also bit back more vomit at the memory of Lilith, bleeding out a lake of the stuff for NERV's use. Gendo sat at his desk, before motioning for Shinji to sit down.

"I assume this is of vital importance, Third Child. My time is valuable." The Commander stated. It was cold, yes, but there were hidden eyes and ears all around his room.

Especially SEELE's.

"I'm sure it is, Commander." Shinji spat back at him, thinly veiling his rage. The thoughts of abandonment, social isolation, and awkward alienation of his early years came back to him, but they were shot down the moment they crept up.

"I need absolute confidentiality in the matters I'm about to discuss." Shinji said, dropping the angry act. Gendo took a look at the resolve in his son's eyes, and nodded. He held a button on his desk and cleared his throat.

"Ritsuko."

"Yes, Commander?"

"My fingers ache. Could you please send some balm up?"

"Of course, Commander."

And with that, a short, high-pitched whine rang throughout the office. As it ended, small pops could be heard, along with sizzling. The smoke of burnt electronics filled the area and dissipated quickly. Shinji laughed as he realised what his father had done.

"Your fingers ache?" He asked Gendo, who unfurled said fingers and smiled slightly.

"It was Ritsuko's idea. Utter a phrase I would never say to short-circuit all devices in my office. Useful to deter prying eyes." The man explained, sighing and sliding down in his chair.

"We have 5 minutes to talk before those devices restart. Whatever you want to talk about, do it now." Gendo went back to his commanding voice. Shinji nodded and breathed deeply. He needed to talk fast, but clearly.

"I won't bullshit, then. I was reborn with the memories of the future." Shinji said. His father simply stared at him, a disbelieving gaze boring into Shinji's eyes.

"Prove it."

"Misato was recently signed on. You have another patient in the medical wing called Rei. She's actually a clone of my mother, mixed with Lilith's DNA. Lilith's body is also kept in Central Dogma. I was able to achieve such high Sync Rates and pilot the Eva so well because I've been inside it before." Shinji said quickly. He needed help from the highest point in the chain of NERV, and to do so, he needed them to believe him.

"…"

"Do you need anything else? The reason you abandoned me was to find a way to bring back mother. You couldn't bear to live without her, so you left me and were forced to work with SEELE to do it." Said the Third Child, his heart beating wildly as he controlled his rage again.

With the silence in the office, the boy could swear he heard something drip.

"Not enough!? Ryoji Kaji has the embryo of Adam, and he's going to deliver it to Japan about… Two months from now. SEELE also has a human vessel that contains Adam's Soul, like how Rei contains fragments of Lilith's." Shinji went on. His father held a hand up.

They had 3 minutes left.

"I believe you." Gendo took his glasses off, and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his coat.

"Of course I believe you, Shinji. You're my son." He said with a smile. Shinji was taken aback at the words. He had never, ever, ever heard Gendo mention anything that even implied the two were related…

'What… What the hell?' The Third Child thought.

"So… You're from the future." He said, rather rushed. Shinji nodded.

"I have the memories of my past self." The boy clarified. Gendo nodded, and spent a few seconds asking himself the important questions he needed to ask his son.

"What happened?" It was a simple, yet layered question. The Eva pilot cringed as the memories hit him.

"15 Angels attacked us, one by one, and Third Impact occurred when Rei managed to merge with Lilith and Adam, and when SEELE deployed their Mass Production Evas. I tried to stop them with Unit 01, but I was crucified and used to create the Tree of Life." Said Shinji, condensing as much as he could.

"What happened to the NERV? The other pilots? Did… Was I able to see Yui again?" Gendo pressed on.

Two minutes remained.

"SEELE deployed a mercenary group to assault NERV so that we'd be crippled when Third Impact was initiated. They saw you as a liability when you'd completed your tasks." He said, wiping away his own tears at the losses of life.

"The Second Child, Asuka, was overpowered, torn apart, and eaten by the Mass Production Evas. The Fourth Child, a student from my class… You forced me to kill him when the 13th Angel infected his Eva Unit. The Fifth Child, Kaworu – he contained Adam's soul. And I… I was forced to end his life." Shinji went on, tears pouring freely as his voice never wavered, recalling the events with perfect detail.

"And… You saw her. I guess it'd all been worth it for ya, right?" Chuckled the boy, not an essence of mirth in his words. Gendo nodded at the influx of information, before beginning to quietly sob.

"I'm… I'm sorry that happened…" He said, staring into the pained eyes of his son. Shinji was once again taken aback by his father's words. The young teen stared into his father's own tortured eyes.

"I… I tried to do what I could. I wanted Yui back for the both of us, Shinji…" He let a chuckle out at a memory of the three of them going out for lunch. He then shook his head.

"When you were born… I cried. I love you, and when Yui and I held you… I thought there was nothing we couldn't achieve together. That me and your mother would save you from the hell of the world after Second Impact." He said, smiling at the son who stared back, shocked beyond anything.

"When Yui gave herself to the core, I thought that I couldn't… That I couldn't do it by myself. I couldn't have given you the love you deserved. And when I sent you away, I lost another piece of myself. I made bringing Yui back my top priority, so that we could…" He lost himself to sobs, unable to face his son.

"I thought I could make us a family again. But… It's clear I failed." Gendo said, bring his teary gaze back into his son's own.

"I failed you. And I failed your mother, too. All I've done is sully her legacy and betray the two of you." Gendo Ikari, Commander of NERV, admitted. The man shook his head, and carefully cleared his tears away.

"I am sorry, Shinji."

They had 30 seconds left. Shinji was silent, for an eternity it seemed, as his tears flowed without resistance. The boy stood, emotions flaring within him, and breathed.

"There's more to discuss. We should meet at mother's grave a few days from now." Shinji said, and as the devices kicked on, and as Gendo fixed his appearance back up, the teenager looked back at his dad, no longer seeing the villainous monster that pervaded his existence and ruined his life.

He saw a human, instead.

"Listen… I'm not ready to forgive you. You've caused me a lot of pain, in both lifetimes… But I'm willing to give the father I have in this life another chance." Shinji said, smiling at his dad. Gendo took his time to be shocked at his son's words, and smiled inwardly at the close of the door.

'Let's hope, Yui…'

(At the Medical Wing)

Shinji sat at the sleeping Rei's side, and inwardly chastised himself.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Rei. I was a terrible friend, if you could even call me that. All the time I spent complaining, I didn't realise how the people around me suffered so badly." He whispered. She appeared to stir, making it apparent that her sleep was getting deeper, and more recuperative.

Shinji shyly kissed the top of her head, and a ghost of a smile appeared on Rei's lips.

"I'm going to change that in this timeline, though. I'm going to make sure you, Asuka, Kaworu… I'm going to make sure you all survive, and that we all work our problems out, together…" Said the pilot, before softly squeezing the First Child's hand. Little did he know that he was being monitored.

(Deeper within NERV)

Ritsuko stared into the security cameras, and smiled at the boy's actions, even if his words were odd.

'Timeline? What does he mean?' But despite it, the doctor noticed that Rei had entered REM sleep. This was odd for the clone, as the fragments of Lilith's soul that resided in her prevented such rest.

It even halted Rei from dreaming.

As Shinji left the view of her camera, Rei soon fell back into NREM sleep, and stirred once more. Ritsuko's eyes widened, and she sighed, rubbing her temples softly.

"This Third Child is going to be a pain." Muttered the tired doctor.

(Not long after…)

Shinji overlooked the quietly sleeping remnant of the Angel Sachiel. She was clad in a patient gown, and appeared to be wincing in pain. Shinji held her hand softly, like with Rei's, and made sure no one was within earshot.

"Who, or whatever you are, I hope we can have the chance to talk. I don't want to fight you, and I don't want to hurt you." He whispered in her ear. As this happened, Shinji felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What's her condition?" His father asked of him. Shinji pulled out her patient notes at the end of her bed, and read on.

"She's stable, but exhausted. She's also sustained minor damage which reflects the damage I inflicted on the Angel…" Shinji reported back, sensing his father nodding behind him.

"Sachiel?" Gendo asked his son.

"Y-yes. A voice told me the Angel's name." The Third Child confirmed, looking a bit worried.

"A voice? In the LCL?"

"…I think so." At this, Gendo became quiet.

"Could it have been Yui?"

"N-… No. It didn't sound like her."

"Hm. Investigate to see if you can contact that voice once more. We will run some tests tomorrow, have you training in the Test Evas and Unit-01, to see if makes any difference." Gendo mentioned offhandedly. Shinji nodded again, and his father turned to leave.

Before he did, he angled a stare back at the troubled teen.

"And… Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you find that girl?" The commander asked. Shinji tapped something on his phone, and showed it to his father, whose eyes widened considerably. He lost his voice in his throat and finally nodded.

"Oh."

"Keep this under wraps for now. I don't want your friends to find out about her origins." The boy muttered under his breath.

"Of course. But it will eventually come to light."

"And I'll be the one to make it so. But only when we have enough power to defend against any unwanted company." Shinji uttered, just a bit lower than before.

With his newfound knowledge, and foothold back into humanity, Gendo set off with a determined smile. Shinji squeezed the angelic woman's hand tightly just as he left.

He made his way out of NERV to the car trains, and met his old guardian, Misato. He smiled at her, and didn't notice the tiny blush that flushed on her cheeks.

"Good evening, Shinji. I assume the Commander told you that'd we'd be bunking together?" She said from the driver's seat of her car.

"Yes, ma'am." He teased her, walking around to the front passenger's seat without invitation.

"Don't say that! Makes me sound old…" She whined indignantly at Shinji's hearty chuckle.

"I'm only teasing, Misato. Are we going to the market before we head to your place?" The boy asked. She nodded and his shoulders relaxed noticeably.

The car was transported out from the GeoFront, and Misato's phone rang on the way.

"Hmm? Oh, hi Ritsuko…" The captain began. Shinji slid back in his seat and began drifting off to sleep, the sound of Misato's lovely voice lulling him to dreamland.

"Yes, I'm taking care of him now…" He then heard Ritsuko's garbled voice burble back worriedly.

"I'm a perfectly capable guardian, and I'm insulted that you would think otherwise! Besides, it's not like I'm going to put the moves on him…" She teased both her friend and her new charge, who was sleeping like a baby, covered in the blood of its evolutionary Mother.

Shinji let a smile out as he heard Ritsuko's screaming, outraged reply. It seemed like the good doctor had a soft spot for him he didn't realise. Misato held the phone away from her ear and winced at the volume of her friend.

"Geez! Some people just can't take a joke, right, Shinji?" She asked the sleeping boy, who chuckled.

(Some minutes later)

They had arrived at the supermarket and, using his hard-earned cash, Shinji bought some supplies for cooking actual food, as the memories of Misato's own brand of nightmarish cookery still haunted him.

He ignored the chatter, and yawned as his food supplies were processed by the equally tired cashier.

Misato noticed that despite Shinji's impassive, even slightly happy exterior, he was suppressing demons. She'd heard only utterances of the Contact Experiment involving his mother, but beyond that, there was more threading through his troubled mind.

He had the thousand-yard stare of a war veteran who'd seen his friends murdered, because that was what he'd seen.

Shinji suppressed his own thoughts. His friends had died, but they were back. He'd bring them to safety, and they'd all be happy, without the need for Human Instrumentality.

"Hm? Misato, are you okay?" He asked the woman, who looked equally tired. She shook her head out of those endlessly depressing thoughts and nodded to the boy.

"Yeah, Shinji. Just been a long day." She lied. Idle thoughts led to remembering horrors.

The two departed, and were back in Misato's relatively undamaged car again.

As the tired Third Child leant back in his seat and stared at the road, Misato squirmed in her seat.

"Something wrong?"

"Just… How did you learn to pilot like that, Shinji? Our records show that you've never stepped foot in a simulation room, and you've had no prior conditioning for piloting the Eva… I'm just… And how did you know where to attack on the Angel?" Pressured the Operations Director. Shinji stared out the front window of the car for a few seconds.

"You neutralised the damn thing before it had a chance to explode, and saved the city a lot of damage! You fought like you've had years in the damn thing… Just… What's going on!?" She yelled out to him. Shinji sighed, and sat up in his seat.

"What I tell you must remain between us." Shinji pleaded with the woman, who nodded frantically.

"Of course, just please, give me some answers!"

"I mean it. If you leak anything to the wrong person, then it means I'll be captured and interrogated for the rest of my natural born life." Shinji uttered darkly. Misato was taken aback, but pressured on, nonetheless.

"I promise on my father's grave that what we discuss will stay between us." She said. Shinji knew how much her old man meant to her. He nodded.

"I was able to pilot the Eva so well because I've been inside it before."

"You snuck in to NERV HQ without anyone noticing?"

"No. I was reborn with the memories of my past self."

"What!? Is this some kind of joke to you?" Misato yelled at the boy as she slammed the brakes on her car. Shinji growled at her as anger flared in his heart.

"I SAW MY FRIENDS DIE! I HEARD ASUKA'S SCREAMS AS SHE WAS TORN APART AND EATEN! I WAS FORCED TO MURDER THE TWO CLOSEST FRIENDS I'D EVER HAD!" He yelled back at her, tears flowing once more. He calmed himself down and wept.

"So, n-no. It's not a fucking joke to me." Misato shrunk in her seat at the backlash of her accusation. She could see in his eyes now that the pain was very, very real for him.

"You know Asuka…" Misato mumbled after a while. Shinji sighed shakily, getting his emotions back under control.

"Yeah. She was loud, rude, and constantly belittled me. But I considered her a friend…" The two sat in the car for a good, long while. Misato's breathing was uneven, and shaky, and her thoughts raced to find a suitable question that wouldn't aggravate the scarred teen.

"How much do you know?" She asked him.

"I know that your father saved you from Second Impact. You two didn't get along well, but he loved you, no matter what. And he sacrificed himself so that you could live. And it's tearing you up inside, even now." Shinji muttered. Misato's heart leapt in her chest, not for the first time today, as tears began to prick at her eyes.

"So… You… You must really be from the future, then. What happens to us?" She asked, worriedly. Shinji sighed, depressively, at being forced to explain the entire situation again. He gave his best condensed version, and Misato's eyes went wide in shock, again, not for the first time today.

"We all die." Misato confirmed. Shinji nodded again.

"I don't plan on letting that happen now." The Third Child told her, with as much determination as he could put into his voice. Misato looked at the boy in shock, again.

"What?"

"You heard me. I am going to make sure that no one dies now. I will make sure that every tortured soul I meet will be healed. I will ignore my own pain to help them through theirs."

"And I will make peace with the Angels." Shinji muttered. Misato jolted in her seat at this.

"WHAT!?"

"You heard me, Misato. The woman I brought in to the medical wing today was found in the core of the Angel I fought. I assume she's part of it, like how a Pilot runs the Eva. I plan to make contact with her when she wakes up."

"You can't be serious!"

"I am, Misato. I will do whatever I can to prevent Third Impact from occurring, even if it means working with the enemy." The Third Child said, with an absolute tone. Misato nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to change his mind.

"Shinji?"

"Yeah?"

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry that you had to experience that." She said, tightly gripping the steering wheel of her car. Shinji smiled.

"Thanks, Misato." And with that, the two drove off to their new apartment.

(Some minutes later)

Shinji arrived, and smiled at Misato's dirty-as-hell apartment.

"Yeah… Sorry about the mess…" She mumbled, rubbing the back of her head. As she went to sit down, and crack open yet another beer, Shinji plucked it from her hands.

"New rule in this house. Before you drink, you clean." Shinji said with a devlish smile. Misato growled at him deeply.

"You can't do this, you know, I'm the adult!" She bit back. Shinji just shrugged his shoulders and maintained his shit-eating grin.

"This place was continuously a sty last time. This time, I'm going to try and keep it clean." Misato groaned indignantly at the commanding boy, and slid off her chair. She came to him with some garbage bags, and they started cleaning the place up.

"I'll draw up a chore plan, and I'll update when Asuka gets here." The young teen mentioned, as they finalised cleaning the apartment.

"Asuka will be staying here?" The Operations Director asked her new charge, who nodded as he went to the small kitchen and prepared himself, Misato, and Pen-Pen a meal.

"Yep. She'll be a real pain in the ass, don't worry. And when she does get here, can you make sure she doesn't steal my room?" Shinji asked.

"She steals your room?"

"Yeah, and I spend the rest of my days sleeping in that shitty closet over there." The Third Child said, motioning to the room next to his. Misato shrugged her shoulders, and decided to tease the poor boy.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure that after a few days you two will be staying in the same room." She began.

"Huh?"

"Oh yes. A charmer like you will have no trouble seducing our little German sourpuss. You two will be in bed together before you know it!" The woman teased, making Shinji blush and stammer out his next response.

"Th-that's lewd! I'd never… Me and Asuka are just incompatible!" He yelled back. Misato giggled at his suffering.

"You'll surprise yourself, Shinji. If you do actually manage to help these girls through their problems, they'll be more than indebted to you." The woman's tone went serious. Shinji shook his head as the scent of fish and curry wafted through the apartment.

"I don't want them to date me because they feel obligated. I just want to be their friend." He replied, softly.

"You give yourself too little credit, Mister Ikari. When they all get to know you, they'll all want a piece of you." The woman went back to teasing, and Shinji sighed.

'She hasn't changed a bit.' He thought with a small smirk. After Pen-Pen revealed himself, Shinji gave the bird a hug, and presented him with a meal, making it a very happy pet.

Then, after dinner, Shinji dumped his things in his room and went to bathe. He was alone with thoughts for so long, it felt, and sunk deeper into the water as it removed any traces of LCL from his body, or hair.

The cleansing element of the bath dulled his senses, and the boy couldn't hear what his new guardian was saying.

"Shinji? You in there? It's just that I need to-" She open the bathroom door without consideration of its resident, and balked at the sight of the incredibly toned, well-endowed, 16 year old "boy" that was casually laying the tub before her.

His eyes were closed, and in his ears were waterproof earbuds, connected to his SDAT player. It was only after a minute of near-silence did he notice the shocked-solid NERV Operations Director, eating him alive with her eyes.

"Hm? What the- MISATO! GET OUT OF HERE!" He pushed the intruding woman out of the bathroom, not noticing the small trickle of blood leaking out of her nose. He sat his back against the bathroom door, before hearing the woman scramble back into her room.

(Some minutes later)

Shinji was dressed in his sleeping clothes, and held his phone out in front of him, checking his bank account balance.

"Market purchase… NERV payment? What the hell?" The message that came with the large transaction made Shinji's chest drop.

"To Shinji, from Gendo Ikari… "For keeping the world safe. This is monthly." …Holy shit!" Shinji yelled out, already liking this existence more than his previous one.

With this new income, he could afford a brand-new car within two months…

The boy pumped his chest with his fist to keep himself from passing out.

"Shinji? Everything okay in there?" His guardian called.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm… I'm… I'm just fucking great." The boy yelled back.

(…)

It was finally bed time, and Shinji smiled to himself as he stared up at the familiar ceiling.

He could still hear the footsteps and some people chattering outside, and he was keen for many, many hours of sleep. He'd be starting school tomorrow, and the next Angel would appear soon after that.

He thought on Kensuke, Toji, Hikari – his friends. If his father had changed the way he acted in this timeline, who was to say his friends from his previous life wouldn't be any different? Already, his world was changing around him, and despite the crushing pit of loneliness he couldn't quell inside him, he was determined to move on and to heal others.

He smiled to himself as he closed his eyes, and began resting easily. Only after a few minutes did he hear gentle sobs emanating from Misato's room. He sighed and got out of bed. He carefully went to the woman's messy room and opened the door.

"Sh-Shinji! What are you doing here? Is there something wrong?" She asked him, quickly hiding her tears in the moonlight. Shinji put his finger to his lips in an suggestion to shush her. He climbed in her bed and hugged around her waist.

"Shinji! This is wrong!" The woman said, trying to distance herself from the boy.

"Misato." He said, stopping her.

"Just rest, okay? I won't try anything. I just want to help, remember?" The Third Child mentioned. Misato turned her back to him, and he took the invitation, wrapping his arms around her, protectively.

She silently wept in his grasp, and he stayed up the entire night, soothing her with sweet words and gentle hums. After a while, he began rubbing her back, and Misato fell to sleep with the smallest of smiles on her face.

Shinji smiled to her, and noticed the time, before cursing. He didn't bother moving himself that night, and instead stayed by his guardian's side, soon getting to sleep himself.

And for once, Misato's dreams didn't replay the nightmare that was her father saving her from the horrors of the Second Impact.


A/N: Yes, I break canon. Shut up. I care, but I don't want to waste valuable wordspace.