Chapter 1 "The Psychology of Everyday Life"

3/5 First Session

Freud lay back in his chair with a sigh, tired from work. He only had one more patient to go and, frankly, he thought he wouldn't make it. Especially considering who the patient was: A child no older than fourteen who was tasked with piloting a kick-ass robot to save the world from "Angels". Now Freud was never a religious man, as a matter of fact, he was quite the Atheist. But, the moment he saw one of those things come down from the sky, he had been scarred for life. He couldn't even fathom what that kid (Shinji was it?) must've gone through.

Freud pulled out a cigar; he knew he would need it.

He was contacted by Gendo Ikari (Commander of Nerv, and a cold one at that) not too long after the first angel attack. Apparently, Shinji had suffered some stress after the battle (understandable) and, because of his brilliant work in the plane of Psychology ("his" meaning, of course, Freud), Gendo "politely" asked Freud for assistance. Assistance Freud was too happy to give once he saw all the green he'd be getting from it. Not to mention the publicity. Oh! The publicity! He could already envision it in his head: "Freud, the Father of Psychology and Saviour of the World". Well, maybe he was stretching it too much. Still, nobody could blame a man for dreaming, right?

This would be his first meeting with the boy, and Freud intended to test his newest theory on him. He would use the kid as a guinea pig of sorts (with no malicious intent) to see if he was right about the "Unconscious" and his method of studying it.

What could possibly go wrong?

He heard a knock on the door as his cigar was nearly turned to mere ashes. He got up from his chair and headed for the door. He still felt quite at odds in this new study that was provided to him. He never understood Japan and its culture; they didn't even have beds for Christ's sake! The study was similar to the one he had in Germany, which helped a lot. However, he couldn't help but feel that everything was too orderly. The metallic desks didn't feel quite right and he still had to get used to sliding the door.

Freud straightened up and slid the door, revealing a short (but average for his age) brown haired kid. The kid wore a simple school uniform (maybe he was humble being the Saviour of the world and all) and could probably use some exercise, as his back didn't seem fully developed.

On Shinji's side, he was met by a rather large old man. His posture brimmed with confidence and it was really intimidating for someone as shy as him.

Shinji looked at the psychologist in the eye for a split second, before diverting his gaze to any other place in the room. Freud was both disappointed and surprised.

"Is this really humanity's only hope? The one who has to fight monsters on a daily basis can't even stare back at me for more than a second?" He thought. "This has to be a joke!" He suppressed a snort, seeing as it would only antagonize the kid, and Freud wasn't intending to start off with the wrong foot.

He instead offered the kid a warm (border lining on fake) smile.

"Hello Shinji. I've heard an awful lot of you." greeted Freud as he extended his hand. He tried to sound as warm and inviting as possible.

It seemed to work (somewhat) as the boy slowly moved his hand to shake his. He didn't look the man in the eye though, as he mouthed his "Hello".

Freud sighed inwardly. "Baby steps," he thought tiredly.

"Please come in, take a seat." Freud said, never losing his warm act.

Shinji shyly walked in looking around the room. It was decently sized. The brownish carpet on the floor complemented the red walls, which were lined with books from all ranges. It was truly incredible for Shinji to see these large amounts of books. After the Second Impact, books became rarer. The only ones that were still being mass produced were school books. Not that many people wanted to pick up reading, with the threat of the end of the world and all, but it still shocked the 14 year old to see this many books in one place.

Freud noticed that Shinji had stopped in front of one of the bookshelves and was staring at it intently. He smirked as an idea came to his mind, maybe the boy would enjoy some of this? Not many of his clients actually paid attention to those shelves. He would leave this for the end of the session, however, now he needed to check Shinji's mental state.

"Shinji," Freud called to the kid, who in turn looked back at the man startled. "Would you please lie down on that chair?" Freud asked pointing to the horizontally stretched chair covered in red blankets.

Shinji lay down, blushing as he told the psychologist "Sorry".

Freud smiled at this (albeit with a little worry) and, once he sat down, took out his notebook and a pencil. He wrote the name "Shinji" at the top of a new page and right below started taking notes of the boy's behaviour.

Once his client had settled and Freud had stopped scribbling in his notebook, Freud straightened in his chair and told the boy, "Well, Shinji, as you might already know, I'm Sigmund Freud. We'll meet every Sunday at this very hour, unless there is an emergency, in which case, we'll work it out."

Shinji simply nodded.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" Freud asked. Seeing as the kid's face was full of confusion, probably from where to start, Freud continued, "Where were you born?"

"Oh, I was born in Tokyo 03 the 6th of June. I don't remember much of my early years, except for…" Shinji stopped himself, his features darkening.

Freud moved forward, "Yes?"

Shinji hesitated.

Freud, not wanting to start off with the left foot, didn't push it further, "Don't worry. I won't push it." Shinji looked relived. Freud continued, "How long have you stayed in Tokyo 03?"

"A week at most." Shinji answered. He didn't follow up.

"I take it you have been living in another district until a week ago?" Freud asked.

"Yes, Kyoto. I've spent eleven years of my life there."

"Who took care of you?" Freud continued taking notes.

"My sensei, Eito."

"For eleven years?"

Shinji nodded.

"This isn't going to work," Freud thought. He suddenly stood up, startling the young boy. A moment later, he kneeled, levelling with the boy. "Shinji," he said as he looked at the boy in the eye. "I know that it is hard to open up to other people, but, if you really want me to help you stomach being the saviour of the world and all," he said with a playful tone while grabbing Shinji's shoulder in a friendly manner, "then I need you to cooperate." Freud continued in a serious tone. "Why don't you just talk? I won't judge you." He said while holding up his hands in mock-surrender. "I want to get to know you Shinji." Shinji felt warmth in his words. "Everything about you. What has happened to you, what you think of what has happened to you and how you feel about what has happened to you." Freud stood up and sat back on his chair. "So, why don't we start again?" He took his notes and, in a new page, wrote "Shinji" at the top.

"Tell me about you, Shinji."

Reinvigorated, Shinji started telling Freud about the eleven years he had spent in Kyoto, all the while, Freud took notes. The little boy seemed to remember those days with some melancholy. God knows what has happened in Tokyo to remember this with fondness! The boy never really lived. He spent most of his days learning from his "sensei" that, by Shinji's account, was very strict. He barely had any friends (if any) and he didn't even attend school. Most of his days consisted of waking up, studying in between meals and sleeping. At least he had picked up cooking. That skill could be useful for him in the future.

Freud noticed the clock marked it was 10:14 PM. He had been so intent on listening to Shinji speak that he didn't even notice the session was over 14 minutes ago. Shinji saw the time too, and stopped talking. His face got red and he told Freud "Sorry" while picking his things up, ready to leave.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Freud also stood up. "I was most entertained by your stories Shinji."

Shinji blushed harder.

"Say, Shinji, before you go, do you enjoy reading?" Freud asked.

"I've never read before."

"Can you read in English?" Freud asked while walking towards his bookshelves.

Shinji nodded.

"Good. I noticed that you were quite impressed by the books I own." Freud said. Shinji, in response, blushed. "Why don't you try reading this?" Freud handed Shinji a book named "Corpus Aristotelicum". "It's a collection of the work from Aristotle. I think you might enjoy it."

"Thank you very much, Mr Freud." Shinji excitedly took the book.

"Just Freud, kid. Have a good night."

"You too!" The boy said. He then left the study, not before waving goodbye at the psychologist.

Freud finally sat down, with a long sigh.

He ran his fingers through his head and fixed his gaze on the ceiling.

He had established a connection with the kid in his first meeting. That was a success in his book. However, Freud couldn't help but feel a little disappointed from finally meeting the Third Child. He wasn't strong nor did he seem confident. It was clear to him now why Gendo had been willing to offer such a large amount of money for Shinji's sessions.

Despite the kid's social ineptitude, Freud could see that the kid had a kind heart.

That night, Freud vowed to help Shinji find happiness.