Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, or anything affiliated with it.

Authors Warning: From this point on the story will start to diverge from the original story line, you have been warned.

Evangelion Redux: Eden of Eve

Episode 2: After the Battle

"Wha?" Shinji moaned as he slowly awoke from a deep slumber. After taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light he took in his surroundings. The first thing his mind noted was the fact that he was lying in a bed under a pure white sheet, his head propped on top of a flat pillow. He absently took note of the various medical tools, and health monitors that surrounded the bed. "Where am I?" Shinji thought as he focused his empty gaze on the pure white ceiling above him. Shinji inwardly groaned and couldn't help but feel slightly depressed due to the fact that he was in an unfamiliar place once again.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling," Shinji groused as he continued to stare at the wall, his coal black eyes holding no emotion and his slender face set in a completely neutral expression. Suddenly his mind was filled with the images of the battle that had occurred only minutes before. His eyes widened considerably and his mouth hung agape as the scenes played through his minds eye without pause. The memories reminded him of how terrifying the experience had been, and he could feel his arms start to shake violently.

"Why couldn't it just be a dream?" Shinji asked himself as he desperately tried to keep his emotions in check, but to no avail. "I've got to get out of this bed," Shinji stated to himself as he sat up and heard the cheap metallic springs of the bed squeak nosily underneath his weight. Clutching the snow white sheets so tightly that his knuckles were turning white he gazed at the sterile white tile that his barely feet hovered over. Hunching over Shinji took note of the fact that he was still dressed in the cloths he had worn earlier, and then pushed himself off of the bed and onto the floor.

"I think I'll go outside for a moment," Shinji grumbled to himself as he slowly walked towards the wooden sliding door that led to the hallway. Sliding it open he walked out into the empty hallway and walked towards the windows. He noticed that the pure white walls of the hallway were almost as sterile as those of his room, and that the tile seemed to have only seen moderate traffic due to the fact that it still look relatively new.

Gazing out the window with his arms resting on the window pane, and one hand cupping his cheek gently Shinji began to think about everything that had occurred up until that point. 'Father….why now? Is this all you brought me here for?' Shinji thought to himself with a look of despair finding its way to his features. Truth be told Shinji was not exactly ecstatic about meeting his father again, but at the same time he recognized the fact that he was the only person that he had left in the world. These thoughts only served to depress him further as he released a beleaguered sigh and continued to gaze at the clear blue sky above him. After a moment Shinji was snapped out of his revelry as he heard the squeaking of cheap plastic wheels reach his ears.

Turning around he was meet with a familiar sight. The young woman, Rei Ayanami, was being wheeled past him by a troop of physicians, but Shinji was not as concerned with them as he was with the expression on Rei's face. In fact it was the lack of emotion that caught Shinji's attention due to the fact that her crimson orb simply stared blankly into space without acknowledging his presence even once and her face betrayed no sense of emotion what so ever. She was still in the white body suit she had worn earlier, and she was still wrapped from head to toe in bandages.

Shinji continued to stare blankly at the young woman as they wheeled her away and down the hall. "Rei Ayanami," Shinji whispered to himself before he shook his head slightly. "I need to find somewhere to sit down," Shinji said to himself as he turned around and walked down the hall. However, he suddenly stopped when he heard the voice of an older man cry out.

"What the hell do you mean I can't see her! What about her parents, and her friends!" the voice cried out indignantly from down the hall. Rounding the corner Shinji saw a man dressed in a black suit, white dress, and black tie staring fiercely at a doctor who seemed to be completely calm. The man in the suit looked to be around his mid forties or early fifties due to his wrinkles and specks grey hair blended in smoothly with the original black. He also looked to be a complete wreck due to the fact that his eyes were completely blood shot, his hair was a mess, and his tie hung loosely around his neck.

The doctor, who looked to be around his mid-twenties, on the other hand seemed to be the epitome of calm, cool, and collected as he used his middle finger to slowly raise his sleek frames from the bridge of his nose. Breathing out a deep sigh he looked the older man in with an agitated look on his face as he brushed a stray strand of light brown hair from his eyes and replied, "You were lucky we even considered her Mishdo-san, if you didn't work as a NERV employee she would already be dead. If you must know however, yes she is in critical condition." The man then chuckled hoarsely and shook his head before he added, "To be honest I'm surprised she even survived, she has several broken bones, and multiple contusions. But I guess that's the best you're going to get when you crushed by a building." "It will be a while before she has fully recovered, but if you want the good news I can tell you that it won't be more then four weeks before she can go home. Although the bones in her legs will take about two months to fuse back together properly, but even that's incredible," the doctor commented as he gazed at Mishdo with a look of disbelief before he added, "Who is this girl Mishdo-san, and why does she mean so much to you?"

"I wonder what they're talking about," Shinji said to himself as he continued to listen in on the men's conversation concealed around the corner. 'I wonder if there was someone injured during the angel attack,' Shinji thought to himself nervously as he began to fidget slightly.

Mishdo seemed momentarily taken aback by the doctor's question, as his eyes went wide and he began to sputter nervously. "I-I-It's not what you think Mikiba, it just…. she's like the daughter that I never had!" Mishdo responded as he waved his hands frantically.

"Oh!" Mikiba responded with a look of realization dawning on him before he added, "So this is the young shrine keeper you told me so much about." Mishdo only nodded absently as he gazed down at his feet. "You do know that she gets paid to hand out fortunes, be friendly, and to keep up the shrine right?" Mikiba inquired as he eyed Mishdo skeptically.

"Of course I know that fool!" Mishdo bellowed as he snapped his gaze up from his feet and glared at Mikiba. "She's done more then hand me fortunes, she's been there and helped me through some of my most trying times," Mishdo stated glumly as he stared at his feet once again and slight sniffing could be heard before he added, "If something were to happen to her I don't think I could ever forgive myself. Especially if it was partially my fault, I mean I work for the company that was responsible for her injuries." He then chuckled hoarsely and said, "You know she's always told me that she hated NERV, but now she has a more then valid reason to. She didn't deserve to have this happen to her Mikiba! She's got so much going for her, and she's such a sweet and kind girl; it can't end like this."

'A person was injured because of me!' Shinji thought to himself as he began to shake nervously and began to sweat profusely. 'How!? They told me the city had been evacuated!' Shinji thought trying his best to keep the guilt he was feeling from consuming his being.

"I believe you Mishdo-kun," Mikiba stated with a respectful nod before he said, "She did save that little girl's life at the sake of her own, and I must agree that not too many people in this world would be willing to do that. However, that doesn't alter the fact that I still cannot let you in this room."

"Fine, but speaking of the girl what's going to happen to her?" Mishdo asked as he looked up and faced Mikiba, his eyes shinning in the dull light due to the tears that had accumulated on top of his irises.

"She's going to be sent home soon, there is no need for us to detain a child," Mikiba stated waving off Mishdo's concern before he asked, "As for the girls family, they are both foreigners right?"

Mishdo simply nodded in response before he said, "Yes, her father is with the U.S. Military stationed at Hibiko Port and her mother works in one of the labs around the area."

"Her father is Puerto Rican right, and the mother French?" Mikiba inquired as took a clipboard off the holder that was glued snuggly onto the wall next to the door.

"That's correct, both are very hard working although they have little money to spend on luxuries. They couldn't afford a medical bill this high so it will be coming out of my funds," Mishdo stated as he slipped past a completely oblivious Mikiba and stole a glance into the room.

'Oh my god!' Shinji thought as his eyes went wide with fright, 'Not only did I almost kill an innocent person, but her family can't even afford the medical bills they're so expensive! If this guy wasn't handling she'd already be dead!'

"Hey I told you not to look in there!" Mikiba shouted as he dropped the clipboard and let it clatter onto the floor.

"I just need to see that she's breathing!" Mishdo replied calmly as he held the vehemently struggling Mikiba at bay and looked into the room. What he saw was enough to break his heart once again. Within the sterile room Reia was lying on a cheap bed similar to Shinji's with several i.v.'s sticking into various spots on her body. Her hair was a complete mess and dried blood could be seen on several strands of her jet black hair, even from Mishdo's distance. Her beautiful face had a deep scar running down her left eye, but was otherwise unscathed. Every one of her limbs were wrapped up in cast and hung in their appropriate slings, and her chest was bandaged tightly due to what might have been broken ribs. Mishdo noticed that her breathing was shallow and ragged. Looking at this pseudo mummy Mishdo wanted to break down and cry, but he composed himself and shut the door deftly.

"Thank you," Mishdo mumbled after a moment to a now reserved Mikiba who simply waved it off.

"Well do everything we can for her old friend, but now you know the reason why I didn't want you to look in there," Mikiba said as he gazed as his friend with sympathetic eyes before he added, "You've seen enough pain in your life, I just didn't want to add to it."

"I know, but if anyone can pull through this unscathed it will be her. I do faintly recall her mentioning a meditation technique that allowed one to focus on the point, or points, of injury and allow themselves to heal quicker then they normally would. Maybe that would explain why she's healing so rapidly, she's really into the martial arts," Mishdo stated as he straightened his tie and added, "Please do something about that scar if you can, she's too pretty to go through life with that marring her."

"Of course, but you should get go..." Mikiba started before heard someone apologize.

"Sorry, didn't see you there!" one of the female nurses exclaimed as she bumped into Shinji and sent him sprawling onto the floor and exposing him to the two men.

"My, my, if it isn't the young pilot himself," Mikiba stated teasingly before he added, "Been spying long?"

"I'm going," Mishdo stated as he gave Shinji a dark glare and turned to leave.

"He was just doing his job!" Mikiba yelled after the fleeting form of Misho before he mumbled to himself saying, "Of course that means nothing to you however."

"Sir," Shinji said drawing the doctor's attention to him.

"Yes Mister Ikari?" the doctor stated turning around and giving him a polite smile.

"The young woman in there," Shinji started nervously as he shuffled his feet slightly and looked down at the ground. 'What if this is my fault!' Shinji thought in panic, 'What if she dies! Then it will be my fault!"

"She'll be fine in a few weeks, and until then you should feel more then welcome to come visit her and apologize if you deem it necessary," Mikiba stated waving off Shinji's concern before he added, "During any war there are casualties so don't try to think about it so much, she's fine and that's all you need to be concerned with."

Shinji looked the doctor in his friendly baby blue eyes with his own concerned chocolate brown orbs. "Sir could you please tell me when she's feeling better, I do really want to apologize to her," Shinji stated as she looked down at his white tennis shoes once again.

The Mikiba placed a rough calloused hand affectionately on Shinji's shoulder and forced him to look him in the eyes. "Mister Ikari, there is no need for you to look so glum. She'll be fine, and I will notify you immediately when she comes to," the doctor said before he looked over the young man's shoulder toward a familiar face. "Hey Misato, come for your check up already?" the doctor inquired as he eyed the woman deviously.

"As if pervert," Misato responded smugly as she removed his hand from Shinji's shoulder with a look of disgust on her face. She was still dressed in her grimy black dress and red leather jacket but her hair looked like she had sweated it out and she reeked of the out doors.

"Come on Shinji, we're going to find out where you'll be living!" Misato exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed the young man's hand and was about the drag him towards the elevator before she heard him speak up.

"Can I have one minute ma'am?" Shinji inquired as he looked up at Misato with pleading eyes. Misato felt herself grow weak under the young man's pitiful gaze and nodded in affirmation.

"Thank you," Shinji replied as brushed past the doctor and opened the door to the young woman's room. Taking a deep breath to ease his distraught nerves he slowly made his way over to her bed side. Looking down at the girl's fragile form Shinji couldn't help but feel his heart break and guilt rack his body. 'How did this happen!' Shinji shouted at himself internally as tears welled up his eyes that had gone wide with horror, 'They said everyone had evacuated, and if hadn't been her it would have been the little girl!' Through his musings Shinji's mind absently took note of how beautiful the young woman was even with a deep scar running down part of her face.

"Shinji we should really go," Misato stated as she placed a compassionate hand on his shoulder and directed him away from the bed. 'I hope this doesn't keep you from performing your duties Shinji,' Misato mentally groused to herself. She too had seen her fair share of suffering at the hands of the angels and other human beings, and she knew that Shinji would be taking this experience especially hard. However, she, and the rest of NERV, needed him to pilot his Eva so there was no time for him to concern himself over an unfortunate accident.

After making their way down the hall they came to the door that led to the elevator. Upon the door opening they came face to face with the Gendo. His face was set in its usual stern expression and his eyes were locked in a dispassionate glare. Shinji and his father made brief eye contact for a moment before Shinji whipped his head away and refused to look at his father. A few seconds later the door closed and Gendo was gone.

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"What!" Misato snapped indignantly as she glared daggers into the director, "That's completely absurd!" She, Shinji, and the director were all standing in an otherwise pitch black room aside from the glowing plate they were standing on which showed an ethereal scene below. They were currently discussing the recommended rooming accommodation's until Misato heard that they planned on having Shinji bunk up in one of the worst parts of town, and by himself no less.

"Um, it's okay Misato I'm used to living alone," Shinji declared timidly as he looked up are with a small smile on his face.

"Wha?" Misato questioned as she looked down at the young man with eyes full of concern until a light bulb went off in her head. 'I've got it!' Misato declared within the confines of her own mind as she giggled girlishly. Needless to say watching Misato go from furious to bubbly was a little disconcerting, but as long as no one was yelling at anyone he didn't have a problem with it.

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"Hey Ritsuko I've got something to tell you," Misato whispered through her cell phone as she huddled in a corner of the base, Shinji a few feet behind her.

"What is it Misato?" Ritsuko inquired with an exasperated sigh, "I'm trying to deal with foreign relations right now."

"Huh? Why are you talking to them?" Misato questioned as her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Well it seems like the young woman who was injured during the battle earlier is in fact an United States citizen, and due to the fact that this project is top secret we cannot return her to her family without first making sure that she doesn't know too much," Ristuko responded as she sighed deeply once again. "Right now I'm not only dealing with them, but the press as well. Funny how the Americans could careless until it was one of theirs who got injured."

"Well to be honest with you Ritsuko I'm surprised the girl is even alive, she looked like she was on deaths door when I saw her," Misato exclaimed as she turned to face Shinji who was currently lend against an adjacent wall listening to his walkman without paying her conversation any attention.

"Well I suppose it's good that she's still alive, but I did find something very disconcerting in the pocket of her school uniform. In fact, the fact she's even at a NERV hospital is a little unnerving for me," Ritsuko stated as the nervous clicking of a pin could be heard on the other end of phone.

"Well I'm not sure what the situation is either, but I'm sure it's nothing too big a deal. Wait, what did you find in her school uniform?" Misato inquired as she turned around and leaned against the wall.

"I found a NERV card, you know the one's we give to foreign dignitaries or special companies. However this card had someone's personal information scribbled on it, I'm not sure who but I'm having someone in the security department run a trace on it and see who it matches up to," Ritsuko stated as she stopped clicking her pen and asked,"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

This question snapped Misato out of her current revelry and she giggled before she responded saying, "Oh nothing important, I just became Shinji's guardian that's all."

"What does that mean?" Ritsuko inquired in a deadpan tone of voice, although a hint of agitation could be heard as well.

This immediately caused Misato to start chuckling nervously as she ran a hand through her flowing violet locks. "Oh nothing, I mean he's just going to be staying with me that's all and I promise I won't try to take advantage of him," Misato stated jokingly and then immediately put the phone at arms distance as Ritsuko proceeded to vehemently chew her out about improper conduct and being so immature for her age.

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"This is gonna be great! Right Shinji!?" Misato declared as she ruffled the young man's messy brown hair affectionately.

"Sure I guess," Shinji replied sheepishly as he looked down at his white tennis shoes shyly.

"Well then we better go pick up some stuff so we can celebrate!" Misato shouted once again as she speed up and past a slower moving car. This is not to say that the other vehical was going to slow however, in fact they were going five miles above the speed limit. Unfortunately for the rest of the motorist at large Misato Katsuragi could only be so bothered with petty things like speed limits and stop signs. Needless to say people started to commute more often, and the roads were a lot less crowded for the other unfortunate saps who still had to drive.

Shinji looked up from his lap with a cross between an incredulous and nervous look plastered on his face as he asked, "What are we celebrating?"

"Why you becoming my new roommate of course!" Misato declared as she turned onto an exit ramp.

A few hours later they were at the check out with a basket full of instant ramen, several cases of beer, and other instant products.

"This cannot be good for you in any way," Shinji groused to himself as he watched the cashier ring up their purchases, "I mean where's the real food? If she keeps eating like this she's going to die of a heart attack, or scleroses of the liver."

A little while later they had packed up the groceries and were on the road again. "Hey Shinji do you mind if we make one last stop?" Misato asked as they continued their drive home.

"Sure I don't mind," Shinji replied as they headed off one last exit ramp towards some undisclosed location.

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"Whoa," Shinji mumbled to himself as he looked over the rusted highway ramp, "What a view."

"Yep! I always come here when I need to be alone or sometime to think," Misato chimed in as she got out of the drivers seat and joined him. "So what do you think?" she inquired as they both gazed out at the setting sun and upon what looked to be a almost barren city.

"It looks so desolate," Shinji commented as he looked at the landscape that surrounded the area.

"Is that so?" Misato questioned with a giggle, "Well then you're in for one heck of a surprise."

"Huh?" Shinji asked as he turned to face Misato but immediately whipped his head back around when he felt the ground shaking violently and heard a low roar come from underneath him. As he watched several building sprouted from numbered docks in the ground, and rose to astounding heights. "Whoa! The buildings are coming out of the ground!" Shinji cried out as he watched the scene unfold.

Misato couldn't help but chuckle at the young man's behavior before she cleared her throat garnering her his undivided attention. "This is the fortress city of Tokyo 3 Shinji, the city you're fighting to defend," Misato stated with romantic flare as she looked out toward the city which had begun to light up.

Shinji gawked at Misato for a moment as the lights from the city painted her features with a twilight glow. However, upon gazing at Misato's beauty he was instantly reminded of the girl in the hospital. His mind was immediately racked with guilt and the scene before him lost it's unreal euphoric feeling.

"Shinji is something wrong?" Misato inquired as she looked away from the city to see Shinji with a pained expression on his face. Her brows were slightly furrowed and concern was evident in her eyes.

"Yes…..about that girl Misato," Shinji started as he tried to look the older woman in the eyes and failed miserably, "I know the doctor said she would be fine, but how can she? And what about me being a pilot? None of this makes sense to me, I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of me so I piloted the Eva. But in the end someone was seriously wounded so what was the point?" He suddenly felt a very firm grasp on his shoulders and looked up to see Misato almost snarling at him.

"You're a boy act like!" Misato demanded with a growl before she added, "What happened was an accident, no one knew that there was a person still out there. Plus, if you hadn't piloted the Eva we would all be dead!"

"But…" Shinji started in a quivering voice before he was cut off once again.

"No buts Shinji!" Misato snapped as her chest began to heave up and down and she glared at the young man. After a moment she noticed that she was seriously scaring the young man and her features softened considerably. "I'm sorry Shinji, but please don't blame yourself for what happened," Misato told him almost pleadingly, "What happened was an accident, and when she wakes up you can go and apologize if you feel the need to."

Shinji simply stared at Misato blankly for a moment before he nodded his head slowly and broke Misato's grip on him and walked towards the car. Upon fastening his seat belt he was immediately accompanied by Misato who got in and started up the car. The rest of the car ride was engulfed in a deafening silence.

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"Well come in and make yourself at home!" Misato declared as she opened the door to her apartment.

"GAH!" Shinji cried out at the scene before him as he dropped the groceries and shielded his eyes.

Misato started chuckling nervously while scratching her cheek with her index finger before she said, "Sorry about the mess, it's really not that bad but I guess it can be an eye sore at times."

'Is she serious!?' Shinji thought incredulously, 'This is the farthest thing from a little mess that I've ever seen!' Truth be told Misato had been a little too modest with her description……aw hell, she flat out lied. There were empty bottles of vodka and liquor strewn about all over the floor, as well as a large accumulation of beer cans, and garbage bags full of rotting garbage.

'Okay, not only is she and alcoholic, but she's also a slob. Just great," Shinji mused to himself as Misato politely excused herself and went into her room.

"Hey Shinji would you mind putting up the groceries!?" Misato cried out from her room.

"Sure!" Shinji hollered back before he mumbled under his breath, "That's if I can find the god forsaken thing." After a moment of searching Shinji finally found his way to the kitchen and began to put up the groceries. "How much beer can one woman drink?" Shinji asked himself as he opened up a compartment of the fridge that was completely filled with beer. "How much instant ramen can she eat!?" Shinji asked a little louder as he opened up another compartment full of instant ramen and a few other instant foods. "There is no way she's going to live to see forty, let alone anything beyond that, with this kind of diet," Shinji mumbled to himself as he finished putting up the groceries. As he closed the fridge he looked over to see another fridge in a adjacent corner of the kitchen.

"Hey Misato! What's this other fridge for!?" Shinji cried out as he started to walk towards the object in question.

"OH! That's for my other roommate," Misato cried out from her room.

"Huh?" Shinji mumbled as he eyed the fridge suspiciously and his brows furrowed slightly.

After a few minutes both he and Misato were sitting at the wooden kitchen table and were about to dig into to an instant feast. Misato had changed out of her dress into a bright lemon yellow tee-shirt, and pair slightly destroyed short shorts that bordered on being no existent. As far as the meal was concerned however, Misato was the only one actually eating as she grabbed a can of beer and popped it open. After taking several large gulps she breathed out a sigh of relief and hollered, "YEE-HAW! THAT'S THE STUFF!"

'Is she even human?' Shinji thought to himself as he watched Misato down another can in less than a few seconds and began to eat her preservative filled meal with gusto.

"Well aren't you going to eat?" Misato inquired with a mouth full of food.

"Um, well you see the thing is I'm not used to this kind of food ma'am," Shinji started before he felt the table jump as Misato slammed her hands down on it angrily.

"What are you trying to say Shinji, this food isn't good enough for you or something!?" Misato snapped as she glared daggers into the poor boy. However, this was almost unnoticeable due to the fact that several areas of Misato's voluptuous body were making themselves known through her not so modest clothing.

"Not at all, sorry ma'am I'll eat," Shinji replied with a nervous chuckle as he grabbed his chopsticks and dug in.

"Ma'am, ma'am, ma'am, that's all I get from you Shinji. I already told you to call me Misato, so don't call me ma'am anymore. Plus I work for a living," Misato stated as relaxed back into her seat and she grabbed her third can of beer.

"Right," Shinji replied sheepishly as he finished his meal and looked down at the empty container with a sullen expression on his face.

Misato looked up from her can with a concerned look on her face as she observed Shinji's behavior. Putting the can down momentarily she looked Shinji in his eyes and beamed at him before she said, "You know why don't you take a nice long hot bath? You look like you could use one right about now."

Shinji regarded Misato with a blank expression on his face before he gave her a small smile and nodded.

-A few seconds later-

"HOLY!" Shinji cried as he ran out of the bathroom toward the kitchen holding a large fluffy white towel and wearing his birthday suit. "M-M-M-Misato, there's some kind of p-p-p-p……" the distraught young man said as he stopped short once said creature appeared right next to him and walked towards the fridge he had be asking about earlier. The strange creature seemed to resemble a penguin, but the orange red eyebrows and long narrow yellow beak made it look like it could be a whole different species of bird.

"Oh that's just my other roommate Pen Pen, he's one of those warm water penguins," Misato stated off handedly as she stared at Shinji's exposed form before she added, "Maybe you should actually put the towel on before you run out of the bathroom the next time."

Shinji simply stared at her as if she had grown two heads before he looked down at himself and noticed that he was in fact stark naked. "If you'll excuse," Shinji mumbled as he blushed as red as tomato and shrunk away towards the bathroom.

"Well I guess I don't need to head to the strip club after all," Misato said with a chuckle as she listened to Shinji shut the bathroom door.

Meanwhile, after he had calmed down considerably, Shinji sat in a bath tub of steaming hot water and tired to soak his troubles away. Unfortunately the steam being emitted from the water seemed to draw him into his thoughts again and he once again reflected on the days events. "Misato Katsuragi, she seems nice enough but her eating and hygiene definitely need some major improvement," Shinji said to himself as gently rung out his fluffy white face cloth and placed it gently onto his forehead. 'But what about that girl, while she wasn't awake she did seem to be in a lot of pain. Did I really do that to her?' Shinji thought again, 'I really do want to tell her how sorry I am, but I'm afraid she might hate me and I couldn't blame her….I don't want to think about this right now.' After a couple of more minutes of soaking Shinji climbed out of the tub and dried himself off. He then wrapped himself in a towel and head out the door towards his room.

"Hey Shinji before you get ready for bed we need to work something out, don't worry it should only take a moment," Misato said reassuringly, although Shinji thought he could sense some diabolic intent behind her angelic smile.

"Um, sure Misato. What is it?" Shinji inquired as he cautiously approached the woman.

"Well you see we need to divide up the chores so I think well do this the fairest way possible," Misato said with a cunning grin and exclaimed, "And that would be janken!" Upon hearing this the towel clad Shinji looked at Misato with an expression that read "You have got to be (explicit) kidding me". "Well what do you think Shinji? Do we have a deal?" Misato asked as she looked at him with eyes sparkling with hope.

Shinji released an exasperated sight before he eyed Misato wearily and asked, "If I say yes can I put some cloths on?"

"Of course!" Misato responded merrily as she grinned at Shinji and thought, 'Sucker, one born every minute.'

"Aright," Shinji said in resignation, "Let's get this over with."

-Ten Minutes Later-

"Well this looks pretty good to me!" Misato exclaimed as she reviewed the chores for the week, herself only having to wash the dishes and vacuum on Monday and Thursday while Shinji did a bulk of the grunt work.

"Right," Shinji muttered in resignation before he breathed out a beleaguered sigh and said, "Well I'm going to put some cloths on now." With that he left out of the room leaving behind a grinning Misato.

After putting on a large blue tee-shirt and a pair of shorts Shinji listened to his walkman as he stared at the ceiling above him with dispassionate eyes

-Flashback-

"What the!" Shinji cried in terror, his eyes wide, as the metallic cockpit of Unit 01 was filled will a strange orange liquid. His cloths seemed to stick to his body at first and he was afraid that the weird little white sensors above his head would somehow electrocute him if they made contact with the substance.

"Just calm down Shinji and breathe normally!" Ritsuko shouted through the com link, "It's LC fluid and breathing it in will only oxygenate your blood so don't panic."

Shinji did as he was told and allowed the foul substance to fill his nostrils. 'Oh man this stuff taste disgusting,' Shinji internally griped with a defeated look on his face before he muttered, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Hey you're a boy so act like it!" Misato snapped through the com link.

"R-R-R-Right," Shinji stated nervously as he gripped the controls in his hands tightly listening to Ritsuko's instructions on how to pilot the Eva.

"Ma'am you should look at his sync ratio!" of Ritsuko's assistants exclaimed as she furiously typed on her keyboard.

"43 percent! That's incredible!" Ritsuko exclaimed as she boggled at the figures on the screen before her. "It looks like he's definitely the right guy for the job," Ristuko stated as she turned her attention back toward the pilot of Unit 01.

"Now Shinji all you have to do is calm down and relax, we're about to initiate the launch," Ritsuko stated placating tone of voice. No sooner had she said this then Shinji felt the Eva jolt slightly and begin to move. Taking a series of deep breaths Shinji managed to calm himself enough so that he was no longer shaking. Suddenly he felt as though he had been launched out of a canon during a circus performance. "AHHHH!" Shinji cried out in sheer terror, his eyes wide, and his messy brown hair partially obscuring his vision.

"Unit 01 is a go!" one of the several men stationed around the monitors shouted as Eva 01 was propelled through a channel like a bullet out of a gun and out onto the streets. The Eva landed with a resounding "THUD!" which caused the ground to shake violently. The purple gargantuan stood completely still for a moment before one of the technicians announced, "Dropping restraints, we're good to go Unit 01!" With that said the large metallic weights that were strapped to Eva's arms dropped of and slammed into the concrete below.

"Alright Shinji, I just want you to try walking," Ritsuko stated bringing a dazed Shinji back to the present.

"Right, got it," Shinji stated nervously as he tried to move to the Eva by working the controls. Suddenly a large purple foot staggered foreword awkwardly causing everyone in the control room the breath a sigh of relief and cheer. As the Eva walked through the streets light by the pale glow of street lights the was an immense wave of relief felt through out the command center. However, this was short lived due to the approach of the Angel who already had Unit 01 in its sights. Unfortunately for Shinji his control of the large behemoth was poor at best and upon his second attempt to move it the beast tripped and fell slamming onto the street.

"Shinji you've got to get up!" Ritsuko bellowed through his com causing Shinji to frantically yank the controls around in a desperate attempt to get the mech. to move once again. "Shinji it's coming!" Ritsuko cried out once again, but it didn't make any difference as Unit 01 was pulled off the ground by its head by the monstrous hand of the Angel. The Angel allowed Unit 01 to dangle in the air for a moment before it grasped its left arm tightly and started to pull on it violently.

"AGAH!" Shinji cried out in pain as looked down at his own arm contort and writhe in pain with his eyes full of tears and terror. Not only did the immense amount of pain he was feeling terrify him, but the strange condition of his arm, apparently throbbing with veins, did nothing to ease his fright. At this point Shinji was so terrified that he didn't even hear Ritsuko's pleas for him to calm down and maintain control. After a moment the link was severed as the Eva's arm was broken, however the Angel was not done yet. Suddenly Shinji felt something grasp the Eva's head and squeeze tightly. Shinji cowered in fear as he heard the cracking and smashing of the metal above his head.

"AHHH!" Shinji continued to cry out in panic and fright as the metal cracked open more and more threatening to reveal his pod. Suddenly a narrow purple beam shot out of the Angel's hand and penetrated the right eye of Unit 01 causing it to fly back and smash into a nearby skyscraper, and its broken left arm to smash into another building causing debris to fly everywhere.

Meanwhile in the command center the technicians were frantically trying to check for vitals signs from the Eva.

"How's the pilot?" Ritsuko bellowed as she observed the monitors before her with a distraught expression on her face.

"We can't tell man, Eva Unit 01 appears to be offline!" one of the male technicians yelled as he typed furiously at his keyboard.

"Damn it!" Ritsuko snapped as she gritted her teeth and furrowed her brow.

"Wait a minute Unit 01 is moving again!" a female technician hollered from the other end of the room, "Although we still can't read the pilots vitals!"

"Make Eva Unit 01 to stand down and return it to base!" Ritsuko demanded.

"We can't ma'am, it seems to have severed the link!" another technician shouted, his voice full of panic.

"What?" Ritsuko gasped as she simply stared at the screen before, her mouth agape. Eva 01 suddenly started to life again and leapt out from the indentation in the sky scrapper. With amazing acrobatics it managed to close the distance between itself and the angel in less than a second. The Eva landed violently on the beast, digging its heels into the Angel's chest, however the Angel was able repel the Eva and throw it back a safe distance. The Eva's arm spark a bright pulsing blue as it raised it's broken arm, and amazingly causing it to become functional again. Putting up it's AT field the angle was able to ward of the Eva's onslaught; however the purple behemoth would not be stopped.

"It's an AT field ma'am!" a female technician cried out from her seat.

"Damn it! There's no way he can get through that! Tell the pilot to return to base this instant!" Ritsuko cried out as she pointed vehemently to another male technician seated next to her.

"Wait a minute ma'am fields seem to be neutralizing the enemy's AT field!" the technician stated in awe as he watched the blue and red wave lengths on his screen begin to merge.

"It's not being neutralized," Ritsuko stated with a look of awe on her face as well before it shifted to a brilliant grin, "He's breaking through it!"

As the Angel tried desperately to maintain it's AT field it soon realized that it was no use once the Unit 01 began to partisan it with its bare hands. The Angle fired a blast from its chest in desperation, but it did nothing but destroy the land mass behind the Eva. Before the Angel could even prepare a counter assault the Eva was already rearing back for an attack and tackled it onto the ground completely demolishing the street and skyscrapers behind it. The Eva set about pulverizing the Angels red core, located in the stomach of the beast, as it drew back its fists and began bashing the orb with all its might. However this did not even seem to crack the out surface of the core so the Eva grasped the beast ribs and ripped its chest open as it whipped out its prog knife and, using both hands, repeatedly rammed it into the angel's core. After less than a few seconds the core began to crack and shatter, but before Unit 01 could land the killing blow the Angel violently flung it off. Before the Unit 01 could even react the black beast pounced on it before it's core shone brightly and it self-destructed.

"Ma….ma….," was the last thing the angle muttered as it faded from existence. The explosion completely engulfed Unit 01 as a brilliant light in the shape of a cross reached to the heavens above.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO UNIT 01? I NEED A STATUS REPORT RIGHT NOW!" Ritsuko cried out as she watched the screen with panic and fear evident in her wide eyes. However before anyone could mutter a response Unit 01 appeared on the screen as it emerged from the flames.

"That must be Eva's true form!" Misato whispered to herself as she gawked at the screen in amazement, her eyes wide.

"Humph," Gendo grunted as he watched the screen with a diabolic smirk on his face as he, resting his chin on his folded hands.

"Ma'am the system has restored, the circuits have reconnected, and the pilot's vitals are back on line!" a female technician yelled.

"Good!" Ritsuko said with a nod, "Let's get him out of there and make sure he's okay."

The purple gargantuan was completely wrecked by amazingly enough it was able to walk for a few seconds before it stopped abruptly and its outer head plating fell to the ground smashing the city street below. The lights began to flicker in the cockpit and revealed a quivering Shinji. His eyes were wide with fright and his hands were shaking violently as sweat streamed down his pale face. Taking shallow breaths Shinji began to observe his surroundings nervously. Looking over to his right he saw the Eva's head, seemingly made of some kind of tan jelly. As he continued to stare he saw the section where an eye should have been start bubbling and pulsing rapidly before it snapped together into a solid piece of flesh. After a second a slit formed allowing a large green eye to shot out and stare back at Shinji. Seeing the eye caused Shinji to let out panicked scream of terror. However his screaming was immediately silenced by the sound of a metallic wind chime blowing in the wind.

Looking away from the eye, his own eyes bugging out of his head, Shinji saw the faint image of a nude completely black skinned girl standing on the street directly below the Eva. She looked extremely frail but still relatively healthy as far as he could tell, however he didn't understand what she could possibly be doing standing in the middle of the street during a Angel attack stark naked. As Shinji continued to stare he took note of the fact that she had long white hair which extended down the length of her back, even so it was tastefully done and would have allowed Shinji a view of what her face might look like if she hadn't been looking down. He also noticed that she seemed to be holding something, a bouquet of brilliant blue irises, and she also had a lotus flower set in her ear that held her hair back.

"My poor daughter," was all the figure said in a solemn voice as it dropped the flowers on the ground and faded out like a mirage.

-End Flashback-

'Was she just a hallucination?' Shinji thought to himself as he turned over to face the wall, his head currently resting on a fluffy white pillow (Yes I know Misato seems to have a lot of fluffy, but who doesn't want their pillows and towels to be fluffy?) and the sheets pulled over him. He thought he heard Misato say something about doing a "great thing to day", but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to really hear her. After a few more minutes of thinking Shinji finally allowed his mind to rest as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

-Meanwhile-

"So how is she nurse?" Mikiba inquired as a raven haired young woman walked out of Reia's room while closing the door behind her slowly.

"Well she seems to be stable doctor, but I'm not sure how," the nurse responded with a troubled look on her face, "I mean it doesn't make any sense, we should have at least had to amputate something!"

"I know," Mikiba responded with a look of concern etched on his features as he furrowed his brow slightly, "Although I have heard of some Zen techniques that allow individuals to do amazing things, maybe this is one of those cases. I mean I hear she's quite good at Shaolin gung fu." As he finished his statement his pushed his glasses off the bridge of his nose and he looked out toward the bright full moon that illuminated the otherwise pitch hallway.

"I suppose, I mean I've also heard similar reports so maybe it's possible after all," the nurse agreed in a dejected tone of voice.

"We really shouldn't worry about it, all we have to do is make sure that she pulls through, and if she comes out with everything intact all the better," Mikiba stated as he lead the nurse away from the door.

Meanwhile inside the room Reia slept soundly, but if the nurse had stayed in the room long enough she would have noticed the two tears that streamed out of Reia's tightly shut eyes, and onto her pristine white pillow. "Ah…c…l…" was Reia said as she let out a muted sob and continued to sleep none too peacefully.

To Be Continued

Next Episode: Reia Awakens and Shinji vs. Toji