I do not own the rights to Neon Genesis Evangelion, or any of the characters, equipment, or locations written in this fanfiction. The purpose of this fanfiction is merely for the non-profit enjoyment of other readers. If requested by Gainax, Hideki Anno, or other parties which represent aforementioned objects in this story, I will remove it promptly.
Chapter II:
"Ikari Raidon?" a tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair asked when the mirror image of her coworker appeared at the door. It amazed her, both as a scientist, and as an "acquaintance" of the father. First, scientifically speaking, given the fact eighty percent of the human brain is hard-wired from heredity, and the remaining twenty percent is the result of prenatal conditions within the womb, she was stunned to note the clear variations in the Child's appearance. While identical to Shinji, right down to the quiet, penetrating stare the Third gave when encountering an unusual situation, this boy's hair had been allowed to grow down to his shoulder blades, resting free against his spine. She had never seen Kaji with his hair out of a ponytail in her life, but if she did ever see it, she was certain it would look like this.
'Would Shinji prefer this look as well?' she wondered. 'Is it just Shinji's lack of interaction with others that restricts his choices, or is it Raidon's exposure to the Tokyo-2 Junior High that inspired these variations?' Before her mind ventured on all the differences she could compare in what could be the perfect separated identical twin study, her mind returned to duty. 'More importantly, if Raidon and Shinji are truly identical twins with identical personalities, will Unit-01, or the remaining Eva series respond in the same way to his presence as Shinji? Will he make the same choices as his brother?' Then a dark thought crossed her mind.
'Would Unit-01 even accept this one?'
Next, as an "acquaintance" and employee of the father, she was curious why Gendo had never mentioned this boy once. She had heard all about Shinji's repressed memories, but surely if the commander suspected his other son was still alive, why had she not been notified? Why hadn't Misato been deployed in an active search? Her questions would have to wait for the drive back to Tokyo-3, assuming the boy was willing.
"Can I help you?" the boy asked, his voice similar, yet not identical to his brother. Raidon's voice was firm, still having the squeaky quality of puberty, but showed a resolve unseen in Shinji. Ritsuko could only stare. "Hey, I said, can I help you?"
Akagi woke from her trance. "I'm sorry. You just look so much like your brother-" The door started to close, but Ritsuko set her hand against the wooden surface, forcing it to remain open. "I'm Doctor Ritsuko Akagi. I'm an employee of your father's work."
Then a ghost from the past appeared behind the Child. It was the spitting image of Rei, or rather, Yui, yet with thirty more years on the boy's mother, and slightly shorter than Doctor Ikari. "What do you want?" Ms. Ikari grumbled. Raidon turned to his grandmother, explaining what little he knew. Ms. Ikari responded immediately. "Leave us alone! We want nothing to do with the Rokubungis."
"Even if Shinji, your twin brother, is staying with Gendo Ikari?" she asked.
"His surname is Rokubungi!" Ms. Ikari snapped. "He doesn't deserve to take our daughter's name! He never earned it, and never will!" Raidon, however, took immediate interest. He looked back to his grandmother, the two whispering as the elder Ikari pleaded he not leave.
"How is Shinji?" the boy asked, tilting his head as if to adjust his vision, the way a predator does when studying a potential threat.
"He is employed at your father's agency-" she explained, before the boy interrupted.
"I didn't ask what he is doing. I asked HOW he was doing!"
Ritsuko sighed. "Physically, he is okay, but lately, he's been under a lot of emotional strain." She didn't want to reveal the truth, but somehow, she couldn't lie to this Child, not about his counterpart. It felt like she was lying to Shinji about Shinji's condition, telling the Third how he felt no matter how he protested. But she realized in an instant this would work as the trigger to her trap. "He would prefer someone to talk to, but can't leave for... professional reasons."
"What kind of reasons?" Ms. Ikari asked. "What are you people doing to my grandson?"
"Your grandson?" Ritsuko asked. "Why haven't you visited him? Until today, I've heard nothing from Commander Ik-, I mean, Rokubungi, about you trying to contact him!" Ritsuko found her prepared lies falling apart quickly, having to improvise on the spot. So much for rehearsing the trap. "Shinji surely hasn't mentioned anything. As far as he knows, he doesn't have any other family."
"Then where has he been all this time?" the grandmother snapped, scowling. "We've been trying to find him for years, but since five months ago, all his records disappeared! We were called psychotic and Raidon nearly taken away by Social Services, because they thought we were making it all up!"
Raidon noticed his grandmother on the verge of tears, and chose the opportune moment to take action. Reaching out with his hands, he gripped the woman's lavender turtleneck sweater by the collar, and pulled her off balance. 'This is... not possible!' Ritsuko panicked. 'Shinji isn't this strong, and he exercises regularly as required at school.'
"Be quiet!" Raidon snarled. Once Ritsuko complied, forcing her eyes to track to the bottom edge of her sockets, keeping a hazy focus on her assailant, the boy took a sharp breath. "Now, I'm going to ask simple questions, and you will provide simple answers. If you do not comply, I will take the necessary steps-"
"RAIDON, STOP IT!" an old man's voice shouted from the interior of the two story home. "You said you were going to change. What are you doing?"
"I only said I would avoid conflict, not sit back when it comes looking for me," the boy answered in disgust. The doctor was having her doubts. It looked distinctly similar to Shinji, sounded something like him, but could not be related to him. In a way, this boy, this crude copy was more reminiscent to the father, not the brother. For a split second, though, she saw the same rage as during the Twelfth Angel, the same as what the entry plug recordings showed during the Thirteenth Angel. "What do you know of my father."
"Just what I told you-" Mr. Ikari began, before the grandchild spat in hate.
"NO!" he shouted, sending the elderly couple a few steps back in fear. "ALL of it! Tell me EVERYTHING!"
Ritsuko shook her head slightly in reflection of her assumptions. No, this was nothing like Shinji, not at all. Perhaps it was like the Angels. This is what Shinji could have been, what he would eventually be as he started to become comfortable with his surroundings, or people.
•••••••••••••
The trunk to the red four-door rental sedan was packed, a large hiking backpack and black duffel bag containing enough of the boy's material possessions to support him during a two week stay. The Ikaris leant the boy enough money for a short term lease on an apartment, but Ritsuko informed the couple NERV would arrange free housing and support for him. They still insisted Raidon took the money, if only as an insurance policy, incase their worst fears of the father were true.
The ride was dull, Raidon again resembling his counterpart as he sat in the passenger seat, studying the scenery. It was beginning to infuriate Ritsuko that she could not take notes during this ride. It was here that she observed the most similarities, even in posture, to the Third Child. It seemed in unfamiliar settings, Raidon acted just as his brother, but once he became adjusted, which seemed to take fairly little time, his confidence overrode any similarities he once manifested.
"I've heard some of what you've mentioned on the news," The young Ikari said out of nowhere. Ritsuko looked at him for a minute, noticing the same thoughtful, depressed stare she was used to. "Why does he pilot?"
"To protect mankind," Akagi answered without hesitation.
Raidon shook his head. "If he is as identical to me as you suggest he is-" Ritsuko blinked in confusion. "You didn't think I saw it in your eyes?" Ikari asked. "Every time you look at me, you think I'm the same person you've obviously known longer than I have."
"You doubt his motivations?" Although Ritsuko knew why the Third Child truly would suffer, as Misato put it, to fight in the Eva, she was again prying, trying to probe this boy's personality. Anything she could learn in this conversation would serve her or the commander later when they made their proposition.
"Doctor, you know my father, and I know that my grandparents know I am almost identical to him." He paused, looking away for a moment at the small insects pelting the windshield, their pitiful lives ended when the stronger, bigger lifeforms wished to travel faster. "Any similarities Shinji and I have to our mother is wholly superficial."
"Are you implying something?" Ritsuko asked, glancing to the side before returning her gaze to the road ahead.
"By logic, if A equals B, and A is a subset of C, then B must also be a subset of C, correct?" Ritsuko was instantly impressed. She had learned after the short period of time with the Ikaris how Raidon had "pulled it together" a few weeks after being found in Tokyo-2. His math skills were incredible. Why didn't Shinji show such aptitude? The doctor nodded slowly, answering the boy's inquiry. "Then that should answer your question."
"You doubt your father would serve mankind?" Ritsuko asked, trying not to grin at the accurate realization, something Raidon would hopefully never learn.
"I sure as hell wouldn't."
•••••••••••••
The day passed by slowly, Asuka forced to do her homework and the laundry, so as not to disturb the sleeping Child. "How can you sleep that long?" she asked his unconscious form. It had been fourteen hours since she had awaken that morning, and Shinji had not even stirred.
It was closing in on eight in the evening, Asuka finished packing away her Kanji workbook, when the phone rang.
"Hello?"she sang in her thick accent. The line was quiet, the caller unsure as how to respond. Finally, Asuka checked the caller identification, and noted it was coming from Doctor Akagi's cellphone. Grumbling, the girl switched to Japanese. "Can I help you, Doctor?"
Soryu froze, the voice coming clear over the handset. She glanced back to the couch, Ikari still sleeping. "Okay, I get it," she grumbled. "Kensuke, I'm going to get you for this little prank."
Ritsuko's voice was suddenly on the line. "Asuka, where is Shinji?" Soryu jumped at the voice. It was not possible for Kensuke to be that good, even with his computing skills. Ritsuko had only been over at the apartment once, and none of the Stooges knew her, or her cellphone number. "This isn't funny, Asuka. Where is Shinji?"
"Umm... he's asleep," she breathed. "He's been like that all day."
Akagi grumbled, and then surprised the girl again. "Night terrors again?"
"...Yeah, but how do you-?"
"Check the prescription label," she cut the girl off. "Who do you think would authorize that kind of medication?"
"What is this about? If Shinji's here, then who is-" This time, Soryu's mind forced her mouth shut, her memory flashing before her eyes at the Child's unusual behavior. "Is that... Shinji's brother?"
"How much do you know?"
Asuka sighed. "Nothing, really. I just heard from Shinji last night he suddenly remembered having a twin brother. Wait, if he's there with you, he's... he's here? He's in the city?"
"We just found him," Akagi breathed, stressing "just" as much as possible. It still confused her how the records could be so well hidden. "Misato is at headquarters, correct?"
"Umm, yeah..."
"Would you have room for another occupant?"
Soryu was too stunned for anger, as Shinji chose that very moment to yawn, rising to his feet. "Is that Misato?" he asked sleepily. Asuka shook her head. "Well, who is it?"
"Can you put him back on the phone?" the redhead asked. Ritsuko agreed, giving the cellphone to the passenger, the rental car parked along the curb outside of Misato's apartment. "Shinji, it's for you."
"Who is it?"
"It's... well, it's you..."
End of Chapter II
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