Sena had made it to school on time; barely. Rushing the gate right before it closed as her teacher, Makito Katsuragi, cheered her on, Sena passed the gated entrance exhausted from the run. "Man, you really need to step it up Sena," He said, laughing slightly, "You'll hardly be able to do anything if those Angels show up."

Sena merely let out a sigh and looked up to her teacher as she tried to catch her breath, "Good morning… to you too… Mr. Katsuragi." She had trained hard the past month, but stamina was never in her favor, no matter how much she trained.

"Sena, come on, we're friends right? Makito's fine. It won't hurt anything." He said, a broad smile coming across his face.

Not this again. Why is he always flirting with me? Can't he flirt with someone else? She thought to herself as she straightened her skirt. "But you're my teacher… I… I can't do that."

"Sure you can. Let those rumors spread. Maybe they'll come true one day…"

A rush of blood flooded Sena's face as she hung her head low, walking next to her homeroom teacher. "You are so cute when you are embarrassed," He put his arm around her. "Come on. Let's head to class. I have a surprise for everyone."

"It isn't like the first day of school is it? When you didn't show up because you thought it started next week?"

"Shut it Sena. Don't make me embarrass you in class again."

And with that, they entered the school of selected students from across the globe; the most prestigious establishment for general education, artistic advancement, and ways of preventing a Third Impact due to Angels; The Institute for Gifted Children.

The cold seat sent a shot through her body, jolting her awake and ready. "Uhhhh…" She let out as the cold dissipated, "I hate that feeling." She said under her breath.

"You alright Sena? Something not setting right again?" A voice said from behind her.

Sena's skin crawled slightly. Sure enough, as she turned, the red headed demon of a friend was sitting on top of the desk behind her, starring down her shirt. "No… The… The seat is just cold," She said with a nervous smile. "How are you… Akihiko?"

"That's Mr. Langley to you teacher's pet," He said with some sting to his words, "I'm alright, thank you for asking. Teach says he has something for us today."

"That's what he said outside…" She covered her mouth after speaking.

"Of course he did. He met you outside to make sure you got here on time. Man. Having a teacher at your beck and call must be nice." He halted his assault for a moment, "Anyway, I'm thinking its transfer students. I heard they came from somewhere far off. One of the other Institutes or something."

"Like where you're from maybe?"

"Idiot. I'd know they would be coming if they were. They would have sent more than just I if they thought the students deserved it enough. Naturally, I was the only one who needed to leave that sinkhole of a prep school… I mean, why would they wa—," The rant continued as Akihiko began to turn redder with each passing word. Sena's mind began to drift off as the class continued to stir.

Transfer students huh? Hmmm… I wonder where they're from?

The bell rang loudly once more, signifying classes should start now. Makito Katsuragi entered as the last bell rang; a large smile on his face. "Alright kids, get in your seats. I have a few announcements to make before we get started," A few students stirred, but eventually settled down once more. "First off, I would like to introduce two new students…"

Something nudged Sena's back. "Told ya," Akihiko whispered, "Thanks for ignoring me back there too… Idiot."

Sena merely giggled a little, and continued to listen.

"These two will be valuable to the school, as well as to our class. We are the first line of defense against the Angels as class 1-1, so… Let's bring them in and have them introduce themselves shall we?"

He moved over to the sliding door, and opened it. "Come on in you two. Introduce yourselves."

Two students came through the door. One was a boy of Akihiko's height, and looked melancholy to a fault. With the gasps and exclamations of the girls in the class, he did not even bat an eye. He stood next to his co-transfer student, a girl of Sena's height, with curves to fill out her uniform more than the others in the class. The boys exchanged eyes with each other, as high fives and thumbs up were given to one another. The two shared a lot in common as they stood before the class. The boy had hair down to his shoulders that framed his face well and showed to everyone that his face was in something akin to pristine condition. No blemishes were seen on the porcelain white canvas of his face, and neither on the girl's. The two had a glaringly strange set of eyes however; a deep red that seemed to pierce anyone who stared for too long. It was almost haunting to see. However, it was entrancing as well. Even a slight glance drew you in with promises unknown. The two bowed, as the girl went first with her introductions, her twin tails of white hair wiggling as she came back up from the bow.

"Hello everyone. I am Kaoru Nagisa, and this is Reiji Ayanami. It may sound strange, but due to unforeseen circumstances that had happened at our last Institute, we had to move schools. Please make this year fun and exciting and we will try to do the same!" She finished with another bow, as did he.

"Pleased to meet you all," Were his only words.

"Well if that is all you two are gonna say, go sit down and we'll get class started," Mr. Katsuragi said as he sent them off to their seats. "Now… where were we on Saturday? Anyone remember?"

The class fell silent once the question came up. Mr. Katsuragi looked around, and waited for someone to answer. Akihiko's hand shot up quickly, as usual, being the model student that he was. Since the first day, he made it clear that he was the best at his last Institute, and made it even more abundantly clear that he would rise in the ranks to be the best at this one. He left his last Institute due to them not challenging him enough, and came here hearing that it was the best program in the world. Every day was a display of his immense intellect, his prowess in self-defense, his stamina during physical ed., his knowledge of the EVA units; any subject, he was there to show you he was better than you.

"We left off right after Second Impact began sir," He piped up, a grin that knew he was correct.

And then class began. The words from the teacher sounded more akin to a retelling than anything, but, it was their history lesson nonetheless. They learned of what researchers found in Antarctica, the terrible implications of their experiments, and what was let loose upon the world. Suddenly, something broke the monotony of the lecture. A question; to Sena.

"Sena, mind answering the question?" Mr. Katsuragi's voice broke through her mind.

She shot out of her chair, standing straight up with a face redder than the scar across the moon. "W-w-what was the question again?" She said in reply, as the class laughed at her expense.

Another day in Mr. Katsuragi's class had begun, and Sena, as usual, was the butt of almost every joke.

As lunch came around, Sena let out a content sigh, and began unpacking what she had brought. Her meal was small, housing three compartments to her lunch; rice with some toppings, three pieces of grilled chicken, and a small mixture of salad and dressing in the last compartment. It still smelled as delicious as yesterday when it was fresh. Leftovers were the normal lunch for her.

It was something of a constant. Her father was never home when she was, and when he was on the weekends, he never truly interacted with her. He had groceries delivered to the house, he had clothes delivered and their clothing washed every day; the only real chore that Sena had to keep up with was cooking and cleaning, and usually that took just over an hour a day. Her life was… strange to say the least. The only real friends she had made so far was Akihiko, if she could even call him that. There were a few others in class that she could count on for advice, or just to talk to, like the class president and a few of the girls that weren't exactly the kindest, but they were something like friends. Leftovers, an absent father, and a lack of social interactions was the life of Sena Ikari.

"So what do you think of the exchange students Sena?" The same voice made its way into her ears as her skin shivered.

She made her way around in her seat, and saw that Akihiko was propping his feet on his desk, nibbling at a small loaf of bread sold at the cafeteria. She gave a small sigh, and began, "They seem alright to me. I wonder what happened at their last institute?"

Akihiko looked around at the class, It was filled with buzz about the students. Words could be heard about where they were from, what each one liked and disliked, and all sorts of other questions in between. The two in question sat by the desk of the teacher, talking with him during their break as they scanned the class themselves. "No one transfers out without a legitimate reason. If something happened, they might have caused it, or they may be excelling a bit too well," Akihiko said, feeling encroached on his territory of intellect. "They don't seem as if they were supposed to come here. Did Katsuragi tell you that it was a surprise?"

Sena merely nodded to agree.

"Yeah, suspicious. He's surprised us before, and they were genuine surprises. Like Unit 01 being delivered here once the school year started. No one expected them to bring that here. Everyone heard it was still in development... or maybe it still is and he just brought it here for tests or something."

Everyone thought that cause Dad told them to think that. He's bringing it here to test… I saw the papers… Sena thought to herself. She swiveled back around and went back to her lunch. "Well, we'll just have to wait and see. They don't seem bad to me."

"Of course they don't Sena. That'd be stupid if they did. Why would they? If they really are a part of the Institute, then there is no real reason for them to be 'bad'." Akihiko made a gesture with his hands, indicating his annoyance at Sena's thinking.

Sena turned for a moment, anger rising, but it was soon quelled once she saw Akihiko and heard his reply to her advance, "What's wrong Sena? Something the matter?" he said in reply in his normal sarcastic tone. Every time they bumped heads or had differing opinions, he always won this way.

"N-no… Just… Don't… I was just trying to."

"Of course you were Sena. Just trying to make conversation. Speak your mind. I'll retaliate if I want to. If you are right—which you never are—then I will withdraw from the argument. Simple as that," The grin expanded on his face as the sentence went on. He knew she would never do that. She was too timid and scared. He had a mouse caught, and was going to play with it until it got away or expired.

The class gasped all at once as everyone heard the same noise. Reiji stood quickly as his chair shot backwards with a grating noise, and he made his way slowly over to where Sena and Akihiko were talking. The gaze of the class as a collective watched as he made his way over. Sena broke from his gaze a moment, just enough to look to Mr. Katsuragi and Kaoru, one with a large smile on his face, and a wink in his eye, the other, her eyes closed somewhat in a sensual look. They were both transfixed on her.

What… what's going on? Why are they staring at me like that? What's he doing? Is he… coming over to talk to us?

Everything seemed to grow quieter as he closed in to his destination. Their eyes now locked, Sena could see more of him. His hair was a silver color, and reflected more blue and white than anything, making him seem unearthly in all regards. His lips were thin and hardly a darker shade than his skin, but still was defined well against the solid white landscape they were placed on. A sharp nose rested in the middle of his face, the perfect shape for the lithe figure before her. She was entranced by the eyes that closed in, their red color the shade of blood, a dying rose, and then to a sunset sky nearly.

W-w-w-w-what am I doing!?

She shook her head quickly and saw that what was before her was the same scene as before. Akihiko was sitting by her, watching her, and the two transfer students were still sitting by the teacher's desk.

"You zoned out there for a second. Something wrong? Having daydreams about the new students Sena?"

Hundreds of words came to mind once he spoke up, but she held her tongue. She didn't want to cause a scene, or be the center of attention.

"Thought so. Eat your lunch. Class is gonna start back up soon."

Sena nibbled on her food for the rest of the time in silence, pondering what that encounter could have been just a moment ago. Was it all really a dream of some kind? Or was there something the matter with her?

The day ended without any more mishaps with Akihiko or anyone else. The transfer students sat through class just like everyone else, and students flocked to them once class let out for club sign ups and just general chatting. Kaoru seemed more accepting and socially minded, while Reiji seemed to brush off the words and advances from the other guys without a word of reply himself. Sena gathered her things, and checked her schedule for the day. Today was the day she got her allowance for the week. A small amount of joy welled in her chest. Today had been especially rough, and buying something felt like it would help a little, even if it was just masking the real problem. A smile came across her face, and then it receded immediately.

I'll just head out. I don't want to stay too long. I'd love to come back before the gates close and get to see the sky at night… like in that dream.

She blushed slightly, before shaking it away and standing up. Upon doing so, Reiji did the same, as did Kaoru, but with some social grace. "Sorry. I have to get going. I still need to unpack and everything since we just moved in today," She said to the girls surrounding her, "I'll think about the clubs though! I'll let you guys know soon."

The two exited slowly, the remaining people in class watching as they went. Then, their eyes went to Sena, who also left after a small bow.

Outside the classroom, she saw the two waiting by the stairs, one with a cold stare, the other with a smile and a wave. "Sena! Could you help us out?"

Shy, but wanting to help somehow, Sena gingerly made her way over. "Is there… something you need?"

"Well an introduction would do first," She said happily. "I'm Kaoru Nagisa, as you may know, and this is Reiji Ayanami. You are Sena Ikari right?"

"If you… already knew why… did you want me to introduce myself?" She replied, hesitantly.

"Well just to be friendly really. That's fine though. Could you help us out a little? We're kind of lost since we were just dropped off here. We need to find our house that we'll be staying at." She said, looking to Reiji, who merely looked down the stairs, ready to leave.

"Sure… I… I can show you where it is… Do you have the address?"

Kaoru smiled happily as she gave Sena a thumb up, digging in her pocket to find the paper for their address.

An hour later after they left school, they had arrived at the address, after a few detours that they all three wished to undertake. A bookstore, a small snack stand, a sweet shop, a short stop by the sea side, and then to the tram station finally led them to the address; across from Sena's house. She hadn't really paid attention to the address at the time, but now she finally realized it. She would have a neighbor that actually went to the institute with her.

"So your house is right over there?" Kaoru said, looking over to it, another big grin on her face. She grabbed Sena's hands once she nodded to agree. "That's awesome! So you can come over whenever you want! This'll be great! We never had any of this at our Institute. I mean, we got food and clothes and stuff, but never any of our own money to use for around… the area."

Sena smiled back, "Yeah. I can come over almost whenever you want me to. My dad is never really around that much. He spends most of his time at… work."

"Then why don't you come over tonight? Reiji and I can cook some pretty tasty things. It'll be a nice change right? Think of it as a… a… welcoming party! Just us though," She said finding the words.

Sena giggled a little, evoking a different reaction from the two. Reiji's eyes grew a bit wider, as he watched her laugh and move. Kaoru merely smiled, and let her eyelids lower slightly.

"Sure. That sounds fun. When do you want me to come over?"

"We'll get everything started around six. You can come over at like six-thirty?"

"That gives me a few hours. Perfect. Thanks! I'll see you soon!" She said, waving to them as she stepped down the steps and across the streets to her home. The two reciprocated the goodbye, and headed inside their home, as Sena did hers.

Once the door closed, Sena ran up to her room, and began digging around in the closet. She needed to find clothes fast! This was the first time she'd be able to go over to a friend's house in forever! She had been to one birthday party she could remember, and that was when her mother was still around. Aside from that however, her father had not permitted her to since her mother's passing. Nothing made sense with him, but, she was past that now. She had made two friends, and they were new students to the school! She could hardly contain her excitement as she tossed clothes out of her closet onto her bed and began trying on everything to find something that might look good for the small party.

A knock came at the door only a few minutes before six. Reiji answered the door and looked down at the culprit of the knocking. Sena smiled as brightly as she could as she waited to be let in. She wore black leggings, khaki shorts over them, and a simple shirt that hung off of one shoulder. It was an outfit that her father's 'watchers' said would look good on her. She had never really liked the people that helped so much with the house, but this time, she was thankful. "H-hi Reiji. Can I… can I come in?" She said meekly. Even though they were considered friends, she hardly knew him. His talking could be condensed down to simple answers and basic communications, and he had not told Sena anything about himself. He was a subject that she knew nothing about. All she had was a name and a face. Reiji moved over and allowed her passage into the home, where Kaoru began right where they left off in the conversation they had halted at the same door not but a few hours ago.

Kaoru was a typical girl Sena thought. She talked about fashion, gossip she heard around the school already, boys, homework, teachers she didn't like, the best shops in town, deals she found… It was practically the stereotype she had seen so many of her classmates turn into. However, she knew when to stop, and talk to Sena about something she found interesting. It was as if she knew exactly when to halt the conversation so everyone got a turn, even catering to Reiji at times. She was a perfect girl, and a girl that was the definition of a stereotype, but she made it her own.

"Where did you find that outfit? It's adorable!" Kaoru said as she fiddled with the food on the stovetop in the kitchen. Whatever it was, Sena could not think of something to rival it in its scent. It was delicious in smell, and from what she could see from the entranceway, it looked delicious as well. Sena made her way to the living room, still chatting away as Kaoru finished cooking. "They should be from the local stores. My dad usually has outfits delivered whenever my clothes are 'out of fashion' to him," Giving air quotes when out of fashion came to her. Kaoru let out a giggle before placing the food down on the table.

The spread was something to behold. It appeared to be a handful of different dishes on different plates, all looking as if they had been prepared by a top chef; Meatballs that smell just like an Italian eatery with small toothpick sticking out of the top to allow for easy eating; a salad that smells of sweet vinaigrette and the freshest veggies and toppings; French bread slices lay across one another down a line on a long tray, letting their soft and flaky deliciousness be on display for the table; A small bowl of soup sits next to it, adding to the flavors in the air, the minestrone flavor wafting through the air; and finally, the main course; small pieces of lightly breaded chicken pieces, sit in rows and stacked atop one another, with four different homemade sauces waiting below. Kaoru smiles in triumph as she displays the selection below. "Well! Dig in! There's no reason to wait. This is a party after all! We're gonna watch some movies soon!"

And the party commenced. The trio began their feast of eats, as the movies began to roll. A romantic comedy began first, with the girls laughing and crying all at once; then an action movie to get their blood pumping, and finishing with a horror movie to get them nice and scared; the night was a fun time for all. Even Reiji showed a sign of emotion at the horror movie. With the night coming to an end, and the credits rolling for the horror movie, Kaoru flipped the lights on and let out a yawn. "Alright, I think it's time to end this party… We do have school tomorrow. It was fun though! I hope you can come over again Sena!" She said with a smile, looking to Reiji. "Don't you think it would be fun to have her over again?"

Reiji merely nodded and looked to Sena. "It would be fun." He said blankly, as Sena smiles at him awkwardly.

The night came to a close as goodbyes were exchanged and hands were waved to one another. As Sena crossed the street and made her way into her own home, Kaoru and Reiji did the same. What happened inside these homes differed greatly however.

The pleasant feeling inside the home of Kaoru and Reiji dropped to a stale melancholy. Reiji looked to Kaoru and parted his lips, only to be stifled. "I know. We should have told her… but… we can't. The Director said to watch over her and help, not to cause her to overreact now. She still has time to grow. Why speed up the process?"

"To let us go back home," Reiji said, some angry in his voice.

"That isn't even you're home. You were born here. We are hardly the same Reiji," She said as she moved into the kitchen and began putting things away. "There is much you can learn from her you know. She is fairly innocent and oblivious to the world around her. Her emotions are always very genuine, or at least it seems. Why don't you watch her a bit more and learn how to convey something besides anger? I understand that The Director has always been cross with you, and you never want to anger them, but still… you are a person… at least in this form."

Reiji places his hand on his chest, feeling the vibrant beat of a heart below his skin. "You have a heart just like all the billions and trillions of little ants on this Earth. Enjoy your time here and learn. Perhaps you can make them better, once the time comes."

Kaoru gave a small smile, and washed her hands, before heading to her room. "I'm taking a bath and then going to bed. I will see you in the morning Reiji. Please sleep. We do have school tomorrow, as I said before."

Reiji simply stood there, watching her as she walked down the hall to her room, and then to the bathroom. He did not feel tired, nor did he feel compelled to rest or go to his room. He simply stood there, and analyzed what the day had brought. His target was now something called a friend, and they were not closer to actualizing what they came here to do. He would need to speak with The Director. Surely Kaoru was not following protocol. He should go back and speak with him tonight. Perhaps. Yes…

Tonight.

He put his shoes on, and then saw himself out, locking the door behind him, as Kaoru had told him to do so many times before.

Sena walked into a house that had sound in the living room. At 9 p.m. this was a bad sign. Her father sat in the living room, lounging on the couch in what could only be seen as a comfortable position, however, due to how often Sena saw him, he seemed angry, furious even, in his docile state.

"Hello Sena," His voice carried through the house as the various colors bounced off the walls from the television, "Where have you been?"

Always right to the point. Why not how are you?

"I… I went to a friend's house and… and…" Sena managed before drifting off.

"A friend? Who is it? One of the people in your class? You do know, that you cannot interact with them Sena. You remember the rules."

"I do. I… They are the new kids. The new ones in school. The transfer students of my class. They… they wanted to be shown around town… I was only trying to be nice." She said as she met his gaze.

"Sena. I want to protect you. I want to make sure you are safe. If you simply latch onto someone whom we haven't looked into yet, what if they turn out to be someone dangerous? What if something were to happen to you?"

"Dad I… I understand but… they don't seem that bad…"

"I will be the judge of that Sena. Go to your room. Your class has quite the day tomorrow," He said, turning his attention back to the television.

"What do you mean father?"

Silence stood between them, but was eventually driven out by a heavy sigh. "They are ready. You will no longer simply be in Dummy Unit Simulations during tests. We've finished over fifty full units, all ready for combat, including Unit 01; your unit. We'll begin tests on your class and the secondary class as well. The rest of the students will continue with the Dummy Unit Simulations until we have full units for them. We've even secured a training area. Be prepared Sena, it will be difficult." He said plainly.

Sena stared at him wide eyed. She had seen the plans for the units he spoke of, but she had never thought they would actually be made. Angels and other forces could always come and attack, but the last angel attack was over 20 years ago from what she had been told… why did they need these? And why was she one of the only ones able to pilot them? She stumbled back, and withdrew from the room, hurrying to her bedroom and laid down upon her bed until she passed out, her body exhausted from the strange roller-coaster of a day she had.

Her mind raced as she slept. Dreams of a knight rescuing her from some vicious monster which had captured her somehow. Sword clashed against teeth and claws, fire breath rolled over the knight, claws and teeth latching onto him. The conflict never resolved, but calmed down as another monster came in, as well as another knight. The second knight attacked the first, as the same happened with the monsters. Sena was caught in the middle, and was left as the fighting raged on.

She awoke some time as her alarm sounded. She rose slowly, and let out a yawn. The previous day was still a close memory, the movies and fun times she had over at Kaoru and Reiji's house, and the fear from her father's judgment once she came home, but she needed to move past it; today would be a hard day to fathom, now that the units were finished. The day began like many another, and she quickly dressed, ate breakfast and began to leave.

Outside, Kaoru stood, resting her back on the fence, waiting for something. She turned slowly as the door opened, and with her vibrant red eyes, smiled at Sena. "Good morning sleepy! Hope you had fun yesterday 'cause I know we did! Let's head to school! Reiji already left. Said he didn't want to wait. Can you believe him!?" She exclaimed with a slight pout. "Can't even wait on two beautiful girls to walk him to school. The nerve…"

Sena felt a warm feeling wash over her. She felt as if this person before her cared about her, even if they had only known each other a short while. She felt cared for, happy, and content with the voice that was speaking to her. She thought the word love immediately, but is that what it was? Sena didn't understand, but felt ready and anxious to find out what that emotion could be. She stepped out of her gloomy house into the bright morning sun, and set off to school with her new friend in tow; a bright smile on her face.