I have placed the disclaimer at the prologue. From now on, I will not waste any more space on it.
He looked at the photo of Misato Katsuragi dizzily for a moment before finally understanding the angel had indeed sent him back. As the familiar situation triggered a flood of memories, he stepped out of the booth, and winced as a strong gust of wind blew the photo off his hands. He heard shooting, and looked up, fully knowing what he would see. Yet, even that knowledge did not help him as he gasped in awe at the form that had plagued his dreams for a long, long time, phantom pain shooting up his eye.
He watched, transfixed, as the UN forces futilely attacked the beast, its AT field shimmering as it waded through them. He was soon shaken off his reverie by a screech of brakes, and turned, smiling, to face Misato.
"sorry to keep you waiting!"
He found himself unable to answer, another flood of memories crashing into him. After seeing her lie in a pool of her own blood, kissing him as she died, this sounds like music to his ears... and as he was led.. dragged... into the car by her, he could only give a dazed smile.
And since the seventee... no, fifth pilot, he was smiling for the first time... recognizing that this was indeed the start. Nothing has happened. He could save Asuka, he could save Rei... If he played his cards right, he could save everybody.
He came back to his senses as Misato Katsuragi pushed him down just before the non-nuclear mine went off.
Then, as the entire city rocked around him, out of pure joy, he let out a laugh, the laughter of one who was glad to be alive.
"But I am sure this is the right way..."
"Misato-san..."
"Just Misato."
"Misato... why don't we go that way? We didn't use that before."
"As you wish..."
And within a few seconds, she was being led by him, his 'Instincts' leading them through the NERV maze. She was amazed of the way he seemed to know the facility better than her.
The boat pulled over near unit one, with Gendo Ikari watching from above.
"It has been a long time."
"Yes, father."
"move out."
"I am to be your pilot, then?"
"that is ridiculous! Even Rei got to synchronize after seven months!" the tactical officer burst in, outraged.
"He will have to do." Her friend interjected, reminding her of the other pilot's condition.
"Yes." the father-son exchange continued, unaffected by the two women.
"What if I refuse?"
"there are no options."
"Very well. I will pilot her."
The crew watched, as the Ikari family meeting ended.
"Like father, like son." Murmured Ritsuko, for no one else than Misato recognized the lone tear that slid down the younger Ikari's cheek.
Then, there was a tremor as the angel slammed its power-lance down over the geo-front, causing a single support beam, directly above the third child, to break free and tumble down, earning cries and screams from observers.
The boy walked away casually as the arm of unit one ripped off from its restraints to catch the offending beam, mumbling.
"father to your hands I commend my spirit..."
"A-10 nerve connection established."
"Japanese set as the base language."
"Synchronization at... oh, no." Maya gasped, astonished.
"Can he activate it?" Ritsuko replied, concerned.
"As far as I can see, he can juggle knives with it. Synch rate stable at eighty-six percent!" Hyuga cheerfully replied.
"Recheck that!"
"Confirmed."
"He is doing better than rei?"
"Hey, don't I need to go up?"
"Release unit one."
"eva launch!" echoed Misato's voice from the spearkers, and he felt the pressure from the catapult.
And he saw the angel. Looking from the eva's eyes, it was greatly different than looking at it from the street, It looked less menacing that way... almost... equal.
As the angel turned to dispose of him, his first encounter with Toji suzuhara flashed through his mind.
*Sorry, his sister got injured in the last battle, that's his excuse.*
"I'm taking it off the city!" he shouted over the comm, and ignoring the shouted orders, he extended his AT field, negating the angel's. He dropped to all fours, suddenly charging the angel, planting his shoulder under its, and breaking off into a run for the closest exit.
He suddenly stopped, having cleared the last of the buildings, and let go of the angel. The monstrosity... the black one... flew a considerable distance before crashing, and he drew his progressive knife from its shoulder casing, taking a step towards the angel. And as the sharp pain in his chest told him, he forgot that the angel had a beam weapon. After a short flight, he fell on top of the outermost building, instantly dusting it.
Before he could get on his feet, the angel was upon him, its arms swinging towards his head from both sides. Instinctively he caught the arms at the wrists, and a struggle of strenght ensued, the angel slowly overpowering unit one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rubble around and on his kneeling form.
*Sorry, his sister got injured in the last battle, that's his excuse.*
"It's not my fault!" he screamed as unit one's eyes began to glow bright red, and unit one began to push the arms outward, while pulling itself to a kneeling position.
"I didn't do it!" he continued screaming as unit one heaved, earning a loud crunch from the armpits of the angel. The glow just continued to intensify.
"you did it!" he screamed, letting go of the arms, and tearing into the angel with bare hands, clawing, punching, and kicking the angel. It was not until he had crushed the angel into a bloody pulp that he spoke again, this time a whisper.
"you did it." With that, he looked at the bruised mass beneath his feet, disgust evident in his features. After looking at his bloody hands for a moment, he plunged his right hand through the angel's core, carefully picked up the knife he dropped, and made his way back to the HQ.
"you did it."
"what the hell did just happen?" asked Misato, looking at the shapeless mass of the angel.
Despite the fury he showed he was capable of, Misato put on a smile as the plug opened, and extended a hand to help him out. He didn't take it, in fact, he didn't budge. He sat there, gripping the controls, staring ahead.
"Shinji?"
"Mis.. misato." He looked at her with surprise, then took the hand, hauling himself out.
"I... I..."
"calm down... You destroyed it, its over."
"No... no, its just beginning."
"you will be fine. Now take a shower so we can go home." She smiled, trying to cheer him up.
"Home?"
"You'll be staying with me."
"Home..." he said the last with a dazed look, before wandering off for the locker room.
Misato pulled out the relocation orders of the kid from her pocket, imagining the small, dark thing they assigned to him as a house, and deciding that she had done the right thing, tore the paper apart.
She opened the door for him, motioning him to enter. He stepped in, looking around, remembering the first time he was here, and also the last. He sighed at not seeing his door sign took one more step inside, and fell flat on his face.
"Ah. Shinji, meet penpen. Penpen, this is Shinji, our new roommate."
Penpen was not amused. He had tripped on him, and now was going to share his apartment. Turning away with a derisive *wark*, the warm water penguin turned to leave for his fridge.
"pet?"
"roommate. He is far too intelligent to be a pet."
"great."
"Come on, let's eat something!"
"great."
And he remembered he had to take up cooking as soon as posible... or die.
He got into his school uniform, picked up his bag and left, mentally apologizing to Misato for skipping breakfast, and school. He headed off, school could wait... he had been there. He made his way calmly to the nerv, going to the infirmary.
After all, she had saved... spared him. He would pay back this time around.
She looked at the boy before her, a rather familiar one. He reminded her of commander.
She watched as the boy slowly dissolved, obviosly in pain, as he mouthed 'to protect' over and over.
She did not know why, but the death of the boy brought an unfamiliar feeling to her, threatening to overwhelm her.
For some reason, she decided she did not want that boy to die, surprising herself.
But who was he?
He leaned forward and held her hand with both hands as she tossed and turned, apparently having a nightmare. He was amused, for as soon as he held her hand, she calmed down, her nightmare fled her, leaving her to a restful sleep. Looking at the time, he stood up to leave, brushed her cheek tenderly, and left.
"pleasant dreams, Rei."
She opened her eyes from her first dream... nightmare... just in time to see a figure clad in a black and white school uniform leave. Her good hand immediately went to her cheek, where she felt an unfamiliar tingle.
Dismising it as irrevelant a moment later, she smiled as commander walked into the room.
"Commander."
"How are you feeling today, Rei?"
"I am well. The painkillers are effective." She wondered why she didn't tell commander of her nightmare... yet, she somehow felt this would be inappropriate.
"Did the third child visit you?"
"I am unaware. I was sleeping for most of the time, yet he wasn't here when I were awake."
Suddenly she recognized the face in her nightmare. The third child. And she recognized the commander had left.
He was not done yet. He smiled softly as he walked. As he reached his destination, he opened the ever-unlocked door, stepped in, and begun cleaning up.
He left a few hours later, recognizing he would need one more trip to make the room spotless. He had much to do before the next angel attack...
He needed to settle.
The next morning, he was standing before her mother's grave... having just left Rei's side, it felt... strange. But he had to make sure, standing there a few moments. He was sure. There was nothing of her here.
Her soul, in Rei.
Her mind, in unit one.
Her body... in base components.
The grave was just a fetter. Understanding his father a little more, he left.
The apartment was spotless at last. The trash had been decimated, floor and walls spotless, laundry done, letters neatly arranged in a pile, bed done. He knew this would shock her, change her.
That was what he wanted. To get her to change outside his father's influence. To become her own person. She would need that to.. live.
He looked at the unit one. He had taken a full week, skipping school, leaving home early and coming back late, not anyone knowing where he was but the two agents tailing him. He had travelled, and reminisced. He felt tired... yet he had accomplished. He had... settled. This was his home once again. Soon, he would go to school, to meet all of them once again, and this time he would protect them all.
"I am ready, mother. To protect."
If he had seen the same nightmare as a particular half angel, he would never dare use such words.
AN: for her, whom I failed to protect.
My view on young Ikari is that going through the whole third impact and rejecting it requires great mental strenght, also having a totally new chance at things bolsters confidence. And Him being this different will effect other characters greatly, for he is our main character. Summary: I will send almost everyone reasonably OOC, beware.
Also note that the beginning will have much in common with the script, and as such I will not repeat it. Fill in the places I skip from the script to your judgment.
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