Asuka entered the spacious yet sparse ready room that belonged to Misato Katsuragi. The room was a short journey down a corridor away from the main bridge of the AAA Wunder. Its primary function was to be a private office for the captain of the Wunder, a location for them to write up reports or communicate with officers on a one of one basis should it be needed.

Although most of the crew had been on the Wunder for some time it was still a relatively new vessel, it had only acquired its primary power source recently and full command had only been released to Katsuragi recently. It was for this reason that the room was so empty.

Towards the back of the room was a desk, upon which were three screens each connected to the ships primary computer systems. Misato was sat at the desk, her eyes currently fixed one of these screens. Situated behind Misato was a large window which gave a remarkable view of the scenery that they were currently flying through.

Against the walls were a few display cabinets for displaying decorations. They were at this time empty. Asuka wondered if over time the cabinets would fill up or whether they would always remain empty. Keeping things for the sake of decoration was not really a priority for any of the crew on board the Wunder. Of course Misato would likely be using this room to conduct meetings with members of various organizations in the world, so it was likely diplomatic gifts would end up being stored in this room. Presents and tokens of goodwill from people who wished to acquire something from WILLE.

There was one particular cabinet in the room that Asuka did know to be full though. It was only to be opened on very special occasions, the last of which was the day before the mission to recover Shinji. Asuka could remember very little of that night, only waking up the next morning with a very sore head.

One very curious feature of the room was alone one of the walls in which a tank was embedded. Swimming within the tank was a small Lionfish. Asuka had no idea why Misato kept a Lionfish onboard the Wunder and had never bothered to ask. This was after all a woman who once had a pet penguin.

Asuka was not here to discuss fish nor was she here to admire the office. She was here to conclude her week long mission and deliver whatever it was within the box to Misato. She still didn't know what was inside the container. Her job had been to recover it after the end of her escort mission and bring it back to Misato.

Asuka of course had a personal reason for being here as well. She wanted to talk to Misato about the situation regarding Shinji. It was more than likely that Misato would have heard about Asuka's order to relocate Shinji to alternative quarters by now. How Misato would react to that she didn't know, she had already prepared to defend her actions though.

"Shikinami." Misato finally turned her attention away from the screen and gave a small courteous nod towards Asuka.

Asuka strode towards the desk and pulled the small chair situated there back slightly. She set the container down and took a seat before nodding back towards Misato.

"Captain Katsuragi."

"I've just received a curious message from Second Lieutenant Suzahara."

Asuka felt herself smirk as Misato spoke. She hasn't expected that to have been the first thing she heard about, she had expected a welcome back or a good job at first. Misato was very to the point today it would seem.

"Regarding what might I ask?"

"A transfer of prisoner BM-03 to the quarters of Captain Shikinami. Of course it being a medical directive I have no power to override such an action, yet I have to ask, what exactly are you playing it?"

Asuka shrugged her shoulders, "The idiot fell ill after you left. I made the decision that staying in that cell would have done him no favours and Suzahara agreed with me. We thought friendlier surroundings would have been in his best interest. We've had a guard posted out there should the brat try to escape but I have complete confidence that he will try no such thing."

Misato seemed to take the words in and for a moment Asuka wondered if she was going to try to say anything to object to what Asuka had put in place. After taking a moment to think about it Misato nodded, "Fine, I'll trust your judgement on this. In the future I'd like to be consulted on anything relating to BM-03 and its movements aboard my vessel though."

Asuka nodded, "Noted."

She could feel herself twitch ever so slightly when Misato referred to Shinji as BM-03. She tried not to let it show.

"So tell me about BM-03."

Asuka raised a curious eyebrow at Misato in response to the request. If Misato wanted to know about Shinji why could she not have just spoken to him? Why could she not have just asked Asuka a week ago before sending her out on the mission? Why was she still referring to him as BM-03?

"What do you want to know?"

"You spent five days with him."

Asuka nodded, "Yes I did."

"So is it Shinji?"

Asuka nodded again, "Yes. I thought Akagi already conf-"

Misato sharply cut her off, "I know what Akagi confirmed but that is only one thing. I need to know from you, is that definitely Shinji Ikari we have sitting in your quarters right now?"

Asuka sighed and nodded again slowly, "Yes, that is definitely Shinji Ikari. I know with 100% certainty that it is. I spent five days with him. I fought against him in that time and then I saw what he was like afterwards. I saw the idiot cry and scream about how he regretted everything he did. I saw him eat and I saw him sleep."

'I even slept with him' Asuka thought to herself, feelings herself blush.

"I have absolutely no doubt that it is Shinji Ikari, if you had taken the time to speak to him then you would have seen it for yourself. Is that why you kept him in that cell? Because you weren't sure?"

Asuka was doing the best she could to keep her voice down. The last thing she wanted to do was raise her voice against Misato. Instead she kept her gaze fixed on her commanding officer, the smirk he had before was now a scowl and she watched and Misato confirmed her actions.

"Yes I had doubts about him. Despite what Ritsuko said I had doubts, despite the fact that after over a week he still looked like Shinji and still sounded like Shinji I had doubts. Yet that wasn't why I put him in that cell. Shinji had to be punished for what he had done, for the good of this ship and its crew."

Misato paused for a moment, "I don't expect him to understand it. I don't take any pleasure in it either but there is still a risk. To both he and the crew itself. I know it was cruel but no more so than the forced isolation I had to endure after the Second Impact or the isolation you endured after your contamination."

Asuka frowned again, "You could have at least spoke to him. Isolating him without any contact and him not even knowing why was a bit cruel."

"I had little choice. I can't be Shinji's friend or guardian anymore. My responsibility is to this crew and I have to ensure they have complete faith in me."

Asuka found it hard to deny Misato was correct and yet it still bothered her. Shinji was definitely still a risk and after what he had pulled with running away and fighting for NERV being put in a cell on the Wunder was getting off easy.

Asuka also knew the state of the crew. They were frightened of what Shinji was capable of, Misato couldn't have had him running freely around the ship just yet, not without showing she had done anything first.

"So what are we going to do? Keep him confined to my quarters?"

Misato nodded, "For now yes but we will also have to bring him forward for interrogation later this afternoon or tomorrow. We need to find out what he knows."

Asuka shook her head and shifted in her seat as she recalled Shinji's reaction only moments ago to seeing Misato again, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"It has to be done."

"Shinji is terrified of you. After you left he had a panic attack and nearly collapsed. If you try to speak to him or interrogate him than he'll probably just throw up on you or pass out. You'll get nothing out of him."

"I see."

Asuka noticed that Misato seemed to avert her gaze at hearing the news about Shinji. It was at that moment she saw something in the woman's eyes that she hadn't seen for a while. Misato had to put on a colder exterior for the people of this vessel. She had to act like there was no personal attachment to Shinji anymore. She had to act like Shinji was a criminal and ensure he was punished for his actions despite deep down not wanting to.

Asuka knew it was a complicated situation, one that she never desired to be in. Asuka didn't care for leading people. She just wanted to pilot her Eva and show she was the best. Shinji had of course complicated that, she had never expected to have fallen for him all those years ago. On his return she had never expected to have fallen for him again. With her and Mari there had been a bond, a connection but it wasn't the same as what she felt for Shinji.

That was how it was supposed to have been. Mari had offered friendship and companionship to Asuka. Asuka had taken it eventually. She had been reluctant at first, only wanting to be held by Mari and not engage any further. Eventually she had been the one to go to Mari for it.

The connection she had with Mari during those times was nothing compared to what she had felt with him that one night in the tent though. She was now certain of her feelings for him which only made things harder regarding her position on the Wunder and in dealing with Misato.

Asuka knew Shinji had to be punished for what he had done. He had acted impulsively and even if it wasn't his fault he had to answer for it. He had endangered people and both he and everyone knew it. She couldn't ignore that, even if she wanted to protect him from it.

Her train of thought was broken as Misato suddenly stood up and wandered over to the window. She peered out of his for a moment before whispering, just enough for Asuka to hear.

"Damn him..."

Asuka couldn't help but smile, "If it helps Misato I feel the same way."

"Everything is so uncertain at the moment. The crew of this ship are frightened and all they know is that it was Shinji who set into motion the events of Near-Third Impact. Many of them blame Shinji for the way the world is. Some would not have had us bring him back at all and just have left him up there. Some are calling for him to be imprisoned for his actions and a few even called for execution."

Asuka stood up, "Misato you woul-"

Misato held up a hand to promptly cut off Asuka, "No, I wouldn't consider it. My first thought was to have Shinji sent out to one of the cities. Given a new identity and sent to live with one of the families there but... I can't do that."

Misato turned around to look at Asuka. Asuka felt herself glow red and wondered if she might be the reason Misato couldn't do that.

"Aside from your feelings towards him, which I am more than aware of... if we moved him into one of the cities it poses a bigger risk to him and us than if we kept him here. We have no idea if NERV or SEELE might make an attempt to get him and next time they might not give him a choice in what he does. It's best keeping him here."

"So what do we do with him? We can't just keep him confined to my quarters."

"I don't know Asuka. I can't have him wander the ship, you know as well as I do the risk to him. What does he want to do?"

Asuka shrugged, "At the moment he seems content to do what we tell him. He can cook, can we not put him in the canteen?"

Misato seemed to stop to think for a moment and then nodded, "That's a good idea. I will discuss it with Ritsuko and the team in the canteen. Maybe we can arrange something."

"And what about your interrogation?"

Misato sighed, "It will have to go ahead. You know as well as I do It has to be done but... I will hold it off for a couple of days. Until then he is your responsibility Asuka. Talk to him, get information from him if you can and maybe try to persuade him we're not all so bad here. Damn that idiot!"

Asuka laughed, "Well I always told you he was an idiot didn't I?"

Asuka paused, "None of us really helped him when he returned though did we?"

"We were yet to confirm it was really him. The attack from the Nemesis series and the tests and then the attack from NERV. Didn't give us a lot of time..."

"No but we also put a collar on him and told him was his punishment. I strode in and nearly punched a window through in front of him. Everyone looked at him like he was a demon and now we've nearly done it again. Locked in a cell and collar back on with no explanation this time."

"What else would you have had me do? You know he had to..."

"Yes I know he had to be punished MIsato. I warned him myself that he might be punished and put in a cell. I just wish you had informed me first before sending me out on some simplistic escort run on the edges of the wasteland."

Misato nodded in response. Asuka knew that she shouldn't be raising her voice to Misato like this but Misato didn't seem to be arguing back.

"Your honesty is appreciated. Yet that escort run wasn't as frivolous as you think. The bos you brought back carries great importance. Open it."

Asuka frowned and glanced down at the box somewhat confused, "You mean this one?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Open it and see for yourself!"

Asuka lifted the contained up onto the desk and slowly started to open it. She had been curious as to its contents from the moment she had received it. Her assumption had been that ti was some sort of diplomatic gift for Misato or some files. Yet now she was beginning to sense it was more important than that.

As the box opened she peered inside to reveal a thin circular disc, it was clear but she could see a variety of symbols present on it. Also in the container was a small USB storage device and a note.

'With compliments. R-K'

Asuka looked up at Misato in shock, "T-This is from..."

"Yes, it's from Kaji and it was left with the commander of that outpost merely days before you returned to the Wunder."

"So he is alive then?"

"It seems like it, for now anyway. Still playing the secret agent too apparantly. This is why I had to send you Asuka. I can't trust anyone else with this sort of task than you."

Asuka pulled the disc out of the box and examined it. She glanced over the symbols, her knowledge of ancient alphabets and languages was minimal so none of it meant anything to her.

"So what is this?"

"It's something a number of parties have been looking for for quite some time. Kaji himself was very interested in finding it. He claimed it was some sort of map mentioned in the secret Dead Sea Scrolls, a forgotten part of the Book Of Jubilees."

"A map to what exactly?"

"The tower of Babel."

XXX

Shinji sipped gently from the cup of water he had been given before leaning himself back on the couch. He looked around the room briefly before turning towards Sakura who was gazing down at him with concern in her eyes.

"Are you feeling better Shinji?"

Shinji smiled weakly and set the cup down, "I-I'm feeling a bit better, thanks."

Shinji could still feel himself trembling from the events in the cell but the dizziness had gone and his breathing was back to normal. His stomach was hurting a little bit but he expected that. All he felt now was the embarrassment of falling ill in front of Asuka and having to have been cleaned up by her and Sakura.

"Good, if you have any more problems just tell me alright?"

Shinji nodded, "Yeah... thank you."

Sakura sat down on the couch next to him. She seemed to be searching for something to say before finally blurting out, "Shinji, you were talking about my brother earlier right?"

Shinji nodded again, "Yeah... I thought was..."

Knowing what he did now Shinji couldn't quite bring himself to say the word dead, "When I was in NERV they had a dispenser for shirts. They were the same as what I wore to school. One day I received one that was a bit too big for me and... it had his name on the inside. When I learned about what happened to the world being my fault and I didn't see him on here I just... assumed he was... you know?"

Sakura frowned for a brief time but then giggled, "Well fortunately you were misled. Touji is absolutely fine and as I said, he's working as an engineer in, Neo-London I think it is. He's fine Shinji, you don't have to worry about him."

Shinji smiled before asking, "Neo-London?"

"Yeah but don't worry about it for now. A lot has changed in this world Shinji. I know you said you think you're to blame for it but it isn't quite that black and white. There is a lot to learn and I'll try to help you in any way I can but for now..."

Shinji interupted her, "But people are scared of me aren't they? Asuka told me..."

There was a nod, "If I'm being honest, yes people are scared of you. They don't know you though. They just see you as some reckless pilot who fought an Angel, went too far and the world changed afterwards. They might blame you and be frightened of you but... they don't know the truth."

"I don't understand that though, I don't even know the truth myself..." Shinji muttered.

"You will in time but... just rest for now Shinji. Don't think about it now, put on one of Captain Shikinami's games or a movie and just forget about everything. There is a communications system in here that you can use to contact me if you need it. You can get yourself food or something to drink but I'd advise against anything too strenuous, just focus on resting."

Shinji blushed, "T-Thanks... I will."

Sakura got up off the couch and started to walk towards the door, she got halfway towards pausing, "Oh and Shinji... Touji never blamed you once for what happened to this world. He and Hikari... they never stopped believing in you. I thought you'd like to know that."

XXX

Rei Ayanami sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the medical bay. It had only been a couple of hours since she had woken up inside of that strange tank. She had napped for an hour or so since being brought here and now thankfully her mind was no longer in the haze that it was. Rei was still feeling incredibly dizzy though and for now getting up off of the bed would have been a bad idea.

Akagi had told her that this sensation would pass eventually. That Rei's body was still adjusting itself to the treatment that had been administered and that dizziness was just one of a number of side effects that might occur. Upon hearing other potential side effects Rei was hoping that it would just be dizziness.

Rei's stomach gave a soft growl. Her hunger was most likely not helping her condition either. Unfortunately she had been told that it would not be possible for her to consume anything for another couple of hours. So for now she sat and watched as people moved around the lab.

She didn't know a single one of them and as she watched them they wondered what they knew of her, if anything at all. Did any of these people know who or what she was? Did they trust her or were they frightened of her? Rei had noticed that she had been fitted with a collar, similar to the one Shinji had been fitted with on his arrival at NERV. A symbol of WILLEs mistrust in her.

Rei was fine with this. She understood why it had happened and she understood what she was to these people. Even if they did not trust her or even if they disliked her she was quite content in the knowledge that she would be safe here and that it was a far better place and life than being in NERV.

Akagi had explained briefly exactly what had happened to her since she had arrived on the Wunder. On Rei's arrival she had collapsed whilst being escorted to one of the cells. From that moment it was discovered that her body was starting to finally break down. The lack of any medication over that week she had spent in the wasteland was taking its toll on her and action had to have been taken.

From what Rei understood of the little discussion Akagi had been there the moment she collapsed. She had worked around the clock to attempt to repair and restore Rei's body and ultimately her life. It was surprising to learn the amount of effort Akagi had gone to in order to keep Rei alive. Given the commanding and somewhat emotionless exterior Akagi presented it was hard to believe she would go to that much effort. Especially considering the conversation Asuka and Rei had prior to them arriving on the ship.

Rei didn't quite know how to express it but she was immensely thankful to Akagi for everything, and the other members of the team that had done this for her. Over the course of the week they had developed that tank for Rei. It had been filled with an altered LCL which would allow Rei's body to regenerate.

From there Akagi had developed a new treatment program. Whilst on board the Wunder Rei could if she wished utilize the tank once a month to perform the necessary maintenance on her body. Should this not be possible for some reason an injectable serum had been developed. Rei could use it once a week and it would provide what she needed. Akagi had ordered Rei to keep several vials of the serum on her person at all times, with absolutely no exceptions.

Rei felt very fortunate to have all of this done for her. No one had ever shown her this sort of kindness before, not even the people she was supposed to have been allied with. She knew that the people of this ship saw her as a threat and an enemy, yet they were willing to go to these lengths to preserve her life. She would do whatever she could to help them.

Rei's mind now wandered to thoughts of Asuka and Shinji. She had tried asking Akagi about the pair only to be met with an order to get some rest and a warning that information about the two was confidential. Although it saddened Rei that she couldn't find out anything about them she also understood.

For now though all she could do was think about the two of them and what they might be doing or about their experiences and journeys together. At first she thought about Asuka. Her first real memory of Asuka was in meeting her when Asuka had transferred to Tokyo-3. Back then Asuka was brash, arrogant and unlike Rei didn't seem to have any issues in interacting with others. She was a polar opposite to what Rei was and yet at the same time Rei could sense some of the same loneliness within Asuka that she herself had.

She could remember how she would observe Asuka during that time. She would watch as Asuka was rather withdrawn in her own way. Whilst she seemed to have little trouble talking to others she didn't seem to actively engage in any activities instead seeming to prefer the solitude of a small portable games device she carried around.

What was interesting is that whilst she kept people at a distance she didn't seem to do the same for Shinji. Back at that time Rei had wondered if it was because of Shinji's status as an Eva pilot. It would have made sense for Asuka to have kept him close for the sake of their small team. Of course back then Rei didn't know of the feelings Asuka had for her fellow pilot.

Coupled with this were thoughts of the relationship between herself and Asuka during that time. Back then it seemed like Asuka hated Rei. Rei thought that she didn't mind Asuka hating her but she knew it was untrue. As withdrawn as she had been she didn't want to be hated by anyone. On seeing Asuka again after so many years it seemed like this had not changed. Of course the Rei that Asuka had met so many years later was now the enemy. They were on opposite sides of a cause that Rei didn't even understand.

Rei knew now that this supposed hatred was not the case. Asuka was just a complicated person in the same way that they all were. How Asuka expressed herself was very different and Rei assumed that Asuka had her reasons for that. Maybe one day she would learn of them. For Rei though, she hardly understood herself at this moment. Her body had healed and she knew who she was but so many things were foreign to her. She had no idea really what it meant to be human.

As images of the redhead passed out of her mind she now started to think about Shinji. Rei wondered if Asuka had managed to secure any comfort for Shinji since they had gotten back to the Wunder. She hoped so, he had been in so much pain throughout their journey.

Rei was still uncertain of just what Shinji was to her. They shared a connection, that much was true but what was that connection. Was he a friend or something more? Rei was an artificial being that has been created from what had been left behind by Yui Ikari during the contact experiment. She was technically a clone of Yui yet it would be inappropriate for her to say she was Shinji's mother. She supposed the most appropriate term would be his sibling, as she rolled the idea around in her head it brought her warmth.

'Shinji, my brother... I like this.'

Rei's mind suddenly turned to her status here on this ship. She was now no longer near Shinji or Asuka. She was completely on her own in a room with people she didn't know. A deep sense of unease was starting set in as she watched these unknown medical officers move back and forth between stations and interact with one another.

'Enemy... I am... an enemy to these people.'

She turned the words over in her head trying to find some way to stem the tide of negative feelings they were creating. She began to feel herself tremble as darker thoughts were entering her mind. Until last week Rei was a part of NERV, the organization responsible for bringing to end the world these people cherished so much.

Although at the time she did not know of the pain and suffering in this wider world she wondered if that would matter to these people. Over a week ago Rei had attacked this very vessel, blown a hole in the side and escaped with their prisoner. That same prisoner who nearly brought about a fourth impact.

Merely days afterwards Rei had attacked the vessel once again, nearly destroying it as it tried to stop Shinji and Kaworu from making their grave mistake. She had potentially injured, no she had potentially killed people on here. Even if it wasn't what she had intended, even if she had been manipulated into it, would that matter?

She shifted herself uncomfortably onto the bed and wondered if she was safe again. Guilt and unease were eating away at her. Without Akagi here what would stop anyone from attacking her and saying it was an accident.

A member of the staff shot her a curious glance, their eyes made contact for a moment and Rei quickly looked away. She focused on the ground as she tried to stem these fears. What would happen to her now that she was here?

Katsuragi would probably want to speak to her, to interrogate her on what she knew. Rei was willing to tell her everything she knew. About her origin and about what she had seen in NERV. She didn't know how helpful it would be. In truth she knew very little of NERVs operations, she was little more than a tool to be used and discarded by the commander.

Did that make her useful or useless to WILLE then? After it was revealed that she knew practically nothing what would happen to her afterwards? Would she be allowed to stay about the Wunder or would she be cast aside. Would she ever get to see the others again?

Sadness started to creep in amongst the other negative feelings she was having. Rei could feel a burning behind her eyes and she realized that tears were forming. There was an extreme sadness she felt at the idea of not being able to see Shinji or Asuka again. She wanted to thank them for helping her and for her being alive.

'Regardless of what happens to me here... it is better than being in that place... I am... I am alive and I am me at least.'

Suddenly as if to halt the negative feelings another persons image suddenly popping into her head. It was of the other pilot she had encountered, the brunette with red rimmed glasses, a wide catlike smile and the pink plugsuit.

Rei felt some warmth rush through her as she thought of this person. Yet she didn't know why she was feeling this way, a small smile came to her lips.

Asuka had said that this person's name was Mari Makinami. Rei knew very little about her though. She could remember her from the time before the Near-Third Impact. Mari had arrived in Tokyo-3 some time before the fight with the tenth. She could remember Mari had piloted Unit 02 into battle after Asuka's incapacitation and had proven herself to be a very skilled pilot.

Rei suddenly found herself longing to see Mari again. It was strange to suddenly feel this way but she wanted to get to knew her better and talk to her more. At the same time Rei wondered if that would even be possible. Even with her status as a prisoner Rei didn't exactly know how to hold a conversation with someone and besides, would a person like Mari even want to talk to Rei?

Rei contemplated these new feelings inside her towards Mari. They brought her warmth and were helping her fight the fear she was feeling at the time. She thought of Mari smiling and sat next to her and she gently lay herself back on the bed and closed her eyes.

XXX

Asuka's head was still spinning by the time she returned to her quarters. She was coming off of the back of two of the more stressful weeks she had experienced for quite some time. Everything from recovering Shinji to stopping him from initiating a fourth impact, the journey across the wasteland, seeing him this morning and what Misato had revealed to her was spinning around in her head.

All she wanted to do right now was get back inside her quarters, have a shower and eat whatever junk food she had lying around in her fridge.

Misato's revelation was still somewhat hard for her to comprehend. That innocent looking artefact that Asuka had brought back was seriously supposed to be a map that would locate the mythical Tower Of Babel.

From what Asuka had seen of the artefact it certainly didn't look like a map. It looked like a clear plastic disc with hieroglyphs on. Hieroglyphs that neither she nor the ships computers could recognize. Asuka therefore wondered just what the point of having such a thing was if no one could understand it. Of course Misato had informed her that Akagi had a plan for that. She also informed Asuka that knowledge of the artefact was highly classified, only Misato, Akagi and Asuka were aware of it.

Asuka felt a deep sense of foreboding with that. It had been secrets like that which helped plunge the world into the state it was in. SEELE with their Dead Sea Scroll or NERV and Gendo Ikari with their own agendas. Now it seemed Misato was going down that same path. If this artefact could really do them any good. Asuka would rather have just taken the fight to NERV and SEELE.

It didn't help that Asuka had so many questions, none of which could really be answered right now. If this really was a map to the Tower Of Babel then what exactly was the Tower? It couldn't have been the actual tower of biblical yore. It had to have been some name that SEELE or NERV had given it. She knew just how fond both organizations were of their symbolism.

Beyond this what purpose did the tower serve. She knew some of the original story behind the tower. The legend of a great tower that would reach up the heavens, from a time when all of humanity spoke with one common language. She remembered that the story concluded with God putting a halt to the towers construction. He made it so that human's no longer shared a common language but now multiple and could therefore no longer completely understand one another. He then scattered them around the world and the tower was no more.

This was the myth at the very least. A myth that didn't really interest her, she preferred to deal with what was real and in front of her than ancient biblical stories. If this tower was supposed to exist then she would deal with that when she had to as well.

She just didn't like the idea of it at all. Misato was hiding something and as much as Asuka had faith in Misato she knew this sudden reliance on old stories or relics couldn't be good for any of them. For now though she tried to push these thoughts out of her mind, she was off duty and deserved a break.

She approached the door and was immediately struck by a strange yet very appetizing smell from its vicinity. She ran her card through the small reader and the door slid open. The first thing she noticed was the sight of neatly folded sheets on her sofa.

'Shinji... of course...'

Of the course of the afternoon Asuka had actually forgotten that Shinji would be in her quarters when she returned. She had been so busy with her meeting with Misato and then introducing and working with new recruits for the TARKUS Units she had forgotten.

What surprised her though was that the sheets had been folded and were sitting on the sofa. Rather than having Shinji underneath them. She turned her head and felt a brief surge of anger rush through her as the source of the pleasant smell was revealed.

Shinji was working in her kitchen. He was not resting like he had been ordered too but he instead was stood over a pan delicately stirring its contents. Off to one side were two plates, Asuka could make out a few potatoes scattered on them.

She silently watched him, her mouth open in awe as he placed what appeared to be a number of meatballs on each plate. This was followed by him covering them with a white sauce that he had been cooking in the pan.

She genuinely didn't know whether to yell at him for disobeying her order to rest, be happy that he had cooked her a meal or feel sad that despite all that had happened to him act he was doing this for her. He finished arranging the plates and slowly turned around. There was a sheepish look in his eyes as he met her glare.

"Ikari." She stood up straight and spoke with the same commanding voice she would use for the new recruits.

She could see small smile forming on his lips as he tried to avert his gaze. She almost wanted to smile back at him. She could feel her lips turning upwards but she kept up the act.

"I thought my orders were for you to rest!"

"S-Sorry... I was... I was feeling a lot better this afternoon and... I knew how long you had been away for and you probably hadn't eaten well and... I wanted to... I'm sorry..." Shinji scrambled to apologize and justified his actions. Asuka found it quite cute watching him.

She finally broke her glare and grinned, "Always apologizing huh? I'll forgive you for disobeying my orders just this once. On the condition that you really were feeling better."

Asuka made her ware over to the kitchen and leaned her arms on one of the counters to get a closer look at what he had made.

"So what did you make?"

"I looked up some recipes from Germany that I thought you might like this is called Könic… no wait Könaksbe-"

Shinji trailer off embarrassed as Asuka let out a laugh, "Königsberger Klopse?"

Shinji nodded with an embarrassed smile, "Y-Yeah… I can cook it just not… say it."

"Well we can't all be amazing and multilingual like me. Where did you get all of the stuff to make it? I'm sure I didn't have all of this in my cupboards!" She pointed at the ingredients Shinji had out to make the German meal.

"I had Miss Suzahara help me, she took a list to the kitchens and got me them. She also let me know what time you got in from what you were doing. I wanted it to be ready for when you got back…"

Asuka turned away so that Shinji couldn't see the blush that had formed on her cheeks. She was, for one of the very first times in her life actually speechless. Shinji had gone to all of this effort just for her. He had actually thought this through, gotten help and arranged it for when she got through the door. Maybe he wasn't as oblivious and dense as she had once thought.

She took a seat at the small dining table and waited for Shinji to bring one of the plates over. He positioned it in front of her.

"Thank you."

He went back to the kitchen to grab his own plate. His portion was a little bit smaller than hers, she was about to question him about it but then remembered he had been ill earlier that day.

Instead of speaking she wasted no time in picking up her knife and fork and cutting into one of the small meatballs. She got the half of it onto her fork and made sure it had some of the white sauce on it before bringing it up to her mouth and taking a first bite. As it approached her lips the wondrous smell of the sauce and meat filled her nostrils and she realized just how hungry she was.

She put the food into her mouth and began to chew. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Shinji had not started, he was peering down at his plate but looking up at her every so often waiting for her reaction. She swallowed the portion she had put into her mouth and immediately got another portion up onto her fork.

It was delicious, far beyond what she had been expecting to eat tonight. She would have been happen to indulge in junk food but having a full home cooked meal prepared by Shinji was much better. Not only that but for his first attempt at cooking something like this he had done magnificently. The meat melted in her mouth and the accompanying sauce complemented it perfectly.

She had known Shinji was a talented cook. He often used to cook fourteen years ago when they lived with Misato but she had only tasted his Japanese offerings. Whilst they were very good she had no idea how he might handle German food. It turned out he was very good at that as well.

"This is really good Shinji!" She said, her mouth still half full of food.

Shinji smiled and finally cut into his own meal, "T-Thanks… I've never cooked anything like this before so I didn't know how it'd turn out."

"You're really talented, have you always cooked?" She inquired.

Shinji shook his head in reply, "Not really… I kinda had to learn out of necessity when I moved in with Misato. She… well you know that she wasn't very good…"

Asuka let out a laugh, "She still isn't. So you just did it because you had to?"

"Y-Yeah but I really enjoyed it. I liked making food for other people, it always made them happy and…"

Shinji trailed off as Asuka finished the sentence for him, "They praised you for it?"

"Yeah… It was something I was able to do for people that they liked me for and it wouldn't end up hurting me either."

She shrugged, "I don't know about that you could have burnt or cut yourself."

"You know what I mean… burns and cuts whilst cooking are one thing… they hurt but… being in Eva. All it ever did was bring me pain and then…" He nodded towards the window, "You saw what ended up happening there. Can't really do that by chopping an onion…"

"If piloting the Eva only caused you pain then why did you continue?"

"I guess… I wanted to be praised by my father for it… I wanted to hear him say I had done a good job and maybe him see me as a son again. Also… other people needed me so it was nice to feel needed even if it did mean I'd be hurt. I finally had friends too… Touji and Kensuke, Ayanami and… even you…"

"Hold on, what do you mean even you? What was I not a friend or something?" Asuka frowned and took a sip from the glass of water Shinji had poured her.

Shinji laughed, "No of course you were but… I always thought you hated me or something…"

"That's because you're an idiot!"

"I know."

There was no sadness in his voice as he said that. If anything he actually sounded happy and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they resumed their meals. After a few moments, much to Asuka's annoyance her plate was empty. She immediately wondered if there was more or even if Shinji had secretly prepared a dessert. She pushed her plate forward, "That was really good Shinji. I think we might have made the right decision concerning you."

Shinji looked up confused, "Huh, what do you mean?"

"I spoke to Misato today… I told her about my idea to put you in the kitchens and she said she is going to look into it. I can't promise anything and it might take some time so you'll have to stay in my quarters for now but is that alright?"

Shinji nodded, "Yeah, I don't mind… thank you Asuka."

"You can thank me by making me more meals like that and by not doing anything stupid. I'm sure you can manage that right?"

Shinji nodded again, "I think so."

"Good."

Asuka rose from her seat and slowly took off her jacket, "Now if you'll excuse me I have to take a shower."

She moved towards the bathroom before stopping, "Oh and Shinji, I'm still going to kick your ass in the simulator."


Authors Notes: Hey everyone, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who stopped to read the first chapter of this and add it to their favs/alerts or leave a review. I think that's probably the most I've gotten for a first chapter of something since I wrote Conspiracy many many years ago. It's really nice to see people liked what I wrote and I hope you continue to do so going forward. I do have an outline of key events for this, when I write my fics I always have a rough outline or certain moments that will happen but the way in which we get to certain moments is fairly fluid. It might change depending on what does/doesn't work when I've wrote it down.

A few things on this chapter. Writing that conversation between Misato and Asuka was difficult. It's hard to really get a grasp on Misato for this one but I think I ended up doing a decent job of it. I don't really want to portray Misato as being the same as Gendo was in being cold towards Shinji, yet I don't want her to welcome him back with open arms. There is a conflict within Misato now, 14 years have passed and she had more responsibility than she ever did before. Ready room stuff, the Lionfish is actually a reference to the resident of Captain Picards Ready Room in Star Trek TNG. I kinda based her room off of that one, I was brought up with Star Trek so anything 'ship' related is generally influenced by that for me.

For Rei, I'm actually enjoying writing for Rei so far. She's never been a character that has 'spoke to me' too much if that makes sense? I do have SPDudley to thank a lot for his brilliant Blue Rose series that really opened my eyes to Rei as a character though, I felt I started a good process with HandCannotErase and can move forward with this one.

The meal Shinji prepares, this was suggested to me by a German friend of mine. I was looking up German meals as I thought it'd be a thoughtful thing for Shinji to do, in the end my friend suggested that so I wrote that in. It sounded tasty.

Once again a big thank you to all who took and take the time to read this. I was intending on releasing this a chapter a week, I've already got a buffer but that might be delayed next week as I'm actually away. Hopefully not though.