Author's notes : I just read Once more with Feelings by Crazy-88 and I'd like to make a public apology to him. One of the scenes in my last chapter is very similar to one in his fic. I hadn't read it at the time and was truly surprised by this. Guess great minds think alike, but it still leaves a kinda bitter taste in my mouth.

But as a consequence, I'd like to say something that I think is important. I'm writing this story by myself with ideas that I came up with. I've read my fair share of Eva fics, but I haven't read them all, so if some of my ideas have already been made, please believe me when I say that I didn't know. I've tried to go out of my way not to copy/steal any ideas from other fics, but I can't be 100% sure of this.

I'm still reading more, for this particular reason, but also for my personal enjoyment. I don't want to bore myself with Evangelion and drop this project altogether. So I guess it'll be bound to happen from time to time, and I'm really sorry about that again.

So please, don't be too harsh if I make this mistake again, and don't hesitate to review etc if you like where this is going !

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Nothing much had changed in the Katsuragi Residence in the two days which had passed since Asuka and Shinji's altercation. The former still berated the latter on a more or less hourly basis, and kept voicing her discontent between those times. Shinji was still the housebroken teenager he had always been, and their guardian was still punishing her liver, one beer at a time. The only thing noticeable was that the Children seemed to be in a better mood. It was barely perceptible, but it was there. Shinji didn't cower as much as he used to when Asuka shouted at him, and she was less insulting, having switched to more general than personal attacks.

Shinji had always felt concerned by Misato's drinking habit. He cared a lot about her, of course. She was the first person in a very long time who showed genuine affection for him. And he felt conflicted, because for now, he was glad that she was always at least tipsy when she was home, for if she wasn't, she might have seen how he and Asuka looked at each other sometimes, how he had furiously blushed at the time when she stormed inside the living room with just a towel to cover her, and how she blushed as well when she saw that. Her bath was indeed too hot, but it wasn't only because of that that she came into the living room. She had, maybe only unconsciously, wanted him to see her like this. She could have just shouted from the bathroom.

When Shinji came back to Asuka's room two days ago, he had been surprised to see her give him one of her all too few in his opinion genuine smile with gleaming eyes. And when he had laid down beside her, he had been utterly astonished when she laid her head on his chest and put her hand on the side of his neck gently, her arm resting on his chest as well. After some hesitation, he had hugged her back and they had talked. They decided two things together there and then. First, that this would be their new sleeping arrangement for the foreseeable future. Asuka had made a point not to leave him with any choice, but Shinji, In a bolder mood than usual, had acquiesced firmly, to her great delight. Second, that they would not talk about it to anyone. Being Eva pilots meant that nothing in their life was secret. That even their most private thoughts, pains, traumas or few joys were known by others, not leaving them any choice in the matter. But this was different, this was one thing they shared. That belonged only to them. That nobody had to know, or more precisely, that nobody known. At least for now. So they promised each other that they would not tell anyone nor show anyone that they were... Together ? They had not talked about that. They slept in the same bed, in each other's arms. That was enough. The added benefit to Asuka was that she had to keep on chastising him for every little things he did that annoyed her.

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Misato was standing in the Pribnow Box, her arms crossed. She was looking out the window idly at the Test Plugs, not focusing on anything, not paying attention to the voice in the PA system.

B-type harmonics test, all green. Projected adjustment values have been cleared.

She was snapped back to this world by a voice directly addressing her.

"You look tired, Misato." Makoto Hyuga stated with as little concern as he allowed himself to express while inquiring about his commanding officer's state. Everyone in the room knew that he was attracted to her, and he was well aware of that, but he didn't want to display it openly regardless of that fact.

"Yeah, for a lot of private reasons." Misato answered with a reassuring smile, glad for his interest in her well-being. She had taken advantage of his feelings for her personal gain in the last few months, but she had decided to stop giving him false hopes some weeks back. She had been even more comforted in her decision by what happened between her and Kaji when they left the wedding they attended with Ritsuko.

"Kaji ?" Ritsuko couldn't pass the opportunity to tease her oldest friend.

"Shut up !" Misato snapped back vehemently, not wishing to dwell on the issue in the middle of a sync test. "Well, how's the Third Child doing ?" she asked, turning back to the window and restoring her neutral expression as if her sudden outburst never occurred.

"Take a look." Maya Ibuki answered with a slight smile.

"Let me see... That's great, both Asuka and Shinji have increased their sync ratio. And Shinji has the highest score ! I hope that knowing this will boost his confidence." Opening a direct communication to Test Plug 01, she added "Can you hear me, Shinji ?

Shinji blinked after opening his eyes as Misato's question broke his concentration.

"Misato, how were my test scores ?" He asked expectantly. He was in a great mood, he had been since he had shared his story with Asuka.

"Yes ! You are number one !" Misato answered, filling him even more with joy. But it didn't last long, as he knew it meant that he beat her. He knew that she wouldn't be happy. He knew how important being the best was for her. His first place left as a consequence a bittersweet taste in his mouth, much more bitter than sweet.

When the test ended, he went back to the apartment by himself. He left as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to face Asuka. 'She must hate me right now. She probably doesn't want me anywhere near her.' "I'm sorry." He muttered to himself, a hollow smile on his face with these words. He knew that it would be even worse if he was to apologize to her face to face. So he sat there, at the back of the bus, completely oblivious to the outside world.

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In the female pilots locker room, Asuka fumed.

"I lost ! He beat us so easily. He beat us so easily that it's pissing me off !" She was shouting and making grand gestures to vent out her anger while Rei was quietly putting on her school uniform.

"He's great, wonderful, awesome, too awesome ! The Invincible Shinji ! So that makes our job a little easier, right ?" She didn't even hear Rei closing her locker behind her as she continued shouting. "But it also means we'll have to do our best to not be left behind !"

"Goodbye." Rei said on the threshold, as expressionless as ever. But as soon as the door closed, Asuka stopped talking. She sat on the bench behind her. Part of her outburst had been in order to keep her persona in front of the others, but she was truly angry at Shinji. Very angry in fact. So she sat on the bench and started thinking. She was confused, and she hated that.

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There hadn't been an Angel attack in a long time, so Misato had had time to catch up on her paperwork. It was a very good thing because she wanted to be there for her charges. She knew that the mood wouldn't be pleasant, but she wanted Shinji to know that she would protect him from their roommate's wrath, and she wanted Asuka to know that she was there if she wanted to talk, to sit in silence or anything that she would have wanted to do.

As she predicted, dinner had been tense. Asuka kept silent the whole time, frowning as in deep thoughts, or contained raged, she couldn't be sure, but the latter seemed more likely to her. Shinji had tried to keep silent, but couldn't force himself to ignore Misato so he answered her questions and conversations attempts with as few words as he could. When he went to the bathroom, Misato decided it was the right moment.

"You know, it was just a sync test. Don't you go and..."

"Save it !" Asuka interrupted her, not as harshly as Misato was expecting. 'Did it hit her that bad ?' Misato asked herself. "... But I appreciate it." Asuka added, smiling slightly, but genuinely, at her guardian. She knew that Misato cared for her. And the fact that she always seemed to favor Shinji in her eyes didn't change that fact. There were too few that actually cared. She always boasted that she didn't need anyone, but she was glad when someone she deemed worthy actually showed care. "I'm going to bed. Good night." With that, she stood and went to her bedroom.

When Shinji came back a few seconds later, he found Misato standing next to the kitchen table.

"Don't bother with the dishes, I'll do them tomorrow. You should get some sleep. And don't beat yourself up too hard over Asuka. She'll come around, you know her."

'That's because I know her that I'm beating myself up.' "M-maybe."

"You'll see ! You should tell her honestly how you feel about that. It just might cheer her up. I'm going to bed, good night, Shin-Chan !"

"Good night." Shinji followed Misato to the living room, switching the lights off on the way, then went to his room. After closing his door, he sighed. He had decided not to go to Asuka's room this night. 'I'll leave her alone tonight, she's upset because of me, going to her room will only...' His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door sliding open.

"What are you doing here ? Come." Asuka demanded in a whisper so as not to attract attention from their other roommate. Shinji followed her and laid on her bed next to her when she ordered him to. She nestled herself against him, as she had been doing for the last nights. It was convenient for her because he couldn't see her face.

"I was selected to become a pilot when I was four. I was so happy, so proud, but it didn't last long..." She started talking and immediately paused. She had decided she would talk to him, that she would try to make him understand, but it was harder than she imagined.

"Why ?" He asked after a few seconds of silence. He felt her tense, her arm tightening around him.

"Don't ask. What's important is that I devoted myself to being the best. I was selected to be an elite Eva Pilot. The Second Child. My mission was to save to world ! I promised myself I'd be the best, a hero to be praised !.." She paused for a second, Shinji, understanding that it was difficult for her, gently rubbed her back. If it was for his gesture or not, he didn't know, but she continued. "That's why I resented you when we first met. It took me years of training to reach the sync rate you had when you first sortied..." Her words were harsh in Shinji's ears, but her tone wasn't. 'She's just stating the facts.' he thought, not daring to interrupt her. "And I'm mad at you for having beaten me today... But not as much as I should be, I think. Because I know you don't do it intentionally. I know you don't like piloting. You really are an idiot !"Her tone carried more emotions now. But she wasn't insulting him like she used to. "You know, if I'm telling you all this right now, it's because of you.

"What do you mean ?"

"When you told me about..." She stopped herself, not wanting to bring back the subject of his mother so bluntly. "When we talked... Good things happened... So I figured that maybe I could talk to you. That's what you wanted, right ?" She added that last part in an angrier tone. Opening up was still difficult, so was letting her guard down. Or less up, to be exact.

"Thank you" He answered in a whisper.

"But still. Having you beat me without even trying... It's as if everything I did was useless..." 'That I am useless'. "If I'm not the best..."

"B-but you are the best !" Shinji cut her, trying to sound confident. His stuttering didn't convey this idea, though.

"Don't rub it in, Third Child." Asuka was starting to get angry.

"I-I'm not ! S-sure, I beat you today in this test" He was starting to get really scared as he saw and felt her tense dangerously. In this position, he wouldn't last a minute against her. In any position, to be exact. "But you're still the best pilot !" he blurted out "Your technique is much better, your knowledge, your confidence, and your style, you move so graciously... In combat" He quickly added, blushing. "Our sync rate doesn't mean anything ! I can't do half of what you can do with your Eva !

"Damn right baka !" His little pep talk had worked. She felt a little better, she wasn't useless, and she would show them all ! "And don't you dare think that you won ! I'll beat you back ! And if you want to be first again, you'll have to work for it, Invincible Shinji !"

"Invincible Shinji ?" He asked, surprised at the epithet.

"I might have found you a new nickname after the sync test. I was a little angry..." She said in a soft tone. She hugged him a little tighter, and he did the same. "Thank you, Shinji."

She shuffled a little against him, finding a better position before letting his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

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Try as he might, Shinji had a hard time focusing. He had always been scared when going into battle before, but it had never been this much. He was utterly terrified. Before, he didn't have anything to lose. He had always been scared of dying, of course, but it was nothing compared to the idea of losing Asuka. He never thought he could have been even more scared than when he had been thrown into the robot to fight his first battle. 'She's too careless... And I know some day she'll get hurt. She has almost died already ! I can't let that happen !' His hand was clenching and unclenching as it usually done when he was in that kind of situations.

"Can you all here me ? Misato said through the pilots' radios. " I've sent you all of the target's data. This is all we know right now. Approach it carefully and observe its reactions, and, if possible, lure it outside of the city limits. Two of you will back up the other, got that ?" Everyone nodded, as everyone listened intently. "Asuka, you're the most trained in combat, and since you insisted on taking an axe, you'll...

"I'll do it." Shinji cut her through the radio, his face on the Command center monitor showed nothing except for determination. When he was in his entry plug, he was always overtaken by this sense of determination, as if he indeed was invincible. As if the Eva would protect him against everything. He knew Asuka wouldn't like what he was about to say, or the reason why he was going to say it, that is, if he ever got to tell her, but he couldn't let her rush the Angel as she usually did. "I have the highest sync ratio, you said it yourself Misato : "You are number one !""

"Now hold on a second Third Child." Asuka's face appeared on his left in his cockpit, she didn't look happy. "You heard the Major, don't stand in my way." Her eyes were positively blazing.

Shinji couldn't let her take the point back, he had to protect her, even if it meant saying things that would clearly piss her off. Knowing her as he did, he knew perfectly how to trigger some reactions, especially the hostile ones. "I'll show you how it ought to be done, Asuka."

"What was that ?" Asuka couldn't believe her ears 'After all he said to me yesterday he dares to tell me something like this ? I'm so gonna chew him up once this is over.'

"Combat is a man's job after all." He cut his communications right after that last sentence and willed his Evangelion forward. He wasn't proud of this exchange, especially his last sentence, but he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind for now. When he saw the giant form of the Angel above, he almost lost his determination.

The Angel didn't look very threatening, and its actions since it appeared reinforced this impression. It looked like a perfect sphere, hovering harmlessly over Tokyo-3, seemingly doing nothing. Its surface was covered with black and white markings with no apparent pattern. At some places the markings were straight, but most of them were curved. Some thicker than the others. It looked like it had been stitched out from various patches that didn't quite go together. Some shapes on its surface looked disturbingly like eyes without pupils. Shinji didn't know if they actually were its eyes. He couldn't make anything of the sphere before him, except for a sense of foreboding... He knew from experience not to mess with an Angel which looked like a geometrical shape. His thoughts were cut short by a voice in his radio.

"In position." Rei said calmly. She was the furthest away from the Angel, her Eva's back against a building and its left foot on an other in front of her. She was pointing a sniper rifle at the center of the Angel with deadly precision, studying it through her scope.

"Almost there." Asuka answered. She had fallen behind because she had had to change her umbilical cable, the one she had started with having been to short to zigzag through the city's buildings.

Since they had no strategy, Shinji decided that he would probe the Angel's reactions with some well-aimed bullets. Looking behind him, he saw the shape of Unit 02 coming into his view only to disappear behind another building seconds after. She was going to hide behind another building not too far from his own. 'Of course she had to be close ! Then again she wouldn't have been very effective from far away with her axe.' Shinji thought with some resentment. 'Guess I'll have to draw its attacks then.'

"In position." Asuka whispered, as if the Angel would have heard her. Shinji looked into her eyes on his screen. She looked back at him with an angry frown... Not only because of the Angel. He nodded. She nodded back.

Shinji then leapt out of cover and fired three times at the sphere... Which vanished. At the same time, a shadow appeared under Unit 01's feet, and the Evangelion started to sink inside. Shinji shouted in his Entry Plug. "Asuka ! Don't stay in the shadow !"

Asuka, seeing the black void expand close to her made her Eva jump and climb the building she used as cover.

"Shinji, get out of there ! Shinji ?" Misato's panicked voice didn't reach his ears though, as he kept looking at the black and white sphere in terror.

"Ikari !" Rei said in a worried tone which nobody registered.

"Baka, what are you doing ?" Asuka shouted. Her voice finally breaking him out of his trance. "Asuka ! Misato ! Ayanami !" His terrified screams filled her with terror. She reached the top of her building and jumped from one to the other as fast as she could until she grabbed Unit 01's forearm."Shinji ! I got you !" Mustering all her strength, she managed to make Unit 01 rise a little.

"No ! Go away !" Despite his fear, he still wanted her not to be harmed no matter what the cost. "Get to safety !"

"You think I'm gonna leave now ? What are you, stupid ? Did you leave when I was falling in that volcano ? Now help me and climb !" Both of them pulled with all their strength and Unit 01 kept on rising, albeit slowly. Its progress reversed quickly, however, when the building on which Unit 02 was started to sink as well. Asuka pulled harder, her arm straining painfully, but Shinji's Eva kept on sinking. "Let go Asuka ! You don't have a choice now !" Shinji was scared but he tried to hide it, so that she would actually accept. "I'll be okay."

"Asuka..." Misato joined the conversation. Her voice was low, but with such authority that no one could have argued with her. "Retreat... That's an order... You too, Rei."

Shinji nodded to her as calmly as he could and smiled as much as he could, given the circumstances. "I'll be okay." he repeated in a whisper, before easing his Eva's grip. Asuka reluctantly let go, but kept her eyes locked on his as his Eva disappeared into the shadow. When its horn finally disappeared, so did Shinji's image in her cockpit.

Rei had watched everything from a distance, her face devoid of any expression, or so it seemed. She was concerned for Shinji's safety. So she had pushed her Eva forward without having been given the order, having discarded her sniper rifle before rushing through the buildings towards the edge of the shadow. She abruptly stopped when she heard her commanding officer's order to retreat.

Asuka stayed still a few seconds, gathering her thoughts before making her Eva jump on another building, then another... She had cut all communications so that nobody would mess with her focus. And also to hide her own face, as she was unable to hide her emotions at the moment. 'He has not abandoned me ! He will come back ! He told me he was going to be okay ! He can't abandon me. He can't...' She jumped on a more than half sunk building which rocked with the impact. Surprised, Asuka lost her balance. She gripped at its edge, but as she struggled to climb back on the building's roof, it shifted like a sinking concrete raft on a sea of darkness. She was trapped. She couldn't do anything to escape the shadow that was quickly engulfing the building as well as her Eva, so she stopped struggling altogether and let her Eva sink before the shocked eyes of the whole crew inside the Command center and the desperate screams of Misato, who had a communication forcibly restored with Asuka's Entry plug.