"Meet your new classmate, Keniuchio Harada."

I waved at the class, fidgeting uncomfortably and doing my best not to sweat. "Hi."

There were grumbled greetings amongst the class, but it was clear most of the class was disinterested in me. Thank god; I didn't know what I would've done if I was constantly being asked if I was the new pilot. Thankfully it seemed like Shinji already let it slip that he's the pilot, so all of the attention was on him.

I was given a seat at the back, directly behind Shinji and next to Toji. After I was seated, the teacher began to review what the class had gone over yesterday. It had something to do with how Africa was affected by Second Impact, but he had glossed over so much that he was actually making a huge civil war boring. Just like I'd read in dozens of EVA fics, all he talked about was Second Impact to an almost unnerving level.

A rough voice next to me whispered, "Yeah, this lecture is gonna go on like this for a while. Probably for the rest of the day, too."

I sighed. "Really?"

"Yup. Name's Toji by the way. So… you're the other pilot, right?"

"Uh." He would only know that if he was a part of NERV, so I doubted there would be anything wrong with telling him. "Yeah. I'm the Fifth."

"Thought so. Well, looks like we're gonna be teammates. I'm the Fourth."

Well, it was official then. I smiled. "Sounds good. So it looks like it's going to be you, me, him," I nodded at Shinji, "and her." I gestured at Rei, who was staring out the window.

"I think the five of us might be a bit of overkill. I mean, that Shinji kid killed one of those Angels by himself!"

I gulped at the memory of Unit 01, battered and broken, roaring as it was coated in Sachiel's blood.

"Well, that Angel was really powerful. From what I saw, he barely killed it before it could win. Aren't you a little nervous to fight those things?"

"What are you, a shrink?" Touji snorted. "We'll be fine. They said only one appears at a time, so five of us is more than enough."

I stayed quiet after that. The teacher was now going into math (how did that connect with post-Second Impact?), so my mind wandered off.

It was possible that Toji's sister wasn't hurt this time around; that was the only explanation for him not taking the Angels very seriously, as well as not hitting Shinji. Hopefully, he wouldn't have that attitude for long. If Sachiel was any indication, the Angels would be much more difficult this time around.

During the class, I couldn't help but notice that, while everything was written in Japanese, I understood every character (I wasn't sure if that's the right word for it) perfectly. I had never learned Japanese before this, and, while I have learned some Thai and knew a few Vietnamese phrases, I didn't know any languages that were very similar. I chalked it up to whatever mystical force sent me here in the first place trying to make things easier for me, so I decided just to take it in stride for now.

Yet another thing that was weird was that, even though I wrote in English, everyone understood it just fine. I was pretty sure most people in Japan weren't fluent in English like I was, but it seemed like everything I wrote and said was converted into Japanese somehow. I was both thankful and freaked out by this; while on one hand it's very convenient and helpful, on the other hand whatever was pulling the strings here had to be really powerful to do something like that.

A few hours later, lunch had come and I was off to find a spot to sit at. I figured that I might as well sit with Shinji and try to get Toji and Rei to sit with us, probably get a little pilot bonding going. I very likely wouldn't get anything out of Rei, but at least I could get a friendship started early between Shinji and Toji.

I found Shinji sitting at a table, unsurprisingly, by himself. Looking around, I also saw Rei sitting underneath a tree, again unsurprisingly, by herself. I sighed as the weight of my task finally hit me. I myself, was something of an introvert, not as extreme as those two, but I still knew I had my work cut out for me. Shinji would be easier, as he was clearly showing signs of opening up to people in certain circumstances. But as for Rei, I had to break through walls specifically built since her birth to withhold emotions and attachment. All the while I had to try being as covert about it as possible if I had any chance of staying under Gendo's radar.

I moved over to Shinji's table and sat down.

"Hey," I greeted, "Mind if I sit here?"

"Uh, sure."

"Thanks. Oh, and thanks for the lunch by the way. I'm glad I didn't have to rely on Misato's cooking through school."

He let out a small laugh. "Yeah, all she can do is microwave things. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that, it's just that it usually isn't that good."

"Yeah."

A few awkward minutes of silence passed by as we ate. I kept glancing over at Rei, who was simply staring off into space under the tree. I was tempted to walk over there and invite her…

"Hey!"

Touji sat down next to me, followed by an excited Kensuke.

"Mind if we sit here? Us pilots need to stick together, right?"

"Sure thing," I agreed, sliding across the bench to make room.

"So… " Kensuke sat at my other side, leaning in a bit too close for comfort. "You're the other new pilot, right?"

"…Yeah." I said hesitantly.

"And I guess you know nothing much about NERV, just like Shinji and Toji?"

"Afraid so."

He huffed and leaned back. "Figures. Even when three new pilots pop up right in front of me, no-one knows anything!"

I was just thankful I wasn't inhaling his foul breath anymore. "Sorry," I muttered while not really meaning it.

"Yeah, yeah." He began to dig into his sandwich.

For a while the conversation just drifted around to mostly mindless stuff. Girls, homework and girls were the usual topics. All the while I kept glancing over at Rei, half-expecting her to suddenly show initiative and sit down with us on her own free will.

Deciding that wasn't going to happen, I stood up and told the guys I was going to talk with Rei for a moment.

"Oh, planning on melting her frozen exterior?" teased Toji.

"Well, who wouldn't?" asked Kensuke, "Sure she's kind of weird, but she's pretty cute."

"Actually, I already asked her out. She said no, though."

"Wait, she actually responded to you?" Kensuke went bug-eyed, "She won't even acknowledge most of the guys when they ask her out!"

"Probably cuz they're both pilots." offered Toji as he wolfed down some chips.

I shrugged. "That's probably it."

"Hey Shin-man." Toji elbowed him. "You should totally ask her out. Who knows; she might actually give you a shot!"

Shinji blushed. "N-no, I don't really want to. Why don't you?" he asked, clearly eager to steer the conversation away from himself.

Toji shrugged. "Eh, she's not really my type. Too quiet."

"Well, I'll be right back guys."

I walked over to her. She was still just staring at air with her usual emotionless expression. As I neared her, my mind desperately searched for the right words to convince her to come over. Unfortunately, I'm wasn't a very imaginative person when it came to things like that, so I just went with the best thing I could think of.

"Hey."

"…"

"How you doing?"

"…"

"Want to come over by us?"

"Why?"

I blinked, still reeling from the fact that she responded in the first place. When I recovered, my tone was agonizingly squeaky and sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Uh, because we're all pilots now and we should stick together?" I winced. Why had I always sounded so lame around that chick? I knew she probably didn't give a damn but wasn't knowing everything about her character supposed to help?

"We will be together enough during synchronization tests and battles. That is sufficient."

"There's more to being teammates than just testing and battles, you know."

"No, I do not."

I waited for a few moments, seeing if that was really how she wanted to end the conversation. I sighed and walked back over the table.

This was really beginning to piss me off. Seriously, how the hell was I supposed to interact with her at all if she just stopped conversations like that! Although, I couldn't help but feel partially to blame. It was probably the excitement of actually seeing Rei Ayanami in the flesh that got me. Actually, seeing such a popular fictional character is a weird experience; you know exactly how you should act around them, but that conflicts with you how would normally react to someone like her. Hence the need to help her conflicting with the desire to shout at her.

I sat down and furiously dove into the remainder of my lunch, taking my anger out on… whatever Japanese dish it was. Something with carrots in it. At least, I thought they were carrots.

"Didn't go so well, huh?" asked Toji.

"Ffno," I grumbled into my food.

"Uh, dude?"

"Mmf?" I looked back, followed Toji's gaze and saw Rei standing behind us. My heart soared. Had I actually made a breakthrough?

"There has been an emergency. Let's go."

And at that, she was off. Yeah… I should've known better.

"The hell?"

Something twisted in my stomach, but I fought it down. I gulped down the rest of my meal and took a deep breath. All right, Shamshel, I thought grimly. Let's do this.

My fingers were trembling as Unit 00 was loaded on the launch dock. The synchronization process had been mercifully brief and easy, but that only filled me with more dread. I was wearing one of Shinji's spare plugsuits, but something about the skintight latex made me feel uncomfortable. I fidgeted in the entry plug, trying to take deep breaths to calm myself. It wasn't working.

What if the Angel was more powerful again? My synch score had gone up, thankfully, but only by two freaking percent. How could I even fight with only fifteen percent? Would I even generate an AT-Field? Could I defeat it if I even had one?

The gatling gun locked into place next to the Eva, almost longer than Unit 00 was tall. It would be terrifying to see that thing used in an actual war between people. The bullets alone were the size of cars; I'd hate to be on the receiving on that thing.

Music usually helped calm me down, so I started to hum 'Cruel Angel's Thesis' of all things. It was the only song that I could think of at the moment.

"EVA Unit 00, launch!" barked Misato through the intercom.

With a jolt, I was shot up to the surface. I kept humming, louder now, as the elevator continued carrying the EVA upward. The higher I went, the higher my pitch rose, until it was almost shrill. Deep breaths, man. Deep breaths.

"Focus, pilot!" came Misato's voice, "You're at the surface!"

Unit 00 shuddered as it slammed into the top of the elevator, and I felt a knot in my stomach. I reached for the gatling and held the weapon to my chest.

Well, Keniuchio, it was time for your Eva debut. Try not to disappoint too much.

I put all of my willpower into making Unit 00 move and, thankfully, it responded to my commands, albeit somewhat sluggishly. The orange Eva stepped out of the elevator, feet cracking the concrete below, and swung around the corner, gatling at the ready.

All right, Shamshel, where were you?

I spotted the Angel, still in flying form, hovering directly ahead of me amidst the towers of the city. The pink behemoth turned its massive head towards me, staring at me with those empty holes. I suppressed a smirk as I clenched the trigger….

…And the gatling didn't fire.

What the-

Overwhelming pressure surrounded me on all sides, followed by a flash of incredible heat and force that sent me reeling.

My chest was burning. A few seconds later, my back slammed against something solid. I fought down tears as I felt my entire upper body melting.

It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real! DAMN IT, IT'S NOT REAL!

I pressed my hand to my chest. See? Not melted. Didn't help the pain, though. And wasn't my synch score low enough that it wouldn't hurt this badly?

"Keniuchio, hurry! The Angel's almost on you!"

Who was that? It might've been Misato.

I looked up, and saw the terrifying visage of the Fourth Angel. It was… different. I could make out layers of chitin-like armor all across its body, interlocking, and dozens of light tentacles unfurled from its bulbous belly. It made a noise, a disgusting, shrill call like nails scratching against glass.

I froze, and Unit 00 was helpless as Shamshel wrapped a tentacle around its leg, burning away armor and making me cry out again in fresh pain. Almost disdainfully, it slammed the Eva into a wall. I cried out as I felt the impact, and then another, and then another, and then another.

Tears were shamelessly flowing from me as the Angel dangled the battered and broken Unit 00 in front of it. Shamshel's eyes blazed with unholy fire, and the noise and pain overwhelmed my senses again.

I continued to cry as I snarled and screamed, trying desperately to get a hold of the burning whip that held me. I swung a wild punch at the Angel, but it simply held me out of reach. I screamed as rage and hurt further flooded my mind.

It was fucking toying with me! It wasn't fair!

Shamshel, uncaring of my suffering, slammed me into the ground. I heard Unit 00's single eye crack. The simple sound snapped through my mind, clarity washing through me as I remembered one distinct fact about Unit 00.

It had anger issues.

"You… old… hag… " I croaked feebly. "Nothing but… a waste. A tool. Little… bitch…"

I played the scenes over and over again in my head. It wasn't a good plan, and it very likely would get me killed, but it was all I had.

Old hag.

The woman pressing her hands on the little girl's throat.

Little bitch.

The gasping of her breath as the life fled from her body.

Old hag.

The sudden realization of what she'd done.

Little bitch.

A gunshot.

The inside of the entry plug went blood red, and the Eva trembled violently. I let out a hoarse laugh for a horrible reason, and welcomed the peace of an empty void.