AN: Super random fun fact time! Last chapter, the story hit an even 25,000 words! And that was without me even trying! Now, as much as I'd like to keep an even word count, I'm not gonna go out of my way to do it. That would be silly... right? Right. Right?

Without further ado: Read, review, eat pineapples, enjoy, and get'cha some edumacation! Not necessarily in that order.

The World Unraveled

3 - [ Draining ] - 3

"Daddy? Where are you going?" A much younger Shinji stared up at his father, a ragged teddy bear tucked under his arm. His father Gendo stood in the doorway of his room, a metal briefcase held tightly in his hands. His father had become more rugged lately, his eyes becoming tired,and if Shinji looked closely enough the beginnings of a beard were visible.

There was a moment as the father considered the son, before Gendo knelt down and ruffled the boy's hair, a smile grazing his face. "Don't worry, Shinji-kun," he said in a reassuring voice. "Your old mans' just going out to visit an old friend."

Shinji looked inquisitively into his father's eyes. "When are you coming back?"

A flash of something flickered across his father's face, but Shinji was sure he imagined it. "Soon. Don't worry bud, I'll be back before you know it." Gendo playfully ruffled his son's hair, the action causing Shinji to futilely attempt to shove the man's arm away. He knelt on the floor with his good knee, and held out his hand, pinky extended. "Promise me you'll be good for Yamatsu-san?"

It was the ultimate challenge a father could issue a son.

The young boy hooked his own pinky with Gendo's enthusiastically shaking it, all the while a bright smile played out on his face. "Fine, but once you get back we're going out for ice cream!" And before his father could object, Shinji let go of his hand and sped off towards his new room. He passed father's friend, a man about the same age as father who had introduced himself as Tokiwara Yamatsu, who halfheartedly warned him against running indoors. It was only as he was about to open his room door that he heard harsh whispers coming from the living room.

The curious nature of a child, coupled with the desire to know where his father was going, were what prompted Shinji to sneak back as quietly as he could back towards the living room.

"... are questions I need answers to, and only he has them." He didn't recognize the voice at first. Gendo's voice was uncharacteristically cold, a far cry from the gentle tone used around Shinji. "If Seele comes after me, I need to know Shinji will be looked after."

"And Yui?" he heard Yamatsu ask, a hint of trepidation in his voice. "What if she finds him?"

There was a pause, before Gendo answered. "To be honest, he's probably safer with her."

"... probably?" There was an uncomfortable silence between the men, and Shinji thought for a split-second the two adults had noticed his presence. It was only when his father continued talking that he let out a breath he'd been unaware he was holding.

"I don't know where she stands," his father answered. "I love her, but not enough to go through with what Lorenz is proposing." There was the sound of clicking, no doubt from the shoes his father wore against the wood-paneled ground. "You make sure to take care of my son, yeah? And... don't tell him his father is-"

"...hey, you alright kid?"

He didn't register the voice. Nor the fact that there were two people standing in front of him. What were their names, again? Ah, but that doesn't matter. Then what did matter? I'm a ghoul. I think that takes priority at the moment.

He wasn't in shock. No, Shinji had already moved passed that. He had similarly gone through denial, though he had opted to skip the acceptance phase. Bargaining? He was pretty sure that whatever god might exist was laughing at his expense, so that option was out. As it was, he was hovering somewhere in that grey void known as depression. Not a very fun place to be, it sure hadn't been when he was a kid, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice in the matter.

Coping with the fact he was now apparently a ghoul, for lack of a better word, sucked. And it was even worse, considering that there probably wasn't even a ten-step list for him to follow this time.

"... good luck with that. He's been quiet ever since we got..."

Just how the hell did you cope with something like that in the first place? And for that matter, why was he a ghoul, and why didn't the two people in front of him care about that?

Nothing made sense. He should have just listened to Yamatsu-sensei. He should never have came to this city. There were other places to go to college, other cities that were probably just as viable as Tokyo-3. But did he listen? No, no he did not. And because he hadn't listened, he was now sitting on the floor in some room while two people he barely knew decided his fate, all of which was taking place in a giant underground complex that belonged to a private military contractor and God did all of that sound so damn crazy and that wasn't even counting the fact that apparently he was now a god damn ghoul.

For a while, Shinji found himself going around in circles, unable to decide whether to be mad or confused by his situation. He decided he would rather be angry, but that just left him with unanswered questions, which left him confused since he hadn't the slightest clue how to go about answering them, and then he got mad at the fact he had to ask himself such questions in the first place. On and on his thoughts went, a vicious cycle.

"... think I've got an idea."

Maybe it was all a big joke? He clung to the thought, absurd as it was, in a futile attempt to subvert reality. He wasn't really a ghoul. No, he was Rokubungi Shinji, and Rokubungi Shinji was human, of that he was positive. He hadn't just been shot. It was the summer heat making his Langley's Disease act up. He hadn't been chased through an alley. Someone was probably in a hurry and just happened to take the same route he had in his delirious state. He hadn't seen his left eye black and red. The alley was dark, he just saw something that-

"OW!" The hand came faster than Shinji could block it, and before he knew it he was rubbing the angry red mark that stood out flush with his cheek. He glared up at a frowning Misato. "What the hell was what that for?!" Did she honestly just slap me?!

They were in some kind of locker room in the underground Nerv HQ. Shinji tried to remember just exactly when they'd arrived, but found himself drawing a blank. In retrospect, he probably should have paid attention. Misato had practically thrown him over her shoulder in her haste to get him back underground, with Kaji joining them shortly afterwards, his clothes suspiciously ruffled and what smelled like sulfur lingering about him.

"Look," the woman began, "I understand that you may be angry at us. Hell, I wouldn't blame you if you were angry at the whole world. You wouldn't be in the wrong. But sitting there and moping about it isn't gonna do anything, and it certainly isn't helping us." Misato took the time to brush a stray strand of purple hair behind her ear before giving him a sympathetic look. "You do understand we want to help, right?"

Her expression was so sincere that Shinji almost forgot the fact that this was the same woman who expected him to eat a human arm on the way to the Geofront. So he settled for looking to the side and avoiding Misato's gaze altogether. "The hell you do," he bitterly whispered. "You people turned me into a monster."

"That we did," agreed Kaji, leaning against the wall and toying with an unlit cigarette. "I won't deny that."

The former CCG investigator looked at her ex-boyfriend. "Kaji..."

Deciding to pocket the cancer stick, he walked up to Shinji, his shadow falling over the human-ghoul hybrid. "Now do you want to know why?" He asked, hoping that would get a rise out of the kid. When Shinji continued to sulk, he continued on. "There is a reason we did what we did, and I assure you it's a damn good one."

For a while, Shinji ignored the man's words. However, it soon dawned on him that sitting on the floor wasn't going to do him any good, just as Misato had said. So, if there was any chance of shedding some light on his situation...

The young man looked up at his handler. "Why should I trust you?"

"Frankly kid, you don't have much of a choice at the moment," Kaji bluntly stated. "People have seen your face, which means the CCG knows what you look like. And if they know what you look like, it won't be long before they figure out who you are." He made to sit down next to Shinji, and once he settled down he let out a sigh. "Once that happens, everyone you've ever known or talked to will be informed of your 'condition.' So even if we let you into the wild," he turned to address his charge directly, "which we won't, you'd be caught sooner than you can blink." A lighter was brought from his pocket, along with the cigarette he had been fiddling with earlier. The spark was lit, and smoke filled the room. "And that isn't exactly in either of our interests."

"Fine." As the smoke drifted downwind, Shinji noted that it smelled almost like honey. Which was odd, considering how he'd always hated the acrid smell of smoke. "I'll listen to you.

Kaji nodded in response. "Good." He turned to the female in the room. "Misato, could you get Akagi up here?" The name was said with a grimace, and it showed at the slight scowl on the agent's face. "The sooner she debriefs him the sooner I can get him settled."

Misato, on the other hand, looked absolutely mollified. "You want Akagi to brief him?"

"Isn't she your friend?"

"Yeah, but..." the former investigator began, "...that doesn't mean I think she can handle this delicately."

Kaji scoffed. "The option of delicacy was thrown out the window the second we let him go topside by himself." He idly offered his cigarette to Shinji, who robotically lifted his hand to accept it, before thinking better of it and drawing back. Kaji just shrugged his shoulders and put it back in between his lips. "And besides, she's the one who handled the surgery, right? So she should be the one to explain."

Misato stood in front of the two of them before sighing. "Right. I'll go get her." She made her exit from the room, the soft swish of the automatic door accompanying her.

They stayed like that for a while, just sitting on the floor. Shinji, for his part, found that he was no longer mad at the situation. No, instead, he was only drowning in his anticipation. Upon reflection, he realized that he had never been so uncooperative in his entire life. Inevitably, he started worrying that he might have been too impolite, until he remembered, yet again, the fact that he had been turned into a carnivorous/cannibalistic monster. It's like something out of a horror manga. No, even worse, because at least in manga you know it's not real. He started cracking his fingers, waiting for the person who would give him answers. How am I gonna explain this to Yamatsu-sensei? 'Sorry I haven't talked to you in so long, I've been busy eating people?' Yeah, right.

"For the record," Kaji suddenly blurted out, "I know how much this must suck."

Shinji gave the man a pointed look.

"Okay, maybe not exactly," the handler admitted with a sheepish look, "but I'm willing to bet I can imagine." There was a moment where he paused to consider something before continuing. "Most of the people who work for Nerv weren't in the best sorts when they signed up. Back when the aftershocks of Second Impact could still be felt, Nerv was a big deal. We were more a proper army then we are now. The rest of the UN was afraid of us, the whole of Japan was in our debt." He offered Shinji a roguish smile. "Basically, we were the badasses of the world." The smile fell, and a morose look crossed Kaji's eyes. "Emphasis on were. Now we're nothing more than glorified civilians with fancy toys. Most of the organizations funding goes into R&D, and now we're even lapdogs to the CCG. Everyone that joins up knows that we'll eventually be used as cannon fodder for the ghouls."

This puzzled Shinji. "Then why would anyone join up?"

"Because of a paycheck?" Kaji said, the words sounding more like a question than an answer. "Personally, the reason I joined... well, I was basically strong-armed into this gig. You ask anyone else that works here, they'll tell you a similar story." A grimace crossed the man's face. "Some of which are just as bad as what's happening to you."

"Oh yeah?" The words weren't meant to be biting, but they sounding especially vindictive considering Shinji's usual polite demeanor. "Did you change their species too?"

"Oh, don't be a dick," Kaji said. "Look, what I'm trying to say, is that if you need to talk to somebody about this, don't hesitate to tell me." The Nerv handler scratched his chin, as though deep in thought, before crushing his cigarette into the pristine floor. "You don't have to be alone here, is all."

The half-ghoul considered the man's words, before turning his head and staring at the wall in front of him. If Shinji were to be honest with himself, he was a bit appreciative at Kaji's gesture of support. Not that he would use it, of course. It was better to shoulder your own problems rather than burden anyone else with them, after all. Still, it was a nice gesture.

A few minutes passed, the silence between the two individuals oddly not awkward. Then Misato returned, along with another woman.

She had bleach blonde hair that ended just above her shoulders, and a beauty mark sat under a pair of emerald green eyes. She wore a white lab coat, similar in design to the one he had seen Yui in, and what looked like some kind of dark green diver suit underneath. Her arms were folded, and she was staring at him with a look of appraisal. When she spoke, it was with a flat voice almost devoid of any warm emotion. "First Child. It's nice to meet you again." There was a pause as she regarded him. "Well, conscious, that is."

"This is Akagi Ritsuko," Misato introduced the woman, "head of Nerv's Scientific Research Division. She-"

Ritsuko interrupted the former Special Investigator with a frosty sentence directed at Shinji. "I'm the one that turned you into a ghoul."

"So, you're the one that did this to me?" He had decided not to yell at this woman, no matter how justified he was. He needed answers, and he doubted leaping across the room and throttling her until she spit them out was a viable option.

The scientist gave him a curt nod of her head, before inspecting her fingernails. "Mm-hm." The flippant way in which she dismissed him had Shinji grinding his teeth in an effort not to lose his temper. Unfortunately, Ritsuko saw his annoyance and flashed him an infuriating smirk. "What? You're not actually expecting an apology, are you?"

"Why?" he asked. "Why did you do this to me?"

Maybe it was the note of desperation in his voice, or maybe he just didn't look all there, but for whatever reason Ritsuko turned away from him and instead addressed Misato. "He's a bit delirious," the doctor observed. "Did he eat on the way here?"

For her part, Misato just gave her 'friend' a well-placed frown. "When I asked you for something for him to eat, I was expecting something..." she looked like she was trying to find an articulate word, "...less memorable."

It was in that instant that Shinji realized what the two were talking about.

The arm. The appendage of a human being that had been wrapped in butcher paper like a piece of meat. The one he had been drooling over. He recalled the sensations he felt when the hunk of flesh was offered to him. At first, he hadn't seen anything wrong with it. It smelled delicious, and it literally made his mouth water. The only thing he could think of in that instant was to sink his teeth into the food and devour it completely. Still, it wouldn't have been polite to just eat without thanking the woman who had gotten it for him. But the moment he took his eyes off the food, he had realized just what he had been drooling over.

After he had finished throwing up whatever had been left in his stomach (which at the time had approximately been nothing) he had let Misato drag him back to the Geofront.

The memory itself brought a bad taste to his mouth, ironically enough. He felt his opinion of Ritsuko, as low as it had started, plummet towards the bottom once he realized she was the one who had given Misato the fo- the arm.

The scientist scoffed. "It was on short notice, and that corpse wasn't going anywhere." The fact she mentioned a corpse with the same tone one would use when talking about the weather greatly unnerved Shinji. "And besides, it's not like we can feed him the same stuff as Rei. The boxes are individually packaged, made specifically for their patient. We only just got his lot fifteen minutes ago." It was then that Ritsuko acknowledged Kaji's presence. "Hey. You gonna finish that?" she asked, gesturing at the half-finished cigarette the handler was holding between two fingers.

The handler seemed to consider it, before standing up and handing her the offered smoke. "As long as you're straight with the kid, knock yourself out." As Ritsuko lit the cigarette anew, Shinji noticed that the agent failed to mention he had snuffed the end against the ground not ten minutes ago.

"I can't answer any of the important ones, if that's what you mean." She took a long drag of the cigarette, almost to the point it was reduced to a stub, before coolly exhaling a large cloud of smoke that was immediately drawn to the ceiling by the air filter. "Go ahead," she told Shinji. "Ask away."

Needless to say, there were many questions he wanted to ask, most of which would only be effective when utilizing maximum lung capacity. Still, this woman was at least making the effort to be civil with him, it was only fair that he return the gesture. So he asked her in a calm voice, "How did Nerv turn me into a ghoul?"

"I can't completely answer that." Whatever patience Shinji might have been outwardly showing evaporated in an instant. Evidently, Ritsuko noticed this, because she gave him a sympathetic look. "The best I can do is give you an abridged version of what happened."

Not a lot to work with, but at this point I'll take what I can get. "Okay then, why did you turn me into a ghoul?"

"Let's see, how do I put this?" The scientist took a moment to think before answering. "You've been told how your organs were crushed in your accident, correct?" Ritsuko waited for Shinji to confirm this fact, and proceed when he gave her a curt nod. "Well, that was a bit of an understatement. They were basically ground to a pulp, including your heart. Agent Kaji has probably already told you this, but you were legally dead when your corpse was brought to me. Now, it wasn't like I could just plop in a new set of organs into you like a machine and start you back up again." At this, she pointedly glared at Misato's still form. "By the time they got you to me, your situation had deteriorated past that point. Fortunately, we had a kakuhou on hand. And before you ask," Ritsuko said, preemptively cutting off the words about to spill out of his mouth, "a kakuhou is an organ exclusive to ghouls. It's what generates the RC Cells in their body, as opposed to cell mutation, allowing accelerated regeneration and heightened reflexes and strength. It is also what makes up their kagune, the predatory muscle ghouls use to hunt and fight. You following me so far?"

The would-be college student gave a tentative nod. "I think so?"

"Good." Ritsuko, finished with her borrowed cigarette, flicked it into a nearby garbage can. "Now normally, the human body doesn't react well when in contact with RC Cells." she gave him that look, which caused a small amount of anger to blossom in Shinji's mind. "Not that I have to remind you. Imagine a ball of super-heated metal placed upon dry ice, with your body being the ice and a kakuhou as a ball. Yeah, it's pretty gruesome, though that doesn't keep some people from trying it anyway."

All of this information was enough to make Shinji's head spin. "So then, what, you just planted a kakuhou into me, did you?" Just like that? Suddenly, the image of a steel ball rapidly melting to the bottom of a block of ice sounded a lot more terrifying.

"N- well, actually, yeah," Ritsuko admitted this with a shrug of her shoulders. "At a basic level, that's exactly what I did. Though I didn't expect for it to work." When the newly discovered half-ghoul gave her a worrying look, she further iterated. "You have to understand, what I did isn't exactly unheard of. Governments have been trying to create artificial ghouls for years now. They brought you to me, both feet in the grave, and told me to bring you back. I didn't have a lot of choices at the time, and quite frankly I thought you wouldn't mind, you know, being alive . So I took a chance." The blonde scientist gave him a once-over. "It seems to have payed off, thankfully. Your organs regrew in a week, and almost all of the damage done to you in the accident was reversed."

Slowly, pieces of the puzzle came together before it suddenly all clicked. Shinji looked up at Ritsuko. "Then, you did it to save my life?"

Akagi smiled, a sight that Shinji thought suited her more than what seemed her usual perpetual frown. "You're welcome."

Well, that answers a bunch of questions, he thought. "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but wasn't there any other way? And why would an organ belonging to a ghoul rebuild the flesh of a human?"

"As an answer to your first question, no, there wasn't another option. Not a legal one, anyway," she added under her breath. "The operation itself wouldn't have worked if you were a normal human. The chances of successfully turning a human into a ghoul are close to zero." Just as he was about to ask another question, Akagi held up a hand to quiet him. "And I answer your second question with a question of my own: Should a human have an abundant amount of RC Cells to compensate for the difference in biology, what do you think would happen if a kakuhou, which secretes RC Cells, were to find itself inside this aforementioned human?"

It took a moment before Shinji caught on to what she was trying to tell him, but when he did the realization hit him like a freight train. "My Langely's Disease?" It can't be. There was just no way. "That's why I survived a kakuhou implant?" He had always thought that his condition was detrimental to his very life, what with the whole social stigma and occasional epileptic seizures. To think that the medical curse was also somehow a blessing was mind boggling.

Ritsuko was quick to wipe away his skepticism. "You would have died, otherwise." She checked the clock hanging off of on of the walls, and it was only then that Shinji noticed her foot had been slowly tapping the ground the entire time. "Is there anything else you want to know? I don't mean to be rude, but I have other duties that need attending."

Shinji chose his next words carefully, a hint of trepidation in his voice. "... is there any way to turn me back into a human?"

"Without potentially killing you?" the scientist sarcastically asked. "Not that I know of."

Kaji pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against. "We'll take it from here, doc."

The doctor gave Shinji a look that was probably meant to be reassuring, before turning and walking towards the door. With that, Ritsuko Akagi left, an apologetic Misato following closely behind her. The automatic door slid closed just as the two began to talk about something, and silence once again reigned in the room.

Once again the handler was left alone with his charge. Although his questions had been answered, Shinji didn't feel the satisfaction he'd thought he would feel. Instead, there was just this hollow emptiness inside him, like he'd lost an integral piece of himself. It might have to do the with the fact he'd never be human again. As normal and sometimes irritating as his life as a human had been, at least he didn't have to hurt anybody. He'd been... well, maybe not happy, but at the very least he had been content.

And now he was a ghoul. The enemy of humanity. The one species that preyed against humanity.

Which was just great. No, really. Not.

Shinji felt an arm rest on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Kaji giving him a sympathetic look, and for a moment he couldn't help but be a little grateful towards the man - all things considered, the man had broken this a lot more gently than he could have. "You gonna be alright, kid?"

The human-turned-ghoul felt his stomach turn. "I get that you guys were just trying to save my life, and I'm thankful for that. It's just..." he tried to find a way to make it seem like he wasn't ungrateful. Eventually he gave up. "Well, it's just that the alternative doesn't seem much better."

His handler gave a faint shrug of the shoulders. "Fate has her favorites. The rest of us are left to rot. It's just bad luck, kid."

Indeed. Shinji's life had been pretty normal up util now. Maybe Fate had seen that and decided that wasn't gonna fly. He scratched the back of his head, his next words a bit groggy on account of his suddenly dry throat. "What happens to me now?" It was the big question, one that Shinji hoped his handler had the answers to.

"Nothing." Kaji scoffed at the incredulous look Shinji gave him, opting instead to pull yet another smoke from his pocket and light it. How many of those things does he go through in a day? "You continue on with your life as if nothing happened."

"I don't understand."

Kaji sighed. "Kid, your mother is the Commander of a PMC with access to the most advanced medical science on the planet." And if their medical prowess was any indication, Kaji appeared to be downplaying even that. "Even if Nerv isn't as influential as we used to be, it won't be very hard to sweep your condition under the rug. And besides, I'm your handler." At this, he flashed Shinji a warm smile, a genuine expression that told Shinji he could trust the man. "It's my job to make sure your life is as normal as possible."

He considered the man's words. "... thanks, Kaji-san."

His handler chuckled good-naturedly, as if to say think nothing of it. He offered his arm to Shinji, pulling him off the floor and onto his feet. "Come on. We've gotta dig that bullet out of your shoulder. After that, I'll take you to your apartment."

"... oh, that's right. I got shot, didn't I?"

S-MT: We can't have a repeat of Germany, Ikari. Too much time and effort has gone into this plan. We can't afford for the CCG to connect us to the Angels.

S-JS: Indeed. Your recklessness could spell the end for all of us.

S-YI: The situation has been contained. The CCG will dance to whatever tune I play. Your worries are unfounded, gentlemen.

S-BN: And the Third Child? What is the situation there? Has he been made malleable yet?

S-YI: In such a short time? Patience, Nesthollt. I've only had him for a two weeks, and if you'll recall, he just woke from his coma. Even I can't work miracles. I'll have him ready by the time the Fourth Child arrives.

S-KL: While far from acceptable, it will have to do. This meeting is adjourned. We'll expect your next report in a week.

[s-kl_logOff]

[s-mt_logOff]

[s-js_logOff]

S-BN: And how goes the search for Ramses?

S-YI: The man can be quite elusive when he wants to be.

S-BN: Then the resources I provided? Were they of any use?

S-YI: We didn't manage to find him, if that's what you're asking.

S-BN: And the Eyepatch?

S-YI: On his way. Or at least, he will be soon.

S-BN: Good.

"You feelin' okay?"

Shinji would later look back on this moment and realize that Kaji had had nothing but good intentions when he asked that question. But presently, he just sent a heated glare at the older man, pointedly rubbing his shoulder where not too long ago one of the doctor's in the medical wing had been digging out a bullet (which, to be honest, he had completely forgotten about). The hole they made in order to dig out the piece of metal had already healed courtesy of his ghoul-given nature, but the soreness was something he'd still have to deal with.

"... sorry, stupid question," Kaji apologized, having realized what he'd said as soon as he said it. "Do you still have the key the Commander gave you?"

Shinji idly patted his left pocket. "Yeah."

The Nerv handler nodded. "Good."

After leaving the the medical wing (in which the staff were treated to a surprising amount of swearing a la pain-wracked Rokubungi Shinji with a large pair of tweezers digging their way through a newly-opened shoulder wound), Kaji had taken him a further towards the shallow layers of the base, the levels where Nerv staff stayed.

According to the handler, Shinji had been allocated his own level, a reminder that his mother(?) was looking out for him. He felt like he was moving a bit too fast - like a movie set at 1.5 speed. To suddenly have a huge aspect of his life suddenly changed, and without any sort of warning, it was a bit disorientating. Still, he supposed he should be thankful. While it wasn't every day that you got turned into a carnivorous monster via organ transplant, he supposed it could have gone a lot worse without the help he got from Nerv. And it was just like Kaji had said: being the son of the commander definitely had it's perks.

The elevator came to a stop, and the metallic doors swished open and gave way to a hallway painted a soothing beige. It reminded Shinji of a hotel to be honest, if that hotel were in an underground PMC base. "This is your apartment, 902. If you need anything, I'll be right here in 901."

Just across the hall, huh? He wasn't sure how to feel about that. The fact that Nerv was having his handler live just across from him was just another reminder that his life was no longer considered normal. "Is my stuff in there?"

"And food too." Perhaps in response to the horrified expression on Shinji's face, the elder continued to elaborate. "Don't worry, it's not... that. I had them fill the fridge with substitutes. They just arrived today." A thoughtful look crossed Kaji's visage. "It's a kind of paste. Akagi chemically synthesized it to you personally." He gave Shinji a look that practically screamed whatever that means. "It won't fill you up like regular food used to, but it'll keep you from going berserk."

That's something, I guess. He'd trade paste for people any day. "So I can't eat regular food?"

"You can try, though I'd imagine your stomach wouldn't like that too much."

There was a long pause, where they both tried thinking up something else to say. Surprisingly, it was Shinji that spoke next. "Well then... thanks, I guess."

Kaji cleared his throat. "Right. You've had a long day, kid. Rest up." And with that, Kaji turned around and pulled out a key from one of his pockets, before opening the door to apartment 901 and closing it behind him. A moment passed, and Shinji was just about to open the door to his own apartment when Kaji suddenly burst into the hallway, a small bundle of cloth held in his hands. "Oh, here. Before I forget." He offered the bundle to Shinji, who gingerly held it in is hands before he opened it to see-

"My S-DAT?" he asked, confusion evident in his voice. The outdated music player, the only relic he had left of his father, innocently sat in his hands.

"The one you had on you when you had that accident? It was crushed," Kaji bluntly stated. It was hard to believe, but when Shinji took a closer look, he saw that the S-DAT itself was missing some of the scratches it had accumulated over the years, and it was a shade lighter grey than it was in his memory. "Almost beyond repair, but luckily, I happen to now a guy who loves refurbishing old tech. He gave it a new casing and messed with the insides, so it's almost like new." His handler's smile suddenly gave way to an apologetic look. "I couldn't save the cassette inside, though. Sorry 'bout that."

"No, no, that's alright," Shinji idly stated. "I'm just thankful somebody bothered to grab this old thing. I really appreciate it."

Kaji waved off his thanks. "Don't mention it. I figured it held some significance to you. Still, I'd recommend you buy an Mp3. They last longer, you know.

A small smile came unbidden to the younger man. "I know. But I sort of like collecting old stuff from before Second Impact." It was less of a hobby and more of a nagging in the back of his mind, one he would have to satisfy every time he came across a relic from the past. He couldn't count the number of times he had brought home something and his teacher complained that he was gathering junk in the house. "Plus, I can't really help but use this. It was my dad's."

"Is that right?" Kaji asked, a look of contemplation about him. "Well then, be careful with it. The parts for that thing are expensive."

"You don't have to tell me twice," the half-ghoul chuckled. Memories of spending hours in his village's only electronic shop haggling for prices came to Shinji. Before Kaji could retreat back into his home, Shinji gave the man a formal bow. "Thank you for all you've done, Kaji-san. It..." he struggled to spit out the words, never before having to have been so sincere to anyone else, "... it really means a lot to me."

The look on Kaji's face was a mixture between surprise and disbelief, before fading into a knowing grin. "Don't mention it. See ya in a bit, kid." The Nerv agent made to close the door, but poked his head out one last time. "Oh, and try not to make too much noise with your roomie." With that, Kaji shut the door, leaving Shinji alone in the hall.

"... my roomie?"

"So how did it go?"

Kaji idly stirred his cup of coffee with one hand, his other holding up his cell phone to his ear. "He's still a bit shaken up, but that was to be expected," he drawled out. He carefully placed two sugar cubes from one of his glass containers into his cup, resisting the urge to lick his fingers after the fact. "Rei and him ought to be talking by now."

"... what does he know?"

"He thinks we turned him so that we could save his life," Kaji said, a gruffness to his voice that surprised even him. Though, it was to be expected - Kaji had always been known to sympathize with others, assets and targets alike. And the Rokubungi kid's situation, while not something he could understand, was definitely something he could get pissed about. Empathy, and all that. "Circumstantial. Akagi put it in a very roundabout way." Yet another lie that was necessary.

"We'll review the conversation, and adjust the scenario to coincide with that story." There was a lull in the conversation, and the sound of something scratching against paper could be heard on the other end of the line. "If the subject starts thinking otherwise, steer him around."

'Cause god knows what the kid would do if he knew the truth. He nodded his head, knowing full well the other person had no way of telling. "Understood." With that Introduction part of Ikari's brilliant plan over with, he could now focus on the logistical side of things. Numbers were never as complicated as people, after all. "How did the clean-up operation go? Was Sachiel's kagune in usable condition?" While the ghoul in question was on top of Nerv's shit list, it never hurt to have an extra quinque around, though Kaji hoped Misato never got her hands on it. If it wasn't in a salvageable state-

It then occurred to Kaji that the person was taking a while to answer. "Maya. Sachiel's body? How did it go?"

"About that." Those two words were enough for him to know he wasn't going to get any sleep that night. "There were some complications."

Saitou Takeshi considered himself a normal person. Well, normal in a subjective sense. His hobbies consisted of collecting trading cards, playing video games, and messing with his sister Yumi. Occasionally his job interfered with those hobbies, a fact he was none too pleased about. Still, a job was a job, and it just so happened that his job involved most of his family. Luckily, he didn't run into his other relatives during his work hours, with the exception of his sister. And sometimes, he found his job quite enjoyable. It was actually quite simple - pick up the package, read the packages instructions, act out said instructions, dispose of package, clock out.

However, today was different. One of his relatives, the bastard, had practically ordered him to take this job. Now, Takeshi would gladly take on any job, if asked nicely, but the way his 'big brother' commanded him to jump left a bad taste in his mouth.

Or maybe it was just the human flesh he was grinding between his teeth. Note to self, he thought, old ladies taste like shit-flavored shit. Old hags don't age so well. And their blood is super salty. Augh.

They were in a warehouse, specifically used for holding any spare food that they happened to find. Zeruel, bless the brutal psychopath's heart, hadn't been too forthcoming with just exactly why the CCG and Nerv stayed clear of this particular warehouse, but Takeshi really didn't care as long as it stayed that way. His primary concern was making sure the food he had dumped here didn't get any funny ideas and try to make a break for it. Thankfully this was easily done, as the food were painfully slow on their feet, and just killing one of them for the sheer hell of it seemed to scare them into submission. But next time, I'm choosing a teenager. Yumi was right. They're just tender enough that they're not chewy, and if you're lucky they still have some leftover baby fat.

He watched with abject boredom as one of the pieces of food, a middle-aged man in a grey business suit, made a sudden dash towards the open warehouse doors. And it was with that same lethargy that Takeshi whipped his bikaku tentacle and tripped the food off it's feet, before using the liquid muscle to lift it in the air, where the future meal hung upside down.

The food was waving it's arms around, and his left leg was struggling against the fleshy exterior of Takeshi's bikaku. It was screaming it's head off, an act that made the ghoul rub his temples in an effort to soothe his irritation.

"P-put me down, you monster!"

And now the meatsack was forming articulate words. And insulting ones at that. Didn't they know that calling ghouls a 'monster' was considered a big no-no? Especially when you're being dangled upside-down by one? For the supposed dominant species on the planet, humans could be very stupid at times. "You know," Takeshi said, "this whole 'cowering in terror' thing is getting really old." He sighed when his words caused the food to struggle even more. "I mean, don't you humans have any other expressions?"

In the corner of the warehouse, the other seven humans were starting to let out frightened shrieks. Takeshi scowled when he saw that the food he had his kagune wrapped around was stirring up the others. Damn humans and their pack mentality. Still, it wasn't like he could kill the food. Tonight, they were to be used for something special. Sachiel hadn't given him the details outright, but from the look of things, it was going to be significantly more enjoyable for one party than the other.

In the end, he decided to just let the meal's blood collect to the top of his head. That'd knock him out, right?

In less than eight minutes, the human was struggling to stay conscious. The sack of meat would let out small giggles every now and then, much to Takeshi's amusement. Suddenly, the human burst out into raucous laughter, insanity apparent in his grating voice.

"Better, but still not original." Takeshi said. He decided to just let the poor bastard down, and as the food flopped to the ground, he continued speaking. "I mean, sometimes you'll start laughing, but that's more of a 'mind broken so badly I've gone insane' kind of laugh, and those are just creepy, not to mention a bit cliche." He stared pointedly at the man, who was still laughing just as fervently as before, harder, if that was even possible. "I mean, sure, I kill and eat you humans," Takeshi pointed out, "so I can't really ask requests of you guys, but-"

Then the meatsack stopped with his laughter, and began to loudly sob.

Takeshi felt whatever amusement he held inside him shrivel up and die. "Okay, now you're crying. Augh."

The food was curled up in the fetal position, sobbing it's heart out. "Please don't kill me..." it managed to get out between cries.

Maybe it was because he'd been stuck watching the food in a warehouse for seven hours. Or perhaps it was the fact that a grown man (status as fodder for his gullet notwithstanding) was bawling his eyes out. Either way, Takeshi found himself disgusted at the situation... and a bit uncomfortable. He was a laid back kind of guy. It helped with the stress of his job. So when Takeshi found himself in an uncomfortable situation...

He got mad.

"I mean COME ON!" he yelled in anger. Takeshi walked over and stood over the food, glaring in disbelief at the tears and snot running down the meat's face "You're a dude, for fucks' sake, stop crying!" the ghoul exclaimed. "It's gonna get awkward for everyone!" He started to lightly slap the human on it's face, only to sigh in exasperation when it started to bawl even harder.

"Onii-san. Stop playing."

Takeshi turned his head over to his sister where his sister Yumi sat on a crate, inspecting the underside of her nails. She wore a grey fur coat over a white frill dress, a pair of silver stilettos dangling from her feet. Her grey hair cascaded behind her back, a single braid tied at the side. Her face was a blank slate, like it always was. One would be hard pressed to tell the two were siblings. When people looked at Yumi, they immediately thought 'silver'. Compared to Takeshi's almost bronze hair and his tendency to wear clothes of orange colors, they were nothing alike. And that wasn't even getting into personality.

Takeshi unceremoniously lifted the sobbing sack of meat into a standing position."I'm not playing with him! I'm trying to get him to stop crying!" As if to accentuate his words, the human started moaning. He grabbed the human's head by it's hair, forcing the man to face his sister. "Hey, human! Tell my nee-chan that I'm just-"

In a flash, Yumi had pulled out her kagune and slashed the human across the throat. It's head was suddenly separated from his body, and there was a brief splash of blood from the neck stump. The body stumbled to it's knees, and fell to the ground, where blood continued to spew forth in a pool, while the body's fingers twitched erratically.

For a moment, the warehouse was so silent that a pin dropping would've been incredibly loud. Then the humans started screaming bloody murder.

Takeshi stared curiously at his sister, before turning to look at the head that was left in his hands. He took a moment to consider the still-wide eyes of the human, before tossing the food over his shoulder. "I mean, I could have done that," he remarked.

Yumi paused in the examination of her fingernails to look up at him. "Clean it up," she said curtly. "Before the blood dries."

The older of the ghoul siblings eyed the rapidly growing pool of crimson liquid staining the floor before he let out a sigh. "I think it's a little too late to worry about that. I mean, you got the canvas wet, nee-chan." He pointed a finger accusingly at his sister, an expression of rage on his face. "And speaking of which, what the hell took ya so long?! I've been waiting here for hours!" Needless to say, Takeshi wasn't exactly a patient person. Less so when he'd limited himself to killing only one meal, despite it being a tasteless old lady.

"Sachiel needed me. Took care of it."

Unbidden, a growl escaped from the back of Takeshi's throat. "I really hate that guy. I mean, all of a sudden he thinks he can boss us around, just because Zeruel gave him the okay to expose his soul!" He looked encouragingly at his sister. "Right nee-chan?"

Yumi huffed at her brother's attitude. "Idiot."

"H-hey!" Takeshi placed his hand over his heart, a mock expression of despair on his face. "I mean, that was uncalled for!" It was small, and only lasted a second, but he spotted a barely distinguishable twitch of his sister's lips, at which he gave his own, markedly more noticeable smile. The moment lasted only a few seconds, after which Takeshi pointed a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing at the cowardly humans who looked equal parts confused and terrified by their casual exchange. "So, just what exactly are we gonna do with the rest of them?"

The female ghoul stood and walked over to her brother, pulling out a small sheet of paper and handing it to him. "Spare parts. Just in case."

Takeshi idly took the offered stationery, his eyes taking in the instructions with a certain gleam. Once he had finished, he let out a half-hearted chuckle before crumpling the paper and tossing it over his shoulder, where it coincidentally landed next to the discarded head from earlier. "I mean, that's pretty gruesome," he said in a tired voice, "even for for us." He glanced over at the food that were still huddled together in a far corner with a look akin to sympathy. However, it only lasted a moment before he shook his head, a manic smile in place.

In less than a heartbeat, Takeshi was in front of them, courtesy of his ghoul-given speed. "Attention, ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted between cupped hands, his loud voice startling the group. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Isra!" He smiled to himself at the sound of his title. It was much less boring than his actual name. "And over there," he waved enthusiastically towards his sibling, "is my precious nee-chan, Fel!"

Yumi glanced disinterestedly at the flock of humans, before nonchalantly throwing up a peace sign. "Yo."

Takeshi's smile grew to a disturbing size, before he addressed the humans in a menacing tone of voice. "Tell me, what do you know of angels?" Any foreboding the statement may have held instantly dissipated when the ghoul cupped his chin and stared at them expectedly. "Because, I mean, obvious Biblical Reference Alert right there..."

One of the humans, an older gentleman wearing a wool sweater, was brave enough to ask the questions on all of the human's minds. "What do you what from us?!"

The Cheshire grin came back, and Takeshi calmly placed his hand on top of the old man's head. "I mean, isn't it obvious?"

There was a ripping sound, and throughout the warehouse the sound of screaming continued.

"We gathered you guys up as material. I mean, you can't send a message without ink, right?"

"You could send a text."

"Yumi, I'm trying to be menacing here."

"No trouble with that."

A pause. "No, I guess not."

To be continued...

AN: Eight months. So... yeah, I have no excuse for the lateness of this chapter. I procrastinated, did a marathon of FLCL, raged at the end of Aldnoah Zero, got WAY too into the Witcher 3, got a new job, and made the huge mistake of googling "Beast's Lair." Then MGSV came out, and the dubs for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and season 1 of Tokyo Ghoul were released (whoever cast Christopher R. Sabat as Yamori was a frickin' genius) and then I thought to myself 'You know what would be a good idea? Marathoning the entire Monogatari series in one sitting. And keeping myself from reading Kizumonogatari since it's apparently no longer the Half-Life 3 of anime.' This was of course followed by scouring the internet, looking for a single scrap of info on the Heaven's Feel movie, other than the fact that it's evidently a thing that will happen eventually. Then I started browsing my favorite stories list and rereading them all and then there was the whole World Waifu War III and I started using Aseprite and Blender again-

Basically, the lateness of this chapter was due to a spontaneous burst of creative energy (which ironically had nothing to do with writing, strangely enough) whilst holding a day job. Because that situation is so ideal.

Shameless plug time! If you're a Fate/stay Night fan, or a fan of... well, obscure anime, then you should go check out my other fic, You Have Control (chapter four of which should have been posted two months ago, but I'm no good at self-assigned deadlines). It's not as dark as this story (will eventually be), and the chapters are a bit shorter compared to the ones in this fic, but people seem to like it so far.

Also... I want the time I wasted watching Root A back. Honestly, all of those changes only to end up where the manga was... **** is NOT ****, damn it!