Thanks Renton2895, Gambling Willie, ArikosIsCanon, Gryphon117 for your reviews! They made me feel warm and fuzzy!

...so yeah, new chapter.


"Onii-chan, I ate your cookies... I'm sorry."

The girl on the screen, eyes wide as saucers, frowned bashfully, staring guiltily at the floor.

Shinji Ikari mimicked the expression; not out of solidarity for any of 'Onii-chan's' lost cookies, mind you. It was because Shinji found himself questioning his current choice of activities. There was something about the saccharine-sweet voice of the anime girl emanating from his screen that made him feel like a... pervert.

Then again, that also might have something to do with the fact that said anime girl was now bending over suggestively and exposing her...

Shinji shut off his computer.

This hadn't been his first choice, but Shinji had already beaten all of his video games, twice; and cable T.V was, well, yeah. Too broke to buy anything new, he opted to reluctantly dig out some of Kensuke's 'gifts' from before he moved away. His old friend had left him a box full of anime DVDs, his entire collection to be exact.

Shinji glanced inside the aforementioned box, currently sitting next to him. The mess of plastic cases strewn about inside were either adorned with sickeningly 'moe' girls, or legions of mechas and tanks. Upon closer inspection, Shinji saw some of them displayed images of moe girls driving tanks, or moe girls who also happened to be battleships...?

He told me he had to 'grow up'... Shinji thought, rustling through the box lazily with one hand. Not to be mean, but I kind kinda see what he meant...

Even so, Shinji was the one currently watching them, as critical of their content that he was being. Kensuke, meanwhile, had gone down south to help take over his dad's family business... it was enough to make Shinji feel a bit left behind, which wasn't exactly a new theme in his life, unfortunately.

He hadn't left his house for almost a week now. Well, save for the late-night food runs, of course. Even then, the collective time he had spent outside his room during this week had to be less then an hour. Most of that hour was one ill-fated attempt at talking to Asuka, as Shinji not-so-innocently ate his convenience store food in the park near her apartment.

She never came out. Shinji knew this indirect way of coaxing her outside was bordering on stalker material, and thus put an end to it after she failed to show the first time. Now he just ate in his room, depressingly making a mountain of wrappers and containers in the trash bin next to his computer.

One step forward, two steps back.

After being dragged serendipitously back into the world of socializing, Shinji recognized he had dug himself back into the... deep dark cave of hermitdom. This time, it almost seemed worst.

Maybe it's a lack of Vitamin D... When's the last time my skin saw sunlight? Shinji wondered sadly, leaning back into his computer chair. Oh. Probably going to the supermarket with Asuka... the day of the dinner.

Shinji got up from his computer chair, and in a bout of rage, kicked his garbage can. It was an action he regretted immediately, and not just because his toe now hurt like hell; all of that glorious mountain of food packaging was now strewn about his floor. The sad part was Shinji didn't find it made the place look that much worse, with his room already being quite dirty as it is.

Hopping to his futon on one foot, while clutching his inflamed foot awkwardly, Shinji flopped down roughly onto the bedding.

"WHO THE... FUCK LEAVES PORN OPEN WHEN COMPANY IS COMING OVER?" He swore loudly, gripping his foot tighter. "I'M A FUCKING IDIOT!"

Shinji didn't normally make a scene like this; the walls of the apartment complex were thin and he had been conditioned to quiet down for the sake of privacy. However, he knew that no one was listening. Kaji and Rei had left.


"Anyway... We really should head out, Shinji."

Shinji looked at Kaji with concerned eyes. "But... you said that you'd..."

Kaji locked eyes with his younger neighbor as his expression steeled.

"I know what I promised, and I trust you, alright?" Kaji responded, scratching his chin.

"Trust me with... what?"

A deep sigh.

"Shinji... Rei is... special."

"...Special?"

Kaji took a moment to respond. Shinji hung onto the silence nervously.

"Have you ever heard of the term... sixth sense?"


That short talk they had, in the dead of night, just a day after the dinner... left Shinji feeling uneasy.

It wasn't just the odd nocturnal timing, either. Kaji and Rei had shown up unannounced to tell him they were moving, meanwhile carrying an amount of possessions that in retrospect was eerily small. Rei was wearing a baggy hoodie and aviator sunglasses, covering her head and eyes. It would have almost been a cute look for the girl, but it was pretty clear to Shinji that the motivation behind the outfit wasn't fashion-related.

She was hiding...


"There are people out there that want to take advantage of Rei..." Kaji explained, carefully. "I'd been keeping her safe here, while I arranged for someone to take her in. Somewhere far away."

"Is she not safe here... anymore?" Shinji asked, confused.

"I don't know... but the idea was to avoid contact with strangers. Things changed, and..."

Shinji's heart sunk.

"I'm sorry, Kaji."

Kaji smiled gently.

"It's okay. I... we let our guard down. You're a good guy, Shinji. Rei likes you, too."

Rei nodded.

The girl reached out slowly, and touched his face lightly. Her elegant fingers, pale and thin, brushed his cheek.

"Your intentions are... good and pure. I feel... warm around you, Ikari."

"Rei..." Shinji tried to answer, frowning.

Kaji placed a hand on the girls shoulder, sighing.

"But we have to leave. For her sake."


Shinji reached and touched his face, right where Rei had brushed it a week ago.

She felt... warm?

He wasn't sure what this whole sixth sense business was; the pair had left before he had a chance to ask... but what else could explain her strange behavior? The way she treated others... It was like the girl could see right through you, her haunting eyes piercing into your mind. Before Shinji thought it was just the strange color, but now he could see there was something more substantive to the way she saw the world.

She cut through my embarrassed rattling like butter... and the porn... she just knew! Shinji reminisced worriedly about the night of the dinner. But a sixth sense? I suppose it makes sense... in the most unbelievable way.

But now they were gone, and Shinji was left with nothing but his thoughts.

And a phone number.

Kaji had exchanged numbers with him before he left, as a 'sign of trust', he had put it.


"We can keep in touch. Rei's due to leave Japan by the end of this week, and I'll let you know once she's safe."

Shinji nodded, frowning.

The two were standing next to Kaji's car. His now-former neighbors were about to leave; Rei was already sitting in the back seat, sunglasses still on despite the nighttime lighting.

Kaji looked to enter the car, but turned to face Shinji as he gripped the door handle.

"And... I know this isn't necessary but... please keep all of this between us. If Asuka asks-"

"I won't tell my father, Kaji." Shinji assured him, meeting his eyes with some force. "That's what this is about... right?"

An uncomfortable silence formed between the two.

"Shinji..." Kaji began, looking concerned.

The aforementioned boy managed a weak smile.

"I-I'm not stupid, I know you kept asking about him for a reason."

Kaji chuckled. "Thanks, Shinji."

"Just tell me; is he connected to this? To Rei?" Shinji prodded sharply.

Kaji stared at him in return, his expression hardening considerably.

Sighing, Kaji looked inside the car. As Shinji followed his eyes, he could again see Rei sitting on the inside. This time, however, her sunglasses were off, and she was now staring back at him with an intense and knowing gaze.

"Yes."


My father... is connected to Rei... somehow... Shinji thought, worriedly.

The implications of this haunted him, yet he never asked Kaji to clarify any further. For one, they had been in a rush to leave, but at the same time Shinji didn't really want to know the role his father played in all this. He had spent all this time hiding away from the man, and to now have himself nearly dragged back into his fathers world... Shinji just knew he wanted to stay away, now.

It wasn't just his father's involvement that scared him, either. There was also the obvious red-flag of apparently meeting a girl with Extrasensory Perception. The ridiculousness of the idea made Shinji want to laugh, but he knew he couldn't disprove the claim... short of shrugging and saying 'it's just not possible'. That was the level of this kind of revelation; to the point where he was confronting former impossibilities.

This sort of thing would turn the whole world on it's head if it got out. And yet... Kaji had told him all this... despite knowing the dangerous connection he was making. Giving him a clear way to reach him as well; the level of trust Kaji had shown left Shinji oddly honored, but mostly frightened.

All he had to do was talk to his father about this and...

No. I'd be lower than garbage if I did that, even in the name of so-called family. No, especially in the name of family; it's sad, but I've feel more like family to those two in just a week, then I have with my own father for years... Shinji thought, bitterly. And now they're gone.

Shinji pulled out his cellphone, and double-checked his contacts. It wasn't for a particular reason; just to look. In fact, Shinji found it hard to believe that he would ever use the number. Besides being generally asocial, Kaji seemed like he had... well, a lot going on at the moment.

Shinji closed the phone with a sigh, and tried his best to sleep. There wasn't much else to do, he felt.


Shinji awoke to knocking. Torn from his sleep, the young man had to take a moment to get his bearings. What time was it, anyway?

He checked his phone; it was eight o'clock in the evening.

What a time to wake up...

Shinji reluctantly went to check the peephole. He was caught a bit off guard to see a familiar head of raven hair.

Opening the door, Shinji poked his head out. "M-misato? What's up?"

The woman was facing away, leaning on the balcony of the walkway. She was wearing a casual but stylish dress; the frills at the bottom fluttered in the wind slightly. Turning around, she looked to be quite relieved.

Shinji felt his heart skip a beat when he saw her face. He wasn't ready for this, not after just waking up.

"I was wondering when you were gonna open... up." Misato smiled, before the expression weakened a bit. "Hey, are you alright?"

Misato pushed off the railing, before walking closer to Shinji. She leaned in slightly, as if to examine his face closely.

"H-huh? What do you mean?" Shinji asked, frowning.

"You're really pale... and have horrible bags under your eyes... oh!" Misato explained, before reaching out and touching his chin. "Woah! Look at all these wittle face hairs!"

Unprepared for the sudden contact, Shinji backed up roughly into his entrance-way. He tripped over his only pair of shoes in the process, Falling roughly onto the tatami floor. Shinji let out a groan in pain, taking a moment to simply lay on the floor in accepted defeat.

"Wow... your place looks erm, different than last week." Misato stifled a laugh. Shinji could see her poking her head inside.

Shinji was embarrassed, to say the least, as he took his own gander behind him into the dark reaches of his apartment. Not that he really had to, but he felt he had to get a sense of the view of an outsider... it wasn't pretty. Though, to be fair, the fact that Shinji had failed to clean up his trash-bin mess from earlier certainly didn't help.

"I... yeah..." Shinji tried to defend himself, while picking himself off the floor. It wasn't easy. "I've been having a bit of a... rough week."

"Uh, n-no kidding. Y'know, it's funny, I figured Kaji would be keeping an eye out for you..." Misato shook her head, smiling. "But I guess even he has his limits."

Shinji sighed heavily, brushing himself off. "I... I don't need anyone to... watch out for me."

Liar.

"Besides, he's gone." Shinji added, locking his eyes on Misato's. "Kaji, I mean. He left."

Misato brows furrowed initially; her face seemed to give off a hint of disgust. Soon enough, though, the expression waned in favor of something softer... yet hard to place.

"I... I'm not really surprised." She rolled her eyes. "That guy's a rolling stone. For as much as he claims to care, he... nevermind. Are you okay?"

Shinji stiffened up defensivley. "W-what? I'm fine. What makes you think..."

Misato was looking at him with unimpressed eyes. She pointed inside his apartment; the point got across without a word spoken.

"O-okay, fair." Shinji sighed. "Things aren't, good, but they're pretty n-normal. I... I don't need you to come check in or anything... I know you probably get I'm kind of a s-shut-in, but..."

"I came to get my coat, actually." Misato smirked at him. "You know, the one you spilled hot water on?"

"O-oh!" Shinji froze up, before he stated laughing... wildly.

It was an attempt at coming off as natural, that did anything but. The man rushed inside his apartment with a skip in his step, before arriving near his computer chair. Confused, the boy stared at the chair for a moment before looking back at Misato, who had ventured a few steps into his cave.

"I swear it was here..." Shinji laughed nervously, before looking around on the floor. Soon enough, the boy found the stylish coat underneath a small mess of tissues and food containers; it appears the coat was an unfortunate casualty of his earlier frustrations.

"I... found it?" Shinji said nervously with a grin, picking up the dirtied clothing. Misato returned the grin with a scowl.

"Aaand I will clean it, and return it later."

Misato's scowl turned to a satisfied smile. "You will! Clean it twice."

Putting the coat back on the chair, Shinji puttered around his room for a moment without much intention. "So... I guess I'll see you later?"

Misato put a errant hand on her hips. "You know it's a Friday night, right? I was hoping we could go out like old times. Don't tell me you were planning on spending it cooped up in this hellhole.. no offense."

"N-None taken." Shinji sighed, before sitting down roughly next to his kotatsu. "And yes, I was. Like every other Friday."

Another unimpressed glare from Misato. It wasn't the first time tonight, and it certainly wasn't uncommon during their time together in the "computer" club.

"What... were you expecting anything different? I mean, look at this place... again." Shinji groaned rustling through some plastic bags littering the top of the kotatsu. "You really think soomone like me would- JESUS CHRIST."

A cockroach crawled out from underneath a plastic bag, before skittering away into the darker corners of the room.

"F-FUCKING BUGS! I..." Shinji shouted out, standing up quickly, with some flailing to match. "I..."

Looking over at the entrance, Shinji could see that Misato was trying really hard not to laugh.

"I'm sorry, but that's... that's fucking gross! Pffftjgkdsk!" Misato spat out, before doubling over in laughter. "This really is a hellhole!"

"...I need out of this place." Shinji finished, letting out a groan. Walking over to the doorway, he gave Misato a slight bump in the arm as he grabbed a coat. The dark haired woman had to take a moment to recompose herself.

"Fair warning though... I-I'm even more socially awkward than before." Shinji explained, shaking his head. Slipping on the coat, he made sure to grab his music player from the pocket before turning back to Misato. "Do you mind if I..."

The woman was smiling widely. Shinji's heart began to quicken pace, as he shared the cramped space of the doorway with her. Feeling his face heating up, Shinji knew he was blushing.

"W-what?" He forced out, shoving his hands, and the music player back into his pockets. "W-why are you looking at me like that?"

Misato shrugged, still smiling. "Dunno, just happy you're coming. Didn't think it was going to work, to be honest. N-no offen-"

"None taken. N-now, where to?" Shinji cut in, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"Uh... no idea." Misato wondered, leaning back onto the wall. "Didn't really plan this far, to be honest."

Shinji shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with the music player inside his pocket. "Erm... I'd prefer it not to be anywhere... too crowded, or, well, unfamiliar..."

"Sheesh, Shinji. With criteria like that, how could we go wrong?" Misato drawled sarcastically. "This is gonna be a real adventure."

"Well...!" Shinji pouted, feeling his face heat up, again.

I know I agreed but, in the heat of the moment... Shinji thought to himself, now fiddling with the music player even harder. Doing going out without... Asuka's help... I miss her...


Shinji!

Shinji...

Idiot Shinji!


"Hey.. you alright?" Misato asked him, showing a bit of concern. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, or anything..."

"N-no... it's alright." Shinji said, before meeting her eyes with a slight smile.

"I-I think I have somewhere in mind, actually."