Neon Genesis Evangelion: Child of Eva

Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed

By: Damerei A.

Disclaimer:

See chapter 1.

 Asuka laid awake in bed and staring straight up at the ceiling above her. It had been about two weeks since Shinji's return but things didn't go back to normal like she had hoped they would. Shinji was acting normal but the problem was not with him but with her. For a reason that only she knew, she had been refraining from spending too much time around the younger Ikari and when they were alone she refused to talk.

(It's rather funny how I've been acting around that baka. I was sure that I was ready to tell him how I felt when he got back but it's been two weeks and I haven't said anything. I know I'm not afraid of him but I still don't know why I'm hesitating to tell him.) Asuka thought.

"Maybe you're not as ready as you thought you were." A voice inside her head told her.

Asuka sighed and sat up in bed. It was already six o'clock in the morning and she needed to get up if she was to get ready for school. She tossed the covers off of her and slowly sat up in bed, looking around a bit before swinging her legs over the side of the bed where they met the cold floor. Sighing, she got out of bed and grabbed a robe from a nearby chair before heading towards her door. She slid it open to reveal a darkened hallway but it wasn't all that surprising considering it was still six in the morning and she wanted to get an early start so she could avoid Shinji. However, fate decided to play against her on this very morning. Asuka slid open her door and was about to step out when Shinji walked in front of her and almost causing her to scream out in surprise. The first thing she noticed that Shinji didn't even seem to notice her standing there as he continued walking towards the kitchen. The German redhead stepped out into the hallway and followed him until he was in the kitchen with her standing just outside the doorway.

Shinji looked around the barely illuminated room for a few moments before looking straight ahead. "Asuka, there is no point in hiding so come on out."

Asuka gave a startled gasp and wondered how Shinji always knew that she was nearby. She had noticed a lot of weird changes in Shinji ever since he had come back and wondered if he was still her Shinji. She moved from her position and walked into the kitchen as Shinji turned to face her.

Asuka placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing up so early, baka?"

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the very same question."

"Well, I couldn't sleep and was sitting in bed until I decided I should get ready for school." Asuka said with a slight edge.

Shinji blinked. "So, you plan on going to school at seven in the morning? Did I actually miss something during the time that I was gone?"

Asuka glared at him. "What business is it of yours if I decide that I want to get an early start?"

Shinji frowned. "Asuka, I've noticed that you've been rather moody ever since I came back. Is there something that happened to you while I was away that I don't know about?"

Asuka folded her arms across her chest and looked away from him. "Nothing happened while you were away. I just don't feel like talk to you right now. You're lucky that I haven't decided to beat you up since I said I would if you ever left me again and you did."

"Well, I'm sorry about that but I had to do something to protect you and Rei. That was the only option that I had left open to me and it worked for me since I found something that I thought I had lost a long time ago." Shinji said.

"You mean your mother, right? I remember you mentioning that to the commander and that's what you mean by what you lost." Asuka inquired.

Shinji nodded, slowly. "Yes, I did see my mother while I was one with the Eva."

Asuka nodded then, frowned. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you since I'm still mad at you."

Shinji sighed. "Asuka, you can't be mad at me for that. At least I wasn't away as long as I was the last time and you said it yourself that you were glad that I was back. So, why are you giving me the cold shoulder all of a sudden?"

Asuka glared at him. "Look, I told you that I would try to be nice to you but that doesn't mean that I'm going to let you hurt me and get away with it! Do you have any idea how I felt when I thought I was going to lose my best friend to some psychotic Eva?"

Shinji was momentarily taken back by her outburst. "Calm down, Asuka. I had no idea that I was going to hurt you but you have to understand that it was something that I had to do. If it makes you feel any better then, I promise that I won't let the Eva absorb me anymore."

Asuka looked away from him and snorted. "A lot of good that promise will do. It's up to your crazy Eva is it decides to swallow you up again and I don't want to think about it anymore. I'm going to go get ready for school and I want to have breakfast waiting for me when I get back. Maybe, we'll talk about this when I come out but don't count on it."

With that said, the German redhead turned and walked back out of the kitchen. Shinji sighed and scratched his head as he tried to figure out the meaning of their conversation.

"Every time I think I got her figured out she does a complete 180 on me and leaves me confused. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get to see the real Asuka Langley Sohryu." Shinji mused.

An hour later, Asuka stepped back out of her room after finishing her shower and getting dressed for school. She would've finished soon but she wanted to have some time to herself to think. She hadn't meant to get angry with Shinji but he had acted so casual about the fact that he had been absorbed. To her, it was as if he didn't realize how much she would miss him if he were gone. That was another reason as to why she had yet to confess her feelings to the young Ikari like she had originally planned to. It was because she was afraid that she would lose Shinji after she confessed her feelings to him that she hesitated to tell him. For the second time in her life she was willing to admit that she was afraid of losing someone that she really cared about.

(I've already lost one person that I really care about and I don't think I can go through losing another.) Asuka thought as she walked into the kitchen.

She was mildly surprised that Shinji wasn't in the kitchen but found a plate of bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast already sitting on the table waiting for her. She wondered where Shinji was but pushed the thought aside as she heard movement behind her and turned to see that it was Shinji coming out of his room. The brown-haired boy stopped when he realized that Asuka was staring at him and rewarded her with a curious expression.

"Is something wrong, Asuka?" Shinji asked after a few moments.

Asuka shook her head. "No, I was just wondering why you only set food for one of us." (Okay, so I can't just tell him that I'm worried that I might have upset him.) She added as an afterthought.

"I've already eaten and now I'm about to go take a shower. Are you going to wait for me to go to school with you or are you going to go ahead without me?" Shinji asked.

Asuka narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think that I need your company to walk to school? Do you think you can protect me if someone tried to jump me and they'd be crazy if they even thought about doing so?"

(You have no idea how easy that would be for me.) Shinji thought. "Well, if you want then, you can leave since it doesn't really matter to me."

Asuka growled. "Oh, don't try to play that superior attitude with me, Third Child. I still haven't decided what way I'm going to torture you for how you made me feel."

Shinji narrowed his eyes, a feeling of anger welling up inside him and all directed towards Asuka. It had been awhile since he had to get angry with her but now that she had reverted back to her old ways it was easier than before.

(Just when I was beginning to fall in love with her again she has to ruin it.) Shinji thought.

Asuka narrowed her eyes even more. "What's the matter, baka? Don't tell me you're too afraid to talk to me anymore?"

Shinji smirked. "Why should I be afraid of a little girl?"

Asuka blinked at the sudden comment then, her eyes widened in shock as she registered what he said. (Oh no! What have I just done?)

It hadn't been her intent to get Shinji angry with her after she had worked this hard to get close to him. However, her pride wouldn't just allow her to back down from him without a fight.

"How dare you call me a little girl, you half-wit? I don't even know why they made you a pilot in the first place but I guess it's because your fathers the commander!" Asuka yelled.

The smirk vanished from Shinji's features to be replaced by an angry glare. Asuka could swear that his eyes were glowing for a fraction of a second as he began walking towards her. Because of this Asuka began to back away from him until he back met the edge of the table. She took a quick glance behind her to search for a quick escape route then, turned back to him when she could find none.

"Don't you dare come any closer to me or I'll make sure you never walk again." Asuka threatened, her voice slightly wavering.

However, Shinji didn't stop until he was standing a few inches in front of her and continued to glare. Asuka began to tremble with fear as she gazed into the depths of his blue orbs and saw the intense fire burning from within them.

"Don't ever use my father in reference to me again." Shinji said, coldly.

Asuka could only nod in response. A cold chill had run through her body as she heard his voice and she was even more afraid of him than she was his father. It was like she couldn't tell who Shinji was all of a sudden and this thought terrified her more than anything had ever done before.

Shinji turned and began to walk away from her but stopped as he heard her voice drift to his ears.

"Shinji, what's wrong with you? I don't even know who you are anymore." Asuka said.

Shinji glanced over his shoulder at her. (What is wrong with me? I thought I had gotten over all of this but the anger is still there and I don't know why.)

"Maybe because I'm not the Shinji that you knew anymore." Shinji replied then, walked out of the room.

Asuka felt her entire body go numb and she collapsed to her knees. She just couldn't figure out how things had gone so badly for her all of a sudden. At first, she had just wanted to avoid Shinji as she tried to work up enough courage to tell him how she felt but then, things got out of hand. She hadn't meant to get angry with him and she definitely didn't want to get him angry with her since she remembered how he would get. However, as usual her stupid pride would get in the way and prevent her from ever truly being happy. For a second, Asuka wondered if this was fates way of paying her back for all the times she was ever mean to Shinji since they had met. It wouldn't be all that surprising since she always used to spite him when they had first met but after seeing him fight in his Eva and after he had saved her from falling into that volcano she had begun to respect him. Asuka wondered how everything could've turned around on her in just a few moments and how Shinji had managed to break her down like that, leaving her to wallow in self-pity.

From a distance, Pen-Pen watched his redheaded roommate as she rested on her knees with her head lowered. He had realized that neither of the two children had noticed that he had been watching them throughout the entire exchange. Just because he was a penguin didn't mean that he didn't understand when any of his roommates were fighting but human matters weren't his concern. The small fowl waddled up to Asuka's side and pecked at her arm a few times until he had gained the redhead's attention.

Asuka looked down at the small bird. "What do you want?"

"Wark!!" Pen-Pen replied. {What do you think? I'm hungry.}

Asuka blinked then, frowned. "Look, I'm not in the mood to be pampering to you right now so leave me alone!"

The small fowl blinked at the sudden angry reply and backed away from the now angered redhead. He didn't know why she was so mad at him all of a sudden but he responded by giving her the penguin equivalent of the finger. Asuka blinked again at the gesture and couldn't only watch in shock as the penguin turned and waddled back to his refrigerator then, hopped inside.

Asuka sighed. "Baka, you really have made me to soft for my own good. I guess this is what happens when you fall in love with someone and don't want to let them go."

The German redhead stood and turned to the table, looking down at her food. For the first time, she noticed that a single red rose had been placed next to her plate and wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. For an instant, she smiled but the confusion that lingered in her mind quickly erased any thoughts that had begun to form of Shinji since she knew he was still angry with her. However, as she sat down she knew she had to figure out a way to patch things back up between them without letting her pride get in the way again.

Hours later, Shinji and Asuka both found themselves seated in class and listening to the same old boring lecture from the elderly sensei. Asuka had arrived about a half hour before Shinji did. Even when Shinji had arrived they didn't even acknowledge each other like they had been doing over the past few days, which was rather strange. Hikari and Kensuke had been the first to notice the new change in behavior between the two pilots and wondered what had brought about this. Their chance to find out came when the bell signaling lunch rang and the students scrambled to exit the class.

Asuka, Rei and Shinji were the last to leave but Asuka refused to make eye contact with Shinji, which was noticed by Rei. She had noticed that her fellow pilots had yet to talk to each other and decided to ask Shinji what was wrong. The three pilots quietly exited the classroom and Shinji turned in the direction of the stares that headed towards the roof. Rei would've followed immediately but she had another matter to attend to before she could talk to Shinji.

Shinji opened the door that led to the roof and stepped out into the sunlight. He walked over to the rail and placed his bag and bento box down next to him before leaning against the metal. The events that had occurred earlier between him and Asuka were still floating around in his thoughts. He didn't know why he had a sudden urge to get angry with Asuka since they were supposed to be friends but when she mentioned his father something inside him snapped. The only reason he didn't release his full fury and that would've meant releasing his angelic powers was because it was Asuka that he was facing. His feelings towards the fiery redhead pilot of unit 02 were rather confused at the moment. He felt that she was his friend but at the same time he wanted something more and yet he didn't want things to change between them.

(I don't understand what is wrong with me. My feelings for Asuka are so conflicted and I don't think that I will ever figure them out.) Shinji thought then, sighed.

He looked down at the courtyard below him and watched the others as they moved about then; he noticed Asuka and Hikari walking out of the school. He focused his gaze on the redhead for a few moments then, turned his attention towards the sky above him.

Shinji released a heavy sigh and shook his head. "Just what is wrong with me?"

"That's something I would like to know." A voice said from behind Shinji accompanied by footsteps.

Shinji looked over his shoulder and saw Kensuke walking out onto the roof. The bespectacled boy grinned at his friend and made his way over to stand next to him. Shinji turned his gaze away from him and looked back out to the courtyard but his gaze was settled on nothing in particular.

"So, Shin-man, what's up with you? You've been acting rather different lately." Kensuke asked.

Shinji glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and sighed. "You would probably being acting different to if you were stuck inside of an Eva for a few weeks and had to get into an argument with my father when you came out. It was not how I had planned on being welcomed back but it was rather unavoidable at the time."

Kensuke looked at Shinji in surprise. "You mean you actually stood up to your father and he's still letting you be a pilot." Shinji nodded. "Man, you really have changed over the past few months. You've already managed to do what no other has managed to do before and you stood up to your father."

Shinji gave him a confused look. "What did I do that no one has ever done?"

"Why you tamed the redhead demon of course." Kensuke replied, cheerfully.

Shinji groaned. "Kensuke, you don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done anything to Asuka so could you please drop it."

Kensuke grinned. "Ah but that's where you're wrong my friend. I've been paying very close attention to Asuka's behavior over the past few months and I would like to share my observations with you. First off, she's been acting very nice to you and she rarely calls you names or even tries to pick on you. Second, when you disappeared she became violent again and I mean very violent. I remember one kid mentioned the reason that you were out because she had worked you out too much and you didn't have the energy to make it to school.

Shinji turned to Kensuke, his eyes wide with shock as he realized what he meant. "WHAT?!?!"

Kensuke nodded then, winced. "What she did next wasn't really a pretty sight. She practically broke a desk over his head and beat the crap out of him before they were able to restrain her. The poor kid is still in the hospital recovering from all of the injuries he received but that's not even the half of it. The guys that had been trying to hold her back ended up getting beat up as well. Over the next few days anyone that said anything bad about you ended up getting beat up but not as bad as the first kid. After that, I heard that Misato had to make Asuka stay home and she has been back to school until the day that you had come back which was three days ago."

"I do remember when I came back to school but I can't believe Asuka would do something like that. I knew she said that she wanted to be nice to me but I didn't think that it would mean she would be getting into fights just to defend me." Shinji shook his head. "I mean that doesn't even sound like something Asuka would do even if it is me."

"That's what I've been saying and even Touji was surprised when I told him about it. That's why I know that the reason Asuka's personality has done a complete 180 is because of you. I don't know how you did it but you really are something to be able to get the most violent girl in school to act like she worships you. I know every guy in school wants to be in your shoes and I have a question to ask you." Kensuke said.

Shinji gave him a skeptical look. "What is it?"

"Have you ever slept with Asuka ever since she started acting nice to you? I know she would most likely do if it was you that was asking her." Kensuke asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF QUESTION IS THAT?" Shinji exploded, not caring that a many of the students below had looked after his outburst.

Kensuke took a step back but continued to grin. "Don't try to deny it, Shinji. You have one of the most beautiful girls in school even if she is the redhead demon. Plus, with her acting nice to you it would be easy for you to get her to sleep in bed with you and I know you have so don't deny it."

"Where did you get a crazy idea like that from?" Shinji demanded, angrily.

"Oh, I overheard Asuka mentioning it to Hikari the day after you came back. She said that the two of you slept together a couple of times." Kensuke replied.

"Okay, you really misunderstood what she had meant. I will admit that we slept together a few times but that was because we fell asleep on the couch while waiting for Misato-san to come home. It wasn't like we were planning on it since it was just something that happened." Shinji sighed. "That's why you shouldn't read in to things so much all the times until you have all the facts. Besides, even though Asuka has been acting nice to me there is no way I could get her to sleep with me in the same bed without receiving a serious beating first."

Kensuke was about to say something when he noticed Shinji look over to his right and blink. He followed his gaze and found Rei Ayanami standing there and watching them with her expressionless mask. Shinji was to first to react to her presence as he smiled at the blue-haired girl.

"Ayanami, how long have you been standing there?" Shinji asked.

"I have only just arrived and caught that last part of your conversation. May I inquire as to what you were discussing with Aida-kun, Shinji?" Rei asked.

Kensuke blinked a few times as he realized that Rei had called Shinji by his first name. However, he had noticed that he had seen Rei talking with Shinji a few times.

"We were just discussing the way that Asuka was acting while I was gone." Shinji replied.

Rei nodded then, moved to stand beside Shinji as he turned back to the railing. "I have a question to inquire of you concerning your relationship with Asuka."

Shinji nodded. "Go ahead and ask me anything that you want."

"I noticed that you and Asuka have been avoiding talking to each other ever since your return. Has something occurred that has caused this change in the relationship between the two of you?" Rei asked.

"Actually, Rei, I don't know exactly how to explain that and I came up here to try and figure it out on my own. I know Asuka is mad at me for yelling at her this morning when we got into an argument. I'm not sure but I think that I may have hurt her feelings because of what I said." Shinji replied with a sigh.

"Hold on, you mean to say that you actually hurt Asuka's feelings?" Kensuke asked, shocked.

Shinji groaned. "Kensuke, could you please stop acting like Asuka isn't a normal person? You and Touji need to realize that Asuka is no different than anyone else."

"Yeah, except for the fact that she tends to have violent episodes more often than anyone else." Kensuke stated.

Shinji groaned again and turned back to Rei. "I wish I could explain this to you better but right now I'm just as confused as you are about all of this."

Rei nodded, satisfied with the answer then, she happen to look over at Shinji and noticed the awestruck look that Kensuke was now giving Shinji. She blinked a few times in confusion because she didn't understand why he would be looking at Shinji like that.

"Aida-kun, are you alright?" Rei asked. Shinji looked at him as well.

Kensuke jerked with a start and focused his gaze on Rei. "Oh, um… yeah. I was just thinking about something and I sort of zoned out for a moment."

Rei turned away from Kensuke and the bespectacled boy noticed that she did it at the same time that Shinji did. However, he didn't really think too much of it as he reached down into his bag to grab his lunch. Shinji noticed this action and reached down to grab his as well but noticed that Rei was not following suit. As he looked at her he realized that she didn't seem to have any lunch with her.

"Rei, didn't you bring anything for you to eat?" Shinji asked.

Rei slowly shook her head but kept her gaze out towards the courtyard. Being the gentleman that he was Shinji decided to offer Rei some of his lunch.

"Rei, if you want you can have some of mine." Shinji said, offering his bento.

Rei stared down at the box and was about to refuse when a barely audible growl was heard from her stomach. Luckily, only Shinji was able to hear it but she blushed in embarrassment, nonetheless. Shinji resisted the urge to chuckle and smiled at his friend.

Rei nodded, slowly. "I will take you up on your offer."

Soon, all three children were enjoying their lunch but the confusion in Shinji's mind still remained. He wondered why Asuka had been acting the way that she was but he couldn't find the answers without confronting her again. Kensuke glanced over at his friend and noticed that Rei was now sitting a lot closer to Shinji then when she was standing. He stared at the scene for a few minutes before a smile appeared on his face.

(Shinji you have got to be one of the luckiest guys in school to have both Rei and Asuka wanting to be around you. I don't know what you did to them but I hope everything works out for you because you really deserve to be happy.) Kensuke thought.

The bespectacled boy quickly returned to his lunch as Shinji looked over in his direction for a moment before looking back at his own lunch. However, he glanced over a few times as he heard Rei and Shinji beginning to have their own private little conversation and couldn't help but be happy for Shinji.

In a different part of Tokyo-3, deep below the streets within the confines of Nerv headquarters. Misato Katsuragi made her way through the different corridors with a single purpose and that was to discover the secrets that Nerv had been hiding from her. During Shinji's last encounter with his father she had been really intrigued when he had mentioned Seele and wanted to find out more about it. When she had been investigating Nerv on her own she had read a few mentions of Seele but never anything to explain what this mysterious organizations connection was to Nerv itself. She had meant to question Shinji about what he knew but after she saw how happy he was after his return she couldn't bring herself to question him because she had a feeling it would bring him pain. Since that was the last thing she wanted to do to her precious Shinji the amethyst-haired major decided to get her answers from another source. The search for that source would eventually lead her to her oldest and best friend, Ritsuko Akagi.

Misato walked up to the door that led to Ritsuko's personal office and waited for the door to open and allow her admittance before stepping inside. She found the office to be rather clean except for the huge stack of files that was on the blonde doctors desk. Ritsuko was sitting with her back towards Misato as she busily analyzed the screen before her while typing in a few bits of information but she hadn't heard the door open.

"Hey there, Ritsuko." Misato called out, cheerfully.

The scientist jumped in surprise and spun around to face her friend with wide eyes. "Jeez, Misato. What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?"

"My, aren't we jumpy today? Is there a problem with me coming to pay you a visit?" Misato asked, teasingly.

Ritsuko shook her head. "No, that's not it but at least give me some sort of warning that you're coming next time. I've been really swamped lately since Gendo wants to know what's happening between Shinji and Unit 01. I'm really stressed to come up with some sort of answer but I'm getting nowhere. So, why did you come to see me in the first place?"

Misato sighed as she walked over to her friend and sat on the edge of the desk. "Actually, Shinji is one of the reasons why I'm here. There are some things that I need to know and I know you have the answers to them so don't try to pretend you don't know because I won't buy into it this time. There are things going on behind the scenes here at Nerv and I have a feeling that you know all about it."

Ritsuko flinched, slightly but made no other movements. "What makes you think I have the answers that you need?"

Misato narrowed her eyes. "Don't try to fool me, Ritsuko. I've seen the looks you and the commander share every time something bad happens. You always seem to know how to handle every little situation as if you were already prepared like when Shinji was first absorbed. You have the answers that I need and you're going to give them to me if you know what's best for you."

Ritsuko stared at her then, sighed after a few moments. "Okay, maybe I do have the answers that you want but are you sure that you're ready to hear what I have to say?"

Misato slammed her hands down on the desk. "Enough of this bull! Even Shinji knows more about what's going on around here and I want to know what he knows."

"I can't tell what Shinji know but I believe he knows more about what's going on than I do. However, I can at least tell you what I know since it will be a way pay Shinji back bit first I have to make a little phone call." Ritsuko said.

Misato nodded. "Don't even think about calling section two."

Ritsuko nodded and picked up the phone while standing up. She walked over to the corner of her office and began talking to someone else on the opposite end just below where Misato could hear. After a few minutes, she walked back over to the desk and sat back down.

"Now we wait for our special guest to arrive." Ritsuko said.

Misato gave her friend a confused look before reaching inside her jacket and placing her hand on her gun. If this were some sort of set up she would be ready. About forty-five minutes later, the door to Ritsuko's office slid open and Misato gasped as Shinji walked into the room. She was so surprised that her hand slipped from her gun and dropped limply to her side before looked at Ritsuko in surprise.

"I thought Shinji would like to see some of the things that I'm about to show you." Ritsuko smiled.

Shinji blinked. "Um, Dr. Akagi, what is this all about?"

Ritsuko looked at him. "Don't worry, Shinji. Just follow us and I'll explain to you the reason why you are here. Like I said you won't have to worry about section two knowing of your whereabouts since you are supposed to be with me for testing."

Shinji nodded in understanding then, glanced at Misato, who returned his look. The blonde stood and walked out the door not waiting for the other two to follow her but knowing that they would. The three made their way through various corridors until Misato realized they were heading towards Terminal Dogma but said nothing. She glanced over at Shinji and saw that he had a blank look on his face indicating he didn't understand what was going on. She could understand that but wondered why Ritsuko would have bothered to bring him here since she had already said that Shinji knew more than she did about what was going on.

Fifteen minutes later, the trio found themselves in a small elevator that was descending down into the lower levels of Terminal Dogma. Shinji stared out into the darkness surrounding them with no real emotion but inside he was wondering why Ritsuko had gone through all of this trouble to bring him here. Over the phone she had told him that he was going to be free of section two surveillance for a while and he was to come straight to her. He did as he was told but he didn't expect to find Misato waiting for him and this was really confusing him to no end.

Finally, the elevator stopped and they stepped out into a massive room. The room was barely illuminated but it was enough for Shinji and Misato to see what it held. They both gasped as they saw what was left of the bodies of numerous Evas, some lying on the floor while others hung from the ceiling. However, the most disturbing thing to Shinji was the fact that they were all copies of Rei's prototype unit 00 with the original orange color scheme.

"What the heck is all of this?" Misato demanded as she turned to look at Ritsuko.

Ritsuko chuckled. "This is all of our failed attempts to create our first successful Evangelion. This room extended back about a mile and a half and has become known as the Eva graveyard. It took us many tries before we able to successfully complete unit 00 and these are all of its predecessors."

Shinji would've commented but he felt numerous presences in this room and they all felt like they were trying to smother his own. He knew that it could only be the remaining presences of all the Evas that littered this room but he shook away the sensation they were causing.

"This isn't all that you have to show us and plus I would like to know about Seele." Misato said. Shinji glanced at her, sharply but said nothing.

"No, I have more to show you. If you want to know about Seele I will tell you and I think that Shinji already knows this so I won't really need to do a lot of explaining." Ritsuko turned to walk away. "Seele is a top secret organization that has control over the JSSDF and NERV. Their main objective is to initiate the Third Impact, which cause all people remaining on Earth to combine into one and supposedly, achieve the last stage of human evolution."

(Not if I have anything to say about it.) Shinji thought.

"So, that's what Seele's connection to all of this is and here I was thinking that Gendo answered to no one." Misato said.

Next, they entered a room that was very familiar to Shinji. After a few moments, he gasped as he realized that he was standing in an exact replica of Rei's room. Shinji looked around the room and saw that everything was in the exact same place as it would be in Rei's apartment.

"What is all of this?" Shinji asked in a shocked voice.

"You should be able to recognize this place easily, Shinji. This room represents the light and darkness that makes up her life and this is why she views the world the way that she does. Actually, she spent most of her life her up until a few months before you joined us." Ritsuko replied.

"What are you talking about?" Misato asked. She hated feeling left out.

"This is what Ayanami's room looks like, Misato. I always wondered why she would live in such a place and now I know the reason why." Shinji replied.

Ritsuko turned back to the door. "Come with me. I have at least one more thing to show you and then, I'll answer any questions that you ask."

Shinji nodded and numbly followed her as he took another glance around the room with Misato closely following. He wondered why his father would've kept Rei isolated down in a place like this for so long in the first place. As they were walking, Misato and Shinji noticed other doors that led to different rooms but Ritsuko ignored them as she had a set destination in mind. Finally, after another five minutes of walking they finally arrived at the final place of Ritsuko's planned little trip. The blonde scientist pulled out her Nerv ID card and slid it through the slot on the side of the doorframe then, entered in her personal access code. The door slid open a moment later to reveal a darkened room that gave away no real visible sources of light but Ritsuko stepped in soon to be followed by Shinji and Misato.

"Okay, what are we doing in here?" Misato asked.

"In here you will learn the true origins of Rei Ayanami." Ritsuko replied as she pulled a small remote from her coat pocket.

She pressed a button and the walls of the room brightened with an orange glow to reveal that they were actually tanks of LCL. A moment later, various figures began to float up and Shinji gasped as he recognized just who those figures were. Around him were all bodies of Rei Ayanami floated within the vat of LCL.

"What the hell is going on?" Shinji asked in alarm.

Every last copy turned to him and he could feel their eyes boring into him as the sound of giggling could be heard. He took a few steps back as he clutched his head in a vain attempt to shield himself from the noises.

Ritsuko chuckled. "These are all empty shells of Rei. They are not actually living beings but just merely clones for your father to use in case anything happens to the current Rei. These are merely dolls that have no real life to them because they don't possess a soul and so they are not alive."

"Why would the commander do something as twisted as this?" Misato asked.

"You would have to understand what Rei is in order for you to understand his motives. Rei is actually a clone of your mother Shinji as well as the second angel known as Lilith." Ritsuko said.

Shinji looked at Ritsuko in shock. (So, Rei is actually a clone of both mother and Lilith. That was why she always seemed to look so familiar to me ever since the day that we met. Why would father do something like this and why would he do things that he had done to Rei? I know for a fact that she does not need to be treated like some replaceable object just because father had her raised that way.)

Shinji's head whipped towards the tanks as he heard numerous voices echoing in his head. (Ikari!!!)

The soulless copies of Rei's continued to call out his name as if it was the only thing they knew but he managed to block them out somewhat as he focused his gaze back on Misato and Ritsuko. The purple-haired woman turned to look at her friend and narrowed her eyes.

"How could you have kept this a secret for so long and how could you have helped the commander do such a thing in the first place?" Misato snapped.

"I wasn't the one that helped him to create Rei in the first place. It was Seele that did it but even I don't know why they did but I know she was created for a specific purpose. However, today I'm going to correct my mistake of keeping this a secret by destroying all of them." Ritsuko replied and pressed a different button.

The results were immediate as the LCL changed to a red color and the bodies within the tanks began to disintegrate right before the eyes of Shinji and Misato. Shinji dropped to his knees and clutched his head even tighter as the screams of the dying Rei's echoed inside of his head. Misato cast a worried glance at Shinji then, turned her gaze back towards Ritsuko for an explanation.

"What's wrong with him?" Misato demanded.

Ritsuko sighed, heavily. "I was hoping that I would never have to tell you of this. When Shinji came back from Unit 01 the first time his body went through a few changes and he became an angel equipped with a working S2 organ. The reason why he is in pain is because the angelic DNA in all of these Rei's are calling out to him and he is sharing their pain. It is because they know him from viewing the current Rei's memories every time she has synched with them when Gendo brings her down here for one of his little experiments."

Finally, the cries subsided as the last remaining clones were disintegrated and Shinji placed his hands down to steady himself. He didn't know why this had happened to him but now he knew what that strange feeling he got whenever he was around Rei was all about.

Shinji slowly climbed to his feet and looked at both women. "I will make my father pay for all of this. Tell me what else do you know about Seele's plan?"

Ritsuko blinked at the sudden steel edge to Shinji's voice. "I know nothing more than what they have planned for Third Impact. Even your father refuses to tell me anything more than that but commander Fuyutsuki may know something. However, I can't be sure that he will tell you everything that he knows but Shinji you have to be careful. Your father considers you to be very dangerous to him and he may just try to get rid of you like he has done so many others that have gotten in his way."

Misato nodded as her expression softened. "Yeah, Ritsuko is right. I want you to be very careful and let us worry about what to do with your father. I've already came close to losing you twice and I don't think I could go through that again so please be patient, Shin-chan."

Shinji hesitated with his answer because he really wanted to get back at his father for treating Rei like a puppet. However, as he looked at the pleading look in the eyes of his guardian a part of him made him relent to their request. Both women gave a sigh of relief as Shinji finally nodded and Ritsuko walked up to the brown-haired youth.

"Shinji, I think you should go home and rest for awhile. Just let me and Misato handle this and I promise you that everything will be okay." Ritsuko said with a smile.

Shinji nodded again. "Yeah, you're right. I really need to get some sleep after seeing all of this." (Before I decided to start using my AT field on someone for the fun of it.) Shinji finished as an afterthought.

The pilot of Unit 01 turned and walked back out of the room, making sure to remember how he had gotten there in the first place. He cast one more glance back at the room that had once housed the various clones of Rei then, made a dash down the hallway and was gone by the time Ritsuko and Misato stepped out.

Some time later, Shinji slowly opened the door to that Katsuragi apartment and made his way inside. No sounds were heard as he made his way down the hallway and into the living room. He had expected to at least find Asuka home since school was over but after how he treated her this morning he figured she had went Hikari's.

"Where have you been, Third Child?" A familiar voice called out from behind him.

Shinji didn't even turn as he spoke. "It's good to see you to, Asuka."

"I came back from lunch looking for you because I wanted to talk about this morning and you didn't even show up for class." Asuka said.

"I was called away by Ritsuko-san for a few tests. I would've let you know but I didn't think that I had to let you know where I was going at all times." Shinji replied.

"Shinji, why are you being so cold to me all of a sudden? I thought we agreed to put the past behind us and start back over again." Asuka asked, almost sounding hurt.

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, we agreed to put the past behind us but I'm not thinking in the past anymore."

Asuka blinked a few times then, narrowed her eyes. "Listen, I promised myself that I would be nice to you but I didn't promise that I would let you treat me like dirt if anytime you wanted to. If you think that I'm going to just stand by and let you do it then, you're crazier than your Eva."

Shinji turned his head so he could look at her over his shoulder. "Listen, Asuka. I've been through a lot today and I really don't feel like arguing with you right now. I would like to get a couple of hours of sleep so could you please just leave me alone for now?"

Asuka stalked up to him and grabbed his shoulder then, spun him around to face her. She grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and pulled him closer.

"Do you think I'm just going to let you walk away after the way that you treated me? I'm not going to let you treat me like I'm some weak little girl that will do whatever you say!" Asuka yelled into his face.

Shinji didn't reply and this only anger the German girl even more.

"I thought I finally figured out my feelings for you but then, you had to go and start acting so cold to me! Like you said, earlier I'm not even sure that you're my Shinji anymore!" Asuka snapped.

(What does she mean?) Shinji thought.

When Shinji still refused to speak, Asuka felt her anger rise to a boiling point and she reacted the only way she knew how. A resounding slap was heard as Asuka had reared back with her right hand and slapped Shinji with enough force to turn his head to the right. Shinji slowly raised his hand to his obviously red left cheek and winced when he felt a fresh wave of pain emanating from that point. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly turned his head back around and focused his glare unto the girl standing before him.

"Are you going to do something now that I've hit you, Third?" Asuka asked, not in the least bit afraid.

Shinji didn't reply but smirked in response. Before Asuka knew what happened Shinji had lashed out and grabbed her and spun her around before pinning her down on the couch. Asuka looked up into Shinji's eyes and could see nothing but rage and anger directed back at her. However, she wasn't about to let Shinji get the best of her and began to struggle against him.

"Let go of me baka or I'll rip off your balls!" Asuka yelled.

Shinji leaned closer to her face. "I would really like to see you try that but I have other things in mind for you. For the past year, I've been trying to figure you out but I just can't. I've been trying to figure out if I actually loved you as a friend or if it was something more but you would always put me down. Now that I'm the one that's proving to be the stronger of us you can't handle it."

"So, why are you telling me all of this?" Asuka demanded.

Shinji shook his head. "You just don't get it, Asuka. Do you have any idea how it feels to be put down by the one that you love on a constant basis? I've been trying my best to get through to you but I guess Touji and Kensuke were right when they said I was wasting my time on a demon."

Asuka stopped struggling as she heard Shinji say those last words. "Do you really believe that you've wasted you're time on me?"

Shinji didn't even register her hurt tone of voice. "Yes, I believe I have been wasting my time. I was willing to give you a chance but every now and then I would see the old Asuka come back to haunt me again. I don't know if you did that to torment me or if you were just fooling me into believing that you have changed but I'm no longer going to buy it."

Asuka looked away. "You're wrong, Shinji. I was never trying to fool you but I was trying to hide how I really felt about you and look where it got us. I will admit that for a while that I've had feelings for you but I wasn't sure until just recently that they were strong enough for me to consider it as love. Now, I'm sure about my feelings and it's hard for me to admit this but I am in love with you, Shinji Ikari."

Shinji leaned back since he hadn't been expecting that answer. "What did you just say?"

Asuka narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "I said that I'm in love with you, baka. Are you that dense that you don't understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"I understand you but I just wasn't expecting you to say those words. Now, I'm really confused about all of this." Shinji replied.

"Well, let me see if I can help you figure it out." Asuka said and began leaning up to his face.

Shinji felt the urge to respond as he leaned down to meet her advance. Their lips made contact timidly at first but began to gain boldness as the moments rolled by. Shinji released the pressure on Asuka's arms and he felt her slip them up to embrace him around his neck. Asuka moaned as she felt Shinji lower his body to press against hers and deepened the kiss even more as she slipped her tongue into his mouth. After a few more moments, the two broke apart as the need for oxygen override their desire to continue their kiss.

Shinji stared down into Asuka's eyes and smiled. "Ai shiteru, Asuka."

Asuka returned his smile. "Oh Shinji, I love you too."

With that said, the two rolled over onto their sides and continued to embrace not caring about anything around them but content being in the presence of the other.

To Be Continued….

Well, that's the end of Chapter nine of Child of Eva. Sorry this chapter took me so long but I was also working on my original fic: Xyber Chronicles. I had to rewrite because I wasn't satisfied with my first attempt but if you care to check it then, be my guest and review it if you like it. Shinji and Asuka have finally admitted their feelings for each other but how will everyone else react to this news? Plus, who is the strange girl that is following Shinji around and why is she so interested in him?

Find out in the next chapter of Child of Eva: Joys of Life. C-yah.