IX

Night


Ritsuko was startled when the phone buzzed. She opened it and read the number. "Hello?"

"…Shinji?"

"I'm sorry, This is Doctor Akagi from NERV. I have Shinji's phone, do you know where he might be?"

"No… uhm…" A long pause, "He left a message for me a few hours ago. He wanted to talk to me… he seemed upset… Is he in trouble?"

Ritsuko closed her eyes. "Not yet. I'm sorry to tell you that Shinji has been missing since sundown. May I ask who you are?"

"Hikari Hoarki, class representative of Room 16-A, First Municipal Middle School. Shinji was…. Shinji is my friend."

Ritsuko couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad he felt he could call you. We think Shinji is in a lot of pain right now and we don't know where he is."

"Can I help you look for him?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary. Does he know where you live?"

"No."

"I see. Miss Horaki, if you get any more information about his whereabouts, call his cell phone. We're as anxious to hear from him as you are."

"If you find him, can I talk to him please?"

"I can promise you that." Ritsuko replied, and closed the phone. She sighed.

"Well," Aoba said from the driver's seat of the car, "At least it's not just the three of us."

"Are you sure you don't want to call security?" Maya asked from the back seat of Aoba's car, "Maybe they can help?"

"I want to keep it as discreet, as long, as possible." Ritsuko said in the passenger seat. She closed her eyes, "If Kyoko finds out about this, I can imagine she'd try to use it to have Shinji drummed out of NERV. I'd rather not have him suffer any more than he has to because of her."

"It was only a move, though," Aoba said as he turned the wheel en-route to Misato's apartment, "And Lt. General Katsuragi is a fun kind of person when she's off-duty! I thought he'd love the chance of moving in with a babe like her."

Maya pinched Aoba's elbow from the back seat. "Gah!"

Ritsuko, ignoring the banter, only said, "There are a number of reasons. Not only was he assaulted by Kyoko today-"

"Assaulted? That's news."

"-But he also went unwillingly. From what I gather he was starting to come to terms with living here on his own…" She looked at Shinji's phone in her hands, "And put down roots. Besides, Misato may be popular but her home is not the most hospitable to guests."

"Why?" Aoba asked, "Does she like… throw her underwear around or something? Never take out the garbage?"

"Shinij called it a pigsty." Maya added.

"All true." Ritsuko replied, "Plus, I imagine things were pretty awkward with Kaji making himself at home."

"Kaji?" Aoba asked, "That operative who showed up a while back?"

Maya hung her head in her seat, "I guess they were old college friends…"

"And now they're back together." Ritsuko said, "In her apartment."

Aoba sighed, picturing the strangeness of Shinji's situation. "Damn, that's awkward."

"She probably didn't tell him in advance, either." Ritsuko added.

"Double damn." Aoba grunted.

They pulled into the apartment complex where Misato was living.


Shinji felt ashamed. Of course he felt embarrassed, running out of Misato's apartment. Her words were true after all, and he was being ungrateful.

But he also didn't care. Right now the regret of being ungrateful and rude was far in the distance compared to the muggy feeling in his guts that he was being displaced… again. And no matter what Misato said, he felt he WAS intruding on another family as an unwanted problem. There could be no other way to understand the situation.

The night air was cold, though fortunately some shops were open. He ducked inside and bought a heavy, hooded sweater before wandering back out into the night. At least they hadn't shut down his company card- he might not be in serious trouble yet. He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk it or not… he still didn't like the idea of being evicted from some kind of home- what would he do? Even if he was expelled from Tokyo-03, where else could he go?

…He would worry about this all later. He needed to find some time to be by himself and think things out.

But he really wished he hadn't dropped his phone. He wanted to speak to Hikari. Doctor Akagi and Maya were extensions of NERV and all they could probably tell him was 'orders were orders'. There was nothing they could do.

But at least Hikari, a civilian not connected with NERV (he believed) might be able to do something. At least be an ear for what he needed to say.

He also missed his SDAT player. The music would have given him some comfort, framework, and distraction while he did the thinking he had to do. He kept walking, picking North to travel with the hopes that maybe he'd hit school. If things were truly terrible he might find a way to wait out the night and attend class next day to talk to Hikari.

Downtown was a mess. As he walked he could see lights to the west, and occasionally the odor of alien blood touched his nose. Coming to one particular intersection, he looked down the long rows of buildings and could see a sparse line of people beside a roadblock. Taken by curiosity, he deviated from his course and walked to the line, throwing up his hood as a means to conceal himself.

From what he could see, it appeared that cleanup operations were very involved downtown. There was a low rumble that dominated the sky as he got to the edge of the picket line where returned citizens were gawking. He saw a huge pump on a multi-axel truck, and he could also make out several other chemical trucks parked around it. What were they doing, pumping all that angel blood? Were they going to store it or dispose of it?

Seeing all that there was to see he started off again, heading away from the picket line and to the north-east.


"I've been driving around the block, ducking into stores, and I still haven't seen him." Kaji said on the other end of the phone.

Ritsuko was standing at the base of the apartment, her own cell-phone in hand. Aoba had already brought his car to the front of the apartment and Maya was standing outside with the door opened.

"Kaji," Ritsuko said, "Thank you."

"It's partially my fault this happened." Kaji replied, "I had no idea of what went on at the base today. Other issues."

Ritsuko wondered what that could mean. "Keep your eyes open," Ritsuko said, "We're going to start our own search."

"Do you think he would have left Tokyo-3?" Kaji asked.

Ritsuko hesitated. She wasn't sure how likely it was Shinji would have boarded a train to leave the city. Today had been terrible for him, after all. "Let's presume he hasn't and keep searching."

"Understood."

Ritsuko hung up just as Misato approached, dressed for the night in warm clothes. She handed Ritsuko a jacket of her own, which she put on as Misato asked, "What makes you think Shinji wouldn't have left the city?"

"…Intuition." Ritsuko replied, though honestly she had no idea how she could make such a presumption.


Even though people were showing up again in the city that was so hastily evacuated, the city was largely abandoned even now. Under the yellow tint of the street lights and occasional street-level lighting from closed up buildings, the only things shifting were the traffic lights and debris blown about in the wind.

Without his SDAT to isolate him in his own world Shinji felt he was melting into the background of the city. It was an odd sensation of total loneliness… something new to him despite how isolated he felt in the past on other occasions. This was like the few times he had the whole house of his aunt and uncle to himself… though magnified on a much greater scale.

Wind whistled through the empty buildings as Shinji made his way through the city night. He considered ignoring the traffic intersections… there was nobody here after all… but decided to use them anyway and stopped to take in the night air and sound while he waited for the light to turn green.

It was odd and eerie to look at development that was purposed to handle such huge volumes of people… but with nobody using them. Sidewalks alone were as big as streets, and the streets themselves multiple lanes across. This was the edge of the deep part of the metropolis, and nobody was here to use it.

After several intersections of silence he came across both a map and the sound of a distant decontamination team. As he stopped to look at the map a trio of vans drove by, ignoring the street lights, and with the markings of NERV on them. They didn't stop at all on their travels, though Shinji half-expected them to burn rubber turning and blast spotlights on him like in those crime-pursuit TV shows he had watched. While he wasn't disappointed that they hadn't, there was something of an empty feeling. He turned back to the map and studied it.

He had no idea where he had come from or traveled, but at least there was a YOU ARE HERE sticker on part of it. With a finger he traced a possible route to the east of the city and north again. The Middle School was tucked in the northeastern hills of the city. It was somewhere to go.

Shinji started east again.


Ritsuko was alone in the little car with her laptop until Aoba and Maya returned. "Well?" Ritsuko asked.

Maya said as she slipped into the back seat, "One of the cashiers at Grace Brothers thought they saw a boy matching Shinji's description." Aoba closed her door and moved to the driver's.

"It probably was." Ritsuko replied, "I've pulled up the latest purchases on Shinji's company credit card. He bought a sweater."

"Yes," Aoba said, "Hooded sweater, grey-blue."

Maya said in a saddened tone, "He plans to be out all night doesn't he?"

"Maybe." Ritsuko replied and said in a sighing voice, "It's been a long time since I've been a teenager. This would be a lot easier if we knew where he was going."

"Maybe he went back to his old apartment?" Aoba suggested.

Ritsuko, nodding, said, "It's worth a start. Let's go."


The city of Tokyo-03 ended, but the abandonment did not. As he left the central metropolis and wandered into the eastern part of the city, the city buildings became less organized, polished, and advanced. Others were starting to show signs of real abandonment outside of the mandatory evacuation.

The streetlights were also getting more sparse, and for a moment Shinji wondered how he would defend himself from looters, if any showed up. They could take his wallet, his key-card and pass to the apartment complex, but that was really all that he had of value on him, unless someone prized pens and backpacks.

The wind picked up a little and the trees waved at him in the darkness. Before he knew it, he was on a road beside a long field of tall grasses waving silently in the moonlight. He looked north, seeing some buildings and the hills that were his destination beyond. He looked south.

He could see his apartment complex.

Stopping for a moment he considered going "back home", to a place he was forbidden from staying. While he wasn't technically in Asuka's presence, it would probably be close enough to get him into deeper trouble than he could be now. As Shinji understood it, he could always return to… Misato's? apartment and accept the assignment given. He might get a slap on the wrist for being disobedient, but it wasn't a direct violation of his orders. At least, that's the logic he applied to some of the instructors in his past. Shinji sighed, and decided to go north. While there was the appeal of going back home and laying down in his bed in hopes of forgetting the day, he didn't even know if the de-con team was still there and ready to stop him.

And he didn't have the heart to see his things picked at.

Instead he continued along the road towards the distant buildings, passing more and more offices on his left with abandoned cars in front of them. How many people had been here when the city was abandoned? He thought back to hearing that alarm, trying to remember the time it was when it happened. It seemed the city was evacuated right when most people were getting off work- even a commuter bus was abandoned at a stop, the lights still blinking silently and the doors still open. For fun, Shinji climbed inside and walked through it before leaving the bus and continuing on his journey.

The eerie feeling of being alone in the world, so easily imposed here, was intoxicating. To be alone in the world… what a feeling. No concern for parents or others, no need to wonder what their opinions were and what they could do to him… it was a strange, strange kind of feeling.

He stopped at another intersection to look around, up and down, and up at the sky and the moon overhead. A strange sense of déjà vu over came him, and for a moment he tried to remember if he ever dreamed anything like this.

No.

He turned and started walking north again.


The doorbell made her shudder. "Uhn…" Asuka muttered, before sitting up in the dusky lamp-lit room. She rubbed her eyes.

Realizing that she had indeed fallen asleep, she heard the doorbell again and immediately the notion of duty and responsibility came into her mind. The fact that it was nearly 10 o'clock at night meant it was really important. Asuka left her bed and walked through the kitchenette to the doorway and then peeked into the peep-hole.

Surprised, she opened the door. "Doctor Akagi, what can I do for you?"

Ritsuko immediately peeked into the apartment, but not seeing what she was looking for she looked down at Asuka with a crestfallen look. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to know if Shinji perhaps sneaked back here."

"Shinji?" Asuka blinked, suddenly remembering his expression at the recovery ward and the fact that….

She whitened a little, feeling it in her face.

Ritsuko blinked and said softly, "Shinji has been missing for nearly two hours now and we don't know where he could be. He dropped his phone and we've been searching for him on foot."

"You mean security can't even find him?" Asuka asked.

Ritsuko blinked, and then said, "We've decided not to inform security just yet. We think Shinji just needs someone to talk to… I do not want to solicit NERV official involvement since Shinji hasn't directly violated orders… at least yet."

"Orders?"

Ritsuko blinked, and then explained, "He was ordered to evacuate the apartment here and take up residence elsewhere with Lt. General Katsuragi as his guardian. It was ordered directly by the Commander and head staff."

Asuka's eyes unfocused in thought. "I see…"

Ritsuko, picking up on the girl's distress, asked, "Is something wrong Asuka?"

There was a pause before Asuka recovered. "No!" She suddenly quipped, "No I'm fine… just tired." She rubbed an eye, "Still recovering."

Ritsuko nodded. She hesitated a moment, and asked, "Do you feel Shinji was a distraction?"

Asuka suddenly looked up. "What?"

"Your mother thinks that Shinji was a distraction to you and your studies, and issued an order to have him removed. I wanted to know how you felt about it."

Asuka looked into space again, mulling over what she wanted…. What she had to say. "I don't think it is a serious problem," she said in official tones, "But Pilot Ikari has been an influence over my piloting ability and studies."

"A negative influence?"

Asuka looked up. "I don't know."

Ritsuko nodded a little again. "I see. If you hear anything about Shinji's whereabouts, please give me a call. I want to resolve this without him getting into even more trouble than he already is."

"I understand." Asuka said, "Good luck."

"Thank you. Goodnight, Miss Langly."

Asuka closed the door after Ritsuko had gone and leaned up against the back of it, feeling terrible again and sighing.


Shinji didn't think it was possible, but there it was.

An abandoned building in Tokyo-03.

It was surrounded by a chain-link fence, with signs saying KEEP OUT and all, and with obvious signs of degradation. Strangely, there was no graffiti on the outside that he would expect of an abandoned building, though the grass was dead and some of the windows were cracked. Shinji stopped to stare at it for a while, wondering what it was meant for. It was certainly an elaborate building, whatever it was. Wincing, Shinji read the thin black characters over the top of the building's entrance, "Artificial Evolution Laboratory…"

He read the sign on the chain link fence, claiming it was private property of NERV and trespassers would be punished. Didn't say with what, however.

Shinji was about to turn and go when he heard something. Stopping to listen, at first he heard only the wind in the sky. But then he heard it again- the sound of footsteps. Shinji started at a walk away from the abandoned structure, the chain-link blurring as he moved by it. But then he heard footsteps again- closer this time, which made Shinji increase his pace. AS they got louder he broke into a run-

-colliding with someone at the corner of the crosswalk. Shinji fell, the other person staggered, and Shinji rolled on the ground to get back up. "Ikari!" The other person called out.

Shinji, panting and confused, blinked as he looked up into the stranger's dark form illuminated by a street lamp. Shinji stared at the boy for a moment, raising a hand to shield the lamp from his vision. "Wh-Who are you?"

The form pulled off the gas mask to reveal a familiar face. It was that kid swinging around the model in class the other day. "Kensuke Aida, at your service."


She couldn't help it. Pensive in front of her computer, she argued with herself weather to do this thing ever since she got the idea into her head. Her phone had been twirling in her hand slowly as she argued with herself weather she really wanted to do this and incur all this bother.

Finally she sighed and flipped open her phone, scrolled down to the contacts list and dialed the number she recovered from her answering machine. Hikari waited for the other line to pick up.

"Miss Horaki," Doctor Akagi asked on the other end, "Any news of Shinji?"

"I… no," She replied, "I-I wanted to call to ask if you got a hold of him yet."

"I'm sorry, but we're still looking."

Hikari glanced at the clock as she said, "It's been hours since he went missing. Are you sure I can't do anything to help you?"

"I'm sorry, but at this time of night I don't think it's advisable for you to be out alone."

"C-Could I join you then? As another set of eyes?"

"I think we have enough. I'm sorry miss Horaki, I understand your concern for him but we are doing everything we can."

"…Okay…" Hikari replied, "Thank you doctor." She snapped the phone closed. Looking at the clock again Hikari decided to try turning in despite her concerns. She looked at her phone again.

Normally she turned the thing off, afraid about microwaves messing up with her brain or whatever it was. This time she decided to keep it on, setting it on her dresser beside her bed, before powering down her computer. As it shut itself off she tucked herself into bed, grabbed one of her stuffed animals, and hugged it as she tried to sleep.


Shinji didn't have anything better to do, and no excuse to field against Kensuke's enthusiasm as the boy guided him along that chain fence. "I do this all the time, they never catch me." He snickered.

"What?" Shinji asked.

"You'll see." Replied Kensuke as they pushed through the shrubs and overgrowth along the fence. Shinji winced as he batted aside more branches and continued making his way, following the other boy through the undergrowth.

Finally Kensuke stopped and turned back to Shinji. "I'm gonna show you something really awesome, but I want you to promise me you'll never touch anything, okay? I'm serious here."

Shinji could only imagine what Kensuke could mean. "I-I promise."

"Okay," Kensuke replied and reached into his jacket to present Shinji with something, "Here, put this on. I think your sweater will be ok, but be careful."

"Where are we-?" Shinji asked, first high pitched, but then shushed by Kensuke, he asked again in a whisper, "Where are we going?"

"Inside." He said, presenting Shinji with the object. Shinji held it up to the dim lighting to see that it was a filter mask. Kensuke also handed him a flashlight, and then moved to the fence. Prying away a plate, a gap was revealed. Kensuke squirmed through, and then gestured to Shinji to follow.

Shinji, hesitant, said, "This is illegal! We could be caught!"

"Please," Kensuke replied, "I've been coming here for months and I never have! Besides, my dad says this place is already abandoned and NERV doesn't care. Come on!"

Swallowing, Shinji put on the mask and pushed through the hole in the fence. Kensuke nodded behind his gas mask and gestured with an arm to the building. "Keep your light off until we're inside!" He said.

Shinji nodded, and the two boys ran through the darkness to the backside of the building, hidden by shadows with no streetlights. Kensuke, glancing at Shinji, nodded before pointing. Shinji followed the finger to reveal a dugout with stairs leading to a basement entrance. "It's unlocked." Kensuke wheezed through his mask.

Shinji followed the boy down the stairs, hoping this wouldn't get him into serious, serious trouble.


"What is this place?" Shinji asked as his light played around the thick, dingy plumbing they were passing in the corridor.

"My dad says it was built here before the rest of Tokyo-3. Neat, huh?" Kensuke replied, his bulky thick-jacketed form revealed against the light his own flashlight splayed against the concrete walls, "Pulled out and abandoned when NERV moved underground. I've already looked around, there's nothing classified or unusual they left behind. All the outlines on the floor are pretty cool though."

Kensuke pushed open another door and treaded carefully up several steps. When he was clear, he gestured for Shinji to follow, and did so.

"Keep your lights on the floor if you're moving," Kensuke cautioned, "Not everything's gone."

Shinji looked around at the swirling dust being kicked up as he stepped out of the utility space and into a hallway. The floor suggested it had been polished tile once, long ago. There was even a pattern to it.

"Hey follow me," Kensuke said, gesturing with his flashlight.

They headed away from the front of the building and down the hall. Eventually it reached a staircase and they started their ascent. "What was this place for?" Shinji asked.

"My guess is genetic research or something. A group called GEHIRN used to run the place before it was shut down… I think they became NERV."

"GEHIRN?" Shinji repeated, "What does it mean?" What did NERV mean anyway?

"Beats me. Maybe something foreign, but not English. I already tried translating it, and the best I came up with was that it means 'brain' in German. I guess that about fits, because I think they were doing some genetic research or something."

They came up on to the second floor and Kensuke started down another hallway. Shinji played his light across a panel showing arrows and signs. He stopped as he read one of them.

Kensuke, noticing Shinji didn't follow, came back. "What is it?"

"That's my Father's name." Shinji said, the light stopped on one particular plate.

"Rokubungi?" Kensuke repeated.

"My father took my mother's name…" Shinji replied, "For some reason." The flashlight dipped a little. He never knew why that happened, not even his relatives knew. His father certainly wouldn't answer the question. Maybe…

Shinji started down the hall. "Shinji," Kensuke said in a hoarse whisper, "All the offices are empty here! There's nothing to see!"

"I still want to go!" Shinji whispered back, going down the hallway with his flashlight flicking up and down at the nameplates to each of the office, and stopping at one.

Kensuke came up behind him. "It's unlocked. They all are."

Shinji reached forward with a hand, noticing the door was ajar. He pushed it gently.

The office was empty but not completely bare. A desk was still there with the chair placed upside-down on it. Shinji stepped inside.

There was a dull illumination from the street lights through the frosted glass of the windows- they were opaque with age and neglect, but the dim light cast a feeling on Shinji that made him shiver some. This… this was his father's office. From a time before Shinji was born. Reverently he walked inside. Stopping he shined the light everywhere except on the window, playing around empty bookcases and dark monitors.

Even though there was nothing here for him to find, Shinji felt like he wanted to look anyway. He walked to another spot in the desolate office, ignoring the floating dust and dust bunnies as he made his way behind the desk. His light played across the floor when he stopped at something. Shinji bent down.

"Shinji! Put it down!" Kensuke hissed behind his gas mask, but Shinji had already wiped it off.

"Momma…" Shinji said, hesitantly as he stared at the photograph.

Kensuke bent his knees to crouch next to Shinji as the two examined the photograph. "You're mom's really pretty…"

"I guess…" Shinji replied. He was more enamoured at the contents of the photograph.

It was an assembly of people, in front of this very building, all smiling and happy. His eyes bounced between the faces, surprised to recognize some of them. "That's Doctor Akagi… I wonder who she's next to?"

"Her mom," Kensuke said, "They look alike."

Shinji's light shone on more faces. "…Doctor Zeppelin."

"Who?"

"Asuka's mom."

"…Who?"

"Never mind." Shinji replied, looking at more faces, "That's the sub commander… Who are these people?"

"Probably staffers here." Kensuke said.

Shinji shone the light back on his mother and father. They seemed so…happy together. His father was smiling and without the sunglasses he wore now. Without the beard, he looked kind of like Shinji himself. A shudder went down his spine.

But… he saw how close his mother and father were, and his eyes rested on the warm smile that his mother had never shown him since his arrival here. It was almost like a different person.

He started to stand with the photo in hand but Kensuke's hand came out. "Leave it."

"I want to take it."

"And I don't want to get in trouble and diced up for letting you steal stuff!" Kensuke hissed, "You're right, I can get in trouble, and I don't want to take any chances. Leave it, please."

The fear of punishment acknowledged within him, Shinji set the photograph back down where he found it with care, matching the hole it made in the dust. Slowly, he stood.

They looked around the office for another minute, but nothing else jumped out at them. "I want to go." Shinji said. Kensuke offered no complaint.


No 'men in black' were found when they exited the building, and their exfiltration of the premises apparently went unnoticed. Rather than return to the city street Kensuke hiked through the tall grasses, headed north, and through some bushes. With nothing better to do, Shinji followed him.

The two went through the underbrush until Kensuke stopped at a small clearing under a tree. Shinji clicked on the light he was given, only for Kensuke to lean down and light up a fire. Shinji clicked it off, and saw that the clearing also had a tent and a pile of stuff that glinted.

Weapons.

"Take a seat," Kensuke said, pulling off the gas-mask and helmet that he had been wearing up till now. He pushed his glasses up his face and took a seat on a tripod chair already unfolded.

Shinji sat down on the dirt opposite of him across the fire.

"I didn't know your parents were part of NERV," Kensuke said.

"Yeah," Shinji replied, staring into the fire.

"My dad is," Kensuke said, "He's a technician for Evangelion operations. He's in the know about some things, and he can help me get away with my…heh… hobbies. How about your parents?"

"…They work at NERV." Shinji said.

"Is your dad still a director there?"

"Yes."

"Ah! Lucky!" Kensuke said, "I wish my Dad was president of a huge place like NERV!"

"…Don't tell anyone, please?" Shinji asked.

"Cross my heart. I won't even tell Suzuhara!"

Shinji had to think a moment, class was so far away. Oh. Him.

"You gotta forgive Touji," Kensuke said as he register Shinji's recollection, "He's really forceful with his feelings and his sister got squashed in the first attack. He's really bitter about Evangelions and NERV and all that, but he has to stay here because his father works at NERV too. And you can guess about the company quitting policy."

"Yeah." Shinji replied.

Kensuke sighed. "Well, how 'bout this, I'll keep quiet that your folks are in NERV and you can keep quiet about my urbexing."

"Urbex-ing?" Shinji repeated.

"Urban Exploration." Kensuke replied, "You'd be amazed at the kind of stuff's around in Tokyo-3 nobody even knows about! If you're interested, I could take you sometime. I've got nobody to go with really… and I know the class rep would rip me a new one if she knew about it."

Class rep. "You mean Hikari?"

"You know her?" Kensuke asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Shinji said and looked into the fire, "I really wanted to talk to her today. Things…got bad. A-And I lost my phone."

The sound of Velcro ripping made Shinji look up to see Kensuke offering his phone. "Wanna use mine?"


The drumming of angry hornets made Hikari jump in her bed. When it happened again she fumbled in the darkness for her desk lamp, clicking the thing on as she realized it was her phone. She winced, and glanced at the number. Sighing in disgust, she opened the phone and said into it tiredly, "Kensuke, why are you calling at 11 at night?"

"I-It's me Hikari," The other voice said.

"SHINJI!" Hikari cried out, bolt upright and awake now, "Where are you? I was worried about you and-"

"It's all right!" Shinji replied, "I-I met up with Kensuke. I'm borrowing his phone."

Hikari winced. "What's Kensuke doing? Where are you guys?"

"Just out. Listen… I-I want to talk to you about today. You got a minute?"

"Shinji," Hikari said, "Your message made me concerned. What's going on? What's happened?"

"It's… It's a long story."

"I think you want to get it off your chest."

A pause. "I-I'm not sure if I can explain it without getting into trouble…"

"You work for NERV or something, don't you?"

"…Y-Yes."

"I tried calling your phone. Doctor Akagi answered it. She's been looking for you."

Silence from the other end.

"…Shinji?"

"I-I'm here."

"What's wrong?"

Shinji's tone sounded dismal. "I don't know what I did wrong! I was trying to be nice to someone and I got punished for it! I didn't do anything!"

"Slow down!" Hikari said, "One at a time. Who was it?"

"…Asuka… a… girl I know. She's living on instant Ramen and Coffee because she's studying her brains out. Her mom is real mean to her too."

Hikari had met people like that, but grimaced at the notion of living off of instant Raman, good as it was. "What happened?"

"…I cooked dinner for her one day."

"Aww, that's sweet of you. How did you get in trouble doing that?"

"I don't know! I-I guess her mom hated the fact that I interrupted her studying!"

Anal mothers. Hikari sighed. "I see…"

"But I wasn't really getting in the way or anything! I don't understand it, Asuka never said anything about it and I never did anything wrong! And then when she was hurt I went to the hospital with gifts and her mom was there…"

Hikari heard him crying. "Shinji?" She asked, her tone gentle but with the ring of concern.

"I-I g-got her gifts-" sniff "A-And she ripped them out of my h-hands and t-told me I-I-I couldn't s-s-see Asuka anymore. Doctor's orders!"

"Doctor? Do you mean Akagi?"

"N-No…" Sniff. "Asuka's mom is a doctor."

"But why?"

Sniff. "I was getting in A-Asuka's way."

This didn't make any sense. "So Asuka's mom told you to leave her alone because you were interrupting her studies with dinner?"

"Y-Yeah… and now I have to move in with some woman to keep an eye on me because they don't trust me!"

"…Oh Shinji…"

Shinji sniffed. "I-I didn't know what to do. I hated it… it's just like my aunt and uncle's place. It's a pigsty and… and… I feel like I'm being dumped on them. Like I'm a problem nobody wants to deal with."

Sizing up the situation, Hikari sighed. Then she said, "Doctor Akagi doesn't seem to feel that way. She's looking for you right now Shinji."

Sniff. "Yeah, p-probably to dump me back at th-that place. I don't wanna go back."

"But she seems to be someone in authority, right? Maybe she can help you."

"…I dunno…"

"Well you'll know if you try, right?"

Sniff. "I wish I could see you in person."

Hikari felt touched. "Well, you'll see me tomorrow in class, right?"

"Is school happening tomorrow?"

"I think so," Hikari replied, "I wasn't told it was canceled. We'll have to find out tomorrow, ok?"

"…Ok."

"Shinji," Hikari said, "Doctor Akagi wanted me to call her in case I had any word from you. Is it ok to call her and tell her where you are?"

"…Sure."


"Made it pretty far, didn't he?" Aoba said as they drove along the road.

Ritsuko's eyes looked at the structure growing in the distance. The irony of the whole situation forced her to close her eyes. But this is for Shinji, she thought could you really bear to deny how you feel about him, now that you actually know him?

"There he is!" Maya uttered in a hushed whisper. Two boys were seated next to the road just beyond the abandoned building of the artificial evolution institute. Aoba stopped the car, and Ritsuko got out. "Shinji?" She asked.

Shinji got up and approached Ritsuko. The two stopped within arm's reach of each other.

"I-I'm sorry." Shinji uttered.

"Apology accepted," Ritsuko replied, "Though it really should be Miss Katsuragi you should be apologizing to."

Shinji looked away.

"Do you want to go back?" Ritsuko asked.

"No." Shinji replied.

"Then where will you go?"

"I don't know. Somewhere." He grunted.

Ritsuko crossed her arms. "Would you rather come back with me and sleep in my office again? It's not much, but It's better than camping out here."

"Hey," Kensuke groaned, taking exception.

Shinji considered it. "I… I think I'd like that."

Ritsuko smiled.

Maya, who had been slowly approaching behind Ritsuko, stepped forward. "Shinji?"

Shinji turned and accepted Maya's hug, Ritsuko standing back to allow her subordinate to embrace the boy. Shinji was a little overtaken by the affection he was given, but it was welcome.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry!" The technician was crying into his shoulder.

Kensuke just shook his head. "Some guys…"

"And you are?" Ritsuko asked as she approached.

"Uer…. Kensuke Aida." Kensuke replied, "I was camping out when-"

"You're Torochi's son, aren't you?"

"…Yes?" Kensuke asked, his tone betraying a feeling of discovery.

Ritusko crossed her arms. "Strange of you to be camping so close to NERV property."

"Heheh… My dad recommends the greatest camp sites!"

"I see. Perfect for inquisitive young minds I suppose."

Kensuke swallowed.

"Just be careful not to prod too deeply, Mister Aida. Goodnight." Ritsuko said to the boy before turning around and walking back to the car, where Shinji was being escorted in.

After they were gone, Kensuke cursed. He turned around and headed back up to his place to decamp, watching the shadows for Men In Black.