Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or anything associated with it. I'm writing this story simply because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 10: Misato's Good Day

When Shinji's opened up the next morning, he did what he usually did. He glanced about the tiny, windowless room that he taken after Asuka had moved in with him and Misato. After several moments of doing so, his mind whirring up to speed, he sucked in a deep, cleansing breath before sitting up in his bed. Just before he did something he rarely ever did.

He smiled.

A tiny smile, triggered by the memories that were still with him from the previous day. Of how, after cleaning up much of the kitchen, he and Misato had gone to pick up some take-out dinner, and had spent much of the evening relaxing. Simply talking, enjoying each other's company while eating, until Asuka's return just before the appointed curfew, shortly afterwards the three of them talked a bit before going to bed.

After moving in with Misato, it had taken Shinji a long time to become comfortable enough with her to freely converse with her, and even longer for him to be able to enjoy such simple conversation. And with the amount of time Misato spent at NERV or recovering from her daily duties, those conversations had been always been a rare thing. But he didn't think he enjoyed being with her as much as he had the previous night. Simply because he was painfully aware of how close he had come to never having such times with Misato ever again.

But it wasn't just this that resulted in the tiny smile Shinji now wore. For the instant his head had hit the pillow last night, he fallen asleep and plunged into the world of dreams. Some had been dark and disturbing, but as the night had gone on, the dreams had changed tone, become sweeter, gentler. And as before, they had all revolved around Misato. Placing him in situations with her that he would never have imagined. The two of them walking the halls of school, going places he didn't recognize, and other things as well. Before they finally returned to this place that had become his home, and then…

Even as Shinji was blushing at the thought of what had happened then, he started removing his sheets from his person. Only for his happy mood to quickly evaporate when he felt something sticky and unpleasant marring his bed.

"Ohh…" Shinji groaned in dismay. As the final vestiges of sleep fled his mind, he realized that his futon was in total disarray, as well as thoroughly soiled as a result of Misato's appearance in his dreams, and the things she had alluded to. Peeling away the sheets, Shinji's dismay only increased as he realized that his pajama bottoms had been completely ruined, and had been badly torn during his sleep. He doubted that even Ritsuko and her people would be able to salvage them.

I guess I really do need new clothes, Shinji thought reluctantly, still apprehensive of the thought of going shopping with Misato. Quickly getting up, he shed the ruined pajamas before dumping them in the garbage. He was already planning on burning them as he gathered up his bedding for the laundry.

Soon dressed in clothes that no longer fit, Shinji exited his room, and soon found Misato sipping from a steaming cup of coffee. "Why, hello!"

Shinji stopped in his tracks, his jaw falling to the floor at the sight of his guardian sitting there. Totally awake and alert. "M-M-Misato!"

"Hee hee hee! Good morning, Shinji-kun!" Misato cooed with a voice heavy with teasing. "And how are you doing this morning?"

Shaking his head and trying to get his brain back into functional order, Shinji once again stared at the impossible image of Misato, alert and awake this early in the morning. Completely at odds with the many times she had barely managed to drag herself out of bed, looking very much like Asuka once described as Instant Witch, only fully awakening after downing some of the rocket fuel known as Yebisu. "I -!" Shinji started, only to fumble once again while trying to make sense of the impossible. "I'm…okay, I guess."

"Well, you're certainly looking better today," Misato decided teasingly. Even as her smile caused some of his dreams to come back to him, she leaned in closer and narrowed her eyes intently at the boy. "So, are you ready for our big shopping trip?"

As Shinji choked momentarily, he struggled to maintain his composure. "Well…let me get something to eat, first."

Misato shrugged as she responded, "Sure thing. I just hope you like reheated pork buns for breakfast, because until we get some groceries, that's basically all we have left in the whole place." Then she gave a glance at the resident warm water penguin, who was currently enjoying his own breakfast. "That is, unless you count PenPen's sardines." There was a surprised wark at this, and when the two humans looked down at PenPen, the genetically engineered waterfowl gave Misato before taking up station between his breakfast and the others. Giggling at PenPen, Misato grinned, "Oh, relax! Nobody's going to steal your sardines!"

Finding himself relaxing at PenPen's antics, Shinji smiled and said, "Oh, pork buns are fine. I just hope Asuka doesn't mind." At this, Shinji realized that the German was nowhere in sight. "Uh, speaking of Asuka…where is she?"

"Still asleep, I think," Misato informed him, nodding in the direction of the redhead's room. "As for her minding…considering what she did to the kitchen, I don't think she has any right to complain."

"That usually doesn't stop her," Shinji noted, drawing a giggle from his guardian. "So, are we gonna bring her with us?"

"I don't think so," Misato returned. "Remember, the whole idea is to replace our wardrobes, remember? Asuka has so much stuff that she can't even get all of it in her own room!"

"Oh, right," Shinji admitted, recalling the boxes that filled roughly half of his closet. And quite a bit of Misato's closet as well. Boxes that had flooded the halls of the apartment when the German had first arrived.

"So, come on! Hurry up and eat! We've got a busy day ahead of us!" Misato urged, much to Shinji's concern.

Still, I better hurry up and enjoy my breakfast. Such as it is, Shinji soon decided even as he moved to retrieve the leftovers from last night. Because if I know Misato, this is about the only part of the day that I'm going to have any peace and quiet. And I just know that I'm going to need all the energy I can get to keep up with her once we reach the mall!

In a room so dark it was impossible to see the walls, floors, or ceiling, a room whose darkness was eclipsed only by the five hateful souls that occupied it, a meeting was in progress. The only light afforded were the beams that helped distinguish between the five men. Five men of wealth and power who worked to guide the path of the world according to their own whims.

"This situation is unacceptable," a man illuminated with red light spoke. One man amongst five, each of them studying the others with the air of one searching for potential traitors.

"Agreed," another of the men nodded slightly, this one colored with yellow light. "The appearance of this creature, this...Fallen has put everything we've worked towards at risk."

"How could this have happened?" a third asked, the lines of cruelty about his face now highlighted by green and confusion. "Who could have possibly created such a thing?"

"Aside from our own people, who could know enough about the Angels to even attempt something like this?" the fourth wondered, this one lit with blue.

"Whoever is responsible for this, we must find them and deal with them quickly. Especially if our unknown foes intend to create similar creatures in the future," the fifth declared, this one with pure, white light that contrasted his soul. His cybernetic visor surveying his fellows with a dead, unfeeling gaze. "From what we've been able to determine, if any more Fallen appear, the chance that the timetable set down by the Dead Sea Scrolls will be corrupted will grow."

"Are you saying…that the Red Earth Purification Ceremony could fail?" the man lit with yellow asked, a trace of genuine fear to his words.

"I'm saying that the chaos created by more Fallen could disrupt our operations to the point where it becomes impossible to fulfill the required conditions for the ceremony," the man known as Lorentz Keel stated with firm authority. "We knew from the beginning that this operation required painstaking accuracy, far beyond anything humanity has ever attempted. Any corruption of the timetable thus becomes intolerable."

"But who could be responsible for this?" Red asked, causing the other men to focus their attention on the fifth.

"I think we all know of someone with the resourcefulness to create such a thing," Blue stated, drawing attention from his fellows.

"Agreed. Perhaps it is time we took a closer look at Ikari's operations," Keel agreed, his brows furrowed with suspicion. "Ever since Dr. Yui Ikari gave herself over to Unit 01, his actions have been somewhat…suspect. And now that the Lance of Longinus is finally in place and in his care, we cannot take any chances that he may deviate from our intended course."

"Agreed. If anything were to happen to the Lance…" Red grimaced as the others mirrored his expression. All of them well aware of the consequences.

"There's also the matter of Unit 01," Green noted. "It's behavior has been increasingly uncontrollable. In light of this recent incident with its pilot and Major Katsuragi, there's every chance that it is now unsuitable for our plans."

"All the more reason to proceed with Project: Eve," Keel stated firmly. "If everything else fails, then Eve will be our only hope. Our only chance to cleanse this world. To experience the joy of rebirth."

Reluctant noises of agreement were heard from the other members of SEELE before the first of the asked, "And what about the Fallen? Even if Ikari is not responsible, we still have to find out who created it. As well as a way to neutralize any future Fallen."

"We will deal with our unknown adversaries soon enough, whomever and wherever they may be," Keel assured them. "For now, however, we must wait for them to make the first move. And prepare for the possibility of Ikari's treachery."

Shinji generally hated going to the mall.

Even with the mass exodus from Tokyo-3 that had begun when the 3rd Angel attacked, the mall was still a crowded place, with many voices and noises echoing all over the place. And two things that Shinji had a bad time dealing with were large numbers of people and loud noises. So he very rarely went there, and only when someone else wanted to.

That brought him to another reason to hate the mall. Because when he did go there, it was usually because either Misato or Asuka decided to go shopping. This usually ended up with him being dragged to a dozen different stores, sometimes just to poke around and look at the selection, and when he went with Asuka, the German invariably made him carry all the bags or face certain death.

At least Misato doesn't do that, Shinji thought wearily as he sat on the bench. Looking down at the two bags full of clothes that sat at his feet. Besides, I've got my hands full as it is.

Letting out a low sigh of exhaustion, Shinji was roused from his thoughts when he heard Misato coo, "So, what do you think, Shinji-kun?"

"Huh?" Shinji jumped before turning to look at Misato. The purple-haired woman was standing a short distance from him, dangling two bras in front of her chest.

"I said, what do you think?" Misato asked teasingly, wiggling the bras about before his eyes. "Do you like the red one…or this black one?"

As Shinji examined the two bras, automatically picturing them adorning Misato's curvaceous frame, he found himself beset by a wave of hormones determined to make his head explode. "Um…they both look nice…I guess…"

"Yeah, they are pretty nice," Misato smiled deviously, examining the lacy garments. Then she speared Shinji with a glance. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find these things?"

His cheeks already burning, Shinji squirmed and averted his eyes. "Oh, well…"

"I guess there isn't a lot of demand for E-cups," Misato murmured shamelessly, enjoying the nervous look on Shinji's face. "Oh, well, I guess once we're done here, we can always go searching in one of the other stores."

Dead certain that he was about five seconds of away from a gusher of blood erupting from his nose, Shinji decided it would be best to get away from the subject of lingerie. "So, um…did you find anything else you like?"

"Sure did!" Misato informed him, gesturing towards the fitting room. Leaning forward, Shinji followed her outstretched finger, his eyes bulging at the sight of the substantial pile she had gathered. "You don't mind waiting while I try on a few things on, do you?"

"Uh, no, of course not," Shinji said agreeably.

Giggling warmly, Misato replied, "Oh, you're such a perfect gentleman, Shinji-kun! I'll be right back! Promise!"

As Misato disappeared into the fitting room before him, Shinji again sighed with exhaustion. They had been at the mall for at least three hours already, and had turned one of the department stores and three smaller clothing shops upside down in that time. After they taken their purchases out to the car, now wearing some of their new clothes, they had stopped at one of the restaurants for a cozy lunch before returning to their shopping expedition.

Fumbling with his SDAT, Shinji couldn't help but still feel the heat of the embarrassment he had felt as Misato helped him select various outfits, helping him get dressed, and basically bombard him with various teases. "Oh, you look so handsome in this outfit, Shinji!" "My, Shinji, that shirt is definitely you!" "Hmm, Shinji-kun, I better make sure Rits doesn't see you like this, or she might try to have you transferred to her place!" These comments were just a small sampling of the teases Shinji had endured that day, and though he had learned that this was one of the ways Misato showed that she cared, it was still difficult trying not to read too much into her words. Something made even more difficult by the images that appeared during the night, and haunted him during the day.

While Shinji was dealing was dealing with his own various impulses, Misato had stripped down to the buff, and was examining herself in the mirror. Automatically, her eyes and fingers were drawn to the line that her scar had followed, the mark of pain that she had been branded with on the Second Impact occurred.

For fifteen years, the scar had been a reminder of Misato's purpose in life, of her hatred of the Angels and everything that they had taken from her. And now, with her rebirth, it was gone.

But the Angels aren't, Misato reminded herself. There was still danger to be dealt with, and as much as she hated it, as much as she wished otherwise, only Shinji and the other children could fight the battle she wished could shoulder herself. I wonder why only children can pilot the Evas, anyway?

Heaving a deep breath, Misato shook her head in disbelief. Her she was, plowing through the mall like it was her own personal playground, all on NERV's bankroll, and yet she couldn't help but think of the Angels, of the Evas, of the battle for survival and revenge.

I can forget about all that, at least for today, Misato decided, twisting her body this way and that, liking what she saw in the mirror. A carefree, beautiful women, apparently unblemished by the harsher walks of life, who was filled with vigor, who was vibrant and exciting. A woman whose body had been cleansed of every scar, every imperfection, not matter how small or insignificant. Even that one mole had been erased, washed away like it had never existed. The fact that she had also received serious deposits to her T and A accounts definitely didn't hurt, either.

As Misato contorted her body this way and that, marveling at the various changes, she failed to notice two things. One was that she had accidentally backed into the door of the changing room. The other was the fact that she had forgot to lock it.

As for Shinji, he noticed the door opening, and looked up, expecting to see Misato come out and show off one of her outfits. Instead, his jaw was sent plummeting to the floor as his eyes expanded to properly absorb the exquisite world of curves that was his guardian's body. Silky, purple hair cascading down from her head, delicate, smooth skin covering her perfectly toned muscles, her flawless breasts and slender waist, her well-formed legs and shapely posterior were all there for him to see in the short time before the door swung closed again.

While Misato was looking the wrong way, and remained completely unaware of what had just happened, Shinji's mind struggled with his exposure to just so much woman, only to fail and be completely overwhelmed. As a result, a gusher of blood erupted from his nose just before the 3rd Child of NERV fell back onto his bench, completely faint.

"Wow, what a day, huh, Shinji-kun?" Misato grinned as she looked at her ward. Some time had passed since Shinji's exposure to the Best Assets at NERV, and with the two of them more-or-less finished shopping. The two of them had found a nice restaurant, and had settled down for early dinner.

"Oh, sure, Misato," Shinji grinned, trying desperately to forget what had happened before, and could not do so. He was only thankful that his faint spell had only lasted a short time, allowing him time to recover and attend to his nosebleed before Misato found out what happened. As he slowly forked some food into his mouth, Shinji tried not to think of that image, of a Misato completely exposed in all her glory. He could practically feel another nosebleed coming, just from the memory of it.

"It's a good thing Asuka decided to spend the day at Hikari's," Misato mused as she took a sip of her tea. "At least this way we don't have to hurry back."

"Yeah, I guess so," Shinji agreed. Then frowning, he wondered, "Oh, did we forget to get something?"

"Nothing that can't wait, Shinji," Misato started, an almost dreamy expression on her face. "But, you see, I happened to notice something while we were roaming the mall."

"What is it?" Shinji asked, getting somewhat concerned.

"It's just that…there's this one movie playing here," Misato started, slowly warming up to the subject. "It's part of a collection of older movies, and, since it's been a while since I last saw it…"

"You'd like to go?" Shinji inferred, to which Misato nodded. "What's it called?"

"Spirited Away," Misato answered immediately. "It's part of re-release of classic movies. I went to see it when it first came out, and…I just thought it would be nice to go see it again."

"Oh," Shinji responded slowly, examining the idea from various angles, seeing nothing wrong with it. "Well, okay. Sure. I don't mind."

"Thanks, Shinji!" Misato grinned merrily. "I think that would be the perfect way to wrap up the day!"

The movie was a perfect ending to their day at the mall. Shinji had never seen 'Spirited Away', but ultimately found it very enjoyable as he and Misato sat next to each other in the theater. The only part that became sticky was when Misato draped her arm across his shoulders, her head leaning closely to his own. As the scent of lavender filled his awareness, Shinji almost panicked, but then saw the contented, relaxed expression on Misato's face as she just sat there enjoying the movie, and ultimately, he was able to forget his own concerns and worries.

When the movie finally ended and the two of them left the theater with the remainder of their purchases in hand, Shinji was smiling warmly. "That was…really good, Misato," he spoke slowly as he walked alongside her.

"Your right, it was," Misato grinned. "I guess that's what makes a classic; it only gets better with age." Then the Major visibly winced. "Oh, no…"

"W-what is it?!" Shinji asked, suddenly filled with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing, I guess. It's just that I was having such a good time that I forgot that we still have to pick up groceries," Misato admitted.

At these words, Shinji winced, recalling the bare cupboards and refrigerator that awaited them. "Oh...right..." he groaned in a voice rife with dismay. But even as he considered this situation, he then shrugged haplessly before deciding, "Well...it's not that big a problem, right?" As Misato looked at him, he gave her a reassuring look before explaining, "We can pick up a few things on the way back, right?"

Sighing as Shinji's words soothed her wounded ego, Misato grinned brilliantly at him. "Thanks, Shinji-kun." Then she darted a rueful glance at the numerous bags that they were carrying before adding, "That is, if we can even find room for groceries, plus all the rest of our stuff!"

"We could always drop the clothes off on our way to the grocery store," Shinji pointed out.

"Good point," Misato admitted, and soon, the car was stuffed to full capacity with several bags of clothing, plus the two occupants. Immediately, Misato started towards the apartment, tired yet invigorated from the wonderful day she had just had.

When they finally got to their apartment building and began carrying the various bags to the elevator, a thoughtful look appeared on Shinji's face. "Umm, Misato?" he started slowly.

"Yes? What is it, Shinji?" the Major answered as she held the elevator door open for him.

"Uh…" Shinji fumbled, trying to find a way to voice the question that was now niggling at him, only to fail. "Oh, it's nothing. Forget it."

Cocking her head, the purple-haired woman gave Shinji a slight frown as he boarded the elevator. "Shinji, didn't I tell you before? That when you say 'nothing' like that, it clearly means something?" Misato spoke with an edge of firmness even as she pushed the button for their floor. "Now, come on. What is it?"

At this point, Shinji was flustered, uncertain, for there truly was a question that he wanted to ask Misato, something that related to the movie they had just seen. He wanted to know…if such different people, such as those portrayed in the movie, could really fall in love.

However, Shinji ultimately discarded the question as too provocative, too dangerous. Instead, Shinji searched for a less suggestive question to ask Misato. "Well, it's just that…I really enjoyed myself today. Not the shopping part, but, you know, the rest of it. The movie, dinner, and just…hanging around, I guess."

Misato gave a quick nod to this. "Good. I'm glad to hear that," she responded, still waiting for the question Shinji had for her.

"So…I just was wondering…" Shinji paused nervously. "Well…do you think we could…do it again some time?"

This was something that Misato didn't expect. "What?" she wondered. "You mean, go to dinner and see a movie?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be a movie or anything," Shinji answered quickly as the elevator opened to their floor. "But…you looked really happy today, so I thought maybe we go do something else that you like to do. Like…I don't know…"

"So...you just wondering if we could go do something fun again, is that it?" Misato asked as the two of them moved towards their apartment. As her words had the unintended effect of freezing Shinji up, she thawed him out with a slight smile. "I…I think I'd like that." As relief exploded upon the boy's face, Misato cocked her head in a thoughtful manner. "Maybe we could go to a karaoke club sometime?"

"Uh, sure! Why not?" Shinji answered nervously. "So…you don't mind?"

"Not at all, Shinji," Misato smiled. "It sounds like…a good idea to me."

As Shinji gave a quiet sigh of relief, he looked down at the ground before him, and noticed a drop of water appear just before Misato's feet. Blinking in confusion, he noticed another drop appear, which was soon joined by more. Searching for the source of the drops, Shinji looked up, and saw tears flowing from Misato's eyes.

"Uh, Misato, what is it?!" Shinji panicked, afraid that he had somehow offended his guardian. "Look, if you don't want to -!"

"That's not it, Shinji," Misato spoke as even more tears appeared to cascade down her face. "I don't know why, I…I just started crying, and…" With that, Misato dropped her bags and fell to her knees, wrapping her arms about Shinji like she never wanted to let go.

"Then, what's wrong, Misato?" Shinji asked, desperately confused by what was happening. Caught between fear and confusion as his guardian placed her head on his shoulder. "Misato…?"

"Just hold me, Shinji," Misato openly wept. Thinking of all the so-called dates she had gone on. Of how men had gone out with her for the sole reason of using her as a sex-toy, to be disposed when they were done with her. That no one had ever gone out with her just for the pleasure of enjoying her company. And that this day that she had spent with Shinji had quite possibly been the happiest day of her life.

In a very real way, that made it even worse for her. For she knew that she didn't deserve that happiness, and never would.

Author's Notes: I hope this satisfies everybody looking for a fix of fluff. Please, read and review! And if you like, check out my other stories while you're at it!

Fifth Horseman, as always, thanks for the input. I'm doing my best to handle Shinji and Misato's relationship. I only hope my best pleases all of you.

As always, tobi, you bring some very interesting views to your reviews. However, let me make something very clear to you and RI100014: I despise the Simpsons! Also, tobi, if you like giant robots and comedy, you might want to check out an anime called 'Dai-Guard', in which we find out what happens when the giant robot built to repel evil monsters is built by the lowest bidder! Namely: total chaos!

Mr. Lee, once again, I'm not holding a grudge over what happened. In fact, just to show there are no hard feelings, I've got a project in mind that Misato and the other girls might be interested in.

You see, I've read my share of Eva fics in which Shinji gets transformed, gets superpowers, and so on and so forth. But I wrote in a review for another fanfic author, I've never seen a fic in which that happens to the ladies of NGE. So how about it, girls? Does anybody want to see a story in which Misato, Rei, or Asuka gets special powers, saves the day, and offs the Bastard King in the process?

Also, be on the lookout for a Shinji/Rei friendship story I'm working on. It's called 'Forever Unique', and I hope to have it out in a couple weeks! Keep an eye out for it!

Until next time, enjoy!