"Eleven"

Asuka was visiting the future again. She greeted this fact with resignation. She was standing in the command center, feeling unpleasantly bloated. She looked down and saw that she could not see her feet beneath her fattened stomach. Damn Shinji. Damn Misato. Damn Baby.

The scene began to come into focus. There were alarms going off, flashing red lights. She looked to the screen, and saw two Evas fighting each other. Her eyes widened; one was Unit 01, Shinji, and the other… was… Unit… 00!

Asuka watched, wide-eyed. Rei was trying to kill Shinji, her Shinji! No, she couldn't have it. She looked at a computer. The date displayed was tomorrow's.

-

When she woke up, she knew what she had to do. Shinji hadn't woken up yet. Asuka hurried into the bathroom. She would raise the worst case of morning sickness they'd ever seen, that would keep them home. They couldn't abandon her, right? They wouldn't abandon her!

Would they?

She had to try, she had to try, she had to-

-

Shinji woke up to retching sounds. He rose to his feet, slowly, and hobbled to the bathroom. Asuka was in there, in front of the toilet.

"Asuka, are you all right?"

"No, asshole!" she howled. "I'm coughing up my guts in the bathroom, and it's all your fault, you stupid little snot!" Shinji ignored this little tirade and went form Misato. Misato hurried in a few minutes later. If she's like this during the morning sickness, what's she going to be like during the delivery?

-

And so Rei's hand was stayed. Ikari was not coming out. There would be no kinslaying today.

-

A different Ayanami was in school. Red eyes watched a different sun. She'd noticed things since she'd started visiting with Ikari, strange things, like the color of the flowers. Ikari, at the moment, was with his associates Suzahara and Ayda. They were talking about a trip Rei, Ayda, and Ikari would be going on, to meet the Second Child.

The lesson drew to a close. Ayanami went home, slowly. She started to prepare a mental list of things to do. Nothing involving NERV. Her apartment had a respectable supply of food and medicine still left. She would be spending the day alone.

Suddenly, Ikari fell into step beside her. She was surprised They had nothing planned.

"Hi, Ayanami."

"Ikari," she replied.

"Do you have anything planned for today?"

"No, Ikari."

"Well… I was thinking…" He hesitated. Ikari sometimes had difficulty phrasing his thoughts into words, sometimes. Spontaneously, a timesaver occurred to Rei. She had a strong suspicion that she knew what he was going to say.

"Do you wish spend time with me?"

"Y-yes."

"Very well. Where do you wish to go?"

"I was thinking the park…"

"Which park?"

"The one by the hospital… you know it?"

"Second Impact Memorial Park?"

"That's it."

"Very well, Ikari. When?"

"Eight tonight?"

"I will be there, Ikari."

Shinji broke off as they reached Rei's apartment. He felt as though something were off, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Perhaps that was to be expected. He made his way towards Misato's apartment. She would, doubtless, want to extract every detail of the arrangement from him. Suddenly, that didn't seem so bad.

-

He showed up with little time to spare. Something occurred to him as he approached the park. Where was Asuka in all of this?

-

Future-or-Present-Misato watched the Eva as it regenerated. It was once Unit-02. Now, it was a corpse with a reboot button.

"So," said Misato.

"Yes?" asked Ritsuko.

"Why are we trying to sustain two Evas?"

"Two Evas mean half the work for Shinji."

"So?"

"So, half the work means half the amount of time spent in the Eva, which means less danger to the pilots."

Misato's face darkened. "You never told me they were dangerous."

"Misato, they're Evas. They're inherently dangerous."

"What will piloting Eva do to the pregnancy?"

"No idea. Probably nothing."

"'Probably'?"

"You'd rather we use Unit-02 only in emergencies?"

"Yes."

"Fair enough."

-

As Asuka wretched in the bathroom, a day after that discussion between the two de-facto leaders of humanity, Shinji and Misato had a brief exchange outside.

"Shinji, I think you should stay home today."

"Why?"

"Asuka, why do you think?"

"Well…"

"I know you have things to do in the Eva, but remember, Asuka is a pilot to."

"But Unit-02 was destroyed."

"I know, but- Well, it's bigger than that, Shinji." Too true. "Just trust me. It would be better to stay home with Asuka. I'd rather you guys be on good terms then have a dam fully repaired a little sooner."

"Alright…"

-

"Alcohol, Alcohol, Alcohol, White light…"
-The Gorrilaz