All Fuyutsuki could do was shake his head in response to the new footage showing the immense arachnid Angel dissolving into a pool of LCL. He grimaced as he saw the prompt collapse of Evangelion Unit 02 afterwards and just sighed.

It was very hard for him to comprehend that humanity would now have to deal with additional Angels. On top of the world already being turned into what it currently was, all that he could see was more death and destruction in its future.

'Katsuragi is searching for the Tower Of Babel, the place in which humanity will once again learn to understand one another. Ikari wants to take advantage of this and yet he does not tell me how he will do so.'

Fuyutsuki cast a small thought for the director of NERV, such that it was. He hadn't seen Gendo Ikari in a few weeks, Gendo had been spending his time holed up in his office or from what Fuyutsuki understood taking trips to Terminal Dogma. It was a place that Fuyutsuki no longer dared to venture.

'All I have of the outside world now are messages from our source within WILLE. I no longer know what I'm doing here anymore all I know is that a long time ago I chose the wrong path to be on and now it is far too late for that to be changed. All I can do now is put my faith in Ikari's son... I hope that by showing him those things when he was here and that by speaking to him he can find some hope and the will to end this madness... hope that his father lost many years ago.'

Fuyutsuki sipped from his tea and closed down the video of the fight against the Angel. He now brought up another report and again started to shake his head as he read through it.

'A medical report signed off by Akagi and that media, Sakura Suzahara. They're talking about Rei and something she experienced during the attack. Severe headaches and nausea when the Angel entered a particular range. It mentions that something similar happened when the previous one attacked... Dear God, is this your doing as well Ikari? Is Rei now to suffer for no good reason as well?'

He shut the monitor off and went back to drinking his tea and gazing around his office. Fuyutsuki hoped that maybe today would be the one that this living nightmare that he inhabited finally ended. He had been hoping for that for over fourteen years.

XXX

A week had passed since the Angel attack and the crew of the AAA Wunder were now preparing to leave Neo-London towards their next destination. According to Asuka their destination was somewhere in the South of France about a day's journey from Neo-London.

Shinji had still not told Asuka about the video tape that Pirani had shown him. He had not had much of an opportunity to tell her. So he had still been battling with his feelings about the footage. He wondered if maybe Misato had seen it by now. He had expected to be called to meet with her sometime over the week but that call had never come.

The past week had been a strange one. After the fight with the Angel it had taken long into the night for Asuka to start to feel better. She had eventually fallen asleep on the couch and he had spent most of the next day making sure she was alright and looking after her.

For the rest of the week their paths had diverged. Asuka had dedicated herself to spending time with the cadets and the TARKUS Units, putting them through training exercises in an attempt to improve their skills should another Angel attack. The fight against the arachnid like beast, nicknamed Matarael, had proven their use in combat as back up to Evangelion Unit 02 and Asuka and the others seemed keen to exploit that.

Shinji on the other hand had been given a task of his own. Asuka had managed to arrange it for him to help out in the Wunders kitchens. It had been a strange experience at first. Although he was only working there for a few hours every day it was hard to get used to being in a working environment. In addition to this he had to deal with the fact that the people there were older than him, at least physically and they all knew that he was Shinji Ikari.

Fortunately it did not seem like any of them were bothered by that fact. As long as he could cook well they seemed happy to have him on their team. Yet it was the people being served that Shinji noticed. He could feel their eyes on him when they retrieved their food. He knew they were looking him over, their gazes fixed on his the DSS Choker he wore around his neck.

Shinji buttoned up his shirt and stared at his reflection. His hand wandered up towards the choker, his fingers gripping at the sides of it and feeling the leather. He wanted to get rid of the damn thing. He wondered how much longer he and Rei would have to continue to wear them. Surely by now he must have proven himself trustworthy.

"You want it off don't you?" Spoke a voice from the corner of the room. Shinji turned slightly to see Asuka stood in the doorway of their bedroom. She smiled and made her way over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Shinji nodded in response, "Yeah… I know why it's on me but I just wish I didn't have to wear it anymore."

She gave a small laugh, "You know it is kinda cute but I understand. Unfortunately I don't think there is anything I can do about it yet."

Shinji tried not to show his disappointment but he couldn't help but lower his head, "Really?"

"Not yet. Orders from above even Katsuragi I believe, sorry Shinji."

"It's fine." He sighed looking back up at himself and Asuka in the mirror. She was smiling, her eye also looking back at the two of them. He looked at the eyepatch and wondered if maybe he really had the right to complain about the choker considering her condition. She suddenly frowned when she realized what he was looking at.

"Don't even say it."

"S-Say what?" He replied defensively.

"You're looking at my eyepatch and you've got that stupid dejected expression on your face. Stop it."

"Sorry…"

"I know what you're thinking Shinji and yes you do have the right to complain. It isn't exactly fair you having to wear that thing around your neck, especially when you consider what it can do. It isn't the same as my eye."

Shinji nodded, "I know that…"

He leaned his head back allowing Asuka to lean in and softly kiss the exposed parts of his neck, playfully biting it at certain times. He laughed at the ticklish sensations as she squeezed him tighter. He decided that tonight he would finally tell her about what Pirani had shown him.

"So stop it, you go out there and… do your job and I'll see you this evening. Oh and don't worry about cooking anything tonight." She grinned as he turned around to face her, "I've got a special treat prepared for you tonight."

XXX

"The two of them are staying on board the ship? That is the decision that Katsuragi has come to?" Maya said with some disbelief in her voice. Ritsuko gave a small smile and walked over to her lover, stroking her hair.

"It's not just Katsuragi who has come to this decision. The WILLE council have also made this decision, the best and safest place to keep Shinji Ikari right now is on board this ship."

"And you agree with this?"

"Yes I agree."

Maya shook her head, "I don't understand Ritsuko! You were the one who advised the collar for him, you were the one who was urged Katsuragi to use it when he escaped! You mean to tell me you're fine with him being here now?"

Ritsuko nodded her head, "I know what I…"

"And the other one? She was with NERV and Gendo Ikari for years and all of a sudden we're pretending that she is on our side and that it is safe to keep them both here?"

Ritsuko let out a sigh. The topic of Shinji Ikari and Rei Ayanami was always going to be a sensitive one when it came to Maya. Up until their return to the ship Ritsuko had avoided the subject as much as possible. She had been anticipating a moment such as this for a couple of weeks though. There was only so long she could put off the problem before it had to be tackled.

Ritsuko didn't know where to start on tackling the problem though. There was a truth in Maya's words that at first Ritsuko had been against the idea of Shinji Ikari being aboard the ship. There was also a truth in Maya's words that Ritsuko had urged Misato to use the DSS Choker on Shinji when NERV came for him. It was a moment that Ritsuko regretted heavily and wished she could take back.

There was also the issue with Rei Ayanami. No one aboard the Wunder, not Maya, not Katsuragi nor any of the other old staff from NERV knew about her association with Rei Ayanami prior to the Near Third Impact. No one knew that Ritsuko had been in charge of Rei's treatments and was one of the only people aside from Fuyutsuki and Gendo Ikari who knew Rei Ayanami's true nature.

She had kept these facts secret and focused on the mission of eradicating NERV from the world. Like many she had assumed Rei Ayanami to be dead and the Ayanami series along with it.

Slowly she started to speak, "The truth is Maya… we might have been wrong about them…"

Maya looked for a moment like she was about to say something but she stood with her mouth open in surprise before closing it. After a few more moments she finally spoke, "Wrong? What the hell do you mean wrong?"

"About a lot of things. About what I urged Katsuragi to do the day NERV came for Shinji. About us putting that collar on him and Ayanami and about Shinji's role in the Near Third Impact. There is a chance that we have been wrong all this time." Ritsuko hoped that maybe this would placate Maya for now, unfortunately it didn't.

Maya glared at her, "That's rubbish! We all saw it… I saw the entire thing with my own two eyes Ritsuko! He started the Near-Third Impact. I saw everything and I heard everything. I heard what he said before he nearly destroyed us! Our homes went up in seconds… our familes lost all because of that brat! Now you're telling me that we could have been wrong?"

Ritsuko nodded, "Yes. I don't know the details, I'm not a part of the discussions but Katsuragi and…"

Maya let out a sarcastic laugh, "Oh Katsuragi! Of course it's her! She's been looking for any excuse to make sure her precious little Shinji is fine ever since he came back. Don't think we haven't all seen it. We see how she acts like she doesn't care about him and is ignoring him but we know about what she is doing behind our backs."

"It isn't like that…"

"Don't give me that! We know she is turning a blind eye to what he and Asuka get up to while on board the ship. Their unauthorised use of the simulators the other day? Giving them special privileges to go out into the city last week. Letting him help in the kitchens. It isn't just those two either, we know all about the stunt Ayanami and Makinami pulled last week as well. No one else allowed off the ship but they find a way…"

Ritsuko was starting to wish that she was anywhere else but here right at this moment. Especially after hearing the last remark from Maya. Out of all the things listed that was the one thing that Katsuragi hadn't have been responsible for. That was because of Ritsuko pulling some strings instead.

"I understand your anger Maya…"

"No you don't Ritsuko! If you did then you'd be doing something to stop this from happening. The people on board this ship can only take so much, they're beginning to feel like it was back at NERV. Certain people having free reign to do as they want whilst they're the ones in danger, they're scared and can only be pushed so far!"

"I'm aware of that but things are complicated. You have to trust me Maya, I would never ever let anything bad happen to you. If I knew there was even a small chance of you being hurt then I wouldn't allow it to happen. I know how it seems but please… you have to trust me."

Maya studied Ritsuko for a few moments and her frown deepened. She ultimately decided against saying anything to keep the argument going. She did, above anyone else, trust Ritsuko. When Maya had completely hit rock bottom after the Near-Third Impact it had been Ritsuko who had reached out to her and offered her help. In fact Ritsuko had always been there for her. First as a mentor and teacher, then as a friend and now as a lover.

"Fine…" Maya nodded, "I'll trust you and I'll do what I can to stem the fears of my team but… you have to understand… they're scared and Shinji and Rei are the cause of that. If you or Katsuragi know anything at all people need to know. We can't be kept in the dark."

Ritsuko bowed her head, "I understand."

Maya kneeled down and softly cupped Ritsukos face in her hands before leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips, "I love you Ritsuko, I'm sorry if I was a bit…"

Ritsuko waved the apology away, "Don't worry about it, I understand. Things aren't exactly normal right now. Dealing with unexpected Angels and those two. I will… try to explain what I can when I return tonight. I promise."

XXX

Ritsuko picked up the syringe from her desk and checked the correct amount of liquid was within the small vessal. She turned in her seat to face Rei who was eying her curiously, "There is something bothering you Doctor Akagi."

"And what makes you say that Rei?" Ritsuko asked.

"I am unsure how to explain it. You seem to be frowning more than usual, it is similar to how Shinji is when something is bothering him."

Ritsuko chuckled, "Frowning more than usual, there are some aboard this ship who would argue that is my default expression."

Rei nodded, "To them yes, but this is different. You seem... sad."

Ritsuko gave Rei a small smile, "It seems the others are having a positive influence on you. You are beginning to be more perceptive of people, the old Rei Ayanami would not have recognized now pointed out such things."

Ritsuko gently took hold of Rei's arm and started to inject the needle into the upper area. Rei looked away from the needle and remained still as the liquid was injected into her. Ritsuko withdrew the needle and dabbed at the mark with a small piece of cotton wool as Rei bowed her head, "I am... sorry. I did not mean to cause you any offense."

"Don't be. I'm not offended. If anything from my perspective it shows that my treatments are working in taking you away from how you were at NERV. Even if what you said might cause me a bit of discomfort."

"I see, I am still sorry that I caused discomfort. Should I refrain from saying such things in the future."

"Perhaps, it depends on the person. Some people may not take too kindly to certain things being pointed out and others may want it to happen so that they can talk about it. It is up to you to make these judgements."

"I understand, I am still learning how to interact with others."

"In many ways we are all still learning Rei. Just because some of us have more experience than you doesn't mean they are experts at it either." Ritsuko paused for a moment as she disposed of the syringe, "In response to your query, there is something bothering me but I-"

Ritsuko was promptly cut off by a noise from near to her desk. It was a soft meow and almost immediately she felt a red glow descend upon her cheeks. The two of them looked towards the source of the sound and watched as a small white haired kitten with a black spot on its side emerged. Rei watched as the animal walked out and stretched itself before leaping up onto the bench that Rei was sat on. Rei and the animal looked at one another for a moment both seemingly wondering what to do. Finally it moved forward snuggling its head into Reis leg and curling itself up next to her.

Ritsuko couldn't help but smile at the display, "It seems that he likes you Rei. I need to ask you a favour though, please don't tell anyone about him."

Rei nodded, "Is there a reason?"

"Well we aren't really supposed to keep pets on boatd the Wunder. We have aquariums on board but animals like cats and dogs are prohibited."

Rei looked down at the small kitten and cautiously took her hand and started to stroke along the sides of its face. She found the warmth of its fur quite comforting, the cat responded by rubbing its head against her and purring lightly, "I understand. I will not say anything."

"Thank you."

"When did you get him, he was not here the last time I was." Rei asked.

Ritsuko leaned back in her seat, "Same day that I caught you and Mari out on your little date actually. After me and Katsuragi had our meeting with WILLE in the morning I met with an old friend who runs a shelter for cats. She had just gotten this little guy and... well I know I shouldn't have done but I fell for him and had to take him in. His name is Spot in case you were wondering."

"Is this what has been bothering you?"

Ritsuko chuckled, "No it isn't. Unfortunately I had a small disagreement with Maya this morning before our appointment. That's what has been bothering me, she was a little bit upset about certain developments regarding the ship."

"I assume this is because of mine and Shinji's presence here. I understand that Maya dislikes us being here."

"It isn't quite like that..." Ritsuko let out a sigh as she saw Rei looked down somewhat dejectedly.

"It is understandable. To them we pose an unknown threat... I understand their fear."

"It would be hypocritical of me to say I do not, or at least have not shared in that fear. When your brother awakened and you came to retrieve him from the Wunder I requested that Misato use the collar." Ritsuko admitted to Rei. She watched Rei as she looked up immediately at Ritsuko, her red eyes piercing into her.

"It is not a moment I am proud of but in light of our conversation it is one I think you should be aware of. I feared what he was or could be and I acted without thinking. Thankfully Misato was not so cruel as I was."

Rei nodded, still not saying anything. She focused back down on the cat and watched as it purred and rested peacefully on her.

"I see. Can I ask... what changed that fear?"

Ritsuko nodded, "When you both returned with Shikinami. Despite what had just happened I was no longer able to see you as something to fear. You were both victims in this, especially you."

Rei processed this information, she felt some anger towards Ritsuko at her admittance of trying to coerce Misato into activating the collar and killing Shinji. Yet the more logical side of her mind could understand why it had happened. Rei had attacked them and was taking Shinji away from them. At the time they were still uncertain that it really was Shinji.

Rei would need time to think about this. She looked around the room and suddenly felt an urge to leave. To be on her own for a small amount of time and think over what had happened.

"Am I able to go now?" She asked.

Ritsuko nodded, "Yes. I will need to speak to you at a later point to discuss your treatments. I've had to alter a few things so let me know if you feel any side effects."

"I will, is this because of my reaction to the Angel?"

"It is, your body because of how it is composed seems to react violently to the presence of these new Angels. Either they are different to the ones we used to encounter or your current body is different. I think the alterations I've made to your medication should compensate for it but we won't know until there is another Angel attack."

"Thank you."

Rei turned to leave, as she did Ritsuko called out to her, "Rei... I don't expect your forgiveness for my actions but know this, I do want to help you in any way I can. Both yourself and Shinji."

XXX

Misato paused the video at the moment of the skewering and shook her head. She had watched the footage countless times since receiving it from Pirani each time she watched it she felt like a dagger was piercing its way through her heart. For fourteen years she had lived with the fact that not only had Shinji Ikari caused the Third Impact but it had been of her urging.

Over the course of those years she had been hopeful that he would return and that maybe a mistake had been made. That hope had eroded as time had gone on. She had resigned herself to the fact that he would never return and that he had caused the Third Impact. She had even grown comfortable in resenting him for causing it and abandoning the world as he had done. Until that day had come where he finally returned.

Only Misato couldn't bring herself to close the distance between them. The doubt and fear had taken over her completely. Shinji Ikari couldn't be anything to her anymore, all he was now was a symbol of the state the world was in. Shinji Ikari was a symbol of her past and her failure to protect this world. It was a past that she wanted to forget all about, to just leave behind and never have to face again.

She knew however that the day would eventually come where she would have to face that past and Shinji once again. Misato would not be able to put it off forever.

'After we retrieve the item from Arles we will resolve this. It's time I faced this and him once again. This footage proves that we, that I, was wrong. I'm sorry that I stopped believing in you Shinji...'

XXX

Shinji passed through the door into the medical bay, somewhat confused as to why Sakura had suddenly called for him to meet her there. He was not scheduled for any examinations as far as he was aware, nor had he undergone anything recently that he should be concerned with. At first he had panicked and worried that something might have happened to Asuka or Rei but Sakura's tone didn't seem to indicate anything of the sort.

As he entered the room he saw that she was stood near to one of the beds talking to a man seated there. Shinji couldn't really see anything of the man from this angle, only his black hair and the more casual attire, "Sakura, you wanted to see me? Is there something wrong?"

Sakura looked up at Shinji and a wide grin appeared on her face, "Oh Shinji! Yeah sorry to call you on such short notice. Nothing is wrong but... well someone wanted to see you!"

"Huh?" Shinji looked as the man stood up and turned to face him. Shinji felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity as he looked the man up and down. He looked to be in his late twenties, was Asian and had a slight smile on his face. He was of an athletic build and his clothes also looked to be smeared in oil. Shinji looked blankly from this man to Sakura as he tried to figure out who this person was.

After a time the man folded his arms and shot Sakura a grin, "Ya see Sis, I told you that he could be pretty dense at times. I guess a lot has changed in fourteen years though..."

In that instant time seemed to stand still for Shinji. The way that the man had folded his arms, the tone of his voice and then he had caleld Sakura 'Sis'. Shinji knew immediately who the person was and in that moment a host of memories came flooding back to Shinji.

"T-Touji?" Shinji stuttered.

Shinji was stunned by the sudden appearance of his old friend. Sakura had informed Shinji not too long ago that Touji was alive and well as opposed to what he had been led to believe. She had also told him that Touji was working in Europe but Shinji had no idea that Touji was actually in Neo-London. Sakura at this point was beaming at the sight of this little reunion.

"T-Touji... y-you alive!" Shinji stammered out finally.

Touji let out a laugh, "Of course I'm alive! God ya don't see someone for fourteen years and they think you're dead."

Shinji could feel himself on the verge of bursting into tears of joy. He fought them back for the moment, if this was Asuka or Rei then he'd let it happen but he felt a bit of silly masculine pride preventing it from happening in front of Touji. He couldn't believe his eyes, his old friend was actually here, the other part of the group who, along with Kensuke, Asuka and Hikari had nicknamed the Three Stooges back in school.

Shinji finally shook his head and laughed, "N-No... It's just... Sakura said we were alive but when I..."

Touji nodded and cut Shinji off, "Don't worry about it. Sakura here told me everything Shinji. She told me all about your problems with NERV when they recovered you and how they made you think we were all dead. Tell ya what I'd like to meet the who said that! Give him a piece of my mind!"

Shinji laughed again, "M-My father... he made it look like that but... I think there is a long queue forming to get to him."

Sakura interjected, "Touji wanted to make sure he saw you before we left Neo-London. He would have been here sooner but... well something happened this week and... you should probably tell him!"

Touji smirked, "Oh yeah... nothing bad, don't worry. It's just well me and Hikari..."

Shinji stopped him, "Wait... You and Hikari? Oh Asuka mentioned something like that I think!"

Touji nodded, "Yeah... it happened not too long after you disappeared actually. I guess... what happened back then made us realize a few things. She liked me and I liked her but in those days we were too afraid to say or do anything about it. After the Third Impact well... we couldn't really be afraid anymore. I mean before that I was just the stupid jock and she was the perfect student."

"Well you are still a stupid jock so that hasn't changed!" Sakura interjected.

"Oh shut up!" Touji picked up a pillow from the bed and playfully hit Sakura with it, "You've been hanging around with Shikinami too much haven't you?"

Shinji laughed as Sakura grabbed the pillow from Touji and hit him back, "So what happened?"

"Well... after..." Touji lowered his eyes, "I mean... you don't mind talking about this?"

Shinji shook his head, "I don't... like hearing about it but I'm getting used to it. Can't really avoid it here."

"Yeah... I suppose, well after what happened me and Hikari got relocated to another school. We were the only two from Tokyo-3 to go there so we naturally ended up seeing more of one another and we were kinda seen as being outcasts in our new place."

Touji paused for a moment as his expression turned more serious, "News had just gotten out about the Impact and that an Eva pilot might have been the cause of it. There was a lot of confusion about it, there still is. At the school though people... started to say things. Me and Hikari... well we couldn't put up with it and we tried to put them right..."

"The two of them got suspended for fighting in their first week. "Sakura stated.

Touji smiled, "Yeah! Hikari was horrified, from honour student to suspended and me... well I've been in trouble but never that far. Thing is... I'm not proud of fighting but if I had to I'd do it again! Those people and the people that still say things now they don't know you like we did Shinji! They don't know the pain you went through and they didn't understand who you were. So we knew the truth and we tried to put them right!"

Shinji bowed his head, "T-Thanks and... I'm sorry you had to do that because of me."

"Haven't changed have ya? Nothing for you to be sorry for! Should be them apologizing! Anyway, that kinda brought us together. We ended up finishing school and from there we were set for life because our parents worked with NERV and moved on to WILLE. I was brought into an engineering job here and Hikari does a research job in the city."

"Touji this is taking too long! Get to the good part!" Sakura complained.

Shinji was about to protest wanting to hear and learn more. This was one of the first opportunities he had had to learn something positive about this world and its people. He kept quiet though and let Touji speak.

"Alright alright! So yeah... we got together and got married not long afterwards and we live together out there. We kinda... well I became a father this week."

Shinji's eyes widened and a smile came to his face immediately, "Y-You! That's amazing! Congratulations."

Touji grinned, "Yeah... it's been weird getting everything ready and just seeing him, I wish you could visit him Shinji. You'll have to make sure you do when you guys return!"

Shinji nodded, "Y-Yeah! We will!"

"Good, especially considering you're his godfather."

Touji chuckled as Shinji went from smiling to slowly realizing just what Touji had said to him. The smile slowly faded and turned into a horrified stare.

"Setting in then?"

"G-Godfather? M-Me... b-but I... Y-You... I c-couldn't... I couldn't! I don't know anything about babies or... well anything!"

"Relax Shinji! We're not asking you to take care of him... at least not yet anyway!" Touji grinned, "It was just... well it was something we agreed on when we found out we were having a child. We always said we wanted you to be the godfather and Asuka to be its godmother."

"When you found out?" Shinji looked back in confusion, "But I was still in Eva Unit 01, how could I have..."

Touji shrugged, "Done anything despite not being here? Guess we always knew you'd return someday Shinji. We never stopped believing that, no matter how much time passed we knew that you would come back eventually."

Shinji felt the tears sting the back of his eyes again, he blushed, "Thanks"

"Just promise me something Shinji."

Shinji looked up, "Y-Yeah?"

"That you, Asuka, Mari, Rei and even Sakura here will make sure that there is a future for our baby Shinji?"

Shinji couldn't help it, they had been threatening for some time and he had been fighting them but at those words the tears started to fall. His best friend had never stopped believing in him, even as so many had seemingly given up Hikari and Touji had always believed Shinji would return and wasn't to blame. They had even named him the godfather of their child and named the kid after him. Shinji nodded as he felt Touji embrace him.

"I... We will Touji."

XXX

Shinji looked up from the screen for a moment across at Asuka, her gaze on the game as her character picked up a mask and placed it on top of an enemies head before cleaving through the enemy with a blade.

"I… I saw Touji today, Sakura arranged it. She told me to come to the medical bay and he was there."

Asuka paused the game and let out an exaggerated sigh, "Urgh, that idiot was on board messing up the ship. Better not have let him near my Unit 02."

Shinji smiled, "He had some news…"

Asuka nodded, "Him and Hikari have had the baby then?"

Shinji looked back with surprise, "You knew?"

"Of course I knew you idiot! Hikari is my friend after all!"

"O-Oh yeah… Sorry I forgot, you two didn't seem that close in school I guess…"

Asuka smiled back, "True, things change though. After they got relocated Mari and I had to spend a bit of time there. Hikari reached out to me, god knows I needed someone more stable than four-eyes. At times."

"Mari does seem like a handful." Shinji remarked.

Asuka nodded, "You have no idea. Blasting music in the Eva, always has far too much energy and constantly happy. She's… a wonderful person really…"

Asuka shot Shinji a glare as she caught him smiling, "Don't tell her I said that though. You understand?"

Shinji nodded, "I won't!"

"Good! Anyway, Hikari was there to be a bit more sensible and grounded. We became friends and she of course ended up marrying that idiot. Can't believe they finally had a child, I guess he told you about the godparents too."

Shinji nodded again, "Yeah… I was a bit shocked. I mean I don't know the first thing about anything like that and… are we supposed to buy it presents or look after it or something. He also said they named it Shinji too… he said they never stopped believing in me…"

Shinji trailed off as he felt the tears threatening again. Almost immediately Auska shuffled towards him putting an arm around him, "If it helps I don't really know what to do either. I can pilot an Eva, kill an Angel and put a certain idiot in his place."

She grinned, "Babies however I have no idea. Always creeped me out, being so small and fragile and just… needy… It's gross."

"You never wanted one yourself?" Shinji asked.

Asuka shrugged, "Never thought about it. I'm not really in the position to think about that sort of thing, you?"

Shinji gave a shrug of his own, "I… with the way my parents turned out I don't think… I'd be too scared of being like my father I guess."

Asuka playfully slapped him on the head, "Idiot, you'd be nothing like him. That said if those two can manage I'm sure we'd have no problems. Anyway moving on from this, did he say anything else?"

Shinji gave a nod, "Yeah, he told me Kensuke is in America. Never became a pilot, apparently after Third Impact all the drive he had to become a pilot left him. Apparently he ended up working in nature preserves."

"Oh yeah, geek boy lost the bug for piloting big after that. Fell in love with animals instead and made it his job to try to protect them. Think he was inspired by that conservation place we all went to."

"I'm glad… he always seemed… too eager. I don't think he'd have really enjoyed it, thinking about it is one thing. Piloting is another…"

"True but we could honestly do with more Eva pilots if possible. I can handle things in Unit 02 sure enough but I'd be more comfortable if you were out there backing me up."

Shinji looked down as Asuka resumed playing the game. He watched her mow her way through a few more enemies as she snuggled herself against this chest. He carefully ran his hands through her hair being careful to not disturb her whilst she played. He wondered if now would be a good time to tell her about the footage. As he was about to speak Asuka's phone started to ring.

She stood up and grabbed it, "Hey Misato what's up?"

Shinji watched as Asuka's expression darkened, "Y-Yeah… I'll… I'll get her immediately…"

Shinji looked across shooting her a look of concern as he saw he hang the phone up. Her hands trembling as she did so.

"A-Asuka… is everything alright?"

Asuka shook her head, "Y-Yeah… well… no, not really. We need to get Mari… immediately and bring her here. Can you… make some tea or something?"

Shinji nodded, "What happened? Asuka, what did Misato say?"

Asuka looked Shinji directly in the eyes, "I… She said that we're leaving immediately and I had to get Mari. She said that… Kaji is dead."