AN: This chapter takes place the exact same time that Kensuke and Rei are on their camping trip, and deals with a few reactions from Ritsuko's experimentation.

12: Transition

Asuka found herself back home in the Autumn forests of Germany that she loved so much. She walked hand in hand with someone, their hand large and warm around hers. She looked up and smiled when she saw the familiar face of Captain Ikari smiling right back at her. For some reason, he looked older, maybe a few years older than herself now. He had his semi-long hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and was dressed in his NERV uniform, the collar of which was undone.

She smirked and turned him about to fix it for him, cinching the tie up tightly, much to his annoyance. She giggled, something she didn't normally do around anyone except Mari. they continued along the path to a small house, her childhood home. She stopped short, remembering the last time she had been here. Shinji gave her hand a small squeeze, holding up a key in his free hand.

He unlocked the door, and they stepped inside.

It was just like she remembered it as a child. A small living room to her left, the kitchen to her right, a hallway that hosted bedrooms, and the stairs that led up to the guestrooms

"Asuka."

Her breath hitched in her chest when she heard her name spoken by a soft, gentle voice that she knew all too well. "Mama?"

She let go of Shinji's hand and moved off into the living room. "Mama?"

"Asuka."

She turned around...and froze.

"Asuka," her mother smiled at her as the girl trembled, "Don't you want to be with me?" She asked, the rope around her neck causing her voice to become hoarse, and near unrecognizable. "Aren't I better than that thing you're with?"

Asuka stumbled backward until she came up against something. Something large and hard. A pair of hands landed on her shoulders, "Shinji?"

"Who else?" She turned around...and screamed. Shinji had changed. No longer was he the handsome young man she knew, but a grotesque, green-skinned creature with spines up and down his back. He smiled at her with fangs showing behind his lips, and deep glowing red eyes. "It's time for our wedding night, Asuka."

.

"Asuka!" Mari shouted as the girl felt a sharp blow across her cheek, snapping her back to awareness. The girl blinked several times to clear her sleep-distorted vision as Mari's face appeared in front of her. "Asuka, look at me! It's Mari!"

"M-Mari?" Asuka trembled in the older girl's arms as she brought her close.

Misato peeked around her to get a look at the girl, "Is she gonna be alright, Mari?" The woman asked, a frown marring her face, "I've never known her to have a nightmare like that before."

Asuka was still trembling as Mari began stroking her hair to comfort her. Mari looked up at their guardian, "Yeah, this has happened once or twice since I've been around her," she said, speaking softly, "This is the worst one she's had in a while." She started rocking the girl back and forth, "There, there, petite soeur, it's alright."

Toji poked his head through the door, "Everything okay in here, Misato?" He asked, noticing the two girl's on the bed, "Sounded like someone was gettin' murdered in here?"

Misato turned to him with a small smile, "No, just a nightmare," she assured him, turning back to Mari, "Have you got her, or do you need help?"

Mari shook her head, continuing to rock the stricken girl, "Nah, I've got this," she said, "You guys all go back to bed, but Misato, could you bring up a glass of water for her?"

"Sure thing, sweetie," Misato said, "Toji, why don't you go check on Sakura and see if she's okay?"

"On it," Toji said, heading down the halls to his sister's room.

Once the room was cleared, Mari sighed, and smiled down at the girl in her arms, "What was it this time, Asuka?" She asked gently, "Your mother again?"

Asuka stiffened for a moment, but nodded a second later, "Sh-she spoke to me." She sobbed.

"You know it wasn't your fault, Rouge." She said, kissing the top of her head, "None of it was. She was sick, that's all. The sickness made her do it."

Asuka shook her head silently, "Sh-sh-Shinji was t-th-there."

Now this surprised her, "Shinji?" She asked, smiling a little, "What, were you introducing them or something?"

Asuka shook her head, "I didn't...I didn't even know why we were there," she said, "He looked different, older. And...he-he had a key to the old house, and..."

"What's the matter," she asked, rubbing her shoulders gently, "Did he hurt you?"

Asuka looked up at her, "Mari, do you think we're still human?"

"Still hu..." her eyes widened, "Are you talking about what Akagi did to Hikari?" The girl nodded, "Asuka, of course we're still human. I mean, Shinji's been doing this longer than we have, and he's still - "

"He turned into a monster right in front of me," Asuke said in a rush, "He didn't even look like himself, and - "

Mari pulled the girl against her chest, hushing her, "Hey, now, you know that's not going to happen, right?" She told her, smiling, giving the girl a small look, "But I think this proves a point, mon chou; you really like our captain."

Before the girl could answer, Misato conveniently returned with a glass of water in hand.

.

After settling Asuka back down, Mari had stayed with her to keep her company for the rest of the night, which Misato was grateful for. The woman really didn't know how to deal with such things. She still had nightmares of her own from witnessing Second Impact, the scar across her chest and rib cage a constant reminder. Not only that, but now she had found out that her closest friend since college had been conducting experiments on her little makeshift family, and she was more than willing to go on the hunt for blood because of it.

Hikari had barely spoken a word to anyone except Toji since they had returned home, and the comment about becoming an aunt while Kensuke and Rei were camping. The thought of the unlikely pair becoming parents brought a smile to her face. Rei, from the time she had met the girl, had always seemed so unapproachable, and yet now she knew why.

Ritsuko had been using drugs on her that were borderline illegal to keep her docile and compliant. No doubt that she would have kicked up a fuss in a hurry about all the things she had been put through if she could have. 'And I just stood by while it happened,' she thought to herself as she took a can of beer from the cooler and sat at the table. She turned the can this way and that while hesitating to open it. 'I just realized that I haven't had a drink in two weeks.'

She chuckled, remembering those times when she'd tried to sneak a can or two. Shinji always managed to catch her, and made he drink tea instead while he poured the beer down the drain. 'And now when I actually need a drink, I doubt I'd be able to stomach it.' She sighed and pushed the can away from her.

"What am I even doing for these kids?" She wondered aloud, "Here I was supposed to be protecting them, and now all of this happens. A terrorist, and my mad scientist friend."

She leaned back in her chair, sighing as she scrubbed her face in frustration. A soft cooing caught her attention as Pen Pen waddled over to her. She smiled at her pet, "Hey, there, sweetie," she said as she held her arms out to him, the bird hopping right into them, "Did all that commotion wake you up, too?"

He cooed and warbled at her as she stroked his feathers.

"I know, we've all been on edge lately," she said, mostly to herself, "I need to get my act together and make sure these kids don't have to go through anymore of this bullshit."

"Misato?" She turned around and saw Mana standing at the foot of the stairs, "Mari says that Asuka's fallen asleep again."

"Has she?" She smiled at the girl, "That's good. How's Hikari doing?"

"She's doing better," she said, sighing, "But she's still a little shaken up. I think we all are, really."

Misato nodded, "I know," she said, frowning, "Today was a real eye-opener for me. I never thought something like this would happen, least of all that Ritsuko would stoop so low to experimenting on children."

Mana clutched at her arms, frowning in thought, "So...will that happen to all of us?"

"I don't really know, sweetheart," she admitted, "I mean Shinji was the first to have it happen, and it happened naturally, and then Hikari was showing signs when Ritsuko - "

"Played Frankenstein," Mana supplied.

"Right," Mistato frowned, "when she did that, and now she's supposedly fully enhanced."

"Asuka was asking Mari about us still being human," the girl said, shivering, "I mean, can we still be called human?"

Misato sat Pen Pen down and held her arms out to the girl, "Come here, Mana," she said, the girl slowly moving toward her. She stood up and encircled the girl in her arms, "Personally, I think you and the others are more human than most of the people I know, even if you all turn out to be a little different than the rest of us."

"But what if what happened to Shinji - "

"Whatever happens will happen, Mana," she smiled, "But you can be damned sure that I'm not letting Ritsuko touch any of you ever again." She said, turning the girl back toward the stairs, "Now let's get you back to bed. There's been enough excitement for one day."

(*)

Shinji frowned when Abraham relayed everything that he had found out to him. "I didn't think going back in time would screw things up this bad," he said, looking down at his hands, "I thought you said that my powers were unique only to me because of the contact I had with the god-like being?"

Abraham, in the guise of a Section-Two agent, shrugged, "I'm just as surprised about it as you are," he said, frowning, "Certainly, you have the powers of an Angel at your hands, and more. But the powers you've displayed thus far have only been that of a very powerful human. Though I doubt any of your friends will develop telekinesis, their enhanced physical abilities could possibly be a good thing, no?"

"Not if Ritsuko is going to try and replicate it so that all of humanity takes a flying leap into the Twilight Zone," Shinji shook his head, "Besides, didn't you just tell me that she's going to try that stuff she took out of me out on Maya?"

Abraham nodded, "She does indeed," he said, "But I can tell that she is reluctant to do so. She quite obviously cares for the girl from what I...observed earlier in her labs."

"I do not need to know," Shinji held up his hands, "Whatever they do in that sort of way is their business, but risking Maya's life in the off chance that she could become a superhuman? I'd like you to keep an eye on her for something like that if you can?"

"With pleasure," Abraham said, smirking, "I've always been curious about the Lilin's mating habits."

Shinji shot the Angel a look, "That's not what I meant."

"I know," Abraham chuckled, "But keeping an eye on those two would most likely mean - "

Shinji groaned, "Just keep her from making a mistake and killing her, will you?"

The Angel nodded, smiling, "What shall I do about your sister?" He asked, "As it stands right now, she will be a complete human within a few hours after I made certain that she would survive the transition, and the expulsion of her...less human organs."

Shinji smiled at that, "She'll be able to have children then, won't she?"

"I would assume so since the serum she injected herself with has your regenerative powers locked within." He said, smiling, "Though I do have to wonder about Kensuke's intentions. He doesn't seem the type to take advantage, however - "

"You let me worry about that," Shinji chuckled, "I am her brother, after all."

Abraham nodded, "And your father?"

Shinji sighed on that part, "I can't believe I was starting to trust him," he frowned, "In the end, I guess, he wasn't going to change."

"Don't say that," the Angel said, "I realize that the man has taken several proverbial left and right turns throughout your previous ordeal, and will probably continue to do so, but he has genuinely begun to care for you, and only wants to further humanity, as you said, even if it means stepping into this Twilight Zone you mentioned. Besides, there have been other superhumans throughout your people's history, have there not? In ancient times, people with your strength and powers were viewed as gods themselves, and demigods were they not?"

"I'm no god," he reminded him, getting up from his bed and reaching for his clothes, "If it gets out of hand, I deal with Dad myself."

"Might I suggest giving Ritsuko a good scare?" The Angel asked, "I'm able to cast illusions if the need arises, so - "

"Not yet." Shinji said, "So far all she's done is sped things up for Hikari, but if she tries again, feel free to go wild on her."

Lemon - Yuri

(Feel Free to Skip this entire section)

Ritsuko felt a shiver run up her spine for a moment. A cold chill that had absolutely nothing to do with the girl she was currently with. No, Maya was responding to her ministrations as she always did; very sweetly.

The girl was panting heavily as she laid out across her desk, her face flushed, "R-Ritsuko?" She asked, looking back over her shoulder at the faux blonde, "Wh-why'd you stop?"

Ritsuko smiled at the girl, standing up to retrieve something from her desk. The girl rolled over onto her back and sat up curiously, only to recoil in alarm as she saw the six inch piece of plastic, "Wh-what -! Where did you-!?" She scuttled back a bit until the older woman caught her by the ankle.

"Oh, don't tell me you didn't see this coming," Ritsuko smiled, leaning over to stare the girl straight in the eyes, "You're such a sweet little thing, saving yourself like you have." This caused a massive blush to rise to the girl's cheeks as she eyed the strap-on like it would bite her. Ritsuko gave her a small pout, "You don't want to?"

The blush intensified, "It's as you say," she admitted, shivering as she watched her mentor slip the thing on, "I've...I've never - Eep!" The girl was roughly pulled toward blonde, and pushed flat on her back, "R-Ritsuko -Hyan!" She knelt back down between her legs, her tongue diving into the girl's untried passage, moving up to find a hardened node that was pure proof that the girl was still highly aroused.

Bringing up her left hand, she inserted her fore and middle finger into her while she circled her tongue around the small bud, curling them in a beckoning motion that brushed an inner area that startled a squeal from the girl. Giving a throaty chuckle, she stood up, her fingers glistening, "See here, Maya?" She asked while the girl covered her face in embarrassment, "I think you're more excited than you let on."

"P-Please, do-don't tease me like this," the poor girl bemoaned.

Ritsuko chuckled again, "Alright then," she said, lining up with her intended target, pushing into her until the tip disappeared. Seeing the strained look on the girl's face, Ritsuko leaned over, capturing her lips with her own, drawing back only when she felt her relax a bit, "I'll be gentle."

Maya nodded, "P-please do."

The faux blonde wasted no time in shoving the rest of the plastic phallus into her young lover, the pained squeal the girl let out making her pause if only for a moment before starting a steady rhythm. Maya was a whimpering mess as she was pounded into by the woman, trying her hardest to keep her voice down lest someone hear them, going so far as to bite down on her lip.

"Your holding yourself back," Ritusko breathed out, her face flushed as well, "Loosen up a little." She reached down between them and tweaked the little bud above the toy with her thumb, brushing it lightly as she rocked the girl back and forth. The moment she did, however, was when Maya let loose a loud scream as she spasmed with release.

The girl lay across the desk, limp as a boned fish, and covered in sweat, a pleased smile adorning her lips matching the one on the blonde standing over her. Ritsuko giggled at the sight, 'It's a good thing you're so cute,' she thought idly as she redressed and put her toy back in it's compartment, 'Otherwise this would be a perfect opportunity to test that theory of the Commander's.' She frowned in thought as the girl dozed, looking over her. 'But can I really do it?'

(*)

Kensuke frowned when he woke up, feeling unusually cold. He rolled over, expecting to find Rei sleeping beside him, but found her sleeping bag empty. He sat up, coming awake right away when he found her missing, "Rei?!" He scrambled out of the tent, and nearly bungled into the fire pit. "Rei!"

"Over here."

He whipped around toward the stream they had camped by, and smiled. She was sitting down on the bank near the water, her toes dipping in. She looked back over her shoulder, smiling at the boy. She had changed. But she was still the Rei he knew. Her face was still her own, her hair still grown down to her shoulders. As he got closer, he saw that her eyes had changed again. No longer blue, but violet, with just a hint of red in them. Her skin was still slightly pale, but now had a healthy rosy tint to it.

As he reached her, he sat down behind her, and brought her against his chest, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Do I look strange?" She asked, leaning into him, a hint of fear in her voice, "Do you like my human self?"

"No." She turned her head sharply, looking up at him with hurt clearly on her face. But the boy just smiled, "I love your human self."

Her expression changed from hurt to joy within an instant. "Kensuke," she turned and wrapped her arms around him, "I did it. I became a real human." She said happily as she buried her face in his chest, "Everything seems so different to me now. It...it is more clear to me, everything is more - "

"Yeah," he smiled, feeling something similar, "I feel kind'a different, too. Everything's sharper."

"You grew bigger," she said, poking at his chest slightly. "Dr. Akagi said something like this had happened to my brother, and to Hikari." She said, making him frown in thought, "Apparently piloting the Evangelions does something to the pilots that makes them...stronger than normal humans."

"I kind'a got that," he smiled, remembering his little episode the previous night when he'd woken up in the hospital wing. "It explains a lot about why Shinji was so strong at the base, and how he's able to sync with his Eva so strongly."

"Hm," she sighed, "And now I am the same." She said, looking up at him, "Do you believe the others will accept me as I am?"

Kensuke smiled down at her and laid them back on the grass, the girl still laying against his chest, "You know what? I don't care if they do, or don't." She looked up at him in confusion, "Because I accept you, and I always will, even if the whole world rejects you."

A strange, familiar fluttering sensation began in the pit of the girl's stomach and worked its way up to her chest, causing her breath to catch in her throat, her cheeks blooming with color. "Truly? You would?"

"Yeah, no matter what."

Rei smiled at him, laid her head against his chest once more, "Thank you."

(*)

Asuka was picking at her food at the breakfast table, not at all interested in her meal. The mood around the house was rather somber as well. After the previous day, and night, no one wanted to talk about the real elephant in the room. That being said, the only one that was sure to have been "enhanced" stood at the sink washing dishes.

Hikari was trying to ignore it herself. She didn't feel any different. She was still herself. She still loved living with her friends/family, and cooking for them. She still worried about her parents, even though they were still overly upset about her becoming a pilot.

"Let me help ya with that," Toji said as he took a frying pan from her, and started scrubbing.

She smiled up at him, "Thanks, Toji."

Misato came into the kitchen, and poured herself a cup of coffee, "Has anyone heard from Shinji or Kensuke, yet?"

Toji looked up from where he was washing, "I got a text from him last night, but all he said was that he'd be back sometime today," he said, looking at the woman, "You think it's cool letting him and Rei be out on their own after what happened with Jet Alone?"

"He's got a point," Mana piped up, thankful for something to talk about, "I know we got the guy responsible, but who knows if he was working alone."

"One guy organizing that whole thing?" Mari put in, shaking her head as she nursed a cup of coffee, "Not likely, he had to have had help."

Misato nodded, "Or orders," she relented as she sat at the table, "Section-Two's looking into it, but we still haven't turned up any leads." She sighed, frowning, "Which is why I'm going to ask that you guys be taken out of school so that you can be home-schooled."

Toji chuckled at the look of disappointment on Hikari's face, "I've got no problem with it, but I am gonna miss the sports teams."

"I've got some friends at school besides everyone here," Hikari pouted, looking at the little girl at the table as she munched on a piece of toast, "And what about Sakura? You can't pull her out of school, too, can you?"

"How come?" Sakura asked, frowning at the older girl.

"Because you need the proper education, and experience that school can give a girl your age," Hikari said, frowning, "Think about it, if you're down here all the time, when will you see all your friends?"

Misato winced, "I'm sorry, I didn't really think about that," she said, "But as long as you guys are out in the open like that, you'll all be targets."

"Well, we could always get a license to carry firearms," Asuka sighed, shoving her plate away, "And maybe a little training in self-defense. I'm fine on both, and so is Mari, and I know that Mana has a little military training."

"I took boxing lessons," Toji said, shrugging, "And my dad's taken me out to shoot skeet before, so I'm not bad with a gun, but I'm not great."

Hikari shook her head, "I took karate as a kid, but that's it," she admitted.

Misato nodded in approval, "That's a good idea, all of you," she said, smiling, "And...well, we need to think about what's most likely going to happen to all of you during the next sortie." She said, looking at Hikari, "Sweetie, I know you don't want to talk about it, but have you noticed anything off?"

Hikari frowned and shook her head, "I feel normal, actually," she said, sighing, "I know that Ritsuko said that I'd be a lot stronger, but I haven't - "

"Where's a concrete beam when you need it?" Asuka snarked, making the girl frown at her, having heard about Shinji's supposed strength. "Oh, I know, go out and try to lift up Misato's car!"

"Leave my baby outta this!" Misato growled.

"What about us?" Mari asked, looking at the redhead, "We've piloted, too, so what's that mean for us?"

The two European pilots looked at each other for a moment, both shrugging.

.

"Oh, come on!" Misato howled angrily as Toji held her back from the two girls, "Don't you put a scratch on my car! Not one scratch!"

"Yeah, yeah," Mari sighed, giggling as she and Asuka stood at the hood of the care, "Well, Red, you've been piloting longer than I have, so you go first."

Asuka gesture to the car, "Age before beauty, Mari."

"Tiny tits before sugar tits," Mari shot back.

"I told you I haven't hit my growth spurt, yet!" Asuka roared, much to the rest of the pilot's amusement, "Oh, shut up! They're nothing but useless flesh bags, anyway!"

"Hikari still has a bigger set than you," Mana giggled as Hikari squeaked, covering her chest. Mana palmed one of her breasts, smirking, "Mine are bigger, too, just to let you know, Princess Tiny Ti-"

"Shut! Up!" Asuka snarled.

By now, having forgotten about her car's peril, Misato was howling with laughter right alongside Toji at Asuka's expense. The girl huffed, and cracked her knuckles, sure that she could lift the car with sheer anger by now. She placed her hands under the frame, and slowly, began to push up. The car was indeed heavy, but not as heavy as it should have been, at least to normal people.

Mari was quite surprised that Asuka's wiry frame could hold the car up so easily as she straightened out and held the front of the car above her head. Even Asuka looked stunned at what she was doing. "O-o-kay...so..."

"Asuka," Misato whined, tears waterfalling down her cheeks, "Please put my poor car down."

"Er, right," the girl said, and slowly, gently placed the car back on the ground. She dusted off her hands, frowning a little. "I, uh, guess that blonde Frankenstein was right...Mari, you wanna have a g- Mari, put that down!" Asuka roared when she turned around and found the French pilot with Shinji's beloved Yamaha bike above her head!

"This is way cool!" Mari grinned childishly as she set the motorcycle down. "I'm a fucking superwoman!"

Mana went next, just to see if she could, but found herself straining to even move the bike, let alone the car. "I've lost all confidence in myself," she bemoaned dramatically, looking at Hikari, "Your turn."

"Wha- me?!" Hikari squeaked, alarmed.

Toji chuckled, "Give it a try." He said, giving her a small nudge forward.

Hikari looked a little unsure of herself as she looked between the car and the bike. Instead, she opted for a large cinder block that was sitting in the corner of the garage, and lifted it up with one hand. "Huh, this feels really light." She said, and balanced it in her hand. She set it back down, looking at the other two girls, "I guess that means the three of us are stronger, now, right?"

Mari frowned at the girl, "Really? An over-sized brick?" She palmed her face, "Come on, girl, you've faced down a flesh eating monster not that long ago, show some backbone!"

Hikari grimaced at her, then turned back to the block, rearing back her fist, and brought it right down on it. The cement brick crumbled into gravel. Asuka and Mari clapped while Toji gave out a whistle. Hikari blushed a little, looking down at her knuckles, "Ah...guys...is this supposed to happen?" She asked a little weirded out.

Misato and the others surged forward in time to see what she was talking about. Her hand hadn't come away unscathed. The skin was broken at the top, and across her knuckles, but they all got to see the skin of her damaged hand knit itself back together flawlessly.

"Whoa," Misato whistled, "That's, yeah, that's a little strange."

"No, that's creepy!" Hikari yelped, "I mean, this is not normal!"

"What part of this whole children-piloting-giant-cyborgs-fighting-monsters thing is normal to you, Hikari?" Mana asked, smirking, growing slightly excited, "You know, if this is the cost of piloting an Evangelion, then count me in! I wanna be a superwoman, too!"

"Tell me I did not just see Mari lift my bike over her head," the voice of Shinji Ikari shouted as he strolled up to the garage, a very put-off expression on his face. He crossed his arms and waited, "Well?"

Mari blushed a little, scratching her cheek bashfully, "Uh, well, you see we...how ya feelin', Captain?" She asked, grinning.

"Nice try," Shinji smirked, "No desert for a month as long as I'm cooking, Lieutenant."

Mari's expression fell, "Now that's just not fair!" She shouted as Asuka laughed while a black sedan pulled up into the yard, "Hey, is that Kensuke driving that thing?"

Misato smiled, "Must be back from their camping trip."

Kensuke pulled to a stop, and hopped out, "Guess who scored a car?" He smiled at the group, and looked at Shinji, "How's the shoulder, Shinji?"

"Good as new," he said, rotating his right shoulder, "How's the bullet hole?"

"Gone," he said, smiling and thumping his newly toned chest, "And looking good, too." He said as the passenger door opened up.

Asuka looked at the girl that was climbing out, not recognizing her. She had deep saphire-colored hair that stopped just above her shoulders, and strange violet eyes with notes of red in them. Her face was...strangely familiar. She blinked a moment later when she realized why. "Wondergirl, is that you?!"

Misato's jaw dropped when she, too, realized just who the girl was. "REI?!"

Rei shyly smiled back at her "family". "Good morning, everyone."

"What..." Mari pointed at the girl shakily, "What in the name of Notre Dame Cathedral happened to you!?"

Rei looked a little embarrassed, Rei Ayanami of all people, and twirled a finger into her azure hair, "You...you do not approve?"

"It's not that!" Mana said hurriedly, "We just...well, you look different, that's all!"

"Is that a bad thing?" Rei asked, cocking her head to the side in a familiar fashion, puppy-like.

Misato giggled, and came forward, hugging the girl to her chest tightly, "Yup, that's my Rei, alright!" She said, smiling widely.

"Our Rei," Mari smirked at her, joining in, trying to wrestle the girl out of the woman's grasp before she turned as blue as her hair, "Now let her breathe, and stop choking her with those coconuts."

Asuka shot her friend a look, "What is it with you and other women's chests, anyway?"

"My little secret, sweetie," she said, holding Rei at arm's length to get a better look at her, "My God, Rei, look at you! You're stunning, Chérie," she smiled at the girl, "Is this why you two went on that camping trip at the last minute?"

Kensuke nodded, "Yeah, and let me tell you, I was terrified for a while," he said, looking at his girlfriend, who smiled back at him, "When we left, Rei was already looking different, but she was so sick because of it."

"Sick?" Misato asked, looking at the pair, "What do you mean sick? The only time I've seen Rei under the weather was when she was injured."

Shinji crossed his arms, frowning at his sister, "You took the serum, didn't you?" He asked, clearly upset, "Rei, I understand wanting to be - "

"No, I really do not think you understand," she interrupted, shaking her head, "What...what they did to me..." she shivered now that she was forced to think about it with a clear head that wasn't clouded by the drugs she was usually forced to take, "I was nothing better than a doll for them to manipulate. I could not live like that anymore."

Misato looked at the girl, feeling her previous anger with her old friend rising once again, "What, exactly, did they do to you, Rei?"

Rei looked at the woman, and the other pilots, feeling slightly overwhelmed once more by their attention, and looked down at her feet, "I...would rather not talk about it...if that is permissible?"

Asuka looked at the girl, and sighed, she had things she'd rather not talk about, either. "Come on, Wondergirl, let's get you cleaned up. I can smell the sweat and bile on you from here." She said, shooting Kensuke a look, "Honestly, even when you're camping a girl needs a few necessities, you know...where are your glasses?" She asked, finally noticing that Kensuke was without his glasses.

Toji was more than a little surprised by this, as he knew that his friend couldn't see without them. "So, I guess this is another side effect of that little...power-up that Dr. Akagi was bragging about?"

Kensuke scratched the back of his head, shrugging, "I guess so?" He said uncertainly, "I don't really get what's happening to us at all, and I'm a comic book nerd as much as I am a military nerd."

Shinji just smiled, "Well, I'm hungry. Is there any breakfast still left, because there's no way I was eating that slop they feed you at the hospital." He said, marching toward the house.

"And you need a bath, young lady," Asuka said, and ushered Rei in after her brother, the redhead giving the captain a slight look of fear as the two passed each other. Shinji saw this, but kept himself silent as he entered the kitchen.

(*)

"So you see, Commander Ikari, we are ready to send over the beta Unit-05 Production model," Said a man with a thickly accented voice, "We understand that the original pilot of the Provisional Unit is currently under your care, yes?"

Gendo nodded to the screen, "She is, indeed, and being well cared for, as it happens." He said, "Tell me, has this Unit-05 been outfitted with any new technology we may be able to make use of? Unit-01 was built here in an on-sight factory we also use to produce the weapons utilized by the Evangelions."

"As of this moment, Commander, Unit-05 is a mirror image of the Unit-03, and Unit-04 production models. The only difference is the coloration of the machine itself."

"I see, a pity," he said, sighing, "But we will gladly accept the Unit if you are willing to sign over responsibility to us?"

"Responsibility, not ownership?"

"Of course not, we do not own any Evangelions save for the Unit-00 prototype, and the Unit-01 test model." Gendo said, smiling a false smile, "Though we do have plans to enhance those two Units, we would have to ask permission of the respective governments to make repairs or modifications to the Units from Germany, and the two North American Production models."

"How very professional of you," the man said, "Then when you receive our Unit-05, I give you full permission to repair, or modify it however you need. And from what I understand, Germany is working on a new model to proceed their Unit-02."

"Interesting," Gendo smiled, "And thank you for your understanding. We're very glad that Unit-05's Production Model was able to survive the terror attack on the Bethany base."

"God was with us that day, because the Unit itself was being built on an offshore site that was trying to produce a new source of power for the Evangelions," He said, sighing heavily, "Sadly, during the captive Angel's escape, the data was stolen and the rest of it erased by someone that got passed our defenses and managed to escape the Angel's rampage."

Gendo sighed, "Terrorists have been a huge problem for us as well, my own son being injured while fighting one off recently."

"I have heard of the attack," the man said, nodding, "Your son is a very brave boy; you should be proud of him."

Gendo ground his teeth slightly, "Believe me, my friend, I am very proud of that boy."

AN:Well, not much happening in this chapter except a huge set up for a new Evangelion, or two, and my first attempt at a Yuri scene (seriously, you didn't have to read it). Rei's made the full transformation into a human girl, and the others are testing the waters with their newly acquired strength. The Christmas special, late as it is, is up next, but I'll be changing it up from the original version.

So I'd like to hear what you think of this chapter. What did you think of Rei's struggle. The yuri scene, if you read it. If not, never mind. And I'd most of all like to hear about what you thought of Asuka's nightmare, especially her new fear of Shinji, all things considered. No comments needed about the breast jokes on poor Asuka, though :p

Please review!