Eva Possibilities and Fusion Pandemonium

by Xed Alpha

An incident during the fight between the Third Angel and Unit-01 lands NERV with two Saiyan children stranded far from home and not in the mood to do as they're told. With their fathers following on soon thereafter, a chain of events is about to unfold that even the Kais themselves could not have foreseen.

21. Chapter 21: Identity Crisis

[A/N] Konichiwa and salut! Really getting into the stride of things once more, which always feels good. We now come to the progressively longer chapters, this one clocking in at fifteen thousand words, that's before revision, so I apologise as I start this chapter redux, that by the time I'm finished it may have taken somewhat longer than before. But enough from me, let's get on with why you really came here:

Chapter 21: Identity Crisis.

It probably would've taken Trunks' sword to cut the tension that suddenly descended in that small room.

What can only be described as an agonising silence descended as the two doctors regarded each other; one with amusement, the other with abject horror.

Ritsuko stared into the possessed pilot's green eyes, having said absolutely nothing since 'she' had spoken.

The sound of Ritsuko swallowing was more than audible as she fought to find her voice, "You can't be..."

Yui cocked her head curiously, as if dwelling on the sentence. She then shrugged her shoulders and turned to pull herself out of bed, "Oh well, then I guess I'm not. It really makes no difference to me," said the fourteen year-old boy/thirty-seven year-old woman indifferently before glancing down her arms and upper torso, narrowing her eyes.

Ritsuko sidestepped around the bed towards the wall phone in a shell-shocked state, not daring to turn her back on the figure before her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Yui, not looking up as she stretched her left arm out as far as she could, supporting it with her right.

"Do what?" murmured Ritsuko, halting with her hand on the receiver.

"You're about to call your commander, aren't you? My advice to you: don't" said Yui sternly, eyes narrowing dangerously at the doctor.

Ritsuko's brow furrowed into a frown as she regained her senses, shaking free of the shock, "Why?"

Yui recommenced her stretching exercises as she responded, "What do you think his reaction will be if he found out I was here? That is, of course, assuming I can be who you say I can't."

Ritsuko fell silent for a minute in thought, "I don't know. He'll deal with It, I suppose."

"As secretly and covertly as possible?" asked Yui, trying to cock an eyebrow up and not succeeding. She pouted slightly at her failure. Even as Ritsuko spoke, Yui seemed far more concerned with exploring her borrowed facial muscles and getting them to work the way she wanted.

Ritsuko inclined her head slightly, ignoring the odd faces Yui made as she mastered her face, "I suppose. This is a situation he would like settled without-"

"Without chairman Kiel and the rest of SEELE getting involved?" asked Yui as she proceeded to extend her arms to the side and try and touch her nose with her index finger. She poked her son twice in the eye before she got the coordination down.

"Shh!" hissed Ritsuko, flinching and glancing quickly at the door, as if worried someone would hear the 'boy' say the forbidden name of the council and it's leader.

"You will have revealed in on an open communication line and so Gendo will fail..." said Yui, dismissing Ritsuko's worry, "SEELE will find out," she then stopped her exercises to look Ritsuko dead-on, "and Shinji will die." She hung her head forward, exhaling a tired breath, "Please, just for now. I will reveal it to Gendo in due course."

Ritsuko stared at the other doctor in thought for a second before giving her answer, "Alright… but I think you should-" Ritsuko was interrupted yet again, this time by the sound of her N-Phone in her pocket. She slipped it free and eyed the LCD screen, which currently read 'Katsuragi'. Glancing slightly suspiciously at the form sitting up on the bed, who in turn merely cocked her head curiously in response, Ritsuko backed out of the room for privacy to answer her call.

'Charming woman…' contemplated Yui she moved to slide out of the bed. She froze, shifting slightly as if to confirm something using the friction from the linnen. She frowned, 'Why am I naked? Honestly, don't they have hospital gowns?' Yui sighed, "I dunno… perverts, the lot of them."

The scientist was about to pull herself up, but then stopped and slumped back down again, rolling her eyes drearily as she remembered her son's parting words, "A promise is a promise..." she said before closing her eyes and lowering her head.

That same shimmering golden wave passed diagonally over her/his entire body, taking with it the reddish tint to her hair, her eyes switching back to their familiar stormy blue.

Shinji blinked as he stared around himself curiously, "Oh, I'm me again," he said, pleasantly surprised. His eyes fell on the set of neatly laid out clothes on the chair in the corner, "Oh, I see..." he said, sliding quickly out of bed and proceeding to get dressed.

-Z-

"He's awake?" exclaimed Misato down the phone.

"Yes, he's conscious, but..." said Ritsuko carefully.

"But what?" asked Misato, and Ritsuko could almost hear the frown on her face.

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed as she thought of how best to put it. She then let her head fell as she exhaled, shaking her head as she spoke "Just get down here, Misato," She said simply before hanging up her phone and slipping it back into her pocket. She swung about and re-entered the room. 'This is probably all my fault. I suppose I'll just have to bite the bullet on this one.'

-Z-

Ritsuko stopped by the door with her hands in her lab coat pockets, waiting patiently as the pilot, who had his back to her, finished buttoning up and adjusting his school shirt. Luckily he had been decent before she'd walked in, which was lucky; the situation was uncomfortable enough as it was.

"Ahem…" coughed the doctor politely.

Shinji blinked and swung around, "Oh, hi, Ritsuko!" said the boy mildly, almost seeming pleasantly surprised.

It was Ritsuko's turn, again, to be surprised as the pilot's eyes met her own, the familiar sight of that dark cobalt-blue being instantly recognisable. Ritsuko took a few steps forward to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light.

"Shinji?" she asked unsurely.

"Yes?" the pilot enquired simply.

"Shinji?" She repeated cautiously.

Shinji frowned curiously, nodding slowly and seeming taken aback by the query, "Yeah? I'm Shinji. You're Ritsuko. We've… met before."

"No. I mean it is-"

"Oh!" cut in Shinji suddenly in amused realisation, "I see. Yeah, it's me."

The doctor took a hesitant step closer, "Where is- W-what I mean is…"

"Oh, her?" interrupted Shinji, anticipating the question. "Oh, she's still here..." he said calmly, a wistful smile on his face. He tapped a finger against the side of his cranium, "Right here."

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Shinji saw a note of fear in her usually professional gaze, "I see. Shinji... Don't go anywhere." she said before turning on her heals and heading out again.

"I wasn't planning to…" said the boy with a frown before going back to getting ready. He tied his shoes quickly and stood back up, dusting himself off.

"Right, much better," he said. He moved to sit down but then paused, rolling his eyes as he recalled that he'd only taken back temporary control, "Alright then..." he sighed, and then clapped one hand against the other, "You're tagged in…"

On cue, Shinji's body flashed a brief ethereal gold as Doctor Ikari once more took control.

Yui eyed herself up and down before approaching the mirror on the far wall corner, glancing into it and appraising herself. She adjusted her short mauve hair slightly and backed away, looking over herself once more. She attempted to do a twirl, but only succeeded in tripping over her son's feet and bumping her head off the wall.

'Watch it, mom…'

Yui frowned slightly as she rubbed her son's head, still regarding the unfamiliar reflection, "I can't say much for your fashion sense, Shinji. You know what you need?" she asked, addressing her reflection, "A lab coat. Everything's better with lab coats."

Yui detected a grumble of irritation from the other personality inside her.

-Z-

"Ritsuko!" called Misato as she skidded to a halt outside the hospital room where her old friend was waiting, "How is he?"

Ritsuko glanced wearily at the door for a brief instant, "He's awake and he's up-" the doctor was instantly cut off as the Major pushed right past her and opened the door, "-B-but that's not the problem!" she called after her desperately. It was to no avail however as the Major had already entered ahead of her. "Oh, this won't go well..." lamented the doctor, hanging her head as she massaged her brows and followed her old college buddy inside.

Yui was standing at the window, regarding curiously the view of the Geo-front outside with her hands clasped gently behind her back.

'It really has changed a lot…' thought the scientist with a note of melancholy.

She didn't turn about when she heard the door open behind her.

Ritsuko had managed to slip past Misato, moving ahead of her and carefully approaching the pilot.

"Shinji?" asked Ritsuko warily, regarding the teen's appearance in an attempt to check just who it was she was talking to.

Yui turned round and shot a beaming smile at the doctor, "Nope, me again!" the force of her cheeriness caused Ritsuko to unwillingly swing round, rolling her eyes back as far as she could in exasperation, releasing a painful groan on top of it, 'Oh god, I don't think I can take much more of this…'

"So what can I –MMPH!" Yui was forced to stop mid-sentence, as she'd suddenly found herself swept up into the powerful embrace of Misato Katsuragi, who now had her gripped in her arms, practically smothering the boy's shared head in the major's ample bosom.

"Shinji!" sobbed the Major, hugging the boy tightly.

Yui let out a smothered mumble of inaudible words as she flailed her arms up and down briefly. Ritsuko watched as Yui seemed to just shrug in Misato's arms and then proceeded to hug her back unsurely before giving her a few tender pats on the back.

Ritsuko wiped a hand down over her face, shaking her head as she spoke, pain noticeable in her voice, "Misato!" she snapped loudly, "That is not Shinji," she said, nodding her head sharply at the form in the Major's arms, who seemed to have become content with where she was.

Misato turned her head up and round back to the doctor "Huh?", the lavender haired woman asked through slightly teary eyes. She then looking back down again to Yui, who had managed to pull her head back enough to be clear of the Major's chest and look up. She smiled sheepishly as Misato's brown eyes locked in with her own green pair.

"Misato, is it?" Yui enquired, smiling nervously.

"Ritsuko?" asked Misato simply, turning to look at the doctor with a totally baffled expression on her face, still not releasing the pilot/doctor from her arms.

Dr Akagi exhaled a long, tired breath, "It looks like I was wrong, Misato. It seems that brainwave anomaly wasn't just another piece of excess energy…it was another mind." she said, painfully waving her hand slightly at the mauve-haired teenager.

"What?" Misato exhaled in horror, melting away from the person in her arms and slowly turning her head to face the pilot, "T-then who..." she said, staring into Yui's eyes in shock before turning back to Ritsuko.

"That's not Shinji Ikari," said Ritsuko, averting her eyes from both of them and taking a breath as if to brace herself for the fact that she now had to admit it, even to herself, "...It's Yui Ikari."

Misato's eyes widened in horror as her head, as if of its own accord, turned round to the person beside her. She finally noticed the difference in the Third Child's features.

Despite everything, Yui smiled widely back, "Doctor Yui Ikari, "she swiftly corrected, extending a hand out in front, "Pleased to meet you. And don't worry about the hug. I like hugs; hugs are nice."

"Yuh… huh..." Misato gawked, nodding dumbly. Finding her brain assaulted by the revelation and influx of information, Misato took the only option left available to her.

She passed out on the spot.

"Well that went better than I expected..." sighed Ritsuko.

"Little help here!" said Yui in a panicked tone, struggling to hold up the Major who had thought it apt to collapse forward on her. She had went to catch the woman, only to realise she really wasn't as strong as she used to be, the slight atrophy in Shinji's muscles due to his long period of unconsciousness didn't help either. The weight of the major smoushing her into the wall was quite the wakeup call that Shinji's body would take some serious getting used to.

-Z-

Half an hour later...

Consciousness returned to the Major slowly. Groaning in slight confusion, she managed to focus. Oddly enough, Misato found her first coherent thought to be, 'Shinji was right. That is one ugly ceiling…'

The Major was brought out of her haze by Ritsuko's voice from her side, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time you've passed out and I've had to put you to bed. It's almost nostalgic."

Misato regarded the hospital bed she was laying on with Ritsuko looking down at her from the right.

Misato then turned to the left to see Shinji or, more to the point, just who it was who wasn't Shinji. The Major's eyes locked in on the green-eyed doctor.

Ritsuko knewthatwhatever the Major would choose to next it certainly wouldn't be pretty, but she never could've foreseen what Misato actually did.

Yui didn't even have time to process a single thought as the Major's eyes suddenly darkened and narrowed at her with a snarl and, with blinding speed, her right hand shot up and grasped firmly onto Yui's throat, the doctor letting out a strangled cry as Misato leapt up and slammed her against the wall. The Major leaned down, forcing Yui to look at her face to face.

"Misato!" shouted Ritsuko.

Yui shuddered in fear for the first time in a decade at the furiously murderous glare in the larger woman's eyes, "You... possessed him? My Shinji?" she hissed dangerously.

"I akkkch!" Yui tried to choke out, but was stopped as the Major inadvertently put more pressure on her throat.

Ritsuko hopped over the bed with such speed that she surprised even herself and, using the added momentum, she shoulder barged the Major clear off the suspended pilot and into the wall to the side of them.

"Calm down, Major!" barked Ritsuko as Yui slid to the floor massaging her throat, gasping for air. She pulled herself carefully up a second later, "Are you forgetting that that's still Shinji's body? If you kill one then you kill both!"

Misato took several deep, calming breaths before turning back to Yui, who was still had a hand on her throat.

Misato's eyes narrowed darkly again, a veil of icy calm holding in her temper. The major spoke slowly and gently, but her trembling undertone purveyed her true feelings, "I want to talk to Shinji ...now."

"Sheesh, you could've just asked," said Yui before standing up to full height.

The scientist seemed about to comply when she suddenly hesitated. Yui rounded on Misato slowly, squaring up to the much taller woman. After a pause, Yui spoke, her tone so calm and neutral that her words chilled Misato to the bone, "Major. I know how much my child likes, admires and respects you. And I personally thank you for all you've done for him to a degree you can't imagine; he was so very sad before you came into his life. But I'm going to tell you this, and I'm only going to say it once: If you lay so much as a finger on my son again, then you have my word as his mother, I will kill you."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Misato, but otherwise she made no other reaction. It wasn't Yui's choice of words that scared her, but the sheer, cold conviction with which she had said them.

That was because to Yui it wasn't a threat.

It was merely a statement of fact.

Yui's head lulled forward slightly and Misato flinched as that same translucent golden wave of energy passed over the Third Child's body.

Shinji swiftly flung his head back up, opening his eyes.

His guardian looked unsurely at him as Shinji scowled, "So," he began, an irritated tone in his voice, "Getting acquainted?" He suddenly flinched as his mind registered the throbbing pain in the base of his neck, "Ouch, damn it!" he shouted suddenly, "Ooh, that's gonna leave a bruise. Damn it, Misato! What in the hell were you thinking?"

"S-Shinji?" Misato asked, taking half a step extending a cautious, trembling hand.

Shinji rolled his eyes, "Yes, for god's sake. It's me."

Misato's eyes seemed to flutter as they became moist, "I...I'm so... I didn't mean to..." Misato managed to stammer, her tone shaking, "I wasn't..." she said, holding frozen to the spot, not letting herself get closer after her prior action.

Shinji shook his head slightly, smiling in defeat as he decided to put his guardian at ease simply by taking a full step forward and wrapping his arms around her torso wordlessly. He felt her tense up in his arms, a stifled gasp escaping her lips, "Consider yourself forgiven," he whispered gently up to her, reaching up to entwine his fingers in her still frozen hand and pulling her closer.

"Sorry!" shouted Misato suddenly again before flinging her arms around him and holding him tightly against her, returning his embrace tightly as she wept quietly into the top of his head, "I'm so-"

"Shh. Hey there. See, I'm fine," interruptedShinji as calmly and as reassuringly as he could, running a hand through her long lavender hair, "Come on now, big girl. You're soaking my shirt." He whispered with a smirk, brushing off the tears from her cheek with his thumb as Misato she back slightly.

Misato managed to choke out a laugh, "Heh, looks like you've getting better at this stuff, Shinji," She said, smiling as she sniffed and dried her eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. Then, to Misato's surprise, the pilot's face took a more solemn look as he averted his eyes from her.

"Sorry..." murmured the teenager simply.

"Why?"

"For pulling that trigger in the first place during the fight with the Angel! That whole thing was my fault," said Shinji, shaking his head slowly.

"So... what happened?" Came Ritsuko's voice from behind, as touching as the scene was (and although Ritsuko hated to admit it, even she found herself somewhat envious of the Major and the affection bestowed upon her by her young charge) it was time to get back to business.

Shinji frowned in thought, "Hmm. Give me a minute to think of how to explain this right," he said as he weaved around both women and sat down on the chair near the door and began tapping his foot in thought. Silence descended quickly.

"Well?" pushed Misato.

Shinji looked at her sheepishly, drawing blanks, "Erm... You want me to put it simply?"

"Go right ahead," the Major replied.

"Something went wrong."

"You don't say?" said Ritsuko dryly.

"Well that's how mom put it! Let me think," he said, contemplating. He gave up a moment later, shaking his head drearily, "Forget it, I'll just let her explain it."

A small lightwave later and Yui Ikari sprung straight to her borrowed feet, shocking the other two women more than a bit as she marched up to Ritsuko with an angry scowl, "You want to know what happened?" she practically shouted, "Some incompetent moron sent an emergency deactivation signal to the EVA while our minds were still joined and friggin' trapped me in here!" Yui stopped her rant as she saw Misato pass an annoyed glare at Ritsuko.

Dr Ikari's eyes narrowed into a frown as she glanced knowingly between the two and then shook her head in Ritsuko's direction "I should've known… You know, Ritsuko: at least your mother knew what she was an expert at! She stuck to computers, I stuck to EVAs. And just what might I ask were you doing firing off an order like that when Misato should've been in command?"

Misato sank down into a nearby chair, "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this

She took command, if you must know, because my personal feelings apparently forced a change in leadership of the situation!" explained Misato, glowering at Ritsuko.

"You took command?" demanded Yui, her tone displaying her obvious disbelief that Ritsuko could perform the task correctly, "So tell me; what was your idea to resolve the situation? I mean you must've had one in mind in order for you to overrule the Director of Operations. So, whilst I had my plan of destroying the Angel from within –a plan you cocked up half way through – what scheme had you cooked up, huh?"

Ritsuko had inadvertently backed away over the severity of Yui's anger, and wasn't helped when the Major got swept up in it.

Misato glanced between the two doctors, frustrated at her friend's reluctance to answer, "Answer the question, Ritsuko," said the Major, an icy edge to her voice.

Ritsuko exhaled a defeated sigh, 'why do I feel like the whole world's turned against me now...'

The doctor then responded, "The plan was to drop all remaining N2 mines in the JSSDF's arsenal directly into the Angels' body while simultaneously using Units 00 and 02 to neutralize it's AT field; destroying the Angel and, with any luck, also recovering the EVA."

Ritsuko paled as she heard Yui grind her teeth in her tightly closed mouth, "And might I enquire as to how many N2 mines are in that arsenal?" she asked, ready to mentally calculate the force of the concussion wave that would have been created and, more importantly, what its impact would've been on the entry plug.

"Oh, only nine hundred and ninety-two of them," intervened Misato.

All emotion suddenly drained from Yui's face, giving Ritsuko a terrifyingly distasteful look.

Yui's eyes flicked to the side in Misato's direction, not turning away from Ritsuko, "Have you hit her yet?"

"Yup."

"Damn."

After a pause and, saying nothing more, Yui hung her head, shaking it in silence before turning about and opening the door behind her.

"W-Where are you going?" asked Misato quickly, breaking the painful silence.

Yui turned her head round slightly, "Shinji's muscles have become slightly atrophic. I'm going to go stretch them a bit. Accompany me if you wish, I really don't care either way."

"But I thought you didn't want anyone to find out about-"

"-Listen Ritsuko," cut in Yui firmly, "when someone in this organisation notices something odd or out of place, what do they do? I'll tell you: They assume it's something dark and probably above their security clearance and so they ignore it, or at least pretend to god that they didn't see it. Besides, who's going to be suspicious of the Third Child being up and about? The answer is nobody who'll spare a second glance long enough to notice the change in appearance."

Yui, not waiting to receive an answer from either, turned forward again and headed out into the corridor.

Misato raised an eyebrow, inclining her head acceptingly, "I've gotta hand it to her: that woman really knows how to make a point..."

"Woman?"

"You know what I mean. Now let's go before she wanders too far off."

-Z-

Yui took a few steps out into the corridor outside and then slumped sideways slightly against the wall, pausing to inhale the chilled recirculated air. She let the cold wash over her, hoping it would cool her off emotionally too. She let her head to hang forwards.

'by god, I'm so worked up. I guess the electrochemical imbalance in Shinji's brain must've knocked me off more than I thought; I've never threatened anyone like that in my whole entire life,' she let out a sigh, 'oh well, better me than him, I guess.'

The doctor breathed out deeply as she saw both the major and elder doctor regarding her expectantly out of the corner of her eye.

Pulling her head up, Yui brushed the last beads of sweat from her forehead, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so brash, to both of you. I suppose I'm just a bit shaken up," said Yui, staring off slightly before pushing herself up and walking off, "Not feeling like myself these days…"

Yui then continued off, staggering slightly as she attempted to get used to a pair of legs which obviously weren't designed for her.

-Z-

Fifteen minutes and a dozen stumbles later...

"So..."began Misato, following after Shinji's mother as she turned another corner, "Do you actually have any idea where you're going?"

"Nope," admitted Yui with her head held high, "Not a clue. Just out for a stroll, is all."

The trio came out into one of the open areas and onto a moving pathway and, although Yui was technically lying to the Major in that she knew exactly where she was going from both her own and Shinji's memories, the scientist just hadn't really decided where to go yet. 'Lord knows how Gen-chan is going to-'

That was when Yui skidded to a very abrupt halt.

Suddenly, Yui's head fell down. Her green eyes widened in shock, upper body tensing as one of Shinji's residual memories echoed through her consciousness in response to the thoughts of her widowed husband.

A tear of despair rolled down her cheek at the image in the memory.

It was the image of a man walking away. Walking away from a child whose mother had just been taken away from him forever.

Yui had to consciously fight to control the burst of raw fury that her sorrow ignited into.

"No..." she whispered, her body shaking slightly, "H-he didn't... He wouldn't. You promised me..."

"Y-you okay?" Misato asked as she peered round and down into the young doctors face curiously.

Misato recoiled back at the look of dark fury in the child's eyes as they flicked to her. The Major's hand unconsciously went to her sidearm, such was the sheer primal terror those eyes pierced into her in that brief instant, "Sh-Doctor Ikari?"

Yui blinked…and the look vanished.

The doctor beamed a bright smile, her face a mask of her usual contentedness. She regarded the Major for a second, "Oh, it's nothing, Misato, just dozed off there for a second."

"O-okay," said Misato warily, clearly shaken. To both hers and Ritsuko's surprise, Yui suddenly swung decisively about and marched off in the opposite direction.

"Now where are you going?" asked Ritsuko with exasperation at the other doctor's borderline eccentric behaviour.

Yui just smiled, "Why this way, Ritsuko!" replied the doctor cheerily, nodding her head forwards and continued on. "Yikes!" cried Yui, being saved for the umpteenth time from toppling over onto her son's face by Ritsuko's quick reaction time.

Misato gasped for air in shock as Ritsuko steadied the mis-embodied doctor, "Look, are you sure you're okay to be up and about?"

Yui rolled her eyes, "Gimme a break here. He's got such short legs, and he certainly didn't get these hips from me I tell you," she said as she patted his/herself on the hips, rubbing them up and down slightly, "Hmm, must've gotten these from his father," she paused to squeeze them a couple of more times. She smirked mischievously, "oh yeah, that's Gendo alright."

"Ooooh-kay!" cut in Misato, ushering the doctor on with a non-too gentle shove of her shoulder, "That was just turning wrong on so many levels, so move it or lose it, Yui."

"Yeah, yeah I get it..." sighed the short doctor as she walked onwards, glancing off to the side as she sensed Shinji cursing at her under his breath from the back of their shared mind 'language, young man...'

"And from now on keep your hands to yourself. T-that is…away... whatever, you know what I mean!" said The Major sternly as she followed on with her arms folded.

Yui shot an icy glare back at the Major who nearly stumbled herself from its impact, "I'll pretend I didn't understand the meaning of that implication, young lady."

Misato glowered back, "yeah, yeah. You're just a thirty-something year-old woman trying to make it in a fourteen year-old boy's world, aren't you?" said the Major, her tone laced with disapproving sarcasm.

Yui grinned, "Yep, that's about the size of it."

They turned into a small seating area containing two elevators and several sets of vending machines. Natural light poured in through the windows and nearby doors that lead out onto the geo-front.

Yui glanced about, 'This'll do nicely. Now all I have to do is see if Shinji's little method of slipping out of uncomfortable elevator situations works in reverse,' contemplated the doctor a smile as she subtly leaned up against the elevator summon button.

"Umm, Misato?"

"What is it?" the lavender haired woman enquired curiously, wondering what the doctor had stopped for.

Yui nodded in the direction of the machines opposite, "You couldn't by any chance grab me a coffee could you?" asked the doctor nicely, "please?"

"Alright..."sighed Misato, pushing off from the wall she was leaning against and trotting over to the vending machine opposite.

"Double strength, extra sugar!" she called after, as if on an afterthought.

"You always were a caffeine addict, Yui," murmured Ritsuko from the left with her arms folded.

Yui regarded the other doctor with a small smile, still using her son's body to hide the glowing elevator call button, "Guilty. But I've been a good girl since I'd stopped for quite a while, you see, but I'm back on it now."

"Here," Misato said, offering a small Styrofoam cup to Yui.

"Ahh..." Yui sighed contentedly before taking a small sip leaning back to savour the first thing she'd tasted in over a decade. Her face screwed up slightly before settling down into a lamenting smile as she stared down into the steaming brown beverage.

"Over a decade, and the coffee here still tastes terrible..."

"Tell me about it," said Misato as she regarded the pilot. She watched as Yui pushed off from the wall when a small 'ding' resounded through the area, followed by the familiar droning of a pair of elevator doors opening.

A confused frown knitted at both Ritsuko's and Misato's brow as they noticed nobody disembark from the elevators, but chose to pay it no heed.

"So," said Ritsuko, "if you're quite finished with all this wandering, perhaps we could head back to my office now?"

"Would love to," began Yui as she turned about, "Except…"

"Except, what?" asked Misato, frowning once more.

"I'm afraid I have to say that from here we must temporarily part company," said Yui as she covered the top of her coffee cup with one hand and, as the elevator doors to her left closed, she nimbly slid one foot through them and gracefully pulled herself in. Her hand whipped round and mashed any one of the numbered buttons on the control panel within.

Misato stood agape for a second before instinctively swinging around and hitting the elevator control button to her side, however the last second actions of Shinji's mother rendered the attempt totally futile.

Misato punched the button one last time in frustration and she slumped her head forward dejectedly, bashing her forehead off the wall a few times, "crap."

Ritsuko was now tapping her foot impatiently, arms folded and a scowl etched into her face, "Major!" she snapped, shaking her head angrily, "Oh, that's it... I'm calling in Section two." said the doctor and, after receiving an accepting wave of the hand from Misato, she reached into her lab coat for her cell phone.

Hearing nothing but silence for a moment, Misato turned round to see the doctor padding about in her pockets, a look of confusion on her face, "What is it?"

"Can't find my cell phone," murmured the doctor, "I must've left it in my office…I think."

"The great Ritsuko Akagi found wanting? The world really is going nuts. Just use mine," said Misato as she reached into her flight jacket pocket, then the other, then to her jeans pockets.

"What?"

Misato frowned, "I…can't find mine either."

Ritsuko rolled her eyes, "I just called it to let you know Shinji was awake. Now unless you've lost it or someone stole-" Ritsuko froze dead mid-sentence, both her and Misato turning to look at each other, then simultaneously turning to regard the closed elevator doors.

Misato cocked her head, "Oh, she's good…"

Ritsuko just massaged her temples in an attempt to avert her oncoming headache, "crap."

-Z-

Yui smirked widely as she sipped on her coffee in her left hand, her right reaching into her son's back pockets and retrieving the pair of pilfered smartphones that she had liberated during her occasional 'accidental' stumble.

Yui was aware that it wouldn't take the Major or the Doctor long to reach the nearest service phone, or even just to locate a member of staff with a cell, but at least it bought her some time.

Yui's finger clicked the bottom button of the phone accidentally, the touchscreen lit up and revealed the rows of icons for the various aps, the background dominated by the picture of a Renault Alpine that someone had set as wallpaper.

Yui cooed slightly, "Ooh, future phones…"

Yui's curiosity at the change of technology was swamped again as the anger she'd been supressing broke through her composure once again, swallowing her entire thought process in its entirety as several more of Shinji's darker memories flashed through her mind. Her fist began to close around the two phones as that one image of the man with the suitcase flicked through her head over and over.

Yui's teeth were clenched together in her mouth, hand tightening. Suddenly two hard, resounding 'cracks' sounded out in the elevator, bringing the doctor momentarily back to reality.

Yui blinked her eyes, glancing idly down at her hand where the sound had emanated from.

"Damn..." muttered Yui as she regarded the two cell phones whose screens had shattered under the pressure of being squeezed together in her grip. She narrowed her eyes in thought at the two phones before simply dropping them to the floor listlessly at her side on top of each other.

Yui halted the elevator momentarily at the next floor up and set the two phones outside. She rose her foot up once and then slammed it down on top of them with more force than Shinji's leg should've been able to pull out. A satisfying crunch echoed down the hallway.

Yui flicked the destroyed phones aside with her foot, satisfied that both they and the trackers they no doubt had within were out of commission. She then reboarded the elevator and set off for her intended floor. The repercussions of petty theft and minor criminal damage paled somewhat in comparison to what Yui intended to do next. Said action was something that, if Yui were in a rational state of mind to dwell on, would've seemed insane. Unfortunately, however, the mother's usual mask of calm and rationality was being shattered by bursts of raw maternal fury, ones which she fully intended to appease with extreme prejudice...

At least for now that is...

-Z-

Shinji was sitting in his dreamscape in content silence, his legs crossed and his back against the tree.

He had a general idea of the actions of his body whilst his mother was in control, or at least he did, as now Yui seemed to now be consciously blocking his ability to view what she was doing in the outside world.

He flinched, opening his eyes and looking up at the sky as a loud rumble of thunder shattered the silence of the landscape. His eyes widened as he regarded the formerly clear skies which now were darkened almost to blackness by storm clouds.

An imaginary cold wind blew over the landscape causing Shinji to hug his shirt slightly tighter around himself.

His brow narrowed into a frown as he watched the storm above, "What are you up to?"

Shinji stood up and walked over to the water's edge. He looked up, addressing the storm, "I don't need to be a psychiatrist to know you're piss- erm- angry at something. Would you care to share it with the rest of the class?" A disturbingly dense and ominous calm in the storm was his only reply. Warily, Shinji turned round and walked back to the tree behind him, sliding down and back into a sitting position. He leaned forwards and up to look up at the clouds again, "I hope you're aware that you've left me sitting under a tree in lightning storm...just saying."

-Z-

The corridors and walkways of NERV Central seemed deathly quiet, disturbed only by the small and seemingly insignificant footfalls of the 'Third Child' as 'he' walked onwards at an oddly brisk pace.

The look on Yui's face purveyed the building anger that was surging through her, pushing her beyond the point of rationality and into the realm of sheer instinct. She swung round a corner with such force that she nearly sent the passing forms of Gohan and Maya flying into a nearby wall. Not registering their presence, the innocuous child carried onward to his destination...

"Was that-" said Maya as Gohan steadied her on her feet, his arms still partly hooked under hers from when the pilot had knocked her into him.

"Hmm…" hummed Gohan thoughtfully as he stared after the pilot with a frown on his face, not even registering the fact that he was still holding onto his female associate quite tightly.

Maya stared up into Gohan's face for a second as she attempted to work out why he seemed so serious over something so small.

Unfortunately however, Maya's mind had failed in its attempt, seeming far more preoccupied with informing the woman what strong upper arms her co-worker had.

"M-Moriyama-kun?" stammered Maya, barely getting the name out.

"Hmm?" murmured Gohan as he continued to look after the pilot in thought.

"Ah...?" she breathed out desperately as she attempted to find some words to get his attention.

"Maya…will you excu-" Gohan froze in the middle of the word, just realising that he still had his arms wrapped around his colleagues slender waist and that her face glowed an almost bright crimson.

"Woah!" Gohan literally yelped as if someone had just electrocuted him. The Saiyan leapt backwards a step, opening his arms as fast as he could. Said action not only shocked the woman he'd been supporting, but also effectively dropped her flat on her backside.

Gohan flinched as Maya went to massage what would most likely be a sizable bruise on her behind, "S-Sorry, Maya!" He stammered, looking between Maya and the direction he was about to rush off in, "I... ah… sorry and... Umm... I gotta...go...umm, this way!" He then beat a swift retreat in Shinji's general direction, "See ya!" he waved back before picking up his pace considerably, still managing to hide the blush on his own cheeks. The lieutenant sitting on the floor with her legs sprawled out under her however wasn't so able to hide her flushed expression.

"Uh... huh... see ya," mumbled Maya, waving her hand pointlessly as she stood up; one hand grasped on her uniform over her heart, "What...just happened?" she lamented to herself, staring blindly ahead, wishing her heart would stop thumping in her chest.

-Z-

Gohan skidded, coming to a halt in the literal maze of corridors. He glanced left and right along both routes, "Where did you go?" he murmured with frustration.

Gohan frowned as his almost perfectly photographic memory recalled the image of Shinji in the split second before he rammed into him, 'Looks like Dad was right about what happened; that wasn't Shinji. I'd best call and let him know.'

-Z-

Yui never faltered in her stride until she reached her destination. She skidded to a halt as a pair of familiar double-doors came into view.

The usually cheery doctor's face took on a mask of pure unadulterated anger as that enflamed maternal instinct burned through her soul, that same instinct that screamed from within her blood to do its bidding.

The instinct won.

One step was slowly moved forward, followed by a second, and then a third until she had already thrown those doors open and was striding quickly across the room within.

The room's single occupant glanced up from his work, regarding impassively the form striding towards him, not allowing himself to show any shock at the unexpected appearance.

The man never spoke, but heard the subtle sound of knuckles cracking in the silence as a fist was clenched.

Gendo's head rose up in surprise as the boy strode right up to his desk and turned sideways, adjusting his centre of gravity.

The commander leaned back in shock as the boy reared a fist back, glaring at him in the darkness with manic eyes.

A single deafening crack resonated through the large room as the boy's fist struck the man square between the eyes with far more force than a child his size should've been capable off.

Gendo's eyes rolled back as he was thrown backwards out of his chair, hitting his head off the wall behind him and slumping to the floor in an unconscious heap, but by that point Yui Ikari had already turned about and marched from the room…

-Z-

Several minutes later...

Shinji suddenly found himself standing outside an elevator wearing a very bewildered expression on his face.

He glanced round to get his bearings, 'what were you up to?' he contemplated.

Dismissing it for now, he shrugged and smacked the elevator call button next to him.

Pain lanced up his right arm from his hand, "Gyaah!" he cried out, almost doubling over in agony.

Gasping for air, Shinji's face darkened into a scowl, "You know," he growled, "I know I didn't add 'breaking my bones' to that list of things I didn't want you to do, but I thought you might have been smart enough to assume it was implied!"

Shinji heaved several more breathes as he regarded his injured hand, "You know what?" he glowered, "I don't have to take this. You caused it, you endure it!"

And with that, Shinji retreated back into his mind, forcing his mother back into control while simultaneously swinging that hand at the nearby steel wall.

Yui found herself conscious just as the hand impacted the solid surface.

The doctor tensed up violently in agony and slumped against the elevator door, barely managing to not bite into her own son's tongue.

Luckily for Yui, her pain threshold was significantly greater than the average person.

Chlidbirth and being a giant god-robot will do that to you.

After cringing in pain for half a minute, Yui sobbed, and it wasn't because of the pain.

She cradled the injured limb against herself, whispering, "God, I'm sorry, Shinji. I swear I never meant to cause you any pain. I wanted to help you, to right at least some of the wrongs in your life. And this is what I do: I lose control. I go…berserk. And as satisfying as it was at the time, the bottom line remains the same: I abused your trust to satisfy my own mindless desire. I'm so sorry, my Shinji."

Yui sat there in silence for a moment, no response coming from their shared mind.

Yui blinked in surprise as a familiar voice sounded from within her, 'Have you been practicing that apology?'

A warm, defeated smile pulled at Yui's mouth, "as a matter of fact...no, I haven't." Yui frowned, looking off to the side as he stood up, leaning back against the elevator, "Umm...how are you doing this?"

'Firstly, you'd be surprised just well I know my own head. Secondly...'

"Yes?"

'Apology accepted.'

Yui hugged herself gently, "Thank you. Well anyways, I think it best you and I get out of headquarters for a while."

Yui could sense Shinji frown, 'Why, what did you do?'

The doctor twiddled the fingers of her uninjured hand, "Oh, nothing…nothing. Might come up later though... Besides, we-yaah!" Yui flailed out in a panic as the elevator doors she was leaning against slid open behind her, leaving her leaning against nothing but open air.

The doctor braced herself for the inevitable pain in the shoulder, only to find herself saved by what appeared to be a pair of very muscular arms.

Yui cocked her head upwards to the face above her, "Hmm, you're..."

The person smiled warmly, "Hey there, my name's-" Yui cut him off however.

"-No, no I got it. It's Goku, right?" Yui said, smiling, pointing her finger up at the man. She suddenly became acutely aware of the quite sturdy frame still holding her. Her eyes flicked about, cheeks heating up despite herself, 'Oh my…'

'Mom!'

'Sorry, dear!'

Goku turned the doctor round and steadied her. Smiling, he bowed somewhat formally, "Son Goku is the name. A pleasure to meet you," he paused, narrowing his eyes as if to make sure, "Doctor Ikari, right?"

Yui smiled in pleasant surprise, bowing slightly in return "My reputation precedes me... Or are you just very perceptive?"

Goku continued smiling, "Neither. But Shinji told me he sensed your presence within the EVA, and when I sensed another presence melded in with his own it didn't really take long to guess who it might be."

Yui cocked her head acceptingly, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Son Goku" The doctor extended her hand for a shake, yet pulled it back hesitantly after a second thought.

"What is it?"

Yui shifted on her feet, "It's just... I hurt, though most likely broke Shinji's hand just earlier. I don't want to cause him any more pain."

"You broke his hand?" asked Goku, cocking an eyebrow.

Yui tilted her head, "cracked a metacarpal, maybe fractured a carpel on top of that…"

"What were you doing? Punching a brick wall or something?"

Yui glanced off to the side icily, "Only metaphorically…"

Goku's eyes narrowed in thought, "Hmmm... Well it's not exactly an emergency situation, but since I know how fragile you people can be and all… well I suppose I'll call it a special case."

"Meaning?" enquired Yui as Goku rummaged in a small green pouch attached to his belt and retrieved a sizable Senzu Bean. The Saiyan carefully broke off a small fragment, returning the rest of the bean to the bag and handing the fragment to the doctor. Yui raised one of her eyebrows cautiously as she examined the small bean fragment closely, sniffing it and tapping it quickly off her tongue experimentally.

"That should do the trick," said Goku.

Yui stared at the fragment in hesitation and glanced at Goku. The Saiyan nodded once at the bean for her to proceed. Shrugging, she tossed it into her mouth, crunching the bean fragment and swirling it around as if analysing by flavour before finally swallowing.

The doctor waited expectantly. She let out an inadvertent gasp as a strange cooling feeling passed over her body, focusing mainly on her son's right hand. Yui felt the dull throb that she'd been ignoring evaporate and marvelled as she felt the bones painlessly reset and knit back together once more. She also noted several other feelings including hunger and thirst vanish along with it. After the experience was over, Yui was left standing and feeling like she'd just had a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast.

Stunned, the doctor turned to the Saiyan, "You know, it is scientifically impossible for a simple herbal remedy to accomplish something like this. W-what is it, some kind of advanced medical repair nano-machine system or something?" Asked Yui, an excited edge in her voice, "Can I have another?"

Goku frowned, "Why? You still feeling down?"

"No, I've got to figure out how they work. I need a sample!"

"B-but why?"

"For science!" exclaimed Yui with momentary glee.

There was a long pause.

"You do remember that you're not actually-"

Yui cut in, sighing, "Right, right. Guess I became a bit too much like my old self for a moment there. Seriously, how do they work though? What kind of technology is involved to make something like that?"

Goku hummed in thought for a second, "Hmmm no technology. I think it's just magic."

Yui blinked, "…Come again?"

Goku smiled, "Magic; Korin grows them. He's a talking cat who lives in a tower high above the Earth with a samurai."

Yui wavered on her feet as she felt her perfect scientific view on the universe crack slightly, "Please stop talking."

Yui blinked once, shaking it off, "Magic... I don't know, you spend most of your life devoted to science and just when you think you're starting to get it all figured out, 'poof', something comes along and blows all your assumptions right out the window…poor science…"

Goku smirked, "Life's like that. Best things' just to get on with it."

Yui smiled once again, turning to the Saiyan, "Well either way, I think it would be smart if I made myself scarce…quickly. So if you could possibly lend me a hand; I need to get out of NERV central, preferably about ten minutes ago."

Goku nodded his head, "No problem, I can handle that," said the Saiyan before grasping Yui firmly by the shoulder with one arm and raising his free fingers to his forehead. The pair shimmered and vanished into nothingness.

-Z-

Yui let out a shocked yelp as Goku reappeared in mid-air over the streets of Tokyo-3, the good doctor gripped safely in his arm. Goku glanced around happily at his surroundings.

"Hey, I'm getting good at this!" said Goku happily as he realised he'd managed to appear just next to Shinji's apartment building.

Yui, who was now holding onto Goku's arm for all she was worth, glanced worriedly downwards, "Umm, Goku? Don't get me wrong when I say that I'm very interested to learn how you did that, but in the name of science would you please put us down!" demanded Yui in a slight panic, whimpering, "I've never been one for heights…"

"Oh, okay," said Goku, hovering over to the level Shinji's apartment was on and setting the doctor down safely, "There you go, home sweet home...so to speak."

"Th-thanks, this'll do great," said Yui unsteadily as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So," said Goku, folding his arms as watched Yui try and work out how the electronic door mechanism worked, "You wanna tell me why you were in such a rush?"

The doctor spared the Saiyan a nervous glance, "Umm, okay. But I think it's best we continue this conversation indoors," and with that Yui slid Shinji's card through the reader and hit the right button with his guidance.

-Z-

Goku and Yui settled a few moments later in the living room and the Saiyan listened to Yui's explanation for her haste.

"So that's it, is it?" said Goku, "Well I can see why you were so eager to get out of there, but are you sure here is the best place to lay low?"

"Well, I'm not really hiding so to speak. I just need a place to step back while the ensuing chaos I might've caused inside NERV simmers down a bit. Besides, as far as they know I'm still somewhere in headquarters, and if they assume I was hiding I doubt they'd look here first," explained Yui as she petted the warm water penguin which was currently giving her a very confused stare.

"But what If they do choose to look in the most obvious place?" asked Goku.

"I doubt that will happen. Look at it this way: I was in the depths of NERV central, to get from there to here I would've had to have used Shinji's access card at least once; that would've been logged. Not to mention I should've passed countless surveillance systems and NERV personnel."

"I suppose," said Goku, "but still, I think its best I stay with you in case they do find you. Just in case they get a bit carried away and choose to shoot first and arrest you afterwards. There's also a chance the Commander might issue a slightly less than forgiving order, if you know what I mean."

"He wouldn't," shot Yui back quickly, turning away and drawing her legs up to her chest, "he may be angry as hell, but he'd never go that far..."

"You sound sure," observed Goku.

Yui propped her chin on top of Shinji's knees, "He may have hardened himself, frozen his heart and encased it in stone, but I don't think he'd ever intentionally do something like that to hurt Shinji. Gendo's problem is that he just doesn't seem to care if anything he does just happens to end up hurting my boy in the long run… Gendo, you idiot…"

-Z-

Meanwhile, back in NERV headquarters, both Major Katsuragi and Doctor Akagi were still scouring for the evasive Yui...

Both stood waiting in dead silence for the elevator to arrive, as a thought suddenly struck Misato, "Hey, Ritsuko, how well did you know Doctor Ikari?"

Ritsuko remained silent for a few seconds as if deciding how to best answer the question, "I wouldn't say I knew her, per say. After all, I didn't even work for NERV –or Gehirn— back then. Though I did spend quite a lot of time there when I went to visit my mother."

"You met Yui though?"

If Misato didn't know better, she could've sworn her college friend looked disturbed for just an instant "Yes, we met…"

"What did you make of her? Personality-wise, I mean."

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes in thought, as if visualising the event, "Well when we first met, she had this odd look of being...happy to see me, despite the fact that she didn't even know me, of course. She always seemed to be happy about something. Even when she wasn't smiling or making it obvious, you could still tell she was always smiling somewhere on the inside. To me she seemed to always be hell-bent on warming up the world around her. I always thought she was strange; this was a woman who had just lived through the Second Impact. At the time I just assumed she was doing her bit to bring some light back into what you know was a very dark world.

It became obvious of course where the light that shone inside her came from the very first time she brought him in with her..."

"Are you talking about-"

Ritsuko nodded, a tired smile on her face, "Yes... it's funny, I've just realised that I've technically known Shinji even longer than you have. Oh, Yui loved the Commander of course, but you could tell the way she loved Shinji was at on entirely higher dimension, and you could tell the feeling was more than mutual between them. The way Shinji looked at his mother was like he was staring at the vast expanse of the universe itself. Really was oedipal, that one. But I could tell he was content to be that way, and that Yui loved him back just as much.

The last couple of times I saw Yui, Shinji was always happily in tow and I could tell from the way Yui looked at him that it was he who was the source of all that brightness, all her energy. He would smile and her eyes would shine."

Misato was agape, "wow, you're being borderline poetic today…"

Ritsuko smirked grudgingly, "I guess I just dwell on the past a little too much."

Misato's brow knitted into a frown, a thought occurring to her, "Yui Ikari: she… didn't by any chance have shortish hair, did she?"

Ritsuko frowned back. Misato didn't notice Ritsuko hesitate before answering, "As I recall, yes, she did…"

Mistao nodded ponderingly, "Yuh-huh, cut into bangs; slender frame?"

Ritsuko blinked, "That's… right. How did you know?"

"Oh, lucky guess…" replied Misato wistfully before glancing off to the side, 'Oedipal is right…' she thought, chuckling to herself.

Ritsuko shook her head and carried on, "Yeah, I guess that's why when I first saw Shinji during the incident with the Third Angel I actually had to ask if it was him. He looked so... different than the Shinji I vaguely remembered."

"Well he was about ten years older, it's not surprising that he looked-"

"It was his eyes," cut in Ritsuko, her gaze far away, "I remember they used to have this bright sparkle to their dark colour whenever he was with his mother, but when I saw him on the day the Third Angel attacked, they looked so... empty."

"You really are talking a lot today," said Misato with a smile.

Ritsuko sighed tiredly, "Like I said: only about certain things," she paused as a smile tugged at the side of her mouth, "Oh, but my mother hated her."

"Huh, what do you mean?"

"Oh, she hid it well, but I could tell. Naoko Akagi loathed Yui Ikari with abandon."

"Why?" asked Misato with a frown, "Did Yui do something to her?"

"Oh, nothing, Yui did absolutely nothing. But… my mother had reasons, I guess…" said Ritsuko ambiguously, "And of course Yui didn't reciprocate the feelings. On the contrary, she thought of my mother as a friend too." Ritsuko shook her head, "That woman… I bet if she had her way she'd be friends with every single person on the planet. She seemed so, I don't know... impossibly friendly."

Misato snorted, "She seemed a little bit less than that earlier."

"That's just because it's who she is, and also I guess that's the reason my mother hated her: If my mother really was a woman first before even being a scientist or a mother; then Doctor Yui Ikari was by far and with absolute certainty always a mother before anything and everything else. That impassable caring streak is probably what everyone admired about her… Commander Ikari especially…

That's why she acted as she did earlier: Yui is a friendly person by default, but her love for Shinji is paralleled only by her hatred for anyone who will harm a single hair on his head; She will do anything to ensure her son's safety and wellbeing, and if she feels she has to do something drastic in order for that to happen, then believe me; she'll do it. Misato…I'll warn you this once: Yui Ikari was not making an idle threat when she said she'd kill you if you transgressed against Shinji in some way."

Misato smiled grimly, "Well I guess I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen then, wont I? Not that I blame her though. What's it they say: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? I guess that's doubly so for mothers."

Silence fell again as the elevator descended. The quiet was broke, surprisingly, by Ritsuko, "I used to think it would be easy just to hate her as my mother did. For a reason it would seem almost logical – in a somewhat disturbing and twisted way I might add."

"Oh, So you don't?"

Misato could now clearly see the doctor looked spooked, or at the very least disturbed about something, "I... thought I did. But it was when I first saw those eyes staring back at me in that room earlier. I couldn't believe it was her, I simply couldn't. And I'm not talking about the scientific improbability. It's because that, for just the merest fraction of an instant, I could tell...part of me...was happy to see her."

Silence fell again as a clearly interested Misato spoke up "Going to tell me why?"

Ritsuko couldn't bring herself to actually speak the answer that existed loudly at the front of her mind, 'probably because she could finish the fight both my mother and I started years ago…and accomplish what neither of us could: she might be able to make him happy again… and free me once and for all from my mother's shadow, and to escape the folly I've been trying to distance myself from all my life; the one I've been making every time I myself went to bed with him too… no amount of hair dye can change that similarity.'

Misato blinked as Ritsuko suddenly smiled for no real reason, "Umm, are you… okay, Ritsu?"

Ritsuko's closed her eyes, shaking her head as she smiled, "I'm fine, Misato. It's just-" her brain stopped her from saying the words again, 'It's just... it looks like I need to find myself a new lover...'

"Just…?" Misato prodded curiously.

Ritsuko managed to hide how wide her smile became as she paraphrased the words she head earlier, "Why nothing, Misato... Everything's just fine," she then let the world around her happily blur out as she imagined how many amusing and self-enriching ways she could dump Commander Ikari. "Misato?" asked the doctor suddenly.

"Hmm, what is it, Ritsuko?"

"Would you like to go out some time soon? Paint the town that proverbial red?"

Misato's jaw dropped. She regarded Ritsuko in awed silence for a whole moment, "Okay…who are you and what have you done with Ritsuko Akagi?"

Ritsuko smiled weakly in reply. Suddenly her eyes widened in sudden realisation as the answer hit her. She also felt immensely foolish for not working it out earlier, though she would later suspect her subconscious to have held the information back out of a twisted sense of spite.

'Of course,' she thought, sighing, 'where else would she have gone?' "Misato..."

"What is it?"

"I know where she went," said Ritsuko quickly, her hand coming up and hitting the appropriate floor button.

-Z-

Yui sneezed for the tenth time in three minutes; it felt like someone was tap-dancing on her grave.

Which was odd considering her body wasn't even in there.

"Someone talking about you?" asked Goku with a grin, pulling his head out of Misato's fridge and retrieving an obscenely large quantity of food to fill his sandwich with.

"It wouldn't surprise me..." She lamented as she fed Pen-Pen his third sardine; the bird's reservations about the food-giver's odd appearance had long since been overshadowed by the edible offerings.

The doctor's eyes narrowed analytically as s/he regarded the bird 'a hot-springs penguin? Takes all sorts, I suppose' Yui contemplated, smiling as she scratched the birds chest. The bird cawed happily and rubbed himself up against the doctor, his affection easily won.

"Well it looks like the NERV boys are slow today. Usually when the commander wants you- well, Shinji, brought in, they're usually here within an average of fifteen minutes of the order being sent out," said Goku offhandedly as he stacked his snack dangerously high to the point that it defied gravity.

"Thanks, by the way..." said Yui suddenly, still looking down at the penguin. A small smile graced her face as she stroked the birds head gently.

"Hmm, what for?" asked Goku as he chomped a huge mouthful of his sandwich.

"For keeping an eye on my Shinji for me."

Goku waved it off, "Ah, any time. Besides, I did give him my word that I'd keep at least one eye on him. He's strong at heart, but when all this mess comes to its climax, I'm pretty sure he's going to need our help. But for now we just need to make sure he doesn't get into trouble... well, make sure he doesn't get caught at least," said the Saiyan, grinning mischievously.

"Well, thanks anyway-" Yui said, her conversation interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing a few seconds later. She pushed herself to her feet, backing unconsciously away in Goku's direction for safety. She Saiyan stood up between them, forming a very broad-shouldered barrier in front of her.

Goku sniffed the air once and looked to the doctor with a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, it's only-"

"Hey, Misato! You home?" came an unmistakable booming voice followed by the sound of a pair of shoes being haphazardly kicked off.

"-Asuka..." finished Goku, exhaling the breath that the German girl's shouting had forced him to take.

Seconds later a clearly drained Second Child entered the living room. She stopped in front of the chairs and regarded the empty room for a brief pause "Just me again... I swear, when that idiot gets-" she stopped in mid-sentence and stifled a gasp as she registered Goku's presence in the kitchen doorway.

She somehow managed to totally ignore the Saiyan's presence in the room as her eyes trained squarely in on the 'Third Child' who was edging out from behind him.

"Shin…ji…?" Asuka trailed off, their eyes meeting. The pilot's poise immediately changed as Yui stepped into the room.

Slowly, carefully, Asuka began walking sideward, half-circling Yui like a panther pacing in front of its prey, all the while keeping her eyes trained directly on her.

After a minute of dense silence, Asuka stopped dead. Yui watched as the German girl's face tightened into an angry scowl, her fist tightening at her side.

And then Asuka spoke, "Who the hell are you?"

The doctor showed mild surprise at the Second Child's words. Yui then settled into an amused grin, said action only serving to make the Second Child even more defensive, but before Asuka could grab the Third by the scruff of his/her collar and pin her to the ground, Yui spoke, staring down and giggling with a hand over her mouth, "So like Kyoko: Sharp; intuitive…" intoned Yui before reaching up and resting a gentle hand on the girl's cheek," and you really have become just as beautiful too. It's been quite a while… Asuka-chan," finished the doctor with her usual tenderness.

Asuka's cheek had flushed at the contact and the words for more reason than one, but her emotions kicked quickly back in and that blood drained quickly away as the depth of the situation kicked in, leaving her an unhealthy-looking shade of white "My...mother?" she barely managed to whisper out, trying to ignore painful memories that were suddenly wretched to the surface, and while recent times had dulled them, they still hit her heart like shards of ice each time they were called up.

Yui, who hadn't seen Asuka's reaction due to being caught in her own contemplations, suddenly asked, "Umm, by the way, how is Kyoko-chan? I haven't seen her around here. Let me guess: still back in Germany is she? You never could pull that woman away from her work once she gets started. Does she still have that odd habit of falling asleep in strange places?"

Yui missed Shinji shouting a warning from the back of their mind, her smile fading into a confused frown as the Second Child stared blankly ahead, "Umm... Asuka-chan?" she asked, waving a hand up and down in front of her distant eyes, "Helloooo, anybody in?"

Asuka was still staring blankly as she responded, her voice somewhere between a terse whisper and a hiss, "Just answer the damned question, you freak!"

That startled Yui enough to go silent. Yet just as the doctor was contemplating how to respond, she gasped as her vision seemed to tunnel down to a point and felt herself dragged inwards, the world blurring until she suddenly found herself dragged into a waking trance on the spot and right into her original body within the shared dreamscape.

Yui staggered, feeling as if someone had just lassoed her from behind. She looked around, registering her location on the shoreline under that perpetually sunny sky.

"Ahem!" coughed a familiar voice from behind the doctor. Yui swung around to find Shinji sitting with his legs crossed under him and chin propped up on one hand. There was a noticeable frown etched into his face as he regarded his mother.

"Shinji?"

"You know..." began Shinji, "I thought I'd just tell you, y'know before you go and say something unimaginably untactful or make us look like a pair of insensitive idiots, that I just so happened to find out some info on Asuka a week or so ago when I glanced at her personnel file; call it my curiosity getting the better of me."

Yui was somewhat disturbed by Shinji's undertone, "W-what info? I mean I was just asking about-"

"Kyoko's dead, mom..." cut in Shinji suddenly, startling Yui into silence. Exhaling, Shinji continued, "Kyoko…Zeppelin Sohryu, like you, worked on Project E –In her case in the development of the Production Type, Unit-02, in Germany. After your 'failed' contact experiment with Unit-01, new safety protocols were of course implemented to prevent a repeat of that incident. These were first implemented on EVA-02, and it was Asuka's mother Kyoko who volunteered to test out them out

…They weren't enough."

Yui closed her mouth which she only just realised was hanging open, "Y-you mean she was-"

Shinji cut her off with a shake of his head "No, what happened to her wasn't what happened to you, at least not in every sense. The contact experiment caused her to lose all her mental ego boundaries, but not her physical ones. She literally lost her mind...to EVA."

"But that didn't kill her, did it…?" breathed Yui, feeling a creeping dread well up in her from where this was going.

Shinji shook his head, averting his gaze, "No…her body survived. The official statement was that she had been driven insane by her work –a morbid half-truth, perhaps— but you can say it left her an almost completely empty shell."

"And Asuka?"

"She was only five or six at the time I think. Obviously she didn't really understand what had happened to her mother, or why she was acting the way she did."

Yui swallowed a lump in her throat, "So... What happened to Kyoko?"

"In the end, she hung herself," said Shinji, inadvertently causing his already stunned mother to turn even paler. But even so, Shinji felt he had to finish. Inhaling deeply, he continued "And on the day Asuka was selected to be the Second Child...it was she who discovered her body."

"Oh god..." the now sickly white doctor whispered in horror as she fought against visualising the scenario of one of her oldest and closest friends in such a state, a mere shell with a fragment of a soul within. Even worse, was putting herself in Asuka's position at the time.

"So like I said, we could have been a bit more tactful there…"

Yui's eyes widened exasperatingly, "Well excuse me for being out of the loop for so long!" she sobbed, her eyes wet with tears she could no longer contain.

Shinji pushed himself quickly to his feet with urgency and approached his mother. Silently, he put his arms around her and pulled her close as Yui buried her head into his shoulder and cried, "Oh, Kyoko…" she choked, her voice muffled by Shinji's shirt as he rested a hand gently on the back of her head.

"I'm so sorry, mother, "he murmured, rocking her gently against him, "I guess I forgot how hard all this was going to be on you. For me I guess this is just some bizarre occurrence, but for you... I can't imagine what you've gone through for the past eleven years…"

Yui sniffled loudly as she wiped her eyes, trying to compose herself, "I was very lonely, little one…that's all I can say. I really wish I could've made things turn out different for you, for everyone…" she wrapped her arms tightly around Shinji and hugged onto him strongly, to which her son returned equally. He hummed contentedly for a few seconds in her arms before pulling back and composing himself.

"Anyway...back to work, and..." Shinji said, his dark blue eyes glancing sideways thoughtfully.

"And what?"

"Please forgive Asuka..."

"For what?" asked Yui with a frown, as Shinji's pull on her began to slip and found reality resurfacing about her.

Shinji's face suddenly winced, as if bracing himself for something, "For this..." he said. Not able to switch with his mother in time and take what was coming for her, Yui awoke just as Asuka's fist swung through the air at her. The doctor flung her arms up just in time, crossing them in front of her. The blow impacted off Yui's lower arm with a wince-inducing crack.

"For the last time: answer!" Asuka practically roared with the last of her breath, pressing down into Yui's arms with enough strength to force that the doctor onto her knees.

Yui relaxed as she felt the pressure from the redhead's fist vanish relax as she pulled back and allowed the Third Child to her feet.

Yui exhaled and rubbed a hand on her lower arm, "Almost cracked the ulna there. Really not a good day to be a bone in Shinji's arm."

Yui then regarded the Second child with calm patience, "First: Can I ask you a question, Asuka?"

"What?" snarled the noticeably angry redhead, neither of them noticing the Saiyan –who'd wisely chosen to stay out of the confrontation – slip of the room as the Capsule Corp phone clipped to his gi began to buzz, indicating an incoming call.

Yui cocked her head, "Do you know what the AT field is?"

Asuka's face once again paled somewhat, her raised fist relaxing and falling down at her side. She remained silent, remembering the time she'd asked that very same question of Shinji the day she'd adopted his recommendation for synchronising with Unit-02.

Yui nodded, realising no answer was coming, "Alright then. In that case answer me this, Asuka-Chan, what was the result of your last synchronisation test with Unit-02?"

Asuka snapped herself out of here revere, "I'm at…eighty-nine point eight per cent on my last test," her brow scrunched into a frown, "Why?"

"So... I hazard a guess that you're starting to realise it."

"Realise what?" the now calmer redhead asked.

"Well I suppose for you it'll still be at a subconscious level, but it's most likely the same reason you instantaneously knew I wasn't Shinji the moment you laid eyes on me."

Asuka decided to change angles, "Then where is Shinji?"

Yui just smiled slightly, and tapped the side of her head, "He's right here. I was kind of dragged along for the ride when we lost control of our synchronisation with the EVA. I was almost completely merged with his mind at the time the EVA was deactivated, trapping me where I was at the time. You'll note I said almost completely merged. When the link to Unit-01 was cut off there was left just enough 'breathing room', if you'll forgive the term, to allow for segregation between our minds. This allowed us to keep our ego boundaries separate. So you see-"

"-What in the reddest of red hell are you talking about?" cut in Asuka, her confusion flaming her anger higher at Yui's attempt at a simple explanation.

The doctor chuckled sheepishly, "Heh, sorry about that. I've got a tendency to ramble on at times…"

Asuka, who for a reason which confused even her, strangely found herself believing the strange Shinji look-alike. It was the eyes, realised Asuka. This person had the eyes of someone she felt she could trust, someone she knew but couldn't remember, "Okay. Say I buy your story. Just who the hell are you then? If anything, I know for a fact that the dork couldn't have blocked that blow I hurled at you."

Again, Yui grinned, "Yeah, well, when you have a husband who had tendencies to get into as many bar fights as mine did, there had to be someone there to break them up. I mean, no offence to him, but the poor guy couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag."

Asuka looked stunned for a second, "Your husband...? Are you trying to tell me Shinji's been possessed by some kind of gay ghost?"

Yui fought very hard not to facepalm her son. Goku fought very hard not to laugh.

Only the former succeeded.

Yui clenched her fists at her sides, "I am not gay!" Yui wasn't helped by her son murmuring in her mind that she was quote 'gay for Gendo'.

Asuka cocked an eyebrow, "I don't know what planet you came from. But here, when a guy has a husband, that tends to be classified as just the teeniest bit gay."

Yui rolled her eyes full-circle and stood up to full height—something that really wasn't as effective as it used to be, and spoke through her teeth, "I… am not… a guy! Straight, gay, or otherwise!"

"Then what are you?" enquired Asuka, who was totally lost by this point.

This time Yui couldn't prevent the facepalm coming. She wiped her face down. "Childbirth wasn't this painful…" she murmured under her voice. She looked at Asuka dryly, "Well it's a multiple choice question with just two answers. I just eliminated one of them for you. I'll leave you to work out the correct one. "Yui trailed off, waving her hand up in circles, prompting an answer.

Asuka blinked, realisation dawning. She gaped at not-Shinji, "You're a woman?"

"Bingo…" muttered Yui.

Goku clapped his hands together and took a step forward. He rested a hand on Yui/Shinji's shoulder, "There we go. Asuka, allow me to introduce you... to Doctor Yui Ikari."

Yui smiled brightly at the Saiyan and then to the girl, bowing formally, "A pleasure to meet you again, Asuka-chan."

Asuka's mind instantaneously brought up the name from her memory and more importantly, just who she was to the boy whose body she now inhabited, "b-but y-you're his…m-muh…" and like her guardian, the overworked mind of the girl caved under the influx of the revelation and promptly passed out on the spot.

Goku sighed tiredly as he watched Asuka flop forwards. He glanced up as he heard Yui's strained voice, "Really?" she grunted, the unconscious Asuka slumped against her as the doctor struggled to hold her up, "Is this really going to happen every time I introduce myself?" she asked as she staggered around and laid the girl out on the sofa.

"It's very likely."

Yui cocked her head and wiped her brow, "Well…at least she wasn't nearly as heavy as that Katsuragi woman."

Suddenly the pilot/doctor's body pulsed gold as control switched back to the body's original owner.

Shinji looked down at himself and smiled, "I think I'm getting the hang of this. Though I am saddened that I have to." Perking up, he turned to the Saiyan, "So… you hungry?" he asked, turning to head for the kitchen.

"Always…"

-Z-

Shinji didn't hear the front door open as a certain infuriated someone stormed in, the automatic door sliding shut behind her.

It was as Shinji pulled his head out of the fridge that he registered what appeared to be a red and lavender coloured blur lash out and grab him by the scruff of his shirt, slamming him back against the fridge door. The now stunned and panicked pilot managed to identify the blur as a clearly enraged Misato Katsuragi. There was an almost demonic rage in her eyes as she brought her face dangerously close to the pilot's, practically lifting him of his feet "Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Shinji merely stammered incoherently in response as his mind momentarily lost the ability to form words.

"Now I don't give a damn about what threats you make to me. You said you wanted to look after Shinji, and then you go and-" Misato suddenly froze in mid syllable as her mind registered the colour of the pair of terrified eyes she was staring into. The major blinked, her grip slowly slipping free from Shinji's shirt, "…Shinji?"

"Yu-huh…" squeaked the pilot on weak confirmation.

"Oh…" she said gingerly, drumming her fingers on her chest uncomfortably, "Umm, could you… put your mother on for a second?" She asked, brushing the creases she'd made in Shinji's shirt as if it would help.

Shinji frowned, gently batting her hand away, "Put her-? Do I look like a cell phone to you?" he rolled his eyes tiredly, "Fine, I'll ride shotgun for a while…"

Misato watched as Shinji's body went slack, there was a brief pulse of light and Yui was back in control.

"You rang?" she asked, pushing away from the fridge and around the Operations director. She stretched, reaching to touch her son's back to where she was sure it would soon sport a nasty bruise from being slammed into the fridge.

The Major's anger built again, but she chose not to use physical intimidation this time, this was mainly due to the fact that Yui's left hand was idly tickling the handle of a very shiny bread knife sitting on the counter, "As I said," repeated Misato, "are you out of your mind?" demanded the Major, slamming her hands down on the table in front of the doctor; unwittingly knocking the knife into Yui's grip as she towered over the doctor.

Yui cocked her head, "Out of my mind…" she mulled the words for a second, "Was that some sort of pun?"

Misato hissed in anger, raising a clenched fist upward. Her eyes flicked down, realising the doctor, without looking, had gripped her hand around the knife and had it arched sideways in her fist. The Major was reminded eerily of the way an EVA would hold a Prog. Knife in preparation to slash at an Angel.

The look in Yui's eyes purveyed no emotion, nor intent. Her expression was terrifyingly blank.

Misato suddenly became very aware of how exposed her throat was.

The Major took a long breath through her nose and lowered her fist, clenching her hands behind her back, "This is me not laughing, Doctor. Do you have any idea what the consequences of your actions may be? Did you even consider Shinji's safety?"

"Actions?" echoed a familiar voice as Asuka stood in the doorway, Goku behind her. The Saiyan's ability to explain matters and calm people down had already steadied the usually hot-headed girl after she awakened, "What actions?" asked the girl with Goku listening in curiously.

Misato looked to the figures in the doorway, and back to Yui, "Well? Shall you tell them or shall I?"

The knife dropped to the table with a clatter as Yui rolled her eyes, missing Misato's shoulders sag slightly with relief, "Come on, it wasn't that big a deal. It was only-"

"-it was only assaulting a superior officer!" butted in Misato incredulously.

"He was asking for it!" snapped Yui, stepping forwards to square up to the much taller woman.

"Assault?" said Asuka, taking a step into the kitchen, "W-who got assaulted?"

"Oh come on, I barely tapped him," lied Yui…blatantly.

"You nearly broke his nose!"

"Nearly," replied Yui, as if the argument was valid.

"You knocked him flat out!"

"Please, I barely stunned him…"

"Oh, well I'm sure that'll make all the difference!" shouted back Misato, her voice dripping with enraged sarcasm.

"Wait!" snapped Asuka, startling them both, "Who are we talking about here?"

Misato turned her head to Asuka and answered in a simple, level tone, "She decked Commander Ikari."

Asuka suddenly fell dead silent for a moment, "You're...joking, right?"

"I'm deathly serious, Asuka."

For a few seconds Asuka's brain worked over the tremendous consequences of such an action. But then, somewhere in the deep, dark depths of the back of her mind, she created a mental image of the actual event.

Misato turned back to the doctor "So, you see, Yui-" Misato was, however, interrupted by Asuka with a strained:

"Pfft..."

Misato turned round to notice the redhead had one hand over her mouth, and seemed to be biting on one of her knuckles, as if trying very hard not to laugh.

She failed.

Misato groaned as Asuka proceeded to crack up into fits of uncontrollable laughter. She paused, seeming to collect herself, took one look at Shinji/Yui, and then went right on laughing.

The German girl eventually had to pause for breath, "Oh, that's just classic…" She said, trying to dispel the image of the Commander's shocked expression in the instant before fist met face.

"ASUKA!" shouted Misato, rounding on the readhead, who was now leaning on the doorframe for support, "This is notsomething to laugh over!"

"Oh come on, Misato! Out of all the people in the universe that the Commander thought would actually have the guts to swing him one, how high up in that list did you think Shinji placed?"

Yui tilted her head, unable to stop a small smile breaking out, "I told you he couldn't win a fight to save himself."

"Ha, you weren't kidding! Floored by a kid half his size and a third his age! Even if it was you driving, the dork's really gained a few respect points in my book."

Misato, who was now straining to keep up her professional front, raised her voice again, "Either way!" she snapped, bringing all back to attention, "The commander's up now, and he is out for blood...yours!"

Yui shrugged, "And? I knew he would be sooner or later, but there's really not a damn thing he can do about it."

"He could-" Misato began, but was caught off as Yui interrupted, trying to sound as patient and non-condescending as possible.

"Let me spell it out, Misato. Even if in some bizarre alternate universe Gendo would go so far as to have Shinji shot or such forth, as a result he'd lose the only pilot who can synchronise with Unit-01 in its current condition –and I mean only pilot, me being the control mechanism for the EVA and all— and to add to that, if he has us incarcerated or whatnot, we simply resign or refuse to pilot EVA. And boom, he's stuck with a two hundred foot-tall high-maintenance paperweight. And I assure you: these are both Shinji's and my own combined feelings on the subject."

"I... see…" And with that, the room fell silent with the exception of Yui humming and swinging back on her char. The doctor nearly fell completely backward as the entire apartment seemed to shake from the force of the three Thuds that sounded from the front door.

"Wonder who that is..." Yui said, leaning back further to look at the door, Goku shrugging and wandering off to find out.

The good doctor blinked in surprise as her son's voice, 'Don't worry about it, mom. It's just father's hired goons. They usually come to pick me up when he wants to chat about something. Though they do sound a tad more insistent than usual…Now why could that be, I wonder?'

Yui twiddled her thumbs, realising she hadn't explained about what she did to his father, nor apologised for the trouble they were about to get in.

Shinji gave a small chuckle, 'Don't worry about it, Mom. I kind of started laughing along with Asuka.'

Yui breathed a small sigh of relief, looking up as she heard the front door slide open.

-Z-

The usual three agents assigned to pilot/operations-related security issues in this area, (or Ichigo Hideki, Takuya Kaido and Tatewaki Sainoji as their friends knew them) stood waiting impatiently. Unlike each of their prior visits, all three had their weapons already drawn and were seconds away from bashing the door in. Sainoji was also ready with the standard 3-ring NERV issue handcuffs.

Each had to admit that they found the event unexpected: a call from an unusually irked Supreme Commander to arrest the Third Child on the charge of both treason and assault upon a superior officer, and that they'd been ordered to use any force deemed necessary in his apprehension.

The only reason they had drawn their weapons was not because of any danger the Third Child represented, but because of Major Katsuragi's possession of a MK III Universal Service Pistol. Her personal feelings for her charges was one of the things that made her both dangerous and endearing to those under her command.

All three secretly prayed the Major would listen to reason, and that there wouldn't be any real obstacle to their duty behind that door when it opened. Then the door did open…

…and out stepped Son Goku.

All three took a step back.

"Hello, gentlemen," said the Saiyan with unnerving pleasantness, "and how may I help you today?"

Takuya coughed once and inhaled, stepping back to his previous position. Assuming he was right in his assumption of why the Saiyan blocked their path (and he was) then a very difficult conundrum presented itself: do they attempt to force their way in and have their NERV life insurance policies voided under the suicide clause, widowing their wives and leaving their children fatherless; or do they take the only other option available:

They ask nicely.

"Is Shinji Ikari here?"

Goku just smiled, "And then some," he said, immediately going silent and still not budging from the doorway.

Takuya took a subtle breath and spoke in as level and professional way a person can when you might very well be about to pick a fight with a mountain-shattering superbeing, "Shinji Ikari is to be placed under arrest for crimes against NERV. He is to be taken into headquarters immediately."

Goku nodded as he hummed thoughtfully, "Okay. So…what's your point?"

The men glanced at each other. Takuya looked back at the Saiyan, "So...we need to arrest him."

"Really?" intoned Goku.

The men shifted uncomfortably, "Yes…so…"

Goku cocked his head, "So what?"

Takuya spared his colleagues a quick glance, "So…step aside, sir."

Goku looked off, humming as if considering it, "Hmmmm…..no."

Takuya blinked, his hand becoming sore from how tight it was gripping the barrel of his gun.

There was a long, long moment of silence, "…please step aside, sir."

"Hmmm, since you asked so nicely….no."

Ichigo, fear overriding his common sense, lost grip of his instinct and cocked his NERV service revolver and levelled it at the Saiyan, the aim shifting as he tried to decide where head met hair, "S-step aside, sir!" he barked, trying to stop the gun in his hand trembling.

Goku blinked, his eyes crossing to look down the barrel. The Saiyan merely chuckled, reached up, and took the barrel between his thumb and forefinger and pinched it closed.

The men froze, as if waiting for an invisible death to leap out and claim them.

Goku looked from man to man, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

The agents opened and closed their mouths in a very good imitation of a trio of goldfishes, and Goku was about to bid them good day, when a tired sigh came up from behind him.

"It's okay, Goku," said Yui, stepping out in front of him, "I knew this would be coming sooner or later. The only thing that can happen is that this escalates beyond control until there really will be bloodshed. I think its best I go and face Gendo now."

A look of worry flashed over Goku's face, "Are you sure about this? I mean, you don't have to if you don't-"

"-I want to..." cut in Yui suddenly. She cocked her head up and round to smile at the Saiyan, "I wouldn't mind the company on the way though."

Yui turned to the agents, who were unable to hide the relief on their faces, "Okay, boys," said Yui coyly, holding her hands out in front of her, "I'm coming in quietly."

Takuya nodded and stepped forwards, pulling Yui's arms behind her in his strong grip to cuff her, "Oh my…" said Yui, giggling slightly.

'MOM!' snappedShinji from within.

'Just making sure I didn't absorb your orientation. Yup, mommy's straight as an arrow.'

'I'm so happy for you…'grumbled Shinji in a most un-happy way.

Yui cocked her head back at Goku, "I hope you don't mind, but I'm bringing my lawyer here with me too."

"Your…lawyer?" echoed Ichigo, warily eyeing Goku.

Yui nodded, "Yup. However I feel it only fair to warn you in advance: what Goku may define as 'mounting a legal defence' could vary somewhat from the traditional definition."

Takuya spoke on reflex, "No unauthorised-" Goku cocked a single eyebrow up.

And Takuya immediately chose to shut up.

They settled on leading the 'Third Child' away, very aware of the one walking slowly behind them.

Needless to say, the agent was being very gentle with someone he was supposed to be 'dragging into headquarters in chains' as the angry commander had ordered.

Goku passed a reassuring look to Misato over his shoulder as they vanished into the stairwell.

For the rest of their days, the three agents would remember the journey back as the most uncomfortable car ride in their lives.

-Z-

Not long after, the three section two agents, pilot and Saiyan warrior were striding through the halls of NERV central.

It goes without saying that the three agents were beginning to feel a tad superfluous, especially considering their captive was the one leading the way, and Goku was between him and them.

They were at their destination before they knew it.

Shinji, who had retaken control on the ride over, suddenly stopped, shuddering as he imagined the demonically enrage visage of his father within. He suddenly felt an anxiety creep up on him, and anxiety that he only ever experienced prior to a battle with an Angel.

"Goku..." said Shinji suddenly, staring at the doors in front of him.

"Hmm?"

"I...I think its best I go in alone."

"Are you sure?" asked Goku worriedly, the three agents having long since given up objecting to something they had no control or influence over.

Goku was finding his promise to protect the boy difficult to keep considering Shinji kept willingly putting himself in danger. He looked in the boy's eyes for a second, reading his expression. The Saiyan let out a defeated breath, "Okay...but I'm staying right out here. Just call if you need me."

Shinji smiled appreciatively, "Thanks, Goku. Although, there is just one thing you could do before I go in..."

'Let me talk to him,' Came Yui's voice as Shinji prepared to enter.

'But-'

'Don't worry any more, little one,' said Yui in a tone that both calmed and soothed Shinji to the core, extinguishing his anxiety, 'Just leave it all up to me…'

-Z-

The darkness of the commander's office hid quite easily the bruise on Gendo's face. It wasn't however enough to hide the almost murderous look that he shot his son as he entered and strode calmly across his office, stopping in the usual place.

Yui's attention was drawn to the grey-clad figure of Kozo Fuyutski, and then to Ritsuko, who stood behind the commander's other shoulder. Yui's eyes then trailed to the 9mm pistol resting in the valley between the commander's arms.

"I'm going to give you one chance to explain your actions, Pilot, and then to give me one reason not to have you shot for your crimes," said Gendo, his tone icy enough to refreeze the Antarctic, Yui's trained ear clearly detecting the rage underneath.

'Wow…Shinji was right to be worried. He is pissed.'

'And whose fault might that be?'

Yui didn't respond to her son and instead smiled warmly at Gendo, whose brow clenched even deeper at the reaction, "It's nice to see you again too... Gen-Chan," said Yui, her hands tensed behind her back to give the illusion that Goku hadn't torn the handcuffs off just outside the door.

Fuyutski gaped clearly at the reply. Ritsuko rolled her eyes, the doctor having expected something like this to happen. The doctor also justhappened to have forgotten to inform the commander of this particular development. She took almost perverse amusement at his confusion and the way his right eyebrow twitched.

Gendo's teeth seemed to glint in the darkness as he glowered at his son, "You act with treason and explain with insubordination. You have pushed for my hand for the last time, Third Child." The commander's quietly furious tone made Shinji shudder inside, Yui however was left unfazed.

"Grow up, Gendo." Spat Yui, and the commander was lucky he was sitting as he was, else Yui would've seen the man's jaw drop for the first time in a decade.

Yui took the same patient breath a parent might take when dealing with a rowdy child before smiling tiredly. She stepped forward to the edge of the shaft of light that illuminated the area around the commander's desk.

Closing her eyes to hide their current shade, Yui chuckled, "Ahh, I see… Ritsuko hasn't told you yet, has she?"

Despite the annoyance of the younger commander, both their faces twitched in to confused frowns, glancing at the blonde doctor, who immediately shrank back, "W-well, I was more concerned with assessing the Commander's state of well-being. I completely forgot to-"

"Forgot to what, doctor?" interrupted Gendo, loathing when people wasted his time with pointless excuses that he didn't care about either way.

Ritsuko inhaled as if to brace herself, crossing her arms around her clipboard and hugging it to herself, "It seems that the ego borderlines resident within Evangelion Unit-01's core, and indeed the entire control system, have… migrated…via the A10 linkup. They're now currently resident within the neural cortex…of Shinji Ikari."

There was a long moment with no reaction from either Commander as they gaped openly at Ritsuko. Both the blonde scientist and Yui found some amusement in the way the commander's steepled hands peeled away from each other, both commanders turning in tandem to regard the Third Child in abject shock.

Yui's calm smile stretched subtly into a smirk. She opened her eyes and stepped into the light before the commanders, "it really has been a while... Gendo...Fuyutski-Sensei," said Yui calmly, staring into Gendo's widened dark eyes over the rim of his glasses.

"Yui..." breathed Gendo, sliding numbly to his feet and staring with utter disbelief into his formerly dearly departed's eyes.

"Stop right there, Gendo," snapped Yui, freezing Gendo to the spot, half-standing, "before this turns weird," she paused to cock her head, "Well, weirder. You wanted an explanation as to why you just got knocked on your ass by your fourteen year old son? Well I have access to nearly all of Shinji's memories about you since the day I was taken into Unit-01," she rested her palms on the desk and leaned right into Gendo's face, "So why don't you go right ahead and hazard a god damned guess."

Gendo found himself reeling back from those eyes, sinking back down into his chair "All I did was-"

The calm veil of Yui's composure was tossed aside, "You abandoned our four year old son right after his own mother's funeral!" roared the enraged doctor, slamming her fists down into either side of the commander's desk and causing him to flinch right back in his seat.

"Why aren't you restrained…?" enquired Gendo, only just noticing and staring agape as he met his wife's enraged glare, her green eyes burning into him like fire.

"Oh, you can thank Goku for that little number. Such a nice man, and it saddens me that I've only known him –a damned space alien— for a day and I alreadytrust him with my son's life infinitely more than my own goddamned husband!" Yui punctuated the sentence by slamming her fists again.

Fuyutski spoke up in as calm a tone as he could muster "Please, Yui... Just let us explain-"

"Shut up, Sensei!" barked Yui, snarling at the older man and stabbing a finger at him, "Oh I'll get to you in a moment…"

Fuyutski suddenly looked uncharacteristically agape "Me? What did I-" but he was cut off again by the woman on a warpath.

"-What did you do?" she asked, and the old man suddenly realised that she'd decided to skip that moment and get right to him, "What did you DO, you ask? Well I'll tell you: I trusted you to try and keep my husband on the right path even after losing me, and what do you do?

You did nothing, Kozo Fuyutski…You turned yourself into a glorified yes-man!"

Fuyutski only just realised he'd pinned himself back against the wall, as if trying to escape that bright, furious stare, "But we were only trying to-"

"Oh…" said Yui, waving a finger between them and pacing a few steps, "I know what you were trying to do. I know what your plan is…" She spun back around and slammed her fists back into the wood with such force that Gendo yelped slightly, "The damned INSTRUMENTALITY PROJECT!" roared Yui incredulously, her voice so loud that it was probably heard three floors up. Both commanders suddenly looked about, as if worried someone had heard those two forbidden words.

Yui continued speaking, "You know how hard I tried to continue my research into perfecting the technology needed to protect the Earth from future Angel attacks, and even possibly someday help to restore the biosphere back to how it was before. All the while managing to hold off that disgusting snake Lorenz's attempts to pervert its course towards his sick, insane wish of becoming one with god! They were insane. No, sorry, wrong tense are insane! They want to destroy all life and pulp everyone's minds together into one great mess in some freakish hope of achieving perfection. Well let me tell you this, Gendo Ikari: It will fail, one way or the other." At that she reached over and peeled Gendo's glasses off, setting them down on the desk between them. She leaned over, right into his face until he could feel the heat from her brow, "From this day on, you're no longer in control here; neither is SEELE…and not even the Saiyans," She slowly pointed a thumb at her face, "I am. That's right, Gendo: Mommy's back…and she's taking charge. You may consider that a declaration of fact. Contest it…and it's a declaration of war. And that's a war you won't win."

Yui let the words hang in the air for a moment before peeling herself away from the desk, turned about, and walked off.

Gendo found his voice before Yui got half-way across the office, "I only ever wanted us to be together again… I never meant to hurt him. I took the chance just to be with you once more...Even if that meant you'd hate me when the time came."

Yui halted in her stride. She didn't turn about but Gendo saw her shoulders sag as she let out a weary breath, her gaze falling.

She looked back up again, "I don't hate you, Gendo. God help me, I don't think I ever could. I'm just...disappointed. I guess my expectations of you were just too high. But," said Yui, pausing to tap the side of her borrowed head, her tone a note lighter than before, "I suppose, if he still has the capacity to forgive you then –and I can't swear it, nor can I swear that I won't hurl another random act of violence in your direction in the meantime- then perhaps… "

Yui trailed off into silence, as if hesitating to finish the sentence. After a pause, she just carried right on walking again, leaving the end of that sentence hanging in the air, "Good day, Doctor, Sensei…Gen-chan."

Ritsuko found herself stunned less at Yui's words and more at the commander's first genuine show of emotion since they'd met.

Fuyutski was just stunned period.

And Gendo, well, Gendo didn't know what to think. And so he did the only thing he found himself capable of in such rare events:

Command.

"It would seem things have taken an unexpected turn..."

Fuyutski blinked, still staring forward agape and not quite sure how to respond to the understatement, "Yes, Ikari…that's one way of putting it."

"It would seem then that we have no choice but to advance our schedule somewhat. Doctor…"

"Y-yes, sir?" stammered Ritsuko as levelly as she could.

"There is a good chance Unit-01 has been rendered inoperable. We therefore must have the delivery of Evangelion Unit-03 pushed up."

"Yes sir." Said Ritsuko, somewhat agape and more than a little impressed that Ikari could be so level-headed right after having a run-in with someone he had thought dead for over a decade.

"And…" added Gendo.

"Yes sir?"

"Just in case the Third's piloting skill has been affected by these…events…begin preparations to recruit the Forth. I assume we have at least one candidate ready?"

Ritsuko could feel guilt pang at her from inside for some reason, but she sucked it up and answered truthfully, "Yes, sir. There is one available…"

-Z-

Yui found Goku waiting outside of the office. 'Shinji…'

'Yes, mother?' he asked, a note of concern in his voice.

'I'm going to block you out for a little bit. I promise I'm not going to do anything. It's just I-'

'It's okay…' cut in Shinji gently.

Confusion and anger tore through Yui. She had gone in ready to hate him. She had been resolved to it...

And then the bastard had the audacity to prove that somewhere, deep inside, he was still in there. Yui's heart felt like it was being pulled in three. Joy, rage, disappointment, sadness, fear…love; Yui didn't know what to feel any more.

Goku asked no questions, and didn't flinch as Yui Ikari stepped numbly forward, buried her face in his chest…and cried.

-Z-

To be continued…

-XA-

[A/N] Wow, this one turned out long. If you're still here, thanks for sticking with me. But as I said, this was where things got long, and they're only going to get longer. This one ended up expanding about 3500 words at last count, and it was a lot of fun fleshing Yui out a bit more. And as always, the end notes are always written after a chapter is finished, the opening notes being before I start. And I'll apologise in advance if there's a delay in the next chapter. I assure you it'll not be due to any lack of slacking on my behalf. Until then…

See you in Chapter 22: Differentiating