I will say these things in advance: I have absolutely no rights at NGE, but you should have already known that.
The story itself is basically a re-telling of the original storyline, but twisted into my way. While at the beginning there seem to be only few divigances, it will become more with each episode. The people, their motivations and the backgrounds are while holding true to the basic layout, changed at my imagination in many details, so canon-purists now are allowed to flame me.
NOTE: I hate both, the ending of the TV series, and how End of Evangelion turned out. So don't expect any of those outcomes.
This will be Shinji/Rei.
For all the work I put into this, I would like to get reviews. I will always try to respond to every review I get.
Note that this is the REVIVAL-Edition. Compared to the original from 2010, significant changes have been made, though the basic story is still the same. More about that at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 20: The Spy who loves me
"Ashinoko Lake IV. I really hope that there won't be any more artificial lakes near Tokyo-3. After the latest Angel, the last thing we need are even more big holes," Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki commented when looking down onto the latest addition to the new sea-area around Tokyo-3, created by death of the Angel Iruel.
Angels blowing up with incredible power were bound to leave behind huge holes. So far, four Angels had deemed it a good idea to blow up that way - thankfully only one of them inside the city itself, otherwise there would have been nothing left of it, and they had been lucky during the first attack, with the power of the explosion directed upwards due to Unit-01's AT-field and thus not damaging the city. These big holes had filled with water, creating artificial lakes.
Right now he and Gendo were returning from their inspection of the newly installed defense batteries. Not that they would be of any real use in battle against an Angel, but they gave the population a sense of security. Thus they did have a use, since a ghost town Tokyo-3 was the last they needed right now. The new Ashinoko Lake mentioned was directly beneath the helicopter.
The Vice-Commander then remembered something. "Oh... before I forget it. Chairman Keel himself deemed in necessary to personally ask me yesterday about our various projects and the progress on the dummy plug. He seemed very impatient and suspecting something. Guess they want to hear the news from other sources as well."
"Of course he will hear nothing different... The dummy plug project has a good start, so he has no reason to worry. The only thing that is curious is, how they have managed to compensate the loss of Adam." Gendo was indifferent to the whole matter. "Why do they even ask, since we know who their spy is."
"Yes, but Mr. Kaji won't find anything important, so it's a lost cause for them anyway. However, he is too useful to simply send him away as well," Fuyutsuki reminded Gendo.
"Exactly. Should he come too close to our new plan, regardless how slim this possibility is, we can still eliminate him and SEELE can't pin the blame on us," Gendo concluded, while the helicopter was advancing on Tokyo-3.
...Kyoto, at the same time...
It was a shabby building, barely better than an oversized storage shed, built of wooden planks. Standard storage house construction inside a residential area, address of a 'big' company of the Marduk Institute and completely empty apart from some junk and a never-connected telephone that looked as if it had come straight out of the 70s. If not for the fact that the address was on his list, he would have never even thought about coming here.
Ryoji had already made that experience several times before during his search, and this company obviously was another mailbox-dummy with nothing behind it. Someone had been very good at leaving behind no traces at all. This clearly was another of these dead ends, of which he was finding way too many recently.
"Nothing started here fifteen years ago, and I'm in turn starting to have a suspicion what's really going on..." he said to himself when looking around the vast, empty space.
His investigations about the Marduk Institute had been very interesting so far. Clearly SEELE was involved, showing that despite working for them, he hadn't been told everything. Actually, he knew only some of the truths, but others eluded him, yet he had a clearer picture than many others. His true employers had also stepped up their own secret investigation after he had shown them that there clearly was something wrong with the whole thing.
Well, here goes nothing...
He wanted to leave when he heard something outside the front door, which was partly opened from the outside seconds later, a thin ray of light invading the empty warehouse.
Taking hold of his revolver, he quickly positioned himself beside the door. Had he attracted the attention of the ones who wanted to keep this a secret? Or was it just a burglar hoping for a quick Yen? If the former, he would have to use lethal force. If the latter, a severe beating would be enough.
"It's me."
Hearing the voice of his contact person, Kaji relaxed. It was genius. Who would suspect a woman in her forties, who looked like a normal housewife, could work for the ones he was working for? "Sorry, thought it was the other side," Kaji apologized, opening the door a little more in order to see the woman feeding some cats. "Guess you want to tell me the results of the search?"
"That as well.. Could you believe that this is Shannon Bio Inc., a foreign chemicals company? Looks like this for over nine years now, ever since the company got registered. Our own investigation besides your efforts was quite enlightening. Together with the others you've looked at, 106 of the 108 companies forming the supporting network of the Marduk Institute are dummy companies."
"And this here is number 107... Meaning that only the Institute company itself, the last one, is actually real. I think we can both guess now who is directing the Institute, and that they actually don't search for pilots at all. I think they already know exactly who the potential pilots are," Ryoji concluded. It seemed SEELE and NERV did have more secrets than he had guessed at first.
"Yes, our investigation into this was very interesting. There's more behind Tokyo-3 than it seems at first," the woman added. "Your decision to help us can't be valued high enough, otherwise we would still be mostly helpless against them and whatever they are planning," the woman told him.
"Yes, but by now I've gotten hints that both sides are planning different things. Ikari seems to have plans of his own, while SEELE seems to have some sort of great stratagem in the works. Even the loss of Adam hasn't slowed that down. Any news on that front?" Kaji asked.
The woman shook her head. "Nothing. My superiors are very concerned that this terrible weapon has fallen into unknown hands. But we are still working hard to find leads directing us to the responsible party. Whoever they are, they are an unknown factor in this shady game."
Kaji actually hoped this as well. Adam in the wrong hands could be very devastating. "Good... But there is also something else NERV is hiding. I'm still working on it, but I can hopefully find some answers very shortly, no longer than a few days."
"Ah yes, the secret of Terminal Dogma..." the woman realized.
"Trust me, there is dirt down there, and I will dig it up. Ikari is very insistent on keeping secret whatever is down there. It must be important," Ryoji said confidently.
However, before that he would have to attend a wedding tomorrow - the final one in a string of weddings. He didn't want to disappoint Misato and it wasn't that often that he, Misato and Ritsuko did had a nice evening together, discounting that this was not the first wedding they would attend as guests. Even the repetition didn't make it any less relaxing.
It actually felt like the old times, when they did all kind of stuff together.
Hopefully, Misato would also understand his line of work once he would tell her. He knew he needed allies in NERV very soon if he wanted to be successful in his mission, and Misato was the best one to approach first. He knew she was, despite some of her faults, a very honest woman at heart. Once she knew what was at stake, he knew she would help him.
He really hoped that would be the case.
...later that day, inside NERV...
Everything was normal on that Saturday during the regular synch-tests. As usual, the children tried to think of something to get over the time during the boring test, knowing that their minds would do the work on their own.
Dr. Akagi looked at the numbers. All of the pilots had become better, with exception of Asuka, who had probably reached her maximum synch-rate by now and held her limit. 76 to 78 percent seemed to be the best she could do and Shinji now was only two points behind her.
"You know what you''re going to wear tomorrow?" Ritsuko asked Misato while going through the raw data as if it was a well-written book.
Misato looked up from her clipboard, knowing that her friend was referring to the wedding on Sunday. "Well, the pink dress I've worn at Kiyomi's wedding, and the dark blue one at Kotoko's. Doesn't leave much of a selection for me."
"Why not the orange one? It looked good on you a year ago," Ritsuko suggested.
"Yeah, but there's a reason why I can't wear it..." Misto knew where this would again lead to. Don't say it...
"Guess it became too small a fit for you," Ritsuko realized with a slight smirk. It seemed that Shinji's cooking was having an unintended side-effect on Misato.
"Thanks for reminding me..." Misato growled. She swore, if anyone actually told her she had gained weight on her hips... Dropping her angry expression after some seconds, she sighed. "Looks like I have to buy a new dress. That and the presents are costing me a fortune. Everyone wants to get married before they turn 30! The third wedding this week!"
"Not my fault that you are broke this often... But, yeah, seems the old crowd wants to get before the altar and that we are the only ones being left behind. I don't care... Although judging by my observations, you maybe still get hitched before you turn 30 next year..." Ritsuko noted.
"Don't joke about that. Ryoji and me might be on good terms now, but we still don't know if we can again be THAT close. I also doubt he is the type of man who strives for house, garden and kids," Misato reminded Ritsuko. Although after seeing how much to the better he had changed, the thought was tempting. She then remembered what she still had to do today. "-groan- I still have to go through paperwork... Oh, and Ritsu, better don't ask Shinji about tomorrow. Later."
Ritsuko heard Misato leaving, not looking up from her work.
She knew what tomorrow was, and this year could be quite explosive for the Commander. But setting this thought aside, she felt a frustration growing inside herself. She had tried a number of things to get out what the big secret with Unit-00 was, but got nothing. It was as if someone found a perverse pleasure at making her look like a fool by sending her on a wild goose chase.
However, she wouldn't give up. There still were other ways to get closer to whatever it was.
Telling the children that they were done for today, she retreated into the seclusion of her office. She did have more leads to check after all.
Twenty minutes later Shinji was waiting for Rei to come out of the locker room. It was a bit funny that Toji was needing longer than the girls to get done, but he wanted to look his best. Sakura was getting her cast removed and he wanted to look got for the photo. Shinji sincerely doubted that his friend would look any different than usual, but wouldn't say so.
Waiting, Shinji knew Rei was always first to come out, her knack for efficiency making her far less prone to the female habit of needing so damn long in the locker room. His prediction was proven right when Rei walked out of the door less than a minute later, without Asuka or Hikari in sight.
"Hello, Rei," he greeted her,. He was a little nervous, since the favor he was about to ask her was quite serious and he hoped she would agree.
"Shinji." By now Rei had experienced enough of Shinji's behavior that she knew he wanted to tell her something important. Thus she waited to hear what he wanted to ask her.
Shinji knew that her silence meant a 'go on'. "Rei, do you have anything planned for tomorrow?" he asked her, hoping she was free.
Rei thought about it. Her regular memory dump had been the previous Sunday, therefore tomorrow she actually had nothing to do at all. "No, I do not have any plans for tomorrow. Why do you ask?"
"Rei, tomorrow is the day on which my mother passed away... I want to visit her grave near Tokyo-2, and... I want to ask you: do you want to come with me? I want to introduce you to her," Shinji told her, his voice a little unsteady.
Rei needed some moments to actually realize the significance of what Shinji was asking her for. She had read a book about Shinto, the still most widespread religion in Japan, since she had been told it would be good to help her understand people. In it she had read that a offer to accompany someone to an ancestor's grave is only given to someone really, really close outside of the family.
He thinks of me as this close... Rei realized.
Rei felt her heart starting to beat faster when the deeper meaning of this offer sank in, because he also wanted to 'introduce' her to his deceased mother, meaning he was seeking his mother's blessing for... for someone he felt deeply for. Despite her knowing she was his girlfriend, every new bit of evidence of how much he felt for her warmed her anew.
He does care much for me; he has said and proven so quite often. But... I actually feel that I want more than just that... "I shall come with you. You make me feel special that you want me along," Rei finally said. Uncharacteristically, she had to kill the train of her thoughts before it would come to certain ideas she deemed unsuitable for the moment.
"I... thank you, Rei, but I want to warn you that my father will be there as well... I fear this year it could be ugly and I hope you won't have to witness a scene..." Shinji warned Rei.
Rei by now knew Shinji's opinion about the Commander quite clearly and she had also witnessed the few times these two did meet, which resulted in icy glares from both sides. There was no love lost between these two. Interestingly, the more her feelings Shinji had grown, the more she in turn had started to dislike the Commander as a person. Granted, he was good at his job and she would still follow through with his plans if he ordered her to, but the way she would confide in him like she did a year ago, that was ultimately gone.
"I will be there. Do not doubt that." In order to prove her being serious about it, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Shinji's nervousness finally dissolved. Taking Rei by the hand, both of them went to elevator to leave for home.
Asuka and Hikari, having come out of the locker room sometime during the dialogue, walked closely behind them until the elevator doors closed an they had to wait for the next one. Hikari had witnessed this with a smile, Asuka however with a frown. Hikari realized pretty fast that seeing this had started to make Asuka's mood go into the negative area. Thankfully, she wanted to ask her something anyway.
"Asuka, do you have anything planned tomorrow?" Hikari asked her friend.
"Sadly, no. I wish there would be anything for me to do in this city..." Asuka complained. Tokyo-3 might be a well-planned city, but for her tastes it was a little too boring. No competition for Berlin, Frankfurt or Hamburg.
"Great! Could you do me a big favor?" Hikari then whispered something into Asuka's ear. No need for security to hear that.
"You want me to go on a date?" Asuka asked skeptically.
Hikari should have expected this reaction. Thankfully, she by now she knew what kind of men Asuka preferred. "He is a friend of Kodama, my big sister. He heard of you and asked me to help him get a date with you. He's a student at the university, studying medicine, and nothing like these school boys. Please, can you do it?"
Asuka thought about it. Älter bedeutet, dass er wohl schon ein Mann ist, und Universität heißt wohl, dass er Intelligenz besitzt. Vielleicht ist er einen Versuch wert. Ich kann ihn ja immer noch loswerden, wenn er nicht meinen Anforderungen entspricht. [Older means he's most likely a man already, and university means he must be smart. Maybe he's worth a shot. I can still ditch him should he not live up to my expectations.]
She decided that it couldn't hurt to test it out. She was already bored enough in this city and it also meant to get away from the happy pair of Shinji and Rei for some time. "Alright, I'll do it. But tell him that he should better mean it serious."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure," Hikari said in relief. She then saw Toji approach from the direction of the locker room, looking no different than usual. "You are ready to go?"
"No time like the present. Is your sister still coming as well?" Toji asked, remembering what Hikari had told him.
"You know that Sakura and her have become good friends. Of course she wants to be present," Hikari said, then noticed the questioning look from Asuka. "Oh, Toji's sister is getting her cast removed today. She really wants me and my little sister being present as well."
Asuka nodded before turning to enter the elevator. She had no idea how it would be to have siblings, being an only child.
o
"Big brother, you are embarrassing me!" Sakura said with a blush due to her brother's antics, but he obviously didn't care at all how this looked.
Everything had went without problem in the hospital and she was finally rid of the cast and the crutches, simply happy how she could again walk around on her own. Of course there then also was when two of the nurses waited for her at the exit to give her flowers as a gift for her being now healthy again. She'd already been embarrassed that her father had photographed this moment, commenting happy moments should be preserved.
Even worse, he did this in front of witnesses! While she didn't mind Hikari and her brother, Nozomi had giggled the entire time, not helping with her embarrassment. Of course it was then when Toji started his antics, not only looking happy for her, but actually hugging her as well while their father was making another photo.
"Daddy, please! I don't need to get reminded of this for years to come!" Sakura protested while holding her flowers close.
"Oh, you couldn't be more wrong," Mr. Suzhara told her with a smile. "I see it as a reminder how much your brother cares for you."
Looking to Hikari and Nozomi, Sakura saw she would get no help from that front, either. Hikari actually was smiling, clearly finding Toji doting on her simply adorable. It seemed that she approved of her boyfriend heaping happiness onto his sister. Nozomi was still giggling, clearly finding this incredibly funny. Sakura had a good idea that her friend would spread this around school in no time.
Letting out a sigh, Sakura surrendered to the inevitable. While it was nice to have a loving family, right now she wished she could vanish.
...Misato's apartment, evening...
Asuka sat bored in front of the TV, munching potato chips while watching some sort of lame soap opera. She had learned to detest the Japanese TV program. In her opinion it mostly was trash or totally devoid of humor, making her wonder how it could be seen as something good in the first place. However, there was nothing else on right now. Even Pen-Pen looked bored to tears, making her again wonder what kind of penguin he actually was.
At least Shinji was quiet, sitting at the kitchen table while typing on his laptop. That's the way she wanted him to be: staying away from her and minding his own business, with no Wondergirl anywhere nearby as a bonus, as she had already went to bed.
Thinking of tomorrow, she tried to decide what to wear. Maybe she would really thank Hikari for giving her a date with a real man. If not, she wouldn't even mention it. Mal überlegen... Ich habe das Grüne eine Weile nicht mehr getragen. Japp, das sollte es tun. [Let's see...I haven't worn the green one for some time. Yep, that will do nicely.]
"I'm back!"
"Hello, Misato," she greeted her guardian halfheartedly. Seeing her with a shopping bag already was answer enough to where she had been, since she knew Misato was probably invited to yet another wedding. "I hope you didn't have to take a loan in order to buy that."
"Very funny... Remember, you told me you do have a date tomorrow, so better go to bed," Misato reminded her, wondering why everyone did have to make jokes about her finances.
"Yeah, with a medical student... Hope he lives up to his supposed intellect." Asuka then remembered something she wanted to ask Misato. "Oh, Misato, can I use your lavender perfume for tomorrow?"
Misato knew Asuka wanted to appear older than she was, but no chance she would get her hands on her expensive lavender perfume! "No! That stuff is nothing for kids."
"You're just stingy!" Asuka complained, disappointed. "And don't call me a kid! That's insulting!"
Misato wanted to retort, but then saw Shinji walking out of the kitchen with closed laptop under his arm. "Geez, as soon as you're home, Asuka at once goes into full brawl mode."
If that did something, it was to make Asuka angry. "What? You little..."
Shinji knew by now that Asuka was so easy to anger, that it didn't matter if he tried to be nice or not. She would get pissed off at him anyway, since she disliked him. While she might have a big mouth however, he by now knew that there still was distance to go before she would actually get violent. "Call me what you want, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is important for me and I don't want to oversleep, or I risk missing the train to Tokyo-2."
Asuka watched Shinji disappear into his room. Wie kann er es nur wagen, mich so abzubürsten!? [How dare he to simply brush me off like this!?]"DU ELENDER TROTTEL! HÖRST DU MICH!? DAS WIRST DU MIR BÜßEN!"
"Asuka! Be quiet, or the neighbors are going to want your head," Misato warned her.
This made Asuka sulk. First Shinji-baka insulted her and now Misato told her to shut up. It seemed to her as if right now was tell-Asuka-down-day, and that pissed her off to no end. "Don't think I will let this sit on me!" she hissed to Misato, her mood now ruined, before storming into her room and slamming the sliding door shut.
It was times like these where Misato wished she could still drink herself into oblivion. "What have I done to deserve this madhouse?"
...Tokyo-2 graveyard, next day...
It was a bright and peaceful day at the big graveyard of Tokyo-2, not a single cloud hiding the beauty of the day in this somber place. The wonderfully warm weather managed to give a lighter note even to even this depressing place.
One of the grave markers read "Yui Ikari 1977-2004". It was an empty grave, since her body had been totally destroyed in the incident that was said to have taken her life, thus it mainly was for symbolism. Shinji had never found anything wrong with visiting it anyway, since even if it just was a marker, it still connected him to her.
It was where Shinji was kneeling right at the moment while telling his mother about Rei. He knew she couldn't actually hear him, but he felt she at least deserved to be held in memory, thus it was symbolical that he told her everything about Rei to seek her approval. It was only good what he could tell her about Rei, and how much he felt for her. Every mother would want her son to date such a nice girl.
It seemed Rei had realized this, too.
Standing beside Shinji, wearing a dark dress Hikari had picked for her some time ago, she felt that she was blushing stronger than ever before in her entire life. No kind of embarrassment had made her blush this strongly. It were all these nice things Shinji was telling his mother about her. He'd told her what a wonderful girl she is, being very nice and understanding. How she has a pure heart and strong spirit. How much he did like her. That and more. Much more.
It was a show of how deep his feelings for her were by now and made her feel very warm around her heart. It made her feel loved.
But the moment was interrupted when Shinji was almost done with telling his mother everything about Rei. An alien shadow fell on theirs. Looking to behind themselves, they saw Gendo Ikari standing there, his body language and eyes devoid of emotion. Even now, visiting the grave of his wife, the only thing he was radiating was coldness and being distant to every around him.
What is she doing here? Gendo wondered when noticing Rei.
By now he had temporarily accepted the closeness of Shinji and Rei, since there was nothing that could be nothing done about that for the moment. However, Shinji had always come to this grave alone, so why this change?
Additionally, the changes in Rei were now even more obvious than ever. With her hair grown long, her wearing a nice dress and her blush covering her face, she no longer looked anything like the tool he'd had at his disposal a year ago. He felt like he had lost control in that regard when being confronted with the result of Shinji's influence.
Rei for her part stayed silent, having no idea how to react to this situation. Shinji on the other hand felt the same emotions he felt every year, being angry that his old man, who had turned out to be a bastard deluxe, still dared to come here. His mother's memory didn't deserve to be darkened by his presence. He had ignored him all these years, but he wouldn't do so this year.
"You have a lot of nerve, coming here after all you did to spit on her memory," Shinji said slowly. "Why do you even bother?"
Gendo had expected this. The sparse contact they'd had because of NERV business had been enough to make his son even more set against him. "My motives are none of your concern. You wouldn't understand them anyway."
"Bullshit, I bet this is just something you do out of habit, nothing more. I would say nastier things, but since you are, much to my loathing, my boss, I don't want to risk getting fired under some petty pretext. I know that she, wherever she is now, will never forgive you."
"What you think about me doesn't interest me. Also, you aren't qualified to know what Yui would think. I knew her and you didn't," Gendo said coldly.
"I have no idea what she saw in you... She would be ashamed to see you right now." Shinji then looked to Rei, no longer wanting to give his father any of his attention. "Rei, we still have the whole day before us. Do you want to come with me to Tokyo-2?"
Rei had witnessed the confrontation, and a part of her felt sad that these two had drifted apart this much. However, setting these thoughts aside, she decided she would take up this offer. She hadn't been anywhere important outside of Tokyo-3 for her entire life and her curiosity had been awakened. "I would... like that, Shinji."
Gendo watched them leave, hand-in-hand.
This has gone totally out of control... And whenever they get close, I see her face... He looked down to the grave, where fresh flowers had been set down. "You are wrong, son. Yui will forgive me. She knows that I did all this just for her."
Gendo disliked this place, since he knew exactly were Yui really was, but it was part of the ritual to keep up appearances - and perhaps his sanity. Yui would understand... After all she had always understood why he had done things... At least that was what he was telling himself to keep himself going on.
"Soon... Very soon we will be together again."
Looking to where his son and Rei were leaving the cemetery gate, Gendo couldn't help but to see that Shinji had reacted exactly as anticipated. No one knew that after their disastrous first meeting, he had managed to gain a copy of Shinji's file from his psychologist through quite illegal channels by bribing the man's assistant, in order to be able to predict his son better.
Sadly, Shinji was far from the psychologically crippled boy they had expected. Therapy and his uncle had done wonders on him.
However, there was one point the psychologist had stressed in the file - a point that actually could be used to Gendo's advantage. It seemed that Shinji being so utterly hostile also was a sort of defense mechanism. Shinji deep inside still feared him - more precisely, being victimized by him. It was not much, but in the right situation, this was the lever he could use to finally break his son's defiance against him.
Don't think you are so above it, Gendo thought, feeling Shinji needed to be taught a lesson soon after all his meddling.
Waiting for his airlift to Tokyo-3, Gendo planned ahead for the next steps. There were six Angels left that had to be eliminated before the path would be free. Then he would put though his new plan before SEELE could do whatever they had planned.
He WOULD be with her again.
Nothing would stop him... Nothing.
o
Two hours later , Shinji and Rei were walking through Tokyo-2.
Rei didn't say much, still being surprised how much more alive this city was - compared to Tokyo-3, it was huge and busting with life. No wonder, since it was the capital of Japan after old Tokyo had perished during Second Impact.
Shinji pointed out landmarks to her, like the T-Tower, which had been built to look exactly like the destroyed Tokyo Tower, or the new palace of the Tenno. Also, the city felt very different to her. Tokyo-3 was built on a single master-plan, and the city always screamed this very fact, feeling very artificial even to her. This city however felt very different - like a living organism - despite it having been built after the Second Impact as well. Its growth felt much more organic and natural - as it should be.
"Well, Rei, what do you think of this city?" Shinji asked her, his good mood back after the confrontation two hours ago.
This shook her out of her thoughts. This was another trait she had developed recently: she no longer was 100 percent attentive to her surroundings and could get distracted. "It is different. The city itself and its inhabitants are different from Tokyo-3. It... feels... more alive to me," she answered honestly. The abstract feeling of the difference was hard to describe for her.
"Hard to imagine that the city is only barely 15 years old, right? It actually always made me wonder why the city of tomorrow, Tokyo-3, is so much colder in atmosphere than my home of so many years, despite both of them being so young," Shinji remarked.
"It could be because Tokyo-3 is specifically built as a fortress city," Rei suggested.
Shinji had to admit that it could be that. Tokyo-3 was built on functionality, while Tokyo-2 was built for people living in it. "Well, regardless what it is, it's enough for me that you like it here." He got one of her angelic smiles as an answer and that was enough for him. "I would've loved to also introduce you to my uncle, but he lives at the other end of the city and it's not connected by public transportation. Next time I should tell him in advance..."
Rei knew that Shinji's uncle Kaldor, who had raised him, really had to be a nice man after all the good things she had heard from Shinji about him. "After all you told me about him, he must be an interesting man."
"Trust me, he is... Oh!" Looking at his wristwatch, he saw that it already was past 1 PM. "I've had no idea that it already is almost after lunch hour... Ooof!"
Shinji was interrupted when someone ran into him, knocking him down to the ground. Looking up, he saw a man in his late thirties, wearing shirt and jeans and his black hair being bound into a ponytail, standing in front of him beside a woman with black, barely shoulder-length hair.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't see you! I..." Shinji wondered why the man had stopped. He seemed to look at him for some seconds, then he showed recognition. "I never forget a face. It looks like my advice did you good," he suddenly said while helping Shinji up.
Looking closer, Shinji only now recognized the man. He had almost forgotten him by now. The jogger he had met in the park all these months ago; the one who had helped him when he'd had no clue how to react to his feelings for Rei. The man whose name he'd never learned. It seemed fate had some strange ideas at times.
"Now I recognize you! You are the jogger whom I met in the Tokyo-3 park some months ago," Shinji said. It was really strange that he did meet this man again. "I must thank you. Your advice helped me and my friend to overcome our problems, Mr... Mr..."
"Oh, stupid me! I'm Ranma Saotome, and this picture of beauty here is my wife, Akane," the man introduced himself and his wife.
"You are quite the flatterer, baka, I'm no Amazon and I'm not too proud to admit that I'm getting older. But that's why I love you," the woman, Akane, said with a smile.
Shinji wondered a little what this comment about Amazons was about, but then he remembered his manners. "I'm Shinji Ikari, and this nice girl with me is Rei Ayanami, my girlfriend."
"Hello," Rei greeted them. She didn't have any idea yet, how to react to these strangers.
"Nice to meet you, Ayanami. Say, do you have any ancestors that came from China?" Mrs. Saotome asked, giving the girl's hair a puzzling look.
Rei wondered about that strange question. What had China to do with her hair? However, she knew that only Japanese women were used in her genetical mix and that her blue hair was a genetic glitch caused by the Angel DNA spliced into the mix. "No, my lineage does not come from China," she said honestly.
"Oh, I thought..." she was interrupted by a loud growl from her husband's stomach. "Guess that beast needs to be fed."
"We wanted to get our lunch anyway. Do you know any good places that also offer vegetarian stuff?" Shinji asked. He felt these two had quite a story to tell and he really wanted to hear that now, having become curious due to their strange behavior.
Ranma smiled, clearly already knowing the answer. "In fact, I do. It's close and one of my friends owns it."
Twenty minutes later they were in a nice okonomiyaki restaurant, enjoying their lunch while starting to get each other known better. For the fact they were total strangers to each other, they got along quite well. It seemed the Saotomes were people you couldn't help but to like. had never thought that an okonomiyaki place could also offer vegetarian okonomiyaki, but judging by Rei's eagerness to eat it, she did really like it, as this already was her second helping.
The restaurant was owned and run by a brown-haired woman and her husband that Mr. Saotome had introduced as friends of the family. Shinji and Rei both knew they couldn't say what they were actually doing for a living when it came to talking about themselves, but they at least didn't have to lie, either. Thus they simply said they still went to school in Tokyo-3.
In return however, they learned quite a bit about the Saotomes and the Kuonjis, the owners of the restaurant. The Saotomes did have three children, two sons and one daughter, while the Kuonjis did have only one daughter. They mentioned that right now, Ranma's mother was with them since she really adored her grandchildren. They owned a martial arts dojo and made good money with it. It got interesting when Mr. Saotome mentioned that life got boring after Second Impact.
"Ranma, it got old by then! I was about to have a crisis when this crap continued to happen! Being pregnant and having to see some weird-o challenging you every week got on my nerves. I'm glad that our lives calmed down after that disaster, as strange as it sounds," Akane scolded her husband.
"Excuse me, I've heard that before already. What is that about life getting boring for you after the Impact?" Shinji asked, curious about the answer.
"You know, in our youth we managed to gather quite a number of enemies, rivals, jealous and envious people or some that are simply annoying. Our lives were pretty chaotic. Then came the Impact and it literally destroyed all these people and steered our lives into normal waters. Most of the regular ones were in Tokyo, already planning how to make our lives hell, when it happened... I discovered their remains later..."
Ranma remembered all that too well. Tokyo had been mostly demolished on that day, but thankfully all his loved ones had survived. On the other hand, all that had something against him, his enemies, were gone. He had been told at a later date that a certain province in China had been obliterated by a big fragment that had been hurled away from exploding Antarctica, leaving behind a huge carter lake where a valley had been. It was almost, as if after all the shit he had to endure in his life, fate decided to do him a favor in the midst of disaster, a sort of sick compensation, by wiping all all the headaches in one go.
Shinji felt that they had left out some things, but maybe it was too private to talk about it to people they had just met. "Thank all Gods that I don't have so many enemies. The only one I actually hate is my old man..."
"I think I better won't ask, why. Your bitterness alone tells me that this is forbidden ground," Akane remarked. Not even her husband had been so frosty about his own father, despite his father being a total idiot.
Rei looked up after finishing her second helping, remembering the strange question about her hair. "Why did you inquire if my ancestors came from China?" she asked them. Maybe there was a logical explanation behind it?
"It's because of your unusual hair color. I knew people from China who've had the most unusual hair colors. However, they were all killed during the Impact. It simply made me wonder," Mr. Saotome clarified.
"Ah," was all Rei could say.
It was a logical explanation, although it made Rei wonder how a hair color like hers could occur naturally, since hers was a scientific accident and normally the human DNA had no capacity for these colors.
o
Saying good-bye, Shinji and Rei left to see some more of the city before returning to the railway station for the train home. Talking with the adults had become even more interesting when Mrs. Kuonji had went on break, explaining a strange love triangle that had existed between herself and the Saotomes in their youth. After that, Shinji understood much better why Mr. Saotome had given him this specific advice back during their first meeting.
Shinji pocketed the card with the address of the dojo. They had said, should he look for some training, they were the best place to look for it. They had also said that they were welcome to visit, if they wanted to. In these days it wasn't common to see people that were being this open even to people they'd only known for a short time.
They didn't hear the whispered comments about Rei's aura being as bright as a Christmas tree and what this could mean.
"Well, Rei, what do you think of them? I for my part find them really nice, especially if you remember that we are practically strangers to them," Shinji asked Rei, while they walked down the street.
Rei didn't exactly know what to make of the situation that these total strangers had been so nice and open to them. While she had read about it in books, she had also read that this part of the culture had been mostly lost after the Impact. "I agree, but it was unusual. Will you ever take Saotome-san up to his offer?" she asked Shinji, referring to the card.
Shinji thought about it for a second. "Maybe when this mess is over. I... Rei, do you plan to actually stay in Tokyo-3 after this Angel-mess is over? I know I have my friends there, but the city really isn't that great a place to live at."
"I..." She actually had no idea. Her purpose had left it nebulous if she would actually survive the Angel war. But while she hadn't cared before, she now knew there were people who waited for her. She wanted... to live. "I have no idea. I want to be with you, this is all I know for now."
Rei leaned closer to Shinji while they walked down to the city park. They wanted a quite place for now, to enjoy each other a little before they would go back home.
...early evening...
Nearing their apartment building, Shinji had to admit that apart from the confrontation with his father at his mother's grave, the day had been very pleasant. Besides having fun, they had met some really nice people, too. It seemed Rei thought so as well, since she still hadn't let go of his arm.
However, their mutual enjoyment of each other's presence was interrupted when they met Asuka at the entrance door. She looked quite miffed, while still dressed for her date. Shinji knew at the first glance that something had went seriously wrong on her date. "I thought you are on a date? Why are you back this early?"
Asuka was annoyed enough over her so-called date that she even ignored Rei's presence. "That student was a total disappointment. Oh, he was quite intelligent, but also the typical nerd. He was boring and treated me like a little kid! He took me to an amusement park! An AMUSEMENT PARK!"
Shinji shook his head at Rei when he saw her being about to say something. Rei understood what he was trying to say: any comment from her would only make Asuka's mood worse. She stayed quiet while Asuka ranted on.
"I can't believe this guy even wanted a date with me! He treated me like an especially clever pet and was totally patronizing. I ditched him at one of the rides. That's the last time I allow Hikari to pick a date for me!" Now that this was all said, her anger had spent itself. "Why the hell am I even telling you all this?"
"Guess you had to get that out," Shinji remarked. No need to make her angrier than she already was.
"Don't even bother looking for me. I have a more important date right now: with my bed!" That said, she stomped away, obviously still having frustration in her system.
"Pilot Soryu seems to be very... unhappy with how her day has turned out," Rei remarked after Asuka had left them alone at the entrance.
"That's an understatement. You know, the worst about this little fiasco is, that we have to endure her bad mood tomorrow," Shinji groaned.
Nothing was worse in school than Asuka with a really bad mood. When some boy from the grade above theirs had speculated a little too loud during her last really bad mood period that she might be PMSing, she had threatened in front of most of the school to tie him to a streetlight with a rather personal body part. No one had badmouthed her in her presence ever since.
Thinking about it, Shinji didn't even want to know how irritated Asuka could become during that. They'd lucked out until now that no one had pissed her off during that time of the month - even the Angels had followed that rule. Sometimes Shinji felt it unfair that Asuka was the exception to the rule that the pilots get along quite well. At times it felt like divine punishment.
"I wonder how Misato is doing right now..."
o
Misato was actually doing quite well.
The wedding had again been quite a nice celebration, and it was always good to meet old friends. Ritsuko had been able to relax a little from her apparent work-related stress and Misato had enjoyed a really good time with Ryoji Kaji, especially during the dance. She had been quite embarrassed when it was actually her who had caught the bouquet, the legend stating that the woman who caught it would marry next. This had gotten her and Ryoji quite some amused looks by the ones who were able to decipher the signs.
Right now they were sitting in a bar overlooking the big lake of Tokyo-3, with the city sitting brightly lit like a beautiful monument at the other end. Misato felt somewhat stupid that while Ritsuko and Kaji did have something alcoholic, she got a mineral water. But she simply hadn't any tolerance for alcohol anymore, although Ryoji said that it was a good thing.
Feeling all these non-alcoholic drinks now wanting to get out the natural way, she excused herself before walking into the ladies' room.
"You know, ever since you two got onto good terms again, she seems to be happier. Would have never thought this could happen after the way how you two parted ways," Ritsuko commented after Misato had vanished behind the door. "Both of you have changed."
"I know. I would have never pictured her in high heels back then. Thinking about it, we're actually getting along much better than in the past, of course apart from the one obvious thing..." Kaji knew he shouldn't have said this when seeing Ritsuko smirking. "It seems much more serious now than it had been back in our college days."
Ritsuko remembered how immature for their age both Misato and Ryoji had been back then. "You know, while she seemed embarrassed when she caught that bouquet, I saw that dreamy look she had for some seconds. Guess she imagined herself in a wedding dress..."
"Ahhh... You know the whole macho act had really cost me far too much strength. Being my sarcastic, wonderful self is really helping me... And who knows, maybe Misato and me can actually get there after this mess is over," Kaji remarked.
"Yes, but at first you have to survive." Ritsuko's voice dropped when she said this, her expression becoming serious.
"What are you talking about?" he asked her innocently.
"Don't try to fool me. I know you work for our true employers, snooping around for them. I give you a good advice: stop doing that, otherwise you won't have much time left to enjoy with Misato. That's a dangerous thing that you do," Ritsuko warned him. She knew SEELE was employing him to spy on them.
"Ritsu... Ritsu... Don't you think I don't know that? Trust me, neither them nor the Commander will gain anything from it, apart from my amusement that they both do have the same plan..." Kaji stopped when he saw Misato returning. "Guess you also re-applied your lipstick."
"There are some things you better don't know about us women..." Misato remarked while returning to the seat beside Ryoji.
"Well, you two have fun. I need to bail out now. Got a lot of work tomorrow and I can't do it half-asleep," Ritsuko said, feeling that she should really leave these two alone. They needed some alone-time.
"You only live for your work," Misato complained. Ritsuko had always been like that. No wonder she had never found a boyfriend.
Ritsuko shrugged. "Hey, you like men, I like my work. Everyone has something that makes them happy." Ritsuko then left the bar after paying her debt. She hoped Kaji would heed her advice. Misato deserved that he wouldn't try to get killed because of his double-job. She might not like SEELE spying on them, but at least it was the evil they knew.
...later at the evening...
It was a wonderful night; the Moon sat bright-white in the dark sky and the stars created a beautiful canvas while Misato and Ryoji walked back to Tokyo-3 via the path at the shore of the lake. Sure, it would have been faster to use the train, but they liked it this way. Leaving shortly after Ritsuko, they could enjoy this clear night. It was strangely romantic
They had almost reached the city when Kaji broke the silence.
"It really is a beautiful night to walk under the full Moon," Ryoji remarked. Despite him knowing how cheesy that sounded, he felt that it did fit.
Misato couldn't help but to find this nice, despite how cheesy it sounded. "I wouldn't have dreamed that I would ever enjoy a stroll under the Moon together with you..."
Ryoji didn't miss how she leaned closer at him. "Times are really changing."
"Not the times, it's both of us who have changed... But only now, after seeing how much you have changed, I can see that you have become a different man. I really like this man that you are now," Misato remarked. Going out with him had been a real eye-opener. The Kaji of old would have been quite different.
"Really, how do you think I've changed?" Kaji asked her, curious.
"You are much more serious now. Back then you took nothing serious, and now you know exactly when you need to be. I really like it... Also, you are now acting much more responsible and mature, and yet you can be so nice..." Misato didn't notice the dreamy look she had.
"Thanks... I know. I finally had to grow up. Despite what others say, it's not necessarily the end," Ryoji said, feeling very flattered.
"And good it did... You really gave me a kick into the butt in that elevator when I needed it the most; made me stop trying to run away and instead finally face the truth," Misato admitted. "I would still be running away from the truth if not for you."
"Thanks, but I must thank you, too. I would have continued to use my macho image if you wouldn't have told me it's shit..." Ryoji then seemed to think about something. "But you are right, you have changed, too, besides finally admitting the truth to yourself. You were like me, living into the day. Looking at you now it seems you were finally forced to adapt to life. That, and you no longer drown yourself in alcohol. No offense, but even back then your consumption rate was disgusting."
"You can thank Shinji for getting me dry. I now feel much better without it. -sigh- I still have some issues, but I by now feel much more confident to shoulder them..." Stopping, she looked over the lake. "Ryoji, I've thought about us. Before today I was a bit unsure, but seeing the man you've become, I really want us to start getting closer again. Closer than we are right now."
Kaji knew what she meant with this. "Does this mean you want me back into your life? Completely? As your boyfriend and later more?"
"Yes, but you need to give me some time... before that." Misato knew Ryoji understood what 'that' meant. "It's been years since I last had a boyfriend - I actually haven't had one since you. I need time to get used to it again."
Both of them found it refreshing. Talking without barbs, without smart comments and without anger. They were finally both acting like the adults they were. Unlike what what teenagers might fear about getting older, it now felt so good being an adult.
"Don't worry. I will give you all the time you need..."
"Good... However, there's something I can give you right away," Misato said while inching closer.
Royji acted dumb, although he knew exactly what Misato was about to do. "Oh, really. What is the big surprise then?"
o
Shinji was still busy with going through some papers he had to read for school. He had waited for it until today and now regretted this laziness. Judging by the sounds from Asuka's room, the girl was unable to sleep, still too angry over her botched date. He also wondered what was taking Misato this long. It wasn't like her to be this late, unless something had come up.
At last he heard the apartment door open. "I'm back!" Misato called, walking in together with Ryoji Kaji. Both of them seemed to be in a very good mood.
"Hello, Misato," Shinji greeted her, looked up and stopped when he saw Kaji. "Mr. Kaji, why do you have lipstick in your face?" he wondered aloud.
"Oooops!" Kaji did good to remove this incriminating evidence as fast as possible with a tissue. No need to parade around that he and Misato got back on that track.
That answers the question why they were this late... Shinji was far from naive and had a good idea what this meant. "I can guess what happened. Was it a mutual thing?"
"Of course. What do you take us for?" Misato said, giving Shjinji a look that promised trouble if he voiced what he had imagined as possible.
"Well, it was a wonderful evening, but I better say goodnight now! See you tomorrow at work!" With a smile, Mr. Kaji left.
Shinji didn't want to ask what exactly had happened, not after Misato's threat, but then he noticed that Asuka had come out of her room, obviously having heard everything. She looked to Misato in disgust. "You are really disgusting, Misato, but you obviously already know that yourself." She then slammed her door back shut.
"Shinji?" Misato wondered what had happened to make Asuka this snappy.
Shinji felt that tomorrow would be even worse than he had thought at first. At least there were no tests, so their contact would be limited to school. Still bad enough in his opinion. "You don't want to know... I think it will be enough to say that her date went bad."
"Ah." Misato felt that it would be wiser to keep her distance to Asuka for a while until her anger had exhausted itself.
...the next day, deep inside Terminal Dogma...
"Regardless what kind of secrets you're hiding behind this gate, Ikari, it won't be a secret for much longer..." Ryoji quietly said to himself while hacking through the security lock.
He knew that this top security place at the lowest level of Terminal Dogma was labeled as the LCL production plant, but things didn't add up and SEELE also hadn't told him anything about it. This of course had aroused his interest. Finally, after much work and careful data-theft, he was only seconds away from revealing the big secret. Ikari didn't seem concerned about him snooping around since he obviously assumed he already knew about this place from SEELE.
Finally, the electronic lock showed the clearance. He now only had to swipe his constructed access card through the reader and he would be in. However, right at that moment he felt the muzzle of a gun at the back of his head. He knew right away who it had to be.
"Hello, Misato... Guess you did find out where I suddenly vanished to," he greeted her, unsurprised that she had caught on this fast.
"It wasn't that hard. Who are you spying for? The government?" Misato accused him.
She felt a little hurt that Ryoji hadn't told her anything about it. They had come closer again, and she disliked that he was withholding something from her. She also really didn't want to shoot or arrest him. Her personal and professional sides were in a hard conflict what to do next.
"You puzzled it together totally on your own... You're close, but actually it's them and the UN who share the very reason for using my services, so they co-employ me under a single contract," Ryoji openly admitted; he got no reason to hide it from her any longer.
Misato lowered her gun, her professional side having lost her inner conflict. "You must be stupid. Better stop that, or the Commander will order you killed, or you disappear to never be seen again," Misato warned him.
"I don't think so. Ikari is also using me as a spy and he doesn't know who's really sent me. He thinks it's the ones he works for, not knowing that I'm duping them, too. There is far more behind all this than you know. I wanted to tell you very soon, because I will need your help," Ryoji explained to her.
"What do you want to tell me with that? Why should I help you with betraying NERV?" Misato wondered. "Gods, Ryoji, we haven't patched up things and got close again, only to see you write your own death sentence."
"Don't worry, Misato. I know exactly how far I can go. And as for what I want to tell you... They're holding things back from you. Many things... Things like this." He swiped the card through the reader and the huge gate opened.
Misato gasped when she saw what was behind the gate.
In the middle of a huge room, some of the walls made of metal but otherwise a natural cavern, was a gigantic cross with a huge white creature a bit taller than an EVA being nailed onto it. Or better, a half-creature, since it looked as if having been ripped in half, with its lower body missing entirely. Also, a lance was stuck in its chest and it bled from a wound, its orange blood creating a lake in the cavern, with pipes sucking the blood away. Misato recognized it as pure LCL. Looking at the white-skinned creature, its seven eyes not reacting to the world, she knew it could only be an Angel.
She was reminded of the huge white-glowing giant that had shattered her world so long ago and which still visited her in her nightmares at times. "Ryoji... Is that...?" She had been told what the monster had been named. She had never used the name, since she found it to be a cynicism to name the monster after the biblical first human. "Is that... Adam?"
"No..." Ryoji corrected her. He himself had no idea what this Angel was, but it couldn't be good news. "Adam was stolen from the geofront by an unknown fourth party during the power loss. Whatever this Angel is, it has to be very important for the Commander."
Misato felt her heart almost stop. The beast had been that close to her? "Ryoji... What the hell is going on?"
"Misato, there is far more at stake than you were told. There are secrets... horrible secrets. I know who is pulling the strings, the REAL strings in this mysterious game. I can't force you, but I can offer it to you. I can tell you everything. But remember once I did so, there will be no way back," he reminded her.
Kaji was more serious than he had ever been before. He was really concerned what could happen to Misato once she would be in on the whole thing. The government and UN wouldn't like him telling her, but he would personally vouch for her integrity. And he didn't want to lose her now; not after they had come so far already.
Misato wasn't naive, she knew the world wasn't simply black and white, and she knew that there were certain things about NERV she didn't know. But after what Ryoji already had told her and the Angel in front of her... She felt her loyalty to NERV being in serious decline. She also felt disappointed that Ritsuko had so many serious secrets from her. While she still was a soldier at heart, she felt that the truth had turned out to be much more important than she had guessed at first.
"Let's go... We have to find a place where we can talk," she finally decided. "I want to know everything... My faith in NERV got some ugly scratches. I finally want answers."
Kaji knew, this was the point of no return. She would be as much as him in it from now on, only that he was far more at risk. But he also knew that despite the danger, Misato had decided to follow her sense of justice and it felt good that she had chosen to play in his team.
After all, he didn't any longer have to keep it from her.
to be continued...
Next Chapter: Leliel
Notes
This chapter illustrates nicely how changes started earlier can now have a big impact. I always found it ridiculous that Kaji didn't tell Misato anything, despite showing her Lilith. So I imagined it was a trust problem. Now, in this story Misato and Kaji got closer a lot earlier and are honest about each other. Kaji trusts her, and this is, why he now gives Misato the choice.
The cameo of the Ranma characters is now rather obvious. As I said in the earlier chapter, the one-shot "Impact Day" tells their story nicely.
Not too many things had to be added for the Revival edition in this chapter. The only etensive ones are Sakura leaving the hospital in a new but short scene and Gendo's thoughts in the graveyard are now much longer.