Shinji was having trouble sleeping on that night, every sound was disturbing him causing his eyes to shoot straight open. Every noise from the apartments around him, cars rolling past outside, ticking of clocks all of it would bring any attempt at sleep end immediately. It was only natural he supposed, being shot at would have that effect on a person, although Asuka seemed to have gotten to sleep with no issue.

Shinji was at least thankful of one thing, that Misato had said they could spend the next day off. It meant that when his body did finally give up and go to sleep he wouldn't have to worry about getting up early. That of course was if Misato and Asuka were in the mood to make their own breakfast, which he suspected they probably weren't.

'I'll make them and go straight back to bed. If Misato is here then I probably won't be as scared…'

Shinji had never felt fear like this before. When he was inside the Eva he feared for his life but it was something he felt only when he was inside the Eva, on leaving the feeling was replaced. When he saw his father he was scared again but he could always leave that situation. This was different, there was someone out there who had targeting Shinji and Asuka purposefully and tried to kill them. Something like that had never happened before and Shinji worried that any noise he heard could be them returning to finish the job. What would he do in that situation? He was fourteen, hardly able to fight off an attacker.

'Section Two are protecting us though… they're posted watching all entrances and Misato will be back soon. We're safe.'

He kept on telling himself those facts but it didn't help, every noise kept him awake and the one time he did manage to get close to sleep his body decided he needed to use the bathroom. Shinji turned on his side and looked at Asuka sleeping peacefully, she was lying on her side with her mouth open ever so slightly. He had grown accustomed to seeing her sleeping next to him lately always thinking she looked cute.

'At least one of us can sleep tonight.'

He resisted the urge to reach out and stroke her face not wanting to risk disturbing her. Instead he just lay there with his eyes open peacefully watching the girl he loved, and who had told him she loved him too sleep.

"Can you stop doing that, you're putting me off."

Shinji jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, was she talking in her sleep? Her eyes flicked open and he watched her roll onto her back and sit up, rubbing her eyes.

"Doing what?"

"Watching me trying to sleep, I can't get to sleep."

He could feel his cheeks turning red with her words, he was certain she was asleep.

"Sorry, I thought you were…"

"No of course not, can't sleep."

"I see."

Asuka reached over Shinji to tap the light on the small alarm clock, half three in the morning and there was no sign of sleep anytime soon. She flopped onto her back and lay for a moment her eyes

looking up at the ceiling. Her mind had gone through a lot today, she felt like bridges had started to be built between her and her father and stepmother. Then she had been shot at in the street followed by Shinji confessing his love for her. She was surprised it hadn't had an effect on her, maybe it was the adrenaline of it all still in her body forcing it away and then it'd strike. That's how it had happened on the Sindram, during the battle she had been fine but once it was over and Shinji had won it had struck.

She hoped not, that was the last thing she wanted right now and she hoped that being beside Shinji would help keep it away. There was another thing she was feeling right now, fear.

"Hey Asuka."

"Mm."

"I'm... scared."

"I know."

"Are you?"

Asuka thought about confessing she was scared to him, that it was the fear of what had happened that night keeping her awake.

"A little bit, someone did shoot at us after all."

He went silent for a time, Asuka knew there was something else on his mind. In fact when she thought about it there had been something on his mind from the time they left her parents. She was about to ask him but they were shot at before she had the chance.

"When we piloted, were you ever scared?"

That wasn't the question she had expected from him. She was expecting something about her parents, something about her feelings for him maybe but not a question about piloting. In fact the subject of them piloting had barely been brought up since they returned.

"What sort of question is that?"

"I was just wondering."

She thought about it for a moment. Asuka had to admit there weren't many times whilst piloting she was scared. She knew exactly what her Eva was made out of on the outside so always felt safe inside it and most of the time was confident she was going to win. There were maybe two incidents that she could recall but she decided to question Shinji first. She wasn't going to confess anything like that without knowing his answers first.

"Well… were you?"

"Yes, all the time. Every battle."

"Really? Why?"

"I guess… I don't know, I guess I was afraid of dying in some of them and others I was afraid of disappointing people."

"You mean your father right?"

"I guess, what about you?"

"Well when you're as good as I was you don't really have a reason to be scared."

"Not even once?"

Asuka thought about those two incidents, both of them involved Shinji. She decided to withhold the information just a little bit longer. She was a little bit surprised at his confession, in the battles she had fought with him he had never seemed scared. A little bit nervous but that was just him in most situations.

"So you were even scared when I fought alongside you?"

"A… little bit but not as much as I was the first few times… after I got pulled into the Angel that changed though."

He wouldn't be able to see it but she nodded in agreement, when Shinji got pulled into the Angel known as Leiliel that did seem to mark a turning point for all of them. A descent into something no one had imagined. Her ego was a little bit boosted by hearing that he wasn't as scared when he fought alongside her though, seemed she might have been as good as she said.

"So, what was it like for you in the Eva?"

"It was, at first it was what I wanted it to be. A chance to show off how good I was and show I was the best. Towards the end it was, hell and then it…"

Images of that final battle flashed through her mind, she felt invincible in that battle, not just invincible but free for the first time ever. All the control she had placed on herself had come undone and she was free to be herself knowing that her mother was watching over her. Unfortunately it had ended in pain.

'Forget about that, just tell him the two times. He doesn't need to know that.'

"Okay right, yes there were two times but don't you dare tell anyone any of this.

'How many things am I gonna make him promise to not say?'

"I promise"

"First time was when I got lowered into the Volcano and the cables pulling me up snapped and you have to dive in and rescue me."

Asuka smiled at the memory of that, it was true she had been scared but it was also the first time she had started to realize some of her feelings for Shinji. He had dived in and saved her at great risk to himself, it told her what sort of person he really was.

"Really? I didn't know…"

"Well I was in a volcano, surrounded by lava and sinking into it with nothing to bring me back up. It does seem natural to be a little bit scared don't you think? The second time…"

The second time wasn't quite as happy and it wasn't because of the risk to her. The second time was Leliel and watching Shinji being pulled into the Angel. Around the same time she learned that Shinjis sync ratio had beaten hers, she had said some horrible things about him before it had happened and even some horrible things after it. She said he had gotten what he deserved.

'And yet… he still ended up loving me? I suppose he probably doesn't know about it, or does he and he's just ignoring it? Would he ignore that? Has he forgiven me or something else…?'

"…was when you got pulled into the Angel. I was scared then because we had had a good run with the Angels and then this one came along and it wasn't normal and it took one of us. We weren't able to fight it with our Eva's and they were going to use N2 mines whilst you were inside."

"They were?"

Asuka nodded, "It was Dr. Akagis idea. Misato fought against it and I didn't really say anything. I was scared because of how effortlessly it beat us, I was scared because it made me question my abilities and scared because of how expendable we all seemed to be in NERVs eyes."

'And I was scared because it had taken you...'

"I understand, I was scared when I saw what that Angel did to you as well. I wanted to do something but my f.. he wouldn't let me."

There was a hint of regret in his voice. Asuka remember that day very well, she wished she didn't but it wasn't something that could be forgotten. That Angel had invaded her mind, made he remember all of her past, confront herself and so much more. It wasn't something she wanted to remember at this moment.

"I know, can we not mention that right now?"

"Sorry."

'Again with the apologizing, you don't need to do it all the time.'

"Stop apologizing! Look what brought this on anyway?"

"I was just thinking about what happened tonight, I was always scared when I piloted Eva but there was always something there… a feeling that I'd be safe. I don't feel that tonight."

Asuka knew exactly what he meant. Whilst in the Eva there was always this feeling inside her that she'd be safe, that a presence was watching over her. She never really understood what it was until the battle with the Eva series. There was even a time when the presence had vanished, when that happened she didn't care about her own safety so she didn't have anything to be scared of but she was aware of what it was.

"Because we weren't in an Eva, this happened for real and they couldn't protect us from it."

"Yeah…"

Asuka reached over for the alarm clock again, it was nearing four and at that moment she suddenly felt immense heaviness in her eyes. This must be it, the moment when her body was about to give up and force sleep upon her. She had to wrap up this conversation quickly.

"I'll protect you Shinji."

"Huh? How?"

'Why did you have to ask that you idiot.'

"I don't know, I just will. Now let's get som-"

She barely had time to finish her sentence as her body forced her eyes to close her mouth still wide open and her arm draped across Shinjis chest. He looked at her and smiled, her words had made him

feel better even if the truth was that there was little either of them could do. He turned onto his side placed an arm over Asuka and closed his own eyes. Finally sleep came for him as well.

"Man neither of them are here today, I told you what happened last night had something to do with them!"

"We don't know that for certain, maybe they're just ill or something? They only just got back so who knows what is happening with them!"

Touji tried to protest before Kensuke could let the fact that he might have been right set in anymore. It was no use.

"What did I say? They return and over a week later the city is put into lockdown and neither of them are here today. Something is happening that they aren't telling us!"

Touji rested himself against the wall allowing his leg to stretch out rubbing it gently. He wondered if he would ever get used to this thing, he was thankful for it of course. NERV had treated him really well since the incident and having a state of the art prosthetic leg so that he'd be able to walk again was great but it was still jarring. He would still feel the little aches, pains and itches a person would feel in their limbs except he knew that what was there was false.

'I should probably rest it more, I have been pushing myself with it lately.'

His thoughts were also with Shinji wondering if the former Evangelion pilot was truly alright. Touji kept on telling himself that there was nothing to worry about but as much as he tried to ignore it there was something different about the two pilots since they returned. He was just pretending to not notice it. It was exactly what Hikari and Kensuke noticed, the two of them were acting as if nothing had really happened and any issues were dealt with. It couldn't have been the case, he knew Shinji better than that. He didn't know Asuka as well, always taking measures to avoid her but he had noticed the scarring on her arm and around her eye.

'Maybe they just don't want to talk about it…'

"Gragh fine! What do you want to do about it?"

"What do I want to do about it? They're our friends Touji, I want us to help them."

Kensukes words took Touji off guard. He wanted to help them, he didn't want to know about the Evas, he didn't want to know about the battles or the details of NERV but he wanted to help them. Maybe it was Kensuke who had had something happen to him.

"Help them… are you feeling alright?"

Kensukes expression soured, "Yes, of course I am! We don't know what happened to them but they shouldn't suffer alone, they have friends. "

"This isn't about getting information about the Evas? Or the Battles? Or Tokyo-3"

"No Touji, for once it isn't."

'Yeah, definitely something up with Kensuke.'

"Considering we haven't had the chance to do this since we were on board the carrier I think you did well. Of course with a teacher like me it's only expected that you have good results, a good teacher results in a good student… don't you think?"

"I guess."

She turned and shot him a glare, getting closer to him and poking a finger into his chest. "I said, a good teacher results in a good student. Isn't that right Shinji?"

"Ow! Yes, it's right. I just…"

Asuka cut him off before he could protest. Her ego had been sufficiently stroked, he had made progress and she wasn't going to let him say otherwise.

"You just what? You were just going to buy me lunch for being a great teacher weren't you?"

"I…"

It was useless trying to say anything and Shinji knew it. It wasn't that he didn't feel she was a great teacher, in fact far from it she had managed to get him to swim a small amount in just two lessons. He didn't even know what his concern was, he still felt somewhat unnatural in the water and he could still taste the pool water in the back of his throat. Maybe lunch was a good idea.

"Fine, I'll buy us lunch and thank you."

"That's more like it, enthusiasm Shinji. A few more lessons and you'll be a pro."

It had been a pleasant afternoon for the two of them, a chance to relax after returning to school and the stress of the earlier part of the week. They unfortunately had a few restrictions placed on them, being out past a certain time wasn't permitted and they had a much more visible security escort than before. It was also an opportunity for them to actually be a couple, they had decided to hide the fact from their friends until later. There was still a lot their friends didn't know but Asuka or Shinji had no desire to tell them any of it.

'It took long enough for me and Shinji to figure things out, it'd take too long to explain it to anyone else.'

She grabbed Shinjis hand and pulled him towards one of the cafes nearby and sat down at one of the tables. She pointed out what she wanted and Shinji went to the counter to order. It was a fairly busy day in New Berlin with people taking advantage of the sunshine, since Second Impact the seasons in Germany had been off balance which meant winters were a lot shorter and spring and summer became a lot warmer. Asuka couldn't imagine what the winters had been like before Second Impact, she had heard of snow but never seen it except artificially. A few locations in the world still had it, maybe one day her and Shinji could take a holiday there.

With the restrictions being placed on the city that wasn't likely to happen any time soon. Maybe if she asked Misato really nicely it could be arranged for later in the year, she was Vice-Commander at WILLE, if this lock-down went on too long she could surely arrange for something.

Shinji made his way back to the table with two drinks in hand, placing one in front of Asuka he looked around at the crowds nervously.

"I ordered it."

"Well thank you, I knew you had some uses."

"They've just entered the café now sir, the boys went inside and she is sitting outside I've got a good view of both."

'Good, what are the streets like nearby?'

"Streets are fairly busy but no suspicious activity so far."

'Excellent, let me know if anything changes. Over.'

The Section 2 officer sighed and leaned back in her seat placing the binoculars down on the table beside her. Watching two children on a date around the town, this was her job now. To watch, not be seen and report any changes. She tugged at the collar of her red shirt, with the rebranding of NERV to WILLE had come new uniforms and her shirt had been a size to small. She wasn't fond of the colour red either. It was supposed to contain some new technology in it, allowing for more movement when needed but also providing a small layer of armour should they encounter any difficulty. It was certainly a step up from the standard suit and tie job they used to have.

'But why did it have to be red?'

She absent-mindedly continued on with her job, watching the children with one eye and checking her phone with the other. Nothing interesting was happening, just the two of them talking, holding hands and waiting for food to arrive. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was just some ordinary teenagers on a date but of course it wasn't.

'Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Sohryu… the Eva pilots, the two who saved the world and no one here had a clue about any of that… how strange.'

She felt a sudden pain on her neck and raised her hand to swat away the source.

'Damn insects.'

Already a bump had formed where she had been bitten, she felt something wet on her finger and checked her hand. Not only had she been bitten but he had drawn blood. How it had managed to get under her shirts collar like that she didn't know. She leaned back in her seat again and continued watching. The children were halfway through their meal now.

"Come to me child."

"Huh?"

She sat up startled at the voice and spun around, there was no one in the room. Besides it had felt much closer than that, probably one of her colleagues playing a trick on her. She raised the radio to her mouth to talk.

"Did someone just say something?"

No response came from any of the other agents stationed in the buildings. She could see the two on the ground, they weren't patched into her feed nor did they have to wear the ridiculous red shirt she did. The ground team were excused from that formality. There were however two more like her stationed nearby, they must have heard it. Either that or one of them was to blame for it.

"Come on guys, cut it out who just said that on the radio?"

Again there was no response just silence.

"Is there anybody out there?"

Still no response, this was strange someone should have responded by now even if it was just to tell her to stop using the radio for casual chat. There was no one responding to her, not anyone stationed elsewhere nor command.

"Come to me, let it in."

The voice spoke again, it was clearer this time. It belonged to a woman, slightly older than she was but her tone. It was as if she was talking to a child. Who was it?

'What the hell is going on?'

She felt her neck throb again, the sensation was more intense than last time and she reached her hand around again. The area where she was feeling pain had hardened. She could feel as if there was something next to it crawling.

Immediately she jumped to her feet scratching at the hard surface trying to get whatever it was on her off. It was no use, instead of subsiding the sensation stared to spread from her neck to other parts of her upper body. White hot pain shot through her head caused her to stagger back to the centre of the room. It was as if someone was burrowing out of her, tearing her apart from the inside. It spread more enveloping her chest and upper arms.

Desperately she tried to scream out loud but could only muster a weak noise as she dropped to her knees. It was still spreading around her body, creeping further down into her stomach. As it hit her stomach she felt bile rising and a feeling in her lungs. Lurching forward she coughed a thick orange liquid onto the floor in front of her.

Between staggered breaths she muttered to herself

"What's… what's happening to me?"

Her entire body was enveloped in it now, she felt tears burning in the corners of her eyes as her vision blurred and every move brought more and more pain. She felt a new sensation in her face now, it was like it was on fire. Collapsing on the floor she brought her hand up to her face. Unable to see all she could do was feel. Feel something that no longer belonged to her, something that was not her face. It was smooth, rounded like some sort of mask had formed there.

She still couldn't scream out all she could do was convulse on the floor as pain and burning wracked her body. The burning had spread to her arm and she knew that was changing too. She couldn't see it but she could feel it. Her fingers were becoming elongated, the skin around the bone tightening. Eventually it was too much and she felt the blackness take her pulling her towards death.

Time passed, a minute perhaps and her vision returned along with the use of her body. She rose to her feet feeling stronger than before. Looking down at the effects of the transformation she felt no fear only a sense of belonging to something. Her clawed hand glistened as the sun shone into the room. A delicate white armour had formed around her shoulders. She was complete, she could return.

The voice sounded again, "You are complete child, welcome to the family."

"Mother… I am here."