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.
Please note that this is the CLEAN version. For the complete adult scene, look at my author page for directions.
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 36: In our Midst
The corridors of the Tokyo-3 middle school were full with students. The mock exams had been some days ago and now finally the results were made public on huge scoreboards that hung beside the classrooms in question. After all the stress of the recent weeks, most students looked indifferent, some looked a little disappointed, some looked horrified at their scores and some beamed with joy over their result.
All in all it was a pretty normal scene that had happened so many times in the past and would probably happen for many more times in the future.
The pilots and their friends had met at the scoreboard of their class in order to check their results in the mock exams.
Some of the scores were no surprise. Rei was the top student of the class, closely followed by Asuka and Kensuke. Shinji let out a breath that his score was good enough that his mother wouldn't be disappointed in him - after all she took his education quite serious. And while Mana and Hikari were pleased enough with their scores, Toji winced when seeing his. While it was decent enough, the score still wasn't that great, which surely would get him a scolding from his father.
Ahhh, man! All this learning and now this... Toji groaned silently.
Looking to his side, he had to swallow hard. Judging by the looks which Hikari gave him when seeing his score, she seemed somewhat disappointed in him. He had had no idea that this look could make him so uneasy and actually motivate him to do better next time when things would get serious.
"I actually find it a little strange that you, the saviors of mankind, still have to worry about getting a good score in school," Mana wondered some time later after clean-up duty while the whole group slowly walked down the corridor to leave the school, now that the school year was effectively over.
"It's not that strange..." Shinji remarked. "Being the hero might be a good thing, but you surely can't get a regular income out of it. After all, our job is almost done and we need something to fall back on for the rest of our lives... Though it might be different for you, if you continue to work for the military."
"No, don't think I can do this forever..." Mana shook her head. "I guess I'll go to university. I always wanted to become a teacher. What about all of you? Already any plans?"
"Nothing definitive, but I never want to become a salary-slave. After seeing these salarymen, I want to become my own man, standing on my own feet. I just don't yet know what it will look like..." Shinji said, shuddering at his memory of seeing the uniform masses of salarymen. He associated it with little income, little free time, stress and ending in karōshi.
"I never thought about it, as my plans for the future did not go that far," Rei admitted, although she could not imagine herself following the orders of others forever. The thought was... revolting to her. Shinji's idea of standing on own feet was tempting.
"No idea... It's hard to decide while it is still years away," Asuka said. Although she didn't notice it, she sounded as if being somewhere else with her thoughts. The others noticed it, but said nothing. After all, Asuka acted strange for some time now.
Toji shrugged. "My dad wants me to have a high school degree. I'm not stupid, but I think I'm a better at sports than anything else. Also, I can't imagine myself sitting behind a desk for hours to come... Nah, sports it is after high school."
"And don't think I'll leave you out of my sight," Hikari needled, before adding "As for me, I plan to go to college to get a business degree. After all, someone has to help him keeping his money together..." Toji blushed a little after hearing her playing at his weakness in math.
Kensuke was the last to answer. Only after everyone looked to him did he notice. "What... oh, sorry. Guess since I was always big with computers, learning programming at college sounds good..."
No one took offense at his absent-mindedness. After all, the most important thing on his mind was Mayumi. He cared a lot for her and had decided that since she couldn't leave the geofront, he wouldn't be at the festivities next day, where the students would celebrate the end of the school year.
Outside of the school grounds, the group splintered fast, leaving in all directions. Mana went back to her base, Toji and Hikari planned to visit the arcade center and Asuka left for somewhere into the city. Strangely enough, Kensuke stayed with Shinji and Rei, looking as if he had something very important to ask them. Finally, Rei, decided to be the one to break this limbo.
"Is there something you require from us, Kensuke?" she asked him.
Kensuke was used to Rei being a little blunt with her questions, so he wasn't offended. "Uhm... yeah. You guys have a really good girl-boy relationship... and I... Damn, I need some advice!"
"I guess that it concerns Mayumi?" Shinji asked. Seeing Kensuke nod, he led him towards the railing that separated the road from the slope that below ended in the next level of the city. All three of them leaned on it, then Shinji asked again. "Is something wrong between you two?"
"Hell, no!" Kensuke then shook his head. "Sorry. Everything is actually great between us, but she's depressed that she can't be there at the big dance tomorrow. Sure, I'll be with her down there tomorrow, but she'll still feel disappointed. It's not the same... And to make it worse, I have no idea how to cheer her up."
"And you hope that we can give you advice for this problem?" Rei asked. "That could prove problematic, since the only times when I got depressed, Shinji and I were already in the current stage of our relationship."
Shinji rolled his eyes. Only Rei could manage to find such a description for the fact, that - besides giving good and encouraging words - it usually meant having fulfilling sex. Nah, not sex... lovemaking. After all, we try to satisfy each other's needs in the best ways possible.
Obviously, Kensuke understood the meaning as well, since he looked rather strange at him for a moment, as if wondering: 'Just how far have you two taken it?'.
On the other hand, I don't even want to know, he then decided. While he might have been interested in such stuff in the past, he no longer did so now. Being close to a girl he actually liked had pretty much cured him from his hentai-streak.
Kensuke hoped that these two had some other ideas besides that. "Any better ideas?"
"Hmm..." Shinji thought about it. "Perhaps. Listen, what about..."
...later that day...
Asuka couldn't help but to laugh when Kaworu flew off that mechanical Ride-the-Bull, landing on the mat. She had spied it during their stroll through the city and commented that it looked really difficult to be on it for more than twenty seconds. She knew that it had worked when Kaworu had said he'd try it. He'd held up well, but after 15 seconds it was the end of the line for him.
"It seems that I misjudged the difficulty..." Kaworu mostly said to himself while Asuka helped him up.
"Oh, I think you held up quite well for someone who hasn't used one of these ever before." She couldn't help but to congratulate herself that just mentioning the difficulty had made Kaworu try to prove himself to her.
While they again walked down the sidewalk, Asuka's thoughts circled around him. She'd been unsure when he'd asked her some time ago in the park. But now that she'd been together with him for a longer time, her feelings became clearer to herself. While at first she'd had no idea where she stood with him, time had helped her to come to terms with what she felt: she actually cared for him in a special way.
Most of it she contributed to his calm personality. Even some words from him were already enough for her to forget any kind of anger she'd felt before. He had a literally disarming personality. Also, his positive outlook on life was something rare in these days and he was very polite and never put himself first. To make it short, he was someone you couldn't help but to like and Asuka now knew that he was exactly what she longed for.
Problem now only was to tell him that. After all, she wasn't very good with words and she doubted she could find the right ones for this.
Her thoughts were halted when Kaworu held on her arm, making her stop in her tracks. "I can see that something is bothering you. Perhaps you can share it with me to lessen the burden?"
Oh verdammt... [Oh dear...] She had had no idea that he would notice and ask about it!
Fumbling with her words, she tried to put together an answer. "Look...I...umh... I...I start to really like you..."
She saw only a blank look on his face. He didn't get it and her nerves were getting to her. "Sieh, ich beginne dich auf DIESE Weise zu mögen!" [Look, I' m starting to like you THAT way!] He obviously still didn't get it and Asuka started to become frustrated. "Verdammt! I beginne dich als mehr als nur einen engen Freund zu sehen!" [Damn, I'm starting to see you as more than just a good friend!]
Finally, Kaworu got it. "W-wirklich?" [R-really...?]
He had no idea why he reacted so positive to it. After all, it would now only mean that he definitely would break her heart by leaving her when the time would come to fulfill his destiny. All of a sudden he had difficulties to keep his cool, and he had no idea why that was.
Asuka took his reaction as a good sign and decided to ask now, before she would lose her nerves. The drama being over, she again switched languages. "Will you accompany me to the school dance tomorrow? I really want to introduce you to the others."
Everything inside him screamed that he would get so deep into it, that it would hurt her even more, but he only managed to stammer a "Of-course I will." much to Asuka's delight.
"Oh, no need to be nervous!... That reminds me, you DO have something you can wear for the occasion?" Asuka asked.
Truth to be told, he didn't. After all, that hardly was one of these basic things he'd need for his stay. "Actually, I do not..."
Hearing this, Asuka sighed. "Boys, I should have known. Well, this can be fixed easily."
Now Kaworu, despite being billions of years old, actually felt afraid.
They didn't notice two people walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the road.
"Really, Misato, I know you like some of this kinky stuff, but I'd have never thought you'd buy a leather corset..." Ryoji commented, while they walked home after visiting the 'special shop'. "You know, I'm not the kind of man who likes to be the submissive."
Misato, the plain box secured under her arm, sighed. "Look, I haven't bought it for that; I'm not in that stuff. I just think of it as a tool to enrich the experience for myself, just as the ball-gag is there to stop me from accidentally waking up everyone with my screaming."
"Yeah... as long as you don't buy a riding crop next," he commented.
"Of course not." Misato then thought about something. "No, I wouldn't like you using it on me, either."
"I wonder what Ristuko would call us..." Royji wondered.
Misato chuckled. "She can't say anything; not with the way Maya and her are acting."
It was an open secret that Ritsuko and Maya had become more than just professional co-workers. The rumor-mill was working at high speed on the progression these two were making in their relationship. Especially the women seemed to take a delight in talking about how Dr. Akagi has been thawed out and that these two actually were kind of cute together. Of course there also were those who disliked two women coming together, but they didn't voice their opinion aloud.
"She certainly looks much happier." He then noticed a redhead on the other side of the road, which could mean only one person. But what he saw next made him stop. "Misato, look. Seems that Asuka kept a secret from us."
"Hm...?" Misato stopped when she saw Asuka holding the hands of an almost unnaturally handsome boy. Misato's eyes narrowed when she took a closer look at him. Something seemed off about him. She couldn't pinpoint it, but her gut feeling told her that he looked suspiciously much like Rei. "Ryoji, doesn't he remind you of someone?"
"Uhm, no?" He looked closer. "Wait... Either this is a fantastic coincidence... or something is fishy."
"We should better call Ritsuko as soon as we are home... It's only a feeling, but having an albino boy getting close to Asuka... I don't like it at all. You know what this could mean. Come, before they see us." She and Ryoji quickly left, vanishing into the crowd of pedestrians.
They had no idea that Kaworu had sensed their eyes on him, though he was not overly concerned.
...next day, early evening...
The sky had already started to darken while the big hall of the Tokyo-3 middle school filled with the students and their dates. Everything was set for a very nice celebration with music, dancing and a nice buffet. The atmosphere was very relaxed.
Shinji couldn't help but to be excited. Both, Rei and him, were wearing evening wear for this occasion. His suit was comfortable enough, especially since his uncle had helped him buying it. Also, he couldn't get enough of Rei in that cute black dress which Hikari had helped her to chose - a fact that had astounded a few, considering her image. Making their way though the crowd, they searched for their friends.
"Hey, Shin-man! Over here!"
That clearly was Toji. After getting past some students they found Mana, Toji and Hikari waiting for them. Toji seemed a bit uncomfortable in his gray suit, after all he was used to wearing comfortable clothing. Hikari's dress was a contrast to Rei's, being bright yellow. Mana's dress was a nice shade of light blue. They didn't see Asuka in the group.
"Seen Asuka? She left before us and I thought she'd be with you guys," Shinji asked after walking to them.
"We haven't seen her here at all since we arrived. Strange, she did look excited when I met her this afternoon. To be honest, it was quite a surprise to see her so happy." Hikari didn't say it, but she had a suspicion that Asuka was late because of the boy she and Mana had seen her with some time ago.
"Perhaps it has something to do with..." Rei tried to throw in, but was interrupted when suddenly...
"Sorry that I'm late!"
They all recognized Asuka's voice. She sounded real happy for some reason, a mood in which she wasn't seen often. And when she approached, wearing a fire-red dress, they noticed the teenage boy holding her hand. It didn't come as a surprise to Mana, Hikari and Rei, who had seen him before. However, Shinji and Toji were really surprised to see her with a date, especially someone they'd never seen before.
The boy in question tried to look cool and collected, but failed miserably at it. They could easily see that he was the kind of person who always tried to be in control and who was very uneasy in situations in which he had no experience in. He also looked uncomfortable with the black suit he was wearing, acting as if it was three numbers too small, despite it fitting perfectly.
"Woah... He's your date for tonight?" Toji asked, only to be silenced by a dirty look from Hikari for being so rude.
Asuka didn't seem to mind. "No, even better! Everyone, may I introduce Kaworu Nagisa... My boyfriend!" She proudly announced to them as she obviously was very happy right at the moment.
"I'm very pleased to meet Asuka's friends. She told me a lot about you," Kaworu greeted them, bowing slightly to show his respect. Everyone returned the greeting politely. They didn't notice Rei looking strange to Kaworu, raising her guard as if expecting something.
Finally, Hikari couldn't hold it in any longer. "Finally! After you made Mana and me to stay silent you finally come clean. We really want to hear details!"
"Nothing of that sort happened! Mein Gott, Hikari! I swear, sometimes you can be a real pervert..." Asuka complained. She'd seen it several times; Hikari trying to wring out other girls about their sex lives. She felt it was somewhat schizophrenic for the normally proper and and a little prudish Hikari to act like that.
Hikari wanted to inject that she wasn't a pervert - she really thought that - when she noticed everyone giving her a knowing look. Perhaps I'm a bit perverted at times... She was not arrogant enough to think she was above it all.
At that moment the crowd went silent. Looking to the stage, they saw the principal walking to the microphone for his speech. That meant all speaking was postponed until he was done and the celebration officially started.
o
So far it was a very pleasant evening. After the boring speech from the principal, the celebration had kicked into high gear. Right at the moment a majority of the guests were enjoying some classical music, the pairs feeling that the slow dance really helped to relax and get into the spirit.
Shinji knew that Rei enjoyed dancing very much, but she seemed a little distracted at the moment. "Rei, is something wrong?" he carefully asked while holding her closer.
Rei shook herself out of her thoughts. She wasn't used to being so distracted, but the feeling hadn't left her during the evening. "It is Nagisa... His presence makes me feel uncomfortable," she finally admitted to Shinji.
Shinji looked to the dancing Asuka and Kaworu, wondering why Rei would think so. Sure, he looked a little strange, but that couldn't be the reason. "I don't know... He seems nice enough. Sure, a little strange, but nice."
Rei shook her head. "I can not pinpoint it. It is just that being close to him gives me an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach... Something about him disturbs me and I dislike being in his presence."
Shinji had no idea why Rei would react like this, but let it slide. After all, she did have some quirks in her biology. Slowly moving further away with her, he noticed her features relaxing with each meter. It seemed that being physically farther away eased her uneasy feelings. After all, this was a night they wanted to enjoy.
A little further away, Hikari was impressed at how good Toji was at not making any missteps.
She was so impressed that she asked him how he did that with never having seriously danced before. His answer was, to say the least, very interesting. "It's all my basketball practice. Doing so much sports just gives me a good foot coordination. That compensates for being unable to dance as long as you lead ahead."
That did surprise Hikari. "Impressive... Hm, look, Asuka seems to be really happy."
Looking to his left, Toji saw Asuka smiling while guiding Kaworu through the dancing motions, noticing that he made numerous missteps. "Yeah... That can only be a good thing. I know you're her friend, but you still have to admit this is far better than her moping around."
Hikari looked annoyed at his choice of words, but then decided to ignore it for tonight. After all, they were here to enjoy this night and she had no idea when she would be out with Toji to a dance the next time. Looking to her right, she caught Mana flirting with some guy she didn't know, feeling relieved that Mana, despite not having a date for the night, seemed to enjoy herself.
At the same time, Asuka again had to correct another misstep from Kaworu.
"I can tell that you've never danced before. I won't hold it against you. After all, even I had to learn it," she told him patiently, while at the same time enjoying his closeness.
Kaworu had to admit that he actually enjoyed this activity a lot. It was bewildering; he, a being billions of years old, enjoyed something as simple as pre-decided movement. It again made him think. In his time on Earth, the Lilim had shown to be much more happy than his siblings had every been. Despite their limited existence, most of them were fulfilled.
Maybe it was because of their limited time, they strove to fill it with things they enjoy? After all, his siblings had been unaging and the constant of having all of eternity certainly contributed to them never seeking out things that fulfill them; instead they had stewed in their unhappiness over what happened for almost four billion years.
Little to no change... and not moving on, he realized, now pitying his dead siblings.
"I do learn fast. After all, I do not any long step onto your feet," Kaworu replied with a smile while starting to memorize every movement so that he wouldn't do any more mistakes.
Gott, das ist ein Lächeln, das man nur lieben kann... [God, that's a smile you can only love...] Asuka thought, ignoring the voice at the back of her mind scolding her for thinking such sappy stuff. "Yes... I was really lucky to meet you. It's almost as if you've waited just for me."
"Maybe I did..." Inside however, he felt very bad by now. After all, a horrible heartbreak was now inevitable as soon as he would go to fulfill his destiny.
o
It was very quiet in the geofront at the same time, the nighttime casting the surroundings in a soft darkness. However, the darkness was pierced at on spot between the trees and near the lake by a camp fire.
Kensuke at first had thought Shinji's idea to be stupid, but the more he had thought about it, the more he'd felt that Mayumi would probably like it. Well, judging by how relaxed she looked, it must have worked perfectly. He had little idea of romantic things besides what he'd read on the net about the topic. He'd been afraid he would disappoint her.
Thankfully it had all worked out.
Thinking about it, it actually had been genius to compensate Mayumi for her missed dance by giving the two of them a special evening. Sitting here in these peaceful surroundings near the warming fire, enjoying special treats fresh out of an ice box. Having their own, private dance around the fire with music from his portable CD-player and generally just enjoying each other's company.
Truth to be told, it actually felt a lot more meaningful than if they had actually attended the end of year celebration.
Right now they were sitting near the fire, looking over the silent lake, Mayumi leaning on him with her eyes being closed. She'd enjoyed this private evening very much and he felt more relaxed than he'd ever been. It felt so right.
Mayumi felt the same. She would have never thought that Kensuke had such a romantic bone. After all, both of them were socially awkward people who had little idea of such things. However, that didn't mean she couldn't recognize something she liked. She felt more than compensated for the missed school dance. This private evening had proven to be so much better.
Is this how it feels to be attracted to someone? she wondered, while leaning closer to him, feeling him put his arm around her shoulders. "Hmmm, you're the nicest boy I've ever met... You are so much more than you think you are."
"Oh...he he..." Damn, how should he react to being complimented like this? In the end he decided to say nothing, otherwise he would make a fool of himself, and simply held her closer. This was their evening after all.
Mayumi didn't care that their dance had mostly consisted of stepping on each other's toes; it was the thought that counted. "You know, when this all is over... have you ever thought about settling down once we're done with school?"
Kensuke noticed the emphasis on 'we'. "I think we both got all the excitement of decades. Boring actually sounds good."
"What you call boring, many girls would call reliable." She then gave him a small kiss on her cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.
He said nothing, but inside Kensuke felt that the girl he was holding had managed to make the Kensuke of old to disappear, to allow a new and more mature one to take his place. And he was feeling that this was a good thing.
...later at the evening...
"Oh, good that we leave now. While it was great, I fear a bit more and would have needed to sit down," Ritsuko said, feeling very relaxed.
"See, I knew you would love it! Though maybe next time we should cut back on the alcohol a little," Maya laughed, then hiccuped to underline both of them didn't tolerate much alcohol in their system.
"I was a bit skeptical at first, but I really enjoyed this. Can't even remember the last time I've had this much fun," Ritsuko said while Maya and her left the disco, both women having had a good evening.
Truth to be told, she at first had feared she would look a little out of place in a disco, associating that kind of entertainment more with teenagers. However, she shouldn't have worried, as lots of people her age were attending. Dancing with Maya had been great, though getting a bit tipsy had certainly helped as well. The alcohol did help them to relax, though they certainly wouldn't make it a habit when remembering how Misato had been with alcohol.
"You're only as old as you feel and I think you feel rather young right now," Maya said, then gave Ritsuko a smile. "It still feels a bit like a dream; you and me together."
"To be honest, I myself don't understand why I haven't noticed you sooner. The way you can handle the children should have told me what a good woman you are," Ritsuko confessed.
"Oh, don't sell yourself short. It was just that you needed time to explore that part of yourself," Maya said while they started their way to the subway station.
Ritsuko laughed. "One of the things I like about you. You're so modest..." She then stopped. "Ah, Maya?"
"Yes?" She then saw Ritsuko approach her and knew what her girlfriend wanted. "You know you don't have to ask. I know you've been starving for real affection for so long..."
That was all Ritsuko needed to hear. Hugging Maya so that their breasts pressed against each other, she attacked her mouth with kisses, before gently urging Maya to open up when prodding her lips with her tongue. Maya certainly didn't mind and their tongues started a sensual dance. Both of them were blushing from excitement and from alcohol.
She is really enjoying herself. I know I'm a bit egoistical, but she's so happy to have someone who truly cares for her. I... OH!
Maya gasped into Ritsuko's mouth when Ritsuko started to grope her butt. She knew this meant it was now OK for her to do the same, so she carefully started to feel up Ritsuko's ass. Soon they were kissing and caressing each other's butt. After some minutes Ritsuko ended the kiss and leaned her head against Maya's shoulder.
"You... really bring out the best in me..." Ritsuko said, trying to catch her breath.
Maya smiled while holding her. She knew this was not just something superficial and it certainly wasn't just about physical pleasure. Both of them had learned a lot more about each other. Perhaps both of them found what they were missing.
One way or another, she would not let go of Ritsuko. After all those disappointments, the woman deserved someone who truly cared for her.
o
At the same time, Shinji was escorting Rei back into the apartment complex. It had been a very nice evening, apart from Rei's temporal uneasiness.
They stopped in front of Misato's apartment and felt they were in the mood an extended goodnight-kiss - a very deeeep kiss at that. With their bodies pressed against each other, they already felt the urge to make that a little more than just kissing and sneak into Rei's apartment.
However, before they could make a decision, the door opened and Ryoji looked out. "Oh, I had no idea that I was interrupting you two at such important business..." he said with a smirk while watching both teenagers hastily separating, blushing heavily.
"We, uhm..." Shinji knew that his sexual activities with Rei were no secret, but it still was embarrassing to be caught in the act. Rei said nothing, but her head by now being as red as a tomato spoke volumes about how she was feeling.
"Oh, don't be shy on my account!" he laughed, before looking around. "Is Asuka not with you?"
"No, she isn't..." Shinji said, wondering if he really should tell him.
It was that moment that Rei decided that there should be someone to share her embarrassment, so she - at least tried to - say calmly, "Soryu is still away with her boyfriend."
As if the word had magic power, Misato appeared in the door almost instantly, looking very interested. "Come in, you two! I have to hear THAT!"
To them it seemed like Misato didn't take it too well that Asuka had managed to get a boyfriend without her knowing. It was a pride thing that Misato was always informed about her charges' lives. They couldn't have known that this wasn't the case at all. It instead was because of what she's seen the previous day and what Ritsuko had told her when describing the boy.
Finally sitting down at the kitchen table, Misato wasted no time. "OK, who is this mystery boyfriend of Asuka's and what does he look like?"
Shinji gave Rei a look that said as much as 'Sometimes you have too big of a mouth' before deciding that it would be better to say the truth, since Misato right now had a very low bullshit tolerance. "His name is Kaworu Nagisa... As for what he looks like... Guess a lot like Rei."
"Explain." It seemed to them that Misato took these news especially bad, and they didn't know, why.
"Nagisa has same pale skin and red eyes as me, but his hair is pure white. It looks like a natural case of albinism," Rei explained. She then thought for a moment, before she added "Also, I feel uneasy around him... For some reason I do not like his presence."
Everyone knew that it was very unusual for Rei to openly state that she disliked someone, so it meant a lot that she already disliked him after meeting him for the first time. Rei looked uneasy with the topic, so they decided to not press any further, though Misato and Ryoji were both disturbed by it.
Misato leaned back with a sigh of defeat while Ryoji shook his head. "It's not that we can tell Asuka who to have as a boyfriend. However, she should have told us..." He thought for a moment. "Should be interesting when we ask her about him."
"No..." Misato finally said. "She'll only become stubborn and don't tell us a thing if we try to get the story from her." After all, she'd witnessed enough times that Asuka didn't like people snooping around in her private business.
Seeing that they weren't any longer needed, Shinji and Rei stood up. However, before they could even make a move towards the door, Misato's voice stopped them in their tracks. "Don't even think about it. While it's none of my concern what you two do in the bedroom, you do have a test scheduled. Do you want to tell Ritsuko you were late because you overslept after being too busy during the night?"
Both teenagers knew what she meant. Dr. Akagi could be very mean if someone felt like ignoring her timetables. She had her ways of conveying her displeasure without causing actual harm, which didn't make it any less unpleasant. So they decided to better get some real sleep and parted ways. Misato and Ryoji waited until Rei was gone and Shinji's bedroom door closed, before they talked.
"Remember what Ritsu told us after we described him to her? I don't like this at all..." Misato whispered so that Shinji couldn't hear it. "This Nagisa smells of something wrong."
Ryoji nodded. "Yeah... First thing we should do tomorrow is to get a background check." His agent instincts told him that even though he only knew few facts, something seemed wrong.
...the next day, office of the Commander...
"I still find it interesting how a change in decoration can make this place so much more appealing," Fuyutsuki commented while moving his pieces on the Go board. "It no longer feels like a tomb and more like a place were someone spends a lot of time."
"I know. I've already heard that several times from different people," Gendo answered absently while concentrating on his next move.
Fuyutsuki had to admit that Yui's influence on Gendo was quite noticeable. Some months ago, he would have written off the idea as ridiculous that Gendo Ikari could change his life. Now he had to admit that he had been wrong on an aspect of Gendo's personality. While he had a strong character, his one character flaw was, that someone emotionally stronger than him could easily influence him; therefore his need to always be at the top of the food chain.
He thanked all gods that it actually was Yui who was influencing him. Unlike other people, her intentions were of good nature and aimed at making Gendo a better person instead of dominating him. Well, speaking of Yui...
"Have you spoken with your wife recently?" he asked while studying the move that Gendo had made.
"Yes, I did. She says that while I do make progress, she is worried that our son has gotten too used to disliking me and thus avoids all change concerning me. Not that I can fault him for his decision," he admitted openly.
That's a change, indeed. Accepting the responsibility for your deeds... Fuyutsuki thought. "Speaking of him, Yui told me that she is very pleased with his grades, saying that she is proud how easily he has mastered the mock exams."
A small smile appeared on Gendo's features. "Both his parents are scientists... He only needs the right motivation to get good grades." He would never reveal that he'd read through the grades himself. "Yui has hopes for him to go into science as well."
Moving his pieces on the board, Fuyutsuki shook his head. "While she is a good mother, she doesn't understand everything about young Shinji. The boy shows no interest in scientific theory, even I noticed that after reading how he struggled with physics. He strives for a work that fulfills him and has a sizable physical part."
"I for my part won't stop him. My parents wanted me to become a salaryman and tried to sabotage my efforts to go to university... Even now they don't speak with me..." Gendo remarked.
Not that he was unhappy about that. Yui had made it clear after only one meeting that she couldn't stand his parents, and he agreed fully. They'd objected his choice for a wife right from the start, finding her way to intellectual for their tastes, which only showed their own lack of said quality. It resulted in them not attending the wedding and cutting all contact.
Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow but said nothing. That was the first time he heard that story, although he knew there had been some kind of disagreement, just not the reason. He did wonder if these bad experiences with his own parents had influenced Gendo's decisions after Yui's accident.
Then he suddenly noticed that Gendo had won the game with his last move. While he cleared the board, he said "All this waiting starts to slowly get to everyone. It is most unfortunate that the scrolls say next to nothing about the 17th and last Angel, apart from the fact, that it'll appear and is called 'the last messenger'... The old men are strangely silent as well, and then there are the Evangelion parts and new dummy plugs."
"Yes. The old men are clearly planning something big, and it involves these components. However, we are bound to do nothing until the final Angel has been destroyed. Whenever this will be..." Gendo knew that SEELE had big plans, but he had no idea how they planned to actually do it. Evangelions and dummy plugs were concerning, but it only was good for attacking them.
They were missing one vital part... How did SEELE actually plan to initiate the Human Instrumentality Project without either Adam or the Lance of Longinus?
It was this question that more and more bothered him.
...Rei's apartment, two days later...
"Really, Rei... I don't know..." Shinji tried to convince her that it wasn't such a good idea.
Right at the moment they both sat on Rei's bed, dressed in nothing but their birthday suits, skin still sweaty from their slow and sensual lovemaking earlier that night. Rei always took great delight in him touching and caressing all her sweet spots, with her returning the favor. However, what she now asked of him after they'd recovered made him uneasy.
"Please, Shinji. After being intimate for so long, I feel ready for it," Rei returned, giving him puppy-eyes in the hope it would make it easier to convince him.
Shinji took a deep breath. "Rei, are you really sure about that? Remember, that part of your body isn't exactly intended for something going in."
A slight blush covered Rei's cheeks. "Yes... I know... However, I can not help it. Not after reading about it..." she admitted and Shinji knew he had to have a serious talk with Misato about her giving Rei adult reading material. "Nonetheless I feel that I really want to explore it."
"Rei, why do you want to try this? I mean... it must be uncomfortable... and I think it is dirty as well." Shinji made it clear that he was unsure of the idea of entering back there.
"Please try to be a little more open-minded, Shinji," she said, while holding his hand. "I read that it can be quite enjoyable for both of us... As for it being dirty, I made sure to prepare and thoroughly cleaned the inside with water."
Shinji knew that he was fighting a losing battle. After all, once Rei wanted something she'd get it. And to be honest, he hadn't much left to say against it, as it was mostly his uneasiness with entering her back there. A part of him felt that it was wrong to do that. However, another part wondered if it actually could be as good as Rei had read.
"-sigh- All right, I'll give it a try, Rei." Then he remembered something. "Wait! Won't it hurt because you are dry in there? After all, there's no natural lubrication."
Rei only gave him a smile and left for a moment to fetch something from the kitchen. When she returned, she handed him a big jar that felt cold to the touch. Shinji read the label and blushed. "'Slurp Super-Lube'? Rei, please don't tell me you managed to buy this from a sex shop."
"Of course I didn't. They do not let in minors. The Major was nice enough to give me one of hers," Rei calmly explained to him.
Shinji's blush intensified. "You got that from Misato?... No, wait! I don't even want to know."
The last thing he wanted to know right now where things about the sex life of his guardians. Since he was doing the laundry and discovered some things Misato had bought recently, he knew there was much more going on that Misato and Ryoji were willing to show.
Knowing that Rei really thought of everything, he accepted that he would enter that final frontier.
He swallowed, before gathering his courage. If it would make Rei happy, he would do it. And after all, she did clean up, so right now it wasn't dirty. Unscrewing the lid of the jar, Shinji looked at the white lube, before sitting behind Rei.
The things I do for Rei... he thought.
(Adult scene, see notes at top)
...however, at the same time...
None of them were aware of a meeting that would change everything and end the status quo.
The council of SEELE had gathered in their holographic room. They all were gathered because of a development of uttermost urgency that SEELE-04, responsible for the EVA-series, had to report.
"I have good news. The problems we've had with the last two units are fixed. All units are at 100 percent. Everything is ready from our side," he reported once everyone was present.
"Very good..." Keel sounded pleased. "How long will it take for our forces to get ready for our strike against Tokyo-3 to prepare for the creation of the Tree of Life?" he asked SEELE-03, who was in charge of their strike forces.
"Five days for switching sides and maximum strength," SEELE-03 reported.
Keel then addressed SEELE-05. "Will our computer systems be ready for Plan 'N' in time?"
"Yes. The virus is developed and our computer systems are going to make a surprise attack on the secret line. When they manage to cut it, it will already be too late and should cripple the defensive systems of the city. There is no way they can manage to shut off the MAGI once the program is active," SEELE-05 reported.
"Good, then tomorrow we will tell Tabris to proceed. He will then meet his true fate," Keel concluded.
"If I may, I have discovered something interesting," SEELE-12 interrupted him. "It came to the attention of my spies that information about the delivery of the components for our dummy systems has leaked. We managed to find out that Mr. Kaji has been gathering information for some time now."
"If that really is the case we have to assume that he has betrayed us and works for Ikari," SEELE-09 added.
"In this case we have to see it as a given that they know that we're planning something... Although it won't matter a lot, since the end is now only days away," Keel concluded. "Any kind of treachery from the side of NERV won't stop the inevitable now."
"Chairman, your confidence about our success in honor, but we should leave nothing to chance. If we can remove those responsible for the leak, we should do so," SEELE-08 reminded him.
"There is more. My people have reported Mr. Kaji and his wife the Major being in Tokyo-2 right now, unaware that they are being shadowed. With your permission, I can let them vanish while they aren't expecting an attack," SEELE-12 reported further.
"Yes... Perhaps I was a bit hasty in dismissing this concern." Keel's voice was approving. "Order your men to proceed, but keep in discreet. Mister Kaji and the Major have outlived their usefulness..."
...New Kabukiza theater in Tokyo-2...
It was nighttime in Tokyo-2, which however didn't mean that the city was asleep. It was one of these cities that never slept. Right now in the New Kabukiza theater, the final act of the main Kabuki performance had finished, with the actors bowing collectively to the audience. Applause thundered through the big hall to show approval for the wonderful performance.
Also in the audience were Misato and Ryoji, who had used the bullet train to Tokyo-2 in order to enjoy this wonderful play. After all, this house did have an old tradition, even after migrating from the destroyed Tokyo. However, they didn't notice the four men watching them when the audience was starting to get up.
"OK... they are leaving. Everything goes according to plan," the leader said to his three accomplices.
Misato and Ryoji didn't notice them at first while going with the flow of people to the exit. Instead, they talked about what a master the main actor Mu-Tsu Mitsugoro was and how he despite his bad eyesight was able to play the fighting scenes perfectly. Only his first name seemed a little strange, almost like a hair-care product.
"Wasn't this very expensive? I know the Kabukiza isn't cheap," Misato wondered.
"I wouldn't even know what to do with most of my money, so why not something we both enjoy? I..." However, suddenly they felt that they were pushed towards a side exit. "Hey, what is the idea...?" Royji started to complain, only to suddenly feel something pressing into his back.
"Better don't dare anything, lady, or he gets a bullet into his kidney. This one is silenced so don't even think about screaming," the man with the gun, the obvious leader, warned Misato while pressing his silenced gun into Ryoji's back.
"What is this about?!" Misato hissed while being forced through the door.
"Oh, you know. Both of you shouldn't have stepped onto the toes of some important people. Too bad it'll cost you now," the leader said.
They had no illusions what these words meant and could think of only one faction that would do that. SEELE obviously wanted to get rid of them now, wanting to use the opportunity to catch them outside of Tokyo-3 with their guard down. Seeing that the other three men were armed with knives and guns and looked like trained killers, they wondered how they could get out of this one.
After being forced to walk through a dimly lit corridor, they reached a small interior yard that was littered with all kinds of stuff, junk and numerous old-fashioned round metal trash cans. "What are you waiting for?" the man with the gun shouted, pushing Royji between the trash cans to make him go faster.
While getting up, Royji felt the handle of one of the metal lids in his hand. Now or never!
Not hesitating, he grabbed the lid, jumped around and... -Clong!- -PFUMP- ...smashed it right into the gunman's face, the shot going wide! Misato knew instinctively that there wasn't a second to lose. Jumping away, she kicked a ladder which at once fell down, blocking the way of the attackers.
"Damn it!" one of the men shouted, trying to throw his knife, but Ryoji thew the lid, hitting him at the throat.
They then wasted no time by running up some stairs back into the building, knowing that the attackers would be very fast after them. -PFUMP- -Clac- One shot barely missed them, hitting the wall and casting plaster to fly. Quickly they ran inside to get away from their pursuers as fast as possible.
However, trying to find an exit to the streets wasn't as easy as they had thought it would be, when suddenly they found themselves in the midst of the props. "Blast, we're wrong here!" Misato cursed.
"They must be there somewhere!" They suddenly heard one of the killers shouting and steps advancing. They barely managed to hide behind some fake trees, watching two of the men running by. "You two guard the door!" they heard the third shout from the distance.
"The exit is guarded, we have to find another way out..." Ryoji whispered.
Careful to not make too much noise, they sneaked around the props, trying to find a way out. After a minute, they saw a curtain. "Perfect, the hamanichi..." Ryoji knew that this curtain led to the stage, and therefore to a way outside.
Suddenly the curtain was yanked open! "GOT YA!"
-PFUMP- They barely managed to jump aside to avoid the bullet, running into a different corridor to avoid getting shot, slamming shut a massive door behind them to stall the killers for a short moment.
To their big surprise however, they found themselves inside a labyrinth of corridors behind the stage. Hearing the killers already starting to chase them yet again, they wasted no time in trying to find another exit. However, it seemed that the building itself tried to mock them and they felt like running in circles.
"Shit, how can we lose these guys?" Misato cursed. She hadn't imagined her visit to a Kabuki theater ending this way. It was supposed to be an enjoyable evening!
Ryoji knew that if this didn't end soon, they wouldn't have much of a chance. Then he saw a door. "Let's try that door!" He yanked the door open, only to stop dead in his tracks.
It was the backstage room of one of the actors, who'd obviously been checking his stage make-up in the mirror before he would remove it. Specifically, it was the master actor Mistugoro, only that him now wearing thick glasses while still being in his make-up looked somewhat strange. The man had obviously noticed them as well and gave them an annoyed look.
"Who has the nerves to dirty the room of the great Mitsugoro with their shoes?" he asked, annoyed.
"Oh, sorry! Wrong door," Ryoji excused, then quickly shut the door before he and Misato ran around a corner.
"That was a door!" one of the killers shouted, having heard Ryoji closing the door. Running there and yanking it open, they entered Mitsugoro's room, weapons out. "Hey you! Where are the two that just ran in here?"
Now Mitsugoro looked more than annoyed. Add to it that weapons generally meant trouble. "What? No one speaks to Mitsugoro in that tone," he warned them.
"Shut up and answer, old clown, or suffer the consequences!" the gunman threatened.
"What do I hear? ... You dare to threaten me? ME?!" Now he was pissed. No one dared to threaten a master of hidden weapons. Now THEY would suffer the consequences! "RAAAH! Down with you, scum!" he shouted, while suddenly chains came out of his big sleeves.
The noise had finally attracted the security, who arrived only to find Mitsugoro giving the bad guys a severe beating with his bare hands and some rather nasty looking chains. It made security wonder if they would have to save the intruders from Mitsugoro instead of the other way around.
However, Misato and Ryoji didn't know anything of it, having finally found the exit to the train station and jumping into an empty train car to get as far away from the theater as they could.
"We know who we have to thank for this..." Misato managed to get out while she leaned against the wall, trying to get her breathing under control.
Sinking down into one of the seats, Ryoji could only agree. "Yeah... Seems that they have decided that this was a good opportunity to get rid of us. That can only mean that their attack can't be too far off."
Misato took a deep breath before finally steadying herself. "At least now I know why you sleep with your gun under the pillow... Guess I have to do that as well... I thought they would wait with trying to kill us until the final Angel is dead and we lost our usefulness to them."
Ryoji thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, that makes me wonder as well. Why risk that? It's almost as if they know something which we don't..." He had no idea what exactly was going on and it made him nervous to no end. He was not used to being out of the loop. "You think it has something to do with this strange white-haired boy we encountered near Asuka? This Kaworu Shinji and Rei told us about? Remember what Ritsuko said, he could be a clone like Rei after we described him to her."
Misato stiffened a little when Ryoji mentioned Nagisa. The background check had been a dead end. What little they'd found was absolutely vague, making him only more suspicious to them. That, and how much he looked like a male version of Rei.
"I have no idea..." Misato looked out of the window over the brightly lit Tokyo-2. "But I intend to find out..."
...at a lake near Tokyo-3, next day early morning...
The small lake near Tokyo-3 had seen better days. Before the city had been built, it was in the middle of nowhere. When the city had been under construction, it resulted in lots of junk from construction being thrown into it. And after that, with the damages from the Angel attacks, lots of debris, even whole parts of buildings, had been dumped into it. All the building parts, wrecked streetlights, telephone and power poles now looked as if a small town had sunk into one half of the lake.
However, Tabris had no eye for all of this, while standing on the remains of a building near the middle of the lake, using his link with the holographic system of SEELE to speak with the council. To everyone else, nothing would be there, but he clearly saw the twelve big, black monoliths hovering above the water and surrounding him.
"Why did you call me out here? I could have listened to you at any place," Tabris asked, pretending to be bored in order to hide his grave disappointment that this meant his stay in Tokyo-3 would be over and he would fulfill his destiny - which meant leaving a shattered heart behind.
"It is not your place to question us," SEELE-06 reminded him.
"Oh please. Stop your show of muscle-flexing and just tell me if I can proceed." He was torn. On one hand he couldn't wait to rescue his father. On the other hand it would mean to never return.
"You coming here was a security measure, nothing more," Keel told Tabris. "And yes the time has come for you to fulfill your destiny."
Tabris gently shook his head. "You are still so arrogant... You simply do not want to understand that the all-father will stop your plans. He won't allow you to add the harm you plan to do to this world to the harm already being done by the all-mother."
"You can think what you want. Just do what you need to do!" With that said, Keel cut the connection and the monoliths vanished from his view.
Tabris stood still, looking over the lake, thinking. Either they are truly this foolish or they have a plan that is fated to fail. After all, as soon as the all-father has been put back together, he will stop them as soon as I tell him.
Then he again felt the presence. She is still watching me...
Several kilometers away on a hill, Misato had parked her car and watched the strange, white-haired boy through a pair of electronic binoculars. Everyone in NERV was put on a higher alarm level after the failed murder attempt in Tokyo-2 and she had become increasingly observant of Kaworu Nagisa. It was her gut feeling right now, but the more she watched him, the more she felt that something was wrong with him.
"I wonder what the hell he is doing? Talking with himself in the middle of nowhere..." Suddenly he turned around and seemed to look directly to her, showing a knowing smile. Misato gasped and put down her binoculars. "What the...? Did he notice me?"
Tabris knew that he had successfully startled her, while walking down the path to the next bus stop. He would not harm her in any way, since she was harmless to him. He knew that her presence meant they were suspecting him and sooner or later would act on it. Thus it actually was in a way a good thing his time here was coming to an end.
Today was the day of destiny.
to be continued...
Next Chapter: Tabris
Notes
When I wrote this chapter, it was intended as a prelude to the storm. We are shown one final time the normal school life of the children, before school becomes irrelevant for the rest of the story. The depth of what has grown between Asuka and Kaworu is shown as well; I felt I needed this time to make clear why this is so important. And now Misato had caught on that something is fishy.
I'm actually quite proud of the scene in the Kabuki theater, which was inspired by a scene in the comic 'Blake & Mortimer'. I had lots of fun writing this totally original action sequence with Misato and Ryoji as a battle couple. In case you didn't notice, Mu-Tsu Mitsugoro is of course Mousse from Ranma, another survivor from Nerima.
As said, see the author page for how to find the uncut scene.
Significant changes have been made to the Revival-edition of this chapter. The whole exams are now just mock exams (error corrected, they still have one year of middle school). Ritsuko's and Maya's date is a new scene. The whole scene in the theater was improved as well.