AN: Hello everyone! This is the start of You can (not) redo, the direct sequel to NGE: Sincerely Yours. The first part of this chapter IS chapter 17 of Sincerely Yours, to make a smooth transition.
It is recommended to read NGE: Sincerely Yours (at least the epilogue) before reading this.
This story will be WAFF & Angst Humor & Parody Drama. (More or less in this order) Don't take the technical details too seriously!
Some may think my fic is too light-hearted to be an EVA fanfic, however not only that's my main intention for this piece of fiction, but also the setting of this world doesn't really allow anything dark to happen. This isn't some post-impact world, nor it is in the middle of Angel wars. I simply want to give my favorite couple some happiness, as well as entertain my readers with a light-hearted and humorous pure love story with a full tsundere Asuka and manga & TV mix Shinji.
With that being said, I don't intend to make things smooth for them. Asuka and Shinji will have to overcome what all AsuShin couples have to overcome - their insecurities and past traumas.
Chapter 1: Where are we?
Under the cerulean sky and scattered clouds, two human silhouettes laid on the beach beside the blue ocean. One of them was wearing a yellow sundress, a violet choker, and two red bead-shaped hair clips, the other wearing a school uniform with a white shirt and black trousers. The cool breeze of the sea wind gently blew across the two of them. The girl with yellow sundress stirred, opening her eyes slowly.
Saying she was confused would be a heavy understatement.
The last thing she remembered was the ride on Over the Rainbow, and the next second she was here. Looking to her left, she saw something even more strange.
Two people, one in a red plug suit she recognized as hers, and another in white and blue plug suit. She blinked, and the two of them disappeared.
'Was that…me?'
Looking to her right, she saw a boy with dark-brown hair laying aside her, presumably sleeping.
Suddenly anger surged through her body. She just woke up on a beach, having no memory of how she got here, and laying aside a BOY whom she didn't recognize. The only logical explanation she could come up with at the moment was the boy somehow abducted her and took her here – she didn't dare to think what he might have done with her. Nothing appropriate she could think of.
Before she could even realize she found her hands already clasping around the boy's throat. She tightened her grip, and the boy finally opened his eyes. She saw confusion, panic, fear, pain – and oxygen deprivation in his eyes.
She didn't think rationally. All she had in her mind was, 'I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you.'
Suddenly she felt warmth on her left cheek. She found herself being caressed by the boy. Her mind was screaming to her to keep going, but there was an unspoken familiarity of the caress, and her body reacted on its own. She loosened her grip, allowing the boy to breathe.
The boy panted heavily, trying to get as much oxygen as possible.
"How disgusting…" She murmured, "why is my body reacting this way?"
"I'm sorry…but, hmm, could you please get off me?" The boy suddenly spoke meekly after a few seconds of heavy panting.
To her surprise, she immediately complied and rolled off his body, but she kept her death-glare directed at him. She could still see the fear in the boy's eyes, much to her satisfaction.
SLAP!
The boy rubbed his red cheek in surprise, "Hey! What was that for?"
"What do you think, dummkopf?" She yelled, "who the fuck are you and where the fuck are we?"
Her words were a cue for him as the boy quickly looked around, a confused frown appeared on his face. "I… don't know?"
"Don't bullshit me, asshole! You took me here and must've raped me! I should've killed you just then!" She said as she once again leaped forward, pinning the boy on the beach, "Speak what you know, or I'll kill you right now!"
"Wha-what? What are you talking about? I-what?" The boy panicked, "Hey, I just woke up here you strangling me! It's more like you wanted to rape me, not me you!"
She didn't want to believe it, but her mind was telling her that he was telling the truth. So she slapped him again and stood up. "Then what do you remember?"
"Why should I tell you? I can't trust someone who tried to kill me!"
"Listen, I don't give a shit about your trust, I only care about what happened to me!" She shouted, "okay, I'll tell you my story. I was on a ship, and the next second I woke up here! You laying aside me!" She took a deep breath, "and you blame me for trying to kill you?"
The boy gulped, "I…sorry. But I can say I have a similar experience as you. I was on a helicopter…and the next second I woke up here, you strangling me."
"What? How is that possible?" She said dumbfounded, "You are not suggesting that we both got drugged and dropped here, are you?"
"I… don't know?" He frowned, "how can I know something like that?"
She closed her eyes, trying to think rationally. Damn, she had a college degree! The last thing she wanted to do now was to let emotions, not logic, guide her actions. Normally she didn't exactly put effort into controlling her temper, but under stressful situations like this, she needed to think.
'If we ARE both drugged and sent here, there must be some common features among us. Might as well ask him a few questions. But I need to make the first step, considering I did try to kill him.' She thought. Turning to look at the very confused boy, she spoke. "Asuka."
"Huh?"
"My name, Asuka! Are you stupid or something?" Asuka sighed, "What's your name?"
"Oh…sorry. I'm Shinji."
"Hmmm…sounds like a Baka." She commented, eliciting a grumble from the boy.
Asuka sighed. It seemed like the venom of the boy had completely disappeared – it was more interesting that way. She also figured that a boy like him wasn't the kind of person who's so sheepish would have the guts to rape a girl. "C'mon, stand up!"
"What for?" Shinji asked, but his body complying her order.
"Anta Baka? I'm going to find a police station!" She grabbed Shinji's wrist and began dragging him away from the beach.
Shinji panicked, "Po…police station?" He swallowed, his voice panicking, "are you gonna turn me in?"
"Yes! I mean, no, but yes. Arghhhhh," Asuka groaned, "we need to know what exactly happened, don't we? And we can't just stay on the beach! We need HELP!" she paused for a second, wondering where did that come from. She was strong. She didn't need help. But the situation was far beyond her comprehension, so a little…assistance from local authorities wouldn't hurt. "And it won't be too late to turn you in after we know what happened – if you actually did something!"
Shinji wanted to protest, but his words died in his throat.
The duo walked in silence as they climbed up a hill, having a good view of the city. At first glance, although something seemed off, Shinji still recognized it as Tokyo-3, much to his relief.
"Baka, do you know this place?" Asuka asked irately, giving Shinji a side eye.
"Hmmm… it's Tokyo-3 I suppose, I live here actually." Shinji replied, not daring to look at the girl. He had never met a girl so beautiful yet so strong in personality. He didn't know what he felt about her, but one thing he was certain. He was afraid of her.
"Tokyo-3…" 'Isn't this city where NERV Headquarters and the GeoFront are located? Great. I'll just tell the police I'm the Second Child, pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, and NERV employee they will contact NERV, and I will be safe. But I can't let this idiot here know who I am!' "Wunderbar. Now hurry up!"
Asuka didn't know why but she had butterflies in her stomach, feeling the sensation of having Shinji's wrist in her hands. The skin-to-skin contact with the boy was calming her down and making her warm inside. She hated this feeling; damn, she had just met this boy, and it wasn't clear whether he did anything indecent to her or not, but it seemed like she was already falling in lo-
She violently shook it off and let go of Shinji's arm. "You can walk by yourself, just keep up with my pace!"
"Hm, okay." Shinji also felt warm and content inside just to be touched by her hands, but he was smart enough not to show any sign of enjoying this. This wasn't worth his life.
After several hours of jogging, they finally reached a relatively busy area of Tokyo-3. Asuka started wandering around aimlessly; she didn't know the city at all, but she was too proud to admit she was lost. After they passed the same crossing thrice, Shinji finally said, "Hm, Asuka?"
"What is it?" She barked, annoyed by her own incompetence.
"Are you…lost? It's the third time we've seen this crossing…" Shinji answered cautiously.
"Baka! Do you doubt my abilities?" Asuka spatted angrily.
Shinji swallowed, unable to meet her glare, "N-no! I'm just saying…I know you'll find it eventually, but I know this place! It will just make things easier if you let me find the way…"
Hard to admit as it was, Asuka gave in and sighed, "Fine, whatever. Lead the way, then." She paused for one second and added, "but if you're trying to take me to some brothel… YOU'LL BE A DEAD MAN!"
Although Shinji was annoyed by her self-centered attitude, he was nothing but polite. So instead of a retort he simply said, "Hai, hai."
"Hmph!"
Shinji was really scared. This day hadn't been making any sense to him. He wanted Misato to help him get out of this, but he couldn't find his phone. He wanted to see his friends and maybe have fun at the arcade. Hell, even doing a sync test would be much better than being stuck with a beautiful yet scary girl who thought he…molested her.
For sure he could run away at any time, but his curiosity about the situation and the girl was keeping him here. There was an unspoken familiarity of the girl, and he was attracted to her. He had absolutely no idea of where that attraction came from. He justified it as he was only attracted to her beauty.
Walking three blocks down the street, Shinji finally found a police station. Asuka grabbed his wrist again and dragged him into it, preventing him from escaping.
"Hello, Mister, Hello Miss, what can I do for you?" The police officer asked.
"I'm lost." Asuka said, although she didn't want to admit it.
"Hmmm…where do you live in this city?" The police officer asked, taking out some kind of document from his desk, his eyes kept switching between Asuka and the document, which made her cringe.
"I don't live here! That's why I'm lost," Asuka said, getting annoyed.
"So I guess you're not Japanese, either," The police officer put down his document, narrowing his eyes.
"No shit Sherlock!" She suddenly realized there's something important she could ask, "What's today's date?"
"May fifteenth, 2016," the police officer replied and continued checking his document.
Both Shinji and Asuka blinked. They just missed almost nine months of their life. They couldn't believe it.
"Wait for a second here," the police said, turning around and left the office.
"Hey! You can't just leave like that!" Asuka yelled and slammed her fist on the counter, drawing attention from other people in the room.
Shinji was so embarrassed, "Asuka! Calm down!"
"Shut up you!" Asuka turned around to face Shinji, "YOU are to blame for this! YOU are at fault!"
"Hey, how is any of this MY fault?" Shinji was also getting on the edge from the frustration, "I had NO idea of what happened, either!"
"I just KNOW this is somehow ALL your fault! What's the odds of us waking up on a beach like that? And apparently I lost nine months of memory! It doesn't just happen!"
"This doesn't sound very convincing!"
"What is your theory, then? What the fuck actually happened?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
"You are pathetic!"
"You are unreasonable!"
While Shinji and Asuka were arguing, the people inside the room simply shrugged, chuckled, or rolled their eyes. From their perspective, it was nothing more than a childish argument.
Just as Asuka was about to make another angry retort, two men wearing black suits and sunglasses stepped inside and spoke, "Miss, please come with us."
Asuka turned her glare to the men, "Who the fuck are you? Why should I listen?"
The men didn't say anything; the one on the right nodded to the one on the left, and he took out an ID card.
It read 'Gehirn – Section 2 Agent Yamada'.
Asuka's eyes widened, but she quickly composed herself. She knew what Gehirn was – the predecessor of NERV, where her mother used to be working at. She was curious how it still existed, but since nothing had been making sense to her, she decided to believe the thing she was most familiar with. "Mein Gott finally someone reliable here!" She turned to look at Shinji, "This ain't over, dummkopf!" She then left accompanied by the two agents.
Shinji, alone in the police station, didn't what to feel. For one, he was relieved that he was finally freed from the Red Devil; for another, he was starting to…feel empty inside. 'This doesn't make any sense,' He thought, 'I should be happy she finally left me alone, but why am I feeling empty after she's gone?' Shaking it off, he left the police station as well and walked towards Misato's apartment.
Too bad he didn't notice the content on the ID card.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Deep underground, in the still darkness, twelve black monoliths emerged, circling around a lonely figure sitting on the chair, his hands clasped together, supporting his chin.
The monolith had 'SEELE 01 – SOUND ONLY' on it spoke first, "It seems the Dead Sea Scroll's predictions are accurate."
"Indeed. It predicted that today, 'fire from sky, water from sky, shall arrive upon earth, the key to human salvation." SEELE 03 spoke.
"Are you sure the girl you found in that police station is the one described by the Dead Sea Scrolls?" SEELE 04 asked.
"The police checked the files – she matches the description we gave him, and he also said her face wasn't even recorded in the national security database – which means she either smuggled in Japan, or she DID 'fell from sky' – just like the Dead Sea Scrolls described." SEELE 08 spoke.
"I doubt a girl as young as her could survive smuggling," SEELE 05 mocked, "she must be the one."
"What are your thoughts on this, Ikari?" SEELE 01 asked.
The man who had his chin supported by his clasped hands spoke, "We shall treat her as one of The Two for now."
"If she really is one of The Two, then it's safe to assume she doesn't have a legal identity," SEELE 11 complemented.
"That we will arrange. What is the progress of finding 'water from sky'?" Gendo asked.
"There was a boy alongside her, but we can't know for sure." SEELE 07 said.
"Send Section 2 agents in for surveillance. Twenty - four – seven. Don't let him escape." Gendo Ikari ordered.
"Now we have proof that the Dead Sea Scrolls are reliable – we can move forward with our scenario immediately." SEELE 01 spoke, his tone just carried a little bit of joyfulness.
"That's why we've been building this underground structure above the black moon," Gendo said, "when do we plan to initiate contact experiment with Adam?"
"We still need several months for preparations," SEELE 09 spoke, "Dr. Katsuragi isn't ready yet."
"Suit yourself," Gendo said, cutting off the communication.
The twelve monoliths disappeared, and the lights lit up, revealing another girl with blue hair and red eyes in the room. "Rei," Gendo spoke, "I won't be able to go home and have dinner tonight. You can have dinner with mom. Don't wait for me."
"Yes, papa."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The black SUV screeched to a halt in front of a tall building, the sign above the main door read 'Gehirn Japan'. Asuka followed the agents into the building and into an office. "Wait here." One of the agents said, and left the room with his colleague. Asuka cursed in German as she was once again left alone in somewhere alien, just to meet someone she totally didn't expect to see. Lavender hair, dark eyes, red jacket-
"M-Misato?" Asuka cried in surprise. She was confused, but also happy that she finally met someone she knew.
Misato Katsuragi blinked, "Hello, kid, but how do you know my name?"
Now it's time for Asuka to blink. She was having a turmoil of thoughts in her head. If she followed her instinct, she would say something like 'you were my guardian years ago,' but she knew Misato wasn't joking. She could see genuine confusion in Misato's eyes. She bet she looked the same. Her college-level intelligence kicked in, trying to find every excuse possible-
"I saw it on your ID," Asuka said, trying hard not to stutter.
Misato looked down to her chest, indeed there was a nameplate clipped onto her jacket. She chuckled nervously, "ha, I was wondering. Nice to meet you, kid. I'm Misato Katsuragi. What about you?"
"I'm Asuka La…" She quickly stopped herself from blurting out her whole name. Up until now she was certain that this world wasn't the world she was familiar with. It wouldn't hurt to lie about her name, in fact it would provide a temporary cover. Just as she was thinking of a name, suddenly the word 'Shikinami' popped up in her mind. It felt strange – she didn't exactly come up with that surname, it's more like someone inserted that name into her head, but she decided to go with it. "Asuka Shikinami. Nice to meet you too!"
"Asuka Shikinami…nice name," Misato smiled, "now, back to business. Do you know what is this place, and why we want you here?"
"Not a clue." She was telling half the truth. She knew what Gehirn was, but she had no idea her purpose here. Probably something EVA related.
"Fair enough. This place is called Gehirn, a German word for 'brain'. It's tasked with the research and development of bioengineering and artificial evolution. Gehirn's Headquarters is in Germany. While we had enough resources to do something magnificent, we built Tokyo-3 – this city - and the Magi supercomputer," Misato explained, "I can only tell you so much right now. Now, about you," Asuka tensed up, "we want you to help us on our newest research program, human–computer neural link interaction. Project E."
Asuka was on the edge of tears. Her life's purpose was to pilot an EVA. Now it seemed like Angels weren't even a thing in this world. She was totally expecting Misato to ask her to pilot an EVA since it was her natural talent, but apparently, her last hope in this strange new world was shattered. Looking on the bright side, at least she was still useful – if Gehirn didn't offer her a job, eventually she would probably be lying somewhere desolate and bleeding out.
"I accept your offer," her voice just a little shaky, "what exactly do I need to do?" 'And somehow, all of these are that idiot's fault!'
"First things first, if you really made up your mind, we need to sign a contract, then we can get into details," Misato kept her professionalism, pulling out a pack of documents, "please read through it and sign at the bottom."
While Asuka was reading the contract, Misato was immersed in her own thoughts. 'It looked like there's something on Asuka's mind. I wonder what it is. Employing this new girl is a direct order from Commander Ikari, how odd. He must know something about this girl. And I intend to figure it out. The best way to interact with her constantly is to get her by my side.'
"Done," after a careful read-through of the contract and found no loopholes, Asuka signed on it.
Misato picked up the contract and checked the signature, "Good. Now, about your living arrangements. You know that I'm your legal guardian from now on, right?"
"I know that perfectly well," Asuka replied. She was happy to have Misato being her guardian again, although she was wondering whether Kaji was somewhere around.
"Great. Do you have any parents?"
Asuka's eyes twitched, "Not really. It's not like I need them!"
"I'm…sorry to hear that," Misato said as she saw Asuka's face clouded, tears seemed to form around her eyes.
"It's okay." 'I'm strong. I'm not some helpless little girl! I'm not gonna cry!'
"Then it's settled!" Misato said happily, stretching her arms, "you'll be living with me from now on!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Shinji had been wandering around Tokyo-3 for almost two hours since he left the police station. The city was very similar to the Tokyo-3 he knew, but something was just off, which he couldn't tell. His general direction was Misato's apartment – but after seeing the differences of the city, he was very sure this world wasn't the world he knew. Those weren't the kind of changes that could happen in nine months – so he shook the thought off. He didn't even know whether Misato existed in this world.
He then came to a very familiar place – the hill which Misato took him to overlook the cityscape. He looked down at the city after a careful examination of the landscape, he finally realized what was missing.
The EVA launch shafts and weaponry buildings were not there.
'So, is it safe to assume EVAs don't exist in this world?' He thought, 'Not that I want to pilot the EVA in the first place.'
Shinji sighed and left the hill – he figured there was one more place he could visit before checking Misato's apartment.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After a short tour around Gehirn, Misato drove Asuka to her apartment. Although there were no Angels yet, they still built the GeoFront and the pyramidal Headquarters. It's just not called NERV.
Asuka was staring out the window of Misato's car. 'Great, now I'm stuck living with this Misato again. I don't know how this Misato will be different from the Misato I know. I just hope this one is not a drunk slop.' She thought.
"Jeez, can you smile at all?" Misato asked. "You haven't smiled at all since I met you."
"Can't imagine why is, can you?" Asuka muttered.
Misato grimaced. "Fine," Sighing, "Don't forget that you'll start working the next Monday."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever…what exactly do I need to do, though?"
"I'm not technicians, so I can't explain the details to you, but what I know is you'll be wearing some kind of skin-tight suit that's made of synthetic rubber, and sit in a plug." Asuka's face visibly lit up upon hearing these words, "Then you'll be connected to a simulator using neural links. We'll assign you multiple tasks to do in the simulator. Sounds fun to you?"
'Not exactly piloting an EVA, but close enough I guess,' "Wunderbar! I'm really interested!" Asuka exclaimed, "But why chose me?"
"I don't know the details, but it seemed only very few people's brains are able to connect with computers. And you are one of them! One in a billion!" Misato said enthusiastically.
Asuka's ego was flying out of the sky, "What do you expect? I'm a genius after all. Are there other people doing this job?"
"Yes. There's another girl, she's the Commander's daughter." Misato answered, "Her name is Rei. Rei Ikari. She's the First Child."
Asuka raised her eyebrows, 'not much is different, isn't it? First Child…Rei Ayanami, but here she's called Rei Ikari…I wonder what that means.' "Hmph, she's one daddy's girl. I bet she got the job through nepotism, not like me, who has talent and skills!"
Misato gulped at her cockiness. "And I want my suit to be RED!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Shinji headed towards Rei's apartment, hoping to at least find someone he knew and could talk to. To his surprise, the apartment block where Rei was supposed to be living was replaced by two-floor apartments, and it wasn't in a demolition zone anymore. In fact, it looked more like villas, not apartments.
This had proved to be a big problem for Shinji – he couldn't be sure whether Rei lived here anymore. He was deflated. He recalled all things that had happened the whole day. He woke up on a beach in a new world similar to the world he knew but different enough to make him lost, strangled by a beautiful, familiar, yet annoying redhead, and didn't what to do anymore.
He sighed and turned around, ready to go to Misato's apartment.
Just to meet a pair of red eyes and blue hair. "Ayanami!" Shinji shouted, summoning all his willpower to not throwing himself at Rei. His fists clenched and unclenched in nervousness and joyfulness.
Rei blinked, "Mister…are you calling…me?"
Shinji gulped. His hopes shattered. Apparently, Rei didn't know him. He should've known. This was not his world. No one here should know who he was.
But at least he could try to befriend Rei, right? "Um, yes," Shinji said sweat dropping, "I-um-"
"If you are trying to flirt with me then you're doing an awful job," Rei interrupted, "but I'm curious why did you call me 'Ayanami'?"
"Oh, right. I-I don't know where it came from, not important anyway. I-"
"No, this is serious. No one should know that name. I am Rei Ikari," Shinji blinked, "' Ayanami' is my test subject codename. You shouldn't know it at all! Speak," Rei shot him a soul-piercing glare, "Who. Are. You?"
Shinji was having a turmoil of thoughts in his head, 'What the hell is Rei Ikari? Is she my father's daughter or something in this world? Damn,' however this made Shinji realized something else, 'does this mean my father…or at least someone looks and acts like Gendo Ikari exists in this world? I don't even know whether it's good or bad news. And she said 'Ayanami' is her test subject codename…I wonder what kind of test she's doing?' "I am…Shinji, Shinji…" 'I can't just say Shinji Ikari, can I? No, I have to make up a name…' Just as he was thinking of a name, suddenly the word 'Shikinami' popped up in his mind. It felt strange – he didn't exactly come up with that surname, it's more like someone inserted that name into his head, but he decided to go with it. "Shinji Shikinami," he said, "My name is Shinji Shikinami."
"That's not what I wanted to hear, Shikinami," Rei glared at him intently, "What. Is. Your. Purpose? Are you a spy?"
"Wha-no! How am I a spy?" Shinji was transfixed.
"Then how do you know that name?"
"I-I-" Shinji was on the edge of a panic attack, "I don't know either! This place makes no sense! I know you, but she's not you!" He fell to the ground, face in his palms, "I don't know what to do…somebody please help me…"
Rei narrowed her eyes, 'Could this guy be one of The Two papa told me to look for? He certainly matches the physical description…and he seems very, very lost, too. Maybe I should ask Section 2 to send him to papa and let him judge.' She took out her phone and called Section 2 to pick Shinji up, then send him to Gehirn, and she left him for home.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Misato pulled up to a large apartment building and parked in the vacant lot. By the time they arrived it was dark out, and the apartment was void of any lights. As the two got out of the car, Misato grabbed her coat from the back seat. "Do you want me to take your duffel bag?" Misato asked.
"I can do this myself! I don't need help." Asuka said, eliciting a frown from Misato. 'I just want to help,' she thought.
The two quietly took the elevator up to the seventh floor where Misato lived. When it dinged, Asuka followed Misato out of the elevator into the open-air pathway to the apartment.
"Do you have any personal stuff waiting to be delivered?" Misato asked as she approached the door.
Asuka clenched her teeth as she realized that all her personal stuff must be gone. "No. I don't have any. I may have to purchase a few."
"Okay, but do you have any money?" Misato opened the door and walked inside.
Another reminder of the cruel reality. "Not really."
Misato narrowed her eyes.' This girl is odd. She has no parents, no personal belongings, and no…money? How the hell did she live through all these years, then? Just what the hell has she been through? And if she's an actual homeless orphan, how come her clothes are…tidy, at least. She looks really good in her yellow sundress…it just doesn't make any sense…' She shook it off as questions for another time. "I can give you one-third of your monthly salary as cash advance," Misato offered with a smile.
To her surprise Asuka's lips actually seemed to curl up a bit, "I guess I'll accept it."
"Don't mind the mess, I only moved in last month." Misato said, "What's wrong Asuka, come on in!"
Asuka stood frozen in the doorway, hesitating on entering the room. "I just…I hadn't really had a home since like, ever," Asuka said with a clouded face.
"Don't be silly, Asuka." Misato tried her best to not give a pitiful look, "This is your home now too."
Asuka stepped cautiously over the threshold and into the apartment. "I'm home!" She said energetically, a smile appeared on her face. "Welcome home, Asuka." Misato said happily, finally seeing the girl smile. "Do you want anything to eat?"
"No, I'm just tired." Asuka said as she yawned. "Where can I sleep?"
"There's a room over there you can sleep in," Misato said as she went to the cabinets and pulled out an instant meal. "We'll have to get more food in a few days, I'm running low…and the room is a little messy, too…"
'Holy crap…' Asuka thought,' What happened here? She only moved in a month ago, and caused all… this?' She saw the pigsty all around her with discarded clothes, boxes, and instant meal containers mixed with garbage and empty bottles and cans all over the place.' I guess a drunk and sloppy Misato is a universal constant…' "You call this…A LITTLE MESSY? This is literally a GARBAGE DUMP!"
Misato showed a remorseful and apologetic look, "Well…my job took most of my time…"
Misato led Asuka to her room, which was clean, and flipped on the light. "This is your room Asuka, now get some sleep, and I'll see you in the morning. I can lend you one of my loose t-shirts if you want," Misato said.
"Hmph. At least someone's educated," Asuka said, which Misato took it as a compliment. She took out a yellow t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts, handing them to Asuka, who accepted with a small smile.
"Goodnight, Asuka. Sleep tight."
"Goodnight… Misato." Asuka said as she put changed into her sleeping attire and lay on her new bed. As Misato turned off the lights, Asuka started drifting off to sleep while staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Shinji stared at the building in front of him, didn't know what to do. If his memory was correct, this building should be the entry to the GeoFront, but now it had a huge 'Gehirn Japan' imprinted on it. 'This world is so much different, but similar enough,' he thought, 'and I wonder what my purpose will be here.'
"The Commander wishes to see you in person," Agent Hiro said plainly, "please follow me, Mister."
Shinji followed the man-in-black and entered an elevator. He then found out it was a train car, much like the ones he rode to NERV Headquarters. As the train car descended deeper down the ground, Shinji realized it WAS the GeoFront, even the pyramid was there – it's just not called NERV. It was understandable since Angels weren't a thing yet, and Gehirn wasn't exactly a military organization.
Although Shinji had seen GeoFront many times in the world he remembered, he was still amazed by the magnificent sight. During the 40 minutes ride down there, he couldn't keep his eyes away from the window. He still recognized several differences – there weren't any turrets, missile launchers, or weaponry buildings.
"Who's the Commander, Hiro-san?" Shinji asked with butterflies in his stomach. He was half-anticipating, half-dreading the answer.
"Gendo. The Commander is Gendo Ikari."
Shinji didn't know what to think. He was VERY HAPPY that there was someone he MIGHT be familiar with in this world, but he was also dreadful – what if Gendo Ikari in this world also had a son called Shinji? That would be totally fucked up. "Umm…does the Commander have any child?"
"He has a daughter, that's the only thing I'm cleared to tell you," Agent Hiro said, his facial expression never changed.
Shinji sighed in relief. At least he didn't have to deal with another Shinji. He had just met Rei today – and now he was sure that Gendo's daughter must be her. Suddenly Shinji felt a surge of anger – before the fight with the fifth Angel, he saw Rei Ayanami talking to his father smiling, and his father smiled as well. And it was already more than everything he had ever given his actual son. Now in this world Rei was straightforward his daughter. How convenient. Shinji had never felt this lonely before – although he was alone for most of his life.
His mind drifted to the girl he met today on the beach. He barely knew her except her fiery personality and her name, as well as she was just like him – thrown in this world and lost nine months of memory. Somehow he just knew he could only get the answers from her.
Twenty minutes later, he stood in front of the grey-ish door of Commander's office. Agent Hiro entered first and informed the Commander about his presence, with a "Come in." Shinji stepped inside with shaky legs, his eyes fixed on the floor.
"Look at me, kid." The cold and stern voice was too familiar to Shinji. He looked up, his fa-Commander Ikari was wearing orange glasses to hide his eyes, his hands clasped together, covering half of his face. Although Shinji couldn't see his eyes clearly, just the grim atmosphere was enough to make his knees wobble. "Do you know what's your purpose here?"
"N-no, sir," Shinji gulped hard, dropping cold sweat.
"Hm." Gendo examined the boy in front of him. He seemed extremely oblivious, but at the same time, he looked an awful lot like Yui and Rei. His appearance matched the descriptions in the Dead Sea Scrolls almost perfectly, but the descriptions were vague anyway. He was also disappointed; he expected The Two would be someone special, not some shy and wimpy teenager. "What do you remember, kid?"
"I-I-I don't know," Shinji stuttered, "I just woke up on a beach, I don't remember anything…"
His statement captured Gendo's attention. 'Doesn't remember anything…how curious. Sounds just like someone who fell from the sky, doesn't it? And he was with that girl as well…might as well get him settled first, and let Naoko Akagi do some tests.' Having made his decision, Gendo Ikari said, "Good. You're invited here as an employee of Gehirn."
"Wha-what?" Shinji yelped, "what do you want me to do here?" 'AND I THOUGHT I GOT RID OF NERV! OR GEHIRN! Whatever this is!'
"Human-computer neural link interactions," Gendo spoke coldly.
"What is that? Why me?"
"Because only you can do it."
It gave Shinji a strange feeling of déjà vu. "I-I can't do that! I don't even know what that is!"
"If you're not gonna do it, then leave!" Gendo added some force into his tone, "we do not need useless kids!" He just said that, but in reality, he wasn't really going to just let Shinji go. He was likely to be one of The Two – he's too valuable to lose.
Shinji wanted to argue, but reality stopped him. This world was alien to him – he didn't even have a place to live here. And the person in front of him, although looked, sounded, and acted like his father, but was not. So he didn't really have any reason to reject the offer. In fact, he should be thankful – people don't just offer any random kids important jobs. And it wasn't piloting an EVA, much to his relief.
"Okay, I'll do it." Shinji said.
"Good." Gendo pulled out a contract from under his desk, "read and sign this."
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After Shinji Shikinami had signed the contract, Gendo Ikari arranged a living quarter inside the GeoFront to him. He then asked his subordinates to do some research on this kid. Not surprisingly, his face wasn't registered in the national security database, just like the girl.
Gendo kept his unwavering facial expression as twelve monoliths appeared around him.
"Gendo, are you sure that boy is the other one of The Two?" SEELE 01 was the first to speak as always, "the Dead Sea Scrolls implies only The Two could help to initiate Second Impact."
"I suppose you mean The Two are the only ones who have a high chance of success with the contact experiment with Adam," Gendo Ikari corrected, "The Two are special. Somehow they are naturally akin to Adam and Lilith, and that's what ensures success."
"Is that so?" SEELE 03 spoke, "do they possess supernatural powers? Are they Gods?"
"We still lack necessary information," Gendo raised his eyebrow but unseen by SEELE members, "we will know more about them once Dr. Akagi completes her tests."
"Do you trust that woman? Yui doesn't seem to like her," SEELE 02 asked.
"Naoko is more than suitable for her job," Gendo replied with a hint of annoyance, "If she fails I will simply replace her. Additionally, the boy and the girl we found have the same surname, but they seem strange to each other. That can't be a coincidence."
"Good job, Gendo," SEELE 01 said, "Now we have The Two under our control. Keep them safe from disturbances; our scenario can finally move forward."
The monoliths disappeared, leaving Gendo Ikari alone in the room. 'Yui, our life's work shall finally be realized,' He smirked, 'humans will possess the power of Gods.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Rei Ikari kept thinking about Shinji Shikinami she just met today. There was an unspoken familiarity about the boy. He looked a lot like her and her mom, which was disturbing. Any stranger would say they were a family at first glance. And he knew her codename, which disturbs her even more. No one outside of Project E should know that.
She was immersed in her thoughts as she approached her home. Sliding her keycard across the scanner, she opened the door and entered the room. "Tadaima." She announced.
"Welcome home!" Yui Ikari's voice came from the kitchen, "oh, is papa working late again?"
"yeah, and he said we're not waiting for him for dinner," Rei answered with a dejected tone, "he's always so busy."
"Now, daughter, we all know his job is important…" Yui walked from the kitchen to Rei, and gave her a warm hug, "feeling better, sweetie?"
Rei smiled a warm smile, "Much better, mom." She broke the hug after a few seconds and walked to her room. She changed to a more comfortable attire and waited for dinner. She and her mom ate the dinner in comfortable silence.
After shower Rei went straight to bed. A whole day of tiredness quickly overtook her, and she slipped into dream.
In the dream, Rei felt something strange. She found herself floating in total brightness, and it felt real. She had never had dreams like this before.
"Hello? Anyone out there?" She shouted into the brightness.
Her voice acted like a switch as a cloaked figure appeared in front of her. "Hello, Rei Ayanami."
"Who are you?" Rei asked, surprised at the mention of her codename.
"I'm a guide," the figure said, "and I need your help."
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AN: And that was Chapter 1 of You can (not) redo. The setting of the world is a world in 2016 without the Second Impact in 2000, and apparently SEELE still wanted to initiate their scenario to artificially evolve humans into Gods. Shinji and Asuka weren't supposed to exist in this world – they were left behind by the God Shinji and Asuka from NGE: Sincerely Yours. Rei was Gendo and Yui's legitimate daughter in this reconstructed world, and she was treated like a normal girl, so her personality would be OOC.
AND THE DRAMA AND PARODIES START THE NEXT CHAPTER!
As for the changes in Dead Sea Scrolls – it was a supernatural existence on earth, so it would change accordingly with the world.
As for Asuka's talent in piloting the EVA – we all know it's just her wishful thinking. :/
Why use the Commander instead of something like CEO since Gehirn wasn't a military organization? Because it's more convenient this way. :/
Hope you like this story. Leave a review!