Chapter 3: A Matter of Closeness

Closeness to someone, whether that be a lover, a family member, or even a friend, is perhaps the greatest defense against the darkness that can surround the mind and soul. In all my travels, regardless of the world and how hopeless it may be, the candlelight of a friend's companionship has sometimes made all the difference.

Geofront Hospital, Tokyo-3

Shinji slowly peeled his eyes open, the sheer white light blinding him for a moment. As he lay there with his eyes not entirely seeing his surroundings, he slowly began to understand where he was. He wore a hospital gown, and an EKG monitor beeped steadily beside him. He looked to be in a hospital room, bare save for the single machine beside him.

It took a little while longer for a nurse to come in, detach him from the machine, and ensure that he was able to walk without issue. He was then allowed out of the room. He exited into a long hallway, the wall in front of him holding a long window that stretched its length.

He was in the Geofront, it seemed, with the verdant sight of green trees and a deep blue lake stretching out before him. But how did he get here? Last he remembered…

He couldn't remember how he got here. Why? He strained to think, searching his memory. The last thing he remembered was the Angel gripping him, the pain, and then the darkness that came with it. The pain still lingered, in his arm and in a headache he really hoped would go away.

Something had happened, something with Unit-01… waking up? Those moments were all hazy, like a dream. Or maybe a nightmare.

As Shinji continued to ponder, the somewhat familiar clatter of a gurney passing by caught his attention, and he turned to see Rei, still in bandages, passing on to another part of the hospital. As they passed by each other, Shinji saw Rei, who was looking at him, much like she did in the gantry of Unit-01. But as she passed, Shinji thought he saw in her eyes a glimmer of… curiosity? He couldn't tell, as she was out of sight before he could tell for certain.

After he retrieved his belongings and changed back into clothes that somehow smelled faintly of dried blood, he sat and pondered in one of the empty rows of chairs that filled the cavernous lobby of the hospital.

He stared at his arm, still dully throbbing with pain. Was this what he was supposed to do? Go out and get beaten to death by Angels who would be able to hurt him regardless of the safety of his cockpit? What if this pain didn't go away? What was going on?

As his mind swirled, he almost missed Misato standing there, a red jacket on one arm, waiting for him. "Oh," Shinji said with no small amount of surprise. "Have you been waiting long?"

She shook her head, a somber expression on her face. "No, Shinji. Let's go get you someplace to live. You'll be here a while."

Shinji nodded, unsurprised at this turn of events. As they made their way out of the hospital, they came to an elevator. As the chime sounded and the doors opened, Shinji could not help but be surprised by the sight of his father standing in the elevator before him.

He said nothing to either of them and stared at Shinji. Try as he may, Shinji could not continue to look into his father's face for long and looked away. The look in his father's eyes scared and confused him. It was as if Shinji had broken something far more precious than even the Evangelion.

It was a look of naked disappointment and annoyance. Shinji didn't fully understand. He felt he might never.

Without a word, the elevator doors closed, leaving Misato and Shinji to wait. It didn't surprise Shinji in the least.

As they made their way to wherever they were going, Shinji continued to ponder, the world passing by him in a blur as he tried to follow Misato. Eventually, they came to what appeared to be an office, hanging above the Geofront, the view below shown through a glass floor that hit Shinji with a wave of vertigo as he looked down.

The man before them, apparently in charge of housing, stood before his desk. "He'll be living in a room in Block 6, near Headquarters here in the Geofront."

Misato's eyes widened at this. "You mean he'll be living alone?"

The man, with a flat tone, spoke again. "Yes. There's no one else currently in Block 6, though that may change. It shouldn't be a problem."

Misato turned to look at Shinji, a genuine concern in her eyes. "Are you really going to be okay with this? Being alone?"

Shinji turned to look at her with a serene face, though he was genuinely touched that she seemed to care. "Well, it won't be so bad. I'm not going to be entirely alone, what with my new duties. And I don't mind the solitude."

Misato continued to look at him, confusion and wondering, and no small amount of sadness racing through the look in her eyes until they seemed to settle into resolve. "He can live with me."

Shinji's eyes widened, while the housing director merely arched an eyebrow.

"It will free up that housing for someone who needs to be closer to the Geofront, while still keeping him in close proximity," she explained, "and it would cut down the costs of having another housing unit in use." She stared at the housing director, seeming to dare him to prove her wrong.

Eventually, he shrugged. "Well, I can't argue with that line of reasoning." He turned and sat back down at his desk, typing up the necessary documents at his computer. "If you give me, say, two or three days, I can have the official records reflect your choice. In the meantime, you can take him to your apartment and get settled in."

Misato nodded, a small, satisfied smile on her face. "Thank you, First Lieutenant Morrison."

The first lieutenant looked back at her, his own lips turning up a fraction. "And I'm sure the budget will be thanking you, Captain." he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Misato nodded and turned back to Shinji, her smile widening slightly. "Well, Shinji, let's get going."

Shinji, still somewhat shocked, followed Misato out the door in a daze. Of all the things that were going to happen, he did not expect this. He clearly needed to talk to Daniel again soon, if only to find some sort of stability in all this craziness that his life had suddenly become.

As they made their way to Misato's car, Misato pulled out her phone. "I've got a call to make real quick."

Shinji nodded absentmindedly and they continued to walk, Misato's phone quietly ringing.

"Hey, Ritsky," she said, after a moment. "I've got some news." silence as who appeared to be Ritsuko talked on the other end. "Shinji's going to be staying with me."

"What did you say?" Ritsuko nearly shouted into the receiver, loud enough for Shinji to make out.

"You heard what I said," Misato enunciated into the phone. "Instead of Shinji living all by himself, he'll live with me. Everything's being sorted out now."

Another moment of silence. "Oh, don't worry. Besides, it's not like I'm going to try anything funny with him."

Misato then held the phone as far away as she could as the receiver blared to life in a flurry of Ritsuko's raised objections. After a moment, Misato hung up and slipped the phone back into her pocket. "Man, forget I said anything then." she muttered.

She turned and saw Shinji looking at her archly. "I'm a woman of my word, Shinji," she said hotly, her own brow furrowing, "No funny business while you're living with me. Promise." Shinji nodded uncertainly and got into Misato's car which they had since gotten to.

The drive out of the Geofront passed by, Misato now seeming oddly excited as they exited another way into the city. "Man, tonight we are going to party!"

Shinji looked up, confused. "Because we defeated the Angel?" he said, slowly.

Misato looked over at him for a moment. "Well, yeah, but also to celebrate my new roomie moving in!"

Shinji nodded slowly. This was not a side of Misato that he expected he would see. Then again, what was expected?

They stopped at a grocery store first, grabbing rice and vegetables and beer, and Shinji couldn't help but notice the number of conversations centered on leaving the city that he heard. Was this city safe? Shinji wondered that himself, if he really was the last, best hope for victory against the Angels. They finished checking out and began to drive again.

"Before we go home, there's something I want to show you." Misato said quietly. Shinji perked up at this, wondering what it might be.

After a long drive, and with the backdrop of the setting sun in front of them, they made their way to a viewing platform on the outskirts of the city. The view looked flat and barren, like a shadow of a city that once stood there.

Shinji was skeptical, and a little somber so far, as he turned to look at Misato. "What am I supposed to see? It looks empty out there. A little sad, too."

Misato carefully studied a watch, waiting for some unspecified time to come to pass. "And… it's time." she said, looking up with a small smile.

Shiji watched as sirens echoed throughout the city. Then, his eyes went wide, and he couldn't help his jaw dropping, as panels in the ground opened up, and the skyscrapers that he saw, once hanging from the ceiling of the Geofront, rose like a forest of bamboo.

After several minutes, with a loud thump of what he could only guess could be locking mechanisms, the towers ceased their movement as if they had always been there. The city skyline became a truly majestic sight, made even greater by its transformation.

Misato broke the overawed silence. "This city was built to act as a fortress against the Angels. This is Tokyo-3. Our city. The city you helped save." Shinji turned back to look, as the city slowly began to come to life, a starfield of different lights springing into existence.

"Well," Misato said, with an unmistakable air of pride. "Much as I would love to keep watching, the groceries need to get home. Let's go."

After a while, they finally arrived at Misato's apartment building. It was a utilitarian, almost brutalist design, all right angles and concrete, the surface broken up only by glass windows.

They made their way to their floor and made their way to the door marked "M. Katsuragi", which had what appeared to be Shinji's belongings next to it.

"Well, look at that. They moved all your stuff up here already." Misato nodded, sliding her keycard and opening the door. "I'll be honest, I still haven't completely unpacked, so it's a bit of a mess. Come on in."

Shinji hesitated at the door, still not entirely convinced this was real. "Um... I… Thanks for having me, Ms. Misato."

Misato sighed quietly and dipped her head, turning to Shinji with a patient look in her eyes. "Remember, Shinji, this is your home, too. I'm glad I can have you."

After a moment, Shinji stepped through the door of the apartment. No, the door to his home. "Alright, then. I'm home." he said, with a small, unsure smile.

Misato's smile was oddly wholesome. Shinji liked it. "Welcome home, Shinji." she replied softly.

The warmth in his heart at having someplace to call home cooled somewhat as Misato flipped the lightswitch, shining light onto perhaps one of the greatest messes that Shinji had seen in his life. Crushed beer cans, food wrappers, and a tower of nearly untouched boxes that went nearly to the ceiling of the apartment were only some of the decorations that he could see from here.

"As I said, it's a little messy right now, but don't worry about it." Misato said as she made her way towards the hallway at the back of the room.

Shinji continued to ogle at what he guessed was the dining area. "This… is a little?" His sense of cleanliness was screaming at him right now, desperately crying out to him to make some order out of all this.

Misato peeked around the left corner of the hall that connected to the dining room. "By the way, don't forget to put the food we bought in the fridge. I'll be right back." Then, she disappeared around the corner.

"Uh, got it." he said uncertainly.

He made his way, somewhat carefully, to the fridge, and began pulling open the drawers to put things away. 3 staples of Misato's diet immediately made themselves apparent to Shinji as he did so. Ice, snacks, and Yebisu beer. Was that really everything she lived off of? Either way, it didn't leave much room for everything that they had bought. Shinji looked around and saw something that looked like another refrigerator, grey and stretching from floor to ceiling. "Ms. Misato?" he called out. "What about the other refrigerator?"

From what he assumed was her room, Misato shouted back. "Oh, don't open that one. That'll disrupt old sleepy head." Sleepy head? What could that possibly mean?

Either way, Shinji managed as best he could, and Misato emerged, wearing a loose yellow tank top and shorts cut nearly to her hips, the same outfit as in the picture that she sent him, Shinji noted.

After a few minutes of preparation, which mostly consisted of microwaving things for the time noted on their packaging, they cleared the table, set it, and began to eat dinner.

Misato ate with gusto, guzzling down one of the beers as if it was a bottle of water. She finished off with a loud, contented sigh. "Man, isn't this the life? After a long day at work, this is worth it!"

After a moment more of revelry, she stopped, noticing Shinji's lack of similar excitement. "Aren't you hungry? I know it's microwaved, but it still works."

Shinji nodded. "I know. It's just that I'm not really used to just eating food like this."

"What!" Misato exclaimed, leaning over the table and leering at Shinji inches away from his face, an annoyed look in her eyes. "Is it not good enough for your cultured taste buds?"

Shinji recoiled, slinking down as far as he dared into his chair. "That's not what I meant. I…" he began to stammer again, taking note almost against his will at how close Misato's chest was to him. Again. "It's fine," he finally managed.

As if a switch had flipped, Misato went from nearly furious to completely calm, a small smile replacing an annoyed grimace. "Well then," she said, remaining where she was, "isn't this fun? Sharing meals like this with others is always nice."

Shinji nodded, his cheeks still slowly turning red. "Sure."

She finally sat back down, digging into a carton of ramen, and Shinji finally straightened up and took a pair of chopsticks, sighing. "I can only imagine Daniel's face when he hears this," he said, thinking out loud without realizing it.

Misato paused as she looked back up at him with a mouthful of ramen noodles. "Mmful Fmfmmn?"

As Shinji gave her a puzzled look, she slurped up the rest of the noodles and cleared her throat. "Daniel Theisman? Little taller than you, blue eyes, blond hair, and a beard, served in South America?"

Shinji's eyes lit up as he heard Misato describe Danel to a T. "Yes, that's him, though I didn't know he was military. How do you know him?"

Misato smiled in turn. "He came to NERV Germany about… 3 years ago, I think? He became head of the Engineering Division for the Production Evangelion there, the one that'll be Unit-02. He's great! So kind and willing to listen… great for getting a girl home when she's had too much to drink…"

Shinji quirked an eyebrow even as the corner of his mouth rose with it. That was Daniel alright.

After a moment's seeming recollection of happy days now long past, Misato's eyes somehow widened even further. "Wait a minute, he mentioned you! He mentioned you a couple of times, said you were like a little brother to him." Misato let out a girlish squeal, standing and coming around the table to take Shinji by the shoulders, Shinji jumping a little as she shook him somewhat.

"Another thing to celebrate today! This calls for another beer!" True to her word, she grabbed another beer from the fridge, yet another tin can for the stack that was increasing, in Shinji's opinion, at a worrying rate.

However, dinner was finished off soon after, and they divided up their chores with a quick game of janken pon. With that done, Misato leaned back in her chair. "Remember, this is your home now, Shinji. So make yourself at home here, okay?"

Shinji nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Misato sighed at this. "'Yes, ma'am, Yes, ma'am'. We're home, alright?" She reached over the table once again, roughly ruffling Shinji's hair. "It's Misato here, okay? Relax a little!" She continued until Shinji gave a harried "okay, okay".

Misato lifted her hand from Shinji's head and leaned back. "You know what helps with relaxing? A nice, hot bath. It's the washing machine for life's troubles, after all!"

Shinji nodded. A bath sounded like a good idea. After he undressed in the washroom, he noted more of the signs of a bachelorette life, a rack of bras and panties hanging over his head.

He sighed for seemingly the umpteenth time. This was still going to take some getting used to. He turned and slid open the door. The sight that greeted him was the last thing that he could have expected.

A small, fat bird stood with a towel around its neck, its vibrant red plumage giving the impression of wild eyebrows. On its chest was a metal harness that read PEN2 .

Shinji had little time to take this in before the bird began waving its flippers and its head around squawking and warbling at Shinji. With a shout, and without thinking, Shinji flung open the washroom door to a somewhat startled Misato. "Ms. Misato!" he stuttered out after a few moments. "There's, there's a... a... a... uh.."

As Shinji struggled to describe what he had seen, the bird casually strode past him, walking to the grey fridge. Misato's eyes lit up in understanding. "Oooh. That's just Penpen. He's a hot spring penguin I rescued."

As Penpen got to the front of his fridge, he used one of his unusually long claws to press one of the buttons, sliding open the door in front of him. He looked back at Shinji with a look that radiated how obviously unamused he was before he walked into the fridge, the door closing behind him.

"Penpen?" Shinji asked incredulously.

"Yeah. He's my other roommate." Misato replied. She picked up her beer can and took a nonchalant sip. "So, are you ready to bathe?"

Shinji remembered at that moment where exactly he had run from, and in what state of undress. His face growing red as a tomato, he shuffled to the side, closing the door of the washroom as he did.

Misato continued drinking from the can, a thoughtful look in her eyes. 'Maybe I shouldn't lay it on so thick. He might start seeing through it. He's perceptive enough to.' She thought these things as she finished off the beer, setting it back down on the table with a quiet clink.

Shinji eventually stepped into the bath, relaxing immensely as his embarrassment wore off. 'Misato Katsuragi. She seems nice enough,' he pondered silently as he relaxed. 'She feels like she's hiding something though.'

He continued to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling as his mind worked. 'I can't help but think of all the terrifying things I've seen here. Like Father.' His mind rattled through the uncomfortable, tense moments he had had as he reunited with his father for the first time in years.

'But there's also the mysterious here as well. Like Rei Ayanami.' His mind slowed down as he considered the rare interactions that he had with Ayanami. Well, interaction might be a strong word. She was truly mysterious. She had never spoken a word to him, barely even looked at him, but he was intrigued. It was hard not to be.

As he stepped out of the bath, at last, he dried himself off, and started to put on his nightclothes, which included a comfortable, well-worn brown shirt with a weird snake-like symbol on it, inlaid with the English word 'INDEED'. Shinji smiled as he pulled it on. 'And then there's Daniel.'

His mind turned to happier years as he prepared for bed, which ended with him putting a headphone in one ear, plugging it into his phone, and playing the music that his father had left him as he lay in bed.

He probably had cell service now, he realized after a moment. He really should call Daniel soon. He had a lot to tell him. And, he realized, a lot to ask him. Misato would probably be glad to see him over the call if nothing else.

But for now, he simply listened as the guitars and drums and keyboards of yesteryear serenaded him. These weren't really his father's songs anymore, he realized as he began to ponder once again. Daniel had enjoyed many of them. He had helped him divest these tracks from anything to do with his father as he and Shinji listened together for 3 years. In a sense, they were more Daniel's songs now than anything.

A small smile crept across his lips as he realized this. A moment later, he heard a knock at the door, and a quiet voice. "Shinji, can I open the door?" Misato asked.

Shinji paused the music as the door behind him slid open. "I forgot to say something earlier." She paused for a moment. "You did well today. People will remember that. They'll be grateful for it. You should be proud. Keep it up. Good night, Shinji."

The door slid closed, and Shinji pressed play again, the music returning him to his thoughts. He wondered how what he did was commendable. He wondered how exactly he could 'keep it up'.

But most of all, he wondered about Daniel, and how he was doing on the other side of the world, as he drifted off to sleep.

Next Time on Apotheosis Echo...

We turn to the past and begin to unravel the character of Daniel Theisman, as he travels to Germany to take on the challenge of two red devils. Who is he really? And why is he so interested in the Children of NERV? Next Episode: Painful Memories & Fallen Masks.