Neon Genesis Evangelion: Apotheosis Echo

by StriderInCosmos

What happens when someone who knows how stories really work enters one to change its course? Though the destiny of Tokyo-3 may change, it will yet become the center point of events in ways that those who live in it could never imagine.

13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Ruminations in a Quiet Moment

And, at last, a moment of rest. At least, for many of us. The next two weeks would prove to be a far more vital time than most anyone would ever expect. It was here that the delicate balance that had settled upon the world would be upset irreparably, one way or another. I hoped that that upset would be for the better. And, in a way, it was. Though now, what the future held in store became even more obscured. But such obscurity was a small price to pay, in the end.

Meeting Room, NERV HQ, 1 Week Later

Gendo Ikari sat in silence as the meeting with his superiors, the Human Instrumentality Committee, SEELE, continued on. They had gone over the footage of the previous Angel's attacks in almost agonizing detail. They had grilled him on not preparing Shinji enough to pilot Unit-01 against Sachiel and Shamshel, and gave Major Katsuragi grudging respect for her ingenuity of command against many of the other Angels.

The only Angels they seemed even mildly concerned about were Gaghiel, who was encountered in the waters off of New Yokosuka, and Iruel, who had been crafty enough to use subterfuge to make its way deep into the Geofront, though the depth of such intrusion was lessened in the report made by Gendo. He had only mentioned the Angel's physical presence, not its digital one.

But the old men did not unduly worry much. The Angels had come when it was predicted that they come, and they did so generally in the fashion it was predicted they would. The Dead Sea scrolls, while prophecy, were not intimate in the details of what would come to pass. There had been, until this point, little in the way of worrying deviation. The Scenario was still proceeding as planned.

The meeting progressed onward, and, Gendo thought to himself as the American representative spoke up, it seemed he would become privy to new, potentially important information.

"Speaking of the Angels and their presence," the American representative said, "what news on the dig in Arqa?"

Arqa? Gendo had never heard of such a place in his time working with the Committee. "I didn't know that the Committee had become dedicated to an archaeological expedition beyond that of the retrieval of the Dead Sea scrolls." Gendo said with measured neutrality.

The French representative turned with a furrowed brow towards Gendo. "I don't believe you have the necessary clearance to know of such things, Ikari. There are things, which I am sure will shock you, that you aren't privy to." he glanced over at the American representative with no small amount of distaste. "Typical of the Americans, to forget their place."

Chairman Lorenz, at the head of the table as always, shifted his artificial gaze to the Frenchman. "You need not worry about his clearance, representative. I will take this opportunity to elucidate to Commander Ikari as I update the American for everyone's benefit."

He, or at least his image, leaned on the table. "In the aftermath of Second Impact, Commander, as I'm sure you can tell, much had occurred geologically. For example, in the Himalayan mountain range, earthquakes and the nuclear exchanges between India and Pakistan unearthed a hidden city. It has gone by many different names, Shangri-la being chief among them. What was discovered by our teams, sent only as recently as 2010, however, was a civilization that we believe has some ties to the Dead Sea scrolls. It is called the lost city of Arqa, unrelated as it is to the location in Lebanon."

Lorenz paused to let the realization sink into Gendo, then continued. "In the ruins, we found remarkable discoveries pertaining to the nature of the human soul, how it works, and how it can be healed and the body it inhabits made to last for centuries."

"Recently," he said, pausing for what seemed to be a dramatic effect, "we have also found the remains of an ancient Angel, unnamed on any of the Scrolls. This is an unprecedented find, as it seems to have died of what can only be considered 'natural causes'. Such a thing should be impossible, but the revelations that we have gained have been… extraordinary." his voice softened on the last word, and he seemed to muse on what it meant silently for a moment.

Gendo nodded slightly, no expression on his face, as the rest of the table stirred and murmured at this news. "Fascinating, sir. If that is all, as I have said, our records are open to you, and you may review them at your pleasure."

Lorenz nodded. "Very well, Ikari. And as I am sure you need not be reminded, we all follow the Dead Sea scrolls and the Scenario that they lay out for us. You know the part you and NERV must play. Do not deviate from it more than necessary."

With that, SEELE, as it was wont to do, disappeared, leaving him in darkness.

The Pribnow Box, NERV HQ

Rei Ayanami sat in silence and pondered on humanity. Her recovery from the drugs that had been given to her had been going well. Better than well, even, thanks to the help of the Theisman's. Now, only about a month after the fact, she had dropped to safely taking only about a third of her original dosage.

Things had become sharper, now. More clear, easier to understand, and yet inscrutable at the same time. So much had suddenly become fascinating to her. Especially emotion. Its expression. The warmth of a hug. The closeness of sitting on a couch with one's friends. The wonder and fear and joy and love and loss and sorrow that could be conveyed by things as simple as moving pictures and sound, by even just reading the words placed in front of her, even just by looking at a picture on the wall. So many words, so many feelings had gained definition, substance, depth. She was, as Asuka was fond of saying, "becoming more human every day".

But what was she? Was she human? Or was she something more? Something less? Logic dictated that she was not human, or at least, not entirely. She was the product of an experiment, a fusion of the flesh of humanity, and something far, far older. Even her very soul was not entirely human.

She knew, intellectually at least, what she was. A tool, a soul piloting one husk out of hundreds, out of thousands, for the purpose of ensuring Gendo Ikari's vision of Instrumentality would come to pass. He would have his wife, she would have her soul reunited with her progenitor, and the world would be free of the pains of existence.

But was it going to be worth it? More and more each day, the answer had started to become no. Where once she saw the world only through lenses of pain, suffering, and vague discontent, the lenses had slowly lifted to allow her to see moments of beauty, caring, and… love. Love from the most unexpected of places.

She could see more clearly now. Her perception of not simply the physical world, but what existed underneath, had slowly become clearer as she continued to ween off the drugs. She saw… light, was the best way she could describe it. The light of people's souls. It was a varied, colorful light, different from person to person, and she could now spend hours just looking at the starfield that was a crowd of people.

But, in reality, all of this, this wonder and sense of discovery, still had to be hidden. Hidden from Gendo, who she realized more and more expected her to be the ultimate doll. She had even gone so far as to ask Asuka to continue to treat her as she did previously when on NERV property. Like a doll.

But she was not a doll. She would never be a doll, ever again. She would protect this world, the lights of its souls, the light of… their souls. Shinji. Asuka.

She saw their lights, different but complementary. It was… amusing, she believed was the word for it, watching them dance around their now blindingly obvious feelings for each other. They could be so much more together, she understood, and that was just from seeing them interact, both in the physical world and the reactions of their souls.

But then, another question came to her. Could she have that? Could she disturb what was already between them? No. No, she couldn't, she realized.

Before she could continue her thoughts, Ritsuko's voice came over the intercom for the Entry Plug. "So, Rei, how is your first time in Unit-01 so far?"

Rei blinked as she thought for a moment. It was… familiar. Not only because it smelled like Shinji, but because of who was also there. Who was within Unit-01. "It is… not an unpleasant experience, Doctor Akagi." she replied slowly.

Ritsuko nodded as she turned to look at the synch rate monitor that Maya was stationed at. "Well, her synch rate is around the same level as it is in Unit-00." she mused. "I suppose it helps that Unit-00 and Unit-01 are very similar in their personal patterns."

"That it does, Senpai." Maya said with a look as thoughtful as Ritsuko's. "I think that might be why it's possible for them to synchronize in the first place."

As Ritsuko conversed with Maya, Misato looked into the patchworked Pribnow Box at Unit-01. She still wondered at the sight of it and held no small amount of unease at how little she truly knew about it. It was an organic thing, with cybernetics to allow for the pilots to interface with it and pilot it. But that was it. What powered these things? How did they even walk without crushing themselves? Were they like the Angels? How were they really even built?

All these questions and more gnawed at her as the test concluded. Unit-01 was taken out, replaced by Unit-00, and Shinji stepped into the Entry Plug.

He was slightly perplexed as to why only he and Rei were doing this test. Besides the fact that Asuka wouldn't allow anyone to touch her Eva with a 10-foot pole without her express permission, the specifics of why he was about to try what he was going to try were still kind of vague to him. If he thought hard enough, he could see the reasoning, that being that just in case one of the Evas and a pilot was unavailable, one of them could still sortie. But even still, that was reaching.

As Shinji began to synch with Unit-00, he couldn't help but notice the… strangeness of it all. It felt... hostile in the Entry Plug, like the Unit itself seethed with some unseen resentment. Even hatred.

"Alright, Shinji," Ritsuko's voice said, breaking his concentration slightly, "how does Unit-00 feel right now, here at level one of the test?"

After a moment's consideration, Shinji spoke. "It feels… weird. Kind of like Rei, but… not, somehow." he said carefully.

Asuka cut in from Unit-02's Entry Plug. "What does that even mean, Shinji? How could Unit-00 not feel like Wondergirl? It's her Eva, after all."

"Alright, Asuka, settle down and let Shinji continue the test." Ritsuko said after a moment.

Maya then spoke up. "Initiating level two contact."

The Entry Plug whirred as it connected more deeply with Unit-00. In the testing center, Ritsuko peered at the synchronization graph. "As expected, his synch score is lower in Unit-00 than it is in Unit-01." she said after a moment.

Maya nodded. "The harmonics are all nominal, but the score is just lower than usual. And it doesn't look like it's on the pilot's end."

"That's okay." Ritsuko replied assuredly. "With what readings we have, it means that the reasoning behind the Dummy System is sound."

Maya looked up at Ritsuko with no small amount of concern. "Senpai, with all due respect, the Dummy System seems… sketchy, at best."

Misato perked up her ears as she listened in. The Dummy System, for all its importance for being a backup plan for the Evas, was still a mystery to her. It rankled her to be kept in the dark so much.

"I understand any misgivings you might have," Ritsuko said, "but it is vital that we have a fallback plan for the Evangelions in case all else fails."

"I respect you, and I will do my job in making sure it works…" Maya paused for a moment. "But I'm not sure this Dummy System is the right call."

Ritsuko sighed and lowered her voice as Misato strained to listen. "I've found that being too principled around here can make things very difficult. I admire your conviction, Kouhai, but you need to learn when to keep that conviction in check. It's a difficult lesson to learn, but once you do, the work here becomes a lot easier. That's all I can say."

Maya looked back at the monitor wordlessly. Ritsuko sighed, straightening up and making her way to Rei's side at the window of the Box.

In Unit-00, the Plug hummed as the test went to level three of contact. Terms and callouts bounced around aimlessly in Shinji's head as he tried to concentrate. After a moment, they were ready. "Initiating A-10 connection. Stand by." Ritsuko said as the connection was finalized.

In a moment, a stabbing pain seemed to lance into Shinji's head as he clutched at it. It felt like something was boring into his mind from the base of his skull.

After a moment more, flashes of memory danced through his head, fast enough that it took some time before he could focus on them. They were… Rei's? He relived moments from her recent life, from when he saw her on the street before Sachiel, to when he visited her apartment, to even as recently as after she started to go off her medication.

Then, an overwhelming feeling began to press into his mind. One of anger, hatred even, but also one of desire. A desire for... what? For him?

The last thing he saw was the looming face of Rei, an almost terrifying look in her eyes, filling his entire view before everything went black.

In the observation area of the Pribnow Box, most everyone jumped back as the now blue giant threw its head about in seeming agony and began to struggle against its restraints.

Misato turned to look at Ritsuko. "What the hell is going on?" she shouted.

One of the techs, moving back to his station after jumping up from his seat, gave her an answer. "The harmonics have gone wild! We're reading massive abnormalities in the connection between pilot and Eva!"

Maya delivered perhaps the most worrying part of the news. "Psychological contamination has started to bleed across the connection!"

Ritsuko's eyes widened. "That should be impossible at the depth the Plug's at!"

Maya shook her head as the Eva continued to strain against its bindings, leaning ever closer towards the observation window like a chained animal. "The contamination is coming from the Eva itself! The pilot isn't showing up in the readings!"

As she said this, the Eva's restraints tore from the wall with a peal of metallic thunder, and it shook the now useless hunks of metal off its back and arms, stumbling towards the observation window.

As the Eva clutched its head with a hand, Ritsuko turned to the techs. "Break all the circuits! Shut it down!"

Its umbilical cable came off with the crack of explosive bolts, the cable's thrusters slowing its descent to the floor as the Eva leaned against the wall of the Box, seeming to peer in at the technicians as it writhed and clutched its head. All within the observation room had taken several steps back, as a timer counted down the Unit's auxiliary power.

Misato turned to Hyuga, who had since become Captain Hyuga, and leaned over the back of his chair. "What's Shinji's status?"

Hyuga shook his head. "Unknown, ma'am. As Ibuki said, he isn't showing up on any of the readings!"

Maya turned back to Ritsuko, who was staring up at Unit-00 in wide-eyed shock. "Senpai, the eject signal isn't getting through! The ejection mechanism won't activate!"

Ritsuko shook her head slightly. "Is it going to consume Shinji?" she said under her breath, but loud enough for Misato to catch it, who whipped her head around with wide eyes. Consume him? The Evas could do that?

The room shuddered as the Eva threw a massive punch, cracking the observation window. It punched again and again and again, each time threatening to shatter the window in Rei's face, who stood serenely watching the giant's assault.

Misato turned to Rei as the window shattered, pieces of glass flying past her. "Rei!" Misato shouted. "Get back!"

Rei turned, hiding a startled look as best she could before jogging back towards Misato's side as the Eva proceeded to turn to another wall, bashing its head against it over and over as a technician counted down the seconds until the Eva's power ran out.

As the timer reached zero, the Eva's head impacted one last time against the white, dented wall with a dull thunk, then slid down the wall, as it finally fell still.

Misato looked towards a group of technicians. "Extract the pilot! Now!"

As they scurried off, Misato looked at Rei, then at the Evangelion. 'Was the Eva trying to… kill Rei? And what did Ritsuko mean about "consuming" Shinji? What are you?'

Misato and Ritsuko sat alone in the cafe at the top of HQ, watching the Geofront mimic a sunset with drinks in hand. Misato wanted to say what she would say this way. It would be easier for both of them if they were a little buzzed. Trying to continue to patch things up with Ritsuko was simply a bonus, she thought, as she swirled her beer before taking a sip.

After a moment, Misato looked over at Ritsuko. "So, with the incident today, would it be connected to the last time it went berserk like that? When Rei piloted it?"

Ritsuko shrugged as she sipped the gin and coke she had gotten. "I'm not sure, though we can't rule out the possibility. We'll have to revert the Unit's data to Rei's and get a synchronization test, and follow through with Rei right away."

Misato nodded. "Alright. As Operations Director, I'm going to ask that you do that as soon as possible. I want to make sure that everything is ready to go in case of an emergency."

Ritsuko nodded in turn. "Will do, Major."

Misato sighed. "And all this before we get a new First Lieutenant to take Hyuga's place." she muttered.

A small smile came to Ritsuko's face. "So, what's the deal with that?"

Misato shook her head in wonderment. "Well, instead of picking someone from here inside HQ to promote, apparently the Committee decided to have us transfer someone from America. Specifically NERV-3 in Nevada. I haven't the slightest clue whether or not they'll speak Japanese, and I don't know about you, Ritsuko, but my English is rustier than I care to admit."

Ritsuko chuckled as Misato said this. "I'm sure it'll be fine, Misato. The Committee knows what it's doing. They wouldn't send someone who wasn't prepared for what they have to do."

Misato shook her head again. "Yeah, I guess." she admitted with a shrug.

They sipped at their drinks in silence for a while, before Misato asked the question that had been gnawing at her all day. "During the test," she said, pausing for a moment as Ritsuko looked over, "you said something about the possibility of the Eva 'consuming' Shinji. What does that even mean?"

Ritsuko's eyes hardened, and she looked away. "I can't tell you that." she said softly.

Misato's brow furrowed as a fist clenched beneath the table. "Why? You know everything about the Evangelions. You practically made the damn things! And the only thing I know is that I know next to nothing. So tell me. How would the Eva even begin to do something like that? What's inside the Evangelion?"

Ritsuko stared ahead out the window stoically. "Like I said, Misato. I can't tell you that."

Misato's hand unclenched and rose to her face, as she squeezed at the sides of her eyes, then pinched the bridge of her nose, before she stood. "Does our friendship mean nothing anymore, Ritsuko?" she asked, exasperation dripping off her words.

She simply stared ahead silently. After a moment, Misato scoffed in disgust and walked away.

As Misato exited, Ritsuko sighed. "Maybe… maybe it doesn't, anymore." she said quietly, to no one in particular.

Shinji awoke in near darkness, staring at a ceiling that was at once familiar and unfamiliar. 'I'm back at NERV's hospital.' he thought with resignation and a little annoyance.

As he stirred, he found that he was not alone in his room. From under a pale light, he saw Daniel and Eleanor sitting together, books in their hands. They looked up at him, warm smiles on their faces.

With them was Asuka, who had dozed off by his bedside, of all places. She seemed… at peace while she slept. Shinji smiled slightly. He liked when she looked like that.

"Well, hello, Shinji." Daniel said, stirring Asuka from her sleep. "It's good to see you awake."

Shinji sighed as he smiled weakly. "It's good to be awake."

. . .

In Central Dogma, Captain Hyuga walked up to Misato with a phone in his hand that he quickly pocketed. "Pilot Ikari has woken up, ma'am." he said, as Misato turned to face her. "He says he doesn't remember anything from after the test started."

Misato sighed. She would have to talk to him herself. Or talk to Daniel. He could find things out about that boy that she would never be able to. "I see." she said simply.

. . .

Fuyutsuki and Gendo sat in the cool blue light of Gendo's office, silent save for the clacking of Fuyutsuki's shogi tiles.

"So," Fuyutsuki said, breaking what could generously be considered a companionable silence, "The Committee found out about the last Angel's digital intrusion anyway."

"So it would seem, Sensei." Gendo said, the picture of composure.

Fuyutsuki spared a glance from the manual he was reading from as he put down another tile. "You seem unconcerned with this, for the length that you went to in order to cover it up. And for how the Committee could pressure us with it." he said warningly.

Gendo barely moved. Fuyutsuki continued in the silence. "They are a miserable lot, content with complaining about our little failures, aren't they?" he asked sardonically.

Gendo finally spoke. "We needn't worry. We hold all the important cards, after all. There's nothing that they can do about that, Sensei."

"Not all of them, Gendo." Fuyutsuki warned. "That should be plenty of reason not to antagonize them further." Another clack as Fuyutsuki punctuated his statement by placing another shogi tile. "If SEELE got involved more closely with us now, things would become far more… complicated than they need to be."

Gendo shook his head ever so slightly. "Everything is proceeding according to the Scenario, Sensei. Our Scenario. As I said, it is nothing to be concerned about."

Another tile clacked as Fuyutsuki replied. "And what about the incident with Unit-00 earlier today? That certainly wasn't in any Scenario I thought of."

Gendo shrugged slightly. "It means nothing. Besides, the re-synchronization of Rei to the Unit was successful."

Fuyutsuki was silent for a moment as he placed his next piece. 'Ikari's become far more fixated on Rei than usual. I wonder why.' he had his guesses, but they never went any farther than his silent musings.

So, he decided to change the subject. "And what about Project Adam?"

Gendo gave no indication of his feelings about the change in topic. "It is proceeding smoothly. We've only barely begun to fall behind. And we'll catch up again."

Fuyutsuki paused in placing shogi tiles, his board setup complete. "And what of the Lance of Longinus?"

Gendo finally glanced at Fuyutsuki. "It's on its way. Rei is overseeing the operation."

Fuyutsuki nodded and looked down at his game of shogi. The board had been set. 'In more ways than one.' he mused.

. . .

Deep below, in the depths of Terminal Dogma, Rei sat in the Entry Plug of Unit-00, the massive crimson Lance of Longinus in her hands, as she stood before the massive gate of Heaven's Door. It slowly slid open and revealed a fleshy, pale white giant, crucified above the lake of LCL that it produced. Her progenitor. Lilith.

Even now, she felt the call, the pull of unification, of becoming whole. She was Lilith, after all. Her very soul was Lilith's.

But did she want that anymore? With all that she had experienced? As she inserted the Lance with a wet, sliding noise accompanying it, she pondered on the human element of her self.

One Week Later

Shinji stood in the quiet, seemingly desolate Impact Memorial Cemetery, in front of a tombstone that he had seen only once before, which bore the name of someone he had never seen face to face but treasured nonetheless, flowers in hand. He was alone right now, waiting for his father. Just him and his thoughts.

He thought back to a quiet ride in an elevator with Rei.

"So, Rei," Shinji said, as Rei turned back to look at him inquisitively, "what is my father like?"

Rei blinked. "Why do you ask?"

Shinji sighed. "Well, I saw you at one time having a conversation with him, and he seemed to enjoy it. So… do you know what my father is like?"

Shinji had no idea of the weight behind the pause as Rei looked down and considered what Shinji asked. After a moment, she looked him in the eye again, sadness surprisingly evident in her gaze. "I don't know, Shinji. And if I don't, I'm not sure anyone truly does."

He thought back to a conversation with Daniel, the rock he had depended on growing up.

Shinji sighed as he looked at one of his most precious possessions. It was a photo of his mother. A copy of a photo, from a yearbook the day she graduated college. Daniel had given it to him. Three years ago, now. "I don't even know what to say, Daniel." he finally said after a moment. "Should I even say anything?"

Daniel shook his head slowly. "I don't entirely know, Shinji. Just… go with what feels right. I know that probably sounds really stupid, but I trust that you'll know what needs to be said. And what doesn't."

He thought back to this afternoon, the trepidation he had felt as he went his separate ways from Misato and Asuka. Misato was going to a wedding, he remembered, and Asuka was going on a date with someone that Hikari recommended to her. And he was coming here, to the grave of his mother. Yui Ikari.

Gendo finally arrived, coming to a stop by Shinji's side. It was a long, awkward moment before he spoke. "It's been three years since we last met here." he said simply.

Shinji succeeded in suppressing a snort of derision. 'Met' was a strong word for what happened on that day, when he was 12 years old. He had barely said anything, didn't do anything, barely even acknowledged Shinji's existence then. Simply stared at the gravestone.

Shinji said nothing about how he had run away from home on the days of the anniversary since, as he laid the flowers on his mother's grave.

Shinji shook his head slowly. "It's still hard to believe that my mother is resting here. I've never even seen her face to face." he mused sadly.

Gendo was stoic. "People must be willing to forget to move on from such tragedy. I had to forget to move on. But some things must never be forgotten, however. Yui taught me that. That's why I come here. Because I have nothing else to remember her by. Not even pictures."

Shinji suppressed the instinct to reach for the photo that was even now in his pocket as his father continued. "Even the grave itself is a facade. There is no body buried here."

Shinji looked away. "I was told that you threw everything away after Mother died. I guess I know that all too well, now."

Gendo looked at the back of Shinji's head. "You keep what's important inside. The memories, and nothing more. Looking at the photos caused nothing but pain. Looking at you…"

Shinji turned to look at his father, tears welling in his eyes. "Is that it? Really? Is that why you sent me away all those years ago? Because I reminded you of her too much?"

Gendo looked down, and Shinji was shocked to see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "Yes… Shinji." he said, in a surprisingly husky voice.

Shinji blinked and unconsciously stepped back. He had never expected this much emotion from his father, this much sincerity. So, they stood there and pondered on an empty grave.

In time, the whir of an aircraft's engines grew louder and louder, and one of NERV's tilt-jet transports soon touched down. Gendo walked towards it, then turned back. "It seems our time is up." he said with an air of finality.

After a moment's silence, he turned and walked back towards the aircraft, Shinji staring after him. As Gendo opened the door, Shinji caught a glimpse of Rei.

In a split second, Shinji made a decision. "Father!" he shouted, hoping his voice could be heard over the noise.

Gendo turned, and a forlorn smile came to Shinji's face. "I'm glad we were able to talk this time, Father."

Gendo nodded after a moment. "I see… son." He boarded the plane, and took off, leaving Shinji to turn back to the grave, finally taking out his mother's picture. A name, a face, and a date. It was all he had of her, now.

He stood vigil until the sun began to touch the horizon, then turned for home.

Across town, as the sun set and day became night, Kaji carried a groggy, drunken Misato on his back, walking back to her apartment, her heels in his hand.

Misato groaned. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. Y' shouldn't have done this f'r me, Ryoji." she slurred.

Kaji scoffed. "We're in the same boat, Misato. No use complaining about it now."

A quiet "Yeah…" presaged a moment of silence, broken only by Kaji's footsteps.

"Look at you," he finally said after a moment, "high heels and all. You're so mature now, so grown up. It makes me realize how long it's been."

Misato's arms, thrown around his shoulders, brushed against his chin. "Y' should shave. Y'r too stubbly." she said almost haltingly.

Kaji chuckled. "Yes, ma'am. I'll take it into consideration."

After a while, Misato gained the confidence to walk on her own, and they traveled in companionable silence. After a moment, Misato spoke. "Kaji… do you think I've changed?" she asked tentatively.

Kaji thought back to a conversation he, Misato, and Ritsuko had at the after-party of the wedding, how Ritsuko mentioned the contradictory nature of desiring change and wanting things to stay the same. "Well, you're more beautiful." he said after a moment.

After a moment more of silence, Misato looked over at him, remorse evident in her hazy eyes. "I never apologized for breaking up so suddenly. Back in college, I mean. Back on the elevator, we promised a story for a story, right?"

Kaji looked back into her eyes, his own full of understanding. "Yeah. Are you ready to tell yours?"

Misato looked ahead and nodded, then slowed to a stop, Kaji stopping just ahead of her and turning back. "That stuff about finding someone else… it was all a lie. I left… because it just hit me all at once how you reminded me of my father. It hit me all at once that I was looking for my father in the people that I dated. I had no idea of what to do. So I did the simple thing at the time. I cut ties and I ran. I ran and ran, and continued to run."

Misato snorted softly as she looked down. "But I guess you caught up with me, in the end. After I had joined up with NERV, the organization that my father had a part in making, after I began to delude myself that I had joined to get revenge on the Angels, instead of… being close to the only part of him I had left."

She looked down, sniffling as she grabbed her arm. Kaji stepped towards her. "You made your choice, Misato." he said after a moment. "You don't need to apologize for anything."

Misato shook her head. "You're wrong! I didn't choose! I just ran! And I kept running because I was terrified of you! Of myself!"

She covered her face with one of her hands. "I'm worse than Shinji. At least he was brave enough to stay here, to fight under his father. The man he hates." she sobbed.

Kaji stepped forward, pulling Misato's hand down from her face. "That's enough, Misato."

She shook her head again. "Don't you see, Kaji? I'm still just a child, using and throwing away things when it's convenient. Like I threw you away. I'm worthless. How could you ever-"

She stopped as Kaji pulled her in for a deep kiss. They stood there for a moment, drinking each other in as Misato's heels slipped to the ground, forgotten.

After what seemed like an eternity in each other, Kaji pulled away, looking into Misato's puffy, red eyes. "I love you, Misato." he said, an utter conviction in his eyes. "Don't ever call yourself worthless again. Please."

Misato's eyes widened. Then, as she took his head in her hands, she pulled him in for another deep kiss. It was going to be just a little while longer until they got home.

As Shinji arrived home earlier that day, drained physically and emotionally, he decided on a whim to play his cello. He was alone in the apartment as he tuned the strings after a fair little while of not playing it. Well, Penpen was there, but he didn't really care as Shinji ran the ever-familiar bow across the strings. After a moment to warm up, he decided on something simple, something he could have his mind wander to, as the cello's resonant notes became Bach's Cello Suite Number 1. It was slow at first, but picked up speed as Shinji settled into the rhythm.

His mind drifted on the notes, not hearing the front door open and shut. As he finished the piece, he jumped slightly as he heard clapping. "Good job, Shinji." Asuka said, a smile on her face as she stood in the living room. "I didn't even know you had an instrument with you."

Shinji blushed slightly as Asuka walked down the hall from the living room. "Well, I haven't really practiced that much since I came here. I've been busy with other things, like training and school."

Asuka nodded. "Well, keep at it! You obviously have a talent for it. It would be a shame to waste it."

Shinji nodded as she entered her room, which he happened to be sitting in front of. "Well, a teacher of mine said that I should pick it up. I haven't really stopped for long until now."

As Asuka sat down to lay on the floor, she turned to Shinji. "So why didn't you stop before, then?"

Shinji paused for a moment, smiling slightly. "Well, because Daniel enjoyed it. And I enjoyed him enjoying it. It was good."

Asuka sighed as she lay down, a small smile on her face. "That's Daniel for us, I guess. Always keeping the best parts of us in mind."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah." he said quietly. After a moment, he realized the time. "I'm surprised that you're home this early from your date, Asuka. I'd have thought you would have stayed out to do dinner."

Asuka scoffed in disgust as she rolled her eyes. "He was so boring! Kind of a sleaze as well. I ditched him in line for the rollercoaster."

Shinji winced slightly. "Ouch, Asuka. That's cold, even for you."

Asuka sat up to look at Shinji. "Trust me, Shinji. If you were there, you'd be much less forgiving." she shook her head. "Some days, it seems the only decent guys here are you and Kaji."

In the brief silence that followed, her eyes softened for a moment. "How was your trip to your mother's grave?"

Shinji grew introspective, looking down the length of his cello. "It was… different from what I expected. I think…"

He looked back up at Asuka. "I understand my father a little more now. I still hate him. But I understand."

Asuka looked away and down, nodding. After a moment, she stood and walked to the door of her room, one hand on her hip and an authoritative look in her eyes. "Well, enough moping! Impress me, music man. Serenade me while I get into something a little more comfortable."

She slid the door shut, and Shinji shook his head, smiling as he thought for a moment. Ah, yes. That one would do. As he remembered the notes, soon the apartment was filled with music again, as Shinji played the solo from Dvořák's Cello Concerto, thoughts of halcyon days going through his head.

In time though, as Asuka finished getting dressed and the concerto concluded, Shinji again noticed the lateness of the hour and the lateness of one Misato Katsuragi.

As time wore on, and Asuka insisted, Shinji pulled out his phone and called her. The phone rang for a moment, then Misato picked up, and answered in a voice that was obviously in the heat of the moment, and was made with the help of at least one too many drinks. "He-hey there! Sorry you can't… couldn't? Can't. Can't catch meeee… We're at an after-after-party. We're drinking. Kaji and I. We're going to have so, so much fun here! I'll be back… tonight? Tonight, I guess. I love you, Shinji! Good niiight!"

Shinji nodded slowly as Asuka watched from across the dining room table, a suspicious look in her eyes. "Alright, then." Shinji said after a moment. "Bye." the line went dead.

Asuka nodded. "So, an "after-after-party", huh?"

Shinji shrugged. "Well, we probably shouldn't wait up for her then."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Probably? Shinji, she'll likely be out all night. Especially if she's drinking with Kaji."

Shinji nodded. "Makes sense, I guess."

The night wore on, and Asuka found herself sitting at the table, tapping one finger, her head in her arms, as Shinji sat across her and listened to music with headphones while he focused on homework. The more she looked at him the more frustrated she got. And, somewhat surprisingly, more scared.

After a moment, she mentally shook herself. This was ridiculous. She faced death on a regular basis, piloted a giant biomechanical robot into battle, and she was afraid of one little kiss? Enough was enough. This was as good a time as any.

She slid Shinji's laptop to the side, gaining his attention as she stared at him from her current position. "So, Shinji, do you want to try kissing?"

He looked back for a moment to pause his music and pulled out an earphone with a startled look on his face. "What?"

She straightened up, closing Shinji's laptop slowly as she looked intently into his eyes. "Kissing. Do you want to try it? If you do, then let's do it. Right here."

Shinji artfully responded with an "Uh…" as Asuka scooted around the table to be closer to him. Finally, as he pulled his head out of how good she smelled after her recent shower, he responded with actual words. "What? Why?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Because you're probably as bored as I am, and I'm pretty sure you've never kissed someone, either."

"You're bored… so you want to kiss…" Shinji said, the confusion in his eyes evident as Asuka stood and walked over to the entryway towards the living room. He stood as well, staying where he was.

A slight smirk came to Asuka's face as Shinji stood there. "You don't want to kiss a girl after a day like this, Shinji? Afraid that your mom is watching us from heaven?"

Shinji shook his head, a look of determination entering his eyes. "No. Not really."

Asuka's grin widened slightly. "Are you just scared of little old me?"

Shinji shook his head. "I'm not scared of a simple kiss, Asuka!"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "You brushed beforehand, right?"

Shinji simply nodded as he blushed. Asuka took that as her cue. "Okay then. Here we go."

Asuka walked to within inches of Shinji. He could tell doing this made her heart race just as much as it did his. He closed his eyes, preparing for what was coming.

After a moment without a kiss, Shinji cracked open his eyes to find Asuka staring at him, her shallow breath gusting across his face. "Don't…" she said, then paused for a moment. "Oh, screw it." She took his head in her hands and kissed him deeply.

Shinji's mind went blank, almost all thought fleeing as the kiss lit up his brain like a fireworks display, his cheeks flushing with heat. 'This is happening. Oh, god, this is really happening! Am I in a dream?'

The dream continued as Shinji desperately tried to find something, anything he could do to reciprocate. He settled on putting his arms around her, hugging her to him with a dull bump as their bodies collided softly.

He was about to let her move back, but she lowered her hands down his back, the motion tingling as her hands came to rest on his shoulder and his lower back, as her kiss became more vigorous, pleased mmhs and aahs escaping from Asuka.

'She isn't just kissing me because she's bored. There's no way she's bored anymore. No, she's… ooohhh...' Shinji's mind spiraled as the two of them wobbled together, the wobble turning into a walk as they spiraled into the living room, colliding with the thankfully soft arm of the couch as they tumbled onto each other.

The fall broke the kiss for a moment, Shinji's head rising as he fell on top of Asuka, but it was only a moment until she drew him back into a languid, long series of kisses that seemed to last just short of forever.

After what felt like forever, the two of them shifted to lay more comfortably on the couch, Asuka staring longingly into Shinji's eyes as she paused from making out. Shinji took the moment to speak. "I… I like you."

Asuka was silent for a moment. "Why?" she said, her eyes now wide and wondering.

"Well," Shinji said, shifting slightly in their embrace, "you are... beautiful. And you don't just exist, you… you live. You take each day and make it the best that you can. You're so brave, and smart, and more than I could ever hope to be and I have no idea what you see… in me..."

Shinji stopped as Asuka's brilliant sapphire eyes seemed to pin him to the couch and steal all thought.

"Say what you said again." she said with a startling intensity.

"What part?' Shinji said, a slight tone of fear creeping into his voice.

"The first part. Say it like you mean it." she stared with an expression Shinji had never seen on anyone before.

Shinji looked deep into that stare before he got his wits about him, a small smile coming to him. "I like you. And you're beautiful, Asuka."

Asuka blinked for a moment, then buried her head into his chest. "I like you too, Shinji." she paused for a moment. "Ever since that night… when I found out that you were just like me… I found myself falling for you. The rookie, of all things."

She chuckled slightly, and Shinji chuckled with her.

She looked up after a moment, mirth and annoyance, and a little of her familiar fire, mixed in her gaze. "So, this is what it took for you to finally notice me? After weeks, weeks, of attempts to flirt with you?"

She chuckled again. "You really can be a brick wall sometimes, Shinji."

Shinji looked at her in confusion. "Flirt? What do you mean, flirt?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Well, it's not like every girl uses her chest as an example to help with a homework problem, for one, Shinji! And… well, you did notice me, with that night before Israfel. That is what started all this, I guess."

She poked him in the ribs, causing him to wince a little. "You needed to be a little more confident, Shinji." she said with confidence of her own. That confidence waned as a moment of silence came and went. "Though, maybe I should have been less confusing." she said softly.

Shinji shook his head slightly. "Come on Asuka. You were simply trying to be smart. I was the one who was a brick wall, after all."

Asuka chuckled and shook her head, laying her head on his chest once again. "Look at you. Caring and understanding and compassionate. And calm. Everything I'm not. Everything I lost with… with my mother."

A heartbeat passed in silence. Then another. Finally, she looked at Shinji again, eyes filled with an unexpected longing. "Can you help me find that part of me again?"

Shinji looked at Asuka for a moment and nodded. "Of course, Asuka. And if… if it isn't there, then I can help you make that part of you again. As long as you can help me find or make the part of me that's brave and strong, and alive like you are. Promise?"

Asuka nodded, an unsteady smile coming to her face. "Promise."

With that, she dipped her head into another kiss, and Shinji rose to meet her, long and lasting and languid, as time disappeared into their acceptance of each other.

However, their drinking in of each other was interrupted by a sound that was really almost an inevitability.

Beep. Hiss. Hiss.

Their eyes flew open as they flew apart, knowing instantly that Misato and likely Kaji were home. Asuka grabbed for the TV remote and tried not to appear too rushed as she flipped through the channels, appearing to look for something to watch.

After a moment, Kaji, and surprisingly, Daniel, carried a mumbling, slightly grinning Misato past the living room and into Misato's room. Shinji stood up to offer his help, which he found was not entirely necessary, as Asuka stood up to go over to Daniel and Kaji.

A quiet, seemingly meaningless conversation was interrupted as the two children made their way over, and Daniel and Kaji glanced at the kids. Kaji nodded after a moment, looking back to Misato's room with no small amount of longing in his eyes. "Well, I'd better get going then. Thanks, Daniel, for helping carry her in."

Asuka blinked, looking him in the eye for the first time since he came in. "You aren't staying the night?"

Kaji chuckled. "No, no. Not tonight. I don't have a change of clothes, and I'd get laughed out of work if I showed up in this." he said as he grabbed at the inside of his suit jacket.

Kaji and Daniel walked towards the door, as Shinji and Asuka drifted after, the two children coming to a stop at the entryway to the kitchen as the two adults made their way to the entrance to the entry hall. Kaji stopped for a moment.

He turned to look at Shinji, who blinked at the look in his eyes. "Take care of Misato, okay, Shinji?" he asked softly.

Shinji, slightly taken aback, nodded after a moment. "Of course, Mr. Kaji."

A small, forlorn smile came to Kaji's face, and he disappeared down the entry hall, the door opening and closing after a moment.

Daniel stood there looking at the door for a moment, then looked at Shinji and Asuka, a slight, happy smile coming to his face. "Well, I'd better get going too." Daniel shook his head as he chuckled. "It looks like Misato's going to need to be out all night, so… don't be too loud, okay?"

Shinji nodded in confusion as Asuka's eyes widened and her face slowly became red. "Uh… okay?" Shinji said after a moment.

Daniel nodded. "Alright. Good night, you two. If you need anything," he said, turning towards the entryway while throwing them a blink and you miss it wink, "you know where to find me."

He disappeared into the entry hall as well, and the quiet hiss of the door opening and closing left Shinji and Asuka to their own devices.

After a moment, Asuka slowly shook her head, seeming to get her wits about her. "Lavender perfume..."

Shinji turned to look at Asuka. "What? Lavender perfume?"

Asuka looked at Shinji with a slightly critical eye. "Yeah. Misato's lavender perfume. It was all over Kaji when he came in. That means… They're back together."

A smile came to Asuka as she placed her hands on her hips. "I guess it turns out that they didn't need our help, after all."

Shinji blinked. "Help?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you about it later. In the meantime," she said, pausing as she blushed deeply, "it's time for us to go to bed. It's late after all, and there is school tomorrow."

Shinji nodded. "Alright." he couldn't help but feel a little sad, now. The moment, one where things just finally made the perfect amount of sense and nonsense, had passed. It was inevitable, really. He made his way to his room and changed into his nightclothes.

As he turned around to close the door, he found, to his great surprise, that Asuka stood in the doorway, similarly dressed in her own nightclothes, hands on her hips and a brow raised. "Shinji, what are you doing?" she asked quizzically.

Shinji stepped back a little, blushing almost immediately. "Uh… going to bed?"

Asuka sighed and rolled her eyes. "When I said we were going to bed, I said nothing about going to separate beds."

She stepped in, grabbing Shinji's arm, as he jumped a little. "Come on. My bed is bigger. You know that perfectly well."

As she led him into her room, Shinji blinked as she lay down on the bed, scooting over to give him room. He stood there for a moment, then shook his head. "Asuka… is this a dream? Am I dreaming?"

Asuka propped herself up and looked at Shinji for a moment. "I don't know, Shinji." she admitted. "Maybe it is. Maybe we're both dreaming."

She took off her shirt and threw it off the bed. "But if we are, let's make it a good one."

She frowned, an angry look with no bite behind it. "Now, hurry up and get in bed! It's cold."

Shinji, his eyes wide with shock, slowly took off his own shirt, for reasons that baffled him at the moment, as he slid into bed with Asuka, their arms almost instinctively wrapping around each other.

They basked in each other's warmth for a little while. Asuka broke the silence after a moment. "I almost forgot how nice this is. Not looking forward to any nightmares."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. It is nice."

Asuka nodded silently with him. She grabbed his face tenderly, looking into his eyes. "Shinji," she said, softly, "I don't want to wake up from this dream. I don't think you do too. So…" she paused for a moment, and Shinji gasped slightly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Promise you won't wake up and leave me?" she said, her voice becoming slightly unsteady.

Shinji paused for a moment. He knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that what he said next meant… everything. Then he nodded. "Promise. For as long as you'll have me."

Asuka sniffled as she smiled, then the smile faded for a moment. "Then… we can't tell anyone."

Shinji's brow furrowed in concern. "Why not?"

Asuka sighed. "Well, if Misato found out about this, you don't think the first thing she would do is treat us like misbehaving little kids and separate us?" she shook her head. "Misato thinks we're still kids, and you know that. NERV still thinks that. But… we aren't. Not anymore. We're soldiers, Shinji, and they expect us to act like soldiers. They expect us to act grown up." Asuka's brow furrowed. "Now, they get to deal with us acting like grown-ups."

Shinji nodded. "So... "

Asuka gave a determined nod. "We have to wait to tell anyone. Until we can be sure that something like that won't happen. That you won't be…" she trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.

They stayed silent, wrapped up in each other, until Shinji blushed and looked down, trying to scoot his hips back slightly. Asuka couldn't help but notice, as she looked at Shinji with no small amount of confusion.

After no small amount of stuttering, Shinji finally found what he felt he could say without feeling pain quickly after. "Uh… speaking of thermal expansion… I… uh..."

Asuka stared at him for a moment, then snorted, and began to laugh quietly as she put a hand on his lower back, Shinji stifling an 'eep' as she did so.

"Oh, that? Well, that's hard to miss." she said with a mischievous grin. That grin faded after a moment, and Shinji felt concern begin to grow in his chest.

"We…" it seemed it was Asuka's turn to stutter. "Well… we don't have… we don't really have any… protection. Otherwise," she paused, blushing furiously, "well, otherwise we could do something about that."

Shinji blinked, then blinked again. Was she really willing to go that far? "Do something… you mean that?"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Of course, Shinji! Don't tell me you haven't thought about it too." she took the silence that came as an answer as she smirked. "I thought so. Pervert."

"Hey!" Shinji said with no small amount of indignation. "You admitted to it too!"

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Well, of course, I did! I didn't say that thinking about it was anything bad. Like you said, I've thought about it too."

Asuka was quiet for a moment. "Of course," she said, a wicked grin coming to her face, using the hand on Shinji's lower back to pull his hips closer, an 'eep' definitely escaping Shinji now, "just because we don't have any protection, doesn't mean that we can't do anything…"

She pulled him into a passionate kiss, and he rose to meet that passion.

In the apartment over, Daniel closed off his Sight, the souls of the two pilots fading from view. They deserved their privacy for what came next, after all.

Eleanor followed suit, and the two of them lay in bed quietly, reflecting on the art show of the souls they had just watched. Daniel spoke quietly after a moment. "Ah, young love. It's a rare thing, to watch two souls as love becomes realized."

Eleanor nodded. "Yeah." she looked at Daniel after a moment. "You know… this was a turning point in the show."

Daniel nodded. "That it was. Now, the world will never be the same."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "As if it wasn't already with how much you've been a part of their lives?"

Daniel shrugged after a moment. "Point taken."

They held each other in bed, basking in each other's warmth. After a moment, Daniel spoke up. "I've missed this. Being close to you, being able to know that you still love me."

Eleanor lightly cupped his face in one hand. "Daniel… I've never stopped loving you. Ever. Even if you feel you didn't deserve it."

Daniel looked away from Eleanor, remorseful. "Then you are a far kinder judge of me than I am."

Eleanor guided Daniel's gaze back to her. "Please. Don't say that."

Silence reigned for a moment as they simply gazed into each other's eyes. Daniel sighed. "I know I haven't been able to love myself fully in a long, long time. But… I never stopped loving you. Not for a moment."

A sad smile came to Eleanor. "Daniel…" she decided actions would better express her feelings than words, as she pulled him into a deep, slow kiss. Their souls sang to each other, and the night passed on as love bloomed again between two long-lost lovers.

The morning was a surreal haze for the two pilots, as they tried their best to put on a normal face for the surely suspicious Misato, while, separately, they ran through the events of the night over and over again.

'That happened.' Shinji slowly realized as he put his nightclothes back on his mat to avoid suspicion. 'That actually happened last night! She likes me! No. No, now it's more than that. I'm sure of it.'

Asuka came to much the same conclusion as she and Shinji ate breakfast across from an absolutely wiped Misato, her head hung low as a bottle of aspirin accompanied the glass of water she sipped from and the breakfast Shinji had made for them. 'He did it. He finally noticed that I like him. Finally! And last night…' she hid a smile as she thought about… well, everything that they did that could avoid a surprise 9 months down the road. Then the smile faded slightly. 'Now… now what? We promised so much.'

She mentally steeled herself as she looked over at Shinji. 'And I intend to keep those promises. He said he wouldn't wake up and walk away. Now, I have to do the same.'

They got ready, walked out the door to school. Rei was conspicuously absent, and Daniel and Eleanor joined them in the elevator down.

After a moment, Daniel cracked a sly smirk. "So… was last night fun?"

Shinji and Asuka jumped, their faces turning bright red as Asuka turned to look at Daniel. "How do you even know?" she said in a strangled voice.

Daniel chuckled slightly. "Besides the fact that it's been written on your faces, plain as day since I last saw you last night?" Daniel's sly smirk became a warm smile. "You two are radiant right now. Not just your blushes, but how… happy you both are. Both as two people and as a couple. It's good to see." Eleanor nodded in support, a soft smile on her own face.

The blushes on Shinji and Asuka faded somewhat as they both considered these words. "Well," Asuka said, as the elevator doors opened and they walked into the parking lot, "I guess it was going to be impossible to keep anything from you, really."

Asuka slowed to a stop, then turned to Daniel, an almost impossible look of fear in her eyes. "Don't… please don't tell anyone else, though. We just found this out about ourselves, and… I don't want it to end because we have to be separated."

Daniel nodded. "Your secret is safe with us. And, like I said, if you need anything, you know where we are."

Asuka nodded, the blush disappearing from her face. Daniel made a shooing motion. "Now, go on, love birds! You don't want to miss school, now!"

Asuka rolled her eyes and Shinji nodded, and both turned towards their walk to school.

As they went through the school day, Asuka noticed something. Shinji was… taller. No, he just didn't slouch like he used to. It was actually rather attractive, seeing him so… confident. She liked that look on him. A lot.

Of course, that meant that rumors were flying around with a renewed intensity. What had caused Shinji Ikari, renowned quiet kid, to suddenly become so much more confident? And did it have anything to do with living with the Little Red Devil, Asuka Soryu-Langley?

Toji and Kensuke, almost unsurprisingly, were found in the center of some of the more wild rumors, and Hikari was doing her best to quash them, as always, but now, Asuka didn't mind too much. After all, a few of them were even true.

But, as another class started, Shinji and Asuka turned and noted a particular absence once again. Rei did not come to school with them today, something to do with NERV, more than likely. Asuka sighed. She had come to care for Wondergirl, far more than even she had expected, when she found out about what NERV put her through. A part of her hoped that Rei would be okay, whatever she was going through.

Deep in the Geofront, in a room isolated from almost everyone else in NERV, Gendo Ikari stared up at a tube of LCL, and the occupant that floated inside it.

Rei Ayanami was silent, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the weightless feeling of being in the LCL tube like this. It was swiftly becoming the only thing she enjoyed about the experience, however.

So, attempting to keep a level face in the presence of Gendo, her mind wandered. She saw the light of Shinji and Asuka's souls as they interacted with each other the night before. It was magical to see. A fireworks display of emotion and outburst and response, silent and invisible to all but her. She would treasure the memory of seeing it unfold.

It also awakened a feeling within her that she never expected to feel for Shinji and Asuka, her two first, and so far, only friends. Jealousy. She envied them. For being able to connect in such a fundamental way, and that such a connection could not involve her. Then, another emotion sprang to life within her. Guilt, this one was called.

Who was she to stand between such a wonder of human expression? Who was anyone? There was no reason not to be happy for her friends. To not continue to find wonder in the light of their souls. She may not find such a thing herself, and perhaps she might never, but she could protect that light in Shinji and Asuka. That she could do. And as she opened her eyes, she smiled.

Looking down at Gendo, she saw him smile too. He had no idea what she was thinking about, but when he smiled… she couldn't help but see Shinji in it. Sadness filled her as she considered what might have been. She never let it show on her face.

. . .

Deep below them, down near Terminal Dogma, yet another person who really should not have been there messed with a door panel, the small, steady red light of a card reader a measurement of his progress. As he stood to open the door, he felt the cool, hard touch of the barrel of a gun at the back of his head, and the silence broken by the click of a safety.

Kaji slowly raised his hands. He knew who this was. The lingering perfume gave everything away, really. "So, how's the hangover treating you?" he said to a waiting Misato.

Misato rolled her eyes. "Fine now, Kaji. Thanks for the extra-strength aspirin."

Kaji nodded. "Good to hear."

After a moment Misato spoke again. "So, Kaji, are you currently engaged in your main job, or is this just something on the side?"

Kaji shrugged. "How mad would you be if I said yes?"

Misato sighed slightly. "You may be a Special Inspector for NERV's Intelligence Division, Kaji. But I also know you work for the Ministry of the Interior as part of the Investigations Division."

Kaji snorted slightly. "Well, Misato, you do know your stuff, don't you?"

Misato sighed again. "Kaji, don't mess with NERV. It won't end well for you."

Kaji stood still, hands still aloft. "So, did Commander Ikari send you?"

"No, Kaji." Misato replied. "I'm here on my own. I'm tired of being kept in the dark. But if you keep going like you are, you're going to end up dead. I'm certain of it."

Kaji rolled his eyes. "I'm still useful to Ikari. He won't dispose of me just yet. And besides, I don't think the Ministry of the Interior is going to be tired of hearing from me anytime soon."

He paused for a moment. "However, I do have to apologize for keeping secrets from you. That's a bad sign in a relationship, after all."

Misato blinked. "Well, after yesterday, I think we can call it even."

Kaji chuckled. "My, but you're too kind. But I'm not the only one keeping secrets from you. The Commander and Ritsky are, too."

He swiped the keycard, the light flashing green as the door in front of him slowly opened. "Like this."

Misato lowered her gun from the back of Kaji's head as she gazed in wide-eyed shock at the massive, Angelic form in front of them, crucified with massive nails, and a crimson spear piercing its breast. "Is that… no..." haunting memories flashed through her mind, and a spectral chill began to cling to Misato.

Kaji nodded. "Yes, Misato. This is the key to everything surrounding Second Impact, and the linchpin in a Scenario far greater than even NERV. That… is Adam."

Misato's eyes grew wider still. "Adam… he's here? Hanging right in front of us?"

"Not exactly, Misato. That is not Adam."

Kaji and Misato spun around, Misato aiming her gun down the hallway, prepared to put a bullet in the head of… Daniel, who stood behind them with a grave look on his face, holding a manila packet containing documents that laid out how the world could be forever changed.

"Daniel?" Kaji and Misato said almost in unison. After a moment of stunned silence, Misato stepped forward. "What do you mean that isn't Adam? How do you know?"

Daniel stepped forward as well, lifting up the packet he carried. "Compliments of an old friend in Germany, as well as some observations of my own. Would you like to know more? You did just say that you were tired of being left in the dark, Misato."

Misato pondered on this for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I can't speak for Kaji, but I am tired of not knowing anything about who I'm working for, or how things work."

Kaji nodded as he stepped up beside her. "Yeah. And you seem to have some insights I wouldn't mind hearing."

Daniel nodded. "Alright then. We should get to a secure place then, make sure no one will be listening in on us."

He hefted the packet, a grim smile coming to his face. "After all, we have a lot to talk about. And these documents have a lot to tell us."

Next Time on Apotheosis Echo...

A shadow eclipses Tokyo-3, as revelations and new arrivals begin to settle in. Within the shadows lies something. But what? That question, and the answers to it, will shake the very foundations of people, of NERV, of the world. Next Episode: Reflections in a Black Sea.