"Good morning, Tokyo-3!" the news anchor declared, as his voice echoed through the Katsuragi household. "It's a sunny morning, and it's sure shaping up to be a great day!"
"Ugh…" Misato groaned, as she rolled out of bed, cradling her aching head. She had drank last night, just like she usually did, but it had been heavier than usual last night. Work had been rough the past couple days, as form after form had to be filled in just to satiate the greedy bureaucrats in the city office, and late nights had reigned ever since the 4th Angel attacked. "Everything hurts."
"Good morning Ms. Misato!" Shinji said, as the woman made her way out into the kitchen. The scent of breakfast filled the air as Shinji worked his magic in the kitchen. "Food will be ready in just a minute."
"Shinji, you're a lifesaver." the woman responded, as she took a seat. The boy set a cup of coffee in front of her, before returning back to his cooking. She took a sip, savoring the bitter flavor, before setting the cup down. "What's got you in such a good mood, young man?"
"Umm, my swim meet is today." Shinji replied awkwardly, as he flipped a few eggs. "So this is a celebration breakfast, kinda."
"Kinda?" Misato asked, seeing Shinji's hesitancy to speak.
"Well, it's also… a bit of a bribe?" he said. "I was hoping you could take some time off of work to, you know, come watch me compete?"
"Of course, Shinji!" Misato exclaimed, as she let out a small chuckle. "You don't have to bribe me for that sort of thing, I'd love to come!"
"Oh, well… thank you, Ms. Misato!" he replied, giving a very short awkward bow, before standing back up, as if he was questioning his own actions.
"Don't worry about it!" she said, as she gave him a slight wave. "I'll take off before lunchtime so I can make it, okay?"
"Alright, thank you." he repeated, as he finally dished up the food.
"Thank you very much." she smiled, as he set a single bowl down in front of her, and she began to dig in until she noticed he hadn't made any for himself. "Aren't you gonna eat, Shinji?"
"Uh, no, I already ate, actually." he replied. "I'm heading out, actually."
"This early?" she said. "They can't possibly need you at the pool this soon, right?"
"Um, no, actually, I…" Shinji began, before Misato raised a hand to hush him.
"Shinji, can you go a minute without saying 'um,' 'no,' or 'um, no?'" she asked, pointing her chopsticks at him aggressively.
"Um… no?" he replied weakly, giving the woman an awkward grin.
"God, you're hopeless." she chuckled. "Where are you heading then?"
"Um, I'm going shopping, actually." he said somewhat bashfully. "One of my friends wants to help me update my wardrobe."
"Oh, yeah?" she mused as she ate. "What's their name?"
"They're… name… umm… it's…" Shinji stuttered, before awkwardly freezing. A sudden knocking sound came from behind Shinji, and the boy bolted towards it. "Oops, that's them, gotta go!"
"Huh." Misato muttered as she watched as Shinji flung himself out the front door, sliding it shut quickly behind him. Shrugging to herself, she continued slurping up her noodles. "He's sure got his quirks."
"Smooooooooth, Shinji." Bardiel commented as he tried to control his rampant giggling. "Real, real smooth."
"Hey, I was trying!" he said, only for the Angel to continue to laugh uncontrollably. "I didn't think she would ask me who I was going with!"
"Why not? That's like, literally the most basic question you can ask someone who's going somewhere." Bardiel replied.
"I'm not exactly the most social kid out there." Shinji bit back, as the Angel's laughter came down to a comfortable volume. "I'm still getting used to even having friends."
"Well, luckily, you came to the right place for shopping, my Lilim friend." Bardiel said, speaking like a carnival barker would to a prospective customer. "For I, Bardiel, the Angel of Fashion Sense, will aid you on your quest!"
"You were a cloud for fifteen years." Shinji pointed out. "What do you know about fashion sense?"
"Not much, but whatever I know is infinitely more than you, Shin-man." Bardiel chuckled. "I love ya, buddy, but you wear the same exact outfit like, every… single… day…"
"It works fine enough!" he shouted, startling a nearby jogger, who quickly turned down another street to get away from the kid who was apparently yelling to empty air.
The two continued to bicker as they made their way to the Tokyo-3 Shopping Mall, a new building in the city. It was built like many of the skyscrapers were, allowing it to sink itself into the ground to avoid damage, but wasn't nearly as tall as the massive office buildings. It was three stories and was hundreds of thousands of square feet, containing dozens of different kinds of stores and shops. The mental argument continued between the two until they found themselves inside the mall.
"Alright, so where do we go now?" Shinji asked the Angel, as he stood among the throes of people walking to and fro in the massive mall. "I've never been here before."
"Neither have I, but typically you wanna find a map in these places." Bardiel replied, as he used his A.T. Field to scan the area. "Aha, there's one a few dozen yards in front of us."
"Map, map, map… aha, here it is!" Shinji said as he found the stationary kiosk. He began to survey the massive diagram of the mall, before stopping and allowing his jaw to drop. "Where… where do we even start?"
"I don't know, but let's try the nearest store!" Bardiel retorted, as the Angel surveyed the diorama. "Looks like the nearest store is 'Look Lovely 4 U', that sounds… perfectly and totally legit, nothing to be suspicious of! Let's go!"
"Alright, I guess that works." Shinji replied, as he began to walk towards the store. He followed the small pamphlet he picked up, until he found the glowing neon sign above the entrance. He walked in, not even noticing what the store sold until he was already inside the doors. "AAAGH! BARDIEL, THIS IS A LINGERIE STORE!"
"PFFT, AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the Angel laughed maniacally, as he watched his host sputter profusely as an employee approached him, before suddenly sprinting out the doors of the shop. "Totally worth it."
Ritsuko tapped away at her keyboard as she surveyed some of the information on the computer in front of her. She copied down a few notes to a pad, next to her desk, and turned to grab her mouse only to find a mug of coffee in its place.
"Take a break, Rits." Misato chuckled, as she sat down on a stool next to Ritsuko's desk, resting her arms on the back of the stool. "You'll work yourself into exhaustion."
"Working 'till exhaustion is kinda my thing, Misato." Ritsuko retorted, as she took a deep sip from her mug. "You always were the only person who could ever get my cup of coffee right."
"Damn straight." the captain smiled, as she spun around casually on the stool. "We were roommates for five years, I would've hoped I'd figure it out eventually."
"Thanks." the doctor returned the grin, before grabbing a few sheets of paper from the side of her desk and handing them to Misato. "Those are the results of the deep core tests we ran last week. It's some telling stuff, huh?"
"Gyro-synchronization… Lilim adaptability matrix… evolutionary threshold…" Misato pored over the papers, before finally reaching the bottom of the sheet. "Pilot-initiated? So Shinji actually did have something to do with it?"
"Yep. The entry plug detected significant action in the frontal lobe, meaning it's all but guaranteed that Shinji was aware to some extent what he was doing." Ritsuko said, as she drained her mug. "Whether that means he knew exactly what he was activating or he simply knew he was somehow pushing his Evangelion to be stronger, I can't say. What I can say, however, is that Shinji's actions were at least in part intentional."
"I didn't expect that." Misato replied, as she set the papers down. "Anything else from the deep core test?"
"Only confirmation that the mutation originated from the core, and that Unit-01's composition was likely responsible." Ritsuko noted. "There was a strong Anti-A.T. Field in the core a moment before the mutation occurred, and so far the only one capable of that has been Lilith, so it's pretty much confirmed Unit-01 is the only Evangelion capable of this."
"Do you think it's likely to mutate again?" Misato asked.
"Oh, almost definitely." Ritsuko replied. "It didn't require much stress for Unit-01 to do this; Shinji's ego threshold was only at 0.8%."
"That low?" Misato mused. "That's only double what's normal for idling in an Evangelion."
"Exactly, which leads into my hypothesis." Ritsuko said, as she doodled a little diagram of Unit-01, along with a cutout of Shinji in the Entry Plug. "I think that when Shinji encounters a dilemma in a high-stress scenario, he mentally reaches out for some sort of tool to help assist him with the situation, and Lilith responds in kind."
"So Shinji can make his Evangelion mutate by simply wanting it to mutate?" Misato asked, receiving a nod from the doctor. "That's incredible… If that's the case, why don't we throw him into the simulator and let him go to town until his Evangelion is indestructible?"
"Because he needs to be in a genuinely dangerous situation." Rtisuko pointed out. "I don't think there's going to be any way to induce this artificially."
"Damn shame." Misato remarked. "Would've been useful, that's for sure."
"Excuse me, ladies." a voice remarked, as the two women turned to see the Vice Commander standing in the doorway. "This is all very interesting, but if I remember correctly, Captain Katsuragi has somewhere to be in about ten minutes."
"I do?" Misato asked, confused.
"Well, you took the rest of the day off, so I assume so." Fuyutsuki replied.
"Oh, of course!" Misato facepalmed. "Shinji has his first swim meet today, and he wants me to go and support him."
"He's on the swim team?" Ritsuko asked. "Since when?"
"A week or two before the 4th Angel attacked." Misato explained. "Shinji's a natural, or so his coach tells me. Apparently he's favored to win."
"Tell you what, how about all three of us go to support him?" Fuyutsuki proposed. "I couldn't believe the boy would be upset to see more people going to support him, and a first swim meet is a big deal for a boy his age. We can invite the bridge crew as well, make an afternoon out of it; what do you say?"
"I don't have any super pressing work until tonight's Dummy synch test." Ritsuko replied. "I can make time."
"Fantastic." Fuyutsuki said. "So it's settled, then. I'll have a Section Two limo come fetch you two from Garage B in ten minutes."
"Thank you, Vice Commander." Misato gave a slight bow as she addressed the older man.
"Oh, please Ms. Katsuragi, call me Professor." he chuckled. He began to walk away, before peeking his head back in the door. "Oh, and ladies? If you're trying to keep something from Gendo Ikari, try keeping the door closed? I won't tattle, but the rest of the staff may not be so courteous."
The man walked away, but he still heard the sound of the two women facepalming echoing through the small office. He let out a small chuckle, before turning back to his phone, looking at the photo he had saved as his background.
"Gendo may be ready to abandon you, Shinji," the professor said, as he looked at the photo of Yui holding Shinji, "but I won't be so hasty as to cast aside Yui's son. We live on through our children, after all."
"I can't do this…" Shinji stammered nervously. "I totally can't do this…"
"Oh, don't worry, Shin-man!" Toji replied, as he sat down next to Shinji. His two friends had come to watch him compete, and Toji slipped into the locker room to encourage Shinji, only to find himself having to give a full-blown pep talk. "You've got this, easy! You're the fastest time here by six seconds!"
"Four," Shinji muttered. "The Oyama kid set a new time two days ago during one of their practices."
"So? That's still four whole seconds?" Toji said, putting a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Trust me, I understand you're nervous. I was freakin' out during my first ever basketball game. But sittin' in here and panickin' ain't gonna do anything, Shinji."
"But what if I let everyone down?" Shinji replied. "Ms. Misato is here to watch me compete, and I don't want to disappoint her."
"Ms. Misato is here?" the boy asked. "I haven't got a chance to meet her yet. What's she like?"
"Toji, focus, please?" Shinji said, giving the other teenager a glacial stare.
"Okay, sorry, sorry. There's not much else for me to say to ya, man, other than do your best." Toji explained, letting out a sigh as he stood up. "I can help motivate you to go 10% of the way, but you've gotta go the last 90% of the way yourself, Shinji."
The boy gave Shinji a pat on his back, before making his way out of the locker room. Shinji let out a deep breath, surveying the empty locker room; his high school's swim team was pretty small, so he was the only person competing in the 100m from their school. That meant that everyone else on the team was out on the bleachers, watching each other compete and cheering each other on, while Shinji was stuck in the locker room alone panicking.
"Bardiel?" Shinji said hesitantly. "Can I talk to you real quick?"
"Hmm? Yeah, sure!" the Angel replied, as he formed on Shinji's leg. "What's up?"
"I don't think I can do this." Shinji muttered, as Bardiel tilted his head in confusion. "There's so many people out there, and Ms. Misato is counting on me, and the only reason I can do this in the first place is because of you, and I feel like a fraud, and…"
"Woah, Shinji, slow down." Bardiel said, as he waved his hands in front of Shinji, shaking him out of his stupor. "You are not a fraud; you have come this far on your own merits, and you are doing so well."
"My own merits?" the boy hissed. "The only reason I'm any good at this is because of some wacky things with the Third Angel's powers that made me good at swimming!"
"His name is Sachiel."
"That holds no relevance at the moment!"
"I mean, it's his name. That makes it kinda relevant, right?"
"Oh my god, I'm gonna die."
"Shinji, listen, I'm going to be honest with you." Bardiel sighed, as he stood to his feet. "All I gave you was just a bit of Sachiel's knowledge; I haven't given you any special physical abilities, or magical A.T. Field powers for the water. You've done all of this on your own."
"Wait, you didn't?" Shinji asked incredulously. "I thought you told me you were giving me some of his powers!"
"I did!" Bardiel exclaimed. "You came to me with a dilemma, and that dilemma was 'I don't know how to swim!' Ergo, I taught you how to swim. Everything after that has been purely you, Shinji.
"Purely,,, me?" Shinji whispered to himself, letting the train of self-doubt in his head run straight off the rails of his brain. "I did this all by myself?"
"Yeah, you did Shinji, and you're about to do it again." Bardiel said, as a buzzer sounded, indicating the end of the 50 meter. "Go get 'em, Shinji."
Shinji gave a weak smile as he reached down to hug the small foot-tall Angel, and the Angel returned the hug, melding back with Shinji as he did. The teenager stood up, a smile on his face, as determination met his gray eyes. He made his way out of the locker room, just in time to run into his coach.
"There you are, Shinji!" the teacher exclaimed, as gave the boy a pat on the back. "I just met with your guardian! We had to raise a whole new set of bleachers just for your family!"
"My family?" Shinji asked, confused, as the teacher gestured towards the stands.
There was Ms. Misato, and next to her was Ms. Ritsuko and the Sub Commander, all three giving him a cheery wave. On the row below them were three people Shinji was somewhat familiar with; Shigeru, Maya, and Makoto were the three 'bridge bunnies' that he worked with while training most times. The three turned to Misato as the woman spoke something to the three of them, and they turned to look at Shinji. Maya gave him a peace sign, while the two boys gave him a dual set of thumbs-ups. Kensuke and Toji were only a few rows away from them, and both boys were waving excitedly.
"They're, uh, not my family members." Shinji stuttered, still shocked that so many people had come to see him. "They're my guardian's co-workers and friends."
"One doesn't have to be a family member to be a member of the family, Shinji." the coach said with a chuckle, as he made his way towards the pools, with Shinji on his heels. "Now, you've got this in the bag, as long as you swim clean and quick, just like we worked on, okay? Are your burns feeling better?"
"I'm fine, really!" Shinji grumbled, as he unwrapped the gauze from his arms, setting it on a nearby bench. "Just a little psyched out, is all."
"Make it to the end and I'll be proud of you." the coach replied. "You don't need to set any records, and you don't need to win; just do your best, kiddo."
"Thanks, coach." Shinji smiled, before making his way over to his lane. He stood there, taking a deep breath, until he heard footsteps next to him. He opened his eyes to see another boy, about three or four inches taller, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.
"So, you're Shinji Ikari." Shozo Oyama leered, saying the boy's name as if he was talking to a child. "Coach has been lying about your numbers to make it seem like I'd actually have some competition, huh?"
His coach had told him all about the boy at their last practice. Oyama was half-American, half-Japanese, and he inherited both his American father's personality and looks. He was bullish, rude, and incredibly cocky, and he had won first place at almost every swim meet during the last two years of middle school.
"Coach hasn't lied about a thing." Shinji replied sternly.
"C'mon, that's shitty trash talk!" Bardiel exclaimed. "Tell him he's a bitch and you're gonna beat him into the ground!
"And… and I'm gonna kick your ass." Shinji said, trying to inject as much of Bardiel's confidence into his voice as possible.
"Eh, well, it's a start." Bardiel muttered.
"The day a fuckin' runt like you beats me is the day I quit swimmin'." the other boy laughed, as they both crouched down in anticipation. "Go cry to mommy, why don't ya?"
Seized by a sudden destructive spirit, whose name may or may not have been Bardiel, Shinji grinned maniacally. "Oyama, how dare you? My mom is dead!"
"Wait, what?" the boy stammered in shock.
"Go!" the referee called, as all of the swimmers, minus Oyama dove into the water. The blonde boy was still in shock, before jumping into the water a few seconds later.
The water was churning across all the lanes as everyone tried to propel themselves towards victory, but nobody was working harder than Shinji. He poured his everything into his strokes, inching closer and closer to a record, as he vented all of his emotions into his motions. His arms seared in pain as the chlorine filled his burns, but he didn't stop until he slapped his hand on the end of his lane, pulling himself out of the water in one graceful motion.
"51 seconds!" the referee exclaimed, as the others began to make their way back. "58 seconds, 59 seconds, 60, 60…. And 63 seconds!"
Shinji didn't even look at the scoreboard for the others, simply running over to his team's bench as the other boys welcomed him with open arms, yelling and shouting and slapping him on the back in joy.
"Shinji, man, look at the scoreboard!" one of the boy's exclaimed, as Shinji whipped around to see the names, and he stared in shock at the last name on the list. "Shozo Oyama got last place!"
"Holy crap, whatever you said to him really threw him for a loop and a half!" another boy exclaimed, as the team drew Shinji back into their huddle of excitement.
"See, I told ya, Shinij," Bardiel explained, his voice full of smugness. "Trash talk is a vital part of competitive sports."
"I'm so proud of you, Shinji!" Misato exclaimed, as she ran towards Shinji, sweeping him up in a hug as she spun him around in a circle. "You set a school record!"
"Thank you… Ms. Misato… please… put me down!" Shinji exclaimed, as Misato finally relented after what felt like a dozen spins, and he teetered back and forth a bit as his feet set down on the ground. "I'm glad you could come."
"51 seconds is very impressive, Shinji." Ritsuko said, as the rest of the folks from the stands approached a very timid Shinji, who was awkwardly rubbing the gold medal around his neck. "Just a few seconds more and you'll be world record territory."
"Good job, Shinji." the Sub Commander added, as he clasped the boy's hand in a shake, before turning to face his coach. "Ah, Suzu, how are you? It's been a few weeks since we've had dinner."
"Huh?" Shinji stopped, confused, as he turned to face his coach. "You two know each other?"
"Of course we do?" his coach commented, before looking at Shinji. "Didn't you read the names on your schedule?"
"Umm… no?" Shinji said meekly.
"Figures." his coach chuckled. "My name is Suzu Fuyutsuki, I'm the Sub Commander's nephew. I'm his younger brother's son."
"His father passed away in the time after the Second Impact." Fuyutsuki explained. "I raised him for a year or two before he set out for college."
"And I'm still thankful for it." Suzu commented, before gesturing to Fuyutsuki. "How about we capitalize on this chance, Kozo? Let's go grab some dinner, while you've got an afternoon off?"
"Very well." the Sub Commander said, before turning to Shinji and putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Shinji, you've done a fantastic job. Your mother would be proud."
"Thank you." Shinji replied, as the man gave him a smile before leaving with his nephew. Shinji turned back around to face Misato, only to see the bridge bunnies in tow with two extra stooges.
"These two approached us and asked me if I was Misato." Maya chuckled, as she gestured to a sheepish Toji and Kensuke. "I take it these are your friends, Shinji?"
"Yep." Shini said, before being crushed in a hug by Toji.
"I knew you could do it, Shin-man!" the jock cheered. "And a school record to boot!"
"I recorded the whole thing." Kensuke chuckled, as he handed Shinji a tape. "In case you want to relieve your victory later."
"...thank you." Shinji replied, a few tears in his eyes, as he gave the nerdy boy a hug. Kensuke awkwardly did his best to return the embrace, before Shinji gave everyone another smile. "I'm really happy you guys could all make it."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Misato smiled, as she ruffled his hair slightly. "Now what do you say we all go grab some celebration dinner, huh? Drinks are on me!"
"That's your guardian?" Toji asked, as he finally got a good look at the woman, before turning back to Shinji and bowing. "Teach me your ways, master."
"Oh my gosh, guys…" Shinji chuckled, before turning to see Kensuke, matching Toji in his bow. "GUYS!"
"How… are you… so good at this?!" Shinji exclaimed, as he frantically tried to keep pace. "How much… practice… have you had?"
"Way, way too much!" Kenuske cackled, as he danced back and forth on the mat, keeping perfect pace on the machine in front of him. "I've been coming to the arcade since I was a kid, and I'm not the kind to leave a game unmastered!"
"Oh, you're on!" Shinji declared, as pop music blared over the speakers as they fired up another round of the game on the arcade cabinet.
"Y'know, normally I would ask someone if they miss being young, but considering I met you when you were a teenager, I know not to ask." Ritsuko chuckled, as she set down another drink in front of Misato, sliding onto a stool alongside the captain. "They seem like they're having fun, huh?"
"It does make me kinda miss our college years, huh?" Misato laughed, as she took a sip of her drink. "Back when it was you and me against the professors, algebra, and the world."
"Don't forget about Ryoji." Ritsuko added. "He's been part of our merry band of fools since the end of freshman year."
"Fools is a good way to describe it." Misato noted, taking a deep swig. "What are we even doing, Rits?"
"In what context?" Ritsuko asked, as she sipped her martini. "With NERV, with the Children, or with each other?"
"All of 'em!" Misato exclaimed, letting out a deep sigh as she placed her head on the cool bartop. "I mean, we're putting them in lobotomized Angels, making them fight for their lives, and all for what? So the old men can just keep on gallivanting around in their high tower?"
"I don't pretend to be an expert…" Ritsuko began.
"Pfft, why not? You do with everything else." Misato joked.
"Shut up." Ritsuko chuckled. "I don't pretend to be an expert with what the hell is going on in this place, but I know there's weird shit happening behind the scenes. But if we don't stick with it, then the Angels are going to blow us to smithereens before we figure out what it is."
"You're right, I guess." Misato sighed, before gesturing for the bartender to top off her drink. "I guess I just feel… scummy? I'm Shinji's guardian, it's my job to take care of him, right? How can I do that when I'm lying and pretending all of the time?"
"Sometimes, for the sake of the greater good, you've gotta tell a lie." Ritsuko replied mournfully. "No matter how much it hurts you at the time."
"Sounds like it's spoken from experience." Misato commented, not noticing as Ritsuko's face fell. The purple-haired woman drained half her whiskey in one drink, before lightly setting it back down on the bar. "You're right, and I know that, but I can't help but feel like shit over it."
"How do you think I feel about not telling the Children their mothers are inside the Evas?" Ritsuko asked. "When it comes to scummy secrets, we're in the same boat."
"That we are." Misato said, as she slumped over, resting her head on Ritsuko's shoulder. "I think I need to go to bed."
"Or maybe, you just need to stop drinking so much." Ritsuko replied with a laugh, as she quickly asked a server for some water for Misato. "Take it easy, m'kay?"
"Why d'you gotta work so much?" Misato asked, as she lifted her head from the blonde's shoulder. "We never get to hang out an'more."
"I work the same hours you do, Misato." Ritsuko smiled, as she patted her shoulder, the purplette gladly laying her aching head down again. "Sometimes you just don't have enough hours in the day to do what you need to do, or say what you need to say."
"I wish there was." Misato grumbled. "I've got a lot of things to say, to a whole lotta people."
"Me too." Ritsuko mused, as she sipped her drink. That was a lie, of course; there was only really one person Ritsuko wanted to talk to, and one thing she wanted to say to them. As much as she wanted to, this wasn't the time or place, so she simply contented herself with allowing them to treat her as a literal shoulder to lean on.
"I think you might need to drive me and Shinji home." Misato groaned. "C'n you do that for me?"
"Of course." Ritsuko replied. "Anything for my best friend."
"Thanks." the woman replied, as she closed her eyes. "You're the best."
"I know." the other replied, as she smiled sadly at the friend laying on her shoulder. "I know."
"Old habits die hard, I suppose." Fuyutsuki commented, as he strode into the Commander's office. The Commander in question had his head down on the desk, and a bottle of expensive whiskey on the desk next to him, half-drained. "Though I have to admit I'm surprised you're breaking it out this early."
"Fuyutsuki…" Gendo whispered, as the older professor took a seat next to him. "Am I ever gonna see her again?"
"Stop moping, Ikari." Fuyutsuki reprimanded, as the drunk man turned to face his former professor. "You and I have gone on mourning Yui for far too long, and we've let it cloud our every waking moment."
"How.. dare you…" Gendo grunted, as he tried to stand up in anger, before immediately swaying and falling back down into his seat.
"I'm not finished, Ikari." Fuyutsuki said. "Your son, Yui's son, is out there, living in Tokyo-3, piloting an Evangelion, and you're too self-absorbed wallowing in your own pity to even pay him a lick of attention."
"I… would just hurt him…" Gendo groaned, as he laid his head against the table. "I'm… no good."
A clacking sound directed the commander's gaze up, as he saw Fuyutsuki set down a tape on his desk. "That's a tape from today's swim meet at Tokyo-3 High."
"What…?" Gendo asked, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Why would I care about a swim meet?"
"Because your son was in it," Fuyutsuki began, "and he won. He had his guardian there, and he had people to support him, but he didn't have his own father, because he's too busy moping around!"
The white-haired professor stood to his feet, before tapping the tape a few times. "Watch the tape, for God's sake, Gendo." the Sub Commander said, as he turned to walk out of the office. "And realize how much of the present you're missing when you live life inside the past."
Author's Note: The longest chapter yet! I know some people were probably confused by the whole 'swim meet' sub-plot and its relevance to the story. The goal was to show how Shinji's relationship with Bardiel has changed his personal life; whereas in NGE Shinji ran away during this time in the story, this version of Shinji is receiving praise and affection from his friends and coworkers. Bardiel has already been a huge impact on Shinji's life, and will continue to be so. NOTICE - Next week, I'll only publish one chapter (It'll be on Wednesday). This is not because I'm switching to a longer upload schedule; it's because next chapter is already 6000 words, and is rapidly increasing in word count, so I'll post one very long chapter instead of two shorter ones. Prepare next week for the Angel of Doom!
Kegamer 9000: I'm glad you liked it! Little Angel's Thesis is one of my favorites too. I'm also glad you enjoyed Gendo, I know some people have pointed out this isn't really how Canon Gendo would react, and they're absolutely right; however, I really like to shake things up to make the story more interesting and keeps things fresh (Fuyutsuki planning behind the scenes is an example of that.) Thanks for reading!
YumeAku: Thank you!
Captain Bardiel: Your name is a perfect match for this story :P
Guest: Thank you very much!
SheriffJohnStone: They'll be introduced very, very soon! I've got a few different ideas for the way the ship will shake out in this story; I've got to bounce the ideas off some folks to decide how exactly I'll do it. There's a couple ways things could go, and I'm thinking of running a poll to gauge how people feel about the options. If people want to give their opinions on ships, I'd welcome them, it'll help me sort out some ideas.
Ruberforumfree: Shinji can already share the energy from Bardiel's S2 Engine, however Unit-01 could still acquire another. Also, Bardiel and Shinji will remain two seperate entities, as this story is a kind of buddy-cop best friend story between the two of them.
hys8892: I'm not offended at all, and I'm very glad you brought it up! Canon Gendo definitely would not have been like this; however, I try to shake things up with my fanfics. That's why there's been some small but significant changes to the story, like Misato being aware of the deeper secrets of NERV, Fuyutsuki being a schemer behind the scenes, and, of course, Gendo falling apart. In this story, the man was hanging on the very cusp of madness, and Shinji breaking his expectations caused him to lose his hope and start drinking again. When drunk, his true emotions come out. I'm glad you mentioned it!
FlightLight: Thank you!
fonte20nite: You won't have to wait long for Asuka to show up :)