"Hey, newbie?" Toji asked, as the three boys were eating lunch on the roof together. Toji still called Shinji 'newbie' all the time even though he'd been hanging out with them for a month by now, treating it as a term of endearment towards the brown-haired teen. "Can we ask ya a question?"
"Um, sure Toji." Shinji replied, awkwardly, as he set down his bento. "What's up?"
"Listen, we've been wondering, and if you don't wanna answer, that's fine, and if we're wrong, we'd totally understand, and stuff…" Kensuke rambled.
"Dude, spit it out!" Toji exclaimed, as he clapped the blonde boy on the back of the hair. "You're makin' it awkward."
"Fine, fine!" Kensuke retorted, before he turned back to the third boy. "Are you the pilot of that big purple robot?"
"..." Shinji sat, stunned, as the two boys stared at him expectantly.
"Well, we're boned." Bardiel commented.
"... yes?" Shinji replied awkwardly.
"Holy crap." Toji muttered. "We suspected because you're always disappearin' to do stuff with your guardian at NERV, but, man… that's so much pressure."
"I didn't really think he was gonna come out and say it." Kensuke whispered.
"Yeah, it's… it's a lot." Shinji replied awkwardly, staring at the roof to avoid meeting the other two boy's eyes. "But it's not that bad, I guess."
"Well, listen Shin-man, we ain't gonna treat you any different just because you're a pilot, right Kensuke?" Toji said, elbowing the blond-haired boy in the ribs.
"Um, yeah, of course!"
"And we're not gonna bother you for information about NERV and being a pilot."
"Yeah, fine."
"And we are definitely not going to be asking about the specific armor or weapon specifications of the Evangelions."
"..."
"KENSUKE!"
"Alright, fine!" Kensuke chuckled, throwing his hands up in the air.. "I won't ask about the Evangelions, I promise!"
"Good." Toji replied, before turning back to Shinji. "And we won't tell a soul, either."
"... thanks, you guys." Shiji said, rubbing his watery eyes. "It really means a lot."
"No, sweat, Shin-man!" Toji exclaimed. "Now, how about we dig back into our lunch?"
Shinji was about to reply when a rending screech filled the air as the Angel alarms began blaring loudly. Normally it was incredibly loud, so that citizens wouldn't miss it, but unlike in the main city where they were mounted on poles far from human hearing, the school's alarm was located on the roof, only a few dozen yards away from three poor teenage boys.
"WHY IS IT SO LOUD?!" Toji screamed, as the three boys stumbled towards the door.
"I HAVE NO IDEA!" Kensuke yelled back, as he reached out to try and open the door. Before he could, the door swung open, revealing Rei standing there waiting for Shinji.
"THANKS, AYANAMI!" Toji exclaimed, as they slammed the door shut behind them, muffling the wailing alarm, before all three boys slid down against the wall, sitting on the floor in exhaustion. "Aw, man, I think I got permanent hearin' damage from that!"
"Apologies for your injuries, Toji." Rei said, before turning to Shinji. "An Angel has been detected approaching from the direction of Lake Ashi. We must report to HQ immediately."
"Oh, um, okay." Shinji replied, as he stood up, dusting himself off, before turning back to the other two. "Duty calls?"
"No sweat, Shin-man, just go knock 'em dead for us." Toji smiled, as he flashed the boy a thumbs up.
Shinji smiled back, giving the boy a quick hi-five before Rei grabbed his arm, and began pulling him along towards the NERV entrance closest to their school. The two ran down the street nonstop, until they managed to make it into the car to the Geofront. Shinji took a few deep, shuddering breaths, before taking a seat in the rail car as it began to make its way along the rail to the Geofront.
"Shinji?" Rei asked, as the boy turned to look at the bluenette. "May I ask you a question?"
"Um, sure!" Shinji replied, smiling lopsidedly at the girl. "What's up?"
"Would it be acceptable if, in the future, I ate lunch with you, Toji, and Kensuke?" Rei asked, turning her head down slightly so as to not look Shinji in the eyes. Was she feeling… anxious? "I believe it would be… beneficial for me establishing bonds if I spent time in the presence of my friends."
"Of course!" Shinji said. "We'd love to have you eat with us!"
"Thank you." Rei whispered, and Shinji could've sworn he saw the faintest glimpse of a smile on the girl's normally expressionless face.
"Alright, what in the hell is that thing?" Misato exclaimed, as she skidded to a stop at her station in Central Dogma. "And why does it look like two giant blue pyramids did the dirty?"
"Good god, Misato." Ritsuko chuckled, before turning back to the purple-haired woman. "That's the Fifth Angel; blood results came back as Blue just a minute before you arrived. It appears to simply be floating towards Tokyo-3, and it should arrive over the center of the city in a few minutes."
"Just great." Misato grumbled. "Do we still only have Unit-01 for this operation?"
"Rei is able to pilot, but she's still lightly injured." Fuyutsuki added, as he walked up to the two of them, standing beside Misato. "She should be kept on reserve, but the call is yours to make, Captain?"
"Subcommander?" Ritsuko asked, confused. "Where's the Commander?"
"Commander Ikari is currently… indisposed. He's dealing with some personal business." the professor said, before turning and yelling out to all of Central Dogma. "As of right now, I am acting Commander of NERV!"
"It's good to have you down here with us then, Commander." Misato smiled, as the older man took a seat next to Ritsuko.
"Oh, it'll do my old bones some good." he chuckled. "I always hated standing up on that podium anyway."
"Pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, are you ready to launch?" Misato shouted, as she turned to the nearest comm screen.
"Born ready, Ms. Misato!" the boy exclaimed, before pressing a few buttons in his plug. "I'm going up manually, but I'll let you say the words?"
"Thanks, Shinji." Misato chuckled, before composing herself and facing forward. "EVANGELION UNIT-01, LAUNCH!"
"YEEEEEHAAAAAW!" Bardiel screamed, as the Angel and his host zoomed towards the surface. "C'mon Shinji, it's more fun if you throw your hands up in the air!"
"I kinda gotta focus, Bardiel." Shinji grumbled, before cracking a smile. "Maybe on the way back down, though."
"There's my Lilim." Bardiel chuckled.
"So, who's this Angel?" Shinji asked, as he flicked a few buttons on the handles of his Evangelion to ready his Lances.
NERV had worked day and night to figure out the new parts of Unit-01; eventually, the Science team had simply decided that, quote, 'Unit-01 has the ability to spontaneously mutate' and left it at that. The Impact Lances, as they were called, jutted out from Unit-01's elbows and rested in a specialized housing that ran along the Evangelion's arms. They had also repainted the parts that had changed color, and had added electronic signal control to allow Shinji greater control of them in combat. He'd only had a few days to train with them in combat, but already he was beginning to enjoy them more than any other weapon.
"This guy's Ramiel, the Angel of Thunder." Bardiel explained. "Big, loud, fat, and grumpy, this guy's a total jerk, but I'll be damned if he isn't strong."
"Alright, what's his main method of attack?" Shinji asked, as the two of them rocketed to the surface, slamming against the top of the exit chute. Shinji quickly pulled himself out from the chute, grabbing a nearby rifle and crouching behind a building.
"It's some sort of energy-cannon thingie?" Bardiel replied. "But it usually takes a couple minutes to charge a shot, so you've got time."
"Shinji!" A tinny voice exclaimed, as a comm screen popped up in his line of sight. Shinji turned to see Dr. Akagi, who was looking at him with worry in his eyes. "We're getting massive energy readings from the Angel! That thing has an nuclear reactor within it somehow, and it's going critical!"
"What happened to it taking a minute to charge?" Shinji exclaimed, as he took off running towards the Angel, trying to close the distance before it fired.
"Things change, I guess?" Bardiel seemed to verbally shrug. "Who knows, maybe he started lifting weights?"
"How does an Angel lift… you know what, nevermind." Shinji grumbled, before flicking his right control, as his right Impact Lance slid out of the housing with a sickening schkkk. The boy made a flying leap, aiming straight for the corner of the Angel. "YaaaaaaAAAAAA!"
His aim was true; Shinji's Lance smashed into the corner of the creature, causing him to stick to the Angel as it sunk a few dozen yards into the creature's hard exterior.
"Ha!" Shinji shouted, before another beeping comm screen popped into view.
"Shinji, the reactor went critical! It's gonna fire!" Misato screamed.
"Oh…" Bardiel muttered, as the corner of the Angel began glowing extremely bright, and the hairs on the back of Shinji's neck stood up, even inside the entry plug.
"Oh cra-!" Shinji started, before his words were halted by the Angel blasting him off from him, throwing him into the ground. Shinji smashed into the street, sinking a few feet into the asphalt, as the Angel scorched him with the blazing hot beam. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"Shit, Shinji!" Misato yelled, before turning to the bridge crew. "What's the nearest escape?"
"Chute B7 is only a few blocks to Shinji's right!" Maya exclaimed.
"Shinji just needs something to give himself a second to run!" Hyuga added.
"Wait a minute… I'm getting readings from the Entry Plug!" Aoba shouted. "Shinji's unconscious!"
"What?!" Misato screamed. "Shit, send Rei up there! Pilot recovery is top priority!"
"Wait a minute, biometrics are lighting back up, Shinji's regaining consciousness, but his Ego threshold is going nuts!" Ritsuko yelled back. "He's at 17% and climbing!"
"Shinji!" Misato shouted, as she grabbed the nearest microphone. "Can you hear me?"
"YEP, I CAN HEAR YOU, AND I CAN ALSO HEAR THIS ANGEL BURNING ME SLOWLY TO DEATH!" Shinji screamed back, his voice carrying a strange lilt through the speakers. "SOLUTION, PLEASE, MISATO?"
"You need to distract it!" Ritsuko said. "Use whatever you can!"
"What's Shinji going to use?" Maya asked. "There's nothing close other than Weapon Cache B6!"
Misato was about to reply, but the spectacle playing out on the screens in front of her silenced her quickly. She watched, transfixed, as Unit-01 flipped itself onto its feet before diving behind the weapons cache, before tearing the entire cach from the ground and throwing it at the Angel. The Angel whipped its beam over to destroy the building, but by the time it had disintegrated the flying cache into ash, Unit-01 was already hooked back into the chute and dropping rapidly towards the Geofront.
"Mission… kinda accomplished." the voice over the intercom chuckled, before coughing in agony. "The Angel's not dead, but I'm not dead either, so really, that's a net positive, right?"
"Get a full trauma team ready!" Ritsuko shouted, as she raced alongside the medics down the gantry towards the Entry Plug. "Have teams on standby just in case surgery is necessary."
"Is he gonna be okay, Rits?" Misato asked, as she ran alongside the gurney.
"I won't know until we get him out of the entry plug, but it doesn't look great." Ritsuko replied. "That LCL got up to three hundred degrees Fahrenheit for about a dozen seconds."
"Shinji…" Misato whispered to herself as she came to a stop and clutched the cross around her neck. "Please be okay."
"Manually open the plug!" Ritsuko hollered, as the stretcher came to a stop on top of the Evangelion's entry platform. She pulled out a pair of gloves from her pockets, quickly putting them on as the plug screwed out of the back of the Evangelion, LCL pouring out down into the cages below. The door to the plug finally flipped open, and the medical crew rushed forward to pull the boy out.
Ritsuko watched helplessly as they pulled the boy out of the plug, setting his limp body on the gurney in front of her. His plugsuit was somehow charred even though it was submerged in liquid, and was oozing black liquid from a number of holes in the suit. Shinji's skin was bright red from head to toe, and covered in burns. His hair was sopping wet with LCL, appearing almost black, and the boy had his eyes scrunched tightly closed, probably in pain.
"Shinji… Shinji, can you hear me?" Ritsuko asked, as she and the other doctors began racing the boy towards the medical wing.
"Yeah…" the boy groaned slightly, moving his head ever-so-slightly. "I feel like a Thanksgiving turkey…"
"You're gonna be alright, Shinji, okay?" Ritsuko replied. "We're going to immerse you in some LCL saturated with medicine and steroids, which will have you back in tip-top shape in no time flat, okay?"
"Oh… okay." the boy muttered, before turning his head to the side, looking towards the Evangelion, as he opened his eyes, and let his two cherry-red irises trail over the body of the Evangelion.
"Wake up, Shinji." Bardiel thought to himself, as he felt his body being jostled around on the gurney. He reached inside himself, hoping beyond all hope that his host would awaken, but the boy was still in deep unconsciousness, almost dead to the outside world. He let out a sigh of frustration and pain, and closed his eyes again. "Please, just wake up."
The Angel opened his eyes to find himself in a world of orange. He was suspended in a tube, clearly filled with LCL, drifting lightly to and fro as an oxygen mask clinging to his face. He looked around, seeing nobody in the room, and pulled the mask from his face, letting the glorious feeling of LCL fill his lungs.
"Sweet Adam, I've missed this." Bardiel said to himself, as he took deep breaths of the viscous orange liquid.
"Shinji." a voice echoed through the building, causing Bardiel to let out a sudden shout as he whipped around, facing towards the entrance of the room. Rei was standing in the doorway, facing towards him. "Are you… well?"
"As well as can be, I guess." Bardiel replied easily, although he was internally freaking out. He was hoping Shinji would have regained consciousness by now! He didn't think he was actually gonna have to take over for a while; he wasn't ready for this! He shivered slightly, whether from the anxiety or the cold LCL, before turning back to look at Rei. "How is Unit-01?"
"It is heavily damaged, but not in such a way it cannot be repaired quickly." the bluenette replied, as she took a seat in a chair next to a steel desk. "The basic repairs should be completed by 2300 hours tonight." The girl trailed off, before cocking her head slightly to the side. "Are your eyes red?"
"Ummm… no?" Bardiel said. "And my hair is most definitely not black, either."
"I didn't comment about your hair turning a different color." Rei pointed out.
"So what's the plan for taking out the Angel?" Bardiel deflected. "They've gotta have something, right?"
"Yes." Rei replied lightly, choosing to ignore the boy's strange behavior for the moment. "Operation Yamamoto will take place at 2400 hours tonight. NERV has requisitioned a magnetic-induction railgun from the JSSDF; they will be mounting it and firing it from far to the Angel's north, piercing its core and destroying it."
"Is something like that going to have enough juice to get through the Angel's A.T. Field?" Bardiel mused, as he rubbed a hand on his chin, letting his thoughts about the plan for Ramiel distract him from his worrying for Shinji. "They'd gotta have a lot of power behind it."
"The Sub Commander has authorized the usage of the entirety of Japan's power grid for this operation." Rei said. "It will be enough."
"Here's hoping so." Bardiel grumbled. "What time is it right now?"
"It is 2245 hours." the bluenette replied, as she stood up from her chair. "Dr. Akagi will be here shortly to release you, and you will be in your Evangelion by 2315 hours." The girl stood up and made her way out of the room, before stopping in the doorway, turning back to face him once more. "Be safe, Shinji."
"Thanks, Rei. Good talk." the Angel deadpanned, as he was left alone in the room. He quickly focused his A.T. Field, ignoring the pangs of pain, and masked his red eyes with grey and his black hair with brown. It didn't pay for anyone to be asking how Shinji suddenly looked so different, and if pretty much anyone other than Rei noticed, he was in trouble. "Well, that went well. Guess I'll just sit here… in the silence… by myself… goddamn, this sucks."
The suffocating silence didn't last long however, as Doctor Akagi walked into the room only a few minutes after Rei left. She suddenly stopped next to her desk, looking at the steel chair beside it. The woman adjusted it back into place, before turning up to look at the boy.
"Was someone in here?" the blonde asked, slightly confused.
"Yeah, Rei was in here talking to me for a few minutes, but she kinda just got up and left." Bardiel responded. "A social butterfly, she is not."
"Rei?" the doctor spluttered. "She shouldn't be in here!"
"Why?" Bardiel asked. "Is this like a super top-secret medical lab or something?"
"No, because you're naked!" Ritsuko exclaimed.
"Oh…" the Angel replied, as he looked down at Shinji's body and saw that the boy was indeed nude. "Yep, that'll do it."
"Goddammit, Shinji." Bardiel thought to himself, as he clutched the handles inside the plug, the plastic of his plugsuit creaking with the force of his grip. "I was kinda hoping you'd be awake by now. I need you, buddy."
"Alright, are you ready, Shinji?" Misato asked, her face popping up on the comm screen. "We're entrusting every single volt of Japan's power grid to you. If we miss, we might only have a chance for a single secondary follow-up shot at best, and then it's all over. The fate of humanity is in your hands."
"No pressure." Bardiel chuckled, only to hear silence on the other end. "Right, not really a time for joking. I'm ready, Misato."
"Good." the purple-haired woman replied, before turning to a nearby screen featuring a pale-haired albino. "Rei, are you ready?"
"I am in position and am in possession of the shield." Rei said, as she knelt down next to Shinji. "Prepared to defend."
"Alright, everything is a go." Maya exclaimed, as she finished typing a few lines of code. "Power banks are at 98% and rising; we're prepared to fire, Captain."
"Fantastic." the woman replied, before turning back to another group of technicians. "Activate the relays! Shinji, rack the bolt!"
"On it!" the Angel disguised as the boy exclaimed, before jerking back the bolt of the sniper, inserting a fuse and a chunk of metal the size of a large bus that would serve as the projectile the railgun would launch. "Projectile in place!"
"Charging internal reserves." Makoto said, turning to face Aoba. "We've got a magnetic field… it's working."
"Of course it's working." Shigeru replied. "Have a little faith."
"That's ironic, coming from you." Hyuga retorted.
"Girls, you can quibble later." Misato said. "We've got bigger fish to fry right now. Ritsuko, how is the targeting system looking?"
"Fully operational." the woman responded. "We've got all of NERV-2's Magi on the line, and the Magi at Matsushiro are running supplementary analysis."
"Fantastic." the purple-haired captain said, before pulling herself together, standing up ramrod straight as she shouted. "Alright, people, this is it! Operation Yamamoto… is a go!"
"Activating targeting." Bardiel muttered, as he rested Unit-01's hand on the top of the rifle, holding it in place. He reached out again, feeling within him for the light of his friend's soul, but Shinji was still out cold. "Shinji, buddy, please, I want you to be here for this. We promised to beat my brothers and sisters together… c'mon, buddy."
"I will protect you, Shinji." Rei whispered over the intercom, as she smashed the shield into the dirt, bracing herself. "Do not worry."
"It's not your well-being I'm worried about." Bardiel grumbled in his head. "Thanks, Rei."
"Charge beginning! Hitting capacity in eleven seconds!" a technician shouted, their voice echoing through Bardiel's entry plug. "The emergency coolant systems for the fuse are responding!"
Bardiel let out a deep breath, flattening Shinji's Evangelion even further against the ground as a metal helmet-like object descended over his head, providing him with a reticule. He lined up the target, placing the center of the crosshair directly on his brother's center. He closed his eyes as the ticking noise of the countdown echoed through the cockpit, only for it to be disrupted.
"Five, four… high-spectrum energy reading from the target!" the voice exclaimed.
"It's gonna fire again!" Hyuga shouted, as he whipped around in his chair to face the captain.
"Dammit, FIRE NOW!" Misato screamed. "We've only got one shot!"
"This one is for Shinji, asshole." Bardiel thought, before he squeezed the trigger, watching as the metallic bolt flew forward from the barrel, soaring towards the target at incredible velocity. He followed the projectile's trail as it almost met the target, before the world went white.
"The target fired off a shot!" Maya yelled. "It made a magnetic field when it fired, deflecting the bolt; the shot was ineffective!"
"Goddamnit!" Misato yelled back, before she suddenly stopped. "SHINJI!"
Before Bardiel could respond, Ramiel's follow-up blast struck them full force, turning the sandy dunes below the mountain into glass, and melting through trees and buildings like they were butter. The entire hillside was filled with an iridescent white glow, momentarily distracting the boy before a shrill scream tore through his cockpit's comm system.
"REI!" Bardiel shouted, as he felt something shifting inside him, although he was too preoccupied to know what. "REI, NO!"
"Hurry…" the girl groaned between clenched teeth, as the shield began to slowly liquify underneath the fury of the Angel. "Fire it… please…"
Bardiel turned back to the countdown to when the next round would be ready, watching it tick down with fearful eyes. 22, 21, 20, 19… never before had the Humiliated Son of God witnessed a situation that was so hopeless as the one he found himself in right now.
"SHINJI!" the girl screamed, as the shield melted away, subjecting Unit-00l to the unadulterated might of Ramiel. "PLEASE!"
"I… I can't, it's not ready!" Shinji replied back. "13 seconds!"
"AAAAAHHH!" Rei's screams transitioned from pain to agony, as she stumbled backward, the plates of armor beginning to run down the front of the Evangelion's chest like blood from a slit artery, covering the ground in red-hot liquid metal.
"Dammit, no!" Bardiel howled, before an idea occurred to him. He tore the helmet from his Evangelion's head, ripping his arm out from underneath the gun, before rising into a crouch. "Forgive me, Shinji… I know you would've done the same, but i'll still feel bad if I get your body torched."
"AAAAAGHHH…" Rei wailed, before suddenly the pain had abetted. She still hurt, hurt so much more than she had ever been, but the utter agony was gone. She stopped for a moment, simply crying in her entry plug, before another scream echoed around her.
"REI, FIRE THE GUN!" Bardiel screamed, as he stood in the way of the beam, arms outstretched, shielding her and the weapon with his body. "NOW!"
"I…" the girl started, before she kicked into action mode. She rolled over, her legs no longer functioning properly, as she splayed herself awkwardly beneath the massive rifle. She wrenched the bolt back, flinging a fuse into a nearby hillside, before throwing the bolt back forward. She tried to line up the reticle, but it was shaking everywhere, barely able to hold a consistent target. "I… cannot aim the weapon, Shinji. The reticle needs time to adjust."
"I'LL GIVE YOU… TIME!" Bardiel screamed, but this time his voice was not alone. Two voices screamed in unison, as the slumbering soul finally awakened. Bardiel felt Shinji awaken, and expected the boy to help him push through the pain. Instead, he felt the boy cram his way through the neural connection, slipping into the Core of the Evangelion. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM!"
"Shinji's Ego boundary has spiked!" Hyuga declared. "He's at over 30%, and climbing quickly!"
"It's… going berserk!" Ritsuko cried.
The Evangelion let out a howl of rage as the bolts restraining the jaw snapped, and the creature threw its hands forward, holding them as if it was trying to shove the beam backwards. Suddenly, a faint hexagonal field appeared between its hands, before surging forward, layers upon layers of orange shields blocking the Angel's beam dead in its tracks.
"Unit-01 has produced an A.T. Field stronger than we previously estimated it to be capable…" Maya muttered, before a beeping noise distracted her. "Targeting locked! Unit-00 has confirmation on target!"
"Rei, fire!" Misato yelled, as she slammed her hand down on the microphone button. "Fire right now!"
"Roger." Rei replied, before she pulled the trigger, throwing the metallic bolt forward until it pierced directly through the Angel's core. The creature let out a keening wail, as fire and blood exploded outward from it, and the giant blue creature began to sink downwards toward the city.
"Nailed it!" Misato said, as she pumped a fist in the air. "Good shot, Rei!"
"Good… job… Rei." Shinji groaned, as his Evangelion wavered back and forth like a flower in the wind. "I'm… proud of you."
"Shinji!" the girl exclaimed, much to the shock of the bridge crew who thought the girl had no emotions. The bluenette watched, stunned, as the boy swayed a bit too far, before crashing downward, falling down the mountain end over end, before crashing to a stop in a nearby lake. "Shinji, no!"
Rei slid down the mountain, hopping from slope to slope, before slamming to the ground next to Unit-01. She wrenched the pylon open on the purple Evangelion's shoulder, taking Shinji's Progressive Knife and using it to slash open the back of the Unit-01's neck. She yanked out the entry plug, before dipping it twice in the water then setting it down on the ground. She dropped her Evangelion to the ground, laying in the fetal position, before ejecting her Entry Plug.
"Shinji!" she cried, as ran over to the boy's Entry Plug. She grabbed the prongs of the emergency eject switch, and pulled with all her might as she began to crank it into place. A hiss of pain left her lips as the scorching metal seared her hands, but she didn't falter until the hatch popped open, spewing LCL everywhere. She hopped up onto the edge of the plug, and looked inside at the boy leaning against the chair. "Shinji, are you alright?"
"...ugh." Shinji groaned, as he lifted his head from the back of the Pilot's chair. He shook his head for a moment, before focusing back on Rei. "Rei? You… came to help me?"
"I do not understand the emotion that overcame me." Rei admitted, as she meekly looked at the ground. "I simply could not allow you to sit in the Entry Plug and prolong your exposure to damage."
She was about to continue, when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She looked down, seeing Shinji's tousled brown hair resting on her shoulder, as wet tears rolled down his cheeks. She simply sat there, awkwardly, until the boy looked up at her.
"Thank you, Rei." the boy smiled.
"I am… unsure what I am supposed to do in a situation such as this." Rei replied.
"You could try hugging me back." the boy chuckled, before finally looking at the bluenette, his watery blue eyes meeting hers. "For a start."
Rei gingerly wrapped her arms around the boy, and felt a strange watery feeling building up in her own eyes as the two of them sat, both trying to take some sort of solace from the physical presence of each other. They sat that way for several minutes, until a recovery crew came to pick them up and transport them to the hospital at NERV. Even then, the two of them stayed close, as if the other would disappear if they were apart too long.
"Meoow." the brunette giggled, as the video paused. "That kitty's gotta have a massive pair to throw himself in front of the Angel's attack like that."
"A massive pair of holes in his head, maybe!" the redhead replied, as she turned to face the other girl. "What kind of idiot purposely puts themselves in danger when the situation is already handled?"
"Somebody who's either very brave, very stupid, or very, very intent on impressing a lady." the first girl replied, before laughing. "I'm betting on a little bit of all three."
"Pfft, those are all stupid reasons." the second girl complained. "A real Evangelion pilot would never throw themselves into the way of danger out of some stupid machismo."
"I think you're just jealous that he's fought three Angels." the brunette replied. "And you've fought exactly how many, again?"
"Shut up!" the redhead exclaimed. "That's just because I haven't had a chance to show my exemplary piloting skills yet. I'll leave him in the dust faster than you can say 'Unit-02!'"
"...Unit-02." the brunette said with a grin.
"Oh, get over here, you!" the redhead howled, before she launched herself at the brunette. The two began wrestling, before it quickly descended into a tickle fight.
"Submit!" the first girl laughed, as she poked the other girl repeatedly. "I will be the victor!"
"Stop… stop it, Mari!" the second giggled, as she squirmed. "I'll never surrender! Throw off the tyranny of the British!"
"Alright, girls, take it easy." a smooth voice said, as a man leaned against the doorway of the second girl's quarters. "We're shipping out tomorrow, remember? You guy's gotta be well rested, and I've gotta get home and say goodbye to the folks. You too, Mari, they want to see you before we leave, too."
"I thought you'd never ask, Kaji." the brunette giggled, as the redhead stuck her tongue out at her. "I'll see ya tomorrow, bestie, m'kay?"
"Later, Mari." the redhead laughed, before plopping back on the bed. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, loser."
"Aww, I'm hurt." Mari replied. "You're such a bully, Asuka."
"We'll meet you at the dock at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning, okay, Asuka?" the man said, giving the girl a smile. "Make sure you're all ready and you've got your carry-on."
"Sure, Mr. Kaji!" Asuka exclaimed, as the two other residents of the room headed out. "Have a good night!"
"Have a good one, Asuka." Kaji replied, as he shut the door behind him.
The two brunettes walked side by side down the hallway, as they exited the British NERV hall that Asuka lived in. A limousine waited outside, as a well-dressed man stood next to the vehicle, holding a sign that said "Illustrious." Kaji grabbed the door, as Mari clambered inside, before the man followed her in, sitting across from her as the luxurious vehicle began to drive away.
"Are you two always so handsy?" Kaji said with a smirk. "I never knew you two had something together."
"We were having fun, and you know it." the girl laughed. "If tickling indicated romantic desire, you, Mom, and Dad would all be on a list somewhere."
"Shame." Kaji chuckled. "I was gonna ask for tips on how to tame spitfires."
"You could always go talk to Asuka." Mari joked back. "She's obsessed with you, I swear."
"Yeah…" Kaji's face fell. "It makes me a little uncomfortable, I won't lie."
"Listen, Kaji, you know how we teenagers are." Mari replied. "We find a crush, we get way too involved, we get our hearts broken, and then we get over it. It's the circle of life."
"Fair enough." the man said, as the vehicle came to a stop. He exited the vehicle, before reaching a hand down to Mari. "Need a hand, missus?"
"Why, I'd love one, you chivalrous man, you!" Mari giggled, as she grabbed the man's hand.
The two of them walked down a small section of paved highway, before a butler opened the door for them, letting them into the main entrance hall.
"Now announcing the arrivals of Mari Illustrious Makinami and Ryoji Illustrious Kaji." the butler droned loudly, as he rang a nearby bell, before returning to his post.
"Darlings!" a voice exclaimed, as a slightly chubby woman made her way down the grand stairs, before throwing her arms around Ryoji. "Oh, it's been so long since I've seen you."
"Mom, it's only been a week." Mari grumbled, as she was immediately crushed in a hug once the woman was done with Ryoji. "It's not like we went off to war or anything."
"Oh, I know, I'm just so worried." the woman replied, as she dabbed a few tears out of her eyes with a handkerchief. "It's just, my babies are finally all grown up and leaving the nest! You'll be in Japan for months, maybe even a year!"
"We'll be alright, Mother, don't worry." Kaji smiled, as he gave the woman another hug. "Where is Father, by the way?"
"He had an… emergency meeting with the Council." she replied. "Evidently the Sub Commander called a formal meeting."
"A formal meeting?" Kaji asked. "What could that be for?"
"We've reviewed the information you've delivered to us." Keele stated, as the glowing figures sat around the table.
"And?" Fuyutsuki replied, raising an eyebrow. "We can dispose of the drama, I have no fondness for pomp and circumstance."
"We are all in agreement, I believe?" SEELE-02 said, his face cloaked entirely in a scarlet light thanks to the hologram.
"Agreed, wholeheartedly." SEELE-03 replied.
"My vote is for the proposal." SEELE-04 added.
"I do not fully agree with all provisions," SEELE-05 grumbled, "but some sort of action must be taken. My vote is for the proposal."
"Very well." Keele said. "Your proposal is passed, Kozo Fuyutsuki. Gendo Ikari will be demoted from his position as Commander of NERV, and you shall inherit his place. Do not disappoint us, Professor."
"Don't worry." Fuyutsuki grinned, as the holograms disappeared, leaving him alone in the room. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Author's Notes: The longest chapter I've posted of this story, and the longest chapter of fanfiction I've ever posted! Here we get to see a glimpse into Bardiel's mental state without Shinji around, and we see Rei's character developing in a very similar way to the Shinji of canon. We also get a sneak preview of Asuka, Mari, and Kaji, who will show up in the next chapter :) I've appreciated your feedback on ships, and I'm probably going to do a poll of some kind in the future to see what people want. Right now, it's between AsuShin and MariShin; I ship Asushin at heart, but I also feel like there's a depressing lack of MariShin fics, considering the two of them could have a very fun dynamic. I especially see Bardiel getting along very well with Mari, maybe the two of them could bond over their similarities ;)
FlightLight: Your wish for more Rei has been granted! I also agree; AsuShin is my ship of choice, but I like to read other pairings, so I'm contemplating changing it up and having Shinji with Mari, but it's still definitely up in the air.
SheriffJohnStone: I figured you'd vote for AsuShin, you write some of the best A/S fics on this site :) I also thought it was interesting that you mentioned that Bardiel wasn't very prominent in chapter 6; well, he's very present in chapter 7, so now you know why! :P
hys8892: I'm glad you noticed that! Misato IS in on NERV's secrets this time; how might that change the story?
AdvocatusDiaboli22: Thank you!
tomdj1701: Thanks!