Disclaimer: see part 1
Touch'
Part 7
Sacred Territory
(v2)
Random1377
Shinji walked through the halls of NERV at a sedate pace, not feeling any particular need to hurry. He did not feel much of anything these days, in all honesty, though just how apathetic he really was, he doubted anyone knew. It was not that he liked being apathetic… but after the fight with the fourteenth angel, he had done such a good job of shoving his feelings inside that he had created a mental block preventing them from resurfacing.
Or at least, that's how the doctors had explained it.
Rei said to meet her by the front, he told himself as he reached the escalator to the next floor. Maybe I'll stop and pick something up in the cafeteria. She's probably hungry.
Though lacking in emotion, he was still a thoughtful person.
I wonder if she hates me, he mused as he mounted the escalator. I'd understand if she did. I mean, she changed so much for me… and since that fight I can't even feel anything when I kiss her.
He tapped a finger idly on the escalator's handrail as he thought of his current living arrangement. He cooked and cleaned in the small apartment, and spent his nights wrapped in Rei's warm, tentative embrace, but for the life of him he could not feel anything past a faint stirring of emotion – more like an echo than an actual feeling.
Although the doctors had told him that even an echo was better than nothing.
"Shinji."
Glancing up, Shinji found Doctor Akagi waiting for him at the top of the escalator.
"Hello, Ritsuko," he greeted her, using her first name as she had instructed him. "How are you?"
"Good," Ritsuko replied, waiting patiently for him to reach the top. "Do you have a minute, Shinji?"
"Sure."
"Come with me, please."
Shinji followed obediently as Ritsuko led him to a corridor just off of the main hallway, gesturing for him to precede her in. Had he been paying closer attention to his environment, and known the layout of the security system, he might have noticed that the blonde had arranged their positions very precisely, so that her back was all the security camera in the main hall could see, while arranging him in such a way that the camera in the side corridor could only see the back of his head, making it very easy for her to pass him a small, square object.
"Keep this for me, would you?"
Turning the item over in his hands Shinji nodded. "Alright," he said neutrally, slipping it into his pocket. "Is that all you needed, Ritsuko?"
"No," the doctor said, smiling faintly, "I also need to ask you to do that favor for me. You remember that you owe me a favor, right?"
Shinji nodded. "Of course," he said immediately. "You helped me get back together with Rei… I haven't forgotten."
"Excellent. Then… what I need is…"
Shinji listened attentively as she outlined the simple instructions.
"Is that all, Ritsuko?"
"Yes, Shinji," Ritsuko said softly, "but remember… only if you don't hear from me by the twentieth."
"I understand."
"Oh, and umm…"
"Hmm?"
"Don't tell anyone, ok?"
Shinji nodded.
Ritsuko smiled, trying to make it warm in spite of the task she had just assigned the boy. He'll never know what he's done, she thought reasonably, and depending on Gendou, he might not have to do it at all. This is just a precaution… nothing more.
"So," she said, feeling brighter now that this aspect of her plan was complete, "how are things with you and Rei?"
She did not truly care, but she felt it would be prudent to impress on him the idea that she was his friend by feigning interest in his personal life, if she wanted him to remember that he owed her.
Shinji smiled, more because he felt it was expected than anything else, and replied, "Things are fine. Rei has been very supportive of me… I just wish I could return her feelings."
Words rose to Ritsuko's lips before she could stop them.
"At least you want to."
The two fell into silence as Shinji considered this comment and Ritsuko shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. As she was about to excuse herself, Shinji offered another, slightly more honest smile.
"You're a good person, Ritsuko," he said without preamble. "I'm sure that anyone you like will like you back if you give them a chance."
Ritsuko pursed her lips. Must be nice to say stuff like that without worrying about how it might make a person feel, she thought acidly. God, emotionless people are the worst to deal with because they say whatever they think.
In spite of her irritation at the boy's analysis of her concerns, Ritsuko found herself unable to hold a grudge. "I suppose we'll find out soon," she said quietly, "have a good day, Shinji, and remember – don't tell anyone about this, not even Rei."
"I understand."
With a short bow, Shinji made his way off down the hall.
Ritsuko watched him leave with a mixture of amusement and scorn. A good person, she thought, shaking her head in bemusement, No, Shinji… I'm afraid I'm not.
( 0 0 0 )
"This place sucks."
Shinji glanced up from the stove. "Sorry," he said quietly. "It's not as big as Misato's place."
"Misato's place is still your place, ya know," Asuka pointed out, resting her chin in her hands and staring intently at the Third's back. "Or have you forgotten that too?"
"I haven't forgotten anything," Shinji reminded her. "I just can't-"
"I know, I know," Asuka interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "Emotional suppression as a response to guilt and trauma – I get the concept."
"Mm."
Stirring the wok, Shinji let the conversation die.
Asuka had asked to see Rei's apartment, and somehow arranged to have Shinji cook for her. There wasn't much mystery as to why, really, as she had simply said, 'hey cook me something' when he was showing her the kitchen.
And so there they were.
"When's your dolly coming home?"
Shinji turned the burner off. "Rei will be home in a couple hours," he said calmly. He showed no sign of being irritated at the completely unsubtle knock on his girlfriend.
"So what are you going to do until then?"
"Homework."
"Ah."
Leaning back in her chair, Asuka folded her arms. He really DOESN'T have any feelings, she thought disgustedly. Nothing gets to him at all.
"Here."
"Thanks."
Asuka considered the plateful of food placed in front of her… but in all honesty, she was not very hungry. Pushing a carrot around, she watched as Shinji cleaned up the few utensils he had taken out to cook for her. Absently, she took a bite, smiling faintly at the taste.
She and Misato had eaten nothing but takeout since Shinji had moved in with Rei.
Still tastes great, she thought with a mental sigh. What's the old saying? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach?
"Are you happy?"
Shinji set the wok in the strainer. "I was," he said levelly. "I mean… I know I should be – and I remember being happy when I wasn't piloting."
Asuka took another bite. "Is it because it's her?" she said quietly. "Do you love her that much? …or if someone else had fallen for you, would you have been happy then too?"
Taking the seat opposite her, Shinji replied, "I think it was both."
"What do you mean?"
Shinji fanned his fingers against the table, staring at the space between his right thumb and forefinger as he spoke.
"Rei was the first person I was able to open up to, and the first person I was able to touch. I think if it had been someone else that those things happened with, I would have been happy at first, but there's something in the way Rei looks at me and holds me and makes love to me that makes it impossible for me to think about other people."
"I, er… didn't know you guys were… had done that…" Asuka muttered, wishing her cheeks were not quite so hot. "Is that why you like her so much?"
"No," Shinji said thoughtfully, lacking the capacity for shame at that moment, "because even before we made love, I was already starting to think about her all the time."
"So that's what love is?"
"Hm?"
"Just thinking about someone all the time?"
"Well, no," Shinji mused, "it's feeling, too. It's-"
"Do you love her right now?"
Shinji's mouth slowly closed.
"Do you…?"
Asuka leaned across the table, planting her hands next to Shinji's and gazing into his downcast face as she waited for him to reply.
"You're shaking, Third Child," she whispered. "Are you mad at me? Does it bother you that I'm making you feel this way? I read the reports, you know – I know you can feel, you're just repressing it. So tell me – does hearing that your love is meaningless crap piss you off?"
"No," Shinji said tonelessly, "I can't feel anyth-"
"Bull… shit."
Asuka felt elation sweeping through her. That's right, she thought triumphantly, get mad – get furious, lash out, try and take it out on me! …I won't let you, but try it anyway. Show me you're still a human, Shinji… show me that this fucking angel hasn't made you into a doll too.
Slowly, the shivering in Shinji's shoulders subsided, and he lifted his eyes, revealing them to be a stormy, almost gray-blue – Flemish eyes, Asuka's grandmother had once described the color.
"I'm not mad at you," he said calmly, "and… I do love Rei – even though I can't feel it right now, I remember that-"
"Memory isn't love," Asuka cut in angrily, secretly thrilled that she had seen the brief color change in his eyes. "What if you got hit on the head and added amnesia to your stupid 'emotional block,' huh? What would your precious Rei be to you then?"
"Why are you doing this?" Shinji asked softly, his eyes slowly returning to their normal color. "You know that I can't control-"
"Yes you CAN!" Asuka screamed. She shoved herself back from him for fear that she might lash out herself. "You can break through this, you dumbass! I know you're strong enough! I wouldn't be your friend if you were weak!"
A very long, very profound silence fell as Shinji stared at Asuka's flushed face, unsure of how to reply to this outburst. As it stretched on, Asuka's cheeks grew redder and redder even as her knuckles grew white from clenching so hard.
Finally, the silence was broken by the sound of two ringing cell phones.
( 0 0 0 )
Touji leaned against the doorframe to the girl's locker room, waiting patiently for Asuka to finish suiting up. "It's in orbit, right?" he asked, feeling uneasy about this latest angel. "What do you think they'll do about it?"
"How the hell should I know?" the redhead retorted, pulling her glove tighter on her right hand. "What am I, psychic?"
"Don't bite my head off!" Touji complained. "You've got more experience with this kinda stuff than I do, you know – I just thought you might have some idea!"
"Yeah, sorry," came Asuka's mumbled reply. After a moment of quiet, she poked her head around the doorframe and said, "Shouldn't you be getting a plugsuit on, too?"
Touji shrugged. "I was told to stand by," he said evenly, still a bit sensitive from being sniped at.
"Stand by in a suit," Asuka retorted, as if this should be obvious. "Geez, Suzuhara… don't be a boob."
"Whatever."
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Finally, Touji pushed away from the doorframe, awkwardly putting a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Be careful," he said gruffly, "I don't wanna have to bail your ass out."
"Stop worrying about my ass," Asuka replied, forcing some of the tension out of herself as she pressurized her suit and stepped past him and into the hall. "Not like you'll ever get your hands on it."
"I could if I wanted to," the Fourth replied, and before Asuka could dodge, he gave the ass in question a quick slap.
"Hey!"
"Ah! Just joking, just joking!"
Asuka narrowed her eyes as he held his hands defensively in front of him. "You're in a pretty good mood," she grumbled. "Couple days ago you were all, 'oh my life is crap 'cause I can't get Asuka.'"
Touji averted his eyes. "Yeah, well, can't win 'em all, or something," he said lightly. "I figure it's better to get over this quickly than get all bummed about it and whine like a little girl."
"Good plan," Asuka replied. "Oh and umm…"
"What?"
"…if you touch my ass again, I'll cut off your hand."
( 0 0 0 )
"In position," Shinji reported, willing Unit 01 to raise the positron rifle it had been sent and waiting for further instruction.
"The angel is still out of range," Misato's voice came back to him, "just sit tight, Shinji…"
"Ok," the brown-haired boy said levelly.
As he sat in the quiet LCL, Shinji thought back over the last few days, trying to dredge up some feelings – good or bad – to go along with the memories. He knew that it should have pleased him to be living with Rei full time… and he knew that he should be feeling bad for the way the blue-haired girl looked so sad when she saw him… but he just didn't feel anything.
Misato says even Rei had more emotion than me, he thought, watching the dot that was the angel dance around in the targeting scope of the EVA, and I remember it… that's what's so strange – I can remember people reacting to me, and reacting to other people… but I can't make myself feel it. And what Asuka was saying was kind of right. I was-
His thought was interrupted as a harsh, glaring light filled the entry plug.
"What is… that?"
"The angel has a particle weapon?"
Misato studied the image on the screen, wondering if having Shinji take point was the best idea she'd ever had. Asuka couldn't do it, since Unit 02 was still on lockdown following the events of the last angel fight, and Touji wasn't qualified to handle Unit 01, so honestly, options were limited.
Of course, that didn't make her any happier about putting Shinji in danger.
"No," Hyouga replied after checking his system. "It's not a particle weapon… the MAGI detect no heat energy."
"Shinji's psychograph is… changing…" Maya reported, sounding confused, "Sempai… what does this mean? It doesn't make sense."
Ritsuko leaned over the tech's desk. "It is trying to contact him?" she mused.
The tac-net crackled to life, and Shinji's voice held a slight tremor as he said, "P-permission to fire."
"Denied," was the Commander's cold reply. "The angel is out of range… you would just be wasting ammunition."
Shinji's voice returned to its usual monotone. "Understood."
"Tell me what's happening, Ritsu," Misato said darkly. "What the hell is it doing?"
"Well," Ritsuko said thoughtfully, "I think he-"
"God… GOD!" Shinji's sudden scream caught everyone off guard. "Don't… don't come into me!"
"What's happening?" Misato demanded, rounding on the Project-E director. "Damn it, what's it doing to him?"
"I was afraid of this," Ritsuko said grimly. "His psychograph is going crazy."
"Meaning?"
Ritsuko met Misato's eyes.
"It means he's being… compromised."
"Damn it!" Misato growled, grabbing the blonde by the collar and yanking her closer. "In plain Japanese! What's happening to Shinji?"
Shinji himself answered, his voice almost unrecognizably distorted with pain.
"My mind… it's trying to get into my mind!"
( 0 0 0 )
It had been a while since anyone in the command room had heard any type of emotion from the Third Child. Not that it had been forever, of course, but it only takes a week or two to start getting used to a new pattern of behavior.
Hearing the boy scream, however, reminded everyone of how he used to be… and nearly sent several of the weaker-willed techs running to the bathroom to empty their stomachs.
"No!" the boy cried, willing his Unit to raise its weapon, "Don't… don't!"
Misato flinched as the positron rifle boomed twice, sending two balls of energy spinning into the atmosphere. "It's too far out of range!" Makoto reported tensely. "The positrons dissipated."
"Let me help him!" Asuka's voice rang out. "Come on – don't just leave me sitting here!"
"Unit 02 cannot be endangered," Gendou muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. "Rei… fire the secondary positron rifle."
"Yes sir…" Rei replied, her voice holding the same impassive quality as in days past.
She's trying not to let it show, Misato thought, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, but I've known her long enough that I can hear it. She's terrified…
"Let me go right now!" Asuka raged, "Damn it! Let me help him, you fucking assho-"
"Cut off her feed," Gendou said smoothly.
"Damn!" Shigeru called out as the redhead's voice abruptly disappeared, "Shinji's still firing!"
Onscreen, Unit 01 was swinging its rifle from side to side, repeatedly pulling the trigger of the huge weapon in a desperate attempt to free its pilot from the agony he was suffering. "Get out of my mind…" Shinji sobbed, completely unaware of the damage he had caused to the city as the rifle went dry. "God, make it stop…!"
"Cut all systems back to minimum life support," Ritsuko ordered tersely. "That ought to stop the feedback from reaching him."
"I'll try," Maya whispered, seemingly mesmerized by the sound of Shinji's cries.
"Don't fucking try!" the blonde woman screamed abruptly, startling everyone present, "Do it! Don't let it get to him, do you understand?"
"Y-yes ma'am," Maya stammered, typing quickly on her keyboard.
Not now, Ritsuko thought grimly, not now, not him… I still need him.
"Preparing to fire," Rei's said calmly. "Positron charge building. Five seconds to discharge… four… three… two… one… firing now."
Misato's eyes went to the screen, tracking the path of the heaven-bound bolt of green energy… and finding herself unable to stifle a horrified wince as the angel's AT field deflected it effortlessly.
"Ikari," Fuyutsuki said softly, leaning over his former pupil's shoulder, "it would be unwise to lose Unit 01 at this time… there are still things that need to be done…"
"You're right," Gendou agreed after a moment's hesitation. "Rei… go to Dogma and get the lance."
"Yes sir."
In her entry plug, Rei was in a heretofore unimaginable state of panic. She could hear Shinji's screams – she knew he was in agonizing pain… and to her horrible shame, she found herself feeling happy.
He is feeling again, she thought, maneuvering Unit 00 to the lift that would take her into the depths of NERV. If he is able to feel pain, perhaps he can feel other things as well.
She closed her eyes as the linear carriage began to descend, heading towards Shinji's only hope of salvation. Forgive me, Shinji, she thought sadly. Forgive me for wanting you to hurt… for wanting this awful thing to happen to you. Forgive me for being so selfish.
( 0 0 0 )
Shinji's body shivered as the intensity of the mental attack increased. "It's defiling my mind…" he moaned, no longer certain if anyone could hear him.
He struggled desperately to recreate the barriers he had subconsciously erected in the wake of the fourteenth angel's attack… but no matter how hard he tried, the angel brushed his defenses aside, forcing him to face his fears.
Images of his father, Misato, Asuka, and Rei flashed through his mind – reminding him how he had let them all down and keeping him from simply 'tuning out,' again. The images that stung the most were those of Rei. Every time the blue-haired girl's face appeared, a new, deeper pain exploded through his senses.
'How dare you?' the angel seemed to be saying. 'You are in the presence of perfection, and you're hiding like an infant!'
"I'm sorry…" Shinji sobbed. "I won't hide anymore, so… so please make it stop!"
Instead of stopping, however, it got worse… much worse.
"Infiltration is increasing in intensity," Maya said, typing frantically on her keyboard. "The buffer isn't working." She swallowed. "I think… I think it's trying to kill him."
The evidence seemed to support the young tech's hypothesis as Shinji's screams grew weaker and weaker, even as the tension in his body rose higher and higher.
It's trying to control him, Ritsuko thought grimly, watching Shinji's body arch away from the pilot's seat. Damn! How do they know us so well?
To Maya she said, "Try… reversing the pulse flow."
Maya's fingers froze for a moment, her jaw dropping open as her superior's words sank in. "Reverse…?" she echoed. "But… but Unit 01-"
The blonde's voice was so cold when she next spoke that Maya all but cowered in her seat.
"Do what you're fucking told, or I'll find someone who will."
"Y-yes ma'am…" Maya said faintly, her fingers stumbling on the keyboard so badly that she could barely enter the instruction set.
"What are you doing?" Misato asked softly, unable to look at the horror on the screen.
"Trying to save his life."
As Maya hit Enter, Shinji's screams were suddenly joined… by Unit 01's.
"Good…. Lord…" Misato breathed, grinding her teeth as the inhuman shrieks reverberated through the command deck. "What did you do?"
Onscreen, the purple mecha was writhing, its mouth gaping open stupidly as it roared in agony.
"Pulse-flow reversal," the blonde replied, watching the EVA screech. "Normally the pulses flow from Unit 01 to Shinji, allowing him to feel what the EVA feels." She smiled a bit sickly. "I simply had Maya… reverse the process – to try to dampen the pain for him."
"What will that do to Unit 01?" Misato asked, noting that Shinji's cries had indeed lessened in intensity.
"Doctor Akagi," Gendou's voice, sounding colder than Misato had ever heard it, boomed from the dais. "Switch it back."
"No," Ritsuko replied flatly. "This is not 'acceptable losses' Commander. Our priority is to protect-"
"Our priority is to protect our species, Doctor," Gendou cut in levelly. "To do that, we will need Unit 01 in an undamaged condition. Switch it back."
"Bullshit," Ritsuko growled, "You don't give a good god damn about our species! There's only one person you ca-"
"Switch it back, Doctor Akagi, or I'll have you removed from this bridge."
Ritsuko's hands clenched into fists at her sides as her mind raced in every direction. Damn it, she thought frantically, damn it, damn it, damn it, I'm losing it! He really will yank me out of here… but – God, I can't let this happen! Shinji's my ace in the hole, I can't let him-
"Security," Gendou said calmly, "take Doctor Akagi from the bridge and detain her – the charge is treason. Miss Ibuki-"
"Treason?" Ritsuko shrieked, unable to hide her indignation. "You want to know what treason is? Treason is letting your son's mind get fucking raped while you sit back and-"
"Miss Ibuki," Gendou repeated, overriding the blonde's raving, "reverse the process… now."
Ritsuko's lips compressed into a thin, tight line as two burly security officers took her by the arms and led her towards the exit. So be it, she thought icily, the cards have been dealt… let's see who has the better hand.
Maya did as she had been ordered, feeling sick to her stomach as Shinji's cries began to rise once more.
"Preparing to throw," Rei's voice came over the tac-net, sounding altogether too soft.
All eyes went to the screen as Unit 00 (which had reached the surface while Ritsuko was ranting) brought the huge, red shape of the lance of Longinus up over its head.
"Calculating escape angle and compensation for the earth's rotation," Aoba announced. "Rei, you should have the numbers in about thirty seconds."
Though he was sure she had not meant to speak aloud, Aoba still heard the First whisper, "Please hurry…"
Inside of Unit 01, Shinji's body felt like it was on the verge of collapse. 'You do not deserve her,' a voice whispered in his mind. 'You are unworthy of what you have.'
"I… tried to protect her," he sobbed. "Please… all I wanted was to protect her, and-"
'Lies,' the voice hissed, 'You have been close to AeMeH – and yet you hide like a coward! You do not deserve to live, Lil-'
The voice – and the pain – disappeared in a flash of light, releasing Shinji's body so suddenly that he nearly tumbled from the pilot's chair.
"Target destroyed," Hyouga's voice reported shakily. "The lance has passed out of the Earth's gravitational field and is moving towards the moon."
"Psychograph returning to normal," Maya added a moment later, sounding much older than she ever had before. "It's over."
"Bring them home…" Misato's voice was the last Shinji heard as he spiraled down into darkness. "Get my Child…ren ho…m…"
( 0 0 0 )
Rei stared into the darkness, picking out the shape of the small dresser Shinji had insisted she buy shortly after moving into the apartment. It was late – well past midnight – but as tired as she was, Rei could not manage to find that elusive friend known as sleep. Her head rested against Shinji's shoulder, but her hand gently ran along his stomach and chest.
It made her feel a little guilty to touch him without permission, but since he had only been out of the hospital for five hours, she honestly could not resist.
"Doctor Akagi was taken into custody," she said abruptly, surprising herself at her uncharacteristic need to break the silence. "Asuka was arrested as well." She whispered. "She was still screaming obscenities at the Commander when they let her out of Unit 02… though I believe she will be released tomorrow, as she has calmed since then."
Shinji simply slept on.
"It was foolish to believe that you would be better immediately," Rei said calmly. "I do not know if I can allow myself to hope that the doctors were right."
Since the angel attack, Shinji had not spoken at all. The doctors at NERV insisted that he was capable of speech, and that, despite the mental attack, he was perfectly fine – probably better than before, in fact, as the battle had proven him capable of feeling emotion.
He just needed time to recover.
"Doctor Kobayashi says that you should be alright in a few days," Rei mused, studying the boy's sleeping features. "But you are still so distant." She sighed, offering him a rare, minute smile. "I promised I would wait for you, Shinji," she murmured, "though in all honesty… I do wish you would not force me to wait so long."
Misato had told the First not to let Shinji out of her sight, no matter what. 'He's the most fragile he's been in his entire life,' the purple-haired woman had told her on the second day. 'I'm making sure he goes home with you today, Rei… the doctors think he'll do better in familiar surroundings.' She had smiled weakly, 'And I think he'll do better with you near to him.'
"I thought I had lost you entirely," Rei went on, feeling calmer now that she had spoken her fears and hopes aloud. "I was… very worried." She rubbed her scratchy eyes and nestled tightly against his side. "I love you," she said simply, finally allowing her eyes to fall closed. "Please return to me soon."
Halfway through the night, Rei found herself caught up in a pleasant, rather graphically erotic dream. Shinji was slowly kissing her, running his hands all over her body and whispering, 'I'm here,' over and over again, like an old pre-impact record with a scratch on its playing surface. Everything was so vivid and detailed that Rei even imagined she could feel his warm mouth playing hopscotch on her sensitive skin, moving restlessly from point to point as if trying to drink in every inch of her.
It occurred to her, when she finally remembered to blink, that her eyes had actually been open for some time… and that Shinji was staring straight into them.
Wetting her lips, she allowed herself the luxury of whispering, "Shinji?" positive that the moment she spoke, the dream would dissipate.
"Hey," he whispered. "I didn't want to wake you up… but I couldn't help it."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, her eyes asking – almost begging – 'is it really you?'
"I'm sorry I was gone so long."
Rei blinked again… and her vision doubled, the view of his familiar face growing hazy as the tears that had threatened for so long were finally allowed to fall, her own emotional defenses crumbling into pathetic shambles under his warm, serious stare.
Shinji gathered her into his arms, holding her carefully as she silently wept – unable, even then, to truly give in and sob the way a normal teenager would in the same situation. Skin to skin, body to body, they held each other until Rei's shoulders stopped shaking and her eyes were simply moist instead of overflowing.
The rest of the night passed without a sound passing between them, save soft breath and the gentle, whisper-like sounds of fingertips gliding against sweat-slick skin.
They both promised themselves, then and there, that they would never part again.
Continued…
Author's Notes: well, it came out a bit shorter than the last chapter, but I covered everything I wanted to get covered, so I'm happy with it. The next chapter should be substantially greater in length, and a bit more complicated… or, you know, at least the longer part – and hopefully it will be delivered a bit faster than this one. Oh, and 'Flemish eyes,' as Leper described them, have a tendency to change from blue to gray, depending on a person's emotional state. He said if you look closely, you can see Shinji's eyes exhibit this trait in the show. I've seen this happen in real life, though I didn't think the animators had that much attention to detail, and quite honestly, I never paid enough attention to notice it. Go Gainax… or something.
Version 2 notes: I suck. Had to make a lot of little corrections due to the fact that I found that I had totally neglected to make ANY of the changes MacBeth suggested, and corrected from Irish eyes to Flemish eyes, cuz I don't pay attention as well as I should. Sigh. Maybe next time I'll actually make these kinds of changes BEFORE posting the chapter.
LeperMessiah, Akodo Tim, and MacBeth2001 all pre-read on this one. Man, I'm running out of ways to thank these guys… so I'll just stick with 'thanks' this time.