Chapter 74: Additions to the Family
In the morning of the following day, Ayanami woke up from a chaotic dream that left her feeling drained. Getting out of bed, her feet touched the cool floor which made her feel a little more awake. Going to her door, she heard sounds from the living room. Opening it a little bit and quietly, she saw the Major sitting at the dining table. She was on her cell phone then moved it to her ear.
[…Dr. Akagi speaking] Ritsuko said automatically picking up her mobile phone that ringed.
"Morning Rits! How are you doing?"
[…] the scientist replied with a deadpan face and narrowed her eyes. [I'm fine.]
"Just fine?"
[What do you want Major?] she asked after sighing out loud.
"Did I get you on the wrong side of the bed?"
[If there is nothing else, I am hanging up.]
"Wait-wait-wait! I'm sorry. I know that you got the short end of the stick after what happened…how…how are they?" Misato asked which made Rei's ears perk up. Despite not hearing what Dr. Akagi was saying, the First Child kept staring at the Major's facial expressions.
"That's good to hear all of them are doing alright. Is he still unstable?" the adult woman asked then took a sip of beer. Her eyes suddenly bulged then spitted the drink out of her mouth.
"HE'S WHAT!?"
"…?!" Ayanami said in surprise seeing how riled up she got.
"H-How!? How is that possible!?"
"…God…Misato, shut up!" Asuka shouted from her room.
[If you want to know, I'll show you if you are that excited] Dr. Akagi said lighting up a cigarette and taking a drag.
"Aren't you a little excited yourself?"
[…I am…ambivalent at the moment.]
"That must feel weird."
[It feels…a bit more than…weird. Anyway, I will go back to work now. If you show up, just message me. I will be in a lab.]
"Alright. See you soon. Bye."
[Bye]
"…" Misato said closing her cell phone and staring at the beer can on the dining table. Looking at it while deep in thought, she failed to hear movement from the other side of the room.
"Major?"
"Hmm?" she said blinking and looking up to her left. The First Child stood adjacent to her side of the table.
"Did something happen?"
"Ehhmmm...you could say that. Just called Ritsuko to see how things were going from her overnight."
"I see," Rei said with a blink then looked at the table.
"I'll be honest, what she said caught me off guard," the Major stated with a nervous smile then stood up. "Actually, I'm going to head over to NERV to status with her more as well as see Shinji and his family members."
"I will go as well," Ayanami said turning around and headed toward her room.
'No doubt that she'd want to go,' Misato thought with a small smile seeing the blue-haired teen disappear into her room. Heading toward her room, she stopped at the Second Child's room. Guessing that she probably wouldn't be interested, she knocked anyway.
"Hey Asuka. I'm heading to NERV to check up on things and see how Shinji is doing. You want to come?" she asked then heard the door open a bit.
"Why would I come along to see that psycho reaper?" the redhead stated with a small frown on her face.
"Rits said that something good happened to him after…"
"Really?" Asuka said with unconvinced eyes. "You telling me him coming out of that bloodbath with two naked women and puking guts onto the floor did him good?"
"…" Misato said with a wince remembering that image. "Besides that part."
"Oh?" the Second Child said crossing her arms across her chest. "Do tell Misato."
"Well for one, paying respects to the potential second in command, aka his mother," the Major said with a neutral face.
"…" the redhead said keeping her mouth closed.
"He's walking and talking again."
"…" the Second Child just blinked and didn't change her expression.
"Come on. You telling me that you are not even curious about Shinji having a twin sister?"
"…" Asuka said and looked to her right. "No, I'm not."
"Mmm-hmm," Misato said with a smirk and left to her room.
"I said I wasn't!" the female pilot stated back.
"Heard you loud and clear. I'll be leaving sooooon," the lavender haired woman said turning around with a grin before entering her room.
"Grrrr," the redhead said putting her hands on her hips. After a few moments, she heard a door slide open. Turning to the source toward the living room, her face frowned more. Ayanami walked out of her room dressed up in her school uniform. Not wanting to cross eye paths, Asuka closed her room door and stared at it.
'I don't care…I'm not curious,' she thought to herself despite feeling otherwise. 'If he's mother was inside Eva, she be probably nuts too.'
'There, that settles it,' Asuka settled in her mind.
Turning away from the door, she felt certain about not going. Taking only a couple of steps forward, she could hear Misato humming. Feeling irritated from it, she recalled something that she didn't react to yesterday. The redhead remembered what some NERV employees said passing by about the Commander running down the hallways with haste.
"…" she said narrowing her eyes from remembering. Her curiosity was too high to push away.
"God damn it," the female pilot whispered to herself. Stomping toward her closet, she picked out her yellow sundress. After changing and getting her hair into her ribbon hairstyle, she went to her door and opened it. Walking into the living room, both Misato and Rei were there as the lavender haired woman was wiping the dining table.
"…" the Major said turning toward her with a big grin on her face.
"…" Asuka said frowning staring at her. "Not a word from you."
"I haven't said anything…yet."
"You better not!"
"Hee hee, alright alright. Let's go!" the Major said with a cheery voice.
The ride to NERV was not very talkative. Ayanami kept staring out the window while Asuka stared out of her window. While driving, Misato kept repeating what Ritsuko said from the phone call earlier. It kept making her bewildered. Upon reaching the car escalator and going down to the Geo-Front, she gave Dr. Akagi a call.
Standing in a lab, Ritsuko tiredly reviewed the data collected from a variety of tests she conducted and tests ran through MAGI. Putting them down on a table near her, she rubbed her eyes still feeling agitation from the results of doing the overnight. Picking the documents up and attaching them to her clipboard, she left the lab. Going to a smoking area, she sat down on a bench. Pulling out a pack of cigarettes, she put the last one in her mouth and lit it.
'Empty,' she thought looking at her empty carton. Taking a drag and exhaling, she threw the small box in the trash. Closing her eyes to rest them a little, a particular voice made her wince a little.
"Morning Rits!"
"…" Ritsuko said opening her eyes and looking to her left. Misato and the two female Eva pilots were walking toward her from down the hallway. When they got closer, she tiredly stood up.
"Morning," the scientist stated and just flicked her cigarette over the trash can ashtray.
"You got some serious dark circles."
"…thank you for pointing them out," Dr. Akagi said not amused.
"I know I asked over the phone…how is Shinji?" Misato asked.
"He is…fine," she replied feeling a bit calmer after smoking.
"Just fine? Come on Rits. There is no way he is just fine after that."
"…" Rei said not believing what the head scientist stated either.
"He has reaper eyes! How is that normal?!" Asuka exasperated.
"…" Ritsuko said dully blinking and trying not to get agitated. She handed them the clipboard.
"Here. Read."
"What's this?" Misato asked seeing an array of documents.
"Results from my screenings, scans, and MAGI's analysis of the Third Child and Eva-01."
"…" all three said standing next to each other looking at the documents.
"Okay…blood sample…tissue sample…medical diagnostics…brain scan," Misato said then stopped from hearing a loud outburst. It caused the Major and Rei to blink. Ritsuko just rubbed her temple from feeling a headache from the shout.
"HE'S WHAT!?" Asuka stated. "Let me see that again!"
"…there…how...how is that possible!?" she stated flabbergasted looking at the faux blonde woman.
"I know…it doesn't make sense...But the scans I ran and what I ran through MAGI, all came back negative."
"This has to be a loud of bull," the redhead stated.
"How is it possible for him to go through all of that and come out…normal?" Misato asked with a calmer tone.
"If we are talking in probability sense, very slim change or not even a change at all. At least, that is what MAGI calculated."
"Doctor, does that mean Ikari is stable?" Rei asked quietly.
"In short, yes. He is stable," Ritsuko said tiredly.
"How is he stable looking like that!?" Asuka wailed.
"Yeah. He looks like the one from the police footage," Misato said with a softer voice. Placing a hand on the Second Child's shoulder helped calm her a little.
"Is his eyes damaged?"
"…" Dr. Akagi said taking another drag from her cigarette a little longer. It helped fight back the frustration regarding that subject.
"No…his eye scan came out clean. There is no damage to them. As far as medical examination goes, those are his eyes pigmentation and color."
"…!?" the three said and blinked with bewilderment.
"Before you say anything, I have tried again and again to find a solution, a result, a cause for his changes. All came back the same results," the faux blonde said with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"…" Ayanami said looking down to find a different topic to discuss. "Doctor, I recall hearing about the Commander rushing to the medical facility. Is that true?"
"…" Ritsuko said looking at the female pilot. Internally feeling sour about that fact and who he was rushing towards, she took another drag before answer.
"Yes."
"…I see," the First Child said with a blank face. Giving a small nod, she excused herself and left the three walking down the hallway. Till she thought the First Child was out of ear shot, Asuka lead forward and whispered to the scientist.
"Hey, I noticed something yesterday. Why did the adult woman that came out of Eva-01 look similar to the First Child?"
"…" Ritsuko answered.
Looking at the trailing figure of the First Child, she narrowed her eyes. Revealing the origins would be problematic. On the other hand, that information could be leaked eventually knowing how much snooping Kaji was doing. Misato would be curious enough if a trail was given to her. She knew for a fact that the Commander would keep it tight lipped.
"The First Child's resemblance to Dr. Ikari is just coincidental," the faux blonde replied after taking another hit from the cigarette.
'No way…she has to be hiding something…she has to,' the Second Child thought unconvinced.
"…" Misato commented with a neutral face.
She knew asking for information about the First Child has always been tight lipped and hidden. It did make her curious to find out where did the albino girl come from. The Major had a suspicion that her friend knew more information about NERV's secrets, but never wanted to cross that path. Thinking about how similar both the First Child and Dr. Ikari looked, the thought of the third person that came out of the entry plug immediately came to mind.
"What about the other person that came out?"
"You mean his twin?" Ritsuko asked putting out the cigarette she had smoked to the bud. She exhaled the smoke from her lungs seeing the Major nod.
"I ran multiple screenings, blood samples, DNA samples, hair samples…I even put all the results in MAGI. All came back with a match to the Third Child's DNA."
"You have got to be kidding me? His twin was in the Eva all this time?" Asuka asked feeling that the information was surreal.
"That is something I do not know," Ritsuko said and turned around walking. The other two followed suit.
"Did you ask MAGI about the twin?"
"Yes."
"What did it say?"
"MAGI stated that unless hidden from birth, there is no possibility that a twin could have existed," the head scientist stated carefully.
"…" both Misato and Asuka stated thinking about the answer. The three entered an elevator and selected the floor that would connect the NERV base to its medical facility. With the doors closed and the elevator going up, a couple of seconds of silence went by.
"I don't get it," the redhead stated putting her hands on her head. "My brain hurts."
"I'm getting there too," the Major stated then snapped her fingers. "Hey! Think about all the possibilities to ask and do with his double."
"What do you mean possibilities?"
"What would happen if the twin sister is a polar opposite personality?"
"…" Asuka opened her mouth to say something then stopped. She immediately thought about it longer looking deep in thought.
"…" Ritsuko said glancing at them. Though she was listening, the head scientist also had a couple of headaches as well.
'How is it possible?' she thought looking at the floor. 'What happened to have pulled out a soul from the Eva? Even that, another soul that was never known?'
'I know that Dr. Ikari was absorbed into Eva-01…how the Third Child able to pull himself and the other two out is beyond my comprehension.'
'But that would complicate things. Each unit has to have a soul to function based on notes left behind from mother…even MAGI states that. Does this mean that Eva-01 will not function?'
'Furthermore…how is it possible for the Eva to cure his mental illness?' she thought blinking and looking up. The other two were still debating about possibilities. The more Dr. Akagi thought, the more questions kept coming to her head. Shaking her head a little, the elevator slowed down and both Misato and Asuka were still chatting.
"There is no way I am teaming up with him looking like that," Asuka said with arms across her chest and frowning. "Hell no."
"Just put large sunglasses on him. That should be enough," Ritsuko said walking out of the elevator.
"I seriously doubt that would help his zombie image," the redhead stated following.
"I wonder if he would mind the nickname terminator," Misato asked out loud to no one walking with them.
"Like he care what you call him."
"I'm sure he does…underneath that stoic demeanor and deadpan face…maybe a little? What do you think Rits?"
"I wouldn't know. For what he has done so far, he could be called a number of things."
'That's true,' both Asuka and Misato thought at the same time. All three turned to a hallway and continued walking toward the medical facility.
Inside a hospital room, a patient was tossing and turning in their sleep. A mild sweat was dripping down their forehead from a dream. Rapid eye movement could be seen with the eyelids closed as their breathing became more erratic. The further the dream went, the patient started whispering and softly calling out for someone. The last image of the nightmare came and jolted the person awake.
"NO!" Rana shouted. In a panic, she sat up straight gripping the bed sheets. Taking deep breaths and relaxing her hands, she slowly calmed down. Putting her hands to her face and trying to clear her mind, her nerves started to become less rattled.
"…?" she said feeling something very different about the environment. Opening her eyes and looking through her fingers, she saw that she was in a room of some kind. Removing her hands, she blinked.
"Hospital room?" she whispered out loud feeling lost. "How did I get here?"
"…" she stated looking around the room. "H-Hey…where is everyone?"
'The last place I remember being in was that morbid dome room…I held on to Shinji till everything started becoming white and blinding,' Rana thought. Blinking again, she felt more confused and out of place.
Hearing beeps to her left, she turned and saw that a machine had small graphs on it. Lines, curved and jagged, repeated over and over on the small screens. Seeing a small tube coming out of one, she followed it. Looking down on her left arm, it ended with an IV in that limb. Seeing another, she followed it back. It was connected to a hanging pouch with clear liquid inside.
Having small flashbacks of tentacles with needle tips, she slowly took out the IVs and other monitoring attachments. The machines started complaining with constant beeping. Turning around and messing around with the machines, Rana was able to turn them off. Sighing in relief, she turned around and looked at the floor. Deciding to get out of bed, her feet touched the cold floor.
'What a minute,' she thought in surprise. With eyes widening, she slowly kneeled. Putting her hands on the floor, they felt the coldness of it just as her feet did. Immediately, Rana put her face on the ground to feel the same temperature and sensation.
"…sense of touch...?" she stated staring at the floor with bewilderment. "I don't remember having it this sensitive before…is my other senses the same?'
Thinking about her sense of sight and hearing, they seemed the same. What felt odd was that she couldn't hear or see any of the other voices around. It made her feel off and very alone. Shaking her head, she tried the remaining two senses that were non-existent before. Standing up and looking around the room more carefully, there was a small potted plant next to the window in the room. Going toward it and bending down, she sniffed the plant and smelled different things.
"…!" she said in surprise. Blinking and slowly standing up, she turned around and looked for something to taste. Not finding anything edible in the room, she decided to go beyond the door. Going toward it, she placed her hands on the door and looked through the narrow glass view window.
'Looks like a hallway…and there are lights,' she thought blinking. Not seeing much else of anything, there didn't seem to be people around. Looking down at the handle, she slowly grasped it and slid the door open slowly.
"…" Rana said sticking her head through and looked in both directions.
Seeing nothing around, the main hallway was empty of people. The white lights from the ceiling illuminated the floor and walls showing how clean it looked. There was a T-intersection down both ends of the hallway. Leaving the room, she opened and closed the door silently. Seeing nothing coming at her, she walked to the opposite wall while looking around. Deciding which way to go, her instincts told her to go left.
Walking along side the wall and reaching an intersection ahead, she peered down the adjacent hallway. It looked like another hallway with the same colors on the walls and doors. There was a water fountain some distance away which she decided would satisfy her taste quest. Before moving, a patient's room door slid open slowly. A person walked out dressed the same as her. He walked to the center of the hallway and stopped looking at the opposite wall. Light shined a bit on his face.
"Shinji," she stated instantly recognizing his face. Hearing her voice echo down the hallway, she started walking toward him feeling much relief seeing him. About halfway toward him, she saw his head turn toward her. That's when his features became more detailed.
"…!?" Rana said immediately stopping and freezing in place.
His eyes made her blood run cold. Black-red eyes were peering back at her. There were scars on his limbs with an elongated one that went down the length of his neck. Instead of the unharmed look she remembered, his new appearance made him rugged, edgier, and dead looking. Apprehension grew inside from remembering who those features belonged to. Both were staring at each other for a bit till he gave a small bow.
"Morning Miss Rana. Is something the matter?" he asked in a stoic tone.
"…?" she said blinking in confusion.
Deciding to walk slowly toward him, she still felt tense. The closer she got, the more her apprehension died. The aura that those eyes belonged to was not there. When Rana got close to him, he just blinked at her and continued to stare. Feeling a small smile of relief appear on her face, she immediately hugged him.
"You scared me. I thought you were him with those eyes."
"I believe that was his intention," Shinji stated. Pausing for a little bit, he slowly returned the embrace though felt awkward. His normal body reaction was not present which gave the hug an off feeling. However since it was Rana, it didn't feel too odd.
"Where am I?" she asked slowly letting go but kept close to him. "Is this reality?"
"Seems to be," he stated putting his arms to his side and blinking. "How are you feeling?"
"Other than disoriented and confused, I am adjusting. How about you?"
"…" he said looking back at the wall. "I feel…ambivalent. I don't hear the others anymore. My mind and sight seem to have become…normal. Despite this…I feel lost and not sure of myself."
"Guess we will need to help each other with getting adjusted to our surroundings," Rana stated. Seeing him move his eyes only to her, the male pilot nodded slowly.
"By the way…I recalled another person that was with us," she asked. He turned his body to face her instead of the wall and gave another nod.
"Do you know who that was?"
"It was Dr. Ikari."
"Where did she come from?"
"Eva-01."
"She came from the synthetic being? So…she isn't a fragment?"
"No."
"What would be her relationship to us?"
"…" he said blinking and thinking to himself. Feeling disoriented from only hearing his own thoughts and not the others, he repeated his thoughts to focus.
"I believe a parent or guardian."
"Does that make her our mother?" she asked finding the information surprising.
"Biologically, yes," he said blinking then started walking down the hallway the way Rana came. She followed beside him.
"Are we going to her room?" she asked seeing him nod a little.
"…" the female twin thought looking deep in thought. He felt her interlace her left arm with his right.
"Are you worried about something?" he asked looking straight.
"I don't know…I am not sure how I will or suppose to act like when meeting the doctor."
"Seems both of us don't know."
When Ayanami arrived at the medical facility, she asked the front desk for which room the Commander along with the male pilot was in. Getting the numbers, she made her way to where Gendo was first. Riding the elevator up two levels, many questions were plaguing her mind. The doors opened and she stepped out into the hallway. Looking both ways, the room she wanted was down to her left. Reaching the correct door, she was about to knock when there were voices coming from inside.
'Seems that Dr. Ikari and the Commander are communicating with each other,' she thought listening.
The more she listened, the more she wanted to look at them. It sounded that they were talking to each other as if they knew each other very well. Never had she heard the Commander converse with someone so freely before. A bit of envy developed in the Eva pilot towards the woman inside. Looking at the door handle, an urge went through her. Blinking in surprise, she had already reached toward it silently. Slowly opening it a little, it was enough to peek in.
"…!?" she reacted in surprise at the sight. Dr. Ikari was sitting up in the bed while Gendo was sitting in a chair near the bedside. His face was softer, smiling, and holding the woman's hand as both communicated with each other. An immense sense of jealously surged through her as she didn't realize that her hands were in fists and shaking.
"…?" Ayanami said blinking from a sound.
Turning her head to the source, the elevator down the hallway was in operation. It indicated that someone would be coming to this level. Reclosing the door to be opened ajar, she saw a bench on the opposite side of the room. Sitting down and waiting, she tried to compose herself. The elevator sounded to a stop and opened. Recognizing the three females that stepped out, Rei tried to relax a little. As they approached, they were staring at her with confused looks on their faces.
"Is…something wrong?" she asked in a quiet voice staring at the door opposite of her.
"What crawled up your butt and died Wondergirl?" Asuka asked frowning at her. Rei knew what the phrase meant and hated the nickname. It made the expression on her face worse.
"I'm fine," the blue haired teen stated with irritation.
"…Rei…you have a scowl on your face when we walked up. Something the matter?" Misato commented with her eyebrows raised.
"…no…I'm just fine," the First Child said. Becoming a little red in the face, she continued to frown.
"…" Ritsuko said with a neutral expression. Though she had bitterness toward the First Child, it was enjoyable to see her reacting this way. At the same time, the patient inside the room was someone she had mixed feelings about. The aspect that the Commander's wife came back didn't sit well.
'…I feel a headache coming on,' the Major thought rubbing her temples feeling pressure on them. The redhead heard voices come from the room opposite from Rei and saw that it was ajar.
'So…she was listening in on them…the little sneak,' she thought smirking and walking toward the door. Putting her ear to it and listening, Asuka was a little surprised. Hearing the Commander talk like a regular person was novel from the time of knowing him.
'Wow…so the Commander does have some humanity in him…wait a minute,' she thought then looked back at the First Child. Feeling her suspicion become a little firmer, a grin developed on her face looking at the blue-haired Eva pilot. Stepping away from the door and leaning against the wall parallel to the bench, she stretched.
"Tell me First Child. How does it feel to see and hear the Commander already warming up to his wife?" the Second Child mentioned while glancing at the sitting teen.
"…damn it Asuka," Misato muttered to herself. Ritsuko gave a silent sigh. They saw Ayanami immediately scowl and send venomous eyes toward the other female pilot. It only made the redhead give a toothy grin back in what looked like satisfaction.
'…' Dr. Akagi thought narrowing her eyes remembering that she was out of smokes. Irritation was growing again.
'I need a beer…and a day off or two,' the Major thought closing her eyes. A headache was growing.
'How can this get any worse?'
"Is this the room?" a quiet male voice spoke. It came from the hallway opposite of where the four came from.
All flinched and slowly looked to see Shinji and his female twin standing in the middle of the hallway. Both were wearing hospital patient gowns and had neutral expressions on their faces. The scowl on the First Child's face slowly went away as well as the Asuka's grin. Misato felt her headache being replaced with small amounts of fear. Only Ritsuko didn't blink a couple of times and look at him up and down. Both the Major and Second Child parted their mouths from seeing the numerous scars on his body that weren't seen before.
'…' Rei said feeling her eyes widen a little. 'The scars…they were real?…how? I thought they were imaginary.'
They saw only his eyes moved as he looked at each of them for a second. His female double looked at them as well but didn't say anything. They all noticed that she had interlaced her arm with his and that he wasn't shaking. Another set of blinking occurred while Ritsuko put her hands in her lab coat pocket. The how and why questions from the overnight plagued her mind from the new physical attributes of the Third Child. No matter how many times she viewed him, she kept feeling trepidation of him. After a long pause, someone answered.
"It is Ikari," Ayanami answered in a quiet voice.
"I see," he said. Looking at the door for a second, he blinked and looked back at them.
"S-Shinji?" Misato asked trying hard to understand what she was seeing.
"Yes Miss Misato?"
"…how…when…where…why are you…scarred up?"
"I acquired these in the past."
"No way," Asuka said still looking bewildered at him. Remembering from the time she visited him and took off his mouth contraption, she didn't see the long scar on his neck.
"You had no scars on you idiot…right Dr. Akagi?" the redhead said turning toward the scientist. "He's lying."
"…" Ritsuko said with a slow blink and just sighed. "I don't have an answer for that. He has stated an answer and has showed me. I am just as lost as everyone here."
"Showed you?" the Major asked nervously glancing at her.
"Yes," Dr. Akagi said tiredly and rubbed her eyes. "That's for another time. Ikari, why don't you make the introduction again to everyone so we are on the same page?"
"Very well," Shinji said with a small bow. Gesturing to the person next to him, the twin let go of him and put her hands to her side.
"This is Rana. As stated before, she is my twin sister."
"H-Hello," Rana said a little nervous with a bow.
"Rana, this is Major Misato Katsuragi…Dr. Ritsuko Akagi…First Child Eva pilot, Rei Ayanami…the Second Child Eva Pilot, Asuka Langley Souryu."
"…hi there," Misato said after a small pause.
"Greetings," Ritsuko said. Digging her fingernails into her palm fought against the irritation of improbability from last night. Seeing them next to each other was giving her flashbacks of the documents and repetitive results that didn't change. She felt her face slowly frown.
"…" Rei said with a nod looking at the blue-red eyed female double version of him.
"…" Asuka said looking at the female twin up and down. "You really are his twin. You are, aren't you?"
"…" Rana said while tilting her head and putting her hand on her chin. After a small pause and moving her head back straight, she nodded.
"Well I'll be…" Misato said and walked toward the two. She stopped a couple of feet away from them and bent forward a little. Both of their heads were next to each other and saw that both blinked at the same time.
"It is almost like a splitting image," she said in amazement. Looking closer at Rana, she smiled a little at her.
'She seems friendly,' she thought smiling back. Looking to her right, she saw grim reaper eyes boring at her. The closer view of his scars made them appear more painful. Though his normal murky aura was there, his new appearance gave him more of an eerie presence.
"…!?" Misato said feeling her eyes widen a little and not move.
"…" Shinji said not blinking as he continued to stare at her.
"W-well…Rana," she stated. Standing up a little and cementing her feet, she tried to alter the awkward tension.
"Welcome to NERV. You must be pretty anxious and excited to come see your mom, right?"
"I-I guess so," Rana said though not sure how to feel or react. For some reason, a form of anxiety was building inside.
"What about you Shinji?"
"…" he said still staring at the Major which instantly gave her goosebumps. "I don't know how I will react either."
The group women saw his eyes turn toward the door and commenced walking toward it. Rana watched him go forward not knowing if she should follow him or not. Standing in front of the door, he could hear two people talking inside. Both sounded like the Commander and the scientist. He slowly reached for the handle when he froze.
"…?" he mentioned hearing and feeling something different. Despite not having his voices anymore, his senses seemed clearer and hyper sensitive. Movement, breathing, and sense of being stared at were registering in his mind from the females behind him.
"Is something the matter?" he asked quietly to the door.
He didn't see Asuka or Misato flinch, but he heard them. Rei and Ritsuko felt alert and blinked. He turned his head slowly toward where Rana and the Major were standing. His body continued to face the door while his head rotated past 90 degrees. An audible cartilage crack emitted from his neck when he stopped and stared at her.
"Major?"