Disclaimer: I do not own NGE. But you already knew that

Chap. 5

Gendo's office...

"What is the Child's condition?"

Dr. Akagi stood before him, "Stable. This was anticipated. She'll make a full recovery. "

"And how are you progressing on you end?"

"Slowly. There's still the problem of how they synched. Without that data, I can't risk doing anything."

"Time is a luxury you do not have, doctor."

"I've already sped up research. I'm going to conduct another synch test once Tsunami recovers."

Gendo's eyebrow raised slightly, "Tsunami?"

"Her name." You didn't know? Or is it that you just didn't care to know?

"Dismissed."

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.

Outside Medical room

Shinji sat in the same bench as he did earlier. His head hung low down with his hands covering his head. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's my fault. Those words kept repeating themselves in his head. He didn't even notice that Misato had just came and sat next to him.

"How are you holding up?"

"It's my fault." Shinji repeated out loud

She put her hand on his shoulder, "Shinji, you shouldn't blame yourself. No one knew she would react like this."

Shinji rose his head to face her slightly, "But still, if I hadn't have said what I did, then she wouldn't have even thought about it."

Misato looked sadly at her young friend's face and he bent it back down again. Silence ensued for another five minutes.

"Why would she do this?"

"Huh?"

Misato lay her head back against the wall, "If it had been Rei or Asuka, they would have never done anything like this. So why did she?"

A slight worried expression grew on her face, "It is as though she really is a completely different person. Her own person."

Shinji took that into account. Her own person? As in not Asuka or Rei? But, if that's the case, then what...?

___

Shinji hesitantly opened the door to Tsunami's room. It had been an hour since he heard anything and Misato had to leave to NERV. Shinji didn't know why he was entering the room, but no one seemed to protest. The room was quiet, aside from the beeping of the monitor. The young girl lay there unconscious, with tubes and bandages attached to her wrists. Shinji cringed. My fault. Always my fault. She got hurt because of me. Again. Shinji grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. Her usual pale skin was returning to its shade (or lack of it) and she was breathing in slow rhythmic tones. Shinji just watched her, his mind guilt-racked over what had happened. The monitor's beeping was beginning to get to him.

"I'm sorry."

Tsunami didn't respond, but Shinji went on anyway.

"The truth was that...that...I was afraid. No big surprise there, I suppose. I'm always afraid. Always a coward. I was afraid that...you might...that I might...I guess..."

Shinji stopped and took a deep breath. Even though she was unconscious, this was still hard to say.

"I was just afraid of who you really are. If it was Rei, she would have just stayed quiet and I wouldn't know if what I say to her really matters. And if it was Asuka, well she would have laughed in my face and stepping in it. But you...you actually wanted to talk to me. I guess that's what scared me the most. But still, I shouldn't have said the things that I did and I'm really sorry."

"I know."

(AN: It's a little short, but I'll make up for it in the next chap.)