Disclaimer: See Chapter One.

Author's Notes: Don't be surprised if I change the perspective around
every now and then. I just write as I think. Also, I know I put this
under humor, but as I wrote this chapter, I found more dramatic elements
show up.

**************************************

A Simple Game of Cards: Month 2: I'm Home

By FinalMax

A Richter Scale Production

**************************************

Four days A.S. (After Shinji's arrival): Thursday morning at the
Katsuragi/Ikari residence

It's been a couple days since Shinji moved in. I thought that things would
be just as lively as his first night here, but it hasn't. I've been
worried that he won't like it here, that he'll leave us shortly. I've been
trying to get him to open up to Pen-Pen and me, but I feel as if he's
shutting us out. I don't want him to be so quiet; I guess he reminds me of
myself at his age. I wonder what's going on in his head.

##########

I know Misato means well, but I've never been in this kind of situation.
Don't get me wrong, she's nice and all, but I've no clue how I'm supposed
to act around her. I know she's trying to make me feel comfortable, and I
am in a way. She's gone out of her way to give me a place to stay and some
company. I'm feeling sort of happy around her and the penguin, I mean, Pen-
Pen.

Pen-Pen is sort of fun; I never know where I'll run into him next. He
freaked me out when I first met him, but I was even more freaked by the
fact that I accidentally exposed myself to Misato. I'm just glad there
wasn't a camera in there. I can just imagine it positioned so that when I
ran in, her beer would cover up my privates. I remember there being a jar
of toothpicks on the table as well. Oh, no! I can imagine the beer can
moved and the jar being in the way. Damn, that's an insult if I ever heard
one.

Come on, Shinji, it's time to cook breakfast. I don't really want to eat
Misato's breakfast, and Pen-Pen will just come in to get you. I should
probably think about what to fix. Pancakes? Nah, we're out of mix.
Toast? Nope, the toaster's still broken. I'll have to take it in for
repairs. Oh well, I'll just have to make miso soup. All right, now I've
just got to be quiet. I don't want to wake Misato until breakfast is
ready.

##########

Shinji's Perspective

As I slowly crept out of my room, I looked at the sign Misato put on my
door. "Shinji's Lovely Suite." I had to smile at how the sign went from a
simple piece of paper to a heart-shaped plaque in just two days. She
really wanted me to feel at peace. After thinking about it for a few
moments, I continued on my way to the kitchen. I went to the food fridge
for the ingredients I needed the drinks for Misato, Pen-Pen, and myself.

As I began making the soup, I looked at the calendar on the fridge. Hmm,
today is marked as "Poker Night." I wonder what that's all about. I guess
I'll ask her later. I brushed it off until I finished cooking. I was
about to go wake up Misato, when Pen-Pen tugged on my pant leg.

"Waarrkk," the hungry penguin called. (Translation: Feed me. Feed me,
Shinji, feed me.)

I understood and gave him his fish, a small bowl of soup, and his can of
beer. I don't think I'll ever understand how he started drinking.

I went to Misato's door and gently knocked on it. No response. I decided
to go in, hoping she wouldn't yell, scream, or tear off pieces of my flesh.
What I found when I opened the door would haunt me for the rest of my
life. I saw Misato sitting on her futon, in the middle of her room. Sure,
Misato sitting on a futon isn't really scary, but the rest of her room was.
Her room looked like an Angel attack and every natural disaster known to
man hit it at the same time. That's about the best way to describe the
mess in that room. How she manages to live in that room will probably be
an unsolved mystery.

**************************************

Misato's Perspective

As I collected my thoughts, I heard Shinji making breakfast. I know he's
trying to be quiet about it, so he won't wake me up. He's so sweet about
things like that; it's one of the things that make him a joy to live with.
I hope he'll always stay like that. It's his kind nature that's already
made him popular with most of NERV.

When I smelled the soft aroma of Shinji's food, I knew he was done cooking
and ready to wake me up. I knew Pen-Pen was going to ask for his food
before he'd let Shinji wake me up. Yep, I know that "wark" anywhere. I
heard the already familiar sound of Shinji giving Pen-Pen breakfast. It's
funny how someone can arrive and change everything. In just two days, he's
already . . .

My thoughts were interrupted by Shinji's gentle knocking on my door. I
slowly sat up on my futon as he opened my door. I brought my eyes to meet
his, and that's when I noticed an unusual look on his face. Why is he
making such a face? It's almost like he's in shock. I wonder what could
do that to him? I wouldn't have to wait long for the answer.

"How the HELL did this mess get here?" he yelled.

"What mess?" I asked.

"Your room, of course."

I looked around my room and realized that my room looked worse than the
rest of the house when he moved in. "Oops," was the only thing I could
say.

"Oops? Oops?! You realize that I'm gonna have to clean this room up now."
He looked pissed, but seemed to be calming down.

"You are?"

"Of course, I've already made the rest of the apartment at least look
livable. Naturally, I'll have to clean your room, but you're going to help
and keep it clean," Shinji said in his usual calm tone.

"Uh, yes, Shinji. I'll help, and I'm sorry for leaving such a mess," I
timidly said.

"Don't worry about it. We'll work on it tomorrow afternoon. Now, come get
your breakfast before it gets cold." Shinji seemed to return to his
tranquil state.

Shinji and I went to the kitchen to get breakfast. Shinji already got my
first morning beer ready for me and handed me a bowl of miso soup. He sat
at the table with his soup and a glass of water. We were spending an
unusually quiet breakfast today until he spoke.

"Misato, what do we have to do today?"

"Well, Shinji, you have another synch test and combat training session. I
have some paperwork to do, but I'll check up on you when I can. When all
that's done, we'll come home and get started with the cleanup, okay?"

"Misato, I've already told you that we can do that tomorrow. The reason I
asked was that I noticed that today was marked on the calendar as 'Poker
Night.' I was wondering what that was."

"Oh, I forgot about that already. Last month, I had some of the others
from NERV over to play cards, and Pen-Pen and I won some money. As they
left, they already said they'd return this month to win their money back.
A couple days before you came, we decided to have it today. I'll guess
I'll have to cancel since you're here now."

"Don't worry, Misato," Shinji said. "You can have them over. I won't
mind. Would you like me to help you a bit? I could make some snacks and
stuff. It sounds like you had fun last month, and I told you I didn't like
to impose on you. So, what time will they be here?"

"Shinji, thank you. I'm glad you want to help. They'll be here at 8:00
tonight. I thought about having them bring their own snacks, like last
time. If you want to make snacks, I'm sure they'll enjoy it. By the way,
do you know how to play?"

"Well, no. I don't know how to play poker, but I do know how to play
blackjack."

"How'd you learn that?" I asked.

"Sensei liked to frequent the casinos, and I picked it up by watching the
tables. I went there so often that they were okay letting me work there.
I think that was a deal Sensei made to get out of debt, though. He did
that quite a lot. One year, I had to work at a diner because he skipped
out on his bill. I washed dishes for three months, during which the cooks
taught me how to cook like them. They did that so there'd be an extra cook
when one of them was sick. Another year, Sensei did the same thing at a
high-class restaurant. Again, I was the dishwasher, but occasionally I'd
have to wait tables. The chefs were actually quite nice to me and were
willing to teach me how to make some of their best dishes. Sometimes, I
think Sensei did stuff like that deliberately, to get me to learn some new
things."

"Wow, that's amazing! I didn't know you could do all those things. I
don't know what to say." I really didn't know how to respond. That was
the most he has ever said since moving in.

"Wwwwaarrk!" exclaimed Pen-Pen. (Translation: Holy Shit! I should ask
you to cook smoked salmon one of these days!)

"Yes, Pen-Pen. I'll make some for you later," Shinji said. This statement
shocked both Pen-Pen and myself.

"Shinji, can you understand what he says?" I inquired.

"Kind of. I get the general idea of what he said. I think he wants to try
some of my really good dishes sometime. I just agreed to make some for him
later."

"Oh, okay." Both Pen-Pen and I were relieved to hear what he said, for
more than one reason. We were both anticipating the day when Shinji would
make a gourmet meal for us and relieved that Shinji couldn't exactly
translate Pen-Pen.

The three of us finished our breakfast before getting ready for the rest of
our day. Shinji and I went to our rooms to get dressed, while Pen-Pen
returned to his refrigerated room to sleep. Shinji was waiting by the
front door when I came out of my room.

********************

Around Noon at NERV Headquarters

Still Misato's Perspective

I'm still worried about Shinji. He doesn't seem to realize how much he
means to us here at NERV. With the exception of his father, Commander
Ikari, everyone thinks, no, knows that Shinji is one of the most precious
people on earth. The staff is constantly amazed at how gentle and polite
he is. All the female staff has their eyes on him, while the men are proud
of him. According to Ritsuko, even Rei has taken a slight interest in
Shinji. He has already become the apple of our eyes, our pride and joy.
It's only natural that we worry for him. We don't like the fact that he
has to fight the Angels, but we have no choice right now. He is our only
hope, our savior. He hasn't even been with us for a week, but we all hope
that he lives through this. We wish for him to have a happy life, free of
the pain he has grown up with.

Despite our wishes, I fear that he doesn't even notice all the cheerful
looks and encouraging words we give him. Judging from his first battle,
I'd say that Shinji's the kind of man who would sacrifice himself for
another person's safety or happiness. It's easy to say that we need more
men like him in the world, but one has to feel sorry about how his life has
been up until now. I just don't know how to help him. Maybe Ritsuko will
be able to help me.

I went to her office, thinking she'd be there. I forgot that she was
administering Shinji's synch test. When I finally remembered, I headed in
the right direction. I found her just as Shinji's test began. "Hey,
Ritsuko. Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure, Misato. I'll be just a minute, so hold on, okay?" said my best
friend. She quickly took some notes, pushed a few buttons, and was on her
way. "Shinji, you're doing great. You're synch ratio is about 43%. Just
keep focused, and I'll be right back."

We started walking down towards Shinji's location before my old friend
spoke. "Misato, what did you want to talk to me about? Is it about
Shinji?"

"Yes, it is. I'm worried about how to make him open up to us. He told me
a bit about his past this morning at breakfast, but he's not even said a
word to me since we got here."

"Did you say anything to upset him?"

"I don't think so; I mean, I haven't teased him or yelled at him or
anything like that. He just hasn't said anything since breakfast."

"Maybe he's still shy around us. It sounds like he's unsure about opening
up to others. The fact that he told you about even a tiny bit of his past
is a good sign. It means he's becoming comfortable around you.
Personally, I'm jealous of you."

"Jealous? You? Why?" I was quite surprised that she was jealous.

"Because he's opened up to you in such a short time. Most people take a
long time to get someone like Shinji to open up. You're doing something
right, whether you know what it is or not. Now, there are two things I'd
like to know: what happened this morning that might have caused him to
open up to you, and what he told you about his past. You can tell me,
Misato. I've known you longer than anyone else here. You can tell me
anything. Now spill."

As I told Ritsuko about this morning's events, her face changed
dramatically. Usually, she has this calm, controlled attitude in her face,
but I saw the biggest grin appear on her face as I spoke with her. I was
shocked to see Ritsuko Akagi, one of the most together people on the
planet, rolling on the ground and laughing her ass off. "What's so funny,
Ritsuko?"

"It's just that I never expected Shinji to blow up like that. He made you
apologize! No one has ever been able to make you apologize. I also can't
believe that he knows all those different things. Who would've thought,
Shinji, man of the world?"

"Yes, I know it seems unbelievable, but it explains a lot about his
cooking. I've seen him in the kitchen; it's like watching poetry in
motion. I've never seen anyone fix a good meal that fast before, and the
food itself was divine! I've got to invite you to dinner when he's
cooking."

"Well, I'm going to be there tonight, so I'll just have to try some of his
food." Ritsuko then added, "Unless, you want to cancel tonight, of
course."

"I'm not going to cancel tonight. Shinji already said that he'd make
snacks for tonight. So, what would you like to have? I figure that he'll
appreciate some suggestions."

"Tell him that I'll appreciate whatever he wants to make. Besides, I think
he would prefer to make this decision himself."

"You're right, as always, Ritsuko. Thanks for listening to me; I really
appreciate it," I said as I headed back to my office.

"No problem, Misato. See you at 8:00. I'll talk to Shinji for you, OK?"

"Thanks again, Ritsu. I'll see you later then. Bye."

********************

Around 6:30 at Misato/Shinji's apartment

Shinji's Perspective

I'm glad Misato agreed to go to the store for me. I really need those
ingredients. That, and I wanted some soda to drink, since she only has
beer. She really needs to cut back. If anything, it would stretch our
food budget a bit. Oh well, I can't really complain about how she lives
her life. What should I do while I wait? I know, I'll practice my cello.

I went over to my room and dragged out my cello. I rosined up the bow,
tuned the strings, and got ready to play. As I started to play, I thought
about what happened so far today. Why does everyone look at me so
strangely there at NERV? It seems weird, but I have the feeling that
they're trying to cheer me up. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. I'm
probably imagining things, but why did Ritsuko tell me to make whatever I
wanted for myself? Oh, yeah, she's going to be here tonight.

I already told Misato to get what I needed: a block of mozzarella cheese,
some herbs, bread dough, sliced ham, and sardines. I already have the rest
of what I need. I haven't made pizza in a while. I hope everyone likes
it, 'cause I sure will. That's when it hit me; I needed to get started on
the sauce. I was lucky that Misato walked in at that moment.

"Misato, I'm going to need you to help me a little with the sauce. I'll
tell you what you need to do, so don't worry. Okay?" I asked as I put my
cello away.

"Alright, Shinji, I'll help. Just let me put the groceries on the table
and change my clothes. I'll be just a minute."

"Okay," I said as I left my room. As I walked to the kitchen, I put the
soda in the fridge before starting on the pizza. I had Misato help me with
the sauce. I told her when to add the herbs and how to make the sauce. I
did this more for her to learn to make something other than curry.

Within fifteen minutes, the dough had thawed and the sauce was ready. I
had Misato watch TV as I grated the cheese. That was enough time to let
the sauce cool. I flattened the dough, spreading it into a familiar round
shape. Then I spread the sauce evenly across the dough, followed by the
cheese. I put sardines on the portion for Pen-Pen, ham on another section
of the pizza, and left a small part alone for anyone who wanted plain
cheese pizza. Finally, I put the pizza into the oven and set the timer for
twenty-five minutes.

I decided to clean up the mess before everyone got here. I put the extra
ingredients away, as I may use them later for something else. The timer
rang when I was halfway through the dishes. I turned off the oven, took
the pizza out to let it cool, and finished washing the dishes. Then I put
it back in the still warm oven so it will stay warm for our guests.

Around 7:55, our guests came over. I saw Hyuga, Shigeru, Maya, and Ritsuko
in fairly casual clothes for once. Each of them was carrying a snack with
them. Hyuga had pretzels, Shigeru had chips, Maya had the dips, and
Ritsuko had three bags of ice. I waved them in, took their coats, and
offered them something to drink. They looked surprised when I offered them
a drink.

"What?" I asked.

"Shinji," Maya asked sheepishly, "do you drink beer?"

"What? No, I just had Misato get some various sodas," I responded.

"Oh, that's a relief," the four of them said.

"So, what can I get you? We have Coca-Pepsi, Sprite, Mountain Dew, 7-up,
and A&W Root Beer."

"I'll have a Sprite," Hyuga said.

"I'll have some root beer," Shigeru and Maya said simultaneously.

"I already brought my own drink. Thanks, though," said Ritsuko, who pulled
out a bottle of Jack Daniels. I simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll be right back with your drinks then. Ritsuko, would you help bring
the snacks to the kitchen, please?" I asked.

"Sure, Shinji. I'll help," she said as we headed for the kitchen. "So,
how's it been, living with Misato?"

"She's interesting. I certainly don't have to worry about being bored
around here."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Shinji."

"Why'd you ask?" I inquired.

"Well, Misato was worried about you. She's afraid that you don't care
about us."

"Don't worry. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be here in the first place.
You remember the battle. I piloted because I couldn't let someone else get
hurt. Anyway, let's drop the subject, okay?" I said as we finished fixing
the bowls of snacks.

"Sure, Shinji, whatever you say. Say, Shinji, what's that delicious
smell?" she asked as I pulled the sodas out from the fridge.

"I was wondering when you'd notice. That's what I made for all of you.
It's pizza, New York style. I figured everyone forgot to have dinner, so I
made it for you." I then pulled out the pizza for her to see. Suddenly,
everyone in the apartment surrounded me. "Alright, already. Just let me
cut the pizza, and you can dig in."

It was funny watching the five adults try to eat the pizza. Pen-Pen was
smart enough to eat it from his dish. I eventually had to explain how they
were supposed to eat New York pizza. After that, it was quite easy for all
of us to finish our dinner. Hyuga, Shigeru, Misato, and myself had a
couple slices of ham pizza. Ritsuko had the cheese pizza, while Maya had a
slice of ham and a slice of sardine pizza. I have to admit, we all seemed
to enjoy ourselves.

After dinner, we started playing cards. Misato asked if they wanted to
start with blackjack, since I was already familiar on that game. They all
agreed, and we played about seven hands before getting tired of it. I won
a couple hands, while Pen-Pen won like three hands. Fortunately for
everyone, we were playing for pretzels. I figured it would be easier on
the ego that way.

As everyone else got his or her money ready for poker, Misato showed me how
to play. She told me what hands beat what and how to bluff. When she was
done showing me how to play, everyone started the poker game. Misato said
she was going to deal first, much to Pen-Pen's dismay.

Pen-Pen won the first hand with a full house, two 4s and three 7s. After
that, he dealt the cards, saying, "Waarrrk!" (Translation: It's five card
draw, Vegas rules, aces and 8s are wild. Ante is 20 yen.) When everyone
else looked confused, Pen-Pen took out a pad of paper, turned to a page,
and showed it to everyone else. The others nodded in agreement at the
penguin's call.

Things continued like this for the rest of the night. I managed to get a
full house in one hand, winning it. Pen-Pen and Misato seemed to win most
of the games themselves, but Maya won three games in a row. Ritsuko,
Hyuga, and Shigeru each won a couple games. I only won one game and ended
one in a draw. Pen-Pen and I had a straight, but they were identical. It
was strange.

We played until about 1:00, when everyone was too tired to play anymore.
Everyone said their goodbyes to Misato and Pen-Pen, saying they'd be back
to get their money back. When our four guests came to me, they each had
their own interesting way of saying goodbye to me. Hyuga shook my hand and
congratulated me on living with Misato. Shigeru ruffled my hair a little
and said, "See you later, bud." Ritsuko actually gave me a small hug and
told me that I could talk to her if I needed help. Maya quickly gave me a
peck on the cheek before she ran off saying, "Thanks for dinner and
everything, Shinji."

Misato came up to me and gave me a big hug and asked, "Did you have a good
time, Shinji?"

"Yes, I had a lot of fun tonight, Misato. Thank you."

"No, Shinji. Thank you, you made tonight even better than I'd hoped. Do
you know why?" I shook my head. "Shinji, tonight was better because you
opened up to us more. Ritsuko told me what you told her. I'm proud of
you. I'm glad you care, Shinji, because we care about you. If we didn't
care, we wouldn't ask you these questions or worry about you. We'd just
let you live alone. You are loved, so don't think that nobody cares about
you."

"Does my father care?"

"I don't know, Shinji. I just don't know."

"I see. Well, it's good to know someone cares. I'm gonna go to bed now,
okay?"

"Alright, Shinji. Sweet dreams, Shinji. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Misato," I said as I went in my room. I had a lot to think
about. As I crawled into bed, I put the earplugs of my SDAT player in and
pressed play. I grew sleepy as the music progressed.

Right before I would have fallen asleep, my bedroom door slid open. I rose
to see who was at my door. I saw Misato and Pen-Pen walk in, carrying what
seemed to be an envelope. They handed it to me and sat at the foot of my
bed. I looked at them, then at the envelope, and then I opened it and
looked inside. There were two things inside, a letter and a bundle of
money. I wondered about the money, but I figured that the letter would
explain it. I was amazed at what the letter said.

%%%%%%%%

Shinji,

We want you to know that all of us at NERV are with you. We will back you
up any time you need us. You haven't had an easy life, and we know that.
We sincerely wish that you didn't have to fight. We'll do what we can to
keep you safe, since we know you'd do the same for us. We're so proud of
you and honored to know you.

Enclosed in this envelope is just a small token of our appreciation. Do
what you want with it. Spend it, save it, do whatever you want with it.
It's not much but it'll have to do for now. We want you to be happy, so
we'll understand if you want to leave. Just remember that we love you.

Sincerely,
Makoto Hyuga, Shigeru Aoba, Maya Ibuki, Ritsuko Akagi, Misato Katsuragi,
Pen-Pen, and everyone else at NERV

%%%%%%%%

I didn't even look at the money, because the letter said it all. I gave
Misato and Pen-Pen the biggest hug I had ever given since Mom died. That
moment was all I really needed. All I could say was, "I can't wait for
next month."
Misato looked at me and said, "Why don't you tell them tomorrow?"

"Because I want to make them something special."

Pen-Pen looked up at me and said, "Wark waark warrk." (Translation: I
understand. We'll wait until next month, my friend.)

To be continued . . .

**************************************

Next chapter: Rei, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari all show up. What'll they
do? Will they play poker? Do they even have any money to bet? Will
everyone be happy with Shinji's food? Find out next time!

A/N: I know this one is longer than the last chapter. I'm showing
multiple perspectives, and that takes time. I'll probably shorten it when
I have all the characters I need. I know it sounds a little sappy, but
doesn't he deserve a happy moment or two? Besides, I'm not going to
dramatically change the overall story of Evangelion unless everyone asks me
to. If people want this story to be a continuous story, I may be willing
to change the end of Evangelion.