A few days later Soujirou awoke, his body aching all over. His side was bandaged, and a smell that he could only place as very clean wafted through his nose. He found tubes running up both of his hands, and felt as if he would vomit at any moment. His hakama and kimono were taken off and he was in a very thin white gown. Most people would find this to be uncomfortable at the least. This however, made no difference to him. "Today is going to be a beautiful day." Was the only thought as he opened his eyes, as his usual optimism sank back even in the midst of his pain.

He stirred and sat up, ignoring the tubes that were loosely strapped around his arms. He noticed that he wasn't alone in the room, and soon gazed at a familiar blue haired girl, sitting calmly by the window, reading a book. "Ah, good morning, young miss. Isn't it a wonderful day?" He said cheerfully. Rei lowered her book, and blinked in surprise. She started to stare at Soujirou, who only waved back. "You are awake." She stated simply, standing up and heading towards the door. "I shall inform the doctors of your state." She said, before closing the door softly. Soujirou sighed, and lay back down on the bed, his arm over his forehead.

"What a strange, strange girl." He said quietly, inspecting the things that were sticking to his wrists. "What are these?" He thought as he tugged at one of the IV's. He soon realized his mistake and let go as a shock of pain ran up his arm. "Looks as if that will be staying. At least for now anyway." He said to himself, rubbing his wrist. "Where am I?" He thought as he took a longer look at the room he was in. It reminded him of the hospitals he had seen in Kyoto, but much more..._white_. He looked to his side and strange boxes with little jagged lines beeped, almost like the telegraph machines that Houji used when he wanted to talk to someone far away. He looked up and saw strange white rods, giving of a soft glow. One thing that he did recognize, though, was a small clock on one of the walls. It still gave off the familiar ticking sound, and it read 9:30. What was strange, though, was it was very thin, with absolutely no gears or pendulums to it, and he wondered how it was running without any means of power.

He was about to wonder more about these things, when the door opened, ushering in a few people. One he recognized immediately as the girl he had saved. He gave her a little wave, which Rei ignored, and continued to look at the other three people in front of him. He established that one of them was a doctor, but the other two he couldn't put a finger on. One was a rather young looking woman in a red jacket, and the other was a rather depressed looking boy with brown hair and deep blue eyes that would have rivaled his own if he would have raised his head.

Soujirou immediately had his manners kick in, and greeted them all warmly. "Oh, hello, doctor." He said, making sure by the nod of the man's head that he had the title right. "Good morning, Mister Seta." The woman in the red jacket said, acknowledging him. "Ah, good morning, Major Katsuragi, and please, call me Soujirou." Soujirou replied. This surprised Misato. She heard that this boy was strange, but this was freaky. "H-how did you?" She stuttered, pointing a finger at the still smiling Soujirou. "Well, Major Katsuragi-san, you do look like a Katsuragi. I mean, the eyes, the hair, facial structure. Yup, I would say that you very much look like a Katsuragi." Soujirou said matter of fact-ly, causing an even greater sweat drop on Misato's head.

Seeing, this, Soujirou couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Plus, it says so on your visitor's I.D." Soujirou said, finally letting on to his secret. Misato looked down at the little nametag pinned to her chest and saw what Seta was talking about. "My I.D." she said and nodded, finally catching on to Soujirou's little game. Soujirou just continued to smile as Shinji and Rei began to eye him suspiciously.

"You needed something, Major Katsuragi-san?" He finally said, breaking the silence. "Err, yes. Seta-san-" she began but was cut off by Soujirou again. "Please, call me Soujirou." He said again, insisting the use of his first name. "Well, _Soujirou_..." Misato continued, earning a small nod from Soujirou "... That is the problem. We can't tell if you really are who you say you are."

"Why not? Aren't you working for the government?" Soujirou asked. "We're the ones who are going to ask the questions, Soujirou." Misato replied. "Ah, gomen, Katsuragi-san. I forgot my place..." Soujirou replied, raising his hands in defense. "... It's just that if you are working for the military, which I am sure, you are; I'm surprised that you haven't killed me outright yet." Soujirou finished, his smile still intact, but there was now a glint in his eye.

This took Misato aback, but she pushed on. "And why is that, Soujirou?" She asked cautiously. This might turn out to be interesting. "Have you not checked my background, Katsuragi-san?" Soujirou asked. "Well, Soujirou. That is the whole problem. You have no background. No past. Nothing. It's as if you never existed."

"Ah, then the Meiji have covered it up better than I've thought." Soujirou said thoughtfully, more to himself than to anyone. "The Meiji?" Misato said incredulously. "What are you talking about? The Meiji era is long past." Shinji said, shaking his head. "Ended? I know that I am not as informed as I used to be, but even something this large should have not gone past my attention." Soujirou said, still keeping his smiling mask, even as the seed of doubt slowly crept through his mind, overriding his hardwired training and giving him some discomfort.

"Mr. Seta, the Meiji system of government has been over for almost two- hundred years now. It is highly unlikely that this has been of anything "large" in recent times." Rei said quietly in her monotone. Her openness surprised Shinji and Misato a bit.

"Two hundred years..." asked Soujirou, gaining his composure once more after the shock. He turned slowly from the machines in the side of the room, then to the doctor, Misato, and Shinji. This should explain why everything seems so strange, but still..."Is this some sort of joke?!" Soujirou said shakily, almost giggling a bit at the revelation. "What do you mean, Soujirou?" Misato asked, puzzled by his reaction.

Soujirou's training kicked in and he feigned ignorance. "Oh, nothing, Katsuragi-san, nothing." he answered, waving it off. Misato shrugged the little outburst aside, and continued her interrogation. "Well. Soujirou- san. Continuing our little conversation, I would like to ask why you carried a sword in broad daylight." she said. Since Soujirou knew that if this woman was telling the truth, he might as well tell the truth also.

"Alright, Katsuragi-san, if you insist. I am a rurouni. Simple as that. I was just passing by at the time when Miss?" he said, motioning to Rei. "Ayanami, Rei." Rei answered, surprised that she even acknowledged his question at all. "Yes, Ayanami-san, was about to perform an act she might later regret." he said, turning his attention back to the Major.

"So what you're telling me is that you, Seta-san-"Misato began but was cut off once more. "Please, call me Soujirou..." he interrupted. "Err, yes, Soujirou, that you, at twelve o'clock midnight, in the middle of a storm, on top of a huge abandoned building, with a serious wound in your abdomen, just happened to save one of the pilots of Evangelion, completely unaided except for a sword, from which when we analyzed shown immense traces of human tissue, from a seemingly elevated height, out of the sheer goodness of a rurouni's conscience?!" Misato said incredulously, her face slightly pink. "Umm, when you put it that way, yes...Yes I did..." Soujirou said with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his story was completely outrageous, and that most of the people in his room all face faulted at his calm answer.

At this, Misato just frowned, and turned to the doctor. "Well, it looks as if you were correct, doctor. This guy is a nut. Please see to it that this man receives the help he needs." she then turned to the pilots. "I believe we are through here. Shinji, Rei, c'mon were just wasting-" Misato started before her ringing cell phone cut her off. She looked at the caller id and answered. "Hello. What? A synch test. Ok, I'll bring the kids in as soon as possible. Shinji, Rei, c'mon." She said, motioning out the door.

As soon as they were out the door, Soujirou had regained his senses. "Doctor, where are my things?" Soujirou said to the doctor that had just come in to check the machines that had been running. "Oh, I don't think that you're going to be moving around for- Urk!" the doctor didn't have time to finish what he was saying as an I.V. tube wrapped around his neck, with the presumably bedridden Soujirou holding the two ends tightly. "Now, I will ask only once more, doctor. _Where_ _are_ _my _ _things_?" Soujirou reiterated, still smiling as he continued to strangle the doctor. "C- closet." the doctor mouthed, his voice giving out as he pointed to the small door on the other side of the room. "Ah, arigato, doctor..." Soujirou brightened, taking off the I.V. from his neck.

The man instantly started to go for the emergency button behind Soujirou's bed, but found a searing pain in his neck then... nothing. "Ah, you shouldn't have moved so suddenly, doctor. Now you stay there and enjoy your nap while I see what exactly is happening around me, and if it really is two hundred years in the future." he whispered in the doctor's ear as he delivered a quick blow to the man's neck, rendering him unconscious. Soujirou looked at the tubes that still bound him to his bed and, with one swift motion, pulled them all out without even a flinch. "Messy messy." Soujirou said happily as the sight of blood instantly heightened his senses.

He grabbed one of the blankets on the bed and ripped out one long strip, and proceeded to wrap the wound. "Hmm, still messy, but it will be all that I need for now." he thought, as the bandage started to show a small red stain. He silently put on his clothes. "Ah, it seems as if they took away my sword." he said to himself, as he put on his Western-style shirt. He looked around to see if his jacket or his hakama was around, but only found a worn pair of khaki pants. "Well, I guess this will have to do."

After that, he walked out the door, closing it silently behind him. With that, the lone Soujirou disappeared into the shadows of the NERV hospital, following the unsuspecting Eva pilots towards their destination...

Notes:

Damn. I need to make a second draft...

This chapter seems so forced, I know I could have done better. Does anyone know if the hospital and NERV are close together? Well, that's all I have to say for this chapter. Criticism. either good or bad is always welcome.

-FPotM