The Price of Victory

by Ezstarius

Follows the basic timeline... I think... but looks at different possibilities and outcomes. Everyone is IC, at least as far as I can tell... That's a very general summary, but I hate summarising.

6. Nothing is Ever as it Seems

Author's prerant: I assure you that this is no illusion. Yes, I have managed to complete chapter 6 and even managed to send it to my most trustworthy prereaders for their input, and now I have put it here for you. It's been quite a struggle finding motivation to keep going with this, but I have managed to do so, thanks to the kind words of you, the reviewers. I really wasn't expecting such a response, I merely felt that I owed you all an explanation for the long delay, and for the future delays, but a big, big thank you to all of you who sent me encouragement, it sure as hell helped a lot.

I know that it's been a long time since my last update, and I can only hope that it was worth the wait... but whether it was or not is ultimately up to you. As I said before, I have no intention of terminating this fic... but there have been some dark moments which almost resulted in such a thing happening. It was only through a friend that I was able to read the messages you left for me, but know that they were well received, so again, thanks heaps.

And of course, the usual heartfelt thanks to Steve and Alexei for prereading, and being so supportive.  You guys are the best.  Oh and my Australian spelling just isn't good enough for you is it Alexei?!?  ;)

I don't know how regular updates will be from now on, but I will make every effort to keep this thing going and hopefully I will be able to update at a decent rate... but only time will tell. But enough from me. Read on, and hopefully you will find it a decent enough read. This is still so very far from finished!

Chapter 6 – Nothing is Ever as it Seems

Somewhere in Europe...

The sun had long since dropped below the horizon, disappearing from view and taking with it the luminescence which shone so brightly during the day. With its departure, the night was left to its dominion over this side of the world, and the sweltering heat which had been so evident during the daylight hours bled away quickly. The artificial lights of the city blinked into existence after their photon sensitive sensors reached their preset level, and a full moon added its significant illumination to the manmade lighting, stealing all but the brightest stars from view. To gaze at the heavens would have been rather pointless on this night, as there was simply not much to see with all the light and the low cloud cover which stretched out over the horizon, leaving only enough gaps for the moon to still be seen in all its glory. No one in this area seemed to notice or care though.

A tall, solitary figure made his way through the streets of this city on foot, at a calm, leisurely pace. He knew where his destination was and what time he was expected to be there, so he was in no hurry. Whilst he had no problem with being summoned on such short notice, he did have a problem with the area in which he was supposed to meet. This was a dangerous part of town where thieves, murderers and other assorted scum took refuge from the long arm of the law. Gangs ruled this area and their constant territorial wars resulted in at least a half dozen fatalities a day, with many more injured; though it wasn't these types that bothered this man. These were just your run–of–the–mill cretins; sub–humans whom had no regard for anything aside from their own pathetic existence.

When wandering this part of town, one didn't have to listen too closely to hear the screams of those unfortunate people being tortured, nor those other unfortunates who were begging for their lives, before death would come for them and steal them away from this existence. A tense atmosphere of fear and loathing was as thick as syrup in this place, and the lone man was sickened to the core. The staccato patter of automatic weapons fire could be heard from a couple of streets over followed shortly after by the scream of a mortally wounded person. A sadistic cheer went up from another unknown party at the agonized scream of the victim, but this was quickly cut off by another short burst of weapons fire. This debased act of brutality had no effect on the stranger, as he continued his unhurried pace through this cesspool of despair, hate and suffering. The deaths of these people didn't bother him in the slightest, in fact the death of everyone in this place would be a blessing upon the world... but it was not his place to do so.

He was finally nearing his destination when what he perceived as being the true filth of this place assaulted his senses. Prostitutes roamed around freely, up and down their designated areas wearing virtually nothing save for a see-through coat which feebly attempted to shield them from the cool night. Men of all ages and occupations were approaching these women and disappearing into various hovels along the dirty street with their 'partner,' their wives at home, unknowing or unable to do anything about it. This is what truly disgusted the stranger, this market of humans selling themselves and being taken advantage of, whether by choice or not. His neutral expression tightened into a frown as he wandered past the first few who eyed him wearily.

Most of the people whom glimpsed the lone figure's face in the dim light straight away left him alone and walked the other way. He had an aura of danger and professionalism about him, and his lean, angular face was marked by a dangerous frown which only added to the intimidation factor. His attire consisted of a full length black trench coat which reached all the way down to his ankles and was buttoned closed, hiding whatever else he wore. The collar was turned up, though not against the cool breeze, and his wide brimmed hat sat low on his head, concealing most of his face in shadow. As a final touch, a pair of reflective sunglasses hid his eyes completely from anyone who drew close enough to try to look into the windows of his soul. His apparel and aura were enough to keep most away, but every now and then a particularly adventurous or foolish person would approach him, trying to entice him with their products, whether it be drugs, weapons or women. A dark glare was sufficient to scare off even these few, and it took all the man's self control to not draw a weapon and lay waste to this entire area.

He was rapidly reaching the end of his sanity when he finally entered the dark alleyway which was his destination. Walking confidently despite the darkness, he proceeded down the filthy alley, avoiding the mounds of garbage and other assorted detritus, until he reached a door on his right side. The building which the door was a portal for was nothing spectacular. It was a dirty old two story structure of simple design, which in any other place would likely be targeted for demolition. Its debilitated exterior was enough to keep curious eyes away though, and the man entered without so much as looking over his shoulder. After sealing the door behind him, he walked down a narrow hallway which was just as run down as the exterior. The walls were pockmarked with numerous holes, varying in size from small calibre bullet holes, to fist and head sized craters. Jagged chunks had been taken out of the bare, time weathered concrete beneath his feet and the ceiling above his head looked like it would collapse at any moment. Glancing around as he proceeded, the man noted that there was no new damage to this place since the last time he was here, but he continued to take keen interest in his surroundings until he reached the end of the hallway.

The hall branched to the left and to the right at the end in a T intersection, and so the man went to the left with not even the slightest hint of hesitation. There were several rooms on either side of the walkway, and again without hesitation he entered the second on his left, sealing the door behind him. This room would have been designed as an office originally, but it had long since been abandoned and its original use was now far beyond its crumbling capabilities. This room, unlike previous ones though had a fully intact ceiling, and the walls had numerous scratches and dents, but no holes. Aside from this damage, the walls were also worn through to the plaster, the paint long since having flaked away and there were no windows to offer anyone a view inside. The only furnishings in this room were a single desk and a chair, both made of metal and in far better condition than anything else in the building. In fact they were in very good condition, which begged the question as to why they hadn't been stolen and bartered off to fuel some drug crazed teenager's downward spiral into oblivion.

Only a select few knew why this hadn't happened, and only these same few would also know of the number of people whom had disappeared after attempting to do such a thing. The man didn't concern himself with such trivial matters though. He merely moved behind the desk and sat down before inputting a code in a hidden keypad on the surface of the desk. The darkness of the room was promptly shattered by the emergence of a figure seated behind a desk barely more than a metre away from him. Long flowing robes hid the new comer's features, and a hood was pulled over their head to keep their face shrouded in shadow.

"Right on time, as usual," spoke the robed figure in a deep, baritone voice. The other man merely bowed his head respectfully. "We have a new assignment for you, if you will accept it."

"My services are always available for the cause, providing the price is right..." the man said casually, with his voice in the lower tenor range.

"As you know it will be," the robed figure replied in a neutral tone. "The council has been debating what needs to be done about this group, NERV, for far too long. Decisive action needs to be taken soon, and I do not believe that they are prepared to do what must be done." The tall man frowned thoughtfully at the statement. He had his suspicions on what he would be required to do this time... and he was quite sure that there was going to be some trouble because of it.

"The council are too limited in their thinking, they want to tread slowly and carefully, but the fact of the matter is that we don't have enough time for that. NERV must be stopped, and this other group, SEELE, must also be eliminated. The council are devising a way to do this, but they don't know how to proceed. This is where your expertise will come in." The robed man's voice had been carefully neutral throughout the entire conversation thus far, betraying not even the slightest hint of his thoughts or emotions. The tall man respected this, though he was now very aware of what he was going to be asked to do.

"Your assignment will be to eliminate the children. There are now three of them, since the efforts to sabotage the transport of Unit 02 failed miserably." A small frown was now etched on the silent man's face. His suspicions on what his task was going to be were correct, as were his suspicions as to the allegiance of his employer. This was a rogue operation, and thus could get very ugly.

"Far be it for me to question your motives, but you want me to do this without the consent of your other partners." he stated after a dramatic pause. His tone of voice was not menacing, but firm and serious nonetheless. A deathly silence followed his statement, and although he couldn't see the other man's face, he knew that he was now frowning at him.

"That is not of your concern," the robed man growled, his composure slipping fractionally.

"It is when it could jeopardize my assignment, and could result in further complications," he replied cautiously.

"You need not worry about such things, as they have already been taken into consideration," informed the robed man. The two men stared at each other for long moments in silence, each considering the other's words.

"So you say," whispered the tall man finally, seriously considering knocking back this offer.

"This will easily be the hardest assignment we have had for you, and it will pay accordingly. We have good and accurate intelligence on the locations of the three children, as well as what you will be up against. We're not sending you in blind," he said, changing the subject quickly.

Another lengthy silence stretched on as the tall man considered this latest attempt to garner his acceptance. Accurate intelligence was imperative if he was to succeed on any given mission, and not having to do all the work himself was encouraging, though he knew he'd be a fool to trust solely in information he didn't gather himself. At least it gave him a starting point... but there was something else which was bothering him.

"I have never had a job to take care of children before. Normally I would consider it a waste of time... but I know this instance to be different. It will be quite the challenge to get to them... but I see no satisfaction in dealing with mere children." He kept his tone carefully neutral so as not to offend his potential employer. He had done some work with these people in the past and didn't want to sever future ties with them by showing any disrespect. He could however sense that the other man was getting frustrated with his lack of commitment.

"It will indeed be quite a challenge, even for one possessing your skills, but this is an extremely important task, which is why I have come to you first. There are others of course, if you should decline, but they are not as reliable."

He's getting desperate... trying to inflate my ego he thought with amusement. His instincts were telling him to decline this assignment, and he knew from experience that his instincts were often correct, but certainly not infallible. Still... work had been slowing lately, and they had promised quite a large sum of money for this task, as well as it being the most challenging one he had been offered to date. Not only that, but he was very interested in the whole situation with the attack of the angels, and this might be his best opportunity to find out more about the situation, as well as about NERV and his current employers.

"I assume that this offer will be exclusive upon my acceptance," he ventured cautiously.

"Of course", came the quick reply.

A little too quick... he thought suspiciously. He could sit here all night pondering whether or not he should accept this job, but he knew that the other man's patience was finite, and if he didn't answer soon then he wouldn't have to make a choice either way, and when one is no longer able to make choices then they become predictable. A dangerous position for someone in his line of work to be in.

"Very well, I accept this task," he said slowly with a single brief nod of his head. The man opposite him breathed a well concealed sigh of relief.

"I am glad that you agree to continue working for us. We shall meet again in two days at the usual place to discuss the rest. You will be expected to travel to Tokyo III straight after that meeting, as time is of the essence."

"Very well." And with that the desk and the man disappeared from before him. The assassin remained seated for a long time after his meeting with his current employer. He had yet to turn down a mission, though he knew that he really should have turned this one down. The fact that he was not working for all the partners as he had in the past, but for only one was disturbing. He had never had to deal with this one before, but already he harboured a distrust of the man. He was certainly going to have to watch his back this time.

Eventually he pushed aside all thoughts of the future and rose from his seat behind the desk so that he could start his long trek to one of his numerous resting places. The future was always uncertain, but it definitely just became far more interesting.

* * * * *

Shinji stood by himself in the darkness of the small balcony of the apartment in which he shared with Misato and Pen^2. A cool but pleasant breeze caressed his exposed skin which wasn't covered by his sleeping attire of an old pair of shorts and a thin singlet, but he didn't seem to notice. He just gazed out at the city which he was conscripted to protect from an enemy which was hell bent on exterminating the human race. The view wasn't exactly spectacular, nor would it be considered prime real estate, but they were several floors off the ground and there weren't any skyscrapers in relative proximity to the building, so he could see some of the slumbering city. The gargantuan corpse of the fifth angel was still plainly visible, even over the top of the skyscrapers in the midst of the CBD. The workers had managed to cut off small parts of its immense bulk, but the sheer size of the beast combined with monetary constraints meant that they weren't making much progress. He absently wondered if they would ever remove the hateful thing.

The city seemed to have shut down for the night, which wasn't surprising considering it was 2 in the morning, but this in itself was a deception. Shinji knew that there were those who didn't sleep, those who kept a constant vigil so that should the enemy attack unexpectedly we would be prepared. Though this was likely just another delusion. The angels had a habit of just appearing out of nowhere and strolling into the city as if they owned the place. And just to make matters worse, each new angel was very different from the last that attacked, the only things that they had in common was that they wanted to destroy us, and they all seemed to project an AT Field. At no point had he been given much notice before being called forth to fight in Unit 01, nor had he been provided with useful intelligence on his adversary, and this bothered Shinji. However, this wasn't the cause for his loss of sleep tonight.

Things had been changing a lot lately, and Shinji didn't like change. Another thing he did not like were surprises, and the last battle in which he fought inside Unit 02 with Asuka was just full of surprises. He had been analyzing the events of the battle as best he could in his free time, but he just couldn't seem to come to any definitive conclusion as to exactly what happened. How had he synched with Unit 02 when the language interface was set to German? He wasn't lying to Asuka when he said that he didn't know a word of German... and yet somehow the EVA had managed to translate his foreign thought processes and understand them.

As if that weren't strange enough, then there was the even stranger experience they shared when they had to reactivate the EVA underwater with the B-type equipment. Misato had told them afterwards that they had synchronized with each other, and Shinji found that this kind of helped to explain how he felt... though only marginally. Asuka however, had laughed the explanation off, and wouldn't listen to anyone when they tried to tell her otherwise. Shinji shook his head as he thought about Asuka's attitude. Whatever happened was important, Shinji knew this, and yet Asuka just pretended like nothing happened... He really didn't understand how she could act in such a way, but he really didn't know her all that well.

How would Rei have acted if it was her and Shinji in the same situation? Shinji honestly couldn't tell. A month or two ago he felt sure that he could predict her reaction, or rather non-reaction, but she had been changing lately, and quite quickly too. She definitely wouldn't pretend that it didn't happen, of that he was certain.

Since the unexpected situation, Ritsuko had the two pilots whom were involved complete test after test, in an effort to more fully understand what happened and to try to do it again... but to no avail. After several days worth of tests, you'd think that Shinji would be exhausted... but he had not had a good nights sleep in days.

More tests were slated for after school, and he knew that he should try to get more sleep, but he was fairly certain that he wouldn't get it tonight. Sighing softly to himself he turned away from the view and started back inside. He was caught quite off guard when he discovered that the doorway in which he needed to proceed through was currently occupied by a scantily clad woman who was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Still can't sleep huh?" Misato asked him quietly from her position of leaning on the side of the doorframe with her arms crossed under her breasts. She wore her usual revealing silk pyjamas and the breeze blew lightly against them, causing the soft material to cling to her like a second skin. Shinji was now used to seeing Misato in various states of undress, and so he wasn't all that fazed by what she was wearing at the moment.

The two merely stared at each other for a few seconds before Shinji offered her a weak half smile and shrugged his shoulders lightly in response to her question. Misato didn't find his non-verbal response satisfying, but she knew that in order to get anything out of Shinji you had to be patient with him. She continued to study him as she had been doing for the past ten minutes, but he made no effort to say anything. He merely stood there with his back to the railing and regarded her with that wan attempt at a smile.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" she finally asked gently with concern evident in her expression and tone. Shinji looked down at his feet for a few moments, considering the question. The recent lack of sleep had done little to dull his thought processes, but he considered just saying 'no' and going back to bed. He was never one to talk about himself to others, as he'd never had anyone he trusted to do so, but Misato was different. She cared for him, perhaps more than she should considering her position, and the fact that she was out here now instead of sleeping meant that she genuinely wanted to know what was wrong. He hadn't said much to her over the past few days as he had been trying to figure things out for himself, but perhaps it would help to voice some of his confusion... Coming to a decision he sighed audibly and turned back around to face the railing, directing his gaze back out into the dim artificial light of the city.

Misato wasn't sure whether or not he was going to say anything, but she came out anyway and stood beside him, enjoying the cool breeze which never seemed to cool the apartment down very much. Neither could honestly say how long they stood there together, just taking comfort in the others presence, but eventually something had to be said.

"Everything's so confusing," Shinji finally said in a quiet whisper, almost to himself. Misato nodded her head slowly, not entirely sure if she heard what she thought she heard him say.

After several moments she turned her head to glance at him, and found him frowning to himself, though not a frown of anger or annoyance, but rather one of confusion or indecision. Misato opened her mouth to say something, but closed it just as quickly. Saying the wrong thing to Shinji would only result in him shutting himself off from her, so she decided it would be wiser to let him continue on his own. Minutes ticked away slowly as the pair stood together in silence, and Misato started doubting whether or not she made a wise decision...

"I don't understand any of this. Everything was so much simpler before... before I came here," he said finally, in a voice only marginally louder than his pervious whisper. Misato nodded sagely at his words, and prayed silently to herself that he wasn't getting depressed again.

"Do you wish that you never came here?" she asked in a surprisingly level, but quiet voice. Shinji considered her words in silence for a few moments, weighing up the events of his life in order to give his guardian and commanding officer an honest answer.

"Sometimes... but before I came here... I had nothing. I had no friends, no one to care about me, no... purpose. But at least I knew where I stood. I thought that I was finally getting used to things around here... but after that last battle... everything seems so... different." Misato looked at him curiously. She was aware that he had been acting a little different since the last battle, but he always acted differently after a fight with the angels. The toll that each battle took on him was obvious to see, but thus far he seemed to bounce back fairly quickly. The support of her, his friends and colleagues tended to be enough to level things out for him... but it had been three days since the last battle and he still wasn't getting any sleep.

"Shinji... just what did happen during the last battle?" she asked him gently. Since Misato was on the bridge of the Over the Rainbow and not in the NERV command centre, the information she received during the battle was very limited. It wasn't until after the battle that she was able to analyze what little data they collected, but that didn't really help all that much anyway. Neither Shinji nor Asuka seemed willing to say anything to anyone about what happened, and they were the only two who experienced the phenomenon. The fact that Shinji was obviously affected by whatever happened was not lost on Misato, in fact it worried her, especially since he hadn't said a word about it yet.

Shinji considered her question for a long time; so long in fact that Misato thought he was shutting himself off from her... again. She could see that he was quite tense, as if he was nervous or anxious about saying anything further. He'd already decided to speak about this now though, so his shoulders slumped slightly and he leant a little more heavily on the rail, as if continuing the conversation was draining what little energy he had left.

"I don't know Misato. It was just so... different," he finally replied.

"How do you mean Shinji? Was it Unit 02? Or Asuka?"

"Both... I guess. When I first hopped into Unit 02, Asuka started it up and it all worked fine... but the language interface was set to German. I don't know a single word of German, Misato... so how could it have started?" Misato considered his words in silence. She had been informed of how Shinji had synchronized with Unit 02 despite his lack of knowledge regarding German, though not even Ritsuko had been able to explain that one. So what was she supposed to say to him? Thankfully he continued on without her needing to make something up.

"But that wasn't even the strangest part. I don't know why but... I felt... comfortable in Unit 02. It was like with Unit 01 only... a little different."

"What do you mean Shinji? Just what do you feel inside the EVA?" Misato asked curiously. He had never before said anything about what it was actually like inside the EVA, and she was very curious to know. Not just for herself, but also so that she could better understand what it was like for him. Shinji's expression lightened somewhat as he thought about the purple war machine.

"It's... warm and... comforting. I feel like I am being accepted, and that I am safe. I don't understand it. There's also a... familiarity... like I've been there before. It wasn't as strong in Unit 02 as it was in Unit 01, but I still felt it." Misato was plain baffled by this point and she couldn't contain the thoughtful frown which gently twisted her features. She knew that there was more to the EVAs then she was told... but just what their secrets were was a mystery which no one seemed willing to share. Shinji continued on in a low voice, oblivious to his guardian's contemplative state.

"When things were at their worst during the battle... when Asuka and I were trapped in the angel's mouth... we had to work together to try to get Unit 02 moving. It seemed impossible at first... but then, something happened."

"You and Asuka synchronized with each other as well as with Unit 02," Misato said after he paused. For the first time since they had starting talking, Shinji turned and looked at Misato. The two locked gazes and Misato saw the uncertainty in his deep, blue eyes.

"Is that it Misato? Is it that... simple? When it happened... I could... feel Asuka. We connected with each other, and I could sense her thoughts, and I'm sure that she could mine. It just felt so... right. All my fears, all my uncertainty, it just... seemed so insignificant. But then afterwards... it was gone and I feel as though... as though a part of me is missing." He continued to stare at her and Misato found herself turning her head to avoid his gaze. There was a desperation and intensity in his soulful blue eyes which she had never seen before.

Of all the things Misato expected Shinji to confess, this was not one of them. Whilst the whole incident with their synchronizing was strange, she didn't think much more of it... but apparently Shinji had been. He'd experienced something profound... and didn't know what to make of it. She started to wonder just what Asuka thought about it. Whilst Asuka was far more outgoing than Shinji, she had a tendency to hide her true feelings and bury anything which would be painful for her. This would make it harder to get a straight answer out of her than with Shinji. But that's not important at the moment, she thought with a small shake of the head, bringing her thoughts back to the here and now.

"So... this is why you can't sleep? Because you feel that something is missing?"

"I... I don't know. I just can't get those events out of my mind." Shinji let out another soft sigh, and looked down at the street below their position. Misato continued to look out at the city, though she wasn't seeing any of it. Her mind was off in another place, trying to make sense of what she was told, and what ramifications it might have.

Another long silence stretched out as Misato couldn't think of anything to say, and Shinji didn't really want to say anymore. It wasn't really an awkward silence... but it wasn't exactly a comfortable one either. Eventually Misato let out a sigh of her own and turned towards Shinji, gently laying her hand on his shoulder.

"Come on Shinji, standing around out here won't help things. You should try to get some sleep before school later. Not only that but you have more tests to run afterwards."

"Yeah... I suppose." He mumbled half-heartedly after a few seconds of silence. Misato smiled softly and led him back inside, locking the door behind her.

"And Shinji," she said as he made his way towards his room. He paused at the sound of her voice and turned to face her. Misato stared at him for a couple of seconds before continuing.

"Thank you for talking to me. I know I'm not the best guardian... but I am here for you, to listen to your problems or just... for some company. You can always talk to me." Shinji smiled a small but genuine smile, and nodded his head a couple of times before wishing her a goodnight and retreating to his room.

* * * * *

Later that morning, both human residents of the Katsuragi apartment were up and dressed for the new day; Shinji in his school uniform and Misato in her favourite dark brown, almost black dress with her red flight jacket hanging over the back of a chair. The breakfast ritual went pretty much as usual, with Shinji cooking up breakfast for the two of them and serving them both a cup of steaming tea. Misato, as usual muttered about how she'd prefer beer, but she drank the tea with well-hidden enjoyment. It always made Shinji happy when she drank the tea instead of beer, and seeing Shinji happy was well worth the effort.

They spoke about little things, neither really wanting to continue the discussion from several hours earlier, and neither looking any worse for wear after their lack of sleep. Before they knew it though, time had advanced and they had to depart. Misato couldn't resist a parting shot at Shinji though as he was heading for the door though. The shy teenager walked out the front door quickly after bidding his elder farewell, blushing from Misato's farewell teasing. Misato on the other hand was trying not to laugh too hard, since she had done more damage to her ribs during the last battle and they were quite tender. Thankfully the extra damage wasn't severe and she could still perform her daily duties with only a little extra discomfort. She still loved teasing Shinji though, and she had discovered that the best way to do this was to mention something about him and Rei, or him and Maya.

Once she had regained her composure and felt sure that Shinji was gone, she made her way over to the fridge and grabbed herself a beer, draining the can as if her very existence depended on it. After finishing her first she grabbed a second and started consuming that one as well. She was willing to drink the tea when Shinji was there... but she sure as hell wasn't going to give up her morning beer! That was just too much to ask of her. As the amber substance made its way to her stomach, she relaxed back against the bench and closed her eyes in contentment. What he doesn't know can't hurt him, she thought to herself, and with this thought in mind she took another sip from the second can.

Memories of last night's conversation came back to her as she stood with her eyes closed, and she spent the next 15 minutes contemplating the various meanings behind her charge's words. Some things were clear, but many more were ambiguous to say the least, beyond either of their comprehension at this stage.

Perhaps Ritsuko could shed some light on the matter? Shrugging her shoulders at her unvoiced question, she quickly finished the rest of the can off and dropped it in the bin, before grabbing her jacket and making her way out the door to begin another tedious day of work.

The trip to headquarters was uneventful, at least by Misato's standards. She only broke half of the countries traffic laws and didn't cause or nearly cause any accidents involving either vehicles or pedestrians. It was, suffice to say, a miracle. The trip down the car train was as boring as usual, the view limited to the black of the tunnel until the train descended into the Geofront itself. Since the fortress city wasn't in battle formation, the view from above was comparatively plain, but still it demanded a degree of respect and awe. Misato was long since used to the view though, and it no longer impressed her all that much. She merely spent the time going over last night's conversation in her mind, trying for figure out if she had missed anything.

Eventually the train ground to a stop and the armoured doors opened, allowing Misato to drive out and find her reserved car spot. By this point the NERV Captain was starting to get a little frustrated. She had spent the better part of the last three quarters of an hour trying to make sense of things... and she had made no progress at all. People walking by noticed her frown, and assuming the worst, avoided her as she made her way through the countless corridors of Central Dogma. Misato barely noticed this though, and so didn't think much of it. She merely continued to stroll through the complex until she reached a lift at which she had to wait.

Several people whom were approaching the lift stopped and turned away to find another one when they saw Misato standing there... yet still she was too lost in her own thoughts to notice. The only thing which brought back a portion of her consciousness to the here and now was the 'ding' of the elevator chime as it stopped on her level. Misato entered the lift and hit the button for her floor, still oblivious to her surroundings, including the two occupants of the elevator.

"What's wrong Misato? Shinji hide your stock of beer from you?" asked a coy voice from behind her.

Upon hearing her name, Misato blinked and turned around to regard the two people behind her for the first time. Ritsuko Akagi was standing at the back with a clipboard in her hands and regarding her friend with a sly smile. She was dressed as usual in her black skirt with a dark blue blouse and the omnipresent white lab coat. Her assistant, Maya Ibuki was standing beside her mentor and also had a clipboard in her hands, though she was dressed impeccably in her NERV lieutenant's uniform. She offered Misato a smile in greeting. Misato nodded in acknowledgement of Maya before she turned and narrowed her eyes at the head of E project, her words finally sinking in.

"As a matter of fact no, Shinji didn't hide my beer," she growled at her friend.

"Oh, then what's the problem?" Ritsuko asked, feigning surprise.

"It's... well, it's Shinji," she said with a small sigh. Both Ritsuko and Maya looked at her curiously. Ritsuko was about to hit Misato with more sarcasm about her 'family situation' but Maya beat her to it.

"Is everything alright ma'am?" Misato looked to Maya and saw her concerned expression and decided that it wouldn't be a problem to let her know of last night's conversation.

"Well... Shinji hasn't been sleeping well the last few nights. Actually he hasn't been sleeping well since the last angel attack."

"You don't think that all the tests we've done on him and Asuka are responsible do you?" Maya asked, suddenly feeling very guilty for putting them through such an ordeal. Misato gave Maya a reassuring smile and shook her head.

"No, it's not because of that. We... had a talk last night, or this morning if you'd rather." This grabbed Ritsuko's attention. She was aware of Misato's reports regarding the Third Child's recent insomnia, but she like the others had no idea as to what the cause was.

"So you finally made Shinji open up did you?" she asked with considerably less sarcasm than before.

"Well, a bit anyway. He's... confused. The events of the last battle have been weighing heavily upon his mind, but he can't seem to figure them out."

"You mean about his synchronizing with Unit 02?" Ritsuko asked. Misato shook her head.

"Not just that, but also when he synchronized with Asuka. I think we need to reassess exactly what happened between those two, because he really has been affected by it."

"How do you mean?" asked Maya.

"Well, he said that he connected with Asuka, that he could sense her thoughts..."

"Well that's what synchronization is, two minds being on the same level and able to predict each others thoughts and actions. That's why we thought it was impossible for humans to be able to synchronize with each other, for two active minds should be completely incompatible." Ritsuko informed without letting Misato finish.

"But what about with the EVAs? That's a different kind of synchronization isn't it?" Misato asked.

"It follows the same principals, except when the pilot synchronizes with the EVA they gain control of its body through the control interface we've established."

"So are you saying that the EVAs have a mind of their own then?" Misato asked eagerly.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. You know that the EVAs are organic tissue under all that armour. In order for them to work they have to have a mind of their own, but it is restrained by our control interface so that it is impossible for it to operate without a pilot. Their mind isn't active, so to speak."

"And yet Unit 01 has done exactly that. It ripped out of its restraints when Shinji was first here and was going to be crushed." Misato said in a lower voice.

"Yes, it did, and we still don't know exactly why that happened..."

"I know why it happened, it was protecting Shinji," Misato said levelly as she and Ritsuko continued to stare at each other.

"That's merely an assumption with no scientific proof backing it up," the scientist retorted bluntly. Misato narrowed her eyes at her friend, but neglected to keep going. She knew that she would never win a battle of wits with Ritsuko, and she also knew that she wouldn't get anything else out of her. Maya was watching the two silently, not daring to get involved in their argument.

"Fine, you are the scientist after all," Misato finally said, though grudgingly. "So then tell me, what exactly happened between Shinji and Asuka? Whatever happened has had an adverse affect on Shinji, and I'd be willing to bet that it has done the same to Asuka."

"I don't know exactly what happened. As I said, it should be impossible for two humans to synchronize with each other, and that is why I am running all these extra tests."

"Just don't push them too hard," Misato warned, her expression deadly serious. "I'm going to speak with Asuka after the tests; I want to know if she has also been losing sleep over this incident."

"Don't worry Ma'am, we won't push them too hard," Maya said seriously, speaking for the first time since her two superiors started. Misato's expression softened minutely at her words. The conversation wasn't exactly over, but the elevator picked that moment to grind to a stop on Misato's level, effectively killing any further conversation.

"Well, I guess I'll see you two this afternoon then," Misato said after she stepped out the door and turned to face them.

"More than likely," Ritsuko said.

"Yes Ma'am," Maya replied formally. The doors then slid shut cutting off any further conversation. Misato quickly turned about and proceeded to her office, not entirely satisfied with her conversation with Ritsuko, but with plenty to keep her mind occupied for the rest of the day.

* * * * *

Whilst Misato was tearing through the streets of Tokyo III less recklessly than she normally did, Shinji was slowly making his way to school on foot. He had the ear buds of his S-DAT planted firmly in his ears, and the compact player faithfully converted the information on the tape into sound which was played straight into his aural canals. The familiar music of Iron Maiden's Infinite Dreams echoed in his ears and he was totally oblivious to the world outside his music. His body was acting on autopilot and continued on its usual way through the streets and alleys towards school, whilst his mind raced with images of events past, and questions for which he had no answers. The lyrics of the song continued to play through his ears and mind, and they kept him in his contemplative state as they were close to his current thoughts.

He continued on in this state, present in body but not in mind for virtually the entire trip to school. It was actually quite amazing that he didn't wander out in front of a car or into any of the other pedestrians on his way; such is the power of the subconscious. Unfortunately though for Shinji, thinking more about his problems didn't result in resolving them any faster... at least it hadn't thus far. As he was nearing the school he felt his spirits lift somewhat though, as they had done each time for the past few days. It struck him as strange that he should feel more comfortable here, when he was usually less comfortable around people. This was yet another strange occurrence of late for which he had no explanation for.

His conscious mind now reasserted its control over his body and he walked through the school entrance and into the courtyard as he would any other day. He was about to make his way inside to his classroom when something, or rather someone caught his eye. He paused in his trek and turned his full attention to the girl who was sitting by herself off to the side, some distance away, staring into space. The unkempt tangle of blue hair was enough for Shinji to be able to identify the person, and so he made his way over her. He was only a couple of metres away when Rei Ayanami turned her head to face him and looked him straight in the eye with her unflinching gaze. Her face was set in her usual neutral expression and her school uniform was worn neatly as always, without so much as a single crease marring its simple design. He couldn't help but smile as he finally stopped by her side and basked in the conservative beauty of the First Child.

She could have guys lining up for the chance to go out with her if she wasn't so disconnected from life, Shinji thought as he let his eyes wander over her attractive yet expressionless facial features. Rei meanwhile, continued to look at him, but to Shinji's delight her expression relaxed into a hint of a smile.

"Good morning Rei," Shinji said as he stood besides her, deciding that it would be rude to continue staring at her.

"Good morning Shinji," she replied quietly, though loud enough for him to hear. Shinji still wasn't really used to talking to Ayanami, nor having her call him Shinji, but he still enjoyed being near her, it was... reassuring. Her few words uttered in that breathy whisper combined with long pauses often made him lost, but it was certainly something he was willing to get used to.

"Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked politely, gesturing to the space next to her on the bench.

"I do not mind," she whispered and watched him as he set his bag to the side and sat down next to her. The pair both started staring off into space once the greetings were out of the way. The day would be considered beautiful by most; the sun was still slowly creeping across the heavens with only a scattering of cloud to block some of its indomitable energy, and a warm but refreshing breeze blew across the open spaces. The tree nearest to them swayed gently with the air currents and every now and then a leaf would find itself detached from the branch it was bound to and drift with the currents of air, until it was finally defeated by gravity and gently struck the ground.

Shinji watched the progress of the leaf with a strange intensity, from its starting point on the tree to its landing some metres away from its former home. He wondered how much like the leaf that he was... taken from his home and summoned here only to follow the whims and orders of others with no say in the matter. He wondered just where the currents of fate were going to take him, and if he would have such a soft landing as that leaf... or if he would simply crash and burn under the weight of the desires and expectations of others.

"Something is troubling you Shinji," Rei said from his side. The paradoxically melodic sound of her monotonous voice brought him out of his trance and he turned to find her staring at him. He saw a trace of concern in those entrancing red eyes and he found it quite difficult to form any initial coherent thoughts. After several seconds he managed to tear his gaze away from the inquisitive vermilion orbs of his friend, and he merely sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Yes, there is something troubling me," he finally said in a whisper to match Rei's. The pilot of Unit 00 made no reaction to his words; she simply continued to stare at him, waiting for him to continue. Were she anyone else, then she might have become impatient at Shinji's lack of response, but patience was one of her most abundant traits. Shinji seemed to be internally wrestling with what to say to her... or so she thought, and so she felt no need to press him further. His face passed through various expressions before he sighed quietly, having reached a decision.

"How come you haven't been at the harmonics tests?" he finally asked, turning to meet her gaze again. It was now Rei's turn to avert her gaze and she focused her eyes on something in the distance, though whether unable or unwilling to meet his gaze, Shinji wasn't sure.

"I have had... other duties to perform," she finally said in a softer voice than normal. Shinji could only just make out her words.

"Rei... just what kind of tests have you missing school and the harmonics tests for three days?" he wondered curiously. Rei's silence stretched on for minutes as she wondered how best to answer the question.

She and Shinji had become quite close since the incident of the fifth angel, and she knew that she could trust him... but she didn't know how he would react to finding out who and what she really was. She wanted so desperately to tell someone, to tell him, but she wasn't willing to risk their friendship. The fact that the Commander ordered her not to tell a soul didn't affect her decision in this instance. Were it anyone else who asked then she simply wouldn't have answered, but she felt that she had to tell Shinji something. This compulsion was very alien to her, though only mildly unsettling as compared to some of her other new emotional reactions.

"They are tests which are designed to find ways to improve piloting. They are very long and draining, and they only need one pilot to complete them," she said, her features tightening into a small frown. Shinji assumed that her frown meant that she didn't enjoy the tests, but he had no idea of the truth of the matter, nor the fact that Rei had lied to him... even if it was only a slight twist of the truth.

"I'm... sorry that you have to do those tests Rei. I had no idea that they would be so... unpleasant." Still Rei refused to meet his gaze. Whilst she didn't outwardly show it, Rei felt an unpleasant constricting feeling in her chest, the opposite of the one she normally felt around Shinji. It was most disagreeable, and it was also quite new to her. And this time she couldn't ask Shinji what it was... since she knew it was related to her misleading him. An uncomfortable silence fell over them as Rei was unknowingly feeling guilty about lying to Shinji, and Shinji was feeling guilty about making Rei feel... well... guilty, even though he himself didn't realize it...

"I'm sorry Rei," he said quietly in an effort to alleviate the uneasiness. Rei finally turned her attention back to Shinji, and his downcast face.

"For what?" she inquired, a trace of confusion entering her voice. Shinji neglected to meet her gaze, finding the well worn patch of grass at his feet to be safer to look at.

"For bringing up an unpleasant topic, and making you feel uneasy," he said softly. Rei blinked in confusion. She couldn't figure out how he thought that it was his fault, and didn't know what to say to his apology. After not receiving an answer for some time, Shinji raised his gaze to Rei who was still staring at him in confusion.

"Sorry..." was all he could think to say when encountered with her confused expression... but this only made the socially inept girl even more confused. They both turned away from each other and regarded something in the distance, again, neither sure of what to do or say. It was at this time that Shinji noticed that people were starting to move past them and towards the front gate. He didn't really think much of the migration though; since his mind was on other matters. Rei too noticed the procession, but the actions of her fellow students meant nothing to her, so she didn't even give it a second thought. She could feel that Shinji was uneasy though, and she knew that it wasn't to do with their last discussion.

"Why have you not told me what is bothering you?" she asked without turning to face him. Shinji's features tightened minutely in surprise at her perception. People could call her cold and emotionless, and completely ignorant of everything around her... but they just didn't know Rei like he did.

"You're very perceptive Rei," he said slowly in admiration. She made no reaction to his praise.

"Well... I guess the events of the last battle have been weighing heavily upon me."

"How so?" she asked after he didn't continue.

"Well... I don't know if you heard about what happened with me and Unit 02... and with me and Asuka."

"I was briefed on the series of events which led to the destruction of the sixth angel," she stated matter-of-factly. Shinji nodded absently at her affirmation. He was considering how best to ask the questions racing around in his mind when a nearby presence derailed his train of thought.

"Guten Morgen Shinji," spoke an overly cheerful voice from his left side. Shinji looked up in surprise and was shocked to see the smiling face of Asuka beside him. She was standing resolutely with her bag slung over one shoulder and an air of supreme confidence about her. The gentle breeze blew several stray strands of her luscious red hair into her face, but she made no move to brush them away. The smile on her face looked genuine enough, and Shinji couldn't help but notice how much more beautiful it made her look.

"G...guten... morgen... Asuka," he stammered in surprise at her sudden appearance and cheerful countenance, whilst rising to his feet out of respect. He also couldn't help but notice the large groups of students gathering some distance away and watching Asuka's every move, in fact, they only made him uncomfortable.

"What's with the gloomy welcome? You should be happy to be graced with my presence, most guys would be envious of you," she said proudly.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Shinji muttered under his breath, whilst looking off to the side.

"What was that?" she wondered, still maintaining her cheerful attitude. At hearing her question, Shinji's head snapped back so that he was looking at the redhead again.

"Uh... nothing. It's... good to see you Asuka," he said, managing to summon a convincing smile.

"Well of course it is. Not only am I the best EVA pilot but I'm also the most popular girl in school," she stated, as though it were common knowledge. Shinji just nodded in agreement, not willing or honestly able to contradict her. Asuka waited for a couple of seconds for Shinji to say something, and when he didn't she turned and regarded the girl next to him for the first time. Something about the girl made Asuka a little... uneasy, although she wasn't sure just what it was. Shaking off the thought she turned back to Shinji and her uneasiness disappeared.

"So Shinji, who's this poor girl you're harassing?" she asked with an arced eyebrow once it became obvious that he wasn't going to continue the conversation. Shinji could feel his face heating up in embarrassment and he dropped his gaze, unable to meet her teasing expression. Why did everyone seem to enjoy teasing him so much?

"This is Ayanami... Rei Ayanami." he mumbled, looking up at Rei as he introduced her. Asuka cocked the other eyebrow as she looked over to Rei. All thoughts of teasing Shinji further disappeared as she realized who Rei really was.

"Rei Ayanami? You're the First Child?" she asked with surprise entering her voice. Rei merely looked up at Asuka impassively.

"Yes," Shinji said for her, since it was obvious she wasn't going to say anything for herself.

Rei looked Asuka squarely in the eyes with her unflinching gaze, and the other girl met her stare with conviction. She continued to look at the new pilot for long seconds and much to her surprise she saw something familiar... something she hadn't seen since she first met Shinji. Though it was well hidden behind the cheerful façade, Rei could sense... vulnerability. This girl, the pilot of Unit 02 had suffered, much like Shinji had, except... she was denying it? Rei blinked in surprise at her revelation, as this was a most unexpected event.

The First Child continued to look at the now uncomfortable Second Child, seeing past some of her time strengthened defenses and through to her true self, as only she could do. Though Rei may not have much experience with human emotion or interaction, she could sense certain things about people, even things which they would try to keep hidden. It was now quite apparent that Asuka was not completely unlike Shinji, or herself for that matter, though she seemed to be far more outgoing. The similarities though made her feel slightly more comfortable around the new pilot. They all had something in common... they all had suffered much in their short lives.

Asuka meanwhile was becoming increasingly unnerved by the intense stare she was receiving. It felt like this blue haired, red eyed girl was looking straight into her soul, through all her carefully fortified defenses, and she didn't like that feeling. Her pride though wouldn't let her look away, for that would be a sign of weakness. So she maintained the contest of wills, and with every passing moment she become more and more uncomfortable, and yet more resolute not to falter.

Shinji, for his part was watching the staring contest in silence. It seemed that the whole world had come to a stand still; waiting to see which of the two girls would falter first. He was fairly sure that he knew how Asuka was feeling at the moment, as he was quite uncomfortable the first few times he was exposed to Rei's intense gaze. He shifted his attention between the two girls, watching their reactions, and it wasn't long before he could see Asuka's cheerful expression starting to fall. He soon decided to interject before she became angry.

"Uh... Rei is the pilot of Unit 00," he said slowly, with uncertainty, as it was the first thing that came to mind. Rei and Asuka both blinked and turned to face him after his comment, both wearing strange expressions since their contest of wills was interrupted. Well, Asuka was wearing a strange expression, Rei had what appeared to be the trace of an expression on her face, which for her would be considered strange by most. Looking between the two again, he felt quite nervous with the two most beautiful girls he had ever met focusing all their attention on him. The tense moment passed rapidly though, since Asuka was quick to recover her senses.

"Well of course she is, she is the First Child after all," Asuka said sarcastically, with the slightest hint of uneasiness in her voice, before resuming her cheerful expression through sheer force of will. The proud German girl attempted to push all thoughts of the recent experience to the back of her mind, and turned back to face Rei. Looking into those suddenly very expressive red orbs, she refused to be intimidated by their surprising intensity. Despite her best efforts though, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that there was far more to the First Child then was first apparent, and she just had to know more.

"Well, I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child and designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. Let's be friends," she said in a flourish whilst extending her hand. Rei merely looked at her offered hand for a few moments before looking back into her eyes. She was familiar with the western form of greeting, but that wasn't what made her hesitate.

"Is friendship not something which is earned?" she asked of the redhead. Asuka frowned at her question, her happy expression falling somewhat.

"What? You think that you are too good to be my friend? Is that it?" she asked with a hard edge to her words. Shinji saw no reaction from Rei, and since Asuka didn't know her, nor did she have much patience, he could only see this ending badly. Thus he felt that he needed to intervene if he wanted these two to be anything other than enemies.

"That's not what she meant Asuka. Rei... doesn't have much experience in such matters." Asuka turned to look at Shinji with a questioning look.

"And you do?" she asked sarcastically, her hand still extended towards Rei. Shinji ignored her comment and instead turned to Rei.

"Rei, considering the circumstances, I don't think it would be a bad thing to place your trust in Asuka. We are all EVA pilots, and we'll have to trust each other on the field of battle... so it would be beneficial if were all friends as well." Rei turned to Shinji with what he recognized as a questioning look. He merely nodded to her with a small smile and watched as Rei turned her attention back to Asuka. The German was getting impatient with Rei's inaction and was about to say something when the pale girl slowly reached out and grasped Asuka's hand in her own. Asuka pumped their clasped hands firmly before releasing and eyeing the slightly shorter girl.

"Well aren't you just the life of the party?" she muttered loud enough for the other two children to hear. "And I thought Shinji was dull..." Shinji frowned at her comment, but knew that there was no point in arguing with her. He had yet to win a single argument with the fiery redhead, and it wasn't always through lack of trying...

"Well First Child, why don't we get acquainted then?" she asked of the other girl. Rei paused to consider her offer, but Asuka wasn't going to give her the time. She gestured to Rei to follow her and started walking off. Rei watched Unit 02s pilot walk off but made no immediate move to follow.

"You might as well follow her, it will be good for you to get to know her better," Shinji offered. Rei turned to Shinji and considered his words in silence for a couple of moments, before she nodded once and followed after Asuka.

Shinji watched as Asuka led Rei off, engaged in a very one sided conversation. He merely shook his head in awe and made his own way into the classroom. He really didn't expect Asuka to be so... friendly with Rei, but Rei needed friends, and so hopefully they could build a friendship. He smiled at the thought.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, just inside the school building a certain class representative was on her way to the classroom, a little later than she normally was. She accidentally put the wrong ingredient in when she was making lunch for her and her sisters, so she had to start over from scratch which took quite a while to do. It was only out of habit that she tasted her meal before packing it up for the others, but it was fortunate that she did... for it tasted awful. This cost her valuable time, but despite the setback she still managed to get to school before most others. She was a methodical person, who tried to plan ahead for such situations, and this time it certainly paid off.

She had noticed Shinji and Rei sitting together in silence when she entered the school grounds, and was tempted to go and say hi to them, but they looked like they were having, or about to have a serious discussion, so she decided against it. So it was that she didn't divert her course and went straight to the building with the intention of checking the classroom to make sure it was ready for when their teacher showed up. She knew everything would be, but at least this way she'd be able to have something to keep her mind busy... so she wouldn't have to think about certain things... or people.

"Hey Hikari," called a friendly voice from behind her. The pigtailed girl stopped her room-bound movement and turned around to see who was calling her name. It took only a moment for her gaze to settle upon the smiling face of Ayumi, one of her closest and longest standing friends. The shorter girl was walking at a brisk pace to catch up with her, and within seconds they stood face to face.

"Hey Ayumi, how are you?" she asked courteously.

"Not bad I guess... how are you?" she reciprocated. Hikari's expression fell fractionally at the question but she still managed to keep at least a touch of cheerfulness in her voice.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said. Ayumi arced an eyebrow in a questioning gesture, though Hikari made no effort to elaborate. She merely started fidgeting with the hem of her school dress.

"So what's the problem then?" Ayumi asked, her expression changing to one of mild concern. A range of emotions played across Hikari's face before she finally sighed to herself and gestured for them to continue on to the classroom. Ayumi fell into stride beside the class rep, watching her expression carefully.

"It's... well, I..." she started, before sighing again. "It's nothing," she finally mumbled. Ayumi was quite a bright girl, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that something was troubling her friend.

"Let me guess... your problem wouldn't be tall, with dark hair and usually clad in a black tracksuit now would it?" she asked with false innocence. Hikari quickly turned to face her friend who merely looked at her with an expression that matched her tone.

"How... how did you know?" she asked with a small voice.

"What else could get you down? You're always so cheerful, and you haven't spoken a single word about the time you went with the 'idiot duo' to the docks to meet Asuka." Hikari considered her words and nodded slowly at their wisdom. Her friend was certainly perceptive.

"It... didn't go all that well. We went down there and waited for over an hour before the ships arrived... and when they did they were badly damaged. You know how the news report said only a few were injured?" Ayumi nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Well there must have been hundreds who were injured... and Asuka said that hundreds more died in the battle. It was horrible." Ayumi looked at her in shock. She, like Hikari, was a bit naïve when it came to believing the propaganda the media broadcast, but she knew that Hikari wouldn't lie to her... especially since she had seen it with her own eyes.

"That's terrible!" she whispered with her shocked expression changing into one of profound sadness. Hikari nodded her head sagely in agreement.

"We watched them take the wounded off the ship when it arrived in port. They spent ages taking them off, some were on stretchers, some were helped by comrades and others walked off on their own... but they were all so... defeated. I couldn't stand to look at them." She closed her eyes for a moment at the memory, but quickly opened them again when images of the more seriously injured were conjured up by her mind. Ayumi now had one hand held over her mouth, and wore a very distraught expression on her face.

"Touji, and even Kensuke were pretty shaken up by it... but I was... horrified. I leant against Touji for support... and... he put an arm around me. It was... nice, really nice. I've never felt more... comforted." Her expression picked up a little at the memory, and Ayumi let her hand fall from in front of her face as she pictured her best friend being supported by the guy she had a crush on.

"So... then what happened afterwards?" she asked in a small voice, still somewhat shocked by the earlier news.

"Well... afterwards, I thanked him, and he said it wasn't a problem... and then he just, acted like nothing happened. He didn't say another word to me the rest of the time." Ayumi's rapidly changing expression now shifted to a frown of disapproval.

"He... he didn't do anything else?" she asked, surprise evident in her voice. Hikari just shook her head sadly.

"I don't think he likes me. I even tried taking Ryoko's advice and acted more outgoing and upfront... but I don't think he's interested." Hikari was almost on the verge of tears now, and Ayumi looked at her sadly before gently pulling her into a hug.

"It's alright Hikari... he's probably just confused... he's not part of the idiot duo for nothing you know," she added coyly. Hikari smiled slightly at the combination of their contact and her words.

"And besides," she said as they pulled apart. "What were you thinking taking Ryoko's advice?" Hikari looked at her in surprise before she sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know... it seemed like a good idea at the time..."

"I can't believe that you even told Ryoko..." the shorter girl muttered, with a small shake of the head.

"I didn't... she figured it out and threatened to make a big deal of it if I didn't tell her..." Hikari said with a sigh.

"Yeah, that sounds like Ryoko alright. But I still can't believe you actually took her advice. Since when has Ryoko ever had a good idea?" she asked sarcastically, though with a disarming smile. Hikari looked at her and smiled more genuinely.

"Hey!" called a voice from behind them. "I take offence to that!"

The two friends turned around to see the very person they were talking about marching down the corridor with her hands on her hips and an indignant expression obvious on her face. She was quite tall for a girl her age, and her dyed green hair made her stand out even more. Taking long strides, the tall girl quickly made her way over to them and looked from one to the other, maintaining her indignant expression.

"So what's this about me not having any good ideas?" she demanded in an almost hostile tone. Hikari looked to Ayumi who wore her trademark innocent expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." she said in a sweet voice. Ryoko narrowed her eyes at the shorter girl.

"Don't play games with me... I heard you say it!" Ayumi broke out into a grin at her words and nodded her head.

"Oh, alright. I was talking about your great advice about picking up guys." Ryoko looked at her friend with a shocked expression.

"And just what do you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously, using her superior height to try to intimidate her friend... without success. Ayumi merely looked up at her slyly.

"More specifically, your advice to our good friend Hikari here," she continued. Ryoko looked from Ayumi to Hikari, who was watching the two with a bemused expression.

"What? If she ever wants to have so much as a chance of getting that jock's attention then she has to be more forward. He's too thick for subtlety..."

"Hey!" Hikari said. "He's not stupid... he's actually quite smart." She said in defense of the absent boy.

"Whatever," her tall friend said; rolling her eyes at what she thought was wishful thinking. Hikari looked first at Ryoko who was now leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, then to Ayumi who was standing beside the taller girl with her hands clasped before her. Ryoko wore an indifferent expression, whilst Ayumi had a small smile on her face, which seemed to be her natural expression.

"So what should I do?" Hikari asked of them. The two girls looked at each other, and Ryoko merely shrugged, before looking back down the corridor, whilst Ayumi looked back at Hikari.

"Just, be yourself, and be patient. He'll come around eventually... unless he really is as stupid as Ryoko thinks..." the comment elicited a scoff from the green haired girl. Hikari considered her words carefully in silence for long moments, before she reached a decision and nodded her head firmly.

"Alright... be myself... I can handle that." She said with some confidence seeping into her words. Ayumi smiled warmly at her.

"Of course you can. So stop being so depressed, everything will work out in the end." Hikari smiled weakly at her words and again nodded her head slowly in agreement.

"Thanks, you guys."

"No problem," they said in unison.

"Well... class will be starting shortly, so we better get to it," Hikari said with confidence.

"Yes ma'am," Ryoko muttered sarcastically, whilst Ayumi just nodded in agreement. The three then made their way to class to prepare for another day of learning.

* * * * *

The rest of school time passed without any major events. The sensei was teaching them history again, and as usual he lost himself in memories of times past, before the event known as Second Impact. He tuned everything out and his eyes glazed over as he began to recount incidents which occurred before any of the students were born, talking to no one but himself. The rest of the class continued on this way until the bell announced that the school day was over and it was time to leave. The sensei was finally brought back to reality and dismissed the class, and Hikari performed her usual farewell duties before the mass of students charged to the door and out to freedom. The three stooges, as they were now known, courtesy of Asuka, strolled out together after most of the other students and slowly made their way out to the front of the school. Kids were walking or running everywhere, a mass of students who wanted nothing more that to get out of this place of learning and away to something which they would actually enjoy doing.

As they exited the building, Kensuke was talking excitedly and making animated gestures to his two friends about the incident several days before regarding the Pacific Fleet, but the other two boys barely registered a word of it. They had heard Kensuke's ramblings everyday for the past three days and were sick of it, and yet neither felt like telling him to shut up, since they were friends after all. They merely nodded and mumbled a 'yeah' every now and then to give the impression that they were listening, whilst they slowly trudged along the footpath to the front gate and started their trek home. Each of them had to head in the same direction for the first part of the journey, so they walked together until they had to part ways. However, they had only managed to get a few metres out of the school grounds when a commanding voice brought all three of them to a stop.

"Where do you think you're going, Third Child?" demanded a distinctly female, and unwaveringly authoritative voice from behind them. Shinji subconsciously tensed at the tone of voice and slowly turned around to confront his questioner. He wasn't at all surprised to find the imposing figure of Asuka walking up to the school gate with her hands balled into fists and firmly planted on her hips. She had one eyebrow raised and a deadly serious expression on her face as she waited for Shinji to answer her question. The other two stooges eyed the questioning girl with distaste and Touji couldn't help but say something.

"We're getting away from you, what did you think we were doing?" he growled at her, feeling safe due to the distance between them. Upon hearing his comments, Asuka directed a withering glare at the jock, and suddenly he felt that the distance between them was far too close for his liking...

"So, the primate has been taught to speak, what an achievement," she hissed venomously. It was now Touji's turn to send her a withering glare, but it paled in comparison to the headstrong girl's. Once the exchange started, Kensuke was slowly back-pedaling, putting distance between himself and Asuka as well as between himself and Touji, in case he should he push her too far. They both had first hand experience of the fury of the redhead, and he was certain that they got off lightly last time. Shinji meanwhile was frowning at both Asuka and Touji for their petty insults.

"I'm going home," he said in answer to Asuka's question, before his spontaneous friend could hurl another insult and antagonize her further. Asuka turned her attention to him, her expression lightening only marginally.

"What are you stupid?" she wondered rhetorically. "We have tests to run. They want us at HQ right away." Shinji blinked in surprise, and then remembered that she was correct.

"Oh," he whispered. "You're right. I guess I... forgot," he muttered, surprised that he would forget something as important as a scheduled test. Asuka just shook her head in disappointment.

"You really are useless. Come on Third Child, we don't want to be late."

"And just why the hell would he want to walk with you?" Touji demanded, standing up taller in an effort to use his superior height to his advantage. Asuka grit her teeth in annoyance at the persistence of the boy.

"Because genius, we are both going to the same destination and have the same duties to perform. It is therefore convenient for us to walk together." She sounded out each syllable as if talking to a 3 year old, mocking the jock and adding enough force to each word to sufficiently threaten him. Touji just looked at her silently, having no comeback for her logic. Asuka didn't bother to wait for him to reply anyway, she simply closed the distance between herself and Shinji, grabbed his collar, and started dragging him away from his friends in the direction of NERV headquarters.

"You... you want us to go with you Shinji?" Kensuke yelled after him, feeling obligated to at least try to help him, and yet secretly praying that he'd say no. Shinji didn't have much of a chance to reply as he was hustled away, and Touji growled deep in his throat and started marching after them, only to be stopped by Kensuke's hand on his arm.

"Let them go man, you'll only make things worse," he warned Touji, as he saw an unhealthy gleam in his friend's eyes. Touji opened his mouth to tell Kensuke just how much worse he would make things, but Kensuke beat him to it.

"Discretion is the better part of valour my friend, there will be plenty of time later for a counter attack." Touji looked at him quizzically, not really understanding his first comment, but the latter he understood very well. Kensuke sighed in relief as the tracksuit clad youth sighed and nodded his head.

"One day... One day, she's gonna get what she has coming," he swore to himself. Kensuke nodded his head in agreement, and the two friends made their way in the other direction from the retreating pilots.

* * * * *

"Could your friends be any more annoying?" Wondered Asuka out loud, as she and Shinji made their way through the systematic layout of the city for which they were responsible for guarding.

"And could they possibly be any thicker? I don't know how the hell you put up with them," she continued, without so much as a thought of how Shinji would feel about her insulting his friends.

Though he had only known the girl for a few days, he already had a decent understanding of how she thought and acted, or so he believed, so he didn't take her insults personally. Glancing over at her briefly, he saw that she was staring ahead vacantly, with her eyebrows lowered fractionally and a slight pinch to her features, as she was no doubt thinking about just how much his friends annoyed her. He couldn't help but smile, a very small but genuine smile at her reaction, though he had no idea why he had such a reaction, when he should be upset at her for her comments.

"They aren't perfect, but they are good people. And aside from Rei, they are the only friends I have at school," he answered levelly, with a small shrug of his shoulders. Asuka scoffed at his defense of what she deemed to be 'pathetic little boys.'

"Oh they are so very far from perfect. In fact, I can't see anything good about a couple of perverted idiots like them... And don't think for a second that you're any different either." She couldn't help but throw in the barb at the end with a disdainful shake of her head, causing her abundant mass of fiery red hair to dance around like a flame in a gentle breeze. Shinji didn't even bother to glance over at her after the comment; he merely kept his eyes on the footpath a couple of metres in front of him. The thoughtless manner in which she threw out insults was frustrating for Shinji, especially when he was the target of them, though again, they didn't hurt as much as they should have. He figured that he must simply be getting used to her manner, radically different as it is, which was surprising really, since he had only known her for a several days. That isn't to say that he didn't take offense to these comments though.

"I'm not a pervert," he whispered defensively with conviction, though not with much confidence. Again, Asuka scoffed at his words but refrained from making anything more of it. Normally she'd have an entire arsenal of insults to throw at him, or anyone in his position, but at the moment she felt no desire to do as such. She continued along her way, walking a step in front of Shinji at a brisk pace which she knew he was struggling to maintain, though to his credit he hadn't complained yet.

Everything was a competition to Asuka, nothing was done without reason or purpose, and everything was always done to test those around her. Most failed to live up to her very high standards, though she hadn't fully made up her mind about Shinji yet, as she had for his friends. She initially thought that she could put him in the same group as every other boy she'd ever met, but she was starting to doubt that. There was definitely something different about him, actually he was the complete opposite from almost every other boy she had met, and so she had to test him more than most. All things considered he wasn't doing too badly, but he had a long way to go before she'd accept him as being anything other than a 'little boy.' Her reverie was abruptly interrupted by a timid voice.

"Ah, Asuka?" Shinji asked quietly of the occupied girl. They had been walking for about 10 minutes in silence, and Shinji spent all that time building up his courage to ask her the question which he had been dying to ask all day. Unit 02s pilot blinked herself partially back to reality at the sound of his voice, though made no effort to turn and face him, as she was still partly occupied with her inner thoughts.

"Hmm?" she mumbled absently, her multitasking capabilities obviously not stretching to her voice at the moment. Shinji glanced sideways at her and wasn't convinced that she was actually listening, but felt it wiser to just ask her the question which had been looping in his mind all day, and not to do anything which might aggravate her.

"How did things go with... with you and Rei today?" he asked timidly, immediately returning his gaze to the footpath in front of him. His question was met with silence. Shinji started to get very nervous when she didn't answer him, but decided to keep silent as she might be simply considering his question. After some time though, he cautiously looked over to his companion to find her still looking ahead and started to suspect that she hadn't heard a single word he said.

"Asuka?" he asked a little louder than before, hoping for more of a response this time.

"What?" she demanded in an irritated tone of voice, turning to give him her full attention this time. Shinji blinked in surprise at her hostility and considered just letting it be, but he simply had to know.

"I was just wondering how things went with you and Rei today?" He asked with more confidence than he felt under that scrutinizing gaze. His question obviously caught Asuka off guard, as she blinked in surprise at his question and her face went momentarily blank until his words registered. Sensing something more to the question than what was asked, the young prodigy narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pilot of Unit 01, trying to gauge the answer from him wordlessly... without success.

"What do you care?" she wondered with an impatient edge cutting in through her words.

"Well... Rei is my friend, and she doesn't have anyone else to really talk to aside from me," he said quietly, raising his left shoulder slowly in a shrug. "I was just wondering what you thought of her." Asuka continued to look at Shinji in a suspicious manner, and Shinji found it impossible to keep eye contact with her. He let his eyes stray back to the path before him as they continued on their way, walking past yet another of the skyscrapers which dominated the area.

"She sure is weird," Asuka finally said after a long pause. "Can't say I'm surprised that she has no friends since her social skills are non-existent. Just how are you supposed to have a conversation with someone who won't talk?" She wondered out loud. Shinji nodded in understanding, but refrained from saying anything, since he sensed that she wasn't actually asking the question of him. He was completely oblivious to the irony of his choice.

"She sure needs a lot of help, though with you trying to teach her social skills I'm surprised she hasn't become worse. Fancy that, the blind leading the blind..."

"I was the only one willing to try," he said in a small, sad voice, ignoring her last comment. He remembered how Rei was before the battle with the fifth angel, how she wouldn't associate with anyone. It was almost as if she didn't have a mind, or any will of her own. He couldn't help but shake his head slowly at the memory, and how it was only after the strange series of events during that battle and afterwards that they even became friends at all. She had come a long way since then, and Shinji knew it was because of him. For once he had done something right.

Asuka glanced over at Shinji who was running over memories in his mind's eye and watched how his sad expression slowly changed into a small smile. She wondered just what he was thinking about, but quickly stopped that line of thought... she really didn't want to know what he could be thinking of...

"Well, I suppose it's lucky that I showed up when I did then," she said a little louder than necessary. This had the desired affect, as Shinji was jolted back from his thoughts and turned to look at her with a slightly confused expression.

"If I had been much later then there would be no hope for the girl at all... but as it is, I think I can still help her. Just being seen with me should do wonders for her image, and there's no one better to teach her how to be social then yours truly." Shinji smiled at her words, as bold and confident as ever. He noted the way in which she held herself, shoulders back, chin up and every word spoken with conviction. He wished that he possessed even a fraction of the confidence that Asuka had, but knew that it was something that would never be. But that wasn't what made him smile. He just helped Rei to make a new friend.

"Thank you Asuka," he said, maintaining his smile. He stared straight into her eyes without flinching, and even if he hadn't spoken the words, she would have seen the appreciation in those deep, ultramarine pools which conveyed all the emotion his words were inadequate to share. Asuka herself couldn't help but smile a small but genuine smile back as the sheer depth of his thanks to her brought a warm feeling to her. She managed to reign in control of her emotions very quickly though, and soon the confident, better-than-you look returned, but Shinji had already seen a side of Asuka he hadn't witnessed before. A softer and maybe even caring side which she seemed determined to hide, but which existed regardless.

"Don't be thanking me Shinji. I see this as a challenge. I don't know for sure if there's anything that even I can do for her..."

"But you're going to try, and that's all I can ask for," he said, still maintaining eye contact with her. She considered his statement curiously for a moment, before tilting her head to the side slightly in a gesture of curiosity.

"So what's the deal with you two anyway? You sure seem to look out for her more than anyone else. Your not stalking her or anything are you?" Shinji blinked in surprise at the question, and turned his head back to face forwards again, giving himself a couple of seconds to consider the question.

"I guess... she's like me. I know what it's like to have no one... but that's all she's ever known, and there's no way that I want her to remain like that." Asuka's eyebrows drew together in a thoughtful frown at his words. The almost dejected way in which he spoke told her volumes about himself where as the words did not. She too was familiar with what it was like to have no one... but that was a long time ago, and she vowed that it would never happen to her again. Apparently Shinji felt similarly, and her opinion of the shy boy went up a couple of notches.

"I see," was all she said, uncharacteristically without anything more to say. Without much else to really say to each other, they walked on in silence for a couple of blocks before Shinji drew Asuka's attention to one of the numerous entrances to the Geofront. Without any further words to each other, they made their way down to the headquarters of NERV for another grueling afternoon of testing, both feeling better about themselves after their talk and the day's events.

Author's notes: So... was it worth the wait? Feel free to tell me, as I will eventually get the reviews. This chapter has gone through several dramatic changes from the original, but I feel that they were all for the best. The longer I have to go over my work, the more dissatisfied I am with it and so the more it changes, though again, this is usually for the better... unless it gets to the point where I want to delete it all and start from scratch... but that's really counter productive. Damn... I really have to cut back on these useless rants...

No idea when the next chapter will be out, so again, I ask for your patience. It's a lot to ask, I know... but what else can one do?