Evangelion Fighters
Part 2
Shinji nestled himself in the dark comforts of sleep, where he seemed so at peace that it amazed the people watching over him, as they are still bringing themselves to believe that such bestial savagery was contained in this husk of flesh. Nurses fussed over him during his respite, checking his condition every hour, maybe more as his rugged build and cute-handsome looks attracted a great deal of attention. Walking slowly in darkness, a shape emerged from the shadows, a voice spoke to it, "Was it wise to let him go?"The shape giving a hint of shrugging its shoulders, grunted and replied, "We taught him as much as possible, he knows how to survive and his power is growing formidably to the point, where he can frequently match us".
"Hmmm" considers the voice, "Yes, he is quite formidable now, but is he ready?"
"It's all up to him now, all we can do is observe and support him quietly"
Shinji, snapped his eyes open and instinctively checked for any disturbances. Finding none, he laid back and stared at the white ceiling above him, "A hospital, I guess this is, I'd never thought I'll be in one of these".Feeling something on his hands, he raised them to see that both hands and forearms have been wrapped in bandages. Frowning slightly, he wondered how he could have been injured. Shrugging it aside, as of no concern right now, he got up slowly to avoid straining any other injuries. As he did this, anyone observing him, could see how well built he was, as his muscles rippled noticeably along his arms and back, as well as his washboard stomach to a toned solid chest, smooth from any hair whatsoever. Looking for his clothes, Shinji found none except for a serviceable hospital gown. Muttering under his breath, he found some underwear to put on and slipped into the gown. Just as he did so, a nurse came in to check on him, rather surprised, she walked up and asked how he was feeling, at the same time admiring Shinji's build in action.
Shinji replied in a gruff voice and said he was okay but a bit hungry. The nurse reassured him that she'll bring him some food quickly, but she needs to check on his bandages first. Holding out his hands with a sharp jerk, startling the nurse, he waited patiently as the nurse unwrapped the bandages with a gasp. She saw these hands yesterday, then they were red, raw and bleeding from deep cuts, now she saw as she poked at now almost-disappeared wounds had her at a loss, except for some tender areas his hands are completely healed. Looking under his gown, she confirmed what she suspected the burns and bruises on his torso were also miraculously cured.
At this point Shinji's stomach decided to rumble the nurse startled, skipped back a bit, embarrassed she remembered that he was hungry; she excused herself to get her patient some food. Shinji dropped his hands into his lap and grinned ruefully, exasperated at his quick healing ability, which he discovered to be quite useful. A noise interrupted him in his muse, as the nurse came back with a tray of what seems to be soup, vegetables and rice. Thanking her, he enquired as to how long he was asleep and where his clothes are at the moment.Without looking at him, she answered him as she set out his meal on the wheeled table, "You've been asleep for a day and as for your clothes they are being cleaned as they were quite dirty, when you came in".
"Oh, its there a phone I can borrow around here, then?" He replied.
The nurse said, "Sure there's one outside in the hallway, and don't worry it's free" guessing his next question.
Thanking her once again as she left, Shinji picked as his food as he thought about his next actions.
Meanwhile, a certain Captain Katursagi and a one blonde scientist, were discussing the battle that occurred last night. At this moment they were discussing his level of synchronisation with Unit One. Ritsuko Akagi commented, "It's simply amazing, it's even theoretically impossible for him to get such a high score on his first time""Yeah, he can be full of surprises, but theorise how was he able to get a score of 84.9% in battle on his first go", Misato exclaimed rather hotly.
"Calm down Misato, or you'll burst a blood vessel, the Magi supercomputer, gave us a list of possibilities ranging from pure chance to Shinji having a reaction to danger, as the printouts read that he was in control of the Eva, during the rampage"
The phone next rang, and Misato reached over to pick it up. "Shinji's finally woken up, I wonder what's going through his head right now".
At this exact moment Shinji, was trying to answer a call of nature or he'll explode. Reaching the toilet connected to his room in time, he sat down and tried to remember what happened on the previous night. It disturbed him a bit, since he begun training, he had not experienced that much pain in a while and also he almost lost all his self-control, a control he had honed to diamond strength, to battle rage. Finishing and tucking himself back in, he decided to talk to someone who might be able to answer his question. Striding boldly towards the doorway, he exited his room, noting the number on his way past, and began searching for the phone, the nurse mentioned. A number of people looked at him as he strode past, when he gazed back; they turned their heads away, and pretended not to notice him. Uncaring, Shinji spotted the phone and made his way towards it.Picking up the receiver, he dialled, waiting for the other end to answer, he drummed his fingers along the top of the phone.
"Hello?" A female voice enquired.
"Hello, Auntie Yuki. How are you?" Shinji answered good-naturedly.
"Shinji! Did you get there safely? How come you didn't call last night," Yuki-san squealed, "Are you alright?"
"Actually I'm in a hospital at the moment," Shinji replied casually.
There was a pause, then came the frantic question, "You're not hurt, are you? How bad are you hurt? I'll send Kyo there to pick you up straight away. You'll come home to heal and rest right? Shinji? SHINJI?!!"
Shinji tried to calm the frantic woman down over the phone. "It's okay. I'm fine. No, no I won't need for Uncle to pick me up. No, I'm fine really"
"Are you sure?! You're injured already. I knew I shouldn't have let you go with having your uncles with you"
Shinji frowned, "No I'm alright really. I'll be checking out soon, it's nothing serious. I need to talk to Sensei. Do you know where he is?"
There was silence.
"I see. Tell them I'll need to see them soon" His voice was hoarse but heavily controlled not to reveal anything.
"I'll tell them, Shinji." The reply was equally serious. Then it lightened unexpectedly, "Take care of yourself, you hear me?"
"Yes Auntie," Shinji sighed.
Gendo sat quietly in this room lit only by bright fluorescent lights laid into the table at each position of where there's a seat. The effect was this revealed the face of the person sitting at that spot but leaving the rest of the room in shadow.
"Mr. Ikari! The repair costs for Unit 01 on her maiden battle, coupled with the costs for the reconstruction of the armoured buildings added to the repair costs of Unit 00 are enough to bankrupt a small nation." A white haired man with some sort of visor over his eyes roared.
"Surely, NERV and the Evangelions can be used a little more efficiently." Another man with a pointed nose and bathed in green light commented disdainfully.
"The Angels and Evangelions are not your only concerns," Another man in blue declared.
"What about the Human Instrumentality Project. That should be your highest priority," The man in the visor bellowed again.
"That project may be the only hope mankind has in these desperate times," A moustached man in purple asserted.
"I understand." Gendo replied.
"In any case, I will not allow any delay in the schedule of this project," The visored man declared angrily, "I will consider your budget requests"
"Now I understand that the new pilot, the Third has made an attempt on your life," The man in blue remarked.
"That will not be a problem. He will be dealt with when the time comes." Gendo replied.
"What about the intelligence operation? How is that progressing?"
"Now that the Angels have reappeared, NERV must take…measures as to how this knowledge reaches the public"
"There is no need to worry that has already been taken care of."
Shinji wandered the halls of the hospital despondently. He had caught a bit of the news on a television in one of the waiting areas but he grew disinterested as it reported nothing of consequence, just misinformation about what had really occurred. He glanced out a window, finding the green scenery more interesting that anything else at the moment. Hearing a stretcher approaching, he made room for them to pass. To his surprise, he saw the girl from yesterday, just as wrapped up in bandages, one around her head, her right arm in a cast and various dressings all over. Her uncovered eye, swivelled over to him, and fixed him with a stare, silently communicating with him, acknowledging his presence.
Staring after her, Shinji fell into a deep muse, he swore that when their eyes met, there was a sense of something familiar and alien at the same time, like something connected on a higher level. Trusting his instincts he moved to follow the troupe of orderlies surrounding the girl, as his curiosity woke, he decided to find out why he felt that he knew her. However something stopped him, a darkly clad figure appeared in the hallway, Shinji growled as he recognised who it was. The figure stopped the gurney and bent down close to it. A brief flicker in the man's attention and the straightening of his posture told Shinji that he had seen.
Gendo stared resolutely from behind his coloured lenses at the tall young man who slowly approached him. Cautiously he dipped his head in Shinji's direction, "Shinji"
"Old man"
Gendo turned to the nurses, "What are you still doing here? Take the patient to her room"
"Y-yes, sir"
The gurney rumbled away with the now curious albino girl on it.
"Wise move, old man." Shinji shrugged, "Wise for me anyway. You realise you're now alone here with no witnesses"
"Even so would that stop you?"
"No, not really but that girl…what is she?" Unease flickered on Shinji's expression for a moment.
"She is Rei Ayanami, the First Child. A pilot like you are"
Gendo couldn't say anymore as he abruptly found the air in his lungs gone, courtesy of the hard metal wall he had been slammed into. He pried at the grip on his throat; he gave that up for thrashing violently when the pressure increased, choking him. His heels drummed a tattoo on the metal wall behind him.
"I did say I was going to collect when I was finished," Shinji ground out as he slackened his death grip for a moment, allowing just enough for Gendo to suck in air but choking him again just as he tried to yell. "The way I see it, my involvement has ended. Your life is mine."
Gendo gurgled frantically as darkness crept into his vision, blurring the edges of Shinji's hate filled visage. Another slam against the wall robbed him of the rest of his senses as he felt numbness creeping into his limbs.
"W-wai….t….there's….still…one…m-more," Gendo gasped.
All of a sudden he found himself on the ground gulping the antiseptic smelling air that was all so sweet to his abused larynx. He stood up shakily, using the wall behind that had been one of his tormentors as a crutch, a crutch he welcomed.
"What do you mean?" Shinji asked brusquely.
"There is more than one Angel," Gendo rasped painfully but he refused to massage his throat, refused to show anymore weakness, "More will come, they will destroy like the one that just came, if NERV and the Evangelions aren't there to stop them, it is possible for a Third Impact to occur. This time it will wipe out the rest of Humanity, just like how First Impact wiped out the dinosaurs of prehistoric times."
"So what?" Shinji snorted derisively, "I am not some errand boy that you can send off to save the world. You can get another pilot"
"We can't"
"Sure you can, after you went through all the trouble to get me, an untested component to use your toy. There are other pilots that girl; Rei proves that they can be other pilots"
"If there were any other pilots I wouldn't have needed to get you," Gendo said, "You were our last resort. Finding candidates with the potential to synchronise with an Eva is rare. Finding candidates with your potential rarer still, we only predicted that you would have had a thirty percent chance of synchronising with the Eva. Less than that to get it moving"
"I see," Shinji said slowly, "And if I don't pilot again, you'll be forced to use that girl. She'll die in an attempt to do so"
Gendo nodded.
"Then you'll have an extra month or two of borrowed time," Shinji said menacingly, "The girl. I want to see that girl again. Where is she?"
"She'll be in the room next to yours."
"Thank you," Shinji squinted Gendo quizzically for a moment.
Silently, Shinji approached Gendo again, his hands rising to Gendo's neck. Gendo stared at Shinji emotionlessly, braced for impact. He kept his eyes open, staring into Shinji's dark cobalt blue orbs. It was a measure of his resolve that Gendo kept himself from flinching as Shinji's hands slowly made their way to his neck. He was quite pleasantly surprised when he felt no pressure around his throat but a short tug on his collar and the sound of cloth being smoothed. He looked down to find Shinji's hands, tucking the collar and the lapels of his coat back into line.
Shinji smiled mysteriously, "We can't have the high and mighty Commander of NERV looking roughed up, can we?"
Gendo remained silent until Shinji turned away. He smirked as he watched the young man walk away, 'Well that went better than I thought'
Walking in to his pleasant surprise was his clothes laid out on his bed accompanied by his guitar case he left behind, when they activated the Eva robot. Once he was dressed again, he decided to find that girl. As his father had said, she was located in the room next to his, knocking once he walked in. Looking in, he saw that the girl was awake, he made his way over and scrutinised her closely. Seeing past the bandages, he saw that she was actually quite beautiful, if a bit small compared to him, she had skin pale to the point of ivory, pale blue hair cut short, and delicate structure that was quite pleasing to the eye."You are Rei Ayanami?"
She didn't reply, but she looked at him with a single red eye, which answered him without words. Shrugging he pulled a chair closer to the bed, and sat down on it backwards, facing the occupant of the bed. He didn't say anything else after that, he just stared at her. Rei eased her head back, resuming her observation of the ceiling. The silence continued on for some time, Rei had turned her head to the side so she could stare at the stranger that caught her interest, usually people who she met, had a strange need to communicate with her but this one didn't. At least not at the moment.
"What do you require, Pilot Ikari?" Rei asked quietly.
Shinji blinked, "So you know my name."
"Yes, I was informed of your arrival after the battle by Doctor Akagi"
"What are you?" Shinji asked bluntly.
Rei was intrigued by the question; it was one she had contemplated many times before.
"I do not know. I am Rei Ayanami that is all I know"
"I see, you are you but I want to know what you are exactly." Shinji said slowly, as he examined each word, "Your lifeforce. It is strange. It is strong, yet it is like wisp, almost if your soul is not attached to your body"
Rei's breath quickened, it is not possible. He is a stranger, even if he is the Commander's son. He has realised something that he should not know."…"
Shinji stirred finally. Standing up, "I am sorry"
"For what?" Rei asked.
"For causing you distress. I will leave now"
Rei considered this for a moment, as she has never been in this situation before, felt surprised at the young man's words. No one had used those words with her before, nor have they treated her like a real human, most avoided her. Nobody had apologised for their actions to her before, for some reason she felt grateful to this young man. However before she could say anything, Shinji had turned and left.Shinji paused in the doorway, "You don't need to say anything. I understand." With that, he exited the room, shutting the door behind him.
Shinji was a bit confused as to what he should do now. Since he is staying around, he would require accommodations but he didn't have any money at the moment, his wallet was in his backpack and that was left in Misato's car. He concluded he would need to find Misato. His search only lasted two steps into the direction of the hospital reception when he was greeted by Misato.
"Hello Shinji!" Misato chirped happily. "I came to pick you up. Heard you were feeling better. I glad you're okay, Shinji"
"Yeah well…" Shinji half muttered as he turned to go.
"Come on, I can take you to your place. HQ's given you private quarters"
"Sure…" Shinji replied despondently.
"Or do you want to live with your father?" Misato said, momentarily forgetting the incident that had occurred in the Eva Cage.
She clapped her hands to her mouth, when Shinji turned to face her with a look that said, 'Are you lacking in the upstairs department?'
"Eh he heh," Misato chuckled nervously, "I guess you wouldn't want that"
"So where will my quarters be, Misato?" Shinji asked.
"According to the papers they gave me, you'll be in Block F, in the same area as Rei," Misato exclaimed, "But are you going to be okay living alone? I mean you're just fourteen"
"I'll be fine alone," Shinji said in the low tone, "I've been living on the road for some time now. I prefer living alone anyways"
"But…" Misato trailed off when Shinji glared at her. "Don't be silly, I'm sure you want some company."
"What part of 'I'll be fine alone' did you not understand?" Shinji's patience with the woman was steadily dropping. "Leave me alone! Please!"
"Hey! What's with that attitude?!" Misato yelled. "I'm just concerned for you!"
"I don't need your concern!" Shinji snapped.
Misato staggered as if she's been slapped, "Fine! I'll change that attitude real quick!"
Whirling around, she pulled out her mobile and dialled.
"Akagi speaking"
"Ritsuko, Shinji's going to be living with me for a while"
"What?! What are you doing, woman?!!" Shinji roared.
At the same time, Ritsuko yelled through the phone, "What?! Misato, this is highly indecent!"
"Don't worry, don't worry," Misato laughed lightly. "I'm not going to jump him…even if he's all hunky like. Just get me approval from upstairs, ok?"
click
Misato closed her mobile; while on the other end, Ritsuko was raging, "Wait! Misato?! MIIIIISSSSATOOOO!!"
Smiling in triumph, she spun around to face Shinji who was staring at her emotionlessly, "Well that should do it"
"Now just come with me, Shinji. We'll have a party!" Misato cheered and turned to go.
"No"
The one word stopped her short. Slowly she turned her head to face Shinji. Her glower died at the grim expression on Shinji's face.
"I will not go with you. My attitude is just fine without interference from you." He snatched the papers Misato held and walked off in the opposite direction.
"Hey, wait! Shinji!"
"You shouldn't worry. After I kill my father I'll be gone anyway. No need to inconvenience yourself trying to get me to live with you." Shinji waved backwards as he walked off, leaving a perplexed Misato behind.
Shinji scratched his head, he wondered if it was wise rejecting Misato's offer like that now. He will have to work with her in the next month or so and added to that, he was lost right now. With the lack of road signs and a proper map he found himself somewhere in the steel and concrete jungle that is Tokyo 3.
"Where is this place?" He looked around and tried to see if any of the places seemed to be landmarks on a crudely drawn map. A quick glance to his left told him someone besides him was here on this empty street.
"Oi!" Shinji shouted, "You there!"
A short haired woman in a black suit and skirt, accompanied by a man in a similar black suit walked out of an alleyway. The woman approached Shinji quietly but the man stayed back in a guarded position.
"Yes, pilot"
Shinji looked at her momentarily, "I suppose you work for NERV"
"Yes"
"How long have you been watching me?"
"Since you left the hospital" The woman replied as she took of her sunglasses revealing a pair of dark grey eyes that enhanced the steely look she wore.
"You could have helped me earlier," Shinji accused.
"….But it wasn't in your job description."
"It wasn't in my job description"
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before," Shinji muttered. "So how do I get to these quarters of mine?"
The woman tilted her head to the right. "It's right there"
Shinji turned to find a rather decrepit apartment building. It was dirty, as evidenced by the dirt piling on the walkways, crumbled concrete and litter that seemed to fill the corners.
"Nice place," Shinji commented blandly.
The woman's mouth twitched at the corners into a slight smile, she spoke into a hidden microphone in her collar and the man from before came out with a manila envelop and Shinji's backpack. He handed them to Shinji, who took them quietly.
Shinji turned to the woman, "Thank you"
"All part of my job," The woman replied stiffly, then she whispered, "I still think you should have choked the bastard a little longer"
Shinji just stared at the woman as she gave him a brief smile and walked off into the shadows again.
Shinji dumped his bag onto the thin bed that was in the surprisingly clean, one room apartment. It had been awhile since he had a room to himself, training with Iori as his sensei meant that he often had to live on the road. He recalled his meeting with Iori eight years ago. He had been six around then, Kyo, his other guardian and uncle had sought out Iori for some reason, he had said that it was due time to end the blood feud once and for all. Back then, his six year old mind had not understood but his uncle had explained it away as him meeting a new friend and teacher. He remembered clapping his heads happily at that, and that was when Iori appeared. Immediately Shinji grew scared of the grim man that was Iori Yagami. Two of the strongest fighters in Japan, and maybe the world faced each other with a child between them.
"Kusanagi. Why have you brought a child to our fight? Even you would not hide behind a child as a shield." The red haired man growled.
Kyo snapped, "Of course not, Yagami. I'm not like you!" He instantly regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth.
"Uncle…" A small Shinji mumbled from behind Kyo's leg, he was clutching it like it would shield him from the scary man.
"So he's of Kusanagi blood like you. How annoying," The red haired man snorted.
"Would you stop with the insults, Iori?" Kyo replied as calmly as he could.
"Feh. Make me, Kusanagi scum" Iori jeered.
Kyo sighed, "I'm not here to fight, Iori, nor am I here to die." He said, cutting off Iori's response.
"This is my nephew, Shinji Ikari," He smiled at the little boy, clinging to the leg of his trousers. Shinji smiled back gingerly.
"So?" Yagami shot back.
"He's the son of Yui Ikari, my cousin"
Silence reigned between the two men for a moment. Until Iori breathed out slowly, "I see"
Kyo looked up and met Iori's eyes, "I intend to end this blood feud once and for all. I will apologise on my ancestor's behalf for all the wrongdoings of the Kusanagi clan against those of the Yasakani clan, now known as Yagami, past, present and future."
He brought out a scroll of carefully written calligraphy, "This is the apology from the Kusanagi clan in writing. Copies of it will be sent to all the media stations once you accept it"
"Why should I accept it?" Iori Yagami rumbled dangerously, "Why should I not kill you here and now?"
"Because I want my cousin's son to grow up properly, he has already manifested the flames," Kyo said sadly.
"He is too young, not even I manifested the flames until I was eight and that was the earliest it has ever occurred in my clan," Iori declared stunned.
"It is the same with me as well."
"Still why do you want me to train your nephew," Iori said.
"Because it was the will of my cousin, she wrote it in her will. I know about your past….meetings with her." Kyo said carefully.
Iori's eyes widened, "I understand then, I will train him"
Iori squatted down as Kyo pushed Shinji forward.
"H-hi, I'm S-Shinji Ikari," The boy stuttered. Taking a deep breath to calm down, he continued, "Pleased to meet you"
"Pleased to meet you too, Shinji, I am Iori," Iori introduced himself, "I was a…friend of your mother"
"Really?" Shinji's eyes shined brightly at the mention of his mother, and then they dulled again when he remembered that his mother was gone. He started crying quietly.
This time it was Kyo who intervened, "Come on, Shinji. Don't cry, your mother wouldn't like it if you did. Come on, kid"
Shinji sniffled quietly but dried his tears quickly.
"The boy has heart," Iori commented quietly.
"That he has, it is good that he has considering who his father is," Kyo said. Suddenly he clenched his fist in anger, "His father just dumped him off like he was nothing. I watched him walk away, leaving Shinji crying there. How I hate that man"
Iori looked at the sniffling boy and suddenly held him in an awkward embrace, "Do not worry, young one. I will take care of you. No one will ever hurt you again"
Shinji didn't know what to do from this surprise show of affection, even Kyo was stunned but with his knowledge of Iori's past he understood.
"So does this mean you accept the apology?"
Iori looked up and growled, "What do you think?"
Kyo chuckled quietly.
Shinji sighed quietly as he set about checking the premises finding it fully stocked with basic necessities, he decided not to take anything out of his backpack as of yet. He set on an electric kettle to boil some water for tea as he waited he indulged in another memory.
Working in shadows caused by a flickering fire, he thrust his hands against the cave wall until his hands bled from his efforts. A rumbling chuckle filled the dank cave, sending shivers down his spine, unused to Iori's creeping up on him. He turned, and out of the shadows, slouched Iori, in his usual clothing, red leather pants with a strap between the knees, a long Oxford shirt half- buttoned, and a cropped black jacket, with a crescent moon design on its back.
Iori spoke softly, "You can rest now, let's bandage your hands again"
"Yes, sensei", replied Shinji.
"Ah, you remind me such much of myself, when I was your age"
"What do you mean sensei?"
"Yes, I used to push myself to the limit, like you do, and let me guess, sometimes you imagine that it is your father, you are beating to death, right?"
Shinji lowered his eyes in shame, and muttered, "Yes, sensei"
"Don't be ashamed, at least you're honest with yourself and your feelings are honest, unlike you, it took me a long time to learn that lesson. In a way I'm learning from you just as you are learning from me."
"But I don't know if I truly hate him, sensei"
"Why worry about it now? You'll know whether you hate him or not. Stick to what I have taught you, don't let your anger and rage get better of you, stay in control," Iori admonished his student.
"Yes sensei."
Misato sighed as she tried to relax in the tub in her apartment, an apartment she shared with no one except for a warm water penguin. She turned off the water flow when the water level reached the height of her breasts. She sighed as the hot water did its work on her tight muscles, the heat soaking deep into her bones making her feel very lethargic.
"So lonely in this place," she sighed as she leaned back and sank a bit into the water where she blew bubbles.
The phone rang as she emerged, Misato picked up the phone she placed next to the bath.
"Hello. Katsuragi speaking!" Misato answered with false cheer, "Oh its you"
"Oh? Is this anyway to greet your best friend?" Ritsuko responded wryly.
"Sorry, Ritsu, I'm not in the best of moods"
"So I see." Ritsuko waited, "Well?"
"Well what?" Misato asked in confusion.
"Are you getting along with him?"
"Him?"
"Shinji," Ritsuko said exasperatedly. Then her tone turned mischievous, "Unless you've been hiding another man from me"
"I have not!" Misato screamed, "You know I haven't gotten a date since I came to Tokyo 3"
Ritsuko chuckled, "So how is he? Did he survive dinner with you?"
"Hey what's that supposed to mean?!" Misato growled, "I can cook perfectly fine"
"Sure you can, just like how I can outdrink you"
"Shut up, you!" Misato pouted.
"Shinji isn't with you, is he?" Ritsuko asked suddenly.
"Well…"
"I see. Where is he?" Ritsuko asked.
"He's at the quarters HQ assigned to him," Misato sighed.
"Oh. I thought you could have convinced anyone with that bright attitude of yours."
"Well, it didn't work this time," Misato muttered despondently, "He just went and got all upset when after I mentioned his father and offered to help"
"Well I can tell you what you did wrong…"
"I apologised for mentioning his father," Misato protested, "He got really huffy when I insisted he lived with me."
Ritsuko sigh could be heard, "You don't know anything, do you?"
"What do you mean, Ritsuko?"
"Shinji was abandoned by the Commander after his mother's death. Shinji would have every reason to hate his father from that alone, added to the fact that Gendo never tried to contact him during the last ten years until recently. His records aren't very detailed but I've found out that he's been living with an uncle of his, normally that would be fine but for the last five years he's been living on the road with an acquaintance of his uncle. His records simply get too messy after that since they never stayed in one place for long but one thing I have been able to find is that even though the name of his guardian is omitted, Shinji's guardian is reputedly a lunatic that had murdered at least twenty people a few years before Second Impact. However he was never charged or convicted of them."
"Oh my god, you mean Shinji has been raised by a psychopathic murderer for the last five years!!!"
"Yep"
"Is this safe? I mean having him in the Eva and all that"
"Well the reports don't show anything wrong with him piloting and a psychiatric evaluation at a school Shinji attended briefly indicated that he showed particularly anti social behaviour to most of the students except for one or two apart from that, nothing indicated that he was a raging lunatic or mental unstable"
"Ok…"
"If anything else, the report stated that he seemed like any normal teenager with a bad past, he didn't start any disturbances, mostly kept to himself, was a model student in class, quiet, attentive. In fact the teachers had nothing really bad to say about him, he was polite when it was required, in fact most of the teachers found him quite the student, minor conflicts only occurred when he thought something was unreasonable or invaded his privacy. So…."
"…asking him to stay at my place was intruding on his privacy," Misato concluded.
"Uhuh"
"I guess that's understandable, he's probably used to living by himself, being on the road more often than not"
"I'll say you nailed it right there"
"Ok. Thanks Ritsuko, I guess I'll apologise when I see him again tomorrow"
"You do that," Ritsuko paused. Sounds of ruffling paper could be heard over the phone, "Does Shinji know that he will have to attend school tomorrow?"
"Shit. I was planning on telling him but he left…"
"Don't worry about then. I'll get someone from Section Two to contact him"
"Thanks Ritsuko, you're a lifesaver"
"What would you do without me?"
"I don't know. I've got to go, I'm starting to get wrinkly," Misato wailed.
Ritsuko chuckled, "Goodnight then, Misato"
"Night"
At that moment Shinji had finished his shower in his Spartan domicile. He dried himself and walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. A low whistle from the direction of his head made him turn his head. Sitting on the bed was the woman from earlier today, but now that he got a better look she didn't seem as old as her behaviour had made her seem. The woman smiled at his scrutiny, it was a mirthful smile, quite unexpected from a secret service agent and the glint in her eyes didn't belong to one either.
"I thought I heard something when I was in the shower," Shinji said at last. "What are you doing here, Miss?"
"Kirishima, Mana Kirishima." The maroon haired woman replied sultrily.
"What are you doing here, Miss Kirishima?" Shinji asked again.
"Well…" Mana smiled naughtily, "Getting quite an eyeful at the moment"
Shinji looked down, making sure he still had his towel in place. He blushed slightly as he was still half naked and the small towel wasn't really helping.
"I'm sure you aren't here just for that," Shinji stuttered slightly at the end, clearly uncomfortable with his nakedness in front of a woman.
Mana sighed, "Well I'm not really. HQ sent me here to inform you that you have to attend school tomorrow. And here I am with all the relevant papers and some supplies you might need." She indicated to a small plastic folder and a small canvas bag that was on the bed with her.
"I'm sure you want to go to bed early," Mana got up. Straightening her black suit and skirt, "I guess I'll see you later, Shinji Ikari"
Mana opened the door and was about to leave when Shinji decided to say something.
"Why do I need to go to school? I don't plan to stay here long, Two months max," Shinji shrugged.
"I know," Mana replied carefully, "But all NERV employees have to receive an adequate education level. During your stay, you are a NERV employee and you have to follow its policies as such."
Shinji growled, "I don't like it"
Mana answered sharply, "I know you don't, neither do I really but like it or not, you'll have to do it or you will be disciplined"
"Che," Shinji snorted, "Wait you too?! How old are you exactly?"
Mana smiled mysteriously as she turned back to face Shinji, "Don't you know it's rude to question a lady about her age?"
"You seem a little too young to be a secret service agent," Shinji commented, suspicion in his voice
Mana's smile dropped at that, "I was six when I was taken in and trained to fight by the military. Then I got transferred here to NERV because I was good at what I was doing"
"I am sorry. For bringing bad memories," Shinji apologised.
"Don't worry yourself," Mana's smile returned, albeit a little forced, "It's all in the past now"
"…" Shinji wisely stayed silent as the door started close.
"By the way," Mana's melodious voice whispered through the small gap, "I'm the same age as you are."
With that the door closed.
End part 2Woohoo, finally finished that rewrite. Please read and review
And I also updated chapter one a little, I added some parts I thought would be good to for it. Have a read of that too.
Also thanks to GreyWolf4 for helping me out when I was writing.