Out with the Old. . .
"We obviously can't let the boy go home," Commander Fuyutski said, pacing in front of the desk that was now his. Misato watched him walk back and forth, surprised he hadn't worn a hole in the floor by now.
"That's not surprising, Sir. And I was wondering. . .why don't you let me take the boy home with me." The man's head snapped up, his eyes a little wide.
"What?"
"Well, Sir, I know he and I aren't exactly well acquainted, but I'm pretty much the only one he knows around here." 'Just like when I brought Shinji here,' was what she didn't add, but Commander Fuyutski sensed it.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked in a soft voice, leaning back against his desk, crossing his arms. "I am aware of how hard it was on you when we lost Shinji."
"Yes, it was hard. It still is. But. . ." She trailed off with a shrug. "I'm just so used to having another person around, my apartment seems empty. This way I can keep an eye on him, make sure he gets settled alright."
"He's been living alone for at least three years. Do you think he'll allow this?"
"Actually, Sir, I've already mentioned the idea to him. He didn't seem to mind very much." The Commander raised a white eyebrow. "I know I shouldn't have offered before discussing it with you, Sir, but it was mostly an impulse thing."
"Where is the boy now?"
"He's waiting outside."
"Bring him in and I'll talk to him about this. If he doesn't have a problem with it, then he's all yours." Misato nodded and went to the door, opening it.
"Narikage, will you come in here?" The older man heard the scraping of a chair and a moment later, the teenager entered, his face and eyes blank. Again, Commander Fuyutski was staggered by how much he resembled the so recently deceased pilot.
'I don't think I'll ever get used to this,' he thought to himself with a little shake of his head. "Captain, I'll have to ask you to wait outside again."
"Yes, Sir." She left, closing the door softly behind her.
"If you want me to explain how I can pilot an EVA, I'm afraid-" The Commander raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Although I would like to know how it's possible, that's not why you're here. Captain Katsuragi has expressed a wish to let you stay with her. She told me she spoke to you about the idea."
"She did, yes."
"Are you alright with that?" Narikage shrugged a little.
"Do I have a choice?"
"If you wish, we can arrange for an apartment here at NERV. Or we can find you one off base and we will pay for everything. It's up to you."
"Tell me, Commander: which would YOU prefer?" Commander Fuyutski blinked a few times, caught off guard.
"What? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just what I say. Would you trust me to stay by myself?" Those pale eyes found and hold his, refusing to let him look away. To the Commander, it felt as if the boy were looking right through him. After a moment, he cleared his throat.
"So far, you have given me no reason not to trust you." He went around his desk and pulled a form from a drawer. Picking up a nearby pen, he jotted a few things down and signed it. "Your turn." He turned the slip of paper to face Narikage, setting the pen down beside it. The teen strode forward and without a moment's hesitation, scrawled his name along the bottom. "From now on, Mr. Eiro, you are an employee of NERV. You will receive a security card and all the necessary information. Captain Katsuragi will be your guardian and you will answer to her. Understand?"
"Of course, Commander." He bowed and walked to the door. As he was leaving, he called over his shoulder: "Oh, and Unit 01 says to loosen the lock on her left arm. It cuts off the circulation." Before the startled man could stammer a reply, Narikage was gone.
***
"I'll call the school first thing tomorrow morning and get your classes set up," Misato chatted as they ascended the stairs to her apartment. "Make a list of the stuff you want brought from your apartment and NERV will ship it here, free of charge. That's the good part about working for the government."
Narikage said nothing as the woman babbled on, his eyes always fixed straight ahead. He never smiled, nor did he voice any kind of concern or comment.
'It's like I'm talking to myself,' Misato thought, finally shutting her mouth. She knew why she was rambling on though; she was nervous.
Just a little.
"Well, here we are." She fumbled the key into the lock and the door slid open. "It's not very big, but it'll do." Narikage stood in the doorway, looking around. After a long moment, he stepped forward, stopping just over the threshold. Misato felt her heart skip a beat when he turned, a tiny smile curving at his lips and said:
"I'm home."
It took the woman a moment to recover, but when she did, she gave him a quick nod. "Hai. Home. I-if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room." Narikage studied her back with his intense eyes as he followed her down the short corridor. She slid open a door and stepped to the side so he could step in. "Here we are. It's small, but."
"It's fine," he assured her, casting his glance about the small space. He noted the unfinished homework spread out over the table and threw Misato a questioning look. The woman turned pink and darted over, hastily gathering up the papers and books.
"G-gomen, gomen," she mumbled, stacking them in the corner.
"This was his room, wasn't it? The former pilot's." Misato went very still then slowly turned to look at him.
"Hai," she replied, her voice very faint. Narikage set his bag on the floor by the bed, looking down at the blue blankets thoughtfully.
"If you prefer, I will sleep in the living room." His creepy eyes found hers, holding them. After a moment, the woman shook her head.
"No, you may sleep here. It's best if you do." She offered him a very thin- and very forced-smile. "We must let go sometime, don't you agree?"
For some very strange reason, this seemed to strike a nerve in Narikage. His eyes got extremely big and he went stiff. His hands, which were at his sides, curled into fists. The woman's brow furrowed in the slightest. What could cause such a reaction?
"Y-yes, I agree," he said in a strained voice. But Misato could tell by his face that he was lying. "Now, if you don't mind, could I unpack?"
"Oh, yes. Of course. Forgive me." She went to the door and stopped, looking back at him, one hand on the door frame. "Just put Shinji's clothes on the table and I'll pack them up later." She slid the screen shut before he could see the tears in her eyes.
***
"Are you sure you can handle this, Misato-san? I mean, it hasn't been very long."
"I'm fine with this, Ritsuko. Really. I mean, it might take a little getting used to in the long run. I'll have to learn his habits and such, of course, but I don't think he'll cause any problems." Misato, the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder, stood to get a beer out of the fridge.
"Did you put him in Shinji's room?"
"I couldn't very well put him in the living room." She opened the can and took a long drink. "Besides, if I had let his stuff sit any longer in that room, I never would have touched it and I think I'd be worse than I am now. No, this is the best way. I'm sure of it." She heard her friend give a loud sigh.
"You know I don't like this, Misato." The purple-haired woman smiled.
"Really? I couldn't tell?"
"I'm serious. We know nothing of this boy's past. Literally. For all we know, he could be some kind of serial killer."
"He doesn't have enough emotion for that, let's face it. If he were a mad- man-which he's NOT-Unit 01 wouldn't let him near her, we know that. Any kind of mental instability would show up immediately." There was another long sigh.
"There is just no arguing with you when you've set your mind on something, is there?"
"Now you've got the picture."
"Fine then. But if anything goes wrong."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll call you." Misato's ears perked up as she heard the faint sound of a door being slid open. "I think he's done unpacking. I'll see you in a couple days, okay?"
"Why a couple days?"
"I'm taking him to get registered tomorrow."
"Alright. Call me tomorrow then and tell me how it went."
"I will. Bye." Misato put the phone back on it's cradle just as Narikage walked in, his face still wearing that same bland expression. "Hey. Finished?"
"Hai."
"Are you hungry? I'm not the world's best cook but I can cook instant ramen without messing it up" 'Sort of. . .'
"No, thank you. I'm not very hungry right now. You don't have to cook for me anyway."
As he spoke, there was a scuffling sound from the fridge that housed Pen Pen. A moment later, the penguin stuck his black and white head out of the little door, surveying the room. When he saw Narikage, he let out a shrieking sound that caused both humans to jump about ten feet. The sixteen- year-old was literally knocked off his feet as Pen Pen launched himself at him, sitting atop his chest and shrieking with happiness. In his mind, he saw this boy as Shinji and no one was going to convince him otherwise.
"Pen Pen!" Misato picked up the struggling animal, wincing when he let out another squawk. "I'm sorry, Narikage. I should have warned you about Pen Pen." The boy sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the linoleum.
"Um. . .that's okay, really." He stood, eyeing the fighting beast warily. Pen Pen freed himself at last and ran to Narikage, hopping a little, now just letting out clicks. Shinji was home!! "Why is he doing this?"
"He. . .likes visitors, that's all," Misato lied, smiling and waving her hand. She knew this boy was probably tired of hearing about how much he resembled Shinji.
"He won't attack me again, will he?"
"Oh, I doubt it. He might follow you around a lot though."
"Wonderful," she heard him mutter as he ruffled his hair. "Well, if you don't mind, I think I'm just going to go read in my room."
"Not at all. Tell me if you get hungry." He nodded and walked to the door- Pen Pen on his heels. "Oh, and by the way, ramen is my favorite." He actually gave her a real smile before he disappeared into his new room.
"We obviously can't let the boy go home," Commander Fuyutski said, pacing in front of the desk that was now his. Misato watched him walk back and forth, surprised he hadn't worn a hole in the floor by now.
"That's not surprising, Sir. And I was wondering. . .why don't you let me take the boy home with me." The man's head snapped up, his eyes a little wide.
"What?"
"Well, Sir, I know he and I aren't exactly well acquainted, but I'm pretty much the only one he knows around here." 'Just like when I brought Shinji here,' was what she didn't add, but Commander Fuyutski sensed it.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked in a soft voice, leaning back against his desk, crossing his arms. "I am aware of how hard it was on you when we lost Shinji."
"Yes, it was hard. It still is. But. . ." She trailed off with a shrug. "I'm just so used to having another person around, my apartment seems empty. This way I can keep an eye on him, make sure he gets settled alright."
"He's been living alone for at least three years. Do you think he'll allow this?"
"Actually, Sir, I've already mentioned the idea to him. He didn't seem to mind very much." The Commander raised a white eyebrow. "I know I shouldn't have offered before discussing it with you, Sir, but it was mostly an impulse thing."
"Where is the boy now?"
"He's waiting outside."
"Bring him in and I'll talk to him about this. If he doesn't have a problem with it, then he's all yours." Misato nodded and went to the door, opening it.
"Narikage, will you come in here?" The older man heard the scraping of a chair and a moment later, the teenager entered, his face and eyes blank. Again, Commander Fuyutski was staggered by how much he resembled the so recently deceased pilot.
'I don't think I'll ever get used to this,' he thought to himself with a little shake of his head. "Captain, I'll have to ask you to wait outside again."
"Yes, Sir." She left, closing the door softly behind her.
"If you want me to explain how I can pilot an EVA, I'm afraid-" The Commander raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Although I would like to know how it's possible, that's not why you're here. Captain Katsuragi has expressed a wish to let you stay with her. She told me she spoke to you about the idea."
"She did, yes."
"Are you alright with that?" Narikage shrugged a little.
"Do I have a choice?"
"If you wish, we can arrange for an apartment here at NERV. Or we can find you one off base and we will pay for everything. It's up to you."
"Tell me, Commander: which would YOU prefer?" Commander Fuyutski blinked a few times, caught off guard.
"What? What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just what I say. Would you trust me to stay by myself?" Those pale eyes found and hold his, refusing to let him look away. To the Commander, it felt as if the boy were looking right through him. After a moment, he cleared his throat.
"So far, you have given me no reason not to trust you." He went around his desk and pulled a form from a drawer. Picking up a nearby pen, he jotted a few things down and signed it. "Your turn." He turned the slip of paper to face Narikage, setting the pen down beside it. The teen strode forward and without a moment's hesitation, scrawled his name along the bottom. "From now on, Mr. Eiro, you are an employee of NERV. You will receive a security card and all the necessary information. Captain Katsuragi will be your guardian and you will answer to her. Understand?"
"Of course, Commander." He bowed and walked to the door. As he was leaving, he called over his shoulder: "Oh, and Unit 01 says to loosen the lock on her left arm. It cuts off the circulation." Before the startled man could stammer a reply, Narikage was gone.
***
"I'll call the school first thing tomorrow morning and get your classes set up," Misato chatted as they ascended the stairs to her apartment. "Make a list of the stuff you want brought from your apartment and NERV will ship it here, free of charge. That's the good part about working for the government."
Narikage said nothing as the woman babbled on, his eyes always fixed straight ahead. He never smiled, nor did he voice any kind of concern or comment.
'It's like I'm talking to myself,' Misato thought, finally shutting her mouth. She knew why she was rambling on though; she was nervous.
Just a little.
"Well, here we are." She fumbled the key into the lock and the door slid open. "It's not very big, but it'll do." Narikage stood in the doorway, looking around. After a long moment, he stepped forward, stopping just over the threshold. Misato felt her heart skip a beat when he turned, a tiny smile curving at his lips and said:
"I'm home."
It took the woman a moment to recover, but when she did, she gave him a quick nod. "Hai. Home. I-if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room." Narikage studied her back with his intense eyes as he followed her down the short corridor. She slid open a door and stepped to the side so he could step in. "Here we are. It's small, but."
"It's fine," he assured her, casting his glance about the small space. He noted the unfinished homework spread out over the table and threw Misato a questioning look. The woman turned pink and darted over, hastily gathering up the papers and books.
"G-gomen, gomen," she mumbled, stacking them in the corner.
"This was his room, wasn't it? The former pilot's." Misato went very still then slowly turned to look at him.
"Hai," she replied, her voice very faint. Narikage set his bag on the floor by the bed, looking down at the blue blankets thoughtfully.
"If you prefer, I will sleep in the living room." His creepy eyes found hers, holding them. After a moment, the woman shook her head.
"No, you may sleep here. It's best if you do." She offered him a very thin- and very forced-smile. "We must let go sometime, don't you agree?"
For some very strange reason, this seemed to strike a nerve in Narikage. His eyes got extremely big and he went stiff. His hands, which were at his sides, curled into fists. The woman's brow furrowed in the slightest. What could cause such a reaction?
"Y-yes, I agree," he said in a strained voice. But Misato could tell by his face that he was lying. "Now, if you don't mind, could I unpack?"
"Oh, yes. Of course. Forgive me." She went to the door and stopped, looking back at him, one hand on the door frame. "Just put Shinji's clothes on the table and I'll pack them up later." She slid the screen shut before he could see the tears in her eyes.
***
"Are you sure you can handle this, Misato-san? I mean, it hasn't been very long."
"I'm fine with this, Ritsuko. Really. I mean, it might take a little getting used to in the long run. I'll have to learn his habits and such, of course, but I don't think he'll cause any problems." Misato, the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder, stood to get a beer out of the fridge.
"Did you put him in Shinji's room?"
"I couldn't very well put him in the living room." She opened the can and took a long drink. "Besides, if I had let his stuff sit any longer in that room, I never would have touched it and I think I'd be worse than I am now. No, this is the best way. I'm sure of it." She heard her friend give a loud sigh.
"You know I don't like this, Misato." The purple-haired woman smiled.
"Really? I couldn't tell?"
"I'm serious. We know nothing of this boy's past. Literally. For all we know, he could be some kind of serial killer."
"He doesn't have enough emotion for that, let's face it. If he were a mad- man-which he's NOT-Unit 01 wouldn't let him near her, we know that. Any kind of mental instability would show up immediately." There was another long sigh.
"There is just no arguing with you when you've set your mind on something, is there?"
"Now you've got the picture."
"Fine then. But if anything goes wrong."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll call you." Misato's ears perked up as she heard the faint sound of a door being slid open. "I think he's done unpacking. I'll see you in a couple days, okay?"
"Why a couple days?"
"I'm taking him to get registered tomorrow."
"Alright. Call me tomorrow then and tell me how it went."
"I will. Bye." Misato put the phone back on it's cradle just as Narikage walked in, his face still wearing that same bland expression. "Hey. Finished?"
"Hai."
"Are you hungry? I'm not the world's best cook but I can cook instant ramen without messing it up" 'Sort of. . .'
"No, thank you. I'm not very hungry right now. You don't have to cook for me anyway."
As he spoke, there was a scuffling sound from the fridge that housed Pen Pen. A moment later, the penguin stuck his black and white head out of the little door, surveying the room. When he saw Narikage, he let out a shrieking sound that caused both humans to jump about ten feet. The sixteen- year-old was literally knocked off his feet as Pen Pen launched himself at him, sitting atop his chest and shrieking with happiness. In his mind, he saw this boy as Shinji and no one was going to convince him otherwise.
"Pen Pen!" Misato picked up the struggling animal, wincing when he let out another squawk. "I'm sorry, Narikage. I should have warned you about Pen Pen." The boy sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the linoleum.
"Um. . .that's okay, really." He stood, eyeing the fighting beast warily. Pen Pen freed himself at last and ran to Narikage, hopping a little, now just letting out clicks. Shinji was home!! "Why is he doing this?"
"He. . .likes visitors, that's all," Misato lied, smiling and waving her hand. She knew this boy was probably tired of hearing about how much he resembled Shinji.
"He won't attack me again, will he?"
"Oh, I doubt it. He might follow you around a lot though."
"Wonderful," she heard him mutter as he ruffled his hair. "Well, if you don't mind, I think I'm just going to go read in my room."
"Not at all. Tell me if you get hungry." He nodded and walked to the door- Pen Pen on his heels. "Oh, and by the way, ramen is my favorite." He actually gave her a real smile before he disappeared into his new room.