The Secret Revealed
Misato absently stirred her cooling tea, staring into the amber liquid intently. She was replaying the events of last night over in her head for what seemed like the millionth time. Had she really seen Narikage cry blood or had it all just been her imagination? Soon after his breakdown, the boy had fallen asleep in her arms and she wondered if he would remember any of it. More importantly, would he remember what he had sobbed into her shoulder?
A soft shuffle form the doorway snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up, not at all surprised to see Narikage standing there in his blue pajamas. Silently, he took his usual seat, staring straight ahead at the wall.
"Gomen nasai," he said in a low voice. Misato blinked a few times.
"Sorry? For what?"
"For last night. I did not mean to put you into such an uncomfortable position. I am sorry." For once, he wouldn't meet her eyes and Misato had a feeling he was deeply ashamed for showing actual emotion.
"You don't have to apologize, Narikage." Slowly, she reached out, touching the teenager's hand, gently laying her own over top of it. But he pulled back suddenly as though she had burned him. Not before Misato could feel how icy cold they were, however.
"I promise you, it won't happen again, Miss Katsuragi," he continued, laying his hands in his lap where she couldn't get at them.
"Why does it bother you so much to show some emotion? There's nothing wrong with it, Narikage. There is something wrong, however, with never showing anything. Why do you do that? Why do you have to be so indifferent all the time?"
"That business is my own, Miss Katsuragi."
"My name is Misato. How many times must I tell you that? And you have to tell me something. You can't keep everything to yourself all the time."
"What does it matter to you? I'm not your son," he said, a slight note of bitterness in his voice as he finally looked over at her. For a few moments, Misato could think of nothing to say. Then:
"Well, I'm your guardian."
"I never asked you to be my guardian. I can take care of myself." Pushing away from the table abruptly, he stood up, starting towards the living room.
"Why did you cry Shinji's name last night?"
Narikage froze in the doorway, one hand on the doorjamb, his back to her. He didn't reply right away, so Misato went on.
"You kept saying something about your mother then, right before you passed out, you said Shinji's name. Why?" The woman stood up, taking a few steps towards the frozen teenager. "What are you hiding, Narikage?"
"I'm not hiding anything—"
"Bullshit!" He jumped, whirling, eyes a little big. Misato's face was red with suppressed rage and Narikage actually felt...afraid of her. "You're hiding everything! We know three things about you, Eiro Nariakge. Your name, you're sixteen, and that, somehow, you're able to sync with Unit 01 one-hundred percent! That's all we know! We don't even know your blood type because you won't let any doctor near you with a needle! You refuse to have any tests done on you whatsoever and you refuse to give us any information about your past! You're hiding everything! Why won't you tell anyone who you are?" Narikage's pale gaze danced away, his face still expressionless. If Misato looked closely however, she could see a hint of deep sadness etched in his eyes.
"No one would understand," he whispered, his voice nearly inaudible.
"How do you know unless you tell someone? Look, Narikage, I know...I know I'm not your mother, I know that I'm not a relative, and I know that you probably think I'm being really nosey and annoying. But...but I honestly do care about you." Now it was her turn to look away and Narikage's to look startled.
"You...you do?" The older woman nodded, meeting his eyes again.
"Yes. I haven't known you for long, but, for some odd reason, I feel...I don't know. I just...I just care I guess."
"Because I look like Shinji."
"No! That has nothing to do with this. I would have offered to let you stay here even if you looked absolutely nothing like Shinji." Tentatively, she reached out, taking his hand in her own once more. "I think you and I are alike, Narikage, in some ways. We've both lost someone close to us and we're afraid to get close again. But, for me anyway, it's already too late because I do feel close to you."
Narikage looked down at their joined hands for a long moment, not moving or even seeming to breathe. Finally, his voice breathy, he whispered: "Look under Gendo's file for the name Yoshiko. Then you'll know everything." Before Misato could say anything else, he'd pulled away and padded into his room, sliding the door shut.
*~*~*
"Yoshiko? I don't remember seeing that name in any of Commander Ikari's files," Ritsuko said, watching her friend burrow through the boxes of folders and papers.
"Well, that's what he said," she replied, her voice muffled as she head her head thrust into an especially large box. "So I'm going to look."
"Did he give you any other clues? Like as to what file it might be located IN?" The blonde gave one box a little nudge with her foot.
"No, but you could help me look, you know, instead of just standing there like a—YAH!" Her sentence ended in a scream as the box she was half-inside of tipped over, spraying papers and folders everywhere in the small storage space. Ristuko burst into laughter at the sight of her friend sprawled across the floor, papers half-covering her. She sat up, glaring. "Oh, shut up!" Pushing the things off of her, she got to her knees, pulling them together in a pile.
"You're being very organized," Ritsuko said, rolling her eyes, kneeling as well to help.
"Be quiet and stop..." Misato trailed off, staring down at the folder she had just swept up with everything else.
"What is it?" Silently, she held it up, showing the woman the name on the tab.
Yoshiko.
"He was right," Ritsuko said, shocked. "What's inside?"
"Let's finish cleaning this up and go find out." The blonde stared at Misato. "Okay, screw it. Let's go to my office." As excited as children, the two women dashed out of the now-messy storage room, going into Misato's messier office. Shoving files out of the way, Captain Katsuragi laid the folder on her desk, clicking on the light so they could see better. Hands shaking for some unknown reason, she lifted the cover, letting it fall open.
Angel DNA Experiment. Test subject: Ikari Yoshiko
Misato absently stirred her cooling tea, staring into the amber liquid intently. She was replaying the events of last night over in her head for what seemed like the millionth time. Had she really seen Narikage cry blood or had it all just been her imagination? Soon after his breakdown, the boy had fallen asleep in her arms and she wondered if he would remember any of it. More importantly, would he remember what he had sobbed into her shoulder?
A soft shuffle form the doorway snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up, not at all surprised to see Narikage standing there in his blue pajamas. Silently, he took his usual seat, staring straight ahead at the wall.
"Gomen nasai," he said in a low voice. Misato blinked a few times.
"Sorry? For what?"
"For last night. I did not mean to put you into such an uncomfortable position. I am sorry." For once, he wouldn't meet her eyes and Misato had a feeling he was deeply ashamed for showing actual emotion.
"You don't have to apologize, Narikage." Slowly, she reached out, touching the teenager's hand, gently laying her own over top of it. But he pulled back suddenly as though she had burned him. Not before Misato could feel how icy cold they were, however.
"I promise you, it won't happen again, Miss Katsuragi," he continued, laying his hands in his lap where she couldn't get at them.
"Why does it bother you so much to show some emotion? There's nothing wrong with it, Narikage. There is something wrong, however, with never showing anything. Why do you do that? Why do you have to be so indifferent all the time?"
"That business is my own, Miss Katsuragi."
"My name is Misato. How many times must I tell you that? And you have to tell me something. You can't keep everything to yourself all the time."
"What does it matter to you? I'm not your son," he said, a slight note of bitterness in his voice as he finally looked over at her. For a few moments, Misato could think of nothing to say. Then:
"Well, I'm your guardian."
"I never asked you to be my guardian. I can take care of myself." Pushing away from the table abruptly, he stood up, starting towards the living room.
"Why did you cry Shinji's name last night?"
Narikage froze in the doorway, one hand on the doorjamb, his back to her. He didn't reply right away, so Misato went on.
"You kept saying something about your mother then, right before you passed out, you said Shinji's name. Why?" The woman stood up, taking a few steps towards the frozen teenager. "What are you hiding, Narikage?"
"I'm not hiding anything—"
"Bullshit!" He jumped, whirling, eyes a little big. Misato's face was red with suppressed rage and Narikage actually felt...afraid of her. "You're hiding everything! We know three things about you, Eiro Nariakge. Your name, you're sixteen, and that, somehow, you're able to sync with Unit 01 one-hundred percent! That's all we know! We don't even know your blood type because you won't let any doctor near you with a needle! You refuse to have any tests done on you whatsoever and you refuse to give us any information about your past! You're hiding everything! Why won't you tell anyone who you are?" Narikage's pale gaze danced away, his face still expressionless. If Misato looked closely however, she could see a hint of deep sadness etched in his eyes.
"No one would understand," he whispered, his voice nearly inaudible.
"How do you know unless you tell someone? Look, Narikage, I know...I know I'm not your mother, I know that I'm not a relative, and I know that you probably think I'm being really nosey and annoying. But...but I honestly do care about you." Now it was her turn to look away and Narikage's to look startled.
"You...you do?" The older woman nodded, meeting his eyes again.
"Yes. I haven't known you for long, but, for some odd reason, I feel...I don't know. I just...I just care I guess."
"Because I look like Shinji."
"No! That has nothing to do with this. I would have offered to let you stay here even if you looked absolutely nothing like Shinji." Tentatively, she reached out, taking his hand in her own once more. "I think you and I are alike, Narikage, in some ways. We've both lost someone close to us and we're afraid to get close again. But, for me anyway, it's already too late because I do feel close to you."
Narikage looked down at their joined hands for a long moment, not moving or even seeming to breathe. Finally, his voice breathy, he whispered: "Look under Gendo's file for the name Yoshiko. Then you'll know everything." Before Misato could say anything else, he'd pulled away and padded into his room, sliding the door shut.
*~*~*
"Yoshiko? I don't remember seeing that name in any of Commander Ikari's files," Ritsuko said, watching her friend burrow through the boxes of folders and papers.
"Well, that's what he said," she replied, her voice muffled as she head her head thrust into an especially large box. "So I'm going to look."
"Did he give you any other clues? Like as to what file it might be located IN?" The blonde gave one box a little nudge with her foot.
"No, but you could help me look, you know, instead of just standing there like a—YAH!" Her sentence ended in a scream as the box she was half-inside of tipped over, spraying papers and folders everywhere in the small storage space. Ristuko burst into laughter at the sight of her friend sprawled across the floor, papers half-covering her. She sat up, glaring. "Oh, shut up!" Pushing the things off of her, she got to her knees, pulling them together in a pile.
"You're being very organized," Ritsuko said, rolling her eyes, kneeling as well to help.
"Be quiet and stop..." Misato trailed off, staring down at the folder she had just swept up with everything else.
"What is it?" Silently, she held it up, showing the woman the name on the tab.
Yoshiko.
"He was right," Ritsuko said, shocked. "What's inside?"
"Let's finish cleaning this up and go find out." The blonde stared at Misato. "Okay, screw it. Let's go to my office." As excited as children, the two women dashed out of the now-messy storage room, going into Misato's messier office. Shoving files out of the way, Captain Katsuragi laid the folder on her desk, clicking on the light so they could see better. Hands shaking for some unknown reason, she lifted the cover, letting it fall open.
Angel DNA Experiment. Test subject: Ikari Yoshiko