Disclaimer: see part 1.

1

4

By Random1377

Shinji fiddled with his NERV ID badge, balancing it on the backs of his knuckles for a moment before letting it slide down his fingers and trying to flick it into the air with his fingernails with the intent of catching it deftly between his first and second fingers.

He sighed as the card tumbled to the floor with a dry clack.

"How much longer do we have to sit here?"

Misato gave a soft snort, shaking her head as she scooted a bit higher in her seat. "Got me," she yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly and glancing around Ritsuko's office, "she said to be here at four, so I don't know where the hell she is."

Leaning down to scoop up his badge, Shinji mumbled, "Did she tell you what this is about? She wouldn't tell me – she just said to be here."

Looking at the clock on the wall, and scowling as she found it nearing four forty-five, Misato replied, "It's something about your piloting, or something. She was really vague about it."

"My piloting?" Shinji said, sitting up a bit straighter as he dropped his ID once more, "What's wrong with my piloting? We beat the last angel, and my sync scores have been going up, so what's-"

"Easy, easy!" Misato cut in holding her hands up defensively. "Would you calm down? I just said I don't know what's going on, don't jump down my throat!"

Shinji wanted to press the issue, but he realized it would be pointless. No use in bugging her if she doesn't know anything, he thought dismally, I just wish I knew why we were here! We've been doing more sync tests lately – a lot more sync tests… it's getting harder to balance everything, especially since Hikari-

He cut the thought off, trying his best not to think about the newly-reinstated class rep too hard.

There were just too many emotions tied up in that train of thought.

Instead he thought about Bella. We'll get her hearing aids tomorrow, he mused, the doctor said it would take some time to get her used to hearing and speaking the right way, but it's worth it. Asuka – what am I going to do about Asuka? She's not like, MEAN to Bella, but she's not really all that nice. Things are going pretty well, I guess, when you get right down to it. I mean, Bella IS happy, and we're going to get her hearing fixed – and besides, I'm getting to spend a lot more time with-

Misato blinked as Shinji suddenly put his hands on the sides of his head and began rubbing – as if trying to rid himself of a particularly vivid thought. "What are you doing?" she muttered. "Stop that – people are going to think you're touched."

"Sorry," the boy replied sheepishly, "just… had someone on my mind."

"Who?"

"Hmm?"

"You said you had someone on your-"

"Thing," Shinji jumped in, "something on my mind. See? I'm so messed up I'm saying the wrong thing."

Sensing a bad cover-up, Misato prepared to go in for the kill. Fortunately for Shinji, Ritsuko chose that moment to come sweeping through the door, barely looking up from a large folder to keep from hitting any objects between the door and her desk. "I'm running late," she muttered needlessly, "let's make this fast."

"Make what fast, exactly?" Misato wanted to know. "You called us, remember?"

Ritsuko frowned slightly. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Umm – no!"

Finally pulling her face out of the folder, Ritsuko rubbed the bridge of her nose, pushing her reading glasses up onto her head with her free hand as she said, "I thought they would have called you by now."

"Who?" Misato demanded. "What is this all about?"

Ritsuko turned to Shinji. "I'd wager there's a message on your answering machine," she said coolly, "I know from personal experience that your 'guardian' is a little lax in checking them." She held up a hand as Misato opened her mouth. "Save it," she said sharply, "I don't have time for your tantrums. The reason you're here is to pick up this paperwork… I guess Legal Services requires that all parties sign it, and since NERV has done its part, the rest is up to you."

"Legal… Services?" Shinji echoed uncertainly. "I don't understand."

Sighing, Ritsuko tapped the folder. "These," she said briskly, "are the terms and conditions of Belladonna Averson's legal adoption by Mister and Misses Takayuki Fujimara. You, as her current provider, will need to sign and date each form, and turn them in to officer Kokobonga-"

"Kokobunji," Shinji corrected, his lips barely moving as he struggled to comprehend what he was being told. "How did this happen…?"

Handing the folder across the desk to the pilot, Ritsuko replied, "I have no idea. All I know is that I was asked to give this to you after signing the form pertaining to your current state of mind and body."

"You gave him a clean bill, I trust," Misato stepped in finally, studying her old college friend suspiciously, "Ritsuko, you-"

"Shinji," Ritsuko cut in, "please take this folder and get the forms filled out ASAP. God willing, Bella will be in a good home by the end of this week. Goodbye."

Jumping slightly at the sudden dismissal, Shinji gathered up the folder and headed for the door, looking rather shell-shocked.

Misato rose to her feet, but lingered until her charge had stepped outside before rounding on the blonde and hissing, "The truth – now!"

"You already know the truth," Ritsuko said coolly, "don't get all melodramatic on me, Misato, everything's exactly as I've said."

"Like hell!" Misato shot back. "You may have caught Shinji off-guard enough to make him forget to ask questions, but not me. Why is NERV involved in an adoption? Why are you signing his reports when I'm his guardian? What's the catch here, Ritsuko – talk to me!"

Ritsuko pursed her lips, stepping around her desk and starting for the door. "I'm in charge of the pilots' health and wellbeing," she said flatly, "not you. As for your other concerns… you're a tactician – use your damn head! If you knew that your most effective soldier was distracted by some personal aspect of his life, what would you do? Come on, this is a no-brainer, Major."

Misato paled. "Remove the distraction," she whispered hoarsely, "but the Commander can't think that Bella is-"

"What the Commander thinks is irrelevant," Ritsuko cut in smoothly, "ours is not to question why, and all that… just be happy to know that arrangements have been made to tend to the child's welfare and leave it at that. Don't go bucking the system on this one, Misato – trust me… everyone will be better off if any distractions are dealt with as soon as possible, wouldn't you agree?"

"She's not a distraction," Misato said dangerously, "she's a sweet little girl – not that you'd know, since you never answer my damn calls anymore."

"Distraction," Ritsuko replied, holding up one hand, "sweet girl," she held up the other hand, "tomato, tomatoe – it doesn't matter what label you attach, Misato, the fact remains that Shinji's mind has not been on angel fighting. High sync scores don't mean a thing if you can't apply them in combat. Should I show you the tape of the last fight again? We barely pulled that victory out by the skin of our teeth – what if we're not so lucky next time?"

"Who are these people?" Misato demanded, deciding on a different attack pattern. "What are they getting for doing this – I know you know! Don't you dare tell me you don't!"

Ritsuko's nostrils flared. "The couple," she said tactfully, "are well-to-do members of one of Tokyo-3's more affluent suburbs. They will raise the child as their own, and she will want for nothing… can you promise the same?"

"What are they getting out of it?" Misato pressed, her hands shaking with rage as she realized that both she and Shinji were being railroaded. "If they're well-to-do, it can't be money… what is NERV giving them to take Bella?"

"It's medical related," Ritsuko said bluntly, "that's all you need to know – more than you need to know, actually. Drop it now, Misato… this is a simple matter of ensuring maximum performance for our entire staff – nothing more. No one is being hurt, no one is being deceived, and everyone is getting what they want. Don't mess that up."

Misato had to bite her tongue – literally – to keep from snapping at the blonde. After taking a few deep breaths, she managed to keep a civil tone as she said, "That girl isn't leaving my house until I meet these people."

Ritsuko opened her mouth to counter that this had nothing to do with the dark haired woman, but before she could say a word, Misato turned on her heel and strode towards the door.

"You'll have your paperwork filled out," she said coldly, "just as soon as I've met them."

She was out the door and slamming it closed before Ritsuko could say another word.

-

Rei did not care much for mirrors. She would use them, of course, as one had to make sure that one was presentable before going out into the world, but she did not linger for more than was necessary, and she had never even used a compact, let alone owned one.

Staring at the girl in front of her gave her the same feeling.

"Yeah," the girl said softly, breaking the silence that had fallen since they had been introduced, "now I see the resemblance…"

Hikari, almost forgotten at the girl's side, nodded, but said nothing. She seemed to sense somehow that Rei should be the next one to speak.

"Great, now there's two of them…"

Asuka, of course, felt no such restraint.

"So," the girl said, ignoring the redhead entirely as she looked Rei up and down, "where are you from? My family is from Kobe… maybe we're like, cousins or something."

"Unlikely," Rei said flatly, "I have lived in Tokyo-3 my whole life."

"What about your parents?"

"I do not have any."

"Oh, sorry."

Rei was glad that the girl dropped the issue of parentage.

"Nana!"

Adding to the First's discomfort was Bella's ecstatic attitude. She was always energetic, especially around Rei, but with the arrival of the other girl, she nearly exploded with joy, throwing herself at the stunned girl and screaming with laughter, babbling 'Nana! Nana!' (an abbreviation of the girl's name) over and over until there was no doubt in Rei's mind that they knew one another.

As for herself, Nanako Aoyama kept sneaking looks at Bella, clearly shocked to see her alive, and touching her on the face, shoulders, and hair – as if confirming her solidity, in case she suddenly woke up in bed to find out this was all a dream.

"So you were the brat's babysitter?" Asuka mused, ignoring the look Rei shot her. "And you just happen to look like Wondergirl…? Sounds like a conspiracy to me."

Nanako chuckled. "You're on to something, kid," she snorted, "I'm just here to steal Bella away – and I had extensive plastic surgery to get me to look like your friend here, just so I could get away with it."

"She's not my friend," Asuka said icily, "and I'm not a kid."

Though she had not stated her age, Rei guessed that Nanako was between sixteen and seventeen, which accounted for Hikari not noticing how similar they were at first. Perhaps it is less like a mirror than a window, Rei thought suddenly, a window that looks forward to a later time.

A later time, she reminded herself, if she did not have blue hair and red eyes – features no one she had ever met seemed to find attractive.

Nanako seemed unconcerned that she was offending Asuka, a trait Rei admired greatly. "Eh, don't sweat the small stuff, kid," she said, ruffling Bella's hair affectionately, "isn't that right, squirt?"

"You auo sqwode," Bella giggled, "nanasqwode."

The little girl seemed to find this contraction exceedingly funny, as she broke into peels of laughter, hugging Nanako's leg tightly and sticking her thumb into her mouth. This combination, unfortunately, ended up projecting quite a large amount of mucus onto the back of her hand.

"Gross!" Asuka groaned, shoving a roll of paper towels into Rei's hand, "get that – I'm not going anywhere near it!"

Rei slowly pulled a paper towel off the roll, crouching at Nanako's feet and waving off her attempt to take the paper towel away. Carefully, she wiped Bella's nose, wondering why she felt so sad.

"Well, I guess we know why she likes you so much, now."

Hikari frowned. "What do you mean, Asuka?"

Shrugging, Asuka said, "It's obvious, isn't it? Since Wondergirl looks so much like Ninnyko, the brat must have-"

"Call her brat again and see what happens," Nanako said, showing Asuka her teeth in a cruel, glittering smile, "I dare you."

"Oh, like I'm scared of you," Asuka yawned, "I pilot a damn EVA."

Nanako's smile faded.

Hikari noticed the expression on the girl's face. "Oh," she said guiltily, "did I forget to mention that…?"

"Yeah," Nanako said coolly, resting her wrists against Bella's shoulders and pulling her closer to her as she reassessed Asuka, "yeah you did."

Asuka's bravado seemed to waver under the older girl's intense stare, and the redhead took a discrete step back, recalling (rather suddenly) several reports of people that felt that the EVA pilots were fighting the will of God Himself. She certainly did not want to be within arm's reach of one of those loonies.

Not that she could not take care of herself, of course, but she was not really in the mood for a fight.

Nanako wet her lips, glancing down at the top of Bella's head as she slowly murmured, "Look, uhh… Bella's parents umm, you know, during an angel attack." She lifted her head once more, looking Asuka directly in the eyes. "My parents were in the same building. They barely made it out alive."

Tensing, Asuka said, "Hey, we-"

"What you guys do is incredible," Nanako said bluntly, "I… I want to thank you… for saving my family."

Rei took an odd satisfaction in seeing the normally unflappable Second Child gaping at Nanako with her mouth wide open. Clearly the redhead had been expecting an attack of some sort, and had no response ready for such a direct outpouring of gratitude. Ultimately, she managed to murmur the only reply a person could give in a situation like that.

"You're welcome…"

There was a moment of awkward silence, broken finally when Nanako said, "I'll help any way I can, but I don't really know what I can do."

Hikari nearly melted with gratitude. "Perfect," she said, sounding immensely relieved, "I was thinking that, well, since your parents are ok, maybe… maybe they'd be willing to adopt… what? What's wrong?"

Nanako was shaking her head. "My parents are umm, kinda old," she said softly, "and they both work fulltime. They wouldn't be able to watch her."

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"You're old enough," Asuka said levelly, "why don't you adopt her? You used to babysit her, and it's pretty obvious that she likes you – you could be her mother."

Averting her eyes, Nanako mumbled, "That wouldn't work either."

"Why not?" Asuka wanted to know. "You said you'd be willing to help out. Don't tell me you're not old enough, because Shinji's been watching the bra- er, Bella for weeks now, and you're older than he is."

Nanako looked pained. "I'm sixteen," she admitted, "but…"

"But what?" Asuka demanded, planting her hands on her hips. "Is it that you don't want to help, is that-"

"No!" Nanako cut in, clearly horrified, "I love Bella – I'd do anything I could for her… I just-"

"You just what!"

Standing where she was, Rei realized she was probably the only person to see the faint tremor run through the older girl's body. She wants to say yes, the First Child thought astutely, it is hurting her not to be able to.

"I'm sixteen and I'm working fulltime at a bed and bath store, and part time at a candy booth," Nanako said softly, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "My mom was injured in that angel fight, ok? She missed a lot of work, and we've got a lot of bills, so I had to drop out of school to help her and my dad make ends meet." She rolled her shoulders, rising to her full height as she concluded, "I'm not making excuses, and I don't want your pity… but there is honestly no way I can take Bella. I'm sorry…"

The silence that filled the room following this confession was both thicker and more awkward than when Nanako thanked Asuka for saving her family. Everyone exchanged quick, furtive glances, looking away as soon as they noticed that they were being watched. Only Rei kept her eyes fixed on one, single person.

Bella.

"Do not be afraid," she whispered, drawing everyone's attention to the fact that the three year old was looking around at everyone with wide, panicked eyes, her cheeks sucked so tightly around her thumb that she looked almost like a fish.

"Yeah," Hikari said quickly, fully expecting the little girl to pull back as she patted her on the head. "I know… we sound kind of mad right now, but it's not because of you, honey… ok?"

Bella looked uncertainly from Hikari to Rei before craning her neck to look up into Nanako's face. Though she said nothing, her tiny frame seemed to relax slightly, and her cheeks seemed to go a bit slacker, loosening their death grip on her thumb.

"Hey," Nanako said softly, drawing Rei's attention.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Rei looked away. "It is… late," she said uncomfortably, "please tell Ikari that I will see him tomorrow."

"Aren't you supposed to stay here until he gets back?" Asuka asked, arching an eyebrow. "Some babysitter."

"I am not needed any longer," Rei replied flatly, bowing politely to Nanako before starting towards the door. "Goodbye."

"Umm, see ya," Nanako said uncertainly, turning her attention to Bella. "Don't be rude, squirt – say bye."

Bella popped her thumb out of her mouth. "BaiBai," she babbled, waving enthusiastically at the First Child. "BaiBai Rei!"

Rei glanced over her shoulder, nodding to the little girl. "Goodnight, Bella. I will see-"

"Wuv you."

Again, those simple, slightly distorted words seemed to hammer Rei's eardrums, taking her off guard and sending her normally contained emotions into a tailspin. Without another word, she hurried out of the apartment, refusing to look back as the little girl's endearment echoed in her mind, causing her so much distress that she had to stop halfway to the train station and lean against a tall office building, staring up into the darkening sky as she tried to get her bearings.

"L-love," she stammered, fighting off growing panic as she found that she could barely say the word.

How ironic, she thought distantly, it is so foreign to me that I cannot even pronounce it properly. How ironic… how… sad…

Rei leaned against the building for a long time, struggling to regain control over her raging emotions. She was normally so cool and composed – this loss of balance was definitely outside the norm… and over what? Two words? If she got this way after getting only two thirds of famous Three Little Words everyone talked about, what would happen if the infamous 'I' was added to it?

Would she faint? Scream? Laugh out loud?

Why should it matter so much to her in the first place, anyway? She had lived her entire life without those words, so why should they affect her so?

"Do not think about it," she ordered herself, pushing away from the wall and walking slowly towards the train station, "it is not important… so do not think about it."

Unfortunately for her, Rei found out exactly what the phrase 'easier said than done' meant that night, as thoughts of Bella, Hikari, Shinji, Nanako, and even Asuka swirled and collided in her head, making sleep all but impossible and leaving her staring out her window long after midnight, standing perfectly motionless as she tried to understand the emotions she had suppressed for so long.

Finally, at 3:57 AM, she collapsed into her bed, too exhausted to undress as sleep claimed her almost immediately.

When she awoke in the morning, her head was clear and all the answers she sought seemed to be dancing just out of sight, waiting only for her to go and seek confirmation of what she had suspected for some time. Calmly changing into clean clothes, Rei made her way out into the world, making a small pit stop at a certain store before heading towards her ultimate destination.

To be concluded…

Author's notes: the last chapter is looking to be a bit complicated from a writing standpoint, since I've got a bunch of stuff to tie up. It should be a little longer than the previous chapters, and it will probably take a little while to get done – but hopefully not too long. Thanks for your patience.

And now I can't use multiple dashes to seperate scenes? QuickEdit sucks!

1 is not being pre-read.

Feedback is always welcome at random1377(at-sign)yahoo(dot)com.