CHAPTER 3

Shinji stared at the purple Evangelion. The biomechanical weapon was now fully repaired, with its purple, horned helmet back in place. The tech crew had removed the creepy bandages weeks ago, before his 'rescue', and the mad green eyes were no longer visible.

Since all the repairs were finished, it was time to check Unit One and its designated pilot, to see if they were still able to synchronize successfully. Nobody had told him like that, but Shinji was sure that both had been submitted to a never-ending chain of tests before to ensure that no angelic contamination was present in either the pilot or the three hundred foot monstrosity. The young boy wondered lazily what could have happened to him if they had discovered any Angel's trace on him.

He quickly discarded the disturbing thought of what his father could have done to him with such a proper excuse, and tried to focus on a more pleasant topic. Soon he found it, as he waved back at his mother, who was watching him from an observation pod reassuringly crowded with people. Shinji smiled, and tried to appear confident, feeling that he couldn't get by her.

Once inside, Shinji took a deep breath of LCL -regretting instantly- and he let his mind become one with Evangelion. He had done that nearly a hundred times, between battles and tests, so it was merely routine for the pilot of Unit One to synchronize with his Eva.

This time, notwithstanding, nothing happened. An undefined time later -it was difficult to estimate the passage of time while submerged in a dark and silent water- Shinji found himself blinking surprised inside his dark Entry Plug. He didn't feel anything; which he usually thought was the presence of the Evangelion. Now, there was nothing.

"Shinji! Try to concentrate!" Ritsuko said angrily through the radio.

"I'm trying," Shinji replied, surprised, "But something's wrong, here."

"What's happening?"

"I... I'm not sure," Shinji muttered, confused. The plug was still dark, and so, he couldn't see anything. It was unnerving.

Suddenly, the emergency lights switched on, bathing the plug with a soft orange light.

"Give us a second, Shinji," said Ritsuko, scratching his head. She was confused, and that wasn't something normal, nor something she liked. "Mm, let's see. Maya, how is Shinji?"

"Eh?" replied Maya nervously, "What? I..."

"Maya, the last psychologic report! What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, that," Maya blushed, breathing relieved in her seat. "Yes. Shinji is well, better than usual, probably due to..." she glanced quickly to Yui -the green eyed woman was looking out the window at the head of Unit One, frowning, "...the improvements on his personal environment," the young technician concluded.

"So, the problem isn't the pilot, is it?" Ritsuko asked, letting her chin rest on her palm as Maya nodded, still forcing back here earlier embarrassment. "Anyway, call Rei, just in case. And let's try again with Ikari," she said, making a wry face as if the word tasted bitter.

"Yes, Doctor Akagi," she said, opening a com channel. "Shinji?"

"Yes?" Shinji answered from Unit One.

"We're going to try again. Do your best," she said. "I… I trust you," Maya added hesitantly, after a second.

"Thank you," Shinji replied shyly.

Shinji observed absently how the lights switched off again, darkening the plug. He closed his eyes, and tried again to synchronize with Evangelion.

"It doesn't work," he said finally after some time.

"We can see that, Shinji," replied Ritsuko dryly. "Get out of there. Rei has arrived."

When the plug drained of the LCL and the door opened, the first thing Shinji did, after taking a deep breath, was look at Rei, dressed in her white plug suit. She grabbed Shinji's hand to help her enter the plug.

"I hope you have better luck, Ayanami,"

Rei stared at him, and Shinji found himself feeling a soft sickness when he stared back into her blood red eyes. When he had seen her the first time after the first battle, months ago, he had thought that Rei's eyes were, lacking of a better word, lifeless. Now, be it because he had got used to her or because she had changed, Shinji perceived something different beneath them.

"Thank you," she said softly, before disappear behind the white door of the plug.

Shinji climbed up to the crane and, strangely relieved by that two single words, made his way to the observation room where Ritsuko was directing the operations. Rei's synchronization attempt had failed one time previously when he arrived. After answering several of Ritsuko's questions, Yui came to talk to him.

A hug and a kiss on his cheek later, a very embarrassed Shinji felt himself blushing when he realized that half of the crew was looking at him.

"What did you feel?" asked Yui softly.

"Uh?" he replied, noticing vaguely that Maya was staring at him. "Nothing, Mom. It simply didn't work," answered Shinji, remembering that his mother had been involved in the early stages of the project.

"Nothing?"

"Doctor Ikari," pointed Ritsuko dryly, perhaps a bit more dryly that necessary. "If you don't mind..."

"Sorry," Yui replied, looking like if she couldn't be less sorry. She frowned and returned to stare at the purple machine, mumbling to herself.

"Well," Ritsuko sighed. "One last attempt, Maya."

"Yes," she nodded, "Rei, here we go. Starting A-10 connection."

"I do not feel it," the blue haired girl replied quietly.

"What do you mean?" Maya asked.

"It does not work properly," she informed.

"I can see that!" growled Ritsuko angrily. "Are you concentrating?"

Rei shrugged inside the entry plug.

"Yes."

"Get out of there," Ritsuko said. "Well, we can discard the pilot as the source of the problem. Let's start a complete diagnosis, Maya, and restart the sequence from three dot six."

Shinji looked how all the crew moaned slightly, hearing the load of work Akagi was throwing on their shoulders. He didn't know exactly what she was ordering, but looking how she sighed half of the time, it was of the kind of task that makes one stay awake till the next morning. Worse was the fact that it was late Saturday, and all the personnel were doing their best to stay perky, hoping for their Sunday break.

After receiving a dozen vengeful glances at her back, Ritsuko walked out the room. If glances killed, then Ritsuko Akagi would be in that moment a bloody pulp in the frame of the door. It seemed that in this universe God didn't hear workers' prayers regarding their employers and coupling that with one untimely death, so, growling, everybody situated their chairs and started the sequence again.

Suddenly, he felt absolutely useless. He scratched his head, not knowing what he was supposed to do at the moment. Shyly, he walked towards Maya's seat, and coughed, trying to catch the brunette's attention. He failed, though, as Maya yawned on her keyboard and stretched herself, in a vain attempt to refresh her mind a little. Suddenly, while Shinji became embarrassingly aware of how well her uniform fit her, she noticed that he was staring at her, and both started a blushing contest that would have been difficult to give a winner if Rei had not entered at that time.

Walking -rather sliding, in the silently, smooth pace Rei had – behind the crewmen - she stood in front of Maya. A quick glance was the only sign that showed she was aware of Shinji's presence.

"Yes, Rei?" Maya said quickly, relieved.

"Am I longer necessary, Lieutenant Ibuki? I wish to take a shower."

"No, I don't think so," replied Maya, checking her computer. "Let's see... Neither of you will be needed until Monday, when we'll attempt the activation again."

"Yes, ma'am," she replied, leaving the room with a last glance to Shinji. "Goodbye, Ikari."

He smiled and waved to her. Maya had returned to her work, apparently forgetting Shinji's presence.

"So..." he mumbled.

"Yes?" Maya cut him nervously.

"May I go away?"

"Yes, you may," she answered, a bit dryly.

"Then I'm leaving."

"Okay," muttered Maya, blushing.

"I'll see you by the Monday, then," Shinji replied, vaguely reluctant to go away.

"That is," she whispered without looking at him, sounding a bit disappointed.

He turned back, feeling strangely awkward, and looked at his mother. Yui, deeply frowned, was still staring at Unit One and mouthing something.

"Mom?" Shinji asked, without obtain any answer. "Mom!"

Yui blinked and looked at him, suddenly smiling.

"I've finished here. Do you want to have dinner?"

She nodded. "Of course, Treasure!" she said, messing his hair.

"Mom, please!" Shinji pleaded, feeling embarrassed again. He was used to the feeling, but the way Yui achieved to embarrass him in public was something absolutely new.

Yet comforting.

***

Yui played with the sausage on her plate while observing how Shinji ate his noodles. After a quick shower Shinji had met with her in Nerv's cafeteria, where nearly a dozen of member's of the staff were eating, much to Yui's silent relief, and both were now finishing their meals.

"You should eat more, Treasure. You're a bit scrawny," she said concerned.

"Oh, Mom," Shinji grumbled. "I eat enough."

"No, you do not."

"Of course I do!" replied Shinji, surprising himself.

"Listen to me, young man," Yui said, "I'm still your mother, and if I say that you're not eating enough, then you're not eating enough."

"And what about you?" Shinji replied playfully, pointing at her plate, a big smile starting to appear in his face.

"What I eat is entirely my business."

"So it's mine," Shinji said, smiling openly. "Let's each mind our own food."

"Let's not. You are scrawny."

Both burst in laughter.

"It's good to hear you laugh again," pointed a voice from the door of the restaurant.

Misato and Rei were there, and the purple haired woman smiled warmly at him.

"Please, sit down," Yui said, pointing to the two empty chairs of the table.

Rei nodded and sat down by Shinji's side. Shinji saw that she still had wet hair, and she had a shade of red on her face, as if she had stood for a long time under the hot stream of a shower. When she brushed slightly against his arm while she sat down, Shinji found her skin surprisingly warm. The blue haired girl looked a bit suffocated; he wondered idly for a second what the reasons could be, and then he realized that both Misato and his mother were staring at him.

"Ah, Mom, this is…" Shinji started to say. Yui interrupted him, though.

"Misato Katsuragi. I know it, we've met before," Yui smiled. "And you must be Ayanami Rei, aren't you?"

"Yes," Rei nodded again.

"I'm Yui Ikari. It's nice to meet you. Shinji has told me a lot about you."

Rei's eyes narrowed slightly, and she threw a curious glance over Shinji. In which was starting to be a very common event, blood came again to Shinji's face. There she was going again -he thought-. At least, with a bit of luck, she wouldn't press onward.

"I see that he wasn't lying when he said you were very pretty," Yui said innocently.

A dangerous amount of blood withdrew from other parts of Shinji's body to increase the red tone of his cheeks, in which would have been a world record, if blushing were an Olympic sport, at least. A more modest shadow of red appeared in Rei's pale face, and she looked uneasy; at least, as uneasy as Misato had ever seen her. After chuckling softly a few seconds -and record the moment in her memory- Misato came to Shinji's aid, as she started an uneventful conversation with Yui.

Trying to not call attention to himself, Shinji stood silently while he heard his mother tell Misato that she was feeling better, with no more vertigo and less fear to be alone. The medical crew had let her wander at her will - although she, deliberately or not, avoided carefully the smallest chance of being left alone in a room - but she had to stay at the infirmary at nights.

Shinji knew that his father was spending the mornings and nights with her, while he escorted the brown haired woman when he was in the Geofront -in the last month, he had had to go to the subterranean stronghold almost every afternoon, to do tests and simulations, and a thousand of other things that seemed of the biggest importance to Ritsuko, although Shinji wouldn't ever understand how a Rorschach test could be useful to save Mankind. A casual observer would have said that both Ikaris were relieving each other in Yui's care. A more careful insight would have pointed, though, that Gendo and his son were carefully avoiding a meeting, trying by all means of not being together with Yui in the same room. He didn't know how longer his father wanted to keep pressing the lie, but he didn't care. As long as he was able to spend time with his mother.

"Shinji!" snorted Misato, bringing Shinji back from his thought's abyss. "I know that it's hard to keep the grip on reality, being so close to Rei, but we need to talk," she teased.

Rei stood impassible while Shinji blushed again for the umpteenth time that day.

"Um, Rei, if you don't mind, we need to talk alone with Shinji."

"I understand. I will get my dinner," Rei nodded.

"Keep yourself near, we will drive you home," Misato added.

"Yes, Major Katsuragi," she replied, walking away.

"Asuka," pointed Misato thoughtfully once the three were alone, "is very angry with you, Shinji, and that's affecting her piloting and your ability to work as a team."

"I'm sorry," Shinji said automatically.

"You'd better be. She told me what you said, and you were really rude, Shinji."

"Shinji!" Yui said surprised.

"I'm sorry," he repeated, blinking surprised "But... I don't remember saying anything wrong."

"You don't 'remember?'" frowned Misato, throwing him her 'I will eat your liver if you lie' look.

He shook his head, "No."

"She asked you if you care for her, and you said that you didn't," Misato said. "That's a bit harsh, my dear Shinji."

"But you told me that you liked her, Shinji," Yui pointed, "Why did you do that?"

"I never said that!" he insisted, waving his extended hands in denial.

"You never said what, Shinji?" asked Misato evilly, savoring Shinji's confusion.

"That I didn't care for her," Shinji said, realizing what he was confessing to Misato.

"So you like Asuka?"

"..."

"Shinji?"

"Yes, I do like her," replied Shinji with a less-than-audible whisper. He blushed.

"That's my boy!" Yui nudged him lightly.

"Anyways," Misato followed, serious again. "If this is a misunderstanding -which I hope is the case - it would be better if you talk to her. Don't tell her everything, if you don't want to - that's your business, after all - but fix this affair soon. I can't stand for such a conflict in my team. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Misato," he nodded. "I will talk to her tomorrow."

"Well then," the purple haired woman smiled. "By the way, I'm going out of the city for three days on Monday. We have to see where both of you are staying, after all."

"Where are you going, Miss Katsuragi?" Yui asked.

"Oh, to a convention, and..."

Shinji watched how the two woman started to chat again, and while Misato got up to leave he wondered what Misato had told his mother about him, if she had told her of his attempts of leaving, and...

"We're going, Shinji."

He nodded and let his mother kiss him.

"Are you going to be well, Mom?" he asked concerned.

"Yes, Treasure," she smiled. "Your father will pick up me in a few minutes."

"Oh," Shinji said carefully. "Try to rest."

Yui nodded. "I need a bit of that," she yawned. "Today has been a long day."

Shinji waved at her from the door as Rei joined them, and he felt suddenly drained. Her mother was right. That day had been a long day.

***

Yui walked to her room, hanging by Gendo's shoulder.

"Uh, Gendo," she said thoughtfully.

"Yes, dear?" Gendo replied. He wasn't really paying attention, as he was remembering the recent meeting with Seele's council. Lorenz was starting to be a major problem, and his options in dealing with him were limited. All the scenario had changed, now.

"Um... What's Sorhyu like?"

"Sohryu?"

"You know, that German girl," she pointed.

"I don't know, really," Gendo admitted, surprised by her question. "Why?"

"I wanted to know what kind of girl she is, that's all. You know, Shinji likes her."

"I didn't know."

The slightest of the frowns crossed Yui's face for a second. "Didn't you know it?"

"No," shrugged Gendo. He studied her, looking for any traces of suspicion beyond her neutral expression. "She's a good girl, I think. Shinji and her would be a nice couple," he lied. If Shinji was ever involved with another pilot, that could represent a problem.

"Oh, that's great," Yui said happily. "I'm glad."

"Hmpf."

"By the way, I'd want to do a bit of research tomorrow, my dear."

"Why?"

"Oh, I want to confirm a thought I've had this afternoon," she replied, shooting him a bright smile and snuggling against him. "Could I possibly use get a brief access to MAGI, tomorrow?"

Against such a siege Gendo couldn't stand for too long. "Of course, honey," he shrugged.

"Thank you," she said, kissing him briefly. "I'll make up to you for the trouble, of course," she teased.

"Dear, I'd have to do..."

"You only have to do one thing tonight, Robukungi," she breathed seductively, pushing him against the door. "And I want it now."

After a deep kiss, she opened the door of her room and dragged Gendo inside.

"But I..."

"Oh, shut up," she replied, closing the door.

Unaware to both of them, a certain blonde scientist has been following them casually in her way to Unit One's cage. Ritsuko frowned.

"That should be me," she muttered, messing her usually neatly combed hair. "Gendo, I..." she said in a creepy, soft, cracked voice, walking quickly along the corridor.

"Gendo…"

To be continued...

AUTHOR'S NOTES

First of all, many kudos to Autophage for his help. You know, man, you don't need to apologize. I don't mind to wait. ^_^

You know, this is probably the most uneventful chapter I've written in a long, long time; nothing really happens. At the same time, all the events of this single day have a certain importance. The failure of Unit One seemed something logical, once Yui was outside.

Now the question is: is this going to be a Shinji/Asuka fic? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Miss Ibuki could have something to say about the issue... ^_~

See you!

Athos