Yo. My emaciated body is crawling towards a food source as we speak. Can't keep this up much longer... Argh...

Thanks to all who reviewed, and any who will review in the future. It's good to know that there are people who like this fic so much. Death threats always appreciated.

For disclaimer see first chapter.

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Shinji leaned on the balcony of Misato's residence feeling the cool breeze wash over his bare arms. Dressed for bed in shorts and a sleeve-less top, the night air was invigorating for the young man. Cool blue eyes surveyed the street below, picking out the bright street lights illuminating the darkness like stationary fireflies in the night. He often came here at night, after waking up from the nightmares he always had. It had used to be images of the Angels, his friends and family getting hurt or personal pain. Now those came less often. Instead he was haunted by visions of Third Impact and his own failings before the event. His hands tightened on the railing with barely restrained disgust as he remembered curling into a ball like a child, as he remembered his actions throughout the Angel war before his control finally snapping. Unconciously baring his teeth in a silent scowl he shuddered at the thought. While by no means iron clad, Shinji hated and feared to lose control of himself completely. It made him feel...broken. His eruption of fury against the Angels he accepted. They were serving a purpose and his reaction to seeing his father for the first time in three years, he felt was justified. But he remembered trying to deny everything, being willing to let everyone die during his loss of control...the implications could have been horrifc. They should have been horrific. If Rei had not made her sacrifice then everyone would be dead. And it would have been all his fault. He knew he would have dreams about that forever.

Breathing deeply, Shinji forced himself to release the railing, jerking his hands open. Thankfully, the dreams usually came once a night only. He'd wake, stand on the balcony weather permitting, or channel surf quietly for a hour or so, then go back to bed. It had taken him an while to get used to it. For months he had been afraid to sleep and his night/day cycles had been thrown wildly out of alignment. Now he figured if dreams were the only penance he was forced to pay for his inactions then he would accept it gladly. His eyes dulled as he remembered this night's nightmare. Scenes of a dismembered Unit 02 devoured by white demons, who circled over the carcass like vultures. He had jerked out of sleep, barely smothering a howl of anger and loss. It hadn't been that one for a while. Maybe it wouldn't haunt him forever, but it was still one of the ones he feared the most.

Shifting his gaze to the dark sky above Shinji tried to identify the constellations he knew. Most of them he had learnt from Asuka and Rei that night after the 9th Angel. Not having much luck, he realized he had unconciously brought his fingers to his lips. He imagened...no, he knew he could still taste her kiss. It had only been for an instant, a brushing of her lips against his so soft he half believed that he imagined it. But he could still taste it. Her. After that they had met up with the other's again, only slightly surprised to see Hyugga unconcious on the dancemat as they passed. They hadn't spoken about the...kiss. They still hadn't now, a week later. They had found the other's in the Winning Section. Kensuke had two large bags slung over his shoulder with green Yen signs printed on the outside. Shinji had asked what they were but he had insisted that they were nothing important. Shinji, noticing him twitching slightly, hadn't wanted to press him. Rei was still unloading clip after clip into the screen. Touji, worryingly, had passed out on the floor with a rictus of a grin plastered across his face. After finding him medical attention - which had consisted of Asuka slapping him a couple of times, well more than a couple...- they had all left the arcade, before the other two Stooges had seperated to make their own way home, lugging one sack each behind them.

Shinji had found himself walking home between a still silent Asuka, which was unusual, and a equally silent Rei, which was not unusual at all. He still remembered Rei's quiet question as they approached her turning.

"Shinji... has Suzahara adapted to his artificial limbs well?" The boy had looked at her curiously, recalling her study of Touji's prosthetics at the arcade.

"He's gotten used to it, yeah." He had chuckled before continuing. "He keeps telling me about this manga he read where the main character has a gun in his fake arm. He's telling me he wants to find out if he can turn his fake leg into a rocket launcher or something." Rei had nodded silently, her ruby eyes directed inwards. Reluctant to interupt her thoughts, Shinji had been curious as to why she had asked. The albino girl had paused for so long that he thought she was simply not going to answer him. He had felt disappointed, he was curious after all, but not hurt. That was simply the way she was.

"I feel...responsible for his injuries. It was the 'Dummy Plug' that crushed his entry plug and crippled him. And I was the basis for the Dummy Plug. In essence it was me that crushed him." Rei had spoken in a whisper but her voice was laden wiht emotion to anyone who knew her. Shinji had glanced at Asuka, walking on his other side, but she seemed too lost in her own thoughts to notice Rei's confession.

"It wasn't you." The surety in the pilot's voice made Rei look at him, slighlty surprised Shinji thought. "You were not controlling Unit 01." His voice dropped futher. "It wasn't you and it wasn't the other you either. It was an incomplete copy. A fake." Shinji didn't know how much Asuka knew about Rei's origins, so had no intentions of blaring them out accidentally. Rei had stayed silent for nearly a block before nodding slowly. They had parted ways not long after that. Rei had paused before turning to walk away.

"I believe I had...fun today. Thankyou both." Shinji did not fail to notice a faint guilty look in her eyes as she said it, as if being even that emotional was something wrong and she expected punishment. Shinji wasn't sure what to make of it but he had no doubt his father was responsible for it.

The rest of the trip, alone with Asuka had been silent.

His thoughts were brought back to Asuka. She had bought the dress she was wearing when he called her beautiful. She wore it the night they had all gone out, two nights ago on Wednesday. It had taken some convincing to persuade Misato too take them all out. Well, that wasn't true. After their purple haired guardian had gotten over the shock of Asuka making this request along with Shinji she had been more than happy to take them out. What had taken convincing was that she couldn't take the three Children to a bar. Little use for formal dresses at a place where the woman treating them had a fair chance of ending the night semi-naked. So after threatening to make her stockpile of Yebisu suddenly disappear she had capitulated, but only after he told her he knew about her secret stashes in the toilet cistern and in the wall safe she didn't think he knew about behind a picture in her room. Rei had looked beautiful in her dress, and had blushed faintly when Misato and Shinji had told her so. Asuka had added that she 'didn't look half bad' but had said it with a smile. Shinji was hard pressed to think which of the three women he would have found more attractive if he didn't know them. As it was, with Rei as a kind of surragate sister and Misato as a mother/big sister hybrid, Asuka stole the show without competition. it didn't matter that he had seen her in the red dress before. He still thought she looked stunning. He had almost swallowed his tongue when he saw her.

Misato had worn a low cut mauve dress he had never seen before and he himself had rented a tux for the occaison. A decision he had bitterly regretted when Misato had teased him about how handsome he looked. She had pinched his cheeks and started wailing over how her little man was all grown up. That had left a mark for a while.

The meal had been peaceful and Shinji thought that Rei had enjoyed herself, though her everpresent mask of stoicism made telling hard. As for the other two, Misato had been nervous and jumpy around her two flatmates ever since the Sunday they had gone to the arcade. It was as if she knew something and didn't want to tell them. However since the dinner she had seemed to return to her old self. Loud and drunk. Shinji sweatdropped at the though that it just wasn't normal in his home unless his legal guardian was partially inebriated. Asuka...well, since that day Asuka had been distant. They hadn't played on their archaic console as usual and Shinji found that he missed the time he spent with her fiercly. Her bright eyes and beautiful smile as much as her enraged glares and thunderstorm frowns as well. It was too quiet without her. Shinji smiled slightly as he remembered the night they went out to dinner. He had spent the lion's share of it staring at Asuka, but didn't think she had noticed. He had only stopped when he remembered that he had suggested the night for Rei's benefit and he had started to feel bad for neglecting her. Fortunatly she was being engaged in no doubt stimulating conversation with Misato. It was when his commanding officer had started to talk animatedly about her new plan to install a vending machine in every Nerv corridor and room that he felt the need to intervene. Successfully distracting Rei's attention by enquiring about her vegitarian meal, he had managed to steer the conversation away from his apparantly insane commander to other topics. It had been rather one sided, but he had managed to coax Rei into some kind of conversation. At the end of the night even Misato mentioned that Rei was becoming more open. Shinji felt vaguely proud of that.

His thought's returned to the present, and like iron to a magnet snapped back to the redhead that he shared the residence with. Misato was on nightshift at Nerv that night along with the majority of the bridge staff and Doctor Akagi. The only one who wasn't present would be Hyugga whose shift would start when their's finished. That left him and the German girl alone for the night. However Asuka had been surprisingly quiet all night and had retired early. Sighing Shinji tried to put aside his conflicting emotions for the girl, which seemed to be becoming more and more un-conflicting as the days passed, and wondered what was happening at Nerv right now...

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"NO WAY!" Shigeru's scream of anguish and shock rang out through the bridge, snapping Risuko and Misato out of their zen like concentration over a highly tactical and advanced game of Battleship. The blonde doctor took advantage of her opponents shock to peek over to the other side of the board. Misato watched as Shigeru leapt out of his seat and pointed an accusing finger at Maya who was giggling contently. "You cheat!" Maya squeaked indignantly before succumbing to giggles once again, fueled by Shigeru's blatantly over the top antics. He was on his knees now clutching his heart as he moaned about being defeated. Shoji was watching with a slight smile on his face but knew better than to say anything. Unable to restrain her curiosity Misato stood and made her way down to the tech's consoles, still unaware that her friend was busy noting down the co-ordinates of her fleet on her hand with a biro. Stepping over Aoba's 'corpse' the Commander leaned forward to examine the screen in front of her.

"Death Dealer? How old is this?" Echoing of incredulity, her voice held none of the reprimand it probably should have for two senior techs playing games on company time as she named the popular first person shooter released soon after the Second Impact. Shigeru, who had gotten back to his feet, was being fended off by by Maya as he tried to see her screen. The young woman was laughing loudly now, as Shigeru maintained he just wanted to see what gun she used. The wide grin on his face and habit of tickling Maya everytime he managed to sneak a hand through didn't help his credability. Finally she fended him off completely, only to be challenged to a re-match. Agreeing almost instantly Maya turned back to her console, ready to unleash more whoop-ass. Collapsing back into his chair, Shigeru muttered about beginners luck before spawning in game. And dieing instantly.

"NO WAY!" Maya giggled again. Growling loudly Aoba's hands flew across the keyboard despirately trying to avoid his love interest's incoming missile fire. Ritsuko, who had finished rigging her game, went to watch over Maya's shoulder, soon joined by Misato. The doctor smirked and gently slapped Maya's arm when she saw what her young student was doing, and was rewarded with a small smile. Chuckling to herself Ritsuko beckoned Misato closer.

"She's hacked the program and made herself permenantly invisable. She's stood right next to him now filling him full of rifle fire." Misato smirked. That was unlike Maya, but one look at Shigeru's increasingly hunted face as he lept around the screen firing wildly made her glad she had done it anyway. All three women laughed out loud when the long haired man ran around a corner firing rockets and found it to be a dead end, blowing himself up in the process. Shigeru whipped his head around to glare at this superiors and Maya. Then, with utmost seriousness, he stuck his tongue out at Maya and returned to the game. The sound of teeth grinding was apparant across the bridge as the young woman blew his head off once again.

The wooshing of a door opening distracted everyone from the game. Well almost everyone.

"DAMMIT, quit doing that!" The girl giggled again. Gendo Ikari entered the bridge, his uniform no longer paint stained and his face calm and composed. On his head a tall stovepipe hat sat, meaning he had too stoop slightly to enter the room. The combination of hat and beard made him look disturbingly like Abraham Lincoln. Shoji sighed at the sight before going back to downloading music, while the others continued to stare. The wooden duck sat atop the stovepipe hat. Misato heard Ritsuko whisper to her.

"I'll eat one of your cooked meals if he doesn't have a potted plant hidden under that hat." Bowing her head, Misato sighed. She had not seen the former commander since the day of his arrival, but tales of disappearing plants, paintings and corridors inexplicably painted white were drawing her an accurate enough picture. She spoke as Gendo moved to walk past her to the entrance to the bridge opposite the one he had used.

"Major Ikari what are you wearing?" Gendo turned his impassive gaze to her before speaking.

"A hat."

"Of course. I don't suppose you would know anything about potted plants and paintings going missing would you Major Ikari?" She inquired sweetly.

"Not at all."

"Of course not. And the random corridors inexplicably painted white? Including carpet and any windows that the corridor might have?"

"No."

"Fair enough. What about the corridors that have 'Marked for Gendofication' and your signature scrawled on them in white paint?" There was an unmistakable sweatdrop forming on the man's temple at the last. His voice however did not waver.

"No." Misato sighed, and stepped out of his way, letting him move past her to the exit. After all she had no actual proof it was him. As Ritsuko told her, everyone in the base knowing it was him didn't count as proof and although several had come forward to say they would willingly testify Misato had said it would not be neccesary. Having him doing mildly insane things like this was better than the alternative.

Motioning to her friend they both returned to their 34th game of Battleship that shift. She knew she would have to tell the children that he had returned soon. She didn't know, however, how they would take the news. Tuning out Shigeru's loud cursing and repeated accusations of cheating the purple haired commander returned to her game.

"You're turn Rits."

"B9." Misato didn't see Ritsuko suripticiously checking her palm.

"Shit! You sunk my battleship."

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'Probably nothing too interesting.' Thought Shinji before going back to his contemplation of the stars.

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Hidden in the shadows of the corridor leading to the Second and Third Children's rooms, a young redheaded girl watched the boy return his gaze to the stars. She had heard him exiting his room, the same way she heard it so often before. And like everytime this week, she found herself following him, just to watch him as he stood in the moonlight. She blushed and folded her hands over her heart where a soft warmth bloomed when she remembered the way his attention had been fixed on her almost all the time when they had gone out, leaving Rei to the tender mercy's of Misato. She had been disappointed when he snapped out of his trance, but understood that he felt responsible for Rei. She didn't begrudge him that. She couldn't bare to think he might like Rei more than her. She had nearly blurted her feelings out to him so many times in the last week, and she could still feel his lips where she had kissed him ever so softly before they were interrupted. Her fingers rose to softly lie against her lips of their own volition. They hadn't talked about the kiss. Hell, they had barely talked at all. Even when the group got together at lunch time - herself, Shinji, Hikari, Jockstrap and Cameraboy and now Rei as well - they barely exchanged greetings. Hikari had begun to look at her funny. They hadn't played their antique console either and she found she was missing his company deeply. She missed his smiles of delight and way of gently teasing her when she lost, and his rueful sighs when she handed him his ass. But if she got that close, spent that much time with him, there was no guarantee anymore that she would be able to keep her feelings to herself.

She didn't notice the tears streaking down her face while she watched the boy she loved standing on the balcony, so near to her, but impossibly out of reach.

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Shinji woke up earlier than usual the next morning. His hours of awakening had begun to fluctuate slightly without being able to depend on Asuka to wake him anymore. She hadn't tried the past week, just waited silently in the kitchen for him to awaken and prepare breakfast. Groggily, he levered himself out of the bed, carefully disentangling his legs before attempting to stand. Grabbing his toiletries he stumbled towards the bathroom. Nearly falling into the bath, Shinji was content to let the water simply bouy him, as he relaxed in the pervading warmth of the room. Finally dragging himself out of the tub, he wiped the condensation off the mirror and brushed his teeth, before wraping a towel around himself and unlocked the door intending to exit the bathroom. As the door swung open Shinji was confronted by the Second Child, wrapped in only a bright red towel and with a small bag of toiletries clutched in her hand. The other hand had been extended to open the door and now hovered, mere inches away from his chest. They both froze, staring at each other, blushes blossoming on their faces. Abruptly Shinji realised this was the first time in a week that she had met his eyes. So much had changed in only a week. He was staring at a semi-naked Asuka and he did not fear death. Much. His breath caught as her eyes dipped closed and she brought her head closer to his by a fraction. As he watched she bit her lip softly and brought her lips closer still. He realised that he was mirroring her without thinking about it, his attention still focused on her rosebud lips...

The loud slam of Misato opening her door reverberated throughout the apartment. Jumping in surprise, Shinji's eyes shot open to see Asuka's red hair trailing behind her as she disappeared inside the bathroom, sliding the door shut behind her. His lips tingled where, once again, only the lightest touch had occured. Shaking his head in confusion, he retreated to his bedroom to get dressed. He still needed to prepare breakast, and since both the ladies of the household had awakened early, like himself, whatever extra time he should have had had probably just gone out the window.

Soon the young pilot was in the kitchen preparing a quick breakfast of Miso soup and rice. It was simple and he had been trying to branch out his recepies so they hadn't had it for a couple of days. As he finished up, his mostly undressed legal guardian plopped down into her chair and face planted onto the wooden surface. Cautiously setting down the food, Shinji approached the exhausted woman, suddenly realising that she shouldn't be up for hours to come. She had only finished her shift at 6am and this was her day off. She usually would have stayed in bed until midday at least, before crawling out to revive herself with the aid of Yebisu-y goodness. Leaning down to shake the prone woman, he softly spoke near her ear.

"Misato? Misato what are you doing up?" A glaring bleary eye snapped open and focused on the boy before her, making him step back slightly nervously.

"Whaddya mean...? I have work today Shinji..." Her voice sounded muffled with her face cushioned in her arms. Shinji frowned in confusion before glancing at the calendar pinned up in the kitchen.

"But...Misato, it's Saturday. Don't you have today off?" Misato, who had been despiratly burrowing deeper into her arms in a half-hearted attempt to get away from Shinji suddenly stiffened. Slowly she straightened her back and sat up, before eeirily swiviling her head to stare at her young ward. She blinked twice, then stood, mechanically walking back to her room. Shinji heard the quiet thump which meant she had collapsed onto her futon. Smiling softly and quirking an eyebrow, he shook his head, wondering which of the two of them was more of a guardian. His pleasant introspection was interupted as Asuka entered the room, now fully dressed. Both of them hesitated as the saw the other, gentle blushes warming both their faces. Shinji struggled for something to say which wouldn't sound totally pathetic after they had nearly kissed twice. He feared that if he said something totally unrelated she would think he wanted to pretend it didn't happen, which was definatly not the impression he wanted to give. However he just couldn't think of a way to bring up the subject and had no idea how the unpredictable girl felt about what had happened.

'Hey so we almost kissed. Whats up with that?', he felt, was not quite the approach he was looking for. He just didn't know how to bring up the subject much less actually discuss it with the girl. No matter how much he wanted to he couldn't think of a way to talk to her.

So, frustrated and confused, he stayed silent and handed the girl he was falling in love with her breakfast.

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'School never gets more interesting, no matter how man times I come.' A long time ago Shinji had thought that since nothing really interesting happened in his life, his standards would probably drop and sooner or later he would begin to enjoy his scholastic experiance. This was obviously, soul-crushingly, wrong. Which is why Shinji was glaring tiredly at his sensei, trying to use his none existant mental powers to crush the old man's incredably boring head like a grape. Unsurprisingly this failed. The thump of Shinji's head impacting with the desk attracted the attention of a few of his classmates nearby. Lord knows it was more interesting than the lesson. The only upside to this exercise in tedium was that it was a half day on Saturdays. Which meant that in another five minutes he would be free. Sweet glorious freedom. He tried to refrain from looking at the clock hanging on the wall just above the teachers head, fairly certain that the weight of his eyes on it's face would slow down the clock's hands, thereby slowing time and forcing him to remain in this hell all the longer. Realizing he was exagerating his plight by a fair margin, Shinji lifted his head off the desk an inch or two, then relaxed so it thumped back down. Fortunately, this time it was quiet enough that no one payed him any mind. Turning his head to the side his eyes scanned the classroom in search for something interesting to watch for the last few minutes. His gaze was immediatly brought to Asuka. He blamed that on her bright hair attracting the eye, but put little faith into his justification. Either way, he was quite content to spend the last seconds of class watching her. Her face was turned down and what little he could see of her expression made it clear that she was paying no attention to the lesson. She looked pensive. As he watched she turned to face the window providing him with a profile of her face. His eyes widened slighlty. The sunlight shone in her hair making it look like a mane of burnished flame cascading down her back. She looked like a Goddess. Her bright blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight, blinking as they turned to regard him, a blush staining her...pale...cheeks...Wait a minute. Oh, shit.

Shinji blinked violently when reality crashed home and he realized she was watching him stare at her. He couldn't read the expressoin on her face, but the blush had yet to fade. Abruptly she lowered her eyes looking away with a aura of disappointment. Shinji sat up and cradled his head in his hands. He was doing as much damage by not saying anything to her as he feared by saying the wrong thing. The young man was jerked out of his minor epiphany by the shrill shriek of the school bell. Standing slowly, feeling as if his joints were made of rubber, Shinji stretched. As he stooped to collect his things together he noticed Touji and Kensuke approaching him.

"Yo Shin-man. You have any plans for the rest of the day?" Flicking his eyes towards Asuka, Shinji wracked his still sluggish brains for an excuse. As he hesitated he saw the Class Rep speaking to the girl and reasoned that his chance had disappeared. He would have to talk to her tonight. Resignedly turning back tot his two friends he smiled weakly.

"No, not really. What did you have in mind?" Kensuke, who for some reason once again had his camera out and was recording the exiting students spoke absently over his shoulder.

"There's a fair over at the park. They've got rides and everything. We figured if you wanted to show Rei about fun then there would be a place to try." Kensuke, seemingly satisfied with his recordings turned back to his friend. Since Rei had begun sitting with them at lunches both the two remaining Stooges and Hikari had taken active interests in trying to aid Shinji break Ayanami out of her shell. While he was thankful for their help it had become clear that they were slightly unnerved by the albino's silent presence. Not that he blamed them. He remembered being the same not that long ago. There was something intimidating about the girl, especially to those who didn't know her. So while he appreciated their efforts it seemed that they could be of little actual help. The one who had been most helpful had been Asuka. It had only been a week and already she had dragged Hikari and an always inquisative Rei on two more shopping trips. Shinji had not really been invited to either and despite how well the one he had gone along to had turned out, his innate male fear of shopping meant that he didn't really lose to much sleep about not being asked to join the fun.

"Yeah, we asked the Class Rep to come along too and she said she would ask Red."

"Huh?" Shinji whipped his head up at this just in time to see Hikari and Asuka threading their way through the desks towards them. He turned back to his friends, not wanting a repeat of the staring incident earlier. Kensuke was grinning evily at the taller jock.

"'Class Rep?'" He mimiced mockingly. "Don't you mean 'Hikari'?" He said the girls name in a high pitched voice and began gyrating, hugging himself. "The girl you L-U-V!" Touji roared in anger and swiped at his friend, who managed to dance out the way laughing.

"Suzahara!" Touji stiffened at Hikari's voice, just behind him, before swiveling to greet her. The scowl on her face made him sweatdrop.

"H-hey Class Rep..." As Shinji watched Hikari placed her fists on her hips and began to lecture Touji. Seeing Rei approaching he figured that HIkari must have asked her already if she wanted to come.

"Suzahara! What are you trying to do to Mr Aida?"

"But he said..er.." Hikari looked expectant and Asuka wore a smirk. It seemed apparant that she at least had an idea of what Kensuke had done to earn Touji's wrath.

"What did he say?" Touji spluttered some more, before muttering something placiatory to the pig-tailed girl in front of him and glaring at Kensuke, mentally promising him doom on installment payments since he couldn't pay up front. Kensuke sweatdropped behind his camera while Asuka's smirk grew exponentially.

"Well, should we go?" Shinji nervously interjected, always aware that death lurked near whenever scenes like this erupted amoungst his friends. Everyone turned their attention to him making him sweat slightly. "Y'know...to the fair?" Shinji relaxed as everyone muttered agreement and began to troop to the door.

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Long since bored of hanging around the house with nothing to do, Misato was making her way towards Nerv. Swinging her blue Renault around a corner, making the vehicle tip onto only two wheels in the process Misato mused on how sad it was that she was going into work on her day off because it was more entertaining than staying at home. She was the only one who had the day off, so the rest of the 'gang' - barring Hyugga once again - would be in work. Ignoring the enraged cries and terrified shrieks her driving coaxed from pedestrians and fellow motorists Misato adjusted her sunglasses. Abruptly she spun her car 180 degrees and across two lanes of incoming traffic, to bring it to a halt next to a startled Makoto Hyugga. Cringing away from what he had assumed was approaching blue metal death, Makoto relaxed when he recognised his commander in the driver seat.

"Hey Hyugga! Whatcha doin?" The tech smiled at the purple haired woman's childlike innocence. He lifted the two shopping bags in his hands so she could see.

"I lost at rock paper scissors and got stuck with snack duty." He grinned sheepishly. It was tradition closer to law that the shift on duty would buy snacks for the shift that replaced them. It was another of the little traditions that Misato had created. Their was even a Nerv Snack Bank, which provided the money for the purchases. All the staff had to do was actually go and buy the goods. It was thought by many that the budget for Nerv had become slightly more congenial of late. After all without having to replace vast swaths of armour both on the Eva and the Geofront, they had more spare cash lying around now.

"But there are vending machines all over Nerv HQ. What did you have to come out here for?"

"Not everyone appreciates your taste for Beer and nuclear strength curry ramen Misato." Shifting uncomforatbly, Hyugga brought up one hand to adjust his glasses, trying not to slap himself in the face with the shopping bag. Pouting, Misato noticed her subordinates quandry.

"You want a lift in Hyugga? You shift finishes soon anyway right?" Makoto sighed, his relief evident.

"That would be great Misato." Sadly Hyugga had heard the tales about Misato's driving 'style' and dismissed them as exagerated rumor, so he had no hesitation about climbing into the passenger side. It was only when she had started the engine that he remembered she had cut off about six drivers to get to him in the first place. "OH SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!" Clawing for the precarious security of the seat belt strapped around his quivering frame, Hyugga winced as he was slammed into the car door his face flattened against the window. Swerving throught the traffic on the wrong side of the road, the blue sportscar seemed to ricochet off the other cars like a hockey puck. "Car. CAR. CAR! ARGHHHH!" When they finally came to rest and Hyugga had managed to pry his fingers out of the dashboard, the cheery Commander and the traumatised tech made their way through the corridors of Nerv towards the bridge. Entering the bridge Misato caught the staff just as they began to swap with thier replacements. Kanzuke and Minase, the two techs that were being replaced by Maya and Shigeru, said their goodbyes to Hyugga and made tracks, while Hyugga stayed a little longer to say hello to the bridge crew and deposit the snacks. Misato gave him a peck on the cheek as he left, leaving him blushing faintly. As the rest of the crew settled in for a long, boring shift the doors opened once more to emit Ritsuko and Shoji.

"I thought this was your day off Misato." The blonde Doctor said, surprised to see her friend waiting for her.

"I got bored at home, so I decided to come in."

"You really have no social life do you?"

"Bite me!" Her friend acerbic sense of humor was beginning to make her regret her desire to be around people. While Ritsuko was still chuckling the doors opened one final time.

Gendo Ikari stepped onto the bridge. The only sound was that of Miasto's jaw cracking off the ground. Walking calmly onto the bridge, Gendo was wearing day-glo hippy slacks, a multicoloured waist-jacket and a large gold chain with Nerv's symbol hanging from it as a medallion. His normally unkempt hair was now a giant afro, the circumference of which was easily three times that of his head. On his feet he wore wooden clogs, fashioned to mimic the wooden duck he had taken to carrying everywhere with him. As soon as he entered his legs started to kick and flick about like minnows in a glass of water while the upper part of his body remained totally motionless. There was no words to encompass the scope of Misato Katsuragi's incredulity at seeing her former commander Irish dance his way across the bridge. The sharp clicking of his footwear on the metal floor faded away as the doors closed once again on his exit from the bridge.

Misato turned to her friend, who seemed to be an expert on Gendo Ikari's apparantly worsening insanity. Her friend looked at her equally wide eyed, appearing more than a little afraid.

"This is a new one to me Misato. I don't know what the hell is going on this time." Sighing Misato approached the vending machine, digging through her pockets for change. Reaching the machine, she decided that it was all too much trouble. Pulling out her sidearm the still dazed woman pumped a few rounds into the glass front of the beer and ramen provider before simply reaching in and snagging a can. Chugging the beer, she threw the can over her shoulder and reached for another with grim determination.

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In the darker depths of Nerv, which means it's very damn dark, Gendo Ikari stood before three dozen men, all of whom were of pretty much the same height and build. And all of whom wore a high school girl's uniform and cheap plastic masks of Rei Ayanami's face. Any hair thay had was dyed light blue. Gendo stood before them... and he smirked.

"What the hell is going on now?" The strained voice of Kouzo Fuyutsuki alerted the elder Ikari to his presence. Shifting his gaze behind the star-shaped lenses of his new fushia tinted glasses he turned to look at his former teacher. As usual for the last week, Fuyutsuki was loaded up with packs of Nerv Curry Ramen. Another of his students near insane schemes. While Gendo continued his program of 'Gendofication', Kouzo had been raiding every vending machine he could find of it's stock of curry ramen. The people who re-stocked the machines assumed that Commander Katsuragi was the one eating it all, as rumors of her love of the deadly snack food circulated wildly around the command centre. In his spare time - ie. any time not spend Gendoifying something - Gendo was making a fort out of them in his office. Just another of his minor schemes to piss of Katsuragi, which had now seemedly become his main object in life. Gendo's voice was cold as he answered his old friend's question.

"After my brief personal appearance in this... outfit, no one on the bridge will be able to predict my next move." Turning back to the men he had stood before he continued. "It was becoming troubling to re-paint all the corridors personally and I had to avoid the ones with security cameras I could not override. Now with my army of 'Gendofication warriors' I will issue a crushing blow against Katsuragi and return Nerv HQ to the cold, soulless place it was designed to be."

"...Is that the outfit you wore to the dance when you first met Yui?"

"Red group, you are responsible for removal of all paintings and plants." A loud roar of approval was given by roughly a third of the men.

"...It is, isn't it? I recognise those pants...the shoes are new though...It's the same one Yui banned you from wearing to your wedding."

"Blue group, you are reponsible for repainting the walls, ceilings and floors of every hallway in Nerv." The remainder of the men roared their approval.

"...I know you're ignoring me Ikari..."

Gendo stood, hands clasped at the small of his back as he surveyed his troops. Kouzo sighed and moved to stand next to him, accepting that his old student would not answer any question pertaining to the 'outfit'.

"What happened to the wooden duck?" he asked eyeing Gendo's choice in footwear. "This is the first time in a week I've seen you without it." Wordlessly Gendo Ikari thrust a hand into his afro and removed the small wooden duck concealed within. Then cradling it in one arm he began to stroke it slowly as he continued to stare out at the taskforce he had assembled before him. After hearing Fuyutsuki sigh once more, his eyes narrowed and his voice chilled any who heard it to the bone.

"Send in the Rei's."

"...Are you gonna refer to them permenantly as 'the Rei's'..."

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"Whaddya mean it's closed!" Asuka's irate voice snapped Shinji out of his deep introspection. Since leaving the school he had been concentrating all his energies on trying to find a way to talk to Asuka alone, all to no avail. Sighing quietly to himself he looked up to find Touji as the target of the German's wrath. Well that was unusual. Shinji smirked slightly, the expression felling kinda weird on his face.

'Better him than me.' Support amoungst men and male brotherhood was all very well, but at times like this it was every man for himself. As such he found himself unconciously shying away from the scene in front of him.

"Look, some kid got catapulted off a rollercoaster or something, so they closed the park while they spray him off the walls." Hikari looked ill at Touji's blunt statement.

"That's horrible!" Hiding her face in her palms she dove into Touji's chest, trying to burrow into him. Startled, and nearly bowled off his feet, the jock reached out and held the girl to him as she trembled. Looking panic stricken he began to comfort the girl, who was now plastered against his chest. Shinji heard Asuka sighing.

"Gee, be obvious about it, why don't you?" she muttered. He wasn't sure because he was paying more attention to Touji trying to figure out how to slug Kensuke who was leering at him and recording his intimate moment with Hikari, but he thought he heard the redhead mutter under her breath. "Lucky..." Refraining from looking at her, he stepped forward to try and distract Touji from murdering his other male friend.

"So what do we do now guys?" Touji stopped glaring at the camera wielding boy for a second and began to think, no longer paying attention to the fact that the Class Rep was still pressed against him. Rei stayed silent, looking towards the treeline of the park. Shinji followed her gaze and watched the wind ruffle the leaves of the tall trees. Seeing as it was a half day he hadn't eaten lunch yet and was starting to get kinda hungry. "Why don't we get something to eat in the park and just wonder around for a while?" Kensuke and Touji both shrugged their acceptance of the new plan, while Hikari and Rei said nothing. Asuka grunted and flipped her hair over her shoulder before walking up to Rei and grabbing her arm.

"C'mon Wondergirl, lets find somewhere that serves something vegetarian." Shinji shook his head in wonder as she led 'Wondergirl' off down the path. Even if she still called the blue haired pilot her little 'nickname' it was never said in mockery any more. Shinji had no idea what had prompted Asuka to take such a...sisterly liking to her self-declared 'rival' but he was glad she had. Having a female friend would benefit Rei in ways he could not. Besides she needed more than just him to make up a social circle. Smiling quietly Shinji followed them, heading towards the park. He began to laugh quietly when Hikari latched onto Touji's arm, still 'horrified'. The tracksuited teen, not knowing what to do simply pulled her close as he walked past Shinji looking very uncomfortable. The light glinted off Kensuke's lenses, both of his camera and his glasses, making him look decidedly evil as he recorded the scene. Touji turned to glare at both of them so he didn't see the blush on the girl's face as she turned into his side, but Shinji just laughed louder. It would be worth the price for this.

Following the two female pilots Shinji noticed they were heading for the small group of cafes at the centre of the park. Organised in a circle the seating arrangement fanned out in a larger circle around them. Beyond that lay a small boulevard of souvenir shops and stores. Lifting a hand to shade his face from the sunlight, Shinji broke into a light jog to catch up with the rest of his group, soon passing under the shade of the boulevard trees. Dropping back to a normal walking pace Shinji looked ahead to watch the two female pilots once again. From the way Asuka was wildly gesturing and Rei's impassive silence it seemed the blue haired girl had asked another of her innocent, yet totally impossible to answer questions.

'Thank God father gave her 'the talk'. I don't think I could handle that.' In the cinema of Shinji's mind the film started to roll. A grainy picture of himself and Asuka sitting at a table with Rei, both looking sheepish sprang forth. For some reason Rei had a pink ribbon in her hair, a teddy tucked under her arm and absolutely no facial expression. He noticed that 'Imaginary Asuka' was holding a condom and a banana in her hands. 'Oh sweet God no.' Even just imagining this situation was enough to make him want to sit down. After he had finished mentally cringing and turned his attention back to the 'Brain TV' Rei's face had suddenly become wide eyed with childish wonder as Asuka gave 'the talk'.

Touji was having difficulties. Most young men, when faced with a girl who they had a serious crush on suddenly becoming incredabily clingy, would be celebrating. Touji on the other hand not being the sharpest tool in the shed and knowing full well that if he said anything there was an extremely good chance he would look like an arse, was trying to look everywhere but at the object of his silent affections. Hence his eyes were whipping back and forth with feverish intensity, trying desperatly not to fall upon the pig-tailed girl who was now leaning her head apparantly absently on his shoulder. He was also trying to ignore the fact that since she was so close he could distinctly smell the scent of jasmine in her hair, his track suit had begun to feel like a sauna. Mentally he promised to murder Kensuke, or at least shove that damn video camera somewhere the sun didn't shine, who was standing on Touji's opposite side from Hikari, gleefully recording Touji's pain. Now despirate for something to take his mind off his current 'predicament' Touji turned to look at Shinji and blinked to see him repeatedly beating his head against a tree trunk.

'Okay...'

Thud, thud, thud... There, that seemed to take care of the disturbing visions in his mind. It also killed a couple of million brain cells as well but hey, you can't have everything. 'Banana...' Thwack! Ok now that one hurt. Rubbing the spot on his forehead where he had smashed it when he hit the trunk of the towering tree Shinji staggered backwards. Looking back to the path he saw that only Touji was watching his little bout of self abuse. Waving an arm vaguely at his friend to tell him he was ok, he stepped back onto the path, groaning slightly at the pain in his forehead. Seeing the rest of the group congregating around Rei and Asuka who were crouched by the side of the path he hurried up to see what the matter was. Stepping round Touji's little group, he found the First and Second Child crouching before a small kitten. A tabby, the kitten was mewling softly and gently batting at Rei's outstretched fingers, struggling to keep it's balance whenever it lifted a paw to continue it's little game. It fell onto it's side indignantly when Asuka gave it a small poke in the side. Shinji watched as a small smile blossomed on Rei's face at the kitten's antics. Now back on it's feet, the tiny creature was leaning forwards and waving it's slim tail from side to side as it fixated on Rei 's fingers in front of it's face. Scrunching down further it pounced forward and wrapped it's small limbs around the pale hand, it's claws too tiny to do anything but tickle. The boy was visibly startled to see the girl giggle quietly as the kitten rubbed it's head into her arm.

"I think it likes you." Shinji shifted his gaze to see Asuka smiling at the scene and realised that he was smiling as well. Not just for the kitten and Rei but because this was the most honest smile Shinji had seen from his volatile friend in a while. Turning back to Rei who was now rubbing her fingers over the content kitten's head and listening to it's soft purring, Shinji failed to see Asuka turning to look at him the same way he had looked at her.

"You gonna adopt it Rei?" Hikari, still symbiotically attached to Touji, enquired noting that it had no name tag. The blue haired girl looked startled at the question and answered in her usual monotone. The smile did not fade though.

"I...would not know how to care for it. It would be unfair to it for me to adopt it." Shinji heard the forlorn note in her normally emotionless voice. He also heard Asuka snort violently, tossing her hair over her shoulder, effortlessly captivating Shinji in the process.

"Come on Wondergirl. My drunken guardian took care of a genetically engineered penguin for years and she permenantly sees the world through booze tinted vision. I think you are more than capable of looking after a kitten. We can grab some cat litter and cat food on the way back." Shinji and Kensuke exchanged wry looks behind the gregarious girls back. The chances of her buying the stuff was slim, let alone actually carryingit. Time to play pack mule again. Touji was still to distracted to notice. Shinji turned back to the two girls in front of him and crouched down next to Rei on the opposite side to Asuka when he saw she was still hesitating.

"Remember when I told you you would make a good mother?" Shinji spoke quietly, hoping that the others wouldn't hear what he said. His hopes were dashed somewhat brutally when a camera lense appeared over his shoulder. Stifling his sigh he continued seeing he had Rei's attention. "I think you'd look after it fine. You can keep each other company." Shinji gave a tiny gulp, and mentally slapped himself hard when he saw Asuka's face. He realised that he had mentioned Rei and mother in the same sentence. If anything was guaranteed to give Asuka the wrong impression it was that. And the way her face shifted from intense pain to auger like fury confirmed his fears. 'Shit. Shit shit shit shit...' He barely heard the rest of the group add their encouragement to his and Asuka's. As he watched paralyzed, she stood briskly and turned away. He found his hand reaching out to her subconciously befoe he was distracted by Rei straightening to her feet next to him. The kitten was cradled in her arms and her eyes were on Asuka's back, concern etched in her features. 'How much does she know?' He stood as Rei walked over to Asuka and whispered something in her ear, while the rest of the group watched in confusion. Asuka nodded reluctantly finally and they both continued down the path towards the food area at the centre of the park.

"What the heck was that about?" Touji seemed to have returned to himself enough to notice the two girls strange actions. Shinji echoed his words silently, not really sure if he wanted to know.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Asuka lay on her bed face down in her pillow and sighed forlornly, closing her eyes because it was so dark she could hardly see anyway. She always woke up in the middle of the night now. And she knew why too. Because he always woke up in the middle of the night. Curling into a ball in the centre of her bed she remembered what had happened earlier that day.

'He said that she'd make a great mother. Why would he say that? Does...does he like her more than me?' The redhead's stomach twisted violently at the thought that the girl she was beginning to think of as a friend might have the affection she so despiratly wanted for herself. 'But she said...' Asuka could still hear the taciturn girl's words after she had turned away from Shinji, unwilling and unable to let him see her cry.

'The bond Shinji and I share is not the one that you and Shinji share. Nor does either of us want it to be.' Asuka was still unsure what that was supposed to mean, but she chose to take comfort in the words. Even if Shinji chose Rei over her she couldn't bring herself to hate Rei. Watching her smile at the kitten as it lapped contentedly at a saucer of milk the waiter had brought out with their drinks had made her realise that much. And at the end of their day when they had all gone their seperate ways home, the way she had thanked them for their time and effort cleared any lingering doubts in her mind.

The red eyed girl looked at both Shinji and Asuka, the three of them the last ones left of their group. They had gone with Ayanami to her flat and dropped off the supplies she would need to take care of the kitten, while she had cradled the little ball of fur in her arms where it purred contentedly.

"Thankyou both. I...feel like I am having fun now." With that the albino pilot gave a samll bow of thanks and turned back to her own home.

Bringing her knees up to her chin she wrapped her arms around them. She and Shinji hadn't talked in a week now. That thought alone saddened her even more. Quite simply she missed him. She had thought just at the beginning of the week when she had first realised that she loved him that she could be content just being near him. In the same house as him, seeing him constantly. She didn't believe that was true anymore. She needed him to see her. To want her the way she wanted him. She now knew that she needed to be with him, not just near him.

Before any of this had begun she had started waking up in the middle of the night whenever he went out to watch the stars, everynight. For an age she had been content to lie in her bed and wait for him to go back to his before she could fall asleep again, feeling oddly assured. Then she had started watching him at night, standing in the shadows out of sight should he turn around. The irrational fear that seized her everytime he went out, that he wouldn't come back. That he'd simply walk out the door and out of her life. She found she had to go make sure he was ok, that he was staying with her in the tiny flat they shared with a purple haired booze-hound and a penguin who drank like a sailor with a wooden leg on shoreleave. She twisted the thin sheets in her hands in frustration. 'How long will it be before I have to go stand next to him? Until I have to touch him to be sure he is really there?' Screwing up her eyes she buried her face into the pillow once more. 'Even that jock got together with the girl that wants him.' Asuka thought of Hikari's disappointed face when they had sat down at the cafe and she had had to release the walking jockstrap. She had looked downcast most of the time they had stayed there. Asuka smiled slightly remembering Touji hesitantly wrapping his arm around her when they all stood at the end of their lunch, looking like he was about to alligator wrestle an Angel. The hesitation had faded abruptly when she had smiled ecstatically and hugged him, nearly cutting off his air supply. She was so happy she barely scolded Touji for throwing the salt and pepper shakers at Kensuke for making a big deal out of it. She frowned abruptly when she remembered something else that had happened involving Touji.

They hadn't spoken about the wierdness at the side of the path. They had all decided for various reasons that they just weren't going to mention it. Asuka mused to herself as she watched Rei stroke the kittens head as it lapped the milk happily, thinking sadly about what had happened. She flicked her eyes to Shinji who was frowning at his food as he ate, looking as downcast as Hikari. Still hurt she made no attempt to talk to him.

"Hows the furball Wondergirl?" Instead of an answer as she expected, Rei turned to her and cocked her head to the side curiously.

"Why do you call me Wondergirl?" The question obviously wasn't asked out of anger, just simple curiosity. Asuka answered it as such, without getting flustered about it.

"It's just a nickname." Seeing that the quiet girl was still not understanding she elabourated. "A name friends call each other instead of using their real names. It's a sign of friendship...most of the time." She added the last belatedly, realizing that when she had started calling Rei 'Wondergirl' it had been out of anything but friendship. She was thankful when the girl nodded accepting her answer. Then...

"It is similar to when Suzahara calls you 'Demon girl'?" Touji stiffened silently as Asuka's eyes narrowed. Rei continued. "Or when he calls you 'Lucifer's handmaiden'? Or 'Satan's favourite daughter', or 'Hell's Princess' or..." Every name Rei mentioned made Touji shrink further into his seat, now sweating profusly. It also made the vein throbbing on Asuka's temple more apparant.

"Ass." Asuka whispered softly to herself, making a den out of her blankets and burrowing underneath. The girl froze, hearing the soft rumble of Shinji's door sliding open. Still and silent she listened to his footfalls as he passed her door and walked into the living area. Straining her ears she heard him open the balcony door and close it behind him. Waiting an eternity, she quietly rolled out of bed and tip toed to her door. Sliding it open quickly, knowing that Shinji couldn't hear her door open from the balcony, she crouched in the shadows of the corridor and watched as Shinji stared upwards at the night sky, looking as if he were trying to count the stars. Leaning against the wall, her cheek lying against the cool paint, she felt her eyes tearing the same way they did every night. A soft sigh escaped as she felt the first tear streak down her cheek, dropping off the bottom of her chin. She would have closed her eyes to stop the tears escaping, but the irrational fear had hold of her again. The fear that if she took her eyes of him to even blink he would disappear from in front of her eyes. The very thought sent slivers of ice running down her spine and made her catch her breath sharply. 'No. I need him here. I want him here. Please Shinji, please don't leave me.'

The redheaded girl spent another night crying. Even when Shinji turned away from the night sky to come inside and she had to retreat to her room she cried still. The only difference then was that she could sob freely without being afraid of being heard.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Lying in his bed, Shinji listened to the girl he loved cry. He could easily hear her sobs through his thin walls and longed to go comfort her. But the young pilot knew Asuka had nightmares that plagued her, and he feared to wake her up from another dream about her mother or whatever else featured in the beautiful girl's dreams. He knew she wouldn't want him to see her cry about her mother. So he stayed in his room and curled into a ball in his bed, despiratly trying to block out the crying from the next room.

The only sound that came from his room that night was when he shattered his SDAT throwing it at the wall, hours after the redhead had cried herself to sleep.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Another chapter finished. As far as I can tell there should be only 2 chapters left, possibly with an epilogue. Just for a bit of extra fluff. Ok kiddies, I normally don't do this but i've decided to give you a quick hint about what happens in the next chapter, showing you that for once I am not just making it up as I go along, there is at least a semblance of a plan. Sort off. Ish. A bit. Bite me.

NEXT TIME, ON: WE'RE NOT SURE YET BECAUSE WE MIGHT CHANGE THE NAME OF THE FIC...

The children find out that Gendo, complete with ridiculous beard has returned. How will this effect the children? Will Pen Pen be used as an impromptu weapon by Asuka in her anger? Will command of Nerv be returned to the man who controlled it for so long and be forced to dance to his apparantly Irish whims? Will Shinji finally grow some balls? None of this and less in our next episode. Same crap time, same crap channel.

Ja Ne. Now for some food. Arg.