Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or Scrapped Princess. Those shows are owned by Gainax and BONES respectively. I do not profit from writing this story.


It was a field of flowers. Shinji was sure of it. The flowers were all different. There were blue bonnets, lilacs, and daisies among others. Walking across the field was like walking on air; each step was soft and timeless. Shinji was alone at first, but the figures came.

His father appeared at the edge of the field. Ikari's departing shadow was a blight. "Wait," Shinji cried as he tried to catch up, "Father! Why don't you want me, Father?"

Shinji stopped. Kensuke was blocking his path. "Good-bye, Shinji," Kensuke said in his happy-go lucky voice, "It's been great." Shinji reached out to touch his friend, but the apparition was blown away in the wind.

That's when Shinji saw her. Her short, bluish hair flickered in the wind. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were moving – the words lost in the wind. Shinji noted that she was wearing a D-Knight's uniform. Her legs were tucked in close to her chest with arms wrapped around them.

Shinji walked closer and circled her from a distance. Her lips closed and her eyes flew open as he stopped in front of her. She had sapphire eyes. "What is it you want, Lieutenant Ikari?"

Shinji stuttered his response, "I- I- I want to know your name."

"Ayanami."

Everything went dark as Shinji repeated her name, "Ayanami…"


When Shinji woke up, he found himself face-to-face with Touji. Touji shook his head and smirked. "You had to sleep off all that beer, I suppose."

Shinji pushed him away slightly. "Get off my bunk."

Touji stood up and crossed his arms. "The last time I checked this is OUR bunk, OUR cell, OUR…"

"You made your point." Shinji got up from his bunk and held his hand to his head. "My head's pounding."

"Good," Touji said sarcastically, "Then you'll miss all the excitement."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing. Except for the red alert…"

"Alert?" Shinji was startled. "What happened?"

"Don't know, but that was about two hours ago."

Shinji was about to inquire further, but a beeping sound caught his attention. Shinji and Touji watched as their cell's force field dropped to reveal Misato in her dress uniform. Shinji and Touji came to attention as she walked in.

She gave them a once over before talking, "Looks like you boys won a reprieve. Grab your gear and get to your rooms. Stay there until further notice."

"Ma'am," Touji said, "I don't understand."

"Something big is coming and we need you, Lieutenant Suzuhara. We need both of you."


Shinji inputted his password and unlocked the door to his quarters. He felt the room's cold air rush past as the door swished open. Yui was waiting there for him by the entry. "Master, where have you been?"

Shinji trudged in as the door closed behind him. "I've been in jail, Yui," Shinji stated matter-of-factly to his Dragon.

Yui looked like a normal little girl of about seven or eight. She wore boyish hair in the style of Shinji's mother. It was the same hair that Ayanami girl had. Yui wore a flowing purple dress that matched her pale, purple skin and hair. "What happened, Master? I was worried."

Shinji shook his head. "It was nothing. By the way, how many times have I told you to call me Shinji? None of this master stuff, please."

"I'm sorry, Shinji. My programming has a tendency to take over."

Shinji walked over to his bed and promptly flopped down on it. "Yui, what happened while I was gone?"

"Colonel Katsuragi called an alert because our escorts detected unknown ships in the vicinity of the local jump gate. She put us on alert to be on the safe side, but it turned out to be the 15th Fleet. I believe that Admiral Ikari is with them."

Shinji turned over in his bed and stared up into the ceiling. A pregnant silence ensued between the Dragon and her Knight. Yui broke the silence, "Are you all right, Shinji? I looked up Admiral Ikari for you and he is your… parent."

Shinji shook his head. "No, Yui. That man is not my parent."

"Is it a computer error?"

"Yes, Yui. It is an error."

"I see," Yui said in a pensive voice, "Then, you should know that representatives from the 15th Fleet visited the Colonel this afternoon and she ordered a group-wide combat readiness alert within minutes of the meeting."

Shinji moaned, "Oh, man. What else is new?"

"You recently received a communiqué from Chief Horaki. She wishes to check the combat readiness of the Dragons. The Colonel approved the check."

"All right, Yui," Shinji said. "I'll take you to see Hikari this evening."

Shinji lay in bed for a while, thinking about the dream. He thought bitterly about his father's shadow and how it cast its darkness over his life. In his mind, Shinji could still see Kensuke's happy, freckled face as it told him good-bye. And then, there was Ayanami. She was dressed in a D-Knight's uniform… Shinji thought to himself, 'Should I check?'

"Yui, you there?"

"Yes, Shinji?"

"Can you access the D-Knight database and cross-reference the name Ayanami?"

"Is that a first or last name?"

Shinji was unsure. "It's probably her last name, but check first names too."

The Dragon closed her eyes as she scanned. When she opened her eyes, she said, "There is a match, Shinji. D-Knight Rei Ayanami, Rank: Captain. Much of her file is restricted."

"Can you tell me where she is stationed?"

The response sent chills down Shinji's spine, "She is currently with the 15th Fleet."


Hikari Horaki rubbed her eyes as she stared at the data. She had worked on maintenance for the Gigas stationed for nearly six hours. 'That Colonel,' Hikari thought as she scrolled through the data in front of her, 'why can't she tell me about these things earlier.'

"Chief?"

Hikari's train of thought was broken when she heard the tiny voice. "Yes, Gloria?"

"You look concerned. Is something wrong?"

Hikari smiled. "Don't worry, Gloria. Nothing's wrong with you. I was just thinking about all the work I've done today. And, about all the work that needs to be done."

Gloria put her hand to her chin, giving her a thoughtful air. "There is a human psychological problem called a 'nervous breakdown'. Should I call the ship's physician?"

Hikari laughed. These Dragons were robots, but they displayed human qualities that were childish at times. "It's just stress, Gloria. I think I'll feel better when I get some sleep." The console beeped for her attention. Hikari glanced at the data on her screen. "Good news, Gloria," Hikari said brightly, "The scan shows no anomalous conditions. You've held up pretty well."

"It's because of Touji. He treats me like I'm real. To put it in human terms… I love him."

Love. That was a strange word for Hikari to hear. Hikari was alone when she first came aboard the Vanguard as its chief mecha engineer. She wasn't a mecha engineer because she enjoyed it. On the contrary, she hated the profession that consumed her father. It crushed her family when her father died serving humanity, so she vowed not to get involved.

But, she was drafted out of necessity and chosen to serve as a mecha engineer. Computers did most of the work. All she had to do was monitor the results and order the computers to take the correct action. She was good at her job, but she almost became a machine herself.

Touji Suzuhara was the one who saved her from this mechanical lifestyle. He was the first one to befriend her. Touji was handsome in a goofy sort of way. Hikari didn't want to admit it, but she occasionally kept tabs on which females he took interest in. She never saw him spend a significant amount of time with any other female other than herself and Gloria. Like the Dragon, she too was smitten.

"Chief? Am I ready?"

Hikari's train of thought returned. "Oh! Ummm, yes. Gloria, you may go now. I believe Yui is next. Please have her come in. And, ask Lieutenants Suzuhara and Ikari wait around. I need to show them the results."

"Yes, Chief."


Misato took a sip from her Yebisu as she flipped through the dossiers the 15th Fleet. It was late, so she skipped reading through Kaji's dossier. She had known the unshaven man for years, so there was no need to review his background. She was intensely interested in her new D-Knights and mecha engineer.

First in the pile of dossiers was Asuka Langely Soryu. Her flaming red hair was as fiery as her personality. While she excelled in academic studies by graduating at the top of her class, she had received numerous citations for disorderly conduct. Asuka's reckless combat-flying style earned her the moniker 'Fireball'. Her instructors reported that every student in the school, save for one Rei Ayanami, refused to fly with her.

Misato was surprised to find that Rei Ayanami's dossier was the second in the pile. Rei's instructors credited her with being an excellent, by the book flyer. Flying was apparently a skill that came naturally due to Rei's background as an asteroid miner in the Kuniper Belt beyond Pluto. Academy instructors paired Rei with Asuka in an attempt to check Asuka's reckless flying. The instructors seemed pleased with their match, especially since Rei never questioned her pairing with Asuka.

The third pilot was the least experienced of the group. Mana Kirishima was a recent graduate of the Academy. She was a solid pilot and her cheerful and friendly demeanor made her well suited to be paired with a Dragon. She hadn't been in too many engagements, but she distinguished herself in the recent Vega campaign.

The mecha engineer was a last minute addition to the Vanguard's assigned personnel. Kaoru Nagisa, like Rei, had a miner background. Much of his dossier was classified except for the fact that he had worked under Ritsuko for a number of years. 'I guess she doesn't trust me. So, she's sic-ing one of her dogs on me,' thought Misato as she took her last swig of Yebisu.