Stupidly, I forgot to add a disclaimer here when I posted this fic yesterday. Here it is:

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion, but I do think that baby Shinji is very cute!

= = = = = = =

She paid close attention to the panels, each focused on a live image of a certain Eva pilot, labeled with their respective names and units.

"How are you feeling?"

Rei: "Something's different."

"Yeah, it's different from usual." –Shinji.

"It's a different sensation. The right arm is clear, and all the rest is dull," Asuka, in an odd tone—irritation, or wonder?

Eva 00's fingers clench.

"Data collection's going well."

Maya's reflection shines brightly on the glass panel.

No...

...dilemma?

Ritsuko again. "You can guess the personality of the person who made it, can't you?"

"What are you saying? You made it, didn't you?"

"You don't know anything."

Vexation. Apparent annoyance. "Well, unlike me, you don't talk about yourself."

Pause.

"Will it affect our test?"

"At this moment, no."

"Then continue."

Silence.

"Contamination alert has been issued in Sigma Unit, floor A."

"87th protein wall has degraded. It's heating up!"

"There's a problem in #6 pipe!"

"The corroded area's expanding rapidly!"

"Abort the experiment! Disconnect the No.6 pipe! Set the laser at max power, and fire as soon as it reaches there."

"It's coming!"

Silence.

Broken by Rei's scream.

"What about Rei?!"

"She's alive."

Relief.

"Fire the lasers, quickly."

"AT field!"

Her own voice, shouting.

"Impossible!"

"An angel...?! You let it get in?!"

Shock.

"I'm sorry. We'll isolate the box! All personnel, evacuate!"

Cracking glass.

"What're you doing? Move it!"

"Isolating the Sigma Unit from floor E."

Rushing water.

"The sub-computer's been hacked! Intruder, unknown!"

"Cut the main cable; fire the laser!"

"The AT field was developed, no effect!"

Blended voices.

"Self destruction was proposed by the artificial intelligence, Melchior."

Disbelief.

= = = = = = =

Misato woke in a cold sweat, tossing her blankets off of her carelessly. As if it wasn't bad enough to have lived through that horror once. She put her feet to the floor and gingerly stood up, grumbling at the pain in her joints.

Damn, I'm not THAT old yet!

Misato swayed and grabbed the table to secure her balance, then went to go get a beer. She sat alone in the kitchen with the room only half-lit, her head drooping on her shoulders and occasionally rising to take another sip of beer. The beverage did little to liven her up; if anything, it seemed to be doing the opposite. Misato groaned and rested her head and arms on the wooden table. Something soft brushed against her legs.

"Hi, Pen-pen," she mumbled, her eyes closed, as she reached down to stroke the bird.

"Wark," he replied by way of greeting, nibbling gently on her index finger.

It took the purple-haired woman much more effort than usual to raise her head the necessary number of degrees so that she could view the clock over her never-used oven. It was 3:15.

"I should really go back to bed," she mumbled, "be awake tomorrow."

Nevertheless, she did not move until Pen-pen pecked her thigh lightly.

Misato tiptoed past Shinji and Asuka's rooms, listening carefully to make sure that neither had been disturbed by her midnight escapade. Then she crept into bed and closed the door behind her.

It was much too hot to sleep with the blanket covering her. Misato kicked them to the floor and fell fast asleep.

= = = = = = =

"Good morning, Asuka."

"Guten Morgen." The redhead yawned. "Where's Misato?"

Shinji turned slightly from the breakfast he was cooking. "Still asleep, I think," he said quietly.

"I see." Asuka slid into her usual seat at the table and stared in distaste at the opened beer can. When Shinji reappeared a moment later with two plates of steaming food, the redhead was wearing a smug grin.

"Digging into Misato's beer stores, have you?" she chided roughly, as he slid her plate to her across the smooth wooden surface. "Ouch, that's hot—don't do that, baka!"

"Sorry," Shinji apologized quickly, lowering his head. Unfortunately his gaze landed on the beer can.

Since when does Asuka drink beer?

Deciding that it would be wisest not to question her about it, Shinji picked up the can and made to throw it away.

"Unbelievable." Shinji turned, the can still in his hand. The German was leaning back in her chair, eyes closed, a piece of vegetable omelette speared on the tip of her fork. "Even I wouldn't have expected this from you, Third Child."

Shinji's stomach did a flop as he recalled her earlier words—words he had not taken into consideration since the girl had been yelling at him for burning her hand.

"I—I haven't done anything!" he protested, in futile defense.

"You were the first one up this morning," Asuka pointed out, "and I know the table was clean after dinner last night." She placed the morsel in her mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the taste.

Knowing it was useless, Shinji made no argument but instead sat down to his own breakfast. The door slid open behind them and Misato appeared, looking haggard and worn—and she was most certainly not appropriately dressed.

"Ohayoo." She stumbled to the stove and stabbed a fork into the remaining omelette, not noticing the shocked stares of the Second and Third Children.

"Misato," Asuka asked, no longer able to contain her curiosity, "what happened to your legs?!"

Confused, Misato glanced down.

When did it get this bad!?

She'd first noticed the bruise on her left hip several weeks ago, but couldn't remember when she had gotten it. She had shrugged it off; bruises had come and gone without her knowledge in the past. But this one hadn't healed itself; if anything, it had worsened. It had spread.

And now it was halfway down her thigh. Both thighs, actually.

"Kaji didn't...?" Asuka prompted, letting the question hang in the air.

Misato stiffened. "If you're asking if he hit me, the answer is no," she responded crossly. Shinji glanced worriedly at his guardian as she sat down and began to eat rather forcedly. He had the impression that she had no appetite whatsoever.

I'll ask Ritsuko about it later, she thought. I need a beer.

Misato dropped her fork limply, letting it clatter on her plate. "Asuka... get me a beer, will you?"

Asuka took great pleasure in refusing. Without a word Shinji got up and fetched it for her.

"Thanks, Shin-chan..."

"Always acting the hero," Asuka snorted. "Whatever would we do without the valiant Third Child?"

Misato popped open the beer and downed half of it in one gulp.

"All right." She slammed the empty can on the wooden table with as much force as she could muster, emitting a deeply satisfied sigh. "Ready to go?"

"Been up and waiting," Asuka announced.

"Misato-san," Shinji began hesitantly, "shouldn't you put on some clothes first?"

Misato glanced down and was met with the angry glare of her bruises. I'll have to wear long pants, if I don't want everyone demanding to know what happened to me. She glanced uncomfortably at the window. The thermometer informed her that it was no less than ninety-seven degrees outside.

"Right," she replied in a strained voice, "go get in the car, and I'll be out in a minute."

= = = = = = =

Sorhyu Asuka Langley was not happy. It did not please the Second Child to be stuck within twelve feet of the Third, unless her fist was making contact with his face. She sighed and crossed her arms again, this time placing her left arm on top of her right. This new arrangement kept her temporarily pacified. If Misato didn't show up soon, she might just go home and refuse to go to Nerv for the day.

Why the hell does Ritsuko need a new synchronization test every other day? she fumed. Unbelievable.

Behind her, Shinji murmured quietly, "I wonder what's taking her so long..."

Asuka closed her eyes in annoyance. "Then why don't you go find out, Third Child?"

To her surprise, he obeyed.

The door slammed behind him, leaving the redhead alone in Misato's old blue car. Asuka was cramped; there wasn't exactly much legroom. She had always had long legs—and she was proud of them, except on occasions such as these. The heat only added to her discomfort. Frustrated, Asuka rolled it down manually—if Tokyo-3 was so technologically advanced, why didn't they have those electricity-controlled car windows where all you had to do was press a button?

"Summer," she muttered. "It was never this hot in Germany... damn!"

The Second Child leaned out the window with a bored expression on her face, balancing her chin on the edge of the glass.

"He probably got lost on his way up, that baka," she muttered.

= = = = = = =

Shinji, however, was anything but lost. He had made his way up to the apartment quickly, basking in the cool air of the apartment building. In fact, perhaps it was a good thing that he had been sent to fetch Misato after all.

That happy mood quickly dissipated when no one answered, regardless of how much damage he did to the door.

"Misato-san!" he yelled.

After the fifteenth shout, Shinji had lifted his fist to land yet another thump on the door when it suddenly slid open, forcing him to grab the doorframe to keep from falling over.

"Sorry," Misato muttered. "Come on, let's go."

Shinji watched his guardian and commanding officer carefully as they stepped into the elevator. She looked exhausted, more than he had ever seen before. Her hair hung limply around her shoulders, not bouncy as it usually was. She wore the usual red jacket—and long jeans. A hot breeze enveloped them as they stepped out onto the marble tiles of the first floor.

"Damn, where did that girl go?"

Shinji followed her gaze to her car and noticed that it was indeed empty. One glance at Misato told him that she'd better sit down, so he offered to look for Asuka while she got the car started up. The Major quickly agreed. It didn't take the Third Child long to locate the Second.

= = = = = = =

Asuka was standing only a short distance away. Her fingers were outstretched, their tips barely brushing the silky petals of the cherry blossoms.

"Deutschland..." she whispered, remember. "Mama..."

There was a tree like this in Germany, outside our house, and every spring it would bloom... Kaji told me it was from Japan. The one connection I had with Mama after she died.

A twig cracked behind her, followed by the last voice she wanted to hear.

"Asuka?"

The redhead whirled around, her soft musings dissolving in an instant. "Third Child! Don't spy on me!"

The Third tried frantically—futilely—to defend himself against her accusations, but all was to no avail; five minutes later, a fiery Asuka and a rather bruised Shinji (though it was nothing compared to what his commander bore) made their way back to the car.

"Took you long enough," Asuka snapped at the driver, as she got into the passenger's seat.

Misato made no reply.

Several miles down the road Asuka asked, "Can't you turn on the air conditioner?"

"There isn't one in this car." Misato's reply was clipped and curt.

"Unbelievable." Asuka shook her head. "You work for the most technologically advanced organization in the world—and your car doesn't have air conditioning."

Misato did not reply.

Her hopes of being able to speak to Ritsuko alone were quickly dashed as Maya ran outside to meet her, clipboard in hand. "Major, Sempai is waiting to start the test."

"I see," Misato replied dryly.

Asuka thrust open the door, almost knocking Maya over. "Hurry up, baka! You're so slow!"

"Yes..." Shinji followed. Misato stretched, then slammed her door and slowly made her way around the car. Maya led the two children inside, Asuka striding in the lead.

"I'm here."

Ritsuko glanced up over the screen of her laptop. "You're late."

Asuka growled. "It's all Misato's fault! That—"

"Maya," Ritsuko interrupted, not looking up, "where is the Major?"

Misato answered that for her, pushing open the heavy wooden door with obvious effort. She welcomed the cool air and stepped willingly into the dark facilities of Nerv, away from the blistering heat.

Ritsuko nodded and directed the pilots to the changing rooms.

Misato sank into a chair beside her old college friend, not caring that it belonged to Makoto. Surely he wouldn't mind. Ritsuko cast a side glance at her, then found her appearance so curious that she had to fully turn around.

"Why are you wearing long jeans? It's 97.385 degrees outside."

"I'll tell you later," the Major mumbled, well aware that Shigeru and Maya were paying close attention. She wondered where Makoto had gone.

The blonde shrugged and focused her gaze on the pane displaying the three pilots. She did, however, continue to throw concerned glances in Misato's direction. Several minutes passed before the Major drew herself to an upright position, gazing alertly at the screen.

= = = = = = =

Ritsuko was wearing the expression she usually wore only when engaged in deep thought about how to defeat the next angel when the three pilots emerged from the dressing room again. At least for now, they were safe; all three Magi supercomputers were operating properly and reporting neither errors nor blue patterns. All tests had recorded superb results; under other circumstances she might have worn an excited grin. The technicians had no data transfers to do, and were sitting idly awaiting further instructions. She was concerned only for the woman sitting next to her.

At some point she became aware that the three children were awaiting orders as well. Ritsuko turned to her favorite technician.

"Yes, Sempai?"

"I'm giving you one hour off," Ritsuko instructed, and Maya's brown eyes widened in surprise. "I want you to take Shinji, Asuka, and Rei to their respective homes, then report back to duty."

Maya's eyes were as wide as saucers, mirroring Shinji's. "What if... an angel attacks...?"

"Shigeru and Makoto can take over until you get here," Ritsuko insisted smoothly, skillfully keeping the confusion and worry out of her voice. "I know how to reach you in case of an emergency. Should anything happen, Maya, I shall expect you here before even the pilots themselves arrive."

"Yes, Sempai."

Ritsuko nodded. Of the three pilots, Shinji was most hesitant to leave; Asuka simply strode out without a backwards glance and Rei followed in her wake. The pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 hung back and cast a preoccupied glance at his guardian.

"Will she be all right?"

"Yes," the doctor replied, without hesitation.

When the boy had finally been ushered out the door, Ritsuko stood up and led Misato into a private room. She didn't want to take any chance of the conversation being recorded, as she wasn't sure what her old college friend would tell her. The doctor situated the purple-haired lady onto the bed of the small examining room and studied her. Her chin was drooping.

"Something you want to tell me, Misato?"

The purple-haired woman yawned. "I'm tired. I wish I had a beer..."

Ritsuko sighed. She strode to the closet and produced an oversized paper robe. "Change into this."

"What? No!"

The blonde glared. "You know I'm a certified doctor. And besides, you really shouldn't be embarrassed to change in front of me, given the way you dress at home with Shinji around."

Misato flushed and gave in.

Ritsuko watched her move, eyeing the bruises with growing alarm. They were a mottled purple and red and spread generously across both thighs. Misato herself admitted that they were on her hips, too. The doctor pressed down gently in the center with two fingertips and watched the Major's face carefully for any signs of discomfort.

"Does it hurt?"

She considered. "Not really."

That was the sort of comment Ritsuko hated; they didn't tell her much of anything. "You can't remember how you got it?"

"No."

Ritsuko weighed her options. There wasn't much more she could do, besides run a blood test and check for abnormalities, and order her patient to bed. Then she remembered that the Major shared an apartment with the Second Child and realized that the chances of Misato getting much extra sleep were slim.

She decided to draw two samples of blood—Misato was much more complacent with having blood drawn than undressing, surprisingly—and ordered her home to sleep.

"Do you want a ride home?"

The purple-haired Major paused at the door. "Damn it, Ritsuko, it's not like I've suddenly become an invalid or anything."

She waited for a retort, but it didn't come. Dr. Akagi held the vial up to the light and gave it a tiny shake. Misato snorted, slammed the door, and disappeared out of the depths of Nerv's many hallways.

Ritsuko watched her leave and prayed that she wouldn't drink too many beers. She lowered the vial, listening carefully for any telltale beeping from the Magi, and heard none. Nevertheless, she stored the vials away safely and returned to her post.

= = = = = = =

"So, what did she want you for?"

"To tell me to sleep." Misato was no more pleased than Ritsuko or Asuka, and it showed. "I hate the heat..."

Asuka tossed her hair. "That would be your fault for the long jeans."

Misato briefly considered slapping her, imagined the scolding she would get from the Commander for lowering the girl's synchronization ratio, and instead went into her room. Much to her chagrin, Asuka followed.

"So, what's wrong with you?"

Misato spread herself out on the bed and stretched. Her hands pressed flat against the wall and her toes gripped the foot of her bed. Several moments passed before she could be certain of speaking in a cool voice.

"I'm tired, Asuka. Will you please leave?"

"Leave?" The Second Child did just the opposite and sat down on the edge of Misato's bed, crossing her arms and legs. "So what deadly disease have you got? Or is it something you're embarrassed to tell? Or—"

"Asuka," Misato groaned, dragging out both a's.

"Or—" Asuka gave the bed just a bit of a naughty bounce, "you caught an STD from Kaji!"

"DAMN YOU!"

The Katsuragi apartment exploded. Misato was on her feet in a flash, so threateningly that Asuka actually jumped backwards. The Major was infuriated, sputtering incomprehensible words, too angry to form proper sentences.

"I—have—NOT—gotten—an STD—from—Kaji," she ground out furiously. It took Asuka a moment to regain her composure.

"Whatever." She shrugged and left, sliding the door shut behind her. It promptly hit the other wall and slid open again. Since the redhead was long gone, Misato made her way slowly to the door and shut it properly, locking it for good measure.

Damn you, Asuka.

No more thoughts fluttered through her head as she sank like a stone into the soft blankets and fell fast asleep.

= = = = = = =

Shinji poured the beer for Pen-pen.

After all those years the penguin still had to wrestle with the aluminum can for several minutes (generally involving the loss of many feathers, which he disliked greatly) before he could get it open, and some of it would usually spill on what feathers he had left. Pen-pen didn't mind the taste of beer, but alcohol-stiffened feathers did not bode well with him. Life had improved greatly since Shinji had moved in.

The door slid open to reveal Asuka, dressed neatly in her school uniform. Had Shinji not known her, his first impression would have been of a sweet little schoolgirl—until her expression changed to a scowl. He served her breakfast quickly and escaped without injury back to the kitchen, where he finished up her lunch.

"Where's Misato?" he asked cautiously.

"Not up yet, probably still asleep, dreaming of Kaji." She accented the last three words with an angry twist that clearly showed her jealousy. Wisely, Shinji chose not to comment. They finished up their breakfast in silence, interrupted periodically by Pen-pen slurping up his beer.

Asuka picked up her schoolbag and slung it over her shoulder, then bent down to put on her shoes. Shinji glanced awkwardly at Misato's room. The door was still shut. His hesitation earned him another insult from the redhead.

"Baka, are you coming or not?" Asuka shouted. Her voice reverberated around the hallway.

"In just one minute." Shinji seized a sheet of paper and scribbled:

Misato:

Gone to school, will be back at usual time to make dinner

Shinji

He threw on his shoes and locked the door, running to catch up with Asuka. She was already in the elevator, exasperatedly holding the door open. Funny, his shoes felt unusually tight today...

"Your shoes are on backwards," Asuka glared at him, as he placed both hands on his knees and breathed heavily. Shinji looked down and colored. Indeed, his left shoe was on his right foot, and the right shoe on his left. He only managed to retie one shoe in the time it took for them to reach the first floor and had to hop out on one foot while tying the other, feeling like an idiot.

He walked behind her all the way to school, not wanting to rouse anymore shouting, especially not now that she thought he was a drunkard who didn't even know which shoe went on which foot.

Rei was already there when they arrived, as she usually was. Her schoolbag rested in the center of her desk, where there was no danger of it falling off. Her gaze was directed out the window. Asuka stormed past and slammed her bag down, then turned to Hikari and directed a dirty look at Shinji.

"Hello, Ayanami," he said softly.

She didn't turn her head, but for a fleeting moment she glanced in his direction.

"Hey SHINJI!"

Kensuke and Toji were waving at him eagerly from the doorway. Shinji smiled and hurried toward them, but tripped over the strap of Hikari's bag and fell flat on his face.

"Sorry..." he quickly offered, while Kensuke and Toji burst into laughter. Asuka glowered at him. Hikari, however, simply picked up the bag and moved it out of his way.

"Don't worry about it, Ikari-kun." And rather fiercely to Toji and Kensuke, "Don't laugh at him!"

"Sorry, Class Rep..." Toji offered politely, but Shinji thought he detected the faintest hint of pink on his cheeks. Then he noticed that Hikari wore the same expression when informing him cordially that it didn't matter. The other thing he heard was Asuka informing her that "that baka" wasn't worth her apologies.

"We thought we'd go climb up on the roof before class for fun," Kensuke told Shinji. "Or maybe we'll stay there all class, I'm sure the teacher won't notice. Right, Toji? Ne? Hey, wake up!"

Toji, who had been wearing a rather dreamy expression, quickly came back to earth at Kensuke's sharp jab. Shinji wasn't speaking either, but his mind was on Misato.

Kensuke glanced from one to the other, and started grumbling. "Man, Toji is all smitten with the Class Rep, and Shinji is—well, Shinji—"

"I'm worried about Misato," he admitted. This immediately drew both of the boys' attention.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Well, she doesn't eat...she just wants to sleep... and she has these huge bruises all over her legs."

The boys glanced at each other, alarmed.

"I'll kill the man who did that," Toji growled, punching his right fist into his left hand.

"Showing an obvious interest in Misato now—what about the Class Rep?"

Toji's hands dropped to his sides and he quickly assumed a neutral expression. Shinji rolled his eyes and spoke over their voices. "We've already ruled that out. Misato says no one hurt her."

The bell rang.

Another usual school day began.

= = = = = = =

Gendo did not look happy, and this fact weighed heavily upon the doctor's mind as she smoothly instructed Maya what to do next. She knew the reason well—Misato's absence. She had been due for duty over an hour ago.

Perhaps I should speak with him, tell him that the Major needs to rest—or she might not prove such an efficient Major, Ritsuko thought, but that idea seemed no more feasible than wading through a swamp filled with hungry crocodiles. Then again, Misato didn't want anyone to know what was going on...

"Shall I transfer the data again, Sempai?"

"Hmm? No, that won't be necessary."

Gendo moved, and all of Nerv stopped to watch with baited breath. Nobody could remember the last time Gendo had smiled, so his usual expressionless frown was widely accepted as the ordinary—but now he had moved after sitting for only an hour. This was very bad.

I'll have to talk to him, Ritsuko thought grimly, but not in front of the technicians...in the meantime, maybe Misato will show up and save me some trouble.

She didn't, however.

Eleven-thirty came and Maya took her lunch break while Shigeru and Makoto stayed on duty; at eleven-forty-five they would rotate. Gendo, too, retreated to his office, with Fuyutsuki following. Ritsuko hung behind, wanting to give Gendo some time to settle down. She had never interrupted him during his lunch break before, and she didn't think it would bode well. Ten minutes passed before she found herself standing in front of his door.

She knocked sharply, twice.

"Come in."

She obeyed, and the darkness of Gendo's office swallowed what little light came in with her. Ritsuko shut the door behind her and waited, thankful for the vast distance that separated her from the Commander of Nerv.

"Well, Dr. Akagi?"

He had reassumed the hide-face-behind-gloved-hands position, as Ritsuko thought of it. She cleared her throat.

"It came to my attention yesterday that Major Katsuragi was not well," she began, and when she detected no trace of any expression, continued. "Therefore, I gave her a routine checkup and ran some tests, suggesting that she rest as well."

The last line had not come out as well as she had wanted. She could only hope now that Gendo understood she had not meant for Misato to sleep through duty.

A long pause followed.

"I see."

Ritsuko nodded. She had nothing else to say. Another long pause ensued.

"Inform Major Katsuragi that she will rest herself as she needs," Gendo said at last, in a chilling tone. "However, should her presence be necessary, she will be required to arrive at Nerv immediately and present herself for duty."

"Yes, sir," Ritsuko replied, feeling shocked.

"Send me an official report of the test results."

"Yes, sir."

The door closed behind her.

= = = = = = =

"Hurry up, BAKA!"

"S-sorry..." As quietly as he could, Shinji turned the creaky doorknob and opened the door to the Katsuragi apartment. Asuka made her way in first, stepping on his toes as she did so. Shinji knew better than to say anything. She settled herself in her room to do homework while Shinji cooked dinner. His own work would have to wait until later.

The pilot of Evangelion Unit 01 left his bag by the door and found himself an apron in the kitchen, wondering what to make for dinner. Soup was good, he thought, remembering that Misato had not been feeling well and still wasn't, given her closed door. Weren't you supposed to give a patient lots of fluids? He pulled out a large pot and filled it with water.

By moving around several dozen cans of beer, Shinji managed to find some tomatoes—a little squishy, but they would do—and some eggs. A small bunch of leafy vegetables appeared a moment later, as he moved yet another stack of cans. It was past time to go grocery shopping. Fortunately, a quick inspection of the cupboards yielded packaged noodles, more than enough for all of them. Noodles and soup seemed to make a somewhat redundant meal, but it was the best he could manage under the circumstances. Shinji chopped up the vegetables and tomatoes, beat the eggs, and tossed everything into a large pot with the noodles and plenty of water.

Asuka poked her head into the kitchen. "Third Child, where's the dictionary?"

"On the bookshelf in my room, on the third or second shelf."

"Return things when you're done with them, will you?" Asuka snapped, then stormed off. Shinji didn't remind her that his bookshelf was the only one in the apartment, and where the dictionary usually resided. A moment later he heard an angry shriek from the direction of his room.

"BAKA! I meant the German-Japanese dictionary, not the English-Japanese dictionary!"

"Oh... well... that I don't know..."

The unwanted dictionary bounced off of the back of Shinji's head and came to a rest at his feet.

"Now how will I write my report?" Asuka seethed.

"You could tell me the words, and I could show you how to write them."

Instead of calming her, this had the opposite effect. The Second Child insisted loudly that she did not—and would never—need his help, and followed it up with lots of insults before disappearing off to her room.

She reappeared in plenty of time for dinner, but Misato didn't. Her door remained closed and silent all the way through the meal. Shinji knocked repeatedly and even tried to pull it open, but found it locked. Several days passed in this way.

Nothing could have prepared him for Friday morning, however. He awoke to the persistent beeping of his clock, as usual, but upon opening the door heard sounds of running water. Perhaps Misato or Asuka had gotten up to use the restroom—usually neither was awake at this time—but it was Misato in the kitchen, heartily draining a can of beer and playing with Pen-pen, occasionally giving him a sip or two.

"Good morning, Shinji," she said brightly, and he was relieved to see some color back in her face.

"Good morning," he responded, popping two pieces of bread into the toaster. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Misato grinned. "Ritsuko was right. A good night's sleep does work wonders. Hey, Pen-pen! Leave me some beer!"

The penguin made an angry sound, and Shinji quickly fetched (and opened) another can of Yebisu. He caught a glimpse of her legs as he placed the can in front of Pen-pen, however, and noticed that the bruises were just as unmistakable as before. Perhaps it was just him, but they seemed to have grown even larger...

A loud slam announced the arrival of Sohryu Asuka Langley. Shinji quickly stacked the toast on a plate and placed it at her spot. She said nothing, looking unusually pale, and sat down to eat. Misato noticed her unusual behavior as well and offered to drive them to school, since it was on the way to Nerv anyway. Asuka acknowledged this with barely a nod.

= = = = = = =

Ritsuko was delighted to see the color back in Misato's face, and even the alarming sight of those bruises couldn't lower her spirits. Maya cheered and Makoto grinned widely as she took her usual place behind the three technicians. Nerv was complete again.

"I see you took my advice," the blonde doctor said.

"Yeah, even Asuka couldn't wake me, although I did dream about her screaming at Shinji over a dictionary..."

Ritsuko chuckled. Something beeped, and Maya called for her. The doctor examined the results and grinned widely. "Misato, come and look at this, will you? No errors at all! It looks all of the units are in perfect shape!"

"Really?" That's wonderful news!" Misato had gone only a few steps before she tripped over the leg of Makoto's chair. Her knee scraped against a broken piece of plastic on the seat and began to bleed. He blushed and quickly helped her up.

"Damn..."

Ritsuko peered at it. "That shouldn't be hard to fix." She found a bandage and applied it tightly, changing the subject. "Which dress are you going to wear tomorrow?"

"Oh, the wedding party...well, I just wore that suit to Kiyomi's party," Misato said thoughtfully, watching Ritsuko wipe off the blood with a paper towel. "And I wore the navy-blue dress to Kotoko's." She shifted in her chair and jerked as a spasm of pain shot through her leg. Makoto glanced at her in fear. She smiled at him, assuring him she was fine, and turned back to Ritsuko. "Maybe I should buy a new one on the way home today, but that'll cost a lot... damn, everyone is so eager to marry before they turn thirty years old nowadays!"

Ritsuko chuckled. "We don't want to be the last ones remaining single." She scribbled a note on her clipboard and called out to the pilots.

"All right, you're done for the day. Good job."

Misato watched the image of Asuka toss its red hair. "Always tests, tests! These stupid tests!"

Hours later, when all tests were done and the pilots had gone home, Ritsuko asked, "Are you interested in shopping today?"

"Not particularly," the Major considered. "But I'll have to find something to wear. In any case, I want to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow night."

"Suit yourself."

Misato lifted herself out of the chair, pushing down hard on both armrests. When she stood up, however, the muscle tensed and a fresh stream of blood spurted down her leg.

"Damn it... hey Ritsuko, do you mind fixing this up for me?"

"It hasn't clotted yet?" Ritsuko asked, in a voice tinged with the faintest hint of panic. "Maya, get me a bandage?"

"Yes, Sempai."

Ritsuko tore off the old bandage ("Ouch, be careful!") and carefully reapplied the new one after cleaning up the wound as best as she could. The cut wasn't deep and didn't require stitches, but it showed no signs of ceasing to bleed anytime soon. Ritsuko fastened the bandage and stood back. "Do you want me to help you to the car?"

"Nope. See you tomorrow."

Ritsuko watched uncomfortably as Misato limped slowly to the door and exited. She had a faint idea of what was wrong, but knew from experience not to jump the gun. Somehow she became aware that Misato's blood was still on her hand, and made to clean it off. Under the bright lights the doctor noticed a slightly whitish tinge to the fluid.

She blinked several times, thinking of the laboratory tests she had run with Misato's blood samples. The Full Blood Count and Hematocrit Assay she had completed on her own, and both supported—but did not confirm—her suspicions. Yet this—Ritsuko glanced at her hand again before rinsing the blood off—this worried her. It was time to contact a specialist.

= = = = = = =

"I'm back."

"Hi," Asuka said, without looking at her.

"Go to bed right now, because you have a date tomorrow," Misato ordered. The redhead was spread out in the living room, reading a magazine. The TV was on but she paid not the least bit of attention. Asuka flipped a page.

"Yeah... hey, can I use your lavender perfume?"

"Nope, that's not for you. You're still a child. Is Shinji-kun in his room?"

"You're so stingy," Asuka complained. "And he's been shutting himself inside for awhile; it seems that he doesn't want to see his father. Japanese people are such a..."

It's not that he really hates it, Misato thought to herself, tuning out Asuka's voice as she closed the door. He was lying on the bed, the SDAT player in his hand, although the tiny mechanisms were still. The lights were off.

"You're not afraid of being with your father alone, are you?" she said quietly, into the darkness. "You can't always run away; you have to go one step further; otherwise, nothing will change."

She half expected a violent outburst, but he replied with only a sigh and two words: "I know."

"You'll have to go beyond the first step, and keep going," she told him softly. Shinji didn't move. "Anyhow, you'd better prepare yourself mentally, since tomorrow you'll see your mother."

He said nothing. The boy wasn't even facing her, although she was seated on the edge of his bed. Misato knew he wasn't asleep but understood his need for solitude, and she let him have it. She stayed silent, pondering Ritsuko's words of not wanting to be the only single woman remaining.

"Hey, you bought a dress for tomorrow? Let me see!"

Asuka had finally lost interest in the magazine. She laughed a little, remembering, and left Shinji's side. "You want to see? It was quite expensive."

= = = = = = =

"Red, blue, and yellow..."

Ritsuko tapped her fingers on the table and propped her head up with the other hand. "He's late."

"That idiot's never showed up on time." Misato drank deeply.

"Only when he's on a date," Ritsuko contradicted. "He was quite punctual when it came to work hours."

Kaji slid in beside the Major, making her uncomfortably nervous.

"You two look quite beautiful today," he said, and Misato glared at him again. "Unfortunately I couldn't leave work on time."

"That's because you're always wasting time," Misato grumbled. "And why don't you shave that sloppy beard? Besides, your tie is a mess." She reached over and fixed it, nearly strangling him in the process. Kaji pasted an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry."

Ritsuko was having trouble trying not to laugh. "You two look like wife and husband!"

Misato blanched, and Kaji affirmed the doctor's point. The purple-haired woman snorted, drank from her glass, and set it down with a noisy clunk. "Who would marry this sort of guy?" She pushed her chair back and stood up, a bit unsteadily. "I'm going to fix my hair."

"Need an arm?" Kaji asked, rising to the occasion in a gentlemanly fashion. Misato glared at him and began moving away as quickly as she could, but stumbled. Both Ritsuko and Kaji made their way to her side, but she slapped the man away.

"Is it still your leg?" Ritsuko muttered urgently, under her breath.

"At least...it's not bleed...bleeding anymore," Misato whispered, her sentence torn into fragments by her ragged breathing. She remained on her knees, coughing and gasping for air. People began to crowd around her, murmuring feverishly. Misato covered her mouth with one hand as she coughed violently, and waved the other desperately, muttering something that sounded to Ritsuko like "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Kaji kept one hand on her shoulder after it became clear that she wouldn't push him away, his mind clouded with fear and worry. She seemed fine just a minute ago. What did she say to Ritsuko—something not bleeding anymore?

When her face developed a tint of blue, he picked her up and swung her into his arms as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. The crowd automatically parted for him as he hurried towards the door.

Ritsuko remained in the throng of people. She knew of Kaji's true feelings for Misato and trusted him with her. That man would get her medical help if it would cost him his life.

Her cell phone rang then, and she pulled it out of her pocket to see who had called. The glowing panel read quite simply, "Namika."

Ritsuko put the phone to her ear and hurried away from the crowd.

= = = = = = =

It was near midnight when the building that contained the Katsuragi apartment came into view. Both of them were exhausted, but Misato was fast asleep and nestled in Kaji's strong arms, while he walked on toward her home. He hoped Asuka was asleep; it would be much easier to explain the situation to Shinji-kun.

Her coughing attack had calmed down substantially by the time he got her to the emergency room, and the paramedics there hadn't been able to do much of anything at the moment, except produce some sedatives to calm the distraught young woman. They had taken x-rays of her lungs and scolded them about the amount of alcohol she had downed (Kaji was the only one awake to take the blame, however), before telling them that there was nothing else they could do for her and he'd better get her home. She slept the whole way and barely moved, but even Kaji's muscular arms were becoming tired after the long walk home. It would have been far easier to sling her over his shoulder, but he didn't think that would be very comfortable for her, so he continued to cradle her in his arms.

He came to the door labeled "M. Katsuragi", but had to think a moment about how to get one of the two present inhabitants to come answer the door. With his hands full, knocking on the door was out of the question. He finally managed to balance on one leg, flamingo-style, with the other leg replacing his arm under her knees. Kaji rapped on the door twice and quickly reshifted his position.

Much to his dismay, it was Asuka who answered the door with a loud "KAJI-SAN!" and Shinji-kun who poked his head out shyly from his door, earphones trailing behind him.

"Be quiet," he motioned urgently, and proceeded to make his way to her room. He knew the apartment well enough. Both Asuka and Shinji followed him to the door. Kaji would have liked for a moment alone with Misato, but knew that it wouldn't happen with the two pilots watching him.

"Okay, I'm leaving."

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" Asuka wheedled. She hurried to him and clung to his sleeve as he walked out.

"Because people will laugh at me if I go to the office tomorrow in this same suit," he said nonchalantly, smoothing over the worry he felt. How much sleep will Katsuragi be able to get with her around? Even now she was continuing her tirade.

"That doesn't matter! It's fine! HEY!" KAJI-SAN..." Kaji slid deftly out the door, just in time to hear Asuka lament, "...he smells of lavender..."

He poked his head back in and was relieved to see that Shinji was still there. Directing his gaze at the pilot of Unit 01, he ordered, "Take care of Katsuragi," waved, and disappeared. Shinji nodded faintly, and Kaji closed the door behind him.

For him, the night was over. For Ritsuko, it had just begun.

= = = = = = =

Dr. Ishiyama patted the familiar machine and waited patiently, not minding the late hour. She didn't see Ritsuko too much these days; the blonde doctor was always fussing over MAGI and she worked as a top specialist within the Nerv hospital. She and Misato had sat together in class, oftentimes passing notes and giggling during lectures, while Ritsuko sat up front attentively and took notes for all three of them. Once in awhile she would still see the purple-haired lady at the bedside of the Third Child. But it now was her, not the Third Child, that they was concerned for.

Ritsuko appeared just then with two vials and a clipboard in hand. "I've already run the Full Blood Count and Hematocrit Assay twice," she explained. Ritsuko had long held the suspicion that something was wrong with the blood coursing through Misato's body. The Full Blood Count was designed to determine the numbers of leukocytes (white blood cells), erythrocytes (red blood cells), and thrombocytes (platelets) while the Hematocrit Assay determined the percentage of blood that consisted solely of erythrocytes.

Dr. Ishiyama took the results from her and turned on the light. A violent storm was brewing outside, adding to the night darkness. Ritsuko took her place beside her old friend and watched as her brow furrowed.

"Thanks, Namika," she said quietly. "I'm sorry it's so late."

"No problem. I wouldn't want to wait either, after tonight. What would we do without Major Katsuragi?" She paused for a moment, moving only her eyeballs to scan the page. "FBC results tend to tell the most, but I'd like to look at the Hematocrit Assay first. 26.8% is quite low, within dangerous waters."

"Yes, since the normal woman averages 40.9% and anywhere between 34.9 to 46.9 is reasonable," Ritsuko said quietly. It all made sense. A low Hematocrit Assay reading meant that there were not enough erythrocytes in the bloodstream. Erythrocytes carried oxygen, and less red blood cells meant less oxygen. That would explain Misato's gasping for breath.

"Very good," Namika acknowledged with a smile. "You remember a lot from those few days you worked in the medical field."

Ritsuko shrugged and didn't tell the other doctor that nearly a minute had passed before she realized that FBC was simply an abbreviation for Full Blood Count. Namika placed the Hematocrit Assay results to the side, revealing the FBC report.

The report consisted of two halves which were nearly identical, save for some miniscule fluctuation of numbers. The doctor hardly blinked as she studied it, her face darkening. "High numbers of leukocytes and too few erythrocytes and platelets. Alarmingly few, in fact."

Ritsuko only nodded. Namika placed that sheet aside as well, divulging the last.

This sheet was handwritten on a simple lined page bearing the NERV icon. Namika didn't recognize her handwriting, but she knew the note-taking style that the blonde doctor used.

"I recorded every symptom I noticed, along with the date." Ritsuko shrugged. It was one of the things they'd been required to do in training; nowadays, it was just an old habit that she rarely exercised.

"The first one you noticed was nearly a week ago," Namika commented as she picked out the major parts, "and they all follow in a rapid sequence. May 10 – extreme fatigue, excessive bruising on hips and thighs, very typical — May 14, small cut from chair leg continues to bleed despite better spirits – tonight, difficulty walking, difficulty breathing..." She laid down the paper.

Ritsuko was nodding along almost rhythmically, having read and reread the paper thousands of times in a futile attempt to convince herself that the truth was not the truth. Her eyes were sad and not focused on anything in particular.

"I'm really glad you ran those tests when you did," Namika said quietly, placing her hand on the woman's shoulder. "The first thing a severe bruise like that calls for is a blood test, and I'm not surprised about the bleeding. A severe lack of platelets will do that to you."

The blonde only nodded.

Namika read the last page again. "Nothing happened between May 10 and May 14?"

"I didn't see her. I ordered her to bed rest. She didn't come to work, so I assume she complied, although I can't be sure of that."

Namika made a soft sound of understanding and hesitated a little. "Given the symptoms you've described, Ritsuko, and these test results, I'm sure only a few more tests will have to be run to determine the exact form of the disease."

Her shoulders sagged and her head drooped. Namika enveloped her friend in a bear hug. "You've done what you can, Ritsuko. If you hadn't done this when you did, her chances might be between slim and none."

"I kept hoping it wasn't true, damn it," the blonde muttered.

Namika glanced over her shoulder at the clock. It was nearly two-thirty, and they would both be due for duty in less than five hours. "Rit-chan, you need your sleep," she insisted gently, using her nickname. Ritsuko pulled back and made a face.

"You too, Miki."

It was Namika's turn to blush. "Ritsuko," she called suddenly, before the doctor had gone out the door, "don't speak to Misato about this yet. Make sure that she gets enough rest and doesn't overstrain herself for now. I'll tell you when I have the final results."

"I will."

Ritsuko unfolded her umbrella and walked into the heart of the storm. The wind tore it out of her hands and sent it hurtling out of sight. She paused for a moment, angrily trying to decide whether or not to go after it, and gave up. Within a few minutes she, too, had disappeared into the darkness of the night.

= = = = = = =

"Baka! You burned it! It's all hard and black now!"

"S-sorry..."

"The Great Shinji Ikari can't even make toast properly! Jeez!"

"Keep your voice down, please Asuka... you'll wake Misato up."

"Who gives a damn about her? SHE'S the one who was out with Kaji-san all night!"

Misato smiled groggily, hearing her name creep into the conversation. She stretched and turned around so that her feet were resting on the floor. In the process she hit her leg on the metal frame, and the cut began to bleed again.

She stood on one leg, holding on to the edge of her desk for stability, trying to remember the events of last night.

Kaji! He must've carried me home.

Misato made her way slowly into the kitchen, where Shinji was rather skillfully ducking the pieces of blackened crust flying his way.

"Good morning, Misato-san," Shinji whispered.

"Morning." She ate her slices without complaint. Someone knocked on the door and Shinji hurried to get it. A moment later Toji and Kensuke poked their heads into the kitchen.

"Can't we have some peace around here?" Asuka demanded. "First Misato getting drunk, then Shinji burning the toast, then you idiots—"

Kensuke grabbed Shinji's sleeve and Toji his bag, neither minding that he hadn't yet gotten to eat a bite of breakfast, and dragged him out the door. "See you later, Misato-san!"

"Such idiots." Asuka grumbled, as Pen-pen warked and went back to his breakfast. Then her gaze settled on Misato's legs. "What happened there?"

"I scraped my knee. Damn thing won't stop bleeding."

Had Misato been watching Asuka's face at that moment, she would have noticed the girl doing some quick thinking. The redhead was quick to put two and two together, remembering the bruises. A stunned expression glazed her features.

"Don't you have to go to school? I recall Shinji mentioning that you have a literature test today."

Asuka blinked to regain her composure. "Yeah, yeah, I don't need you to remind me," she muttered, grabbing her bag and leaving her unfinished toast on the table. The door slammed behind her; outside, she took off at a run.

Sorhyu Asuka Langley was no doctor, but she'd taken enough biology and anatomy classes to give her a general gist of what was going on. She remembered reading a German article about a sixteen-year-old who had exhibited the same symptoms. The girl had struggled for a little less than a year before succumbing. Damn Shinji for losing the dictionary, she thought angrily. She knew the name of the malady in German, but had no idea what it translated to in Japanese.

"Asuka!" Hikari came up behind her with a bubbly smile. "Are you ready for the literature test?"

"Of course I am."

= = = = = = =

Ritsuko had hardly slept all night, but Namika had. She knew there were limits to the amount of strain the human body could take, and she didn't want to risk making any testing errors. As of now, no pilots were injured and she had finished bandaging the hand of the worker who'd cut himself. The time was 10:55 AM. Ritsuko was busy in the Geofront.

She found her cell phone and called Misato, telling her that the doctors wanted some blood work done. The Major resisted initially, explaining how her presence was needed at the Geofront, but eventually gave in. Namika knew she was confused—Ritsuko hadn't told her anything, and the name of Dr. Ishiyama had not initially been involved.

Twenty minutes later Misato arrived at her office, looking haggard and worn. Namika greeted her and asked her to change into a paper rope while she prepared the equipment.

"What equipment?" Misato asked. "Isn't it just a needle to draw some blood?"

Namika nodded, but added, "It's a bit more complicated, and it might take awhile, so I'd like to give you some general anesthesia. You'll be asleep for about two hours and you won't feel anything at all. Hopefully we'll have the results by the time you wake up." She turned around to give the Major some privacy while she changed.

"Has the Commander been notified of this?" Misato demanded. The paper robe was too big. She wound it around herself twice.

"Yes."

"All right then." Misato lay down, and the doctor began attaching nodules to her skin. Each was connected to a machine by a long, slender wire, and Namika explained that they were to monitor her major bodily functions. Nothing to worry about.

"Miki," Misato pressed, clearly not satisfied, "Ritsuko never went to all this trouble for a simple blood sample, and she took two from me last week. What's going on?"

Namika paused, then positioned the last nodule. "There are some tests that couldn't be run with the samples she drew," she explained smoothly. "For that reason, we need to take a bone marrow sample by drawing it out of your hipbone. You'll probably be sore for a week or so afterwards."

"I see," Misato said gravely. But Namika sensed that she didn't.

She held up the sterilized needle between her thumb and index finger. "Relax, Misato. Don't look down. This thing will be delivering the anesthesia into your veins and you'll be out in a few seconds." She inserted the needle, relieved that there was an obvious bluish vein on the inside of her elbow.

"It can't be that fast," Misato tried to say. But her words slurred, the ceiling tiles seemed to rearrange themselves, and before she knew it, she was out.

Namika was skilled, and this was a process she had performed hundreds of times. She unwrapped the sterilized needle and within minutes had it filled with the dark red marrow of Misato's hipbone, proceeding alone. The purple-haired woman did not stir. She stored the marrow away and taped some gauze over the puncture for the time being. The doctor stepped back and glanced at the multitude of machines that surrounded them. All of Misato's organs were functioning normally. Namika let out a breath of relief and began removing all the nodules.

With the help of an assistant, she moved the unconscious young woman into a wheelchair and wheeled her to a smaller room, then replaced her onto the bed. She would sleep here until the anesthesia wore off. A small camera, hung in the top corner of the room, focused on the patient and delivered live images to Namika's laboratory. The familiar beeping system would inform her when Misato was awake.

= = = = = = =

"B-type Harmonics test, all green."

"Clear all course adjusting values."

"Sempai, you look exhausted," Maya remarked. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really." Ritsuko sat down, glancing at her watch. It was 11:25—thirty minutes since Namika had called Misato away. Fortunately she had taken care of explaining the issue with Gendo, and somehow, surprisingly, he had given in. Ritsuko supposed he knew that a good Major would be exceedingly hard to replace, should he lose her, but Gendo was a man who didn't care about personal concerns—sickness included—as long as all went well at Nerv. Hell, she could think of up numerous instances where he had ordered her to duty despite her illness. So why was he being so lenient towards Misato? She wondered if Namika had told him of the seriousness of her illness.

The blonde knew how fast her friend worked and figured that the operation had to be over by now, but when they would have the results, she didn't know. She noticed that Maya was staring at her, the keyboard abandoned. Ritsuko slid it towards her and finished the program for her, typing with one hand. Maya snapped to attention and flushed. "I'm sorry, Sempai..."

"Don't worry about it."

It's not for Maya to know what's going on, Ritsuko reminded herself, at least not yet. She was frustrated that there was no one in the vicinity whom she could speak to about her worries.

= = = = = = =

On another floor, Namika bent over the microscope again, ignoring the fatigued complaints of her neck muscles, and adjusted the eyepiece. Small blotches of blue became visible, scattered across a yellow structure of irregular shape. She moved the slide slightly, focusing on another cell. The second cell was the same earthen color as the first, but had a much different shape, and was much smaller. Neither was simply round or square. The slide was covered with these oddly shaped white blood cells; both B and T cells were present. Namika turned back to the textbook, spread open beside the microscope, and turned a page.

ALL is caused by abnormal growth and development of early nongranular white blood cells, or lymphocytes.

But shape and size weren't enough to convince the doctor that Misato really had ALL, and she pulled out a chart from the nearest drawer and taped it to the wall. This comprised of diagrams and information on certain antibodies. Each antibody had a small section of the chart dedicated to itself, and every piece of information relating to it was written in one color. There were no repeats.

Namika pulled out another slide and slid it into a larger machine, which immediately whirred to life. She reached for her computer screen and pressed the "on" button. An expanded image of the slide's contents flashed onto her screen. It showed one cell at a time, magnified to the size of her hand. The cell itself remained the same dingy yellow, but small objects of all shapes and colors were attached to it at certain places.

Those were the antibodies.

Namika had run an immunocytochemistry test as soon as the sample had been taken from Misato's hipbone. The advantage of this test was that instead of spouting out numbers of cells, it generated a color picture, from which a direct diagnosis could be made. Each type of antibody was dyed a different color and then allowed to attach to the binding sites of bone marrow cells. Some did and some didn't, depending on the bone marrow cell (which exhibited features of the disease it carried in its binding sites, thus allowing certain antibodies and not others to bind). Since each type of diseased bone marrow cell permitted different antibodies to attach, one could match up the attached antibodies with the appropriate disease.

Besides, it was easier to look at a color picture than black and white pages of data.

Namika pulled up a chair and a clipboard and began taking notes, glancing towards the chart every now and then for reference. Hours later she was still not finished when the familiar beeping went off. Namika got up and shut off the noise, then went to visit Misato.

She was still groggy and her eyes were barely open when Namika plunked down in a chair beside her bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Tired."

Namika reached for the blanket that had been partially kicked off and draped it back over Misato's bruised body. "You need to sleep, Misato. Don't worry about anything."

"What's... wrong with me?"

Her words were slurred as she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Namika was grateful that she didn't have to answer the question. She lingered only a few moments later to make sure that Misato was safely asleep, then returned to her lab. Another hour passed before she was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. She opened the door and almost walked into Ritsuko.

"Is it?" the blonde asked without preamble.

Without hesitation, Namika nodded.

= = = = = = =

Sore was an understatement, Misato thought, as she propped herself up on her elbows. Miki had better have the results by now. How long have I slept?

Misato studied her surroundings. The room was tiny—her bed occupied precisely half of it, and she could touch the opposite wall with her hand from were she lay. The bed, too, was simple, with a clean white pillow and several sheets. All the walls were stark white.

The doorknob clicked, and she turned to see Namika step in. Ritsuko followed a step behind. Misato smiled feebly. "So, what is it?"

"Do you want something to drink?" Ritsuko asked. "You must be thirsty."

Misato sensed the evasiveness in her voice, and it annoyed her. "No, I don't. Hurry up—you know Gendo won't like us being away for so long."

Ritsuko opened her mouth to speak, but it was Namika who stepped forward, clipboard in hand. Her distinctly Japanese features were set in a determined expression. Misato felt a twinge of apprehension.

"Misato, you have Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia."

= = = = = = =

Author's Note: This is a story that I've been writing in my head for a long, long time, and it's a completely different approach from anything I've tried before. Any mistakes in the biology/symptoms are completely mine.

Originally I had planned to post all chapters of this fic at once, but now I really have no idea when it will actually be finished. Here's the first chapter; I hope you like it and I would appreciate any reviews you leave. Thanks!