How to Make a Human Being – Chapter 5
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Author's Notes:

Sorry about the time between chapters. I'm really trying, honest :D I'm going with minimal notes, so as not to overload the reader.

So enjoy chapter five… Please :D

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Title: How to Make a Human Being
Genre: Short Story
Author: PitViper (pvalpha@yahoo.com)
Created: 08/02/02
Chapter1: 08/09/02
Chapter2: 08/13/02
Chapter3: 08/18/02 modified v2 - 08/19/02
Chapter4: 09/22/02 continued – 12/03/02
Chapter5: 12/28/02
Synopsis: Many believe that the character of Rei Ayanami is bound in steel to her duty – She accepts nothing into her life that is not related to Eva or Angels. This is the story of how a few small changes can make a big difference.

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How to Make a Human Being: Stir gently/A Mother's Touch

Stir Gently: August 24th, 2030 - 6:11am.

"Always make sure that you stir it in gently, dear Rei..." The words echoed in the blue-haired woman's mind as she prepared to make breakfast. She was currently stirring in some freshly chopped spices and onions with the eggs she was making for her guests. "It makes a difference. Some things, like a good breakfast, require a certain care. Sometimes you have to do it vigorously, sometimes slowly… but always with care. Like raising a child, food requires care, love, gentleness, and strength - when necessary - to make it turn out right…" Rei remembered her instruction carefully, as she prepared the breakfast.

Life was a part of cooking, as cooking was a part of life. Learning to cook well was one of those things taught to her as a part of her purpose. Living well and eating well went together. That the essentials of life were never taught to her when she was younger was a reflection of who raised her, and what her original purpose was intended to be.

Suddenly a weight appeared on her shoulder, next to her ear. "It smells just like mom's," The male voice was soon accompanied by a warm squeeze as his arms enfolded her.

She allowed herself to become lost in the embrace, "And what would happen if Asuka were to see us together like this, right now?"

The arms released her, much to her dismay, but the pressure of the chin upon her shoulder still existed. "What could she say, sis? Can't I give my little sister a hug?"

A flush of warmth flowed over Ayanami's cheeks as she felt his lips breathe over her skin. 'Oh the temptation…' Rei thought, then disregarded it. What she thought for that moment, as the blush crept across her neck and down her chest, was so wrong… at least in her vision of things.

"I know what you want, sis." Shinji lifted his head, and turned her around to face him. "I can see it in your eyes."

Rei looked at her hands, and then allowed one of them to reach up to his shoulder… his strong shoulder. Then she brought her hand down his chest, and paused over his heart. Her hand remained there, feeling the steady beat, the pulse of his life under her sensitive fingers. 'What I want…' She mused silently, wishing – hoping that somehow things could be different.

"You want to be hugged," And Shinji did so, feeling her lean into it, greedily accepting the action. Then he pulled back, her hand still on his chest. "Why don't you go out? You are the most beautiful woman in Tokyo 3, barring my wife, of course. There's someone out there for you, I know there is." Shinji took her hand into his own, and watched as she stubbornly avoided his gaze. He began to become concerned, "Rei, what's the matter?"

'Don't you know, can't you see it?' She thought, as she continued to avoid his gaze. 'I've just thought about you, brother, in the way that Asuka thinks of you!' She resisted the strength of his hand as he attempted to pull her face to meet his gaze. A tear found its way out from the side of her eye, just as she surrendered to his will. 'So like the Commander… yet he asks nothing of me, except for me to be me…'

Shinji watched as a single tear fell down her face. Finally, she relented, and allowed him to turn her to face him. "Rei?"

"I am impure. I have… had… thoughts…" She said, her lips trembling… "A…about you, brother. I am a horrible creature." She said, and then tore her gaze from his, afraid to find the rejection that she knew would be there.

A question filled the air, "Would you act upon those thoughts, Rei?"

"N… no." She said haltingly. "But I…"

"Rei, your thoughts are no sin to me. We aren't even related like that!" Shinji said - pulling her into a hug as her tears began to flow freely. "If I weren't so in love with the woman upstairs in the bed…"

"I'm a monster…" Rei said, having ignored Shinji's words. "I chose to call you brother…"

"Rei," He said, forcing her face towards his gently. He waited for her eyes to move to his own. "Rei, there was a time that I thought of you like that… Listen to me carefully, you aren't a monster…"

Rei's eyes glistened with tears, as she saw the warm hearted person before her lovingly caress away a tear with his thumb. She sniffled a bit, waiting for his revelation on exactly what she was.

"You're a human being. You are a person that I love with all my heart."

Rei looked at him, too shocked to express in words or in actions her feelings about this revelation. Her vision was blurred by the tears that had unwillingly come to the surface, but she could still see well enough to make out Shinji's eyes. 'The eyes, the windows to the soul. They speak truth when the body tells lies – they speak of what is within, not what is expressed without.' She thought, then her heart seemingly jumped as she saw what she was looking for. 'Truth!' his eyes revealed to her.

Shinji sighed, as he watched her stare at him in that 'oh so Rei' way. But that normal stare was marred by the tears threatening her deep crimson eyes. "Come on, we have to finish breakfast. You wouldn't want this beautiful omelet to go to waste, now?"

She shook her head in affirmation, then wiped the back of her hand across her eyes, making a few tear drops fall from between the clenched lids. 'Human… Am I human? I must be, for his eyes spoke truth…' Rei thought as she turned back to her duty, fingers wiping away the remains of her tears. How long had it taken for her to reach this point in her existence? She looked at the egg, and the remaining spices. 'Perhaps life was a little like cooking…' she thought as she remembered one of her first instructions in the culinary arts: "Stir gently…"

--

A Mother's Touch: September 16th, 2015 - 12:13am

Misato lurched into a sitting position as the children entered the room. Her disheveled appearance and wild hair notifying the children that their stealthy departure had been successful, but their return was less than adequate. Her nervous gaze slapped back and forth between the two until finally a disgusted and angry stare impaled the First Child. "Where were you?"

'Where were you?' The words dripped with venom. Utter, unbridled hatred for the blue haired girl was evident in every intonation that Misato had spoken. Fortunately, before Rei could even formulate answer, Asuka interrupted. "She caught her arm on an unprotected screw on the bed railing. We went to get some bandages."

While Rei made no motion to show the major her arm, the new bandage was clearly present on her wrist. "I… see…" Misato said in a tone of surrender, believing Asuka's words as truth. Then the woman realized just how she had spoken, and muttered what was – in her own eyes – a sort of justification for her harshness, "It's just… I can't change overnight."

Rei looked at the Major sadly, although her expression would probably not have been noticeable to any stranger as being associated with sadness. "I understand," She said softly, then moved back to her bed.

Rei realized that Asuka's deception would last only so long as the Major didn't inspect the area around her bed for blood. As she settled on the mattress, she decided that she would have to soil the sheets. She moved the bandage back slightly revealing part of the healing wound. She briefly considered using her AT Field to open it – quick and efficient. But the energy and the light generated by her soul might alert the Major to what she was doing. Wincing, she opened a small section of the wound again with her fingernail and fresh blood dripped on the bed sheets near the raising metal railing. After a small amount of blood stained the sheets and the metal, she slipped the bandage back over the newly opened flesh. 'It will heal.' She told herself, the scar had already closed from her earlier experience. Within a day at the most, there would be no trace of it - especially if she were immersed in LCL.

As Asuka climbed into bed, she looked over at Rei's hospital bunk. She looked at the floor by the top edge of the metal railing. There were a few drops of a dark substance on the floor. She involuntarily winced. 'She reopened the wound to make it look like she was injured here.' Misato was already re-composing herself for sleep, so was not looking at the bed when Rei got back into it. 'I must admire her resolve… I don't think I could have done that without whimpering at least once.' She thought.

Rei blinked a few times at the stained sheets. 'Red. The color of blood. The color I hate.' She closed her eyes. Perhaps now that Shinji was at least partially healed, her troubled and tormented mind would allow her some measure of rest…

-

September 16th, 2015 - 5:52am

The receptionist watched the elevator doors very carefully as the bell announced the arrival of a car. 'Too many strange things happening tonight…' the young nurse noted mentally. As the doors spread apart, the woman sighed in partial relief. A woman wearing a doctor's lab coat, a dress shirt and slacks came forward. Her rather normal brown hair caught the overhead light, as gentle green eyes looked around the room finally locking on the young woman.

The doctor approached the desk, her badge on her shirt, partially hidden by the smock, but the Photo ID clearly identifying the individual. She gave a wan smile, then said, "Can you please direct me to Shinji Ikari's room?"

"Yes… Doctor?" The nurse stumbled for a moment, trying to get a name from the partially obscured tag… "What reason do you have to see the patient?"

"Oh," The woman said, pulling aside the smock to reveal her Gehrin ID pass. She struck a slightly askew smirk: "I'm sorry; I'm not a Medical Doctor… I'm his mother. Yui Ikari."

The woman looked at the tag, and the face. "Oh… you're his mother? But a Major Katsuragi is listed as his only guardian…" The nurse turned to her terminal, "We're under orders not to admit anyone but his physicians and her into the room."

Yui stared at the lady, "But I'm his MOTHER." She insisted.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But you need a NERV security clearance to enter…"

"Yui…" Said an astonished voice from the direction of the Elevator.

Yui stiffened in recognition. 'Was he there to take her away?' "Kozo?" She turned slowly to face her old mentor. She saw the tears in his eyes, the lines on his face. "You've aged…"

"You…" He choked, "You haven't…" He stepped forward towards the woman… "God in heaven, defend us all… If it is really you Yui…"

The nurse looked at the old man, "I'm sorry, if someone here doesn't show some ID, I'm going to call security."

Kozo Fuyutsuki stepped past Yui and showed his NERV id to the young nurse, who immediately blanched. "I trust that handles the ID part…"

"Certainly, Sub Commander." She gulped.

"Kozo…"

"Oh Yui… How?" Tears were forming in the elder teacher's eyes. They were tears of joy, tears of fear, and tears of a mind outside its station and its bounds.

"You know how." Yui said, looking away.

"One of them." Kozo said.

Yui stiffened, then nodded. "I have to see him, Sensei. Just once…"

Kozo smiled at his former student, "I knew it was you; there was no one else it could be. But without you, our golem is…"

"It has a soul, Sensei." Yui practically spat. "He volunteered, after some… persuasion." She looked away for a moment, and the anger present in Yui's eyes when she turned back made Kozo flinch. "That he would do that to our son… to my son…" She looked away, as though suppressing the rage she felt within to scream and pronounce her particular hatred to the entire world.

Kozo looked nervously at the nurse, who was trying diligently not to pay attention. "This isn't the place for that particular conversation." He put his hand on her shoulder, and felt her wince. "Come, Yui-chan. Let's go see your boy…"

Yui's eyes snapped up. "Sensei?" The eyes no longer contained any anger. Her son was mentioned. He was her shining light. Her reason for life…

He nodded. "You didn't think I was going to arrest you, did you?"

"I don't know what to think." She said sadly.

"That makes two of us…" The Sub-Commander admitted as he released her shoulder. They both walked down the hall to Shinji's room.

-

September 16th, 2015 - 6:21am

Major Katsuragi yawned, and quietly began moving in the pre-dawn light currently illuminating the city. After a couple testing stretches, she glanced over at Ayanami's current bed. 'Did she really cut herself?' The major wondered. Walking silently over to the bed, she confirmed that there was indeed dried blood on the sheets and on the side of the railing. She watched as the girls face twitched a few times, almost as though a sniffle were building. In response, a tiny balled fist came up to the girl's face, and the hand absently rubbed her nose. The major had to stifle a giggle. 'She really is a little girl!'

As the major walked away, Rei's eyes flew opened. 'The deception has satisfied her… for now.' She thought. After all, Rei had been awake since 5am; she always was alert by that time of the morning. Slowly closing her eyes, 'I wonder what it is like to actually sleep later?' The thought danced around her mind as she waited for the Major to complete her morning toilet…

In her bed, Asuka was occupied with a peculiar nightmare.

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In her dreams, Unit 01 began to attack her Unit 02.

"Shinji, stop, please!" She screamed, feeling the pounding of Unit 01's fists against her AT Field.

"Who are you?" The boy asked; strangely clear over the comm. line.

"I'm Asuka!" She screamed. Desperately trying to fight back and defend herself against the Third Child's mecha. "You know me, we're friends!"

The boy's face appeared before her in a channel. Strangely he was dressed in his school uniform, floating in the LCL. "Asuka?" The boy muttered. "I don't know any Asuka."

"Shinji! It's me! Asuka! The one who…" Asuka stopped herself.

Unit 01's pounding ceased as the Third Child awaited Asuka's revelation. "The one who?"

Asuka's eyes widened. 'Yes, that's the answer. I'll just tell him…'

"I think I remember an Asuka now." Shinji said thoughtfully, almost as though he was reclining in a sofa at home. "Yes, she's a beautiful girl. But…" Asuka felt her stomach lurch into her throat, as bile forced its way up into her mouth. "But that beauty is only skin deep. She hates me." Asuka felt as if she had been hit by a massive hand. "She despises me, and calls me names." Another slap. "She never gives me anything but pain." She felt as though she were bleeding from a thousand wounds. "She berates my friends, and treats Rei like a doll." Shinji's eyes narrowed through the display. "Asuka Langley Sohryu," The boy muttered with a hint of anger, "What am I to you?"

Asuka's lip trembled, "I…"

"Yes?" The boy asked patiently.

"I… love…"

Shinji just waited with a passive expression.

"I love you, Shinji…"

Shinji remained quiet for a few moments. "Maybe you do…" Suddenly Unit 01 moved to walk away. Surprisingly, Asuka noted, it didn't have a power cord attached to it.

Asuka tried to follow, reaching out but always missing the elusive mecha. Finally she felt a tug at her back… and her cord would go no further. But Unit 01 kept on walking. "Shinji!" She screamed in her dream.

"Shinji! Please, don't go…" Desperation laced every intonation.

She tried to eject her power cord, but it didn't respond. She had no weapons to cut it with. And all her strength could not tear the cord loose from its moorings. "SHINJI!"

Unit 01 paused a distance away, its hulking form glistening various shades of purple and red as it stood in the full bloom of the setting sun. "Goodbye, Asuka."

"WHY!" Asuka screamed as Unit 01 turned to move away.

"Because, you never told me - I was never important enough to you for you to tell me. Now it's too late…" Shinji replied sadly, then continued to walk.

"Shinji! Please, come back! Don't leave me! Don't go away!" She screamed. Finally a soft whisper, "Please, don't leave me alone…"

A final few words came back through the haze of the fading dream. "I'm not leaving you… you were never with me… You were always alone… by your own choice." A pause before the darkness, and a final echo, "Always alone…"

-

Asuka awoke to the feeling of her mattress listing to one side. She looked over, and noticed that the First Child had decided to sit on her bed. Rei's red eyes were staring down at her, with an almost compassionate look. "Rei?" Asuka asked hesitantly.

"You cried out in your sleep, Sohryu-san."

"I… I didn't mean to wake you." Asuka stuttered, still partially immobilized with the dream's lingering effects.

"I was already awake." Rei admitted. Rei noted that the Second Child was actually, tolerable… when she was first awakening. Still, she decided to inform her temporary roommate about the current situation. "The major is preparing herself for the day."

Asuka cringed, expecting to hear the shout of "Yebisu Joy" from the major, then quirked one eye open, then the other. 'We're in a hospital; she can't drink in a hospital.' Just as she was about to calmly get up…

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Echoed through the room, and the sound of the water being forcefully shut off echoed through the pipes in the ceiling.

Asuka stiffened, wanting the offending noise to go away. Rei simply stared passively at the young girl.

The explanation soon came from the closed bathroom door, "Didn't this place ever hear of HOT WATER!"

Rei and Asuka shared a glance. The infirmary baths required that the hot water temperature be set before the shower was turned on...

Rei got up off the bed and walked to the door. "Major, you have to set the temperature before you turn on the shower." She said loudly enough to be heard through the door.

"Oh…" Was the thoughtful reply the major made, having practically broken the control to cut off the flow of icy water to the shower nozzle. "Sorry!" She apologized through the door.

Rei glanced back to see Asuka curled into a fetal position, her eyes glancing back at the room's exit every once in a while. She walked up to the young woman. "Pilot Soryu?"

Asuka turned away from her, curling into a tighter ball. Rei moved to the other side of the bed, but Asuka simply rolled over in the other direction. Rei clasped her arm at the elbow… "Pilot Soryu?"

"What!" Was the angry reply from the fiery red-head.

"Do you…" Rei's question was quickly interrupted.

"No."

Rei remained quiet for a few moments, before turning away. Rei could hear the rustle of sheets and knew that Asuka was watching her. Rei made her way to her shoes… And paused before retrieving them, "If you never tell him, he'll never know…" Rei heard a sharp inhalation, and then the rustle of sheets again.

When she turned to go back to her bed, she noticed that the Second Child had curled up into a fetal position once more, and was studiously watching the bathroom door.

-

Misato's heart skipped a beat as she saw a Section Two team carrying a bucket and cleaning products out of Shinji's room. They said nothing as they passed her, and Misato was almost too shocked to respond.

Rei and Asuka both eyed the team, and watched them as they carried a small bucket of 'something' towards the elevator. Asuka, who had been avoiding Rei's eyes since the bedroom, now glanced quickly in the blue-haired girl's direction. All she was able to see was the top of Ayanami's down-turned head as the girl watched the ground.

Asuka stared at the pilot for a few minutes. It was the first time she'd seen her in anything other than her school uniform. Misato had insisted that Rei not wear her plug-suit around for a second day, and had gathered a change of clothing for her from a generous resident nurse. With the pale blue turtleneck and washed-out blue jeans, she could pass for a normal person…

A beautiful normal girl with exotic blue hair and red eyes.

Asuka noted the pale yellow turtleneck loaned to her by the same generous nurse. It went well with her, but the jeans were a bit tight… While Rei's jeans seemed almost baggy on the fourteen year-old. Still though, if one were to look at them in the hallway, they would think "Fire and Ice…" Asuka's fire-red hair, and Rei's ice blue hair… an amazing contrast.

Still though, Asuka had to shake her head to clear out the images of people judging them based on their appearance. That wasn't what this was about. The clothes were there because someone had lent them to the children. Asuka was glad that the fashion-sense of the nurse at least included a few articles of clothing that met with her approval. Besides, Asuka Langley Sohryu would look good in anything.

Rei was blissfully unaware of the Second Child's concerns. She knew what the Section Two personnel were removing from Shinji's room… the remains of the Tenth clone. A quick glance from under her hair allowed her to catch Asuka staring at her. 'She knows, but I would suspect that she would concentrate on something else. Perhaps something mundane to wash the memory of the Tenth's remains from her mind…' Rei looked at herself, and thought approvingly – 'At least the nurse didn't try to make me wear red.'

Misato watched as the elevator doors closed on the Section Two agents… "What the hell?" She muttered to herself, pulling open her uniform jacket and exposing her weapon for easy retrieval. She began to walk to the room when the nurse at the station spoke up.

"Major Katsuragi," The nurse intoned. The purple-haired woman spun to face her. "Ms. Ayanami and Mr. Ikari already have… visitors."

"Who?" The major asked, hand hovering near her weapon.

"Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, and a…another woman," the nurse stuttered, "I don't know her name. The duty nurse changed shift at six, and she didn't tell me who the second visitor was. But they've been in there for a little while now."

'Probably Ritsuko…' Misato mentally confirmed, relaxing slightly. "Why were those men in there?"

"I don't know. The Sub-Commander said that they were to be admitted to the room when they arrived."

The major nodded curtly. It was unusual for a section two team to be doing cleanup – unless they were disposing of somebody. 'Perhaps the other clone had passed on during the night.' Misato absently thought. After all, it was heavily damaged, and probably didn't have the will to continue to live on its own anyways. She walked to the doors, and knocked gently, knowing that the Sub-Commander was within.

"Enter Major." Came Fuyutuski's response. Misato steeled herself for the sight of Shinji's crippled form as she opened the handle… Unfortunately for the Major, that was not the sight that greeted her.

Major Katsuragi's jaw dropped at the sight before her. Shinji was standing, hugging a woman who was eagerly returning that hug. Misato could hear sobs wracking his form, and wanted nothing more than to run up and hug him… but something inside told her that these weren't sobs of sadness… they were tears of joy. Next to him was the blue-haired Fifteenth clone, fully healed. "Shinji?" Misato whispered.

The brown haired woman looked up, her eyes meeting Misato's, "Major Katsuragi…" The soft voice was very much like an elder Rei's.

Shinji broke away from his death-grip hug. "M…Misato-san!" Shinji had a genuine smile on his tear streaked face. "This… This… Is…" He looked back up at the woman he was hugging, as if to confirm that she was there. In response, she stroked his hair, "Misato-san… this is my mother!"

"Major Misato Katsuragi, meet Doctor Yui Ikari…" Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki said formally from the shadows of the room. "She was head of the Evangelion development project…" He said, looking sadly at her, "And, God willing, will be able to help us defeat the Angels."

Misato blinked in surprise, stepping forward haltingly. "Bu…But…"

Once Misato was clear of the door, the First and Second Children entered the room. The stared at the sight of a standing Shinji and Fifteenth Rei… and the brown haired woman who looked a lot like the two fourteen year olds.

Just as Yui was about to speak to Misato, she caught sight of the children. Her eyes focused on the Second… "Asuka?" She asked haltingly. "Little Asuka?"

The girl backed off slightly… "Who are you?"

The woman laughed a little. "Oh, dear Asuka… you don't remember me, you were so little when Kyoko showed you to me…"

Asuka shook her head. "I don't know you… But you look like Rei."

"In a sense I'm Rei's mother… But Shinji is the issue of my flesh…"

"You're Shinji's mother?" Asuka asked astonished.

Yui nodded, ignoring the speechless Misato, walking towards the child. "You met Shinji once, long ago. When I visited Geherin Germany to supervise the initial generation of the Production Model Evangelion. Your mother and I were good friends."

"No…" Asuka backed away.

"What's wrong, little one?" Yui asked of the frightened child.

"She lost her mother… in an accident." Misato said softly, having regained some of her composure.

Yui glanced at Kozo, who turned away. "I see…"

"It wasn't an accident." Asuka said vehemently. "She was insane."

Yui blinked. Looking back at Kozo, "Like 01?"

"Like 01… except there was something left." Kozo said quietly, then took up the pastime of staring at the cityscape outside the window.

"I'm sorry, little one." Yui said sympathetically.

"Don't call me 'little one'." Asuka spat. "I'm not little."

Yui nodded once. "Still… You mother was a very good woman… when I knew her. She loved you with all her heart. She must have been… very sick at the end… in order to leave you like that. She would have never willingly done so when I knew her." Yui told the young German girl. "She loved you beyond imagination…"

"Maybe… but I'm my own woman now." Asuka said softly. Looking up at Shinji, then looking away.

"How… How is Shinji… How is he walking?" Misato asked, knowing the severity of his injury.

"A miracle… I guess." Yui said, looking back at both the Fifteenth Rei and Shinji. "Major Katsuragi… I understand that you volunteered to take care of Shinji…"

Misato blushed, then nodded. "I guess I did…"

"Thank you… I'm sure that you have many questions…" She said to the woman. "Rest assured that I do as well. I've missed the last ten years of my son's life. I have much to make up for."

Rei stayed silent, slightly behind Misato and out of Yui's direct view.

Yui's gaze directed beside Misato. "Hello Rei."

"Hello." Rei replied haltingly. "Ma'am."

"So you're the pilot of Unit 00. I'm surprised that my husband was able to get that hunk of junk to work."

"The fundamental engineering of the Prototype was reworked based on the Test Type's responses to its initial activation… it was determined what was missing, and that was quickly provided for." Rei responded mechanically.

"So you understand the Unit's source?" Yui asked, softly.

"I understand its purpose. And I understand my own. The Commander was clear on those two things. I am I. And Eva is all I am to be for. I am replaceable in my role as pilot of Unit 00."

"Rei…" Yui said, her emotions coming through. "The Commander's scenario is no more."

"Then I am nothing." Rei said very softly. Looking into Shinji's eyes. "There is nothing here for me now." She watched as Shinji's eyes went wide. "Goodbye." She said softly, turning to leave.

"Rei!" Yui shouted, as Misato turned to watch.

Rei stopped. "Yes, Doctor Ikari?" Her soft voice was devoid of emotion as she continued to face towards the door.

"Rei… if you choose, I have…" Yui glanced at the Major then returned her attention to Rei… "Have another purpose for you."

Rei turned to face the regenerated doctor. "A purpose?"

"Yes. I want you to live… for our family… You are my daughter."

Rei looked at Shinji who blushed, Asuka who was studying the patterns on the floor, and Misato who was still staring at Shinji… "I don't know what a family is." Rei admitted. "My purpose was Eva..."

"Family is the reason you fight in Eva, Rei. To protect your family. It's why Shinji fights, why Asuka fights…" Asuka ignored the application of reason to her piloting. "And why we battle the angels. Because we are protecting our family. All of humanity."

"But I am not entirely human."

"Things change." Yui said softly, looking into her red eyes. "What do you say?"

"Without purpose I am nothing. I have no link to the world. To others. I am an empty shell… Perhaps… perhaps this purpose… is something better for me than Eva. It may be…" She looked up. "I might… like this purpose."

Yui walked up to Rei, and enfolded her arms around the young pilot.

Rei closed her eyes. Never before had someone just come up and hugged her. She had seen others do it, and have it done to them. But for her, this was a new experience. And her body enjoyed it. She liked the feeling of protection… of safety.

Of being loved. 'Is this a taste,' she wondered in her mind, 'A taste of what it is to be human? A simple touch, this warmth, this feeling…' Within the embrace she felt that there was time for everything. 'If this is what it means to be human, then that is what I wish to be.'

"Oh, poor child." Yui whispered, as she hugged Rei. "All my poor children…" She said, glancing at Asuka, who was attempting to find points of interest that didn't involve the direct viewing of the emotional scene before her. Yui suppressed a chuckle after looking at Asuka. 'You have much to learn, little one. Maybe we can bring you back to where you're supposed to be.' She thought then looked down at Rei, who had finally returned the embrace. 'Still though, one project at a time…'

Shinji moved closer, as did the Fifteenth Rei. Soon they both were encompassed in the embrace. Misato moved away, as did Asuka, and decided to simply watch the scene of the three children and one adult hugging. A tear formed in Misato's eye. "Damn…" she whispered.

"Major…" Kozo said. "They're still you're responsibility. Just because Shinji has his mother back doesn't mean that he needs you any less…"

"But she's his mother… and I'm just…"

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki smiled sadly, "You're his commanding officer. And at the end of the day, there are still Angels out there. The battle won't stop for something as insignificant as a child's happiness. No matter how much Yui and I might wish it so…"

Shinji broke away from the group hug, and walked up to Misato. Misato blushed as the young boy's arms enfolded around her waist… "Shinji?" She asked.

"Misato-san… we're going to have dinner…" Shinji smiled. "I'd like you there. You're my family too."

Misato's mouth opened and closed several times, but no words could come out. Shinji smiled and released her. "You're welcome…" He said, answering her unstated gratitude.

Then Shinji walked over to Asuka, who was now staring at a picture on a wall. "Ms. Sohryu?"

She didn't acknowledge his presence.

'Fortune is like a woman…' Shinji thought, looking at the perplexing second child. 'She favors the bold…' The words were from an old show he had seen once or twice when he was younger. His mother's presence, however, gave Shinji the kind of confidence that he had always lacked… or at least that he felt that he lacked. He looked back at his mother, who was now hugging the two Reis, then looked back at Asuka. A small smile worked its way onto his face. 'And what if you fall? At least you can say you tried.' So, throwing all caution to the wind, and remembering that supposedly Asuka was as much a part of his 'family' as Misato and Rei, decided to test the 'fortune' theory. Without warning, Shinji hugged Asuka.

Shinji felt her stiffen under his embrace. Then he whispered into her ear, "Fuyutsuki-sensei told me that you were there for me… with me… and that we were a family before…" He stared into her eyes, after he lifted his head away from her shoulder. Her scowl was fearsome, but her eyes were begging… "Ms. Sohryu, will you come home with us? I'd like the most beautiful girl I've ever met to have dinner with me tonight."

"I… Is this some form of pity, Third Child?" She asked. Shinji looked shocked, and then shook his head in the negative.

"No… I just want to get to know you a bit… you know… because I can't remember…" Shinji started to pull away, and began to mutter, "I'm sor…"

Asuka pulled him back and kissed him suddenly on the lips, silencing the apology before it could be spoken. As she felt him go silent, she smiled internally. As she pulled back, she felt a blush reach her cheeks. "Don't apologize." She said, holding him a bit tighter against her yet again. "I accept… but if you ever grab me again like this without my permission, Third Child, you'll regret it."

Shinji nodded his understanding and smiled a little. "Yes Ma'am."

'That's worth every bit of it.' Asuka thought, and sheepishly returned the smile. 'If he doesn't remember, that means it's a clean slate. I get to start… from scratch.' She watched him for a few minutes, and then spoke. "Shinji…"

"Yes, Ms. Sohryu?" He said, looking into her eyes.

"Call me Asuka."

"A…Asuka." Shinji said, testing the word on his lips and allowing a small smile. "Asuka."

"And don't you forget it." She said, smiling at him and poking her finger into his chest with each word.

Of course, all the room had been privy to the exchange. Even Yui had noticed her son's sudden inspiration… Even the Reis had watched the exchange with interest. The Fifteenth Rei looked at the Second. "Why did she kiss him?"

Rei looked back at the two, then responded, "To keep him from apologizing."

The fifteenth's head tilted slightly and a quizzical expression befell her face, "Is it common to use a kiss to silence someone?"

Rei thought about it for a moment. "I believe it's an unintentional aftereffect. Although Pilot Sohryu's reason was probably to achieve that effect…"

The Fifteenth frowned for a moment, and then nodded. "I see."

Yui watched those gathered in the room, and realized one had been left out. "Sensei?" She called.

Kozo looked up from his shadowy corner of the room.

Yui smiled softly, "You're coming to dinner too, right?"

Kozo didn't move much, but his eyes turned down in thought, before rising again, "I wouldn't miss it for the world…"

At that moment, the door opened up revealing Doctor Akagi. Ritsuko took one glance around the room, looked at her clipboard, and took yet another glance around the room. Her eyes focused on Yui for a moment, then on Shinji, then back on Yui. "Um… who are you?"

"Yui Ikari," Yui said meekly, "Ritsuko, isn't it? I used to know your mother." Yui noted the 'deer caught in the headlights' look on the woman's face.

The woman nodded numbly, "That's what I thought…" Then she looked down at her clipboard, marked off a box… and looked back up for one last survey of the room.

Then she fainted.

The Sub-Commander was the first to comment, "Perhaps she was the wisest of all of us… I wish that I would have done that once, long ago..."

In Tokyo 3, the sound of laughter was a rare thing. Even rarer was when it was associated with the Children of NERV. But on this day, the sound of laughter could be heard flowing from the emergency ward room of Shinji Ikari…

--
Author's Notes:

I hope that this chapter meets with approval, and that I have done a good job of writing it. I had wanted to bring Yui back in this chapter, and start Rei on the road of becoming human. Of course, the first part is a forward flash showing the destination, and the rest of the story lays the groundwork.

As for the S/A implication… well they're married in the future. But remember – this is a story of Rei becoming a human being. We know the source and the destination now, but I have not yet revealed the path to get there. Besides, there's just as much story left to be told in 2030 as there is in 2014. Be prepared for surprises. Just a word of warning: I like rollercoasters. :D

As usual, any comments are accepted warmly. Feel free to leave them or send them to my email. :D

Edit 4/8/2003 - Modified a couple misspellings and odd word placements. Should be better now.

Later,
PitViper