Months have passed since the attack of 16th angel. Many assume that it was the last angel and now all is well. Schools have started up again, and people are assuming that the once inevitable apocalypse was at bay. There were those who knew better, but who were they to disturb the joyous festivals and parties of the "man's redemption."

In the case of Misato Katsurugi, she did not celebrate. She was ban from ever seeing the person who was like a son to her. She had lost the life of the one most dear to her and her once friend Ritsuko had gone nearly insane… Nothing was peaceful… no… everything was hellish for her… While the Tokyo-3 citizens paraded by the thousands, she just sat in her apartment watching them go by. Her purple hair now rarely saw sunlight as her beautiful slim figure was beginning to grow outward. She, for the first time in her life, felt that she could not be helped… that she was dying.

"Wow! This is Tokyo-3! I've always wanted to come here. Ever since I was a kid…" An airplane flew over Tokyo-3 preparing to land, and on that plane was a child, but not just any child. His name was Tsubasa, "Wow… Now I will get to meet the Third Child and the others… If I am good enough to be a pilot that is… They'll probably send me home because I am not good enough…"

Tsubasa stepped of the plane and into the open air where his short brown hair flew back and forth in the wind. His blue eyes seemed to glow with the radiance of the sun itself. But to Tsubasa's surprise, there was a purple haired woman waiting for him at the entrance to the airport, "Are you Tsubasa Yamada?" she asked in a low manner.

"Yes ma'am." Replied Tsubasa as he looked downward, "You must be Commander Katsurugi! I am honored to meet you." Tsubasa bowed.

"So polite," joked Misato before she frowned, "It is a new NERV policy that no one is allowed to play guardian to pilots. So NERV as dorm-like-apartments for all its pilots." She said in a low voice as Tsubasa tailed her behind walking to her car.

"I understand ma-"

"Please, just Misato. Just Misato." Said Misato with a big smile trying to be friendly despite her enormous pain, "I'll take you to your room, Last Child."

Tsubasa didn't reply but slowly got into Misato's car. There was a long silence as Misato began to drive before Misato finally was the one to break the ice, "So… where are you from?"

"Hmm? America…" Tsubasa muttered, "New York to be precise."

"Do you enjoy Japanese life?" Asked Misato now becoming a little curious about this boy himself.

"Yes ma-"

"What did I say about calling me ma'am?"

"Yes Misato," he corrected himself, "Yes, I do very enjoy Japanese life. I love Japanese foods, customs and all… I have been trying to get used to what it might be like here ever since I found out I would be the… Last… Child…"

Misato did the best she could to appear friendly, "Well, do you know why you are referred to as the Last Child?"

"Yes ma'am, it is because I am well… The last child who not only can pilot an Eva but can synchronize…" Tsubasa said slowly in a low tone. When she hit a traffic light, Misato took a look at Tsubasa. He was 14, like his resume said, and he certainly had the height to match but his face was a little pudgy like that of a ten year old.

"I know what you are thinking…" Tsubasa told Misato, "Why could a 14 year old look so young? Well… it's just a curse…" He joked to lighten the mood sensing Misato's distress.

"Oh yes!" The purple haired woman exclaimed as she remembered something that she had forgotten, "I need you to tell me, are you on any medication for any disease or state of mind?"

"Yes ma'am…" Tsubasa paused for a moment but then spoke when Misato put her hand on his shoulder to reassure him it was okay, "I am on anti-depressants…"

Misato nodded and began to drive again feeling a disturbance in Tsubasa's voice. There was no talking for the rest of the car ride.

It indeed was not long before Tsubasa slowly opened the door to his dorm in the NERV pilot center, "Oh!" remembered Misato, who to Tsubasa seemed forgetful, "You have a roommate, and his name is Kaworu Nagisa, the 5th Child."

"How many pilots are there?" Tsubasa asked curiously.

"Well… there are… four…" She paused for a moment, "No… three… pilots, you, Kaworu and a girl. But the girl is currently hospitalized for a condition… If she returns, she will be in the room next to you." Misato obviously seemed distressed about something for she turned away immediately and began to walk back towards her car. Before a word came from Tsubasa's mouth, she was driving away.

But Tsubasa sighed it off and entered his room, "Hello? Kaworu?"

"Yes?" A voice replied to Tsubasa's call, "I am Kaworu Nagisa… Who are you?"

"I am… Tsubasa Yamada… I will be sharing rooms with you." Tsubasa said trying to be friendly but it was event to Kaworu that something was bothering him.

"You remind me of someone I know… Someone who is here to, who you should meet." Kaworu told Tsubasa as he led him through a small doorway into a bedroom with two beds and a sleeping bag on the floor. Lying in the sleeping bag was a brown haired boy with his eyes shut and a headset in his ears.

"Ah! I forgot! It's midnight here… where I live it's only noon."

"Do not worry." Said Kaworu, "Neither of us really often sleeps." He nudged Shinji on the shoulder gently, "Shinji…"

"Yes… Kaworu…" Asked the brown haired boy named Shinji as he sat up slowly. He opened his blue eyes and stared at Tsubasa.

"Hello… Third Child… no?" asked Tsubasa curiously, "Shinji Ikari?"

Shinji nodded with a small grunting noise of acknowledgement. Shinji and Tsubasa stared at each other for a moment, it was almost like a little kid starring into a mirror for the first time and being curious how there could be someone who looks just like them.

Kaworu smiled, "Two lilium, so similar… And yet I only love one… The other is meaningless to me… Is that normal…?" He asked himself under his breath.

"Did you say something Kaworu?" Asked Shinji as he regained his speech.

"Oh… no… I was just… thinking out loud." Kaworu couldn't make something up; he couldn't lie to the one he loved. How could this be? He couldn't lie so he just told part of the truth… Could it really be that he truly loved a lilium? Kaworu was flushed for a moment and then calmed himself down by thinking, 'No, this is just a coincidence… It's just really hot in here…'

"Shinji… I heard that your father is the leader of NERV… Is this true?" Asked Tsubasa out in a curious state of mind.

"Yes but… I don't like him…" Shinji frowned, "Well… no… he doesn't like me… How about you?" He rather not admit the truth about his feelings towards his father.

"Oh… My father… he is very kind to me…" Said Tsubasa looking away for a moment, "How about you Kaworu…?" Trying to shift away the subject from himself.

"Well… I joined NERV to find him…" Said Kaworu with a smile, "I don't know much about him but his name is… Adam…"

"That sounds familiar…" Shinji commented with a confused look on his face, "Well I suppose it would… Adam is a common name outside of Japan…"

"Well… I think I am going to go to sleep." yawned Tsubasa as he lay down on the floor, "Goodnight." Time and time passed 'till the morning where the three were all hectically getting ready for school. Since the school was starting up again, the three of them had to go and be students. Although Shinji and Tsubasa muttered a few complaints under their breath, Kaworu seemed eager and happy to go to school as he would be caught constantly saying, "School is a beautiful thing is it not?" or, "Is this how you learn?"

"Good morning class!"

"Good morning Ms. Osaka."

Ms. Osaka, the blonde haired slim bodied beauty, spoke, "Today, we have five new students!" She exclaimed, "The first one came all the way from America. His name is Tsubasa Yamada." Tsubasa felt awkward as he walked through the door, the teacher was making this a game show. But he just sighed and walked towards one of the empty seats in the back of the room.

"Next of, we have Shinji Ikari! He was the Third Child and is an eligible bachelor for all you ladies!" Shinji walked through the door, stared at Ms. Osaka for a moment, then the class. Then went over to another empty seat and sat down.

"Okay everyone, next we have a very handsome boy, his name is Kaworu Nagisa!" Kaworu walked in and then smiled for the class looked for the closest seat next to Shinji and sat down there.

"This is weird…" Shinji whispered to Kaworu, "We have one crazy teacher."

"So this is not how you normally introduce yourse-"

But he was cut off by Ms. Osaka's rambling, "Next off we have a student who was hospitalized for a while do to injury. I want everyone to meet Toji Suzahara!" Shinji immediately gasped as he saw the figure of his close friend walk through the door to the classroom seemingly unharmed, Toji was muttering something along the lines of, "This is stupid!" Toji spotted Shinji and ran over to the closest seat that Kaworu did not take and gave Shinji a signal that was along the lines of, "Meet me after class."

"Finally, the last person is… Asuka Langley Shouryu." Shinji paused; did he just hear that name correctly? His heart was beating quickly, his mind flashing. The red haired girl slowly walked into the room as her eyes scanned the class like she was looking for someone, her eyes settled on Shinji and she took a seat as close to him as she could get. But she wasn't smiling like she used to. She was frowning with a serious look in her eye. To Shinji, she seemed much more mature than before but he couldn't help but worry. Wasn't it her that had faced the mental score not long ago?

"Shinji…" She said loud enough so that only he could here, "I want to talk to you… later today…" She turned back towards Ms. Osaka who was saying something about fractions and radicals. Shinji really didn't care, but his best friend and Asuka were okay and that meant a lot to him.

As the long day passed, class was let out and Shinji sighed a sigh of relief as he left the room only to see the big brutish figure of Toji before him, "Ikari!" he yelled frightening Shinji, "Nice to see you!"

Once realizing it was joke, Shinji smiled, "I am glad you are okay, Toji."

"Shinji…" A voice said, Shinji turned around to see Asuka there with a look of sadness on her face, "May I talk to you?"

Once they were in an area where they could talk alone, Asuka spoke, "Stupid Shinji! But on a serious note… Shinji… I know that sometimes I might've been cruel to you…" Shinji gasped was this the same Asuka speaking, "And I apologize for it…"

"Asuka… You have nothing to be sorry for… if anyone… I should be sorry…" Shinji muttered looking down but then Asuka laughed.

"You are the same old stupid Shinji!" She exclaimed, "You have nothing to be sorry about! Stop apologizing!"

"Oh… Sorry…" Shinji frowned looking down.

"What are you stupid?" Asked Asuka jokingly, "But really… Shinji… I want to tell you that… When we kissed…. I really… enjoy it…"

A slight gasp let out of Shinji's mouth, "Asuka… I…"

"Stop being so embarrassed! It's me!" She exclaimed.

"Asuka… May I hold you?" Shinji asked as his face turned a little red.

"I haven't wanted anything else," Asuka smiled a little and embraced Shinji around the neck as he did so to her waist. Asuka smiled and put her head down on Shinji's shoulder, "Shinji… After all that had happened to me recently… I realized that all I wanted… was to be with you…"

Shinji nodded and smiled, a rare event for Shinji, "Asuka… I… I… I…"

"Spit it out, idiot!" She joked again.

"I love you."

"I love you to. My dearest Third Child…"

However, in the corner of the room, a figure looked in shock at the two embracing, "Shinji… Could you be rejecting my love?" It was Kaworu and in a state of shock and anger, two emotions that he had never felt before, Kaworu began to feel a salty water roll down his face, "Is this what the lilium call… tears?"

"Asuka and Shinji are acting unusual today…" muttered Toji from the corner of his mouth as he peered through into the room that Asuka and Shinji were embracing inside of.

Tsubasa, who was next to Toji, chuckled, "They are just glad to see the other alive… And in doing so… can finally express themselves to one another. Not necessarily to say that they love each other or don't. But what they are feeling isn't love, but contentment at knowing the other is alive," Tsubasa now turned towards Toji, "Toji… if you don't mind me asking… I thought you well… got 'hurt' in an accident with the Eva…"

"Yes… I did." Frowned Toji, "But I met a man named Keel Lorenz, he built me a fake arm and leg that work just as well… He also promised my sister an even better health plan than NERV's." Toji tried to smile but failed.

"No conditions?"

"No… No conditions…"

Later that day, Tsubasa prepared for his first synchronization test. His black and white plug suit reflected the light as he walked towards the pod muttering, "I am going to fail…" over and over again. As the pod door opened and he sat down in the seat preparing for the test he heard a voice:

"Preparing to synchronize with Unit-006. In five, four, three two, one!"

Suddenly Tsubasa felt a rush of energy in his body as he closed his eyes and began to prepare to attempt synchronization.

"Pilot metal stability is stable!" Yelled a voice from the control room.

"Synchronization points are going up and quick. 36.7, 37, 37.4. This is incredible." Yelled another voice.

However, inside the pod, a tear rolled down Tsubasa's face as he was almost ready to scream. For some reason, the Eva was bringing back his worst memories, making him relive them over and over. Finally he let the scream go and the warning signal appeared on the computer.

"Warning! Pilot's mental stability is failing quickly!"

"Synchronization rating is going down! 15.3, 12.6, 6.8!"

"Eject the pod!"

Tsubasa came flying out of the pod and landed on the ground as tears were flowing from his eyes, "I'm weak…" He commented, "I'm worthless and weak!" He wiped away his tears and looked upwards towards the control room.

"I've seen enough," said none other than Gendou Ikari, "this boy has proved that he can synchronize with the Eva. He just needs training before a true fight."

Tsubasa nodded and slowly left to get changed and head to the NERV Pilot Center. But when he was in the locker room, he banged his head on the locker and resumed his tears once more.