Disclaimer: Anything that has a copyright protection belongs to their respective owners.

Notes: Have you ever seen or had some great ideas, but the execution was so terrible that it failed miserably? I know my execution is bad, but this chapter was so shitty that I decide to rewrite it for the sake of the next one.

P.S: I've also removed the omake. Not going to rewrite that as well.

Eins Zwei Drei

By North Freezing

Chapter 3:

XXXX

Misato had just finished calling Touji to meet her at the base after Ritsuko contacted her and said that Shinji was finally allowed visitor. Ritsuko had said over the phone that she might be a little surprised, but the captain was quite assured that her experience readied her for anything, her high school reunion party being an example.

Sayoko, one of her friend who claimed to despite boys, eloped with said gender and became a mother with three kids. Yoshito, the rich playboy of the class, had forfeited his family wealth and become a clergy of some church. Oda, the otaku/geek/the one girls tended to stay away from, had become a popular writer for writing the best seller self-help books titled, " How to get a girlfriend for dummies". And finally Momoko, the meek girl that always sat in the corner of the classroom, had become a super model slash part-time SM queen. It was always the quiet ones.

Wait… Shinji was a quiet one.

XXXX

" So, they allowed us to see him now?" Touji asked Misato for confirmation as they strolled toward the hospital wing. It had been a whole month since Nerv retrieved Shinji. He had rushed to the base when Misato told him about the termination of the Third Child's isolation, and they were on their way to make their first visit.

" Yeah." A simple reply came from the captain, as she battled to hold down her own excitement and anxiety.

" And what about Kensuke? And Ayanami? Why do we need to keep it a secret? Kensuke I can understand as he was not part of Nerv, but Ayanami was at the base when the blackout happened."

" Well, Shinji's return is supposed to be confidential. Even though I don't see the point of it." Misato answered. " And commander had insisted that Rei is to remain unaware of the situation. It's about Shinji's own safety… at least that's his excuse."

Touji had decided to forgo the matter. Having a disputing about the commander's order was pointless as usual. But hey, couldn't blame him for trying. " What's she gonna do? Train him to death or something?"

It was suppose sound sarcastic until he realized something.

When he was selected as a pilot, he had tried talking to Rei as he was nervous about the whole thing and Shinji wasn't around. Maybe he had caught her at a bad time cause the azure hair girl had then dragged him along for one of her training session. It might have been an act of good will by giving him a crash course, but he wasn't Kensuke, who'd probably cry with joy if a stinger missile flied his way.

Touji shuddered, remembering the pain. Can't believe that was beginner difficulty. I guess it's best if no one tells Ayanami, I don't think Shinji would like to be back in the hospital anytime soon.

" Don't worry, the ban will probably be removed by the time Shinji's ready for school. There's no way of keeping it secret at that point. Anyway, we're here to see Shinji, so let's move!" Misato spoke cheerfully; unaware of what just went inside the Fourth Child's head.

Touji silently prayed for Shinji's well being.

XXXX

" That's him!" Misato blurted out.

The doctor gave her a nod. They were currently in the observation chamber as the bolt from the blue on the other side of the one-way glass shorted Misato's brain. Touji's apparently shut down.

'Him' of course, being the Shinji Ikari, the sleeping beauty for two years plus.

Back when they first met, Misato was honest when she said he was kind of cute. If he had developed a fashion sense and stopped being an introvert, he probably could nab himself a girlfriend. Not saying there weren't any girls interested in him. Being a pilot did wonders to one's popularity.

Looking at the sixteen year old Shinji Ikari however, she realized that she had underestimated the power of puberty. The lean frame and babyish face was still there, but the young boy who used to stand up to her shoulder was now almost a head taller than her. His skin looked pale, but unlike Ayanami's porcelain complexion, he looked like he hadn't seen the sun for a long time. A new addition was the long raven mane of hair that ran down the side of his face and his back.

Shinji was currently leaning against the opposing wall to them with his eyes closed and arms folded below his chest. A tranquil expression settled on his face. Once in a while he would brush back a stray lock of hair that was tickling his cheek. The combination of the soft features on Shinji's face, the lithe physique, and the feminine gentleness he displayed had Misato fighting hard within her mind to suppress the naughty images that closely resembled her collection of shojo manga.

" There's something different about him."

" You can say that again…" Misato replied, still enthralled. Sure, Shinji was a little on the androgynous side, but she sure as hell didn't expect him to turn out like this!

" I'm not talking about his look." Ritsuko said tiredly. "You do realize something was odd when I didn't allow him any visitor for the past three weeks, right?"

That comment broke the spell and brought the Fourth Child back from the twilight zone as well.

Seeing that she had the their attention, the doctor continued. " You know what? I think I'll pass on the orders before I get to the explanations. Shinji will be leaving with you after we're done here. You've been given the rest of the day off, so show him around. Remember to keep a low profile. We don't need the media to cause a ruckus. The Nerv uniform he's wearing is okay for now, but he'll need new wardrobes and school uniforms. He'll be attending the same high school as you Suzuhara. And don't worry about your own paycheck Misato, he has already been given enough credits to do the shopping."

Misato nodded along as her friend went on, the operation director in her was already scheduling how she'd accomplish her mission in the afternoon. First, she'd show Shinji around the base, they had gotten a couple new entrances to fit with the new city layout. Then they'd head over to Shinkichijouji to do his shopping. Probably a haircut too, the long hair made him look too much like a girl, and she felt wrong imaging her charge as the main character of her old manga collection. Afterward she'll show him his new school and… Wait a moment, school uniforms?

Touji appeared to be thinking along the same line as he spoke before she could. " School uniforms? He's been missing school for more than two years. How is he supposed to catch up?"

Ritsuko gave a sigh, "Remember I say I'll explain later? Let me finish before we get to that shall we?" Seeing not objection. She quickly finished off. " And from now on, Shinji won't be staying with you Misato. A new address has already been secured for him. Drop him off back to base by eight, Section 2 will handle it from there. I'm also afraid to tell you that you won't have time to visit him for a while, the engineering department had some stuff that requires you to look over after you finished showing Shinji around."

" …"

" Misato?" The scientist started to get worried. She knew that last bit of news wouldn't be received too well, but the emotionless expression her friend was showing was getting unnerving. Touji already found himself some cover.

The scientist and the young man observed cautiously as the purple haired woman stood up slowly from where she was sitting and walked to the nearest cupboard, not wishing to set anything off. Then much to Ritsuko's chagrin, the walking dynamite (or bombshell in another's eyes) took out a bottle of pure alcohol and downed it in one giant gulp.

Touji watched at the whole thing played out in front of him as several nurses rushed in and took the captain away for treatment after the doctor ended the emergency call. Once the whole thing quieted down, he looked toward Ritsuko, who slumped on to a chair afterward and gave her temple the needed massage.

" Why was Misato so upset? She was fine these couple years without Shinji living with her."

" Simple, she still had Penpen with her. But would you eat from a roadside raman stand when you know a French chief is going to your house later?"

Touji paused, letting the words sunk in." Okay, I think I get it, but why does Penpen has anything to do with it?"

" Of course he does, don't you know that penguin has been doing all the chores for her? He's fairly intelligent and has survival instinct too you know."

Touji decided to leave the doctor be. It seemed stress finally got to her. He'll get his explanations from Shinji when they reacquainted with each other in the afternoon.

XXXX

Shinji blinked as a Section 2 agent handed him an envelope.

" This is the key to your new residence." The driver answered plainly as the car came to a stop. " We're only told to drop you off."

Shinji nodded, and started gathering all the stuff that Misato had purchased for him while another agent helped him with the door. Why he would need all these clothes were beyond him, but Misato had insisted so it would be impolite to refuse.

I guess I'll have to do some shopping for furniture tomorrow… an extra closet for one. Shinji sighed.

He wasn't surprised when he was told that he wouldn't be living with Misato, his stay with her had been a fluke anyway. At least he still had some cash with him after Misato's shopping fiesta. The woman had gone insane upon learning that he was given five million yen for shopping essential supplies. It was a good thing he didn't tell her about the credit card… Which raised a question. When had Nerv become so generous to its pilot? And from the story Misato and Touji told him during the afternoon, Nerv's suppose to be on a tight budget. Maybe they pulled an insurance scam claiming he was dead?

Dropping the ludicrous thought, Shinji turned apathetically around to face his new living quarters as the Section 2 agents drove away, expecting an abandon apartment, or worst if Rei's old home was any indication. He was happy to learn that she now lived with Ibuki-san. But he didn't understand why Touji told him stay away from her.

When his new home came into view, Shinji promptly dropped the bags he was holding with his mouth agape.

A pyramid-shape building about thirty-stories tall stood ahead of him. The exterior lights illuminate the structure in such a way that only made it grander. In front of the main entrance laid a fountain the size of a small lake, separated into halves by a path that led to the entrance. As if sensing his presence, jets of water and colored lights shot from the once mirror-like pool creating intricate water show as soft classic music started to play.

Needless to say, someone just got floored.

After taking a few deep breathes so his brain could get some needed oxygen, Shinji tried to interpret the matter rationally. The building before him was obviously a hotel. The Section 2 apparently made a mistake. All he needed to do was made a call to Nerv and inform them about it and the agents would turn around and deliver him to the right place. No big deal, Piece of cake.

Reaching for his new cell phone (purchased on the insistence of Misato), Shinji was about to punch in the numbers when his phone rang.

" Hello?" Shinji answered. The Section 2 must have realized their blunder.

" Mr. Ikari?" An unfamiliar voice spoke on the other end, and definitely not from the Section 2 considered the speaker was female. All the agents were men.

" Uh, yes, who's speaking?"

" I'm sorry for not preparing a proper welcome, Mr. Ikari. I've just being notified of your arrival by your driver. If you would just wait for a few moment, I'll be right there with you."

Wha-? The Third Child was obviously puzzled until he saw a young woman in business suit approached from within the pyramid. She gave a formal bow once she stood in front of him.

"Welcome to Gamaliel Condominium Mr. Ikari. Please, follow me and I'll get you checked in. You must be tired."

Needless to say, someone just got floored. Again.

XXXX

Gamaliel Condominium was not your usual condo. Although named as such, it was designed closer a hotel. About two years ago, an anonymous party had poured a large sum of money for its construction, supposedly designed to attract people with higher income to Tokyo-3. However, the rent was too high even for upper class citizens and as a result, the place had few residents despite the booming immigrants. Too bad it was not intended to be a hotel, the tourists might like the quiet environment the place offered as it was located in the heart of a small grove filled with cherry trees.

Shinji was in awe the moment he stepped into the lobby. Marble floors, chandeliers, Persian carpets and paintings filled the area. As he marveled at his surroundings, he silently accepted the now-enabled keycard from the woman (who had identified herself as the manager of the place) after she registered him into the computer database.

" I wish you a pleasant stay, Mr. Ikari. The card in your hand would also serve as key to your personal safe and mailbox. Just show the card to any active staff members at the front desk and we'll be happy to bring it to you."

Shinji broke his gaze at a piece of sixteenth century painting to look at the manager. " I have a personal safe?"

"Of course, sir. That's part of the package." The woman answered. "In order to maintain a quiet environment for our guests, Gamaliel had to remain near the edge of the city at the expense of longer traveling time. Therefore we've integrated other services as part of the attractions."

The young man blinked. " What other services are there?"

" Personal maids, secretaries, tailors and chefs upon request, for a fee of course. I've already entered the maid request for you when I check you in, She'll be here tomorrow. If you have other needs, feel free to tell any staff in the future. "

" M-Maid? Uh, I'm sorry, but I don't think I need a maid, nor afford one."

" You're our VIP, sir. Unlike the regular guests you have access to all our services free of charge." The woman looked at Shinji oddly. " How about I show you your room first?"

XXXX

As the elevator started to move, the women sneaked a look at the newest tenant beside her. Something about the new guest had stroked her curiosity.

The usual patrons that lived here were rich senior men and women who were CEO of their business. The young man definitely didn't fit the first description. The mannerism he displayed didn't match with the usual spoiled rich offspring of some big company either. She'd like to know how he managed to obtain the VIP status, but professionalism prevented her from prying.

Spoiled rich offspring…

Her brow knitted into a frown at the unwanted recollection. Ever since the world's population dropped in half from the second impact and the war that followed suit, the UN had considered legalizing polygamy. Thankfully the nonsense did not succeed, but during the time they evaluated the law, lots of men already considered it to be in effect. Males from all age group started hitting on every female in sight. She had heard the 'trying to repopulate the world' pick-up line far too many times for her liking.

It didn't help that her current job required her to act more submissive. A good thing she knew martial art, as sometimes things just got out of hand. She had thought about quitting, but it was a very cushiony job for someone still in university. And as the manager she was given a room that rivaled the presidential suite to the best hotels in Japan.

Luxury however, wasn't the reason she stayed. If she wished, she could've moved back to her brother and lived with the others when her tour around the world ended. The problem was seeing her brother with his fiancée, now wife.

Her expression darkened a bit further at the thought of her brother, or rather, his wife. While finding no faults with her brother, his choice in woman still left something to be desired. She didn't really hate her sister-in-law. She was even involved in helping them got together. But that was only because she wanted him to be happy.

That idiot... what did he see in her.

" Umm, excuse me Miss. Is it okay that no one's at the front desk?"

Shinji, having nothing to see other than the view outside as the elevator elevates, had quickly noticed the discontented look on his companion. Believing that he was the cause, Shinji decided to break the silence with the first thing that came to him.

" There's nothing to worry Mr. Ikari." The manager answered, a slightly hue of red colored her cheek. She broke away from her reminiscence, feeling ashamed that she had let her thought wondered and neglected her duty." There's usually only one staff per shift, but we have one of the best security systems in the world. A… friend helped with the development."

" Please, there's no need to be so formal." Shinji protested. The continuous use of honorific had begun to feel uncomfortable. He might look sixteen, but he sure didn't feel sixteen. And even though he was taller, having a senior treating him like he was her boss was making him uncomfortable.

The woman stared at him coolly; making the young man wondered if he had offended her somehow. Seconds felt like minutes, till she raised her right hand slowly.

" Kanako Urashima. Please to meet you Ikari-kun."

XXXX

Finding his new residence had been easy. Especially when it was located on the very top of the pyramid, AND the only room on that floor. The place was huge enough to be separated into two floors. There were a total of six bedrooms, each with king size beds and bathrooms. The closet problem he was worrying about had been unnecessary as the place was fully furnished. The living room came with a 100'' high definition flat screen TV and a home theatre system. Right beside it was a mini-bar and cellar that held various kinds of drinks. Around the corner was a kitchen that a chef would die for.

Shinji wrote a mental note to get a lock for the cellar as he lied on his new bed. Ever since Kanako led him into the pyramid he had been wondered who would've set him up with such setup, but his mind came up blank. Decided to pile it away as one of Nerv's unsolvable mysteries he stared at another unfamiliar ceiling instead. The day's event played through his head.

The meeting with Misato and Touji was certainly memorable. Misato acted and looked just the same as he remembered. One thing changed however. Unlike before where his head would end up against her chest, he found himself needing to look downward during her welcome back hug. It was ironic that instead of being the one crying, it was now his job to do the soothing. It made him awfully aware of his new height and body, and that he was no longer a child.

As for Touji, he didn't recognize him at first and had though Misato got herself a boyfriend during his absence. When he greeted the yet-to-introduce-himself Touji as such he was suddenly assaulted by the jock with a this-is-the-best-day-of-my-life! smile on his face and a repeating, " Do we really look like a couple?" It was not until Misato reminded Touji the fact that he had a girlfriend and she might probably be jealous till he let go. Needless to say, a proper introduction wasn't needed after that little havoc.

The rest of the day had gone according to Misato's scenario, with more than seventy percent of the afternoon had been spent on shopping. The highlight being the time he received a haircut. Misato had insisted on him entering the salon alone, wishing to be surprised when he came out. And whatever Misato said, Touji agreed. He didn't have any problem about cutting it; shorter hair was much easier to keep after all. At least Misato and Touji appeared to be satisfied with his new haircut when he exited.

On a whim Shinji ran a hand over his new tresses, he was glad that the barber had some idea, as he knew nothing about fashion himself. Most of the long locks were now gone except for the bangs, which the barber (or hairdresser as she'd liked to be called) brushed aside and held together with a small amount of gel so they wouldn't obstruct his vision.

Shinji closed his eyes; finished with recollection. Tomorrow he'd be attending high school. The manager had said that it'd take a bit of walk to get to the train station before she left. He decided to rest now and leave early knowing his new school was located on the other end of the city.

Thinking about going back to school made him excited and scared at the same time. Touji had told him a bit about his new school, and some new friends that he'd introduce to him tomorrow. But a side of him was worrying about if he could fit in, after all he still felt like a middle school student. He wondered how Kensuke would receive him. Touji had been a shock to see already, but he was glad that other than appearance the jock still remained the same guy he knew back then. It was shocking to find that he had been selected as the Fourth Child though, but having another teammate was always good in his opinion. He was also glad that his sister had healed.

And… how was Rei? Misato had said she was fine after the angel, but nothing else. Touji had told him to avoid her if he could.

The young man slowly drifted into sleep as questions continued to swirl in his head. Little did anybody realize that a countdown for something big had already started upon his return.

XXXX

Gendo Ikari, the supreme commander of Nerv, was up in his office with his second in command. Currently engaging in a game of shogi.

" I can't believe you didn't tell him." Kouzo Fuyutsuki said as he moved a piece down the board. " What would the old man do if he find out? And the scenario?"

" It has no impact on the scenario." The commander paused to think of a counter, both the question and the game. " The existence of Seele should be kept secret. The old man should know better. I suspect he wasn't at the right state of mind when he made that request. The boy can't possibly handle the truth."

" He's just wanted his grandson to know about his grandfather."

" He gave that right away by becoming a member of Seele way back."

" I say you're just bitter that he never approved of your marriage to his daughter." While it was a low blow, he believed he had successfully derailed his opponent's train of thought. Kouzo stared at the younger man, looking for any sign as his hand ready to place the next piece for an easy kill.

Gendo didn't even move an eyebrow.

Sighting, the white haired man played his move and continued the conversation. " So what are you going to do with the inheritance he wants Shinji to have?"

" Holding and managing it for him. We still needed him here and there's no telling what the boy would do with this amount of money. He'll get a small increase in his salary. And I believe that I've been more than generous giving him an advance and the villa."

"You gave him a room when he's supposed to own the place. Well, I guess he only needs one room to sleep… But do you have to rent it out?" The vice commander rubbed the bridge of his nose when Gendo gave him a 'Do you even need to ask' look. Admitting defeat on that subject he decided to switch the topic. " Speaking of your son, do you think he's clean?"

" The doctors' report indicates nothing wrong." Gendo stated as he move a pawn of his own.

"Is that so? Even though we still got nothing on how he generated two AT fields in Unit-01, stayed alive for more than two years with nothing but LCL, recovered faster than anticipated with minimal rehab, and showed no trauma or major behavior change even after such an experience?" The older man said sarcastically. "Did I leave anything else out?"

"You missed one. Shinji passed the entrance exam for Tokyo 2 University. It's unofficial however, and he isn't aware of it. But it was enough to convince the high school to grant him entrance as normal student." Gendo responded coolly. " He apparently asked the doctors for studying materials as a way to pass time during the isolation period. It seemed he felt that he had a lot of catching up to do after missing school for so long."

The commander smirked. The game was now his. His sensei no longer focused on winning. " Afterward, Akagi gave him a mock exam for university instead of high school by mistake, and that's how we found out."

" And you find the whole thing normal?" The bewildered sub commander demanded.

Gendo answered as he made the last move on the board. Checkmate. "I see no reason to worry when none of it cause any harm to the Third Child. If you wish to know more about the matter, Akagi has the data and theories, but I'll save you the trouble and tell you that it explained nothing. Until there are evidences that these 'conditions' could ruin the plan, I'm not going to worry about this matter."

The gray-hair man sighed. Both at Gendo's win over the match and his attitude. A quick look on his wrist indicated that it was too late for another game. Time to wrap up. "I heard the UN's sending you to do some work for them, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, and you'll be leaving tomorrow?"

The commander nodded. " South Ataria Island. They want me to supervise the final transport and 'disposal' of Ramiel's remains."

" That super diamond-shape fortress that you sold them? It sure takes its sweet time getting there."

" Unfortunately." Gendo murmured under his breathe as he stood up and headed to the door.

He sold Ramiel out of necessity back then. Nerv was running on a very tight budget and doesn't have the fund to dispose the angel remains by itself. After a hard bargain with the UN, he had convinced them to fund Nerv, thought he was definitely not happy with the outcome.

UN for all its worth, could not stand some organization stood above it, and Nerv was it. Ramiel appeared to be what they needed. Once the reverse engineering of the angel's protective barrier succeed, Nerv's trump card would be moot. Funding Nerv in the mean time would just be a small sacrifice to pay until they got their hands on the angel.

For the continual existence of Nerv, he, as the commander had made sure to sabotage all competition projects that could be a threat, the JA for example. He had hoped to sink the Ramiel into the bottom of the ocean after he got the money, but the UN had been watching it like a hawk. Being a supervisor was just their way of keeping him under their sight.

His only consolation was that it'd probably take them at least ten years to complete the reverse engineering process. And by that time his scenario would already be finished. Which reminded him…

" Fuyutsuki, contact Nerv Germany and tell them to send over Unit-02 and its pilot."

Kouzo blinked. " Europe won't hand Unit-02 over unless there's an angel remember? It's their last eva. America only handed Unit-03 to us because they still has Unit-04 with them."

" Tell them we've recovered the Third Child, but he could possibly be contaminated by the angel. If he ever turns into a threat, we will need an experience pilot to partner with Rei in order to neutralize the double AT fields that he could generate. The Fourth Child was too inexperienced. If they need more convincing proofs, give them the 'abnormalities report'."

" Just a moment ago you told me those 'abnormalities' doesn't trouble you."

" I'm not bothered by them. But what do they know?"

Good point. Fuyutsuki thought.

XXXX

Tokyo 2, the capital of Japan, a near copy of the original Tokyo, and the home of the government and the emperor. It brings the most modern wonders of technology, commerce and architecture side by side. As one of the world's largest city, Tokyo 2 Metropolis has over twelve million-

An oriental looking girl with semi-long hair blinked as the travel brochure she was reading disappeared off her hands. When she moved her head up to see who had snatched her book, she came face to face with a long blonde hair girl with blue eyes, whose face was inches away from her own. The girl seemed to be of similar age, and she didn't look happy.

Unperturbed, the first girl greeted the second girl with a smile. " Oh my, I didn't know you're interest in Japan, Glycine."

Glycine restrained the urge to scream. Charles de Gaulle International Airport was not the place to make a scene, and She got the image of Bleumer family to uphold. " Do you really think you could run away without me noticing?"

" I…am sorry." The Japanese girl looked away, knowing she was just delaying the inevitable. "I've never been to Japan, living in France since I could remembered. It is about time I paid my home country a visit. I might also get a chance to see what a true Yamato-"

" Stop it Hanabi!" The blonde hair girl said fervidly, cutting the other off. Normally she'd condemned such deed, but this was not the time. " I'm worry about you! Do you serious wish to go along with this engagement that your father set up? You've been avoiding me this past week and then snuck off to the airport by yourself!"

" I'm sorry Glycine, but this is my duty. I know father said I can reject the engagement, but I also know he wished me to accept. It seems the engagement would be beneficial to the family." She paused for a moment before continued. "You should understand my position."

The flare died in Glycine like a waterfall fell on a match.

Silence passed between the two girls as one of them discerned what she had just heard while the other one waited. After what seemed like eternity, the blonde-hair girl took a seat beside her friend and spoke softly." You don't even know this guy, yet you are ready to go to Japan and marry him?"

" It's not like that." Hanabi finally turned to face her friend once more. " They won't force us to wed until both of us are eighteen, and I can denounce the engagement. They just wish me to go to Japan for a year to get to know my fiancée better before I made the decision."

" But you've already decided haven't you." Glycine stated grimly.

" I won't marry him if he's a bad person."

" Maybe, but I'm going with you."

Hanabi's eyes widened. " Glycine, you can't! There's no point for you to come with me. And you've got things to take care of as well. You are the heir of-" Her protest was cut off when the other girl flashed a plane ticket before her eyes.

" To tell the truth, I already know I can't convince you to stay. You can be very stubborn when you want, you know?" This time the smile was on the French girl's face. The shocking expression on her best friend was something one didn't see everyday. " When you were busy avoiding me, I've made preparation as well. We'll just stay in Japan for a year, then come back after you reject the guy."

And you call me stubborn? Hanabi thought, shocked. It quickly dissipated though, the need to dissuade her friend was more important "I thought you said… Japan is a land of perverts and tentacle monsters?"

The would-be duchess shrugged. " I've brought my weapons along. I'll cut them in half if I see them."

" What… what about your Japanese?"

" Are you kidding? Such feat is not a problem for a great noble like me."

" Where… will you be staying?"

" With you of course." Glycine looked at her Japanese friend. " Unless I'm not welcomed."

" Thank you." Hanabi whispered

" Don't even try- huh?" The blonde girl was caught by off guard by the unexpected hug from the shorter girl. She gently patted her friend's back when she realized that the other girl was crying.

Hanabi sobbed against Glycine's shoulder. For the past week she had being telling herself that everything was all right, bottling all her negative emotions away. The length that her best friend had gone to insure her well-being had cracked the lie that she had been telling herself, creating an outlet for those emotion to escape.

" Thank you." Hanabi whispered her gratitude after calming down.

Glycine handed her friend a handkerchief. " No problem. I think your would-be fiancée owed you a beating for making you cry though."

" That's not very nice." The short hair girl giggled as she wiped her tears.

The French girl shrugged. "Well, we better start heading to the gate or the plane would leave without us."

XXXX

End Chapter 3

TBC

A/N: Yes, one of the Seele members is an Ikari. Yes, he's Yui's dad. I'm not making that up. He's not part of the committee though, so you never see his face. I learned that from the Evangelion 2 game for PS2.

When I looked over the estimated character height I got off some website, I was surprised by how short all the kids are, especially Shinji consider his parents are pretty tall. So… growth spurts time. Which seems about right for their current age. For those interested here's the chart.

Gendo Ikari - 184 (6'1'')
Kouzo Fuyutsuki - 183.5 (6'1'')
Ryouji Kaji - 178.5 (5'10")
Shigeru Aoba - 176 (5'9")
Makoto Hyuga - 174.5 (5'8")
Yui Ikari - 169 (5'6")
Misato Katsuragi - 163 (5'4")
Naoko Akagi - 163 (5'4")
Ritsuko Akagi - 162 (5'4")
Maya Ibuki - 160 (5'3")
Keel Lorenz - 159 (5'3")
Touji Suzuhara - 151 (5')/ 181 in this story
Hikari Horaki - 150 (5')/ 160 in this story
Kaworu Nagisa - 150 (5')/ 178 in this story
Asuka Langley Sohryu - 149 (4'10'')/ 163 in this story
Shinji Ikari - 148 (4'10")/ 176 in this story
Kensuke Aida - 145.25 (4'8")/ 173 in this story
Rei Ayanami - 143 (4'8")/ 155 in this story (So small…)
Pen-Pen - 61.5 (2')/ no idea about penguin growth rate, so he'll remain the same.

As for Shinji's new look, I base him on Sakon from Karakurizoushi Ayatsuri Sakon. Most of you probably never heard of it because it's not available in the west. Quick description. Personality wise, Sakon is a lot like Shinji. As for appearance, he also has Black hair, blue eyes. Megumi Ogata was also Sakon's VA. I swear the first time I saw the show I was like, "What the hell! When did Shinji grow up? ". Sakon has a red hair partner name Ukon who was brash, loud, and confident, the exact opposite of him. When Sakon is with Ukon Sakon's personality changed.

Kanako is a character from Love Hina. This series seems to be fairly popular so I won't go into detail. By the way, I only read the manga so my information and perception of the LH characters may be different.

Glycine and Hanabi are from Sakura Taisen 3 game. Hanabi Kitaooji is the daughter of a Japanese baron family. She grew up in France with Glycine. Glycine is the daughter of Bleumer family, inheritor of a renowned bloodline of a Normandy duchy. They don't much of a role in the story yet. This is their introduction. I'm just lighting the fuse for the fireworks later.

Anyway, if you need a picture of the characters say so with the review.

So what had happened to Shinji? What type of chaos awaited the world in year 2018? What's Gendo's agenda? Well just wait.

The next chapter: 'The Classrep, The Military Otaku, and The Blue Hair Girl.'

And I still hate the formatting of this site. (Don't expect to see this comment go away anytime soon. I mean, why can't I put ? and ! Together…)