Evangelion: New Testament
Episode: 7 (part 2)
"What Do You Get for the Girl Who Has Nothing?"
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In the Command Center, personnel are at their battle-stations awaiting orders. Alert sirens wail as the Evangelions are loaded into the Cage. Captain Maya Ibuki tries to keep calm as she glances at the vacant command deck above her and at Lieutenant Burnham-Wood's empty chair. Right now, she'd give anything to sit in that chair again.
Why isn't the Major even here? she wonders. On the main view-screen, a cube-shaped Angel sits in the city's center, boring a hole in the ground with a drill from its bottom apex.
"It's almost through the tenth armor layer!" shouts Hyuga.
"It didn't penetrate our defenses this quickly last time," Maya laments.
"Well, this is now," Aoba says unhelpfully. Maya takes a moment to steady her resolve.
"Okay, here's the plan," she directs over the open com. "We'll launch one Eva with the heat-shield to draw the Angel's fire, then send the rest in for the kill while it's distracted. Understood?"
The pilots give their affirmatives. Unit-05 hefts the shield as Asuka checks the charge loaded into her positron-rifle. Shinji and Kaagi prime their A.T. Fields, ready to counter the Angel's. Once the order to commence is given, Toji rockets away.
"Detecting a high-energy reaction from within the Angel," Aoba says.
Toji braces Unit-05 for the impact of the beam. As soon as the Angel fires, the other three Evas launch. Toji yells through his teeth in pain as the beam's heat begins to melt the shield and his Unit's armor. Units 01 and 06 charge the Angel as Asuka kneels in a firing position.
Suddenly, the beam swings sideways, shearing numerous towers in half in its sweep of the city. Kaagi has to jump to avoid being hit, but loses his umbilical in the process. Everyone on the bridge starts as they're jolted by a painful scream from Asuka. The beam has knocked Unit-02 down, and continues to bear down on it.
Toji runs toward her with the shield, but the damage is done. Asuka's screams go silent as the blast vaporizes Unit-02's torso. When he arrives, Toji can only scoop up the fallen positron-rifle. While Shinji and Kaagi neutralize the Angel's massive A.T. Field, Toji aims and fires point blank, obliterating the core.
Instantly, the Angel's drilling stops and NERV's alert sirens cut out mid-wail. Murmurs fill the Command Center, but there are no cheers or congratulations. Maya can only stare at the scattered remains of Unit-02 until the screens go black.
"Damn it!" she shouts, ripping off her Captain's-beret and spiking it into the deck. She grimaces at the crew, defying anyone to comment on her outburst. She calmly picks up the hat, dusting it off before returning it to her head.
"Alright…," says Misato, stepping from the shadows. "Hyuga, reset the pilots' simulators for the previous scenario. Use the same parameters as the last two run-throughs. And let's give Captain Ibuki our full support; she's just getting her legs." Maya smiles weakly at her superior before reassuming her game-face.
"Are we getting any lag-time from the newest simulation plug, Lieutenant?" Maya asks.
"Number Four is working to spec," Hyuga assures her. "But once we rig up a fifth simulator, you can practice with the full compliment of Evas, Captain. It's just a matter of time before we can accommodate all five."
"No point in making excuses for me," Maya says. "The last Captain you served under beat this thing with two Evangelions and no casualties." Misato nods respectfully.
"Well," the Major says, smiling a wicked smile, "at least only Asuka died this time."
"Misato!" comes the Second Child's annoyed exclamation over the open com.
It's the only word she can get out before the sirens start up again.
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During Maya's training, a meeting was taking place in Conference Room C. The Commander, the Vice-Commander, Ryoji Kaji, and Mr. Tsurumaki, the Head of Public Relations, are among those gathered in the darkened room. They are, by far, the people most interested in the video playing out on a screen set into the far wall.
An establishing shot of the Geo-front pyramid, likely from stock footage, frames the program's title: "The Truth Behind NERV: An Investigative Report by Nanako Asakawa." The screen dissolves to show a pretty Japanese woman talking to the camera while strolling through the streets of Tokyo-3. The wind plays in her short hair and flaps the lapels of her sport jacket as she walks. It's a tight shot, not revealing if she's in a skirt or pants.
"Toyko-3," she begins, "current Capital City of the nation of Japan… home of NERV and the Geo-front project… alive and vibrant again after nearly being destroyed in an enemy attack over 2 months ago. But two more attacks have come since. Does this fragile peace exist because of NERV or in spite of them…? And who are these enemies? No one seems to know for certain. Why would anyone want to assault what was designed as the last refuge for humanity, if an unthinkable Third Impact should ever occur? And why has Tokyo-3's sister Geo-front, under NERV's First Branch in New Chicago, remained free from these attacks? In its six-year history, NERV has not developed a reputation for being forthcoming."
The scene cuts. A faraway shot of a building complex, looking like a modern college, fills the screen.
"In the hope of finding answers to these questions and others, I looked first to the Marduk Institute. Marduk was commissioned by the U.N. to locate and isolate a contingent of children genetically diverse enough to populate the two Geo-fronts. These children were to then help re-populate the Earth in the event of another global disaster. Marduk was established in--"
"Skip the history lesson," orders Ritsuko. "Just show us the damage." The video fast-forwards to show Nanako gripping a sheaf of papers.
"Over the course of this three-month investigation, confidential documents were uncovered that bring into question Marduk's impartiality. This reporter has found that many of Marduk's subsidiary holdings have persons in common on their boards of directors; men such as Lorenz Kiel, Chairman of the U.N. committee that oversees NERV, Gendo Ikari, current Commander of NERV, and Kouzou Fuyutsuki, former Vice-Commander of NERV, whose recent disappearance has baffled local authorities."
The documents, with many portions blacked out, flash on the screen over Nanako's narration.
"She'd have to have unheard of sources to get that information," Kaji says, speaking from experience. "Still, NERV could've done a better job covering their tracks."
"The Marduk issue is a definite problem," concedes Tsurumaki. "But Miss Asakawa saved the worst stuff for near the end. We can skip over the next couple of segments. She dissects the budget pretty harshly…. I'm sure every taxpayer in the free world is against us after that. And then she suggests that civilian casualties from the attacks are underreported, without any real proof. Can we go right to the interview?"
The tape stops as a longer fast-forward is required. Tsurumaki apologizes for the older recording technology. He promises them he'll have a DVD copy burned for each of them to suffer through at home before the end of the day. The tape reaches its destination, and the program plays once more.
"In the following exclusive interview," Nanako says, "you will hear the first-hand account of what occurred when one of NERV's "Evangelion" robots crashed into the sea off the coast of Sri Lanka. The witness's identity and voice have been digitally obscured because of concerns for safety."
"Oh, she's good," comments the frustrated P.R. Head. "See how she paints NERV as the "big scary bad guys" before the interview even starts?" The scene shows Nanako seated across from a person cloaked in shadows. Even the shadows look pixilated for further obfuscation, and the witness's voice issues forth in ghostly, androgynous tones.
"I was in Sri Lanka on vacation…," the witness begins.
"With your family?" Nanako asks.
"I… I'd rather not say…."
"Oh, she's really good," Tsurumaki mutters again, shaking his head.
"Of course," Nanako says soothingly. "Please, go on…."
"We… I was on the beach," the interviewee continues. "There was a lot of damage to the lifeguard towers and bungalows near the shore. I asked around, and people said a big wave had come in hours ago. It hadn't stopped until it reached some of the inland streets. I didn't think much of it at the time.
"It was later that the robot came. It was burned and covered in gunk from the ocean. It looked like some kind of beast coming out of the sea. It had ten pointed things, like horns or something, on its back. It looked like maybe it had a wound on its head, but the wound had healed. Everybody was… astonished. But they followed it when it walked up on the beach, to get a closer look. They were all shouting questions like, "What is this thing?" or "Who can stop it?"."
"And what happened next?"
"The thing collapsed. Smashed a couple of buildings… I'm not sure everyone got out okay. There were local police and U.N. troops cordoning off the area. But I saw them drag two kids out of the back of the robot."
"Kids?"
"A couple of boys. Couldn't have been more than teenagers."
"And this wound on the robot that you spoke of earlier… can you describe it?"
"It didn't look like just some damage to a machine. The head part of the robot was cracked. It looked like there was blood around the crack's edges. But, like I said, it was healed. Something was inside… the color of flesh. But it was grayish, like a dead body."
"Unit-07 did sustain damage to the cranial dome," Ritsuko confirms.
"He said before that it was covered in "gunk" and burned," Kaji observes. "Even if he could see the armor damage, how could he be sure he saw blood? And how could he describe the Eva's skin so accurately?"
"Are you even sure that it's a "he"?" asks Ritsuko. Kaji shrugs and leans further back in his chair.
"Now," asks Nanako, "can you tell our audience what prompted you to come forward?"
"It wasn't money," is the reply. "I'm sure that's what people think. But, let me tell you, NERV offered me plenty of money to keep it all a secret. I refused, though... it just didn't seem right not to say anything, you know?" The camera shows Nanako nodding sympathetically. "After I wouldn't take their money… that's when the threats started."
"Threats?" Nanako asks.
"I started losing customers from my business," the witness elaborates. "They told me they could bankrupt me. They were calling every day. I stopped picking up the phone, hoping that they'd just go away. But I was out driving one day, and a big, black Hummer ran me off the road. I got another call as soon as I got home, telling me that I was "lucky… this time". The police say they can't do anything. It's been two weeks of Hell, Miss Asakawa! I just… I just can't take anymore."
"Do you have anything you wish to add, Mr. Kaji?" the Commander asks. The Head of Section 2 leans forward and rests his chin in his hand.
"We don't have any black Hummers in the motor-pool, if that's what you're asking."
"I looked for some confirmation of this witness's report in Tokyo-3 itself," Nanako's narration continues. The camera pans the city's busy streets. "But most residents were unwilling to comment. I had to wonder: was NERV putting pressure on an entire city of people the way it had to one Sri Lankan vacationer? This reporter has yet to be granted an interview with anyone from their organization."
"Because she has yet to ask for one!" Tsurumaki shouts at the television. He settles again as he dabs his brow with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry everyone…. Such blatant lies of omission from someone supposedly seeking the "truth"…! Hypocrisy upsets me greatly."
An establishing exterior shot of a school fills the screen and zooms in slowly, with accompanying narration. Due to the special nature of classroom 2-A, as well as frequent trips to retrieve Kaagi, Ritsuko recognizes the building instantly. She holds her breath.
"At a local middle-school," says Nanako, "I found more of NERV's intimidation tactics at work." The scene cuts to Kachiko Naguchi and her friend at lunch.
"Do you know of any of your classmates themselves that might work at NERV?" Nanako is heard to ask from off-camera. The girl with the pony-tail opens her mouth to speak, and the camera zooms in on her.
"Well, there's--," she begins, looking over in the direction of some gathered boys.
"Yuriko!" her friend interrupts. The shot widens to include both girls, and the second one turns to look straight into the camera. "My father works at NERV, and he signed the Official Secrets Act. If we tell you anything… I just don't know what might happen."
"Like maybe he'd be fired?" Nanako prompts.
"Or worse…," Kachiko says ominously.
"Oh, terrific," Tsurumaki groans. "I'd almost rather that girl had let her friend "out" the pilots. She makes it look like NERV keeps little kids quiet by threatening their parents' lives!"
"I want to know how that woman got access to the campus," says Ritsuko. "The students there are almost entirely NERV employees' children. Why isn't there better security?"
"Face it," says Kaji, "we've been completely blindsided by this sudden interest from the general public. Up until now, the school, the identities of the pilots, none of that was considered a high-security priority."
"Are these children being found by Marduk truly for the continuation of humanity?" Nanako concludes. "Or are they the basis of a private army under the direct control of NERV? Who are the enemy, if they even exis--?"
"Spare us the inflammatory speculation at the end," Gendo orders. The video stops and the lights in the conference room are undimmed. The Commander stands to address his assembled subordinates. "This report is an embarrassment… one that I am certain the United Nations will not let stand. I propose that it is up to us to combat this attack against our character, before they are compelled to intervene. The question remains as to how."
The Head of P.R. mops his brow once more, exhaling loudly through puffed-out cheeks. He tries to swallow, finding his throat suddenly very dry. Everyone is looking at him.
"Well…," Tsurumaki says. "I'm open to suggestions."
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"Beginning stage-1 activation," Cassie announces. Dr. Kaiu, at her side, nods minutely.
Inside Unit-07's entry-plug, Rei Ayanami grips the control yolks tightly. She'd hesitated to enter the plug before the tests began. Her last experience in an Eva had left residual, irrational fear. Searching for some concrete sense of the foreboding, but finding none, she'd pushed the fear away and boarded. Still, the LCL felt thick and oppressive. Even the neural transmitters seemed heavy on top of her head, a weight that's slowly breaking her down.
"Still nothing," Cassie says. The dozens of readouts representing neural links remain unconnected. Dr. Kaiu instructs her to boost the gain, but a grunt from Rei is the only change.
"The Eva isn't rejecting her," Yoshi explains. Cassie remembers the morning drills that had prepared her for just such a catastrophic synch-failure. "Unit-07 isn't even acknowledging the pilot. We'd get the same readings from it with no plug inserted."
"I wish to try again," Rei says levelly.
"This is the fourth time we've run the activation sequence, Doctor," Cassie says to Yoshi. "We're getting nowhere."
"Please," Rei adds, forcing the desperation out of her voice.
"Let's keep at it," Yoshi says delicately. Cassie frowns, but her superior shrugs and smiles. "We've got nothing else scheduled for today."
The tests go on for the rest of the afternoon. Repair crews and programmers look for any faults in the equipment, but find none. Rei never wavers and never gives up. Cassandra grows more frustrated at the apparent waste of time with each successive failure. Still, she does as Yoshi tells her, and keeps trying.
Commander Ikari himself even enters Unit-07's holding area to stay for the last three tests. He stands on the umbilical bridge for the duration, in full view of the ivory mecha and, therefore, Rei. She sees him turn around after the third test to face the observation window where Dr. Kaiu is shaking his head. She sees the Commander nod in reply.
"An unfortunate "highlight" of your inaugural day, Lieutenant," Yoshi says to Cassie sadly. "We're going to have to scrub our first pilot."
"Will we be contacting Marduk for a Seventh Child, Doctor?" she asks. Yoshi, a bit more in-the-know than his apprentice, smiles wryly.
"I don't think Rei will need replacing right away," he says. "And remind me to talk to you about Marduk… later."
The LCL vented and her neural transmitters pulled from her head, Rei leaves the plug-boarding room and goes directly to the Commander. She finds him still standing on the bridge in front of Unit-07, his expression unreadable. Slowly, she approaches him, apprehensive because she doesn't know how she'll be received. The feeling is new and frightening; she'd never felt anything but elation in the Commander's presence before. But she had never failed him this badly.
Cassie, at her terminal, watches through the observation window as the LCL-soaked girl walks toward the Commander. Though she'd only met the two of them today, her first impressions of them as being cold and distant had been confirmed repeatedly at lunch by her more seasoned coworkers. It is therefore with some shock that Cassie witnesses Rei's body shake as the girl is seized by uncontrollable sobs.
Rei's quivering mouth moves, blurting out what Cassie assumes are stammered apologies. Salty tears run down her cheeks and redden her eyes. Cassie watches the Commander's heartbreak flash across his face as he kneels down to embrace the distraught teen, heedless of the metallic-smelling liquid that still covers her. Rei buries her face in his shoulder and continues to cry. He holds her, but Cassie can see that he isn't speaking.
The young lieutenant can't know it, but as much as it pains him, and as much as Rei needs it, Gendo Ikari is at a complete loss for even a single word of reassurance.
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At the end of their work-day, the Second and Third Children walk with their guardian toward the underground parking structure. Misato bites her lip thoughtfully while Shinji and Asuka silently eye their escorts. A pair of armed guards has flanked the trio since they left the Tech-lab, intent on accompanying them all the way to Misato's car.
In a word, this sucks! thinks Misato. She gives the guards a friendly smile while inwardly cursing them. We have to step-up our alert levels just because some civilian reporters are crowding the place? I feel like a prisoner in my own installation! (She forces a mental image of Ritsuko in Isolation 4 back into the depths of her mind.) I am this close to deploying an Eva to clear those bastards out!
She'd felt utterly powerless when the news men and women had ambushed her on her lunch break. Nothing in her military training could have saved her from them, without the unfortunate side-effect of her going to jail for assault. As she and her charges reach the car, she hopes she'll be able to resist the urge to run anyone over.
Misato delays the guards' departure for a moment and then turns to look at Asuka. The girl shoots back a "what are you staring at?" look as the Major holds out her hand.
"The neural transmitters stay here, Asuka," Misato insists. She raises a finger to halt any incoming protests. "Security is cracking down on all potential leaks."
With a snarl, Asuka removes the band from her head and hands it over. Shinji's breath catches in his throat, watching her soft hair cascade down to shoulder-length. Asuka shoots him the same look she'd given Misato before climbing into the backseat of the car. Shinji gets into the passenger seat as Misato sends the guards away with Asuka's hardware. She gets behind the wheel, ticking off a mental checklist.
"Toji is riding with his father," she says aloud, "and Ritsuko's taking Kaagi back to their apartment. I wonder if the Commander is giving Rei a ride home…."
The teenager in question, at the moment, is exiting through the same Gate that Misato had gone through at lunch time.
Reporters swarm her. Section 2 agents, under the guise of normal security personnel, watch but do not intervene. Rei's welfare is not threatened, though her personal space is an immediate casualty. The mob moves with her as she makes her way down the exit corridor. She responds to none of the questions that assail her.
"Miss, are you one of the Evangelion pilots?"
That question finally brings Rei to a halt. It cuts like a knife through her heart. She looks directly into the eyes of the asker, shocking most observers with her ability to discern the question's origin amidst the chaos.
"No, I am not," she replies.
There is nothing in her voice but hard, level sincerity. The silence caused by her response lingers as Rei looks forward again and continues walking. The crowd parts to let her through as their interest plunges. Somehow, they know that they'll get nothing else from the plain, brown-haired girl in the school uniform. They allow her to leave without further interrogation before returning to their vigil by the Gate.
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"Sorry I didn't call first," Toji Suzuhara says, stepping through the door into Misato's apartment. Shinji had only been home from NERV for half an hour, lounging on the couch and listening to the white noise from the television, when the doorbell had rung. He hadn't expected Toji to visit, nor had he expected his friend to look around anxiously upon his arrival. "Where's Devilgirl?"
"She's in her room, I think," Shinji answers. "Misato went back to NERV after dropping us off."
Toji walks over, leans close to Shinji, and then beckons him closer. From his pocket, he produces a small slip of paper.
"Remember that girl who tried to ask you out yesterday?" Toji asks. Shinji is about to contradict his take on the encounter, but Toji shushes him. "Her name is Yuriko Morisato. This is her phone number…. Guess dating the Class Rep has some perks, huh?"
"Uh… thanks," Shinji says, taking the offered paper gingerly.
"Don't fall all over yourself thanking me," Toji says sarcastically. "It's okay, though. I actually didn't come all the way over here just to give you that." He fidgets and lowers his voice even further. "Asuka's taking me shopping."
"I'm doing it as a favor to Hikari!" announces the Second Child loudly.
The boys jump as their secret conference is interrupted. Asuka pushes them apart, creating a space to walk through as she heads for the door. Shinji stares in confusion as his friend dutifully falls into step behind the redhead. Feeling the need for clarity, Asuka whirls around to address the Third Child.
"I can't trust this stooge to get Hikari anything decent for their anniversary," she explains. Her mouth labors at forming that last word, hampered by unconcealed disgust. "And you'd better keep up, Suzuhara, or I'll leave you behind. Then you'll be stuck getting her… what? Flowers and some tampons, maybe?" Toji fumes, but it's clear that he is not in a position to retaliate.
"Yes, ma'am," Toji drones, his mouth having similar trouble. He shoots Shinji a parting look that seems to ask "how do you put up with this?" before shaking his head and hurrying after her.
The door slides shut behind them, leaving Shinji alone to consider the paper in his hand.
In the hall, Asuka waits for the elevator as Toji catches up to her. They stand in silence until the doors open. Asuka doesn't spare Toji a look, even as they enter together.
"You can clip her horns, but she's still the Devil," Toji says to get her attention. He does receive a sidelong glance from her. "I figured that Hikari would tell you about my leg. But did you have to make that crack about me keeping up with you right in front of Shinji?"
"Relax, Fourth Child, he's clueless," Asuka says. "I mean, if he hasn't figured it out already. Don't you change with him in the locker room?"
"He has been giving me weird looks," Toji says. "I just go into one of the bathroom stalls when I'm getting my pants on. Hopefully, he just thinks I'm shy about… stuff."
"Yeah, never mind that Shinji's already seen what little you've got, along with the entire deck crew of the Over the Rainbow…," she retorts. She scrutinizes his left leg as the elevator carries them downward. "It's a pretty good prosthetic, but you can't keep it a secret forever."
"I know," he says glumly. "I was going to tell Shinji weeks ago, but… I don't know if he can handle it. He still looks so guilty whenever he's around me. He thinks he's hiding it, but I can tell."
"Ever occur to you that you're imagining things, stooge? You're not that good at figuring out how people feel, you know." With that, Toji's tolerance for her abuse gives way.
"I figured out that you like him," he says defensively, before he can stop himself.
"Who are you talking about?" Asuka asks, rounding on him.
"Well, I'm sure not talking about Saotome," he shoots back, feeling bolder. "You… like… Shinji." Asuka looks at him with repulsed disbelief. "Yep. I figured it out once, when I was thinking about the time I kissed you."
"I hope you had your pants on at the time."
"I kissed you," he continues, disregarding her comment, "because you were upset, and I didn't know what else to do. But then I remembered that the reason you were so upset was because you thought Shinji was dead."
"What, I'm so heartless that I can't cry when somebody dies?" Asuka scoffs. You can't! a little voice inside her says. She ignores it. "If I do, that doesn't automatically mean that I have some sort of deep feelings for that person."
"He's up there right now with another girl's phone number," Toji goads, looking for a reaction. "And you know what? I hope he uses it. Because the sad thing is that he likes you, too. But maybe somebody nice could actually help him get over that."
"He likes me, too, huh?" Asuka says with a patronizing smirk. She remembers how contented Shinji had looked, kissing Rei as she straddled him in his hospital bed. "You're even more clueless than he is, Suzuhara. You don't even know… you don't even know what you should buy for your own damn girlfriend!"
"We're not talking about me and Hikari. We're talking about you and Shinji."
"Well, there is no "me and Shinji", so I guess we're done talking," Asuka snaps. She folds her arms in front of her chest and stares straight ahead as if Toji isn't even there. He sighs loudly and falls back against the elevator wall, remembering bitterly that he's obliged to spend a good deal more of the afternoon in her company.
Like he'd even have the nerve to call that girl, Asuka thinks, never questioning why she had kept that comment to herself.
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Two figures, one male and one female, work in the dim light of the computers surrounding them. Their need for secrecy is no longer as great as it was before, but so far, only the Sixth Child has gained even the slightest inkling of what they've been doing in the Fifth Child's forgotten apartment.
"Kiel wants all the data re-sent. He's afraid some of it may have been corrupted."
"Did you hear what happened to Dr. DeMille at First Branch?"
"Yes," the woman replies.
"So what makes you think that we're so safe?"
"We have that," she says, gesturing to the cylinder. "Besides, Kiel doesn't have time to worry about us while he's sweating the failure of the Lance Retrieval Project. He has to deliver on the artificial S2 engine, or the H.I.P. Committee will have his head. And to do that, he needs our help."
"Why aren't we funneling data to him from Unit-01, then?"
"Unit-01's natural S2 is too unpredictable. It worked fine against the 17th Angel, but it failed to engage for Rei against the 19th without going Berserker. They didn't take Unit-01 off umbilical during the battle against the 18th because the current directive is to use it sparingly. The big purple bitch doesn't even come out of cryo-stasis without the Commander's say-so."
"Or your say-so, in his absence," Kaji mentions.
Ritsuko only smirks and continues with her work.
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"She never mentions the word "addiction"… mm-mm, mm-mm…," Kaagi sings, humming along with the guitar. "…in certain company. Hmm, mm-mm, mm-mm. Yes, she'll tell you she's an orphan… mm-mm, mm-mm… after you meet her family."
The Black Crowes continue singing softly on the stereo as Kaagi reflects on the pictures in his hand; four tiny snapshots stuck together in a vertical line. He'd practically had to drag Rei into the photo-taking booth at the arcade.
"This does not seem prudent", he remembers her saying. "If our dating is to be kept secret, why would we wish to create photographic evidence?"
In the first shot, he's smiling broadly, while she is not. In the second, he's mugging at the camera, sticking his tongue out at an odd angle. Rei's expression is the same as before.
"Do you only smile when I'm kissing you?" he recalls asking after the second photo.
The third shot is Kaagi's favorite. Rei's cheeks are flushed with embarrassment at his question, and there's a hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth. The fourth shot, however, is nearly ruined, in Kaagi's opinion. He'd kissed her to try coaxing out one of those elusive smiles, but he hadn't pulled back in time. The back of his head is all but eclipsing her face. Still, it's only nearly ruined, because he knows that behind his head, she was smiling.
He hides the photos beneath some clothes in his dresser when he hears a knock at the apartment door. Ritsuko is still out, just like last night, so he leaves his room to answer it. As he moves through the living room, bathed in orange from the setting sun, he wonders who might be knocking rather than using the doorbell. He's pleasantly surprised to find his girlfriend out in the hallway.
"Rei!" he says with a smile. He searches in vain for further words. Wild hand gestures are all he can muster to beckon her inside. She enters, walking past the living room on her way to Kaagi's bedroom. Though they both know his sister approves of their relationship and understands the need to keep it secret, they still spend most of their time alone in his room when they meet at her apartment. The fear of someone less discreet dropping by unannounced is not unwarranted.
Did I hide the anniversary present? Kaagi wonders frantically as he follows her. I did. It's by the pictures, under my underwear. Am I wearing clean underwear? Ah! Why did I think that? It's not like that time at her place; I'm not going to strip down to my underwear in front of her. Would she even want me to? Ah! Why am I thinking that? What is she even doing here?
"What are you doing here?" he asks, finally finding words in his ragged thoughts that would be safe to repeat aloud. He realizes after speaking them that they were the safest, but not the most polite. "I mean… I'm really glad to see you! But… it's just… you've never come over two days in a row before." Rei stops but does not turn to face him.
"I had a strong desire…," she begins, and Kaagi holds his breath, "…to not be alone." Kaagi exhales loudly, a strange sigh of both relief and disappointment at once. "I can leave, if you fear that my presence might compromise the secrecy of--"
"No!" he interrupts more loudly than intended. "Don't go, now that you've come all this way." She nods at the practicality of his reasoning and keeps walking.
They continue on into Kaagi's room, taking a seat next to each other on his bed. He takes her hand in his, as he usually does when they're together. He's been around her enough to be able to tell the subtle differences between her normal apathy and the deeper depression that she's in now. Though he wants to know what the matter is, he's a little afraid to ask.
Is she mad at me? he wonders. Rei can sense his hesitant curiosity as he kneads her hand nervously. After a time spent sitting in silence, she speaks.
"I can no longer pilot an Evangelion," she explains plainly.
"Oh, Rei…," Kaagi says sorrowfully. Secretly, he's glad that he's not to blame for her mood. "Why can't you?"
"Both Doctors Akagi and Kaiu believe that I have lost the ability due to… changes… that I underwent while within Unit-01." Kaagi grimaces, recalling their first encounter after her return. It's only for a moment, though, before he tackles the issue at hand.
"So it's not like it's your fault," he says with encouragement. He's brightening in the hope that she'll follow his lead. "You didn't do anything wrong, Rei. Things just… happened, that's all."
"Fault is immaterial," Rei says, unimpressed. Kaagi frowns and searches her face.
"Then what's the problem?" he asks.
Rei just stares at him. The emptiness, the loss, the failure are all too big for her to try to squeeze into ill-fitting words. Kaagi shakes his head and smiles.
"Sounds like you're making a big deal out of nothing," he says. He raises his eyebrows and shrugs. "I mean… so you're not an Eva pilot anymore? So what?"
"But I have…," Rei pauses. "Don't ever say that. Just don't say that you have nothing else. Just don't say that." Shinji's words echo in her head as Kaagi caresses her cheek and moves closer. Whether or not she wanted to continue speaking is quickly rendered moot.
"It doesn't matter," Kaagi whispers. Rei closes her eyes and accepts his kiss. He runs his fingers down through her hair and traces her spine, all the way to the small of her back. Gently, he pulls her on top of him as he lies back on his bed. She smiles a little, a gesture that's only for him… and two other people named "Ikari".
She tries to enjoy the closeness with her boyfriend. Opportunities for them to be together have been rare, and there is no denying the physical pleasure that the contact brings. She kisses him back, letting him believe that his words and affection have consoled her…
…when, in fact, they brought her no comfort at all.
To Be Continued…
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Next Episode Preview:
Nanako Asakawa digs deeper as NERV tries to repair the damage that she's already done. New relationships form and struggle as older ones endure inevitable changes. Shinji finds deception at nearly every turn, and Rei begins to wonder what truly lies within her heart. Next: "Separating Truth from Fiction"