Disclaimer- don't own it, EVA or TNG
A/N You all really like this don't you. Well there is only one chapter after this one plus the epilogue so enjoy
Shinji ZERO
Chapter 6
All Good Things part II
Family Ties
Everyone sat anxiously awaiting the moment of truth. Lilith had been already loaded and absorbed into Unit 00 and the connections from Units 02 and 01 to the Chamber of Gaff had been opened.
It was only a matter of time.
Each of the Eva's chest armor had been removed around the core. On unit 01 this required only removing one section of the chest armor. However on units 00 and 02 it required removing the whole chest plate. Shinji, who had been talking to Asuka at the time, likened it to someone taking off his shirt. A comment which caused the red-head Asuka to blush.
In the interim Ritsuko had chanced an examination of Rei wondering if any of this was affecting her. They could only wait for the results.
Misato and Rei with a medical team stood on the catwalk by unit 00's core. Rei with a blanket in hand to wrap around Shinji upon his return.
The Commander and a medical team stood similarly ready at unit 01
Ritsuko and Asuka stood by Unit 02 awaiting the moment Asuka's life would start anew. Shinji had assured her that he would be fine and that she should be there for her mother.
Then it happened
Misato and Rei had turned around to inform the medical team behind them of what to expect. A loud thud on the catwalk behind them alerted them; they turned to see the nude form of Shinji Ikari laying face down on the catwalk. The pair immediately rushed to his side, Rei wrapped the blanket around her brother and comforted him while Misato helped the med team load him onto a gurney for transport to the medical wing of headquarters. Misato immediately noticed one big difference in Shinji's appearance. The roots of his normally brown hair had turned the same color of blue as Rei's. The pair followed the medical team as they took him into the isolation room for examination.
A short while later Asuka walked up behind them as they waited for news. Misato who had seen her walk up and sit beside them was the first to speak
"Is it over"
Asuka nodded
"Like clockwork, baka came back, then his mom, then mama"
Rei nodded
"It's good to have her back isn't it?"
"Yeah"
Misato smiled
"How is she?"
"She woke up a little bit ago, she's resting now, and they said she'll be able to leave tomorrow once she rests"
Then Asuka decided to ask the obvious
"How's Shinji"
Misato shook her head
"No word yet"
Then a voice came from down the hall
"Ms Katsuragi"
Misato and the girls turned to look at the speaker. Standing in the center of the hall was Commander Fuyutsuki assisting a woman in a hospital gown who bore a striking resemblance to Rei, where Rei in her late 20s to early 30s with brown hair and brown eyes. Befor Misato could even speak Rei stood and walked over to the woman the Commander was assisting. She stopped a few feet in front of her, Asuka then saw the full resemblance and also something she never expected. Tears began to form in the corners of Rei's eyes as the full impact of who this woman was sank in. Her lips quivered slightly as she held back from sobbing
"Mother"
Yui smiled
"Rei"
Even the girl whose classmates had dubbed the Ice-Queen couldn't hold back her emotions anymore. She rushed forward and embraced her mother as she sobbed. Misato and Asuka smiled, Asuka because this reminded her of her own tear filled reunion with her mother and Misato because she was finally seeing the real Rei Ayanami.
For a few moments this reprieve went uninterrupted until someone at the end of the hall cleared their throat. The group turned to see Dr Akagi and the one person Rei was hoping would be here, Rika. Rei let go of her mother and walked over to the girl
"Hello Rika"
The shy and timid girl barely managed to respond
"Hello"
"Have you met out human mother?"
Rika, who looked even more like Yui than Rei did, just shook her head; Rei took Rika's hand and led her over to where Yui was standing
"Mother this is my sister Rika, Rika this is our human mother Yui Ikari"
Rika smiled at Yui who then gently and slowly, as not to scare the young girl, hugged her. Rika stiffened at the contact but soon melted into the hug. The Ikari family had just welcomed its newest members Rika and Rei Ayanami, now Rei Ikari.
Ritsuko walked over to Misato and Asuka who were just looking on smiling.
The door to the examination room opened and the doctor strode out. Ritsuko walked over to him and the two discussed Shinji's condition while the group just looked on. Finally the doctor left and Ritsuko walked up to the group
"Shinji is resting comfortably, he was awake for a few moments and the doctor reported that he was fully aware of everything that had happened. His tests all came back normal and the only anomaly reported was that hi hair…is turning light blue"
Misato spoke up
"Ritsuko does that mean he's going to…"
"No, there is no Angel DNA in his system, in fact Rei your test results came back. It seems you and your "sisters" no longer have angel DNA within you"
Rei blinked and tilted her head
"I am human"
"Yes, you are a completely normal teenage girl; you have even somehow regenerated your reproductive organs, which should begin to work soon"
Yui could only smile, not only had everything worked out, but had done so beyond her wildest dreams.
Shinji slowly opened his eyes
"Unfamiliar ceiling"
He smiled a bit; it was good to see a ceiling period never mind an unknown one. He was pulled out of his thoughts when the doors to his room opened. In walked Misato, Asuka who he wanted to talk to, Rei, another girl with blue hair he could only assume was a clone and Dr Akagi. Then the one thing he had prayed for all his life came true. Through that same set of doors, came his mother. The group stopped at his bed side. Misato, instead of her usual glomping just stood back and made room for Shinji's mother to sit at his bed side. Rei and the other girl stood on the bed side with his mother while everyone else just spread out in the room taking seats where they could. Asuka decided to be patient and let Shinji's family talk to him first. Yui stroked Shinji's hair as both mother and son chocked back tears. Finally Shinji couldn't take it any more he sat up, wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and began to cry. Yui, try as she might, couldn't speak through the tightness in her throat. After a few minuets Shinji pulled away and lay back down on the hospital bed. As she wiped the tears from his eyes Yui found her voice
"I'm so sorry Shinji; I should never have left you like that"
"Its ok mom, you did what you had to do, it hurt but your back now. Everything is fine now"
Shinji impressed everyone with his new confidence, especially Asuka 'baka has grown a pretty good back bone, and he does look good with blue hair…this is nuts I'm attracted to Shinji…but…he is attractive with that new spine of his…and he is a good guy anyway, hell why not if he asks me out I might as well go for it'
Shinji then turned his attention to his sister
"How have you been Rei?"
"I have been well, and you brother"
"Fine, I guess"
Ritsuko who stood beside of Shinji's bed on the side across from Yui finally spoke
"Shinji do you remember anything of the past few days"
He sighed
"Almost everything"
She nodded and wrote something down on her chart
"Thanks that will be all I need, as long as you get plenty of rest there is no reason for you to not go home today"
Yui looked up at her
"What about myself and Kyoko"
"Nerv has arranged for the apartment beside of Misato's to be linked to hers by knocking down the wall separating the two sitting rooms and the front door be blocked. In essence expanding the Sub-Commanders apartment to accommodate new patrons"
Misato smiled
"So Nerv will be expanding my apartment"
"Its being done as we speak, as well as having new furniture put into the rooms"
Asuka butted in
"What about me and mama"
Ritsuko turned to regard the girl
"We thought of that when we decided to do this, there will be enough room for you both when she is released tomorrow, that's if Misato will have you"
Misato just shrugged
"The more the merrier I always say, this way you and Shinji don't have to move out Asuka"
"Yes"
Life in the Katsuragi/Soryu/Ikari household was about to get interesting.
After everyone had said there hellos they all left. Misato to sign Shinji's release forms, Yui to sign the forms not only for release but to affirm that she was indeed alive. Rei had wanted to stay but opted to leave with Misato after assurances from Shinji that he would be ok, while Rika just followed her. This left Shinji and Asuka alone
"Glad your ok baka"
Shinji just lay back, smiling contently
"Yeah, well I guess everything is going to change now huh"
"Yeah"
Asuka walked over and sat on Shinji's bed side. She smiled down at the boy she had grown to like and even love
"Hay baka, can I tell you something"
"Yeah sure"
"I umm…."
She wetted her lips and looked into his brown eyes
"I-I love you Shinji"
Before the boy could say anything Asuka leaned down and pressed her lips to his. After a few moments Shinji melded into the kiss and even began to return it. He slowly snaked his arms around Asuka's waist and pulled her closer to him. After a few moments she pulled away
"Your breath doesn't tickle that bad, to tell he truth the firs time I kissed you, I held your nose so you would goof the kiss up"
"Why"
She just smiled, shook her head and blushed a bit
"I liked you even then; I just wanted to find any reason not to like you, maybe give you a reason not to like me"
"Asuka I cold never do that"
"Why not"
"Because I love you to"
In a move that shocked even Asuka, Shinji pulled the girl back down and covered her lips with his own. Asuka froze in place, totally absorbed in the kiss. Shinji's eyes fluttered open hearing the door open his glanced that way. There stood Kaoru, smiling as always. He nodded as to say 'see you later' and closed the door. Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated on this kiss.
Two days later everything was in chaos. Everyone had finally settled in at the Katsuragi/Soryu/Ikari household. Shinji and Yui were busy making dinner, Misato, Asuka, Rei, Rika and Kaoru sat at the table while Kyoko sat in the floor petting Pen Pen Misato's pet penguin while occasionally asking Kaoru questions about being an angel.
Rei and Rika had decided to share a room in the apartment's new wing while Yui and Kyoko took the other two bedrooms, all and all it was actually fun having 4 new flat mates.
Kaoru had moved into the flat next door.
Shinji just cooked on happily, sure he was now cooking for 4 more people, 2 of which were vegetarians, but the fact that one of the new people was his mother changed this from a chore to actually being fun. The fact that he and Asuka were now an item made this a dream compared to the nightmare he had initially left. His mother seeing her son deep in thought decided to speak up
"So how are you and Asuka doing?"
Shinji just smiled and blushed, Yui just nodded
"I see must be pretty well then to get you to blush like that"
"Mother"
"Im sorry Shinji, I just couldn't help it"
Shinji decided to change the subject
"I herd Commander reported the last angel destroyed"
"Well it was, your friend Kaoru is human now right"
"In a way"
His mother nodded
"So how does it feel to have naturally blue hair?"
Shinji's first act once he arrived at the newly expanded apartment was to bathe. Though the hot water was enough to remove the last traces of brown from his hair, it had steadily been changing since his return.
"Its ok I guess, when everyone sees me with Rei they will probably get the idea that were related, though Toji and Kensuke are going to grill me about it"
She nodded
"So what are they going to do about school?"
"They are going to just pick up and start next year. Now that the angel attacks are over people are coming back here"
"That's good"
Misato sat in the kitchen with Rei, Rika Asuka and Kaoru watching Asuka's mother sit in the floor and play with Pen Pen. Misato had grown accustomed to Kaoru though the knowledge that Adam was finally dead did help her accept him. Asuka looks over at Kaoru
"So what now"
"I will continue to live. I will grow old and die or I may die in my youth. But I am now free to do as I desire"
"And that is"
"I will live as a normal child and learn as I can, then I suppose once that is done I will have to, as is said, wait and see."
Suddenly the phone rings, Misato goes to get it
"Hello, Katsuragi residents"
"Hello Katsuragi"
Misato immediately takes the black cordless phone into the next room and shuts the door
"Kaji"
"The one and only, I told you I would call"
"I was starting to wonder"
"How's Shinji"
Misato faked ignorance
"What do you mean?"
"I know about what Commander Ikari did Misato, actually I know about all of it"
"How"
"That's not important now, listen day after tomorrow have the kids and everyone to Nerv by 2 pm"
"Why"
"The committee is going to make their move"
"SEELE"
"Yep, I'm going to try and pull some strings and see if I can get you and the kids some help. The JSSDF and the UN forces are prepping to move against them soon, probably while their distracted with hitting Nerv"
"So this will all end soon"
"As long as Nerv doesn't fall, yeah it will. Tell Commander Fuyutsuki everything I've told you ok, I'll see you soon Katsuragi"
Though she tried to hold them back the words slipped from her mouth, not that she didn't actually mean it mind you.
"I love you Kaji"
"I love you Misato, bye"
She hung the phone up. She walked back into the kitchen and sat back at the table. She already had begun to think about how to counter SEELE's coming attack and two day's wasn't much prep time
"Listen guys im going to Nerv don't wait up. And Shinji I expect you Rei and Asuka at Nerv by 7 in the morning for training got it"
"Why"
"I'll tell you later"
Misato grabbed her jacket, put on her shoes and headed for Nerv
A/N That didn't take as long as I thought. The last chapter may take a bit, but only one to go plus the epilogue.
Thanks to my readers and reviewers.
Till 7 stay cool.
Next chapter All Good Things part III Of Love, War, and Angels