Disclaimer –
The original story Neon Genesis Evangelion, its characters and all other trademarks are used without permission. The originals are mine, and will be named in the author notes of the first chapter they appear in. I will be making no profit from this story.

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Evangelion Chronicles

by Room3

Chapter 03 - Blue Skies And Red Eyes

"Hello, Rei," Kouzou said as the girl stepped out of the infirmary room that had been her home for the last week or so, dressed in a plain grey, knee length skirt and short-sleeved white shirt. She looked at him. "How are you felling?"

"I am well, professor," the blue-haired girl replied quietly, staring him directly in the eye. He was relieved to see her right eye hadn't been damaged, although there was some puffiness around it.

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied. "Doctor Akagi tells me you will be able to pilot again in two days," he added, looking at the bandages on her left arm.

"Yes. My injuries will have healed sufficiently for me to be able to do so by then," she confirmed.

"Well, that's as maybe, but Unit 00 won't be finished for another two weeks or so." There was a pause, during which the two just looked at each other. "I thought I'd accompany you back to the dorm," Fuyutski said. "Lieutenant Hyuga's currently busy on the surface."

"That would be acceptable," Ayanami responded and began walking towards the exit without looking back. She could hear the professor's footsteps as he matched her pace.

"The third Angel has been defeated," he told her.

"So Lieutenant Hyuga has informed me."

"And the third-child has moved into the dorm."

"He has told me this also," Rei said, stopping in front of the elevator. Kouzou pressed the call button.

"Does it bother you?" he asked as he began to tap his foot as he waited. There was a ping and the doors opened.

"Why would it bother me?" she asked softly as they stepped into the elevator car.

"Because you've lost your privacy," the professor explained, pressing the button for the ground floor.

"Am I required to share my sleeping quarters with the third-child?" the girl enquired of him, turning to face him. Once again he found himself staring into her red eyes.

"Well, no," he said as the elevator began to move, slightly taken a back by her question, "of course not."

"Then in what manner have I lost my privacy?" the first-child asked him.

He sighed. "Never mind," he told her. Despite being used to her manner, she still managed to exasperate him from time to time. Just then the doors opened and they stepped out into the lobby of the infirmary. A group of doctors discussing a patient's chart greeted him as he and the girl walked towards the exit.

- - -

"Support building one-five is now fully armed," a voice informed Misato over the radio. She sat in the back of the mobile command unit that had been assigned the task of preparing the numerous Evangelion support buildings then littered the city.

"Roger that," she responded, gesturing for Makoto to bring over the map that he held. She looked it over. "Move the equipment to sector seven," the captain ordered, "and begin loading building three-one."

"Three-one confirmed," the tired voice on the other end replied. "Out."

"Don't you think it's getting a little late, captain?" Hyuga asked.

"There will be sufficient light left for them to finish loading three-one," she replied calmly. She looked at the map again. "Have the umbilical cables in sector two been connected to the emergency power grid yet?"

"Not yet," the bespectacled technician informed her. "There was a problem with the relays, some kind of degradation in the control circuits. Replacements will be here first thing tomorrow. In the mean time I've assigned the teams to load the pallet guns in sector four." The captain nodded. There was a knock on the door and Shigeru stepped in.

"Excuse me, captain," he said, saluting, "but the mayor's office is asking how much longer this operation will take."

"Provided there are no further equipment malfunctions, we should be finished by this time tomorrow," she told him. "But that is subject to change. The mayor will be informed by Commander Fuyutski when the operation has been completed." The long-haired technician nodded. "Dismissed." Aoba saluted again and left the command unit.

"He's probably getting hassled about the amount of disruption we're causing," Makoto commented.

"If the city had allowed us to properly prepare the support buildings when they were being constructed, then there would be no need for the current disruption," the captain said, her tone making her displeasure clear.

"You know politicians," Hyuga said. "Always hedging their bets. They probably hoped we wouldn't be needed."

"Idiots," Katsuragi muttered under her breath.

- - -

Shinji sighed as he flopped down on to his bed. Between his pilot training, synch tests and homework, he'd had precious little time to himself over the weekend. It was now half four on Sunday afternoon and he'd only just finished the work the teacher had assigned him.

'I'll sure be glad when the training's over!' he thought, staring at the ceiling. 'Then maybe I'll be able to rest over the weekend.' His stomach growled and he groaned, covering his face with his hands. He rolled off the bed and closing his door, headed downstairs to grab a snack.
He grabbed a packet of crisps from the cupboard he'd put them in, glad he'd remembered to do a bit of shopping on his way home Friday. Opening the pack and putting a couple in his mouth, he grabbed the glass he'd left beside the sink that lunchtime, filled it from the tap and took it and his crisps into the lounge, sitting down in the nearest chair.

Having finished, he balled up the empty packet and, with the ease of many years of playing Basketball, threw into the bin by the TV. Drinking the last of the water, he cradled the now empty glass in his hands, rubbing his thumbs up and down the smooth surface and closing his eyes.

He opened his eyes again at the sound of a key in the front door. Frowning, he stood up and put the glass on the dining table. He knew it wasn't Makoto; the pilot rep. had told the boy he'd be too busy to visit today. He'd probably stop by before going home, provided he wasn't too tired. Shinji watched cautiously as the door began to open.

"Good afternoon, professor," the boy said as the grey-haired man came into view, relaxing as he did.

"Oh, good afternoon, Shinji," Fuyutski replied, startled by the third-child's voice. "I'm glad you're here. Allow me to introduce the first-child, Rei Ayanami." The blue-haired girl stepped out from behind him. Kouzou turned to her, gesturing to Shinji. "Rei, this is Shinji Ikari."

'She looks familiar,' the boy thought as he took in her unobscured face. 'Red eyes,' he mused, taking in her most striking feature. He didn't notice when the professor closed the door.

"You are the child of Doctor Yui Ikari, are you not?" Rei asked, her soft voice barely above a whisper.

"That's right," Ikari answered, shaking himself out of the trance he'd fallen into at the sight of her eyes. "It's nice to meet you," he said, holding out his right hand. She looked at it blankly, puzzled by his action. "It's called a hand shake," he explained. "It's a way of greeting someone."

The girl held her own hand out, copying him. Smiling, Shinji closed the gap between them and grasped her hand gently but firmly, shaking it. The professor smiled inwardly, careful to school his facial expression. He'd been wondering how the two of them would react to each other. He did notice that the boy seemed a little more relaxed around her than he had when he'd first met the professor, but that was understandable.

"Rei," Kouzou said to attract the girl's attention. "I have to leave now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Very well," the girl nodded.

"Bye, Shinji," the professor said as he opened the door.

"Bye, professor," the boy called as the door clicked closed. "Welcome home, I guess," he said after a short and uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you, Pilot Ikari," Ayanami responded.

"Would you like something to eat?" Shinji asked, racking his brains trying to think of something to say. "I did a bit of shopping, but there's not really all that much."

"No, I am not hungry," she replied stiffly. "Thank you for asking." She padded over to the chair nearest the stairs and sat down. The boy watched her go, scratching the back of his head. "Were you injured during the battle with the Angel?"

"A few bumps and bruises," Ikari answered, sitting down in the chair he had previously occupied. "My memory's a bit muddled and foggy, but that's okay. I'm not sure I want to remember what happened."

"I see."

"So... How come you ended up in the infirmary?"

"There was a malfunction in Unit 00's command systems during an activation test," she replied softly. "I do not know the details. You would have to ask Doctor Akagi if you wished to know." There was a short pause. "I understand that we have been enrolled in high school." Shinji nodded. "I would be grateful if you would show me the way tomorrow morning."

"Of course," the boy assured her. "Wait a minute, you mean you're not already going to school?"

"I am not," the first-child informed him. "However, Professor Fuyutski has requested that I start. He has informed me that there are things that I can only learn in a school. I do not know to what he is referring, but I will abide by his wishes."

- - -

Toji scowled as he stepped into the classroom and saw Shinji. The boy was sat at his desk, looking through some kind of file. Suzuhara growled low in his throat as he passed the pilot.

'I can't believe they told me to leave him alone!' he thought. 'So what if he apologised? He almost killed Noriko with that thing of his!' He let his bag drop to the floor beside his desk and sat down. At least the kid hadn't ratted him out, although Toji was sure his father knew what had happened. 'They want me to be nice to him?!' he thought, snorting in disgust at the idea. 'No chance!'

- - -

Although Shinji could feel a pair of eyes staring at him he didn't look around. He had a pretty good idea who it was. He hadn't missed Toji's entrance, nor the growl he'd made in passing. Instead, the third-child focused as best he could on the file Makoto had given him that morning, although how he was supposed to remember the locations of all the gates, recovery routes and support buildings he didn't know. At least each type of building had a different symbol on it.
As he looked over the map of sector five, he found himself wondering how Rei was getting on. He knew she was being tested to see what level her education was at; and for some reason, he was worried about her.

"Shinji, right?" a bubbly female voice said, attracting his attention. Looking up, he saw a smiling brunette with blue eyes and pigtails.

"Yeah."

"I'm Hikari Horaki," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you."

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to say hello Friday," she said. "And I'm sorry about Toji."

"Don't worry about it," Ikari told her, shrugging. "I understand why he did it. Probably would've done the same thing."

- - -

Miki smiled to herself and causally wandered over to Toji's desk. "The nerve of that guy," she murmured to him. "And here I thought Hikari was your friend. Looks like the new guy's trying to change that." Shinji chose that moment to say something which caused Hikari to giggle. Toji grunted angrily. Miki smirked and walked away.

'I hope the new girl is as much fun,' she thought. She stole a glance at Toji and Shinji while pretending to fuss with her hair. 'Either way, those two should keep me entertained for a while.'

- - -

Ritsuko couldn't help but notice the large amount of general chatter happening in Unit 00's cage as she walked across the umbilical bridge towards her assistant. Maya was busy calling out instructions to a group of technicians working on the chest area, which had had a large section of the armour removed. She stopped a couple of paces away from the petite brunette.

Once Ibuki had finished speaking, Akagi closed the distance between them. "How's it going?" she asked pleasantly.

"Huh? Oh, it's you, doctor," Maya responded, looking up from the clipboard in her arms. "So far so good. We've managed to rule out the primary relay node as the source of the conflict."

"So what are they doing at the moment?" the blonde enquired, looking over at the technicians.

"Testing the power regulators," her assistant replied. "Everything's being triple checked this time. So far no faults have been found."

"I'm surprised you're not up there yourself," Ritsuko said slyly, slipping her hands into the pockets of her lab coat.

"Someone's got to coordinate things," the lieutenant smiled back.

"I assume someone's checking the components you've had replaced for faults," the doctor said.

"Naturally," Maya replied.

Akagi sighed softly and looked at the orange and white figure. Frowning, she asked "Why isn't the shoulder armour in place?"

"I figured we might as well connect the shoulder wings while we're at it," Ibuki informed her.

"We're gonna have to do it any way."

"Good thinking," the blonde agreed. "Any problems?"

"Not yet."

"Lieutenant!" one of the technicians working on the chest called.

"What is it?" she yelled back.

"The FJ-401's not accepting the current," he informed her.

Maya grimaced. "Okay, replace it. And work back from it, see if you can trace a fault," she ordered.

"Will do," the technician said before issuing instructions to his colleagues.

"Must have burnt out during the malfunction," Ritsuko murmured.

"Must've." The lieutenant checked through several of the sheets of paper on her clipboard. "It's been in place since Unit 00 was constructed, so it could've degraded."

"Well, the FJ's are pretty reliable. Any other components that old?"

Ibuki rifled through her print outs before answering. "Not that I can see, but I'll double check the maintainance logs on the Magi." She sighed. "You know, old components like that really should be red-flagged for inspection."

"Good idea. I'll get it sorted tonight."

"Tonight? But I thought-"

Ritsuko put her hand on her assistant's shoulder, smiling at her. "Don't worry, it won't take me long. An hour, two tops."

"You sure?"

"I promised didn't I?" Akagi asked. Maya nodded. "Then I'll be there, okay?"

The lieutenant nodded, careful to hide her grin. "Okay."

"Now I've got to go see Katsuragi."

"Why?" the brunette asked, cocking her head to one side.

"You know, I'm not really sure why she wants to see me," the doctor said. "I'll tell you later," she added, turning and walking away. Maya watched her go sadly until she stepped through the door leading from the cage. Giving herself a little shake, she turned back to the prototype Evangelion.

- - -

"Stand. Bow Sit," Miki called as Professor Koyasu entered the class room. She watched as a blue-haired girl followed him in and frowned slightly. Had she ever seen the sun?

"Thank you, Ms. Sadamoto," he responded, knowing full well that most of the class was trying not to stare at the girl who had stopped a few paces to his left. "Good afternoon class. We have another new student starting today," he informed the students. "She's been home-schooled until recently," he added. He turned to her. "Introduce yourself."

"Yes, sir," she replied softly. "My name is Rei Ayanami," she continued, making most of the class strain to hear her. Miki stood up and welcomed her, repeating her invitation for questions. Rei simply nodded in response.

"Ms. Ayanami, please take the seat in the front row next to the window," the teacher instructed, gesturing to the empty chair.

"Yes sir," she responded, walking towards the indicated seat. "Pilot Ikari," she greeted Shinji as she passed him.

"Afternoon, Ayanami," he smiled back as she sat down. "Did you do okay on the tests they gave you this morning?"

"I believe that I did," Rei answered. She turned her attention to the teacher as he began his lecture.

"Hey, Shinji," the third-child heard a voice behind him whisper. He turned round to the bespectacled boy behind him. "My name's Kensuke Aida."

"Nice to meet you," Ikari replied. "Aren't you Toji's friend?"

"Yeah, but there's no rule that says I can't talk to you."

"I guess not."

"Beside," Kensuke added, pointing to his left, "Toji's out cold." Shinji looked over and saw the Suzuhara boy's head resting on his crossed arms. He certainly looked like he was asleep. "I take it you know the new girl."

"Ayanami? Yeah," the pilot responded. "Admittedly I only met her yesterday. She only got out of the infirmary then."

"Why was she in the infirmary?" Aida asked, his eyes widening as he realised the relevance of the word.

"Some king of accident in Unit 00," the third-child replied, shrugging. He didn't think it would matter if they found out Rei was a pilot as well, and he doubted she would be bothered if the rest of the class started asking her questions about it. He didn't know why, but he got the feeling she would just ignore them.

"Unit 00? You mean yours isn't the only robot?"

"No. I'm quite sure I heard someone mention a Unit 02 as well. I think they said it was being made in Germany."

"So she's the pilot of this Unit 00?" Kensuke asked, his tone becoming excited.

"I think so," Shinji answered. "She didn't say much last night."

"Last night? Oh, did you two go on a date or something?"

"No. But we live together," the third-child informed him calmly.

"You live together?!" the bespectacled youth exclaimed, struggling to keep his voice down so as not to draw attention to himself or wake Toji.

"Sure," Shinji replied. "In the pilot dorm. near Nerv headquarters."

"How many of you are there in this dorm?"

"Just me and Ayanami. But there are six suites, so I guess there'll be more."

"Man! You're so lucky, Shinji."

"I am?" Ikari asked, surprised. One thing he didn't consider himself was lucky.

"Yeah. Not only do you get to pilot that robot, but you live with a babe like her," Kensuke told him, gesturing to Rei, who was staring out the window beside her.

"You think she's attractive?" Shinji asked, looking at her profile.

"Hell yeah! You mean you don't?"

"I hadn't thought about it," he said. She did seem attractive, but... "Thinking about her like that just seems...I don't know, wrong," he told the boy behind him.

"You're not gay are you? I mean, not that it matters if you are or anything."

"No," the third-child informed him. "I like girls, it's just... It doesn't feel right thinking about her like that."

"You're weird, you know that," Aida commented.

- - -

Shinji stepped out of the male pilots' changing room, his hair still damp on the collar of his school shirt, but glad to have had a chance to shower. He'd discovered on his second day that the LCL, when dried on, began to smell strongly and was a pain to get rid of. Since then, he'd made sure to shower thoroughly after every synch-test. A hiss to his right caught his attention. Turning, he saw Rei step out of the girl's changing room. Feeling his gaze, she looked over and nodded stiffly.

"Everything okay, Ayanami?" he asked as he closed the distance between them.

"All is satisfactory," the blue-haired girl replied. There was silence for a few moments while Shinji fidgeted uncomfortably. "Is there something you wish to ask me, Pilot Ikari?"

"Um, yeah," the boy answered, scratching the back of his head. "Can I see it? Unit 00?"

"Why are you asking me?" the first-child enquired.

"Well, it's yours," he said hesitantly, "isn't it?"

"I am its pilot," she informed him. "It does not belong to me. It is the property of Nerv."

"Oh. Well I-I didn't want to offend you."

"You seeing Unit 00 would not offend me."

"Um, okay..." the boy muttered. "Could you show me where it is?"

"Very well," Rei agreed. "This way," she added, walking down the corridor. Shinji quickly began to follow her.

"How long have you been a pilot?" he asked her a few moments later, having been fighting the urge since he'd met the pale girl.

"I was selected as a pilot eight years ago," she informed him calmly, turning right down a wider corridor.

"Wow. You must be really good," he gushed. "I could barely get Unit 01 to move," he added, sadly.

"Although I have participated in many harmonics tests I have only been inside Unit 00 a few times," Ayanami responded. "There has been little need for me to do so until now."

"I hadn't thought of that," Ikari admitted.

"Your skill will improve with time," she told him. "You need merely apply yourself to your training."

"Thanks," he smiled. The blue-haired girl stopped and blinked before turning to look at him.

"For what are you thanking me?" she enquired.

"For your encouragement, of course."

"I was merely stating a fact," she said before resuming walking. Silence reined for a few moments.

"Can I ask you a question, Ayanami?" Shinji enquired.

"You have just asked a question," the first-child informed him. The boy chuckled. Hearing him, the girl stopped and faced him. "Have I said something amusing?"

"Sorry," Ikari said, getting himself back under control. "You ask someone if you can ask them a question when you're not sure how they're going to react to it," he explained.

"What is the question you wish to ask?" Rei enquired, cocking her head to one side.

"Why do you pilot Unit 00?"

"I pilot because I am able to pilot," the girl replied. "There is no other reason. Why have you agreed to continue to pilot?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not really doing it to save lives, although that's what everyone seems to think," Shinji said. He frowned. "I guess it's a way for me to feel closer to mom."

"In what way?"

"Well, the Eva's are her work," he answered, uncertain. "Being a pilot makes me feel like I'm contributing to her work."

"And that is why you have agreed to pilot?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"Uh-huh," the boy nodded. "Kinda selfish isn't it."

Rei blinked and started walking again. "Perhaps," she said softly, so softly that the boy could barely hear her. "What is important is that you have a reason that you believe to be valid." From that point on, they walked in silence. Shinji found himself unable to think of anything more to say or ask after her last statement.

- - -

Rei almost seemed to glide through the door which had 'Cage 00' stencilled next to it. Shinji nearly tripped over the cables running along the floor. The crates stacked just inside the chamber didn't help. Regaining his balance, he wandered towards the first-child, who was stood a short distance from someone. It looked like Lieutenant Ibuki, but he couldn't be sure with the distances involved.

He was about to speak when he caught sight of Unit 00 and the words stuck in his throat. It looked very similar to Unit 01, with a few exceptions. First off, it was predominately orange, with white arms and highlights. Secondly, it didn't have a helmet like the purple Evangelion. And it had only one large eye, central to its face. Looking it over, he saw that only one shoulder had the tall bit sticking up from it, the left one. He wasn't sure, but he thought they were referred to as 'shoulder wings'.

There were a number of people, technicians he guessed, working on a large opening on the chest, and more working on each shoulder. The platform he was stood on was at about waist height. Although he could hear someone talking, he couldn't tell who it was or what was being said, his mind too filled with awe of the second Evangelion he'd seen.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Ibuki," Rei said as the boy dragged his attention to the two figures a short distance from him.

"You're welcome, Rei," the petite brunette smiled back.

"Um, lieutenant...?" Ikari spoke, remembering his conversation with Rei from that morning.

"Yes, Shinji?" Maya asked.

"Do you know where Makoto is?" the third-child asked. "Only, me and Rei need to do some shopping and neither of us has much money," he explained.

"I think he's on duty in the command centre," she answered, her brow creasing in a frown.

"Where's that?" the boy asked.

Rei spoke before the lieutenant could answer. "I will show him the way."

"Thanks, Ayanami," Shinji smiled. The first-child nodded and began to walk away. "Bye, lieutenant," the boy called as he began to follow her.

"Bye, guys," Ibuki called as she returned her attention to the troublesome Unit 00.

- - -

The boy struggled not to gawp as he entered the large chamber that acted as the command centre for Nerv headquarters. 'This place is huge!' he thought, looking about. Almost directly in front of the door he and Rei had come through were three workstations, only two of which we occupied. Makoto was at one, the other was being used by a broad-shouldered figure with light brown hair in a ponytail.

"Hey, guys," Makoto greeted them, having looked over his shoulder and spotted the two pilots.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant Hyuga, Lieutenant Aoba," Rei responded formally, nodding to them. The long-haired figure turned round at the sound of his name.

"Hi, Rei," he called. "Glad to finally meet you, Shinji," he continued, spotting the nervous boy. "Name's Shigeru Aoba," he said, getting to his feet and holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Ikari replied, shaking the hand firmly.

"Is there a problem?" Hyuga asked, slipping into his role as pilot rep.

"Oh, yeah," the boy muttered, remembering why he had sought out the bespectacled technician.

"Rei and I need to do some food shopping, but we don't have much money."

"You haven't given them the cards yet?" Shigeru asked his colleague, giving him a funny look.

"Gimme a break, I only got them this morning," Hyuga shrugged. Getting to his feet, he pulled two small plastic cards from his back pocket and passed them to the pilots.

"New ID cards?" Shinji asked, noticing his picture and the Nerv logo.

"No. They're charge-cards," Makoto informed him. "You can use them to pay for food or anything you need for school. Anything else, like cinema trips, music, magazines and so on, you'll have to pay for yourselves."

"Thank you, lieutenant," Ayanami said, putting the card in her blouse pocket.

"Hey, don't thank me, it was Maya's idea," he told her. "She thought it would be better than you guys having to constantly come to me when you needed to get something," he explained.

"I'll have to remember to thank her next time I see her," the third-child commented, putting the card in his pocket.

"As will I," the blue-haired girl agreed.

"Do you two want me to come with you?" Makoto asked.

Shinji looked at Rei for a moment before saying, "No, I think we'll be okay. Thanks for the offer, though."

"Just doing my job," the bespectacled lieutenant responded glibly.

"Speaking of which," Shigeru said, "we'd better get back to this analysis or Katsuragi will have our asses."

"I guess we'll be going then," the boy said. "Bye."

"See ya, kid," Makoto called as the two pilots left the chamber.

- - -

"So, what would you like tonight?" Shinji asked Rei as he picked up a shopping basket from the pile beside the door of the market. It was a small store, but it was the nearest one to the pilot dorm.

"I do not mind," the blue-haired girl informed him, "as long as it does not contain meat."

"You're a vegetarian?" he asked, slightly surprised as he headed towards the produce section.

"I dislike eating meat," she replied, matching his pace.

"Well, are there any vegetables you don't like?"

"Why would I dislike them?" Ayanami asked, stopping and looking at her companion.

"Because you don't like the taste," the third-child told her, looking back at her.

"Taste is irrelevant," she stated. "All that matters is that my nutritional requirements are provided."

"No, how food tastes is extremely important," Ikari countered.

"It is?" Rei asked, blinking.

"Yes," he replied, finding it hard to believe what she had just said. He paused for a moment before asking "Do you know how to cook?"

"I do not," the pale girl answered.

"How do you eat?" Shinji asked, slightly exasperated. "I mean, who provides your meals?" he clarified, realising she may have taken his question seriously.

"I procure my meals from the canteen at headquarters," Ayanami responded, looking curiously at the display of fruit stood beside her. "The catering staff are aware of my requirements."

"Have you ever tried cooking?" the boy enquired.

"Why would I?"

"So you don't have to rely on the canteen."

"Is that important?" the blue-haired girl asked, looking at him.

"Well, I was always told that it's important to be able to feed yourself," the third-child told her. 'Man, she's stranger than I thought!'

"Do you believe it would be advisable for me to learn how to cook?"

"Personally, yes," Ikari answered. "I could help you, if you like," he added.

"You are offering to instruct me, are you not?"

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "I'm not really all that good, but I can help you with the basics. Mainly it's just trial and error."

"Your assistance would be welcome."

"Would you like to try tonight?" Shinji asked, strangely pleased with himself.

"Very well. What would you suggest?"

- - -

Shinji gasped as his eyes snapped open, his brow sweaty and a loud beating sound echoing in his ears. To the boy it sounded like a heartbeat, but massively loud, as if that of a giant. It faded away as if it were nothing more than a remnant of his dream leaving no sound in the room but his own heavy breathing. He sat up slowly and wiped the moisture from his face. Licking his lips he grimaced at the taste that greeted him – LCL. Suddenly feeling gripped by cold he wrapped his arms around himself to try to get warm.

Ikari looked over at the alarm clock, sighing as he read the time 02:43. Reaching over he flicked on the bedside lamp, blinking at the sudden light. Casting his eyes around the room he saw the small bin beside his desk. It was overflowing with the torn up newspaper that had been used as packing material for his belongings. Something about the colour caught his eye. He cocked his head and stared at it.

'Black and white,' he thought. 'Something black and white. A-a figure...' He cried out as a sudden pain lanced through his head, as if someone was forcing a red-hot pin into his brain. Cradling his head in his hands, he closed his eyes trying to ignore the pain. A black and white figure with a red circular blob appeared in his minds eye. 'The Angel!' He opened his eyes and looked up, his eyes gazing into the distance. His breathing became laboured as images and sensations began to flood his mind, confusing the youngster.

- A black hand with a glowing disk in its palm. -

- Two glowing eyes in a cloud of dust. –

- A pain in his chest. –

- The feeling of wind whipping at him. –

- An unearthly roar, like some kind of monster. –

- A stabbing pain in his stomach. –

- Some kind of orange glow. –

The third-child screwed his eyes up tight and shook his head, trying to clear the pictures from his mind. They felt familiar, of that he was sure, but something was wrong. As if they were out of sequence. Breathing out slowly he forced his mind to clear. Gradually the flood receded and he found himself able to think clearly. It was then he realised what the images represented. His memories of the battle.

He lead back in his bed and closed his eyes, relaxing his body completely. Once done, he recalled what he remembered from the battle. As he'd told Makoto, he remembered getting into the Eva and it being launched. As he lay there, most of the gaps in his memory disappeared and he found himself relieving the battle. But some gaps remained. He remembered Unit 01 getting buried, the heartbeat he'd heard as he'd awakened, but then it became blurry again.

'Well, at least I know as much as they do now,' he thought after a few minutes of trying to pick details out of the fog. They were there, that he felt, but they remained as elusive as the morning mist. He gave up and looked at his clock, his eyes widening as he took in the time – 04:38. He'd lost almost two hours. He blinked a few times as weariness gripped him and he fell asleep.

- - -

"You asked to see me, professor," Lieutenant Hyuga said as he stepped in Fuyutski's office. The grey-haired commander of Nerv was stood gazing out of the window. He turned at the sound of Makoto's voice.

"Yes, I did," he responded, walking back to his desk. He waved the bespectacled technician into a chair as he himself sat down. "I'd like your impression of Shinji. And how you think he's settling in."

"He's a good kid," Makoto said. "Considerate, polite, a little nervous around people he doesn't know." He smiled, adding "I wish all teenagers were like him." The lieutenant paused for a moment to think. "I think he's settling in all right. He admitted to being a bit lonely before Rei got out of the infirmary."

"How are they getting long?" the professor enquired, leaning forward and interlocking his fingers on his desk.

"Rei and Shinji?" Hyuga responded. Fuyutski nodded. "Fine. He's really looking out for her. Even trying to teach her how to cook."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and I get the feeling he's helping her out in school as well."

"He's like his mother in that respect," Kouzou smiled, leaning back in his chair, "always trying to help others." He sighed. "Do you think they'll have any trouble working together?"

"No, sir," the lieutenant assured him. "Can't see any reason there would be. You know," he added thoughtfully, "now that I think about it, it's kinda weird watching them interact."

"How so?"

"Well, it's like..." Hyuga started, but trailed off as words failed him. "It's like they've known each other for years," he eventually said. He took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes before continuing. "If I didn't know any better I'd swear they'd lived together before."

"Well, Shinji is used to living in a dorm."

"But Rei's always lived alone," Makoto countered. "At least, for the last five years or so she has."

"True," the professor admitted, sighing. "We can figure it out later. For now, just keep an eye out for any possible problems."

"Will do," the bespectacled technician nodded. "Is there anything else sir?"

"No. No, that will be all, thank you," Kouzou said absently. Makoto stood up, saluted and left the office. As the door slid shut behind him, Fuyutski sighed tiredly and scrubbed his face.
'At least they're getting on okay,' he thought ruefully. He pulled open the bottom left-hand draw of his desk and, tapping a six digit combination on the keypad there, opened the small safe he kept there. It took a few moments to find the file he wanted. Opening it on the desk, he quickly found the page he wanted and read the relevant section.

Sighing again, he replaced the file, closed the safe and slid the draw shut. Lost in thought, he stood and wandered over to the window, staring out at the lake beyond.

- - -

Shinji rolled from facing the wall to staring at the ceiling. He'd been awake for about a minute or so now and was waiting for his alarm to sound. He knew it would be soon, he always awoke a few minutes before it did. Wondering how much longer he had to just lie there, he turned his head and looked over at his alarm clock. He groaned slightly as he read the glowing digits – 06:19. His alarm wouldn't go off for another forty or so minutes, but he was awake. Considering his options for a moment, he sat up and unset the alarm.

'No sense just lying here,' he thought, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Grabbing his school clothes and towel, he left his room and headed for the boys bathroom. He quickly showered and changed into his uniform. Laying the towel across the wooden bench to dry, he headed out into the games room. As the third-child stepped out, he heard the sound of running water.

'Rei must be in the shower,' Shinji thought to himself. He'd been amazed by how early she got up the first day after her return from the infirmary. When he'd mentioned it, she had said something about she had had all the sleep she needed. Smiling to himself, Shinji continued and his eyes fell on the pool table. The boy remembered Makoto saying something about how the game would improve his accuracy with the Eva's weaponry and decided to practice for a while.

Shinji put all the balls on the table as the technician had shown him and selected a stick from the rack on one of the walls; Makoto had called it a 'cue'. Positioning the white ball one the white line, he aimed for the triangular formation and struck it with the cue. Watching the coloured balls bounce around, he waited until they'd stopped and chose his next shot, quickly loosing himself in the game.

Hearing a door open, he struck the white ball and looked up. Rei was stood by the door to her suite. Her hair still looked to be a little damp and she had her towel around her neck. His eyes drifted down of their own accord and he froze as he realised the girl wore nothing more than the towel.

"Sorry," he said, feeling his cheeks flush. He closed his eyes and turned around, holding the cue in his hands and trying to clear the heat from his face.

"What is the problem?" he heard Ayanami ask in her soft voice, her tone sounded puzzled.

"You're not wearing anything," Shinji told her, angling his head as if he were looking at the floor.

"That is a problem?" the first-child asked. She clearly did not understand the boy's reaction to her lack of attire.

"Yes, it is," Ikari replied.

"I do not understand," the blue-haired girl commented; the boy could swear he could almost hear her frown. "I have never worn clothes when going to or from the bathroom. It has not been a problem before."

"But that was when you lived alone," the third-child told her. "You shouldn't walk around naked."

"It is not appropriate for me to walk around without clothes within my own dwelling?"

"Not when you share it it's not," Shinji informed her.

"I did not know," she replied innocently. "I shall remember to wear clothes in future." There was a slight pause. "I will go and get dressed now." A moment later, the boy heard her suite door open and close.

The boy sighed and turned back to the table, opening his eyes. 'I think I'll get her a bathrobe,' he thought as he prepared to take his next shot.

- - -

Feeling impatient, Miki popped a mint into her mouth before checking her watch. 'Any minute now,' she thought. Swallowing, she peered around the corner, drawing back quickly as she spotted her target. She smirked, counted to five and walked out the alley she had been hiding down, leaving her face blank.

"Miki!" she heard a voice call. Careful to hide her smile, she looked in the direction the call had come from. Seeing her target heading towards her, she smiled openly and waved.

"Hi, Hikari," Sadamoto said as the brunette jogged over to her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Horaki replied, her breathing slightly laboured. "I don't usually see you around these parts."

"Oh, I felt like going for a walk," the class rep. replied casually. "Listen, Hikari," she continued, "I wanted to thank you for trying to befriend Ikari."

"No problem," Hikari responded. "It can't be easy being the new kid and I thought I'd help out."

"No, it's not easy," Miki agreed.

"Toji's being a bit difficult about it."

"He would," Sadamoto shrugged, slipping her hands into her coat pockets. "I wouldn't worry about it, Hikari. He's probably still upset about his sister."

"I guess," the brunette sighed.

"And Ikari knocking him down like he did is probably hurting his ego," the class rep. stated, a smile on her lips.

"Knowing Toji, I'd have to say it is," Horaki replied, a bit more humour in her tone than before.

"How does Ikari feel about what happened?"

"Well, Shinji admitted he probably overreacted a bit," Hikari related, "but he won't apologise unless Toji does. And we both know that's not gonna happen." She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You know, Shinji's gone to see Noriko," she continued. "Their parents were there, and he apologised to them for what happened to her."

"Really? That took guts."

"Uh-huh," the shorter of the two girls nodded. "Toji wasn't too impressed though."

"He'll get over it," Miki told her.

"Eventually," Horaki added.

"You know Toji. He's just being stubborn."

"Always is."

"I wonder how Ikari's parents feel about him having such a dangerous job," Sadamoto mused aloud.

"Shinji's an orphan," the brunette informed her. "His mother died about ten years ago."

"What about his father?"

"No one knows. She never told anyone who he was."

"So who's looking after him?"

"Nerv took custody of him," Hikari related.

"Isn't that who he's working for?"

"Yeah, both he and Ayanami," the brunette said. "He used to go to a boarding school in Kyoto, but they brought him here so he could pilot that robot for them."

"Not exactly nice of them," Miki commented. "Why'd they'd need him to pilot it?"

"Dunno," Hikari shrugged. "He won't say. He just says he's the only one who could, what ever that means."

Miki cocked her head at the shorter girl. "Sounds like the two of you are getting along well."

"Shinji's easy to get along with. It's just that most of the class is too afraid of Toji to try."

Sadamoto sighed. "You know, maybe I need to have a word with Mr. Suzuhara." A breeze blew a lock of her hair over her face, which she quickly brushed back behind her ear. "But I'll leave it a bit longer. Maybe the two of them will sort it out between themselves."

"I hope so," Hikari muttered sadly.

'Not if I have any say in the matter they won't,' she mentally snorted. She looked at her watch. "I better get going," she said aloud. "I'll see you in class."

"Bye, Miki," the brunette called after her as she walked away, smiling to herself. This little 'accidental meeting' had been a good idea.

- - -

Using his interlaced hands as a pillow, Shinji lay back on the grass, his eyes directed at the sky but not really taking it in. The gentle breeze ruffling his hair masking the sounds of Tokyo-3. He sighed softly and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander. A pair of red eyes filled his mind's eye and a smile played across his lips. At first he'd found the colour of her eyes disconcerting, but now it seemed perfectly natural; even soothing. The look in them was always one of calm repose. 'So soft and gentle, despite being the colour of blood,' he thought. Even though he found the first-child's naivety grating at times, Shinji found her company relaxing.

Opening his eyes, the third-child let the cloud-strewn blue sky fill his vision, bringing to mind one of the few memories he had of his mother. A happy one, thankfully. The two of them were out walking. Shinji couldn't remember where, but that wasn't important. What was important was that both he and his mother were smiling as they walked, hand in hand, through a grassy field. It was at times like these that he could almost hear her voice, the rippling sound of her laughter seemingly just beyond the edge of his hearing.

Shinji sighed and shook the sudden sadness that had gripped him away. To distract himself, he focused his attention on a cloud, watching it as it drifted serenely across his field of vision. A new cloud floated into view and a frown creased his brow as he watched it. It was shaped like persons head, but he couldn't figure out whose? He closed is eyes and the red eyes once again appeared before him.

'That's it!' he realised, his eyes snapping open. 'That cloud kinda looks like Rei.' He pictured the eyes in the cloud. 'Definitely Rei.' He smiled again and exhaled hard. 'Blue skies and red eyes.'

To be continued...

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Author Notes –
And Rei makes her first appearance. I know, I know, she doesn't seem that different from NGE. Perhaps a bit stiffer, but that's all. But, lets be honest here, the original character was such a masterstroke that there's not much else you can do with her.

A few of you have asked about Gendo. The only answer I'm going to give you is – wait and see. He will appear, in one form or another.