Tokyo-2, Outer District 6
October 23, 2041
0702 hours

"Morning, kid." – Shephard quipped over his cup, watching Kaworu wade into the kitchen.

He did raise an eyebrow when he saw the teen's slightly unsteady steps towards the fridge.

"You don't look so good. Coffee?"

"I'll be fine." – Kaworu replied quietly before grabbing a bottle from his liquor stash and promptly downing the entire thing in one go.

Shephard's eyebrows immediately jumped right up to his hairline. – "Whoa, easy there! Did the doc's girl turn you down yesterday or something?"

"It's nothing."

"Then why are you trying to get plastered so early in the morning?"

"I drink this instead of coffee."

And right now, Kaworu really needed something to keep him awake. It wasn't his choice to stay up all night, but he just couldn't sleep.

He tried, though. Yet even after hours of tossing and turning, he couldn't get over Rei's odd behavior... nor that odd surge of familiarity he felt when she hugged him.

"Kid, that bottle is a bit more than a pint, and more than third of that is pure alcohol. Drinking that on an empty stomach is just asking for trouble." – Shephard grabbed one of the bread rolls in arm's reach of him and tossed it at the teen, who narrowly caught it. – "At least grab some chow before you pass out."

"I don't get drunk from this much."

The adult, however, would have none of it. – "No feeding BS to me, I know my way around booze. Eat up."


30 minutes later

He still couldn't get it out of his mind.

At least the cool, late-October air helped clear away his drowsiness somewhat. Even so, he knew that it will likely last only until he actually sits down in class, then he will inevitably fall asleep. He only hoped that the teachers won't take issue with him taking a nap, because he really couldn't help it.

With that said, Kaworu knew that he had to look into getting a coat soon. He didn't know exactly how different Japanese climate was from the European one he was used to, but it seemed like first snowfall wasn't that far off.

In school textbooks, he read that before Second Impact, the seasons weren't quite as extreme as now. It was all because of the Occupation: sometime after they set up shop, the Combine built a giant portal that sucked away a substantial portion of the Earth's oceans to parts unknown. Global sea levels dropped by several meters, exposing uncountable millions of square kilometers of coast. As sand is much more reflective than water, the cumulative effect of the sea level drop increased the Earth's overall albedo ever so slightly. Coupled with the actual loss of who knows how many cubic kilometers of water, surviving climatologists already noticed a change before the Revolution of 2018, yet the full effects only manifested in the early 2020s.

Essentially, Earth was now subjected to what could best be described as a mini ice age. With the increased surface albedo, more sunlight was reflected back into space, cooling the atmosphere – which caused increased snowfall, which in turn increased the albedo even more in a positive feedback loop. Summers weren't especially colder, but winters were downright brutal now. In some isolated valleys in Siberia, nighttime temperatures sometimes dropped as low as three digits in the negative – low enough that one climate research expedition working in the region once found a thin layer of frozen carbon dioxide caked over the snow.

Ironically, the only reason why it didn't get any worse was because the cooling was partly counteracted by what was left of the previous man-made nemesis of nature: global warming. The collapse of industry during the Occupation did wonders at cleaning the planet's atmosphere of contaminants, but the effects wouldn't have disappeared for decades or even centuries... were it not for the new calamity.

Kaworu didn't really like snow, but got used to it. After all, he had no choice in the matter.

At least it wasn't raining now, unlike the last time he walked this same road to school. To him, it felt almost like it happened a whole another life ago, even though he knew he was only bedridden for about a week. Even so, it was the longest hospital stay he ever experienced in his life and to some extent, it was good to be back to normalcy.

Except for Rei's behavior, that is.

Kaworu was so deeply lost in his thoughts that he was mildly startled when Rei's bike unexpectedly stopped next to him, the girl already holding a spare helmet in his direction. – "Get on."


Tokyo-2, Inner District 5
1137 hours

Nothing was said during their journey to school. Nor when they arrived: Rei simply took the helmet from him without a word and proceeded to completely ignore his existence for the rest of the morning.

She was seemingly back to her usual behavior, except not quite. Something was missing. Kaworu couldn't tell what it was, but the air around her was somehow... different now.

Asuka was already there by the time he arrived. In fact, she was already gone by the time he dragged himself out of bed. He never questioned why the blond picked Hikari of all people to hang around – or maybe it was Mari. However, that latter theory was debunked by Asuka's early departure. As class representative, Hikari took it upon herself to arrive to class before everyone else, as if she was trying to lead by example or something. While Mari didn't go to the trouble of waking up earlier due to her friend's quirk, Asuka did.

Against his expectations, he managed to stay awake during classes. Yet even that time he spent doing nothing but stare at the back of Rei's head, as if he could somehow guess what thoughts were taking place underneath that unruly blue mop.

Then came the lunch break – the time when she wanted to talk to him, if what she said yesterday was true. Kaworu watched the girl get out from behind her desk and pause a bit.

She sent an almost invisible glance in his direction before walking off towards the classroom's entrance.

Kaworu got her meaning and followed soon after.

So there he was, sitting on the school's roof with his back resting against the stairwell's rear wall.

"So... what did you want to talk about?"

Rei just stared off at the cityscape, as if she didn't hear him. He was about to ask again when she suddenly asked – "What do you remember of your past?"

Kaworu blinked at the sudden question. – "What's this about?"

"I am told you are suffering from a loss of memory. What do you remember?"

"Pretty much nothing." – he replied with a shrug. – "Why?"

In response, Rei merely reached into her coat and pulled out a white, unmarked envelope she tossed onto his lap.

"The answer you are seeking is in there."

Flipping the envelope open, Kaworu found that it only contained a single photo.

When he looked at it however, he felt as if the world suddenly stopped around him for a moment.

Of the two labcoated figures, it was impossible not to recognize a visibly younger Yui as one of them, standing next to a bespectacled man with strong, almost angular, features. But that wasn't what grabbed his attention. It was the three children milling around the adults' legs, barely more than toddlers. One of them was a brown-haired boy Kaworu noted vaguely resembled the male scientist, but the other two he recognized immediately.

A gray-haired boy curiously looking at the camera, with a blue-haired girl shyly peeking out from behind him.

A timestamp in the corner marked the photo as having been taken in 2030, almost exactly 11 years ago.

All the sense of familiarity he felt around her, that he had already known her, made sense now – because he really did meet her before, if the evidence he was holding in his hand was of any indication.

"...I assume you can explain this." – he said after a while.

"I have not looked upon this for years. That is why I did not recognize you sooner." – She sat down next to him, eyes downcast. – "I am an adopted child. Dr. Ikari took me in eight years ago, during her divorce proceedings. The man on the image was her husband."

"And... us?"

"I do not remember that far back, but I do faintly remember one person." – She looked up at the sky. – "When I was very young, I had a twin brother. But he fell ill and was taken away. Once I was old enough to understand the concept, I was told that he died."

She looked at him.

"I know now that you didn't."

"And you think... that I'm your brother?"

"Not think. Know. I would not be telling you this otherwise." – She laid a hand on his arm, where his tattoo was located. – "The Sephirot, Yosher-Upright configuration. Describes God's plan as it unfolds in Creation. Few know what it is, fewer still what it means. Only one person in the entire world has a mark identical to mine."

Of all the things she could've said to him, this was the absolute last one he expected.

He honestly didn't know what to think. That recently emerged part of his mind somehow knew she was telling the truth – even as his common sense, the one that developed during his years on the street and carried him through life, kept insisting that he shouldn't just accept it out of hand. There had to be a catch... there always was a catch.

"What makes you think I am who you think I am?"

"Your mark. Your appearance. Your presence. I feel that I am right."

"That's not much to go on."

"You are reluctant to believe me."

"No shit." – he grumbled. – "You dump this kind of thing on me out of the blue, of course I find it hard to believe. No offense."

"None taken."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to say."

"Nothing."

"I mean it. I really don't know what to say."

"I know."

"Know what?"

"That you mean it."

Kaworu sighed and looked at the photo again. There was no mistaking it: it was him alright, with Rei hiding behind him from the camera. It was almost cute, even though he genuinely couldn't imagine the girl he knew doing something like that. Right now, he could sooner imagine her shooting the camera than hiding from it.

Then something else occurred to him. – "Who is this?" – he asked, pointing at the third child on the picture.

"Dr. Ikari's biological son. One year older than us. She lost custody of him when she divorced."

"That's why she adopted you?"

"Perhaps."

"Do you remember him?"

"Yes. I was five years old when he left." – She paused. – "He was... a good friend."

"Have you heard about him since?"

"He is no longer on Earth. I do not know his current whereabouts, although I believe he is currently living on Polygonus."

Ever since he came to know her, Kaworu always wondered what exactly made Rei so hostile and distant towards everyone. Now he thought he knew: loss. Losing not one, but two, people close to her. He couldn't see into her head the same way he now knew she could see into his, but he guessed that was the answer. Maybe she didn't want to get close to people so that she wouldn't feel that loss again? Or did she think other people would only cause pain to her? That he didn't know. Not without asking her, anyway.

"Just in case we are really siblings..." – he started to ask.

"We are." – she replied immediately.

"Anyway... do you happen to know who our parents were?"

As he stretched himself, he didn't catch Rei momentarily hesitating before her reply. – "We were not born to anyone I know."

"Worth a try, I guess. Any other sudden family relationships I should know about?"

"No." – She bowed her head. – "I am sorry I cannot help you more."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it."

"If there is anything I can aid you with, let me know."

"Oh, no. You're not indebted to me or anything."

"This is not a debt. I am offering my assistance freely."

"Why?"

"It is said that blood is thicker than water." – The photo suddenly floated off of Kaworu's lap and twirled in the air. – "In our case, it is not just our blood that marks us as different. We are not like the others. Because of that, I am able to help you with things others cannot or would not."

Kaworu almost assured her again that she didn't need to do that – when he remembered a certain conversation from before his injury.

"Well... there is one thing." – he said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Some guys asked me about that fight I got into on my first day here."

"Do you want me to neutralize them?"

"Oh, no no no no! It's not like that!" – he said hastily. Chances are, she wasn't kidding with the offer. – "They wanted to talk to me because they've been thinking of forming a group to deal with assholes like those three."

"A vigilante force?" – Rei asked immediately.

"Something like that, yeah. I have no idea where to even start."

"To effectively carry out such activities, you need background infrastructure. Base of operations. Funds."

"If you're thinking of giving me money, don't."

"I am ready to assist."

"No. That's your money, you earned it. I'm not going to mooch off of you."

Rei seemed to pick up on his tone of finality. – "So be it. There are other ways to acquire the funds you need."

"How?"

"I am acquainted with certain... elements in this city."

"What elements?"

"Unlike what the outward appearance suggests, this city has a considerable criminal underworld."

"Gangs, you mean?"

"Not merely gangs. Organized crime. In particular, Tokyo-2 is the primary base of operations for the Yamagishi-gumi, Japan's most powerful yakuza clan. Under their dominion, the city is considered neutral ground by the smaller clans. Many business meetings and conflicts have taken place in the outer districts... sometimes with bloodshed. I advise you to stay clear of them."

Kaworu nodded, mentally filing that piece of information away. – "Okay. Thanks for the warning."

"But I do know a person. One who is able to procure a large amount of money... provided he receives a return on his investment."

He almost immediately read between the lines and realized what she was implying. – "Loan shark?"

Rei nodded. – "There are several in the city, yet he is the only one I would call reliable. I never required his services myself, but his reputation speaks for him; efficiency is his mark, not greed. However, do not make the mistake of underestimating him: like others, he will not tolerate non-payment for any reason."

"You do realize I never dealt with people like those, right?"

"You have no need to. Let me know once you have need of his services and I shall act as your representative."

Kaworu sighed. – "You know you don't have to do that." – he said, even though he already knew the chances of him convincing her were nil. When she said she wanted to help him, she sounded almost desperate. Pleading.

As if she was silently begging to be of use to him.

"I am not doing it because I have to. I am doing it because I want to."

"You're already helping me. We fought alongside each other, remember?"

Rei unexpectedly leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. – "Indeed."

Kaworu fervently hoped no one happened to come up to the roof and see them. Being in a compromising position in the infirmary was one thing, being in a compromising position in school was a whole another. He'd never hear the end of it from Asuka, that's for sure. Being hounded by jealous fangirls intent on making him "reconsider" was something he really didn't need either.

Especially if the one they mistook as his girlfriend was apparently his closet-cuddlebug sister.


Chapter rewrite finished on 15/09/03.

I'm aware how cliché'd the "sudden family relation reveal" trope is, but it will be fully explained later on. I also wanted to nip in the bud any potential thoughts in the audience's heads about Kaworu and Rei being shipped in this story after the previous chapter. They are NOT. 100% not. And it won't change later on. Just so we're clear. I'm not averse to the pairing, but it's definitely not going to happen in this story.

Rei's new attitude towards Kaworu isn't merely as a sibling either. One of my readers once likened her to Trinity from The Matrix; while her appearance is indeed similar, her intended characterization is more like that of a rōnin – a samurai without a master. In samurai culture, a warrior is supposed to take their own life if their master dies; those who refused were discriminated against as cowards and renegades, with the laws of the Edo period even forbidding them from taking up a new master. Many became outlaws and scholars suspect that the roots of the Yakuza lie among the ranks of the rōnin as well.

In canon, Gendo can be said to have fulfilled the position of master for Rei, once we consider how devoted she was to him. This story's Rei never had a master to begin with, which contributed to her developing her current personality but to some extent, she's still the same: a person with great aptitude and potential, but no direction.

Regarding the Earth's climate change, I found it fitting to distinguish SCE from canon by going in the opposite direction. Surface albedo indeed affects the local climate; snow's high reflectivity is the reason why snow-covered areas are colder.