Haha, second chapter. I was planning to upload it last night, but the drunken fourth of July antics ended up getting out of hand and I got totally smashed. Anyways, I added a couple more scenes to chapter 2 today and tried revising as much as I could. Chapter 3 should also be up a little later tonight after I fix up a couple more things with it. And then I'll move onto finishing chapter 4 which should hopefully be up in a couple days or so, but I can't promise anything.

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Text Guide

Standard Wording

"Spoken Dialogue/Speech"

'Internal Dialogue/Thoughts'

(Flashbacks)

/

[Slash denotes scene transition for the moment; this may be changed in the future so as to become more visible.]

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Disclaimer: I do not own or profit off of Neon Genesis Evangelion, End Of Evangelion, or the Rebuilds of Evangelion. I do not own Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Sohryu, or any of the other characters/ideas from the Evangelion intellectual property collective. All licenses remain with the proper license holders. If asked to, I will formally remove this story from the hosting website.

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*Cruel Angel's Thesis and Eva intro starts playing*


Neon Genesis Evangelion

A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love

Chapter 02

Screaming in the Dead of Night

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"EVANGELION UNIT-01, LAUNCH!" Operations Director Misato Katsuragi shouted atop the command bridge. Eva Unit-01 left the hangar in a flash as the electromagnetic catapult railed towards the surface of the earth to meet the angel in combat.

Shinji grasped the control yokes as hard as he could while whispering, "I mustn't run away," hoping to steel his nerves in preparation for what he was about to face.

/

-Under The Moonlit Night-

/

As the last giant set of bulkhead doors opened in the middle of an unknown street in Tokyo-3 to allow the Eva its first passage to the outside world, the angel glanced towards them in anticipation right as Eva Unit-01 burst forth from the hole in the earth. The momentum and recoil from the sudden stop forced the Eva's head to tilt up towards the stars. A beautiful sight indeed, but not a soul in Tokyo-3 had the time nor want to admire it that night. The Eva's eyes were brought from the heavens and it looked straight at the skull-like mask of the angel before it.

Misato's voice broke the surreal atmosphere Shinji had been feeling.

"Are you ready Shinji?"

"I… I guess…"

'I hope,' he second guessed internally.

"Release final safety locks," Misato ordered.

The locks were removed from the Eva's pylons and it slumped forward as though it were in a daze.

Ritsuko's voice calmly spoke through the com and told Shinji, "Just focus on walking for right now."

Shinji looked down, concentrated, and gripped his control yokes even tighter. The joints in his fingers were beginning to ache now.

'Walk.'

The Eva took one step forward.

'Walk.'

And another.

'Walk,' but he looked up and met the angel and his focus was lost, causing the Eva lost her footing.

Shinji grasped his face in pain as his Eva kissed the street below it. It felt like his teeth had been knocked out. But, he didn't have time to fumble with his face in futility. He tried getting up, but the angel loomed over him staring down at him almost absently with the hollow eyes of its mask. It finally made the decision to reach down and Shinji screamed as he felt its fingers wrap around his face without even touching him.

The angel picked up the Eva with ease, and left it dangling for a moment as Shinji looked on in horror from inside his entry plug. Time seemed to stop as he looked into the pits of the angel's eyes. It reached for his Eva's left arm and tried to snap it, but the Eva was tough. It still made Shinji sick feeling its fingers around him. He wondered if this came close to how a girl felt when being raped.

Then, the pressure on his arm faded for a second as the angel stopped trying to crush the Eva's forearm. He looked out of his Eva's eyes and saw the angel developing some kind of extreme growth in its arm. Within a few seconds, the angel's arm was three times its previous muscle mass. It grabbed the Eva again, trying to shatter Unit-01's arm. Shinji almost threw up feeling the fingers wrap around his limb for a second time and begin crushing the Eva's wrist. Shinji felt like his bones were weak and about to snap, and with a sickening crunch that reverberated through the Eva's metal frame, a fresh wave of pain ached through his arm as he felt his bones twist and shatter.

His brain didn't even register Misato telling him over the com that his arm wasn't really being broken. It didn't matter to him. Shinji was in so much pain, he couldn't even scream. He was in total shock as he looked at his arm that felt broken, and twisted, and crushed, and hurt like hell; but when he looked at it, seemed as healthy as any other human arm. His pain was telling him one thing, and his eyes were telling him another. Surely one of his senses must be lying.

Then, he felt a pain in his eye as the entire entry plug started shuddering. The pain got worse as though some one was bashing his eye with a pick axe repeatedly. The plug started to break apart and lose its integrity. He distantly heard Maya say over the com that cracks were forming on the front of the eva's brain case and that the armor wouldn't last for very much longer. And then, Shinji felt his eye being torn apart and pushed out the back of his skull. He was in so much pain; it was simply beyond belief. He couldn't think. He didn't even realize he had just passed out due to all the pain.

/

Eva Unit-01 had just been slammed against a building after already having gone through quite a bit of punishment only moments before. As a long glowing spear receded from its right eye, the eva slumped over and began bleeding profusely, coating its chest and the street below it with LCL. Everyone on the command bridge was panicked.

"The synchrograph is inverting! The pulses are reversed," Maya Ibuki shouted out.

"Break all the circuits now! Do it!" Ritsuko ordered back.

"WE CAN'T! IT'S NOT ACCEPTING THE SIGNAL!"

"What about Shinji?" Misato directed to Makoto Hyuga

"We don't know. His monitors aren't sending any signals. His condition is unknown!"

Knowing that, Misato ordered Maya to eject the entry plug.

"Eject it. Get him out of there now!"

"WE CAN'T! IT'S GONE COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL!"

"It's what?"

The entire bridge went silent as they watched the Eva from the screen.

Its one good eye lit up in a bright red color and its mouth plates separated as it breathed to life. It slowly began shifting its weight and attempting to stand.

"THE EVA IS REACTIVATING," Maya screamed, "I DON'T UNDERSTAND! THIS CAN'T BE!"

Eva Unit-01 inhaled deeply and then let out a blood-curdling screech that could have made the moon above it shiver in terror. She got up and crouched low to the ground before she lunged, launching herself through the air, kicking the angel directly in the center of its chest. It wrapped the purple fingers of its still functional hand around the angel's shoulder, trying to break it as the eva stood atop the angel, but the angel was strong enough to break the Eva's grasp and tossed it a short distance away.

The Eva twisted through the air and managed to land on her feet. She turned around and let out a guttural growl before charging at the angel, howling angrily as she ran. Just as she was about to grab the angel for a second time, it raised its AT field. Her hand painfully ricocheted off of the recently erected AT field but was soon back on it trying to force her way through. She brought her broken arm up in front of her face and forced it to heal as all the broken fragments of bone corrected their position.

After knowing she'd regenerated, she flexed her fingers and looked at the angel with her glowing eyes letting it know that it would not live for much longer.

She began digging her fingers through the angel's AT field while spreading her own to help neutralize and counteract it. Her fingers finally penetrated the holy barrier and she used all of her raw strength to forcefully tear through the glowing wall. She peered through the rip with her one good eye and screamed with bloodlust before tightening the muscles in her hands, bringing them together and then pulling them apart leaving a gaping hole in the angel's saving grace.

At that moment, the angel's eyes lit up and shot a devastating beam towards the Eva now that nothing was separating the two. But, it didn't do much as the Eva quickly recovered and used her superior reflexes to grab both of the angel's arms in the same one it had previously broken. She lifted them up to her eye's level, and with a swift rotation of her arm, both of the angel's had been broken at the wrist before she kicked it with enough force to effectively send it flying; ironically mirroring what it had done to violate her earlier as it smashed against a building

She once again sprinted at the angel and body slammed it while stabbing her horn through its shoulder and then tearing it out. Once again dominating the angel from above, the Eva pinned it to the ground and she began beating at its core as it roared at her in fear. Feeling as though her fists weren't sufficient, Unit-01 reached for the ribs that were lightly guarding the angel's core. She grabbed ahold of two and tore them away while also tearing the skin and flesh all over the angel's chest. She tossed the bones aside like garbage. She then grabbed another pair of ribs, breaking them off and stabbing one into the angel's leg, and proceeded to grip the other and begin repeatedly using the pointed chest bone to hit at its core the same way it had repeatedly attempted to stab at her head. The core began breaking apart and shuddering in the angel's chest.

The angel grabbed at Unit-01's fists as best it could with its broken hands trying to stop her raging assault, but only managed to weakly lay its fingers on her before being shrugged off by the furious purple monstrosity standing over it. The angel realized it was going to die at this point and as a last resort, used all of its remaining strength to fight against the Eva, contorting its body as though it were putty and wrapping itself around the eva. It let out one more screech before disintegrating into LCL followed by a massive cross shaped explosion from the angel's collapsing core. In the end however, the angel's effort was futile as the eva menacingly walked away from the center of the blast radius without having taken any major damage.

The entire command bridge was silent save for Misato.

"So, those are the true capabilities of an Eva?" she gasped, looking on in horror at the glowing eyes gazing back at her through the screen in front of the command bridge.

/

Misato was in a panic. She'd just reached the NERV hospital to see Shinji after he'd been recovered from the Eva not more than twenty minutes ago. It didn't sound like he was in serious danger, but he had been found unconscious in the entry plug, and that had given her reason enough to worry.

'Oh, you better be okay.'

She finally arrived at his room, but hesitated to open the door, worrying he may be awake now and possibly angry with her or worse.

'If he's angry, he has every right to be. And, I'll just need to own up to it.'

She grabbed the door handle firmly and opened the door. Glancing over the nearly empty room, she saw Shinji was still passed out on the bed. She slowly walked over to him letting the door swing shut quietly behind her, hoping not to wake him, even though he was probably out cold and had no chance of awaking for at least another five hours. She sat down in the plastic chair next to his bed and stared at him, feeling guilty for demanding that he pilot the eva.

'Poor kid, that must've been really rough on him.'

"I wonder if you'll pilot for us again," she looked away from him, instead loosely focusing on the wall across the room, "I'm sorry, Shinji."

She thought for a long time. She thought about Shinji, she thought about the future, she wondered if she'd survive; she wondered if anyone would survive. She thought about her friends and her enemies. She thought about the angels and her father. She wanted to believe she'd be safe with Shinji in the Evangelion, but he didn't seem very thrilled to be a pilot, and that could impact his performance, his sync ratio, his thought process, his motivation; it could really hurt him. But, if he didn't pilot, they'd only have Rei, and she was still healing. So, for the moment at least, if they didn't have Shinji, they didn't have much. Of course, Rei would pilot if she was asked, but she wouldn't be very competent in her current injured state, despite her ready willingness to serve.

The door to Shinji's room opened once again and Ritsuko stepped in.

"Ritsu."

"I just spoke to the doctor. He said he seemed fine and that he probably just needs some rest. But, just in case, they're going to keep him here over night so that if there is something wrong, they can take care of him."

"Ritsuko?"

"Yes?"

Misato didn't answer immediately, and frowned.

"Misato?"

"…Just tell me, did we do the right thing?"

"Of course we did. It might not seem right or humane, but we didn't have a choice. If we hadn't had him pilot, we'd have had Ayanami in Unit-01, and with her injuries and the fact the she has a lower sync ratio in Unit-01 than she does in Unit-00, even with the core and neural interface reconfigured for her, I don't know if she'd have been able to defeat the angel. We probably all would have died a couple minutes ago if he hadn't piloted. Sometimes, we need to make sacrifices to make progress."

Misato turned to face Shinji's sleeping body, "But will he see it that way?"

"I…I don't know, Misato. But, it doesn't matter right now. Listen, he's not going anywhere. It's late; almost two in the morning. Why don't you go home and try to get some sleep?"

"I think I'll stay here a little longer. I don't want him to be alone if he wakes up, I'll probably head home a little later; maybe in another twenty minutes."

"Suit yourself then," Ritsuko said, opening the door and walking out.

After she'd left, Misato sighed and thought out loud, "I need a beer or two...or five."

/

"Man, air conditioning is the greatest thing ever," Misato sighed out, cranking up the AC in the transport vehicle she was sharing with Ritsuko, "Man's triumph over nature."

The next day, she and Doctor Akagi had been called out to inspect the damage caused from the resulting explosion of Unit-01's victory over the angel. The entire block had been decimated; smoldering rubble and broken power lines were strewn everywhere. Misato looked at Ritsuko. She was on the phone, but didn't seem very bothered by the surrounding destruction. Misato looked back out the window, a small amount of gloom sinking into her heart. The Doctor had been on the phone for about forty seconds when she hung up and went back to examining reports from the angel attack.

"So, who called?"

"Oh, it was NERV hospital. They said Shinji just woke up."

"And…how is he?" Misato asked uneasily.

"Well, his memory seems a bit muddled but-"

"You don't think it could be brain damage, do you?" Misato said, sounding very concerned.

"I don't think we should worry. It's probably just amnesia from any drugs the doctors might have given him. Or maybe it's just that he's still groggy," Ritsuko sighed while barely smiling.

"You think so? …You're right. He did have a pretty hectic day."

"Poor little kid, his cerebellum must've taken a lot of stress."

"His Cerebellum? Don't you mean his heart?"

"I suppose so. I feel sorry for making these kids pilot the Evas. But, we don't have any other choice for the moment and we've got to use them if we're going to survive."

The two sat in silence for a moment, not exactly sure what to say to one another.

Misato leaned forward and stuck her face in front of the vent on the dashboard, closing her eyes and letting the cool air sweep over her face and blow her hair just enough to tickle her cheek. She took a deep breath, pulling the chilled wind into her lungs. Misato loved air conditioning more than she let on. Beyond the default comfort it could provide on a hot day, it was also relaxing to her when she was under stress. After a long, hard, under-payed, overworked shift at NERV, she could just plop down on the couch, pop open a can of Yebisu, and let the breeze from the AC soothe her as she watched some cheap television show while slowly getting drunk before bed.

"Hey, Ritsuko?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you…we'll live right? We're strong enough to defeat the angel's aren't we?"

The Doctor frowned a bit, looking up from her documents and thinking before she spoke.

"I don't know, Misato. I know that it will probably be the most difficult thing humanity has ever come across, regardless of whether we fail or succeed. But, I really can't tell you if we'll survive or not. It's not something I can just answer; it's not something anyone can know right now. I wouldn't expect great things, though, Misato. We're fighting a war against an enemy that we know next to nothing about, and if history has taught us anything, it's very easy to lose a war against an enemy you don't understand."

Misato looked out the window and frowned at the ruined district of the city. Smoke was still rising from some houses that had no doubt caught fire last night after the angel detonated.

"You know Ritsuko, when I asked you that, I was hoping for something more…reassuring."

"I know. That's why I told you the truth. The truth is the most reassuring thing I know."

/

Shinji gasped as he woke up abruptly in a bright room. Having never seen this place in his life, he was very confused. A soft song played on the radio on the side table next to the bed. Besides that, the room was very bleak. He sat up and looked around wondering how he got here, but quickly realized he didn't really care. He fell back down onto his bed staring up absently.

"Unfamiliar…ceiling…"

He heard voices outside but he couldn't make them out. He was somewhat anxious and wanted to leave, but he figured he had been brought here for a reason, and so he stayed. Then, he heard footsteps approaching his room. A cute little brunette nurse walked in and, upon seeing he was conscious, she greeted him.

"Oh, you're awake."

"…"

"I guess I should go get the doctor then," she smiled and then walked out.

Shinji absently went through a couple examinations for the next forty minutes only responding when he needed to. He was dazed, confused, and wasn't really taking in his surroundings. He hadn't really even noticed he was in the hospital, just that he was somewhere. The doctor finally left him alone and Shinji returned to the bed, resuming his staring at the ceiling.

"More footsteps," Shinji said disheartened as he heard someone else approaching his room.

The door opened easily and admitted Ritsuko and Misato entrance.

"Oh, you're still awake. That's good, Pilot Ikari. Tell me, how are you feeling?" Ritsuko inquired

"I…don't know. How should I feel?" Shinji spoke in a dull tone.

"Let me rephrase. Do you feel well enough to leave?"

"Leave where?"

"The hospital obviously. Are you okay?"

'I'm in the hospital? Why am I in the hospital?', but then he remembered everything that happened the night before, causing him to wince.

"Yeah, I guess I'm fine."

"Great," Misato blurted, "You're gonna come with me. We're gonna go get you fitted into a plugsuit, and then get some groceries and maybe some new clothing since the commander is busy and you probably didn't bring all of yours with you. And, then I'll drop you off at your father's place."

Shinji frowned at the thought of living with his father. Could he really do it? He'd already run away numerous times, and it was for a good reason the first time. Would staying with his father be a smart thing to do?

"Just don't get lost on the way, okay," Ritsuko teased as she walked out the door.

"Yeah, fuck you too." Misato hissed under her breath, "Anyways, you ready to go, young man?" Misato asked in an excited voice beaming a smile at Shinji all the while.

"Uh, yeah. I, uh… yeah… I need to get dressed. I'm not going to walk out of here in a hospital gown."

Misato looked confused for a split second but quickly, her flirtatious side sprang to life.

"What's wrong with me being in here? You aren't embarrassed are you? Or do you just not think I'm pretty enough?"

Shinji blushed and looked down to hide it which only made him blush even redder as he realized he was getting hard due to Misato's teasing.

Misato noticed the rising bulge in the blankets and burst out laughing as she also exited the room.

/

As the pair walked out the door and down the hall, they spotted Ayanami being wheeled out of her room. Shinji once again felt his heart crushed by guilt at what he almost forced her to do. How could he have even begun to have thought about placing that burden on her?

Rei was slowly approaching, and Shinji looked to the ground in shame. But, as she passed him he felt an overwhelming need to look at her. He stopped and stared at her as she stared right back at him, her eyes betraying no emotion whatsoever.

Misato noticed Shinji was no longer by her side and turned around to witness the first and third child making fortuitous eye contact before Rei went on her way. She carefully walked back to him and ruffled his hair causing him to jump in surprise before Misato started, "She's really beautiful, isn't she?"

Shinji looked at the ground once again. He almost started crying, though he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or guilt.

"Aww, you don't need to be embarrassed. Everyone accepts that Ayanami is just plain gorgeous. Though, she isn't quite as gorgeous as me of course. And, she is a little… oh… well I don't know how to describe her personality. Maybe she doesn't even have one. Either way, I'm sure she doesn't mind you staring."

Misato grabbed Shinji by the hand and started dragging him to the exit of the NERV hospital. This made him embarrassed due to everyone who passed the two staring at him. Or at least, Shinji felt like everyone who passed them was doing so.

'Oh, how could this day get any worse?'

/

Misato continued to hold Shinji's hand after exiting the hospital but, as they neared her car, he stopped and faced the ground as he always seemed to do.

Misato once again turned around with a questioning look on her face.

"Shinji, is there something wrong?"

"…I …I don't …"

She put a hand on his shoulder hoping to make it easier for him to talk

He continued, "I don't want to live with my father."

"You don't want to live together?"

"Yes, Ma'am. It just feels more… natural living apart."

"And living together is unnatural?"

"I…"

"I guess I understand the way you feel to an extent. I never really liked my father and after my mother divorced him…it was just better somehow."

Shinji continued to stare at the ground.

"Hey, listen, it's okay. You don't need to be embarrassed. I understand. So, really, you can stop being so uneasy about everything. Now, come on. Let's go over to residence registration and we'll get this sorted out."

She unlocked the car, opening the door to let him inside. After he got in, she closed the door behind him and headed around to the driver's side and climbed in. She stuck her keys in the ignition, and started the car. But, before driving off, she took one last look at Shinji. Seeing him staring at the floorboard, she tried one last time to comfort him.

"Hey, listen. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You just saved humanity. Things will get better, alright."

He looked up and saw her smiling at him. And, though he was tempted to smile back, he could only manage a small nod.

/

"He'll be living alone!?" Misato asked, somewhat surprised that NERV would let a 14 year old live in solitude.

"Yes Ma'am," replied the man assigning Shinji Ikari his residence, "His room will in the sixth block beyond this one. His room number is 24. Is that alright?"

"Yes, Sir" Shinji Ikari said in a somewhat quiet voice.

"Shinji, are you sure about that?"

"Yes, Ma'am, living alone is fine with me. I'm alone anyway."

/

-A New Place to Call Home-

/

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Ritsuko roared over the phone.

"You heard me. I said I'll be taking Shinji home to live at my place, okay? It's already been approved. And don't worry, I'm not gonna put the moves on him."

"I SHOULD HOPE NOT! HOW COULD YOU EVEN THINK OF SUCH A THING? TELL ME, WHEN DID IT BECOME YOUR HOBBY TO SEDUCE YOUNG BOYS? I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHY I'M SO CONCERNED!"

"Oh yeah," Misato said pulling the phone away from her ear, "she never could take a joke."

/

Misato had just walked into a wonderfully air conditioned clothing store still holding Shinji by his hand and dragging him along with her. Shinji, embarrassed by her motherly demeanor, was blushing from his self-conscious nature. He felt like he was being treated like a little kid that needed to be guided everywhere he went. However, Shinji was too shy to protest against Misato's strong and mother-like grip.

"Okay, young man, time to get you some clothes!" she smiled down at him brightly, but Shinji only remained silent, "So, what kind of clothes do you like, besides the sexy dresses I wear?"

"Uhm, uh," Shinji managed before deciding to just look at the ground, as per usual.

"You look like you could use some T-shirts, and maybe some shorts. It can get pretty hot here in Tokyo-3. What's your favorite color?"

"Um, blue I guess… or maybe white."

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go head over to the lady's section, and you can go pick out a couple blue t-shirts or something, m'kay? I'll meet you back here when you're ready"

Shinji was relieved that Misato had finally let go of his wrist.

'Misato Katsuragi. She's not a bad person. I think I could enjoy her company, but it's just weird that she's acting so…motherly. Is that even right; describing her as a mother? I don't remember my mother. It's not like I'd know what a mother is supposed to be like. But, I assume… I guess she's acting like a mom. Mothers hold their kid's hands, right? But, why was she holding my hand? Maybe she's just… friendly.'

Shinji watched her walk away down a clothing aisle and disappear behind a couple dresses. Then, he began making his way towards the men's clothing.

Walking through the rows of brightly colored designer shirts, he saw a couple designers he recognized; Panda Workforce, Alienwear, Over Armour, and Juice Monkey. Shinji wasn't into designer T-shirts though. He preferred a neater style, somewhere between casual and formal; something that wouldn't stick out or draw attention. So, he disregarded the T-shirts and moved onto the more plain-looking, button-up, collared shirts on the next row. He passed by a navy blue one, a salmon pink one, a slate black one, and finally a snow white one with faux pearl buttons. It was slightly cleaner than his current white shirt, and the fabric was a little thinner; it seemed like it would work just fine for Shinji's taste.

"Hmm, just what I was looking for," he said as a smile barely managed to form on his face.

/

Misato was currently agonizing over a few dresses she wanted to buy. She saw a black maxi dress with a split going down the right leg as soon as she arrived in the women's department, and immediately went to try it on, finding it fit her shapely body perfectly. However, she also had seen a red cocktail dress. She thought it was a little tight after trying it on, but the red was so intense on it, and she thought it was so pretty.

'Oh, my wallet is gonna starved if I buy both of these. I wonder if I'd even have enough left to buy Shinji his clothes.'

Eventually, Misato made the decision to be a responsible adult and not succumb to her urge to impulsively buy everything she wanted…only some of the things she wanted...like a black maxi dress and a red cocktail dress.

'I just won't buy any dresses next week. Yeah, everything will be fine.'

So, maybe Misato hadn't quite overcome her need to buy both of the dresses. But she was making progress. At least she had considered not buying one of them this time. It was better than last week, when she only considered to consider not buying everything she wanted.

She started making her way to the place where she told Shinji she'd meet him after he was done picking out what he wanted to buy, the dresses slung over her right arm. However, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her stop in her tracks.

'Is that… what I think it is?'

She slowly and meticulously turned her head to her right, looking down the aisle she'd somehow missed on her way to the dresses.

'It is…'

Her eye twitched, and, in awe, she removed the sunglasses she'd been wearing. The babe slowly walked down the row of clothing, mystified by what her eyes beheld.

"It's… it's…the new Limited Edition Angelic Sigma Lingerie by Keuf and Morsati!"

She looked at the manikin just past the end of the aisle and the holy garments that lay bare upon it. The finest white lace accompanied by the most magnificent golden ribbons and exquisitely detailed floral patterns that were lined with Lilliputian and finely cut diamonds. The shapes, the curves, it looked like it would fit her perfectly.

She edged closer to it, afraid she might be burned away and destroyed by its holy presence. Finally arriving next to it, she compared herself to the manikin.

"I…I think it could fit. It's perfect! It's like it was made for me. I don't think I even need to try it on. Fuck my wallet, this is worth going broke for. I'm getting this, and if it doesn't fit, I'll just find some way to make it fit."

/

Misato was carrying her freshly packaged holy lingerie back to the front of the store in a white gift box with gold ribbons. She saw Shinji waiting for her with a worried expression on his face, probably wondering if she'd forgotten him with how long she'd spent getting her clothes. Something else brought a slight frown to Misato's face; he had a couple white shirts and a few pairs of black pants and that's all.

'Is that all he wears? Just black and white? Oh well, I guess I should be thankful he didn't pick out something more extravagant. It would probably be more expensive…and I have no idea how I'm going to pay for all this as it is.'

"Hey Shinji, over here."

"Oh, hello, Miss Misato."

"You ready?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Alright, let's go check out and go get those groceries."

The two made their way to the checkout line, Shinji grateful that Misato's hands where full and couldn't latch on to his. They passed a rack of sunglasses on the way to the register, and one particular pair stood out to Misato; aviators with dark silver lenses and a bright silver frame. She tossed her dresses onto Shinji's face.

"Ugh, Hey!" he said as he began stumbling around beside Misato. He reached up and pulled the dresses down from his visage and saw a pair of sunglasses right in front of him. They slid over his face his face before he could react.

She smiled at him through the glasses, "There. Now you look like you could take on the world. So, let's get these too."

She took the dresses back from him, and pulled the glasses off his face.

"Oh, you don't need to do that."

"Ah ah, I don't want to hear it," she said, finally arriving at the conveniently empty checkout line, "This is my treat to you for saving the world."

The lady at the register smiled at them and began ringing up the garments. She looked over the clothing and saw the white box.

"Ooh, you're getting the Angelic Sigma?"

Misato perked up, "Oh yeah, I had to. It was whispering to me."

"We only had the one. I guess you're pretty lucky you picked it up. It really is divine."

"Oh goodness, I know. I never actually thought I'd see one in real life. I'd only ever seen the advertisements on the TV," she squeaked out, giggling.

Shinji gazed down at the white box the two women were talking about wondering what could possibly be inside it.

"Well, have a good evening," The cashier called out.

"Yeah, you too!"

And together, Misato and Shinji walked out the doors of the clothing store into the orange glow of the setting sun.

/

Misato was driving through one of the many road tunnels in Tokyo-3 on her way home when an absolutely wonderful idea formed in her head.

"Well, I guess we have to have a party tonight, huh?"

"Hmm? Why is that?"

"It's a welcoming party for my new roomie, of course! Come on. Let's go get some junk food and some pre-prepared meals. Ooh, and some beer also. I'm in the mood for something spicy, what about you?"

"I, uh…I don't know. I'll just eat whatever…I guess."

Misato frowned.

"You really don't have a preference?"

"No, Ma'am."

/

As they were waiting at the checkout line at the food mart, two women passed by Shinji talking about how unsafe the city had become.

"Yeah, I never thought this city would become a battleground."

"My husband has already made preparations to move. We aren't going stay here for a second longer than we have to."

The young Ikari frowned and it didn't go unnoticed by Misato. Of course, the women who just passed them didn't know they were right by the child who saved their lives, but she still got pissed at them simply for how they made the poor kid next to her feel. She decided then and there that she would take him to her favorite place in the city before they went home

'I hope it'll make him feel better. It'll let him see what he saved. Maybe he'll forget what they said.'

But that would have to wait just a little longer. Misato grabbed the bags after the cashier finished ringing all their products up, and handed them to the boy in an attempt to stop him from thinking about what the women said.

'Just a little more time, and we'll be there.'

/

"I hope you don't mind if we make a little stop on the way…"

"A stop where?" Shinji asked, still carrying the bags Misato had given him.

She smiled at him

"Oh, it's a really cool place! You'll love it. It's my favorite spot in the entire city"

Shinji glanced at her. She still had a soft smile on her face. Her eyes seemed a bit out of focus as though she were thinking of a fond memory.

She kept driving for about another five minutes before she pulled off to the side of the road.

"We're here," she said unbuckling her seatbelt, "Just leave those in the car," she indicated to the bags he was holding, "Why were you still holding onto them anyways?"

"Well, uh, you… never told me to stop holding them."

She looked confused and sighed.

"Well, let's go. It's almost time. I don't want you to miss it," she said, leaving her car and walking to an overlook that presented a vista of Tokyo-3.

Shinji followed suite after he had put the bags down and closed the door. Cicadas chirped all around, the shadows were long, and a cool comfortable breeze swayed the surrounding trees. Misato was leaning against a rail keeping a constant eye on her watch. Shinji walked up next to her and looked out over the valley below.

"It's so…desolate. The city seems so lonely."

A few moments passed in silence as Misato eagerly awaited the minute, the second, she had hoped would show the third child how important he was.

"Here we go," Misato said in an upbeat voice.

Alarms began sounding all around the empty city below, and previously hidden buildings began to emerge out of the ground. Shinji watched their shadows reach farther and farther along with the rising buildings.

"This is awesome! The buildings are growing," Shinji said, obviously awestruck.

They watched for another twenty seconds before the buildings had stopped moving and fully transformed into a majestic city and Misato said, "This city is a fortress built to stand against the angels… This is our city. This is Tokyo-3; its the city that you saved. And it's still standing today because you protected us. You saved our lives. I hope you're proud of yourself," she said, sounding sincere and encouraging

They stared at the metropolis for another three minutes admiring the yellow and orange sunset peering through the silhouetted skyscrapers.

'I hope this made him feel better. I hope he realizes that he has done something good for all of us.'

"Anyways, it's almost dark. What do you say we head back to my place now?" she said, making her way back to her car with Shinji in toe.

/

Misato and Shinji had just arrived outside her apartment. It was dark out, but Shinji had always loved the night. When he still lived with his teacher, he used to watch the lights in the city. He always thought it was so beautiful. Misato's apartment was pretty high up and Tokyo-3 had even more lights, so maybe he'd be able to watch the city lights again sometime soon. But, not tonight. He was tired and figured he'd probably end up in bed before midnight.

Misato broke Shinji out of his trance as she opened the door to her apartment.

"I just moved here myself, you know," she said as she walked in, only to see that Shinji hadn't followed.

"Hey, come on in already."

He looked at her with soft eyes and told her, "Um, I don't… want to intrude."

"Shinji, this is your home now just as much as it is mine. So, just… come in."

He stood still. So many things were running through his head. He was worried, and frightened, and uneasy, and overwhelmed with this new city he was in. He just simply didn't feel like he belonged. But, he realized Misato expected him to do something, to walk into his new home, and so he finally took the step forward.

The first step forward to a new life. A new future. A new reality...

"I'm… I'm home."

"Welcome home, Shinji," she said with the most comforting smile she could provide.

They both continued walking further inside. Misato went to her room to go change into more casual clothes and Shinji decided to investigate the apartment.

"This place… how does she live like this?"

There were empty beer cans and chip bags everywhere.

"She did say she moved in only recently, right? How did it get this… messed up?"

Misato's head came around one of the corners in the apartment using the wall to shield the rest of her body which was very clearly nude, "Hey, could you put the food in the fridge please?"

"Y-Yes, Ma'am," he said appalled and confused.

He brought the food to the fridge and couldn't help but comment, "Ice, snacks, and a life time supply of beer? How can she live off this? What kind of life does she lead?"

Shinji knew that if he was going to live here, he would have to at least have something to drink that wasn't alcoholic in nature. He started looking for a sink and a glass that he could use when he noticed a second refrigerator.

"Excuse me, um, what's in the other fridge?" he called out.

He heard Misato shout from the other room, "Oh, don't mind that! He's probably still sleeping!"

"Sleeping?"

/

Misato went to the fridge to grab a beer, 'Hmm, I wonder if he'd drink one,' and grabbed another so she could offer him it.

'I know it's illegal but…it's only one. And, maybe he deserves it.'

She walked back to the table where Shinji was already sitting, politely waiting for her to sit down before he started eating. She sat down and exclaimed, "LET'S EAT," before opening her first beer of the night and drinking it all within 5 seconds.

"Haha, YES, this is what makes life worth living don't you think?"

She waited for a response but Shinji hadn't said anything. In fact, he hadn't even touched his food.

"Hmm, not hungry? It's good, even if it is all instant food. Come on, try some."

"Well, it's just… I'm not quite used to… to food like this. That's all," he said in as small a voice as he could.

"What?" She leaned over the table towards him, showing off her cleavage, "Are you picky?"

Shinji huddled as close as he could to his chair in an attempt to retreat from Misato. He looked down at her boobs suddenly and then back up, though it seemed like she didn't notice. Luckily for him, his groin was under the table.

"Um, no, that's not what…I mean…It looks good," he barely managed.

Misato smiled, "Mmm, isn't this nice? Having two for dinner sure beats eating alone, huh?"

Shinji felt very small in this moment but managed to respond with a weak, "Uh-huh."

"This is your home, so feel free to take advantage of everything here, except, of course, for me, that is," she said, teasing him as she sat back down.

He sighed, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Hmpf! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Is that all you know how to say? SNAP OUTTA IT! Don't you know how to not be so formal?" she reached over and grabbed his head trying to mess up his hair, "YOU'RE A BOY! ACT LIKE ONE!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" he said, struggling to get free of Misato's grasp.

She sighed, "Well, I guess that's just the way you were raised. Why don't you take a bath? Maybe it'll loosen you up a bit."

"Yes, Ma'am"

Misato's face went blank from him once again saying yes ma'am.

/

Shinji undressed in the bathroom. Misato's undergarments were ominously looming over him. It made him feel awkward. But, he figured he'd have to get over it. He moved to pull open the curtains to the bath and-

Misato was calmly enjoying the beer she had originally planned to give to Shinji before decideing against doing so. It was like a form of meditation to her. Peace, quiet, and bubbly alcohol streaming down her throat, slowly numbing her senses away. She closed both her eyes for a moment to enjoy the serenity.

"WHOAHHHHHHHHAA!"

She opened one eye trying to maintain her relaxed state, but Shinji came flying out from behind the door of the bathroom with no clothing on his body whatsoever.

"M-MUH-M-MIS-MISATO!"

She took a moment to look at the boy, her mouth slightly ajar and her eyes focused on one particular part of him

'He doesn't seem that bad in the size department, for someone his age at least. And, the shape looks fine, but I'd need to see him when he's hard to really-', she was broken out of her thoughts by the young Ikari's terrified voice

"TH-THERE'S A TH-TH-TH-THING!"

"A what?" she replied blankly, still staring at his crotch.

"A P-P-PUH-PEN. A PEN- PE- P…" he tried to say as the bird walked in front of him.

"Ohh, that thing! He's a warm water penguin, actually."

The highly suspect and so called "warm water penguin" continued walking to the now not so mysterious second refrigerator, and before entering, gave Shinji a look that said, "Cover yourself, fool."

Shinji looked intently at the bird before it closed the door to its fridge. Then he looked at Misato only to continue his stammering.

"THAT WAS A WA-WAR-WHAT?"

"His name's PenPen. He's your other roommate," Misato stated, grabbing another beer, "Ummm, now that you've met, why don't you cover up?"

Shinji looked down and gasped, not believing he had just exposed himself to a woman. He tried to hide his member, and apologized profusely before edging his way back to the bath

/

Ritsuko had called Misato while she was in the bath to ask about how the third child was holding up. They'd been conversing for a good five minutes when she asked Misato if she thought he'd still be open to the idea of piloting.

"Yeah, I don't know. He went through a lot of stuff. I don't think he'll want to."

"Remember, it's your job to maintain him," Doctor Akagi said in a singsong voice.

"Well, yeah, but I've never had a kid. I don't know how to. There are still things I need to learn in this world."

"Complaining already? But it was your idea to take him in, you know?" Ritsuko teased.

"Oh, shut up!"

/

Shinji was having a hard time falling asleep. And the uneasiness he'd been feeling was exaggerated now right as he was trying to get some rest. He decided that maybe listening to some music would clear his mind. He grabbed his SDAT and started listening to Tchaikovsky's Slavic March.

He began humming, "Hmmmm, mm-m-mm-mmmmm. Hmm-hmm-hmm-hmmmm-mmm-mm-mmm."

He had always loved this piece of music. He'd been listening to it since he was only a kid. He loved the way it started out slow and imposing, and eventually became faster and higher in pitch until it broke through the barriers of his mind with it's epicness and magnificence. Ten minutes later, however; he was still bothered by his thoughts and groaned looking up to his ceiling.

"Another unfamiliar ceiling… in this whole city, there's no place that's familiar. ...Why am I here?"

Shinji then heard a knock on his door.

"Shinji, I'm coming in, okay."

Shinji looked at the wall opposite of the door as he lay in bed, seeing the light from the hallway creep in.

"I forgot to tell you something," Misato said softly, "You did something very good and very noble. You should be proud of yourself. Goodnight, Shinji. …Hang in there"

She stared for a short while longer but finally closed the door and left without another word.

/

Shinji just could not get to sleep tonight. Maybe it was because it was his first night trying to actually get some sleep in the wondrous city of Tokyo-3. Maybe it was because his father's words kept echoing in his head. Maybe it was the guilt he felt at almost letting the severely injured Ayanami girl take his place as pilot. Maybe it was the fact that his arm still felt like it was broken and his head still hurt as though a metal rod had pierced through his right eye and into his skull.

'Maybe it's everything,' he thought as he placed his hand over his eye.

"What have I gotten myself into? Why am I here? How am I supposed to do this? Ugh!"

He turned over and stuffed his face in his pillow and thought about his life for what seemed like a long time. He thought about his father. He thought about his teacher. He thought about his old school. He wondered where he'd go to school now. Would he even go to school? If he did, would there be any point? What would happen if an angel attacked while he was at school? How would he get to NERV in that case? Would Misato come to get him? What is Misato like? Who is she as a person? How much does she have in common with him? What kind of secrets does she have? Will she end up causing him pain?

Shinji jumped slightly when he heard a thundering sound outside.

"Is it raining? Or, maybe… oh god, maybe something is attacking us! Another Angel?"

He got up as fast as he could and ran outside to the apartment balcony overlooking the city. His heart was about to burst out of his chest when he observed there seemed to be a lack of any rain, but suddenly one single drop fell onto his arm and he calmed down.

"I guess… since I'm out here, I might as well look at the lights," he sighed.

It had been far too long since the young Ikari had a chance to admire the multicolored lights of a city skyline. Until his father had called him to Tokyo-3, he had been trying to do better in school, and didn't have time to admire the world. But studying and writing papers every night had started to take its toll on the boy.

"I didn't realize how much I missed this."

It started to rain a little harder and another lightning strike shot down into the Pacific Ocean in the distance. Shinji could almost see the water the lighting had jolted into the air when it struck. He looked back towards the city as the thunder washed over the city. The rain drops where picking up the light given off by all the neon signs and building lights and created short-lived streaks of color across the dark horizon. He didn't know if he had ever seen anything so beautiful.

Shinji was shaken from his amazement and looked back quickly when he heard the door behind him open.

"Shinji? What are you doing out here?" the voice of Misato inquired.

"I could ask you the same thing, Miss Misato."

"Eh, I'm usually a pretty heavy sleeper, but I didn't drink that much tonight and that last bit of thunder woke me up. I came out to check if we were being attacked or if it was just… you know, the thunder," she finished with a yawn.

They both looked out at the night simply observing the darkness and enjoying each other's company before Misato started again, "You never said why you were out here, especially since it's raining. What's so great that you'd stand out here in the rain for."

"…I like looking at the lights. All the colors, the deep blues, the intense reds, the bright yellows; I like how the already vibrant colors seem even more…colorful against the darkness. It's one of the few things in this world that calms me."

Misato understood why he was outside now. She'd always looked at the stars as a kid. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be a star; one among millions fighting to bring light to the infinite expanses of darkness. But, nowadays, she knew what it was like to be a star, and she wasn't so sure she was so fascinated with the idea anymore.

"You know, this makes me think back to when I was a kid…"

Shinji remained silent, giving her a chance to speak.

"Do you want to keep the lights safe, Shinji?"

"What?"

"Well, all these lights, they're all special. They're all different and beautiful and they come from many different places. They're like people in that way. They're all fighting to make themselves the brightest they can be so that they can stand out and be noticed. But, they also all need each other to be able to light up the city. They need to rely on each other so they can fight the darkness together. And even though the orange lights differ from the purple lights and the red lights are different than the blue lights, they all have to work together. Every light has to do its part, even the lights that aren't as bright as the others..."

Shinji understood what she was getting at and didn't really like it. He knew what was expected of him but it didn't make anything any easier.

"But, Misato, I'm not a bright light. And, taking away one dim light wouldn't have much of an effect. If that's what you're trying to say..."

"Shinji, you may not be a very bright light right now, but you have to trust me, you could be the brightest light of them all if you tried."

"I understand," he said downtrodden

Misato felt a pang of guilt shoot through her, as though she had just destroyed something precious to him. She tried to think of something to say to get his mind off it before she did any more damage. She remembered that she wanted to let him try a beer earlier and thought that might be a good distraction.

"Hey, Shinji."

"Yes, Misato"

"Would you like to try… uh…um..."

She realized that offering him a beer probably wouldn't help him. In fact it would probably just make things worse.

'God, I'm so stupid! What was I thinking? I'm his guardian now. I'm supposed to be helping him achieve his goals, not trying to turn him into an alcoholic like me.'

"Misato?"

"You know what, never mind. It's not important."

"Hey, Misato?" The boy asked in return.

"Yes, Shinji?"

"My body still hurts when I think about what happened when I was in the eva. It still feels like there's a hole in my head and my arm still hurts like it's broken. I still have to press my hands to my teeth just to make sure they didn't get knocked out."

"Oh, Shinji, I'm...I'm so sorry. I should have told you before you got in it. I'm very sorry. I just wasn't thinking. I don't know why exactly it happens, though it has something to do with the neural syncing. Doctor Akagi might have a better explanation. I'm so sorry Shinji. I really am."

Misato was feeling very guilty when a loud thud came from the floor of the balcony. They both looked down in surprise and saw a milky white orb.

"Oh…hail," Misato said finally realizing what it was, "Maybe we should go back inside, huh? Don't wanna end up with a concussion, am I right?"

Shinji smiled timidly as Misato opened the door of the balcony and headed back inside.

Shinji followed the woman in and shut the door behind him.

"Well, I guess we should probably get to bed. It's going to be a big day tomorrow... though, hopefully not as big as yesterday," Misato said with a cheery smile.

However, deep down, Misato knew that neither of them were going to sleep well tonight.

.


*Eva credits roll and Fly Me to the Moon plays*

.

"Hello everyone, it's me, the beautiful Misato Katsuragi. I'm here to give you a taste of the next chapter.

Shinji has training in the simulation plug and asks Doctor Akagi about the pain he's been feeling. He's enrolled in the local school and meets new people, some of which aren't very happy to meet him. The fourth angel appears and Shinji disobeys my orders, which makes me absolutely furious by the way. He runs away to escape the blame I place on him. I end up drinking my sorrows away after I drive him away a second time. And, finally, the both of us come to terms with each other. It's all in the next chapter of Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love; Happiness isn't Hard to Come by in the Rain.

And of course, there'll be more fan service. Buh-bye now."

.

Before anyone asks, no, this isn't a Misato x Shinji fic in any way, shape, or form. I just wanted to tease everyone a bit with it and just add in some general awkwardness. (There will be more Misato sexy stuff in Chapter 3, and there will probably continue to be until we get around to the lemon scenes with our favorite three Eva pilots)

Anyways, that was the second chapter. I thought it was a lot better than the first. Hopefully, you all enjoyed it. Chapter 3 is gonna cover Shinji running away and it'll hint at Asuka's arrival in Tokyo-3 just a little bit. (Only like a paragraph or so.) I don't have her set to appear until Chapter 6 six though if everything goes as I imagine it will.

And yeah, haha, I had a lot of fun writing the Angelic Sigma scene and coming up with funny spoof names for the designer clothing. I also quite enjoyed the last scene with the city lights and the rain. It made me feel kinda happy inside, but also kinda sad...I guess that's what writing is supposed to do to you, right?

And, once again, Chapter 3 should be up tonight (A couple hours I assume) if everything happens according to the Dead Sea Scrolls.