+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 23rd, +2)

Waiting in a meeting room near his mother's office, Shinji was making use of the flat surface of the mammoth table to demonstrate other tricks he knew to the only other person in the room. While Mitsuru appeared perfectly comfortable where she was in her position directly across the table from him, he was fairly confident that was because she would appear perfectly comfortable in the middle of a roaring oven. He, on the contrary, was struggling to not let his anger, nerves, or anxiety overwhelm him. Cards flipped over in a sequential wave on their own, only to hesitate at the last few cards and return the other direction untouched. They danced and spun and moved in perfect silence, his rapt audience of one giving each trick her complete attention and enthusiastic, though silent, applause.

After a quarter of an hour, the door burst open and admitted Ritsuko and Maya. The latter of which hurried over and hugged Shinji with glowing happiness while he was seated. "I missed you today!" Standing upright again, she waved to Mitsuru. "Pleased to meet you, Kirijo-san. I'm Lieutenant Maya Ibuki, and this is my senpai, Doctor Ritsuko Akagi."

Ritsuko set a bottle of water down next to Shinji, and a small paper cup with his medicine in it. "Need to take these on schedule, for them to do any good." Ruffling his hair with a grin, she took the seat on the other side of him from Maya. "Hopefully your schedule calms down a bit for you, so you don't have to carry a pill-bottle around with you."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ibuki-san, Doctor." Mitsuru had a sense of apprehension in her, masked over by the typical front of calm. "If you need, Ikari-san, I have a spare pill container at home that fits neatly into a pocket or purse. I fashioned it out of an empty mint tin, so that people can continue to mind their own business and not judge matters they do not understand."

"Oooh," Maya cooed with approval as Shinji downed his pills, "that is an excellent idea. It never hurts to have a spare dose on you, just in case you do get busy and you need to take your medicine. You should take your friend up on that, Shinji."

Somehow, his being the center of attention in this situation failed to cause him discomfort. Maya was simply a battery of positivity, Ritsuko was who she was, and Mitsuru had continued to be true to her word regarding her opinion of him. "I…uhm, I wouldn't want to take something you use a lot, Kirijo-san."

Mitsuru's question had an undertone to it, "How about I make you one, as a compromise?"

"If you say no to a gift from the pretty lady, I'm going to thump you while Maya holds you," Ritsuko joked with a nudge to his side.

Shinji's shoulders shuffled slightly. "I'll…uhm, I'll find something to give you in return."

"I do not doubt that to be true," Mitsuru replied with a soft smile, seemingly mollified.

The door leading to Yui Ikari's office swung open, admitting Kyoko, Naoko, Yui, and Mitsuru's mother. Maya and Mitsuru quickly stood, with Ritsuko taking her time but still standing as well. Shinji waited a pair of seconds before choosing to stand up despite not knowing why he should. He respected Kyoko and Naoko. He was uncertain about Mitsuru's mother. His feelings on Yui were the entire reason for the delay. A part of him wanted to snarl at her, to ask her questions that he knew would bring her shame. The now medicated part of him, the part that didn't want to embarrass Maya or Mitsuru, kept his mouth closed.

"Thank you for coming, Mitsuru-chan." Yui took up the chair at the head of the table, and instead of sitting down in it remained standing with her hands upon its back. "And thank you, Shinji, for cooperating with Section Two." She looked at him, and something in her had changed dramatically from the day before. "I would like to ask you, before we continue, if you would be comfortable discussing the wanted criminal Meroko Ikari. If you are not, then I will begin with the part of this meeting that pertains explicitly to you and allow you to leave before discussing her."

"Ritsuko, dear," Naoko spoke before anyone else could, "I'm going to ask as a favor that you keep everything we speak of in this room confidential. Any leak will directly impact your clearance to continue your research and be a part of Project E. The same with you, Maya, though in your case we will terminate your employment and bar you from accepting any other positions with a governmental body."

Mitsuru's mother turned to her daughter. "My trust in you is such that I have asked that you be present. I know that you will not bring disgrace upon our family."

Shinji was frozen in place. He couldn't have heard his mother right. He…he couldn't have heard Naoko threaten people on his behalf. He was dreaming. Like he always had. It was a dream. It-

"Shinji?" Maya gently took his arm, supporting him while Ritsuko got his seat ready to catch him. "Shinji, can you hear me?"

"What do you mean 'wanted criminal'?" It wasn't a dream. In his dreams, nice people didn't touch him.

"Aggravated Assault, Assault and Battery, Bribery, Burglary, Child Abandonment, Child Abuse, Coercion and Enticement, Credit Fraud, Deviancy with a Minor, Disorderly Conduct, Domestic Violence, Drug Manufacturing and Cultivation, Drug Possession, Evading Police, Extortion, Failure to Report a Crime, False Statements, Forgery, Fraud, Harassment, Identity Theft, Indecent Exposure, Insurance Fraud, Kidnapping, Mail Fraud, Mail Theft, Money Laundering, Obstruction of Justice, Perjury, Prostitution, Rape, Robbery, Sexual Assault, Stalking, Smuggling, Tampering with Evidence, Tax Evasion, Witness Tampering, Tax Fraud, Theft, Unauthorized Disclosure of Classified Information, Wire Fraud, and to be quite frank those are just the beginning." Kyoko walked around the table slowly, pushing Shinji down into his chair gently, then wrapping his head in an embrace and whispering, "Es tut mir unglaublich leid. Bitte verzeih mir, Ich hätte mehr versuchen sollen."

"Ich…es gibt…nichts zu verzeihen."

Ritsuko growled out, "Well, that's kind of bullshit. There's plenty to ask forgiveness for." Her eyes were fixed on her own mother. "Let's start with the part where we, one of the most powerful governmental bodies on Earth, somehow missed this. I got my ass in a sling for getting a beer at fifteen because you had me under constant surveillance, how the glowing green gigafuck did we see none of this?"

"Because I trusted my sister to provide the care that she said she was providing, and needed my son to be kept safely away from the clutches of people who would use him to do terrible things." That Yui was the one who answered was surprise enough, that she answered calmly despite the anger directed towards her was shocking. This was the woman who was capable of cowing hardened military leaders with a glance. "According to the official records, Shinji Ikari died with his father. I gave him to my sister to stop him from being used as a pawn, from undermining our efforts to defeat the Angels. She sent me these." With the press of a button, the screens around the room lit up and began displaying different slideshows with pictures of Shinji and his aunt, happy. With letters he had supposedly sent her. Letters that were responding to letters she had sent him. An entire life, unlived, was left to roll onwards as Yui looked down at the table. "To be frank, Ritsuko-chan…I don't deserve his forgiveness. I let myself be blinded by trust in the one woman I felt would never betray me. I make no excuses for that failure. I simply wish my son to know that we are searching for her right now, and that there is no hole deep enough for her to escape us."

Shinji's spine was cold. The metal tube in his neck began to vibrate, subtly, and despite him hearing the words being used, despite him seeing the images around the room, all he could feel was cold. His voice was hollow, even in his own ears, "Doctor…Naoko-san, is this…an attempt at lying to me?"

"No." Ritsuko's mother leaned against the table, standing next to Mitsuru and allowing Kyoko to 'shelter' him. "If you want, and when you're ready, I can go over how it is impossible to fool the MAGI into creating a time record that would date these images. I can also show you the copies Commander Ikari kept of the letters she sent. I personally reviewed all of this evidence, despite being her friend, and I flatly cannot see a way that she could have falsified all of this."

He wanted to laugh and vomit at the same time. The artifact in his spine was now vibrating hard enough that his head and neck were twitching. Dry swallowing several times, he finally managed to croak out, "Does…does any…anyone else know?"

"The people in this room, the judge presiding over the case, a few key members of Section Two who are actively pursuing her, and anyone she herself might have told." Yui's eyes remained on the table. "I've had the government clamp down on any mention of your name, the address where you lived, or her name. The MAGI won't return any information for those queries, and the trial will not be available to the public. As far as they are concerned, and as far as they know, she stole all of the money I have had forwarded to you. The judge that has been assigned agrees that despite the public's right to know, the damage to you would be far too great if this became public."

"…I hate you."

"I know." She finally lifted her eyes to look at him. "And I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever I can to help you recover from what has been done to you. From a distance, if that is what you desire. For now, I would like it if you accepted the Kirijo family's invitation to stay with them for a time. I…had hoped that you would be willing to stay with me, but that hope was born well before I knew what had happened."

Strips of his flesh beginning where the plug settled in his spine grew dark grey, outlined with a blue that matched his eyes. Appearing as if feathers, or leaves, they wrapped around his arms and torso, climbing up his face, and radiating with a terrible anger. Then, as if they'd never been there, they disappeared. "I shouldn't impose on them. It is rude to bother one's neighbors with one's own problems."

Kyoko frantically motioned where Shinji couldn't see her for everyone to not comment on what had just happened. "It is also rude, I have found, to believe it is an imposition when someone makes the offer of their own free will." Turning so that she sat on the table, she looked at him with a hopeful smile. "You need a life outside of Eva, or what has been done to you will continue to corrode you. Kirijo-san is offering to help us all by allowing you to experience that life without reducing our capacity to defend against potential attacks. We'll work with you, a few days a week, to become accustomed to operating the Eva. In return, you'll work with your Student Body President on becoming more than just a pilot." Reaching down, she took one of his hands, holding it and giving him a confident grin. "You are a strong man, who has lived through hell. At least let us give you a tour of purgatory before you decide to buy a home next to the devil."

This woman had given him a homemade lunch. She had helped him pick out clothing for the day. She had cooperated with Naoko, who had made him breakfast, to show him that there were good people who wanted him to be happy. He had no idea how to be happy, but he also didn't want to disappoint someone who'd taken time out of their life to give him even these tiny comforts. He didn't want to stay with anyone, though. He wanted to have a room where he could go in, switch off, and only come out again when he was needed. It was what he knew. What he'd become accustomed to.

"If it helps you decide…Shinji-kun," Mitsuru hesitated, waiting for him to look towards her, "I would be more than happy to provide you with a home. If for nothing more than the selfish reason that I will no longer need to journey to and from school alone."

Tartarus, he remembered suddenly. This was a chance for him to give her a bit more freedom, and for him to be able to support her in protecting his fellow students. "You…uhm, you don't think it will be awkward in class?"

"Your mother is an important woman, who has much to do constantly. My mother is an important woman, who has much to do constantly. That we invited you to stay with us, where we have more than enough room to provide you with a home, only makes sense when you take into account the fact that we also have experience in providing security to the children of important women." Her head tilted slightly to the side, with a welcoming smile. "Besides, class is already rather awkward with nine young women and one young man. What's a little more awkwardness when it is in service of good?"

He wasn't sure why Maya suddenly brightened when he looked over towards her. She had been a positive point in the past few days, and her enthusiasm had been a source of comfort. "…What do you think?" He trusted her, despite himself. "Is this a good idea?"

"I would say that this is a good compromise while we adjust our expectations," Maya responded, taking the hand not being held by Kyoko. "This doesn't have to be permanent, and it will give you a bit of space from the source of your anger while you work with both the medications and the counselor we find for you."

Naoko coughed, amused. "Dear, that 'counselor' is going to be you. We cannot allow this to become common knowledge, and we will not be able to trust an unaffiliated counselor to keep her trap shut. You, on the other hand, already have his trust. We, also, know where you live. We will set up an unmonitored room for you to meet him in, and Kyoko-chan and I will review your recommendations to ensure that his care is appropriate." She looked to Shinji, making a vague gesture towards Maya. "Believe it or not, she is every bit as intelligent as my daughter, just in different realms. She graduated from Toudai with dual doctorates in Psychology and Psychiatry, so you will be in very good hands."

"That isn't ethical, though," she protested. "I not only have a vested interest in his employer, I also have a personal interest in him!"

"Which is why your decisions will be reviewed by both Naoko and I, dear." Kyoko added pressure for Maya to comply, agreeing that there were far too few options that they could trust. "This isn't an official assignment, and it will not be reported to the Board. You will retain the freedoms you have now, and he will benefit by having someone he trusts helping him. If you two become closer, then that means he's overcoming his past. It's not ideal, but it also isn't the worst idea available."

Ritsuko stood up, moving behind Shinji and setting her hands on his shoulders. Leaning against him, she looked down into his upturned face. "I was going to offer to have you move in with me. You're smart enough that I could have fun just throwing ideas at you to bat back at me." She gave him the smirk they shared. "But I have to admit, moving you out of the 'work environment' is going to be what's best for your emotional health. Just promise that you'll spend time with me too, ok?"

The sense of loss that Shinji felt from Ritsuko was confusing, but the explicit request that he accept the Kirijo Group's offer couldn't have been clearer. "I'll…uhm, I'll try. I've never had to…plan, I guess?"

"Do not worry, the Kirijo Group will be providing you with an Executive Assistant. They will work with you to plan out meetings and activities, including school, work, study, and socialization." The elder Kirijo seemed to have something she was holding in reserve, but was outwardly pleased with the way the situation was developing. "In order to overcome our challenges, we must face them. To achieve greatness, however, we must work in harmony with others to overcome our own challenges. You are not an island, Shinji-kun, and we would all mourn your loss." Clasping her hands together, she moved the discussion to its conclusion. "With that decided, why don't you take Shinji to the limo, Mitsuru. We will also be receiving a few members of Section Two, to supplement the house staff. If he has any that he prefers, please let the driver know so she can make those recommendations."

Maya stood up, "I'll walk with you. I'd like to pass a few things on to Mitsuru-san, so that she can keep an eye out for them."

"An excellent suggestion," Kyoko cut off any protests before they could form. "Forewarned is forearmed."

Shinji stood, slowly, and went to move towards the door. Something in his heart, though, told him that leaving the room without saying anything else would be setting himself up for further pain. "…Mother?"

"Yes?" Yui's face was still the same emotionless mask that she'd worn throughout the entire discussion. Impossible to see past, impossible to read.

"I would appreciate a copy of the letters you sent, and a copy of the letters that were sent to you." He wanted to howl invectives, to declare her a terrible person and a worse mother, but he wouldn't. The people here were trying to help him, and he wouldn't spit in their face by acting like a petulant child. "If this isn't a lie, then I need to see the truth with my own eyes."

"I will have them delivered to you as soon as possible. If there is anything else I can do, please do not be afraid to ask." She paused, then added with a warmth that was not echoed in her eyes. "I love you, Shinji. I'm sorry that I failed you."

There was nothing he could say that wouldn't make things worse. No words of parting that wouldn't reduce him in the eyes of the people around him. Instead of saying anything, he simply turned and walked out of the room. Everyone else, unbeknownst to him, saw that the metal cylinder in his neck had entered further. Only half of what had been sticking out previously was now visible.

+++++ NERV. (Monday, August 23rd, +2)

The temperature of the room remained tepid, four powerful executives and one brilliant scientist all wondering what changes had just been made to the only man left on Earth. To no one's true surprise, Yui spoke first, "We have to determine a method of testing him. Heightened emotions seem to cause that foreign object to react with hostility, and if it is going to impact his ability to pilot we might need to consider extracting it regardless of the damage done."

"Considering it crosses between C-seven and T-one, 'the damage done' might very well be death." Kyoko disagreed firmly. "The CT shows that it passed directly through solid matter without disturbing it even slightly. There are no fractures, no cracks, no bulging, no dislocation. His head turns naturally and fluidly despite having what appears to be an entry plug jammed unnaturally in his spine. He shouldn't be able to feel anything below his shoulders, and yet he performs card tricks with the dexterity of a maestro. I do not believe removing it is an option."

Ritsuko drummed her fingers against the back of the chair Shinji had vacated. "I understand that I'm not in a 'command' position here, and that my inclusion was more of a polite gesture than any formality, but I really would like to know exactly what the fuck?"

"Could you narrow that down some?" Naoko tried not to smile in approbation at her daughter's dogged persistence. "Which facet are you needing help with?"

"Yes." She gestured towards the door Shinji had taken. "You want to put him into an Eva? Ayanami-chan had a functional, almost happy, life. She received nurturing support, a good education, quality healthcare, and grew up learning how to embrace the Evangelions. Considering we had to scrape her out of the entry plug for Unit-00 with a spatula after she lost control of it, I am terrified of what will happen to Shinji! That's not even approaching the topic of why Ayanami was raised in this environment but somehow it was too dangerous for him? We have engaged in neglect, abandonment, and allowed what I'm going to conservatively call a colossal clusterfuck to happen right under our noses! Now that we have him where we can help him, you want to just ship him off to the private sector? 'Welcome home, Shinji! Now get the fuck out.' Now I'm sorry, Kirijo-san," she placed her hands together and bowed in apology, "I know that your daughter is talented. She's had the finest education you could provide, been given opportunity after opportunity to put that education to good use, and has earned every ounce of accolades she's received. But are we sure that putting him in her class is a wise idea? Can she handle the situation if he has a night terror? If he collapses into a fugue? If he has a flashback? I'm-" She cut off when the elder Kirijo raised her hand slightly for a chance to speak.

"I believe that she will, and I intend to ensure that she is." Calm, and even appreciative of the vociferous defense of Shinji, Kirijo hadn't taken any offense to the line of questioning. "This will not only benefit her, but him as well. Unfortunately, in her eagerness to both protect me and prove herself to me, she's allowed herself to miss out on the important bits of life that fill in the gaps. She's never had a cheeseburger. She's never taken a boy on a walk in a park. She's never gone to an arcade and wasted money trying to get a stuffed animal." Her hand drifted towards the door, indicating Shinji. "Neither has he. If awkwardness ensues, as he so adroitly pointed out, they will both be awkward. Friends, siblings, lovers, whatever it is that might come of this, I assure you that neither of them will be left alone to handle something major. My daughter is my pride, my joy, and my legacy. I would not put her at risk if I had doubts."

"Doesn't that sound familiar," Naoko tittered.

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "While that addresses one of the problems, it doesn't address the others. You asked me to keep an eye on him, and to make sure that he was reacting well to the medication. You didn't tell me that I was allowing a victim of severe abuse walk around naked! I just assumed that he was comfortable in his own skin!"

"I sent Captain Katsuragi away because I did not want him to begin to feel as if he should feel shame at his form, dear." Kyoko interceded. "We do not yet know the full truth of why he has no innate sense of shame. He told me, 'My body is not my own', when we were speaking in German. That could be a result of his high synchronization rate with Unit-01, that could be a trained reflex because Meroko Ikari made him walk about without clothing. Until we know, we will do more harm than good by reacting poorly. He dresses before he enters the public sphere, and he was only unclothed around us because that was how we left him."

"I cannot abdicate my responsibility, Ritsuko." Yui finally took her seat, clasping her hands and resting them on the table. "The entirety of Project E requires all of us, and my part in this is no more or less important than yours, or your mothers, or even Kirijo-san's. I cannot do my duty remotely, and I cannot in good conscience insist he stay where he is not comfortable. I will not simply be washing my hands of this, but our choices are limited if we are going to tackle these challenges. Please," she pleaded, "help Maya. The two of you can do what I cannot, in helping him recover. I am not merely stating formalities…I love my son, and I will never be able to wash this shame away."

"…You had better work towards that anyway," Ritsuko said, walking towards the door. "Shinji deserves more than just lip service."

When the door closed behind her, Naoko gave a small sigh. "And she wonders why I don't try to push her towards more executive engagements."

"Diplomacy is not everyone's forte, Doctor." Kirijo spread her hands, smoothing the situation over. "Her words came from a place of good intentions, and many would have said far worse. I am not here to shame my old classmate, and I know the two of you will see past the disappointment you feel right now eventually. Now, I'd like to get home and have dinner with my new houseguest. Let's address the situation with the cloning program."