+++++ Kirijo Manor. (Wednesday, August 25th, +4, Waning Gibbous 3/4)

With his blood drawn, his body cleansed, and his wound healed, Shinji sat at the dining room table idly chewing on an impromptu breakfast crafted by the late-night assistant chef. He had offered to simply make himself something, which went over about as well as cannon fire in a pottery store, and had quickly retreated when he was vehemently reassured that he did not need to lift a finger to feed himself. Yuko had stayed behind in the kitchen, ostensibly to detail what he would be fed, but he was fairly confident that in actuality it was to inform the woman that he would be allowed to cook for himself if he so chose in the future. She had then vanished to be about those other tasks that filled up most of her time.

Chiaki, sitting in the same corner Yuko had occupied over dinner two nights before, was actively engaged in reading through his schedule and other important demands. The young woman clearly took her task seriously, and had needed no prompting to be about preparing for success. Her presence also managed to make it slightly uncomfortable for him, as Shinji found that he couldn't respond to Pixie as the latest wrinkle in his life expressed her opinions on a number of issues.

"…not, of course, to say that I'm opposed to the entire idea! I mean, when Titania declares it to be nighttime, it doesn't matter that the clocks read noon. It's nighttime. That's just how it is." Pacing back and forth across the table, she occasionally stopped to tap his plate with her foot, reminding him to continue to eat. "I just cannot understand why we're cooperating with a group of outsiders with motivations that are both unexplained and inexplicable."

Shinji wanted to comment, or at least to ask who these 'outsiders' were. Instead, he continued to force himself to eat fruits that he now knew he could not stand, and listened to a rant that he could not affect. The door to the room opening was a relief, as it allowed him to greet whoever it was that entered without distracting Chiaki from her reading or making himself seem insane by speaking to nobody at all. That it was Miyuki entering simply enabled something he felt necessary sooner than he might otherwise have been able to do it. Standing from his seat, he bowed to her with genuine remorse. "I am sorry, Miyuki-surgh-"

Miyuki, not caring a whit for whatever offense he might have been attempting to apologize for, pulled him into a bear hug. Smoothing her hand along his back with one hand, and curling her fingers into his hair with the other, she pressed him against her and breathed in a deep draught of relief. "While I laud the tenacity with which you attempt to defend our Mitsuru-chan, I must beg you to not throw yourself wildly into danger! This is twice in as many days that I have almost lost you, you heroic fool. At least give me the chance to know you as much as I am able before you tear yourself out of my life."

The morning had already been somewhat mortifying for him. He now had two women that were dedicated to ensuring that he was cared for, neither of which wanted anything more than to do just that. He'd been not-so-subtly warned by Tae that he needed to be careful who he 'did things' with, as out in the broader world there were diseases and infections that were nigh-on incurable. He'd been chased out of a kitchen by a woman twice his age that could not conceive of a world where he cooked for himself. He then had been ranted to by a woman he couldn't speak to in front of a woman that couldn't see her while eating food that he didn't enjoy. Being held closely by a beautiful woman who had plucked him out of a worsening situation while being told that he mattered far more than he ever hoped he could was reaching the last of his reserves. "I…I'm…."

"If you apologize for saving my daughter, you will likely find that sitting down today is more of a challenge than you would prefer." Leaning herself back, while keeping most of her body against his, she looked up into his eyes and smiled with more patience than her statement had implied. "I cannot both express my joy at your actions and urge you to consider tempering the enthusiasm you pursue them with in the same sentence, and not come across as a madwoman. What I will do is simply beg your indulgence as I hold onto you and thank whatever spirits may be responsible for also returning you to me. You do not matter less to me than she does, despite what you might think. Please, Shinji, spare a thought for your own safety as well. We cannot win in the long term without you, and I am growing too fond of you to wish that there might be a way to do so regardless."

His heart was both full to bursting and aching from the pain he had caused her. "I…uhm…I don't know what to do with my hands."

"They go about my waist, just above my hips," she responded with a fond grin. "Later, when you are more comfortable with my presence, they will move up to my back as you hold me as tightly as I now hold you." Refraining from commentary on the timid way he complied, she instead gave him encouragement for having put his hands where she'd asked. "Just like that. When I hug you, I would like it if you worked towards hugging me back. Even if close friends and nothing more, I would not wish to forgo sharing my growing affection with you."

Mitsuru had entered the room towards the end of her statement, and caught Shinji's eye with a relieved smile of her own. "It's good to see you are up and about. How are you feeling?"

Shinji felt the same mixture of joy and pain swell as Mitsuru gave him further reassurances that he was worth knowing. "I hurt less. I…don't think I like pineapple, though. The strings get between my teeth."

"If I might ask that you speak up sooner, so that I may address the situation before you eat the full plate?" Chiaki stood from her place at the corner of the room, her tone neutral and her face free of displeasure. "We maintain a full stock of a wide variety of fruits, and if pineapple is not to your liking we can easily find something more suitable." A quick note on her phone, and she bowed in greeting to both ladies of the house. "Good morning, madam. Good morning, miss. He has been awake for an hour and a half, and has had a light breakfast that fit within the constraints placed by Doctor Takemi. If it pleases you, I will inform the chef that you are available for breakfast?"

"Please do," Miyuki accepted with a polite nod. "Oh, and I signed the approval for your assignment. Do not disappoint me, Chiaki-chan."

"May it be that I never do, Kirijo-sama." Dropping into a deep curtsey, she then swept into the kitchen to be about her business.

Mitsuru approached her mother, placing her own hand on Shinji's back. "Assignment?"

"Let's sit down." She squeezed Shinji one last time and moved towards the table, precipitating the other two following her. "With everything accelerating, and despite her vast talents, I felt it was unfair to Yuko-chan that I put her alone in charge of helping Shinji. She still has her other tasks, at least until we can train up suitable replacements. Harming her health to help his is at best a neutral loss. Chiaki-chan is now old enough to be trusted with more responsibility, and she expressed eagerness to step forward and take on a tough assignment."

"I…uhm, I don't mean to be a bother," Shinji murmured.

"We will let you know the instant you become one," Mitsuru chided, patting his hand. "When I was younger, I had four minders at all times. Preparing someone for responsibility is a daunting task, Shinji. Even someone with as many advantages as I had needed that help."

Approving heartily of her daughter's statement, Miyuki supplemented it with, "Yuko-chan does not see you as a bother. Remember, she came to me and asked to be assigned to you. After she had spoken with you on various matters, she felt that there would be few other sensible choices, and was supremely confident in her capacity to bring out the best in you." The door from the kitchen opened, Chiaki bringing in meals for Miyuki and Mitsuru, as well as a selection of fruits for Shinji. "Chiaki-chan also firmly believes that there is a great man hiding beneath your humble persona. I may yet add another, should it prove necessary, which would not be an indictment of you or them."

Quickly setting out the meals before everyone, Chiaki lingered by Shinji's side for an extra moment. "Please let me know which of these fruits does not meet with your approval, as well as which you desire most. If I may be so bold, it would make me happier to know that you were enjoying the act of gaining nutritious calories instead of simply enduring it."

Shinji fidgeted slightly in his seat, his face warm and his hands folded in his lap to prevent them from flapping. "Y-yes, ma'am."

Chiaki leaned down, whispering next to his ear, "I am not a ma'am. I am Chiaki. The ladies of the house are 'ma'am', if they so choose to be." Standing back upright, the serene look on her face never once changing, she once more gave a curtsey as she dismissed herself to the corner where she waited for further instructions.

Overlooking the social faux pas that Shinji stood no chance at actually knowing due to his upbringing, Miyuki supported once again his growth in all areas. "I am also not terribly fond of pineapple. Mitsuru adores it, which is why I keep an ample supply, but I'm much more inclined towards grapes and pears if they work well with the rest of my meal."

"I enjoy the flavor of pineapple, but I do also agree with Shinji that the stringy portion of the fruit can be somewhat obnoxious." Mitsuru caught Shinji's eye, and smiled warmly. "Perhaps this weekend, we might be able to visit an ice cream parlor. I've never been to one, and I presume you haven't either. Taking you there would give me an excuse to experience something new."

"S-sure." Shinji would go anywhere she wanted, whether or not he liked the idea. Simply being able to absorb the pleasant sensations she brought out was enough for him. As he worked his way through the fruits, both ladies at the table noticing that he'd reached his capacity of socialization for the morning, he began to listen to them chat with one another about those matters that mothers and daughters tended to. A few questions began to creep into his mind regarding what he was doing, but they weren't something he felt appropriate to discuss at the moment. A quick glance around the room showed that Pixie had left, once again, without telling him where she'd gone. …That's going to be a problem.

+++++ Tokyo-3 High School. (Wednesday, August 25th, +4, Waning Gibbous 3/4)

The morning classes had gone by quietly, the teachers calmly instructing their students, the students…being students. During the pre-lunch period, Shinji was listening to Sadayo Kawakami's lecture on genetic chimerism and wondering if he favored his mother or father more when his teacher's marker created a high-pitched squeaking sound as it struck the writing surface at an odd angle. The squeak was jarring for everyone else in the classroom as well, but the pitch and tone of the noise matched perfectly to the sound of the bedroom door in Nagano opening.

He was no longer sitting in the classroom. No longer surrounded by women that, by and large, simply wished to get to know him better. No longer a pilot, a warrior, a protector. In the instant after that sound struck his ears, he was again a slave. He was preparing to receive 'what he deserved'. He was to be punished for failing to demonstrate to Meroko Ikari how perfect she truly was. He was…bleeding.

"Shinji, please stop. You're hurting yourself."

The classroom returned to his awareness in a rush. Pain glistened in his mind, his hands bloodied by the fragmented ruins of the wooden desktop he'd been given. Sadayo Kawakami, an instant before having been standing at the front of the class, was now crouched down in front of him fighting to keep his hands from continuing to impale themselves on the debris he'd created. Everyone else was gone, the door guarded by Mikoto, and the grey-blue markings slowly receding back up his limbs. Sucking in a gasping, shuddering breath, he stammered out, "I…w-what…?"

"It's ok. I promise, it's ok." Now that she had more active cooperation from him, Sadayo was able to remove more of the dangerous splinters from his grasp. "I think you had a flashback. Something triggered your memory, bringing you back to an event that was painful."

"O-oh." Embarrassment now surged forward in his mind. He'd made a fool of himself in class, and by doing so he'd harmed the other students. "I'm sorry, Kawakami-sensei. I allowed my emotions to overrun my sense, and I am prepared to accept the punishment for my actions. I was wrong, and you were right." The rote response plowed its way out of his mouth, his limbs going slack as he allowed her to do what she wanted.

She swallowed back several choice comments regarding the humanity of whoever had done this to him, instead retaining her calm demeanor. "You haven't done anything, Shinji." Her eyes flicked to the door. "I can just call you Shinji, in times like this, right? So much is being put on your shoulders, and you've already saved my life once. I shouldn't have to treat you like a subordinate in private."

"Y-you can call me whatever you want."

"Good. Then in private, I want you to call me Sadayo. We have to set proper manners in everyone's minds, since we're public servants, but these moments where it's just us I think we can skip some of the formalities." Her smile offered him hope, offered him a place of respite from whatever it was that was chewing on him. "I hope you don't mind, but I asked that your bodyguard call whoever is responsible for your mental health. She said that a Lieutenant Ibuki was already en route."

The knowledge that he'd soon be able to see Maya acted to brighten his demeanor noticeably. Her seemingly infinite battery of positivity, and her offer to listen to whatever was wrong, meant that he would at least not be left to wallow in his self-inflicted misery for long. "Th-thank you…uhm, Sadayo." He took note of the blood on her sweater. "I-I'm sorry, I-I can get the blood out of that for you."

She glanced down at the spattering, then chuckled and looked back at him. "I can too, and I'm not upset about this. You didn't ask to be given these burdens, and I'm not opposed to helping you face them. I'm sorry that you weren't given the support you needed from the start." Her lips shifted to the side in a smirk. "Honestly, I kind of wish I'd had more students like you before everything happened. I can't imagine you putting up with some of the stuff they tried to pull on me."

"…Why would they waste this?" The idea was baffling to him. "A place where you can learn almost anything, in a room that's bright and clean, taught by an engaging and charming…woman…." A tremor took his arms as he realized what he'd done.

Unaware of the particulars of the situation, Sadayo simply ran with the compliment and gave him a grateful smile. "Why thank you. It's nice to know that at least one of my students feels I'm engaging. I know that some of my classes can be dull, but we really have to cover the basics before we can get to the interesting stuff."

"Shinji-kun!" Maya burst in the room, a medical bag slung over her shoulder. "Hello, sensei," she hurried over and began pulling out bandages and other necessities for healing him, greeting Sadayo at the same time, "I'm Lieutenant Ibuki, NERV. Thank you for doing what you could to help him."

"Sadayo Kawakami, pleased to meet you Lieutenant." Taking hold of both of Shinji's hands, she kept the palms up and exposed. "If you don't mind, I'll stay long enough to help you clean up his hands."

"N-no," Shinji shook his head.

The sudden denial took both Sadayo and Maya aback. It was incredibly uncommon for him to refuse someone something, which was incredibly concerning for them as they both believed he enjoyed his teacher's company. Sadayo herself, rolling with what she believed to be a rebuke, nodded her acceptance. "That's ok, I understand you probably want to get some of this out. Let me know if-"

"No!" He shook his head again. "I-I mean…I want you…uhm…I want you to hear this." He looked to Maya for help. "Sh-she's going to be my teacher. This…uhm, this might happen again. I owe it to her to let her know…don't I?"

Maya kept her cool, continued to remove the foreign objects from his hands, and called for more assistance. "Agent?"

Mikoto kept her eyes on the hallway, and her body barring the door as she responded, "Aye ma'am?"

"Please contact Sub-Commander Zeppelin, ask if she would consider authorizing Sadayo Kawakami for compartmentalized clearance to this section of Pilot Ikari's records, based on the usual NDAs."

"Aye ma'am."

"While she's doing that," Maya continued to work, pleased that Shinji felt comfortable enough to ask for this, "I should ask if you're ok with signing an NDA basically ending your freedom if it's found that you leaked anything you're about to hear, sensei."

Sadayo laughed politely. "I'm sure I'd love spending the rest of whatever we want to call our lives at the moment in one of our fine jailhouses." Looking directly at Shinji, she nodded. "I'm not going to tell anyone what he tells me. It's my duty as a teacher to help him thrive, and my duty as a human to accept the hand he's offering me."

"She's clear, LT," Mikoto reported back. "You've got some paperwork to fill out after class, Kawakami-san. Both NERV and KG need you to put words over lines for them."

"It's fortunate that my signature is simple." Slipping her grip up to Shinji's wrists, she ran her thumbs along the insides of his arms. "Go ahead, Shinji. Let's talk through what just happened."

+++++ NERV. (Wednesday, August 25th, +4, Waning Gibbous 3/4)

"I believe the amount of stress that would put on him is unmanageable at the moment, ma'am." Yuko sat alongside Miyuki in a meeting between the Kirijo Group and NERV. When she saw Misato begin to bristle, she added, "Twice a week, at the moment, will allow us to begin his education in personal defense. If he begins to show talent in that arena, then we will not need to worry as much about his mental health while he practices piloting an enormous machine at an age where most young men haven't even mastered driving a car."

"He's not going to be doing either if he gets killed in the next engagement." Misato began to wonder why everyone was keeping him away from her, and was absolutely lost as to what she might have done to cause it. "I appreciate that you're concerned for his mental health. I am concerned for his mental health. I need time with him to get him used to piloting so that there is a 'mental' there to have health."

Miyuki continued to observe Shinji opening up to both Maya and Sadayo, courtesy of the reconnaissance drone piloted by Chiaki. While she wished she could hear what was being said, she respected his privacy too much to ask that a microphone be hidden around him at all times. "Doctor Akagi, when do you feel it is likely that the next Angel will arrive?"

"Our projections were thrown off entirely by the arrival of the last one. It was not the same as the creature that appeared the same day Shinji-kun arrived. An assault could begin this very moment, though the MAGI are giving estimates of between four days and three weeks." Naoko was flicking through the information gained on the BNST readings, bored out of her mind at the squabbling over semantics.

"I could see scheduling some form of practice three days a week, so long as it was after his classes were finished, and over with in enough time for him to relax before the next day's school began." Miyuki looked to her compatriot, "Perhaps Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?"

"Three days a week?" Misato turned to her sub-commander. "When did we stop taking the fate of the world seriously? I was hired with the expectation that I was available twenty-four hours a day, every day."

"And you're paid handsomely for that privilege," Naoko responded dryly. "Shinji Ikari is not a NERV employee. His schedule is his to decide, according to the legal system. We could put him in Unit-01 all day, every day, and see absolutely no change in his performance. I'm of the opinion that what Miss Kirijo is offering to do for us is actually greatly to our benefit. If Shinji-kun can learn to cooperate with the ladies in his class, learn to develop confidence through physical and martial training, then he'll be all the more responsive to our needs as a pilot. This frees your time up to prepare focused, dedicated, training with Unit-01, and allows him to approach us as allies…and not jailers."

"I am a certified CQC instructor, a licensed small arms instructor, a qualified physical fitness instructor, and a proven combat leader." Misato's frustrations were beginning to boil over. "I'm positive I can develop his confidence to the point that we won't have any doubts as to his capability, all while getting him to the point that he trusts my orders."

Yuko kept her face neutral as she corrected a specific issue she'd noticed Shinji have in combat, "Except for the fact that the time delay between orders being given and actions being taken don't allow for your orders to be useful immediately. Truthfully, your combat efficiency will only increase as he gains greater confidence in following his own initiative, instead of a string of orders delivered too late to comply with."

"I'm sorry," her voice dropped dangerously, "what was that?"

"A valid criticism of the method we employed during the last engagement." Naoko stood up, turning off her tablet and tucking it under one arm. "It is nearly impossible for him to react to your orders in time with the enemy moving as fast as it is. I will approve the three day a week plan, so long as we are given at least four hours each of those days. Would you like to get something to eat, Miyu-chan? It's been a while since we've had time to sit and chat."

Miyuki stood, turning off the screen on her phone and pocketing it. "Sounds lovely. Yuko-chan, be a dear and make certain that Shinji-kun hasn't significantly harmed himself?"

"Of course, ma'am." Yuko stood up, smoothing out her dress and waiting for the two women that were leaving to close the door behind them. She was ready to deal with Misato, if necessary. "Would you like to get it off your chest?"

Misato stood as well, leaning down on her hands against the table. "What is your problem with me?"

"Misato Katsuragi, daughter of the woman responsible for the experiment which unleashed Second Impact on us all. Your mother's fixation on forces she neither understood nor could contain ruined countless lives. I stand here watching you demonstrate all of her hallmark fixations. You do not understand Shinji Ikari. You certainly cannot contain Shinji Ikari. You wish to treat him as if he is a subordinate, a weapon, and all so that you can gain some form of closure for the hell your mother unleashed," Yuko's statement was delivered as if she was reading a weather report. No malice, no hysteria, simply facts. "He is under my protection, Captain. Unless or until he chooses to relieve me of that charge, I will not allow anyone to use him for their own gain."

"Your naïveté is going to get us all killed. You don't know me, and you certainly don't know my reasons for doing what I do. You don't know how I think of him, and you don't know what I'm going to do with the time I'll have with him." She raised one eyebrow. "And the next time you lay a hand on me, I'm going to feed you your teeth."

Yuko bowed politely, one combatant to another. "I will keep that in mind, the next time you force me to." Standing upright once more, she turned and left the room. She'd made her point.

+++++ Tokyo-3 High School. (Wednesday, August 25th, +4, Waning Gibbous 3/4)

Maya stayed behind after Shinji was ready to resume classes, eager to speak with the woman who'd just listened to everything that had happened from one stray squeak of a marker. Once they reached a room with greater privacy, she reached into her medical bag and pulled out a pair of handkerchiefs, offering one to Sadayo. "I'm going to cry now, so I thought I'd offer you a way to keep yourself clean as well."

Laughing morosely, Sadayo eagerly accepted the offer, tears already starting to roll down her face. "That's horrible. I knew he'd been abused, it's obvious just looking at how he acts…but this? I've spent enough time studying military history to say with confidence that there have been POWs that were treated better than him."

Keeping herself from hiccoughing was easy, Maya had long since learned to cry ugly, but quietly. "This is why I'm so focused on doing whatever I can to help him. His whole life was upended when his father died, and the only reason we're all alive is because his mother dedicated everything to making Unit-01. She didn't have time to raise the child that is her only living relative, and I know she's gutted after everything we've learned. Thank you for being there for him, today."

"Thank you for showing up so quickly. You must have violated more than a few traffic laws."

"No, I just know people in the Air Cavalry Group. It's easy to avoid red lights when you're flying just above them." Turning away to blow her nose, so as not to be impolite, she took a deep breath, then turned back around with her typical happy demeanor on. "So, I'd like to know how he gets along with his classmates. Are there any signs of trouble brewing? I have to help him navigate all of this, and you're going to be my biggest ally as far as this portion of his life goes."

Sadayo smiled sadly, recognizing the 'happy face' that was worn when business couldn't wait for you to be ready. Dabbing her eyes again, she nodded. "The ladies are showing interest in him, which of course is no shock. He's tall, dark, and handsome. We've all fallen for the archetype at some point."

"Is he having troubles with that?"

"Not really, Kujikawa-chan and Kirijo-chan have done a pretty decent job blockading the others when they get too close to him." She set her head to rocking side to side in thought. "Kirijo-chan is of course doing so because she's Student Body President, as well as a representative of her mother's corporation. I think Kujikawa-chan recognizes a bit of herself in him, what with her having been transplanted here last year. Gone from being extremely famous, to needing time off to restore her own emotional and mental health, there are parallels there."

Maya nodded, agreeing completely. The degree of similarity wasn't important, just the knowledge of what someone was going through. "So, a classroom full of young ladies who are interested in getting to know the new man on campus. Have you seen him reach out to any of them specifically?"

"Not a one. I mean, he lives with Kirijo-chan, but to look at their interactions he still views her as 'distant' despite her reaching out to him the same way she does to any student that needs a little extra help. He recognizes the attention for what it is, but doesn't take advantage of it or even encourage it. There are a few times I've seen him miss obvious flirtations, but I'm sure as a therapist you're more familiar with what that would mean than I am."

"From a psychiatry angle, it means that he needs increased amounts of serotonin. He's getting some, with the attention he's receiving, but he needs more so that he can see in himself what they're seeing in him. From a psychology perspective, it's fairly classic emotional repression brought on by continuous trauma. He's never known any other life, and despite knowing the wrongness of what he'd been enduring he's never had the means of controlling his own fate." She looked over to the window, out towards the forests beyond the school grounds. "I have to admit, part of me may be relieved that he's not actively seeking out affection…but another part of me wishes he'd receive more of it." Her head turned back to Sadayo. "Actual affection, from people who actually care about him, and not his position or bank account."

"I know what you mean. I'm rather limited in what I can do as a teacher, but I try to give him 'positive physical reinforcement' when I'm teaching him to swim every day. It's kind of like teaching a dog to not cower when you raise your hand. Just have to keep repeating the same actions, let them know that you don't intend to hurt them." She blew out her cheeks some, to get her own tears to stop. "Have you considered occupational therapy?"

"We don't have any on staff, and the NDA you're about to sign should explain how unlikely it is we'll ever get the authorization for one." Maya rolled her eyes. "At this point, we're really relying on the Kirijo Group to take care of those portions of getting him acclimated to society. I'm here to fix issues like today's, and to refine the medications he's taking to help him prevent episodes like this without dulling his capacity to activate and operate Unit-01."

Sadayo's lip curled in disgust. "I do not like the idea of him being forced to fight. He's emotionally vulnerable, mentally compromised, and physically numb. It's not healthy for him, and…as much as I hate to put any focus on the issue, not terribly safe for everyone else."

"Nobody else can operate Unit-01." She shrugged, agreeing totally with the latest woman to be pulled into helping keep what was left of humanity alive. "If we had a choice, he wouldn't be anywhere near it."