9:34pm

MISATO'S APARTMENT:

The living room that was once loud was now nearly quiet. The only sound being that of Misato hurling all over her kitchen sink. Kaji stood next to her, making sure she would be okay.

Misato looked miserable. "Ugh... w-water, please..." She mustered through her sickened whisper. Kaji opened her fridge, finding a pitcher of water with a filter. As he removed it, he noticed the amount beers that were missing.

Not knowing about Asuka's little theft, he brushed it off as Misato having too much to drink. "Y'know, you really shouldn't be drinking that much at this age, it's concerning." He said. "It's not like I knew that was this bad though..." He added under his breath.

"Okay look... I didn' drink THAT much, alrigh'? T'night w's a special occasionnn." She said, still slurring her words. "Your fridge says otherwise." He said, showing her how much beer was actually gone.

"Whaaa? B-But, I don' rememb'r drinkin' all that!" She stated, looking embarrassed. "You can thank all the alcohol for erasing that memory... sounds like a problem to me." Misato grunted as she swished the water in her mouth, needing to rid herself of the fowl taste that lingered.

She spat out the dirtied water, and drank the rest of the cup to re-hydrate. After having expelled of almost all the alcohol in her system, she began to sober up by the minute.

Misato didn't realize what time it was, so seeing that it was already half-past 9 freaked her out. She worried about Shinji and his friends, and wondered if any of them needed a ride.

"Wait, wha' abou' Shi'ji's frriends? D' they git back 'ome safely?" She asked, not remembering much of the party at the moment. Kaji laughed. "Come see for yourself."

Walking out of the kitchen, Misato was presented with the sight of five teenagers knocked out cold on the floor. She giggled at the sight of a drooling Shinji with his arms sprawled across the floor.

"Kaji, I think I'mma go outside... for some fresh air..." She said, clearly struggling to talk from sheer exhaustion. As she stepped forward, she stumbled slighty, prompting Kaji to aide her with her walking.

As usual the constant downpour plagued Tokyo-3, so they weren't able to step out of the building. Instead, they sat outside Misato's door and watched the heavy rain trickle down the structure.

The two enjoyed the breeze that flowed up there, it was as if the thick rain drops were bringing it in. Misato sighed. "This is pathetic, you taking care of me like this." She said in a low tone.

Kaji chuckled. "Not at all, this is just like old times; you drank too much and I helped you home." He briefly looked back on those days and smiled to himself, remembering the days of their wild college life together.

"Psh, we were so crazy back then..." Misato said, also smiling now. "Early college years, what else is there to say? We were young and testing our limits." Kaji said.

"We really did live like rock stars..." Misato reminisced, thinking back to Kaji's college look. "Oh boy, please don't remind me..." He said, looking embarrassed.

Misato saw her chance to tease him and took it. "Kaji the rock starrr!" She chanted. Misato was talking about Kaji's early college years, when he somewhat resembled some kind of big rock star.

Misato had met Kaji at a mutual friend's get-together some time during their second year of college. She was immediately drawn to the charismatic figure that was Ryoji Kaji.

He didn't go out of his way to look like a rock star, but he did resemble them; fitted button shirts with earthy-colored patterns (and enough buttons loose to show off his upper chest) tucked into bootcut jeans, complimented by cuban-heel boots.

At the time, his hair was also different; no ponytail, shoulder-length, somewhat wavy, with bangs covering his forehead. Add some aviator-style shades, and you got the old 'rock star Kaji' that Misato was teasing him about.

"Hehe... who was it that our teacher said you looked like again?" She asked, vaguely remembering being told something like that. "C'mon Misato, that's embarrassing."

"Just tell me! For old times' sake!" She pleaded, staring directly at him. He sighed and gave in. "Keith Richards..." Misato laughed hysterically, trying to keep her volume down as to not wake the neighbors.

Kaji tried his hardest not to laugh with her, but it was no use. Soon, he too was cracking up. "Yeeeaah you laugh now, but you were 100% into it at the time." He said.

She hated how right he was. The day they met, it was as if the chemistry was immediate. They exchanged numbers and went on their first date later that week. Misato was hooked, as was Kaji. They were deeply in love.

The two finally quieted down, both remembering what that eventually lead to. "We had gone too far for too long." Kaji said, reaching for a cigarette. "Right off the deep end." Added Misato.

Kaji found the image of the two sitting there at that moment a little funny. He imagined their younger selves doing the exact same thing some ten years ago.

"Kaji, I did tell you about my father, didn't I?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere. "Just tidbits." He answered. Misato looked up at the clouded night sky, watching as the water endlessly showered everything in its way.

"My father... he was very dedicated to his work. So dedicated that he never had time to spend with me or my mother. His research always came first, it got so bad that my mother often cried."

Kaji continued to listen to her. "So... when you started studying and working all the time, you were never around. And as you know, that's when we started to have a lot of problems. Because-" She paused, hating what she was about to admit.

"...it reminded me of him." He wasn't sure about what he should say to her, or if he should even say anything at all. He just felt really bad for her, knowing what she had gone through.

"You do look a little bit like him..." She said. Kaji stared at Misato with a shocked expression. He hadn't even noticed that he dropped his still-lit cigarette. "Misato..."

Kaji and Misato spent their first year in college living a party-filled, wild lifestyle. Lots of drinking, sex, and overall excessive behavior. Eventually, Kaji went through a bit of a crisis, thinking about whether he wasted a year of his life or not.

After finally having found something to major in, he spent the next few years of his life studying and working almost non-stop, as if he was trying to make up for having lost so much time to build his way up.

It was then that cracks started to show in their relationship. Kaji was out working almost all the time, which drove Misato's insecurity deeper and deeper. After a few months of really ugly arguments, Misato decided she'd had enough.

It was over, the two were no more. "The way you had so little time to spare, it reminded me too much of him. Once I figured out that I was basically seeking my father... I freaked out. I had to leave you."

"I'm sorry Misato. But the way we were living... it wasn't amounting to anything. It was unhealthy, you know it!" He said. "Yes, I know that now. But at the time, all I could think of was how angry I was... at you and myself."

Misato thought back to her father. "I was confused about how I felt for you, okay? Just like I was with my father in Antarctica, after he... he had..." She said, spacing out and trailing off as memories came back to her. "...saved me..."

"Misato?" He said, concerned with how quiet she had gotten. Having known her for many years, he knew what she was going through. Her eyes stared blankly in front of her, as her mind was consumed by images of the past.

"Misato!" He yelled as he shook her by the shoulders, quickly snapping her out of her trance. Kaji breathed a sigh of relief. "You alright now?" He asked, not knowing how deeply she had flashed back.

He didn't notice how close he had gotten to her. Still by her side on the floor, his hands remained on her shoulders. The two made eye contact and were soom lost in each others eyes. He felt her move closer to him. He gave in to the feeling and moved in closer himself.

Yet again, it was just like college. He held her face with his right hand in a delicate manner. The two drew closer and closer, their lips almost touching, until the sound of a door being opened interrupted them. Both looked over at the door, finding an unamused Asuka.

"Of course..." She said, looking disappointed. Kaji and Misato's faces were quickly flushed. "Asuka! I- Well, whatever you thought you saw, it's-" Kaji tried to explain.

"I couldn't find you guys after I woke up. I was going to have a look around, and sure enough..." Said Asuka. "No no, it's not like that at all! I was feeling ill! I just needed some fresh air, and Kaji was helping me out, here!"

"Yeah! I was just... aiding her, that's all! Just helping a friend who's feeling sick!" Kaji said, trying to legitimize Misato's claims. "Well this makes me sick. I'm grabbing my stuff and heading home."

She stormed back into the house and looked around for her bag. She had no recollection of the little beer mission she went on an hour ago. The alcohol clearly intoxicated everyone including Shinji, who was still passed out with his mouth wide open.

Asuka happened to stumble a bit, accidentally brushing Shinji's elbow with her foot. He was woken up, finding a lost Asuka wandering around looking for her bag. "Ikari! Hurry up and help me find my bag! I don't wanna lose that one!" She demanded rather quickly.

Shinji was still trying to collect his thoughts, having just woken up from his first time being drunk. His head ached a tiny bit, and he wondered how Misato actually managed to put up with this on an almost daily basis.

"Uuh, jus'... gimme a sec..." He said, trying not to make it obvious that he was still buzzed. He stood up and felt the sharp pain on his forehead only worsen.

"I... I gotta get some water." Said Shinji as he went to the fridge looking for the pitcher. To his surprise, it was already out and the cabinet with all the cups inside was already open.

'I see Misato has overdone it tonight.' He thought, giggling slightly. He rapidly downed a whole cup of water and proceeded to help Asuka find her bag. "Isn- isn't it 'n my room?" He asked her, having actually remembered what they did last night.

"What're you keeping in there for? You trying to steal my stuff?" She asked, a little enraged. "You put it there! Don't you remember?" He snapped back, the alcohol in his system giving him the guts needed to bite back at her.

"Put what where?" Asked Kaji as he and Misato entered back into the apartment. "Oh, just Soryu's bag. She's gonna go get it right now." He said, nervously trying to indicate to Asuka that there was more than just her bag there.

"Yeah... thank you Shinji. I'm uh, just going to go grab it." Replied Asuka, immediately making her way over to his room. 'Huh, she used my first name.' He thought. 'Hopefully she'll calm down around me now...'

"Shinji, do you know what time it is?" Asked Kaji, only asking so he could emphasize how late it was for them to be up. "Uh, no." He answered as he looked over at the oven's built-in clock.

It was almost 10. "Oh man, we need to get up early tomorrow!" He whined. "Well then you should probably head to bed as soon as you figure out how to get all of your friends home." Said a grinning Kaji.

"This would be a good time to practice up for college party clean-ups, Shinji. Imagine this, only much, much worse." He added. Misato laughed at Kaji's comment, though she tried really hard not to.

Asuka came back with her bag, letting out a frustrated sigh. "What is it now?" Asked Shinji. 'Wow, Shinji's acting a lot more confident tonight... maybe it worked!' Thought Misato.

"Wake everyone up! Hikari and I need to go home and we can't go by ourselves!" She answered assertively. "Wha- you want us to take you guys home? We need sleep too y'know!"

"We're girls! It's different when we go out, there are creeps out there! Not that I can't defend myself, but it's your duty as a man to protect us!" She said. "Hold on, no one's going out this late in this kind of rain." Said Misato.

"I'd offer a ride home, but my ride's a two-seater." Said Kaji, looking somewhat sorry. Misato knew her car had enough room to accommodate everyone. "My car has enough seats for you four, but I'm in no shape to take the wheel."

"How 'bout I drive you all home in Misato's car? I can just drop her ride off here and take mine home when I'm done." Suggested Kaji. "You sure you wanna do that? I wouldn't want to take up your time."

"It's no problem Misato, I don't have a solid schedule tomorrow. I'm only there when the Commander needs me." He assured her. "Just pass me your keys and I'll get these kids home."

"If you insist." She said back to him, looking through her purse for her car keys. "Park it in the same spot when you're done and drop off the keys in the counter. I'm headed to bed." She added.

"Sure thing, Misato." Kaji responded. "Alright, we better wake everyone up. You all have important orders tomorrow, so let's get going." He said, gesturing to Shinji to wake everyone up.

As he was about to jolt everyone, Asuka stopped him from doing so. "May I, Shinji?" She politely asked. "Um... sure, I guess." He said while backing up, knowing she was probably going to have a little fun waking them up.

She knelt down between where Toji and Kensuke had been sleeping. The two being so close to each other made her job easier as she began to shout. "WAKEY WAKEY, BOYS!" She yelled, startling the two.

Hikari was also awakened, but as she was further away, she wasn't shaken like Toji and Kensuke were. "Wha' tha fuck? Why's it always you?" Asked Toji, irritated to the bone.

Kensuke was also irritated, but he knew better than to yell at Asuka. "Mr. Kaji was nice enough to offer us all a ride home! So hurry up and get off your asses! We don't want to keep him waiting!" She ordered, as if she was already commanding them in battle.

Asuka went over to Hikari and helped her up, as to assure her she was only yelling at the two boys. "Well thanks for your time guys! Tonight was a lot of fun." Said Shinji.

"Thank you for having us over! Your food was amazing. Oh, and tell Misato I said good night." He said with his usual smirk. "I'll be sure to do that, Mr. Kaji. Have a good night, guys!"

Everyone said and waved goodbye to each other as Shinji finally shut the door. He felt really good inside, like he had just gotten a taste of a very good, unfamiliar feeling.

He didn't drink as much as the others, though he still felt the buzz of the alcohol. All he remembered about the previous hours was laughing, chatting and maybe the most fun he'd had in his life.

He wasn't used to anything like this at all, and he actually felt kind of grateful for having met all these people. That night was something special to Shinji, he had no idea such thing was possible for him.

Misato was already in bed, snoring ever so loudly in her room. Shinji turned off all the lights and headed to his own bed, covering himself in his warm bed sheet.

He felt great. Nothing could compare to what happened that night, he felt genuinely included for the first time in his life. Though he was feeling the best he had ever felt in a while, something still troubled him.

'This is too good to be true... something this good couldn't possibly last...' He thought. 'Somehow this is all going to fade. I know it.'

APRIL 13th, 2015

7am:

REI'S APARTMENT:

The crimson-eyed child carried her battle gear in a bag as she began to make her way downstairs. The Commander always provided her a special escort at times like this.

Once she reached the ground level, she made her way out and spotted the usual black limo that picked her up so many times before. "Are you Ayanami?" Asked the driver, standing next to the limousine.

"Yes." She replied, leading the man to direct her to her seat. As the ride began, Rei did her usual thing of resting her head on her hand as she watched the outside world move around her.

She had been feeling strange lately, a sense of unease had slowly grown within her. She never had to deal with such feelings before, and Unit-01's new recruit wasn't making it any easier.

She had already felt sorry for him after his father had rejected him, so last night only further confused her. When Shinji had called her, she initially rejected his invite.

But being invited had brought her a little joy, which is what was bothering her. 'Parties... they serve no practical use. Why did a mere invite make me feel this way?' She pondered.

She managed to suppress those thoughts just as she arrived at the entrance to the Geo Front. Now was the time to get into the mindset for the battlefield. Matsuyama awaited.

As usual, she was not nervous in the slightest about heading into combat. As the massive elevator took them down, she changed into her battle gear. The back of the limo had been made especially for the privacy of the passenger, allowing her to change openly.

She clicked the pressure button on her suit and it immediately became fitted to her skin. She zipped her cargo pants over her legs and tied up her combat boots. Just as she finished, she could see NERV HQ in the distance.

The front entrance was almost overflowing with people her age, attempting to get in to meet their units in time. Since she was an important escort, she was taken to an alternate entrance, allowing her quicker access to HQ.

Once the limo had arrived at the drop-off point, she stepped out, finding Gendo waiting for her at the door. "There you are, Rei. Come." He instructed. She followed him as he lead her to Unit-01's meeting room.

Most of the troops were already there. Shinji was with Toji and Kensuke as usual, killing time until the call was made. Gendo had briefly entered the room only to drop off Rei and have a short word with the Major.

Rei was quick to line up with the rest of the unit. As she made her way to her position, she caught Shinji's glance, making her a little nervous. As usual though, it was hard to tell what she was feeling through her emotionless expression.

Shinji looked at her direction for a little while, but eventually lost interest and went back to spacing out. He was interrupted when he felt a few taps on his shoulder.

"'Ey, how ya feel about yer second time in the field?" Asked Toji, trying to look out for Shinji's well-being. "As one would be expected to feel in such a situation. I just hope I don't die."

"Nah, man. That's the wrong way to think about it! Whenever I'm sent out, I'm always thinkin' about how much I can add to my Angel kill count!" He said, gently caressing his sniper rifle.

"That's the killer's way of thinking about it. I hate it. I'll never get used to killing. Never." Said Shinji, a little anger building up in his voice. Toji nodded. "Well, different folks different strokes."

Shinji was amazed at the change of mood one day could have from another. Last night was the most fun time he had ever had, and now he was waiting to face death again.

The first time he had gone, they were sent on a specific mission. This time, it was a normal tour. They would be in the war zone for days, trying to overtake any territory they were ordered to.

Being that this was a city that had been devastated in a matter of hours just a few days ago, he was frightened just thinking about what he might encounter there. Toji's 'human bacon' story was enough to set off a ton of worries.

Some ten minutes later, the PA system throughout NERV HQ began to blare. Every troop stood tall and listened to the ongoing announcement, read by none other than the Commander.

"Attention all units; the Angel's attack on Matsuyama marks a turning point in this war. Matsuyama is very close to our city, and we must protect it at all costs. The Angels are now in our mainland, doing everything they can to reach us and our families."

'Since when do you care about family?' Thought Shinji.

"To aide us in this battle, I ask that we look up to God's faith... to give us strength and protection in dire times like this. We are all counting on you; the saviors of our country, to defeat the Angels and sing the prayers to teach the people a way of peace."

The unit remained quiet. "Proceed to your designated air crafts in an orderly fashion. We are now enacting Operation Evangelion."