I HAVE RETUNED!

How's it going everybody and glad to be back!

I know your probably all asking, "Where the hell have you been?!"

Let me explain that there was a good reason why I had to go on hiatus. This was because I wanted to focus on other stories as well as to think up some ideas for Kaiju Warfare. Some ideas I thought would be great while some parts of future chapters I had to edit for undisclosed reasons. All in all, this long-term break was necessary to improve upon my story. Hope I didn't get lumped together with Kentaro Miura levels of hiatus.

With all of that being said, thank you so much for your patience and reviews you have left during the break and they mean a lot to me. As of this chapter, Kaiju warfare now has over 505 reviews, making this my most reviewed story especially since this is my first fanfic. Thanks you all a thousand more times!

But now to bring up some important facts. Don't expect this to be updated frequently because I am now finally working at a job! It's a quaint little store in Springfield that sells organic foods and whole foods, the pay is amazing, and everyone there treats each other as family! I have also learned so much about the products they sell there and I think it's safe to say that I've found my dream job! Because of this, updates will pretty much be slower than they usually were, the same goes for my other stories.

Another important factor is that due to the STAGGERING MULTITUDE of reviews I've gotten during my hiatus, I had to cut this chapter in half but I will be making several chapters leading up to the Ramiel fight as huge thanks for your dedication and support!

Review time!

Mythfan: Thanks!

Prototron MJ Tornada: I can see you're excited but I cant reveal some of the more important plot points. With that being said, the Jaegers will get a massive upgrade!

Hhunter101: Thanks and I would have to say halfway.

.1: Offhand, I'd say not a whole lot but plenty.

Junior VB: Thanks for the review.

Dunkles: The Jaegers will be a blast to see and the Pacific Rim Kaiju will have completely different origins!

Guest #1: Why? He was perfectly capable of doing it in Final Wars.

Guest #2: Too late to cut them out now.

Guest #3: It's kind of their shtick.

Hercules8: Awesome! I knew that game would rope in more people!

I get where you're coming from but I wanted the Angels/Dark Ones similar to zombies. You can hack them apart as much as you'd like but they will still keep ticking until you destroy their only weak point. I didn't want to make Godzilla too overpowered in this fic and remember that the Angels/Dark Ones are massively different from the ones he and his brethren fought millions of years ago and they get stronger after every encounter. Also, until his buddies show up, Godzilla is effectively on his own unless you count the Evas.

Great to see you love Pacfic Rim! Haven't seen the sequel yet and I have not heard good things about it…

I feel like Mana and Mayumi are the most underused characters in Evangelion and I was more than happy to bring them into the fold!

Guest #3: Wrong-o! It's something better!

G-Matt: Who wouldn't feel giddy?

RaptorRapist: Glad you liked my chapter, hope the wait was worth it, and I'm happy to see you checked out my other stories!

Guest #4: Nemesis will be the only book character and I'll think about the CKC characters. Might use Muligahn was an Omake character.

Revenant: I totally get what you mean and I hope I don't get compared to those timewasting idiots. Thanks for the ideas and the Bosses I will include will be a surprise!

Guest #4: I will try my hardest!

Gold1992: Already answered your question in the PM.

RabidArmenian: Rodan will appear in this and he will be based on his Neo incarnation!

Edboy4926: There will be an interesting twist on that and I'll take a look at those forms, even though I never read Worm.

I completely understand, everyone has their preferences.

Jurassic Writer: Thanks. Misato was my favorite character in the anime and it was heartbreaking to see that none of her issues got resolved, the same goes for Rei (don't get me started on 3.0). I can assure you they will have more positive outcomes and I hope I'll finish it too. God give me strength!

Ani8900: Ba-Booooom!

IceHeart: You can expect a bigger and more diverse Eva arsenal in the future!

Gman: Don't worry, it will be worth it.

Thunder Dragon: Glad to see you love it! Those are some awesome suggestions but I already have something in mind for Skull Island but I'll keep your ideas in mind. Sadly, I won't be adding in Lara. Also, I don't do challenges or requests.

ZeedMilleniunmon: I'm keeping the three robots a secret.

Guest #5: I know what you mean but that will be resolved.

Rjcelona: Thanks! Shinji and Misato's change in character are what readers seem to like the most in this story.

Odin's Eye: Awesome crossover but unfortunately I don't to challenges or requests.

Guest #6: Gyaos will appear in this fic but im currently debating on which version I want.

Guest #7: I will be going for one Gyaos like in the older movies.

Dialzen: The possibilities are immeasurable in this fic and fate will be much kinder to Rei!

Guest #8: It was always meant to be a beam but Matt Frank's rendition of it isn't bad at all.

Drakefire: better grab some popcorn for the future fights!

Guest #9: Yes and he will be based on his Neo incarnation.

Coo-Hatch: I felt like it could've used more substance and style but it was good nonetheless. Hope you come back to it someday.

Dunkels: Hope the wait was worth it and I hope we get an Egyptian sub faction someday!

Guest #10: The thing is, I grew up with the Showa era of Godzilla and that left a lasting impact on me. There will still be instances where he won't tolerate anyone getting in his way of defeating the Angels/Dark Ones though.

Guest #11: Yeah, that had me scratching my head too.

Guest #12: Nope. He's a naturally born Kaiju.

Guest #13: He still is. He got nuked like he did in Godzilla 2014 and it's where he got his atomic breath.

DragonMaster4872: You got that right! I wanted to showcase that the Evangelions are horrifyingly dangerous, given their origins.

Guest #14: It's below the frills. I'm still thinking about how I want to handle KG.

Guest #15: I will be using the Neo version with elemets of Fire Rodan thrown in.

Guest #16: Soon and the Evas are 40 meters tall.

Guest #17: A trade off that we can accept.

Idea Guy: You'll have to let me think on that because there is already going to be a sizable number of Kaiju in this fic.

Guest #18: Thank you for your supportive words and I always thought Shinji and Mari had this interesting dynamic if Shinji wasn't a coward.

Guest #19: No they won't be Mook Angels but instead are actually going to be full-sized, full-blooded Kaiju in this story!

GustyTrusty: I will see what I can do, I watched both series but have no plans on making a crossover story with them.

Dubnareff Best G: Great to see another Akira fan and yes, I saw Thor Ragnarok and it was Hysterical! Korg should have his own movie! Also, Shikishima will be the only Akira character.

THE BOSS: The Monster Hunter creatures will be full-sized, full-blooded Kaiju in this story! Awesome idea for Tunniel but his design is more akin to that of a pillbug so when we do get to him, I'll go for an insect-like Forced Evolution. And to answer the question you are probably wondering, no Primal Rage characters will be present in this story.

RyuujiVantek: And more you shall receive but unfortunately, Miki will not be introduced in this story.

MONSTER BATTLE: The impact will be pretty huge and while it may not take place all around the world, you will soon know why it's called Kaiju Warfare! I saw Rampage and I loved it since I played all the games religiously. But I already have a gorilla, a reptile and a wolf like Kaiju already so I won't add them in.

The Question: There will be no Kaiju pairings, it just seems off-putting to me.

Nigel: Taro Shikishima is From Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. He was never given a first name in the manga or movie so I gave him the first name of his Japanese voice actor.

Gojira Defender: An excellent question! His roar will be a combination of Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla 2014!

Story Artist: I kinda have a bad habit of making overly long chapters. With that being said, thanx for the compliment.

Romance Maker: You'll soon find out.

The Balance: I'm keeping my lips shut on that info until the big reveal!

Monster Island: Actually, Kensuke learned from his experience and is now wiser and smarter.

Dino Freak: That will happen in future chapters.

Kaiju LOVER: I think those are strictly reserved for Shin Godzilla exclusively. No worries.

Iron War Dawn: Not every chapter can be an action sequence; you have to make room for important character development. FOR HONOR!

Monster High: I Loved Nigel too but I don't think he would fit in this story, Mari's got comic relief written all over her.

Spectrobes: You got at least 60% of them right. The reactions will be pretty big!

Kombat Instinct: I'm wrestling with the decision to have Godzilla do that but Bagan will not be in this story. When I was young and heard about him, I was blown away and thought he was the ultimate Godzilla villain, next to Ghidorah. But as the years went by, I think I speak for all of us when I say that Bagan is the Broly of the Godzilla universe: All substance and no style.

King of Fighters: YES! YES! YES!

Fantastic Beasts: I will be including them as well and they will all be Kaiju!

Movie Maker: How didja get that number? Don't think it will be that many but they will have numerous tricks ups their collective sleeves.

HEAT G-FORCE: The mysterious scientist that contacted Gendo will be the one and his identity will be a secret!

GUGK: Glad you love it but Ultraman and Jet Jaguar won't be in this story. I don't want to have too many elements from Hail to the King or Leviathan.

Junkenstein: I actually did come up with some names!

King Cobra: Ra

Giant Bat: Nosferatu

Giant Queen Bee: Matriarch

Zachzilla: That was Fairy Mothra and Maguma is a possibility.

Kaiju World War: They would most likely think the names fit the Kaiju quite well and fan groups are a possibility! Skull Island will be a combination of the 2005 film as well as the 2017 version but I could probably add those in as well.

A MONSTER Idea: It remains completely untouched after The 2nd Impact and I'll think about that last part.

I'mnotdeadyet: The Eva Roar will be based on the Japanese dub of the Eren Titan roar while Orga will use his English dub roar with some of them from Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee.

Shredder 2003: Absolutely, 100%!

Dracopedia: To be honest, while I thought they were cool when I was young, they were rejected for a reason. They just didn't feel like they belonged in the Godzilla universe. They sorta felt more at home in Ultraman. But Super Godzilla is something to consider.

Legends Rise: I won't be adding them; I just want this to be strictly Kaiju and robots.

Fanfic Fantastic: That's definitely something to use!

Mecha Master: You'll have to let me think about that.

Honor Blood: My faction is the Samurai but I also like to play as the others too. I already have several factions in this story and I do not have room to cram in another. Hope you understand.

Gemm1mt: An interesting idea and maybe you might find someone who's interested in that.

Kukri33: Believe it or not, I will actually use that deconstruction and reconstruction idea! King Caesar is lacking in the moves department and this sounds like a viable, if not plausible ability he could use! I'm not sure about a Father character but I will try to take your helpful advice about my stories.

Erebor:Woah! You really put some effort into that! However, I have no plans on making a crossover like that but im sure if you presented that idea to other people, someone may pick it up.

Delta4pheonix: Yeah, not a wise combination in hindsight. Great to come back to you all.

Sos Dovah: Glad to hear you like it!

Locus: I got spoiled on Youtube and was not happy at the ending, so no. At least the directors conformed that Korg, Meik and Valkyrie survived.

Dinosaur Kingdom: I have no plans or intention to create any more crossover than the once I have alreay penned out.

Godzilla and Evangelion belong to their respective owners. I do not own either of them.

Chapter 13

Reunion

TOKYO-3 OUTSKIRTS-MISATO'S APARTMENT

JULY 2015

Knock knock knock

"Breakfast time, Misato! I made you your favorite: French Toast with Miso Soup!"

No answer came from Misato's room.

"Misato? You up?"

Knock knock

Still no answer. Shinji quietly slid open Misato's door to see that she was still asleep. But of the numerous beer cans scattered around her was any indication, she was going to be out for a while. Sighing, Shinji silently picked up the cans and then gently pulled the blanket over her so she wouldn't get cold. Misato stirred in her sleep and tightly gripped her pillow.

Shinji exited her room and slid the door shut, being careful not to wake her up. He walked into the kitchen, dumped the cans in the recyclables bin, got a sticky note from the counter and wrote down a note that he was going to school and she would have to reheat her breakfast. Checking to make sure Pen-Pen's food bowl was full, Shinji slipped on his backpack and headed out.

As he walked to school, Shinji was given time to reflect upon recent events. It had been roughly two weeks since he and the MSC defeated the 4th Angel. The stinging sensation in his legs had finally disappeared, seeing Unit-01's legs get hacked off and feeling it gave him quite a scare. But nothing scared him more than watching the footage of his Evangelion going berserk. Was he really in control of Unit-01 or did it have a mind of its own? It became evident to him that he was piloting some kind of monster and whatever Ritsuko told him and Misato about it was obviously not the truth. He had now become somewhat cautious about his Eva but wondered why it saved him for the second time. Did he establish some kind of link with it when he first synchronized? Whatever the reason, he would have to be very careful when piloting in the future.

Then there was Misato. Her demeanor had taken a steep dive after their talk in the hospital wing. She just seemed forlorn and sullen, like all the joy had been sucked out of her. She tried to crack a joke or act like her usually upbeat self but the spark had just seemed to die out. It was sad to see her like this and Shinji guessed this was because of her feelings of guilt towards her orders and the fact that he was only a 14-year old boy piloting a biomechanical giant that could go completely apeshit if so much as a hair was harmed on his head. She kept believing that it was all of her fault even though it obviously wasn't.

It hurt Shinji to see Misato like this after she let him into her apartment and befriended her. Since tomorrow was a weekend and he had off from school and Eva training, Shinji decided that he was going to talk to her in an effort to snap her out of her funk.

With his goal firmly set in mind, Shinji continued his path to school. He had to admit, he was warming up to it quite nicely. Touji, Kensuke and Hikari were great friends and they had done a perfect job of keeping his identity as an Evangelion pilot a secret from the rest of the students. They reminded him so much of his friends back in Hinamizawa. He made another note to email them later tonight.

One other thing that he tried to wrap his head around was Rei Ayanami. That girl was such a mystery to him. She never talked to anyone during class or even budged from her seat, just stared out the window. He had yet to speak to her mainly because he couldn't figure out the best way to approach her. From what he learned from Misato, Rei was blunt and socially awkward but what he heard from Touji when he first met him and the others really stood out.

"That's the first time Rei has spoken to anyone since she first got here!"

That reveal had been a little bit jarring to say the least. She really hadn't said a single word when she first enrolled? If that was true (and given her seemingly monotone voice the first time he heard her), was Rei truly qualified to pilot? This question alone had made him second guess Nerv as a whole. Biomechanical giants that could snap, using kids to pilot them and information that wasn't being conveyed to him just screamed of suspicion.

Shinji shook his head, deciding that Nerv could come at a later time. Right now he focused on what was currently more important: School.

LATER THAT NIGHT

It was now midnight in Japan. In Misato's apartment, Shinji and the other two tenants, Misato and Pen-Pen, snoozed blissfully in their beds as did the rest of everyone in Tokyo-3. The stars twinkled in the night sky as a shooting star soared through them. And then another.

And another

And another.

And another.

The five objects plummeted downwards towards the mountains outside of Tokyo-3. Each of them crashed into the hillside on the other side of the nearest mountain.

Foompt foompt foompt foomp foompt

They hit the ground with deafened impacts, not loud enough to alert anybody that happened to be nearby. There was no explosion when the objects landed but they left small yet deep craters into the hillside. The dust cleared to reveal five cylindrical objects that were as white as snow and made out of an unknown alloy. Numerous panels began to open up on every one of them and metallic tentacles ending in clawed appendages slither out of the ports. Each of them had eight tentacles and began to prop themselves up out of the small craters to reveal a glowing, cybernetic eye underneath.

Activating their cloaking fields, the five robotic octopi skittered into the dark forest, their objectives and destination unknown…

THE NEXT DAY

"Okay, what do you think?"

"Wark, Wark, Wark!"

"I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

Shinji was in his room with Pen-Pen, having just finished up doing a sketch of the penguin. The water fowl had wandered into his room and saw him sketching pictures of animals; Pen-Pen instantly wanted to have his own sketch of himself. Shinji managed to interpret Pen-Pen's enthusiastic flipper waving and pointing to his sketches as a request to draw him.

"Here ya go, little buddy. Free of charge!" Shinji smiled as he handed Pen-Pen the sketch. Admiring his own portrait, Pen-Pen squawked happily and waddled off back to his fridge. This was going up next to his pinup.

Shinji smiled as he put away his sketchbook and pencil. It felt good to receive some positive feedback from his sketch art. He gazed out the window to be greeted with the afternoon sun shining down on him. It had been a relaxing Saturday so far and a perfect day to unwind after all the craziness he had been through a couple weeks ago. He exited his room and went into the kitchen to make himself lunch. As he neared the fridge, he spotted Misato on the couch reading one of her magazines with a can beer in her free hand. Shinji could see the small glint of sadness in her eyes.

Quietly sighing, he decided that now was a good time as any to help her roommate, friend and commanding officer. He walked up to where she sat and cleared his throat.

"Hey, Misato? Can we talk?"

"Sure. What's up?" She inquired as she set her magazine and beer can down.

Ding Dong

Shinji never got to speak as the doorbell derailed his planned conversation with Misato.

'Crap' He inwardly cursed. "Hold that thought."

Shinji went over to the door while mentally grumbling that this had better be important. He opened the door and was surprised to see the smiling faces of Touji and Kensuke!

"Wassup, Shin-man?" Touji greeted while Kensuke waved.

"Guys! Small universe, huh?" Shinji smiled. "How'd you know where I live?"

"Well, we saw you walk here once when school was over and we kinda figured that you lived here." Touji told him.

"We kinda winged it on which apartment you live in. I think we got lucky and chose yours first." Kensuke admitted with a shrug.

"Then you two lucked out big time. So what brings you guys here?" Shinji asked.

"We were gonna go camping overnight this afternoon and thought you might wanna come with us!" Touji said to him.

"Really?" Shinji blinked. "I'm invited?"

"Course you are! You're our buddy!" Kensuke exclaimed.

"Shinji? Who's at the door?" Came the voice of Misato as she walked into view.

Touji and Kensuke blushed as red as tomatoes while their jaws hung open. Lush purple hair, a slim body, gorgeous looks, jeans and a striped tank top…Shinji was living with this bombshell for how long?!

"Oh, these are my friends from school, Touji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida. Guys, this is my roommate, Misato Katsuragi." Shinji introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you two." She said with a friendly smile, getting only stunned nods from the two boys. "So what's up?"

Touji was the first to snap out of his ogling. "Uh, we just wanted to see if Shinji wanted to go camping with us overnight."

"I think it's a good idea. I need to unwind and I think im due for a little R&R, don't you think?" Shinji rhetorically asked.

Luckily for him, Misato was fully onboard with the idea and nodded. "You know what? You deserve to take a break after everything that's happened. Knock yourself out."

A huge grin formed on Shinji's face. "Thanks a ton! I'll grab my stuff and I'll be ready to go." He said to Touji and Kensuke.

"Sweet! We got lunch covered and we got our camping stuff back and my house!" Kensuke said.

"Hold up a sec. Someone wants to meet you." Touji said to Shinji as he turned around. "He's here! You can come on out!"

A little girl peered from around the corner at the other end of the walkway and her face instantly lit up when she saw Shinji, the boy doing just the same when he saw her.

"Shinji!"

"Sakura!"

The little girl ran over to Shinji and tightly hugged him when Shinji knelt down to her level. A small gasp came from Misato as she instantly recognized who Sakura was. It was the little girl that Shinji saved during the first Angel attack and the first appearance of the MSC!

"I never thought I would see you again!" Sakura said happily as she hugged Shinji.

"That's my line! How have you been?" Shinji asked as he hugged her back.

"Great! I got released from the hospital a few weeks ago! Touji kept visiting me every day!" Sakura said, earning an embarrassed look from Touji.

"I was worried sick about you! Someone had to make sure you were okay." Touji defended.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "The doctor told you I was just fine. You worry way too much." This response elected a snicker from Kensuke who in turn received slug to the arm from Touji.

Sakura looked at Misato and tilted her head. "Are you Shinji's mommy?"

"Eh!?" Misato balked, caught off guard at the assumption. That was a first for her.

Shinji chuckled. "This is my friend, Misato. I've been her roommate for several weeks."

"Hi." Sakura said as she held out her hand. Misato gave her a friendly smile and shook her hand.

"Great to meet you." She greeted. She was relieved that Sakura was okay and in such high spirits after that hair-raising ordeal.

"My lil' sister's been asking to see you for a while. The first thing she asked me when I came to visit was if you were okay." Touji explained.

"And you are! I was so worried!" Sakura said as she hugged Shinji again. "Thank you so much for saving me. Thank you a million times!"

Shinji patted her shoulder "You're welcome. But from now on whenever an Angel appears-"

"Stay in the shelters." Sakura answered.

"Right you are. You stay safe with your brother and father while I take care of the big bad monsters." Shinji reassured her.

"What about the dinosaur? Is he a good monster?" Sakura pondered.

"Seeing as how he helped us defeat the last two, I'd say he's definitely on our side." Misato reasoned. Sakura smiled brightly.

"We have to stop at Hikari's house to drop off Sakura but by then we'll be ready to go." Kensuke said.

"Oh? She's coming with us?" Shinji inquired.

"Nah. She's got some papers from school to sort through, being the class rep and all. Plus, Sakura is really good friends with her younger sister and they're having a sleepover." Touji explained.

"Me and Nozomi are gonna play Sonic Racing on her Wii U!" Sakura piped in with excitement.

"Besides, this is a 'guys only' trip." Kensuke said with an air of superiority and a gleam in his glasses.

"Hey, sometimes having a girl along isn't a bad thing." Misato winked, earning a blush from Touji and Kensuke.

"Anyhow, just let me pack some stuff from my room and I'll be good to go." Shinji said as he headed back inside.

"Say, is there gonna be a time where you'll take me camping?" Sakura asked Touji.

"Sometime, yeah. But I won't let you out of my sight when we do." Touji said with a grin. He had sworn himself an oath to protect Sakura no matter what, and it was an oath he was going to keep.

"I was right. You do worry too much." Sakura sweatdropped.

"I worry just fine!"

SEVERAL MINUTES LATER

"Got everything you need?" Misato asked Shinji as she stood in the hallway.

"Pretty much." He replied as he exited with room with his backpack and Digeridoo. "I'm not sure when I'll be back since this is an overnight thing but it could be in the morning. I'll text you message when I get back." He said, stuffing his cellphone into his pocket.

"Good to know!" Misato said happily before asking Shinji an important question. "By the way, does anybody else know about you being an Eva pilot? I'm asking this because Sakura seems like the chatty type and I know she's a kid and all but kids aren't really all that good at keeping secrets, know what I mean?"

Shinji swallowed a lump in his throat. He wasn't sure if Nerv was the type of organization that didn't take kindly to people blabbing their information to just about anyone. But due to the information leak a month ago after the first Angel encounter, secrecy wasn't really an issue at this point and Misato was definitely the understanding type so there wasn't really anything to worry about.

"Well….Touji and Kensuke know as well as another classmate but they've agreed to keep my pilot identity a secret. They've been really great friends and you can trust them, you have my word." Shinji explained.

"Oh, don't worry! I can already tell they're good kids and if you say their trustworthy, then I believe you 100%." Misato assured him. "I'm also glad that you're keeping your Nerv status confidential. I get that our secrecy isn't an issue anymore but it's still good to see you're not just bragging it to everybody."

"I ain't no glory hound." Shinji remarked. "I wanted to make friends, not a legion of fans. At least my decision worked out for the better: I made some great friends and the other students won't be relentlessly hounding me every time I come to school."

Misato was impressed at Shinji's maturity. Normally anyone would be bragging about being an Eva pilot for days on end (much like a certain someone she knew) but Shinji was perfectly capable of reining that kind of opportunity to glorify himself, heck, he outright resisted it. This was just one of the many aspects that she admired him and she was thankful Shinji was a smart kid.

"Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to burn down the apartment while I'm gone." Shinji said with a sly grin.

"What's that supposed to mean!? I'm the one who should be saying that since I'm older!" Misato demanded.

"Well, I am the one who cooks and you're still learning-URK!" Shinji never got to finish as Misato pulled him into a headlock and tugged his earlobe.

"I'll have you know that I'm your commander officer, I pay the rent, I make sure your stay in Tokoy-3 is comfortable and I try to learn how to cook which means I get to decide if you can sass me or not!" Misato threateningly reminded him as she tightened her grip on him.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! OKAY, OKAY! YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT!" Shinji hollered as he struggled to escape from Misato's iron grip. She finally released him and let him catch his breath before patting him on the back.

"Hopefully this teaches you not to get on my bad side." She said rhetorically.

"It most certainly did!" He gasped. "Remind me to never make you mad."

"Good to know. You go on and have fun now, don't let me hold you up!" She said cheerfully.

"R-right. See you tomorrow." Shinji replied as he gathered his belongings and exited the hallway. Misato smiled as he turned the corner but then her smile faded. She felt something gnawing away at her heart until she couldn't bear it any longer and went after him. Shinji was just about the exit the apartment when he heard Misato say, "Shinji, wait!"

He turned around to Misato and saw her troubled, seemingly ashamed look as she gripped the sides of her shirt. "Shinji…I know how hard this must be on you. Having to balance school, Nerv and your personal life all at the same time…I know it's tough for you, I really do. I wish there was some way I could alleviate the stress-"Misato confessed before Shinji stopped her.

"Misato, do I look even the least bit stressed out to you?" He asked her. She stayed silent as she looked at him. He was right; there was no indication of any emotional turmoil on his face.

"Believe me, if I was stressed out, I'd be a nervous wreck and running as far away from Tokyo-3 as fast as I could like a coward. I know that's it tough but it's a job that I have to do. But with all due honesty, I'm doing just fine! I've made friends, I love living here and I feel like I'm getting better at piloting. Like I said, it's hard but I'm doing a good job keeping it together." Shinji explained to her truthfully.

"Really, Misato, I'm fine. If I was feeling down then you would be the first person I'd talk to." Shinji said as went over to her. "You told me before that one day I would see all the good the Eva has done and I'm witnessing it firsthand. You don't have to worry so much but I really appreciate you caring about me."

Misato felt touched by his words. It was the most genuinely nice thing someone had ever said to her, something that hadn't been said in a while.

"Try to buck up for me, okay? Things will get better." Shinji encouraged her with a pat on her arm. Slowly but surely, Misato smiled as her previous feelings of guilt were replaced by comfort and relief.

"You know…you have a real knack for making people feel better. Have a great time, Shinji." Misato said with a warm smile.

"It's a gift. See ya tomorrow." Shinji said, returning the smile with his own as he exited the apartment. Misato leaned up against the wall as she heard Shinji meet up with his friends. His words had struck a personal chord somewhere in her heart, one that made her admire Shinji's positive outlook even more. When she first found out that he was unknowingly selected to be an Evangelion pilot without anybody telling him or her beforehand, she was scared. She wasn't scared for herself; she was scared for Shinji's mental state afterwards.

She didn't know how he was going to turn out. Rei was like a blank canvas (then again, she was like that beforehand), Asuka had taken an unhealthy obsession with her Eva and she had no idea what the other pilot over in Alaska was like. But Shinji was taking his position amazingly well, in spite of everything happening as of late. He knew the risks, he knew how to act professionally when piloting, he was the textbook definition of a pilot. She almost expected him to be an emotional wreck after almost getting killed but he survived twice and put his life on the line to protect Tokyo-3 and his hometown of Hinamizawa.

She recalled Shinji assuring him that "things would get better"; the same words she said to him several days after the battle against the 3rd Angel. Had she really made such a big impression on him? Thinking back to all the times they had laughed together and helped each other through their personal problems. There were times when Misato felt that she was unworthy and undeserving of such kindness but Shinji was different. She had built up a connection with him, more than she had with any other person.

She admittedly had a close relationship with Ritsuko and Kaji but she broke off her friendship with Ryoji after he started to remind her of her father while her friendship with Akagi had been strained due to recent events. Shinji reminded her of a time when her childhood as blissful and full of joy; while also wondered what it would've been like if she had a brother. Misato sighed at the memory, God how she missed her childhood before it was taken away in the blink of an eye….

She shook her head to get rid of the unpleasant memories and tried to focus on the present. What mattered most was that Shinji was perfectly fine with piloting and if he was happy, then she should be too. The sound of pattering feet caught her attention and looked down to see Pen-Pen waddling towards her. She scooped him up and nuzzled the side of his face as the penguin squawked happily. Carrying him into the living room, she figured she could play with her little pet fowl for a bit before heading off to work at Nerv.

TOKYO 3-HORAKI RESIDENCE

35-MINUTES LATER

"Bye, Touji! Have fun!"

"You too, Sakura! I'll come to pick you up tomorrow morning!"

"Say hi to Hikari for us!"

Sakura waved the boys goodbye and went inside Hikari's home, leaving the trio to go camping at their leisure with their equipment they had gotten from Kensuke's house. "Alrighty, that's all done, let's get this show on the road!" Touji said eagerly.

"So where are we camping? Any of you guys know?" Shinji asked.

"I do." Kensuke answered, pushing up his glasses. "There's a place way up in the hills outside the city. It'll be perfect; I use it all the time for my survival training!"

Shinji raised an eyebrow and looked to Touji. "Survival training?" He whispered to him.

Touji shook his head. "Don't ask."

Shrugging, Shinji decided not to press the matter further. While was happy to get some fresh air and spend some time with his friends, he was a bit dismayed that he wasn't able to talk to Misato. While it was great to see he brighten up a bit, it was clear that she still beating herself up over what happened during the battle against the 4th Angel. Life just seemed to block him from cheering her up a little; he hoped that he would get another chance after the camping trip.

To be continued…

Probably my favorite thing about making this chapter was showcasing how different this usually went in canon, which considering the changes, is an improvement if you think about it. Shinji doesn't run away, Misato doesn't chew him out and Shinji isn't an emotionally damaged coward (which he actually jokes about in this chapter!). I know you guys want more Kaiju action but we also have to make room for character development.

Again, I wanted to showcase the while camping trip but I had to answer all of your questions and im not the kind to just brush them off. I'll be working on several much needed chapters that will lead to the Ramiel fight so hold on to your seats when you see the big surprise!

Kinda surprised nobody's asking about Kaworu yet...

Don't forget to review but please don't flame.