Shinji awoke with a start, looking up into the blindingly bright ceiling of the hospital. 'Was I… dreaming?' he thought, reliving the last few moments he could remember before blacking out. He sat up and looked around the room. Everything was bathed in white light, and it hurt his eyes. He didn't recognize anything about this place, other than it being a hospital.
Shinji got off the bed, taking a few tentative steps and realizing he wasn't badly injured at all. He could still feel the pain, though, so he knew what he went through was real. He walked out into the hallway, looking out the window to try and see where he was. It didn't help much, as all he could make out were trees.
Shinji looked to the side, hearing footsteps. A gurney was being carried along the hall, and the girl he had seen the day before was laying on it. She looked to be okay, and Shinji was relieved. She looked at him out of the corner of his eye but did not interact in any way. She was wheeled away down the hall until the gurney was stopped. Shinji's father leaned down to say something to the girl. He looked up, and the two of them made eye contact. Gendo turned away.
"What a cold man," came Misato's voice.
Shinji turned around to face her.
"I'm glad you're okay," she said.
"Hi, Misato-san," Shinji said sadly.
"I can take you to your place. HQ's got it set up already," Misato said.
"I guess," Shinji said, sighing.
Misato frowned. "Hey, are you okay with living on your own? I could arrange for you to move in with your father," she said.
"It's okay, I'm fine being alone," he said. "It's all the same to me."
Misato didn't like the sound of that. She pulled out her phone.
"Hey, Ritsuko, can Shin-chan live with me?" she asked.
"It's fine, I won't 'put the moves' on a kid," Misato said, moving the phone away from her ear to avoid Ritsuko's yelling. "She never could take a joke."
"Just get the proper approval from the top brass, alright? Byeee~" Misato said and hung up.
Shinji was still a little shocked by the sudden development.
"Now that that's settled," Misato said, "Let's get some supplies!"
"Supplies? For what?" Shinji asked.
"For your welcome home party!" Misato said, smiling.
{|}
Shinji sat in the passenger seat, his arms full of instant food, snacks, and soda. Misato had gone all out on their supply run.
"Let's take a detour," she said.
"Where?" Shinji asked.
She winked, "Somewhere special."
Misato pulled over on the side of the road, and the two of them walked towards the cliffside they were on, leaning on the railing. The whole city was visible from here, but it wasn't much to look at.
"It's pretty desolate," Shinji said.
"It's almost time," Misato said, checking her watch.
"Time? For wha-"
Shinji was cut off by the rumbling sound coming from the city. Lights on the flat ground began to flash. Buildings rose from inside the Geo-front, piercing the golden sky and partially blocking out the sun.
"Amazing," Shinji said. Misato smiled at him.
"This is Tokyo-3. It's our city. And it's the city you protected," she said.
"It… it wasn't as heroic as you make it sound. I just didn't want that girl to get hurt," Shinji replied, his eyes downcast.
"I know, Shinji. But no matter what your motives were, you did well. I'm proud of you," Misato said.
Shinji looked away, and Misato heard him sniff. He moved to rub his eyes.
"Shinji, hey, I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Shinji said. "I just… I just wanted to hear those words… from him."
{|}
Gendo sat at the end of a long table, the rest of its seats occupied by members of the council.
"First Unit-00, and now you've nearly destroyed Unit-01 on her maiden campaign. Their repair bills, plus the reconstruction of the city- this is enough to bankrupt a nation!" one of the councilman angrily stated.
"I heard you let your own son pilot that toy." another councilman said.
"You and your son seem to have an insatiable appetite for wealth," a third chimed in.
"Money. Time. Resources. You are taking from us greedily, and yet you forget your main obligation, in favor of these pet projects. The Human Instrumentality Project. That is our goal, Ikari. All other considerations are secondary," Lorenz Keel said.
"I understand," Gendo replied.
"In any case," Keel continued, "I cannot sanction any delay in the Instrumentality Project due to the second coming of the Angels. I will consider your budget requests."
"How is the intel op progressing?" one councilman asked.
"There are no concerns," Gendo said, his hands resting below his nose, his eyes unreadable behind his sunglasses. "Everything will proceed according to the scenario."
{|}
Misato showed Shinji to her apartment, a couple of boxes by the door.
"Looks like your stuff is already here," she said, opening the door. She stepped inside. Shinji hesitated, looking down.
"Shinji?" Misato asked, noticing his behavior.
"S-sorry for the intrusion," he said, not meeting her eyes.
"Shinji-kun. This is your home," Misato said.
Shinji looked up and took a tentative step inside. He brought his other foot over the threshold a little quicker.
"I-I'm home," he said, smiling shyly.
"Welcome back," Misato replied.
{|}
"It's a little cluttered, you can put the food in the fridge," Misato said from her room.
Shinji looked around. The apartment was filled with garbage, empty cans, and clothing that was strewn about. 'She calls this… a little?' he thought.
Shinji opened up the fridge. It was filled with ice, beer, and snacks. Nothing else. 'What kind of life does she lead?' Shinji thought. He looked over to a much larger fridge on the other side of the room.
"What's in the other fridge?" he asked.
"Oh, don't open that, he's sleeping," Misato said.
"Sleeping?" Shinji mumbled to himself. He prepared some instant food in the microwave, and put some water on the stove for tea. Misato walked out and Shinji blushed. She was wearing a simple yellow shirt and incredibly short shorts. The way her chest was moving made it clear she wasn't wearing a bra. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Shinji thought.
The timer on the microwave beeped, and Shinji finished brewing the tea.
"Itdekimasu!" Misato announced loudly. She cracked open a can of beer and took a swig. Then another. And another… and another. She nearly emptied the can before she slammed it on the table and screeched at the top of her lungs. "An ice-cold beer really is the best!" she said.
She noticed Shinji wasn't touching his food.
"Aren't you hungry? It's instant food, but it's pretty good," she said.
"I'm just not used to eating like this," Shinji replied meekly.
"Hey, we don't put up with picky eaters around here!" Misato said, leaning over Shinji and snarling. She smiled, "Isn't this fun?"
Shinji was stuck between staring down her shirt and trying to look away to respond.
They finished dinner, and Shinji went to go take a bath.
"By the way, Shin-chan, since we're living together now, there's something we need to do!" Misato said, stopping him in his tracks. By the mixed signals she had given him so far, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she was talking about.
"Rock…" she said, standing up.
"Paper…" she walked towards him, fist extended.
"Scissors!" she yelled, and put her closed fist down, Shinji just barely managing to make a weak scissors in the time he had.
"Ah, better luck next time, Shin-chan! That means you get chores on monday morning!" she said with a smile.
They kept playing rock paper scissors, and by the end of it Shinji had significantly more chores than Misato.
"Alright," she said, "Hop in the tub. The bath is life's washing machine!"
Shinji headed for the bathroom and stripped, still feeling awkward even though it was his house too, now. He opened the door to the bath and-
"M-M-M-Misato-san!" Shinji yelled, running into the dining room and pulling the curtain back.
"What?" she said, looking at him.
"I-uh-ther-uh-I…" he said, and watched as a penguin with a collar walked by him, regarding him coldly and hopping into the refrigerator.
"Oh, that's Pen-Pen!" Misato said, "He's a hot springs penguin. He's my other roommate."
Shinji stared incredulously at what he had just seen.
"And maybe you should cover up?" Misato said, looking at him.
Shinji realized he was naked and quickly covered himself, slinking off back into the bathroom.
Shinji sat down in the bath, relaxing as the warm water engulfed him. He breathed in, trying to understand the events of the last day. 'So much has happened,' he thought. 'What am I even doing here? That girl, Ayanami Rei, why does Tousan speak with her and not me?'
{|}
Rei Ayanami opened her eyes and was met with the white ceiling of the hospital. She knew it well. The blinding pain that had been so blissfully numbed by her sedation was coming back, and Rei grunted in pain as feeling came back to her arm, now in even worse shape than before.
She tried to sit up but didn't have the strength. She lay silently, helpless to stop the onslaught of agony that was quickly washing over her. She blinked and found her stretcher being wheeled down the hall. She passed by that boy from yesterday. He looked uninjured, and he was watching her, concern emanating from his expression so strongly that even she could pick it up.
Her gurney came to a stop, and Commander Ikari leaned over to speak with her.
"You performed your duties admirably, Rei," he said.
He looked up, before turning away and leaving. Rei was wheeled down the hall, undoubtedly for more tests and experiments. They began to sedate her once again, and she was able to relax. As she drifted out of consciousness, she thought of the boy from before.
'Why is he concerned for me? If I die, I will just be replaced.'
