Chapter 12 – A Reason To Fight Part II: For Me

Shinji sat in one of NERV's many debriefing rooms with Ayanami to his left and Soryu to the left of her. The battle had been an absolute disaster. After Soryu's hasty attack they'd been absolutely demolished. Because of that they were now here watching a projector slide show in the dimly lit room of their debacle in front of half of NERV's high command. Lt. Ibuki described in detail the operation's failure in agonizing detail. As she paused on the image of their defeated Evanglions the lieutenant played a recorded quote from Ritsuko aptly describing their performance as pathetic... At the very least he could be thankful that his father wasn't in the room with them. Facing his icy stare in the current circumstance he was in was would make the whole situation even worse. It was embarrassing enough that he would have to hear about it second hand. Facing him right now would be far too embarrassing for him handle...

Soryu thrust herself out of her chair and glowered down at him. "This is all your fault!" she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger in his face. "You totally screwed up my debut battle!"

The level of arrogance that she was displaying even after they'd both been dealt a resounding defeat was staggering. Not to mention that but they might have won if she hadn't acted so rash! He stood from his chair and glared back at her. Between the growing teasing from his friends and now dealing with this redheaded spitfire, something had to give. One can only take so much crap after all... "What are you talking about?" he spat. "You charged the enemy like a novice!"

"Novice!?" Soryu screamed, taking a step towards him.. "That's the pot calling the kettle black! The only reason you're a pilot is because of nepotism, you jerk! You're the one who blew it out there by failing to cover me!"

He balled his fists and held his ground. This girl was really working at pissing him off... "I blew it?" he snarled. "You're the one who disregarded procedure in an effort to show off!"

Soryu jabbed a finger at the image being projected on the wall that image being their respective Evas out of commission in compromising positions. Hers was crumpled in a crater on the shore and his was partially submerged in the ocean. "You caused this!" she spat. "You look like a drowned rat, asshole!"

Ayanami stood up from her seat which took him completely by surprise and made him nearly fall backwards. Though he couldn't see the blue haired girl's face he could tell from her tone that she was furious. "Do not speak to him like that," she replied, her voice even and level but at the same time icy as could be.

He couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed that Ayanami was sticking up for him like that. He was a guy after all... yet, a part of him was grateful for it. It was nice having a friend to take his side... Soryu's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open in shock. After a few tense seconds she glared at him over Ayanami's shoulder before crossing her arms and abruptly sitting back down in her seat. Slowly he took his seat and Ayanami did the same. It would seem the situation had been defused, for now...

The projector screen changed to another image as Lt. Ibuki's continued the narration of events. "At 11:03 A.M. NERV abandoned the operation and transferred command to the U.N. Secondary force," she said.

"We've been completely humiliated..." Vice Commander Fuyutsuki muttered.

"At 11:05 A.M the U.N. Forces made an attack with an N2 mine," Lt. Ibuki continued.

"We'll have to redraw the map again..." the vice commander grumbled.

Lt. Ibuki spoke again. "They succeeded in burning off 28% of the target's structural substance," she concluded.

"Well it kinda looks dead..." Soryu murmured.

"This is merely temporary," the vice commander snapped. "The second attack is just a matter of time."

The one person in the room that Shinji didn't recognize, a man with a ponytail wearing a blue shirt and a loosely fitted red tie in the row behind them took that moment to speak up. "Well at least we've got time to regroup and you can't ask for more than that," he said cheerfully.

Vice Commander Fuyutsuki stood up abruptly, causing himself, Ayanami, and Soryu to all turn around in their chairs. The look on his sharp features was one of barely contained fury. "Alright you two," he barked. "Pilot Ikari, Pilot Soryu, just what do you think your job is?"

"Piloting Eva?" Soryu levied after a moment's pause.

"Wrong!" the aged vice commander roared. "It's to beat the Angels! NERV does not exist to make grotesque public spectacles like this! Therefore the two of you will learn to work together!"

He looked over Ayanami's head at Soryu and she looked back at him, daggers in her eyes. "Why would I cooperate with him?" she snarled.

"Me?" he shot back. "Why would I work with you?"

Vice Commander Fuyutsuki sighed audibly. "Enough..." he grumbled, shaking his head. The lift behind the console he stood behind began to move and he disappeared from the room.

The lights in the room brightened. "Why does everyone get so angry here?" Soryu whined, crossing her arms.

"Adults have a thing about credibility," the long haired gentleman behind them replied.

Shinji looked around the room. It was strange that Misato wasn't there and neither was Ritsuko. Shit... he could only imagine what he was going to hear from Misato when he got home. She had already been angry when he'd seen her for all of five minutes in the aftermath of Unit 01's recovery... He turned to Ayanami who was starting off into space with a contemplative look. "Hey, Ayanami," he said.

She snapped to him, clearly still recovering from whatever daze or daydream she'd been in. "Yes?" she replied.

"Any idea why Misato-san's... not here? Any Idea where she is?" Shinji asked.

"Ayanami's eyes widened for just a second before she looked toward the projector screen. "I don't know..." she replied softly.

"It's the duty of the person in charge to take responsibility when anything goes wrong," the man with the ponytail interjected.

Shinji was taken a bit off guard. He turned to the man nervously. "I- I don't mean to be rude but.. who are you?" he asked.

The man laughed. "No offense taken," he replied with a grin a little too big for his face. "Sorry to meet under such circumstances. I'm Kaji, Ryouji Kaji."

Shinji nodded and smiled softly. He seemed pretty easy going, whatever his roll at NERV was, unlike so many others who would constantly pass judgment. He didn't seem the type to pass judgment on anyone for that matter. "It's good to meet you, Kaji-san," he replied.

"Kaji's a real man," Soryu interrupted. "Unlike you..."

Shinji was about to make some kind of protest but Kaji spoke before he could do so. "Don't be so quick to judge, Asuka," the scruffy man said with a grin, turning his gaze toward Ayanami. "One lackluster performance does not a man make. Ikari has done quite well for himself in battle up until now. Isn't that right, Ayanami-san?"

Ayanami dipped her head, hiding her face with her bangs. "I am... inclined to agree," she murmured softly.

Kaji, why are you defending him?" Soryu complained indignantly. "You saw it, he's the one to blame..."

Kaji chuckled softly. "I wouldn't say anyone's to blame really, these things happen in war," he replied. "Ikari did his best just like you did. That's all that could be asked."

Soryu stood from her chair looking genuinely sour, glaring down at him with all the venom of a viper. Shinji met her gaze, trying his best hide his fear. "Doesn't mean he's not a jerk..." she hissed before stalking out of the room.

As soon as she left, Shinji hung his head and sighed. Dealing with Soryu during the battle, its aftermath, and the debriefing that had just ended had been exhausting. He ran his hand through his hair which was filled with drying LCL as he played the battle back in his mind. What could he have done differently if anything? The answer eluded him... The Angel had dispatched both him and Soryu so easily. He wondered how on earth they would beat it when they were ready to fight it again...

"Are you alright, Ikari-kun?" Ayanami asked.

He turned to the blue haired girl beside him and nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I will be. I just wonder how we'll manage to beat this one..."

Kaji snickered. "Oh I'm sure Captain Katsuragi will think of something..." he murmured in a tone of voice that suggested he knew something that no one else did.


A mountain of paperwork. It was an expression often used by those who had to file and approve large quantities of documents but for her it was a literal description of what sat on her desk. Misato stared down at the dozen or so stacks of documents with a mix of frustration, disgust, and nervousness. One screw up, one, and this was the end result... She swallowed the growing lump in her throat as the full weight of it sank in, filling her with dread for what her next few evenings would be like. So many signatures... so many numbers to adjust...

"Well well..." the voice of one Ritsuko Akagi called out as she strolled into the office. "Look what we have here," the faux blonde said as she stepped over to the desk, her voice carrying just a hint of amusement as she held up yet another piece of paper. "Here are the damage reports from all the bureaus concerned, this is a bill from the U.N., and to top it off you've got a complaint from public relations as well. Have fun reading all of them."

Misato eyed the bill and her brow furrowed. "I already know what they say," she replied in an absolutely defeated tone, looking away. "If you're going to fight then don't do it here, right?"

"I'd say that's the gist of it," Ritsuko replied.

Misato stomped around her desk and sat down in her chair. "I'll take care of it all once we've killed this Angel," she said, clasping her hands in front of her face. "I will destroy it..."

Ritsuko smiled smugly. "That would make a decent start," Ritsuko returned in a somewhat teasing tone. "I think you should know that Commander Fuyutuski isn't exactly happy with the situation. I'm afraid you could be busted back to Lieutenant or even lower."

She sat back in her chair as a lopsided grin came over her face. "I guess it was just good luck within bad luck that Commander Ikari is away," she replied.

Ritsuko smirked. "If he'd been here, you'd have already been fired," she stated.

Misato forced a smile. "So you've brought me some ideas to help me save my job haven't you my dear friend," she returned sardonically.

Her friend's sly look intensified. "Like this one?" she replied, holding up a small disk drive.

Misato took a deep breath and continued her sarcastic act. "Oh why thank you Dr. Ritsuko Akagi," she said as she leaned forward, reaching for the drive. "It's so good to have a friend you can count on..."

Just as she was about to grasp it, Ritsuko pulled it away. "That's great, but I won't be the one to save your backside this time," she replied, her smug smile growing ever more. "This was Kaji-san's idea..."

Well... that was unexpected. "Kaji?" she questioned, incredulously before taking the drive. She was incredulous, but as she examined it and read the little note that the scruffy man had left on it she figured she could at least take a look at what was on it at least. She noted the pink heart he had drawn a smile wormed its way onto her lips despite her conflicted feelings for the man...


Rei stood in the hallway outside of the men's locker room waiting for Ikari-kun to finish changing. She stared down at the linoleum floor and played over the events of the battle and its aftermath. Despite how similar things unfolded compared to the last time the Seventh Angel had attacked there were still some differences, especially in the aftermath. Commander Ikari had been present in the previous timeline, why had he not been there? The room the debriefing had been in had been different as well, why? When Ikari-kun had asked where Misato was she'd barely been able to answer him. The captain was absent from the post battle meeting in this timeline when she had been there in the other reality... All the small differences between her memories and the current iteration of events was beginning to wear on her. She couldn't help but wonder what other differences lay ahead for her to face...

Of course the largest and most glaring difference regarding this Angel and the operation surrounding it happened at the debriefing between Ikari-kun and Asuka. The redhead's angry outburst had taken her completely by surprise. She would have expected her to at least wait until they were away from the review to lash out like that. It was certainly evidence that there some significant differences between the Asuka of the current reality and Asuka from her previous one. Then again, everyone was just a little different, even Ikari-kun in the slightest ways...

During the confrontation between her two friends, the decision to get in Asuka's way had been an impulsive one, one that still surprised her that she'd actually done it. It was unlike her, a few months ago she wouldn't have dreamed of doing something like that and risking the redhead's wrath. It was another piece of evidence in the growing list of things that displayed how much she'd changed as well since her awakening before the Third Angel...

Seeing Asuka take her frustration out on Ikari-kun had reminded her of the kind of relationship she'd previously had with the girl, one of contempt and displeasure. It was certainly a strange and unpleasant feeling, the realization she was having. She had put herself in the middle of a personality conflict and she was treading into dangerous and unknown territory. Rei knew already that she was going to have to find a away to ensure that all three of them worked together well but now she was realizing if she made a misstep in that she could face the wrath of Asuka or the rejection of Ikari-kun. The second of those two options filled her with much angst and anxiety. The idea of Asuka and Ikari-kun pushing her away and growing closer themselves was not one she wanted to see happen. That would be the worst thing short of a second Third Impact...

"Are you alright, Ayanami?" Ikari-kun's voice shook her from her daydreaming and she looked up at him startled. "You looked lost in thought... again..."

She composed herself and nodded. "I am fine," she replied. Oh how she hated that she could not and probably never could confide in him all of the reality bending secrets she held... "There are many things I've been contemplating."

His face took on that sad look of his that she knew all too well. He stepped over to her and leaned up against the wall beside her. "Anything you want to... talk about?" he asked.

She looked away from him and back down at the linoleum of the floor. Well... at least she could lean on him and tell him her worries and her fears. "I am worried about how things will go going forward," she replied. It was vague but it was at least something to talk about...

He crossed his arms and stared down at the tiles as well. "Yeah," he replied. "I get that. Working with Soryu-san to defeat this Angel is going to be a pain... If only your Eva was finished being repaired, it'd be much easier fighting beside you."

Her eyes widened and a heat that was more and more familiar burned in her cheeks. Why did her elicit such a response in her? Why did his words make her heart beat faster? She glanced over at him for a moment before looking off down the hall. "Y- you flatter me..." she stuttered softly.

Ikari-kun must have noticed the redness of her cheeks because he smiled awkwardly and looked away from her, scratching his head. "I- I'm not trying to flatter you," he stammered. "It's just that... from what happened out there, Soryu-san is difficult to work with..."

Rei looked back at her friend who had begun staring off at the opposite wall. He was too nice to say that the fiery girl had acted selfish and entitled. She smiled softly. He had nothing to fear, if things were going to go as they had before he would manage and perform exemplary. "You should not worry," she tried to reassure him. "I have faith in your abilities."

He laughed wryly. "Thanks..." he replied. "That means a lot. You're stronger than me, you know that?"

She felt warmth in her stomach. It was the same warmth as when he held her hand or during their last fight together... "You should not doubt yourself," she stated, a smile creeping onto her lips. "I'm no stronger than you are. I believe in you, Ikari-kun..." It felt... good to tell him that.

He blushed and looked away. "Well... whatever you say," he murmured. "By the way... uh... thanks for standing up for me at the debriefing. It means a lot..."

The heat in her cheeks returned in force. "You... would have done the same for me..." she murmured.

He stiffened for a moment and looked down at the ground. "I'd like to think I would have..." he muttered.

A comfortable silence fell between them. After a moment a thought occurred to her... shouldn't Ikari-kun have been called away by Misato by now to begin his assignment with Asuka? He himself had mentioned that he had no idea what her plan of action was. This was... odd. "Have you really heard nothing regarding a plan for the next deployment?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No," he replied. "I haven't."

"I see..." she murmured. Perhaps this was yet another slight difference between the timelines. Perhaps it wouldn't be until tomorrow that the training would start... "Shall I... accompany you home?"

Ikari-kun smiled. "I would like that," he returned softly. "If you want, I'll make us tea..."

His kindness never failed to bring a smile to her lips. "I would enjoy that very much," she replied.


Walking home with Ayanami never failed to brighten his day. If there was one thing that he looked forward most to recently it was that. Though his mind swam with apprehension of the impending rematch with the Angel on the coast being able to indulge in that routine gave a certain amount of solace. As they neared Misato's apartment he couldn't help but feel just a bit of gratitude that she probably wasn't home, he wouldn't have to endure any type of criticism or berating over what happened until later on in the night. If a scolding was to occur then the later the better... The conversation on the walk had been mostly one about school work, the episodes of One Piece they'd watched together, and other such lighthearted matters. He didn't really want to think about NERV or Eva. Then again, he never did... small talk was much better than the heavy topics they often got into, especially in light of current events.

"I'm home!" Shinji called out as he and his blue haired companion entered the apartment he shared with Misato, Ayanami following behind him. Not that it matters because I'm the only one here... he mentally added.

As he moved down the hallway he noticed the amount of DHL boxes stacked against the wall. That was odd... there was no way that Misato had ordered something that required so many boxes. What was the reason for these things being here? The answer to that question came almost instantly when he entered the kitchen... "Wh- what the hell!?" he exclaimed.

There stood Soryu, wearing a pair of shorts and a cutoff top drinking a glass of water. "Oh, hey there," she replied once she set down her glass. "Surprised to see me?"

"Wh- wh- why wouldn't I be?" Shinji stammered.

Soryu smirked. "I'm moving in, isn't it obvious?" she replied. "You've been dumped for the new model."

Shinji was absolutely bewildered. "Wh- what!?" he stammered.

Soryu smirked. "Yeah," she replied, pointing down the hallway. "I already moved your stuff out of my new room. It wasn't hard because you didn't have much."

Shinji turned around and his heart sank upon seeing all of his meager belongings sitting in a box in the hall. He glanced over at Ayanami who looked just as shocked as he was. The blue haired girl stepped around the corner of the hallway and into the kitchen, her eyes narrowing as she composed herself. She said nothing but the look on her face spoke volumes...

He snapped back to Soryu who now also looked shocked. "Oh. Wonder-girl, I didn't realize you were there," she said. "What are you doing here?"

Ayanami's tone remained level but Shinji knew that she was not having any of Soryu's condescending attitude. "Ikari-kun invited me over for tea," she replied. "We spend time together often."

Soryu scowled, returning her gaze to him for a moment and then back to Ayanami. "Whatever..." she grumbled. "Seriously, Rei, what do you see in this loser?"

He bowed his head. Soryu was right, he was a loser. Even he wondered what it was about him that kept Ayanami interested in being his friend... He said nothing and remained scowling down at the floor. Ayanami spoke again. "I do not understand your contempt of him," she said, her voice taking on a sharp edge. "He is not as you say."

"She's right, Asuka," a familiar voice sounded from behind him. "You might have been in the Eva program longer but Shinji-kun's got more combat experience than you as it stands."

Shinji turned around. There was his guardian holding a boombox over hear shoulder. His eyebrows furrowed. Since when did she own a boombox? "Oh, Misato-san," he greeted her. "I thought you would be working late."

Misato grinned. "Oh?" she replied teasingly. "Thought you might get some alone time with Rei?"

He felt his ears heating up but he did his best to remain composed. "Y- you're in a good mood," he stammered, trying to ignore her comment. "I thought I was going to hear it about the Angel fight."

Misato laughed. "No need for that," she replied. "You see, Shinji-kun, I have a plan. Everyone come into the kitchen and I'll explain. I'm guessing Asuka's already said she's moving in, yes?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah..." he replied, frowning. "She said I would have to move out..."

Misato looked at Soryu with a lopsided grin. "Very funny, Asuka," she said. "But I hate to break it to you that no one is moving out."

"Say what?" Soryu returned, her tone becoming bewildered. Shinji glanced over at Ayanami who seemed to be taking the whole scene in with a mixture of confusion and fascination.

Misato giggled cheerfully. "This is part of your new training regimen," she replied.

Now, after those words, Shinji was utterly lost and truly worried. He snapped his gaze back to Misato. "Say what!?" he and Soryu exclaimed in unison.


Asuka sat with her arms crossed as she listened to Misato's plan of action in detail. That wimp Shinji sat beside her while Wonder-girl sat on the other side next to Misato. The entire day so far had been so insulting. First she'd blown it in combat mostly due to her backup being subpar, she'd had to deal with her friend sticking up for said shitty backup, and now she was being told she'd have to live and work with the moron? Unbelievable! She gritted her teeth and tried her best to look unperturbed as Misato got to the real brass tacks of her plan...

"The only way to defeat the enemy: execute a simultaneous two pronged attack on each target's core while the Angel is separated. In other words an attack on both halves with two Evas with perfect timing. Cooperation between the two of you will be critical for success," Misato said before pausing to see their reactions. When no one spoke she continued. "To that end, I want the two of you to live together from now on."

Both herself and idiot Shinji let out a gasp. She'd heard enough. This shit was not going to fly! "You can't be serious!" she barked, standing up and leaning across the table. "Why should I live with him? It's scandalous!"

Misato met her angry stare with one of icy control. "The Angel is regenerating itself as we speak," she replied. "It will renew its attack anew in six days."

Asuka's eyebrows knit up as she realized her words had no effect. She turned to Rei who was staring down at the tabletop with a an enigmatic expression. It was is she was just staring off into space, daydreaming. "Hey, Wonder-girl, you gotta back me up on this!" she whined, pulling the blue haired girl from whatever was on her mind.

Rei turned to Misato. "I agree," she said softly. "Whatever training you have in mind would be just as easily executed at NERV."

Misato shrugged. "That may be true but Asuka's guardianship was transferred to me anyway. Besides, it's more comfortable working from home."

Rei returned to studying the wood grain of the tabletop. "I see..." she murmured.

Asuka huffed and sat back in her chair. What cruel twist of fate had brought her to this? She'd disliked living with Misato in the past and now she had to live with her and now she had to live with both her and Shinji? This sucked! "This is impossible..." she moaned.

Shinji finally said something. "So..." he timidly spoke just above a whisper. "What's the plan?"

"We'll be coordinating and choreographing our attack to this music," Misato replied, holding up a small cassette tape. "If you follow it exactly, you'll be able to work in sync and destroy both targets. We'll begin now and commence the operation in in six days."

Asuka glanced at the imbecile she would be forced to work with who himself looked less than pleased. Without so much as a word she got up and stomped off down the hallway. "Screw this," she hissed, stalking to her room and sliding the door open, her face contorting in a snarl. How was she supposed to live with a boy without a lock on her door? "Y'know, I really don't understand how you Japanese live in houses without locks!" she spat.

"The Japanese way is to put the needs of others over one's own!" Misato called back from the kitchen.

Asuka slammed the door shut behind her, unwilling to even dignify her reply with a response of her own.


The sun was setting and Rei was walking home to her apartment. Even some time after the conversation with Misato, Asuka, and Ikari-kun, it was still quite a shock. She had expected for the training to take place at NERV, not at the captain's residence. During the entire speech that Misato had given about the failed operation and the impending offensive in six days she had barely been able to pay attention as she recovered from the surprise and shock of it. Despite how similar things were they were still so different...

Seeing Asuka move in early posed another issue, one that was insignificant in the grand scheme of things but certainly major for her. Seeing that had... genuinely made her jealous. She'd even tried to protest Misato's decision because of that jealousy. The idea of the two of them spending time together, of her spending time with him alone was upsetting... At the very least Misato had been alright with her coming by and continuing her regular visits during their training. Perhaps then she might be able to acquire the cup of tea and conversation with Ikari-kun that she'd been denied.

She reached her apartment building as the sun was closing in on the horizon but instead of going directly inside she paused in the shadow of it. She stared up at wretched tower block as emotion swelled in her chest. She felt... angry. It hurt that she felt that way, she didn't want to feel angry or jealous or sad... She wished that she could be the one to fight alongside him but she couldn't because her Eva was still being repaired and this was how things were meant to be...

Rei spotted an empty liquor bottle on the sidewalk and clenched her fists. It was a stark reminder of the slum her dwelling was located in. Her lips contorted into a grimace as her mind raced to other topics. Why did the commander feel it necessary to house her in such a miserable place? She had to live in such a cold and miserable place but Soryu and Ikari-kun got to live with the captain in a nice warm apartment. They got to spend time in the company of others with a television and a shower that always had hot water and she couldn't do those things. It wasn't fair... Before she could stop herself she kicked the bottle as hard as she could, sending it skidding away until it shattered against her building. The act was so unexpected that she herself was shocked by it. Had she ever reacted out of anger in such a way before? No... she realized, she had never done such a thing before. Was it normal for one to do something like that?

Her eyes stung as she stood there, shaking. No... she wasn't going to let her emotion control her. She had to put her hurt feelings and her jealousy aside for the good of her cause. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall and composed herself. These bitter feelings would do nothing to advance her plans for thwarting Commander Ikari and his designs. She would have to suppress them or learn to deal with them. But... she didn't want to go into her apartment yet. Going up and retiring to those ugly, harsh, and cold four walls was not appealing.

On impulse she began walking. She didn't want to go back to her apartment just yet and so she set off down the street. She didn't know where she was going but... maybe a walk in the dusk air would be a way to clear her head and calm down. Now that she thought about it, other than going to the closest convenience store to buy her meager foodstuffs she had never really explored the area around her living quarters. Perhaps it was time to explore the world around her. At the very least it would distract her from her thoughts...

Rei drifted through the streets without aim. She was lost, not in terms of direction but in terms of how to... keep going. The anxiety and jealousy that she felt over the events of the day wouldn't abate. She drifted into midtown where things were brighter and watched the denizens of Tokyo 3 drift. She wondered what kind of lives they lived, if they dealt with the same kind of inner turmoil she did. How nice it must be to live without the weight of the world on one's shoulders...

"Ayanami?" a familiar voice spoke.

She turned in the direction of the voice. It was Class Representative Horaki standing just a few feet away on the sidewalk. "Yes?" Rei replied.

The freckled girl looked concerned. "What are you doing out?" she asked. "It's getting late..."

Rei frowned. Horaki was obviously not a stranger but still she was not someone she was... comfortable sharing her problems with. "I was taking a walk..." she replied softly.

"You look tired," the freckled girl replied after a moment of pause. "Does that have something to do with why you, Asuka, and Ikari left school in such a rush earlier today?"

Rei nodded. "Yes," she responded. "We were called to NERV because an enemy was sighted." Why was Horaki trying to engage her in conversation now of all the times she could have? Part of her wanted to just keep walking alone but... another part didn't mind her company.

Horaki's face took on a sober look. "I can imagine that would be tiring," she returned softly.

Rei looked off down the street. "It can..." she murmured in reply.

"Well... I gotta get going," Horaki said. "I forgot some ingredients for supper. I'm the only one in my house that cooks so I can't disappoint."

The thought of offering to go with her was appealing but at the same time she barely knew Horaki. Such an offer might come across as strange. Besides... she was used to being... alone. "Understood," she replied softly.

Horaki offered a soft smile. "See tomorrow you in school then," she returned warmly.

"See you in school," Rei replied.

Horaki went on her way after that and Rei was left at the street corner in the deafening silence that remained. She had not minded the emptiness of silence for a long time, not until Ikari-kun came along in the old world and changed things for her. She had seen Ikari-kun with a cassette player many times, lost in the music he listened to. We he using that to fill the silence of loneliness and emptiness? It was certainly a sensible thing, after all the time she'd spend at Misato's apartment, she now understood how entertainment could be used to fill such voids... Perhaps... she could get herself a tape player to pass the time. The thought of searching for one at the present time was tempting but she hadn't brought any money with her. It was getting late anyway...

She didn't know exactly how long it was that she wandered through the streets of Tokyo 3 after the talk with Horakie but it was dark when she finally made it back to her apartment complex. Her wandering had done little to alleviate her anxiety. She climbed the steps to her apartment and thrust herself inside her pitiful dwelling, locking her door behind her once she reached her room. Despite her habits she flung herself onto her bed without so much as attempting to change into her sleepwear. She was too mentally exhausted to change.

Rei rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling above. It would be six days until the operation commenced and then things would take on a whole new dynamic. Even though her relationship with Asuka was considerably better she still worried about what that new paradigm would be. As selfish as it was, she was going to miss having Ikari-kun all to herself... It was an unpleasant feeling, it reminded her of what the Eleventh Angel had said before she'd died. Worst of all was that one way or another she had known this was all coming and yet it still stung. It defied all rational thought.

"Why do I feel like this?" she asked to the empty room. "What is causing me to feel these things?"

She knew there would be nothing to answer her and that made it all the worse...


"Why do you suppose he hasn't been back? It's been three days?" Touji asked.

Kensuke shrugged. "Beats me," he replied. "Probably something to do with that Angel out in the bay."

Touji sighed and took another bite of the sandwich he'd brought himself for lunch. His friend was probably right. The story of the military getting involved and using that big bomb on it had been all over the news. At least they hadn't been ordered to evacuate to shelters... yet. "Think they got hurt out there?" he asked.

Kensuke glanced off toward the window side of the classroom. "Ayanami's here," he returned. "Why don't you ask her?"

Touji turned his focus to the blue haired girl who usually sat with them during lunch. He'd been a little surprised that she hadn't sat with them but then again if Shinji was absent then she didn't have much reason to, he and Kensuke weren't all the close with her anyway. Even so, it was still a little sad seeing her sitting alone like before Shinji had transferred to their school.

Then it occurred to him that Ayanami probably knew where Shinji lived since they walked home together so often. Maybe he could convince her to take them over there to check up on him. "Hey, Kensuke," he said, turning back to his glasses wearing friend.

"Yeah?" Kensuke replied.

"What do ya think about getting Ayanami to take us over to Shin-man's place to check on him?" he asked.

Kensuke adjusted his glasses. "Not a bad idea," he said with a grin. "Why don't you ask her? Besides, I wouldn't mind getting another look at Katsuragi."

Touji sighed. "She definitely is pretty, but this is about Shin-man," he returned.

"Hey, dude, I'm just saying," the nerdy boy replied with a chuckle. "You're right though. To be honest I've been getting a bit worried too. It's not like him to not show up for so long."

Touji nodded. "Damn straight," he replied. "I'll talk to Ayanami after class."


It was nearing the end of another boring day of staring out the window of her classroom, something that grew more frustrating all the time. It had been three days since the start of the unison training between Ikari-kun and Asuka which meant that they were half way there to the operation commencing. Among all the other things that caused her increasing anxiety, Rei couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about the success of the operation as a whole after witnessing her two fellow pilot's progress or lack thereof.

She'd been dropping by after school to visit Ikari-kun and check in on his progress. She was grateful to the captain for allowing her to visit during the training hours to observe. Both of them were having a hard time but Ikari-kun in particular seemed to be struggling even more than he had in the previous life. Then again... the whole operation was slightly different. The Angel was taking six days instead of five to regenerate and for some reason Misato had felt it necessary to use some kind of light up dancing mat as part of the process. She hadn't been called to demonstrate her ability to synchronize with Ikari-kun which she found strange considering how he and Auska had demonstrated many times over that the training caused them great difficulty. Perhaps if she were to demonstrate her ability to match his movements in this timeline she would get bumped into the mission... no... that wasn't possible. Her Eva was still being repaired and retrofitted for combat operations so it was a near impossibility that they would swap Asuka for her.

However... she'd gone into combat with Asuka in the cockpit of Unit 02... Maybe Dr. Akagi would be able to calibrate the core so that she could pilot it? It was was improbable but not impossible. The notion certainly was... satisfying, but as satisfying as it was to think about, it could have dire ramifications. She knew that Asuka's ego was rather fragile despite the big game she talked. Despite her... jealousy, she did not want to send the redhead spiraling... She frowned. Why did interpersonal relationships have to be so... hard?

"Hey, Ayanami," someone called off to her side.

It took her by surprise since since almost no one talked to her at school outside of Ikari-kun and occasionally Aida or Suzuhara during lunch. Sure enough, when she turned to regard the source of the voice it was Suzuhara. He was standing beside her desk with Aida standing just behind him."Yes?" she replied.

The track-suited boy shuffled his feet uneasily. Did she really still unnerve people despite how much she'd changed? "Hey, uh, Ken and I were thinking about dropping in on Shin-man to see how he's doing since he's been absent," he returned. "Would you mind showing us the way?"

This request deepened her surprise. Surely they knew where Ikari-kun lived? Wait... no, they had never gone to his residence. When Ikari-kun had stayed in Tokyo 3 rather than wandering after the Fourth Angel they'd had no reason to go to his home... Their request was indeed reasonable despite this. Ikari-kun would probably enjoy the extra company. Hopefully Misato wouldn't mind.

The three of them left school in short order. Rei couldn't help but find it interesting how relaxed the pair seemed around her. Instead of lagging behind her they strode beside her at an even pace. It was growing evidence that people around her no longer perceived her as the frigid ice queen that was whispered about in the back of the classroom. That was certainly a pleasant feeling...

"So..." Aida spoke. "What's Shinji-kun been out of school for? He didn't get messed up in battle did he?"

She shook her head lightly. "No," she replied. "He was not injured."

"Oh..." Touji responded. "Then... where has he been?"

"He's been training with Pilot Soryu," Rei replied flatly.

"Oh that's right, she's a pilot too," Aida stated. "So I'm guessing the two of them have been spending a lot of time at NERV?"

Rei frowned. "No," she replied.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Suzuhara asked, confusion evident in his voice. "You said yourself that they're training together, right?"

She remained silent, her frown deepening at the thought of the training routine going on at the Katsuragi residence instead of NERV headquarters where it rightly should have been... It would be too much for her to elaborate on her statement without them badgering her by asking more questions. It would be best for the pair to just see for themselves what was going on. Besides, Misato would be better able to give an explanation on things than her.

"So... if Shinji-kun and Soryu aren't training at NERV then what kind of training are they up to?" Aida asked after a prolonged silence.

Rei looked down at her feet as they neared their destination. "It is... difficult to explain," she returned softly.

Once again silence fell and in just a few more minutes they were in sight of their destination. Just up ahead Rei noticed a girl in her school's uniform coming from the other direction on the sidewalk toward them.

"Hey there's the class rep," Suzuhara spoke softly. "Wonder where she's headed."

Rei and the group she walked with did not have to wait long to receive the answer to that inquiry. Just before entering the gates to the complex both her group and Horaki paused, regarding one another. "Hello Ayanami, Suzuhara, Aida," Horaki greeted them. "What brings you guys this way?"

"We were just checkin' up on Shin-man," Suzuhara replied. "You?"

"I was checking in with Asuka," she replied.

"Huh? So Soryu got moved into the same complex as Shinji?" Suzuhara asked.

Horaki took on a look of surprise. "Ikari lives in this complex?"

"Yes," Rei replied.

Aida chuckled. "It does make sense since they're both Eva pilots," he commented with a grin.

The group filed into the building premises and made their way up to the floor that contained Misato Katsuragi's apartment. Rei began to feel renewed apprehension. What if the visit from the others were to cause Ikari-kun or Asuka to lose focus? What if it had unforeseen repercussions for the success of the operation? She steadied herself with a deep breath. They were already here... no point in thinking about such things now...

Everyone stopped right in front of Misato's door. "Hey..." Suzuhara muttered. "Why are you stopping here too, Horaki-san?"

"This was the address Asuka gave me..." Horaki replied, perplexed.

Rei said nothing and rang the doorbell.

After a moment a pair of unison voices replied. "Coming..." the voices groaned. Moments later the door snapped open with a mechanical whir.

The reaction of the group was one of great surprise with exception of Rei who had expected her fellow pilots to be dressed in such a manner. The pair were dressed in matching dance studio outfits with the exception of their shirts being different colors. "What's with those outfits!?" Suzuhara and Aida shouted at the same time. "And why are you both here!?"

"What's going on?" Horaki stammered.

Ikari-kun and Asuka spoke in unison once more, a crestfallen expression befalling each of them. "We're being forced to do this," they said. "Misato has us living eating and sleeping together as part of our training."

"What the hell!?" Suzuhara and Aida exclaimed, cringing.

Horaki's face turned white as a sheet. "You're living in sin!" she yelled.

"No! It's not like that!" the two unfortunate synchronized pilots replied.

Suzuhara whirled around to face her. "Ayanami, what is going on here?" he asked, his confusion and worry plastered on his face.

Rei felt her lips turning up ever so slightly. For some reason the reactions of Horaki, Suzuhara, and Aida were rather... humorous despite the assumption it was based on being deeply unpleasant for her to think about. She did not dwell on this long as she heard footsteps coming their way. She glanced down the opposite walkway that stretched off to the left of Misato's door and beheld Misato herself striding toward them all. "Hey, this looks like a party," the captain said with a wide and cheerful grin. "Brought some friends did you, Rei?"

Yes... she supposed they were slowly becoming that word. "I have," she replied.

Suzuhara stepped closer to Misato and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb at her two fellow pilots. "Uh... Katsuragi-san... would you mind explaining... this?" he nervously inquired.

Misato laughed. "Everyone get inside," she beckoned.


Three days. Three. Whole. Days... She had been trying to match up with his movements for three goddamn days and seemingly no progress had been made. It had done nothing to change her initial opinions of Shinji Ikari. Despite what Rei had said, she found him to be weak and utterly incompetent. No matter how many times they ran the stupid music he still couldn't match her movements and she would be damned if she slowed down for him. Why should she have to compromise her abilities and dumb things down for him? Asuka gritted her teeth as they started over from the top for what seemed like the millionth time, glaring out at the kotatsu table and the people sitting there. She cursed inwardly. Why did Wonder-girl have to bring over Hikari and these two stooges to watch her be embarrassed by that idiot Shinji? She listened as Misato explained to the guests present exactly why she and Shinji were forced to undergo the whole embarrassing exercise as the anger kept boiling within, eliciting laughter from everyone except Rei.

That meathead Touji turned to Wonder-girl as he got control of his guffaws. "No wonder you didn't say anything about their training, Ayanami," he said, snickering. "That was a lot to explain."

"So how are their coordination drills coming along Katsuragi-san?" Hikari asked.

Misato audibly sighed. "Not very well as you can see," she replied.

Asuka's lips curled into a grimace. Misato's assessment was correct but it was still infuriating. That awful annoying screech of a step being missed sounded from the makeshift sound system. No doubt Shinji had missed a step again. She couldn't take it any more and threw the headphones she wore across the room. "Schiesse!" she screamed in frustration, snapping upright and pointing at her incompetent partner. "So much for synchronization! I can never sink down to his level! He's not good enough match me, the whole idea is impossible!"

Misato regarded her, a catlike grin taking shape on her lips. "Then you're giving up?" she asked.

Asuka put her hands on her hips and smirked back at her. Of course she wasn't giving up! She would force Shinji up to her level if she needed to and Rei's Eva was still out of commission. "Well, you don't have any other options," she returned smugly. "I guess I'll have to stay the course."

Misato glanced over at Wonder-girl. "Rei?" she spoke.

The blue haired girl lifted her head from staring into the glass of water on the table in front of her. "Yes?" she replied.

"Would you care to give it a shot?" Misato asked smugly.

Rei hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "I'll do it," she returned softly. The pale girl stood up and moved to where the discarded headphones lay, picked them up and proceeded to the mat. Asuka moved and crossed her arms with a smirk. What a bother... as if Wonder-girl was going to do any better than she did.

She looked over at Shinji who was watching Rei intensely. "Well... are you ready, Ayanami?" he asked.

She nodded. "I am," she replied.

Asuka watched as the pair began to move to the music, her smug grin fading into an expression of slack-jawed shock. Rei and Shinji moved flawlessly in sync with one another. They didn't even have to look at each other, they just simply... flowed like water. How could the two of them manage to move together like that? How could she move together with him when she couldn't!?

Misato chuckled. "Looks like I should alter the operation to pair Shinji-kun with Rei," she mused softly.

Her words felt like a dagger being thrust right through her heart. It was such an insult to her pride! The bitter and painful feeling would not abate and she refused to lower herself to admit defeat. She wasn't about to show the hurt this turn of events caused her. Asuka gritted her teeth and stormed toward the door. "Fine," she spat. "Do whatever you want!"

She stepped through the sliding door and slammed it behind her.


The door behind the redheaded girl slammed shut with a resounding bang. Rei was not surprised that Asuka had reacted the way that she had. It was quite similar to how she'd stormed out of the room she'd been housed with Ikari-kun in the timeline she remembered. It really wasn't that different than her memory but for the feeling of... guilt.

Horaki stood from where she sat. "Wait Asuka..." she called softly.

"Well that was unexpected..." Suzuhara muttered.

When Misato had called her to move with Ikari-kun on the mat it had caused her heart to skip a beat. It had felt good to be able to move together with him even if it wasn't really dancing... It had also felt good, as selfish as it was, to be able to put Asuka in her place, to show her up. However, upon seeing Asuka's reaction to her ability to fall in step with Ikari-kun she felt guilty... She felt bad about causing Asuka distress. This guilt fed into her anxiety about the operation going as it should. Perhaps she had done the wrong thing. Even though she did nearly the exact same thing she had in the previous timeline, maybe it was a mistake in this one...

Horaki turned toward Ikari-kun. She glared at him angrily. "Ikari-kun!" she growled.

"Huh?" he replied, taking off his headphones.

"You made her upset, you jerk!" she snarled. "Go apologize!"

"Wh- what did I do?" He stammered.

Horaki looked like she was about to advance on Ikari-kun. His protest wasn't without merit, Rei assessed, it was not his fault that Asuka stormed out. If anything... it was her fault. She positioned herself between Ikari-kun and Horaki. In that moment she set her resolve on what she was going to do... "It is not his fault," she replied. "It is mine. I'll go after her."

Horaki's aggressive glare abated, replaced with a somber look. She sat back down at the table and stared down at her knees.

Misato chuckled. "Well then, go after her Rei," she said.

Rei nodded. What the captain suggested was the right thing to do. She strode out of the room without wasting a moment. Asuka couldn't have gone far...


Asuka crouched in front of one of he many doors that lined the refrigerated goods isle of the convenience store she had ran off to. Even after the walk that she'd spent cursing the whole situation she still felt angry and ashamed of how things had gone. To top this off, storming off had only made her feel more embarrassed about the whole situation. So now she was crouching, staring at the selection of sodas to choose from in an attempt to avoid getting up and going back to face anyone...

The dinging of the convenience store's door opening and sound of footsteps approaching alerted her to the presence of another person approaching. She hoped it would just be another patron but these hopes were short lived. "I am sorry if I upset you," Rei's hushed and even voice called to her.

Asuka scowled. The fact that the blue haired girl had followed her pissed her off. "Yeah, I screwed up, what do you want?" she growled.

There was a pause before Wonder-girl responded. "I wanted to reassure you," she replied. "I believe you can do it. You should not give up."

Asuka opened the door in front of her and snatched up a can of soda. She slammed the door shut, stood up, and faced the blue haired girl before her. "What do you want?" she spat. "Misato just offered you a chance to fight alongside your dear Shinji and you're telling me to go back and try again despite this!? Don't screw with me!"

Wonder-girl looked down at the tile floor. "I did not mean to embarrass you..." she murmured softly. "I only did as Misato-san asked..."

Asuka snarled and looked away. The blue haired girl had a point... "Yeah you did, so why are you really here?" she asked, unable to keep the venom out of her tone.

"I wish to... make sure you are alright," Rei replied softly.

Asuka met Rei's somber gaze. The crimson eyed girl stared back at her with a sympathetic look and she knew her friend was telling the truth. She sighed and turned away. "Fine," she grumbled. "I believe you..."

"So will you resume training with Ikari-kun?" Rei asked.

Asuka chuckled at the blue haired girl's words. It was kinda funny, how Rei was encouraging her to get back to it when she had displayed that she was far more capable of the task. Still, given the opportunity to go back and try again, Asuka would take it. She was not the kind of person who was going to back down and eat humble pie. She would show Misato and Shinji just how capable she was and most importantly make Misato eat that smug grin of hers! "Yeah, I'll do it," she declared, turning back to face Wonder-girl. "Your Eva can't even be used so it has to be me."

"Good..." Rei replied after a moment.

Asuka breathed deeply and turned to her blue haired friend. "You want anything from here before we go back?" she asked. As much as she was looking forward to showing Misato who was boss the idea of coming back so soon after she stormed out was unappealing.

Rei shook her head. "I am not hungry," she returned.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Well I'm grabbing some food and taking a walk, you're welcome to come with," she replied.

After a moment Wonder-girl nodded. "I'll accompany you," she stated softly.

Asuka chuckled and turned to head for the refrigerated foods section of the store. God it was annoying how uptight Rei was! One day... maybe one day she'd get her stoic friend to lighten up just a little bit...


The conversation with Asuka on their little walk had been interesting to say the least. It had given Rei ample opportunity to study the redhead and otherwise get to know her a little better. Now they were sitting on an overlook viewing the vibrant orange sunset and the skyline of Tokyo 3.

"I swear!" Asuka declared after finishing her soda and slamming it down on the bench on which they sat. "I'll show Misato I can do it. Even if I have to train day and night to get Shinji up to speed then I will!"

Rei regarded the look of determination that the redhead wore. The fire that she displayed over this was perplexing. "Why is that important to you?" she asked.

Asuka scoffed. "It's a matter of pride!" she cried. "You're a girl too, can't you see that?"

Pride... it was something she didn't really think about much but she knew that it was one of Asuka's primary motivators. Now that she thought about it... this time that she'd been asked to sync with Ikari-kun she'd done it out of her own sense of pride as much as she had because Misato had ordered her to, well, that and her jealousy. She nodded. "I can..." she replied softly.

Asuka stuffed her empty can into the plastic bag she'd carried from the convenience store. "Hey..." she spoke softly. "Can I ask you something?"

Rei looked at her face to see that her fierce expression had melted into one of quiet contemplation. "What is on your mind?" she returned.

Asuka smiled wryly. "If your Eva was up and running, would you rather we switch places?" she asked.

Rei felt her body tense up at the words. It seemed that her friend had picked up on her jealous feelings regarding the whole situation... The feeling of shame she'd felt back at Misato's apartment returned in force. Still... she didn't want to admit her jealousy. It would be better if Asuka didn't find out about that, she would probably tease her or worse... "I... would do it if I were ordered to," she replied softly.

Asuka's grin grew and her eyes started twitching. After a few seconds she burst out laughing, doubling over as she did and holding her stomach. "Wow!" she choked out between guffaws. "You really need to loosen up and get out more."

Rei tilted her head, curious about why she'd reacted that way to her statement. "I'm not sure I understand," she voiced, confused.

"The fact that you're just willing to follow orders," Asuka choked out between laughs. "If you want to do something for yourself then do it! You're not a sock puppet with a hand up your ass! Live your life!"

As crude as words were they resonated with her. She was no longer the commander's puppet or anyone's doll. Her destiny was in her hands. There were so many things on that subject that she couldn't say but she didn't need to. Rei looked off toward the sunset and simply smiled.

Asuka's laughs died down and she sighed, leaning her elbows on her knees and placing her chin atop her hands. "Really though, I don't understand what you see in him," she muttered, turning to face her. "You keep coming by every day just to spend a little time with him... why? What's so special about Shinji Ikari?"

The image of Ikari-kun pulling open her plug and burning his hands just to make sure she was alright flashed in her mind. The words he'd said to her the second time played back in her ears and filled her chest with warmth... "During the battle with the Fifth Angel my Eva was damaged as you know," she replied. "I was uninjured but there was no way for Ikari-kun to know that. He... burned his hands on the emergency hatch of my entry plug to rescue me."

Asuka expression changed to one of surprise. "Woah... he did that?" she questioned.

Rei nodded. "Yes," she stated flatly.

Asuka snorted and turned back toward the sunset but now she was grinning again. "Well he doesn't look like the type to do something like that," she replied.

"It's true," Rei continued. For some reason she continued. The words just came... spilling out. By the end, saying it all felt like a weight was lifting from her shoulders. "Piloting the Eva is... hard for him, but still... he keeps doing it. Even when he wants to quit he perseveres. When he's needed most he rises to the challenge."

Asuka was silent for a moment but then she snickered softly. "Well if he's really like that underneath that sorry exterior then Misato's operation might not be so impossible after all..." she stated with a thoughtful grin.

Rei nodded and looked back toward the setting sun. "Indeed," she returned, a grin of her own taking shape.


I was dusk and Shinji was exhausted. Having extra company had been quite draining. As much as he enjoyed Touji and Kensuke he was glad both the pair and Horaki had left shortly after Soryu had stormed out. Soryu had still not returned and Ayanami had given him a call to let him know that she wouldn't be returning. This had been a bit saddening but it was to be expected considering how it was getting late. He had set out the futon he'd been sleeping in the past three days in the living room like Misato had been making him do and was laying in it hoping that sleep would come soon. Hopefully tomorrow they'd be able to get the routine right...

Just as sleep was about to claim him he heard footsteps in the hall. He pulled the covers over his head, hoping that whoever it was, be it Soryu or Misato that they would just leave him alone and let him sleep...

And of course... that was not to be.

He felt a prodding in his back. All things considered he knew exactly who it would be. "Get up, Third," Soryu snapped.

Groggily he sat up in his futon. "What?" he asked, yawning. Was letting him sleep too much to ask?

Soryu crossed her arms and scowled. "I said get up," she growled. "We have work to do."

The confusion was beginning to mount. What on earth did she mean by that? Was she seriously considering training at this hour? "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know what I mean," Soryu replied. "We're gonna drill this until we get it perfect, so get up and lets practice! Even if we have to go day and night until the Angel attacks, I'm not letting Misato take me off this mission."

Shinji stared up at the redhead and studied her expression for several moments. The look of ironclad determination she wore was certainly something to behold. Even if she was quite abrasive, he couldn't help but respect that drive, even admire it. He nodded. "Okay..." he said as he stood up.

Soryu smirked. "That's more like it, Third," she snapped.

Even if he could respect her determination he knew that the next few days were going to be even more miserable than the last three...


"Come on, we got this!" Asuka cried as she moved in time with the music.

"Can we take a break after this?" Shinji asked, sounding drained.

"No," Asuka replied. "Three more times and then we take a break."

"Fine. Three more times," Shinji huffed.

It had taken them many repetitions to get it right but they'd finally gotten the routine down tow days before their scheduled deployment working day and night but they had finally managed to find their pace and Asuka was quite satisfied. Perhaps the difference had been she'd been more in tune with Shinji's movements and accommodated his lack of grace into her stride. There had been moments when they'd been at each other's throats but despite this they'd managed to pull it together. No matter what the reason for it was, they finally had the routine down solid to the relief of everyone at NERV. Now it was the evening before the upcoming battle and they were drilling just for the sake of preparation.

She'd also found a new respect for Shinji ever since her talk with Wonder-girl. Even though she'd insisted on training at all hours of the day he had not complained much and kept trying until eventually they'd gotten it perfect. It had only taken them until they were down to the wire but the point stood. The blue haired girl's assessment of the boy seemed to have been correct, he did persevere despite the grueling nature of their task.

They finished their sequence and started again. Three more times they ran it, flawlessly each time. Asuka stomped off the mat and grinned. "Finally," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "Looks like you're finally getting it."

Shinji smiled and nodded. "I guess I am..." he replied.

Asuka took off her headphones and moved to the kitchen, moved to the sink, and poured herself a glass of water which she chugged down with great gusto. Even she had to admit that the training was tiring work. If only Rei could have come by today, she probably would be quite surprised at how well they were doing. Asuka smirked. She was probably better able to match up with Shinji than she was at this point...

As soon as she finished her water she poked her head out to see Shinji laying down on the living room floor. It certainly appeared she'd tired him out. She studied him as he lay there with his eyes closed and arms splayed out on the floor while panting. She couldn't help but smirk as she took note of his physique. I'll bet Wonder-girl has noticed more than his determination... she thought to herself.

"You ready to run it again?" Asuka called out.

Shinji dragged himself up to a sitting position. "Yeah," he grumbled. "Let's go again."

Asuka smirked and marched back to the mat. Maybe he really was worthy of Wonder-girl's admiration after all...


"Hey, just wanted to let you know that I'll be running late tonight," Misato said as soon as Shinji answered his phone.

"Okay, Misato-san," he replied. "See you soon."

"Bye," she bade him farewell.

"Bye," Shinji returned.

Misato hung up the phone and sighed. It was just her luck that she'd been saddled with extra work the night before a combat deployment. The mountain of paperwork on her desk had been reduced to a small hill but it would still take many hours to get through. At least some of it could wait until after the battle so that was something to be happy about. As frustrating as it was to admit, Kaji's plan of action was heading toward a triumphant conclusion. Thankfully a decent lounge for doing just that existed on NERV's premises. She'd barely had the chance to relax since last week when the whole debacle began...

She pushed through as much as she could for hours until the burden of it all became too much and she couldn't take it anymore. The remaining paperwork could wait, right? Yeah... Commander Ikari and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki could wait for her to file everything, right? Screw it... she needed a break after the week of hell she'd lived between the endless paperwork and making sure Shinji and Asuka weren't at each other's throats... She grabbed a small stack of folders, left her office, and shut the lights off even though she knew that she would be back again before the end of the night. Hopefully she'd be able to catch some sleep before the operation started... Upon shutting the office door she made a direct course toward the nearest elevator to leave the lower NERV complex.

"Katsuragi?" called a familiar voice, one that caused her to groan.

She turned around. "What do you want, Kaji?" she replied as the man sauntered over to her.

"Oh nothing," he said as he matched her step, smirking like the arrogant jerk he was... "I was wondering if you were ever going to thank me for providing you with the operation's plan?"

Misato fought the urge to slap him. "I'm using your idea, that's thanks enough isn't it?" she retorted.

"I guess that's better thanks than any kind words," he said in that flippant tone of his.

They reached the elevator and selected their floors. When the doors closed Misato leaned against the wall as far away as she could get from Kaji. He ignored her obvious desire for space and joined her against the wall close enough that their shoulders were touching. "You know..." Kaji spoke, leaning his stupid, handsome face close to hers. "I was hoping we could talk about us."

Misato looked away. "There's nothing to talk about..." she murmured.

He snaked around in front of her, his eyes softening and his smile taking on a somber note. "There was much left unsaid," he returned.

She met his gaze and frowned. She hated when he looked at her this way. It made her heart flutter, it always did... "What was left unsaid?" she replied.

He leaned in closer. "You never told me why things ended," he said softly. "In fact, you left without telling me anything."

Misato looked away. "Why does that matter?" she asked.

He reached up and cupped her chin. Why did that still send shivers down her spine? "Because it means things aren't finished between us," he replied.

She snapped her head back to him. "Of course we're-" before she could finish that statement his lips were on hers which caused her to drop the small stack of folders she'd been holding. Why did it still make her feel the way she did all those years ago? She hated it! God he was such a scoundrel... so why did she like it?

The elevator reached the floor she'd selected and she darted backwards out of the elevator. "Forget it Kaji," she muttered. "There's nothing between us anymore. Don't ever do that again..."

He bent down and picked up the folders she'd dropped. "But your lips didn't say no," he replied, that arrogant tone of his back in full force. He stood upright and held the folders with that stupid grin he always wore. "Tell me, which one should I trust? Your lips or your words?"

Misato snatched the folders out of his hands and glared at him. Kaji closed his eyes and bowed dramatically as the elevator doors closed, separating them. All sorts of emotions were swirling inside of her. She hated how that long haired ruffian had a point... her lips hadn't said no.

As her frustration boiled over she pelted the folders at the closed doors, wishing that they could have connected with this stupid, handsome mug.


Shinji couldn't sleep. The battle was tomorrow and he had to admit he was just a little bit nervous despite having the choreography solidified. He simply lay staring up the ceiling of the living room in his futon with the earphones of his SDAT in his ears.

When he'd informed Soryu that Misato was going to be coming home late from NERV she'd picked up her futon and moved it to Misato's room, declaring the door to said room the "Wall of Jericho" and that he would face great physical harm should he try to cross it. He didn't understand why she felt the need to say such things. Sure, he would admit that the redhead was attractive but he wasn't a pervert and he sure as hell had no intention of doing anything heinous toward her... Even after living with her for nearly a week he still understood nothing about the girl.

His thoughts wandered to Ayanami, who hadn't shown up since the day where Soryu stormed out. He'd called her earlier in the day during a break from training and she'd told him it was because she didn't want to be a distraction, whatever that meant. Still, it was a bit lonely not having her around. Sure, Soryu and Misato were always around but... it just wasn't the same.

He sighed. The music was doing nothing to calm his nerves and he couldn't sleep. Guess there was no point in just laying there... He heaved himself to his feet and moved to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water before sitting down at the table. Maybe if he just sat here for a while he'd be able to calm his nerves...

The sound of Soryu sliding open the door to Misato's room caused him to turn off his music. Hopefully she wouldn't accost him for something he didn't do. Moments later she entered the kitchen appearing half asleep. She drifted past him toward the lavatory and washroom. He clicked the play button of his tape player. It seemed that she wasn't going to bother him.

Soryu reentered the kitchen with a soft yawn. Her eyes blinked open and slowly she began focusing in on him. "Shinji?" she asked. "What are you doing up?"

He took off his earphones. "I couldn't sleep," he replied glumly.

She pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. "Why's that?" she inquired.

He crossed his arms and looked away from her. "Aren't you nervous about the battle?" he returned.

Soryu rolled her eyes. "Why should I be?" she scoffed, yawning once again. "We've finally got the routine down and I'm the best Eva pilot in the world. There's nothing to worry about."

Shinji frowned and looked away from her. "I don't understand your confidence," he replied. "Even if you're the best, how can you be so sure that everything will work out?"

Soryu shrugged. "I just am," she replied.

There was a pause until Shinji decided to speak again. After spending so much time with the redhead, matching her movements, and getting to know her he felt compelled to... try and at least understand her a little. "Do you like piloting?" he asked.

"Of course I do," she replied with a smirk. "It's what I was destined for."

He scowled down at the tabletop. "I don't like piloting the Eva..." he muttered. "I... hate it to be perfectly honest."

Asuka crossed her arms and that smug grin of hers faded into something a little less abrasive. "Yeah, Wonder-girl told me as much," she replied. "So why do you keep piloting it if you hate it so much?"

He placed his elbows on the table and placed his forehead in his hands. He thought back to before Operation Yashima and the talk he'd had with Ayanami. Despite that talk he still felt conflicted about his reasons. He still wanted to earn his father's respect and affection and he still wanted to help Ayanami realize her goals, whatever they were, but... was that enough? How long could he keep doing it just for others? It was a thought that had eating at him ever since the Jet Alone incident... "I don't know," he replied. "I guess I just do what I'm told... I want to help Ayanami and I want my father to... see me."

Soryu snorted. "If you ask me, those are pretty stupid reasons," she replied.

He turned his head to face her. "What do you mean?" he inquired.

"If you ask me, piloting for anyone other than yourself is stupid," she stated flatly.

He scrunched up his eyebrows as he studied her serious look. "How do you figure?" he asked. "What's wrong with trying to help others?"

Soryu snickered. "There's nothing wrong with it," she replied. "It just shouldn't be your only reason. You gotta take pride in what you do and do it for you, y'know."

She had a good point. There had been moments since he became a pilot that he'd felt... proud of his abilities in the cockpit, as few and far between as those incidents were. "Maybe you're right..." he returned just above a whisper.

"Of course I am," she replied. "I've been training for this since I was little. I've had to fight for everything I have so dammit I'm proud of it!"

Shinji smiled. He couldn't help but respect her for how she stood firm and believed in herself. "You're right, Soryu," he replied. "Maybe I can... find a reason to fight that's mine."

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Would you please just call me Asuka?" she grumbled. "We're coworkers, friends, and we're living together for heaven's sake!"

Shinji blinked. "A- are we... friends?" he stammered.

Soryu shrugged. "Well, yeah..." she replied as if it was no big deal. "You're friends with Wonder-girl and we're both pilots so that kinda goes without saying, right?"

"Oh... okay... Asuka," he muttered softly.

She stood from the table. "Alright," she said. "I'm going to bed. Stew in your anxiety about tomorrow if you want but you should get some sleep too. You'll need your strength."

He nodded. "Alright," he replied. "Goodnight."

"Night," she replied, leaving the kitchen.

Shinji sat in the kitchen for a little while longer reflecting on their short conversation before retiring back to his futon in the living room. Even though he remained a bit nervous, sleep came just a bit easier...


It seemed to Ritsuko that every day blended into the next as she worked on the codes to accelerate the Dummy System's development. Every moment that wasn't dedicated the her already expansive duties to the Evas at large had seemingly been taken up with the development of that system. Adding to this mountain of work and stress was the fact that there was an Angel set to attack in the morning. Needless to say, she needed a break from it all. Thankfully Gendo was away on business so... she could take a moment to indulge.

She opened the doors to the best lounge in the geofront and immediately noted that Misato was the only one there in the dimly lit room. She was sitting with her chin in her palm gazing out the window towards the hanging skyscrapers that protruded from the ceiling of the outer dome. Ritsuko smiled. If there was anyone else around that was working as hard as she was it was Misato... Perhaps a nice talk between friends could do them both a bit of good. At the very least it would be a nice distraction from her busy life.

She ordered two cups of tea from the worker at the counter and made her way to her oldest friend upon receiving them. She set one cup down in front of Misato and sat down. "Oh, thanks," Misato said, sitting up with a forced smile.

"Looks like you've got troubles," Ritsuko stated.

Misato's brows knit and her smile took on a nervous edge. "Yeah, a few..." she murmured.

She took off her glasses and smirked. Misato was still as transparent as ever. "So, is it work, a man, or both?" she asked.

Misato sighed. "A lot of things..." she huffed.

Ritsuko's grin widened. She'd seen Kaji skulking around near the captain's office and witnessed first hand how the scruffy man drove her friend into fits of anger. "Still in love, huh?" she teased.

Misato spat out her tea and coughed. "Don't be ridiculous!" she hissed. "Get real! Who would want that idiot!"

Misato took a moment to compose herself before elaborating further. "I may have been just a kid, but getting involved with him is still the stupidest most idiotic thing I've ever done in my entire life..." she grumbled.

Ritsuko's grin softened. "I meant that he may still like you," she said, retaining her edge of humor in her tone. "Did I scare you?"

Misato glared at her across the table. "I'll show you scary..." she growled.

Ritsuko placed her hands on her knees and straightened her back. "You're only proving my hypothesis," she teased. "Why don't you just go with your feelings? It's not like it's still eight years ago."

Misato sighed. "Nothing's changed, he's still immature," she returned.

Silence fell between them for a moment until Misato spoke again. "You look tired, she said. "I'm guessing Commander Ikari has been making you work overtime, huh?"

Ritsuko took a sip of her tea. "Something like that," she murmured softly. "I've been working on some new projects. The job of NERV's chief scientist never ends." The dummy system was still in it's infancy and would remain a secret from everyone except herself, Gendo and Fuyutsuki for now...

Misato nodded. "Yeah, I still have a lot of work to do before D-Day," she replied. "I can totally understand. Asuka and Shinji-kun only managed to really get the choreography solid yesterday."

Ritsuko took another sip of her tea. "Are you worried they might not succeed?" she asked.

Misato shook her head. "No, nothing like that," she returned. "It's just that it would have been a lot easier if Rei's Eva wasn't undergoing repairs. Shinji-kun already gets along really well with her and she's over at the apartment all the time. It just would have been easier, y'know?"

Her words elicited a soft grin from the faux blonde scientist...


Rei waited in Unit 01's holding cage for Ikari-kun to arrive. Today was the day of the battle. Despite having seen this once before she was a little nervous. Then again she had reason to be considering how everything had gone just ever so slightly differently. No... scratch that, the training and the week before the battle had been vastly different than her memories. Despite to her knowledge that Asuka and Ikari-kun had managed to get themselves prepared there was still a possibility. She frowned. She'd avoided going over to Misato's to reduce distraction for them but she had certainly missed spending time with Ikari-kun... At least when the battle was over, pending the results were successful, she would be able to resume her routine visits...

Ikari-kun entered the enormous holding room from the direction of the pilot changing rooms wearing his plugsuit and made his way over to her. "Good afternoon," she greeted him with a soft smile.

He returned her grin in kind. "Good afternoon, Ayanami," he said. "I guess this is it, huh?"

She nodded. "It is," she replied. "Don't worry. The operation will be successful."

His smile grew. "Yeah..." he said softly. "I think you're right."

The way he looked at her with those soft eyes of his... it caused her strange feelings in her chest and her cheeks to warm up. She turned back to the hulking visage that was Unit 01 and a pang of jealousy coursed through her. Even now after the talk with Asuka at sunset, some envy remained... "You should board," she replied. "I'll see you after it's over."

"Sounds good," he returned warmly.

"Good luck," she told him softly.

"Thanks..." he replied. He waited beside her for a moment as if he had more he wanted to say before he started walking toward his Eva without another word.

Rei watched him go as her heart refused to slow it's thumping and the reasoning behind it continued to elude her. It was a mystery that she was devoting ever increasing amounts of time towards. She waited until she heard the mechanical whir of his entry-plug screwing down in place in the nape of the Eva's neck before starting her walk to the command bridge. Now was not the time to think about the mysteries of human emotions, that could come later, right now a war was being fought... Maybe if she could avert Third Impact then she could ponder the meaning behind why Ikari-kun made her feel such things...


Misato stared up at the central display on the bridge. The Angel was on the move and the operation was set to commence in a matter of minutes. The ugly bastard had fused itself back into its unified form. This was expected and no cause for alarm. If they could manage to pull of the operation flawlessly then it wouldn't matter whether the Angel decided to fight as one or two entities.

"The target has broken through the final defense line in Gora," Lt. Aoba called out from his post.

Misato smirked. It was moments like this that she really loved her job. "Here it comes everybody," she declared. "We won't fail this time."

She brought up a communication window to the cockpits of both Evas. "Both of you spread your A.T. Fields as soon as the music starts then follow the operation's choreography. Are you two ready?"

"Roger," the two pilots replied in unison.

"Alright," Misato replied. "Please stand by."

"Copy that," both pilots responded as one.

"So..." Kaji spoke. Instantly her good mood received a black stain. Who on earth had led him onto the bridge? "Looks like all things are pointed toward an easy victory, no doubt due to your dedication and resolve."

"Yes indeed," she grumbled. "Looks like my determination is paying off..."

"The target has entered the mountains outside the city," Lt. Aoba called out.

Misato stared at her enemy and her eyes narrowed. Just a few more minutes and the battle would be underway...


Shinji sat in the cockpit of his Eva awaiting the launch. He would admit that he was still nervous about the operation but not as much as he was before the talk he'd had with Asuka the previous night. Strangely, there was a little piece of him that was just a bit... excited to go out and fight. It was certainly going to be an experience to operate the Eva on its full power setting. That said, that added yet another level of stakes to things... they would only have one minute up there so they had to be perfect.

They would be perfect, he told himself, they'd been training all week for this. He wasn't about to let himself screw it up...

"Just remember the moves, Shinji, full power for maximum performance," Asuka stated over the radio channel.

"I know that," he replied. "We'll be finished in less than a minute."

The bridge radioed in. "It's coming! Target entering ground zero!" Lt. Aoba called.

"Disconnect external power!" Misato cried.

The umbilical cables on both his and Asuka's Evas jettisoned. The power alarm sounded in his cockpit showing sixty two seconds of power starting to tick away. His heart skipped a beat. This was it...

"Eva launch!" Misato commanded.

Himself and Asuka shot to the surface and the music they had practiced to blared in their cockpits. They moved as one, leaping from the end of their catapults high into the air. They split the target with some kind of energy lance on the way down and set about attacking the independent halves of the Angel with rifles. The dodged energy beam after energy beam that the twin targets sent their way but their movements were flawless and in sync.

The Tokyo 3 defensive system began raining fury on the twin Angels while Shinji and Asuka set up a charge. Moving as one they delivered a simultaneous uppercut and a devastating spin kick which sent the two halves of the Angel sailing. The monster fused back together upon landing. It was time to land the final blow...

Unit 01 and Unit 02 leaped into the air side by side and came rocketing down with colossal force upon the Angel feet first. The unison drop kick landed direct hit on the twin cores and sent the Angel and the Evas themselves skidding up the hillside. Just as their batteries ran dead, the cores overloaded and the Angel detonated with the power of a small atomic explosion.

When the blinding light abated and the dust kicked up by the blast had dissipated enough for him to see, he realized that his Eva was in a heap on top of Asuka's.

"Dammit, look what you did to my Unit 02!" Asuka cried over the radio. "You could have at least stuck the landing!"

"Hey!" he retorted. "We killed it, so what's it matter?"

There was a pause. "Yeah... you got a point," the fiery redhead replied. "Tell you what, you're not too bad at this. Looks like Wonder-girl isn't totally wrong about you after all."

Shinji leaned back in his seat. After all the times during training when she'd told him how much he sucked at it, those words meant a lot. It really was... nice to receive praise for his abilities as an Eva pilot. It was strange to think about, that he could feel that way about piloting, but it was pleasant none the less."Thanks..." he returned.

He smiled. Maybe being an Eva pilot wasn't so bad after all...


Author's Notes

Well I do very much apologize about how long this one took. As I mentioned in my previous update, retail around the holidays is a huge pain in the ass. I've barely had any days off and considering other situations in my life I haven't had as much time to focus on this so please forgive me! The next two updates are going to take place between Dance Like You Want To Win and Magma Diver and will pick up immediatly following the end of the operation against Israfel so... hopefully they won't take too much time to get out. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to get it done by the end of the month so wish me luck...

This all said, this was probably the singular hardest chapter to write as of yet. The events around Israfel pretty much set the tone for how things are going forward and I'll admit that it was a bit difficult to get things set for the direction I want the story to go in. Not to mention that but... not having Gendo around is always a bummer, at least for me, considering how much I enjoy writing him.

Please let me know in your reviews what you think. Once again, apologies for the wait on this update.

Regards,

A.F.