It was on a Sunday morning that Shinji was lying on the couch vegging out in front of the TV, even though there wasn't anything on that interested him. Burke was working that day, and he said before he left that it would be very late when he returned. As he was staring at the TV, he heard the doorbell ring three or four times in rapid succession. Shinji lurched himself up and trudged over to the door. When he opened it he found a girl staring back at him. She had soft brown hair tied into two pigtails. She also wore glasses with cherry red frames. She seemed familiar to him.

"Can I help you?" Shinji asked her. The girl only smiled in reply. Another girl poked her head out from behind the first one. This girl was familiar to him, and Shinji gave a slight smile at the sight of her. "Suzuhara," he exclaimed.

"It's been a while," Sakura answered as she wormed her way around the first girl. "This is why I should have been at the door," she remarked to her.

"Sorry," she replied, "but I just wanted to see the look on puppy boy's face when he saw me." Now Shinji knew he had been called something like that before, he was certain of it, but no name was coming to mind.

"I…I should know you," he said to her. "I mean, I saw you with Asuka at the daycare center, but I feel we've met before."

"I can't believe you forgot about me," the girl replied, the false indignation apparent in her voice. "You would think that the way we met on the roof should have cemented me in your memory." Those words triggered latent memories in him and he put everything together.

"You're the girl that parachuted onto the school roof," he exclaimed. The girl gave a wide grin.

"You got it," she said.

"I think you were also talking on the phone, and you said your name," Shinji stated. "Maki, isn't it?"

"Mari," she replied, crestfallen. "Makinami Mari." She ended with a formal bow, which Shinji reciprocated.

"Now that we have been properly introduced, are you going to let us in like a good host, or leave us out here in the hallway?"

"Oh. Sorry." Shinji jumped out of the way as the two ladies came in, Sakura thanking him for letting them in. Once they were in the apartment, Mari began looking around the living room as Shinji turned to Sakura.

"So, what did you come here for Suzuhara?" he asked.

"Sakura is fine," she replied. "We just wanted to see how you were doing. It's been several months since…we last met, and we wanted to see how you are."

"I'm good. I'm doing real good," Shinji stated. Sakura sensed a little wavering in his voice.

"That's…that's good to hear," she replied.

"Um…I really should apologize to you," he said to her.

"Apologize for what?"

"Back then, you told me not to get in an Eva, and I didn't listen. I thought all of you were lying." She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's all right," she told him. "Looking back at it, I don't think we did a good job in the way we were trying to tell you everything. I believe we owe you an apology."

"Awesome music collection!" The two turned towards Mari who was on her hands and knees taking a closer look at Burke's CD collection. "Very eclectic," she remarked as she pulled one out. "I never took someone like the Vice-Commander to be fan of Queen. He always seemed to me to be a rather taciturn person."

"He's pretty easygoing," Shinji replied, "but he's serious when he needs to be." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "Where is Asuka?"

"She's not going to be joining us." Mari was still going through Burke's collection. "Do you know what she was doing when I left our apartment? She was laying on the couch in her underwear watching TV. I mean, what kind of person would do something like that on a day as nice as this?"

"Uh…I really couldn't know." Shinji coughed a little in nervousness. Mari then stood straight up, catching the other two off guard.

"Now I want to see the Vice-Commander's room," she declared with a mischievous grin on her face. Before her statement could sink in with either Shinji or Sakura, she bolted over to where she thought his room was, the other two scrambling to catch up to her. She made it to both the bathroom and Shinji's room, which Mari told them she'll get to next, before she reached Burke's room.

"You shouldn't be in here," Sakura protested. "What if he finds out?"

"It's not like I'm going to leave any evidence." She turned to Shinji. "Come on, have you entered his room when he wasn't there?"

"Well sure, but that was when I first moved in—"

"See, precedent has already been set." She looked at the pictures on the wall before she got on her stomach to look under his bed.

"He's got to have some porn," she muttered. Shinji could only shake his head in dumbfounded while Sakura planted her face into her hand. The spectacle was interrupted by the doorbell ringing again.

"Oh what now?" Shinji asked as he went off to answer to door. When he opened the door he found Miyashima and one other person from school, Shinji thought his name was Renji, standing in the doorway.

"Hey there Ikari," Miyashima greeted him.

"What are you guys doing here?" Shinji asked, more than a little nervous.

"We just want to see how you were doing," Miyashima replied. "I mean, you just leave right after school's done."

"Well, I do volunteer at the daycare center at the Wille base," Shinji replied, shifting his body by leaning between one foot and the other trying to dispel some of his nervous energy.

"I didn't know that," Miyashima replied. "Do you work there everyday?"

"No. Not everyday," Shinji answered.

"And do you need to be there today?"

"Um, no. But you see—"

"So you do have time to hang out. Mind if we come in?"

"Sure, but only for a few minutes. You see…" Shinji kept trying to explain his situation, but kept getting interrupted by Miyashima. Shinji concluded that he was out of the frying pan and straight into hell. At the same time, Mari and Sakura were peeking over a corner watching the exchange between the boys.

"Shinji looks really uncomfortable," Sakura whispered to Mari. "Like he doesn't want them here."

"I see that," Mari concurred, her face looking stern, but that sternness lasted only seconds as a mischievous smile came upon her face. She jaunted into Burke's room an opened his closet.

"What are you doing ?" Sakura struggled to keep her voice in check. Mari had taken out a dress shirt.

"Going to help him out," she answered as she removed her pigtails and loosened her hair.

"So what do you say Ikari?" Miyashima asked him. Shinji didn't know what do. He was afraid of what might happen if the guys ran into Mari & Sakura. What questions they might ask. But even more than that, he was uncomfortable around them in general, and wished they would just leave. And though he hated to admit it, he wanted the two girls to leave as well. He just wanted to be alone.

"I'm busy today, that's all," Shinji replied.

"Busy? Doing what exactly?" Miyashima asked, his voice beginning to show irritation. Shinji was about to answer when a voice called to him from across the room.

"Oh Shinji…" It was Mari's voice calling to him in a singsong fashion. He sighed as he turned his head to the voice, hoping that the encounter will go well.

"Guys, this is Mamamama…" his voice just stopped when he got a good look at her. She was leaning against the wall, her hair undone and flowing around her shoulders. She was wearing one of Burke's dress shirts, a thin one at that so that while she was covered, not too much imagination was needed to fill in the details. The shirttails barely covered below her waist, to the point where all that was required was a change of a person's angle to be able to see everything.

"Who are your friends?" She walked towards the three boys, the two who were guests transfixed on her bare and smooth legs.

"Um, well," Shinji began.

"Miyashima!" the owner of that name blurted out. "And this is um…" He turned to his companion. "Tell her your name."

"I don't know it," he stated as he kept staring at her.

"I see," Mari replied. "I hate to break it to you boys, but I'm afraid he can't join you today. I can only speak for myself, but I'm rather tired and I would think he would be too." She then made a deliberate yawn stretching out her arms and sticking out her chest. "I mean, Shinji did keep me up all night." Mari then came up and wrapped up her arms around Shinji and rested her chin on his right shoulder "I hope you understand." Shinji was turning beet red since she did not only have her arms around him, he could feel her breasts against his back. Miyashima and Renji stood there in stunned silence for several seconds.

"I think we should go," Miyashima said at last.

"Yeah, maybe we should," Renji replied as if he was in a daze. The two made their way to the door, their eyes looked on Mari, who lifted one of her arms to wave at them.

"Bye, bye," She said to them as they were closing the door. A few seconds after it was shut, Mari let Shinji go.

"Well, that went pretty good," she declared.

"What the hell was that?" Shinji turned to her. "Why are you dressed like that? Why did you say those things to them?"

"I tried to get Suzuhara to do it too," She motioned over to Sakura, who had come out in the living room. You would have become a legend with the boys at your school."

"And I said no!" By reflex, Sakura covered her chest with her arms. Shinji's face grew a darker shade of red. He turned back to Mari in an attempt to shake off that lovely, but unwanted image that popped into his mind.

"You're not listening. Why did you do this?" he asked. Her smiled lessened a little.

"Suzuhara and I thought that those boys were giving you trouble. This was our way to get them to leave."

"That was your way," Sakura corrected.

"I did want them to leave," Shinji said. "But what's going to happen when I go when I go to school tomorrow? What are they going to say?"

"Don't worry about tomorrow," Mari answered. "Let's see what we're going to do today?" Shinji cocked his head a little trying to process those last words of hers.

"What do you mean, what we're going to do today?" he asked.

"Those two had a good idea," Mari replied. "You should go out and have some fun." Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"No, I don't think it's a good idea," Shinji stated. He thought that he was done with this argument.

"Why not?" Mari asked. "You have to give an answer, and I don't think there's another half-naked woman around here to bail you out."

"It's not just them," Shinji replied sticking his thumb out towards the door. "I mean, I don't hate them or anything. It's that they make me uncomfortable, and not just them. Everyone does." He took a breath before he finished. "Even you two."

"Why?" Sakura asked. "What did we do? Is there anything we can do about it?"

"No, it's not that." Shinji went over and sat down in the couch. "It's nothing about either of you in particular, it's just that…"

"What is it?" Mari asked.

"It's…" he couldn't hold it in anymore. "It's not my world."

"Not your world?" Sakura whispered the question more to herself than to Shinji.

"The whole week since I first started school, I'm reminded of that fact almost every moment when we're not in class. 'Hey Ikari, don't you think this actress I haven't heard of is hot?' Or another day, 'Hey Ikari, what do you think about this song from this pop group that you don't know of, and even if I have heard the song, I wouldn't know it was from them?' And do you know what the worst of it is? When they use words that I haven't heard about or can't figure out in the context of where or when they said it. I am sick of it, just so sick of it."

"Have you tried to understand they were talking about?" Mari asked.

"How? Where do I start without making myself look like a complete idiot?" he asked them. Neither girl gave him an answer.

"I want to hang out with your brother," he said to Sakura. "I want to hang out with Aida. But I can't can I?" Tears were forming in his eyes as well as in Sakura's who nodded no. Mari stood there, no smile on her face. She then knelt in front of him.

"I know we can't replace them in your memory, but you could make new memories with us. What do you say?"

"Please Shinji?" Sakura took a hold of his hand. Shinji looked down at her mind clasped around his. He could feel the warmth emerging from her hand. He had forgotten that other people could be so warm. As he looked up towards Sakura, he could see the tears in her eyes.

"Okay," he said. "I'll go." A smile came upon Sakura's face.

"Really?" she asked as she wiped away her tears. Shinji nodded.

"Great," Mari said. Sakura then looked at her with a stern look.

"So are you going to put your clothes back on?" She asked her. "With that getup and the way you're kneeling, it almost look like you're going to…" She didn't finish her sentence, but turned red at the implication she was making.

"Well look at you," Mari replied. "And people say I have a dirty mind." Shinji looked between the two women not understanding what they are talking about.

"We'll leave in about an hour," she told them as she stood up. "That'll give everyone time to dry their eyes. As for me, I'm going to take a quick shower." She headed towards the bathroom. "Shinji, do have a scrub brush that I can reach my back with or are you going to come in and help me?"

"You just don't give up, do you?" Sakura asked shaking her head.

"Nope," she said as she closed the bathroom door. Shinji got up and after telling Sakura he was going to his bedroom to change. He went in and closed the door. He flopped on his bed and looked up at the ceiling reflecting on what happened and wondering if things could get any worse for him.

An hour later, the three made their way to the Third Ring as Mari declared that was where all the fun was. When they arrived, Shinji did find it to be a lively place. The first thing they did was go shopping at the various stores. Shinji was bored out of his skull watching the girls look at clothes. The only part that was worse was when Mari was trying to drag him inside a lingerie store, with both he and Sakura refusing to go in. Next, the three attended a concert put on an an amateur pop group that was being held in the plaza. Shinji didn't care much for the act, though the same couldn't be said for the people around him. Some people were really getting into it, even the girls he was with. After the concert was over, the three went off to a small cafe for a bite. During the meal, Mari was leading the conversation and Sakura was listening attentively. Shinji was listening as well, but he was putting more attention towards moving the food around his plate.

"So the princess wanted the new Unit painted red, but because it's mostly from Unit 08, I said it should be pink. So in the end as it's a dual entry system, we compromised and it's going to be painted half and half. It's going to look stupid, but at least the two of us can live with it." Sakura nodded in reply while Shinji didn't look up from his plate, which Mari noticed.

"Did my story bore you Puppy Boy?" she asked him. He looked up at her with a stern look on his face.

"Why do you call me that name?" he replied. Her eyes widened a little at the tone of his voice.

"I thought it was cute," she answered him. "Don't you agree?"

"No," Shinji answered. "I'm not a dog and I don't want to be a joke." Mari leaned back in her chair taking stock in what he said.

"I realize that, and I didn't mean you are a joke, but think about it like this. What exactly is a puppy?"

"I…I don't know what you mean?" Shinji said. "A baby dog, right?"

"True, true," she said. "But what do we know about puppies?" Shinji thought about it for a minute or so before he answered.

"They're cute," he lowered his head a little in a futile attempt to hid his embarrassment.

"Right," she stated. "They also have a lot of energy, they get underfoot, desperate for attention, whine when they don't get what they want, and they throw up on the carpet when after they chew on the house plants when you thought it would be okay to take your eyes off him for five minutes." That last part was mumbled as he she lowered her head. When she lifted it up again, she found both Shinji and Sakura staring at her.

"Anyway," she said, "the final thing is that they do grow up and that they're always loyal." She looked straight at Shinji. "I won't call you that name anymore, but I didn't mean anything bad, okay?"

"Uh, sure," Shinji was surprised at her words. Mari then stood up.

"Okay, now if everyone is done with their meals, I'll pay the bill and we'll get dessert somewhere else." They left the cafe, and walked for a while before they stopped at an ice cream stand where Mari bought cones for each of them, before they resumed their journey.

"It's pretty good," Mari remarked. "The artificial cream they use isn't that bad. Of course it doesn't compare to the real stuff."

"You've had real ice cream?" asked an impressed Sakura.

"Sure did," Mari replied. "But that was a long time ago. You could say another life even."

"So where are we going now?" Shinji asked.

"The First Ring," Mari replied. "There's some place I want to take you that's real cool," Shinji looked as Sakura, who just shrugged her shoulders at him. They took a train to the First Ring and Mari led them to Wille headquarters.

"What are we doing here?" Shinji asked.

"You'll see," she replied. The three came to a large satellite dish that was in the middle of the complex. Mari began to the climb the ladder at its base.

"Come on," she told the other two. With some reluctance, both Shinji and Sakura climbed after her. When she reached the dish proper, Mari opened the door and crawled out, they saw that Mari had taken off her shoes and was putting on a pair of roller blades.

"What are you doing?" Shinji asked her.

"What does it look like?" she replied. I'm doing some roller blading."

"But why here?" Shinji asked. "Wouldn't you be better off going to a skate park or something? I think the city has one." She didn't answer, but instead propelled herself around the dish, using the antenna to help her turn around. Soon, she was able to gain enough speed so that she could reach the edge of the dish above them. Mari grabbed that edge of the dish and using the inertia, lifted herself to spin around and land on the dish, where she soon cruised to a stop. Both Shinji and Sakura were wide-eyed at what they witnessed.

"That was amazing," Sakura exclaimed. Mari gave a mock curtsy in appreciation.

"Well what do you think?" She asked Shinji.

"Sakura's right, it is amazing," he said. "How did you learn to do something like that?"

"Lot's of practice," she replied as she glided to the bottom edge of the dish and sat down so that her legs dangled over the edge. She singled to Shinji to sit by patting the space next to her. Sakura signaled that she was going to give them some space before she climbed down the ladder. Shinji sat down beside her, his legs sticking over as well. After he got himself comfortable, Mari began to speak.

"Not too long after you were absorbed into Unit 01, there was a point where the UN confined most Nerv personnel, including the Princess and I, on board an aircraft carrier. We weren't prisoners, but we couldn't leave the ship either. The worst part of it was that there was nothing to do. You couldn't believe how boring it was. One day, the two of us happened to find a couple pairs of roller blades. We figured they must have belonged to some sailors or something. We learned quickly, but soon got tired of skating from one end of the ship to the other, so we used the ship's satellite dish to try some tricks. I can't tell you how many times the two of us wiped out attempting them. We must have spent six months skating from sunup to sundown."

"How long was everybody kept on board?" Shinji asked.

"I'd say nine months give or take a week," She replied. "Anyway, the point is that practice is the key."

"I wish I could learn something like that," Shinji said.

"What's stopping you?" she asked him. "If you want to learn something, you go ahead and learn."

"You think so?" Shinji asked. Mari nodded.

"I'd say for anything that you want to do, that your passionate about, you should pursue it," she added. Shinji then smirked.

"I never took you for being a philosopher," he said.

"Well, I'm more than a set of tits and a fine ass," she remarked. Shinji chuckled before his face resumed his usual somber look.

"The only thing I know how to do is pilot an Eva, but I can't do that anymore." Mari rubbed Shinji shoulder in comfort.

"Well, I would compare your situation to that of an athlete that got in a car crash and is now in a wheelchair," she said.

"Yeah, but the athlete knew what caused the accident," Shinji retorted. "I still don't know exactly what happened after I got absorbed into Unit 01."

"What? You weren't told what happened?" her surprise was genuine.

"Mr. Burke only gave me a vague idea, something about taking the Eva's power for myself. He didn't give me a lot of details, saying I wasn't ready yet."

"Killing with kindness," she mumbled to herself in English.

"What was that about kindness?" Shinji asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," she returned to Japanese waving it off. Shinji was unable to make any further inquiry as Mari's cell phone went off.

"It's the princess," she remarked as she looked at the screen before putting it to her ear. "Hey there," Mari said into the phone. "Yes I drank it…It didn't have your name on it…Asuka is a pretty common name. How could I know it was yours?" She had a malicious grin on her face as she said those words. "Okay, okay. I'll get you a new one on my way back…I'm seeing a friend…No, it's not him" She winked at Shinji while she put a finger to her lips to keep him quiet. "Okay, I'll see you soon." She hung up the phone and let out a breath.

"You take one bottle of juice…" she muttered to herself.

"You and Asuka seem to get along," Shinji said.

"The Princess and I have our moments," Mari replied. "We've been partners for years. It could even be argued that we're friends. But when you are partners with someone for a long, people get the funniest ideas sometimes." She chuckled to herself before continuing. "I mean, there are people who actually think the two of us are…well…'together.'"

"What do you mean by 'together?'" Shinji asked. Mari chuckled again, much louder than before and it was a few seconds before she steadied herself.

"How do I explain this? When two women love each other very much, or possibly when they get very, very drunk…" Shinji, thinking through what she said, turned red as he realized the implications of what she was saying. Seeing Shinji's reaction, she burst into laughter again for five minutes before she calmed down.

"I mean, she wouldn't know what to do with a woman if one came up and gave her a swift kick in the ass." She said. Shinji's face remained red, though it was now due to embarrassment.

"I didn't realize that was a problem" he said.

"Yeah, but it's nothing for you to worry about." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm always looking for a good laugh, and that always delivers. Besides, this probably gives you some interesting mental images for you to use some lonely night." Shinji blushed even more at her assertion. How many times today, he wondered, has his face been this red? Is it going to become permanent?

"But still, you two get along pretty well," he said when his face resumed its normal color.

"Well, we've been fighting for all these years," Mari stated. After all that, one would think that some bond would be formed."

"I see," Shinji said which he followed up by bringing his head to his knees and staring out into space. Mari noticed the change in his demeanor.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Well, it's that I sometimes get the feeling that I should have been with you guys instead of where I am now, fighting on the Wunder." Mari stared at him for a few moments before she asked him a question.

"Do you think it would have been better if you were with us?" He shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"No one would hate me," he added looking down at his knees, "and I still would be friends with Asuka and Misato. Part of me wishes I was with you guys all these years." He didn't see Mari scrunch her face when he mentioned being hated.

"Based on what happened, it was better for you not to be there," she said. "Look, those have formed some strong and unique bonds, bonds that you can't relate to, as you haven't had those experiences."

"Then it's hopeless," Shinji declared. Mari answered to that by taking him by the shoulders and shoving him onto the floor of the dish, the two face to face with each other.

"The hell it is! Just because you don't have the same experiences, doesn't mean you can't have bonds with them." Her face softened and while she still held him down, she lessened her force on his shoulders. "I mean, I'd like to think we're getting along pretty well, don't you agree?"

"I...I guess so," he replied. Mari let go of his shoulders.

"I know so," she stated. "And you know, you can forge bonds with people you don't know, and I think you should too." She smiled at him, not her all knowing or trolling smile, but a real genuine smile.

"I…I'll try," Shinji said. Mari then pulled him up and gave him a hug, the last thing Shinji expected. By this time Sakura had come back. She signaled to Mari asking if it was okay to come back. Mari, over Shinji's shoulder, nodded yes. She let go of him for a few seconds before she put her arm over his shoulder.

"All right, we've had a long day, so let's get you back home." She said. When the three made it back to Burke's place. Mari looked around until she found several sheets of paper, on one of them she began writing.

"This is the address of where the Princess and I are living. I'm expecting you to come visit us sometime," she said as she handed him the paper. "Don't worry, I'll keep the princess at bay."

"Sure," Shinji replied. Sakura took one of the sheets and began to write as well.

"I'm not there too often as I usually have duties on board the Wunder whether she's in port or not. But if you catch me at the right time, I'd be happy to welcome you."

"Thanks," Shinji said as he took the paper from her. Mari then began to write on another sheet.

"And this," she finished writing on a third sheet," is he Captain's. No one is expecting you to visit her or anything, I just thought you'd like to have it." She handed him the paper."

"Oh," he said as he took the paper. "Okay."

"Well, I guess we should get going." Mari stated as she turned to leave, but before she did, she darted in and kissed Shinji at the corner of his mouth. Once again he blushed beet red at her actions.

"See you around sweetie," She told him before she went out the door.

"Bye," Sakura, who had a fair shade of red herself, said as she followed Mari out. Shinji stood there, feeling the heat coming from his cheek and wondering if the blush is now permanent. He went back to the couch and sat down, trying to process the events of the day.

A few days later, Burke was in his office when he received a video call from Mari.

"Makinami," he said to her. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"Just wanted to say hi," he replied. "Did Shinji tell you that Suzuhara and I visited him on Sunday?"

"Sure did," Burke answered her. "He won't say it, but he really appreciated you two coming to see him, and I appreciate it as well. I haven't been able to get a lot of free time, and I didn't want him hanging around in the apartment all day."

"No problem," Mari said. "Did he happen to get my present?" She was referring to the pair of roller blades, helmet and pads that came with it.

"It arrived yesterday," Burke said. "I'm sure if you listen carefully, you could hear repeated thudding from where my apartment is. I hope he hasn't broken anything." She chuckled for a few moments before her tone changed and as she spoke again.

"That day, we were able to have a long talk, and he mentioned that he still hasn't been told about his role in Third Impact, that you only gave him a vague idea. Why haven't you told him after all these months?" Burke bit down on his lip.

"He's not ready," was his reply.

"He's got to know sometime, and he has to be told," she stated.

"You've seen how he is," Burke leaned towards the screen. "You've seen all the good that has happened to him since he arrived. Tell him too soon, and you'll see all of that disappear. Do you want that to happen?"

"But if he isn't told, he'll never truly move forward," she countered. "It is the final obstacle he has to face, so it has to happen sooner or later." Burke was about to yell at her, but stopped himself.

"I just don't want to destroy what peace he has achieved. I'm not trying to keep him in the dark on purpose. Besides, if you're so concerned, why didn't you tell him?"

"He needs to hear it from someone he trusts and whom he has no baggage with. Personally, I think you're the best guy for the job." A light smile came across his face.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," he said. "I'll take your points under consideration, and I'll discuss this with the Commander, see what he thinks."

"Very well," but I'll be keeping an eye on your progress. Later." She closed out with a wink before the screen went blank. Burke leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face. He realized that she had a point, but she wasn't the one that would have to deal with the consequences. He and the Commander would be the ones, figuring not only how this would affect the Arbiter Plan, but how it would affect Shinji himself. He could only hope that Makinami would wait before she would take matters into her own hands.