Rei

Images flashed. Memories. Orange fluid. Floating. Dr. Akagi looking down at her with pride. Commander Ikari looking up at her with a strange smile. A smirk. A dozen people addressing her while looking at screens and clipboards.

The test that went wrong. Unit-00 went berserk. She watched the hands flash out. Her own body recoiled and bent to follow as the monstrous machine fought itself. She never screamed for help. It had hurt. She'd gotten disoriented. The pilot had expected to die. The entry plug shot out of the Eva, smashing against the ceiling. The crashes and scrapes nearly deafened her. Bones snapped. Her hands lost feeling as they gripped the controls. Each muscle tightened.

She never screamed.

Suddenly, there had been light. Twitching in agony, Rei forced her head up to see. Commander Ikari pushed into the entry plug, yelling her name. He'd burned his hands to get to her.

Commander Ikari came to see her often. He went out of his way to speak to her. He smiled around her. Others complained that he never seemed at peace.

More images.

A filthy apartment. A wastebin overfilled with bandages. Layers of dust. Mold in the sink. How had she lived like that? Why? It looked as if she haunted the place rather than lived in it. She'd never even bothered to get the mail. The only proof of life were the marks of her footsteps. She'd often marched through the room after her showers without drying properly. A few undergarments hung near the bed, though they only made the room seem more neglected. Whoever lived in this squalid place barely lived.

Who was Ayanami Rei? Why had she done this?

Orange. Floating. The scent of blood. Reflections. Her own face floated around her, mirrored by the dozen. Several Ayanami Reis floating. Commander Ikari. He smiled. The smile remained as he glanced around the room. From one Ayanami, to another. His grin belonged to each Ayanami Rei, his beloved achievement. They all smiled back, their faces frozen in lobotomized joy.

A cup fell to the floor. Commander Ikari's office. She'd choked to death. Commander Ikari had killed her. He hadn't liked the changes that had started in her.

Commander Ikari: creator, savior, murderer. Narcissist, coward, leader.

Changes? What changes had angered him? How had Ayanami Rei changed?

A flash of steel. A streak of orange. Green-and-black checkers. Intense. Terrifying. Emotional.

One of them frighted her. The rest became furious on her behalf. Some teased her. Some did favours for her. They included her. When they felt she'd been wronged, they became angry at the wrongdoer. Zenitsu, the first and only person who ever showed genuine regret to her. She'd never seen anyone regret something so hard as he'd regretted attacking her.

She deserved the apology. What a strange though? Since when had the girl been worth attention, let alone an apology? When had that changed? The Slayers were involved, somehow.

Tanjiro. Asuka. Katsuragi. Inosuke. Shinji. Zenitsu. They said that she belonged to their team. That'd been new. Why?

Zenitsu had once feared her. Doubted her. Why?

Gendo killed her. Why?

It had started with a request. Dr. Akagi looked shocked, then confused, but she agreed. Rei and Zenitsu shared a blood type. She took an injection. How would it affect her?

Higher scores. Stronger feelings. Terror. Bewilderment.

Smiling faces. Tanjiro and Inosuke glowered in battle. They'd called her an Angel Slayer. Hadn't they?

"Who is Ayanami Rei?"

The sound of choked gurgles filled her ears. Suddenly, she had a body. The girl spiralled slowly down through water. Moonlight illuminated the endless ocean. Nearby, Tanjiro struggled, drowning as a reflection of himself, with the checkered pattern covering his body, pulled him deeper into the abyss.

Rei blinked. Suddenly, Tanjiro seemed further. The sound of struggle gave way to the sound of rushing water. Her head broke the surface of the Sea with a thunderous splash.

She gasped the fresh night air, face heavenward. The clear sky held many stars and a glowing half moon. Though they shone brilliantly, they offered little to the darkness. Still, the water around her shimmered. A white light seemed to shine in every direction.

Slowly, Ayanami Rei collected her thoughts. The girl understood what she saw. She stood in the water. The infinite ocean only reached as high as her thighs. She felt nothing solid beneath her feet, but no fear came to her. She wouldn't sink.

The girl saw a small dot beneath the water. So distant. It struggled, thrashing about in some distant battle. Tanjiro. The Slayer fought his demon, drowning as it pulled him into the darkness of his own mind.

The girl reached down to him. Some part of her, deep within her mind, recoiled in terror at the sight of her own skin. White as snow, glowing brighter than the moon. Naked. Impossibly smooth. Not a wrinkle, callous, line, or hair. Beautiful was the wrong word. She had become something other.

Frightened though she was, she plunged her hand into the water. She wanted to save her teammate. Her hand drove into the water. Massive waves spread from her hand with a roar. They'd continue in every direction forever, she knew. If all the world were this ocean, those waves would grow and spread until a single, cataclysmic tsunami encircled this point.

Rei's hand found Tanjiro. Gently, she pulled him away from the demon. The ugly reflection retreated, swimming down into the blackness.

As she stood up, two visions played. Her glowing, slender hand lifted Tanjiro from the water, where he vomited water and a black, tar-like substance into her palm. Next, the sound of distant waves became the roar of churning water. Harsh sunlight replaced the night sky. Her hand became the half-organic appendage of the Evangelion. Tanjiro lay in her palm. Immobile. Bleeding.

The still night and violent day switched several times.

Ayanami Rei took a deep breath, then released it. The night remained. She held a living Tanjiro.

More images: a room of paper and tatami. A white giant clone of herself. It had trembled and shook and writhed. It had wanted her.

Now, she'd become the giantess. She felt neither fear, doubt, nor worry. She understood that she'd been in Tanjiro's consciousness, trapped with him.

Distantly, noises reached her. Shrieks. Screams. Shooting stars flew above her. Something was happening in the real world. Sorrow, tragedy, death. The screams seemed familiar. The same she'd seen. The impossibly senseless.

An Angel. Whatever else had happened out there, an Angel had appeared once again. What had the Angel done to Tanjiro's body?

Rei tried to understand. She shone brighter than the heavens and stood taller than the monsters she'd fought and piloted, at least, she did in this world. What had the Angel done to her body within this strange dream?

Images. A red lance. Orange fluid. Commander Ikari smirking.

An answer hid within it all. In the quiet night, deep within the abyss created by the Angel, Ayanami Rei did something for the first time: she considered how she felt in the situation.

My name is Rei. A common name. It can mean both 'zero' and 'bow'. It suggests obedience, lowliness, humility. Born in the blood of Angels, shaped by the greed and grief of humans. A girl designated to be alone, created by lonely people. She didn't know herself, for the people who designed her didn't try to know others. They sought something else: forced unity. If all humans came together in a collective conscious experience, then they would surely understand each other. Right? Would it not be better for all people's thoughts to merge and play off each other, like ripples in water? People could not destroy each other if they were bonded. Right?

They'd sought such a world. The power to forge this world lay hidden within Ayanami Rei. The prototype. The Key.

Together. Many minds sharing thoughts. No privacy. No separation. One mind with many thoughts. Some viewed this world as ideal. Rei had never questioned it. She'd never understood it. Now, as she thought, an alternative appeared.

The alternative had entered Tokyo-3 with a boar mask, a flash of lightning, and a dragon of water.

The way they lived intrigued her. She'd felt excitement. But, just as the girl became excited to live, her life ended.

Rei had died, but she clung to the world. Her soul had simply moved. She'd first been created to bring about Instrumentality. Though there were so many copies of herself, there could only ever be one Rei at any moment. One collection of memories, impulses, and desires, unique unto herself. Somehow, the girl existed within the fractured consciousness of Tanjiro Kamado.

More images flashed. These were not her memories. A strange way of life played out before her. Limited technology. Life in snow. The grief of loss. Desperation. Terror. Tooth, claw, and sword. A life played out in a blink. She saw it all as he'd seen it.

As she understood Tanjiro's life, tears began to fall. Not for his pain, but for all those things he'd experienced which she'd never imagined. Those faces. Shinobu. Rengoku. Colourful warriors. Incredible people. They screamed, argued, fought, and disagreed. The discord was frequent, the personalities intense. Yet, they lived for each other. The bond these undeniably broken people shared seemed impossible.

The people of Nerv were broken. Grief had stolen much of their lives. They retreated into themselves. They became stoic. They hid behind their work, their hobbies, alcohol, or whatever had been at hand. These people, though, hid nothing. Those few who hid something were most in pain. They received pity.

Rei recalled hearing Dr. Akagi explain something called the hedgehog's dilemma. It stated that the closer people got to each other, the more they hurt themselves. In Tanjiro's memories, she saw people unbothered by this. Everyone had their own goals, their own desires. They worked toward them. Naturally, other people came in and out of their lives. Ambition remained the goal, always. People formed fast friendships. Tanjiro, especially, committed his care and attention often to those he barely knew. Despite his work and lofty goals, he happily stepped off his own path to help others.

The whole thing looked like a hectic game of pinball. People bounced off each other. Personalities clashed. Misunderstandings occurred. Arguments boiled. Things were noisy. But they weren't complicated. Although the feuds were great and numerous, so were the bonds.

How often had Rei returned to Unit-00? How often had she undergone some test she didn't understand for Commander Ikari? For so long, she'd never considered her own feelings. 'Rei' means 'bow'. Supplication. She'd had a function to follow. But that wasn't the full truth. In all those memories of Gendo smiling upon her, she'd smiled back. She had enjoyed his attention. His had been the only smile she had known.

Aside from Gendo, the extent of emotions she'd seen had been the furrowed brows of frustration, the gaping eyes of terror, and the bemused smirks of being proven correct. Commander Ikari had been the only one to offer something positive. He'd directed positive energy to her.

How little it seemed now, however. Commander Ikari had an interest in her success. He'd seen her as someone he'd modeled.

Shinji had gone out of his way for her. He'd gone to her house and cleaned. He'd insisted that her place become more comfortable. Zenitsu had become racked with guilt after frightening her. She'd been the apologies. Never before had she considered someone who deserved apologies. Yet, everyone had been angry with Zenitsu on her behalf. She hadn't understood.

Now, when she was nothing more than a ghost, Rei finally grasped it. She was human. Thus, she retained the basic right to be treated as such. The way Tanjiro and his friends came to see her as an equal. Tanjiro had worked to save her.

The girl had searched for Tanjiro after that Angel battle on the coast. Adrenaline had coursed through her as she searched for Zenitsu, Tanjiro, and Inosuke. Those three were teammates. Friends. So long as she could move, so long as there was a chance, she would have done anything to save them.

She valued them. She liked being around them. They shared experiences. She wanted to have more days with them.

Tanjiro continued to heave in the palm of her hand. Rei tried to focus.

One more image. Muzan, in one final attempt to escape death, attempted to possess Tanjiro. In that moment, something had invaded the warrior. He'd been held down within his own consciousness, left to fade out of existence inside himself. But then, he'd been called back by those around him.

This time, much more occurred.

Rather than a sea of his own memories, Tanjiro dealt with an Angel. One beast attempted to corrupt his mind and consume his body. The other sought to eat his mind and steal his body. Amidst this, Ayanami Rei somehow found herself standing within his mind.

The boy suffered. Angel and demon roiled within him, seeking to claim his body.

Finally, Ayanami realized the truth. She and Tanjiro had united. Her consciousness had been some germ within Tanjiro. The Angel had awakened her. The frightening colossus of herself had been her true power. The girl had been scared. She wanted to experience life as a person. She had simple curiosity. Yet, she'd been designed to bring the human race to another stage. She had power to change the world. She needed to accept that power. Ayanami Rei could not have a normal life. But she could decide what she did with the power she possessed.

What of Tanjiro, then?

The seed of his demonic half had remained within him since that failed possession. He'd struggled against it for days as it tried to weaken him. Now, she held more power in this place.

It wasn't Tanjiro's mind. This was a new space. They shared it, the same way they had begun to share thoughts. Her and Tanjiro's consciousnesses were nearly merged, a sort of Instrumentality. If she had her own body, she could bring about the world Gendo wanted.

She had the power to do so. Ayanami Rei: the girl with the power to decide. What did she want to do?

For now, she wanted to help a friend.

Rei bent her knees, lowering herself into the sea. She was careful to hold Tanjiro above the water. Her free hand searched the darkness below. Eventually, her hand found the offender. She gripped the beast. It clawed and slashed at her fingers, but it was no worse than the thrashings of an insect. Her hand closed on the monster. She stood up again.

The demonic Tanjiro wriggled in her closed fist. It snarled and swore and jeered. From the way it fumed, the demon seemed to have a misunderstanding. It seemed to think that Rei, the girl with blue hair and a soft voice, and Rei, the Moonlight Giantess, were two separate entities. Not so. The giantess only seemed different because Rei hadn't accepted her.

She wondered how many people had a similar issue. Her potential had been so near for so long, but she hadn't recognized it. It seemed monstrous. It intimidated her and scared others. Now, Ayanami Rei had power.

Rei was the daughter of Adam and Lilith. This strange, angelic figure was her true identity. Only now, she'd realized it. Like the Angels, there was one crucial, infinitesimal piece of her which wasn't human.

She would not let that bother her. Ayanami Rei had decided to be human. Regardless of what had happened to her, some piece of Ayanami Rei had remained. The girl would value the feelings she'd discovered. She looked forward to seeing what she could do.

Rei held her hands close together. The demon's shrieks attracted Tanjiro's attention. The Slayer heaved, then looked to his evil reflection. Ayanami Rei squeezed one hand. With a wet crunch, the night became silent. Tanjiro watched as Rei washed her hand in the ocean.

The swordsman had finally stopped retching. He stared at her hand. Soon, he looked up at her. His expression showed confusion.

He thought. She felt his thoughts.

What's happening?

"I don't know," she replied. As soon as she'd spoken it, she knew it had been unnecessary. They shared thoughts.

This setting, the gentle night with a full moon and an ocean, came from her. The bathhouse and tatami labyrinth arose from Tanjiro's mind. This expanse, with infinite placidity in all directions, reflected her own soul. Oceans without islands. A sea without fish.

It was beautiful. Barren, but beautiful. In the moment, that was enough.

Tanjiro brought her back to the moment. She felt his confusion.

Are you Rei?

Yes. This is what I was made to become.

They looked to each other. Memories flowed between them. Every feeling and consideration either had ever felt rushed to the other.

After several seconds, Tanjiro lay back, spread his limbs in her palm as if he were making a snow angel, and sighed.

I'm dead, aren't I?

I don't think your heart's stopped.

Oh?

Tanjiro gazed up at the moon.

I don't think I've felt so peaceful in a while. The final demon is dead. I should focus on defeating the last Angels, I know. There are still people who need my help. I should—

Rest. We should both rest, if only for a moment.

As she thought it, she realized why she did so. The girl was tired. After all that had happened, she wanted a moment to breathe. Finally, she could relax. In the grips of the Angel, dead, talking to a ghost of a man, she felt at peace for the first time. The water felt comfortable. The stars calmed her. Even the silence gave her peace.

Tanjiro stared upward also.

Their minds cleared. Instincts began to appear to Rei. Somehow, the giantess knew that she could take Tanjiro's body. She held his soul, his consciousness, in her palm. Rei could take control. Drown him within himself, rise to the surface as Muzan once attempted. She'd be able to have the full power she'd been designed to wield.

If she so wished, she could bring about Instrumentality.

But is that what you want?

Tanjiro looked up at the girl with red eyes. She looked back down to him.

I have no complaints if I die. But is that what you want? To fulfill the wishes of someone who saw you as a tool? You've discovered an incredible power within yourself. You seem like someone who wants to help people. You're a great friend. Whatever you decide, I think you'll do the right thing.

She looked at him. Kamado Tanjiro smiled as if he'd never experienced pain. His trust never wavered, his faith never faltered, and his ambition never ceased.

The girl searched once again through his thoughts. Suddenly, she saw why Inosuke and Zenitsu had spoken so highly of him. Tanjiro wasn't a realistic person. He seemed too good. A real person makes mistakes. Loses hope. Questions the purpose of everything, the validity of effort. Tanjiro had felt despair. In the beginning, he'd felt grief and weakness. Yet, since then, he'd persevered. He'd charged forward, working improve himself so he could help others. He did as he wanted without being selfish. His defeats never dissuaded him. When he seemed to make no progress, he pushed onward. Training. Training. Again. Again. Never stopping.

No wonder his friends adored him. No wonder Nerv doubted him. Everyone could look at Tanjiro and see something technically possible. A person could, theoretically, work that hard. A person could, technically, persevere no matter what. People had the capacity to never give up, never be dissuaded. He wasn't selfish or arrogant. Nothing hindered his joy or ambition. His energy never faded beneath layers of apathy.

Tanjiro was not a realistic person. Yet, as Rei saw all he'd experienced, she admired him. Here was a person worth admiring.

She didn't want him to die.

So, Ayanami Rei decided. She would make an unrealistic decision, for no reason other than she wanted it.

Tanjiro's calm changed into wonder.

The girl did not want Tanjiro to die, but she also refused to die herself. If the world had lost all reason, she would inhabit that chaos, utilize it the way Tanjiro had utilized his blade. Ayanami Rei would live and experience life.

"Are you willing to try this?" she asked, putting forth the effort to speak into the night. "It may only bring pain."

Again, Tanjiro smiled. "If I don't accept. You'll probably die. That'd be too sad for me to consider. We'll figure it out as we go."

Ayanami Rei nodded. She placed one hand beneath the other. Slowly, she placed them on her chest. Tanjiro molded into her. Two consciousnesses fully merged. Two people became one.

They had one shared goal, as unattainable as it was poorly defined: save their friends.

Suddenly, the night vanished. Within the Angel known as the Sea of Dirac, a pair of red eyes shone in the darkness.

Inosuke

The self-taught warrior stared at the shadow. He stomped back and forth, staring at it. He'd never moved. Though the minutes passed, he remained. The Evas should be coming any time now. Let them come to him. Inosuke would not move.

Part of him wanted to dive into the blackness, but he could not. He knew that something lay beneath which he could not defeat.

So, he waited, and he wept. Beneath the mask, the boar snivelled and cried. What monster attacked sick people? How could it destroy the medicine? How many people were approaching recovery, only to fall into this pit? How many visitors were enjoying moments with loved ones, only to be consumed? Most warriors let hospitals and sick bays alone.

Once, Inosuke would not have cared. Now, he wept. It was too sad. The Nerv people would have pissed him off in that moment. They could just let these things happen. He didn't like that. He preferred to scream and wail as he did his work. That seemed the most human way to do it.

Dammit, where were the Evas? They should be here! Did they want to save anyone or not?

The silence continued.

"Gonpachiro," Inosuke muttered as the sunset continued, "you better not be dead this time. Come on… Come on…" Inosuke tapped his sandal on the asphalt. "Come on!"

He froze. Was there another Angel? Inside Nerv. Elsewhere. Was there some other battle? Should he move?

Suddenly, the sphere above trembled.

Inosuke snapped to face it.

One spot of the black-and-white marble began to redden. Fire and blood spurted out. A sword of flame carved through the Angel. The beautiful crimson slashed downward, outshining the sunset and leaving a trail of raining blood. The liquid never snuffed the flame. Soon, the blade slashed sideways. The Angel split and fell, disintegrating as the shadow vanished.

A silhouette fell, barely visible in the thick mist of blood.

"Yes!" Inosuke wailed, fresh tears falling. At that moment, he realized Tanjiro was falling toward asphalt from several hundred metres in the air.

"Shit!" Inosuke sprinted ahead. From that height, Tanjiro could die. That couldn't happen. Not after all this. But he was too far. Inosuke couldn't make it in time.

But Tanjiro didn't crash.

Suddenly, a few meters from the ground, Tanjiro halted. The blood rain fell past him, leaving him floating alone. Inosuke slowed, then stopped. He felt weak. The self-taught warrior croaked out a weak, "Oi…"

Glowing orange lines had sprouted from Tanjiro's back. They looked like the bones of a bird's wings. These shimmering, LCL-coloured wings didn't move. He floated, arms suspended, legs together, with immobile wings.

Inosuke took a better look at his friend. Tanjiro was coated with red. Only patches of his skin and hair were visible. His skin had grown paler, turning a snowy white instead of sickly yellow. Tanjiro opened his eyes. They'd turned bright red. Slowly, the skeletal wings folded inward. Tanjiro descended until his feet touched the asphalt.

Inosuke stared. The hell was this? He raised his remaining sword with a shaking hand. "Tan— Tan— Gonpachizenichijiro? Is that you?"

The person who should have been Tanjiro sheathed their blade. "It's difficult to explain," Tanjiro's voice said. "Are there any other Angels here?"

"I don't know. It's only been a few minutes since the hospital got swallowed."

The new Tanjiro looked to the empty space where the shadow had been. "Those poor people…" Sadness turned to righteous fury. Tanjiro's faced changed through a bunch of different emotions, like he was on both sides of a quick, intense discussion.

Inosuke reached toward him, "Oi, are you—"

"There's no time. We're going into Nerv. We need to reach Lilith."

Ritsuko

*Earlier*

Nephilim breathed within their LCL pillar. They folded their hands as if in prayer. The laughter of the Reis ceased. Their vacant smiles twitched into glazed stares.

Misato began inching toward the elevator. She tapped Ritsuko on the arm. "Something's wrong."

"Something's been wrong ever since the Second Impact. Be more specific, Major."

The Rei clones stretched their limbs. Fingers moved. From there, hands turned on wrists. The clones seemed to be getting used to their bodies.

The Major looked frightened. Too bad, Ritsuko thought. Everyone was frightened. She could hardly think of a moment she hadn't felt some kind of terror or despair since the Second Impact. The doctor had drowned it beneath excessive work hours, playing with words, and some sex. Misato was no better. She'd hid it all beneath alcohol, sex, and the charity case which was Shinji Ikari.

Ritsuko would end the need for such pretending.

Nephilim said, "Is Gendo Ikari in Nerv now?"

Misato took another step back, her hand inching toward the gun at her hip. Ritsuko replied, "He's in a meeting now."

Nephilim smiled. The choir of Reis smiled. "Excellent."

"What are you doing, Nephilim?" Misato asked.

Nephilim's grin spread. "I hate Nerv with all my heart."

"Enough stalling," Ritsuko ordered. "Can you achieve Instrumentality or not?"

Nephilim shook their head. The choir of Rei clones righted themselves. Instead of floating every way, they all 'stood' with their feet on the ground. They pressed their palms against the glass and began to smile. The vacancy had left. Now, a violent glee shone in their eyes.

"We've wasted enough time on you."

Suddenly, Nephilim's veins bulged. Flecks of something shimmered in the LCL around him. The green-haired clone pointed to the speaker. From it, a voice yelled: "Pattern within Nerv! Confirmed blue! There's an Angel inside Nerv!"

Instantly, Misato grabbed Ritsuko's wrist and ran. Ritsuko stumbled behind. Nephilim had played them. They had waited until an Angel attacked the surface. While all Nerv's weapons and attention focused on one attack, Nephilim attack from within.

With one motion, Nephilim and every Rei raised both their fists. Crackles of electricity sprung from each hand as they rushed down. Misato called the elevator as the glass burst outward. A small army of naked Rei clones flopped out onto the broken glass. They chuckled again. This time, it was a dark, malicious, chiding laughter. Red mixed with orange as their blood flowed from glass wounds. Even Nephilim crunched bare feet over glass shards. He didn't seem to notice.

"My mother died because one fool didn't like it when she made her own decisions. She died for wanting to have a life. Such a monster will not be allowed to shape the world. I will happily burn down your paradise if it is the paradise Gendo Ikari chose."

The Rei clones marched with him. Some stumbled. Some bled. None slowed.

Misato fired. Bullets struck a few clones. They jerked and stumbled. But they didn't die.

The major sent her last two bullets at Nephilim. They bounced with a metallic clang a few inches from his body. An AT Field.

How long? Ritsuko wondered. Had the Angel come down long ago, infected a Rei clone, and played off her research? Had an Angel recently infected Nephilim? It didn't matter. An Angel stood inside Nerv, less than a kilometre from Lilith.

The elevator opened. Misato wordlessly dragged Ritsuko inside.

Suddenly, Nephilim's hand struck out. It happened instantaneously. Two flashes of lightning. Two clones gripped Ritsuko, eyes gaping wide. They snickered and giggled in demented euphoria.

"No," Ritsuko mumbled.

All her work had ended. Even if Nerv failed. She wouldn't be able to see their goal achieved.

The Angels were cruel.

Ritsuko felt no terror. In the moments before certain death, she felt calm. With each Angel, she'd known death might take her. Now, after all her meddling, it'd be hypocritical to say it surprised her. Death had been a risk all members of Nerv accepted. So be it.

"Misato. Sorry for everything."

Suddenly, Ritsuko jumped with the clones' pull. As they tumbled out of the elevator, she smacked the button to close the door. Misato screamed after her, but the Major had enough of a brain to focus on her duty.

The clones pulled her into the still-growing pool of LCL. Ritsuko shut her eyes. The Rei clones chattered and chuckled. Electricity hummed. Wet footfalls splashed in LCL fluid. "I'm surprised. You did something selfless."

She didn't respond. The scientist tried to clear her mind. The effort failed. Of all things, she remembered the last dinner she'd had at Misato's apartment. A simple gathering over dinner. Surrounded by people. The food had been awful, but she'd enjoyed herself.

Ritsuko remembered that last time she experienced genuine laughter. She focused on the memory as several hands brough down glass shards.