Tabris paced around his small prison area. He had been locked here for 10 long years, able to do nothing more than watch Shinji from afar. He had watched the boy grow from an awkward, uneasy adolescent to a quiet, mild-mannered man. Shinji had become so handsome, his lanky limbs had grown gracefully and his face had filled out, mimicking his father's slightly, but still retained his mother's softer looks. With each passing day, Kaworu longed to be with him. Tabris's heart ached in his chest, he was lonely and he so badly wanted to be with Shinji again.

After all this time, the ache only deepened; Tabris had forgotten what it was to live without constant heart ache. Now he was like a trapped animal, bound by God's will, never to leave, forced to watch for eternity. He felt his mind burning at the very idea of never touching Shinji again, the idea that he hadn't been with the single soul he was meant to love for ten years. Shinji seemed to have made out well enough, but there were times when Shinji would stare at the sky, small tears streaming down his face and his lips would form Tabris's Lillum name. Each time that Shinji said his name, Kaworu wanted to go to him, hold him, run his fingers through that soft brown hair and stare endlessly into those soul revealing blue eyes.

Tabris was surprised that Shinji still thought about him all this time. It made his heart sing and sting at the same time. He didn't want Shinji to feel the same spirit-crushing emotion that Tabris dealt with everyday. But Shinji still thought of him. That kept a small flame of hope glowing inside Tabris. This small flame kept him from losing his mind and giving up entirely.

But that didn't take away the fact that Tabris was trapped. He had stared at the same cold walls for ten years. He hadn't seen real light in ten years. Every passing day wore on him deeper and deeper until the walls began to close in and he simply couldn't take anymore. The day he saw Shinji on his rooftop, thinking just about him, Tabris lost all sense of control. Tabris stopped his constant pacing and fell to his knees, screaming. His thoughts too much to bear. He pounded the floor with balled fists and his wings beat furiously around him.

Let me go!!! I'm the Angel of Free Will! That free will is what made me chose Shinji Ikari over You! Do You hear that! I chose a weak Lillum boy over the Almighty. And I chose him again. Free me! I want to be with him! Tabris screamed to God, he ragged harsh cries demanding attention.

I chose him! I chose him! Let me out of here! Tabris stood up and began pounding on the walls, wishing they would give way.

He sank to the ground, utterly defeated. Please let me go. I would trade immortality for him. I can't stand it here. I love him, he sobbed into his hands, wet tears dampening his pale porcelain cheeks.

A soft warm feeling washed over him. Tabris inhaled deeply as the feeling consumed his body. He watched in shock and awe as his wings slowly turned from white to gray to black. The black feathers began to drop and covered the ground around his feet. Tabris stood naked, vulnerable as the walls around him lifted and a bright, white light engulfed him. Tabris shielded his eyes and when the light cleared, he found himself laying naked in a barren apartment room.

He blinked, staring at what was around him. The room was shoddy and old. The air around him was cold and he pulled his knees up to his chest, reaching the best he could for a blanket. He stood on shaky legs and pushed aside blinds and stared out a window. The sun shone brightly on his face through the window, warming his face. Baby blue sky's were dotted with pure white clouds. Beneath him, people swarmed like insects, rushing through their busy days. Tabris sank to the ground, unable to think or even blink.

He was back on Earth. God had taken away all of his angelic powers, making him now Kaworu, nothing more than a mortal man. He was human, truly and purely human for the first time in his life. He had been given a second chance and this time there was no assignment, no immanent destruction of humanity.

Kaworu took a deep, lung filling breath and ran to a mirror. He had aged to reflect his Lillum age. He stared in wonder at his reflection, his body had filled out and he had become quite tall. Faintly toned muscles made him seem less skinny as he had been as a boy. He smiled at himself, running his fingers through his silver hair, his scarlet eyes rimmed with tears.

He scrambled to find clothes and ran outside, taking a deep breath of air and restrained himself from running and dancing in sheer joy. He strolled jubilantly down the street and couldn't wait to find Shinji again. His entire heart swelled with the thought of seeing him again.

As he was walking, he felt himself grabbed by the arm and drug into an alley way. Kaworu jerked his arm away from the man that had grabbed it.

Who are you? Kaworu asked, unable to make out a face on the tall dark man that stood sheathed in shadow.

Since you're here now, there are some guidelines you must follow. If you do not agree to these conditions, you will return to Heaven and will be a powerless angel, understood? the man told him, curtly. Kaworu nodded silently, waiting to hear what exactly the guidelines are.

You are Kaworu Nagisa again. You have been provided with an apartment and a small bank account. Any record of your previously existing as the 17th angel, Tabris, has been eradicated. As a result, no one has a single memory of your previous existence. You must establish relationships on your own, provide your own income. You're on your own, Kaworu. Good luck, The man faded into the background, leaving Kaworu at a loss for words.

If nobody remembered him, that meant Shinji had lost all memories of him. Wait! Come back! Kaworu shouted down the now empty alley way. The man was gone and Kaworu was left, a fallen angel that not a soul remembered.

Kaworu made his way home and he found himself more depressed than he ever had been as an angel. At least as an angel, Shinji knew who he was. The memories of his existence were gone. He existed again, but to whom?

Shinji shot awake in his bed, his heart pounding and with the sick feeling of sweat running down his back. He looked at his alarm clock, seeing it read 3 am. He wasn't sure what had woken him up; he couldn't remember having a nightmare or anything disturbing him. He laid back down, his hands shaking and his breath unsteady. He had the uncanny feeling that he had forgotten something, and for the life of him, couldn't remember what. As he lay in bed, he ran his mind through his work schedule, various birthdays and anniversaries, what bills he had paid, groceries he had purchased. He hadn't forgotten anything, but the feeling remained. He brushed it aside, figuring he put his house key in a different spot than usual. Just the same, it was nothing important.