Chapter 3 With Friends Like These
Gendo Ikari paced through the cold metal corridors of terminal dogma, gloved hands clasped behind his back and a glare hidden behind his shades. The mask he wore concealed his true feelings, a strange combination of dread and annoyance.
After watching his son's surprising performance in the battle against the Angel, he would have to meet the people he truly considered to be more antisocial and despicable than himself. In a seemingly never ending battle of wits with the witless.
He entered the conference room quickly sitting at his desk and flicking a switch underneath that turned on the fluorescent white lights attached to it. He was surrounded by 9 glowing monoliths each a different color to distinguish one from another.
It was a primitive intimidation tactic to keep them anonymous; it never worked on him and he believed they were under no illusion it did. Finally after a long and tense silence the red monolith across from Gendo spoke.
"The angels have returned" the authoritative voice of Seele-01 went off like a starting gun for the meeting, signaling the banal arguments to begin.
"It's just as it was 15 years ago"
"It would seem our previous investments have finally bore fruit"
"I wouldn't say that yet, this Angel was not at all what we were expecting, if it doesn't pay off it's still a waste"
"The more we deviate from the plan the further our dream becomes"
Gendo decided to cut off the bickering between the old men before it devolved further. "While it is true that the description of the Angel was incorrect, the scrolls have not been wrong before, It is logical to assume that the only flaw in it's prediction is the forms of the Angels"
"Will these changes affect the scenario Ikari?" The red monolith cut off the voice of a few other Seele members who all went quiet as his voice boomed.
"I do not believe so, Regardless of what form they take the Angels only role is to be destroyed by us"
"Very good, and of course you know the flow of public knowledge about the Angels must be carefully maintained, lest something unsightly get out…" dragging out the last of his words to ensure his message was received.
"You may rest assured that It has already been taken care of, don't worry"
"But still I wonder, were NERV and Eva used efficiently?"
"The repair costs for Unit-1 added to the development costs of Unit-0 and not to mention costs of repairs to Tokyo-3, is quite simply staggering"
"We also understand you gave that TOY to your own son"
"Time, Money, Manpower, How much more will be wasted by you and your family?"
"Stopping the Angels is not your ONLY priority, Do not forget that the human instrumentality project should be your main focus".
"Yes, in such troubled times that plan may be the only hope humanity has left, you understand"
"IN ANY EVENT" the red monolith magnified its own volume to drown out the rest of the committees verbal assault "The arrival of the Angel's is no excuse for a delay in the arrival of that project, we will consider increasing the budget to deal with the unpredictable nature of the Angels"
"The rest of the meeting does not concern you"
"Yes Ikari, your presence was….. appreciated"
All but the red monolith blinked out as the meeting adjourned with Seele-01 parting on these words. "Ikari, you do know, that there can be no turning back" before the room went dark as the last light went out.
Gendo sat with his hands folded and pressed up against his face as he stared intently at the inky darkness in front of him "I know, Mankind has no time left". He then wordlessly exited the room and headed for terminal dogma, his only thought being his motto for ten years 'Whatever it takes to see my Yui again'.
'Whatever it takes'
…..
Shinji opened his eyes and squinted as a harsh light filled his vision, "Unfamiliar ceiling" he whispered while trying to prop himself up on his elbows. He quickly slumped back onto the bed as a shooting pain shot through his skull. He squinted as hard as he could and tried to remember how he got there but his mind felt foggy.
He nearly lept out of the bed in shock, as a previously quiet blue headed girl wrapped in bandages seated by the window spoke "Oh, you're awake Pilot Ikari"
"Oh…uhhh…hi" Shinji was entranced by the girl's face, even with a bandage covering her eye, something about the way she looked was incredibly familiar.
The girl then stood up from her seat slowly and walked over to the boy extending her uninjured hand "Hello, I am Rei Ayanami, the pilot for Unit-00"
Shinji took her hand awkwardly, shaking it with confusion painted on his face with a sandblaster. "You can call me Shinji, Ayanami. N-Nice to meet you, but….uhhhh….why did you come to visit me?"
"I was given orders to introduce myself to you once I recovered sufficiently, once I was able to walk around unassisted, I decided it was best to wait here for you to awaken" her voice sounded nearly devoid of any emotion or inflection.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember much of what happened, I was in the EVA and something threw me upwards really fast, and then everything is fuzzy after that, so why does my head hurt?"
"I believe that would be your leap onto the Angel, you attained an altitude of 300 meters at your apex, Regardless, You suffered acute nerve damage and sympathetic head trauma during your fight with the Angel"
"Did we win?" Shinji immediately kicked himself internally as he realized the stupidity of the statement but Rei just gave him a slight smile.
"Yes, The Angel was defeated, you did very well for your first combat sortie without training"
The unexpected praise caused Shinji to blush profusely as he shifted his body carefully keeping his head as still as possible to the sound of the door opening.
He then saw Dr Akagi walking in not looking up from her clipboard. Feeling the pair of eyes watching her she then looked up, narrowing her eyes and darting them between the two teens.
"What are you doing here Ayanami?" She finally settled her gaze on the blue haired girl with a raised eyebrow.
"The commander had given me orders to introduce myself to the third child once I recovered, So I decided to wait for him to awaken once I could leave my room" she spoke like a machine, her words missing the almost imperceptible warmth it gained when speaking to Shinji.
"I see, are your injuries giving you any further troubles?"
"No Dr Akagi, I am recovering well"
"Good, and how about you Shinji?"
"M-My head hurts, but besides that I think I'm fine"
"That's good, we're gonna give you some meds for the pain, these aren't regular painkillers, it'll just deaden the damaged nerves so you can move around, With you and Ayanami both injured if another Angel comes you'll have to fight it as is so we can't have you doped up."
Shinji nodded at this explanation and quickly took the bottle of pills offered to him. He then popped two in his mouth, intently listening to the doctor's explanation of when to medicate himself.
"Now you're good to go Shinji. I'll see you in a couple days for your next sync test and in about a week your nerves should have recovered. Head up to Human Resources and they'll tell you where you'll be staying. Now Ayanami it's a good thing I ran into you, it's time for another cycle of treatments follow me to the lab"
"Yes Dr. Akagi" then without another word the two women exited the room leaving Shinji alone and sitting up on the bed steeped in thought.
Even if his father didn't know and it was just a strange feeling he had, he still felt it couldn't hurt to at least try and figure it out 'Father, why does Rei look so familiar?'
He almost assumed his father hadn't heard him as a long silence stretched seemingly forever. 'That's classified information, If I tell you, you can't let anyone know or else they'll wonder how you got such information, Am I understood?'
'Yes, I understand' Shinij's eyes widened in anticipation as he wondered what this secret could be.
'She is a clone partially made from compiled leftover DNA of your mother after her passing'
Shinji's eye's were now bulging out of their sockets and he let out an audible gasp as he finally comprehended his fathers words.'WHAT! So she's like my sister technically?'
'In a sense'
'Is that why you destroyed all the pictures of mom? So you wouldn't see the flaws in your copy? Shinji was getting worked up as he still could not even picture his own mothers face. He now understood why Rei's face reminded him of something that was just out of his grasp..
'No, and she is not a replacement or copy of your mother, nothing could ever replace her'
'Then why do it?'
'We needed someone expendable who could pilot the prototype and test type during development of the Eva'
'Expendable!? Rei is not expendable, if what you said is true, she's essentially family, you shouldn't treat her like a doll you use and throw away'
'She has a monthly brain scan of her memories that gets uploaded into a new body if she dies, death is not the same for her as it for a normal person'
'She deserves to live HER life! It's not right to subject someone to dangerous experiments without their consent!'
'Rei has always given her full support of the project she has that in common with your mother'
The sadness in his fathers words instantly deflated Shinji, growing more uncomfortable, he decided he shouldn't prod his father any further. Sighing to the empty room he pulled out his NERV booklet and opened it to the map page as he left.
…
As he approached the door it suddenly opened to show Misato, whose surprised face quickly turned into a concerned smile "Hey Shinji, How ya feeling?"
"Oh I'm fine"
"Well follow me i've been sent to escort you to your new living quarters"
Shinji wordlessly nodded and followed her as she began to walk down the long winding metal hallway. She hoped Misato wouldn't wanna talk as he was still coming to terms with what his father had just told him.
'I really have a sister' Shinji thought quietly to himself, even if his mother was gone there was still a part of her that existed. 'Maybe we could be friends?' He was so lost in his train of thought he almost walked into Misato as they arrived. She quickly swiped her ID through the door and walked through leading him into a room with a clear glass floor overlooking the NERV pyramid.
"He'll be living alone?" Misato's voice sounded full of concern as she argued with the lone man in the room holding Shinji's documentation.
"That's right his room will be in the 6th block down from this one, is that alright?" the man's gaze turned to Shinji.
"Yes Sir"
"Shinji? Are you sure about that?"
"Living alone… is fine with me, I'm alone anyway"
Misato then gave him a determined look and puffed out her chest as if she had decided something before she spoke to the NERV employee. "No, He'll be staying with me, Is that alright with you Shinji?"
Shinji was too dumbfounded by the idea of someone actually wanting to live with him to respond, he only nodded his head eagerly with a wide eyed look.
"Are you sure Captain Katsuragi?" the man's voice dripped with surprise
"Yes I'll call section 2 and let them know, you handle all the paperwork" she then quickly grabbed Shinji's hand and pulled him out of the room.
"Wait, But i have to…" the man called out to a closing door and sighed loudly to himself.
Misato then released her grip on Shinji's hand and walked over to a nearby employee access phone and entered a few numbers placing it to her ear.
"I'll be taking Shinji to stay at my place with me"
Nerv had some of the highest quality technology on the planet, including phones so Shinji could make out the entirety of Dr. Akagi's reply to Misato's announcement.
"What did you say!?"
"You heard me, It's already been approved, besides don't worry, I'm not gonna be making any passes at him"
Misato then held the phone back at arms length as Ritsuko exploded into curses and ending in calling Misato a 'hussy'. She ignored this instead, facing Shinji and giving him a thumbs up "Looks like we're all set, ready to go?"
He again nodded in response and they quickly made it to Misato's car, exiting the employees garage at flying speed. "Well, I guess we gotta throw a party" Misato looked at Shinji while speaking, further increasing his terror as she raced along the road.
"Why?" Shinji looked up from the floorboards and met Misato's gaze out of confusion.
"To celebrate the arrival of my new roommate of course" She emphasized her words with a toothy grin and a pat on the shoulder
Shinji blushed and stayed quiet for the rest of the ride as they pulled up to an all day convenience store. He timidly followed the women with a shopping basket as she stuffed it with junk food, instant ramen, and a six pack of 'celebration beer'.
As they were checking out he heard two women in line behind him talking "My friend's husband died in the Angel attack last night, They're still pulling out bodies now, it's madness"
"Yeah just thinking about that night gives me chills, I don't think anyone in this city will ever forget it, it's why I'm leaving, 'fortress-city' or no"
His demeanor visibly darkened as he contemplated the truth in those words, these were just normal people with normal lives. They had families and people who cared about them, and they were dead because he was hiding like a coward while the Angel burned the city down.
He then visibly jumped as the previously quiet voice of his father spoke in his head 'Shinji, you destroyed the enemy, that is all that matters, distracting from that will only hinder you'
He didn't have time to argue with his father as Misato pulled him out of the store with a pensive look on her face and quickly got back on the road. As they got into the car she asked him a question "Mind if we make a little stop on the way, I promise you'll love it".
"Sure, that sounds nice" he then gave her an awkward smile trying to match her enthusiasm, he could sense she was trying to cheer him up. He knew nothing she said would change reality. People had died because he piloted the Eva.
They pulled up to a small viewing platform on a hill that overlooked Tokyo-3, just standing where you could see the entire city. Most of it was a dull and flat expanse of gray ribbed metal barely jutting out from the ground gave the city a desolate empty look.
"The city looks so lonely from up here"
Misato then took a quick glance at her watch "Here we go"
Moments later the city came to life as the sound of hydraulics roaring to life echoed throughout the area surrounding Tokyo-3. Dozens of massive skyscrapers slowly rose up from the depths to occupy the skyline creating a metropolis of Mankind in only a few moments.
"Tokyo-3 is a fortress-city built to defend against the Angels, it is our city, the city you saved"
Shinji stared wide-eyed between Misato and the impressive sight of the city. The sincerity in her words and the awe inspired by the sight in front of him, stunned him into silence.
…..
They exited the elevator and walked through the concrete hallway, Shinji carrying all the bags and slightly out of breath. Misato finally spoke as they arrived at her apartment "Your stuff should already all be delivered, I just moved in here myself you know".
Shinji stopped at the threshold, It finally sunk in to Shinji what Misato had done and he had no idea what he did to deserve such kindness.
"Come in"
"I-I don't want to intrude"
Misato's voice and face briefly transformed into his intimidating CO barking orders from the Angel battle.
"Shinji, this is your home now"
After a few moments he tentatively crossed through the doorway with a small grin decorating his face "I'm home".
"Welcome home" Shinji was so distracted by Misato's kind words he nearly slipped on a stray beer can lying on the floor.
"As you can see this place is a little messy" she deftly navigated the trash sea and made her way into her room.
"Wha-What's a lot of messy like then?" his eyes filled with horror at the sight of piled garbage as far as the eye could see.
After Misato changed, she had told him she was gonna let him taste her 'secret recipe' for instant ramen. Shinji, hopelessly unaware of the danger, agreed readily. After eating it, he learned what true overseasoning meant. Not adding too much salt or too much pepper, but Misato's 'spicy sweet noodle' surprise. He did not think it was possible for something to set his mouth on fire and also be so sweet it made his teeth hurt. After doing his best to feign enjoyment he retreated off to bathe.
As Shinji stripped the door to the shower opened and outwalked a Penguin with a towel wrapped around its shoulders. It paid Shinji a quick glance before casually strolling out the door.
He completely ignored this and seeing the strange creature come towards him suddenly activated his fight or flight as he ran into the living room.
"M-M-Misato" He could barely get out his plea for help as he stood in the living room fearfully pointing at the large bird walking past him.
"Oh him, he's one of those new warm water penguins, and your new roommate"
"Huh!?"
"His name is Pen Pen"
'Wh..." he stared in shock as Pen Pen walked over and used the door with his flipper exiting the room.
"You know I never took you for the exhibitionist type Shinji"
Misato learned that boy's too can blush with their entire body as Shinji quickly covered himself with his hands and retreated to the bathroom.
Shinji exited the bath after soaking for a while, deciding he would listen to his SDAT before he went to sleep plugging in the earbuds and lying on the bed. His mind was racing at incredible speed as he continuously replayed the past two days' events in his head. His time with his teacher felt like another world far off and distant from the one he lived in now. All he wanted to do was live and be alone so he couldn't bother anyone and now he's forced to be around people or the world dies.
His father was the biggest thing on his mind and the more he thought about it the more it made his head hurt. He had wanted the man's guidance and help his entire life but now that it was actually happening he wasn't so sure. He had talked more to the man yesterday than he had in his entire life and somehow he was even more confused than before. An old saying his teacher used to always tell him echoed in his mind 'Be careful what you wish for or it just might come true'
As he slowly started to drift into unconsciousness he was brought back into awareness by the sound of his door opening.
"I almost forgot to tell you something, What you did today was very brave Shinji and noble, you should be proud, because I am"
….
Deep underground within the depths of NERV watching the buzz and hum of NERV technicians repairing Unit-01. From the observation room, Ritsuko nervously bit her lip while staring at the man in front of her, trying to gain the courage to speak her mind.
"How is Rei's recovery progressing?"
"Better than expected, she should be well enough to pilot within two weeks"
"Good, by then we will be able to reactivate Unit-00 from cryostasis"
The normally emotionless doctor's voice sounded pleading as she spoke now "It's such an unfair burden to place on children"
The man's voice boomed with dispassionate fury "They are the only ones who can pilot the Eva, As long as they survive, that is what I will use them for"
"With no regard for what they want?"
An ice cold glare was the only answer she got to her question as the man silently exited the room.
…..
Shinji awoke to the sound of a loud THUD and a protracted "YEAHHHHHHHH" coming from the kitchen. He slowly got out of bed and sleepily walked out to go discover the source. Wandering into the kitchen to find Misato holding a can of beer and heading for the door.
"Morning Shinji, I gotta leave for work, you wouldn't believe how much paperwork goes into dealing with an Angel attack"
"Oh, okay" he spoke his words through a yawn and shook his head to try and clear the tiredness.
"You have today off to rest and unpack your things but after you're settled you'll have to start going to school"
"Yes Ma'am"
"Alright Cya"
"Bye"
As soon as Shinji heard he would be alone in the apartment he knew he had work to do. He grabbed his NERV card and decided to go pick up some groceries with whatever money he had earned piloting. He couldn't remember how much he made but he did remember that his ID also worked as a debit card for his NERV account. He had spotted a farmers market a few blocks down from the apartment and decided to make his way there.
With bags in hand he returned to the apartment, he was about to set his bags down to open the door as it slid open to reveal Pen Pen who waved his flipper to greet him. He waded his way through the sea of cans and put them in the fridge. He then walked over and grabbed Misato's cleaning supplies out of her closet, ignoring the layer of dust that had accumulated on them.
The sun was just beginning to set as he finished mopping the area in front of the TV, his last self appointed chore before he was finally done. Stopping to catch his breath he took a moment to admire his work, the apartment looked like a real place of living now and you could walk safely. Only taking breaks for meals he was still impressed he managed to get all the cleaning done in one day, Especially considering the state the apartment was in when he arrived. It was hard work but it calmed him, it made him feel like he was useful even if it was all he was good at.
His father had been quiet for most of the day, besides telling him as soon as he returned to NERV he must ask Dr. Akagi for as much combat training as possible. He had said it was because the Angels could be more dangerous than from his future so Shinji can't 'slack off'.
'I can tell he's hiding something, I have to confront him about it eventually' he quietly thought to himself, glad that his thoughts were at least still private.
'What if he leaves?' THAT voice spoke again that had been absent for just long enough to let his guard down, taunting him in his own voice.
"Shut up! I have enough voices in my head!" he squeezed his hands around his ears in an effort to physically force down the feeling. He suddenly felt exhausted and plodded slowly towards his room, dumping the cleaning supplies back off in the now organized closet.
Feeling his rest was now more than earned he promptly threw himself onto his bed and grabbed his SDAT, popping the earbuds in his ears and surrendering to the music. He wasn't sure how long he lay there staring at the ceiling letting the familiar classical tones lull him to sleep. As his eyes fluttered shut they shot back open as the memories of the Angel battle forced themselves to the surface. Still exhausted he promptly fell into a fitful sleep for the rest of the night.
….
Shinji woke up to his alarm this time, exiting his room he heard a low rumbling like a revving car engine signaling that Misato had made it home sometime last night. He decided he would still make extra breakfast for her incase she woke up. He made himself some tuna and rice and used the extra to make a couple of Onigiri's for himself and Misato. Quickly walking into his room he switched into his uniform and grabbed his SDAT then headed off for school.
The walk to the school was uninteresting at first, but partway through his trip he glanced and saw some of the damage from his fight with the Angel. The rubble was cleared and there was already scaffolding surrounding the ruined buildings. It wasn't the buildings that worried him, it was the memory of the strangers words in the store and the knowledge that there were many people just like them. He could be only left to wonder how many lives were destroyed because of him.
'It is pointless to dwell on what has already occurred, You can't save everyone Shinji'
Shinji's face morphed into a look of disbelief "how did you…"
'I don't need telepathy to read what's on your mind'
'Well, who are you to tell me that? Who have you saved?'
Shinji did not hear his fathers response or lack of as he collided with a solid wall of human that he had been too distracted to notice. He had just passed through the school gate and the size difference between the two was so great he bounced off the boy and landed on his back.
"Woah hey, you alright man? You looked like you fell kinda hard" the boy took no offense to Shinji running into him and quickly offered his hand to help him up.
His face had turned red with shame as he took the boy's hand and got back on his feet, brushing off the dirt that had gotten on his clothes. After a few moments he finally spoke "Yeah I'm fine, sorry about that".
The boy waved his hand dismissively and made a raspberry with his lips, "Ah don't sweat it" his eyes then squinted as he looked at Shinji's face again. "I don't think I've seen you before, are you new?"
"Y-Yep, today's my first day"
A previously quiet bespectacled boy with sandy blonde hair whom Shinji had also failed to notice finally joined in the conversation. "Are you the pilot for that giant robot?" The boy looked like he was quite literally vibrating with excitement as he asked the question.
"Uhh…I…Uhh…No?" The question caught him completely off guard and his mouth opened and closed as his brain failed him.
The boys both broke into laughter in response, with the larger one speaking first and "Well I think that answers that, name's Toji Suzuhara, good meetin ya" he then stuck his hand out to Shinji.
"My name's Shinji…Uhh Shinji Ikari" he then awkwardly returned the handshake, still uneasy from being found out so quickly.
"Sorry to spook you but everyone whose family isn't in NERV left after the Angel attack and it wasn't hard to do the math when you show up right after ''. The boy with glasses now offered his hand "Kensuke Aida, nice to meet you also".
He shook his hand and awkwardly scratched the back of his head unsure of what to say next.
Toji's face turned serious for a moment as he looked shinji squarely in the eye "Well, listen man I owe you one, I don't think you saw us, you were pretty busy but when you jumped on that Angel like a mad man it ran clear in the opposite of me and my sister, we couldn't get in a shelter in time and if something happened to her…..I'd flip so thanks" he ended his mini speech with an affirming pat on Shinji's shoulder.
For the second time in the past two minutes Shinji was rendered completely speechless with his mouth agape. After a minute of silence his brain put something together "D-Don't mention it…uhh…why couldn't you make it to a shelter?"
Toji's face turned bashful as he awkwardly stretched to delay answering the question. "You'll probably think it's stupid, but before we left our dog got loose and my sister and I didn't wanna leave without him"
"I don't think it's stupid" Toji smiled upon hearing this and was about to reply when their heartwarming moment was cut off. Bottling it up for as long as he physically could, Kensuke exploded with questions about the Eva.
"What's it like to pilot? How were you chosen? What qualifies you? Can I be a pilot? Could you ask NERV?"
As Shinji was trying to find a way out of answering that question he was saved by a pigtailed girl. "Move it you three or you'll be late, class is starting soon"
Toji quickly replied with an almost imperceptible grin on his face, "Come on class rep don't we get any leniency for showing around the new kid?" he then nudged Shinji with his elbow.
"New kid?" Shinji got a better look at the girl as she approached him. Her hair was midnight black and her eyes dark brown to match encircled by a healthy splattering of freckles. "Oh Hi, Welcome to Tokyo-3 Junior high" she gained an almost regal air as she straightened her posture and stared him dead in the eye. "My name's Hikari Horaki. I'm the class representative for class 2-A, are you gonna be joining us?" She offered him her hand.
Overwhelmed by meeting this many people so quickly, he timidly nodded and shook her hand.
"Shinji Ikari, Y-Yeah i'm in class 2-A, nice to meet you?" the nervousness in his voice making it sound like a question.
"That's great! Now follow me and I'll show you to class" as she finished her sentence a loud bell rang signaling the start of class. Hikari then turned a murderous glare towards Toji and socked him in the shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You distracted me and now we're all late"
"Hey! I didn't force you to do anything"
This response seemed to only anger her further as they approached the door to the classroom, Hikari let out a loud drawn out sigh before speaking. "Fine, I guess I'll vouch for you guys since I don't want Shinji to get in trouble on his first day, but you're on thin ice Suzuhara and you too Aida"
As they entered the classroom Hikari walked over to the teachers desk and explained their minute tardiness and Toji and Kensuke slowly walked over to their seats. After Hikari finished speaking with the teacher she returned to her seat and the teacher turned his gaze to him.
"Welcome Mr Ikari please introduce yourself to the class and take your seat, you'll be sitting in the empty seat in the back row". He then gestured to one of the only open chairs in the classroom in between his two new acquaintances.
All the blood drained from his face upon hearing those words and turning to face the classroom he was already standing in front of. He froze like a deer in headlights. After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence he finally introduced himself "H-H-Hi my name is S-Shinji Ikari it's a pleasure to meet me, I mean you". He then buried his face in his hands in shame at his gaff and took his seat.
A few minutes after he sat down he opened his student laptop and it beeped at him. He was equally surprised and not surprised by what he saw. He opened the student messaging service and he only had one message "Are you that giant robot pilot?" He chose to rip off the band aid.
"Yes" he hovered his cursor over the send button for a few minutes before finally pressing it. As soon as he did the class erupted gasps and a dozen different questions. He gave the only answer he was allowed to: "Sorry, I can't talk about classified stuff". The groans of disappointment completely drowned out the teacher's monotone voice.
Hikari jumped up from her seat and gave an authoritative stare panning across the room "Class is still going on! Get back in your seats!" her volume and tone bringing an end to the commotion.
Class was really interesting and drew Shinji's attention, or at least it was in the imaginary class he daydreamed about while zoning out. The teacher had been lecturing about the second impact for hours straight, stopping only to breathe.
Struggling to stay awake after the first few hours, his gaze drifted over to Ayanami. She was still partly covered in bandages but there seemed to be less than before. Her one healthy eye was glazed over in thought looking out the window. Studying her face he tried to imagine her older with brown hair but the image eluded him still.
He was broken out of his contemplation by Toji "Got a little office romance going on eh Shin-man?"
His face turned bright red in response to being caught staring as he spurted out a response "I-It's not like that"
Kensuke who had been observing the conversation up till now decided to shoot his shot, "Think she'd be interested in me then?"
He looked at the girl for a moment as she seemed almost frozen in time, the only sign of life being the occasional flair of her nostrils as she breathed. She was still gazing listlessly in the distance out the window, realizing he needed to respond he answered honestly "I don't know, sorry".
Kensuke looked like he was about to add something but the bell rang signaling lunch, he then shook his head and seemed to decide whatever it was, was unimportant.
"About time! I'm starving!"
"Rain falls, wind blows, Toji eats" the glasses boy gave his friend a toothy grin as he teased him.
"Hey I gotta maintain my muscle mass! If you'd let me take you to the gym maybe one day you too could rival the great, Toji the stomach!"
"Oh I could never be so arrogant, oh wise master of face-stuffing" he emphasized his statement with an exaggerated fake bow almost making his glasses fall off.
Toji only rolled his eyes at his friend in response before turning his gaze to Shinji. "We usually eat our lunch up on the roof, if you want you can join us" he then looked back to Kensuke who nodded.
"Y-Yeah, sure that sounds good" smiling awkwardly at the two as they started to make for the door.
Shinji really enjoyed lunch despite Kensuke's endless fountain of questions about NERV of which he could answer only a couple. Toji did not speak for most of the time as he silently devoured not one, not two but three school lunches finishing with only a few minutes to spare.
"Hey me and Ken were thinking about dropping by the Arcade after school, you wanna come with?" Both boys turned to look at him expectantly.
He had almost agreed then frowned as he remembered his sync test today "Sorry, I have NERV stuff after school, tomorrow maybe?" He barely squeaked out the last past, turning his eyes to the ground and getting ready for the rejection that never came.
Toji and Kensuke just smiled and nodded with Toji speaking first "Yeah sounds like a plan, oh and I almost forgot my sister is a huge fan of yours after that Angel battle and she's talked non stop about how cool it would be to meet you and if she found out I talked to you and didn't ask if you'd meet her, she'd kill me, literally"
"He's not kidding that girl is a star soccer player and she kicks like one too"
"Don't remind me" Toji absentmindedly rubbed his shins as he muttered with glazed over eyes remembering some far off memory.
"I don't know, I wouldn't wanna disappoint her, I'm not really that interesting or heroic"
Toji snapped out his revelry and rolled his eyes at Shinji "Yeah you're not THAT interesting your day job is just fighting monsters in a giant robot" his gaze now softened as he continued to speak "I promise she won't be disappointed, She just wants to thank you in person for saving us"
Deciding to trust his new friend he agreed and yelped in surprise as Toji pulled him into a one armed 'manly' hug before releasing him. The lunch ended with the loud ringing of the bell and they got up and returned to class to be thoroughly bored before leaving for the day.
As he got up and collected his things to leave, he decided now was a good time to try and talk to Ayanami even if he had no idea what to say. Walking over to her desk she turned her head away from the window to look at him as he approached. "Greetings Pilot Ikari, may I assist you?"
"Uhh…Ye…No, sorry I was just wondering if it would be okay if we walked together since we both have to go to NERV"
"That is acceptable" she gave him the slightest smile as she slowly rose up from her desk and grabbed her crutches.
As they exited the school and made their way to NERV Shinji made a rare attempt at small talk "So Ayanami, What do you do in your free time?"
She pondered this for a few moments then spoke "When I am not fulfilling my duties at NERV I usually will read books"
"Oh, what do you read?"
"Commander Ikari has kept me supplied with various science, mathematic, and linguistic, and historical textbooks, though recently I've been reading various philosophical works of classical and more modern origin"
"Wow, I guess that's why you look out the window in class, you're really smart Ayanami" his eyes widened in surprise as he saw her cheeks slightly redden at his words
"Yes, our teachers' lessons are somewhat….Redundant, thank you shinji"
"Ayanami, why do you pilot the Eva?" he blurted out the question that had been pressing on the back of his head all day.
Taking her time to respond she finally said "It is a bond"
"A bond? with who?"
"All people, I pilot the Eva to protect them"
"Oh" he silently pondered her response for a few moments before she decided to say something.
"Why do you pilot the Eva?
"I guess, because if I don't people will get hurt" the words sounded lame even to himself.
"Is that the only reason?"
"I don't know"
Shinji was still digesting the conversation as he arrived at NERV and swiped his card to head into the large building. The pair parted ways with Rei quickly explaining she needed to go for more treatment, leaving Shinji to head for the Eva cages. He arrived to find Dr. Akagi talking to a couple Nerv technicians as it looked like they were finishing up the preparations for the sync test.
"Ah good Shinji you're here, go and head to the locker rooms and put on your plugsuit then we can begin the test"
Shinji only raised an eyebrow and nodded, walking into the large empty room. Upon entering he found a blue and white uniform with a red core in the center and what looked to be a pair of white and black hair clips lying on one of the benches. As he grabbed the items he saw a piece of paper lying underneath that explained how to put on the uniform.
Walking on the gantry into the entry plug he still couldn't stop clutching his arms around himself to stay warm in the drafty underground chambers. The plugsuit vacuum sealed itself to his body and had zero insulation making him feel practically naked. The warmth of the LCL as he climbed in was ruined by the taste of blood that entered his mouth as he allowed it into his lungs.
As the lights around him began to flicker to life signaling the Eva's activation he decided he would try speaking to it again. 'Hi Ms Evangelion, there's no Angel this time, we're just doing a sync test, sorry if we're bothering you'. He began to understand who or whatever was inside the Eva couldn't speak back but it did respond to his words when he tried to communicate. The sensation was almost like the pressure of the LCL was giving him a warm hug.
….
The next day started off uneventfully, Misato was still exhausted from the mountain of paperwork she had to file at NERV. Class was boring and he noticed Ayanami was absent. He got through the slog by thinking about his hangout afterwards. As the bell rang the three boys looked at each other, nodded, collected their things and headed out of the school.
'I must repeat that this is a foolish reason to wait and put off your additional combat training. What if an Angel shows up today while you're off fooling around?'
He elected to ignore his fathers protest and continue walking to the arcade, finally turning his mind to his friend's conversation.
"Shinji What do you think?"
He blushed and tried to stammer out a response "S-Sorry, I was spaced out"
"He's just avoiding the question!" Shinji's eyes widened in surprise as he heard Kensuke's voice full of passion.
Toji just wiggled his hand at other friend as he spoke to Shinji "It's okay, Me and Aida here were just having a 'discussion' about who would win Godzilla or the Eva's'
Letting out a small laugh as the tension building up in chest faded, he thought about the question for a moment then countered it. "Is it coming to the Geofront or are the Eva's going to attack it?'
"Godzilla is attacking like an Angel, Eva's have full support from NERV" Kensuke explained with a look of anticipation painted on his face.
"Godzilla" he replied quickly in his mind it was a pretty lopsided matchup, Godzilla was just on another level entirely.
"Why!?" He and Toji both chuckled at Kensuke's apparent outrage at his answer.
"My parents had a box set of old Godzilla movies from before the second impact and I've watched all of them. He's beaten thing's much bigger and stronger than an Eva"
"Sorry, I agree with Toji"
Raising his hands with a sigh in defeat he surrendered to the surprise dual assault. "Whatever Let's just go play some games"
So they did, they went from shooters to racing games and even DDR for a few rounds, and for a few hours Shinji forgot. He wasn't worried about the next Angel attack or what his father was thinking. He didn't even feel himself smiling as time passed by and he joined in his two friends' banter with growing frequency, developing a rhythm to their conversations. After a few hours they reluctantly parted ways, with Kensuke suggesting it'd be a good idea for the three of them to go camping sometime in the future.
The next few weeks were brutal for Shinji, after getting a strange look from Dr Akagi she had agreed to his request for additional combat training. He started with learning how to use the EVa targeting computer and various what he was told were called 'hard lock' weapons. Afterwards it was firing several 'dummy lock' weapons that relied on his own ability to aim. The hand to hand and close combat training was the worst by far and was the only time his father and him spoke now. He was surprisingly helpful then, giving him various tips to improve his form and technique and sharing some moves he knew that he thought might help in the simulation.
Misato was at least kind enough to order takeout on the days he was too worn out to cook, which was becoming less often as his body slowly adjusted to the regimen. After a statistically impossible loss streak in rock paper scissors he got stuck with most of the chores. He didn't complain considering he liked doing these things anyway and it seemed to make Misato happy.
…..
He was in school one day listening to Kensuke explaining he had learned the ability to live on the land in nearly any environment with his survivalist training. With him listing off several different edible mushrooms that grew in the nearby areas.
"Well next week we're still bringing tons of food, I'm not eating bugs or berries or whatever crap just to 'live on the land'
"If you're always prepared you're never caught off guard, what if you were flying and your plane crashed? What would you do then?"
Shinji was distracted from his friend's banter by his phone loudly going off in his pocket. With dread he turned to look at Ayanami and saw her already heading for the door, stopping to look at him and beckoning him with her hand.
"There is an Angel, we must report to NERV"
He nodded in response and quickly followed her as they rushed out the doors of the school. Misato was already waiting for them with her engine idling, she yelled for us as she saw us get close "Let's go kids, The Magi have identified a pattern blue approaching from the ocean headed right for Tokyo-3."
He was more terrified of crashing than the Angel at the moment as the urgency of the situation made Misato's driving even more reckless than usual.
"Shinji when you get to HQ suit up and head to Unit-01 immediately and await orders, Rei as I'm sure you already know Unit-0 isn't fit for combat yet so you'll be on standby". Misato was now in commanding officer mode, her voice dripping with authority.
Rei wordlessly nodded her head and turned her gaze back to the window while Shinji's eyes widened in shock.
"I-It's gonna be just me out there again?" he clenched his fist reflexively as he tried to keep the wave of anxiety under control.
Misato's gained a look of concern as she tried to calm him "You'll be fine Shinji, you've been training nonstop, heck at this point I'm pretty sure you could beat that Angel sleeping" she ended her peptalk with a smile and a friendly punch on the arm. This action caused the car to swerve wildly again causing him to return his dual handed death grip on the car's safety handle.
The rest of their trip continued in silence as they quickly zoomed off towards NERV HQ, Misato taking full advantage of the roads being evacuated.
To his surprise upon entering NERV, his normally quiet father also attempted to help calm his nerves. 'You have done all you can to prepare for the Angel, you are wasting energy by worrying about what you cannot control, focus on controlling yourself'.
Swallowing the pit of anger that flared in his chest with a grimace he chose to heed his fathers advice and took a few deep breaths as he approached the Eva cages.
He ran into the locker room and quickly grabbed his plugsuit and neural connectors, putting them on at a rapid pace. He made a high pitched squeak as he activated his plugsuit, the sensation of it tightening still being a new one.
Shinji nodded politely at the technicians as he passed along his way to the open entry plug and stole a look at the purple and green giant looming ominously over them.
The LCL entered his lungs with a large gulp and Shinji was glad he hadn't eaten lunch because the taste of blood bombarded him with queasiness.
The lights of the entry plug flashed and once more he could see through the eyes of the Eva and his skin began to tingle with electricity. The strange presence in the machine gave its understanding of the situation wordlessly.
"Pilot Sync ratio stabilizing at 82%, Good work Shinji"
"Fantastic, Eva Unit-01 Launch!"
...
AN: Howdy, thanks for reading this if you've made it this far you're a pretty cool cat
Double thanks to the people who left a Review, feedback makes this story better, rumor has it the amount of reviews you leave on this site will directly improve your sexual performance, I'll just leave that as food for thought.
Onto the actual story I hope you have managed to gain a glimpse into my insanity enough to wanna see where things go, I know reading stuff directly taken from the anime is kinda boring but it does have a narrative purpose that I hope becomes clear later in the story.
See ya on the next one