Neon Genesis Evangelion, the End of Evangelion, and the Rebuild of Evangelion are owned by Hideaki Anno and written by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. I own no elements from the original Manga, TV show, or Rebuild and EOE films but my OC's.

That said, Please Enjoy The Show!

Talking-"Hello"
Radio/EVA Voice-"Hello"
Thoughts-Hello
VEELE/VEELE Clones-"Hello"
A.I-"Hello"


Chapter 5: New Faces

Ayanami Rei LCL Facility, New NERV Headquarters

"Uh, Rei? Are you there?" Shinji walked forward, pulling the shower curtain that was Rei's wall to the side to see her….

Naked.

Again.

Oh yeah, definitely past the friendship category…. He thought to himself, turning around with a mad blush. "J-Jesus, Rei! Don't you remember last time?! Put some clothes one!" he cried out, unaware of the emotionless look the First Child gave back.

"Only if I am ordered to." Was her reply before the sound of a plug suit activating told Shinji he was in the clear to look once more. He turned back to see Rei, this time completely clothed in her black plug suit and A-10 Connectors, standing with a stoic look.

Shinji felt his chest tighten all of a sudden; this felt oddly familiar, and not in the good or funny way anymore. The look he found in Rei's eyes was the exact same as their first encounter after the 4th Angel; dead and stoic. He took a step forward, looking down to see a sleeping bag which he assumed was hers and stepped back.

"U-Um, hi…. Rei, I wanted to come and say thank you." He explained, reaching into his back pocket to pull out his S-DAT. "I wanted to thank you when we first arrived but I didn't want to mess anything you were doing up or something like that…."

Rei stared at him calm and silent, making him falter slightly. If this is an act, Rei you sure as hell know how to play it off. He thought before speaking up once more. Alright, I got to try and make conversation; maybe key words or something, or sign language, hell anything to know what happened! "I uh saw you got a new plug suit?" He started up, giving her a smile as he noticed it more. The plug suit was for the most part the same only now jet black with small red, green and gray areas on the arms and legs. "It-It looks good on you- I-I mean great on you! Yeah, great! I just…. I'll have to get used to seeing you in black."

What the hell's wrong with me right now?! He thought with worry. I never acted this way with Rei, not like some sad sick boy in love! It has to be a coincidence, probably just some distortion crap from leaving Unit-01 nothing more nothing less! Shinji felt his mind go back to what he was thinking earlier, and he froze up on the inside. No…. No, no, no don't tell me…. I…. I'm in…. I li….. I…. what the hell….?

Rei simply stared at him, either in uninterested or silent conversion as Shinji looked back to her. He found neither, just her red eyes watching with detached gaze. "I uh…. I noticed NERV HQ looks a lot more….. Open, doesn't it?" He asked, trying to raise an answer with a change in subject, but only getting silence as an answer. He finally sighed, the thought of giving up quickly passing through his mins as he started going into all the bottle up questions. "Look I'm just going to be realistic about this uh… Do you know why Misa… Captain Katsuragi is going up against NERV and not the Angels?"

"…"

"Do you know what Father is doing here?"

"….."

"What happened to everyone after the 10th Angel attack….?"

"…."

"Please tell me Rei," Shinji looked fully into Rei's eyes, concern and fear rising in his voice as he spoke. "Do you know anything about where Shiro is or anything at all about what happened?"

Shinji noticed Rei's eyes adjust open barely by a millimeter, before he finally got a response. "No, I do not know." She stated, calm and passionless as before.

"I… I see…" Shinji murmured, frowning slightly as the answer. "No surprise there, I suppose, with Father more than likely moving to keep anything about the previous incidents locked….."

"By the way…" he continued, looking up in more confusion. "When did you wake up from Unit-01?"

Rei simply blinked in confusion, much to Shinji's dismay. Don't tell me she's amnesiac? He thought with fear, saddened at how she could have lost her memories of the past. He sighed for what felt like the millionth time, looking up to the far ceiling above the rooms open roofing. "This isn't even a real room…" He felt memories fly into his head; finding Rei's room completely dirty and unhealthy with Shiro. "It is familiar, you know? Seeing you in a room similar to this, but still…."

Even then you had a room, he continued in thought. You had a real bed, more clothes, real food and letters and dished and a shower and a window to see the world through and books… "What, pray tell Rei do you normally do to pass the time?"

"I await for orders." Came the answer.

"You…. Don't have any books here…." Shinji murmured, the image of Rei reading one of her English books blossoming in his head. "Do you read at all?"

"Read...? Would Rei Ayanami do that?"

"Yeah, don't you remember? You used to read a lot!" Shinji exclaimed, smiling at the blue albino who stared in slight concern. "You used to have books in your room, then…."

"I see."

"I have an idea!" Shinji finally exclaimed, smacking his fist into his other hand. "I'll head to the library and get some for you!"

"If I remember correctly, you used to have an English book with you all the time, so I figure that's what you enjoyed reading." Shinji explained, already as to where the hell the library was.

"Like?"

"Yeah, at least I think so!" Shinji replied with a friendly smile.

Rei's eyes gazed into his brown, a hint of slight interest in them. "And what does it mean? To "like?"

"To like?" Shinji asked, before giving her a somewhat reassuring smile. "To like is to…. Well… It's sort of like a love for something, a passion if you will. You find yourself attached to whatever it may be; an object, a person, a building, a city, an even a planet or the whole of the universe. And the more you're attached to it, the more you find the desire to enjoy it, or at least that's how I view liking something… Anyways, I'm going to get those books for you. See you in a bit!"

"…" Rei stood there in silence as Shinji left her, processing his words. To 'like' was to find interest and, if possible, love in something physically or mentally. Was this something the Rei before her possessed? Or was this something completely new to her ancestors and descendant clones? "Am I…. Defective?"


Undisclosed room

NERV Commander Gendo Ikari and his companion Sub-Commander Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki stood below several hovering objects. The objects were all the exact same in design; once back monoliths with a triangular symbol with a snake wrapped around an apple with the German word "SEELE" and a number on the front.

The seven objects glowed with a red mist on the screen like front, digital linings moving vertical on the monoliths. "So SEELE continues to be silent?" Prof. Fuyutsuki noted. Ever since the NTI, the Council of SEELE was destroyed on the physical plains they sat on, later fully reformed into the NERV database as Artificial intelligence systems forever watching Ikari's actions. They weren't the original Council led by Keels son rather Lorenzo himself, yet they still monitored Gendo with little to no concern or effort, always to make sure he'd stay on track for them. "Do they still move to maintain this?"

"Yes, there is no need for them to speak." Gendo replied, his visor reflecting the image of SEELE 01, Lorenzo Keel hovering before him. "The Human Instrumentality Project and Human Recalibration Venture shall be fulfilled as promised by the Dead Sea Scrolls and their secondary scenario."

"Then pray tell Ikari, do you plan to use….Unit-13 for the next mission this time?" Fuyutsuki asked with concern. Ever since the Evangelion's birth cycle, the years it's been in suspension and calibration have been for nullifying its soul, for better or worse. He feared it would be similar to then, only this time with the power of a God at his side….

Gendo didn't respond, but it was all the professor needed from his younger companion. "Very well, though I shall watch on the side lines with your plans." Fuyutsuki stated, looking up with a slight glare to the monoliths of SEELE. "For Yui's sake, at least."

And for your older and younger son's sakes, he finished to himself.


Unit-01 Previous Cage, New NERV HQ

Shinji hummed softly to himself, pondering on just what had occurred so far. So far he'd been viewed as someone easily weaponized when in control of an EVA, and now here he was being told not to pilot EVA again. For the most part, he couldn't understand just what the hell was going on or happened in the previous years of his vanishing, or sleep or whatever coma like state he was in with Unit-01 and Rei, so he was now thinking to himself.

For the most he was able to make out that Unit-01's awakening (as Ritsuko has called) created some sort of rift in NERV tech and NERV command. The rift grew bigger and this probably made WILLE and this NEVEC force he hadn't seen as of yet.

And then there was the Akrid detail and NERV assault incident which had stayed out in the air at the moment. He assumed NERV was assaulted after the Akrid incident, and that's where the rest was blurred in classified or lost information.

Then there was the problem with Rei and Shiro, as well as why everyone who was Ex-NERV saw him like he was some bad omen. Had he done something unknowingly during the 10th Angel's attack? Or did NERV go and do something drastic as always and blame Shinji for it?

Shinji finally let loose a sign, rubbing his temples. "I need pencil and paper if I'm going to figure all this crap out…." He uttered to himself, laying back and looking to the sky. He blinked, smiling at the familiar sight of the clouds. "At least the sky isn't read or black or some shit like that…."

He shut his eyes in stress, breathing silently as the clouds rolled by. The he heard it; the piano. It was so soft and sweet, like a reassuring voice calling out to him trying to assure him everything was fine. And for a moment, he felt like it worked. He heard their strings and keys continuously echo in the large abandoned cage, followed by silence. And a voice. "Come down here, Shinji! Let's talk." The voice, young and male with a tone of fervor called out to the Third.


Pianist's stage, Old Unit-01 Cage

Shinji found himself sitting before a beautifully polished Yamaha piano, which glistened sunlight off its black framing as the pianist who'd spoken up before watched with interest and a friendly smile. Shinji moved his hand to touch the piano, before pulling it back and turning to the pianist with confusion. "So um, when did you want to talk or….?" He trailed off, looking into the boys crimson eyes.

"I heard musical duets can be dialogues." The boy replied softly, gesturing to the large instrument. "Give it try, why don't you?"

Shinji calmly looked back to the piano, unsure of what to do. He'd hear of several piano songs before yes, but he didn't really understand the basics, nor where or what to accomplish. "L-Look, I don't want to come off as rude or anything but I'll pass." Shinji vocalized, frowning slightly at the discomfort he now felt. In a sense he felt cornered into trying the piano, and yet he was still open to do as he wished.

"You know it's important to try and change with new things to live on, right?" the white albino questioned softly, walking over casually beside Shinji. As he did, Shinji felt his heart rocket slightly up either from embarrassment of being so close or….Who the hell is this guy? He feels so… nice and friendly to be around all of a sudden, he thought abruptly. That's odd, usually everyone I'm around nowadays has some angry or annoyed or emotionless aura, but not him, and he gives off a heart-warming and gentle one…. Strange. "Here, try this."

The boy played several keys in simple melody, before gently taking up Shinji's hand. "Look here, all you have to do is press the keys right around here." He explained, placing Shinji's hand above the keys. Shinji gulped, now feeling a sense of nervousness before he gently pressed down on all keys. The melody was replaced by a jumbled sound and the Third quickly pulled his fingers up, looking to his pilot ally who had a smile in turn. "Try again, just press the keys one at a time."

"One at a time…." Shinji repeated, and ever so gracefully he did so. The keys played the earlier melody separated somewhat, before Shinji attempted it with slightly faster speed. Shinji gasped in surprise; there it was. The melody, he'd played it! He smiled somewhat at this, almost like a child learning a new word. "Hey I got it!"

"See, what did I tell you?" The albino haired boy smiled at his friend, gently pushing him to the side as he sat next to Shinji. The pianist played another theme, this one slightly faster as he used both hands and spoke, "Here, try that one."

Shinji gave a small nod, gently pressing the keys as he did it twice, finally accomplishing it full with a secret third attempt. The two then stared at each other in the calm wind, as if in a silent conversation or congratulation to Shinji before the albino boy raised both hands. With almost lightning fast speeds, the pianist's fingers stroked and hit keys faster than Shinji could blink.

Shinji blinked, before he realized what the pianist had done; he'd set them both up to play this! He smirked, almost cockily as he quickly replied with playing the keys from before. "Yes, yes just like that!" The pianist encouraged with a happy smile. "We sound perfect, you and I!"

And just like that the pair played their song of joy, one that brought peace to the young Shinji more than ever before. For once in a long time he felt like he was a true peace; not stressed, not pilot, not even dealing with his old roommates or the loneliness that almost took him so long ago.

No, he felt true, calm, real peace.

The pianist gave a small laugh of pleasure as they stopped slowly playing, taking in the calm air with a happy tone. "Music truly is fun! It's really amazing what a pair of people like us just now can achieve." He stated.

Shinji smiled at that. "Yeah, it really is huh?"

The pair played slightly more for a while, cracking small jokes as the sun slowly passed by. "Thanks again for the piano duet we did." Shinji credited his newfound friend, gently smiling to him. "I haven't had this much fun since I was merely 6 or 7!"

"Me too, we should try this again." The albino boy encouraged with a smile, fixing his hands into his pockets. "By means stop by anytime down here, Shinji Ikari. I'd love to play again with you sometime soon."

"Of course!" Shinji replied, before he realized something important. All this time the pianist had known his name, and yet he never gave his own. "If it's alright with me asking, what's your name?"

"Oh me? I am Kaworu Nagisa, NERV's previous Fifth Child." The albino haired boy, or Kaworu as he'd stated, spoke with ease and another warming smile to his friend. "And like you, dearest Shinji, I am a child bound by fate….."

A/N: Now we're getting into the meat and greet of it all: Shinji meeting Kaworu, old man Gendo, and Rei! But don't worry dearest readers I'm not going to butcher the story to the point where you question what weird is how 3.3 did or leave you praying I finish the rest of this story. I will be trying to upload still once a weekends, maybe push to upload 2 chapters per weekend but only time and school crap will tell.

That said, this is the KnightOfZ3R0 signing off!