A/N: Well here we are again! Chapter 52! Wow have we all come a long way or what? The current topic, Rei Ayanami is undergoing a lifesaving operation. Will she survive? Things are looking good so far. On with it!

8 hours later – NERV Hospital

It was just a bit past midnight at NERV HQ, and fatigue was beginning to set into Maya Ibuki's eyes. Watching and observing the shell for Rei Ayanami's soul grow in the observation tank was far from entertaining. But it was a job that had to be done. Ritsuko Akagi had put a lot of trust in her, and she would not let her superior down. The body's growth was on schedule and so far everything was going as planned. Its approximate age was now eleven years old since it started. It was surely taking a long time to do. Maya checked her watch, to see that it read 12:25am. Ritsuko said she could go to bed around this time. She would need all the rest she could get, knowing the procedure of transferring the soul from one body to another was a very delicate procedure.

As for the examination of the currently comatose Rei IV, that body was still functioning. The temperature was finally beginning to go down too. But soon Rei wouldn't have to worry about her current body, as the new one would soon be made for her. But then again, if this attempt to create a new body failed, the fourth body would die not long afterwards, and after a few hours if the S2 organ wasn't transferred, or put on life support, Rei would truly die and rejoin the rest of Lillith's soul.

After giving some final instructions to the doctors who were observing Rei to inform Dr. Akagi should anything go wrong, she proceeded to the sleeping quarters at NERV to get some sleep.

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Around the same time except at Misato's flat

Misato was slowly getting around to finishing off her fifth beer of the night. She knew damn well that the kids were not fond of her drinking habit. But with their narrow minded trains of thought, they neglected to realize that she made sure she recycled every can of beer she had, so there would be more cans, to well… drink more beer.

The others had long gone to bed, except for Zack and Pen-Pen who were watching the Tonight Show on the television. Zack had asked Misato to get a satellite so he could get some more English channels on the set. Misato had no problem with this as long as he helped pay for the satellite which he didn't object to, and that he made sure what he was watching was appropriate. But it would take him forever to figure out the parental code. He would literally have to go through 9999 different codes to find the right one. On an odd note, Misato had been suspecting that Zack was teaching Pen-Pen English as she noticed Zack didn't have the Japanese subtitles on.

Unfortunately for her, the kids had no school tomorrow. There was an accident in one of the science labs. As a result of the accident, there was an explosion which injured some students and blew out all the windows. That, and it also blew the a hole in the roof, taking out the ventilation system, and also charred Coach Thunder's poor rear, as he was…'unfortunate' enough to be near the explosion on the roof. Because of this little, incident, it would mean either Commander Ikari, or Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, would have to go down to the school and chew out whoever allowed that accident to take place. According to NERV's investigation, the explosion occurred in the class Elly was in earlier that day. So that meant she was in potential danger.

Shinji however, was happy to hear the news that his "sister's" surgery was coming along well. She had told him how they had grown Rei from a single cell into what was at that point and time, a three-year-old toddler. By now, she'd have grown to be somewhere between ten and twelve years old. But then she wondered how NERV would pull off Rei's changing appearance when she came into surgery. Rei would likely lose her blue hair and red eyes, in exchange for brown hair and eyes similar to that of Shinji and Gendo. Although she didn't mind the red eyes and blue hair, but she hoped that at least the albino aspect would go.

Misato sipped what was left of the can, chucked it into a nearby bin, and stared at the last can. Now came a critical decision: To either guzzle down one more can, or call it a night and save some for tomorrow. She was running out again and would have to get more. She knew she would have to go into NERV tomorrow, so she didn't want to be hung over when she went in. As far as she was concerned, her mind was still intact as she felt she could still think rationally. Rationality for once being the victor in his holy battle of to drink or not to drink, she slowly got up, put the sixth can back in the fridge and retreated to her room for the night. Next morning would be hectic.

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Next morning – NERV HQ Sleeping Quarters

As much as Ritsuko would like to wake up to the sun shining through the window, the dark corridors of NERV HQ did not allow such a liberty to take place. She slowly allowed herself to get up and off the lower bunk of the bed she was on. The room she slept in could hold many people as was after all a barracks. After quickly stretching her arms and legs out, she checked the time. It read 8:30am. She then figured the S2 organ transfer could take place at about likely noon. That would give the other doctors and Maya more than enough time to get ready.

As for Maya, she happened to be sleeping like a baby on the top bunk. As much as the doctor didn't want to awaken her sleeping employee, work still had to be done to finish Rei's operation. Secretly she hoped the success of this operation may get her and possibly Maya, a pay raise from the Commander.

She began to lightly shake Maya, "Wake up sleepyhead."

Maya groaned as she began to stir, "Just a few more minutes please."

"Come on Maya, wake up," said Ritsuko shaking her a little harder.

Once her eyes opened, and the technician realized who was shaking her, she shot up faster than a jack-in-the-box, "I'm so sorry doctor! I didn't mean to sleep-in," replied a very frantic Maya.

Ritsuko was tempted to laugh, but she didn't and opted for smile, "Relax, you didn't sleep-in. It's only 8:30 in the morning." Once Maya was up and out of bed, the two went to the NERV cafeteria to get their wakeup coffees.

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Misato's Flat or Apartment or whatever the hell you want to call it

It looked like it was going to be a quiet day for Misato after all. She and Pen-Pen were sitting at the table drinking a morning beer. For some reason, beer seemed more enjoyable when she wasn't hung over morning. She then began reflecting on what was happening today, or specifically this morning. Zack had already left early for places unknown, but according to the Section 2 agents, he was heading in the direction of NERV HQ. He was probably going to see Elly… again. That alone would make some peace and quiet for Misato.

Ivana had gone off to a nearby gym. She seemed to be the lone one in the apartment. She didn't really have any friends or "allies" of the sort outside of NERV. Misato remembered looking into her profile, and found out about the chaos that had gone on in Russia while NERV was fighting the Angels. Judging from the experiences from there alone, that could cause enough problems for anyone. And Ivana's experiences there have molded her into what she is now; a person with a tough, cold exterior with what was likely a wounded interior under heavy guard from the outside. Misato let out a wry laugh at the very thought, as it reminded her very much of Asuka when she first came.

As for Shinji, he probably wanted to go see Rei again, to check on her, but Misato wanted him to lighten up a little bit, and not be so melancholy. And with a little persuasion on her part, a wad of bills and with a very good pleading look in Asuka's eyes convinced Shinji to go with Asuka to the mall.

"Peace and quiet for once huh Pen-Pen?" she asked the warm water penguin.

"WARK! WARK!"

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Maybe it was better for Shinji that he got out of the apartment and went downtown with Asuka instead of going to the NERV hospital. For some reason, even if he tried to, he couldn't shake out the joy in his heart and replace it with misery.

Now he was in some gigantic department store with Asuka, watching her try on new clothes. He heard that guys must be careful when in this situation. When a girl comes out after trying something on, she expects the guy's opinion as to what she tried on. The guy can either fake it and say it looks nice, or he can be honest about it. The catch is, is that if the girl notices you're faking it or doesn't like the fact that you don't like what she likes, there could be problems. And in Shinji's case, he had Asuka trying on new clothes. That alone is a nightmare, and joined with her temper, it could lead to some…unwanted complications.

"So what do you think Shinji?" Asuka had emerged from the fitting room with the item she was trying on. She was wearing a royal blue sleeveless dress with one of those slits in the dress along the side.

"Does it look good on me?"

Now was the moment of truth. Moments like these could mean the make or break of the relationship they had. He examined her thoroughly. The dress seemed to compliment her eyes rather well. And it seemed to go fine with her red hair too. The slit on the side made her look even more beautiful and perhaps more sexy than she already was. It hugged her body fairly nicely, showing off her curves, all the while not revealing much, which greatly surprised Shinji based on the dresses she had at home. He quickly put the thought aside, as he concluded that it might've been his influence on that part. From the looks of things, fate was on his side. He could make an honest decision that would likely save his skin from being incinerated by the fiery redhead.

Asuka wondered what was taking Shinji so long. He had been silent for several seconds. All she wanted from him was a simple statement of whether he liked it or not. But judging entirely from the look of his face and the fact that his eyes were wandering instead of looking at one particular place, as it observed how that dress looked on her from head to toe, she noticed and mentally smiled. Plus when she actually thought about it, she didn't think it looked that great on her. She was about to tell Shinji that it wasn't actually that great...

"I think it looks great on you," he finally stated. This took her completely by surprise. So much that she forgot to breathe for a moment and she could swear her heart skipped a beat. To make sure he was being honest, she examined him from head to toe. She had a good knack for catching liars, and if he was lying he'd regret it. He didn't stutter when he made his statement, he didn't have wringing hands, and he had made eye contact too. As far as she was concerned, he wasn't lying.

"Really?" she asked, in a somewhat hopeful manner.

"Of course it does," was the boy's reply, with the same sincerity in it too.

"Okay then, I'll be right back." Asuka went back into the fitting room to change back into her clothes. Within 2 minutes, she returned wearing her original red sweater and blue jeans.

"Since you like it so much," she said, "I'll get this one then." However, little did Shinji know that dress would cost him ¥30 000.

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NERV Hospital 10:30am

Ritsuko observed the new body floating in the tank. It had finally finished its accelerated growth, and was now a healthy 15 year old husk. So far everything had gone as planned. All Rei V needed now was the soul that lay in Rei IV. Then hopefully the operation would be a success, and no complications would follow. But like all operations, there is always a hitch of some sort. There was also a doctor in the other room doing some routine tests on Rei IV, trying to figure out how long she would live with being constantly hampered by Angel Rejection Syndrome.

"How long do you calculate she will live doctor?" Ritsuko inquired to the doctor sitting at a desk, as she entered.

The doctor looked up from his reports, "According to our reports, if nothing else happens she may likely live for somewhere between 48 and 72 hours more." He returned his vision down to the papers he had.

"But if she has another…"

"Doctor," a voice called out, revealing to be a female doctor running in from another room, "We have an emergency! Rei's body is having a violent seizure!" In response, Ritsuko and both doctors quickly rushed into the room where the comatose Rei IV was currently. The female doctor was right, Rei IV was stirring violently. Ritsuko then noticed Rei began to perspire at a very fast rate. It was another DNA expulsion! On top of that, the monitors were showing alarming results. According to the life support monitor, her heart rate had shot up sharply to about 230 beats a minute, and was breathing heavily but quickly.

"Get the sedatives in here!" Ritsuko frantically ordered, "We have to relax her body or she'll die from exhaustion!"

A nurse rushed in with needles on a tray. Ritsuko quickly selected the one she wanted, as the doctors pinned her body down. She immediately grabbed Rei's restrained arm and plunged the needle in, hoping the substance would help her body relax. Once the needle went in, its contents now running through the body, Rei IV continued to violently convulse for about another fifteen seconds, before she finally came to a stop. But was it over?

"What's the status of her vitals?" asked Ritsuko.

The female doctor made a check, "Heart rate is moving back to normal. Blood pressure is also returning to normal too. Breathing is also returning to normal too." The doctor seemed pleased with the results she had just read off. From the looks of things, Rei IV would be able to survive just a bit longer. The female doctor then picked up a cloth and began to wipe the perspiration off Rei.

Everyone took a moment just to look at Rei. When she was first admitted, she was already rather pale, due to her albino features, and her form was already rather frail. However now, it was reduced to almost nothing but a sack of bones. Due to the lack of proper nutrition, her body had been deprived of many things. Her thighs were now about the same width as her knees, her ribcage could be seen, and in fact the majority of her joints could be distinguished now. Her skin was shock white, due to unknown causes, most likely from the battle being waged within her. And even now, in her coma, her face always has a pained expression, despite all the sedatives intended to dull the pain.

The male doctor spoke again after some time, "As I was saying, if she were to have another DNA expulsion like we saw, I couldn't give her more than 24 hours to live. Her body won't be able to maintain itself for very long."

"I see," said Ritsuko, "Well Maya and I will do the S2 organ transfer at noon today, so there shouldn't be any problems then. And that is in less than 90 minutes."

The female snapped up suddenly, "Doctor! There's a problem! Her heart rate is dropping below the acceptable levels. She will have a heart failure at this rate, vitals are dropping as well!"

"What?" Ritsuko yelled out. She looked at the readings on the monitors. It was too bad to be true. Rei's heart rate was dropping sharply. There were a few more beeps… then a high pitched sound was emitting from the life support system.

"Ikari-kun……"

Every single doctor present was in shock. The doctors in the room all had to grasp the reality lying on the bed in front of them. Rei Ayanami, the First Child, the fourth holder of the soul of Lillith, had died. They on their watch, were forced to watch her die, as her body finally gave up from the pain and the stress, only to hear her utter the name of the only person that was truly kind to her during the Angel War.

"Oh my god," a doctor whispered in sorrow. A couple of the female doctors left the room in search from some open air. Even the most experienced of doctors, can never get over the pain of death.

Ritsuko let out a sigh, and walked up to the body. She pushed a few stray strands from her still form and smiled weakly. To think, that she had hated this girl, and on a few occasions almost killed the 2nd. And now, here she was, trying to save the girl, and at the same time feel sorry for the fact she had suffered so much during this time, and especially now, since she had to fight that painful battle.

(A/N: Hey, Shran here, that little concept is from the manga)

She then went over to the phone. She knew that since Rei IV had died, now the only way to preserve her was to see if they could bring Rei V to life. After dialing a number into the phone, someone answered on the other side.

"Hello?" It was Makoto.

"Makoto! It's Ritsuko! Put Maya on the phone!" ordered the blonde doctor. Her command was followed without a hitch. And almost instantly Maya was put on the phone.

"Yes doctor?"

"Change of plans Maya. We're doing the soul transfer now. Get down here as soon as you can!"

"Yes Doctor," said Maya, "I'm on my way down." And with that she hung up.

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Misato's Flat – Sounds funny, should I stick with flat, or should I go back to apartment?

So far, so good for Misato. She figured she could relax while the others were out right now. And that's what she was doing. After throwing all the sheets Zack was using into the laundry, putting an air freshener in the room, beer in hand, she had laid out on the couch to watch some much desired TV.

Suddenly, she had this urge to turn on a movie. A certain kind of movie. A kind of movie no fourteen or fifteen-year-old kid should be watching. But with the parental code she had placed on the TV, Zack wouldn't be able to watch any of the adult movies on her TV.

"Okay. The password is 8745," she said aloud. To her absolute shock, the TV rejected her password.

"What? But I entered it correctly!" She frantically punched the code in again. Only to have it rejected again.

"Urgh!" She slammed her hands down in frustration. However, Misato unknowingly stuck her hand into the inside of the couch. Suddenly, she realized what she did and felt a little embarrassed for doing that. The chain of events was far from finished as another link was added. She felt a piece of paper inside the couch. So she obviously pulled it out. It was a small piece of paper, and on it were the numbers 8745. This made her gasp with shock. This meant definitely that someone in the house knew the code. And her woman's intuition was pointing DIRECTLY at one Zack Harper. Her intuition also told her that the one person who could have given him the code was none other than one Ryouji Kaji! She felt like mentally kicking herself for telling Kaji the code now. But that idea he had seemed so interesting…

Right as Misato was about to get up to call one of those two to give them a piece of her mind, the phone rang. She was fuming mad by the time she got to the phone, but tried her best to conceal her rage with a cherry façade.

"Hello."

"Misato? It's Ritsuko."

"What is it Rits?" asked Misato concernedly, "You don't sound like yourself."

Ritsuko paused for a moment before speaking, "Misato, we have some very bad news over here."

"What happened Ritsuko? Did something happen to Rei?"

Another pause before her best friend began to speak again, "Unfortunately something did happen. Rei IV passed away fifteen minutes ago." Misato gasped in shock, silence fixated between the two of them.

After a moment of silence, Ritsuko continued, "So we've decided to act now, and we're commencing the S2 transplant. Do you wish to come by?"

"You bet I will!" Misato nearly bellowed, "I'm coming down now!" She hung up the phone, got her jacket on, and darted out the door.

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NERV Hospital – Will the bell finally toll for Rei?

"Drain that tank," ordered Ritsuko, "And then place Rei V's body on that bio bed, and wheel in the fourth's body in here now."

"Yes ma'am." A group of doctors went to get the deceased body from the IC room, while another group began to drain the tank of the special LCL.

While she was getting her latex gloves on, Maya had a question, "Doctor, is there anything special that needs to be done this time around?"

"No not this time," the doctor assured, "It will be the same as the fourth Rei we worked on. The fifth will be the last time we do this, as there will not be a sixth time once this is done." As they were talking, the two groups of doctors had finished their tasks. The tank was drained and Rei V's body was placed on the bio bed, as the bed that had Rei IV's body was wheeled in. As the bed was wheeled in, the doctors assigned to Rei V's body began attaching wires from the bio bed to her head, while others prepped the MAGI and the computer on the bed that would digitally upload Rei's memories and thoughts. The body was also hooked up to a life support system just in case something went wrong during the process. Once they had finished their tasks, the doctors took a moment to look at the fruits of their labor.

Right there before them, was Rei V's body. A healthy, naked 15 year old girl, with the palest of skin, azure hair, frail body, and crimson eyes. Many of the doctors felt uncomfortable around the girl's presence, not because she was naked, nor the fact that she was different, but of her eyes. Instead of the bright, yet pained crimson that was seen in many of her pictures, she now had a dull, dead, lifeless appearance. Her eyes showed no light, nor life. No signs of a person ever existing in the body. The doctors returned outside to watch the procedure take place, some of them feeling various levels of anxiety and apprehension, as the two began work.

"Ready Maya?" asked Ritsuko, who held a sharp scalpel in her right hand, and had covered her nose and mouth with a mask.

"I'm ready Doctor," said Maya who imitated her superior's actions.

And so began the final part of the operation. Using the scalpel, Ritsuko began to perform a Caesarean section Rei IV's body. Although Maya had been briefed on what the procedure entailed, it was not a sight she could get used to. Blood began to leak out from within as the doctor continued to make the incision.

Once it was finished, they could see all her internal works, and how much her organs had broken down due to the Angel Rejection Syndrome. The body's organs were either literally falling apart, or were degrading horrendously. Maya couldn't help but cringe slightly at the sight before her. But there it was, the S2 organ, where her reproductive organs should have existed.

"I can't believe it," the doctor commented.

"What is it?"

"The S2 organ, it didn't seem to be affected from ARS."

"That's probably because of its regenerative abilities doctor."

"That's probably it…and because it must've been a powerful attack, the organ could only sustain itself, and couldn't support the rest."

"Doctor, we should continue before the organ loses power."

"You're right, cut the valves Maya," commanded the blonde doctor. "And be very careful so as not to disturb the soul. You're using a miniature progressive knife." Maya spoke not a word, and began to carefully snip away the valves that kept the S2 in place with a set of sanitized progressive scissors. Once the valves were cut away from the organ, Maya proceeded to pick up the red object which was covered and dripping blood on the floor, but showed signs of regeneration already..

"Alright Doctor. Let's proceed with the next step."

"Wow, you're getting used to this after all," she commented. She did indeed smile, but it couldn't be seen because of the mask. Under her watch, Maya had greatly increased her self-esteem and confidence since she took the lieutenant under her wing to be her apprentice. Picking up a fresh scalpel, Ritsuko began to perform the same incision in Rei V, however this time just large enough to fit the S2 in. Unfortunately, like in any operation, blood leaked out of this one too.

Just as the chromosomes had planned, the valves that had been used for the S2 were there, just that they had to be snipped into four valves now. The blonde smiled again at her success. She held out her hand as Maya passed a fresh the progressive scissors.

She snipped the two valves into four, and stepped back, "Now Maya, place it in, and prepare the injections."

"Yes ma'am." Slowly Maya placed the S2 organ inside Rei V, and then proceeded to retrieve a series of needles and a special vile. Replacing the blood covered gloves with new ones, and then what was needed, she returned to Ritsuko with the needed items, handing her the organ first.

"Good, place the tray by her feet. Now while I simulate the S2 to bond with the valves, I need you to get that data ready to upload Rei's memories and thoughts into her mind." As always, Maya obeyed and uploaded the data from the MAGI onto the computer that would transfer Rei's memories back into her mind.

"When ready doctor," Maya reported as Ritsuko trimmed the valves that would hold the S2 until they were just the right length.

"Just give me a moment… there! Now I just need to just need to inject the stimulants, and the organ's regenerative properties should kick in," she now looked up at Maya, "Okay Maya, go right ahead. Upload now."

Maya did so, and the computer began to hum from the commands Maya inputted in to the machine, as it finally began the uploading process. Ritsuko then carefully navigated the needles to the healing wounds of the organ, and injected the fluids. Immediately it glowed brightly as it began to pulse. The process would take a few minutes, giving Maya a chance to breathe for a bit or so.

"So Doctor, how is the regenerating coming along?"

"Fabulous," replied Ritsuko who was observing the organ bonding with the final valve, "I am surprised that the organ regenerated that fast." Maya saw her saw her note something on her clipboard, as she observed the bonding between the organ and the four valves. She then turned towards the observation window and gave a thumbs up.

By that time, Misato had arrived just to see Ritsuko insert the S2 organ. Inside the observation room, it broke into a wild applause, as the doctors cheered for the success of the operation, while Misato was jumping up and down, crying hysterically. Ritsuko simply laughed and turned to face Maya.

"There, now we're done that step. The soul is finally in place. Give it a few hours or so, and it will be working in tune with the body. And the immune suppressants are working well too. No sign of rejection anywhere." Ritsuko then down her clipboard, and retrieved the needed supplies, and returned the body, and began stitching the hole she had cut open earlier.

"Oh Maya, get me some of that anti-scar cream," Maya seemed confused for a moment, so the doctor verified, "You know, the stuff we used so Asuka didn't have a huge scar on her arm from the EVA Series."

"Oh right." Maya tried to hide the embarrassment on her face as she went to retrieve the anti-scar cream. Simply put, it was so Rei V didn't have a scar on her lower abdomen because of Ritsuko's scalpel when she woke up; if she wakes up. Once she returned with the cream, Ritsuko had quickly finished stitching up the hole. Ritsuko began to apply the cream along the stitches. The cream also did double as a disinfectant.

The phone then rang. So Maya went to answer the phone since her hands were not covered in blood.

"Hello? Commander? Yes sir, right away sir."

"Doctor, it's for you."

"Hello? Yes sir, she seems to be fine. We have just completed the operation, her vitals are stable. Alright sir…Really sir…Thank you sir, thank you."

"What did the Commander want?"

"We just got a raise along with a big fat bonus."

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Misato's Flat – I'm sticking with flat for the moment

Shinji and Asuka had finally made it back home. Shinji wondered how other guys could stand shopping for girls. If he didn't remind Asuka of how much money they actually had, she may as well have bought the entire store while she had the chance.

"Hey look," Asuka said suddenly, "Misato cleared the sheets off the couch and put an air freshener in the room. It's safe to sit here again rather than sit in Casanova's filth." She then turned on the TV and turned to a channel.

"Come sit down with me."

"Be there in a second. Just making milkshakes with the new blender we got," replied Shinji from the kitchen, "You want chocolate, banana, or strawberry?"

"Banana."

Within a few minutes Shinji returned with 2 large glasses with the banana milkshakes. And they sat down and watched the movie that was playing on the TV. It was a comedy movie about these two guys who were trying to kill off this corporate guy but their schemes always ended up in disaster.

"I don't know why, but I keep getting the feeling I know what's going to happen next," Asuka muttered 45 minutes into the movie, "I'm bored."

"So what do you want to do now?" asked Shinji.

"Well let's see…" Asuka went into deep thought, "Why don't you kiss me?"

"Huh?" Shinji was confused. "But I always kiss you."

Asuka gave him one of those looks that said 'Are you stupid?' "Don't you mean I always kiss you? Why don't you kiss me for once?"

"But… but…"

"Look. If you're really that scared," she placed her hands behind her back and closes her eyes, "I promise I won't stop you, plug your nose, or sack you."

DA DA DUM

Shinji looked at Asuka. Indeed she had her hands behind her back, and closed her eyes. So he moved slowly toward her.

DA DA DUM

They were now within inches of each other. Asuka hadn't moved at all. Shinji figured if Asuka let him get this close, he could go further. He wrapped his arms around her body, and crushed their lips together. Asuka had to admit on her part that she was surprised Shinji could kiss with such ferocity. Sure she let him kiss her, but she wasn't about to let him dominate her. She brought her hands out from behind her back, and wrapped them around his neck.

As they continued to kiss, they let their tongues wander about, tasting what the other had to offer. The milkshakes they had earlier were making their kiss taste all the better. It felt like it could last forever, but the human body can only go without oxygen for so long, that they had to break it off. Once they did, they were both breathing heavily, their faces flushed red.

"Wow," said Asuka panting to catch her breath, "See what you can do… if you really try?"

"Yeah… can we do that again?" asked Shinji.

"Please."

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NERV Hospital

"So how long should it be before the data upload is finished?" asked a highly giddy Misato. The operation was long finished now, and Rei V was still in the operating room. The results of the surgery were very promising. The S2 was integrating with Rei's body very well, and she was breathing on her own too. Also her bodily functions were working on their own without the life support system, and she has been it for the last hour or so.

"Should be any minute now," replied Ritsuko, as she looked at her watch, "Then we'll try to wake her up."

Misato had a question though, "Would cutting her open leave a scar of some kind though?"

Ritsuko chuckled for a moment, as Misato looked at her curiously, "Haven't you wondered why Asuka didn't have scars from being thrashed by SEELE's EVA Series? We developed a cream that can pretty much make scars disappear as if there was nothing there. So Rei here won't have any scars after the operation."

"I see," Misato replied thoughtfully, as she always did wonder where the eye scars went, "So Rei also won't be a bluenette much longer either. She'll be a brunette after a while."

"That's correct," answered Maya, "The process will kick in, in about two weeks, the process itself will last for another two weeks. You'll be able to notice the changes slowly too," she then looked at the computer, "Oh the data has been completely uploaded."

Once she heard that, Ritsuko and Maya had removed the machine that was attached to Rei's head. Ritsuko took this chance to speak.

"Maya, pass the stimulant. I'm going to attempt to wake her up now."

'This is it,' thought Misato. 'Will this work? Or will she stay comatose forever?'

Maya passed the syringe over to Ritsuko. Ritsuko lowered the cover over Rei enough to expose her left arm. She slowly stuck the needle into Rei's arm, and pumped in the substance, then removed the needle, and placed a small band-aid over the needle puncture.

Rei slowly began to stir in response to the substance pumped into her. And to everyone's joy, her eyelids began to lift, revealing lavender eyes.

A/N: She's alive! ALIVE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Did you think I would really kill Rei? As much as I think she shouldn't be paired with Shinji, she doesn't have to die or anything like that. To all Rei fans, I apologize for making her suffer like she did. Soon in upcoming chapters, you'll see a new Rei.

A/O/N: And a big thanks to all who helped take down my "imitator". That… eyesore has been wiped off He sure is damn lucky he didn't copy one of my preread chapters, says Marine Brother Shran.

Until 53, be cool!