Chapter 6

A/N: I still don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion (although I'm continuing my plans of a hostile takeover of Gainax, not like SEELE's "hostile takeover" of NERV though, more like a business type thing)

Oh and in previous chapters, I've had Shinji refer to Rei as Rei, but now I feel it would be more "in character" for him to refer to her as Ayanami. Nothing terribly important, but I noticed the incongruity and felt like explaining it.

One last thing, I think this story is shifting slightly away from comedy to more drama. I will try to keep it funny though.

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Shinji slid his ID card through the scanner to open the doors to NERV headquarters. It was 4:22 and he needed to be in Ritsuko's office by 4:30. Shinji wasn't worried from what he'd noticed, nothing about the building had changed and he knew he had plenty of time to get there. He was walking very fast down the hallways and when he turned a corner, Shinji collided with an unsuspecting soul.

"Owww, damn it. What the hell is the big idea?"

"Oh, Commander Fuyutsuki, I'm very sorry." Shinji, who was still standing, bowed to the elderly man sprawled on the floor. Shinji remained in the bowed position, waiting for Fuyutsuki to make the next move. An angry old man broke the silence with a bark.

"Well, are you going to help me up or not?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Shinji jostled into an upright position, extending his hand to the Commander.

"About time you insolent whelp. Now watch where you're going when you're in this headquarters!"

"Yes sir," Shinji mumbled dejectedly.

Fuyutsuki walked off and unbeknown to Shinji, the Vice-Commander continued to speak under his breath, "That little brat, he looks just like that fool Gendo. I never noticed what you saw in him, Yui, but that doesn't matter." With the utterance of this phrase, he pulled of his glove to reveal (only to himself) the Angel Adam's embryonic form grafted onto his palm. "My plans to see you again my love are coming to fruition, and no one, not that idiot Gendo or that stodgy committee has a clue, Bwa Ha Ha Ha!" At this point, his whispers had become a conspicuous shout, but all Shinji noticed was Fuyutsuki laughing manically with his shaking fists in the air.

Shinji, not wanting another scolding shrugged and continued walking, deciding not to inquire into the Vice-Commander's unusual behavior. He continued to Ritsuko's office, thinking about what to tell her, and how in depth his story should be.

"Dr. Akagi? Are you here? Shinji stepped into her office. "What a mess!" Shinji shuttered. It was littered with items you would expect from a woman with doctorates in physics, biology, and computer science. Everything from microscopes to computer chips plagued Shinji's surroundings. The official equipment stood out easily, but it took Shinji a moment to notice one common object that looked like it didn't belong. "BEER CANS?!?!" Piled underneath lab tables and on top of stacks of papers was a collection of beer cans that the Misato Shinji was used to would be jealous of. "This looks like Misato works in here," Shinji said in half disbelief.

"What about Misato?" Ritsuko had just walked in and was setting down a 24 pack of beer and a bottle of some unknown hard liquor Shinji had never seen. Shinji just looked at her, saying nothing, "Well, whatever. Just tell me if she is planning on stopping by," Ritsuko gave a forced smile, "She would have my pension along with half my salary if she saw I'm still consuming "you know what" on the job… hic."

Shinji had plenty of experience of behavior like this from Misato, "Dr. Akagi, are you drunk?"

Clearly not wanting to answer directly, she replied, "Oh Shinji, just call me Ritsuko. And besides, I'm fine. I've learned my lesson from that one time the goat and the mime were involved."

Shinji's fragile mind, not wanting another scarring, decided not to go into that one with a question. Instead he brought the good doctor back to the subject of his tests. "Uhh, Misato was supposed to have set up an appointment with you for me, something about some tests.

"Oh yes, she mentioned some unusual behavior as well as potential amnesia. We're going to give you an MRI first. Then, while we're waiting for the results, I'll give you some personality tests, as well as conduct a small interview with you."

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Shinji had never had an MRI before, but he didn't like it. The small tube he was slid into reminded him of being inside the Eva. After the scan, Ritsuko took him back to her office/lab/open bar and gave him some personality tests. Finally she asked him a few questions, mainly about his past. This is when Shinji decided to tell Ritsuko about what happened to him after the Angel swallowed him up. To Shinji, it seemed like she took it surprisingly well. All she did was look at him interestingly, nod, and scribble furiously on her notepad. All she had told him after they were done was that the results would take a while to interpret and he was free to go.

Shinji, disappointed that nothing was revealed with the tests, walked the halls of NERV with no particular destination. So lost in thought, that it was by total chance he walked by a synch test going in progress. Misato was standing next to the computer terminal with the microphone attached. Sitting next to her was Maya Ibuki and Makako Hyuga.

"The Second Child's synch ratio remains in the low 50's. She should be higher than this level given the number of years she's been a pilot or at least she should be improving. This is pathetic." The technician Maya was speaking to Misato. To Shinji, she sounded different but familiar in a way.

"Well, a pilot's synch ratio is influenced by state of mind. Asuka, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Misato?"

During Asuka's response, Misato noticed Shinji in the doorway and motioned him to come in. "Yeah Asuka, try thinking of a happy thought, something to cheer you up."

"Like what Misato?" replied Asuka wearily.

Misato looked at Shinji and gave a smile that looked like a combination of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and The Joker from Batman, "Well Asuka, imagine that Shinji asked you out on a date." Shinji fell over, half from shock and half from embarrassment.

"Misato! Stop that, it's embarrassing." Asuka said a little too quickly. She followed hesitantly but in a much more cheerful voice, "You don't think he would do that, do you?"

Misato could barely contain her laughter at this point, she managed to get out, "I don't know Asuka, you should ask him, he's right here next to me." Shinji was shaking his head vigorously up until this point, trying to get Misato to stop, but was now distracted by the moan of despair from Asuka.

"Ohh noooo! Misato I hate you!"

Misato was in the middle of a giggle fit when Hyuga said, "The second child's ratio is dropping at a steady pace.

She replied in between giggles, "It doesn't matter, we were done anyways."

Maya uncharacteristically (to Shinji at least) blurted, "Good, I need to practice my guitar. The higher ups," she gave hard, meaningful look to Misato, "seem to schedule me so I don't have any free time."

"Maya you know the Magi plan the staff's work schedule, how many times do I have to tell you."

"I know I know, but doesn't it scare you that we trust so much of our lives to those computers."

Hyuga looked offended at this statement, "Oh Maya, quit being so cynical, you know the Magi are here for our own good. Sempai has made sure of it." When Hyuga mentioned "Sempai" his eyes got a far off dreamy look. "And besides, look at all the good they've done."

Maya got up and muttered, "See you later, technophiles" before walking to the door, waving goodbye and exiting.

Misato asked no one in particular, "What crawled up her ass?"

"I don't know Major Katsuragi, but can I be dismissed? Dr. Akagi," again when Ritsuko was mentioned, Hyuga got a dreamy look in his eyes, "asked me to help her interpret some data from a few tests."

"Yeah, sure Hyuga. You're dismissed."

"Thank you, ma'am." Hyuga got up and saluted and then smiled and waved to Shinji, "See you Shinji."

Shinji waved back as Hyuga left as well.

"So Shinji, did Ritsuko tell you anything we don't know?"

"No, unfortunately. She said the results would take a while to interpret"

"I see," Misato sighed, "Well, there's nothing more we can do here, lets go home."

"Okay, Misato."

Misato picked up a briefcase from a chair, and was about to leave when she abruptly stopped, "Oh, we're going to have to wait for Asuka, she's probably changing right now." Shinji gave Misato an uncomfortable look to which Misato smiled evilly and said, "This is going to be a fun car ride."

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Shinji was standing next to exit of NERV headquarters with nothing in particular to do. He was waiting; Misato had gone to the women's locker room to retrieve Asuka. Shinji looked up when he heard footsteps. Rei had just walked around a corner, and when she saw Shinji the blank expression on her face grew into a bright smile.

"Hiya Shinji."

"Oh Ayanami, hello." Shinji sighed and lowered his head returning it to its previous position, staring at the floor. Rei, not ready to stop talking, frowned before giving Shinji a slight shove.

"Hey Shinji, what's your problem? You've been acting strange lately." Shinji looked at Rei weakly, not wanting to exert him self in explaining that she was wrong and that it was her as well as everyone else was acting "strangely." He just felt tired, tired of being uncomfortable with everyone he thought he knew. Rei returned his look of weakness one of seriousness and a little sadness before speaking again, "I may act a little ditzy sometimes, but I can tell there is something bothering you. Before the Angel attack you would at least talk to me, not nicely sometimes, but you were the first person to not treat me like a freak. I always liked it when you talked to me, even if it was insulting a few times. You were, what I felt at least, my first and only friend. Please, just talk to me now."

Shinji felt touched by Rei's words. He welcomed her openness, not something he was used to from her or anyone around him and was refreshed by it. He felt, for the first time, a willingness to open himself up, like she would understand him. His pensive thoughts were interrupted however by Rei, who now had a puzzled, curious look on her face. She was poking him slightly and then Shinji realized he had a dazed look on his own face and was drooling slightly, being so deep in thought. "Oh sorry, I just wasn't in the mood to talk." Rei gave Shinji a disappointed look. "But you changed my mind."

Rei's expression changed from disappointment to joy as she said, "Oh good, so what's bothering you?"

Shinji may have been more willing to talk, but even he still wasn't sure what was wrong. He sighed before plunging into a conversation with a direction he wasn't sure about, "I'm not sure what's bothering me, Ayanami."

Rei interrupted with a palm to the face (the universal sign of stoppage), "That's got to stop!"

Shinji was confused, "What?"

"Calling me Ayanami, that's got to stop. Call me Rei. You always used to."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Shinji sheepishly.

"Don't apologize, Shinji. In fact it's kind of polite of you. You originally used my first name, without my consent; but I really don't mind. Now I'm sorry, I interrupted you, please continue."

"Okay Aya…" Rei gave Shinji a stare with a raised eyebrow, "…Rei, I was saying I don't know what's bothering me. I guess the problem is that everyone is acting differently than before the Angel attack."

Rei who looked genuinely interested, asked, "Everyone acting differently, what do you mean?"

"Well for starters, Rei; you, to me, have been acting bizarre. I remember you as a quiet, shy, meek girl." Rei fell over from shock. "You would never go out of your way to talk to someone, let alone show you were concerned about someone. Come to think of it, I wasn't sure if you had emotions, because if you did, you did a good job of hiding them."

"Wow that is weird. I can't imagine acting like that." Rei said with awe.

"That's not even the start of it. The Asuka you and I know now is quiet and cowardly. The Asuka I remember couldn't be more different. She was loud and not afraid to tell someone off. In fact she used to tell me off all the time, I kind of miss it. She was incredibly brave, not worrying at all going against an Angel one on one in an Eva, and she was never afraid of me." Rei was staring at Shinji in amazement, not daring to interrupt. "Misato is acting different too, though not as drastic as you or Asuka. I remember her having more fun, being more relaxed. She also drank more beer than an Irish pub during a soccer game. My friends at school are acting differently, Toji is at least. Hikari is now by best friend but before was at best an acquaintance. My father is acting so strange. He has never showed me love, kindness, or compassion until after the Angel attack."

"What! You remember the commander as unloving and cold." Rei couldn't hold her thoughts to herself any longer. "That is so strange. He has always been caring and considerate to me, as long as I can remember. And since you arrived here, I've noticed that's how he treats you as well."

Shinji nodded, "I know, that's what I'm told, but the way he treated me is as real as you standing in front of me are right now. This is driving me crazy, not knowing whether I or everyone else is right. I sometimes think I'm going nuts, but my memories seem so real. I wonder if I really belong here. I just feel so lost."

Rei gave Shinji a sympathetic look, but before she could respond, the voice of Misato rang throughout the hallway, "Shinji are you ready to go?" Misato was walking with Asuka in tow behind her. "Oh hi Rei, I didn't see you there; you're not trying to kill Shinji again are you?" Rei's face turned redder than a ripe apple before shaking her head and muttering a quiet no. "Oh well, I got Asuka, so we can go Shinji. Goodbye Rei."

Asuka followed Misato out the exit but quickly said, "It was nice seeing you Rei, goodbye."

Shinji was about to say goodbye, when he noticed a downcast look on Rei's face. He thought quickly and in an action that surprised even him asked, "You still live alone, why don't you join us for dinner?"

Shinji hit the nail on the head as Rei immediately started beaming and answered, "Oh yes, I'd love to."

"Okay, come over in about an hour. Well, see you later tonight." Shinji left Rei in the corridor not knowing what had gotten into him. Not only had he invited Rei to dinner but before that he had laid himself bare to her. He did, however, feel better after talking to a pair of sympathetic ears. Shinji turned his attention to what he should make for dinner as he followed Asuka and Misato to the car.

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Shinji and company were back at the apartment, with Shinji in the kitchen preparing dinner. When Shinji had told Misato in the car that he had invited Rei over for dinner, she had said she didn't mind but wished he had asked her first, because she would have to cook more. Then Shinji had offered to cook again. That was when Misato decided to have an involuntary muscle spasm in her arms and almost hit an old lady on the sidewalk. "Two nights in a row!" was what she said instead of what should have been said, "I wonder if that lady is alright, maybe I'll stop and check on her."

Still in the car, Shinji remembered that Rei was a vegetarian. While there had been actual food in the refrigerator the previous night, there was no tofu; an essential ingredient in what he was planning to serve. He had Misato drop him off at a grocery store to pick up the necessary items he needed.

As soon as he arrived with his groceries, he had immediately started cooking; wanting dinner to be ready by the time Rei arrived. He was in his element, so much more than when he piloted the Eva (even though he was pretty good at it). Cooking put him in a different state of mind. The act didn't absolve the problems facing him, but it did push them aside for the time being. He figured that cooking was like playing the cello, concerning the forgetting of worries. A rare smile appeared on his face at this thought. After dinner, he decided to practice his cello. Although the past couple of days seemed like ages, it hadn't been too long ago that he had been playing alone when Asuka came upon him. She had actually praised his playing, a rare thing coming from Asuka; but it actually had been the first compliment of his musical talents. In fact, they really had been the only words of encouragement since coming to Tokyo-3, outside of piloting the Eva. Before, playing the cello was just something to do; but it now it was something more. "Yeah, I will play it tonight."

The doorbell rang, alerting Shinji to Rei's arrival. It was perfect timing, because Shinji had just finished his tofu dish and was pulling it from the oven when chime sounded. He heard Misato answer the door and then shout, "Shinji, how's dinner coming?"

"It just finished, so all I need to do is set the table." Shinji answered from the kitchen as he started to pull plates and utensils from their usual cabinets and drawers.

Shinji had one place setting on each of the square dining table's sides and had sat on the one closest to the kitchen. When Rei came to sit down, without hesitation, moved her plate, chopsticks, and chair over to Shinji's side and sat down next to him, giving him a warm smile. Shinji returned the strong smile with a weak one of his own as well as scoot in the opposite direction. Asuka walked into the dinning room and sat down, completing the party of four that was at Chez Katsuragi. Shinji had discreetly watched her entrance and had noticed a harsh look towards Rei. Puzzled, Shinji rather to inquire about this "look" choose to announce his dish, which he had kept a surprise until now.

"Since you came over, Ayan…, uhh, Rei, I decided to make something I was sure you would enjoy." He removed the foil covering his tofu dish.

Rei stared at the dish before asking, "Is that tofu?"

Shinji, who was actually proud that he had been so prudent, replied with an uncharacteristic confidence, "Yes it is."

A few of seconds of silence hung in the before Rei spoke again, "Shinji…"

"Yes?"

"I don't like Tofu, it makes me gag."

Shinji promptly fell over in shock, remaining on the floor; not wanting to get up from the embarrassment he was experiencing.

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It turned out that not only Rei, but also Asuka and Misato didn't like tofu, and Shinji was only going to eat it because he thought Rei would like it. It had been decided they would order out. Chinese take-out arrived 20 minutes after Misato had ordered it. Shinji's new confidence that had manifested itself by inviting Rei to dinner and announcing his dish with pride was no where to be seen. He chose for the most part to remain quiet, letting Misato and Rei steer and maintain the dinner conversation. It was odd though, while Asuka was quiet mostly, when she did speak it was usually a question aimed at Shinji. The even stranger thing was when this happened; Rei would attempt to gain Shinji's attention with a question of her own. And when Rei was talking to Shinji, Asuka would occasionally interrupt her, in a tone reminiscent to how Shinji remembered her. But for the most part dinner, went smoothly.

After helping with the dishes and then seeing Rei out, Shinji returned to his room to practice his cello. He heard the phone ring when he was just opened the door. He remained still, listening to Misato answer it. After a few seconds of normal speech he heard his guardian loudly say, "Wait a minute say that again." Another second of silence, but it was short lived when Misato shouted, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE!" Another second of silence, then, "WHAAAT!!!" Shinji heard the sound of a small item striking the floor, then a moment later, the louder sound of a Misato sized object hitting the ground.

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A/N: Finally, this chapter is done. While I have waited longer periods of time to update, the number of times I sat down and after a few hours only producing 10 words is embarrassing. It wasn't until after finishing an assignment that took most of the night that I decided I might as stay up and hash it out (Maybe my muse is an insomniac).

I don't like tofu, so sorry if I peeved any of the fans of the soy-product with the tastes of all the characters (if any other characters had been present, they all would have hated it, even Tree-Hugging Doug, the hemp wearing hippie NERV tech that was never introduced in the series.

While it took me several weeks to complete this chapter, the last third is what held me up and was finished in a couple of hours. I listened to The Fratelli's song Flathead (the upbeat rock song from those flashy, new iPod commercials)

And last but not least, if you leave a review and feel the need, please leave some constructive criticism. Thanks and Peace!