Second Chance

Chapter ten: Aftermath

()

The three pilots, Misato and Ritsuko stood before Commander Ikari Gendo at his office.

"I am glad to see the Angel destroyed. Was much damage done to the city?" He asked.

"Little, Commander. We can surely finish repairs in a month's time." Misato answered, standing tall in her uniform.

"How are you pilots?"

"We did not take much damage and I was injured only slightly." Kaworu replied.

Slightly injured, Gendo mused. As if. Normal people don't heal from feeling like getting pierced by two whips that quickly. And you even pulled them towards yourself.

"That is well." He responded audibly, hiding his thoughts. "You two?"

"It wasn't too bad for my debut!" Said the red haired girl-Asuka, he remembered her name.

He wondered if such a cheerful girl was a good addition.

"Um..." Shinji hesitated.

"I'm sorry I couldn't defeat it. I should have done better."

Shinji looked down, unable to meet his father's eyes. He didn't want to see the disappointed look that was surely on his father's face.

Gendo sighed inwardly. He himself should have done better at raising his son.

"You did well, Shinji." Gendo spoke suddenly. "Same goes for the others."

Shinji blinked. He praised me.

"What about the Evas? Have they sustained much damage?" He continued.

"It is all within the budget. Nothing we can't handle." And will save us another troublesome meeting with Seele, Naoko finished silently.

"With all due respect, we should get on with the work." Ritsuko added.

"Very well, you're all dismissed." Gendo finished finally.

Had anyone looked carefully, they would have seen a small smile on Shinji's face as he walked out.

()

"So, are you two the only pilots here?" Asuka asked, munching on a sandwich as the three pilots sat in the cafeteria. "You," she pointed at Shinji, "seem a little too glum, and you," she pointed at Kaworu, "kept smiling for no good reason. You people here are weird."

"There is one more pilot, and she's the one who actually pilots Unit 00." Shinji answered. "Oh, Ayanami, I didn't realised you came."

Asuka turned her head and stared at the bluenette for a moment. And a smile came to her face.

"Ooh, finally another girl! Nice to meet you, I'm Asuka." She stretched out a hand.

Rei stared at the outstretched hand for a moment. Hesitantly she took it.

"I am Rei. Ayanami Rei." I am me. "Are you injured from the last battle?" She asked, slight concern appearing in her features.

"Shamshel got me." Kaworu laughed.

"Angels have names?" Shinji asked.

There was a moment of silence as Rei and Kaworu gazed at each other, some unspoken conversation taking place between them.

"Nicknames." Rei said simply.

"Well, anyways, it's great to meet you all! And really, are all the clothes you have school uniforms? I have to take you all out shopping. You'll all become a different person with my professional touch. No more wearing uniforms on holidays."

This time, all three of them gazed at her hesitantly.

"What?" She asked. "Anta Baka? My acquaintances can't dress like that. If you're to be my friends, we have to go and have fun together!"

She's weird. All three of them thought.

But not necessarily a bad comrade to have.

()

"How's everything going, Rits?" Misato asked. "Have a cup of coffee." She passed her a cup, to which Ritsuko gave a quick nod of thanks.

"And stop smoking, daughter. I already let you off for dying your hair, but your health is important." Naoko added.

"Can't!" Ritsuko spluttered, in between gulps of coffee. "Can't work if my hands shake. And Misato, even Rei makes better coffee than you do."

Misato huffed. "I don't usually demand such high quality stuff! I just drink UCC!"

"Anyways, the real issue is, Unit 02 feels a little weird to me. An Evangelion needs a soul to work. Both Asuka's parents are alive, and she doesn't have any siblings. So I have no idea how she's able to synchronise with her at all."

"She hasn't shown any use of the A.T. Field yet, so there are still possibilities..." Misato attempted.

"But theoretically, she should not be able to move the Eva. At all." Naoko countered.

"But shouldn't you be able to sense whether there's a soul in it or not?" Misato asked. "I've heard a bit of rumours about Unit 01, and Unit 00 is a prototype, so there should be some information on this one."

"Magi is unsure." Naoko answered once more. "You should rest, Katsuragi-san. Rits-chan and I will handle everything here."

Misato gave one last glance, before leaving the platform.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Naoko whispered in Ritsuko's ear. "Are you sure this is accurate? We can't just trust the Magi on everything, even if I made it."

"Yes," Ritsuko replied gravely. "And part of my guts say so too. I have to say unfortunately, there may be fragments..."

()

Asuka walked out of Nerv, humming a tune beneath her breath. There was a skip in her step as she remembered her victory, defeating the Angel. She was worthy, after all. She was the right person for this. This was where she belonged.

Everything's gonna be alright, where there are friends, even if papa and mama wouldn't come with me...

All's right with the world.

()

(A/N): So finally, here comes the great Asuka Langley Soryu. I wanted to get her sooner, since it would be useful, and I got tired of waiting for myself to finished all the chapters between the Angel attacks. She's friendly, she's happy, but this is Eva, so there will be reasons.

Oh, and tell me if you want to meet my Oc or not. If you don't, I'll consider deleting her out of the story.