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Artificial 4
"Um, Kaworu?" Shinji's hand twitched from where it was still being cradled in Kaworu's grip. Kaworu would have gladly sat on the piano bench to squeeze and observe Shinji's hand all day if the boy didn't finally tug it away.
"S-Sorry," Shinji apologized meekly when Kaworu looked up, "I—" He didn't really have an appropriate reason for pulling his hand back. Unless I told him I was getting uncomfortable, and Shinji didn't want to bother Kaworu with that. Although, based off the look Kaworu gave him, he guessed the other already knew. So he left the silence undisturbed.
Until the lights went out.
What? Again? Shinji flinched, disoriented by the sudden darkness.
"It appears as though the power has shut down again." Kaworu's voice floated through the blackness like a calm song.
Shinji shifted uncomfortably on the piano bench, unsure if he should stay sitting or stand. "Does-does this happen a lot?" Shinji ultimately stayed where he was. If this was anything like last time, the power should come back in a few minutes.
"No." Kaworu replied, and a subtle red glow just barely illuminated the portion of the piano the two were sitting at. Shinji jerked in surprise when he realized the light was coming from Kaworu's eyes. The other offered him a smile, but it ended up looking eerie rather than comforting. Kaworu's bight eyes caused stark shadows to form against the plains of his angular face and his pale exterior was awash in red light.
Your eyes glow, Shinji wanted to say, but instead he asked, "I-it doesn't?"
"No." Kaworu answered again, turning his attention back to the piano and playing a quick melody. "I imagine one would have to meddle with the power grid in order to make it malfunction more than once so close together." His fingers glided over the keys like slim ghosts.
What is he saying? "Why would someone do that?" Shinji murmured, and Kaworu's glowing eyes snapped up and locked on his with such intensity the boy flinched and had to look away.
"Shinji," Kaworu's voice was soft and gentle, "do you consider us to be friends?"
The brunette's gaze shifted back to Kaworu warily. "Yes." He said, not even having to pause and consider the question. Despite the strange circumstance of their relationship, Kaworu was the closest thing Shinji had to a friend.
"Then it is customary for humans to consider their friends' advice, is it not?"
"Yes?" Shinji raised his eyebrows, unsure of where Kaworu was going.
"You should not be involved with NERV." Kaworu said quietly. His hands were frozen over the piano keys, so still they could have been made of stone. "If I were more selfish perhaps I would not try and discourage you from coming here." Kaworu paused as if unsure how to articulate his next sentence. "However, I have found myself caring deeply for you and believe it would be in your best interest if you do not engage yourself with the events that happen here."
Shinji's racing thoughts stopped as though they suddenly slammed into a blank wall. He could feel blood rising to his cheeks and his pulse jolt. Kaworu…Shinji was unable to properly digest the information the other had given him. Instead, caring deeply for you, played over and over in his head like a broken record. No one had ever said that to him.
No one had admitted to caring for him.
Shinji finally opened his mouth to respond—but the lights suddenly flickered back on and the same announcement that alerted NERV from last time played. Blinking, Kaworu's eyes were no longer glowing and he turned his attention back to the instrument in front of them. He began to play Ode to Joy.
The sound of the large metal door bursting open caused Shinji to nearly fall out of his seat. Kaworu continued playing as if he didn't hear it, and for a minute Shinji thought he was going insane until Misato and two other employees ran into the piano room. Kaworu stopped playing abruptly. Misato's hair clung to her face in disarray, and she was hunched over holding both her knees out of breath.
"Shinji," Misato rasped, "you're alright."
"Of course I'm alright." Shinji furrowed his brow, standing up clumsily.
"We were unable to hear or see anything on the feed due to the power outage." Misato straightened, fixing her hair and any wrinkles in her tight shirt.
Was she concerned, do they really think Kaworu would hurt me? And if so, why would they stick him in the same room as the other?
"The power has been rather finicky lately, hasn't it?" Kaworu mused, his eyes sucking in every detail of the new employees he had just been exposed to. The gaze clearly made the three uncomfortable, and Misato regarded Kaworu with nothing more but a cool glare.
"Shinji," she said, "your time is up for today."
The table was silent as Misato and Shinji ate their dinner. Shinji had offered to cook today because he was sick of instant noodles. It was nothing fancy—Shinji couldn't call himself a chef—just fish and rice, but Misato gobbled it gratefully. She'd even gone so far as to move the countless papers from the table in order to set it for the occasion.
The lack of noise, though, wasn't as amiable as the silence shared between Shinji and Kaworu. It demanded to be destroyed. Shinji had too many questions buzzing in his brain after what Kaworu had told him. But over all of them, Kaworu's confession rang the loudest.
"I have found myself caring deeply for you..."
He shook his head, jamming sticky white rice into his mouth. I shouldn't be focusing on that! He reprimanded. It's NERV, Kaworu thinks I shouldn't go back there. Shinji glanced across the table at Misato; she was chewing on a piece of grilled fish and deeply invested in her smart phone. She's been researching Kaworu, NERV must be keeping something from her.
Shinji had seen the documents, and most of them were about the said android. Misato seemed deeply interested in where Kaworu had come from. After snooping, Shinji found out NERV didn't make Kaworu at all, but some other company called SEELE.
"Misato, what's SEELE?" Shinji asked, the question pouring from his mouth before he had a chance to stop it. Misato froze mid-chew, the sound of her gulping down her food was the only noise in the small apartment.
"Where did you hear about SEELE?" Misato narrowed her eyes. "Did TABRIS say something?"
"No." Shinji blurted defensively. "K-Kaworu didn't say anything. You leave those papers all over the place, and I—"
"You've been looking through my stuff?" Misato raised an angry eyebrow, folding her arms tightly across her chest.
"No! Well, I-I just happened to see them laying around and…" Shinji fidgeted in his seat, regretting his confession immediately based off of Misato's expression, "…Kaworu's not from NERV, is he?" He finished. Misato seemed to consider his question for a long moment before she visibly relaxed.
"No." She sighed, picking up her chopsticks. "I guess it's only fair to tell you." Pointing her chopsticks at Shinji, she pursed her lips. "But this is classified, I can't let you go around telling this to all your friends."
What friends? "I won't." Shinji promised.
"The truth is I don't know much more about TAB—Kaworu or SEELE than you." She murmured. "I'm pretty sure only a few people at NERV know the whole story."
"Why are you looking into it?"
"Because the whole thing seems fishy." Misato ate a mouthful of rice. "SEELE was a company much like NERV, both were working with robotics in order to better society. But apparently SEELE became obsessed with the idea of artificial intelligence, and wanted to use their technology to create something better than humankind itself." Misato caught Shinji's expression and sighed. "I know; it all seems like something out of a bad science fiction novel. But eventually SEELE went bankrupt and your father bought out the company. From what I could find, around those dates is when Kaworu arrived at NERV." Misato leaned back in her chair. "So you can see my concern. We know Kaworu is an artificially intelligent android, but we don't know what he was made to do. Maybe he was just a successful experiment, but I don't think SEELE would hand him over so easily unless they had some kind of plan we don't know about…not even your father."
Misato looked at Shinji sharply. "Shinji, I need you to try and get Kaworu to tell you about everything he knows about SEELE."
Shinji flinched. "What?" He was still trying to take in the information Misato had just told him. "Why me? Why can't you ask him?"
"We've tried, employees have even shut him down and gone through his code but found nothing."
Shut him down? The idea that Kaworu could be shut down horrified Shinji, but what did he expect? It was hard to remember that Kaworu wasn't really…. alive.
"I won't."
"Shinji—"
"And what are you going to do if Kaworu was made for something you don't like?" His anger flared and he stood up. All anyone ever wanted to do was use him, even his own father. The only one who hadn't was Kaworu. "Are you just going shut him down?"
"No I—"
"Find someone else to interrogate Kaworu, I don't want to." Shinji left the room.
He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to know more about Kaworu, that's why he asked Misato in the first place. But what if he found something out that put the other in danger? What if Shinji was about to lose the only friend he ever had?