The showers were just like the ones back in Japan.. more along the lines of a gym shower than any kind of decontamination. When Shinji got out of his shower.. there was a plug suit waiting for him.. instead of his normal one it was a genetic grey. Probably a kind of spare in case of emergencies. He slipped it on, whatever they were doing must require it. He walked back to the door to Langley's office.

Asuka was standing in front of the door. She was once more dressed in her signature red. Take away the eyepatch and It was easy to see her as the way she was before.. she must have heard him walk up because she gave pulled herself up straight and turned to face him. "That looks lame. You actually looked tougher in blue."

"You look amazing in that.." Shinji replied without much thought.. she did.. she seemed more relaxed the undamaged plugsuit than he had seen in awhile.

"Don't say weird things when I'm in a skintight outfit Baka! That's just weird you've seen in this for months." She huffed in annoyance and at that point turned the knob on Langley's office and the two of them entered..

Langley sat at his desk reading something and waiting for the two of them.. he looked up and again studied the two of them together.. before tossing a packaged food at Asuka and then Shinji that looked like a cross between Melon Bread and a Sausage. "Makinami is supposed to be here too.. but again she's late. Okay there is a point to you being called back here Asuka. With the recent events Dr. Akagi's judgment and process is being called into question. Japan isn't interested in doing retests yet, but the EU wants double checks of their pilots. Mari Mainami is from England so you two are the EU citizens to be picked and will be running through various check up tests together. Since neither of your Eva Units were in a condition for transport we'll have to proceed with other function tests. Shinji since we have the honor of you accompanying my daughter here I suppose we'll get some basic readings from you too. Major Kasturagi suggested I should run a pilot to pilot sync test between the two of you. Thinks I will be surprised.. so eat those and we'll finally get started when Mari shows up. "

"right…" It wasn't the kind of mission brief Shinji was used to at all. Langley gave orders with the monotone voice their History Teach had when talking about how good things were before 2nd impact. He made Shinji nostalgic for Ritsuko giving instructions during tests. He can't imagine this guy racing Asuka if he tried.. maybe she took after her step mother at least a little? He opens the food and takes a bite.. it was some kind of pastry.

"Ritsuko's data will be fine. She liked computers too much to have screwed anything like that up. Baka Shinji and I will probably be even better than out last recorded test." Asuka replied after hesitating for a moment.. at this point there didn't seem to be any reason to try for the same persona she used to talk Langley with.. she had already been a disappointment it seemed.. she spoke the way she would in Japan in front of the NERV personnel there.

Langley raised an eyebrow when Shinji didn't defend himself from being called an idiot and was about to respond when the door opened and Makinami was once again with them. She was decked out in the same standard grey plugsuit Shinji was in. She was still smirking at them as if the three of them getting into a brawl was more fun than she was used to.

"Mari Illustrious Makinami reporting for Duty Gunvor. I guess Princess and Puppy are good kids and got here first" Her speech pattern could not be real, she was adding English into Japanese at weird places.

"Since Mari doesn't actually speak German and Shinji is here I guess we'll continue this in Japanese." Langley spoke with a glare directed at Mari before addressing her directly.

"You should be here on time and don't call me that. Didn't you picked up anything about procedure in Bethany? You could learn a lot from Asuka about conduct if you two hadn't come to blows." He was annoyed clearly and yet still sounded like a teacher who had received a less than perfect essay than anyone Shinji was used to at NERV Japan.

"Of course Professor Hans Langley, chief of special projects vice commander of NERV's third base. Princess and Puppy report to Major Misato Katsuragi don't they? Who out ranks who there anyway?" Makinami seemed to want him mad.

"You certainly picked up Inspector Kaji's attitude something I'm glad my Daughter didn't." Langley turned back to face Shinji and Asuka after deciding to stop the shouting match with Makinami.

"We're going to start with a baseline mental harmonics test to get some baseline readings before doing a bio-kenetic exam. Shinji, Asuka you two have certainly been living high stress lives while Mari you've been mostly on call so Mari will have the highest score and it's not a competition this is all just readings needed for military reports."

Shinji was actually getting mad at this guy.. he had no idea at all how Asuka's mind worked.. Shinji knew he didn't really understand Asuka as much as he wanted to.. Kaji told him that other people were always going to be a mystery.. but he knew Asuka well enough to know she wouldn't accept losing in a Eva related test to anyone not him and not to Makinami especially after being told she was at a disadvantage.. and calling the previous months in Tokyo 3 high stress was absurd.. living had been a nightmare. Shinji could really tell why Misato had wanted him to come but what on earth was he supposed to do? He needed to think of something..

The three of them were taken to what amounted to the same type of set up as they were used to. Three entry plugs lined up for them to sit in and have whatever was being measured to tested be tested. After noticing something on his clipboard Langley walked off for a moment to deal with a tech off to one side of the room. Shinji turns to Asuka.

"You're not going to try and beat Makinami at the mental harmonics test are you?" Shinji asks concurred in his best German to avoid Mari over hearing what he wanted to say.

"Why wouldn't I Baka? Just because I got beat up so much I need you to save me doesn't mean I'm not still the best. Of course I'm planning to ace that test." Asuka replies with a half shout back at him clearly annoyed at the implication.

"Just please let me help here Asuka!" Shinji finds himself also almost shouting.. he had more built up emotion here than he had any idea he could even have… but it seemed to make Asuka take notice.

"You have a plan for this Baka?" She asks after recoiling slightly.

"Well.. we have to make our minds blank right? Ritsuko said it was all about being on autopilot.. we had to do that dance so many dozens of times, that if we just did it in our heads we should be able to stay as calm as she does right?" Shinji offers after a moment.. Misato had wanted them to demonstrate that anyway.. they might want the practice too.

Asuka was suddenly smirking in a manner which seemed to rival Mari.. that said on her it seemed much more natural since it was a genuine Asuka emotion. "You really do have good idea when pressed Baka, just don't think I'll owe you for this. I guess it's not nearly a bother to have you come along."

"You two really do make such a perfect couple. I can certainly see the Newlyweds thing going." Makinami said from next to them in her strangely accented Japanese.

After a moment Langley returned with an entirely new clipboard. "Right then.. it's test time."

Docking proceed was the same as always.. pilot got into entry plug and it was filled will LCL.. afterwards the computer system started up and after a moment everything had started. Actually being inside Unit 1 was very calming.. this testing plug not so much, but the feeling of being submerged did help take Shinji's mind off things. He should probably follow his own advice and run through Misato's dance in his head.. he closes his eyes and allows his memory of the music to start playing.. that said other thoughts made they're way into his head.. maybe he let them.. but he can still see whatever who whoever unit 1 was clearly in his mind and he could also still vividly see so much else.. before Shinji knows it he opens his eyes at the voice of Dr. Langley.

"Okay that went well. Amazingly Asuka's scores were the highest followed by Shinji…" amazingly he spoke with same detachment. Shinji didn't understand.. from what had been said he and Asuka weren't supposed to score highly.. his idea couldn't have worked that well.. Makinami threw the test.. didn't she?

Shinji got a call over the intercom from Asuka..

"I guess you coming along with me was a really good idea after all maybe I should give you some kind of reward after testing Baka. Although clearly I did that mostly on my own." Asuka beamed sounding much like her old self.

"You really are amazing Asuka.." Shinji responded with a smile.. he felt.. he felt like they had narrowly escaped something there.. he couldn't imagine that Makinami had done it for the reasons Shinji wouldn't.. he wasn't sure what to think about her at all.. that wasn't an unusual reaction to people for him.. but really makinami was an enigma. It was almost like she knew who they were already.. he had never even heard of her before.. Misato said there was a treaty which limited the amount of Eva units any country had to three. So there were probably many more pilots than he knew about.. but how would she know who they were/

The rest of the tests went by rather quickly.. and before long Langley had told them to prepare to stop.. Shinji agreed with Asuka that he doubts that Ritsuko's test scores were wrong or anything.. he didn't really know what he felt about what she had done…. She seemed like she wouldn't have messed up anything crucial.

After his shower.. Shinji went to wait for Asuka back at Langley's office… he wasn't sure where else he should go.. he really doubts she or Makinami would want him standing outside the girl's locker room. Sadly this place was totally unfamiliar to him.. and before too long he was lost..

"What are you wearing? It looks weird." A voice came from behind him rang out..

"It's just my uniform…." Shinji turned to see a Burnett wearing what appeared to be a school uniform. She was maybe a few years younger than he was and rather bubbly. Another Eva pilot? Someone actually younger and him?

"My older sister's here today I was wondering if you've seen her?" The girl replied without further comment on Shinji's clothing..

"Are you Makinami's sister….?" He replied he could see how they could be related.

"No my big sister's name is Asuka she flew in from Japan, mom said she was working here today." The girl was practically beaming in anticipation of meeting a girl who never even told Shinji of her existence.. his facial expression must have been something rather strange.. he almost blurted out the understandable 'Asuka has a sister?' But that would probably devastate the younger girl beyond belief. On top of that Shinji never talked about his cousins..

"Asuka is…. Asuka's a friend of mine I guess we flew in together I was uh looking for her myself I was hoping to meet her at Dr. Langley's office." Describing his relationship with Asuka was right now fairly complicated wasn't it? They were something… something more than comrades…. He knew what he would like them to be.. but that hadn't gone well.. so.. he'd go with friends.

"It's great to hear Asuka has friends. I never got the chance to spend a lot of time with her.. she was in the gifted program and then in college…. Dad's office is just over there.." The girl who probably assumed Shinji knew her name dragged him down the correct hallway and back to Langley office.. where Asuka was indeed waiting for him.. she grimaced when she noticed who was dragging him over to here..

The sister's reaction to Asuka's physical state currently was not Langley's strange disbelief and wish for her to eat something but more along the lines of shock and horror.. she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Of course you would find her Baka Shinji. That is Maria my step sister.." Asuka said in Japanese.. before giving an annoyed huff at how franticly concerned Maria was about Asuka.

"Asuka.. what happened to you? No one said you were hurt over there." Clearly No one seemed to know anything. Sure they were under Misato's care but her family could have asked about them. Misato wouldn't have lied.

"I doubt anyone would believe I wasn't either! Stop staring I'll be fine!" Asuka attempted in one fluid motion storm by Maria and Grab Shinji to pull him away from her, it didn't work correctly and instead of taking his arm she grabbed his shirt and annoyed attempted to pull him along with it.

After a moment he relented and started to follow her away.. his eyes however stayed on Maria for the moment.. she didn't seem like what he took of Langley.. that said Shinji was admittedly not good with people.. maybe he wasn't a very good job of others. He had liked Ritsuko after all..

"Asuka… wait a minute aren't you going to say anything to her?" Shinji protested to no avail.

"No one here cared enough to check up on me Baka. Why would I spend my time pretending I care!" She snapped.. it was a little more raw than Asuka usually was.. Shinji figured at this point he needed to leave the subject alone.

It didn't take long for Asuka to convince someone to drive them back to the house.. with tests finally over the sun was setting. The sunset looked pretty much the same in Germany that it did in Japan.. there luggage had been delivered by now.. 2 weeks worth of clothes and other random stuff..

Shinji picks up one of the boxes, might as well bring it inside..

"I guess we should set up bedrooms.. I guess you must have a guest room here.." He says with a small sigh.. his mind hadn't fully left Maria who they had left back at base. He quietly set down the boxes on the living room floor..

"We don't have to be so formal about it, it's not like we're going to be here very long Baka, it's not worth the effort. We should just sleep here." Came Asuka's rather strange reply..

"What? I don't understand…" Shinji replied slightly flustered.. he doubted she meant anything along the lines of sharing a bed.. but that's what that had kind of sounded like..

"Just put two mattresses on the floor and we can sleep here. We had to sleep in the same room during our sync training it's not like this is a new idea Baka. What? Are you going to chicken out of something even like that?" Asuka pushed trying to replicate her teasing voice as it used to be, but there was something else there.. a more blatant kind of longing.. one Shinji can't exactly say no to.. he felt rather obligated to begin with..

"Fine.. I guess we have already done it.. and this is your house Asuka..are there places that I can get us bedding?" He says at last.. with a small sigh..

After about 30 minutes they had two small mattresses and blankets laid on on the floor where they would have at one point been furniture. The two beds were fairly close, on Asuka'a orders, without touching.. she would really rather prefer not to be alone here.. sure she hadn't really been in this house for years.. but it was only marginally better than staying with her step parents and having Shinji here was really a help..

"I'm going to bed Baka you can do whatever you want we don't TV but there should be a working radio someplace." Asuka said after the beds were made.. it really was true she wasn't close to being back in good shape and she clearly hadn't slept in the plane in.. so with the day she had she was about to collapse. After a moment in bed she was out like a light.

Shinji watched Asuka sleep for a moment.. she must have forgiven him for that.. to feel safe sleeping next to him.. he guesses.. really that was really comforting.. but he was still really worried about her.. it had only been one day down out of 14 and Asuka seemed like she was barely okay.. after about thirty minutes of thinking he slipped his headphones on and slid into bed himself.. he figured he was probably going to need to stay on his toes tomorrow too whatever they needed to do,