Dear Ikari-san,

Please come to the Municipal Park of Tokyo-3 on Sunday. You will find instructions on evading any observers on the memory card. This is the day we must make our first step towards our common goal.

Your friend.

Shinji expected the letter to come sooner or later, but didn't know who this friend was, but he had an idea. Ever since he came back he had to deal with his changes.

For some, he had been grateful. He didn't get anxious anymore, he could stand being around his father without succumbing to fear and panic (it was still hard). And losing the 'Stress induced stutter,' as Misato used to say was a definitive plus. Not being ridiculed by Asuka all the time, since he grew a spine according to her was also welcome. Of course, the girl was convinced that it was her positive influence that bought him a bit of confidence.

'You are an EVA pilot,' she said, 'and live with the gorgeous Great Asuka Langley Soryu. You should hold up your chin!'

On the other hand, there were the nightmares. At first, they were hazy images that disturbed him after he woke up, but he could forget them soon enough. Then they started to intensify.

Shinji stood on a barren mountain ridge, looking down in the plains beneath. There was the fifth angel, Ramiel, as the Lillum called him madly firing at something in the distance. Next to him stood a big, crystalline and birdlike angel, Arael, firing some kind of energy weapon. But hers (he knew that Arael was a 'her') wasn't focused and intense, but wide and weak looking. But looks could be deceiving.

Soon he saw their enemy. They stood taller than even Ramiel, slowly walking towards him. He saw that one angel was already defeated. He knew that one, too. Iblis was one of the uglier looking angels, an odd combination of a turtle and a toad. Its broken body lay motionless, and Shinji couldn't help but feel saddened by its demise.

Even he, who received a lot of pain from these creatures felt moved by the despair Ramiel and Arael showed. The two weapons were obviously ineffective. The giants were coming closer. Now he could make out their features. They stood like the mockery of the human and angelic form, ugly beyond reason from both Lillum and angelic point of view.

Just when the battle seemed lost, something changed. A giant of light came forth from what looked like a giant black hole and started to attack the Enemy. Another one came forth, immediately joining the previous one. Adam and Lilith, fighting together to save their children.

"Do you understand?" someone asked quietly. Shinji turned to see a featureless, shining, white and vaguely human looking being. "We cannot stand them being prisoned."

"What is this battle?" He already started to feel that he's going to wake up. "I feel weak."

"Don't worry. We will meet again." With that, everything went white.

He had meet this apparition several times in his dream. He slowly found out that the angels were created as troubleshooters. That was probably the closest name for their role. Wherever their masters sent them, they fought.

But those masters were long gone and the angels could finally retire. But not everything was right. For their own reasons, the Mother and the Father had left them, and found their way to Earth, where they slept for eons. By the time the scouts of the angels found them, they had already been captured.

Understanding, as they say is the price of peace. Despite being disturbed by the images and the sudden flow of the information, he knew that it'd be worth it. 'It better be, or I'll just feel like the biggest traitor.' Shinji had his fears and doubts. But the dice has been cast.

Kaji Ryouji, Captain of the JSSDF (22nd chairborne rangers), spy extraordinaire and current Special Inspector to NERV was sneaking around, as spies are wont to do. The war has bought a lot of chaos which gave him ample opportunity to find out some of NERV's dirty little secrets, but on the other hand the last six months where peaceful and everyone dropped their guard noticeably. With nothing to do Section-2 relaxed their private secret police act and gave the debonair spy the opportunities he needed.

Currently he was doing a wireless dead drop. A few months ago, after bribing some contractor he managed to connect a small computer to the main cable going through the walls of some newly rebuilt headquarters of some small delivery company. After it had been installed, the contractor walled the running machine in.

With the wireless network the machine created, he could log in from the nearby coffee shop. Later his handler would come and download the encrypted data and upload the new instructions. While this method was hardly fool-proof, it was simple enough to implement, independent of the MAGI- and SEELE-monitored public network and most of all, inconspicuous.

After all, he could be one of the many people trying to write the definitive Book about the Angel Wars, like many of the thrill-seeking self-appointed future Pulitzer-prize winners. And with the angels lying low, the danger was practically non-existent and the lure was even bigger. Even now, he could see at least three different people writing on their machines feverishly.

While he was distracted a young man with a baseball cap and a pair of large, black shades sat down opposite of him. Before Kaji could react, the man began talking.

"Hello, Kaji. Long time no see." The man started, acting like they were longtime friends, "I see you're still writing that book you told me about."

"Well, you know. One has to work on something during the dull months of work." He realized long ago that rolling with the punch in situations like this gave him more time to form a proper plan. Even as he spoke he slowly slid his hands to his weapon. If he got found out, he would disappear after... disposing the young man. "But what brings you here? Last time you were in... where exactly? You never told me."

"You know, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels. Around, I guess." He said with a distracted look, then suddenly turned to Kaji with a serious look. "I can't stay any longer, as much as I would like to. But I'm still in town this week. Here, let me give you my phone number. Give me a call and we'll hang out. Just like old times."

With that, the man wrote something on a paper, then handed it to him. "I'm glad we met. Don't be a stranger!" He shook hands with the spy, then turned and left.

Kaji just put the piece of paper in his wallet, intending to look over it later. He finished uploading the files, then put his small laptop away. Deciding that lingering around would not be healthy for him, he paid for another coffee, making sure to flirt with the bariste for good measure. But he wanted to get out as soon as possible in case he was targeted or tracked.

During the walk back to his car and the drive back home he was nervously watching out for any potential observers, but found none. That didn't put him to ease, but there was nothing more to do. After arriving home he stepped into his small bedroom and took the paper out. When he unfolded the paper, he noticed the small memory card taped to it. Putting it into his normal, NERV issued computer was not an option, neither was using his 'work' laptop.

Luckily he still had that hand-held machine he got from Asuka for his birthday. After switching the wireless and bluetooth devices off he made a mental note about reinstalling the system from scratch later. 'Paranoia never killed anyone, but the lack of paranoia did.' as his trainer used to say.

The memory card contained about dozens of files in different directories, but a readme document in the root stuck out. Opening it, he read,

Dear Ryouji-san,

Please forgive the forwardness of my agent, but I had to deliver this letter 'personally.' I guess you must have heard of me (I'm quite known in some circles), just as I have heard from you. Sadly, you are also known in certain circles, which is no life insurance in Tokyo-3. The only thing NERV and SELEE hate more than a spy is a spy who has been found out.

Please, do not worry. You are still useful to them, so they won't move against you. The information you've collected is pretty much Rubeum Allec, if you forgive me for saying so. Half-truths, outright lies and irrelevant information has been made available for you. Using this information is not only futile, but also extremely dangerous.

But you still have a few friends, in places you'd probably never suspect. These friends would like to help you out and end the rule of SEELE. On this memory card you'll find the real information about your targets. Everything you've wanted all these years, the answers to your questions.

Your friend,

The Emissary

Kaji ended up rooting through the files astonished. The information here could potentially change everything. It also got him mad, extremely mad. He decided that he had to get this memory card to his handler at all costs. Setting up a direct meeting would be worth it. Besides, he couldn't use his old equipment for further drops.

'It is time.' Shinji thought. He has just finished packing a laptop-bag with some clothes in it. The bag was not noticeable, since a lot of people were walking around with bags like this.

"Asuka, I'm going out for a bit." The boy said. Before the redhead could react, he slipped out of the apartment. Now all he needed to do is lose his Section-2 detail. Having extensive experience running away and making his observers looking for him (12 hours was his record and he wasn't even trying) he figured he could get to his meeting pretty soon.

He first went to the city's shopping center intended on getting lost in the weekend crowd. He wasn't standing out much since he would have been the perfect image for a Japanese teen were it not for his stormy blue eyes. He slipped into the toilet of a small shop, where he changed his clothes and put the old ones into the bag. After applying some hair gel and putting on a pair of sunglasses he felt like a completely new person. He didn't know how effective it would be, but his... friends said it would be enough.

He went to the Tokyo-3 municipal park. Thanks to the fight with the third angel the park had a small pond in the middle, formerly just the footprint of Unit-01. The city council decided that the abused park would look better if it would be turned into a little pond. They were right, the small pond quickly became a popular spot the to relax at for the citizens.

He sat down at one of the benches, and waited as he was instructed. After ten minutes, a white haired, red eyed boy sat down next to him. For a while they sat there, without talking. Both boys were enjoying the peace of the park.

"The Lillum are truly opportunistic. One would assume that the site of such destruction would serve as a warning for the future, yet it had been turned into a spot for relaxation."

"Please don''t say Lillum. I don't want any attraction." Shinji told him. "Also, what do I call you? Tabris seems hardly appropriate."

"Call me Kaworu. Kaworu Nagisha."

"Kaworu of the seaside. How... appropriate." Shinji sighed. He knew that the angels didn't have much experience dealing with human beings, but they have gained a lot of knowledge from him and his mother.

"And how should I call you? I assume Zophiel would also not be appropriate."

"Just call me Shinji." He replied. "I'm still not at ease with my ang... other name."

"And you are at ease with your new life, I presume?"

"Not really. I still have the nightmares. Alien landscapes, great battles and bloody wars."

"Those are not mere dreams, they are memories of a time where man didn't even walk the Earth. Memories of our ancestors." The boy replied. "Ours is a bloody history, not unlike yours."

"If that is true, how can I trust you?"

"In the past months I had a lot of opportunities to move against you, the Second and the Fourth." He replied and looked at Shinji with a smile. For a moment, Shinji saw a lot of shark-like teeth in Kaworu's mouth, dripping with blood. He gasped as he realized that the odd-looking boy he saw was a mere image, projected to put him at ease. "The First would hardly prove to be a challenge for me and my remaining brethren. So a bit of trust would be appropriate after our demonstration of good will." The image dissipated quickly. Shinji didn't want to think about what the angel could do to him if he was inclined to move.

"Okay, I guess I'll have to have some trust." He sighed. "So, what's next?"

"In the coming months I'll be sent by those traitors of your race to NERV as a backup pilot as their spy. We will make our next move then." Kaworu replied. "They won't trust me. Gendo will already know my status as a spy for them, so I will need your help finding my parents."

"It is still unbelievably dangerous."

Kaworu just smiled. "All worthy solutions to the almighty prisoners dilemma are risky."

After the talk he had with Tabris, Shinji returned to the shop where he left his clothes. Changing back he wanted to be noticed by his guards. Hopefully they wouldn't suspect that he lost them on purpose. Having a few hastily bought items he hoped they would think he was just out shopping.

While he was walking home he thought about what he heard. The angels had plenty of chances to catch them with their pants down. With no angel attacks for the last half year, the readiness of Tokyo-3 decreased noticeably. People slowly returned to see the City of Angels. Even now he saw dozens of people from outside Japan taking sights. If they ever knew who he was, he wouldn't have a minute of calm.

He was so immersed in his own thoughts, he failed to notice that he reached their apartment. Taking out his keys, he noticed that the door was open. 'Of course, she is still home.' Just like he expected, he saw Asuka sitting on the couch and watching some soap opera.

"Shinji, tomorrow we have a sync test." She said.

"Gee, I didn't even study." He replied in mocked shock.

"Har, har, smart-ass." She said, but she was smiling at him. In all honesty, Asuka liked this Shinji better than the previous one. He seemed to have developed a sarcastic style of humor. Always quick he amused Asuka. And he was much easier to live with when he didn't apologize constantly. "When's dinner?"

"In a moment. Let me take a shower first." He said not waiting for an answer. While their relationship progressed from 'annoyed tolerance' to 'wary friendship' the girl could still be a pain in the ass. She still demanded food from him, like he was some kind of personal cook (which he didn't mind) and he still was on the receiving end of the occasional barb (which he did mind). But all-in-all, things could be a lot worse.

Of course, with his angelic gifts, he could easily synchronize with his EVA at any level he chose. Not that it mattered, he didn't intend to continue this war. But he was in for a rude rant when she saw that.

"Shinji, concentrate!" Dr. Akagi told him, irritated. "The EVA isn't receiving any signal from you."

"Sorry, Akagi-sensei." He said. He completely forgot that he now had to consciously sync with the EVA. So he concentrated hard.

"Shinji, what are you doing?" The blonde doctor asked him. "Your sync rate jumped to 100 percent. You're one-on-one with the EVA."

"WHAT?" A certain irate redhead shouted. "HOW CAN THE IDIOT BE AT 100 PERCENT? It must be an error!" She was at 80 percent and even that took more than a decade of training.

Thinking quickly Shinji let the EVA go completely. "What? I didn't do anything. I cant feel the EVA." He hated lying but to be one-on-one meant that they'd suspect him. So he jerked his own sync rate up and down. This meant that on the bridge his psychograph would show up as very erratic.

"Shinji!" Misato shouted. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, Misato, but I still cant feel anything."

"Sempai, it must be an error. He should be unconscious by now." He heard Maya Ibuki say.

"Stop the experiment." Gendo Ikari said, concerned about the Evangelion. "Do a complete diagnostic on it."

Shinji knew that the EVA's where horribly complex machines. There was always some small error. He hoped that one would be used to explain the abnormal readings. He didn't have any S2 engine, so he wouldn't be picked up as a pattern blue, but better safe than sorry. He hoped he could stabilize somewhat below Asuka.

Of course, after the incident they did find some error with the measuring equipment. After it was fixed, he steadied his rate at 69 percent, just below Asuka's rate, but above Rei's. This meant that the status quo was restored. The pilot of Unit-02, no more feeling her status threatened, became much friendlier.

He exited the bathroom and went immediately to the kitchen. While the Teutonic Tempest of Tokyo-3 was much friendlier she was still forceful. So he decided to make her favorite food: bratwurst and sauerkraut. How she could eat this, Shinji didn't know, but he wanted to keep her complacent. It didn't take much time to finish. He served the already waiting and slightly drooling girl.

For himself he just ate some leftover grilled fish with rice. As they quietly ate, he stole quick glances at the girl. He was amazed how such a lithe girl could have a seemingly infinite appetite. Even though he made her a much bigger feast she was done with it faster than him.

"That was very nice of you, Shinji," She said, smiling. "Thank you." She told him and gave him a small peck on his cheeks. That was something she started doing recently after Shinji did something nice for her, and he enjoyed it very much.

She was warming up to him pretty quickly as a friend. 'Just as I planned!' He thought and had to consciously prevent himself from taking up his fathers trademark pose.

A/N:

dragon shinobi: Thanks. I don't think Shinji knows her mothers part in the creation of the EVA. It's quite possible that Shinji only knows some bullshit, like her mother died in an accident or something. But maybe I remember the show wrong. For the purposes of this story you can assume that Yui didn't want to be absorbed but rather something unexpected happened. Assume that she tried to pilot Unit-01 to prevent Shinji from having to do it. Same for Kyoko.

amitakartok: Köszi!

Loopsey: Thanks. I don't know if I can take any credit, but it seems to me that it's never even questioned if the war has any meaning. No one except SEELE and the top brass of NERV has any proof that they're fighting for mankind's survival. It was really just something everyone assumed to be true because of Second Impact.

Jalen of Silence: Thanks. Despite that it's not so important plot-wise (whatever the hell the plot is :)) I have tried to think it through and have them represent their personality or description.

Sorry for the schedule slip, but my original ideas for this story where shit. There is no other way of saying this. I had to rework almost everything. Add in a lot of work and you have a week long slip. Add in that I bought the Humble Indie Bundle. Hope I won't make a habit of it.

Also please forgive the potential OOC. I never thought that someone who could survive as much as Shinji did (angel #3-#16, the hostile environment of NERV, etc.) without breaking until after the death of Kaworu could really be called weak. A selfish brat at worst, I could understand that, but not weak. And don't forget that he was vaguely but fundamentally changed by his experience with Leliel.

As for Asuka, there is that fan theory that she is an abusive, petty little tyrant that is using Shinji as some slave labor, but honestly, apart from putting him down a lot and a few slaps, there was not much evidence that she was an insufferable terror. She's not a nice person, but she's less malicious and more damaged. Not to mention that most the reason for her hostility was mostly that Shinji annoyed him.

Rei is still at large. Her role in the original at this time was greatly reduced and I wanted to keep it that way. Maybe after writing some more, I'll include her in a bigger role.

Sorry for the long rant.

Cheers!

OMAKE

(This was taken from a half-formed fic chronicling the days of Gendo Ikari and Rei Ayanami in an AU where Rei is more of a deadpan snarker and Gendo is the straight man of NERV.)

Or how Rei learned not to mess with Eldritch Abominations.

Gendo walked down the corridors of NERV. He was humming a happy tune (Genocide from The Offspring) when he saw her daughter, Rei Ikari walking into a chemistry lab. The brown haired, blue eyed girl had a mischievous gleam in her eyes, the one Gendo learned to mistrust immensely.

Not wanting to interrupt her twelve year old daughter, he centimetered (or inched, for those who do not like SI) closer to the door of the room. He saw Rei take out a few beakers with some strange liquids and a small Petri-dish containing some white substance.

When she started to pour the contents of the beakers onto the same, Gendo realized what he saw. He leaped into the room shouting a big no, but he was late. An explosion later he found himself thrown against the walls of the lab. When he regained consciousness, he saw her daughter... changed. She had blue hair, red eyes and pale skin.

"Rei, would you kindly explain what THE HELL YOU WERE DOING?"

"I was curious..."

"And?"

"In my defense, we have more of Lilith."