Don't have much to say about this one really. Just read it and tell me what you think.

"I don't care what you say," replied Touji gruffly at Hikari's suggestion. "Cooking is not something a guy should know. Thats a woman's job."

"Fine then! I hope you starve when you start living on your own," retorted Hikari angrily.

Shinji, Asuka, and Kensuke simply sighed at the two's usual bickering. In fact, they were something of the new Shinji and Asuka pair.

The six of them: Shinji, Asuka, Kensuke, Touji, Hikari, and even Rei, were sitting together on top the roof of the school. After much asking from both Touji and Kensuke, Shinji had relented and made a large boxed bento that had something that everybody liked, including Rei, who Shinji had learned was not fond of meat. It had now been several days since Asuka and Shinji returned to there somewhat daily lives, and they were just starting to get used to being back at school.

"Touji wont be living on his own anytime soon," said Kensuke. "Most likely he'll live with his parents years after he finishes middle school."

Seconds later, Kensuke was forced to run around the rooftop, as Touji chased after him.

"I have to say Asuka," said Hikari as she grabbed another piece of Takoyaki, "living with Shinji must not be that bad if you get to eat food like this everyday."

"Its really not that great," said Asuka, hiding her true feelings.

"How did you learn to cook like this Shinji?" asked Hikari.

Shrugging he said, "I've had a lot of experience. Ah...Ayanami, more miso soup?"

As Shinji leaned towards Rei with the canister of soup in his hand, Asuka couldn't help but frown at the two. Since there return to school, Shinji had been increasingly interacting with Rei more than he ever used to, and quite frankly, it was starting to annoy her. She didn't mind so much if they walked to school together, since her and Shinji usually just talked to each other anyway. But when he asked her if she wanted to have lunch on the roof with the rest of them...well, she showed her displeasure about it.

"...Thank you," replied Rei seemingly unsure of herself, still getting used to being included in the group. Since she had slapped Shinji, he had not broached the subject of his father at all towards her. Meanwhile, she was still confused over how she had reacted.

"Did you hear that we were supposed to get a new transfer students today?" asked Kensuke, sitting down now that Touji had worn himself out.

"Isn't a little late in the day? Schools already half over," said Asuka.

"Well, thats just what I heard," replied Kensuke quickly, not wanting to upset Asuka in any way, seeing as though she wasn't in the best of moods.

Huffing slightly, Asuka mumbled, "Whats the point of getting a new student this late in the year."

Not quite surprising that he managed to hear her, seeing as how he was right next to her, Shinji said, "I wonder if its a boy or girl?"

Before Asuka was able to retort angrily at his remark, Touji managed to beat him to it.

"I hope its a girl. All the girls in our class are either psychotic, a mother hen, or have horns growing out of their head."

Shinji was able to hold back a snicker, but he wasn't able to do anything for Touji, for both Asuka and Hikari punched him in the gut. Asuka however continued glaring at Shinji, wondering what his opinion on the whole thing was, and constantly flitting her eyes between Shinji and Rei.

"Well, thanks for the lunch anyway Shinji," said Hikari as she stood up, dragging an unconscious Touji with her as she went. Kensuke followed shortly after then, giving Shinji a little mock bow and whispered in his ear his regards over having to deal with Asuka the rest of the day. Shinji simply grimaced back at him, only too aware of scathing look that Asuka was throwing in his direction.

"Well there gone finally," said Asuka as Kensuke closed the door leading back towards the classrooms. "Remind me to kick you if you ever decide to make a lunch everybody can share again."

"I thought it was best to just get it out of the way, since Touji and Kensuke weren't gonna let me live peacefully unless they tried my cooking."

"Well, don't do it again," said Asuka as she stood up.

"What?" asked Shinji slightly smug, "want to keep my not so great food to yourself?"

Trying to keep her blush at a minimum, Asuka managed to say, "What was I supposed to say? That it was to die for. Its good, but not that good."

"Yeah, yeah," said Shinji as he stood up. "We should probably start heading back to class. Ayanami ready?"

Asuka's features immediately scrunched up the second Shinji addressed the fact that Rei was still there with them. She had been trying her utmost to ignore her.

Shaking her head slowly, Rei said, "I think I'll stay out a while longer."

"You sure?" asked Shinji, his prior hesitancy over talking to her mostly gone.

Rei simply nodded her head.

"Well..okay. See you in class then."

Gathering the boxed lunch and chopsticks they had used, he placed them all in a bag he had brought and hoisted it over his shoulder.

"Ready?" asked Asuka as she held the door open, revealing the staircase behind.

Sighing slightly, Shinji said, "...Whenever."

After school, Shinji and Asuka ended up walking home alone. Recently, Shinji had convinced Rei to walk home with them, since her apartment was on the way towards there's. But today she had stayed back because of cleaning duties. Normally, Shinji and Asuka were able to talk about almost anything, but Asuka's mood had steadily deteriorated as the day continued, until she lashed out at him with a quick remark, stingy him significantly. Now they walked home as if they looked like an old married couple, conversation having been exhausted long ago during the springtime of their marriage.

But Shinji had more on his mind, and oddly enough it had to do with the transfer student thing. Asuka needn't worry about whether Shinji thought it was a boy or girl, because he thought it could only be one person...Nagisa Kaoru.

Since that day Shinji had met him, both him, Asuka, and Rei had had two synchronization tests, neither of which they heard anything about the fourth child. Above it all, he had a nagging suspicion (based on what Misato had said) that his father was silently worrying about Kaoru. If he came straight from Seele, and if his assumptions about Seele were correct, Kaoru had been sent as something of an agent to check up on his father and himself. No doubt word of Shinji's...odd prowess would have reached the ears of Seele...whoever they were exactly.

"Hey...Shinji?" asked Asuka suddenly, pulling Shinji out of his train of thought.

Shinji ignored her for a minute, but found that it was virtually impossible when she was walking directly beside him, her eyes focused on his face.

"Hmmm?" he decided to reply, not quite ready to say anything.

"Why...why...why are you talking to the pet so much!" she managed to yell, voicing what had been troubling her these past few days.

It was a matter of Asuka asking him something so strange that Shinji didn't immediately start laughing.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...you've been talking to her more, including her in stuff we do together, and today; why did you ask her to have lunch with us!"

"Why not? She's like us. She's a fellow pilot."

"No, she's not like us," said Asuka, shaking her head splendidly. "She's different than us!"

"Then I'm different than you!" yelled Shinji, his anger suddenly flaring up.

"Shinji wha-"

Turning away from her, Shinji said, "You wouldn't understand what its like to be shunned, to be ignored by everybody. You've always craved attention, and you got it. She's the same as I was...all alone. I can't help it if I want to be her friend, because we both know the pain of loneliness."

"Shin-"

"What!"

"Don't...don't do that to me."

"Do what?"

"Saying I craved attention!" she spat out. "That I don't understand what you felt! I know plenty well what it feels like to be isolated!"

"Asuka I didn't-"

"Forget it," she said as she stalked past him. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Asuka wait!"

"No I won't," she said as she started to break into a run. But Shinji wasn't going to let her go.

"Asuka!" he said as he grabbed a hold of her wrist.

"What!" she snapped at him as she turned to face him. "Let go of me you moron before I kick you in the-"

"Asuka listen for just a sec-"

"No I wont ass-hole!"

"Asuka, Ayanami's like me, she's-"

"You already told me that you moron!"

"No...I mean-"

Asuka yanked her hand out of Shinji's grasp and took several steps away from him. Rubbing her wrist slightly she glanced back at Shinji who was staring down at the sidewalk and thought, 'God...when did he get so strong?'

"So what did you mean then?" asked Asuka, her voice filled with spite.

Shinji looked away from the sidewalk and back at Asuka with a glum look on his face. Running a hand through his hair, he looked as though he was preparing himself for something. Asuka was so shocked at the sudden change in his demeanor that she was about say she was sorry, when Shinji brought his right hand up and seemed to place it over an invisible wall to the right of him. Asuka's mouth opened with a gasp as a brief flash of orange light lit up the sidewalk they were standing on. As her vision returned to her though, she saw that an orange like triangle seemed to be frozen in midair directly where Shinji's hand was placed palm outwards.

"Shin-"

"I don't know for certain," he replied quietly, cutting her off, "but I think she can create an AT-field also. Me, Ayanami, and Kaoru. We're all linked in someway...I just don't know how."

As Shinji turned towards her, Asuka couldn't help but feel a little afraid as his blood red eyes stared back at her.

"This is only your second time seeing me like this," Shinji said, "so I can understand if you're afraid. Last time you saw me like this I killed someone."

"Shinji...you shouldn't," she attempted.

"If Nerv agents are watching right now...I don't care. Its progressed though...the eyes only used to change sometimes, and they only ever flashed a brief scarlet. After the previous angel battle though, I think my angel half started to gain more control. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, only to find that my eyes have changed colors."

"Shinji..."

"Hmmm?"

"Do you...feel different."

Shinji took a few seconds to reply before he said, "A little I suppose. My body temperature seems to be warmer when I'm like this. And my senses are certainly heightened, but I think the same and feel the same."

"Can I...I mean..."

"What?" asked Shinji rather skeptical, but Asuka was already taking several tenuous steps towards him, still feelings unsure of herself. Though as she got directly in front of him, her head tilted up to see him, and Shinji had to look away.

"I should dissipate the AT-filed," he said hurriedly, "My eyes should revert to their normal color shortly after."

"One-second," said Asuka as she slowly reached a hand up and placed it against Shinji's cheek, making him flinch.

"Asuka...what are you-" But she completely ignored him, continuing to stroke his cheek with her hand.

"I shouldn't have shown you this," he finally said. "I told myself that I wouldn't let you be anymore involved with Nerv and everything else than you already are."

"A bit late for that," replied Asuka softly. "In fact, I think it was a bit late the moment a met you."

"Well...maybe," said Shinji slightly sheepish. "We should stop this though...who knows when someone will come around the corner," he said while gesturing behind them at the corner they had rounded earlier.

"Right," said Asuka, taking a step away from him.

Shinji then lowered his right hand and dissipated the AT-field, and shortly after, his eyes turned back to the normal brown.

"Why do you care for her all the sudden?" asked Asuka suddenly.

"Who?"

"The pet...Rei, I mean."

Shinji was rather surprised that she had called Rei by her name. He had never heard her call Rei anything other than 'the pet.'

"Because...she's alone like I was, and I don't want anybody else to have to feel that."

"Did you ever think how I felt about that? That you're suddenly talking to her...I mean...how I feel about you...and-"

Shaking his head, Shinji said, "Its not like that, and it never will be Asuka. You know how I feel about you as well..."

They had rarely talked about their feelings for each other, and suddenly because of Asuka's jealousy it came bubbling to the surface.

"This isn't something we should talk about...especially right here," said Shinji finally

Asuka continued gazing at him for a moment, looking rather forlorn until she said, "We should probably get back to the apartment."

"Yeah...probably," replied Shinji, suddenly feeling like taking a stroll around Tokyo-3 with Asuka. Though as they started taking a few steps forward, Asuka's cell phone rang. Fishing it out of one of her pockets, she flipped it open, listened to the person on the other end for a few seconds and closed it with a snap.

"Whats up?" asked Shinji, knowing to well what the response would be.

Frowning down at her cell phone, Asuka said, "That was Misato. It seems the next angel has been detected just outside the earths atmosphere."

"...What?"

"I know...I don't see how we destroy it if its all the way up there."

"Well...lets not keep her waiting at least."

"...Yeah..."

"Any idea on how we're supposed to destroy that thing yet?" asked Shinji.

Him and Asuka were already dressed down in there plug suits, and waiting on standby for the go ahead to attack the angel. So far though, no such order had come. The original plan was to attack the angel with the positron rifle used against Ramiel, but that plan was scraped, since somebody had to open a hole in the angels AT-field first.

"No, we haven't," said Fuyutsuki, who was surprisingly in charge of the operation this time. Misato stood behind him, looking rather annoyed that her position had been briefly usurped.

"We should have visual in a minute or so; the satellite should be making a pass soon."

'Just as long as it doesn't destroy the satellite first,' thought Misato.

"What about Ayanami?" asked Shinji as he looked around the command center. "Shouldn't she be here?"

"Rei arrived earlier," said Misato, but she wouldn't add where she was or what she was doing.

Asuka clicked her tongue loudly, clearly annoyed that Shinji had even brought up her name, when the subject of their earlier argument on been largely based on her.

"Visual confirmation coming on in...three..two..one. Pattern blue confirmed, no changes in energy read out...AT-field still up."

Shinji and Asuka turned towards the large screen to there left and looked at the giant object floating seamlessly in space. The entire body of the angel was purely white, while several forks that looked similar to tree branches jutted outward of the main body.

"Everything is the same as it was when it first appeared, and we're not sure what its objective seems to be. But in the mean time we want you two to wait for orders to deploy. Rei should be with you shortly."

"Fine then, lets go Shinji," Asuka said as she linked her arm around his and started dragging him towards the elevator where it would take them to the Eva chambers.

"Hold on," said Fuyutsuki quickly. "Unit 01 is to remain in the chamber unless different orders come down from the commander."

Spinning around and taking Asuka with him, Shinji retorted angrily, "What! Why am I not deploying!"

"Because after the last angel battle Unit 01 absorbed the S2 engine and we don't know what adverse effects it may have on the unit or you."

"Bullshit! I'm not letting Asuka and Ayanami fighting the angel alone. Get my father on a separate line and I'll-"

"Its your father, the commander, who expressly told me that under no circumstances were you allowed to participate in this battle. We have no idea what this new angel is capable of, and after that last we aren't taking any chances."

"So Asuka and Ayanami are just throw away lab rats!" Shinji roared. "And that you send me in after the angel is done with them!"

"You have to realize the position you're in Shinji-kun. You're unique and have the most raw potential as an Evangelion pilot...and I'm not talking synchronization tests."

"I don't care about that! What I care about is you using Asu-"

"Don't make me confine you," said Fuyutsuki with a sigh. "I don't want to resort to something like that."

"Why? Because then you'll be just like my father?"

Fuyutsuki continued staring at him until Shinji turned away and said, "Do what you want, and I'll do what I want. But remember that I wont hesitate to rip apart this facility if I think Asuka is in trouble. And that goes for Ayanami also," he added as an afterthought.

Without another word, he walked towards the elevator, slammed the down button, and disappeared.

Misato and Asuka continued looking at the elevator where he vanished while Fuyutsuki returned to the monitor and said without looking at Asuka, "Unit 00 will provide long range back up for Unit 02 if necessary. This is simply surveillance of the angel to see if it reacts to the Evangelions at all."

"And what happens if it does?" asked Misato quietly.

"Then we'll think of something," replied Fuyutsuki. Though in truth, a plan had already been decided upon, even if he didn't agree with it...

Eventually Units 00 and 02 were given the order to deploy while Shinji was left behind inside Unit 01, the freeze still in effect. When Asuka had come down the elevator, she had attempted to talk to Shinji, but he wouldn't listen. He brushed her off saying that he didn't want to talk with her right now. Asuka, however, felt as though an invisible wall had come between them.

Now though she had to attempt to clear her mind of everything related to Shinji, which was proving difficult, since he had recently been occupying most of her thoughts.

'Damn it,' she thought, slightly annoyed as she made Unit 02 crouch behind a nearby building, looking up at the small ball of light that was the angel. 'When the hell did I get so sappy?' she wondered.

She didn't have time to reflect on her feelings though as Fuyutsuki ordered her to move closer to the target.

Asuka then moved Unit 02 out from behind the building that she was currently crouched behind and started counting down the range to the target. After she reached five, she paused and ducked behind another building, wiping some sweat off her brow in the process.

'Damn...I'm gonna need a shower after this,' she thought silently.

"No change in the target," she said. "...Pe-I mean Rei, how does it look from back there?"

"No change in the target," she said repeating Asuka's words.

Asuka frowned slightly at Rei's mimicry of her words and looked back at the target.

'Just a little more,' she thought.

Rei meanwhile was many meters behind Asuka, providing cover with the positron rifle. While it was nowhere near powerful enough to destroy the angel while it stayed in space, the theory was that the angel would have to bring down its AT-field in order to attack. Therefore, Rei was providing substantial cover fire in case anything happened.

Taking a deep breath, Asuka said, "Heading towards final point, energy readouts still nominal, no change in the target."

"Proceed then," said Fuyutsuki.

Keeping low to the ground, Unit 02 ran the rest of the distance before it stood directly underneath the angel.

"Target point reached," said Asuka letting out a low sigh. "No changes...it doesn't even seem to know I'm here."

"Dr. Akagi?" asked Fuyutsuki back in the command center.

"Unknown why the angel isn't attacking," replied Ritsuko. "Perhaps it has something to do with Unit 01 and Shinji not being here. If you remember, the previous angel seemed to react when it saw Unit 01 and Shinji."

"Even so, we can't send Unit 01 out. Its too much of a risk."

"Then I suggest we have Units 00 and 02 retreat for the time being...unless you have any other ideas."

"For the time being, I don't. Unit 02 will retreat to the eleventh defensive line while Unit 00 will provide cover if necessary."

'Tch,' thought Asuka as she heard the orders. 'What the hell was even the point of this operation?' Though as she made Unit 02 turn around, the angel struck.

"Sudden spike in energy readout."

"What?" asked Fuyutsuki.

A multicolored beam suddenly shot from the white branches surrounding the angel and shrouded Unit 02.

"What is this!" asked Fuyutsuki quickly.

"The computer can't read the energy pattern, but it bears certain similarities to an angels AT-field. It seems as though the AT-field has been reversed, creating an inverse wavelength."

"Fluctuation in the pilots mental graph, synchronization down twenty percent, heart beat irregular."

Ritsuko then looked at Asuka's brain waves and said, "Is the angel trying to examine the human mind?"

"Asuka get out of there!" yelled Misato suddenly, bypassing Fuyutsuki's orders.

"No! I can still fight!"

"This is an order retrea-"

Before she could finish however, Fuyutsuki cut her off and gave orders to Rei.

"Unit 00 prepare to fire positron rifle upon target. Correct for distance...minus eight degrees."

"Understood," she said as she quickly adjusted her aim and pulled the trigger.

Almost like a bolt of blue lightning, the positron rifle discharged and fired at the angels, piercing the stratosphere of the planet. The beam rocketed toward the angel, flying straight through the seemingly transparent colored beam. Though as the beam reached the angel, it was met by an invisible wall, and suddenly it split, ricochetting to the left and right of the angel.

"The angels AT-field is still up. There's not enough energy to break through it."

'Damn,' thought Fuyutsuki silently.

"Heart beat of the pilot of 02 is still raising."

"Transfer all available power to life-support systems," said Ritsuko hurriedly.

"And have Rei get Asuka out of there!" yelled Misato, ignoring the fact that she wasn't in charge of this operation.

"No!" Asuka suddenly screamed back. "I don't want her rescuing me! Anything but her! I'd rather die than have her protecting me!"

"Asuk-"

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" she suddenly screeched. "DON'T LOOK INSIDE MY MIND!"

"Mental contamination setting in."

"Forcefully eject the entry plug, get her out of there," yelled Misato.

"Unit 02 doesn't recognize the signature. The pilot has locked it from the inside."

"Heart beat continuing to rise. Vice Commander," said Ritsuko suddenly. "If this continues, the increase in the pilots blood pressure will kill her."

"I know but-"

"Kozo," said a voice suddenly behind everybody.

As everybody turned around, they saw that Gendo Ikari, the commander, had come to overlook the operation.

"Have Rei retrieve the Lance of Longinus."

Fuyutsuki blinked once to show his surprise and asked oblivious to everybody else in the room, "Isn't it to early to use it?"

"The only way to defeat an enemy from outside our atmosphere is to use the Lance of Longinus. Have Rei descend to Central Dogma and retrieve it."

This was what Fuyutsuki had feared ever since he heard the angel was outside the atmosphere. The Lance of Longinus, that which Saint Longinus pierced the side of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, was capable of piercing an angels AT-field.

"Very well...and what about Unit 02?"

Gendo stood still for a second before he beckoned for Fuyutsuki to follow him towards the chair that he normally sat in while overseeing any of the battles.

"Unit 02 still has its uses to us."

"And what about the pilot."

"Have Dr. Akagi prepare a replacement if need be."

"Very well," said Fuyutsuki standing to his rightful height. Turning towards the monitor, he said, "Give all priority to retrieving the Lance of Longinus. When the angel is destroyed, start the decontamination of Unit 02 and its pilot."

"Uh...sir, I have the pilot of Unit 01 on line three."

Fuyutsuki let out a sigh, he knew that this conversation would have to happen eventually, but he didn't like it anymore so. However, it looked as though he had a way out since Gendo said, "I'll receive the communication. Switch the audio control over to me."

Nodding her head, the operative differed all audio over to Gendo.

"This is the commander..."

Shinji who had not realized what was going on until just recently was rather surprised to hear his supposed father talking to him. Though as Asuka's scream replayed in his head, he said with as much strength as he could muster, "I'm deploying with Unit 01 and helping her."

"And how do you suppose you'll do that? The angel cannot be destroyed in any way you understand."

"Even so...Asuka is-"

"We cannot risk the chance of putting Unit 01 in danger."

"So you're just going abandon her!"

"I did not say that. Rei is retrieving the Lance of Longinus as we speak, but until then we can't do anything for her."

"Thats just how you feel! I'll go there if I have to with my own two legs!" yelled Shinji.

"In which case I shall have you confined to quarters."

"I'll just break out!"

"Sever all communication with the pilot of Unit 01 and forcefully eject the entry plug from Unit 01."

"You fucking bast-"

Shinji last words were cut off however as the communication was severed.

"Status of Unit 00?" asked Gendo

"Passing levels fifteen through twenty now. Continuing descent."

"Prep elevator shaft number nine for the return of Unit 00."

"Yes sir."

"Who are you?"

"I'm you."

"No your not!"

"I'm the you that you sealed away."

"No thats not me!"

"Then who are you?"

"Wha-"

"If I'm not you...then who are you?"

Asuka's mind had been violated. Everything she had ever experienced, good and bad, had been laid bare for the angel to see. It felt as though she was in an open room, completely naked, while hundreds upon thousands of people stared at her, examining every aspect of her being.

"No! Thats not who I am! I'm different!"

"Why do you believe you're different?"

"Because I have to! I can't be them!"

"Who is them?"

"Everybody! I hate them!"

"Why do you hate them?"

"Because they don't acknowledge me!"

Suddenly she saw flashes of her hateful childhood. Her father coming home drunk, and whipping her with his belt. All alone at middle school, because people thought she was a freak with her shabby clothes and strange colored her. At college, where she shinned above everybody else, but was shunned because of that same shine.

"I don't need them! I'm fine being alone!"

"Liar..."

She stood by herself in a pitch blackness, with nobody around like she wanted it. But somebody else was there with her. Suddenly a spotlight shinned down from above and bathed her in light. While another spotlight did the same to the Asuka standing next to her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"This is you, with everything you've ever thought out in the open."

"No! Don't look at me like that."

"Then how do you want me to look at you?"

Another Asuka suddenly appeared before her, one that was grossly different than how she herself looked. This Asuka's hair was incredibly short, like how Rei kept hers. But it was how she acted that was different. The personality was too upbeat, similar to how Hikari acted sometimes.

"I'm Asuka Soryu."

"No, thats not me!" Asuka yelled, shattering the different personality.

"Then is this you?"

The Asuka that appeared before her now had much longer hair that reached to the waist. However her demeanor was much different. She was wearing white high heels with a blue skirt and matching white blouse. In her hand she held a cigarette.

"No! Thats not me either!"

"How are you different then the others? Aren't you just like them?"

"No! I can't be just like them! I refuse."

Suddenly Asuka was assault with a flood of memories so strong that it made her choke momentarily. She watched as she got off a Nerv plane and took her first step in Tokyo-3. Meeting Misato and shortly after, finding out that she would be living with the stupidest guy on the planet. Her normal interactions with Shinji, day in and day out. There experiences together, both as pilots and confused teenagers. The rape, and subsequent reveal of his abnormal self. The date and everything that had transpired that day.

"This is you. These are the memories that make up the person who is Asuka Soryu."

Everything with Shinji, everything she had ever thought of him. Every word she had ever called him. Every feel of his skin, every touch of his hair, every beat of her heart when around him, and every unique emotion she had always felt while with him-

'Ah...this is me, and everything with Shinji is also me. ...I just wish I would have told him how I felt sooner...'

-Suddenly broke and shattered around her.

"Change in pilots mental graph...there's...nothing?"

"What?" asked Ritsuko as she spun around in the direction of the operative.

"Pulse suddenly dropped, and heart rate suddenly slowed to normal."

"What happened? Did the angel stop?"

"No pattern blue is still...wait...pattern blue detected...inside the entry plug of Unit 02."

"Where did it originate?"

"Thats the problem...it originated inside Unit 02."

"What?"

"Pilot life signs continuing to drop, life support systems forcefully stopping."

"Damn it! How soon will Rei reach the surface!"

"She just retrieved the lance and is now proceeding up elevator shaft number nine."

"Isolate that signal inside the entry plug of Unit 02. We have to keep her alive!"

"Computers have not found the signal...wait...it suddenly disappeared?"

"Wha-"

"Pilot heart rate plummeting! Brain waves ceasing...reaching a comatose like state."

"Revert power to nerve impulses two hundred and eleven through two hundred forty-four. Keep her heart beating damn it!"

Misato watched helpless as everything seemed to be falling apart. Even Ritsuko was starting to lose it. If Asuka died...then she would be partially responsible. And what about Shinji?

"Shock seems to have no effect."

"Then increase the nerve impulses damn it!" yelled Ritsuko.

"Pilot mental graph still showing nothing. Possibility of mental contamination high."

"Increase the LCL fluid to the limit," said Gendo suddenly speaking up.

Surprised that he would suggest such a thing, Ritsuko turned towards him and asked, "But wont that-"

"If the LCL fluid is increased to the limit, the connection between the pilot and Unit 02 should cease. After such we can take control of Unit 02 and eject the entry plug that the pilot locked from the inside."

"But the resounding pressure on her weakened heart could kill her."

"Bring the concentration of LCL fluid up to 16.7%, it wont be enough to kill a human being, but it should be enough to knock the pilot out. And raise areas thirteen through twenty of the down Tokyo-3 area. Rei will need some room for the lance to have a desired effect."

Ritsuko scrutinized him for a moment, but realized that time was of the essence.

"Do as he says," she replied to the operational room.

Unit 00 opened up into the wide expanse of the sky, and for a moment Rei continued looking at the sun before her immediate task drew her away. With the Lance of Longinus in hand, Unit 00 leaned backwards a little, before it took several running steps along the raised pavement, and threw the lance.

The Lance of Longinus was duly named as the spear that could pierce heaven and earth, as the heavens parted in its path. Clouds looked as though they ran away from the lance, as it soared upward through the sky, creating a massive hole in the sky that stretched for thousands of miles without a cloud in sight.

As it passed out of the atmosphere of the planet, it flew towards the angel waiting patiently in space. The lance struck the angels AT-field, pausing momentarily, as the tip of the lance pierced through the angels AT-field and ripped through the rest of it. What came next could only be described as the angel seeming to be sucked up by a massive black hole. The lance seemed to fly right through the angel, but as it hit the angel, a small vortex appeared where the lance had struck. Not even a second later, the vortex encompassed the entire angel until a reverse effect started, where the main body of the angel started to getting sucked into the vortex, while the forking branches slowly were drawn in also. In the span of two seconds, the entire angel had disappeared, leaving little to suggest its existence, except for the shattered mind of Asuka that remained.

"Pattern blue has disappeared."

"What about the Lance of Longinus?" asked Fuyutsuki.

"Unknown."

"There is currently no known way of retrieving something with that amount of mass," said Gendo suddenly. "And something of that nature should not be in the hands of humans in the first place," he finished.

Nodding his head slowly, understanding the inner meaning of his words, Fuyutsuki said, "Give all priority to the retrieval of Unit 02 and its pilot. Dr. Akagi, you're in charge of this. Isolate the pilot if need be and...prep a medical team of what they might expect. Mental contamination, cellular contamination, irregular brain patterns..."

"And what are you going to do?" asked Misato, anger slowly seeping off her in the way the operation was handled.

"...The pilot of Unit 01 may have to be confined because of circumstances. I suppose that I'll have to-"

"No, I'll do it," said Misato. "I know him better then you do."

Fuyutsuki eyed her for a moment before he sighed and admittedly said, "I suppose that you are correct about this."

Misato bit back her retort and looked towards Ritsuko, signaling that she wanted a full report of Asuka's condition later. Without so much as a glance at commander Ikari, she proceeded to the elevator, and went to the lower levels of Nerv, anticipating what would be her worst talk with Shinji yet.

After the entry plug of Unit 01 had been forcefully ejected, Shinji couldn't remember anything until moments ago when he woke up in a room that seemed to be little better than a cell. The room was virtual pitch black, except for a door at the far end of the room where a small window was placed towards the top of the door. A small glow of light could be seen out in what he guessed as some sort of corridor. He suspected that they had tranquilized him with something, knocking him out momentarily so he wouldn't be able to resist. But now, blinking the feeling of nauseous and dizziness away, he stood up and walked to the door, and looked out through the small window. What he saw didn't really surprise him. Two armed guards seemed to standing on either sides of the door, guards which he supposed wouldn't hesitate to shot if they felt like it.

Turning around, he let his entire body weight press against the door with his back, and slowly slid down onto the cold, hard, concrete floor. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he rested his head on them and started wondering what his first step should be.

His first thought was to break out and find Asuka, but a small part of his mind felt that wouldn't be the smartest. He wanted to see Asuka, to know that she was all right, to simply embrace her tightly and run a hand of his through her hair. But he knew that he couldn't...not now.

Before, when they had argued, Shinji had no idea what was to come. Now he would give anything to take back the hurtful words he had used against her. And then when she tried to talk with him later, inside the Eva's chamber, he had shrugged her off, saying that they would talk later.

He was ashamed of his himself, on how he had reacted. He had shown Asuka something that she should never have seen again, but he was trying to make her understand why he suddenly associated with Rei who he had rarely talked with before. He didn't blame her for her jealousy, it was rather expected at some form or another. God knows he'd feel the same thing if he saw her talking with some other guy that he'd never met before.

"Even so though," he said speaking to the small room. "If I could at least know how she was...it'd ease my mind a little."

Almost as though in response to his wish, the metal door opened with a creak, and in walked Misato.

"I'm sorry about the way you were treated," she said upon entering, not letting Shinji open his mouth. "I'm moving you to a different room."

"What about the guards?" asked Shinji.

"I know I can't do much to ease your pain, but I can do this much at least."

Holding out her hand, Shinji took it unhesitatingly, and they walked out of the room, which seemed to be vacant of the guards now.

"What did you-"

"Forget about it."

"...Okay then...where are we going?"

"I'm not sure about that myself. I can't think straight right now. All I know is that I'm extremely displeased on how this entire ordeal was handled."

"...Ordeal?"

"The operation! It was as though they had planned to use the Lance of Longinus since the very beginning."

"And what is the Lance of Longinus exactly?"

"Its supposedly a holy relic that was used in the crucifixion of Christ. Though its also able to penetrate an angels AT-field."

"Something that even I can't defend against," mumbled Shinji. "Great."

"Well its floating in space now, so at least it can't be used again."

"Misato...I know that you're probably trying to avoid this...but how is Asuka?"

His blunt question suddenly made Misato freeze in mid-step. Turning slowly towards him, she said, "That is essentially why I'm here. I've been...designated as the person to tell you."

"Tell me what?" said Shinji, his eyes instantly narrowing.

Misato hesitated for a second but said, "Asuka's condition is...unknown right now. The decontamination procedures may take several hours before a report is even sent in about her physical condition. As for her mental condition...well its almost certain that there was a high level mental contamination."

"Meaning what...exactly!" Shinji's voice growing louder even when he didn't mean it to.

"Shinji...the angel seemed to be analyzing her mind. Her mental graph starting going sporadic, as though she was being forced to see many different things at once and process them all. Its unknown what state of mind she may be in because of this."

"So what! It'll just pass right?"

"Shinji...her mind may be broken. She'd be in a comatose like state where her body functions properly, but her mind doesn't respond. She'd no longer be able to recognize people, she wouldn't be able to learn, essentially...the person known as Asuka would cease to exist. She wouldn't have any memories."

Shinji stared blankly back at her for several minutes, her words unable to click with what his mind was screaming. Asuka not recognizing him? Bullshit! Not after everything they'd been through.

Shaking his head determinedly, Shinji said, "I don't believe you. You're saying something like that without any knowledge of whats actually happening."

"Shinji...we don't even know if she's alive. Her heart...stopped, before contact with Unit 02 was lost."

This last sentence penetrated Shinji so badly it felt as though a thousand needles had torn into his heart. Asuka...dead? No, thats not possible. First and foremost...she's Asuka. She's the unrivaled Evangelion pilot who can accomplish anything. She's somebody who would fight till the last second.

"I can't believe that," said Shinji instantly.

"Shinji liste-"

"No! You listen!" he shouted. "Asuka is not dead! There is no fucking way that she could be dead! Sh-She's somebody who can't die! And we...haven't"

"Shinji...this isn't any easier for me. I had to stand aside while somebody else did my job. How do you think I feel? Hearing Asuka's screams yet unable to do anything to help her."

"You could have-"

"I could have! Shinji? Could you have done anything yourself?"

Her words hurt, because they were the truth. No, he couldn't have done anything to help her, and that was the most painful of it all. To realize just how helpless he was in this situation, even when he promised her he would always be by her side, in turn helping each other when they stumbled.

"And I think I understand more than you yourself realize Shinji."

"What do you understand! You're a grownup! How could you possibly-"

"Because I know what the hurt of separation feels like! When me and," her words choked a little here, but she continued. "When me and Kaji split, do you know how painful that was? I thought that we were always going to be together, but that was just the naivety of my adolescent mind fooling me. Shinji, how does your hurt feel like right?"

"Like it was cleaved in two with a blunt ax. But what does-"

"Shinji, you love Asuka..."

...Nothing else but these words could have silenced him. Turning away from her briefly, he didn't even seem to have the capacity to blush at her remark...no, it was a mark of how correct she was that he didn't blush. Because he had long figured this to be true, even if a small part of his mind denied it.

"You do...don't you? And she does too."

Shinji was still silent, completely passive now as if they were talking about the weather.

"Shinji?"

"...What," he finally said.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to run to her. To hold her. To take her away from this damn place!" he said his voice growing louder with each sentence. "I want to tell her that everything will be all right! That I'll always be by her side! I want to run my hands through her amazing hair! I even want her to call me an idiot, just so that I can hear her voice! But...I can't...not now," he finished, his voice growing quiet.

"...Why is that?"

"Because she's too dear to me...too important."

"I don't-"

"Because I'm afraid if I see her...we will hurt each other. She's not dead...that I know of...I don't know why, but I think I would have felt it. But...I don't think she knows me anymore."

"How can you?"

"Know that? I don't rightly know. Call it intuition. You said the angel seemed to be analyzing Asuka's mind...I think it was searching for memories of me, just as the previous angel seemed to be waiting for me. There gone though...those memories, and they may never come back. I think...that they probably wont."

"But Shinji..."

"Hmmm?"

"Just as you told me before...that I can't possibly know that. Even so...you can't either."

"Thats where you are wrong, Misato. I have a corporeal AT-field that has an actual shape. Ever since the previous angel battle...I've become more attuned to peoples AT-fields so much that I can feel them. An AT-field is in essence, what a makes a person themselves. The second the pieces of Asuka memories broke, I felt the subtle difference in her own AT-field. But I didn't want to admit it...even after what you told me. She changed after she met me, she's admitted it herself. But now that the memories we built together are gone, its as though the different her never existed."

"..."

"It hurts...and I understand you trying to console me...but you can't understand the hurt...its too deep, and especially after recent events."

"Shinji..."

"It may take her time to recover...certain parts of her mind have been fragmented."

"...What?"

"I can't tell rightfully what those parts are though, since they don't include me."

"Then let me ask you this Shinji?"

"What do you plan to do?"

"I'm...going to remain here at Nerv, while when Asuka recovers she'll be living with you again."

"But what about everybody at school? Wont they know...that somethings wrong when you and Asuka aren't talking at school."

"Thats a complicated matter. If Asuka and I never met, then I'd never end up talking to Touji, Kensuke, Hikari, or anybody else. I'd still be the misunderstood transfer student. It'd be unnoticed if I suddenly dropped out of school,"

"Shinji, you just started going back though."

Shaking his head, Shinji said, "Its better this way. If I start associating with Asuka too much, the memories may resurface and this time really destroy her mind."

"But Evangelion tests...and everything associated with work. Everybody here at Nerv already knows you and Asuka, and how were."

"And I can't change that. I got to know everybody through my own means, not through Asuka like the kids at school."

"Shinji this is too cruel."

"...I suppose it is."

"If you just talk to her..."

"...I can't...if I did I wouldn't be lead this fake life."

Fake life. The fact was that he would be leading a fake life, one completely devoid of Asuka.

"I'd like to ask one thing of you though. If I'm correct...she shouldn't wake until tomorrow. I'd like...to say goodbye I suppose."

"Shin-"

"I'm very serious about this Misato, although every cell in my body is screaming against my decision."

"Shinji...what I want to know is...why?"

"Why are you doing all this for Asuka?"

"Well, you said it yourself...I love her."

Misato was rather taken aback by this simple answer.

"Though if you want another explanation...I do have one. Someone once told me about the concept of time...and more importantly humanities ability to control their own time. I've never told anybody this except Ritsuko in very small bits, and always away from actual truth. First I have angel DNA in me, why I have no idea. Probably an experiment by my father or something. But I sometimes have...visions of people, like possibilities of their future. Asuka's father...the rape, all I had foresight because of these visions, and the rape in particular, I was able to prevent because of these visions. I've seen...more than my share of gruesome things because of these visions, all with their own possibilities. But they've helped prevent things...that I can't deny. All these things have one thing in common...based on what actions I take after seeing these visions, I can control a persons time...and not just people...the world also."

Misato mouth was slightly gaping during his explanation.

"I still don't rightfully understand it myself, and the futures of people keeping changing based on the simple actions they perform in there daily lives, so it is sometimes difficult to discern what the correct path, so to speak, to choose is. This last week...I've been thinking about Asuka more than normally, which is saying something. And I started thinking...would she have been better off if she had never met me? Well, I certainly hated the thought, but after thinking about it, many of the things that happened to her were indirectly related to me. I didn't have any foreknowledge of this happening though...but I feel as though this is a better outcome then what was waiting for her."

"And what was that?" asked Misato, her voice trembling slightly.

"Death," said Shinji simply. "As long as I know that she's alive, I feel as though I can continue."

"But what about her? Did you ever think how she felt about this. You could have prevented this couldn't you?"

"No, I couldn't...I really couldn't. I may have been able to help her regain her memories by using the part of my AT-field that houses my memories of her. But its too dangerous with her weakened mind. As I said, it might truly destroy her. No, for her, this is the safest option."

"Shin-"

"I'm sorry Misato...I don't think I can continue. I've said more or less everything that I needed to."

"But-"

Shaking his head, Shinji said, "Without me in her life...its safer."

"But-" she tried again, however Shinji was already walking past her.

"As I said, I'd like a final goodbye I can say...so if you could find out where she'll be kept...I'd much appreciate it."

Without another word, Shinji walked past Misato, leaving her rooted to the floor. However as soon as Shinji rounded the corner, Misato sunk to her knees, and placed the palm of her mouth over her hands.

'I didn't know,' she thought. 'I didn't know the half of what he had gone through. And he kept it all bottled up inside him this whole time.'

"Shinji," she mumbled as she continued sitting on the floor with her knees under her. "Is this really the right decision though?"

If this was the wrong decision, then Shinji may as well be damned for life.

But he didn't care, as long as she was fine.

It was dark in the hospital room, but not so dark that he couldn't see the outline of her body laying in the bed. Her body was covered in strange devices, monitoring almost every known function of the human body. He'd have to thank Ritsuko sometime for the thoughtfulness she put into this.

As Shinji walked towards Asuka's bed, he couldn't help but have second thoughts about this. He didn't want to leave, more than anything he just wanted to sit there and hold her hand while he waited for her to wake, but he knew that wouldn't be right. If she saw somebody totally unfamiliar to her stroking her hand, she'd certainly lose control.

"'I know I can't do much to ease your pain, but I can do this much at least' huh?"

At this thought, Shinji moved closer to her bed and looked down at the beautiful face of Asuka Soryu. She looked incredibly peaceful, laying there without a trace of pain on her face.

'Lets keep it that way,' he thought.

Sighing lightly, he looked down at her face for a few more seconds before saying, "Odd way to say goodbye to each. I always thought it be something along the lines of you kicking me out of a house sometime in the future...ahhh that was stupid. Ignore that..."

He suddenly felt oddly stupid talking to her unconscious body.

"What I guess I want to say is, even if you don't remember the times we had together. I'll always remember them. Your face, your smile, your laugh, that annoyed expression you got every time you looked at me. I'll remember them. If theres one thing I'll always regret, is that we didn't realize are feelings for each other sooner. Just being stubborn I suppose. "Anyways...I'd like to stay longer...but I think if I do, I'll never leave. However...if theres one thing I'd like, whether in a dream or not, is if you would remember this."

Without another word, he kissed her.

And afterwards, passed out of the room as if he were a breeze.

And so we head into the final chapters.