Shinji liked to sleep in, which proved to be an unfortunate characteristic. Throughout his life, a combination of duties and passions forced him to tear himself from bed at what felt like the crack of dawn. This combined with his chronic insomnia made sleep a generally unpleasant experience.
Today was a rare occasion where he didn't have anything important going on in the morning and could grant himself some extra time in bed.
Until Asuka burst in wearing only a towel and a look of indignation on her face.
"My damn shower doesn't work. I need to borrow yours. "
Shinji groaned and gestured to his bathroom before collapsing back into his bed. Eventually the embarrassment of seeing her naked and her seeing him in his boxers sank in and he found himself wide awake.
He awkwardly waited until Asuka finished her shower. She emerged, and they both realized that in her fit of rage she had neglected to bring a change of clothes down with her. However, she still felt the need to make a little bit of conversation before returning to her room.
"You're up a little late. Is it a special occasion?"
"Not really." answered Shinji softly.
"Oh come on. You pretty much always wake up before me. Today must be some sort of special holiday or something for you. Do you have any case assignments or anything?"
"No. Today is the anniversary of the day Mom died."
"Oh." despite her best attempts to resist it, a surge of guilt spread across Asuka's face.
"Actually I should probably get ready. "I'm going to be spending much of the day with my father."
This surprised Asuka. She couldn't remember seeing both of the Ikari's in the same room together. The idea of them spending a whole day together was an almost alien image.
"You should get a new suit," said Asuka. "You were wearing your old one on the docks. It's probably got roughed up in the shootout."
"I suppose you're right."
Shinji quickly got dressed and grabbed his wallet. He didn't look at Asuka as he left, unintentionally locking her in. He had given her a spare key,so was soon on her way back to her own apartment. As she walked, she thought about the strange relationship Shinji had with his father. She knew little about his mother, but could easily tell that the death of his mother had a profound effect on both of them.
She found it interesting that she and him turned out son different given that they both lost their mothers at a young age.
She was halfway through changing in her apartment when she heard the phone ring. She picked it up and was greeted by Misato.
"Hey Asuka. Could you get Shinji for me? I want you both to come back to the Hoover Building."
"Sorry, you just missed Shinji. He and his Dad are going to spend the day together."
"Oh right. It's the day Yui died. That's why he wasn't in his office. Anyway, I want you to meet the new special consultant. Rei Ayanami came back to help us with the Angel attacks."
Shinji had bought a new suit that he was becoming very fond of. He doubted his father would even notice it. It felt like his father never looked at him if possible.
As he followed the now familiar route to Gendo Ikari's house, he tried to remember when his relationship with his parents had deteriorated. He thought a good indicator of the change was the stark contrast between his seventh and eighth birthdays. When he turned seven his parents, friends, and extended family had all attended a party for him. when he turned eight, his mother and father both spent the whole day working. The difference was the result for the fact that the Seele investigation started between those two birthdays. His mom had died before he turned nine.
Shinji got a phone call from Kaworu. He pulled over and answered, "Hi Kaworu. Why are you calling?"
"I need a reason?"
"Yes. People don't just randomly call each other without a purpose. "
"Sure they do! I do, anyway. But I actually did want to see how you're holding up. I saw on TV that you were present during a firefight in Baltimore."
"Yeah, I was."
"Why didn't you tell me? You could have been hurt. I was worried."
"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't think you would care, alright? I didn't tell anybody else who wasn't part of the investigation."
"You sound testy. Are you sure you're holding up okay?"
Shinji groaned. "I'm sorry. This isn't a great day to talk to me."
"Why is that?"
"It's the day my Mom. died."
"Oh." replied Kaworu, a sudden wave of sadness in his voice. "I understand completely. If you need to talk to someone…"
"Look, I just want to be left alone today. I don't mean to be offensive, but I don't need someone to talk to me. Goodbye."
Shinji hung up. He really couldn't understand that boy sometimes. He kept trying to reach out to Shinji when he was clearly in pain. Didn't he know that that would only bring Shinji's pain down on him? He could never imagine a reason someone would want to feel the sadness he felt. Especially someone like Kaworu, who must have had a great deal of his own pain to deal with.
"Is it just me, or does it feel busier today?" asked Asuka.
"I guess people are on high alert now that we've had two Angels reveal themselves. The next one hasn't popped up yet, so we want to stay ahead of him or her."
As they approached her office, Misato added, "It might also might have something to do with the new consultant. Asuka, meet Rei Ayanami."
Asuka took several seconds to fully take in the bizarre appearance of the girl in front of her. She appeared to be an albino, making her the second she had met this week. Her pale blue eyes focused dead ahead, but had no emotional conviction. She stood perfectly still, and her light blue suit clashed with Misato's yellowish wallpaper. A large blue gem, octahedral in shape, hing from a thin chain necklace. This immediately grabbed Asuka's attention.
"What's with the diamond thing?"
"It belonged to the sniper Jacobs," answered Rei. Her voice was unlike anything Asuka had ever heard. She redefined the word "monotone."
"Shelby Jacobs took trophies from her victims. When she was apprehended, I took somehting of hers."
"Well, that's not creepy at all," said Asuka. "What's your deal anyway? I've seen cadavers with more personality than you. Honestly, does solving brutal serial murders just bore you or something."
"No,though I haven't looked at a true serial murder case in some time. I have been working alongside the SEC as they evaluate the Jet Alone scandal."
Misato elbowed Asuka in the side. Under her breath,she muttered, "Be polite. This is our greatest asset you're talking to."
Rei handed Misato a case file. I've finished reading the Sachiel and Gaghiel cases. This is a very interesting development."
"How so?" asked Misato.
"The Angels appear to be starting from the beginning again, instead of picking up where they left off."
"What do you mean by that?" interjected Asuka.
"The most recent murders reflect the earliest crimes Seele committed. Both known Angels seem to be striking innocent civilian at random. Last time, the Angels progressed to targeting agents of the FBI itself, starting part way through the Ramiel shootings. As I alluded to earlier, I worked on that case. The last three victims were agents assigned to the case, and I believe the sniper planned to target myself before we caught her. Afterwards Shamshel and Iruel almost exclusively targeted the Bureau."
"You think that will happen again?" said Misato.
"Yes,the next Angel will probably go after on of our agents. I do not predict that is their endgame, however. The attacks on the FBI, especially by the cybercriminal Iruel, left usb paranoid. The final two Angels kidnapped and assaulted civilians without our knowledge because we were too concerned about ourselves."
"I guess we'll just have to stay one step ahead of them this time." said Asuka.
"With the Angels that is rarely as simple as it sounds." said Rei softly.
Shinji had been staring at the gravestone labeled "Ikari Yui" for three full minutes. A new thought had not entered his head in that time. It had gotten to the point where he no longer had any new thoughts about the situation. He had long ago accepted that he would never really know how to feel about his mother's death.
He had not spoken a word to his father the entire time. This was not unusual. Sometimes they never talked at all when they visited this grave. Still, Shinji felt the need to break the silence.
"I don't remember much about her anymore."
His father responded. "I am not able to forget anything about her."
Shinji felt a pang of guilt. He wished he had just kept his mouth shut. It occurred to him that this kind of interaction was the only way he and his father knew how to communicate anymore.n Shinji considered that this might be a good thing, given their relationship. He felt so emotionally constrained by the whole situation. He wished there was another way he could deal with his feelings about his mother's death.
####
Shinji returned home to find Kaworu waiting for him outside his door.
"Why did you come here?" asked Shinji. "I told you I wanted to be alone. You don't want to be around me today."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because this is the worst day of the entire year. Today I had to relive almost a decade's
worth of pain and grief. If you see too much of me like this you won't want to be my friend anymore."
Kaworu sighed. "How can two people claim to be friends if they cannot share in each other's pain?" he gestured to the doorknob. "Please let me in. I think it would help if you had someone to talk to today."
Shinji reluctantly opened the door. He made a beeline to his bed and collapsed into his pillow.
"I just don't know how to express myself," he said, his voice muffled by the pillow.
Shinji could feel a depression in the mattress as Kaworu sat down alongside him. Shinji still didn't feel like getting up, so Kaworu patted his shoulder and let him lie there.
"Just try. Tell me anything that comes to mind."
"I… I'm having trouble remembering her."
Kaworu cocked his head to the side, not that Shinji could see him. "What do you mean by that?"
"I don't remember her face. Or her voice. Oh God…" Tears were beginning to seep through the pillowcase.
"I think I know how you feel, Shinji. Memories of a person who isn't with you anymore are one of the hardest parts of grief. Like it or not, a person starts to fade from our memory after they die. I have a similar problem when it comes to my own mother's death."
"How do you deal with it?"
Kaworu took in a deep breath. "It's a tricky question. I'd be lying if I said I was totally comfortable in my feelings about it. But I guess one way I deal with it is by going over every memory I have of her, even the bad ones."
"Why the bad ones?" asked Shinji. "Wouldn't that bring even more pain?"
"I suppose, but it's worth it to keep even a little bit of her alive within me. I think that is the key."
"I would have to disagree," said a voice from across the room. It had a soft inflection, and was about as emotionless as any voice Shinji had ever heard. He got up from the bed to see a girl standing in his still open doorway.
She looked a lot like Kaworu, though a bit older. She shared his pale skin, blue eyes, and blonde hair, in addition to his slender frame. She wore a brought blue suit and a necklace with a strange blue gem.
"I lost my whole family in a terrorist bombing," continued the woman. "I can barely remember the incident at all, for which I am grateful."
"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you?" asked Shinji.
"Rei Ayanami, special consultant to the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I missed you at headquarters, so I came down to make your acquaintance."
Kaworu stood up and said, "Rei and I have already met, though it has been a while. We came in contact several times during the first Seele investigation. Because of our similar appearance, several reporters thought we were siblings."
"As I recall, some people within the agency pushed us to form a romantic relationship."
Kaworu chuckled. "I'm glad that didn't come to pass."
"Yes. my work and your homosexual orientation would not have made that ideal."
Kaworu winced when he saw the sudden look of discomfort on Shinji's face. Rei added, "Do whatever you feel is best with your memories, Ikari. I'll see you at the office tomorrow."
Rei left. Kaworu nervously rubbed his back. "I could leave to, if you wanted. I'm sorry if that encounter made you uncomfortable."
Shinji shook his head. "Please stay." Whatever else he was feeling, Shinji did not want to be alone right now. The two sat back down on the bed. Shinji pressed his head against KAworu's chest and sobbed into his shirt.
Israfel stared at the tombstone in front of him. He knew the body buried there belonged to Gaghiel, even if the marker listed him under a different name. He reached into the bag he had brought with him and pulled out a trumpet. His sister stood beside him and looked at the grave too. He played
pouring his soul into the performance.
A gravekeeper approached them. "I'm sorry, but you need to be quiet to respect the other mourners."
Israfel but the trumpet down. "I apologize."
The gravekeeper added, "Besides, Nobody in the military is buried here. No offense, but most of the people here are criminals the police sends us. It's more than they deserve."
Without speaking a word his sister grabbed a black pistol from the bag. Before the gravekeeper could react she shot him between the eyes. Israfel looked at the corpse as it fell to the ground. He grabbed the wrists, ignoring the bloodstains that spread onto his shirt, and positioned it directly over the grave. Then he let go and looked the body over, his bloody hands on his hips.
"There is no time to honor his death. The police will be here soon."
The twins left the graveyard in a brisk walking pace. Israfel looked one last time at the tombstone. He knew a similar one awaited him and his twin soon. He was certain that before he reached it he would send some on Gendo Ikari's followers to their grave first.
To be continued.