A/N: Next is Rei, set shortly after Operation Yashima.

Disclaimer:I do not own Evangelion or any officially affiliated intellectual property. This is for fun, not for profit.


Pain

What is pain?

It is a proof of life. So long as this body and my mind continue to function, I am aware of the continuation of my existence. When I am injured, pain is the evidence that I have not ceased to exist; that my purpose has not ended.

It defines the boundary between myself and others. My pain is not theirs; their pain is not mine; and so we are distinct.

It is Eva. Those who surround Eva carry pain with them. The Commander. Dr. Akagi. Captain Katsuragi. Pilot Ikari. All feel pain because of what Eva is, where Eva has come from.

I dislike pain. But because I am so ordered, I wll endure it. Because Eva bonds me to others, though it is painful I will endure it.

When I piloted Eva to protect Pilot Ikari, I accepted the pain of the Fifth Angel's attack as necessary. It was required of me to ensure his safety, so that he would be able to carry out his role and succeed in the mission. Unlike him, I would be easily replaceable if the strain were too great; he need not be subjected to any pain.

When the mission was complete, Pilot Ikari opened Unit 00's entry plug manually in order to retrieve me; I am aware, from the injuries the Commander sustained doing the same after my failed activation test, that he must have been burned. Though he had not been ordered to, though it was as unnecessary as the Commander's similar act, Pilot Ikari experienced that pain to ensure my safety.

I dislike pain. But it is a bond with them.

So I will endure it.


And that's two. Please leave a review and let me know what you think, good or bad.