"Gendo, you need to see reason here! What do you think Yui would say about this idea? Abandoning your son over her!? This is insane!"
Despite her attitude and dislike for Yui, Naoko couldn't let this just happen to the poor boy; she had grown too attached to him. All those long days in the GEHIRN Laboratories, watching over him and making sure he was ok and made her fond of him. He had brought happiness to her and Ritsuko in these brutalist and near-empty halls they called a lab.
Although Yui was a good mother, her work often took priority over her family. Naoko could empathize with this, as she was also a busy professional. However, something about little Shinji had a calming effect on her.
There was simply no actual logic behind Gendo's actions here. As much as it pains her to think this, Yui probably would've rather had Gendo take care of Shinji and be his father over Naoko.
Several prominent figures within GEHIRN stood around them, watching the tense interaction between the two parties.
Maria Iscariot, a close friend of Gendo and Yui, stood there with an uneasy look, clearly upset with Gendo and his idea. She was there with all of them in the beginning, working with Yui on Project E with the LCL side of things, making sure it was safe for them to use and breathe in. She was there that day when Yui disappeared.
Kozo Fuyutsuki, an old professor to Gendo, Yui, and Maria, watched on with annoyance in his expression. For once, he was absolutely disgusted with his former pupil's actions. He was too deep in this mess to drop everything and leave, so he could only stare in disgust.
Ritsuko Akagi, Naoko, and Tanaka Akagi's daughter simply watched as her mother gave the director a tongue-lashing. The 19-year-old was sometimes brought to stay at the labs after school. Her mother was busy at work, but ever since the toddler was left in their care- she had seemed to lighten up.
Shinji was torn between the two, trying to figure out who to go to and hide behind. Soft whimpers and soon a cry came from the 3-year-old boy as the adults had a stand-off.
"What Yui thinks is irrelevant now; I am doing what is best for him. I can not take care of him, so he must leave."
Gendo's voice was cold and hollow, empty of all humanity he used to have—a shell of the man he used to be.
Slap!
A quick hand struck Gendo on the side of his face, prompting him to recoil back slightly. A red handprint mark was left on his cheek.
Everyone else in the room was left shocked that Naoko struck him.
Naoko scowled, anger and fury in her eyes as she stared him down, clearly not having any of his excuses for not being a father to the boy.
"That's bullshit, Gendo, and you know it!"
Her words were full of venom and anger, with no sympathy for him. Shinji cowered even more, scared of everything in front of him. There was only so much a toddler could handle, and they couldn't take much.
"This is my choice. I am doing what is best for my son Naoko. You can not change my mind otherwise. Now, if you will excuse me -"
She shoved him back, getting even more physical and angry.
"Don't you fucking dare call him your son ever again! You lost that right when you made your decision to abandon him!"
She was about to yell even more at the pitiful man but soon heard the terrified and confused cries of the young boy, who was caught in the crossfire.
She held her tongue and sighed, realizing that she lost her temper again. She bent down and scoped Shinji into her arms, holding him close, trying to calm him down.
Rubbing circles on his back, he soon began to settle down, and his cries were reduced to sniffles. He clung to her, not wanting to let go of the woman who wanted him.
"It's ok Shinji… I won't leave you… I promise…"
Spoke Naoko softly. At this point, her only priority is ensuring Shinji is ok. Ritsuko and Naoko both cared for him deeply.
Gendo stood there momentarily before shifting his glasses back to their original spot.
"I see. I will begin the paperwork for your guardianship of him, and I will also see to it that his belongings are brought to your residence."
He took one last look at Shinji, no sympathy nor care in his eyes. Turning away, he began to walk off, to everyone's relief.
She turned away from Gendo and looked back down at Shinji, who was still worried and nervous. She smiled softly and wiped a few tears from his eyes. He sniffled and looked back at her, wondering what she would do now.
"I'll be your mother, Shinji… I'll ensure you are safe and loved…. Would you like that?..."
…
"Don't leave me…"
Maternal Programming Revision 2
By DerpymanMT
"Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singin' in the sycamore trees
Dream a little dream of me"
2004
Atami
Akagi Residence
Same day
Evening
The drive was just a short distance, only 30 minutes from the GEHIRN Laboratories to their humble residence in the nearby town. Shinji had fallen asleep in the car, already exhausted from earlier events.
The car stopped in front of an apartment complex relatively more excellent than the rest of the town. Slowly he stirred around before waking up and seeing his surroundings had changed to an unfamiliar place.
Naoko and Ritsuko both exited the car, with Naoko going to the backseat, getting Shinji out, and carrying him in her arms, as he was too sleepy to walk that far.
"Where are we, Nana?..."
He asked, curiosity in his tired voice. She stopped her trek towards the apartment for a moment before continuing.
"We are at your new home. Far away from that bad man…."
They reached the front door, and Naoko unlocked her keys with her free hand. The door swung open, revealing a messy abode with computer parts and clothes everywhere.
"Sorry it's a bit messy, but it's home… In any case, though… Welcome home, Shinji…"
She set him down, allowing him to stand up on his own. He looked around this place she called home, and now he called home. Ritsuko came back with a backpack filled with toys and some clothes.
"This is home now, Nana?..."
She crouched down to meet him eye to eye, a smile forming on her face. He gazed back at her, sensing no malice from her.
"This is our home…."
"Say "Night-ie night" and kiss me
Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me
While I'm alone and blue as can be
Dream a little dream of me"
2005
Age 4
Tokyo-III Construction site
"What is this place, Nana?"
The four-year-old Shinji asked. Naoko had driven him over from Atami to the former region of Hakone, now called Tokyo-III. A large hole in the ground had sections covered up with plates.
He looked on in awe at the interesting sight before him.
"This is the place where a big city will be built and a new safe place for people to live in a cool science city,"
Naoko replied, putting it into simple terms he could understand more easily. It took a moment for him to process it, but he soon somewhat understood. He stared at the site, taking it all in. But he still had trouble seeing how a giant hole could be a city.
"Soon, we'll move here along with thousands of people, and we'll live in a city of the future."
The crunching of gravel alerted the two to an oncoming person, which prompted them to turn and face them. It was the man there that day that Gendo abandoned him, someone Shinji thought was a good person.
"Uncle Koko!"
Exclaimed Shinji, who quickly rushed over to hug the aging man on the leg.
"Hey there, Shinji, how are you?"
Kozo Fuyutsuki said tiredly. He had a slight smile on his face, albeit sad.
"I'm ok!"
Said the child. Fuyutsuki chuckled and patted him on the head before turning to face Naoko. He mouthed the words "We need to talk" to her. Nodding to him, Naoko crouched down to Shinji's height to speak with him.
"Hey Shinji, could you go and find Ritsuko for me? I have to speak to Uncle Kozo for a bit."
Shinji nodded and went to find his new big sister, happily going on an adventure.
Fuyutsuki sighed and approached Naoko, pulling a folded paper from his pocket and handing it to her. She took it, unfolded it, and examined the page's contents, and her expression soured immediately.
He saw her expression, and his face fell even more.
"Another failed contact experiment, so it seems…."
She sighed and folded it back up, placing it in her pocket to save for later.
"Yes, and It seems like Kyoko survived, only to kill herself later on…."
The older man said, in a somber tone, clearly sorrowful over the loss of a colleague who didn't deserve such a fate.
"Soon, the contact experiment for Unit 00 will happen. But we have yet to find a candidate for it… They will also suffer a similar fate as Yui and Kyoko."
Naoko stayed silent, unable to respond, as she had nothing to say.
"Let's just go and take a look around the site."
"That would be nice."
"Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear
Just saying this"
2008
Age 7
GEHIRN Labs
Primary Command Bridge
5 Months Into the construction of SuperComputer System MAGI
The heels clicking against stainless steel reverberated throughout the room as two women strode with pride in their steps. Naoko and Ritsuko wore GEHIRN-approved and marked lab coats, and they wore them proudly. This was Ritsuko's first day working here, and she was taking her full tour of the facility, and her mother was the one to do so.
Construction workers and technicians roamed the Bridge, going to their next destination or talking to their coworkers about either work or life.
"I can't believe I'm actually working here now… All those times when you were at work, working on Cain and Abel, and now the MAGI… It all came to this…"
Said Ritsuko, looking around and seeing the fitting of the MAGI slots and cables. The pillars they would soon rest upon were being constructed themselves.
"Yes indeed, all our work will be put to the test soon…"
Naoko was about to reply more, but the sound of squeaky rubber prompted her to turn and face the source of the awful sound.
It was Shinji, standing in an early prototype plugsuit…
Immediately, Naoko frowned upon seeing the attire, a bit of disgust on her face.
"Is this the new plug suit?... It looks… horrid… And too revealing…."
She said, disgust in her voice. Ritsuko shared a similar feeling. Whoever designed this will most surely be fired…
"We need to redesign this. Pronto."
"Agreed"
"It feels uncomfortable…."
"Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams, whatever they be
Dream a little dream of me"
2010
Age 9
Primary Command Bridge
Main Command Deck
Dozens of technicians rushed around, trying to perform their duties as efficiently as possible while still being careful not to mess up.
Naoko shouted out orders while checking everything necessary to start the MAGI.
Shinji sat next to Fuyutsuki, who watched the teams hard at work.
Shinji kept his eyes fixed on his mother with wonder. She was impressive; she could yell and get all these people to work and do whatever she wanted. Fuyutsuki turned to face Shinji, a smile on his face.
"Your mother is an essential woman, along with your sister. She's doing all this to ensure you have a bright future."
Shinji took it all in and smiled, proud to have an intelligent mother. But something soon caught his eye. Within the crowd of tan suits, a girl with a red dress and blue hair walked in, along with a man he despised. Fuyutsuki took notice and frowned, knowing immediately who the blue-haired girl was.
"I'll be right back, Shinji; I need to speak with someone…."
With that, the older man got up and headed to the small lift to lower himself to the main operator deck to speak with Gendo. Naoko also saw the man and scowled but became confused as she saw the blue-haired girl.
Both of them approached Gendo, stopping him in his tracks.
"Ikari, who is this?"
She queried, confused and slightly annoyed at his presence. His face was smug as he touched the girl's back.
"This is Rei Ayanami; she is the new pilot for Evangelion Unit 00. And I will be her new guardian from here on out."
Naoko frowned while Fuyutsuki kept a neutral expression. Years ago, Gendo said he couldn't care for Shinji, but now he cares for a young girl Naoko had never heard of before!
Just as Naoko was about to say something, Shinji pushed through to meet the girl while avoiding Gendo's gaze.
"Ooh! You have pretty blue hair!"
Said Shinji bluntly, slightly startling Rei. She was taken aback momentarily before looking up at Gendo expectantly as if asking what to say. Gendo looked annoyed at Shinji before answering Rei's unspoken question.
"Say Thank you, Rei. Whenever you receive a compliment, you say thank you."
She nodded and faced Shinji once more.
"Thank you."
Elated, Shinji gave the odd girl a smile, to which she gave an even smaller one back. Naoko couldn't help but share one but soon turned her focus to a technician who informed her of the final preparations to start up the MAGI.
"It's time. Shinji, would you like to come to see the startup? I want you to play an extraordinary role!"
Asked Naoko, who handed Shinji a key that was worn on her neck. He examined the odd-looking key before clutching it in his hands tightly. She motioned him to follow, to which he complied. The crew on the bridge parted a path for her, her son, and her son's new friend.
Once they reached a console, Naoko spoke into a microphone, the room quieting.
"Crew chiefs, I'm beginning the Go-No Go polling; state your status once I call on you."
She let out a deep breath that she had been holding and began the polling sequence.
"Electrical Cheif?"
"Electrical systems are ready and at nominal ranges."
"BioFluid Chief.?"
"BioFluid reserves and pumps are on standby, no anomalies detected, and it is a Go."
"Coolant Chief?"
"Coolant reserves and pumps are also on standby, no irregularities detected, and are ready to go."
"IO Chief?"
"All peripherals are ready for I/O connections."
"Servers?"
"Servers are ready for initial boot-up data transfer."
"Facility Control Chief?"
"Facility is on standby, and Cain and Abel are ready to transfer control over."
"Director, do we have your consent for MAGI Start-up?"
…
…
"You have my go-ahead, Dr Akagi."
Again, she sighed in relief, relieved that everything was going so well. She turned to Shinji, sitting on a chair beside her, still holding the key. Naoko smiled, now gesturing towards the key slot in the console.
"On the count of three, I want you to turn the key and hold it for three seconds. Can you do this for me, Shinji?"
Shinji enthusiastically nodded but stopped and turned to look at Rei, who simply looked at him curiously.
"Can she also turn the key with me?"
He asked innocently, wanting his new friend to join in on the excitement. Naoko gave it no thought before nodding.
"She may."
He smiled and slid in the key, allowing Rei to hold it with him. Naoko slid in the other key across from him, preparing to take the next big step in her career. This was the moment that all her hard work would pay off. But this didn't mean she could genuinely relax; she had to remain diligent and ensure this fabulous computer kept running.
"On my mark…"
Everyone watched on with anticipation, waiting for what could occur next.
"One."
…
"Two."
…
"Three!"
As quickly as they could, Naoko, Rei, and Shinji turned their separate keys at once and held them for the required time. Three seconds had passed, and soon alarms began to blare, followed by the not-so-subtle thuds of valves slamming open. The room began to hum as high-voltage electricity began to surge through the cables underneath them, with the lights flickering briefly.
The screen on the other side of the room turned from "No signal" to one filled with words that only the grown-ups understood.
Seconds passed, and the scrolling text disappeared, leaving only a red fig leaf logo with text embedded in it. Shinji and Rei watched with curiosity while the adults watched with overwhelming joy.
Naoko's work had indeed paid off.
"7TH GENERATION BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM MAGI"
"VERSION 2.7.2"
"NERV: GOD'S IN HIS HEAVEN, ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD."
The Bridge erupted into cheers as the computer began regulating the facility and performing the diagnostic tasks given to them. Naoko went to a terminal and typed in a series of commands ending with a tap of the enter key.
A soft melody began to play over the speakers as everyone quieted down, their smiles never leaving their faces.
A trio of robotic yet feminine and melodic voices played along with the tune.
"Daisy, Daisy,
Give me your answer, do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!"
The tune faded out, and so did the voices. Naoko was simply overjoyed at the first real test performing wonderfully.
Simply nothing could ruin this moment!-
"Old Hag…"
Except him…
It was a small voice over the crowd of cheering engineers, but she heard it nonetheless, and she knew instantly who it was that dared to call her such an insult.
Her head snapped towards the man who spoke those words and marched over to him, getting nearly inches into his face.
"Gendo Rokubungi! I know for sure you are not calling me an old hag! Because I can bet you, I have some self-respect in being an 'old hag'! You say you can't care for Shinji, yet you are caring for Ayanami! I should report you to the authorities for such hypocrisy If I could! Don't you dare call me an old hag again when you look pathetic! Maybe, Just Maybe, if you get rid of that perverted-looking stubble on your face, Yui might just magically come back! Rokubungi!"
He stood there stunned, simply unable to retort back. Naoko took a moment to regain herself as everyone stared at her for her outburst, except for Fuyutsuki, who was holding back a laugh.
"Stay out of the way. I don't want you interfering with the rest of my son's birthday today."
She returned to Rei and Shinji, who talked to each other, ignorant of the moment around them. Placing a hand on both their backs, Naoko got their attention.
"Did you like your birthday gift Shinji?"
"Mhm! I loved it! Thanks, Mom!"
He wrapped his arms around her joyfully, with Naoko returning a hug.
"You're welcome, Shinji! Say, would you and Rei like to go out and get some dinner? I talked to Ikari about this, and he says it's okay!"
Shinji instantly said yes, but it took a moment for Rei to decide.
"I would like that. Thank you."
"Stars fading but I linger on, dear
Still craving your kiss
I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear
Just saying this"
2012
Age 11
December 24th
Christmas Eve
Akagi Residence
The doorbell rang, followed by the hurried footsteps of Ritsuko rushing over and answering the door. Turning the knob and opening it, the door revealed a purple-haired woman Shinji recognized as Misato and a red-headed, grumpy-looking girl.
"Guten Abend!"
Said Misato in a chipper voice, happy to see her friend again in time for Christmas. Ritsuko returned the cheery greeting with her own.
"Hello, Misato; it's nice seeing you again! Hello, Asuka! I've heard a lot of good things about you!"
Asuka simply huffed and rolled her eyes. Ritsuko sensed the child's grumpiness and sped up their introductions.
"Why don't you both come in? I'll make some drinks for us!"
Asuka didn't wait for Ritsuko to finish and just walked past her. Walking into the house, not even bothering to take off her shoes. She walked into the modest-looking living room and saw a boy sitting in front of a beige keyboard hooked up to a similarly beige tv and rectangle object. It played a soft little song that Asuka could only assume was Christmas music, albeit in a crude way.
The boy took quick notice of her and smiled, waving her over. She hesitantly complied, her interest slowly growing as she watched the odd display on the screen. Stopping beside the boy, she bent down and looked at the screen.
"What's this?"
She asked in somewhat broken Japanese. She had learned quite a bit with Misato but didn't fully master the pronunciations.
Shinji happily answered her question with enthusiasm, as this was his expertise.
"It's a Commodore 64! It's an old computer that my mom bought. I put a Christmas demo in the disk drive because Sis said people would be coming over today!"
She stared at him before looking back at the screen. A mixture of high-voltage whining, 8-bit music and sounds, and the whirrs of a constantly moving disk drive filled the air.
"Interesting… Well then, Im Asuka, Asuka Langley Soryu. What's your name?"
She asked, a hint of pride yet caution in her voice as she sat beside him. With a smile, Shinji gave her the answer.
"I'm Shinji Akagi! It's nice to meet you, Soryu!"
Hearing him say her last name instead of saying Asuka somewhat annoyed her. She hated how the Japanese always said the last name instead.
"Just call me Asuka. And I suppose it's nice to meet you too."
"Sweet dreams 'til sunbeams find you
Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you
But in your dreams, whatever they be"
2014
Age 13
NERV HQ
Evangelion Cage 01
"Mom, I'm ready."
Shinji said from over the radio system. From what they saw on his vitals measured by the plug-suit, his heart rate was sky high. Worried at the potential dangers that may come if he freaks out, Naoko sighed and began to take off her lab coat.
Ritsuko stood nearby, wondering what her mother could be up to now. They had gone through the pre-activation checklist with everyone giving their go-ahead. She continued removing items from her body before exiting the control room and making her trek to the Evangelion itself.
Seeing what her mother was attempting to do, she quickly followed her.
"Lieutenant Ibuki, open the plug for me; I'm heading into the plug."
Maya instantly carried out the order, as she did not want to incur the wraith of Naoko. With a click and thud, the neck plate opened up, allowing the entry plug to unlock, twist and slide out.
"Mother, come back here! You can't board with him!"
Ritsuko reasoned, but it only fell on deaf ears as her mother entered through the hatch. Sighing, Ritsuko gave up and headed back to the control room, for she knew her mother was a stubborn woman.
Naoko scooted beside Shinji and held on to the crash couch. Shinji's heart rate instantly returned to a more normal range, as his mother was one of the few things that could genuinely calm him down.
"Alright, lock us in and begin activation."
Ordered Naoko, her voice full of authority. Complying, the plug swiftly carried out its sequence and locked itself back into place within the Evangelion's body. A subtle hum filled the plug as life-support came on.
"Beginning entry-plug LCL flooding."
Soon LCL began pouring in from below the two and reaching their torso within seconds. It smelled of a heavy iron scent that one could write off as blood if they didn't know better.
It filled up past their heads and filled the entire plug. Hesitantly, they exhaled and breathed in the liquid with a gag.
"Note to self, add something to make this taste better…"
"Beginning LCL Ionization."
The liquid quickly became transparent, albeit with a slight orange tint. Shinji had done the training before with the simulation body and had done this procedure before but hadn't had the whole experience of activating within Unit 01.
"Beginning A10 connection."
A slight tingle was felt throughout the two, with Shinji feeling most of it in his body. The Viewscreen within the plug displayed the view in front of the large head of the Evangelion. A wondrous cheer came over the radio as Shinji's body soon felt much more extensive.
'Activation complete! We are reading a 43.5% on your synch rate!"
Suddenly a wave of emotions filled Shinji's very being.
Recognition.
.
Joy.
.
Confusion.
.
Sadness.
.
Acceptance.
He was soon snapped out of it once Naoko excitedly wrapped her arms around him, nearly smothering him. She was proud of him! But soon, a sense of dread filled her as she knew what events would follow. For now, she pushed it aside and kept embracing her son.
"Congrats Shinji!"
Said a familiar voice over the radio. A live video feed from the control room showed Rei in her plugsuit, a proud smile on her face. She had a similar type of plugsuit as he did. It was covered in armor plates and equipment that could help in any scenario, although her plugsuit was predominantly white, while his plugsuit was primarily blue.
"Thanks, Rei! Once both our tests finish, we should go and celebrate!"
"Yeah!"
It was a joyous day for everyone. All is going great! And may the future stay great too!"
For God's in his heaven, and All's right with the world!
"Dream a little dream of me
Dream a little dream of me
Dream a little dream of me"
Well now… It's been a long time coming! After rereading parts of the fic from the beginning and seeing all the areas I could improve on and the countless spelling errors when I rushed each chapter, I said, "It's definitely time to rewrite this thing."
I wanted to add more stuff in and more lore that I thought would be good for the fic. Things will be changed around, as you saw in the timeline and such, but it'll be essentially the same. I'll keep the original up for everyone to see, but I'll be working on this one from here on out.
I'll also try and work on some other fics as well, but this one was a priority for a good bit. I want to thank you all for your support over the past year or so.
I'll try not to rush these from now on! ;)
Thank you for joining me on this new journey!
And I'll see you all in the next chapter!
-DerpymanMT
Rits