Evangelion: Rebuild Shinji's Choice

by Chucky117

In the Rebuild timeline, Asuka Shikinami Langley was chosen as the test Pilot for Unit 03's activation, leading to the events that unfolded. But what if Shinji was given the choice to become Unit 03's test Pilot? How much would this one choice change the entire timeline? Would he and everyone around him ever come to regret his choices?

8. Chapter 8 - Blood and Guilt

Author's Notes: Hope you are all having (or had) a great Christmas/Holiday.

As always, thank you all for your kind words and support! I really do appreciate it. Hopefully, this chapter doesn't disappoint (sorry if it does haha).

Once again, apologies for the grammatical/spelling mistakes that area laid out throughout the chapter. I'll try to come back and fix them in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion.

---

In the locker room, Asuka took a deep breath as she felt her red plugsuit wrap itself around her. Her plugsuit felt colder than normal. But she guessed that this was expected since the last time she was in this was during the battle where she-

She shook her head.

No, she can't think about that.

It also didn't help that a part of her was screaming not to get into that Entry Plug. But she knew if she did, she would be doing the exact opposite of what she said she'd do. She needed to push forward, she can't stop to think about-

When she looked at her hands, she started to remember the battle. Her Unit crushing the Angel's head, ripping the body apart, destroying the Entry Plug… Shinji's arm.

She shook her head again, using what strength she could muster to push the memories of the battle aside.

"You can do this, Asuka," she said to herself. She can't let these memories prevent her from moving forward. With determination and pushing this unwanted part of her aside, she grabbed the SDAT from her locker as it immediately melted away any unpleasant feelings that lingered.

She made her way to the cage housing her Unit 02. She was ready for this… hopefully.

Once Asuka entered the cage, she saw her red EVA standing here, motionless, unlike the last time when it moved on its own to eliminate the Angel. The memory of its roar soon echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes, "Just shut up."

She wasn't going to let this stop her. With another quick shake of her head, the sound of the beast disappeared and soon her ears were filled with the humming noises emitting from the cage.

"I can do this," Asuka said to herself once more. She locked the SDAT just below her waist as she walked towards the Entry Plug.

Once she was inside the pod, she heard Misato's worried voice say over the radio, "You sure you're okay with this, Asuka?"

"A bit too late for that, don't you think?" she grasped the controls. But she almost winced at the quick image of Unit 03's head being crushed appearing in front of her for a short second. She gritted her teeth as she mumbled just low enough that Misato couldn't hear her, "I can do this."

Asuka could hear the Colonel say, "If you're sure, I won't stop you. But if you need to stop the test at any point, just let me know."

"Stop treating me like a child," she huffed. "I'll be fine." "I'll be okay."

She could hear Misato make a quick sigh, "Okay… Start the testing!"

START SYNCHRONIZATION

Asuka closed her eyes and began to drown out the startup procedure. She needed to focus. This is her job as a Pilot of Unit 02. She can't let these memories hold her back. What would the Idiot say if she let these memories hold her down?

She gave out a small laugh, "He'll probably say 'sorry' like he always does." Asuka gently placed her hand on the SDAT for comfort as the Entry Plug was inserted into Unit 02. "Let's do this."

Soon the LCL started to fill the pod, almost reminding her of the sensation of blood on her hands. She shook her head again to push this unwanted feeling away.

Asuka noticed that the walls around her started to change until she could see the view outside. "So far so good… See? You can do this, Asuka." She just has to keep on doing what she's been doing. "The Idiot… he would probably be proud that I can still Pilot." That single thought brought some sense of warmth to her chest.

"God… This is so stupid, thinking about someone who's no longer here and how he would feel about me still being able to activate my EVA… But at least the pain is… bearable now."

She heard one of the technicians say, "Unit 02 activated! Starting Synchronization Testing!"

---

The same technician turned to both Misato and Fuyutsuki, "Pilot Shikinami's synchronization is holding at fifty-five percent!"

Misato let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "It's not high as before, but this is probably the best she's going to get with what she's been through." She talked to the mic in front of her, "You hear that, Asuka?"

The Pilot's voice responded over the radio with a bit of an annoyed tone, "It's lower than my last one by ten whole points."

"Well, let's take it slow. You've been through a lot. Don't try to push yourself to beat your previous score. Just focus on staying synchronized to your EVA."

"Yea, whatever."

Misato wanted to say that it was a miracle that she was able to activate her EVA at all, but chose to keep quiet. She couldn't risk pushing Asuka in the wrong direction right now.

Fuyutsuki looked over to the red EVA beneath the observation room. "Ikari... While I do think this was too soon for the Second Child… I do see your point. We need to make sure we have Pilots available for the next Angel attack." He eyed the data in the monitor next to him. "And it seems Dr. Akagi's concerns were unwarranted. The test seems like it'll be a success. However…"

He looked up at the lights above him, "Will Unit 01 have the same results?"

---

Asuka took a deep breath as she looked at the controls in front of her.

Her EVA… felt different. She didn't know what it was but it was different. Her EVA… it was harder to synchronize with it than before. As if she was trying to open a door, but something was preventing it. As if something was pushing back… No... It was more like something was holding it still.

Whatever it was, it was preventing her from synchronizing with her Evangelion like before.

"But why?" she mumbled. "What's different now than before?"

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened when she heard Shinji's voice. In front of her was the view of Unit 03's Entry Plug being held by Unit 02's hands.

"Damn it," she was having a vision of that moment in the battle again when the Entry Plug was crushed. She shook her head, "This isn't real. This… is just a memory." But it felt more real than her dreams and those memories she would occasionally see.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to… cook for you. And…"

Asuka continued to shake her head, "I can do this. I can do this. Ignore it. It's just a memory... Push it away like you always did. The Idiot… He wouldn't have wanted you to-"

"I'm sorry I won't be able to keep… my promise to train with you and play… music with you."

Why wasn't it stopping? It usually stopped if she tried to push it away while shaking her head. So why was it continuing? Why is it different now?

"Just ignore it, Asuka." She continued to shake her head, "I can do this." She tried to push the memories aside and tried to focus on staying synchronized with her Unit 02. She kept repeating the words in her head, "I can do this. I can do this. I… can do this."

"And I… like you… and good-bye."

There was a roar that was heard before the dreaded noise of metal being crushed echoed in her ears.

CRUSH

Time seemed to have frozen around her as her eyes opened wide, but that damn roaring noise and Shinji's last words lingered in her ears. The two forces made her remember one crucial fact that she's been trying to push away into the back of her mind.

There's no way for her to deny the fact that she took a life, the Idiot's life… His blood is in her hands. Those facts have not and will never change.

She killed him. She's the reason why he was dead. She's the reason why she can't see him smile again. She's the reason why she can't talk to him again. And no matter what anyone else told her, it didn't change anything.

She was inside the very weapon that was used to kill him. She... killed him.

That realization made her say the following words with the defeated tone from the earlier days after the battle against the Angel.

"I can't do this."

All systems shut down as her Entry Plug turned into a dark red hue. Her synchronization with Unit 02 was cut off and it was deactivated due to it. Asuka tried to focus to reactivate her EVA, but it didn't work. She grasped both controls tighter and moved them in an attempt to feel the EVA again, but nothing worked.

"Why?" Asuka looked at her hands and saw the blood on her plugsuit covered hands.

She shook her head and tried to push the image aside, but, once again, her usual method didn't work. This unpleasant wet sensation was felt directly on her hands through the plugsuit. She rubbed her hands together in an attempt to try to get them off but it didn't work. She could feel the feeling of blood seeping deeper into her fingers as this unpleasant sensation started to get stronger.

"Get off," she started to rub her hands harder. "Get off. Get off! GET OFF!"

---

Alarms started to flare in the observation room. Misato quickly asked one of the technicians, "What happened? Is Asuka safe? Everything was fine before we heard that weird noise!"

"Her synchronization was cut off! Unit 02 has been deactivated! Her readings are all over the place!"

She gritted her teeth, "I knew this was too soon. Stop the test! Shut it all down!" She turned to Fuyutsuki, "I hope that is okay with you, Sub Commander?" There was distaste in her tone. She hated how they practically forced a girl who was obviously not ready to do this test.

He nodded, "I approve. We need to stop all testing right now. The Pilot's safety is our top priority." The old man's hands clenched in anger, "That noise… Could Unit 01 Activation Test have failed? Ikari…"

Misato grabbed a headset and ordered the medical crew that was on standby. Her current priority was for the Pilot's safety. Nothing else. "Get ready to retrieve the Pilot the moment the Entry Plug has been ejected. I don't care about the standard procedure, just get her out of there!" She turned to the technicians around her as she threw the headset aside, "And, in the meantime, someone look into what that noise was!"

"Whatever it was, it messed with Asuka's synchronization with Unit 02… and if my hunch is correct, it was that noise that pushed her over the edge." Misato turned to Fuyutsuki once more, "Permission to go to the cage to support the retrieval of the Second Child."

He nodded again, "Approved." "Kyoko… I kept my promise to never let her pilot anything but Unit 02… So I have no obligation to take care of her if she can't synchronize, let alone activate, her EVA." He clenched his hands behind his back as Misato ran past him to get out of the room. "But what is this feeling?"

"No…" He shook his head.

He mumbled, "I can't let this hinder me from the scenario. I've done my part." He has no more guilt left in him. After all, that incident in the Second Child's hospital room cleared him of that. He can't let his emotions come into play anymore. He pushed any lingering feelings aside. He had to kill it before it dug itself even further.

The Sub Commander declared, "This test for Unit 02 is deemed a failure. As Colonel Katsuragi ordered, stop all testing and prepare a report for Dr. Akagi to review."

"Yes sir!"

"Time to report this to Ikari," he took out his phone but realized that his former student wasn't answering. "Dr. Akagi it is then."

As he gave his update, he also heard from Dr. Akagi about Unit 01's test results, confirming his suspicions on what that strange noise was. "Ikari… Yui rejected your new plan. What will you do now? We won't be able to keep this a secret from the Committee much longer."

---

Asuka immediately ran towards the locker room. She pushed away and slipped through any medical staff who came her way. They were all caught off guard by her immediate reaction to the situation, giving her the opportunity to slip through them and dash toward the locker room. She even managed to slip through Misato who called out her name, but she didn't hear it.

There was only one thing going through her mind.

"Get it off! I have to get it off. I have to get it off!"

Asuka ran to the nearby sink in the locker room and started to frantically wash her hands through the running water. "Why won't it get off?!" She ripped through the part of the plugsuit covering her hands and continued when she saw blood on her skin.

"Just get off. GET OFF!"

Misato came rushing into the bathroom after ordering the medical crew to hold their position outside the locker room. If her hunch was right, it'll only make the situation worse if they followed her in. It should be Misato who sees her, not some random people who Asuka didn't know.

"Asuka?" She looked around but all she saw were the rows of lockers and the sound of a running sink. She slowly made her way towards the noise.

"Get off. GET OFF!"

After hearing the desperate cry from her ward, Misato quickly ran in the direction of the sound where she saw Asuka. She saw the parts of the plugsuit covering the girl's hands ripped off and she was frantically washing her hands to the point where blood was starting to drip from her hands, mixing with the running water.

"Asuka! Stop!" Misato quickly ran over and grabbed one of her hands with her still uninjured hand. "It isn't real, Asuka. You're hurting yourself!"

Asuka struggled as she said, "Let me go! I… I have to get the blood out of my hand! I… his blood, don't you see? They're all…" When she showed her hands to her guardian, she noticed that her hands were no longer covered in his blood, but her own that she freshly made. The pain from her chipping away parts of her skin finally settled in. "I… I saw his… I…."

"Asuka," Misato brought her into a hug. "It's okay."

"But-"

"Asuka… it's okay."

Tears started to form as she realized what happened. She let the memories and the image get the better of her to the point where she injured herself. She…- This was too much for her to bear. "Misato…" she whimpered as a single tear rolled down her face, "I… I…" "I don't know what to do."

She failed him. First, she couldn't save him. And now, she was here, unable to pilot Unit 02, injuring herself… unable to move forward again. But why?

…And what would he think of her if he saw her right now?

"Idiot Shinji…" She could see a vision of him looking at her with a worried look over Misato's shoulders. She hid her head deeper into the embrace so that she could no longer see him anymore. "Don't… look at me… Not like that."

She hated that look.

---

Kaji looked at his monitor as he tapped the table with his finger. He managed to hack into the observation room's security feed for both Unit 01 and Unit 02's test on all angles. While he guessed that Unit 01's would fail, he did not expect Unit 02's to fail as well. He at least expected Unit 02 to result in poor performance, not a complete failure like this.

And the way Unit 01 reacted to Rei and the new Dummy System worried him. It also did not help that his inside source told him that the success of their operation was turning into a coin flip at this point.

He stopped his tapping, "This is becoming more dangerous each day."

Mari leaned over her head from behind his shoulder, "What is?" She saw him replay the incident with Unit 01's test from within the observation room before all the surveillance was destroyed by the roar it released as it destroyed everything around it. "Huh, she got mad, who would've guessed?"

Kaji turned to her, "Mari-"

"Oooh," she rewound the security feed and froze at a specific scene. She zoomed in on Gendo's frightened face seconds before the cameras were destroyed. "I'm taking a screenshot of this." As she was about to press the button on the keyboard, Kaji grabbed her hand.

"This is serious. People could've died."

"But they didn't," she shrugged. Mari was just trying to have a little fun. She didn't understand why he was being so uptight about this. But she relented when she noticed the rare serious expression on his face, "Fine, just send me the entire video with the data."

"Mari-"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to play with it. It's not for personal enjoyment, you have my word. I need to figure out what they did wrong and how we can fix it for our plan to work. Just send it to me when you've finished encrypting it." She turned to leave.

Kaji turned his chair around, "Where are you going?" Just because he managed to hack into NERV's security didn't mean that she could just do what she pleased. If someone saw her this late in the game, this whole operation would be over.

Mari turned her head with her usual smile on her face, "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything stupid. Just need to check up on something."

Why does she have to be so cryptic? "Which is?"

She didn't respond, she instead gave a quick wave as she walked out the door, "I'll see you later, Mr. Secret Agent." She turned her head with her trademark smirk still on her face, "Don't forget, you still have a request to fulfill for someone." The door closed in front of her smirking face before Kaji could respond.

Her demeanor may say otherwise, but there were still a lot of things to confirm, especially on her end if they were to succeed in their operation. And he knew she was a person of her word. If she promised that she's not going to do anything childish, she would keep her promise as long as he didn't do anything to rub her the wrong way.

So, he wasn't weary of her doing something… inappropriate with the video behind his back…

…Maybe…

And besides, she was right. He still had a job to do.

Kaji gave out a sigh and stood up. "Guess this is as good of a time as any." He took out his phone and sent a couple of quick text messages.

This was risky, but he knew that he would have to risk it. He knew he was letting his personal feelings come to mind but his instincts were telling him that it was the best choice of action for both the operation… and Misato.

And if the other information that his inside source told him was right… Now's the time to tell her.

"High risk, high reward."

"Let's see if you'll follow through, Misato."

---

Rei bowed as she exited one of the doctor's offices with bandages around her forehead and both her arms and legs underneath the school uniform she changed into.

She managed to get away from the test with minor injuries that were all from the very abrupt forced ejection of the Entry Plug from Unit 01. While the pain she felt during Unit 01's Activation Test was no longer there, she couldn't help but still remember part of the sensation she felt whenever her mind lingered on the event.

Rei knew enough that she failed Unit 01's test. She didn't need to be told that. The answer was obvious, the pain she felt during the end of the test and the wounds around her were proof of that.

But… What of Unit 02's test result?

The doctor wasn't told of the results, he was just ordered to treat her wounds. "He is someone who is unimportant to the Commander's plans." So he would not know of the information she wanted to know.

And her doctor, Dr. Akagi, was elsewhere that required her attention. The Commander always had Dr. Akagi treat her, and no one else. So this was strange for her.

"It is very unusual. Why would Commander have another doctor treat my wounds instead of Dr. Akagi?" She shook her head. "It does not matter. While his actions are… curious, I wish to discuss with Asuka what I felt in Unit 01." Her main focus was now Asuka. The Commander was now the least of her concerns.

She made her way to Asuka's hospital room after asking one of the nurses if they knew where Asuka was. She had to ask again to confirm as she did not expect Asuka to be in one of the hospital rooms. "Is she okay? Was Unit 02's test a failure?"

When she came to the door, she was about to knock but froze when she heard Colonel Misato's voice through the other side of the door, "How long have you been seeing blood on your hand? Since the incident?"

"Blood?"

---

Asuka, who was still in her plugsuit with portions covering her hands ripped off, turned from her chair to meet the Colonel, "How did you…-"

"I'm not that much of a klutz as you think I am." Misato walked closer to her.

After all the physical checkups, Asuka had her bandages done to both her hands by one of the doctors before they left the room. Misato had a suspicion from yesterday that Asuka may be going through some sort of PTSD flashbacks, and her recent actions today in the locker room confirmed her suspicions.

Misato leaned down to the sitting girl and tried to place her hand on her shoulders, "Asuka-"

But Asuka swatted it away, "Don't touch me."

"Don't push me away. Not now." "Asuka, you can't be dealing with this alone. You need-"

She scoffed, "And what can you do to help me? What do you know about dealing with what I'm going through?"

Misato placed her hand on her chest, "Talk to me. Talk to Rei. Anyone! You can't just keep this locked up inside of you forever! It'll eat at you!"

"Talk? You think talking about how I keep seeing his blood on my hands is going to help?" Asuka stood up and placed her bandaged hand on her chest, "Fine. You want to know? Do you know what it feels like to see the battle over and over again? The feeling of blood in my mouth. The blood on my hands… And that damn sound of his Entry Plug being crushed."

She held her head down, her bangs covering her eyes, and continued with a lower voice, "His last words… the feeling of helplessness of not being able to do anything to stop it… The fact that I was too weak to stop his death. Do you know what it feels like to relive this memory over and over again? To be constantly reminded of my own failures and weaknesses?"

"Asuka…" While Misato was happy that Asuka opened up about what she was going through and didn't have to jump through hoops, Misato was worried that this might've been eating at her more than she originally thought. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"

"And what?" she turned her back towards her, "Tell me, what are you going to do to help me right now?"

"I…" She was speechless. What can she say to help her right now? She… she didn't know. She honestly didn't know…

There was a low mumble from Asuka, "It should've been me."

"No… it shouldn't have been anyone." Misato took a step forward and reached out her hand to touch Asuka's shoulder's but her voice stopped her in her place when she repeated those words.

"It should've been me." She wrapped her hands around herself.

Misato's eyes became filled with fire when she heard those words. No person should think it should be them that was dead, especially not Asuka. She quickly grabbed her shoulder and turned her around. She leaned down to Asuka's head height with her hand placed onto the redhead's shoulder.

Misato, before the girl had a chance to respond, said "Asuka. Listen to me. And listen to me well. I don't want you to think that it should've been you. It shouldn't have been Shinji, but it was."

Asuka opened her mouth to speak, but Misato's glare made her stop. She continued, "You can think of all the 'should've' and 'what if', but that won't change what happened. You're in pain. I understand that…" She shook her head, "No. I can't begin to fathom the amount of pain you must be going through."

She tightened her fingers on Asuka's shoulder, "But I do understand... The powerlessness of not being able to save Shinji. The pain of losing Shinji. I'm sorry that it's you who's going through this… I really am. But we have to learn to live with this fact. "

"What do you think I'm doing? I am trying. It's hard, but I'm…" Her tone went down even more, and looked to the ground next to them, "I'm trying"

"Then stand back up and stop letting this keep you down. You're stronger than this. You're better than this. Shinji would've wanted you to truly live your life. Not… this"

That last comment made Asuka flinch. She was pushing people away and trying to go back to hiding behind a wall. She wanted to go back to Shinji's room and hide from the pain.

But this wasn't living… this wouldn't be how Shinji would've wanted her to live. "Idiot Shinji… He… he would've wanted me to try to continue after I fell down… To continue living my life and not stay cooped up behind any walls. Damn it. I told myself that's what I would do to move forward. I'm trying but… why? Why is it so hard?"

"Asuka…" Misato's eyes softened once she saw the girl's head turn to the floor next to them. "I wish I can help more, but you need to figure this out on your own. I'm sorry. I really am."

Asuka turned to look at her guardian, "Misato… I…"

"You need to take your time to figure out why it's hard. You need to figure out why and what is pushing you down… Once you do, you won't fall again. And even if you do, you'll be able to get back up and continue forward, head held up high."

"I can only help you in the right direction. But this is your journey. This is your path that you need to figure out on your own. I really am sorry."

Asuka looked to the ground again. She couldn't believe that she was back to square one with her situation. Wanting to hide again after another incident. She promised herself that she would continue forward, but she almost broke the promise to herself.

"Misato…" She needed some air, "Do I have your permission to leave? I… I need some time to think."

"No Asuka." Misato needed to say these words but she couldn't bring herself to say it in front of her, "You can't be alone right now. I know you want to go out for some fresh air to think clearly, but you can't be alone. If you're alone right now… you may just become lost again just like before."

But who can go with her right now? Misato's presence was still required at NERV. And, from what she was told, Rei was currently unavailable due to Unit 01's failed testing. So who can be with Asuka so that she won't be alone?

And then there was a matter that Asuka, herself, needed to allow the person to be with her right now. And Misato didn't know if Asuka would even agree with someone being around her right now due to her mind slowly reverting to the earlier days after the Angel battle.

The door opened as a voice asked, "Would you mind if I accompanied you, Asuka?"

The two turned to see Rei, covered in bandages around her arms and forehead, standing outside the room. She asked again, "Asuka, would it be acceptable if I accompanied you?"

---

Rei stayed outside the door, listening to the whole conversation. From what she managed to gather, she was able to deduce that Asuka failed her Unit 02 test as well. But it seemed to have been different from her own test with Unit 01.

Unit 01 rejected her, while it seemed that something was preventing Asuka from piloting Unit 02.

"Blood… She sees blood?" What does that mean? Could it imply something?

But… that didn't matter. Right now, Asuka was in distress. Rei wanted to do something, but what could she do? How should she approach this?

When she heard Asuka's voice say, "I… I need some time to think." …This was the opening she needed. She opened the door.

"Would you mind if I accompanied you, Asuka?"

Rei saw the two turn their heads towards her. When she didn't receive a response, she asked again, "Asuka, would it be acceptable if I accompanied you?"

Misato took a few steps towards her, "Rei, what are you doing up? I heard you were injured from Unit 01."

"I was deemed healthy and stable enough to be discharged. There was also no psychological damage nor any contamination detected from the failed testing. It was quite fortunate that I did not receive more severe injuries." She turned her attention back to the redhead, "Asuka-"

Asuka didn't give her a chance to finish, "Suit yourself." She looked at Misato, "Do I have your permission to leave if First accompanies me?"

The Colonel looked at the two girls. While she was also hesitant to allow Asuka to leave her sight, she knew that making her stay here wouldn't do her any good. She gave in with a sigh, "Okay. Just… make sure you come back to the apartment before dinner."

"That's fine by me, was going to head there now anyway," she got up and made her way towards Rei. "Come on First, I still need to get changed."

Rei nodded and stepped aside for Asuka to walk past her. She then bowed to Misato, "Thank you, Colonel Misato. I shall see you later tonight."

"Sure," Misato smiled and waved at her. As the door closed, she let out a deep breath as she collapsed onto the chair Asuka was sitting in. "Goddammit," she stared up to the ceiling with her good arm dangling on the side.

"Dammit. I… I'm sorry, Shinji… I want to do more for Asuka, but she needs to find her own path herself." There was a dry laugh, "At least she didn't completely push both me and Rei away. And hopefully, you aren't pushing yourself too much, Rei…"

Misato clenched her hand, "Can't stay here for much longer." She got up, "I have to get some work done… Oh, wait." "I should let Rei rest for today." She took out her phone, "I'll order takeout for dinner tonight right now. It's still before noon but I'd better plan ahead."

Her eyes widened when she noticed that Kaji had texted her during her talk with Asuka. "Kaji?" She immediately opened the text without a second thought as it could be in regards to what she had requested of him a few days ago. After she finished reading the contents of the message, she snapped her phone closed.

"Never mind," she walked out of the room with determined fire in her eyes, "It can wait." "All of it."

---

Rei waited patiently for Asuka to finish changing into her casual clothes that consisted of blue jeans and a plain red hooded sweatshirt. When Asuka came out she had her hood up, covering the majority of her hair but parts of the sides were poking out from the A10 interface hair clips that were still on her hair.

Asuka noticed the strange look coming from the girl still wearing that boring school uniform, "What?"

"It is nothing. It is just… unusual to see you in those types of clothing."

"I just don't want to bring attention to myself right now," she pointed towards the strands of her red hair that were still somewhat visible, allowing Rei to understand. Asuka didn't want people to stare at her for her unusual hair color in Japan.

"I see." This was still an unusual reaction from Asuka. She normally didn't care if people stared at her or not, as long as they didn't bother her. What could be prompting this sort of reaction? And, wouldn't she still get some attention due to the sides that were poking out on the hood? "Asuka-"

"Let's just get going," she said as she walked past her.

Rei turned to follow her. Something was bothering her, but what? She wanted to help, but how? "Asuka, are you okay?"

Asuka didn't stop nor turn as she replied, "I'm fine." She kept walking forward to get out of Geo Front. She didn't want to be here. She needed to get out before this place suffocated her alive.

"I… presume that the test with Unit 02 did not work out?"

There was a scoff, "Gee, I wonder what gave it away?"

"Could I inquire as to why-"

That got her to finally stop walking and turn with an annoyed look in her eyes, "If you think I knew, don't you think I would be trying to fix it?" She gritted her teeth, "I'd bet it's nice to see me fail, unable to pilot my own Unit 02, while you succeeded with the Idiot's EVA."

Rei calmly responded to clear up the misunderstanding, "I too have failed my test with Unit 01. Hence my injuries." She motioned to the bandages around her.

"Oh… Right." Asuka looked away in embarrassment. How could she have not put two and two together? Of course, Rei failing Unit 01's Activation Test would explain her injuries and their comment from earlier. Her emotions were getting the better of her. "Fine… whatever."

"However, while on the topic with Unit 01, I would like to discuss something with you," Rei wanted to use this chance to discuss what she noticed during Unit 01's test.

She sighed. Well, it was better than talking about Unit 02 and about herself. It'll be nice to finally think about something else… "Fine," she crossed her arms. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I wish to know your thoughts on this… While I was able to briefly activate Unit 01 before it rejected me, I've felt… something different."

That caught her attention. Asuka felt something different Unit 02, could Rei have felt something similar? "Different how?"

"It was… nice," she put her hand on her chest. "I have never felt this way whenever I attempted to activate Unit 01."

Asuka turned her head away and clicked her tongue. What First felt was different than she felt. Still… she should give her two cents on the matter, "Well, it could be some lingering feeling that was leftover from the Idiot?"

Rei shook her head, "No. I have tested with Unit 01 after the battle with the previous Angel, and it did not feel the same as today's test. I could not think of a reason as to why this may be. Do you perhaps have any idea on this?"

She shrugged, "I have no idea. Maybe they did something… Wait." She turned to look at Rei again, "I thought you said you failed. How could you fail if you felt something 'nice'?"

Rei elaborated, "During the early stages of the testing, I have managed to activate Unit 01… the stage where I was able to obtain the nice feeling." She almost shivered when she remembered the feeling she felt after, "Then the feeling had changed into… coldness and pain. It was as if Unit 01 was angry.."

"And you want me to figure out what to make of that?" Asuka was surprised as well. But there was no way she could figure anything out from what was told.

Rei looked into Asuka's eyes, "I wished to know if you may have any ideas on what may have happened."

What can she make of it? There's too much information missing. "Like I can make anything out of what you went through."

The red eyes looked to the floor, almost as if she was disappointed, "I see."

Asuka turned to face the direction they were going, "But, do you think you'll be able to figure it out if you try again?"

"I do not think that is wise. The end … quite painful," Rei's voice was strained as she said those last two words. While the pain was long gone, she could remember and feel parts of it.

"Then the answer is simple," Asuka continued to walk forward. "Unit 01 and you no longer mix well. Unless it's the Idiot, it won't like anyone else to pilot it." "But why?" "And as to why it felt 'nice', it could be whatever those two assholes did working for a short while before the Idiot's EVA rejected you."

Rei followed her. Even knowing who the two 'assholes' she was alluding to, the Commander and Dr. Akagi, Rei decided to not comment about Asuka's usage of such words to describe the two. After all, she no longer held either of them in high regard to defend them any longer.

And she knew Asuka was right. Even with the new Dummy System, though it did work for a short period, Unit 01 still rejected her. Which most likely meant, she can no longer be compatible with Unit 01, even with the new system in place.

The 'nice' feeling could be because she managed to fully activate Unit 01 without any issues unlike before. But that still didn't matter in the end as Unit 01 ultimately still rejected her.

Rei said, "I see. Your insight on this was quite helpful. Thank you."

There was no response from her as the two continued to walk down the hallway in silence. But, eventually, Rei's eyes couldn't help but wander down to the bandages around Asuka's hands. While it may be getting back onto the top of Unit 02, she still had to ask, "May I inquire about something else?" It could also help her to understand Asuka's current predicament.

"Fine. As long as it's no longer about that Idiot's EVA."

"How did you receive those injuries?"

Asuka didn't stop but continued forward, "Like you, this is the end result of me failing my test with Unit 02." She looked at her hands when she felt a strangely familiar sensation. She saw the blood on her hands once more on top of her bandages.

Why now? Why was this happening again?

She quickly shook her head as she sped up her steps into almost a run, leaving Rei behind. Fortunately, after a few seconds, the blood managed to disappear again. She slowed down to her usual speed, "Damn it."

Rei managed to catch up, "Are you okay, Asuka?"

"Just…peachy." "Do I look okay to you?"

"I see…" Rei knew that was a lie. But she didn't know what to do at this point. How can she ask more without causing any more negative reactions from Asuka?

When the two reached the elevator, Asuka said, "...Let me ask you something." This was something that was on her mind for a while now. She placed her hands in the pocket of her sweater where the SDAT was resting.

"Of course."

The door opened immediately, allowing the two to enter. Asuka was standing right in front of the door while Rei was in the back as the elevator lifted them to their next destination. Rei was waiting patiently for her friend to ask her a question, she was willing to wait all eternity for her to be ready to ask.

After what felt like an eternity, Asuka finally asked, "Do you hate me for killing the Idiot?" Both her hands tightened around the player.

There was an immediate answer, "I do not. It was not by your own doing that killed Shinji. You did not wish to kill him. "

For some reason, that answer seemed to have calmed down Asuka a bit and actually did make her feel somewhat better. Only slightly though. And for her next question she wanted to know about for a while, "Do you hate the Commander for ordering the use of that drone? Because I sure do."

Rei blinked. That's similar to the first question she asked herself on the first night. So, she honestly answered, "I am not sure if this is what 'hate' is. However, I do know that I… I am dissatisfied with his orders. I…" There was a brief pause as if she was trying to find the right word. "I am angry with him."

"Good. At least we are somewhat in agreement on something…" What she received was a better response than she originally thought she'd receive. Asuka expected Rei to still be loyal, if not still hold some sort of respect, to the Commander despite what happened.

But Rei was angry with him, and that was a good enough answer for her.

If Rei had answered any other way that would imply she still supported the Commander, Asuka would've lost any respect that Rei managed to earn and would've kicked her out on the next available floor. But because Rei answered the way she did, Asuka accepted that First was at least no longer on the Commander's side.

"At least you're finally starting to think for yourself instead of trying to please that asshole."

Asuka placed her bandaged hands in her sweater pocket that was housing Shinji's SDAT. There was still one thing she needed to figure out but on her own. "But why did my test with Unit 02, fail? It's my job to Pilot Unit 02 and I can't even do that anymore. Why? Damn it." For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. "Why does this, like everything else, have to be so hard? God… I'm so pathetic."

Rei was glad that Asuka didn't get angry with her answer, instead accepted it, and, dare she say, agreed with it? Rei was glad that Asuka opened up a bit of what she was feeling.

Because she now had a guess as to what may be the cause of Asuka's failed testing with Unit 02.

Guilt.

But did Asuka know that it could be guilt holding her down? Rei couldn't tell. If it is guilt… How should she go about approaching Asuka about this? If she wasn't careful, this could end badly.

The two continued the way in silence, each lost deep in their thoughts.

---

Mari hid behind a wall as she overheard the two Pilots talk before heading into the elevator. She crossed her arms as she absorbed what she had just heard. "Hmmm… There was a 'nice' feeling, huh?"

She leaned her head over to see that the elevator closed, taking the two up to their destination. She leaned back against the wall and sighed, "Well, while I wish I could hear more, what I got is good enough, for now." She hummed once more as she looked up to the ceiling, "Hmm… 'Nice' feeling. And it was only felt until the rejection… Wonder what it smelt like in there before and after the rejection."

She heard a vibration on her phone in her pocket. When she opened it, she noticed the files that Kaji sent related to Unit 01's testing. "Oooh, finally. Let's see what we have here." She started to hum as she walked down the hallway, reading through the data and reviewing the video once more.

She only stopped when she noticed the final data that pertained to Kaji's insider's findings, "...Eh?"

---

Gendo, who was still wearing his cracked shades, watched from afar from a nearby catwalk that was recently installed. He looked onward towards Unit 01 was being slowly transported to another cage from the one that was destroyed. He was still confused as to why Unit 01 would reject Rei and the new Dummy System. It was supposed to have worked. So why…

He clenched his hands around the railing in front of him, "Yui…"

He heard Fuyutsuki come up next to him as the older man said, "This was a catastrophic failure. The worst that we've ever seen."

"It is," but Gendo didn't turn to acknowledge him. He kept his eyes on Unit 01.

Fuyutsuki continued, "It seems that Rei woke up an hour after testing. The doctor we assigned to her concluded that she was all clear of any contamination and psychological damage and released her."

"That is of no concern to me."

"Of course, it isn't. Not when everything failed as it did." He eyed the purple Evangelion as well. "Has Dr. Akagi finished analyzing the data with Unit 01 and the new system?"

Gendo let go of his hands from the rails and turned his head to face the older man, "She's reviewing them with Unit 02's results as we speak."

"Then I suppose this would be a bad time to tell you that the Committee was asking for an update with Unit 01?"

This was not good at all. They weren't ready to tell them yet. "Are they requesting a meeting?"

"Once they find out about the consistent failures, especially today's, I presume that they will be."

Gendo fixed his glasses. They needed more time, and he knew what he needed to say to delay telling them the truth. "Inform them that the test we ran yesterday with the Dummy System and Unit 01 after some modifications. It was a success but there was a severe delay with the activation. And add in that we are working to improve the activation timing."

Fuyutsuki nodded, "I assumed that was what you wanted and have already done so. That should've bought us another week or so, but after what happened today… I'm not sure we can keep this from them for that long." He looked over to the sleeping Unit 01. "Why do you think she rejected the new Dummy System?"

"You understand the necessity of what we have done, don't you Professor?" Gendo's eyes never left the purple Evangelion. "This was all done for both their sake."

"But she doesn't seem to understand it."

"No… she does not."

"Then how do you plan to go about handling this?"

Gendo clenched his hands, "We have to ensure that she understands why this is the best possible usage with the pieces we've been given. Once Dr. Akagi has finished analyzing the data from today's test, we will make additional adjustments to the new system."

His eyes widened, realizing what this meant, "You're already thinking about retesting? Surely you do realize what's going to happen."

"We will have to keep trying until this works for our scenario to be realized," Gendo finally turned his attention away from the EVA and glared at his former professor. "I hope you aren't letting your feelings cloud your judgment."

"I could say the same to you," Fuyutsuki wanted to say those exact words but chose not to. They were partners, not enemies. They have to maintain a good relationship with each other. He'll take the bullet for this one. "I am merely playing the devil's advocate and stating the worst case."

"Which we will overcome like we have always done, professor."

There was a nod, "Of course…" The two resumed watching the transfer of Unit 01 to another cage. "Like we've always done."

---

Ritsuko sighed as she looked at the data in her monitor. It was frustrating that the Commander was leaving everything to her to figure out, relating to both Unit 01 and Unit 02. But she was the best choice, she knew that. She just wished that she had more support on this.

The data also provided some additional data that was very intriguing. Particularly with the new Dummy Plug System and the Item. But that only led to adding more stress to her to deal with. Everything was starting to pile on top of her even more than before. Not to mention the whole operation.

"And the text from-" She didn't complete her train of thought as she heard someone knock on her door. "Come on in."

To her surprise, it was Misato. "Hey, Ritsuko. I see that the Commander's still keeping you busy."

"Yes," she turned her chair to face the visitor. "I need to figure out what may have gone wrong for both Unit 01 and Unit 02's testing."

"Yea," Misato came into the room, the door sliding closed behind her. "But it's not healthy for him to just solely rely on you to handle this stuff… and I heard what happened with Unit 01, it must've been scary."

"You have no idea," Ritsuko pushed away the uncomfortable sound of Unit 01's head turning and that terrifying glare. It was something she didn't want to go through again.

Ritsuko eyed her friend as she got closer. But why was Misato here? Shouldn't she be handling her own work right now? Wait… if she was here, where is the Second Child? "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Pilot Shikinami?"

She stopped next to Ristuko's desk as she rested on the edge, "Asuka went out for some fresh air with Rei."

"Ah… I see…" But that still didn't explain why she was here to see her. Surely not to just check up on her?

"Ritsuko, I have a question I want to ask you. I tried asking around before, and I never got any real answers. And I sure as hell am not going to get anything out of the Sub Commander, let alone the Commander. A little birdie told me to come to talk to you about this. Says that you have the answer I'm looking for."

Ritsuko sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Now that text message makes sense, 'the sign will show herself'… But why did it have to be you, Misato?" She shook her head and looked up to her friend who had a stern look to her. "And that is?"

Misato slammed her hand on the desk and leaned forward till the two were inches apart from each other. There was an unusual coldness to her tone as she asked, "Where is Shinji's body?"

---

Hikari was worried. The last time she saw both Shinji and Asuka was more than a week ago. And every time she tried to find out from her end, it always ended with "NERV duty". She wasn't convinced. There had to be something else. They were never gone this long before after the battle with any Angel.

When the last bell rang, she quickly packed her belongings, "I'm going to see them today. I'll first see Asuka and then Shinji since I have her address." School ended a bit early today, so she was going to use this chance to see the two. As Hikari was about to leave, she heard Toji call from behind her, "Yo, Class Rep."

She turned to see both him and Kensuke coming to her with both their bags, "Hi Suzahara, Aida."

"You going to see Red and Shinji today?"

Kensuke fixed his glasses, "We're worried about Shinji. So if you were going to go," he shoved his friend forward. "He was wondering if we should all go together."

Toji was annoyed that his friend just shoved him and tried to put him in an awkward position, but he let that go. He was more concerned about Shinji. He hasn't seen him nor has he been responding to his texts. He knew something was wrong.

Hikari smiled, "Sure, the more the merrier, right?" To her, it would be better to go as a group, so that it won't be awkward. Besides… This gave her a reason to be around Toji more.

The three made their way towards Asuka's place first, since Hikari wanted to visit her before Shinji and Toji couldn't just say 'no' to her. Kensuke did manage to mumble in, "Whipped." But that earned him an elbow to his ribs by the jock.

Hikari stopped when she saw the apartment from across the street, "There it is. The place Asuka is staying."

Toji scratched the back of his head in confusion, "Uh, Class Rep? Is this really where Red lives?"

She turned to him, "Yea, it should be. Why?"

Kensuke responded, "Because this should be the same apartment where Shinji lives too… But it would make sense for NERV to have both Pilots live in the same apartment. You know, for an easier time to keep track of them and keep them safe."

Toji had to make a comment at what his friend said, "Huh, guess the newlywed's joke wasn't too far off then since they're living so close to each other."

Before anyone else could say anything else, they heard someone call out, "Hikari? And the Stooges? What are you all doing here?"

They all turned to see Asuka, who was wearing a hoodie, with her hands inside its pocket, and a pair of jeans, and Rei, who was wearing her school uniform over her bandages. But, not Shinji who's always with Asuka.

Where was Shinji? And when did Asuka and Rei get so close?

---

Asuka did not expect this. This was the worst-case scenario for her. If they were here, then they were going to ask about him. God, she did not want to talk about him right now. She was enjoying the nice and quiet walk outside. It helped her to calm down and think.

But of course, things were going too well for her. Life really didn't want her to have any type of break. Always trying to push her down.

She grasped the SDAT in her sweater pocket harder.

Hikari ran up to her with a worried expression, "Asuka, I was so worried! What happened? I haven't talked to you in days! Were you really busy with NERV work or was that a cover story for something else?"

"Oh," Asuka was caught off guard by the class rep's abrupt reaction and her barrage of questions. "I… um…"

Toji put his hands behind his head, "By the way, where's Shinji? Aren't you two usually joined at the hips?"

That comment caused her to flinch. She didn't care about the little joke that he made. They were already asking for him and she didn't know how she should answer them. What does she even say? That Shinji was dead because of her? Her bandaged fingers started to shake around the SDAT.

Hikari noticed the flinching reaction from the redhead, causing her to start suspecting that something bad may have happened to Shinji. "Asuka, what happened?"

This time, Kensuke, being oblivious to Asuka's reaction, added fuel to the fire, "What if she killed him and buried his body somewhere like the little Devil she is?"

Asuka's eyes widened and she could feel the air around her turn ice cold by that question. She knew it was supposed to be a joke, but it didn't mean that it didn't hurt her. She bit her lips in an attempt to prevent herself from showing any emotions to the three of them. She held her head down.

Toji, somehow noticing her downed expression, put his hands down from his head and said, "Hey man, that's not cool. Don't make jokes like that."

"What?" Kensuke turned to him, "I know you were thinking the same thing."

He shook his head, "Don't think you know what I think. Because I did not think of anything stupid like that!"

Hikari also turned to Kensuke, "That's not something you should joke… about…" she trailed off as Rei stomped past her and towards him. "Ayanami?"

Kensuke took a few steps back when he saw something he thought he would never see from Rei of all people. It was strange to see this look from the nonchalant person who rarely showed any expression.

There was anger in her eyes. He noticed that she drew her hand back and-

SLAP

Everyone's eyes widened at Rei's slap towards Kensuke. But she didn't care. Because she… "I would appreciate it if you do not make any ill comments like that in the future." Because that comment infuriated her. No one should make a comment like that.

They didn't know about Shinji. Rei knew that. But that comment from Kensuke stirred something within her. It was something similar to how she was feeling whenever she looked and thought about the Commander.

It was anger.

Yes… she was angry with the comment that was made by Kensuke. This emotion… She was so lost in this emotion that she didn't notice herself getting close to him and slapping him until it was too late…

But, she did not regret her actions. Kensuke said something inappropriate to Asuka's situation. She didn't care that she was too blinded by her emotions to stop herself. Did she… enjoy what she did?

Toji walked over, "You could've just said that instead of slapping him! What the hell?" He got in between the two as Kensuke took a few more steps back and covered the area of his cheek that was stinging in pain.

"Ow…"

Rei turned her now calmed eyes to the jock, "I do realize it was not warranted, but neither did that comment. I did not appreciate that comment."

Toji leaned forward with anger in his eyes, "Then say something first! I know he's a dumbass for saying stuff like that, but that doesn't mean you can just slap a person just because he said something stupid!"

This was not how this visit was supposed to go. Hikari wanted to just check up on the two Pilots, not start a fight! She needed to step in and stop this from going any further, "Suza-"

"Stop it," Asuka's cold voice called out before Hikari could do anything else. Hikari was surprised that a tone like that could come out of her. What happened to cause Asuka to be like this?

That voice managed to immediately get Rei to take a few steps back. She was reacting to this… unknown emotions more so than she intended. She never had done this before, even to a comment like that.

She can't lose to her emotions like this, this was not something that Shinji would've wanted to see. "I… I apologize," ashamed, Rei bowed to the two boys. "I… should not have reacted the way I did."

But it was so hard to contain herself when someone made a comment to hurt Asuka, especially relating to Shinji's death. It did not matter if it was originally intended as a joke. It was unwarranted.

Toji was about to make a retort but noticed Hikari's glaring eyes that told him to stop. He clicked his tongue and looked away as he crossed his arms, "Fine… whatever."

Kensuke peaked his head out from Toji's shoulder but stared at the ground next to Rei, "Y-Yea… sorry about making a joke like that."

Hikari turned and took a guess from what she managed to gather, "Asuka… Was Shinji hurt from the last battle with the Angel?"

Rei turned to her, surprised that the class rep was about to get closer to the truth. She needed to act now. If Hikari got this close, that means that she's going to figure out what happened. And Rei couldn't let Asuka take on this burden alone. She had to do something, "Shinji is no longer with us"

Asuka gritted her teeth. She hated how she allowed Rei to protect her. She hated how she allowed Rei to be the one to tell them. But everything was so cold. She wanted nothing more than to run inside and hide behind Shinji's room.

"Idiot Shinji… Would you have told them if you were in my situation?" She grasped her SDAT tighter for comfort and strength. If she were to let go now, she felt as if she was going to lose any remaining strength she had left. She… she needed this to move forward.

But how? When everything is going wrong every time she tries to do something.

Why? Why was it going wrong? What was making it go all wrong?

"Shinji… please… what do I do to make everything go right for once?"

Kensuke, still holding his cheek, gave out a nervous laugh that sounded like he didn't believe the words that came out of Rei's mouth, "Ha. Ha. Very funny, Rei. I thought that I was stupid for making a joke like that. So I guess we're…even…" He froze when he noticed the stern red eyes and the defeated sky blue eyes that told him that what he heard wasn't a joke. This was completely serious.

"Please… Please tell me that I'm reading too much into this. Shinji… he can't be dead."

Touji lightly bumped Kensuke with his elbow for making another comment like that, and mumbled, "Just shut up for a minute." He walked past Rei and over to Asuka. While he didn't want to believe those words, he knew Rei would never joke like that. And Asuka's eyes… he knew them. Without looking away from Asuka, he asked Rei, "What do you mean?"

"You better not be joking about this. Rei, if you're joking about this, I swear I'm going to punch you harder than I did to Shinji."

Hikari stepped in. This was not the place to be talking about this, "Asuka, Rei, would… Would you two mind talking about this in a place that is more… private?" Her voice was shaking. She was still in shock from the news.

"Oh god, Asuka, Rei… I'm so sorry. I-... I'm so sorry."

Before Rei could respond, Asuka nodded as she motioned her head, signaling them to follow her inside the apartment. Even though she wasn't the one to tell them about his death, she had to do this. She still had to follow through with this… since it was ultimately her that killed him.

While she just wanted to know what was making her fall down all the time, because that's what's preventing her from Piloting… she knows it, she knew she first have to deal with these people before her. She knew that she had to do this if she were ever to have a chance to figure out what was pushing her down.

Everyone followed her inside Misato's apartment. No one dared to make a noise. But the three classmates were praying that this was a sick joke that the three Pilots were taking too far. Because if it was that, then they could at least get angry with Asuka, Rei, and Shinji afterward, and they'll all get over it. But… There was one crucial thing that could not be denied.

Rei never jokes.

When they all got in, Toji noticed that there was a sign that read 'Shinji's Suite'. Wait, why would Shinji's room be here, in the same place as Asuka's? Unless… "Did Shinji live here too?"

Asuka nodded, "We were living together with Misato under her orders. It was easier for her to keep an eye out for us."

Kensuke nervously fixed his glasses, "Listen… Asuka. About my comments from before… I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Asuka shook her head, "Forget it." She no longer cared about that. She just wanted to get this over with. She led them to the table where the five of them sat. Hikari sat next to her and held Asuka's shoulders.

Rei sat on the other end. She still wanted to help alleviate the burden off of her friend's shoulders. She said, "Asuka if you wish, I can be the one to elaborate on what happened that day."

Asuka was about to shake her head and tell her that she wanted to be the one to explain, but something was holding her back. So she could only clasp the SDAT tighter and nod her head.

With Asuka's approval, Rei proceeded to explain what happened. How Shinji volunteered and took her spot as Unit 03's activation pilot. How Unit 03 was contaminated by an Angel and Shinji became a part of its core… And the only way to eliminate the Angel was to kill Shinji.

It was both her and Asuka's defeat and indecision that led to the activation of the Dummy Plug system with Asuka's Unit 02. And the Dummy System was used to eliminate the Angel. Killing-

Asuka said before Rei could finish, "... I killed him." She could feel his blood again on her hands that were still hiding underneath the pocket of the sweater. She closed her eyes and shook her head, pushing the unpleasant sensation out of her mind. She pulled her hood down, covering her head even more and holding onto the SDAT in her pocket for comfort once more.

The three classmates sat still, listening to each word that came out of Rei's mouth that described what happened. They didn't care about the bandaged hands around Asuka that she finally showed to them as she hid her face behind her hood. They were too focused on trying to absorb what they heard. But when it finally settled in their minds what happened, they could no longer try to deny the truth.

Shinji was dead.

"I killed him," Asuka said once more in a weaker voice.

Hikari wrapped her arms around Asuka, "Oh Asuka. I'm so sorry. It's not your fault. You didn't kill him. Asuka, you and Rei both did your best." "Please… don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. Asuka… Why are you trying to hold this all by yourself?" She turned her head up to meet Rei's eyes, "No… you were never alone. Rei was with you all this time, through it all… I'm sorry… I can't do more for you."

Kensuke turned his head and looked to the floor, sniffing and trying to hold in the sobs. He clenched his hands as tears fell and hit the floor. Shinji was dead, and he wasn't coming back. He lost a friend who tried to protect them. And he… Every time Shinji would go out to battle against the angel, Kensuke couldn't even do anything more to Shinji but say 'thank you' each time he saw him. "Shinji... you didn't deserve this, man. You... you didn't deserve this."

Touji looked up to the ceiling. The friend who he thought was invincible had died. He died trying to protect them… trying to protect Asuka and Rei. Toji clenched his hands and eyes as tears started to run down his face. Shinji protected them and what did he get in return? Nothing but dying. Toji didn't even get to give a proper 'thank you' to Shinji for everything he did for them every time he went out to battle against the Angel.

Toji could also no longer keep his promise to Sakura. She wanted to say 'thank you' to her savior… her hero. But that was no longer possible. "Shinji… Sakura really wanted to finally meet you. She had so much she wanted to say to you. She was so excited to finally have a chance to meet you when I told her that she could see you after the battle with the Angel. She was jumping up and down, refusing to sleep for days. But now…"

Asuka said to Hikari, "But it is. If I wasn't so weak, he'd be… still alive. It's my fault." Her voice was getting weaker as she tried to hold her emotions in. She didn't want to let these emotions spill, especially in front of them. She had to be strong. That's what Shinji would've wanted for her. It… has to be.

No one noticed Toji's eye twitch at her comment.

Hikari could not bear to hear her friend's voice sounding so weak. "Asuka, please don't think like that! He… he wouldn't want you to think like that."

Asuka managed to shake off the hug from Hikari, "What do you know? You don't know what he would've wanted." "But… Do I?"

"Asuka…"

Rei started to reach out her hand to place it on her shoulder. She… Asuka can't be the one to hold all this burden by herself. She needed someone to support her. "Asuka… Why do you wish to take everything on your own? Doing so does not mean you're strong. It is only hurting you."

Asuka held her head down, "It should've been me. Not him. I… I should've been the one to have-"

SLAM

Everyone's head went up and turned towards Toji who slammed both his hands on the table and stood up. He looked angry. When his eyes met Asuka's, his face scrunched even more. "You coward."

"Toji/Suzahara!" Both Kensuke and Hikari got up. How can he say that to her? She's in distress, she needs help, not… this!

But he ignored the two. He needed to say this. Those eyes… those blasted eyes. He knew them all too well. "Stop being a damn coward."

Asuka got up to meet him head-on. How dare he call her a coward? The sadness turned into anger. She took off her hood that was covering her face and yelled, "What did you say?!"

"You heard me, Asuka," he wasn't going to back down. Normally, he'll back away but he needed to do this. "What are you running away from?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why are you blaming yourself for what happened? And don't you say it's your fault, because I know that's not what you truly feel. I may not be the smartest nor the wisest, but I know those eyes. Those are the same eyes I had when I was angry at Shinji instead of facing and accepting what happened."

Toji grabbed her by her collar and pulled her closer, surprising everyone in the room even more, "You may say otherwise and it may not be the same situation, but those eyes are the same as mine when I was denying the truth and trying to pin the blame on someone else."

He gritted his teeth as he continued with tears forming in his eyes as he remembered his late friend, "I blamed Shinji instead of taking ownership of my own inability to do better because it was easier. I should've done better to protect my sister, and not put all the blame on him. He did the best he could… But it was easier to run away from my responsibility and pin all the blame on him."

He shook his head. He can't ramble. He needed to get back on to his point, "I don't know from what, but you're running away by blaming yourself! So, what the hell are you running away from?"

"SCREW YOU!" Asuka pushed him away, causing the two to stumble backward. Rei got up to support her but Asuka pushed her away, not wanting her to interfere, "What do you know? You don't know what I'm feeling! What do I have to run away from? I killed him, and that's a fact!"

Kensuke was trying to stop his friend, but Toji pushed him aside as well, "Butt out Kensuke."

"But-"

He ignored him and took a step forward towards Asuka, "If you're not running away from anything, then why do you have that look in your eyes?! The look of a person who's running away?" He pointed to her, "I don't know what you're running away from, but stop being a coward and face it! Shinji wouldn't have wanted you to run away all the time as he did! He wouldn't have wanted to see you with those eyes! Hell, it sickens even me to see those eyes of yours right now!"

He slammed his fist onto the table again, "But if you're going to blame yourself, then own it! Don't keep saying it's your fault and that it should've been you, just own up to it! Or are you saying that as a way to get some sort of pity from us? Or are you just blaming yourself because it's easier to say that than to own up to whatever you're running away from?!"

Asuka gritted her teeth with enough force to start grinding them against each other. Her hands were tightened in anger.

How dare he? How dare he accuse her of running away when he knew nothing? He doesn't know the pain she's going through!

What did she even have to run away from? There was nothing! She's handling all the burden on her own! There's nothing she's running away from! The only thing she's close to doing that was pushing all those memories from the battle asi-...

Her eyes widened. Her hands and all the tensed muscle, caused by her anger, relaxed.

"Holy shit."

There was indeed one thing she's been running away from. The reason for the memories, all the images, the sounds, and the nightmares that always haunted her. She was running away from it all this time by pushing all of them aside and trying to hide from them through self-pity by blaming herself.

She was trying to run away from her guilt instead of facing it head-on.

And whenever it came back to haunt her, she only ran away by pushing it to the corners of her mind. Asuka gave out a low mumble just low enough for herself to hear, "Oh… Scheisse."

Hikari was worried that this may escalate badly. She wanted to stop them but that look at Toji gave her… it was filled with confidence that told her that he knew what he was doing. While she believed in him, it didn't make her feel any less anxious that something bad was going to happen.

But what came out of Asuka's mouth surprised everyone, "Shit, you have… a point there." A small blush appeared on her face as she brought down her hoodie to hide her face.

There was a short silence, everyone trying to absorb what came out of her mouth. Did… Did Asuka just concede and say that Toji was right in her own way?

Kensuke took a few steps backward and yelled, "EH?! HE DOES?"

Even Toji was surprised. His anger disappeared and was replaced with shock. "Oh huh… well… wait… huh?" He was expecting her to fight back harder than this. He was expecting her to prove all of his points wrong. But… he actually managed to do this?

"Yes, you idiotic jock," Asuka turned her head away. "You aren't… wrong." How could she have been so foolish? Those images… Sounds… The memories... They kept happening because she was running away from her guilt instead of facing it head-on. She needed to face it if she were to have a chance at getting through this and stop them from appearing ever again.

She hated how she needed this… Stooge to help her realize this.

Hikari walked over to Asuka, "Are… are you okay?"

"Yea, why?" She turned to look at Hikari, her blushing disappearing.

"It's just… you never say those… words, especially to Suzahara."

"Don't get used to this."

Hikari nodded and said with a small smile, "Of course. As long as you're okay."

"I'm…" Asuka looked away, "better now." "I need to face this. I can't keep running away from this and try to push it aside whenever it comes. Dammit… to think this Stooge actually knew what he was talking about. How pathetic can I be?"

She placed her hands in the pouch of her sweater and grasped the SDAT that rested within it. "Idiot Shinji… is this what you meant in the dream? All the voices I keep on hearing? Telling me to face my guilt head-on instead of trying to push it away?... Idiot, why do you have to be cryptic?"

But she now knew what she needed to do. "This is probably why I failed my Unit 02. My guilt was holding me back and I ran away from it." She tightened her grip on the SDAT, "But I know what I need to do. I will Pilot my Unit 02 again. Just you wait, Idiot Shinji."

Rei walked over. Asuka sounded… a bit different now. Before there was confusion in her voice as if she was lost and didn't know what to do. But now, it felt as if she now knew where she wanted to go. "Do… Do you realize what you wish to do from here on out?"

"Yea, now I really do. I was being stupid and running away from… my responsibility. I'm going to call Misato to schedule another test for tomorrow."

Rei knew what those words meant. "By 'responsibility'... you mean the guilt within you… correct? While I do not agree with Suzahara's methods, he did… manage to help you realize that. I am… happy that you came to this realization."

"So… Shinji's never coming back… right?"

Everyone turned to see Kensuke looking to the floor as the situation calmed down. To him, everyone seemed to have forgotten and got focused on Asuka, he didn't forget. Shinji was dead.

The fun times that they had… they were all gone, becoming the memories of the past.

Toji turned towards his friend and allowed himself to absorb that fact into his mind once more. "Yea. He's not." When he noticed the tears forming in his friend's eyes, he put his hand on his shoulder. "Dude, don't cry. Because if you do…" Toji's vision started to become filled with water, "Because if you do, then I'm going to."

The two boys looked to the ground away from the girls as they covered their crying eyes with their arms. They were men, dammit! They shouldn't be crying in front of the girls! But… Shinji was dead. That fact alone made their tears flow down their faces no matter how much they tried to fight it.

Why… Why did it have to be Shinji? Why couldn't it be anyone else that truly deserved to die?

Hikari turned to the two girls, "Let's… leave them alone for now. They may need some time alone… if that's okay with you?"

Asuka eyed the two crying boys, taking in the view of other lives that were affected by the death of the Idiot. She did this-... no… She can't think like that, because it would mean she's running away from the guilt but just solely blaming herself. She needs to face it head-on.

But… they did need some space to grieve… as she did.

"Fine… let's talk in my room," she turned and walked towards the door and placed her hands on it but froze before she had a chance to open it.

She realized that she placed her hand on Shinji's door, not hers. She shook her head, "Dammit." Has she been staying in his room for so long that she's started to think this was hers?

Asuka dropped her hand and walked towards her room. Not Shinji's. Hers. She opened the door and immediately regretted her decision as she noticed the mess in her room. She hadn't cleaned the room in over a week.

But Hikari didn't seem to mind as she walked into the room, "Wow, this room's pretty big."

Rei walked past her as well and did not make any comments about the mess in her room.

Asuka wanted to kick both of them out but Hikari seemed to have already situated herself onto her bed while Rei took her place near the desk. While she didn't want them to see the state of her unkempt room, it was too late now.

"Sorry about the mess," Asuka walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

Hikari said, "Oh, don't worry. This is relatively clean compared to what I normally deal with. You should see both my sisters' rooms, you've got nothing on them." She tried to joke to break the tension.

But Asuka didn't respond. Instead, she kept her hands behind her back and stood in front of the door. The three stayed still in awkward silence for a few minutes, unsure what to say or do next.

Rei finally decided to break the long, uncomfortable silence, "What brought the three of you to this apartment?"

Hikari answered, "Well, we were all worried about both Asuka and Shinji… though, now that I think about it, you were missing for the past week too, weren't you?" She was ashamed that she didn't bother to think about Rei as well.

Some Class Rep she's turning out to be.

Rei shook her head, "No need to apologize for that. I am… silent. It is normal for one to forget about someone who rarely speaks and contributes to the class."

It was the truth. Rei didn't care that Hikari forgot about her. She was absent before on multiple occasions for weeks. This was nothing new.

Hikari shook her head, "No, that still doesn't make it okay. I'm sorry." She bowed her head.

Before Rei could respond, Asuka said, "Just stop apologizing. You forgot and the First doesn't hold any grudges towards you for it, that should be good enough."

Hikari turned her head towards her, "But-"

"You know what she's like. She doesn't have any hidden agenda or meaning behind her words. She's not bothered by the fact you forgot. Leave it at that."

Hikari sighed. She knew Asuka was right. But that still didn't make what she did right. However… she decided to drop this for now. Staying on this won't lead them anywhere if Rei keeps denying Hikari's faults for forgetting about her.

Plus, the way Asuka was speaking, "You're doing better now. I'm glad." "Okay… But Asuka… You're probably sick and tired about hearing this… but how are you doing?"

She said, "I'm doing better than before." Asuka looked up at the ceiling and reached out her bandaged hand, almost mirroring every time she woke from her nightmare. She clenched it into a fist as she managed to finally grasp something she's been looking for, "Much better."

Things are different now… no… Things will be different. She can feel it.

Hikari got up, still worried despite the answer she received. Her eyes trailed towards the bandaged hand, "How did you receive those injuries on your hands?"

Asuka quickly hid the bandaged hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt where the SDAT was, "Just... I just hurt myself, is all." It was the partial truth. She did hurt herself but because of those memories that kept haunting her. She didn't need to let Hikari know that. This was her burden and hers alone to deal with.

"Asuka…" Hikari was worried that Asuka may have been hurting herself instead of letting the pain out, "It's okay to cry, you know."

Asuka looked at her with determined eyes, "I've done enough of that already. I'm done crying." "Face my guilt head-on instead of pushing them away as I have been... Heh, easier said than done, but I can do it… I have to."

"You know…" Hikari walked towards her, "You can talk to me anytime you want. You've probably been doing enough of that with Ayanami, but if you need someone else to talk to, I'm here for you."

"...Thanks… I'll… let you know if I need another shoulder to lean on."

"While on the topic with Ayanami, when did you two get so close?"

Rei was about to deny that comment. They weren't 'so close'. They were… closer, yes. But not in the way Hikari seemed to be implying them to be. She didn't want any misunderstandings in regards to her relationship with Asuka.

But Asuka beat her to the punch, "She's been better company for the past few days than she ever was before."

That comment took the First Child by surprise. Never did Rei ever think that Asuka would grace her with such words about their relationship. While she did think it was better, she did not expect Asuka to describe it as such. While Asuka didn't directly say that they were close, it was the closest Rei was ever going to get from her. There was a small smile on Rei's face, "Thank you…"

Hikari also smiled, knowing the true meaning behind those words, "I see. That's good to hear." "I'm so glad that you're making more friends now."

There was a knock on the door. Asuka quickly turned to open the door. "That was fast, did you two finish-"

Toji, with red puffy eyes, took a step forward into the room, not caring about the mess. Kensuke was nowhere to be seen but the bathroom door was closed, so Asuka guessed that he was there.

"Red." Despite his eyes being red from the tears, they were filled with determination. "I want to ask you something while Kensuke's not here… and I want the Class Rep to hear this too."

Hikari blinked. What did he want to say to Asuka that he also wanted her to hear? "Is it… dangerous?"

Even Rei was curious. What could it be that he had such determination in his eyes? Surely not to say more comments about running away?

Asuka tilted her head, "Okay… yea, what is it?"

"What do I have to do to become a Pilot like you and Rei… and Shinji?"

---

Misato looked over the file that was handed to her by Ritsuko as the two made their way down deep underground inside a secret elevator that she didn't know existed. "So, this 'Item' was used to upgrade the Dummy System?"

Ritsuko didn't turn to look at her, instead continued to face the elevator door in front of her as she said, "Yes." What she handed her was a fraction of the overall file.

She closed the file, "And where are you taking me?"

There was no answer.

Misato groaned as the door opened, allowing the two to step out into the dark corridor, "Why are you being so difficult?"

The voice that called out to them made her freeze, "Well, fancy meeting you two here."

Kaji was waiting for them some distance down the hall. He was leaning against a wall with one hand waving towards them, "Katsuragi, I'm so glad that you got my message."

"Kaji?"

Ritsuko walked up before Misato had a chance to ask him anything, "Do you really think that this is wise? My assessment is still a mere hypothesis. Numbers. Probability."

He shrugged, "Well, it's better now than later. Right?"

"True but-"

Misato said, "Just hold up." The two turned their heads to face her, "How long have you two known about where Shinji's body was?"

"If we're being direct," Kaji said with a sad smile, "Since day one."

SLAP

He was hit across the face with the file in Misato's hands. But, other than closing his eyes on instinct, he didn't flinch. "I'm sorry, Katsruagi. But there was a reason for this."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this excuse. You should've just told me when I first asked!" Misato turned towards Ritsuko, "And how could you keep this a secret from me?"

Ritsuko placed her hand on her shoulder, "Let us first show you and explain before you come to any conclusions, Misato. This… is a very sensitive topic for you, I understand."

Misato took a deep breath, calming herself. Getting angry won't get her anywhere. "Okay… fine…" "But I'm running out of patience, Ritsuko."

"Hello!" A female voice greeted them in English.

Kaji smiled as he raised his head up, "Mari, you're late. I was starting to get worried."

Mari emerged from the dark hallway behind them, "Sorry, sorry. Had to wait for the elevator to come back since the only one for this was already in use."

Misato was confused. Who was she? Another secret that Kaji was keeping from her? "I'm sorry… who are you?"

Mari responded as she held her hand out to her and with a smile on her face, "Mari Illustrious Makinami, the Fourth Child. A pleasure to meet you, Misato Katsuragi. I've heard so much about you from Mr. Secret Agent over here."

"Hold on… did she just say Fourth?" Misato said, "But you're… you're not supposed to be in Japan right now!"

Realizing that Misato wasn't going to shake her hand, Mari dropped her hand before shrugging, "Meh, don't believe all that you hear and read. Most tend to be modified to hold lies befitting to the one in charge." She turned her attention to the unshaven man, "And almost ironic as this sounds, I've read that last section of the report, is it true?"

Kaji nodded, "According to Dr. Akagi here, yes."

Ritsuko shook her head, "As I said and wrote in the report, this is just a hypothesis."

Misato yelled, "Just hold on! What do you mean? Reports? Hypothesis? How does this all relate to Shinji?" This was getting all so confusing to her!

"You didn't tell her?" Mari looked at both Dr. Akagi and Kaji.

Ritsuko shook her head, "Do you think she'll believe us if we tell her rather than show her?"

She laughed, "Haha, if you put it like that, nope. But oh boy, this is going to be a doozy."

Misato was getting annoyed. Just what did they know that she didn't? And they were just dancing around the topic with her! Couldn't they just be upfront about this? She felt Kaji's hand on her shoulders.

"Calm down Katsuragi. Just be patient for a little while longer."

She gritted her teeth, "I swear, if this is a prank that you three are pulling, I'm going to shoot all of you. You first, Kaji."

Mari smirked as she pushed Ritsuko forward, much to her annoyance, "Then let's not drag this on for any longer, onwards, good doctor! Our lives are on the line!"

Ritsuko managed to brush off Mari's hands and continued at her own pace. Mari's smile widened and looked towards the two behind her, "Well, are you two coming?"

Kaji looked at Misato and motioned his head forward, "Shall we?"

She gave him a quick glare before following them forward with Kaji walking closely behind her. She was still angry with him for keeping this a secret from her for this long. But at least, he told her, right? Better than him keeping a secret like this from her forever.

The four made their way to a door that was locked behind a security lock. Ritsuko imputed the necessary code into the pin pad and swiped her card down through the card reader. "Misato, here lies the answer to your question… it contains what you are looking for."

The door opened, revealing a brightly lit room filled with multiple monitors and keyboards. Each monitor displayed different readings and graphs that Misato couldn't make anything out of. On the other end of the room was a glass wall that showed a room illuminated by red lights.

Mari walked in first, taking in all the monitors in the room. "You really go overboard with your data. I think you all could've done with just half the resources you've put into this."

Ritsuko followed her in, "We had to make do with the resources we were given. And we are not taking any chances with false data, especially from what happened before."

"Still… A lot of energy is being wasted here just to confirm the data." Mari made it to the glass wall and looked into the red room. She hummed, "And there it is."

Misato walked into the room with Kaji following closely behind. She couldn't believe that there was a room like this deep underground. How did she not know about this? And…

"Ritsuko, I don't know how this place has anything to do with where Shinji's body could be."

She motioned her head towards the glass window, "Take a look."

Misato gave her friend a questionable look before making her way towards where Mari was and looked into the red room. She saw a red sarcophagus in the middle of the room with a dozen black pillars, with red engraves on them, surrounding the pod. When she looked up, she saw even more of the pillars protruding from the ceiling of this red-lit room.

"Okay, I'm not sure what I'm seeing." Her attention was brought back to the sarcophagus in the middle of the room. "Wait… is that-?"

Kaji turned his head to Ritsuko and nodded to her, giving her the signal to proceed. She sighed, "Don't blame me if this blows up on our face." She walked over to a nearby keyboard and pressed a button.

Both Misato and Mari took a few steps back when the glass window in front of them started to display an image. But their expressions were different. Mari still had a smirk on her face but with her arms crossed now, while Misato's eyes widened with her body shaking at what she saw.

Her mouth stuttered as she tried to say, "S…Sh…Shinji…"

The monitor showed an unconscious face of Shinji Ikari with an oxygen mask on his face and an eyepatch over his left eye. In the bottom corner of the view was a heart monitor, displaying a pulse… his pulse.

Ritsuko walked up to her friend, "Misato, this is the Item that is acting as the mediator between the new Dummy Plug System and Unit 01. Now is the best time to tell you this. Firstly, the Item was originally the Third Child's blood that was mixed with the Angel's, not the body itself. But that's since been changed."

Misato was still in shock with what she just found out. She noticed the pulse readings in the corner. "He's... he's alive?" "But the reports and everyone said that he was dead." "Or did they lie about that too?"

"For all intent and purpose, by the end of the battle with the Ninth Angel, he was indeed dead. This brings me to my next point. During the transfer of the Item and his remains, there was… an unforeseen event that occurred. From what we found, it seems that during the battle the Angel somehow managed to infuse a small core of itself inside the eye, allowing itself to slip through the scans and sensors once more at the end."

Ritsuko watched Misato walk closer to the glass window displaying Shinji's face. She continued, "During the transfer, his body started to undergo... regeneration. Through the power of the core inside his body, the blood of the Angel that was mixed in his body started to regenerate all his destroyed organs and limbs."

Kaji added, "That's the reason why Ritsuko wasn't with you when you woke up at the site, because she was called to help contain the spread of the Angel's influence in his body before it was too late."

Misato placed her hand on the window on top of Shinji's eye patch. Ritsuko walked up and placed her hand on her shoulder, "As of right now, what you are seeing before you, is the Angel contaminated body of Shinji Ikari, the current Item that is being used as a medium for the new Dummy System. He's alive, but we are inducing him into a forced comatose state."

Ritsuko noticed that Misato's fingers were shaking, "And the reason why none of us told you was because of this one crucial fact. He's been infected by the Angel as its last resort for survival… So we don't know who or what is going to come out if he were to wake up."

Mari placed her hand to her hip, "But based on your recent data, you're fairly certain that it's the Puppy."

"With today's test, it's a fifty-fifty chance at this point. While the scans of his brain waves and everything else about him, other than the blood and the eye, points to him still being Shinji Ikari, we can't be too careful since the Angel managed to slip through our sensors before on multiple occasions."

Mari hummed. "So, there's still enough of the Puppy left to still act as a medium based on today's test and from what I heard from the current working Clone." She said, "You know, that shit husband is really lucky that the Puppy's body turned out to be compatible with the Angel's blood. If it didn't, his original plan with the mixed blood would've taken months, if not years, before any results could be seen. Talk about winning the lottery."

Ritsuko replied, "While this potentially shaved off years of research and tests, it is arguably more dangerous. We still can't rule out the possibility that the Angel is still alive while in this forced dormant state. We're lucky that I was able to modify equipment made by your group from Project E to halt any further Angel contamination within the body. And not to mention, it's really quite fortunate that the drugs are still effective on the body... For now."

Mari shrugged as she walked over the monitor, "From what I'm seeing, this is the Puppy. You're being way too cautious." Her eye wandered back to Ritsuko, "Are you really on our side or his?"

Misato gritted her teeth. She ignored Mari's comment about the original intended use of the Item and the nickname she could only assume was for Shinji. Misato only cared about one thing. She... She needed to make sure that she heard and understood everything that came out of Ritsuko's mouth. She needed to make sure she didn't mishear anything.

Misato's hand that was touching the wall clenched into a fist. She said with a cold tone, "So what you're telling me is… The Angel could be using Shinji's body to survive... It may not even be Shinji in there." She brought her hand to her chest and wrapped it around her cross necklace. "But I have faith. Shinji... you're in there. You have to be. I just know it."

"That is exactly what I'm saying." "This was why I didn't want to tell you until we knew for certain that it was Shinji." Ritsuko glared at Kaji who returned the glare with a shrug, "You're going to take responsibility for this. This was way too soon."

---

In a distance beyond the mountains surrounding Tokyo-3, flocks of birds were trying to fly away. Their instincts were on overdrive as they all tried to escape. They felt something coming and they needed to get out of there before it was too-

An explosion overtook them as a cross shape explosion, raising up to the sky, appeared. The grounds started to shake all the way to Tokyo-3 from the shockwave caused by the explosion.

From a distance away, a black rounded figure could be seen floating towards the city.

Once the grounds stopped trembling with the shockwave ceasing, the alarms blared across the city. Everyone in Tokyo-3 knew what this alarm was as they were all too used to the sound at this point.

This meant only one thing that every resident in the city, including everyone at NERV, was dreading.

The next Angel… The Tenth Angel has arrived.

---

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! Sorry if it sucked!

Hopefully, the pacing and writing weren't too bad. And I hope the reveal of the Item (and the way it was revealed) was worth the wait! (Sorry if it wasn't!). We are finally at the next Angel. Things are now moving forward to the fateful battle at the end of 2.0.

The new chapter should be out sometime after the New Year if all goes well haha.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all! And Happy New Year!