AN: Well, here's chapter eight. After this, chapters should start coming faster. If any of you read my other fics, you probably already know why that is the case, but if not? Well, I finally moved in with my girlfriend so I have more free time. Let it be known that I did buy Fallout 4 though. That said, consider any delays Fallout related because that game is freaking awesome. Cool? Cool.

Let's get on with the show!

Family, Friends, and Fireworks

"What's this…?" Misato asked, looking over the paper Shinji had just handed her. Asuka – who was next to the Third child – rolled her eyes.

"A flyer," the redhead retorted. Misato frowned the girl's way, thinking her sarcasm to be unnecessary. Asuka was usually quite the happy and playful girl with her… well, as long as Mari wasn't involved, anyway. The only times Misato could really remember her acting in any way similar to this that didn't involve Mari were the days when the fiery redhead was in a particularly bad mood. That in mind, Misato made a mental note to go ahead and talk to the girl later.

"I can see that, Asuka…"

"Don't mind her, Misato. She's just upset beca – ow!" Mari's foot came up swiftly, her hands doing their best to massage it through her shoe. As for Asuka, she merely looked away from her cousin, a scowl plastered across her lips.

"It is a flyer for the school festival this Thursday," Rei explained to which Asuka mumbled that Misato had eyes and could have just read it herself. Aside from a minute twitch of Misato's eyes, the comment was ignored.

"We put a lot of work into it this past week and we'd like to attend," Shinji finished. A fair amount of time had passed since Matarael's defeat. Shinji was equal parts relieved and anxious. It was good, not having a fight around every corner, but three weeks – nearly four – with no Angels? It was getting on Shinji's nerves. As much as he didn't want to fight them back to back to back, he did want to end this war as soon as he could. It had gotten to the point where he'd considered taking the fight to them if he could.

Thankfully for the Third Child, he'd had plenty to occupy himself with for the past three weeks. Preparations for the school festival had begun shortly after his class' horrid trip to Nerv. The coming festivities had not only helped take some attention off him, but it had also helped the students of his class put the trip behind them. Aside from that, Shinji had been spending his time with his friends, now that they were finally friends again. Mari and Rei had forgiven them already and Mari had even joined the fold.

As far as Asuka was concerned, she was still on the fence about Toji, but she interacted amicably with Kensuke and the others, especially Hikari. In Rei's case Shinji had begun getting her to warm up to other people, but it was slow going. She didn't know much about socializing, so he'd been teaching her here and there as she began to chat with his friends. Right now, she was closest to Mayumi.

As it stood, Shinji couldn't truly complain about his life right now. It was peaceful and he actually felt – well – normal. It's a shame that he knew this wouldn't last forever. Worst yet, he could almost feel that his time was running low in that regard.

And part of the reason he was feeling that way was because he knew he'd have to talk to his father soon. Shinji really wasn't looking forward to that.

"And why can't you go to this exactly?" Misato inquired, "why would you need to ask me for permission?"

"Seriously," scoffed Asuka, "how do you not know what happens on Thursday? Sync tests, remember? It's part of your job."

"Please, continue to ignore her," Mari interjects, glancing her cousin's way, "like I said, she's upset – really upset." Misato couldn't help but wonder what had pissed Asuka off so thoroughly. She was positively caustic today.

"Well then," Misato sighs, "disregarding whatever crawled up Asuka's panties today," Misato earned an indignant "hey!" from that crack.

"What makes you guys think I can even authorize this? I can't. You need to talk to the Commander to get this passed." Her response earned her a groan from Asuka and Mari. Rei's lips dipped into the shallowest of frowns, and Shinji didn't react much at all; not surprising as he'd been expecting it.

"I'll talk to my father then," Shinji states, prompting Misato to shoot him an odd look. Before his first Sortie the boy didn't seem the type to question anything his father said. Ever. Misato certainly couldn't disagree with the Commander and Ritsuko… Shinji's rapid change in personality and his inexplicable skill within Unit 01 was concerning. For now though, until a concrete plan of action was decided, they'd have to let this pass…

But only for now.

Gendo Ikari scowled as he stood outside the door to the meeting room where the members of Seele were waiting. Word of his son had finally gotten to them and they weren't going to be happy. Not at all.

"This will be… an experience," stated Fuyutsuki, standing at Gendo's side. The Supreme Commander of Nerv merely snorted at the comment; a rare show of emotion from the man.

"Indeed," Gendo replied after a moment, "but it is nothing that cannot be handled." Upon finishing his statement, the doors opened and the two of them stepped in, taking their seats as seven monolith's flashed to life around them. Numbered one through seven in accordance with Seele's numbers, the monolith's read "sound only." Secrecy was paramount for these men, after all, they did plan to rewrite the world as man knew it.

"Gentlemen," Gendo greeted. This earned him an instant response.

"Do not act as if you have not stepped out of line, Ikari. You have hidden something extremely important from us. Do you understand the severity of what you've done?" barked Seele 03. The other members of Seele – except Seele 01 – voiced their agreement, demanding an explanation and a punishment.

And not particularly in that order.

"Silence," cut in Seele 01, quieting the angered shouts of his fellow council members, "let him speak." Gendo, with his hands bridged in front of his face as usual, spoke up.

"I have not hidden anything," began the Supreme Commander, "Gentlemen, I called in my son, Ikari Shinji, to pilot Unit 01 because there had been no one else capable at the time. What I did not expect were his excellent abilities. That is not the boy I'd left so many years ago. His skills are astounding – and curious," Gendo intoned, "He himself is an anomaly as well. Prior to his first sortie, he knew certain things about his new guardian, Kaji Misato, that he did not know upon exiting Evangelion Unit 01. He's also exhibited certain abilities with his A.T. Field that we have yet to replicate; a control over sound and what appears to be travel through use of the Dirac Sea, but our investigations into that are still inconclusive. The only reason I have not informed you Gentlemen, is that we still have no information to present you with aside from speculations and guess work. There are no facts – and I doubted you would find that acceptable."

The council of Seele was silent, wondering if he truly expected them to believe such a thing. They knew Ikari well and understood that he was just as crafty as they were – they also understood that he likely had his own agenda when it came to the Evangelions and the Human Instrumentality Project. Unfortunately, for the time being, they had no proof of his treachery. They still needed Ikari for their plans, something he was well aware of and exploited. The council had to begrudgingly commend him on his skills when it came to playing this dangerous game of theirs.

"I see… leave us, Ikari," ordered Seele 01, "We have much to discuss amongst ourselves. For now, we will take your information at face value."

Nodding his head, Gendo stood to his feet and left, Fuyutsuki close behind him. Once the two of them were gone, the members of Seele had a brief discussion – a discussion that resulted in a plan of action amongst them.

It was time to have Ikari and his actions at Nerv looked into far more thoroughly than before.

Gendo Ikari and Fuyutsuki made their trip back to Nerv quickly, silence hanging between them. Everything that needed to be said between the two had been discussed earlier, before they'd even entered Seele's chambers. They'd already discussed whether this plan would work, whether or not Gendo's attempt to buy time would pan out. Both men came to the conclusion that it would – but it would come with a price.

They would lose a modicum of their freedom to act as they please. There was no doubt Seele would be looking into them more thoroughly than before, now. Gendo was fine with this though; he had anticipated something of this sort occurring and already had countermeasures in place. So now, as he walked into his office with Fuyutsuki trailing behind him, all he wanted to do was map out the finer details concerning the next part of his scenario.

He was not expecting to see Shinji waiting for him inside, his stony expression making him seem like a spitting image of Gendo himself.

"Father. We need to talk." Gendo frowned and walked around his "son." Taking his seat behind his desk, he clasped his hands in front of him and stared the boy down.

"Speak. I am busy." The snort he received in reply was yet another surprise.

"I'm sure you are, father…" drawled Shinji, "so hopefully you do the right thing and we can make this quick. Our school is having a festival this Thursday. We put a lot of work into it and we would all like to attend. Of course, we're scheduled for sync tests that day, so we'd like them rescheduled."

Shinji received a lightning fast "no" in reply, yet he didn't even flinch. He'd expected as much. With a sigh, the Third Child shook his head.

"Wrong answer. I guess your business will have to wait a little longer, father," Shinji replied, sounding quite pleased.

"I have already spoken on the matter. There is no negotiating."

"That's where you're wrong," Shinji replied, "I know enough concerning the Evangelion's to know our sync ratio's are dependent on the pilot's mental state. We've been through a lot lately, and this festival would be a stress relief." Gendo frowned and Fuyutsuki watched on. Shinji was certainly his father's son, it seemed. The boy was smart – and stubborn. Now, the only question is whether or not he could match those traits in his father.

"Your point?"

"Unless you want crappy scores, it is in everyone's best interest if you reschedule. No amount of time spent testing us will result in the scores rising come Thursday if we can't attend the festival."

"But now I know why your scores will fall, so I can discount the next test as childishness. So tell me, Shinji, why should I reschedule them?" Gendo inquired stonily.

"Aside from the fact that you basically just said that the next test would be a waste of time?" Shinji queried, smirking, "because Mother wouldn't have been against it."

The atmosphere of the room shifted then, everything about Gendo became tense. The bridge he made with his hands tightened, his fingers pressing down hard against the backs of his hands.

"You know nothing of your mother."

"I know enough to know any mother – any parent – would want their children to be happy. In that regard, despite your ranking in the eyes of the world, you're a failure, aren't you? Mom would be disappointed to see what you've become," Shinji replied, his tone of voice hinting at more than just Gendo's failings as a parent. Gendo bristled at the remark and Fuyutsuki's eyes were wide. He hadn't expected Shinji to go there.

"Get out," Gendo bit out.

"Yeah – no," Shinji bit back, "not until the test is rescheduled. Honestly, I don't care if it's the day before or the day after Thursday. Really, Father, rescheduling isn't even a big deal; In the end, you just don't like to be challenged. Still, you should do it. If not for me, Asuka, Mari, or even Rei – yes, she wants to go as well – then do it for Mom. After all, I am her child; she'd want me to be happy. Don't you think?"

There was silence as Gendo and Shinji looked at each other, glaring and merely staring respectively. The staring contest continued as seconds passed, changing into minutes, before Gendo finally spoke up.

Shinji walked out of Gendo's office in silence. He made his way through the halls of Nerv, keeping his eyes forward, not bothering to look at anyone passing him by. He walked hurriedly down the halls until he finally made it out of the facility – and that's when his demeanor finally broke. Letting loose a long sigh, Shinji ran a hand through his hair.

"That was unnerving…" groaned the Third Child. He hadn't actually expected talking to his father like that to work out. He thought he was going to die for sure.

I told you it would be fine, brother. You should have more faith in me, Leliel said, appearing at Shinji's side as the boy regained himself (to a degree) and began his walk home.

"Well, when you tell me that the – me in another dimension managed to persuade father to do something for him in such a fashion, you should expect skepticism," he whispered.

I suppose… regardless, I am more surprised you're even attempting to change the man. I fully expected you to want him dead.

"I – I may have hated him. Before… but, I understand what he's doing… Well, why he's doing it. It's a pathetic excuse for everything he's done – everything he's going to do, but I get it. If I can just make him realize what he's doing is a worthless endeavor, I might be able to save him from going too far." Leliel hummed at Shinji's response and nodded.

If you say so, brother Seraphiel. I will be going now. There is still much that needs to be looked into. I will be back when I've collected all the necessary information. Shinji nodded and with that, Leliel vanished.

As Shinji walked home after his discussion with his father, Misato sat on her couch. Asuka and Mari were next to her and Rei sat on the floor next to them, absorbed in a book Shinji had gotten her. Aside from the TV, there was silence amongst them.

And Asuka was still upset. Sighing, Misato decided this needed to end before the brats gave her a headache.

"So, while we wait for Shinji to get back, how about you tell me what's wrong, Asuka?" Misato inquired, taking a sip from her can of beer as she eyed the girl closely.

"Nothing," Asuka huffed, her frown deepening as she crossed her arms. Mari merely shook her head at her cousin's behavior. Asuka wanted them to leave her alone, but she'd have to act in a better fashion to pull it off. When something upset the girl, no matter how much she didn't want to talk about it, everyone around her would know something was off.

"It's like this, Misato. Shinji's thinking ove – ow!" Mari was silenced once more by a stomp on her foot.

"You, shut up," growled Asuka, her blue eyes glaring icily at her cousin, daring her to say another word.

"Stop that. I want to know what happened Asuka. Now." Asuka turned her glare Misato's way at the order, the two of them entering a glaring contest right after. As this drew on, Rei closed her book, marking her page. Setting it down, she looked to the other women in the room and began to speak.

"Pilot Makinami asked Shinji to the school festival as her date yesterday evening. Pilot Soryu witnessed this and has been upset since."

Asuka's head whipped around to Rei, eyes wide and speechless. Her lips moved, opening and closing as she tried to find words. Her whole body had gone rigid in her seat. She was a deer caught in headlights.

"You – wha… How? How do you know that?!" Asuka finally exclaimed.

"I was standing behind you as it happened. you were so upset following the event that you did not notice me."

"Ah… I see!" sung Misato, a smirk forming on her lips, "so little miss Asuka has a crush, does she?" she teased. Asuka spluttered.

"N-no! I do not!"

"Then why so upset that Mari asked? Hmm?" Misato questioned, crossing her arms under her chest smugly.

"She – I – ugh! Okay, I think he's cute!" She admitted, growling. Mari smiled now that her cousin had finally admitted how she felt – without being trick into it while she was distracted. Misato was just happy she was making progress with the girl. Now that she knew the problem, maybe she could fix it.

"What did Shinji say after Mari asked him out?" Misato asked, causing Asuka to scowl. The flustered redhead did not know, as she'd left before the boy had replied.

"Shinji said that he would think about it and asked pilot Makinami to give him some time," came Rei's response.

"So basically, Asuka's throwing a tantrum for nothing?"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum, Misato!" Asuka shouted as she stood from the couch, her hands clenching into fists.

"Yes," Rei intoned, "that seems to be the case, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Shut up, Wondergirl!" growled Asuka, rounding on Rei in an instant. She was growing more and more angry by the second and her cousin giggling as she watched this spectacle unfold was not helping in the slightest.

"Calm down, Asuka. You realize you don't really have a reason to be angry, right?" questioned Misato, "Shinji didn't agree to go with her yet, so why don't you do something about it and ask him out yourself?" Misato queried. Asuka's eyes narrowed further as she muttered something in her native tongue before growling out a "no." Misato frowned at this.

"Why not?"

"Because he's infuriating! He's such a great pilot! It kills me to hear my mother praise his scores all. The. Damn. Time! His sync rate is always to her liking. It pisses me off! And he's always so damn humble about it! Ugh! But I can't seem to hate him, the bastard! I refuse to ask him out! I won't date someone who's better than me at piloting, I can't!" Misato frowned as Asuka calmed, panting from her tirade. The Lieutenant Colonel briefly wondered if Asuka realized that Rei had been listening intently, but quickly brushed the thought away. Of course she hadn't – she wouldn't have said a thing if she had.

Misato had known Asuka since the girl was just a small thing and so she had the fiery German's trust. Mari had it as well, despite their bickering. The both of them knew the girl's trauma's and problems very well, so they weren't surprised about her reasoning when it came to Shinji. Asuka was just too prideful to admit to him that she had any sort of attraction to him. And now that Shinji had inadvertently drawn the attention of the girl's mother? The chances of her Pershing a relationship with the boy were even less likely. Despite understanding how the girl's mind worked though, Misato was still disappointed.

Reigning in her breathing, Asuka seemed to realize she had spilled her guts to an unintended party. Rounding on Rei with yet another fierce glare, she began to speak.

"Look here, Wondergirl," she started, only to be interrupted by the door opening. Her blood turning to ice in her veins, she looked to the entrance to find Shinji standing there, his expression unreadable. It had only been a matter of seconds since Asuka's outburst and the girl knew she yelled loud. She had little doubt that Shinji had heard her. Gritting her teeth, she sat back down, desperately wishing that she could punch something. Preferably Rei for bringing all of this out into the open in the first place.

"I'm back," Shinji greeted as he removed his shoes, seemingly unfazed by the tension in the air and what everyone assumed he'd heard. Walking into the living room, he met eyes with Misato before he spoke.

"Test was rescheduled to Wednesday."

"O-oh? That's… Wow," Misato replied awkwardly, unprepared for his total disregard of Asuka's words. Setting her beer down, Misato composed herself and continued. "How'd you manage that…?" Shinji merely shrugged at the question.

"I brought up his only weakness – my mother. Enough about that though, you guys don't look all that great, you okay? Especially you, Asuka, you look really upset. What's wrong?" At this, the red head glared at him as she stood to her feet.

"I'm fine, stupid," she growled, heading for the entrance. Seeing that her cousin was intent on getting out of here, Mari followed after her, offering a sheepish smile to her fellow pilots and Misato. The two of them slipped their shoes on and head out the door, but not before Asuka threw one last glare over her shoulder aimed at Rei.

Shinji watched her leave with a perplexed frown on his face, confusion making up his very stance. Inwardly though, the Third Child was sighing. It seems he'd spoken too soon concerning Asuka and her trauma's. They were still very much present – they were just presented in a different way.

Shinji didn't know if that was good or bad just yet.

It was Wednesday night now and Shinji was walking Rei home. They'd just finished their sync tests a little under thirty minutes ago and despite all of his Father's initial protests, the man had been pleased. All four of them had maintained high sync rates, staying in the high 70's and low 80's. He was slightly surprised Asuka had done so well, as she'd been in a foul mood since Monday. He assumed she'd done as well as she did if only to make sure he did not extend the gap between their scores further – not that she had to worry. He was intentionally keeping his scores where they were.

Shelving his thoughts on Asuka and how thoroughly she confused him for now, he looked to his sister. She was walking alongside him with her usual blank expression – something he'd begun to find endearing.

"Are you excited about tomorrow, Rei?"

"I am," she paused here considering her words, "looking forward to the new social experience. Mayumi was pleased to discover that I could attend. Her joy made me… happy." Smiling, Shinji nods. Though he hadn't ever known Mayumi in his own dimension, it seemed that she was turning out to be a good first friend for Rei.

"That's great, Rei."

"And are you?" She inquired. Shinji hummed, thinking over it. Was he? He wondered about that. Surely, the festival would be fun, but with Asuka in a foul mood, he wasn't sure how fun. Based on what he'd overheard, he could only imagine how much more upset she'd be if he accepted Mari's offer as well. The thought alone sent shivers down his spine.

"I suppose I am."

"You sound unsure of your response." Scratching his cheek with an awkward smile on his face, he replied.

"Yeah well… I have reason to believe things could turn problematic." Considering what he had planned, that was an understatement.

The two walked along in silence after that, no further discussion between them until they reached Rei's door. Shinji hated seeing her living conditions, for how precious she was to his father, you'd think Gendo would allot her better living quarters. It made him think about a way for her to live with him and Misato. Considering that Asuka's mother was alive and well, he doubted she'd need to live with Misato this time around.

As the First Child opened her door she spoke, dragging her brother out of his thoughts.

"Shinji."

"Yes?"

"You overheard Pilot Soryu's emotional… rant on Monday, did you not?" The response she received was a frown she did not see and a grunt in affirmation.

"What is it that you plan to do then?" she asked, "I am not well versed in how to respond to such situations. I wish I could be of assistance to you, but I do not possess knowledge on how one should proceed. I do not even know if you share her feelings."

"Don't worry about it, Rei. I can take care of it myself. Thanks for caring, though. It's the thought that counts." Giving a curt nod and telling him "good night," Rei walked in and shut her door. Shinji turned around and frowned at nothing.

He wondered if he really could take care of it himself.

Dawn had come and gone for Thursday, making way for the tediousness of school as everyone waited impatiently for the school day to end so the festival could get underway. The courtyard was decorated well, booths and the like all set up, waiting to be used. Many classrooms were decorated to perfection as well, none of which held any students within them. Though festivals and the sort tended to be held during the day when it came to the ones within schools, the lack of students within Tokyo-3 freed up a majority of the rooms. With that said, there were plenty of classrooms that could remain untouched, and so the faculty saw no reason to lose a day of instructing since the festival would not disturb anything.

The staff probably hadn't accounted for the amount of impatience their students were exhibiting though.

Chief among those students were Shinji and his group of friends. They were beyond excited. Their whole class was. After the trip to Nerv they'd all been on edge and this would be the perfect stress relief. As for Shinji himself, he was nervous. This festival would present him with a very rare opportunity.

An opportunity he just couldn't allow to pass.

The festival has been going well so far, Shinji couldn't help but note. He was somewhat surprised at that. He'd declined Mari's offer early this morning, something she didn't seem surprised about in the least. She waved off his apology and simply said he owed her a night out some other time. He didn't know what to think about that part. Odds are that it would be a bad idea though.

With no date, Shinji merely wandered around the festival with his friends, their rather large group never allowing a dull moment to pass between them. If they were enjoying some festival game or chatting amiably, Asuka was slapping Toji or fighting with Mari. Certainly, there was never a dull moment – violent ones were a different story all together. The Third Child had come to expect, even accept such instances though. It was just how his group functioned; he didn't mind it at all, since it was better than everyone being dead.

As for Asuka, her mood seemed brighter. Bright enough that she was often dragging him around by the arm, the two of them leading their friends from stall to stall and attraction to attraction. This also happened to be one of the reasons she and Mari would sometimes argue. The bespectacled girl took every opportunity to tease her cousin over her close proximity to Shinji since the start of the festivities.

Now that things were starting to wind down though, a change was occurring amongst their group. Hikari asked Toji if he could help her out with something and the two of them walked off. Suspicious of what would occur, Mari trailed behind them stealthily, a naughty grin on her face.

Mayumi took Rei to go peruse a selection of books the literature club had on display. The two headed for the school building, hoping they had enough time to find something interesting before things had to start getting cleaned up. Kensuke, feeling that he'd be less of a third wheel following them, rather than staying with Asuka and Shinji, left as well. Now alone, the two of them simply waited for the festival to end, something that would be marked by fireworks – a part of the festivities they'd had to convince the principal to allow.

The two walked around in a surprisingly comfortable silence for quite a while. Neither of them commenting on where their friends had gone off to. Shinji saw no point in it – Asuka didn't seem to care anyway. He himself was more concerned with how he'd gone from being dragged around by his arm to walking alongside the redhead arm in arm. He didn't question it and knew that while it was a sort of progress, her pride and the wall's she'd built up would inevitably force her into taking steps back, probably as soon as the end of the festival, in fact. That in mind, he simply decided to enjoy this while he had the chance.

Well, that and be a little mischievous.

Smiling to himself, Shinji spoke just as he could see their friends heading back towards them through the crowd.

"Hey, Asuka." The fiery German looked to him, raising one of her brows as she waited for him to continue, her arm beginning to untangle itself from his own now that she could see their friends approaching.

"Hm?"

"I like you."

Asuka's eyes widened as her other brow rose to join the first. Her arms went limp at her sides and Shinji allowed the one that had been attached to him to fall free of his hold. She stood there for a moment longer before her Asuka-ness kicks in and she yelled.

"What?!"

Only to be drowned out by the explosion of the fireworks in the night sky overhead. Shinji never gave her a reply, only smiling in her direction as their friends arrived.

For him and for her, the rest of the fireworks that night had nothing on the first.

So with this, we can say that the introductory arc of this story has come to an end, and the story will really begin to unravel now. You all have had your glimpses of the new Shinji, Leliel, some of the changes amongst our cast, and the introduction of the Seraphs. Following this chapter, things will begin to truly get serious.

Okay so, let me say that the personality of the characters are taking some deviations. Does that mean they will be totally OOC? No. But I have to change them up a bit. For story flow reasons as well as the dimensional differences here. And. No, Shinji and Asuka are not an item after this. That would make no sense with the beginning of the chapter. There are reasons for everything going on here I promise. All will be explained… At some point. See ya guys, and review please? I am way more focused and likely to update when I see that I have a decent amount of verbal interest in the fic. I'm also thinking of finding a way where I can set something up to discuss anything related to this and my other fics with all my readers. Any suggestions, guys?