Who are you?
I am you.
No, I'm me.
But who are you?
I am... Shinji.
Shinji who?
Shinji... Ikari! Yes, I'm... Shinji Ikari?
Are you sure?
Of course! That's what the tests say! I'm 99.9% Shinji!
So... who am I?
Shinji's eyes finally opened, feeling his heart pounding quickly, and when he looked around, he saw that he was in another room. Another unfamiliar ceiling. But next to him, to his surprise, was a girl he thought he had seen before. But where?
"Wow, you sure like to sleep. Don't you, Puppy Boy?" She asked this with a smile on her face. It was a different smile from the one Sakura offered. This girl seemed to see him as some mascot. It was a strange feeling. Not at all bad, but uncommon for Shinji. "I mean, fourteen years of sleeping, then you pass out twice to sleep even more? Were you comfortable inside Unit-01? I know how it is. I also prefer to be in my Evangelion."
So she was a pilot, just like he is. Or it was since Unit-01 would never be piloted, again. Not by him and not by anyone else. But that quickly left his mind when he remembered Sakura. His body moved on its own and sat down immediately, with the memories of what happened coming back, and then he looked to the sides, looking for the girl.
"If you want to know about the second lieutenant, she left to go to the bathroom." The mysterious girl said, smiling when noticing how worried Shinji was while he sighed in relief. "Were you worried about her?"
"Well, yes, the last time I saw her, she was bleeding. But awake."
"Mhm... and do you remember what came before that?" At that moment, his mind wandered through memories until he remembered everything related to the Unit-00 attack. And how Misato was ready to pull the trigger that would take her life.
But more important than that, Shinji remembered that feeling from before. That determination that led him to Awaken once again. Or at least he thought this was similar to last time. That power... it's hard to put into words. It was as if the world around him bent to reach what he wanted.
Something so natural, just like when Asuka tried to punch him and his A.T. Field blocked her. Had he actually become an Angel?
"You do remember. It's written all over your face. That is good. Don't you think so, Princess?" The question made Shinji look behind him, where the mystery girl was looking at. By turning around, he saw Asuka. And that made Shinji's heart sink, not knowing what to do.
"Good? Is it a good thing he's quickly learning more ways to kill us? First it was the A.T Field, and now he neutralized a Mark.09 with just a wave of his hand." The way the redhead looked at him. It had nothing to do with how she looked at Shinji Ikari or Rei Ayanami, or at least from what he remembered.
Even though the Unit-02 pilot always had disagreements with both of them, she looked at them as people. In this case, it was as if she was looking at some animal. A monster. An Angel.
"I... I would never hurt you! And I don't even know how to do that again!" The only time he displayed such powers was in situations of danger. Furthermore, if they wanted to kill him, they just had to press a button, and it would all be over. "Do you think I would hurt someone on purpose, Asuka?"
Her foot stepped hard on the floor, walking towards Shinji, which made his heart race. Panicking, but this time, the A.T. Field didn't appear. Fortunately, all the girl did was grab his collar and pull him close in a very uncomfortable way, gazing at him with a look that could kill.
"Have you forgotten what I said? I don't allow you to be so casual with me. Next time you do it, I'll make sure my next punch hits you for real." And again, that blue glow appeared on her eye patch.
"My, my, but hitting such an innocent face would be a waste, Princess."
"Don't get involved, four-eyes. This is between me... and this thing." Thing? So, for her, he was nothing more than some beast. It's like everyone who referred to him as a specimen. What was he? A laboratory rat? Even those had more dignity than that. "The only reason I won't hit you again is that you had some sense and shot down the Mark.09."
"Mark-09...? Wait, so that Eva…" Shinji's response was a shake of the head from the mystery girl, indicating that Evangelion was not Unit-00.
"The designs are very similar, but that was on purpose. It was to fool you, Puppy Boy." Said the girl with glasses before looking to the side thoughtfully. "Although that... seemed to be a Adam's Vessel."
"Are you sure?" Asuka asked, surprised, so much so that she let go of the boy's collar.
"I guess." The girl made a cat face at the redhead, which infuriated her even more. "I could only see it for a moment, but I'm sure it displayed similar features as it was falling."
"Well, so far, she hasn't followed us." And shouldn't they thank Shinji for that? After all, he was the one who pushed that Evangelion off the ship. Asuka even seems to have noticed how the boy was feeling as she directs her attention to him. "Do you have anything to say?"
"N-no... actually, I wanted to know... what can I call you? Since you don't want me to call you Asuka." This fact caused some pain in the boy's chest. It was then that Asuka and the girl with glasses exchanged a brief look, with the latter always maintaining that same smile.
"Call me by my surname like the idiot did before. That's the norm for people you're not close to, isn't it?" It's true, Shinji used to call her Shikinami, until she permitted to use her first name. The only thing he could deduce was that that brief exchange of glances was an indication that the redhead should try not to be so strict with him.
"All right! I'll call you Shikinami, then. But you can still call me..."
"No. Do not even try." Her icy tone sent a chill down the boy's spine. "I'm not going to call you by that idiot's name. That is out of the question."
"Does that mean you're going to adopt my manners and call him Puppy Boy?" The glasses girl's eyes almost glowed, with the redhead grunting in annoyance.
"No, obviously not. But I'm not going to call it a "Specimen Whatever". That's a mouthful." The girl's lips curled as she thought, with the other girl making various sounds to indicate she was thinking. Or it could just be to annoy Asuka, which was working. "Shut up!"
"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mari Makinami, but you can call me Mari if you want, Puppy Boy." Shinji just nodded, despite being curious why she called him "Puppy Boy". "I know the Princess is being very rough and difficult right now, but this is just her way of showing love. You must know that very well."
"Keep it up, and the next one to get punched is you. And I bet there's no A.T Field to protect you." She threatened, with the brunette raising her hands in surrender. Meanwhile, Asuka continued to think of a name for Shinji.
And he wasn't against that. After all, he had convinced himself that he was Shinji Ikari, but that confusion about his name and memories continued to affect him. Especially when thinking about specific topics. Maybe a new name would help.
"Damn, the fact that I'm not good with kanji is a hassle..." Shikinami muttered, scratching her head. "... whatever, I'll go with something simple. From now on, I'll call you Shin."
"Shin?" They both asked, looking at each other, and by their face, it was obvious they didn't like it very much.
"It's boring. Beyond cliché."
"Do you have a better idea, four eyes?!"
"Yes! Puppy Boy!"
"Forget I asked. Anyway, I'll call you that from now on. And keep calling me by my surname." The boy nodded, not wanting any more fights or arguments with the redhead, at least not now. This satisfied her, as she left the room. That Shinji noticed it was the infirmary.
Now, it was just him and Mari, which didn't create an awkward silence between them because the girl started talking as soon as the redhead left.
"Shin... how lazy, just took those last two letters. Even if that name suits you. One of the interpretations for Shin is "New". Then it's perfect for you." And another interpretation would be "True", which Shinji couldn't guarantee he was.
He would continue to think of himself as Shinji Ikari, hoping that was who he truly was. But he decided to accept Asuka's conditions, as he felt that this could be the girl's way of trying to get closer after so long.
Or maybe she didn't see him as the person she knew before. Whatever the right answer was, Shinji would accept it for now.
And then, Sakura returned, with bandages wrapped around her head.
"Oh, Mister Ikari! You're awake!" Her reaction was undoubtedly happy, but the boy wasn't expecting a hug, an act that surprised him and Mari, who decided to leave. Still with that cat-like smile on her face.
Saying: "Zaijian. Bye." As she left, the door closing must have made Sakura notice her actions.
"Oh! Sorry, did I squeeze you too much?" The two separated, with Shinji looking at her with an expression that was difficult to read. On the one hand, he had enjoyed this physical contact that didn't involve punches or hostility. On the other, he didn't know how to respond.
"N-no. I'm okay. I'm sorry I worried you." Although Sakura's smile was one that conveyed comfort, it soon became one that revealed some anxiety. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, yes! I feel great! And glad you're okay too, but... the vice-captain sent me to bring you to her again. She wants to propose an exercise to everyone in the crew, and that involves you, Mister Ikari." This was very suspicious, everyone there seemed to hate him. Why would they put him with the crew for some exercise?
"Okay, but what do I have to do?"
"Yes… do you know dodgeball?" The boy nodded. "Well, the vice-captain said that we will play dodgeball and there will be two teams... one is the crew. And the other is you."
"Oh... ooh... I'm screwed."
A/N: A bit shorter, yes, but I'm in a bit of a hurry these days, wanting to update all my stories and all to focus on other stuff in April, so next time we'll have Shinji vs the Wunder Crew in a game of dodgeball. Of course it won't be just that, but it kinda is at face value and I hope everyone is excited! Also hope you've enjoyed this chapter, even if it was short.