On a beach where the sand was as red as the sea, the body of a giant creature was now washing ashore with a hole in its abdomen. The yellow and white of its body was dry and dark, looking rusty. Its wings had succumbed to the pressure of the seabed before it managed to return to the surface.

Still, the one inside needed to continue. He ordered her to do so. The only problem was the hole in the torso. Other attacks and injuries would have been only superficial and perhaps not even cause damage to the Evangelion. But that attack was different. It was as if it had damaged the very structure of its soul. Such a wound prevented it from regenerating.

It was a miracle that the giant could drag itself forward, sometimes trying to get up, only to fall onto the sand once again. Inside the giant, its pilot was doing everything she could to move while feeling enormous pain in her belly. She could try to ignore it, but both her body and nerves were still connected to the Eva.

However, the real damage was in her mind. The young girl with pale skin, red eyes, and blue hair remembered everything. The mission and what he ordered her to do and say. And now the name she said without any thought resonated in her head.

"Ikari... who is... Ikari...?" That unfamiliar face didn't mean anything to her, but the hair was similar to hers. That alone awakened something inside her. Curiosity.

Then, the pilot looked at the sky, with her wings slowly starting to work, even if not at one hundred percent, and took off. Her goal was the same, only now there was a thin line of curiosity to meet the one who caused that hole in Mark.09's abdomen. She barely gave any thought that if the boy had hit a little lower, her life would've ended right there.

"Ikari. I must find Ikari."

Even without any desire in her tone of voice, there was this feeling guiding her in search for the one who awakened curiosity in the girl for the first time in her existence.

Days have passed since Shinji became WILLE's prisoner. There were no sweet words that could change it, he was a prisoner in that tiny room, with just a bed and nothing to do. It's not like he did much in his routine fourteen years earlier, but now he didn't have the choice to do something and then watch television. Besides, from time to time, Mari would appear to bother him. Sakura always went to check on him in the mornings, and when delivering food, at times, both would talk with each other for the whole day.

To make his stay more pleasant, she gave him a Rubik's Cube, and Shinji tried to have as much fun as he could with that toy, but the truth is that it was as confusing as everything else in his mind.

During the day he would follow the routine, but at night, he would always be afraid to sleep simply because his head would fill with unnecessary thoughts.

Like questions about who he was. Or what he was. Shinji Ikari's memories were alive within him, while Rei Ayanami's were just distant recollections. That should solve the mystery, but the reason for having these memories bothered him. 00.1% Rei Ayanami. Could something so insignificant be the reason for all this confusion in your mind? And if so, where was the rest? Where was the 00.1% of Shinji Ikari that he was missing? Where was the 99.9% of Rei Ayanami?

No matter how much he stared at the ceiling or even waited for the next day, he wouldn't get any answers to these questions. The best thing he could do was wait until he fell asleep due to exhaustion.

"What are you doing?" Although he wasn't expecting anyone to show up, especially at that time. The young man stood up, feeling his heart racing for a second as if he had done something wrong. That voice made the boy feel like every step he took was a mistake. "It's time for the children to be asleep."

It was Asuka. Wearing that red hoodie and the cap from last time. From her expression, she was irritated, but not because of him. The girl was in front of the door to his room, which could only be opened by someone with special clearance, like Sakura, Misato, and Ritsuko.

"I…" Shinji started to babble, unsure how the redhead would react if he told her why he was awake, but he still wanted to try interacting with her. Maybe form a bridge between the two. "...I'm just kind of upset."

"Upset? Really?" The way she asked, it was like Shinji being upset about something was suspicious behavior, maybe even alien. "If it's because you're locked here, you better get used to it. We won't let you go anytime soon." He needed to say something, but something inside him said that Asuka wouldn't understand what he felt.

So he made an excuse. A way to continue the conversation. "It's because of this cube that Sakura gave me. I've been trying to solve it for a few days, but seems like I'm shuffling it even more." It wasn't a lie, having the cube as the only source of entertainment and not being able to solve it was irritating him.

"Then you can't sleep because of a cube. Do you think I'm an idiot?" The question had the roles inverted of who would be the idiot in this story, which made Shinji chuckle out of pure embarrassment.

"But what about you, Shikinami? Why are you awake?" After all, she wouldn't be here talking to him if everything was fine.

"I can not sleep. Unfortunately, this is one of the things that were stolen from me." Stolen? What did she mean? "Sleeping, eating, getting old. Right now, I'm trapped in this body. That goes for four-eyes too." The boy's eyes widen out of concern when he heard this, couldn't even imagine how the two girls ended up like this.

"Wait, Mari doesn't sleep? But there was a time when she said she was tired and wanted to sleep. So I let her stay in my bed and use my lap as a pillow." The two looked at each other for a few seconds, with Asuka smiling mockingly, finding the boy in front of her quite pathetic. "I… I was tricked, wasn't I?"

"Like a child. Honestly, I don't know who's worse, four-eyes or you." This attitude was already getting on Shinji's nerves, but at the same time, it was almost like the arguments they had at school. That in itself was nostalgic. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're so upset? And I mean the real reason."

Again, the boy only saw the only solution as diverting the subject. "Instead, why don't you tell me why you came to see me?" He asked, almost like a challenge, which caught the redhead's attention. "There must be some reason. You're not the person to do things without reason, Asuka."

The Unit-02 pilot's expression turned sour upon hearing this. She knew the boy used her name accentuate his defiance. It was as if he was trying to break down the barriers that separated them by force. Of course, when it comes to Asuka any affront ends in conflict. To Shinji's surprise, the girl opened the door to her cell, which left the boy scared, wondering what she was going to do. His heart pouding even faster than before as he saw the girl approach and stand right in front of him.

That's when Shinji regretted challenging her, as Asuka grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. The two now face to face, with their eyes reflecting each other. Shinji's distressed face in the blue of Asuka's only visible eye and Asuka's angry expression in the boy's red pupil.

"I came to check if the monster we have on board was under control. And from the looks of it, he's a bit cocky." Cold sweat dripped from Shinji's face. The boy would be lying if he said that courage to challenge the girl was by assuming he was safe within those four walls. Now, it was just the two of them in that cramped place, and the redhead was waiting for an answer. "So? You seemed so confident, demanding answers to your stupid questions."

"It's just… well, I was just curious." As always, there was no way the two could continue talking. Asuka was too aggressive, and Shinji felt like he wanted to run away from her just by being near her.

"Curious, huh? So how about instead of thinking about a toy, don't you ask yourself why I wanted to punch that idiot in the face?" Such a question didn't even cross his mind, which made Shinji look down, sad.

Her words were for Shinji Ikari, someone Asuka couldn't see in front of her, or at least that's what the boy thought.

However, he also noticed something else. It seems that Asuka was not wearing her plugsuit underneath her clothes, and this provided a clear view of her neck. Where there lies a collar, one just like the one Shinji had. Just seeing it gave him goosebumps, and he looked at the girl with some pity.

That look irritated her. "Why are you looking at me with that face?"

"It's just that you… you also have a collar." Out of instinct, Asuka put her hand close to her neck, even though she didn't mind the boy knowing.

"Yes, after all, all of us who pilot the Eva are distrusted because of what that idiot did. If Unit-01 did that, any Eva and pilot can. Or at least that's what they think. And won't take any chances."

"But… but that's not fair!"

"Nothing in this world is. You should have gotten used to it by now." With that said, Asuka let go of him and walked away. She was ready to leave that room, but something inside Shinji screamed to stop her, it was like a will greater than his. But his voice didn't come out. His body didn't move. He was afraid of Asuka's resentment and rejection of the idea of him being the same person she once knew. However, to both of their surprise, the redhead couldn't get out, as when she tried, she ran into an A.T. Field.

"What the...?!" Asuka immediately got angry, placing her hand on that barrier and then punching it before looking at Shinji. "Turn it off, now!"

"I… I don't know how." In fact, not once in these days, he managed to generate an A.T. Field while Ritsuko was analyzing him. That's why he was as surprised as Asuka that he created one, especially at this moment.

"This is because of whatever is bothering you. Isn't it? Or is it because I invaded your space? Know that this is the opposite of trying to protect yourself from something." She grumbled, walking around the room, looking for something, which ended with her approaching Shinji again, practically on top of him on the bed. "Isn't there a button you use to call Sakura when you need to?"

"Y-yeah... there is, but Sakura must be sleeping right now." His gaze strayed to the side, unable to move and afraid of looking at the girl.

Asuka snorted, looking at Shinji. "So? I want to get out of here. If four-eyes see me here, I will never hear the end of her stupid fairy tales."

"You mean the stories where we're a couple?" Shinji asked, scratching his cheek and feeling embarrassed, but the girl's expression didn't change.

"Exactly. I don't want to hear more of those stupid delusions." Shinji has heard some of these stories, with Mari always speaking dramatically about their reunion. Asuka was, in Unit-08's pilot's words, a maiden who could see nothing but the frog in the place of a handsome prince.

That left Shinji slightly flustered, as he never considered himself handsome, much less a prince.

"What the hell!" The redhead growled, having found the panel to call the nurse, but when she tried to press the button, seems it had jammed. "Freaking... this is your thing too, isn't it?!"

"My thing? But I'm not doing this because I want to!" He raised his hands in defense, even more so given how close the girl was to him.

"Mein Gott… whatever. Say what's in your mind so that this A.T. Field falls apart. Since it is your stress that is generating it." It makes sense, however, the boy didn't think she could understand his dilemmas, not when she couldn't see him as Shinji Ikari or Rei Ayanami.

"I told you, it's just because of that stupid cube. Nothing else." If this were a game of who was the most stubborn, the two would stay there until dawn, but Asuka wouldn't allow that.

The girl looked at the cube left aside and frowned, picking up the object before sitting on the bed. Then Shinji could only watch as she tried to solve it as quickly as possible. The two remained silent, obviously not in the mood to talk more, and he accepted that any attempt to talk would end in conflict. That's why he didn't care if Asuka solved the cube and left.

But that didn't happen either. Almost half an hour later, the sound of the cube's moving became faster and clumsier by the minute. The frustration is palpable. It was clear that the redhead couldn't solve the cube, but had no intention of giving up.

"If you want, we can try together."

"Shut up. Have you ever seen two people trying to solve a Rubik's Cube? No? Me neither. So…" The girl clicked her tongue, not knowing exactly what to do. "... keep talking."

"What?"

"Keep talking, whatever it is about, this silence is killing me. Better listen to your voice than focus only on this stupid toy." Those weren't very kind words, but Shinji accepted the opportunity.

"Okay. Uh… what's your favorite color?" It was the first thing that came to his mind, and the girl's face turned deadpan, finding that attempt pathetic. "Okay, that was horrible. It's just… we never talked."

"Of course not, we barely know each other." And that made the situation worse, this perception of Asuka about him. It only caused Shinji's insides to squirm even more.

"No, I mean, in my memories... or Shinji's memories if you prefer. I remember that the two of you never talked despite living together."

"That's because that idiot was much more focused on his problems than trying to understand others around him." Shinji felt pretty offended when he heard that.

"And don't you think you did the same thing?" If he wasn't Shinji Ikari then he had the right to say something like that.

"And what are you? My psychologist? I learned a long time ago to live alone. I don't need to share my thoughts so that others feel sorry for me. And much less run away like he did, especially after finishing me."

The memories of Unit-01 crushing Asuka's entry plug made Shinji's heart feel as heavy as a stone. "I… he had his reasons." However, maybe none of this would have happened if he had been there with Rei since the start of the battle.

"Of course, we all have reasons to be selfish, but trying to use that to justify what he did instead of improving his action just shows how out of touch with reality he was. That's what the Third was like."

"And you… think I'm different?" The boy asked, wanting to understand where exactly Asuka draws the line where he is different from Shinji Ikari.

"You're a combination of idiot and Wonder Girl, so of course you have things in common. The truth is that you were not deceived by the enemy, you managed to shoot them down. And despite the cowardly strategy, you still stood your ground in front of the entire crew."

"So, do you think…"

"I don't think anything, Shin." And there you have it, Asuka used the name she gave him to avoid calling him something else. That alone indicates that she doesn't see him as the person she had all this resentment against. "Until now, you have acted in the best interest of WILLE, and because of that, I have no reason to go at it with you. But it also doesn't mean you're off my radar."

"...did you really come here to monitor a monster?" He asked, with a serious expression, wanting to understand if he was nothing more than a monster to Asuka. And the only response the boy had was silence for a few seconds.

"Monsters can appear in different forms. Like a giant, a geometric shape, or a friend of yours." When she finished speaking, Asuka looked straight at him, and Shinji understood that it wasn't a matter of whether she believed in who he was or not. The redhead is afraid of trusting and being betrayed if Shinji reveals himself as another enemy.

But in the end, there was something good about it all. "So... you considered Shinji Ikari your friend?" The boy smiled. Nothing else mattered at that moment. That information alone was able to leave his heart at peace.

Asuka flinched at that, thinking about her next words carefully. Of course, there was always the option to refuse this and continue with her life, but her response surprised both her and the boy. "... yes, I considered him a friend. After all, his food was delicious."

"I… I could try to cook for you. What do you think?" The two stared at each other for almost a full minute. Talking to Asuka was like being in a minefield, never know when you're going to step on a bomb.

"You can do whatever you want as long as you get permission from the captain. Don't expect to find natural ingredients on the ship, though." Finally, Asuka turned her attention to the cube and opened her eyes wide, noticing that the puzzle was almost solved, even though she stopped working on it while talking.

After a few movements, the cube was complete, and a strange sound came from the door, indicating that the A.T. Field disappeared. To be sure, Asuka walked over and passed through the entrance several times, making sure there was no longer a barrier there.

"Phew, I thought I was going to stay here until dawn." She could finally rest knowing that Mari would never know about this. It was then that Asuka looked at the boy on the bed, still smiling, and this caused mixed feelings within her.

Was she allowing a moment of happiness to a new form of life or to that selfish idiot? And if it's the latter... why didn't she feel bothered by it? Is it because he chose to stay? Or because it feels like she went back in time? To those simple days, fourteen years ago.

"Anyway, see you tomorrow. And go to sleep. Whatever you are, chances are you still need sleep. And if I find out you haven't slept, I'll be forced to come back." And that was all she said before disappearing from Shinji's sight.

The boy then lay down, feeling his heart lighter. There were still doubts about himself and even why Asuka wanted to punch him, but those were matters for tomorrow. Today, one puzzle was solved and he could sleep peacefully.

A/N: Sometimes the only way for these two to work out their problems is to lock them in the same space and wait for it. Either it works, or one will be at the other's neck lol