Chapter 15: Must Reality Be Reconciled?

Shinji could not determine how he was supposed to feel after all the events that came to transpire in only a little more than two weeks. Just days after he returned from the core of his Eva unit, his world seemed to be spiraling out of his control in slow motion but had no say in how he could reverse the direction. When he was asked to say what sort of situation he was in, he could not bring himself to find a description that would summarize all the fear he was in.

Despite all he was considering, Shinji struggled to call his situation a completely hopeless one. Asuka was supposed to be in better condition than she would have been on her own, his friend Kensuke was still at his side and trying to discover the truth about NERV and he had brought himself closer to his guardian than he ever thought possible. Thinking on that last notion made him pause as he reconsidered what he was thinking as he looked at his reach out to Misato Katsuragi to be.

There was a time that his school friends would have joked about him finding solace with a woman so much older than him, but it was now becoming a reality. A reality that had implications he feared only to find out it was not as hopeless of a scenario as he thought. It had been weeks since he first accepted Misato's outreach to him, and he was struggling to tell what was coming over him since then.

Shinji found himself desiring and hoping for things that he never imagined he would have wanted before. It seemed such a different outcome to him that he wondered if he was truly a different person than he was before or if what was luring him away just happened to be so compelling. Even more complicated was how he truly felt about it.

Was he happy? Maybe better than he could have been but was left to comprehend for himself if it was worth it. Despite being Misato's boyfriend neither he nor she ever said, "I love you," to one another. After so many years of never having someone to say it to, he wondered if he even knew what circumstances could make him say it, let alone how Misato's past affected their situation.

Try to see the situation from afar as much as he could, Shinji could not help but think that he was merely on the precipice of being sucked into a whirlpool of hopelessness. From those who chose to reach out to him and those who could one day be saved, the state of his war against the Angels gave him every reason to hope as it did to make him fear that he was only delaying until the final moment where he would drown. With an unknown number of Angels on the horizon and a future that only remained uncertain, he continued to feel himself pulled more and more against the rushing waters that his life continued to be.

The one body of water he could feel at ease viewing was in front of him. What was once a site of Tokyo-3 was now a lake laden with rubble from the destruction brought about by previous battles between the Angels and the Eva Units. Even knowing what caused the body of water to form was not enough to take Shinji's mind away from the turmoil he allowed himself to be swept into.

"You chose not to approach." A voice called out to him. Disturbed by the interruption of his thoughts, Shinji turned to his right to discover the person who called out to him. He feared who the individual might have been in such a crucial hour as this but his fears were lost as he saw who he was being called out by.

A boy appearing to be Shinji's age stood behind him and did not have any apparent differences until closer inspection. He had light gray hair and red irises that captured his attention. His bright eyes were unusual to him but remembered how similar they were to Rei's. He couldn't be just like her could he?

Left unsure how he was supposed to react to him, Shinji asked, "Approach what? "

"The water. Lilim always look to a calming influence when they are truly troubled."

Shinji was left as confused as he was before. How did this boy know about lilim? How. Most immediate to him though, how did he know he was conflicted?

Trying to culminate all of his questions into one, Shinji asked, "Do I know you?"

The boy nodded his head before reaching his hand out to introduce, "We haven't met have we Shinji? I am Kaworu Nagisa. The fifth child."

"Well you know my name I guess."

Shinji reached out his hand to grasp Kaworu's to accept his friendly gesture. The moment Kaworu took hold however, Shinji saw his eyes widen as though something had just surprised him. In all of his attempts to approach others in a friendly manner, Shinji believed he was close to achieving what was supposed to be a normal one only to find himself wondering what he did to offend him.

Careful to approach the observation, Shinji asked, "Is something wrong?"

Kaworu smiled at the question as he loosened his grasp of Shinji's hand and answered, "No. Not at all. Only what I never expected from you."

"Uh... what?"

"I would like to know for certain." Before Shinji could inquire any further, Kaworu raised a finger to balance Shinji's hand. Kaworu ran his finger down Shinji's wrist before trailing down his arm and making his way to his chest. The approach was an oddly close one that left Shinji in greater confusion the more Kaworu used his freedom to trace to the area he landed on.

Kaworu took a long look at the right side of Shinji's chest that left him baffled by the second. Before he could ask what was causing all of this, he felt himself caught in place as he saw Kaworu smile. It was an oddly calming sight from a boy as mysterious yet so serene as he was.

Shinji was caught out of any more sense of wonder when he heard Kaworu tell him, "So it is true..."

There was a cryptic implication behind Kaworu's observation that left Shinji baffled to his first meeting with the newest pilot of NERV. He could not tell if it was a more or less awkward first conversation than his first meeting with Rei. The fact that Kaworu was speaking to him was an entirely different category of disturbing for him.

While he was afraid to find out what Kaworu suspected him of, Shinji swallowed as he asked, "Wh... what?"

Kaworu lowered his hand and brought it behind his back while keeping his smile fixated on Shinji. He bent his upper body down to lean towards Shinji and tell him, "You're in love."

The accusation caused Shinji to blush and reel his hand back as he looked at Kaworu in absolute befuddlement. He was completely taken aback with how his secret was so easily discovered or if it was somehow being detected in a way he did not anticipate. Being so easily discovered made him wonder how much longer he would be able to keep his current situation from becoming a dilemma that affected everyone around him.

Working up the will to question what was happening, Shinji asked, "H... How... How did you... know?"

Kaworu brought himself back upright and told him, "Your reaction is enough to tell me I'm right."

Having something so obvious pointed out to him made Shinji cringe as he realized what sort of dilemma he was in. If his feelings were so obvious, how was he supposed to know the identity of the other person involved couldn't be as easily found? This Kaworu individual made him fear that he was looking back into the whirlpool that threatened to engulf him to the depths of despair.

As if to assure him that he would not be dragged under, Kaworu kept his smile fixed on Shinji while praising, "There is nothing to be ashamed of. You must care for her with all your heart."

Desperate to hide what could have been a grave danger to what he was hiding, Shinji mustered the will to dismiss, "It... can't be that."

Kaworu only tilted his head as a change in his posture before asking, "Why is that?"

It took Shinji several seconds for him to find a way to hide his relationship before coming up with what seemed to be the most obvious reason, "I never said I loved her to her before."

Much to his disappointment Shinji saw Kaworu emphasize his focus on him and point out, "But you care enough about her to have the scars she left you."

Such a cryptic point made Shinji feel as though he was completely defenseless. Every observation Kaworu gave made him feel as though he was completely bereft of answers for how he could defend himself. Unwittingly or not, he felt as though he was at his mercy and unable to steer himself away from being discovered.

In a desperate attempt to free himself of suspicion he asked, "Scars?"

Kaworu raised his hand back up as he pointed to Shinji's chest, "Not visible ones. Approaches to your soul that most cannot see."

Such an observation left Shinji in an even further state of confusion as he wondered what Kaworu was talking about. He had known the apparently new pilot of NERV for such a brief amount of time and yet he seemed to know the deepest secret that he was trying to keep hidden. He could not decide if Kaworu could be determined as either more or less mysterious and unapproachable as he once thought Rei was.

Shinji pointed out this observation, "You don't seem that different."

Kaworu pointed to three points of Shinji's chest, "I've always been able to tell. I see the three different times you accepted from her. The first to comfort her. The second to make her see. And the third to apologize to her."

The observation was another major revelation for Shinji as Kaworu seemed to easily summarize the three times he slept with Misato. The first because of Kaji's death, the second because of his frustration against her attempt to return the favor, and a third in a desperate hope to find himself in good graces again. Kaworu read him like such a story was obvious to anyone who gave him a second glance.

Shinji struggled to imagine what he could have said in response before unwittingly revealing the truth of his situation, "I... never met anyone who could... see so much..."

Kaworu lowered his hand while remaining fixated on Shinji, "I'm sure you haven't. But I'm sure you have been looking for someone else to reveal yourself to."

As he tried to determine what more he wanted out of life to make him happy, Shinji thought that revealing his secret relationship to someone else was the last thing he wanted. Try all he could to push others away from him, it seemed as though more people were coming towards him with knowledge of what he was doing to free himself of a constant state of grief. The only hope he could hold on to was that Kaworu never mentioned who he was supposed to be in love with.

Trying to steer the conversation away from the observation, Shinji accepted, "Maybe. You said you were the fifth child?"

To Shinji's relief, Kaworu went along with the question, "Indeed I am. We can still be on good terms with one another I hope."

As he looked towards the sun he was originally headed towards Shinji hoped to find his way out of the conversation, "I'm sure we can. I better get going though."

As he turned around, he heard Kaworu ask, "To the one you love?"

Shinji turned to wave as he prepared to leaven "Yeah, see you tomorrow Kaworu."

Kaworu raised his hand to return the gesture, "You too Shinji."

After a brief conversation, Kaworu was left by himself. At least to any onlooker who might have seen him from afar. It only took one conversation for Shinji to determine he was not an individual he could describe as normal, but he came to find that much almost routine at this point. Being able to determine something about him right off hand however was a trait he could only imagine being exclusive to Kaworu however.

Smiling and watching Shinji leave the scene, Kaworu reflected on his dilemma, "This does change things."

After a shaky establishment of where she was as a girlfriend, Misato found herself not so enthusiastic to head back to work right away. Much to her disappointment she could not pick and decide her hours and she needed to be prepared for another Angel attack. Despite the right amount of time passing, there did not seem to be one arriving and she was left with routine menial work that was necessary to keep NERV running properly.

Out of everything she believed needed to get done however, Misato found herself wondering how many responsibilities were being handled properly as she asked, "Aoi? Shouldn't Ritsuko be the one handling all of that?

Aoi peaked her head around the stack of files answering, "Dr. Akagi is predisposed at the moment. It is only right for me to fulfill her duties."

Misato followed alongside Aoi concluding, "Satsuki and Kaede must be tied up if it's that serious."

Aoi admitted, "They offered assistance but I am sufficient. The second child takes priority anyway."

As Aoi stopped in front of a door, Misato realized it was the area she was making her way towards. Before Aoi set the documents down, Misato reached for her key card to open the door for her. Aoi turned to her to give an approving nod before turning her attention to the empty room.

Misato followed her inside before asking, "So Asuka is turning out okay without you right?"

Aoi set the files on a table before opening the one on top and scanning through it. She kept her attention on Misato as she answered, "As well as things can be given her mental state. Satsuki is the most critical anyway. Until then, the new pilot should suffice."

Misato leaned on a table across for Aoi asking, "I want to think that, but it's just... I don't know, this doesn't seem too convenient to you does it?"

Refusing to remove herself from her work, Aoi dismissed whatever concerns Misato had, "The Marduk Institute is outside my jurisdiction. I have more immediate matters to attend to."

Deciding she would have to get to the point immediately, Misato explained, "You never do try to think for yourself that much do you? You see I brought this up to Ritsuko and she told me something about the new child that I'm not so sure about."

While Aoi slowed down her observation of the papers in front of her, she let out a brief sigh before reminding, "I can shed information if you are in desperate need for it Major. But only if it is within my field."

Misato was pleased to have some cooperation as she revealed what was worrying her at the moment, "That's what I was hoping to hear. I had to call in some favors from Ritsuko and Makoto. Everything they were able to find makes it seem like Kaworu might be an Angel but not the final one like they originally thought. Does that idea make sense to you?"

Despite such a serious allegation, Aoi kept her gaze away from Misato as she adjusted her glasses and dismissed, "Angels have attempted to infiltrate NERV before in various forms. This would not be outside the realm of possibility."

"That's what I want to find out. If he can be trusted at all."

"If you have no evidence to back this accusation, I must advise against pursuing this line of thought."

Aoi's continued indifference to everything Misato irritated her enough to make her place a hand against the top of the table. In a desperate hope to make her pay attention, she asked, "Has anyone ever told you that you think about your work too much?"

In retaliation, Aoi's brow furrowed while she clenched her hands into fists with one holding a piece of paper in it. While she kept herself from leveling her intense glare towards Misato, Aoi was far from the ideal state where she would have given a clear answer. Her response to Misato's comment being a contained fit of rage that poured over in an instant.

"Ever since I was a child. Telling me to make friends. To have fun. Let life work itself out. And then in the same breath tell me to prepare for my future. Be ready for the next time I could be challenged. All a distraction. All so I can be denied the chance to be where I am. So I am easily made replaceable. I'm not replaceable because I refuse to let myself be. If that demands cutting myself off from others then I gladly accept."

As though she realized she had broken a rule, Aoi's eyes widened before rapidly unclenching her fists. The sudden rush of curses and anguish she held back finally ended, she was left to pick up the pieces of the fragile she had broken. It was a dangerous precedent that could allow for more serious secrets to slip out of her mouth if she was not careful.

Attempting to regain the air of professionalism she had before, Aoi began smoothing out the paper she crumpled while telling Misato, "... My apologies Major I... was out of line..."

Misato sighed, "We all have our bad days Aoi. For all I know I could be having one just with the new kid. Not that I'm trying to make it trivial or anything."

Hopeful she would be able to free herself of the potential accusations, Aoi tried to dismiss Misato from the area by advising, "I don't know what issues you might have Major, but perhaps Mitsuru is the one you would best confide in now."

The comment caught Misato off guard. How did Aoi know about the hypothetical she made with Kaede? Just as soon as she was ready to leave Aoi to her duties, she felt herself at risk if being subject to a dangerous rumor.

Preparing herself for the worst that might come, Misato managed, "You aren't... who... who else knows?"

Aoi remained fixed on her documents while explaining, "Kaede is one of the three supercomputer technicians. It is our duty to remain updated with one another. There are no secrets between us."

"But who else did you tell this about?"

"We have not discussed it with anyone. We have seen no need. You have no reason to concern yourself with this, I cannot imagine anyone would protest what you do with him off the clock."

While the lie that she began was not spreading as much as she feared, Misato was left to fear what might come from three important individuals having such crucial knowledge as she tried to accept, "Well as long as people feel that way..."

"Can you believe how it went today Shinji?"

Kensuke and Shinji made their way to the locker room having completed another day of synch tests and pilot training. Although Asuka was not present, the opportunity to work alongside Kensuke and Kaworu as the on-hand pilots was a different experience that he had to prepare for. He had a chance to see firsthand how the two of them would work in tandem against a potential Angel attack while listening in on other discussing NERV members about the newest arrival while Rei was left as support for the moment and going through her own practices.

Even with all he had seen, Shinji still dismissed it by answering, "It's like any other."

Kensuke patted him on the back while asking, "Man you sure don't know how to tell do you? We're back up to three and you don't think that's cool to have a fighting chance again?"

"Do you know who Kaworu is?"

The sudden question made Kensuke realize what sort of uncertainty Shinji was in. The serene nature of Kaworu's presence not enough to raise alarms of who he was, the test results should have proven themselves. The nature of how the two boys were supposed to handle such information themselves however was a question that did not have an apparent set of choices.

Leaning towards Shinji, Kensuke whispered, "I only got to find out about everything behind this place, not who's in it. Whoever Kaworu is supposed to be is a big mystery."

Keeping the same level of whispering, Shinji agreed, "I thought Ayanami would be the one to go in standby."

"It probably has to do with Unit-02's core. You read about on the site?"

"I don't have time for that."

Kensuke soured at first but remembered how difficult it would have been for Shinji to face the information on the website he was maintaining from the shadows. He explained, "Well long story short, Unit-02 has a core that keeps other pilots from getting in. I figured Ayanami wouldn't be an exception and I don't know how Kaworu is supposed to be different."

The inconsistency was immediately seen by Shinji when he realized the implication of making Kaworu the newest pilot. It meant the possibility Ryoji Kaji was not successful in extracting everything from the deepest parts of NERV. If he could not find something as hidden as this tactic, it must have been another mystery on top of the warning of further Angel attacks.

Shinji hesitated to continue down this uncertain path as he forced himself to reason, "They probably know something about him that we don't."

Kensuke looked behind himself before he agreed, "I'll give you that, he could be holding back when it's synch ratios but it doesn't look like we get to know him unless we actually talk to him."

Deciding that he would have to play along with the observation made Shinji agree, "Kaworu seems okay."

Before Kensuke had the opportunity to prod Shinji any further, the two turned to notice a late arrival. They both recognized the new pilot while Kensuke greeted, "Hey Kaworu, we were just talking about you."

Kaworu turned to see both Shinji and Kensuke. Seeing the two of them close together made him assume, "I see. You are friends with him Shinji?"

There question made Shinji realize how much he took the idea of friends for granted. Be it because he was afraid of becoming too close to others or a simple lack of interest, he only took a few opportunities to really think about how much other people in his life mattered to him. Hoping not to offend anyone made Shinji answer, "I guess we are aren't we?"

Disappointed to not receive a more enthusiastic confirmation, Kensuke frowned "Sheesh. Don't get into sales will you?"

Not wanting to remain on the bench, the boys made their way to the shower stalls before beginning to clean themselves. Kensuke could see Kaworu going through the motions as though he was alone but noticed he was concentrated on Shinji at the moment. He could not tell for what reasons he was so interested but the simple act of him remaining so focused was enough to make him question his interest.

Breaking the silence he asked, "So Kaworu, I've never seen you around before. Did you just move here?"

Kaworu turned to acknowledge Kensuke's presence before answering, "I have arrived a while ago. NERV simply did not need me right away. Unfortunately, it would seem I will only serve as a replacement for the Second Child depending how long it takes for her to recover."

While it did not completely avoid Kensuke's question, Shinji himself was still unsure about Kaworu. Trying to understand if he really was as perfect as he made himself sound made Shinji ask, "And you were always okay with the idea of being here?"

While he kept himself from sounding dismissive, Kaworu kept his answer to a single sentence, "I have prepared myself for a long time."

Kensuke rubbed his fingers through his hair while observing, "You must be psychic or something. Especially if you were easy going up to Shinji and all."

Maintaining his attention on Shinji, Kaworu confirmed he was still hesitant to reveal more if himself despite having easily read him before. He directed his next acknowledgment to Shinji as he explained, "I have heard much about you before arriving Shinji. I must say I never believed you would have been more complex than you lead others to believe."

His approach made Shinji believe Kaworu was slowly revealing an interest that he wanted to emphasize on. From the time they first met near the shore, it became clear that Kaworu was interested in finding out more about Shinji specifically. Even more alarming was the possibility that he might actually find out who he was supposedly in love with.

It was difficult for Shinji to find an easy answer but cleared his throat before trying to sidestep, "We're supposed to keep secrets for a reason."

Shinji was put at ease to see Kaworu smile at his answer but feared the interrogation was far from over when he heard, "Knowing everything about another person takes more than a lifetime to fulfill. What we can immediately tell about others is simply what we have to accept the reality others want to make for themselves."

For a small bit of relief, Kensuke observed, "Real deep Kaworu, but I don't think Shinji is the type of guy who's easy with talking about himself."

Unphased by Kensuke's warning, Kaworu decided to move forward with the one thing he wanted to know at the moment, "Who is she? The one you love?"

Alarmed that someone was about to step into territory that he wanted to keep secret, Kensuke tried to doubt Kaworu was building up to as he asked, "What... what makes you so sure about that?"

Kaworu remained as elusive as he had before by explaining, "It was easy to see that through him."

Seeing Kensuke baffled by the reveal made him turn to Shinji in desperation for an explanation. Realizing there was nowhere else for him to turn, Shinji confirmed, "He was able to tell somehow. I don't know what else he's hiding."

The explanation made Kensuke bite his lip before asking, "But you didn't say who?"

Shinji shook his head, "No."

Their attempts to comprehend Kaworu's discovery did nothing to dissuade him from trying to make his discovery as he asked, "Do you hide her for her safety?"

"IT'S ASUKA!"

Neither Shinji or Kensuke could tell who said it first. It only made the reveal more awkward for both of them as they tried to comprehend what sort of shield they were using to protect a potentially damaging secret. With the mystery around Kaworu remaining untouched, the two boys wondered if it was even possible for them to keep the truth about Shinji's girlfriend from being revealed.

The lingering silence ended as soon as Kaworu smiled and asked, "You refer to the second child?"

Shinji felt himself being lured with the question. It was to a place where he did not have to fear revealing more of himself but it was continued on a false pretense. There were few instances where he could have imagined lying to someone else would have been an option, but he had a reason behind his decision.

Desperate to make sure Misato would not have to suffer the consequences of the revelation, Shinji nodded before confirming, "Yeah. Her."

Relief fell its way over Shinji when Kaworu finally accepted the answer and praised, "You speak of her like she is someone to be ashamed of. There is no shame in proclaiming your love for another."

Deciding there was no turning back on the lie, Kensuke came to Shinji's defense, "It sounds like they're still getting used to it. Not an easy commitment you know?"

know?"

Someone so serene and alluring should not have been such a threatening presence. Even after knowing him for such a short span of time, Shinji knew he could not depend on such a simple defense to keep Kaworu from prying any further. He was able to guess so much about him just by feeling his hand or whatever trick he was playing. Even in the eyes of someone who showed nothing but sincere intentions proved to be someone who knowingly or unknowingly threatened what he was holding secret.

Such a simple fear made him conceive he was facing the fear of approaching another individual, he was face to face with expert torturer wielding a knife prepared for his most vital nerves. Kaworu had already exposed him to such danger the moment Shinji answered Asuka was the one he cared for and was now simply waiting for the right opportunity to pierce his flesh. Most frightening of all that he could not tell what conditions would allow the cuts to happen. If it came from his refusal to answer, or from his cooperation.

There was a possibility he could avoid revealing Misato as the one he was in a relationship with, but it demanded a lie from him. He could simply tell Kaworu the truth, but it seemed to be a foolish thing to place on someone so new. He was left to question what the conditions would be for a few seconds before he was asked to bear a new kind of pain. Such a confrontation left him to feel shivers go down his spine not from the dissipating warm water from the shower but from what he would have to answer for.

Kaworu began his torture, "If you feel there is no shame with her then you do not need to feel so afraid around others about it."

Bracing himself for what was about to come, Shinji answered, "She's not doing good right now. I don't know if you heard..."

The cut came. Not because he lied but because he revealed what was true about Misato. The pain from the confession being enough to leave himself exposed to question everything that he had just gone through.

Unfortunately for him, Kaworu was not done as he told him, "Much of NERV is familiar with what has happened to her. It is unfortunate but I am sure that she will be fine."

Shinji saw Kensuke try to break the conversation but shook his head to deny his involvement. He was already trapped within Kaworu's clutches and having someone else interfere would only bring further danger of revealing the truth. Much to his fortune it seemed Kaworu either did not see him push Kensuke away or he simply did not mind it.

Shinji knew that Kaworu would still require a response though as he corrected, "It just doesn't feel right for me to be with her. I've never done anything to make her life better."

The second cut came. This time causing Shinji to grasp his left arm as the shower water began to grow cold. Try and deny the pain as much as he wanted, he once again revealed how he felt about Misato placing so much on him.

Kaworu remained indifferent to Shinji's discomfort as he reminded with the same smile, "Clearly she appreciates your company and you hers. There should not be anything instilling such fear in you."

A third cut came as Shinji managed to confess the central nature of why he could only reveal so much. The cold water doing nothing to make him feel easy about his answer. "I... get that... but... I'm... scared..."

"Hey! I'm starting to get pruny! Maybe we're done now!"

Kensuke's interruption could not have come at a better time as it denied Kaworu any further extraction. After enduring more than what he believed he could have handled before, Shinji found himself able to claim an opportunity to free himself of Kaworu's hold. Reaching for the handle and making a quick turn, the cold water stopped its descent upon him before taking hold of his towel.

He saw Kaworu doing the same before apologizing, "Don't mind Kensuke. He says stuff like that sometimes."

Relief rushed through him when he heard Kaworu respond with the same sort of acceptance he had before, "It is fine."

There were few times Shinji felt he would be happy to hear a simple dismissal but this was one of them. He no longer had to reveal anything else about his fabrication. Most assuring he did not have to apply the grieving of his relationship with Misato to Asuka. Such a fear made him wonder how many other parallels he could make that would make others tell him to go to the second child instead for a better and more acceptable union.

As a silence began to hang over the three, Kensuke began to dress himself in his usual clothes before asking, "So you think we'll be facing another Angel sometime soon? I'm getting anxious. I think we might be over preparing if that's possible."

Kaworu made his way to his locker when he answered, "We only choose how we face days of adversity. Very few times are we given the opportunity to chose which we want to occur."

Shinji began to put his shirt on while he reminisced, "I've heard something like that before."

As he finished dressing he turned to see Kaworu standing in front of him with the smile that had already become familiar to him. He made his parting words, "I'm sure on the next day, life will give you a gift you will appreciate."

Ominous, uncertain, but most importantly freeing. If there was a day to come where his secret would be revealed, he avoided it after enduring the pain brought upon by someone he barely knew. The three metaphorical cuts to leave new scars that he feared Kaworu would be able to read just as he did the earlier ones.

A/N: So if you've caught on to where we are in the timeline, the next day will be Christmas day which is the day that Kaworu's descent into Terminal Dogma would have happened. I'm sure you might be assuming that it won't happen next chapter, and you would be correct. I'm just hoping that when the next Angel is unleashed not everybody is disappointed with the direction I go, really because I'm hoping what I do isn't seen as too obvious or has been overdone at this point.

Whatever the reception might be, I'm hoping this is at least a point where readers start to get enthusiastic over the fact that Angels will finally be a focus in the story again, character interaction is going to expand, and we get to see the consequences of their actions. Especially now that one in particular has a chance to change everything but that is a chapter that will have to be discovered. I hope to see you all then.