Rei Ayanami woke up feeling cold. She hugged herself and stood up from the bed, eyeing the windows to see if they'd been left open. To her surprise, they weren't, but the panes trembled every so often as the strong winds hit them. She put on a long-sleeved white shirt that reached down to her knees and buttoned it up all the way while stepping into a pair of white slippers. She strode towards the kitchen, pulling a still brand-new teapot from the cabinet. Part of her felt a tinge of excitement to find a reason to finally use it.
While waiting for the water to boil, she heard a rolling knock and a voice that startled her.
"Ayanami, are you home? It's Ikari, ah... Shinji."
She walked to the door and peeked through the small opening, confirming the source of the voice. She grabbed the door handle and pulled.
"What is it?" The words came out flat as she studied a very anxious Shinji, who seemed to find the floor rather fascinating.
"Ah, Ayanami, hi. Sorry to bother you, I wanted to... I just..." he started before falling silent. She waited, wondering if he'd forgotten what to say. Or maybe, it was him waiting for her to do something instead; one of those social cues she always had a hard time grasping.
"Ikari?" she asked, expecting further instruction.
"Ah, Ayanami, I'm sorry!" Shinji exclaimed with tightly shut eyes.
"What for?" She asked. To her knowledge, he hadn't done anything wrong.
He jerked up and then bowed dramatically "I humbly apologize for not appreciating your smile, meaning, not reacting to it. I was very rude, please find it in yourself to... forgive... me." He then stayed like that for a while, as if waiting for something.
Rei's eyes narrowed as she struggled in vain to comprehend the situation. She'd recently formed a bond with him over their status as Eva pilots, and they seemed to share a lack of social skills, and yet his actions were still a complete mystery to her. Did he mean her smile after Operation Yashima? Or the one she attempted in NERV's cafeteria? And why would this warrant an apology? She remembered her attempts to initiate conversation back then. You always had to be the one to take the first step if you wanted pilot Ikari to make a move. The Commander would have to push him around to do anything, even if inaction could literally mean the end of the world. This lack of drive of his could be irritating.
"You don't have to apologize," she muttered.
Shinji glanced at her for what seemed like half a second before looking down again and his breathing became strained. 'It's not like he does it on purpose,' she thought. A gust of wind howled across the hallway outside and forced her to hold the door handle more tightly. She saw him ball his hands into fists while keeping them on his sides, like he was stuck in place in this overly formal position. Whatever he was trying to accomplish with this, he was giving it his all in his own way.
Rei smiled slightly. She felt curious enough to interact with him further, but more importantly, she wanted to give him the same kindness and attention he seemed to reserve just for her—it was only fair. If this apology was in effect a request for forgiveness, that was something she could do.
"I forgive you, Ikari," she said, and her smile became real.
Shinji returned the gesture enthusiastically before bowing again, saying, "Ah, thank you very much!" He turned to leave, and the sudden movement induced some kind of anxiety in Rei, like something bad would happen if she let him leave too soon.
"Ikari," Rei called without thinking. Shinji froze in place.
"Yes?"
"Would you like to... come in?"
"And then we uh, talked about music and stuff. It was really strange, I'd never seen him so worried, but I'm sure he's fine now. I guess I'll ask him tomorrow, you know? How it all went." Shinji finished with a polite chuckle while shuffling slightly in the folding chair. It'd been almost five minutes since Rei had last spoken, forcing him to continue just to see if at any point in his story she'd perk up or make a comment. She didn't even nod once.
He relinquished the responsibility of filling the dead air by sipping some tea from the cup she gave him. This, however, reminded him of the other reason he'd decided to talk non-stop: Ayanami put an ungodly amount of tea leaves in their brew. He held back a wince.
"Ikari," she called. He pushed the thought away and swallowed. He then rested the cup on the plate on his lap and glanced back at her.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you telling me this?" She cocked her head slightly. He looked down.
"Sor- I mean... I just, I guess I wanted to share." He sipped from his cup again, partly to hide his face. Instant regret followed.
"I understand." She sipped in turn. The wind had calmed down slightly, bringing back the muffled beeping and hammering of the construction crew outside the apartment.
"Ayanami, why did you invite me in?" Shinji asked with a frown. She blinked and stared at him for a few seconds.
"I don't know." Rei replied flatly. She finished her tea, stood up, and walked to the sink to wash the cup and plate.
Shinji stared at the spot on the bed where she was sitting. He heard the squeak of the rusty faucet closing and the rush of water stop to a slow drip. Having made up his mind, he stood up, leaving his own cup and plate on the chair and eyeing the door. He was about to take the first step when she spoke up:
"I suppose I enjoy your company. Is there a problem?" She asked as she took his cup and plate and walked back to wash it.
Shinji's eyes widened as a blush crept on his cheeks. "I uh, okay," was all he could muster before he sat back in the chair as she returned to her spot on the bed. When it was clear she was not going to say more, he started, "It's just, I don't want to annoy you by talking so much. I'm not even letting you say anything."
"I don't have much to say," Rei said, and for the first time in Shinji's memory she was the one to break eye contact, looking instead at an empty corner of the room. "And, I enjoy listening. Your voice is calming."
Shinji felt the hairs on his neck raise slightly and a pang of cold grow in the base of his stomach. But after a few seconds, this confused elation triggered a familiar feeling and his brow knitted. He stood back up.
"You're just teasing me, aren't you?" He said as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Teasing you? What do you mean?" She asked. He studied her face for answers, but whether she was somehow toying with him, or she was being genuine and he'd just put his foot in his mouth, the situation only grew more uncomfortable. And so, he did the only thing that seemed sensible to him.
"I think I better go, Mi–, er, Captain Katsuragi will be upset if I take too long," he said, hoping the mention of her rank would stress the importance of this task.
"I understand." She stood up with an impassive expression and walked him to the door.
Shinji stepped across the threshold and turned, "I guess I'll see you to–" but the door closed before he finished. He looked down and just stood there, hands in his pockets, wondering whether in the end things had improved or gotten worse because of this visit. Either answer was better than the uncertainty he was feeling. He sighed and started walking back home.
Somewhere deep underground, the utter darkness was pierced by a white desk light, followed by twelve graphite monoliths that loomed menacingly in a circle around the lone sitting figure of Gendo Ikari.
"It seems Unit-02 has been successfully requisitioned ahead of schedule," A raspy voice came from SEELE 06.
"A move that, while tolerable, was apparently deemed too unimportant to inform the committee," SEELE 02 lit up.
"A simple precaution," Gendo said, clasping his hands above the desk in the usual manner. "We have a single Evangelion unit on stand-by and we don't know how strong the next Angel will be nor how soon it will arrive."
"A single unit seemed to suffice a few weeks ago," SEELE 01 lit up. "We know your Unit-00 had been rather faulty even before sustaining damage, so why worry now? Is there something you want to tell us about the coming angels?"
"Only SEELE has access to that information," Gendo replied.
"As it should be. In the wrong hands, the information within the Dead Sea Scrolls would cause nothing but panic among the unwashed masses!" SEELE 03 barked.
"Still, you were rather eager to show Germany and America the power of 00 and 01 before this change of heart. This isn't like you, Ikari," SEELE 01 said.
"As we know, SEELE's scenario takes priority over any one person's ego," Gendo said.
"My, my, how humble," SEELE 01 replied sarcastically. "We will be watching closely, Ikari. Never forget that we own you."
One by one the monoliths disappeared, returning the room to a soft grey glow and Gendo's glasses to their usual orange tint. Fuyutsuki appeared behind him.
"It's very unlike them to summon you at this hour."
"Indeed," he replied without moving.
"Do you think they suspect anything?"
"No. They're too afraid to look like they've lost control. This will prevent them from asking too many questions for the time being." He stood up and walked towards the exit, Fuyutsuki close behind him.
"How's Katsuragi doing?" Gendo asked as they crossed the threshold and walked into a long hallway. One of its side walls consisted almost entirely of bulletproof glass. Through it, a glimpse of the GeoFront's artificial sky dome could be seen on the far end of the inverted NERV HQ pyramid.
"She seems willing to stay in her post. Perhaps revenge motivates her more than I initially thought," Fuyutsuki said as he held his hand under his chin.
"It's to be expected. She needs us more than we need her," Gendo said. They arrived to a red platform with a simple waist-high railing. Fuyutsuki held an access card in front of a reader, activating the lifting mechanism.
He turned to Gendo and said, "This has, however, strained her relationship with Akagi. I suggest we give her some space for now, she might grow restless otherwise."
"We don't have that luxury. The next angel is almost here, and after that, SEELE's move." He thought for a few seconds before continuing, "I'll send the inspector. We'll use her safety and privacy as leverage for his cooperation."
"And do you trust her not to pry too much?"
"Akagi does."
'And you trust Akagi' Fuyutsuki completed in his mind with a gentle smile. They waited for the platform to reach the surface in silence.
Shinji walked at a brisk pace towards the school campus. The wind was cool enough to sting on his cheeks and make him squint—he was unaccustomed to such weather. He'd memorized the route by now and his mind wandered to yesterday's afternoon as he walked.
He'd arrived home just before dusk, half expecting Misato to still be mad at him, and half expecting her to just be her usual self and to tease him relentlessly for having visited Rei out of the blue. If the latter happened, he'd also be upset at himself for making such a big deal out of what had happened with the Captain two days before. But instead, neither scenario happened. She was strangely cold and distant, with a cheery demeanor at first glance but not teasing him nor making too much conversation.
When he told her where he'd been, she said Pen Pen had let her know. Then, she asked him if everything was okay. He nodded and finished his dinner before going back to his room. Still feeling like it was too soon to act as if nothing had happened, and deciding that apologizing yet again risked making everything even more awkward, he woke up early the next morning and left with plenty of time before class began.
What was usually a hot, damp classroom now felt like a warm shelter from the elements. Shinji sat in his spot and leaned on his desk, closing his eyes and waiting for the minutes to pass as the students of class 2-A slowly poured in. Giving in to his curiosity, he'd peek behind him every time the door opened just in case he saw a mop of blue hair or a pair of bright, red eyes. Eventually, it happened. He straightened up as Ayanami entered the classroom, sat down in her desk and looked out to the window, ignoring everyone as she did.
As the wall clock told him it was still fifteen minutes before class, and it seemed that neither Toji nor Kensuke had yet arrived, there was little Shinji could do before his legs had taken him right in front of her desk. He tried to be casual, lifting his right elbow to lean on the window pane before hesitating because it was made of glass, then trying again because it would surely still hold, then realizing it was too far away anyway, all in the space of around two seconds. Fortunately, she hadn't even turned to face him yet. He swallowed as a dozen or so different possible openings came to mind, before deciding for a spectacular, weirdly intoned, "H-Hey."
She lowered her hand from where it held her chin an faced him.
"Yes?"
"Well... Y'know... How's it going?"
She glanced momentarily behind him, where a few students witnessed the exchange with curiosity.
"I am well."
"That's good." He smiled politely, hoping for her to repeat the question back to him. It never came.
When Rei lifted her hand as if to return to her previous position, Shinji started: "Hey, listen I uh, I wanted to say sorry, I mean for leaving yesterday. But, I say sorry too much—I think—but I don't want to sound like I'm not sorry, and that makes me feel guilty... and sorry. You know what I mean?" He chuckled nervously as he clenched and unclenched his fist on his side.
"No."
"What?" He asked, barely above a whisper.
"Apologizing fixes nothing."
"But, you forgave me yesterday," he whined.
"Because you asked me to."
He was at a loss as to what to do, and her reply meant she was probably upset with him, again. Before he knew it, his hands gripped the edge of Rei's desk a bit too tightly, something he only realized after being called.
"Ikari."
"Uh, yes?" His grip softened.
"You have not offended me."
He studied her eyes and then nodded slowly, deciding to take her at face value this time. He opened his mouth a few times before asking:
"Would you tell me if I did?"
"For what purpose? It doesn't matter if I am or not."
"Yes it does," he said slightly above his usual volume, enough for her to notice. A few more students stopped what they were doing and stared at them.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want you to be. I don't want you to be angry at me."
"I'm not."
"But you were, back in your apartment, right?" His voice trailed off as the last words came out. He looked around and noticed some of the students standing, mouth agape at what he'd just said. His eyes widened.
"Ah, what I mean is, It's not, I wasn't–" he suddenly felt an arm wrap around his shoulder.
"Hey Shinji, I finally found ya!" Toji pulled him away while making a show of asking him if he'd watched the last episode of some show Shinji didn't even know about. Toji looked over his shoulder at Rei and gave her a confident wink. She cocked her head in confusion.
"Suzuhara! Do you have to be this loud this early?" Hikari approached while pointing an index finger at him.
"Well you're shouting too, Class Rep." He stepped closer to her to whisper something and Shinji noticed that his closeness made her body tense up.
"Just helping Shinji out y'know? he was just messin' up back there."
"Well, anyway," Hikari started as she stepped back and raised her shoulders. "Class is about to begin. Please go to your seats."
"Sure, sure, We'll behave." He patted Shinji enthusiastically on the shoulde. "C'mon Shinji, we'll talk during recess." Toji gestured and his friend followed while nodding.
After a few periods, things went a little differently for P.E. class. While the boys would usually do track and field, and the girls had swimming class, the unexpected cool weather made the school opt for a mixed a P.E. class in the school gymnasium where everyone played basketball. Ayanami sat down in the corner away from the rest of the girls.
After playing for some time, Shinji was allowed to rest and sat down to the side near the rest of the boys, but his attention was not in the game. He felt someone approaching to his side and turned to find Kensuke, who had just finished playing as well. He sat beside him and watched Toji completely outplay some scrawny kid with a bowl haircut.
"Hey, Kensuke." Shinji glanced at him and then back.
"Yo, I'm so glad we're not out there, cold's getting crazy," Kensuke said while crossing his legs.
"Right? I thought Japan was supposed to be hot all year long. Hey, how did things go with Toji?" Shinji turned to face Kensuke who in turn did the same.
"He was a bit, err, not willing at first, let's say. But I promised not to talk about anything Eva or armed-forces related for at least two weeks. If I screw up, I promised to give him my camcorder." He grinned.
"Oh, wow, would you really do it?" Shinji raised both eyebrows in surprise.
"Of course! I mean, it's okay as long as I keep to my word, right?"
"I guess."
"But yeah, thanks for your help," Kensuke said, and noticed that Shinji's gaze had returned to wherever it originally was. He followed his friend's line of sight and smirked.
"So, how are things with Ayanami?"
Shinji sucked his teeth and frowned. "You're still going on with that?"
Kensuke raised his hands and said, "Woah, hey! I said I wouldn't ask about Eva, and we've already talked about Toji, and then the weather, and I don't think you care about basketball. Throw me a bone here, Shinji. Plus, what's so bad about it? She's kinda cute, and she's less of a robot when she's with you. Toji told me about you guys chatting."
"It's not like that." He raised his knees and put his arms around his legs.
"We only tease you because you do that, you know?"
"Do what?" He muttered under his knees.
"Look at you! I barely mention her and you immediately transform into a pillbug. If you really went like 'you know guys, I'm gonna give it a try with her', all serious and stuff, we'd totally support you, dude." He gave Shinji a pat on the back. Shinji shrank briefly at the gesture before smiling and straightening back up.
"Well, thanks. But I'm not really sure if I like her that way, honestly. Also, I'm pretty sure she doesn't see me that way either, I'm too uh, pathetic," he said as he trailed off, his last words barely above a whisper.
Kensuke frowned and the angle of his head made his glasses glow. He leaned closer and whispered loudly, "But you're a freaking Eva pilot!" When Shinji slouched at this, he calmed down and clarified: "What I mean is, you're not pathetic. You're brave, Shinji Ikari. You've saved this city many times. And even if you weren't a pilot, you like helping people and you're not just ogling her like other boys. I'm sure girls like that sorta stuff."
"I don't think she cares about that," Shinji replied moodily, which prompted Kensuke to facepalm.
"Ah, you're just impossible, bro." He crossed his arms and resumed watching the game.
Fortunately for Shinji, the way back home wasn't nearly as cold as in the early morning. The sun dominated the city landscape, accompanied by extremely wispy and feathery clouds.
Shinji arrived home and exhaled in relief while leaning on the now closed door. In retrospect, leaving school without Rei noticing wasn't such a hard feat to begin with, especially considering her default behavior consisted of ignoring everyone anyway. He decided to watch some TV before getting started with homework. While channel surfing, Shinji wondered if Misato had given Pen Pen his breakfast before leaving for work. Suddenly, the entrance door slid open and he tensed.
"I'm home!"
"Ah, hey Misato... Welcome home."
"How are you doing?" She walked into the living room with a confident smile and her hands on her hips.
"Fine?" He replied while scanning her face for an answer. He was too polite to ask why she was there so early, but it was still written all over his face.
"I came for a change of clothes and a few other things," Misato said as she walked towards the master bedroom, "I'm working until really late today, so you guys have dinner without me."
"Okay. Did Pen Pen have breakfast, by the way?"
"Yep, I gave him something before leaving for work."
"Okay, good!" Shinji kept changing the channel. Eventually, the show Toji had mentioned in the classroom showed up, which made him stop and watch with some curiosity. In Misato's room, the sound of clothing and boxes moving around the floor was followed by a long zipper being closed.
She reappeared with a duffel bag under her arm and walked to the kitchen. Shinji turned his head to follow her movements.
"Stay home okay? and no blue-haired visits allowed!" She winked as she pulled a six-pack of Yebisu from the fridge.
"Misato, please stop!" He closed his eyes and groaned loudly.
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and walked to the entrance, her expression becoming dark as she did. After standing in front of the door for a few seconds, she shook her head and left the apartment. Shinji sighed in frustration. Having lost track of what was happening in the show, his interest waned and he turned off the TV.
Why was everyone pressuring him to be with Rei? Did they enjoy bothering him this much? Or did they really think he had a crush on her, let alone a chance? More importantly, did he? What if he decided to try something and ended up ruining their friendship? He tousled his own hair with both hands, trying to push the thoughts away. Deciding to focus on something else, he stood up and picked up his bag, it was time to do some homework.
Misato bolted through the intersection, checking her rear-view mirror in case some bozo tried to pass her. She sighed and shook her head at the realization that she'd done it again; she didn't have the heart to tell Shinji that everything was going to go to hell really soon. But it wasn't that bad, yet. Things were barely improving between them and so it was the wrong time, or at least that's how she rationalized it.
She waited as the car was transported down inside the GeoFront. She absentmindedly tapped the steering wheel with one finger. Maybe she should stop teasing Shinji about Rei. Maybe if she continued, it'd end up giving him some sort of weird hope, setting him up for disappointment. There was no way Rei would be interested in boys like that. And even if she were, would the Commander approve? He was technically her guardian. Speaking of which, Rei might actually know something about what's really going on in NERV. She smirked mischievously at the thought—it'd be a new angle to try.
Once in HQ, she went straight into her office. She opened the duffel bag and put her things away, making sure the alcohol was tucked behind folded clothes.
Misato had decided to stay until late and get all the paperwork out of the way. Maybe she'd be able t spend some time with Shinji before the so called Angel of Flames comes. Tomorrow after school would be good, and it would also be the perfect excuse not to step in the Eva Cages or the Command Center and risk having Ritsuko anywhere near her.
She cracked her knuckles and started working. It'd be a long day at NERV.
"Sir?"
"What is it?"
"He's still in the parking lot."
"Has he made contact with anyone?"
"No sir, he seems to be just waiting, or thinking. It's been... 23 minutes."
"Hmm. Let him be. Let me know if he stays the night."
"Yes sir. Oda out."
The Section 2 agent put his phone away and returned the cigarette to his mouth. Perhaps subconsciously, he dragged from it in sync with his target. It was going to be a long shift, but at least the noon sky was overcast.
At ground level from the Katsuragi apartment, Kaji leaned on his commissioned light blue Kei Truck. He exhaled the last of the smoke and flicked the butt of his cigarette into a garbage bin 10 feet away, briefly smirking at the lucky shot. He took the steps over the elevator, the longer he could postpone this, the better.
As he reached the correct floor, he realigned his collar and pulled a breath mint from his shirt pocket. There was no going back. He was not going to become a different, better person, and Misato would have to deal with that. He would have to deal with that.
Kaji rang the doorbell and waited, swiping the sweat of his palms on his sides and putting up that manufactured smile he wore to work every day.
The door opened.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
"Hello there, Shinji," Kaji waved and then pulled on his shirt to draw the boy's attention to his NERV badge, "I'm Kaji, Misato's co-worker. Is she around?"
"Ah, yes... uh, come on in!" the boy fidgeted a bit and stepped back to let the man enter. Kaji raised an eyebrow. 'Is he always like this?' He thought as he crossed the threshold and took off his shoes. Shinji stopped a few paces from the living room and turned left. He gestured at the bean bag beside the living room table.
"Make yourself at home, I'll go get her."
Kaji nodded and walked into the room. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked through the balcony windows. His thoughts eventually wandered to the differences between Tokyo-3's city landscape, St Petersburg's and Berlin's. The agent had been travelling so much in the past few weeks that he wasn't really able to relax and take it all in. As if to prove a point, his thoughts were interrupted by a startling "He's here?!" coming from the adjacent room. He swallowed.
The sounds of furniture bumping around and Shinji's muffled reply were followed by the door sliding open. In came a very flustered Misato; she'd hastily put on her red NERV-issued jacket on top of a loose yellow blouse despite the afternoon heat.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing in my home?" She strode in and poked Kaji on the chest with an index finger. Shinji knew what was good for him and immediately scurried to his room, S-DAT player in hand.
"Katsuragi, how are you doing?" he replied nonchalantly.
"No, none of that. What are you doing here? And how long have you been in Japan? You know what? Don't tell me, I don't care." She crossed her arms and turned away. She saw light rain peppering the balcony windows.
"You don't care? Really? Well, I must say I'm hurt!" He scoffed as he dramatically put his hands over his chest.
"Ugh, You're such an idiot!"
"Come on, Katsuragi. Listen, we don't need to talk about us–"
"There is no 'us'! do you hear me?"
"S-Sure." He raised his hands in defeat. Misato's glare softened at the slight waver in his voice. "No need to talk about... that. We should focus on the information I discussed with Ikari. Can we at least do that?"
"Haven't kicked you out yet, have I?" Misato glared at him. She sighed loudly and walked towards the kitchen, gesturing him to follow. She then opened the fridge and took a beer, stopping for a moment and letting the cool air hit her chest. The jacket was a bad idea, not kicking him out was a bad idea, the things she was feeling were a bad idea. She could hear a chair scrapping the wooden floor as he pulled it. His breathing sounded uneven, maybe tense. She sighed again.
"Are you in danger?" She stared at a magnet on the freezer, her tone flat.
"In a sense we all are."
Misato shook her head and smiled sardonically. 'Vague as usual'. She took a second can of Yebisu and closed the fridge door with her hip. She handed him a can and sat down.
"How long have you known? And don't you dare lie to me." Misato asked. Kaji opened the can while still looking at her.
"Not for long. Yes, I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to make a move until I knew for sure." He took a sip of beer before continuing: "As recently as twenty years ago, the UN had no enforcement mechanism. Hell, even America alone was more powerful than it, both militarily and economically. And then, Second Impact happened. The greatest catastrophe the world had ever known, billions killed, all supply chain and transport routes forever changed."
"And yet, not even four years later, Gehirn is already miles ahead of CERN in funding and international backing, with even Russia and China sending them blank checks for their Artificial Evolution lab."
"Okay? What are you getting at?"
"I'm saying it all happened fast, too fast. This SEELE organization, I assume Ritsuko told you about their... Involvement with Second Impact?"
"Yes." She made slow circles against the rim of the can with her index finger. Her eyes narrowed. "You're saying it was planned, that it was a long time coming."
Kaji nodded. "I know it sounds demented, and to be honest I wasn't going to tell you until I had more proof, but then the new set of scrolls appeared." He shook his head and drank from the can.
"After what Ritsuko told me, hardly anything would surprise me." Misato chuckled, then chugged the entire beer in one go before putting the can aside. There was no celebratory whoop this time. "What happens now?"
"Things are only going to get more complicated. Section 2 won't bug this place, I made sure of that, but that doesn't mean Ikari trusts us. And, frankly, I don't think we should trust him either. I suspect he and Ritsuko only brought us into his plan because the game has changed, maybe he doesn't feel like he can fight SEELE on his own, given the circumstances."
"And what about these new scrolls, and the rest of the angels?"
"I can't tell you. Not yet."
Misato frowned and opened her mouth, but he cut in: "I've told you this much already because I knew you wouldn't be able to stand still, not after what you've had to live through. Believe me, I feel the same way. But your position at NERV is much more important. We need you in charge of the pilots to fight the angels. If you're replaced, we don't know who SEELE or Ikari might put in as OD. Don't give them an excuse to push you out."
Misato stood up looking frustrated. Kaji looked at her attentively. After a moment, she went for another beer and sat down again.
"And you? Ritsuko wants me to just go along with this nonsense. Do you also expect me to be NERV's puppet while you go off to play secret agent?"
"Actually, about that... I need a favor." He scratched the back of his head.
"Of course you do," she spat while pulling the tab on the can.
"It's about Asuka." he looked down to the table. Her expression softened.
"Is she okay? Ritsuko told me she's coming to Tokyo-3 soon."
"Yes, and I'd like for her to move in here with you."
"Huh? why here?"
"Like I said, Ikari won't be bugging the place. Plus, she needs the company, her attitude's getting worse."
"Really? She was already uh, a handful," She said before drinking again.
"You have no idea. I think spending some time in a normal home, interacting with people her own age will do her good. And yes, I need to go back to Europe and I don't trust Ikari, she'll probably end up living somewhere inside the NERV complex if we don't intervene."
"Essentially making her a hostage." Misato nodded in understanding. The wall clock ticked a few times before she spoke again. "Alright, I'll take her in. But I'm doing this for her, not for you."
"That's quite alright." Kaji nodded and stood up. "My time is almost up, gotta prepare for the flight. For whatever it's worth, I know we're just springing this on you, and I'm sorry about that."
Misato looked at him. She studied his unkempt hair, his wrinkled shirt and stubbled face. Behind him, a foot disappeared behind the corner. She sighed.
"Well, whatever. Thanks for coming by, I guess."
"Yeah." Kaji's lips curved upwards slightly. She walked him back to the entrance. He put on his shoes and popped his collar, the rain was still beating softly on the door.
"It was nice seeing you Katsuragi, really," Kaji said while looking over his shoulder.
"Thanks," she said, her arms still crossed.
She closed the door behind him. Once back in the kitchen, Shinji stared at her with an empty glass in his hand, in a pose akin to a deer in headlights.
"Misato–"
"Were you eavesdropping?"
"Ah, sorry, no, I mean... I just wanted some water."
"What did you hear?" She took his glass and walked to the kitchen.
"Something about a girl moving in. Is she also a pilot?"
"Yes. She either stays with us or it'll be up to NERV to locate her somewhere else in town. I do want her to stay but there's very little room. We'd have to make the storage closet into a bedroom or something." She filled the glass and put it in the table in front of him.
"Please, could you do it?" He looked down.
"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow. He lifted his head to face her.
"Have her come and live here. N-Not because she's a girl or anything! it's just..." Shinji became flustered and raised his hands in front of him. Misato suppressed her usual reaction. This gave Shinji time to collect his thoughts. He took the glass of water and gave it a drink before continuing:
"Uh, Misato, do you know where Ayanami lives?"
"Yeah. Well, I know the address, but I've never been. What does that have to do with this?"
Shinji sat down and explained in excruciating detail just how bad Rei's apartment and the surrounding area were. While a bit skeptical of the magnitude of the problem, Misato knew Shinji had no reason to lie about something like this, and having Rei live in such squalor would easily align with how much of a cold bastard the Commander seemed to be.
"I don't know why Rei lives this way, but if the new pilot is gonna be sent to a place like that... No one deserves that."
Misato put her hand on her chin. To demand that Rei be moved on top of asking for Asuka's custody was probably too much. Ritsuko and Gendo were probably still wary of her knowing some of their dirty secrets. Anything that could be misconstrued as her making sudden, rash decisions was a bad idea. She glanced at Shinji and realized he was still expecting an answer.
"I'll see what I can do. About Rei, I mean. In the meantime, let's make sure Asuka gets here safe and sound, okay?"
"Yes, thank you." Shinji smiled and Misato returned the gesture.
"Oh my God, really?!" The exasperated teenage girl crossed her arms as the weatherwoman on screen showed a map of Japan with several blue and red concentric waves surrounding it.
A peppy ringtone blared from her pocket and she picked up without checking the number.
"Hello?"
"How are you doing? Any problems?"
"Never, you know I always behave."
"Right, just making sure."
"But, what is this about Japan having a cold wave? I'm gonna have to choose my wardrobe from scratch, you know?"
"Wardrobe? But your flight is still a couple of weeks away."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm just so excited to see you again! You'll be in Japan, right Kaji?"
"Ah, it's likely, yes. But you have to promise me you'll be good to Misato, alright?"
"Fine, whatever. Is the Third Child still living with her?"
"Yes, why?"
"Oh nothing, I just wanna see what the fuzz is all about." She chuckled. "They'll probably discard him once they see me in action." She puffed her chest and put her free hand on her hip, "Is Unit-02 ready for transport?"
"You know we can't talk about that here. Listen, I gotta go, I just wanted to make sure you're alright."
"Well, that's fine. I guess you're busy." she pouted and flicked her hair. "But you're gonna take me out for dinner when I'm there, right?"
"We'll see, I know a few good places. Gute Nacht, Asuka."
"Gute Nacht, Kaji," she cooed at him before hanging up.