Another day, another test to perform for NERV.

Shinji pressed the button on his wrist, the plugsuit tightening against his skin. He thought about his fears for the moment. He should be relieved over not having to go to school, not having to see Suzahara or anyone who would know him. It'd just hurt to be around them. However, Shinji wasn't really put at ease over this newfound "freedom."

It just meant more and more of his time would be spent at NERV. More of his self given up to the organization, to his father. He hated having anything to do with him.

As far as Shinji was concerned, Misato was the only good thing about NERV. She protected him, cared about him, even though he didn't deserve it. He was glad to be living with her, now he knew for sure. Misato was the only one that had made him feel welcome and wanted in this machine city. The way she held him was like…

He breathed, trying to will the blush from his face.

"I mustn't run away." Shinji told himself. "I have to listen to her."

He stood up from the bench and opened the door. Misato was outside waiting for him, as she made a habit of doing since he arrived.

"There you are." She smiled. "Ready to go?"

Shinji nodded. The pair proceeded toward the Eva cages. Ordinarily, Shinji would be performing a sync test by himself. However, Misato came to him with some good news.

"You won't be alone in the fight anymore, Shinji." Misato said. "You're gonna get a partner out in the field!"

"… Am I?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Remember why you were brought in? Our other pilot was too injured to fight in the Eva? Well, she made a successful recovery and is cleared for duty. Her name is Rei Ayanami."

An odd sensation came over Shinji. He felt something at the edge of his mind, but he wasn't sure what exactly.

"Rei Ayanami…?"

"Be gentle with her." Misato didn't notice anything strange from his tone. "From what I've seen, she's a bit of silent obedient type. You say the right words and she might fall for you!"

He sputtered from her words, which made Misato laugh. Shinji made things too easy for her! As they approached Unit 01's cage, they were greeted with an unusual sight.

"Commander Ikari?" Misato saluted her superior officer. "You're here, sir?"

Gendo waved his gloved hand, pointedly ignoring the scowl on his son's face.

"At ease, Captain. I was just escorting the First Child to her Entry Plug. Rei, this is the Third Child"

Shinji turned his head to face the pilot. He couldn't prevent the gasp that escaped his lips.

How could he, when the First Child fundamentally should not be?

Her unusual features covered the truth rather well. Rei Ayanami had blue hair, red eyes and palest skin he had ever seen that matched her plugsuit. As if she hadn't even touched the sun in over twenty years. There was the odd swelling around the eye and neck, most likely from whatever incident landed her in the hospital. Anyone would marvel at the odd stranger's exotic qualities.

Shinji, however, could see the resemblance underneath. He thought he was seeing a ghost that should have moved on long ago.

"Pilot Ikari, this is the First Child." Gendo continued. "She'll be joining you for sync tests and future battles."

Gendo turned around and left. Rei saluted the Captain and Shinji without much enthusiasm.

"Ready to report for duty, Ma'am."

Misato saluted back. "Good luck on the test."

Shinji continued to stare at Rei even as she left without pause. Misato noticed, wondering what was on his mind. She raised an eyebrow.

"You got eyes on her already, huh?"

He shook his head violently. No blush on him this time, which raised her intrigue.

"Nothing like that, exactly." Shinji looked down. "I don't think I can explain here."

"Alright." Misato nodded. "Maybe you could tell me over dinner? Hope you don't mind Ritsuko coming over. She's been itching for real food and, well, she isn't the biggest fan of my curry."

He narrowed his eyes. "No one's a fan of toxic waste."

"Ooooohhh you little twerp!"

Managing to avoid getting a noogie, Shinji sat in the plug. He followed Ritsuko's instructions and tried to clear his mind for the sync test. However, he found he couldn't maintain full focus on his job.

Not when he could see Rei Ayanami's face on the computer screen.

Shinji had to make sure. He needed to check his photos. It had to be some kind of coincidence or mistake, because otherwise the implications made his stomach churn. Who was this girl? What is she? Why did she look exactly like her?

'Father, what have you done?'

He didn't have a high opinion of his father. He shouldn't really. He had done nothing to earn it. However… Rei ended her sync test faster than he did. Shinji witnessed his father greet Rei in person. In sharp contrast to their natures, both of them smiled and talked amongst each other as if nothing happened. There was an intimacy there that he was not privy to.

His fist clenched in hatred.

Shinji rubbed the sign with a small fondness.

Attached to the door of his room was a heart shaped note written by Misato. It read "Shinji's Lovely Suite~" with a dozen hearts and a lipstick stained kiss on it. Shinji couldn't help but feel touched by her gesture. It was one of the ways he felt welcomed into her life. He wished he thought of a gift for her. She deserved better. Much better.

"Shinji! Foooood!"

He blinked, having almost forgot about the dinner with Ritsuko. Well, at least he didn't have to think hard about how to please her. He marched over to the kitchen, where he fished out the curry from the pot. He dumped the contents onto Misato and Ritsuko's plates, rewarding their patience with his handiwork.

"Thank you for doing the cooking this time, Shinji." Ritsuko said. "I'd sooner trust Misato to learn driving safety than to cook."

"Hey!"

"She has you there." Shinji ribbed. He couldn't help but laugh at the pout on Misato's face. "What brings you here, Dr. Akagi?"

"Well, in addition to getting actual food for the first time in ages- dear god this tastes to fucking good- I actually came over to talk to Misato about the recent data we collected on the Angels."

"That so?" Misato paid her full attention. "What did you find?"

"As it turns out, we can't actually analyze what Angels are made of. Not with our technology anyway. However, we did learn they have an inherent wave pattern that's 99.89% similar to that of humans."

"No way! That's crazy!"

"Yes indeed. With the samples we collected from both Angels defeated, we might be able to find new ways to defeat them."

Shinji pretended to nod along, having tuned out the rest of that conversation. Being a pilot didn't come with any greater understanding of scientific acumen, and Shinji knew he wasn't smart like his co-workers. He trusted Misato and Ritsuko to know what they were talking about. If they didn't, he wouldn't be alive by now.

"Oh Shinji!" Ritsuko snapped her fingers, which startled him. She handed a card to him. "I forgot to deliver Rei's new ID. She's going to need it to enter the Geo-Front next time."

Shinji stared at the card. It had a picture of Rei Ayanami, much like his own. His face read as something not quite like contempt but not appreciative of the girl. Misato broke the odd silence by asking him-

"What's up?"

"… She looks like my mother."

Misato blinked. "Huh?"

He didn't answer her. Shinji ran over to his room. When he came back, Shinji went to Misato and showed her a picture he had carrying between his fingers. Ritsuko also took a peek, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"She has her face." Shinji said. "You see that don't you? The same nose, shape, the haircut, and… why? What's going on?!"

Misato noticed the way he clenched the card. She worried over his reaction even though she was just as confused over this new information.

"Why does she look like her?"

Ritsuko darted her eyes to the left, attempting to answer. "I am not sure why. Her history is a blank book, last I checked."

The similarities are undeniable though, which made Misato frown. Her opinion of the Commander, not particularly high as was, dipped ever so much lower. Especially as she knew one important detail Shinji didn't.

"Ritsuko, do you know anything about the Commander and Rei? He went to visit her every day at the medical ward as long as she was there."

Shinji's paranoia increased at this. "He did?!"

"Well… yeah, I have noticed the Commander is pretty attached to her." Ritsuko conceded, glowering at the dinner table. "The reason he wears gloves is because of her. He injured his hands trying to save her from Unit 01."

Misato and Shinji raised eyebrows at this.

"Unit 01?" Misato swore she was going to hear her hair out. That particular unit was always causing problems for her and the rest of NERV. "Why wasn't I told this?!"

"Wait, you didn't know?" Shinji was quite puzzled at her reaction. "Shouldn't you know something like that?"

"She wasn't the Operations Director at the time." Ritsuko explained. "We tried testing Rei with Unit 01 to see if they were fully compatible. She wasn't just rejected, the Unit… it went berserk."

"BERSERK?!" Misato yelled, slamming her hands against the table. "We had this problem and you didn't tell me?!"

Berserk mode? Eva? Shinji was confused by these terms.

"We didn't think it would amount to anything." Ritsuko nervously backed away. "Point is, during Unit 01's rampage it tried to claw out the entry plug with its hands. Rei was nearly crushed, but Commander Ikari managed to get her ejected. Due to the damage sustained, he has forbidden Rei from interacting with Unit 01. It… proved problematic for a number of reasons."

Shinji couldn't keep a comment from escaping. "Surprised he even bothered. He could have had a double."

"Shinji!"

Ritsuko shook her head. "Don't believe everything you hear. Rei is… well, she isn't exactly good at living."

After that disastrous dinner, Ritsuko gave them the directions to Rei's apartment and left. Misato made sure to watch Shinji settle into bed before shutting the door and picking a drink from the fridge.

She sat on the floor, watching the TV without real interest. She was thinking. Before, Misato hadn't put much stock to the rumors about the Commander. He was her boss and the leader of NERV. She may be the operations director, but he had final say on all missions. Accusing him of murder is gauche, especially with no proof. Since they rarely interacted, Misato shrugged any complaints off as irrelevant compared to saving humanity.

However… she was starting to believe Shinji might be onto something regarding his father. He didn't even deny Yui's death the first day didn't he? Pushing Shinji away, Unit 01's berserk mode always being a problem, everything with Rei…

Misato needed to have some questions answered.

The next day, Shinji took a trip to Rei's apartment.

He was slightly worried about meeting Touji on the way there, but thankfully he hadn't run into anyone from his school. He was going to be fine for now. Because he no longer had school to attend, Shinji took to wearing a casual red shirt and blue jeans when he walked outside at Misato's insistence. He couldn't disagree with her decision, he did feel more comfortable like this.

'Berserk...? Is the Eva... alive somehow?'

Misato seeemed to know what Dr. Akagi was talking about. He pushed the thought of his mind.

Without his SDAT player, Shinji was assaulted by the clangs of loud machinery. Evidently, the neighborhood Rei resided in was the pits of hell. Or an unfinished roadmap to there, given all the construction going on around him. There must have been more damage to this area compared to other parts of Tokyo-3, otherwise he didn't see as much work being done around his own part of town.

As he entered the worn our apartment complex where Rei supposedly lived, Shinji thought about his mother.

His memory of her was hazy, even with the help of pictures. He remembered her as a kind, loving woman that was unfortunately taken too soon. She was a scientist, she had these adult friends who played with him when she wasn't around. An old man, a woman with glasses, another woman with red hair in a bun, his father… his father who was never around even when Mother was. He was always away from him… and away from her too…

It was one of the reasons Shinji found it bizarre to find his Father apparently taking care of someone who looked so much like Mother. Why would his father, who seemed to avoid him and Mother, who killed her, even attempt to save Rei? Where were these emotions back then? Who IS Rei Ayanami to the Commander? Why care so much about her? Everything about her was so strange, and Shinji had no idea what to do or how to feel about her. Maybe this was a good place to judge her for himself.

He approached the door with trepidation. His hand reached to knock, only to push the door open.

"Huh?!" The door opened by itself, Shinji realized. "Why would Ayanami leave the door open like this?"

He stepped into the apartment. Very quickly, Shinji realized he would have to apologize to Misato later. Compared to how he found her apartment the first time, Rei's room was disgusting. So much trash, accumulated dust, barely any furniture, so little care for her own well being. It made his own self-esteem come across higher by comparison. Rei Ayanami was becoming stranger and stranger to Shinji every second. He disgusted by how filthy she lived.

"Ayanami!"

Shinji called out to her, but received no answer. His eyes darted around the room to find any trace of personality. He found it in a pair of glasses lying on the desk.

"Huh...?"

They were his father's. Of course they were his father's. They knew each other, they had rapport for far longer than Shinji knew. He might as well have been a father to Rei. Shinji wasn't offended, of course not! How could he? It's not like he cried for his father to come back and take him away from an empty house. It's not like he spent years thinking he was trash because he was abandoned. Convinced he was the problem and he had to prove himself.

No, no his Father had plenty of time to raise him. He rejected him and found a daughter he wanted. Rei Ayanami. Rei.

The name he would have been given if he were a girl.

He didn't even notice how he crushed the glasses in his hands. Instead, he felt bloody pain as the glass tore into his skin.

"GAH!"

He dropped the glasses to the floor. Shinji couldn't concentrate on anything. He didn't hear a door open behind him, just a voice calling to him:

"What are you doing here?"

Shinji turned. He found Rei staring at him, wearing nothing but a towel. He was too distracted by the pain to blush.

"YOU'RE NAKED!" Shinji said, hopping onto the bed. "GET CHANGED! I'm hurting, GOD!"

He looked at his shaking, bleeding hands. Misato taught him enough about first aid that he knew simply pulling out the glass would just make him bleed out faster. Bandages, where were bandages? He tried maintain steady breaths, ignoring the sound of clothing sliding over Rei.

"I have what you need. Stay still."

Her voice distracted him. He turned his head to find her rummaging through her desk. She found a box, taking out a roll of bandages. She walked to the bed, sitting next to Shinji.

"I will apply them to you." Rei ripped bandages from the roll. "Stay still. You will not be harmed"

She wrapped them around Shinji's hands. Despite the stinging he felt, Shinji appreciated how careful Rei was in applying the bandages. She made no noise or gave words of comfort, instead focusing on getting the job done. Even so, Shinji couldn't help but look at Rei.

Really look at her.

It was easy to mistake her for emotionless, but she wasn't. Her eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance. Her thin line of a mouth twitched ever downward. Her eyes sparkled at once with curiosity and a sense of violation. He did enter her home without warning, Shinji thought. She was identical to his mother that was unnerving, but she was colder than her. He was as unsettled by her as intrigued.

"Why did you touch the glasses?"

Shinji was startled by the question. He quickly recovered from his odd trance.

"I was wondering what they were."

"I see." Rei nodded. "They were a gift from your father."

He had to resist the urge to scowl at Rei's words. As she finished bandaging them, Shinji brought the hands close to himself.

"It was an accident, by the way." He told her. "I was supposed to deliver a new ID card to you, since your old one wasn't going to work."

Rei stared at him. "I see."

With his left hand, Shinji reached into his pocket to pull out the aforementioned card. He handed it to her.

"Thank you."

She was silent. Shinji shuffled underneath her piercing gaze.

"I… heard about the incident with Unit 01." He said. "Must have been scary for you. The Eva coming to life on its own…"

"I do not fear it." Rei shook head head. "The Eva is all I have. We have a mission to fulfill, as is your father's instructions."

"… So, no fear over working for him?" Shinji couldn't keep the frustration from his tone. "Did you know what happened to the last person who went near it?"

"You don't know the truth." Rei became visibly irritated. "Don't you have faith in your father's work?"

At that, Shinji glared at her in indignation.

"No! He killed Mother and forced me here! I don't have anyone because of him! I hate Father with every fiber of my being! If you know what's good for you, you should too-!"

She slapped him.

It came out of nowhere, quick and hard. He could already feel the reddening on his cheek. He felt a wave of feelings emerge fro the contact. He was infuriated. Confused. Disgusted.

Hateful.

Shinji saw red. Without thinking, no trace of hesitation, he curled his hand into a fist and struck her back.

He saw a trail of blood fly from her nose. He didn't remember when he stood up fro the bed, or how long he stood over her body on the floor. He didn't worry about hitting any spots where she had her previous injuries. He didn't care at all

She hit him for something he had right every right to fear.

She was not his mother. She was a thing his Father took home while he was left in the dust.

"Don't get near me again, you… you- FREAK!"

Doll was his first thought.

Shinji stormed off the apartment in a huff. He deliberately ignored the pained expression on her face as he did so. If she wanted sympathy, she shouldn't have angered him.

He wouldn't regret anything about today.

Not even an hour later, Shinji ate his own words.

He woke up in a hospital bed, under the familiar ceiling. Rubbing his eyes, Shinji could see the sun had turned red in the time he was asleep, and a burning pain seared his chest. The good news, as far as he was concerned, was that whatever operation they did on him, they removed the glass from his hands.

"Ow, ow…" He whispered to no one. "Last thing was… the Angel…"

In an instant, he remembered. As he was preparing for another sync test, the Fifth Angel arrived. He was sent up to fight it, but instead the Angel fired a beam of light that fried him into unconsciousness.

He distinctly remembered Misato yelling out his name.

Shinji touched his naked chest. He wanted to see her right now.

"I hope I didn't make Misato worry…"

"She is doing perfectly well without you."

His voice was the last Shinji wanted to hear. He swiftly turned to find the man hovering over his bed.

Gendo glared down at his son. Shinji glared back.

"Father."

"Rei told me about your little visit to the apartment. I'm disappointed In you."

"What about it?" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "I hurt your copy of mom, you're going to hit me yourself?"

As it turned out, Gendo did precisely that.

He slapped Shinji across the face. He was surprised at the attack, but only for a second. He tried to grab at his Father, but instead was pushed back to his bed through both hands.

"Shut up you insolent brat!" Gendo yelled at him. "Hate me for all you care, but you don't know the first thing about her. I suggest you avoid striking your fellow pilots out in the field."

Shinji grit his teeth. "Fuck you."

He rewarded with being slapped again.

"LISTEN." Gendo forced out. "I can't fire you, as you are needed to fight the Angels. However, if you so much as attempt to hurt Rei again, I will make sure you're taken out of Katsuragi's care and placed into solitary confinement for the rest of your time at NERV. Do you want that, Pilot? Do you want the caretaker I so gracefully given you to be taken away like that?"

For the first time, Shinji became painfully aware his Father was the Commander of NERV and not just a murderer he barely saw. He became afraid. His Father could rip him away from his first and so far only friend at NERV. Shinji swallowed a lump in his throat, along with his pride.

"N-no."

"I'm glad we have an understanding." Gendo pushed the glasses up. "Obey my orders without question. You will not strike Rei again."

A booklet was placed upon Shinji's lap. Gendo began to march out of the room.

"You will be needing these for the operation ahead. Don't move too much while in recovery. You will need your strength for tonight."

With that, the Commander left the room. Shinji glared after him.

"She has to be the Commander's pet. She has to be."

He decided to put this incident out of his memory. Shinji turned a page, eager to distract himself. The operation was Misato's idea, so it had to be a good one, right?

"I must admit Katsuragi, you have a knack for making the most ludicrous plans."

Misato shrugged. "It's the best idea we've got."

The fact that both statements were true. Operation Yashima was an utterly ludicrous idea, a plan that could only work on such short notice due to NERV's endless amounts of budget and resources. Even the MAGI only gave it a 1 percent chance it would actually work.

It was also the most Misato could come up with given the scope of their mission. The Fifth Angel was outside the compound, digging its way into NERV HQ. Anything that approached would get instantly vaporized, as what nearly happened to Shinji. Misato couldn't make it to the hospital to see him, as she had to "convince" investors to support her plan and surrender their weapon peacefully.

At least she managed to get the Commander to approve of the plan. Mary Iscariot needed a lot more convincing.

Within the large office of the Commander, it was just Misato and Iscariot. The Sub-Commander sat behind Gendo's desk, smirking at her underling like she knew everything that happened beneath their noses. Misato tried to ignore the empty environment around her, and the odd religious scribblings on the ceiling.

"How can we even assume the Angel will stay in motion? It blasts everything in sight according to the reports."

"We're keeping the Evas at a safe enough distance. Rei will carry the Positron Rifle due to her still recovering from her injuries, while Shinji will be her support."

"Unit 01 suffered damage didn't it? Shouldn't it take the lead?"

"Normally yes. But Shinji is uninjured, Rei… isn't. We need to keep that in mind."

Misato kept her mouth shut from saying more. She was told about Shinji's visit to Rei. Worried as she was about him, she was also disappointed in him. If Misato had the time and the situation wasn't so dire, she would have visited the hospital to scold him for his actions. No matter how weird Rei was being, it did not justify an assault like that.

Iscariot seemed to sense where her thoughts lied. "Something in the air, Captain? I understand your concern for Shinji, but I wouldn't worry too much about him. Or Rei for that matter. She knows how to handle things like a professional."

It was now or never, Misato decided. She needed to ask this before she lost the opportunity presented.

"… Sir." She dared to ask. "Who exactly is Rei Ayanami?"

"… Ah. That." Mary Iscariot tilted her head. "First time you asked about her."

"It's important." Misato stood her ground. "Shinji's interaction with her, it-"

"Dr. Akagi informed me about your little situation yesterday. She looks exactly like Yui Ikari and raised his suspicions?"

"Yes. Mine too, to be frank. Shinji showed me a picture. Comparing the two, they look absolutely identical. Considering her role in Project E, it can't be a coincidence."

Mary Iscariot nodded, agreeing with this logic. "Very true. And I assume you tried to look through her records to find out what Rei was."

Misato's eyes widened. She had been caught, and the woman's Cheshire Cat grin did not make her feel better.

"Yes."

"No worries, you're not in trouble." Iscariot laughed. "Normally this sort of thing would be classified information, but considering the Third Child's volatile reaction to her, and your role as Operations Director, you'll need to be informed about it sooner or later."

An unexpected surprise, but Misato didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. She paid attention to the Sub-Commander's words.

"Alright. So who is she?"

"Rei. Yes." Mary Iscariot tapped her chin. "You know how Asuka was grown in a test tube by her mother? Well, Rei is the same. She's a laboratory experiment, bred for the purpose of piloting."

So much about Rei made sense now. Misato couldn't help but hitch a breath at this new knowledge.

"What?"

"Yes. Yui was heavily involved in her creation, and volunteered her DNA to be used in the experiment. That's why they have identical looks. From a certain point of view, it can be argued that Shinji and Rei are siblings due to their shared parentage."

Mary scratched the back of her head.

"Or aunt? Or maybe she's his mother? She has all of Yui's DNA, but none of the Commander's. It's an odd situation to be honest."

"You're telling me." Misato's voice became cold. "He threw Shinji to the wolves, but raised her instead. What was he thinking?"

She was surprised by Mary's laugh that came out of nowhere. She was even more surprised when the Sub-Commander scowled.

"See, you say that, but raising her is really pushing what the Commander is actually doing. He dotes on her in much the way a teacher would a student. He has no qualifications to raise a child properly and he knows it. You think of how freaky Rei is right now, imagine what it'd be like if he raised Shinji himself? If the Commander and his son share anything in common, it's that they're not particularly good with people."

Misato hated how correct that observation was.

After a long moment, she turned around to leave. She had much to do before the operation.

"I'll talk to Shinji about the plan… and Rei. He won't be hitting her again."

"Perfect!" Mary clapped her hands together. "Get prepared Captain, the fate of the world is in your hands now."

Despite the large scale of the plan, the operation itself was fairly simple.

The Fifth Angel hovered above Headquarters with the intent to infiltrate it. The Angel was a diamond shaped monstrosity, shifting and transforming before everyone's eyes. A firm reminder that, despite the human connection present in them, they are distinctly alien. They had to be destroyed.

Two Evas would be on standby to do exactly that. Unit 00 handled the Positron Rifle, powered by energy from all over Japan. Unit 01 carried a shield to protect Unit 00 if the Angel attempted to blast them.

Despite the immense build up, the battle itself was short and decisive. Rei fired the Rifle. The Fifth Angel fired back, causing the beams to miss. Unit 00 was knocked to the knee. The Fifth Angel fired another shot, this time Unit 01 stepped in to take the blast.

In the middle of that, Unit 00 picked itself right back up and fired at the Angel again, this time getting a direct hit and killing it for good.

Taking the full brunt of the attack, Unit 01 fell to the ground. Shinji sat on the Entry Plug, drifting in and out of consciousness like in the first battle. He felt his arms and chest burn within the LCL. The liquid leaking out of the Entry Plug so quickly he didn't notice his breath in the air.

After an agonizingly long moment, Shinji recovered just enough of his sense to realize the plug door had opened.

"Huh… who…?"

The moonlight framed her in a beautiful way. Even the bandage over her nose didn't take away from her presence. Shinji couldn't help but appreciate Rei in such a moment, even if he couldn't stand to look at her right now. He glanced at her gloved hands, charred black.

"Your hands… they've been burnt."

"Yes." Rei agreed. "I had to work to set you free."

Even with the animosity building between them, he didn't feel like being ungrateful to her. "Ah… Thanks for saving me."

Rei smiled. It was a pretty one, the closest to his mother's visage she would ever get. Shinji wanted her to stop.

"…"

Shinji looked away from her. Rei's smile dropped in confusion.

"Pilot Ikari?"

"Why?" He asked her. "Why are you smiling?"

Rei was even more confused by this response. "The Commander smiled when he saved me. Should you not be relieved?"

Shinji fought the churning in his stomach.

"… I am. I just wished I was saved by an actual person, that's all."

The two stayed there for a few hours. Rei pulled Shinji out of the plug, and neither spoke for the duration. Finally, a car came to pick them up. Shinji was relieved that it was Misato rather than anyone else from NERV. They entered the car.

"Shinji." Misato's voice came from the front. "I heard about the incident at the apartment."

He had the decency to look ashamed. "Misato…"

"It's inexcusable, Shinji." She turned the rear mirror so that he can see her disappointed eyes. "I need you to apologize to Rei right now."

There was no arguing with her. Frankly, Shinji didn't want to get in trouble with her at all. He turned to Rei.

"I'm so-"

"I do not accept it." Rei said. "You've made your disdain quite clear. Captain Katsuragi, you do not need to worry. I will not let the incident affect our performance out in the field."

She truly did not care, did she? Misato simply nodded off, and drove them back to NERV. No other words were spoken during their trip.

Author's Notes:

We get to see more of Shinji having a temper. It's not necessarily a good thing, as was demonstrated. I want ask you, would you be okay with skipping Jet Alone or keeping it? It is a pretty pivotal episode when it comes to the Shinji and Misato relationship in the show to be fair.

Reviews:

engel17white: Pretty much. I'm sure Asuka'll have no trouble finding friends outside of NERV though.

QUICKM33MZ2005: I hope I didn't disappoint with the results. Thanks for the review! I'd like to know about that route in the game, maybe you could PM me?