Hello everyone, Calborghete here, how are you all? Here's another chapter for you.

Don't forget to like the page on Facebook, the direct link can be found on my Fanfiction profile page, or if you prefer, search for "Calborghete" and find an image of Shinji and Asuka. On this page I will post updates and it will also be easier for you to contact me.

So without further ado, read on.

"Dialogues"

- Thoughts -

"Radio Talk

"Self-talk."

Responsibility note:

Evangelion, its characters and setting are the property of Hideaki Anno. Any brands, films and series mentioned in this fanfic are the property of their creators.

(*)

Chapter 17

Slowly Shinji looked down at his hands, feeling them shaking with the anxiety that was taking over his body at the moment. Lighting a cigarette, he quickly inhaled a long puff of smoke in the hope of relieving the pain he felt in his heart, but even that didn't help.

"Why did Misato kill him?" the man asked himself, still anxious, but his mind screaming that she hadn't done it.

"She killed him because he was an angel." His father's voice echoed in his mind, Shinji closed his eyes in the hope of being able to ignore that voice as he always had, but now it was stronger, taking his hand and squeezing the space between his eyes he drank another shot of his drink.

"She wouldn't do that! Misato's not a monster!" He muttered to himself, but the voice became more agitated in his mind.

"She KILLED him!" His father shouted as he caught a flash of the face of the man who hated him most, clutching the glass tightly, Shinji threw it against a wall, feeling the voice in his mind give a lifeless laugh, he listened again.

"There's no point in running away from it Shinji, deep down she knows it's true, she'll do anything to keep control, nothing will change that."

"Shut up!" Shinji shouted as he closed his eyes, finally calming the voice in his mind, feeling calm flooding his body again. Shinji sat down on the chair in his apartment that he shared with Kaworu, but was now his alone and the feeling of loneliness took over his body, a feeling he hadn't felt for many years

Because it happened to you... Kaworu."

(*)

"Did the brat run home?" Asuka asked angrily as she finished her exams for battle, but why is she so angry, the redhead wondered?

"He's just lost his closest friend." Mari said as she crossed her arms against her chest, a downcast frown on her face as she thought about how he must be feeling right now, she knew what it was like to lose important people in your life, but now was not the time to think about herself.

"The angel had to play the hero! What are men thinking? First Shinji tries to be a hero and ends up destroying the world, then he does it again to fix it, now his idiot friend does it to defeat the enemy!" Asuka spoke with strong annoyance in her voice, but she was really wondering if she should go and talk to Shinji, but the feeling of fear gripped her body, why was she afraid?

"I don't know, but he saved Shinji's life and yours with that, too bad the snowball had to die so we could win, he really seemed like a good person." Mari said as she opened a snack and sat down in the corner chair, Asuka looked at her with disgust, how could she eat at a time like this?

Mari seemed to notice the look on Asuka's face as she ate her snack, and with a sad smile she spoke.

"I eat when I'm upset, no wonder I didn't know that princess." Mari spoke with a false smile as she ate some more. Asuka gave her a sour look as she sensed the enmity in Mari's voice, but now was not the time to fight.

"I wonder how the idiot is doing?" Asuka asked as she became worried, even though she didn't like Kaworu she knew he was her safe haven, even though she didn't like the sound of those words, Mari looked at the piece of snack in her hand, with a dejected sigh she spoke.

"I know what it's like to lose loved ones in your life, he must be devastated." Said the brunette as she remembered her past, especially after waking up to discover that her best friends were dead, struggling to keep her tears under control as she spoke again.

"He... he doesn't trust us, he's lost his only friend and... and it must be hard."

"But he still has us!" She remembered the night she had spent with Shinji in his apartment and all the touching and caressing they had exchanged, but was that a good thing? Because they still hadn't talked about it.

Mari looked at Asuka with sad eyes, she ate some more as she spoke.

"I know that princess, but he doesn't see it that way, for Shinji all the people are manipulating him, that's easy to see... just look into his eyes." Asuka looked at Mari frightened, sometimes her friend had a gift for seeing people's emotions, sadly Mari continued.

"He thinks so, everyone is plotting something around him... Remember when you told me that he believes you and KenKen were together the night you spent together?"

Asuka's eyes widened as she remembered the night she made love to Shinji, she remembered his eyes when she asked about Kensuke, even though she said that their relationship was just a friendship, nothing more than that, Mari smiled sadly as she realized that she was right.

"Do you think I'd sleep with the idiot just to keep him on our side?" Asuka asked offended, but she knew that Mari didn't think that of her, but she still had to speak to relieve the anger in her body, how could others think like that? The redhead thought angrily, especially Shinji.

"I didn't say that princess, I only said that he must think that... because people still talk around him about the past, especially those who survived the third impact, Shinji is not an idiot, remember Midori?"

"That bitch! She got what she deserved!" Asuka growled as she remembered when a group tried to kill Shinji, clenching her hands in anger she calmed down.

Mari let out a long sigh at the thought of it all, looking sadly at her now empty lunchbox as she slowly crumpled it up and threw the now useless plastic in the trash.

"The puppy is in serious trouble."

Asuka moved uncomfortably next to Mari, she felt her face heat up at the thought in her mind.

"Do you think... do you think I should go and talk to him?"

Mari looked at Asuka when she saw her getting embarrassed, and with a feline smile she spoke with amusement.

"Talk to him?"

Asuka blushed even more at the implication, speaking angrily she replied.

"Four eyes!"

"Calm down princess, I would never suggest that you would want to have sex with him, especially him in such a vulnerable state that he would surely agree to do all your strange fetishes." Mari still spoke with her cat-like smile on her face, her voice clearly showing that she wasn't believing her words one bit.

"Do you think I would take advantage of him in such a deplorable state!" Asuka said irritated and embarrassed, Mari laughed beside her which only irritated her even more.

"Okay okay... now let's get serious." Mari calmed down as she thought again, then she looked at Asuka standing with her arms crossed in front of her, and with a downcast look she spoke.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?" Asuka asked now annoyed, but she could see that Mari was serious, even in the Wunder days she asked for advice, even though she never admitted it, but Mari always knew what to say.

Mari shrugged as she spoke honestly.

"The puppy is in a very bad state, I think that when he sees you he would have an attack of jealousy because of your relationship with Kensuke or whatever, but I don't think that's a smart idea, at least not now."

"Do you think I have something with Kensuke? Fuck, even you Mari!" Accuses Asuka angrily, she was beginning to believe that Kensuke had said something behind her back for everyone to deduce it, but that thought would be left for later.

"No Asuka, I'm just wondering how Shinji would think in a situation like this, he's accused you of this before." Mari said tiredly, she didn't want to have this conversation again, but it seemed that Asuka had to listen.

"That's your problem Asuka, you always see things from your perspective, I try to see a situation through other people's eyes, Shinji is jealous of his past with Kensuke and now he's on a spree of believing everything his mind tells him." Mari stopped when she saw Asuka listening intently, she knew her long-time friend well.

"Now everything around him must be screaming that he must be the next to die or that anyone is manipulating him to pilot unit 01, I don't think that should have changed now."

"But... but Kensuke and I have nothing." Asuka spoke softly, she thought about Mari's words and once again her friend was right.

"But Shinji doesn't believe that, remember when KenKen didn't say that he called him a corner and confronted him about his past with you? Now he shouldn't believe anything else." Mari said as she sipped her cola.

"That brat is still going to give me a good explanation about this!" Asuka fumed as she remembered when Kensuke had told her about this incident, even though he had made her promise not to take it out on Shinji.

"And what are you going to do? Go over there and punch him in the face and want an explanation?" Mari said as she took another sip of her soft drink, then she spoke more calmly.

"And another thing, it would be good to wait to have this conversation, with the puppy still fragile from this whole situation, it wouldn't go well, believe me, I think we should leave the puppy alone for a while, maybe tomorrow we'll talk to him."

Asuka turned and looked at Mari, she wanted to fight, but her mind wouldn't say anything, letting out a small sigh she turned and walked out of the hospital.

"Where are you going?" Mari asked, smiling when she saw Asuka leaving like that, crumpling up her can and throwing it into a common trash can. She could see the redhead's tense back.

"HOME!" Asuka shouted as she picked up her backpack containing some things she thought were important, Mari let out a mirthless laugh as she spoke.

"Ritsuko won't like it if we skip the post-battle debriefing."

"She can kiss my ass." Asuka gave a sour smile as she walked out of the door, Mari laughed at this, slowly she went back to studying the things around her, letting out a sigh as she thought back to everything that had happened on this shitty day.

Finally returning to the real world, she headed towards the intelligence sector, with a small thud she sat down in a chair and waited, already knowing how the protocols worked, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, she didn't even care how long she sat in the chair, Mari let herself be carried away by her memories, with a smile she remembered Yui and Kyoko, how she wished she could be back in the old laboratories.

"Pilot Makinami, Subcommander Akagi wants to see you." A young secretary said, her eyes searched for Asuka, but she didn't find her, Mari smiled at seeing this small act, calmly she got up and entered the room, she could see the fake blonde with a strong frown on the other side of the table, she could notice that some people in the room were missing, but she didn't care.

"Where's Shikinami?" The doctor asked as she looked for a redhead, Mari smiled as she waved her hands dismissively.

"I don't know, she said she wanted to leave and she did."

Clasping her hands in front of her face, Ritsuko knew how important these reports were in order to know exactly what had happened in the battle. She took a deep breath to calm herself down as much as she could in a situation like this, and Mari, still smiling, added more fuel to the fire.

"Boss stop it, you know it wasn't that big a deal, now let's get it over with, I'm hungry."

"Makinami, this isn't just an interrogation, we have to make the most of it while the memories are fresh in their minds! That way we'll know better how to act in the bloody future!" The doctor growled as she tried to calm down again, but Mari only shrugged as she smiled.

"If you say so."

With a final sigh, Ritsuko, knowing that this conversation would be useless, quickly opened her personal notebook and looked at Mari.

"Let's start, during the battle do you know what happened to your EVA?"

"Look, I don't really have much to tell you, in the battle my EVA was working properly, the angel somehow had very tough skin, there was nothing I could do to hurt him." Mari explained as honestly as possible, for her a defeat was no big deal.

"But your psychographers went crazy when that thing somehow communicated with EVA, do you remember anything in particular that could help?" Ritsuko asked in her professional manner, Mari looked around the corner of the small room hoping to find something useful, which the angel tried to do.

"Well, he kind of tried to do something in my mind, but it didn't work."

"What did he try?" Asked the blonde with genuine interest, Mari shrugged as she thought it over. She didn't want to reveal that it had been one of her friends from her old life, so she thought she'd try to change that without it seeming like a lie.

"First he tried to convince me that I was in a beautiful area, like a beach or a children's playground, even the sensations in my body felt real, but I'm fucking smart so it didn't work for me." Mari speaks arrogantly as she touches her long hair.

"Go on." Said the doctor without caring about this display of arrogance, she was very concerned about the effects the angels could have on humans.

"He then appeared as one of my childhood friends." Mari spoke as her voice deepened, something the doctor realized, focusing her sharp eyes as she waited for any other relationship Mari might have.

"He came up with some crazy idea that I was going to be some kind of savior of the lilin race, he wanted me to help him cleanse the earth of original sin, but I just threw it in his face that it wouldn't be possible, that there was no point in trying, that I knew about these little mind games and it was a very low blow to use an image of a dear old friend of mine."

"Did he try to make you comfortable, to get what he wanted?" The blonde asked calmly, but her voice contained interest.

"We can say that, yes, he wanted it, but you could tell it was fake, at least that's what it seemed like, you know, it's not very common for things to change around you, it kind of loses the magic of it." Mari said amusedly, something that made Ritsuko roll her eyes.

"After that, what happened? Did the angel willingly accept that you rejected his advances?"

"No, he's pissed!" Mari laughed, she lost her smile as she remembered the pain she had felt when the angel had attacked her mind, then she spoke again in a calmer voice.

"He came at me, punched me hard in the face and threatened me in the worst ways in the world, but I knew it was just threats from a school bully, I kind of fought with him and woke up in my EVA." Mari said as she shrugged, Ritsuko still looking at her calmly.

"You know, kind of being torn in half and stuff." Mari said smiling, but she soon lost her smile as she remembered Kaworu's death.

"That's when I heard about the snowball."

"Yes, his death is kind of... kind of sad, so to speak." Ritsuko spoke with a slight pain in her voice, she didn't want to say it, but Kaworu had never shown himself to be untrustworthy and the impact of having an angel to study would be good for her research.

"Anything else, boss? I really want to go home and maybe eat something decent." Mari said as she remembered Asuka and Shinji, she wanted to be close by for anything that might or might not happen.

"Yes, you're dismissed, but warn Asuka and Shinji that if they do anything like that again your permission to fly will be suspended." Ritsuko warned, hoping to be intimidating, but as usual Mari shrugged.

"Cut the boss some slack, he's lost a loved one and as for the princess, she's always been like that and this behavior is no surprise." Mari said as she got up from her chair and headed for the door, leaving the fake blonde with a smoky look on her face.

"That's not the point Mari, we have rules and they have to be followed." Said the doctor angrily.

"And another thing, Shikinami still has the contamination in her eye, if the angel accessed it it could have contaminated her whole body, we have to keep an eye on Asuka's condition!"

"Okay, okay." Mari gestured with her hands, clearly showing her fear and respect for the threats, then turned and flashed the woman her best smile and spoke as she made a gun gesture with her hand.

"But I'll tell her your verbal warning."

Smiling when she saw that she had only irritated the fake blonde even more, she gestured with her hands and left the room, losing her smile as soon as she entered the WILLE corridor. She hated to think about Asuka's contamination, she insistently searched for some procedure that could be used to remove this parasite from Asuka, but so far nothing had come to mind.

With long, heavy strides she walked out of the large facility, her mind thinking about everything that had happened, she still felt sad that she had to see Yui again the way the angel had shown her, but she knew that this was just the angel's manipulation, she longed for all the times she would ask the two of them for advice, smiling again she went home

(*)

BEFORE

Rei found herself in front of Shinji's apartment, Kensuke had informed her that he had gone home after the battle, she thought about what she could say to help in a situation like this, but nothing came, but her heart said it was right to be there, in her hands she had a small envelope containing a document showing the blood relationship between them, she wanted to ask if now was the time to tell Shinji, would it help him not to feel so alone?

Taking a deep breath she knocked on the iron door feeling anxiety take over her body, she waited, the sound of footsteps could be heard on the other side, Rei felt her body getting even more tense, soon the sound of the door opening revealed Shinji still dressed in his plug suit.

"Rei? What are you doing here?" Shinji asked dejectedly when he saw the girl, he wanted to be alone, but at least Rei had never judged him before.

"I wanted to see how you were." The girl replied calmly, her eyes focusing on Shinji's blue irises calmly, she didn't know what to do.

"I see, did Misato send you here?" Shinji spoke angrily as he thought of the woman and her fears, she would surely have sent someone to control me. Shinji thought angrily and sadly.

Rei noticed Shinji's mood getting low and irritated, but kept his cool.

"No, I came because Lieutenant Aída gave me permission, he wanted to see how you were."

Nodding at the thought, Shinji wanted to complain about Rei being around Kensuke, but he was too depressed to do so.

"Right, do you want to come in? I might have some tea." Shinji asked as he turned and walked back into the apartment that was now his alone. Rei didn't even answer as she started walking behind him, with the delicacy of a ballerina she removed her shoes and walked almost in complete silence inside, being able to see that the apartment was practically lifeless.

A few seconds later Shinji returned with a small glass of tea, taking a sip and realizing that this tea wasn't made right now, she didn't mind, after a few seconds of analyzing the surroundings, Rei spoke.

"How are you?"

Shinji looked up to see her pick up a cigarette and smoke it slowly, he wished he could resist, but he knew Rei deserved an answer at least, he felt a connection with this mysterious woman.

"Kaworu was my only real family, he helped me when no one else would, he gave me a chance for a fresh start and now he's dead." Shinji spoke quietly, his voice showing a deep sadness, but there were no more tears to come out, Rei looked at him sadly, she was judging whether to talk about the blood relative they both shared, but was now the time to talk?

"I shouldn't have come back, the angel... the angel was going to make me choose."

"Choose?" Rei asked curiously, she had seen the battle but not been in it, Shinji slowly nodded calmly, his mind recalling every pain he had felt.

"Yeah, my EVA was locked, the angel was attacking me and all I could do was watch, he practically told me that one was going to die, Kaworu, or Asuka... he was going to make me choose between the two." Shinji speaks with a dead look in his eyes, Rei still hasn't removed his eyes.

"He was going to make me choose between the two of them, two souls that I love... but Kaworu as always protected me from that, but at what cost? What price was charged for that? I still don't understand it." Shinji spoke again as he smoked more.

"Why does the world keep taking away the people I love? Now I'm alone."

Clenching her hands in anxiety, Rei squeezed the envelope tighter, finishing her tea, she slowly looked at the now lifeless glass.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you should be grateful."

"Grateful?" Shinji asked wryly, he didn't want to get angry with Rei, using all his remaining strength to keep what little calm he had left.

"Yes, Kaworu made the greatest sacrifice so that you wouldn't have to choose, he didn't think about the world, he didn't think about anything but you, so you should be grateful that he made that choice for you." Rei explained her point, she understood what Kaworu had done, she herself wouldn't have hesitated to do the same thing for the people she loved, even if she knew it would hurt.

Shinji was silent as he thought about it, she would never recover if she had killed Kaworu or Asuka, finishing his cigarette he looked at Rei as he became emotional, but he didn't cry.

"Maybe, but even so... I wish it had been me instead, Kaworu deserved to be alive, not me."

"You're wrong, you deserved to be alive... just like Nagisa." Rei replied with conviction, then looked down more calmly.

"But please, it hurts me to see you like this."

Shinji looked at the girl as she smiled, he had always felt a strong connection with Rei, at least someone still cared about him after all.

"Thank you Rei, thank you for caring."

"I'm glad my presence helped you." Rei said smiling shyly, then she stood up as she had to go back to the base, Shinji stood up with her as he escorted her out, finally ready to go she turned around, handing the small envelope to Shinji who looked at it doubtfully.

"What's that?" He asked as he felt the weight, he had no real interest in the contents, but it could be important.

"Something I've wanted to give you for a long time, take your time, open it when you're ready... it's not important, just some information that I think you deserve to know." Rei explained as she became serious, Shinji could see that she was anxious, but she wasn't going to press.

"Okay... thanks for that."

"Take care Shinji, I know I'm not good at social interaction, but whenever you want to talk, come and see me." Rei replied with a shy smile on her face.

"I know, and I appreciate it."

"Again, be well." She said as she left the house, hearing the sound of the door closing behind her, Rei turned her head to see Asuka staring at her in surprise, she felt her body tensing up at this, she still didn't understand why Shinji cared so much about this woman, but for her brother's sake she wasn't going to speak, with slow steps she started her way back to WILLE.

SECONDS BEFORE

Asuka slowly stopped in front of her door, looking away she focused her gaze on the door that belonged to Shinji's apartment, she felt an internal struggle as she wondered if she should go and see him or try to help in some way, but she didn't have the courage to do it, finally picking up her keys she was ready to enter the house, but she heard the sound of a door opening.

Looking to the side she opened her eyes wide at the sight of a person she swore she wouldn't see in a situation like this, coming out of Shinji's apartment a girl with blue hair and red eyes, Asuka felt her keys fall to the floor as she saw Rei with a shy smile on her face.

Walking towards the corridor Rei was about to pass Asuka when a redhead blocked her, feeling jealousy begin to take over her body at this moment, her mind creating a thousand scenarios for what had happened inside that apartment.

"What was the doll doing there?"

Rei looked at Asuka with her intense red eyes, a moment when both women stared at each other intensely, blue and red.

"I was comforting Shinji-kun." Rei spoke simply without caring about Asuka's anger, for her Shinji was more important than the bullying he was suffering.

Opening her eyes wide and feeling her eye patch burning with the anger that had built up inside her, her mind again creating countless situations and all of them she hated, even though she knew that Rei and Shinji were technically brothers, she didn't know if Rei knew that and in anger she grabbed Rei by the collar of her shirt who glared at her angrily and jealously.

"You slut! Taking advantage of him like that!"

Rei looked at her without bothering, she spoke as she grabbed Asuka's wrist and loosened her grip, feeling anger at Asuka's words, the redhead hissed in pain at the strong grip Rei gave her, she had anger in her eyes at being bothered by this, she already had the slightest knowledge about her past with Yui and was happy to discover that she had something special with Shinji, but it was still a secret to the others.

"I didn't take advantage of him! And I'm not a doll! I was just helping someone dear to me in a time of sadness." Rei let go of Asuka's wrist as she returned to her more calm posture as everyone knew it.

Asuka wanted to massage her sore wrist, but her strong pride wouldn't allow it. She wanted to punch that doll in her pale face, but she knew that would only make things worse for Shinji.

"You've got guts for a doll."

Rei had heard enough, she began to leave the apartment complex, she didn't want to abuse the privilege that Kensuke had given her to leave his service, calmly she began to walk, but not before speaking with venom in her voice, even though she didn't mean to.

"You say I'm taking advantage of him, but where were you when he was crying? You only look for him when you're in trouble, but when he needs you? Then I'm taking advantage."

"I strongly recommend deciding what you want Shikinami, you can't hate and love Shinji at the same time, it's only hurting him."

Asuka wanted to fight, but her body froze, she stared as Rei turned again and walked away, she clenched her hands as she became irritated with her thoughts, you're already stealing my friend from me? Now you want to steal my man! the redhead thought angrily, finally taking control of her body again, she grabbed her keys as she opened the door to her house.

Walking and removing her shoes, Asuka didn't even bother to announce herself, as usual the apartment was empty, with heavy steps she went to the kitchen and got a beer, angrily she drank it all before taking her anger out on the aluminum can.

"How does that slutty doll have the nerve to call me a pimp?"

But deep down she had the answer, since the night they had spent together they had exchanged a few words in the corridors or at training, nothing more. This thought made Asuka even more angry with herself, she didn't want to admit that she was afraid of trying to get close to Shinji again, to put an end to the jealousy he felt towards Kensuke, but she knew that this would only lead to more fighting and that wasn't the solution for the moment.

Finally calming down, she looked at the door to Mari's room, knowing that there were files there that contained some information about the past of this woman who was her mother, losing her expression as she wondered what it would be like if she had been by her side, what a mother would have told her?

Slowly making her way to Mari's room, she picked up the box containing the information she wanted so much to explore. Sitting down on her friend's bed, she entered the password and picked up the contents inside, especially the photo of her mother, Mom, what do I have to do? Asuka asked for the first time in her life.

Grabbing a USB stick, she headed towards Mari's computer, she knew she had to do it, slowly the computer came to life and she was greeted with a picture of a man standing in a sensual position on the screen wearing a tight swimming trunks, Asuka rolled her eyes at an image like that on the main screen, but Mari was really strange, returning to focus she quickly started the program that Mari had taught her when exploring those files.

A few files later, Asuka came across a low-resolution video, probably recorded with a cell phone from the time, her eyes seeing a simple house, but soon Mari's face appeared in the mirror of the house, she was younger, but she hadn't changed much.

"Hi guys, today I'm going to show you these amazing women in my life." Asuka rolled her eyes as she saw that her friend had never changed, slowly the camera panned around a small apartment, focusing on a man who was sitting reading a newspaper on the sofa, Asuka quickly recognized him, losing the small smile she had.

"That's the lucky man, Gendo-kun... What do you have to say about being married to an incredible woman like Yui? And she's carrying your child now, isn't that something?"

"I'm fine." That was Gendo's dry reply, Asuka quickly spoke up.

"Typical!" She spoke while ignoring a few more dialogues, but she finally headed towards the kitchen, she could see two women standing with their backs to her and her body tensed up.

"Yui! And Kyoko! The two most important women in the world and in my life!" Mari said happily, Asuka couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two women... pregnant?

"Mari please, I'm cutting vegetables here! Do you want to cut yourself?" Kyoko spoke with a venomous smile on her face as she turned around with her knife in hand, Asuka let out a laugh at the strong resemblance she bore to this woman.

"And I remember a little girl who was supposed to be preparing the pasta right now, isn't that right Mari?" Yui turned around with her best smile, Asuka paused the video as she focused on Yui's face, still not believing that Gendo had done it. Does the doll know she's that brat's sister? Shaking her head sideways, she went back to watching the video.

"It was, but something tells me to make this video, what is our dear Shinji thinking now?" Mari replied quickly, Yui touched her belly affectionately as she spoke, Mari always teased her saying that mothers had a psychic bond with their children.

"He told me that your godmother is definitely a girl who should stop using sugar in her diet." Yui said amusedly as she returned to her work, then Mari stood still for a few seconds.

"That's true, that Yui was a smart woman." Asuka said amusedly, so Mari is Shinji's godmother? The redhead thought doubtfully, that's why she was always linked to him back in the Wunder days, then her eyes fell on the redhead next to Yui, Asuka tensed up again.

"And you Kyoko, what is our Asuka thinking?" Asuka tensed up, she was anxious about her mother's words, she could see Kyoko's eyes focusing on the slow motion of the camera, it was like standing in front of the woman.

"That you're an idiot." Asuka said before her mother answered.

"She's certainly thinking you're an idiot." Kyoko said smiling, Asuka let out a louder laugh when she heard that, surely it must be true, she really was her mother.

"You're no fun, but seriously, what would you say to her in the future? When she sees this video." Mari asked, Asuka concentrating more on seeing if her mother could help.

"As I know my daughter will be amazing, she'll never let a person suffer, she'll help them even if it's hard, so she'll always be fair and listen to everyone's side and help as much as she can, she'll never give up on the person she loves... that's what I leave my daughter... I hope making you Asuka's godmother was a good idea." Kyoko went back to her work, Mari said a few more things while the video continued in front of her, Asuka felt her face freeze at this information, it was as if her mother was talking to her.

"They always knew what to say, didn't they?" Mari said from the doorway, having heard the voices she loved.

Asuka jumped as she got the biggest fright of her life. Putting her hand to her chest, she spoke angrily while Mari laughed openly in the doorway.

"Fuck Mari! You want to kill me here!" Shouted the frightened redhead, Mari laughed as she walked over and sat down on the bed, her face a sad countenance, calmly she picked up the photo she loved the most.

"That was fun, I needed to laugh after today, I remember when I recorded this video, I don't know why, but... I wanted to record them in a more casual way, not just work interviews about the progress of the lab." She took a deep breath as she looked at Asuka again.

"I've always wondered how I got into the E project, they didn't need me, I think they both did something to get me into the lab with them... they never needed anyone to do the most amazing work the world could see, I miss them terribly."

"Kyoko... my mother, how did she get pregnant? Since you never mentioned a father, you fucking godmother." Asuka spoke with amusement in her voice, Mari let out a sad laugh.

"I'm glad you found that out, I didn't want to keep it a secret any longer... but with regard to your first question, I recommend looking at file ten thousand five hundred and forty on the black pendrive, there your mother explains how she got pregnant and her reasons, I don't want to steal it from her, besides she can explain it better."

Asuka looked at her slightly startled by this, but she knew that Mari wanted her to hear her mother's words first, so she lowered her head and thought of Shinji.

"So you're also Shinji's godmother, that's why you were so obsessed with him back in the Wunder days, you could have told me before."

"I know, but I didn't know how you would react and I didn't know if it was the right time yet." Mari said as she picked up other photos, many of which were in digital format, only a few of which she had printed out.

"What can I do to help him? Shinji believes I'm having sex with Kensuke and now with his mind fucked up, I'm afraid it'll cause a huge fight and drive me away from him for good." Asuka spoke as she felt like a child again, but Mari always helped her make the best decisions.

"Shinji's going to be difficult, I never imagined he'd be this kind of guy, but I still don't know what he went through during his time with Kaworu, he's very afraid of losing the people he loves and that's going to be a problem, in his current state I can only say don't take his accusations seriously, his mind is more broken than nails in sand, I heard from the WILLE people that the angel attacked his mind, so he could have shown anything to Shinji." Mari said as she let down her hair.

"I really hope you can show him the truth."

(*)

Back inside his house, Shinji unceremoniously tossed the envelope onto his dining table, sat down on the sofa and squeezed the space between his eyes and thought, what does Rei want to show me? What would be so important that I should be ready when I see him? Feeling that this mental battle was getting ridiculous, he got up and went to his small kitchen. Calmly, he picked up some juice that had been stored away for a long time, but it didn't bother him.

"What does fate have in store for me now?" He says skeptically, wondering what super information could possibly make him less shocked than he is now.

Shinji slowly picked up the envelope from his desk, struggling to contain his curiosity to know what was inside, he closed his eyes as he wondered what was so important that Rei wanted him to know? Finally giving in and opening the envelope, Shinji took out a few sheets of paper, his eyes began to read the documents containing some of NERV's confidential information.

"Artificial conception of human type A1?" Shinji continued reading the papers, finally arriving at a birth certificate, his eyes wide at what he had seen.

"Donor DNA 1: Yui Ikari... DNA of donor 2: Confidential level 0..." Shinji moved the sheets aside as he continued reading the small report with technical data.

GENETIC ANALYSIS REPORT
Subjects:

S01: Ikari, Shinji

S02: Ayanami, Rei

Objective:
Analysis of genetic compatibility between individuals to determine biological kinship.

Results:

General Genetic Compatibility: 48.6% similarity with significant variations.

Maternal Heredity:

The mitochondrial DNA of S01 and S02 shows high correspondence, indicating a common maternal origin.

In-depth analysis confirms that S02 shares around 50% of S01's maternal genetic material, compatible with a biological sibling relationship.

Genetic anomalies identified:

Genetic segments in S02 contain sections not recognized in known human databases.

Atypical structures and nucleotide patterns suggest the presence of exogenous genetic material.

Certain sequences have nucleotide substitution rates that are incompatible with natural human mutations.

Conclusion:
The results indicate that S01 and S02 have a partial fraternal relationship, but S02 contains unknown genetic signatures that are not compatible with conventional human lineages.

Note:
Due to the genetic anomalies present in S02, advanced analysis under genetic safety protocols is recommended.

Electronic signature MAGIS - NERV, Tokyo 03 ... March 2001.

Shinji felt his heart racing as he let the leaves fall to the floor of his apartment, did he have a sister? Rei was his sister! But my mother was already dead when Rei was born? She wouldn't have abandoned her daughter, that would be impossible, but why not show her who her father was? My mother wouldn't have betrayed my father, she would never have done that! He thought frantically, touching his face!

The dates don't match up, how could she have been born in the same year as me, only a month apart? Shinji still didn't understand some things, but the report explained that Rei was made in a laboratory, why would her mother do that? These dates don't match! He thought frantically.

Finally calming down enough, Shinji looked at the document again as he tensed up, finally finishing reading it for the fifth time and lowering his head as he began to laugh lifelessly.

"Who knew? That's why he was always attached to her, why did you hide it from me, Dad?" Shinji spoke even angrier at the thought of his father, he would have to look for more explanations, but who could give them to him, perhaps Maya? No, only Akagi could give him the answers he wanted, but would she cooperate?

"Why did you do that to her!?" Shinji growled in anger at the thought of his damned father, but one thing he could feel in his chest, at least Rei had always been an honest person with him, always caring and protecting him as a family should, a small smile was born on his face at this.

Knowing that this internal debate would lead nowhere, Shinji sat down in his chair in the living room and thought about his life up to this point in particular, a lot was happening in a very short time and it was exhausting him, but at least one of these surprises was good, knowing that Rei was a person who shared his DNA was good, at least someone from his lineage wasn't a problematic being.

"Rei Ayanami, my sister... hahahaha"

Author's Notes: Hello Calborghete people here, we finally have chapter 17, I hope everyone liked it, as always be sure to follow it and save it in your favorites so you don't miss any more future updates.

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