The Next Morning

As the sun began to shine on the never ending summer of Japan, and while most people in Tokyo-3 were still in their beds, Misato Katsuragi was already up, dressed, and ready to get some answers from someone who could, she hoped, make sense of the… revelations she learned yesterday about Rits and Gendo Ikari.

'Ugh, just thinking about it make my stomach turn, Rei I hope you're not caught up in this… mess and it's just simply Rits being delusional thinking that you're a possible rival for… Gendo!' Misato shudders.

Misato thought that if it were true, she could hopefully put a stop to it… quietly. Because as much as she didn't like it, Gendo Ikari was necessary for Nerv's survival.

He had been able to rally everyone to work together during the blackout against the 9th Angel while she herself was… unavailable at the time. And while she had no proof, she was sure that he had something to do with the Jet Alone incident as it was a threat to Nerv.

'Until the Angels are defeated,' she thought to herself. 'Gendo Ikari stays right where he is. After that well… it depends on Rei tells me.'

Just as Misato was about to leave her apartment, an embarrassing realization came to her.

"Oh crap! I don't know where Rei lives."

Of course, she could've called Nerv HQ and asked for Rei's address, but Misato knew that it might sound odd to Nerv High Command since she had never asked that question before, and naturally, she did not want to tip off the Commander that she knew some of his secrets. She had the unpleasant feeling that revealing as much would result in her taking a 'permanent "vacation".

After all, Gendo Ikari was indispensable… she was not.

Fortunately, after a moment of pondering, the answer came to her. 'Oh yeah, Shinji been there before, I can ask him where she lives.'

Walking to Shinji's door, Misato decided to let herself in rather than knock on the door and risk waking up Asuka about something that had nothing to do with sync tests or an Angel attack… and on a Saturday no less.

There on the floor was Shinji, in a state of half-dress sleeping on his mat. But to Misato surprise, he wasn't sleeping very peacefully from his fretful tossing and turning. He appeared to be sweating heavily and he was frantically mumbling, "Make the pain stop, Angels, Father… Mother!"

'He's having a nightmare,' Misato thought. Placing a firm, but gentle hand on his shoulder, she softly called out, "Shinji, wake up!"

Shinji jump up in surprise, his eyes wide open and he was panting heavily.

"Misato? Where are you?"

"It's okay Shinji, I'm right here."

As his eyes grew more accustomed to the darkness of the room, he was able to make out her shape standing over him.

"Oh... um… I-I'm sorry. I...didn't wake you did I?

"No, it's fine. Are you okay?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Shinji replied, looking away, "I-I'm fine."

"Well...okay, if you're sure..."

Misato knew he was lying, but elected not to press any further at that moment, instead asking the question she had come to ask in the first place.

"… Right, Shinji I need a favor from you, if you don't mind?"

"Oh okay, what is it Misato?"

"Can you tell me what Rei's address is? I have something private I need to speak to her about."

"Oh sure," Shinji replied, sitting up, "I can give you her address."

Climbing out of bed, he grabbed a piece of paper and pen and wrote down Rei's address for Misato.

"Here you go Misato." Shinji said, handing the paper to her.

"Shinji, you're not curious about what I have to say to Rei?"

"No. If you want to talk to Rei about something that's only between the two of you, I won't ask."

'He really is a sweet kid. If this was Asuka I was asking, she would be demanding what exactly it is I want to talk to Rei about, probably giving me the excuse that it's her right as an Eva pilot to know.'

"Thank you hun, I'll see you later, ok?"

"Okay. Oh…and umm… Misato? Be careful when you get there. The neighborhood where Rei lives isn't very... safe."

"What do you mean by that Shinji?"

"You'll see what I mean when you get there."

"...Ok?" Misato gave a puzzled look when she heard that statement. "So are you going back to bed?"

"No, I'm awake now and I might as well make some breakfast. You want some?"

"Nah, I really have to go see Rei. I'll just grab a granola bar from the kitchen.

And, turning to leave, she called over her shoulder, "later Shinji."

As Misato was about to leave his room, Shinji spoke up once more. "And Misato, one more thing. Don't forget to feed Pen-Pen this time. He's still a bit sore about you forgetting to feed him yesterday."

"Ugh, I won't." Misato said in an annoyed voice.

And with that little reminder Shinji gave her, Misato headed to the kitchen where a smarter than average penguin was waiting by his food bowl.

"Here you go Pen-Pen." Misato said as she was putting food and water into his bowl.

The bird raised an eyebrow at her as he really didn't trust what was really food bowl.

"I swear the food is safe." Misato said as her I visible twitch. "It's from a can, I didn't put anything on it."

The bird was still... skeptical despite Misato's reassurances.

"Fine then, but don't blame me if you have an empty stomach tonight."

Misato grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet and then left her apartment and headed to her car while Pen-Pen was still staring at his food, still trying to decide if it was safe enough to eat.

As Misato got into her car and drove to the address Shinji gave her, but something that he said still bugged her.

'Isn't safe? That doesn't make any sense. Rei is an Eva Pilot. She should be living in a place that would make people think that assassinating the emperor himself would be far easier than trying to target a pilot. I really hope that Shinji is just exaggerating.'

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

If someone other than Shinji had given the address to her, Misato would have thought she was being screwed with.

"God, now I know what Shinji meant by 'be careful'. This neighborhood is a slum! Why the hell is Rei living HERE?!" Misato snarled, barely able to contain her anger.

As Misato got out of her car and began to walk to Rei's apartment she spotted an orange car with a middle-age man at the wheel driving slowing behind her, obviously trying to get her attention.

'Huh? An orange car? Could it be Sahaqiel I wonder?'

Misato then walked up to the car. As she was armed, and also a crack shot, she wasn't overly worried as she called out, "Hey you want something from me?"

"Um... Yes?" He chuckled nervously.

"What?"

"... A date"

"A date?" Misato repeated, confused.

"You know... a date? Is this your first time doing something like this?"

'First time?' It then dawn on Misato what exactly what this man really wanted from her.

Misato then pulled back her jacket, showing the man her gun holster.

"Still want to go on a date with me?" Misato said as she gave the man a murderous glare.

"Um... maybe? You have that milf look going for you so I can ignore the gun."

When the man said the word milf, Misato began to reach for her gun; at which the man finally took the hint and then sped off as fast as he could.

"That's it! Rei I don't know why you're living here, but it ends TODAY!"

Rei Ayanami did not dream. She not have dreams of the past… she did not of have dreams of the future… she did not have dreams of Zack Snyder killing Superman by shoving a green sharpie into his eye… and last night had been no different from any of those that had preceded it.

Her schedule for the morning was fairly simple. First wakes up, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and either leave on NERV or school business...or stays inside all day. But since it was a weekend and she hadn't gotten any calls to come to Nerv today, she'd decided to stay inside all day today.

But before she can get started on the languid of her routine, there's a knock on her door.

'Odd? I was not expecting visitors today, could it be Ikari, I wonder?'

Rei checked through the peephole of her door to see who it was, and to her mildly surprise it was not Ikari or even Section Two agents but the Operations Director, Captain Katsuragi.

'This must be something important if she had to come here in person.' Rei thought to herself as she opened the door.

"Captain Katsuragi, is there a problem? Does Nerv have need of me today?"

"…"

"Rei," Misato said in a low voice.

"Yes Captain?"

"Are… you are alone right?"

Rei seemed puzzled by that question as why would she be alone? "Yes I am alone."

"You mind if I come inside for a moment?"

Rei blinked, looking a little nonplussed. "I do not mind."

"Thank you," Misato replied, taking a step forward...before pausing. "And Rei?"

"Yes Captain?"

"Do you mind getting dressed please?"

Rei's eyes flitted downward. In the privacy of her apartment, being nude had never seemed abnormal to her. Though she had begun to realize after Ikari's impromptu visit several months prior, that others found it strange or offensive. The reactions the Section Two agents frequently had when they came to call, suddenly began to make more sense. "Very well I shall."

When Misato entered Rei's apartment, she was horrified by what she saw.

'And I thought my place was bad before Shinji came into my life. If I didn't know any better I would have thought Rei was a squatter and not an Eva Pilot.'

When Misato looked through Rei place two things became clear.

First, that Rei was telling the truth when she said she was alone. It was clear that the girl lived here alone, despite the apartment's dangerous location.

Secondly... her place was a fucking pigsty! A hellhole of squalor! Everything had dust and grime on it. From the floors, walls, and ceiling to the appliances and furniture.

Scattered across the floor were several large boxes, empty pill bottles, scraps of paper, and several articles of clothing.

In one of the boxes, the one next to the tiny refrigerator, Misato saw...

'…Is that a box of dried bloody banda- wait are those the same bandages Rei got when Unit-00 when berserk? That was months ago… and they're still here?! Oh God, Rei is a hoarder!'

When she turned to face Rei, Misato saw that she was already finished getting dressed.

"Rei," she began "Why did you answer the door naked? I would have waited for you to get dressed you know?"

"This is the first time you have come in person to my place of residence Captain Katsuragi. I assumed your business with me was too important to be kept waiting."

"Rei," I sigh, "The reason why I decided to come see you is because I have some questions for you."

"I see," Rei replied. "What do you wish to ask of me?"

"… Rei, these are question are of a… personal nature and you may feel uncomfortable with some of them. So even though I would like for you to answer all of them, if you really don't want to, you don't have to."

"I understand."

'I need to sit down for this.' Misato thought.

So, while motioning Rei to sit down on the bed, Misato preceded to sit in the folding chair next to the bed.

Once they were both settled, Misato opened her mouth and began to question the First Child.

"Rei… does The Commander Ikari have 'feelings' for you?"

Misato saw Rei's eyes went widen slightly when she heard that.

"Feelings? I do not understand. What kind of feelings? Commander Ikari cares for me, yes."

"Uh, that's um...not exactly what I meant." Misato shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her hand on the back of her neck.

'This is going to be even more awkward than I thought.'

""Well, um...what I meant was... Like has he ever looked at you in a certain way? Maybe spoken to you in a way that made you uncomfortable? Or, um… touched you in a place he's not supposed to?"

"NO!"

Rei, to Misato's surprise, gave her a very angry glare.

'I don't think I ever seen Rei mad like this at all before.'

"Commander Ikari has never molested me, if that is what you are suggesting Captain Katsuragi."

Although Rei's never raised her voice, it was clear she was very hurt by the accusation that the Commander was doing THAT to her.

'I think Rei is telling the truth. At least... I don't get the feeling that she's lying to me. But still, they must have some kind of relationship for her to get angry at all.'

"Ok, I believe you Rei. I'm sorry for suggesting that."

To Misato's surprise, Rei did not seem satisfied with the apology; her surprisingly fierce glare did not soften.

"May I ask as to why you accused Commander Ikari of molesting me?"

'… I'm not going to like this part, I'm really not', Misato thought with a frown.

"Yesterday, I received a phone call from a stranger who had claimed the Commander was sleeping with someone who works at NERV."

After a moment of tense silence, Rei replied, "I see. And the anonymous caller is claiming that I am the one who is sleeping with the Commander?"

Suppressing a slight shiver at the calm fury evident in Rei's voice, Misato quickly answered, "No, but your name did come up in the conversation, the caller wasn't accusing you. It was a coworker that I know whose name I don't feel I should—"

Rei's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ritsuko Akagi."

"You Knew?"

"I have had… strong suspicions about the interactions between the two for quite some time now. Rei turned away, her hands visibly tightening in her lap. After a brief pause, she continued, "It's not very surprising to me as Doctor Akagi is very much like her mother."

'Wait, what? What does Ritsuko mom have to do with this?'

"What do you mean by that Rei?"

Rei pondered a bit, wondering whether or not she should answer that, before deciding that Naoko's past with Gendo was no longer relevant to Nerv.

"Naoko Akagi, like her daughter was also sleeping with the Commander", Rei replied matter of factly.

In the wake of this revelation, there was another tense pause as Misato tried to process what she'd just heard.

'Wait… WHAT?'

Misato was completely shocked when she heard that.

'Rits… Rits mother was also… I-I don't understand?'

Eyes wide with shock, Misato turned to face the blue-haired girl again. "Rei… are you sure about that?"

The answer was quick and curt. "Yes."

"How do you know for certain?"

Rei's back hunched slightly, her lips parting slightly in a tiny snarl, as if remembering something awful once more. "She loved him."

Misato blinked. She... found it hard to imagine... ANYONE finding Gendo Ikari appealing. But of course, there's no accounting for taste... and now that she thought about it, perhaps his unflappable demeanor, the power that his mere presence in a room could inspire, and the fact that he was such a powerful man to the point that he could be counted amongst it's unofficial rulers was a bit of a draw.

But, the even bigger question here was...

"D-Did he loved her?"

"No," Rei said without hesitation. "The Commander said that Naoko was an old hag that he didn't like and that he found her annoying."

Misato balled up her fists when she heard that.

'He said that, about Rits mother?! In earshot of a little girl?! Oh it is official Gendo Ikari, You are now on my shit list for life.'

She had always known that Gendo Ikari was an unpleasant, heartless bastard... his treatment of his own son was indicative of that. But his cruel words about Naoko Akagi seemed almost... petty. For him to be so callously dismissive of someone whose devotion to him was probably absolute, was utterly disheartening and infuriating.

'And now Ritsuko is headed down that same path...'

"Did Ritsuko know Gendo was… seeing her mother?"

"Yes. Doctor Akagi was aware that her mother was sleeping with Commander Ikari."

'Ritsuko… you knew that bastard was sleeping with your mother. And what's worse, he clearly thought of her as nothing more than a fart in in the breeze. And then when she died you still decided to get into a relationship with him. Oh Rits, Gendo doesn't love you anymore than he did your mother. I wish you could see that.'

With deep sigh, Misato continued, "After the caller had told me that Ritsuko was sleeping with the Commander. I… didn't believe it. I thought I knew more about my friend than some stranger did."

"You were incorrect." Rei replied.

Misato gave a weak smile when she heard that. "Yes… yes I was." she agreed with another sigh, before continuing, "The caller told me that there was a way to prove what the stranger was saying was true."

Rei tilted her head slightly. "And what was that Captain Katsuragi?"

"The person told me to confront Ritsuko about it."

"That would not have worked. Doctor Akagi would not admit to such a thing."

"And normally you would be right with that assumption Rei," Misato replied. "When I confronted her about it, Ritsuko denied everything."

"Then how did you-"

"This is where your name come up," Misato cut across. 'Oh boy', she thought to herself. 'Now things get even screwier.' "The caller told me that if Ritsuko denied it," Misato continued, "I should tell her a lie of something that involves the Commander and you. They specifically said that if I told her that, Ritsuko's would give a reaction would prove that she was lying and was in fact sleeping with him."

"What was the lie?" Rei asked, sounding unusually curious.

"…That in order for the Commander to find Ritsuko attractive enough to sleep with, he has to have her wear a schoolgirl uniform exactly like the one you're wearing, have her put one a blue wig, and she has to let him call her Rei."

Rei's response was silence, an expression that...could have been blank, but somehow wasn't. Misato chose to interpret it as disgust.

"Yeah," Misato went on, rubbing the back of her neck, Ritsuko didn't take that very well. She immediately lost her temper and assumed you were the mysterious caller. She thought that it was you who made up the lie out of jealousy."

"She believes that I have amorous feelings for the Commander?" Rei said with a bit of shocked with her voice.

"I'm afraid so." Misato said feeling disappointed with her friend.

Rei herself wasn't sure how to feel about all of this. On one hand, it finally made sense as to her why Doctor Akagi hated her. At first she thought it was because of what happened to Nakao all those years ago. But the revelation that her ire was the result of jealousy over the attentions of Commander Ikari made more sense to Rei.

In the time that she had known Naoko Akagi, it had become abundantly clear to Rei that the senior Akagi's relationship with her daughter was strained. They were generally cordial... but their relationship had little warmth; it was as if they were colleagues rather than parent and child. While the younger Akagi had displayed some sadness at her mother's death, it did not seem proportionate to the dislike she held for her.

So at the very least, she now understood why Ritsuko Akagi detested her...

But, on the other hand, it made Rei feel very uncomfortable that someone... anyone could think she and the Commander were fornicating, or indeed that either of them had any such inclinations towards one another.

'The Commander cares about me, yes. But… certainly not in that way.'

"So you see Rei," said Misato, cutting across Rei's reverie, "Now you know why I had to come down here today. I wanted to make sure that nothing inappropriate was going on between you and the Commander. And even though the caller told me it was a lie, I still wanted to check and see for myself that it was."

Rei seemed surprised by that. Other than the Commander and his son, no one else had ever shown much concern for her.

"Thank you." Rei replied with a faint smile.

Small though her smile was, it thoroughly warmed Misato's heart to see it.

'Wow… she's actually smiling, I think this is the first time I've seen her do so.'

"Okay Rei," she went on, deciding to press forward with the matters at hand, "Now that this… misunderstanding has been cleared up, there is something else I need to ask you about; something I just found out today."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Why the hell are you living like this?" Misato cried, gesturing emphatically at their dismal surroundings.

Rei blinked, and tilted her head curiously. "I do not understand? Are my living accommodations inadequate?"

"Rei," Misato said with a twitch in her eye. "There's trash all over your apartment, the building looks like it's going to collapse any minute now, and there are perverts on the street who would definitely try to take advantage of a young girl living alone like yourself. So yes, your living quarters are inadequate."

The blue-haired girl frowned slightly. "I see."

"And also, just who the hell decided that this place is where you should be living?"

"Ritsuko Akagi." Rei replied bluntly.

Misato put her hand to her face in her hands and rubbed at her eyes in weary frustration.

'Oh Rits… just as I was starting to have some sympathy for you again.'

Trying to ignore the painful realization that she clearly did not know her friend as well as she thought, Misato pressed on, "Rei what was the reason that Ritsuko gave you that this place would be a 'great' place for you to live?"

"I do not know, I never asked."

"Rei you never question why you had live in this dump?" Misato replied with an incredulous frown.

"It was an order and I am a soldier," Rei responded flatly. "Soldiers are supposed to follow any orders they are given, are they not?"

Misato felt she couldn't swallow when she heard that, because what Rei had just said was the cold hard truth. Rei, Shinji, and Asuka weren't just children… they were soldiers fighting in a war.

They were still going to school and all of that, yes… but it was, for the most part, an illusion to prevent them from fully realizing that unpleasant reality, so that wouldn't crack under the pressure. But it was clear that Rei wasn't buying that little deception, and probably hadn't from the beginning. She knew full well what was being asked of her.

It's disheartening to know how aware this teenage girl is of her status as a child soldier', Misato thought despondently, 'But...what can I do? We need her...we need them all. NERV, humanity, any hope we have of surviving...it's all on them, whether any of us like it or not.'

Knowing that this was something she could not change...at least, not right now, Misato elected to return to the original issue they had been discussing.

"Rei do you wish to move from here?"

"I do not, Rei replied with surprising conviction, "I have no problem with my living arrangements."

Misato frowned at that. "Ok then Rei if you want to continue living here I won't stop you. But at least let me get some contractors to fix up your place and have some Section 2 guards to check up one you to make sure you are safe."

Rei pondered for a moment. "Hmm, those terms are acceptable, I agree to them."

"Good," Misato said with a smile on her face. "Well then, I think we're done here. But before I go I want to give you something."

Misato produced a piece of paper and pen from her purse and after writing down on it, handed it to Rei.

"A phone number?" Rei said curiously.

"Yes it's my personal number. If you're in any trouble I want you to call to call me."

Once more, Rei nodded her compliance. "I will do so, Captain."

"Okay then," Misato said as she turned and made her way to the door. "I will see you later, Ok Rei."

And with that Misato Katsuragi left Rei's apartment.

In the silence brought forth by Misato's departure, Rei began to think...

'Someone else cares about me.' Rei said still staring at the number the captain gave her.

Meanwhile as Misato stepped out of the building and heads to her car she has only one thing one her mind.

'I need a fucking drink… where is the nearest bar?'