Revelations

Shinji ran through the streets of an empty Tokyo-3, but he couldn't remember if he was running to somewhere or away from something.

The city stood silent around him. Even the ever-present humming of the cicadas had gone mute. The buildings were tall, devoid of life of any kind, black against an unusual white sky. They seemed to be leaning over the boy, like dark fingers closing in to trap a scuttling insect.

After a while, his steps started to make splashing noises. Shinji stopped when he realized that the ground was covered in blood. Just a couple of meters ahead, the torn body of Zenon lied on the street. It had not been there a second earlier. The demon turned his head and looked at Shinji with his yellow eyes.

"You must live as Dante!" he yelled. "You must fulfill his destiny!"

The Third Children fell on his knees and covered his ears.

"No!" he shrieked. "I told you, I'm not Dante! Leave me alone!"

"Destroy the Throne of Souls!" Zenon insisted. "Kill the Giant of Light!"

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just a kid! Shut up!"

As he yelled those last two words, a gigantic foot clad in purple armor fell on Zenon's head, which exploded in a wave of blood and gore that almost swept Shinji away. The disgusting stench filled his nostrils, and his lips were assaulted by the taste of iron. He could feel his clothes and his skin drenched in the warm liquid. The boy looked up.

Evangelion Unit-01 stood there. Her eyes were no longer white stains on black sockets; Shinji could see their true form: green in pupil, iris and everything else, the same eyes he had seen reflected on some windows after his first fight. The Eva was crouched in an almost feral position, like a predator about to jump on its prey. The giant opened her mouth, showing two rows of eerie human-like teeth, all red like the street covered in blood. Then, she raised her head and emitted a low-pitched roar, accompanied by some muffled mechanical screeches.

Unit-01 looked down and extended an arm in Shinji's direction, with the clear intention of grabbing her pilot.

Then, a dark hand slapped the purple Eva, with so much strength and fury that she was launched sideways and crashed against one of the black buildings. The boy turned around. That demonic, monstrous bat which had haunted his dreams was now right behind him.

The same monster that had eaten him.

Dante grabbed Shinji with his other claw and raised him towards his mouth. When the kid was close enough to see the drool dripping from the white fangs, Unit-01 went back on her feet. The Evangelion seized the hand of the Demon Lord and pulled, while trying to prick the fingers open to release her pilot.

With another slap, Dante ripped the Eva's head off. A stream of blood sprouted from her neck stump, rising towards the white skies and then quickly falling in a rain of red.

The purple Evangelion collapsed, and Shinji looked at the Demon Lord once more. His blue fur was now crimson due to the bloody rain. Without wasting a second, and in one swift motion, Dante threw Shinji into his mouth.

Shinji gasped as he opened his eyes. All he could see was a familiar and somewhat comforting darkness. He recognized the feeling of the mattress against his back, and of the blanket covering half of his body. Car noises could be heard coming from outside, the clear sign of a Tokyo-3 alive and wide awake. The boy sighed in relief. He was in the apartment, in his room. It had been another bad dream, nothing more.

'Great,' he thought as he swept the sweat off his forehead. 'Just what I needed, a new nightmare. At least this one didn't make me scream.'

Shinji spent some time touching his cheeks and jaw, searching for any sign of fur. He wiggled his toes, making sure that they weren't talons. He felt no tail, but he turned around and touched his lower back, just to be sure.

'So, I won't transform in my sleep. Good.'

The boy wondered if he could even transform at all, and the idea that he couldn't gave him some faint hope. Maybe it had been a one-time thing. Maybe he would never have to worry about becoming a giant bat again. Maybe he could ignore the last two days, pretend that nothing had happened and leave that horrible night behind. However, a part of him knew that it was, most likely, just wishful thinking.

With not much enthusiasm, Shinji sat on his bed, wondering what he was going to do that morning. He didn't feel like crying, he had done plenty of that the previous day. Besides, he was sure that he would die of dehydration if he released any more tears. No, what Shinji really wanted was to remain there, in his dark room, not talking to anyone and hoping that, if he allowed enough time to pass, everything would solve itself somehow. Alas, he knew that Misato would not let him continue down that path. Not for long, anyway.

'I don't think she bought my explanation,' he thought. 'I guess I'll have to tell her the truth sooner or later.'

That realization only served to increase his anxiety. He wasn't comfortable lying to Misato, but the idea of revealing his new nature to anyone, even her, terrified him.

His pondering was interrupted by a sudden episode of violent coughing. Shinji raised a hand to his neck and tried, in vain, to reunite as much saliva a he could. It seemed that he had no other option but to go outside of his room, at least for a few minutes. While he had survived a whole day without food, his throat was desperate for some water.

The boy stood up and walked to the door, which he reached in just a couple of steps. It took him a while to adjust to the bright light of the corridor, the retribution for having spent so much time in the shadows. On his way to the kitchen, he took a peek towards the living room and saw Pen-pen snoring on the couch, but no sign of Misato or Asuka. He realized that he didn't know what time it was. He considered going back to his room to check his alarm clock, which he had ignored; but his sore throat insisted that getting some water was more important. Besides, there was another clock in the kitchen.

Shinji stopped in his tracks when he saw not his guardian sitting at the table, but an adult man, badly shaved and sporting a ponytail.

"Hey, buddy," Ryoji Kaji greeted him with a smile. "Glad to see you up. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," the boy replied. "Where are Misato and Asuka?"

"Headquarters. Doctor Akagi has organized a briefing to shed some light on what happened the other night. It seems that the Commander wanted you there too, but Katsuragi objected, saying that you didn't feel well yet."

"Wha–Misato stood up to my father?" in a second, the admiration he felt for his guardian skyrocketed.

"Well… no, she stood up to Ritsuko. Through the phone."

And the levels of admiration plummeted back to their normal state. Still, Shinji was thankful that he wouldn't have to confront his father, the last person he wanted to see at that moment. He made a mental note to cook something good for the purple-haired woman. Perhaps he could try a recipe with beer.

"I don't think she ever talked to the Commander," Kaji continued, "so your old man is in for a surprise when he doesn't see you down there. Anyway, she asked me to look after you while they're out, since I was not called to the meeting."

"T-Thanks."

"No problem, buddy. Say, are you hungry? I can make you some breakfast. Don't worry; I'm a much better cook than Katsuragi."

"No… No, thank you. But I would like a glass of water."

"Alrighty then. Take a seat and I'll get it."

Shinji grabbed a chair and sat down, and in no time the glass was left in front of him. Letting his instincts run wild for a second, the boy picked it up with both hands and drank all the water in a few gulps. Kaji let out a chuckle, which made Shinji blush, and then he sat across the table, in front of the kid.

"You sure you don't want to eat?" the man insisted.

"I'm not hungry," Shinji replied.

"Oh, well," Kaji shrugged. "I tried. So, what are you going to do now?"

'Good question,' the boy thought as he fidgeted with the empty glass.

"I…" he began. "I think I'm still a bit tired. I need to lay down some more."

He looked up, half-expecting to see a disapproving face, but Kaji was sporting an understanding smile.

"If that's what you truly want," the man said, "then I won't stop you. We all need some time alone every now and then. That's especially true for you kids, with all the stuff we force you to go through. Rest for as long as you need it. I'm just gonna ask you remember something: brooding forever never did any good to anyone. You don't have to face your troubles alone, Shinji. You have me, and Misato, and Rei and Asuka as well. I know that she can be… intimidating, but believe me, she cares about you too, in her own way. What I'm saying is that, no matter what's eating you, as long as you have people to rely on, it's not too late. But, if all you do is sulking and brooding, you risk losing them."

Shinji remained seated, still holding the empty glass in his hands, and he meditated about those words. Yes, it was a good advice. Yes, he had a lot of people he could rely on; but his problem was like nothing Kaji could imagine. It wasn't something that could be talked about so easily, not even with his housemates and friends. However, perhaps they could help him in some other way. Shinji had received a lot of information during the battle against Zenon's army, most of it names that meant nothing to him. If he ever wanted to understand what was going on, he would need answers.

Kaji was a knowledgeable person. Asuka praised that quality as much as she praised everything else about him. In fact, Shinji had asked him for advice on several occasions, about many different subjects.

It was a long shot, but…

"Mr. Kaji" he said. "Do you know about something called 'The Throne of Souls'?"

But the boy could've never foreseen the reaction that followed. As soon as he mentioned those four words, the man went pale, his empathic smile replaced by a grimace of fear.

"Please," he begged, "tell me that you heard that name in a videogame, or a manga, or a movie, or whatever it is you kids are into these days."

When Shinji shook his head, the Chief Inspector put on a serious face, one that the Third Children had never seen before.

"Listen to me, Shinji," Kaji said, leaning forward and putting both hands on the table. "Listen carefully: I know for a fact that this apartment is safe. Section-2 monitors who comes in and out all the time, but they don't spy on your conversations. If we were in any other place, right now I would be gesturing at you to drop the subject, because it's a very dangerous one. To answer your question: yes, I know about it. Now I need you to tell me how you know about it. Where have you heard that name?"

Shinji's anxiety increased. There was no way he could meet those demands without revealing his secret.

"I can't!" he shrieked, closing his eyes.

The Chief Inspector shrugged and leaned back on his chair.

"Then I won't tell you anything either," he declared, "and I'm going to ask you to forget about it. Never say that name again out loud, not even to Misato or Asuka. In fact, don't say that name at all to anybody."

A part of Shinji's mind liked the idea of forgetting about it. The boy could feel his legs shaking, begging him to stand up, run back to his room and ignore the last minutes of his life; but he couldn't. The frustration he had felt in his fight against Zenon, which had taken a back seat during the sulking of the previous day, was back in full force. Shinji wanted answers.

Alas, conquering his fears was not easy for the poor boy.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," he mumbled. "And if you do, you'll hate me."

Kaji decided to drop the seriousness for a moment. He returned to being the suave, friendly man that Shinji had come to know and, he suspected, admire up to a degree.

"Give me some credit, buddy," he chuckled. "I've seen a lot of weird stuff in my life, and let's not forget that we live in a city constantly attacked by giant monsters and defended by giant robots. Whatever it is, I'll believe it. Also, it would take a lot, and I mean a lot, for me to hate you. After all, Katsuragi trusts you, which means that you're a good kid until proven otherwise."

While those words weren't enough to dispel Shinji's fears, they did make him feel better, calmer, and that was more than enough. For now.

"Alright," the boy said. He then stared at Kaji with pleading, desperate eyes and added: "But you can't tell Misato or Asuka! You can't tell Rei, either! Not even Ritsuko, and especially not my father! They would hate me if they knew!"

The Chief Inspector was taken aback by those eyes so full of fear.

'Gendo,' he thought, 'what did you do to your own son to make him so terrified of rejection?'

"My lips are sealed," Kaji said, smiling and mimicking the gesture.

Shinji nodded.

Then, he told him everything.

The briefing took place in the same room where they had reviewed Shinji and Asuka's disastrous first performance against the Seventh Angel. Misato was present, of course, as were Ritsuko and the three main computer technicians. The Commander and the Vice-Commander had taken the farthest and highest seats, to nobody's surprise.

The pilots were there, as well. Two of them.

Misato could feel the stare of Gendo Ikari on the back of her head, and she knew very well why. Still, she remained calm and professional.

"So," she said, "what do we know about these things?"

Ritsuko pressed some keys on her laptop, and the room's main screen was filled with images of five monsters in different stages of autopsy. Some were wide open, showing their internal organs, while others had been emptied. Maya winced and focused on her own laptop.

"As you can see," doctor Akagi began, "each one of these creatures has a completely different physiology. For example, this one has tendrils, and the autopsy revealed several poison glands connected to the esophagus. The eyes of this one are large and compound, like those of an insect, but the rest of its body is more similar to a mammal. This other one has a mixture of arachnid and reptilian characteristics, and we found three fully functional stomachs. At a simple glance, it would be absurd to consider them members of same species, but they are. They all possess the exact same genetic pattern."

If any of the attendants thought that such a thing was preposterous, they didn't say anything. Perhaps, after having witnessed the powers of the Angels, there were few things that could faze them.

"And that's not all," Ritsuko continued. "They all have another thing in common: their genetic pattern is 0.11% similar to the one of humans."

Asuka, Misato and Maya grimaced at the idea that they were somehow related to those monstrosities.

"It's not that bad," the blonde scientist added. "Remember that we share 97% of our DNA with mice, 60% with fruit flies, and-"

"Alright, alright, we get it," Misato said, rising a hand to stop her friend from delving further into that subject. "What about their language?"

"Unknown. However, MAGI detected some superficial similarities with Sumerian, one of the oldest human languages."

Asuka pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an audible groan.

"Please," she said, "don't tell me that these things built the pyramids or something. It's too early and I don't think could stand it if the world suddenly decided to turn stupid."

Rei, who was sitting next to her, waited a couple of second before calmly stating:

"The pyramids were built in Egypt, not in Sumer."

With another exasperated groan, Asuka leaned back on her chair and rolled her eyes.

"I knew that, Wondergirl, it was just–You know what, nevermind."

Rei blinked and raised her eyebrows by a millimeter, which was the Ayanami equivalent of a surprised face. The Second Children's reply had not been pleasant or polite, but the blue-haired girl had been expecting a much worse response. In her previous experience, the pilot of Unit-02 didn't react well whenever her intelligence was questioned.

She looked at the redhead. While her body language seemed the same as ever, Rei could perceive that something had changed. The glimmer in her blue eyes, the curvature of her smile, the way she crossed her legs. All those little details were different. Ayanami thought that The Second Children looked happier than usual.

Ritsuko cleared her throat, attracting everyone's attention back to her:

"As much as I dislike the idea of monsters building one of mankind's greatest wonders, I'm afraid that it is a possibility. Until we collect more data about them, all bets are off. Maybe they did interact with the early human civilizations, or maybe they are mutations created by the Second Impact, and their language's similarities with Sumerian are just a coincidence. Now, let's talk about the other one…"

More pressing of keys, and many pictures of the bat-creature appeared on the screen.

"Until we can study him directly," Ritsuko said, "we'll consider him male for simplicity's sake, but only because the pitch of his voice resembles the one of a human male. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was female, or even outside our sexual classification. For now, all we know of him is that he can speak Japanese and that he possesses an outstanding degree of physical toughness. We also know that he has the power to destroy AT-Fields without having to deploy one of his own. He can project some sort of heat beams from his eyes and he is strong enough to pierce through the armor of an Evangelion."

In her seat, Asuka crossed her arms and frowned. Despite her overall improved mood, she found herself gritting her teeth as Ritsuko listed the powers of the bat-creature. By the time the scientist mentioned how he had broken the wrist of Unit-02; the girl was mumbling some German expletives, and her body was as tense as a kettle about to explode.

Rei relaxed, glad to see that the Second was acting normal once again. She also made a mental note to sit far away from her in the next briefing.

Ritsuko continued:

"His arms are not aerodynamic and his wings are too small compared to his overall body mass, yet he can fly. According to all laws of biology and quite a few laws of physics, a creature like this should not exist. I realize that the same could be said about the Angels, but they have the AT-Field and the S2 Engine as excuses."

Misato's gaze had been caught by one of the many pictures in the screen, one that showed the bat-monster tearing the Eleventh Angel apart.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not, Major," answered the scientist.

A stern, cold voice spoke from somewhere behind and above Misato:

"These creatures' power to break through AT-Fields must never leave this room," the Commander ordered. "Doctor Akagi, when you write your final report for the UN, you will declare that they can and do deploy fields of their own. The same goes for everyone else, including the pilots. Say a single word, and you will be detained, stripped off your privileges and thrown in a cell."

Several throats gulped in unison, including Misato's.

'Harsh, but fair', she thought. 'There are groups and individuals who would use this information to justify cutting Nerv's funding, not realizing that we are the only true defense against the Angels.'

The Commander adjusted his glasses before continuing:

"From now on, these creatures shall be identified as 'Demons' and numbered in a way similar to the Angels. The Second Demon, which includes the big pink specimen and its smaller minions, is to be classified as 'neutralized'. The First Demon must be captured alive if he ever reappears. However, do not forget that our priority is the destruction of the Angels."

He was answered by a chorus of 'Roger'.

"Return to your scheduled activities," he ordered. "Major Katsuragi. Stay."

Misato did her best to keep her cool as everyone else left the room. It didn't become any easier once they were all gone. She was now alone under the stares of the Commander and the Vice-Commander. The former did not change his pose one millimeter as he spoke five words:

"Where is the Third Children?"

She didn't flinch. She didn't break eye contact. Misato Katsuragi wouldn't have reached the range of Major if she were so easily scared, even of her superior.

"He's at my apartment, sir," she explained. "His condition is still poor, both physically and mentally. I feared that being in a stressful environment could delay his recovery."

"Is he alone?"

"No sir. I asked Chief Inspector Ryoji Kaji to look after him until my return."

"Did the pilot at least provide an explanation for his absence?"

Misato nodded, and then she proceeded to repeat exactly what Shinji had said to her the previous night. While she did that, the Major paid very close attention to the faces of the two men, searching for a twitch, a slight grimace or any other indication that they, much like her, didn't believe the story. However, she discovered was that her two bosses would be very, very good at poker.

But fortune seemed to be on the woman's side, because all the Commander said afterwards was:

"If that's true, then you should've brought him here yesterday for a medical examination. A head wound could affect the synchronization rates of the pilot and is to be treated with utmost haste."

"I know, sir. I apologize."

"I'll let it slide this time. Bring him here tomorrow at first hour and take him to see doctor Akagi. That is all."

Misato bowed and exited the room. Ritsuko was waiting for her on the corridor. The two women walked in silence, not even looking at each other. Only when they reached the scientist's office, which they knew was a safe place, did the Major relax. She collapsed on a chair and let out a long half-sigh, half-groan.

"I take it that they bough Shinji's explanation?" asked the blonde doctor.

"They buy it, or they don't care," Misato shrugged.

Ritsuko went around her desk and sat on her chair.

"Very well," she said, lighting up a cigarette. "Let's address, at last, the giant bat in the room. Are you positive that he is the same 'dark giant' that you saw fifteen years ago?"

Misato crossed her arms and closed her eyes, recalling her grimmest memory for just a brief second. She didn't need to concentrate too much to feel the scorching winds on her skin, or the pain in her abdomen. Soon, the woman saw the titanic shape of the First Angel raising among the waters. Then, a much darker behemoth, horned and winged, lounged at the luminous neck of Adam. She compared that last image with her very fresh memories of the First Demon.

"Yes," she declared, opening her eyes. "I'm sure."

"And let me guess: you want to know if we can tame him, or we can use some of his powers for our benefit."

Misato let out a sad chuckle.

"That would be the most pragmatic approach, wouldn't it?" she said. "I guess I'm not that good of a Major, Rits, because I don't care about that. What I really want to know is if we can kill him."

Doctor Akagi almost dropped her cigarette.

"That thing..." the purple-haired woman kept talking, and with each word, her expression grew sourer, and her voice more hostile. "He appears now, after all our hard-earned victories, after all our pain and sacrifices; and he pierces an AT-Field without breaking a sweat, right in front of our noses. It's like he's taunting us, saying that we are no longer neccesary, that we'll never be as strong as him. The Commander wants us to catch him alive? Fine by me, but I hope it's just so you can vivisect that damn bat."

As Shinji told his tale, Kaji's expression changed gradually. The smile faded away not too long after the first words, replaced by a grimace of confusion, which soon was accompanied by wide eyes of astonishment. Then he showed his serious face, followed by his thoughtful face, and lastly, a thousand-yard stare which remained until the end of the story.

Shinji stood up, served himself another glass of water, and returned to the chair. Eventually, Kaji let out a long, slow sigh, and then he smiled once more.

"Okay," he declared. "I believe you."

The boy looked at him with surprised, yet hopeful eyes.

"Really?" he asked.

"As I said, we live in a strange world and I've seen some bizarre things. None like this, granted, but it's still believable by my standards. Besides, you don't strike me as the type of person that makes up crazy stories, so it must be true," the older man raised a hand to his chin. "In fact, now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. You were out of the picture for as long as the bat-thing was here. You're lucky that Ritsuko hasn't figured that out."

He had intended those last words as a joke, to break the tension, but they only made the kid more nervous. Kaji cleared his throat and decided to leave the comedy for later.

"So," he asked. "How do you feel about this whole… situation?"

"Terrible," Shinji looked down at his empty glass again. "I was eaten alive, I had to fight Unit-02, Nerv tried to bomb me… And then I killed all those demons," the boy raised his hands and stared at them. "It wasn't my Eva this time, I did it. I can still feel it. Every bone I snapped, every flesh I tore apart. I can even smell the blood. Zenon…" his hands began to tremble. "Zenon talked to me while he died…"

Tears formed in Shinji's eyes as his face twisted in an expression of pain and horror. He had somehow repressed those memories during the previous day, but he could no longer keep them down. Kaji wasted no time: he stood up, walked next to the kid and cupped his hands.

"Look at me, Shinji," the man said.

The boy raised his head, and the wet grayish-blue orbs met with the brown stare of the Chief Inspector. Kaji talked slowly, making sure that he could hear and process every word:

"It was in self-defense. They attacked you first. If you hadn't fought, you wouldn't be here today. You did nothing wrong."

"But–"

"No," the man squeezed Shinji's hands, gently, trying to stop the trembling. "No 'buts'. It was in self-defense. They didn't surrender and they didn't beg for mercy. You said that Zenon laughed as he died. Well, it seems pretty clear to me that they were ready to fight to the bitter end. They gave you no other choice. You did nothing wrong."

"I know, but…" Shinji sniffled as the trembling spread to the rest of his body. "I don't like it…"

Kaji put his right hand on the kid's shoulder, still holding the shaking arms with his left.

"It's alright," he said. "You don't have to like it."

His vision blurry due to the tears, Shinji looked at his feet and allowed himself to cry, just a little bit more. He wanted to let go, to break down and to rest his head on the man's shoulder, just as he had done with Asuka the previous morning. He wished to feel the embrace of another human, he wished for warmth that could alleviate his pain; but the boy resisted the urge, knowing that it would be uncomfortable for both. Japanese culture was not precisely keen on physical contact, at least between non-relatives. Besides, Kaji was from an older generation, so maybe he hadn't shaken off the idea that grown men weren't supposed to show affection.

For a brief instant, Shinji found himself longing for Asuka's awkward hug.

Sooner than both were expecting, the Third Children calmed down and stopped trembling. Kaji let him go, but he did not return to his chair across the table. Instead, he sat right next to the kid, ready to provide more emotional support if it was needed.

"Thank you," Shinji said, wiping away his last tears.

"Do you want to stop?" the man asked.

"No," his answer was almost immediate. Shinji looked at Kaji, and the Chief Inspector was surprised to see a faint twinkle of determination in his scared eyes. "I want to know. I need to know."

"Very well. I guess it's my turn to answer your question, but remember: you can't tell anyone about this. Promise?"

Shinji mimicked the gesture of zipping his lips.

"Good," the man reached for his cigarettes, almost without thinking, only to stop himself when he remembered that he was in a kitchen with a minor. "Okay, let's not dance around the issue. The Throne of Souls is the archaic name of SEELE, the organization that funds and, to an extent, controls Nerv."

Kaji could hear the cogwheels coming to a screeching halt inside Shinji's head, and he didn't like it. The poor kid had probably no idea that Nerv was being funded by another power. He had come to him seeking answers, but it seemed that he was going to end with even more questions.

And indeed, the questions were piling up in Shinji's brain, but he decided to wait until the end of the explanation. The boy simply closed his mouth and nodded.

"From what I could gather," Kaji continued, "they have existed for as long as human civilization, but their power and influence fluctuated thorough the years. Sometimes, they were little more than a coven of angry old men shaking their fists at the local monarch, or at the more popular religions. Other times, they had entire empires under their control. Shortly after World War Two, they changed their name to SEELE and their power grew to an almost global scale. The cause of this was their discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Have you heard about that?"

"Yes. They are some ancient religious texts that were found in the Middle East, right?"

"That's just a front. The true Dead Sea Scrolls, which were never released to the public, are some sort of prophecy about the coming of the Angels. In fact, it was thanks to them that SEELE eventually located the First Angel in Antarctica, and…" Kaji sighed. He wasn't sure if the kid could deal with the bomb that was coming, but he had promised to tell him everything: "They caused the Second Impact, Shinji. It was SEELE, and they did it on purpose."

The boy already knew that the 'official' cause for the cataclysm, the famous meteorite that his school teacher was constantly drowning about, was a lie. Ritsuko had told him about the First Angel not too long after joining Nerv. While Shinji had been understandably shocked, the revelation had also given him a sense of purpose. They were fighting so that the Angels couldn't finish what they had started fifteen years ago. They were enacting mankind's revenge for the Second Impact.

This new truth, however, left him with no purpose. Shinji's worldview shattered in a second, and there was no silver lining. They had been manipulated. They weren't soldiers fighting for justice; they weren't avengers for the millions of humans that had died. They were… the kid wasn't sure of what they were anymore.

"I know," Kaji sighed, seeing the horrific realization reflected in Shinji's eyes. "It seems that your father's bosses have some skeletons in their closets."

"But how do you know all of this?" the kid asked. "Who… what are you, really?"

With a smile, the man shrugged.

"I guess there is no point in hiding it from you anymore," he said. "I'm a triple agent, Shinji. SEELE hired me to spy on your father because they don't trust him, but your father hired me to sneak something out of SEELE's headquarters and bring it to him. Meanwhile, I'm investigating both of them for the Japanese Government."

There was a short and uncomfortable silence, after which Shinji gulped and asked:

"Are you our enemy?"

Still smiling, Kaji shook his head.

"I'm not your enemy," he said. "I'm not Misato's enemy either, or Asuka's, or Rei's or Ritsuko's. I would never hurt any of you, I just want to find the truth," a shadow of sorrow appeared in his face as he visited his memories. "You have to understand, Shinji, that the Second Impact ruined our world. Half of humanity was killed. It damned millions to poverty and famine, it broke families and it started wars whose political repercussions last to this day. Entire ecosystems were wiped out, while others were badly wounded. Because of the Second Impact, the future generations of Japanese kids will never see snow in their own country. They will never enjoy the cherry blossoms that once made our land so proud, so beautiful. For all that and more, I want to bring SEELE to justice."

Shinji didn't press further on the subject. He decided that he could trust Kaji, the same way the man trusted him. Instead, he asked a different question:

"And what should I do?"

Hand on his chin, the triple agent thought about it.

"For now, do what Zenon suggested and hide your powers," he answered. "SEELE is no laughing matter. If they deem you a threat to their plans, they'll try to kill you."

"But I'm a pilot! Don't they need me to fight the Angels?"

"They won't see it that way. As long as Asuka and Rei can fight, they have enough. Furthermore, with Units 03 and 04 near completion, two more pilots will soon be recruited. In this situation, SEELE will not hesitate to sacrifice one of their warriors, if necessary."

The whole mood had turned somber in record time. Shinji shrunk on his chair and asked no more questions. He didn't want anymore answers, not if they were going to be further bad news. Noticing that, Kaji put a friendly hand on the kid's shoulder.

"Tell you what," the man said. "While I dig up more of SEELE's secrets, I'll also look for information about demons. I can't promise I'll find anything, but who knows. Those old bastards may keep something interesting in their basement, perhaps even a way for you to be normal again."

Shinji looked at him, hope returning to his eyes, little by little.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Anything for the boy who saved Tokyo-3 and the world so many times," Kaji winked. "And, as I promised, your secret is safe with me. Until you decide to tell Katsuragi yourself, I won't say a word to anybody. So, how are you feeling now?"

There were still many things that Shinji didn't understand. There were still many things that scared him, and the terrible truth about the Throne of Souls was just one of them. Despite this, his anxiety wasn't as strong as before. He no longer felt the urge to go hide in his room, because he was, indeed, not alone. There was one man willing to help him, to trust him, to not hate him even if he was now a monster. The kid didn't feel well, not entirely, not yet; but now he could, at least, face his fears.

Shinji gave Kaji a grateful smile. However, before he could voice his thanks, a pang of pain erupted from his stomach. The boy fell on his knees, agony reflected in his face.

"Shinji!" the man stood up, worried by that sudden occurrence. "What's the matter? Are you hurt? What–"

He was interrupted when the belly of the Third Children let out a growl so loud that it startled Pen-pen awake.

Calmer as he was now, Shinji became able to hear the messages that his body had been sending to his brain for the past hours. Namely, that they hadn't eaten anything for almost a day and a half.

"Hungry," was all that he could muster, while hugging his belly.

The worried expression in Kaji's face was replaced with one of relief.

"Well, that's good!" he said as he opened the fridge. "Don't worry, I'll make up something really quick and–" upon seeing what was inside, the Chief Inspector grimaced. "Oh, no… I'm afraid you're out of fresh ingredients. All you have, besides beer, are some samples of Katsuragi's cooking."

"That'll do."

Kaji stared at him, his face distorted with shock and surprise. Forget the story about Shinji turning into a demon, that was the revelation he definitively couldn't believe.

"Are you crazy? As much as I like Katsuragi, even I admit that–"

"Please!" the kid shrieked. His stomach growled again.

Misato and Asuka stepped out of the elevator, each one carrying two bags of groceries.

"I get it," the redhead was saying, "and I agree, Shinji shouldn't be cooking anything until he gets better. What I don't understand is why we can't just order take-out."

'Oh, so he's not 'the idiot' today?' Misato did not voice that thought. Her ward was in a nicer mood than usual and she didn't want to push her luck. However, she did allow herself to grin for a second, as they walked to the apartment.

"It might take a while," she explained. "What if Shinji doesn't fully recover until next week? We can't subsist only on take-outs for seven days. Besides, cooking is a very useful skill."

The Major expected to hear another complain, but she received a pleasant surprise.

"Oh, alright," Asuka said, turning her nose upwards. "I'll cook, but I'm only doing it so that you two can sample some German cuisine. You'd better be grateful."

"Of course," Misato repressed a chuckle. Her pep-talk from the previous night had worked even better than she had expected.

Sadly, the Major knew that she couldn't take all the credit. Earlier that day, before going to Nerv, Asuka had told Kaji about how she had comforted Shinji, earning the man's praise. 'That's very mature. I'm proud of you,' he had said. Misato had never seen the Second Children so happy, so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. As much as it irked her to give credit to her ex-boyfriend, he was partly responsible for Asuka's good mood.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she opened the door and detected a peculiar smell. The redhead noticed it too, and she wrinkled her nose. They left the shoes and the bags on the entrance and ran to the kitchen, where a very dumbfounded Kaji and an equally dumbfounded Pen-pen were staring at the dining table.

"Oh mein Gott im Himmel!"

Shinji had been served every Misato-made meal that they kept in the fridge. Several dishes were in front of him, each one containing a culinary disaster that the members of the Katsuragi household had learned to avoid. There were greasy Misato noodles, Misato fried vegetables, unhealthily spicy Misato curry, Misato chips and Misato steak, which was blacker and more charred than any edible meat has any right being.

The boy was devouring everything. No chopsticks, he just picked the food with his fingers and carried it to his mouth, so fast that they could barely see it. If something was impossible to pick, like soup, Shinji would grab the bowl with both hands and gulp it down. They weren't sure he was even chewing.

Asuka turned around, one hand on her stomach and the other covering her mouth.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she mumbled.

"Waaark…" Pen-pen agreed.

Misato, on the other hand, walked right in front of Kaji and, sporting a prideful grin, pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"Ha!" she laughed. "How do you like that, Chief Inspector? I told you that I would find someone who appreciated my culinary skills! In your face, Mister 'Chicken-Teriyaki-Is-Not-Supposed-To-Be-On-Fire'! In! Your! Face!"

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LOTS OF PRODUCTION NOTES: I feel that maybe Shinji should be more distressed regarding SEELE and the truth about the Second Impact, but I don't want him to brood for too long. Maybe Asuka's hug had some soothing effect on him, or maybe Kaji's charm makes him braver, or maybe it's his new demonic blood. Or all of that at once, who knows.

The nightmare at the start is my little homage to the nightmare scene from the 1994 Spiderman cartoon. You know the one.

In the original Mao Dante manga, as well as in the anime, demons don't speak pseudo-Sumerian. I made that up because I thought it would be cool for them to have a private language, with the implication that it was copied by ancient human civilizations.

Also, I looked it up and cherry trees in Japan bloom between January and March (winter to spring). Since the Second Impact locked the country in eternal summer, they are gone. However, I'm not an expert on the issue. If anyone of you knows about Japan's flora, feel free to correct me on this.

HONEST QUESTION: I've been using 'Children' instead of 'Child' to refer to the pilots because that's the word they used in the original Japanese, even though I know it's not grammatically correct. Is anyone bothered by this? Do you want me to change it and use 'Child'? I'd like to keep using 'Children', but I don't really mind.

Once again, many thanks for the reviews, the follows and the likes. See you in the next chapter.