As he drifted through the darkness, the thoughts of what happened started to come to mind but, still, he made no motion to even move. He was too tired to act as he simply floated deeper into nothingness.

Rei… He didn't even know if she was still alive. On the way to Nerv, Unit 00's head sailed through the air above him and landed somewhere in the city.

He failed her.

Shinji opened his eyes and discovered the darkness was still around him.

It wasn't so much the fact that he didn't get there in time, it was the fact that he didn't know. He didn't know if she survived, he didn't know if he defeated the Angel, he didn't know what happened, and he especially didn't know where he was.

"He told me not to worry about it…" Shinji muttered as he continued to sail around aimlessly.

In spite of his situation, he couldn't help but remember Kaji's carefree smile as he watered the watermelons he grew in the GeoFront. With Rei's fight versus the Angel as a backdrop to their brief conversation, the man all but casually told him that if he failed to stop the Angel that the Third Impact would occur.

His smile was calming…

Like the darkness that surrounded him Shinji noted.

"Shinji…"

He didn't want to move but he did anyway. The pilot's eyes fell on the lonely darkness before him. As his name echoed out of the dark, Shinji continued to focus on it.

"Shinji…" The unmistakable sound of his name came from the darkness again.

Something shot out of the darkness and wrapped around his wrist. Any thoughts he had concerning any events besides the present one disappeared as he noticed it was a human hand holding his arm.

"Shinji…" The figure groaned as it came into his field of vision.

"Get… away…" Shinji cried as it grabbed his other arm and pulled him closer, "No! Stop!"

"Shinji!" It yelled as it continued to pull him even closer.

As he struggled to release himself, he caught a glimpse of what was supposed to be its face and he screamed as loud as he possibly could.

Lately

"It's been about three weeks now."

Misato deposited another washed dish in the drainer as she spoke to herself.

Thankfully, for her and the rest of world, no Angels attacked since the fourteenth but that didn't mean things were exactly going well.

The Evangelions were almost out of order as far as she was concerned. From the missing arms to cracked armor plates, all of the Units had damage dealt to them. They made progress with Unit 00 but it would still take time for the right arm and neck to heal.

As the Operations Director put the cloth to the plate and started to scrub, her mind wandered to the subject of the first child.

Rei was fairing well against the Angel until they discovered the paper thin folds at its sides were actually one of its weapons. Unit 00 barely avoided losing both arms as it ducked and charged forward with the rocket launcher it held. Misato sighed as she remembered that the weapon dealt no damage at all.

Weaponless, Misato ordered Rei to use the progressive knife. Before she could even reach for it, the shoulder compartment was gone along with an arm. It wasn't long afterwards that Unit 00's head fell.

"She was waiting for orders…." The raven-haired woman recalled.

The doorbell rung and she dried her hands. Answering the door, she wasn't surprised to find a returning guest.

Hikari looked up at the Major, "Hello Miss Katsuragi."

Misato grinned as the girl stood outside the apartment, "What are you waiting for? Come on in." She said cheerfully as she made way for the girl to enter the apartment.

"Oh you were cleaning up?" The young girl noticed as Misato ushered her into the apartment, "Want me to help?"

Misato considered her offer for a moment. While she wasn't exactly all that lazy, it would just be wrong to have a guest cleaning the house for her and, besides, she owed it to Shinji to clean up in his absence.

Upon allowing her charge to enter her thoughts, she took a closer look at his girlfriend.

Hikari stood in front of her with a blank expression. The single brown eye that stared back at her held so many questions but her lips were sealed together in an impressive show of self control.

They both knew that she didn't come to help clean up.

"Hikari, are you okay?"

"Yea," Hikari walked deeper into the apartment, "I'm alright."

Misato decided she would return to washing the dishes later. She watched Hikari sit down on the couch and she then went into the kitchen. As she opened the refrigerator in order to get a beer, Hikari sat back in the couch and patiently waited for Shinji's guardian to return.

The brown-haired girl played with her hair as she pondered the true answer to Misato's question. While she didn't lie in her reply, she didn't tell the whole truth. Of course she felt find but it was the people around her she was worried about.

Still, she returned to ask the question she couldn't when she first visited.

The footsteps behind her informed her of Misato's presence. With her resolve wavering, Hikari asked before she lost her determination to know the truth, "Miss Katsuragi, what happened to Shinji?"

"Good thing you asked because I was going to tell you anyway," Misato declared as she pulled the tab off the can of beer, "and call me Misato."

"Is it bad?"

Misato's smile was replaced by the serious expression she wore at NERV. Her brown eyes recalled the sight of Unit 01 wrapped in bandages and a frown started to form on her face, "Shinji is trapped in Unit 01." She finally admitted.

It was classified information but she had a responsibility to tell her what happened to Shinji.

"We don't know if we can get him out…" She continued as she eyed the girl's back.

The Major noticed how Hikari's shoulders slumped when she received the information but she made no mention of this as the girl stood up. Hikari turned to Misato with the same blank expression she had before, "Are they still trying?" She asked as her voice nearly broke in fear of the answer.

"Of course!" Misato quickly exclaimed, "We aren't giving up on him!"

A sign of relief escaped from Hikari and her expression became brighter. Asking Misato about Shinji wasn't as hard as she thought it was going to be. Since Rei only provided cryptic replies when she did answer any of her questions, Hikari long ago decided that the only way she was going to receive any information on Shinji's condition was by his guardian or Asuka.

"I'm… I'm going to see Asuka now," Hikari mentioned as she remembered the redhead, "I'll drop Shinji's printouts by tomorrow."

"Hikari, we are going to get him back," Misato placed the beer on the table, "Don't worry too much about it and… thanks for seeing about Asuka."

She had wanted to go visit Asuka herself but, given how she was behaving when she did go to see her, she didn't seem to want anyone to come.

As she walked out of the door and waved goodbye, Hikari felt slightly uneasy at the thought of seeing an agitated Asuka. Even if she didn't particularly like her, Hikari knew how important it was to have visitors.

Besides, it was something Shinji would do.

0

Rei found things to not be relevant towards her mission, but, unlike many suspected, that didn't mean she didn't find any value in them. As a matter of fact, it was often the most mundane objects that she treasured the most.

The dinner she shared with commander every month was something to hold dear. While the significance of the event paled in comparison to the melted glasses she owed or Shinji's friendship, it was still very important to her even if it barely had anything to do with piloting.

Gendo maintained the silence with practiced ease as they ate across the table from each other. The clang of his fork meeting the plate drew Rei's attention to him, "Rei, what is the status of the Third Child's relationship with his classmate?"

Rei slowly placed her utensil down, "They are maintaining an active relationship."

"At the moment." Gendo corrected.

His words instantly reminded her of the concerned look on Hikari's face when she asked about Shinji's condition. Although she felt compelled to share what information she did know, that didn't mean that it would be right to release anything classified.

But, in thinking of Hikari, she was reminded of a fact.

She did not like Hikari.

"Miss Horaki is taking his absence… well." Rei mentioned, knowing the Commander was already fully aware of Shinji's condition.

With his face devoid of any emotion, Gendo returned to his food, "I see."

As the soft sounds of the Commander eating returned to her ears, Rei couldn't help but think more about her dislike of Hikari.

'It's because she is a burden to him.' She thought as she picked her fork back up.

It was the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth.

Rei was never one to tell lies to anyone especially herself and she knew exactly what it was about Hikari's relationship with her friend that bothered her. Hikari's presence affected Shinji… and that affected her indirectly.

It was because of that fact that she had so many questions that couldn't be answered.

Was it because of her that Shinji became her friend?

Was the change in his personality good or bad?

If Hikari was not in his life… would she be the one most familiar with him?

"Rei," The commander's low voice broke up her thoughts, "Are you finished?"

She blinked, "No sir."

As she used the fork to place more of the salad in her mouth, she was certain of two things.

Even though she never experienced the feeling before, she was fairly certain that she was envious of Hikari. Her relationship with her friend was more intimate. It was something that was held strictly between the two of them and no one else, but his friendship was something that she was forced to share with others.

Rei did not like Hikari not only because of her affect on Shinji, but because she had the closeness with him that she desired for herself. It was a selfish thought, but was it wrong to desire comfort when it could be easily provided?

Her body started to feel warm as she remembered when she hugged Shinji.

As she chewed the salad the commander brought her, the second thing she noticed came to mind.

Shinji's salad tasted better.

0

Hikari stood in front of the opened door and briefly considered walking away.

For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she even wanted to see Asuka.

Of course it was something Shinji would do, but it didn't mean that she had to go and see someone who obviously didn't like her at all.

"He could come when he gets back…" She whispered as she started to turn away, "Besides, seeing me would just agitate her more."

She walked away and would have kept walking until she remembered that it was possible that no one took the time to go and see Asuka.

Considering how good it felt to be visited by friends and receive calls from family, Hikari knew that it could really hurt to be completely alone.

Sighing, Hikari turned around and walked into the room before she really decided to leave. She wasn't going to let something as petty as how she felt about Asuka stop her from keeping the girl company even if she didn't want it.

It wasn't long until her eyes met the sight of Asuka peacefully lying down in the hospital bed. Her rich golden red hair rested on top of the pillow as her eyes stared at the ceiling like she was waiting for something to fall. With the dim light provided by the setting sunlight that filtered through the window blinds, Hikari couldn't make out the expression on her face but, in not wanting to break the calm mood of the room, she kept standing in the same spot.

Seeing Asuka look so at peace made her fell somewhat guilty for attempting to leave but it also worried since it was out of character for the redhead to be so still. It was almost to the point where she would rather leave than shatter the serene aura that filled the room.

"What do you want?" The sudden, shrill voice of Asuka called out.

"I came to see how you were doing." Hikari said as she moved closer to the side of the bed.

The pause Asuka took in responding seemed to be a sign that she would be ignored but Hikari continued unbothered by the lack of a reply, "I heard that you were hurt and…"

"I don't want to see you."

"Why?"

The tension that arose quickly dismantled the calm nature that the room once had. Asuka sat up in the bed and turned to her first and only visitor.

"Because I hate you."

The whisper with which she said the statement contained so much malice that Hikari swore the next thing Asuka was going to do was strangle her. It didn't matter if it was yelled, whispered, or casually said. The sentence itself was a small declaration of Asuka's feelings and it perfectly summed how she viewed Shinji's girlfriend.

Hikari didn't flinch, "That… That doesn't bother me."

"I don't care."

"Okay…"

The conversation ended but both girls continued to stare at each other. Hikari's soft brown eye met Asuka's crystal blue.

The second hand of the clock on the wall clicked with each move but the girls remained still as they stared each other down. It wasn't a game to neither of them. It was something far more intricate than a staring competition.

They were exchanging something that couldn't be said verbally.

Hikari could tell by Asuka's body language that she wasn't bluffing in the least. Her weary, half closed eyes and slight frown told her that she was waiting on her to say the wrong thing.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

She said the wrong thing.

"You know why."

"Shinji is-"

"He's what?" Asuka exploded, "Your boyfriend? Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"The most important person to me…" Hikari finished.

"What if he is the most important person to me? Huh? What if he is my best friend!"

"What is stopping him from being your best friend?"

"You!" Asuka yelled.

Hikari expected that but that didn't mean she was prepared for it. It was obvious that the time Shinji was spending with her was time he wasn't spending with Asuka but that was okay since she was his girlfriend.

It was only right that she, the person closest to him, spent the most time with him. Still, she knew that Shinji didn't belong to her. He had friends and he had responsibilities just like other people even if his were more extreme than most.

"You're taking him from me!" Asuka voiced as she continued to look the girl she hated in the eye.

She was right, but Hikari had to still make a point clear, "He was never yours!"

Again, the uncomfortable silence fell on the room.

With the original reason for her visit being lost in the chaos that was their brief discussion, Hikari turned her eyesight towards the floor, "I'm sorry… for saying that." She said softly, honestly feeling bad for yelling.

"I heard from the doctor before I came to the room," Hikari looked back up as what he told her came to mind, "He… He said you can't walk."

Asuka clenched the sheets, "So?"

Hikari sighed, "I'm trying to help Asuka… What do you want me to do?"

"Leave me alone."

The freckled girl slowly inhaled and exhaled as she decided to try one more time, "Asuka…."

She trailed off as the redhead abruptly lay back down and turned her back towards her.

Had anyone told the once proud Hikari Horaki that she couldn't make a friend of someone, she would have immediately tried to prove him or her wrong but, now, she wasn't the same person she once was.

Staring at the back of her classmate caused Hikari to accept something that she knew for a long time.

They would never be friends.

She could try as hard as she possibly could but her work would mean nothing if Asuka didn't at least put up equal effort to become friends with her.

'It's understandable though,' Hikari rationalized as she moved away from the hospital bed, 'I guess I would act the same way if I was in the same situation.'

'I… I just wouldn't be so mean about it.'

Looking over her shoulder, she noticed that the peaceful feeling the room once encompassed was indeed shattered. More importantly, Asuka looked different than she was when she entered the room.

The girl who was sitting up in the bed not to long ago now was lying with her head under a pillow as she ignored her first visitor. Still, she couldn't bring herself to hate Asuka.

Just like many of the new students she used to deal with, Asuka was only looking for friends. All she wanted was people who could identify with her. Unintentionally of course, Hikari little by little took that away from her.

Was that a reason to be hated? It wasn't Hikari's fault though… It was because of her lack of resolve and she couldn't blame anyone but herself for that.

Despite what she said, it hurt to know that someone detested you. To know that someone didn't like her was enough to hurt her feelings but the intense hatred was something on a completely different level.

Idly, her sight went down Asuka's back to her legs that didn't move at all and, suddenly, a flood of both guilt and pity washed over her.

The girl, a pilot that fought for everyone, was bedridden in front of her and she was worried about her relationship. Overlooking such a devastating dilemma to deal with her personal problem was one thing Hikari just couldn't do.

Obviously not being able to provide the comfort that a friend could, the brown-haired girl did the best she could do for the paralyzed pilot.

"Hate me then." Hikari opened the door, "Hate me if it makes you feel better." She whispered loud enough for the girl to hear.

When no response came she stepped out of the room and didn't look back.

Making her exit, Hikari couldn't help but think of Shinji as her mind got off the subject of Asuka, "I hope you come back soon…" She prayed as she decided to pay a visit to Touji's sister before leaving.

She hung to the belief that he would come but, as the hours turned into days and the days into weeks, the hope in her heart started to fade. It was during this time that she seriously began to think of what Misato said.

His guardian only promised that she wouldn't stop trying, but that wasn't a guarantee that he would come back.

Of course, she was independent and didn't need anyone to survive on her own but a life without Shinji was not a life she wanted.

At the current time, Hikari didn't notice or she probably did but refused to accept it but a fact was a fact.

This was the loneliest she ever felt.

Fin

Author's Notes: Hardest chapter to right mainly because this and chapter afterwards were the only two I didn't plan out well. I hope I got my idea of Hikari's kindness down in this chapter. While a normal person would simply offer kind words seeing that they wouldn't be able to help physically, Asuka and Hikari's relationship was not one based on friendship. So, in a display of her kindness, I decided to write Hikari practically asking Asuka to hate her if it will make her feel better.

Kind of sappy huh? ; Like I said these two chapters are the hardest for me to write.

Nevertheless, to the next chapter.