The computer screen cast an eerie glow into the room, bathing the person using it in a soft green light. Fingers tapped the keys, causing lines of text to scroll down the display, almost too fast for the human eye to follow.

Almost.

Probably the only person within NERV able to process such information at that speed, Ritsuko Akagi sat at one of the MAGI terminals, reviewing the code for any flaws or glitches she may have missed. At the moment, her eyes surveyed the latest... "Implementation" the Supreme Commander had ordered her to create.

Not finding any errors, she closed the window, and opened another file, a log of what the program recorded and did. Although she had a pretty good idea why the Commander had chosen to undertake these measures, it seemed somewhat...extreme.

It does make some form of entertainment, she thought, as she read one of the more recent files.

-------

[22:04] * RoterRitter tackles Momoku

[22:04] Momoku ??

[22:04] RoterRitter Whaaaat?

[22:04] Momoku That's an...interesting greeting.

[22:05] RoterRitter I'm just happy to see you! Rather eventful day here...

[22:05] Momoku What happened?

[22:05] RoterRitter Well, we were on some kind of school trip, up in the mountains...I slipped at one point, and was about to fall off the side of a cliff...

[22:05] Momoku What?? Are you all right? Everything ok??

[22:06] RoterRitter Hold your horses, I'm all right! I wouldn't be talking here if I wasn't, now would I? ;)

[22:06] Momoku Oh. Right. So...

[22:06] RoterRitter ?

[22:06] Momoku How did you stop your fall?

[22:06] RoterRitter Well...I didn't.

[22:06] Momoku ???

[22:06] RoterRitter Somebody caught me in time, he kept me from falling.

[22:07] Momoku Thank god... a friend of yours?

[22:10] RoterRitter Not really, just a classmate...

[22:10] Momoku Thank god for his quick reflexes, then...

------

"Devious girl, isn't she? Twisting the facts like that..." a voice mumbled, close enough to make Ritsuko jump.

"Well, at least she isn't revealing NERV classified information," she answered, quickly recovering her cool. She turned her head towards the new arrival. "And isn't this above your clearance level as well, my dear Kaji?"

The eternally unshaven man shrugged. "Not really, I was transferred to the intelligence section, if you recall...and this has been causing quite a stir there as well." He glanced at the code again. "But seriously... Is all this really necessary? What harm could come out of-"

"Control," the blonde scientist interrupted. "He can control them easier this way. What they don't know can be used against them... Not that they need to know, either."

Kaji raised an eyebrow at the last statement. "Not to step on anyone's toes, but... these kids need all the help they can get. Katsuragi is doing a fine job, but..."

"But she can't reach them as well as they could reach each other?" Ritsuko offered, as the man trailed off. "We don't have many options, though...I am only following orders, as everyone does here."

Kaji shook his head. "I believe we do have a choice... it all depends on whether we choose to follow orders, or do what we think is right."

"And you've made your choice?" She asked, as her long-time friend stood up to leave.

Kaji paused, turning his head at her to offer a grin. "Perhaps."

---------------------------

Prior Acquaintances

Chapter Nine: Secrets

---------------------------

Slowly a pair of eyes opened to be greeted by a featureless ceiling. The gaze still heavy with sleep turned towards the alarm clock, which read half past seven. No one else would be up at this hour... The boy stood up, stripped off his clothes, and lazily wrapped a towel around himself, before he headed towards the bathroom.

A shower will feel great right now, he thought, one hand opening his door while the other gripped the towel.

Red hair floated on the water's surface, framing a face that could have been called the living picture of peace. The girl was half asleep, the warm water of the bath she was in making her drowsy. She had woken up an hour earlier, torn from her sleep by a dream she couldn't remember, even if she tried. Unable to go back to sleep, she had decided to relax in a soothing bath. Too soothing, as she had almost fallen asleep. Deciding to finally get out, she stood up, stretching her arms above her head to fully awaken.

That's when the door opened.

A half-awake Shinji turned into a fully awake Shinji, and a still-drowsy Asuka found her mind to be cleared of any thoughts in that moment. Both children blinked, unmoving, staring at each other. Again, in perfect unison, they blinked again, breaking the moment.

"WAAUGH!!!! SCHEISSKERL!! VERPISS DICH HENTAI! PERVERT!" Asuka screamed falling back into the water, one arm trying as best as it could to cover her chest, the other throwing various bottles of shampoo and other items at hand.

At first, Shinji tried to shield himself with his free hand, as shampoo started flying around his head. However, through either a stroke of luck, or incredible aim considering the tenseness of the situation, one bottle managed to land in his face, square between the eyes. This caused the boy to instinctively shield himself with both arms, releasing his grip on his towel in the process.

"AAAAAH! I DID NOT WANT TO SEE THAT!" The redhead screamed, as she now had a view of Shinji similar to what he had seen of her at entering the bathroom. Redoubling her efforts, she threw every item that wasn't fixed to the wall, as well as a stream of curses in every language she knew, and a few others she couldn't even remember where she had heard them.

Trying to cover himself while running back to his room, Shinji didn't notice one of the items that had been thrown now lay in his path. He did, however, feel the effects of the bar of soap as he slid on it, sending him crashing into his room.

Silence reigned, only to be broken by the sound of a door opening, followed by a body rolling out. Misato landed in a crouch, her gun aimed down the corridor, searching for signs of the disturbance that had torn her from her sleep. No movement could be seen, except for an extremely wide-eyed PenPen peeking out of the kitchen. Lowering the gun, she decided to find out what had happened when she woke up for good. Of course, after a few more hours of sleep.

She almost made it safely to her room, but stepped on something that made her crash back onto the ground. Struggling back to a sitting position against the wall, she picked up the object, and eyed it critically.

Gun in one hand, and a bar of soap in the other, Misato Katsuragi could only wonder aloud, "...what the hell is going on here?"

Her answer came in the form of a sponge, directly to her face.

-------------

Shinji's gaze kept drifting towards the girl walking several meters ahead of him. For possibly the millionth time, he wondered how things had turned this way. The fiery German redhead was now living with him and Misato. A rather large turn of events, he mused, as he thought back to that afternoon, several months ago.

{{"What the..." Shinji looked at the hallway, the walls lined with boxes, leading right up to the last empty room. Growing increasingly confused by the minute, he walked over to the kitchen to grab a drink, so he could mull things over.

He emitted a small yelp at the sight that had greeted him.

"'Bout time you got here! I was going to start moving all the boxes myself, but since you're here, you can help me."

Shinji stared at the girl as she lifted a can of soda to her lips, acting as if she had lived in the apartment her whole life. What, in the name of all that was good and sane, was she doing here? "What are you doing here?" He asked, formulating his thoughts into words.

"Misato invited me," she said, her demeanor chipper. "I was thinking of staying alone, really, but she insisted. You know her."

"But..."

"I'm home!" The purple haired subject of the discussion called from the doorway, stepping over the boxes. After throwing her stuff into her room, she turned around to see the confused and flustered Shinji looking at her.

"Misato! What's going on here?" he asked, pointing at the red haired girl who had started to unpack some of the boxes.

Misato had given the boy a sheepish smile. "She asked me if she could move in here, actually. And after I let you stay here, I couldn't really refuse now could I?"

"Huh?" That had not been what Asuka had told him...

"And hey," the Nerv Captain added, her expression turning sly. "If she wanted to stay here so badly, that must mean she must have had a lot of fun during those five days you two were together..."}}

Shinji blushed as he had back then, tearing his gaze away from the girl. He still wondered why she had moved in with them. She had certainly complained about his presence often enough. Then there was that incident which occurred that very morning... He was surprised she was allowing him to even walk this close to her.

As for her having fun... he recalled that one smile they had shared, when they had finally managed to synchronize. The rest of the time had mostly been arguments and fights.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he peered through the crowd approaching the school, looking for his friends. He could use a distraction right now.

"Hey, Shinji! Over here!"

He turned his head towards the call, finally spotting Toji and Kensuke in the throng of students. Glancing one last time at Asuka, he found her gone, having already disappeared in the sea of humanity.

"What were you lookin' at, Ikari?" Toji eyed his friend warily, knowing perfectly well what the smaller boy had been looking at. He couldn't fathom why, though.

Shinji shook his head, hoping they didn't notice the faint blush before answering quietly. "Nothing..."

"Oh come on," Kensuke said. "We both saw you looking at the Demon. What's on your mind?"

The pilot of Eva 01 sighed. Ever since Asuka had started attending the Tokyo-3 school, Shinji hadn't been able to stop them from using that nickname.

Nor had he managed to stop the rumors that had spread as soon as he and the fiery German had first arrived at the school together, although she had managed to stomp out a number of them, merely by acting the way she did.

"Well...I'm still wondering why she moved in with Misato and I..."

"Yeah. You have all the luck, man..." the jock noted. "Living with Misato..."

Shinji rolled his eyes, and sat down at his desk when they finally reached the classroom, getting ready for the lesson.

-----------

"What's eating you, Shinji? You've been distracted all day?"

"Um...well...Misato and Asuka were watching this movie last night..." the boy hesitated, unsure of how he would speak that which was on his mind.

"What, 'Armageddon'?", Kensuke answered. "Yeah. They were showing it for some kind of Second Impact documentary or something..."

"No, well, not exactly...did you ever see one called 'You've Got Mail'?"

"'You've Got'...oh, yeah. Way back, I think. It was...cute, I guess."

Shinji hesitated a second before he continued. "I was wondering, is that type of thing...even possible?"

"What, online romances? Why do you ask?" the boy caught himself as he asked the question. Why else would Shinji... Unless... "Wait...are you asking because you're in one yourself?" Grinning at the idea, he leaned forward. "So, who is it?"

Shinji was blushing up a storm. "It-It's not like that! Really!" Noticing the dubious look on his friend's face, he tried to avoid eye contact. Which he failed miserably to do.

"Riiiight," the still grinning boy answered. "So how long have you known her?"

"More than a year now, before I even moved to Tokyo-3..."

"And you're still talking? Wow...those things usually last just a couple of months...Well who is she? And where's she from?"

"I don't know.", the boy answered, looking at his desk, head downcast.

"Eh? A year, and you still don't know??"

"It's weird. Whenever we type names of places or people, they're all symbols...in emails too."

"You mean, like censorship? Weird..."

"However, I do know she's from Germany... and that she's recently moved to Japan."

The bespectacled boy's jaw almost fell to the ground, his face an ashen color. "Germany? Censorship? Don't you realize what this MEANS?" Kensuke whispered hoarsely, while pointing at Asuka with a quaking finger. "There's conspiracy afoot, Ikari, and you've fallen into the middle of it. You and the...the...the..."

Shinji didn't need to look to know what he was pointing at, though. "I don't think it's Asuka... she told me she was far away from any place the Angels would attack... and anyway, this girl is a lot nicer."

Both boys paused, one staring out of the window, the other glancing back and forth between his friend and the red-haired girl. "What is she like?"

Shinji seemed to awaken...as if he were crawling out of his shell. "I...can't really explain it. She's great, she's funny, she's nice...I feel that I can understand her like no one else...and she understands me. She accepts how I am...I feel like that John Fox guy."

"Wow, that's...wow." Kensuke paused, confused. "Who's John Fox?"

"Tom Hanks."

"Who?"

Shinji sighed. "Captain John Miller?"

"Oh! The "Saving Private Ryan" guy! Why didn't you say so in the first place? Anyway, what about him?"

"To quote him, 'If this girl is as wonderful in person as she is on line, I may have found the love of my life'," Shinji paused. "But I don't know if I can handle that."

The brown haired boy looked at his friend. Shinji had seemed so...alive when he had talked about this girl. More so than he had ever seen Eva 01's pilot act. "Well, good luck, I guess...hope you find out who it is."

----------

"Sorry, Asuka," said the pigtailed girl to her friend, as they walked toward the redhead's home. "You're usually walking with Ikari..."

"Oh, that's all right. I don't particularly want to see him right now, to tell the truth..."— The other girl answered, recalling that morning's incident...As they crested the hill, they paused to sit on a bench near the park, watching the sun set in the distance. Neither spoke, preferring the silence, until the German girl broke it.

"This is about Toji, isn't it?"

Hikari stared ahead, only slightly startled by the break in the calmness of the moment. "Is it that obvious?"

Asuka grinned, nodding. "Yep. The three Stooges are the only ones who don't see it."

This caused the freckled girl to look at her friend once more. "Not Shinji...he seems kind of naïve..."

"He's actually a complete idiot. The slowest of the bunch, no social skills whatsoever, no idea how to relate to others..."

Another pause, this time broken by Hikari. "I think Toji might like Rei..."

"What?? The doll and him? Where'd you get that from??"

"They were together at lunch..."

"Don't you worry, she's about ten thousand times denser than Shinji at communication!"

"You think so?"

"Absolutely." The redhead answered firmly, getting a smile out of her friend. "What do you see in that monkey, anyway?"

Hikari blushed, turning away. When she spoke, it was in a whisper. "He's not really like that. He's...compassionate."

Asuka blinked, disbelief etched on her face. "Uh huh...right...."

"What about you?" the other girl asked as she faced her friend once more. "Is there anybody you like?"

"What? Where, in our class? Pfff, never." Elsewhere, though... she thought, a wistful look on her face.

Her friend did not miss that look. "And outside of the class? And not Mr. Kaji. He's good-looking and everything, but I mean someone our age."" She smiled as the German girl whirled around to face her, a startled look on her face. "You had this...look on your face after you said that."

Asuka frowned, looking at her hands. After a few minutes of silence, she spoke. "Promise me not to tell anyone else. And I mean no one." She looked up at her friend, her eyes showing the turmoil inside.

Hikari nodded, her eyes wide at the vehemence in the other girl's voice, and the look in her eyes. She wondered what could possibly cause such a reaction in Asuka.

"He...I've never seen him, I don't even know exactly where he lives... But I can talk to him. Easily, almost like with you... I can share things with him that I haven't told anyone, not even y-" she stopped, catching herself before she ended that phrase.

To her relief, the freckled girl was shaking her head, a small smile on her face. "It's all right. Even best friends don't have to share everything." She squeezed the other girl's shoulder. "What did you mean you've never seen him?" She asked, getting back to the point that was confusing her.

"I mean just that. I've never seen him. I've only heard him and talked with him."

"You've lost me. How does that work?"

"I...oh, this is stupid..." Asuka said quietly, seeing how ridiculous the whole situation was.

Hikari was getting increasingly confused as she listened to her friend. "What? I don't understand..."

"I...I met him on the Internet, like a year ago..." the redhead said, frowning as she stared at the ground. "This is stupid...I sound like a complete lovesick idiot..."

"Nah. I think it's sweet." The Class Rep answered, grinning. "But you don't know where he lives and what his name is?" she asked, incredulous at that fact.

"Don't you think I've TRIED to figure out? There's something weird going on, each time we mention our names, or names of places, the words get replaced by symbols. Too specific to be a random glitch, though. Only thing I have is his handle."

Hikari seemed pensive. "Well, you are part of NERV...maybe it's just them making sure no secrets get out, or something...What's a handle, anyway?"

Asuka blinked at her friend. Now why didn't I think of that? She remained silent before Hikari's question registered in her mind. "It's like a nickname, only online...he calls himself Momoku...My own is RoterRitter. That means Red Knight."

"It fits you." The pigtailed girl said with a grin, before her face took on a look of worry. "Momoku? 'Forsaken'? How...sad. He must be lonely, too..." She paused to think. "Hmm...Maybe you could ask Misato for help...she could probably find out who your friend is."

"Misato? I just told you, I don't want anyone to know! If I tell Misato, it'll just become a big joke to her! First time she can, she'll make fun of me about it in front of Shinji, and by the next day his stooge friends will know, too. If I talk to Misato tonight, by this time tomorrow it'll be all over Tokyo3."

"Oh come on, she's can't be that bad." Hikari answered, her eyes widening slightly as the redhead stared at her angrily. She jumped slightly as Asuka abruptly stood up, and started to walk in the direction of Misato's apartment.

"Asuka, where-"

"Never mind, okay? I knew I shouldn't try to talk about this."

"Sorry..."

"Argh! Stop that, you're starting to sound like Shinji!"

"So-er..." she said, catching herself in time. As they walked, she put her hand on Asuka's arm. "Come on...tell me what's wrong? You don't need to tell Misato if you don't want to..."

Asuka remained silent, staring ahead as they followed the sidewalk. "It's just...so frustrating, you know?" She started, coming out of her reverie. "The one person that I really feel...connected to, I can't even see or touch..."

Hikari's eyes widened as she listened to her friend. "You really like this guy, don't you?"

The redhead blushed, looking down at the pavement, intently studying it. "You know there's only one man for me..." she said, her voice merely a shaky whisper. She yelped in surprise as Hikari grabbed her, crushing her into a massive bear hug.

"That's so romantic, Asuka!" stepping back, she took hold of her friend's hand. "You have got to meet this guy! And I'm going to try to help you!"

The redhead, however, shook her head. "Hikari, no. I'll...really, I'll handle this myself." She forced a smile as she saw the frown form on her friend's face, slightly cocking her head to the side. "Besides...if I actually met him, he'd just be another stupid little boy, right? Hell, he's probably fat and pimply with greasy hair."

"Oh, stop that. I bet he's really cute." She grinned at her friend, whose smile seemed more genuine. Hikari hugged her again, and stepped back. "Well, guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

The redhead nodded, still lost in thought as she started her path back home.

Hikari watched the girl as she walked away, her flaming red hair marking her for a great distance. As Asuka disappeared, Hikari let a small grin appear on her face. No matter what...I'm going to help you. Even if that means I have to break my promise...but you should be happy... I just hope I can do something.

----------

[20:57] RoterRitter Argh. Argh, argh, argh.

[20:57] Momoku ???

[20:57] Momoku What's wrong?

[20:57] RoterRitter I hate this. HATE, you hear me?

[20:57] Momoku Hate what?

[20:58] RoterRitter This whole thing with the damn program blanking out stuff.

[20:58] Momoku Yeah...

[20:58] RoterRitter I loathe and despise it. And you know why?

[20:58] Momoku Not really, no. I mean, we can still communicate...

[20:58] RoterRitter Yeah, but still! It's like trying to write with a broken hand!

[20:59] RoterRitter What I really hate, though

[20:59] RoterRitter Is not really knowing who you are.

[20:59] RoterRitter Where you live. What you look like. What your name is.

[20:59] RoterRitter Not being able actually *meet* you. Not being able to see, and touch you, to make sure you're really real.

[21:00] RoterRitter I hate not knowing if I'd like you in reality as much as I like you here.

[21:00] Momoku I feel like that too...but I don't know what to do that could help...

[21:00] RoterRitter I know, I can't either...I really hope this isn't going to last. I can't stand not knowing...

----------

Special Agent Ryoji Kaji —Investigator for NERV, SEELE, and the Japanese Ministry of Intelligence— sighed as he relaxed against the back of his chair. Even if the task at hand didn't stand amongst the higher echelons of priorities in his orders, he still devoted time to it.

The Children...used, abused, misled, deceived...the list went on. He could understand that they didn't need to know everything, especially not the darker secrets of NERV... But this...this was just cruelty. Pure and simple cruelty. Why was Ikari doing everything in his power to prevent his own son from having a ray of light in the misery that was his life? How could a little comfort or relief hurt?

And on a more practical side, wouldn't his piloting improve if he had an incentive?

Kaji rubbed his chin, the stubble of the beard scratching his fingers. Ritsuko won't do anything...Katsuragi doesn't know. And I can't tell her yet...

He sat forward as a thought struck him. He quickly opened a few files, searching for some information. As he found what he was looking for, he grinned, the first glimmers of an idea forming in his mind

-------------

"Misato? Can I ask you something?"

The purple-haired Director of Operations peered over her can of Yebisu, looking at one of her two roommates. The redhead sat at the table, having finished the instant-meal Misato had cooked, as Shinji was out with his friends. She was looking down at her plate, apparently deep in thought, but soon she raised her head to gaze at her guardian in the eye.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about NERV and censorship, would you?"

Misato's eyebrows shot up, as she carefully laid her can of beer on the table. Not exactly sure where the conversation was heading to, she decided to take the cautious approach. "You mean from the media? Keeping the Evas and Angels secret?"

Asuka was shaking her head. "No, I mean more personal."

Misato frowned, now more confused than ever. "You should have clearance for that, I think. You do mean looking at people's files, right?"

"No! Like the whole secrecy about NERV."

"Oh, you mean that form you signed about never disclosing any information pertaining to NERV or the EVAs..."

The redhead was now frowning, angrily shaking her head again. "No! Ach, never mind."

Now it was the older woman's turn to frown. "Listen, I can't really answer you if you don't tell me what's on your mind!"

The younger girl remained silent, unable to retort. Finally, she spoke again. "I mean me. Us. The pilots."

"What about you guys? I know there's monitoring of the phones, but beyond that..."

The redhead hesitated, unsure if she should go on, but finally gave in. "It's...well, you probably know I use a chatting program on my computer, right?" She went on as the older woman nodded. "Well, for some reason it's acting weird...each time I try to say my name, or where I am, it keeps blanking out or putting up random symbols for other people. Same goes the other way."

"Sorry, I don't really know anything about that..." Misato answered, before looking at the girl once more. "And why are you saying your name or location to anyone?" She thought back to the days she herself used an early version of those chat programs, as the internet started to get extremely widespread. Usually, people didn't give out that kind of info. Only when... "Wait a second...You don't have some little honey of yours who you want to meet, do you?" She grinned at the look of horror on the girl's face, together with a sudden blush. "You DO! How sweet! What's his name? Where does he live?"

Once more, Asuka's face contorted in anger. "That's what I've been saying. I DON'T KNOW!" She shouted. "Even if I've TRIED to find out, something won't LET me!" By now, she was shaking in anger.

Misato knew she had gone too far. "Calm down, Asuka...why don't you show me?"

The frown on the redhead's features was still present, but the anger in her eyes had been replaced by something else...confusion, turmoil. She looked down at her plate, struggling with herself, trying to decide whether or not she should accept the Major's help...

This had gone on too long. She had to know. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and looked once more in her roommate's eyes, her own expression blazing, daring the other woman to refuse, to make fun of her. "Okay...but this is only because I've tried everything else, and don't know what to do..."

"I'm home!"

"Helloooo, Ms.Katsuragi!"

Both women froze, looking at each other. An unspoken plea passed between the two, causing the elder to nod. They'd resolve the issue they had discussed at a later point.

Shinji walked into the kitchen, Kensuke and Toji in tow. "I invited them over here to watch a movie Kensuke suggested..." he said, before either of his female roommates could say anything.

"Oh? Which movie?" The purple haired woman asked, fully aware of how much the two other boys were ogling her.

"Well, I've heard some things about it and was curious... Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail?"

"The Baka has taste! That's a classic!" She—now I know who this is thanks to the word "baka", but some people may be confused since there are two women present so say who it is said, grinning. "I haven't watched it in a long time, either..."

"What? The Demon is going to watch it with us?" The jock yelled, voicing his horror at the idea.

"Shut up stooge! Anyway, go set it up, I need to go to my room and change..." The last part had been said with a slight inflection in her voice, and a glance towards Misato. The older woman caught it, and imperceptibly nodded.

"I need to finish writing a report. I'll be just a few minutes. Don't start without us, though!" She told Shinji, giving him her best mock-glare. With that, she stood up, following the redhead who had already left. Out of sight of the boys, she slipped into Asuka's room.

The three looked at each other, until Kensuke voiced the question hanging in the air. "What was that all about?"

Toji shrugged. "Eh. Women. I'll never understand them…Anyway, excuse me a minute here," he said, heading towards the bathroom.

Kensuke spoke up as soon as he had left. "You ok, Shinji?"

The other boy blinked. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. Just a feeling... You still ok with me having a look at the computer later?"

Shinji nodded. "You're always talking about hacking into your father's computer...Maybe you'll find something."

Kensuke nodded. "I'll try. Anyway, let's get the video set..."

----------

"Camelot!"

"Camelot!"

"Camelot!"

"It's only a model..."

"Shh! Knights, I bid you welcome to your new home. Let us ride... to Camelot!"

     We're knights of the round table

     We dance when e'er we're able

     We do routines and chorus scenes

     With footwork impecc-Able.

     We dine well here in Camelot

     We eat ham and jam and spam a lot

     We're knights of the Round Table

     Our shows are for-mid-able

     But many times, we're given rhymes

     That are quite unsing-able

     We're opera mad in Camelot

     We sing from the diaphragm a lot

     Oh we're tough and able

     Quite indefatigable

     Between our quests we sequin vests

     And impersonate Clark Gable

     It's a busy life in Camelot

     I have to push the pram a lot.

"Well, on second thought, let's not go to Camelot -- it is a silly place. Right."

"Okay! Who wants a drink!" Misato crowed as she paused the movie. All hands raised, except for Shinji, who stood up.

"I'll get them." Quickly he noted who wanted what and went to the kitchen. A minute later he returned, handing out a drink to each person and a six-pack of beer to Misato.

She in turn un-paused the movie as she opened the first can.

"Arthur! Arthur, King of the Britons! Oh, don't grovel! If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people groveling."

"Hey! What is this crap?" The redhead yelled, looking at the drink she had just sipped.

"What do you mean?" Shinji responded.

"This is orange juice! I asked for a soda!"

"Sorry. We were out of soda..."

"Sorry!"

The redhead ground her teeth. "Stop apologizing!"

"And don't apologize. Every time I try to talk to someone it's 'sorry this' and 'forgive me that' and 'I'm not worthy'. "

The silence in the small apartment was deafening. While not totally silent, the sound from the movie was forgotten. Misato, Toji, and Kensuke looked at the movie, then at Asuka, their eyes wide. The redhead herself was raising an eyebrow at the stares in her direction, until the bespectacled boy threw himself on the ground at the feet.

"Asuka is God! The Demon is God! Worship the Demon!"

Toji was shaking his fist at the sky. "There is no God after all!"

Misato, for her part, was laughing harder by the minute. "I knew God was a woman! Hah! Ritsuko owes me some cash for that bet..." She said between laughs.

Both Asuka and Shinji were blushing, the boy because his actions were the cause of this, the redhead at having Kensuke bow at her feet. At that moment, she didn't know whether to feel flattered or to kill the boy.

He almost sealed his fate in the next instant. "Let me kiss your feet!"

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"  —

-----------

"Aida-kun, can I speak with you for a moment?" the Class Rep asked as the boy and his friends were about to leave the classroom for lunch at the cafeteria.

Kensuke paused, his eyebrows raised, and looked at his friends. "Go ahead, I'll catch up later," he told them, then turned towards the girl.

Hikari waited until the other two were out of sight to start speaking. "Well...I hear you're quite good at using computers?"

The statement in and of itself was enough to confuse the boy. Why would she ask something like this? He focused on the girl, as he had been thinking about the previous night when he had looked at Shinji's computer to see if he could figure anything out. It had been in vain, though. His suspicion aroused, he decided to remain careful. "Well, I'm okay with them... Where'd you hear that?"

"Oh, nowhere...I'm just thinking back to the time when you crashed the whole school network?" Hikari answered, her face a portrait of innocence.

Kensuke blanched, a cold sweat breaking out over his entire body. How did she...?  I thought I covered my tracks!  "How do you...?" he started, stopping as the girl shook her head.

"I'm not here to talk about that.  So... Are you good with computers, or not?"

"Fairly good, yeah...  Why?" he answered, now having more reasons than before to guard his words.

"Well..." she started, but hesitated. How could she tell him this? As Kensuke looked at her inquisitively, she made up her mind, deciding that the direct method may be the best way. "A friend of mine is in an online romance, but she doesn't know his name nor where he lives, because something seems to be blocking that..." she paused, considering her words. "I was thinking, maybe you could try to find out who he is?" 

"Hmmm. What's in it for me?" he asked, feeling he might be able to squeeze a reward out of the girl in addition to satiating his own piqued curiosity, and rising suspicions at how familiar the whole situation sounded.

A frown marred the girl's features. "Well, for one, I'd make sure no one finds out who was responsible for that crash..." she remitted, grinning as the boy winced again.  He had obviously forgotten her trump card. She knew she only had to wait.

"Hmph. All right," he said, giving in. "But I'll keep you to that." He continued as the girl nodded, "Okay...what's your friend's handle? And who is she?"

"I don't think...I know she wouldn't want me to say. I'm already not supposed to talk about this..." she finished, in a whisper.

"How am I supposed to find out, then? Okay, what's this guys handle?"

"His handle? Uhm...Momoku, I think?"

"...Did you just say 'Momoku?'" Kensuke asked, stressing the name as his suspicions were confirmed.

Hikari looked at him in surprise, his reaction not what she had expected. "Er...yes, why?"

Momoku...that's Shinji's handle! And this RoterRitter girl, she's from Germany. And she's Hikari's friend... There's only one German person in this City...

"I knew it...I knew it!" he said, shoulders slumping in slumping in defeat like one who had just learned that his friend had unwittingly sold his very soul to the Devil.

Hikari's eyes were wide as she watched the boy. "Knew what? What is it?"

Kensuke glanced at her. "Let me guess. The friend you're speaking of is German...has blue eyes... red hair, and her handle is RoterRitter?"

The Class Rep couldn't have been more surprised if she had just won the national lottery. "How did you...?"

"I didn't, until you told me that handle. At least, I was just guessing about the blue eyes and red hair... In any case, Momoku is one of my friends, and he's told me about the situation."

"Toji is Momoku??" She almost cried out, her face contorted in despair.

"Toji?" Kensuke blinked, his face cast in an incredulous expression.  He laughed aloud as he responded, "I doubt he'd be able to turn a computer on, much less make it past the desktop and into an IRC program."

"Then...it's Shinji? Asuka likes Shinji?" a massive grin crept on her features. "That's so sweet! I knew the two were perfect for each other!" She didn't notice how at this point her classmate was rolling his eyes, trying not to vomit. "So...what should we do about it?"

The boy blinked again. "What do you mean, what should we do about it?"

Hikari sighed. "Boys...how can you be so dense?  We've got to get them together, outside of the Internet!"

"'We'?"

She eyed Kensuke critically. "You and I, of course. I mean, no one else knows."

"Hold the phone here... Why should I help?"

"Why should you help? Because I can still let someone in charge know about certain things-"

"Hey now," the light-haired boy interjected with a frown. "You asked me to figure out who your friend's friend was, and I did. That was the deal.  You can't go back on your word now."

The girl nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt. Threatening Kensuke again was probably not in her best interests, considering she could use his help.  And he did manage to do what she had asked him, with astounding speed.  ... Maybe I could try this... "You're right. Sorry..."

"Anyway, I need to get some lunch...now, if you'll excuse me..."

"How about if I make sure you don't get clean up duty, say, for the rest of the year?"  Hikari asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

Kensuke paused as he was standing up, eyeing her critically for several seconds.  "Two years," he countered.

"A year and a half," she fired back. "And not a day more."

"Done!" he almost sang as he gripped her hand and pumped it twice, sealing the deal.

Both parties parted with smiles on their faces.

------------

If Ritsuko had a middle name, it would have to be "efficiency."  Her work methods were precise and unwavering, her mind centered directly upon whatever duty she currently was assigned to fulfill.  When she became involved in her work it was as if she had blotted out the entire world, centering all that was her in her job. 

The doctor threw herself into her assignments with a zeal matched only by the fiery pilot of Eva 02. She didn't show this to the world, instead maintaining a nonchalant air, seemingly unfocused on anything beyond the task at hand.

However, she wasn't completely unaware of her surroundings, as the computer screen proved quite handy in reflecting things coming up from behind her. Not to mention the aroma of hot coffee—or paint-thinner, as she referred to it as—which was floating into the room.

"What can I do for you, Major?" She asked as she turned around, taking the hot beverage from the other woman's hands.

"What? I'm just bringing a cup of coffee to a friend!" Misato pouted, acting indignant. "Why must you assume that I always have some ulterior motive?"

"Because you usually do. What do you want, Misato?"

Misato grumbled to herself for a moment about the nerve of certain bleach-blonde scientists of her acquaintance before deciding that, if Ritsuko wasn't going to beat around the bush, she might better be straightforward in her questioning. "What do you know about the monitoring and censorship of the Nerv Personnel's communications?"

"The phones? I thought you knew about that."

"No, not the phones..." the purple haired woman answered, hesitating.

"The mail then?"

"No, not the mail either..."

 "Then what, specifically, are you talking about?" Ritsuko asked, already having a good guess at what the Major was driving at. It was only a matter of time, anyway... "Given the sensitivity of, and extreme level of classification assigned to Project E, we're all under a certain degree of surveillance..."

"Specifically, I was referring to the censorship of Asuka--"

"Please don't say anymore, Major. I can't discuss that matter, except to say that it was implemented by a higher office. It's mostly for their own good, anyway."

'Their' own good? Waitaminute... "So, do we invade the privacy of all the potential pilot candidates like this," she looked up from her mug of coffee. "Or just the ones on the active service roster?"

Ritsuko stared at Misato, pondering her answer before she turned back to her computer screen. "Don't let your personal feelings for them affect your judgment, Major. And you might tell Kaji that he'd do well to do the same."

The Major blinked in surprise, only half heard herself muttering some manner of lame response to Ritsuko's comment, as her mind reeled with sudden understanding.

'Don't allow your personal feelings for them,' Ritsuko had said, and 'their own good.' Plural. It was too unlikely a coincidence to be true...and too bizarre a coincidence NOT to be.

Asuka-chan... and my Shinji-kun? Wai!

 Misato suddenly became aware of a tightness in her chest, a warm blush on her cheeks, and a desire to hug herself all over -- the latter or which she managed to keep in check, if only barely, so as not to arouse Ritsuko's suspicions further.

"Please, don't insult my intelligence," the blonde scientist said, casting a glare above her shoulder before turning back to the computer. "Only a few people are supposed to know about this. Who do you expect me to think told you?"

Misato grunted noncommittally, taking another sip of her coffee to hide the frown that had begun to grow on her features. She spent the next half an hour or so in mostly inconsequential small talk with Ritsuko; Nerv operations, recent synch test results, the new issue of Cosmo, the marriage of their mutual friend Keiko next week... Finally, they grew silent as topics of conversation got scarce.

Misato, for her part, had been thinking over what she had learned, and formulated her next course of action. She had to find out more about the situation, and the only person she could go to who knew Asuka and Shinji had 'known' each other for over a year was the same person Ritsuko thought had revealed everything to the purple haired woman.

She had to find Kaji.

--------------

As she heard the door close, the Chairman of Project E sighed. She had known this would happen... It didn't mean she had to like it. She had however chosen her path, and would stick to it. No regrets, no remorse. She picked up her phone, pressing on the button for a speed-dial number on a secure line.

After all, she had a report to give.

-------------

Over the course of his long and varied experience with the fairer sex, Kaji Ryoji had learned -- and, he liked to think, mastered -- any number of crucial tactics in the art of seduction. None of which currently seemed to be having any effect on the fair Lieutenant Maya Ibuki.

Not that he really intended for anything serious to develop between himself and the Nerv technician. Attractive as she was in a cute, almost school-girlish sort of way -- that the blush which currently graced her features only served to emphasize -- she simply wasn't his type. Numerous --unfounded, in his opinion-- rumors of a possible attraction to the lovely Director of Project E on the part of the Lieutenant aside, Maya Ibuki was too innocent, too unstained -- indeed, possibly the only completely sane person on staff at Tokyo-3 Nerv.

This didn't mean, of course, that he didn't like to keep his skills sharp; if she accepted his advances, he would buy her a cup of coffee in the commissary, perhaps invite her out for dinner a few drinks, and commit neither himself or her to anything else; if she declined, then he would have to reevaluate his strategy and try that much harder next time.

Judging by his progress thus far, his once silver tongue had lost much of its once-considerable polish.

Kaji's only warning of the pain he was about to feel was the flickering of Lt. Ibuki's eyes to something behind him, and the widening of those eyes as they focused on the approaching object.

In the next instant, he saw stars, imagined that he heard a nasty crunching sound between his ears as a furious Misato suddenly appeared before him, gripping him by the lapels and savagely thrusting him back against the coffee vending machine.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH MY KIDS???" she roared angrily, having never even noticed the other woman, who was now fleeing for dear life.

Even through the pain, Kaji offered a lopsided grin. "Katsuragi!" He exclaimed, sounding surprised and pleased at the same time.

Misato smashed him into the coffee machine again, her face contorted in anger. "Cut the crap, asshole!" She didn't notice how Kaji grabbed the now-filled cup of coffee, the release of which had been triggered by the impact of his body on the machine.

He smiled, handing the steaming cup to her. "Coffee?"

-------

"Don't I even get to have lunch?" Toji whined, looking balefully at his meal as the Class Rep stood in front of his desk.

She in turn had a glare focused in his direction. "There are more important things to be done than filling your stomach, Mr. Suzuhara."

"Like what??" he demanded, now looking at the girl. "I haven't had anything in four or five hours!" So well timed that it almost seemed Toji was able to do so on demand, his stomach growled. "See?"

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Do I have to assign you to cleaning duty for the rest of the year?"

The jock blanched. "...No ma'am," he pouted after a moment's hesitation.

Smiling at her victory, she turned to the other boy. "Well?"

Kensuke snapped out of his daydreaming. "Huh?"

Shaking her head in irritation, the girl tilted her head towards the bigger boy.

Kensuke looked at Toji, then back at Hikari. "What? This was your idea. You explain."

The jock eyed them both, frowning. "Okay, so tell me. What's more important than my lunch?" He asked, kicking his chair back to put his feet on the table, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Well...um...it's about...well..." the girl started, but seemed unable to finish the sentence.

"It's about Shinji. He's gotten himself messed up in an online romance," Kensuke interrupted when it became apparent that Hikari was too tongue-tied to continue.

"Shinji? In a romance? HAH! That's a riot!"

"It gets better..." the other boy started, pausing to fidget with his fingers. "It just so happens... that person is here."

Toji blinked, sitting forward.  "Wait a sec, you're actually serious... so who is it?  Rei?  I bet you she's the type of person who'd be into that kind of thing."

"...Nooo, not Rei... but yes, she's an Eva pilot."

The jock leaned back into his chair, taking on a pensive look. "They found a new pilot then? She's a girl?"

Both looked at Toji with a shocked expression on their face, before Kensuke spoke again. "Er...no, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, what do you mean, 'she's Eva pilot'? There's only one other..." he trailed off as realization hit him. "You're kidding me." He stated, looking at Kensuke. "You don't seriously expect me to believe that Shinji and The Demon...?" He turned to Hikari, who's expression was unreadable. "He's kidding, right? Right?" He turned back to his friend, who was making an effort to look everywhere except at Toji. Finally, the boy slumped into his chair. "Aaw, JEEZ!"

After a minute of silence, he looked at the other two. "So, how do we keep them from getting together?"

"Suzuhara!" Hikari said, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow! What?? It's not like you want to get them together, do you?" Receiving only a glare from the girl, he looked at his friend. "No way. We're not going to do that. We ain't traitors, are we, Ken?"

The boy in question remained silent, still not trusting himself to look in the jock's direction, who once again voiced his thoughts on the matter.

"Aww, JEEZ!"

------------

"...So that's pretty much the long and the short of it. The pilots of Units One and Two have known each other, and if I'm any judge, been growing more and more fond of one another, for something going on fourteen months now."  Kaji fell silent after explaining the best he could to the woman sitting in front of him.

Anger was emanating from the Major so strongly Kaji could practically feel its heat. "And you were planning on telling me WHEN??" Misato growled, almost crushing the cup of coffee she held.

The man examined his fingernails. "Relax, Katsuragi-" he started, before being interrupted by the Major.

"Then you let me have them live together during the training? They're thirteen and fourteen years old! They're about ninety-five percent hormones right now! I don't even know if either one of them knows anything about protection! I've never even TALKED to them about sex! Well...except telling them they'd damn well better not get themselves in trouble..." Misato paused, mulling over what she had just said. "Christ, I don't WANT to talk to them about sex!"

"...They don't know." Kaji continued, ignoring the interruption. "And the way things stand between them right now, I don't think you need to worry about Ikari and Sohryu 'experimenting' any time soon. I doubt they'd even consider kissing each other."

Misato leaned back on the seat, staring at the ceiling of the lounge she was in. She couldn't even start making heads or tails of the situation, much less plan on how to deal with it. She interrupted her train of thought as Kaji cleared his throat.

"How much do you know about the Dead Sea Scrolls, Katsuragi?"

"Only that they predicted the coming of the angels, and what you told me about starting Third impact with Adam..."

The eternally unshaven man took a deep breath, and slowly expelled it. "There's more to them than just that... The translations in Seele's hands date from when they first came into their possession. However...recent translations, under orders from NERV command, have found another translation." Looking up from his drink, he noticed he had the Major's full attention. "Both groups are working towards the first, but it seems to me that signs are pointing towards the second coming to pass. I don't think Seele knows anything about these new translations. But Ikari does, and he will do anything to prevent the events they predict from interfering with his own agenda."

Misato blanched, and swallowed the knot of fear that had built in her throat. "What... prophecy are you talking about?"

"'The final tests will be those of Spirit and Heart, the Champions of Man chosen by Destiny will stand as One and Man will have prevailed against the Wrath of God and the dawn of a New Age for Man will rise upon the horizon. Should the Champions fail to stand as One, the efforts of all Men shall have been for naught, for no Man is an island, and the burden of Fate cannot be placed upon the shoulders of any but those who are one in Mind, Body, and Soul.'" He cleared his throat, and grinned at the purple haired woman. "Don't quote me on that, though. May have forgotten a word or two."

"What does that all mean?" Misato asked, shaking her head in confusion.

"The Scrolls aren't that specific. But the way Ikari's people read it, the translation suggests that if the Pilots can overcome their own neuroses long enough to find sufficient value in themselves that they can trust or even love another, then...I don't know, really. But something big that Ikari doesn't want Seele to know about, and for his own part is determined to prevent at all costs."

"Great," Misato grumbled, "That's even more cryptic than the original translation." She sighed, looking down the corridor, in search of an answer. "And this all has to do with my ki-with Asuka and Shinji, right?"

Kaji shrugged, smiling noncommittally. "That's what I'm guessing. And by the looks of it, Ikari is too."

Her next reaction took him totally by surprise.

She started laughing, laying down her head on the table. "And here I actually thought you were serious for a moment! 'The world can be saved by the love of two Innocents!' Sorry, but sounds like so much idealistic garbage, Kaji... Something out of a bad Disney movie or something."

"'Bad Disney movie'? Isn't that a bit repetitive?" the agent grinned, which got a chuckle out of the Major.

"Nice try, but no cigar. Therefore, I WILL be talking to Shinji and Asuka separately or together about sex and protection soon, and you will HELP me." She emphasized her statement by jabbing Kaji in the ribs with a finger. Suddenly she snapped to attention, focusing her gaze on the corridor. Kaji had followed, having also heard the approaching footsteps. They quickly stood up, each facing one of the machines."

Misato slightly turned her head to take a look at the new arrival, as Kaji stepped aside to let them grab a drink.

"Major. Kaji. Can't keep yourselves out of trouble for even a half an hour, I see," Ritsuko Akagi commented, not deigning to glance at either one.

"Oh, I'm just doing my job... you know, gathering intelligence to decide on a course of action." The purple haired woman paused. "After all, you practically sent me here."

The blonde haired scientist caught herself before she let out the gasp the comment had caused. Misato hadn't known? Oh shit...She had been the one to let the Major on to the whole situation... She had to keep this under wraps, or she'd feel the repercussions.

Her lips quirked in secret glee. She knew she could pay her "friend" back for the trouble she was causing. Picking up her coffee, she turned away, nodding at Kaji who still stood next to the machine. "By the way, Major Katsuragi... you're being summoned to Commander Ikari's office. Any minute now."

The purple haired woman's eyes widened at the comment, keeping her eyes on the other woman until she disappeared around a corner. At that moment, Misato's cell phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. She answered the call, and blanched at the voice on the other end.

Indeed, the summons had arrived.

----------

"Me?? Why should I be the one to talk to her?" the boy with the glasses demanded, staring at the other members of the group. "You're the girl, you talk to her!"

"Oh, all right," Hikari sighed, as the two boys vehemently refused to be the one to talk to Rei. "Okay, then help me here. How do I start?"

"What d'you mean? Just say that Shinji and the Kraut-bi-" the jock caught himself as the girl glared at him. "I mean Sohryu are in love online, and that you want to get them together here too," he finished, looking at the still glaring Hikari. "What?"

"Boys..." the girl said, shaking her head. "We've got to talk to Ayanami now... I don't know how long Asuka will be gone for lunch. Where's Ikari, anyway?"

"I think I saw him on the roof, eating..." Kensuke answered. "So, how DO we breach the subject to Ayanami?"

"Breach which subject?"

The three nearly jumped out of their skins as a soft voice interrupted them. They turned around to face the subject of their discussion, the First Child.

"Oh! Rei!" Hikari stammered nervously. "Would you...care to join us?"

"Why?"

"Well...we were just having lunch...and..."

"I have already eaten...and the school meals are not to my liking..."

"Well...and we were talking about...um..."

"The Class Rep wants to fix up Ikari and Sohryu," interrupted Toji, "and she figures that since they're Eva pilots, and you're a pilot, you could help."

Rei ignored the yelp of pain that followed the Class representative swatting Suzuhara. "I am not certain I understand, Class Representative Horaki...'fix up?' Is Suzuhara-san implying that Sohryu-san and Ikari-kun are unwell?"

"No, no, not at all. He means..." my God, Hikari thought to herself. Asuka was right...the poor girl has no social skills at ALL! "He means that..." How to explain this?

For her part, Ayanami remained silent. Hikari couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably beneath the girl's crimson stare.

"Well...the thing is, Shinji and Asuka like each other..." she started, waiting for a reaction from the other girl. Getting none, she continued. "But...they don't KNOW that they like each other..." This is hopeless, Hikari thought to herself. Even *I* think the whole thing is confusing. How am I supposed to explain it to Rei?

"'Like'...?", the blue haired girl interrupted. "Isn't Ikari-kun well liked by all of our classmates? And Sohryu-san seems quite popular..."

"No, no, that's not what I mean." Hikari answered, growing more flustered by the minute. "I mean...well...not like, but, you know, Like...?"

Toji sighed. Once again, it was up to him to pull the Class Rep's cute little bacon out of the fire. "What she's trying to say this time is that Ikari and Sohryu and getting all lovey-dovey in some online relationship -- and neither of them realize it. Class Rep here wants to rectify the situation."

Rei looked at the large boy with a sense of wonder and uncertainty. "Lovey...dovey...?" she said. For their part, Kensuke and Hikari reserved their own senses of wonder for the fact that Toji had just used the word 'rectify' - properly - in a sentence.

"What does it mean...'lovey-dovey?' And how does it relate to Ikari-kun's online relationship with Pilot Sohryu?" the blue haired girl asked.

"You mean...you knew about that already?" Kensuke asked. And he thought he had figured it out quickly...

"I am...not permitted to speak of it..." The girl said, hesitating. "Excuse me, Class Representative Horaki...Aida-san, Suzuhara-san...Thank you for inviting me to join you..."

"Wait!" Hikari said as Rei turned around to leave, and stood up to grab the other girl's arm. "You're a woman too...can't you see how perfect they are for each other? And the whole online thing...it's like it was meant to be!"

The First Child was about to ask what the other girl meant, but paused as she noticed the two boys holding their stomachs, seemingly gagging. "Are Aida-san and Suzuhara-san ill...?"

"No," the freckled girl answered, glaring at the two boys. "Just macho idiots."

"'Macho'?"

"Never mind..."Hikari said with a sigh, kicking Toji for good measure.

Rei considered the Class representative's proposal, ignoring the yelp of pain from the large boy; on the one hand, she... cared for Ikari-kun in a way she couldn't explain, and wished for him to be happy; on the other, there was her… dislike for the Second Child -- a dislike which bordered on, were she able to put a name to the emotion, jealousy.

And then there were the Commander's orders... Under no circumstances was she to speak to either the Second or Third Children, or their respective wards, or anyone else in Nerv outside the command staff not specifically cleared for the information by the Commander's office, of the online relationship shared by the Second and Third.

Yet...technically, her classmates were NOT Nerv personnel...and they seemed to already know of the classified relationship shared by Sohryu and Ikari...

Her line of reasoning was broken when she realized that the Class representative was holding her gaze, a desperate, somehow sad look in her eyes. "Please?" the other girl begged. Deep within, Rei's emotions conflicted. On one hand, refusing would help one Ikari…. On the other hand, accepting would mean helping the younger Ikari…

"...Can I reconsider my refusal to join?" The First Child asked, looking at the Class Rep. Her decision was made.

The other three remained silent, then started to laugh, trying to keep their mirth under control, which confused the albino girl to no end. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Of course you can reconsider," said Hikari, mentally chiding herself for thinking Rei had been trying to make a joke. "Thank you, Rei."

"For what?" The blue haired girl asked. "I haven't done anything..."

"Nothing, don't worry about it…" The other girl said, smiling, and sat back down. It was now time to discuss the matter at hand.

----------------

Anyone who knew Misato Katsuragi would have been surprised to see her now. It was already dark, and the streets were practically deserted, giving her free reign to tear down the road like a demon with hellfire on his heels.

Yet her speed never breached the posted limit, and while her eyes were focused on the road ahead, her thoughts were troubled with far more distant matters.

Eventually, the mostly darkened bulk of apartment block loomed before her; Misato eased her car into her parking space, with none of the squealing of tires that normally announced her arrival.

She remained seated behind the wheel for a few moments, half-listening to the ticking of the cooling engine, her mind slowly working its way back to the present. Finally, she climbed out of the car and trudged towards the entrance to the apartment.

{{

"I assume you know why you're here, Major Katsuragi." The old man asked, assuming his position of Sub-Commander by standing behind the Commander himself, who had remained seated.

"I can venture a guess, sir." She answered, showing none of the nervousness she felt.

Fuyutsuki went on. "You are not to investigate any further in this matter, nor undertake any measures relating to this. And under no circumstances will you speak of this matter to anyone, be they related to NERV or not. Am I being clear?"

Misato remained silent, a battle being fought inside of her. As a soldier, she had to obey orders, but this… she couldn't help but question the situation.

The silence was broken by the only seated person in the room. "Refusing a direct order can and will be considered as treason, Major Katsuragi. Do you understand?" The Supreme Commander asked, his voice, his whole countenance as intimidating as ever.

"Yes, sir." She automatically responded, years of training kicking in.

"Dismissed."}}

Misato paused at the door to her apartment. By now, the kids would be home… what would she say to them? What could she say? She couldn't let them see her like this, they'd immediately know something was wrong… 

As she opened the door, she sighed in relief. Thank God for small favors...from the sound of things Asuka and Shinji were home, busy in the kitchen. Probably studying or something… At least she wouldn't have to face them before she could change, freshen up, and compose herself.

"...Baka hentai! Trying to look up my shorts this time? Hoping you'd get a peek at my panties, weren't you?!"

"No! I'm not...I mean I never...I mean-"

"Arrgh! Ever since the other morning you've been getting more and more perverted by the moment!"

"It's not my fault! YOU were the one digging around in the refrigerator with your...your...your HIND END sticking out!"

'After the other morning'...known each other for over a year online...been growing fond of one another...ninety-five percent hormones...oh, GOD... I'm too late with The Talk! Misato dropped everything she carried, and rushed towards the kitchen, hoping she wasn't too late.

She was greeted with the sight of Shinji sitting at the table, schoolbooks in front of him, and Asuka next to the fridge, a can of juice frozen before her lips. Both were looking at her with startled looks on their face, surprised at her sudden arrival.

"Misato?" Shinji asked cautiously.

"Is something wrong, Misato?" Asuka added, taking a drink of her juice.

"Hey, I'm...glad...you're both here. There's something I wanted to...talk to you about"

"Not more synch tests, I hope." The red haired girl said, setting her drink down on the table.

"No...Um, nothing to do with synchronization...exactly..." the older woman answered, wondering how she was going to do this.

Asuka eyed Misato suspiciously, especially considering the formers' emphasis on the word 'synchronization'. "Whaaatever. Can we at least eat first? It's getting late, and I'm hungry."

"I guess. I need to get freshened up anyway. Shinji, what's for dinner?"

"Uhm…it's your turn to cook, Misato." The boy responded.

Misato stared at the two for a moment, completely lost. She blinked, snapping out of it. "Oh. Uh…Asuka, order some takeout… I need a shower. We'll talk after that."

"Why me? Why not Shinji?"

"Just do it!"

----------------

The door to the apartment swung open with a slight creak, the faint, mildly discomforting scent of dust mingled with poorly circulated air spilling out into the hallway. A pale, frail appearing young girl - the otherwise deserted tenement's only resident - let herself into the darkened foyer, not bothering to lock the door behind her nor turn on the lights; She knew perfectly well that Nerv Security regularly ousted such squatters and vagrants that might disturb her privacy or attempt to do her harm; and she knew well enough where everything was, and could navigate the sparsely furnished apartment or locate what few items she might need just as easily in darkness as she could in light.

She kicked off her shoes just inside the door, dropping her schoolbooks and laptop in a heap next to them, and made her way into the apartment, loosening the bow at her neck and unbuttoning her blouse and easing her jumper off her shoulders as she went.

By the time she had reached the small bathroom at the rear of the apartment, she had shed all but her stockings and undergarments. Once these last were gone, she stepped into the shower stall and into the welcome embrace of warm, steadily flowing water.

She stood under the beating spray, allowing it to rinse away the day's accumulated sweat and grime and ease her tired muscles, luxuriating under its gentle massage for several minutes.

Finally she decided -- and after noting that the water was beginning to run cold -- that she had indulged herself for long enough, she retrieved a small bar of soap and a tube of shampoo, performing one last quick wash and rinse before turning the water off and exiting the shower.

Putting on her nightshirt, she headed towards her bed, sitting down on it. She stared at the wall, lost in thought, before lying down to sleep.

Yet sleep eluded her, as she thought over the events of the day, the most recent one foremost in her mind…

{{"Are you feeling ill tonight Rei? You're not eating your dinner."

"I am well, Commander. Thank you for your concern. I am just...not hungry"

Gendo frowned, considering this for a moment. "Hmmm...Your metabolism allows for a very specific caloric intake...Perhaps I should have Dr. Akagi adjust your medication."

"I do not believe that will be necessary Commander...but I will see Dr. Akagi if that is your wish."

Gendo looked thoughtful for a moment longer, before turning his attention back to his own salad. "Very well. But you WILL keep me informed, I hope. And if your...lack of appetite...persists, we will have to take appropriate measures."

"Yes Commander."

"Did anything else happen today Rei? Anything I should know about?"

"Some..." she chewed over the word for a moment, it felt so alien in her mouth, " friends at school invited me to join them after classes tomorrow. Will this be acceptable?"

Gendo looked up, staring at her for a long moment over the tops of his glasses before commenting "You have...tests tomorrow."

"Yes Commander," she replied, returning his unwavering stare with one of her own. "I had hoped that Dr. Akagi might be able to postpone my tests for a few hours? If this meets with your approval, of course."

"Do I know these...'friends' of yours?" Gendo asked, his voice turning gruff, suddenly losing interest in his own dinner.

"I do not think so, Commander," Rei answered. "One is Class Representative Horaki, and the others are Aida-san and Suzuhara-san. Ikari-kun's friends."

Gendo growled deep in his throat, and for a moment Rei felt certain he was going to deny her request. The thought disappointed her more than she would have expected. "Very well. I will speak to Dr. Akagi about the possibility of rescheduling your tests. You will be informed of the new time tomorrow, and I will expect you to arrive promptly."

"Thank you, sir."

"Perhaps you should go home Rei. I'm still not pleased with this 'loss of appetite.' Get some extra sleep, and report to me before your classes tomorrow. I wish to know if you are still not feeling yourself."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

"Rei..."

"Commander?"

"I hope you...enjoy...yourself with your...friends."}}

----------------

In an apartment on the other side of town, four people went on with their lives. Two of them slept, in their respective bed and fridge, while the other two were mulling over the events of the last half hour.

The girl, her red hair strewn all over, lay flat on the floor, staring at the ceiling as she thought about what had just transpired. The boy sat hunched over on the couch, blushing as furiously as he had during the whole talk, a pillow held protectively over his groin. He was trying his best to look anywhere except at the girl in front of him, especially at how her shirt rose and fell as her chest went through the motions of breathing in…and out…and in…and…

"That…" Asuka suddenly said, startling the boy out of his staring, nearly frightening him out of his skin. "…was the most harrowing experience I've ever had."

Shinji nodded, the only thing he could do at the moment without fear of saying something he might regret later on.

"I mean… the way she described it all… And those...those...those 'visual aids.' I mean, eeew, I did not want to know that she had one of those."

The boy remained silent, pondering how to answer the statement. Coming up blank, he decided to ask a question. "What do you suppose brought it on?"

"Oh, I don't know," the girl answered, glancing away from the ceiling to look at the boy. "PROBABLY because I'm living with a sex-crazed little pervert who likes to sneak peeks at me while I'm in the bath and leer at my ass every time I go for a can of juice!"

"I am not!" Shinji vehemently responded.

"Do you deny that you got off seeing me the other day in the bath or that you like looking at my butt!?"

"No! I mean yes! I mean...I mean...aw, forget it!" With that, he got up and stormed to his room, still holding the pillow in front of him.

Asuka, initially caught off guard at his response, stomped over to his room. "And you just STAY in there! You get any ideas in the middle of the night and I swear I'll castrate you with my bare hands!!" She just about yelled through the door, then turned around and slammed the door to her own.

Silence returned to the apartment, as the remaining residents followed the other two into slumber.

-------------

"...Thank you for accommodating us, Dr. Akagi. I'm sure that Rei will be most appreciative of the change in schedule." He gently placed the telephone's handset back in its cradle without wishing the Director of Project E and his part-time lover goodnight.

Half full…half empty… the Supreme Commander of Nerv thought in a moment of uncharacteristic whimsy, does it really make all that much of a difference in the end? He considered the tumbler in his right hand, the way in which the dim outline of the Systema Sephiroticum which graced the cavernous chamber's ceiling twisted and refracted when viewed through the glass and the two precious fingers worth of rich, amber liquid therein. After a moment's more introspection he raised the glass in a silent toast before bringing it to his lips, slowly draining its contents.

As the drink burned its way down his throat, even the impenetrable Gendo Ikari was barely ably to contain a wince. As in his University days he had not been one to overindulge and with the exception of one rather…explosive incident immediately following Yui's accident, he had imbibed only very rarely over the last decade. He no longer had even the small tolerance which he had once possessed.  Occasionally, though, even the most powerful man in the world required something to ease the shaking of his hands and to warm the chill in whatever was left of his soul. So long as there was no one present who could bear witness to his momentary lapse into anything less than absolute control.

There was no use in denying it: the incident with Rei had left him shaken. In and of itself, it might seem harmless enough…to one who did not fully comprehend and appreciate the importance of her place in Instrumentality. Coming from one of the other Children it might at least have not been quite so entirely unexpected; the Sohryu girl and the Third could do whatever they wished outside of Nerv…within limits. Rei, however, was another matter. He had raised her as a daughter, as best he could, and he did love her after his own fashion, but the child had a Destiny. Hers was a very specific role to play, and she had an obligation to see it through. Until tonight he had never questioned that she was anything but content to do so.

This sudden change in her behavior – slight as it might be – was somewhat unnerving.

Coming from any of the other Children, the request would not have surprised him. The Second, especially, had early on seemed to be of the mistaken impression that Nerv's schedule revolved around her own, and not the other way around. It had finally taken his personal intervention to convince the girl that "That may well be the way that they do things in Germany, Pilot Sohryu. I would remind you, however, that you are in Tokyo-3 now, not Berlin." She had held up for perhaps as long as five seconds under his withering gaze before shrinking visibly and replying with a mumbled, if still defiant "Yes, sir."  And even if there was no noticeable change in her general attitude following his reprimand, she had never again complained about one of her Synch tests causing her to miss another one of her precious lingerie sales or whatnot.

But Rei…it had always been his understanding that Rei despised school. She only kept up her attendance at all because he insisted that certain appearances must be maintained. The days were long and boring, the classes uninteresting or frustrating; she did quite well in math, languages, and the sciences, but her grades were only marginal at best in the arts, literature, and the humanities. She was possessed of an intellect to match the Second's much-vaunted genius, and maybe even surpass it. But socially…socially her development was sorely retarded, for lack of a better word. For all of her considerable intelligence, no amount of pragmatism or careful, logical analysis had ever allowed her to fathom the ways of her peers or connect with them on any significant level. He recalled asking her one day, some time after having her enrolled, how school was going. Was she enjoying her classes?

School was fine, she had replied, as were the classes he had enrolled her in…though she admitted to not fully understanding their necessity, as she was already able to read and write Japanese and English at a university graduate level, and her knowledge of higher mathematics and the life and physical sciences was similarly advanced. She was, however, taking a great deal of pleasure in her music classes, and during the course of her physical education class she had discovered that she quite enjoyed swimming.

Good, good. And her classmates? Was she getting on well with them also? This time she had hesitated for a moment before replying.

Her classmates were…difficult, she admitted. At first she had been the subject of much unwanted attention…especially from the male members of her class, many of whom had claimed to find her appearance 'cool' or 'hot' – how was it possible to be both at one time, she had wanted to know, and for that matter she was rather confused as to how either could describe her; she could not recall ever having caught a chill or having felt feverish in class – and even a few who had expressed an interest in courting her – advances which she had uniformly refused.

The female members were in their own way even more distressing, with their gossip and uncomfortable personal queries and their endless obsession over seemingly inconsequential nonsense such as which teen 'idol' was the cutest, which male classmate was the most desirable, the terribly arcane (to her, in any case) complexities of the most popular shoujo anime and television romance novels.

Then there had been the rather distressing incident not long before, in which one of her classmates had presumed to…compare sizes…while she was changing back into her fuku after physical education class; startled and alarmed by the sudden 'assault' from the rear and the laughter in her ear, she had instinctively allowed her training to take over and gone into defensive mode. As a result of the encounter, one girl had left the changing room without further incident, while the second had found herself nursing a nearly broken wrist and possessed of a newfound respect for others' personal space.

After this incident the other girls had begun giving her a wide berth, and in fairly short order so had even the most persistent of the boys. Rei was not deaf to the rumors that had subsequently began to circulate through the classroom, or the whispered names as she passed a group of her classmates in the hallway or entered a room, or the occasional shouted taunt inside the changing rooms or cafeteria, or on the school courtyard.

But she was undisturbed by these petty cruelties. If her peers wished to toss about accusations of lesbo or bull-dyke or frigid bitch (or cunt, an insult which seemed to be the sole domain of the girl who had accosted her following physical education class), or if they thought her strange, unfriendly, 'a freak,' or 'a weirdo,' that was their prerogative. She finally had her privacy, her solitude. And it suited her just fine.

In short, Rei didn't have friends. Had never really had friends. And she had always seemed to be happy with the arrangement. Children her own age confused and disturbed her. She had never really enjoyed associating with them, her uneasy relationship with the Third being the exception that proved the rule. She simply wasn't socially or emotionally equipped to handle the complexities of adolescent society. And yet here she was requesting a postponement of her tests, even though she knew how important these regularly scheduled examinations were, so that she could spend more time in the company of her 'peers.'

It was unfathomable, and more than a bit unsettling.

He could have denied her request of course, and ordered her to report to Akagi for her daily regimen of tests at the scheduled time, and been done with it. It was one thing for Rei to make an unexpected request of him, and in truth not quite without precedent; it would be quite another for her to disobey a direct order. He could have refused her. He should have. Still, when he recalled the way she had stared back at him with those hard, unflinching crimson eyes, almost seeming to defy him to do so…he shook his head tiredly and poured himself another two fingers' worth from the bottle near at hand. The last thing that he needed on his hands at this point was another rebellious teenager.

And then of course there was the entire question of the Second Prophecy, which had been weighing heavily on his mind of late. It was more than a year since the Committee approached him with the first of a series of vague questions and subtle insinuations, questions and insinuations which were growing less vague and less subtle with every passing week. While they had no proof as yet – they would have long since have confronted him openly if they did – their suspicions were definitely aroused; they knew that he was hiding something from them- holding something back.

…Thus in the final days of the Trials, two of the Chosen shall be cruelly Tested of Spirit and of Heart; and they shall stand as One, and Man shall prevail, and his line shall endure for another Age of Prosperity; or else they shall stand not as One, but alone, and they shall despair, in their despondency the efforts of Men shall come to naught, and darkness fall over the Earth for all Eternity...

It was not the only portion of the Prophecy yet translated, only the longest and least fragmented to date. The parchment it was recorded on was ancient beyond years and extremely brittle, as were even the best-preserved of the Qumran Scrolls, but unlike those in the possession or under the direct control of Seele, its condition had deteriorated rapidly following it's discovery and removal from the cave on Israel's Dead Sea, where it had previously lain undisturbed for centuries. By the time that it had been 'liberated' from the personal library of a private collector in Eastern Europe – far from the climate controlled, bacteria and parasite-free 'clean' vaults maintained by Seele – it was literally disintegrating. The writings it contained, when not completely obliterated, were largely or very nearly illegible.

No expense had been spared in restoring and translating the remaining fragments, no small price paid –either monetarily or in blood – to keep the Scroll's existence and what it foretold a secret. A secret which was now out. One had to give Agent Kaji credit; the man, however annoying, had a remarkable talent for 'putting the pieces together'. No discretionary skills whatsoever, but he was definitely much too clever for his own good. Something would have to be done about him. And soon. But that was a matter for another night, another time.

In the beginning, the precautionary measures had been just that: precautionary. The Prophecy was vague and incomplete, the Scroll they were contained upon fragmented and falling apart, and there seemed little reason to take its predictions too seriously. It had seemed plain that only one set of obviously conflicting prophecies might come to pass, and both Seele and 'his' Nerv – each one after their own fashion – were working towards the First. There seemed even less reason to assume that his son and the Second Child were the Chosen Ones whose coming was foretold; even their unlikely meeting and subsequent friendship through the Internet had seemed to be little more than an outlandish coincidence at the time. Still, twice safe was better than once sorry, hence the locks on the Children's computers and the careful monitoring of their communications.

It had been something of a joke at first. Intelligence had had a heyday with it. Even Akagi, for several months the only person connected to Nerv save for himself and Fuyutsuki who knew of the Scroll and what it contained, had referred to the it laughingly in a few of their more private moments. Even he had, on more than one occasion, questioned the necessity of such relatively drastic controls.

Things had changed drastically with the arrival of the Second Child.

Even before the Sohryu girl had set foot on Japanese soil, she and the Third had effectively joined forces against the Sixth Angel in a desperate – and by all accounts impossible, with the equipment they were using – battle at sea. Bare weeks later they managed an even greater feat when, despite severe time constraints and their own seemingly diametrically opposed personalities, they managed to successfully synchronize in battle and defeat the self-replicating Seventh.

And then…then the Third…his son, his indecisive, whining brat of a son…Yui's beautiful boy…had leapt into the caldera of a live volcano – a live volcano! Even with the Eva's armor plating the pain must have been excruciating! – and done so in direct contradiction of orders, to go to the aid of the Second following her successful battle against, but failed capture attempt of, the newly-awakened Eighth. Despite himself, he had never been more proud of Shinji than he had on that day – a matter which he found rather irksome; there was little room in his carefully laid plans for sentimentality. He saw to it personally that the boy was made to understand the price of any further such mutiny on his return to Tokyo-3 three days hence.

In any case, it was not long after this he had begun to reevaluate the validity of the Second Prophecy. Perhaps the phenomenal teamwork displayed by the Second and Third in three of their first four sorties together had been nothing but a coincidence. Perhaps not. In any case, surveillance of the Children had been heightened and the censorship of their communications continued. And so the status quo had been preserved for a time. His son and the Sohryu girl performed well together in the field, while maintaining an intense and mutual personal animosity, or at least a complete lack of regard for one another, in their off-duty hours – the occasional and (almost) inconsequential Internet tête-à-têtes notwithstanding.

Until recently.

In their earlier conversations, the context of their discussions had been limited to mostly insignificant – except to themselves – details of their personal lives, and a few adolescent attempts at flirtation (these mostly on the part of the Second Child). Although there had been a few minor breaches of security – it had proven necessary early on to hack into the Children's respective computers (the simplest of feats when one had access to the Magi) and remove certain files which might complicate matters when his son and the Sohryu girl finally did meet in person; then there had been the incident in which the Children had been allowed to reveal to one another the fates of their mothers, as well as the uneasy relationships that each of them shared with their surviving parent (after which slip-up in security the human factor had been removed more or less completely from the loop, and surveillance and censorship of the Children's communications relegated almost entirely to the handling of the Magi) – there seemed to be little or no seriously alarming content contained therein. Certainly nothing to justify his taking more drastic measures than he already had.

However, the transcripts of their most recent exchanges were slightly more troubling. At the very least they suggested that maintaining positive control of the situation might soon become a considerably more complicated and hands-on exercise than simply monitoring and doctoring the odd electronic conversation had been.

Taking a file dated a few days previously from a drawer hidden in the apparently seamless front of his desk, he extracted the pages contained therein and began to read the report, pausing occasionally to consider the hand-written remarks Dr. Akagi had made in her precise script along the pages' margins. The Sohryu girl was beginning to show her frustration with the situation far more aggressively that she had until recently, and despite all of his best attempts at passive security Gendo knew only too well what the pilot of Unit 02 was capable of when she set her mind to it.

In addition, Shinji was no fool. A spineless, dithering milquetoast of a boy, perhaps, but no fool. He was, after all, Yui's son. If matters were allowed to continue in this manner it was only a matter of time before he began to put the pieces together, as Gendo had reason to believe he had almost done some months earlier during his first meeting with the Second on the Over The Rainbow. Even if he didn't make the seemingly obvious connection, there remained other considerations which could no longer be ignored.

Even if these thoughts were not expected in a man his age, there seemed little sense in denying that the Sohryu girl was a stunning young woman, tall and exotic and attractively built, especially for one who was not yet aged fourteen years.  She was slender of build and long of leg, and her long flame-colored hair was impossible not to take note of…especially in a culture where a young woman who wore a coppery tint in her hair was often considered to be a 'bad' girl. And her teasingly promiscuous nature – ever since the week they had spent together during their Synch training, Intelligence had kept him well aware of her flirtations with the Third, both subtle and overt, and despite the fact that they never seemed to be in any real earnest – did little to alleviate that image.  No doubt her spirit only made her that much more appealing to the boy.

As Major Katsuragi had so aptly noted earlier that same day, both Children were at an age where they were extremely susceptible to the overabundance of their own hormones. Gendo was not quite so old that he could not remember being the Third's age, or the temptation borne by a pretty face or an attractive figure. Despite the convenience factor, it was not the first time that he found himself questioning his own wisdom in having approved the Major's request that both Children be billeted at her own residence.

Not that sex was really the issue here; so long as said activity did not negatively impact on their Synch ratios or combat performance the Commander had little real interest in who, if anyone, his pilots chose to consort with. And he would be the first to express doubt as to whether or not his son even possessed the necessary backbone to make the necessary initial advances. Her psychological profile indicated a better than 89% probability that the Second would not willingly allow herself to be placed in a situation where she might face summary rejection or abandonment, so there was little likelihood of her making the first move either.

Still, stranger things had happened. And though sex was not love, and though the odds of its ever growing into something stronger or more lasting than simple passion and desire were long, such things did happen, and every day. The fragments of the Scroll of the Second Prophecy thus far translated made no mention of how the Chosen might come together, only what could happen if they did, and as a result Gendo had very little specific idea of what to be on guard for. All that he could be reasonably certain of was that if the Second and the Third were to become intimate, if one or the other were to drop their guard for even a moment and allow the other to see how truly alike they really were…

A damage control assessment would have to be drawn up immediately. The Second could be dealt with if need be. Despite her performance to date, she had never been vital to the Project. Even Seele's plans for her were, ultimately, largely symbolic. And for his own part she represented little more than a spare – if admittedly exceptional – pilot. But she was not essential to his Realization of Instrumentality. She could be replaced, removed from the equation if need be. Shipped back to Germany ideally, Unit 02 remaining dormant until Akagi was able to find a suitable replacement pilot. Assuming a worst case scenario there were always other, more…final options. But until he saw or learned of evidence to the contrary, he would prefer to assume that the well-oiled machine that was Nerv still operated according to his own carefully laid plans.

Direct action could always be taken in a crisis situation – everyone on Nerv's command staff, as well as the Children and a few other essential or irreplaceable individuals, enjoyed a certain amount of protective surveillance…but that protection could quickly turn deadly at a single word from Ikari's office – but until such action was called for, he would continue to make use of careful manipulation in place of such heavy handed techniques as assassination and murder. After all, these were Children, not machines. He might be driven, but he was not an entirely inhuman…despite what he knew others to believe to the contrary.

Not quite.

Not yet.

Gendo paused for a moment in his meditations to finish the remainder of his second drink, this one going down somewhat easier than the first. Almost without thinking he reached for the bottle and poured himself a third libation with hands that were almost imperceptibly less sure of themselves than he recalled them being when he had first performed this same feat less than an hour ago. He stared at his third drink of the evening for a long moment and then back at the bottle, before finally adding what little remained in the ornate crystal decanter – actually somewhat more than there had appeared to be – to his glass and slamming the entire thing back in one long, burning draught.

And this time the mask did slip, if only for a moment. The sound of the now-empty glass being placed heavily upon the surface of the desk echoed thorough the cavernous chamber like a gunshot, and was followed only seconds later by the shattering of the bottle as it fell to the floor. If one listened very carefully, they might imagine that they heard the sound of a man gasping for breath, followed by a ragged cough. But a moment later, were one curious enough – or equally foolish enough – to peer inside the confines of this particular office at this late hour and to do so unbidden, one would only find its master; seated behind his enormous desk and staring back from behind steepled fingers, his unwavering gaze no longer softened even by his ever-present glasses.

Finally the Commander stood, lifting the empty tumbler almost daintily and wiping away the smear of moisture that it had left behind with a handkerchief; then with equally exaggerated care he set about carefully sopping up the rest of the drops and specks of alcohol, no matter how small, which had somehow managed to find their way to the surface of his desk. When this exercise was complete the glass, handkerchief folded neatly inside, went on the floor next to the desk amongst the shards of the broken flagon, where the entire lot could be cleaned up by his people in the morning. He had good people. They knew how not to ask unfortunate questions, or spread unfortunate rumors. Over the years, they had cleaned far worse things off the floor of his office. Not a few of which had wound up in unmarked graves.

It occurred to Gendo Ikari that he was growing maudlin. It further occurred to him that he was slightly more than a just little inebriated. And it finally occurred to him that at this exact moment, he simply didn't give that much of a damn.

He stared at the rubble of broken glass for a moment; stared at all that remained of Fuyutsuki-sensei's engagement gift to him and Yui. Gone now, just like her. One-hundred year old scotch, Fuyutsuki had said, real vintage stuff. Drink it in good health. And then the professor had bowed, tenderly kissing Yui's hand, then offering his own to Gendo. Gendo remembered wanting to strike the man for his public display of arrogance, for even daring to touch his soon-to-be wife in such a manner. And he remembered smiling pleasantly instead and accepting the professor's hand because Yui was there and he would not ruin this day, or any other, for her.

He also remembered a day not long afterwards, and yet seemed so very distant from the present, upon which he found himself walking hand-in-hand with the most beautiful woman in the world. Together they had strolled along the pleasant, tree-lined path in the hills above Kyoto, the leaves crunching beneath their feet and the trees the color of autumn – for the last time, had they only known, but even that would not have prevented the simple pleasure that they took in each other's company.

After climbing several miles, they left the path and sat down for a lunch that had consisted mostly of dried fruit, cheese, granola, and cold vegetable sticks (including Yui's confounded celery sticks; always filled with peanut butter or cheese fondue or chocolate fudge, or some other bizarre garnish), but to him it had been a banquet because it had been shared with her. Afterwards, he had brought Fuyutsuki gift out of his pack. They had toasted each other and shared several drinks in good health. And afterwards, despite the hint of a chill in the air, they had shared something else in good health. In very good health.

Those had been good days, happy days.

Did he really have the right to deny Yui's son the chance for that same happiness? Or Sohryu-Zeppelin's daughter? Perhaps even a future in which they found themselves together? Despite an age difference of nearly a decade his wife and the regional director of Project E at Gehirn's German branch had been great friends. He even knew that the two had joked more than once about the possibility of a relationship between their children, on the few afternoons the two women had shared together, when either one had traveled to their respective friends country. Though neither of them remembered it, the Second and Third children had met before, even if it was for a mere afternoon or two.

Even as an infant the girl's development had been far above average, and Gendo could still remember watching as a wholly self-assured, yet not-quite-one-year-old – her head topped with a mass of short, tangled strawberry-blonde hair – held his son's hands, trying to lead him in his own first steps. Sadly the experiment had ended in something of a mess, as Shinji – at first proud of himself – had panicked half way into his third halting step and both boy and girl had wound up in a heap on the floor, one barely holding back tears while the other screamed angrily, at least once or twice managing to spit out what sounded like one of the local expletives. And from the shocked and embarrassed looks on her parents' faces, their daughter had said exactly what it sounded like she had.

He sighed. He recalled Yui or Sohryu-Zeppelin or someone, perhaps it had even been he himself, had been taking pictures that day. Mostly of the children, but there had been some of himself and Yui, and of the Sohryu girl's parents as well. He could not remember ever having the photos developed. Perhaps the roll of film still existed, or the photos, if they had not been among the possessions he had sold or destroyed after Yui was lost to him. Yes, to see her once again, even if it were only the briefest glance at a faded photograph…

Gendo shook his head furiously and forced himself back to the present, massaging bridge of his nose and chiding himself angrily for allowing himself to succumb to doubt and melancholy, weaknesses that he could not afford. He had no time for this sort of foolishness. He could think about her later -would think about her later- the same way he always did when he closed his eyes and allowed himself the escape of sleep. For those few hours every night he could allow himself to admit to the pain and loneliness, if only to himself. He could afford the occasional tears. And at least in his dreams, he could be with her.

But not now. Not while he was awake, and most certainly not while he still had work to do. He was Commander Gendo-Fucking-Ikari and he was In Control of himself, God damn it, and a few stinking drinks were not going to change that. What was in the past had to stay in the past. For now, at any rate. If his plans for Instrumentality came to fruition, however…well, in that event a great deal might change. A great deal. Which is why it was essential that for now, he remain focused and deal with the matter at hand. It was truly unfortunate that the Children had to suffer so much that his dream might become a reality. It was regrettable that so many had died already, and that so many more might die in the dark days ahead, that he might recognize his goal. But it was all unavoidable. The only thing that mattered was achieving the Vision of Instrumentality – his Instrumentality, and the doddering old fools at Seele be damned – and his finally being reunited with Yui. God could rot in His Heaven, the whole of Creation could burn if need be, but he would be reunited with Yui.

He hoped she would be able to forgive him. He hoped her son would be able to forgive him. He hoped that they could have a second chance at that which had been so cruelly taken away from them so many years before. After all, all things were possible with Instrumentality. Nerv and Project E were the keys to his own personal Lathe of Heaven. If all went according to plan, it would be as if none of this had ever existed, as though all of the pain and suffering, the loss and destruction had never taken place. For all intents and purposes, it wouldn't have. And hopefully it never would again. He would be with Yui again. Together they would raise Shinji to be a son that they could be proud of, just as it always should have been. Perhaps the boy would be joined a few years later by a baby sister – named Rei? – who would grow up to worship and adore her big brother. Who knew, perhaps Shinji would even get a second chance for happiness with the Sohryu girl.

A great many things were possible, after all…

But that was all in the future. Much as he might wish otherwise, his goal would not be realized any sooner by attempting to rush it. His was very much a waiting game, and unfortunately he was powerless to hasten events to better suit his own schedule. In any case tonight was for other, far more immediate concerns. Instrumentality would be achieved. But his vision of Instrumentality was still in question. A number of factors still remained that might still bring all of his carefully laid plans to naught. Tonight was a night for examining the questions raised by the predictions contained on the Scroll of the Second Prophecy – most importantly how their coming to pass might affect the Realization of Instrumentality, but also the fate of the Second Child – and for considering his options.

Lifting the phone's handset off its cradle, he pressed a single button. The call was picked up on the third ring, and a tired voice addressed him with a tired, yet still formal greeting. The Supreme Commander of Nerv did not bother to apologize for calling at such a late hour. "Meet me in my office in thirty minutes… no, business…no it can not wait until morning…I believe that you already know the answer to that…do not waste my time with pointless questions…I will consider it…please bring all of the relevant data on the situation we discussed earlier with you, as well as the file on the Second Child and any data that you have on the inactive pilot candidates as well. We will need to review all of it carefully…no, we will discuss that when you arrive…please call the commissary as well and have two pots of coffee, black, delivered to my office; it may prove to be a very long night…thank you, Doctor, your sarcasm is noted…that will be all for the moment…I will see you in twenty-seven minutes."

With that he hung up the phone, straightened his glasses and adopted his customary 'Commander Ikari Pose,' and settled in for the short wait ahead. By the time that Ritsuko Akagi arrived exactly twenty-six and a half minutes later – managing to look surprisingly presentable for someone who had been asleep in bed on the other side of town less than a half-hour ago, but then Akagi was nothing if not appearance-conscious – she found the Commander on his second cup of coffee, and more or less sober. He offered no greeting, and for her part Ritsuko engaged in no pleasantries either, wisely ignoring the issue of the broken glass that littered the floor beside his desk and the reek of alcohol that accompanied it. She simply poured herself a mug of coffee from one of the steaming pots that sat on a tray on his desk – not the local hybrid sludge that they tried to pass off to the general staff as real coffee down in the mess area; this was Commander Ikari's own private blend- Kona stock- and very nearly worth it's weight in gold since Second Impact – and sat down opposite without a word. After draining half the mug and topping it off she finally looked him in the eye – a lopsided, not entirely pleasant smile just barely gracing her features – and presented three color-coded optical data-discs, setting them on the desk in front of her.

"The information you requested, Commander. May I suggest we get to work? I've been informed that we have a long night ahead of us."

It would turn out to be a very, very long night indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Notes.

Holy shit, that was a long chapter… As you all can see, this is a turning point in the story, where things are set in motion… It was incredibly harrowing to write the chapter, and I didn't even get to the part I wanted to end it at… Although that would have made the story even longer than it's actual 17k words, and would have delayed it's sortie even more… It was also great fun, especially the brainstorming with certain prereaders, whom I have to thank: Xanatose, Avarice, Chesed, TommyBRude, Shenalia, and finally Croatoan, without whom this fic wouldn't be the way it is now. Not to mention it would be quite crappy.

As mentioned… the brainstorming wasn't all serious. It allowed for… several gags to be thought up. After a word from Croatoan, who requested a small snippet of his to be placed in here (which I won't deny him), the Omake Section shall be presented!

Another Writer's Note:

"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Tcher."

Croatoan bows and, taking a stack of index cards from an inside coat pocket, clears his throat and begins to speak.

"When you're a bloke who grows up in the suburbs of anywhere, a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable; this moment is directly connected to those imaginings. And for anybody who's on the downside…ah, crap, this is the wrong acceptance speech…"

Croatoan digs about in his coat and pants pockets for several moments more, spilling various and sundry sales tickets, news clippings, dry cleaning receipts, and one moving violation on the floor before finally extracting a single, tattered piece of loose leaf paper.

"Ahem. As I was saying, I'd like to thank Tcher here for just one or two things, and then I'll let you get on with the Omake, since I know how much people hate to read these commentary things in the first place…"

"First off, I'd like to thank Tcher for taking me on as a prereader way the hell back with Chapter two or three - it's been a heck of a ride so far, and I'm REALLY looking forward to the next few chapters."

"Second, thanks for indulging me where it's come to some of my more unconventional ideas and suggestions. Even if you did cut the Ice Cream Bit. I'll forgive you that much. And finally…" Croatoan nervously eyes Shenalia inching closer to the stage, a lead pipe in his hand and a sturdy-looking length of rope over one shoulder. "Thanks for allowing me to actually WRITE one or two parts of this most recent chapter."

"I had a hell of a good time with it, and it may just have been the kick in the butt my own long-dormant writing career has needed." Croatoan begins to speak faster. " Which reminds me of a few fan fiction ideas of my own that you might be interested in –"

Shenalia suddenly runs up and bashes Croatoan with the pipe.  "Bad co-author!  Back to your cell!"

Croatoan is dragged offstage.

Tcher watches the whole scene, shaking his head.  "Riiiight. Whatever. Now, let the Omakes begin! Maestro, if you please?"

"Waaark!"

Omake!

Outtakes, Behind the Scenes, Interviews, and Deleted Scenes!

Warning: The material contained herein ups the PG-13 rating, as innuendo and naughty language abounds.

Scene 19 – The Talk.

Misato, sitting at the kitchen table, a stern look on her face. She starts trembling, then bursts into laughter, soon followed by the kids.

Tchernobyl: CUT!

------TAKE TWO------

Misato: Look, it's just that sometimes, a man and a woman…a man and a woman…uh…

Tchernobyl: CUT! Asuka, that's not in the script!

Asuka stops blowing in Shinji's ear, her hand still on his thigh.

Asuka: What?

------TAKE SEVEN------

Misato: I CAN'T DO IT! I JUST CAN'T DO IT!

Misato falls on the floor from laughter.

------TAKE THIRTEEN------

Tchernobyl: Damnit Asuka! What's wrong now?

Asuka, between fits of laughter: I just can't keep a straight face with her waving that...thing around! Bwahahah!

------TAKE TWO – REVISITED - ------

Shinji, after Tchernobyl interrupts Asuka: Uhm…its ok Mr.Tchernobyl… I really… don't mind…

Misato falls from the chair laughing.

------ TAKE TWENTY-SEVEN-----

Misato loses her grip on the banana; it goes flying offstage with the condom.

Touji, offstage: AUGH! MY EYE!

------TAKE THIRTY------

Shinji: Can ANYONE explain me how two buns and a hotdog can be used as EXAMPLES?

------TAKE THIRTY-FOUR------

Tchernobyl: Cut! Asuka, stop that!

Asuka, who stops licking an ice cream in a quite provocative manner: What now?

Shinji, having watched Asuka licking the ice cream entirely too long, is now passed out on the floor with a nosebleed.

------TAKE FOURTY-SIX------

Misato: Shinji, this is more for you, but Asuka you should be aware too. You should always be protected...a...a...mumble mumble mumble...

Asuka: What Misato?

Misato: I said...

Shinji: Yes, Misato?

Misato, who can't take it anymore: A RUBBER, OKAY? A CONDOM! When used correctly can protect against pregnancy and crap!

Asuka and Shinji burst out laughing.

------TAKE FOURTY-SEVEN------

Misato: ...and should be applied this way...okay, where'd I put that banana?

The kids can barely breathe from the laughter.

------TAKE SIXTY------

Misato: And this is called KY jelly.

Silence on the stage, except for an offstage snicker.

Shinji: Uhm, I don't think that was in the script…

Tchernobyl: Okay, who slipped in the wrong props?

Asuka: Wrong prop? You mean that's still a prop?

Tchernobyl: CUT ALREADY!

Scene 1 – Chat session

------TAKE THREE------

* RoterRitter tackles Momoku

Momoku Hah! I knew you wanted me!

RoterRitter Yes! Take me!

Momoku Wanton harlot! Remove thy vestments, and I shall--

Tchernobyl: CUT! CUUUUUT! Guys, you're supposed to be CHATTING! Not cybersex!

Scene 17 – Kitchen at Misato's arrival.

Shinji: It's not my fault! YOU were the one digging around in the refrigerator with your...your...your HIND END sticking out!

Shinji: And a damn fine one at that…

Asuka scoots up close to Shinji, pressing herself against him provocatively, letting one hand wander south from his chest, while forcefully applying one of Shinji's hands to her own derriere.

Asuka: Mmmmm....THAT'S what I've been waiting to hear, you naughty little boy. Not so boring after all, ne?

Shinji: Damn right.

Shinji grabs Asuka by the waist, and bends her back.

Shinji: Gimme some sugar, baby.

Tchernobyl: CUT! Fuck it! We're cutting the scene! You two trying to get me ARRESTED here? This is NOT kiddie porn!

Scene 15 – Touji learns of the news.

Toji, looking at Kensuke: You're kidding me… You don't seriously expect me to believe that Shinji and God...?

Toji trails off, then smacks his forehead.

Toji: I mixed that up from the movie scene earlier, didn't I.

Asuka runs in from offstage, in full Monthy Python's Quest for the Holy Grail God costume: BOW, MORTALS!

Kensuke and Hikari starts bowing.

Toji, whispering to Shinji: And she's your girlfriend? Damn… Okay Ken, we've got to do it again.

Toji, Kensuke and Hikari, bowing to Shinji: ALL HAIL LORD IRON-BALLS!

(AN: Sincere apology to Strike Fiss. I just HAD to! ^_^)

Asuka, to herself: That's not the only part of him that's solid steel…

The entire female Eva cast lets out a collective, dreamy sigh of appreciation and envy.

Toji, to Kensuke: I know I didn't need to know that…

Special preview – The Kiss scene outtakes!

Asuka: Hey, Shinji, you wanna kiss me?

Shinji: Huh? What?

Asuka: Kiss me, you know. Have you ever done it? Kissed a girl? I'll bet you haven't.

Shinji: Nuh-uh…

Asuka: So let's do it.

Shinji: But…why?

Asuka: I'm bored, and there's nothing else to do…

Shinji: And that's your reason? --You're weird…--

Asuka: Are you afraid to kiss a girl on the anniversary of your mom's death? Is she watching you from up in Heaven?

Shinji: That's not it, I-

Asuka: Or are you scared?

Shinji: Why would I be afraid of a kiss? Pucker up!

Asuka: Right! You brushed your teeth after dinner?

Shinji: Yeah…

Asuka: Then here I come…

Shinji and Asuka then move close to one another, at first reluctantly, then their lips connect; what is at first an uncertain and fumbling attempt soon becomes a deeper and more passionate kiss, until both children are embracing one another, their hands running desperately over each others' bodies.

Tchernobyl: Okay guys, cut. This isn't how this scene is supposed to go, and you know it. Stop it, guys. Okay? Just...aw, come on, you two, it's getting late. Let's just finish this scene so that we can...CUT, already! Shinji, Asuka, please, I...

Tchernobyl: Aw, shit, now I KNOW that wasn't in this scene.

Tchernobyl: Will you two PLEASE stop rutting and let us set back up for the next take? You DO know that this scene doesn't even technically take place until the next chapter...?

--FEATURETTE: On Location with EVANGELION: Prior Acquaintances--

First interview: Asuka and Hikari

Interviewer: ...So what can you tell us about your off screen relationship with Shinji?

Hikari, giggling: Wai! He's sooooo dreamy!

Asuka: Hey, watch it, that's MY man you're talking about there!

Hikari: I know, I know...but he has such a hot little ass!

The interviewer sweatdrops.

Asuka: You've got THAT right...

Asuka: And that's not ALL that's hot about him.

Interviewer: Girls...

Asuka: I mean I don't mind telling you...

Interviewer: Girls...?

Asuka: He's an increeeeedible lover. Sometimes we go at it all night, and in the morning I can barely st--

Interviewer: GIRLS!

Asuka and Hikari silently stare at the interviewer.

Interviewer: For the love of christ, you're only kids! What the hell kind of talk is this?

Asuka: I'm 21 years old, moron. NGE was originally filmed over 5 years ago!

Interviewer, mumbling to himself: Thirteen plus five...But that only adds up to eighteen?

Asuka: Idiot. How many 'thirteen year olds' do you know with a rack like this?

Asuka grabs self by way of demonstration.

Second Interview: Shinji

Interviewer, crossing himself and praying for mercy: Shinji...what can you tell me about your relationship with your costars?

Shinji: I love 'em all. Professionals, every one. Sure, we joke around on the set, but sometimes you need to cut loose a little when you're on a show or a fic as dark and depressing as Evangelion.

Shinji: Of course, sometimes you inevitably get closer to some people than others. Take Asuka, for example. She and I--

Interviewer: That's it! Screw it! Come on, guys, we're gonna go interview the penguin.

Shinji, confused: ...I was just going to say we've announced our engagement and are going to be married this Christmas...