“Evangelion: The Mark of Cain
Chapter 2: Rock the Boat

“Reunited and it feels so good…”

Asuka gritted her teeth hard as the stooges continued singing that idiotic pre-Impact American song. There had hardly been a moment of peace in the classroom since Kensuke had entered, to be mobbed by an ecstatic Touji and Shinji. It had been more than a month since they had seen each other last and they obviously meant to make up for the almost surreal peace and quiet that had descended in their stead. Not even Hikari was able to get them to stop – which just confirmed in Asuka’s mind how out-of-hand the situation had gotten, especially if Touji was able to actually resist a shouted order from the class-rep. (He had cringed a bit but kept on singing.) Hikari had finally been reduced to scowling at the trio from where she stood beside her seat, all the while mumbling the extremely graphic things she was planning to do with her jock… After class was over at least, since the class-rep didn’t want to cause even more of a disturbance than there already was. Asuka, however, was nearing her breaking point and experienced ‘Demon-watchers’ in the class wisely began to inch away from her in the universally understood warning for impending classroom violence. Now to be fair, it must be noted here that if a brave soul had come up to Asuka at that point and oh-so-tactfully asked her what she really felt about the reunion, the redhead would have grudgingly admitted that she was glad the idiot trio was back together. However this rather uncharacteristic sentiment was currently being smothered by a rising wave of annoyance at the warbling voices forcing their way into her eardrums…

“Reunited and it feels so good…”

It might have been bearable if they had known more than that one line…

“ReuNIIIITED…”

“Sheist! That does it!” Asuka screamed, pushing violently away from her desk and getting to her feet. The rest of the class immediately assumed ‘batten-the-hatches’ mode as the irate Second Child began moving purposefully towards her prey. Fists clenched, piercing blue eyes making clear her murderous intent, she stalked towards the back of the room, ready to hospitalize the first stooge to open his mouth – when she suddenly found herself confronted with the smiling, happy face of Shinji Ikari.

The boy had his eyes closed, and thus hadn’t seen her yet. He was not singing along with the other two, probably because the baka didn’t know the words, but on his face was such a look of absolute and total rapture that even in her rage, his roommate couldn’t help but stop and stare. Shinji just looked so… happy… She had never seen him smile quite the way he was smiling now. Involuntarily, the last part of NERV’s motto floated into her head…

“… all’s right with the world…”

That’s how he looked at that moment, surrounded by his best friends; content, relaxed, at peace. Suddenly Asuka wondered if she had ever made him feel the way he seemed to be feeling now … Probably not during the past few days. Ever since he returned she had been trying – and succeeding - to make his life as miserable as possible. Not that it was a very hard thing to do - not to someone with Shinji’s personality. Whatever guilty feelings she may have had at treating him in such a manner were viciously suppressed before her towering indignation: the baka deserved to be treated that way! There was nothing wrong with being the only one around him who didn’t think he was so damn great! 

Now, however, looking at how happy Shinji could be, the red head felt an unfamiliar thread of shame worming its way into her heart. ~Maybe… maybe I’m being too harsh on the baka,~ she thought as she began to lower the fist she had been ready to lash out with. The Second Child turned around to go back to her seat… and stopped when she realized that everyone in class was staring at her with varying looks of surprise and amusement on their faces… With a start it occurred to her that she had been frozen in place, fist poised to strike out at Shinji, for well over a minute. Some of the braver students were already giggling over how stupid she had looked, standing there in attack position, apparently lost in blissful contemplation of the Third Child’s face. Blushing furiously, Asuka felt her scattered feelings of shame washed away by a tide of embarrassment, followed by a seething anger.

~That BAKA! How dare he humiliate me like this! How DARE he!~

With that thought she whirled around and booted the oblivious stooge on his shin.

“Ow!”

“Hey! What did ya do that for Devil-Girl?” Touji asked in indignation as Shinji writhed in pain.

“Watch your mouth ‘plastic man’ or you’re next!”

“That’s it you bleach brained little-”

Before the argument could escalate however, everyone’s attention was captured by a chorus of indignant female voices rising from outside…

“Hentai! Hentaaaiii!!!

“Come back here you perv- !”

“Get him!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

There was a blur of motion as the door to class 2-A slid open for a split second, then shut just as quickly. The young man who had entered the room in the interim hurriedly pressed himself to the wall at the right of the entrance, holding a finger to his lips as he faced the class. The stranger was panting heavily, and had a familiar scarred face which was currently screwed up in an expression of nervous anxiety.
Kensuke blinked once, then twice. “Cho-?” he began but was immediately shushed by the other.

“Keep it down four-eyes,” the older boy hissed. “Can’t you see I’ve got an emergency on my hands?” Asuka recognized him as one of the dummkoff pilots she had met yesterday. Kaji-kun’s brother, a voice whispered in her head and she grimaced. How this oaf was in any way related to her suave and sophisticated Kaji-kun was something that boggled the mind…

Not a second later the angry voices that they had heard earlier were coming from right outside the door. Asuka could see a crowd of girls standing right outside their door – all of them dressed in gym attire.

“Where did he go?”

“I could have sworn I saw him pass this way…”

“Maybe he entered this classroom…” 

Cho gulped and his eyes began desperately to search for a possible exit… But just then another girl’s voice interrupted, one that seemed vaguely familiar to Asuka.

“Are you ladies searching for that ugly looking, scarred pervert? I think I saw him rush across the hall towards the Chem room.”

“What? Oh, thank you miss – alright ladies you heard the girl… Let’s go put some fear of God into that lousy hentai!”

With a ferocious cheer, the mob of women surged onward, leaving Cho to heave a sigh of relief while the rest of the class sweatdropped. After the girls’ heavy foot falls had faded into the distance, the familiar voice spoke again.

“You can let me in now Cho, your latest playmates have gone.”

“Good old Nyoko,” said Cho grinning, as he slid the door open to reveal a brown haired girl in her late teens, sitting in a wheel chair. The female Keeper pilot was wearing a cap on her head, one which she wore backwards as Touji sometimes did. “I thought it was all over for awhile there…”

Nyoko on the other hand, was not smiling. “Don’t think you’re out of the woods yet Chojiro Kaji – just what exactly were you doing in the women’s locker room at this time of day?”

The other pilot smiled, a grin eerily reminiscent of Kaji’s. “Well there’s a simple explanation for that my dear Nyoko…”

“I’m waiting.”

Cho closed his eyes as an expression of rapture came upon his face, and with each word he rose higher on his toes, almost giving off the impression that he was levitating. “It’s right after their swimming class! What better time to get an eyeful of some Wet. Gorgeous. Beauties?!?” 

It was around this point that Nyoko rolled over his foot with her wheelchair.

Asuka shook her head in disbelief. THESE were the people she was supposed to be working with for the salvation of humanity? Well, at least she no longer wondered how Kensuke qualified to be a pilot… he’d probably fit right in with these people.

“Excuse me,” Asuka barked in a loud voice while the rest of the class was staring at the strange pair that had found their way into the classroom. “But just exactly what are the two of you doing here? Please don’t tell me you’re enrolled in this class with us…”
Her voice seemed to bring the two to their senses, and they suddenly seemed to realize that their little performance had acquired quite a captive audience. Nyoko flushed slightly, but Cho’s grin on the other hand seemed to widen- especially after he had gotten a good look at the girls of the class – up until he saw Asuka’s scowling face.
The incorrigible Keeper pilot faced the blue eyed glare of the Demon for a second, then blinked and turned to Kensuke. “Is the red head always this irritable in the morning Ken?”
The bespectacled boy gulped. “You – you don’t seriously expect me to answer that do you? After all I told you about her?”

Before Asuka could ask just what exactly Kensuke had told them about her, she was interrupted by Touji. The jock was looking at the two new comers rather curiously. “Are these the friends ya were telling us about Kensuke?”

Kensuke nodded. He motioned to the two of his friends whom he hadn’t introduced yet. 
“Yeah – Touji, Hikari, these are my co-pilots Chojiro Kaji and Nyoko Aihara.”

Before the boy could introduce the others to his co-pilots, Asuka interrupted him. “I know their names stooge, what I’d like to know is what they’re doing here!”

Beside her, Hikari gave a reluctant nod, eyes shifting from the class to the newcomers and back again. “Yes, I’d like to know that as well… Sensei might come at any minute…”

Cho opened his mouth to answer but Nyoko beat him to it. “Don’t worry, we’ll be gone soon. Actually, we’re supposed to be in a meeting with your principal in a few minutes,” she said, pausing for a moment to scowl at an unrepentant Cho before turning to Asuka and Shinji. “But it might be a good thing we caught you guys here before class started– we were going to pass by later on to ask you guys to wait for us after school.”

“Huh?” Shinji replied eloquently. “You mean me and Asuka?”

The girl with the cap nodded. “Right, and Rei Ayanami as well,” she said, turning to where Rei was customarily seated near the window.

“You kids are lucky today – no walking or commuting! Nyoko and I will be driving you home after school,” Chojiro added. “No need to be too grateful – we just like to extend a helping hand to those in need every now and-”

“And why the hell should we be grateful in the first place?!?” Asuka cut in, intensely annoyed. The nerve of this guy…”Who asked for your help anyway? We were perfectly fine before YOU came along hentai-boy, and we’ll still be fine after the Angels send you back to whatever dirt-hole you crawled out from!”

“Whoa, reality check here pretty lady,” the scarred boy said, holding up his hands. “The Angels winning would be a ‘bad’ thing. We’re on the same side here remember?”

“Not if I can help it,” Asuka muttered darkly, ignoring the anxious looks Shinji was sending her way.

“Well I’m sorry to be the one to break this to you Second Child, but you can’t help it,” Nyoko said, a stern expression on her face. “Like it or not we’ll be working together from now on – and not just that. The U.N. also charged the JSSDF and Keeper staff to make sure that you children are taken care of- ”

“What?!? We don’t need any baby sitters!”

“- and we mean to do that job whether you like it or not - not just for your sake but for the sake of everyone else as well,” the crippled girl continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted.

“Are you deaf?!? I said we don’t need you! Right Shinji?”

The Third Child was taken completely by surprise, and hastily looked back and forth between Asuka and Nyoko. “Uhm… er that is… well…”

Before Asuka could berate the boy once more for his spinelessness, a flat, emotionless voice spoke up from behind her.

“I will cooperate with you. What is it you require?”

Nyoko turned to Rei and beamed her approval. “Finally! A Child who listens to reason,” she said, before turning back to the other two. “Actually, all we were sent to do today is check out your respective places of residency – just for a routine evaluation – living conditions, environment etc.”

“What? No way am I letting you into MY apartment, and that is final!” the red head proclaimed, conveniently forgetting that it wasn’t exactly her apartment. Besides that was a trivial detail – what mattered most was that she showed these pushy new-comers just who was boss around here… They could walk all over Shinji and the First Child if that’s what they wanted to do, but not the great Asuka Langley Sohryu!
In response, Chojiro heaved a great sigh and shook his head despondently. “Well, I guess there’s no changing your mind is there? Come on Nyoko,” he said to his astonished companion, who had seemed on the verge of shouting at Asuka. “I might as well go tell brother Kaji he has nothing to worry about.” Since the scarred boy was facing Nyoko at the time, the Second Child didn’t see the wink he threw his partner before he turned back towards Asuka. “He specifically asked me to see if you were too crowded in Misato’s place Asuka, and to invite you to come stay over at his place instead if you wished– but I guess you’re fine where you are so…”

Asuka was about to nod in agreement before the meaning of Cho’s words penetrated her brain. The redhead blinked.

“Kaji – Kaji-kun said I could stay with him?”

Cho nodded, but then held up a finger. “But only if I could see first hand that you were having difficulties over at Misato’s pla –ack!” he cried, suddenly finding his armed wrenched forward as Asuka began pulling him towards the door.

“What are we waiting for then?!? C’mon let’s go! I’ll show you just how much suffering I have to undergo over at Misato’s!”

Cho’s shouted protests continued unheeded as he was dragged out into the corridor – where unfortunately, one of the girls from gym class spotted him.

“There he is! GET HIM GIRLS!!!”
Safe inside the classroom, Kensuke grinned and turned to Nyoko as the sound of the carnage outside grew in intensity. “Sometimes, old Cho outsmarts himself doesn’t he?”

“Put it this way – he’s so dumb even the smart things he does turn out to be dumb ideas in the end,” Nyoko replied laughing.
Kensuke joined in as he brought out his trusty video cam and pressed the ‘record’ button…

* * * * *

“This… this is where you live?”

“Yes.”

Shinji recognized the look that crossed Cho’s face as he got his first glance at the complex where Rei had her apartment – it had crossed his own face the first time he had been there. He wondered if the same thoughts could be running through the older boy’s head…

~They’re just… slabs of concrete. Cold, generic, lifeless… how could anybody live here? How could this be anybody’s… home?~
The others came to stand beside Cho and Rei. There were eight of them altogether – Kensuke was a Keeper pilot so he was really supposed to come anyway, and he and Shinji had asked Touji to tag along. At that point Asuka had become worried about getting the ‘Stooge Stupidity Disease’ and had cajoled a blushing Hikari into accompanying them as well. Luckily, the vehicle that Cho and Nyoko were using was a spacious mini-van, and thus there was enough space for all of them. The first thing that had caught Shinji’s attention was that the van had been modified to allow a handicapped person like Nyoko to operate it, and in fact it had been her who had driven them to Rei’s apartment. Shinji found it strange that Cho didn’t offer to drive instead Nyoko – it was obvious that while the female pilot was a competent driver, it was still more difficult for her than it would have been for Cho. To top it off, Kaji’s brother had spent most of the trip to Rei’s snoring rather loudly in his seat.

A loud snort from in front of him brought the Third Child’s thoughts back to the present, where Asuka was currently tapping her foot rather impatiently. “Well, let’s hurry this up Wondergirl! The sooner we finish looking at your luxurious living quarters, the sooner I can show them the circus tent that is Misato’s place – and the sooner I can move in with Mr. Kaji!” The red head said that final sentence with particular relish.

“Um… I don’t think we’re going to see anything luxurious Asuka,” Hikari said in a low voice, looking somewhat distastefully at the debris scattered around the area from the nearby demolition/construction site. 

 “Oh I wouldn’t be too worried Hikari,” Asuka sneered. “Didn’t you know? Rei there is the Commanders favorite . I wouldn’t be surprised if all this was just a cover so us normal pilots don’t get jealous…”

“Boy is she in for a surprise,” Touji commented to Shinji as they began to make their way up the stairs of Rei’s building. Touji had already seen Rei’s apartment and he knew how off base Asuka’s assumptions were.

“What do you mean by that Touji?” Kensuke asked. The bespectacled boy was helping carry Nyoko’s collapsible wheelchair while Cho carried the Keeper pilot herself. Then a malicious grin spread across his face. “Have you been to Rei’s place before? You’ve been cheating on Hikari while I was away haven’t you? Haven’t you?”

Touji’s response was a blow that almost knocked Kensuke’s glasses off his face. “Shaddap ya twerp,” he growled as Kensuke laughingly fended off further blows.

Shinji looked back to Asuka and shook his head… His roommate always assumed the first thing that came into her mind – and it was usually wrong. He wanted to tell her to stop with the insults, to defend Rei somehow – but that’d just result in an argument. Besides, she’d see the truth soon enough.

Up ahead, Rei and the older Keeper pilots had stopped in front of the First Child’s apartment. Kensuke put the wheelchair down and unfolded it before Cho set Nyoko upon it.

“Sure you wouldn’t rather just stay in my arms Nyoko-chan?” Cho asked with a grin as he straightened up once more. The girl smiled affectionately and patted his hand.

“In your dreams scar-boy.”

Cho gave a long suffering sigh. His hands reached out towards the large amount of correspondence sandwiched within the door’s mail slot. The scarred boy pulled a few out of the bundle – no easy task – and rifled through them, grinning as he saw they were largely junk mail and surveys. “That’s an innovative method you’ve discovered to deal with all this crap… let them pile up to the point where no one can get anything else in the mail box.” He grinned as he turned to the First Child. “Well now that we’re all here, why don’t you show us in Rei?”

The First Child nodded and simply pushed open the door.

“Don’t you lock your door?” Nyoko asked in surprise.

“It is not necessary,” the albino replied. “No one comes here.”

Nyoko looked like she was going to ask another question but the albino girl had already stepped into the apartment. Shrugging, the older girl wheeled herself in – and stopped at the threshold. One by one as the others came close enough to see what lay within, they too froze in place. Among the group, only Shinji and Touji had seen Ayanami’s apartment before and as such were the only one’s prepared for the sight that lay within.

Nobody spoke for a few moments, and even when Hikari broke the silence, her voice was no more than a whisper. “Ayanami – lives here?” The class representative had her hands raised to her mouth – whether to muffle her voice or because of the shock was anyone's guess - and was shaking her head slowly from side to side. “How could anyone live here…?”

The one word Shinji could think of to describe the room was… gray. Not just gray in terms of color, although it was that as well. No attempt had been made to disguise the hue of the rectangular concrete slabs that enclosed the room, that constituted its ceiling, floor and each of the room’s walls… all of which were made even darker by the accumulation of grime and dust. Even the tattered blue curtain gave off a sense of gray, a sense of being uncared for - generic and worthy of little note. Shinji thought it smelled sort of grey too – a stale, machine-like, smell that seemed to imply that the air within was little used to any movement, any change. The steady, pounding noises from the outside seemed to emphasize the mechanical monotony that characterized the room – one may as well call it a cubicle. Gray would also be a fitting word to describe the very mood of the room as well, an absence of any shred of uniqueness or character – no pictures, decorations or furniture aside from a simple bed, cabinet and refrigerator – nothing that would give any indication of the kind of person who lived there. Unless one thought that Ayanami was as lifeless as her living space…

Shinji forced such thoughts violently aside. Yes, Ayanami could seem cold and empty at times, but Shinji knew that there was more to her than what most people saw. She’d risked her life for him before, and he was sure she’d do so again… she’d smiled for him after that, and for one second Shinji believed he had seen the real Rei … a girl who was like him in so many ways.  Ayanami had even thanked him once… Silently Shinji turned his eyes to the floor of the room. There was still litter here and there, assorted papers and wrappers, but this time at least they were all piled in one corner instead of scattered around the room.

Meanwhile, Rei was already well within the apartment, and she turned towards the others with a slightly quizzical expression on her face. 

Nyoko seemed to be the first to snap out of her initial shock and was already wheeling herself forward. “Alright, let’s finish this quickly… I can’t _wait_ to give my report on this,” she muttered. The girls voice was grim and determined, though her next words were pitched so low that not many people could hear. “What are they _doing_ to this kid?”

Cho followed closely after her, mumbling something to himself as he whipped out a clipboard and began to make little notes on an official looking piece of paper. The pilot seemed to take this job seriously, a small frown on his face as he peered behind the sparse furniture, tapped on the walls, peered out the window… He even managed to make a sweep of Rei’s bath room without making any perverted comments. Later, he removed a complicated looking instrument from his pocket – a portable emission and wave detector Shinji was to learn later – and after glancing at the readings on it’s display, Cho’s expression grew concerned. He whispered something to Kensuke who nodded and began filming the apartment with his handy-cam, focusing on this or that area at Cho’s directions. Nyoko, meanwhile, had struck up a discussion with Rei.

Shinji and the others began to file in as well, Touji and Hikari circling the room while trying to keep out of the way of the pilots, occasionally conversing quietly. The Second Child however, did not immediately move forward with them. Behind him, Shinji could see Asuka moving slowly to one of the walls and gingerly running a finger across its surface – it came away blackened by dirt. He half expected her to react in disgust at the filth… But strangely enough, she seemed subdued. The red head turned her eyes towards Rei – who was busy answering some of Nyoko’s questions – and then after a moment slowly shook her head.

“I don’t get it,” she whispered. 

Shinji turned his attention to the mysterious blue-haired girl as well. He didn’t get it either, but whatever was wrong here, he knew it had but one source… And without thinking, his eyes strayed to a pair of broken glasses lying on top of the cabinet…

* * * * *

Rei Ayanami found herself slightly puzzled by the reactions of her companions to her quarters. Somehow it seemed as if they had expected more – but what more was necessary? Quarters were merely where one went when uninvolved with other duties – it was a place one returned to so that one would be easily found in case one was needed. 
The Keeper Pilot, Nyoko Aihara, seemed to be the one most disturbed by her quarters. She seemed not to realize that Rei was perfectly content with its state.

“Rei… who assigned you to this… place?”

“Commander Ikari.”

Nyoko’s eyes narrowed at that. “Did he check the place before he sent you here? Has he ever come here himself?”

Rei nodded. “Yes. He has been here before.”

“And he made no comment as to the... the state of the place where you were living?”

“No.”

“Why not? Did he ever explain his decision, tell you why you were placed here?”

“No. The Commander has no need to explain himself.”

This seemed to anger the handicapped girl as her expression darkened considerably. Rei did not like the idea of someone questioning the Commander's decisions – but the Commander had instructed her to cooperate with the new comers – at least in day to day matters - and so she obeyed. It was not Keeper Pilot Aihara’s fault that she had little faith in the Commander, that was common enough even within NERV. Even Ikari-kun doubted his own Father.

At the thought of the younger Ikari, Rei’s eyes flitted slightly to the right, where Ikari-kun was talking with Pilot Suzahara and Keeper Pilot Aida, the latter of whom was taking shots of her quarters with his video camera. . She had seen Ikari-kun glance towards the pile of discarded material that clustered in the corner of her room – it was only then that she had felt a twinge of embarrassment at the state of her living quarters. She remembered, vividly, how he had picked each scrap of paper from the floor the last time he had been here – it had never occurred to Rei that someone might do such a thing for her. Yet Ikari-kun was always surprising her… she had found herself saying ‘thank you’ that time, words she never recalled using before. 

Ever since then, the First child had been… Confused as to how to deal with the discarded materials which she had previously ignored. Part of her said that since the Commander had not seen fit to notice the scraps, they were to be ignored. And yet… Ikari-kun had picked them up – were they wrong somehow? Was she meant to keep her quarters orderly, like the Class Representative endeavored to do with their classroom? Rei had as yet been unable to resolve the dilemma and had thus settled on a compromise – leaving the discarded material on the floor but sweeping them towards one corner. No one else would ever know, but it had taken her hours to organize the pile in such a way that she believed she was going against neither the Commander nor Ikari-kun’s wishes…
Rei was brought back to the present when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Keeper Pilot Kaji looking at her with an expression she was unaccustomed to seeing on his face – one which was serious, and bereft of humor.

“Ayanami… are you ok?”

The First Child stared at him for a moment before nodding. “There are no problems.”

“That’s what she thinks…” came the voice of Keeper Pilot Aihara as she brought herself to a position beside the two. The handicapped girl turned to Pilot. “Did you check everything out? Structure, plumbing, pollutant levels…”

“Done and recorded. I might want to take a look around later on to see where that infernal sound is coming from but I think we’ve seen all we came to see here.”

The girl in the cap gave her partner a strange look before turning to address the others. “Alright everyone, let’s get out of here…”

As they left her quarters, Rei Ayanami could not quite understand the peculiar expressions her companions sent her way. This should not come as a surprise – for the First Child had never been exposed to pity before…

* * * * * 

Misato sighed as she gazed at the pile of paperwork on her desk – almost reminiscent of the aftermath of the Seventh Angel debacle. The JSSDF Keeper Task Force’s arrival had entailed a lot of paper work to make sure that there was a smooth integration of the two groups, as well as to certify all the necessary procedures were followed. In fact, there was so much paperwork that an equally high mound of it had been piled atop the secondary desk, which she normally used to store her more personal belongings. Sighing she decided that was as good a place to start as any, and reached down to grab a two foot high pile of authorization forms – 

- to reveal behind them the grinning face of Ryouji Kaji… A face that broke into laughter as she scrambled backwards with a shout, paperwork flying in all directions.

“Wha – what are YOU doing here?” she screamed, pointing a trembling figure at the unshaven man before her. 

“And good morning to you too honey,” the spy replied that annoyingly cock sure grin still plastered on his face. “Or good afternoon rather… does this mean us Major types get to report to work at 11:00? This could mean wonders for my social life…”

With an effort Misato regained some of her tattered composure and strode quickly to the door. She wrenched it open and with an imperious gesture pointed towards the outside.
“You. Out. Right. Now.”

Kaji shook his head. “No. Can. Do. Gorgeous,” the former spy replied mockingly.

Misato resisted the urge to begin tearing at her hair. “If you can’t give me a good reason to be here _Major_, I suggest you step out immediately before I have security haul your ass out of MY office!”

“Our office.”

Misato blinked. “What did you say?”

The man stretched lazily and placed the papers he had been reading back atop the pile on the desk. “I said ‘our office’. Meaning both yours and mine Katsuragi.” Kaji grinned. “I told them I’d be too much of a distraction for you, but they wouldn’t listen… I suppose they think we’ll do better work if we’re attached at the hip – sort of like Shinji and Asuka,” he finished, chuckling at the thought.

The purple haired woman tried in vain to close her gaping jaw. “You… You can’t be serious.”

Kaji put on a solemn expression. “Oh, I am, trust me on this one. Our office.” He stopped and pointed towards the desk where he had been sitting. “My desk.” Then he smiled and held up a frilly black object. “Although you do, of course, have my permission to continue using it as a closet for your lingerie…”

Misato blushed, then growled a curse and snatched the offending garment out of his hands before stalking back to her one remaining desk. As if all this paperwork wasn’t bad enough… She sighed. 

“Hey, don’t look so glum Katsuragi,” the spy said. “At least you’ll only have to go through half of these papers…”

“You think I’d leave anything YOU did unchecked by me?” Misato shook her head in exasperation. “Instead of pestering me why don’t you just go out there and restrain that sex-crazed brother of yours? I swear if he keeps this up, this stack of papers will look like nothing next to the amount of sexual harassment cases you’ll have to go through.”

Kaji’s grin faded and he actually looked slightly embarrassed before responding. “Well Cho’s a bit… wild at times, but he’ll settle down eventually.” The lopsided smile returned to the male Majors face a second later however. “Besides he’s busy right now, off on an inspection of the Children’s living conditions…”

Papers were flung to the floor once again as Misato leapt up like an uncoiling spring. “What?!? They’re going to go to my apartment today? As in right now?”

Kaji blinked. “Yes, Dr. Takahashi’s orders… is there a problem?”

Misato blanched. When Misato needed an outlet for her emotions, it usually involved a lot of beer, swearing, beer, kicking, ramen and beer to get it completely off her chest– and after she yesterday’s revelations she had had a _lot_ vent. She had promised the children the night before that she would do the ‘responsible’ thing and take charge of the clean-up the next day… But when she finally woke up she had discovered it was 10:00 in the morning and that she was already late for a meeting. The result of this was that she had rushed out of the apartment without fixing up at all – and now there was going to be some sort of ‘inspection’…

Misato groaned. All she could hope for now was that no one would bring a camera…

* * * * *

“Cool cool cool!” Kensuke shouted as he zoomed his camera in on one of the numerous pieces of clothing strewn about the house. “Could that be – Misato’s lingerie?”

Asuka shook her head in disbelief while simultaneously throwing her school bag at Kensuke’s head. She had been hoping that since it had been Misato’s day to clean up this morning, the place would be less tidy than usual, but not even she had expected that Misato wouldn’t clean up _at all_ after her drunken debauchery the night before. Chips, ramen wrappers and many, _many_ beer cans littered the main area of the apartment, in addition to the aforementioned pieces of clothing. Only the kitchen was clean, but that was only because baka-Shinji had had to use it to make their breakfast and had been unable to even begin without clearing away the clutter…. 

The two older Keeper pilots came forward gingerly, picking their way through the ‘wreckage’, Nyoko having an especially hard time when her wheelchair got entangled in what appeared to be a shredded pantyhose. 

Cho managed a weak grin. “Well… this certainly looks more, uhm, lived in.”

Nyoko snorted. “Oh joy… Lived in by what? An alcoholic typhoon?”

Asuka brightened. “Does this mean I get to stay with Kaji-kun?”

Cho made a sound deep in his throat and moved his hands in an uncertain gesture. “Let’s not be too hasty – we still have to make a more thorough check,” The scarred boy grinned suddenly then and his hand shot up into the air. “I volunteer to check out Misato’s room!”

Nyoko sighed. “Down, scar boy. Let’s follow procedure eh?” Cho put on a despondent expression before once more pulling out his clipboard and making his rounds around the living room – paying closer attention to certain articles of clothing than Asuka believed to be proper. 

Apparently Nyoko agreed. “Cho put that _down_… Do you have to be so disgusting?”

“What?” the other pilot replied innocently. “Just trying to do my job here… this here might contain some, er, harmful emissions – yeah that’s it!”

The others filed in by twos: Touji and Hikari first followed by Rei and Shinji. Hikari looked mildly green at the sight of such blatant untidiness and even Touji looked impressed. 

“Hoo-kay… now I see what Shinji complains about… Misato really can be a bit of a slo… Hey! Is that – Misato’s lingerie?!?”

As Hikari pulled rather violently on Touji’s ear, Rei took a spot at one corner and stared in apparent interest at the clutter spread across the room. The Third Child on the other hand – upon seeing the mess their guardian had left behind – shook his head ruefully and began to pick up the assorted pieces of litter lying about the house. “She’s really not all that bad… the place isn’t like this everyday…”

Nyoko raised an eyebrow at that. “I certainly hope not…”

Asuka growled under her breath. Baka-Shinji was going to ruin her perfectly laid out plan! If she could get Cho and Nyoko to believe that she was under less than stellar conditions at Misato’s she just might get to live with – and her face brightened at the mere thought – Kaji-kun! She was _not_ going to let this chance slip away because of piddling little details like Truth and Honesty.

“That’s NOT true! It’s always like this here! Everyday!”

The Third Child blinked, and seemed to be trying to muster the courage to contradict her when monkey-boy Touji beat him to it.

“That’s a lie Devil-girl and you know it! Misato takes good care of you guys!”

“Yeah!” Kensuke piped in. “You should be grateful, not back stabbing her when she’s not around!”

Stupid stooges! “How would you two know what kind of a guardian she is – you can’t even see beyond her chest!”

“Well,” Cho cut in, “It _is_ kind of hard to miss after all…” 

Hikari scowled at Touji for a moment before reluctantly agreeing with him. “I think you’re being a bit too harsh Asuka-chan… It’s pretty clean here most of the time…”

Sheist… if none of the others backed her story there was no way the Keeper pilots were going to believe it – especially with that stooge Kensuke being one of the pilots. She needed a change of tactics quickly… Suddenly she had a flash of inspiration and she smiled evilly at Shinji.

“ I _know_  all that – but there’s a reason it’s usually much cleaner isn’t there, Shinji?”
The Third Child shrank beneath her glare. “I… uhm… I dunno what you’re talking about Asuka…”

Her grin grew even more predatory as she advanced on the retreating form of her roommate, each accusatory word accompanied by a step in his direction. “Isn’t it true that she arranged it so that most of the cleaning chores fall on us, Shinji? Didn’t you tell me how she tricked you into taking almost all the weekly chores? Isn’t it true that we end up cleaning and cooking and doing the groceries even when it’s her turn because we don’t trust her to do it right?”

“Well, uhm, yeah but…” Shinji shook his head. “It’s not all that bad! You make it sound like we’re her slaves or something!” 

“Well aren’t we? It may be fine for _you_ dummkof, but it’s not good enough for Asuka Langley Sohryu!” Before waiting for her roommates answer she strode over to the kitchen and stood by the smaller refrigerator. “And, as final proof that I am in need of a better guardian I give you…” she paused for dramatic effect before yanking the refrigerator open. “Exhibit A!”

There was a moment of silence as the two older Keeper pilots beheld the contents of Misato’s refrigerator for the first time.

Cho blinked and let out a low whistle. “My, my… it must really pay to sell beer in this area…”

Nyoko just tsked and shook her head. As Asuka savored her moment of triumph however, the handicapped pilot glanced towards the larger fridge. “What’s in that? Please tell me not more beer…”

At that moment the fridge’s door slid open and Asuka’s smallest roommate stepped out into the room. Once more the two older pilots were stunned into silence as the hot-spring penguin waddled into the room and stopped before them, eyes darting quickly from one to the other, before he finally placed himself before Nyoko and let out a questioning ‘wark?’. As the other children began laughing at Nyoko and Cho, the handicapped pilot’s face broke into a huge smile.

“I can’t believe it… It’s a penguin! What’s a penguin doing here?” In a second she had the surprised Pen-pen in her arms and was squeezing him for all he was worth. To the surprise of everyone she began raining kisses down on the confused birds forehead. “I just adore penguins! They’re just absolutely my favorite animals!”

Cho shook his head. “Uh – oh… we’ll never get her to focus now… I think Nyoko’s got a penguin fetish or something. She’s got this thing about grounded birds…”

“Flightless birds Chojiro Kaji,” the girl pilot corrected, still snuggling Pen-pen. “And I have my reasons… Does this cutie have a name?”

Before Asuka could do anything, Shinji seemed to sense his chance and almost leapt towards Nyoko in an attempt to redeem his guardian. “His name is Pen-Pen. He’s a hot-springs penguin. Misato said they used to perform experiments on him at the place where she used to work. They were finished with him and they were about to put him to sleep…”

The older girl gasped at that. “No… they were going to kill him?”

Shinji nodded. “Yeah… but Misato took him in. She said she felt sorry for him.”

Asuka couldn’t believe her ears… was Shinji actually putting one over this girl? Who’d believe such a fabricated sob story? Surely Nyoko was… sheist were her eyes actually misting over? She was actually buying this bunch of baloney!

“Oh – that is just the sweetest thing! What a wonderful person!” Nyoko was practically glowing with enthusiasm. “Isn’t that right Pen-pen? Yes it is!”

“Oh come on,” Asuka interrupted, unable to believe this was the same girl who had been so critical of everything a moment before. “That stupid bird isn’t enough to make up for the fact she’s a borderline alcoholic is it?”

“He’s not a stupid bird!” Everyone stepped back at Nyoko’s vehement reply. Pen-pen – who had been entirely to close to the source of the shout for comfort – took on a slightly dazed expression, which Nyoko immediately noticed. “Look you’ve hurt his feelings! Oh come on Pen-pen snap out of it… here let’s see if the nice Misato-lady left you some food.”

At the mention of food the penguin brightened and he gladly followed Nyoko as she wheeled herself deeper into the kitchen, leaving Asuka and the rest behind.

“But… but…” Asuka stopped when she saw Cho ruefully shaking his head.

“Don’t even bother Red – objectivity has left the building. You’d have better luck getting an Angel a date that getting Nyoko to believe ill of someone who owns a penguin… If it had been a dog or something maybe, but not a penguin…”

The second child ground her teeth in frustration, her fists tightly clenched at her side. Slowly, deliberately Asuka turned her smoldering blue glare on the cowering form of Shinji Ikari. As with all things that wimpy, incompetent, loser of a baka would once again get his way!

“I hate you!” she screamed at him, before marching to her room and slamming the screen shut so hard it rebounded against the frame. Outside she heard Hikari trying to get Shinji to apologize but she tuned them out. They were traitors, all of them… especially that stupid, stupid … maggot!

Well… if he was going to force her to stay with him in this dump she’d make sure the Third Child regretted his decision for the rest of his very short life… If he had thought she had been mean to him _before_… the red head allowed herself a slight smile. There would be hell to pay for this afternoon… Count on it.

* * * * * 

The first impression she got was one of dark magic – from research, Dr. Umeko Takahashi knew that the designs etched in light on both the ceiling were in actually an enlarged version of the Sephiroth Tree. Yet, to an untutored mind, it would be easy to see them as some sort of pentagram, a mystic design, ready to summon dark beasts from the netherworld into our plane of light and life. Even knowing what she did, the symbol still sent a cold shiver up her back – or maybe it was _because_ she knew what she did that the archaic symbol affected her so. Dark magic was not far off from what actually went on in this room.

And before her was the master magician himself.

Gendo Ikari was seated behind his imposing desk, hands clasped before the bridge of his nose in the manner Kaji had taken to calling the ‘Gendo Look’. For all her knowledge of the inner workings of the human mind, for the life of her Ume could not decide whether Ikari took that pose out of habit, or whether he knew the effect it had on people. Then again, Ume would be surprised to find anyone who could understand the thought of a man such as the Supreme Commander of NERV… for all she knew Ikari got a high from the smell of his own fingers…

Beside the Commander stood the ever loyal figure of Professor Kozou Fuyutsuki. She actually knew him from the old days at the University – not that they’d had more than a passing acquaintance but she had seen enough of him to think he was a likeable man. What he had been doing, devoting the last 14 odd years to the service of the younger man beside him, was one of the mysteries she hoped to unravel now that she, as nominal head of the UN sponsored JSSDF ‘Keeper’ Task Force,  was a ‘part’ of NERV. One of the less urgent ones, admittedly, but nonetheless important. From all that she heard, Gendo Ikari was an unpleasant bastard whose only redeeming factor was an annoying tendency to be ‘right’… He had to be more than just that for a man like Kozou to follow him around like a newly-born puppy, and until she understood why she would never comprehend the enigma that was Gendo Ikari.

And if she couldn’t understand Gendo, then she’d never understand what in the hell he was up to.

“Welcome Dr. Takahashi,” Commander Ikari intoned, “I trust the office accommodations we have provided you and your staff meet with your approval?”

_How is that man able to make such a bland statement sound like a threat?_ Ume set aside her misgivings and nodded graciously. “Yes, you have my thanks Commander. We’re still looking for a place to put up Cho and Nyoko since they’re far from home, but as to the office spaces, they are more than adequate. We’re all very grateful…” The psychologist allowed herself a small grin. “Especially Major Ryouji Kaji…”

While the Commander merely nodded, Kozou allowed himself a smile. The expression of joy seemed somehow out of place in the dark room, but Ume welcomed it’s warmth.“I’m sure he is. It’s good to see you again after all these years Doctor… though I admit I’m surprised that anyone would be able to drag you away from your teaching position at the University.”

Ume returned his smile while shrugging her shoulders in a resigned way. “Well, helping to prevent the end of the world does appear to be a more pressing concern at this time,” she said, then decided to prod her old colleague a little. “After this business with giant monsters is over we can both return to our beloved University eh Professor?”
At her words Kozou’s head bowed slightly, his expression for a moment bearing a sad, almost wistful expression, before he met her eyes once more and forced a smile. “I…there is nothing I’d like more than that Doctor, if circumstances permit.”

Ume nodded, but within her mind she filed away the Professors expression for future reference. _So defeating all of the angels isn’t the end is it? Or maybe he merely thinks we don’t have a chance… regardless it’s interesting to know that one of the people who knows the most about this war thinks he’ll never be able to return to the life he loves_. In the meantime, the woman focused her attention back on the Professor who seemed to be trying to change the topic.

“In any case Doctor, feel free to call upon us if there’s any more assistance you require…”

“Actually, there is _one_ thing,” Ume replied, taking advantage of the opportunity. Her eyes slid from the Professor to Commander Ikari, who had been sitting silently at his table during her exchange with Kozou. _Are you watching me intently as I’m watching you Gendo? Or are you merely so confident you don’t think I pose a threat..._ “I would like to request the transfer of Pilot Rei Ayanami to a more suitable place of residence.”
The doctor did not miss the swift, worried glance that Kozou sent Ikari before composing his face into a more neutral expression. The Commander however made no movement other than the slight arching of an eyebrow.

“Indeed?”

“I took the initiative of sending some of my staff to inspect the living quarters of the Children, and while I’m not exactly impressed with the report I got on Major Katsuragi’s apartment, the one on Rei’s ‘apartment’ – and I use that word loosely – was disgraceful. I strongly recommend that she be transferred to a mo- ”

The Commander cut her off before she could finish. “Your suggestion is duly noted Doctor… And subsequently denied.”

Ume kept her face neutral as she stared hard at the Commander, trying to keep her breathing regular. She and Kaji had expected Ikari’s negative response, but she had almost felt the temperature in the room drop at her mention of the First Child’s name.

“May I ask why?”

Ikari leaned back in his chair and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “The First Child’s living arrangements are none of your concern.”

“You do realize Commander, that the United Nations has placed these Children under _my_ direct authority? Therefore if I wished I - ”

“I understand that perfectly Doctor,” Ikari replied, a smirk emerging on his face as Ume controlled her irritation at being interrupted yet again. “Now I wish you to understand this – you may do as you wish with the other Children, but Rei Ayanami will remain beyond your jurisdiction.”

“What then – she is to remain under your sole authority? In that decrepit hole she calls her home?”

Gendo’s smirk remained firmly in place as he replied. “I have yet to hear her complain about it Dr. Takahashi… If she did I would be more than happy to place her wherever she wished.”

“And if anything _that_ causes me more concern than the state of her apartment,” Ume replied, but it was obvious the Commander would not back down on this issue. It was important to let him know that he was going to have a battle on his hands though – she'd leave the more subtle probing to the other members of her team. “You don’t seriously think I’m going to let this go without a fight do you Ikari?” 

At that the Commander of NERV merely stood up, once more adjusting his glasses. The yellow lenses seemed to glint evilly in the light. “I am looking forward to working with you Dr. Takahashi. I believe this meeting bodes well for our future association…”

With that obvious dismissal, Ikari turned and stalked away, exiting the room through a side door. Kozou Fuyutsuki gave her an almost apologetic shake of his head before following his Commander outside.

_In other words, he’s saying this is the most I’ll ever get out of him – cooperation on his own terms, as long as I don’t interfere with his plans_, Ume thought to herself as she found herself alone in the office. He was obviously playing his own hidden game in all of this, and did not seem to care much for any collateral damage he would cause on the lives of the Children as long as he succeeded. Even the First child to whom he had shown some level of attachment – even she seemed to be no more than a pawn in all this… Ume had used every scrap of influence she had to get the UN to place her in this very position, but foremost among them had been a desire to keep the Children safe. She would accomplish that mission, even in the face of such a force of nature as Gendo Ikari.
_Well, if that was the way he wants to play it, then so be it… we’ll see how well he’ll do when he goes up against someone older than 14…_

With that the head of the Keeper Task Force left the room, a determined expression on her face.

*****

It was with a heavy heart that Kozou Fuyutsuki followed Ikari out of the Commander’s office. It had been just like Dr. Umeko Takahashi to start an argument over the Children… Of all the people whom the UN could have tapped for the job, he could not think of anyone more suitable – and paradoxically _unsuitable_- than his old colleague. He had not known her well, but from her reputation the old man knew she was more than a bit of a firebrand, always rocking the boat for one reason or another. Of course, part of that bravery may have stemmed from being the sister of a then-up-and-coming Japanese politician… But most of it was due to her own character. And she loved children… He recalled having heard something about her own being victims of some sort of abuse – and she was never one to stay quiet when she had something to say. Not that she was ever too loud or reckless in her ‘crusades’ – to the contrary she achieved her objectives with as much tact and subtlety as possible, using her matronly image to her advantage. Those traits, taken along with her whip sharp intelligence, made for a powerful ally… or a dangerous enemy.

His thoughts were interrupted by Gendo. “What is your assessment of our newest ‘partner’ Professor?”

Kozou eyed the younger man warily. “She has always been smart… and determined. We probably haven’t heard the last of this issue.” 

“It is of no moment. She will not be able to hinder our plans.”

“You would be wise not to underestimate her Ikari,” the older man warned. “She has many resources at her disposal… A sizeable staff, that mecha, U.N. sanction… Not to mention her brother…”

“Her brother is trapped in the shadow world of his own creation Fuyutsuki, and we have fended off him and his peers before. She is powerless here – I know her type well Professor. Those obsessed with the ‘good of the victim’… She will make no direct move to aid Rei unless Rei herself consents – and Rei does nothing without my approval.”

_You really do treat her like a doll_ Kozou thought sadly to himself. Of all the sins he had committed in his time with Ikari, few weighed more heavily upon him than Rei… grimly he pushed such thoughts aside. “And the other children?”

The Commander shook his head slightly. “What of them? They are almost irrelevant at this point. If the good doctor thinks she can ‘cure’ their instabilities, then she will be aiding our purpose more than harming it…”

_Always the pawns_ the old man thought silently to himself. _What would Yui say if she knew how you would treat her son?_ Sometimes… sometimes the effort it took to believe he was doing the right thing was very, very tiring…“I only hope you know what you’re doing Ikari – for all our sakes…”

The Commander’s initial reply was a smirk. “Have faith Professor… when have I ever been wrong?”

With effort, Kozou bit his tongue before he could mention Yui’s name… whatever his relation with Ikari, he still knew there were lines he did not cross. Besides, loath as he was to admit it, the man had a point… when push came to shove Gendo Ikari was usually right. That was what Kozou had to put his faith in – for in this endeavor, neither of them would know they were wrong until it was too late…

“So are we going to be attending the council meeting later on tonight?”

Ikari shook his head. “I have better things to do with my time. Take care of it for me Fusyutsuki.” With that, the Commander took a sharp right at the next corner and walked away, leaving the Professor behind. Kozou recognized it as the path leading to Terminal Dogma. 

The old man sighed. _It never ends, does it Yui?_ With that thought he began to turn around, before he was startled by a voice coming from behind him.

“That man never ceases to mystify,” drawled Ryouji Kaji as he stepped forward from a side corridor. “One of these days you’ll have to explain him to me Sub-commander.”

Kozou recovered from his shock and, after sending a stern look at the former NERV agent, began his walk towards the hangar area. “I thought you’d given up the spying game Kaji…”

The unshaven man merely smiled innocently. “Who’s spying? I merely dropped by to give you an interesting piece of news that I just recently acquired, seeing as how we’re all officially on the same ‘side’ now…”

The older man threw his a skeptical look. “You don’t seriously expect me to believe that do you?”

“Now, now,” Kaji chided. “Don’t be that way… I just thought you and the Commander might find it interesting that SEELE has lost the Fifth Child…”

Kozou almost jerked to a stop at his words, but he hurriedly tried to compose himself. “I don’t know what you’re talking about… the Fifth Child has not been found yet…” Inside however his mind was churning. The Fifth Child… there were indications he might be more than he seemed. If he was free…

Beside him, the Major gave an amused laugh. “It’s alright Sub-Commander, you don’t have to keep that act up with me. I merely hope you and the Commander find this piece of information… useful.”

That said, the younger man turned around and began to walk away, whistling a jaunty tune.

“Kaji…” Kozou called, in a low voice. “Why are you telling me this?”

The other man stopped, then slowly turned towards the Sub-commander. “Just consider it a favor, from one seeker to another. Someday, I just might collect…”

With that, the unshaven man turned a corner, and was gone, leaving Kozou Fuyutsuki alone with his thoughts.

_The Fifth Child…_

* * * * *

“You are troubled… What ails you?”

Kaoru Nagisa turned slowly towards the being known as Cain. The Second Angel, currently possessing a human form…

“Nothing Lord, a mere curiosity… I wondered what had happened to the Lilim in this place…”

“Ah,” the other replied, turning to look at the boy. They were in a service elevator, proceeding to some level of the 2nd NERV Branch. “Their forms could not exist without a frame of reference – thus they ceased to be, as is their wont, when the passed through the void…”

Kaoru nodded in understanding. Their personal ego boundaries had been unable to hold within the endless possibility that was the ‘Dirac Sea’, and thus they had been reduced to a primordial liquid state, fusing with one another, yet still strangely alone… he turned his gray eyes towards his companion as the other spoke.

“Do you mourn?”

The red eyed child paused for a moment before answering. “Perhaps, in a way… It was a waste of potential. The lilims… They taught me music. Those here must have had some capacity for it… Now they are gone. There is nothing left.”

As he often had in the past, the boy received a sense of amusement from Cain, though the latter’s face did not change. “Child of Adam, you of all people should know that potential is never wasted – merely misplaced,” the Angel continued, but his aura had become one of pain instead. “As to there being nothing… there is always something that is left Tabris. That is the tragedy of existence… but this once it may help us achieve our purpose.”

As Cain finished his words, the elevator stopped and its doors opened, revealing a massive chamber, one which was dominated by a giant figure that lay restrained on a far wall. It’s flesh was a strange, sickly mixture of paleness and crimson, the color of flesh that had been beaten and bloodied. Mechanical parts were visible here and there, but most was largely submerged in the swollen flesh. It’s face was horrific, like something out of a nightmare – predatory eyes staring out of deep sockets, uneven teeth stretched in a horrendous grin. At its center was a pulsating red orb. Had it not been for Kaoru’s affinity with it, he would not have recognized it – as it was he was filled with a strange sense of awe. 

It was an Evangelion, totally unrestrained.

“Yes,” Cain said from beside him. “This is the instrument the Lilims have chosen for their own destruction. This is the scion of Adam, free of any artifice, fed and sustained by the life force of the lilim who created it. This is what is left Tabris… and this is what I wish you to join with in the time to come.”

Without thinking Kaoru reached out with his mind, felt his _self_ interwine with the _other_, with his brother in Adam, felt its slumber and terrible potency as he dove into its layers, searching for it’s deepest core…

_thoughts, so many, of children fathers mothers brothers sisters friends never met and enemies left unforgiven, sunny days in the desert before the rains came working for NERV striving to be a pilot balking under the rules of the parent the taste of ice cream sent of jasmine on her hair first kiss pain suffering why didn’t he regrets call contentment gambling in the forgotten places of youth action joining unity the green grass of heaven’s gate mourning morning death…_

Awakening.

In a  place both distant and immanent, the walls of NERV echoed with the sound of a heavenly roar…