Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ A Different View ❯ Revelations ( Chapter 1 )

A Different View

By Keen Drallin

Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is owned by GAINAX. I am making no money from this and am writing entirely for personal enjoyment.

Chapter 1 - Revelations

'Can't those two get along for even five minutes?' Misato wondered, inwardly sighing at the immature behavior of her two charges. Both seemed determined to prove yet again the accuracy of their designation; Children.

Misato, Ritsuko, and the three pilots were assembled in the test plug monitoring room. The Children had just taken a harmonics test, and were now only waiting for the blonde scientist to tell them if they could go.

They could usually head to the changing rooms after testing, but today there was some kind of computer error and their results wouldn't display correctly. There had been no problem during the test itself, but some kind of bug had popped up the moment the test plugs had unsealed. If Ritsuko couldn't fix the problem, the Children would have to re-test tomorrow.

Asuka took this opportunity to go into yet another one of her infamous rants; this one concerning how they were wasting her valuable time. She had even tried to get Shinji and Rei to back her up.

Rei had glanced at her fellow pilot briefly, then looked away. As usual, the blue-haired girl chose to not get involved in the Second Child's arguments.

The Third Child seemed to have no such qualms, telling Asuka to stop being so damn impatient. The Second Child hadn't taken it too well.

They'd been fighting for ten minutes now, with both parties dredging up even the most immature and mundane facts to support their arguments. But despite the seeming focus both had on their verbal conflict, Misato couldn't help but notice that the eyes of both pilots kept straying to the clock on the wall.

Both of them had been acting a little funny all day, though. Misato had initially written it off as something school related, but neither one had mentioned that anything was up. That in itself was unusual.

If something was bugging Asuka, she would usually spend upwards of an hour complaining about it. Shinji was more reserved, but he was slowly opening up and speaking his mind more.

The purple haired woman sighed. While their arguing today was pretty bad, it wasn't that much worse than the usual. Their fighting seemed to be getting more and more intense, and Misato couldn't figure out why.

NERV's Operations Director was actually considering sending both of her charges for psychiatric evaluation. Neither pilot would like it, but at least it might help NERV figure out what was wrong with them.

Misato had been toying with the idea for a while now, but she'd never had sufficient justification; their grades in school were above average, they did their chores without serious complaint, and their synch ratios couldn't be better.

Asuka's rates had actually gone up, against their expectations. NERV had always believed her scores wouldn't increase once she arrived in Tokyo-3, thinking that all the time she spent training in Germany would have brought her synch-ratio to its limit.

But she had proven them wrong. For a while now, her scores had been going up slowly but steadily. Asuka, being Asuka, appeared to take great pleasure in lording this over her fellow pilots. The fact that neither really cared didn't seem to deter her in the slightest.

Shinji's synch ratio was also rising, only much faster in his case. This was hardly unexpected, though; since he'd joined NERV, his synch and harmonics ratios had been gradually rising to the levels of the other pilots. Now, though, his scores would soon match Rei's. And if they continued to rise at this rate, he would soon match... and exceed... Asuka's.

Misato was not looking forward to that day. She would probably have to call in NERV security just to keep Asuka from physically attacking the Third Child.

Shinji and Asuka had been asked, both separately and individually, if they knew of anything that could cause their scores to rise like that. Every time, they had said they didn't know.

Ritsuko still thought that the two volatile teenagers were lying, but Misato couldn't agree with her old college friend on this one.

She knew her charges weren't saints, but she also knew that neither one could really keep a secret from her. Sure, Asuka might be able to fool her once in a while, but not on anything major. And Shinji? He couldn't even lie about his homework being done without blushing.

Misato glanced at her watch and frowned. The weekly staff meeting was in less than an hour, her charges wouldn't stop bickering, and it had really just been a long day. "Are you almost done, Ritsuko?"

The doctor clicked a few last keys, then glanced at her old friend. "I'm finished."

To the pilots, she said "You three don't have to come back tomorrow."

Rei nodded calmly and turned to leave the room. Shinji and Asuka finally looked up from their arguing at the scientist's announcement.

"It's about time!" Asuka said impatiently, "This pathetic little excuse for a pilot was beginning to get on my nerves!"

"I've killed more Angels than you have!" Shinji replied indignantly.

"Only because I wasn't here yet!" Asuka retorted, "If I was, you would have been just sitting back and watching, in awe of my incredible piloting skills!"

Shinji frowned, then opened his mouth to refute that point.

"Both of you, get out of here now!" Ritsuko said, interrupting their bickering. She didn't share Misato's concerns about their mental states, but it had been a long day, and they were really starting to get on her nerves.

Asuka laughed and started heading for the door. "See, Third Child? Even the people of NERV are unable to tolerate being in my god-like presence."

"More like they can't stand your awful personality." Shinji muttered, just loud enough for Asuka to hear.

She turned to glare at him, then stomped off in the direction of the changing rooms.

Shinji frowned and followed her out, now looking strangely determined. Misato couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind right now.

"Their fighting seems to be getting worse." Ritsuko idly commented.

Misato chuckled dryly. "Well, at least now my only worry is that the two might try and kill each other."

Ritsuko turned to look at her. "You thought something else might happen?" Her eyes were narrowed slightly, but Misato didn't notice, lost in thought.

Misato smiled slightly. "I was concerned for a while about something 'improper' happening between the two, what with all the time they spend together at home. They are teenagers, after all. I actually talked to them about it when Asuka first moved in."

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "How did they take it?"

Misato grinned. "Shinji's face was bright red the whole time. Asuka tried to act like it didn't concern her, but she was blushing pretty heavily herself. They both looked like they wanted to crawl into a hole and die."

Ritsuko smirked. "Are you so sure that nothing ever happened, though? They are teenagers."

Misato looked incredulous. "Can you actually picture something like that? If Shinji tried anything at all, I'm pretty sure Asuka would send him to the hospital. And I somehow doubt that Asuka would do anything with 'the idiot', as she refers to him."

Ritsuko laughed and changed the subject. "Ready for the meeting?"

Misato sighed. "Yeah. I just hope Asuka doesn't kill Shinji before I get home."

"Shall I order Section-2 to increase surveillance?" Ritsuko asked dryly.

Misato chuckled. "Want to get a cup of coffee before the meeting?"

Ritsuko thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Why not?"

---

Shinji and Asuka stood in front of an office door, now dressed in their casual clothes. The staff meeting started in less than half an hour, so the two pilots had decided that now was the best time to do this.

"I didn't expect to be this nervous," Shinji said, trying to keep the mood as light

as possible.

"You expected it to be a walk in the park?" Asuka asked sarcastically.

Shinji blushed slightly at his roommate's caustic tone of voice, but he repressed the urge to apologize. He knew that doing so could only make the situation worse.

Asuka could see his internal struggle and mentally sighed. She shot him an apologetic glance, but said nothing. Somehow, words only seemed to mess things up.

Shinji hardly noticed the look Asuka gave him, deep in contemplation. His thoughts were very confused at the moment; what he thought he'd always wanted versus what he'd never really thought about until recently. 'Ten years,' he thought distantly. 'It's been ten years since...'

Shinji closed his eyes and sighed. These thoughts were more than familiar to him, but somehow that didn't make them any more comforting. If anything, the familiarity only made the thoughts worse, frequent visitors that just wouldn't go away.

It had been a decade of pain, fear, and loneliness. Even after he arrived in Tokyo-3, nothing had really changed. He'd hoped... prayed... that it might, but it hadn't. If anything, it had actually gotten worse.

Before, he'd always been able to say that it was for a good cause, that it was for the protection of all mankind. Now... he knew the truth; his father just didn't care. Ten years... a decade... almost Shinji's entire life... all for nothing. Ever since his mother died...

He thought briefly of his mother, but even those memories were mostly just hazy dreams. He couldn't even remember what she looked like, just that she'd been very kind. 'What would you say about this, mother? What would you think?'

Despite the tense atmosphere hanging in the air like a funeral shroud, the incongruity of the thought made him smile.

Asuka quirked an eyebrow. "Something you care to share, Third Child?"

Shinji's smile faded, but he wasn't as tense as he'd been moments ago. "It's nothing."

"I'll bet," Asuka said with a frown. There was another moment of silence, the tension almost palpable.

The two young saviors of the world traded a reassuring glance, then Shinji nodded. "I guess it's time," he said quietly.

Asuka nodded in agreement, but she couldn't stop the grin from spreading across her face, a small feral expression of a demon out for blood.

For despite herself, Asuka was beginning to feel a kind of joy. The same power that sang through her blood during combat, the same aspect of herself that would sooner die than admit defeat, all that made her who she was... It was starting to fill her with the same heady rush she felt during battle, an ancient call to arms that she'd never been able to refuse.

Their adversary this time was no Angel, and this would not be to the death, but this somehow seemed more important than any battle she'd ever fought inside Unit-02.

This time, she would have no sixty-meter weapon of mass destruction at her command. She would have no AT-Field to protect her.

This would be a contest of words alone, a clashing of wills that would either change everything or change nothing. "Let's do this."

Shinji glanced over at the Second Child, then he nodded, drawing confidence from Asuka's seemingly limitless supply. He took a deep breath, then raised his hand to knock on the door.

---

Misato and Ritsuko were walking down a corridor, heading towards the conference room. Their coffee break had worked its usual magic; the two old college friends felt up for anything their commander could throw at them.

"Are you sure that it won't be a problem?" The purple haired woman asked.

Ritsuko nodded. "Yes. From what I've been able to gather, it was almost definitely an isolated incident."

Misato was unsure of the more technical aspects of the earlier computer problem, but she was generally comfortable placing her trust in Ritsuko in matters such as these. She did have a few questions, though.

Before she could ask them, however, her attention was captured by the sight in front of her. She did a double-take, but her eyes hadn't deceived her the first time.

Sure enough, her two charges were walking down the corridor towards her. That in itself was strange; Shinji and Asuka usually went right home after harmonics tests.

And even if they stayed late for some reason, what could they possibly be doing in this part of headquarters? The only things in this section were conference rooms and upper-level offices.

Even more than their presence here, there seemed to be something strange about them. After a moment, Misato realized just what it was.

When she'd last seen them, they'd both been practically radiating tension. Asuka had looked about ready to just snap and kill somebody, and Shinji hadn't really been that far behind.

Now, they both looked almost... giddy; the two were practically floating on air.

Misato could see that Ritsuko noticed the change as well, but the blonde woman stayed silent.

The two pilots stopped in front of their superiors, expressions of almost childish delight on their faces.

"What are you two still doing here? Misato asked, trying to sound casual.

Shinji's near-cherubic expression faded slightly, but he still looked happier than Misato could recall seeing on any more than a handful of occasions. "Nothing in particular."

Asuka nodded in agreement. "Yep, nothing at all," she said, her face a picture of perfect innocence.

Misato blinked. Now she knew something was up. "Okay. Well, um... are you two headed back to the apartment now?"

The two pilots traded a brief glance. What was in that expression Misato couldn't quite tell, but whatever it was, she'd never seen it in her two charges before. It wasn't bad, but it was... strange.

"Yeah," Asuka said, "we're heading home." Shinji nodded in agreement.

Misato could tell that there was definitely some kind of hidden meaning, but she didn't think it was really worth the effort right now of looking for it. A brief glance at her watch told her that the meeting started in less than ten minutes, so she had to cut this short.

"I should be home in a couple of hours. Until then... just don't kill each other, okay?" She asked, smiling slightly. What happened next took her completely by surprise.

Asuka turned to her fellow pilot, an oddly serious expression on her face. "Shinji," she asked solemnly, "can I kill you?"

Shinji seemed to ponder this question for a moment, then he responded, his voice equally solemn. "Only if you ask nicely."

At this, both Children started giggling. After a moment, they were laughing hysterically, leaning against the wall to keep themselves from falling down.

Misato and Ritsuko watched, both wide-eyed. The purple haired woman glanced over at her friend, her expression asking silently, 'Is this actually happening?' Ritsuko nodded, but she looked completely unable to explain just what was going on.

These two women had both done things that most could only dream of. Misato had seen Hell first-hand, the only person to survive the events of fifteen years ago. Now, she poured her heart and soul into her job, dedicated to utterly destroying the Angels. Ritsuko's past wasn't quite as traumatizing, but she also gave her all to prevent the destruction of mankind.

Together, the two women had been instrumental in the defense against the Angels; a task the average person would have proved too weak to handle. Yet with all they'd seen... all they'd done... all they could do was stare wide-eyed as the two teenage world saviors seemed to be regressing back to when they'd been children in spirit and not just in name.

Had Misato not been caught flat-footed by the scene, she would have realized that it was truly a heart-warming scene, her far-too-mature charges actually behaving as she'd always hoped they would.

As it was, though, she could only stare.

After a few more moments of wild laughter on the Children's parts and stupefied awe on the adults', the pilots finally began to compose themselves.

Shinji and Asuka both stood up straight, trying to appear serious. They wiped the tears out of their eyes, chuckled a few last times, and then looked up at the adults. After a brief moment, it was almost as if they'd never cracked up laughing in the first place.

The two adults traded a worried glance. 'What the hell is going on?' Misato wondered, genuinely concerned. Her charges' behavior was beyond strange, even for them.

"Is there something wrong with you two?" Ritsuko asked, her eyes narrowed. The blonde woman had a vague suspicion in the back of her mind, but she dismissed that thought quickly.

"Nope. Couldn't be better." Asuka said, then giggled again. Shinji nodded in agreement, then also resumed giggling.

Misato was beginning to wonder not if they had a problem, but just how serious their problem was. Earlier, they had been fighting like cats and dogs. Now, they both looked as if they'd had a more than liberal dose of Nitrous Oxide. For a brief moment, Misato wondered if this might even be the precursor to some form of mental breakdown. 'That's it,' she decided, 'I am definitely recommending psychiatric evaluation.'

Outwardly, though, she kept a calm expression on her face. "Well, I'll see you two later."

"See you later, Misato, Ritsuko." Shinji replied.

"Yeah," Asuka agreed, "Later." The two pilots traded one last amused glance, then they continued on their way. Misato and Ritsuko turned around to watch them leave, both silent.

Their retreating forms still looked to be almost walking on air. The analytical part of Misato's mind noted that they were walking awfully close together, but she dismissed that observation. It was likely just a side-effect of their strange behavior. "Ritsuko," she asked slowly, "do you have any idea of what the hell just happened?"

The blonde woman took a moment to put her thoughts in order, then shook her head. "I haven't a clue." She said sincerely.

Misato sighed. This was just going to be one of those days.

---

Had NERV's Operations Director been less tense, she would have realized just how boring these staff meetings were truly capable of becoming.

Misato had been the first one to give her report. As Operations Director, she had a fairly impressive scope of duties. What it ultimately came down to, however, was a thirty page recount of the same things she said during the last meeting, and the meeting before that, and the meeting before that, and so on.

If she wasn't in a meeting, she may have laughed out loud. Working at NERV was either incredibly dull or heart poundingly intense; never in-between.

Hyuga, as Misato's assistant, also had a great deal of responsibilities. This meeting, however, his report had been quite similar to his superior's; long andrepetitive.

Maya had proposed a new simulator program for the EVAs. It was quite similar to the ones currently in use, but it used some kind of new programming code that was supposed to be slightly more adaptable for heavy-usage. Ikari had given it provisional approval, pending a full test of its capabilities.

Aoba's report, as always, had been the lightest one. Being only a computer technician, he didn't have quite as many responsibilities as his two

Ritsuko had given both the status of the EVAs and of the pilots' synch ratios. The Evangelions themselves were in peak condition. Rei's synch ratio was exactly the same. Asuka's was up by exactly one half point. Shinji's was up exactly three points. All in all, nothing unexpected.

The blonde woman had also mentioned today's computer problem, labeling it as an isolated incident. The commander hadn't seemed upset by the problem itself, but he had requested a complete report on the topic. Misato knew from experience that Ritsuko would be pulling an all-nighter to get that one done. She didn't know whether to envy or pity her friend's workaholic tendencies.

Kaji had told of a minor embezzling scheme he'd discovered in the accounting department. Some time within the next few days, two thieving clerks would learn just how NERV dealt with untrustworthy employees.

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was finishing up the latest changes in the budget; 'just a few' minor cuts. The old man usually looked to be fighting boredom at these meetings, but Misato could have sworn that he'd seemed vaguely amused all throughout this one.

Once all the regular topics were dealt with, Misato decided that now was the time to bring up her earlier concerns. She took a moment to put her thoughts in order, then took a deep breath and spoke up. "Sir, I would like to recommend complete psychiatric evaluations for both the Second and Third Children."

"There is no need for that, major." The commander responded.

Misato frowned. "Sir, they have been arguing more and more often as of late. Yet when I saw them before the meeting, they were both nearly hysterical with laughter. There may be something seriously wrong with them."

"They brought their situation to my attention earlier today," Commander Ikari replied calmly. "There shall be no further hostilities between the two."

Misato's expression was business-like, but she was inwardly quite tense. The fact that her two charges had gone to the commander before her hurt.

Nearly as troubling, though, were her thoughts on why they may have done so in the first place. They should only have consulted NERV's Commander if everyone under him proved unable to solve their problem.

What could her two charges possibly have to say to the commander that they wouldn't say to her? What could Shinji possibly have to say to his father?

Major Katsuragi forced those thoughts aside for now. She could deal with that later, after she found out what was actually going on. No matter what the problem may have been, it was her duty as Operations Director to get all the relevant data first. "What is their situation, sir?"

The commander's response was almost underwhelming in its casualness. "They are engaged to be married."

Misato nodded. That made a lot of sens- "They're what?!" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that almost everyone else looked as surprised as she felt. Somehow, she couldn't quite blame them.

Ritsuko was the first one to speak up after Misato's rather undignified outburst. "What did you tell them, sir?"

"I informed them that such an occurrence would present no problems."

Misato blinked. He said that? Had their leader finally snapped? "Sir?" She couldn't quite suppress the disbelief in her voice.

The commander's eyes narrowed dangerously behind his amber-tinted lenses. "Did you misunderstand me, major?"

Misato stared at her commanding officer, her face totally blank. She ran through all the possible responses she could give, then she mentally shrugged. "Personally, sir, I'm kind of hoping that I did."

The commander smirked. "Indeed, major." He paused for a second, looking around the table calmly. "Are there any other issues to discuss?"

The entire table looked at the commander, most wondering just how he could be so casual about such a serious topic.

Aoba hesitantly spoke up. "Sir, they're only children."

"They are NERV personnel," the commander corrected. "As such, they are afforded special consideration."

No one argued with that logic.

Misato glanced around briefly, trying to gauge her co-workers' reactions. The three bridge techs still looked mildly disbelieving, but she could see that all three were beginning to think about the full consequences of what the commander had just announced.

Kaji's initial shock was beginning to wear off as well, but he seemed remarkably casual about the whole situation. He looked strangely thoughtful, however.

Ritsuko, as always, seemed not bothered in the least. That surprised Misato. She would have expected the head of Project-E to be more concerned over something that could have such a major effect on the pilots' performances of duty.

'Well,' Misato thought, 'at least now I know why they were acting so strange earlier.'

After a few more moments of silence, the commander nodded curtly. "Very well. This meeting is adjourned."

-End Chapter 1

Author's Notes

That was the revised version of chapter 1 of A Different View. I strongly doubt that I will make any changes to this in the future. This will almost definitely be the last revision of chapter 1.

Chapter 2 will most likely be up again in about two weeks.

As this remains a work of progress, any comments, suggestions, or criticisms are welcome.

Until next time,

-Keen Drallin

Initial draft started 3/16/04

First draft finished 3/29/04

Current draft finished 5/18/04