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make money off of this work of fiction or claim rights to these 
characters.]




                           Role-Playing


Warning: Some people will find certain elements of this fanfic 
disturbing.  The authors will not be held accountable for any 
mental and/or physical damage caused due to the reading of this 
fic.  Reader discretion advised.



        Misato had come home early from work, intending to surprise 
Shinji and Asuka by taking them out to dinner.  She raised her hand 
to open the door, but the conversation that she heard stopped her 
cold.
        "Do I have to do this?" Shinji whined.
        "What are you complaining about?  I thought you'd enjoy 
it," Asuka told him.
        "Maybe.  But do I really have to wear this outfit?  It's 
chafing me."
        "Stop complaining, dummkopf!  This is to help us get into 
the mood.  Now bend over!"
        Outraged, Misato burst into the room, only to walk in on 
Asuka, dressed as Commander Ikari, straightening out the collar of 
Shinji, dressed as Sub-commander Fuyutsuki.  They both turned to 
look at her in surprise.
        Asuka adjusted her glasses and asked, "What seems to be the 
problem, Misato?"
        Misato didn't know how to respond to that.  The only thing 
that she did know was that she needed a beer and fast.

***

        "Well, at first I thought they were doing... you know, 
something weird.  I bust in, and I thought I was going to have a 
heart attack."
        Ritsuko was giving her friend a faintly amused look as she 
explained what had happened the previous day.  "What were they 
doing?  Having a civil conversation?"
        Misato looked horrified.  "No!  They were...  Well, Shinji 
was..."
        She almost couldn't bring herself to continue, especially 
now that Maya had turned her head fractionally so she could listen 
in as well.
        Grabbing Ritsuko's arm, Misato led her away from the 
console so they could speak a bit more privately.  "Shinji was 
dressed in that same uniform that Commander Fuyutsuki wears, 
and..."
        Before she could continue, Ritsuko burst out laughing.  
"Misato, just how much did you drink last night?"
        Vigorously shaking her head, Misato grabbed Ritsuko's 
shoulders.
        "You don't understand.  Worst of it was Asuka..."  She 
shuddered, an ill look on her face.  "She just looked at me and 
asked what the problem was. She even adjusted her glasses."
        For a moment, Ritsuko stared, not sure what Misato was 
talking about.  "What are..?"
        All Misato had to do was jerk her thumb back over her 
shoulder and indicate the command console for Ritsuko to get the 
idea.
        "You've been drinking too much again, Misato.  Or should I 
say as usual?  It's silly to think that Shinji and Asuka would..."
        "To think the children would do what, Doctor?"
        The two startled and looked up almost sheepishly.
        Ritsuko was first to answer, calm as ever in the face of 
Commander Ikari.  "Playing pranks, sir.  Nothing to be concerned 
about.  I'm sure the major can handle it."
        He nodded, but did not remove his gaze from them otherwise.
        "I need to finish those diagnostics on MAGI," Ritsuko said 
sharply, walking off.
        Misato nodded guiltily, spared one glance back at the 
commander, and found something else to do.

***

        Fuyutsuki smiled wryly.  "A prank?  Sounds more like 
Halloween."
        Gendo nodded.  "Indeed."
        For a moment, there was silence, and a frown creased the 
older man's face.  "You're not thinking of punishment, are you?  I 
don't believe they meant any harm..."
        "No punishment."
        "Hnh."
        "They are, after all, only children."
        Fuyutsuki did not like the sound of that at all.

***

        "Why do I have to ask her?"
        "Because she won't do it if I ask, moron."
        "But why ask her at all?  I mean, why her?  It's 
embarrassing enough as it is."
        "Could there be something you're not telling me?" Asuka 
asked with a glance, eyes narrowed speculatively.
        "What?  What do you mean?"  Shinji couldn't hide the panic 
he felt when she looked at him that way, especially when...
        "You know what I mean, Shinji," Asuka said in a sly voice.  
"Want to impress her the first time, don't you?  Worried that 
you're going to freeze and not be able to keep it up, aren't you?  
Just like you were the first time with me."
        Shinji, beet red, finally gave in.  "All right, I'll do it.  
I'll ask her!"
        Asuka smiled and patted him on the head in a both 
affectionate and condescending manner.  "Great!  But don't tell her 
that I'm going to be joining in.  That might scare her off."
        Shinji nodded dejectedly and slumped his way over to the 
girl in question.

         Rei sat on a bench, reading a book under the sun, when a 
shadow suddenly blocked her light.  She looked up to see Shinji 
standing over her.  There was an odd expression on his face. 
Guessing that he wished to speak with her, Rei put her book away 
and looked up at him expectantly.
        "Um..." Shinji started.
        Rei only stared back at him.
        "Um..."
        "Get to it, you idiot!" Asuka shouted from a concealed 
location.
        Shinji glanced around, startled, while Rei continued to 
stare.
        Shinji swallowed his meager store of pride and just said 
it.  "Can you come over to Misato's apartment after school and help 
me with something?"
        Rei only continued to stare at Shinji.
        Just as he was about to speak again, she asked, "Is this 
related to NERV?"
        "Yeah, I guess you can say that," Shinji admitted somewhat 
hesitantly.
        "Then I will assist you."

***

        "I would say you're going too far, Ikari."
        "I suspected you would."
        "If the major ever discovers this..."
        "She won't.  She won't have any reason to suspect."
        Fuyutsuki shook his head.  "And all of this because of a 
little joke."
        "Come now, Professor.  Don't tell me you're not curious 
about it."
        "And you are?"
        The answer was slow in coming.  "I will admit, I am 
interested in seeing them interact.  We must also determine if this 
is something dangerous."
        "Dangerous.  Of course.  Finally taking an interest in your 
son?"
        "This is not personal."
        "If any of them finds out you've been spying on them, it 
will quickly become personal."
        "They will never know about the camera.  You worry entirely 
too much."
        "I'm not worried for myself.  I'm concerned about the 
attitudes of the children and the major if they find out.  They may 
refuse to pilot."
        "Then they will be disciplined.  They took a risk in doing 
such a childish thing in the first place.  We are not playing games 
here."
        "Childish.  Exactly.  They _are_ children, and in their 
free time, I imagine they will play games.  Don't you see how 
utterly ridiculous this is?"
        "No, I do not.  Your protest is noted, Professor."
        "Sometimes I wonder about you, Ikari."

***

        Ding Dong!
        *Oh great,* Shinji thought with a feeling of dread, *Rei's 
here.*
        "What are you waiting for, dummkopf?" Asuka shouted.  
"Answer the door!"
        Shinji looked at himself.  "Like this?"
        "What are you embarrassed about?  She's going to see you 
like that soon anyway."
        Shinji slumped away, but before he could reach the door, 
Asuka called him back.  "Shinji, where did you put my gloves?"
        "On my bed, where _you_ left them!" Shinji shouted.
        "That's only because _you_ needed my help getting into 
_your_ outfit!"
        Shinji ignored Asuka, concentrating on the door before him.  
How would Rei react, seeing him like he was now?  Misato had 
freaked, but then Rei was nothing like Misato.
   
        Rei was reaching to ring the doorbell again, when the door 
suddenly opened before her.  Past the threshold stood Shinji, 
dressed in the uniform of Sub-commander Fuyutsuki.
        They stared at each other in silence for a time before 
Shinji nervously said, "Um... hi, Rei.  Won't you come in?"
        Rei's only reaction was to blink once, nod, and follow 
Shinji into the apartment.
        Shinji lead her to the living room.  "Why don't you sit 
here and wait for a minute?  I have to get someone... something in 
my room."
        Rei nodded, took a seat on the couch, and as Shinji turned 
away from her, asked, "Why are you dressed like Commander 
Fuyutsuki?"

***

        When the camera showed Rei entering the apartment, 
Fuyutsuki saw Gendo tense fractionally.  This very well could have 
been the straw that broke the camel's back.
        Kozo had to admit he was feeling a little uncomfortable 
himself.  Shinji and Asuka didn't know of Rei's origins, nor were 
they aware of... past feelings.  They weren't doing it 
deliberately, but the scene was disturbing and haunting when put 
into that context.
        Yui as a girl, himself and Ikari with her...  Kozo couldn't 
suppress the shudder that rippled through him.
        "Something wrong?"
        "No.  Just..."
        "You see it too.  Disturbing, isn't it?  And you thought 
this was innocent."
        "I still think it is, but...  They don't know about Rei, do 
they?"
        Gendo shook his head, still tensed.  "Of course not.  Make 
a note to have sound capabilities tomorrow."
        Fuyutsuki nodded.  "How far are we willing to let this go?" 
he whispered, still disturbed by what was on the screen on front of 
him.
        "I am willing to let them be, until..."  He didn't finish 
his sentence, but Fuyutsuki knew what he meant.
        As long as Rei wasn't hurt.  As long as it stayed an 
innocent game.

***

        "Ugh!  Where do you want me to put this, Asuka?"
        "Right in front of Rei.  She _is_ our audience.  Don't you 
know anything?"
        "You could help me at least.  It's heavy!"
        "Stop whining!  All you ever do is whine.  There's only a 
few more feet to go."

        Rei stood and helped Shinji with setting up the desk as he 
entered the living room.  She blinked and nearly dropped it on his 
foot when she first saw Asuka, dressed as Commander Ikari, carrying 
a chair.
        "Why is Asuka dressed like Commander Ikari?" Rei asked 
Shinji, having not received an adequate explanation from her 
previous inquiry.
        Shinji sweated, and Asuka answered for him.  "It's simple, 
Wondergirl.  I was curious about how you guys fought the Angels 
before I arrived and was watching some of the old security tapes.  
Then I got the idea that if we acted out some of those scenes with 
the commanders, we might get to understand them better."
        "How will this improve our piloting?" Rei asked softly.
        Asuka thought for a moment.  "Trust me, the more we 
understand them, the easier it will be to follow their orders."
        Rei nodded.  "What am I to do?"
        "Just sit there and tell us what you think at the end."  
Asuka then turned to Shinji and said, "All set?  Right, let's start 
now."

        Asuka sat at the desk, white gloved hands folded before 
her.  Shinji stood behind and to the left, hands behind his back 
concealing an SDAT player with the volume cranked up all the way.
        Asuka nodded slightly.  Shinji failed to notice since he 
was too busy staring at Rei, who was staring back blankly at the 
both of them.  Asuka nodded more vigorously and tapped the desk.  
Shinji remained oblivious.
        "Will you start the damn tape already!" Asuka shouted, 
still keeping her eyes forward and hands out before her.
        Shinji jumped, startled, and pressed play.
        Click.  The static-filled voice of one of the bridge 
operators said, "We've got it on visual now.  Switching to the main 
screen."
        Silence.
        "Your line, stupid," Asuka whispered.
        Shinji cleared his throat and said, "It's been fifteen 
years."
        "Yes," Asuka replied in an oddly solemn tone.  "The Angels 
are back."
        Click.  Sounds of multiple explosions and people yelling.
        "Looks like an AT-Field," Shinji commented, sounding almost 
casual as he started to get into the role.
        "Yes, conventional weapons are no match for the Angels," 
Asuka returned, hiding a slight smile over the fact that Shinji was 
finally getting it right.
        Click.  More sounds of explosions.
        "It's regenerating itself," Shinji said with a trace of 
alarm as he stared at an imaginary screen above Rei's head.
        *Geez,* Asuka thought, *Shinji's really getting into this.*
        In an almost smug tone, Asuka replied, "Without that 
ability it wouldn't be able to function without support units."
        Click.  "Oooh."
        "It can upgrade its operational parameters."
        "And it's also getting smarter," Asuka, as the commander, 
pointed out.
        "It should renew its attack any minute now."
        Click.  More explosions.
  
        Asuka took off the dark glasses and gloves.  Smiling, she 
asked, "So what did you think, Wondergirl?"
        Rei looked at Asuka, slowly moved her gaze to Shinji, and 
then back to Asuka again before saying, "I don't get it."
        "What?" Asuka shouted, enraged.  "What do you mean?"
        "I don't see how dressing up like the commanders helps us 
to understand them better."
        "It's not just dressed up like them, it's trying to become 
them, to see things from their point of view!"
        "I still do not understand.  I did not find your 
performance believable."
        "All right, Wondergirl."  Asuka was grinning, but her teeth 
were clenched.  "We'll do this again tomorrow, and I'll be so good 
that you won't be able to tell the difference between me and the 
real Commander Ikari!"

***

        Shinji stood there, silently staring at something beyond 
the walls of his room.
        The moment seemed to stretch.
        He relaxed.  "That wasn't so hard.  Commander Fuyutsuki is 
easy to act like."
        "Wark!"
        "Yeah, thanks, Pen-Pen."  He chuckled at the bird, dressed 
in as close an outfit to his father's as he had been able to 
manage.  "You could almost be the commander of NERV in that 
uniform."
        "Wark!"
        "Sorry, I was just kidding."  He smiled.  *Maybe Asuka had 
been right about this.  It was kind of fun.*
        "Pen-Pen," he said suddenly, "pretend you're me."
        The bird looked at him quizzically.
        Raising his voice a few octaves, Shinji probably did the 
last thing in the world he should have.  "Why are you so stupid?  
Stupid Shinji!  Go get me some pie!  I said, go make me some 
waffles, bitch!" he screeched, wagging his finger at the bird.
        Pen-Pen released one frazzled squawk, then bolted from the 
room as fast as he could.
        Shinji chuckled and turned around only to find Asuka 
standing in the doorway.  The look of murder in her eyes was 
unmistakable.  "Shinji.  Prepare to die."

        Misato got home, needing a beer very badly.  Another day, 
another Angel, another dollar.  "I'm home," she called out, and in 
return, heard a ruckus from the kitchen.
        For a moment, she said a silent prayer, then went to 
investigate the noise.
        In the doorway, she stood as frozen as a statue in a 
garden.  The scene unfolded before her, like something from a house 
of horrors.
        Asuka, her face like that of a raging demon, was trying to 
shove Shinji in the refrigerator while he was doing his best to 
keep himself out, the both of them yelling loudly.
        That was... new, and different...
        The panicked squawking of Pen-Pen convinced her to look 
over at the poor penguin's situation which was even more new... and 
different.  The clanking of pans was his doing, as he stood on a 
chair at the stove.
        He was dressed in a miniature commander's uniform and 
someone had outfitted him with a penguin-sized pair of glasses.  He 
was working frantically with a waffle iron, turning out waffle 
after waffle.  In fact, there was a plate of waffles at least a 
foot high, and the tub of batter didn't look like it was going to 
run out any time soon.
        Blinking for a few moments, Misato did the one thing she 
knew best: she grabbed as much beer as she could and went to her 
room to get blasted.
        She was about two steps from the door when she heard Asuka, 
quite clearly, yell at Shinji to "get her some pie," and stopped.  
She glanced at the door, the beer a comforting coolness in her 
arms, then back at the kitchen.
        "Make me some waffles!" Asuka screamed, followed by 
Shinji's howl of pain.
        "I..." Misato started quietly.  "I mustn't run away.  I 
mustn't run away," she repeated, staring into the kitchen.
        At that point, a waffle did come flying through the 
doorway, and Misato changed her mind.  "To hell with this.  I'm 
gone."
        The slam of the door went unnoticed... much like Misato's 
presence in the first place.

***

        "I believe I need to speak with the major tomorrow about 
this unacceptable behavior.  Leaving them unattended like that..." 
Gendo mused quietly.
        Fuyutsuki didn't need to see it to know Ikari was wearing 
that annoying little smirk no matter what he was saying.  "I'd do 
more than that," he growled uncharacteristically.
        "Hm?  I thought the penguin was an interesting touch."
        "Yes, a laugh-riot."  This was all too weird.  If he hadn't 
been in the middle of a war using giant bio-mechanical monsters to 
fight Angels from the moon or God or whatever, the scene he had 
just watched between a penguin dressed as his commanding officer 
and said commanding officer's son dressed as himself, Kozo 
Fuyutsuki probably would have questioned his sanity.
        As it was, he simply scowled at the fact that people 
thought he did so little.
        "That's just not right at all," he mumbled.
        Gendo pushed his glasses up as the two watched the chaos 
unfold on the monitor in before them.  "They're more clever and 
resourceful than I had first thought," he said quietly, still 
wearing that tiny grin.
        "Yes.  Wonderful.  I'm ecstatic."
        "Don't worry, Professor.  I'm sure he'll be more convincing 
the next time."
        "I'm... looking forward to it."

***

        Ritsuko walked into the lounge to get herself yet more 
coffee.  The sight of Misato asleep on a table brought her up 
short.  "Why don't you go home?"
        Misato grunted, clutching a can of beer to her chest, and 
attempted to roll over.  She ended up depositing herself on the 
floor instead.  That woke her up immediately.  "Shit!"
        Ritsuko snickered and went for the coffee.  "You should try 
sleeping in a bed.  That's how most other people do it."
        Misato sat up, rubbing her head.  "I would if I wasn't 
afraid for my safety."
        "Safety?  Why's that?  Did you accidentally give Kaji your 
address?"
        "I wish it was that simple," Misato grumbled, transferring 
herself from the floor into a chair.  "I think Shinji might be 
dead."
        Slamming her cup down, Ritsuko spun around, her eyes wide.  
"What!?"
        "Yesterday, when I got home... Asuka was trying to kill 
him.  I don't even want to talk about Pen-Pen."
        Ritsuko stared for a moment, then noted the crumpled can of 
beer.  Her features softened almost immediately.  "Oh, I see.  
Killing Shinji...  Right.  Well, drink some coffee, get some rest, 
and then maybe Shinji won't be dead."
        Snapping her head up and giving Ritsuko a look of evil, 
Misato snapped, "No!  She was trying to kill him!  Stuff him in the 
refrigerator!"
        "Right.  The refrigerator.  I heard you.  I'm sure Shinji 
will recover, Misato.  Just relax."  Ritsuko patted her friend on 
the shoulder and then left the lounge.
        Misato let her head rest on the tabletop and groaned.  "Why 
doesn't anyone believe me?"

***

        "One good thing about Major Katsuragi deciding to leave..."
        "Yes, but that doesn't excuse her failure to handle the 
situation."
        The apartment on the screen was currently empty, a low hiss 
of static coming across the microphones.  It was wired for picture 
and sound finally.  The two commanders would be able to find out 
exactly what was going on next time.
        They were sure there would be a next time.
        "I'll summon her then.  Last I saw, she was sleeping in the 
lounge."
        "Don't bother.  That would only call attention to our 
activities.  I can see we will need to keep a closer eye on the 
children though."
        Fuyutsuki nodded.  Ikari was actually concerned.  Would 
wonders never cease?

***

        "So are you ready, Wondergirl?"
        "Ready for what?" Rei replied in her usual monotone, 
staring at both Shinji and Asuka in their costumes.
        "The performance!  I'm going to be so good it'll knock your 
socks off!  And you're also going to participate this time.  Who 
knows?  You might even like it."
        "Wait a minute, Asuka.  You didn't say anything about this 
before," Shinji said, almost panicked.
        Asuka put her hands on hips and stared him down.  "Why?  
Don't think you can handle the both of us?  Do you want to go back 
in the refrigerator?"
        "Wark!"
        "No," Shinji replied, looking down at his shoes, unable to 
face Asuka with _those_ glasses and _that_ look on her face.
        "So are you in or out, Wondergirl?"  Asuka turned to face 
Rei, her expression unchanging.
        Rei blinked once and nodded.  "Very well, I will assist 
you.  What role am I to play?"
        Asuka ran to her room and ran back with a stack of security 
transcripts, computer paper trailing behind her.  "Found the 
perfect scene right here!"
        "What is it, Asuka?" Shinji asked.
        "Well, after Shinji wimps out and refuses to pilot Unit-01, 
Commander Ikari tells Fuyutsuki to have Rei do it.  We can try that 
scene."
        "So I am to play myself?" Rei asked.
        "Yep.  I wanted to find something easy for a beginner such 
as yourself, though even you could do better than mister statue 
here."
        "Hey!"
        "Waffles!"
        "Urk!"

        Asuka was standing, dressed as Commander Ikari, facing away 
from Shinji, who was dressed as Sub-commander Fuyutsuki, with Rei, 
in her school outfit, next to him.  Asuka had an SDAT player 
concealed in one of her gloved hands and a slight smile on her face 
that Shinji was finding particularly disturbing.
        Click.  Static-filled voice of Shinji, "There's just no way 
I can do this!"
        Shinji groaned.  Asuka's smile was a bit wider when she 
turned to face him, but there was no hint of amusement in her tone.  
"Fuyutsuki.  Wake up Rei."
        "Is that wise?" Shinji asked, anger seeping into his voice.  
He was starting to think that the real point of all this was for 
Asuka to find new ways of humiliating him.
        Asuka's response was cold.  "She's not dead yet."
        "Yes," Shinji replied, trying to match her tone.
        Asuka turned to face Rei, trying her best to intimidate the 
First Child with her cold stare.  "Rei."
        Rei only stared back.  "Yes?"
        "The spare has proven useless.  You will have to do it 
again."
        "Understood."

***

        Gendo made a sound of contemplation as he watched the 
children reenact those fateful events.
        "Something wrong?" Fuyutsuki asked, actually enjoying the 
scene a bit in a weird, disconnected, out-of-body experience way.
        "The Second Child... she's doing it incorrectly."
        Fuyutsuki watched for bit more.  "It looks fine to me."
        "Professor, you don't know me as well as you think you do."
        Kozo arched an eyebrow, seeing the little grin Gendo was 
wearing.  "She's doing it wrong, eh?  And just what about her 
performance is wrong?"
        Gendo didn't change his grin.  "It is sufficient to say 
that her performance is... lacking."

***

        "So how was I?" Asuka asked Rei.  "Pretty good, huh?"
        Rei said nothing.
        "I get it!  You're so dazzled by my exceptional performance 
that you simply can't find the words to express how good I am."
        "You were doing it wrong."
        "What?"
        "Commander Ikari does not act in that manner."
        "Just what are you getting at, Wondergirl?"
        "I did not find your performance to be an accurate 
portrayal of the commander, even taking into account the 
differences in height, age, and gender."
        "Hmph!" Asuka exclaimed, arms crossed.  "And what about 
Shinji's performance?  Bet he was way off compared to mine."
        "I believe that between the two of you, Shinji's 
performance was more convincing."
        "Because he just stood there and didn't do anything?"
        "That is correct."
        "So, do you think that you can do better, Wondergirl?  Why 
don't you play Commander Ikari this time?"
        Rei nodded, taking the dark glasses Asuka handed her.

***

        "_This_ should prove quiet interesting."
        "Indeed.  I wonder what Rei thinks of this."
        "Hard to say, though it looks like she's getting into it 
along with the other two."
        "Very interesting.  Ironic that she would find this 
something to bond with them over."
        Fuyutsuki nodded and figured Gendo just liked to have his 
ego fed.  The children trying to outdo one another on his 
character...  And the sub-commander, naturally, was left out of the 
picture.  No one cared how accurate _his_ portrayal was.

***

        "Fine, we'll do this scene here.  Rei is Commander Ikari, 
I'll be Ritsuko, and Shinji will be Misato."
        "What?" Shinji practically yelled.  "Why do I have to play 
Misato?"
        "Somebody has to, dummkopf, and it isn't going to be me."
        "What about Fuyutsuki then?  Who's going to play him?"
        "Geez, he only has one line...  Pen-Pen can play him!"

***

        "With all due respect, sir, shut up."
        Gendo's chuckling died down before he said, "I remember you 
saying this was all in good fun, Professor."
        "Yes, well, that was before the penguin remark," he 
answered dully.
        "Don't worry.  I'm not looking for your replacement.  Yet."
 
***

        "Unit-01 is ready for launch," Asuka announced, wearing a 
white towel in place of a lab coat.  She decided against the 
bathing suit, however, choosing some of her casual clothes instead.
        "Can we really do this?"  Shinji asked Rei, feeling very 
embarrassed in Misato's jacket that Asuka had forced on him.  It 
was much too big for him and smelled of stale beer.
        Rei sat at the desk, wearing the uniform Asuka had, white-
gloved hands steepled before her.  She adjusted her glasses until 
they caught the light just so.
        Shinji and Asuka both felt a sudden chill to see the First 
Child like that, as if the shadow of someone else hovered above 
her.
        "Of course.  Unless we defeat the Angels, mankind has no 
future."
        "Wark?" Pen-Pen as Fuyutsuki queried.
        Rei only smiled slightly in response.

***

        "Well, Ikari, I don't think they're looking for your 
replacement yet."
        "Indeed.  That was impressive.  Rei's quite the talented 
actress."
        "That was quite good.  Even with the penguin.  I wonder why 
they're really doing this.  It's obviously not what Langely tried 
to say, but it doesn't look like it's simple fun either," Fuyutsuki 
said as he observed the children straightening up the apartment.
        Gendo made that same contemplative noise, something Kozo 
usually associated with heavy thinking and setting plans in motion.
        "You're thinking of something."
        "Indeed."
        "What is it this time?"
        "Idle thoughts."
        "Doubtful.  I don't think you've ever had an idle thought."
        Gendo smiled.  "Just thinking what they find so interesting 
to go through this much trouble."
        Fuyutsuki gave an answering grin.  "Probably the same thing 
we do to sit here and watch them," he said with subtle irony in his 
voice.

***

        Makoto looked over at Aoba.  "Did you hear that?"
        "Hear what?"
        "That's what I thought."
        The two turned their eyes forward and kept them there.
        "I definitely heard that," Maya whispered.
        "Me too."
        "I didn't hear anything."
        "That was a laugh, or at least a chuckle."  Maya turned her 
head slowly and looked behind her.  Both the commanders were there, 
but they had their attention on something else.  The noise was 
coming from them.
        "What are they doing?"
        "I don't know.  They're turned around."
        "I didn't hear anything.  Neither did you two."
        "I heard someone laughing," Maya insisted, glaring at Aoba.
        "You think it was Commander Fuyutsuki?  Or maybe you mean 
Commander Ikari," he snapped.  "I don't think so."
        "Well, someone's laughing, damn it," Maya groused.
        "What are they doing back there?" Makoto whispered, risking 
a look back.  "I know one of them is laughing at something."
        "Why don't you go up there and ask them then?" Aoba said, 
giving them disgusted looks.
        Maya and Makoto exchanged nervous looks, then Maya nodded.  
"I will."
        "Ask?"
        "Well, I'll just... go up and see.  I don't need to say it 
directly."  She rose from her seat slowly.
        Aoba grabbed her arm.  "Don't," he warned.
        "Don't be silly.  It'll be..."
        She froze in place when she heard the laughter again, this 
time louder.  It didn't sound like Sub-commander Fuyutsuki either.  
"Maybe I'll just... sit back down," Maya said quietly.
        Makoto nodded, a darkly fascinated look on his face as he 
stared up at the two commanders.
        There was some quiet conversation for a few moments, and 
the two commanders abruptly stood.
        All three bridge personnel quickly turned and faced front, 
trying to appear innocent.  They stayed in that position, sweat 
rolling down their faces, until they were sure the commanders were 
gone.
        "Did you hear _that_?"

***

         After the last reenactment with the First Child, Asuka 
decided that they wouldn't be doing any more scenes with Commander 
Ikari in them, at least not for a little while.  She wasn't quite 
willing to give up on her plan yet, however, not at least when she 
had gotten Rei involved along with Shinji.
        She busily fast-forwarded through the security tapes, 
looking for a three person scene that would suit her purposes.  
There!  She had found just the _perfect_ scene to do next.  She 
couldn't help chuckling as she searched for the matching 
transcript.
        In the room next door, Shinji felt a sudden chill.  He 
sprang out of bed, looking around, only to realize it was Pen-Pen 
who had been holding a cold beer to his face.
        "Wark?" the bird squawked, offering Shinji the can.
        "Um, no thank you," Shinji told him, waving the beer away.  
Ever since the whole waffle incident, Pen-Pen had been acting as if 
he were Shinji's pet instead of Misato's.
        "Wark!" Pen-Pen said a little more forcefully this time, 
presenting the beer to his master once again.
        "No, really, I don't want it."
        "Wark!  Wark!"  Pen-Pen shoved the cold beer into his 
hands.
        Shinji was about to get up and put it back in the fridge 
when the sound of mad laughter drifted in from Asuka's room.  He 
felt another chill that had nothing to do with the cold beer in his 
hands, and suddenly didn't want to go anywhere near a fridge at the 
moment.
        Reflexively, Shinji popped open the can and took a sip.  
"Blech!" Shinji exclaimed, spraying beer all over his room.  "How 
can Misato drink this stuff?"
        Pen-Pen didn't respond.  Instead he went off in search of 
paper towels to help clean up the mess.

***

        Another day and Shinji and Asuka were setting up for their 
next scene while waiting for Rei to arrive.  Shinji was feeling 
particularly nervous, since any time he asked Asuka what scene they 
were going to be doing, she got this evil smile and told him that 
it was a secret.
        "So we're not going to be wearing uniforms?" Shinji asked 
as he lined up the desk according to Asuka's orders, trying to get 
some idea of at least who they were going to play.
        "Oh, we don't need to worry about that every time," Asuka 
replied haughtily.  "That was just to get us started.  I think 
we're fairly advanced now so we don't have to always wear them."
        The doorbell rang.  Shinji moved to answer it, but Asuka 
stopped him.  "I'll let the Wondergirl in.  You finish up here."
        Shinji just stared at her, wondering what was going on.  
Asuka always made him get the door, especially when they knew it 
was going to be Rei.
        "Got that, Shinji?" Asuka asked in an irritated, bordering 
on angry, tone.
        Shinji gulped, nodded, and went back to setting up.  Asuka 
didn't look that strong, but he still had the bruises from the last 
time and he wasn't ready to challenge her authority any time soon.

        Rei gave no outward sign that she was surprised to see 
Asuka answer the door instead of Shinji.  For a while, they only 
stared at each other in silence.
        "So are you going to come in or not, Wondergirl?" Asuka 
asked.
        Rei nodded and followed Asuka inside.  "Am I to play the 
commander again?"
        "Not this time, Wondergirl.  He's not in this scene."
        Asuka missed the tiny frown that crossed Rei's face.  "So 
who am I to play then?"
        Asuka grinned devilishly as Shinji wandered over to them.  
"Now here's the scene we're going to do..."

***

        He wouldn't call himself a spy.  Spies were dashing and 
debonair, and while he was certainly both of those things, he 
didn't get all the cool gadgets.
        No, he wasn't a spy.  He was more of... an operative.  He 
didn't work for the government; he was just doing his job.  That 
was it.  It was his job, but he wasn't a mercenary either.
        He was just doing his job.  And at the moment, his job was 
tapping into the video feeds throughout NERV.  "I spy with my 
little eye..." he mumbled as screen after screen of empty hallway 
flashed in front of him.
        One view caught his eye.  Asuka, Rei, and Shinji all 
together in what looked a lot like Misato's apartment.  Kaji 
scratched his chin for a moment, thinking.
        This hadn't been part of his last check of the surveillance 
cameras.  This was new, this was different, this was... weird.  
This... had sound.  This was certainly not standard, and probably 
wasn't something security had access to.
        No, this was most likely something weird and twisted the 
commander was doing.  Kaji grinned to himself.  Misato's apartment 
though...  He had always figured it would have been Rei's.
        Just what was really going on?  More importantly, did he 
really want to know?  On the other hand, it was Misato's 
apartment...

***

        "There is no way I'm going to do this," Shinji stated 
firmly after reading the script.  He had even crossed his arms to 
show Asuka that he meant business.  There was no way he was going 
to let her bully him around this time.  Before it was okay; playing 
Fuyutsuki hadn't been that bad and he had only had a short scene as 
Misato, but this...
        "How about you, Wondergirl?  You've read over the script.  
Do you have any problem with your role?"
        "While I would prefer to play Commander Ikari," Rei stated 
as the others shivered, "I see no problem in playing Ritsuko in 
this scene."
        Asuka turned back to face Shinji, a smile playing at the 
corner of her mouth.  "See?  Rei doesn't have any problem with her 
role, so you shouldn't have any problem with yours."
        "That's because she doesn't understand it!" Shinji shouted 
back to hide his embarrassment.
        "What is it that I do not understand, Ikari-kun?"
        Shinji blushed as he turned to face Rei, somehow having 
forgotten that she was there.  "Umm... nothing Rei, don't worry 
about it."
        Asuka was smug in view of Shinji's discomfort.  "Then 
there's no problem with doing this scene, is there?  Let's get 
started already, we want to finish before Misato gets home."
        Finding himself out-maneuvered again, Shinji decided to try 
a different tactic.  He told Asuka, "Why don't we swap roles?"
        "What?  Are you crazy?  I can't play Kaji!"
        "But didn't you say before that you didn't want to play 
Misato?"
        "That was before, this is now.  But if it'll make it easier 
for you, Rei and I can swap.  What do you think, Wondergirl?"
        "It makes no difference to me what role I play in this 
scene."
        Asuka was practically sneering when she turned to face 
Shinji again.  "So what's it going to be, Shinji?  Do you want me 
to play Ritsuko, or Rei to?"
        Shinji didn't know how Asuka had skillfully turned 
everything around to her advantage, but it was obvious to him that 
he had already lost this fight.  He threw his hands up in defeat.  
"Let's just get this over with."

***

        Shinji was feeling even more uncomfortable than before, if 
that was possible.
        "Stop scratching, dummkopf!" Asuka yelled at him from "off-
stage" in the hallway.
        "But it itches," Shinji complained.  "Where did you find 
this stuff anyway?  It feels like real hair."
        "Don't worry about that, just start the scene!" Asuka 
shouted as she went to put back Misato's leg razor.
        Shinji took a very deep breath and stared at the back of 
Rei's head.  Rei was sitting at his desk that faced the wall, 
dressed in a lab coat Asuka had gotten from somewhere.  He couldn't 
believe that he was supposed to...
        Shinji took another breath and started to slowly move 
towards Rei, almost acting against his free will.  He didn't want 
to do this, but he was sure that Asuka would find some way to make 
him do it whether he wanted to or not.  He also knew everything 
would go a lot better for him if he went along with this willingly.
        Sensing that Asuka was readying to yell at him again, 
Shinji took another deep breath and began the scene.

        Shinji could feel his arms shaking as he wrapped them 
around Rei from behind.  Asuka had been quite insistent that they 
couldn't just do the dialogue from this scene, they had to act it 
all out.  Shinji was very careful to touch Rei as lightly as 
possible while avoiding certain parts of her anatomy.  As a result, 
he was blushing terribly and could hardly speak.
        "Um... you've lost some weight," Shinji told her, his voice 
threatening to break.
        "Oh?" Rei said in her usual monotone.
        Shinji was thrown off by the ease with which Rei replied.  
*Wasn't she nervous too?  Even just a little?*
        "You're enduring an unrequited love."  Shinji managed the 
force the words out, reminding himself that this was only pretend.  
This wasn't him saying these things to Rei, but Kaji to Ritsuko.
         "Really?  You're so very sure, aren't you?"  Rei's tone 
was flat, certainly not the way Ritsuko would have said the same 
words.  It was as if Rei had no idea what she was saying.
        Shinji took another deep breath and used every ounce of his 
will to stop his hands from shaking.  Then, very slowly, he touched 
Rei's chin and turned her face towards him.  Then he almost burst 
out laughing when he saw the "mole" Asuka had drawn on Rei.  It was 
a little oval drawn in "chocolate"-scented brown marker.
        Shinji chuckled and felt all the tension leave him.  Why 
was he making such a big deal out of this?  It was probably just 
some silly game Asuka had thought up to pass the time anyway.
        "A woman with a mole like a tear on her cheek is destined 
for a life full of heartache and sorrow," Shinji told her in the 
overly-dramatic tone he had once heard in a cheesy movie.
        Rei's tone was the same as always.  "If you're trying to 
put the moves on me, I'm afraid you can't.  Not when that face is 
pressed against the glass anyway."
        Shinji turned to face the direction that Rei had indicated 
and started to instinctively hide behind her.  There in the hallway 
stood Asuka, wearing one of Misato's jackets, and giving them both 
the full force of her glare of death.
        Rei, of course, was completely unaffected.  "It's been 
quite a while, Kaji."
        Shinji nearly jumped as he let go of Rei and stepped a foot 
or two away from her.  "Yeah," he said with an embarrassed little 
laugh, still seeing Asuka's glare from the corner of his eye.   
"It's been a while, all right."
        "You know, you're not as discreet as I remember," Rei said 
as she turned to face Shinji.
        Asuka walked by the both of them, putting her path between 
their lines of sight.  When she spoke, her voice was bitter, almost 
openly angry.  "He's never been discreet in his life.  You've 
finished handing over Unit-02, haven't you?  What are you still 
doing here?"
        Shinji shrank back even further at the sound of Asuka's 
voice, almost his back to the wall.  *What is she so angry about?  
She's the one who wanted to do this!*  Shinji was nearly panicked 
and so when her look settled on him again, no longer a glare but 
still clearly mad, he rushed through his next line.
        "I received orders this morning that I'll be staying 
around."  Breathe.  Shinji couldn't believe what he was about to 
say.  "So gorgeous, we can hang around again, just like we used 
to."
        Asuka's face softened and she started to smile.  It was the 
same smile she had at the start of this mess, as if this whole 
scene was just so she could watch him squirm.
        "Oh, don't flatter yourself."
        Click.  Alarms sound.

***

        Kaji shook his head.  How any healthy boy... young man 
could be so timid around females like that was simply a travesty.  
Obviously, ability to deal with women was not something passed on 
from father to son.
        For some poor kids, it had to be taught, and Shinji sure 
wasn't being taught by his father, so that left it up to him.  The 
rest of it, the fact that the kids were dressing up, was less 
important than Shinji's almost total incompetence with women.
        Shaking his head in mild disgust, Kaji decided to have a 
discussion with the poor lad.

        "Shinji, we need to talk."
        "We do?"
        Kaji looked at the skinny, gawky, soft-spoken, somewhat 
effeminate boy in front of him.  "Yes, we do.  Badly."  He put his 
hand on the boy's shoulder and ushered him to a bit more private 
spot so they could have their talk.
        "What's this about?" Shinji asked, nervousness evident in 
his voice.  "Did my father..."
        "It's got nothing to do with him... sort of.  Well, not 
really."  Kaji shook his head.  "Don't worry about him.  This is 
between you and me, and I think you need help."
        Shinji gulped.  "Help?"
        "Help."
        "With what?"
        "Women."
        "Women?"
        "Yes, women.  Shinji, you are interested in women, right?"
        The blush that rose in Shinji's cheeks was enough 
confirmation for Kaji.  He waved off the accompanying stammers.  
"Now that we have that established," Kaji said, patting Shinji on 
the shoulder, "let's get down to business."
        "Business?"
        "Stop repeating everything I say and listen.  Listen 
_well_, kid."

***

        He watched her from the corners of his eyes.  He couldn't 
do it. He just couldn't bring himself to.  Shinji looked away, and 
yet, his eyes kept sliding over to Rei.
        Rei... wouldn't take it wrong.  She was his only 
opportunity, and if he made a fool of himself, then what difference 
did it make?  A _huge_ one!  He didn't _want_ to make a fool of 
himself, not to Rei, not to anyone.
        Sighing, Shinji tried to stop glancing at Rei, but with 
little success.

        Mouth suddenly gone dry, Shinji cleared his throat.  With a 
deep breath, he took one step toward Rei, who was walking slowly 
away from the school.  He knew exactly what he had to do; Kaji had 
gone through it, step by step.
        He just needed to make himself do it.  Easier said than 
done.
        The distance between him and the unaware Rei was eroding as 
he took long, if slow, strides.
        1) Walk like you mean it.  Head up, eyes forward, back 
straight.
        The words he was supposed to say kept running through his 
head, but they were all Kaji's voice, not his own.  How could he...
        2) Act like it was something you were born to do.  
Confidence always makes up for inexperience.
        His breaths were coming in short gasps, making him sound 
like he was suffering an asthma attack.
        3) And for God's sake, breathe, kid!  If you clench up 
talking to a girl, or woman, how will you ever manage sex?
        A half-strangled noise that emerged from Shinji got Rei's 
attention.
        She turned and looked at her fellow pilot, wheezing away. 
"Ikari-kun?"
        With a sickly smile planted firmly on his face (confidence, 
Shinji!  If your father can do it, so can you!), Shinji tried to 
speak. "Er, hi..."  Coughs interrupted his far from smooth speech.  
"Hi, Rei.  I just wanted to..."
        Confidence, what little he had to began with, crumbling 
under the power of Rei's minutely curious gaze, the words quickly 
fled Shinji's brain. His "fight or flight" reflexes kicked in, and 
they were all screaming flight at him.
        "I..."
        Rei just stared.
        "I... think I'm going to be sick."
        Rei watched Shinji run off.  After a moment, she turned 
around and continued on her way.

***

        Kaji shook his head.  "The kid is a loser, plain and 
simple," he said to himself.  That scene with Rei had been... 
pitiful.  Completely pitiful.  If Shinji couldn't handle himself 
with her, he couldn't handle himself with any female...
        In fact, it seemed that "handling himself" would be as far 
as he ever got.
        "Poor kid."

***

        Shinji looked down at the tan uniform Asuka had forced on 
him.  "So, um, which one of them am I going to play?"  He felt a 
little embarrassed that he couldn't recall the names of the bridge 
personnel who all wore similar uniforms.  There was Ritsuko's 
assistant, and the guy with the glasses...
        "Which one?" Asuka repeated as she turned to face him.  She 
was wearing a blue blouse, black skirt, and a lab coat.  She had 
elected to go without the artificial mole, however.  "You're going 
to play all of them!"
        "All of them?  How?  I don't know the first thing about 
playing one of them."
        "Don't worry about it.  I'll teach you.  We can have a 
little rehearsal while we wait for Rei to get here."
        Shinji blushed slightly, thinking about Rei.  He had been 
avoiding seeing her ever since the last "incident."  He was sure 
that she had no idea what he had been trying to do, otherwise he 
didn't think that he could face her.  At least there couldn't be 
anything in this reenactment like the last time.
        Asuka then handed him a wig, and a pair of glasses that, 
unlike his father's, didn't have shaded lenses.  "What are these 
for?" Shinji asked her.
        "Props," Asuka explained, "to show that you're a different 
character.  When you're just in the uniform, you're Maya."  Asuka 
took a step back and studied him intently.  Shinji was beginning to 
feel a bit nervous under her scrutiny when she said, "Hmm...  Maybe 
we should stuff some toilet paper down your shirt."
        "No way!"
        "Yeah, it would be hard for you to change to one of the 
guys then," Asuka said as if she hadn't even heard him.  "When you 
put the glasses on you're... the guy with the glasses.  With the 
wig, you're the long-haired guy.  Got it?"
        Shinji looked down at the objects in his hands with a 
resigned expression.  "Not really.  Why can't I just play all the 
roles like I am?"
        "Are you doubting my judgment?" Asuka asked, her tone 
bordering on angry.
        "No," he replied, shoulders slumped.
        Asuka patted him on the head and said in a much softer 
tone.  "Don't worry, I'll help you practice a little so you'll have 
it all down by the time Rei gets here."

***

        Ritsuko looked around her office and narrowed her eyes.  
Her other lab coat had developed an unfortunate blotch of coffee 
and cigarette ashes, so she was looking for her spare.
        And she could have sworn it was hanging on the back of her 
chair, but...
        "Damn it."  She grabbed her mug and gulped down the rest of 
it, then lit another cigarette.  "Damn it," she swore again.  
"MAYA!  I need another lab coat!"

***

        Shinji was soon finding out that Asuka made a much better 
drill sergeant than an acting coach.  She had distilled the three 
characters down to a few basic moves which she made him practice 
over and over again.  There was also the riding crop she had gotten 
from somewhere.  The way she lashed out at the floor to punctuate 
each of her sentences was more than a bit disturbing.
        "Shinji, be the guy with the glasses!" Asuka commanded, 
snapping the crop for emphasis.
        Shinji hurried to put on the glasses and shouted in a whiny 
voice, "There's an Angel approaching!"
        Shinji had not liked Asuka's reply when he asked how to do 
a "whiny" voice, 'Just like your normal voice, only more so', but 
he didn't feel right about complaining, as long as she held that 
riding crop, that is.
        "Switch to Maya!"  Crack!
        Shinji pulled off the glasses and put them in his pocket.  
Ruffling his hair a bit, he said in the highest pitch he could 
reach, "There's an Angel approaching, sempai!"
        "You forgot to bat your eyelashes!  Do it again!"  Crack!
        Shinji tried once again, feeling extremely silly batting 
his eyelashes at Asuka in a lab coat.  Not that it caused her stern 
expression to flicker for even an instant.
        "Now be the long-haired guy!"  Crack!
        Shinji grabbed the wig hidden under his chair and put it 
on, straightening it as he said in a relaxed tone, "There's like an 
Angel coming, dude."
        "You forgot to play air guitar!  Do it again!"  Crack!
        Shinji was about to, when he took off the wig and said, "I 
don't know about the others, but I really don't think... the long-
haired guy acts like this."
        "Oh, and you think you know him better than I do?"
        Shinji shrugged.  "Maybe.  I'm pretty sure I've never heard 
him say 'dude' before."
        "Okay, if you're so smart, what's his name?"
        Shinji thought hard for a moment.  "I don't know...  Aoba?"
        Asuka snorted.  "Shows how much you know.  Back to 
practice, Shinji.  You have to have all this down before Rei 
arrives."
        "Why isn't she here already?  School ended a while ago and 
we don't have anything to do with NERV today."
        Asuka shrugged.  "She said there was something she wanted 
to do first.  Now be the glasses-guy!"  Crack!

***

        Misato approached Rei's apartment with some trepidation.  
She had always felt uneasy around the quiet girl, and not just 
because of her close connection to Commander Ikari.  Still, if she 
didn't find someone who would believe what was happening with 
Shinji and Asuka then she really would go mad.
        Ritsuko had just laughed it off, twice.  No point in going 
to her a third time.  The bridge bunnies were out, since it would 
reflect badly on her as a superior officer.  Besides, she didn't 
know any of them that well.  Similar reasons for both the 
commanders, though even stronger in that case.  There were some 
days she felt Commander Ikari only barely tolerated her, and she 
was unwilling to make herself look even worse in his eyes.  The 
only other person she knew well besides Ritsuko was Kaji, and he 
was out for a whole host of reasons.  That left her with Rei.
        Misato knew that Rei would patiently wait for the whole 
story and simply accept it without a question.  Misato also knew 
that this was a dubious comfort since Rei would accept anything a 
commanding officer told her.  *Any port in a storm,* Misato thought 
as she rang Rei's doorbell.
        A few minutes later, she realized that she had been 
standing there stupidly since there had been no sound of a bell.  
It was still broken, like Shinji had told her once.  Misato 
shrugged and stepped inside.  She knew that Rei wouldn't mind.
        "Rei, are you there?" Misato called out as she entered the 
apartment.  She had assumed Rei would be home, since she wasn't 
supposed to be at school or NERV at the moment.  She began to pity 
the quiet girl who seemed to have no human connections other than 
the commander, and Misato wasn't even sure if she should count that 
one.
        Misato pitied Rei even more when she saw the state the room 
was in, though in reflection her own room looked worse.  No sign of 
Rei anywhere though.  *That's strange.  Where did she go?*
        Misato's eyes immediately settled on something on the desk, 
which stood out from the rest of the clutter, being obviously new 
and free of a coating of dust.  A black case of some sort.  She 
picked it up.  An empty case for glasses, she noticed immediately.  
That was even stranger than Rei's absence.  Misato knew the First 
Child had perfect vision, it was in her file, so why would she need 
glasses?
        Hearing the sound of movement behind her, Misato 
immediately spun around, and then dropped the case in surprise.  
She tried to speak, to say anything at all, but her mouth seemed 
incapable of making the words.  Rei only stared silently at her.  
At least Misato assumed she was staring, it was hard to tell with 
the dark glasses Rei was wearing.
        Misato was wondering how Rei had gotten that familiar black 
uniform, especially in her size, when the First Child adjusted her 
glasses with a white-gloved hand and asked, "Is something the 
matter, Major Katsuragi?"
        Misato did the first thing that occurred to her.  She 
screamed and ran as far away from "Commander Rei Ikari" as she 
could.

***

        When the doorbell finally rang, Shinji was not at all eager 
to answer it this time.  Kaji's "rules for relationships" were 
still running through his head and he had a hard enough time not 
thinking about them with just Asuka present.  He knew that as soon 
as he saw Rei again, he'd remember what he tried to do and... well, 
he wasn't sure how he would react, but he knew that it wouldn't be 
good.
        Asuka watched Shinji make no move to answer the door, 
opened her mouth to yell at him, closed it, shrugged, and went to 
answer the door herself.
        Rei was at the door, wearing her school uniform as usual.  
What was unusual was the bag slung over her shoulder and her 
asking, "Is Major Katsuragi here?"
        Asuka only stared for a few moments, then shook her head.  
"Misato isn't here.  Actually, I haven't seen much of her lately.  
Maybe she got herself a boyfriend or something.  Why do you ask, 
Wondergirl?"
        Asuka lead the way into the apartment, Rei following close 
behind.
        "I suppose it isn't important.  What role am I to assume 
today?"
        "Well, it's funny that you should mention it because you're 
playing Misato."
        "I would rather play Commander Ikari."
        Asuka was a little taken aback by the steel in Rei's 
normally apathetic voice.  "Sorry Wondergirl, he's just not in this 
scene.  But you can be the commander in the scene we do after this 
one, all right?"
        Asuka was even more surprised at Rei's slight smile as the 
blue-haired girl nodded and said, "Thank you, Langely-san."
        Asuka backed away from this bizarre-acting, at least for 
her, version of Rei.  "Yeah, sure, no problem."

        "Are you ready, Ikari-kun?"
        Shinji was snapped back to reality to find Rei staring 
right at him.  She looked cute and somewhat silly in Misato's red 
jacket, which was a number of sizes too big for her.  It made her 
seem smaller, more vulnerable.  She called out to him again and he 
was immediately focused on her soft, pink lips as they formed the 
syllables to his name...
        Shinji nearly jumped out of his chair, laughing nervously, 
and said, "Hi Rei, nice to see you!  How are you today?"
        "I am well.  Are you ready now?"
        Shinji was even more nervous than before.  Ready for what?  
A hundred possibilities flashed through his mind, each more nerve-
wracking than the last.  In a shaking voice, trying and utterly 
failing to act casual, he asked, "Ready for what, Rei?"
        "The scene, dummkopf!" Asuka shouted from the other side of 
the room.  "Wondergirl and I finished setting up while you were 
daydreaming.  What the heck is wrong with you?"
        Shinji shook his head to clear it.  "Nothing, nothing.  
Let's get started then."

        Shinji was sitting at his desk, which faced the wall, 
wearing the tan uniform of the bridge crew.  He was also wearing a 
long brown wig.  Rei, in Misato's jacket, and Asuka, in a lab coat, 
stood behind him.  Asuka had an SDAT player hidden behind her back.
        Click.  Alarms sound.
        Shinji leaned back, playing air guitar, all the while 
saying, "Like the head is way damaged!  It's a total bummer, man!"
        Then he quickly hid the wig under the seat, messed his hair 
some, and turned to face Asuka, batting his eyelashes.  Trying to 
hit a high pitch while shouting made his voice almost shrill.  
"Sempai, we're having problems maintaining activation!"
        "Status report," spoke Rei, her calm voice giving more of 
an impression of Commander Ikari, despite the jacket she wore.
        Shinji turned to look at Rei for a moment, but all the 
drilling made him immediately look back at Asuka.  "Syncrograph 
reversing!  The pulses are flowing backward, sempai!"
        Asuka shouted back, "Break the circuit, Maya!  Do it!"
        "We can't, sempai!  It's not accepting the signal!"
        "What about Ikari-kun?" Rei asked, her voice seeming to 
contain a small spark of emotion.
        Shinji was actually thankful for all the practicing Asuka 
had put him through, as he fixed his hair and put on the glasses 
automatically, while his mind was a little stunned by Rei's last 
line, and the whole scene in general.  He found it difficult not to 
think of what had been happening to him while all this was going 
on.
        Shinji whined out, "His monitors aren't reacting!  His 
condition is unknown!"
        Then he tore off the glasses and fixed the wig on once 
again.  "Bogus, dude!  Unit-01 is totally silent!"
        Asuka turned to face Rei.  "Misato?"
        Rei was silent for a few moments, as if she were truly 
weighing this decision rather than just reenacting it.  "We've got 
no choice.  Abort the operation.  We've got to rescue the pilot.  
Eject the entry plug."
        Shinji had already used this time to go into "Maya" mode.  
"We can't!  It's not accepting the signal!"
        "What did you say?"  Rei's voice was flat, giving the line 
a different meaning from the original.  Shinji nearly repeated 
himself.
        Asuka said the next line, though she used a completely 
different tone from when she spoke as Ritsuko. "The EVA is 
reactivating!"
        Shinji said the next line with real emotion, though even he 
wasn't sure what he meant by it.  "I don't believe it!  This can't 
be!"
        "My God," Rei nearly whispered.
        "Berserker."
        Click.  Roar.

***

        Kozo Fuyutsuki chuckled.  He had been doing that on and off 
ever since he had seen the last... reenactment by the children.  To 
whatever ends they were doing it, it was pretty darn humorous.
        If they could make Gendo laugh, then that was good 
entertainment.  Even with the penguin remark.
        They were so serious, obviously getting into it like real 
actors would get into their parts.  They must have practiced a lot 
to get the dialogue down so well.  Each child knew what to say, how 
to say it, reacting to the others...
        Even Rei appeared to be enjoying herself.  While her lines 
weren't quite as... authentically spoken, she still knew...
        Fuyutsuki stopped in his tracks.  Yes, they all knew their 
lines quite well.  Very well.  And the SDAT player with the sound 
effects...  Something was not quite right, yet he couldn't put his 
finger on it.
        Walking slowly, the uneasy feeling staying with him, 
Fuyutsuki headed back to his office.

***

        "Sempai?"
        "What is it, Maya?"  Now that she was properly attired in a 
new lab coat, Ritsuko was all business.
        "Can I ask you something?"
        "Go ahead."
        Maya looked at the back of her idol's head and fidgeted in 
the doorway.  There was just no easy way to ask this.  "Well, I was 
wondering...  Have you... noticed..."
        "Maya, spit it out.  I have a lot of work to get done."
        "It's just that... I wanted to know if..."
        Ritsuko turned in her chair and looked at Maya, her face a 
mask of complete indifference.  "What?"
        "Havethecommandersbeenactingfunnydoyouknow?" Maya blurted 
and immediately developed a healthy blush.
        Ritsuko blinked.  "What?"
        The blush deepened.  "Nothing!  I didn't mean to bother 
you!  Bye!"  Maya scurried off before she could embarrass herself 
further.
        "What a strange girl," Ritsuko mumbled before turning back 
to her work.

        "So did you ask her?"
        "No."
        "Told ya she couldn't do it.  And she was gonna ask the 
commanders...  Yeah, right."  Shigeru elbowed Makoto in the side.
        Makoto dug in his pocket and pulled out a thousand yen 
bill.  "Yeah, yeah.  Take your money."
        Maya frowned.  "You don't think this is really strange?  
You're just going to sit there and make stupid bets?  You two are 
impossible."
        "Yes, but I'm a thousand yen richer now," Shigeru said, 
smiling widely.

***

        "So what are they up to today?"
        "Nothing yet.  They look to be planning something soon 
though."
        "This should be entertaining.  I still haven't come up with 
any reason they would be doing this though.  It's not just a game 
to them since they put so much work into it."
        "Agreed."
        "I'd be concerned if their piloting abilities suffered, and 
the major reports they're not doing any worse in school."
        "Then we wait.  This will come to a head eventually."
        Fuyutsuki nodded and sat down.  He still had that nagging 
feeling, but didn't know why.  There was just something about the 
entire situation that bothered him.
        "You're fidgeting."
        "This is bothering me."
        "I thought you said you were over the penguin remark."
        Fuyutsuki frowned.  "I _was_ until you had to bring it up 
again.  But it's something else."
        "Such as?"
        "I'm not sure."
        "Perhaps a lapse in security?"
        Realization dawned on the sub-commander.  "That's exactly 
it.  The records of..."
        "Everything that's gone on in the command center up to this 
point.  They've obtained them and have studied them quite 
carefully."
        "But... how?  The security..."  Speech was becoming more 
and more difficult as Fuyutsuki's jaw clenched tighter and tighter.  
Finally, he was at the point that he couldn't even speak.
        "They are more resourceful than we had anticipated.  Be 
thankful they are working for us, and not for SEELE."  Gendo let 
loose the tiniest of smiles.
        "You are really enjoying this whole thing, aren't you?"
        "Quite."
        Fuyutsuki sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.  "So am 
I for some reason."
        "And security?"
        "We can blame it on Kaji.  He's always up to something 
anyhow.  I wouldn't be surprised if he's got the bathrooms bugged."
        "I had those removed.  They were... inappropriate."
        For a moment, Fuyutsuki went slack-jawed.  "You're 
kidding."
        Gendo turned his head, wearing a look of near-amusement.  
"Do I kid?"
        "No, of course not."

***

        Ritsuko stared up blearily at the ceiling of her apartment.  
A missing lab coat, Maya acting all strange, Misato babbling at 
her, the techs looking like frightened rabbits, Kaji's odd 
behavior, Shinji's strange reluctance around women...
        Some of that seemed on par, but it wasn't.  It was all off 
by just a hair.  She would expect Shinji to be reluctant around 
women, but not the way he was.  He acted... scared.
        And Maya...  She didn't even want to know what was up with 
Maya.  That was too far out there.
        The commanders... she was sure that was what Maya had asked 
about, but didn't know why.
        They had been acting a bit... odd.  Much more attentive in 
the command center than usual.  And secretive.  Even more so.  One 
of these times, she was going to see what they were so engrossed 
in.

***

        Shinji and Asuka were both a little surprised to find Rei 
waiting for them as they left school.
        "Is there an Angel attack or something, Wondergirl?" Asuka 
asked after a few moments of silence had passed.  She didn't think 
so.  She didn't know about Shinji, but she had her cell phone with 
her at all times.
        Rei shook her head.  There was another moment of silence, 
but before Asuka could say anything else, Rei asked, "Are we going 
to be doing another reenactment today?"
        Asuka rolled her eyes.  "Of course."
        "Then I will accompany you."
        Asuka stared at her fellow pilot, as if she were trying to 
draw an explanation out by her gaze alone, but Rei only stared back 
blankly as always, and said nothing.  "Are you sure you don't have 
to go home first?"
        Rei shook her head once again.  "I already have everything 
I require," she told them, holding up her school bag for emphasis.
        Asuka shrugged.  "I guess I've got no problem with it.  How 
about you, Shinji?"
        Shinji was snapped back to reality only to realize that he 
had been silently staring at Rei the entire time.  Kaji had 
recently given him another "pep talk," though Kaji didn't seem to 
think that Shinji had any real hopes of actually following his 
advice.
        To make things worse, the girls had been swimming again, 
causing Toji and Kensuke to have an argument over who Shinji had 
been staring at this time, Asuka or Rei, or rather which parts of 
them he'd been staring at.  Words he had normally associated with 
KFC had taken on entirely different meaning.
        He quickly glanced at Asuka, but she seemed to not have 
noticed.  She was, however, waiting for an answer, and he knew it 
wouldn't be long before she got impatient.  The only problem was 
that since Shinji hadn't been paying attention he had no idea what 
the question was.
        He started to panic a little, but did his best to hide it.  
What could he do?  He couldn't ask her to repeat the question 
because then she'd know he hadn't been paying attention to her.  
That was sure to get her angry.  He couldn't just say some random 
answer for the same reason.  Stuck in a corner, Shinji fell back on 
his basic instinct whenever dealing with Asuka: just agree with 
whatever she said.
        "Yeah, sure," he said a bit nervously.  "I've got no 
problem with that."
        "All right, let's get home then," Asuka told them.  "You 
can set up while I choose the scene we're going to do."
        As they started walking back to Misato's apartment, Shinji 
noticed something different.  Specifically, Rei was walking with 
them, at his side, her school skirt exposing her slim, pale legs as 
she walked...
        Shinji turned his head to face Asuka so fast that he nearly 
snapped his neck.  "Um, so why is Rei going with us?"
        "Dummkopf!  What do you think I asked you a moment ago?"
        "Oh, right, sorry," Shinji replied, laughing nervously as 
he rubbed the back of his head.  He happened to look down just as 
Asuka's movement exposed a hint of cleavage.  He immediately faced 
forward, walking almost mechanically as he tried to keep certain 
thoughts from rising...

***

        Asuka watched Shinji as he took off his shoes, staring 
firmly ahead into Misato's apartment.  She noticed that he'd been 
doing that for most of the walk home.
        "Wondergirl?" Asuka queried her fellow pilot.
        "Yes?" Rei replied, red eyes staring back at her.
        "Forget it."

        Something was wrong with Shinji; that much Asuka knew for 
sure, as she thought over his recent actions as she plowed though 
the security transcripts, which she had marked all over in colored 
highlighter, coded how each scene could help her with her purpose.
        She put down the transcripts and took a breath.  She was 
doing more thinking about Shinji than reading.  So what was wrong 
with him?  Asking him was no good.  Even if he did know, he'd 
either back away from her or make something up.  He always shied 
away from confrontations, unless...
        Asuka immediately dug through the transcripts in search of 
scene that had caught her eye when she had started on this.  It 
would be a hard scene for Shinji to do, the hardest yet probably, 
but if anything could shake him out of his current state, this 
could.

        Shinji tried to sit calmly alone with Rei while waiting for 
Asuka to come back, but he just couldn't do it.  Kaji's lessons 
kept running through his head like a mantra, over and over again.  
Also knowing that he was too much of a coward to act on them wasn't 
helping his self-esteem any.
        He needed someone to talk to about this.  He immediately 
excluded all females as being too "stimulating."  Kaji was the next 
to be crossed off.  This was his fault to begin with.  Toji and 
Kensuke would only tease him.  His father...  he wasn't sure what 
his father would say, but he knew it wouldn't be good.  Fuyutsuki 
would just tell his father...
        Shinji suddenly stood up and told Rei, "I need to go to the 
kitchen to get something."

        Asuka returned to the living room with a triumphant smile 
on her face, only to find Rei sitting on the couch, going through 
her school bag.
        "I found the scene.  Where's Shinji?"
        Rei turned around, holding a pair of white gloves.  "He 
went into the kitchen."

        Shinji stood before Pen-Pen's private fridge, wondering how 
to get the bird's attention.  He didn't feel right in just opening 
the door.  He decided on knocking, though felt extremely silly in 
doing so.  After a moment, the door to the fridge slid open.  Pen-
Pen shut off his TV, clicked off the lamp, and waddled out.  
Turning to look up at Shinji, he asked, "Wark?"
        Shinji decided to just go right to it, not like this 
penguin could understand what he was saying anyway.  "You see I've 
got this problem..."
        "Wark!" Pen-Pen exclaimed suddenly and then raced over to 
the other fridge, where he pulled out two beers, one of which he 
handed to Shinji.  He accepted the beer, remembering how Pen-Pen 
got violent if he didn't, and tried to go on to explain his 
problem, but the bird was looking up at him as if he was waiting 
for Shinji to do something.
        Shinji popped open the can of beer and was surprised to see 
Pen-Pen mimic his actions.  "Wark," the penguin said as he held his 
own beer out to Shinji.
        Shinji suddenly remembered seeing Misato acting out a 
similar "ritual" with Pen-Pen before.  "Cheers!" he shouted, 
feeling foolish as he smacked his can against the other and took a 
sip, having to desperately avoid spitting it back up again.
        Pen-Pen took a sip of his own beer and plunked himself down 
on the floor.  After a moment, Shinji also sat on the floor and 
began to explain.  "I guess it all started when I had to do this 
scene with Rei..."

        Asuka walked into what was for her a very odd sight.  Odd 
perhaps because of its relative familiarity.  Empty beer cans 
scattered over the kitchen floor, normal for any place that Misato 
frequented.  That Pen-Pen was holding a beer while slumped on the 
floor was also, unfortunately, normal.  Asuka guessed it was really 
true that pets took on the characteristics of their owners.  What 
really got her was that in place of a drunken Misato, there was a 
something much more unique: a drunken Shinji.
        "And she's always pushing me around," Shinji slurred as he 
took a gulp of his beer.  "Telling me to do stuff like 'move that 
box, Shinji,' 'stop whining, Shinji,' 'wear this dress, Shinji...'"
        "Wark, wark," Pen-Pen agreed, nodding his head.
        "Always threatening me with stuff when I talk back, half 
the time speaking in German so I can't understand her.  Well, I've 
had enough of it, you hear?!  I'm going to tell Asuka that --"
        "Tell me what?" Asuka asked from the doorway, having 
finally gotten over her shock.
        Shinji slowly turned to face her, his eyes going 
progressively wider.  The half-empty beer can fell from his numb 
fingers.  He moved his jaw to say something, but the most he could 
manage was, "Um, ah."
        With a nasty grin, Asuka walked over and took his arm.  
"Here, allow me to help you."  Then she shoved his head in the sink 
and turned the cold tap all the way.
        "Waaaahhhh!" Shinji yelled, which came out surprisingly 
clear despite all the freezing water currently hitting him in the 
head.
        Still smiling, Asuka yanked his head out of the sink.  She 
shut off the tap and handed him a towel.  "There, feel better now?"
        Shinji dried his head and said nothing.  He no longer felt 
the least bit drunk, however.

***

        Practically dragging Shinji into the living room, Asuka 
said, "Now we can finally get this scene started."
        "I will prepare myself then," Rei said then proceeded to 
take off her school uniform.
        "What are you doing?!" Asuka shouted, while Shinji was 
finding the walls very interesting to stare at.
        Rei stopped undressing and pulled a black uniform from her 
bag.  "I was putting on my costume."
        "But you can't change right here!"
        "Why not?  How is this any different from changing into our 
plug-suits?"
        "Because Shinji is still here, dummkopf!  You can't change 
in front of a boy!"
        Meanwhile, the boy in question would have been making 
another trip to the kitchen if Asuka didn't have an iron grip on 
his shirt.
        "Why?"
        Growling in frustration, Asuka gave up.  "You just can't, 
okay?  If you need to change, use the bathroom."
        Rei nodded, gathered up her things, and headed for the 
bathroom.
        "Wait a minute!" Asuka yelled to Rei, dropping Shinji on 
the couch as she walked over to her.
        Rei stopped and turned around.
        "I'm the commander this time, Wondergirl."
        "Before the last scene, you said that I could play 
Commander Ikari for the next one."
        Asuka was firm, however.  This was too important to let Rei 
mess it up.  "Rei, I'm going to do it."
        "You said I would."
        "Not this time.  I'm going to."
        "You said I would play the commander."
        "I changed my mind!"
        "You said I..."
        "Fine!"
        Asuka decided to take her store of frustration, which was 
useless against Rei, and redirect it on Shinji.  "Shinji, in this 
scene you play yourself."
        "What?  No way!"  Most of the fun of this in the first 
place for Shinji was to escape being himself for a little while.  
Besides, he just knew that if Asuka was making him be himself the 
scene had to be horribly embarrassing.
        "Do it or else," Asuka said in a dangerous tone.
        Perhaps because he wasn't entirely sober yet, or having 
talked out his problems had given him some strength, Shinji decided 
that he wouldn't back down this time.  "No."
        "Now you need to--" Asuka said and stopped herself when she 
realized what Shinji's reply had been.  "What did you say?"
        "I'm not going to do it this time, Asuka.  There's nothing 
you can say or do that will make me back down."  Shinji readied 
himself for whatever vengeful thing Asuka would do to him this time 
for standing up to her.
        To his surprise, she smiled.  "All right, if you don't want 
to play yourself, you don't have to.  I'm not going to force you to 
do it."
        "You're not?" Shinji asked, growing more surprised by the 
minute.
        Asuka shook her head, the smile never leaving her lips.  
"Nope.  You'll just have to sit out this scene since there are 
really only two roles."
        "But then who's going to play me then?"
        "I guess I'll have to do it."
        Shinji started to get suspicious as Asuka readied herself 
to play him.  First she messed up her hair, then she slumped her 
shoulders and stared at the ground as if suddenly depressed.  She 
shuffled over to Shinji, looked up at him, and said in a sniveling 
tone, "Father, I don't want to pilot EVA.  I'm a big dumb wimp."
        Shinji could only stare back at her, not even noticing Rei 
reentering the room dressed as Commander Ikari.
        Asuka stood up straight and smiled again, though this time 
it was closer to a sneer.  "How was that?  Not whiny enough?"
        "All right, I'll do it, I'll play myself," Shinji told her, 
caving in completely.  "Just never do that again."
        Asuka huffed in mock-indignation.  "I don't see what you're 
complaining about; I thought I captured you perfectly."

***

        Shinji looked up at Rei, dressed as Commander Ikari, 
complete with dark glasses and white gloves, and also standing on a 
chair.  Asuka leaned against the wall, wearing a lab coat.
        Rei adjusted her glasses with a gloved hand while looking 
down at Shinji.  She spoke as if reading from a shopping list.  
"Disobeying orders.  Personal occupation of an EVA.  Crude 
intimidation.  These are all criminal acts. Do you have anything 
you want to say?"
        Shinji was close enough to Rei that he could see her eyes 
despite the glasses.  She had the same look when she had smacked 
him before, when he had said something bad about his father.
        As he struggled to build up some sort of strength for his 
next line under that gaze, Shinji again reflected that Rei was a 
little too good at imitating the commander.  Somehow, Rei's 
monotone just made things worse for him.
        "Yes.  I don't want to pilot EVA any more, and I don't want 
to stay here either."  The words sounded weak and ineffectual; even 
to himself, a lie.
        "Well, leave then," Rei replied softly, though her eyes 
remained stern.
        "I will!" Shinji declared, suddenly getting caught up in 
the moment.  He had backed down from Asuka yet again, but he would 
not back down from his father, even if it was only his image.  
"I'll go back to my teacher's place!"
        Rei frowned slightly.  "Are you running again? You 
disappoint me. I assume we won't meet again."
        Shinji matched her tone.  "I intend that we won't."

***

        The commanders watched in complete silence.
        Shock might have been an accurate description.
        Just a total stunned pause in their daily routine.
        "This is interesting."
        "I... didn't know he had it in him.  I didn't think it was 
possible."
        Gendo nodded, but gave no spoken reaction.
        "Hindsight is always twenty-twenty."
        "Indeed."
        The two men sat in silence for a bit longer, still watching 
the monitor.  The scene was over, but the effects of it lingered.  
The children seemed maudlin, moping around the apartment as they 
straightened up.
        "I wonder what that was supposed to accomplish?" Fuyutsuki 
wondered aloud, startling himself by breaking the weighty silence.
        "So Misato wasn't kidding..."
        The two commanders turned simultaneously to see Ritsuko 
standing there, staring at the monitor.
        "Er... Doctor," Fuyutsuki said abruptly, flicking the 
monitor off.  "Is there something you need?"
        "Well, I got one of my questions answered."  At least 
Fuyutsuki had the grace to look a bit embarrassed, but Gendo was as 
impassive as always.
        "This is none of your concern."
        "I don't think it's any of your concern either then.  If 
I'm responsible for their synch rates with the EVAs, then I had 
damn better know what's going on before you try to tell me to fix 
whatever's wrong when you're sitting here..."
        Ritsuko trailed off when she noted the simple gaze Gendo 
directed at her, and the somewhat amused look Fuyutsuki was giving 
her.
        "Er..."
        "A game, Doctor.  As far as we can figure.  That's as much 
as we know.  They seem to be... reenacting moments of NERV 
history."
        Eyes shifting between the two commanders, Ritsuko finally 
settled her eyes on the older.  "So..."
        "They appear to be building up to something, but what, 
exactly, is unknown," Gendo supplied.
        He almost sounded... worried to Ritsuko's ears.  "Well, 
that's... unique."  She shrugged, having no idea how to make heads 
or tails of what she had seen.  "I guess... everyone's got to have 
a hobby."

        Maya watched with great interest, but not so much that she 
looked like she was watching with great interest.  Just enough so 
that she could see how each one of them reacted, even if she 
couldn't really hear what they were saying.
        "I think she's lost it."
        "She's been staring up there the entire day."
        The buzzing of the gnats did not deter her; she would not 
miss the opportunity to discover just what was going on.
        "Have you seen her blink?"
        "No.  Do you think her eyes are gonna dry out?  What if it 
damages her sight?"
        "The commanders won't stay up there all day long.  She'll 
have to look away eventually.  Just be ready because I don't think 
she'll be able to see much."
        "Right."
        "And in the meantime..."
        "Waffles?  Where'd you get those?"
        "Misato brought in a whole bunch one day.  I didn't know 
she could cook like this."
        "Her?  Cook?  Right.  I'd believe that penguin cooked those 
before she did."

***

        Asuka woke up the moment her alarm started ringing, slapped 
it off, and sat up with a smile on her face.  Today was the day 
that her plans would finally come to fruition.  There was a certain 
element of risk involved in moving so swiftly to the denouement, 
she knew, but she also knew that she had to take advantage of their 
current momentum.  Besides, waiting was getting on her nerves.  
Asuka wasn't a patient person by nature, but it would all be worth 
it if her master plan succeeded.

        Shinji groggily opened his eyes after his alarm went off.  
He had trouble getting to sleep last night.  He kept having dreams 
that replayed the reenactments they had done so far, but with him 
in different roles.  There were even times he was playing every 
role.  In the end, they had all blurred together to become him as a 
kid being ordered around by a giant Rei dressed as his father.  It 
took him a while to get back to sleep after that.
        After a few moments, he realized that Asuka's smiling face 
was only inches from his.
        "Good morning, Shinji!" she said in a cheery voice.
        Shinji was panicked.  Somehow Asuka's happiness was bad 
news for him, especially lately.  "Asuka, what are you doing in my 
room?"
        Asuka threw open the window to let the bright sunlight in.  
She turned back to Shinji and said, "It's such a nice day today.  
Are you going to waste it lying in bed?"
        Shinji frowned.  "My alarm just went off, Asuka.  Besides, 
we still have plenty of time to get ready for school."
        "Oh, I thought we could skip school today," Asuka told him 
with a small, secretive smile.
        "Misato won't like that."
        Asuka shrugged.  "She's not here, never came home last 
night for some reason.  And I can get Hikari to cover for us at 
school so she'll never know."
        Shinji opened his mouth to argue, but then shrugged and 
said, "At least let me get changed first.  We can talk about this 
over breakfast."
        "All right. You'll have to cook something though.  All 
those waffles Pen-Pen made vanished."
        "Why do I have to make breakfast?" Shinji asked, but Asuka 
had already left.

        Asuka and Shinji argued the pros and cons of going to 
school over miso soup, with Pen-Pen interjecting an occasional 
"wark" in favor of Shinji who had made the penguin some fish to 
eat.  Despite the added support, Shinji felt that he was losing 
this argument quickly.  Asuka seemed to have a counter ready for 
his every thought.  So it was some relief that the doorbell rang.
        "Who could that be?" he asked with some confusion, though 
was secretly glad for anything that interrupted their discussion.  
It was still too early for Toji and Kensuke to show up.
        Asuka shrugged.  "How should I know?  Maybe it's someone 
carrying Misato home after an all-night drinking binge.  Answer the 
door and find out."
        Shinji nodded and did as Asuka had said.  He wasn't at all 
prepared to find Rei waiting there, dressed in her school uniform 
with a bag slung over her shoulder.  Suddenly remembering the dream 
from last night, Shinji instinctively screamed and bolted.
        Rei blinked as Shinji fled.  She stood at the doorway for a 
few more moments before seeming to decide something and stepped 
inside.
        Seeing Shinji run past, Asuka went to check what all the 
commotion was about.  She was surprised to see Rei standing there.
        "Wondergirl?  What are you doing here so early in the 
morning?"
        Rei paused in thought as if she wasn't sure herself.  "I 
wish to walk to school with you and Ikari-kun."
        Asuka shook her head.  "We're not going to school today."
        Shinji shouted as he came back into the room, "Yes we are, 
Asuka!"
        Rei blinked.  "Why would the both of you miss school?  Is 
there a synchronization test that I wasn't informed about?"
        Asuka grinned and leaned closer to Rei conspiratorially.  
"Nope.  We're skipping school, Wondergirl."
        "No, we're not, Asuka," Shinji said, back in the room.  
"Oh, hi, Rei."
        Rei bowed slightly to Shinji.  "Good morning, Ikari-kun."
        Asuka ignored what Shinji had said yet again and spoke to 
Rei, "Hey, why don't you skip with us?  You must be sick of that 
old guy droning on about the Second Impact all the time too.  All 
you do at school is stare out the window anyway.  Besides, us EVA 
pilots got to stick together, right?"
        Rei frowned slightly.  "I doubt Commander Ikari would 
approve of this."
        "That's right, Asuka," Shinji jumped in, glad to have 
another person's support.
        Asuka only grinned.  "But you don't know that, do you 
Wondergirl?  I mean, it's not something you've asked him before 
specifically, is it?  For all we know, the commander might approve.  
I bet he skipped school all the time when he was our age."
        "But what if there's an Angel attack, Asuka?" Shinji 
pointed out.
        The redhead's smile didn't waver.  "Dummkopf!  That's why 
they gave us all cell phones."
        Rei blinked suddenly and took out her cell phone from her 
bag.  She pushed one of the speed dial buttons and waiting for a 
connection while Asuka and Shinji looked at her in surprise.
        "What are you doing, Wondergirl?" Asuka asked.
        "I am calling Commander Ikari to see if it is all right 
that we skip school today."
        "No!" Asuka shouted with some panic.  "You can't do that!"
        "Why not?" Rei asked, staring at Asuka, her face 
expressionless.
        Asuka thought fast.  "Because we shouldn't be bothering the 
commander with something this unimportant.  He might even be angry.  
Right, Shinji?"
        "Yeah, we really shouldn't bother him with this, Rei," 
Shinji added, even more panicked than Asuka.  With the morning he'd 
been having, the last thing he wanted to deal with was his father.
        Rei looked at the phone and then back at them.  She said 
nothing, but seemed uncertain.
        Asuka told her, "If you skip with us, I'll let you be 
Commander Ikari again."
        "Very well," Rei replied, shutting off the phone.
        Asuka and Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.

***

        Ritsuko entered the lounge and stopped short.  Misato was 
there, staring into a styrofoam cup filled with steaming tea.  She 
looked decidedly unhappy.
        Walking in an artificially casual manner, Ritsuko went and 
poured herself a cup of coffee.  Sipping it for a moment first, she 
gathered her wits.  This would be... awkward at best.
        "Misato."
        "Yeah?"
        Ritsuko turned slowly, holding the cup up to her lips as if 
it could protect her.  "I wanted to..."  She shrugged almost 
helplessly.  "I saw..."
        Misato looked up from her tea, dark circles under her eyes.  
She didn't say anything, but the questions were evident in her 
eyes.
        "I'm sorry, okay?"
        Eyes blinking slowly, Misato kept quiet.
        With a sigh, Ritsuko crossed the lounge and sat across the 
table from Misato.  She took a long drink of her coffee before 
setting it down and looking Misato in the eye.  "I'm sorry for what 
I said before.  I shouldn't have been so... harsh."
        "Said... what?"
        "When I doubted you.  I shouldn't have been so mean about 
it."
        It was Misato's turn to sigh as she drank some of her tea.  
"It doesn't matter."
        "It does matter, because... I believe you."
        Misato's eyes widened momentarily, then lowered back to her 
tea.  "It doesn't.  Here, have a waffle."  She dropped four ziploc 
bags on the table, each one almost bursting with waffles.
        Ritsuko eyed them warily.  "I'll... pass."
        "They're safe... I didn't make them.  Pen-pen did."
        "That's... fine, Misato.  I'm... just not hungry."
        Ritsuko's stomach immediately growled.
        With her eyes moving back and forth, subtly trying to find 
someone or something else to blame it on, Ritsuko said, "Uhh..."
        Misato raised one eyebrow.
        "Oh!  Oh, darn!  I'm so hungry, but I won't get a chance to 
eat those... great looking waffles because look!"  Ritsuko held up 
her pager for Misato to see.  "I'm being paged.  Darn that 
Commander Ikari."  Ritsuko stood up and slowly backed away.  "Sorry 
about that, Misato.  They look great.  Really.  But... gotta go!"
        Misato sighed and continued to drink her tea.

        Kaji stepped in the lounge and immediately smiled when he 
noticed Misato there.  *Must be my lucky day.*
        "Hey beautiful, what's... mmmph!"
        Kaji found it a bit difficult to talk around the waffle 
that Misato had just shoved in his mouth.

***

        "We're going to what?!" Shinji nearly shouted.
        "Do a quick recap of all the scenes we've done up to this 
point before the next one," Asuka explained patiently.  "I got the 
idea from an anime I watched the other day."
        "But why?" Shinji asked, bewildered.
        Asuka huffed in frustration.  "Because this way we can see 
how much we've improved, how much we've learned from all this."
        Shinji shook his head.  "I still don't get it."
        Asuka turned to Rei, who was sitting calmly on the couch, 
watching their conversation.  "You think it's a good idea, don't 
you, Wondergirl?"
        Rei nodded almost immediately, her "Commander Ikari" 
costume folded neatly on her lap.
        Seeing Shinji starting to waver, Asuka pushed.  "Why are 
you making such a big fuss about this anyway?  It's not like we're 
going to play whole scenes over again, just small parts to get the 
feel for it.  Besides, we've already gone over this.  You did it 
before, you can do it again."
        Shinji shrugged.  Even he really wasn't sure why he was 
being so resistant this time.  Partly because it was a little too 
much like his recent nightmare, but probably more so because he 
always put up a fight over this, even though it made no difference 
in the end.
        "All right," Shinji said finally, his tone still reluctant.  
"Let's do this."
        "That's the spirit, Shinji!" Asuka enthused, giving him a 
huge pat on the back.  
        The Third Child crumpled to the ground.
        "Oops.  Think I hit him a little too hard."
        Observing all this, Pen-Pen went to fetch the smelling 
salts.

        Asuka handed Rei and Shinji printouts.  "Here you go.  I 
had these scripts already prepared so we can get through this 
quickly."
        "How are we going to do the costumes?" Rei asked as she 
studied the script.
        It took Asuka a moment to answer, mainly because she was so 
surprised that Rei had asked a question.  "I really don't want to 
waste time changing in and out of different uniforms just for this, 
so we'll decide on different props to represent the characters."
        "Shinji, we'll use the same props for those two bridge crew 
guys.  Misato's red jacket can be for her.  These dark glasses for 
the commander.  Ritsuko can be represented by the lab co... no, 
wait, I don't have that anymore.  I guess we can use a white towel 
instead.
        "For the sub-commander... what do you think we should use, 
Shinji?  You know him better than anyone."
        Shinji wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or 
an insult, but he tried to answer the question anyway.  "Um, how 
about I take this gray dishcloth and wear it on my head?" he told 
her, giving a quick demonstration.
        "Sure, that'll work," Asuka replied, trying very hard not 
to laugh.  Not only did Shinji look ridiculous with that thing on 
his head, but Asuka was sure that its original color wasn't gray.
        "Hmm, for Kaji you can unbutton the top buttons of your 
shirt, though I doubt you'll look as cool as Kaji when he does it.  
Who else do we need?"
        "Maya Ibuki," Rei stated, still studying the script.
        "Right, right," Asuka agreed, nodding.  "What can represent 
her... wait, I know!"
        Asuka ran to her room and ran back a few moments later with 
a pair of balloons, which she handed to Shinji.
        "What am I supposed to do with these?" he asked.
        "Stuff them down your shirt when you play Maya, dummkopf!"
        Shinji considered arguing, but changed his mind.  He knew 
it would be fruitless.  "At least no one else'll see me," he 
muttered to himself.

***

        Ritsuko's stomach growled again.  She grabbed the nearest 
coffee cup and put it to her lips only to discover it was empty.  
"Damn."
        She sat down in her chair and stared blankly at the desk 
overflowing with papers of all kinds.  What a crazy day it had 
been, and it didn't look like it was going to end any time soon.
        Leaning back, Ritsuko rubbed her eyes.  Day?  Hell, the 
entire month had been crazy, and that was above and beyond how 
insane things had become when she'd joined the project.
        Just sitting there, head back, eyes closed, she was almost 
tempted to just nap, but...  She squirmed a bit.  Standing, Ritsuko 
looked at her chair.
        Wadded up was...
        "Where did this come from?" she mumbled and picked up the 
discarded lab coat.  She looked it over, but there didn't appear to 
be anything wrong with it.  "What in the world is going on here?"
        Something about it did catch her eye.  She peered closely 
at the... stuff, but couldn't tell what it was.  "What is this?  It 
almost looks like... batter."
        Ritsuko boggled for another moment before frowning.
        "MAYA!"

***

        Asuka, Rei, and Shinji stood around the dining room table, 
holding their scripts.  Asuka pushed up her dark glasses, while 
Shinji adjusted the gray dishcloth on his head, which had the 
tendency to fall off whenever he moved.  Various props lay 
scattered on the table within easy reach.  Pen-Pen sat on a chair 
next to Rei, both watching the others intently.
        Shinji cleared his throat, being careful not to move his 
head, and spoke in the deepest voice he could manage, "It's been 
fifteen years."
        "Yes," Asuka replied, her voice cold as she adjusted her 
glasses once more.  "The Angels are back."
       "Is that wise?" Shinji asked, his voice a touch fearful, 
turning his head to face Asuka, and catching the dishcloth before 
it could fall.
        Asuka looked directly at Rei and said in the same tone as 
before.  "She's not dead yet."
        Rei stared back and nodded.  "Understood."
        Everyone threw down their props on the table and quickly 
made themselves ready for the next scene.  Asuka draped the white 
towel over her shoulders, Shinji struggled to wear Misato's large 
red jacket, and Rei calmly picked up the dark glasses and put them 
on.  They fit her perfectly.
        "Wark!" Pen-Pen exclaimed as he tried to see around the 
dishcloth that Shinji had placed on his head.
        "Unit-01 is ready for launch," Asuka announced, staring at 
something over Rei.
        "Can we really do this?"  Shinji asked Rei in a falsetto 
voice as he struggled to find the right arm hole.
        Rei slowly moved her stare from Asuka to Shinji.  Her 
normally apathetic-sounding voice was heavy with conviction.  "Of 
course.  Unless we defeat the Angels, mankind has no future."
        "Wark?" Pen-Pen asked, looking up at Rei from underneath 
the dishcloth.
        Rei only smiled slightly in response.
        Another scramble.  Now Rei was wearing the towel, Asuka the 
jacket, and Shinji had unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt.  
Pen-Pen tried to get the gray dishcloth off his head, but no amount 
of shaking would dislodge it.
        "You know, you're not as discreet as I remember," Rei said 
to Shinji in her usual monotone.
        Asuka huffed, and said in a tone she normally used when 
arguing with someone, "He's never been discreet in his life.  
You've finished handing over Unit-02, haven't you?  What are you 
still doing here?"
        Maybe because this time Asuka was standing next to him and 
not staring him down, Shinji was able to draw confidence from his 
role and tried to play it as he thought Kaji would.
        "I received orders this morning that I'll be staying 
around," Shinji told her in a smarmy voice, a smirk stamped on his 
face.  "So gorgeous, we can hang around again, just like we used 
to."
        Asuka frowned slightly as she exchanged props with Rei, 
which Shinji missed because he was busy buttoning his shirt and 
messing up his hair.  Seeing the other two were ready, he nodded 
and began again.
        "His monitors aren't reacting!  His condition is unknown!" 
Shinji shouted in a high-pitched nasal whine that even annoyed 
Asuka.  Then he threw on the long-haired wig, leaned back doing air 
guitar, and shouted, "Bogus, dude!  Unit-01 is totally silent!"
        Asuka's eyes narrowed as she turned away from Shinji to 
face Rei.  "Misato?"
        The determination was back in Rei's voice when she said, 
"We've got no choice.  Abort the operation.  We've got to rescue 
the pilot.  Eject the entry plug."
        Shinji managed to finish shoving the balloons down his 
shirt just in time to say, "We can't!  It's not accepting the 
signal!"
        Seeing Shinji having trouble getting the balloons out, 
Asuka smiled wickedly as she brandished a needle and popped away 
his props, causing the Third Child to look at her nervously.  At 
first, he was even more nervous when he realized Rei was staring at 
him from behind dark glasses, but like with the Kaji scene, Shinji 
was able to draw strength from the fact that none of this was 
really real.  He stood up straight and stared right back at her, 
his eyes determined.
        Rei sounded displeased, exactly the same as when they had 
last done this scene, wearing the same small frown.  "Are you 
running again?  You disappoint me.  I assume we won't meet again."
        Shinji's voice was cold.  "I intend that we won't."

***

        "Why me?"
        "It's not so terrible."
        "When you're represented by a dish towel on someone's head, 
you tell me it's not terrible then."
        "Not that it matters at all.  This is certainly the prelude 
to the end."
        Frowning at Ikari, Fuyutsuki nodded.  "I suppose so.  That 
doesn't change the fact that..."
        "Yes, yes.  A dish towel.  Really, you shouldn't let such 
little things eat you up inside.  It's not good for your health."
        "I thought you didn't kid."
        "I don't."
        "You're impossible when you're in one of these moods."
        "Professor, you disappoint me."
        Fuyutsuki exhaled heavily, avoiding continuing the 
conversation any longer.  He could never win these little battles 
with Gendo anyway, though he vowed one day he would.
        He simply let it slide as the two men watched the children 
on the monitor clean up the mess they had made in preparation for 
the next, and possibly final, reenactment.

***

        Asuka instructed Rei and Shinji to put their props away, 
while she would set up for the next reenactment.
        "But won't we need some of these things for the next scene, 
Asuka?" Shinji asked.
        Rei silently started to put the props away, aided by Pen-
Pen who had been following her around ever since she took the gray 
dishcloth off of his head.  Unlike Shinji, she was able to refuse 
the offering of beer.
        "Well, it's another two person scene and we only need a 
costume for Commander Ikari, but these dark glasses don't fit me 
for some reason," Asuka explained as she tried to wear the glasses 
in question, but they kept slipping off.
        Rei walked up to Asuka and took the glasses off of her 
face.  "That is because they are mine," she told her, carefully 
folded the dark glasses, and put them in the case that she carried.
        "All right," Asuka said slowly as she backed away from Rei.  
"My glasses must be in my room then.  I'll just go them now.  You 
two just wait right here."
        Asuka practically sprinted into her room, slamming the door 
behind her.
        Shinji couldn't help it.  He burst out laughing.
        Rei turned to him in confusion.  "What is it you find so 
humorous, Ikari-kun?"
        "Nothing," Shinji replied between fresh bouts of laughter, 
"nothing at all."

        Shinji and Rei were done cleaning up by the time Asuka 
returned.  She was carrying one of her packing boxes, with a 
"Commander Ikari" costume stacked on top of it.  She stood the box 
up by the window and dropped the costume in Shinji's lap.
        "There you go, Shinji," she told him in a cheery voice.  
"Go get dressed."
        Shinji only looked back up at her in surprise.
        "Well?  What are you waiting for?" Asuka asked, hands on 
hips.
        "I thought you were going to play my father."
        "I already have, now it's your turn.  Or do you think it'd 
be too much for you to handle?  I can always get Rei to play him 
again," Asuka goaded him.
        "I can do this," Shinji replied, sounding like he was 
trying to convince himself.  "What scene are we doing?"
        "It's when you and your father visited your mother's grave.  
Is that going to be a problem?"
        Shinji thought for a moment.  "No."
        "Great, now here's the script--"
        "I don't need it," Shinji told her, waving the transcript 
away.  "I remember what he said to me that day."
        Asuka studied him quizzically after his oddly solemn tone, 
but when he didn't explain, she said, "All right.  I already know 
my lines too, so why don't we get dressed right now and begin?"
        Shinji nodded and went to his room without another word.

***

        Ritsuko rubbed her eyes before she came into view of the 
techs manning Central Dogma.  It wouldn't do to reveal just how 
tired she was to all of them.  She had to be professional.  At all 
times, professional.
        "Commander, I got your..."  She stopped talking and gave an 
annoyed sigh when she saw the two stationed firmly in front of the 
monitor.  She knew exactly what they were doing.  "I don't mean to 
interrupt, _sirs_, but I have the _work_ I've been doing _all day_ 
that you _requested_."
        They ignored her.
        "Oh, for the love of..."  Ritsuko marched up behind the two 
commanders and was about to unleash all holy hell upon them when 
she caught sight of what was on the monitor.  "Ohh..."

        Maya watched with an almost starry expression.  "Sempai's 
about to give the commanders a piece of her mind.  She's so 
strong."
        Aoba and Hyuuga looked at each other.  Aoba put his finger 
in his mouth and made a gagging motion.
        But Ritsuko did not give the commanders a piece of her 
mind, which confused Maya.  "What's she doing?" she asked no one in 
particular, and craned her neck in an attempt to see what was going 
on.
        "They're not doing anything, just standing there," she 
answered herself.
        "She's lost it."
        "I thought she already lost it."
        "Maybe she just misplaced it before, but now she's 
definitely lost it."
        "I'm going up there."
        The two male techs froze in surprise.
        Maya stood and straightened her uniform.  Taking a deep 
breath first, she approached the command dais.  She would find out 
what was going on, once and for all.
        With her mouth dry and palms sweaty, Maya approached the 
three, staring almost fearfully at their backs.  They were crowded 
around a monitor, but she couldn't see what was on it.  This would 
take drastic measures.
        "Sempai..."
        Ritsuko whirled around, her coat flaring as she did, 
obscuring the screen.  "Oh, Maya.  Perfect timing.  Here, take care 
of this."  She held out the stack of papers that had been meant for 
the commanders.
        Maya blinked and took the papers.
        "Great.  Thanks.  I'll catch up on that stuff later."
        "But, I..."
        "Oh, don't worry about it.  It's not that important.  If 
you don't get it all done today, you can work on it tomorrow."
        Maya stood there for a moment, just staring.  Then she 
turned around woodenly and returned to her seat, all her questions 
remaining unanswered.

***

        Asuka was kneeling down, looking at one of her packing 
boxes.  She was wearing a white shirt and black pants.  Shinji 
stood behind her with his back to the window, nearly covering her 
in his shadow.  He was dressed as Commander Ikari, complete with 
dark glasses and white gloves.
        "It's been three years since we were last here," he told 
her, his voice solemn.
        Asuka smiled a bit sadly.  "That's when I ran away.  I 
haven't come back here since then.  I just don't believe my mom is 
resting here.  I don't even remember her face."
        Shinji looked up from her, glancing at Rei who watched the 
performance, bringing his eyes all the way to the ceiling.  His 
voice was still solemn, but distant, as if reciting something he 
had read over and over again.
        "Burying memories is man's way of surviving, but there are 
some things a man should never forget.  Yui taught me that one 
irreplaceable thing, Shinji.  That is the reason I come here, to 
confirm that commitment."
        "You don't have a picture of her."
        Shinji nodded, looking down on Asuka once again.  "No 
photographs.  Even this grave is an artifice.  Nothing remains."  
His voice started out deep, but became lighter near the end, so his 
last words were nearly a whisper.
        Asuka smiled again, but one without sorrow.  "It's like my 
teacher said, you cast everything away."
        "Everything is kept in my heart," Shinji stated, the 
strength returned to his voice ten-fold.  "I'm satisfied with 
that."
        Click.  Sounds of a plane landing.
        Shinji took a step away from her and said, "Our time is up.  
I'm leaving now."
        Asuka stood suddenly and walked right up to Shinji as he 
turned around to face her.
        "Father!  I mean, I..."  And then Asuka leaned over and 
very softly kissed Shinji on the lips.  They stayed like that for 
several moments until Asuka broke contact with him.
        Shinji could only stare back at her in surprise, the dark 
glasses slipping down his nose.
        Head bowed with a blush dotting her cheeks, Asuka took a 
deep breath and told him, "I love you."
        Shinji's eyes immediately bugged out.

***

        "Well, helloooo, nurse," Ritsuko said softly, her eyes 
wide.
        Fuyutsuki whistled in appreciation.  He hadn't seen that 
coming at all.
        Someone said, "Whoa," and it wasn't Ritsuko or Fuyutsuki.
        "It's so... nice to see a son who really loves his father, 
isn't it?" Ritsuko asked, smiling broadly, maybe a hint of a blush 
in her cheeks.
        Fuyutsuki barely contained his laughter.
        Gendo remained silent.  He wasn't sure at all how to react 
to what he had just seen.  It had come completely as a surprise, 
and he had absolutely no response at all.
        "I hope this was recorded, because I don't think I'm going 
to believe it tomorrow.  That was just..."  Ritsuko shook her head, 
her heart beating decidedly faster than it had been.  It was 
amazing, in retrospect, how worked up she was.  She had been 
expecting something to happen, but nothing like that.
        Fuyutsuki straightened up, smiling.  "That was... 
entertaining.  Even with the dish towel and penguin.  Even if they 
can't pilot, I'm sure they'll have bright futures as actors and 
actresses."
        Seeing that he was getting less reaction than usual from 
Gendo, and that meant absolute zero, Kozo cleared his throat.  
"Well, I have some paperwork to catch up on," he said tactfully and 
walked off, giving Ritsuko a simple nod.
        Ritsuko looked at the back of Gendo's head for a moment, 
just wondering.  "I'll go check on those papers I gave Maya," she 
said quietly, and left as well.
        Gendo sat, completely unmoving except for the barest rise 
and fall of his chest, and stared at the screen.  After what might 
have been a minute, or might have been five, one corner of his 
mouth turned up into a genuine smile, and he turned off the 
monitor.

***

        Rei watched passively.  She didn't think that was what 
happened in the scene originally; she was almost positive.  So why 
had the Second Child changed it?
        A soft thump alerted her, and she went to investigate.  She 
discovered the door about halfway open, and when she opened it the 
rest of the way...
        Misato was there, passed out in the hall.  She must have 
witnessed the reenactment.  Apparently, she was not impressed by 
it.
        Rei knew that if she had been Commander Ikari, Misato would 
have reacted differently.

END


Please check out the Role-Playing outtakes at:
http://members.tripod.com/~Ammadeau/fanfiction.htm
http://www.thekeep.org/~lara/index.html