Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Evangelion: The World He Wished For

Chapter 4

Stepping into the room, the first thing that struck Shinji was how small the place was. While it was larger than Misato’s apartment, it wasn’t nearly as large a place as he imagined his father living in. The second thing he noticed was the solitary figure in black standing by the window panels that made up the far wall and went from floor to ceiling.

‘Father.’ Shinji’s palms instantly went cold and clammy as beads of sweat formed across his forehead.

“Are you going to stand there all day? I’m a busy man. I don’t have time for childish indecision.” The man snapped in a commanding tone.

Shinji jumped. “Sorry, Father.” He sighed sadly as he slipped off his shoes and slowly walked over to the man. Stopping next to him, Shinji looked out the window to see what his father found so interesting. Below was large flower garden with several walking paths etched out for convenience. Seeing the wide assortment of flowers brought a smile to the young teen’s face.

“I’m glad you decided to come,” Gendo spoke.

Hearing his father’s words snapped Shinji out of his muse. “Aaa… Father?”

“Yes?” was the man’s only reply.

Suddenly, Shinji’s mind was a blank. There were so many questions he had for his father, yet at this very instant all of them escaped him. Finally, he blurted out, “What is this place?”

“This facility was built shortly after Second Impact. With the threat of war eminent at the time, it was decided that a place away from the capital was needed for key government and military personnel. Yet still close enough to allow for communications via currier if all other forms of communications were disrupted. With the threat of conventional war no longer an issue at least for us here in Japan, this facility fell into disuse. Now with the attack of the Angels, key NERV personnel have been given permission to use this facility,” Gendo explained.

“Wouldn’t Misato… I mean Major Katsuragi be considered key personnel?” The boy asked but Gendo provided no response.

Turning suddenly, Gendo walked to the first door to his right. Shinji quickly followed. Opening the door, Gendo stepped in and said, “This is your bedroom.” The room consisted of a twin-size bed, a dresser and a desk with a chair, no other furnishings of any kind. “Contact the concierge if you need anything else.”

Shinji stood in the middle of the small room looking wall to wall. ‘Hmm… not much bigger than my room at Misato’s.’

When Gendo turned and walked out the room, Shinji followed suit, grabbing the doorknob to close the door, he looked down and noticed, ‘A lock. Well, that’s nice.’ Then he pulled the door close. Seeing his father already entering the next room, he rushed to catch up. This room was a little smaller than his bedroom and had a desk against the far wall with computer on it, a small sofa against the side wall and a modest entertainment center against the opposite wall.

“This is your room as well. Use it to study, to entertain yourself or your friends, whatever. Just keep the noise down and you won’t hear from me,” Gendo explained.

“Yes sir.” the boy replied automatically.

Turning to face his son, the man said, “I will respect your privacy, I expect you to respect mine.”

“Yes sir.”

“I have to return to NERV.” Gendo started heading for the door when he stopped suddenly. Not taking the time to face his son, he simply said, “I’m glad you’ve decided to move in Shinji. I’m not like other fathers. I suppose I never will be, but it is my hope that in time, we can come to… understand each other.”

“I-I’d like that, father,” Shinji replied nervously.

The older man gave a slight nod then walked out of the room and headed for the main door.

“Oh, father?” Shinji rushed out of the room.

“Yes.”

“Aaa… well, you see… I have this date… you see…” he stammered.

“Yes, with Rei, what about it?” Gendo replied.

“Oh, well… I was wondering if… see, I’ve never been on a date, so I don’t really know…” Tired of his son’s ramblings, Gendo pulled out his cellphone, hit speed dial and spoke, “Arrange for the standard evening out for my son.” He paused and listened for a moment. “Yes… yes… fine.” Returning the phone to his pocket he addressed the boy, “Your evening has been arranged.” With that, Gendo walked out the door without another word.

Shinji stared at the door as it closed on its own and jumped slightly as it clicked shut. “Th-thank you, father,” he whispered.

--

Rei stepped out of her bathroom wearing only a towel, which she was using to dry her hair. She walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer, pulled out a bra and a pair of panties, and then walked over to her bed. Tossing the towel on the bed, she grabbed the panties and held them out in front of herself with both hands. She stared at the delicate fabric, then glanced over at the bra for a moment.

Rei turned and walked back over to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer again. She stared down into the drawer. “They are all the same. All of my underwear are exactly the same.”

She closed the top drawer and opened the middle drawer. This drawer was filled with black socks. “They are all the same as well.”

Rei pushed it closed and opened the bottom drawer, which was empty. After closing the bottom drawer, she walked back over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

‘Why are they all the same? It would suggest that they serve no purpose other than their functional application. But if this were entirely true, than this would be the only version available of these garments, would it not? But I know this is not the case. I have seen the girls at school in the gymnasium locker room, and I have seen Pilot Sohryu, Asuka

Langley Sohryu, when we have changed into our plug suits at NERV. I do not recall ever seeing her in the same type of underwear twice. Do I only have the one type because they serve no other function to me?’

She stared at the panties for a long time before she came to a conclusion, ‘The person I was, was…quite dull. I am still me, but… I think… I will… need to go shopping tomorrow.’

She shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts and proceeded to slip her panties on as she stood back up. Picking up her bra, she put it on as well, then headed for the kitchen. ‘So what is this gift, Pilot Kaworu spoke of?’

Seeing the box sitting on the small kitchen table, she walked up to it and stared at it for several minutes. Slowly, she lifted her hand and ran it over the top of it. It was a large, rectangular box but its outer appearance gave no hint of its contents. There was no writing or markings on it of any kind. Eventually, she raised her other hand, grabbed the lid by its sides and lifted it off.

Looking inside she saw some type of garment with orchids printed on it in different shades of blue over a dark navy blue background, and a note sitting on top of it. Rei set the lid aside and picked up the note. Opening is she began to read it:

Dearest Rei-chan,

In anticipation of your date with Ikari-kun, I purchased for you this article of clothing. It is a traditional Japanese Kimono. I have been told, or so I think I have been told, it may just be a false memory, that such attire is coming back in fashion here in Japan. Don’t ask me how I knew to purchase it for you, since at the time I didn’t know you would be going on a date. I do not know the answer.

Instructions on how to properly wear a Kimono can be found under the obi. I hope you enjoy your evening with Ikari-kun and I’ll be by later to talk with you some more.

Your loving brother,

Kaworu

Rei narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, “Rei-chan.” Closing the note, she set it on the table. Looking back at the box, she ran her hand over the material, “Hmm, soft…” A faint smile appeared on her face as she picked up the box and carried it to her bed.

--

Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki waited patiently on the roof of the building, the helicopter’s engines remained hot and ready to take off in a moments notice. The door to the roof opened and the commander of NERV headed directly to the chopper. His second in command fell into step instantly.

“All went well, I presume?” the older man inquired.

“You may presume all you wish,” the commander responded.

A dry smirk crossed Fuyutsuki’s face.

“Have the footage of the last three battles ready to view upon our return as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the originals, not the copies,” Gendo commanded.

“Something wrong?” Kouzou gave his boss a puzzled look.

“Something is not right.”

“What do you mean?” Kouzou asked as they boarded the helicopter.

“Do you recall the battle with the thirteenth angel?” Gendo inquired.

“Of course, that was the first battle in which Unit Three participated. Zeruel rendered Units Zero and Two inoperable. Pilot’s Ikari and Kaworu coordinated their efforts and alternated their attacks to keep the angel off balance. Both pilots pierced the angel’s S2 organ simultaneously from front and behind,” the sub-commander sumerized.

“Are you sure?” the commander countered. One of the two agents accompanying the commander secured the helicopter door closed and signaled the pilot that it was now safe to leave.

“Of course I’m sure,” Kouzou replied impatiently. “What are you getting at Gendo?”

“That’s exactly how I remember the events of that operation occurring, except…”

“What? Except what?”

“Try to remember specific details of the operation,” Gendo instructed.

“Like what?” Kouzou did his best to keep his tone even.

“Anything. What were you feeling as the operation commenced? What were Major Katsuragi’s specific instructions during the battle? What went through your mind when you saw Units Zero and Two go down?” Gendo specified.

The sub-commander shook his head, not understanding the reason for his boss’s insistence but he did as he was told. Concentrating deeply, Kouzou tried to remember precisely what he was thinking when the battle started. When nothing came to him, he tried to remember Katsuragi’s actions as she coordinated the attack. Flashes of previous battles came to mind, but none when it came to the battle against the 13th angel. He tried to recall seeing Units 00 and 02 fall, but it was a fuzzy haze.

“You can’t, can you.” Gendo stated in a matter-of-fact, sort of way.

“What does this mean?”

“I’m not certain, but I believe what it means is, that Third Impact has already occurred.”

“Already occurred. But how?”

Gendo pushed up his glasses up and looked out the window. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.”

-- To Be Continue --

AN: Well, it only took me three and a half years to update this story. Not too bad. P I sincerely hope the next chapter will come a whole lot sooner, but I make no promises. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time I used to have to write, and I have so many incomplete stories I’m working on. Generally speaking, I write where ever my insperation takes me. This time around it was back to this story. Hopefully, it will stay here for awhile. I hope you like this chapter, but either way, please let me know what you think of it.

Thanks,

A. Amishi