A/N: The capital "I"s are my divider markers

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion, or the poem "While I Slept" by Robert Francis

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"Mother in sight"

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*While I slept she would come to my bedroom stepping softly and smooth the twisted, troubled sheet...

Misato had quickly become like a mother to me, not just my designated guardian. As much as I tried not to let her in, in she walked.

When I am hurt, it pains her. Even when she tries to hide it, I see.

The mask I show to everyone is ripped away when she speaks to me. She easily sees past my disguise. Misato willingly chose this role, I suppose because she has no children of her own.

I wonder if she and Kaji had such a strained relationship in the past. Perhaps they would have had a child together. Maybe they almost did, but it died in her womb.

Death does things to people.

Now I see that Kaji must have died, because Misato barely eats anymore, just sleeps and sleeps. I'd call her lazy, but somehow since becoming "Unit 1" pilot, I feel more empathy. She has behaved as my surrogate mother, and as her son I feel very different. It was nice to hear her say "Welcome home".

After sobbing for hours, so loudly even my music couldn't block it out, she finished a bottle of liquor. I found it empty on the floor outside her bedroom, its lid broken off with pieces of glass on the floor.

*Now she sleeps while the nights grow colder. And I wake, and sleep, and wake again while she sleeps...

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End

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If you've never read the poem mentioned here, I highly recommend you do. It's definitely one of my favorites.

Hope you liked it, please review.