It was late in the night and Misato was prowling around the base, like an anxious cat. With the children all in the medical wing, she hadn't wanted to go back to her quiet, dark apartment. She couldn't stay away forever; after all Pen-Pen still had to be fed. But if she could find an excuse to remain on base, she took it. And in the aftermath of the last Angel, there was plenty of work to be found.

She turned a corner and yelped in surprise, unable to stop herself from crashing into Kaji. The pair tumbled to the ground with her ending up in a rather suggestive position on top of him. She only had a moment to register this before he grinned slyly from underneath her. She rolled off and cried, "Don't get any bright ideas!"

He pulled himself in a sitting position and chuckled, "In my defense, I wasn't going to say anything."

She scoffed but, notably, didn't rebuff him completely. After both stood back up, Kaji asked, "So Katsuragi, any plans for the night?"

She shrugged, "Not really. I'm not exactly in a rush to return to the apartment but I've got to go back. For Pen-Pen's sake, if nothing else."

Kaji snorted, "Yeah, or he'll peck your eyes out when you sleep."

That earned a laugh from her. Once the laughter died down, he suggested, "If you're off work, how about we go out for the night?"

She raised an eyebrow, "And do what?"

"I thought we'd see what happens."

She mulled this over then nodded, "Sure. Why not?"

They stopped by her office just long enough to deposit her papers onto the desk, atop a newly forming mountain of them. Then they were off towards the trams to the surface. As they walked, Misato huffed, "I still can't believe those two, wandering around the city at night as hurt as they are! Asuka, I can believe but Shinji! And here I thought he was such a good boy."

Kaji snorted. How little she knew about the pair.

He supposed now he had a solid answer as to the origins of Asuka's complete 180 on personality and feelings towards him. She had her walls thoroughly destroyed and now, retaining those memories, had no choice but to move forward. He was proud of her for not immediately trying to rebuild the wall.

Shinji on the other hand...well, if he hadn't heard Asuka so readily believe him, he wouldn't have believed his story. Honestly, he still struggled to wrap his head around Shinji's claim that he came from a world where the end of the world came not once, not twice but three times!

He chuckled, "That boy...he may surprise you."

She shot him a quizzical look but shrugged it off, likening his comment to his usual demeanor.

Once on the surface, they decided to go get something to eat, on account of the fact neither had anything that evening. Afterwards, they found themselves in a seedy, back alley bar.

Sipping her drink, Misato grumbled, "Why'd you choose a place like this?"

"I have my reasons," he murmured cryptically.

She stared down at her drink and quietly asked, "Are those reasons because there's probably no prying eyes or ears?"

He grinned, "You've always been so perceptive, Katsuragi. So have you made your decision yet?"

She frowned, still staring at her drink. Then, in one single motion, she threw it back and slammed the glass back on the table, "Screw it all. I'm in."

His grin widened, "Good. I mean...I hate to include you in something like this but...I feared this might be our last chance to speak on this."

She blinked owlishly at him, "...why?"

He swirled his drink aaround, noting that he hadn't actually drank any of it. He murmured, "You see, Katsuragi. I'll be leaving town for some time."

Her face hardened, "Because one of your jobs."

"Not quite."

"Huh?" her face relaxed, "Then...why? Where are you going?"

"I can't quite answer either of those questions," he kept his tone quiet, though less out of paranoia and more out of pain for having to tell her this, "But it's a task for me and me alone."

"You're going to get yourself killed," she murmured.

"If I do, it wasn't my choice then. I've got a lot riding on my return," he smiled at her, hoping it might comfort her.

She frowned back, the smile having only brought a cold comfort, "If I may not see you again...I want to know what you know."

His smile grew, though this time it was genuine, "Good. I have something prepared but...not here."

She rose and jerked her head to the exit, "Let's get out of here and to my place."

"Your place? I'm sure there's all sorts of prying ears there…"

She turned her head back towards him, eyes half-hooded and a smirk on her face, "You're right...so we'll just have to put up a good front. Everyone already suspects we're already doing it so…"

His eyes widened. Surely, she wasn't inviting him in...not like this. The right thing would be to deny her, tell her it wouldn't be right to do so if he never came back. And it wasn't like he deserved to indulge in such carnal desires, when there was greater things on the line.

She raised a hand to beckon him, as if she could tell he was internally talking himself out of it, "C'mon, player. Don't you wanna come play with me?"

...screw it. Maybe Asuka really did have a point about denying himself happiness. And this would make a fine final interaction with Katsuragi, if it came to that. He rose to follow her and returned her smirk, "As you wish."

---

The first light of morning awoke Misato and, to her great sadness, Kaji was already gone. She should have suspected he would leave quickly, whether because he really had to leave right away or because he couldn't bear to tell her goodbye. She clenched her fists—only to find he had left something in her hand.

Pulling herself into a sitting position, she opened her hand to find he had left a pink thumb drive and a recorder. Of course, he had said he had prepared something for her.

Setting aside the thumb drive, she clasped the recorder in her hands. Most likely, this was recorded before he left which meant it could very well be his last words to her. The thought of that brought tears to her eyes, tears she furiously blinked away. It wouldn't do to cry, not now before she knew his ultimate fate.

With a deep inhale, she hit play. His voice filled the room, "I must apologize Katsuragi for my hasty exit. I feared if I stayed I may never wish to leave you. But my next trip...well, it's too important for me for me to skip out on. So in case I don't get back soon, please check up on my watermelons. Bring the kids along, it'll be good for them. Do tell Asuka I've left town too; I haven't gotten the chance to tell her."

He paused and she could tell whatever came next was difficult for him. He continued, "I do plan to return to you...but in case that doesn't happen, go forward without hesitation. Trust the children...you know the phrase; they are our future, whether or not we like it or not. And I promise, if I do make it back, I'll say the words I was unable to eight years ago. Goodbye Mi—Katsuragi."

With a click, the recording came to its end, leaving her in the silence, only broken by her heavy breathing. So that was that...was it? Indulge themselves in some carnal pleasure and part ways with only the hope they may reunite?

"Whatever it is you're up to...I hope it's worth it," she murmured.

---

The rest of the week ticked by for Asuka and the others but it was all worth it when they were discharged by the end of the week. Shinji's arm still needed a little time to heal but, luckily since it was only a particularly nasty sprain, it was likely he'd be back to fighting shape sooner than later. Kaworu's burns were peeling uncomfortably but he likened it to a bad sunburn and not the result of being blasted by a laser. The vision in Asuka's eye was returning slowly to her great relief. And Rei—well, she seemed perfectly fine. In fact, so fine she left without telling anyone to the three's confusion and, in Asuka's case, a little hurt.

Misato offered to drive the remaining three pilots home but they insisted on finding their own way home. It took a great deal of convincing but she ended up shrugging and telling them to not overdo it, if they wanted to try so badly.

They were just about to get on a tram to head home when she called, "Hey Asuka!"

She paused and turned to face her, "I told you! We will be fine walking home!"

She jogged back to them and told her, "By the way, Kaji wanted me to tell you he's going out of town. Why he wanted to tell you, I don't know...I guess because he was your guardian back then…"

So that was it, Kaji was already heading out. Asuka supposed that made sense; the sooner he disappeared, the less heat he'd have on him when he didn't answer for duty. She nodded stiffly, "Oh. Alright. I hope he's back soon."

"Me and you too," Misato murmured, a melancholy expression passing over her face before she turned away, "Call me when you three get home!"

Once they got on the tram, Shinji commented, "I see why she's been so sullen today."

"And just when her and Mr. Kaji seemed like they were rekindling their romance," Kaworu responded.

Shinji and Asuka shared a look. He didn't know yet the deeper meaning of why it was so important Kaji was leaving town. Something else they'd have to bring him up to speed.

Asuka turned to him, "We're not headed home right away, Kaworu."

"I suspected as much but what of Shinji?"

"He's gonna come with us."

Kaworu shot her a blatantly questioning look. She couldn't explain it, especially not here, so she just told him, "It'll make sense when we get there."

Once out of headquarters, Shinji fell in line behind Asuka and Kaworu without question as she led them to the usual spot of the abandoned park. She could tell Kaworu was intensely curious as to Shinji's inclusion but stayed silent the entire walk over. Once there they found someone waiting: Mari.

She didn't look too much better than they had a week ago. Under her blouse and skirt, numerous bandages were wrapped around her and one arm was even pulled into a makeshift sling.

Despite her haggard appearance, she grinned upon seeing the three, "Why, it's the whole gang! Ah...not accounting for...what did you call her...Wundergirl?"

"Don't call her that," Shinji said, almost reflexively.

"I'll have to workshop something new then," Mari shrugged, taking it in stride.

Asuka wasn't taking her presence in stride. She crossed her arms, "What are you doing here, Brit? How'd you find this place?"

"I happened to catch you and Prettyboy last time you came here. So I've been hanging around here every day since the battle because I figured you'd come here. Didn't expect the puppy here though," she squinted behind her glasses.

With a sigh, Shinji said, "Y'know, how about we all sit and talk?"

They sat in a circle, Kaworu and Asuka next to each other with Shinji beside him and Mari beside her. Once they settled down, Kaworu all but demanded, "Can you tell me why Shinji is here now? Are we...letting him in on it?"

"You don't have to let me in on it," Shinji sighed.

"Asuka told you?"

He shook his head, "Why don't I explain it to you…"

Once more, he went over how he came to be in the same situation as them. His explanation wasn't nearly as long as it had been with Asuka, as they figured out Kaworu and Mari shared memories of his home world. Kaworu's expression shifted from intrigued to horrified to shocked. Even Mari seemed surprised to have found how he had gotten roped into this, all on his own.

Once he was done, Kaworu grabbed at his hands, red eyes wide with surprise and a little hurt, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know if you would believe me. I could have never guessed you were really going through all this over and over too," he shifted uncomfortably.

"How many times?" he asked.

"This is my twelfth go-around," Shinji cocked his head, then added, "Counting the very first time that is."

"More than you deserve and less than I would have expected. In my case, I've lost count."

"Same here," Mari chipped in, "Definitely more than a few dozen though. And Asuka's only got the one go-around."

"I can speak for myself, thank you very much!" she snipped, "But yes, just once because Prettyboy here."

Asuka recounted for her what had happened between her and Kaworu on Unit 02, way back then. Shinji gave Mari a sharp look, "See, I was right! I was right to worry."

Mari huffed, "Yeah, but we both already knew about this so it worked out fine!"

"What if it hadn't!"

Mari just shrugged, dismissing him, "Actually, you know what I want to know. Why didn't your world work out, Shinji? From the outside, it looked like everything was going well. In fact, I was already getting ready to dive into the "Anti-Universe" to pull you back out. What do you think happened?"

"I have no idea. It wasn't me, it wasn't Father and it certainly wasn't Rei, so I don't know who—or what—that leaves," Shinji shook his head, "Nothing like it has happened since...but also I've been having trouble making it this far. Much less make it to Third Impact."

For once, Mari shut up, thinking very deeply. Seeing an opportunity, Kaworu went next, "After dying in the first loop, I very much desired to bring Shinji happiness."

Shinji, predictably, blushed and looked away. Kaworu continued, "So my will was so great, I wrote our names in the Book of Life and continued on until I might achieve this."

Shinji and Mari exchanged a glance, looked at Kaworu then to Asuka then back at each other. Whatever silent conversation they had was lost on her. Mari leaned forward, "And now it's my turn! I'm here because I made a promise to a very special lady."

"You said something to that effect to me," Asuka commented and she nodded eagerly.

"I did. But what I didn't say was that this very special lady was Shinji's mother."

Shinji went quiet, his eyes wide as he looked at her. He opened his mouth, closed it then opened it again, finally saying, "My mom?"

Mari nodded, "You see, I was her friend back in college—"

"Hold up," Asuka cut in, "You're like our age. How in the hell do you know Shinji's mom?"

"It is pretty weird but when I woke back up after that first Third Impact, I looked like this," she spread her arms out, "I don't really know why but it has helped me a good deal! Can I continue?"

Scowling, Asuka made a 'go on' gesture.

"Anyway. I knew Yui Ikari back in her college days—when I was an adult. We were...let's say, friends. Very good friends, so much so there was talk of me becoming Shinji's godmother!" she smiled, then frowned, "It didn't work out. For obvious reasons. But one day, she made me promise her that if you ever needed help, I would protect you. And years later, before I never saw her again, she reiterated that she would hold me to it."

She chuckled, "Sometimes I joke to myself that this whole loop business is her really holding me to that promise."

"She...really said all that?" Shinji looked at her owlishly.

Mari held up a finger then pulled a photo out of her pocket. She passed it over and, upon seeing it, Shinji clapped a hand over his mouth, suddenly blinking away tears. Asuka crowded over his shoulder to peek.

In the center of the picture surrounded by mostly people she didn't know was a young woman with brown hair cropped close to her face holding a young boy. Yui Ikari and a very young Shinji. Smiling at the young boy was a woman who looked strikingly similar to Mari—most certainly Mari's older self.

Choked up, Shinji stammered, "I've...I've seen this before. The Vice Commander showed it to me some...some time ago."

"Keep it," Mari insisted, "If anyone deserves it, you do."

He gave her a smile of thanks and reverently tucked it into his front pocket of his shirt. Asuka commented, "She looks like Rei."

"It's because—" Shinji began to talk then stopped and closed his mouth.

Asuka narrowed her eyes, "It's because what? Y'know she's been acting really weird after the battle with Zeruel."

The trio exchanged glances, once again making her feel left out. Shinji pressed, "I thought she was acting a little spacy but figured it was probably the painkillers. Weird, how?"

"Well, first, she forgot I told her to call me Asuka. Second, her emotions are all over the place. She's holding me at a distance and then she yells at me to go away and then wants to know if I'm still her friend! Third, she's in awfully good condition considering what happened. And fourth, I'm getting the sense she's not telling me the whole truth about what happened," she counted on her fingers, one for each piece of evidence.

Shinji's expression collapsed, "She didn't make it out of the battle."

"But I just saw her? We all just saw her!" a horrible feeling she couldn't name had settled in her gut, "All of you! Tell me what the hell is wrong with Rei!" she snapped.

Kaworu reached over to squeeze her shoulder, "I apologize. I had hoped you knew about this already, as I felt it wasn't my place to share it. Rei Ayanami is a clone using what could be salvaged of Shinji's mother after her Contact Experiment. When she dies, her soul is placed into a new body."

The horrible feeling rolled over into disgust and Asuka croaked, "Oh Gott. When she said she was replaceable, she meant it literally."

"I'm sorry, Asuka. I didn't know you didn't know. And it feels bad being the one to tell you."

"Better than how I learned," Shinji commented, a note of bitterness in his voice.

"So Rei did die and now she's in a new body. What do we do?" Asuka asked.

"Nothing," Mari shrugged, "None of us are supposed to know that. But what we need to discuss is the next Angel."

The roiling disgust in Asuka's gut returned, intensifying into full-on nausea, "Oh...that one…"

She bolted to her feet and rushed over to the pond where she retched. Behind her, she could dimly hear Kaworu explaining the next Angel—Arael—to them and what it did to her, albeit in extremely reduced detail.

She couldn't, not again! No amount of introspection or growth could make it hurt any less. The psychic agony as claws tore apart her mind, bringing her worst memories to the surface. And it had more ammo now—hell, what if that sort of knowledge gave the Angel an edge? The very thought made her retch again. In that case no one, save perhaps Rei, would be safe from it. And that thought didn't make her feel much better.

She could feel a hand on her shoulder and hear soft soothing words. It was Kaworu, murmuring gently, "It's going to be okay, we're all here. We won't leave you alone and we won't judge you."

She grabbed for him, wrapping an arm around him for support as her legs shook and threatened to give out underneath her. They wouldn't judge her—how could they? No matter how wretched she was before, the trio had probably seen her like this many times before. It was...bizarre how freeing the thought was and eventually, she was able to stop shaking. She murmured, "...thanks."

"I told you before," he said quietly, not loud enough for the others to hear, "As long as I can help it, I won't leave you."

"How about we all go home and calm down? Let's live like things are normal for a bit. It doesn't sound like there's a lot we can do anyway," Mari suggested in her typical overbearing voice, thoroughly ruining the moment.

For once though, Asuka wasn't annoyed by it. She straightened and let go of Kaworu. She turned to face the other two and agreed, "For once, not a bad idea from the Brit."

---

They decided that "living like things are normal for a bit" entailed going to school. Asuka didn't see the practical reason, as they had been out for a couple weeks at this point, but admitted it was probably a good idea to touch base with Hikari. But coming to class made her almost regret the decision.

The class had dwindled to a mere fraction of what it had been—in fact, Asuka could count how many students were there on two hands. Between Bardiel and the sheer destruction of Zeruel, it did make sense that many were moving away (...or worse, she thought darkly). It wouldn't take too much longer for there to be no one at all.

She also noticed Rei was nowhere to be found. They hadn't seen her when they set out that morning, so she assumed she had either gone ahead or would come later. But it appeared she hadn't shown up at all. Asuka could hardly blame her, especially after what she had learned regarding her.

But at least Hikari was here. Asuka broke off from Shinji and Kaworu when she saw her in the hallway, beside the classroom door, "Hikari!"

Seeing her, she smiled with relief, "Asuka. You're alright. I thought the worst."

They stood in silence before she added, "I heard about Kensuke."

"Oh. How did you…?"

"Toji," she jerked her head at the doorway and the classroom beyond, "He heard what happened from Kensuke's family then told me. Let's go see him, he'll be glad to see you guys are alright."

When they went into the classroom, they found Kaworu and Shinji had already sat beside Toji who was seated in the back. Hikari dragged a chair over beside Toji and wordlessly took his hand. Asuka decided to not call attention to it, instead joining the group.

"There hasn't been a lot of schooling happening at school," Hikari was explaining when she settled.

"I got that impression," Asuka commented, twisting in her seat to take count of the other students who seemed to be trying very hard not to look like they were eavesdropping. Upon seeing her look at them, many turned away in a hurry.

"Kensuke," Toji started, his eyes pained, "You guys...you guys know exactly what happened to him?"

Seeing their surprised faces, he clarified, "All we know is he passed away. Me n' Hikari got that he ended up being a Pilot out of his brother. One of the few things we could. So we ended up putting two and two together."

"Don't do that to yourself," Kaworu told him.

Toji looked back at him, "I'm his friend; however bad it is, I need to hear it. Ken's brother thinks NERV threw him out against an Angel to die. But I know none of you would have let that happen."

"We wouldn't," Shinji protested, "That's not what happened."

Toji turned his pleading face to him, "Please. It would at least put us all at ease."

Shinji frowned and, taking a look around to make sure no one was too close, leaned in, "An Angel infected his Eva before he activated it. When they activated it, it took it over and began to come here."

"With him still inside it?" Hikari asked in hushed horror.

Shinji nodded grimly and she covered her mouth. He continued, "We were, um, deployed to deal with the Angel. No one told any of us who was inside but...we did know someone was. Me n' Kaworu tried to cut out the entry plug but," he sighed deeply, "It did a number on us."

"You tried though?" Toji pressed.

He nodded. Kaworu took on the ending, his tone measured but pained, "The Angel would have killed us but, for our credit. None of us wanted to kill it in case of...what would happen," he closed his eyes, "So the Commander activated an autopilot that was installed inside my Eva and it...took care of the Angel."

"The Commander," Toji's expression hardened, "Shinji's father...that bastard!"

Hikari pulled him into an embrace, stopping his outburst before it truly began. He shuddered in her arms with barely-contained rage. She rubbed circles in his back and the group waited for him to reign himself in. Once he was able to, he slumped and sighed, "So that's what happened. One of Ken's uncles is coming to collect Goichi at the end of the week. He's gonna take him back to their hometown and have Kensuke's funeral there. I think it'll help him...to hear you guys really tried."

Asuka had noticed something or someone conspicuously missing from Toji's story, "What about his dad? Isn't he going to go with him?"

Toji openly gaped at her, "You didn't know?"

"If I knew, would I be asking?"

He frowned and said, "Well, his dad had an accident right before the Angel attack and if I had to take a guess, before NERV hired Kensuke on. Now I'm not going to jump to any conclusions but…," he trailed off, letting his implication hang in the air.

The trio of pilots shared glances, Kaworu's being notably guilty. Deciding to let Toji's conclusion go unsaid, Shinji asked, "How's his brother doing?"

He shook his head, "Not good. He really didn't want to see me n' Hikari when we visited but he at least told us about Ken being a pilot and how he's moving out of Tokyo-3. Sounds like the guy wants nothing to do with the city or NERV."

Asuka grumbled, "I can hardly blame the guy."

"He's taking it hard," Shinji murmured and, beside him, Kaworu looked to the floor.

"It's not all terrible," Toji attempted to cheer them, "Sakura's getting discharged at the beginning of next week."

He then deflated, "...but Dad's talking about quitting then and moving away. Talking about Germany of all places," he chuckled.

"Good choice," Asuka quipped with a wry smile.

"It's...okay," Shinji told him, "That way you and your family will be safe. But won't you…" he looked at both Hikari and him, trailing off.

Hikari smiled, leaning into Toji, "That's why they want to go to Germany. It's where my family is going. My aunt married a German so she lives there."

He looked from one to the other then smiled, "I'm glad you two will be together then."

Hikari's smile grew at his statement, "When you guys and Kensuke never came back, I saw how lonely Toji was. That gave me the courage to tell him how I felt because, well, someone had to be there for him."

"Hikari's helped a lot," Toji returned her smile, "When we're together, I don't worry so much."

He sighed and shook his head, "Still...I can't shake the feeling that if it had been me in his place...it would have gone better."

Remembering what had happened last time, when Toji was the pilot, and how he had survived but at great personal cost, Asuka shook her head, "It doesn't work like that. It...would have gone the same way."

Toji's face fell and he looked away, arguing weakly, "Well...I still can't help but think otherwise."

---

Rei didn't go to school that day and she didn't know if she would ever again. The Commander had openly told her after...they retrieved her...that if she didn't want to go to school, she didn't have to anymore. All she had to do was make sure she would be okay to do...what came after.

Because she was no longer a pilot.

Only a couple short days after she had been revived, Dr. Akagi had come to collect her for a private sync test. Unit Zero was still weeks away from repair but they had decided it was best to test her with what they had, rather than fix it first. So in case she failed to synchronize, they wouldn't have to go through the effort and money to repair Zero. Despite their differences, Rei had to admit the idea of Zero being discarded saddened her.

So the trio of her, Dr. Akagi and the Commander had adjoined to a secondary testing center with her suited up and placed inside Zero's Entry Plug. Zero itself was still a mere shadow of its former self but with some ingenuity, the good Doctor had rigged up a system where she could interface with its Core.

Ritsuko called out her actions as the Commander brooded over her. "Alright, Evangelion Unit Zero is receiving power."

"Commence with the test."

Rei half-listened to the Doctor's technobabble as she sat in the plug. Every time she was inside before she felt something there with her. Even when it wasn't hostile, she felt it there. Watching, waiting. For what she had never known.

She felt nothing now.

She felt alone.

"What?" Ritsuko cried as the screen flashed a red error.

"What appears to be the problem, Doctor?" the Commander droned.

"Contact is not happening," she explained, "No synchronization, nothing."

"...try again."

So she did. And again. And again. As each failure occurred, the doctor grew more and more frustrated. Rei didn't know how to feel. She wasn't devoid of a purpose entirely but, if Zero wouldn't respond, one of her roles was gone.

In the end, Zero never responded so it was decided for the foreseeable future, she was "on reserve". Rei didn't need them to tell her the real truth: that meant she would no longer a pilot. For one reason or another, neither Akagi nor the Commander wanted to admit Zero wouldn't respond because there was no one left inside to connect with.

The fractured parts of her had been made whole.

She had spent a lot of time laying in bed, staring at the unfamiliar familiar ceiling, cradling the Commander's cracked glasses in her hands.

Her purpose lay solely in giving the Commander what he desired.

It laid in beginning the Third Impact.

She clenched her hands around the glasses then, with an uncharacteristic scream, twisted and threw them as hard as she could against the wall.

They clattered to the floor, the lenses broken beyond repair.

She turned and curled into a ball. Since she had been revived, these emotional outbursts had been coming in waves. So much fury she wanted to scream and scream and scream. Sadness so deep she couldn't make herself move or even think. An almost manic excitement that sent her pacing all over her apartment. And then it would all crash inwards and she wouldn't feel anything at all.

She could feel the pull of sleep and dreaded it.

Her dreams had become more vivid and worst, Rei was starting to remember them upon waking.

She stood on a white shore of a red sea under a black sky. She was naked, bearing nothing to the world. It was silent, except for the waves' roar.

The red sea washed over her ankles—

Red hot fury, sadness as deep as a trench, ecstasy beyond comprehension, manic excitement, nauseating anxiety, an alien sense of contentment—

Then there came the memories. She went to school, she went to work, she played in the playground sandbox, she held a cat, she was making dinner, she was signing documents—

None of these were her memories or her emotions but the sea was attempting to give them to her the same. But it was like trying to force too much into a container too small. It hurt.

She tried to stumble back and away from the tides but her legs were rooted. When the sea washed over her, the experience repeated. And repeated again every time the red sea touched her.

Rei awoke again with a start. It was still dark, meaning she hadn't slept very long. Perhaps she should ask Dr. Akagi for some sleeping meds—if she'd maybe promise to not tell the Commander.

She laid there for some time, staring at the familiar unfamiliar ceiling and in the dark of her room, Rei realized something she thought quite selfish: she didn't want the world to end.