It had been three days, three days since Shinji had last been at school and frankly, since anyone had seen him. In fact, him, Asuka and Rei had all been missing in action. Kaworu was frustratingly vague when they saw him, explaining to Toji and Kensuke that they were training to fight an Angel. This made sense but the boys still wanted to visit him at home. "I just hope he's alright," Kensuke commented.

"Especially if he's with the Red Devil," Toji replied.

They stepped out of the elevator at Shinji's apartment complex and, to their surprise, Hikari exited the other elevator. Toji blinked in surprise, "Class Rep? What are you doing here?"

Her tone was professional, "Ah, the stooges, as Asuka puts it. I've come to check on her. Her address was changed recently and since she hasn't been at school, I wanted to make sure everything was alright."

"Kaworu told us they were training for NERV stuff," Kensuke explained.

"Funny, this is where Shinji lives," Toji lead them down the hall.

"Maybe they moved her in close to him so it would be easier to get them all to NERV HQ," Kensuke suggested.

The trio stopped at the same door at the end of the hall. They asked each other, "Why did you stop here?"

"Well, because this is where Shinji lives. Duh," Toji said, knocking on the door.

Hikari knocked too, "For your information, this is where Asuka's records have her staying!"

"What are we, barbarians?! Ring the doorbell," Kensuke did so.

Inside, someone yelled at them that 'I get it, I get it!'. Moments later, the door opened to reveal Shinji and Asuka in matching outfits, except Shinji's was in white and Asuka's was in pink. They could spy Rei behind them in the living room in her own matching blue outfit. Toji gasped, "Shinji! What have you done?!"

The pair exchanged a confused glance then widened their eyes when they realized. They chorused, "Wait, it's not what it looks like!"

Hikari cried, "Then what is it?! Shinji, you're living in sin and with two girls to boot! Asuka, I thought you were better than this! And Rei…," she trailed off, unsure how to go about scolding her.

"Better than this?!" Asuka said, "You don't even know what's going on!"

"Yeah, you're wrong!" Shinji agreed.

Rei continued to ignore them, not entirely sure what the problem even was. Someone should just go ahead and tell them without going through the theatrics.

"I'm sure," Hikari remarked sarcastically, "Well, two wrongs don't make a right!"

"But three wrongs just might," Toji quipped.

Hikari glared and he withered under her gaze. Misato called from further inside, "Do you guys have friends over? Might as well invite them in! We'll take a break for lunch."

Hikari calmed down enough to go on inside, followed by the boys. Once again, they had to make creative decisions to get everyone sat comfortably, especially when it turned out Kaworu was there too, albeit watching. In the end, a gathering that started in the kitchen spilled a little into the living room. But explanations were given and tensions were settled.

"That makes sense! Why didn't you say before?" Toji asked as he sipped on a soda.

"That was the plan before you guys started jumping on Shinji and Asuka," Misato deadpanned.

"Too bad I left my camcorder at home. Oh, if I only knew what we may find," Kensuke sighed.

A sharp glare from Asuka told him he probably shouldn't try bringing it later.

"So how is their coordination?" Hikari asked, cradling Pen-Pen in her lap. She had been instantly smitten with the penguin and had been cuddling him since she calmed down. Pen-Pen, on the other hand, seemed to only barely tolerate the indignation.

Misato leaned back, looking back at the contraption they had jury-rigged in the living room. "Ehhhh," she made a wiggly motion with her hand.

The contraption was three DDR mats hooked up to a chunky TV displaying an off-brand version of the game. A mess of wires connecting each section showed just how "jury-rigged" it was. She gestured at it, "Say, kids, why don't you try a round? Just to show off how it works."

Shinji grumbled but complied and Rei got up without complaint which left Asuka. She stood, "You live to embarrass me," she said venomously.

"Like I said, it's Kaji's plan. So blame him if you blame anyone," Misato took a sip of her beer as she brushed her off.

The trio got the program set up and set to work. It became obvious really quick that Shinji and Rei were most in sync with Asuka lagging significantly behind. "You ever played a rhythm game, Asuka?" Kensuke asked, "You're thinking too hard!"

She turned her head, completely abandoning the session, "So you're good at them because you don't think!"

"Wait, I never said…"

"He's got a point, Asuka," Misato drawled, "You're overthinking it. You need to have a scrap of trust in your teammates."

She grit her teeth but didn't respond, glancing over at the pair which were now perfectly in sync. Without her to slow them down. To make matters worse, Toji chimed in, "Why doesn't Kaworu sub in?"

Kaworu noticeably cringed, knowing what was coming. Asuka whirled onto the jock, "He'd never, you little weasel!"

Kensuke pressed the issue, "I mean, he could pilot Unit 02? That's why they brought him here, right?"

Kaworu cut in before Asuka could have a full-scale meltdown, "I'd rather not have to do that. I have a lower sync rate with 02 anyway. Sure, if push came to shove, I could but—"

"I can't believe you!" Asuka shrieked then stormed past everyone and out of the apartment.

Hikari immediately set Pen-Pen aside who waddled away as fast as he could, savoring his freedom while he had it. She was too busy storming over to Kaworu to notice. She stood over him and stabbed a finger at the door, "Go apologize!"

"Apologize?" he held his hands up defensively, "I didn't mean anything of it. I was simply stating a fact."

"You made her cry," Hikari scowled, her eyes burning a hole in him.

He stood up and left in a hurry, if only to get away from her. She was terrifying when you weren't in her good graces. It couldn't hurt to talk to Asuka anyway, see if maybe he could get to the meat of the issue. He thought they had come to some sort of understanding a few days before but she was backsliding again.

He found her out of the apartment complex and down the road a few minutes walk, at a corner store perusing drinks. The store was largely deserted, except for a bored looking cashier. He stopped behind her, "I'm sorry. I meant nothing by it. If I can help it, I'd rather not pilot your Evangelion at all."

Once again, she grit her teeth, letting her body wind up with all the frustration of the past couple days. Then she sighed, letting herself relax, imagining all that frustration leak out of her. She picked out a random soda and handed it to Kaworu before grabbing herself her own. She led them to check out and once out, she spoke, "I thought I knew what I was doing. But things changed and now I don't know what the hell to do."

"Roll with the punches," he reminded.

She shot him a glare so he responded with a weak smile, "Sorry. It hurts to hear but it's how it is."

He cracked open his soda and took a sip. Creamy melon, nice for a random choice. Asuka was too deep in thought to try her own. He let her think, having a feeling she was articulating something she didn't want to have to voice. Finally, she admitted, "I don't want to mess up."

She wasn't talking about their current battle. He frowned, "You might not get it on the first try."

She shot him another look but this one was alien on her face; pleading, desperate for anything but that. She murmured, "But you're here. You've done it loads of times."

"Ah, that I have," he anxiously swished his drink, "I'm feeling good now that you're here. But it's not wise to stake all our hopes on it working out."

She looked away, crushed that he couldn't guarantee her a first try victory. He continued, "Kensuke's right about one thing. You're overthinking it and not just the routine. There's lots of steps before the end so how about we get those right before we worry about that?"

"It's not that easy," she spat, "I think about that sea all the time. It's in my dreams."

"I know," he gave her a soft smile, "You don't need to tell me."

She met his eyes, holding them for a few moments, before realizing he was telling her that he shared these experiences. She nodded slowly, "First, this Angel then whatever's next."

"I know it's easier said than done," he told her, "But we need to focus on the now."

She closed her eyes, inhaled and exhaled, then opened them again. "I'll try my best," she declared, "I'll do it right! It's a matter of pride!"

He grinned, "Now that's the attitude we need!"

When they got back, Asuka got right back to work. When Kaworu sat down, Hikari smiled and nodded appreciatively at him. She whispered, "I don't know what you said but it must have worked."

As much as Asuka hated it, she had to slow down and take careful note of her movements. Kensuke was right though; after a while, she stopped consciously reading the commands and just did them. Once she entered that zone, the trio started working smoothly. Afterwards, she flopped onto the mat and asked Misato, "How was that?"

"Much better," she praised then turned to Kaworu, "Whatever you said must have really gotten her sorted out."

He smiled, "I just helped her reach her own conclusion is all."

"In any case, we need to keep at it," Misato redirected the conversation back to the matter at hand, "You guys can stand to be a little more coordinated and we need to shave some seconds off. By the time we get back out there, we need to be able to do the maneuver in 62 seconds!

But that's enough for now. You three take a break, I'll make dinner and the rest of you clear out! You got your own homes to get back to, right?" she grinned good-naturedly.

"Actually, I think I'd rather make dinner," Shinji awkwardly smiled, "Rei's our guest and I want to make sure she eats well."

She blinked then shrugged, "And here I was trying to give you a break. Oh well. No skin off my nose."

Everyone was shooed off, sent off to their own homes to eat their own dinners. The trio changed out of their routine clothes and into more casual clothing. Shinji got right to making dinner, a vegetarian rice dish with some shrimp on the side. Asuka sat at the table, idly watching him, taking note of how he thoughtful he was of Rei's eating restriction. She nearly jumped when the girl herself sat across from her with a book she opened and began to read.

Asuka chewed her lip. Rei probably was immune to it but an awkwardness had settled into the air. She could see Kaworu now, encouraging her to try talking to Rei. So she said, "So, First…"

Her words caught in her throat when Rei looked to her, blood-sea-red eyes into her own blue ones. Rei asked, "Soryu?"

"So, uh," she tripped over her words, unsure what to actually talk about, "What do you make...of this training?"

Rei hummed, giving the question genuine thought. "It's different but I don't hate it," she looked around the apartment then added, "I like it here."

That was a whole lot more emotion than she ever remember her showing. It was subtle but it was obvious something had happened before she arrived to crack her shell. Remembering Shinji's outburst, she asked, "What's your apartment like?"

"It's adequate. It fulfills my needs so I don't need for anything else."

Asuka furrowed her eyebrows. What a non-answer. That got her nowhere. She asked, "But do you like it?"

"That's irrelevant."

"But you like it here. Shouldn't you like it at your own home?"

This seemed to stop her in her tracks and she didn't immediately brush her off. She said slowly, "I like it here but the Commander thinks my current home is fine. So it must be fine."

Another reason to hate that man. Asuka huffed, "Typical. Maybe Misato could get you into a nicer place…"

Rei didn't say anything to that but wondered to herself if that might be nice.

---

The days went by far too fast for Asuka's liking. Shinji was ever-anxious though made an honest attempt to not show it. Rei didn't seem bothered at all, as was her way. Soon, it was the night before the operation.

It was still early into the night, as the sun had only set an hour before. Shinji was flipping through a magazine with an earbud left out and Rei was reading her book. Asuka was in the shower but had just finished getting dressed. She cracked the door open and called into the apartment, "Is Misato home yet?"

Shinji called back, "She's going to be at work late. Lots of prep work before the operation."

Right. She wasn't sure how she didn't expect that. She stepped out, newly dressed in her night clothes, "And Kaworu never came around?"

"He said he was busy with something else."

Probably something at the base, maybe some late-night testing, just in case something happened. She clicked her tongue, "Soooo...it's just us three."

"That would be correct. How is this relevant?" Rei chimed in.

She marched to her room, retrieving her bedding then returned. "Well, I'm "borrowing" Misato's room! I'm sure she won't mind because I need some time to myself!"

She stepped over the threshold and called, "This is the impenetrable Wall of Jericho! So either of you cross it and you'll be sorry!" she then smiled brightly, "Time for bed!"

She closed the door with a snap then waited, holding her breath. She wasn't sure what she was doing or why but she wondered. What would either one do? It didn't mean anything, she told herself, it was just a test.

The silence outside stretched long before Rei stated quietly, "The Wall of Jericho fell."

"Where'd you hear that from?" Shinji asked.

"I read it in a book."

More silence. Then Shinji spoke, "I'd hate to step on her toes. She should say what she means."

Part of her twisted at that, furious. What gave him the right to her inner most thoughts? A smaller part of her asked how would he know, if she didn't say?

He asked, "Rei, what should we do?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Ah. I'm sure you wouldn't."

The silence returned and lingered, so long she turned to set her stuff on the floor. That was a shot in the dark and it had missed its mark. Then, she heard shuffling. Rei asked, "You're going anyway?"

"What's the worse she can do?" his tone was playful but it masked anxiety.

"...then I shall accompany."

She hissed in surprise. She fell back onto her bedding, scrambling to look natural. But he didn't barge in, instead knocking gently, "Asuka? Are you going to be alright all alone?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn't really planned for what to do if one or both actually dared breach her boundaries. She stumbled, "I'm perfectly fine but if...but if...if you wanted to come in, you could ask nicely and I might consider it!"

"Oh...uh...could we come in? Please?"

"...I'll allow it."

He gingerly slid the door open and looked around. "Whoa. This is Misato's bedroom...I've never seen it before."

"It's a mess, isn't it?" Asuka remarked, grabbing a bra that had been sitting at her feet and tossing it into a corner.

"I'm not surprised," he kneeled and gathered a few dirty clothes, putting them with the discarded bra into a makeshift dirty laundry pile.

He gestured for Rei to sit by Asuka then repeated the same motion beside her, so they were sitting in a sort of triangle formation. Even this small action made the floor look a bit less cluttered. Asuka watched this with a detached look, wanting to tease him but not wanting to drive either away. She noticed Rei had been quietly looking around the room, absorbing its surroundings. Asuka asked, "So you two were worried about lil ol' me?"

"I just didn't want you to be alone the night before the fight," Shinji finally sat down, "But if you want us to leave…"

"If I wanted you to leave, I wouldn't have invited you," Asuka cut him off.

He shifted uncomfortably but nodded in understanding. Then he asked something odd, "Asuka, what are your parents like?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Why would you ask something weird like that?"

"Well, you know about my dad and he's like Rei's dad too so that just leaves you."

She deflected, "I don't know about your mother, do you know anything about her?"

He frowned, tilted his head then shrugged, "She apparently played cello. My cello was hers, according to my aunt and uncle and she wanted me to have it. I don't remember that much. She died when I was young."

She nearly regretted asking at all. Even though he had freely answered, he rocked gently back and forth, betraying his true feelings. She idly picked at her quilt, "Well, my mother died when I was young too. She...had complications interfacing with the Eva."

"Complications?" Shinji's eyes widened, "I remember the Eva...well, there was nothing left...of mine...when she did that."

Asuka didn't hide the grimace from her face, "Well, uh. Something went wrong with mine. That's all."

Shinji could catch a hint and didn't prod any further. By the look on his face, he looked like he regretted asking. He said, "You didn't really have to tell us that. If you didn't want to."

"You didn't clarify."

"Ah. How about your father?"

Asuka sighed deeply and leaned back, looking at the ceiling. She said, "We have an okay relationship. But he married quickly after Mother died. It was so quick it was pretty damn obvious that he had been shagging her before she passed. His mistress isn't much better. She gave up on me when I was still young. Because I was too cold. As if I hadn't just lost my mother."

She looked back at him to find him firmly frowning. When their eyes met, he scrambled to respond, "Oh...I'm, I'm sorry. I had no idea."

She kept his gaze. He seemed genuine and she wouldn't get anywhere by punishing him for asking a question she answered. She wasn't even sure why she had said so much, even though she had left out a more than a few critical points. She shrugged, slipping her mask back on, "There's no use crying over it. If they want to be that way, then they can be."

Shinji didn't seem satisfied with that viewpoint but didn't argue. Instead, he turned to Rei, "Erm, I'm sorry, Rei. I guess I picked a bad topic of conversation because we already know about my father."

"It's alright," she assured him, "I like to listen to you two talk."

He nodded, "I'm glad then," he looked back into the open air and said, almost mostly to himself, "I've been wondering lately what my mother would think of what I've been doing."

Asuka raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, placing her face on one fist, "What makes you wonder that?"

He shrugged, "Kensuke's brother Goichi told us a story about Second Impact. He mentioned their mother in it and it made me think about mine. I guess I really can't know what she would think though."

"I think my mother would be happy that I'm working on something she worked on!" Asuka puffed her chest up, "She was a researcher so some of her work went into Eva!"

"That makes sense," he agreed, "Maybe mine would be glad too then. Pretty sure she worked on it too."

Despite her bravado, Shinji's words had wormed their way into her heart. She knew her mother did love her, despite how she had fractured in the end. Her last, glorious fight back in the "Prime Loop" told her that much. But was she...proud? Was Asuka doing something she'd approve of? Not even in just piloting Eva but trying to prevent the end of the world?

Shinji noticed her starting to space and scrambled for a new conversation, "Hey, um, I wanted to know...what is it like in Germany? Does it snow?"

Relieved for something else to occupy her mind with, she happily told him and Rei about what German winter was like.

Hours later, Misato returned home. She thought she might be able to steal a couple hours sleep before she had to be up again. Oh well, nothing some black coffee couldn't fix. Inside, the lights were off, signaling the children had gone to sleep. But curiously, Rei was absent from the living room, her temporary sleeping space. Misato furrowed her eyebrows. Perhaps one of the other kids invited her in with them? She couldn't really see that, with Shinji being as timid as he was and Asuka being as standoffish as she was. She would check after she got dressed in some more comfortable clothes.

She opened her room to find out where the three had disappeared to. Laid out beside each other was the trio; still apart from each other but close enough to reach each other if they wanted. She smiled softly, "I wonder how this happened."

---

Rei woke first as it was routine for her to wake just after sunrise. She sat up and stretched appreciatively. She had been sleeping better here at the Katsuragi homestead but reasoned it was because humans were a social species and so she was simply fulfilling a human need. She looked over at the other two. She would leave Asuka alone but debated shaking Shinji awake, asking for breakfast. She decided against it, instead leaving the room.

Outside in the kitchen, she found Misato brewing a pot of coffee. Seeing Rei, she smiled, "You're up early. I was just about to get you guys up. After a cup of coffee, that is."

"I always wake up at this time," she sat herself at the table, folding her hands over each other.

"I'm afraid we won't have much time for a homecooked breakfast but I did pick up some stuff last night," she gestured to an array of convenience store items on the table, "Take what you like while I get the others."

Rei perused the items for something she could eat. There was a few rice balls, two different sandwiches, a few dorayakis and three bentos. She reasoned the cold soba bento was meant for her so she took that and one of the dorayakis. Misato also got a coffee drink for each of them so she took one of those to eat her breakfast with.

In the other room, she could hear Misato rousing her companions. Asuka was, predictably, upset at having been discovered in her room—especially with the other two. Shinji seemed just as flustered but was first out, probably to get away from the teasing and Asuka's tantrum. He stopped at the table and said, "Oh, Misato got us breakfast."

He picked out his own breakfast and sat beside her, "How'd you sleep?"

"Adequately," she answered flatly, digging into her noodles.

"Oh well...I slept pretty well, all things considered," he tore open his own bento, with rice tonkatsu, his favorite. He appreciated Misato remembering that.

Asuka didn't come out immediately, instead retreating to her own room. Judging by how her fire-orange hair stuck up this way and that, it was probably to brush her hair. She returned a few minutes later, snatching up her own breakfast and wasting no time in tearing into it. She spoke through a mouthful of food, "We gotta get going!"

"Asuka, calm down," Misato took her seat, grabbing one of the rice balls for herself, "I got you guys up early on purpose so you can eat a halfway decent meal."

She took a long sip of her coffee, "And to beat the traffic..."

About half an hour later, the trio and Misato were on their way to NERV HQ. It was still early, so early dregs of morning fog still clung to Tokyo-3. Soon enough, the peace would be broken when evacuation orders were issued. The fight would take place in the city, as they were going to make use of its recently repaired fortifications. Hopefully by the time the Angel woke back up, everyone would be safe in the shelters and the pilots would be en route to intercept.

Inside the car the silence was palpable, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Asuka stared out the window, worrying at her lip. She—no, they all had practiced for this. They would not fail. But yet, all she could think of were all her past failures. Shinji asked, "Are you worried?"

"Why would you ask that?" she snapped.

Shinji flinched. He murmured, "Well, I am…"

"We've trained so much we could do it in our sleep. We'll be fine," she looked away again.

"You think so?"

"Of course!" she said, looking out the window, stubbornly not looking back.

Shinji sighed in relief, "That...actually helps," he turned to Rei, "How are you feeling?"

She responded, "I am confident in our skills and plan. However, if things don't go to plan, I am prepared to protect you two."

"No, we're a team," Asuka looked back, "We cover each other."

Rei looked back at her, red-blood-sea meeting blue. Asuka wanted to look away but stood her ground this time. Rei finally broke, "You and Ikari are irreplaceable," her voice was soft.

Asuka's breath caught in her throat. Shinji had a very different response. He cried, "Rei, we went over this! You're not replaceable!"

Asuka agreed, "Yeah, Ayanami, you're not going to go get yourself killed for our sakes."

She blinked slowly then responded, "I will not endanger my life on purpose but if it comes down to it, I should be the one in danger. If I die, I can be replaced."

"Who told you that?" Asuka hissed, "The Commander?"

"Correct."

"Unbelievable," Asuka rolled her eyes, "How am I not surprised. You're not replaceable and you're certainly not some doll."

"A...doll?" Rei tilted her head.

Ah hell. She hadn't meant for that to slip out. But she stood by it, "I said what I said."

A silence settled over the car, except for the idle hum of the car itself. Then Misato coughed, "Hey kids, you wanna lighten up a lil?"

The car remained silent and in this silence Rei pondered the other two's statements. Despite what they thought, she was indeed replaceable in a very literal sense. She wished she could tell them, if only so they'd understand and find some comfort in that fact. But alas, she had been barred from telling anyone about anything pertaining to the Scenario and had been threatened with dire consequences if she did. For both herself and the one she told. She wasn't sure exactly what she felt for the pair but she certainly didn't want either of them to die.

Speaking of Soryu, what did she mean by "doll"? It was an apt term but no one had ever used that phrase for her before. Is that what she thought of her? If so, why would she deny it in the same breath she used it?

Even if the description of "doll" was accurate, some part of Rei resented it.

---

It wasn't even another hour before the Pilots were suited up and loaded into their Evas. Five minutes before, the techs had signaled the Angel was showing signs of life. And just about now, it was starting to lumber towards Tokyo-3. Now it was just a waiting game to spring the Evas onto their target. Misato appeared on their individual feeds, "Alright, listen up. The target has broken through the final defense and will be in sight soon. You know the plan. Once the music starts, deploy your AT Fields then stick to the operation. Got it?"

The trio chorused their understanding and she let herself smile, "Good. Now good luck."

She left them alone once more and Asuka breathed in deeply. Interrupting her though was Shinji, paging through. It showed he had opened channels between all three. Rei accepted so Asuka did too. She teased, "Pre-fight jitters?"

"No, er, I wanted to say good luck, you two."

"I don't need luck but I'll accept. Good luck too."

"Yes, good luck, Ikari and Soryu."

The bridge chatter came through, informing them they had only 20 seconds before the target reached the city. Asuka clarified, "62 seconds, we'll be done in 62 seconds."

"Right," Shinji agreed, "Gonna be a long 62 seconds."

Misato's voice came over their comms, "Target is in range! Evas, launch!"

Right as they reached the surface, all three Evangelions launched themselves into the sky. In sync, they flipped open their shoulder pylons to retrieve their Prog Knives. With the flick of the wrist and a click, each extended into a glaive.

They launched them like javelins and they sliced through the Angel which, like last time, made no move to attack first. It stayed still for a moment before it fell dramatically into thirds. Each bubbled and reformed until it had returned to three entities. They looked up at their foes, eyes glittering with energy for a counterattack, but a volley of bullets hit them hard.

With a screech, they fired back. But the Evas launched themselves backwards and into a series of backflips. Just as the beams would have hit them, a retractable wall shot up in front of them, blocking the blast. The wall held steady so the Angels let up. A mistake because a new volley of bullets hit them, their opponents hidden in the smoke.

They dodged by lifting into the air as if it took no effort. They alighted in front of the wall and blasted it point-blank. It melted away to reveal...their opponents had disappeared?

The screeching of moving machinery alerted it before it could even begin to search. Around it, buildings shifted and opened. From the distance came the high whistle of incoming missiles. The Angels barely had a moment to comprehend what was happening before they were bathed in white hot fury.

They didn't even see the final attack coming. The Evas burst through the smoke like specters, kicking, punching then launching the Angels into the air. They collided into each other, melting back into a single entity.

Which was immediately brought back down to earth as all three Evas beared down onto it with a final, mighty kick. It slid along the ground, plowing through the city then the mountainside beyond. It screamed a final, all-too-human scream and exploded.

"The Angel has gone cold," Hyuga reported, "The Seventh Angel has been defeated."

Kaworu, who had been standing by this whole time and watching, asked, "What about Shinji, Asuka and Rei?"

Their feed showed that, once the smoke cleared, all three Evas were intact. Albeit sprawled in various, embarrassing positions. Maya reported with an amused smile, "All Evas are operational with minimal damage."

"But they look ridiculous!" Ritsuko cried.

"Ridiculous got the job done," Misato shot back with a grin, more than a little proud at their handiwork.

Down at the explosion site, Shinji had triggered the internal release for the Entry Plug and clamored out. Asuka's shrill voice came from the external speaker, "Look at us! We look ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous?" he immediately defended, "How is that any of our faults!"

"Couldn't we have tried to land a tad bit more gracefully?"

"We got blown up!"

She grumbled something unintelligible. Then she changed topic, "Anyway, good job Shinji. You too, Rei."

Rei herself chimed in, "Ikari, Soryu, good job."

"Oh..oh thank you!" Shinji smiled wide, having not expected anything like that from either, "You too!"

He paused, realization setting in, "Hey, wait! Asuka, you called Rei by her first name!"

"Did not!

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

Fuyutski sighed as the childrens' petty argument played through Central Dogma, "I guess no matter what, kids will be kids."