You Can (Not) Run Away

Chapter 1:

Several weeks before the arrival of the Third Angel

The Commander's Office

"We don't have long before the third of its kind appears, and with Rei out of commission…"

"We will have to bring in the spare."

"Ikari, you're sure that we can still use him? After what happened—"

"He's not dead yet, Fuyutski," Gendo interrupted.

The younger, bearded man sat at his desk with carefully organized folders littering its surface. A stack of medical reports amongst the papers was prominently displayed, as was the single file sat before him. A school picture of a particular brown-haired boy was on its cover. Each paper was slightly worn with their corners and edges slightly rounded, as if they were commonly used and referred to.

"What makes you so confident that he will agree to pilot?" the wizened professor inquired.

Gendo opened the file without much thought, revealing a vast collection of documentation on mental and physical health, along with the subject's daily habits. More significantly were the two additional pictures that were initially obscured by the flap of the envelope. One was of the boy, somewhere around six years old. The other was newer, meaning that he looked more like the most recent profile picture that marked the outside of the folder. Unlike the others, it was also a full-body shot, seemingly taken without the subject's discretion nor his awareness.

"We have something to give to him; something only Eva can give to him:" Gendo said without moving from his position.

He held up the picture into the light, revealing the handicapped form of Shinji Ikari, age 14, bound to a wheelchair with his frail legs visible, weakened by years of disuse.

"And you're certain that the boy's impairment won't impact the scenario?"

A small smirk appeared below the commander's gloved hands, somewhere no one could see.

"Absolutely."

Several days later

Tokyo-3 Train Station

Shinji Ikari hated riding the train. Rather, he hated drawing unnecessary attention to himself, which was already difficult considering his condition. For this reason, he was extremely thankful that in his native country, most people avoided awkward eye contact, but he couldn't help to feel as if curious eyes unintentionally wandered his way. He was thankful that since Second Impact, the trains weren't nearly as crowded as he heard they used to be with people packed into cars like a can of anchovies.

The train came to a steady halt, and the metal doors slid open. Being in the disabled section meant that he had the spot closest to the exit, which he was rather fortunate about. Shinji gripped the sides of his wheelchair wheels and carefully rolled himself onto the concrete station platform. Fortunately, since Tokyo-3 was a newer city built post-Impact, most places were apparently outfitted to be handicapped-accessible, as per his teacher who had given a brief overview of the grand city before he departed. Supposedly, this was in response to the growing number of disabled folk following the aftermath of Second Impact, and so newer public areas were meant to accommodate to this effect.

He could remember back in his old town, which was much older than Tokyo-3, the train system and some buses still lacked proper equipment and design for wheelchair-users, making it especially difficult for him. Shinji lost count of how many times he had fallen from his seat just trying to disembark from a vehicle or go down a small flight of stairs when he was first becoming accustomed to his permanent seating after the accident.

Bruises and scrapes often accompanied him in his youth, eventually becoming something he often himself dismissed.

He knew pain much too well, unfortunately not all of it was physical.

Occasionally, someone was nearby and came him to assistance, especially when he was younger. Although they were acted through goodwill, they were also harrowing reminders to Shinji about how useless he felt.

He hated that, too.

Once he made it away from the loading ramp, he did a quick scan around the outdoor station. Not too many people were there, he noted. It was sparse, with only the occasional passenger making their way between trains or the rare employee appearing as disinterested as ever. Still, no sight of his ride.

He glanced over at the digital clock that determined train arrival and departure times. Thanks to the mostly-autonomous Japanese train system, his timing was impeccable- although he had already waited for a bit of extra time since he exited the train. Out of his bag that he had rested on his lap, he pulled out a folded picture meant to resemble a crude postcard that he was sent just days prior.

Pictured was the woman who, supposedly, was already meant to have been waiting for him at the station. She had dark violet hair with quite an ample bosom loosely covered by a yellow tank top. Black sharpie marks indicated the time and place to meet up, and she even added her own personal 'signature' by means of red lipstick.

It certainly was quite bizarre considering that this 'Misato Katsuragi' woman was perhaps some sort of associate to his father.

The piercing screech of rubber against asphalt filled the quiet atmosphere of the train station, bringing Shinji's eyes up from the picture. It was probably for the best, as if any more people were around him, they'd conclude that he was staring at the picture for other reasons. The sound came from a blue sports car as it carelessly (yet precisely) slid to halt in front of the station. Something told him that he had a good idea who it was.

The woman from the picture stepped out of the vehicle, long legs hardly obscured by the short, black dress she was sporting. She turned to his direction, spotting him instantly considering how easily he stood out. She ripped off her sunglasses and even Shinji could see the smile that she was wearing from beyond the wire fencing. Her hand waved in the air in a friendly, beckoning gesture.

"Shinji Ikari?" she called.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" he responded.

"Misato Katsuragi- I'm your ride! Am I real late?"

"Sorry I don't have a bigger car; would you like some help?" Misato offered.

"No, please, Miss Misato, I'm fine. My teacher had a car," he responded as he readied himself before the open car door. "I-I don't want to be a burden."

It was true that he was used to getting into a car, considering that his previous guardian was forced to purchase one since the accident, although it was a standard four-door vehicle as opposed to a low-riding two-door coupé. Shinji grasped onto the car's interior and clumsily launched himself from his wheelchair, only to fall halfway onto the leather seating with his legs loosely dangling out of the doorframe.

In a practiced motion, he slid himself further onto the seat and grabbed his limp legs individually to pull them inside. It took nearly a year to get accustomed to having half his body present as merely dead weight, but it got easier over time. Physically easier, that is.

Misato studied him with watchful eyes and carefully shut the door for him, as he was hardly able to even reach from where he sat. After a bit of fumbling, she folded his wheelchair and packed it away in the car's tiny trunk. She paused as she held onto the blue paint the back door with her uneasy gaze falling onto Shinji's forced means of mobility.

'If only he knew what he's getting into…'

NERV Headquarters

"Sorry~! I just got here myself, you know," Misato said while fumbling through a map of the building. "I still haven't figured where everything is here yet."

"Uh- I think we already passed this way before. Where did you say we were supposed to meet up, again?" Shinji lost count of how long they had been wandering around the facility. Combined with his meager tour guide, it seemed like the architects purposefully made it so that people would get lost. Unlike her, he didn't have a map considering the difficulty of using one while he used his arms for movement, so instead he opted to navigate by feel. It didn't help that every hallway looked the same.

"Rits said to meet at Terminal Block E right before the- agh!" Misato jerked back in surprise when she found herself almost colliding with a blonde woman in a lab coat.

"That took longer than you said it would, Captain," the woman sharply quipped, almost in a teasing manner.

"Hey-! I volunteered to pick him up. And whoever designed this place should be fired!"

The doctor wisely ignored her colleague's comments, instead turning her attention to the new arrival sitting in his wheelchair beside them.

"Then, of course, this is him?"

"That's right;" Misato stated, "according to the Marduk Report, he's the Third Child."

"Ritsuko Akagi," the blonde said, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Shinji."

"Uh- sure!" Shinji responded. "And um, what was that about me being the Third Child?"

"This, Shinji, is the reason why."

Ritsuko pressed on the wall panel and the nearby door slid open and beckoned the two inside. As the three entered, the automatic door slid shut, submerging the room in darkness.

"H-hey! What happened to the lights?" —Shinji yelped right before the lights flickered back on— "AGH! A-a giant robot!"

He rifled through the NERV booklet Misato handed him in the car that he had sitting on his lap, quickly flipping through the pages to see anything that fit the description.

"You won't find that in there," Ritsuko commented. "This is Evangelion Unit 01. This is why we brought you here."

"This…?"

Shinji stared in awe at the massive, mechanical monster. Its purple face possessed a demonic visage, and its unblinking yellow 'eyes' felt unsettling, to say the least. It was almost as if the machine were alive, and staring at him- or rather through him.

"Is… is this my father's work?" Shinji asked.

"Yes," Ritsuko replied, "all of this is. NERV is the last defense mankind has against the Angels."

"Angels…?"

"Yes, Angels. They aren't the typical messengers of God like your ones you're used to. Their ultimate goal is the end of us- the end of mankind through what we call Third Impact."

"Third Impact? But Second Imp-"

"Whatever they told you about Second Impact is wrong," Ritsuko interrupted, "it was a cover-up for what truly happened. Second Impact was the cause of contact with the First Angel in Antarctica. If we fail to stop the return of the Angels, then Third Impact will wipe out the rest of the world. This is why NERV exists."

Shinji stared at her in disbelief, unaware of the scowl hidden across Misato's face.

"And… then what am I supposed to do?"

"You will pilot it," came a new, authoritative voice.

From the other side of the catwalk, Gendo Ikari appeared in full NERV commander uniform complete with white gloves, amber-tinted glasses, and a cold, unrelenting gaze.

"Father…" Shinji faintly whispered.

Ritsuko acknowledged the elder Ikari and stepped beside Misato, completely exposing the boy to the approaching man.

"It's been awhile," Gendo stated.

"Is… is this why you called me, father?"

"Correct."

"But… but why me, father?"

Shinji gripped the metal bars of his wheels hard enough that his knuckles were turning white. Misato, although not completely unnerved by the commander's imposing presence, took note of this.

"Because only you can do it."

"But… but that's impossible!" Shinji wailed. "What you're asking- I can't do it!"

The elder Ikari by now stood immediately before his son; his imposing figure towering over the seated boy. Shinji fell like an ant compared to his father, whose menacing composition loomed over him akin to a shadow. Their eyes never met, as Shinji opted to turn his head away to avoid Gendo's unbreakable glare.

"I can't…" Shinji muttered.

"You can, and you will."

"No, I can't!" Shinji snapped. "I can't do anything! I can't even walk for myself!"

"Shinji," Ritsuko interrupted, "you can pilot the Eva. The neural links inside- they were specifically designed as a direct interface to your brain. If you will Eva to walk, you'll feel the same sensations."

Shinji paused, realizing what the doctor just told him. It had been six years since the accident that changed his life. Six years since he woke up in the infirmary with tubes inserted into his body and strange machines hooked up around him. Six years since he was hit by a drunk driver through the empty streets of his hometown, and six years since the doctors informed him that he would never be able to use his legs again.

And now, six long years later, he was told that he could take it all back at the order of his father, the same man who hadn't spoken to him in so many years after dumping him off with his teacher. The same man who hadn't even so much as visited his son in the hospital when nobody else would. The only people that came to visit Shinji's hospital room during his recovery were the nurses that took pity on him, as did everyone else. He felt that everyone took pity on him, that he was helpless cripple. The worst part was that he believed it himself.

"I… I can walk again…?" Shinji quietly asked.

"In a word: yes," Ritsuko answered.

"Then you'll pilot it," Gendo 'asked', although it somehow sounded more like a command rather than a question.

Shinji kept his head down and stared into his lap where he rested his curled hands, again avoiding direct eye contact with his father.

"… I'll do it," he responded just loud enough to be heard. "I'll pilot the Eva…"

Gendo appeared to nod, acknowledging Shinji's response with little interest.

"Captain Katsuragi."

"Yes, sir!" she saluted.

"You will be in charge of his accommodations. I leave responsibility of further testing to you, Ritsuko."

She nodded in return as the NERV commander walked back down his side of the catwalk and exited through the automatic sliding doors. Shinji kept his head down the entire time, trying to process the flurry of indescribable emotions he was experiencing, which was best expressed through his involuntary shaking.

"C'mon, Shinji," Misato said while placing her hand on his shoulder, "let's get you signed in."

NERV Registration and Employee Service Center

"What?!" Misato shouted. "He's going to be living by himself?"

"That's correct, Captain," the desk assistant responded. "Don't worry- everything is wheelchair-accessible and will be properly adjusted to suit his-"

"Damn the adjustments! He shouldn't be living alone!"

"Miss Misato, it's fine. I can take care of myself," Shinji commented.

Misato hesitated and looked at him. The poor boy still looked a bit weary after the confrontation with his father.

"Shinji, as your operating Captain, I'm in charge of your wellbeing. I've got a better idea."

Some hours later

Outside the Katsuragi Apartment

"Well, we're here!" the violet-haired woman announced. The two were now making their way down an exposed hallway in an apartment building, each carrying groceries (although Shinji carried his in his lap). "Looks your stuff's been delivered already."

She swiped her keycard and the door slid open, allowing for her to step inside. She turned around, realizing that her new ward was hesitating before the entrance.

"I… don't want to intrude…" he said weakly.

"Shinji, it's your home too now."

He tentatively rolled across door frame, mindful of the small crevice where the door slides across. Fortunately, there was already a ramp installed in the genkan so he

"I'm… home."

Misato couldn't help but smile, as it was something that she found herself often guilty of.

"Welcome home."

Shinji quickly found that the best feature of Misato's Apartment was that she didn't have a tendency to leave trash on the immediate pathways so he didn't have to crush bits old beer bottles or dirty plastic containers. That being said, every surface of furniture was covered in the likes. Regardless, the layout was surprisingly wheelchair-accessible, a mark that the apartment was build post-Third Impact to accommodate for the growing disabled community.

"Sorry it's a little messy!" Misato called as she left to her room.

"This is a little messy?" he cried out. Now more than ever was he thankful for Japanese tidiness, and especially thankful that his teacher kept the house well-organized considering that using a wheelchair was not the most convenient means of travel, especially around tiny Japanese apartments.

"Hey, do you mind putting the groceries in the refrigerator? Thanks!"

Shinji slid the door open only to be met with countless rows of Yebisu brand beer filling nearly all of the space inside. He groaned as he finally realized that a part of him still missed living with his teacher. At least things made sense back there.

The evening came and went, but unfortunately Misato's 'cooking' did not. Shinji forced himself to keep in what was left of dinner after trying a cup of her famous 'curry-ramen fusion' while she happily gulped hers down. Settling on chores was certainly a dilemma for Misato as a strong part of her didn't want Shinji to be taking out the trash, considering how much difficulty that could be for him. The same part didn't want him to be doing a lot of household chores because of his condition, but the opposing side didn't want to take the responsibility.

Shinji, on the other hand, heavily insisted that he could do most of the chores, considering how busy she was at NERV. It took a fair bit of deliberation, but it was finally agreed that Misato would help with the heavy-lifting while Shinji kept himself to easier jobs that he often performed back for his teacher, including laundry and cooking.

As the evening dragged into the night, Misato recommended Shinji to clean himself up with her exact words being "bathing cleans the mind and soul". He didn't argue; a nice, warm bath sounded exquisite after long day.

He carefully stripped off his clothes as he usually did before cleaning up, but couldn't help but notice the colorful arrangement of underwear that his new roommate carelessly left hanging around. That woman had no shame, he quickly figured. He tried ignoring this and instead reached out for the handle of the bathroom door.

He tried to, at least.

The door swung open and in front of him a black-and-white turbine engine sprayed water like a messy sprinkler system.

Meanwhile…

'I guess I should be nicer to him… he does have a pretty tough life. And the way he talked to his father kinda reminded me of-'

"AAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"

"SHINJI!" she shouted.

Misato jumped from her seat at the table, sending empty beer cans from dinner across the kitchen without a second thought. She tore back the curtain separating the bathroom area and the kitchen, finding herself in quite an indecent situation.

"Shinji! What's wrong! Are you okay?!"

"M-M-M-Misato!" he shouted/stuttered. "There's a p-p-p-"

Misato puffed a breath of relief and wiped the back of her hand against her forehead in relief.

"Oh, that's just Pen Pen. He's your other roommate," she answered.

"Wark!"

The warm-water penguin casually wrapped a pink towel around his neck, acting as if nothing strange had occurred. He waddled around Shinji, exiting the room and making himself cozy in his nearby personal refrigerator suspiciously decorated like a living room in the interior.

"Hey- uh, sorry to burst in like that. I thought you hurt yourself," Misato explained as she started to leave the room. "You might want to hurry up before the water gets cold."

"Huh? Ack!"

Shinji's face burned a bright red as he thrusted his hands over his privates.

It certainly was an interesting day, to say the least.

Two days later

NERV Headquarters

"How are you feeling Shinji?"

Ritsuko's voice echoed through the entry plug, sounding just like she would on the phone.

"Fine," he responded while subconsciously nodding to no one in particular. He was dressed in a strange, skin-tight suit that fit to his body perfectly, and it even accounted for his disproportionately scrawny legs. The downside was that it had taken him a while to put it on, although Misato offered to find someone to help him.

"Good," the doctor responded, "just relax for this next part."

Near Shinji's feet, a strange orange liquid began to flood the inside of the entry plug at an alarming rate.

"Hey! What's this stuff?!"

"Don't worry, this is LCL. It's oxygenated, so once it fills your lungs you'll be able to breathe."

"GLRRBBRBB!" Shinji gargled right as he was forced to drown himself in the substance. "I'm gonna be sick…"

"Quit complaining!" Misato piped in over the comlink. "You're a boy, after all!"

Shinji couldn't help but ignore what his guardian said and instead curiously sniffed the 'LCL' that was sitting in.

"Smells… like blood…" he silently murmured to himself.

"Shinji, your synch ratio is at 44%!" Ritsuko exclaimed.

"Is… is that a good thing…?"

"It's a very good thing, keep it up!" Ritsuko said. "Alright, now we're going to start with a basic walking exercise, okay?"

"Walking…" he breathed, unaware that he had already grasped the control yolks, "right."

"Maya, prepare to launch Unit 01," Ritsuko ordered. "Send him inside the GeoFront, Exit 4."

"Roger. Preparing neural links now."

Maya skillfully navigated through her personal station, entering precise command lines and hitting a series of complex button combinations. All the while, the bindings surrounding Unit 01 in its cage were pulling away in synch to her orders. Finally, a screen on her terminal appeared in bright orange coloration showing a digital model portraying the Evangelion.

"Eva Unit 01 ready to launch, Captain."

"Are you ready, Shinji?" Misato asked.

"Y-yes."

"Launch the Eva!"

The next few seconds became a blur for Shinji. One moment he was sliding across the interior of NERV HQ. The next moment, he was being jettisoned at near-impossible speeds like a rollercoaster on steroids. Needless to say, he screamed a bit. He stopped when he saw the luscious green interior of the GeoFront, complemented by the serene lake that was his first exposure to the mysterious underground headquarters. Artificial lighting illuminated the enormous dome, giving it a sense of ageless wonder.

Shinji's eyes widened as he realized what he was doing. Rather, it what was his Evangelion was doing for him. He was standing for the first time in years. The same sensation of height that he hadn't felt for so much time finally came back to him, flooding him with nostalgic memories long-since forgotten. He could actually feel his legs too, the weight of his body being held up by something other than a chair. It something that was lost along with his ability to stand for himself, and something he never realized that he would miss.

"Shinji," Ritsuko's voice once again popped up on the intercom, "just concentrate on walking."

"Walk…"

But he fell.

The mighty, purple behemoth fell face-first onto the forest-ground of the GeoFront, resulting in a loud boom that sent vibrations that could even be felt by the Command Station in Central Dogma.

He clutched his face, feeling the same physical trauma as if it were his own.

"Shinji, concentrate. Remember what it was like before when you could use your legs."

Instinctively, as Shinji was pushing himself off the ground, he started with his arms, hardly acknowledging his legs after years of habit. He shut his eyes and gripped onto the control yolks in a struggling attempt to concentrate on moving the dead weight that was half his body- something he hadn't bothered to do in a long time.

'Move…'

Finally, he felt something- a tiny surge of contracting muscle through his right leg. Shinji's eyes burst open in surprise, followed by a twitch and groan coming from the machine as the legs came to life after years of disuse. He glanced down at his legs in the cockpit. He was disappointed to find that they weren't moving as was the Evangelion, but most importantly he could feel them as if they were the pair that were moving.

Slowly and carefully, Shinji hoisted himself to standing position, awkwardly stretching out its arms for balance, not dissimilar to a toddler learning to walk for the first time.

"I'm… doing it…" he muttered in disbelief. "I'm- I'm doing it!"

"Way to go, Shinji!" Misato shouted while raising her fist in the air.

The largest, stupidest-looking grin firmly planted itself across Shinji's face for the first time in his entire life. He eagerly willed the Evangelion forward, and it obediently followed his command sending its massive left foot forward followed shortly by its right.

It had been six years since he could walk.

There wasn't a time in his life where he felt more alive.

Hours later

Evangelion Unit 01 Cage

Misato watched as mechanical appendage pinched the sides of Unit 01's exposed entry plug and lowered it to the docking bay where several NERV crew members were guiding its trajectory. Once it descended into position, the hatch opened with a hiss of depressurization. The crew members took this cue and went inside to help the pilot into the wheelchair. Shinji was dripping LCL, and the sudden change in temperature also made him shiver, however one helper brought along a towel that he promptly wrapped around his neck.

"Have fun?" Misato grinned.

"It was… I haven't felt my legs in so long," he responded. "I… it was just… walking in the Eva… it was like I was walking."

"C'mon, go get showered and we'll head home. Remember, you do start school tomorrow."

Shinji nodded, and headed off to the locker room. As he followed the signs guiding him through the labyrinth that was NERV HQ, a door at the other end of the hall opened up. Two employees wearing lab coats and scrubs were pushing a hospital bed and its occupant, perhaps transferring them elsewhere in the medical facility.

He couldn't help but notice the passenger as they passed by as she was about his age, with a pretty, pale face. Her hair was disheveled and untrimmed, though that was overshadowed by the fact that it was also a very light shade of blue.

A medical eyepatch covered one of her offsetting crimson eyes while the other stared back at Shinji in an unbreakable stare, as if she were trying to examine something past his physical features. It was unsettling, yet oddly endearing. And it somehow felt… familiar, as if he had found some part of him that was missing for so long.

The brief encounter was cut short, as the doctors hurriedly pushed along her bed around the distant corner, disappearing through the everlasting hallways of NERV.

Shinji went back to try to search for the lockers, eventually finding them when a long-haired bridge-crew member pointed him in the right direction, thus continuing the annoyingly-long process of changing clothes. A small price, he figured.

He found Misato waiting for him by the time he changed back into his usual attire of black pants and a white button-up.

"Ready to head home?" she asked.

"Yeah. Hey, uh, Misato? I saw this girl…"

"Oooooh, does somebody have a crush?" she teased.

"N-no! It's not like that! She just… looked hurt pretty badly."

"Oh, that's Rei Ayanami; she's the First Child. She was in an accident with her Eva not too long ago. You'll be working with her once she's healed."

"I see… but if she's the First Child, and I'm the Third, then is the Second around?"

"Ohhh, don't worry, she and Unit 02 are still back in Germany."

"How many more pilots are there?"

"It's just you three for now. We're waiting for Unit 03 to finish construction in America, and the pilot hasn't even been chosen yet. Now c'mon, let's get going, dinner's on me tonight."

Shinji internally vomited.

He didn't even know how that was possible.

The next day

Tokyo-3 Junior High School, Class 2-A

"Hi! You must be the transfer student!"

It was certainly no wonder how she was able to tell that he was a transfer, judging by the amount of people lurking around in the hallways. Apparently transfers here were uncommon, especially those bound to a wheelchair judging by the curious eyes that were following him since he entered the building.

"Uh- yeah, that's right."

"My name is Hikari Horaki," she stated in a bubbly voice, "I'm the class representative of Class 2-A."

"Oh, hi. Shinji Ikari," he politely responded with a bow (although it was more accurate to say that it was a half-bow all things considered).

"You can sit down wherever you want- there's no seating chart."

"Right- um, thanks."

The first spot he chose happened to be the window seat, one that felt a bit more isolated from the rest and even included a nice outdoor view.

"Oh, uh- that's usually where Rei sits," Hikari pointed out.

"Rei?" Shinji inquired. "Rei Ayanami?"

"Yeah, although she hasn't been to class for almost a week. Hey, how'd you know her last name?"

"Uh, sh-she's just… uh… my guardian knows her."

"Well alright," Hikari said, quickly scanning the rest of the room. "It looks like everyone else is here, so any other empty seat should be good.

He chose a spot randomly and rolled up to the empty desk where Hikari eagerly followed to push the chair out of the way for him. However, when he tried pushing his wheelchair into the proper position, the sides of the wheels bumped into the narrow table legs.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I should have known!" she said, looking rather embarrassed. "Please let me help- Suzuhara! Get over here and switch out the desk!"

"Hey why do I have to?" came a new voice in the back. Shinji traced where it came from, which apparently was from a dark-haired boy with tanned skin. The most striking part about him was that unlike the other students, this boy wore a dark tracksuit instead of the usual school uniform. This 'Suzuhara' person was sitting back on his chair with his legs casually propped up onto his desk with his arms firmly crossed. Apparently the 'tough-guy' look was in season.

"Show some respect!" Hikari ordered. Shinji was taken back, as one second ago she was the friendliest person he's probably ever met- the kind to not even hurt a fly. Now she was barking commands to the jock of the class like an irritated spouse. Even more to his surprise did she stomp over to him and tug him by the ear, pulling him completely out of his seat.

"OW! Jeez, fine I'll do it!" the boy howled in pain before going to replace the desk.

Shinji couldn't help but notice that the boy with sandy-brown hair and large wire spectacles sitting next to him wasn't paying any attention to the scene and was instead fixated on Shinji. The way the light reflected off his glasses and hid his eyes made him seem even more menacing.

Eventually, Suzuhara returned with a new, wider desk in his hands, one that was suitable for wheelchair use. Shinji frowned when he saw the large blue-and-white disabled logo on the top right.

"Hey new kid, you better 'ppreciate this." the boy said. "That bastard's heavier than it looks."

"Get back to your seat, Suzuhara, class is about to begin!" Hikari shouted from her seat.

The tracksuit-wearing classmate grumbled something that sounded similar to "damn woman" before he returned back to his spot in the back. Finally, an older gentleman entered the room, prompting Hikari to perform the "Rise, Bow, Sit" routine. It didn't take long for Shinji to catch on that the old man was going senile, and his lecture regarding the economy pre-Second Impact had nothing to do with physics.

He peeked around the classroom to see what everyone else was up to. Some were catching up on sleep, while others were very obviously playing some sort of game- both of which went completely unnoticed by the teacher. Even Hikari appeared to be working on homework for a different class.

He followed in suit and idly glanced through the homework assignments that he was supposed to catch up on. It wasn't long before a messing window popped up on his screen.

aida_kensuke: Are you with NERV?

Shinji blinked twice. Whoever this person was, they knew something was up. But how was he supposed to respond? 'Yes, I pilot an 80-meter-tall giant robot. My father is the commander and I live with a penguin and a drunk whose cleavage could sink a battleship.' Of course, he wasn't going to actually say any of that, firstly because it was strange enough. Secondly, it was because he hated the extra attention.

ikari_shinji: No

aida_kensuke: You're not fooling me, Ikari. Why did you transfer here? Where did you come from?

Whoever this Aida kid was, he was persistent. Shinji glanced around the room to try spotting him, although he had a sneaking suspicion on who it was.

ikari_shinji: My family transferred here for work

Honestly, that was the best alibi he could think of. And it was pretty terrible, he had to admit.

aida_kensuke: Where do they work?

Uh oh. Shinji started hastily typing to try covering for his lie.

ikari_shinji: Produce

Wait, what?

aida_kensuke: … produce? Like fruit?

ikari_shinji: uhhh- Production yeah that sounds right sorry, autocorrect

aida_kensuke: There is no autocorrect on these laptops.

'Damn he's shrewd!'

aida_kensuke: I'm keeping my eyes on you, Ikari.

aida_kensuke has left the chatroom.

Shinji sighed. It hadn't even been an hour and he was already attracting enough attention. Only eight more hours to go…

Finally, the lunch bell rung. As he did back in his old school, Shinji stayed put at his desk and brought out his bento which he personally prepared. It was a simple affair, although it was satisfying enough. As he began to eat his food, he was unaware of the conversation happening between two classmates in the back of the room.

"Hey, Toji- you wonder why that new kid transferred here?"

"No, what about him?"

"Don't you think it's kinda suspicious? We never get transfer students! Everyone's been moving out since they've turned the city into a fortress."

"Kensuke, look at him- I don't think he's doin' anything suspicious."

"But why would a handicapped person come to this city out of the others? And my dad was talking about something secret happening down at NERV- they're preparing for something alright, and I'm going to find out what!"

Toji sighed. He was a good friend, but sometimes the military nut was a bit overwhelming.

"Well," Toji said as he rose from his chair, "I'm going to grab some grub from the cafeteria. I'll be back in a minute."

"What happened to your lunch? I thought you said you had one this morning?"

"Sakura took it," Toji groaned. "Again."

"Why don't you make two lunches in the morning then?"

"I'm too busy helping her get ready for school since my dad and grandpa have to leave early," he responded as his stomach growled. "I'll be back- I'm starvin'."

As Toji exited the room with haste, Kensuke turned his attention back to the boy in the wheelchair. He stood and approached the boy, who seemed to be enjoying his meal, and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Gah!" Shinji yelped in surprise, nearly choking on his rice.

"Oh- whoa, sorry there, Ikari. Didn't mean to startle you like that!" Kensuke quickly apologized.

"It's *cough* fine," Shinji said before taking a gulp of water.

"So," -Kensuke stood himself before Shiniji's desk- "what's NERV like? What do you do there? How did someone you age get employed? What's the GeoFront like? Can you take some pictures for me?"

"I-I don't think I'm allowed to say…"

"Oh come on, Ikari! You gotta tell me something!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can."

"Pleeaasse?"

"Aida!" came a familiar voice. "Quit bugging the new kid!"

Hikari trotted up to the freckled boy as he pulled away from Shinji.

"Oh c'mon Class Rep, he was just telling me about how he works for NERV!"

"Huh? You work for NERV?" she asked. "But you're our age!"

"It's kinda complicated," Shinji sheepishly admitted.

"Complicated like that Project E?" Kensuke inquired.

"Yeah, a bi- hey, how do you know of that?"

"My dad works for NERV, and he let it slip that he works on Project E but won't tell me anything about it! He says it's classified information, but that only makes it better!"

"Well it's classified for a reason…"

"Aw c'mon…"

"Kensuke," Hikari interrupted, "if he doesn't want to say, then he doesn't have to say it."

"Doesn't have to say what?" Toji asked as he returned with a bundle of prepackaged food in his arms.

"See Toji, I told you he works for NERV!"

"So? What do I care?"

"How can you not? Do you even know what kind of juicy secrets they're holding from us?"

"What are you going on about?" asked Hikari.

"Have you ever thought about the defenses they've built into the city? Why we have evacuation drills?"

"Yeah, a bit. My dad and grandpa work in construction," Toji mentioned. "They don't really know either."

"It's top secret stuff you know, but I think they're preparing for something big, like an invasion or something."

"C'mon man, that kind of stuff happens in movies and TV shows."

"Hey I'm being serious here!"

"Hey, I just remembered," Hikari said, quickly changing topics. "Toji, I need you to deliver Rei's paperwork from this past week."

"Hey, why do I gotta?"

"Because you left early when you had cleaning duty!"

"Hey! I apologized! Get off my back already!" he shouted back. "And why don't you ask the new kid here to do it?"

Hikari shot him a look of annoyance as Toji glanced over at Shinji, suddenly remembering the reason.

"Oh- uh," he said, nervously rubbing the back of his head, "I mean…"

"No, it's fine, I can do it Hikari," Shinji said. "Besides, Rei's still in the hospital and they said she won't be back for a while."

"Huh?" Kensuke chimed in. "How do you know about Ayanami? Wait- does she work for NERV too? How do you guys get so lucky?"

"What did you say, Shinji?" Hikari asked, completely ignoring Kensuke's outburst. "She's in the hospital?"

"Yeah, I-I don't know what happened, though."

"Like the NERV hospital? Send me, Class Rep! I, Kensuke Aida volunteer to go deliver her papers!"

"I can deliver them to her, it's not a big deal," Shinji said.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to put all this responsibility on you so soon…"

"Let me go instead! I can do it!"

"No, please, it's fine. I already have to go to Headquarters this afternoon anyway."

"Take me with you!" Kensuke begged.

"Oh shut up already!" Toji said, grappling his friend into an arm-lock.

"Alright, if you insist. I'll give you her papers after school today."

"Right."

"Noo…" Kensuke softly whimpered.

Shinji picked at his food.

Toji gulped his down like a happy vacuum.

Kensuke finally stop prying about NERV and fiddled with his camera.

God was in his heaven, and all was right with… lunchtime.

End of the day

Outside Tokyo-3 Jr. High

"Hey Ikari," Kensuke greeted as he and Toji walked down the steps outside the school where they found Shinji nose-deep in a book.

"Oh, hey guys," Shinji responded, setting the book down in his lap.

"What're you still doing here?"

"I'm waiting for my guardian to come pick me up. She insisted on driving me, but it looks like she's already late. What are you two still doing here?"

"Well Toji got stuck with clean-up duty cuz he bailed the other day, and I didn't have anything better to do."

"Can you believe the Class Rep? She's too damn demanding, I tell you."

"Can you blame her? She was stuck doing your duties for hours after school ended!"

"Hey, I was taking Sakura home! It's not my fault that she wasn't feelin' good!"

"Jeez, if only you just told that to the Class Rep!"

"Hey, it's none of her business!"

Fortunately, their bickering was quickly cut off by the sounds of tires squealing as a familiar blue sports car swerved into view. The driver-side door swung open and out came endless, pale legs. Attached to those came a very attractive woman in her late twenties, although she was easily comparable to women much younger.

Toji and Kensuke's jaws dropped, as did something else sometime prior that would have elicited such a response.

"What a babe!"

"She's so hot!"

"Please God, let her be our replacement teacher!"

"Hey Shinji, ready to go?" Misato called from where she parked.

He nodded in response, and started making his way over to her.

"Th-that's your guardian?!" Toji cried in disbelief.

"Is that a NERV benefit…?" Kensuke drooled.

"Oh, uh- bye guys!" Shinji shouted back before they hopped in the car. It didn't matter, as they were both still ogling over the violet-haired beauty that just enchanted their presence.

"He's so lucky…" they both said in unison, oblivious the irony in the statement.

"They seem nice, Shinji. Must've had a good first day?"

"I… I guess so."

As she drove through the surprisingly vast expanse of Tokyo-3 roads, a small grin lit up on Misato's face. She would be lying if she said she wasn't happy for him.

A/N:

Okay, okay, so it's kinda slow and boring for these first couple chapters. I haven't written something this large in a long time, and I've grown accustom to writing damn essays for school so it's going to take a while for me to get into the swing of things. And don't worry, I have several big changes in the storyline that I want to implement, so it's hopefully going to be a lot more exciting. Or maybe it'll read like bad fanfic. Eh, either way.

I got the inspiration for taking away Shinji's ability to walk after a few things: physical impairments suck, and after reading a bit of Steel Ball Run (JJBA) I sprung an idea to make Shinji's life a bit worse than it already is! Hurray!

Thanks for reading~

Stay tuned! Or don't, I'm not your mom.