Well here is the first chapter. I suddenly got inspiration to write a new fic after watching most of 3.0. This story will take some of the ideas and concepts from the new movie in later chapters so I guess this is a spoiler alert heads up. I don't really have anything else so read and enjoy.

Thanks to Mazoku-sempai for the beta!


Shinji sat staring at the ceiling listening to his SDAT player while he contemplated the events of the previous day. He had no idea how his life had changed so quickly and so drastically. Just a few days ago he had been living with his uncle going through his boring daily routine. Now he was piloting a giant robot and fighting monsters that came from who knew where.

Rolling over, he faced the wall letting out a large sigh while doing so. How did anyone expect him to get back into that beast? He was just a giant coward. Had his father not tried to force that injured blue haired girl to pilot he probably would have just run like always.

Before his thoughts could continue down the dark road that they were on, he heard a soft knock against his bedroom door. Not wanting to confront his guardian just yet, he paused his music and shut his eyes tightly hoping she would just go away. Sadly for him his wishes went unanswered that night. He heard his bedroom door open slowly with a slight squeak. There was a moment of silence afterwards that seemed to last forever before his guardian spoke.

"Shinji, its Misato. Are you awake?" his purple haired guardian asked.

Shinji continued to lie on his bed with his eyes closed, pretending that he could not hear his new guardian. While he appreciated her kindness to take him in, he couldn't help but feel that she took him in for her own motives and not because she wanted him there.

"Shinji, I just want you to know that you did a very brave thing, and you saved a lot of people because of it. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you." Misato spoke to him as if she knew that he was awake. She hesitating slightly before saying, "Good night Shinji-kun. I will see you in the morning." And with that she quietly shut his door.

Waiting several minutes after his door shut Shinji finally rolled back over onto his back to continue staring at the ceiling that was slowly starting to become familiar to him. "How can she be proud of me?" he mumbled to himself. "I don't even know what I did." He sighed again, a bit longer and more drawn out this time. Placing his arm across his eyes to block out his inspection of the white ceiling, a wisp of a smile crossed his face. "Although it is nice to hear that someone is proud of me. I can't remember the last time someone said that to me," he whispered to himself.

As he slowly drifted off to sleep, glimpses of yesterday's battle flashed through his mind. The images made it hard for him to fully fall asleep, causing him to shift back and forth restlessly in his bed. Soon though his terrible visions were replaced with the image of a purple haired woman giving him a warm smile, her mouth moving saying something he couldn't quiet hear.


The next morning Shinji woke feeling more rested then he thought he would. Swinging his legs out of his bed he slowly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He walked over to his closet and pulled out his normal black slacks and white button up shirt. As he dressed, he tried to remember what he dreamed about during the night. All he could remember was the color purple and a feeling of warmth.

"That can't be right," he said to himself. "The only purple thing I can think of is that… beast."

Deciding to just forget about it he opened the door to his bedroom and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. He made his way toward the kitchen briefly, stopping at Misato's bedroom door. Listening carefully he could hear her snoring loudly through the thin door. Smiling slightly he continued on his way to the kitchen.

"I guess she isn't much of a morning person," Shinji chuckled to himself. "Maybe I should make her something nice for breakfast to say thanks for giving me a place to stay," he said while tapping his chin.

Pulling a pot and skillet out of the cabinets, he grabbed several ingredients and set to work. Soon the whole apartment was filled with the smell of delicious food stuffs. Shinji hummed a classical tune to himself as he cooked; to him the kitchen was the most comfortable place he could ever be. When he cooked he forgot about all the troubles he had. Everything just melted away. As he continued to fry up some eggs he failed to notice someone sneaking up on him.


The first thing Misato noticed as she started to wake up was that something smelled amazing. That in itself was pretty unusual for her apartment considering most of her meals consisted of the instant variety. After what felt like an eternity she finally managed to detangle herself from her blankets. Sitting up on her futon, she scratched her stomach while trying to suppress a large yawn. Finally managing to stand up she went to her dresser to pick up her yellow tank top from where she had thrown it last night.

After she put on her tank top she studied her reflection in the mirror above her dresser. The years had been kind to her she decided after a few moments. Even though she was nearing 30 years old she still looked much younger than that.

"Small miracles I guess considering the way I eat and drink," she said to the reflection in the mirror.

The delicious smell filled her nostrils once again. She turned away from her dresser and made her way to the kitchen. When she arrived the sight before her was not exactly what she expected. Standing in front of the stove was Shinji; frying something up in the skillet that she couldn't see, but the smell of it left her drooling. This was the most relaxed she had seen him since she had met him, he looked almost normal. A devious smile formed on her face as an idea came to mind. Sneaking up quietly behind the teen she heard him humming to himself.

'Oh this is gonna be good!' Misato thought to herself as she prepared herself for a sneak attack. With one final step she launched herself at her unsuspecting prey with a loud yell. "Good morning Shinji-kun!"


"Good morning Shinji-kun!" was the only thing Shinji heard before his sides were mercilessly attacked by Misato. Shinji began to flail about wildly as the woman continued to tickle, making him lose his grip on the spatula and almost burn himself on the stove at the same time. After a few moments of being attacked, Shinji managed to extract himself from Misato's grasp.

"Misato-san? Wh-what are you doing?" he asked, his face slightly flushed from the tickle attack.

"Aww Shinji-kun you don't have to be that formal with me. It makes me feel old," Misato teased.

"Sorry," Shinji apologized while looking away.

Misato took a step back from the young teen finally giving him some room to move. "It's okay Shinji-kun you don't have to apologize. I was just having a bit of fun."

Shinji turned his eyes back to Misato and the words he was about to speak died in his throat when he looked into her eyes for the first time. She had brown eyes like most others of Japanese descent, but hers were the color of chocolate. They were dark and rich, like deep pools pulling him in leaving no room for escape. He realized for the first time that he had no idea how old she was. She was older than him for sure, but by how much he didn't know. The way she acted from what little interaction he had with her so far she could pass as a teenager. His thoughts were cut short by a loud cough from Misato. Shinji's face turned beat red knowing he had been caught staring.

"Well well Shinji-kun, see something you like?" Misato said with a devilish grin on her face.

"Ahh, uhh, I was just…I'm sorry Misato-san," he replied turning his gaze down in shame.

Misato was slightly taken aback. "Shinji-kun its fine. You aren't the first guy I caught staring at my chest and I doubt you will be the last."

If it was even possible his face became five shades brighter, "I-I wasn't looking… down there!"

Misato smirked, "Well if you weren't looking at my assets," she emphasized this by hugging herself causing her cleavage to press together, "Then what were you looking at?"

"I was uh, looking at your… eyes," responded Shinji, his eyes never leaving the ground.

"What was that Shinji-kun I couldn't hear you?"

"I said your eyes! I was looking at your eyes. I think they are very pretty." He practically shouted visibly shrinking back after doing so.

Misato was really taken back this time, not only because of his outburst but also because of his object of interest or in this case objects. She was no stranger to men ogling her, and she had her fair share of them trying to cop a feel as well. Over the years she had gotten used to the attention that her body brought her, and in some cases put her close quarter combat training to good use. But she could not recall a single instance where anyone said that she had pretty eyes.

"Wow Shinji-kun you are just quite the young gentleman aren't you?" Misato said with a small smile on her face.

Shinji's head snapped up at that comment, his mouth hanging wide. "I, uh… What?" he finished lamely.

Misato chuckled lightly. "Shinji-kun I'm no stranger of men staring at me for all the wrong reasons, but I don't think I have ever caught one staring at my eyes. It's very… endearing."

"Uhh, thanks?"

"I think you and I are going to get along really well Shinji-kun, but I think whatever you were cooking is starting to burn."

Shinji quickly turned around and began frantically trying to save breakfast. Misato made her way to the table and sat down, cracking open a beer that she had grabbed along the way. She watched as her ward attempted to salvage what was left his cooking. A frown crossed her face as she thought back to what she read in his psychology profile. Shy and introverted were the least of his problems, his lack of confidence and confrontation avoidance were much bigger issues in her mind. He was a pilot first and foremost and sending him into battle as is was just asking for trouble. Sighing mentally, she turned her gaze down to the cold drink in her hand.

'Maybe I should set up a training regimen for him, and take him to the shooting range so he can get some more hands on experience and not just have him work in a simulator,' she thought to herself. 'That means I will have to start exercising as well.' She grimaced at the thought, but looked down and pinched her stomach. 'I could really use it though; years of eating instant meals are starting to take their toll.'

Her inner thoughts were interrupted by Shinji placing a plate of food in front of her on the table. She looked up to see him still standing there looking at her expectantly waiting for her to try his cooking. She picked up her chopsticks and then looked at what he cooked for her. It was a simple dish, a bowl of rice and some fried fish with a small side of miso soup. The smell was heaven to her nose, for something so basic it smelled delicious. Not one for manners she began to inhale the food wondering if his cooking really tasted that good or if she had just been too long without a real meal.

"Mmm Shinji-kun this is delicious, where did you learn to cook so well?" Misato asked between mouthfuls of food.

The teen looked away from his guardian, "Well my uncle was never really around, so I guess I just learned how to cook for myself." He glanced sidelong at her noticing the small frown on her face. "I'm glad you like it though, it's the least I could do for you since you gave me a place to live."

"It's my pleasure Shinji-kun. I don't think I would be able to live with myself if I let you stay in one of those stuffy barracks at headquarters."

"I don't think it could be that bad, and like I said I'm used to being alone so it wouldn't have been much different than before coming here." Shinji replied.

Misato finished what was left of her meal and then stood up to face Shinji. She smiled, trying to make him feel a little at ease. "Well you are stuck with me now whether you like it or not." Tapping him lightly on his nose with her finger she took great pleasure in seeing him blush. "Why don't you go get changed so we can get to headquarters to get your school transfer papers filled out? And maybe get you fitted for a plugsuit."

"A plug…suit?"

"Uh right I forgot you are new to all of this. A plugsuit helps you synchronize with the Eva it's kind of like a diving suit," Misato explained.

Shinji's smile faltered slightly at the mention of the Eva, but he made an effort to not look completely distraught. "Oh, that sounds like it would be uncomfortable," he said trying to hide his disappointment. "I guess I will uh, go get dressed." He began to walk back to his room not noticing the frown that was on Misato's face.

As she watched her young charge walk away she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She thought back to the moment when Shinji was told he had to pilot a giant mechanical monster to save mankind. It was unfair to put that type of burden on someone especially someone like Shinji. Misato let out a small sigh and then began to make her way to her bedroom to change into something more work appropriate; her mind weighing heavily on that of her young charge.


Shinji stared out of the passenger side window watching people and buildings flash by as Misato drove towards Nerv headquarters. He was not looking forward to going back to the place where his father worked. He wanted to hate his father; he wanted to give up on trying to get approval from the man who abandoned him. In the end he was the only living family he had left, and if his father didn't want him, who would? Shinji's thoughts were interrupted by a slight jolt from the car. Not realizing that he had zoned out so badly he failed to notice that they had finally arrived at one of the many car transports that led down to the geo-front. As the transport broke into the open air of the geo-front he couldn't help but feel impressed by the view before him.

"It really is beautiful don't you think?" Misato asked almost as if she was reading his mind.

"It is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen," Shinji admitted, a hint of awe in his voice.

Misato gave a slight noncommittal hum as a response. Looking out of the driver's side window, she looked down at the bottom of the geo-front taking in the sight of Nerv headquarters. The giant pyramid jutted out from wilderness that surrounded it making it seem out of place. Connected to the structure was an inverted copy of itself creating a giant manmade lake that seemed to serve no purpose other than a lame attempt at modern architecture. Her view of the building was suddenly interrupted as the transport made its way into a tunnel that signaled that they were almost to their destination.

Misato stole a glance of Shinji as he continued to stare out the window regardless of the lack of view. She couldn't believe this was the same boy that showed so much ferocity when he piloted the Eva for the first time. There had to be something more to him. Even without previous training he achieved a sync ratio that took the first and second child years to reach. Then to top it all off he hid in that shell of his acting timid and weak.

'On the plus side though he is a really good cook,' she thought to herself.

Looking at the young man she couldn't help be see a younger version of herself sitting there. After witnessing second impact first hand, she had spent many years secluded away from others. It had taken years of therapy for her to break out of her self imposed emotional prison. From the little information she gained through his psych profile she could understand some of his frustration. Getting thrown into a life or death situation by a father he hated yet still wanted acceptance from, she knew exactly how he felt. As the transport came to a rest at the bottom of the elevator Misato nodded to herself, she would do everything she could to help Shinji break out of the prison he had created for himself.

A/N: Well here is the first chapter, I don't know how long I plan to make this fan fiction, but I already have a lot of ideas thought up. Hopefully this is better than my previous works; it has been years since I have even tried writing anything. Thanks for reading and please review.