Interlude 1

2970

A red head moved quietly around a living room. As she moved, she picked up small things that had been tossed aside by a child, books, toys. It was a teddy bear that caught her eye.

It was old, almost one thousand years. Yet in all that time, it had but three owners.

The red head smiled at the memory of the first owner of the bear. She could still see the smiling face of that owner vividly in her mind, as if she had but seen the owner yesterday, instead of 400 years before.

"Yui?"

Yui Ikari, Guardian of Heaven turned around to see her father, Shinji Ikari, also a Guardian of Heaven, standing at the entrance of hall.

"Father." Yui said with a nod.

"Why are you awake?" Shinji asked.

Yui shrugged. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Your Mother would be worried if she saw you like this." Shinji said softly.

"Which one?" Yui replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Both." Shinji replied, "Besides, your sister looks up to you. What kind of an example are you setting for her?"

Yui sighed. He was right of course. Though, the thought of her younger sister didn't drive the thoughts of earlier from her head. Shinji seemed to sense this. He walked beside her and placed his hands on the teddy bear.

"I miss her too." He said softly, "Both of them." He then moved his hands to her shoulders. "Tomorrow is a big day. You'll need plenty of rest for it."

Yui nodded. "Yes Father."

Shinji watched as his daughter moved down the hall and into her room. Just as her door closed, another silently opened. A blue haired woman limped into the hall.

"Is everyone having problems sleeping tonight?" Shinji asked.

"Perhaps." Rei Ikari, Shinji's sister and also a Guardian of Heaven, replied, "Everyone has problems sleeping this time of year. The Norns most of all."

"I suppose they would." Shinji agreed. With a sigh he glanced at the clock on a shelf. His eyes wondered slightly to the pictures beside it.

"What do you think she'd say?" Shinji asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Every year you ask the same question." Rei said, her eyes following Shinji's towards the shelf. "Every year I reply the same. She told you to be happy. She told you to find someone. She didn't want you to spend the rest of eternity alone." Rei then smiled slightly. "Sometimes I wonder, if she knew what was going to happen to her, and made sure you did have someone."

Shinji scowled. "Somehow I doubt that. She knew I hated to be manipulated."

"And yet look who you ended up with." Rei replied, "I suppose though if you asked, she'd deny it."

Shinji didn't reply. Rei turned and headed towards her room.

"Good night Shinji." She said, "Tomorrow is going to be long and hard for everyone."

Shinji said nothing and soon was alone in the living room. He stood for a moment, staring at pictures from many years before. Then he turned and headed back towards the bedroom. He entered the room quietly, trying not to awaken the individual he shared the room with. A quick glance showed that the individual was female, her hair, it's color unknown due to the darkness, flowed over the sheets. He moved to his side of the bed and had just started to pull back the covers when a female voice broke the silence.

"Is Yui alright?"

Shinji sat down on the bed. The woman immediately wrapped her arms around him.

"She misses her mother." Shinji said.

"I miss her too." The woman replied, "I wish she was still with us."

Shinji gave her a slight smirk.

"Both of you at the same time? Are you trying to kill me?"

The woman scowled and punched his shoulder.

"That's not what I meant Hentai."

"Well," Shinji replied, "At least I would've died happy."

"No more talk of dying."

"Yes my Queen." Shinji replied.

The woman let out a sigh.

"And you can knock that off too." She said, "I get called that every single damn day." She rolled back and rested her head on the pillow. "I never wanted to be Queen." She then glanced at Shinji. "Just as I never wanted to be your wife." Seeing the look on his face, she quickly added. "At least not in the way it happened."

Shinji patted her hand.

"I know what you meant." He said as he laid down beside her. He reached over and pulled her beside him. She rolled over and rested her head on his chest. She closed her eye, and listened to Shinji's heartbeat. She found it soothing.

"What do you think she'd say about this?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you lying?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"No." Shinji replied.

The woman snuggled in next to Shinji even more.

"Good night Shinji." She said softly.

Shinji smiled as he glanced down at the auburn haired woman.

"Good night Mana."