Neon Genesis Evangelion: Dad and Best Friend (OG Eva + Rebuilds + Time/Multiverse Travel + OCs)

[Repentant_Dragos]

Prologue

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, and this fanfic is made merely for entertainment; mine and others.

It was a small, nameless town, with what little pulse there was centered around a convenience store where a handful of children whiled away the time until they could grow up and go to the city of Tokyo-2, a town hall in which a few old men and women talked about a past long gone, and a school of empty smiles and promises sincerely made and just as sincerely broken.

There was a house with a well-fenced yard, small enough to be kept secure yet large enough to signal that someone paid for its upkeep; for the retired music professor who lived in it could not afford to maintain it on its own.

But he didn't have to, because this old and broken man had been paid to raise a boy, to keep him safe, fed, and educated… And nothing more than that.

The boy was not supposed to grow up with any binding attachments to the place of his banishment or find any source of affection that would distract him from his future as a tool of mankind's salvation (or in reality, its damnation if one was privy to certain secret information). Access to such things was not outright forbidden; it was more efficient to discourage than ban, but it was decided that one Shinji Ikari must be raised in a town where dreams die, tears fall in silence, but had enough flickers of light and warmth that the child would not think of an early end to his life.

At ten years of age - Four more until he would be called to serve the others' schemes - Shinji had learned to be quiet except to make routine conversation or talk about his test scores at school. Music lessons were the only time he and his teacher had something resembling a bond, but those took up only a few hours of each day.

It was a quiet life, and the boy grew up as he was supposed to.

Then came a person who did not care about that at all.

------

Another boy walked into town, wearing the scowl not of one who scorned the degradation and emotional starvation of its people, but of one who sensed injustice and even at his age, thought he had the right and power to punch it out of whoever was committing it.

He wore clothes of clean nylon, cotton, and denim, too rich to dismiss him as just another lost runaway, one of the flotsam and jetsam of war and environmental catastrophe that still roamed the countryside and the slums of the cities. His skin was paler than the inhabitants, and his blue eyes and emerging Eurasian features marked him as of mixed blood, albeit one whose Japanese half ran strong.

Dragging a wheeled suitcase behind him, this boy, also ten years of age in growth, walked into the convenience store and from his wallet, pulled out a golden card, only for the shopkeeper to shake his head and gesture to the register, which did not have a card reader.

With an exaggerated sigh, the boy pulled out a few banknotes of yen that despite looking very aged, were marked as issued in 2009 and on later examination, were indeed indistinguishable from money printed in that year.

Then, after buying some matcha mochi that matched the shade of his glossy nylon coat, the young man asked, "There is a retired professor living in this town who lives with a boy who looks like me except for the eyes. Can you give me directions to his house?"

The grey-haired man raised an eyebrow, then spoke, "I didn't know Mr. Nomura had been asked to take in another boy…"

He was met with a wide and cheerful smile, and eyes that marked the child as someone who knew, followed by the casual words, "Well, he doesn't know yet, either, but yes, he will be having a guest around his ward's age - A last-minute request, if you must know."

A flicker of suspicion, followed by a twist of doubt, flashed through the aging shopkeeper's eyes and face before he frowned and said as he ducked his hand under the desk, "That man was faithful to his wife while she lived; his son wouldn't have a brother..."

The door to the store opened, and an older man in his late 30s, whose smooth looks and athletic build made him look good even in a business suit, went inside with a sour expression as he greeted the shopkeeper with words wrapped in acid.

"Mr. Kannabe, I should have known you were one of their watchers."

The surprise arrival of this second visitor allowed the boy, the ten-year-old whose existence was ringing alarm bells in Mr. Kannabe's head, to pull out a keychain that hung around his neck, a keychain that unnaturally grew to the size of a toy spear - Except that the tip was genuinely sharp and glowed with a power that should not be openly shown off for a few years more.

An AT-Field, the light of the soul.

"Ken," the older version of Shinji said, "If you're serious about this, mind-wipe him with your Miniature Spear. I'll go have a chat with this world's version of Mr. Nomura before my parallel self gets back from school."

The boy - Ken - nodded, and the miniature spear glowed brighter, with no onlooker taking notice as Mr. Kannabe slumped onto the desk, trapped in unnatural sleep…

------

Shinji Ikari, at ten, was quiet, lonely, and alone, but not entirely devoid of social skills; he knew how to act normal. Though scarred, traumatized, and abandoned, he was not completely spineless despite his emotional growth being stunted. And above all, he had internalized the adults' warnings around him that strangers were suspicious.

Even when the stranger was a kid like him, obviously rich, who had walked up to him and blocked his way, asking, "Are you Shinji Ikari? If so, I am Ken Illustrious -"

Shinji was not blind and saw that the other boy looked just like him, only with blue eyes and paler skin, and asked, "I don't have a brother, right?"

Ken's reaction was to say, "Eww, no! That's the second time someone brought up the idea!"

The other boy then pulled out a suspicious-looking keychain that hung around a string on his neck and made it grow into a spear fused with a frame (?) that made it look like something from Kamen Rider but edgier. After that, he resumed his introduction, saying:

"Now let me finish; I am Ken Illustrious Ikari - Your son from the future. Well, more accurately, it is another universe, but that's complicated - I'm here to be your best friend."

A stereotypical version of Shinji Ikari would have run off screaming. This Shinji merely gasped, but despite being an unarmed ten-year-old faced with an armed ten-year-old who was trying to upend the world he knew, the gasp was from disbelief.

"You're lying," he pointed and accused after a moment's pause. "Time travel isn't real…"

Ken staggered back, eyes wide with shock before they twisted in rage as he said, "It's Multiverse Travel, and it very well is!"

"Is not; please leave me alone…"

"Is too! And why, so you can be friendless again?!"

Shinji finally screamed, not out of fear or annoyance, but because that riled him up.

"STOP LYING TO ME!" he shouted, but no one around him seemed to hear.

"I'm not!" Ken appealed, "Why won't you believe me?!"

"Because… Because..." Shinji could not find words to explain, even as he realized that the both of them were exhausted in the waning sunset.

Warily, he asked Ken, "So, umm, where are you staying?"

Ken rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and replied, "Eheheheheh… Dad - Parallel You! - Is talking to your music teacher about that; I was serious about wanting to be your best friend."

Shinji's eyes flickered with hope, then he turned away from Ken's face, then turned back to it, "You're still saying that? Fine, let's go to Mr. Nomura; he'll probably think you're crazy…"

He tried to stamp down any optimism as he started to guide his wannabe best friend to the house that was not quite a home but seemed more hopeful than it was just a few minutes ago.

------

Grownup Parallel Shinji was impressive. Able to surpass Mr. Nomura in playing the cello, in a style identical to Shinji's own but richer, more refined, and more confident in general, the older version of himself from a parallel universe was also a good cook and was savvy in the use of gadgets that even he, a ten-year-old born one year after Second Impact, knew did not exist yet.

Ken was using some sort of 'Multiversal Internet' to play a game called 'Shonen Impact' on his handheld smartphone, which he was now sharing with him and even offering free lessons on how to use/play while Grown-up Parallel Shinji (GPS?) and Mr. Nomura were engaged in negotiations.

"So, umm… Ken…" Shinji decided to ask the other boy about what the latter had said, "Why? You could have plenty of friends; why talk to me? Also… How did you come here anyway?"

He then turned away, expecting Ken to not answer his questions or say some other lie.

Ken pulled out the keychain and said, "How? I used this - It's a miniature Spear of Gaius. As for why? Well, Dad always told me how he was friendless at my age and he told me that other worlds existed and then I put two and two together and thought: Hey, there must be many many Shinji Ikaris who don't have friends. So I begged Dad over and over to let me come."

Shinji couldn't believe it, and said as much, "He listens to you?"

Ken nodded and said, "Duh! He's you, after all. Or you're going to be like him one day - It's complicated. Besides, Grandfather was the way he was because he was lonely and didn't know how not to be. Or so Father said."

Shinji's response was to frown at the mention of his father (Ken's Grandfather, aka Gendo Ikari), saying, "I wish he didn't send me away… So he does hate me."

Ken replied nonchalantly, "Grandfather's just an idiot who doesn't know he can love different people in different ways. I learned from his actions and - It's too harsh to call what he did a failure; other people do it too."

A few seconds passed before Shinji changed the subject with, "So… How does this being best friends across dimensions work?"

The response was quick, "I portal in for a few hours every afternoon; Dad does not want me in danger any more than necessary. But both of us will visit you until I'm old enough to go off alone, though!"

Shinji mumbled, "That'd be nice..."

In the meantime, Grown-up Parallel Shinji and Mr. Nomura had just finished talking, with the former handing the latter a suitcase full of gold bars, talking about how two versions of the same banknotes must not be found at the same time and that there was a non-zero chance of that happening.

Mr. Nomura then turned to Shinji and asked, "Older Ikari and his son will be visiting us every afternoon from now on - And on spring, summer, and winter break, even the mornings; we'll talk about sleepovers later."

He then glanced down at Shinji and Ken and said, "However, you two should know that there are very dangerous people watching this town and they will hurt you if they find out about you. I am supposed to follow their orders, but Older Ikari here has persuaded me to side with him and his friends."

With a sigh, the teacher said to Shinji, "I'm sorry for how I've treated you for the past six or seven years; after seeing that there are people who care about you enough to put themselves in danger - Not just future you or your future son, but others too - I have to tell you; I was wrong. I wish I could say that I was merely too depressed to see it, or I was blinded by my obligations to Gendo and SEELE… But those aren't excuses. I knew you were suffering and I refused to see it."

Shinji blurted out, "That's all right," before turning to Ken and saying, "So, umm, you'll be going soon?"

Ken nodded, before adding, "But not without a last gift - Not the smartphone, though!"

And from his luggage bag, he pulled out several books and boxes marked: Warhammer 40k, 10th Edition, Codex: Leagues of Votann, and Codex: Sisters of Battle.

Also several boxes of finely-painted plastic miniatures…

End of Prologue

 

[BloodAngel_San]

Warhammer 40k, 10th Edition, Codex: Leagues of Votann, and Codex: Sisters of Battle.

Click to shrink...

Lets fucking gooo

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Lets fucking gooo

Click to shrink...

The first reply did not express 'disappointment' at the existence of MxM pairings in this fanfic; that's a good sign.

Edit: Thanks, Blood!

 

[BloodAngel_San]

The first reply did not express 'disappointment' at the existence of MxM pairings in this fanfic; that's a good sign.

Edit: Thanks, Blood!

Click to shrink...

I might be a little disappointed in Ken's pairing tbh, but I am more interested in how 40k lore will effect Shinji. Also still trying to look for Votann lore.

So, IN THE NAME OF EMPEROR, good luck.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

I might be a little disappointed in Ken's pairing tbh, but I am more interested in how 40k lore will effect Shinji. Also still trying to look for Votann lore.

So, IN THE NAME OF EMPEROR, good luck.

Click to shrink...

Who did you want paired with Ken?

And to be honest, for the Leagues of Votann and their lore + how they are played (I cannot afford the actual miniatures), I use Lexicanum and yes, the dreaded 1d6chan Wiki, which has a lot of exaggerations, memes, and 'humor' but is still readable.

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter One: Life Is Worth Living

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or the Intellectual Property rights to Games Workshop's works. Nor do I own Code Geass or other IRL franchises mentioned in this fanfic.

Shinji was surprised that Ken and Grownup Parallel Shinji kept their promise to return tomorrow. However, opening a portal into the living room just as he came home from school added to the shock. But it didn't matter; after years of being alone, he had a friend, and said friend did not lie about 'seeing him later'.

And now, that friend was also teaching him the lore and setting of That British Game and how to play the pretty plastic 'miniatures' that came with it.

"So… Can I ask you something?" he had to ask Ken one week into their friendship.

He then followed up with a longer question than he had ever asked in his life, "Let me get this straight; the Leagues of Votann used to be the Squats, which in turn were written out of the setting for more than a decade in your world because they were not grimdark enough, then they got brought back because fans liked them… Why didn't they just make the Squats grimdark from the start?"

The other boy answered, "They were dumb adults who did not know bringing back the Squats would give them money. That said, considering that those fans who wanted the Squats back also began complaining that the Leagues are resistant to Chaos… Let's just say that dumb adults are everywhere."

Shinji mused as he finished eating the rice bowl and sushi Mr. Nomura had brought, then asked, "...So, you know what will happen to me? Seeing as you're from the future?"

Ken nodded and said as he ate his last bit of fish, "I promised to tell you the truth, didn't I? Of course, I know!"

The other boy's smile turned impish as he said, "But just because I promised not to lie doesn't mean I can't keep a few surprises!"

He then paused, then decided to share something, "The one who would be my Mom is dead in your universe, but she's okay in mine - She invented the Miniature Spears plus the Portal Machine so I and Dad can come to visit."

Shinji, after a pause, took the reins of the conversation afterward, "What is your Mom like? She seems like a great person…"

Ken winced and snickered, "Heh heh heh… Well, she has her problems too…"

The other boy then pursed his lips into an exaggerated sour expression and paused, a sign he was embarrassed to talk about it.

"Oh," was Shinji's response, before he thought of changing the subject, "So… Is my future really bad, Ken? Does Father - Your Grandfather - want to throw me away once I stop being useful?"

Ken stuck to his promise of honesty and said, "Yes and yes - Grandfather, as I said, is an idiot obsessed with bringing back Grandmother even though Grandmother wanted to fuse herself with the secret weapon we should not talk loudly about even here."

Shinji frowned and said, "...Maybe Mom is the one who hates me."

The sound of soft, but audible footsteps signaled that Grownup Parallel Shinji had returned from talking with Mr. Nomura, and had heard that last sentence.

"Actually…" were his next words, "Mom does not hate any of us. After multiple repeats of the timeline, she decided to choose me, aka you, and even Dad after I decided to grow a spine and take responsibility for my actions."

He then said, "You're going to meet her again in four years, by the way, but do not make it too obvious that you know that's going to happen. But this subject is a bit too sad, so let's talk about That British Game... Ken has shown you the wonders of the Leagues of Votann, right?"

Shinji grinned, which was normally Ken's trademark, "Yeah, he did. I'm gonna play Primaris Marines against him in an hour - Do you… have tips?"

Grownup Parallel Shinji mused, "Well, I'm not as interested in the actual rules and tactics as Ken, but he favors making his armies shooty and tanky but also slow as sludge. Pick Primaris White Scars or if you want something fancy, Blood Ravens -"

Ken interrupted, "You mean Blood Angels?"

His father retorted, "Do you want a curb stomp, and not one in your favor, Ken? No, Blood Ravens; with lots and lots of Librarians."

Shinji raised his hand and said, "I'll pick Blood Angels, then. With a Death Company Dreadnought, if that's all right?"

Ken groaned at that.

Soon enough, Shinji's army, with a Primaris Librarian Mephistion providing a psychically-capable HQ Unit, was rolling over Ken's Greater Thurian League army, which nevertheless got a large number of shots out and took an absurd amount of damage to grind to oblivion. Strangely enough, Ken exaggerating how torn up he was and even playing at sulking in a corner brought a smile to the boy's face, especially as his friend made it clear he wasn't really hurt by losing, just clowning around.

After Ken's sulking was over, Grownup Shinji - Other Shinji - then pulled out a thin miniature laptop called a 'netbook' and said to both Mr. Nomura and Shinji, "Now, some homework - But not the boring kind! I'm going to teach you how to use this, plus the charger, so you guys can watch some good downloaded Anime from our world. You see that if we're going to make this work, my younger self, from another world, needs to know how smart protagonists work."

He opened the netbook, booted it up, and began clicking a few icons using a touchscreen and buttons, and the screen began playing a show called Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Once the first episode had finished, Other Shinji would then say:

"Ignore all questions you have about the setting of the Anime, Mr. Nomura; it's meant to be ridiculous."

The retired music teacher nodded; after all, few things were as ridiculous as his decision to change sides and betray Gendo Ikari after the latter had hired him to raise his son in an environment of emotional starvation.

"Also, once you guys have had enough time to absorb the first episode's scenes, I and Ken need to go back home to sleep - But every visit, we will be watching one, maybe two, episodes of this every day. We'll also be reading more grounded stuff like The Foundation Trilogy; I'd suggest Dune but that isn't for ten-year-olds. There's also this manga from yet another world called Fullmetal Alchemist which makes political stuff fun and has conspiracies getting their asses kicked; you see how important that is, right?"

Mr. Nomura nodded and said, "I have unread copies of The Art of War and The Prince in my study if you're committed to training Shinji and Ken for this. And while fairy tales are not usually sources for how to plan, the ones that involve outwitting someone more powerful than you might be useful. And if Dune is 'too mature', why don't we try Sherlock Holmes; that also has versions for children, right?"

Other Shinji smiled at that - He had gotten the music teacher and caretaker on board with his project to strengthen his parallel counterpart while furthering his own son's education about what exactly someone both heroic and cunning was capable of and how they did it.

------

Two weeks after they met, and after the first season of Code Geass had been watched, Ken was ready to go out into town again; it was morning this time and it was a Sunday.

Note that Mr. Nomura and Other Shinji were acting as chaperones and Ken had his Miniature Spear of Gaius in keychain form ready to pull out should the memory alterations applied to various residents (especially the SEELE and NERV agents) suddenly fade to nothing.

"You know…" Other Shinji mused, "In my universe, this town was much the same in most timelines, but in the final one, the convenience store also sold a wider variety of iced drinks, including those matcha lattes with a spray of white chocolate."

Mr. Nomura replied, "That reminds me; what is the difference between universes and timelines again?"

Surprisingly, it was Younger Shinji who answered, "Oh - A timeline is like a tape getting a rewind but the cassette player is the same, a universe is like a new cassette player and a new tape…"

Ken nodded at that, confirming Younger Shinji's words even as he checked to see if anyone needed to get their memories altered.

"So…" Mr. Nomura said before asking another question, "That Miniature Spear… Is that the source of Ken's powers, or is he…?"

He let that implication hang in the air for fear of being impolite.

Ken shrugged, "I'm not an Angel; the Miniature Spear is theoretically mass-producable."

The boy then looked around and mused, "I visited the future version of this town, in my universe; it began booming again after several years thanks to Mr. Tokita - He's the head of Japan Heavy Chemical Industries - Building a factory for making Solar Panels nearby."

Other Shinji smiled and said, "I took you on a tour while you were six; you liked how shiny everything was, right?"

Smiling, Ken said, "That was four years ago! Let's see Mr. Tokita again next time!"

Shinji blinked, "Um… Why didn't the Tokita in this world set up a solar panel factory here?"

His counterpart from another world mused, "Hmm… His investing in Solar Panels would make him look harmless and even benign; this opens up a chance that once he makes Jet Alone and maybe Jet Alone 2, Father might underestimate him in this world…"

He praised his younger self with, "All right, that's an idea - We turn this town into a boomtown right under Father's nose! If Mr. Nomura can write letters saying you are even sadder and more friendless despite all the people coming, that will help get his okay for it!"

Mr. Nomura arched an eyebrow and said, "Me, lie to Mr. Ikari? Hmm… I've technically already been doing that."

The aging professor of music rubbed his smooth chin, smoothing out a wrinkle for a second, then smiled.

"My parallel self must be glad to have raised you…"

------

The small nameless town had a lake, and the lake had enough fish for a few old folk to cast their lines in.

Shinji had not seen why people liked fishing. They had to wait long, in the hot sun, waiting for fish that may or may not come.

But now that he was trying it, he could see why people wanted to do it; they were alone but not lonely, silent but not sad.

And now, one month after meeting with Ken and his father (Himself?), he could understand Mr. Nomura more when the latter occasionally went to the lake to fish.

Ken and Older Shinji were back in their home world for a while, so he had accepted Mr. Nomura's offer to fish with him - He needed to talk with the retired music professor whom his father had ordered to raise him.

"Sensei… Mr. Nomura," he blurted out, "Will they leave me one day? Ken and Other Shinji?"

Ken visited for a few hours each day because he felt sorry for him. Because he, in his sense of justice, wanted Shinji to have friends. But even if that lasted… Did Ken really see him as a friend?

Mr. Nomura gasped a little at the question but decided to answer his ward, "Not to sow the seeds of strife, but sometimes, they cannot help it. Do you think that Ken and Other Shinji can do what they want, wherever they want, even in their home world? Or even that whoever is in charge in that other world will allow it forever?"

He sighed and said, "Older Shinji - Other Shinji - needs a good reason to come here. Ken thinks nothing of breaking the laws of Gods and Men just so he can do what he thinks is right, but he can be stopped even if he has a Miniature Spear."

Looking Shinji in the eye, he said, "Now, tell me, what if, say, your father told you that you can't see Ken anymore or he'll kill him? And what if your father has a way to do that?"

Shinji's eyes opened wide as he mumbled, "...Then I won't be able to see Ken."

Mr. Nomura smiled faintly at the boy, then followed up by saying, "So cherish the moments you have with him. If he and his father suddenly disappear, you can keep the memories."

Shinji nodded in understanding; not the acknowledgment he had shown to adults before; he had a flicker of knowledge of what others went through, now…

End of Chapter One

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Two: Setting the Pieces

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or the Intellectual Property rights to Games Workshop's works or any IRL works of fiction mentioned in this fic.

In his office, in the newly-constructed Geofront, Gendo Ikari, Commander of NERV, told himself that he was being paranoid.

No one was trying to pull the wool over his eyes; Mr. Nomura, his agent in that small nameless town a short distance from Tokyo-2, was a reliable pawn, a tool who knew not to question him or give his son ideas.

The son he left, for that boy reminded him too much of what he had lost.

He had a project to keep going, a project of which Shinji will be a vital component. He had data to parse through, structures to build, bosses to please and manipulate as he saw fit.

All for that one goal, of reuniting with Yui.

His son can handle a scant few years of loneliness. He cannot endure even one month without Yui. So why was he suddenly so cautious about the regular, almost monotonous reports coming from that nameless town?

But he could not dismiss it as nothing. His instincts, which had not failed him wrong before, were howling at him to do something.

He looked at another report, that of mysterious insurgents in the Middle East with 'gifts' that foreshadowed the power of the Angels, but found that it did not scream at him like the bland reports from that town that told him what he wanted to hear.

With a jolt, Gendo realized that that was exactly why he was suddenly suspicious.

Something was up in the town he had sent his son away to. Everything in him screamed that this needed his personal touch, but he did not want to encounter that boy before it was time; that would ruin his plans.

Pressing the bottom of the Intercom, he called for his second-in-command, Kozo Fuyutsuki. The old man was wise enough to see what was going on, discreet enough to remind Mr. Nomura of his orders, and firm enough to stop anything that man was planning.

Fuyutsuki and a few agents from NERV's Section Two would be able to get to the bottom of this; Gendo made sure to cover all bases and prevent unnecessary problems.

As he sat on his chair, the light glinting off his glasses, Gendo reassured himself it was probably nothing; at worst, Mr. Nomura being suborned by Mr. Kannabe; SEELE's man in that town. Nothing words, cash, and a statement of fact can't solve.

After all, if that man died, that would mean he'd have to find someone else to raise his son to fit the larger plan… And if he cannot be relied on, who can?

------

Week three had begun, and Shinji had arrived home early - School had closed due to a case of food poisoning (he was not affected).

Opening the door, he would find Mr. Nomura staring at the phone, eyes wide, gasping for breath, aghast.

"Mr. Nomura?" Shinji asked, anxious that this might be a return of the bad old days. "What happened?"

"One of your Father's friends is visiting," said the grey-haired music professor (retired). "He says he'll arrive next hour."

Shinji grasped the implications, "That's when Other Shinji and Ken come in. Do you have a way of letting them know, Mr. Nomura?"

Mr. Nomura shook his head and said, "No. We'll leave them a note and meet that friend in Mr. Kannabe's store. Hopefully, they'll go back home once they see it."

Shinji sighed in relief; Mr. Nomura had not broken yet - He was still on his side. But how long will that last? After all, it wasn't even a month since Ken began coming over and Adults easily broke when other, more powerful Adults said they were the boss.

Except for his older self, of course; the Other Shinji from another universe was cool.

Mr. Nomura wrote a note and left it in a place close to the living room while Shinji kept watch over the door. Then the two of them went over to Mr. Kannabe's convenience store, where a black car was waiting in front of it, its polished surface shining in the late afternoon sunlight.

Outside it was one Kozo Fuyutsuki, his mildly wrinkled face and graying hair not hiding the stern expression and stance he had, a stance given more weight by the two bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses who stood behind him.

"Mr. Nomura," he said in a chilly tone, "The fact that you met me outside with your ward by your side, instead of at home, confirms that there is something afoot."

Then he looked at Shinji and said, "Long time no see, Young Ikari; you may not know me, but I was a friend of your father and mother."

There was some flicker of affection in his face and voice, not enough to change his mind about anything, but Shinji seized on it to win time; just an extra few seconds for Mr. Nomura to not get scared and tell 'His Father's Friend' everything.

Looking up at this visitor, tearing up at will, the boy asked, "Has Dad stopped hating me now? Is that why he sent you, Sir?"

Keep playing pretend. Remind Mr. Nomura why he said he wants to help now. Make this adult feel bad.

Yet another flicker of sadness, replaced by misplaced determination and resolve; was what passed through Kozo Fuyutsuki's eyes as he said, "No, Young Ikari, he is not calling you back yet; he needs you to stay safe."

He wanted him to believe that his father didn't hate him, but in a way that did not say he loved him, either.

Shinji realized too that this adult wanted to dangle bait before him, like the worms on the fishhooks. And the bait is that his father would want him back one day, but not now, and if he was good…

If he were Ken, Shinji would be mocking this old man to his face and calling him names. But he wasn't Ken; he was Shinji Ikari, the son of the man who had abandoned him for some larger plan.

"Oh," Shinji turned away almost demurely, letting a tear go down his face as he sniffled. "Well, tell him I'm sorry for what I did to make him leave me. I don't like it here; I'm lonely, I have no friends, and there's nothing to do but homework and TV and reading and reading and playing the Cello and sleeping and saving up my allowance for some mochi that doesn't even taste sweet and toys that I have no one to play with and… and…"

Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow, that flicker of affection flaring up again before being replaced with a hard-nosed stare of defiance, then suspicion, then a slow turning away from Shinji and towards Mr. Nomura -

Shinji froze for a second as he realized that he had been caught being sad on purpose, and that this older man was going to blame his music teacher and guardian for teaching him to lie and that might make things worse and he had to think quickly dang it before he lost everything…

He cleared his throat on impulse, remembering the Anime that Other Shinji had asked him and Ken to watch, and faced that man and said as coolly as possible, his tears fading, "No one put me up to this. You think, that the son of Gendo Ikari, your friend, is stupid?"

Tilting his eyes to reflect the daylight, Shinji pushed his genuine scorn into his voice as he bought more time for himself and Mr. Nomura, "My Father abandoned me, yet I soon grasped that if he did, it must be for something important… Meaning that I am important too. Isn't that right, Father's Friend? And if I am important, to whatever he wants to do, you won't want me to be too sad, right? Or I could hurt myself?"

Fuyutsuki was surprised for the briefest of seconds, but his face then contorted in fury, fury that made Shinji almost shake before the boy decided to stand his ground, shouting, "Look at me - Do you think I want to be alone forever just because my Father has plans?!"

Steel shone in the older man's eyes, and he opened his mouth to berate or command -

In a blur of speed, Ken was suddenly there, aiming a flying kick at one of the bodyguards with an adult's strength, enhanced by the Miniature Spear that he held. As said bodyguard had the wind knocked out of him, the other instinctively pulled out his gun and fired a pair of shots that bounced off a glowing AT Field.

"Don't hurt them too much, Ken!" Shinji shouted, "Even if you mind-wipe them, Dad can find out they used their guns or got bruises or had mud scuffed onto their suits!"

As Ken nodded, Fuyutsuki's face grew pale as he realized that this boost in Shinji's knowledge and skills was not just an act - Someone had trained the boy and it was not Mr. Nomura, the retired music teacher who seemed to be loyal to another cause now.

"I had a hunch something was up," a familiar yet somehow different voice interrupted - It was an older version of Shinji, walking towards the skirmish as he continued, "I'm glad I arrived just in time."

He looked at Fuyutsuki, then towards where Ken had just subdued the two bodyguards while the driver of Futystuki's car had slumped unconscious in his seat, seemingly without a hand being laid on her. Then he raised his hand to pre-empt any questions from Gendo Ikari's second-in-command, before saying his piece to him.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you. But as you're loyal to Father - And the memory of my Mother - We're going to have you remembering something than what you witnessed just now; I hope you don't mind?"

The old man knew when he was beaten, and relaxed, slumping his shoulders and saying, "I hope you know what you're doing, Ikari."

He then chuckled, "Your family never ceases to surprise me…"

Then Ken's spear glowed once more, and the old man's eyes closed. However, some unseen force kept him from collapsing to the ground; after all, this man deserved some respect.

Nevertheless, the mind-wipe will need to be quick and thorough; all of those involved knew that Gendo expected quick results, especially from his competent subordinates.

After Other Shinji gave instructions to Ken, Mr. Nomura felt the need to ask, "Why give your son such a powerful weapon - The Miniature Spear, I mean? Surely there must be a reason you don't use it yourself?"

The response was, "What makes you think I don't have one of my own? That said… He wasn't meant to get his own until at least eighteen or even twenty-one. However, the moment he got his hands on a newly-made unit, the Spear's nature meant that it would accept only him plus maybe those he approves of - Imagine if an Evangelion used an animal consciousness instead of a Mother's Soul."

Mr. Nomura nodded, then followed up with, "Ken… He's precocious, emotional, immensely confident, and smart. But he's still a ten-year-old who shows signs of the usual immaturity of those his age. Nevertheless, for him to be able to control the temptations of such power… You must have raised him well."

Other Shinji smiled at that and spoke, "We're going to need to speed up our plans. Even with Fuyutsuki doing his best to convince Father - Parallel Father - that he had a false alarm, we're still at risk. And not to mention SEELE; even with Mr. Kannabe and the townsfolk under some level of mental manipulation, they could still suspect something or just send a new agent."

Another nod, before Mr. Nomura spoke, "Shinji… Your younger self; he's still worried that you and Ken would one day stop coming and leave him alone again - I told him that if that ever happened, you two were going to have a valid reason. Would you?"

Other Shinji's smile held.

"So you've grown to care about him after all… Just like the you from my world did about me in the end. But yes, yes we do; there's this person named Midori Kitakami who tried to kill me once, and who if she hears about what we're doing and doesn't get orders from someone she respects to hold her fire, well, she's willing to hurt a child if that child had an 'apocalypse button'. So…"

End of Chapter Two

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Three: Tsubame Suzuhara

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or the Intellectual Property rights to Games Workshop's works or any IRL works of fiction mentioned in this fic, including BattleTech. While Mikael is an OC, his appearance references Oz Vessalius from Pandora Hearts, a manga by Jun Mochizuki, which I also do not own. Raphael, meanwhile, has an appearance based on Rize from Gundam Build Divers Rize, yet another work whose IP I do not own.

Another three weeks passed, and temperatures slightly warmed further, a reminder that without Second Impact, summer would last only the current months instead of the entire year.

More importantly, there was no word from Gendo Ikari or the rest of NERV or SEELE; carefully mind-wiping Fuyutsuki and his henchmen had gotten results.

Ken and Shinji were playing another round of That British Game in the afternoon, with the latter musing, "I heard from Other Shinji that there was a game called BattleTech released twenty years ago or so. Does your dad have a new edition of it?"

He saw Ken wince, even as the latter rolled a game-winning dice roll for once. The other boy said, "Yes, but the new editions were… Bad. I heard they made everything super sad and everyone acted like idiots so that sad things could happen, not because they want to be funny, but rather because they are in a 'we're trying to be serious and deep but fail at it miserably' mood. People still say the Fourth Succession War stuff was the best, though!"

Shinji mused, "Hmm… Ask your dad - Other Shinji - if he can get it cheaper from his world than mine. I want to play something different."

Ken grinned at that, then spoke, "Your birthday is coming in another two weeks, right? I'll get you a set of reprints and fresh miniatures by then!"

Shinji grinned as he had more often since Ken and Other Shinji began coming over, then said, "I have a better idea. You see, our school has a state-mandated trip to Tokyo-2 on my birthday; not even Father can stop Mr. Nomura from allowing it without drawing suspicion onto himself. You and your dad have Miniature Spears, why don't you join us?"

He leaned closer to Ken and continued, impishly, "The homeroom teacher said the trip is to Japan Heavy Chemical Industries' HQ. Didn't your Dad talk about allying with its big boss?"

Ken nodded at that, then said, "Two weeks. Unless something bad happens, I'll be there in two weeks. Also, you're smiling more often; I'm happy."

That simple admission warmed Shinji's heart, but the mention that something bad might happen… That brought back the old anxieties a little. Hopefully, anything bad that may occur won't happen on his birthday, and if it did, well, he won't forgive anyone responsible.

------

Well, good news, nothing bad happened to Ken on his birthday.

The bad news was that something bad happened to Ken before his birthday, and to Other Shinji, too. Instead of them coming over, two other people came instead.

The first one was a twelve-year-old girl with brown, curly hair, dressed in a white shirt with the Kanji for 'Suzuhara' written on it, black skinny jeans, and a leather purse with two Keychains; a Hello Kitty one and what seemed to be Ken's Miniature Spear or a really good copy. She introduced herself with the words, "Hello! My name is Tsubame Suzuhara - Ken is sick so he sent us over to be friends with you too!"

She then gestured to the boy with her, a slightly spiky-haired blond teenager about the same age as her with vivid green eyes, who waved, and paused as if trying to find what to say before introducing himself to Ken and Mr. Nomura.

"Younger Parallel Ikari, Younger Parallel Ikari's Music Teacher, my name is Mikael; I am a friend of Ken and Tsubame. Ken has a fever now but does not want to break his promise to you, so he sent us a message: Don't worry; his father plus my younger brother Raphael is taking care of him."

The blond then looked Shinji over and muttered, "Huh, I can see why 'Cousin Kaworu' would later like you…"

Tsubame gave her friend a pointed look, then looked at Shinji and Mr. Nomura and said, "Don't mind him; he forgets that it's still 2010 or 2011 here..."

She then gave a deep bow, gesturing for Mikael to do so as well, which he did, and said, "We humbly request your hospitality, and apologize for our intrusion."

Mr. Nomura sighed as he looked at Shinji, "So, are we letting them stay?"

For a brief moment, Shinji was tempted to say 'No', and then demand that Ken keep his promise. But that stank of blaming Ken for being sick and he was not scummy enough to do that.

So he looked at the two other kids for three seconds, trying to squish the feelings of anxiety and abandonment that were flowing through his soul once again, then said in the fourth, "All right."

Tsubame perked up and said, "Thank you, Younger Shinji! Now, can you show us around the town? I and Mikael know how to mind-wipe too, so that means we can just walk around without anyone noticing…"

Shinji looked at her, still feeling lingering bitterness about how he had been left behind, and blurted out, "If you're Ken's friends then you must know how to play That British Game. If you beat me then I'll take you around town; night is coming but the pond is safe and there are fireflies."

Tsubame's eyes lit up at that as she said, "I'll beat you any day; I have new Tyranid Models that will gladly consume your Primaris -"

Shinji's glare deepened as he said, "I'm playing Leagues of Votann as Ken isn't here. If you can't beat him, then you can't beat me."

Mikael raised his hand and said, "Umm… Younger Parallel Shinji, if Tsubame offers to play Tyranids, that means she's holding back - I am the very good Tyranid player in our bunch. If you want her to give you her all, ask her to play Sisters of Battle with the Triumph of St. Katherine HQ as Aunt Asuka does."

Then a sour note entered his voice as he said, "It's not Ken's fault he got sick, you know…"

Shinji relaxed his shoulders, which had been tense as he sighed and said, "All right. Let's play, then."

For the first few rounds of the subsequent game against Tsubame, Shinji seemed to have become passive again, his playstyle defensive. Then, just after she rushed a Carnifex model to take advantage of an opening, Shinji had his army, modeled on Ken's favored sub-faction of the Leagues of Votann, the Greater Thurian League, unleash a volley of sustained fire that gutted a quarter of her forces.

He said afterward with a rare, smug smile, "Try again with the Sisters of Battle; you can't win if you are holding back…"

As the afternoon faded into evening, it was clear that Tsubame and Shinji were evenly matched even when the former did switch to Sisters of Battle with her favored HQ Unit choice.

"Huh, it seems you really are good," Shinji said smugly to Tsubame as both of their armies were whittled down to a small fraction of what they once were. "All right; you really are Ken's friends… And now we're friends too."

The smiles of delight on Tsubame and Mikael's faces signalled that they accepted it.

"So…" Tsubame asked Shinji. "Want to show us the fireflies now?"

------

In the moonlight, under more stars than city folk would experience in their lifetimes, Shinji and his new friends, Tsubame and Mikael, would gaze at a swarm of fireflies that while modest by the standards of an actual tourist town, were enough to amaze three children and their guardian tonight.

"You know," said Mr. Nomura, "I used to have a wife and children, myself. In my haste to forget about their loss, I allowed Gendo to manipulate me, and in my grief… I used to ignore his son, whom he left in my care."

It was Mikael who nodded and said, "We heard about it. But Ken and Older Shinji changed your mind; we heard that too."

Tsubame looked at the old music teacher and said, "Don't ignore people who need you again. Adults should know better and not pass the pain on - We don't want it."

Mr. Nomura nodded, then after a stretched-out pause, asked, "What do you plan to do? Or rather, what do the adults in your life plan to do, now that they've won their battles?"

Tsubame turned her head so that her eyes reflected the moonlight for a second, before saying, "They are going to rest and do their jobs and do adult things. We are going to make sure they don't have to save the world again."

The twelve-year-old then revealed, "They did so two times already, not just one. People still kept on being jerks after Ken's Dad stopped his own Dad from blending everyone into soul stuff."

A moment's pause, and then a further revelation was given.

"They found Mikael and Raphael the second time they won. Being grown in a secret lab along with the Mini-Spears."

Shinji's eyes opened wide; he was not slow on the uptake even at his worst.

Mr. Nomura kept his eyes on the fireflies flying above the surface of the pond before musing, "I see… Angels in Human form, with Human mentalities, psyches, and emotions in a Human cultural milieu. Somehow I am not surprised they'd be spared and adopted - Ken's Father seems to be someone who can make radical actions, from compassionate motives, work."

Shinji walked over to Mikael and said, "Come over more. If people leave me behind because they think I'm different from them, they'd probably have been worse towards you and that's just bad - So come over more, and bring your brother with you too; you said he's taking care of Ken, right?"

Mikael's eyes widened in shock, then he gave a deep bow in gratitude as he said, "I will."

Tsubame smiled and asked another question, "So… Are we all good now?"

"We are!" Shinji said. "But I need to make Ken a 'Get Well Soon' Card, so perhaps we can go back home?"

Mr. Nomura nodded and said, "That's a good idea - I'll prepare the house for more visitors tomorrow; Other Shinji paid me enough to afford extra supplies, after all…"

------

It took the day after tomorrow for Ken to recover, but Tsubame and Mikael kept Shinji company until then and yes, helped him make 'Get Well Soon' cards.

And when Ken finally returned, he did so with Tsubame, Mikael, and another boy in tow.

This other boy, presumably Raphael, had the most unusual purple hair with red highlights and favored a small purple jacket, a black shirt, and beige shorts as well as rubber sandals that he removed after portalling inside.

For a brief moment, Shinji thought that this new kid looked edgy, but this was swiftly disproven when Raphael walked over to him and offered his hand, saying in a low, shy tone, "Hi, my name is Raphael. So, you're Ken's best friend?"

He made a tiny smile that lit up his face despite the bangs that covered his eyes.

"I like it when Ken is happy. It makes me happy too."

Shinji shook Raphael's hand, his grip surprising even himself as a twinge of discomfort pinched the back of his mind.

Why is Ken being happy so important to him?

He then looked at Ken, who looked puzzled at first.

Then Ken said, "You're my best friend, but Raphael came before you; I was there when he was taking his first steps to be Human."

Just weeks ago, Shinji Ikari would not have questioned this any further, but he knew how to communicate his mild displeasure now, saying, almost like Other Shinji acted when he scolded Ken, "We'll talk about this later."

A confused Tsubame looked at Mikael, who whispered something to her ear, causing her to whisper, "Oh, Younger Shinji's worried about Raphael."

Ken may be his best friend, but Shinji knew that Raphael gave off the vibe of being dependent on Ken as he had been to the grown-ups in his life. Ken did not need to know that he was hurting someone to hurt someone; most kids did not know that and Ken was still a kid.

So all Shinji had to say was, "I like it when Ken is happy too. But what makes you happy other than Ken?"

"He's not like Aunt Rei!" Ken yelped as he realized what his best friend was saying. Yet even so young, Ken was smart enough not to deny what Shinji implied.

But Raphael played peacemaker by answering Shinji's question with, "Battletech. Federated Suns and House Davion. Warhammer 40,000, Death Guard, and Ynnari. Cotton Candy and Bubblegum Ice Cream. Those make me happy but aren't Ken."

Satisfied, Shinji looked at Ken as the latter calmed down, then smiled and mildly patted his best friend's shoulder.

Then he asked his next question, "So, Ken, Battletech; Mikael told me about the valor of the Taurian Concordat and the resilience of their mechs as they defend their liberties. Would you show me? After all, we only have four more days till my birthday..."

Ken grinned and said, "Sure! But I am playing a force from the Eridani Light Horse…"

End of Chapter Three

 

[Repentant_Dragos]

Chapter Four: Shiro Tokita and The Boomtown

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or the Intellectual Property rights to any IRL works of fiction mentioned in this fic. While Mikael is an OC, his appearance references Oz Vessalius from Pandora Hearts, a manga by Jun Mochizuki, which I also do not own. Raphael, meanwhile, has an appearance based on Rize from Gundam Build Divers Rize, yet another work whose IP I do not own.

It was Shinji's first time in Tokyo-2; Other Shinji and Ken (who had badgered the former into allowing him to come) were handling the negotiations with Mr. Tokita themselves - the latter didn't like too many kids going up his business - But that was surprisingly okay because it meant that he could hang around with Tsubame, Mikael, and Raphael instead.

Oh, and Tsubame had given him a smartphone with Multiversal Internet Access as his birthday gift so he could talk with their group even when one of them got sick or incapacitated. The smartphone also contained an app that linked to a web video platform called MeTube, which had all sorts of channels for him to watch.

"Don't go too far from the bus!" said the homeroom teacher, whose eyes completely glazed over when they wandered to Tsubame, Mikael, and Raphael, as though her senses rejected their presence.

Shinji nodded at that, some of the old nervous deference returning; not that the homeroom teacher expected him and Mr. Nomura, who was also close, to wander off.

Raphael walked over to him and said, "So… You're eleven now. Ken turns eleven too in a few days."

He then mused as he looked around, "You need a birthday present besides that fresh smartphone. But Mr. Nomura, as your teacher and guardian, won't want us to give you a Mini-Spear."

Mr. Nomura looked at them, before saying, "Indeed I won't. What about a new Cello instead? After all, traditional instruments never harmed a child's education..."

Shinji's eyes slightly opened wide, then he nodded and spoke, "That'd be amazing…"

Both of them were trailing off at the ends of their sentences, anyone could observe.

Then suddenly, the class was called to start their tour of the Japan Heavy Chemical Industries' building, where Shiro Tokita and the other executives had decided to allow kids to see the latest technological marvels that the company was exhibiting on the lower floors.

------

Shinji noticed they were being watched; this was not necessarily unusual, as his father's agents were stalking him on his field trip, forcing Tsubame, with her Miniature Spear in hand, to spend extra time making them see only what they wanted them to see.

But it still felt like they were being watched.

The him of just a few weeks ago would have pretended, even to himself, that he had not noticed. The past him before he had met Ken, Tsubame, and the Angel-Human Hybrids would have resisted the urge to ask. But now, he hoped that things were different, yet it was still with a wavering undertone of anxiety that he spoke, "Mikael, Raphael, are we being watched?"

Mikael scanned the area and said, "Probably, but I only have the barest sensory abilities. Raphael, you?"

Raphael sniffed the air, "I smell something but it does not seem like it bears us ill will."

Shinji raised an eyebrow.

Tsubame noticed that and responded, "Oh, right, Mikael, Raphael, you have not told Younger Shinji here about your powers…"

Mikael replied, "I can protect people with energy shields and teleport to just beside Tsubame."

Raphael added, "I have enhanced smell, hearing, and eyesight and I can absorb injuries and diseases so my hybrid biology can heal them."

Mr. Nomura spoke, "Hmm… Other Shinji and Ken are still in Shiro Tokita's office, so we can't expect any help from them. Also… I thought your powers would be stronger if I must be honest."

Mikael sighed and said, "A common fallacy. But alas, being one-fourth as powerful as Cousin Kaworu has its drawbacks… And in most timelines, Kaworu had an Evangelion to hijack or a Spear of his own."

Raphael brought up a silver lining, "To be fair, it also means that… things that hurt Angels, like those DSS chokers from our timeline, hurt us less."

They kept walking, barely noticing the gizmos and gadgets and dioramas the guide showed the class as they went through the building. At the same time, the feeling of being watched just… stopped.

"Hmm… this person knows when to quit bugging us," Mikael said. "Good."

Shinji asked, "So… What's a DSS Choker?"

The mood chilled as Mikael froze like a deer in headlights, and then Raphael responded with the words, "It's a collar meant to kill Evangelion Pilots who become too 'Angelic' or Angel/Human Hybrids themselves. Our Shinji - Other Shinji - Once wore one."

The mood froze further as Shinji glimpsed a little of what his other self had endured before earning his happy ending.

He nodded and said, sounding like his past self for a few seconds as he did so, "Let's not talk about that… Let's not talk about who may be watching us either…"

The rest of the trio passed in silence.

------

When Other Shinji and Ken returned with a smiling Shiro Tokita in tow at the end of the school trip, Ken asked, "So, it seems you guys noticed you were being watched?"

Shinji mused, frowned slightly, and confirmed Ken's assumption with his next words.

"Yeah, we did. So, mind telling us what exactly is up with that?"

Mr. Nomura followed up with the words, "JHCI did not have a dark secret in your world; is that still the case here?"

Other Shinji and Ken looked at each other before the former gave the latter a nod of approval to answer.

Ken said, "Oh, Mr. Tokita here has helped; there were two experiments from… Home, who escaped into this world, named Gabriel and Uriel -"

Shinji looked at Other Shinji, Ken, and then Shiro Tokita, his gaze hardening to a half-glare.

Tokita glanced back at Shinji and said, "Don't get the wrong idea; they're my sons - I adopted them."

Tsubame asked the next question, "So… We originally came here so Mr. Tokita could make the town into a boomtown, right? Did we talk him into agreeing to do it?"

Other Shinji smiled, then ruffled Tsubame's hair, before nodding in affirmation and confirming with the words, "Yes; we'll be getting a new factory soon. That means that the town is getting jobs, money, and more people. I will cooperate with Gabriel and Uriel to keep SEELE distracted; they are already unlike in previous timelines."

Ken added, "Yeah! There's this new organization called NOAH that's going around fighting against SEELE in the Middle East!"

Shinji nodded at that, before yawning and asking, "So, can we come home now? There are still three years before I have to see Father…"

------

Months passed; there should have been a winter but Second Impact had changed the climate. But there was still an official winter break for reasons of bureaucratic inertia plus the need to give the student body time off that they could use to relax or go to cram school.

Shinji was not going off to cram school, especially not when he had Ken, Tsubame, Mikael, and Raphael over every day now, and he and Mr. Nomura had grown warmer to each other.

Lessons with Other Shinji were proceeding well, and while he knew that he was not as smart as Ken was, he was not untalented or ungifted either - Even in other timelines and universes, he had something that drew people to him. Granted, one of those people was going to be a boy, and at ten, Shinji did not know what to feel about that, but he had learned from Ken (and Raphael) to keep an open mind.

Shinji's eyes were keen enough to know that his Alternate Son was growing closer to Raphael, in a different way than 'just friends', but Ken, who was so sharp about other things, did not know his feelings. But they weren't in a hurry; they had years. And right now, they had false news to feed his Father and Uncle(?) Fuyutsuki to make it look like the small town they were in growing and becoming more prosperous was making him lonelier and more alone.

The rest of 'Team Shinji' also had to work harder to make it so that any SEELE spies who entered town were mind-wiped, and those were coming in droves now despite their bosses being busy.

But there was no time to worry about that, not when his first Christmas with Ken and the others approached.

Shinji was still afraid that they weren't coming, that they'd suddenly vanish like ghosts and everything would return to the way it used to be. What if this was all just a plan to break him? To suddenly pull the rug from underneath him so that he'd shatter like glass?

He trembled as he waited in the living room for his friends to arrive, and Mr. Nomura put his hand on the boy's shoulder, saying, "Don't worry; they'll come."

As if detecting his feelings, Raphael teleported into the living room a few seconds early, saying, "Ken is preparing a Christmas gift, but he didn't want you to think we're late."

Shinji relaxed in relief, a sigh he didn't know he held escaping his lungs. The eleven-year-old child's eyes lit up one second later as he exclaimed, "Christmas gift?"

Raphael smiled impishly as he said, "It's a surprise. But while waiting for them, we can talk to each other, if you want?"

Shinji nodded in agreement, then answered, "Sure, you can take the sofa."

After the two sat beside each other on the sofa, Shinji said to Raphael, "So, you… Like Ken?"

Raphael lifted his head in shock, his bangs parting slightly to show his wide-open eyes, and mumbled, "...Yes. Is that okay?"

Shinji took a few seconds to think it through, before responding, "If anyone gives you trouble for it, I'll have your back - After all, Ken likes you too."

Raphael blushed red at that; if a color can be loud, then the hue of his face was like that. His next mumble was, "I… hope so. He… I want to stay with him. Forever."

Shinji met his gaze with a nod, then a stern expression. "Take care of him. Keep him happy. He's my best friend, after all."

As Ken, Tsubame, and Mikael opened a larger-than-usual portal into the room, Other Shinji entered after they did, carrying a box of rare Lotte chocolates and saying, "Surprise - Here's your Christmas Gift!"

Shinji smiled widely; it may be too hot right now for a fireplace, but this place felt, warm and friendly, anyway.

A vague memory, of when his Father, his Mother, and him were happy. From back before grand ambitions destroyed his happiness. As the other children laughed and talked, Other Shinji and Mr. Nomura began talking like old friends, and Ken and Raphael looked at each other, unwilling to let now be the time that either admitted their feelings and planned for a future they were too young to think about, the boy realized something about himself.

They've done this for him. Not because of pity that would eventually fade, but because they saw worth in him as a person. They worked hard to connect to him because they liked him and accepted him for who he was, but at the same time believed he could be better.

He smiled wider, his eyes filling with happy tears. Even though the next few years will bring tests and troubles, followed by a scary battle against a world that didn't care about him, he had people who loved him enough to protect him, and he in turn… Wanted to protect them.

Ken walked towards him, concerned that the tears in his eyes were sad.

But Shinji wiped them away and clarified, "Ken, I'm happy. I'm so very happy…"

It was Ken's turn to tear up - Only a little because Ken cared about performing even to his friends - as the other boy said, "I'm happy too; you're the co-leader of our little group, after all."

Co-Leader. The old Shinji would have screamed that he wasn't ready for that; even now, deep inside, he had issues with being a leader of any sort. But with Ken beside him, and Tsubame and the Archangel Brothers too, he felt big enough to take on those shoes…

End of Chapter Four - Chapter Five will be titled, 'Meeting Father'