Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ After Effects ❯ After Effects ( Chapter 1 )

After Effects

By: AZ Mk II

Disclaimer: See previous.

-

“Wake up; we're about to hit the station.” came a familiar voice to go along with the gentle shaking of her shoulder. Blinking, the young girl came awake, looking around. As expected, she was sitting in the train seat next to her traveling companions, having fallen asleep sometime during their trip.

“It's night time.” noted the young woman, straightening her skirt and running a hand through her mid-shoulder-length brunette hair. Silently, the other woman nodded. Looking at the seat across from her, she saw the third member of their small group was staring out the window, brooding.

“Second thoughts?” guessed the girl who had woken her, disturbing the thoughts of the third. Looking at the two opposite her, the oldest shook her head.

“No. There wasn't really anything else to do.” she denied her worry. “I'm more concerned about how the old place is holding up.” she admitted. The PA on the train unctuously announced that they were arriving at their destination. “That's us, kids.” said the woman, standing and grabbing her small suitcase and duffle bag. Opposite her, the other two did likewise, checking the seats they had been sitting in for any loose articles. As the train jerked to a stop, the three silently departed.

Looking around at the station, the three saw that this was not a particularly popular place, as they were half the total number of people disembarking; no one was boarding the train. The trio stood silent as the train announced its departure, and a few moments later, it was gone, leaving them on an empty, indifferently-lit platform in an otherwise empty train station. They could almost feel the oppressive atmosphere of the city settling onto them once more.

“Seems little has changed in three years.” muttered the middle girl. She and the oldest traded looks while the youngest of the three shifted her feet restlessly. All of them were familiar with this place, and its atmosphere of despair and desperation. They had left three years ago, but the feeling of this city had soaked into their souls. It was here that they had been born, after all.

“We should get going.” said the oldest, tossing her head toward the steps that led to the streets - which were also deserted, even though it wasn't that late at night. “Nothing to do here, right?” she asked, leading the way. “Shouldn't be far to the monorail station.” she noted, setting a steady, but unhurried, pace for the small party. Behind her, the two settled into place just behind her shoulders, the habits of a lifetime showing clearly in the three.

Ten minutes later, the three were looking at the monorail station. Not that it was doing them much good, since it was derelict and clearly out of operation. The leader of the group frowned. “I would have thought that they would have this repaired after three years.” she muttered, clearly irritated.

“What next, oh fearless leader?” joked the youngest. The oldest of the three turned to smile at her youngest companion.

“It's a beautiful night, the stars are bright, and the house isn't that far.” she said confidently. “We'll just have to walk.” she finished.

“Great.” was the unanimous reply to her pep-talk. Getting comfortable grips on their bags, the three set off. As they moved down streets and roads, they saw relatively few signs of life around them. The roads - for the most part - were broken and cracked. Several buildings were boarded up and obviously structurally unsound. The trees, shrubs and grass were unkempt, and though there was electricity evidenced by lights here and there and traffic and pedestrian signs glowing in the darkness, surprisingly few lights were on in buildings around them.

When last they had been here, the city had been bustling with life, and though a war was raging, they had lived more or less normal lives. Now, three years after they had departed this city for a new, safer life in western Japan, they were back, but it looked like the city wasn't. “Hey, look over there!” came the voice of the youngest, her finger pointing to the center of the city. The other two turned to look.

“My god.” breathed the middle, while the older was silent. A yawning black pit greeted their gaze, the city center gone. From their perspective, it looked like a huge, bottomless pit of darkness, as there were no lights at all from inside that they could see, and the rim of the hole was utterly destitute of life.

“How…how big is that thing?!” wondered the next to oldest, her mind calling up the math formulas for determining the area of a circular surface. But, with no way of determining the radius, it was a pointless formula. It caught all three of them by surprise when the watch the oldest wore chirped midnight; they had been staring in awe at the void for nearly a quarter hour.

“We need to get going.” said the oldest, glancing at her watch. As if in agreement, the youngest of them yawned. Tossing her head, the leader set off again. In silence, the three of them steadily worked their way along the perimeter of the hole, toward their goal. Fortunately, their destination was only about a third of the way around the edge from the train station. By the time that watch chirped again, they were standing in front of their goal.

Or rather, they were looking at the shattered remains of where they had hoped to find a place to stay the night. “Our home…” began the middle daughter, “…it's…gone.” she finished, sounding vaguely confused.

“It looks like Asuka stomped on it with her Eva.” offered the youngest.

“Either way, we have to find a place to stay tonight.” the oldest took command of the situation. “Any ideas?” she asked the other two. Slowly the two began to shake their heads. Suddenly, the youngest had an idea.

“Sis, you have Asuka's number, right?” she asked eagerly. The middle daughter frowned.

“Well, yeah, but it's three years old.” she said, fishing up a small notebook from her duffle bag. Helpfully, the oldest clicked on a small flashlight so she could search for the number. It had been given to her three years ago, minutes before she left, by another of her friends. Turning a page, she spotted the penciled-in number. “Here it is.” she said, offering it to the oldest.

The oldest fished around in her bag for her cell phone, pulling it free and checking the screen, relieved to see that she still had service. When they had started their trip, all three had cell phones, but as the months passed, and the bills went unpaid, their services had gone inactive one by one. Frankly, I'm surprised that I still have service, thought the oldest, swiftly entering the number and hitting `send'. A moment later, she held the phone out to the other two, so they could hear the message that the number was not in service. “Strike one.” she said quietly.

“Um, give me a minute.” muttered the middle, flipping pages again. “No. Not him, either. He moved to Europe. She's in Hokkaido. Man, didn't know I still had that number! Sorry, it looks like…!” she blinked, seeing a number at the bottom of the next-to-last page. “I'll be damned.” she breathed. “Try this one, onee-chan.” she said, tapping her finger on the number.

Dutifully, the eldest entered the number and hit the button to connect. For several tense heartbeats, she listened to the click of the phone as it connected to the number. When the phone rang, she almost breathed a sigh of relief. “It's ringing.” she murmured to her two sisters. Three. Four. Five. C'mon! Answer! begged the girl.

“Hello?” came a voice from the other end, sounding tired. The three traded looks before responding eagerly.

“Hello! Is this the Ikari residence?” asked the oldest of the girls, hoping.

“Ikari residence?” came the confused voice. “Well, I guess so.” he replied slowly. A soft sigh from the girl alerted her two younger sisters to their salvation; hopeful salvation, at least.

“Thank god. Is Shinji there?” asked the girl.

“This is Shinji Ikari. Who is this?” came the reply, his voice more awake and sure now. The oldest suddenly handed the phone to her sister.

“Here.” she said tensely. “He doesn't know me.” she reminded the middle sister. Swiftly, the middle sister put the phone to her ear.

“Shinji?” she asked.

“Who is this?” repeated the young man, his voice suspicious.

“It's me; Hikari Horaki, Shinji. Do you…remember me?” she asked quietly.

“Hikari?” came his surprised voice. “Yes, I remember you! It's been ages. What made you call me out of the blue?” he asked her. Hikari bit her lip before answering.

“Actually, Shinji, I am really hoping that you can help me.” she said quietly. “You see, I'm calling from our house; or what used to be our house.” she began.

“Hikari,” began the young man slowly, “your house was destroyed years ago.” he said.

“Yeah, we see that.” replied the girl sheepishly.

“We? Who is `we', exactly?” came the curious response.

“My sisters are here with me.” said Hikari.

“I see. What brings you back here to Tokyo 3?” he asked her. Hikari sighed.

“It's a long story, Shinji. I'll be happy to tell you some other time.” she deflected. “I hate to ask you this out of the blue, but is there any way that you could put us up for the night?” she asked him.

“Um, yeah. I could do that.” he replied. “You didn't get a hotel room or a place to stay before coming here?” he wondered. Hikari winced at his question.

“This was kind of a last-minute thing, Shinji.” she sort-of apologized.

“I see.” came the mystified reply.

“So, uh, if you could tell us where you are, we'd really appreciate it.” she reminded him.

“Oh, right.” came his answer. “You said you were at your old home?” he asked her. Hearing her agree, he was silent, thinking it over, then answered. “Stay there. It'll be easier for us if I come and get you. I'll be there in about a half hour.” he said.

“Thanks, Shinji!” gushed Hikari in relief. “We're really sorry to put you out like…” the phone went dead in her hand. “Shinji? Hello?!” she asked, before looking at the screen, which showed that the service had been cut off. Mutely, she showed Kodama the screen before closing the phone and tossing it into the center of the wreckage of their old home.

“Hey, at least we got in touch with him before it went dead.” Kodama cheered her two sisters up. “All we have to do is wait for Shinji, right?” she said, making a sort-of seat of her two bags. Silently, the other two did likewise. As they waited, they quietly discussed what might have been going on here since they left.

Their discussion was interrupted by a car approaching them. Expectantly, the three stood, watching the car approach. As it drew nearer, Hikari frowned, sure that she had seen that car before. “I think that is a car like Miss Katsuragi drove.” she noted to her two sisters. When it came to a stop in front of them, the three saw it was not a car like the Major had driven - it was the car the Major had driven. The dents, scrapes and nicks were as obvious an identification badge as the NERV plates on the car.

The driver's door opened and Shinji stepped out. He had gotten taller in three years, though he remained wiry and slim. He was wearing sweatpants and a tee-shirt, his feet bare. From inside the car, they could hear some pop music floating from the speakers. “Hikari. Are you and your sisters ok?” he asked them, looking them over. “I'm sorry, but I don't recall your names right off the top of my head.” he apologized to the other two. Moving to the back of the car, he opened the small trunk. “You can put your things in here.” he said.

Kodama took the lead, picking up her bags and moving to the trunk. “Kodama. I'm Hikari's older sister. Pleased to meet you, Shinji.” she said, bowing her head to him.

“Likewise.” replied the young man, bowing his head in return. Hikari was next, smiling at him as she put her bags in the trunk.

“Shinji.” she said warmly.

“You're looking lovely, Hikari.” he replied, smiling in return. What happened to the shy, meek pilot? wondered the middle daughter, feeling her cheeks color.

“Nozumi. I'm the youngest.” came the voice of the last Horaki girl. Shinji helped her get her bags settled.

“Nozumi.” he repeated back. “I can certainly see the resemblance.” he smiled at her. Nozumi giggled.

“Well, it's getting late, so let's get back, shall we?” he suggested, tripping the seat forward so that two of them could share the back seat. Kodama and Nozumi silently got into the cramped back seat, figuring that since Shinji knew Hikari best, it would be better if she sat beside him in the passenger seat. As soon as they were in, Shinji and Hikari took their seats and Shinji shifted the car into gear and made a swift turn in the road.

“I'm impressed, Shinji.” admitted Hikari. “You got your driver's license already?” Shinji nodded slowly.

“Yeah, I figured it was the right thing to do.” he murmured softly. “Misato would want her car to be driven.” he whispered to himself. Hikari realized in that instant that a lot had happened while they were away, and her story would be only part of the telling.

“So, do you drive like Miss Katsuragi?” she asked, trying to find a change in topic. Unexpected, Shinji chuckled.

“Hikari-chan, no one can drive like Misa-chan could.” he smiled. “Though I occasionally try to.” he mock-threatened. Still can't figure out the angles and speed for the one-wheel cornering, though. he admitted to himself.

That comment broke the ice to some degree, and while it was still feeling a bit stiff in the car, the four were feeling more at ease as Shinji wheeled them through the city. Occasionally, they passed other cars, but for the most part, they didn't see much going on. Hikari eventually had to ask. “Shinji, what's with this city? Is it still deserted?” she wondered. Shinji gave her a strange look.

“No, not really.” he answered evasively. “It's just that very few people want to live here, because of all that happened in the war.” he said. “Pretty much, this is what it was like after the mandatory evacuation toward the end of the war. I guess…no one wants to come back here. Or remember what happened here.” he added, his voice dark and brooding. For an instant, Hikari was reminded of the many, many tales of Shinji's father, Commander Ikari.

“I…guess not.” offered the girl lamely. An inarticulate grunt was his reply. Minutes passed, and before they knew it, Shinji was pulling into a garage next to a battered, but still sound, apartment building. Hikari recognized the place. “You still live here, Shinji?” she asked, stepping out of the car. “Do Miss Katsuragi and Asuka still live with you?” she wondered. For just an instant, Hikari saw Shinji freeze.

“No, Hikari, they don't.” he said softly, taking half the bags in the trunk and moving toward the small set of doors leading to the lobby of the apartment building. Mutely, the three sisters followed him. As they suspected, the lobby was deserted, and while not run-down, it was definitely showing the effects of whatever had blasted the city. At the elevator, Shinji pushed the button and the doors opened immediately.

“How many people live here, if you don't mind my asking.” wondered Kodama. Shinji frowned.

“I have seen seven other people in the complex over the last year or so. Most were moving in or out. As far as I know, I am the only long-term resident here.” he shrugged. “Too stubborn or stupid to move on, I suppose.” he half-apologized. “I heard that the entire population up here is only about seven thousand.” he shared introspectively. The three sisters wondered about that `up here' part, but said nothing.

The elevator chimed and Shinji led them down the hallway. Hikari got a strong sense of de ja vue when she saw the numbers on the door. “Shinji, do you still live in Miss Katsuragi's apartment?” she hesitantly asked. He nodded.

“Yeah.” was all he had to say on the matter. Reaching the door, he swiped his card and stepped aside. “Ladies first.” he said, managing a smile. The three sisters stepped into his home, finding it to be spotless and tidier than it had ever managed under Misato's reign of chaos. Looking around, they heard the door close and Shinji moved into the living room, setting their things down on the couch.

With his hands free, he reached back to the small of his back and pulled out a dark semi-automatic handgun, glancing at it before moving toward the bedrooms. “Be right back.” he called over his shoulder, stepping into the room that Hikari understood had been Misato's room. A few moments later, he re-emerged, stepping into the kitchen to grab a glass of water before turning his attention to the sisters.

“Sorry, but I only have two rooms to spare. Ordinarily, I would let one of you have my room, and take the couch, but I have to work tomorrow morning, so I need to get some sleep.” he explained.

“No, it's fine!” assured Hikari, her two sisters nodding in agreement. “We're imposing on you, after all.” she reminded him. Shinji inclined his head.

“I appreciate your understanding.” he accepted her offer. “Well, it's late, and I've had a long day. Feel free to raid the refrigerator for food or drinks, I'm sure you can find the bathroom, and I'll see you tomorrow morning.” he said, bowing to them.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Shinji.” said Kodama, bowing to him. He gave her a negligent wave.

“It's fine, Kodama. Besides, it's good to see some friends again.” he said. Pausing as he started to enter the bedroom, he leaned back long enough to address the girls one more time. “Um, I think you should stay here until we have a chance to talk.” he said. “Wandering around in this place is not like it was before, and until we can get you squared away, it isn't wise to risk being out and about, ok?” he warned them. The three traded looks.

“We're pretty tired, Shinji, so we'll wait until tomorrow before we even think about going anywhere. Thank you for your concern.” said Hikari. Shinji gave her a wave.

“Tomorrow, then.” he said, closing his door behind him.

-

When the three sisters awoke, they found the apartment empty and a note on the kitchen table. Shinji had gone in to work earlier, and would likely be out most of the day, but would hopefully have some of the paperwork cleared when he returned. The three sisters enjoyed their first good meal in several days, Hikari finding the kitchen well-stocked with good material. It surprised her to find that the huge supply of beer was not entirely gone, though it had shrunk to about a six-pack.

After they ate breakfast, the three decided to discuss their situation and decide what to tell Shinji about their current state of affairs. Moving onto the patio, they got their first day-time look at the huge void from the night before. “Wow.” was all Hikari could think of to say. The void was where the top of the Geofront had been blown open. Faintly, they could see the hazy form of the trees and - most noticeably - the black, four-sided pyramid of NERV headquarters. Squinting, Hikari could just barely make out some color on the onyx sides. From the pilots, she knew that that would be diagonally bisected fig leaf of NERV.

After many long, silently minutes looking at the ruins surrounding the gaping hole, the three of them moved back into the living room, glad of the air conditioning. “What do you suppose happened to them?” asked Hikari quietly. Nozumi was looking around the apartment, curious about things. Kodama was contemplating what to do. Hikari found herself wondering about her friends when Nozumi's voice interrupted her.

“Hey, check this out!” came her voice from near the bedrooms. The two older sisters got up and moved over to see Nozumi waving them into Shinji's bedroom.

“Nozumi! You shouldn't go into other people's bedrooms without permission!” scolded Hikari. The youngest of the three ignored her.

“But you gotta see this, Hikari!” she said. Reluctantly, the middle and oldest sister followed Nozumi into Shinji's bedroom. What they noticed first was the western-style bed in the room.

“That was Asuka's bed.” murmured Hikari. The two rooms they had shared had futons in them. Truthfully, Hikari had wondered about the missing bed of Asuka. Looking over to the dresser, she saw a silver cross on a neck chain, as well as a single dog tag. Moving over to it, she saw that it was Major Misato Katsuragi's dog tag. Also on the dresser was a small, framed picture of Misato, Asuka, Shinji and Rei, the three pilots in their plug suits and Misato in her NERV uniform. Looking to the corner of the room, Hikari blinked when she saw the dress uniform of the woman hanging neatly in the corner, clean and ready to be worn.

“Think he might be cross-dressing?” wondered Kodama.

“Kodama!” protested Hikari. “They're probably just mementos of her.” she defended him. “You saw how his eyes looked, right?” she prompted her sisters. Both nodded.

“Well, if you want to know, here's his journal.” said Nozumi, holding up a simple black notebook. Hikari growled in exasperation.

“Put that back, Nozumi!” she ordered her younger sister. “Come on, let's leave his stuff alone!” she ordered both her siblings, herding them from the room. Back in the living room, she sized up the situation. “Well, since we're here and can rest, we should do some laundry.” she directed. Both her sisters obediently began to go through their collective bags, setting aside their dirty clothes - which, by this point in their journey, were nearly all of them - to be washed. Hikari set about doing the laundry as Kodama and Nozumi got cleaned up in the bath and did some hygiene. Hikari would tend to those matters once the laundry was well on its way to being done. Time slipped past very quickly, and before they knew it, Shinji was home.

-

“That was a good meal, Shinji.” complimented Hikari, wiping her lips to make sure that no trace of the meal remained on them. Sitting with her at the table, her sisters were finishing up the last traces of their food, literally wiping their plates clean. Shinji calmly took another sip of his cola and smiled.

“You were awfully hungry, Hikari. Not eating a lot lately?” he guessed shrewdly. Kodama and Hikari exchanged looks, while Nozumi used the distraction to collect the absolutely last bit of food from Kodama's plate.

“Um, yeah, something like that.” replied Hikari. Shinji sensed her edginess and drained his glass, standing as he did so, before beginning to gather the plates and dishes from the table. Swiftly, Hikari moved to help him. Shinji let her help him clear the table, but waved her off when she started to run water in the sink.

“Let those be for now, Hikari.” he said. “How about we move to the living room, and you can tell me what brought you back here.” he suggested. Hikari took a steadying breath.

“Sure. I said I would explain it later, didn't I?” she said, following Kodama and Nozumi into the living room, Shinji behind her. Taking seats on the couch, the three sisters watched as Shinji settled comfortably on the floor by the TV.

“So, let's hear it.” invited Shinji, giving them a slight smile. Kodama took the lead before Hikari could.

“I don't know if you knew or not, but our dad worked for NERV - he was in the engineering section - and ever since our mother died, he has lived for his work. When the mandatory evacuation order came down, we thought that getting out of the killing zone would let us return to being like a regular family, but dad's new job took even more of his time and effort.

“About a year after we moved away, he started to come home from work drunk; well, what few times he did come home. He also started to see a co-worker. I only met her a time or two, but she really rubbed me the wrong way. She was always drinking, and smoking and taking pills.” Kodama frowned, falling silent.

“We thought that it was a good thing, at first.” Hikari took up the story. “After all, this was the first woman that dad had shown any interest in since mom died. We thought that maybe they would settle down and it would all work out. Instead, her presence in his life caused the opposite to happen.”

Kodama took back the story. “Dad was never the financial brain of our family, Shinji. With this new woman in his life, he became completely useless. When the collection agencies started to come around, we tried to talk to dad about it, but he just yelled at us to mind our own business. Hikari and I tried to find out what was going on, but when dad found out, he went ballistic.” said the oldest.

“He's not a bad father, Shinji, really, he isn't!” stressed Hikari. “I'm sure it was just long-term emotional stress and the drinking, but about a year ago, he came staggering in one night with that woman, and when Nozumi asked him why he hadn't been home the day before for her birthday, he told her it didn't matter to him.”

“I didn't help the situation when I called him a bastard.” said Kodama quietly. “And I'm sure that calling that woman a drunken whore and a disease-ridden piece of trash didn't help any, but when dad slapped Nozumi for trying to keep the peace, I knew it was beyond hope. Hikari and I had talked about it a time or two before, you see. So, we packed up, I drained all the money I could from the bank account and we headed off to some relatives.”

“That was nearly a year ago, Shinji. We've been all over Japan from top to bottom, but we haven't been able to find a place where we can get stable work and shelter. Most of our relatives are from dad's side, and they kept taking his side. Then, one day, Kodama found a notice in the records that the UN had released all the titles to the homes in Tokyo 3. We talked about it, and since dad didn't know that the house was released, we came here, hoping to find an intact house we could stay at.” Kodama shrugged helplessly. “We found a weed-strewn wreck of a house instead. With no other option, we called you.” she said.

Shinji nodded slowly. “I see.” he said quietly, looking at the three, but not seeing them. His eyes were unfocused, and Hikari got the feeling that he was remembering something. “Well, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like.” he said at last. “It isn't much, but it is mine, and mine it will stay.” he promised them. “I can't promise anything, work-wise, but at least you will have a roof over your head, food to eat, and a place to call home.” he offered.

“Shinji…we…thank you.” said Hikari, bowing to him, her sisters doing likewise. He waved it off.

“Hey, you know I'd never turn away a friend.” he said deprecatingly. “It can get lonely being by yourself.” he added, more to himself than to them. Hikari picked up on it.

“So, what has been going on with you?” she asked, shifting the topic from their situation to his. Shinji leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling.

“Me? I've been…living.” he said. “Nothing special.”

“I see.” wondered Hikari. Shooting a glance at Kodama, she saw her concern mirrored in her sister's eyes. “Could you tell us what happened to the city?” she asked him. Start on some middle ground, Hikari. she instructed herself.

“After Kao…after the last Angel, I thought we were done. I thought we had managed to out-last them.” said Shinji, still staring at the ceiling. “Asuka was still in a coma, but we had won; I was sure we had won. Instead, the Japanese government attacked us. They blew the top off the Geofront with a stolen N2 mine, and S…the group behind it all sent in all nine Model Production Evas. It was their big play for immortality.” he tone and words twisted, turning dark, cold and hard.

“I was…feeling sorry for myself, and got cut off by the Japanese troops invading NERV. Misato came to get me.” he gave a bark of dark, sinister amusement. “One final fight would be needed, it seemed. On the way back, Misa-chan…was killed.” He sucked in a breath, steadying himself against the familiar pain in his chest. “But not before she got me to the elevator. I took Unit 1. I took revenge on them all. The Japanese troops, the UN forces, and the other Evas; I destroyed everything before me, and then, I destroyed their dreams.” he whispered.

The three sisters sat, shocked, as the young man emotionlessly told them they were looking at a monster. To their immense surprise, Shinji's eyes were dry; whatever tears he might have had had long since been cried. “You know, the funniest part of it all was that Instrumentality was a dud.” he cackled mirthlessly. “All the pain, all the fighting…meant nothing. Misa-chan died for nothing. Asuka, Rei, Touji, the Angels…all for nothing!” he snarled with such pure hate that it made the three sisters shrink back from him.

Forcing himself to take some deep breaths, he calmed himself; long practice had made him good at coping with the memories. “Any questions?” he asked, a sickeningly brittle smile on his face.

“A…Asuka?! Coma?!” gaped Hikari. Shinji nodded.

“Fifteenth Angel raped her mind, Hikari.” said the young man. “She…never really recovered, though there at the end, I thought…” he shook his head. “I can't remember it all clearly, but she came back, during the last fight with the Model Production Evas. She came back to save me - and died for it. Just like Misa-chan.” he muttered, staring at the floor.

“What about Ayanami?” asked Hikari, her voice barely a whisper.

“Rei wasn't human, Hikari; or rather, not completely human.” shrugged Shinji. “You actually met two of her, did you know that? She was a hybrid between an angel and a human that that bastard created.” he explained, his voice velvet with venomous hate at the mention of his father. “She…Rei…died during the attempt to initialize the Instrumentality scenario.”

“And Suzahara?” asked Kodama, knowing that her middle sister had had a crush on him, and taken his sudden disappearance hard. Shinji didn't look up as he answered.

“Touji was in Unit 3 when an Angel took it over. The Dummy Plug system caused me to lose control of Unit 1 for a few minutes after the angel had disabled Asuka's and Rei's units. He survived the destruction of the angel, but when they moved him out of the infirmary during the evacuation, his condition took a turn for the worse. He died while they were moving him to a remote hospital.” he answered.

“Kensuke moved out with us, but we lost touch with him in the first year. Do you…know if he made it?” wondered Hikari. Shinji blinked.

“Aida? I heard he poked his nose where it should be, and had an accident.” said the former pilot. “I tried to call him about two years ago, but he was gone. No one knew where. Sorry, but I don't know if he's alive or not.”

“I see.” murmured Hikari. Silence fell on the apartment for a good half hour. Finally, Shinji broke it.

“Before I forget, I have started the paperwork for your residence cards, but it could be a bit before they are ready.” he said. The three blinked.

“Resident cards?” wondered Hikari. Shinji nodded.

“This city is a `controlled site', directly under the supervision of the UN. Everyone here must have a resident card - the better to make sure that certain elements never get roots here.” he said. “Since you lived here before, it isn't that likely that they will have any problems with your applications.” he offered.

“Oh.” replied Hikari. Silence again fell for a few minutes. “You mentioned work, Shinji. Where do you work? I didn't see a lot of places open around here.” she noted. Shinji got to his feet and stretched his back.

“I work below.” he said. “Those of us that survived all work there.” he added cryptically. “I'm gonna get a bath; it's been a long day - again.” he added quietly, moving toward the bathroom. The three sisters sat on the couch, stunned into near insensibility.

“I had no idea…” breathed Hikari. Kodama was frowning as she looked over the sparsely-lit city and the huge, gaping void in the center. From the distance that the apartment complex sat at, it looked almost pretty.

“Should we stay?” she asked her two sisters quietly, but intently. “This place, it's…” she made a vague hand gesture.

“I'm staying.” said Hikari.

“We don't have a lot of choice, onee-chan.” agreed Nozumi. “And besides, Shinji is kind of cute in a dark, brooding way.” she smiled. Hikari blinked.

“Nozumi!” she hissed, glancing toward the bedrooms and the bathroom, thankful that the door to the bathroom was mostly closed. Mostly closed? Did he forget we were here? she wondered. “You shouldn't say things like that!”

“Why not?” challenged the youngest Horaki. “You always said the same thing; you and Asuka used to talk about him while you were taking your baths when Asuka stayed the night.”

“But, you're only fifteen!” protested Hikari.

“And you were talking about him when you were fourteen, Hi-chan.” weighed in Kodama. “Besides, Nozumi has a point: he is a hunk. I'm surprised that he doesn't have a girlfriend or wife by now.” she murmured, thoughtfully.

“In a place like this?!” came the incredulous reply from Hikari. “Everyone he knew and loved died here! Not a very romantic place.” she muttered.

“Mmm.” hummed Kodama, thinking. “I guess we're staying, then.” she said, standing. “I'm gonna grab a drink.” she said, moving to the kitchen. To the surprise of the other two sisters, she pulled a beer out and cracked the top. Taking a pull from the can, she sighed. “Not the best, but not that bad, really.” she said, slowly moving down the hall to what had once been Asuka's room. “Let me know when he's out of the bath, ok? I want to get another one before bed.” she called back to her sisters.

“Ok!” agreed Nozumi. Reaching over to the coffee table, she grabbed the remote for the TV and clicked it on, surfing some channels. Hikari was staring blankly off into space. When Nozumi accidentally clipped her with her heel as she got comfortable on the couch, Hikari blinked and realized that she had been staring off into space for a while now.

Getting up off the couch, she moved toward the bathroom. Just before she reached it, the door opened and Shinji came out, one hand covering his mouth as he yawned, the other holding his towel, leaving him completely naked. Blinking at her sleepily, he nodded to her as he stepped past her and into his room, half-shutting the door before Hikari could react to what she had seen.

My god! He's hot!! she thought, recalling in vivid detail the sight she had just seen. But, when did he get those scars? Must have been in the final battle. she reasoned. There was a circular scar on the left side of his chest, another thin scar on the lower right side of his chest, and a couple of hardly-noticeable circular scars on the back of his hands. But, her mind proved to be more interested in other parts of him.

Was he always that large? she wondered. She had never seen him naked - though Asuka had - and had always sort of wondered about it. Be honest, Hikari, you've never seen any man naked since you were five and used to bathe with mom and dad. her conscious reminded her. Shinji was lean and wiry, his muscles toned, rather than large. And Hikari found that her libido found him to her approval.

Blinking away her musings, Hikari moved into the bathroom to relieve her bladder before telling Kodama that the bath was free. As she took care of that issue, her mind came back to what she had just seen. Asuka always said he was a wimp and perverted, but she never said he wasn't cute or handsome. mused the girl. I wonder what she would say if she saw him now? Her mind easily conjured up the fiery German pilot. Of course, it then immediately threw the ersatz Second Child at the Third Child. Blushing, Hikari had to shake her head to disrupt the action in her head; but not before the clothes had gone flying and the red-head was about to mount young man.

“Yeah, she'd definitely like this Shinji.” murmured the girl, flushing the toilet and stepping to the sink. As she dried her hands, she caught her reflection in the mirror. For a long moment, she looked at herself. I wonder what Shinji thinks of me? she wondered.

The former class rep had undergone the long-delayed `filling out' stage that girls go through in their teens. She had always envied Asuka's chest and hips, and the German girl's well-developed body was the pin-up of every boy at school. But now, years later, Hikari wasn't sure that she would be second best to the girl. Gone were the less-than-a-full A-cup chest, barely noticeable waist and hips, and upper-back-length hair. In their place were a full, shapely B-cup chest, distinct, narrow waist, and a pleasant curve of the hip. Her hair had darkened from medium brown to black, and hung to her lower back - the longest she had ever worn it.

Looking at Kodama, you can see the resemblance; and Nozumi is starting to go through it as well. she thought. If I develop like Kodama, I think I might be as popular with the boys as Asuka was. That thought brought a smile to her lips. It also brought Shinji back to her mind. Seeing her cheeks color in the mirror, Hikari swiftly opened the door and hurried to tell Kodama that the bath was free.

-

Shinji hid a yawn behind his hand as he entered his apartment. It had been a week since the Horaki girls had unexpectedly come into his life, but he welcomed their presence. For the last couple of years, he had simply existed here in this place. I can't really call what I have been doing `living', after all. he thought. “I'm home.” he called, toeing off his shoes as he dropped the keys to his car onto the small side table by the entrance.

“Welcome home!” came the muffled voice of one of the sisters. “How was your day?” asked the same indistinct girl. Shinji shrugged, even though he knew that she couldn't see it.

“It was work.” was all he said. He had never told them just what it was he did; and if things went well, they would never find out. “I saw a moving van by the entrance. In or out?” he called, stepping into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator. For a moment, his hand hovered by the beer; but then, as usual, he plucked a can of soda out instead and closed the refrigerator. While he had been known to have a beer on special occasions, he had no fondness for the drink other than for the connection it had to Misato.

“Out. That weirdo on the second floor is carrying boxes of junk out to it.” came the clearer voice of the girl. Shinji nodded to himself. Nozumi.

“I don't think he's necessarily a `weirdo', Nozumi-chan.” chuckled the young man. “He just has eccentric tastes, that's all.” he replied. I got used to eccentric behavior with Misato and Asuka, after all, he thought wryly.

“He's weird.” disagreed the youngest of the sisters. A moment later, Shinji caught site of her as she exited the bathroom. Her hands were busy toweling her hair dry, and she seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she was completely naked. Other than a blink and a quick inhale of breath, Shinji had little reaction. Oh, how times have changed! he thought to himself absently.

“Where are Hikari and Kodama?” he asked the girl. She glanced at him, smiling.

“They're at the pool.” she said. “It's a nice day to relax.” she added, stepping into what used to be his room, but was now Hikari's and her room. Kodama had sort of pre-empted Asuka's old room for herself, leaving the two younger sisters to share a room; neither of them minded, really. “You should head down there for a dip, Shinji.” she said.

Shinji considered the naked girl before him. “I think I will.” he agreed. “Are you headed back down?” he asked her. She shook her head.

“No. I'm going to get dinner started. It's my turn to cook tonight.” she said, sounding almost happy. “Hikari taught me a new dish yesterday, and I want to see how it turns out.” said the youngest girl. “It'll take about two hours to get it ready to serve, so don't feel rushed.” she said, stepping into her room.

Shinji detoured into his room and swiftly changed out of his `work clothes' of a pair of slacks, a tee shirt under a button-down shirt and his sneakers before picking up his swim trunks. As he stepped into the fast-drying swimwear, he reflected on the very act of going swimming. To think that I didn't used to be able to swim. he thought, shaking his head. He had forced himself to learn to swim after the failure of Third Impact. I owe it to Rei. he thought somberly, absently rubbing the leg of his swim trunks. While he might never love the water like Rei did, he found that he at least got along with it now. The woman who had offered to teach him to swim had once remarked that he was an indifferent, but relaxed swimmer. “Good description of me in general.” he muttered before grabbing a towel and his gun and heading for the pool.

The pool was an example of one of the amenities that Shinji had only found out about after the Angel War was over. During the process of picking himself up off the floor and securing his possessions, he had discovered that Misato had had an apartment in a very nice complex. It had a pool, an exercise room, a car wash in the back of the parking garage, lounge and even a small driving range and putting green. Not that Shinji would have had any time or use for that before.

Still don't have a use for most of it. grinned the young man. The pool, however, was one of the things that he did have a use for. No fewer than three times a week, he would go down and swim laps in the semi-secluded Olympic-sized pool. Sometimes, he would swim every day. In all the time that he had been doing this, he had never seen another person at the pool. When he emerged into the weakening evening sunlight, he was in for a new experience.

“Shinji!” came the voice of Hikari. “Welcome back!” she called, waving at him from the shallow end.

“Work go ok?” added Kodama, waving an arm at him from the lounge chair by the poolside. Shinji headed toward the oldest of the girls.

“Work's work, you know?” he deflected. Setting his towel down on the small table between the two lounge chairs, he slipped the semi-automatic handgun under it before looking at Kodama. When he saw the oldest sister, he knew that his shorts were now tented.

Kodama was wearing a black tie-on bikini, the top complimentary to her C-cup chest, and the bottoms tied loosely on, revealing the inside crease of her thighs and the folds and contours of the girl's pussy. Shinji knew that bikini well; it had been Misato's bikini, and he had left it neatly folded in the top of his closet. It…looks good on her. he admitted.

That the girls had been in his room hardly surprised him. It didn't bother him, either, since what was in his room was not truly his. His bed room was pretty much just that: a room for him to sleep in. When I can sleep, that is. he added silently. He would have been more surprised if the girls hadn't explored his room by now.

“Um, hope you don't mind my borrowing this, Shinji.” said Kodama, a trace of embarrassment in her voice. “It's just that Hikari didn't have a swimsuit, so I lent her mine. I was going to go skinny-dipping, but then Nozumi found this one.” she explained. Shinji shook his head.

“It's fine, Kodama.” he assured her. “You look great in it.” he added, pausing before his final shot. “Besides, it's not like I wear it.” he sniped. Kodama blushed a little more. Looking at his trunks, she suddenly smiled wickedly.

“Mm. I can see that.” she purred, noticing his tented trunks. Shinji hummed as he moved toward the pool. Approaching the pool, he saw Hikari standing in chest-deep water, apparently waiting on him. Through the wavy distortion of the water, he saw that she was decked out in a bikini as well, though this one was red in color, and was slightly large on her in the chest. Rather than the tie-on style that Kodama's was, this one was a strapless hook style. Stepping into the pool's deep end, Shinji smothered a gasp as the cool water sent shivers through him before his body adjusted to the cool liquid. With a hot summer as the perpetual weather, a cooling dip in the pool was a treat indeed.

Surfacing, he swam to where Hikari was staring at him. Once he was standing in front of her, she spoke. “Shinji! I thought you couldn't swim?!” she demanded. Shinji gave her a soft smile.

“I couldn't, back then.” he said. “After it all, I felt I should learn.” he shrugged. Swimming lets me remember Rei in a better light than when I last saw her, he didn't say. “Swimming is not my favorite thing, but I find it…acceptable.” he murmured the last bit. Hikari blinked at his tone and wording. He sounded like Ayanami just then!

“Well, want to swim some laps?” asked the former class rep. Shinji grinned at her.

“Sure.” he agreed innocently. Hikari and he moved to the deep end and set up beside each other, beginning their first lap. At first, Hikari held back, figuring that Shinji would be a passable swimmer at best, but to her surprise, he easily pulled ahead of her. Ever competitive, Hikari swam harder, narrowing the gap, but finding it hard to pass Shinji. Before she knew it, she was swimming as hard as she ever had, just barely keeping a half an arm-length ahead of Shinji. After four passes, she slapped the wall and stopped.

“Man…Shinji…” she panted. “I thought…you said you…didn't like….swimming!” she protested. Shinji chuckled at her, breathing deeply himself.

“No, what I said was that I found it acceptable.” he reminded her. Looking at her, he noticed something. “Um, Hikari-chan, your top is missing.” he pointed out, feeling his dick come alive. Looking down, Hikari saw that he was right.

“Eep!” she gasped, her hands flying up to cover her breasts. Shinji chuckled lightly and turned to survey the pool. Spotting a bit of red half-way back, he kicked off from the wall and leisurely stroked over to the bit of cloth, collecting it and moving back to Hikari. Holding out the top, he offered it to her.

“Here you go.” he said. Seeing her start to reach for it, only to stop, he decided to tease her a little. “Or would you like me to help you put it back on?” he asked her, giving her a lecherous smile.

“I…um…” Hikari tried, only to be interrupted by Kodama's voice from poolside.

“Let him do it, Hi-chan!” she teased her sister. Hikari swallowed hard.

“O…ok.” she replied, meeting Shinji's gaze. Her face was red, but she was determined to go through with it. Turning around, she lifted her arms. Shinji easily slipped the top around her bare chest, trying not to linger as his hands and arms brushed her soft breasts and hard nipples. Once it was in place, he hooked it in place, finding it to indeed be loose on her chest. Probably why it came off, he noted to himself. Feeling Hikari wiggle a little, he reached back around her from behind and tugged the cups up gently. “Better?” he asked her.

“Yeah.” she breathed, feeling her groin tingle. He's so casual about it! The Shinji I remember would be frozen in shock or running away by now, but here he is, touching me without so much as a nose bleed! she marveled. He's so much more confident now! She refused to acknowledge how much this new Shinji turned her on.

The last of the sun was about to slip behind the horizon, so the two pulled themselves out of the pool and retrieved their towels, Shinji once more unobtrusively using his towel to partially conceal his gun. Neither girl said anything about it, but they had both noticed it. Moving back into the apartment building, they discussed meaningless things - like the man moving out.

“That leaves three other apartments filled, other than ours.” noted Hikari. Shinji raised an eyebrow at her. “Well, there isn't a lot to do, so we kind of took note of which ones were occupied, and which ones weren't.” explained Hikari.

“None of the occupied ones face the pool, either.” noted Kodama. “That's why I was planning on just skinny dipping before `Zumi-chan found this swimsuit.” she added.

Shinji sighed mournfully. “Too bad.” he mock complained. “I'd have liked to see that.” he winked at her. Kodama blinked before reply.

“I could show you, if you want.” she offered.

“Kodama!” came Hikari's tense voice. Glancing at her younger sister, Kodama shrugged.

“What? Shinji had been a lifesaver to us, Hi-chan. If he likes what he sees, there is no reason not to show him, is there?” she argued reasonably. Beside the two, Shinji's eyed widened slightly.

-

“Here are your resident cards.” said Shinji, handing the cards out to the girls. Another week had passed since the pool incident, and the four of them had developed a comfortable balance between them all. Earlier that week, Shinji had taken pictures of them with a digital camera, and as the three looked at them, they saw their pictures on each card, along with the basics of their information.

“I see we are listed as living with you.” noted Hikari, glancing at the card's data block. Shinji smiled at her.

“Well, you are living here, aren't you? Besides, now that you have these, you can have them updated if you move.” he explained. “It makes it a lot faster and easier if you start out with a known residence.” he added. All three sisters noticed that he had said `if' they move. Frankly, they were less and less sure that there was any point to looking for a new place - especially since they had no income at all.

“That's a pretty good picture of me, Shinji!” chirped Nozumi, seeing her slightly-smiling face on her card. Shinji gave her a warm smile and nod in return. Hikari studied her card more closely. It was nearly identical to the NERV dependant card she had had while she had last lived here. On the front of the card, there was a shadowy, holographic foil seal with an emblem that she couldn't quite make out. Of course, the bisected fig leaf seemed to be gone, but this was disconcertingly like the old NERV logo.

“What is this on the front?” she asked Shinji, pointing to her card. Shinji glanced at it nonchalantly.

“It's the authentication seal of the administrative government of Tokyo 3. It's nothing more than a way to keep counterfeiters off balance.” he dismissed the hard-to-make-out device. “With these, you can now roam around what's left of Tokyo 3 at will.” he continued.

“So, we can look for work, then.” mused Kodama. Shinji nodded.

“Yeah, but I wouldn't get your hopes up too much; there isn't much to be had around here.” he murmured. Kodama and Hikari exchanged looks at that. It wasn't the first time that Shinji had avoided answering a question, but the girls reasoned that he must have a reason for being evasive. After his story about what happened here, they could understand his reticence to speak about some things.

“So, how was work today, Shinji?” asked Nozumi, tucking her card into her pocket. Shinji shrugged.

“Work was work - you know that, `Zumi-chan.” he killed that topic. “I'm gonna get started on supper. I decided to make you something special, so no peeking!” he teased them. The three sisters pouted at that, playing along with him. After putting their residency cards in their rooms, the three sisters moved out to the balcony to enjoy the evening breezes as Shinji worked in the kitchen. Sliding the glass door closed, Kodama tossed her head toward the railing.

Gathering at the railing, the other two sisters waited for her to say what was on her mind. “Ok, we have our residency cards now, so the question is: do we get our own place, or stay here with Shinji?” she asked the other two.

“I want to stay here - at least until we can figure out the work situation. No work, no money. No money, no home.” reminded Hikari.

“I like living here.” said Nozumi cheerfully. “Shinji's cute, too!” she giggled. Kodama turned to look out over the void that was the open Geofront. Hikari picked up on her big sister's behavior.

“You're worried about something, `Dama-chan.” she stated.

“It's nothing much, Hi-chan.” assured the oldest of the three. “But Shinji is acting a lot different than he use to, right? And he went through hell here, but he can't seem to move. I just wonder if our being here is helping him, or hindering him; that's all.” she said. Hikari wondered about that sometimes too.

“We…could just ask him.” she suggested. Kodama shook her head.

“He would never tell us the truth if we were being an inconvenience to him - you know that!” she chided her sister.

“He seems a little happier than when we first came here, though, doesn't he?” pointed out Nozumi. “Those first four or five days, he didn't laugh - not once! But this last week alone, he has smiled and laughed dozens of times. I think we're good for him!” she declared.

“He said he has been here all alone since the end of the Angel wars, didn't he?” considered Hikari. “I know that before - when we were going to school together - he said that he had more or less been alone all his life, and that living with Misato and Asuka had been the first time that he felt like he had a real family.” And they're not…here, anymore. she left unsaid.

“You think he needs us here?” repeated Kodama. Both her younger sisters nodded. Kodama sighed. “He probably does.” she agreed. I just don't know how to help him. He seems so…tired. Silence fell on the three for a long period, then Kodama spoke again. “He is a hunk, isn't he?” she muttered.

-

The three sisters had headed out to check out the town as soon as they woke up the next morning, finding that Shinji was once more gone, a note telling them to feel free to get whatever necessities they might need and a small stack of money left sitting on the table. He had also thoughtfully left his work number at the bottom of the scrap of paper, as well as a short post-script, reminding them that they would need their residence cards to move around the city freely, as well as to get back into the apartment.

The three had gotten ready, had a quick breakfast, and headed into town. First on their list was finding some apparel items and replenishing their hygienic supplies. Next on their list was looking into the communication situation and seeing what might be had for work opportunities. Most of that day was spent discovering the condition of the city. What they found was not particularly encouraging.

As Shinji had said, the city was hardly rebuilt, and with more than seventy percent of it simply gone, there were few places around the remaining rim that were up and running. The three found a couple of grocery stores, a few drug stores, a single department store, a brace of bars, a theater, a lone fuel station, and several small homes. Everything else was deserted, the effects of the N2 bombing clearly seen, especially at the edge of the yawning chasm. Public transportation was virtually gone, with only two operational sections of the monorail - and those two weren't in sequence. The three sisters began to understand Shinji's comment about not really having a choice about getting his driver's license.

Work prospects were no better than the overall condition of the city. Kodama found that if she wanted to work, then about the only place with available hours were the two bars - she could work part-time in each of them to make a single, full-time job. With her sisters being underage, though, that was not an option for them. The theater had one ticket person, and that person doubled as the usher and snack vendor. The department store had the best chance of offering employment, but they had seemed to have more employees than customers, so the chances were slim there, as well.

Shelving the topic of work, the three had gathered what they could of their list of necessary items and headed back to the apartment as the afternoon came to a close. As they walked from the monorail system to the apartment building, they quietly discussed what they had learned that day. It would seem that their decision about staying with Shinji had been made for them. Kodama also realized that working at the bars would be an exercise in futility, since the time it took to get home and the costs of transporting herself back and forth would negate any meaningful earnings she might make. Looks like a flypaper situation. she thought to herself, but didn't say. Of course, we are better off here than anywhere we have been at for the last two years or so. she admitted.

Reaching the apartment, the three sisters sighed in relief as they rode the elevator up to their floor. It wasn't the weight of the few bags in their hands, or the heat of the day that had tired them; it was the discovery of how bad things were in Tokyo 3, compared to when they had been living there in the Angel War. It was nice to have a place to come home to after such a depressing day. “We're home, Shinji!” they chorused, kicking off their shoes.

“Welcome back.” came his muffled reply. Setting their packages down on the couch, the three sisters followed the sounds of his movement to the small laundry room that was just inside the door to the bathroom. Looking inside, the three of them found him doing laundry; in particular, their laundry. He had a small pile of panties and bras beside him as he methodically washed them, rinsed them, and hung them up on the drying rack. “Find anything interesting?” he asked them, glancing at them as he finished a pair of Kodama's silk panties and started on a pair of Hikari's lace and satin panties.

“It was…informative.” replied Kodama. “You know, you don't have to do that; we were going to do it this evening.” she said, indicating the small pile of laundry at his side. Shinji shrugged.

“I got home early today, and didn't have much to do, so I decided to do some laundry.” he paused, then went on. “I got used to doing it with Asuka and Misato. To tell you the truth, I kind of missed it.” he said quietly. The sisters noticed the small, nostalgic smile on his lips as he swiftly and proficiently processed their hand-wash items. When the last one was hung up on the drying ring, he chuckled. “Seeing that,” he pointed to the loaded drying ring, “reminds me of the first night I stayed with Misato.” he shared. His smile faded a little. “Good times, after all.” he whispered, slipping past the girls easily.

In the kitchen, they found him holding a beer can silently. Slowly, the young man popped the top, and another few moments went by before he took a short pull from it. Turning, he saw the three watching him. “Don't worry,” he assured them, “I never learned how to do Misa-chan's beer cheer, and I certainly don't have her tolerance.” He moved to the table and took a seat. “So, how was the city? Not what you were expecting, right?” he turned the topic away from his former guardian, boss, room mate and family.

“It was certainly more damaged than we first thought.” agreed Kodama, taking a beer herself as she silently handed one to Hikari. After a moment of consideration, she handed one to Nozumi, catching her youngest sister's eyes with her own for a moment. The three took the open chairs, opening their beers and sipping as they discussed the condition of the city. During the next hour, the four of them slowly finished off their beers, though none of them were inclined to have another.

Hikari pulled together a fast, light dinner and in fairly short order, Shinji was bidding the girls goodnight. Swiftly, the girls cleared the table, did the dishes and took their baths. Shinji had been asleep for about an hour by the time that the girls got settled in their beds. The apartment fell into a comfortable silence, all the occupants resting.

Hikari suddenly found herself awake, Nozumi still tucked into her chest, wondering what had awoken her. Blinking her eyes in the darkness, she didn't see or hear anything that might have awoken her. Yawning, she started to settle back down, but then, she heard a muffled sound, and a soft thud. Frowning, the middle sister sat up in bed, listening closer for the sound. Moments passed then another sound came through the wall of her room.

Swiftly slipping out of her bed, Hikari slid the door to her room open, seeing Kodama's door slide open at the same time. Both sisters looked at each other in the dim light from the stars and moon outside, and the few electronic sources inside the apartment. As was her norm, Kodama was in a pair of loose-sided silk panties and nothing else, her hair hanging free to mid-back as she absently wiped the corner of her eye with a finger.

Hikari had outgrown her silk Chinese-style pajamas years before, and due to the situation, hadn't had the resources free to replace them, so they had been handed down to Nozumi - who had just about out-grown them as well - as Hikari had started to sleep in what she jokingly called `the Asuka'. As the Second Child had done when sleeping over at her place, she had taken to sleeping in an oversize tee shirt that hung off one shoulder, ended a few centimeters below her crotch, and nothing else. Seeing each other, they both looked to Shinji's mostly-closed door. Meeting in front of it, they listened.

From inside the room, they heard heavy breathing and the sounds of movement. For a split second, Hikari thought that maybe they had stumbled on Shinji beating his meat, but she discarded that theory when she made out the muffled words of the former Third Child. “Asuka! Look out!” came the words, sounding like he was yelling into a pillow. A moment later, they heard a louder thump as something hit the floor. Immediately, both girl rushed into the room, Hikari fumbling for the light switch.

“Shinji! Are you ok?!” Kodama cried out, temporarily blinded by the light coming on. She banged her shin into the edge of the Western-style bed and stumbled, falling on top of Shinji, who had tossed himself off his bed with his nightmare. Hikari squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. Looking beside the bed, she found Kodama on top of Shinji, the two mixed up in a tangle of legs and arms.

“Shinji,” breathed Hikari, swiftly moving to where the two were trying to get untangled and helping her older sister off Shinji. As her sister got to her feet, Hikari noticed that Shinji was wearing his boxers again, and that they had been pulled askew by his fall and subsequent encounter with Kodama. Guiding her sister to the edge of Shinji's bed, Hikari reached down and helped the former pilot to his feet. “Are you ok, Shinji?” asked the girl, guiding him to sit beside Kodama, who draped a steadying arm around his shoulders.

“I…yes.” whispered Shinji, surreptitiously wiping the unshed tears from his eyes. God! Why do I have to keep seeing her die?! he railed silently. Every time, I can do nothing - just like it happened. Why do I have to keep reliving that moment?! The nightmare he had been having was hardly new to him; in fact, it and a couple of other ones were regular visitors to him in the night, leaving him with little rest and the fresh pain of his failure.

Hikari glanced back at the open door to her room, seeing that Nozumi hadn't stirred yet. Silently, she slid the door to Shinji's room closed. Turning to look at her sister and Shinji, she found Kodama rubbing Shinji's back as the young man rested his face in his hands, breathing deeply. Unconsciously, Hikari crossed to the other side of the young man and sat down, joining her sister in rubbing his back. “We're right here, Shinji. You're going to be ok.” she whispered to him, leaning close to him like Kodama was doing, her breasts touching his bare arms. The contact caused an unexpected bolt of lightening to run from her breasts, down her belly to her groin then back up her spine. A gasp from Hikari caught Kodama's attention, and she saw the color high on Hikari's cheeks. Had she looked in the mirror, she would have seen the same color on her cheeks.

“Why?” mumbled Shinji, his face still in his hands. “Why couldn't I save them?” he asked himself. Just once, I should have done something right and saved them. he castigated himself. The two sister's gazes met. Neither needed to guess who `they' were; one look at his room, at his apartment, at his entire situation would tell anyone who knew him exactly who `they' were.

“Shh. It's ok. I know that you did your best.” Hikari whispered to him, hugging herself to his side. Kodama did the same thing on his other side. Kodama wondered what she could say in this situation; she didn't really know enough about him or the two women he was having nightmares about to offer any insightful words of comfort to the young man. Failing verbal comfort, she settled for physical comfort, wrapping her arms around him.

“We're here, Shinji.” murmured the oldest sister, feeling his body tremble. For several minutes, the three were motionless. Suddenly, Shinji straightened and wrapped an arm around each of them, pulled them to his chest. Both sisters tried to catch their balance, but only succeeded in knocking Shinji off balance, causing them to fall backward onto his bed, Kodama on half of Shinji, Hikari on the other half. For a moment, all three were silent. Then, slowly, Hikari began to giggle. Kodama soon joined in, and before long, Shinji was chuckling.

After a few minutes, the three fell silent again. “Hikari, Kodama,” said Shinji softly, “thanks.” The two girls squeezed his hands, having found them at some unknown point.

“You're welcome, Shinji.” said Kodama, shifting slightly to a more comfortable position. Hikari made some small adjustments to her own position, and in doing so, felt her knee brush his boxer-clad groin. As she did so, she encountered a rapidly-hardening mass. Her quick inhale caught the attention of Shinji and Kodama.

“What's wrong, Hi…oh!” gasped Kodama, her leg discovering the same thing that Hikari's leg had discovered just moments earlier. Smiling at Shinji, she gently rubbed the smooth, soft skin of her inner knee against his hard mass. “Mm.” she purred throatily. “Someone likes us.” she whispered wickedly.

“Well, who wouldn't like two cute girls falling on them?” Shinji replied, his heart rate kicking up. His arms tightened around them slightly. Beside the two, Hikari licked her suddenly dry lips.

“We…could stay here with you tonight, Shinji.” she offered hesitantly. “If you want us to, that is!” she disclaimed.

“Yes, I'd like that.” he replied. The sure tone of his voice caused her to look up at him in surprise. Seeing the look of raw need in his eyes, she felt her pussy ignite like a furnace. Beside her, Kodama saw her younger sister's expression change. Making a choice herself, she leaned over and kissed Shinji, unsure of what to expect.

The oldest Horaki sister was surprised to find herself being kissed back by an experienced kisser, Shinji moving his hand up to her head as his tongue slipped into her mouth. His kiss was decidedly hungry, and Kodama could feel her arousal grow. With his mouth and tongue busy with Kodama, Shinji moved his other hand up and over to cup Hikari's breast through the thin material of her oversize shirt, finding the nipple hard and engorged with blood. Gently tweaking it, he heard her moan softly.

Feeling Kodama gently break the kiss, he let his fingers trail along her neck and to her chest, where he found her nipples to be hard and aroused like her younger sister's. Kodama, clad only in her panties, took a moment to look Shinji in the eyes before languidly reaching down and caressing his hard member through his boxers. Pumping it a couple of times, she released it long enough to kneel on the bed beside the two. “Let's get in a more comfortable position, shall we?” she suggested. Shinji and Hikari readily saw the advantages of this, and scrambled around so they were now lying in bed normally, rather than at an angle.

Kodama had thought that she would have to lead the events this evening, but Shinji surprised her by taking control of them. Reaching down to her hips, he easily tugged her panties off, leaving Kodama completely naked before turning his lustful attention to Hikari. Swiftly understanding his intentions, Hikari flung off her shirt and started to move, only to have Shinji catch her taking her hips in his hands, guiding her next to Kodama. For a long moment, he looked at the two sisters, naked on his bed.

Lightly running his fingers up their legs, past their hips and over their chests, he leaned forward, kissing Hikari before moving back to Kodama. As he kissed the older sister, he felt one of her hands move back to his groin, where his boxers were tented by his erection, the material making him uncomfortable. Pulling back from the kiss, he worked his boxers off, revealing himself to the two in all his glory.

Both sisters found themselves staring at his hard tool. Honestly, they had wondered about it more than once. Hikari, having heard Asuka's constant critiques of Shinji and plenty of her fanciful rants about Kaji-san, expected it to be…different. He certainly isn't small; at least, I don't think he is. I'm pretty sure he is as big as Touji was that time, she thought. Once, she had gotten a chance - entirely by accident! - to see Touji changing, and she had been sure that the semi-hard dick she had seen through the partially-open locker room had been the biggest that a penis could ever get. And the middle Horaki daughter, in spite of her best efforts, hadn't even kissed a boy yet. Shinji's looks… her thoughts trailed off, not sure where she was going with that thought.

Kodama, for her part, had the most experience with boys of the sisters. Even so, she had only had two boyfriends to date, and only let one of the two fuck her. Neither relationship lasted long, though she was not entirely sure why. Her first boyfriend had been five years older than her, and had been the one to pop her cherry. As a high school senior, she had been behind her peers in that area and somewhat desperate to catch up. So, she had accepted his advances, and after less than two weeks of dating, she had lost her virginity to him. It had not been that memorable a time for her.

Talking to her girlfriends, she had thought that that was just how it went the first few times. The other girls all sang praises of their boyfriends and how good they were in bed and how skillful. So, Kodama kept at it with her boyfriend. Their dates turned into nothing more than sex, and after two weeks, she still hadn't orgasmed while having sex, and her boyfriend was acting more and more disinterested in her. Less than ten days later, he abruptly dumped her and stopped returning her calls and texts. She had told her girlfriends that she broke up with him, which let her be the up-woman in the group.

Her next boyfriend had been just as keen on sex, but Kodama - ever the meticulous one - had come to the conclusion that she had been too easy to give up her virginity and too desperate for sex, resulting in her boyfriend leaving her. So, she played it much closer in, never letting him actually have sex with her, but learning how to give blowjobs and hand-jobs. That relationship had lasted until a few days after graduation before it had imploded when she saw her boyfriend fucking another girl in an ally.

So, it wasn't like she had a lot of experience with boys, but she knew that Shinji was at least as large as either of her boyfriends, and she was pretty sure that he was bigger. Her covert research had given her a better idea of what to expect, size-wise, and she was sure Shinji was on the large side of average. And now, seeing his slowly-bobbing length pointed at her and her sister, she remembered how good it had felt to have a hard, hot dick in her; even if she had never managed to reach orgasm with one. And now, I have one right in front of me… she thought happily, licking her lips and breathing a little hard.

Shinji gazed at the two sisters before him, feeling his dick throb. While neither of them was even remotely like Misato, Asuka or Rei, he found that they almost felt the same in a sense. And they certainly aren't hard to look at, either, he marveled, reaching out to gently cup and caress their tits, one hand for each sister. Kodama was smaller than Misato had been - but then, who wasn't? - but she was larger than Asuka or Rei. Hikari was about the same size as Rei, but her tits were a bit more pointed, and her nipples were larger, longer and thicker.

Moving his hands down their sides, he approved of their figures, the waists and hips well-defined and toned. Hikari had a tiny patch of hair above her slit, while Kodama had a larger, trimmed patch that touched her upper lips. Nearly panting, Shinji let his fingers do the exploring of the two gifts before him, forcing gasps from the girls as he did so. Delicately exploring the two, he felt himself beginning to drip pre-cum from his aching length. Both girls were writhing beneath his fingers. Which one to start with? he wondered fleetingly.

Kodama felt Hikari grab her arm as Shinji skillfully fingered her. Neither of her boyfriends had been even remotely this skilled at it, and she was already well on her way to an orgasm. Feeling her little sister grab her arm, she realized Hikari was shaking a little. Rolling her head over to look at her sister, she found Hikari blushing to her breasts, panting and trembling, her head turned to look at her sister. Giving the younger sister a reassuring smile and a small nod, Kodama moaned as Shinji worked her clit. Hi-chan's a virgin, so big sister will help her, she thought piously. “S…Shinji!” managed the older woman, spreading her legs.

Kodama it is, the young man thought, seeing her spread her legs. Shifting a little, he got between her legs and lined up, using one arm to support himself, the other still working Hikari's wet pussy over. Kodama, used to having to guide her lover to the correct spot, blinked as she felt his tip meet her entrance perfectly. Shinji leaned in, hesitating only a moment before kissing her as he pushed forward. Her gasp was muffled by the kiss. She's tight, realized the young man, easing back a bit before pushing forward. He suspected he could have just forced himself in, but he knew better than that, and took the time to work himself in rather than just smashing the castle gate in, as it were.

It seemed only moments later when he was buried to the hilt in her, the crown of his cock sealed to her cervix. Breaking the kiss, he began to steadily pump in and out of her while he kissed and licked her neck and collarbone on his way to her tits. The whole time, his fingers were still working Hikari, who was trembling now, panting like she was running a marathon. Shinji picked up the pace as he locked his lips on one of Kodama's hard peaks, sucking on it and gently biting it as he began to thrust harder and harder into her slick, hot nest. Kodama managed to weakly lock her legs around his hips as he fucked her like she had never been fucked before.

Finally leaving Hikari alone for a moment, Shinji grabbed Kodama's shoulders and pulled her up so she was sitting on his lap as he furiously fucked her, his mouth all over her tits, neck and lips. Kodama was making indistinct sounds, drool slipping from the corner of her mouth as she felt a massive orgasm building in her groin. Shinji slid a finger down her spine, between her slick ass cheeks and to her rear entrance, where he gently rubbed her. Kodama came harder than she thought possible, everything going white as she felt Shinji ram home in her and fire volley after volley of cum into her.

“Ugh!” he grunted as the fifth and final blast filled Kodama. Breathing hard, he took a moment to hug her senseless body to his, his lips kissing and sucking on her neck where it met her shoulder. After a few moments, he eased his grip. “Thanks, Kodama-chan,” he murmured in her ear, though he was suspicious she wasn't hearing anything right then. His dick remained semi hard, even after coming. Gently lowering her back down onto the bed, he slowly, carefully pulled his length from her.

“'Dama-chan,” came the breathless voice of Hikari. Shinji turned to look at the middle sister. Hikari was still panting, her head turned to look at her dazed sister, one hand holding her sister's arm. Hikari is sexy, Shinji realized, his dick hardening to full stand once more. Memories of his time with Hikari flickered through his head as he shifted his attention to her. So much like Asuka-chan, yet so different, he mused as he used both hands to massage her breasts, breaking her concentration on her nearly-comatose big sister. Leaning over her, he claimed her lips, taking her first real kiss for himself.

Feeling Shinji kiss her while fondling her tits, Hikari lost interest in her sister's well-being. Having been brought to a small orgasm before Shinji turned his full attention to her sister, Hikari found she was quicker to orgasm again, though it remained an average one as Shinji worked on her tits. “Shinji,” she whined, one hand finding his soaked, slick length and tugging on it.

“You sure, Hikari-chan?” he panted in her ear. Hikari nodded silently. “Ok,” he agreed, pulling back to her confusion. Before she could whine again, he grabbed her hips in his hands, lifting her up and turning her over, so she was on her hands and knees on top of Kodama's still-unresponsive form. Shinji shifted a little, lifting her hips up higher and forcing her to lay down on Kodama's chest.

“Wha…?” was as far as Hikari got in wondering what he was doing before she got her answer. Shinji raised her hips up, adjusting her position for best access. Seeing her unprotected pussy before him, spread open by her position, he licked his lips before diving in. He started with a long, deep lick of her nest, from clit to ass, making Hikari shriek into Kodama's neck, where her head was buried. Without any pause, Shinji began to tongue fuck her, discovering that she didn't have a hymen. Mentally shrugging, he worked on her viciously, licking, tongue-fucking, sucking and fingering her until her juices flowed like a river from her twitching, puffy sex and she was panting and mewling against her sister.

Unable to wait any longer, Shinji let her hips drop as he positioned himself at her entrance. Panting, he pushed against her, finding her to be even tighter than her big sister. With the same care, he worked his way all the way into her, pausing to savor her tight, hot sleeve before beginning to fuck her for real. As his speed built, he gripped her by her upper arms and pulled her away from Kodama, Hikari ending up with her back arched, arms spread, as Shinji took her on his knees. The middle daughter was something of a screamer, he discovered as she abruptly howled, shook like she was having a seizure, and then went limp even as he held himself all the way in and filled her.

Strength suddenly leaving him, he managed to get Hikari settled down on top of her sister before falling to the side of the two, suddenly very tired. Draping an arm over the two, he thought he should turn off the light, but the room was getting dark, so maybe it wasn't important. In minutes, he was asleep, leaving an equally-unconscious Hikari resting on top of a senseless Kodama. None of them noticed his door was open a sliver, nor did they see it ease closed after a hand reached inside and turned off the light.

-

Hikari weakly swatted at whatever was prodding her cheek. “Come on, Hi-chan, wake up,” insisted a voice, slowly bringing her out of the very pleasant dream she had been having. With the grip of her dream weakened, she had little choice but to wake up. Groaning, she opened her eyes.

“What?” she managed, yawning.

“It's morning, Hi-chan,” Kodama said, cupping her cheek with her hand. Blinking, Hikari processed that before gasping and trying to move, only to hiss as her sore body protested. Moving more slowly, she sat up on the bed. “Come on, we both need a warm shower,” Kodama said, helping her sister up.

“Last night,” breathed Hikari, blushing crimson again, “we…with Shinji-kun.”

“Yeah, we did,” smiled Kodama. Hikari's eyes widened.

“Kodama! We had se….mmph!” her wild statement was muffled by Kodama putting her hand over her mouth.

“Yes, but keep it down, Hi-chan,” ordered Kodama. “We need to…talk about this first,” she said, reaching for Shinji's door.

“Where's Shinji?” whispered Hikari, looking around the room.

“He was gone when I woke up,” shrugged Kodama. “Haven't heard Nozumi, either, but she can't be far from waking up, if she hasn't already.” Kodama slid open the door, finding Nozumi to be standing right in front of it, hands on hips.

“Morning, sisters,” said Nozumi, her tone level and cool. Kodama sighed.

“Cut the attitude, Nozumi,” ordered the oldest of the siblings. “We will talk about this after a shower.” Nozumi snorted delicately before turning toward the kitchen.

“Well make it fast. Shinji left us breakfast,” she said over her shoulder as her older siblings entered the bathroom.

In the bathroom, the two assessed themselves. Small marks adorned their necks and breasts, and both were very sore between their legs. Hikari realized that her thighs were soaked with a thick, slick mixture of her cum and Shinjis. Grimacing a little, she used some toilet paper to wipe up the mess.

“Easier to do that in the shower,” noted Kodama, starting the shower. “Trust me - there's a lot more where that came from!”

“I never realized sex would be so…” Hikari trailed off.

“Wet, sloppy and messy?” smiled Kodama. Hikari twitched. “I didn't either,” admitted the older sister. “But I can see the attraction,” she murmured, recalling what she could of last night. From how sore her muscles were, she was sure she had had the biggest orgasm of her life. Feeling the water, she found it was about where it needed to be - almost too hot to stand. Grabbing her sister's hand, she tugged her into the shower, noticing how Hikari winced as she moved. “Here. Hot water will help with the pain,” she said sagely.

Hikari mutely accepted the shower nozzle, directing it to her lower belly and upper thighs. Kodama supervised. “Be sure to clean yourself out or you will be dripping for the rest of the day,” she directed, already using her fingers to speed the cleaning of her own satisfied but sore pussy. Wow, Shinji really put a lot in there! I don't think my former boyfriends even came close to that amount, she thought as she watched the mixed cum wash down her legs and into the drain. Hikari gingerly worked on clearing her own passage as she found the hot water was helping her soreness. The two fell into silence as they cleaned up.

It wasn't until nearly twenty minutes later as they were toweling off that the topic they had been avoiding came up. “So, what now?” asked Hikari of Kodama. Kodama sighed.

“Well, let's see what Shinji thinks first. I don't know about you, but I liked it, and wouldn't mind it continuing,” admitted the oldest sister.

“It was good,” agreed Hikari, blushing again. “But what if it has changed things?” worried the middle sister. Kodama shrugged, her breasts jiggling.

“Too late to worry about that,” she reminded her little sister. “Come on - I'm hungry and the sooner we deal with Nozumi, the better.” Hikari could only agree.

-

Shinji sighed, turning off the engine, but remaining sitting behind the wheel of Misato's steed. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered, rubbing his face. He could almost hear Asuka berating him in his mind. “Yeah, I guess I really am an idiot, Asuka-chan,” he agreed with the unheard red-head, a small smile crossing his lips. Pursing his lips, he reviewed the contingency plans he had thought up during his work day. Yeah, that's probably going to be how it plays out, he predicted, finally getting out of the car and heading for the elevator to the apartment lobby. Pausing, he looked around in the parking garage, seeing only a scooter way over in a spot by the entrance. Quite the metaphor, he thought to himself as the elevator opened.

Minutes later, he was at his front door. Taking another breath and bracing himself, he opened the door. “I'm home,” he called out, waiting for a reaction.

“Welcome back, Shinji!” came Nozumi's voice from the direction of the living room. Shinji kicked off his shoes and headed deeper into his apartment. Sure enough, Nozumi was sitting on the couch, a game controller in her hand as she played some sort of game on the ancient game console that Asuka had gotten in what was very much a former life. “How was work, Shinji?” smiled Nozumi, her eyes sparkling.

Shinji couldn't help but smile back, pausing to ruffle her hair just so she would protest. “Work was work, Nozumi-chan,” he gave her the stock answer. Sniffing the air, he smelled food cooking. “Your turn to cook?” he wondered. Nozumi shook her head.

“No, it's Hikari-nee's turn. I'm just watching the food while she and Kodama-nee stepped out for some supplies,” replied the girl, pausing the game. Shinji saw that Nozumi had already beaten Asuka's best score. “They will be back soon,” she said, her eyes fixed on him.

“Ok,” Shinji agreed, but in his chest he could feel a bit of tightness. Will they really be back? Or are they looking for a new place? part of him worried. Nozumi caught his hand as he started to move away, the teenager easily flipping over the back of the couch to stand in front of him.

“They will be back soon, Shinji,” she said, moving close enough that her tee-shirt covered tits touched his chest. “Trust us,” she breathed, cupping his cheeks. Shinji blinked, opening his mouth to reply, but the door opening saved him; in one way, at least.

“We're back!” came Hikari's cheerful voice, the middle sister leading the oldest into the room. “Shinji! You're back,” she breathed, blushing.

“Welcome home, Shinji,” Kodama smiled at him from behind Hikari, setting two bags down on the kitchen counter before setting out a few things. Picking up the bag, she moved toward the bedroom, pausing to give his shoulder a squeeze. “It's good to be back home,” she murmured before moving down the shallow hall to her room.

Hikari busied herself in the kitchen, humming softly as she checked the food and began preparing some more. “Dinner will be ready in about a half hour, Shinji. Go ahead and get changed and relax,” she suggested, smiling at him. Shinji seemed a little skeptical, but after a moment, he nodded, moving to his room.

In his room, he found the bed had been changed, the sheets washed and the bed made. Wondering if that was a good sign or a bad sign, he resolved himself to facing whatever was next as he changed into his house clothes of a tee shirt and a pair of comfortable shorts. Well, if nothing else, losing everything I loved made me stop running, he thought, smiling a small, unhealthy smile. Asuka and Misato would be proud, I think, he mused as he tucked his gun into waistband of his shorts, settling it in the minimal holster.

Supper was something of a feast. In spite of his misgivings, he found himself feeling the almost-forgotten feeling of happiness as he ate with the three sisters. Once the food was gone, the group moved to the living room. Shinji sat on the couch as he usually did - in the middle. Hikari and Kodama immediately settled on either side of him, and as she sometimes did, Nozumi sat down on his lap. “So,” began Shinji.

“Shinji, we need to talk about last night,” Kodama began. Shinji felt a squeeze in his chest, but forced it away.

“Yeah, I guess we do,” he said. “I'm sorry I took advantage of you two…” he began.

“No, Shinji,” Hikari cut off the attempted apology. “We offered, you accepted, and we're glad you did,” she said, blushing, but maintaining eye contact.

“What we need to talk about,” Kodama stepped in smoothly, “is your nightmares, and why you never told us about them,” she said firmly.

“They aren't that bad, and they're my problem,” Shinji replied. “I didn't want to bother you with them,” he added.

“They seemed plenty bad enough last night,” Kodama disagreed with his stance.

“And you've taken us in, so we should be helping you when we can,” Hikari followed on her big sister's heels.

“We're all in this together now, Shinji - let's stand together so we don't fall alone,” Nozumi said, locking gazes with him. Shinji considered that in silence.

“You have no idea what you are saying,” he said quietly, slowly shaking his head. “There are things…you don't know. I can't go through that again,” he murmured. Nozumi wrapped her arms around him, Kodama and Hikari leaning in to hug him as well.

“We all know what we're saying, Shinji. We might not know what you know, but we know what we want, and we are prepared to pay the price to have it,” Kodama insisted. Shinji gave a rough snort.

“Now you sound like Kensuke and Touji; before they ended up in my entry plug against the fourth angel,” he almost laughed. Looking back on that, it was sort of funny in an insane sort of way, he thought to himself.

“Well, we like to think we're a bit more mature and much smarter than those two,” Hikari smiled.

“Shinji, you've saved us; twice now. Let us repay the favor,” Nozumi said.

Shinji blinked. “Twice?”

Hikari nodded. “Third Impact, and when we had nowhere to go and nothing left,” explained the former class rep.

“Anyone would have done the same,” began Shinji.

“But they didn't - you did,” Kodama argued.

“You don't owe me anything,” Shinji said quietly. “For any of it,” he added, one hand absently rubbing the palm of the other. That debt was paid when I lost everyone that mattered, that small, dark piece of him muttered.

“We don't see it that way,” Hikari said. “You - and the others - should be heroes, but we know everyone just wants to forget you and the sacrifices that Asuka, Rei and Misato made; all of NERV in fact.”

“NERV brought about their own fate,” Shinji nearly snarled, catching the girls off guard. “Bastards,” he gritted out through locked teeth. Seeming to come to himself, he blinked. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I'm not the most stable person,” he half-joked.

“Neither was Asuka,” Hikari replied. “Let us help you, Shinji.”

“Please?” begged Nozumi, giving him her very best cute, begging look. Shinji snorted, a faint smile on his lips at her actions.

“That hasn't worked on me in a long time, `Zumi-chan, but points for trying,” he chuckled. Nozumi shrugged, smiling at him as she tightened her hug.

“Let's talk about our situation, then,” Kodama pushed forward. “The only direct family we have is our father, and you know what that situation is. The entire world is struggling, so finding a way to make a living is difficult anywhere. There are very few ways we could support ourselves, so you literally are the best thing to happen to us, Shinji.”

“That doesn't mean you owe me anything,” repeated the young man.

“I think we each owe each other something,” Hikari said. “You say we don't owe you for saving us, but that isn't the same as wanting to thank you for saving us, and I think you owe yourself the chance to be happy again. I know your loved ones would want you to be happy; even Asuka,” she smiled a little at the end.

Shinji snorted. “She would have been irritated if she had seen how I was right after the end,” he agreed. I do owe them something, but it is right to owe them being happy? he wondered. The pieces of Asuka, Rei and Misato that were permanently stuck in his head were silent.

“You could even see about getting us work wherever you work,” suggested Kodama. “We're good workers, you know,” she smiled.

“No,” Shinji said firmly, his tone colder than any of the girls could believe. “That place…is no place for you,” he finished in a poorly-concealed redirection.

“Then we will be your girlfriends, or friends-with-benefits or roommates, or harem or whatever we can be to help you, Shinji,” Hikari said. Shinji sighed.

“You are as bad as Asuka, Hikari,” he half-accused. She just smiled.

“You will take responsibility for us, won't you?” Nozumi asked. Shinji shook his head.

“Since I got you your resident cards, I have already taken responsibility for you three extortionists,” he grunted. The three sisters exchanged triumphant smiles.

“It's not so bad, Shinji,” cooed Kodama, “as extortionist go, we're pretty easy to satisfy.”

“Shinji,” Hikari said, guiding his head to look him in the eyes. “We believe you are happier since we moved here. If that is true, please let us keep you happy. Please?”

“Ok, you win,” he said, smiling a little. Hikari nodded, blushing before she leaned in to kiss him tenderly.

“Now that that is settled, let's talk about fairness,” Nozumi said firmly. The two older sisters groaned. Shinji blinked, wondering what she was talking about. “You have to be fair to all of us,” smirked Nozumi. “So, from tonight onward, each of us will take turns sleeping with you,” she declared firmly.

-

“Where do you think Shinji got all his experience?” asked Hikari idly.

“You mean in bed? Probably Misato or Asuka,” Kodama shrugged. “I really don't care, though - I never knew sex could be that good!”

Hikari blushed. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said faintly.

A snort came from her other side. “I wish I could say I knew, too, but he hasn't deflowered me yet!” huffed Nozumi.

“You're a bit young…” began Hikari.

“I'm sixteen, Hikari!” argued Nozumi. “Fourteen is the age of consent, you know. Why won't he do more than eat me and finger-fuck me?!” she growled.

“Maybe you being his little sister is what he needs most from you,” suggested Kodama. Nozumi considered that, frowning.

“If that is what he needs, I hope he is the kind of big brother who loves his little sister enough to sleep with her,” complained the youngest of the sisters.

“Nozumi!” hissed Hikari, looking around. The three were on the train, heading for what served as the city clerk's office.

“What? There isn't anyone else on the train, never mind in this car,” scoffed Nozumi. “So, what are we going to the administration building for?” she let the complaints drop.

“To check on a few things,” Kodama said. Nozumi frowned.

“Like what?” wondered the youngest of the group.

“Like to find out where the hospital is, and to get our medical records transferred there, and to find out about some things,” Hikari replied evasively. Nozumi gave her middle sister a suspicious look.

When the trio of siblings arrived at the building, they entered and found their way to the city clerk desk. Seeing a grim-faced man behind the counter, they had started to ask him their first question, but he had interrupted, asking for their resident cards. The three had produced their cards, which he swiped through a reader. After perusing the information, he had handed the cards back. “Wait here,” he all but ordered, moving into the back. The three sisters waited.

About five minutes later, he returned, three folders in hand. “Fill out all the forms in these folders, bring me the top form - Form 1103/b-6 Title II - and then wait. We will call you when we are ready,” he instructed gruffly. The three sisters, somewhat surprised, moved to the small group of desks in the corner of the waiting area, and began to work on the documents. It was an hour before they finished and brought their top forms to the man. He scanned the document barcodes, typed a bit, then handed each of them a sealed bag.

“Through that door, first right. Present the staff with Form 4044/e Rev.b, then follow all directions,” he nearly barked, pressing a button somewhere under the desk, causing a buzz from the door. Kodama led her sisters through the door, following the man's directions to the next office area. In the next area, they found a nurse at the desk.

“Um, excuse, but I think there has been a mistake somewhere,” began Kodama.

“Form,” the nurse ordered, not looking up. The three sisters dutifully handed over the forms. “Resident cards,” she said a moment later after looking at the forms. The three handed them over again. The nurse handed them back a moment later. “Sit down and wait to be called,” she said, standing and exiting the desk area through a door behind the desk. With little left to do, the sisters did as ordered.

“Wow, this is some public office,” Hikari murmured.

“They are a bit grouchy,” agreed Kodama. Reminds me of NERV, she left unsaid.

“Well, I…” began Nozumi, only to be interrupted.

“Horaki Hikari,” called the nurse, gesturing from a doorway down the hall from the desk. Hikari stood and moved to the room. Entering the room, she found a small desk and an exam bed. “Strip and get on the bed, feet in the stirrups,” ordered the nurse.

“I think there has been a misunderstanding…” Hikari tried again.

“I said, strip and get on the bed, feet in the stirrups, girl,” the nurse almost growled, pulling some instruments out of the drawers of the desk. Hikari frowned, but did as ordered. Before the nurse could begin, however, the phone in the room rang. Grunting, the nurse picked up the phone. “Medical Supervision Department,” she answered gruffly. A moment later, she twitched. “I understand, but…no, sir, I am not saying that…it's just that they came in…wouldn't that be the front desk's job? Sorry, sir. I understand. Yes, it won't happen again. I couldn't agree more, sir. Please extend our profoundest apologies to the Director, sir. And might I suggest that a recommendation be put forward that a procedural review be initiated to prevent such lapses in the future. No, sir, I am not joking,” the nurse said, Hikari seeing the older woman gritting her teeth. “Very well, sir, I am sure you know best. If there is nothing…” Hikari saw the LED of the line go dead and found herself smirking to herself.

The nurse turned to her, face set in a frown. “Get dressed. We are through here. In the future, you should direct inquires to the proper departments,” the woman bit out. Hikari swiftly dressed. When she reached for her folder, the nurse picked it up. “You have no need of this,” she grunted, escorting Hikari to the desk, where Kodama and Nozumi waited. The nurse collected their folders, too. “Down the hall, third door to the left. Go down the stairs to B3, use your resident cards to open the door then follow the signs to the street. Thank you for visiting,” ordered the nurse before feeding their folders into a heavy-duty shredder.

Glancing at each other, the three sisters hurried down the hall. Once they were back on the street, they stopped to catch their breaths at a small, poorly-tended park. “What was that about?” wondered Kodama.

“I don't know,” Hikari said. “But something is weird here.”

“Let's ask Shinji,” suggested Nozumi.

“Not just yet,” Kodama declined. “On the way back, let's hit up that pharmacy,” she suggested. The three headed home in a roundabout way. When they reached the pharmacy, Kodama led her sisters to the feminine care aisle. Picking up a few items, she paused, surveying the shelves before turning to the prescription desk. Seeing a sleepy-looking pharmacist behind the counter, Kodama headed over. “Excuse me,” she said, smiling at the man.

“How can I help you?” he asked her, his tone polite but a bit listless.

“I was looking for birth control pills,” Kodama said, making Hikari blush and Nozumi blink. “I see the condoms, but not the pills,” added the eldest of the sisters.

“Birth control pills are prescription here, miss. Didn't you get the resident information pack?” he wondered.

“I don't think so,” Kodama answered, not recalling Shinji saying anything about that. The man frowned.

“You are a resident here, aren't you?” he asked her. Kodama nodded. “Let me see your resident card,” he said, holding out his hand. Kodama handed hers over. He swiped it through his terminal before handing it back. “Hmm. I see,” he murmured. Moving back into the rear of the prescription area, he returned with a thick manila envelope. “Here, this should answer most of your questions, miss,” he said, handing her the thick envelope.

Once the three were back home, they sat down at the table and began to go through the folder's contents. They were still at it when Shinji returned from work. “What's that, girls?” he asked, curious.

“Resident information pack,” Kodama said. Shinji twitched.

“Knew I forgot something,” he sighed. “Never mind that; I will get you the right one tomorrow at work,” he said, pulling out his phone and tapping on it for a bit before putting it away. “Guess I should just do the whole thing,” he nodded to himself, once more tapping on his phone. “How was your day?” he asked them.

-

“Wow, so this is what he meant by the `whole thing'?” wondered Nozumi, examining her new phone. Hikari and Kodama had new phones as well. They were, Shinji had explained, more than just a phone. They were also their debt cards for their purchases and their access devices for the information infrastructure of the city. He didn't elaborate or continue, instead giving them a quick tour of the devices. He had made sure they all knew about the calendar app, which showed they had an appointment with a doctor the following day at an address on the edge of the crater. He had also told them that their resident information packages were on their phones as well, and showed them where to access it.

Now, they were on their way to the appointment, their phones guiding them through GPS or something similar. Reaching the building, they entered, finding a mousy-looking doctor waiting for them. She ushered them into a room where three examination beds were set up and began to lay out some sealed kits. The sisters tried to strike up some small talk, but the woman seemed reticent to talk, focusing instead on her work. As she was finishing up, another woman entered the room.

“Almost done?” the woman asked the doctor.

“Just about, ma'am,” confirmed the doctor. The new woman nodded, eyeing the sisters for a long moment.

“Hi, miss…?” prompted Kodama.

“Miss Department Head,” replied the new woman, eyes still on the three. After a moment, she turned for the door. “I will expect you back soon,” she directed to the doctor.

“Yes, ma'am,” nodded the doctor.

“Oh, and if he asks, I wasn't here,” the new woman said. The doctor nodded.

“Of course not, ma'am.”

“He'll find out anyway, I am sure, but as long as it isn't from my own staff…” the woman murmured, leaving the room. The doctor said nothing, but finished.

“Ok, that finishes it. It will take the system no more than twelve hours to update your records. From then on, your medical records are on your phones. Check your calendar for check-up appointments or to schedule them if necessary. Have a good day,” the doctor said, exiting the room as the sisters dressed. When they left the room, the found the building deserted. Somewhat unnerved but not overly so, they headed toward home, since it was getting late, and Shinji should be home soon.

-

“Wow, that is amazing,” breathed Hikari. The three sisters were sunning themselves on the patio. Because they knew no one was living in any of the apartments that could see their patio, they were laying out nude, catching up on their reading. “We can get paid for being young enough to have kids and get another stipend for living with a guy, and our healthcare would be free as long as we are sexually active. What is with that?” she wondered.

Kodama shrugged. “You know the population is still gutted from Second Impact, the fighting after it and Third Impact,” she reasoned. “Guess they are nervous about having so few women of breeding age.”

“Hey, did you see this thing on the Japanese Health Organization webpage?” Nozumi asked. Getting headshakes, she sent the page to her sister's phones. “They have population growth goals for the country. Apparently, there is a massive tax credit for women who get pregnant and incentives for giving birth to healthy kids.”

“So, how much would we be making, just by being able to get pregnant?” wondered Hikari.

“Um, there isn't a fixed incentive chart, but I think it is pretty substantial, based on the tax credit. Want to sign up? It would be the equivalent of full-time jobs for all of us,” noted Nozumi.

“I don't know,” frowned Kodama. “Sounds too good to be true, you know?”

“There is that,” agreed Hikari. “Well, there is a link at the bottom of the page to sign up. Want to at least look at the application forms?” suggested the middle sister. After a few moments of thought, the sisters opened the link to see what the application forms told them. To their surprise, the forms started filling themselves out. A bit panicked, they tried to figure out how to stop the process, but before they could, the link was cut, a shadowy icon flickering before the site closed.

“What was that?” breathed Kodama.

“Some sort of protective program, I think,” Hikari suggested. “Now that I think about it, didn't the doctor say our health records were on these things?”

“Yeah, she did,” Nozumi nodded. “I wonder…” her musing was cut off by their cell phones ringing - all of them. Kodama picked up first, even though she didn't see any information on who was calling.

“Hello? Horaki speaking,” she said.

“I will only say this once, girls,” a female voice came from all three phones, “you are not eligible for any of the government programs, so please stop causing us problems. If you need something, speak with your guardian.” The lines went dead.

Three sisters stared at their phones. “What was that about?” wondered Hikari.

“Hey, didn't that sort of sound like that woman who came in late during out examinations? The one who introduced herself as `Miss Department Head'?” Nozumi asked. The two older sisters considered that before nodding.

“Since you mention it, yeah, it did sort of sound like her,” agreed Hikari.

“Curioser and curioser,” Kodama said. “Do you tell Shinji?” she asked.

“I don't think so,” Nozumi replied immediately. “We are supposed to be helping him, but it seems we are causing problems for someone, and if we tell him, it might end up causing him problems. Besides, what has really changed?” challenged the youngest.

Her two older siblings considered that before sighing. “Nothing,” Kodama said, smiling a little. Glancing at the display of her phone, she stretched back. “Shinji should be home in a couple hours, and we haven't gotten dinner ready. So another half hour and we have to start getting ready.”

-

Nozumi gasped, holding on to the shower nozzle mount for dear life as Shinji knelt behind her in the shower, face buried between her spread legs. The youngest sister had already had two strong, deep orgasms before she headed to the shower, but apparently, Shinji was not satisfied yet because he had followed her into the shower and was now assaulting her again. Not that she in any way minded, of course, but she wanted him so bad she could hardly stand it. “Shinji, fuck me already,” she all but sobbed.

Shinji eased back enough to look up at her, one hand absently rubbing her tender, over-stimulated sex. Nozumi focused on his face, surprised to see the expression on his face. She had never seen that kind of look on his face before. “S…Shinji?” she asked, unsure what the intense look meant. Without another word, he stood, positioning his tip at her entrance and in one steady thrust, he buried himself in her sex. Nozumi screamed, mostly in pleasure, but also with a bit of fear and pain coloring it. Shinji grabbed her hips in his hands as he leaned forward to fasten his lips on her neck. After a moment of stillness, he began to stroke in her, thrusting hard into her.

“Kami,” groaned Nozumi, wondering what was up with her lover. For his part, the young man was squeezing her hips, jerking her toward each thrust, making his tip push against her cervix hard, as if it were trying to penetrate her womb. Nozumi wasn't sure if it was her or him that was panting so hard, but she was pretty sure the screams, moans, shrieks and whimpers were hers. It was honestly hard to tell with everything fading away. When she felt a series of hot gushes splash against her cervix, she lost track of everything.

When she came back to herself, Hikari and Kodama were beside her and she was laying naked on Shinji's bed, a towel under her. “Nozumi-chan, are you ok?” asked Hikari. The youngest sister smiled a sloppy, relaxed smile.

“Great, Hi-chan,” she giggled, starting to move her legs, only to hiss in pain. “Ow! Sore,” she winced. Hikari and Kodama exchanged glances as Nozumi managed to sit up, her elbows under her so she could look at her hips. She blinked, seeing some faint bruises on her hips, as well as a tiny bit of blood on the towel. Her lower lips were swollen and reddened, the woman seeing some thick discharge seeping from her swollen lower lips. She smiled a crooked smile. “Well, he finally fucked me,” she giggled happily, letting herself fall back on the bed. “Didn't think I would bleed, though, since we didn't have hymens,” she mused aloud.

“Shinji is not small, sis,” Hikari said softly.

“And it is just a couple drops of blood. Nothing to worry about,” Kodama chimed in. The two older sisters glanced at each other for a moment.

“Um, what happened, Nozumi?” asked Hikari.

“Not sure,” shrugged Nozumi. “I was getting eaten out by him like always, then I wanted him to fuck me, and he gave me a look I have never seen, and next thing I know, he is balls-deep in me,” she answered, not overly concerned. “I have never come like that,” she breathed, leering to herself. “Shinji at work?” she asked a moment later.

“No,” Hikari said. “He's in the living room,” she said, sounding pensive. Nozumi blinked.

“He said he had work this morning, and he usually doesn't miss work,” noted the observant girl.

“Well, he was worried about you,” Kodama answered. Nozumi frowned.

“Why? I'm perfectly fine!” protested the youngest of the sisters. “Help me up,” she said, sounding as if she had decided on something.

“Are you sure…?” began Hikari.

“Yes, now help me up,” she insisted, so the other sisters did as asked, getting her on her feet. Wincing a bit, she flexed her hips and thighs before fixing a smile on her face. “Let's go talk to our stud,” she said, her voice a bit louder than necessary as she moved out the door to the bedroom.

Shinji met her halfway to the living room. “Hey, Shinji,” cooed Nozumi. “Finally gave in to my charms, huh?” she grinned cockily at him. Shinji seemed to have two distinctly different reactions to that. “About time,” she huffed, flipping her lengthening brown hair. “If you aren't going to go to work, how about I return the favor and suck your dick like you've never been sucked before?” she asked, licking her lips. Behind her, her sisters nearly face-faulted. Their naked younger sister wiggled her hips. “Kodama-nee might be older, but I bet I can out-suck her if it's your dick, Shinji-stud,” she purred, reaching out for him.

Shinji seemed about to reach for her, but suddenly stopped. “If you are sure you are ok,” he said, slowly backing away before heading for the door. “I can't really afford to miss work, so I will see you all this evening, ok? Take care,” he said as they heard the door open.

“We would rather take care of you, lover!” called back Nozumi. Once the door had closed and a few minutes had passed, she winced, her posture slumping a little. “Ow, that hurts,” she hissed. “I think I need a hot soak,” the young woman said, making her way toward the bathroom slowly.

“Yeah, that will help,” agreed Kodama. The two older siblings helped her into the bathroom, filling the tub with hot water. As Nozumi settled in, her two sisters found spots to sit by the tub.

“What?” Nozumi asked, seeing them staring at her.

“I think we need to talk about something,” Kodama said, Hikari nodding.

“About Shinji,” Hikari explained. “Every so often, he…well, it's like he's trying to fuck some demon out of him. He can be kind of rough, too. We haven't said anything before now because he never bruised us, but maybe we should. It seems like he might be getting rougher,” worried the middle sister.

“You said yourself that the blood wasn't anything to worry about, and both of you have had to soak after being with him before, and you two are fine! Don't treat me like a kid. I wanted him to fuck me, and now he has, so it will be fine!” insisted the youngest of them.

“It would be good to know what was causing this, or at least how to predict it,” Kodama suggested. Nozumi considered that.

“Get his journal,” she said. “You know, the one you two prudes never want to look in? Bet it is in there somewhere,” she smirked.

Twenty minutes of arguing later, and the sisters were in the living room, Shinji's journal in hand, skimming through it to try to find the answer they needed, but feeling like they knew less and less about the young man they were so taken with.

-

Hikari was humming as she did laundry. Nozumi and Kodama were at the pool, and she would be heading down as soon as she switched over the loads. Hikari smiled as she caught sight of her reflection in the narrow mirror in the room. She had gotten a new swimsuit the week before, and was wearing it for the first time today.

“Not too bad at all, Hikari,” she gave herself a thumbs-up. Her new swimsuit was a bikini, navy blue with burnt orange highlights. The bottoms were low-riding and a thong to boot, while the top was just big enough to cover her breasts, tying behind her neck and back. Giving her reflection another wink, she turned back to the laundry. Picking up one of Shinji's work shirts, she started to put it in the washing machine, but stopped, frowning a little. Bringing it closer to her nose, she sniffed the shirt.

Her frown deepened a bit as she began to check the shirt. At the collar, she spotted a small stain. Studying it closer, she closed her eyes after a moment. Putting some stain lifter on the small stain, she put the shirt in the washer, set it and headed back down to the pool. Reaching the pool, she settled into the chair next to Kodama as Nozumi frolicked in the pool. “Something wrong, Hi-chan?” asked Kodama, putting her phone away. She had been reading an e-novel as she sunned herself.

“I don't know,” admitted Hikari. “I think I might have found a lipstick stain on Shinji's work shirt,” she said. “We don't wear lipstick,” she added, her tone introspective. Kodama hummed.

“So what does that prove?” she asked. Hikari looked over at her big sister, who was giving her a steady look. “Jealous?” wondered the oldest of the three.

“No! It's just…aren't we enough?” she asked.

“Given how he is sometimes, I don't know I would bet my life on that,” snorted Kodama. “And even if has someone else on the side, it's not like we married him, now is it?”

“But that's…!” began Hikari.

“A sin? I hope that isn't what you were about to say, Hikari, because that little religious phase of yours nearly drove me nuts,” sighed Kodama. Hikari blinked, trying to recall when she had stopped being so hung-up on the religious theme. Her mind replayed the reaction Shinji and Asuka had had to her accusation of them living in sin during their synch training. She recalled she used to wear a crucifix, but hadn't in some time. When did I stop wearing that thing? Was it before we evacuated? No, it was after that, wasn't it? Maybe about the time Dad…yeah, I remember now, she thought, grimacing a little.

“I don't know, it just didn't seem like Shinji was the kind of man to do that,” sighed Hikari.

“Hi-chan, we know less about what happened to him and who he is because of that now than we did before we read his diary,” replied Kodama. “Whatever else he might be, he is messed up because of whatever happened to him during Third Impact. I doubt he was ever normal, if Asuka was any measuring stick for Pilots. All that matters is what we chose to do now. Regretting the choice to get involved with him?” prodded Kodama.

“No!” came the indignant reply. “It's just…” she shrugged. Nozumi waved at her sisters, urging them to join her in the pool. Hikari shook her head. “It will fix itself, I guess,” she said, standing and walking toward the pool. Kodama did the same. She thought of the times she had tasted another woman on Shinji's cock, but decided she didn't want to bring it up. It wasn't worth kicking whatever was going on, since she was sure that Shinji deeply, truly loved them.

Besides, the sex is fantastic, and he had to have learned it somewhere, right? she thought, smiling, as she dove into the pool to join her sisters.

-

Shinji caught his breath as he carefully guided the woman he had just finished fucking on his desk back into his lap as he sat back in his chair. For a split second, he wondered if his father had felt the same way he did then, before angrily shoving that thought aside - his father had no feelings; nor a soul, either! Cuddling the woman, he waited for her to calm down. Almost a half hour later, she stirred.

“Sorry, Shinji,” began the woman.

“I told you, I don't want you to apologize,” he said, stroking her face. “This isn't your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me,” he assured her, bringing her lips to his for a soft kiss.

“And I have told you, you are not to blame for what happened during Third Impact,” smiled the woman, though the smile was a bit weak. She slowly stood, reaching for her hastily-discarded clothes. “I've calmed down, so it's back to work for me,” she said, slowly dressing. Shinji was silent for a few moments.

“How is she doing?” he asked at last. The woman paused.

“She's doing fine. She's learned how to walk, and is working on learning to use the potty,” reported the woman. Shinji pursed his lips.

“I should see her,” he half-suggested.

“I don't know that it's the right time for that,” the woman said, having frozen for a moment. “It isn't that I don't think she needs to meet you, but…!”

“I understand,” Shinji sighed. The woman headed for the door. Just before she left, she paused.

“Um, Shinji?” she said hesitantly.

“Yeah?” he answered.

“I've been meaning to tell you something,” the woman said slowly. Shinji waited. “It…it's nothing. I have work to do,” the woman said, hurriedly leaving his office. Shinji sighed once more before quickly wiping himself clean with a wet wipe and tucking himself back into his pants. He made a mental note to make sure he did laundry so he wouldn't have to explain the stains on the crotch of his khakis. Even so, he couldn't manage to feel guilty. Have I become such a monster that I am turning into him? Will I end up being my father's son after all? Maybe I should kill myself before that can happen. The girls will be cared for no matter what happens…no! I won't give up until they are all dead! Asuka, Rei, Misato, the rest - they all deserve retribution for what they suffered, and there is only one way to punish those who destroyed our lives, and that is by ending them permanently!

Realizing how angry he was, he forced himself to stop thinking about that, concentrating instead on the desk in front of him. It struck him that he didn't have a single picture on it. For some reason, that bothered him now. Before, it was just to keep from being reminded of what he had lost and those who had died so he could live. But now, years later, why was his desk still bare? Touching the intercom, he heard his secretary respond. “Yes, Director?”

“I want Imagery to get with Archives. Find me the picture taken during Katsuragi's promotion party at her apartment. I want a five by eight framed and on my desk by tomorrow morning. Also, I want three by five prints of pilots Sorhyu and Ayanami framed and on my desk by tomorrow as well. The images should be from after the Seventh angel, but before the Fifteenth. That is all,” he ended the intercom connection. “Time to remind myself,” he muttered before bringing up his computer display.

-

Kodama breathed slowly, waiting for the heaving to subside. As her stomach calmed down, she spit once more into the toilet before flushing and moving to the sink, where she used her hand to cup some water so she could rinse out her mouth. Looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled. “Had to happen sooner or later, right?” she asked her reflection.

“Kodama, what's taking you so long in here?” came Nozumi's voice from the doorway.

“Just a minor emergency, `Zumi-chan,” Kodama said, opening the door to find Nozumi waiting. “Where is Hikari?” asked the big sister, affectionately hugging her youngest sibling. From the kitchen, she heard moaning and panting. “Never mind, I can guess,” snickered Kodama. “How long do we have?” she asked.

“Not long. Shinji's horny this morning,” smiled Nozumi. “We going to try it today?” she asked, glancing down the hall toward the kitchen.

“Might as well,” Kodama said, hurrying to the room they used as their dressing room. Grabbing a light sundress for herself and a similar one for Nozumi, she wiggled into it before the two headed for the door. As they passed the kitchen, they saw Hikari pinned to the refrigerator, Shinji vigorously fucking her while sucking on her neck and tits. Hikari's arms were wrapped around his head, one leg hooked behind Shinji's butt, urging him onward. Her slightly-unfocused gaze briefly touched her sisters, and she gave them a sort-of nod before moaning loudly. Kodama and Nozumi exited the apartment, heading for the garage and the scooter they had bought the month before.

Nozumi hopped on behind her big sister, hugging her waist as Kodama cranked up and headed toward the spot where they had lost Shinji last time. The plan was to be there first to see where he went when he went to work. Finding a good spot, they parked the scooter and waited. Kodama's stomach grumbled a little. “Should have eaten first, Kodama-nee,” observed Nozumi with a grin.

“Couldn't,” Kodama replied. Nozumi glanced at her big sister, her expression puzzled.

“Why not?” she asked suspiciously. Kodama smiled.

“Morning sickness,” she replied calmly. It took her little sister a full two seconds to put it all together. Hearing Nozumi gasp, she smirked at her little sister. “Big sister privilege, `Zumi-chan,” she said, fondly flicking her sister's forehead.

“Does Shinji know?” asked Nozumi.

“I will tell him later. I wasn't sure until last week,” admitted the eldest of the sisters. Nozumi considered that.

“How do you think he will take it?” wondered the youngest.

“No idea, but I think it will work out,” Kodama replied. “He might be damaged, but he is still a good man.” Minutes passed before they spotted Shinji's car. Kodama started the scooter and waited. Shinji passed them, and they slowly emerged from their hiding spot, seeing him enter a parking garage near the edge of the Geofront.

Moving to the parking garage, they looked for some sign of the car, but didn't find any sign of it. Crossing their fingers, they entered the parking structure and began to search for the car. As they rounded a corner, they found themselves right in front of a van that was blocking the lane, and before they could react, the two were grabbed by some men, hoods were over their heads and their hands were tied. Both felt a slight sting and heard a hiss then they were asleep.

-

Kodama awoke to find herself on a cot in a cell. Not far from her, Nozumi was waking as well. Before the two could fully awaken, the door opened and Hikari was shoved inside the cell, the door clanging shut. “What…?” began Hikari, who was still wearing the apron over her bikini she had had on when she opened the door when someone knocked on it.

“I think we were spotted,” offered Kodama weakly.

“Well, yeah, but who are these goons?” Hikari asked, feeling uncomfortable.

“Security,” came a voice from the door. Looking toward the door, they saw the woman from before looking at them. “You three have no business here, so why did you try to enter?” asked the woman.

“Well, Miss Department Head,” Kodama said, standing from the cot. “We were just curious where Shinji worked.”

“If he wanted you to know, he would have told you,” the woman replied, an edge in her voice. “Didn't I tell you to stop making trouble?” she all but growled. “The issue now is what to do with you three,” she said, giving them a narrow stare.

“Enough, Maya,” came Shinji's voice, the young man appearing a moment later and opening the door. The woman - now known as Maya - gave Shinji a long look.

“Are you sure, Shinji? You know what this will mean,” she warned him.

“Yeah, I know, Maya-chan, but it's too late to pretend this didn't happen, now isn't it?” he asked her, sounding resigned.

“We have that experimental batch,” began Maya, only to have Shinji grab her shoulders.

“Maya! No. We don't work that way; at least, not with innocents,” he chided her.

“They aren't innocent,” Maya said, sounding tired. “I ran their names as soon as you put them in the system. They were pilot candidates, same batch as Suzahara. Their old files said they were slated for `expendable' units. They are not innocents,” she repeated.

“Doesn't that put them on our side, Maya?” he asked, reaching up to cup a cheek with his hand.

“I…I don't know, Shinji,” admitted the woman, trembling a little. Shinji pulled her into a hug.

“It's ok, Maya-chan,” he assured her. “We beat Third Impact, we will beat this. Trust me. I won't fail my loved ones ever again.”

The woman made some muffled sounds as she clung to Shinji's shirt. Looking to the three sisters, he sighed. “I'm sure you have questions, but in answer to the most likely one, this is what it seems, and yet isn't. Come on,” he said, guiding the woman down the hall. The three sisters fell into file behind him.

Thirty minutes later, the sisters were sitting in front of a desk in an intimidating room in what they were sure was the black pyramid of NERV. Shinji sat in an executive office chair, Maya by his side. Sucking in a breath, Shinji found the sisters' gaze and began. “I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I hoped you would never find this place. Everyone down here is a survivor, and we're all…damaged, you could say.”

“Is this NERV?” asked Hikari directly.

“No. NERV and GEHIRN are both dead and gone. This is…something else; something born of their failures and legacy. I didn't intend to create it, but it just sort of became necessary, and I found myself in a position to do what needed to be done.” He studied the three sisters.

“I can see you don't understand what I am talking about,” sighed the young man. He gestured to the woman. “This is former Captain Ibuki Maya, a bridge operator for NERV, and the understudy of doctor Akagi Ritsuko. Judging by your look, Hikari-chan, you must have heard of her and the other operators from Asuka,” he gave the middle sister a half-smile. Hikari nodded.

“She is the only one of the high staff who came back from Third Impact. Since then, she and I have been a team, with a single goal: retribution for those who did this to us,” Shinji said, his tone going cold at the end. “But first, let her tell you the background so you know why we turned into monsters,” he laughed mirthlessly.

Maya spoke for nearly an hour, simply laying it out and ignoring the reactions from the sisters. When she was done, Shinji told them his side of things; including what he remembered of Third Impact. By the time they were done, the sisters were hugging each other, sobbing. “This is why I never you wanted to find out about this,” he said, his eyes filled with sympathy for the three. “But I also don't expect nor want your pity. The choice is made, and it is too late to change now. You are free to leave if you don't want to be involved anymore; I certainly won't blame you.”

Kodama looked up at him, her arms around her sisters. “Shinji, I can't image going through what you just described, but I think you should know something - I'm pregnant,” she said, managing a small, weak smile.

“You three will be taken care of, even if you want to leave. I won't force you to stay just to be supported,” Shinji said, Maya putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Ibuki-san is the woman you have on the side, isn't she?” Nozumi asked, having seen the gesture. Shinji started to nod, but Maya beat him to it.

“It isn't like that, Horaki,” she said. “What Shinji and I have is based on something very different from what you three have with him. Never think you and I have the same type of bond with him.”

“Maya,” Shinji said, but she shook her head.

“There is no way they will ever understand it, and it would be a waste to try and make them understand. Better to just tell them flat out and let them deal with it or not,” she argued. “And on that subject, I was going to tell you that I am pregnant again,” she said, looking him in the eyes.

“Again?” Hikari blinked as well.

“Maya and I have a daughter,” Shinji said quietly.

-

“Good morning, Assistant Director.”

“Morning,” greeted Hikari as she entered her office. “Anything new on the acquisition of that tech firm?” she asked her secretary.

“Not yet, ma'am,” he reported. Hikari nodded. “Your sister did call a couple of minutes ago, though,” he added.

“Which one?” Hikari asked, smiling.

“Nozumi. She needs you to cover for her in the nursery. Should I tell her you aren't available?” he asked.

“Never. Family first,” Hikari said, dropping her document case on her desk before heading out of her office. “I will be in the nursery, with my phone set to vibrate. It better be important, understand?” warned the woman. The man nodded. “Good,” she smiled as she departed. Minutes later, she was in the nursery. As soon as she entered the converted office space, she was mobbed by kids. “Mama Hika,” exclaimed Yui, the oldest daughter of Shinji and Maya. Patting her head and tickling her, she moved deeper into the room, finding Kodama's son working on standing. In the crib was her own three month old daughter and Maya's second daughter, Kyoko, who had been sleeping more than usual lately. Glancing around, she spotted the nurse that usually assisted whichever of the women were covering nursery duty. “What came up with Nozumi?” she asked the older woman.

“Water broke,” the nurse replied. Hikari smiled. “Kodama helped her to sick bay. You could have another niece or nephew by lunch,” the nurse noted. “Shuji-chan seems to be running a bit of a fever, but it is probably nothing serious,” added the woman. Hikari glanced over a Kodama's son, who was just picking himself back up after a misstep landed him on the floor again.

“Maya been by yet?” asked Hikari, taking off her over-shirt and picking up the half-apron she usually wore when on nursery duty.

“Not yet. Probably hasn't left her lab since yesterday morning,” the woman said. Hikari nodded.

“Shinji?” she asked.

“He was here earlier, with Yui, but then had to go to his office. He is probably in sick bay now.”

“Yes, most likely,” smiled Hikari as she picked up her just-waking daughter. “Morning, sweetie,” she cooed, getting a smile and coo in response. Shifting her shirt, she brought her baby to her breast as she eased down into the gliding rocker in the corner.

As she fed her baby, she idly reflected that it was strange to be nursing her daughter after signing an order that very likely cost several people their lives, and definitely cost a nation their main economic resource, but she didn't feel bad about it. Those who hurt her family and loved ones had to pay. They had all agreed on that, after all. Glancing at her left hand, she smiled at the simple tungsten band on her ring finger. They all had one - her, Nozumi, Kodama, Maya and Shinji. It had served as a reminder of the bond they had chosen to form with each other.

Their children would have a better future than they had had; that they had all sworn.