The doorbell rang.

Not reacting too crossly, she called out in her best girlish voice, "Ah, Shinji, would you get that?" It always worked on him.

Shinji stood up from watching TV, actually just pondering when someone would call him away or berate him for a mistake of some kind, and went to the front door. Once he looked through the hole, however, his eyes almost popped out of his head. He opened the door rather distractedly. "H-hello, Ayanami," he said with a smile.

The red-eyed, blue-haired young woman stood with her left arm down her side, clasped above the elbow with her right hand across her middle. "...Hello, Ikari," she reciprocated calmly, tipping her head. "Miss Katsuragi asked me to come. Where is she?"

"Oh! Uh... just in the kitchen. T-the second door on your right," he explained, backing away from the opening to let her in.

Rei stepped through and walked to the kitchen without another word.

"Ah, thanks for coming, Rei!" Misato's voice could be heard from the kitchen.

Shinji tiptoed to the edge of the door into the kitchen, and looked in around the edge. Misato was busily hurrying around the kitchen to the different microwaves she�d set up. Rei was standing there calmly watching as Major Katsuragi almost spun herself into the ground.

After a few minutes of watching this (and narrowly avoiding being run-over), Rei gently sniffed the air and then looked at Misato. "I believe something is burning," she informed Misato calmly.

Misato looked around the kitchen frantically trying to figure out which microwave it was. She finally just sighed when she realized it was all of them. She went around switching them all off and then sat down heavily in a chair.

"Well... so much for dinner..." she said miserably.

A moment later, both she and Shinji watched in amazement as Rei walked over to the stove and found an old cookbook. She opened it, calmly sifted through the pages for a few moments, and then seemed to pick one out. She put the book back down, turning about to look around the kitchen for the things she needed. Seeming unfazed, Rei finally stopped and turned to Misato. "I need rice, water, seaweed, crab, shrimp, eel, and all the ingredients for miso soup," she said calmly.

Misato looked up at the clock and then back down at Rei. "We can still make it back if we go to the store, come on!" she said, zipping out the door.

Rei calmly looked out the kitchen door until Misato ran back in and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her along with her. "You know what we need, come on!"

Shinji looked on in numb fascination as the two of them ran (and were dragged) out the door.

Less than an hour later, Rei was standing at the stove in an apron, stirring the contents of a pot. Misato was helping by slicing the vegetables for the soup, but found Rei's activity too intriguing to miss, and turned her head over her shoulder to watch the younger woman work.

Rei turned from the pot and started folding rice into seaweed with some of the raw fish they had bought. "You can put those in the soup now," she said calmly.

"What? Ah, right!" Misato replied, abruptly taking all of the vegetables she'd diced to pieces and plopped them down into the soup. Some of it splashed up and burned her hand. "Ow!" she said as she whipped the hot liquid off of her hand and then held it.

"It's best to avoid splashing," Rei said calmly as she took a knife and started slicing something on the cutting board.

"Now you tell me," Misato replied sourly, her scorched hand rattling limply at the wrist as she puffed out her cheeks.

Asuka walked in and abruptly came to a halt as she saw what was going on. "Y-you're... cooking?!" she shouted in surprise.

"No, I'm burning my hand off. Rei is cooking," Misato replied, still shaking her hand.

"Run some cold water over your hand," Rei advised her.

"Oh yeah," Misato realized how foolish of her it was to forget about the basic first aid skill, and was getting rather tired of herself as she washed her hand down.

Asuka walked in, and curiously peeked over Rei's shoulder. "What's that?" she asked.

"Rice," Rei answered.

"Not that! That!" Asuka emphasized, pointing down at the diced octopus they had chosen instead of squid.

"Octopus, sliced," Rei answered.

Asuka's face turned green and her eyes widened. "R-raw?" she asked warily.

"Yes," Rei answered.

Asuka quickly ran out of the kitchen and, most likely, out to the bathroom.

"Eh, I didn't know she didn't like sushi," Misato commented as she looked down over Rei�s shoulder.

"I believe it was the raw octopus that promoted her reaction," Rei replied.

Misato suddenly realized how well Rei was making the food. She was molding the rice perfectly into the seaweed, almost as if she was a master chef. "Hey, you�re pretty good at this, Rei," she commented.

"I'm just following the instructions," Rei replied.

"Heh, yeah, but it still takes skill to execute them so... perfectly," Misato decided the word fit.

Rei paused softly as her cheeks turned slightly pink. "You're embarrassing me," she said quietly.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Rei. You're good at it! Be happy!" Misato replied with bright humor. It dimmed abruptly when she looked up at the clock. "Oh no, it's eight thirty! They'll all be here in half an hour!"

"It will be done by then," Rei said as she started working again.

"Really?"

Rei suddenly realized Misato was completely depending on her judgment. The realization caused her eyes to widen for a moment, but she quickly calmed back down and nodded. "Yes."

Relief flooded Misato, and it was obvious in her voice as she responded. "Oh, thank you so much, Rei. This really means a lot to me."

"...I do not mind doing it. You do not need to thank me," Rei said.

"Maybe, but you're still doing it for me, and basically saving my ass by doing it. I owe you one," the older woman replied plainly, smiling.

Rei stopped slicing for a moment. She felt very strange. It wasn't a... bad sensation, but she didn't know what it meant. "...Y...You're welcome, Miss Katsuragi."

"Oh call me Misato, Rei. I think we're past the whole last-name bit, at least off duty if that makes it more comfortable for you," Misato replied.

"A-alright, Misato," Rei corrected herself.

"That's it. I'd like to think I'm your friend, Rei, so don't worry about calling me by name, even on duty. I'm sure the slip will be forgiven," Misato continued.

Rei nodded and started back on rolling the rice.

Asuka walked back into the kitchen, noticeably faint. "What did you say it was again?"

"It's just octopus, Asuka, and it's dead. It's not like it's going to come alive and eat you," Misato reminded the girl wearily.

Asuka brought her hand up to her mouth suddenly, and ran back out of the kitchen.

"Does she dislike my cooking?" Rei asked.

"Oh, not at all. Well she's not reacting to you, I think she just doesn't like octopus for some reason."

"Perhaps we should not use it."

"Don't worry about it," the Major persisted with an easy dismissal. "Someone else will eat it."

Shinji walked into the kitchen quietly and sat down at the table, watching Misato and Rei work. "So who is coming?" he asked finally.

Though Rei had felt someone enter the room, Misato had been facing away as he entered. "Ah, Shinji, there you are. Well I invited Kaji, Ritsuko, Makato, Maya, Shigeru, and Cirus," Misato answered.

Rei reacted slightly to Cirus' name, but it didn't disrupt her at work.

"Ah yes, Mr. Trent..." Shinji commented distantly.

"Do you not like him, Shinji?" Misato asked, turning around to him with a calmly inquisitive tone.

Shinji's brow creased a little and he glanced down. "I just find him... mysterious. He's saved all three of us several times already, so I owe him my life. He just... doesn't seem human."

"He is human," Rei replied suddenly.

"Well of course he is," Misato agreed with a softer smile. "But I think Shinji meant in the emotional sense. I'll admit he seems a bit cold at times, but I think that's just his defense mechanism. For a boy his age, I think he's seen a lot more than you, Shinji."

"I suppose that's true," Shinji replied.

"What do you think of him, Rei?" Misato asked. She was glad the topic had come up the way it did.

Rei noticeably stopped working this time. "I... I think he is very kind."

Misato and Shinji looked at each other.

"Really, why's that?" Misato continued, settling herself against the kitchen counter.

"H...he... has a very kind face," she answered finally and went back to cooking.

Misato smiled secretively at the response while Shinji appeared completely mystified.

"The food is ready now," Rei said suddenly and turned off the stove, putting the lid over the pot.

"Excellent work, Rei. Shinji, help me set the table up in the living room; the kitchen's too small," Misato explained.

"Yes, Miss Misato," Shinji replied and the two of them left the kitchen.

Rei looked at the pot, then down at the sushi, and then down at her hands calmly. They were, of course, covered in rice and oil and other food related liquids, messy and sticky. Yet, she decided to smile and it seemed to fit how she was feeling. She looked up with her faint smile at the pot again and then across at the sushi once more as well. After a moment, Rei let her smile fade back to her calm expression and then went about cleaning her hands at the sink.

About twenty minutes later the doorbell rang. Asuka ran up to it and checked who it was through the hole. She smiled when she saw Kaji, and opened the door with a broad smile at him. "Hello Kaji!"

"Ah, hello, Asuka. How are you?" Kaji asked back as Asuka let him in.

"I'm fine now that you're here, Kaji," she answered.

Kaji smiled. "Heh, I'm honored, Asuka. Now where am I supposed to go?" he asked, looking around the hall.

"The sitting room is half dinning table and half sitting room, go on in there," Asuka answered happily.

Kaji nodded and the two of them went into the living room, where Shinji, Misato, and Rei were already sitting.

"Ah, Rei, nice to see you here as well," Kaji said with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Kaji," Rei replied with a calm nod of her head.

Kaji sat down near Misato and smiled at her. "So what's on the menu tonight?"

"A surprise," Misato replied with a secretive smile.

Kaji raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Asuka, of course, sat down on Kaji's other side and wrapped herself around his arm. "Hello again, Asuka," Kaji said in a slightly weary voice, but still smiling.

The doorbell rang again.

"Shinji, would you get it? I don't think Asuka is... present," Misato said dryly.

Shinji nodded and went to the door. He checked and announced that it was Maya, Hyuga, and Ayobi. He let them in and they all came into the sitting room. In casual clothes for once, they seemed surprisingly normal. Maya wore a yellow sweater over her white shirt, with a skirt of medium length and matching white. A small purse was in her hand as she entered with a gentle smile. Makato Hyuga wore a white shirt under an open, short leather jacket (old and well-used), with simple gray slacks, already beaming at the Major. Shigeru Ayobi wore his usual dark vest, white shirt, with slacks, sharing the light mood with his own calm smile.

"Hello, Miss Katsuragi," Makato said first as they came in.

"Hello, Makato," Misato replied with a smile.

Maya bowed gently, her hand bag down in both hands. "Good evening." Shigeru tipped his hand. "Thank you for inviting me, Major Katsuragi."

Misato happily and playfully waved. "Please, sit. You're my guests, not subordinates," she admonished them while keeping up the light mood.

The three happily spread around to do so, and Shigeru looked up to the lovely Operations Commander as he did, an eyebrow raised in light curiosity. "So who else are we expecting?"

"Ritsuko and Cirus," Misato answered.

Kaji seemed surprised by the answer. "Cirus?"

"Of course, he's just as much a part of NERV as any of us are," Misato answered matter-of-factly.

"He seems nice enough," Maya agreed.

"Even if a little secretive," Hyuga commented dryly below his breath.

"Eh, I don't mind. So what's for dinner?" Shigeru asked.

"Surprise," Kaji, Shinji, and Misato answered.

The doorbell rang yet again. "Ah, Rei, Shinji went last time, would you?" Misato asked.

Rei stood up without a word and went for the door out in the hall. She checked who it was and was rather surprised. "Dr. Akagi and Mr. Trent are here," she announced and then opened the door.

"Rei? How nice to see you here," Ritsuko said pleasantly.

Rei nodded to her and let her enter. Cirus stepped out of the doctor's way and motioned for her to enter first, for which she thanked him with a nod. Ritsuko heard the voices in the sitting room and started toward it alone.

"May I come in, Miss Ayanami?" Cirus asked, still standing beyond the threshold of the door.

"Yes," Rei answered and motioned towards the sitting room with a tip of her head. "The others are in there."

Cirus smiled at her and nodded as she stepped into the hall. "How are you, may I ask?"

"I'm fine... thank you," Rei answered and hurried their approach to the sitting room; her cheeks were turning slightly pink.

Cirus grimaced before he entered the sitting room with Rei, but did so without stopping. He had grimaced because he knew what would happen, and it did. As he entered everyone stopped talking. Rei walked ahead of him and sat down where she had been before.

"Ah, Cirus, I'm glad you decided to join us," Misato said with a smile.

Cirus tipped his head to her. "I'm honored to be invited."

"So are we ready to eat?" Shinji asked, trying to break the tension.

Everyone welcomed the icebreaker, and positive responses abruptly came back.

A few minutes later everyone but Shinji and Misato were sitting at the table. The two missing persons appeared in the sitting room with the food. Misato was carrying the tray of sushi while Shinji was carrying the noticeably heavier pot. They set both down on the table and sat down themselves. Misato was sitting beside Kaji, Asuka of course on his other side, with Maya at the end of the side, near Ritsuko, who was sitting at the end of the table. On Ritsuko's left side Cirus was sitting at the start of the other side, sitting to Rei's right, and Hyuga with Ayobi, and then Shinji at the other end of the table.

"Well at least I can pretend I'm the commander for a little while," Shinji joked with a smile at his seat.

Everyone chuckled except Rei, but it didn't exactly bother anyone.

"Let's eat!" Misato said.

Everyone repeated it together, and then the table was a busy crossing of plates to the two food centers. After everyone had what they wanted it quieted down and casual conversation started up again.

Upon taking her first bite Ritsuko was pleasantly surprise. "Misato, did you make this yourself?" she asked.

Misato smiled. "Nope, Rei cooked it all," she answered.

Abruptly, everyone looked at Rei in astonishment.

"...I-it wasn't difficult..." she responded, her cheeks turning very pink.

"It never is for the best chefs," Cirus said with a smile.

"Y-yes, it's very, very good, Rei," Ritsuko agreed. "We just didn't know you could cook so well."

"Yes, it's great," Ayobi added, stuffing his face with it as he spoke.

"...Thank you," Rei said softly.

"Why don't we stop telling the chef how good her food is and prove it by enjoying it?" Cirus suggested wryly.

"Sounds good," Misato agreed cheerfully, seeing what Cirus was doing for Rei.

Everyone quickly saw the point, and the hidden point behind it, and started eating the very good food.

"So, Cirus, where exactly in Europe are you from?" Kaji asked as he gulped down a roll.

"The Republic of Ireland," Cirus answered plainly.

"Ah." The older man nodded, but then seemed more curious. "Hmm, you don't have much of an accent."

"Yes, I was taken to be trained by SEELE when I was... very young," Cirus explained.

"I see..." Kaji's voice drifted off thoughtfully. He turned to look at Rei and smiled. "The dinner is excellent, Rei," he said.

Rei nodded her thanks quietly, still a little embarrassed from before.

Hiding her lips for a moment with her wrist, Ritsuko looked over at the tall pilot with polite interest. "Hmm, exactly how old are you, Cirus? Your file didn't give us any information at all. I assumed you were Rei's age."

With a calm nod as he dipped a roll in some soy-sauce, the boy plainly replied, "You were right."

Kaji looked up at Cirus again. "So how long ago did SEELE augment you then?"

"Kaji!" Misato said in disbelief. "This isn't an interrogation," she reminded him.

Cirus faintly smiled. "It's alright, Major. About ten years ago," he answered, looking at Kaji.

"Quite a bit of time, I'm sorry," Kaji replied. He was being used before Rei even. No wonder he�s so battle hardened already.

Cirus' smile broadened, "Don't worry about it, I don't."

"If that is true, why isn't your Eva called Unit 00 instead of Rei's?" Shinji asked.

"They wouldn't have built the unit until he was this age anyway," Misato answered.

Cirus noticed Misato's slightly sullen face suddenly. She was hiding the majority of it, which told him exactly how bad it was. "Is something wrong, Major?" he asked.

Misato looked up at him in surprise. "With me? Oh no," she replied quickly dismissing it. Then her smiled faded and her shoulders slumped. "Well, this dinner was supposed to celebrate the completion of the covering, but the Angel attack put us too far behind schedule," she explained finally.

"Ah, I was wondering why you were doing this," Ritsuko commented.

Cirus raised an eyebrow. "It really means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"Oh it's just that it brings some hope to people when they feel at least a little safer. I would at least like to finish the covering for some protection, then start to work on the city."

"I see..." Cirus trailed off.

"I'm sure we can do it soon, we can just think of this a pre-cursor to the dinner we will have," Ritsuko said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Agreed," Kaji was trying to help it along, raising his glass.

Cirus was the first to raise his also. "To hope."

Everyone raised their drink and repeated the toast. Kaji looked at Cirus with a subtle nod of thanks, which Cirus returned.

Everyone started to break into individual conversations soon afterwards, leaving, of course, Rei and Cirus out of the loop except for the occasional comment.

Cirus spoke softly, not wanting to bring attention to Rei she didn�t want. "The meal is wonderful. You are a very good cook indeed, Miss Ayanami," he said with a smile.

"Thank you, but all I did was follow instructions," Rei replied quietly, her voice barely audible even to Cirus, who was sitting directly beside her.

"You still implemented them wonderfully. That takes skill," Cirus pointed out.

Both he and Misato had said the same thing, and Rei did notice that she felt pleasant, though embarrassed, when everyone said it was good. "...Thank you," she said finally.

"You're very welcome," Cirus replied almost wistfully.

"...I'm sorry if the others were bothering you," she said suddenly.

Cirus looked at her in pleasant surprise. "There's no need for you to apologize, Miss Ayanami, but I appreciate your concern very much."

"You're welcome," she replied softly and took a sip of her miso soup.

Cirus caught himself watching her eat and almost abruptly turned his head away. Misato caught the sudden motion and it made her look over at him. She smiled when she saw him take a large swallow of water from his glass.

Ritsuko and Maya turned to him, undoubtedly to ask whom he thought was right, and he commented with a brief shake of his head. He was going to stay out of that at all costs, Misato realized with quiet amusement. She then went back to her conversation with Kaji and Asuka, being satisfied with what she�d seen.

Rei put her bowl down and held her hands on it for a thoughtful moment before turning her head to Cirus. "May I ask you a question?" she asked very quietly.

Cirus looked at her with polite interest and a faint smile, "Yes."

"...How did your eyes become... like they are?" she stated the question instead of describing them, realizing where they were.

Cirus' face became wistful again. "It's a long story, but the gist is that it's the price you pay for having a synch ratio of a hundred and thirty," he explained concisely, but in a slower manner than was usual.

Rei nodded gently. "Thank you." And then she continued eating.

Cirus remembered what they'd said as they'd walked around him. 'A boy with the mind of a man'. ...They never tell the guinea pig it's going to die either... Cirus shook the memories out of his head. He looked over at Misato, smiling as she talked with Kaji and Asuka. He, in fact, owed Misato one for inviting him to the dinner. Pay back time, Major, he thought to himself calmly with a wry smile, and reserved to act later that night.

He looked over at Rei again, but quickly closed his eyes and turned his head away. He hadn't intended to stare the way he was winding up doing. Cirus couldn't quite tell exactly what about her made her so attractive. Part of it was the way her hair hung around her face, another was her soft, delicate voice, and yet another was her calm, curious eyes. He finally realized everything about her was attractive and just sighed with a slight smile. She was possibly the most beautiful and adorable creature he'd ever seen.