They still had some time before either of them had to wake up, and he didn�t want to disturb her, so he lay back down, and let himself doze for a little while longer. As he was, he suddenly realized that he'd slept more soundly that night than he could recall in recent memory.

Rei moaned quietly in her sleep, and squeezed his arm with her hand. She seemed to relax soon afterwards, and let her hand do the same, keeping it on his arm. Cirus was honored that she seemed to be comforted by his presence. He didn't feel he was worthy of her trust, he thought that she deserved someone far better, but, at this moment, he was infinitely thankful she was with him, so close, and comfortable.

Almost automatically, he started to reach out to her hair with his other hand, which had been curled under his head. He suddenly realized what he was doing, and pulled his hand back; it wasn't his place. She'd given him a wonderful gift, whether she was aware or not, of just requesting his presence near her. He did not dare spoil that.

She started to stir, and Cirus assumed Rei was starting to wake up. She turned over, inside his arm, and faced him, but her eyes were still closed. After settling back in, her head lolled against his chest. Cirus controlled his breathing to avoid moving her head too much, but he knew she wouldn't want to wake up like that. Unfortunately, whether he waited or not, he couldn�t move her without waking her up and making her feel like he was pushing her away. He opted for the lesser of two evils, and looked down at her. "Miss Ayanami?" he asked softly.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open. She opened them wide because of the obstruction so close to her face, until she realized where she was, and slowly looked up into his eyes, her cheeks pink, although he noticed that she didn't pull away from him. "Yes?" she asked softly.

"I thought you wouldn't like knowing you were in that position for the rest of the morning. My apologies for waking you."

He loosened his arm that was wrapped around her, giving her the option to pull away from him, but not making her feel like she was being forced away.

She shook her head slowly. "...That is fine... thank you."

"If you wish to get up now, I'll go out to the living room," he said, knowing she wasn't fully dressed under the blanket.

"...Not yet," she replied quietly. She pulled closer to him again, and rested her head against his chest.

Cirus had to keep himself from breathing too powerfully or she would know how nervous he really was.

"Your heart is beating very quickly, are you upset?" Rei asked, looking up into his eyes again.

"No... no, I'm not. Don't worry about it, Miss Ayanami," he answered, forcing a smile. For her to be asleep in his arms was one thing, for her to want to be in his arms awake was something different. He did not feel deserving of that by a far.

"Thank you for staying with me," Rei said suddenly.

A rush went though his mind. "...It was an honor, Miss Ayanami," Cirus replied truthfully.

Rei was reluctant to pull away from him. She felt so... human at that moment. She wasn't alone for once, no one was using her. She remembered what Cirus had said before, and looked up at his face, into his eyes. "You can touch me. It does not hurt."

He looked down at her in stunted surprise for a moment. Rei saw tears come out of his eyes quietly again, still affected by her permission so greatly. He reached down with his other hand to gently and carefully brush the hair out of her eye. Glowing red eyes let him without flinching.

"Why are you trembling?" she asked.

"...I... I'm just not used to this..." he answered, pulling his hand back.

Subtle curiosity came over Rei's face. "What?"

"Having someone so close."

Rei looked back down. "...Could you please stay until we have to go?" she asked quietly.

"Of course," Cirus answered, his voice all but silent in its softness.

Rei rested her head against his chest again, and just lay there, with him, quietly. She listened to his heartbeat, and let it lull her back to a light doze as she waited. After a few moments she noticed that Cirus was asleep again. His right hand was open limply on the pillow above her head, his own leaning down on the arm. Rei slowly reached up with her right hand, and put it in his, squeezing it with a gentle motion. She felt his heart jump, and then his hand softly gripped hers in response.

"Did you sleep well, Miss Ayanami?" he asked, his eyes still closed, softly.

Rei nodded softly into his chest.

"I'm very glad of that," he replied, and then seemed to fall back into sleep.

Rei realized she'd just heard what he wanted to say, and he was too tired to not ask it. Cirus was concerned about her naturally, it was not something he pretended to do or had to remind himself to do. He wasn't trying to use her; he just wanted her to be well. "...Thank you," she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her.

Maya was in the command center a little later that morning doing her usual scans of the surrounding area, which was the land outside of Tokyo-3 itself for about two kilometers out. It was fairly basic, she just set the scanner to sweep the perimeter as she did a more intense scan of the city itself.

After finding nothing in either of those she switched to long range scanning. This scanned the entire nation of Japan from satellite for any signs of abnormal energy, light, or other abnormal activity. A small dot appeared on the screen roughly ten kilometers outside of Tokyo-3. Maya quickly focused the sensors to that area.

As the young woman was doing this, Ikari and Fuyutsuki received a call. Fuyutsuki picked it up and then looked up at Ikari. "An unidentified object is moving toward Tokyo-3," he relayed as he hung up.

"Alert the pilots," Ikari ordered in response as he stood up from his desk.

Maya looked up as Ritsuko ran into the command center. "It's not quite identifiable aside from the blood pattern, it's definitely an Angel," she reported quickly.

Ritsuko ran up to her, and looked down at her screen. Her brow creased curiously. "It doesn't appear to have a solid form at all," she commented, looking up at the screen showing the dot moving toward Tokyo-3.

Ikari and Fuyutsuki arrived just then, Ikari quickly sitting down at his desk.

Shigeru, Makato, and Misato arrived shortly thereafter.

"Report," Ikari ordered.

"It is an Angel, but its form is... unidentifiable," Ritsuko replied, not sure what word to use.

Gendo piqued an eyebrow. "Show me."

Hyuga activated the view screen with the Angel. It appeared very strange indeed. It had no real form, but instead resembled a pillar of rippling liquid, about as viscous as water, but a much darker blue. The air seemed distorted around the liquid body also.

Major Katsuragi's eyes tightened upon seeing the strange creature, but then she glanced to Shigeru. "Is the Angel's AT field active?"

"Yes," the techie answered seriously.

"How soon can the Evas be launched?" Ikari asked calmly.

Ritsuko was looking down at Maya's screen as she answered. "The pilots are getting ready now. Three minutes," she finished with a glance over her shoulder to Ikari.

Ikari tilted his head down somewhat as his eyes tightened beneath his glasses. "Record the twenty-fifth Angel. Launch when ready."

Cirus ran down the metal grating toward Unit 14, and quickly leapt up to the entry plug. Rei had gotten to hers ahead of him, and Unit 00 was already starting toward its launch pad. Shinji and Asuka got there shortly afterwards, and soon all three other Evas were on the launch pads.

Misato stern expression firmed as she shouted her orders. "Prepare for launch!"

Hyuga echoed the order as the channels cleared for the Evas above, the red, jagged lines on his screen turning green in segments, the doorways in the launch channels rushing open with a sharp mechanical shink each.

"Eva Units, launch!" the Major's voice barked over the comm.

Each Eva rocketed up the vertical tracks to the surface in turn. All four glistened in the lighting of the channels that rushed past, Rei calmly focused, Shinji anxiously staring ahead, Asuka keeping a faint smirk on her face, and Cirus with his head bowed subtly. They appeared in an emergency opening outside of the city's perimeter as a group, the launch-pads slowing to a halt and disengaging from the behemoths before they stepped out onto the terrain.

Shinji looked toward the amorphous target, dubbed Traumifel by this point, and spoke into his comm. "What now?"

Major Katsuragi eyed the situation firmly and then answered him. "Surround the target, but don't get too close."

Unit 01 remained facing Traumifel as Unit 00 went to his right and 02 his left, Cirus took Unit 14 all the way around behind the Angel, across from Shinji, the four Evas surrounding the strange mass of a creature.

Maya looked up from her screen. "It stopped moving," she reported.

"The target has halted," Rei reported soon after.

"Maintain distance. Don't get too close," Misato repeated. She turned off the comm and looked to Hyuga. "Can you find its core yet?"

Hyuga shook his head. "Negative, it's as if it's just water," he explained.

"It's building energy in its body!" Ayobi shouted, looking up at the screen.

Misato looked up. "All units back away from the Angel. Prepare for an attack," she ordered as she keyed on the comm.

As they Evas obeyed the orders, and they all watched, two large yellow dots appeared near the top of the Angel's form. They slowly rotated around as a pair, and stopped for a moment as they lined up with each Eva.

The Major's brow creased tensely. "Eyes?"

"That's what it would appear to be, yes," Ritsuko answered.

The Angel's eyes rotated back around until they came to rest on Unit 01 again. This time they stayed there. Shinji readied himself to spring away from Traumifel, or any attack it could launch.

"There's a great deal of energy focusing between its eyes," Ayobi reported tensely.

Misato looked at the Angel intently, trying to gauge whether it was preparing an attack or something else.

In a smooth, flowing motion, the Angel's eyes started to shrink and the part of its body between them rippled violently, as if struck by a rock.

Misato looked to Ayobi. "An attack?"

Shigeru took a moment to answer, his brow creased in mystification at the results on his screen. "...No, the energy is directed at itself."

A heart-beat later, the eyes stopped shrinking, and the part of its body around them pushed out toward Unit 01 slowly. As it did it began to take on a shape, and Misato could scarcely believe the form it completed. She looked up at Commander Ikari with raised eyebrows, but he showed no sign of reaction.

Traumifel had taken on the appearance of his face, looking coldly at Shinji in the form of molded water and yellow energy. Gendo's son froze, his eyes widened at the sight.

"Unit 01's pilot's heart rate is increasing dramatically, I think he's panicking!" Hyuga reported.

Suddenly Unit 01 pulled its knife and charged the Angel, Shinji's scream piercing through the command center.

"No, Shinji!" Ikari shouted.

Misato looked up at the Angel again, this time not sure what to advise.

"Energy build up!" Ayobi shouted.

That settled it. "Shinji, dodge!" the Major shouted.

Unit 01 ignored her ordered, and continued to charge, the pilot screaming as Traumifel's eyes flashed. They released beams of energy straight into the Eva's chest.

"Shinji!?" Misato shouted.

Unit 01 had stopped, but wasn't taking damage from the Angel's eye-attack. They both appeared frozen in place.

"Shinji?" she asked more softly.

The Angel's attack ceased and Unit 01 continued to stand there for a short time.

"Shinji?" Asuka.

"Ikari?" Rei.

"Shinji, report," Ikari ordered.

Shinji didn't hear any of them. His eyes were wide; his breath was coming in short gasps. Suddenly, he screamed, and Unit 01 spun around, running away from the Angel. Its flee was so rapid and panicked that it stumbled and fell to the ground, rolling quite some distance before coming to a quivering stop, curled up in the fetal position.

"Shinji!?" Misato shouted again.

Ritsuko then realized what had happened. "Maya, energy pattern scan, now!"

Maya wordlessly hit the code for an energy scan of the Angel. She looked up at Ritsuko in shock.

"He was doing research," Ritsuko commented.

"What?" Misato asked, still in shock.

"The Angel caused the attacks in the test plugs!" her old friend answered urgently.

Misato's eyes widened, and she slammed on the comm. "Get Shinji out of there, and retreat, now!"

Unit 14, which was on the Angel's other side, ran and leapt over it as Units 00 and 02 ran toward Shinji. Unit 14 landed far away from Traumifel on its other side, and all three Evas headed for Unit 01.

"Unit 02, bring Unit 01 back to base, Units 14 and 00 attack the target," Ikari's voice ordered over the comm.

Asuka didn't question the order from Ikari himself, and quickly went about doing as ordered. Unit 14 and Unit 00 turned back to Traumifel, which was facing them now. As Units 01 and 02 went back underground, Units 14 and 00 started to circle the Angel wide.

"Instructions?" Cirus asked back calmly over the comm.

"For now just keep it distracted. We need to think of something," Misato replied. She looked up at Ritsuko. "Take over for me. I'm going to go check on Shinji."

Ritsuko nodded and took Misato's place as she hurried out of the command center.

"Cirus, Rei, Misato has handed this over to me for now," she said into the comm.

"Understood."

"Acknowledged."

Unit 02 docked, and Asuka hopped down from her entry plug as the medical team and Misato pulled Shinji out of his. The boy was quivering with his eyes shut tightly. Misato looked up at Asuka and nodded calmly, Shinji would be alright. Asuka tipped her head back, and then hopped into Unit 02 once more.

"Unit 02 ready for re-launch," she reported.

"Confirmed, prepare for launch," Hyuga's voice came back.

Unit 02 was moved to its launch pad again. "Launch!" Asuka shouted.

Unit 02 rocketed back up to the surface, and ran to join the other two Evas.

"How's Shinji?" Cirus asked her as they circled the Angel.

"I don't know," Asuka answered.

"All pilots, the Angel uses your fear. It was in the test plug system," Ritsuko reported.

Cirus' face turned flat. "Well now we know why Shinji broke and ran."

"...Yeah," Asuka replied.

Misato ran back into the command center. "He's scared to death, but he'll be all right," she reported as she walked up. She nodded her thanks to Ritsuko, and they went back to their usual positions.

"Shinji's alright," she reported into the comm.

"One problem down, one to go," Cirus replied. "Mind telling me how you want us to destroy a liquid?" he asked calmly.

"Aim for the eyes?" Misato answered doubtfully.

Unit 02 suddenly rushed forward, its progressive knife in its hand.

"Asuka, don't!" Cirus shouted.

Unit 14 ran after Unit 02. Traumifel's eyes flashed and its body started to elevate.

"Major energy reaction occurring within the target's body!" Ayobi reported.

"Asuka, stop!" Misato ordered.

Asuka refused to listen. She would not let her fear defeat her. She smiled as she dove at Traumifel, knife ready. Suddenly the Angel's configuration completely changed. It exploded into a humanoid shape, its skin turned white, and then its form was clear.

One of SEELE�s Eva units, glistening ivory with a narrow, snake-like, large-mouthed head. Asuka chuckled.

"I beat nine of them before, you stupid Angel!" she shouted, and drove her knife through the Eva's head.

Unit 14 stopped as she appeared to have won. Unit 02 repeatedly stabbed the target with violent determination, forcing Traumifel to its knees in the process. Just when Cirus was about to tell her it was enough, the Angel reached up, and grabbed the blade with its hand. The blade shot through Traumifel's palm, but the Angel didn't seem to care. It gripped her hand and squeezed powerfully. Asuka screamed in pain as Unit 02's hand shattered in the Angel's grip. She let out a powerful punch into the Angel's mid-section, sending her fist through it. The Angel reached down, grabbed her other arm and pulled it out, then head-butted her powerfully enough to send Unit 02 sprawling. Unit 14 reached down, and grabbed Unit 02 by the shoulders before yanking it away from the Angel.

"No!" Asuka shouted to him. Unit 02 broke free of Unit 14's grip and charged the Angel again.

Traumifel waited for her patiently. The crimson Eva let out a powerful jump kick that went straight through the Angel's torso, and slammed them both to the ground. Then Unit 02 used its good hand, and punched the Angel's head into oblivion. But, as Unit 02 stood up, Traumifel rose up, its head exploding back to life from bubbly white fluid, and its torso rushing together with stringy whips and chords of the same. Healed, Traumifel then grabbed her by the neck in her shocked stupor, lifting her into the air.

Asuka gagged, gripping her throat as she lashed out Unit 02's legs. "N-no... I... defeated you... I won't lose again!" she shouted, but her cry was more anguished than anything else.

"It's just reacting to your fear, Asuka! You fear not being able to defeat him, so that is what will happen. Let me help!" Cirus shouted into the comm.

He saw Asuka nod on her comm screen, tears coming down from her eyes. Unit 14 broke into a run, its forearm blades coming out to their full extent. It leapt in, and sliced Traumifel's arm off that it was using to hold Unit 02. Unit 14 spun around and slashed the Angel twice in the mid-section before turning, and starting to run away with Unit 02. Traumifel split in half with a bloody explosion and fell in two places.

Unit 00 grabbed its cannon from a nearby launch pad, and took aim at the two halves of the Angel as it started to pull itself back together again. "Target sighted," she reported calmly as Traumifel stood up again.

Two yellow spots appeared just above the Angel's mouth as it looked directly at Rei's glistening blue Eva, and it started to change shape again. Units 14 and 02 turned around, and saw what was happening. Cirus' eyes widened as he realized what Traumifel was doing.

"Rei, don't look at it!" he shouted.

Rei didn't understand what he meant until she saw the shape the Angel took. She gasped, and pulled her head away from the targeting system, her eyes wide. It was Kafziel holding Unit 14 in place as it had before. Traumifel had turned into both. Misato looked up in shock. The Angel was making their worst fears become a reality.

"Rei, this time it isn't real, destroy the target," Ikari ordered.

But it seemed so real to Rei. Unit 14 even had the anguished shiver in its form as before.

"Rei, it's alright. I'm behind you. That's not Unit 14," Cirus told her calmly over the comm.

Rei nodded slowly and settled back into aiming. Her trigger finger quivered in front of the trigger. "Please... I... I don't want to," she said over the comm, her voice was very soft and low... and pleading.

Misato looked up at Ikari intently. She wondered what he would do, but suddenly heard a beep up near Ikari; it was his private comm. The Major looked down to Hyuga with a raised eyebrow, and he secretively showed her that Unit 14 was activating the comm.

Ikari raised an eyebrow as Cirus' face appeared on the small screen. "What is it?"

"Her fear is taking the shot itself. Don't make her do it," Cirus answered calmly.

"She must. She is the only one who can destroy the target despite her fear," Ikari replied.

"Not the only one..." Cirus said flatly, his face a cold mask.

"Very well, then it rests in your hands," Ikari replied, and shut down the comm. He looked up at the main screen. "Rei, stand down. You do not need to fire," he told her.

Unit 00 put its cannon down softly on the ground, and knelt there in silence.

"Cirus, you realize what is at stake here?" Ikari asked.

This time it was over the main comm. "Don't forget, Ikari, I asked her to shoot last time as well," Cirus reminded the commander calmly as Unit 14 marched toward the Angel.

The two heads that were part of Traumifel intently followed the new threat with their eyes. Unit 14 approached, and stopped before the Angel about thirty meters away.

"Miss Ibuki, you may want to avert your eyes," Cirus' voice came over the comm coldly.

Maya's eyes widened. "What is he going to do?" she asked.

"I think he's pissed," Misato commented.

Both of Unit 14's forearm blades came out to their full extent, and Unit 14 walked up to the Angel closely. It sliced its mimic from the right shoulder to the left hip, letting it fall in half before sending its fist through the Angel's mimic's head. They both dropped limply and Unit 14 backed away, resheathing its blades.

"What is he doing?" Hyuga asked.

"Letting it choose its form," Ritsuko answered.

Misato looked up nervously. She knew what Cirus' fear could become, and she also knew that no one else did. Even if he wasn't badly affected, it could change many opinions of him.

The two bodies Traumifel had taken slowly poured back into one being, and then it stood up. Unit 14 instantly activated its blades again, and rushed the Angel. Even faster, the Angel chose its form, and Unit 14 gawked, skidding to a halt. He hadn't expected it like this.