After the battle, Rei is waiting at Cirus' bed-side in a touching reversal of their classic situation. She tries to explain as best she can without putting him in danger, and simply can't stand hurting him, so she flees. Cirus is badly injured, and so he can only heal himself in time to find her long gone. The brief scene is quite powerful, I hope, and I enjoyed the touch of showing Cirus pushing himself to heal, almost causing damage in and of itself.

The closing scene of this monolithic chapter is one of the 'big talks' between Cirus and Rei. With the sudden blow from Gendo, all her new ideas seem feeble, and need to be reinforced. Cirus acts as an opposing influence to Gendo, allowing Rei to truly choose on an evening footing, at least that is the attempt Cirus is making. Again, Rei's trust of Cirus serves as the catalyst to her own growth. The notion of having a 'right to exist' is dangerous, since life is a gift from G'd, not to be taken granted, but the point Cirus is trying to make is that Rei needs to see value in herself equal to that of anyone else. Still... I may revise the specific words he uses to something less misleading. And so ends chapter twenty-four.