The line 'any vestiges...' is an addition to this edition of Kenosis (hah, I actually used both of those words in one sentence...) with which I am quite happy. He both has time, and less than he instinctively felt he had before. Seeing Rei in imminent danger a tendency to make Cirus act, which is well-established by this point in Kenosis. In his mind, there's no time left, only rescuing Rei. Effectively, this entire section is my attempt to keep the tension high with the fire-fight, and constantly bring Cirus closer to Rei, finally getting him to the lift, and starting to descend on the precarious wire-system strewn across the cavernous facility.

The danger of Cirus' situation is highlighted from Ayanami-sama's perspective, while also establishing that she can't get free just because she knows Cirus is coming to help. As strong as she is, some fear and pleading remains, which I think comes across very well with her two thought-comments ('let me go!' and 'please') at the end of this section.

And then it happens. Fuyutsuki actually turns on Ikari openly, and orders the security forces to stop firing. He's going to give Cirus and Rei a fair chance, regardless of Ikari. This, in and of itself, tells Ikari a great deal about his plans, and whether or not they are the right thing to do. He always believed they were 'meant to be' at a certain point, and things are rapidly proving that idea wrong. Indeed, so he sees.

The physics of Cirus' method of speeding the lift up and stopping are wonky, I admit, but they were the only, semi-believable options I could think of after putting him in the situation (yes, this was, surprisingly, ad-libbed to a great degree on the first draft). A note on themes: It's safe to say that the song 'Touched' by VAST is Ayanami-sama and Cirus' theme for Kenosis. You could play the song during this sequence, especially, and have it get across a great deal of the mood. When Cirus finally gets close to Rei, the song's line about 'eyes', looking into them, really achieves the saddened yet soaring emotions running through them both, but especially from Cirus' perspective. He just looks into her eyes, realizing she can't get free, and knows exactly what he has to do. He let's go, and embraces her. The idea of cutting the scene off on nothing more than Rei's voice saying his name in her mind struck me at the moment, and I still marvel at the perfection of its placement in my own mind. Perhaps this means nothing to the reader, but I consider one of the single most powerful uses of any word in the entire story.

This entire 'inside Eve' sequence just flowed for me as I wrote it. The thought-speak, sharing of memories and feelings, right down to the final decision all poured into place with almost no effort on my part. I am immensely pleased with this sequence, and I don't think I've had to touch it for more than minor typos since the original draft. It does exactly what I wanted, at least in my view. The idea of giving each of them a truly intimate view of the other seemed so perfect. Cirus comes to realize Rei's experiences and her private hopes (motherhood being a key example), and Rei is shown how much Cirus really adores her, how beautiful she seems to his perception, especially her lovely, gentle eyes. In case the reader has any doubt, yes, Cirus would be immensely honored to be the father of Rei's children. The fact that she views motherhood as such a deeply wonderful idea, and wants it so much in her heart, affects him more deeply than the reader may realize thanks to how quickly I move past the topic. For Cirus, it's simply a perfect addition to her already beautiful being. It simply works for her, and he knows, despite his control on his ego, that she wouldn't mind having a family with him in particular. But, really, he just adores her all the more for her private dream of being a mother. It's just that cute. And this also allowed me to show quite a bit about Cirus in just a few moments. Revealing his scars was a bit silly of me, I admit, but I do think it adds to his character in an indirect way. The two larger scars, the ones that arc over his shoulders, are simply part of his nature, a side-effect of his two-body essence (he and Unit 14). In theory, they are where the two were separated, even though they never were really fused together physically. At last, the two streams of memory stop, and the two make their choice. More accurately, Cirus supports Ayanami-sama's choice completely.

Bringing Kaji and Misato onto the final stage seemed appropriate, especially with a gun being aimed at Ikari. Ikari also clearly realizes things were not meant to be as Ritsuko reports the apparent return of the two children. So they all go to see what happens. Once there, I thought it entirely appropriate to have Fuyutsuki and Kaji help Cirus and Rei out of the messy 'heart' of Eve. Hopefully this cements Fuyutsuki's 'redemption' in the eyes of the reader. And, finally, with all that's happened, I couldn't resist having Cirus give Gendo a good, solid belt across the face. Not for the trouble he caused Cirus, but for all that little rat has done to Ayanami-sama (and would do...).

Establishing what they've learned about each other, Cirus and Rei are closer than ever, sharing some adorable affection. And, finally, everyone starts to head out. I felt that the final lines between Kaji, MIsato, and Ritsuko were really the perfect touch, and so finished the chapter with the echoed adoration in the older couple, and Ritsuko's return to the 'dryly amused friend' on the side. I am quite happy with the end of this chapter.

And don't worry, the epilogue is yet to come!