The Unloved One

In the sombre darkness of the room, there was a faint red glow to accompany the one bright light illuminated above a tall woman.

Her stance is strong, unwavering in the face of the near nothingness around her. Brown eyes focused ahead of her, never hiding behind her long, wavy violet hair. Just when she could make out the outline of an unfamiliar man before her, a sudden burst of white light turned on, her head now whipped to her right to see a short haired blonde woman in a long white lab coat.

Surprised brown eyes now met stoic green ones. A quick intake of the mole beneath the left green eye made her pupils settle. Yet a silent warning was ringing in the violet woman's head. She was being watched, and her next few words and actions may very well end her career.

“Misato Katsuragi,” the blonde’s stern voice echoed throughout the room. “After careful deliberation, you’ve been selected as the Operations Director for NERV. Do you accept this position and the responsibilities that come with it?”

Misato furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. “Yes. I accept this job and the terms of the contract.”

“Good,” the blonde removed her hand from her lab coat and reached out to shake her hand firmly. “As you already know, I'm Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, Head Scientist of NERV.”

Ritsuko extended the other hand outwards. In that instance, a spotlight on the leftmost side of the room reveals a gray-haired man with his hands behind his back.

“This is Deputy Commander Fuyutsuki.”

The old man slightly nodded his head.

“And this-,” Ritsuko’s voice paused as the middle spotlight turned on. “-is Commander Ikari.”

His eyes remain hidden under the gleam of his spectacles as his body remains unmoved. A gloomy dread filled the air around the man.

Misato promptly bowed her head. “Thank you, sirs!”

“Your cooperation and gratitude are duly noted,” Fuyutsuki said. “We look forward to a bright future with you, Captain Katsuragi.”

She bowed again.

“From now on, you will report to the three of us and only the three of us. Any questions you may have may also be directed to us,” Ritsuko said. “Any actions regarding any and all resources that are involved with Project-E must also be run through us,” she added.

“Understood,” the determination in Misato's voice rose up to the surface. “On that note, I do have a question.”

Ritsuko’s face frowned, but only briefly before she stepped forward. “You can save it for later-”

“No, no,” the Deputy Commander interrupted. “Let’s hear what the young lady has to say. Would that be alright with you, Commander Ikari?”

“Very well,” the gruffness of the Commander's voice distinguished itself. “Ask.”

Misato slowly raised her head and nodded. “Is your decision to hire me at NERV biased in any way due to my father's tenure with the organisation?”

The mood in the room shifted. The air was pregnant with silence. Then, for the first time, he moved. Ikari pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose with his white gloved hand.

“No,” the finality in Ikari's voice was firm.

Misato’s upper lip trembled before she bowed for the last time as a door opened behind her.

“You are dismissed.”

Misato turned around and exited the room. Leaving the three superiors alone.

“Doctor Akagi,” Ikari said. “Curiosity is insubordination."

“Yes sir,” her response was quick.

The message was well received by the intelligent woman. She needed to keep the Captain on a tight leash, or else hers was going to be yanked too.

                                                ☆ミ

The door to Doctor Akagi’s office swooshed open.

“Misato,” a broad smile wept across the Doctor’s face. “Welcome to NERV.”

The blonde stood up from her desk and walked over to pat the other woman on the back.

“Isn’t it already too late to celebrate?” She said, “I've been here for a whole two weeks.”

“Even more time for you to get accustomed to the layout of the building,” the scientist cooed. “Although I wonder why you got here after I did?”

Misato rubbed the back of her neck with a boxy smile. “The map that you gave me only leads to the cafeteria and bathrooms. Anywhere else is pure luck and navigational intuition.”

Ritsuko giggled. “Things have been hectic lately, I'm sure you understand.”

“Like not having an operations director for this very crucial military project?”

“Military is a stretch. We are a science and research centre sponsored by the UN,” Ritsuko sang.

“That somehow has a military contract that makes it the ‘last line of defence for humankind.’ I read the file.”

“You'll have to update it, too.”

Misato rolled her eyes as she followed Ritsuko out of her office into the hallway as they faced the office door across from the room they previously occupied.

“Here you go,” Ritsuko announced as she pointed at the nameplate on the door that very clearly spelt out ‘RITSUKO AKAGI’. “Now you can finally get your own office, complete with a wooden old chair and  map for guidance.”

“Come on!” Misato yelled. “Your name plate is still on it.”

“Wait,” Ritsuko paused. “There's more.”

The door slid open to show the mountains of files laying on both the desk and ground.

“Papers?! What happened to being digitized?” The violet head grabbed a file marked ‘Classified’ and began flipping through its contents.

“Rest assured. Your work monitor is in there. Somewhere,” Ritsuko smirked.

As the purple head continued to groan, the door to her new office closed, allowing the joy on Ritsuko’s face to contort into disapproval.

Ritsuko placed a firm hand on Misato’s shoulder and squeezed tightly. Katsuragi whipped her head to face the displeased woman only to be told to continue facing forward.

“Why didn't you reject the offer?” Ritsuko asked.

The taller woman fell into deep thought before responding to her.

“I could ask the same thing of you.”

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Forget I even asked.”

The pair stood in silence before the telephone in the office rang.

“A call in the first hour. I haven't even memorised my own phone book number,” Misato walked over to the desk and pushed files aside to access the telephone.

“Well, get to it,” Ritsuko waved her off, leaving the room. As soon as the door slid closed, she paused. Her heart was sunken.  It shouldn't be that way.

                                               ☆ミ

"I can't believe that jerk!" Misato yelled, slamming her fist onto the cheap plastic tables of the NERV HQ's cafeteria.

The blonde took a sip of black coffee from a cat shaped mug and rolled her eyes over to the vending machine. It was another day of listening to Misato Rumble about Kaji's wrongdoings. The heart of a lonely soul always yearns for its other half. As interesting as it is to listen to the lovebirds' trouble in paradise, she still wishes that she wouldn't have to be so loud about it.

"He left the country without even leaving a goodbye message, again! Then he has the guts to call to congratulate me?” She huffed. “I knew it! Last Tuesday was a trap. Whispering those sweet nothings. The way he said he wanted to come over to my place. Ugh! I shouldn't have never given into that silly kiss," she whined.

Ritsuko shook her head at her. Misato Katsuragi, the poor woman, had soft spots, and her on-and-off boyfriend Ryouji Kaji exploited them at every chance he got.

Ritsuko found it annoying, but she couldn't bring herself to blame him for doing so. Hell, she does the same, too. She was just more upfront about it. Her thoughts strayed. Maybe it's because of the exceptions she made for her own lover.

"That sounds like the same old playboy Kaji to me,” she told her. “It's hard to believe that you two managed to graduate from college," she sighed.

Misato crossed her arms and pouted at her.

"Teasing is an all-time low for you, Ritsuko."

"Then I guess I'm the lowest of the low then."

The purple head was on the verge of tearing off her hair as a little smirk was concealed by the mug covering her friend's lips.

"Next time, I'll be sure to get him back. That ass won't know what hit him."

The doctor looked down to the watch on her wrist. The minute hand crept closer to that important hour.

"Well, make sure to give him a mouthful for me," she said and stood up, making her way to the elevator.

"Wait! Get back here! Lunchtime isn't even over yet."

Misato pulled her shoulder back, forcing her to turn and met her saddened face.

“I'm sorry, old dear friend, but duty calls. It's not easy being the head scientist around this place. In the same way, it isn't easy to keep your man on a dog leash,” she tilted my head. “ I'm sure you understand, Captain Katsuragi.”

With a press of an elevator button, the door closed on the seething purple head.

"I'll get you for this!" Her shout became distant as the elevator ascended.

Teasing her was fun. It nearly made her reminisce on old times, to when they still acted so carefree and youthful. The small smile on Ritsuko’s face fades into straight lips as the elevator's floor count slows onto B-20 . It was time.

The metallic doors swoosh open, letting her stare into a familiar pair of glasses obscuring brown eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as it always does, not knowing if he was stealing a glance or staring into her soul. Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to conceal any excitement. She didn't want to be so vulnerable over a simple look.

"Good afternoon, Commander Ikari, " her voice came out monotone.

Her back straightened out after performing a small bow.

"Dr. Akagi," he responded in a disinterested tone.

He walked in and stood beside the woman. Not too far to reach the elevator buttons,but not too close to brush shoulders with her. His finger reached for a button, it clicked, and the doors closed. They rode the cage in silence.

‘How long have we stood here, time and again like this?’ , she thought to herself.

The Commander's lips remain stationary. Never a word said to break the ice between them. Not even to whisper a small comfort.

He was  always like that, inside and outside of work. At first, she thought he was shy about it. About them. Perhaps that's why they only ever talked about work. She didn't mind. He saw her for her talents. He called her an intellectual with the drive of a visionary. That was more than anything her peers admitted to her in college and certainly a praise above being her mother's daughter.

Well, whenever their mouths were shut, their bodies did all the talking for them. Needy and all consuming. Giving it all so he could take it. She liked it that way, at least at the beginning. Yet somewhere along the ripples of the bedsheets she realised that she wanted more than an occasional fuck. She wanted love.

Her eyebrows twitched. She really wanted to say something, anything, as long as it didn't make her feel so silly. To have her words acknowledged. That isn't a big deal, right?

They were alone with no consequences, and if that isn't enough, she can always alter the security footage from her desktop. It's perfect. They are only riding the elevator together. Only riding the elevator.

Ritsuko’s green eyes stole a peek of his stone cold face, his thoughts unreadable. Suddenly, the embarrassment creeps into her mind as the sweet thought of their previous entanglement. How long has it been since that time? Perhaps a month and a half, or was it two?

The redness of her ear tips was making her feel like a teenager.

"Ritsuko."

Just the sound of his voice lifts her off the ground

"Dr.Akagi?"

She snapped back to reality.

"Yes, what is it, Commander?" she eagerly asked, watching him push his spectacles further up the bridge of his nose.

"I asked if the preparations for the arrival of the Third Child have been completed."

He looked away as she blinked at him. Fluster twisting my tongue. It's easy to forget at times that he had a son.

"Yes, of course! I've cleared all his medical records. All that's left is for him to arrive before the appearance of the third angel."

"Good. And Rei Ayanami?"

The butterflies in her stomach turn into moths at the mention of that name. As much as the man has many mysteries to his name, she couldn’t fathom the courage to ask him why he cared so much for that thing like her human child.

There were days when she couldn’t even stand looking at her doll-like face. She seemed familiar yet unnervingly foreign. It was strange, and it made her hatred towards Rei even worse.

"She's still recovering. Given how major the injury to her head was, I estimate a full recovery within 12 to 14 weeks. Her surgery has been scheduled for the end of the week.

"Have them move it up for today.”

Her eyes bulged wide open.

"Are you sure? She hasn't even woken up yet. The risk of-"

"Do it. I trust you won't fail me, Dr.Akagi," he said as the elevator stopped, and he stepped out without so little as a goodbye.

The elevator doors closed on her as she bit her bottom lip. The absurdity of this man never ceases to be amazing.

Misato isn't the only one in love with an inconsiderate man. She sighed.

‘A woman's charms are like a curse. He is just too hung up with unnecessary thoughts at the moment.’ she thought to herself.

Her eyes closed before she chuckled to herself. It's not fun competing with a dead woman,  especially when she can somehow make moves from beyond death.th.