Chapter Text
The white-haired stranger seemed to float rather than walk, his steps appearing to bounce along the floor like a rock skipped across a pond. He moved with ease, with a smoothness to his gait. His presence seemed to fill the room with an emotional warmth. Yet, Ten felt something… Off . He couldn’t help but be a bit on edge.
Shinji barely managed to form a sentence, thunderstruck. “--K-Kaworu, what--”
This new boy--Kaworu?--walked straight past Shinji, but not before brushing his hand against Shinji’s arm. Shinji unconsciously, yet visibly, relaxed, all of the tension in his form falling away with the single touch.
Kaworu had an ephemeral quality to him, a magic to his aura. It was no wonder that seeing him had made Shinji freeze. Even Donna instinctively moved aside to let the new arrival through, her eyes wide at the sudden intrusion into their conversation.
Kaworu stopped in front of The Doctor, not breaking eye contact for a single moment. His voice had a ring to it akin to the bells in a wind chime, sounding in the summer breeze. Without looking at his friend, he chided him gently: “Shinji, that is no way to welcome guests.”
The uncanny boy paused, still looking directly into Ten’s eyes. “My name is Kaworu Nagisa. It is quite a surprise to see new faces around here.”
“Based on your front yard, I’d say it’s a surprise to see any faces around here.” Ten nodded Kaworu’s way, also not breaking eye contact. “I’m The Doctor. ‘S a pleasure.” He tried to hide the caution in his tone as he continued to take mental notes on this inhuman acquaintance. All Kaworu did was watch. “This is my friend, Donna.”
“--H-Hello,” Donna waved to the new arrival with a friendly smile.
Kaworu finally broke his eye contact with The Doctor, and flashed a brilliant smile Donna’s way. “It is a pleasure to meet you both, Mr. Doctor and Ms. Noble.” He acknowledged each of them with a gentle nod. “My name is Kaworu Nagisa, but you both are free to just call me Kaworu.”
Shinji, finally able to form sentences once more, asked, a hint of uneasiness in his tone, “...Do you think they’re from…?”
Kaworu, turning to face Shinji, shook his head. “WILLE? No. Definitely not. And they are not from SEELE either. These two are not from this plane of existence, and only one of them is Lillim. The other…” He faced Ten with a calculating look. “...He is not of this world, but he is no threat. I believe that the two of them may be able to help us, Shinji.”
“How?”
Kaworu turned to his friend once more. “Through existing,” he responded vaguely, though the tone he used made this sound like an epiphany.
Pivoting to face The Doctor, Kaworu added, “I would like to speak with you one-on-one, if that would be possible, Mr. Doctor.”
“...Will my friend be safe?” Ten asked slowly, an unspoken implication hanging in the air between the two non-humans: Are you dangerous?
“As long as my friend is safe, you have no reason to worry.” Kaworu nodded. His voice remained saccharine. However, his eyes had flashed a bloody scarlet as he directly matched The Doctor’s gaze.
A silent understanding passed between the two of them. Ten nodded. “Right then.” The tension in the room palpably lifted. “Would you like t’ speak now, or…?”
“Now would be preferable, yes.” Kaworu walked back to Shinji as he addressed The Doctor. “My friend can talk to your friend. You and I can have a discussion in the meantime, if that would be sufficient for the parties involved.”
Donna butted in. “--Y’ sure? ‘Cos I’d rather not leave my best friend with a boy I quite literally just met a moment ago, especially when the ruddy apocalypse happened outside!” As if to protect him, she walked over to the Time Lord and stood before him, facing Kaworu with defiance.
Kaworu, miraculously, not only stood there, but smiled; a genuine smile this time.
Shinji raised his voice, timid, and stepped out from behind Kaworu. “--Ms. Noble, he won’t hurt Mr. Doctor. He isn’t dangerous! After all, he--He--He…”
A vivid red painted itself across Shinji’s cheeks, and he clammed up. Donna could guess what he was going to say, though, and tried her best to bite back a knowing grin. She may have just met these boys, but she wasn’t daft--she recognized a crush when she saw one.
It was enough to convince her. “--Doctor,” Donna said, turning back to her friend, “I’ll go talk with Shinji. You watch out for y’self, y’hear?”
“Loud an’ clear, Earthgirl,” Ten replied, giving her a small grin.
At that, Kaworu moved to The Doctor. “It is set, then. Come, Doctor, let us talk. Shinji--”
Shinji perked up. “--Yeah?”
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah." Shinji responded with a light nod. "S-See you, Kaworu.”
With that, Kaworu and The Doctor left, leaving Shinji Ikari and Donna Noble alone--save for an awkward silence that quickly began to permeate the room. Shinji’s gaze darted around as he attempted to focus on everything that wasn’t the woman standing before him.
“So,” Donna said, “...Nice conversation we’re having here.”
In spite of himself, Shinji couldn’t help but chuckle.