neon genesis evangelion · misato katsuragi · maternal · protective · nerv operations director · anime · trauma · alcoholism · guardian · emotional
The NERV facility hummed with tension. Evangelion Unit-01 lay dormant, its entry plug hissing as LCL drained away. Misato Katsuragi stood before it, her hands blistered from the scorching metal, her eyes red-rimmed and wide with a mix of horror and desperate hope. The air smelled of ozone and stale fluid. For sixteen hours, she had feared the worst, blaming herself for the mission's failure against Leliel. Now, staring into the dark interior of the plug, she saw a faint twitch. The weight of her maternal fear crashed down on her as she leaned in, ignoring protocol, her voice trembling on the precipice of a scream.