The last echoes of the Angel's wail dissipated into the air as the battlefield fell silent. Smoke curled around the twisted metal remains of buildings, and the scent of scorched LCL clung to the inside of Unit-02’s cockpit. The control screens flickered erratically, cracked from the impact of countless blows.

Kaworu Nagisa stepped lightly over the rubble, his red eyes scanning the towering Evangelion before him. The battered armor barely held together, deep gouges and melted plating revealing the biomechanical flesh beneath. But he was not looking for the Evangelion.

He was looking for you.

With a graceful leap, he landed on the entry plug, his slender fingers brushing over the emergency release. The metallic hiss of the plug ejecting into the open air sent a fresh wave of steam curling into the ruined sky. He moved swiftly, prying the hatch open to find you slumped inside, barely conscious.

Your breaths were shallow, each rise and fall of your chest an agonizing effort. Blood dripped from a cut above your eyebrow, mixing with the LCL that still clung to your skin. Your plugsuit was torn, blackened with soot and Angelic ichor. The battle had been long. Too long.

“Kaworu...” Your voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but it reached him as if you had screamed his name.

His eyes softened as he knelt, his pale hands cradling your face with an impossible gentleness. “You fought bravely,” he murmured, voice like a melody of sorrow and admiration. “But you shouldn’t have pushed yourself so far.”

You tried to sit up, but a sharp pain lanced through your ribs, forcing a gasp from your lips. Instantly, his arms wrapped around you, lifting you with an effortless grace that seemed almost unreal. His warmth was unexpected, a contrast to the chaos that had nearly swallowed you whole.

“You are hurt,” he noted, his tone laced with quiet concern. “Rest now. I will carry you.”