The Digital Underground Presents
Neon Genisis Evangelion
Secrets and Lies
The Golden Child, 2001
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Chapter 1: Choices We Make
===========================
"Familiar ceiling"
Shinji always spoke those words when he was in the bathtub. It had begun as a statement when he first moved in with Misato, but now it meant more. To him, those two words summed up everything he had been searching for since his mother died. Love, kindness, compassion, understanding, familiarity. The Katsuragi household was more than an apartment, it was his home. For the first time in almost a decade, Shinji Ikari felt wanted, needed, worthy. Happy.
Time to get a move on, he thought. Quickly drying himself, Shinji made his way to his room to get changed so he could start breakfast. Being a school day, Asuka and Misato weren't awake yet, so Shinji did his best to keep the noise level down.
Opening a can of sardines, Shinji scooped them into Pen Pen's bowl and placed it in it's usual place next to the fridge. With the little penguins needs taken care of Shinji donned his apron and opened the pantry door to retrieve some ingredients. After a couple trips to the pantry and fridge, he lay all the contents on the bench and set about cooking.
First up was the task of steaming the rice, as it took the longest. Taking a measuring cup, he scooped two cups of rice into a bowl and began to rince it under the tap. After he was satisfied that the rice was sufficiently cleaned, he refilled the bowl with water and poured the contents into the rice cooker.
Next came the soup. After filling a pot with water, he waited patiently for it to boil before adding some chicken stock and vegetables and letting it simmer.
Shinji was almost done with the fish when Asuka made her appearance, clad in her nightgown, which although not revealing at all, caught Shinji's eye a little longer than normal.
"Good Morning Asuka." he greeted, before quickly returning to cooking, so as not to give the impression he was staring.
"There's nothing good about this morning BAKA!" growled Asuka.
Shinji involuntarily flinched when he heard her comment. Great, he thought. Morning and she's already pissed off.
"Why do you stupid Japanese insist on sleeping on the floor anyway?!?!" She spoke with a whiney, high pitched squeal.
Wisely, Shinji chose not to comment, instead he began serving breakfast, thinking she couldn't get angry at him for doing that. As soon as the bowl touched the table, he found out he was gravely mistaken.
"OH GREAT, Just dandy! Not only do I have to disgrace myself by sleeping on a hard wood floor EVERY night, but idiot boy over here decides to leave meat out of my diet!! DAMMNIT SHINJI I NEED MEAT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!!!"
"G...G-omen" stuttered Shinji as he instinctively raised his hands over his face to protect him.
Seeing, his reaction, Asuka's face visibly softened and she slumped back into her chair. She then proceeded to stuff her face full of rice so as not to escalate the situation any further.
After a few seconds, Shinji realised that he wasn't going to get beat up and silently began eating his own breakfast, making sure not to look in her direction.
Mmmmm, damn this tastes good, screamed her taste buds. As Asuka ate, the anger she had felt earlier began to subside, doused down by some fine tasting Japanese food. After a few mouthfuls of rice and fish, washed down with soup, Asuka was able to think rationally again. The first thing she did, though was mentally kick herself for causing a scene first thing in the morning. Sure she was annoyed about having to sleep on the floor, but it wasn't Shinji's fault. So why did she take it out on him? He had even tried to be friendly, saying good morning and all, but no, Asuka Langley Sohryu had to throw it all back in his face.
And then there was the food. Where had that outburst come from? Asking for meat was one thing, but demanding it like that? It had made her look like a poultry junkie. And it wasn't like the food in front of her was revolting. Shinji always made sure there was enough vinegar in the rice to stop it from tasting bland, and the fish was always flavoured differently to add variety. At first it had taken some getting used to, but now, only eating meat once or twice a week was proving to be beneficial to her health. She woke up bright and alert, didn't feel lethargic during the day, and her cholesterol level was dropping. But the question remained. Why? What was the reason for the outburst? She let that question linger in her mind as she glanced over to where Shinji was siitting, eating his food, probably too scared to chew out loud.
"Hey Shinji....." Asuka barely whispered. "About what I said earlier, it's just...."
Looking up from his bowl, Shinji saw the strain on her face. "I understand..." he reassured her with a weak smile. "You like meat. If you want, I can cook some sausages and eggs for breakfast tomorrow..."
"Really?!?"
"Yeah, no problem. I just have to stop by the supermarket tonight."
"Great! Now hurry up or we'll be late for school." chirped the red head as she dumped her empty bowl in the sink before skipping off to her room to change.
Shinji sat there, dumbstruck for a few moments before snapping out of his trance. How someone could be ready to snap his head off, and then five minutes later be nice enough to remind him about being late for school was beyond his knowledge. "Oh well, at least she's not pissed off anymore." he muttered with a smile as he finished off his rice, noticing Misato had finally woken up.
"Morning Shinji." greeted Misato as she made her way to the fridge.
"Morning Misato-san" grinned Shinji.
Somewhat taken back by Shinji's grin, Misato took a big swig of her beer. After seeing that her was still smiling, she took another swig. And another. After downing her second beer, she looked at Shinji again. Still smiling. "Well, you seem happy today. How come?"
"Asuka hasn't hit me yet!" smiled Shinji as he served her breakfast.
"HA! There's still hope, yet. Oh by the way, there's something I need to tell you and Asuka later today, so remind me, ok?"
"Okay. Gotta go, see you later today." he shouted over his shoulder as he ran to his room to retrieve his bag.
As the two eva pilots walked to school, Asuka noticed that Shinji had a small, but genuine smile plastered on his face. Curiosity getting the better of her, she stopped him dead in his tracks and strategically placed her face directly in front of his, her nose almost touching his.
"What are you so happy about, Third Child?"
Taken a little off guard, Shinji recovered, only to develop his annoying stutter again. "Well...urr..umm...y...y-our not a..a-angry anymore." he finally got out.
"Well, lucky for you, I don't find your actions worthy enough to hold a grudge on." she responded with a lift of her head, scoffing him before resuming her walk towards school.
Arriving at the school grounds a few minutes later, the pair split up and made their way towards their friends, Shinji towards the bench where Kensuke and Touji were sitting, and Asuka towards the classroom where Hikari was sitting with some other girls.
"Hey Shinji, what's up? You seem happy today. Catch a glimpse of Misato in an embarrasing situation did we?" winked Kensuke, as a leer spread across his face.
"Unfortunately not." laughed Shinji. Whereas he was intimidated when in the prescence of Asuka and Misato, he felt completely at ease when around the other two stooges. This state of mind was reflected in his body language and his choice of words as he no longer felt uncomfortable talking about girls with them, as long as the topic didn't become too personal.
"Well then why so happy? Most of the time you come to school grumpy cos Asuka's gone S&M on you again." stated Touji, trying to keep a straight face as Kensuke had a laugh at Shinji's expense.
"Exactly, she didn't hit me today!"
"OH MY GOD!" cried Suzuhara and Aida simultaneously. "It's the end of the world! Run for the hills." All three boys shared a good laugh before filing into the classroom to continue their conversation.
"Hiya Hikari, Yuriko, Mayumi."
"Hey Asuka." replied the three girls, looking up at the new arrival.
"So, who's the topic of discussion today? Anyone cute?" enquired the german, hungry for some tasty morsels of gossip.
"Actually, we were talking about the trip. Have you got all your stuff ready yet?" enquired the class rep.
"Yup. I'm all ready. I was packed a week ago. The only thing I'm missing is a swimsu...it..." All of a sudden Asuka's face brightenned up as an idea formed in her head. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." she told the other girls as she fished in her bag for her cell phone before retreating to a corner of the room for some privacy.
**RING RING**RING RING**RING RING**
"Hi Kaji, how are you?.....hehe....I'm GREAT!!!.....Well, you know there's that school trip next week, and I was wondering if you would like to come shopping with me?....oh come on, please?!?!....but you said you would....you still owe me from the last time you had to work remember?....oh thanks Kaji, your the greatest....well, how about after school tomorrow, it's only a half day so how about I meet you at 1:00pm?...excellent, see you then Kaji, bye....
After terminating the call, Asuka threw her arms in the air and waved them around ceremoniously as she jumped and skipped around the room, whooping and cheering loudly, obviously elated at the outcome of the call she just had.
"YEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I got a date with Kaaajjjjjjiiiiiii. I got a date with Kaaajjjjjjiiiiiii...."
"So, how did you manage to avoid a beating after she blew her top like that?" asked a puzzled Touji. Shinji had just finished telling them about the little incident that had occurred that morning and according to his statement, Touji was surprised he wasn't in the intensive care ward.
"I honestly don't know, guys." shrugged Shinji as he pushed the door to the classroom open.
As the three boys entered the room, they froze in their tracks. Confronting them was Asuka, for all appearances, looney to the max, running around the room like a wild turkey, ranting some incoherant crap. After the initial excitement subsided, Shinji deemed that he had seen weirder things and left his two sweatdropping friends to take his seat. He was two steps away from his chair when he suddenly frose, his ears finally catching up to the sounds emminating from Asuka's mouth. "Kaji?..." muttered Shinji as he willed himself to take those two extra steps to his chair. Dismissing it as too absurd to be true, Shinji slumped into his seat, withdrew his laptop and was in the process of plugging it in when his screen was bent down and he was face to face with 5'5" of grinning german beauty.
"HAHA I got a date with Kaaajjjjjiiiii!!!!" taunted Asuka before sticking her tongue out at him and bouncing off to join Hikari.
Shinji tried not to think as he turned his computer on. He found himself concentrating intently on the startup logo as he rested his chin on his wrists, elbows raised on the table. This was partly due to him trying to calm himself from shaking and partly so that his hand wouldn't reflexively clench and unclench into a fist. Try as he may, he couldn't stop the emotions, and eventually gave up. What overcame him was a feeling that he was well aware of, an emotion he had lived with most of his life. Jealousy. All his life he had been jealous of people, envious for what they had. Weither it was their new toys or their happiness or their friendships, he longed to have what wasn't there, and now he felt it again. This time, his jealousy wasn't directed towards Asuka, it was Kaji. Kaji had what he wanted.
As his jealousy rose and rose, a small part of his brain was working overtime trying to convince him otherwise. After a painful half hour struggle, logic finally won the day and Shinji began seeing things clearly. First thing he realised was that nothing had changed. He knew she was smitten for Kaji, that wasn't news to him, and the notion that Kaji would ever start a relationship with Asuka was down right ludicrous. For starters, he was old enough to be her father, in fact he had been her guardian. And Kaji was very content chasing after Misato.
"It's all in my mind, it's all in my mind...."
Five minutes later, Shinji was able to reason to himself that the whole incident was a huge misunderstanding on his and Asuka's parts, especially the part about their so called 'date', and began concentrating on the lesson, shrugging off the uneasy notion he was feeling as just nerves. I'll get to the bottom of this later, he convinced himself.
"Rise, Bow, Dismissed."
After what seemed like an eternity, the lesson was over. Almost instantaneously, as if a switch had been pulled, thirty odd eager, teenagers began moving, creating a wave of sound and commotion that continued for several minutes until the last child had packed and departed, laughing and joking with friends.
After seeing his friends off at the gate, Shinji caught up with Asuka as she began walking home. Deciding now was as good a time as any, Shinji took a deep breath, mustered up all his courage and confronted her.
"Hey Asuka, can I ask you a question?"
Hearing her name, Asuka stopped day dreaming about her 'date' with Kaji. "You just did baka."
"Huh....?"
"Never mind...what is it?"
"Well...I was just wondering...are you really going on a date with Kaji?"
"Mmm hmm" she replied with a nod. "Why? Jealous?"
"Uh..well..no, I'm just curious that's all." He smiled nervously. "Where are you going?"
"He's taking me shopping." Asuka sighed happily.
"Shopping?"
"Yeah, I've got to buy some stuff for Okinawa, he's meeting me tomorrow after school."
As soon as she spoke the words, Shinji let out the breath of air he had inadvertantly been holding all day, a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Shopping. Just shopping. Friends did it all the time, and it's not like they're going to do anything romantic in the middle of a shopping centre. After all he was her guardian back in Germany, why wouldn't he take her shopping once in a while? Probably just wanted to catch up on her activities and such. Some date!
All a big misunderstanding, he told himself as he silently plodded along next to Asuka. Unfortunately, bringing up Kaji hadn't been without it's consequenced as now Asuka was in the middle of listing each and every facet of his being that she found adorable.
Normally, Shinji would just tune out, as he was used to it by now but this time, it was getting personal. Now Shinji was well aware that she was infatuated with Kaji and winning her affections was always going to be an uphill battle, but never before had he realised that his dream was so out of reach.
"Oh Kaji's such a man, not like you....he's so handsome, it's a fresh change from seeing your boring face everyday....not to mention he has a beard. Hmmph, I bet you never even used a razor in your life! And he's so smoothe with words, unlike your stuttering...and he dresses so well...and I bet he cooks better than you too....*sigh*....he's just perfect...I wish he would just hurry up and ask me to marry him..."
If there ever was a time when Shinji felt heartbroken, now was the time. Not only had the girl of his dreams said in no uncertain terms that she loved someone else, but she had outlined his each and every fault and weakness. No, heartbroken was too kind a word. Right now, Shinji Ikari felt lower than the lowest form of living organism in the world. Snail slime was teasing him about his lowliness.
Leaving Asuka in her dream like trance, Shinji rushed home as quickly as was humanly possible, not wanting to face reality. SDAT land seemed very inviting right then. Yes SDAT land, where the girls are nice, and dreams come true. Where the good guys win and everybody's happy.
Misato, having arrived home from work a little while ago, had already taken a bath and was relaxing on the couch, sipping a cold one, when Shinji walked past her, SDAT playing at full volume.
"Hey Shinji, I didn't hear you.....come......in.....?" Taking another sip of beer, Misato waited for Asuka to storm through the door, as was the usual case whenever Shinji was listening to his SDAT, signaling she was angry. After a few tense moments, Asuka still hadn't appeared. Preparing herself for the worst, she finished the rest of the beer in one gulp, scanned the elevator well for Asuka, and then headed for Shinji's room once she saw the coast was clear.
"Shinji, it's me. Can I come in?"
"SHINJI!......That's it! I'm coming in." Yanking the door open, Misato made way to his bed, where he was lying down, staring at the ceiling, before pulling his headphones out of his ears.
"What's the big idea running to your room to sulk?"
"I'm not sulking." replied Shinji, still staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head.
"Oh, yeah? Then why did you ignore me and why were you hiding behind your SDAT again?"
"I'm not hiding behind my SDAT! I was just listening to a new tape." he retorted as he reached for his headphones.
"Not so fast." Misato grabbed his player and headphones, hiding them behind her back, out of Shinji's reach.
"HEY! Give it back!"
"Not until you spill!"
"Fine." As a victory smile crossed Misato's face, Shinji calmly stood up and walked past her, plonking himself on the couch, remote in hand.
After the initial shock of having been beaten at her own game died down, Misato decided to let him be, and took a seat at the kitchen table to observe her moody charge.
Five minutes later, Shinji was still channel hopping, although he had already cycled through all the channels many times already, finding the motion of constantly pressing the channel button was keeping him occupied.
As she was debating the merits of weither she should destroy the remote or not, thinking she would go crazy if Shinji changed the channel again, Asuka stepped through the front door. Instinctively, Misato readied herself for third impact, but was rudely shocked when instead was met with a friendly greeting.
"Hey Misato, how was work?"
"Huh....? Oh fine as usual. How was school?"
"Same old, same old. Although I am going on a date with Kaji tomorrow." Asuka said with a dreamy sigh.
"That's nice....hey do you know what's wrong with Shinji?"
"Who know's" she replied with a shrug. "I was walking home with him when all of a sudden he ran off."
"Well do you know why he ran off?"
"Uh uh, I was too busy thinking about Kaji..." she sighed as she made her way to her room.
Misato, after putting two and two together, thanked her first grade maths teacher and plonked down beside Shinji. She was going to get to the bottom of this, if it meant pulling an all nighter.
"You know, it makes for much better viewing if you pause long enough to actually see more than two seconds of the show."
"Huh? Oh sorry" said Shinji, putting the remote down, stopping on a news program.
"So, girl troubles huh?"
Shinji tried to feign confusion. "I don't know what your talking about Misato."
"Don't play stupid with ME! Do I look like an idiot to you?!?" Absentmindedly, Shinji looked Misato over and was about to speak when he was cut off. "Don't even think about answering that! Now, Are you going to tell me that Asuka getting a date with Kaji and you moping around like a loser are just coincidence?"
"Yes. I'm not dumb you know! As if Kaji would take a girl half his age out on a real date! Give me more credit than that Misato!"
"Well then what's your problem?"
"Don't have one." That was a lie.
"SHINJI!" shouted Misato, grabbing a hold of his shoulder and spinning him around to face her. "Problems don't solve themselves, you know. Ignoring it will only make it worse. Whatever problem you have, tell me, god knows you need all the help you can get!" She calmed herself down before continuing in a soothing voice. "Now what's wrong? Did Asuka hurt you again?"
"No..."
"Bad day at school?"
"No, not really...."
"Look Shinji, now I know that your going through a tough time, but it helps if you talk about it. Remember that I was your age once and chances are I've experienced what you've been through." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Sure I didn't have to deal with the whole Angel-Eva thing, but whatever it is, weither it be family, friends, relationships, or school, you can talk to me about it."
"Thanks for that Misato, and I'll take you up on that offer one day, but right now I don't have a problem!" Shinji tried desperately to sound convincing, hoping he wasn't stuttering more than normal.
Sensing Shinji's reluctance to talk, Misato took the initiative. "Ok, who's your friend and what's his problem?"
"Huh?....what are you talking about...?"
"Well it's obvious that something is eating you up and seeing as you don't have a problem, then it means one of your friends does!" stated Misato, wishing he would take a hint.
Shinji blinked, blinked again, and then it hit him. "Well..... I've got a friend at school, and.....he really likes this girl, only she doesn't like him."
"Your gonna have to give me a bit more info than that, Shinji. What exactly doesn't this girl like about him?" Misato smiled inwardly at her little victory.
After thinking long and hard about how to proceed without letting Misato know all the facts, it dawned upon him. "Ok, lets say for example, you like Kaji, however, he hates your sloppiness. What would you do?"
Seeing where he was going, Misato laughed out loud. "HA! I'd tell him to go screw himself and find another man, one that appreciates my laziness!"
"Seriously Misato!" scowled Shinji
"I am. If someone doesn't like him for who he is, then your friend should find someone else. Simple as that. There are plenty of fish in the sea, you know!"
"I see...." responded Shinji, hanging his head slightly.
"However..." seeing Shinji raise his head back up in anticipation, Misato continued. "We as humans are given something called a brain. A big one at that, and this brain of ours allows us to learn and do something called grow, figuratively. What that means is that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and it's up to us to decide and improve on our weaknesses so we grow as individuals." Shinji noddded his understanding. "Now in saying that, I don't mean your friend should change everything because someone tells him to. Sure, it should factor into it, but first and foremost he have to ask himself is what he's doing going to make himself a better person and does he want to do it?"
"To put that into context with your example, if Kaji didn't like my sloppiness then I would ask myself if I stop being lazy, what do I gain? Obviously there's the tidyness factor, and the public image, not to mention I get more done BLAH BLAH BLAH....and if there are enough good reasons and I want to do it then I should. Kaji's opinion does have a say, but ultimately I do it because I want to. Understand?"
Shinji nodded. "I think so. People should change if they think it's for the better, and because they want to, not because someone tells them to. Right?"
"Right!"
"Does that apply for everything?"
"Nani?"
"Well what about if you didn't like Kaji, only it was a whole lot of things, not just one."
"Like what?"
"He's ugly, he dresses bad, he's boring, he's shy, has no backbone, is weak and has no muscles...to name a few..."
"Well...you can change all those things, I mean, he can gain fashion sense, get a life, grow a backbone, gain confidence, workout at a gym. The only thing you can't change is his appearance....unless of course, plastic surgery." Seeing Shinji smile for the first time since he arrived home, Misato felt a warm, fuzzy feeling. "But remember! Kaji has to want to do it!"
"I will!" Smiled Shinji, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Thanks Misato, my friends really gonna be happy when I tell him your advice!"
"Think nothing of it! Just tell your friend to think it through before he does anything stupid." dismissed Misato with a wave of her hand and a knowing wink. "Hmmm..." smiled Misato. "I better tell Kaji to shape up or Asuka won't want to go out with him anymore."
Both of them shared a laugh when Misato suddenly remembered something.
"That reminds me! About that school trip of yours...."
"We can't go can we?" Shinji already knew the answer.
"Well...sorry but your needed here in Tokyo-3....I'm really sorry Shinji, but..."
"It's ok, Misato. I wasn't really looking forward to it anyway."
"Huh? How come? I thought you would like a little time away?"
"Well, yeah, but I can't swim..."
"I see. Well I'm glad you understand. I just hope Asuka doesn't break anything expensive..."
"Um Misato...you might want to wait until she's gone shopping with Kaji before telling her, she's been looking forward to going shopping with him all day."
"Hmmm...yeah that might be a good idea...hey where are you going?"
"I just remembered that I promised Asuka I would cook sausages and egg for breakfast tomorrow morning, so I have to go buy some sausages."
"Oh, ok. Here." Misato retrieved a couple of notes from her pocket and handed them to Shinji.
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." He stated, retrieving a few notes to emphasise his point.
"Nonsense, that's your money. After all, NERV pays me child allowance for a reason you know!" Nodding, Shinji accepted the money. "Oh, while your there, why don't you pick up something for tomorrows dinner also. I'm in the mood for some good old western food." She handed him some more notes. "There that should cover it."
"Ok, I'll be back in time to make dinner, bye." shouted Shinji as he hobbled to the front door while slipping on his joggers.
"Oh Shinji!"
"Hai?"
"Don't worry, Asuka doesn't think your ugly." Misato burst into laughter as Shinji blushed a mean shade of red before disappearing behind the door. "Man, I'd give anything to be fourteen again...." she mused to herself as she opened a beer.
Deep within the bowels of NERV HQ, over the humming of machinery, could be heard the tapping of a keyboard. Hunched over a terminal, a man dressed in non descript black clothing pressed eight keys and then hit the enter button. Seeing that the password was well worth the price, he began skimming through the contents of the database, the light emminating from the screen playing across his face as his lips curled up in a small smile.
"So Mr Kaji, you seem to be quite resourceful. The others will want to hear about this discovery." the man whispered to himself before logging off. After making sure that no evidence of his stay was left behind, he crept out of the room and made his way out of the geofront. He had news to report.
"Hmmm....I think 6 will do thank you." Shinji handed the counterhand a bill and took the parcel with his outstretched hand. Now that the sausages were taken care of, he set about deciding what to make for tomorrow's dinner. He had already decided on making steaks, but now had to figure out what to accompany them. After searching the shelves of the supermarket, he settled on a satchel of pepper and mushroom sauce and some pasta. He then made his was to the produce section, picked up some ingredients for a salad and then proceeded to the register to pay.
Moments later, Shinji was on the streets, walking home, two plastic bags in his hands. Being a shop that stocked western foods as well as traditional Japanese, the supermarket was located in the shopping districts of Tokyo-3. What that meant, for Shinji, was it took a thirty minute walk or a quick trip on the trains to get there and back. Being a cloudless night and quite warm, Shinji had decided to forgo public transport, opting to slog it out, letting his brain think things through.
Needless to say, Asuka seemed to be the special of the day as he added some food for thought. Contrary to popular belief, Shinji wasn't as clueless as some when it came to love. He knew he was falling for the her, he just didn't know why!
Shinji had every reason to hate Asuka, yet the more he wanted to despise her, the more he found himself attracted to her. Yes she was annoying, she abused him, she was loud and obnoxious and arrogant. But on the other hand she was everything he wasn't. She was proud, confident, positive, determined and full of life.
Maybe it was their polar personalities, the whole 'opposites attract' saying, or the fact that deep down inside, they had more in common than they realised. Whatever it was, Shinji knew what he had to do. He was at a crossroads in his life. He had to make a choice, a decision.
Take the road travelled and mask his feelings for her, or take the road less travelled. Save himself a lot of time effort and possibly embarrasment and heartbreak, or commit himself to a task, a goal and give it his best shot. In other words, stay the way he was or change for the better, the reward being the girl of his dreams. Were his feelings for Asuka strong enough to transform him from a shy, reclusive boy to a young confident individual who was determined to 'do what it takes' for the sake of love?
That night Shinji made a decision that would change his life forever. That night he took the backway home.
END OF CHAPTER 1....
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Authors Notes:
Well, there you have it, the first chapter. Just to let you all know, this is a Shinji/Asuka fic, although it isn't going to be all WAFF. I will be adding some plot twists along the way as I see fit. There's also going to be a lot of character and plot development happening over the next two or three chapters so be ready. I guess the catagory this falls in is general as there's gonna be some romance, WAFF, drama, action and a tad of darkness to spice up your life.
Timeline wise this fic starts a month after the seventh angel attack (the splitting angel), a couple of days before the eighth angel appears, and carries to the end. Don't even bother trying to get the synopsis from me, I ain't gonna spill! However I will hint that the ending will be different from what's doing the rounds at the moment. Also I won't be adding in any ACC's, well maybe a couple but they aren't canon characters.
Expect it to go on for about 50 chapters with a new chapter being churned out about once a week, unless of course, WRITERS BLOCK!! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. I'm sure there's more that I would like or need to tell you but my brain doesn't seem to be functioning properly right now, so hit me with a line if ya want to know something, anything,....just don't leave ME.....I NEED you so BAD!!!!
Flame me if you want, I really don't care. My only response is "If ya don't like it, then don't read it!"
Anyway.....
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OMAKE TIME!!!!
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Deep within the bowels of NERV HQ, over the humming of machinery, could be heard the tapping of a keyboard. Hunched over a terminal, a man dressed in non descript black clothing pressed eight keys and then hit the enter button. Seeing that the password was well worth the price, he began skimming through the contents of the database, the light emminating from the screen playing across his face as his lips curled up in a small smile.
"So Mr Kaji you seem to be quite resourceful. The other guys will want to know about this discovery! How you ever had the time to accumulate 3 gigs of hardcore porn I will never know." A shiver ran down his spine as he opened the last folder. "Why you have a video of the two commanders doing it I don't want to know!!!!" After regaining his composure, the man checked that he left no signs of his visit and then made his way out of the geofront, a data disc full of pilfered porn, no doubt as to what his next course of action would be.
The End....
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My Bad....^_^ I promise to be more tasteful, and funny with future Omakes.
Until next time...peace. Me out. ;p
Email/c&c/flame me at: e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com
The Golden Child, Digital Underground, 2001.
Neon Genisis Evangelion
Secrets and Lies
The Golden Child, 2001
===========================
Chapter 1: Choices We Make
===========================
"Familiar ceiling"
Shinji always spoke those words when he was in the bathtub. It had begun as a statement when he first moved in with Misato, but now it meant more. To him, those two words summed up everything he had been searching for since his mother died. Love, kindness, compassion, understanding, familiarity. The Katsuragi household was more than an apartment, it was his home. For the first time in almost a decade, Shinji Ikari felt wanted, needed, worthy. Happy.
Time to get a move on, he thought. Quickly drying himself, Shinji made his way to his room to get changed so he could start breakfast. Being a school day, Asuka and Misato weren't awake yet, so Shinji did his best to keep the noise level down.
Opening a can of sardines, Shinji scooped them into Pen Pen's bowl and placed it in it's usual place next to the fridge. With the little penguins needs taken care of Shinji donned his apron and opened the pantry door to retrieve some ingredients. After a couple trips to the pantry and fridge, he lay all the contents on the bench and set about cooking.
First up was the task of steaming the rice, as it took the longest. Taking a measuring cup, he scooped two cups of rice into a bowl and began to rince it under the tap. After he was satisfied that the rice was sufficiently cleaned, he refilled the bowl with water and poured the contents into the rice cooker.
Next came the soup. After filling a pot with water, he waited patiently for it to boil before adding some chicken stock and vegetables and letting it simmer.
Shinji was almost done with the fish when Asuka made her appearance, clad in her nightgown, which although not revealing at all, caught Shinji's eye a little longer than normal.
"Good Morning Asuka." he greeted, before quickly returning to cooking, so as not to give the impression he was staring.
"There's nothing good about this morning BAKA!" growled Asuka.
Shinji involuntarily flinched when he heard her comment. Great, he thought. Morning and she's already pissed off.
"Why do you stupid Japanese insist on sleeping on the floor anyway?!?!" She spoke with a whiney, high pitched squeal.
Wisely, Shinji chose not to comment, instead he began serving breakfast, thinking she couldn't get angry at him for doing that. As soon as the bowl touched the table, he found out he was gravely mistaken.
"OH GREAT, Just dandy! Not only do I have to disgrace myself by sleeping on a hard wood floor EVERY night, but idiot boy over here decides to leave meat out of my diet!! DAMMNIT SHINJI I NEED MEAT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT!!!"
"G...G-omen" stuttered Shinji as he instinctively raised his hands over his face to protect him.
Seeing, his reaction, Asuka's face visibly softened and she slumped back into her chair. She then proceeded to stuff her face full of rice so as not to escalate the situation any further.
After a few seconds, Shinji realised that he wasn't going to get beat up and silently began eating his own breakfast, making sure not to look in her direction.
Mmmmm, damn this tastes good, screamed her taste buds. As Asuka ate, the anger she had felt earlier began to subside, doused down by some fine tasting Japanese food. After a few mouthfuls of rice and fish, washed down with soup, Asuka was able to think rationally again. The first thing she did, though was mentally kick herself for causing a scene first thing in the morning. Sure she was annoyed about having to sleep on the floor, but it wasn't Shinji's fault. So why did she take it out on him? He had even tried to be friendly, saying good morning and all, but no, Asuka Langley Sohryu had to throw it all back in his face.
And then there was the food. Where had that outburst come from? Asking for meat was one thing, but demanding it like that? It had made her look like a poultry junkie. And it wasn't like the food in front of her was revolting. Shinji always made sure there was enough vinegar in the rice to stop it from tasting bland, and the fish was always flavoured differently to add variety. At first it had taken some getting used to, but now, only eating meat once or twice a week was proving to be beneficial to her health. She woke up bright and alert, didn't feel lethargic during the day, and her cholesterol level was dropping. But the question remained. Why? What was the reason for the outburst? She let that question linger in her mind as she glanced over to where Shinji was siitting, eating his food, probably too scared to chew out loud.
"Hey Shinji....." Asuka barely whispered. "About what I said earlier, it's just...."
Looking up from his bowl, Shinji saw the strain on her face. "I understand..." he reassured her with a weak smile. "You like meat. If you want, I can cook some sausages and eggs for breakfast tomorrow..."
"Really?!?"
"Yeah, no problem. I just have to stop by the supermarket tonight."
"Great! Now hurry up or we'll be late for school." chirped the red head as she dumped her empty bowl in the sink before skipping off to her room to change.
Shinji sat there, dumbstruck for a few moments before snapping out of his trance. How someone could be ready to snap his head off, and then five minutes later be nice enough to remind him about being late for school was beyond his knowledge. "Oh well, at least she's not pissed off anymore." he muttered with a smile as he finished off his rice, noticing Misato had finally woken up.
"Morning Shinji." greeted Misato as she made her way to the fridge.
"Morning Misato-san" grinned Shinji.
Somewhat taken back by Shinji's grin, Misato took a big swig of her beer. After seeing that her was still smiling, she took another swig. And another. After downing her second beer, she looked at Shinji again. Still smiling. "Well, you seem happy today. How come?"
"Asuka hasn't hit me yet!" smiled Shinji as he served her breakfast.
"HA! There's still hope, yet. Oh by the way, there's something I need to tell you and Asuka later today, so remind me, ok?"
"Okay. Gotta go, see you later today." he shouted over his shoulder as he ran to his room to retrieve his bag.
As the two eva pilots walked to school, Asuka noticed that Shinji had a small, but genuine smile plastered on his face. Curiosity getting the better of her, she stopped him dead in his tracks and strategically placed her face directly in front of his, her nose almost touching his.
"What are you so happy about, Third Child?"
Taken a little off guard, Shinji recovered, only to develop his annoying stutter again. "Well...urr..umm...y...y-our not a..a-angry anymore." he finally got out.
"Well, lucky for you, I don't find your actions worthy enough to hold a grudge on." she responded with a lift of her head, scoffing him before resuming her walk towards school.
Arriving at the school grounds a few minutes later, the pair split up and made their way towards their friends, Shinji towards the bench where Kensuke and Touji were sitting, and Asuka towards the classroom where Hikari was sitting with some other girls.
"Hey Shinji, what's up? You seem happy today. Catch a glimpse of Misato in an embarrasing situation did we?" winked Kensuke, as a leer spread across his face.
"Unfortunately not." laughed Shinji. Whereas he was intimidated when in the prescence of Asuka and Misato, he felt completely at ease when around the other two stooges. This state of mind was reflected in his body language and his choice of words as he no longer felt uncomfortable talking about girls with them, as long as the topic didn't become too personal.
"Well then why so happy? Most of the time you come to school grumpy cos Asuka's gone S&M on you again." stated Touji, trying to keep a straight face as Kensuke had a laugh at Shinji's expense.
"Exactly, she didn't hit me today!"
"OH MY GOD!" cried Suzuhara and Aida simultaneously. "It's the end of the world! Run for the hills." All three boys shared a good laugh before filing into the classroom to continue their conversation.
"Hiya Hikari, Yuriko, Mayumi."
"Hey Asuka." replied the three girls, looking up at the new arrival.
"So, who's the topic of discussion today? Anyone cute?" enquired the german, hungry for some tasty morsels of gossip.
"Actually, we were talking about the trip. Have you got all your stuff ready yet?" enquired the class rep.
"Yup. I'm all ready. I was packed a week ago. The only thing I'm missing is a swimsu...it..." All of a sudden Asuka's face brightenned up as an idea formed in her head. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." she told the other girls as she fished in her bag for her cell phone before retreating to a corner of the room for some privacy.
**RING RING**RING RING**RING RING**
"Hi Kaji, how are you?.....hehe....I'm GREAT!!!.....Well, you know there's that school trip next week, and I was wondering if you would like to come shopping with me?....oh come on, please?!?!....but you said you would....you still owe me from the last time you had to work remember?....oh thanks Kaji, your the greatest....well, how about after school tomorrow, it's only a half day so how about I meet you at 1:00pm?...excellent, see you then Kaji, bye....
After terminating the call, Asuka threw her arms in the air and waved them around ceremoniously as she jumped and skipped around the room, whooping and cheering loudly, obviously elated at the outcome of the call she just had.
"YEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I got a date with Kaaajjjjjjiiiiiii. I got a date with Kaaajjjjjjiiiiiii...."
"So, how did you manage to avoid a beating after she blew her top like that?" asked a puzzled Touji. Shinji had just finished telling them about the little incident that had occurred that morning and according to his statement, Touji was surprised he wasn't in the intensive care ward.
"I honestly don't know, guys." shrugged Shinji as he pushed the door to the classroom open.
As the three boys entered the room, they froze in their tracks. Confronting them was Asuka, for all appearances, looney to the max, running around the room like a wild turkey, ranting some incoherant crap. After the initial excitement subsided, Shinji deemed that he had seen weirder things and left his two sweatdropping friends to take his seat. He was two steps away from his chair when he suddenly frose, his ears finally catching up to the sounds emminating from Asuka's mouth. "Kaji?..." muttered Shinji as he willed himself to take those two extra steps to his chair. Dismissing it as too absurd to be true, Shinji slumped into his seat, withdrew his laptop and was in the process of plugging it in when his screen was bent down and he was face to face with 5'5" of grinning german beauty.
"HAHA I got a date with Kaaajjjjjiiiii!!!!" taunted Asuka before sticking her tongue out at him and bouncing off to join Hikari.
Shinji tried not to think as he turned his computer on. He found himself concentrating intently on the startup logo as he rested his chin on his wrists, elbows raised on the table. This was partly due to him trying to calm himself from shaking and partly so that his hand wouldn't reflexively clench and unclench into a fist. Try as he may, he couldn't stop the emotions, and eventually gave up. What overcame him was a feeling that he was well aware of, an emotion he had lived with most of his life. Jealousy. All his life he had been jealous of people, envious for what they had. Weither it was their new toys or their happiness or their friendships, he longed to have what wasn't there, and now he felt it again. This time, his jealousy wasn't directed towards Asuka, it was Kaji. Kaji had what he wanted.
As his jealousy rose and rose, a small part of his brain was working overtime trying to convince him otherwise. After a painful half hour struggle, logic finally won the day and Shinji began seeing things clearly. First thing he realised was that nothing had changed. He knew she was smitten for Kaji, that wasn't news to him, and the notion that Kaji would ever start a relationship with Asuka was down right ludicrous. For starters, he was old enough to be her father, in fact he had been her guardian. And Kaji was very content chasing after Misato.
"It's all in my mind, it's all in my mind...."
Five minutes later, Shinji was able to reason to himself that the whole incident was a huge misunderstanding on his and Asuka's parts, especially the part about their so called 'date', and began concentrating on the lesson, shrugging off the uneasy notion he was feeling as just nerves. I'll get to the bottom of this later, he convinced himself.
"Rise, Bow, Dismissed."
After what seemed like an eternity, the lesson was over. Almost instantaneously, as if a switch had been pulled, thirty odd eager, teenagers began moving, creating a wave of sound and commotion that continued for several minutes until the last child had packed and departed, laughing and joking with friends.
After seeing his friends off at the gate, Shinji caught up with Asuka as she began walking home. Deciding now was as good a time as any, Shinji took a deep breath, mustered up all his courage and confronted her.
"Hey Asuka, can I ask you a question?"
Hearing her name, Asuka stopped day dreaming about her 'date' with Kaji. "You just did baka."
"Huh....?"
"Never mind...what is it?"
"Well...I was just wondering...are you really going on a date with Kaji?"
"Mmm hmm" she replied with a nod. "Why? Jealous?"
"Uh..well..no, I'm just curious that's all." He smiled nervously. "Where are you going?"
"He's taking me shopping." Asuka sighed happily.
"Shopping?"
"Yeah, I've got to buy some stuff for Okinawa, he's meeting me tomorrow after school."
As soon as she spoke the words, Shinji let out the breath of air he had inadvertantly been holding all day, a great weight lifted from his shoulders. Shopping. Just shopping. Friends did it all the time, and it's not like they're going to do anything romantic in the middle of a shopping centre. After all he was her guardian back in Germany, why wouldn't he take her shopping once in a while? Probably just wanted to catch up on her activities and such. Some date!
All a big misunderstanding, he told himself as he silently plodded along next to Asuka. Unfortunately, bringing up Kaji hadn't been without it's consequenced as now Asuka was in the middle of listing each and every facet of his being that she found adorable.
Normally, Shinji would just tune out, as he was used to it by now but this time, it was getting personal. Now Shinji was well aware that she was infatuated with Kaji and winning her affections was always going to be an uphill battle, but never before had he realised that his dream was so out of reach.
"Oh Kaji's such a man, not like you....he's so handsome, it's a fresh change from seeing your boring face everyday....not to mention he has a beard. Hmmph, I bet you never even used a razor in your life! And he's so smoothe with words, unlike your stuttering...and he dresses so well...and I bet he cooks better than you too....*sigh*....he's just perfect...I wish he would just hurry up and ask me to marry him..."
If there ever was a time when Shinji felt heartbroken, now was the time. Not only had the girl of his dreams said in no uncertain terms that she loved someone else, but she had outlined his each and every fault and weakness. No, heartbroken was too kind a word. Right now, Shinji Ikari felt lower than the lowest form of living organism in the world. Snail slime was teasing him about his lowliness.
Leaving Asuka in her dream like trance, Shinji rushed home as quickly as was humanly possible, not wanting to face reality. SDAT land seemed very inviting right then. Yes SDAT land, where the girls are nice, and dreams come true. Where the good guys win and everybody's happy.
Misato, having arrived home from work a little while ago, had already taken a bath and was relaxing on the couch, sipping a cold one, when Shinji walked past her, SDAT playing at full volume.
"Hey Shinji, I didn't hear you.....come......in.....?" Taking another sip of beer, Misato waited for Asuka to storm through the door, as was the usual case whenever Shinji was listening to his SDAT, signaling she was angry. After a few tense moments, Asuka still hadn't appeared. Preparing herself for the worst, she finished the rest of the beer in one gulp, scanned the elevator well for Asuka, and then headed for Shinji's room once she saw the coast was clear.
"Shinji, it's me. Can I come in?"
"SHINJI!......That's it! I'm coming in." Yanking the door open, Misato made way to his bed, where he was lying down, staring at the ceiling, before pulling his headphones out of his ears.
"What's the big idea running to your room to sulk?"
"I'm not sulking." replied Shinji, still staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head.
"Oh, yeah? Then why did you ignore me and why were you hiding behind your SDAT again?"
"I'm not hiding behind my SDAT! I was just listening to a new tape." he retorted as he reached for his headphones.
"Not so fast." Misato grabbed his player and headphones, hiding them behind her back, out of Shinji's reach.
"HEY! Give it back!"
"Not until you spill!"
"Fine." As a victory smile crossed Misato's face, Shinji calmly stood up and walked past her, plonking himself on the couch, remote in hand.
After the initial shock of having been beaten at her own game died down, Misato decided to let him be, and took a seat at the kitchen table to observe her moody charge.
Five minutes later, Shinji was still channel hopping, although he had already cycled through all the channels many times already, finding the motion of constantly pressing the channel button was keeping him occupied.
As she was debating the merits of weither she should destroy the remote or not, thinking she would go crazy if Shinji changed the channel again, Asuka stepped through the front door. Instinctively, Misato readied herself for third impact, but was rudely shocked when instead was met with a friendly greeting.
"Hey Misato, how was work?"
"Huh....? Oh fine as usual. How was school?"
"Same old, same old. Although I am going on a date with Kaji tomorrow." Asuka said with a dreamy sigh.
"That's nice....hey do you know what's wrong with Shinji?"
"Who know's" she replied with a shrug. "I was walking home with him when all of a sudden he ran off."
"Well do you know why he ran off?"
"Uh uh, I was too busy thinking about Kaji..." she sighed as she made her way to her room.
Misato, after putting two and two together, thanked her first grade maths teacher and plonked down beside Shinji. She was going to get to the bottom of this, if it meant pulling an all nighter.
"You know, it makes for much better viewing if you pause long enough to actually see more than two seconds of the show."
"Huh? Oh sorry" said Shinji, putting the remote down, stopping on a news program.
"So, girl troubles huh?"
Shinji tried to feign confusion. "I don't know what your talking about Misato."
"Don't play stupid with ME! Do I look like an idiot to you?!?" Absentmindedly, Shinji looked Misato over and was about to speak when he was cut off. "Don't even think about answering that! Now, Are you going to tell me that Asuka getting a date with Kaji and you moping around like a loser are just coincidence?"
"Yes. I'm not dumb you know! As if Kaji would take a girl half his age out on a real date! Give me more credit than that Misato!"
"Well then what's your problem?"
"Don't have one." That was a lie.
"SHINJI!" shouted Misato, grabbing a hold of his shoulder and spinning him around to face her. "Problems don't solve themselves, you know. Ignoring it will only make it worse. Whatever problem you have, tell me, god knows you need all the help you can get!" She calmed herself down before continuing in a soothing voice. "Now what's wrong? Did Asuka hurt you again?"
"No..."
"Bad day at school?"
"No, not really...."
"Look Shinji, now I know that your going through a tough time, but it helps if you talk about it. Remember that I was your age once and chances are I've experienced what you've been through." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Sure I didn't have to deal with the whole Angel-Eva thing, but whatever it is, weither it be family, friends, relationships, or school, you can talk to me about it."
"Thanks for that Misato, and I'll take you up on that offer one day, but right now I don't have a problem!" Shinji tried desperately to sound convincing, hoping he wasn't stuttering more than normal.
Sensing Shinji's reluctance to talk, Misato took the initiative. "Ok, who's your friend and what's his problem?"
"Huh?....what are you talking about...?"
"Well it's obvious that something is eating you up and seeing as you don't have a problem, then it means one of your friends does!" stated Misato, wishing he would take a hint.
Shinji blinked, blinked again, and then it hit him. "Well..... I've got a friend at school, and.....he really likes this girl, only she doesn't like him."
"Your gonna have to give me a bit more info than that, Shinji. What exactly doesn't this girl like about him?" Misato smiled inwardly at her little victory.
After thinking long and hard about how to proceed without letting Misato know all the facts, it dawned upon him. "Ok, lets say for example, you like Kaji, however, he hates your sloppiness. What would you do?"
Seeing where he was going, Misato laughed out loud. "HA! I'd tell him to go screw himself and find another man, one that appreciates my laziness!"
"Seriously Misato!" scowled Shinji
"I am. If someone doesn't like him for who he is, then your friend should find someone else. Simple as that. There are plenty of fish in the sea, you know!"
"I see...." responded Shinji, hanging his head slightly.
"However..." seeing Shinji raise his head back up in anticipation, Misato continued. "We as humans are given something called a brain. A big one at that, and this brain of ours allows us to learn and do something called grow, figuratively. What that means is that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and it's up to us to decide and improve on our weaknesses so we grow as individuals." Shinji noddded his understanding. "Now in saying that, I don't mean your friend should change everything because someone tells him to. Sure, it should factor into it, but first and foremost he have to ask himself is what he's doing going to make himself a better person and does he want to do it?"
"To put that into context with your example, if Kaji didn't like my sloppiness then I would ask myself if I stop being lazy, what do I gain? Obviously there's the tidyness factor, and the public image, not to mention I get more done BLAH BLAH BLAH....and if there are enough good reasons and I want to do it then I should. Kaji's opinion does have a say, but ultimately I do it because I want to. Understand?"
Shinji nodded. "I think so. People should change if they think it's for the better, and because they want to, not because someone tells them to. Right?"
"Right!"
"Does that apply for everything?"
"Nani?"
"Well what about if you didn't like Kaji, only it was a whole lot of things, not just one."
"Like what?"
"He's ugly, he dresses bad, he's boring, he's shy, has no backbone, is weak and has no muscles...to name a few..."
"Well...you can change all those things, I mean, he can gain fashion sense, get a life, grow a backbone, gain confidence, workout at a gym. The only thing you can't change is his appearance....unless of course, plastic surgery." Seeing Shinji smile for the first time since he arrived home, Misato felt a warm, fuzzy feeling. "But remember! Kaji has to want to do it!"
"I will!" Smiled Shinji, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Thanks Misato, my friends really gonna be happy when I tell him your advice!"
"Think nothing of it! Just tell your friend to think it through before he does anything stupid." dismissed Misato with a wave of her hand and a knowing wink. "Hmmm..." smiled Misato. "I better tell Kaji to shape up or Asuka won't want to go out with him anymore."
Both of them shared a laugh when Misato suddenly remembered something.
"That reminds me! About that school trip of yours...."
"We can't go can we?" Shinji already knew the answer.
"Well...sorry but your needed here in Tokyo-3....I'm really sorry Shinji, but..."
"It's ok, Misato. I wasn't really looking forward to it anyway."
"Huh? How come? I thought you would like a little time away?"
"Well, yeah, but I can't swim..."
"I see. Well I'm glad you understand. I just hope Asuka doesn't break anything expensive..."
"Um Misato...you might want to wait until she's gone shopping with Kaji before telling her, she's been looking forward to going shopping with him all day."
"Hmmm...yeah that might be a good idea...hey where are you going?"
"I just remembered that I promised Asuka I would cook sausages and egg for breakfast tomorrow morning, so I have to go buy some sausages."
"Oh, ok. Here." Misato retrieved a couple of notes from her pocket and handed them to Shinji.
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." He stated, retrieving a few notes to emphasise his point.
"Nonsense, that's your money. After all, NERV pays me child allowance for a reason you know!" Nodding, Shinji accepted the money. "Oh, while your there, why don't you pick up something for tomorrows dinner also. I'm in the mood for some good old western food." She handed him some more notes. "There that should cover it."
"Ok, I'll be back in time to make dinner, bye." shouted Shinji as he hobbled to the front door while slipping on his joggers.
"Oh Shinji!"
"Hai?"
"Don't worry, Asuka doesn't think your ugly." Misato burst into laughter as Shinji blushed a mean shade of red before disappearing behind the door. "Man, I'd give anything to be fourteen again...." she mused to herself as she opened a beer.
Deep within the bowels of NERV HQ, over the humming of machinery, could be heard the tapping of a keyboard. Hunched over a terminal, a man dressed in non descript black clothing pressed eight keys and then hit the enter button. Seeing that the password was well worth the price, he began skimming through the contents of the database, the light emminating from the screen playing across his face as his lips curled up in a small smile.
"So Mr Kaji, you seem to be quite resourceful. The others will want to hear about this discovery." the man whispered to himself before logging off. After making sure that no evidence of his stay was left behind, he crept out of the room and made his way out of the geofront. He had news to report.
"Hmmm....I think 6 will do thank you." Shinji handed the counterhand a bill and took the parcel with his outstretched hand. Now that the sausages were taken care of, he set about deciding what to make for tomorrow's dinner. He had already decided on making steaks, but now had to figure out what to accompany them. After searching the shelves of the supermarket, he settled on a satchel of pepper and mushroom sauce and some pasta. He then made his was to the produce section, picked up some ingredients for a salad and then proceeded to the register to pay.
Moments later, Shinji was on the streets, walking home, two plastic bags in his hands. Being a shop that stocked western foods as well as traditional Japanese, the supermarket was located in the shopping districts of Tokyo-3. What that meant, for Shinji, was it took a thirty minute walk or a quick trip on the trains to get there and back. Being a cloudless night and quite warm, Shinji had decided to forgo public transport, opting to slog it out, letting his brain think things through.
Needless to say, Asuka seemed to be the special of the day as he added some food for thought. Contrary to popular belief, Shinji wasn't as clueless as some when it came to love. He knew he was falling for the her, he just didn't know why!
Shinji had every reason to hate Asuka, yet the more he wanted to despise her, the more he found himself attracted to her. Yes she was annoying, she abused him, she was loud and obnoxious and arrogant. But on the other hand she was everything he wasn't. She was proud, confident, positive, determined and full of life.
Maybe it was their polar personalities, the whole 'opposites attract' saying, or the fact that deep down inside, they had more in common than they realised. Whatever it was, Shinji knew what he had to do. He was at a crossroads in his life. He had to make a choice, a decision.
Take the road travelled and mask his feelings for her, or take the road less travelled. Save himself a lot of time effort and possibly embarrasment and heartbreak, or commit himself to a task, a goal and give it his best shot. In other words, stay the way he was or change for the better, the reward being the girl of his dreams. Were his feelings for Asuka strong enough to transform him from a shy, reclusive boy to a young confident individual who was determined to 'do what it takes' for the sake of love?
That night Shinji made a decision that would change his life forever. That night he took the backway home.
END OF CHAPTER 1....
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Authors Notes:
Well, there you have it, the first chapter. Just to let you all know, this is a Shinji/Asuka fic, although it isn't going to be all WAFF. I will be adding some plot twists along the way as I see fit. There's also going to be a lot of character and plot development happening over the next two or three chapters so be ready. I guess the catagory this falls in is general as there's gonna be some romance, WAFF, drama, action and a tad of darkness to spice up your life.
Timeline wise this fic starts a month after the seventh angel attack (the splitting angel), a couple of days before the eighth angel appears, and carries to the end. Don't even bother trying to get the synopsis from me, I ain't gonna spill! However I will hint that the ending will be different from what's doing the rounds at the moment. Also I won't be adding in any ACC's, well maybe a couple but they aren't canon characters.
Expect it to go on for about 50 chapters with a new chapter being churned out about once a week, unless of course, WRITERS BLOCK!! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. I'm sure there's more that I would like or need to tell you but my brain doesn't seem to be functioning properly right now, so hit me with a line if ya want to know something, anything,....just don't leave ME.....I NEED you so BAD!!!!
Flame me if you want, I really don't care. My only response is "If ya don't like it, then don't read it!"
Anyway.....
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OMAKE TIME!!!!
===============
Deep within the bowels of NERV HQ, over the humming of machinery, could be heard the tapping of a keyboard. Hunched over a terminal, a man dressed in non descript black clothing pressed eight keys and then hit the enter button. Seeing that the password was well worth the price, he began skimming through the contents of the database, the light emminating from the screen playing across his face as his lips curled up in a small smile.
"So Mr Kaji you seem to be quite resourceful. The other guys will want to know about this discovery! How you ever had the time to accumulate 3 gigs of hardcore porn I will never know." A shiver ran down his spine as he opened the last folder. "Why you have a video of the two commanders doing it I don't want to know!!!!" After regaining his composure, the man checked that he left no signs of his visit and then made his way out of the geofront, a data disc full of pilfered porn, no doubt as to what his next course of action would be.
The End....
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My Bad....^_^ I promise to be more tasteful, and funny with future Omakes.
Until next time...peace. Me out. ;p
Email/c&c/flame me at: e_digitalunderground@hotmail.com
The Golden Child, Digital Underground, 2001.
