Title: Shinji Eat World
I don't own anything but the plot line.
Timeline: After the infamous kiss scene but considerably before the 'shit hit the fan.'
It was a typical day in class 4-A, nothing but the morose droning of the second impact lecture disturbing the thoughts which raced through a young Shinji Ikari's mind. The object of his affection, one Asuka Langley Soryu sat just several chairs behind, yet she had never been so far away.
That morning at the Katsuragi household had not been a good one, what with Shinji sleeping well past his alarm and forgetting to make both breakfast and lunch. All he had heard was a string of constant german insults and crude remarks all along the way to school.
Though, something had caught his eye as he walked into the classroom; it was a small, yet colorful poster advertising a school-wide talent show. The competition apparently had several different categories including musical performances, dance, and other unique skills. Shinji deftly snatched the page from the wall and folded it into his pocket.
All day long fanciful images of himself performing to the whole school and dazzling the german redhead played over and over in his mind.
A balled fist hit Shinji's shoulder and suddenly snapped him back into reality.
"Hey Shinji! What the hell are you doing let's get outta here, the bell rang five minutes ago!" shouted Touji impatiently.
"Alright, alright, I just have a lot to think about that's all," said a dazed Shinji.
"Geez, what a drama queen," Touji replied with a smirk.
Kensuke, Shinji, and Touji left the school building hurriedly.
"Aren't you walking the wrong way Shinji? You're apartment is that way."
"Well, I sort of wanted to ask you guys something."
"Yeah go ahead shoot."
--30 seconds later outside of Kensuke's house.--
"WHAAT!! I totally knew it! I knew it!" exclaimed Touji excitedly.
"Yeah, I do like Asuka, I just don't know how to impress her or tell her how I feel."
"Well Shinji, I understand why you're telling us this, but what can we do to help," asked Kensuke.
Shinji started unfolding the poster.
"Oh God, you want us to perform in a stupid talent show?!" Touji exclaimed.
"Touji, remember he does save the world on nearly a daily basis."
"Alright fine, but I'm not dancing or anything like that."
They proceeded into Kensuke's house to strategize how exactly to go about putting on a show that Asuka Langley Soryu would not soon forget.
"First off, performing in a talent show implies that we have some sort of talent. Any ideas?" asked Kensuke.
"Well I play around on guitar; I started playing for my sister in the hospital after she got hurt. She always liked music and so I guess I was just trying to make her smile. It's really nothing special," responded Touji.
"Hold that thought Touji." Kensuke disappeared down the hall and emerged a few seconds later cradling a sunburst Gibson Les Paul in one hand and a mini-amp in the other.
"My dad used to play this a lot, but he doesn't seem to have any use for it anymore."
"Well Touji show us what you can do," Shinji mumbled with just a faint hint of sarcasm.
"Alright here goes"
And with that, Touji's fingers flew over the frets and soon the melodic sounds of the opening measures of Sweet Child O' Mine by the pre-second impact band Guns N' Roses screamed through the room. Touji skipped straight to the guitar solo, but suddenly muted the strings as he noticed the blank expressions of his two friends.
"What's up guys? Do I really suck that bad?" Touji murmured.
"Umm…n-n-no…w-wow," Shinji replied in dumbfounded awe.
"That was AWESOME! A little out of tune, but DAMN!" shouted Kensuke.
"I've been playing for a few months, but I had no idea I was any good."
"A few months?! Ok well I'd say we definitely have something to work with," said Kensuke.
"What about you Kensuke? Can you play anything?" asked Shinji.
"The school has a drum set that I used to play on in band last year, but I'm not that good, that's why I quit band."
"That leaves you, Shinji. If you want to impress the red-headed she-devil, you're going to have to do something really special."
"Yeah, no pressure Shinji," Kensuke grinned.
"Well, I play cello, but that's really it, I've never even thought about trying anything else. I can't see how that would help us."
"Guys, what do you get when you turn a cello horizontal?"
"Oh, I got it, he could play the cello on its side and it would be cool and original! Right?"
"Umm, not really Touji. You get a bass guitar! Well, not exactly but the notes are almost just the same. We can borrow the school's and Shinji can learn it in his apartment."
"When exactly is this."
"Ugh, that might be a problem, it's in three weeks. I would suggest a montage, but that seems out of the question," laughed Kensuke.
"You'll be the singer too Shinji. Knowing psycho-bitch, she won't be impressed with anything less."
"Yeah, I know, I know. So, let's meet in the band room tomorrow after school and start practicing right away."
"Just one thing Shinji, what song ARE we playing?"
"Err, I guess I hadn't given that much thought. I'll let you guys know tomorrow."
Shinji walked quickly back to the Katsuragi apartment with his mind full of infinite possibilities. He glanced down at his watch and muttered an 'Oh Shit!' as he realized how late it was. He stopped by the corner store and picked up some frozen dinners for Asuka and Misato. When he reached the apartment, he closed the door quietly behind him and walked slowly into the kitchen.
"Where the HELL have you been you DUMMKOPF. First, you forget to make both of our lunches and THEN you completely flake out after school and don't come home to cook dinner. You are so STUPID!" yelled the very angry redhead.
Shinji crossed the distance to the kitchen table where Asuka stood and placed the frozen dinner in front of her and quickly exited the room without a word.
"You expect me to eat THIS! Du, du verdammter ARSCHLOCH!"
"G-night Asuka," was all Shinji said as he closed the door and prepared to drift off into a pleasant night's sleep. However, Shinji had not noticed that as he placed the frozen dinner in front of Asuka, a neatly folded advertisement had fallen out of his pocket and onto the wooden table.
Asuka sat alone at the table looking at the frozen dinner before her. 'Of course I already ate, I'm not helpless, I don't have to rely on that idiot for everything,' she thought casually picking up the frozen dinner and moving to put it in the freezer, but she stopped as she unexpectedly revealed a folded piece of paper situated alongside the frozen meal. 'Hmm, what's this, a school talent show? Well, well, well, so Shinji wants to show the world how great he is. Fine, well let's see if the invincible third child can beat me."
Meanwhile in Shinji's room, as fate would have it, Shinji Ikari would not end up dreaming peacefully.
The Shinji Ikari within the dream world found himself standing in an all-too-familiar hospital hallway. Yet, something was amiss. This was not the same Nerv ICU he was accustomed to. No, this was a VERY different place. He crept slowly and cautiously down the white linoleum flooring towards the sounds of soft sobbing that seemed to emanate from nearby.
Shinji rounded the first corner he came to only to find a little girl with long auburn hair staring intently into what appeared to be an observation room. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she watched the subject within.
Shinji paced over to the window and looked inside. What he saw shook him visibly; a grown woman cradling a doll sat atop the white sheets of the hospital bed. She stroked the doll's hair while speaking inaudibly to the lifeless plaything.
Shinji glanced back down at the little girl before him, "Excuse me, but-" his words caught in his throat as the image of the little girl looked up at him with hatred in her eyes.
"What are YOU doing here, of all people, has the great Shinji Ikari come to pity me?!"
"N-n-no," it all became suddenly clear that while the body of Asuka the child stood before him, it was not a child's mind which commanded her lips.
Shinji not knowing what to do when faced with the irate child version of Asuka, began to back away slowly, as if to escape.
"Go ahead, run away like you always do, you never understood me, you won't even HOLD ME!" she shrieked.
But then, as if the storm of the century had suddenly ceased, the young girl stopped her rant and offered out her arms to embrace Shinji.
"Please..." she begged, "Hold me, just this once, please."
Shinji desperately wanted to run to the girl's side, hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be ok, but just at that moment he seemed to lose control of his legs as they began to run with incredible speed away from the tormented girl. 'How could this be happening, I'm still running away, what am I doing?' But it seemed that Shinji's mind held no sway over his legs as he sprinted down the hall, out of the hospital and into the cold night where only a single shrill wail from Asuka's lungs pierced the darkness.
"Whoa!" Shinji awoke with a start, caked in sweat. 'That was one weird dream,' thought Shinji. He got out of bed and stumbled into the shower, but, one thing still troubled him, in his dream he had still run away. Shinji looked into the mirror and mumbled quietly to himself,"Asuka, I do understand, I just can't say it."
A knock at the door shook Shinji out of his reverie.
"Umm what are you doing in there Shinji?" asked a confused Misato.
"Err… taking a shower."
"Well it's 4:30 in the morning."
Shinji mentally slapped himself and replied:
"Umm, Oh, well I forgot to shower before I went to bed."
"O, sure, ok, well I have to leave early for work; it seems your fa- ... the commander never sleeps."
Shinji returned to his room soon after, but found himself unable to relax. He decided to make the lunches and get to school a little early to think about the song. He left Asuka's lunch on her placemat and headed out into the pre-dawn darkness.
-End Chp 1
A/N - Please review let me know what you think.