02:1 – Dreaming Of You

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

It started with a kiss…in that moment I had, for the first time in my life, known what it was like to be connected to another person. For those brief few moments when I kissed him, I was not alone but like all of my dreams, it too came to an end when he pulled away from me.

I had hated him at first; angry at the way he had rejected me. When Kaji arrived, I clung to him desperately, using him as a lifeline, a way of banishing the memory of the kiss from my mind. He brushed me off lightly, only concerned with Misato. He left soon after, leaving me alone with Shinji once again…feeling angry and betrayed by both significant males in my life. I fled to my room, hoping to find some form of solace in sleep.

It was not to be however…no sooner had I entered the land of dreams, and I was thrust into a world of fantasy. A half naked Shinji lay atop me, his lips covering my own. His hands were roaming about my body, softly caressing and teasing me. As they moved lower, towards my core, I felt the sensations mounting and I moaned his name.

"Shinji!"

I woke suddenly, my body covered in a thin layer of sweat. A strange scent assaulted my nose, one I could not put a name to. I remained confused for a moment longer, until I felt the wetness against my inner thigh…the scent was that of my own arousal, I had crossed my peak while screaming his name.

Disgusted by what I had done, I pulled my legs up against my chest and sobbed into my knees. Not only had he stolen my first kiss but now he had claimed my dreams a well. My first experience of sexual bliss was while thinking of him, something I did not believe I would ever forgive him for…when at last my tears subsided I stood up from my bed, filled with a new sense of determination. I pulled the sheets and covers away, bundling them in my arm. They would need to be washed right away, lest someone discover what I had done.

I dumped both into the washer, and after but a moment's hesitation, added my clothes as well. Standing there, completely naked, I turned the washer on before heading to the bathroom, fully intent on taking a shower in hopes of washing away any remaining trace.

Morning came sooner than I would have liked, between the shower and the washer I had been up half the night. When I reached the breakfast table Misato was already there with her beer while Shinji was in the usual place at the stove. Misato greeted me with a smile; obviously, she had already recovered from the previous night's activities. Shinji, however, did not move as I sat down. For a moment, I wondered if he was ignoring me and so I was caught of guard when he turned round suddenly and put a plate in front of me.

"What the…pancakes?"

He nodded before turning back around, he retrieved a second plate and put it in front of Misato. He paused for a moment, looking expectant; I assumed he was waiting for us to take a bite…I was shocked by what I tasted. The flavor was just as I remembered it; a near perfect copy of the western style, something I would never expected any Japanese to be able to do. I paused for a moment, savoring the taste yet still finding that something was missing when suddenly he placed a small plastic bottle beside my plate.

"Maple syrup? Shinji, where did you find this?"

I was so surprised that he had thought of everything, I temporarily forgot that I was mad at him.

"There's a small shop downtown that sells western style ingredients. I picked up the recipe there too."

Nodding, I picked up the bottle and began to put a generous helping over what remained of my breakfast. Once I was done, I passed the bottle to Misato who by now seemed quite eager to try this strange syrup. She took a bite and her face lit up, almost like a child's. Turning to Shinji, she opened her mouth.

"Thif ith gud!"

The fact that her mouth was full at the time, meant that her words were mangled by the very fragments of food she was spitting out all across the table. Shinji sighed heavily before getting a cloth and proceeding to wipe away the mess Misato had made, before heading off to the bathroom, presumably to take a shower. When he left, I was struck by a sudden feeling that something was out of place…when nothing obvious sprang to mind I brushed the feeling aside, simply enjoying what remained of my pancakes. It would not be until much later that I realized, I hadn't seen him eat.

We headed off to school soon after he got out of the shower. As usual, I was walking up front with Shinji a little way behind. I was lost in my thoughts as I walked, trying to puzzle out the duality of his actions. On the one hand, he pulled away when kissing me, yet the very next day he had gone to the trouble of making pancakes for me, even providing maple syrup. It just didn't add up…I was still lost in my dilemma when I started to across the road, I wasn't paying any attention, so I never noticed that the lights had changed…

"Asuka! Look out!"

Shinji's cry pulled me from my thoughts just in time to see a car heading right towards me, like a deer caught in the headlights, I found myself terrified and unable to move.

"Oof!"

The breath was knocked out of me as something, or rather someone, barreled into me, knocking me to one side. I lost my balance and started to fall, grabbing wildly at the person, trying to use them to stabilize me. It seemed that they too were not sure on their feet because as I pulled they started to fall with me, the both of us dropping to the road and rolling away just before the car sped by. When we came to a halt, I was laying on top of them, my hips straddling their waist. Feeling slightly embarrassed at my position I lifted my head from against their chest, moving my head so I could get a clear look at the face of my savior…

"Shinji?"

His gaze shifted up to meet me, our eyes locking instantly. For a moment I struggled with a mixture of feelings, I didn't know whether to kiss him or hit him. After all, he had saved me once again…I wasn't angry but still I was hesitant to kiss him after the last time. In the end I settled on hugging him gently, hoping it would convey how I felt.

"Uh…Asuka…are you ok?"

I smiled slightly at his words, just like Shinji to be so nervous just after doing something brave like that, saving me.

"Yes."

At my response, much of the tension fled from his face. He looked up at me with his deep blue eyes, almost as if he was looking deep into my soul when he said…

"Um, do you think you could get off me now?"

I was shocked, there I had been prepared for him to say something romantic and he simply wanted to ask me to get off him? I sighed in disappointment, not quite willing to get angry after he had saved me only moments before. I realized then the position we were in and how embarrassing it would be should anyone see us like this, they could easily mistake it for something else…I planted my arms on the ground at his sides and pushed my self-upright. Once I was on my feet, I stopped and offer him and hand, helping him to his feet. I glanced at my watch as I did so, realizing that we were going to be late. Keeping a firm grip on his hand, I began to run, dragging a protesting Shinji behind me.

We made the classroom just in time. Hikari was just about to begin her 'rise, bow, sit' routine. She paused mid way though to stare at me, mouth hanging open. Much of the rest of the class moved to see what had shocked Hikari and rapidly their faces mirrored hers. Even the two stooges looked the same way, pointing their fingers at us, looks of horror etched on their faces. I wondered what could possibly be so terrible that they were looking at us that way when I suddenly realized I still had hold of Shinji's hand. I dropped it instantly as if it burned me, I walked to my seat in silence and ignoring the stares that followed me.

Shinji followed suit a moment later and as soon as he had sat down, I could hear the voices of the other two stooges beginning to question him. Hikari silenced the two with a glare, or rather in the case of Suzahara a quick tug on his ear. Soon, class returned to normal as she finished her routine and the teacher began to ramble on about life before Second Impact as usual. I turned to my laptop, waiting a moment until it flickered into life. At once, my screen was filled with messages, all of which were asking if there was something going on between Shinji and me. I sighed heavily and closed the lid; this was going to be a long day…

A/N: Right, no more messing about. First of all, I am going to finish this before working on No. Second of all I am rewriting In a Perfect World, I am not totally happy with it so I am going to rework it in the first person.

Thank you for your patience,

Hououza

Chapter preread by That Other Guy