Dream On
Edit: Hey, figured I'd throw some notes up here as I attempt to figure out formatting. First of all, Neon Genesis Evangelion isn't mine, nor am I making any money off of this document. It's a fan story made for fun, and if asked, I'll put it down. Not a hilarious disclaimer, but what can you do.
Next, please bare with me! I'm still trying to figure the formatting here out, as just direct uploading my line breaks didn't work. Probably because I used asterisks. Special thanks to my pals Zel and Smiko for their feedback. Anyway, enjoy!
Why am I waking up again?
This question echoed through the otherwise pleasantly vacant mind of one Asuka Langley Soryu as she impotently glared at the tiny red clock. 'Vacant' and 'impotent' were not normally conditions the mighty Asuka Langley Soryu-and yes, she resolved, you had to say all three names to get the proper effect-had to concern herself about, but five o'clock in the morning tended to have that effect on even the mightiest of...of...
Delicate teeth ground against each other as the frustration of being unable to think of an appropriately glorious adjective to describe herself with stabbed into Asuka's brain. Rolling around her bed a few times, as if in defiance of the fact that she was awake, it was 5 AM on the first Friday she had off from school that didn't involve aliens invading since she came to this damn country, and in fact this was all some terrible illusion concocted by one of her many enemies, probably that damn Ikari kid wanting to find a way to sneak out of making breakfast this morning. Yeah. That was it. Blaming Shinji, even and, perhaps, especially when there was no possible way the little milksop could be at fault could always be counted on as a way to light the fire of righteous vengeance in Asuka's belly; the girl sat up and rubbed her hands together as a strange, predatory smile spread itself across her lips. Oh, he'd get his, she thought, her manic mind swimming with possibilities of retribution, the steam of impending victory springing the girl to her feet, the promise of glory being all she needed to forget that hollow, weak feeling that kept her from sleeping or truly waking up. After all, who has time to feel...strange, Asuka amended, because she did not feel depressed, she was totally fine, and she had something tangible to focus on, that being getting herself some coffee and plotting out the utter destruction of one Shinji Ikari, professional doormat.
"Hao hao hao!" Askua had been working on a unique-sounding triumphant laugh, for just such an occasion. "That was pretty good." She murmured, carefully pushing her door open so she could boldly step out to face the world without waking anyone else up-for strategic advantage, of course, Asuka reasoned, and not out of any weakling sense of courtesy. "Hao hao ha-owww!" One hand moved to cover her mouth, while the other grabbed her throbbing foot, and Asuka found herself hopping in place, desperately trying to keep her balance while muffling a scream of pain and glaring at the beer can that so impudently stabbed her in the foot. Stupid sloppy penguin. Stupid lazy houseboy. Stupid laws of physics. Groaning, Asuka managed to hop her way to the couch, plopping down with a plumph and staring moodily at her treacherous foot. It really wasn't so bad...nothing she couldn't handle herself. Her immune system was, like the rest of her, superior after all! Yes! Askua nodded to herself with vicious strength, confirming that she didn't even need to get up. She could just sit here and...
And...
Reclining slightly into the too-comfortable folds of the couch, Askua blearily turned the television on. She blinked, once, realizing that she recognized the little cartoon animals warbling on the screen, there. An almost girlish smile overtook her face as she felt the faintly warm glow of an actual, precious, pleasant childhood memory fill her senses.
Why am I waking up again?
Shinji Ikari groaned, softly, covering his head with a pillow and attempting to shut out the rest of the planet. Failure was as inevitable as always, however, as his sensitive ears picked up the faint rustles, clangs, and other noises that marked the transition from Way Too Late to Way Too Early. Wondering what exactly he did to deserve his SDAT player breaking on him, the Third Child heaved a tired sigh and weighed his options.
He could get up. Sure, it was pointless in the grand scheme of things; no matter what he did today, tomorrow, or any day, eventually an Angel would come and he'd either die, or be responsible for the pain and suffering of even more of the people of this city. Even if they did get lucky and one of the Evangelion pilots who actually knew how to do their jobs saved the day, it's not like his father would suddenly start acting like he wasn't embarrassed to be related to Shinji, or his isolation from the rest of the human race would get any easier. Even the people he could not deny he was close to misunderstood him, likely only tolerated him because they needed another warm body between them and the Angels. Even a mad dog can scare away a burglar, Shinji reasoned, as long as you don't get too close to it yourself.
But, Shinji continued to reason, since that's unchanging, what effect does it ultimately have? What if I did stop whining and get the heck up? Seize the day, make breakfast, play with Pen-Pen, things normal people with normal minds took for granted. Cautiously, as if worried that any movement would betray his fragile, cautious optimism, Shinji turned to look at the little NERV clock his father had given him; the tiny cartoon image of Gendo Ikari's face, glaring balefully at anyone foolish enough to make eye contact, still proclaimed, "No excuses for not showing up, boy." in bright, colorful text. The sight had dulled over his time in Tokyo-03, or perhaps his skin was simply getting thicker; either way, it was less a kick in the gut and more a stub of the toe. It was five in the morning. Five in the darn morning. And didn't they have off today? Something about the teachers all attending a class on new MAGI protocols...or something like that. Even in his thoughts, Shinji was weary of absolutes, though he really didn't take offense at his being wrong like he worried others would. It was more habit than anything else. But it was still five in the darn morning, and Shinji's brief motivation to embrace the new day was crushed under the realization that if he were to get up, the noise would probably wake Misato up.
The Third Child smiled, softly, as he mentally corrected himself; the noise he made would probably wake Asuka up, and her terrible, bloody retribution would be what pierced the armor of Misato's hangover and shove his guardian awake. The fact that he found this funny probably meant that he was finally cracking up, Shinji reasoned, or that Toji's been right all along and I just didn't know everyone found things like that funny because I didn't have anyone else growing up. Shinji wasn't sure which thought was more depressing...
"Ha-oooow!"
...as usual, it took something from the outside to force Shinji out of the recursive loop of his thoughts and into the real world. What the heck was that?!, he thought furiously, and only took half of a second to be surprised that at how quickly and quietly he had gotten up to his feet. Shinji supposed he was in better shape than he gave himself credit for, and looked for something hard. Sure, Misato was a trained soldier, crack shot, and bonafide military genius, Asuka had a black belt in three kinds of kung fu, and Shinji was fairly sure Pen Pen kept a switchblade in his freezer, but...
"But what?" Shinji muttered to himself, looking at the old aluminum baseball bat Misato had given him before learning about his allergy to organized sports, "What do I think I'm doing?" Well, Shinji internally argued, he was the 'man of the house', sort of. Even if that kind of thinking was a little sexist...which kind of struck Shinji as odd, because the strongest people in his life were women. On the other hand, some of those same women had a habit of calling him just that whenever it suited their fiendish purposes. Maybe, Shinji couldn't help but think as he stared morbidly at the bat in his hands, you just want the excuse to hit something. The smell of blood...
Wait. A faint thumping. A strong, coppery smell. Shinji's eyes widened as he realized that there really was someone else in the house! The boy's fevered imagination went into overdrive, outlining possibility after possibility but unable to escape one crucial fact. Shinji was awake, and his roommates were not. In other words, while Shinji could get the drop on their visitor, said invader could definitely sneak up on anyone else in the house! The Third Child took a second to appreciate the irony of his only being able to find his courage in situations like these, and carefully slipped out of his door, holding the baseball bat high above his head. Half-learned combat training and instincts developed from the sheer difficulty of living alone in the world after Second Impact both told Shinji that there definitely was a person...sitting on their couch...a quick look at the floor led Shinji to a conclusion. Whoever the person was, they had gotten close to Asuka's room, cut their foot on a beer can Pen-Pen seemed to have sliced open with his beak, and then, because there were no other blood stains, must've hopped to the couch in order to stop the bleeding. So there'd be no way to trace the villain! Shinji breathed shallowly, trying to suppress the panic that came with his terrible realization that he was facing off with a ruthless, clever criminal. He had to do this. He can't run away. Who else would pick up the mess? Okay. On three. One, two...
"TORYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Shinji's voice cracked as he let out his war cry, charging forward and preparing to swing the bat in a brutal overhead strike that would, he hoped, incapacitate the criminal. The red haired criminal. Red hair, pigtails...
"AIIIEEEEEEEE!" Asuka screeched, turning around and holding her arms in front of her face, eyes almost comically widened in absolute shock. "B-back off, mister! I know kung fu!"
"...Asuka?"
"...Shinji?"
The silence was pregnant. With triplets.
Locked in position, Shinji desperately thought of what to do in a situation like this. Apologize? Explain? Swing and act like it didn't happen when she came to on the off chance that she'd think it was a dream? "...oh, hey, I used to watch that cartoon as a kid." Shinji stated with the certainty of the damned, "I didn't know you were into that stuff."
Well, that had gotten Asuka out of her shock. The girl blinked, once, calmly cracked each of her knuckles, and smiled sunnily up at Shinji. "So, you're calling me a little girl, now?"
"Why the hell am I awake." is what Misato Katsuragi tried to say. She was pretty sure it came more out like, "Whuutughellmmiake.", but it was the thought that counted in these situations. She couldn't quite make out her clock's...shape, let alone what time it was, but judging by the pace and intensity of the throbbing just behind her eyelids, the proper answer was far, far too early. Someone was responsible for this.
"Ow! Asuka, not the face!"
"Still feel like a big strong man now, Ikari?! Who's the little kid NOW?! Taking advantage of a wounded woman, really..."
Two someones. Not for the first time, Misato briefly wondered what exactly she was thinking when she took those two in; it was bad enough that the pair apparently had a cat and a dog in their genetic background somewhere, but what kind of a mo-guardian wasn't able to get up for fear of tripping over her sake bottle and falling out of the window? The very thought brought Misato back to the time she had bit the bullet and called her mom, hoping for some advice, or at least confirmation that she was completely unfit to be anywhere near children and should probably be in jail. She had never heard her mother laugh so loud, so long, or so triumphantly before. The mere thought of the 'It's your turn now!' victory dance the woman had managed to convey over the holo-phone brought Misato's hangover to new plateaus of pain and, with a groan, the Major managed to find her way onto her feet, dully noticing that she had no idea where she left her gun.
"W-well, what was I supposed to do?! Let some p-prowler have full run of the house?! It was an honest mistake!"
"The worrying about me's sweet, Shinji, but my poor little girl mind just can't grasp the complicated machinations of your burly guy-mind. Which is why your head still has to get stuffed into the couch!"
"...like any sane criminal would kidnap you..."
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
It was, in the long term, probably for the best, Misato rationalized. It was going to be hours before she could get enough of some kind of stimulant...she wasn't picky...into her system to make all the bull's-eyes on her kids' cherubic frames go away. Heaving a sigh, the weary Major shoved her door open, stumbled out of the hall, and took a moment to take in the scene. The girl had the boy pulled into a reverse suplex, trying to shove his head into her beautiful, expensive couch while keeping his feet locked against the cushions of selfsame couch in order to inflict suffering in the most efficient manner possible. The tactician in Misato was impressed. The rest of Misato was trying to figure out what the boy was doing with a metal bat in his hand. "Do you two have any idea what time it is?" Misato was fairly sure she said.
"Quarter after five." Only Shinji could manage to keep his voice at just the right pitch to be audible without setting off her hangover while fighting for his life. "Sorr-waaagh!"
Asuka was less subtle; attempting to hold Shinji behind her back as though he were a naughty puppy she was hoping to keep her guardian from finding out about for a few more days. Throwing on her most charming smile, Asuka offered, "Why, ah, Misato! Well, you're up bright and early. And when we have off from school, too. Uh...um...planning some sort of...family...activity?"
Asuka actually referring to their little sideshow as a family would have stuck in Misato's head if she wasn't busy watching poor Shinji doing his best blowfish impression. In the redhead's haste to hide the evidence, she had managed to pin the boy in a...compromising position and Shinji, being Shinji, weakly struggled to remove his hand from Asuka's rear end while trying not to blush and stammer audibly, less he meet a terrible fate. Normally, Misato tried to help the boy out when he stumbled into something like this, as a way to mitigate some of the guilt that came from her favorite hobby of teasing the kid, but it was five in the morning. She couldn't help it. Misato Katsuragi laughed; a wild, free laugh that was laced with what more well adjusted observers would recognize as the kind of love you only realize exists when you stare at your kids roughhousing at five o'clock in the morning on your only day off.
As for Shinji and Asuka? They looked at eachother, utterly confused, and shared a shrug. "She's probably still wasted." Asuka decided, while casually flipping Shinji over on his backside for taking liberties.
Shinji, who was happy to be left off with the redhead's equivalent of a warning considering how badly she could've interpreted his struggles to get free, just groaned in agreement.
"So, why were you up that early, anyway?" A strangely upbeat Shinji Ikari asked his roommate as they walked through the city.
The Second Child was immediately suspicious; a happy Shinji is a dangerous Shinji, after all. "I...don't see how that's any of your business, Third." She snipped off in her nastiest, bitch queen of the universe tone of voice. That'll show 'em. And then, as if in direct defiance of her internal decree, Shinji Ikari chuckled. Not the hesitant, sickly little laugh he'd sometimes force out when social pressure demanded he find something funny, but an actual, factual, 'I think you're funny, Langley.' laugh. "...what's so damn funny, Third Child?!"
Shinji couldn't help but roll his eyes, glad that he didn't have a title or a middle name for Asuka to use when she was feeling 'serious'. "Nothing important." Shinji attempted to mollify, holding his hands up in preemptive surrender, "You, ah, just didn't seem the type to care what people thought about what you liked." The Third Child mistook the look on Asuka's face for some new level of anger he had managed to reach, rather than the confusion it really was, and reacted appropriately, "N-not that I mind! I mean, hey, I think we all have a cartoon or two we still like to watch, you, um, know? I just, uh."
"Cut it out before you hurt yourself, Ikari." Asuka deadpanned, frogging him in the shoulder in order to show that he was (mostly) forgiven. "And for the /record/, that was a coincidence. I just couldn't sleep."
"Whatever you say, Asuka." Shinji said in what he believed was a pacifying tone of voice, but what Asuka knew was a subtly mocking tone of voice, the kind of voice he used when he committed something to memory, a little humiliating piece of her he'd spend time in that dark little room of his owning, looking at it, laughing at it, maybe even share with his loser friends because it's his to do with as he pleases, oh that JERK! "Is everything okay?" Asking if she's okay, that insensitive...!
"Fine!" Asuka said with more embarrassment and less venom than she had meant, "Ah, I mean, yeah. Just one of those...girl things, you know?"
Shinji didn't, but he was smart enough to nod his head anyway. Besides, Misato hadn't given him much choice about how he was spending his day off...
"I don't want to hear any backtalk!" Misato imperiously declared, kicking her feet up on the table as some sort of animalistic confirmation of her dominance in the situation, "I can't believe you've never been to a sleep-over, kiddo. I just plain wouldn't be doing my job if I let this opportunity go!"
"It's not that uncommon." Shinji stubbornly insisted, "I mean, I don't think it was really done all that much when I was younger, what with Second Impact and all..." The Third looked towards Asuka for some sign of support.
And was promptly rewarded with a snort of desertion from redhead lane, "Please, Shinji, stop trying to cover up for yourself. You're a social recluse!" Asuka shrugged as if talking about the weather, "I mean/I/ went to dozens of slumber parties back in Germany! Yep. Scores, even! Do you even know what a score is, Ikari?!"
"Really?" Misato scratched her head, "I don't remember you going out much at all when I was living with you back in Germany..."
"It was a slow year." Asuka said with terrible swiftness and a grind of her teeth.
"Twenty." Shinji contributed.
"Twenty what?" Asuka blinked a few times, before scowling, "Just what are you implying, Third Child? That I'm making it up? That I never really had friends until NERV moved me to this hole of a town, but I'm too proud to admit it? That what happened at school is basically what happened my entire life, except Hikari for some crazy reason stuck around?" The ranting redhead crossed her arms and defiantly flipped her hair at Shinji, "Well, sorry to burst your bubble, Shinji, but just because you and Wondergirl have the same issues doesn't mean I do too! Talk about your assumptions..."
"Twenty." Shinji would normally have apologized, but Asuka used the 'w' word, "Is how much is in a score, overcompensating Sally."
"I'll sally you, you..." Asuka blinked, once, the finger she was pointing in the fiend Ikari's face drooping like a sick plant when she realized, oh yeah, she had challenged him to tell her what a score was. While Asuka usually had little to no problem blaming her enemies for things they did not do, things they might be doing, things they were thinking of doing, and things she figures they will do eventually, yelling for doing something she asked him to do seemed a little over the top. She blamed the lack of sleep. "...sorry."
Shinji, for his part, was briefly tempted to pretend not to hear the minute ghost of a whisper that was Asuka's apology, but figured the overcompensating line was pushing it. "Not a big deal. Misato had us both kind of flustered. She's way too good at that..."
"Or maybe we're just too easily flustered." Asuka muttered philosophically. "...do you feel a draft, Shinji?"
Ikari the younger blinked, once, and took a quick look around their surroundings. Outside of the apartment. With a sticky note on the door saying, 'Have fun kids!'. "No, Asuka, do you?"
...shaking his head, Shinji returned to the present with a solemn vow to never forget Misato's special operations training again. He was faintly surprised to see that Asuka was still walking alongside him. He supposed Hikari and Toji lived closer to eachother than he had originally thought, which made sense in a way. After all, the two of them, along with Kensuke, were supposed to have been pretty close back when they were in grade school.
"He-llooo?" A slender hand, far too smooth considering how often the owner used it, interrupted Shinji's privacy by shaking itself wildly in front of his face. "Are you even listening to me?"
"I'm pretty sure this is the way to Toji's house." Shinji answered rotely, idly wondering why he was attempting to fool the redhead. Latent masochism? "I thought Hikari lived a few blocks over?"
"She does, but the invitation said it'd be at a friend's house." Asuka chewed her lower lip out of nervousness, a deplorable habit; immediately, in order to reassert her control over herself, Asuka indulged in another bad habit, and lightly smacked Shinji upside the head.
"Ow!" Shinji squeaked, "What was that for?"
"You got a lucky guess. If you had really been listening, you would've stuttered more." Asuka replied, figuring that one half-truth deserves another. "Besides, the way you were talking, it sounded like you were getting sick of being in my presence..."
"Oh, wow, I don't know how you could ever think that...ow! No fair using your nails!"
"Well, as...nice...as the conversation's been..." Shinji trailed off, rubbing his sore head and hoping he didn't bruise. "...this is Toji's apartment. Um, have a good time with Hikari and...whoever else is, uh, there...?" Shinji desperately resisted the urge to frown; he could tell Asuka was a little nervous about the whole thing, and part of him wanted to help, or at least let her know he cared. The rest of him did not want to get slapped upside the head again, though, and besides, if Asuka wanted some support, she'd ask, right? No, a stubborn part of Shinji insisted, she wouldn't ask, she'd sit around refusing to acknowledge the need out of sheer stubbornness until she got distracted by a video game. In the short time you've known the girl, this treacherous part of Shinji's mind continued to rave, has she ever just come out and said anything? You had to just walk over and start helping her with those kanji, or she'd still be getting Cs because she can't read the questions. Way to pay attention, Ikari!
"No, it's not." Askua said in a damningly neutral tone of voice. Shinji felt a shiver of cold sweat drip down his spine. Did he accidently say some of that out loud? Did she know what he was thinking? Was she just so evil that she had to pick NOW, of all times, to let those emotional walls crumble just a little bit and admit she's human like the rest of us? Should he have brought breath spray? "This is the address Hikari sent me." Oh.
"Well, um, I don't mean to disagree with you," Shinji pulled on his collar, allowing him a little more room to breathe. "But I've been to Toji's apartment before, and this is it."
"Oh like you know anything." Asuka sassed, crossing her arms across her chest and looking grumpy, "Hikari never makes mistakes on little stuff like that, it's how she keeps from snapping like a dry twig in Elephant country. How many times a week do you get knocked out, anyway? I'm surprised you remember your own name, Ikari."
"W-what does that have to do with anything?!" Shinji found himself shouting, "Not everything in life has to do with piloting Eva, you know!"
Asuka spun around at once, the thrill of impending victory causing her cheeks to flush as she poked Shinji in the nose, "Ha! You admit your inferiority as a pilot! Sure, you're lucky, and you've got some natural talent, but no skill baby! You're all flash and headbutts, and you admit it! Hao hao hao!"
Shinji blinked, once, unsure of how exactly to react to this. "...I think my record speaks for itself." Ikari deadpanned, deciding to let Asuka interpret that any way she wanted, "'Hao hao hao'?"
"It sure does, Shinji." Asuka answered warily, not entirely sure if he was agreeing with her or not. She can be vague too, see? Ha! "...and a public personality needs to have an easily recognizable, yet unique, laugh. I'm just doing what's best for my fans."
"Movin' back ta'Germany?" The gruff, but not unfriendly voice of Toji Suzuhara interrupted, "Didn't know you hadda charitable bone in ya, Langley." The flat-topped jock blinked once, and a goofy grin spread out over his face as he realized he had experienced a case of accidental wit. "Hah, bonnnnnoooww!"
Hikari Horaki, being a long time veteran of the trench warfare that is a public education system, had learned long ago that the best way to break up a fight was to prevent one; in this case, a sharp tug of the ear was all that she needed to keep Suzuhara from finishing his sentence, and another day was saved! "Guys, you made it!" Hikari enthused, "Come on in, we were just about to order a pizza." While she didn't have to struggle much to keep Suzuhara subdued, she was faintly surprised to see that neither Pilot had...moved at all, really.
Synchronization was a complicated process. This is a fact, but not especially informative, sort of like saying, "This liquid is wet." or "I'm fine to drive, I only had one!"; if calling these statements dangerously underdetailed seems to be overstating the point, consider that a glass of water and a glass of acid are both liquid and wet, but achieve very different results when drunk. Not to mention the time Major Katsuragi thought she could drive after "Just one." bottle of tequila. So, in the interest of the health and safety of others; synchronization is achieved when the A-10 nerves line up just so, allowing two minds to become compatible for a brief flash of bioelectric energy, similar to synapses firing. In the case of two conscious minds, a synchronized connection could be seen as a special bond, such as what exists between twins, close friends, siblings, pets and their owners, and many other relationships. The whole idea of, "I can feel what you're thinking or feeling or about to do." stems from the brief interaction between these nerves. Evangelion Pilots are unique because their A-10 nerves were slightly mutated, presumably as a reaction to Second Impact; their capacity to synchronize is expanded, refined, and can be enhanced even further with the right kind of technology. An unseen zip of electricity between a conscious Pilot and an unconscious Evangelion allows the Pilot to step into the Eva's boots, feeling the robot's pain, sharing in its strength, and ultimately being able to direct the biomechanical monster in a way that benefits humanity. There are numerous side effects that come from piloting the Eva, though how many of them are simply because of pilot personality, and how many are really because of the science remains to be seen.
This is why Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu's respective hairdos both stood up straight, as though the pilots were lightly shocked by some kind of ball of static electricity, as they rang out in almost eerie chorus, "Y-You're living in sin!"
It was all Kensuke could do to keep from falling out of his chair. He couldn't help it! The two newcomers still looked shell-shocked at the very concept of being there, Toji looked terrified that he'd set Das Kaiser Langley off again or, even worse, force Hikari to intervene, the Class Rep in question was alternating between shooting him "subtle" stern gazes and trying to suppress her own giggles, and Shinji still looked like he came in off of the set of an episode of Dragonball Cubed! How could you not find that funny?
"I do not understand, Aida, what is so amusing about Ikari's discomfort."
Well, Kensuke mentally amended, you could always be Ayanami. That girl was ice...no, Kensuke amended, rubbing his chin and giving his mental picture of Rei a look with a photographer's eye. Shinji was right about her, you just had to be paying attention; the way she said 'Aida' was stressed juuust enough to almost be a threat to knock his block off if he didn't shut up, without Rei having to stoop to saying it so bluntly. In a way, Kensuke could really respect that kind of skill. In another way, "Pft-Ayanami, relax! Anything that starts with Shinji looking like that, goes on to have Toji turn beat red and Hikari try and give the both of them, 'The Talk'...how can anyone not laugh at that?"
The slight twinge in Ayanami's visible eye, the other one being covered by the girl's long bangs, could be disapproval. Or boredom. Or hunger. Or all consuming carnal lust. Kensuke bet on one of the first two, though. "I seem to be managing."
"Fair enough." Kensuke conceded, still smiling but managing to suppress his case of the giggles for now. "You should give laughing a try once in a while, if you don't mind me saying so."
"Why?" The albino replied just a little too apathetically for it to be genuine, "Because it is expected of a...girl my age?"
Kensuke shrugged, idly flipping his camera on just in time to catch Hikari putting Toji and Asuka in a double headlock with a reverse ear pull combination. "Nah. Keeps away wrinkles."
"If." Hikari huffed, "You two." Hikari puffed. "Would just let me talk." Hikari, briefly, wished she could blow the house in. But she was a good girl, who had a responsibility to make sure things went off without anyone killing eachother.
"What's there to talk about?!" Asuka bellowed, alternating between struggling with the headlock and trying to pry Hikari's hand off of her ear, "Obviously um...these stooges tricked you and Wondergirl here in some intricate plan to take advantage of your innocence, and followed it up with some kind of crazy brainwashing to make sure they got the ripest plum of all...me! Well, nothin' doin, sister, not even Wondergirl's insidious black ops training could make me want to touch the jock or the nerd!"
"Which one," Ayanami asided, presumably to Kensuke, "Is the nerd?"
"Me." Kensuke noted with a strange sort of pride, "Shinji's the dork. More intimate. You had black ops training?"
"We'd never ask you ta'commit adultery, Devil!" Toji snapped back, managing to shake a fist at Asuka...only to have his head 'accidentally' smacked into the table by an irate Hikari, a gentle reminder that he was not helping the situation any. "So stop flatterin yerself!"
"All Evangelion pilots are required to undergo some basic anti-espionage training. It is a security measure, and is thought to increase one's ability to act in the Evangelion." Rei answered, letting her chin rest on her arms, which were resting on the table as though she were anticipating the inevitable onslaught of Kensuke's curiosity, "Both the Second and I have been in the employ of NERV since we were children. I assume she has been sufficiently trained, though the specifics are classified for security reasons. Ikari, being a more recent acquisition, has had minimal training."
"Huh." Kensuke surprised Rei, and perhaps himself, by keeping his camera on the entertainment and his demeanor casual. It was the most he had heard the mysterious First Child say...ever, and Aida figured that responding with enthusiasm would just convince her that silence was golden. "My dad took a few tai chi classes with me, before work started eating up all of his time. Nothing fancy, but it keeps me in shape."
"I'll flatten you!" Askua threatened, "...and what was that about sufficient, First?! I'll have you know I have a black belt in three martial arts! What've you got, a merit badge for most visits to the infirmary?"
"Asuka!" That seemed to snap Shinji out of his funk, the Third Child even stood up, though he was cut off by the most unlikely of sources.
That being Rei herself, "As I had said, Langley." Ayanami coolly countered, "The specifics of the NERV-Japan training regimen are classified for security reasons. Perhaps you would wish to spar sometime? I am certain neither of us wishes to get...rusty." The First Child allowed herself the tiniest shadow of a smile, before finally adding, "Do you truly believe Commander Ikari would allow either of us to be compromised in such a fashion?"
Asuka's beliefs in regards to Commander Ikari did not have a chance to be stated as silence stepped into office, holding the reigns of power over the room as the children digested the fact that Rei Ayanami had just used two paragraphs in a row. Hikari, always a bright, observant girl, seized the opportunity to explain, "A-hem. Asuka, Shinji, Toji, Kensuke and I have been doing this since we were six." The girl blinked, once, and blushed in spite of herself. "Um, the sleep-over, I mean, not...the sin bit. Because we're not doing that. At all. Ever. Stop smirking, Aida. It's just, um, sort of a tradition! And I knew you and Ayanami and Ikari don't get to go on any of the field trips, so..."
"Oh." Shinji had finally finished taming the electric forest of his hair, "That makes sense. Um. Sorry for the trouble..."
"Yeah, yeah." Asuka groused, secretly glad that Shinji had taken the bullet with the requisite saying of the "s" word. He was good for that sort of thing. Not that he could speak for her, mind, like they were some sort of crazy partnership. He was just...useful! Like a sidekick. Yeah, that works. There was, of course, the question of why Hikari had even invited Wondergirl, let alone why Miss Most likely To Need A Personality Transplant bothered to come. If only she had some polite way to ask the ice queen. Oh, wait! "Hey, Wondergirl, since when do you go outside anyway?"
"As NERV facilities are closed to underage personnel as well as civilians, the Commander thought it prudent for me to..." Rei trailed off, not entirely sure how to put it. "...get out of the house, I suppose. As my research has determined that gradual integration into the any society is best, this seemed the most logical venue to begin my carrying out of his order."
"I think she just insulted us." Kensuke noted, zooming his camera in on whatever the thing living in Toji's ceiling was.
Shinji, who was used to this sort of thing, interjected, "Wait, my dad said that?" The Third Child blinked, once. "My dad gave people a day off?"
"Company picnic." Hikari explained, shooing Toji out of the room with a fistful of yen notes and a note explaining, in detail, what pizza toppings to get. "Tokyo-03's basically a company town, attendance is mandatory, so, lots of people had their children stay together for safety's sake. It sort of evolved into a local tradition. Hey, Shinji, could you help me in the kitchen? I'm having trouble with the dip, and..."
"Oh, sure." Shinji wondered, briefly, how Toji felt about Hikari's unspoken coup of his own apartment. He couldn't help but admire the Class Rep; she was trapped on the sidelines of the Angel War, with a front row seat for all the horror, pain, destruction, and suffering the Angels, and mankind's Faustian defenders, the Evangelions, caused. She had no real way of affecting it, or her chances of being squished in another siege of the Fortress-City, but the girl still managed to take care of her family, her class, and herself without showing anything but grace under pressure. -well, Shinji amended, outside of the occasional headlock. Plus she was, like, the only girl he knew who could cook better than him, which did wonders for what little masculine pride Shinji possessed. Briefly depressed by the memory of there being a time in his life when abrupt headlocks weren't an expected part of everyday life, the Third Child ambled upwards, following Hikari into the Suzuhara family kitchen.
"Well," Asuka huffed, slightly insulted that she didn't get picked first to be Hikari's little helper. Burn one pot of water, and they think you're a Katsuragi or something..."That explains why Misato wanted us out of the house so quick. So..." The Second Child trailed off, looking at the bored, apathetic face of Rei Ayanami, the bored, apathetic face of Kensuke Aida, and the strange thing living in Toji's ceiling that her fellow teenagers apparently thought was more worthy of their attention than her. Hmmph! "Yeah, I can smell the intellectual stimulation. Suzuhara doesn't have a PlayCube, does he? I brought a few games..."
"Well." Kensuke drawled, switching his camera off and kicking his feet up on the table, "Normally, I'd be glad to help you out, but I don't think Toji would ever forgive me if I let you, y'know, girl up his TV with one of those magical pony princess games..."
Had Mr. Aida been a little more knowledgeable about how sharks look upon smelling blood in the water, the grin on Asuka's face might have warned him. "Oh, really? Well, gosh, and here I was hoping you'd be up for a little wager..."
"Women." Toji Suzuhara lamented as he plodded down the city street, idly keeping track of a stone he had managed to keep kicking for a whole block, now. How did Hikari talk him into becoming her errand boy, anyway? It would've been different if she had been lowdown about it, batter her eyelashes or swiveled her hips or any of those things girls did to convince guys to do stuff they didn't wanna on the TV. The Class Rep? Stuffs a list in his hand and shoves him out the door like it was his job or something. And...
You didn't make it to fourteen in the post-Second Impact world without learning a thing or two about living on the street. Even the relatively prosperous Tokyo-03 had its share of dangers, human, animal and other that would prey on anyone foolish enough to let them. The vague prickling on the back of Toji's neck warned him that the vague sense of being watched wasn't just his imagination; forcing himself to keep casual, Toji hunched over a little more and abruptly cut to the left, pacing quickly down an alleyway. An icy sliver of sweat crawled down his spine as he heard the faint clip clop of a pair of mary janes against the pavement; thinking quickly, Toji kicked off the side of a building, desperately grabbing onto a fire escape! After all, he reasoned, whoever it is can't follow me if the ladder isn't down, and with a great groan, Suzuhara attempted to shove himself up the railing as the clip clopping methodically came closer and closer, like some kind of pedestrian timer marking how much time was left...
"Suzuhara. Please slow down." Rei Ayanami said in a slightly more agitated voice than usual, "This is a new uniform, and I do not wish to soil it."
"Ayana-" With a waugh, Toji's grip finished slipping, sending the jock head over heels into a heap of old, worn out furniture, garbage bags, and a faintly slimy substance that Toji wasn't too keep on identifying. Groaning softly, Suzuhara forced his body into a sitting position, meeting the First Child's placid gaze. Well, not really placid, now that Toji thought about it, just reserved...she looks a little grossed out, and a little expectant. Expectant?! Where does this chick get off?! "-mi." Toji finished, smacking his lips in an effort to get the grungy taste out, "Wuz it you the whole time?"
"Yes." Quoth the Ayanami, gently moving her hand to, Toji realized, offer him a hand getting up.
Not a man to spit kindness in the eye, Toji accepted, coughing a little and looking more sheepish than anything. "Should I ask why you dinnt say anything?"
"No." Rei replied, brow furrowing minutely as she concentrated on helping heft Toji's clumsy body out of the heap. There was a little struggle, but the boy managed to extract himself without getting caught on anything, tripping, or managing to fall on the girl. After her experience with Ikari, Rei couldn't help but find the lack of such an accident strange. Unnerving either. Or maybe she was just rationalizing finding someone as kind as Ikari's foibles humorous. Reflection on this will be necessary...
As for Toji, he just sort of blinked a few times, as if he was having trouble coming to terms with the entire situation. "...too much estrogen in da room, huh?"
"Tactful as ever, Suzuhara." Ayanami answered in what, Toji had come to learn thanks to insight from Shinji, would be an almost merry tone of voice where she any other girl. "I had thought you would need assistance carrying the comestibles."
"I'm sure da'Kaiser's bein' in rare form dinnt have a thing t'do wit it." Toji drawled, accentuating his accent as was his habit when feeling talked down to. He blamed the quirk on too many childhood jokes about 'Kansai hicks' and his own poorly hidden sensitive streak; he was surprised at the brief flash of guilt on Ayanami's face, more that she figured the gag out that quickly than any real malice towards the girl. Toji then wondered when, exactly, the mysterious First Child had become familiar enough that he could start to pick up her subtle way of emoting without Ikari there to serve as translator. Deciding it really didn't matter, Suzuhara gave a mighty shrug, brushed a soda can off of his shoulder, and promptly resumed walking down the alley. "Well, t'anks den. We's gotta hit the video store first. Gotta list..." Toji held up a memo pad that showed Hikari's flawless handwritten orders, "...but onna da benefits of bein da pack mule, y'see, is dat if we don't like th'movie in question...well, it ain't our fault if they was out, yeah?" Toji followed this up with a smirk and a wink, hoping that it would convey to Rei that he wasn't really mad, or at least get the girl to stop looking subtly guilty like that. It was like Shinji's whipped puppy expression with the mute button on.
"Acknowledged." Rei replied in the same tone she'd reply to orders from NERV command. For a second, Toji could swear he say the tiniest ghost of a smile on the albino girl's face, but decided it'd be kinda creepy if he stared trying to figure it out, and put the trouble out of his mind.
"So, Shinji..." Hikari resisted the urge to sigh. Poor, poor Shinji. ...not that Hikari didn't love Asuka, of course. While not the easiest person to be friends with, there was just something about the redhead that struck Hikari as being with a kindred spirit, someone who, despite superficial differences, really understood what the other person was all about, and complimented eachother's true inner selves. Now what, exactly, that link between the girls was...
"VICTORY!" Bellowed Das Redhead, "In yo FACE, Aida! Watch me dance! Watch me dance! What dance? Victory dance! Yo yo yo!"
...Hikari had no idea, but privately assumed it was Asuka's depressingly well hidden softer side. Obviously. Yes. But that brought Hikari back to her original subject; while Major Katsuragi and Asuka both had their positive points, they didn't exactly provide an...understanding household for such a shy, sensitive young man. The Class Rep's heart went out to the boy, part of the reason she gave the Stooges as much slack as she did these days, who was so burdened by the weight of his responsibilities that, right now, all he could do is stare into the depths of the mixing bowl, likely finding poetic parallel between the impermanence of its filling, it's ultimately hollow nature, and the status of his very soul! Hikari considered herself a compassionate person, one who sought authority because she cared enough to want to help people, rather than for the electric, delicious, but ultimately spiritually unsatisfying thrill of near absolute power over delinquents and those who would oppose her. It was why Rei ultimately got an invite, for no matter how intimidating her silence could be, or how powerful Asuka's objections, Hikari simply refused to see the girl spend her first weekend free from being shown off at the NERV company picnic like a prize pig spent alone in her disgrace of an apartment with absolutely no one to talk to! It was also one of the reasons she asked for Ikari's help getting a few of the snacks for tonight ready; the boy's hangdog expression was obvious to her, and he simply needed some time to mope in peace with, if necessary, an understanding shoulder to cry on. There was no residual guilt from the various times she'd let Asuka get away with keeping him on a short, spiked leash in public, or any feeling of hypocrisy for not reaching out to the boy sooner. She was just being a good person! The fact that Shinji hadn't moved since he had come into the kitchen just proved that he needed the emotional me-time, Hikari decided. Yes, yes, everything was going along swimm...oh, wait. "Yes?" Hikari offered, looking compassionately, but not confrontationally so, into the Third Child's eyes.
"Sorry, I mumble." Shinji admitted, a little red faced. "I, uh, said, where do you want me to get started? The cookie batter I was looking at seems great...I, um, probably would've added a little extra baking soda, I mean, it helps them keep fresh, but I sort of didn't want to presume since, y'know, you're the one with the experience here, so I figured it'd, uh..." Shinji trailed off, wondering what he did wrong. Or maybe, he thought ruefully, some girls actually let you finish a sentence. What a novelty. "...be more polite to just ask you."
Hikari blinked owlishly, her natural good grace keeping her mouth from hanging open. "...so you weren't, um, contemplating the darkest depths of your soul?"
"Not really, no." Shinji answered, an utterly innocent look on his face. "I did think some dark chocolate chips might, uh, make the cookies a little more interesting. As good as the classics are, variety is the spice of life, right? Um. Not to be presumptuous or anything."
"...great idea!" Hikari smiled, brightly, trying not to whack herself upside the head. Well, that was the other reason she had asked for his help; in spite of himself, Shinji Ikari was a heck of a cook. And actually polite about it. When contrasted with her other friends, let alone the army barracks-style dinners at home, the Class Rep found the Third Child's attitude positively refreshing. "Could you take a look at the dip? I didn't want to get too complicated, what with Toji's sensitive stomach and all..."
"T-toji has a sensitive stomach?"
Huh, he does laugh after all, Hikari reflected, and let a sincere smile slip through. "Well, let me tell you about the time Kensuke convinced him to eat a plate of play-doh sushi, and I'll let you decide for yourself..."
Jock senses...tingling...Toji frowned, slightly, crossing his arms and wondering if he would have to clobber any of his fellow stooges tonight. Both had something of a weakness in the face of the enemy, which is to say, girls, or more specifically, one girl. While the Red Devil was a vicious, clever foe, Toji Suzuhara had known his true nemesis since pre-kindergarten. Yes, the enemy...wore pigtails. Revenge, that most masculine of activities, would have to be contemplated, mused, and eventually implemented. Or at least the first two, Toji wryly thought to himself as he rubbed his still sore earlobe. "Any luck, Ayanami?"
"I am unsure," Came the mildly perplexed voice of Rei Ayanami, professional enigma, as she furrowed her brows at the piece of paper she was holding, "What category to begin searching for...'Turning The Tables: Authority Figures In "H" Trouble.'...as I am unfamiliar with the program."
Suzuhara blinked once, furrowing his own, significantly larger brows, and turned to read over Rei's shoulder. She obviously misread it, Toji thought to himself, nodding before realizing that, no, some joker really did put that title on the movie list.
"Suzuhara." Rei noted with clinical efficiency, "Your face is becoming discolored. Have you come down with an unexpected fever?"
"Let's..." Toji invoked all of his manly muscle to avoid coughing wildly at the implication, there, "...um, just...forget about dat one. I think it's onna Kensuke's art house films, and the last thing we need is him and the Devil getting innanodder 'political debate'. Hikari'd never forgive us for letting that happen...let alone my pop..."
Rei paused for a moment, reflecting on the last time Aida and Langley expressed their political views in a public forum. "I suppose you are correct." The First Child noted, the ghost of a smile upturning her lips slightly.
Toji resisted the urge to shudder, returning his attentions to The List. "Why don't youse pick a movie, Ayanami, since we're...uh...dispensing with the indie flick?"
"I..." Rei paused, and Toji couldn't help but think that he made a mistake. The First Child, on first glance, seemed as cool and distant from the world as ever, an icy, unmovable constant in the chaotic life of Tokyo-03. It was the second glance that the simple action of making eye contact when speaking forced Toji to take that worried him, as it forced him to notice the subtleties; the widening of her eyes, the haphazard interlacing of her fingers, the fragile downturn of her lips, the slight hunch of her back...it took Toji another moment to realize it, but the fact hit him as soundly as his last revelation about an Evangelion pilot. Shinji looked the same way whenever he was trapped in a social situation...especially back in the early days...a kind of quiet, choking fear that froze its victim dead in her tracks. Toji had no idea what to do, or if he even should do anything. Could he be imagining it?
"Blazing Saddles."
"Excuse me?" Toji found himself talking to the clerk; a mousy young woman, couldn't be more than a few years older than them, pale enough that Toji might have mistaken her for an albino like Ayanami were it not for the pitch black hair that fell down loosely around her shoulders. The woman wore slightly oversized black clothing, a large pair of coke bottle glasses, and a smile that seemed out of place when compared to her monotone taste in appearance.
"Well, you kids look like you're having some sort of movie night." The clerk motioned at the sizeable pile of films snugly secured under Toji's arm, "And it's one of those movies everybody likes. There's cowboys, and gunfights, and social commentary, and flatulence jokes!" The girl pauses, blushing a little. "Um, sorry, that means-"
"I know what it means." Toji said a little too quickly, holding his hands up as if to ward off evil spirits, "And tank you fer the advice, but..."
"Yes."
I'm getting conversationally ambushed way too often, Toji lamented as he turned, boggle eyed, to Ayanami. "You sure?"
She wasn't. But it was better than the alternative. "It will be...an experience."
"Pizza's here! An' watch out, cuz holy smokes!"
"Aida." A brief, probing pause. "Please assist us in carrying the comestibles."
Kensuke demurely adjusted the hem of his skirt, wishing it covered his legs a little better, and grabbed half of the steaming stack of pizzas from his still-speechless best friend. He was obviously going mad, Kensuke thought, because Ayanami wouldn't check a man in a girl's school uniform out, or if she did, it would be entirely for scientific purposes. Reis just don't work that way, he reasoned. "How was your trip?"
"Intriguing." Rei noted, coolly hanging her jacket and a few of the bags on Toji's frozen shoulder, freeing up her arms to relieve him of the burden of the remaining hot food, "Ikari's summery of Suzuhara's personality was relatively accurate, which is in and of itself unusual, as he normally judges others too leniently."
"Everyone except himself." Kensuke agreed, shutting the door with a swing of his hips. He would not admit, not to Ayanami, Langley, or even Toji, that the skirt made such an action almost fun, sort of like playing with a hula hoop. "Even if you tell him he's nice, he'll just say that it's insincere, because he does it to avoid trouble."
"Do you agree?" Ayanami asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
"Sometimes." Kensuke admitted, largely because he was vaguely afraid that Rei would be able to tell if he lied by listening to his heart rate or something, "But I think he's more likely to just walk around a situation he doesn't like, or pretend it isn't there. He's not a confrontational guy...very often, at least...but his thinking optimistically about people doesn't have much to do with that, if you look at it from enough of a distance. Just because a virtue can be convenient doesn't mean it's not a virtue, I guess I mean." For some reason, Kensuke felt that it was probably a good idea to stop hustling and even stop bustling, until Rei had decided how she felt about his answer.
The First Child's reaction might have been a nod, or a shrug, Kensuke couldn't tell, and a swing of her own hips, so as to hold the door to the main room open for Kensuke. "Why the skirt?"
"Never gamble with gloating Germans." Kensuke advised, giving the statue formerly known as Toji a look to indicate that, yes, he was leaving it at that, no matter how many headlocks Suzuhara put him into.
Shinji Ikari did not like being touched; it seemed a little milquetoasty of him to think of it like that, but it was the closest thing to accuracy he could manage. It's not like he had a complex or anything, so saying he hated being touched felt like it was a little too strong, involving too much conviction. On the other hand, some watered down version of the phrase, like he 'wasn't big on touching' or whatever, seemed to be selling out, acting like it was just some personal preference, ignoring the sick shivers that ran through his flesh every time someone fostered physical contact on him...
"Szznort!" Toji Suzuhara snored, and Shinji felt those shivers as his friend's leg, which was resting on the Third Child's head, shifted a little in sleep. To Shinji's right, he could hear Hikari Horaki moan softly from where she stumbled to sleep...he could only pray that he was out of range when she discovered she had fallen against Toji's lap...her precariously placed elbow grinding against Shinji's neck, slightly. The mind numbing horror of this twin attack seemed like a reprieve, when Shinji contemplated the weights on his right and left shoulder; to his right, Asuka's softly snoring form leaned against his, the Second having apparently subconsciously decided that he made an acceptable pillow so long as she didn't have to be facing him, and to his left, Ayanami...Ayanami, of all people!...had mirrored the motion from a little farther away, the cause being less contempt and more the simple laws of motion-when you fall asleep sitting down, you tend to lean over to one side or another.
Shinji supposed that he should be happy that the girl didn't fall the other way and crack her head open on Toji's freshly washed tile floor, if only for the sake of his inner neat freak. But it had been three hours since the last film had ended, all boasts, brags, and bets about staying up all night apparently made null and void by the fact that the only one who opted out of the game was the only one left awake, stuck the gently buzzing sound of the television set's static as the only thing to distract him from the wriggling fishhooks of personal contact with his friends, and all Shinji could think of were increasingly complex plans to find some way to end his loathsome existence without inconveniencing anyone else in the room. Unfortunately, Ayanami seemed to be a light sleeper, and there was always the matter of staining Toji's apartment with the foul, brackish fluid that could be mistaken for human blood if you didn't know the Third Child very well. He had thought giving up the couch for the cheap seat on the floor would have avoided a situation like this; sure, he had to sit in the middle, and Toji's socks were particularly pungent that night, but it mend ending the fight that had broken out over who would have to give up said couch, which couldn't fit six people even if one of them didn't have some minor issues regarding his personal space. It had seemed the sort of thing a proper guest does; Shinji remembered shrugging, plopping down on the floor, and turning the TV on before anyone could try to talk him out of it.
And then Rei took a moment to raise an eyebrow at Asuka, and proceeded to gently sit down next to him, about an arm's length away, nestled against the couch's bottom cushions. Shinji didn't think anything of it, as Ayanami dug her privacy too, until Asuka did this strange little 'hmmph!' sound, crossed her arms, and managed to, and Shinji wasn't exactly sure how she worked out these deals with the laws of physics, plop down on his opposite side with a distasteful glance, a 'keep your hands where I can see them, Ikari.' glare, and a smug little smile on her face, all of which managed to be conveyed without setting off Hikari's delicate trouble senses, as Shinji was fairly sure Asuka did not want another 'Kindness, friendship, and understanding!' headlock. But it was still okay, because he still had his personal space, and no one was touching him.
Six back to back movies in a row left Shinji in his present condition, at that terrible time between exhaustion and utter sleeplessness, when his defenses against the cruel tricks his own brain played on him were at their lowest, and worst of all, his mind had nothing else to do but wander. Still, what little remained of Shinji's inner optimist argued, it's not all bad. At least...
The inner voice was cut off by the fwap of Kensuke Aida's hand, accidentally striking Shinji Ikari right in the face as the freckled boy tossed and turned in fitful slumber. Shinji took a moment to appreciate the irony of the situation; something that held no real pleasure for him put him at the center of a web of people, the lowest common denominator of interpersonal connections. Idly wondering if he would ever truly be able to escape from the specter of his duties as the Third Child, pilot of Evangelion Unit-01, Shinji closed his eyes and attempted to simply block out the stimulation, hoping the effort would lull him to sleep.
Something was wrong.
Sunlight. Sunlight? Of course it's sunny. Morning. Got to get up. They'll be wanting breakfast. They might realize that they can pour a bowl of cereal themselves if he doesn't hurry, and then they'd have no use for him and he'd be stuck watching the train vanish again and Shinji hated mornings. The sun persisting on stabbing into his eyes was bad enough, but this hot, heavy feeling, something he had thought he'd grown used to in the endless summer of Post-Second Impact Japan, it was like he was wearing a wool blanket on a hundred degree day. Maybe he was sick?
Or maybe, Shinji thought as he peeked an eye open, it's this big heavy tarp that's over my body. Groaning softly, the Third Child pushed the plastic-feeling material away from his face, wincing again at what he could now identify as flashlights, rather than the cursed sun, blaring in his eyes. The faint murmurs of People were all around him, but further away than usual, as if some cone of silence had been erected to keep anyone from standing too close to him. Idly, Shinji wondered if this was what it felt like to be Ayanami and then, he looked down.
Rubbing his eyes, Shinji looked again. And again. And again. Hey, drowsiness can be a chronic problem, right? Right. Wrong. There really was the pale form of Professor Fuyutsuki laying on the ground, eyes wide, mouth partially opened, and a big, cherry red hole in his chest. "That." Shinji said in a voice that seemed too deep to be coming from someone like him, "Is one dead body allright."
A thick thump, and then the world irised out...
Notes: Well, there it is. Chapter one. I'm hoping to post chapter two in a week or two, depending on how quickly my rough draft goes. I want to stay at least two rough chapters ahead, so I don't end up not updating for a month or six.