Asuka reached up to her locker and pulled it open, causing for a sea of envelopes to pour out onto her feet. Her expression remained blank as she took a deep breath before looking down at the mess scattered around her feet. All of the envelopes had some sort of heart shaped sticker on them, or at the very least some cheesy message meant to woo her.
"This is getting irritating." She murmured, stomping down on the pile of love letters. So was the downside of popularity though, being forced to deal with endless waves of boys that wanted to have a shot at her. It was at times like this she almost wished that she could be like Shinji and just vanish into a crowd. It astonished her how someone who was known as an EVA pilot could possibly go as unnoticed as he did. But then again she enjoyed the perks of being popular far more than its downsides, so she couldn't complain.
"Looks like you've got a secret admirer…" Shinji spoke as he opened up his locker a few doors down from her's. "Or twenty."
"Consider yourself lucky to be working with someone like myself." She huffed. "I've been here only two days, and already every boy in school wants me."
"If they could see past your looks, they might think differently." He murmured, not meaning for Asuka to hear it.
"What was that?!"
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought." She kept her eyes focused on Shinji, glairing at him as he grabbed his lunch. Once he closed his locker, she called out to him. "So is the other one here too?"
"The other one?" Shinji tilted his head.
"What are you, stupid?" She scoffed. "The First Child!"
Shinji made a 'O' shape with his mouth before answering. "Rei? Yeah. Why?"
"Just wondering." As Shinji walked off, she began to wonder if Rei was as boring as he was. She couldn't imagine that'd be the case, as she found Shinji to be as entertaining as a rock. Although she had to admit that he did have a sense of mystery to him. His quiet nature always made her wonder what it was he was truly thinking about. However she had since come to the conclusion that his thoughts were probably just as boring as he presented himself to be.
After closing her locker, she made her way outside, leaving the love letters to be swept up by the janitor. She took in a deep breath of fresh air as she stepped through the doors. It seemed everyone had congregated to the gate for lunch. She honestly couldn't blame them, especially on a day this nice. Thinking about it though, she figured she should've opted for the roof, where she wouldn't have to be swarmed with boys she'd have to shoo off.
Off in the distance she spotted a lone blue haired girl eating her lunch. The redhead narrowed her eyes and then reached into her pocket to pull out a picture Kaji had given her of the First Child before her arrival. She looked at the photo and then at the girl. It was indeed Rei Ayanami, and judging by her being completely alone, it seemed that she had done an even better job of staying invisible than Shinji did.
"Hey, Rei Ayanami!" She called out, causing the crimson eyed girl to do little more than glance her way.
"Yes?"
"You're the First Child, the pilot of EVA Unit 00, right?"
"Yes." She replied. "And you are the Second Child, and pilot of Unit 02, correct?"
"You better believe I am!" She proudly exclaimed. "Why don't we be friends, I mean us girls have to stick together, right?"
Rei simply looked away from her and spoke in a voice that barely qualified as more than a whisper. "I will if I am commanded to."
Asuka raised an eyebrow, and gave her a perplexed look. "What?"
Rei repeated herself, only a little bit louder. "I will if I am commanded to."
"What a freak." Asuka mumbled to herself. "Ya know what," She flicked her wrist back as she turned away. "Just keep doing your thing, Wondergirl." Brushing off her strange introduction to the First Child, she started making her way to the other side of the gate to sit with Hikari, the class rep. After getting about halfway across the yard, a strange noise began to sound, blaring through her ears.
"An Angel attack!" Shinji exclaimed as he shot up from the circle he had formed with Touji and Kensuke.
"An Angel attack?!" Asuka's heart started to race. "You mean there's one attacking the city right now?!"
"Yes! Let's go!"
The redhead could barely contain her excitement as she squealed with glee. She had been waiting for her big debut mission. However she didn't expect for it to come this soon. Accepting the pleasant surprise, she followed Shinji as he dashed out of the front gate, making his way to NERV Headquarters, Rei right behind her.
XXXXXXXXXX
"This sucks!" Asuka groaned as she sat in her EVA being airlifted to the location of the Angel. "Its my first mission and I have to go on it with you." She looked over to the other EVA Unit being airlifted. Its purple and green frame certainly gave it a very distinct look, as did its long and angular face, but Asuka knew that in terms of technology Unit 02 was superior. Though not as superior as she led on to believe.
"Don't blame me, Asuka." Shinji replied. "It's just procedure." He chuckled.
"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "Just don't get in my way!"
"Cut it out, Asuka." Misato's voice rang through her ears. "You two will engage the target as a team. One will cover while the other will attack, and you will switch up the roles if necessary."
The redhead snickered. "We'll see how much teamwork we need once that Angel shows up." She felt the latches around Unit 02 loosen as the restraints let go of both EVA Units, letting them freefall onto the beach. They had five minutes of power, which Asuka knew would be far more than enough to take down the Angel. Once they landed onto the soft sand, she brandished her spear while Shinji cocked his assault rifle.
"Get ready, you two." Misato spoke cautiously as the two awaited for the Angel to rise from the water. At first it was just a few small waves, and then a violent splash as the monstrosity revealed itself to them. The Angel's form reminded Shinji if the first Angel he ever fought. However this one's arms were much longer and hung around its knees, while its legs were much shorter and stubbier.
"Oh this is going to be so easy." Asuka rolled her eyes. "I've got this one!" She declared, charging forward.
"Hey!" Shinji shouted. "Watch out, you dumb rookie!" Being unable to stop her, he was forced to do nothing but lay suppressing fire onto the beast.
"What's wrong Shinji?" Her accent was slipping through. "Are you worried about me?"
"Don't flatter yourself."
Asuka frowned. "Pity." She sighed. "I'm charging in!"
Shinji's eyes went wide. "Wait, what?!" Before he could make anymore protests, the red EVA Unit dashed forward, hopping atop of a partially sunken building, and then leaping into the air over the Angel. Then with one swift motion she brought down the blade of the spear, slicing through the center of the Angel with perfect form.
"Ha!" She laughed. "How's that for ya, Stupid Shinji?"
Unit 01 lowered its weapon while Shinji looking on in awe. "Well I'll be damned." He couldn't believe it. Perhaps she really was as good as she said she was. It brought a bit of dissatisfaction to him though to not get see Asuka get her ass handed to her so she could learn why you shouldn't refrain from following commands.
"Asuka, look out!" Misato's voice echoed through her cockpit.
The pilot of Unit 02 turned around and saw the two pieces of the Angel begin to morph. It looked as though arms and legs had begun sprouting from both severed halves and they were beginning to transform into two completely separate beings.
"No way." She gasped as they both took full form and came in for the attack. Shinji tried laying down suppressing fire, but it was too little too late. Just before Asuka went down, Shinji actually began to regret wishing for her to get beaten down by the Angel.
XXXXXXXXXX
The darkened room was faintly lit up as the projector came to life. Shinji and Asuka both tilted their heads down, looking at the floor as the slideshow started. They felt they needn't be reminded about the catastrophe that was their most recent mission.
"At 10:58 AM, Unit 01 was attacked by one of the targets, Alpha, which had separated from the other target…."
'Wonderful.' Both of them thought. Averting their eyes from the slideshow wasn't going to keep them from being forced to relive the most disastrous sortie in the history of the Evangelion Project. It especially didn't help for Asuka to have Kaji sitting right behind her. As the presenter continued, both the Second and the Third Child started murmuring to themselves about the reason for the mission being such a catastrophic failure.
"It's all Asuka's fault." Shinji grumbled.
"It's all Shinji's fault." Asuka growled.
Both of them looked up at the screen to see pictures of their respective EVAs sticking feet up while the rest of their bodies were either buried under dirt in Asuka's case, or submerged underwater in Shinji's.
As the presenter continued on, Auka felt her fists begin to clench. This was so embarrassing. This was not how her first mission was supposed to be. She was supposed to enter with glory and elegance, not disaster and failure.
"This is all your fault!" She exclaimed, shooting out of her chair, pointing an accusatory finger at her partner.
"My fault?!" He looked more baffled than anything. "How is any of this my fault?" He stood up from his chair as well. "You're the one who didn't follow orders!"
"Well you could've at least helped me when they broke apart instead of just standing there!"
"I was laying suppressing fire!"
"I'll suppress you, you little bra-"
"Enough!" Vice Commander Fuyutsuki roared. "I will not sit here and let you two children bicker over such trivial things." Both teens turned to him, and remained dead silent as he spoke. "We were lucky that the UN was able to at least send the Angel into retreat, but heed my words it will be back." Fuyutsuki was not the type of person to get angry. If anything, he had a much calmer demeanor than even Commander Ikari. To see him like this was quite unsettling. "When it does come back, you both will work as a team, and you will destroy it." He glared at both of them, especially at Asuka, because even he knew that she was the root of why the mission was a failure. "Is that understood?"
"Yes sir." They replied together.
"Good." He sat back down in his chair. "You two are dismissed. Captain Katsuragi will give you further instruction from here."
Both Asuka and Shinji sighed once the Vice Commander's eyes were off of them. It felt like he had just drained all their energy away by doing so little as looking at them. Both pilots slowly trudged out of the room, leaving the adults to discuss this further.
As the door closed shut behind them, Asuka leaned her arm against the wall and rested her head on her forearm. "Mein Gott, that was awful."
"You're telling me." The Third Child sighed, leaning back against the other wall.
"Shut up, Shinji." It came out more like a whimper than a snap.
Shinji merely shook his head and looked up to the ceiling. They both remained motionless for about a minute, neither one of them looking at the other. Shinji kept his eyes up at the ceiling, while Asuka kept hers directed at the wall.
After a bit they both began to feel heavy, as though the silence was weighing them down. It must've grown too heavy for Asuka, as she pulled herself back from the wall and made her way down the corridor without saying so much as a word to Shinji.
Ikari felt a lightness fill the room once she was gone, but a sinking feeling at the same time. He hoped that she wouldn't take this loss too hard. Within the short time he'd known her, he had quickly come to learn that her pride was her strongest character trait. He knew this must've been a huge blow to her ego, and he did feel just the slightest bit bad about it. However he was also aware that she may have needed a good punch to the pride if it made her a better teammate because of it.
XXXXXXXXXX
Misato felt a sense of dread fill her as she looked at the three and a half foot stack of paperwork on her desk. She didn't need anyone to tell her that all of them were damage reports and claims from the recent Angel battle. She found it amazing how just one botched mission could result in a month's worth of paperwork.
"Looks like you're going to be busy for a while." Ritsuko said snidely as she approached from behind.
"You're telling me." Katsuragi groaned. "I can't believe this."
"I can't believe you're still here." Dr. Akagi said as she took a seat on the one empty corner of Misato's desk. "I was almost certain that you were going to be fired."
"I guess I'm lucky Commander Ikari's not here right now, huh?" She said with a fake smile.
"So what's your plan to destroy the Angel?" The blonde asked as she fumbled with something in her pocket.
"Not a clue." She replied. "It looks like the core is only exposed when Alpha and Beta are merging together." Misato slowly laid her head down onto a huge folder of paperwork, just wanting to go to sleep. "How are we supposed to destroy that?"
"Well," Akagi smirked. "I might have a way."
"You do?" Misato lifted her head back up, sounding more curious than surprised.
"Well, technically it isn't my plan, but Kaji's."
Captain Katsuragi rested her face in the palm of her hand. "Of course." After taking a deep breath, she stuck her hand out. "Let's see it then." Ritsuko placed a small flash drive into Misato's hand. On it was a little note written by Kaji. Just reading it made Misato want to throw up.
XXXXXXXXXX
Shinji opened the door to Misato's apartment, seeing that it was empty, save for Pen Pen taking a beer out of the refrigerator. That was fine by him though. After the day he had, he just wanted to lay down and sleep it all away in complete solitude.
He threw his book bag down in the chair he normally sat in during breakfast, and made his way to his room. At least that was always there. His room, his haven, his personal shelter away from all the weight of the world. If only that were so.
"What the hell?!" He exclaimed as he looked into his room. "Why are all these boxes in here?!" The inside of his room was slammed full with at least thirty boxes, all labeled in a language he couldn't understand. Upon looking closer, he felt a sense of woe when he could partially make out the language. "German?"
"Oh, those?" Shinji felt a tingle run down his spine when he heard the voice. Slowly he turned to see the redheaded nightmare standing before him. "Those are just some of my things." She answered. "There was nowhere near enough space to put all of that in my room."
"What are you doing here?!" His shouted, terrified to see that his work was following him home now.
"Me?" She pointed to herself. "I'm living here now. The better question is what are you doing here?"
"Wait, what am I…" He couldn't believe this was happening to him. "You can't just kick me out!"
"Yeah I can." She scoffed. "Misato replaced you with the newer model."
Shinji nearly found himself at a loss of words. Misato wouldn't actually kick him out, would she? "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"What do you think it means?" She narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "It means Misato doesn't want you here anymore!"
"Aw, Asuka." Katsuragi's voice rang through the apartment as she entered through the front door, much to Shinji's relief. "Now why would you say something like that?"
"Well it's true isn't it? I'm living here now, right?" The redhead turned towards the kitchen, catching Misato throw down her pocket book on the table as she made her way to the two teens.
"Well yes, you are living here now." She confirmed. "But Shinji's not going anywhere either." She added as she playfully messed with his hair.
"Whaaa?!" Her eyes went wide. "You mean I have to live with him?!"
Katsuragi shrugged. "It's a part of your training. We need to keep those sync scores up, and what better way to do that than have you two living together?"
Both of them felt a pit rise in their stomach. This had to be a nightmare. They couldn't seriously be forced to actually live with one another. The best they could do was tolerate each other for brief periods of time. The idea of being around each other all day and all night was their own personal definition of Hell.
"I will not live under the same roof as this pervert!" She screamed, pointing a finger at Shinji.
"Pervert?" Shinji sounded more offended than angry. "Well I don't want to live under the same roof as a spoiled little brat like you!"
There it was, Asuka had to hide her faint grin. There was that venom she knew he had. It wasn't much of a bite, but at least she was happy to know that he had a spine, even if it was just a frail one. She still didn't like him though. She may have had a slightly increased respect for him, but that was it.
"Shinji! Asuka!" Misato's booming voice drowned out their own, bringing them to silence as they turned to face her. "From now on you two will not just live together. You will eat together, sleep together, train together, bathe togeth…" She stopped herself and shook her head. "Okay, not that one. But you get the point!" Before letting either one of them interject, she bent over and came nearly nose length away from both of their faces. "And by the way," Her tone was now so soft it was nearly a whisper. "That's an order."
Both of the teens directed their eyes at one another, sharing a mutual feeling of disgust. Misato waved for them to follow her as she began making her way to the kitchen. As the two walked behind her, Shinji looked over at his partner, realizing that she was not wearing her A10 connectors. He thought about saying something, but instead just kept it to himself.
"This is stupid." Asuka huffed, taking a seat in the chair. Shinji tried to sit on the other side of her, but Misato directed him back to Asuka's side where he had to sit next to her.
"Now…" The captain took a breath. "After the disaster that was today's mission, we only have six days until our second attempt to destroy the Angel."
"And how the hell are we going to kill that thing?" Asuka pouted, resting her chin in her palm.
"I'm glad you asked, Asuka." Misato's tone was much more cheery, a strong contrast to her sternness from earlier. "We're going to defeat this Angel with music!" She proudly held up a flash drive and dangled it in front of them.
"Seriously?" Both of them groaned in unison.
"Well, sorta." She began to pace back and forth across the kitchen floor, explaining the plan. "The Angel's cores are only exposed when it is morphing back together. So That means you two will act in unison and destroy both cores simultaneously."
"And how will we do that?" Shinji asked, scratching his head.
"Simple." Misato smiled. "By timing your movements with this music." She held the flash drive up once again.
"So a dance, basically?" Asuka pinched her thumb and index finger on the bridge of her nose.
"Exactly!" She nodded. "I've got your dance clothes folded in the living room. So go get changed and we'll start your training." Both Asuka and Shinji lowered their heads and groaned in near harmony. "See, you two are syncing up perfectly already!"
"This is going to be a long six days." Shinji griped.
"You're telling me." Asuka agreed.
XXXXXXXXXX
Touji and Kensuke climbed up the stairs to Misato's apartment, their book bags strapped around their shoulders. It had been three days since Shinji or Asuka had shown up to class, and they had begun to worry. As they made their way up the stairs, they could hear footsteps coming up from behind them, causing them to move their eyes towards the sound.
"Oh, hey Hikari." Touji waved. "Whatcha doin' here?"
The brown haired girl looked up at the two boys, her books held tightly to her chest. "Oh, hi Touji. Hi Kensuke." She greeted back. "I'm just here to see if Asuka is alright, and you?"
"We're here to check on Shinji." The tall student replied.
"Kinda weird that they've both been out, isn't it?" Kensuke began to adjust his glasses as they made it up the final step. "I mean I know they both work for NERV and all, but why would they both be out at the same time three days in a row?"
"Are you about to go on one of those rants again about how we need to 'learn the truth'?" Touji asked in a mocking tone.
He shrugged. "Don't you think that it is at least a little bit odd?"
"Eh," Touji shrugged as well. "If you really want to know where Super-Bitch is at, then just ask Shinji. I'm sure he'll know"
"Hey!" Hikari snapped. "That's my friend you're talking about!"
"Sorry." He apologized halfheartedly as he and Kensuke stopped in front of Misato's door and knocked on it.
"Umm…" The class rep started tapping her foot. "What are you doing at Asuka's apartment?"
"Asuka?" Kensuke cocked his head to the side, confused. "This is Shinji's apartment.
She shook her head, cauing for her pigtails to sway. "No it's not. This is Asuka's address." She reached for a paper between two of her books and showed it to the two boys. "See." Both of them read over the piece of paper silently. She wasn't lying, this was indeed Asuka's address, but they could've sworn that they had come here to see Shinji before. Once the door opened, all of their questions were answered.
"Oh my God!" Hikari screamed at the sight before her. Touji and Kensuke seemed to be just as repulsed by what they saw as well. In the apartment, both Shinji and Asuka stood there clad in loose fitting dance clothing, and their faces painted with revulsion.
"W..what the hell is going on?" Shinji's taller friend was practically shaking. "Are you… and her…"
"No!" Both of them viciously shouted in unison. "It's not like that!"
The three cringed at them speaking in perfect harmony. "What are you two doing together?" Hikari was trying her best to make rational sense out of this.
"It's Misato's fault." They sighed. "We have to eat, breath, and sleep together." They couldn't keep eye contact with their schoolmates, as they were far too embarrassed.
"Can you please stop doing that?!" Touji exclaimed.
"Doing what?" They replied in harmony once again, simultaneously directing their gaze his way.
"That!" He shivered.
"What's going on over here?" The group looked down the walkway to see Misato making her way towards the apartment with bags of groceries in hand. Next to her was the third EVA pilot, Rei Ayanami. Her expression seemed to remain blank as she stood by Misato's side.
"Ms. Katsuragi," Hikari looked over at her with pleading eyes. "please tell me what's going on?"
Misato stopped, looking slightly confused for a moment. "Oh, you mean those two?" She nodded towards Shinji and Asuka. "It's a part of their training, that's all." She smiled. However the three students still seemed confused and just a little repulsed. "C'mon inside." She motioned her head towards the apartment. "I'll explain it over some tea."
XXXXXXXXXX
After a cup of tea and a few minutes of explanation, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari had simmered down upon coming to an understanding of Shinji and Asuka's training. Their gags and cringes of disgust had turned into laughter and teasing as they watched the two EVA pilots attempt to synchronize their dance movements on what looked to be a game mat with multiple colored circles spread throughout it.
Buzzz
"Damnit, Stupid Shinji!" The pilot of Unit 02 stomped her foot down, and glared at her partner. "You keep messing up at the exact same part!"
"Me?" He shook his head. "You're the one stepping to the left when you need to step right!"
"Dummkoph!" She started clenching her fists. "Misato!" Her tone sounded more whiny than angry. "I can't work with this… this idiot!"
The lavender haired woman sat idly for a moment before putting down her tea. "Are you saying you don't want to do the mission?"
"Not with him." She placed her hands on her hips, standing her ground.
Katsuragi shrugged and looked over at the pilot of Unit 00. "Rei," She called softly.
Lowering her tea from her lips, she glanced over at Misato, meeting her with her crimson eyes. "Yes, Captain Katsuragi?"
"Could you please give it a try?"
"Yes, Captain Katsuragi." Rei stood from the sofa and made her way to the mat, completely ignoring the dumbfounded look on Asuka's face. Shinji remained silent, only watching the strange blue haired girl approach the mat next to his. She then assumed a ready position like that of an Olympic runner before the starting gun.
"One, two, three, go!" Misato clicked the button to start the song. As soon as it started, Asuka felt a sense of despair overtake her. Each movement Rei made was perfectly in sync with Shinji's. Her timing was perfect, her grace serene.
"No." She whimpered. She was wrong. She was the one messing up on the same part over and over again. She was the one who couldn't keep timing. She was the one who was holding Shinji back. She was the burden to the team.
"Well," Misato leaned back in the sofa. "Rei's doing really well." Her gaze turned towards Asuka. "Looks like I should just replace you with Rei on this one, huh?"
There it was, that shot to her pride. "What?" The redhead looked back at the two dancing together in perfect harmony. "No…" A heaviness began to fill her eyes. She couldn't let the others see this. She couldn't let them see weakness in her. "No! No! No!"
Shinji stopped as he and the others watched his partner storm off to her room, slamming the sliding door shut so hard that it bounced back partly opened. He heard an offhanded remark from Touji and Kensuke, but wasn't paying enough attention to hear what they said. However, Hikari's yelling didn't escape him.
"Shinji Ikari!" He looked over at her as she pointed an accusatory finger his way. "Look what you did! You made her cry!"
His mouth opened slightly, a puzzled look crossing his face. "I made her…"
"Go apologize!"
Shinji found himself to be at a loss of words. He didn't know what he did, or how it was his fault that she ran off like that, but he knew he'd never hear the end of it from Hikari if he didn't apologize for whatever it was he did. The only problem was that he had to apologize to Asuka of all people. He'd be lucky if she didn't stab him in the throat the second he walked into the room.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly made his way to her room and carefully slid open the door. The second he peered his head in, he was met by her barging out and grabbing him by the bottom of his dance shirt.
"You're coming with me." She snarled, directing him to the front door.
"Uh, okay." He submitted. "Where are we going?"
"Out."
"Out?" He cocked his head. "Out where?"
"Just shut up and put your shoes on, idiot." She let go of him and slid on a pair of sneakers, bending over to tie them. Shinji wanted to say something, but he wasn't quite sure if he'd come out unscathed if he did. So he quietly complied, putting on his pair of shoes as well.
"W..we'll be back, Misato." The pilot of Unit 01 called. "I guess…"
"Just don't stay out too late." He was a bit taken back by how cheery she sounded about it. "We've got a big day coming up."
"Yeah…" Once his shoes were tied, he saw that Asuka was already out the door and making her way towards the stairwell outside. "Hey, wait for me!" He yelled, taking off after her, shutting the door behind him.
Rei looked over at the now shut door, then slowly turned towards Misato and the group. "Their interactions are quite…. Odd."
XXXXXXXXXX
Shinji leaned against the glass freezer doors inside the convenience store while Asuka looked through the selection of sodas. She was already disappointed to find out that the store didn't carry any black liquorish, and her selection of sodas was rather limited as well. She didn't recognize any of the logos either, save for a few that she didn't like to begin with.
"Hey, Asuka." She could feel Shinji's presence behind her, but she continued shuffling through the drinks. "I'm sor-"
"Don't even say it." Her stern tone brought him to immediate silence. "Why do you Japanese feel the need to apologize for things that aren't even your fault?"
"It's just that you looked really…"
"Shut up, Stupid Shinji." She let out a sigh as she reached for a handful of sodas, figuring she'd have to like at least one of them. "I'll go on the mission with you."
"If you don't want to go on the mission with me, you don't have to."
"God, you're so dense!" She slammed the freezer door shut and glared at him. "this isn't about you! This is about Wondergirl!"
Shinji gave her a perplexed look. "You mean Rei?"
"Yes! Her!" Frustration was clearly starting to seep through. "Tell me Shinji, what is it like being as stupid as you are?"
The shopkeeper was beginning to notice the fuss coming from them, and started shooting a weary glance at the two teens. Shinji quickly took notice of this and tried to nod his head in the clerk's direction to get Asuka to calm down.
"Let's just get our snacks and go."
The redhead let out a huff as she shoved by the young pilot, dropping the items on the counter. Once the shopkeeper rang them up, Asuka began searching through her pockets, trying to find the spare cash she had on her.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" She snarled. "My money is in my other pants!" She stomped her foot. "God damn it! God damn it! God damn it! Can this day get any wor-" She ceased her ranting and raving as a hand came down onto the counter, placing a wad of yen in front of her. Her eyes slowly traced up the arm, seeing it belonged to Shinji. She wanted to make a snide remark about him being too generous, but she just didn't have it in her to protest him. She just wanted her snacks.
XXXXXXXXXX
The two made their way back to Misato's apartment, but opted to make a detour to the roof where they could eat their snacks in peace. The sun had begun to set and the beautiful cityscape of Tokyo-3 made the sight at least a little bit tranquil. It was nothing compared to the landscapes Asuka had seen back in Germany, but it was better than having to stare at the dance mats that she'd become all too familiar with.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying their break away from everyone. After all the tension from the past three days, as well as the looming fact that they'd have to confront the Angel again had caused quite a bit of stress between the two of them. Which made the peaceful breeze all the more enchanting.
"Asuka?" Shinji murmured, almost afraid that she'd snap his neck just for speaking.
"Yeah?"
"Why did you become an EVA pilot?" Shinji couldn't tell if she laughed or scoffed at his question.
"What type of question is that?" She leaned up, resting her arms behind her. "Why did I become an EVA Pilot?" She almost looked like she was going to burst out laughing. "I became an EVA pilot because I wanted to. Isn't that the same reason you became one too?"
"Well…" He turned away from her and looked down at his feet. "No."
"Are you serious?" This time Shinji knew he heard a laugh escape from her. "Then why do you pilot Unit 01?"
He found that he didn't have an immediate answer for her. He leaned his head back and looked up at the orange clouds, taking a second to think about it. "I guess its because my Dad wants me to."
"Really?" The redhead seemed to be finding this more hysterical than anything. In a way Shinji was happy about that. He'd much rather have Asuka laugh at him than yell at him. "That's the stupidest reason I've ever heard!" She put down her food as her giggles continued, and looked up to the sky. "Shinji Ikari, The Third Child and pilot of EVA Unit 01!" She threw her arms up like she was announcing his epic entrance. "He's here to save all of mankind because Daddy told him to!"
"It's not like that, exactly." He said softly.
"Then what is it like?" Her laughter had ceased and her expression was more so one of playful teasing. "What is it really like for our reluctant hero, Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji found himself speechless for a moment. Not because he couldn't find the answer, but because of Asuka. She was doing something that he'd never seen her do around him unless Kaji was around.
She was smiling.
Not just a condescending smile, or one of snide. She was genuinely smiling at him. Even if it was from her laughing at his own expense, he felt a rather warm sensation at the sight of her being at least something along the lines of happy.
"Hey, Stupid Shinji?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "Answer my question. What is it like then?"
"Oh, right." He shook himself back into reality. "It's not that I want to do it just because he told me to. I want to do it because, well…" He took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Because I want him to be proud of me, ya know?"
"Oh, this is great." Asuka started laughing yet again, looking back up at the sky. "So its me, a boy with Daddy issues, and a girl with the personality of a brick." After taking in a deep breath to calm her laughter, she looked back at Shinji. "We're quite a motley crew, aren't we?"
"Yeah." He nodded, faintly smiling. "I guess so."
The two turned their attention to the setting sun, catching it sink just below the skyscrapers of Tokyo-3. For the first time since they met, Shinji actually felt like they were truly getting along. Perhaps in a strange, dysfunctional way, but they were getting along none the less.
"I'm sorry." The redhead broke the silence, her tone much more serious.
Shinji looked over at Asuka, swearing he heard an apology from her. "What did you say?"
"I said I'm sorry." She repeated, sounding a little bit reluctant to let the words escape her mouth. "You're right, I should've followed the orders.
Shinji couldn't believe this. Was she actually apologizing to him? The idea of hearing those words come from her of all people felt beyond strange. "I'm sorry too." He replied.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" She asked.
"You were right." He sighed. "I should've at least tried to do a little more to help you." He thought he could hear Asuka make a faint chuckle.
"I guess we're both even then, huh?"
"I guess so." He smiled, taking a sip of his soda.
Demonstrating her gymnastic skills, Asuka pulled her legs back and sprung herself from her back onto her feet by using the momentum gained from swinging them forward. "Alright, c'mon, Daddy's Boy." She called as she started to stretch. "We've got some dancing to do."
XXXXXXXXXX
The last two days of training was stressful, but seemed to be yielding its rewards. Asuka and Shinji's synchronization was becoming near perfect, and their work ethic seemed to be taking a turn for the better as well. Though there was still a considerable amount of tension between the two, Misato didn't feel that it would hinder the mission at hand.
Shinji laid across his bed which had been laid out on the floor in the living room, where he, Asuka, and Misato were forced to sleep as part of their training. He replayed the song on his walkman once again, tapping his finger to the beat. It had practically become ingrained into his mind, as though his very heartbeat kept in time with it.
"I hope I never have to hear this song again after we kill this Angel." He mumbled to himself.
"Hey," Asuka called as the bathroom door opened up. "Is Misato back yet?"
"No." He looked up to see the redhead step out, drying her wet hair from her shower. She was wearing one of her sleep shirts that went down a little bit below her waist. She didn't seem to be wearing pants though. Was she even wearing underwear? Of course she was. Shinji mentally scolded himself for even thinking that was a possibility. "Misato said she had to work late. She won't be coming back till tomorrow."
'Oh really now?" A sly grin crossed her face. She dropped the towel on the floor, leaving it to be picked up later. "So we're all alone now, huh?"
"I guess so." His reply was more of a default response than him actually thinking about what she was saying to him.
Asuka frowned, and then walked over to her futon.
"What are you doing?" Ikari asked as the redhead grabbed her bed and started to drag it into the other room.
"This is the impenetrable Wall of Jericho." Her voice sounded ever so slightly hostile. However Shinji didn't really notice her tone since she was leaning forward, giving him a cheap opportunity to take a peak down her loose fitting shirt. "You cannot cross it. Do you understand?"
"Huh, what?" Shinji quickly brought his eyes back up to hers. "Oh yeah. Sure, whatever."
Asuka seemed to make a huff as she slammed the sliding door shut, completely separating the two of them.
"She's one weird girl." Shinji said shaking his head before he hit the replay button on his Walkman.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Kaji, stop." Misato's objection felt more obligatory as opposed to something she actually wanted to say. "Somebody could see…." She started to trail off as her lips locked with his. She had forgotten what this was like. What it was like to be in his arms, and for their tongues to do the dance they used to always do.
She began to lose herself, allowing for her folder to slip from her hands and land on the floor of the elevator. With both hands free, she embraced him, holding him tightly as they continued to kiss. However the telling feeling of the elevator slowing down was enough to snap her back into the real world. She quickly pulled herself away from him as the bell rang and the doors opened. Fortunately for them there was nobody waiting outside.
"Just like old times, huh?" Kaji's smile sent shivers down her spine as she bent down and grabbed the folder.
"We shouldn't have done that." Katsuragi sounded more disappointed than angry.
"You didn't seem feel that way a few seconds ago."
She took a deep breath, exhaling as she stepped out of the elevator. "We're done Kaji. Why don't you get that?"
"Are we?" He tilted his head down ever so slightly, throwing her a glance, piercing directly into her eyes.
"Yes." It took her a moment to find the words, but they finally came out. "Yes. We're through."
"If you say so, Misato." He winked as the door closed, separating the two of them.
XXXXXXXXXX
Asuka's icy blue eyes shot open. It was the same dream as before. It was always the same dream. Her sheets were soaked with sweat, and her clothes were drenched. She laid there for a moment, wondering if sleeping by herself was truly a good idea. Asuka looked down at her shirt and panties, knowing that she'd have to change them since they were so drenched.
She leaned up from her bed and grabbed a clean pair of underwear and the sleep shirt she wore the night before out of her dresser. As she changed, she could feel the wetness around her feet from all the sweat. Asuka looked down at the soaked sheet, causing for one singular thought to run through her mind.
"Great." She sighed. "Now I have to pee."
Slowly she slid the door to the living room open, peaking inside to make sure she didn't wake Shinji. It just took a glance for her to realize that he was faking it though. She caught him quickly tuck his head down the second she opened the door.
Ignoring him, she made her way to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Outside, Shinji quietly looked at the light coming from under the cracks of the door. He had no idea why he felt the need to feign sleep. It was just Asuka after all. What did she care if he was still awake?
After flushing the commode, the door opened and the light turned off. Shinji quickly closed his eyes, waiting for her to go back to her room. He could hear her footsteps getting closer and closer as she made her way across the apartment. Then as the noise of her footsteps reached a peak, they came to a stop.
Suddenly he could feel movement in front of him as Asuka's body fell next to his. He wanted to gasp, but he didn't want to wake her up. Her eyes were sealed shut, and she seemed completely unaware that he was there. Shinji thought about nudging her awake, but he wasn't quite sure how she'd react to that.
Then she started to move, inching her face closer to his, practically touching his nose with her own. He could feel her breath on him, and he was certain that she could feel his just because of how hard he was breathing. However she remained at ease.
Shinji found that he had lost control over his own movement, and his hormones had started moving his body on its own. It was just an opportunity he couldn't pass up. She was such a pretty girl, and she was literally laying right there next to him. He could do it, he could just go in for a quick kiss and that'd be that. He fought the urges the best he could, but his own will was just not strong enough. As his lips moved in closer to hers, she let out a whimper, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.
"Ma…" Her eyelids began to move, but remained shut. "Ma…ma." A single tear began to form around her left eye, sneaking through her eyelids, and hanging on to her eyelashes. Shinji remained motionless, watching as she continued to whimper. She must've been having a nightmare, what it was of he had no clue though.
He wanted to just get up and leave her be, but something, some force from which he couldn't comprehend seemingly compelled him to stay. Was it that he just didn't have the heart to leave her to endure the nightmare? Or was it that he just didn't want to leave the side of a pretty girl?
In truth, he figured it was a little bit of both.
Slowly he reached his hand out and wiped away the tear from her face. "Asu…" He stopped himself. Why was he calling out to her? "Asu…ka?" Why did he keep calling to her? He knew this was a bad idea, yet he continued to do so anyways. "Asuka, are you alright?" He whispered.
Suddenly, the redhead lurched forward, placing her body against his, and rested her head on his shoulder. Shinji could feel his body turn to ice at her touch. He felt like he was laying with a sleeping tiger, knowing that if it woke, he'd be dead. However she seemed so at peace laying next to him, so he went against the feeling in his gut, and remained dead still as she began to nudge even closer to him.
"Goodnight, Asuka." He whispered to her. "Please don't kill me when you wake up." Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Unit 01, are you ready?" Misato's voice echoed through his entry plug. The Angel had finally shown itself just as expected. Though the battle with the Angel was truly the last thing on Shinji's mind at the moment. The only thing he could even begin to think about was the conversation he had with Asuka earlier that morning.
When he had awakened, she was already up and eating breakfast, acting as though nothing had happened the night prior. He thought about bringing it up to her, but he just couldn't find the courage in himself to do so. He figured that was probably her intention.
On the plus side though, he did get the best night's sleep he'd had in quite some time out of it, and Asuka seemed to be in a better mood than normal as well. However he didn't expect for the latter to last very long.
"Unit 01, are you ready?" Misato asked again, this time slightly more stern.
"Oh, yeah." He nodded. "Sorry."
"Unit 02, are you ready?"
"You better believe I am!" Asuka's enthusiasm brought a smile to the face of everyone in the control room, save for Fuyutsuki.
"Good." Katsuragi nodded. "Just remember your choreography and everything should be fine."
"Oh, by the way." Ritsuko leaned over Misato's shoulder and spoke into the microphone. "You two have increased your average sync scores by five percent. Keep up the good work."
"Yes ma'm." They both replied, their focus less so on their scores, and more so on the imminent battle.
"Captain Katsuragi!" Maya called. "The Seventh Angel is approaching!"
"Perfect." She made a sly grin. "EVA Units Launch!"
As their launch platforms shot out from the cages, Asuka and Shinji could hear the music running through their heads. They would be doing this without their umbilical cords, and there was only a 62 second window for them to complete the mission, so they had to act with perfect synchronization and precision.
Once the platforms reached the surface, both Unit 01 and 02 shot up into the air, catching a glimpse of the Angel lurking below in the reinforced Tokyo-3. Acting as one, the two EVA pilots reached for the spears in their right shoulder pylon and withdrew them, chucking both downwards onto the Angel, splitting him down the middle, causing Alpha and Beta to take their two separate forms.
Upon landing, both pilots looked to their sides to see the weapons that had been readied for them. On Shinji's side an assault rifle, and on Asuka's a positron cannon. Both snagged the firearms and started to unload into their respective targets. Shinji gathered the attention of Alpha while Asuka opened fire onto Beta.
Once they had gathered agro from them, the two EVA Unit's discarded their weapons as Alpha and Beta fired lasers at them from their elongated fingers. Each blast came to barely miss their target though, as Unit 01 and 02 made perfect back flips for each shot fired at them as they retreated towards the center of the city
Once the two mechs planted their feet on the weight sensitive panel in the core of the city, a blast shield shot up to protect them from the final blast from the Angel. Both EVAs peered around the corner of their respective side of the shield and began unloading into the Angel's two forms with assault rifles that had been readied for them.
Alpha and Beta quickly leapt forward and drew their claws back. This was not originally anticipated however. Improvising, Unit 01 and 02 leapt out of harms way as the blast shield was sliced to pieces by the razor sharp claws on Alpha and Beta.
Acting quickly, Katsuragi ordered to open fire on the Angel with ballistic missiles planted in the mountainside. The Angel's two forms were completely taken off guard by the third party attack, stunning them as each fiery blast made impact against their hard bodies.
This was what they needed.
Asuka and Shinji took advantage of the opportunity and reassumed their positions as normal. Both of them placed a hard upper cut to their targets, followed by a spinning axe kick, knocking both enemies back about fifty meters. As they stumbled, Alpha and Beta began to reform in a desperate maneuver to begin its retreat.
Knowing that the battle was coming to a close, the two EVA Units leapt high up into the air and began diving towards the Angel in a corkscrew motion and then flipping forward as Unit 01 extended its right leg out for a kick, while Unit 02 extended its left.
With a vicious impact, both feet landed on the cores. Their momentum sent the Angel flying backwards as they pressed hard against it to ensure that the cores shattered. A trench began to form in the dirt as the force from their kicks sent the Angel all the way to the hilly mountainside outside of the city where it then erupted into a brilliant explosion that brought an orange tint to the blue sky.
"We did it!" Misato joyously exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Do I get a 'thank you' kiss?" Kaji playfully urged as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Keep dreaming." She scoffed, shoving him away. "Unit 01, Unit 02, do you copy?" She spoke into the microphone.
"Roger." Asuka answered.
"Roger." Shinji replied.
Misato looked up at the video feed to see that both of their EVA Units were standing triumphantly atop the mountain outside of the city, side by side. "Good job you two. We'll be sending a retrieval team to pick you up shortly. Until then, just sit back and relax."
"You got it." Asuka said as she leaned back in her seat, resting her hands behind her head. "Oh, and you weren't half bad out there, Shinji."
The pilot of Unit 01 made a faint smile. "Thanks. You were pretty good too."
Asuka made a half smile. She wasn't about to grace him with her thanks, but receiving praise from a pilot as skilled as him did mean quite a bit to her. Even if she did think he was really boring outside of his EVA.
Back at NERV Headquarters, Fuyutsuki lowered his head and closed his eyes, a grin spread from ear to ear. "Well I'll be damned. They did it."