"Looking back, this was the best thing Misato ever did for us, although it seemed pretty stupid at the time. After all, who ever heard of a battle choreographed to the tune of a string orchestra? What do you mean, 'Apocalypse Now'? What does some pre-Impact movie have to do with…'Ride of the Valkyries'?"
– Dr. Ikari, Recollections of the Angel War
Asuka sat comfortably in Unit 02's entry plug. Shinji was piloting his own Eva this time, instead of operating as her copilot. 'Means I'll have to pay attention to the video link myself. Small price to have a second Eva on the field though.'
A quick glance at her screens showed the boy in question, fidgeting slightly. Their Evangelions were being airlifted via massive flying wing transports. Captain Katsuragi was on her main channel, briefing both Pilots on the overall situation and battle plan.
"We've only managed to restore twenty-six percent of Tokyo-3's defenses since Ramiel's attack, so our goal is to intercept and destroy the Angel away from the city. We're in no shape to fight a battle there right now."
Asuka nodded. The excessive damage was obviously due to the foolish decision to withhold fire from the static emplacements prior to Eva deployment. Sure, the guns would still have been destroyed, but at least then they'd have known not to put Unit 01 directly in front of the particle beam.
"So the plan is for you two to engage the Angel at the shoreline and defeat it there. Unit 01 will engage first with the automatic rifle. Unit 02 will then close and engage with the progressive spear. Got it?" Misato looked at the monitors connecting her to both children.
"Roger," replied Asuka and Shinji. The redhead looked at her secondary channel. "Okay Third, it's time for our first proper battle against the Angels. You back me up while I take it down, all right?"
"All right, Asuka. But please, be careful." Shinji wore a worried expression.
'That's his experience talking Asuka, not cowardice. He's had some bad runs against the first three Angels so now you need to show him how it's done. That should get rid of his concern.'
"Don't worry, Third. We'll beat this Angel and be back in time to receive the praises of our classmates." She smiled, trying to impart some of her confidence to him through the link.
It was then that the warning buzzers sounded and both Evas were detached from the transports with a series of metallic 'clanks'. The Evangelions fell through the atmosphere, landing in crouches near their respective mobile power units before standing with fluid grace.
Asuka grabbed her progressive spear from the nearby flatbed truck as the engineering team inserted the power cable into Unit 02's socket with practiced ease. Glancing to her right she noticed that Shinji had likewise armed his Eva and was connected to external power.
Smirking, the redhead commented to her companion. "Two against one, doesn't seem like a fair fight, does it Third?"
Before he could respond, Misato's angry voice came over the line. "This is war, Asuka, not a game! I don't care what's fair or not!"
"Okay, okay," responded the chagrinned german girl. Muttering under her breath she continued. "Sheesh, it was just a joke anyways."
Further conversation was curtailed as a gigantic spout of water erupted from the bay, revealing the enemy. It stood there for a few seconds, arms raised towards the sky before pivoting its entire body to face the two Evangelions.
'It looks like a giant hairless gorilla. Not exactly what I'd call impressive. Ah well.' "Okay Third, on my mark. Three. . . Two. . . One. . . Mark!" And with that Asuka urged Unit 02 into a loping run, moving to the side to give Shinji a clear field of fire.
As she raced towards the Angel, Asuka noted with approval the three-round bursts that impacted the enemy in its chest, near the mask-like 'face'. 'Won't need to train him on firearms, excellent. And it seems my target is stunned from his attack.'
It was a sound assumption, as the Angel had not even so much as turned to look at Unit 02 or taken a single step towards Unit 01 once the gunfire had begun. With a mighty war cry, Asuka leaped her Evangelion into the water, swinging the progressive spear downward like a headsman's axe.
The blade sliced completely through the Angel, bisecting it cleanly in a single brutal cut. The two halves fell to either side as Asuka stood her Eva back up and turned the crimson machine towards Unit 01 and Shinji.
"Now that's how it should be done, hey? Finish the fighting quickly and decisively. Don't you agree, Third Child?" Asuka's good mood started to evaporate as she saw the uncertain expression on the other Pilot's face.
"Er Asuka, are you sure you destroyed the core?" Shinji kept his rifle trained on the Angel.
"What kind of question is that? Of course I…" Asuka's angry retort trailed off as she noticed movement from the supposed corpse. "Hey!"
The two halves of the Angel shuddered, and Asuka watched in disgusted horror as the outer skin sloughed off. Like snakes shedding their skins, a pair of Angels rose from the discarded halves of the original.
"Hey, that's cheating!" Misato's voice rang in her ears as Asuka backed away from her newly twinned opponent.
'Thanks for the tactical advice, Misato. Dammit, why didn't I check for the core before jumping?' The redhead tried to keep both Angels in front of her.
"Hang on, Asuka, I'm coming!" Shinji smoothly lowered the pallet rifle to the ground with his left hand while gracefully drawing his progressive knife with his right. Asuka would have been impressed, had she not been focused on defending herself from the two Angels now attacking her.
"Any…time…now…Third." The young woman was barely managing to fend off her adversaries. Blocking the attack of one Angel only left her open to the other; the two monsters coordinated their attacks without ceasing. 'I hope he's not as bad at hand to hand as he seemed from that fight with the third Angel.'
scene break
Asuka slumped in the briefing room chair, wincing as she felt her bruises make contact with the unyielding metal. 'Well', she thought wryly, 'looks like he *was* as bad as he seemed at hand to hand. Owie.'
She fiddled with the towel draped around her shoulders. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki had insisted the two of them be taken directly from the field for this so-called debriefing. 'Sheesh. We could be going over what we learned from the attack, but no! Instead we're just being yelled at.'
"This is humiliating." The sub-commander sounded like one of Asuka's old college professors, which was not exactly inspiring the young woman. "Do either of you have any idea what your job is?"
Asuka shrugged. "Why, piloting Eva, of course."
"Wrong! Your job is to defeat Angels! And *that*," Fuyutsuki pointed angrily at a photo of Unit-02 lying half-buried in the ground, with the armor buckled and torn, "is not defeating Angels!"
The redhead seethed at the rebuke. 'Oh, silly me. And here I thought it was *NERV's* job to defeat the Angels. Shinji and I are Pilots, after all, not the ones making all the decisions.' She glanced over to where Kaji was slouched in his chair, that omnipresent smirk still gracing his features. 'And you're yelling at me in front of Kaji-san, when this is the first time I've seen him in a week!'
"What, like its *my* fault somehow that Shinji didn't…" she trailed off as she caught a glimpse of the hurt and anger in the Third's eyes. 'Mind that temper, Asuka. Don't want to make him leave, like Momma or Poppa. He's my friend.'
"Shinji didn't…what, Second Child?" Fuyutsuki chided as the girl's pause stretched out.
Asuka blinked. "Why, that Shinji didn't receive the necessary training in teamwork and hand to hand combat, Sub-Commander." She returned his gaze levelly. "I mean, I certainly had no input into the decision-making that kept the Third from receiving any training with an Evangelion until Sachiel arrived. It's not my job to decide that, right? My job is to defeat Angels."
Fuyutsuki glared at her. "This is pointless. You will have to learn to cooperate better in the future." The old man turned and left the room without another word.
Asuka turned to her Kaji-san. "What's his problem, anyway?"
He chuckled. "Well, adults don't like to be embarrassed. And I think you managed to do that, Asuka."
She huffed. "Well then, he should keep that in mind when he talks to us! It works both ways you know!"
Shinji grinned and looked around the room. "Hey, where's Misato-san?"
Kaji leaned back in his chair. "As the person in charge of the operation, she had to deal with the resulting paperwork. I wouldn't expect her back tonight, Mr. Ikari."
The young man shrugged and excused himself for home, leaving Asuka alone with Kaji, just like she'd been trying for all week. "So Kaji, does this mean you'll have the time to take me out to dinner?" 'He does owe me for skipping out on the carrier and being busy all week, after all.'
"Sorry kiddo, but I have to help work out a plan to beat that Angel without rearranging more of the landscape." Kaji stood up and ruffled Asuka's hair before leaving with a grin.
'I *hate* it when he does that, acting like I'm just a little girl. Come on Kaji, what will it take for you to see me as a woman?' Asuka glared at the back of the retreating older man.
With nobody left in the room to take out her frustration on, Asuka left to return to her annoyingly not-so-temporary quarters.
scene break
Asuka rang the doorbell again, wondering if the apartment's residents hadn't heard it the first time. 'Well Kaji I'm sure you did your best, but the Japanese just aren't as sophisticated as they claim to be.' Still, since arriving at Tokyo-3 her marvelous Kaji had also been…something of a disappointment.
The redhead shook her head and used the key she'd been given with her official assignment notice earlier that morning. 'Pilot Asuka Langley Soryu, Captain Misato Katsuragi has been assigned as your guardian. Your new housing assignment is her apartment.'
'And that was it, just a note and a paper saying my things were being taken to the apartment. I had to find out myself where she lived. Still, I suppose Misato and Kaji-san are both busy trying to come up with a way to kill that Angel before it regenerates.'
The door opened easily, and Asuka walked into a clean, quiet little apartment. Having lived with Misato in Germany, she was pleasantly surprised at the lack of trash strewn about the place. It seemed Misato's housekeeping had improved over the years. 'I only hope her cooking has as well.'
Poking around further she quickly found the Third's room; his name emblazoned on the door left no doubt. She didn't know why it had taken NERV so long to get him situated with his father, but at least now Misato wouldn't have the chance to corrupt the boy with her behavior. 'She's probably been parading around in next to nothing, trying to get him to wash her back or something.' Oh yes, Asuka was well aware of how her rival for Kaji's affections acted.
'Definitely not an ideal situation, but at least this way I can keep a better eye on her.' Asuka opened the door and looked at what was going to be her new room.
'What the…? He's hasn't packed yet? Maybe he's in a meeting or filling out paperwork for the transfer. Well, I can do him a favor and pack for him. And if I happen to learn more about him, that's just a happy coincidence, right?' Asuka convinced herself.
She quickly found that her fellow Pilot didn't own much. The only clothes in his closet were more of those white shirts and black slacks that made up the school uniform. Clearly, she'd have to help him with his wardrobe. Aside from an old SDAT player and a few cookbooks, the only other things in his room were a cello case and some sheet music books.
'That's it? No mangas, no video games, no personal computer? No pictures? I would have expected a poster or two at least, something that could provide a little insight into his personality.' Asuka chuckled. 'Not even any porn. Outside of your Eva, you are a very boring boy, Shinji Ikari. If you're lucky, I'll change that.'
Emptying one of her boxes onto her new futon, the girl neatly placed the clothing in the bottom of the box, followed by the books and SDAT player. Making a mental note to ask the Third if she could borrow one of the cookbooks in case Misato's cooking hadn't improved, Asuka finished the box by placing the cutesy door sign on top and carried it out to the living room.
Moving one of her clothing boxes into the closet, Asuka brought out the cello case and examined it. The weathered appearance gave the impression of age, and her eyes caught sight of a small golden nameplate by the handle. Brushing her thumb over it, she read the name out loud. "Ikari, Y. Not Shinji's then or his father's. Obviously a relative though. Why wouldn't he be staying with them instead of Misato-san?"
Her curiosity overrode her reluctance to handle another musician's instrument without their permission, she popped the latches and opened the case to gaze upon the cello. 'It's so old! This is definitely not a store-bought piece. I wonder if it has a maker's mark like mine does?' Asuka's violin was a true antique, crafted shortly before the Second World War. Deftly, Asuka turned the cello over to see if she could find who had made it. Gasping in shock at the recognizable inscription on the back, she managed to respectfully lower the instrument back into its case and almost reverently closed the latches.
'This is a Stradivarius! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never have believed it! Well, that should make it pretty simple to find out who "Ikari, Y." is. Just have to trace the ownership records, and I'll get my first bit of information about his history.' Swept up in the excitement of her discovery, she missed hearing the front door open or Shinji's announcement that he was home.
"What are all these boxes doing in the hall?" Shinji's voice outside the room snapped Asuka out of her reverie. She quickly stood and moved away from the cello case. The last thing Asuka wanted the boy to think was that she was snooping, especially since she was. Even if it was for his own good!
"Oh, those are mine, Third. I put your stuff in a box on the couch. Except for your cello, of course, I left that alone." Asuka expected gratitude or at the very least some appreciation from the boy. At the very worst, a worried question about her 'snooping'. What she got, however, was something she was totally unprepared for.
"Wh-what do you mean? Why would you do that?" His confused and panicked expression momentarily bewildered the girl.
'What? Does he honestly not know about the change?' "Well, I noticed you weren't packed yet, so I figured I'd be nice and pack for you. Did you have to fill out your move paperwork today? Or were they putting you through extra training this morning?" Asuka felt a *little* guilty if that were the case, since she'd pointed out NERV's failure in that area. But only a little, he did need it after all.
"What do you mean, 'move'? A-am I being replaced?" Asuka was becoming annoyed with the Third's behavior. It wasn't like anyone was leaving him, after all.
"Of course not you dummkopf, you're an Eva pilot! Nobody can replace you! But since I'm moving in with Misato that obviously means they've sorted out whatever problems were keeping you from living with your dad." At least Asuka hoped that was the case. She didn't want to picture Ikari moving in with Kaji-san while she was stuck with Misato.
The expressions that crossed the Third Child's face were not what Asuka expected. Surprise, of course, but not the fear, anger, or despair. It was almost like he didn't *want* to live with his father, which made no sense, really…
"Oh good, you're both here." Misato's arrival interrupted Asuka probing further.
"Miss Misato, did I do something wrong?" Asuka choked back a groan as she heard the near-sniveling tone of Shinji's voice.
"Huh? Of course not, Shinji-kun, why would you ask that?" Misato casually tossed her work jacket onto the couch, where it landed on the box containing Shinji's things.
"Because the idiot thinks I'm replacing him. I would have thought NERV was competent enough to keep Pilots informed of changes to their living conditions, especially when that Pilot is the son of the commander!" Asuka was *not* going to be made out as the bad guy here. Someone else had screwed up by not informing Shinji about the move.
Misato narrowed her eyes. "The fact that you're moving in with us doesn't mean he's being replaced. What did you tell him, Miss Soryu?"
'Scheisse! We're going to be living here together, both of us! Stupid, I should have checked first. Gott, it makes sense now. Ikari's been living here for months - there has to be another reason he's not staying with his father. And now because of me he thinks that I'm replacing him too.'
Asuka's reply belied the turmoil in her head. "Well what was I supposed to think? That I was going to be living in the same apartment as him? It's not proper for unrelated boys and girls to live together! Besides, it'd probably do the Third good to have a more responsible adult role model." Asuka would try to apologize to Ikari in private later, but *not* in front of the lavender-haired captain.
Misato looked as if she wanted to throttle Asuka like the red-headed child she was, but managed to refrain and instead replied icily "One would think that adults would be able to handle the stress of living together."
"Don't you patronize me, Captain Katsuragi!" Asuka fairly snarled before bringing her temper under control. "Fine then, we're all *adults* here. Why don't you explain why the three of us are sharing an apartment?" Asuka barely kept a grin off her face as Misato struggled to compose herself again. Shinji cracked a slight smile but he carefully concealed it from the Captain.
Misato grabbed a beer as she spread out several reports on the dining table. "From what we can tell, the Seventh Angel – Israfel, has two separate Cores. Unless both are destroyed simultaneously, one will regenerate the other. To pull this off, both Evas will need to be operating in perfect synchronization with each other. That will require complete cooperation and coordination between the two of you."
The two Pilots looked at each other, then back at Misato. Shinji voiced the question. "But how are we going to do that? B-besides, the Angels are dormant now, can't we just destroy the cores while they're regenerating?"
Asuka nodded, pleased that the Third could see the obvious issues with the so-called 'plan'.
Misato shook her head. "The Angels are still protected by their AT field, which means our only options are either another N2 mine, or Eva. Unit 00 is still being repaired from Ramiel's attack and both of your Evas require extensive repairs after your first encounter. Hopefully we can get them working again in less than six days, which is how much time you have to memorize the sequence of moves set to this music." She held up a cassette. "It's also how long we believe it will take the Angel to fully regenerate and continue the attack, so this isn't arbitrary."
This time Asuka responded. "Okay, that makes sense I guess. We need to get started right away then." The redhead got up and walked to the couch. "Hey, uh, Third? I know you were here first, but I do have a lot more stuff than you. Would you mind taking the smaller room?"
Shinji nodded. He could manage just fine in the spare bedroom, and Misato had just said they needed to work on their cooperation. "S-sure Asuka, let me just move my cello in there."
Three days later
Kensuke pushed the button for Shinji's floor and wondered how he'd gotten roped into this. Not that he objected to visiting Shinji since it increased the chances he'd get a glimpse of a scantily-clad Misato. But delivering schoolwork to someone who would most likely be sick and in a hurry to get rid of guests was not his idea of a fun time.
He glanced at his companion. Somehow Touji had managed to get him to come along after Hikari had shoved the stack of papers into his hands and given him the delivery mission. 'Not like he put up much of a fight. I suppose it beats cleaning duty though.'
As the two boys exited the elevator, Touji noticed someone getting out of the elevator next to theirs. "Hey, it's the Class Rep. Whatcha doing here?"
Hikari sniffed. "I'm delivering paperwork to Miss Soryu. I thought you two stooges were supposed to be doing the same for Ikari."
"That's what we're doing." Kensuke didn't know why Hikari was always on Touji's case, but figured he owed it to the other boy to help out whenever he could.
The three students walked in uneasy silence towards their respective destinations, which turned out to be the same apartment. Confused looks were exchanged, addresses were double-checked, and three fingers pressed the doorbell at the same time to announce their presence.
"Yes, coming." Spoke two voices in perfect unison. Kensuke exchanged a puzzled glance with Touji at that.
The puzzled looks changed to shock when the door opened. There stood Shinji and the Red Devil, dressed in matching workout clothes and wearing headsets. "What the hell, man! Matching outfits? Don't you think you're taking this too far?" Kensuke couldn't believe this! What kind of coercion was that Soryu girl using on him?
"Well, Miss Misato said that Japanese start by dressing the part, so she made us…" And they were *still* talking in stereo. It was downright unsettling! Kensuke actually felt relieved when Hikari interrupted them.
"How could you? It's disgusting!" Hikari couldn't believe it. She *knew* Asuka was interested in Shinji from their chat last week, but cohabiting so soon after they first met? And why were they dressing alike?
"Wait, you've got it all wrong." Even their head-shaking was coordinated. This did nothing to calm the trio.
"Two wrongs don't make a right, you know!" Hikari was about to go into a tirade when a new voice intruded.
"Ah, welcome everybody." Heads turned to see Misato approach with Rei silently following two footsteps behind her.
"Ah, Misato-san, would you mind explaining this to us?" Touji decided to figure out what was going on before he started praising Misato's beauty. Besides, it didn't feel quite right doing that with the Class Rep right behind him.
Ten minutes later, three teens and an adult were laughing over the misunderstanding while a fourth teen and a genetically engineered penguin stared blankly at the final two teens as they continued their training.
"So that's what this is all about? You'd think they coulda told us that to start out with." Touji munched contentedly on some snack cakes after listening to Misato's explanation.
Hikari looked up from where she was hugging Pen-Pen. "So, how's the coordination coming along?"
Misato grimaced. "Well, actually…" She was interrupted by a harsh buzzing sound and a pair of earphones being tossed across the room.
"You act like you're surprised! Did you actually think about how hard this would be for us? It's not like we've had the chance to train together before this." Asuka felt humiliated. Bad enough that the headsets compelled them to think alike, but now she had an audience watching her fail!
"So, you're giving up then?" Misato had a sly expression on her face.
"I didn't say that. But you're asking us to conduct intensive training on a tight schedule. You could be a little more understanding!" Damn! Didn't the Captain understand that Shinji's constant failures were damaging his self-confidence? She needed a wingman that wouldn't freeze up with self-doubt.
Misato turned her head slightly. "Rei, why don't you give it a try?"
The First Child responded with a simple "yes ma'am," and walked over to the practice mats.
'Oh I get it. Shame me into working harder, Misato? Not likely. If sitting out on one mission is the price I need to pay to get someone I can trust by my side, I'll pay it.' Asuka's thoughts were interrupted by Shinji's comments, however.
"Take my place, Rei. Y-you've both had training and I haven't." Asuka narrowed her eyes. Clearly the damage had been done and now she'd have to build him up even more. Tossing her hair back she looked at the First Child. "Alright then, let's see what you've got."
Rei nodded and took her place on the mat. As the music started once again, Asuka focused on the timing, hoping she could prove that the First was no better at this than the Third was. If nothing else, it would do the boy some good to see the blue-haired Pilot get taken down a peg, right? However, while the pair went through the sequence, the redhead could tell something was off.
'Weird. Even when Ikari and I did this the first time I could feel him on the other mat, reacting to me and the music. Heck that's been our biggest problem so far, not reacting in time. But this…it's like I'm the only one here, like I'm alone.'
A tone sounded the end of the session, and Asuka glanced at the score. A full ten points higher than she and the Third had gotten. Still, she felt uncomfortable. Not because the First had done better than the Third, it was the lack of presence.
"I wonder. What was she doing differently from Ikari? Only one way to find out.' Before Misato could suggest that the girls partner up, Asuka looked at Shinji and said. "Actually Misato, I'm curious to see how the Third does with Wondergirl over there. After all, we want the best matchup for the mission, right?"
Misato blinked, obviously trying to figure out what Asuka's reason was. Shinji simply shrugged and walked over to the mat.
"R-ready, Rei?" The blue-haired girl nodded, and the two Pilots began the sequence as Asuka watched carefully.
As the music began it certainly seemed that Rei was better suited to pair up with Shinji than Asuka was. The teens were hitting the same markers in near-perfect unison. And that's when the redhead figured it out.
'She's not reacting to the music or anticipating our moves! She's just…mimicking us! Her head's tilted just enough so she can watch Ikari or me move and then she does the same thing. Her hand is hitting the mat a fraction of a second after Ikari's, every time!'
Now that she knew Rei's secret, Asuka spent the rest of the match watching Ikari, trying to figure out why they kept screwing up when paired. If she had the choice, she'd much rather go into combat with the boy at her side than the undemonstrative First.
'Control. That's what the problem is. I'm reacting so much faster to the music than he is. I have to remember this isn't a race, it's more like a…like music! Yes! We're like two different instruments but still playing the same tune.'
Confident she knew how to make this work, Asuka waited for the test to end. She even correctly predicted the final score…the exact same score she and Rei had gotten. She smiled and turned towards Misato.
"Before you make up your mind, Captain, would you object if the Third and I tried one more time?"
"What's the matter, Red? Afraid the Shin-man likes Rei more than he likes you?" Touji grinned at his comment, missing the glare that Hikari sent his way.
Ignoring the jock, Asuka kept her eyes the person whose decision mattered. "Well, Misato?"
The older woman shrugged, "if Shinji's up for it, okay. But unless there's serious improvement, Rei is picking her partner and we're going from there."
"That's fine. So, ready to try it again Third?" Asuka gave him a challenging gaze, hoping he still had enough pride to accept.
The boy nodded and took his place on the mat. Before she did the same, however, Asuka walked up to the machine and began to fiddle with the controls.
"Asuka, what are you doing? You're supposed to memorize a sequence."
"I'm proving something, Misato. If we're learning to fight in synch, it shouldn't matter what we listen to, right? Besides, I know this music. Let's change the beat."
Once more the music began to play. Once more Asuka could feel Shinji's presence on the other mat. Unlike her previous attempts, this time she took her cue from Shinji and used the music to keep time with him.
'Yes, there it goes. I can already feel the difference. We're not stumbling trying to keep time with the other anymore. It's more fluid now, more comfortable. I don't have to concentrate so hard this time.'
Asuka surrendered herself to the music, moving with the precision of a metronome until the buzzer rang. Wiping sweat from her brow, she checked the score. 'Fifty-two, that's a good twenty points higher than last time, and certainly better than Wondergirl got!'
Flashing a triumphant grin at the spectators, Asuka chuckled. "Well Misato, is that good enough?"
Misato grinned back. "No, but you're getting there. We've got three more days for the two of you to get a perfect score, so back to practice!" Turning to the First Child, Misato continued. "Okay Rei, it doesn't look like we're going to need you for this one after all. Thank you for coming by." In response the blue-haired girl simply nodded once and left.
The next three days passed quickly. When Asuka and Shinji weren't training, Misato had them doing everything together, from brushing their teeth, to eating, to watching the same shows (where Shinji allowed Asuka complete control), even so far as sleeping in the same room, with Misato laying between them. Much to Asuka's annoyance, the older woman still snored.
Finally, one day before the deadline they managed perfect scores twice in a row. As a reward Misato let them have the rest of the day off – cautioning the two that the operation would commence early the next morning. Freed from the need to constantly be together and doing the same activities, both teens retired to their own rooms. Asuka continued her unpacking while listening to Shinji play his cello through the thin walls.
When it was time to to sleep, Asuka noticed that Misato hadn't returned. Taking advantage of that, she grabbed her bedclothes and headed to her own room. Glancing over at Shinji, she smiled. "Tonight, this flimsy door is going to be the Walls of Jericho. No offense, Third, but I prefer my privacy when I sleep."
Despite her proclamation, sleep did not come easily for the young girl. The futons used in Tokyo-3 were markedly less comfortable than the beds she was used to and it took longer than Asuka wished before she could finally slip into slumber.
What she found there, however…
It's always the same: I'm playing with Momma. It's nice to be able to play with her `cause she's always so busy. We're playing house and we need another dolly. Momma has my favorite one with the red strings for hair and blue button eyes. I go over to get one of my other dollys from the toy box, but when I turn back around, Momma's gone! I run and I run and I look everywhere, but Momma's not there! I find Poppa, but he has a suitcase packed. "Poppa, where's Momma?" I shuffle my feet as he looks off in the distance, it's like he doesn't really see me. "She left, Asuka. She doesn't want to play house with you anymore." I start crying and Poppa sneers at me. "I don't want to be near a little child that cries all the time." I only blink, but in that second, Poppa is gone too. I'm alone. I run, looking for someone, anyone, but I'm only a little girl, and adults can leave me whenever they want. I yell out for someone to stay with me, but nobody answers. Nobody ever does.
Shinji Ikari had a problem; a pretty, redheaded sleepwalker problem to be precise. He'd been listening to his SDAT player when Asuka's bedroom door slowly opened. He closed his eyes to pretend he hadn't noticed so was startled when she shuffled over to his bed and collapsed down on it next to him.
'She looks so…innocent like this, so vulnerable without the strength she shows when she's awake. I'm lucky she wants to be my friend. I don't feel so afraid anymore.'
His musing were interrupted when tears began to run from Asuka's closed eyes. Worried, he hesitantly reached out a hand only to snap it back when she began to whimper and beg.
"No, please. I'll be good. I'll be a good girl. Don't leave. Please don't leave me alone. I don't wanna be alone."
He couldn't take it. Gently he leaned over and quietly whispered into her ear. "You are not alone, Asuka."
It's different all of a sudden! I hear a voice! It's strong, nice, comforting. Someone is with me! I'm not alone anymore! I don't see the owner of the voice, but its okay now. He won't leave me.
Shinji watched in relief as the young girl calmed down, the tears ceasing to flow and her whimpering dying off. The teen arranged the sheets on the bed to better cover Asuka, and took a pillow and blanket to use on the floor.
This was the sight that greeted Misato when she arrived to transport the Pilots to the hanger. With a grin, she bent over and shook Asuka's shoulder. "Wakey, wakey. It's time to get up and kill some Angels."
Asuka bolted into a sitting position, alarmed and disoriented. 'Wait, what? This…this isn't my room! Did the Third…?' A quick glance showed her that the boy was curled up near the balcony exit, putting plenty of space between the two of them. 'No. Scheisse, I must have been sleepwalking again. I haven't done that in years. And Ikari…he moved to the floor instead of waking me. I'm definitely going to need to work with Hikari to make sure you get a good girl.'
Neither teenager mentioned the events of the night before as they climbed into their Entry Plugs. Misato had already told them that the Angel had recombined and was heading for Tokyo-3.
"Okay you two. As soon as the music starts, I want you to deploy your AT fields and stick to the plan. We won't fail this time." Misato said confidently.
Both teens nodded. "Roger." Asuka glanced at the display showing Unit 01's Plug. "Okay, we hit it hard and fast right from the start. Don't let up on it. Ready?" Shinji nodded in response.
As the Angel entered the engagement zone, Misato gave the orders to detach the umbilicals and launch the Evas. Rocketing to the surface in the elevators, the two teens could hear the music start to play.
Flung into the air, both Evas drew, extended and threw their progressive spears in one fluid motion. Israfel batted one aside, but the other split the Angel down the middle again. As Units 01 and 02 landed, Israfel's two component selves emerged and the fight began in earnest.
The battle continued precisely as planned for exactly forty-two seconds, and then everything went to Hell. As the Evangelions went for uppercuts against their foes, the two Israfelim flipped backwards out of harm's way. Misato watched in horror at what she expected to quickly become another defeat.
Asuka swallowed a curse as her target avoided her punch. The timing of the plan had already committed her to a roundhouse kick that *should* have slammed the Angel into its twin. Now she was vulner…there, her partner was also spinning, his hand reaching out for her. Grabbing onto it, she leaped as he swung her around.
'Perfectly positioned to slam my foot into that Angel's face, he'll release me and I'll fly over the Angel. Then I'll grab and throw the second Angel while he body slams the first one into it!'
It happened just as she pictured it. The two Evangelions working as one slammed both halves of Israfel back together. The massive dust cloud thrown up by the clashing titans obscured the view for the NERV staff, but nothing could hide the titanic explosion that heralded the Angel's destruction. As the smoke cleared another crater was revealed, this one with two Evangelions lying inside it in a tangled heap.
Over the radio, Misato heard a bemused Asuka ask her fellow Pilot. "Ikari, is there a good reason your Eva is on top of mine?" The boy's sheepish apology caused chuckles amongst the relieved bridge crew.
Another victory for humanity.