Rivalitas

Chapter 9: Taking it to Mom

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Shinji and Asuka were both awakened in the early morning by the bird calls and bugs. Still, neither one of them really wanted to move. They were warm, secure in each other's embrace, and still groggy from sleeping.

Finally, Shinji made the first move. He stretched out his arm that wasn't holding Asuka and loosened it up slightly. Next he used it to clean the sleep out from his eyes. His head turned and took in Asuka dreamily. "So," he asked hopefully, "are we dating now?"

Asuka smiled slightly. "Stupid," she teased, "We've been dating for over three days now."

Shinji blinked in surprise. 'What?' he thought. Slowly the gears in his head began to turn. Eventually he remembered three nights before, when he had asked Asuka out. She had said yes…

"That counts?" he asked.

Asuka lifted her head up and nodded it calmly. "Yep," she said.

Shinji's face became slightly fearful. 'So this is dating,' he thought, 'the last three days. I wonder if it's always so emotionally scarring.' "Is it always filled with so much crying and apologizing?" he asked.

Asuka's smile grew even wider. "Not by the girl," she said.

'Great,' Shinji thought as he realized the great curse of men. "So now what?" he said. It seemed he could only ask questions today.

"I don't know," Asuka said, at a loss, "What do you want to do next?"

Shinji rubbed his chin and considered it. "We should probably change clothes," he said, gesturing at their still damp clothes.

"Sure," Asuka said, "then what?"

"Well…" he said.

Asuka leaned in to whisper something into his ear, "Misato will probably want to know."

Shinji nodded his agreement.

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This found them, four hours later, at the apartment complex, both in a fresh change of clothes and smiling. Shinji knocked.

Misato opened the door and burped. This caused her to momentarily close her eyes. The first thing she saw when she reopened them was Asuka.

"You!" she shouted, pointing at Asuka.

"It's okay," Shinji began to explain.

Misato looked at Shinji and blinked. 'Both of them here…' she thought, 'together?' Her mind scurried to put it together. "Uh… come in?" she said, still puzzling it out.

Shinji entered first, lightly pushing Misato out of the way so that the doorway was clear. Asuka followed warily.

Eventually Misato was all the way out of the way. She stood against the wall, still holding the door. Shinji blocked for Asuka as she entered.

Asuka decided any sudden movements probably wouldn't be a good idea. She kept her hands visible and sat down at the kitchen table. Shinji and Misato joined her shortly, Shinji next to her and Misato across. 'Caught in the middle,' Shinji thought, 'just like I always tried to avoid.'

"What's this about?" Misato said warily, "Last time I heard you where angry with her Shinji."

"We're done with that now," Asuka said. Misato gave her a hard look. Asuka scowled back.

"Maybe I should do the talking?" Shinji said to Asuka, putting his hand on her arm as if restraining her. She relaxed slightly. Misato made a smile as if she had just won a great victory.

Shinji turned back to face Misato. "She's right," he said.

Misato's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" she demanded, "After the way she tried to use you like that you're just going to go back to being friends with her?"

'This is probably not a good time to tell her we're dating,' Shinji thought. He nodded to tell Misato she was correct. He said, "Asuka's changed Misato."

"In three days!" Misato exclaimed, standing slightly and gesturing at Asuka. "In three days she goes from trying to use you for money like a slut to you two being friends again?"

Shinji could only manage to squeak out a, "Yes."

Misato collapsed backwards into her chair and let out a sigh. "I need a beer," she said tiredly.

Shinji got up and got her one. Of course, he never turned his back on her. He didn't trust her to not kill Asuka yet. Misato was just overly protective of Shinji sometimes. Fortunately for Asuka, Shinji could be as well.

Misato popped the top, took a drink, let out a watered down yell and then started barking orders. "Tell me exactly what happened," she said in between sips, "since the two of us last talked."

Asuka kept quite while Shinji reported on the previous days events. It was good Misato had asked Shinji, Asuka was seething in rage. 'She called me a slut!' she silently screamed, 'I am not a slut!' Shinji must have gotten some sort of message from Asuka because he talked fast.

Misato listened with an attentive ear, listening for any sign that Shinji had misunderstood something Asuka had said. Any sign that Asuka had lied in any way, any excuse to disembowel Asuka on the spot. Shinji gave her none.

Of course, there weren't really any reasons to give for that extreme of a response. But Misato did give a good purple nerple…

Shinji finished and let out a sigh. It was quite the mouthful to say all at once.

"You forgot one thing," Misato said, "How did Asuka know to find you at your teachers?"

Shinji opened his mouth to speak, only to realize that he didn't know that part. He turned to Asuka.

"Rei told me," Asuka said, "She called me right after I talked to you, Misato. She got me flown in here and then we talked, or should I say I was interrogated? She grilled me on everything Misato, everything."

Misato raised an eyebrow. "Everything," she asked.

"Everything," Asuka said with a nod.

Misato picked up her phone. "Then I guess you won't be worried if I call Rei and ask her a few questions," she said with a smile.

Asuka didn't bat an eyelash. "Go ahead," she said, leaning back in her chair, "It doesn't bother me in the least."

Misato got up and walked out of the kitchen, putting the phone to her ear.

"You told Rei how much?" Shinji asked.

Asuka sighed. "My whole life story," she said, resting her chin on the table in a depressed sort of way, "Everything I'd ever done. She back checked it to NERV and knew I hadn't lied."

"Why would you just tell Rei everything?" Shinji said. 'Now big of files do they have on us?' he thought, catching that part only barely.

Asuka pouted. "It was the only way to get to you and I was desperate. Besides, she caught me off guard. It wasn't like I exactly expected to have someone quiz me on my whole life, or even try for that matter."

Shinji patted her on the back and smiled. "You did the right thing," he said, "Everything's going to work out now. Misato will come around eventually."

"Easy for you to say," Asuka sat up in her chair, "You didn't have to tell Wundergirl your life story."

Shinji shrugged and was about to say something else when Misato returned. She looked a mixture of relieved and annoyed. "Everything checks out," she said calmly, "but that doesn't mean I won't forget this soon Asuka."

Asuka eyed Misato warily, expecting the response to change in any of ten different ways. It went in option number four's.

Misato's face turned to a more teasing one. "So you two were having make-out sessions here when I was gone?" she said, putting an emphasis on were as if she'd always suspected it.

Shinji blushed and slid lower in his chair. Asuka scowled and started yelling at Misato. Misato returned with more teasing about Asuka's past. "Shinji," she teased, "did you know Asuka has dreams about you?"

'Just like good times,' Shinji thought from under the table. Asuka fired a retort, only to be interrupted by the door bell ringing. 'Now who?' thought Shinji.

Misato shouted, "Did you know how little a picture set of her was selling for? Eight hundred dollars! A set of me is worth more then that!" over her shoulder as she went to get the door.

Asuka soon joined Shinji under the table.

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The story continues. I got a few more chapters planned before an ending that will hopefully be satisfying. I gotta admit though, I am worried that I won't be able to continue this as well as the first part.

Reviews continue to fly in and I continue to live up to my promise. This is the second chapter today and you can expect another tomorrow. A permanent ending by Friday. Thanks for letting me know how you felt about the chapters, it has been a great help. Reviewers kick ass.