AN: Fabulous turnout for the last chapter, considering it was brand-new to this line. But keep in mind that this is a ReVision, so things may turnout differently than in the original. I'm still hoping to do a better job. ;p
9: Home Again
Shinji groaned in annoyance as he fussed with his tie, once again dressed in his formal attire. "Dammit, why does it matter if I wear this stupid thing?" He grumbled to no one in particular. More to the point, he hated neckties.
"Captain Ikari," Asuka's voice came from the door, "We're just about to dock, are you ready?"
Shinji sighed in irritation, "No, I can't get this stupid tie right." He said, "Mind helping me out?"
Asuka peeked in to make sure he was decent, and giggled, "You can cook, you can pilot a giant, multi-million dollar cyborg, and even play the cello, but you can't tie a necktie?"
Shinji rolled his eyes, "Laugh it up, Asuka, but don't forget you were drooling over that little meal of mine a few days ago." He smiled as the girl gave a pretty blush to her cheeks, "But yeah, I really hate ties of any kind."
Asuka stepped forward and turned him about so she could help him, "You know, you really didn't have to do that for me," she said, smiling, "But I'm glad you did. It was all delicious."
"I'm glad," the boy said, a blush of his own rising to his cheeks as her fingers brushed against his chin. "I thought it might cheer you up after being on this stupid ship for so long."
"Really, it did," the girl said, "And it was wonderful to hear you play the cello. You've got some real talent."
Shinji shook his head slightly as she tightened the tie, "Not really, I've just been doing it for so long that it almost feels natural to me." He said truthfully, but neglected to say that no one had told him to stop at any point, remembering the last time he had said that.
"It shows," she said, stepping back, smiling at her work, "There, all dressed up and proper. You look...nice."
Shinji huffed, already reaching up to yank at his collar before Asuka slapped his hand away, "No, you look nice, I look like I'm about to go to a funeral."
Asuka giggled at his disdain for the black and red outfit, gesturing to her own, "I'm wearing the same thing."
"Trust me, you look way better than I do," the boy said, frowning as he tried to loosen his tie again, only for the girl to stop him with another slap, "Will you cut that out?!"
"Nope, and so help me I'll keep doing it just so you don't make me look bad in front of Commander Ikari," she said, and wrapped her arm around his, "Now, forward march, Soldier-boy."
"Yes, Ma'am," he chuckled as she all but yanked him out of the room. "By the way, you haven't seen my sister have you?"
Asuka jolted, "Ah...about that..." she muttered, blushing once again. "You see...well, I'm pretty sure she's with Lieutenant Aida."
Shinji frowned, "What are you blushing over that for?" He asked, noting how nervous she was acting. The Asuka he knew did not act nervous...unless, "Asuka...what exactly were they doing?"
Asuka bit her lip to hide a small smile, "W-Well, they still had their clothes on if that's what you're asking."
"I'm not," Shinji stopped, halting her process as well, "Come on, we're all technically adults here, so out with it." He said, crossing his arms.
"Well, I just don't know how you'll take it," Asuka said huffily, her hands on her hips, "But like I said, they had their clothes on, so I'm sure nothing happened, but I happened to peek in on Rei earlier to see if she was still hurting from that sunburn she got a few days ago, and I found her and Lieutenant Aida curled up on her bunk together."
Shinji was a little surprised at this, "He was in her bed, not the other way around?" He asked. Asuka gave him a nod, which further confused him, "Huh, I knew Kensuke had a little crush on her, but I didn't expect Rei to make the first move."
"Aren't you worried about her?" Asuka asked angrily, "If she gets pregnant because of him, she - "
Shinji held up a hand to stop her, "Rei is infertile, Asuka," he said sadly, knowing it to be true, considering half of her physical makeup was that of Lilith. Due to being fused with her for a short time, he knew that most of her reproductive system had been removed to house an S2 organ. So, for better or worse, she was incapable of bearing children of her own.
Asuka looked a little shocked at the news, however, "Oh...I'm sorry, I didn't know that...does she -?"
"She knows," he nodded, "But I doubt she's told Kensuke, or ever will, all things considered."
Asuka sighed, "Well, now I'm all depressed." She said, running her fingers through her hair, "Where's Kaji when I need him?"
Shinji felt his eye twitch, and grinned, "If the rumors I've heard are anything to go on, he's probably trying to hook up with Major Katsuragi again."
"Rumors?" Asuka growled, eyeing the pilot, "What rumors?"
"The x-rated kind," he said simply and started marching down the deck, "Now hurry up, or we'll miss the landing!"
"Wait a minute, Third Child, what rumors are you talking about?!" Asuka demanded, chasing after him, "Wait a minute, dammit! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"
.
When the Over the Rainbow finally reached New Yokusuka port, it was a relief to Shinji and his group. Rei was being unusually clingy to Kensuke when they stepped off the ship, her legs wobbling somewhat as she clung to his arm.
When this had happened, Misato had nearly laughed herself sick as Kensuke had tried to keep the girl upright, but had failed miserably when his own legs threatened to give out. Shinji and Touji were no better. The only ones seemingly not bothered by it were Misato, Asuka, Mari and Kaji.
Once they were all on the docks, it was to be greeted by an odd sight. Shinji's father was standing patiently in front a black limousine with little Sakura standing beside him, and another young girl dressed in their uniform. Hikari, however, was no where to be seen.
"Hey there, Squirt!" Touji roared out happily as he caught sight of his little sister, who bounded toward him and jumped into his arms. Laughing the boy swung her around, "Man you've gotten so big since I've been gone! What's Hikari been feeding you, huh?"
The sight of the large teen acting as he was made Shinji and his group smile, Asuka and Mari finding the scene adorable, though one wouldn't admit it. She leaned in close to Shinji, "Don't tell me that stupid jock's actually got a kid?"
Shinji nearly burst out laughing, "No, that's his little sister, Sakura," he told her, understanding dawning across her features, "After he was selected as a pilot, Sakura would've been left alone since their dad has a long shift at NERV. So we all kind'a just adopted her into the family. It's great having her around, too."
"I see," she said, nodding, and then looked toward the girl standing next to the Commander, "And is that the infamous Hikari I've heard so much about?"
Shinji frowned, "No, it's not...I don't know her at all."
At that moment, the Commander stepped forward, "I trust that everything went smoothly, Captain Ikari?" He asked his son directly, "From what I've heard through communications, you had a run-in with a pair of Angels out at sea?"
Shinji nodded, "It was nothing that Captain Shikinami and Lieutenant Aida couldn't handle, Sir," he said, smiling at the two pilots, "Asuka was able to defeat one of the Angels very quickly using the S-type attachments from Germany, as well as a new weapon they had developed, and Kensuke was able to pilot his Eva perfectly without a problem."
"So I have been informed," Gendo said, a small smirk on his face, "I also understand that it was by your orders that both pilots were deployed and effectively reach their Evangelions, at least on Pilot Aida's part. The Fleet Commander also added a few things...did you actually punch the man?"
Shinji had the decency to blush as Asuka and Mari snickered while Kensuke chuckled, holding up his camera, "I got it all on film if you'd like to see it, Commander?"
"Delete that footage right now!" Shinji snapped, reaching for the camera only for Kensuke to toss the memory chip over to the Commander, who caught it easily, "DAD!"
"I think I'll hold onto this for now," the man said, smirking, "Now, I'd like to introduce you to a new addition to your household," he said, gesturing to the young woman standing behind him, "This young lady is Second Lieutenant Mana Kirishima, an officer of the JSSDF, and a potential pilot for an Evangelion Unit should an opening arise. She is also the pilot of an advanced robot from the JSSDF's anti-Angel research division."
Mana gave a small bow in their direction, "It's nice to finally meet all of you," she said politely, "Hikari's told me so much about you."
"Where is Hikari?" Touji asked as he and his sister rejoined the group.
Mana looked at him, frowning sadly, "No one's told you, yet?"
"Told us what?" Shinji demanded, looking at his father, "What happened to her, Dad?"
The man took a breath, sighing, "There was an attack on the city a few days ago," he said, making the other pilots pale, "Somehow, a Rogue Evangelion made its way here and started wreaking havoc with the military. We were forced to deploy Unit-00, and, since her sync rate was the highest out of hers and Lieutenant Kirishima's, Miss Horaki was sent out to deal with it."
"WHAT!?" Touji roared angrily, "You...you sent her out...ALONE?!"
"How badly was she hurt?" Shinji asked, trying to get down to the point. "And what do you mean by Rogue Evagelion?!"
"To explain things in a reverse order, the Evangelion in question was an unmanned Mass Production model Evangelion, or MPE for short," he said, "these things are capable of flight, and do not need a Umbilical Cable attached for power. The Plug system was also manufactured to not require a pilot. This one was obviously stolen and programmed to attack others of its kind, E.I. other Evas."
"And Hikari?" Touji asked angrily, "How badly was she hurt?"
"Physically, she is unharmed, but the sync rate with Unit-00 did cause her some very powerful phantom pains, and left her badly bruised across her front," he gestured to his chest area and abdomen, "Other than that, she is fine, and in need of bed rest to recover completely."
Touji sighed in relief, "Thank God."
"Indeed, she fought valiantly," the Commander said, "Now, as I have something to discuss with Mr. Kaji, I suggest you take my car back to the GeoFront. I will arrange for another mode of transportation after I have seen the Evangelions unloaded safely." He said, looking toward the two new pilots, "Your luggage arrived yesterday, and has already been taken to your new residence. I've also sent your ID cards there as well. Miss Kirishima should know where they are."
"Thanks, Dad," Shinji said, "We'll be going now."
"A moment, Shinji, if you please?" He said as they started toward the car, and Shinji stopped, "I believe that the Rogue we encountered will not be the last one. You and your pilots need to keep on your toes."
Shinji nodded, "Understood, Commander." Shinji growled, a flash of iridescent blue in his eyes. He turned and stormed toward the car. 'Things are different.' He thought angrily, 'The MPEs weren't even around until Third Impact came around!' He snarled, quickening his pace, 'And now Hikari's hurt because of that!'
As he got into the car, non dared speak. On one side of the car sat an angered and worried young man with his sister clutching his arm, and then at the other end sat just a plain angry Captain that looked ready to rip something apart.
'Are his eyes glowing?' Asuka wondered as she regarded to brooding young man. Indeed, though Shinji didn't notice it himself, his eyes hadn't calmed from the iridescent blue they had become. He was angry. So angry that he could almost pity the next Angel that showed itself.
(*)
Hikari was resting when she heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, and the slamming of car doors, and the burst of the front door as someone threw it open. She then heard the sound of frantic running through the halls, which ended just outside her door. She wanted to sit up, but her body was horribly stiff from the battle, and the phantom pains had yet to go away.
So when the door to her room burst open, she could do nothing but lay there as the large form of Touji came bursting in. "Hikari!"
She smiled tiredly at him from where she lay, "You came back."
Touji nearly gasped seeing her. Her skin was pale, and he could see bandages wrapped around the lower part of her neck and around her right arm, which was horribly bruised around the knuckles. Her eyes were deeply shadowed and the girl looked dead tired, as if she hadn't slept in days.
He stumbled into the room over to the bed and hit his knees, "My God, what...what did that thing do to you?!" He whimpered out, seeing her in such a frail state. "I...I never should've left...If I'd been here, I - "
"Shh," she reached up, placing a finger from her damaged right arm against his lips. "You're here now," she smiled at him tiredly, "That's all that matters...I missed you, Touji."
He smiled down at her, and gently clutched her hand in his, "I'm not that easy to get rid of," he smiled, "You know that." He shook his head, "I'm never leaving you alone again. Not when this is what I could come back to."
"Easy there, tiger," the girl giggled, "I could almost take that as a confession."
Touji smiled at her, "Nah, we'll save that for when you're better, and we can go out like I promised." He said, kneeling down next her bed, "We'll spend all day out of the house and not be back until the sun goes down. Just the three of us."
"Some nosy people might think we're a couple of young parents," Hikari giggled, thinking of little Sakura walking between them.
"So what?" Touji asked, grinning, "Let'em think what they want. I don't care."
The girl smiled tiredly, "I'd like that, a lot, actually."
"As soon as you're better." He promised, starting to rise, but she reached out and touched his hand, "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, "Nothing," she smiled, "but would you stay with me a bit longer?" She asked, "Just until I fall asleep again?"
The young man nodded, and knelt beside her again, "I'll be right here."
(*)
Dinner was a lively affair with the new additions to the house as Mari and Asuka got to know Mana and little Sakura. "So you guys really had to fight on the ocean?" Mana asked, astonished, "That must've been crazy. Without the right equipment, Evas don't do so well in water."
"Thankfully they didn't need to find that out," Shinji said as he washed the dishes that evening, "Asuka's S-type flying equipment really helped her out in getting to that Angel's core, and all Kensuke really had to do was wait for the other one to get close enough."
"Piece of cake," Asuka said haughtily, "I probably couldn't handled the other one just as easily, but I had to give the rookie a shot at it."
Kensuke frowned at the girl, "Hey, we're all rookies compared to Shinji, and don't you forget it." He said, sounding upset. "Not only has gone out of his way to save lives when he's fighting, but he's done it under some real pressure."
"Like that time you, Touji and Hikari were out on the hillside?" Misato smirked at him, making the boy gulp, "But he's right. Shinji's quite a pilot when it comes to his Evangelion. His was the highest sync rate we've ever seen to date, and it's still growing stronger."
Asuka frowned a little, "Well, now that I'm here, I'm sure the Captain's job will be that much easier."
Shinji turned around and smiled at her, "Yes, it will, actually," he said, drawing their attention, "After hearing that a Rogue Evangelion came here, and nearly destroyed Unit-00, and injured Hikari, I can't help but feel grateful that you're here, Asuka," he said, making the girl smile in triumph, "But the same could be said for Unit-03 and Unit-04. All three of them are more advanced that my Unit-01, but it's actual numbers that's going to win this battle."
"And the more Evas we have, the more we can gang up on the next Angel," Touji smiled, smacking his fist into his palm, "But the next Rogue we see, it's all mine."
Shinji looked at him, "Only if I don't get to it first," he said, "And don't think I'll let you go off and get yourself hurt just because you want payback."
Touji shook his head, frowning, "Come on, the one that hurt Hikari is already dead, so there's no need for that," he said, sighing, "But I wouldn't mind a little self-gratification."
Shinji rolled his eyes and dried off his hands, "Just remember you've got more to lose than your realize before putting yourself in that sort of fight," he said, looking at the dozing little girl sitting between her brother and Misato.
Touji nodded, understanding his meaning.
Asuka then got up from the table, "I think I'll head off to bed."
"Alright," Misato said, smiling at the red-head, "I hope you like your room. We can head into the city tomorrow for decorations if you want?"
Asuka waved her off, "Nah, I'm good. I'm just glad all my stuff made it over here," she said, gesturing to the huge pile of boxes stacked in the corner of the living room, a large majority of them marked as belonging to one Asuka Langley Shikinami. A smaller portion, two to three boxes, were marked for Mari.
Shinji looked between the two of them, "How do you have so much stuff, and Mari has so little?"
Mari shrugged her shoulders, "I lived out of a suitcase for a while, so I'm used to traveling light."
"And I've collected some very sentimental belongings, so there was no way that I was going to leave them behind." Asuka said, smiling, "Don't tell me daddy didn't spoil his oh-so-great-son, Captain Ikari?"
Shinji gave her a sharp look, his eyes flashing that strange shade of blue again before dying down to their normal hues, which was just enough to shut the German ginger up. "I never had anything," he told her, "And whenever I did gain something, it was taken from me. Dad's only recently started even tolerating me, let alone giving me anything."
"Great going, Red," Touji grumbled quietly as the Captain strode from the room, and made for the front door, "Didn't I already telly you that the Commander is a royal asshole?"
"Where are you going?" Misato asked worriedly as Shinji grabbed his jacket, "Oh, no, you're not going riding at this hour!"
"I won't leave the GeoFront," Shinji smiled over his shoulder and nodded as he slipped his jacket on, then stepped outside.
Misato sighed, and gave a small look toward the red-headed pilot, "Asuka, while I won't dare make it an order, I would prefer you try to refrain from riling Shinji up like that," she said, "He goes through enough as it is."
Asuka huffed and left the table, storming upstairs.
She was fuming by the time she slammed the door to her room shut, and threw herself down on her bed, burying her face in her pillow. 'What the hell's with them,' she wondered silently, 'They're acting like I just kicked the world's cutest puppy and laughed like a Vaudeville villain while doing it.' Sure, she knew that the young man had been through more battles with the Angels than she had, but how was she supposed to know that had a bad relationship with his father? It hadn't seemed that way on the docks earlier that day.
'But...is that any different that what I went through with my family?' She wondered, rolling over onto her side, clutching the pillow to her chest. 'And he's been so nice to me.'
She could still taste the meal she had been treated to on the the Over the Rainbow, and the smile on Shinji's face as he set her plate down in front of her. A smile that had set her heart to pounding in her chest, even now as she thought about it. 'He's nice and lean,' she smiled to herself, her cheeks reddening. 'He's also got a handsome face...and those eyes...' His eyes that seemed to glow whenever he felt some sort of strong emotion...like anger...or when he sometimes looked at her.
And then there was the fact that he was slightly taller than she was, not by much, but just enough for her to...
"Stop that!" She hissed to herself, shaking her head. "He's nothing but a rival! He's - " Suddenly she heard the sound of a an engine roaring to life. Curious, she stepped over to her window and peeked out. There was Shinji coasting his sleek black motorcycle to the road before stopping to place a pair of orange glasses over his eyes.
He revved the engine, then glanced over his shoulder like he could feel her eyes on him, and looked directly at her window. Asuka cursed in German and quickly pulled out of sight, coming out only when she heard the motorcycle speeding away.
She peeked out again, seeing the tail lights speeding down the road.
"Why?" She whispered, clutching at her pounding heart, "What the hell's wrong with me?"
Her door opened as Mari stepped in, "I'd say that you have it bad for the captain," Mari said as she barged in, giving her red-haired teammate a smile, "But you just don't want to admit it." Mari sat on the edge of the bed as the girl glared at her. "Is it really that hard to see him that way?"
"YES!" Asuka snapped angrily, "He's a threat to my authority as a Captain, and an Eva pilot!"
Mari groaned, and fell back onto the bed, "That attitude of your's is going to end up getting you killed, you know that, Red?" She sighed and rolled over onto her stomach, "And that's not something I'm looking forward to." She watched as Asuka sat down on the bed, crossing her legs, and arms. "Look, Asuka, I know you're hung up on Kaji, but be realistic, he's way to old for you!"
"Age is just a number," Asuka said haughtily, turning her nose up, "All that matters is how two people feel."
"And I can see that he doesn't see you that way." Mari pointed out, "Did you see the way he looked at Misato? He was smitten!"
"So?" Asuka snapped, "She didn't seem all that happy to see him!"
"Probably because she still has a thing for him," Mari sighed, "If she was the one that broke up with him, then I wouldn't put it past her to never want to see him again."
"You're about the rumors of them seeing each other before?" Asuka said, raising an eyebrow at her friend. "I found those a little far-fetched."
"I don't see why," Mari smirked, "I mean look at the way he was flirting with her! It's obvious that he has the hots for her, and he has it bad. And Misato is like you. She doesn't wanna admit that she likes him, like you don't wanna admit you like Shinji."
"But I -"
"Asuka, knock it off already!" Mari huffed, sitting up on her knees and planting her hands on her hips, "Even I admit that I like the guy. He's cute, he's funny, and he's crack pilot!"
"Then go after him!" Asuka growled, "It's no concern of mine if you - "
"Now that's a load of bull shit if I ever saw one," Mari said, giving her a kitty grin, "In my case, Asuka honey, I just want to sleep with him." She laughed as Asuka's eyes grew to the size of dinner plats, "No strings attached."
"B-b-but you just - I mean - "Asuka stammered, "How could you even think like that?!"
"Easy," Mari snapped her fingers, "Think of it this way, we're in a war against monsters, but war is war, and sometimes comforts are needed," she said, gesturing to her body in a provocative way, "and not all comforts are booze and words, Asuka."
Asuka looked like she'd just swallowed an entire pineapple, as red as her face was. Mari, she knew, was gifted in her body. She was tall, and lean with curves in all the places Asuka didn't. Asuka had admitted in a moment of feminine jealously of being envious of Mari's larger bust, seeing as Asuka was barely into the B-cup department. Both girls were well muscled and toned from their training as Eva pilots, but Asuka still had a long way to go if she wanted to catch up to Mari.
Mari noticed her calculating look. "Look Asuka, I know you're in denial about this, but just think about it. Do you honestly want Shinji to end up with me, whether or not it's just a small fling?"
"I - " Asuka started, but found her throat constricting around her words.
Mari smiled in triumph, and stood to leave the room, "Good night, Red." She said, closing the door behind her.
Asuka wanted to argue with her, but she couldn't. "Dammit." She huffed and laid down, "Good night!"
(*)
Shinji sighed in pleasure as he laid out on the grass, looking up at the dome ceiling above him. He'd parked his bike in a small park area around the GeoFront that over looked a small lake near NERV HQ. The sky he looked at was only seen through a large window of sorts that showed off the cycle of the day as it moved on. But it was just as good as being out under the real thing.
There was no wind though. It was one of the things he disliked about the GeoFront. He loved feeling the cool breezes the night brought about. Down here there was not even a tickle of a breeze.
Shinji sat up for a moment, thinking that this was the perfect time to play with his small gift, seeing as there was no one around. Small stones littered the ground, it was just a matter of picking one.
Seeing one that looked just about right, Shinji stretched out his hand, and one of them lifted from the ground and floated right into his palm, where he had wanted it. He clutched it for a moment, before opening his hand and making it rise again and shoot out across the water, skipping across the surface and finally sink.
He smiled in slight satisfaction.
/
"You're getting better, Father." Said a familiar female voice. Even though he should have been used to the angel's sudden appearances, Shinji still jumped clear to his feet with a shout as Abraham, posing as Tokiko appeared beside him.
"Do you have to keep doing that?!" Shinji gasped, his heart pounding. "You're gonna give me a heart attack!"
"I'd just send you back," she said, grinning.
"Ugh," Shinji sighed, drifting back to the ground, "I haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?"
"Nothing in particular," Tokiko sighed, sitting beside him, "It didn't seem like you needed me anymore for the time being, so I decided to stay around here in case trouble arose. And it did!"
"Don't remind me," Shinji groaned, falling onto his back, "I don't remember MPEs moving around this early." He said, frowning as he crossed his arms behind his head, "So much has changed."
Tokiko shrugged, "I did warn you of the consequences going back through time. It's like the ripple effect. Dropping a stone into the water will create ripples, and those ripples will only get larger until they come up against something to halt them. Time is like that, only it takes a supreme being to stop the ripple effect in a timeline. I'm not strong enough to even consider that. It also would explain the new Angels."
"Yeah, that would explain it," Shinji sighed, "What about me then? Aren't I an Angel still?"
"No, at the moment you're only half-angel like your sister, though it doesn't show, and you don't have an S2 organ." Tokiko explained, "Thanks to my creation, most of your Angel traits were passed to me, save for, perhaps the power that the combination of Adam and Lilith pushed into you as it died."
"I don't even know how to use those powers," Shinji pointed out, "Why would I need to?"
"Why, indeed," she said, "It's true, we Angels are powerful, but not all powerful like Adam and Lilith." She sighed, "That reminds me, I should tell you that something else has changed a bit. You remember Jet Alone, don't you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah the robot that I had to sto- Hey! That was supposed to happen weeks ago!" Shinji leapt to his feet.
"Precisely," she said, "If you'll remember, your new pilot, Miss Kirishima, is a pilot for one such robot, but it's activation test won't go through until the original is tested, meaning you still need to take care of that walking Nuke."
"Why can't I ever catch a break?" Shinji asked.
"Well," she giggled, "look at it this way. You got to spend a few relaxing days at sea, didn't you?"
"With a perverted girl, and a red demon." Shinji sighed.
"Also having a crush on said red demon," Tokiko pointed out, smiling at the frown he threw her way, "Admit it, Father, you've missed her dearly."
Sighing in defeat because there was no way to deny it, he nodded, "Yeah, I have. But that attitude of hers, gah!" He groaned, "It's a wonder I never stood up to her before!"
"Like I've told you before, you both had feeling for each other, but were either too shy, or stubborn, in her case, to admit it." Tokiko said, "That disaster of a kiss was her way of confirming her feelings, and she was scared and somewhat angry that she loved you, of all people."
Shinji nodded, "She doesn't seem the type to go for a guy like me, I'll give you that, but then again, I never thought I could like a girl like her either."
"So what are you going to do?" The Angel asked.
"Well, first I need to get her out of that holier than thou attitude," Shinji said, "That's only going to get in the way of her life, and her piloting. Then I guess I need to get her to open up."
"Easier said than done," Tokiko said, "But a sound plan, nonetheless. Needless to say, I will not be helping you with that!"
"I wouldn't ask that of you," he grinned, "It's going to be bad enough for me. I can just see the fights we're going to get into!"
"What is you Lilin say?" Tokiko said, tapping her chin with her finger, "Oh yes! In for a penny in for a pound!"
"That's not even remotely funny," Shinji said, though he found himself talking to air. "I'm really starting to hate when that Angel does that."
AN: Quit a bit of this chapter was scratched out and replaced with a few scenes with Shinji and Asuka, as well as a lovely reunion between Touji and Hikari. As was before, Asuka is interested in Shinji, but it's still going to be a long courtship.
Let me know what you think of the changes of this chapter, and please review.
