"Henry, I … I want to apologise for last night."
Henry had got up long before the alarm, and was all ready for the day ahead by the time Maya woke up, groaning. She felt absolutely shattered, but she couldn't for the life of her remember having more fun in one night than last night.
"Apologise?" Henry asked, pausing in the act of making the bed and speaking in an I-know-what-you're-going-to-say-and-have-already-prepared-a-counter-argument tone. "Whatever for?"
"Well … it wasn't very responsible of me to get drunk like that, and acting like a harlot, and sleeping with you. I want to apologise if I came across in a negative light. I shouldn't have done it."
"Miss Ibuki," said Henry, knowing how to play her in times like this. "There is no need to apologise. We were both rather immature last night. Unprofessional. But it doesn't matter. Do you regret what we did?"
"Well … no … but …"
"Then stop worrying about it. At worst, what happened? Two mates had some fun and carried it too far. That's no crime. Adam and Eve were not cast from Paradise for enjoying intimacy."
Maya turned away. Henry cocked his head, reading her body language as anxious and secretive. "There's someone else, isn't there?"
"Promise you won't tell?"
"How old do I look, Maya, five?"
"R-Ritsuko-sempai …"
Henry nodded, dragging the covers over the bed awkwardly. He decided to shut up until she chose to speak again. Sure enough …
"She doesn't even notice me, Henry. I love her, and she doesn't even look at me."
"You have a crush on her," said Henry sagely, padding over to her. He squatted down on his haunches, and she sat down on the bed. "If you're in love, I won't intrude. But I will always be there for you, if you need it."
"What? But … last night …"
"Relax. Just forget it ever happened, if it makes you happy. But your heart will only break if you don't choose between me or Ritsuko. But I will honour your decision whoever you choose. Now, you need to get to work, and me to school. I drive?"
"No, I'll do it."
/
"What was Ibuki-san doing driving you in?" asked Shinji at the first opportunity, which happened to be during lunch break on the school rooftop. Henry was lounging around, letting the hot concrete paving ease the pain in the small of his back from too much exertion.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. She had to pick up some groceries in town and offered to give me a lift."
"That's all you're giving me. I know there's more to it than that."
"It's nice to see you, too. Misato's been worried sick, by the way."
"Henry, spill. I'm interested."
"Oh, I give in; I got her a coffee yesterday and she decided to repay the favour."
"Seriously?"
"Would I ever lie to you?"
Shinji decided not to answer that. Shinji decided not to answer that. The truth was the answer had to be a yes. Any conversation with Henry seemed to involve cryptic poetics, half-answers and changes of subject. "Come on, lessons start in ten."
Henry grunted his assent. Shinji left down the stairwell. Henry didn't really process it. He was too distracted by thinking about Maya.
She was right about one thing, certainly; nothing about her really screamed 'special'. She was plain, quiet, and had an unimaginative wardrobe of functional but not very daring clothes. Her haircut actually made her look a little like an older, female version of Shinji. But Henry felt something tug in the S2 engine that was the closest he had to a heart at the thought of her face, her voice, her searing warmth on his grave-chill skin.
Was this love? He wasn't sure. He'd never really known what love was.
"INCOMING!" A scream penetrated his musing, shortly followed by a faceful of someone's huge breasts.
Henry, reacting by instinct more than anything, pushed the intruder off him before he suffocated, flipping onto all fours. A girl about his age was rummaging around on the concrete for something, eyes squinted. She was wearing military cargo trousers and a white blouse, her long dark brown hair tied into pigtails. Henry sighed, and handed her the glasses that had landed next to him.
The girl took them gratefully, smiling impishly when she saw who it was.
"Henry! Good to see ya!" She made to hug him, but he remained stoically stony-faced.
"Makinami, you died. I watched you die."
"That?" she asked, nonchalantly waving it away. "Hell, Henry, it'll take more that a self-destructing base and a pissed-off Angel to kill off Mari Illustrious Makinami!"
Henry still refused to hug the girl, so she dropped her arms disappointedly. "Funny. Normal people would want to hug a friend they had believed dead. Guess it's just you being jaded."
Henry padded over to the lip of the roof, using the steel railings to support himself as he stood up. "Why did you come here, Makinami?"
"Would you believe me if I said that it was to be with my boyfriend?"
"No. Makinami, I never was your boyfriend."
"I'm hurt," she said in a voice that suggested otherwise. "You smell good. Been doing more piloting recently?"
"Yes. And what has your LCL fetish got to do with anything?"
She didn't answer, but was bundling her parachute into her backpack. "You never did tell me why you turned me down." This time she actually did sound hurt.
"It's because, Makinami, you're a complete psycho in a Evangelion. And not everyone likes boobs like a pair of watermelons. And because …"
"Okay, I get the picture. But I genuinely liked you."
"I would say I'm touched, but I really don't care. Go hit on someone else. I'm not interested. But don't expect me to keep mum about you sneaking into Japan."
"Meanie," she said flirtatiously, before setting off.
Henry sighed. Mari Illustrious Makinami. A pilot from the former Bethany Base, pilot of Evangelion-05, and a hot contender for Biggest Hidden Psychopath Award. She was something of a sadomasochist when it came to either Angel fighting or sexual relationships, and had asked him out a long time ago. Henry, naturally, had turned her down.
So what was she doing, sneaking into Japan when she was supposed to have died in the destruction of Bethany Base?