Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, it's characters etc. They belong to Gainax. I do however, own Shikaku, a character of my own creation.
Author's note: Sorry for not updating in SO long, but I was…grounded. –sob- That and I had exams and what not, so it was a little hectic around here. School ends tomorrow [June 11th] and I couldn't be happier! And now that I'll be out for summer, I should be able to write a lot more of this and update quite often. Anyway, here's chapter twenty-one of "Until the Day I Die"!
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Title: Until the Day I Die
Chapter title: Kaji's Debut and a Little Surprise
By: Yanagi Son (That's me! XD)
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As Asuka and Shinji's new found aunt entered the kitchen, Asuka looked around. The cabinets were covered in filth, and several of the hinges were broken, leaving the doors halfway attached to the cabinets. There was a small table, big enough for no more than three or four people, and a few small, wooden chairs. There was a lace table cloth draped over the table that looked so ancient, it had to be a family heirloom.
"This way Asuka, dear." said Mrs. Yagahashii as she headed towards the sink to dampen a cloth she had quickly gotten out of the linen closet that was located in the hallway right outside the kitchen. "Please don't mind the filth. With Shikaku being so sick, I haven't had much time to clean like normal."
"Oh, that's quite alright Mrs. Yagahashii." said Asuka quietly. "I really don't mind at all. I just want to make sure Shinji is okay."
"I'm sure you do. Now, I have something to ask of you Asuka." said Mrs. Yagahashii as she wrung out the extra water from the cloth and turned towards Asuka.
"Y – yes? What is it?" asked Asuka, her voice shaking slightly. She was a little unnerved by Shinji's new found aunt requesting something from her, especially since she didn't have a clue what it could be about.
"I want you to take care of my nephew for me. I can tell he loves you more than anything, and I know you love him as well." she said as she smiled warmly at Asuka.
"Of course I will!" said Asuka as she blushed and bowed quickly. She had never imagined that would be Mrs. Yagahashii's request. "I'll do my best to care for your nephew ma'am!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Now take this and go take care of him." said Mrs. Yagahashii as she handed the damp cloth to Asuka and shooed her out of the kitchen. Chuckling lightly to herself, she looked out the window. "My little nephew is so lucky to have her in his life…" she said fondly as she watched two birds nuzzling each other in the small tree outside the house.
As Asuka walked back into the living room towards Shinji, she stopped and blushed. Somehow, his aunt's words were echoing in her mind. 'Take care of my nephew… He loves you more than anything…' Shaking her head to relinquish the thoughts from her mind, she walked the remaining distance towards Shinji and knelt beside him. Placing the cool, damp cloth on Shinji's sweaty brow, she gazed at his face in wonder.
'I never really noticed how calm he looks when he's sleeping… I wonder what he dreams about…' she thought, surprising herself. She began tracing the line of his chin gently before taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. Gently resting her head on his chest so that she could hear his heartbeat, she sighed. "Please be okay Shinji…" she whispered.
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"I wonder where those two are…" mused Misato as she balanced a pencil on the tip of her nose. There were stacks of papers for her to fill out around her, but she just didn't feel like it at the moment. She was too worried about Shinji and Asuka. She had called the apartment, and no one answered. She had then tried Shinji's cellular phone, but no answer there either.
"Misato? Are you in here?" asked Ritsuko as she walked into the small office, trying to locate her friend in the masses of paperwork left to do.
"Yes, I'm over here." said Misato as she waved her hand above a stack of papers on her desk so that Ritsuko would know where she was. Ritsuko sighed and walked over to Misato, avoiding knocking over any of the many large piles of papers.
"Why aren't you filling anything out?!" screamed Ritsuko. "You are the Commander of Operations are you not?! You should fill these out!"
"Why yes, yes I am the Commander of Operations Ritsuko. Thank you for noticing!" joked Misato as she grinned widely. Noticing the appalled look on Ritsuko's face and hearing the slight hint of a growl coming from her friend, she sighed. "I know I should be filling these out… But I'm just so worried about Shinji and Asuka."
"What do you mean 'worried'? Has anything happened to them?"
"I really hope not. I've called the apartment and Shinji's cell phone, but no answer. I think he left his cell phone at home on purpose so that I couldn't get a hold of him if I needed to."
"Why would he do that?" asked Ritsuko, baffled by Shinji's sudden behavior.
"How the hell should I know, Ritsuko?! I mean, sure I live with him and Asuka, but he has a hard time telling anyone anything remember?" snapped Misato as she brandished her pencil towards Ritsuko.
"Hey, don't point that thing at me!" yelled Ritsuko as she snatched the writing utensil out of Misato's grasp before dropping it out of disgust. "Do you have to chew on every inch of your pencils?!"
"Sure I do, if it annoys you enough." said Misato as she grinned again. "Anyway, let's be adults and be serious."
"I was being serious!" yelled Ritsuko.
"Yes, but now you are yelling and screaming like a little child Ritsuko. You are no one to talk about being serious." taunted Misato.
"Alright, you win this round Misato." sighed Ritsuko as she straightened up and ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. "What do you think Shinji and Asuka could possibly be up to that they wouldn't answer the phone."
"Do you REALLY want me to answer that with what I'm thinking right now?" said Misato dully as she narrowed her eyes and rested her hand on the palm of her hand.
"No, I don't want to know your thoughts at it at this moment. But think…besides sex, which I highly doubt they are doing at the moment, what else could they be doing?" said Ritsuko as she sat on the small area on Misato's desk that wasn't covered in papers.
"Well, they were both talking about going to check on that Shikaku girl sometime…" said Misato as she remembered overhearing a small bit of a conversation between Shinji and Asuka. She vaguely remembered Asuka yelling in protest and Shinji trying to calm her down to listen to reason. She giggled at the thought.
"Why are you giggling? Did Kaji slip into your train of thought?" teased Ritsuko as she raised an eyebrow.
"N – no! That's absurd Ritsuko! How could you think that?!" yelled Misato as she blushed. Scoffing, she picked up a small stack of papers and tapped the end of the stack on her desk, making the files even before setting them back down. "If you must know, I was 'giggling' as you call it because I was remembering the argument between Shinji and Asuka on the subject of seeing Shikaku."
"Oh, so they ARE dating then?" asked Ritsuko, interested in this new information.
"Of course they are. Would it be any other way? If you're thinking that Shinji should get together with Rei, forget it. Shinji and Asuka are in love whether you want them to be or not!" yelled Misato furiously.
"Who said I wanted Shinji and Rei to get together? I think that Shinji and Asuka make a perfectly wonderful couple."
"Well… Alright then… Back to the topic on hand then." said Misato awkwardly. Ritsuko smirked, loving being able to finally make Misato squirm after all those years of her ridiculing.
"Do you think they would be going to see Shikaku? It's a possibility you know." said Ritsuko.
"Hello there!" came a male voice from the doorway. Ritsuko turned around and smiled while Misato groaned and clutched her head.
"Hello Kaji." said Ritsuko as she smiled.
"What the hell do you want?!" yelled Misato as she stood up and pointed accusingly towards him. Kaji smiled and sauntered into the room towards Misato. Cupping her chin, his smile grew wider.
"I have some interesting information for you my dear Misato." he whispered seductively. Misato pushed his hand away, an appalled expression on her face. Regaining her composure, she gave him her most dignified official face and crossed her arms.
"What do you mean Kaji?" she said scathingly.
"Well, I overheard as I was passing by…"
"Eavesdropping you mean!" accused Misato angrily. Ritsuko covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, but to no avail.
"Now, what would give you the idea that I would be eavesdropping on you Misato?" asked Kaji sweetly.
"Because I know you well enough not to trust you." spat Misato.
"That's all fine Misato, but I know you well too. Maybe I just shouldn't tell you the information regarding this Shikaku person you and Ritsuko were talking about." taunted Kaji as he turned to leave. Before he could take two steps, he was stopped by Misato grabbing his forearm rather roughly.
"Tell me and I won't be forced to hurt you." whispered Misato fiercely. Her head was bending downwards, her black hair covering her face. Beneath her hair, her cheeks were flushing with rage.
"Okay, I'll tell you." said Kaji as he lifted Misato's face to whisper in her ear. As he told her what he knew about Shikaku, Misato's eyes grew wide with fear and fury. Taking a step back, Kaji admired his handy work. He had managed to make her enraged and concerned; a side of her rarely seen.
"Where's Shinji?" she asked, her breathing becoming heavy and shallow.
"Hm… I believe I saw them heading towards Shikaku's home while on my way here." said Kaji carefully after a few moments of hard thinking. Misato walked around her desk and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"Why didn't you stop them Kaji?! You know how much I love them!" she screamed, angry tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Yes, I know. I wasn't sure if any of this information I received about Shikaku was true or not until I arrived here… When I saw the NERV special agents heading out to fetch her."
"What the hell do you mean Kaji?!" yelled Ritsuko, no longer finding this little scenario amusing.
"You see…" began Kaji as he smirked. "Shikaku…is the Angel of Fire."
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Author's note: Hmm…interesting stuff in this chapter ne? I had to have a majority of this chapter dealing with Misato because there's not too much you can have happen with Shinji passed out. Lol… Anyway, I'm sorry for the little comedy routine [if you can call it that] between Misato and Ritsuko. I thought that that would be how they would argue, so that's how it came to be in this chapter. As you can probably tell, the story's plot is unraveling pretty fast. I hope you all like it as I continue to write this! Don't forget to review! Matte ne! – Nagi
Any comments or suggestions are welcome at: Yanagimoonyahoo.com [There is an underscore between Yanagi and moon as well as the 'at' symbol there. This is because I noticed that FFN seemed to have gotten rid of that!]
Author's note: Sorry for not updating in SO long, but I was…grounded. –sob- That and I had exams and what not, so it was a little hectic around here. School ends tomorrow [June 11th] and I couldn't be happier! And now that I'll be out for summer, I should be able to write a lot more of this and update quite often. Anyway, here's chapter twenty-one of "Until the Day I Die"!
----------------------
Title: Until the Day I Die
Chapter title: Kaji's Debut and a Little Surprise
By: Yanagi Son (That's me! XD)
---------------------
As Asuka and Shinji's new found aunt entered the kitchen, Asuka looked around. The cabinets were covered in filth, and several of the hinges were broken, leaving the doors halfway attached to the cabinets. There was a small table, big enough for no more than three or four people, and a few small, wooden chairs. There was a lace table cloth draped over the table that looked so ancient, it had to be a family heirloom.
"This way Asuka, dear." said Mrs. Yagahashii as she headed towards the sink to dampen a cloth she had quickly gotten out of the linen closet that was located in the hallway right outside the kitchen. "Please don't mind the filth. With Shikaku being so sick, I haven't had much time to clean like normal."
"Oh, that's quite alright Mrs. Yagahashii." said Asuka quietly. "I really don't mind at all. I just want to make sure Shinji is okay."
"I'm sure you do. Now, I have something to ask of you Asuka." said Mrs. Yagahashii as she wrung out the extra water from the cloth and turned towards Asuka.
"Y – yes? What is it?" asked Asuka, her voice shaking slightly. She was a little unnerved by Shinji's new found aunt requesting something from her, especially since she didn't have a clue what it could be about.
"I want you to take care of my nephew for me. I can tell he loves you more than anything, and I know you love him as well." she said as she smiled warmly at Asuka.
"Of course I will!" said Asuka as she blushed and bowed quickly. She had never imagined that would be Mrs. Yagahashii's request. "I'll do my best to care for your nephew ma'am!"
"I'm glad to hear that. Now take this and go take care of him." said Mrs. Yagahashii as she handed the damp cloth to Asuka and shooed her out of the kitchen. Chuckling lightly to herself, she looked out the window. "My little nephew is so lucky to have her in his life…" she said fondly as she watched two birds nuzzling each other in the small tree outside the house.
As Asuka walked back into the living room towards Shinji, she stopped and blushed. Somehow, his aunt's words were echoing in her mind. 'Take care of my nephew… He loves you more than anything…' Shaking her head to relinquish the thoughts from her mind, she walked the remaining distance towards Shinji and knelt beside him. Placing the cool, damp cloth on Shinji's sweaty brow, she gazed at his face in wonder.
'I never really noticed how calm he looks when he's sleeping… I wonder what he dreams about…' she thought, surprising herself. She began tracing the line of his chin gently before taking his hand in hers and lacing their fingers together. Gently resting her head on his chest so that she could hear his heartbeat, she sighed. "Please be okay Shinji…" she whispered.
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"I wonder where those two are…" mused Misato as she balanced a pencil on the tip of her nose. There were stacks of papers for her to fill out around her, but she just didn't feel like it at the moment. She was too worried about Shinji and Asuka. She had called the apartment, and no one answered. She had then tried Shinji's cellular phone, but no answer there either.
"Misato? Are you in here?" asked Ritsuko as she walked into the small office, trying to locate her friend in the masses of paperwork left to do.
"Yes, I'm over here." said Misato as she waved her hand above a stack of papers on her desk so that Ritsuko would know where she was. Ritsuko sighed and walked over to Misato, avoiding knocking over any of the many large piles of papers.
"Why aren't you filling anything out?!" screamed Ritsuko. "You are the Commander of Operations are you not?! You should fill these out!"
"Why yes, yes I am the Commander of Operations Ritsuko. Thank you for noticing!" joked Misato as she grinned widely. Noticing the appalled look on Ritsuko's face and hearing the slight hint of a growl coming from her friend, she sighed. "I know I should be filling these out… But I'm just so worried about Shinji and Asuka."
"What do you mean 'worried'? Has anything happened to them?"
"I really hope not. I've called the apartment and Shinji's cell phone, but no answer. I think he left his cell phone at home on purpose so that I couldn't get a hold of him if I needed to."
"Why would he do that?" asked Ritsuko, baffled by Shinji's sudden behavior.
"How the hell should I know, Ritsuko?! I mean, sure I live with him and Asuka, but he has a hard time telling anyone anything remember?" snapped Misato as she brandished her pencil towards Ritsuko.
"Hey, don't point that thing at me!" yelled Ritsuko as she snatched the writing utensil out of Misato's grasp before dropping it out of disgust. "Do you have to chew on every inch of your pencils?!"
"Sure I do, if it annoys you enough." said Misato as she grinned again. "Anyway, let's be adults and be serious."
"I was being serious!" yelled Ritsuko.
"Yes, but now you are yelling and screaming like a little child Ritsuko. You are no one to talk about being serious." taunted Misato.
"Alright, you win this round Misato." sighed Ritsuko as she straightened up and ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. "What do you think Shinji and Asuka could possibly be up to that they wouldn't answer the phone."
"Do you REALLY want me to answer that with what I'm thinking right now?" said Misato dully as she narrowed her eyes and rested her hand on the palm of her hand.
"No, I don't want to know your thoughts at it at this moment. But think…besides sex, which I highly doubt they are doing at the moment, what else could they be doing?" said Ritsuko as she sat on the small area on Misato's desk that wasn't covered in papers.
"Well, they were both talking about going to check on that Shikaku girl sometime…" said Misato as she remembered overhearing a small bit of a conversation between Shinji and Asuka. She vaguely remembered Asuka yelling in protest and Shinji trying to calm her down to listen to reason. She giggled at the thought.
"Why are you giggling? Did Kaji slip into your train of thought?" teased Ritsuko as she raised an eyebrow.
"N – no! That's absurd Ritsuko! How could you think that?!" yelled Misato as she blushed. Scoffing, she picked up a small stack of papers and tapped the end of the stack on her desk, making the files even before setting them back down. "If you must know, I was 'giggling' as you call it because I was remembering the argument between Shinji and Asuka on the subject of seeing Shikaku."
"Oh, so they ARE dating then?" asked Ritsuko, interested in this new information.
"Of course they are. Would it be any other way? If you're thinking that Shinji should get together with Rei, forget it. Shinji and Asuka are in love whether you want them to be or not!" yelled Misato furiously.
"Who said I wanted Shinji and Rei to get together? I think that Shinji and Asuka make a perfectly wonderful couple."
"Well… Alright then… Back to the topic on hand then." said Misato awkwardly. Ritsuko smirked, loving being able to finally make Misato squirm after all those years of her ridiculing.
"Do you think they would be going to see Shikaku? It's a possibility you know." said Ritsuko.
"Hello there!" came a male voice from the doorway. Ritsuko turned around and smiled while Misato groaned and clutched her head.
"Hello Kaji." said Ritsuko as she smiled.
"What the hell do you want?!" yelled Misato as she stood up and pointed accusingly towards him. Kaji smiled and sauntered into the room towards Misato. Cupping her chin, his smile grew wider.
"I have some interesting information for you my dear Misato." he whispered seductively. Misato pushed his hand away, an appalled expression on her face. Regaining her composure, she gave him her most dignified official face and crossed her arms.
"What do you mean Kaji?" she said scathingly.
"Well, I overheard as I was passing by…"
"Eavesdropping you mean!" accused Misato angrily. Ritsuko covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, but to no avail.
"Now, what would give you the idea that I would be eavesdropping on you Misato?" asked Kaji sweetly.
"Because I know you well enough not to trust you." spat Misato.
"That's all fine Misato, but I know you well too. Maybe I just shouldn't tell you the information regarding this Shikaku person you and Ritsuko were talking about." taunted Kaji as he turned to leave. Before he could take two steps, he was stopped by Misato grabbing his forearm rather roughly.
"Tell me and I won't be forced to hurt you." whispered Misato fiercely. Her head was bending downwards, her black hair covering her face. Beneath her hair, her cheeks were flushing with rage.
"Okay, I'll tell you." said Kaji as he lifted Misato's face to whisper in her ear. As he told her what he knew about Shikaku, Misato's eyes grew wide with fear and fury. Taking a step back, Kaji admired his handy work. He had managed to make her enraged and concerned; a side of her rarely seen.
"Where's Shinji?" she asked, her breathing becoming heavy and shallow.
"Hm… I believe I saw them heading towards Shikaku's home while on my way here." said Kaji carefully after a few moments of hard thinking. Misato walked around her desk and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"Why didn't you stop them Kaji?! You know how much I love them!" she screamed, angry tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Yes, I know. I wasn't sure if any of this information I received about Shikaku was true or not until I arrived here… When I saw the NERV special agents heading out to fetch her."
"What the hell do you mean Kaji?!" yelled Ritsuko, no longer finding this little scenario amusing.
"You see…" began Kaji as he smirked. "Shikaku…is the Angel of Fire."
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Author's note: Hmm…interesting stuff in this chapter ne? I had to have a majority of this chapter dealing with Misato because there's not too much you can have happen with Shinji passed out. Lol… Anyway, I'm sorry for the little comedy routine [if you can call it that] between Misato and Ritsuko. I thought that that would be how they would argue, so that's how it came to be in this chapter. As you can probably tell, the story's plot is unraveling pretty fast. I hope you all like it as I continue to write this! Don't forget to review! Matte ne! – Nagi
Any comments or suggestions are welcome at: Yanagimoonyahoo.com [There is an underscore between Yanagi and moon as well as the 'at' symbol there. This is because I noticed that FFN seemed to have gotten rid of that!]