Continued from last chapter…

"Whoa! You two stink! Why don't you both take a shower, and then we can talk," said Yang. Weiss and Ruby both looked at each other. They had both been arguing about who would get the shower first. Still, Rei's comments about Dr. Akagi and the commander had weighed heavily on both of them. They weren't sure what to do with information like this. However, they both agreed that a quick shower would be a good idea. Ruby let Weiss go first, given her unpleasant experience in the LCL tank. Once both of them had showered, they reconvened with Yang. "Where's Misato?" asked Ruby.

"I think she's busy filling out paperwork," said Yang, "You want me to get her?" Ruby nodded affirmatively. As Yang made her way to retrieve Misato, another member of team RWBY made her entrance. "What's with Asuka?" asked Blake, "She's pacing back and forth like some wild animal."

"Maybe Shinji did something to upset her?" said Weiss.

"I guess we can talk to her after we get done talking to Misato," said Ruby.

"What are you talking to Misato about?" asked Blake.

"We heard some things from Rei that left us…concerned," said Weiss.

"Oh. Well, mind if I join you?"

"We were hoping you would," said Ruby. Yang returned announcing that she had retrieved Misato, and all members of team RWBY convened in the kitchen.

"So, what is this about?" asked Misato.

Weiss decided to provide some context first, "When I first met Rei, I asked her if she did anything with the commander. She said that the commander…comforted her."

"I see," said Misato.

"When I asked her what she meant, Rei offered to comfort me. I knew that the word comfort could be used as a euphemism for more…adult things, so I left. Then, today Ruby and I visited Rei again, and I asked her if she was familiar with how, well…babies are made. She told me that she was, but that she didn't engage in that kind of activity."

"OK."

"However, she also mentioned that the commander, well…you see…" Weiss stammered on her words, not knowing how to explain to Misato that her friend was having intimate relations with the commander. Misato quickly caught on; however. "The commander is being intimate with someone else?" she asked.

"Yeah, you're friend Ritsuko," said Weiss.

"Hmm…I see. Well, I can't say I approve of her actions, but it's none of my business. What's more, it's none of yours."

"We know that," said Ruby, "That's why we wanted to talk to you about it. We only asked about Rei because we were afraid she was being, well…taken advantage of."

"I understand your concerns," said Misato, "But you still should have come to an adult. I know I can be busy, and I don't blame you for thinking I would have forgotten about it. The fact is that I may very well have forgotten about it. Still, that doesn't excuse you poking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Ruby glanced down in shame, "We're sorry," she said softly.

"Yeah," said Weiss, "I guess that stuff is pretty sensitive."

"You obviously care about Rei, and you were only trying to look out for her. It's just that…people tend to get rather cagey when others bring up personal matters like sexual activity; especially if they're teenage girls. Oh, and one other thing. I'm not sure what the laws are where you come from, but in Japan, the age of consent is 13."

"What's age of consent?" asked Blake.

"The age at which a person is legally allowed to have sexual intercourse," explained Misato.

"WHAT?!" all members of team RWBY cried at once.

"Someone can actually do that when they're 13?" said Weiss.

"That's too young!" said Blake.

"A lot of people would agree with you," said Misato, "And we still have laws and guidelines regarding how teenagers express they're sexuality. We don't want a society of perverts and bimbos now, do we?" Misato noticed Ruby was nervously staring at the floor, tapping her index fingers together. "Was there something else you wanted to say?" asked Misato.

"Well, we didn't actually ask about Ritsuko," said Ruby, "Rei just kind of…told it to us."

"I see," said Misato, "Was it just…offhand?"

"Yeah, sort of. After she told us she didn't do anything with the commander, she just mentioned that the commander was being intimate with Dr. Akagi."

"Well, it's not right to go prying into private business of others, and it's also not right to divulge the private business of others."

"So…you're saying Rei shouldn't have told us about what the commander and the doctor are doing?" asked Weiss.

"That's right," said Misato, "Although, since you didn't ask this time, I can't fault you for knowing. What's more, in this case, you did the right thing by coming to me, even though it's really none of my business either. Now, was there anything else?"

"No, I don't think so," said Ruby. Misato smiled at all of them, a sign of pride that her wards had been mature enough to entrust her with something so sensitive. After announcing her intentions to return to her work, Misato left team RWBY to themselves. Ruby looked over and saw that Blake was very uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Well, it's just that...I'm not sure how to handle this knowledge that the age of consent is so, well…low," said Blake.
"Well, Misato said there were guidelines," said Yang, "And none of the people we've met seem to be carelessly giving away their virginity, so maybe it's not as bad as we think."
"Maybe. I just wish people wouldn't be so flippant with relationships, you know? While I never got intimate with him, I must admit I was rather careless with my relationship with Adam. I let him convince me to do things I knew were wrong. Sometimes, I'm not even sure how I came to my senses." Blake shook her head, clearly wishing to be done with the conversation. Ruby glanced over to Asuka's room. The loud THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! still came from Asuka's footsteps. "Maybe we should get her something," said Yang.

"How do you know that's what's best for her?" asked Blake, "She might just need someone to listen to her."

"Yeah, I've already listened to her and I know why she's upset."

"So…why is she upset?" asked Ruby.

"It's a long story, but let's just say she lost her mother…in more ways than one," explained Yang.

"Well, it's pretty late," said Weiss, "Why don't we get her something tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Ruby.

The next day after school, team RWBY went to a local flower boutique to buy a bouquet of cherry blossoms for Asuka. They went home to give Asuka their gift to cheer her up. However, when they gave Asuka the flowers…

"You gave me cherry blossoms?" said Asuka, "You gave me CHERRY BLOSSOMS?!"Asuka angrily threw the bouquet of flowers on the floor. "Don't EVER get me cherry blossoms…again!" Asuka walked up right next to Ruby and got up right in her face, causing her to lean back and fall backwards. Asuka angrily stomped back to her room. Before she shut the door, she turned back to face the four girls one more time. "Why don't you just leave me alone!" she said bitterly, "You obviously can't help me!" With that, Asuka slammed the door. Ruby looked up at her teammates. "Did you hear her?" she asked forlornly.

"I did," said Misato, who had heard the commotion and was checking to see what was going on, "I can't believe she actually thinks she can treat you like that. She's going to hear me about this!"

"That's…not what I meant," said Ruby, "When she was yelling at me, it sounded like she was about to cry." Nobody spoke for a few seconds. Faintly from Asuka's room, the distinct sound of sobbing was heard; Asuka was crying. Yang shook her head, "I guess she must really be upset," she said.

"But over cherry blossoms?" asked Weiss.
"Maybe it has something to do with her mother," suggested Yang.

"Like…her favorite flower?" suggested Blake.

"Could be."

"Well, the only way to find out is to ask her," said Ruby, "And I don't think she wants to talk right now."

"She might also be cagey about her mother," said Yang, "Seems like she doesn't really like to talk about her much."

"Maybe we should just drop the subject for the time being," said Blake, "One thing my dad always said was that it sometimes takes people a while for them to open up, and when she is ready, we'll be there for her."

"Mmm…alright, but let's hope for her sake, she doesn't take too long. Stuff like that can really mess with your head." Yang stretched her arms out, "Well, anyways, why don't we all go for a walk?"

"Sounds good to me," said Blake, "Think we should invite Shinji?"

"I don't see why not," said Ruby. She knocked on Shinji's door. "Yeah?" greeted Shinji.

"We were wondering if you wanted to come walk with us," said Ruby.

"Uh…sure," said Shinji.
"Can I come too?" Everyone spun around to see Asuka standing behind them, quickly wiping tears from her eyes.
"Um…sure," said Ruby, "You feeling better?"

"Uh…of course," said Asuka. It was clear to everyone else that she was not better, but at least she was somewhat acknowledging that she had not been okay just a few minutes earlier. Ruby quickly informed Misato of their plans, and Misato gave them permission. However, she informed them that she might be at work when they got home. With that, the group all headed out the door; grateful to get some fresh air. Asuka turned to Ruby, "So, you're sister tells me your mom was pretty great," she said softly.

"Yeah," said Ruby, "I was pretty young when she died, so I don't remember much of her."

"I wish I could have had a mother like yours. I'm jealous, you know."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you jealous."

"It's not your fault. Anyways, EVA piloting is all I have now. If I'm not good at it, there's no reason for me to be here." Yang listened to the conversation intently. She supposed this was the closest thing to an apology they were going to get from Asuka. There was something about Asuka's words that struck a chord with Ruby. If I'm not good at it, there's no reason for me to be here. "Asuka, what if…you couldn't pilot the EVA anymore?" asked Ruby.

Asuka angrily glared at Ruby, "Didn't you hear me? I said that if I'm not good at it, then there's no reason for me to be here!"

"I know. That's what bothers me." Asuka didn't answer, instead furiously glancing towards the other side. The rest of team RWBY all glanced at each other. It seemed as if Asuka's whole self esteem depended on her skill as an EVA pilot. If she wasn't good at EVA piloting, then she didn't belong. That seemed like a horrid way to view oneself. Shinji took notice as well. "Hey, Asuka? I think you're a pretty good EVA pilot to me," he said.

"Hmm…I won't be happy until I'm the very best," said Asuka. Shinji glared at the ground, unsure of what to say next. At that moment, the gang noticed the fragile Rei Ayanami coming towards them. Ruby happily waved at her, though Rei did not return the favor. "So, have you been enjoying your break?" asked Ruby. It had been a few days since the last angel attack.

"There's been an incident at NERV," said Rei flatly. Everyone immediately perked up. An incident? What kind of incident? Was there another angel attack? Was someone hurt? No one said anything as they followed Rei to the NERV complex. However, when they tried to get in…

"What the…My key card won't work!' complained Asuka. Shinji tried his, but forlornly shook his head.

"The power's out," explained Rei.

"You could have explained that sooner!" griped Asuka, "Well, looks like I'm going to lead us in, then!"

"You sure you know how?" asked Yang.

"Of course! I know the NERV facilities like the back of my hand!" Everyone else got the suspicion that Asuka was arrogantly bluffing. Sure enough, Asuka got them hopelessly lost.

"I knew you didn't know where you were going," complained Weiss.

"Would you quit complaining?" said Asuka, "I just…took a few wrong turns. I know! Why doesn't the fearless leader of team RWBY lead us in? I'm sure she must have excellent navigational skills if she was chosen to be the leader!" Yang tightly clenched her palms into fists. She desperately wanted to knock Asuka's teeth in. Her words dripped with sarcasm and disdain. Ruby began to tap her nervous fingers together. "Um…I'm not so sure that's such a good idea," she said, "I don't really know this place all that well either."

"Coward!" exclaimed Asuka, "You just don't want to. You'd rather have your friends pick up your slack while you get all the perks of being top dog!"

Yang grabbed Asuka by the throat. "It's not like that!" she yelled, "We're all new to this place, so don't expect us to know how to get around!" Yang's voice took on a noticeably darker tone as she continued, "…and don't EVER put my sister up to something she's knows she's not capable of!"
"Yang, enough!" cried Blake. Yang turned to look that her friends were staring at her in horror. She looked back at Asuka to see that the poor girl was struggling to breathe. Yang quickly let Asuka go, and Asuka coughed and gagged as she caught her breath. "I…I'm telling Misato!" she said venomously. No one responded; especially not Yang. They all continued on in silence, with no one really leading them anymore. Eventually, they came to a fork in the path, with no indication of where they should go next. "Let's see…I say we go…right!" said Asuka. Nobody argued, and they all turned right…right into the face of a large, eight-legged abomination.

To be continued…

Weiss: Hey, how many chapters has it been, and he still hasn't given the original creators credit?

Ruby: Well, it's been about 20 chapter, or so.

Yang: Why don't we just acknowledge the creators?

Blake: That sounds like a good idea!

Ruby: OK! ahem! RWBY and all characters therein are owned by Rooster Teeth Productions!

Weiss: And Evangelion is owned by Gainax/Khara.

Yang: This author does not claim or imply ownership of the above properties. He's just a loser who spends hours on end typing about fictional girls, when he could be having a relationship with a real girl!

Blake: Hey! That wasn't very nice!

Yang: Might I remind you who's writing this right now?

Blake: *beat* Good point.