+++++ 4th Angel + 3 : Sunday (24)

Sitting down to dinner at the dining room table, Shinji was flanked by Hikari and Nozomi. He could see that Kodama was assuming her role as the eldest in the house at the moment, her eyes patiently assessing how he and Hikari comported themselves. He wasn't as stressed as he had been, the comfort he gained from Hikari listening to him, from Nozomi expressing how she felt scared but trusted in him, all worked together to give him a small measure of peace.

"So," Kodama began, "a number of misunderstandings all collided together." She looked to Hikari, then back to Shinji, "And you panicked, because you've been under an inordinate amount of stress."

"I…yeah," he nodded, "I panicked. I knew she was leaving me. I didn't think it, I felt it in my gut."

"That reaction would have been a bit excessive," the nurse-in-training smiled wryly. "But it goes to show just how far you have to go on the road to recovery." She took a bite, chewing slowly. A clear signal to her sister to step in and address that point.

"But he's come a very long way, in just a few short weeks." Hikari reached over and gently stroked her boyfriend's arm, "A setback every now and then is something we should all expect. Look at me, I thought I had a handle on everything and I let my emotions run off with my mouth. Everybody gets to make mistakes."

"And family forgives family for them," Nozomi nodded twice.

"I-I don't know that Hikari made a mistake, though." Shinji looked down at his plate, "I should have been clearer in how I explained the phone call with Maya-San."

"I disagree," Kodama reasserted herself quickly. "I don't believe that your phraseology was the problem, or even the impetus of the problem." She gestured off-handedly to her sister, "Hikari is terrified of you leaving her." The middle sister drew Shinji's eye and nodded sadly. "Not because she thinks that you're going to cheat, or because she thinks you're interested in anyone else, but because you jumped in front of a train." She sighed when he winced, "You then fought a gigantic alien. After each of those, you ended up somewhere she couldn't reach you. That's a horrifying position to be in when you love someone. I see it in the hospital all the time, when someone's spouse is going into surgery, or when they're close to death." Tapping her chopstick to get his eyes back on her, she tilted her head towards Hikari, "She's seventeen, Shinji. I've seen women thirty years her senior lose their composure over far, far, less. However, at the end of it all, this fight is her fault."

"N-no!" Shinji shook his head vigorously, "I-I sh-"

"Nii-san," Nozomi interjected loudly, "stop it." Her eyebrows drew together, "Kodama-nee-san is not being mean. If Hikari-nee-san didn't let you speak, and blamed you for something you didn't do, then it's her fault. Have you apologized, nee-san?"

"I tried to," Hikari admitted honestly. "It's hard to apologize when the person you're apologizing to doesn't think you did anything wrong." Turning to face her older sister, Hikari frowned in frustration, "I came out here hoping that you had a way to help him see that I was at fault, but I don't know that we're making headway."

"A solid point," Kodama nodded agreeably. "An apology doesn't mean much if what's being apologized for isn't clear." She leaned closer to the table, resting her chin on her wrist, "Had my sis here let you finish your statement, instead of snapping at you, this incident would not have happened. That she snapped at you because of an emotional overload that she's been building for weeks now doesn't excuse the actions, it just explains the actions. Can you accept that as true, Shinji?"

"Yes…." He blinked, "But shouldn't I have found a way to explain what I had done that didn't set her up to think what she did?"

"No," Hikari stepped firmly on that notion. "If I had concerns, I should have voiced them reasonably. If I had doubts, I should have raised them. I, instead, let my emotions run the show, and look where that landed us. Can you imagine if this had happened at school, Shinji? If I walked into the gym and saw you with Natsuko's…." She glanced quickly to Nozomi, "With your 'helpers' in the positions they were in, and then started yelling? I'd be doing exactly what they accuse me of doing. I'd be taking away your freedom to make friends with other people, I'd be controlling and manipulating you."

"And we're better than that," Kodama intoned. "If she ever forbids you from speaking to someone, you come straight to me, Shinji." She smirked, "I don't see the reverse being a problem, considering I doubt you'd forbid her from walking into the boy's locker room nude if she got it in her head to do so."

"Kodama!" Hikari scowled at her elder sister, "Let's not put bad thoughts in his head right now, you know very well that I would never do such a thing. Anyway," she turned back to Shinji, "I am sorry that I let you down, Shinji. I promised myself that I'd always give you an opportunity to explain yourself, something I know you very desperately need. I failed, and I'll do my best to not fail like that often."

"We can't say 'never'," Kodama added quietly. "Because we're human, and we make mistakes. Never make promises you can't keep, Shinji. Just try your hardest to do what you can, and promise your best effort."

"Do you accept her apology, nii-san?" Nozomi leaned forward to look at him with wide eyes, "She apologized, but it's up to you to accept it."

"I do," he nodded earnestly, "I-I'm more upset at myself than I'd ever be at you, Hikari."

"And that's something we need to fix," Kodama sat back with a sigh. "There is nothing wrong with being upset at someone you love, hun. I'm upset at the Sprout all the time because she leaves her hairbrush in the sink." She gestured to Hikari, "I'm upset at this one for dawdling in the shower. I'm even upset at you for not greeting me with a kiss in the morning," she shrugged, "it's natural to have ill-feelings about the things that those you love do or don't do. Talk them out, don't let them fester, and the problems get better."

"Accepting that some things may not change," Hikari added, "is just part of learning to live together with someone. I'll never be able to stop Kodama from being physically affectionate with my boyfriend. It's just her nature, no matter how irritating it is." She raised her eyebrow to her sister, "And I take enough time to make sure that I'm properly clean. I, unlike you, have an image to maintain."

"And a boyfriend to please," Nozomi slid in.

"Oi," Kodama pointed at the youngest Horaki, "no ganging up on me while I'm on this side of the table. I have a very high standard to meet, especially now that Hikari brought home Shinji. Besides, Shinji likes how I look, don't you?"

Light-hearted banter replaced the dower conversation, everyone making an effort to move past the incident now that the apologies were made. There was more to be done, but Kodama and Hikari knew that belaboring it would only allow Shinji to fixate on it more. After dinner, Shinji helped Nozomi with the dishes, leaving the elder sisters to talk quietly amongst themselves.

Kodama sat twirling her phone on it's edge, the corner dancing a slow ballet on the table, "You still going on that date tomorrow?"

"I think we are," Hikari looked to the kitchen. Mentally reviewing her conversation with her boyfriend in his bedroom, she decided that now was as good a time as any to voice her concerns, "I need more help."

"Tonight kind of proves that," the eldest Horaki Sister tilted her head slightly, "but that's not what you mean."

"Be nice," she chided. "I know you're upset with me, I'm upset with me. I'm going to have nightmares of the look on his face when I snapped at him, and I have nobody but myself and whoever that horrible woman is that did this to him to blame." Sitting back with a sigh, she flicked a stray hair out of her face, "He doesn't know what he wants, except for two things."

Kodama pursed her lips, "You, and?"

"An end to the Angels, and direction," Hikari corrected. "He says that he's perfectly fine knowing that he belongs to me. He also said, specifically, that he's still terrified I'm going to find someone else. That I'm going to get tired of him, or he's going to make a mistake and lose me. He loves it here, but he knows this isn't forever and doesn't have a clue what he's supposed to do when it comes time for him to 'move on'."

"So…he needs a career counselor?" Kodama chuckled, "If he keeps saving money at the rate he is, Hikari, he'll never need to work a day in his life. If you get a job, he could be the stay-at-home dad and you conquer the business world. Be honest," she gestured openly, "you know you want to do more than just have and raise kids."

"I want to teach," she admitted. "But right now, I'm going to be looking at entering computer science type stuff. I can intern at NERV under Akagi-san if I continue to improve in the MAGI script. That'd mean having a way to stay around him after I graduate, and not have it look bad when I go to college later, once this is all over."

"That's my sis," Kodama smiled happily. "So," her mood shifted back to serious, "he needs a push to find what he wants out of life?"

"Not…entirely," Hikari was brushing up against concepts she only had a passing familiarity with. "I think maybe he needs someone to take the reins and drive." She tugged on her hair, "I think if I told him that he and I were getting married tomorrow he'd accept it and do what he needed to, to make me happy."

"And you're afraid that means you're not what he wants, in particular, just in general?" The nurse-in-training rolled her eyes, "Didn't we already move past that? He's in love with you, Hikari. He just doesn't understand what to do with it. One look at the way he acts around you makes it patently obvious, he just needs a little more time to work the muscles a bit."

"That's not it," the Class Rep snapped. "I need to figure out ways to help him work the muscles, but I need them to be ways that aren't abusive. He wants direction, and I'm capable of providing that, but it would be self-serving to just tell him 'Now you get down on one knee and give me a ring'. I need to get him to a place where he wants to do that on his own, or any relationship I have with him will always have that cloud hanging over us…over me." She groaned, "He'd be fine. He'd be happy to know that I was happy. I'd be miserable that I took advantage of his submissiveness, even if he was never miserable that I did so."

Both sisters sat quiet for a time, thinking over the quandary. There was no immediate, obvious, silver bullet to implement. The knowledge that time was incredibly limited made the practical solutions of therapy and time for growth less of a help than they ought to have been. They needed concrete, goal-oriented, fast-acting plans. The problem was, those all required that both parties have a firm grasp of their long-term desires, something that Shinji himself clearly didn't have access to.

"Bedtime hugs!" Nozomi hustled out of the kitchen, wrapping Kodama in an embrace.

"She asked that I read her a chapter from a book," Shinji smiled at the little lady that had taken firm hold of his heart, then at the woman who owned it whole. "So I'll be back down in a bit, if that's ok?"

"I think that's wonderful," Kodama answered quickly. "Sprout, you make sure you brush your teeth first, ok?" She pulled Shinji into a quick hug, thanking him for being so charitable to her family.

"Hai!" Nozomi moved around the table, bringing Hikari into a hug and whispering, "He loves you, silly head. He doesn't love anyone else like you, not even himself. So don't get sillier, and forgive yourself like he forgave you." Leaning back, she grinned impishly, "Or Sakura-chan and I will steal him from you when we're older."

"Quiet, you," Hikari bent down and kissed her younger sister's forehead gently. "You're not supposed to be thinking about romance yet, you're too young. Now go let Shinji baby you. Scoot."

After the pair were moving up the stairs, Kodama looked back to Hikari, "He's genuinely happier when he's giving, sis. It's not necessarily unhealthy, but there is an enormous potential for abuse. I think, maybe, the best thing to do is to ask him to do trivial things for you, when he wants to. Let him try out the concept for a while. Start tomorrow on the date, don't take initiative on things unless there's a tragedy brewing, let him see that doing those small things won't lead to bad outcomes."

"Like what?" Hikari rolled her hands, "What should I prompt him with when he locks up?"

"Remind him of things you enjoy," Kodama shrugged. "You enjoy it when he holds your hand, when he carries you, when he buys you a chocolate bar. You can give him a multitude of options, then let him choose from among those. When he does them without you prompting him, he'll start to build confidence that he's not 'intruding' or being perverted. He's come a long way, Hikari. The fact that we've had a setback isn't unmanageable, and we need to not treat him like he's back to square one."

+++++ 4th Angel + 4 : Monday (25)

Shinji awoke to a text message, 'Get outside, if you're well enough to stand, you're well enough to train.' Blinking to clear away the fog, he saw the message had been signed by Suzuki. Without questioning it, he rapidly took care of what he needed to for a morning of training with the two compatriots of his eldest housemate. Kicking on his shoes, he opened the door to the Horaki Home and reflexively dodged a straight jab, tilting to the side and countering by slapping the blow away and then lunging with his elbow to close the distance.

Catching Shinji's elbow, Suzuki grinned, "Good. I was worried that lazing around in bed for a week or so might have dulled what I beat into you."

"Good morning, Shinji-san," Gen chuckled. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awake," retrieving his arm with a sigh, he bowed to the two men, "I apologize for missing our scheduled training session. I made…how did you put it, ah! I made a poor tactical decision that led to an unfortunate strategic loss."

"He listens," Suzuki smiled. "We'll make a Shirakami out of you yet, boy." Clapping him on the shoulder, he gestured towards the pathway, "Let's go for a jog. You set the pace, I want to see how you're doing after everything."

Shinji righted himself and moved to follow instructions. He set a pace that he believed the men with him would appreciate, "I have to thank you, Gen-san, Suzuki-san. During my fight with the Angel, I made use of your reminders to maintain my calm. It…wasn't necessarily successful, but I gave my best efforts."

"That's what matters," Gen's voice was calm and well-mannered even while moving at a quick trot. "You must practice much longer before it will be habit, but to learn you must begin to perform."

"And, you won," Suzuki smirked. "Winning cures a great many ills, Shinji-kun. Don't re-fight old battles, just learn from them and prepare for the next one. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Sensei," Shinji nodded.

"You don't sound winded," Gen mused. "We're heading to the same park as always, Shinji-san. Sprint there as fast as you can."

"Yes, Sensei," Shinji took two longer strides to gain distance so he wouldn't accidentally trip anyone, and then began pushing as hard as his legs would allow. The pre-dawn sky gave little light but Tokyo-3's electrical grid had been maintained well, which meant the streetlights provided enough illumination for him to be seen by anyone who happened to be out and about at the early hour. His hair floated along behind him, a ghostly streak of fey-fire bobbing through the city glowing brightly no matter whether he was under a lamp or not, standing out in contrast to the subdued greys of his workout clothing.

It felt wonderful, stretching his legs again. The low hum of nearby vehicles the only sound other than his breathing, the cool air of the morning flowing across his skin, it was affirmation that he was alive. He pushed harder and harder, wanting to go as fast as he could, for no reason other than the thrill of it. Freedom, pure and simple. While he was running there was nothing but the path before him, the drumbeat of his footfalls, and the rushing wind. There were no thoughts of Angels, no worries about failing in his relationship, no angry redheaded voices screaming at him for failures real and imagined. It was a true respite.

As he approached the park he felt a twinge of regret, the distance of just over five kilometers suddenly far too short for his taste. Slowing down as he rounded the corner into the green, he expected to have to breathe heavily just to get in enough oxygen. After one deep breath, he realized nothing was really out of sorts.

Why would it be? A whisper played through the back of his mind. You're now the Lord of Morning, as well as Water.

Spinning around to see behind him, looking for the owner of the unexpected voice, Shinji instead spied a motorcycle idling on the street. The occupant waved him over, then again more vehemently when Shinji hesitated. Slowly approaching the figure, their outline obscured by the riding leathers they wore, he called out a greeting, "Good morning."

Lifting their helmet off, a length of blonde hair flopped out. "Jesus bugger me, Paladin, you can really run!" Raffle's wolfish grin beamed out of the darkness, "Remind me never to challenge you to…oh, oh! Oh, you are so going to race Glitch just to shut the bastard's trap!" Dropping the kickstand, she switched off her motorcycle and swung her leg off the sports-bike, "I'll do you a favor in the future, somehow."

"Noelle-San," Shinji smiled in relief at the realization that this wasn't some odd stranger, "good morning."

"Yes, yes, mister formality. Good morning to you too," she idly spun her helmet in one hand. "So, footrace, you and Glitch, say…four hundred meters?" He could see the playful gleam in her eyes, the eagerness to create a controlled form of chaos. Raffle was the kind of woman that Misato might have been, with far fewer responsibilities to tether her down.

"If…uhm, if it's important to you." He tilted his head slightly to the side, "Why, though? I mean, what would it prove?" He wouldn't run a race if doing so would only end up causing someone pain. He'd had enough taken from him in life to know that having something 'special' to covet was a powerful way to keep the darkness at bay.

"He's been the fastest runner in the Corps for-bloody-ever. It's time someone else has bragging rights, and since you'd never lord it over our heads, that someone should be you!" She laughed, "I'd offer to go on a date with you, but you're already taken." Throwing her helmet up she caught it and began to juggle it energetically, excited by her own idea, "So…what can I offer you to get you to do this? Money? More crackers?"

"W-would you really go on a date with me just to get me to run four hundred meters?" Shinji blinked, "Isn't that…I don't know, belittling you?" The idea seemed abhorrent, to him. That such a vivacious woman would lower herself to simply being a piece of arm-candy to a man just for something that the man had to offer. That any woman would do that.

"Why would it?" She raised an eyebrow, "You're a little young, sure, but the difference between me and you is much smaller than the difference between Feelgood and his S.O. She's twenty years his junior, bit of a star-chaser to be honest." She pouted suddenly, "Why, ain't I pretty enough?"

"N-no, I-I mean yes! I m-mean that's not what I meant," Shinji stopped as Raffle began to laugh fondly.

"Oh you are too pure for this world." She let an honest smile show, "You keep that in your toolkit, ok?" Her eyes twinkled as she regarded him happily, his standing in her world clearly having risen higher. "I nailed it, with you, Paladin. There's no mistaking someone like you, is there?"

"Paaluhdeen," he worked his mouth around the unfamiliar word, "Paladin," nodding to himself he was fairly confident he had it pronounced right, "what is that?"

"It's you," Raffle grinned. "They were an order of knights known for their passionate defense of the Armies of Charlemagne against the invading hordes. Also," she raised her finger, "I now know you've never played an RPG, because anyone who's done that knows what a Pally is. In your case, there's an old Pre-Impact video game that I took it from. Paladins in that game worshipped The Light."

"And Hikari…." Shinji pieced it together easily from the clues, "So, it's like your 'handle'?"

"Yep, your new handle is Paladin. We were going to give it to you at the party, but since I came up with it, I get to choose when you find out. Anyway, I need to motor. I'm on duty in a few, and could eat a damn hippo." Waving winsomely, she tapped her helmet back into place and started her bike up. With a final salute, she revved her bike up and took off just as Gen and Suzuki rounded the corner.

Suzuki looked after the retreating form of the pilot, "Problems?" The deadly professional had the bearing of a cobra ready to strike, and seemed ill-pleased that Shinji might have been harassed at a time that he ought to have been training.

"No, no," the newly named pilot shook the idea away. "She's one of the pilots that flew me to the hospital after I…made my error in judgement." He scrubbed the back of his head, "She saw me running and wanted to say, 'good morning'."

"That is reasonable," Gen looked to his partner, "I would assume that if anything were amiss either set of his minders would have intervened." The stocky man directed Shinji towards their now traditional spot, directing the first of the day's calisthenics.

Shinji looked around, "I…have multiple sets of Agents?"

"No," Suzuki began to stretch his arms out, "you have one set of Agents, and a pair of our colleagues. After the stunning failure at the train station to intervene, followed by the equally abysmal failure in the hospital, it was decided that your Section Two cohorts are insufficient to the task of keeping you safe." He gave a sideways look to his student, "That you did not notice them on your run is concerning. Perhaps we should work on your situational awareness in addition to our other tasks."

"A discussion for later, perhaps," Gen interjected. "For now, assume the ready stance."

+++++ 4th Angel + 4 : Monday (25)

Hours later, Shinji walked back into his house feeling as if he'd accomplished far more than he expected to, following such an unexpected break in training. Twice he'd managed to upend Suzuki, each time coming as he'd simply acted without thinking instead of overanalyzing his own motions. Showering off the dirt and grass, he padded quietly to the kitchen to begin the morning's breakfast. Even though nobody was due in class, he felt better making sure that they had something nice and healthy to start their day off with if they woke up early. Anything left uneaten could be used for a meal later for himself.

Losing himself in the preparation, he began to hum a tune that had taken root in his mind. He couldn't place it, which had seemed odd at first, but he eventually accepted that it was one of those songs that he'd heard but never learned on the cello. The feel of arms unexpectedly wrapping around his waist no longer startled him as it might once have, "Good morning, Kodama," he spared a quick glance down at the eldest Horaki Sister.

"G'mornin'," she mumbled. "D'you 'member what I said last night?" The affectionate nurse-in-training wore her traditional half-shirt, but instead of her boxers that would normally accompany such she wore a hip-cut set of panties that seemed to be aggressively designed to draw attention to the wearer. A part of the woman was irritated when Shinji's eyes didn't linger, and instead averted themselves rapidly when he reached that segment of her body, a blush adorning his cheeks.

Sorting through the entirety of his interaction with her, he keyed in on anything that might have more than a general relevance to the current situation. Blinking as he struck on the comments about what irritated people, he looked down, "D-do you really want that?" Why would you want that?

"Do you?" She looked up at him, feigning a sleepy demeanor, "Because you know how affectionate I am."

It's something small, he reasoned. Setting down the whisk he had been using, Shinji reached down, firmly placing his hands on her waist, and lifted her enough that he could press his lips to hers at a slight angle. He lingered long enough that he thought it was meaningful, but not so long that it was impolite or misleading, settling her back on her feet with a serious look of concern, "W-was that ok?" As he wasn't in the habit of kissing women…well, period, he worried he might have not done a good enough job at the task.

Her slow smile spread, "That, Shinji, was wonderful. It's exactly how I want to be greeted in the morning: knowing that someone cares that I'm in their life." She slipped around behind him, heading to the fridge with a sway to her hips, "So, what's for breakfast?"

"Uhm," he turned back to the stove and away from the temptation of watching a gorgeous woman walk, "egg-drop soup, poached salmon, and wheat toast." He smiled to himself, the joy of having made someone happy spreading through him. "If there's something else you want, let me know," looking back reflexively as he finished speaking, intending to allow Kodama to know he was now listening to what she had to say, he caught her wink at him over her shoulder.

Bending down at the hips to reach into the refrigerator, Kodama kicked the toes of her right foot against the ground, making her shirt dance upwards. She knew he'd look away, freeing her up to act. "I'll make sure to do that," she fanned herself while he wasn't looking. Spirits and ancestors, does he kiss Hikari like that? "Want something while I'm in here?" How did he pick that talent up?

"Oh, uhm, some tea would be nice, thank you." He flipped over the toast he had on the skillet, "Is it going to be a problem if Hikari and I are out for a while? Should we try to make it home early so you don't have to spend all day watching Nozomi?"

"Oh no," she laughed as she handed him a can of tea, "I'm not stepping on my sister's date. You take her out and show her a good time, do whatever your heart desires, and come home when you want to come home. Sprout and I'll spend some time working on her homework, then go to the park. I don't often have days off when she does, so this'll be a good chance for some bonding between the two of us." She gave him a fond smile, "If you're feeling generous, pick me up something nice, but other than that, don't spare a thought for me today."

"Something nice," he nodded. "Ok…ok. I'll do that."

"Kodama," Hikari sighed from the entryway into the kitchen, "why don't you wear pants?" The Class Rep had entered the kitchen quietly, choosing to simply stay in her capri-cut house pants and overlong t-shirt rather than ready herself for her date prior to breakfast.

"Because Shinji likes my legs," the nurse-in-training hopped up on the counter, crossing her legs at the knee and issuing a challenging smile. "You should try it, he might like your legs too." You should do something to get his attention, before someone else does.

"I already like her legs," Shinji murmured. "She works hard in gym class, it's kind of distracting."

"Oh," Hikari cast a malicious look to her sister, "am I distracting, Shinji?" Slipping between him and the stove, she looked up with wide, innocent, eyes, "I'm sorry." Pushing him back slowly towards the window, she affected a slight pout, "I can't help it, I was born with them." His back contacted the window sill, allowing her to step up on the small stool the household kept to help the Horaki women clean the high places in the room, "You forgive me, don't you?" Lifting one leg up slowly, demonstrating that she had more than adequate flexibility and balance, she set her heel atop his shoulder, "I promise you, I'll chastise them properly for being distracting, they're very sorry."

"I…I…uhm," he swallowed heavily, "I f-forgive them." He clenched his jaw, trying to maintain proper decorum. The images that galivanted gaily through his mind laughing at his attempts to silence them.

"Is there something you want, Shinji?" She purred his name out, "Did something come to mind?"

"The…uhm…th-the-," he gently cupped her calf, slowly lowering her pleasantly sculpted leg, "they're very nice. I…sh-shouldn't comment on them further."

"Oh, look at the time, I should go shower before Nozomi wakes up." Kodama trailed her fingers out in a parting wave, "Looks like nobody's going to be downstairs to bother you for a while. Shame."

Shinji moved to the stove, "I'll…uhm, I'll make sure that the food is covered for her."

Hikari shifted behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, "So, what were you thinking of, Shinji?" She reverted to her usual tone of voice, her point made to her older sister. "We've talked about how I don't mind knowing that you feel that way about me, so don't be afraid. We're alone, it's safe."

"Y-you…." She's not Asuka. She's not. "I w-wanted to…with you." He took a deep breath, "You're irresistible, Hikari. I…I was thinking last night as I went to bed about the Wednesday be…before the train." Her hands slid down towards his groin, "Y-you…made it…Hikari, please," he reached down and held her wrist, "I'm cooking. I don't want to hurt you, accidentally I mean."

"Should we do that more often?" Thrilling at the manner in which she managed to rile his hormones up, she slipped her hands free of him, stepping to the side and looking up at him with an easy smile, "Maybe set some time aside for it?"

His tongue felt thick in his mouth, "Y-you…of course you do." He closed his eyes, shaking his head, "You know what you want, and you go after it." With a sad smile, he started to work on the meal once more, "I wish I had a tenth of your confidence, Hikari. I wish I could just…know, and do."

"Well," Hikari began slowly, "you know what I like. You know I like it when you kiss me, I like it when you hold me, I like it when you tell me I'm beautiful. There are a great many things you could do, and you know I like it when you do them." Spinning to his other side, she giggled as she trailed her fingers along his back at the waist, "Just like I know you like it when I touch you like that. I don't need to ask permission to, so why should you have to?" Scooping up a spatula, she lent her assistance to the task at hand.

"You…of course you do," he echoed. "If you didn't like it when I did that, you'd have told me. I…I need to trust you." Setting his hand down firmly on the counter, he shook his head to chase away the doubts, "You're always honest with me. You've never once told me a lie, intentionally. I need to stop fighting the changes." He froze, not having intended to say that phrase.

"That's a good way to put it," Hikari had been facing away, unaware of his perplexed expression. "There are a lot of changes we're making, and I know that I can sometimes dig my heels in if I feel things are moving too fast." By the time she faced him again, he was focused on the salmon instead of his odd lexical decision, "If you like what we're changing, then embracing it just makes sense."

"I do like knowing I'm…wanted," he couldn't quite get out the other word. "Oh," he turned off the stove, "I ran into Noelle-san this morning. She was driving into work on her motorcycle when I was running to the park for practice." Turning around to face his girlfriend, he braced himself for a possible backlash. Speaking to a woman, especially one as attractive as the pixie-like pilot, without his girlfriend around might not be acceptable according to standard rules of play.

"You practiced?" Hikari frowned at him, "Are you well enough for that?"

"Suzuki-san and Gen-san believed so." Shinji scratched the back of his head, "I feel ok, and getting out to stretch my legs felt nice. I even managed to throw Suzuki-san twice today!" He dished out food for them both, "Noelle-san says I might be the fastest person she knows, and asked me to race Glitch-san in a four hundred meter. She…uhm, she said that if I weren't taken she'd go on a date with me to pay me back, but I don't know why she'd need to."

Hikari took her plate calmly, pleased that he was telling her about the encounter as a sign of his trust in her, but also worried from his demeanor that her outburst from the night before might have longer-term repercussions. "Why she'd need to date you, or why she'd need to pay you back?"

"O-oh," he shook his head, "I meant pay me back. I actually told her that it'd be demeaning her to go on a date with me just because she wants me to race Glitch-san. She teased me a bit, asked if I thought she wasn't pretty enough." Setting his plate down on the table, he pulled out Hikari's chair, "I think she likes me," he helped her move her chair in, "n-not like that. Just…like Misato, like a friend."

"I think she likes you too," Hikari warmed inside at the polite gesture he'd given her. They were in their home, with nobody else around, and Shinji still comported himself as a gentleman. "The pilots all seem like a tight-knit group, and both her and Shinsuke-san mentioned wanting to bring you into the fold."

"I might need to be careful," Shinji sat down with a tense look. "If they want me to drink with them, I'll need to make sure they understand that I'm still going to school. I can't afford to drink too much, if I can get any of it down at all." His memory of Yebisu rose like a zombie from the grave, "Vile smelling stuff." Taking a bite after he saw Hikari begin, Shinji chewed thoughtfully, "I should take you with me, if they ask me to go out with them. You can help me navigate through without making a total mess of the situation."

How many men would insist on including their girlfriend in a gathering like that? How did I get so lucky? "If they're ok with it," Hikari grinned happily. "They may just want to have it be a 'pilots only' affair. To allow them to talk more freely about things that you all face." She swallowed some tea, "I read, online, that groups like yours are very exclusive, almost reclusive, when they're relaxing. Something about being 'switched on' for so long that the only way they feel safe 'switching off' is among their own kind." Rolling her hand, she gestured to his plate, "Anyway, eat up. I want to make full use of our day together."

+++++ 4th Angel + 4 : Monday (25)

"Good morning, sempai," Maya walked into Ritsuko's lab with a tentative step. With Misato strolling behind her, she didn't have the chance to pause in the doorway and feel out the situation like she had wanted to. Stepping towards her old workstation, she left enough of a pause to allow for a return greeting if her former boss wanted to give one. "How are you feeling? Any lingering issues, other than memory loss?"

"There was this vestigial mass I had been worried over," the bottle blonde stated conversationally, "but it appears that it's been removed." She looked over her tablet, "In related news, congratulations on your promotion." She desires what's yours. You must keep her away from him.

Maya blinked, processing the statement and realizing that she had just been insulted. Before she could try and explain what had happened, Misato stepped in guns blazing, "Yeah, it's a real shame that it took them so long to realize how talented Maya is. I guess her old supervisor was a real cunt, never talking her up to the bosses, always letting her take the fall for minor transgressions. I'm sure glad I don't know the woman as well as I should, I'd hate to have to explain to the Sub-Commander why I snatched her crotchety ass bald."

"Ah, yes. With friends like you," Ritsuko smiled sweetly. "What is it that you need, Misato? I'm afraid I'm fresh out of beer at the moment, but I'm sure that if you head down to the bar and shake them a little, you'll find some." She cannot be allowed to challenge you. She has made too many errors, keep her down, step on her throat.

Maya shouted out, "Stop it!" Scowling at Ritsuko, then turning and looking pleadingly at Misato, she tried to restore calm to the situation, "I didn't ask for a promotion, sem…Akagi-san. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki is setting up a special group for Shinji-kun, he wants to know exactly who he's with, where he is, and what is happening with him at all times. He said that you had been the one he wanted for the job, but between your obligations to the Science Division and your decision to stop working directly with Shinji-kun, he chose me instead."

"So now she'll be working directly with Tactical," Misato crossed her arms challengingly. "Our hope was that she could act as a bridge between Science and Tactical, help bring your team's mindset to our training. Maybe gain some insight into new avenues of helping Shinji and Ayanami-chan."

"Don't let me stop you," Ritsuko smirked, dripping with condescension. "I'm sure the new Captain has all sorts of wonderful ideas. However, you'll find that the First Child is rather busy, and so am I." She gestured to Maya's old terminal, "So if you'll kindly take your things and leave, I have to do real work."

"We're all doing real work, Akagi," the Tactical Commander walked over to help Maya carry her things. "I recommend you get your head screwed on straight before Shinji comes in on Wednesday. He doesn't need to see you tearing down someone that's seen some success in her life. It would send a very bad message to him."