AN:A Shorter chapter,but i think i deserve a break considering the sheer size of the last two.
Though three weeks had passed since the fateful day in which Shinji had been forced to take a life,his mood had not turned for the better,in fact he seldom spoke,what few words he did speak were directed at Asuka or Rei and,in better days, Misato and Ritsuko.
His days had become a haze, he himself could not tell you whether it had been three months,weeks or decades since he'd been forced to do the act. Since then he'd never gotten inside his Eva again,even the very idea of doing so sickened him to his very core.
And so,he lived his life as he truly was,a cowardly and empty shell of a person,less human than even the incomplete Rei. No,to even compare himself to her was an insult for at the very least the blue haired girl he called sister still spoke plenty with those she held closer to heart, with Shinji no such thing could be said.
The ode to joy played in his ears for the thousandth time that day, there was no warmth or familiarity coming from his SDAT,not anymore. All he felt for the machine was bitter resentment,as he now did for the unit in which it's previous owner resided.
He wouldn't have had to do this if she hadn't left,no;not left, if she hadn't abandoned them,he wouldn't have been forced to take a soul. Even then,even after she'd left she could have done something,it had been her,her that had destroyed the lab hadn't it?
It had been her that spoke to him with sweet lies and false promises that everything would be alright as long as he relied on her, and yet when he had she had betrayed him. Mother... the very word was now spoken with venom even inside his own mind,he hated her,he hated everything,including himself.
Asuka's eyes travelled to Shinji's spot on the class,as per usual,it was empty. Three weeks and 4 days, that was how long he'd been gone. She laughed in some small part of her mind at her own idiocy, why should she be keeping count when even the teacher had stopped doing so at some point?
The answer, really, was obvious. Because she cared for him. Oh, it hurt to admit , certainly so. But she wouldn't say and say she did not, she cared for the brain-dead moron that was the first child.
He was still gone, still staying inside the confines of his own room for anything that was not eating or going to the bathroom, the former having only happened after Rei convinced him to. Talking about that.
"Hey Wundergirl." Asuka greeted, the girl in question turning toward her with inquisitive eyes.
"Yes, pilot Asuka?" She asked.
"You taking care of the dumb first today?" She asked. "Hikari wants me to walk her home today."
"I will not be opposed, I was planning on spending the day with pilot Makinami anyhow." Rei said, causing Asuka to give her a slap to the back of the head.
"Don't say things like that, did you forget it's a secret!" Asuka said, though there was none of the anger she would have shown the girl a month before.
"My apologies. I did indeed have a momentary lapse of judgment." Rei said, before looking around to notice that there were few to no students remaining the classroom. "Even so, I believe physically assaulting me was unnecessary."
"That barely counted as physical assault wundergirl,grow a pair." Asuka said.
"I am biologically incapable of doing so." Rei answered.
"Don't get snappy with me,will you?" Asuka said,crossing her arms in false indignation.
"Very well pilot Sohryu,i will watch over pilot Ikari,there is no need to worry." Rei said.
The image of a being encased in ice could be seen.
[TWO AND A HALF YEARS BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF THE FOURTH ANGEL, A BEING IS DISCOVERED UNDERNEATH THE ICE SHEETS OF GREENLAND.]
[ANALYSIS SUGGEST ANGELIC IDENTITY, THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS LIKEWISE AGREE.]
[BEING IS GIVEN CLASSIFICATION OF THIRD ANGEL. KUTIEL.]
"Angel of the waters."Gendo comments. "An ironic name considering it's ultimate fate"
The image of the being's fish-like form struck to a cross,chunks of it being removed while it is still encased in ice.
[BEING IS EXPERIMENTED ON IN NERV-BETHANY,BLACK SEA,RUSSIA.]
The image of the angel,now flesh-less, appears.
[EVEN FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF S2 ENGINE, A NEW ONE WAS CREATED FOLLOWING CORE DAMAGE REGENERATION, ONE AND A HALF YEARS AFTER CAPTURE KUTIEL ESCAPES.]
A column of T-14's appear,opening fire on the angel to no effect.
[COVENTIONAL WEAPONRY FAILS TO RECAPTURE THE ANGEL, MAGI-BETHANY ANALYSES SITUATION. PROBABILITY OF RECAPTURE IS 0%]
The image of unit-05 appears on screen.
[PROVISIONAL EVANGELION UNIT-05,AT THE TIME BEING USED FOR TESTS FOR UNIT-13'S DUAL PLUG SYSTEM,IS DEPLOYED.]
The images flashes to the image of two girls, underneath them their names. Anastasia Varyag,the words KIA over her image and Maria Makinami the words 'status unknown' over hers.
The image cuts to Unit-05,already at the top of Nerv-bethany,breaching the Angel's core.
[THIRD ANGEL,KUTIEL,IS DESTROYED, UNIT-05 SUFFERS CRITICAL DAMAGE. ANGEL SELF DESTRUCTS, ONE OF THE PLUGS FAILS TO EJECT. ANASTASIA VARYAG IS KILLED.]
"This was not expected within the scenario."The representative of France said.
"No,it was not. But we were foolish to attempt to bind gods with human chains." Lorenz answered. "Little of importance was lost,the fourth child will be replaced eventually."
[ONE YEAR AFTER THE BETHANY BASE INCIDENT THE FOURTH ANGEL ATTACKS,SACHIEL]
The military's assault on the Angel is shown,the footage of three cruise missiles striking the Angel and doing absolutely nothing appearing on screen, Gendo grinned underneath his tented hands.
[JSSDF ENGAGES WITH THE ENEMY, NO EFFECT, CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS FAIL TO HARM THE ANGEL]
The image of an N2 mine explosion.
[N2 MINE IS UTILIZED BY THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT,MODERATE EFFECT,22% OF TARGET'S MASS IS LOST, AT FIELD STRENGHT INCREASED BY 1000% AS IT GOES INTO HIBERNATION.]
The footage of the angel growing a new bony mask.
[TARGET REGENERATES 100% OF BODY MASS WITHIN 3 HOURS, MILITARY CEDES CONTROL OF THE OPERATION TO NERV.]
"A wise decision."Gendo said.
"Silence, Ikari."America chided him.
[EVANGELION UNIT-01,WITH THE FIRST CHILD,IS DEPLOYED]
An image of both Eva-01 and Shinji Ikari appear on screen.
[ANGEL IS SUCESSFULLY ELIMINATED WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO SURROUNDINGS AND THE EVANGELION ITSELF.]
"A flawless battle it must be said." Mo Wei,'China', said.
[THREE WEEKS LATER THE FIFTH ANGEL,GIVEN THE NAME OF SHAMSHEL ,ARRIVES THROUGHT A DIFFRENT ROUTE THAN THE FOURTH ANGEL.]
The angel in question appears,overflying the forest.
"It was only a slight hope that they would all attack from the same general location,it did not affect our plans."Gendo said.
"Quite so,Ikari Gendo." Keel agreed.
[UNIT-01 DEPLOYED DUE TO THE INAVAILIBILITY OF THE SECOND CHILD.]
"The failed activation test was not within the dead sea scrolls."America mused.
"Not all things can be expected to be,in the end it was irrelevant." Keel answered.
[UNIT-01 ENGAGES IN BATTLE WITH THE ANGEL, MINOR DAMAGE TO THE CITY]
A cross shaped explosion fills the screen.
[ANGEL SELF DESTRUCTS 0.2 SECONDS BEFORE CORE CAN BE DESTROYED,DAMAGE TO EVA MINIMAL,DAMAGE TO CITY IS MODERATE]
"Thankfully the first battle was flawless,it more than made up for this deficiency in the pilot's ability." France said.
"This had nothing to do with piloting ability."Gendo said.
"Silence,do not protect your spawn Ikari,your bias is showing."Keel spoke up. Gendo scoffed.
[SECOND CHILD IS HEALED FROM THE DAMAGES INCCURED DURING THE FAILED ACTIVATION TEST OF UNIT-00]
An image of unit-00 frozen in bakellite.
[A SECOND ACTIVATION TEST IS SUCESSFUL IN ACTIVATING UNIT-00 WITHOUT ERROR]
"The timing was quite perfect." The UK said.
[LESS THAN THIRTY SECONDS AFTER SUCESSFULL ACTIVATION,THE SIXTH ANGEL,DESIGNATION RAMIEL,IS DETECTED.]
An image of the prism overflowing the city.
"A bothersome foe."Gendo commented.
"Katsuragi's plans in dealing with it were commendable even if too risky." Keel spoke.
[UNIT-01 IS SENT OUT, THE POSITRON LANCE OF THE SIXTH ANGEL IS FIRED. FIRST CHILD ENTERS INTO CARDIAC ARREST]
"To think that you nearly lost your child."Mo Wei commented. "I am sure there was worry on your part Ikari."
The man simply gave a tired grunt in response.
[UNIT-00 IS CLEARED FOR ACTIVE COMBAT DUTY BY THE ORDER OF RECENTLY PROMOTED MAJOR KATSURAGI]
The image of Unit-00 lifting the positron rifle from the JSSDF's compound.
[OPERATION YASHIMA BEGINS AT 00:00]
The image of Unit-01 firing at the Angel,hitting it dead on.
[AFTER ONE FAILED SHOT,UNIT-01 IS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING THE ANGEL,UNIT-00 SUFFERS CRITICAL DAMAGE,PUTTING IT OUT OF COMMISSION FOR A SECOND TIME]
"That unit's out of commission once again is it not?"France asked,giving a humorous chuckle. "It appears that it spends more time out of it than in it after all."
The image of the next angel appears on screen.
[THE SEVENTH ANGEL,GAGHIEL,ATTACKS.]
The footage of dozens of torpedoes doing nothing to the angel appears on screen.
"This was not within our planned scenario." America said.
"Indeed it was not,but it was within the acceptable parameters."Keel replied.
"It is not worrying,the American fleet will recover." 'Britain' said
[A CROSS-SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN PILOTS IKARI AND SHORYU,FIRST AND THIRD CHILDREN RESPECTIVELY,OCCURS, ALLOWING THE BOTH TO DEFEAT THE ANGEL]
"An unexpected action."France said.
"Not if you were acquainted with Dr. Zepplin."Keel said. "The third is much like her mother."
[THE EIGHT ANGEL,ISRAFEL.]
It's gigantic image is shown rising from the waters,followed by Unit-02's strike at it.
[FAILED ELIMNATION BY UNIT-02 LEADS TO THE TEMPORARY DECOMMISIONING OF UNITS 01 AND 02.]
The image of the twin Angels tossing the two units.
[FOLLOWING A ONE WEEK PERIOD,A SYNCHRONIZED ATTACK BY UNITS 01 AND 02 WAS ABLE TO DEFEAT THE ANGEL.]
"It's thankful that it's AT field was particularly weak." Russia said,for the first time since the start of the meeting.
"Indeed, it seems the ever frivolous force that is luck is yet on our side." Lorenz spoke.
[NERV TESTS THE 'AT FIELD EXTENDER' TECHNOLOGY. AWAKENING THE NINTH ANGEL, SANDALPHON.]
"Your actions still keep you under heavy scrutiny Ikari."The chairman reminded the man,who simply nodded his head.
[IN ANOTHER SHOW OF CROSS-SYNCHRONIZATION,UNIT-01 WITH THE THIRD AND FIRST CHILDREN MANAGES TO DESTROY THE ANGEL WITH LITTLE DAMAGE.]
The image of the dead angel appears onscreen.
"It's body has yet to be recovered." France mused.
"At such depths it is hardly feasible,not to say unnecessary." Lorenz assured.
[THE NEXT ANGEL,MATARIEL,ATTACKS. A POWER OUTAGE DURING THE ASSAULT LEAVING NERV WITH FEW OPTIONS FOR COUNTERATTACK]
"Perhaps because of our perfect timing when it came to the Sixth angel's arrival we were punished with this one's untimely one." 'Britain' commented
[THE ANGEL IS INTERCEPTED BY UNITS-00 AND 02, UNIT 02 ATTACKS THE TARGET WHILE IT WAS USING A LIQUID SOLVENT TO DESTROY NERV'S ARMORED HATCHES,LEADING THE ANGEL INTO THE GEOFRONT IN THE PROCESS]
The image of the defeated Unit-02 appears onscreen.
[UNIT 01 IS DEPLOYED AND SUCESSFULLY ELIMATES THE TARGET,UNIT 02 IS HEAVILY DAMAGED,UNITS 00 AND 01 SHOW NO DAMAGES DURING THIS BATTLE]
"To think the geofront was breached..."America commented. "by human error no less."
"The foolishness of the third child cannot be forgotten,it nearly lead to the annihilation of mankind."
"Thankfully it seems that Unit-01 was being kept in reserve just in case. A wise strategic decision in hindsight." Mo Wei said, Gendo grinning under his hands.
"Yes, the first child proved himself capable once again." Gendo said.
"It is good that his training did not go to waste."America commented.
[A FURTHER THREE WEEKS LATER THE ELEVENTH ANGEL, SAHAQUIEL, ARRIVES.]
The image of n2 bombardement on the angel
[IT IS THE FIRST ANGEL TO SHOW COMPLETE IMMUNITY TO N2 BOMBARDEMENT]
"Worrying,if we had not created the Evas,mankind would have been extinct." France said.
[TARGET ATTEMPTS TO DROP ITSELF INTO NERV-HQ,IT IS STOPPED BY UNITS 0 THROUGHT 2.]
"We have yet to receive the harmonic reports of the pilots during this battle Ikari,for which reason is this?"Lorenz asked.
"Data corruption within the Magi,they will be recovered with time. You can be assured." Gendo said. A lie,in fact they had the reports just fine, it's just that they showed that the fifth child was within unit 02 and for very obvious reasons it would be self-defeating to hand them over to the council.
[THREE MORE WEEKS PASS,THE TEST OF THE ATF-00 WAR MACHINE IS CORRUPTED BY THE TWELFTH ANGEL, IREUL.]
"A weapon of this type,why would you have any need for it?"America said mockingly as he turned toward China.
"As the Marduk report has yet to find a suitable pilot for unit-05 we are forced to make do with what we have, we wouldn't want an Angel stomping into our lands with nothing we could do about it."The woman said.
"You know well that the angels have no interest in china, your words sound more like excuses than anything else!" America shot back.
"And yet the orbital angel quite nearly struck China itself,had it chosen a different orbit it's attacks would have hit Shanghai. The very fact that the Twelfth attacked our test unit only proves our need for it." She retaliated, causing America to give in.
[THE ATF-00 IS CAPABLE OF PUTTING UNITS 00 AND 02 OUT OF COMMISSION FOR A FURTHER MONTH,REPAIRS ARE STILL UNDERWAY,IT IS EVENTUALLY DEFEATED BY THE FIRST CHILD WITHIN EVA-01.]
"Perhaps we should personally thank Ikari Shinji."Russia mused. "He has saved the world more often than not."
"Quite so."Lorenz spoke. "Give him this council's thanks Ikari."
"I will ensure the message reaches him. If that is all I will be forced to go,there is still much work to be done to ensure the scenario is completed." Gendo said.
"It is better that you ensure your scenario is the same as ours." Lorenz spoke in a threatening voice. "The AT field extender incident has put you in a dangerous spot..Ikari Gendo."
"I am well aware,as I spoke before,my loyalty to this council is not within question,the instrumentality plan is my ultimate goal." Gendo said.
"For now,this meeting is finished,do not disappoint us,Ikari Gendo." The Image of the council disappeared from view,leaving Nerv's commander to dwell on his own thoughts.
Am I alive?
Is something that is born alive?
I was not born but I am here,does that mean I am not alive?
An image...brown hair,she who is me and yet is not,a shadow of the old self,not Ayanami Rei but someone different,still Zero,still a clone,but not Ayanami. I am Ayanami,the only one who will have that name,Ayanami Rei.
Brother,he loves me,does he love Ayanami or Rei?is there a difference between the two?...
The plug,burnt hands,he protected me,not Zero but Ayanami,he calls me Rei but he did not call the other Rei. Will he call the next one Rei?perhaps,i would like it if he did not. But it is not my decision to make.
Makinami,attraction,physical attraction,an emotion I had not yet felt,my heart beats faster when I am with her,fearful,yes,I'm fearful of this emotion.
Cannot seek it,cannot embrace love,love will fade when I am gone,perhaps the other will love her for me?I hope she will,Makinami is deserving of grace.
Deserving of grace,of love, Makinami is,am I not? Does Ayanami Rei not deserve love? Perhaps not,but I am loved,I am I, I am Ayanami,i Zero,yes Rei and I am loved.
Ayanami Rei...Zero.
I am I,and I am Rei Ayanami, Rei Ayanami is who I am and no one else,not the false mother,not Akagi Ritsuko or Gendo Ikari or Misato Katsuragi or Shinji Ikari or Asuka Sohryu. I am Rei Ayanami and I shall always be, even when this body fades the memory will remain. Just as the memory of her remained.
Where are am I?Inside the entry plug,the throne for the soul,my own or that of the other?she is who is not me,she who I am based out of. What is Eva,is it a creation of man? Yet it was created to imitate god. Likewise I am a creation of god made to imitate man.
I am Zero. I am Rei, I am Ayanami.
"So,Rei,how does it feel to be piloting unit-01 for the first time?" Akagi asked her. Rei pondered the question, it felt different,yes,better than piloting her own unit. It didn't hate her.
"It feels..nice,warm. Like..pilot Ikari." Rei said.
"Isn't Shinji supposed to be having a test today as well?" Misato asked as she leaned into to look at the documents in akagi's table.
"Yes,he is." The woman in question responded,a sad look being given at the empty form of unit-00. "But you know how he's been ever since the mission to China."
"Yeah,i wish I could help him. But you know how work's been ever since then." Misato said, feeling somewhat guilty.
"Indeed,it's rather bothersome for so much paperwork to be put in our hands simply because we 'killed' a Chinese citizen."Akagi said. "But as long as they won't reveal his identity they won't have any grounds to stand on in their accusations of Nerv."
"Good thing there was some reason for them not to reveal his identity,even if not knowing it is bothersome for us as well." Misato said.
Eugen Drache was a man of many tastes, he was a man of the arts, a man of fine wines and great banquets but,most of all, he was a man of progress,of technology and the current masters of the world were certainly not.
It was for this reason that he was in Rome,one of the only cities of old to have been unaffected by the impact, such was the protection afforded to it by the sea it once called it's own,the waves of the awakening of the white titan having not breached the sanctity of the Mediterranean. It was,by that same metric,one of the few cities on the planet not so tightly under the control of the UN.
One of the few cities in the world that could truly be called neutral,even if the superstitious fools of the cult known as Charon did have their poisoned fangs everywhere within it. Even so,as it stood,he had no business to do with them,no,his goal was to find a particular place within the city, a nice high-class restaurant he had personally chosen.
As he entered and took his seat he was quite quickly greeted with a familiar face,an eastern one and an uncommon sight in a place like Rome.
"Atago Ibuki,a pleasure to meet you once more." Eugen said, his Japanese crisp and perfected from years of tuition.
"Whether or not it is a pleasure remains to be seen."The woman spoke. "I'm taking a big risk here,i hope you know. And I hope the reward will be as big as the hassle."
"I can ensure you as much,i am a man of my word."He said. "Not to say, it would harm as me as much as it would you if your trickery was discovered."
"Very well, I speak for Gendo Ikari." Atagi said, the older man's brow moving in slight surprise.
"There were rumors,of course,of such treachery within Nerv...but for it to come from it's supreme commander."
"It aids our cause more,does it not?" Atagi asked,knowing well what the answer would be.
"Of course,but can I be assured our cause is the same?" The man asked.
"We will eventually come to blows,that much is assured,but as it stands Seele poses a greater threat not just to the commander's plans but to the world itself." She said.
"You mean to say that their end goal threatens the very world?" Eugen asked incredulous.
"What did you believe it was?"She asked with sarcasm. "puppies and rainbows like they advertise?"
"No,but I thought that their end goal of ascending humanity had,in it,some truth." Eugen said.
"Oh,it does. It simply is that their view on what ascension is,is a bit different from that of more sane men."Atago said,Eugen nodded.
"Assuming the sanity of one's enemies is foolish indeed..how do they plan to proocede with world destruction?"
"Something Akin,yet different,from the awakening of the white titan 15 years ago,but wholly more destructive."Atago said.
"What purpose could they possibly have with destroying the world,their own sick pleasure?" Eugen commented.
"They see the very existence of man as sin. To exist as individuals is within the mind of the council the primordial sin of which mankind must cleanse itself,for that we must all become one." Atago said.
"Fools, it is in the quest for individual purpose that the true fire of the human spirit is roused. It is within the struggles each man faces that the real face of man is shown!" He spat out venomously. "They are nothing but cowards,too afraid to end their miserable lives yet wishing for a greater comfort."
"In that, at least, we are in agreement."
Back in Japan Asuka and Hikari walked from school together,heading to the latter's house, but as it stood the two had decided to take a small break in their walking to sit in one very familiar bench as the sun set.
"So..how's Shinji?"Hikari asked, Asuka scoffing in response.
"Same as he was yesterday and the day before then he looks dead." Asuka said,a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"So it's like that time..."Hikari commented,her voice sad and distant. Asuka rose an eyebrow.
"He's been like this before?" Asuka asked with genuine curiosity in her voice.
"Yeah,when his cousin died." Hikari said. "We used to be close,all of us. Since then Shinji's been a lot more...strong I guess is what I would describe it as, more closed off. This sounds like that."
"I see..."Asuka commented. "It feels stupid thought, that he feels so guilty over saving everyone." Asuka said.
"In his eyes that's not what happened, he didn't save everyone as much as he failed at protecting one person." Hikari said. "I Know Shinji,that's the way he thinks. Maybe it's because he's been a piloting since he was young but for him if something isn't absolutely perfect he won't accept it. He slacks off in classes all the time but his tests are nearly always perfect, when someone asks for help he'll go the extra mile just to help them,he's just that kind of guy."
"I guess he is..."Asuka said as she looked at the horizon. "Baka."
As Asuka returned from her walk with Hikari there was an unusual noise coming from inside the pilot's quarters, unusual but somewhat familiar,as if she'd heard it before.
"Bach?" Asuka asked herself as she entered the quarters,there sat Shinji with a cello, playing the soft melody of Bach's Cello suite No.1.
It wasn't perfect, far from it, but it had something else, something that a lot of the professional musicians she'd heard had lacked. It had passion; sheer, determined passion to make the piece work no matter how bad it sounded now.
And eventually it continued to improve as he played,each minute the melody was corrected,each time he moved his hands he hit the notes just a little bit better and,eventually,it was perfect. At least in her eyes,or rather,ears.
She clapped. "Bravo, it was really good first."
"Good...but not perfect."Shinji said. His voice still as broken as it sounded when he spoke before,but he was speaking something other than 'water' or 'Im scum' for once.
"Maybe not the piece itself,but perseverance is a virtue in of itself." Asuka said, Shinji gave a dry,joyless chuckle at that.
"I could of stopped." Shinji said.
"And why didn't you then?"Asuka asked curiously as she sat down on the couch,looking at him as he looked with nostalgic sadness at the instrument.
"I suppose it reminded me of someone I've lost,in a good way." Shinji said.
"Your cousin?"Asuka said, immediately cursing herself out once his eyes lit up with recognition and sadness. "Sorry...Hikari told me."
"It's fine...and yeah,it's her." Shinji said,somewhat hesitant.
"You never spoke about her, you did speak about your mother before but never a cousin." Asuka said.
"I suppose I didn't...odd,i barely knew her but to this day her death still haunts me." Shinji said in a sorrowful tone.
"What was her name?"Asuka asked,trying to keep the conversation going,this was the most he'd spoken in ages after all.
"Ichijo."Shinji said. "Rei Ichijo."
"Same first name as Ayanami?" Asuka asked,he nodded.
"Yeah...that's why...that's why I became so attached to her I suppose."Shinji said.
"It wasn't your fault you know?" Asuka asked.
"How wasn't it? I'm the one who delivered the attack,if it's anyone's fault it's my own."He replied.
"Stop being stupid, it wasn't your fault, it was the angel's." Asuka said.
"..."Shinji was silent.
"No one blames you, you know?" Asuka asked. "For them all you did was save everyone's asses!"
"I blame myself."Shinji admitted, "that's enough."
"Well,you're wrong then!"Asuka shouted, Shinji looking away,as did she after a moment. Silence followed.
"Why?"Shinji asked in a broken tone. "Why do you care?"
"It just pisses me off when people are being stupid,nothing else!" Asuka said,somewhat defensive.
"I can't accept that it's not my fault just yet..not so easily at least...but,I'll do my best. I'll try." Shinji said. For you. He'd wanted to say,but couldn't bring himself to.
"Good,it's not like we're asking anything else first." She said. Shinji gazed at the cello.
"Would you like to hear me play?"She nodded. "Even if I suck?"
"You don't suck, just play and entertain me first!" Asuka said in her usual arrogance,a small if earnest smile spreading itself across Shinji's face.
"As you wish,mein fuhrer." Shinji joked, Asuka giving him an angry glare but with a slight smile on her lips.
AN:Soon...