Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion.
Chapter 3: You Cannot Escape
Misato was very worried. She had heard about the atrocious incident in the Medical Wing today; after reading the initial report, she wasn't sure who was to blame, Shinji or Asuka. She was Asuka's guardian, so she had a natural tendency to defend her actions, at least in public. This didn't mean she wouldn't give her a tongue-lash once she gets home, where no one else could hear them. From the several days they've been living together, Misato had come to learn that Asuka's pride was not something to mess with just for fun.
Misato entered the apartment and was welcomed by the smell of overcooked vegetables, half-raw meat, and burnt rice. She didn't need to check to know Asuka had screwed up cooking again. Sighing, she shouted to the kitchen, "Asuka! You know you could always use the knife if you want it painless for me, convenient for you!"
It took Asuka four long seconds to realize what Misato meant. She dropped the pan on the stove with a huge clank, shot Misato a venomous glare, and yelled, "Well it's still way better than whatever shit you made!" In fact, the very reason preventing Asuka from throwing the pan into Misato's face was that she knew too well that she had messed up.
Misato swallowed; she'd never seen Asuka this angry before. Whether it was because something bad happened that day – which was probably the incident with Shinji, or Asuka was just irritable, she couldn't tell. But one thing she was sure of – she didn't want to escalate the situation. "No need to get mad, Asuka, I was only joking," Misato said cautiously.
Asuka sighed, "I'm just… it's been a long day," now that confirmed Misato's suspicion.
"Wanna talk about it?"
"No, not really," Asuka replied tiredly, her temper completely gone, "it's…personal."
"Now, I'm your guardian, and I care about my charge, which is you, Asuka," Misato said forcefully, "even if you don't want to, I'll have to know what happened."
"Didn't you read it on your report?" Asuka asked, annoyed. She talked when she's ready; she didn't like being forced into anything. She wanted to make her own choices.
"Yes, but it's too vague, and I want to hear it from you," Misato pushed forward, "maybe you think I won't care, Asuka, but the truth is I do, I really do care about your well-being. Not only your health is important to your job, and my job as well," she paused for a second, waiting for a reaction. Asuka simply stared at the stove, not making any movements, "but also I care about the girl called Asuka."
Asuka felt an unspoken warmth grew inside her chest. Misato sounded just like the Kaji she knew – and totally different from the drunk and sloppy Misato she was familiar with. Thinking it rationally, she thought it wouldn't hurt to tell her about her…condition, since Misato was…experienced in the subject, and most importantly – she's a female. There wouldn't be any embarrassment. "Fine," she started, "I'll talk…later. But I'm hungry now, can we at least order some takeout first?"
Misato smiled at her success in cracking Asuka's shell, "Of course, Asuka-chan!"
Asuka cleaned up the mess in the kitchen while Misato picked up the landline to order food. "We really need someone who cooks…" Asuka murmured as she put the disks into the cupboard, "and cooks well…"
1 hour later
Asuka sat on the couch while Misato sat on a pillow on the floor, across the table. "So," she started, "what happened today?"
Asuka sighed, burying her face in her hands, "It's about Baka-Shinji."
"I knew that already, you beat him up pretty hard," Misato gave her a disapproving frown, "why did you do that? Did he…do something improper?"
"I…" in retrospect, Asuka knew she was very unreasonable at that time. He was as clueless as her, she could see genuine confusion and fear in his eyes. Hell, she didn't even know why she had thought Shinji, of all people, was the one who took her virginity in the first place. The conclusion didn't come out as rationalization, but more of an instinct – like someone told you one plus one, and your head just came up with two.
She felt guilty.
However it did little to soothe her nerves. There were only two possibilities, whether she had sex with someone during the nine months she forgot about, or Shinji did something indecent before she woke up on the beach. "Dr. Akagi gave me a physical today, and…I-I-" Asuka sighed, "you must've got the report on my physical condition, right Misato?"
"Of course, Asuka," Misato confirmed, "and that's…another thing I wanna talk about."
"Just stop beating around the bush already! I'm pretty sure what you want to talk about is related to the incident."
"O-okay, then let's start with your…physical conditions," Misato smiled an uneasy smile, "so…nothing big to worry about, Dr. Akagi said you are in perfect health, and your muscles are incredibly powerful," seeing Asuka raising an eyebrow, she continued, "however, there is one thing I'm worried about…Asuka, you said you're fourteen, isn't it a bit young to…"
"Okay, okay I get it," Asuka blushed and interrupted Misato, "that's exactly why I was so mad – I don't know who, where, or when. I…argh but I just had the feeling it has something to do with that idiot!"
Misato blinked, "Seriously, Asuka, you don't know? Huh," she stared into Asuka's eyes for a moment and saw genuine sincerity, "but it's not something to beat Shinji over with, don't you think?"
"I-" hard to admit, but Misato's right. She let her emotions and reflex took over her reasoning in a stressful situation. Although she did it a LOT, in retrospect she knew she was wrong. Asuka sighed, "okay, maybe I was a little harsh. What do you want me to do, then?"
"I want you to apologize," Misato said, eliciting a grumble from Asuka, "since you'll be studying in the same school and working at the same place, I NEED you guys to at least tolerate each other. Is that too much to ask?"
But the great Asuka Longley Soryu never apologized…at least hardly ever. She only apologized when she knew she messed up BIG, or when she was with Kaji. "I… I'll think about it," she finally replied after 10 seconds of hesitation, "I really need to go to sleep now…" she yawned.
"Okay, but I want a committal answer next morning," receiving a nod from the redhead, Misato continued, "Goodnight, then."
"Goodnight, Misato…"
Sending Asuka to her room, Misato entered her room as well, pulling out her phone. "Hmmm…hello? It's me, Kaji…"
"Hello, Katsuragi, inviting me on a date?"
"Cut the bullshits, Ryoji!" She hissed, "I'm here to talk business."
"Sure, sure, my highness."
"Isn't it weird that both Asuka and Shinji have the same surname?" she speculated, "and neither they seem to be on good terms…"
"I'm digging on it, I suspect there's a whole conspiracy going on…"
"Wait, are you telling me that you SPY on Gehirn, THROUGH THE PHONE? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" Misato practically yelled, unable to believe it.
"Don't worry, no one's eavesdropping. I'm pro in Anti-reconnaissance."
"But what makes you think I wouldn't report you to Gehirn?"
A chuckle, "I haven't done anything harmful, anyway. And I believe you won't tell. Don't you also want to know the truth?"
"What truth?"
"The secret plan Gehirn is developing."
"Wha-what?"
A sigh, "forget about it for now, Katsruagi. I'll tell you once I find out. By the way, do you have time this Saturday? I've found…"
Misato hanged up. She didn't need to listen to Kaji's awkward attempt asking her out on a date.
XXXXXXXXXX
The office darkened, twelve holograms of black monoliths emerged.
"Ikari, is there any interesting result you get from the physical examinations of The Two?" SEELE 01 asked.
"Nothing abnormal, save for the inconceivable physical strength which themselves probably don't even know existed." Gendo answered, "there's no apparent cause for it. We may need them inside our test plugs to yield more results."
"Arrange it as soon as possible," SEELE 02 said.
"We plan to have them in there tomorrow," Gendo confirmed, "then Dr. Naoko Akagi could do her tests."
"Good. Now, what do you think about the incident between The Two today?" SEELE 05 huffed.
"It's…unexpected," Gendo answered cautiously, "apparently The Two doesn't know each other. Formerly we thought if The Two were Gods, they ought to be acquainted with each other well."
"Well reality tells you otherwise," SEELE 08 mocked, "anyway, keep a close eye on them. We don't want one of them dead because they can't tolerate each other."
"Understood." Gendo replied, and the monoliths disappeared. "Rei," he started, "how's everything been going recently?"
Rei smiled a small smile, "everything is fine, papa. I've made a new friend in school today!"
"Is that so? Who is it?"
"Her name is Hikari Horaki! The class representative," Rei said happily, "she's a nice person."
"Good to hear. You can go home now, I'll come back later."
"Alright. See you, papa."
XXXXXXXXXX
Asuka woke up with her panties soaked, still immersed in the after-effect of her wet dream. She had dreamed about all the dirty things Shinji was doing to her – although she knew it was a dream, she still wanted to fight back, however no matter how hard she tried, the whole scene just played in front of her eyes.
It felt real.
She had no way to know they were her memories - not that she's gonna believe them anyway.
'It's just me getting horny, and Shinji was like the only boy I know here,' she justified – although there was also Kaji. She found the idea of being intimate with Shinji was absurd. Nevertheless, she still thought Shinji was kind of cute. Not that she's going to admit it.
Getting up from the bed and changing into a clean set of undergarments, Asuka slid the door open, just to bump into a zombie-walking Misato.
"Ahhhh!" Asuka screamed in a high pitch.
"Arghhh!" Misato groaned in headache after hangover, palm rubbing forehead, "keep voice low! Oh god, my heads!" She then stumbled towards the bathroom,
"Gottverdammt…" Asuka murmured, walking to the fridge and grabbed a bowl of cereal. Both Misato and Asuka were too lazy to make any breakfast, so cereal and milk would suffice.
Sitting down at the table, Asuka immersed in her thoughts. 'Do I really need to apologize? I guess I do, since there's no way I could get rid of him completely…just make it a working relationship, and all will be good.' "So, Asuka!" Her train of thought was interrupted by Misato's voice, "have you decided?" Although it was a question, the glare she gave her wasn't compromising one.
Asuka sighed, "Yeah, I will apologize." 'But I said 'Don't come near me ever again'…if I simply go and apologize, this will make me look like a hypocrite…and a pitiful one. I hate pity.' "But… I'll apologize when time and surroundings are appropriate."
"I'll keep your words," Misato smiled, then turned into a devilish one, "I mean, he's pretty cute, you know…"
Asuka raised an eyebrow, "what are you talking about?"
"Just saying, you could use one or two or a few boyfriends here…" Misato winked, using that voice, "I saw how you looked at his butt yesterday when you thought no one was looking…"
"Pervert! Hentai! Unbelievable!" Asuka blushed as red as her hair, "as if I'm interested in boys! Especially not that wimpy little pervert, unless it's the end of the world!"
"So he's got a chance, after all…" Misato showed a sly smile, "Say it to him, I bet he'll actually end the world just for you…"
"Argh! You're so immature!" Asuka growled, "I don't even know what Kaji as mature as him saw in you!"
Misato choked, "Listen you brat…I want nothing to do with that jerk!"
"Hmph, is that so? The way you deny it says otherwise!" Asuka grinned slyly, tasting the small victory.
Misato mumbled something incoherent and focused on her meal, ignoring Asuka's further teasing comments.
XXXXXXXXXX
Shinji had another…insightful talk with his amicable prophesier last night.
"Hello, Shinji. It's me, again. The prophesier." The cloaked figure appeared in front of him.
"Hi…It was a long day…"
"Hmmm…let me see," the prophesier said, "Indeed. You've been through a lot today. Do you have any…questions?"
"Of course!" Shinji said loudly, "what's wrong with the girl you asked me to…approach?"
"Errr… she's not…exactly the easiest person to deal with," the prophesier said nervously, "Ouch! Asu-darling, it hurts!"
Shinji was very confused by the prophesier's behavior, "what's wrong?"
"No-nothing!" the prophesier said, eliciting a frown on Shinji's face; he didn't expect a GOD to be…embarrassed?
Nevertheless, Shinji continued, "Yeah, 'not exactly the easiest person' my ass! She'd already tried to kill me twice! Although she looks cute, she's a total-"
The prophesier interrupted and swallowed HEAVILY, "okay okay I get it!" he almost sounded afraid of something, "now, get to business! So, she…became violent with you today, right? Do you have any idea why?"
"Yeah, she thought I had something to do with her loss of virginity," Shinji replied, "how does it have anything to do with me, though? As if I'd risk my life…"
"Ouch!" the prophesier yelped in pain again, but Shinji had no idea why, "Okay…so, this may be a shock for you…but she's actually not wrong."
"Wha-wha-wha-what?" Shinji stammered, dumbstruck, "M-m-me?"
"Yes, you! You're indeed the one who took her virginity. It's just both of you don't remember," the prophesier said.
"Wha-what? W-why?"
"Because you two were in a relationship!"
"Oh. H-how? I doubt…oh, we were EVA pilots."
"Exactly, but not totally correct. There were much more to your relationship - it wasn't simply because you were both EVA pilots and it was 'convenient', it was something more beautiful, like a poem depicting the first shine of sunrise, like…"
"Okay I get it, we were…intimate," Shinji sweatdropped, still baffled by the fact that he somehow captured the red dragon without dying in the process, "Is this why you ask me to…approach her again?"
"Yeah, mainly because of it…"
"But why don't you tell her all this? Why me and me only?"
"Because… she's not gonna believe it, although she might still kill you, in the current situation," the prophesier replied with an uneasy voice, seemingly bracing for an imminent attack, "unlike you, I know you well, you'll simply accept it after the initial shock."
"Well, I guess you're not wrong…" Shinji said smiling. "How did I…get together with her, then?"
"I can't really tell you details for now…but one thing you need to know. Always react – don't run away. Whenever she yells at or insults you, you need to push back – not insult back, but you can't stay down. She'll respect you much more this way."
"I'll try," Shinji said after a long silence, "I'm not very good at…these sorts of things."
"People change, Shinji. Alright, time is almost up…good luck."
"Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Maybe, it depends." The prophesier answered, "but we'll definitely meet again. See you, Shinji."
Shinji shook his head again, picking up his pace to the school. In retrospect, he was kind of happy to learn that he actually had a chance with the pretty yet temperamental redhead, but he was also scared of the process. His heart sank as he remembered Asuka's last words to him yesterday, 'Don't come near me ever again,' she said. It was a downright rejection – although he didn't exactly ask her out on a date.
He couldn't face her yet, but they went to the same school and work at the same place; they can't really – physically - get rid of each other. And Shinji was dreading about school – they sat next to each other, after all.
Maybe he could begin his fraternization with Toji and Kensuke. That would be a perfect distraction from the redhead.
XXXXXXXXXX
At the moment, Earth Orbit
"Shin-chan, any last words?" the God Asuka said as sweetly as possible, grinning devilishly, cracking her knuckles.
The God Shinji chuckled nervously, "Asuka, you know I don't think you like that."
"Hmph…but he IS you, and now I finally get to know your first impression of me…" the God Asuka huffed, her voice suddenly sorrowful, "I guess your counterpart does have a point…even me seeing myself acting like this is making me uncomfortable…man, I really was abrasive and arrogant, wasn't I?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that…" the God Shinji comforted, "but it's all in the past…and I understand why you were like that, you had a…rough childhood. You just deal with it differently than me. I mean, I still love you, no matter what."
The God Asuka smiled, "Hmph, I'll forgive you…if you make me happy, right now."
Fortunately, the God Shinji knew very well what to do at that time.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Shinji sat uncomfortably on the chair; he felt like melting under Asuka's soul-piercing glare. He had briefly thought about swapping his seat to the far corner, but it was already occupied by someone – she was just absent yesterday, and apparently Sensei prepared the two seats so that they could sit next to each other. They didn't know it was Fuyutsuki who demanded it.
Asuka was still deciding how and when to apologize. Seeing Shinji wanted nothing more than digging a hole in the ground and vanish, Asuka simultaneously felt bad and powerful. She retracted her glare, giving poor Shinji a break.
Shinji sighed in relief as Asuka turned her attention to her laptop. He figured he could use it to spend his time as well. Opening his laptop, Shinji found himself receiving loads of messages from his classmates. Most of them were about his relationship with the redhead. He discarded those without a second thought – except one person.
Kensuke A.: Hello, Shikinami-kun! May I ask what your relationship with Shikinami-san is?
Shinji smiled. This could be a perfect chance to befriend him.
Shinji S.: Hello, Aida-kun! We have a complicated relationship. I don't even understand it myself. At least I can tell you that we work together.
Technically he was telling the truth. After a few seconds, he received a reply.
Kensuke A.: Cool! You work? Where?
Shinji had pondered about whether to tell him the truth, he figured if NERV had no problem with him saying he was a pilot, then it shouldn't be any different here.
Shinji S.: I work at Gehirn. You know what that is, right?
He could hear a gasp from Kensuke, who sat two rows in front of him, and was looking back at him with an unbelievable look.
Kensuke A.: Of course I know! It's well known for building this wonderful city and cutting-edge technologies! Man, I do envy you! Could you please tell me more about Gehirn?
Shinji S.: I guess…how about we have lunch together?
Shinji could literally hear Kensuke shout "Yes!", drawing everybody's attention in the classroom to him. Even Asuka raised her head and showed a confused expression, before diving back into the manga she was reading. Kensuke frantically looked around and was instantly embarrassed, his face red.
Shinji sighed.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The lunch bell rang, Kensuke practically jumped out of his seat and rushed to Shinji's desk, a promising look on his face. Just as Shinji was about to take out the bento he made and go with Kensuke, he was interrupted by a voice, "Hey, Baka, where can I have lunch?"
Shinji was frozen in the spot. He wanted to run. He wanted to run away so badly that it physically hurt. He didn't know why Asuka would talk to him, not after yesterday's incident. However, a small part of him was saying "Don't forget your promise to the prophesier!", so he swallowed and turned around slowly, "Hmmm, the cafeteria is on the first floor." Suddenly he grew curious, "did you not eat yesterday?"
Asuka narrowed her eyes, and Shinji almost regrated asking the follow-up question. However instead of a cold shoulder or an angry retort, she simply said, "Well, I had Misato's cooking yesterday, and I'm not eating those biochemical weapons ever again!" Shinji couldn't help but chuckle, feeling bad for the redhead.
Asuka actually wanted him to come along with her so that she could apologize, nothing more. "So, you coming with me?"
Shinji couldn't believe what he thought he heard. It seemed like she was sending some hidden message, but it went over his head. "Hmm, I actually make my own bentos," saying, he took out the bento box from his schoolbag, showing it to the redhead, "and I'm eating with Aida-kun today."
"Oh." Asuka didn't know what she should do. She summoned all her willpower to ask him to go to the cafeteria with her, an opportunity the boys in the class would fight for, and he just took out his bento and rejected her outright. Maybe he was as dense as a neutron star, but that didn't matter. However, apart from her simmering anger, she was still curious about how in the world a boy could make his own bentos. "Suit yourself." She said, just a little venomous, and left the classroom.
Shinji suddenly felt he did something wrong, but he shook it off. Asuka talking to him, asking him, was already much more than he had ever expected. Sighing, he turned his attention to Kensuke, who had a bento made by his father in his hand. "Let's go then."
"Great! Hmmm, may I ask someone else to come with us? He's my best friend!" Kensuke asked.
"What's his name?" Shinji could already guess, though.
"Toji Suzuhara." Yep. It's him. "No problem."
The trio climbed to the roof and found a quiet spot. "So, new kid," Toji started, breaking the silence, "Wass' the deal between you and red? Ya seem close, but…"
Shinji sighed, once again cursing internally about his bad choice of surname, "Why everybody is interested in our relationship? We just work together, that's all."
"Well, she's foreign! And she has a Japanese family name, and it happens to be the same as yours!" Toji explained, "I mean, just think about it, man!"
"I guess you're right…" Shinji's palm met his face, "but we're not married… it's…complicated."
"Well then, if you're not…can I ask her out on a date?" Kensuke said half-mockingly.
For some reason, Shinji wasn't even offended – in fact, he was about to laugh at the very idea of going on a date with the Red Devil. He successfully suppressed it into a chuckle, "If you'd survive the first hour…"
"What does that mean?" Toji asked, sounding curious.
"She's…too much to handle, I guess." Bad choice of words, but not too far from the truth – just in the other direction.
Having perverted minds, Toji and Kensuke misunderstood his words as a double entendre, and their faces immediately blushed light pink, "wha-what're you implying by that?"
Shinji raised an eyebrow, "What?" He asked innocently.
Toji swallowed, "are you two… sleepin' together?"
"WHAT?!" Shinji exclaimed, "wh-where does that come from?" 'Do they know? No…impossible!'
"You literally said… she's too much to handle!" Kensuke said with bafflement across his face, "that…implies something!"
"Oh," Shinji thought about it and found him right, "but that's not what I meant!" He blushed HARD as he remembered what the prophesier said, fantasizing what it would feel like…
"C'mon, Shikinami-kun! You're all red!" Toji mocked, "what does it feel like? Is she…"
"Just drop it, alright?!" Shinji cut him off forcefully, "any of our conversations gets in her ear and I'll be a DEAD man! And what about Gehirn stuff you were asking about? Let's talk about that, okay?"
"Sure, sure, Shikinami-kun," Kensuke finally remembered the whole purpose of the lunch and wasted no time. "So…what do you guys do, exactly?"
"First, just call me Shinji, alright?"
"Sure, and you can call me Kensuke."
"Call me Toji, Shin-man!"
"Great!" Shinji smiled happily as he finally accomplished his goal, "So I guess we're friends now, huh?"
XXXXXXXXXXX
Asuka was irritated. She usually didn't need a reason to get irritated, but this time she had a very specific reason, and it had a name. 'Just what's wrong with that idiot?' she thought angrily, 'but I guess after what I said to him… it's understandable.' She entered the cafeteria and found it sold nothing but junk food. She grumbled in frustration. 'Misato's cooking is awful…cafeteria sells junk food…and that IDIOT makes his OWN bentos! Argh!'
She entered the line and waited. Asuka looked in front of her – the person standing there had long brown hair and pink glasses, and her butt – put it in this way, Asuka had NEVER felt envious toward any girls around her age because they were hotter than her, until now. So, she felt compelled to know her. Asuka tapped her shoulder and spoke, "Hm, hello?"
The person turned around – she had brilliant blue eyes and twin ponytails just like her, although her breasts were also larger. Not that Asuka's weren't large, though. She didn't look Japanese, either. "Yes?" she then focused her eyes on Asuka and smiled, "oh, you're the transfer student, aren't you? I'm Mari Makinami, nice to meet ya!"
"Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you, too." Asuka was surprised at her enthusiasm, "I'm Asuka, Asuka Shikinami!" She paused for a second, peeking out her head to the counter, "so…do you know what they serve here is…edible?"
"Aw, picky on food, like a princess…" Mari joked, and Asuka pouted, "anyway, the burger here is not that bad…and you can always make your own food at home, ya know?"
"I guess…but I don't have anyone to cook for me, and neither can I cook," Asuka sighed, "Misato's such a slob…"
"Wait, you know Misato?" Mari raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, she's my guardian. What's wrong?"
"Well, ain't that interesting…" Mari murmured, "so, I guess you know what Gehirn is, right?"
"Of course! I work there, after all." Asuka said proudly, "Judging from your expression, you work there as well?"
Mari quickly composed herself, "yeah… what's your position?"
"They call it human-computer neural link interactions or something like that," Asuka replied, "how about you?"
"I was Misato's intern secretary," Mari answered, "and it was fun!"
"Wait, just how old are you?"
"I'm sixteen."
"Oh, I'm only fourteen…no wonder you have big boobs and butts…" Asuka muttered, but not unnoticed by Mari, "aw, princess, are you jealous of my figures?" She said with a wink.
"Shut it, four-eyes!" Asuka shot back, "mine is just good enough!"
They picked up their food and found an empty table. Asuka was feeling strangely generous today, so she didn't mind when Mari asked if she could eat with her. They then talked about other stuff – stuff that girls liked to talk about. The sun shot through the window onto the golden mane of Asuka, shining like a swirl of fire.
"So," Mari started, "got any boyfriends yet?"
"No. Not that I'm interested in boys, anyway." It was the truth. "What, are you interested in me?" Asuka mocked.
"No, perish the thought!" Mari replied hastily, "actually, it's worth a try…" she winked.
Asuka showed a fake disgusted face, "Ewww, but I'm straight!" Although she didn't want to admit it, she was flattered that her figure could even attract girls.
"Yeah, from what I've heard, you indeed do not have a boyfriend…" Mari paused, and Asuka sighed in relief, "but a husband."
Asuka choked on her food, fortunately she wasn't drinking anything otherwise she would've spilled the liquid – preferably onto Mari's face. "WHAT?!"
"Aw, everybody knows…" Mari teased, "The Shikinamis! Lovey-dovey couple! Running out of the classroom the first class, living in sin!"
"Listen, four-eyes!" Asuka sounded serious and irritated, "THERE'S NOTHING BETWEEN US!"
"I'm sure there's nothing between you!" Mari grinned devilishly, "no daylight, no air gaps…nothing but sweet! Awwwww!"
Asuka just gave up, knowing there wouldn't be an end to this if she kept arguing. What's worse, they were drawing a lot of attention – she couldn't afford more people learning about this ridiculous rumor.
XXXXXXXXXXX
After the friendly lunch period with Mari, Asuka went back to the classroom, finding Shinji already present. As soon as he saw her, he flinched and averted his eyes. Asuka growled in annoyance – she just wanted to get this done, but Shinji was making it difficult. She couldn't really blame him for it; she was the one who said those harsh words, after all. Maybe Shinji wanted nothing to do with her anymore – for some unknown reason, the very thought of Shinji completely gone from her life made her stomach twitch.
Usually, her pride would prevent her from apologizing under this situation. She asked him to come with her, and it was him who rejected – it felt like a humiliation to chase after him and apologize, much less in front of the whole class!
Two antagonizing ideas conflicted in her mind, Asuka didn't know what to do anymore. Damn, the Great Asuka Langley Soryu was NEVER indecisive!
Finally, she decided to take a moderate approach. She went back to her seat, forcing herself to ignore Shinji all the way, and opened her laptop. Discarding all the date requests like she always did, she found Shinji S. in the contact list, and clicked 'PM'.
Asuka S.: Idiot, got a minute?
Shinji received the message and was confused. He looked to his left – Asuka was sitting there, looking at him intently, daring him to say anything. They could be literally called deskmates, but she still chose to send him a private message? Weird.
Shinji shook it off; if she wanted to play a game, then so be it.
Shinji S.: What do you want?
He could sense Asuka tense up. She started typing furiously, and then deleted all of them, and started again. After a few minutes of back and forth, Shinji finally received the message.
Asuka S.: About yesterday. I was…irrational, okay? I shouldn't beat you up like that. And I take back my words. We need to work together, after all. I don't want to make it hard for both of us. Don't think beyond that! I'm doing this only for myself!
Seeing the message, Shinji smiled, a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. However he wasn't about to end the game yet.
Shinji S.: Is that an apology?
Asuka stared at the screen for several seconds, then typed.
Asuka S.: Think whatever you want.
In fact, Shinji had already got much more from the redhead than he expected – he actually thought she would just ignore him all day; he wasn't sure what changed in her, but he didn't mind it. Just as he was about to close the chat window, he suddenly recalled what the prophesier had told him – 'Always react – don't run away. Whenever she yells at or insults you, you need to push back – not insult back, but you can't stay down. She'll respect you much more this way.' Nervous as he was, he still decided to try.
Shinji S.: Apology accepted, then.
Asuka shot him a death glare that melted his soul upon contact – before looking back at her laptop and started typing.
Asuka S.: Don't push your luck.
This chat room has been closed by: Asuka S.
Shinji let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Today wasn't half as bad as he thought it would be.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Today was supposed to be the first day for both Asuka and Shinji to actually participate in their tests. After the school, Shinji and Asuka exited the gate separately – Asuka got in the car first and chatted with Kaji, while Shinji came three minutes later. On the way to the GeoFront, Asuka paid zero attention to the boy at the back seat, neither was she chatting with Kaji anymore. She was immersed in her own thoughts.
'I wonder what our job is like. Wearing a plug suit and sit in an entry plug sounds just like piloting an EVA, but there's no such thing here. Human-computer interactions? Simulators? Sounds interesting, but I'm sure not even near the fun of piloting EVAs. And that idiot…how dare he push back?! Damn it! But he may be not such a wimp I thought he was…'
One hour later
To Asuka's surprise, her plug suit was not much different from the one he wore to pilot Unit 02. It was covered in red, with black strips on the sides of the sleeves. She was content with the design of it. Even the design of neural connectors was the same.
Shinji's plug suit was a bit different from what he wore. It's a dark-blue color with black strips – he didn't look half-bad in it, but far from his original plug suit. Not that he minded what he looked like in the skin-tight suits.
It didn't help to keep Asuka from stealing glances at him. 'Not as scrawny as I thought…actually he's quite athletic…' Of course she had no idea that it was the result of EVA pilots' fitness training.
They walked to the testing area in silence. The test chamber was much smaller than the EVA cages, and three octagonal columns stood in the chamber.' 00', '01', and '02' were printed on each of them respectively. Shinji was assigned 01, and Asuka 02, not much to their surprise.
They sat in their respective plugs and waited for instruction.
"So, let's get straight into business," Naoko's voice came through the channel, "we'll try to connect your brain with computers. At the time, you may feel nausea, giddiness, and see hallucinations. Don't worry, this won't have a physical effect on your body."
"Well ain't that reassuring," Asuka commented, but ignored by Naoko.
"Begin activation," Maya's voice sounded, "LCL insertion."
The orange liquid began filling up the plugs, however neither Asuka nor Shinji showed any sign of panic – and they should. 'Weird,' Naoko's scientific mind thought, 'they have little reactions to us 'drowning' them with unknown liquid…unless they already know what it is…maybe these two really ARE formed from LCL- thus akin to Adam and Lilith.' Nonetheless, she still said, "don't worry, you can breathe normally once your lungs are filled with LCL." She turned her focus on her terminal, "Ibuki, what's the connection status?"
"Abnormal, ma'am!" Maya exclaimed, "they've passed absolute borderline already!"
Naoko couldn't help but grin widely. Not a single person had done that before – if you don't count Rei as human. Even she spent several months to pass the absolute borderline. "What's the status of the simulator?"
"Connection established! Begin phase two!" Maya said, typing furiously on her keyboard.
Inside the plugs, Shinji and Asuka saw a kaleidoscope of colors around them. And when the world around them stabilized, they found themselves standing in the middle of a street. "What is this place?" Asuka said, "Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Hmm, I'm here Asuka," Shinji replied nervously, and swallowed as Asuka shot him a glare, "no one asked you, Baka!"
"This is a simulated world, you are basically inside the RAM of Magi," Naoko's voice sounded in their heads, rather than in their ears, "what do you guys see?"
"Um, a street I don't recognize," Shinji answered, glancing around him.
"Good," Naoko said, "try to walk around and test the level of details of the world."
Shinji and Asuka spent the next 10 minutes just walking around and examining the surroundings. Shinji simply touched the walls and trees and the ground with his hands, trying to feel the sensation, while Asuka had already smashed the windshields of two cars. Surprisingly the glass cracked just like how it should crack in the real world – Asuka was a bit amazed by the level of detail and the physics engine of this simulation.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Naoko said, "we're cutting off connections now,"
"No! I'm just starting to have fun!" Asuka protested, but was ignored by Naoko. With another kaleidoscope of colors, they woke up in their plugs. "That's enough data for your first try. Come back the day after tomorrow, and we'll try something new. You can both change and go home." Naoko said, shutting down the comm channel.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Gendo kept his unwavering expression as twelve black monoliths floated around him. "Hum, it looks like we have no doubts, then."
"Indeed," SEELE 01 continued, "those two children were by far the only ones who succeeded in the connection with Magi – even Rei, the clone of Lilith, took several months to establish a stable connection."
"Very well," SEELE 03 concluded, "we've found The Two – now it's time to plan the initiation of the Second Impact."
"The Two still needs some time to familiarize with the equipment," SEELE 05 disagreed, "we have plenty of time. Several months of delay will do no harm to our scenario."
"Better safe than sorry," SEELE 08 consented, "we do not need to rush."
"The salvation of humanity is inevitable," SEELE 01 spoke, his voice stern and devoid of emotions, "nevertheless, we do need to make sure everything is at top-notch. Schedule more simulation practices, as well as duo-syncing tests."
"I shall let Dr. Naoko Akagi arrange it," Gendo replied with a smirk, "I'm sure we can get interesting results."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Misato had gently awakened Asuka when they returned to the apartment. They wandered upstairs and Asuka sat down at the kitchen table and whipped up something to eat before she went to bed, seeing as she had napped on the slow car ride – much to Misato's suffering - home, and she also gave Pen–Pen something to eat as well. Normally Asuka couldn't care less about the warm water penguin, however today she was feeling cheerful since the day had gone quite well.
Misato had just finished in the shower when she came out wearing a small top that barely held in her breasts and what looked like a pair of boxer briefs that were so well-fitting, they outlined everything underneath. "Hiya, Asuka!" Misato said, grabbing a beer, "I thought you were going to bed?"
"I was hungry…" Asuka looked up tiredly from her food, "Misato… do you know what clothes are?"
"What, it's hot outside!" Misato said, frowning, "and what's the problem, anyway? You're not interested in girls, are you?" She finished with a wink.
"Misato, it's 32°C outside and 20°C in here, I'd even call that comfortable!" Asuka deadpanned, "and I'm NOT interested in girls!"
"Well, it's hot outside," Misato retorted, "yeah, and you're interested in woman I see!"
"Misato…do you think it's even legal for you to go outside like this?!" Asuka shot back, disgusted by the indecency of her guardian, "you're…as good as naked! Do you have no shame?!"
"Asuka, you pervert! I thought you said you aren't into girls! And you're looking?!" Misato joked, eliciting a blush from Asuka.
"It's not like I had a choice!" Asuka shouted, "You're throwing it in my face!"
"Don't sound so ungrateful, Asuka!" Misato said with a devilish smile, "Only very few people get to see me like this!"
"What kinds of perverted hentai are into MILFs?!" Asuka shot back.
"Did you just call me a MILF?!" Misato shouted, eyes widen, face red due to embarrassment.
"Did I stutter?!"
"Asuka, you're so mean!" Misato yelled, "I'm not old enough to be a MILF! I'm not even 30! I'm still 28!"
"Oh, that was so worth it!" Asuka laughed so hard she almost fell out of the chair. "Your reaction made my day! It's priceless!"
"Asuka, that's not nice!" Misato shouted, leaning over threateningly.
"You tease me all the time, Misato, it's time for some payback!"
"Brat…So, you know we won't have work tomorrow, but you'll do something new the day after, right?" Misato calmed down.
"Yeah, I remember what Dr. Akagi told us earlier, and I'm not deaf."
Misato walked over to her purse and pulled something out of it, "Well, you'll need this to get in tomorrow." Misato handed her a new ID card. "You're new ID card, it finally came today."
Asuka took the card and saw her picture on the front. "Oh look, a shitty picture of me! What the HELL is this lighting?! I look like a fucking ghost!"
"You still look cute, just relax." Misato sighed, "So, always have that with you, Asuka, otherwise you can't get into Gehirn."
"For a secret organization, you take an awfully long time to make security cards," Asuka mocked, causing Misato to mutter something inaudible, "I've been here for FOUR DAYS! Do they make the cards by HANDs?"
"Well, yes, I think they do…"
"WHAT?!" Asuka replied, completely dumbfounded.
"Just joking! Also, could you do me a favor, Asuka?" Misato asked with a promising look, one which indicates nothing good would come next.
"Why would I?"
"Can you take this other card to Rei?" Misato handed over an identical card for Rei, ignoring her impoliteness, "Hers is expired, and I forgot to give it to her when we saw her. Can you drop it off to her later? We still have plenty of time till night. She lives in the southern section of town, from when this place was still called Hakone, and not Tokyo– 3. Don't worry, I'll have Section-2 watch over closely."
"Me?" Asuka asked as she stared at the picture of Rei on the card. "I don't even know her! And where are her parents? She's Commander's daughter, isn't she?"
"The Commander is very busy with work, and her mother rarely goes to work," Misato explained; Asuka's eyes twitched at the mention of her' mother', not unnoticed by Misato. "Oh, getting flustered by a pretty girl's picture, Asuka?" Misato teased. "Just be honest with me! You think she's sexy don't you?"
"SHUT IT, Misato!"
"So, you don't find her cute then?" Misato asked innocently.
In fact, even Asuka, the walking definition of heterosexual, found Rei at least could be considered cute. "Well, she looks not half-bad as me."
"Oh, Asuka!" Misato said in that voice, "You're in love!"
"No I'm not!" Asuka moaned, "Stop teasing me, Misato! I'm NOT LESBIAN!"
"Payback's a bitch, eh?" Misato winked.
"Just…shut up!" Asuka cried in frustration.
"So, will you go?" Misato asked.
"Well, I will if you ask properly." Although Asuka was tempted to know this weird and cute-looking coworker, her pride wouldn't let her give in just yet.
"Will you go, Asuka, please?" Misato mock begged.
"Hmph, now I will," Asuka said happily as she walked to her room and started changing her clothes.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Asuka was walking along to Rei's apartment as Misato had instructed her to do. She was in the residential section of town, and everything looked peaceful. There were trees lined up on both sides of the road, a rare sight in Japan, a country that values space. The road was clean, and the lines were fresh. The sound of cicadas accompanied by birds squeaking, producing a beautiful remix of music of nature.
Asuka looked at one of the two-floor apartments and saw it was the one she was looking for. 'Ayanami lives here?' She thought, 'This is practically a villa! I bet being Commander's daughter really provided her some privileges!' Asuka walked upstairs till he got to the second floor. The building on the inside was just as clean and aesthetic and degraded as it looked on the outside. She found apartment 204 without any problem. The door of the apartment had an electronic lock on it.
Asuka pressed the doorbell.
Ding Dong
"Who is it?" A female voice sounded.
"Ikari? Are you home? It's Asuka! Hello?"
"Oh, I'm coming!" Asuka heard footsteps coming to the door. A few seconds later, the door hissed open, and the blue-haired Rei 'Ayanami' Ikari stood in front of her. "Oh, hi, Asuka! What's your business here?" She smiled politely.
"Hey, Ikari!" Asuka greeted back, "hmmm," she pulled out Rei's ID card, handing it to her, "well, here's your new ID card, and I'm feeling generous enough today to deliver it to you in person!"
"Oh, thanks," Rei took the ID card; she thought, "Lilith' that day said I should get Shinji and Asuka romantically involved, seeing they are not on good terms today, maybe now I can talk to her and help them out.' Having made a decision, Rei continued, "why don't you come in and have a rest? It must've been a long way coming here!"
'Well, why not?' Asuka thought, 'she is a coworker, and she was a fellow pilot. Might as well befriend her.' "Alright," Asuka walked cautiously into the apartment. She slipped off her shoes in the entryway and walked inside, and closed the door behind her.
The inside of the apartment was eastern-style and exquisitely decorated. The dining table was made of marble, and the floor was paved by crude wood. Everything radiated the smell of bourgeoisie – Asuka wasn't particularly jealous since her own family, the Langley estate, was much wealthier. Still, she couldn't help but feel envious since apparently, in this new world she couldn't get such luxury accommodation.
She sat on the couch as Rei said, who went to make some tea. Asuka was curious about the friendliness of the First Child, but she shook it off, thinking it's just Japanese etiquette.
Rei came back to two cups of red tea and put one in front of her. Asuka smiled and murmured an almost inaudible 'arigato', then picked up the cup and took one small sip. The tea was well-made; it reminded her of her own mother, who occasionally would make red tea for her.
Thinking about her own mother, Asuka felt a twitch in her stomach and shook her thoughts off. However it did make her curious about Rei's mother. "Hmmm, Ikari-san?"
"Yes, Shikinami-san?" Rei lifted her head and looked at Asuka.
"Where's your…mother?" Asuka swallowed.
"Oh, she's out in the grocery store I think," Rei answered, "she might be back in 20 minutes."
"Oh." Asuka didn't know how she should feel about that. It seemed everyone had a mother, except her. No wait… there's another person whom she was sure didn't have a mother…
'On the other hand…Rei Ikari…Gendo Ikari…does this mean Rei's mother is Shinji Ikari's mother?' Asuka elaborated, 'well, in this world the answer is no, but Rei's mother must look and act like Shinji's mother in the world we knew. Then what if…my mother is still alive somewhere in this world?' She couldn't suppress a wide grin as the thought struck her like a runaway train and was interrupted by Rei's voice, "Shikinami-san? What do you think about Shikinami-kun? Why do you guys have the same surname?"
Asuka snapped out of her thoughts, and her head jolted upwards, "Ah! Well, Shikinami-kun? Oh, you mean Baka-Shinji, right? He's just a pervert and an idiot, nothing more. I tolerate him only because we work together."
"Well, but I think he's cute," Rei retorted. She thought making Asuka jealous could be a good way to force her to admit her feelings, "I'm interested."
"Is that so? Then you can claim him for all I care," Asuka said, although she felt a tingle of tightness in her chest hearing Rei's confessions, "I'm sure you two will make a good couple together!"
Rei could see it all from her face – Asuka's eyebrows were twitching slightly, and she was swallowing. She was nervous. Rei smiled, "what did he do to make you hate him? He's nice enough to me."
Asuka felt another tingle of jealousy hearing Shinji was 'nice' to Rei, "then why don't you just invite him into your bed already?!"
Rei was a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst – she was also bemused by the stubbornness of her. Just as she was about to say something, Asuka stood up, "Thanks for the hospitality, but I think I should take my leave."
Rei didn't stop her as Asuka exited the apartment. 'What a weird girl…'
XXXXXXXXXXX
AN: I changed Mari's birthday so it fits in my story. And What Shinji and Asuka will be doing are not much different from what they does in the spin-off manga 'Ikari Raising Project,' but something is different.