DISCLAIMER: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or its associated properties. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.
"Over 4.5 billion years ago, the thin surface crust of the Earth was hot and unstable. Volcanoes and earthquakes wreaked havoc on it from within, and meteorites bombarded it from without. At that time, no oxygen was to be found in the Earth's atmosphere, only hydrogen and trace amounts of gases such as helium, krypton, and xenon."
As Kouzou Fuyutsuki spoke these words in a half-filled lecture hall, he paid little attention to those words. He memorized them so well that he could deliver them in a drunken stupor. This was useful, because as he spoke, he could pay more attention to the students he was addressing.
This was a habit he acquired early on. A trick of public speaking is to study the people you are talking to. You can tell if they are interested, bored, amused; all of this shows in their body language. So if your lecture isn't effective, you can adapt accordingly. It was so simple, yet so effective. No wonder most of his colleagues never grasped it.
"There is a theory which suggests that a large rocky mass collided with the Earth, which destroyed its early atmosphere and triggered more volcanic activity. Furthermore, the debris from this collision led to the formation of our Moon."
As he said this, his attention was taken up by a few familiar faces. Yui was, of course, the first face he looked for. And he found her too, seated third row from the front, diligently taking notes. However, there were a few others in the room that also attracted his notice.
"This collision also released volcanic gases and water vapor, which created a new atmosphere that was rich in hydrogen. Then, around 3.8 billion years ago, the first life forms emerged."
There was Yoshi and Hiroshi, both seated at the back. They were there in body, but not in mind - the night before had likely taken its toll on them, as it had on their absent classmates.
"Two theories have been put forward regarding the emergence of these life-forms. The first was outlined in 1953 by the American scientists Miller and Uray, who thought that conditions of extreme heat caused life to form. They used electrical charges to try and simulate lightning through a collection of chemical compounds which they thought were present in the atmosphere post-collision."
More unsettling for the professor was the slender, raven-haired man seated to the right of the room. Kouzou didn't recognize him, but he stood out because no-one else in the room was sitting near him. Like Yoshi and Hiroshi he looked unkempt, another barfly living off a few hours' sleep.
But he was more attentive. And not just to the lecture. He took notes while Kouzou talked, all the while wearing a strange smile on his face. But he also took quick looks at someone else in the room, someone who Kouzou would rather the man didn't look at.
Despite his unease, Kouzou pressed on:
"The second was elaborated by another American called Orville in the 1960s, who took the view that extreme cold from one of our planet's ice ages gave rise to the formation of life. He froze a similar number of compounds, from which a constituent compound of DNA was created."
"Well, did you get anything from that?"
"Yes, Professor Fuyutsuki. As I told you before, it does no harm to go over the basics every so often."
"That you did," Kouzou conceded. "I have to say, you seemed more attentive than most of the others in there," gesturing to the lecture hall that they stood outside.
Yui laughed at this. "You must remember," she went on, smirking with a raised eyebrow, "a lot of them are here because their parents told them to go here or because they can get the grants and scholarships that help pay for their alcohol."
Kouzou grinned. He couldn't argue this point. Yoshi and Hiroshi had shown up to basically prove Yui right, as did the strange man who kept glancing at Yui. Kouzou thought it best not to mention him, as Yui seemed completely unfazed by him. However, her comment did prompt a question.
"It just occurred to me, I'm not clear on where your own funding comes from. Are you on a scholarship here as well."
Yui's eyes widened in surprise at this question. After a few seconds, she stammered out a response:
"Uh, well, I-I have student funding from the UN. My father...he works with them, so..."
Kouzou was a little surprised at the tone of Yui's response. Over the past couple of weeks, they had become very comfortable with one another. And now, on the basic question of funding, she was shyer than she had been in their initial meeting.
Then he inwardly groaned. Perhaps she wasn't the sort who was comfortable discussing money in any situation, and here he was making her uncomfortable. The very thing he strove to avoid.
"Forgive me, Ms. Ikari. It really isn't any of my business." As usual, the professional tone concealed his awkwardness.
"Oh no, Professor Fuyutsuki," Yui began. "I'm your intern now. It's only natural you'd want to know if I had the means to continue studying." She forced this out in a distressed tone, her pretty eyes betraying her anxiety. "I should apologize, I didn't mean anything by it.."
'Oh, perfect,' Kouzou thought. 'Now she thinks she's offended me.' Still, he was grateful she had given him a good reason for his own inquiry, which was made out of basic curiosity more than anything else.
"There's no need, Ms. Ikari," Kouzou replied, his voice warm and his eyes kindly. "As you say, it was just to ensure that you are able to stay with us. If you can, then that's all I need to know." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. With a smile, he said "No harm done, OK?"
Smiling, and biting her lower lip slightly, Yui looked into Kouzou's eyes. He was surprised to see that she was tearing up, and could feel from the hand he still had on her shoulder that she was slightly shaking. But she was more relaxed now, grateful for the kindness that her mentor was offering.
As Kouzou and Yui continued to look into each other's eyes, the mutual warmth that each felt for the other kept them locked on to each other's gaze. Neither said anything, neither did anything. They simply held each other's gaze.
"So, how are you two getting along?"
Both Kouzou and Yui did a double-take. Almost in sync, they turned their gaze from each other to the mustachioed figure of Nobuhiko Taue.
"E-excuse me, Professor Taue?" Kouzou was glad that Yui had responded first, as he wasn't sure he could respond at all.
"Oh, I just wondered how you're getting on as Fuyutsuki's intern, Ms. Ikari," Taue answered benignly, oblivious to the moment he'd ruined. "After all, it's been a couple of weeks or more now since you and I had talked about him."
"Ah," replied Yui, suddenly sounding more confident. "Everything's going very well. Professor Fuyutsuki has taught me a great deal that is relevant to my own research."
"Really?"
"Yes," Yui went on, her tone betraying more than a hint of relief. "In fact, we were just discussing the lecture he gave this afternoon on the origin of life. It was very insightful."
"Hmm, well I can understand why that topic would be relevant to you." Taue replied thoughtfully. "In any event, I'm glad you and Fuyutsuki have proven to be such a good fit for each other." Smiling, he patted his quiet colleague on the back. "It's a rare thing, isn't it Fuyutsuki?"
"Yes sir," said Kouzou flatly, relieved that he wasn't displaying any of the sheer hatred he felt for Taue at that moment. The man's timing couldn't have been worse.
"Well, I'll leave you both to it." Taue stated finally. "If I'm lucky, there might be some fresh coffee in the canteen at this hour."
Watching Taue leave, Fuyutsuki was in the middle of hoping that there was nothing but instant coffee lying in wait for his colleague, when he heard Yui make her excuses to leave.
"I'd best be on my way, Professor," Yui said hurriedly. "I have some shopping to do."
"Uh, yes. OK. I'll see you tomorrow morning, then."
"Of course. See you then. Bye"
"Bye." A deflated Kouzou watched her leave, noticing that she was walking at a quicker pace than was normal for her - observing her had become second-nature to him.
As Kouzou returned to his research room, he found himself irritated by several things.
Most galling was the way Taue had interrupted what seemed like a prelude to something - he couldn't define it, but it was as though he and Yui had shared a 'near-moment.' The very term seemed cloying, but he had no better way of explaining it.
But as he gazed out the windows in the corridors he walked through, he became more concerned at how nervous Yui had become regarding her funding. He'd smoothed it over with her, and it was this topic that led to their near-moment, but the more he thought about it the more it niggled him.
'Why was she so upset over that?' Kouzou wondered. 'If it is only a UN grant, and she earned it, what is there to be upset over?'
Then it dawned on Kouzou - Yui's father. She'd mentioned that he worked with the UN, though she didn't get to say exactly what his job was. So eager had Kouzou been to reassure her, he didn't follow up this statement. He now wondered whether or not Yui did earn that grant, or if it was got through nepotism.
This didn't matter to Kouzou, of course. He certainly wasn't going to do anything that could stop Yui from continuing her studies, and continue being his intern. Besides, even if the grant hadn't been obtained fairly, Yui's talent couldn't be denied.
Kouzou was pleased that he'd read Yui's paper before meeting her. The fact that he was impressed with her research before he met her, and became infatuated with her, meant he could never accuse himself of praising her research for any reason other than merit.
And this decided the matter for Kouzou. Yui was an excellent researcher who had proven to be a capable intern. His personal relations with her were excellent. How she was being funded wasn't really his concern, so long as she was. And querying her funding clearly upset her, so there was no further reason to do so.
'After all, what harm can come from it?' Kouzou reasoned.
As Kouzou reached the door of his research room, his mind returned to the lecture he had given. And to how Yui had described it to him as a decent overview of the basics, while telling Taue it was insightful. 'Which was her real view?' Both could be true, Kouzou supposed, though he didn't believe the latter was true himself.
One other aspect of that lecture he wasn't sure of was the strange, hungover man that sat apart from everyone else. The one who kept glancing at Yui. At the time, Kouzou was unsettled by this, but on reflection felt it wasn't important.
'After all,' Kouzou thought, 'it isn't as though someone like Yui would give the like of him a second thought. Or a first. But would she consider...'
His mind returned to the near-moment. He felt something there, and while he wasn't certain, he thought she felt something too. And perhaps that was behind her abrupt departure after Taue had done his work. Perhaps.
Still, he remained resolved not to force any such issue. He could always hope for another 'near-moment.' Or spend the rest of his life hating Nobuhiko Taue.
And with that, Kouzou sat at his desk to prepare his schedule for the following day.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Several things happening here. Long-time Eva fans will have little difficulty guessing who the strange man is, or why Yui might be skittish about discussing her funding.
jellodude, thank you very much for your kind feedback. It means more to me than I can ever express.
Glory-To-Our-August-King, I'm glad you like the concept. I took on board what you've said about the writing, and have revised the previous three chapters to make the prose less stiff. I hope that's the case.