Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion.

Chapter 5: Momentarily United Minds Pt2

Breakfast consisted of some scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon for both Asuka and Shinji, and two hash browns. The Children sat across the dining table in the cafeteria, biting the bullet as they swallowed the de facto plastic and rubber. What's worse, the juice supply was in shortage today. Shinji grumbled in annoyance; he decided to ask Kaji later to let him cook their own food. "I… don't like the bacon," he sighed, "too much grease."

"Well, I hate the hash brown, too little grease," Asuka retorted, not sure intentional or sincere. Initially, they were told to feed each other using chopsticks – the idea was shot down since neither of the Children was willing to comply.

However, they still had to wash the dishes together. Asuka threw one of the plates on the ground in frustration, shattering it into pieces. Shinji simply looked at her with dread, subconsciously taking a step away from her. 'Even if we do have a chance, will I be able to survive staying with her? I guess I did…if whatever the prophesier told me is true,' Shinji mused as he washed the plates on autopilot, 'is it really worth it if she always acts like this, even in a relationship?'

"What are you brooding on?" Asuka's plain voice broke Shinji from his train of thought, "you've been washing the same plate for a minute now."

"Huh? Ah!" Shinji almost dropped the plate, catching it just in time, "I-I zoned out there, sorry."

"Hm," Asuka narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "surely you weren't just slacking off!"

"N-no, of course not," Shinji hastily denied; he squashed another apology and came up with a perfect retort, "still, I washed more plates than you!"

Asuka blinked in surprise at his push back – her pride was damaged since apparently Shinji was indicating that she did a worse job than him. She glared at him dangerously, "Are you implying…you are better than me?"

Shinji gulped, "Wh-what? I-" "Hello kids!" Misato's cheerful voice saved him from some potential physical contact as both of them turned their attention to the lavender-haired woman, "how's everything been going?"

"Great," Asuka said sarcastically, "being a top-secret test subject and fed garbage."

"Now Asuka, you know we can't let civilians into the Geofront, so takeout is not an option," Misato explained, "unless you want to cook – or try some of my newest dishes!" She added with a grin.

Asuka visibly paled while Shinji shot her an empathetic look. "No thanks," she huffed, "I'd rather starve!"

"Actually," Shinji started, "I can cook some dishes-"

He was cut off by Asuka, "Oh yeah! I remembered, you make your own bentos every day," she clapped her hands together in anticipation, "I mean, whatever you make will be definitely better than the junk we are eating now!"

"Aw, trying to impress girls with cooking?" Misato winked, "what else can girls want?"

Shinji blushed, stammering incoherent words. Asuka cut in, "Gott you're so immature! It's just convenient, nothing more!"

To her surprise Shinji seemed relieved and smiled a small smile, "Well, as long as I have the ingredients…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can find everything you need in the kitchen," Misato reassured, "I'll go and negotiate with the staff there!" She left with a wave of hand.

Making sure Misato was out of hearing range, Shinji sighed, "Asuka…is she always acting like this?"

Asuka huffed, "Yeah! It's so annoying! How can somebody as old as her so childish?"

"Well, that's Misato for you…"

"Wait, you know her before?" Asuka asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I lived with her…not this one, but someone looked and acted like her when I was an EVA pilot…" Shinji explained, "it seems she hasn't changed at all…"

"Huh, ain't that interesting," Asuka rubbed her chin, musing. 'I remember living with her…before, and with a boy as well… I'm afraid that…'

"What's wrong?" Shinji asked.

"Nothing," Asuka decided to ask Shinji about this later, "let's get back to our training!"

XXXXXX

"I need to go to the bathroom," Shinji said after one hour of fitness training. Shinji and Asuka didn't know why they were required to do it – dancing and sitting in entry plugs didn't necessarily require strong muscles. Misato smiled, "you can go now, Shinji." He nodded and went to the only bathroom in the room. "Now Asuka," Misato continued, "you need to stand outside the open bathroom door."

"WHAT?!" Asuka shouted, not believing what she thought she had heard, "are you fucking insane?"

Even Shinji was embarrassed, "M-Misato-san, you can't mean such things!"

"What," Misato said in an innocent voice, "I just need you to stand there, nothing more."

Shinji sighed and proceeded to the bathroom while Asuka grumbled some German curses, walking to the bathroom as well. She stood with her hands over her ears, and her eyes screwed shut.

"He's finished. You can stop acting now." Misato tapped Asuka's shoulder.

"What?!" Asuka poked Misato on her stomach, "are you implying that I was watching or hearing any of that?"

"I wasn't implying anything." Misato suppressed a grin.

Shinji looked very much embarrassed. It was harder for him than it was for Asuka. "What do we do now, Misato?"

"Yeah, great almighty leader. What is your all-knowing judgment?"

Misato seemed to contemplate this and put her fingers underneath her chin. Asuka and Shinji exchanged glances; they knew nothing good she was up to. "Before I leave, I want you two to hold hands."

"What did you say?" "What the hell?!"

Misato clapped her hands together, "Just kidding." A sly grin appeared on her face.

"Misato…" Asuka growled, "that isn't funny."

To Asuka's surprise, Shinji seemed indifferent to this. Of course she had no way to know it was because Shinji had known that they already did something debauchery. Asuka glared at him, who immediately averted his eyes.

"Alright guys, let's get into the business here," Misato switched to a serious tone, handing the Children a small black box that looked like a cassette player with two sets of headphones, "this is an SDAT player with a slight modification. You are to wear it all the time unless I tell you otherwise."

Shinji and Asuka put on their respective headphones, "It doesn't feel any different from my old player," Shinji commented.

"Turn on the switch," Misato said, "it's on the left side of your headphones."

The Children did the same, and they both heard a high-pitched ringing in their ears. Both of them flinched, "What is this, Misato?" They asked in perfect sync; surprised, they turned their heads to each other and scratched their own heads. In perfect sync. "Misato!" They exclaimed. "What is this doing to us?!"

"There's a special chip inside that monitors brain waves in… what's it called…the area of your brain that controls speech and motor movements," Misato explained.

"You mean the cerebrum and temporal lobe?" The Children said, and they looked at each other. They couldn't tell who's thought it was.

Misato laughed uneasily, "yeah, I wasn't really paying attention when Naoko explained to me…but it probes your brain waves; half of what you do and half of what you do merge together so you two will act as one," Asuka showed a skeptical face, "or something like that."

"Does this mean he can read my thoughts?" Shinji and Asuka both said, and now it was clear who was the dominant one. Asuka smirked proudly while Shinji mirrored it.

"No, it can't read thought. It only obeys impulses from both of you. Once a happy medium is reached, then you two will act on it." Misato stepped in, "and Shinji, you can't just let Asuka take over the control!"

They both took off the headphones, "So, it seems like I'm the superior one, after all," Asuka boasted, giving Shinji a sideways glance, "if I willingly slap my face, would he slap himself?"

Shinji gulped, "well, when are we supposed to wear this?" He wasn't a bit amused by Asuka.

"You wear it when you're not sleeping or taking a shower," Misato ignored her comment, "however, I do prefer you two to hold actual conversations. Synchronization stems from understanding the person standing next to you. Talking to each other is better for harmony than using this chip. Also, the music you'll be dancing with is also on the tape. Familiarize yourself with it before I come back!"

Asuka huffed, not acknowledging Misato's suggestion. "Alright, I'll leave you guys by yourselves. Remember, I'm watching your every move," Misato said cryptically, "I'll return before sundown and check your progress!" She then left the room. The door clicked shut, leaving Asuka and Shinji in awkward silence.

"Well, better get started…" Shinji broke the silence, putting on the headphones, "do you?"

"Whatever," Asuka said, putting on the headphones as well, "might as well get this over with."

The music sounded – it gave both Shinji and Asuka a strong feeling of déjà vu, but none could place it. They felt they've listened to this before. The Children simultaneously turned their heads to each other – not entirely under the influence of the chip – and gave confused frowns. They both shrugged, shaking the thought off.

Lunchtime came rather quickly. The Children spent hours just listening to the SDAT while avoiding talking, both immersed in their own thoughts. Shinji took off his headphones, "I'm going to the kitchen," he stood up, stretching his limbs, "lunch will be ready in…well, do you want any specific dishes?"

Asuka wasn't expecting him to care about her taste – she shook it off, thinking it's just him not knowing what to cook. "Anything is fine for me, as long as it's cooked," she said, picking up her manga and began reading.

"Alright then." Shinji left the room and headed towards the Geofront kitchen. True to Misato's words, the kitchen was big, and it indeed contained everything Shinji needed. Just as he wandered around the food storage, a familiar irritated voice called out to him, making Shinji flinch, "Baka-Shinji! Where the hell is you!?"

Shinji swallowed; he didn't know what he did to irritate Asuka – perhaps it was because of what he didn't do. He walked out of the storage room into the kitchen, finding an angry redhead stomping around, "Asuka! I'm here." He called out, capturing her attention, "what are you doing here?"

Asuka crossed her arms around her chest, "What do you think? Misato said I have to do everything with you, including cooking!" She huffed in annoyance, suddenly a devilish grin appeared on her face, "since you wasted my precious time to find you, as payback you'll do the all the cooking and washing the plates! While me, the generous Asuka La-Shikinami, will help you wash the vegetables. Sounds fair?" Although it was a question, Asuka's intense glare denied any possible reply other than agreement.

"Hai, Hai." Shinji sighed, wondering when they were in a relationship whether he was as whipped as he was right now. "I'm planning to make rice with meatballs today… I reckon you can find some cabbage for me? Wash and – if you can – cut them. I'll go deal with the meat."

"Hmph, this should be easy," although Asuka didn't want to also cut the cabbage, but the way Shinji said it made it sounded like a challenge. The great Asuka Langley Soryu would never back away from challenges. "I'll show you how the real cook does it!"

The Children split up to do their own stuff. Shinji quickly found the meat he needed and began marinating it with soy sauce and cooking wine. It was his first time – the first time he could remember for now – to cook something for the redhead whom God asked him to approach. Maybe he could…get closer to her with his cooking? Shinji sighed, still wondering how the former him tamed the devil without dying in the process.

Although Asuka was not good at the actual stirring and frying, her knowledge of handling vegetables was more than sufficient. She recalled her prog knife training, wielding the kitchen knife gracefully, cutting the cabbage into almost identical pieces. Maybe not the best way to deal with food, but it certainly demonstrated a sense of art.

Shinji was amazed. And he was supposed to be the more experienced cook.

"Um, well," he stared at the ready-to-fry cabbage, not noticing the prideful look in Asuka's eyes, "I'm impressed."

Shinji didn't know how much better his simple words made Asuka feel. Asuka herself couldn't even figure out why. She was used to be praised by others, mainly by the boys who said she was gorgeous and hot. But none of them, even though their language was much more delicate, had made Asuka feel like this. She knew those praises were hollow with second thoughts behind them, but somehow, she knew Shinji's compliment was honest and sincere.

"Well, what do you expect from the great Asuka? I'm the prodigy, after all." She boasted, ego already reaching the ionosphere. She handed the cut cabbage to Shinji, who put it into the wok and began stirring. The meatballs were in the pan on the stove beside it. The savory smell and the sizzling sound of meat frying filled the kitchen. Asuka sniffed the air, "hmm, at least it smells not half bad."

Shinji blinked. Did Asuka just…praised him? That's a new one. Not that he unwelcomed it. "T-thanks, Asuka. I'm sure you'll like it more when eating them."

"It'd better be! I'm sick eating takeout and Misato's poisons," Asuka sighed, eliciting a chuckle from Shinji. She raised an eyebrow, "What is it, Third?"

"It's just that, I told you I was living with her, right?" Shinji said, "I…was a victim, you could say…though I did nearly all the cooking later."

Shinji's words reminded Asuka of something she wanted to ask him, "well, do you remember…living with me?"

Shinji blinked; he didn't remember it, but he knew they were living together – it was the prophesier who implied such. "W-why do you ask that, Asuka?" His voice just a bit shaky, since he didn't know what Asuka would do if she remembered it was him who took her virginity – in their current state. He didn't even want to know.

"Because I remember living in Misato's when I was an EVA pilot…" Asuka looked at the ceiling, "and a boy was living with me. That's all I got. Now in retrospect, you're the most probable one." She intentionally left out the penguin incident.

Shinji sighed in relief, "well, I don't particularly remember living with you, but I don't think they would kick me out just to put some random civilian in Misato's house, right?" Shinji suddenly came up with a perfect smokescreen, "unless…he was your boyfriend?"

"What the hell are you implying by that?!" Asuka barked, "Not that I need a boyfriend in the first place! Even if by some cosmic fluke I did, I also remember giving him hell for seeing my glorious body! Why would I do that to my boyfriend?!"

"I'm sure you won't…" Shinji kept a perfect poker face at her hypocritical statement.

"Hmph," Asuka looked like she was thinking on something, "whatever. Hey," she pointed to the stove, "aren't you supposed to flip them?"

"Oh sorry!" Shinji rushed to the stove just in time to save his meatballs.

XXXXXX

"Alright, let's get this started." Misato started, indicating to the sheets in front of them. "This here is the choreography for the dance that you are going to practice. Got that?" She said, watching as Shinji and Asuka glanced at the pages in front of them. They contained sheet music, as well as movement diagrams for their dance routine that would follow. "You are going to need to memorize this by heart so we can get your rhythms going."

"So… we're going to be playing DDR?" Shinji asked, wondering just what the hell was actually happening. "Sure." Misato replied, "If you want to put it that way, but there's a reason for this." Misato said, immediately returning to business mode. "Now, apparently the simulator needs two minds to burden the sensory load. What we need from you two is perfect harmony from you both, so it is vital that you both learn to move in unison, speak in unison, all that stuff. This way you won't be fighting against each other's wills."

Shinji and Asuka glanced at each other in disbelief. "You want us to basically fuse our minds and bodies?" Asuka asked, wondering the lengths to which this plan was formed. "Basically, that's why we have chosen this melody," Misato said, holding up the music once again. "Memorising this movement pattern that I've formed will be the quickest way to master perfect harmony between you two. Using this melody, and these movements, we'll be able to nail it. Remember, we only have four days remaining."

"Indeed," Kaji suddenly entered the room, speaking to the Children, "It is essential that we get you two in harmony so that the next test could be carried out successfully. Don't worry so much about it! It won't be that hard." His eyes were still all on Misato, who was currently giving him a very noticeable frown.

"What are you doing here!?" Misato said, placing her hands on her hips and staring the man down. "You know that I can do this myself?" She asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I'm hurt," Kaji replied, feigning being shot. "You shouldn't be so hard on me, Katsuragi." He said, giving her a charming grin. Misato growled, moving away from the man immediately and turning to the kids. "Alright you two. Get yourselves on the mats and we're going to give this a shot. We're only going to practice the first part. Now, here's the music, and let's give this a try." She said, moving towards the nearby boom box and inserting the disc, it didn't take long before the woman hit play, lighting up the room with a wondrous sound.

Shinji and Asuka nodded, immediately starting their routine. They started off quite well. Showing an understanding of the movements required. They leaned down forward, one hand on the ground, then raising themselves, that hand now raised high in the air. This was when the routine went south… Shinji started doing some weird, ballet-type movement, switching the raised hand around, then bringing them both down in a weird placement. Asuka, on the other hand, had tried to do a pirouette. Completely different from what Shinji was doing, ending up in a completely different ending position. With one knee raised between her arms. Misato and Kaji looked on in disbelief. Wondering just how the two children had managed to get out of sync so quickly. "Well… this could've been better," Kaji noted, his eyebrows raised in utter confusion.

"I thought this would be much easier." Misato muttered, staring between the continuing charade of doing what is absolutely not the same thing. "Seems like this will take up as much of our time as possible."

"This looks much more like a dance between a monkey and a crane." Kaji muttered, watching as Shinji fell over, landing hard on his back, in turn sending Asuka tumbling to the ground right on top of him. Asuka immediately started trying to hit him in annoyance. "Lots of our time," Misato muttered, staring at the clock on the wall.

XXXXXX

"Well, that was a great way to start training," Misato muttered, watching as Shinji and Asuka were very, very slowly trying their hardest to get anywhere. Unfortunately, this didn't get them very far, as the constant screw-ups were starting to get on both Children's nerves, this became more apparent as time went on. Quite frankly, Misato and Kaji were also getting very restless as well. They were expecting some kind of progression, but unfortunately due to the constant mess-ups, both kids were starting to get very annoyed, and that didn't help Misato at all. "Alright!" She finally said, raising her voice enough so she could be heard over the continued blaring of the music. "You two, take a break however you want. However, I don't want you two getting out of each other's sight, so go take a walk outside or something, get some dinner. Come back in two hours – I give you extra time for the ride in and out the Geofront, okay? We still have a lot of work to do." Misato then left the room, prompting the two Children to finally take a moment that wasn't constantly dancing to the same tune repeatedly.

Shinji and Asuka left the Geofront for the first time that day, an obvious annoyance hanging in the air between them. As soon as they were out of the building, Shinji started speaking, making his thoughts on the matter quite known. "Misato seriously expects us to keep doing this? Straight up, very first thing in the morning, three hours straight of constant training. Then the whole afternoon… I'm beat… We still have to do more after dinner…" Shinji muttered, running a hand through his sweaty hair.

Asuka grumbled slightly, "don't remind me…" Asuka muttered as she walked, her thoughts more primarily on the tasks they had just been doing. "This is just overly difficult because you're a klutz, Shinji!" Asuka said, a smirk on her face as she faced the boy. "We all know it would've already been perfect if we didn't have to try and synchronize our movements."

"Something that would only happen if we were doing it individually," Shinji noted, a small smile on his face. "But, we're doing it together, so we need to work together. Keep time together, instead of one person overtaking the other."

"Are you saying that I'm going too fast, Shinji?" Asuka asked innocently, giving the boy a small glare. "Are you implying that everything going wrong is my fault? You were the one who would fall and generally be a klutz. Why can't you just admit that you're the one that's dragging us down."

"I'm the one? You're the one that's going too fast, and don't forget, Asuka, that you've fallen and – as you would say: generally, be a klutz. Just as much as I have!"

"Are you calling me a liar, Shinji!?" Asuka narrowed her eyes dangerously.

Shinji gulped under the intense glare, his cheekiness evaporated, "So-sorry!" he tried to avert the subject, "well, anyways, where do we go now?"

"How would I know? You're more familiar with the city, after all." Asuka conceded, "however, make sure wherever you take me will be somewhere good. Or, I'll make you suffer, got it?"

"Hai, hai."

XXXXXX

"What's this?! PizzaHut?" Asuka stared at the logo, "you reckon to impress me with fast food?!"

"Hey! It's not like we are…that," Shinji protested, "what do you expect me to do? Take you to some high-end restaurant where all the couples go to?"

Asuka pondered for a moment, "well, I guess you're right," she sighed, "PizzaHut it is."

The Children walked into the restaurant and immediately started drawing a lot of attention. They thought it was the stupid outfit they were wearing that caused this. It was then Shinji and Asuka began to feel embarrassed. They hastily went to the far corner of the room and sat down. The waiter came, raising an eyebrow as he saw the Children but made no comments.

"Mein Gott. Misato really likes screwing with us! Why do we have to listen to that stupid song all day, and all night! I just don't get it." Asuka complained as she finished ordering and put down the menu. Shinji didn't pay her much mind, continuing to stare hard at the table. "Geez, it's so annoying. Don't you agree, Shinji?" She asked, turning towards the boy as he continued to stare. "Hey, Shinji?" "Hmmm?" Shinji replied, glancing over at the girl who had called his attention, wondering exactly what she could want. "I'm just wondering, what exactly is the problem between you and your father? What, do you have a father complex or something?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Shinji stammered, "Asuka, you know the Commander here is not my father. At least not a biological one. And don't even get started on the metaphysical aspect!"

"Hm, but you seemed…intimidated by him," Asuka pushed on, "I mean, why would you afraid of him, if he's not your father?"

Shinji moved into a sitting position, facing Asuka directly. "Look… It's not a father complex, as you called it." Shinji replied, wrapping his arms around his chest. "Look, I'll be blunt. I hate my father." Shinji said, causing Asuka's eyes to widen. "I hate him so much that I sometimes wonder how he even is my father." He said, watching as Asuka's eyes seemed to fly to a distant memory. "But…" Shinji continued, catching Asuka by surprise, who thought he would finish. "Although I know the Commander here is not my father, I still hate him."

"Right…" Asuka replied, "Sorry, I didn't really think about it like that." 'Mein Gott,' she thought, 'he's just like me…'

"That's alright." Shinji replied, yawning from tiredness. "What about your father? Did you get along well with him?"

"You know, I almost didn't have a father," Asuka stated, staring off into space. Shinji just raised his eyebrows, wondering whether there would be more to the story. "He was never there when I needed him…" Asuka trailed off, memories of those years coming back quickly.

"Asuka?" Shinji asked, watching the girl carefully, wondering exactly what she was currently thinking about. Asuka's eyes were far away, obviously sitting subtly in a memory from long ago. One she'd rather forget. "Look," Asuka finally replied, after having stayed silent for a couple minutes. "I'm like you, I don't like my father. He was a bit of an asshole. He left my mother all alone when she needed him most." She said, looking away from the boy. "I don't want to talk about it. It's a part of my life I've tried so hard to forget. So just leave it alone." She finished, intending to leave it there.

Shinji stared at her in shock. He wasn't expecting the girl to not believe in her own father, like how he didn't truly believe in his own father. It was unusual to the boy, as he took out the SDAT and said, "Alright…reckon we can listen to the music to kill time, then?"

Asuka turned to him and smiled a small smile, "Sure, why not."

The Children out on their respective headphones, and music started to flow out. The entire time, one thing played in Shinji's mind. 'We're not that different…'

XXXXXX

Shinji and Asuka left the restaurant after finishing the meal, a heavy atmosphere hanging between them. The revelations put both Children into deep thoughts. Thoughts about their past lives, the new world, and themselves.

Their train of thought was cut off by a familiar cry, "Oi! They MATCH!"

Shinji and Asuka turned their heads in the direction of the voice, just to find Kensuke, Hikari, and Toji standing 30 meters behind them. "And they denied their relationship! I knew it from the beginning!" Kensuke cried.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Asuka yelled back, "there's nothing between us! Now get lost or I'll make you lost!"

"Shikinami-san! But your hair…" Hikari said in a disgusted tone, "OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ARE SO FILTHY!

Asuka blinked, "what's wrong with my hair?" She looked around and found a large show window and looked at herself. "WHAT THE FUCK!" came from the aforementioned girl, quickly followed by a redheaded storm. "LISTEN! This is NOT what you think!"

"YOU ARE LIVING IN SIN!" Hikari cried, burying her face in her hands. Complete bafflement and abomination on Toji and Kensuke's faces. "Matching outfits! Not coming to school! Going out together! And your hair…" Toji said, "I believed in you, Shinji!"

Asuka turned to Shinji as well, blushing redder than her hair, "Third, for fuck's sake, why didn't you say anything?" The accused boy tilted his head as he turned away from his friends, confused about the situation, "say anything about what?"

"This!" Asuka pointed to her rather chaotic hair, her voice incensed. "About my perfect Just-Had-Sex hairdo?" she spelled the letter in the English fashion. "And I was wondering why the hell all the people looked at us so strange!" She shook her head, her voice far from calming down. "Which brings us back to the question, why the fuck didn't you say anything?"

"Wh-what? I, I thought you left it like that for a reason!" Shinji hastily said, "I'm sorry!"

Asuka sighed, she knew the boy was very oblivious to this kind of stuff. "Argh! Let's just go back! I don't want to stay outside with my hair like this for a second longer!" She grabbed Shinji's wrist forcefully and dragged him to the nearest Geofront entrance, leaving the trio standing there, still hard to believe what they had just witnessed.

XXXXXX

Asuka angrily threw her headphone on the ground. They messed up again – the synchronization score was only 14 percent. Unacceptable. Misato even brought Rei Ikari here to witness her failure. Humiliation. "That's it! I can't sink to the level of this…animated turnip!" She spat. Shinji laid face down on the ground, groaning in pain.

Misato smirked, "so, you've given up?"

"Hmph, but you have no one else, do you?" Asuka smirked as well, looking to the side. The great Asuka Langley Soryu never gave up.

Misato closed her eyes, "Rei, why don't you give it a try?"

Rei raised an eyebrow, "Katsuragi-san, really? I don't think I should…"

"Just do it, we aren't expecting much more," Misato interrupted.

"Alright." Rei casually walked over and out on the headphones. Asuka's smirk became a raised eyebrow, then a frown, and finally a mix of anger and embarrassment as Rei and Shinji danced in sync. Although not really meeting the criteria, it was still much better than the former parings.

"Well, maybe I think I'll let Shinji and Rei do the test, then."

"But…but she couldn't even get to phase two connection!" cried Asuka, pointing her finger at Rei, "only Shinji and I can do it!"

"Maybe, maybe not, but from what Dr. Akagi told me, only one person who can reach phase two is needed. The other person is only there to share the mental load. Rei might just be able to do this."

Asuka wanted to say something. She wanted to ask for another chance, but that would sound pathetic. She wanted to say it had worked before, but everyone in the room witnesses otherwise. She wanted to say her headphones were broken, but all the sounds that came out from her mouth were a series of gasps and incoherent grumbles.

"This is it! I can't stand this anymore!" She finally came up with something articulate and stormed out of the room. Asuka tried to slam the door shut, but almost fell to the ground since the door was electronic. Only her quick reflex saved her from looking actually pathetic to the others.

The occupants of the room looked at each other – Misato had an amused expression, while Kaji continued gawking at her; Rei was utterly unimpressed. Shinji, on the other hand, was kind of worried. He remembered what the prophesier had told him; waking to the door, he said to the adults, "Um… I'm gonna go check on her." He hastily left as well. Misato's sly grin grew wider.

Asuka stood beside the Geofront lake, her face devoid of any emotions. She stared at her own reflection in the lake, a turmoil of thoughts running through her young mind. Soon another reflection appeared beside hers. "Um…"

"No, don't say anything, I already know," something in her heart stirred as the fact the Shinji came after her dawned on her, "my only purpose here is to do the tests, just like my only purpose…back then, was to pilot an EVA. I have no other choice."

Asuka turned to Shinji, "we are in the same shoes, aren't we?" Her expression showed a level of determination that Shinji had never seen – maybe he did, but he forgot – before, "no matter what, I'll put Misato and Rei at shame!"

"You don't have to show up to them," Shinji said.

"You're thinking far too simplistic, you're a man aren't you?!" Her voice was not exactly irritated, but definitely stern, "It's not about finishing the test anymore. It's a matter of overcoming obstacles, finishing what was started, and showing the world what I could do and they couldn't! It's a matter of honor, pride, and most importantly – my dignity! I'll pay them back ten times over!"

Shinji was amazed. He was surprised that her sheer amount of willpower hadn't vaporized the lake in front of her yet. Asuka held her head high, looking up to the artificial dome of the Geofront. Shinji caught a glimpse of her bright blue eyes – if it wasn't his sanity telling him otherwise, he would say her eyes were glowing. Shinji didn't speak because he had the most loving smile on his face. Now he finally realized why he did love the otherwise annoying and cocky redhead.

Asuka turned her head to Shinji and saw his smile. Although he immediately retracted it, she still caught a glimpse of it. She'd never seen a smile like that before. She knew what he meant by that smile as well. A surge of warmth crept up her chest, and she turned around just in time to hide her own smile and faint blush.

XXXXXX

"What is an EVA?" Dr. Naoko Akagi took off her headphones used to eavesdrop on the Children, mumbling, "The Two are much more interesting than I thought…"

XXXXXX

The evening had been long and rather repetitive in Shinji and Asuka's eyes, but their day was finally over. Misato and Kaji had stayed at their room all the time, the hopes of getting anywhere with the arrangement currently at an all-time low. Although they were still making a ton of mistakes, Asuka was much more cooperative, and Shinji was putting in more effort as well.

"Alright, let's stop it for the night!" Misato called out that evening, her fingers massaging her temple as the memories of the day's lackluster performance returned to her. Shinji and Asuka stopped and glanced at the lavender-haired woman, who continued to rub her temples in frustration. "Okay, let me tell you right now that you've both got a long way to go!" Misato started, making her feelings on the matter very, very clear. "To be blunt, it was unacceptable." She stated, causing Kaji to roll his eyes slightly.

"Be calm, Katsuragi," Kaji replied, moving to wrap his arms around the purple-haired woman, who immediately slapped his hands away from her waist. "Don't think you can just grab at me, Kaji!" She said, crossing her arms once again.

"I was just going to say," Kaji replied, putting his hands up in defense. "That you shouldn't be so hard on them, they've only just started their training. We still have four more days until the next test. And it's obvious they are getting better."

"I get that." Misato replied, a scowl still on her face. "But I was expecting more progress than that."

"Don't worry so much." Kaji replied, a smile on his face. "They'll get it, I believe in them. You should too, Katsuragi." He said, giving her his signature lady-killer smile. Misato didn't fall for it, instead just giving him a small glare. "Oh well, I suppose this is the point where I take my leave." He said, giving the two children a wave and promptly made his leave.

Misato sighed as the door shut behind the man, quickly returning to the Children in front of her. "Now, I want you both to be listening to this tune at all times. This is purely so you can both get a feel for the music, so we can work towards finishing this routine within a couple of days. Do you both, understand?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her question.

"I get it, but why aren't we using the special chip to dance?" Asuka asked, "I mean, that would be much easier, don't you think?"

"Yes, but the problem is during the test, there won't be such equipment, so the chip is only for you to get a sense of what you should become after all this training!" Misato explained, "you can use it as much as you like, but keep in mind you aren't using it when dancing!"

"Yes, Misato." Both children replied, bored looks on their faces.

"Don't look so bored, you two." Misato said, giving the two a smile. "Wake up call is 6am. Goodnight!" Misato finished, leaving the room soon after, waving as she walked towards her own room.

Asuka sighed, quickly leaving herself to prepare for bed that night, while Shinji headed immediately for the bathroom to use the shower. He quickly came out and went to bed. As Asuka went to shower, Shinji lay down on his futon, staring up at the ceiling. "Well… it's not really unfamiliar anymore…" He said to himself. The sounds of the shower pattered throughout the small room, the whole day of tiredness finally caught up to him, and Shinji drifted to sleep.

"Hello, Shinji Ikari," the cloaked prophesier finally showed up, "how's everything been going?"

"Like shit," Shinji replied with a sigh, "well, at least she's talking to me now. That's some progress I guess."

"Good to hear. Do you…oh shit, how did she…I have to go now, see you tomorrow." The prophesier disappeared instantly, leaving a dumbfounded Shinji alone in the void.

Several minutes earlier

Asuka came out from the bathroom, disappointed to find Shinji already sound asleep. She looked around, trying to find something to do, preferably prank the sleeping boy. She grinning devilishly as she saw the SDTA player on Shinji's nightstand. She put on her own headphones after she put Shinji's on his head. She was very curious about what could happen when a sleeping person was connected to an awake one. She intended to find out, also a prank put on Shinji.

Asuka turned on the SDAT.

At first, nothing seemed to be happening. However just a few seconds later Asuka was assaulted by an irresistible wave of sleepiness. "Not…a…good…id…" With a thud, she slumped on the floor beside Shinji's bed.

Asuka opened her eyes, finding herself standing on the balcony of her apartment, a familiar human silhouette standing in front of her. "Sh-Shinji?" She called out.

Shinji turned around; he blinked in confusion as he set his eyes upon the redhead, "A-Asuka? What are you doing here?" His tone carried a tingle of dread.

"How am I supposed to know? All I know is I'm probably dreaming," Asuka said, "and this is MY apartment, it should be me asking that question, don't you think?"

"Wh-what? I lived here as well," Shinji retorted, "you can't just…" he was interrupted by another familiar voice.

"...and that's how you get sync scores. Remember, both of you need to get 100 percent to have a chance to defeat the Angel. Now let's try this. Asuka, go to the left mat. Shinji, you'll have the right. Okay. Both of you, put on your headset. Okay. Ready? Three, two, one!"

It was Misato's voice. Talking about Angels.

Shinji and Asuka rushed into the apartment. Actually, it was more like they floated into the apartment. The sight in front of them rendered them dumbstruck and speechless.

As the familiar rhythm sounded, another pair of Shinji and Asuka, wearing about the same dancing outfits as the floating ones, both started dancing on the DDR machine they were too familiar with. Their movements were in harmony and sync. The floating Shinji and Asuka watched in amazement as the other pair completed aced it.

After the final beat, the scoreboard showed a 95% sync score.

Misato didn't know what to say. She hadn't seen anyone act so perfectly in sync with another before. Their movements were impeccable and in sync. It was almost like...they were trained to do this. No. They were born to do this.

The 'pilots' looked at each other, also in utter disbelieve. The silence lasted about ten seconds before Misato finally spoke up, "Well, that was...quite impressive. Keep up the work. I don't think you guys will need much effort to accomplish our goal, considering this is your first time doing it."

The floating Asuka and Shinji didn't know what to say as well.

'Asuka' composed herself, "Well, what do you expect from the Great Asuka Langley Soryu? I bet if it was not Baka Shinji there who performed several wrong steps, we could have managed 100 percent already!"

'Shinji' chuckled, "Well Asuka, I..emm, maybe you should slow down a bit? It will be easier for me to catch up."

Asuka grinned, feeling her ego boosted. "Sure thing, Third Child. Just don't make any stupid mistakes!"

The 'pilots' soon started another round. This time their movements were beyond impeccable, if that was even possible. Two minds, one heart.

Suddenly the whole scene faded, Shinji and Asuka once again found themselves floating in the void. Asuka spoke first, "wh-what the hell was that?!"

"I…from the look of it…we were dancing, just like what we are doing here?" Shinji said.

"Well, but Misato said we were doing that to fight the Angels!" Asuka said with excitement, knowing she had more opportunities to fight against the Angels, "and we completely nailed it!"

"Wait…so, could it be…our memories?"

"I guess so…I mean, there's no other explanation for it." Asuka pondered for a moment, "what a coincidence…we ended up doing the same thing."

"But they were doing it so well! Why we can't?" Shinji said, confused.

"I… don't even have a guess for that," Asuka conceded, "well, look at the bright side. Now I remember how I did it, after I wake up, I can surely do better!"

"What about me?"

"Huh? Third, this is MY dream, you are not even REAL, why should I care about you?" Although she said that, she was wondering whether it's true.

"YOUR dream?! I thought this is MY dream!" Shinji shot back.

"What are you talking about? Oh shit," Asuka recalled her last action before falling into sleep, "well, now I think I know how this is happening…"

"What?! Are you implying you somehow invaded my dream?" Shinji's eyes widened, "how could you…even possibly do this?"

"Consider this your luck, Third, not that I want to see your dreams," Asuka huffed, "who knows what your filthy mind would be dreaming of?"

Shinji blushed if it was even possible in a dream, "wh-what? I-I do-don't dream…"

Asuka sighed, "whatever, now I need to get out of here. We'll talk about this tomorrow, alright?" Seeing Shinji nodded, Asuka glanced around, "well…how do I get out of here, though?"

"Hmm…I don't know?"

"Gott, some great help you here," Asuka scoffed, "let me try hurting myself." She bit hard on her arm, but it didn't hurt. "Ouch!" Shinji cried, "my arm, it hurts! Asuka, stop!"

Asuka stopped instantly. Just as Shinji sighed in relief, a devilish smile appeared on her face. "Isn't this convenient…" She punched her own stomach.

"Ouch! Asuka, what the hell was that for?!" Shinji groaned in pain, "why I am the one hurting?!"

"Maybe it's the side-effect of the chip," Asuka laughed, "I'm so gonna enjoy this…"

"Well, you asked for it!" Shinji punched his stomach as well.

"Ouch!" Asuka yelped, "Shinji you jerk! How can you hit a girl!"

"I was only curious! I didn't know it would hurt you," Shinji suppressed a sly smile.

Asuka looked at him with a death glare, eliciting a chill ran down Shinji's spine. It was then he knew he might have stepped on the boundaries.

Asuka looked down at her lower abdomen and below. Shinji gasped in horror as he realized what she's gonna do. 'Oh crap…'

A powerful hit. A boy kneeling down in agony, if that was even possible in the void.

XXXXXX

AN: The pace is slow, more WAFF & Angst coming for the rest of their training sessions. Leave a Review!

PS: Nikys mentioned the hairdo reference to Must I spell it out for you it reminds me EVERYBODY should go read that. It's soooo good!