Chapter 5: Exmilitary, Part 2.
A/N Whooweee I'm back! Had some trouble coming up with stuff for this chapter but I have it figured out now. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. If I did, it would explicitly be canon that Kaji is circumcised.
Toji Suzuhara woke up with a gasp, to a white ceiling and a sterile smell in the air. He needed to think. Where is he? Where was he?
He remembered hugging Hikari, Shin-man and the Red Devil wishing him luck with Ayanami, then the long ride to Matsuhiro, then Miss Misato wishing him luck. Then he got in that big Evangelion and...
Nothing. So what the hell happened?
"Toji?"
That voice, he sat up fast and whipped his head in that direction. It was Hikari! And OW! Why did his head hurt.
"Ugh, Class Rep, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. Literally, my head is killing me right now. Where the hell am I? Where's Sakura?"
She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay, Mister Suzuhara. You're in the Geofront hospital, and Miss Misato managed to get me clearance to see you. Asuka explained to me that an angel took over your Evangelion. Sakura's a few rooms over."
"Huh, so that's why I passed out. Why does my head hurt, though?" He asked, clutching his head. When he did this, he noticed one arm was in a cast "And what the hell happened to my arm!?"
Hikari continued "She said Shinji got you out safely but..." She leaned in closer "His father... did something... and made him drop you, and it broke your arm and concussed you."
Toji widened his eyes "Oh gods... The Shin-Man saved me? Where is he? I need to talk to him!"
She grimaced. "He was arrested for it..."
Shinji sat in his dark cell. He quickly decided that he hated the brig. It was dark, cold, and uncomfortable, as if Father's office was unsettling enough.
This time, there was no dream-train and no younger version of himself to talk to this time, so he sat in his dried plugsuit. He didn't even bother to check it's digital clock.
Shinji's silent dreading was broken by the sound of a door opening and footsteps. He looked up, and sure enough it was Misato.
"M-Miss Misato!"
"Pilot Ikari, come with me." She responded very formally, but he saw her expression soften for a moment, so he figured she was being stern for the surveillance.
After being lead to a shower and finally able to change, there was a tense silence until the two got to Misato's car and exited the Geofront into the evening air of Tokyo-3. Once they did, Misato pulled over and gave Shinji a tight hug.
"Oh, Shinji, I'm so glad to see you. And I want you to know I'm proud of what you did. I don't give a damn what your father says, You did the right thing by saving Suzuhara.
He tensed for a moment before returning the hug "I'm glad he's okay, Misato. How about Rei and Asuka? Are they alright? Rei's Eva berserked before and put her in casts, is she okay now?"
"Yes. She was discharged from the hospital after a few hours. She and Asuka are at the apartment waiting. Let's go see them."
The familiar beep-hiss of the apartment door, followed by "I'm home" got the two girls on their feet.
Rei had been spending the past evening contemplating Commander Ikari's actions, as well as Shinji's and she had been facing a dilemma of sorts. Asuka was adamant about Shinji being right, and Rei could not help but agree.
The two found Shinji at the door, looking very exhausted.
"Welcome home." They both said, and Asuka stepped forward.
"Well, well, the hero's back. Hope jail was worth it." Asuka said with her trademark haughtiness.
He looked at her "Y-yeah, it was."
She smiled "Good! And for once, I agree. Monkey-boy's alright, Wondergirl is fine AND the angel is gone, so screw anything else!"
He smiled back "Y-yeah. I guess so. Speaking of which, where is Rei?"
"In the living room. She was listening to that new tape earlier. She insisted on waiting for you but I said I'd wait and gave her the go-ahead."
The three of them passed through the kitchen to see Rei standing in the living room, casual as ever.
"Shinji. I am glad to see you in satisfactory condition." She said with a hint of relief in her monotone voice.
"Yeah, I'm okay, just glad to be out of that cell. Asuka mentioned that you listened more to the new tape. How is it?" He said with a sheepish smile.
"I did. Exmilitary is... different. Whereas The Money Store is more... electronic-sounding in its instrumentation, this album features more usage of the guitar. It is also much louder."
Asuka chuckled. "In the year 2015 we call that 'rock and roll'"
Rei paused. "I think you would be correct. Musical trends over the years involving 'rock and roll' tend to be more uptempo featuring frequent use of the electric guitar."
"Allllrighty kids, you can discuss music like the scholars you are all night, but I have to go pick up the take-out." Misato chimed in.
"No worries Misato, I'm going to go take a proper shower. The ones at NERV are not enough." replied Shinji, waving in her direction as she exited the apartment.
Asuka stopped him "Wait, idiot, before you do that, let's arrange this now: do you wanna help write the words for this new tape down tonight? Or, like, tomorrow or something?"
He thought for a moment "Rei, what do you want to do?"
The girl was mildly shocked. Again, the boy offered her a choice.
A choice. Thought the girl. I never make choices, and yet Shinji is offering me one.
"Rei?"
He brought her out of her own head "T-tomorrow." She quietly blurted. "Tomorrow would be the most opportune for each of us. I will arrive at 1200."
Asuka gave her a strange look, but waved it off. "Alright then. Tonight, we'll relax and celebrate the Idiot's jailbreak. Tomorrow, we're figuring out just what exactly 'I am the beast I worship' means. THAT is way too cool-sounding to ignore" she admitted.
And with that, the rest of the night was relatively quiet. Misato took Rei home before her charges were off to bed, teasing them about doing anything she wouldn't.
When Rei entered her apartment, she immediately sat on her bed and listened to 'Beware' again.
She listened to it twice.
She listened to it ten times.
And each (translated) line, mainly the beginning, stuck in her head.
I am the beast I worship. She thought. Am I? She had a fuzzy memory of some sort of confrontation, with spite and anger mixed in, but she couldn't remember what was said or what was done.
"Ikari, do you feel any remorse at all for locking your own son up?"
In the twisted kingdom of NERV, which was ruled under Gendo Ikari's iron fist, Fuyutski seemed to be the only voice of reason, and at that, the only one he would ever listen to.
"Professor, my actions were justified. A disobedient asset is useless. His insubordination and childish attitude alone could endanger the scenario." He replied to the Sub-Commander's reprimand.
Fuyutski sighed. "Just because he didn't play exactly like you wanted means you have to punish him. Readjust. Adapt, Ikari."
"The battle against the 13th Angel was supposed to end under different circumstances. Circumstances that would align with the next angel and put both him, along with Unit-01 in the proper position. They did not, and it was because he selfishly decided to play hero."
"What would Yui do, Gendo?"
"Yui isn't here, professor. If she was, she'd agree. His influence on Rei and the Second Child is already a massive risk. luckily, the dead sea scrolls provide the perfect medium to remedy such an issue."
Fuyutski, from his perch behind the commander, shook his head.
Shinji finally got a good night's sleep after being crammed in NERV's brig. He never realized how much he missed his bed.
When he got up, Asuka was sitting at the table. She seemed to offer him a bit of mercy after his jail stint, as she kept calling it, and let him get up on his own. Of course, he'd still make her breakfast. Misato was already gone, so it was the two of them.
He kept it simple by putting together some scrambled eggs with toast. It kept her satisfied and her jabs to a minimum, so he was content. Once they were done, she told him she was going to bathe, so he took care of dishes and went to lounge in the living room.
Shinji sat on the couch, idly watching a news program. Being a Saturday morning, it was a slow day so the stories were sparse and uninteresting. Shinji simply let his mind drift off.
His train of thought was interrupted by his redheaded roommate, entering the room dressed in loungewear, towelling wet hair.
"Wondergirl on her way?" She asked idly.
"She should be here in about 15 minutes. It's almost noon, and I don't expect Rei of all people to be late." He responded, still keeping his eyes on the news.
"Yeah, probably." She said with a chuckle. "I still have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that of all things for Wondergirl Ayanami to listen to, quiet and emotionless as it is, it's the loudest thing I've ever heard."
"Heh, you're right." Shinji mused. "And she REALLY likes it too. Since we took her to the music store, she's been attached to that thing."
"No kidding."
Their small talk was cut short by a soft knock on the door, unmistakably Rei's
The two of them answered the door together "Hey Rei!" They said in unison. She was holding Exmilitary in its packaging, and her SDAT.
"Hello Shinji. Hello Asuka." She answered, monotone as ever. However, the two noticed the slightest smile spread across her face.
"Well, enough standing in the hall, we have a nonsense album to comprehend!" Asuka said after a pause.
Shinji brewed coffee for each member of the table while Asuka grabbed paper and writing materials, while Rei carefully set up the SDAT, keeping the tape's packaging close by for reference.
When each of them were seated and ready, Rei pressed 'play.'
Once again, they listened to the opening monologue. As the man spoke, Asuka translated it for her co-pilots.
Shinji narrowed his eyes "Who is this guy? A member of the band?"
Asuka thought for a moment. "I don't think so, otherwise we would've heard him on the other album. Hold on, let me look online."
She grabbed her laptop from her room and began to type 'I'm the king man, I roll the nickles' into a search engine.
"Ch-Charles Manson!?"
"Who?"
Rei spoke up now. "I have read about him. Charles Manson was an American serial killer who lead a cult in the 1960s. He was jailed shortly after."
Asuka was bewildered. "These seem to be from some sort of court session. What the hell are these guys thinking using this creep's voice!?"
"Perhaps it was for the shock value of such a thing. I believe Death Grips to be intentionally provocative, and it seems to be effective." The girl replied.
"Hm, if you say so..." Shinji replied wearily.
"I believe this opening monologue ties into the chorus of the song. As Manson declares himself a monarch, the vocalist refers to himself as a beast he worships."
"Heh, you really like that 'beast I worship' line, don't you Wondergirl?" Asuka said with a smirk.
The girl blushed slightly. "Yes. I find it most intriguing."
By the end of the song, two of the three pilots were more bewildered than before. "These lyrics are very 'stream-of-consciousness' like the opening song on the last album." Rationalized Shinji.
"Well, that and the delusions of grandeur" quipped Asuka.
Rei nodded and wrote a few annotations of her own down, silently taking it all into consideration.
The second song, 'Guillotine,' would prove tough to get through.
The song opened with the lines "It goes it goes it goes it. goes it goes it goes it goes guillotine... YUH!"
Asuka laughed "YUH! I like that. Now I know how to scare you, idiot." She beamed at Shinji, who just groaned in response.
The three hit a snag when the line "Tie the cord, kick the chair and you're dead" went by.
Asuka was drinking water. Upon hearing the line, she threw her empty glass against the wall, cursed in German and stormed onto the balcony.
Shinji and Rei just looked at each other in shock. The boy got up and went after his roommate, while Rei sat trying to understand what had just happened in front of her.
Eventually, she decided to assist Shinji by locating the broom and cleaning up the glass on the floor.
"Asuka?"
"Go away." She said with a tone that could cut diamonds.
He gulped.
"No. What happened back there?"
"God dammit, Ikari, I don't want to talk about it!" She said, sharply turning to face him.
She could sense he was nervous.
"What did the song say that made you so mad?"
She continued to glare through him, they were about a foot apart on the balcony.
"Why the hell would I tell you for? Why would you care?"
"Because I'm your friend, Asuka. I'm not going to judge you."
"Yeah, su-"
"Seriously! I don't know what kind of person you think I am, but I don't judge. So please, I'm willing to-"
"She hung herself, okay!?"
"W-what?"
"The bastard in that song said a line about hanging yourself, which my mama did! She hung herself and I was the one who found her!" She snapped, tears threatening to come out of her eyes.
Her roommate stood there in shock.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Gonna run away from this, little boy?" She sneered, turning back to the railing.
But he grabbed her wrist, and turned her back to face him.
"No." And he carefully wrapped his arms around her. Thankfully, since the 12th angel, the two were more comfortable around each other. Since the hospital, the two hadn't hugged, so he was mildly unsure of himself.
Thankfully this gamble he took worked, as after a moment, Asuka reciprocated the hug and they silently stayed like that in the cool air of midday. Rei came outside onto the balcony to see Shinji comforting Asuka, and he motioned with his head for her to join, so she did. She carefully put her arms around Asuka as well, which surprisingly drew no ire from her.
"T-thank you. Both of you." The redhead said shakily once the three separated. "I... Not many people know about that, probably Kaji, Misato and a few others.
Shinji put a hand on her shoulder "Asuka, you're our friend. We aren't gonna judge you for something like that. Especially me. My mother died when I was a kid, too."
I have to lie to my friends. Rei thought to herself. They are unaware that I am of Lilith.
"I... do not recall anything about my parents." lied Rei, thankful for her monotone demeanour.
"See? We're not so different!" Shinji said.
"Yeah... you're right." Asuka replied. "You know what? Let's go kick this album's ass, I think Wondergirl needs it after I scared her like that."
The three sat down at the table once more and continued 'Guillotine.'
"Choke on these nuts to the very last, YUH!"
"EW!" Said Asuka.
"'Choke on these nuts?' I am afraid I do not understand." Said Rei, puzzled.
"Um, you see, Rei, some people use the word 'nuts' when they talk about their, uh..." Stammered Shinji, pointing to his groin.
"Their genatalia...?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Their balls, Wondergirl. Testicles. Der hoden." Asuka added.
"Ah." the girl responded, writing something on her paper
'Nuts' = testicles.
The next song, 'Spread Eagle Cross The Block,' raised more questions.
"Jeez, that's quite the intro." Shinji quipped in reaction to the vocalist saying the title extremely loudly looped over and over.
"I FUCK THE MUSIC! I MAKE IT CUM! I FUCK THE MUSIC WITH MY SERPENT TONGUE!"
Asuka's head lightly hit the table. "Ugh, how in the hell are these guys so perverted!?"
Rei was fascinated. "Is he insinuating that he wants to.. become one with the music?" A faint blush made it's way across her face
"With his serpent tongue, Wondergirl. I'm not even touching that one." The redhead replied.
At the end of the song, Shinji looked at what he had just transcribed and thought. "Hmm... Seems this one is about... recreational drugs?"
"Sex too." Asuka added.
"That's for sure" And they laughed.
'Lord of The Game' saw Asuka actually enjoying herself.
"'I am the god of hellfire,' eh? I like that one. In fact, I may take if for myself. beats Red Devil" and she shot Shinji a look.
He got sheepish "H-hey, I don't say it. Speaking of which, we should go see Toji tomorrow."
"Yes. I believe seeing Pilot Suzuhara would be for our benefit, as well as his." Rei spoke up.
'Takyon (Death Yon)' sparked Asuka's interest as well.
"Wait a minute, I know this! I learned about tachyons in university!"
"About what now?" Shinji asked.
"Allllways an idiot. Basically, tachyons are particles that move faster than light. In this song, he's talking about 'experiencing tachyon,' which is probably another fucked metaphor."
Rei thought about what her co-pilot had just said. "Perhaps it is a metaphor, and 'experiencing tachyon' could represent anything. For example, Asuka, you take great enjoyment in piloting, that could be your own form of 'experiencing tachyon'."
Shinji continued her train of thought. "Yeah! Or... Me with cooking! Or when I play the cello."
Asuka smirked "Hey, that makes sense! Nice one, Wondergirl."
The "It's Death (death-death-death-death-death)" on 'Cut Throat' made Shiji's ears perk up.
"H-hey! wasn't that sound on the other album?" He said suddenly.
Rei thought back to the other tape. "Yes. It was on The Money Store, Track 9, 'The Cage.'"
Asuka nodded "Ah, yeah, you're right. Idiot boy, that has a name in music right? A mo, uhh..."
"Motif" the boy finished. "A motif. We should keep an ear out if they use that sound again."
They gave insight here and there, and Asuka laughed loudly when she heard the airhorn on 'Thru The Walls,' but interest was once again piqued when the trio reached 'I Want It I Need It (Death Heated).'
"Ugh, perverted and sick, as usual." Asuka sneered, almost jokingly, which prompted Shinji to chuckle.
"I thought you would have figured that out by now." He retorted. "Rei, what is it about these guys that has you so hooked?" He asked, turning his attention to the pale girl.
"I... I am not entirely sure. Day-to-day, I have always lived very quietly. Whether it is in my studies, testing at NERV, or accompanying the Commander, it is always devoid of noise, or anything to catch my attention. Death Grips, on the other hand, is so... different from my other experiences that I am simply drawn to it." She responded, blushing at being put on the spot about something she didn't fully understand.
"Well, can't blame ya for that." Asuka replied, genuinely smiling at her across the table.
The last track, 'Blood Creepin,' came as the chaos of this album was winding down.
Shinji analyzed his paper before speaking "So here, it's like some sort of boiling point of the album. He's drunk, he's driving like a maniac, it's like everything on this album sorta combined." He said, unaware that he wasn't stammering or hesitating.
Asuka took a moment to admire her roommate's focus. "Well put. Not bad, Idiot-Shinji. Keep that up and I'll have to think of something else."
He immediately started blushing and let out a nervous laugh. "Oh! Um, heh... I just... got kinda caught up in that, I guess. What do you two think of what I said?"
"I am in agreement." Said Rei.
"Me too." Asuka said as well.
With the tape coming to an end, It was now getting dark out, as they stopped and rewinded many times, stretching a 48-minuite album into multiple hours.
"Thank you both, once again for helping me. After we visit Pilot Suzuhara, we should return to the music store to see if they have more. Tonight, I have tasks that require my attendance at NERV. I will see you two tomorrow." Rei said as she was at the front door, SDAT and tape case in one hand and notes in the other.
"I'm down. Maybe I can get the idiot over here to expand his music taste to the 20th century." Asuka replied, nudging Shinji.
"H-hey! Alright, alright." Was all he could get out.
Seeing out the blue-haired girl bidding her goodbye, the two went into the kitchen, where Shinji began to prepare dinner.
What he did not expect was for Asuka to hug him from behind, putting her arms around his shoulders.
"T-thanks again." She said, clearly struggling with her pride.
On his end, he was merely shocked and thankful eye contact wasn't possible. He patted her arm and stammered out "Anytime."
The rest of the night was rather quiet, neither mentioning the hug or the comforting from earlier.
Meanwhile, across the city, Rei returned home from the Geofront and lay on her bed, listening to Exmilitary again and reading over her notes.
The next day, Rei met Shinji and Asuka at their apartment, where they would go to the hospital together. Sitting quietly in the living room, she was waiting for her co-pilots to grab cash and anything else they'd need for the day.
Shinji was the last one out, pocketing a couple bills and fixing his collar. "Alright, guys, ready to g-"
His question was cut off by a familiar alarm.
"Angel." The three said in unison.
A/N: I'M ALIVE! I wasn't even busy, I just spent a solid week playing Isaac Repentance and just going "What the hell am I doing with this?" Not too sure about where to go w this chapter. Eventually the ideas came, and I know I wanted the beginning hospital scenes, as well as the scene where Asuka confronts her past and gets comforted, because dammit the friendship aspect is nice. Anyways, while I was having trouble with this story, I conceptualized another fic and wrote 3 chapters, so uhhh, stay tuned for Yui's Words, which I'll most likely start putting out when I finish this fic. General plan: NLDW, Gov Plates, and TPTB will all be covered with the angels fights in there, as well as regular scenes. I wrote a couple things in advance, which you'll see. Only other thing I need to flesh out more is what I'm going to do with our grey-haired wonder.
Anyways, next time on Rei Grips: the trio fights Zeruel, and find their next album has some interesting cover art. Tune in next time for Rei Grips - No Love Dep Web, Part 1!
Till next time!
Omake: Sweetie
Shinji sat on the couch, idly watching a news program. Being a Saturday morning, it was a slow day so the stories were sparse and uninteresting. Shinji simply let his mind drift off.
His train of thought was interrupted by his redheaded roommate, entering the room dressed in loungewear, towelling wet hair.
"Hey sweetie, when's Wondergirl coming with the next tape?" She asked casually.
"She should be here in about 15 min- wait what?" Shinji was caught off-guard by his new nickname.
"Whats wrong sweetie?" Asuka asked with genuine-sounding concern in her voice.
"W-why are you calling me that?" He hastily asked.
"Calling you what?"
"Sweetie."
"That's Asuka to you, sweetie." She said with no hint of joking in her voice.
Shinji sighed "I'm gonna brew some coffee."
"Two cream, two sugars. Thanks sweetie!" She called out
With coffee set up on the tabe, the two waited in silence for the First Child.
"Sweetie, do we have enough paper?" She asked with a flirty undertone.
Shinji huffed, then pulled a notebook from his nearby school bag.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, unmistakably Rei's.
The two got up and answered the door together. "Hey Rei!" They said at the same time. She was holding Exmilitary in its packaging, and her SDAT.
"Hello, Asuka. Hello, babe." She answered, monotone as ever.
Shinji's face flushed and he buried it in his hands. He did not notice the grin spread across Rei's and Asuka's faces.
Throughout this album analysis, Shinji endured the 'sweetie's from Asuka and 'babe's from Rei, trying his best not to react but blushing every time.
Things were winding down as the three finished 'Blood Creepin,' and Shinji pensively looked over the lyrics and said "Hm, after the course of the songs here, this outro seems to be a boiling point, with the car and the inebriation, like he's beyond breaking."
Rei leaned in close and purred "Well said, babe."
Asuka saw that as her cue and got just as close "Yeah, sweetie. You really know how to interpret, cutie."
Shinji let out a yelp as he fell back with his chair, and the two girls looked at each other and shared a healthy amount of laughter.