Asuka Shinji's Infinite Playlist
Chapter 11: We Could Turn the World to Gold
As lunch faded into afternoon, Asuka and Shinji entered the science lab hand-in-hand, SDAT earphone cable stretched between them. Within the week, it had become a regular sight for the couple, their classmates now accustomed to it despite not truly understanding the deeper meaning behind the action. On one occasion, another student had ripped the earphone out and tried to pry into their musical habits, but all he heard was "some classical shit" and passed it back, reaffirming to the duo that the mysterious device was functioning the same as it had since their chance encounter in December.
"Mr. Ikari," a stern voice called from the front of the room as the couple walked past, "I do not allow toys in my lab."
Shinji turned to face his father and frowned, removing the earphone. "Yes sir," he replied flatly.
Taking his place at the lab table in the back corner, he retrieved the other side from Asuka and wrapped the cable back around the device before putting it in his backpack. The brief moments between classes when they could listen were the few private moments they could afford, despite being surrounded by other students. Their homework hadn't fully picked up yet, but there was already so little time to socialize, stealing away to try and discuss their mystery had proven nigh impossible. The last song to appear was nearly a week ago, and there was no telling what might trigger the next one in this very different school, with very different uniforms, and very different living quarters.
"Man," Kensuke spoke quietly at the table, "Dr. Ayanami really doesn't like you."
Shinji clenched his fist again at the name, catching an eyeroll from his best friend. Gendo's identity continued to remain a secret from everyone, against Hikari's suggestion, but seeing as the teacher still hadn't made mention of it, Shinji wanted to wait and see what the long-term play was.
Yet another mystery to discuss, Shinji added to his mental to-do list. The weekend was impending and he was hoping for some alone time with Asuka, for multiple reasons.
"Maybe he's pushing Shinji because he believes he has potential?" Toji offered with a smile. "The Shin-man is a smart dude."
"Somehow I doubt that," Asuka mumbled, settling down in her seat.
"He outscored me on the entrance exam."
"Low bar," the redhead snipped, deflecting from her original intention.
"That's rich," Toji returned the volley.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
Shinji shot a look in Asuka's direction, but the cue went ignored.
"I think Shinji's smart and has potential," Mana smiled sweetly.
"Well, of course you do," Asuka replied without thinking. "You're still mad that you lost."
Another ignored look.
"Asuka!" Hikari hissed, "That wasn't very nice."
Mana's infectious smile couldn't be brought down, though, "I didn't lose anything, Asuka. We're all on the same team: Team Shinji."
Blushing, Shinji refocused back on table, "It's not 'Team Shinji', we're all just-"
"That is enough, Mr. Ikari."
The class turned to the front of the classroom to their instructor. Somehow still imposing despite his seated position behind his desk, Gendo regularly managed to pull the life out of the room before every class.
"-friends," Shinji finished in a whisper and sheepishly faced forward.
"This afternoon we will be discussing your spring research papers: they are worth 50% of your semester grade."
The classroom groaned in chorus, but it was clearly found on deaf ears.
"Each table group will be randomly assigned a non-native animal to which you will write a twenty-five page paper and give a ten minute presentation. The thesis is your assigned animal and how it has adapted to its environment," Gendo spoke firmly and efficiently, disregarding any muttered objections. "The project is due in eight weeks; we will take the rest of today's class to assign animals and begin your group work."
"'Twenty-five pages'?" one student repeated. "'Eight weeks'?" another lamented.
Pointing towards a bowl placed at the foot of the lectern on the raised platform, Gendo began the assignments, "Table 1: send a representative to the front to draw a topic."
After a brief discussion, a short-haired girl nervously approached the front and reached her hand into the knee-height bowl, withdrawing a slip of paper. Reading the slip a few times, she returned to her table with a confused expression on her face. One by one the tables were randomly assigned an animal, with Asuka drawing second to last for her group. She returned with an equally puzzled expression, reading it aloud as she pulled into her seat, "'Nine-banded arm- arma- armadillo?'"
The group shrugged alongside her, Hikari taking the slip and reading it over, "I've never heard of it."
"He did say 'non-native', so I'm guessing armadillos aren't found in Japan," Toji offered.
"I'm impressed, Toji."
He turned towards Asuka awaiting the obviously incoming barb.
"'Non-native' is a big word for you."
Toji stuck out his tongue.
Back on topic, Asuka shook her head, "Anyway, they're not from Europe, either, as far as I know."
"Well, let's settle in and do some preliminary research," Hikari turned her computer on and began to lead the group. She shot a look at Asuka and added, "Nicely."
"Yes ma'am!" the redhead answered with an exaggerated salute before popping open her laptop.
The tablemates continued their research for the rest of the hour, remarking on the unfamiliar creature. However, Asuka's focus wavered, a slight nagging pulled at her mind. A voice echoed in her head, sarcastic and biting: 'Team Shinji', huh? I bet he'd like that.
Asuka rolled her eyes at her inner monologue and pressed on with her research, occasionally stealing glances at the short-haired brunette. She wasn't particularly worried about Mana, she trusted her well enough since New Year's. Her concern was more born out of inexperience than fear: she'd never had a boyfriend before, and somehow her first one proved to be significantly more serious than expected. And that was still without mentioning the mystery of the SDAT.
A mystery neither were able to focus on in the dormitory, stymied at nearly every turn by curious friends and pestering roommates alike. Shinji's dorm offered little to no privacy, and the kitchen table in Asuka's was within an annoying vicinity to one particular door and one particular pestering roommate.
While Asuka had her own room in the apartment, she felt leery about inviting Shinji in again. Their first quick meeting in the room left her feeling bare and exposed, a sensation amplified by her carelessly strewn about undergarments. She'd made a conscious effort to keep things neat and tidy for the next encounter, but she couldn't bring herself to allow him to cross that threshold again.
It wasn't until Mana repeated her name a second time that Asuka realized how much her thoughts had drifted, providing next to zero assistance in the group's initial research project preparations. Fortunately, the class was nearing the end and she could regroup herself on the way back to homeroom.
"Mr. Ikari, please remain after class," Gendo requested from his desk as his students began packing to leave.
While other students ragged on him, Shinji hung his head. He had successfully avoided one-on-one interactions with his father for the first week of school, but he couldn't defy a direct order, especially now in front of his peers.
As the students filed out, Shinji stopped in front of the platform his father's desk sat upon. Looking upward at the man, fists unconsciously balled at his sides, he consciously chose to remain silent, awaiting his father's address.
"Shinji."
"Yes?"
Gendo leaned forward at his desk, peering down on his son, "I'm concerned."
The boy felt his arms twitch and his fists closed tighter. That's a first...
"About?" he barely disguised a snarl.
"I would hope you would have better taste in..." Gendo nodded towards the redhead watching from the doorway, "... acquaintances."
"It's been over half a year," Shinji spoke through clenched teeth, "and this is the first thing you say to me...?"
"I am concerned for you."
His eyes lit up as his gaze shifted to his father's eyes, fists closing tighter. Fingernails had carved semi circles into the flesh of his palm, but Shinji refused to let it go any further. Taking a deep breath, he turned away and spoke without looking, releasing the tension in his body, "I don't need your concern. I don't need anything from you."
And Shinji left.
"Well, congratulations everyone! You've survived your first week at Myojo Academy," Miss Kano smiled proudly at her homeroom.
A faint smattering of whooping and cheering could be heard as the exhausted students looked forward to the weekend ahead. Their excitement nearly doubled when she told them there was no Saturday class, but it quickly died down when their instructor added that it would be their first and last weekend without it.
"The first week is considered by many to be the hardest, we tend to throw a lot at you, hence the break," she continued, sitting gently against the lip of her own desk at the front of the room. "But I haven't had anyone die on me..."
The class chuckled, but sat nervously as she lingered on the word, staring in the back corner of the room at one student in particular.
"... yet."
Dozens of eyes slowly followed Miss Kano's towards the same corner at the brutish jock blissfully unaware he had been caught asleep. Toji was fully stretched out in his desk, leaning backwards against the hard plastic chair, hands clasped behind his head, mouth agape.
After a few moments, the teacher asked softly, "Um, excuse me, Shinji?"
Shinji snapped his head back towards the front of the room and responded, "Yes ma'am?"
"Could you please check on your friend there?"
Leaning over, the boy began shaking his classmate, gently rousing him at center stage, an entire audience focused on the spotlight. After a few moments, Toji was jolted back to the land of the living with a sharp snort, and burned bright red at the sudden attention.
Miss Kano covered her mouth, attempting to hide her giggle, but was unable to do so as the class laughed at Toji, "Mr. Suzahara, I was worried I'd finally had my first death in class. I'm glad you were merely sleeping instead."
Still gathering his bearings, Toji stood next to his desk, snapped to attention, and bowed deeply in shame, "I apologize sincerely, Mom!"
The silence that followed was deafening: every student desperately trying to confirm what they heard. It wasn't until the unfortunate teen turned even redder than before that the laughter exploded.
"I- I- I- I mean Miss Kano!"
Even the thus-far reserved instructor at the front nearly collapsed against her desk in laughter, unable to contain herself.
As the clock struck 5:00, Hikari attempted to regain control of the room by standing and calling for a forceful "Rise! Bow!", but she, too, was unable to corral the room.
After a second failed attempt, Yuri stood and waved her hand towards the door while addressing the class representative. "Hikari," she got out between chuckles, "it's Friday, and I don't think we're getting this one back under control. Just go, everyone. Have a great weekend and I will see you all Monday!"
Students began to pack their things and file out of the room, still laughing raucously at the one poor soul who remained in his deep bow, eyes glued to one spot on the floor. As they left, their teacher shouted towards the door, "Oh, oh! Don't forget, club sign-ups begin next week! Think about what club you'll want to join, you only have a week to try them out!"
Shinji, Asuka, and Hikari stood in the hallway, awaiting their poor classmate. Having left last, the trio remained near the door when they noticed the missing fourth, still affixed to his self-made podium of shame. They watched as after what felt like an eternity, Miss Kano approached Toji and gently put her hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Suzahara, just be better rested for next week. I apologize for laughing at your expense."
His blush finally fading, Toji looked up and apologized again, "It won't happen again, ma'am."
The woman patted her student on the shoulder and turned away, "It better not... son."
"That's your boyfriend," Asuka teased Hikari as the pig-tailed girl pinched her nose.
"Yes... yes it is," Hikari let out with a sigh.
Shinji put his arm around her, shaking her gently, "Hey, it'll be fine. I think we're all pretty beat. Miss Kano understands."
Toji sheepishly emerged from the room to a round of applause from Asuka.
"Well done," she cheered sarcastically over her exaggerated clapping. "You've performed about as expected for a jock-stooge!"
"Asuka," Shinji turned to the girl.
"No, she's right. But," Toji fired back with a smirk, "at least I got in on my own."
"Toji!" It was Hikari's turn to scold someone.
The clapping stopped and Asuka smiled, "No, no, Hikari, that was a good one."
"Let's get up to Asuka's apartment and I'll cook something delicious for everyone, how does that sound?" Hikari changed the subject, leading the couples towards the elevators.
The groups parted with the agreement to meet after a half-hour to give them time to drop their bags off in their rooms and check in at home if needed.
"Man, this school is brutal," Musashi spoke as soon as Shinji entered their dormitory. He had arrived earlier and was unpacking his bag.
Shinji slipped off his sweater vest and loosened his tie, "It's definitely tougher than back home."
"And what is this science project?"
"It's longer than any paper I've ever written," he changed his dress shoes into sneakers.
"We're first-years and it's the first semester," the roommate laughed. "That guy seems like a total dick."
You aren't wrong.
"What animal did you guys get?"
Musashi spun around, putting on deodorant, "Some venomous lizard. 'Gila monster', I think. Never heard of it."
"Me neither."
"Oh, and poor Toji, too," he chuckled, "I'm at least glad I wasn't the first to fall asleep in class."
"Yeah," Shinji yawned, as exhausted as Toji had been.
"So," Musashi changed subjects, slipping on a green t-shirt, "any plans this weekend?"
Shinji hadn't considered it, and told Musashi as much. He'd never spent a lot of time in Tokyo, especially so near the downtown metropolitan area, so he didn't know what to do or where to go. But he was prepared to make plans nonetheless, it had been an incredibly busy week and he'd spent almost no time with Asuka.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure Hikari's sister Kodama goes to University near here," Shinji added, now removing his tie. "She should have an idea or two."
"Oh, cool. Toji said he found a sweet arcade not too far from here, and Keita says there's a movie theatre the other direction." After a brief silence, Musashi added, "Maybe get some alone time in a dark theatre with Asuka...?"
Shinji burned red and turned away from the boy who raised his eyebrows in a conspicuous way.
"Or is her penthouse suite enough privacy for you already?"
The flustered boy turned and whipped his necktie at the teasing Musashi who danced around the attacks out of the room.
"Ow! Ow, okay, okay!" He laughed as he left.
Alone in his room, Shinji sat down on the bed, tying his shoes before heading upstairs to visit Asuka. While it was true enough she had her own room in the apartment, he'd barely had any time to meet with her since school began. There was an entirely new song on the SDAT that he'd barely written out in his notebook, and they'd been too busy to go over it.
"And with this project," Shinji sighed out loud to his empty apartment, "we're never going to be able to work on this."
Standing up, he headed towards the door, stuffing his SDAT and notebook back into his desk. The last thing he needed was anyone going through it: there were enough odd lyrics and scribblings about the end of the world he'd come across like a madman.
Making sure he had his wallet and cell phone in case there were groceries needed for dinner, Shinji sent a quick text to Asuka before heading for the elevator.
[SHINJI] Coming up to you.
"Right behind you, Mari. Mari? Ma-"
Asuka stood upright as the door slammed in her face, having stopped herself moments before being struck. Rolling her eyes, she swiped her keycard and entered, catching Mari turning the corner into the living room only a few steps in front of her.
"Sorry, Prinzessin, I must not have heard you there."
She thinks she can get under my skin that easily? Asuka smiled to herself. Being unliked wasn't unfamiliar to the girl, she'd learned how to ignore their slights effectively.
"Keine Sorge," Asuka replied with a friendly dismissive wave. "I should've spoken up."
She watched as Mari huffed without turning back and disappeared into her room before closing the door.
Asuka entered her own room and pulled out her phone, dialing her father before putting it on speaker and dropping the device on her bed. As it rang, she slipped off her sweater vest and tie, standing in front of her mirror in her white blouse and skirt.
She concentrated hard, trying to recall the dress she had envisioned herself in for that brief moment. Some kind of light blue or green, with an odd bow, she recalled. After a few moments, Asuka sorted through her closet, inspecting the few dresses she brought with her, but none matched.
Hanging her head, she snapped out of her trance when a small German voice called out her name.
"ASUKA! ASUKA! HELLO?"
She spun around and picked her phone off the bed, turning the speakerphone off, "I- I'm here!"
"Is everything okay?" David Langley's deep voice showed some concern.
"Yes, yes, sorry, I was just getting changed and didn't hear you answer."
"Good. How was your first week?"
Finally allowing the exhaustion of the last ten days to settle on her, Asuka collapsed backwards onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. She'd flown across the world, reunited with Shinji, moved into an apartment with older girls, and attended the first week of a premier school. It wasn't until now that Asuka realized how exhausting everything was.
She spoke softly to her father, telling him about the school, her homeroom teacher, her friends. It wasn't until she got to her roommates that she caught herself: "- it was weird, my roommate, Mayumi, said the strangest thing-"
A hollow silence held in the conversation as Asuka's mind scrambled, Do I tell him?
David questioned after a short silence, "Asuka? Are you there? You cut out."
That I was accepted and someone rigged it against me? Or would he become suspicious?
"Hello? Asuka?"
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it away from her face:
[SHINJI] Coming up to you.
"I'm here, Papa," she replied quickly, replacing the phone on her ear. "What's up?"
"You were telling me something."
"Was I?"
Her father grumbled in the affirmative.
"I seem to have forgotten."
"Okay. Well, Asy, I have to go," David wrapped up the call. "Enjoy your weekend."
"Talk to you later, Papa. Love you."
"I love you, too."
Asuka blushed a little as she pulled the phone away, but before hitting the END button, her father's voice spoke up again.
"Asuka?"
She put the phone back against her ear, "Yes?"
"I- I'm proud of you."
"Th- thank you," she barely got out.
"We all are. Camille and Oz, too. And I know your mother and brother would be proud of you."
Tears gently welled in her eyes at the words, words she didn't know she needed to hear, but was glad to have, "Thank you, Papa."
They again said their goodbyes and Asuka hung up, dropping her phone on the bed. She stood in front of her mirror and began to unbutton her blouse, excitedly considering the weekend ahead.
This may be the only homework-free weekend for a while, she thought.
As soon as the last button was undone, however, a knock on the apartment door jolted her back from daydreaming. She quickly buttoned her shirt back up before heading to the door, not wanting to appear unpresentable to Shinji. Unfortunately, as she opened it she was instead greeted by an enthusiastically grinning Toji.
"Ugh, monkeyboy," she hissed before attempting to close the door, but was stopped by his large hand. "Let go."
"We're meeting here for dinner, remember?"
Asuka rolled her eyes, momentarily remembering Hikari's culinary gifts had certain strings attached, and turned away from the doorway, allowing Toji to enter. He stepped in before looking the shorter girl up and down and smirking.
"You were expecting Shinji?"
"What's it to you?"
Toji looked her up and down, lingering for an extra moment on her chest, before turning and heading deeper into the apartment.
Confused, Asuka looked down at her hurriedly buttoned blouse and noticed the gaping hole in the center where she skipped two buttons, leaving her bra exposed. Burning bright red, she slammed the door shut behind Toji and quickly fixed her shirt. Certain that her clothing was correctly fastened, she stomped down the hallway, confronting him in the kitchen.
Shinji and Hikari exited the elevator, excited to get dinner started. Having discussed visiting Kodama at Waseda University the next afternoon, the conversation tapered off as they approached Asuka's apartment.
An explosive argument could be heard halfway down the hall, growing louder until they stopped at the door. Shinji knocked gently, sure it wouldn't be heard, but was surprised at how quickly the door opened.
Mayumi hurriedly pulled Shinji in, sending him towards the kitchen, "You may want to get in here before it gets worse."
Shinji was incredibly surprised to hear not two female voices going at it, but a male and a female. As he turned the corner, he caught Asuka and Toji rounding the table on opposite ends, hurling insults at each other.
"Daddy's girl!"
"Mama's boy!"
"Spoiled bitch!"
"Idiot jock!"
"Slut!"
"Arschgeige!"
"You know I don't know what that means!"
"That's why I said it, dumbass!"
Shinji rushed in and stepped between Asuka and the table, "Asuka, Asuka, hey, calm down..."
Hikari followed suit and stood in front of Toji, "Hey, hey, what's going on?"
Asuka pointed over Shinji's shoulder at the boy, "He started it!"
"The Red Devil's just upset that I'm smarter than her!" Toji fired back.
"Yeah right, like you can understand anything that isn't sports!"
"If you weren't a girl, I'd kick your ass!"
"Well, you are a girl, so I'll gladly kick yours!" Asuka lied. She'd never been in a fight before.
"You- you want a piece of this?!" Toji seemed unsure of how to challenge the girl.
"Let's go, dummkopf! I don't have all night!"
There was an awkward pause as the two were seemingly on the precipice of going to physical blows, but neither made the first move. Fortunately, a lightbulb seemed to go off in Toji's head and he pounded his fist on the counter behind him, "Get your shoes, let's go."
The sudden shift in mood bewildered everyone, including Asuka, who asked, "Uhh, where, uh, where are we going?"
"You'll see..."
Her heart began to race: she couldn't back down now, her pride wouldn't let her, but Toji physically outmatched her in every measurable way, and she couldn't imagine the immeasurables. Surely he'd been in a brawl or two before, or at least she assumed so. She could refuse to leave, challenge him here in the apartment, or even back down and submit. But deep down, a fire burned inside of her, an unfamiliar fire she'd never felt before. While it scared her, it also excited her, and she slipped her shoes back on and followed the boy out of the apartment.
Twice Shinji nervously tried to grab Asuka's attention as he followed her down the hall, but the determined look in her eye showed she was barely paying attention. The look worried him, her eyes wild, a cerulean fire blazing behind them. However, the look also excited him, bringing forth a primal desire Shinji couldn't understand: he was prepared to follow Asuka into combat against anything or anyone, including one of his closest friends.
"'Myojo Academy'?" Yui asked from the doorway.
Rei coughed a few times and turned from her desk chair, "Yes. I am certain."
"She's been researching it all day: train and subway lines, course and club offerings, even entrance exam dates," Shinji explained from his seated position on the floor. "I've never seen her this determined."
"Rei, but wouldn't you rather...?"
"No. They are destined for greatness there." Her voice soft and unfocused, the ailing girl's strength waxed and waned regularly.
"Great students have come out of every school, even in little Otsuki," Yui continued her gentle protest.
"It has to be Myojo. Shinji will find hope there. Even after..." Rei's voice faded, an increasingly common occurrence as of the last month.
"There is no 'after', Rei. We're going to go together: you promised me that," Shinji turned and looked up at his sister.
Rei looked into his eyes for a moment and averted her gaze, "Everything is 'after'. Every moment passes faster than you can appreciate it. Only one thing is truly eternal..."
"What's that?"
Ruby eyes gazed at steel blue, and she breathlessly whispered a single syllable: "Love."
Noises and bells sounded off in the arcade, a cacophony of both digital and analog effects. Bright lights and flashing screens worked in tandem to lure their prey in, vying for their interest and money. Dozens of customers milled about the street-front shop, blissfully unaware of the intense battle occurring near the entrance.
Fierce combatants squared off, making a loud spectacle of what became the tie-breaking challenge. Toji chose first and bested Asuka at a basketball game, but, surprising to everyone including Asuka herself, she beat him soundly at the closest Street Fighter cabinet. The rubber match was picked by Shinji and Hikari, hoping to choose something that benefitted neither in an effort to bring the level of competition down to a safer level. Unfortunately too much pride was on the line between the challengers, and after the initial exchange, all pretense of being on equal ground was stripped away.
"Boom!" Toji stood upright, arms raised triumphantly over his head. "Not in my house!"
"Way to go, Toji!" Hikari bounced and cheered, high-fiving the teen as he turned her direction, caught up in the moment.
Asuka eyed the scoreboard and retrieved the neon disc from the return, flipping it onto the surface before sending it into the opposite goal with a flick of her wrist.
7-6
The jock's eyes exploded out of his head as he watched the lights on the other side of the air hockey table flash in succession, declaring Asuka the victor. "WHAT?!"
Crossing her arms triumphantly, Asuka's grin could be from Germany, "You only tied it, evolutionsbremse. What's wrong: can't count past five without taking off your shoes?"
The bewildered boy continued to blink in disbelief, stammering protests and rematch challenges.
"Gimme 100 yen," Asuka commanded, left hand outstretched.
"Huh? 100 yen?"
"Oh, please, don't tell me you don't have any money on you," Asuka folded her arms before turning her nose up. "Of course, if you are broke, that could explain the way you dress. Pathetic."
"Asuka," Shinji stepped forward and gently placed his hand on her arm, "that's enough."
But Toji erupted, spinning to face the shorter girl, "You bleach-brained bitch! What did you say?!"
This time Hikari stepped forward, "H-hey, Toji!"
"Don't you get on no high horse because you think you're cute!" Toji snatched Asuka's left wrist.
The action enraged Asuka. She unsuccessfully pulled herself from his clutches, loudly shouting, "Ewwww! Don't touch me, monkeyboy!"
"You guys are making a scene," Shinji interjected, louder than before. He'd spied a few onlookers watching the commotion suspiciously.
Asuka wrenched her arm out of Toji's hand, "Let me go!" but in doing so, firmly elbowed the man behind her.
As she turned to apologize, she caught the descending tones of the game effects and the explosive GAME OVER screen, "Oops! Sorry."
"Oh no!" the man shouted as he turned towards the offender, a much smaller redheaded girl. Towering over the petite teenager, the thug shouted in Asuka's face, "You think 'sorry's gonna cut it?! Finally got to the last level! Whatcha gonna do about that, huh?!"
Asuka stood her ground firmly, staring up at the behemoth, "This guy talks like a monkey, too."
"Toji, do something!" Hikari squealed, backing behind him.
"Yeah, you gonna be sorry!" the man shouted before grabbing Asuka's chin.
A tense moment hung in the air, and Shinji was unsure of what to do. Asuka was dangerously close to being physically assaulted by a grown man, but he was also very wary of escalating a conflict he had no place in. Shinji wasn't a fighter, not in any stretch of the imagination.
On instinct, Asuka stepped back on her left foot before snapping it upward off the ground into the man's chin. His head rapidly turned up and left, sending him backward onto his rear.
"Holy shit-" Hikari blurted out before covering her mouth.
"Asuka's a badass!" Toji completed the thought.
Lowering her leg slowly, Asuka was just as surprised at the action as everyone else. She just reacted, settling into her training. She hadn't provoked him, it was just an accident, but she had to protect herself.
Wait, what training?
"Y- y- you... BITCH!" the thug shouted, having sat upright after landing in the street. He looked over his shoulder and summoned a few of his friends, "Hey, guys! Wanna come get some?"
"All right!" one of them shouted as they approached the group of teens.
"Oh shit," Toji backed up, arm outstretched, pushing Hikari behind him. "We need to go."
Asuka stood her ground, taking an offensive stance. Hrmph. Calling for backup against a kid...?
The foreign thought caught Asuka off guard, the words echoing in her mind. It was her own thought, her own feelings, but it also... wasn't. Unfortunately there wasn't time to process what was occurring, and she shook off the fog and resumed her stance.
Scanning for an opening, Shinji stepped forward next to Asuka, comfortably awaiting her decision to run or fight: combat partners to the end.
What am I doing? He thought, second-guessing his instinct to fight alongside her. Shinji had never been trained in any martial art, let alone been in a street fight against grown men before. I can't fight them. I can't fight anyone.
Shinji glanced over at Asuka who was standing still, unafraid in the moment. But, if she needs me to...
"OH, LOOK!" Asuka shouted and pointed roughly behind the group of thugs, the distraction breaking Shinji from his trance and engaging him on the offensive.
As the closest attacker turned his attention away, Asuka took a running step forward, launching her right foot in his crotch. The blow landed firmly, nearly lifting the grown man off of his feet, before she pivoted to her right and drove her left elbow into his midsection. He collapsed onto the street as she turned towards the instigator from the arcade.
Toji grabbed Hikari's arm and led her away, "C'mon... we're outta here!"
As the two made their escape, another of the thugs yanked on Toji's collar, stopping them in their tracks, "Where d'ya think you're goin'? We're not through with you yet!"
"There's more of them!" Hikari frightfully shouted.
"W-wait! We have nothing to do with this!" Toji held his hands up as the man retracted his right fist.
"Shut yer yaps!" he belted as he threw a punch.
Without thinking, Shinji ducked under the punch into a crouched position and launched upwards at the assailant, slamming his shoulder in the man's chest. As the thug stumbled backwards, Shinji leapt into him and drove him to the ground, grabbing each wrist in his hands in an attempt to gain control of the situation. Unfortunately, while Shinji's instincts were sound, he underestimated the strength of the adult man and struggled to hold on as they wrestled around.
Noticing Shinji's weakened positioning, Asuka leapt into an acrobatic route towards the street, flipping just before her boyfriend and kicking the thug in the jaw, releasing Shinji from his hold. Asuka spun on her heel and grabbed a barstool from the arcade before swinging it wildly at the third attacker.
Shinji turned to Toji and Hikari and commanded, "RUN!" before returning to the fracas and reengaging the initial attacker who was approaching Asuka from behind.
"You freaking bitch! Where'd you come from, the circus?!" he shouted as he made an attempt at the girl, but backed off as her swing with the stool went wide behind her left.
Both remaining thugs lined up in the streets as Shinji made it beside Asuka. Shinji turned back towards the frozen couple and locked eyes with Toji, "TOJI, GET HIKARI OUT OF HERE!"
The temporarily dazed boy immediately took Hikari by the wrist and ran deep into the arcade, leading towards the exit on the opposite corner to safety.
Now facing the attackers together, the couple took offensive stances facing the grown men. The fear was gone, replaced by the certainty of each other as partners. A certainty that greatly confused both teens in the dark recesses of their minds, but was still inopportune to focus on.
Asuka turned to her equal on her left, releasing the fear and calling to him, already confident in his answer, "Shinji!"
"Got it!" he replied before they both ran headfirst into the deep. Sprinting towards the foes, Shinji was surprised to see Asuka matching his pace step-for-step.
In perfect synchronization, Asuka and Shinji leapt at the precise moment before tucking into a midair somersault. As they descended, their fall transformed into a diving kick straight into the chest of the two remaining thugs. Their feet met their targets and the two students landed neatly on the street, standing victoriously over the combatants.
Cobalt again met sapphire and a wave of confusing emotions washed over the both of them. Shinji made the first attempt to speak, reaching out to the beautiful girl across from him, but an unwelcome interruption sounded.
A high-pitched siren shrilled out in the distance, and Asuka broke her gaze and looked in the direction of the source, "Ach, crap! The cops?!"
Turning in the opposite direction, she took a single stride away from the arcade before stopping herself. Asuka looked back at Shinji who was frozen in place, unsure of what to do, and reached out to the boy, "Shinji, run!"
"Huh? What?" he asked, still unable to process what was occurring. His mind raced, his heart pounded, his body immobile.
"Run away!"
"As- Asuka..."
"Shinji," she shook her extended hand in his face, "run away with me."
Without second thought, Shinji reached out and took her hand, and something flashed before his eyes before they ran off into the night.
Yellow.
As the couple sprinted deeper into the heart of Tokyo, Shinji couldn't help but watch the redheaded girl leading the charge. His left arm outstretched, connected to her right, only the person was recognizable. What happened in the minutes prior to their escape eluded every possible understanding he had.
Slowing down an unknown number of streets and storefronts away from their original location, Asuka pulled Shinji deep into a restaurant and took a booth in the back. Suddenly colder and more aware of the sudden changes that occurred, the self conscious teen wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to cover and warm herself up.
"So," Asuka exhaled heavily, attempting to slow her heart, "what the hell just happened?"
Shinji mirrored her actions, also trying to calm himself while attempting to make heads or tails of the fight in the alley, "I- I don't know."
Looking down at the top of her suddenly exposed chest, Asuka stroked the material of the yellow sundress she was mysteriously clothed in. Tracing the neckline of the dress to the worryingly thin straps tied atop her shoulders, she became quickly aware of the extra attention she was receiving from across the table.
"You'll never get your heartrate down if you keep staring."
Shinji snapped out of his trance and averted his gaze, burning bright red, "I- I- sorry!"
"Idiot," she hissed under her breath. Her fingers had made it to her neck, feeling a thin band of fabric wound tightly around her throat.
"Please tell me you've been in a fight before," Shinji broke the silence, stealing glances back at the beautiful girl.
"No, never."
"Me neither," he replied, eyes darting back to the corners of his eyes repeatedly.
"It was weird, like, I somehow knew what to do..."
"Yeah... very weird... and scary," Shinji's eyes flashed to Asuka with every pause.
Annoyed at his failed attempts to hide his gaze, Asuka huffed, "Ugh, this is somehow even more annoying. Just look at me."
"I'm sorry," Shinji refused to turn his head. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Such chivalry, she thought sarcastically.
"What happened to your clothes?"
Shinji interrupted her thoughts again. Asuka fidgeted with the cloth choker, surprised to find it on her. It wasn't something she'd ever worn before, not quite her style. The dress was cute enough, but also significantly more flirtatious than she found acceptable. Asuka was not a fan of unwanted attention.
Also not an April dress, she thought. Amy would love this, though. Just need it in purple or black.
"I don't know," she replied. "After the fight, I just kind of ended up in... this..."
They both sat in silence thinking about the fight again. Two fourteen year-olds with no martial arts experience took out four grown men with a coordinated acrobatic attack. The thought was farcical by itself, but somehow both Asuka and Shinji both knew it had occurred.
"So, that's three different outfits you've been in, and I'm assuming you don't own anything like this?"
Asuka sighed, "It's cute, but a bit showy for me. And entirely too thin for April."
Shinji rested his head in his hand, "This is too much. Are we still... you know... in Tokyo?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like the apartment, we didn't... go somewhere else?"
"Where else would we be, genius?" Asuka snapped, immediately feeling guilty. She looked deep into Shinji's eyes and apologized, "Sorry, I'm scared, too."
"Even if we are in our Tokyo, I have no idea where we are."
Before Asuka could respond, however, a waitress approached the table and interrupted them. The food order was short and simple: both teens were so distracted by everything else they agreed to whatever special she would recommend. It wasn't strange and uncomfortable until after, when Shinji asked where they were, a question the slightly confused woman answered with a cautious chuckle before leaving. While the slightly amusing exchange brought some levity to the situation, it did little to diffuse it entirely, especially with the next revelation.
"Also, there's this," Asuka exhaled again, bringing her left hand above the table. Shinji hadn't paid attention to the object in her hand, as he was being led by her right, but when he recognized it his heart dropped.
"Please tell me you brought that."
Asuka placed the SDAT on the table between them and sighed heavily, "No. The last time I saw it was before science today..."
Another crushing silence weighed down upon them as their food was set in front of them. When the waitress left, Shinji stood and quickly swapped sides of the table, sitting next to Asuka. The girl blushed as their sides touched for a moment, but she was given no time to process it as she was handed an earphone.
"Hold on," she said firmly, holding the earphone in her hand. "This is a lot. Somehow we're fucking ninjas flying through the air, and my clothes are transforming, and the SDAT is just manifesting in my hand the middle of Tokyo?"
The explosive language caught Shinji momentarily off-guard and he performed a double take, confirming the beautiful redheaded German next to him was his beautiful redheaded German. He understood the heat of the moment and was no stranger to such language, especially considering his father's outbursts the last half year, but it was still surprising.
Getting back on track, Shinji peered at the device, "Maybe it's... different? Like, it's not my SDAT?"
"How many tracks are there?" she began to ask until Shinji turned the display towards her, showing a flashing '11'. "Mein Gott."
"We won't know until we get back to my dorm."
Asuka took a deep breath and began to put the tiny speaker into her ear, but stopped herself, lowering her hand again.
"Shinji," she whispered, still holding the earphone in front of her.
"Yes?"
"Before we listen to this, promise me something."
"Yeah, okay. What?"
She sighed again, "I- I don't know what's going on. I don't know where any of this is heading. I mean, we just fought off four grown men…"
Shinji exhaled in agreement. There was no way to process anything that had happened. Even if they could explain it to each other, how would they explain it to anyone else?
"Let's eat dinner, and then go out and enjoy tonight. We're in downtown Tokyo, somewhere I've never been, and the night is still young. Let's go out and make some memories before…" she trailed off, looking down at her soup.
"'Before'...?" Shinji repeated.
"Before we can't anymore."
Unable to say anything more, Shinji nodded in agreement and Asuka put her earphone in. He slipped his left hand into her right, they clasped tight, and he pressed PLAY. A soaring saxophone line heralded in an evening of longing glances and stolen kisses, as the two chose to remain blissfully unaware of whatever was truly occurring for just one more evening...
You're stuck in my head, stuck on my heart
Stuck on my body, body
I wanna go, get out of here
I'm sick of the party, party
I'd run away
I'd run away with you
Ooh
This is the part, you've got to say
All that you're feeling, feeling
Packing a bag, we're leaving tonight
When everyone's sleeping, sleeping
Let's run away
I'll run away with you
Ooh
'Cause you make me feel like
I could be driving you all night
And I'll find your lips in the street lights
I wanna be there with you
Ooh
Baby, take me to the feeling
I'll be your sinner, in secret
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Baby, every single minute
I'll be your hero and win it
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Up in the clouds, high as a kite
Over the city, city
We never sleep, we never try
When you are with me, with me
I wanna stay
I wanna stay here with you
Ooh
'Cause you make me feel like
I could be driving you all night
And I'll find your lips in the street lights
I wanna be there with you
Ooh
Baby, take me to the feeling
I'll be your sinner, in secret
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Baby, every single minute
I'll be your hero and win it
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Hold on to me
I never want to let you go
(Run away with me, run away with me)
Over the weekend
We could turn the world to gold, oh oh
(Run away with me, run away with me)
Over the weekend
We could turn the world to gold
Oh oh
Oh my baby, take me to the feeling
I'll be your sinner, in secret
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Baby, every single minute
I'll be your hero and win it
When the lights go out
Run away with me
Run away with me
Run away with me
Run away with me
Run away with me
Run away with me
"The police are investigating this," Dr. Fuyutsuki firmly spoke into the phone on his desk. "I cannot ignore it, this may be grounds for expulsion."
The officer cleared his throat and stepped closer to the desk, "It's a simple report filed by the arcade owner, sir. We're not accusing anyone of anything, we just know a lot of Myojo students visit that arcade and we're investigating off of what details were provided."
Asuka nervously shifted from foot to foot, standing at attention with her hands gathered in front of her in the director's office. She and Shinji were collected early the next morning, summoned from their dorms by staff. As inexplicable as the events were, she was even more uncomfortable on the realization that they'd called her father back in Germany.
"Let's be realistic," David Langley's baritone calmly rumbled through the speaker, nearly shaking the desk itself. "Asuka's, what, 45 kilograms soaking wet? And you're saying she 'beat up' four grown men? Over an arcade game?"
"I'm not saying it, the police are, Dr. Langley."
"Once again, no one is accusing your daughter, sir. We only have a rough description of the events that transpired and the individuals involved," the officer spoke calmly as he flipped open a notepad and began reading off of it. "'Two teens, one male, one female; both approximately 1.5 meters, thin builds; male was dark haired, in a white shirt and black pants; female had light brown or reddish hair, in a yellow dress'."
"So, nothing that specifically says it was Myojo Academy students, let alone my daughter?" David questioned.
A heavy silence hung over the office and Asuka thought of Shinji, who sat on the other side of the door. They hadn't been able to speak before she was brought in for individual questioning, but Asuka was certain he wasn't going to rat her out. The description was generic enough to be nearly any high school student, but the red hair and yellow dress was damning if they checked her apartment.
"Her hair color, while unique, is not enough to go off of."
A gentle knock interrupted the conversation and Mari entered the office.
Speaking of 'rats', Asuka seethed.
"Miss Makinami, now is not the time," Kozo glared at the girl who was gently closing the door behind her.
But she stood firm, spinning on her heel and facing him square on, "I disagree, Dr. Fuyutsuki, I have evidence that directly contradicts the events as given."
"Is that so?"
"Yes sir," Mari glanced at Asuka and gave her a sly wink. "The story is an impossibility as both Ikari and Langley were with me last night."
Asuka did everything in her power to keep her mouth from dropping in the office. Of all people to lie on her behalf, Mari was certainly the most surprising.
Fuyutsuki pinched the bridge of his nose before sighing, "Mari…"
"I stake my reputation as student body president on this: the first-years were with me."
"And what were you all doing?"
"We were in Asuka's and my shared apartment, eating dinner."
The elder statesman sighed again and sat heavily in the chair at his desk. Turning his attention to the officer, he asked, "In light of this, what does this mean for your investigation?"
"What little we had was circumstantial at best, Dr. Fuyutsuki," the officer flipped his notebook shut. "If we have someone providing an alibi, I'll be on my way and consider this matter closed with regards to Miss Langley."
"Well, I'd like to also consider this matter settled then," David spoke bruskly through the phone. "I appreciate your concern for my daughter, Kozo: I'm positive she's in good hands."
"But, David, I-" Fuyutsuki tried to speak, but the man barreled over him.
"Asuka," he shifted to German and his tone softened as he wrapped up the call, "I will speak with you later."
Asuka's heart sank as the line clicked dead, plunging the office into silence. Whether or not Dr. Fuyutsuki believed Mari was one thing, but why was she covering for Asuka and Shinji in the first place?
Emerging from the office, Asuka's heart slowed when she spotted Shinji sitting by the door, patiently waiting his turn. He smiled at her when their eyes met, and she did her best to nod and wink towards Mari, signaling what was going on, however it ended up unnecessary as Dr. Fuyutsuki stepped out and dismissed the trio of students.
As they waited at the elevator banks for a lift, Mari was the first to break the silence, "Well, that went better than expected."
Shinji turned towards the taller girl, "What happened in there? They didn't even talk to me about it."
As Asuka began to speak, Mari cut her off, "I told them you were with me last night for dinner. Just friends hanging out together."
"But, why-" Shinji started until he felt a sharp pinch on his butt.
"Snitch and I'll make you pay for it," Mari hissed before the elevator doors slid open, a couple students filing out.
Again, Asuka fought her reaction, trying to remain unphased by the girl, but deep down a fire exploded inside. Covering for them or not, pinching Shinji like that was grounds for an ass kicking. But she remained cool and collected, waiting for the silence to break. Something was going on, and she didn't trust any of it.
The trio entered silently, riding to Shinji's floor without a word. Shinji left and headed towards his room, planning to text Asuka later.
'Snitch and I'll make you pay for it', Mari's words echoed in his head as he entered the room, surprised to find it empty.
What is going on? Shinji thought as he pulled out his notebook, preparing to add yet another mysterious entry to the growing playlist.
"Wow, not many people can bulldoze the Director like that," Mari snarked as she and Asuka exited the elevator.
Asuka ignored the comments, trudging through the hallway towards their apartment. It was scary enough being questioned about the prior evening, especially when they were both already completely unsure of what actually happened, but now Mari was covering for them.
"Your father clearly has a lot more influence than I expected," Mari continued speaking as they entered, "no wonder you wer-"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Asuka asked as the apartment door closed.
"I'm protecting my roommate and our little puppy," Mari replied in an annoyingly sing-songy tone.
"'Our puppy'?" Asuka snapped back.
"Little Shinji. He's just so helpless, and always around, but just soo cute. I've always wanted a pet."
"He's not a pet."
"No, of course not, he just follows you around and does what you say because he loves you."
Asuka stepped forward, fists forming at her sides, but Mari noticed and raised her palms in surrender.
"Okay, okay," she shrugged. "I figured it was tiring being 'enemies' and all. It would be much more advantageous to just have you owe me."
The redhead nearly snarled at the auburn-haired girl, "Why do you think I'd owe you anything? You decided to help on your own."
"Asuka, Asuka," Mari approached the girl and gently placed her hands on her shoulders, "I just want to be your friend."
"Bullshit."
"Believe what you want."
"I want to know why you covered for us," Asuka stepped forward again. She had to crane her neck to stare at the taller girl, doing her best to appear unintimidated.
"Maybe I thought it would be fun."
Sapphire blue slits stared daggers at teal, but neither moved.
"I can see why he likes you: you're hot when you're angry."
The comment broke Asuka's intensity and she backed off quickly, hands raised as if she were physically assaulted, "What?!"
Mari doubled over laughing before turning away towards her room, "You're too much, Prinzessin. You're right, though, I didn't do it for fun: I did it because you'll owe me."
"Again, what makes you think I'd owe you?"
"Because I got it on camera."
Asuka regained her composure and took a step back towards the older girl, "I don't believe you."
Mari pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen a few times before turning it around and showing Asuka. The shaky video showed Toji pulling Hikari out of the arcade by her arm before whipping around and catching Asuka and Shinji running towards the last two thugs in the street. A pair of impossibly high jumps, somersaults, and diving kicks later, both of the two stood over the bodies on the ground.
"Holy shit," the voice behind the camera whispered, likely Mari's.
Asuka watched as her recorded self nearly fled the scene of the crime before pausing and reaching back for Shinji's hand. As video-Asuka shouted at the unmoving boy, the videographer stepped slowly to her left around a crane machine. Mari shouted at the crowd to move out of her way, but the shaky camera displayed nothing but a blur of colors for a few seconds.
However, Asuka's heart dropped as it steadied out, closer to the street, catching two figures sprinting down the street, hand-in-hand: the boy in dark pants and a white shirt could be anyone, but unmistakably there was a trail of fiery red hair blazing over a light yellow sundress.
As the video came to an end, Mari shut her phone off and grinned, "I mean, I already can't explain how you flipped like that, but bringing a change of clothing to escape? Tell me that wasn't premeditated!"
In a panic, Asuka could only shakily squeak out, "Wh- what do you want?"
"Nuh-uh," Mari waved her finger in front of the shorter girl's face before stepping back and turning away. "That's not how the game is played."
"This isn't a game!" Asuka shouted back, unwilling to concede any more position than she had already lost.
But Mari kept walking towards her room, speaking into the cosmos, "I'll let you know what I want when I see him- ahem, see it."
That bitch, she thought as Mari's door clicked shut.
Again, she wasn't left much time to process yet another event as her phone rang out in the silence, making her jump. Hurriedly entering her room to answer the call in relative privacy, Asuka shut the door before pressing the ACCEPT button, "Hallo?"
"Asuka, I'll give you one chance to answer: were you there?" David's voice was considerably quieter on Asuka's cell phone, but it was still as intense as ever.
She considered lying to her father, but decided against it. The facts were in her favor: she was attacked by someone, inexplicably defended herself, ran in fear of retaliation, and her roommate lied to cover for them without explanation.
"Yes," she replied meekly.
The man sighed before following up, "Is there anything I need to be concerned about what happened?"
"No."
"Okay. You would tell me if there were something more I should know."
"Yes, Papa."
"So, if you were at this arcade, why is this other girl saying otherwise?"
Asuka sighed, another grand mystery laid in front of her, "That's a good question. And I don't really know."
"What is she angling for? Money?" David hypothesized.
"No, I don't think so. It's..." Asuka faded off, unsure of how to answer. Telling her father she's being blackmailed over a boy, Shinji to be exact, wasn't a smart move.
"Do you trust her?"
"I don't have a choice," she answered honestly.
Her father sighed, "Please stay out of trouble, Asuka. I can't do much for you here."
"I will, Papa."
"Last question: a yellow dress? In April?"
Asuka sighed, "Yellow is perfectly acceptable in the spring."
"I guess I'm not as fashion forward as I thought," David joked. "I can't say I've ever seen you wear yellow before."
The girl chuckled, letting as little of the mystery slip out as she could, "Well, it just kind of... happened."
Song: "Run Away With Me" by Carly Rae Jepsen