Misato apartment
Asuka was washing dishes after breakfast, reflecting on the previous day's events. Shinji panic attack was the least of her worries. Her attention was mainly on Kaori. What exactly was her relationship with Shinji? That thought haunted her throughout the night.
"You'll have the whole day to yourself" Misato wanted to start a conversation.
Asuka was lost in her thoughts and didn't notice her guardian speaking. At first, she envied Shinji for doing something she hadn't yet done. Over time, as Asuka thought about it more and the more time she spent with him, she began to look at it differently. She was special, self-reliant. She didn't need anyone. Repeating those words to herself stopped working. She began to see Shinji as someone more and it scared her. It scared her that she could care about someone else.
"Are you there Asuka?" Asuka turned to face Misato. Shinji was not present in the kitchen. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, I was just thinking"
Misato took a look at Asuka, her face did show thoughtfulness.
"About yesterday?"
Asuka turned back to the sink. She didn't want to talk to Misato, so she continued to wash the dishes. She did that slowly, hoping that Misato would stop asking. Asuka felt lost and needed more time to understand. Time she might not have.
"I would like to know why you stayed in the rain but I won't press. For Shinji, as I don't think he ever stood up for himself, yet he stood up for you". Misato sighed.
Last part made Asuka smile a bit. Yesterday, Shinji caught her off guard, but it felt nice. She thought that if she went with them to NERV headquarters, she could stay close to Shinji. That way, it would make it difficult for Shinji and Kaori to meet secretly. It wasn't a perfect plan, though it would buy her some time to think. Now she just needed some excuse to go with them. One of them was obvious.
"I'll go with you to NERV"
Misato looked surprised.
"Why? We'll spend most of the day there, it'll be boring"
"I can see Kaji there"
Misato could tell that wasn't Asuka's real reason. She wasn't sure if Asuka wanted to spend some time with Shinji or if she was planning something else. Misato thought some time apart would help them, but agreed that Asuka could go with them.
NERV medical ward
It was boring, sitting in the hallway for over an hour. Shinji was away with a nurse and a doctor. They did tests on his hands. She wanted to go to HQ to keep an eye on the boy, but when she got there, she found that Kaori wasn't working today. She was an intern, not a full-time employee. Asuka didn't know that before. Since Hikari was out of town, she decided to stay in NERV. She was killing some time, sitting on a bench, playing on her phone.
Shinji left the room and sat next to Asuka. She didn't stop playing on her phone and simply asked Shinji.
"What did the doctors say?"
"Nothing, they just run some tests. Oh and they", he waved his hands, "changed the bandage. They're waiting for doctor Tanuma"
A brief silence fell between them. When he looked at her, he saw something new. He had never seen her playing on her phone before.
"I didn't know you liked games"
"It's just to kill time", she put down her phone, "It took you long enough"
"I'm sorr-", he saw her annoyance before he could finish, "old habit. Thanks for coming with us"
"I", she paused for a moment, "wanted to see Kaji. He's not here yet". She was a little angry with herself for not being able to admit her real reason.
'Right. Kaji's a man and I'm just a stupid little boy'. Shinji sighed.
He looked at his hand and sighed, this must be the only reason she's helping him. Soon, his wounds will heal and school will start. Her reason for helping him will be gone. Shinji broke the silence.
"Toji sent me some pictures from the trip. They'll go scuba diving today"
Asuka looked at her phone.
"Hikari did too", she sighed, "Misato was right to make us stay"
When he looked at her, she seemed sad. He knew how much she wanted to go.
"She could have let you go, I think we could have handled it". His attempt to comfort her did not go as he would have liked.
"Are you saying I'm useless as a pilot?!" Asuka raised her voice and Shinji got up from the bench in a panic.
"No! You're the best pilot! All I'm saying is that, you could go. I know how much you wanted to"
"Hmpf". She turned her head and crossed her arms.
Looking at her, he tried to find a way to apologize without saying his usual I'm sorry. He knew she was almost allergic to it.
"I don't like it when you're sad, I just wanted to cheer you up". He crouched on the floor facing her and leaned against the wall. Blushing a little, he continued, "I'd rather see your smile".
Hearing this, she changed her attitude. She relaxed her hands and looked at him. The comment about her smile was unexpected, but it felt good. There was a slight blush on her cheeks. Did he really mean it? She wanted to ask him, but their conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. It was doctor Tanuma walking down the corridor. He was holding a folder with the test results.
"I have your test results Shinji. They are looking good. Please follow me to my office"
The said boy got up and started to follow the doctor.
After taking a few steps, Asuka spoke up.
"Shinji?" He turned to face her. "Can I go with you?"
Shinji wasn't sure why she wanted to go to the doctor's office with him, but he agreed. There was a desk in the doctor's room where they sat. Doctor Tanuma opened the folder.
"Your test results are very good. How does your hand feel? Are your fingers still numb?"
"No, I feel them normally"
The doctor made a gesture, asking Shinji to show his hand. He grabbed a pen and started pressing on Shinji's fingertips.
"Can you feel that?" The boy nodded. "Great, looking at the results, you won't lose feeling in your hand"
The last sentence made Asuka jump up from her seat. She looked at the boy and said in a raised voice
"You might have lost feeling in your hand?!"
"Calm down" said doctor Tanuma.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" She was so focused on Shinji that she didn't hear the doctor speak.
"Asuka, I-" he was unable to finish his sentence.
Doctor Tanuma, usually calm, slammed his hand on the desk top.
"Enough!" She looked at the doctor. "Wait outside". She tried to protest, but he was determined. He pointed his finger at the door and repeated "Wait. Outside".
Angry, she left the room and slammed the door behind her. She went back and forth for some time before Misato showed up. She immediately noticed that Asuka looked angry.
"What's going on? Where's Shinji?"
"That idiot is in the doctor's office". Asuka stopped in front of Misato.
Misato rolled her eyes. The first thing she picked up was the word idiot. She wondered what it was all about this time. The constant mood swings were starting to annoy her.
"What did he do this time?"
"This idiot seriously injured his hand and lied that it was nothing!"
"What did the doctor say?" Misato feared the worst case scenario.
"That his hand is healing properly"
"That's great news! Why are you upset?" Misato sighed with relief, though she was still confused.
Asuka clenched her fists. "Because he didn't tell me! I-" Then it hit her. Misato asked about his hand the other day. "You knew..."
"Of course I knew. After all, I'm your commanding officer"
Asuka ran away, leaving her guardian in front of the doctor's office.
'Dammit Asuka'
Finally finished with the doctor, Shinji left the room and looked around. He hoped to see Asuka, but the only person he saw was Misato.
"Where's Asuka?"
"I'm not sure, she ran off somewhere"
Shinji began to wonder where to find her. When he started walking, Misato grabbed his hand. He looked at her, not knowing why she was trying to stop him. Misato was the first to speak.
"A group of people are waiting for us in the meeting room"
"I need to find Asuka". Shinji knew he had messed up again, or so he thought. He tried to think of a way to apologize. Misato knew he would try to apologize, but it had little effect before.
"I know you want to apologize. That's nice, but do you know exactly how to do it?"
"I-" she interrupted him by raising her hand. He stopped and looked at her. She looked thoughtful.
"Look, I'm sick of her recent behavior. I'll have to have a serious talk with her later"
"She's only mad at me, I'll take care of it". Shinji didn't like the way she spoke. It sounded like trouble, and he wanted to protect Asuka.
"No Shinji, you tried and failed". Misato seemed unmoved.
"Please, let me handle this" Shinji asked in a pleading voice, grabbing her hand with both hands.
How could she refuse him? She feared he would be hurt trying to. She decided to let it go, at least for now. Still, she wanted to talk to Kaji about it. She took a deep breath.
"Ok Shinji. You have time until the end of the week. I trust you, but please don't get hurt. Now, we have to go"
He smiled and nodded.
Misato sighed. 'I just hope I won't regret it later' she thought, wondering if she was doing the right thing.
Asuka ran down a few hallways and reached the elevator. Panting, she nervously pressed the button to call the elevator. When the elevator doors finally opened, she saw Rei inside.
'Just great, like this day couldn't get any worse'. Asuka wanted to wait until the elevator doors closed and call for another one. To her surprise, Rei blocked the door with her hand. Asuka looked at her, not knowing what to say.
"Should I call for help?" Rei said in her usual emotionless voice.
"No, why would you want to do that?" Rei reaction surprised Asuka.
"You've been running, you're out of breath and you look distressed. Have you been assaulted by someone?"
"What? No! I was just…", Asuka was not sure what to say, "oh never mind".
Looking at the blue-haired girl, she wasn't sure if she wanted to get on the elevator. She decided to go in. How long would it take to change floors anyway? When inside, she just pressed some random button. Looking at the display, it seemed to her that it took forever to change floors. A moment later the doors opened and Rei started to walk out of the elevator. She was stopped by Asuka's voice.
"Did you know about Shinji's injuries?"
Rei turned to see Asuka was standing on the threshold of the elevator, blocking the doors.
"He hurt his hands in the last battle. I do not know how he acquired the bruises on his face" Rei replied in her usual calm voice.
He didn't tell Rei about the bruises. She guessed that, as usual, he didn't want to speak bad about her. One thing she wanted to know was if he told Rei about his hands. Whether he trusted Rei more than he trusted her.
"These bruises are nothing". Asuka didn't want to admit that it was her doing. "Did you know he could lose feeling in his hand?"
"I was unaware". Rei looked surprised.
'So, I'm not the only one he didn't tell' Asuka thought.
"I will meet with him later and ask him how he is doing.". Rei began to walk away.
'What?' Asuka got out of the elevator and started following her. After a few steps, she grabbed Rei arm. Rei turned around.
"Do you need anything pilot Sohryu?"
"I was at the doctor's office with him. His hand is healing nicely, so you have to worry about him". Asuka tried to keep a straight face when she said this. Kaori was her main concern, and she didn't want Rei to join her list. Asuka noticed Rei's look, it was strange, disturbing. It was as if she was analyzing something. She soon found out why, as she asked her a question.
"If he is fine, why do you look distressed?"
Asuka let out a short squeal. Did Rei notice her plan? A plan to keep her away from Shinji. She tried to think of something, but to no avail. time was running out, so she told the truth.
"I'm upset because he hid his condition from me" said Asuka in a hushed voice, trying to hide her embarrassment
"I see. I am glad he is well"
A faint smile appeared on Rei face. It was a shocking sight for Asuka. To her, Rei was an emotionless doll. But there she was, smiling, thinking about Shinji. She immediately thought of making Rei feel resentful towards him.
"Aren't you angry that he didn't tell you?"
Rei face didn't change, only her smile disappeared.
"I have no medical knowledge, I could not have helped him. I do not wish him harm. It would make me feel", Rei paused for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts, "sad. I believe Ikari does not want me to be sad"
Asuka's plan didn't work the way she wanted it to, but it gave her food for thought. Still, Rei was almost emotionless, and it bothered her. But she was probably right that he didn't want to make them sad. He said he didn't want to cause trouble. That was probably why he didn't tell her. Asuka didn't like to admit it, but this time her conversation with Rei was good. Now she felt a little stupid for having exploded on him like that.
"Is this all you wanted to discuss pilot Sohryu?"
Asuka snapped out of her thoughtfulness and quickly replied
"Yes, that's all"
Upon hearing this, Rei turned around and walked away. It was also probably the longest conversation they had. Asuka looked at Rei walking away and one thought drove her crazy
'Did I just have a decent conversation with Wondergirl?'
The meeting room was full of people waiting to see doctor Akagi. She was going to explain yesterday's events. Shinji was sitting in the first chair in front of the screen when the door finally opened. Ritsuko emerged from the doorway. She had spent almost the entire night at the base, and yet her face showed no sign of fatigue. Misato had always wondered what her friend's secret was. Ritsuko stood in front of the screen and got everyone's attention. She looked around the room and asked
"Is everyone here? Can we get started?" There were no protests from the room, just nodding. She looked at Misato and asked "Do you want the full version or the simplified version?" a sly grin appeared on Ritsuko face. She liked to tease Misato.
There was a quiet giggle in the room, which was silenced by Misato's gaze. She answered quickly, avoiding the teasing with her friend.
"Shinji's your main listener, say it so he understands"
Ritsuko gave the folder she was holding to Maya. Ritsuko looked at the boy who was sitting in front of her.
"If you have any questions during my explanation, please feel free to ask". Shinji nodded, so she started. "I'm sorry Shinji for what happened. It was a hardware failure. But to explain this, I need to describe how the neural connection between the pilot and the unit works". She reached into her pocket, but realized that it would be awkward for her to light a cigarette now.
'Damn addiction' was her thought.
"To keep things simple, I'll talk about one side of the connection. This is the mirror image on the other side". She waited for some questions, but there were none, so she continued. "Your brainwaves go to the control seat inside the entry plug. These are then split into two signals. One goes to Eva along with other signals such as joystick movements, triggers, and the other goes back to you"
Now Shinji raised his hand, wanting to ask a question. She gave him the signal to ask a question.
"Why are my brainwaves coming back to me?"
Ritsuko nodded her head in acknowledgement.
"This is an excellent question. I'll answer it in a moment". She drank the rest of the coffee from her mug. "You see, the signal that comes back to you is mixed with the signal from the unit. The human nervous system and the Eva nervous system are slightly different. We cannot send the unit's signal directly to you because your brain would not recognize it. It would be a noise. We use your brain waves as a carrier wave for your brain to recognize them"
Ritsuko paused for a moment so Shinji could digest what she said before continuing. He thought he understood her explanation, but one thought was nagging him.
"I think I understand, but why do I have to feel what Eva feels?"
"I wish more of the people I work with were so inquisitive" said Ritsuko looking in the direction behind Shinji.
Shinji wasn't sure what she meant. He noticed that she was looking at someone in the back of the room. It seemed to him that the quiet conversations he had heard from the back of the room had stopped.
"You see, Eva is both a machine and a living organism. If we just sent commands, Eva would ignore them. That's why the pilot must become part of Eva, synchronize with it. Your brain naturally responds to stimuli. This way, Eva is tricked into thinking the pilot's actions are its own"
'So that's what synchronicity is all about' Shinji thought. He did what he was told, he hadn't given it much thought beforehand. His thoughts were interrupted by Misato's voice.
"You said there was no connection to the Eva during last test" was Misato's next question.
The people in the room nodded their heads at the major's question. Ritsuko was not surprised by her friend's question. She may have been sloppy after hours, but she was a professional at work. Still, she found it amusing that only a few knew Misato's true nature.
"Before the connection can be established, the circuits responsible must be reset. This is where the problem occurred. The pilot brainwave is unstable, so the circuits try to normalize it. If necessary, they strengthen or weaken it. Sometimes they even try to fill in the gaps, though rarely"
After her explanation, Ritsuko pointed her hand at Maya, asking her to continue. The young technician nodded and began to explain.
"During the last battle, when Shinji jumped into the volcano, we intentionally weakened the signal so he wouldn't feel the heat. Unfortunately, one of the circuits failed. When we started the sync test, all circuits tried to negotiate during the reset. This one did reset, but reported that the signal was weak, so the rest boosted it" said Maya and looked at Ritsuko.
"This is exactly the feeling of needles being inserted that you reported". Ritsuko made sure Shinji was looking at her and pointed to the back of his head with her fingers.
"What about the heat I was feeling?" Shinji asked after a moment's thought.
Ritsuko pointed at Shinji's hands.
"You still hadn't recovered from your injuries. This was what you felt, amplified to the point that you couldn't stand"
Misato didn't like the sound of that. Fortunately this happened during the test, but what if there was another angel attack? Such an incident would have ruled out one of the pilots and the one who, despite Asuka's boasts, had beaten them the most.
"The unit is equipped with backup systems, why didn't they work?" was another question asked by Misato.
"They only work if the signal is lost. In our case, the signal was present" answered Maya.
Misato was inconsolable that the redundancy systems proved useless. They hadn't expected something like this and weren't prepared. Not to mention that it was causing pain to her Shinji. She felt terrible for him, more than she would like to admit. She wanted to see if something like this would happen in the future.
"And what measures have you taken to prevent such accidents in the future?"
Ritsuko predicted that Misato would ask something like this. They must be prepared for another attack. Therefore, she worked with some of the team members at night. It was a long night, but it was productive. They were able to solve many problems.
"We agreed to a couple of things. First, we introduced new checklists for the crew to test more things in the unit. Second, we set circuit limits on how much they can amplify the signal. Third, we instructed MAGI to detect such events. And finally, our team is working on an algorithm that will detect something like this and use backup systems". Ritsuko hoped her answer was comprehensive.
Would Misato let Shinji take the test? She knew it would be stressful for him after the last time. She turned to the boy and asked if he was up to the task.
"They want you to participate in another synchronization test. I will understand if you need some time to recover from the last time"
Looking down at his hands, he trembled. The memory of the recent event was still fresh in his mind. He would not want to experience it again. Slightly nervous, he agreed.
"We will monitor everything. If you feel any discomfort, please report it immediately" Maya spoke up trying to reassure him that they would be watching.
Kaji's office
The room was swamped with cardboard boxes. They were stacked on top of each other almost to the ceiling. There were so many of them that the room seemed tiny. Kaji looked like he was searching for something. The door was open so Misato knocked on the doorframe. It caught Kaji attention.
"What's with the mess?" asked Misato.
"Oh this? I'm changing offices. The new one is still being finished, so here's a little storage room". Kaji found what he was looking for. Turning to face Misato, he noticed her concern. "What's up?"
"Kids". She rolled her eyes.
"I'm finally not the one driving you crazy anymore". Chuckling he sat down in his chair.
Misato sighed. Actually, he was right. The kids' behavior caused them to talk to each other more often. He was someone she could complain to.
"When you called me yesterday, you gave the impression that they were getting along now. That he stood up for her" said Kaji.
She leaned against the wall because she didn't have much of a place to sit.
"Asuka is angry with Shinji again. This time for not telling her about his hand. He just didn't want to worry her". It annoyed her most that Asuka didn't appreciate his kindness. "I wanted to have a serious conversation with her, but Shinji begged me to give him a chance to make it up with her"
That made him curious. Misato came to talk to him so he assumed she let Shinji try. That would mean she has no idea how to talk to Asuka.
"I guess you said yes?" She nodded. "And that you didn't know what to say to her?" She nodded again.
"I gave him time until end of the week" She looked resigned.
He rubbed his chin with his fingers. He wondered if he should talk to Shinji, try to hint a solution to his problem with Asuka.
"I'll talk to Shinji"
She didn't have many options at the moment. She hoped something good would come out of it, so she agreed. It was better than her eventual conversation with Asuka.
Pilot's locker room
After changing his clothes, Shinji left the locker room. He wanted to find Asuka. He walked slowly, thinking how he could apologize to her. He stopped for a moment. Suddenly, he heard a voice just behind his back. He was slightly frightened and jumped away. It was Kaji holding a two cans in his hand. He didn't hear Kaji coming.
"Would you like a drink?"
"You scared me". Kaji opened the can and handled it to the boy. "Umm, thanks"
Shinji looked at the man standing before him. He hadn't had much opportunity to talk to him. He knew him mostly from what he had heard. Well, mostly from Asuka, because Misato hadn't spoken too kindly of him until recently.
"How was your sync test?" Kaji asked.
"It was alright this time". Shinji looked at the can he had been given. He wondered why Kaji approached him. He seemed to be reading Shinji's mind.
"That's good. I want to show you something". Kaji raised his hand indicating the direction they were going.
"Umm, I'm looking for Asuka". Shinji wasn't sure why Kaji was smiling at him. He wondered if he had something on his face. But it wasn't his face that brought a smile to Kaji's face, it was his intention to look for Asuka.
"I know where she is". Shinji's eyes lit up. "I'll tell you after I show you something. Please follow me"
After nodding, he followed. They walked down the corridor not too long, arriving at the elevator. It was an elevator that he did not normally use. It didn't lead to the surface, beyond the base. It led to the area above the base, the GeoFront cavern.
When they finally arrived at their destination, Shinji looked at the plants that were growing on the ground.
"Watermelons?"
Before answering the question, Kaji walked over to the watermelons and put on the gloves he had in his pocket.
"Yes, those are my watermelons. I take care of them here, look after them in my spare time". Kaji squatted by the watermelons and began pulling out the small weeds that had appeared since his last visit. He saw Shinji's puzzled look. "If it weren't for your wounds on your hands, I would have asked you for help"
Shinji walked over to the watermelons and started looking at them carefully. He wondered why Kaji was growing them.
"Why do you grow them?"
Without interrupting his weeding, he replied "They help me relax. I enjoy taking care of them. Here no one bothers me, in fact, you are the only person who knows about them"
After a moment's thought, it looked a bit like the chores Shinji was doing in Misato's apartment. Shinji was a little surprised that he was the only one Kaji showed them to.
"Well, I'm a little sentimental. Before the second impact, I was helping my parents in the garden". Kaji sighed as he took off his gloves. "They are proof that someone was here", Kaji paused for a moment, "even when I leave. At least for some time". He allowed himself a weak smile. "But enough about me. Let's talk about you"
"Me?" Shinji wasn't sure what he meant.
"Is there anything you enjoy?"
No answer came to his mind. He wanted to say that he liked to cook, but it was more of a daily routine than something one did for pleasure. He started cooking because the instant food Misato made was inedible. Ritsuko had once even called it a biological weapon. Then he cooked as a thank you that Misato took him in. After a moment's thought, one thought came to him - Asuka. Last angel fight caused them to spend more time with each other. He liked how she helped him and all the little things they did together. He even told her while shopping that he wanted to spend time with her. After he realized how the last thought sounded, he blushed slightly.
"Not really. I like to cook" was Shinji reply. His blush did not escape Kaji's attention.
"You're a good kid Shinji, but I think you should think about yourself sometimes too. You know, it's good to have dreams, to have something to strive for"
The only thing he thought about after arriving in Tokyo was getting closer to his father. Unfortunately, he knew that this was almost impossible. His relationship with his father was too cold. Nevertheless, he sought recognition from his father.
As the boy did not speak, Kaji asked "Why are you looking for Asuka?". Upon hearing the question, Kaji could see the agitation in the boy's eyes.
"I want to apologize to her"
"For what?"
Shinji raised his hand and looked as if he wanted to start enumerating on his fingers. Kaji interrupted him.
"Wait, do you have a list?" The boy nodded as Kaji laughed. "Eh, do you have enough fingers?"
'Do I really annoy her that much?' was his thought. Shinji furrowed his brow hearing the last sentence.
Kaji stopped laughing when he saw the look on Shinji's face. He just wanted to lighten the mood, but apparently the boy was too serious.
"I was just kidding. Don't take it too seriously. Anyway, what's she mad about?" Kaji asked the question even though he knew the answer. At least what he'd heard from Misato. He wasn't sure she knew everything.
"I didn't tell her that I could have lost feeling in my hands"
"I don't think that's a bad thing. I guess you didn't want her to worry?" Kaji pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
"She asked about my hands, and I lied"
With a hand gesture, Kaji asked Shinji if he wanted a smoke. Shinji shook his head and wondered if this was some kind of test.
"Okay, and the next thing?" After asking, Kaji took a cigarette from the pack and lit it.
"Asuka wanted to buy some clothes. In the middle of shopping I fell asleep" he said with embarrassment, to which Kaji laughed.
"Yeah, it would make a lot of girls angry if you fell asleep on a date" Kaji said with a smirk on his face.
"It wasn't a date. She would never go on a date with me". Shinji blushed at this comment.
"You speak from experience?"
"What do you mean?" Shinji looked at the jar that Kaji had just picked up. There were a lot of cigarettes in the jar, so he figured Kaji came here quite often.
"I mean, did you ask her out and she turned you down?" Kaji noticed that the expression on the boy's face had changed.
"No, she would only go on a date with you" Shinji's voice changed slightly.
"Anything else?" was his next question. Kaji wondered if it was a disappointment.
Shinji nodded, though uncertainly.
"She was mad at me before the last battle, but I don't know why"
Kaji knew the reason and wanted to tell him, but Misato asked him not to. She wanted them to solve their own problem. She wasn't sure what they wanted so she didn't want to dictate what they should do.
"How were you going to apologize to her?" Kaji wanted to know what Shinji's plan was.
It was a good question because Shinji wasn't sure. He had a plan for how to apologize for lying, but he didn't know how to get out of the other two situations.
"I think I know how to apologize for lying, but..." he paused as a thought occurred to him. After all, Kaji was her guardian back in Germany, surely he knows her better than anyone. Maybe he'd be able to help him? "I promised to make it up to her, but I don't know how. You were her guardian, can you give me some advice?"
Kaji smiled, but truth be told, he wasn't sure exactly what was on Asuka's mind right now. He agreed with Misato that Shinji and Asuka should solve their own problem. His idea was to have the boy come up with the solution himself. He only planned to give him a hint. Kaji put out his cigarette and dropped the remains into a jar.
"You've lived with her for a while, haven't you noticed what she likes?" was Kaji's first hint.
This proved to be a problem for Shinji. He had seen Asuka watching some drama a few times and that was the end of it. He was more likely to be able to tell what she didn't like. His eyes lit up at that thought. Kaji noticed this and had a questioning look.
"She complains about my food, that she would rather eat something German" said Shinji, but after looking at his hands he added, "but I can't cook German food. And I can't cook with hands like that"
"Do you have to be the one to cook?" Shinji looked at Kaji with questioning eyes. What did Kaji have in mind? "If you're not sure, why not ask her? Ask how you could make it up to her for a shopping mishap"
'All in all, it wouldn't hurt to ask her' was Shinji thought. Kaji may not have given him a direct answer, but he did give him an idea.
"I think I know what to do. Thank you" said Shinji seeming happier.
"Glad I could help. Check out the hangar of unit 02" said Kaji to which Shinji nodded and began to walk away. After taking a few steps, Kaji asked "One more thing. Does Misato smoke?"
Shinji turned around slightly puzzled. "I never saw her smoking"
Kaji smiled as he heard Shinji's reply.
EVA hangar
The hangar was quite large, as it had to accommodate the unit and still have some free space. Next to the unit was a modular platform. It was to allow the technicians easy access. It was modular because it was easier to repair or replace in case the unit damaged the platform. He saw her in the middle. She was standing there, Shinji's roommate. Asuka stood in front of her unit, staring at it. She looked like she was talking to her unit. He approached her slowly, wondering what to say.
"I want to talk to you"
Asuka turned around surprised when she heard Shinji's voice. She hadn't heard him approach her. He stood in front of her, keeping his distance, looking nervous.
'Great, he's scared of me now' she sighed. She wanted to keep an eye on him, but her temper screwed things up again.
"Me too," she said and took a few steps toward Shinji. She looked around to see if they were alone.
"I want to say tha-" Shinji started to speak, but Asuka interrupted him with a wave of her hand.
"I'll start, if you don't mind". Shinji nodded. She took a deep breath. "I apologize for my outburst at the doctor's office". Apologizing was her forte. Asuka always thought she was right, so she didn't have to apologize. In fact, Shinji was the only person she apologized to. And they were sincere apologies. "I'm sorry. I can be too impulsive. I had a moment to think. I know you meant well, so that I wouldn't worry. I see that now, and I appreciate it. I just…" she said and thought for a moment.
As Shinji looked at her he felt like coming up and hugging her. When Misato hugged him, it was a nice feeling. He wondered if it would work on Asuka. He was afraid that if he did something so unexpected, it might have the opposite effect. If he touched her, it would probably end with an argument or a slap. He didn't want that, especially since there were cameras in the room. Shinji was afraid Misato would find out.
"I'm sorry I lied to you Asuka. You looked worried as you helped me. I didn't want to worry you extra. The doctors said there was a very small chance I would lose feeling in my hand". Asuka wasn't annoyed at his apology, and that was a good sign in his eyes.
"What did doctor Tanuma say when I left?" she asked because she was curious if there were any other things she didn't know about.
"That you did an excellent job dressing my hands I have another appointment with the doctor on Monday". He guessed from the expression on Asuka's face that she wanted to ask him the reason for his visit. "Nothing serious. They are supposed to clean the blisters on my hands and assign me new medication"
She nodded in agreement and silence fell between them. After a while Shinji spoke up.
"I promised I'd make it up to you for the shopping mishap. I don't have anything planned for tomorrow. Is there anything you'd like to do or get? Or do you want to go somewhere?" Shinji asked.
'Is he asking me out?' she though. A slight blush appeared on her cheeks, unnoticed by Shinji. "Well, before the trip I had planned that Hikari and I would go to an amusement park"
Shinji was pleased to hear that. Kaji had the right idea to ask her. All that remained was to ask if she would like to go with him.
"Would you like to go there with me tomorrow?" After he said it, he realized that it sounded like he was asking her out. At this point he doubted she would agree.
"I would like that" Asuka replied simply to his surprise. "So, are we going to get Misato to drive us home?"
Shinji nodded and they started walking together to the exit. He wanted to say one more thing. Before they left the hangar, he stopped.
"I have a request," Asuka turned and looked questioningly at Shinji, "if you want to get angry or yell at me in the future, don't do it in front of Misato. Please"
Asuka protested. "Why would I yell at you? Is there something you haven't told me?" She had a serious look on her face when she said that.
"No! It's just that..." he muttered. He wasn't sure what to answer her.
Asuka looked at him and began to wonder if this had something to do with her conversation with Misato this morning. Misato wanted to talk to her, but because of Shinji, she let it go.
"Did she say anything?"
"Misato's annoyed with your behavior. She wanted to have a serious talk with you. I asked her not to do that and she agreed for the last time." Shinji didn't want to tell Asuka this, but he had to warn her. He didn't know why, but the tone in which Misato told him this bothered him.
'What does he mean by serious conversation?' Asuka widened her eyes. 'Was she going to make me move out?' This disturbed her. She wondered what she would do in such a case. Asuka comforted herself with the fact that this was the second time Shinji had stood up for her. She began to tell herself that she needed to be more careful.
"Thanks for the warning"
Notes:
Well, another chapter behind me. I changed the style a bit, I don't know if it will work out for the best or not. I have a feeling that some sentences are a bit too descriptive now.
I'm not convinced about a few scenes. Once again, I'm struggling with the problem that I want to describe a situation, but I don't quite know how to get there.
I wanted to describe the accident from the previous chapter, but in a way that described how the connection to the unit works. I wanted to compare it a bit to radio waves. The description is very simplistic. I don't know if such a description makes sense at all, but I like the idea.
I have a rough idea for chapter 9, 10, and 12. Chapter 11 is a mystery to me for now. It becomes troublesome when the writing drags on. Sometimes I have to check the previous chapters because I just can't remember what happened in them. Because of this, some statements/thoughts may be repeated.
Thanks skyf0x for pointing out another mistake. In the last chapter, Asuka called herself invincible. That's Shinji nickname. There are few more issues I've seen. Rei called Shinji by his name. I also used honorifics in a few places, though I chose not to use them at all.
Thanks calborghete, spartanman2, kucukeniste, SheriffJohnStone for reviews!
DDV - thanks for the review. I understand your point about being second. I was thinking more along the lines that she doesn't so much want to be second, but better. That that was her plan in the beginning, but over time she struggles with the idea that it's about something else.
At least that was the assumption at the beginning, but over the course of the writing that changed. I didn't think I would write more than 4 chapters. I'm not going to create more confusion by adding another love interest.
I know that the behavior of some of the characters in my story is strange. Several people have pointed this out. Having a general outline of the situation, I don't always know how to write it. It ends up being a strange situation or behavior, unfortunately.
skyf0x - as always, thanks for the review. Your analysis is quite extensive and insightful. I don't quite know what to answer. It gave me a lot to think about.
The scene when Shinji sits in the plugsuit and Kaori helps him was just to create tension. I know it's a stupid way to do it, but I wasn't sure how else to do it. The medical staff didn't remove the plugsuit because with the injury to his hands there was no point. This scene doesn't deviate in weirdness from what you see in anime today. I know it's an excuse, but it's a story based on anime.
Do they have a constant connection? I assumed they didn't have a permanent connection. I probably should have mentioned that in the chapter. When testing, they look focused, like they're asleep. In episode 14 Asuka hears Shinji, but it looks more like a bridge connection to all the units. When Asuka wanted to say something to Shinji, she gave him a direct video call.
The biggest problem was probably that I was in a hurry. I wanted to publish the chapter before the vacations. It seemed to me that the longer I work on a chapter, the worse it gets.
The problem I have with Kaori is that I originally didn't plan to include her in the story at all. She was only going to be mentioned and that was it.