Poster's Notes: Okay I just foun Chapter 2 of this. It divulges a little from
the first story but I still like it. Post some R let me know what you think.
If its popular I may try to continue this alternate timeline on my own in later
chapters..
Author's Notes:
This is the second chapter of my as yet untitled Eva story. The first
chapter is "Misato's Christmas Party". If you have questions about
what has gone before, check the RAAC archive at:
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Evangelion/eva.misatos
-chirstmas-party.gz
or just email me at spardue@zebra.net, say the magic word, and I'll be
glad to forward a copy to you.
C&C is welcome and appreciated.
Other uninteresting author comments at the end of the story.
A word of warning: I did not mark this story lime, but the word "sex"
is used at least once and there is some fairly obvious hinting going
on, but pretty tame stuff compared to what I ususally see labeled lime.
Use caution if you are offended by this type of stuff.
As always, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Gianax, etc...
The Day After Misatos Christmas Party
======================================
Misato stood beside Maya at the console. Before the two women a
large window overlooking the eva cages allowed them to view the
proceedings below. Technicians in orange jumpsuits scrambled across
the three giant robots, connecting external sensors and verifying that
the evas were ready for the upcoming tests. On platforms high above
the floor other technicians were busy preparing the entry plugs for
insertion. Soon all of the preparations were completed and the workers
began to clear the area.
Ritsuko entered the control room and approached Misato and
Maya. "So, are we ready?"
Maya looked up at her mentor and nodded. "Yes Ma'am. Section
J just reported all sensors placed and the gantry cleared. We have
telemetry from all monitoring stations and the board is green."
Ritsuko looked at Misato. She was a little surprised that Misato
had made it in at all this morning. She had expected her to still be
passed out from the party the previous night. "What about the pilots?"
Misato rubbed her hands across her face and grimaced. "Shinji
and Asuka are in the lockers. Rei's already on her way up." Misato
looked at Ritsuko and smirked. "Shinji and Asuka had a little blowup
this morning, you might want to watch out during the tests."
"Just wonderful. You do realize that these tests are very
important? Shinji usually manages to stay calm, but if Asuka loses her
temper we might not get any usable data on her today." Ritsuko
frowned as she spoke, trying to decide if she should reschedule the
test. It was expensive to set up and run the full mobility
synchronization suite, but they needed real-life performance data
outside of battle to be able to extrapolate realistic figures from the
laboratory trials. And the Commander had been very insistent about
sticking to the time table. Delaying the tests would severely
compromise the schedule, not to mention the attendant apologies and
reports which she would have to make. "I guess it doesn't matter.
We'll just make the most of it. What set the two of them off this time?"
Misato smirked. "I'm not completely sure, but I think it might
have been Rei kissing Shinji at the party."
Maya and Ritsuko smiled.
-*-
Asuka scowled as she pulled her plugsuit up over her shoulders.
She had been scowling all morning. She hadn't slept well at all last
night. And it was that idiot Shinji's fault.
First he had kissed Rei.
Then he had embarrassed her in front of Hikari. He really
shouldn't have made her say the things he made her say last night.
Then...ooohhh... Rei... the... the... witch!
Asuka hated Japanese houses. Those damn walls didn't stop noise
at all! At least 'Wonder Girl' was gone by the time she had left her
room. She couldn't have made it through breakfast otherwise. And
what did Shinji think he was doing with that goofy grin on his face
all morning?
The eva pilot slammed her locker shut and pressed the switch on
her right wrist to seal her plugsuit.
-*-
Shinji was in the process of sealing his plugsuit as well. When he
heard the sound of Asuka's suit contracting he looked up at the
partition. He sighed. If Asuka kept up like she was, Misato or Dr.
Akagi would know something had happened.
He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with the idea of last night
becoming common knowledge. Shinji knew he would never hear the
end of it from anyone, from his father all the way down to Touji and
Kensuke.
Shinji was pretty sure that he and Rei had crossed some line last
night. Things couldn't go back to the way they were.
He was also pretty sure that he could live with that. He was
certain he couldn't live without it.
He leaned his head back and gazed at the ceiling.
"Wow..." he murmured, as he relived the experience again.
Unfortunately for Shinji, that was how Asuka found him fifteen
minutes later.
-*-
The elevator ride was quickly becoming the longest and most
painful of Shinji's life. Asuka stood facing him. Normally Shinji
didn't rate Asuka's attention, but today, he was on the receiving end
of it all.
It was more than a little unnerving.
Asuka, for her part, let her anger boil. She didn't care about
Shinji(jerk) or the 'Wonder Girl'(witch). She didn't even care what
Misato(tease) or Kaji(bastard) or Touji(jock) or Kensuke(geek) or
Hikari(traitor) or Commander Ikari(devil) or...
Shinji watched in amazement as Asuka appeared to get even
angrier than she had been before. And he hadn't said a word -- hadn't
even moved -- since he'd entered the elevator!
"A-Asuka? Whats--"
Asuka exploded in Shinji's face. "You pervert! What did you
*do* last night?"
Shinji's face began to turn red. He nervously took a step back.
"Wh-what do you mean--"
"What do I mean? What do you mean, what do I mean?! I know
*she* was there!" Asuka backed Shinji into a corner and grabbed as
much of his plugsuit as she could grip in her fists. As she spoke she
slammed Shinji against the side of the elevator for emphasis.
"You two kept me up all night! Do you know how thin those
damn Japanese walls are? How could you? Why?"
Asuka slammed Shinji against the wall again.
"Why did you do it?"
Again the wall.
"Why her?"
A chime sounded as the door slid open.
"Why her, damn it?"
Asuka pulled Shinji forward and was about to smash him against
the wall again when a hand grabbed hr wrist.
Asuka turned and saw Rei, dressed in her plugsuit, gripping her
wrist and preventing her from venting her rage.
"What the hell do you want?" Asuka struggled against Rei's grip.
Rei released Asuka's wrist. Asuka dropped Shinji, grabbed her
hair with both hands and pulled, screaming in frustration. She shoved
past Rei and stalked down the platform towards her entry plug. Rei
and Shinji watched her go.
"Thanks, Rei. I don't think she was going to stop."
Rei turned back to Shinji and smiled. It was enough to make
Shinji's heart stop and his knees quiver, even though most people
wouldn't even recognize that she had changed her expression.
"R-Rei. About last night. I..."
Rei put one finger on his lips, and took his hand into her's. Her
smile soothed his mind until he was once again at peace. Gently she
pulled him out of the elevator.
-*-
The three evas bounded across the barren landscape, performing
the maneuvers specified by Ritsuko. The blue and purple evas seemed
to be dancing to a ballet, their movements smooth and graceful,
economical and powerful -- and perfectly coordinated.
The red eva tripped over a powerline and fell on two substations,
cutting off power to a quarter of Tokyo-3 for the better part of two
days.
-*-
"Damn it!"
Ritsuko slammed her clipboard down on the desk.
"These numbers won't do us any good at all. All three pilots
performed so far outside expected parameters that the test was
meaningless. We'll have to retest them all in the lab before we can
even see if these numbers mean anything, much less whether we have
to rerun the entire series."
Misato shrugged noncommittally.
Maya was furiously punching her keyboard, manipulating the
graphs on the screen before her.
"Dr. Akagi, look at this." Maya pointed to one of the graphs.
"Rei and Shinji both improved on their best scores by more than
15%!" She punched another key, superimposing Rei and Shinji's
graphs. "And look, for the duration of the run they never varied from
each other's synch ratio by more than 2.3%. That's 3.6 better than
Shinji and Asuka managed for their synchronized attack."
Ritsuko and Misato both leaned over Maya and examined the
graph. Ritsuko punched several keys, bringing up reference points and
data for comparison. "What could account for this?"
Shooting a glance sideways, Ritsuko saw Misato staring at the
ceiling, obviously trying to avoid eye contact. "Maya, go down to the
control room and get the staff working on Asuka's data. I'll decide
what to do about the other two pilots."
"Yes ma'am." Maya left the room.
"All right, Misato. Out with it."
"What do you mean 'out with it'?"
"I mean, tell me what your trying so desperately to hide."
Misato gave Ritsuko a haughty look. "I'm sure *I* don't know
what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on! I've known you too long for you to pull this on
me."
"Okay, okay. But you've got to keep this quiet."
"So, tell me already."
"Last night..."
Ritsuko started tapping her foot. "Yes, yes?"
"...Rei might have stayed over."
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
Misato looked at her friend with embarrassment. "You know?
*Stayed Over*?"
"Oh. Oh! No! You don't mean..." Now Ritsuko looked at her
friend with disgust. "You have got to be kidding me. They're only
fourteen."
"Yeah, well, are you telling me that fourteen isn't old enough to
get the itch?"
"No. I'm telling you I'm having a hard time seeing Rei doing
something like that."
"Granted. I have a hard time seeing Shinji staying conscious for
it myself. But the facts add up."
"What 'facts'? Oh god -- tell me you didn't tape them?"
"Eh, no. But... the kiss last night..."
Ritsuko nodded. "Mmm-hmmm..."
"Then this morning, Shinji came out of the bath..."
"Ooooh - suspicious behavior."
"Shut up or you're not going to hear the rest!"
"All right, go on."
"Well, Shinji came out, I went in, and then..."
"And then?"
"I might have talked to Rei in the bath."
Ritsuko stared at Misato. "What do you mean?"
"I was, eh, pretty hung over."
"No kidding."
"Yeah, and I was kinda drinking a beer this morning, you see?"
"Quite. I'm surprised you had any alcohol left in the apartment."
"Eh, yeah. Anyway, this blurry form asked me if I was okay and
then I screamed, and -- hey! Stop laughing or I'm leaving right now!"
Ritsuko fell out of her chair, but kept laughing anyway. "B-blurry
form?"
Misato stormed out the exit. "All right, that's it. I'm out of
here."
-*-
Rei floated, her body buoyed by the golden fluid within the
cylinder. Above Rei, the cylinder disappeared into a giant mass of
tubing and brightly flashing lights. Rei's eyes were shut. She could
feel the gentle probings in her mind. They were calling to her again. It
was time. Opening her eyes slightly wider, she scanned the room one last
time before she shut her eyes completely and let herself slip into
their embrace.
Rei, kissing Shinji.
-I am One with Shinji.-
*Yes. We are One with Shinji.*
Asuka, holding Shinji against the elevator.
*The Second Child.*
-She desires Shinji.-
Rei, holding Asuka's fist.
-She is not One with Shinji.-
Eva-02, running.
*She is One with Eva.*
Eva-01, charging an angel.
*Shinji is One with Eva.*
Eva-00, standing in its gantry.
*You are One with Eva.*
An entry plug, suspended in a darkened room.
*We are One with Eva.*
An image of the second impact.
*All will be One.*
Rei could hear someone talking, their voice distorted by the thick
liquid. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Commander Ikari
watching her. Dr. Akagi stood behind him, eyes narrowed, watching
him watch her. As they spoke, she smiled at them. 'Yes,' she thought.
'All will be One.'
-*-
Ritsuko walked into the chamber briskly, barely keeping her
anger under control. He was with *her*. Again.
"Yes Doctor?"
"I think we have a situation, Commander." Ritsuko tried to keep
her emotions from showing in her voice.
"Does this concern Rei and Shinji's performance today?"
"Yes. It seems likely that. . . Rei and Shinji have. . . carried
their relationship beyond... well, to the next level." Rei, floating in the
column of LCL, seemed to smile at Ritsuko as she spoke. It was
unnerving.
Commander Ikari turned to look at her, and smirked. "There is
no need to be so circumspect with me. You are saying that they have
had sex."
"I believe so, sir."
"We never anticipated this situation. I'm worried about Rei's
continued performance of her. . . additional duties if she is
romantically involved."
"That is a problem, sir."
"But it would also be a problem to separate them at this point."
The Commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Separating them could
cause as many problems as letting them continue. We cannot afford to
lose Rei at this juncture. Can we use the results from today?"
"Yes sir. But we're going to have to run another series of
synchronization tests on Shinji and Rei. Their performance today
destroyed our model." Ritsuko looked at the girl, who was still
smiling at her.
The Commander nodded. "I understand. We would have had to
run the tests again soon anyway. Proceed."
". . ."
"There is something else?"
"Well, sir, Rei and Shinji, they are only fourteen, and given Rei's
genes, isn't it a little. . ."
"I didn't think you were so squeamish, Doctor." The Commander
directed a piercing gaze at her. "You certainly never seem so
concerned with niceties when you are with me." He paused to watch
her blush. "In any case, their performance increase will more than
justify allowing the relationship to continue. Does anyone else know?"
"Major Katsuragi, probably Asuka as well."
"Very well. Try to keep this quiet. No need to incur additional
risks."
"Yes sir."
"And Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Add a contraceptive to Rei's prescriptions. Don't let her know."
"Yes sir."
As Ritsuko was exiting the chamber, he spoke again.
"Ritsuko."
She paused, but did not turn to look at him. Instead she stared
straight ahead.
"I'll expect you tonight, at the usual time."
"Yes sir."
-*-
Asuka lay on her bed. She wore a loose fitting T-shirt, which
didn't quite reach her waist, and a pair of skin tight exercise pants
which came down to mid-calf.. Her legs were crossed at the knees and
she idly kicked her legs as she waited for the sound of the door
opening.
Shinji thought he could get away with this betrayal, did he? Well,
she'd show him. She had even kissed the jerk, and what did he do in
return? Run off with Rei, the tramp. She'd get hers too. But
tonight... tonight was Shinji's turn. She could not tolerate anybody taking
something that was hers. Finally, she heard the door open, and then
the footsteps of someone walking up the hallway.
"Hello? Are you here Misato? Asuka?" Shinji's voice could be
heard from the other room. Asuka stood up and brushed her shirt to straighten
it. Looking in the mirror, she arranged her hair so that it was just so. She stood
running her finger along the neck of the T-shirt, staring at her
reflection intently. Slowly she pulled and worked at the neck until it
slipped halfway across one shoulder. She leaned forward, examining
her image carefully, checking to make sure that she showed enough to
catch Shinji's eye but not enough to give the jerk the wrong idea
about her.
Finally she smiled. The corners of her mouth slowly pulled back
to reveal her gleaming teeth. The effect, however was ruined by the
tick in her right eye and the fact that the smile kept slipping into a
smirk. After a minute or so of practice she gave up, steeled herself,
and left her room.
Asuka could hear noises coming from the kitchen. It sounded like
someone putting away groceries. She walked to the kitchen door,
making sure her saunter showed her body to maximum effect. At the
door, she leaned casually against the frame, watching Shinji nosing
around in the refrigerator. He was kneeling in front of it, moving
things around inside. Asuka leaned forward, quickly looking down to
double check her exposure before she cleared her throat.
When he heard Asuka clear her throat, Shinji turned away from
the refrigerator to see who it was. He was surprised to find Asuka's
face not six inches from his head. Her chin was about level with his
forehead, but her eyes were watching Shinji's face intently. Because
of this, Asuka saw all of his reactions.
His first reaction was to look away from her gaze. Unfortunately,
in their current position this meant Shinji was now looking straight
down her shirt. From her position, Asuka could see his gaze moving
away from her eyes, down her face, across her throat and then. . .
bingo! She couldn't quite suppress a chuckle. She reached out with one
hand and lifted his chin with one finger, so that he was looking into
her eyes again.
"Shinji. . . I'm bored." Asuka used her other hand to grab a fistful
of Shinji's shirt and lift him to his feet. He could barely support
himself, and was forced to lean against the wall to keep from falling
to the floor. Asuka pulled Shinji towards her, leaning in toward him.
Let's see Rei compete with this, she thought, and smirked.
Just as her lips were about to reach Shinji's, the doorbell rang.
Shinji squirmed out of her grasp and ran for the door. Asuka followed
him and leaned against the entrance to the hall, smirk still plastered
across her face.
Shinji opened the door to reveal Rei. Asuka noted she still wore
her school uniform. As Shinji got his jacket and walked out the door,
Ayanami stared at Asuka, her face expressionless. Asuka met her
gaze, her smirk growing into a broad smile, stretching across the
width of her face. 'Have your fun while you can, First Child', she
thought. Asuka turned and returned to her room, plotting her next
attempt at conquest.
-*- [1]
Misato was relaxing in her room. It had been a very boring night.
Without Shinji around to tease, and with Asuka locked in her room,
there had just been no one to play with, except Pen-pen, who refused
to come out of his refrigerator.
She heard the sound of the apartment door opening, followed by
the sound of people in the kitchen. Misato crawled across the floor to
the door. There she carefully slid it open enough to see the kitchen.
The sound of Shinji's voice could be heard, although it was too low to
make out what he was saying. Another voice, Rei's, responded.
The light in the kitchen went out, and Misato smiled as she saw
that the first person to come into view was Rei. She carefully slid
the door shut and lay in wait for her entertainment.
She heard the sound of Rei going down the hall, followed by the
door to Shinjis room opening. Then she heard Shinjis careful
footsteps. Misato smiled and perched on the bed, beer in hand. When
the footsteps drew even with her door, she pounced.
"Shinji?"
There was a moments hesitation before he answered. "Yes?"
He sounded nervous.
"Come in here a minute."
Shinji's slippered feet padded up to her door, which slid open a
few inches before he paused, hesitant to enter.
"It's all right. I'm decent." Misato sighed, and swigged her beer.
'Will he ever let me live that one teensy little mix-up down?' she
asked herself.
Shinji walked in, after peeking nervously around the door.
"Shinji. . ." Misato grimaced while she gathered her thoughts,
and leaned back against the wall. She took a deep breath. "Shinji,
that wasnt Rei I just saw, was it?"
"Er. . . ah. . . um. . ." That, coupled with the blush that
blossomed on his face, was all she needed for an answer.
"Shinji. . ." Misato sighed. "Shinji. . . just be careful." She
waited for the stumbling denials that she was sure would come, but
didn't.
"Shinji. . . you can go now."
Shinji turned to face the door.
"Treat her right, O.K.?" She grinned at him.
He left quickly, his blush beginning to look permanent.
'Now,' She thought, 'the 64,000,000 yen question: who started it
off?' She shook her head. Some things were too weird to think about.
On one beer, anyway.
======================
[1] This portion was provided to me by CMHARRIS@glam.ac.uk, I
have modified his original copy to fit into the story. Thanks, guy.
======================
Well, heres another chapter, for what good it does. Im not sure that
2-3 chapters a year a story makes, but real life intrudes far too
frequently for me to write the way I would like to.
I think this one has some problems, especially in Asukas
characterization. Im also trying to start hinting at a darker (but not
evil) side to Rei, although I think it may be a little too light. I
hope
ya'llcan help me smooth the problems out. Let me know what you think.
P.S: I know the title sucks, but I promise that the next one will not
be titled "The Day Following The Day After Misatos Christmas Party".
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Steve Pardue
spardue@zebra.net
the first story but I still like it. Post some R let me know what you think.
If its popular I may try to continue this alternate timeline on my own in later
chapters..
Author's Notes:
This is the second chapter of my as yet untitled Eva story. The first
chapter is "Misato's Christmas Party". If you have questions about
what has gone before, check the RAAC archive at:
ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Evangelion/eva.misatos
-chirstmas-party.gz
or just email me at spardue@zebra.net, say the magic word, and I'll be
glad to forward a copy to you.
C&C is welcome and appreciated.
Other uninteresting author comments at the end of the story.
A word of warning: I did not mark this story lime, but the word "sex"
is used at least once and there is some fairly obvious hinting going
on, but pretty tame stuff compared to what I ususally see labeled lime.
Use caution if you are offended by this type of stuff.
As always, Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Gianax, etc...
The Day After Misatos Christmas Party
======================================
Misato stood beside Maya at the console. Before the two women a
large window overlooking the eva cages allowed them to view the
proceedings below. Technicians in orange jumpsuits scrambled across
the three giant robots, connecting external sensors and verifying that
the evas were ready for the upcoming tests. On platforms high above
the floor other technicians were busy preparing the entry plugs for
insertion. Soon all of the preparations were completed and the workers
began to clear the area.
Ritsuko entered the control room and approached Misato and
Maya. "So, are we ready?"
Maya looked up at her mentor and nodded. "Yes Ma'am. Section
J just reported all sensors placed and the gantry cleared. We have
telemetry from all monitoring stations and the board is green."
Ritsuko looked at Misato. She was a little surprised that Misato
had made it in at all this morning. She had expected her to still be
passed out from the party the previous night. "What about the pilots?"
Misato rubbed her hands across her face and grimaced. "Shinji
and Asuka are in the lockers. Rei's already on her way up." Misato
looked at Ritsuko and smirked. "Shinji and Asuka had a little blowup
this morning, you might want to watch out during the tests."
"Just wonderful. You do realize that these tests are very
important? Shinji usually manages to stay calm, but if Asuka loses her
temper we might not get any usable data on her today." Ritsuko
frowned as she spoke, trying to decide if she should reschedule the
test. It was expensive to set up and run the full mobility
synchronization suite, but they needed real-life performance data
outside of battle to be able to extrapolate realistic figures from the
laboratory trials. And the Commander had been very insistent about
sticking to the time table. Delaying the tests would severely
compromise the schedule, not to mention the attendant apologies and
reports which she would have to make. "I guess it doesn't matter.
We'll just make the most of it. What set the two of them off this time?"
Misato smirked. "I'm not completely sure, but I think it might
have been Rei kissing Shinji at the party."
Maya and Ritsuko smiled.
-*-
Asuka scowled as she pulled her plugsuit up over her shoulders.
She had been scowling all morning. She hadn't slept well at all last
night. And it was that idiot Shinji's fault.
First he had kissed Rei.
Then he had embarrassed her in front of Hikari. He really
shouldn't have made her say the things he made her say last night.
Then...ooohhh... Rei... the... the... witch!
Asuka hated Japanese houses. Those damn walls didn't stop noise
at all! At least 'Wonder Girl' was gone by the time she had left her
room. She couldn't have made it through breakfast otherwise. And
what did Shinji think he was doing with that goofy grin on his face
all morning?
The eva pilot slammed her locker shut and pressed the switch on
her right wrist to seal her plugsuit.
-*-
Shinji was in the process of sealing his plugsuit as well. When he
heard the sound of Asuka's suit contracting he looked up at the
partition. He sighed. If Asuka kept up like she was, Misato or Dr.
Akagi would know something had happened.
He wasn't sure if he was comfortable with the idea of last night
becoming common knowledge. Shinji knew he would never hear the
end of it from anyone, from his father all the way down to Touji and
Kensuke.
Shinji was pretty sure that he and Rei had crossed some line last
night. Things couldn't go back to the way they were.
He was also pretty sure that he could live with that. He was
certain he couldn't live without it.
He leaned his head back and gazed at the ceiling.
"Wow..." he murmured, as he relived the experience again.
Unfortunately for Shinji, that was how Asuka found him fifteen
minutes later.
-*-
The elevator ride was quickly becoming the longest and most
painful of Shinji's life. Asuka stood facing him. Normally Shinji
didn't rate Asuka's attention, but today, he was on the receiving end
of it all.
It was more than a little unnerving.
Asuka, for her part, let her anger boil. She didn't care about
Shinji(jerk) or the 'Wonder Girl'(witch). She didn't even care what
Misato(tease) or Kaji(bastard) or Touji(jock) or Kensuke(geek) or
Hikari(traitor) or Commander Ikari(devil) or...
Shinji watched in amazement as Asuka appeared to get even
angrier than she had been before. And he hadn't said a word -- hadn't
even moved -- since he'd entered the elevator!
"A-Asuka? Whats--"
Asuka exploded in Shinji's face. "You pervert! What did you
*do* last night?"
Shinji's face began to turn red. He nervously took a step back.
"Wh-what do you mean--"
"What do I mean? What do you mean, what do I mean?! I know
*she* was there!" Asuka backed Shinji into a corner and grabbed as
much of his plugsuit as she could grip in her fists. As she spoke she
slammed Shinji against the side of the elevator for emphasis.
"You two kept me up all night! Do you know how thin those
damn Japanese walls are? How could you? Why?"
Asuka slammed Shinji against the wall again.
"Why did you do it?"
Again the wall.
"Why her?"
A chime sounded as the door slid open.
"Why her, damn it?"
Asuka pulled Shinji forward and was about to smash him against
the wall again when a hand grabbed hr wrist.
Asuka turned and saw Rei, dressed in her plugsuit, gripping her
wrist and preventing her from venting her rage.
"What the hell do you want?" Asuka struggled against Rei's grip.
Rei released Asuka's wrist. Asuka dropped Shinji, grabbed her
hair with both hands and pulled, screaming in frustration. She shoved
past Rei and stalked down the platform towards her entry plug. Rei
and Shinji watched her go.
"Thanks, Rei. I don't think she was going to stop."
Rei turned back to Shinji and smiled. It was enough to make
Shinji's heart stop and his knees quiver, even though most people
wouldn't even recognize that she had changed her expression.
"R-Rei. About last night. I..."
Rei put one finger on his lips, and took his hand into her's. Her
smile soothed his mind until he was once again at peace. Gently she
pulled him out of the elevator.
-*-
The three evas bounded across the barren landscape, performing
the maneuvers specified by Ritsuko. The blue and purple evas seemed
to be dancing to a ballet, their movements smooth and graceful,
economical and powerful -- and perfectly coordinated.
The red eva tripped over a powerline and fell on two substations,
cutting off power to a quarter of Tokyo-3 for the better part of two
days.
-*-
"Damn it!"
Ritsuko slammed her clipboard down on the desk.
"These numbers won't do us any good at all. All three pilots
performed so far outside expected parameters that the test was
meaningless. We'll have to retest them all in the lab before we can
even see if these numbers mean anything, much less whether we have
to rerun the entire series."
Misato shrugged noncommittally.
Maya was furiously punching her keyboard, manipulating the
graphs on the screen before her.
"Dr. Akagi, look at this." Maya pointed to one of the graphs.
"Rei and Shinji both improved on their best scores by more than
15%!" She punched another key, superimposing Rei and Shinji's
graphs. "And look, for the duration of the run they never varied from
each other's synch ratio by more than 2.3%. That's 3.6 better than
Shinji and Asuka managed for their synchronized attack."
Ritsuko and Misato both leaned over Maya and examined the
graph. Ritsuko punched several keys, bringing up reference points and
data for comparison. "What could account for this?"
Shooting a glance sideways, Ritsuko saw Misato staring at the
ceiling, obviously trying to avoid eye contact. "Maya, go down to the
control room and get the staff working on Asuka's data. I'll decide
what to do about the other two pilots."
"Yes ma'am." Maya left the room.
"All right, Misato. Out with it."
"What do you mean 'out with it'?"
"I mean, tell me what your trying so desperately to hide."
Misato gave Ritsuko a haughty look. "I'm sure *I* don't know
what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on! I've known you too long for you to pull this on
me."
"Okay, okay. But you've got to keep this quiet."
"So, tell me already."
"Last night..."
Ritsuko started tapping her foot. "Yes, yes?"
"...Rei might have stayed over."
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
Misato looked at her friend with embarrassment. "You know?
*Stayed Over*?"
"Oh. Oh! No! You don't mean..." Now Ritsuko looked at her
friend with disgust. "You have got to be kidding me. They're only
fourteen."
"Yeah, well, are you telling me that fourteen isn't old enough to
get the itch?"
"No. I'm telling you I'm having a hard time seeing Rei doing
something like that."
"Granted. I have a hard time seeing Shinji staying conscious for
it myself. But the facts add up."
"What 'facts'? Oh god -- tell me you didn't tape them?"
"Eh, no. But... the kiss last night..."
Ritsuko nodded. "Mmm-hmmm..."
"Then this morning, Shinji came out of the bath..."
"Ooooh - suspicious behavior."
"Shut up or you're not going to hear the rest!"
"All right, go on."
"Well, Shinji came out, I went in, and then..."
"And then?"
"I might have talked to Rei in the bath."
Ritsuko stared at Misato. "What do you mean?"
"I was, eh, pretty hung over."
"No kidding."
"Yeah, and I was kinda drinking a beer this morning, you see?"
"Quite. I'm surprised you had any alcohol left in the apartment."
"Eh, yeah. Anyway, this blurry form asked me if I was okay and
then I screamed, and -- hey! Stop laughing or I'm leaving right now!"
Ritsuko fell out of her chair, but kept laughing anyway. "B-blurry
form?"
Misato stormed out the exit. "All right, that's it. I'm out of
here."
-*-
Rei floated, her body buoyed by the golden fluid within the
cylinder. Above Rei, the cylinder disappeared into a giant mass of
tubing and brightly flashing lights. Rei's eyes were shut. She could
feel the gentle probings in her mind. They were calling to her again. It
was time. Opening her eyes slightly wider, she scanned the room one last
time before she shut her eyes completely and let herself slip into
their embrace.
Rei, kissing Shinji.
-I am One with Shinji.-
*Yes. We are One with Shinji.*
Asuka, holding Shinji against the elevator.
*The Second Child.*
-She desires Shinji.-
Rei, holding Asuka's fist.
-She is not One with Shinji.-
Eva-02, running.
*She is One with Eva.*
Eva-01, charging an angel.
*Shinji is One with Eva.*
Eva-00, standing in its gantry.
*You are One with Eva.*
An entry plug, suspended in a darkened room.
*We are One with Eva.*
An image of the second impact.
*All will be One.*
Rei could hear someone talking, their voice distorted by the thick
liquid. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Commander Ikari
watching her. Dr. Akagi stood behind him, eyes narrowed, watching
him watch her. As they spoke, she smiled at them. 'Yes,' she thought.
'All will be One.'
-*-
Ritsuko walked into the chamber briskly, barely keeping her
anger under control. He was with *her*. Again.
"Yes Doctor?"
"I think we have a situation, Commander." Ritsuko tried to keep
her emotions from showing in her voice.
"Does this concern Rei and Shinji's performance today?"
"Yes. It seems likely that. . . Rei and Shinji have. . . carried
their relationship beyond... well, to the next level." Rei, floating in the
column of LCL, seemed to smile at Ritsuko as she spoke. It was
unnerving.
Commander Ikari turned to look at her, and smirked. "There is
no need to be so circumspect with me. You are saying that they have
had sex."
"I believe so, sir."
"We never anticipated this situation. I'm worried about Rei's
continued performance of her. . . additional duties if she is
romantically involved."
"That is a problem, sir."
"But it would also be a problem to separate them at this point."
The Commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Separating them could
cause as many problems as letting them continue. We cannot afford to
lose Rei at this juncture. Can we use the results from today?"
"Yes sir. But we're going to have to run another series of
synchronization tests on Shinji and Rei. Their performance today
destroyed our model." Ritsuko looked at the girl, who was still
smiling at her.
The Commander nodded. "I understand. We would have had to
run the tests again soon anyway. Proceed."
". . ."
"There is something else?"
"Well, sir, Rei and Shinji, they are only fourteen, and given Rei's
genes, isn't it a little. . ."
"I didn't think you were so squeamish, Doctor." The Commander
directed a piercing gaze at her. "You certainly never seem so
concerned with niceties when you are with me." He paused to watch
her blush. "In any case, their performance increase will more than
justify allowing the relationship to continue. Does anyone else know?"
"Major Katsuragi, probably Asuka as well."
"Very well. Try to keep this quiet. No need to incur additional
risks."
"Yes sir."
"And Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Add a contraceptive to Rei's prescriptions. Don't let her know."
"Yes sir."
As Ritsuko was exiting the chamber, he spoke again.
"Ritsuko."
She paused, but did not turn to look at him. Instead she stared
straight ahead.
"I'll expect you tonight, at the usual time."
"Yes sir."
-*-
Asuka lay on her bed. She wore a loose fitting T-shirt, which
didn't quite reach her waist, and a pair of skin tight exercise pants
which came down to mid-calf.. Her legs were crossed at the knees and
she idly kicked her legs as she waited for the sound of the door
opening.
Shinji thought he could get away with this betrayal, did he? Well,
she'd show him. She had even kissed the jerk, and what did he do in
return? Run off with Rei, the tramp. She'd get hers too. But
tonight... tonight was Shinji's turn. She could not tolerate anybody taking
something that was hers. Finally, she heard the door open, and then
the footsteps of someone walking up the hallway.
"Hello? Are you here Misato? Asuka?" Shinji's voice could be
heard from the other room. Asuka stood up and brushed her shirt to straighten
it. Looking in the mirror, she arranged her hair so that it was just so. She stood
running her finger along the neck of the T-shirt, staring at her
reflection intently. Slowly she pulled and worked at the neck until it
slipped halfway across one shoulder. She leaned forward, examining
her image carefully, checking to make sure that she showed enough to
catch Shinji's eye but not enough to give the jerk the wrong idea
about her.
Finally she smiled. The corners of her mouth slowly pulled back
to reveal her gleaming teeth. The effect, however was ruined by the
tick in her right eye and the fact that the smile kept slipping into a
smirk. After a minute or so of practice she gave up, steeled herself,
and left her room.
Asuka could hear noises coming from the kitchen. It sounded like
someone putting away groceries. She walked to the kitchen door,
making sure her saunter showed her body to maximum effect. At the
door, she leaned casually against the frame, watching Shinji nosing
around in the refrigerator. He was kneeling in front of it, moving
things around inside. Asuka leaned forward, quickly looking down to
double check her exposure before she cleared her throat.
When he heard Asuka clear her throat, Shinji turned away from
the refrigerator to see who it was. He was surprised to find Asuka's
face not six inches from his head. Her chin was about level with his
forehead, but her eyes were watching Shinji's face intently. Because
of this, Asuka saw all of his reactions.
His first reaction was to look away from her gaze. Unfortunately,
in their current position this meant Shinji was now looking straight
down her shirt. From her position, Asuka could see his gaze moving
away from her eyes, down her face, across her throat and then. . .
bingo! She couldn't quite suppress a chuckle. She reached out with one
hand and lifted his chin with one finger, so that he was looking into
her eyes again.
"Shinji. . . I'm bored." Asuka used her other hand to grab a fistful
of Shinji's shirt and lift him to his feet. He could barely support
himself, and was forced to lean against the wall to keep from falling
to the floor. Asuka pulled Shinji towards her, leaning in toward him.
Let's see Rei compete with this, she thought, and smirked.
Just as her lips were about to reach Shinji's, the doorbell rang.
Shinji squirmed out of her grasp and ran for the door. Asuka followed
him and leaned against the entrance to the hall, smirk still plastered
across her face.
Shinji opened the door to reveal Rei. Asuka noted she still wore
her school uniform. As Shinji got his jacket and walked out the door,
Ayanami stared at Asuka, her face expressionless. Asuka met her
gaze, her smirk growing into a broad smile, stretching across the
width of her face. 'Have your fun while you can, First Child', she
thought. Asuka turned and returned to her room, plotting her next
attempt at conquest.
-*- [1]
Misato was relaxing in her room. It had been a very boring night.
Without Shinji around to tease, and with Asuka locked in her room,
there had just been no one to play with, except Pen-pen, who refused
to come out of his refrigerator.
She heard the sound of the apartment door opening, followed by
the sound of people in the kitchen. Misato crawled across the floor to
the door. There she carefully slid it open enough to see the kitchen.
The sound of Shinji's voice could be heard, although it was too low to
make out what he was saying. Another voice, Rei's, responded.
The light in the kitchen went out, and Misato smiled as she saw
that the first person to come into view was Rei. She carefully slid
the door shut and lay in wait for her entertainment.
She heard the sound of Rei going down the hall, followed by the
door to Shinjis room opening. Then she heard Shinjis careful
footsteps. Misato smiled and perched on the bed, beer in hand. When
the footsteps drew even with her door, she pounced.
"Shinji?"
There was a moments hesitation before he answered. "Yes?"
He sounded nervous.
"Come in here a minute."
Shinji's slippered feet padded up to her door, which slid open a
few inches before he paused, hesitant to enter.
"It's all right. I'm decent." Misato sighed, and swigged her beer.
'Will he ever let me live that one teensy little mix-up down?' she
asked herself.
Shinji walked in, after peeking nervously around the door.
"Shinji. . ." Misato grimaced while she gathered her thoughts,
and leaned back against the wall. She took a deep breath. "Shinji,
that wasnt Rei I just saw, was it?"
"Er. . . ah. . . um. . ." That, coupled with the blush that
blossomed on his face, was all she needed for an answer.
"Shinji. . ." Misato sighed. "Shinji. . . just be careful." She
waited for the stumbling denials that she was sure would come, but
didn't.
"Shinji. . . you can go now."
Shinji turned to face the door.
"Treat her right, O.K.?" She grinned at him.
He left quickly, his blush beginning to look permanent.
'Now,' She thought, 'the 64,000,000 yen question: who started it
off?' She shook her head. Some things were too weird to think about.
On one beer, anyway.
======================
[1] This portion was provided to me by CMHARRIS@glam.ac.uk, I
have modified his original copy to fit into the story. Thanks, guy.
======================
Well, heres another chapter, for what good it does. Im not sure that
2-3 chapters a year a story makes, but real life intrudes far too
frequently for me to write the way I would like to.
I think this one has some problems, especially in Asukas
characterization. Im also trying to start hinting at a darker (but not
evil) side to Rei, although I think it may be a little too light. I
hope
ya'llcan help me smooth the problems out. Let me know what you think.
P.S: I know the title sucks, but I promise that the next one will not
be titled "The Day Following The Day After Misatos Christmas Party".
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Steve Pardue
spardue@zebra.net