Aloha! As you know this is the third part to my new fic, and with the help of some very fine reviewers and pre-readers I hope to bring you a better fic. So if there's no more opinionated rebuttals from any readers out there let's start the show!
Synchronization
Part three: Hope's not lost
It was three days after the seventh Angel and Shinji was feeling pretty good. Most of this was from his prior time with the Second Child.
"Uh.......Asuka?" He'd said as he rang the door bell. "Can I come in?" The door was flung open and a mass of red filled his vision.
"What, Third?" She'd said, her voice low on the edge of fury. Shinji had involuntarily took a step back. He'd seen her angry before, when they were fighting the sixth Angel, but now she almost radiated rage.
"Well, I came....because I wanted to apologize...." He'd started.
Asuka laughed. It was a harsh laugh that made Shinji uncomfortable. "Apologize? For what? Out doing me with Rei and then getting all mushy with her?" The last comment made Shinji blush.
"Wh-What? No! I mean...we weren't all 'mushy'....I came to apologize for not being a friend to you. And I want to make that up."
Asuka stared down at the boy. //The nerve of him....he's just lying. They don't need me...// "Ha! Like I need you as a friend. I HAVE friends, unlike you and WonderGirl. Now that I think about it you two are made for each other. I bet you and her are doing it, aren't you."
"What?! No! Why-why would you say that?!" Shinji struggled with the words. Of course him and Rei weren't doing it. They weren't even going out. In fact, Shinji and Rei acted more like siblings than anything.
"I don't know, you two always around and stuff." Asuka shrugged. "Now if you're done, go away. Kaji is going to be here any minute." She slammed the door in Shinji's face.
"And with that...that.....loser.... gone I can think about what's important. Eva and Kaji. At least they can't take those away from me."
But Kaji had never came. He left a message on Asuka's machine about him being stuck in a meeting and how sorry he was. //Dammit! Now what?// She looked at the phone and chucked it across the room.
"I have to get out of here before I...I...kill someone." She yanked the door open and a surprised Shinji landed with a thump at her feet. "Shinji?! Dammit I told you to leave!" She stormed past him.
Shinji stood up and brushed himself off. "Wait, where are you going?" He asked futilely. The redhead was already down the hallway. Shinji hurried after her, he needed to talk. "Asuka! Wait!" The pilot of unit-02 kept going until she reached the elevator. She pressed the button and the doors opened up.
"Kaji didn't come, did he?" Shinji asked, still a good way down the hall.
Asuka stopped before entering. "So? He was in a meeting. Now stop bothering me, I'm trying to get lunch here."
"But I'm not in a meeting....please let me come with you." He walked the rest of the way and stopped to stand in front of Asuka.
"Hnnnnn, alright. But you're buying lunch and don't try to pass me off as your girlfriend." Asuka warned and stepped into the elevator. Shinji followed suit.
"So what have you been up to by yourself?" Shinji asked conversationally. Asuka leaned against the wall.
"Nothing, really. I've been staying at Hikari's for most of the time. That and synch tests." She rolled her eyes lazily. "That's all we ever do, you know? Tests here and tests there. It's like we never really have any combat. And when we do it's too short. And why don't we ever fight combat sims in the actual Evas? I mean, wouldn't that be more realistic than in simulator plugs?"
Shinji leaned back against the wall and listened to her rant. The doors opened and Shinji and Asuka filed out. "And how's Hikari doing?" Shinji asked
"Oh, she's fine. What's with her and Toji? You know?" Shinji shook his head. "Well I say if you like someone just right out tell them. There's no point in hiding it." //Good point.// Thought Shinji.
They stopped at a little food stand on a corner. Asuka ordered something expensive and Shinji just wanted a drink.
"Hey! Shinji! Let's go to the park!" Asuka said suddenly. They had been sitting on a bench in front of the bus stop eating . "Come on!" Shinji was surprised by Asuka's change from complaining to child-like excitement.
"Okay. What about your food-" Asuka waved him off and started toward the lush greenery that was Tokyo-3's park. When Shinji found Asuka she was kneeling by some birds, feeding them breadcrumbs.
"Look at the birds, Shinji....." She sounded almost sad. "They're so free, and so happy."
Shinji wasn't much for philosophy, so he just nodded and went along with it.
"But you're free too, Asuka." She looked at him. Shinji could definitely see sadness there.
"What do you mean?"
Shinji thought a bit. "Well. You live on your own, you can pretty much go wherever you like without anyone restricting you."
"Yeah. You're right." She stood and smirked at him. "And as long as I've got Eva I'm happy. But you, Third, you are an idiot."
"Hey, what did I do?" Shinji yelled after Asuka, who was walking out of the park.
They had spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the city. Although Asuka still called him an idiot and still considered him the inferior pilot, Shinji felt good. And he felt that way all through dinner.
"What's got you so happy, Shinji?" Asked Misato after returning from a day of work at NERV.
Shinji shrugged. "Talked to Asuka." This made even Rei look over.
"Asuka? You don't look injured." Misato laughed. "What did you do?"
"Well, we got lunch, went to the park, and saw a movie." Shinji said, taking a sip of tea.
Misato raised an eyebrow. "A movie? Lunch?" She sashayed her way over to Shinji. "This wouldn't happen to be a ....date now would it?"
Shinji sputtered his tea all over the table. Rei smiled softly and got up to assist the choking Ikari. Misato laughed and slapped Shinji on the back. "Just kidding....heh, so how did it go?" She asked.
Asuka lay on her bed. She'd been lying there for almost thee hours. "What....what the hell is up with this?" She asked to no one. "Shinji...that...spineless wimp! How dare he try to befriend me! Stupid Shinji...always screwing things up." She rolled onto her back. When she'd arrived in Japan she knew exactly how she felt about her new life. Now...what did she feel? "I need a coke."
"So Shinji...I heard you and Asuka where rubbing elbows yesterday." Kensuke said the next day at lunch. Toji nodded and snarfed some sushi.
"So you go to her place?" He asked after he'd swallowed. Shinji looked at the floor.
Kensuke stood up "You did! You did, didn't you!? Oh man! Who knew you and Asuka would be-" Kensuke was immediately aware that someone had one arm around his neck and the other hand covering his mouth.
"Shhh! Shut up! I did, but we didn't do anything...we just hung out." Shinji said quickly.
Toji waved as Hikari came to sit down next to them. "Hello, Shinji."
"Hi..." He replied, confused. //When does Hikari, the class rep, ever sit with us?"
Hikari took a long drink of some tea before saying anything. " Asuka wants to know if you'd meet her outside her apartment today after the synch tests."
Toji and Kensuke looked at each other shocked, then started laughing. "Hey Everybody! Shinji's going to Asuka's apartment!" They both yelled.
From across the cafeteria came a string of German that sounded nasty. Toji ducked as a carton of milk slammed the back Kensuke's head.
"Fuyuski, where is Rei?" Gendo asked. The sub-commander looked over to him. Gendo had been awfully worried about Rei lately. "She's in a synch test with the other two children. She'll be done in an hour."
"When she is tell her to come to my office." Gendo said. //I wonder if Rei is getting ideas from Shinji.//
"Very good, Shinji. 85% synch ratio." Ritsuko said. "And Asuka, you too. 90%. And you, Rei, seem to be improving. 75%. Dismissed." The three children began to file out of the Eva cages. "Rei, the Commander wishes to see you." //Of course he wants to see his little doll.// Ritsuko thought bitterly.
"Come in." Gendo said. He watched as Rei walked to the front of his desk. She smiled slightly at the sight of him. "Yes? Commander?"
"How are things at school?"
"Fine."
"Good. And at your new home?"
Rei thought. "Major Katsuragi is sometimes irritable, but Shinji says it's her time of the month."
Gendo sat. Although his features didn't change from the normal steepled hands and frown, he was shocked and amused.
"And Shinji has taught me how to become more 'open'." The last comment caught Gendo's attention.
"He taught you? How?"
Rei's smiled broadened when she remembered how Shinji had tried with all his might to make conversations with her. "He showed me that when I feel something I should let others know by expressing the feelings."
Gendo was only partially satisfied with that answer. "Is he doing anything suspicious?"
"Nothing suspicious. But he has been 'hanging out' with the Second Child." Rei said.
Gendo pushed that thought away, he needed to concentrate on keeping Rei from becoming like Shinji.
"Thank you. You may leave." Gendo said
Rei walked out of Gendo's office. //Why has the commander been worrying about what Shinji is doing?//
Gendo picked up the phone next to him. "Fuyustki? Make arrangements to move Rei to her old residence." He hung up. " Shinji is being too friendly with Rei. If they continue this he will find out the truth."
"I am home." Rei said quietly. "Did you and the Second have fun?"
Shinji looked over from the couch. "Hello Rei. Yeah, we went ice skating." Shinji had spent most of the time on his rear-end, with Asuka laughing at him. "What did my father want?"
"He wanted to know how things were here. He seems worried that something is wrong." Rei said. She sat down on the couch. Since the defeat of the seventh Angel Rei and Shinji could be found sitting closely in almost the exact same position.
"Oh. Well that's nice that he's concerned." Shinji tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but Rei caught it.
"You still dislike the commander?" She asked.
Shinji looked down. "I don't dislike him....but I wish... I wish that he didn't treat me like a stranger."
"But you are strangers. You do not know him. He does not know you." Rei said.
"I know...but he never wants to talk to me. Unless it has something to do with the Evas." He looked at Rei, whom he admired and at the same time envied. "The only time he really spoke to me was when we went to Mother's grave."
"Do not be sad because he doesn't try to know you. Instead you should try to know him."
Shinji brightened. "You know...I will. Tomorrow I'll go and talk to him. I may get somewhere."
The next day after school Shinji went directly to NERV. Fuyustki was about to enter Gendo's office when Shinji walked up.
"Hello, Sub-commander Fuyustki." He said.
Kozo looked down at the pilot. "There something you need, Shinji?"
"Uh....yes. Is my father here? I want to talk to him."
Fuyustki opened the door to Gendo's office. "He's in a meeting right now, come back later."
"Oh. okay." Shinji walked away as Kozo entered the office."
Shinji returned home to find the apartment filled with red and white boxes. He walked around wondering if Rei and Misato went shopping. "Wait a second....I recognize these boxes. These are-"
"Guten Tag, Shinji!" Asuka announced from her doorway.
Shinji froze in shock. "Wh-what? Why are you here?"
Asuka closed her eyes and shrugged. "Beats me. I got back to my apartment and found a bunch of movers packing up all my stuff. I found a note in my mailbox from saying I was to be transferred back here as of now. So here I am."
"So where's Rei?" Shinji asked. He knew the answer.
"No clue where WonderGirl went. There weren't any boxes of hers at my old place."
Shinji looked at the floor. "She's at NERV. I just know it. Father made her leave!"
"How are the plans for unit-03 coming along?" Gendo asked.
Fuyustki laid a document down on the desk. "The construction should be done in a few months-"
The door to Gendo's office was flung open. Shinji stormed into the room. "Father!"
Continued..........
*Author's notes. So how'd I do with this one? I don't know exactly where this is headed but don't worry. It won't be a 'Revenge against Gendo, Shinji runs amok with Rei' sorta deal. In fact I'm not sure If I'm gonna pair Shinji with Rei or with Asuka . Maybe neither. Maybe both. You'll have to wait and find out. Heh, heh, heh........