This is a work of fiction of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I do not have any ownership, stock, or connections to Gainax, Production IG, Studio Khara, Kadokawa, or Studio Kai.


NEON GENESIS SUPER CUB

Chapter 5

(Musical Reference: Kinderszenen, Op. 15: 7. Träumerei by Robert Schumann)

It felt like it had been forever since he last felt the lake breeze upon his face. The crisp, cool air felt wonderful as he drove out of the city limits. He was driving that way for a reason though. Shinji Ikari had reached 100 km on his Super Cub and was due for an oil change. It did not take him long to reach his destination: Lakefront Motors.

He parked in front of the showroom area, and the store owner, Machi Koike, stepped out to greet the teen. "Welcome, Mr. Ikari. Didn't expect to see you so soon. Any issues with your Cub?"

"No, Ma'am." The boy replied with a beaming smile. "Here for my first oil change."

Reacting with an incredulous look she replied, "You've only had it a week. Did you get a job or something?!"

He couldn't lie about what he had done the past few days. He admitted to the store owner/mechanic about his adventures the last few days and getting a job to afford a stereo boombox.

"You've been quite busy then, haven't you?" She looked to the rear of the light-blue motorcycle to see the new attachment. "I see you got a luggage box as well. It's good to have that, especially in this city. Here… Let's get that oil changed."

She pulled supplies from her shop, including an oil pan, a rag, and a wrench. She set the oil pan under the engine at the drain bolt. "I'm going to teach you how to do this. Otherwise, it will get very expensive bringing it for me to do each time." Machi invited the boy to crouch down beside her and watch her work. "If you don't have an oil pan, that is fine. A trash bag opened over a cardboard box will suffice. Just be sure to recycle your oil; it's a precious commodity these days." She used the wrench to loosen the drain bolt. Once released the dirty oil flowed freely into the oil pan. As the oil bled from the engine the observing teen asked her a question.

"Koike-san… You said three people died with this Cub. What happened to them?"

Looking distantly she took in a deep breath and released it before responding, "The first was a college student; late night study session. He was sleepy and didn't notice as he drifted into oncoming traffic. He was in a coma for a week before he finally passed." The oil flow from the boy's Cub slowed down to a drip as the mechanic continued. "The second was more of a daredevil. Thought he could ride this Cub up Fuji-san. He strayed too close to the edge of the mountain, spun the wheels on the dirt, and got kicked off falling to his death… That man was my husband."

Shinji turned his head quickly to look at her. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Koike-san," he spoke softly to the short-haired lady.

With a ghost of a smile she replied, "It's in the past. I almost didn't repair this motorcycle after that. But… I knew someone out there would need a Cub. So I got it fixed up." The next part took a moment for her to speak. "The third one died more recently, during that first monster attack on the city."

The young Ikari looked at the woman with wide eyes. "What?"

"He was trying to finish a delivery when the alarms sounded. Instead of abandoning the bike and taking shelter, he tried to make it back to his father's noodle shop. Missile shrapnel got him from those damn VTOLS. Kid died in the military's vain attempt to stop that creature." Color left the boy's face as he lost focus of his eyes and his mouth hung open taking in the words of the lady next to him. She quickly saw this and continued. "This was not your fault, Mr. Ikari. You were not even in that robot yet. Don't go blaming yourself for things you can't control. It was his decision. You did a good thing for the city, young man. Remember that."

Shinji slowly nodded; he had to accept the fact that someone perished that he did not know and could not have saved. Machi looked up at the attachment on the front of the motorcycle. "Actually… He had a basket just like that one."


There was a lull in the afternoon as Isamu Komatsu cleaned up the sitting area of his noodle shop; lunch rush wasn't terrible, but it was nearly the weekend, so everyone would be looking to buy food instead of cooking after a long week of work. He failed to notice a teenage boy enter the front door of his shop. It wasn't until the teen was in front of him that he finally looked up from wiping a table clean. "HEY! It's my favorite driver! Here for another night of work? We might be a bit busy tonight." He started to walk toward the kitchen area, turning his head to the side to speak to the Eva pilot who still stood at the now clean table. "Can I get you something to eat before dinner rush?"

Silence befell the two with Shinji interrupting it with a question to the shop owner.

"What was his name?"

The man stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to look at the brown-haired boy. "I'm sorry?"

Without blinking Shinji continued to look into the man's eyes. "Your son… What was his name?"

There was no way for him to get out of this one. With a deep sigh he responded, "Kazuki… Kazuki Komatsu." He moved to sit in a chair nearby. "He was an honor student at the senior high school; looked to go to school in Tokyo-2 after graduating. I tried his cell when the alarms went off when that… thing… got here; all the lines were cut off. Once they found him after they detonated the N2 mine there were pieces of metal in his chest. His helmet kept him from dying instantly, though…slowly bleeding to death wasn't much of a consolation when nobody was able to help him."

Memories made fresh Imasu began to tremble as he could not contain his emotions.

"First his mother… Now him… It's not fair. I'm all alone now." He took a moment to find the words as he looked up at the boy standing next to him. "I wanted to see you as my son. You're a good kid, you know? So dedicated, so helpful… I see a lot of my son in you. Especially when you showed up on that same Cub no less… I guess I wanted to take care of you like him." The Eva pilot understood what the shop owner was trying to do. Instead of shying away from this he sat next to Imasu and set a hand upon his shoulder. "Let me tell you something…," continued the restaurateur, "When you find that special someone… Do not EVER let them go! You have no idea what it's like until the ones you love are gone forever!"

Shinji Ikari thought back to the last Angel attack; he thought about opening the super-heated handle to check on the girl he was about to take to the lake. He very easily could have lost her in that battle. How did he really feel about the blue-haired girl? He liked her, that was a fact. But was there something more? He could not deny that there might hopefully be something else.


The Next Day…

The pilot of Unit-01 called his coworker to see when she would want to go to the lake only to be told that she was called for a test at NERV the night before and was tired and needed sleep. The boy understood and decided to make the trip an evening one; the idea of seeing the stars with the blue-haired girl made for a fun prospect. He hoped she would enjoy it as he had that night after he purchased the Cub.

The dinner preparations were as such: tofu noodles with vegetables, miso soup, onigiri as a snack, and green tea. The boy packaged everything in transportable containers and placed them in a wicker basket that would be placed in the wire-metal basket on his Super Cub along with his SDAT/CD boombox and a blanket to sit on. The black box would have to be left behind due to the need for the second seat. He made an extra plate of food for his housemate, Misato Katsuragi, who should be returning from her shift at NERV soon. Sure enough the purple-haired woman came through the door and immediately noticed the basket and the prepared meal on the dinner table. "Hey, Shinji. What's going on?"

As much as he said the words in his head before her arrival, it was still difficult to attempt to lie to the woman about his plans for a variety of reasons. Mainly it was because he didn't really know what to call this outing. Was it a date? Was he just taking the girl he liked out to escape from the city for a bit? As much as he wanted to, he couldn't exactly define this. The second major reason was that he didn't want to have to endure her relentless teasing especially after she cracked open a couple of beers. "I'm going to the lake. It's been a while."

With a raise of her eyebrow she countered, "Really Shinji? By yourself?"

"Yes, Misato. I miss it; it was relaxing. I just want to get out for a bit and see the stars."

"Ok, mister. I won't bother you about it anymore. But don't be out too late, got it?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He started to walk out of the kitchen area when…

"Oh, and Shinji?"

He paused looking at her big brown eyes, "Yes, Misato?"

With a wink she said, "Take ME next time?"

"Ah…" Exactly the type of teasing the boy was trying to avoid… With sweat upon his brow he stuttered, "S-Sure, M-Misato."

The boy hurried towards the door carrying his items. The purple-haired tactician cracked open a beer and noticed something that Shinji was unable to hide from her due to how cumbersome he looked carrying everything. Why does he have his old helmet with him…?


The drive to the western part of Tokyo-3 that evening was somewhat busy with weekend traffic, but it did not take too long for the pilot of Eva Unit-01 to reach his coworker's apartment complex where he was last a few days prior. Memories were still fresh in his mind of the incident, and he hoped [?] nothing like that would happen now as he made his way up the flights of stairs to the fourth floor. Somewhat out of breath he made it to the door of apartment 402 and raised his hand to knock on the door. After three he backed up and waited for the door to open. A moment later the door opened to thankfully reveal a fully dressed girl wearing her school uniform. She really didn't have anything else to wear, did she? Honestly he was not one to talk as he wore his own school uniform for this journey.

"Hey, Ayanami. Are you ready?"

With a nod she exited the apartment, closed her door, and walked down the flights of stairs with the boy to the two-wheeled ride awaiting them. "Here…" He grabbed the helmet given to him by Machi Koike when he purchased the bike over a week ago. "Put this on. Don't want you to get hurt." She took the head protection and looked it over for a minute before gazing back up to the younger Ikari.

"I have never worn anything like this before. How do I put it on?"

Of course she had never worn anything like that. How often did she get out? The boy wondered if she had ever ridden a bicycle. How would this affect his ability to keep his Cub upright if she were to lean too far to one side? The only way to find out would be to just go for it, just like he did to ask her on this adventure in the first place. "Here, I'll help you." He closed the distance to the girl, her unwavering red eyes trying to stare down his cobalts as he placed the helmet on her head. He tightened the leather strap and, while tucking it in the loop, lightly brushed his hand on the soft skin of her jawline. "I'm sorry!" His instincts kicked in, and he responded with the first thing he could think.

The girl in front of him tilted her head slightly to the side and said, "For what?"

"I…" He rubbed his first finger and thumb together, the softness of her face still a phantom feeling upon them. "Nevermind." He muttered this trying to remember that even though those events happened the other day she was not upset with him about it and said so herself that it was an accident. If she wasn't upset about THAT, then this was nowhere near as traumatizing. He took a deep breath to calm his heart rate then approached his bike. He put his leg over the cycle and planted both feet, holding the Cub upright without the kickstand. "Um… You will need to do the same thing I did. Instead of putting your feet on the ground you use the foot rests on either side." She approached the motorcycle looking at it as if what he asked of her were such a foreign concept. She decided to just go for it and threw her leg over planting her feet on the ground.

"What do I do now, Ikari-kun?"

He wanted to respond… He really did. But the sudden increase of heat behind him made him incapable of formulating helpful words. He had to snap out of it if they were going to do anything that evening. "Ah! Y-you need to kick out those black steps underneath you, Ayanami."

She looked down her left side to the foot rest that was folded against the frame of the Super Cub. She used the front of her foot to flip it down and rested it. The other side proved to be a bit more difficult. As she maneuvered her foot up to get to the rest she almost lost her balance and fell forward clutching onto the only thing she could which happened to be the now beet red pilot of Unit-01. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso; he could feel her chest pressed against his back and firmly clutched the handlebars as he almost lost consciousness. "A-Ayanami! A-Are you ok?!" Trying to play it off proved to be quite the challenge. He almost expected her to hit him for what was happening, even though he didn't really know how it would have been his fault.

"I am fine, Ikari-kun." She kept her grip on the shaking boy as she flipped the rest down with her right foot. "I am ready." She released her harsh grip on the boy, but still held him as she knew the Cub would move soon.

A few more deep breaths followed from the frazzled boy. He quite literally found his footing on the kick start and gave it a firm stamp to bring the motorcycle to life. "Here we go." He turned his head to the side to address Rei, turned his head back forward, then slowly accelerated, getting a feel of the need for more power to get them both moving. They made their way through traffic more easily; having the pilot of Unit-00 behind him did not pose any issues with maneuverability adjusting to each turn with ease. They were soon out of the city limits as the sun lost more of its red hue and the stars made themselves more visible. Shinji pointed to his right to the place where he purchased the Cub. The store was already closed for the night, so he figured Koike-san would not have been able to see them, even if he used his horn to try to get her attention.

They drove onwards a few miles further until they reached the spot the boy had stopped at over a week ago. Nothing had changed about it; there were no other people there…such a nice location as well.

He parked his Cub and waited for the blue-haired girl to make the move to get off. It would have been awkward otherwise if he were to have gone first. With both of them able to move freely, they removed the items from the wire basket. Shinji carried the boombox and blanket while Rei carried the wicker picnic basket to an opening near the lake shore. He set about laying the blanket out and set the SDAT/CD player down on a corner of the blanket. He took off his shoes and sat down; the azure-haired girl followed suit, taking off her loafers and sitting down next to the boy with the food basket in front of them both. It was one thing being in close proximity with this girl behind him, holding him while he drove the Cub; it was another thing to have this mysterious girl sitting next to him where he could look upon her unique features. He blushed heavily and leaned forward to push play on the SDAT function of the boombox.

(Musical Reference: Piano Sonata No. 9 in B Major, D. 575: II. Andante by Franz Schubert)

He returned to his place next to the blue-haired girl. Not able to look into her ruby eyes he decided to take the dinner items out of the picnic basket. He gave her the dinner bento with the tofu noodles and poured her some tea from the thermos. They ate quietly: he did not know what to say to the reserved girl while she was completely consumed by the boy's cooking. She took a break from eating to have a sip of her tea. "It is good, Ikari-kun." Hearing those words from her was so different from hearing the same words Misato would say when she complimented his cooking. He turned his head away, once again a deep red hue covering his face.

"Th-thank you, A-Ayanami!"

He wouldn't have to hide his face from her for long. The scattered clouds cleared giving an open view of the starry sky and full moon. Rei's eyes shot up to the natural satellite in space, mouth agape, its brightness shimmering in her crimson eyes. Shinji's mouth hung open as well as he stared at the girl that he…liked. He liked how the moon gave her skin an almost angelic glow; he liked how she came alive looking at it. She looked absolutely…beautiful. He smiled at the sight afforded to him and then covered his bento to place back in the picnic basket. He offered to do the same with the azure-haired girl's which she allowed. The basket was placed in another corner giving them room to lay down to look at the stars. He never said anything to her as he laid back; she saw his actions and copied them laying on her back to gaze upon the night sky. They pointed at constellations making small talk; there was no point in which they felt uncomfortable with the silence that filled the spaces.

After pointing at another constellation, as he was bringing his hand back to his side, he happened to set his hand briefly on top of the hand of the girl lying next to him. He involuntarily recoiled and pulled the hand against the side of his body as he stiffened, expecting her to say something regarding his actions.

(Musical Reference: Liebestraum (Love Dream), No. 3: Nocturne in A-Flat Major by Franz Liszt)

"Ikari-kun…" Here it comes, those words of rejection he was expecting. She looked to her side at his face. "When you first held me, I could not feel much due to the pain I was in." This was not what the boy expected. He relaxed a little as she spoke more. "The second time felt…strange." He was forced now to think about the events of that morning right before the octahedron Angel attacked. It still made him cringe thinking about how bad he felt for feeling her body like that. "The third time felt better when you helped me out of my entry plug." She had continued, breaking him of his negative thoughts. "But…then this evening when I grabbed onto you to keep from falling, I felt…safe. Like you would protect me just as I vowed to protect you that day. When you set your hand on top of mine just now I felt warm. May I hold your hand, Ikari-kun? I wish to feel warm again."

His heart was racing at what she said: she wanted to hold his hand! Slowly he loosened the hold of his arm against the side of his body and reached out to hold onto her smaller hand. It felt soft and warm against his own. Nothing more was said between them as they turned their heads to look back up at the endless starlit sky.

Some time passed before they decided to pack up everything and begin the trip back into the city. Within minutes they were back on the lake road, the blue-haired pilot holding onto the boy at his sides. She wrapped her slender arms more tightly around Shinji, taking in his warmth against the cool lake breeze as well as his smell. This action caused him to blush once more as he tried his best to focus on the road and not his coworker's head nestled in his back. With a gulp of air he pressed onward.

About twenty minutes later they arrived at the girl's rundown apartment building. They both walked up the stairs carefully using what little light the full moon allowed on that side of the structure. In front of apartment 402 they stopped and looked at each other's eyes holding hands once more.

"I-I had fun, Ayanami."

"This experience was…enjoyable, Ikari-kun." That soft smile once more graced her face more easily. Those words expressed to him flooded his mind as he regarded the girl he liked:

I won't give you all the answers, Mr. Ikari. Some things you just need to find out on your own…

When you find that special someone… Do not EVER let them go!

This, perhaps mixed with how the slivers of moonlight twinkled in her ruby-red eyes, helped to encourage the pilot of Unit-01 to slowly lean forward and close the distance between them. His breathing quickened as he felt hers mixing with his own. The boy closed his eyes hoping nothing awkward would continue, relieved to find contact with the soft lips of the blue-haired girl. It was a chaste kiss but one that was still electrifying to the brown-haired boy. A couple of seconds later they pulled back to look into the eyes of the other, looking for signs if it was a bad decision. What he saw was not a face of disgust or anger but rather a content smile similar to the one he witnessed in the entry plug of Unit-00 the other day. Shinji relaxed his shoulders and smiled back to her.

Turning back after saying an awkward goodnight to Rei, the young Ikari didn't feel the ground under him as he walked back down the stairs. It was like he floated all the way to his Cub, mounting it to begin the ride back to the apartment with a goofy smile plastered on his face the entire time.

He parked next to Misato's Renault, grabbed all his items, and went upstairs where he hoped his housemate would be passed out. Entering the apartment all the lights were off; Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as he walked down the hallway and started into the kitchen. Suddenly the overhead lights came on; he froze in place, blinded as a breathy voice spoke to him from the light switch in the corner.

"Soooo… Sheeenjee…" Misato's words drawled as she struggled to make coherent phrases in her current drunken state, a smug grin forcefully formed on her face. "Went to tha' lake by yerssself, did ya?"

Of course she found out! How dumb could he have been? She probably found out the same way Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki did. The boy took a big gulp of air and stayed frozen in that spot out of fear. It was going to be a LONG night of tortuous teasing from the inebriated, purple-haired woman…

He could only hope that she had enough alcohol to pass out quickly.


(A.N.) Hey everyone! It's been quite a ride getting to this point in this story. I do not see a whole lot I can do past this; ideas are in my mind, but not as strong as what I wrote to get to this point. I will leave this story as INCOMPLETE in case I want to add more to it in the future. For now I'm going to focus on the next chapters of "Brave New World" as well as plan another chapter of "Rei To Neko". As always, stay safe out there!