From the author : Buck your seatbelts press the clutch and switch the ignition on as we're kickstarting back with Shinji as im back from my hiatus so let's get going

don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and Akira

Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to Studio GAINAX and Hideaki Anno

Akira belongs to Kōdansha and Katsuhiro Ōtomo

"this" is speech

'this' is thought

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION HIGHWAY STAR : THE BALLAD OF SHINJI IKARI

Chapter 34 : kickstart to infinity

"I'm telling you Hikari ! We finally done it , Shinji finally grew up and jumped towards a professional career , I'm so proud of him"-Asuka said as she couldn't hide her excitement while brushing her hair. It's been a few hours since they returned from their trip to Nihonmatsu while every Japanese sports paper , tv station and internet forum were talking about how a professional team hired a street rider as their number 2 rider. Shinji of course loved all the fame and especially the controversy that was around him as he listened to tv and people talking about him.

"Well that's good Asuka , does this mean that he will calm down a bit ?"-Hikari said as Asuka begun to brush her teeth

"What's that supposed to mean ?"-Asuka asked as on the other side of the phone Hikari bit her tongue as watched out not say anything that could insult her friend or her boyfriend

"Lets just say that with his identity public and people following him will he lose some of his edge ? Lets just say i'm getting tired of filling out paperwork everytime Shinji sends someone to the hospital because he looked weird at him"-Hikari said as Asuka took a peak out of the bathroom to see Misato and Rei sitting on the couch watching some motorsport programme on tv while Shinji was cooking dinner.

"Maybe , but Mayumi should give him some instructions on how he should act in public. Anyways apparently some of Shinji's friends plan a celebration for him so i'll keep you informed if you want to come , anyways bye"-Asuka said as she closed the call before walking out of the bathroom as she took a long sniff of the delicious dinner that Shinji was cooking

"Umm what's that ?"-Asuka asked as she embraced Shinji from behind

"Oh , just some prawns in tempura with a sweet-sour sauce with some tasty tantanmen with nuts to fill it in with some controversy from tv to spice things up"-Shinji said as he licked his lips in anticipation for dinner while Asuka pondered a bit

"Controversy ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji pointed his finger at the tv , while she looked at the tv she noticed two men in a studio arguing while a blurry image of Shinji in the background

"It's obviously showing that the racing scene has become so desperate they hire a street racer with no real track experience to a series technologically to MotoGP"-One of them said as the other man begun to talk

"And i want to remind you that it's the only way the younger generation will get their shot at professional racing , no wonder many official teams have their agents in the biggest nests of street racing in the country. Namerikawa is simply lucky to get the best one in our country"-The man that seemed to defend Shinji replied as the image changed to photo of Shinji and other capsules

"And i care to remind you that he carries a symbol of a street gang on his back , not to mention having a result of a street gang fight being a symbol of his entire career"-The other man said as Shinji only smiled at the tv

"Wait for it , and now"-Shinji said as he pointed at the TV as Asuka took a closer look

"And i want to remind you that 15 years ago we managed to slip though extinction and we should be lucky that things like MotoGP and Formula 1 are still going on and didn't share the same faith as WSBK and the companies like Kawasaki and BMW had to migrate to MotoGP , Daytona almost sunk and the technology is still stuck in 1999. And where do you want to look for young professionals on the tracks then you can search for the graveyard , and who has money to build new tracks ? Kids like HS are our only hope for Japan to finally get that dreamed MotoGP crown in the 1000cc class"-The man said as Shinji laughed

"See Asuka ? They love me !"-Shinji said as he returned back to cooking dinner

"Finally can we switch the channel to something else ?"-Misato asked as Shinji showed a thumbs up and Misato switched to WOWOW. Just as Shinji stood over the stove and looked at the prawns with a look that would make any young girl confuse him for a psychopath that they can send letters to. and while everyone was busy with the mundane tasks as Rei was listening to Misato's rands about stupid oligarhs and corpo leaders that she has to see everyday and wished she could come back to her safe apartement instead of fighting pervs every time she leaves the was until the landine phone hanging in the kitchen ringed as Shinji grabbed it

"Hello Ikari apartment what can i do for you ?"-Shinji said with an accent and heard something fall on the other side

"Hey Shin ! First I want to say congrats for your big shot and also-HEY ! GET THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE !"-Kaneda screamed over the other side as Shinji felt the scream pierce through his ear

"Wait , are you throwing a party ?"-Shinji asked as on the other side of the phone Kaneda was managing a group of rookie capsules doing the preparations for "a surprise"

"Yep ! But relax it won't be failure like your birthday , i'm completely sure you'll be blown off your feet , you can invite anyone and the only thing they need to say is that Kaneda send them"-Kaneda replied as Shinji had an confused expression on his face as he remembered how the party Kaneda threw for him ended up as a rome orgy

"So , where do i have to go ?"-Shinji asked as heard more screaming on the other side of the phone

"Yeah , abandoned olympics stadium at 22:00 tommorow , i have to go see ya"-Kaneda said as the call ended and Shinji putted down the phone with a surprised expression on his face

"What's going on ?"-Asuka asked as she walked up to Shinji who grabbed her by the waist

"Kaneda is apparently throwing a celebration party for me , while most of the parties thrown by the self-titled "Party-maker" were mostly turning into rome orgies"-Shinji explained as Asuka looked at him as she whispered something to Shinji's ear that made him turn red

"Yeah , maybe , i never thought about it"-Shinji said as Misato and Rei looked at them before Misato's phone rang

"Katsuragi here"-Misato replied as after few seconds she threw the beer can she held in her hand towards the tv as Shinji looked at her with a angry expression

"Ok sorry ! But i had just received a message about another dumb meeting ! I promise i'll pay you back somehow"-Misato tried to explain as Shinji facial expression had not changed

"Ok , i know i almost broke your stuff but i got you to Nihonmatsu this morning and that shouldnt give you the right to get angry"-Misato said as Shinji only closed his eyes and turned his head around

"2/3 of the sentence you have just said is wrong. But you did get me a ride to Nihonmatsu so that should equal things out. Even if Mayumi said she could just give me a ride in a helicopter"-Shinji said as Misato frowned

"Ok , so will you clean it up ?"-Misato asked as Shinji nodded

"Great , so i'll go change my clothes and head out"-Misato said as she rushed to her room

"Well then , dinner time !"-Shinji said as he walked back to the kitchen and pour out the Tantamen and prepared the prawns before bringing the food portions to Asuka and Rei as they begun to dig up their food as the freshly made food was quickly devoured with every drop and crumb quickly disappeared

"Extraordinary cooking as always brother"-Rei said as she took the last sip of her Ramen

"Thank you Rei , and since you don't eat meat can I have your prawns ?"-Shinji asked as Rei nodded and Shinji grabbed the prawns and managed to dip one of them in the sauce before putting it in his mouth and devouring it as fast as he could

"You know Shinji , i know you're home but you should still have some table manners"-Asuka said as Shinji swallowed the prawn

"And I want to remind you that today I spent the majority of the day doing laps and talking with Miyuki-san. Also I'm tired as hell and I want to eat as quickly as I want"-Shinji said as he continued to eat the prawns while Asuka silently nodded and returned to her food. After they finished with the help of Asuka and Rei, Shinji quickly washed the dishes and finally had time to hit the showers as the girls focused on watching some random thing on tv while hot water was washing away all the remaining sweat from Shinji's body. After he finished showering Shinji looked at the mirror to see his reflection with one thought that was in his mind ever since the group came back to Neogoya. And that was 'I've done it , but what now ?'. Shinji felt like was cornered , he was of course happy that he accomplished something both his uncle and his childhood self wanted to accomplish without real obstacles. Not only that but also the HS Finale reached the top of its possibility , 'that's a thought for a cig break'-Shinji thought as he brushed his hair and washed his teeth before dressing into his pajamas and walked out of the bathroom

"So , what do we do now ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji sat on the couch between the girl

"How about a movie before going to bed ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka and Rei nodded in agreement

"Well that would be nice. Any suggestions ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji walked towards the wall unit and though the VHD , Laserdisc , DVD and Blu-Ray boxes before finding a box that he showed to Asuka

"the Green Lantern movie ? Really ?"-Asuka asked sarcastically as Shinji frowned

"Oh come on ! I like that movie ! Besides we have some time before going to bed , also it's one of my favorite movies"-Shinji explained himself as he did his best puppy eyes impression as he could to convince his girlfriend and his sister

"Ok , hit it in"-Asuka said as Shinji smiled and opened the box and took out the disc before putting it inside the player as Shinji sat on the couch and put his hands around Asuka and Rei. As the end credits roll Asuka was already fighting with sleep as Rei had lost that battle as she fell asleep on his arm

"So , how was it ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka as he caressed Rei's chin with his thumb

"Like I expected , it was shit. According to the stories you described this movie butchered the mythos , why Parallax was giant cloud instead of a fear bug ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji chuckled

"Aren't you only saying that because some dumb people said it on the internet. I on the other hand consider it mediocre as many of the superhero movies after the Second Impact , it's crappy in some parts but even you can say that it wasn't as bad as Batman and Robin"-Shinji asked as Asuka was slowly losing the battle with sleep

"You mean that Batman movie with Arnold throwing ice puns around ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji nodded

"Oh than your right , anyways i really want to go to bed , also you need to get Rei to bed as she is as alive as a rock right now"-Asuka said as Shinji turned his head towards his sister to see and hear her cutely half opened mouth while silently snoring. Shinji only chuckled as he got up from the couch and took Rei in bridal carriage as he managed to carry her over to her futon and hid her under her covers before he noticed Asuka standing on the doorsill

"Oh what are you-"-Shinji was cut out by Asuka pushing him on the bed , he tried to retaliate but Asuka pretzeled his legs strong enough to make him rest in one place. Shinji decided to give up and just fall asleep as he drifted off towards the land of dreams


"Why am i naked ?"-Shinji thought as he took a look across the nothingness of the void he found himself in. As he walked closer he noticed that darkness around him was beginning to turn white as he walked through the white light that blinded him. As he regained his sight he found himself standing on a highway. Shinji of course covered his crotch in instinct before noticing that his hands were phasing through his body

"Oh no no no none of this traveling though the soul shit and i'll get up soon !"-Shinji screamed as he heard a motorcycle sound. As he focused he heard that it was in fact the sound of the stock Highway Star as the motorcycle phased through him as the bike began to slow down. As Shinji took a closer look he noticed that it was his uncle and his five year old self getting off the bike

"So how did I go ?"-little five year old Shinji asked as his uncle took out a an electric stopwatch

"1:12:023 , not bad , but still 2 seconds off the pace. You need to reach 1:10"-his uncle said as little Shinji grew impulsive. Meanwhile the 14 year old Shinji looked at his younger self , 'Was i really that short-tempered ?'-he thought as he continued to listen to the conversation

"Why do I need to get that time ? It's not like I need to have a pole every race !"-5-year old Shinji said as his uncle patted him on the head

"But i want to remind you that 1:10 can mean something else on different tracks , on one it could be a pole-setting lap while on other it can just be the record time of a sector. Now come on , if you want to get to MotoGP one day you need to practice but this time i'll allow you to use the clutch and i will shift"-his uncle said as little Shinji showed a thumbs up and got on the bike before riding away. Meanwhile the space around 14-year old Shinji turned to black again.

"Well that's new , i never had those memory lane trips"-Shinji thought as he walked he noticed that the white line blinded him again. As the light disappeared Shinji found himself standing on top of a roof as he managed to catch balance before sitting on the roof

"Wait , is that-?"-Shinji was interrupted by opening door as he noticed that 7-year Mana and Shinji walked out of the doorsill and they phased though the 14-year old Shinji as they stood on the roof

"See Shinji ? I told you this is a beautiful view , this is what a orphanage kid can see"-Mana said as they alongside the 14-year old Shinji looked at the panorama of Neogoya

"My uncle said that this city is only beautiful from a plane or from a tall roof , he was right"-Shinji said as they held hands though 14-year old Shinji's head

"It is beautiful. I found this place during one of my escapes from the orphanage. It's the only way I love something in this city"-Mana said as both Shinji's looked at her.

"What do you mean ?"-7 year old Shinji asked as he lifted up his eyebrow

"You're a racer , you love racing and you're also beginning to become a bosozoku. You are the type of people that grab this city by the horns. I'm not like that"-Mana said as 14-year old Shinji remembered why his dream brought him here. 'Oh ! Its when i told Mana about Infinity before i went so grim'-Shinji thought as he listened to the conversation

"Well we can get you a motorcycle , i can talk to Kaneda about getting you in"-Shinji said as Mana chuckled

"I don't want to be a punk . I want to leave Neogoya Shinji. Not yet but someday"-Mana said as 7-year old Shinji looked at her worried

"Where will you go ?"-Shinji asked as Mana lost her voice

"I d-don't know , maybe Tokyo 2 ? Or I'll wait until I can get a passport ?"-Mana said as Shinji looked at the stars above them

"My uncle told me that there is a place like that , it's not available for regular people. Apparently only those special ones like my mom or Mike Hailwood"-Shinji said as Mana looked at him with curiousness

"Where ? And how can you reach it ?"-Mana asked as Shinji looked at the city that was under him as 14-year old Shinji listened to his younger self

"It's called Infinity , and it's across your life with each step you take you either come closer or get farrer from it. It cannot be seen by regular people and only those that take a chance and do a leap of faith can be granted the steps on the way towards it"-Shinji said as both Mana and 14-year old Shinji were gazing at him with widened eyes. 'So that's what it was ! But isn't that just afterlife ? I have to think about it'-he thought as he continued to listen

"So I'll have to take a leap of faith ?"-Mana said as 14-year old Shinji connected his dots and all the gears in my head lined up. 'Wait , so the T-RIDEN-T thing was from my initiative ? I gave up on that after my 10th birthday while she still pursues Infinity , and she could've been here with me when my uncle and Takuro died'-Shinji thought as he looked at the void that was beneath him. 'Wait , if I jump from here I'll wake up ! It always works'-14-year old Shinji thought as he got up and before taking a quick breath in and out he jumped from the building as he begun to fall as he looked at night panorama of Neogoya before taking a look at the quickly coming concrete before hitting him


Shinji jolted out from his dream as he was covered with sweat as he noticed that he had clothes again and he was back in his room with Asuka pretzled to him and Rei sleeping on the Futon next to theirs. Shinji managed to free himself from the pretzel and had only one thing on his mind. 'I need a smoke'-Shinji thought as he got up from the bed and walked up to his desk and reached out to one of the drawers for a pack of Marlboros before opening the window that led to the fire stairs as he made his way towards the roof. As he reached it he sat on the edge of the building and lit up the first cigarette with a match and wiped his forehead from sweat. As he sat and watched the panorama as he got lost in his thoughts in thinking about what his dream meant

"You could've at least bring a lighter with you"-Someone said as Shinji took a look upwards and noticed Asuka who gave him a lighter and sat besides

"Oh , Asuka ! I just needed a break"-Shinji tried to explain himself as Asuka did not look amused about his explanation

"Come on Shinji , I can see that you are lying. Now tell me what's going on"-Asuka said as he frowned bit

"Oh fine , i had bad dream , is this what you wanted to hear ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka's facial expression changed from amusement to curiousness

"Really ? Someone like you who pulls the trigger without a thought was sent packing because of nightmare ?"-Asuka said as Shinji tried to explain himself as his ego begun to being attack , at least in his opinion

"It wasn't a nightmare in its normal meaning , it was more of a visualized train of thought. Not to mention the classic "You suck and your past choices suck" flashback"-Shinji said as he pointed towards a building in the 7th district before litting up another cigarette

"A flashback ? About what ? Your uncle ? Takuro ?"-Asuka asked as she looked at the building that Shinji was pointing towards

"There , if i can remember correctly on that rooftop there is the answer"-Shinji said as Asuka got up

"Well then , we should get dressed"-Asuka said as Shinji looked at her with curiousness

"Can we do it tomorrow ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka looked at him

"No , besides I don't want to have a sleepless night to think about it"-Asuka said as Shinji only sighed and walked back to the window following Asuka to get dressed. After dressing up into their clothes they made their way towards the 7th district using the HS Finale. After they reached it they noticed that the building was closed

"Oh , it appears that the building is closed. What a surprise"-Shinji said with sarcasm as Asuka looked both angry and dissatisfied

"Damn it ! And now I'll have a sleepless night !"-Asuka screamed as Shinji took off his shoes and ripped out the sole to reveal a set of micro passkeyes , pick locks and skeleton keys. Shinji quickly got to work with a lock as Asuka looked at the shoes

"Shinji , we bought them only couple of weeks ago"-Asuka said as she facepalmed while Shinji looked at her

"And i want to remind you that i alongside the engineer and riding ability trees i'm also a skilled criminal and took a few hacking classes on the dark side of the internet"-Shinji said as he finally managed to crack open the door. But Shinji immediately stopped Asuka who tried to run inside it as Shinji stopped her

"Wait"-Shinji said as took a look across the ground floor noticing the elevator and numerous alarms and took out his phone before opening an app. After a few seconds Shinji managed to crack the alarm system for 30 seconds before grabbing Asuka's hand and jolting towards the elevator. As they walked inside it Shinji pressed the button that lead to the rooftop

"WHAT THE HELL ?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT ?!"-Asuka screamed at Shinji who simply showed her his phone

"I could only halt the alarm for 30 seconds , I had to get you here quick"-Shinji said as Asuka put her face in her hands in shame. A minute or so passed as they reached the rooftop. They crossed the doorsill and walked out as they reached the edge and sat on it observing the panorama of neons and tall glass buildings.

"So why does the answer to that dream is here ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji took a look across the rooftop as he noticed how the place weared out for the last 7 years as Shinji noticed an old poster on the chimney

"Hey , why are you looking at that poster ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji pointed at it

"Rip the poster off"-Shinji said as Asuka nodded and walked up to the poster and took it off the chimney to reveal a message that according to the date was written in 2008. And felt immediately jealous as she noticed who written the message

Here is our vow to travel to infinity until the end of time-Kirishima Mana and Ikari Shinji : 2008

"So this is some kind of weird childhood love confession ?!"-Asuka said accusingly as she pointed at Shinji

"No , it's less about the love and more about the dumb thing i said"-Shinji said as he sat back on the edge

"And what would that word mean if I ask ?"-Asuka said with sarcasm as she continued to look at the inscription

"The eighth word , first sentence"-Shinji said as Asuka navigated her finger to find the word that Shinji meant

"Infinity ? Travelling to Infinity ? What does it suppose to mean ?"-Asuka asked as she sat beside Shinji

"Believe me i wasn't always as gloomy with the "Awaiting for death" schtick , when i was kid i was believing in something called Infinity , and according to what i remember from my uncle Infinity is basically the cooler version of the afterlife only for those that take big risks and jump into the unknown"-Shinji explained as Asuka continued to be confused

"Ok , I get it , Infinity. But how does it connect with the "Your past choices suck" moniquere ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji sighed and lit up a cigarette

"You see who also signed this inscription right ?"-Shinji said as Asuka was growing more and more annoyed

"Yeah i see that your love interest signed it now get to main context"-Asuka exclaimed as she waited for what Shinji had on his mind

"It was Mana who brought me here 7 years ago. And it was at that moment she mentioned to me that she wanted to leave the city , and the stupid child that i was i mentioned the existance of Infinity to her. And judging by what I told her she decided to pursue Infinity , and that meant she left the city to pursue it further. And thanks to my stupidity i was left alone and lost my first love"-Shinji said as threw the cigarette from the rooftop

"Hey ! I'm here and it's not your fault that she wanted to pursue it ! And you shouldn't worry !"-Asuka said with pride as she got up on her feet

"Why shouldn't I ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka looked at him with a smirk

"Because I'll take you to infinity ! Mana got a headstart but we will quickly catch up !"-Asuka said as Shinji chuckled

"And how do you believe that there is a way to get there ? Hell i also stopped believing in that"-Shinji said as Asuka only looked at him with a smirk

"That's simply a construct in your mind ! We're simply gonna take a few stops here and there , like Bonneville and Isle of Man even Daytona if we find time"-Asuka said as she looked at Shinji and noticed that her small manipulation was beginning to work as Shinji's facial expression grew more and more confident

"Well , since Daytona speedway was rebuilt and the first 500 since the Second Impact will run next year than maybe 200 will be also runned"-Shinji said as he also got on his feet

"So Mister Ikari , do you want to jump on the train to Infinity ?"-Asuka asked as she extended her hand

"Well I do and-"-Shinji cut himself off as he heard the elevator open and grabbed Asuka by her hand and hid with her behind the chimney. Shinji covered Asuka's mouth as he heard the sound of gun loading as he took out his 21a and loaded it.

"Now , according to the data he is somewhere here"-the supposed assassin said as Shinji quickly jumped from his cover and sent few bullets towards him in places that wouldn't get him killed

"What the hell ?!"-Asuka said as she runned towards Shinji

"We have an assassin around here , luckily or purposely i didn't shot him to kill him on spot , at least we can interrogate him"-Shinji said as the man screamed in agony and pain

"Well then , get to it"-Asuka said as Shinji got closer to him

"Ok , so tell me who sent you before I'll send Iron to your head ?"-Shinji asked as he put the barrel of his 21a to the man's head

"If i tell you i'm a dead man anyways"-the man said as Shinji was growing more and more annoyed with the lack of cooperation

"And you will be a dead man if you wont start talking , perhaps this will get you to talk"-Shinji said as he walked towards the man's arm and broke it as the man screamed

"You see , im pretty serious about this , so talk before i break your other arm"-Shinji said as he heard the man groan and trying to grab his arm

"Fine , for years there was a group of-"

"Yeah yeah we know , so it was SELLE. Pretty expected from them"-Shinji said as the man quickly jolted away and managed to grab his pistol before putting it close to his head

"I'm already dead , see you in hell"-The man said as he put the gun in his throat and pulled the trigger killing himself instantly

"Mein gott.."-Asuka said as she put her hand on her mouth

"Looks like we are running on a tight clock , either that or SELLE considers itself more bold that they can kill an Eva pilot while angels are still attacking , or the answer number 3. They feel more bold here"-Shinji explained as he covered back the inscription with the poster

"I would suggest that we should return back to the apartment and go back to sleep , either that or have a talk about Infinity"-Asuka said as Shinji looked at the corpse

"You seem to take it really well for someone who never pulled the trigger"-Shinji said as he looked at his girlfriend

"I trained with various firearms and I know how the brain would come out. But i only read about it and watched few movies , it's the first time i've seen something like that in real life , its fascinating"-Asuka said as she walked closer to the corpses and tried to touch it before Shinji stopped her

"Are you crazy ?! You want your fingerprints on his body ?"-Shinji berated her as Asuka backed down and stopped her curiousness

"Right , one touch and I could be locked up , so now we head back ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji nodded and both of them went quickly inside the elevator

"So , I heard you talking with Kaneda about something , a party ?"-Asuka as she tried to change the topic from the recent suicide

"Yeah , tomorrow at 22:00 at the abandoned Olympic Stadium"-Shinji said as Asuka curiously looked at him

"Abandoned ? Oh i heard about it , in 2012 the Olympics were supposed to take place here in Japan but because of some controversy it was changed to London"-Asuka said as Shinji took out his phone and turned off the alarm just as the elevator opened both of them rushed off towards the main door before they found themselves back outside

"Yep , we visited that place few times as kids but never really couldn't explore it fully because of police patrolling but after years of being abandoned police gave up on patrolling it and so do we as the thrill disappeared"-Shinji explained as they got on the HS before made their way back to Shinji's apartment. As they rode Shinji took a look in the mirror as he noticed the police cars that were cornering the building.

"Now we can finally get some sleep"-Asuka said as she released a jaw cracking moan into the back of Shinji's head. Another 20 minutes passed before they reached the apartment before finally reaching Shinji's room and fall asleep

"WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP !"-The Kamen Rider alarm clock was exclaiming across the room as Shinji Asuka and Rei woke up with the couple being completely tired from their night escapades as Shinji punched it off the night table turning it off.

"Morning"-Asuka said as she wiped her eyes and got up from the futon

"Same to you"-Shinji said as he also got up and kissed her on the lips before hugging Rei and the trio dressed up in their home clothes before leaving the room to see Pen-Pen sitting on the couch

"Hello kids , so what's for breakfast ?"-Misato asked who walked out of her bedroom wearing her casual clothes as she sat on the couch alongside Pen-Pen. Shinji meanwhile walked up to the fridge to see what's inside

"Omelettes , because we have way too many eggs here"-Shinji said as he grabbed the eggs and began to work on four omelettes and fish for Pen-Pen. Minutes passed as everyone except for Shinji managed to take a shower while he stood over the four pans with 3 eggs each. As Shinji finished he prepared plates for all the inhabitants of the apartment before he laid down the plates with food on the table so that everyone could finally consume it. And so they did , after quickly eating his Omelette Shinji rushed to the bathroom to finally get himself in his street clothes as he took a quick shower and his morning routine.

"Ready for today"-Shinji said as he walked out of the bathroom wearing his casual look mixed with his HS jacket and A10 connectors to complete his outfit. He made his way towards the fridge to grab a drink as he noticed Asuka talking on the phone

"I'm telling you Hikari , we know that Shinji has a party prepared for as a celebration for his pro-going. Today at 22:00 , at the abandoned olympic stadium. That's all we know about"-Asuka said on the phone as on the other side of the phone Hikari looked worried

"Umm Asuka , isn't that illegal ?"-Hikari asked as she walked across her room nervously

"Maybe , but apparently Shinji's pal is organising it so at least we know it's safe. For Bosozoku at least , also Shinji has connections so he can bail us out"-Asuka said as Shinji sipped his drink tuning to the conversation

"Well i don't know , but there is a bus in a few hours so maybe"-Hikari said as Asuka grinned a bit

"Come on , it will be fun . You can bring the stooges and Aimi would love to see some of her old friends"-Asuka said as on the other side of the phone Hikari seemed pretty convinced 'Ah who cares ? It won't be Ikari's fault if something happens '

"Fine , i'll talk with Suzuhara and Aida and Hiei-san"-Hikari said as on the other side as Asuka let out a silent "yes"

"Ok , and if someone tries to stop you, tell them that Kaneda sent you. Now see you soon , i hope"-Asuka said as she closed the call while Shinji threw out the can to the trash can and walked up to her

"You know that it won't be a family friendly event right ?"-Shinji said as he embraced her from behind

"I'm sure Aimi's big brother will defend her right ? Besides, I'm sure she would want to see Kaneda right ?"-Asuka asked as she kissed Shinji on the cheek

"Of course I will ! But I know that few of the kid members will be there so Toji will have to keep an eye on them"-Shinji said as he sat on the couch and turned on tv with Pen-Pen resting on Shinji's lamp. An hour passed as Misato was preparing for another meeting and Rei was doing something in Shinji's room.

"Come on Katsuragi , only few days left and you can return back to your cosy apartment"-Misato said as she walked out of her bedroom dressed in her formal uniform as silently cursed under her breath while Shinji and Asuka looked at her confused

"I'm leaving ! I have a section 2 car ready for me so i'm leaving the Mazda for you , have fun"-Misato said as she left the apartment

"Well that solves the transport problem , anyways what's Rei doing ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji took a look at the door to his room

"i don't know , she closed the door and was sitting there since breakfast"-Shinji said as they got up from the couch and walked up towards the door to his bedroom

"Rei ?"-Shinji asked as he opened the door with Asuka following him. As they opened the door they found Rei sitting with a paper and a pencil with Shinji's helmet sitting on the desk next to a lamp

"Oh , brother"-Rei jolted surprised as turned towards Shinji and Asuka

"Wait , you drew that ?"-Shinji asked as he picked up the paper to see an artwork of a racing helmet with the HS logo and the Namerikawa sponsors advertising on it

"Yes , I began drawing as something to do in my spare time. Apparently it's called a hobby"-Rei said as Shinji was smiling while looking on the paper

"Rei , this is amazing. I think I just found my design for the racing helmet. I'll send it to namerikawa but i you to tell me the code paint"-Shinji said as Rei blushed from the complements

"Thank you brother , I'm glad I can help"-Rei said as she and Shinji while Asuka helped them . After they've sent the design to Namerikawa they played some games on the PS2 and as the hour 21:00 came all three of them prepared for the party before they were ready

"Ready for Infinity ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji opened the door

"If this the gateway then count me in cause i'm ready"-Shinji said as they made their way to the celebration

A/N : Oh it's good to be back ! It's been some time and schoolwork is falling on me in tons. But I'm back and well and will try to finish this story before this school year ends. In the other free time I had I also began to work on "Gore and Wings-Reboot". The reboot of my Manashin story so if you are interested you just have to wait a bit. Also i changed the title because it seemed more fitting as everything here revolves around Shinji. Also because i love Tallatega Nights and wanted to smuggle a reference

NEXT TIME ON HIGHWAY STAR : Party hard and tons of problems from it !