Prior Acquaintances
Chapter 8: Chartering New Territory
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'Hah! I don't need any of them. Who do they think they are?'
The foot stomped the letters once, twice, three times before it's owner turned on her heels and left the area.
Soryu Asuka Langley, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02, stomped out of the locker rooms, a storm cloud over her head. It was a blessing, and a curse. On one side, she was the most popular girl in the school, and that after only a day after she'd arrived.
On the other hand, she was being swamped with love letters from all the boys, the sort of attention she didn't want, but always seemed to get. Couldn't they understand she didn't want to have the slightest to do with any of them? Not any of them!
Especially not those three... stooges. She couldn't think of anything better to describe them as. First off, there was that idiot with his camera, which seemed to be surgically grafted to his hand. Also, she had a small inclination about who exactly was taking pictures of her. She had seen them in enough of the boys' hands that morning to work up quite a seething anger.
Then there was the jock... no explanation needed, after his stunt on the aircraft carrier.
And last of all... Shinji. Now, she didn't know what to think of him. He was... complex. He seemed to have a deeper layer than most... no, ALL boys in the school. Yet, he was a wimp, a complete and utter wimp. She still wondered how the hell he could have been chosen as a pilot. She'd have thought someone like the jock would be pilot material. Wait, not like him... BUILT like him. Eva was a strain; she'd be the first one to admit that. . only to herself, of course. She'd only boast how easy it was when in public.
Now, back to Shinji... speak of the devil, there he was.
"Hello," yelled the redhead as she approached her fellow pilot. She frowned as this caused no reaction. Ignoring me, are you? "Shinji!" She grinned as he cringed. "Guten Morgen!"
"Err... G-Guten Morgen..."
"Why so gloomy? After all, I'm greeting you! The most gorgeous and popular girl in this school. You should be honored." She smirked, flicking his nose. She turned around, searching. "Now, where is the other one?"
"Other one?"
What a fool... "The other Pilot, idiot!"
"Oh... Ayanami..." he mumbled, glancing towards the bottom of the stairs. She followed his eyes, looking where they were pointing. Surely enough, the First Child was at the bottom of the stairs, reading a book. Asuka strode down the stairs, musing. How could one better carve a position in the local hierarchy than to befriend the rest of the pilots? After all, she couldn't do much worse than she had with Shinji and the others... talk about bad first impressions.
As she stepped off the staircase, she watched the First Child for a moment. She seemed oblivious to the world, shutting everything out. Asuka jumped up on a wall, inadvertently casting a shadow over the other pilot's book. Seeing this as a way to grab the First Child's attention, she moved again as the blue haired girl moved the book from under the shadow.
"Hello!" No more than a glance answered the redhead's greeting, yet it seemed to tell her to leave its owner alone. Unaffected, she pressed on. "You must be Ayanami Rei, the Prototype's pilot. I'm Asuka! Asuka Soryu Langley." Glancing behind her, she noticed the gathering crowd, watching the two pilots interact. She grinned at being given the occasion to put on a show. "I'm the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 02. Lets be good friends!"
The First Child's red eyes left Asuka's blue eyes, returning to her book. "Why?"
The redhead seemed to have been... cast aside, as something unimportant. Her resolve faltering ever so slightly, she pressed on once more. "Because it's convenient. You know what I mean?" More for herself than for others, of course, but that wasn't the issue at the moment.
"If I'm ordered to, I will."
Asuka blinked. Of all answers, she hadn't expected that, even considering how Ayanami seemed to be ignoring her. "How odd..." she mumbled, and jumped off the wall. After all, she didn't want to be late for class.
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The redhead sat near the middle of the class, glancing around to find known figures. Two of the stooges sat behind her, for which she was grateful. Staring at those two all day would have been pure torture. The Eva-piloting stooge sat a couple of rows and one column away, seemingly staring outside... or was he staring at Ayanami? Narrowing her eyes, she started up the messaging program installed on every notebook, intent on shattering the Third Child's reverie.
::: Hey, Third Child. What's HER problem, anyway? :::
She watched as Shinji noticed the blinking mail notification, turning around after he had read the text, an eyebrow raised.
::: Who? :::
The redhead rolled her eyes, wondering how such a clueless human being could exist.
::: Anta baka? The First Child, of course! :::
::: What do you mean, what's her problem? :::
::: You know, this morning, when I was talking to her. What's with that "if I'm ordered" thing? :::
::: Oh, that... I honestly don't know. She's just really quiet and withdrawn... She doesn't talk much. If she didn't have blue hair, you wouldn't know she was there... :::
::: Eh. So in other words, she's weird. And rude. :::
::: I wouldn't say that... she just doesn't seem to know how to act around people. I think Akagi-san said it best... she's not very good at living. :::
::: Whatever. Anyway, why do you keep looking at her? :::
::: I was? :::
::: Baka. You've been staring at her during the whole class. Is there something going on between you two? :::
::: No! Why are you asking, anyway? :::
Asuka blinked. Why was she asking this, anyway? Ignoring the insinuations her mind was throwing at her, she quickly formulated an excuse.
::: Can't I inquire about the well-being and doings of my associates? We DO all work at the same place remember? :::
::: Oh, okay. . . :::
She sighed in relief; glad he hadn't asked how she knew he had been staring at the First Child. Midway in their discussion, she had realized that she had been staring at him for a while, not quite aware exactly how long that had been happening. She gazed at her notebook's screen, intent on focusing on something other than the Third Child.
The question being, why had she been looking at him at all? This was something she couldn't answer.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she checked if the notebooks were only connected between each other, or on the Internet as well. To her dismay, she could only reach her classmates. She frowned, as she had not been able to use a computer with Internet access for several days now, and had been wanting to tell Momoku that she had finally arrived in Japan.
This brought another small sigh out of her... it still felt awkward using the nickname. If the programs hadn't messed with them, she'd probably feel more comfortable using her friend's real name.
Maybe... maybe she could write an email here, and mail it from HQ. Nodding to herself, she opened the word processor, and sat gazing blankly at the screen.
What could she write? The only emails Momoku and she had actually sent to each other were those first ones, trying to see if the emails were screwed up as well, and other emails to set times to meet in the channel. Come to think of it, the screwing up seemed too focused to be some technical problem. It seemed like... censorship. She had noticed the fact before, but hadn't actually put a name on it until now. She frowned, figuring it was now useless to try writing an email. Leaning back, she thought she'd be able to find a computer at NERV HQ, and set herself on using one at the first available chance.
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"Good god, that was boring," ranted Asuka, her only audience being, of all people, Shinji. Yet he'd have to do, as they were both headed towards Nerv HQ. "Such low standards in this country..."
"Don't tell me that," answered the dark haired boy. "It's not my fault."
Hmph. This was what she had come to recognize as typical behavior from him. At work, and even before that on the aircraft carrier, when he seemed to avoid any form of confrontation. Such a wimp, she thought. "I can't believe that teacher bought that government disinformation..."
This time, the boy stopped in his tracks, a look of confusion on his face. "Huh?"
Asuka blinked, looking at him again. "Don't tell me you don't know about the Second Impact?" She asked, pointing at him.
"All the textbooks say that a meteor impacted with Antarctica, evaporating it..."
He stopped as the redhead started snickering. "Hah! You don't know ANYTHING! And you call yourself a pilot?"
Immediately, his expression got sour. Quickly, she tried to amend the situation, as any further mocking would probably make him ignore her. And that wouldn't do, after all.
"Well, want me to tell you, then? Fifteen years ago, a humanoid object, termed the first angel, was discovered in Antarctica. During the probe, there was an explosion of unknown origin... that was the Second Impact. And our duty, as Eva pilots, is to prevent the Third Impact from happening." Smirking, she pressed on, now that she had him practically eating out of her palm. "So they kept you ignorant of the facts? Amazing..."
"Excuse me," said a voice so low it was almost a whisper, startling the redhead. "Could I get by?" Asuka reflexively stepped aside, gathering her bearings as she watched the First Child walk by. She had to be dealt with once and for all.
"Hey, wait a sec, first!" This got the desired result, as the blue haired girl paused in mid-stride. "Now what?"
"I hear you're the Commander's pet... even though you're as frigid as stone."
"And what business is that of yours?" She asked, turning away once more.
Why, that bitch... "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" she hissed, grabbing the First Child's arm. "Don't make fun of me because you're the current favorite!" She whirled around as a hand grabbed her wrist.
"Cut it out," yelled Shinji, still holding to her wrist. For a few moments, she glared, looking at him straight in the eye.
"I see... so that's how it is." Not looking at her... yeah, right..." First Misato, then you guys. . .I can't stand it!" She growled, snatching her hand away from Shinji's grip. She didn't need to deal with this. She was better than either of them.
This thought repeated through her head as she ran down the hallway leading to the HQ. Alas, her musings were cut short.
"ALL EVA PILOTS! PREPARE TO SORTIE!"
Asuka grinned, shoving the thoughts of the last few minutes out of her mind. This was her first battle in Japan. She would show them all exactly who the best pilot was.
She would especially show the supposed Wonder Boy, the Third Child.
Listening intently to Misato's briefing, Asuka psyched herself for the upcoming battle. She would crush her opposition, and send it home crying. Figuratively speaking, of course, as the Angels didn't have a home, and probably didn't cry either. There was just one tiny detail that bothered her about this whole mission...
Why did the Third Child have to tag along? She could have easily handled the situation herself...
"How disappointing... You would have thought NERV would let me go alone on my first mission in Japan." Her gaze shifted to the screen that appeared on her left.
"It can't be helped. Orders, you know?"
Bah, the wuss. Following every order like some pet..." And YOU! Listen to me," she hissed into the hologram. "Don't you dare get in my way, you got me?"
"S-sure!" answered the boy, shrinking back from the image of the fiery redhead.
Asuka could not believe this. "Where in God's name did they find a pilot like this?" She cut her musings as her Eva was released from the Transport Plane's hold. With skill born from years of practice, she landed gracefully onto the beach; at least as gracefully a multi-hundred-ton object could land from a height of several miles. A few hundred yards away, EVA 01 did the same. "Eh... there's no honor in a two versus one fight... it's not my style"
Misato appeared on the hologram to comment on Asuka's statement. "We don't really have a choice when it comes to our survival, you know?"
A few seconds later, the Angel appeared. "Commence attack!"
"Right. I'll handle this Angel. Shinji, cover me."
"What? Cover you?"
"Ladies first?"
"Damn it... all I need is to be ordered around by a rookie..."
"I HEARD THAT!" Rookie? Me? I'll show you, Mr. Third Child...
The Eva approached the Angel, leaping onto submerged buildings as if they were stepping-stones. Her enemy seemed distracted by the gunfire coming from Eva 01, letting the Red machine close in without opposition. Finally in range, Asuka flexed the Eva's powerful leg muscles into a flying leap, taking her soaring into the air, holding the progressive hatchet high. She let out a feral cry as she lanced down upon her enemy, splitting the Angel in two. Satisfied with her work, she stood back up, grinning, and faced her so called Teammate.
"You see, Third Child? A fight should never last longer than that!" Her job done, she started walking back to the shore, when a yell from Eva 01's pilot stopped her.
"Asuka! It's still moving!"
"WHAT?" She whirled around, and watched, to her horror, as the separate pieces of the angel started twitching. They seemed to shed their skin and... grow back, this time into two separate Angels...
Which lost no time in attacking the two Evangelions. Shinji shot at the one approaching him, while Asuka tried to slash at her own target. Yet whatever wound either of the Children inflicted, it seemed to heal instantaneously.
Asuka turned around to see Shinji in the grip of the Angel as she heard him cry out. "Shinji!" Alas, this gave time for the other part of the Angel to grab her. "Hey! Lemme go!" She felt herself being lifted into the air, without any apparent effort. "I said, lemme go!"
Then, the flying sensation as both Angels flung the Evas in separate directions, and the blackness as she crashed headfirst into the ground, knocking her out.
Asuka seethed the whole time it took here to change out of her plugsuit. The reprimand from Sub-commander Fuyutsuki had stung, but that BAKA had only seemed to rub it in by arguing with her! He would pay for having humiliated her in front of her superiors -- and Kaji no less! Asuka waited until they were both alone outside of the changing room, and angrily stomped on Shinji's foot.
"Ow! That hurt! Alone for two seconds and you ambush me?" he glared at her, holding his foot in pain.
"Shut up! Because of you, I got yelled at by the Sub-Commander!"
"And how is this my fault??"
"You got caught by the Angel because you're so slow, and that distracted me! And to top it all, the First Child was looking at me with such contempt! Grah!" She cursed, and vented her anger on a nearby bench. She whirled around to yell at Shinji some more, but felt a hand fall on her shoulder.
"Hey, what's all this row?"
"Kaji! Oh, nothing much... Shinji was picking on me." She glanced out of the corner of her eye, hiding a smirk caused by the glare the Third Child was giving her.
"Hey, you guys want a snack? My treat."
"Sure!" Asuka's grin faded as she saw that she wasn't going to be alone with Kaji, for the eternally unshaved man had put a hand on Shinji's shoulder as well, inciting him to follow. Why couldn't he leave them alone? Kaji had asked her, not him!
In the cafeteria, the snack, which was in fact their dinner, was eaten in silence. Both Children seemed to have something on their minds. Seeing this, Kaji decided to lighten the mood. "C'mon, you two. This isn't over yet. Just need to work a bit harder next time.
"Yeah but with the Evas needing repair, who knows if we'll get a next time?" Asuka asked. She was going to ask more when the intercom came to life.
"Would the pilots of Eva 01 and 02 report to the second conference room at once."
Kaji could only grin at them. "See, you're wanted already... good luck."
As they left, Shinji voiced both their thoughts. "But the Evas are still inoperable! What do they want us to do?"
"No idea, it doesn't really matter anyway."
"Ah, there you are," interrupted the mauve haired Captain. "Follow me."
Both Children had a confused look on their face. "Where are we going?" Shinji asked.
Misato grinned. "To our next operation." She continued as the Children's blank expressions remained. "Our computer analysis has revealed the halves of the Angel work in perfect synchronization. Even separated, it works with one mind. The only way to defeat it is to defeat both cores at once. This will take perfect timing from both Evas." She stopped at a door, and pressed the button to open it. "We'll need you both to be in complete harmony, or the mission will fail." As the door opened, she walked in. "This is it, come on in."
Asuka looked around, growing more confused with every passing moment. She could see twin beds, separated by what seemed like a music sound system, and a TV screen. The rest of the room was pretty average, all in all it seemed like...
"It's a regular twin bedroom..." Shinji mumbled, equally perplexed.
"Welcome to your new quarters!" Misato continued, when the two Children had surveyed their surroundings. "You'll be living here for the next five days."
Asuka and Shinji stood frozen, the expression of horror on the one's face reflected by the other's.
"WHAAAAAAT?"
"We don't have much time, and this is a non-negotiable deal. I will not take no for an answer." Misato continued, smiling even wider.
"You can't do this! We're of the opposite sex!" yelled the girl, as flustered as her companion in misery.
"Misato! What are you thinking!"
"Where is the problem? This is something that has got to be done. Training together all day isn't enough; we need you to be both biologically synchronized as well. So you're only going to train, sleep, and get up together. Nothing complicated about that."
Asuka knew that Misato hadn't meant 'sleeping together' in... THAT way, but it still was a large matter of concern. "But... what if Ikari gets horny and attacks me during the night??"
Misato shrugged this off with a smile. "Quite all right," she answered, to Asuka's disbelief, before she went on. "He wouldn't have the guts." This did nothing to convince the girl, as she eyed the boy next to her. Misato turned and headed towards the door, still smiling. "You should have everything you need right here, but if I missed something call me over the intercom. Wake up call is at 6:30AM. Good night!" The next second, she was gone.
Both Children remained rooted where they stood, frozen in mute horror until Asuka broke the silence. "This can't be happening... it's a nightmare come true! I mean, if it had been with Kaji I wouldn't mind, but Shinji??"
"Say..." The object of the redhead's ranting asked. "Can I take a shower first? I need to cool off."
Already she could tell he was resigned to his fate. Why couldn't he put up a fight, she raged internally, forgetting how he had also been voicing his opposition to Misato's orders. "No! Haven't you heard of chivalry?" She stalked towards the showering room. "Ladies first, I'll go before you! And remember... no peeking."
"Don't worry about that," Shinji answered. Then, in a barely noticeable whisper, he went on. "It's hardly worth risking my life..."
"Hey!" the redhead whirled around, glaring at the Third Child. "What was THAT supposed to mean?"
"Just go!"
She slammed the door behind her, and started to run the shower. What was with him, she thought as she undressed. Any boy would jump at the occasion to take a look at my perfect body... this boy... wimpy, meek... He didn't seem to want to. As she stepped into the shower, an idea struck her. The perfect prank.
Armed with a towel and nothing else, Asuka strode out of the bathroom. "Shinji..." she purred, stressing out the last syllable. "Sorry it took so long! I'm all freshened up now!" she continued, adding a hint of slyness in her voice.
She almost couldn't hold her laughter back as he yelled in surprise and terror.
"Why aren't you dressed??"
Ignoring his cries, she went on strutting through the room, still holding the towel close to herself. "What do you think of my body?"
Shinji, for his part, valiantly tried to hide her from his view, placing his hands in front of him. "After you told me not to peek?"
"I'm hurt to see you so uninterested." Yet... he was again proving himself different. He was holding up to his word, not trying to peek. Yet at the same time, it made him into a perfect plaything... she could see a lot of fun coming from the Third Child in the future. All at her hand, of course. Deciding to end the game, she leaned over him.
"Want to see the real thing?"
Slowly, she undid the towel, revealing... that she wore shorts and a small corset. She grinned at his expression, his face still red, and burst out laughing.
"Three hours of training right off the bat," said the dark haired boy, sighing, as he and his redheaded companion walked down the NERV HQ corridors leading to the cafeteria. "And more after lunch. God, I'm beat..." He valiantly continued walking, his face covered in sweat and legs shaking as he moved them.
"Quit complaining! You're only whining because you can't even stand straight on your own two feet! It would've been perfect already if I was alone..." Add the humiliation of having to wear these suits... hell, it covered her barely more than a swimsuit would!
"Of course, you wouldn't adjust your speed to me, either."
"Of course not! I'm already doing it perfectly! You're slowing me down!" She yelled, pulling at his ears. Technically... she could probably do it. But she wouldn't do him a favor. No, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of her going out of her way to accommodate with him.
Following his suddenly shifting gaze, she noticed the tall form of NERV's Supreme Commander as he approached them. Quickly removing her hands from Shinji, she stood to attention.
The Commander's eyes turned to Asuka. "How is the training going?" He asked, pausing on his way down the corridor.
Now was the time to make up for the humiliation of the previous mission, and the debriefing. "Just fine, sir! We'll definitely win four days from now!"
"Good. Ill be looking forward to it." This was the only answer before the Commander moved on. Asuka blinked, having expected a bit more discussion than this.
"Father!" Shinji's outburst caught her attention. "We... we were going to have lunch... do you want to-"
"Sorry." The elder Ikari interrupted his son. "I have work to do," he finished, walking off.
Asuka looked at the Commander's departing figure, then back at Shinji. She had known the Commander was a cold person, but Shinji was his son! And he had flat out refused an innocent offer for lunch... She decided to ask him later, as this had piqued her interest...
As they entered the cafeteria, she spotted Misato. She walked over to the table where NERV's Operations Director and Project E Chairman were eating. Curious, the Third Child followed.
"Say, Misato..." the Second Child asked, having caught the older women's attention. "Could I possibly quickly use one of the computers here? There's something I have to check..."
Misato raised an eyebrow, sipping her can of Yebisu. "And might I ask what it is you want to check?"
"Well, I remembered this website that had some material on dances, helping to synchronize movement... I think the name may have been Riverdance or something..."
"I don't know... I guess the Magi allow for surfing the internet... but wouldn't leave some security breach?" Misato asked, directing the last part at Ritsuko, who was looking at Asuka and Shinji with a barely perceptible smile on her face.
She shook her head, snapping out of her musings. "No, the firewall protects us enough. I don't have anything against it... But," she continued, lifting her finger, as Asuka started smiling widely. "Shinji has to go with you."
"Shinji? He wouldn't even know how to use a computer!"
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that... in any case, you both can have half an hour after lunch. Shinji will join you to help you search for that website of yours... Now, go eat some lunch, you still have training in a bit." Ritsuko smiled as the Children left, watching the girl glaring at the boy.
Misato gazed at her friend's expression, her eyes narrowed. "Do you know something I don't?"
"Hm? Me? Nope... nothing at all..."
"Aaah, finally!" Asuka exclaimed as she slid into a seat. As she and Shinji entered the room, she had wondered if it was some sort of lounge... it contained about a dozen computers, six on each side of the room. Each were separated by some kind of small dividers, in addition of being slightly slanted compared to the next computer, as the room seemed strangely triangular. A guard had been posted outside, ready to notify them when their time was over. Quickly, she opened up a few windows, checking her mail and opening a chat session, blinking as she read the nickname some previous chatter had left...
"MyMasterBeatsMe...?" she mumbled, frowning to herself. She really, really didn't want to know how that person came up with that name...
Shinji, for his part, was trying to find the website Asuka had mentioned, going only on the few facts she had mentioned earlier. He leaned back, as from his seat he could glimpse a small part of Asuka's screen, while she probably couldn't even see him leaning back, from where she was. Not that it mattered, as she seemed rather intent on her own screen. Even from the few seats distance that separated them, Shinji recognized the layout of an email program. "Aren't you looking for that website?" He asked, curious as to why she wasn't doing what she had told Dr. Akagi she had planned to do.
Turning around, Asuka glared at him, moving her body to hide the screen better. "Anta baka? You actually believed I was really going to do that? I'm just checking some of my own stuff, that's all..." She went back to checking her email, reading some messages from people she had known back in Germany before she logged onto the chat.
Turning around, she glared at him. "Anta baka? You actually believed I was really going to do that? I'm just checking some of my own stuff, that's all..."
He blinked, and looked back at his screen... If she wasn't actually looking for the site, why should he? And who was to say the site even existed? She had probably lied just to get to a computer... Shrugging, he opened up a chat session of his own.
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[13:05] *** Now talking in #Rosengärten.
[13:05] *** Topic is 'Where RoterRitter is moving! || Song of the Week: Johann Sebastian Bach -- II Air'
[13:05] *** Chanserv sets mode: +o Momoku
[13:05] seven I don't understand it
[13:05] *** Squinky is now known as Squinky_Crochet
[13:05] seven but hearing my name inflates my ego!
[13:06] Tchernobyl Hey, Momoku, long time no see!
[13:06] seven *inflate*
[13:06] soleta oh dear
[13:06] * sacrenova gives seven an air pump.
[13:06] ElSleep Eeep!
[13:06] ElSleep Hey!
[13:06] Momoku Hello...
[13:06] soleta that is not something that needs inflating
[13:06] * soleta giggles and flrrd
[13:06] seven does too
[13:06] ElSleep Private messages are to be displayed :P
[13:07] soleta oh, okay then
[13:07] sacrenova they were
[13:07] Squinky_Crochet They are?
[13:07] sacrenova they were?
[13:07] Tchernobyl Before you ask, no, RoterRitter hasn't been around for a while ;)
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How did he know he was going to ask that? Sometimes, Tcher knew too much for his own good, he believed...
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[13:08] * seven eyes tcher
[13:08] seven are you working your vile sorcery on elc?
[13:08] soleta the sorcery of luuuuuuuv
[13:08] Tchernobyl ....
[13:09] ElSleep Tcher holds me in thrall.
[13:09] seven yes, he's a beast of passion
[13:09] * soleta eyes seven, then eyes Tcher
[13:09] Squinky_Crochet But ElC, didn't you say that you were just using Tcher?
[13:09] ElSleep I did?
[13:10] * Squinky_Crochet points to the channel logs
[13:10] ElSleep I did.
[13:11] * seven claims himself and hugs self. I love you.
[13:11] * Tchernobyl reads up, and ........
[13:12] *** RoterRitter has joined #Rosengärten
[13:12] *** Chanserv sets mode: +o RoterRitter
[13:12] * seven kisses self. oh you naughty, naughty little girl... did I just say that out loud? _ _
[13:12] * seven tackles tcher
[13:12] seven TAKE ME YOU FOOL
[13:12] seven TAKE ME NOW
[13:12] * RoterRitter .....
[13:12] Tchernobyl RR? Momoku? Please?
[13:12] *** seven was kicked by RoterRitter (You are one sick, sick person.)
[13:13] Tchernobyl Thank you.
[13:13] Tchernobyl *cough*
[13:13] *** seven has joined #solace
[13:13] * seven limps back in "that was rather rude"
[13:13] soleta c'mon, Tcher, can't you accept worship? ;)
[13:13] * Tchernobyl keeps the shotgun at hand's reach
[13:14] * seven hmphs at tcher and goes behind the privacy screen with himself, then
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[13:15] RoterRitter God, those guys are insane...
[13:15] Momoku Hey. Haven't seen you around for a while.
[13:15] RoterRitter Right back at ya. I've been busy moving, remember? I'm finally in the country of the rising sun...
[13:15] * Momoku is glad
[13:15] RoterRitter Hm? Why, because you can talk with me for even longer, now?
[13:15] Momoku Actually, more because we have a slightly higher chance to meet each other now, than we did before...
[13:15] RoterRitter Hell yeah! During school vacations or something...
[13:15] Momoku Yeah. If I manage to get away from this place...
[13:15] RoterRitter ?
[13:16] RoterRitter Why do you say that?
[13:16] Momoku I don't know if my guardian would let me travel the country alone...
[13:16] RoterRitter That sucks...
[13:16] RoterRitter Ah, no matter. I'll probably be the one to visit, although it's rather un-gentelman-like to make a lady do the trip :P
[13:16] Momoku Gomen, I can't help it... I didn't make the rules :P
[13:16] RoterRitter I know, I'm just kidding, so stop apologizing already... god knows I've got enough of that around here...
[13:16] RoterRitter So, what's up?
[13:16] Momoku Oh, nothing much... probably won't be online for the next 4 days, though. Some school project...
[13:16] RoterRitter Ah... s'alright, I'm in the same situation. And just as I've finished moving, too! You'd think they'd give me time to unpack, but nooooo...
[13:19] RoterRitter ....
[13:20] RoterRitter you still there?
[13:20] Momoku Yeah...
[13:20] RoterRitter What's on your mind?
[13:20] Momoku Oh, nothing...
[13:20] RoterRitter You know, each time you say something like that, it attracts more attention to you? And each time you have something on your mind, you're silent for a while.
[13:20] Momoku Really? Weird...
[13:20] Momoku Come to think of it, you tend to do the same...
[13:20] RoterRitter Wha? Nah, you must be imagining things.
[13:20] Momoku No, seriously...
[13:21] RoterRitter Bah. Anyway, stop changing the subject! What's on your mind? Tell!
[13:21] Momoku My father, again... I saw him today, but he pushed me away... again.
[13:21] RoterRitter Oh... nothing seems to work, does it?
[13:21] Momoku Nope... it was only asking him to come for lunch, too...
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Asuka blinked. Lunch? Asking his father to have lunch with him? Her eyes still wide in disbelief, she leaned back slightly, and looked at Shinji out of the corner of her eye. She leaned back some more, trying to catch a glimpse of his screen, but he was just too far down the row for her to see from her angle.
Could it be? Naah... the coincidence was just too incredible to be real. After all... this was SHINJI she was talking about. The perverted wimp. Momoku was anything but that, and much easier to talk to... trustworthy, in fact. Although... both kept apologizing to no end... and both had a problem with their father.
She shook off the feeling. There was just no way in hell Shinji could be Momoku.
---------
[13:23] Momoku Still there?
[13:23] RoterRitter Yeah, I was afk for a bit there...
[13:23] RoterRitter Oh damn, I have to go in a few min...
[13:24] Momoku So do I... in any case, it's good to be talking with you again
[13:24] RoterRitter Damn straight. Glad that this move is over as well... talk to you again in 4 days, okay?
[13:24] Momoku Sure...
[13:24] * RoterRitter sighs...
[13:24] Momoku ?
[13:24] RoterRitter I really, really wish we could meet... this is fun and all... but it's not the same thing.
[13:25] Momoku Yeah... let's just hope it isn't like in that old movie...
[13:25] RoterRitter Hm? Which one?
[13:25] Momoku An old American movie my guardian showed me... I think it was "You've got mail"
[13:25] RoterRitter Oh yeah, I've seen that one... it was funny.
[13:25] RoterRitter What, you're hoping this is the start of a blooming romance? ;)
[13:25] Momoku Er... more that if we do meet, that we don't hate each other...
[13:26] RoterRitter That wouldn't happen, I like you too much for that :P And you like me, right?
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Shinji almost fell off the chair, as he stared at the monitor in disbelief. Whoa. This was probably the first time anyone had ever said something like that to him... he couldn't believe she had actually said that...
--------
[13:27] RoterRitter ...RIGHT?
[13:27] Momoku Yes! Sorry, I was afk...
[13:27] RoterRitter Hmph. That sounds rather weak to me. Say it again :P
[13:27] Momoku I like you, too. You're the only person I can really talk with, share my thoughts with.
[13:27] RoterRitter Much better. You're the same, you know. My confidante :)
[13:28] RoterRitter Ah well, I should be going. Cya!
[13:28] Momoku Tchüss!
-------------------
Just as the guard opened the door, Shinji and Asuka both stood up from their terminals. They blinked at each other for a moment, before shrugging it off and walking out of the room, heading back to several more hours of training.
As she toweled her hair after her shower, Asuka couldn't let go of those thoughts... Even though it was only a little she was going on, the similarity was too amazing to believe... She just had to find out. Sitting on the edge of Shinji's bed, she eyed him warily. He seemed to be deep in thought, gazing at the ceiling, not noticing her presence.
It was time to move in for the kill.
"Say, Shinji... do you have a... father's complex?" She almost laughed as he immediately sat up. Asuka one, Shinji zero.
"What are you talking about now?" he asked, seemingly indignant.
"You know! You wanted to have lunch with him, and now you're depressed because he refused! What's the big deal?"
"I don't have a complex... I just hate him. Very much so... but I don't want to."
"As I said..."
"What about you?" Shinji asked, trying to change the subject of the conversation.
Asuka blinked, then looked away. Why should she share with him? He didn't need to know anything about her. And yet... he had just poured out his thoughts to her, never thinking twice about it. She turned her head to face him once more, ready to lash out at him, until she saw his eyes. His expression was on ly... concern, and curiosity. She had expected him to feel pity, guessing why she had remained silent for so long...
Being honest for once couldn't hurt too much... right?
"Kindof the same... but I hate him, and have a reason to. I want to hate him." There... it hadn't hurt too much.
"Oh... uhm... why?"
But she had to draw a line somewhere. "I'd rather not talk about it, actually. . ." She said, lifting herself off of Shinji's bed, and flopping on her own.
The silence remained until they fell asleep, as Shinji was left to wonder about his roommates past, and she could only try to suppress surfacing memories that had best been left undisturbed.
Shinji quietly closed the bathroom door behind him, careful not to wake his roommate up. As he approached his bed, he paused, listening to something... someone was crying? He looked at the sleeping girl, and stepped closer to the redhead, her fiery mane scattered all over her pillow. As he leaned next to her bed, he heard her mumble.
"Mommy..."
She talks in her sleep? Huh...
"Mommy... why did you die?"
Shinji blinked. She hadn't mentioned that part when they had talked, earlier... Here was this girl, brash, violent, loud, seemingly a polar opposite of himself... yet they shared a common bond. Both had lost their parents... even if one did remain, they couldn't really be called a Parent.
He was about to go back to bed, when she turned over, suddenly facing him. His face was now less than a foot away from hers, so close he could almost feel her breathing. Slowly, he leaned in closer, not quite aware of what he was doing.
As he closed the gap to a few inches, he noticed a lone tear escape from the sleeping girl's eye. He stopped his forward motion, silently gazing at her. Instead of pressing on, he lifted a hand to her face, and gently wiped away the tear with a finger. Sighing, he quietly went back to his bed, and stared at the ceiling until sleep claimed him.
On her side, Asuka was wide-awake, and very confused. A few minutes ago, she had startled herself awake by crying. Angry at herself, she had turned over, eyes still closed, and tried to fall asleep once more.
That's when she felt something close to her. Something warm, and breathing. And the only thing that would fall under that category was... Shinji. It took all her self-control to note open her eyes and yell at him, instead trying to feign sleep.
She must have succeeded, as after a few moments, she felt his breath coming closer. Had her eyes been opened, she would have blinked in shock. What was he doing? Starting to panic, she remained frozen in place. Her heart nearly froze when she sensed him stopping, mere inches from her face. She waited, unsure of what he would do... and felt his finger lightly touch her face, wiping something away. She realized a tear must have escaped, and run down her face.
Had he... had he stopped because of that?
Asuka stayed awake a long time, before being able to sleep again.
"Okay, stop! Asuka, stop leaving Shinji behind! You seem too distracted."
"I'm doing it perfectly, he's the one who's slow! And besides... why has the Fir-Ayanami been watching since yesterday? That's probably what's distracting me."
Misato sighed. "Rei? Could you try for a sec instead of Asuka?"
"Yes." The blue haired girl answered, stepping forward.
Shocked, Asuka stepped back, and watched in silence... as to her disgust, both other pilots seemed to be in perfect synchronization. She didn't miss the look Misato gave her.
"If Unit 00 wasn't being repaired... I'd team them up without a second thought." Misato said softly to the red Eva's pilot.
That was the last straw. Adding this to the night Shinji had almost kissed her, Asuka needed to get out of this... prison. "Fine. Why don't you send her out in my Unit 02?"
Misato looked squarely at her. "Asuka?"
"Excuse me!" The redhead exclaimed, her control breaking, and ran out of the room. She continued to run, escaping the confines of the pyramid that was NERV HQ, and finally came to rest in what seemed a park. . .that was the last thing she would have expected in the Geofront. However, it was the last thing on her mind at the moment.
They had no right to replace her, she wasn't the one at fault... Shinji was the one who kept lagging behind... and he was why she was so distracted... for the past three days, she had been mulling the event over in her mind, trying to sort things out... like why he tried, and more importantly, why he had stopped.
"Soryu..."
She gave a slight jump, as she hadn't heard him approached while lost in her thoughts.
"Don't say a word. I know what I need to do... I'm the only one who can do it. I have no choice in the matter."
Shinji, complying with her demand, remained silent. Saying that Ayanami probably could pilot Unit 02 didn't seem the best of ideas at the moment...
"In any case," the girl continued, "I'm not going to roll over on command. I'm going to show both Misato and the First. I must crush them!" Noticing his bewildered look, she shrugged. "My pride is at stake. I have to this, and I'll do it my own way." She hid her expression from him, masking it with an air of determination. In reality, she felt disappointed, and yet relieved... she was almost sure Shinji wasn't Momoku. Had he been, he would have said something... anything... to comfort her. Or just to try to talk it out... no. Shinji had remained silent. He couldn't be Momoku.
The day had come. Both were ready, both were synchronized. The hours had blurred past, a haze of German curses, twirls, and dancing until, after days of practice, they'd achieved uncanny synchronicity. Asuka still remembered looking over to Shinji's sweating face to see him looking back at her, in perfect time. Both smiling as they listened to the music pour from the stereo's speakers. They had trained the whole day after her outburst, perfecting the training it what seemed a matter of hours.
Now, as they fought the angel, they were poetry in motion. Every motion of one of the Evas was mirrored exactly by the other, creating an eerie, yet graceful dance.
Catapulted from underground, both Evas soared through the skies. As gravity pulled them back down, they each smashed a knee in their respective Angel, knocking the creature back.
Leaping away, they reached for the bus-sized guns that had been sent to them, and opened volleys of fire at their targets. These seemed unaffected by the projectiles, releasing bolts of energy of their own.
The Evas leapt away, flipping backwards to dodge the oncoming Angel fire. As they landed at a pre-marked area, their arrival triggered a massive armored plate to raise, shielding them from the searing bolts of energy aimed at them. Grabbing another set of rifles, they opened another volley at the Angels. This only seemed to anger them, as they suddenly rose off the ground, flying towards the Evas. These dodged the oncoming claws, watching as the barrier was cut like a hot knife through butter.
The Angels seemingly distracted, cover fire was shot at them, the hundreds of rockets creating a massive cloud of smoke, hiding the Angels from view.
This being their chance, both Eva took running leaps, soaring through the skies, to finally crush both Cores with a flying kick that would have made many a martial artist proud. The Cores shone brightly as they were destroyed, and exploded in a massive ball of fire.
As the dust ensuing the explosion cleared, both Evas were revealed... grotesquely heaped one upon the other.
From inside her Eva, Asuka eyed the Third Child. "Way to go, you klutz. Can't you even land right?"
"Oh, cut it out... it's over, anyway."
"Hmph. You're forgiven, this time... You didn't do too bad, considering your abilities..."
Shinji grinned. "Wow, compliments. I'm flattered."
"Shut up. Now," she started, opening a channel to the Bridge of NERV. "Will someone get us out of here???"