A World Without Eva

by Ikari666

A continuation of the AU on episode 26

1. The New Girl

This is a fic done from the A/U seen in episode 26 of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I got the idea
after watching that particular episode for the third time on DVD. Lo and behold, three weeks and
two prereaders later, the first chapter of A World Without Eva. I wish I could say I was the first to
do this, but halfway through the planning stage I found a couple one-shots done(grrrr...). But,
mine's at least going to be the first multi-chaptered one ^_^... as far as I know... The only regret
I have in choosing this setting is... the loss of Pen Pen! Yes... It's true... Our favorite
warm-water penguin doesn't exist in this series... How sad!

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion. If I did would I live in Ham-town,
Michigan? Rat County? Broke City? Huh, do ya? Do ya!?

A World Without Eva

Chapter 1 - The New Girl

"Baka-Shinji!"

Shinji Ikari's eyes snapped open upon hearing a voice in his
bedroom. The voice came from one, Asuka Langley Sohryu.
Shinji sat up trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"It's about time you got up, baka-Shinji."

"What is it, Asuka?" The fourteen-year-old groggily asked.

Had Shinji been completely awake, he would've avoided
angering Asuka with that remark. "What the hell does than
mean? Can't you appreciate the fact that I went to the trouble of
waking you up? I don't hear any words of gratitude for your
oldest childhood friend!"

Shinji muttered out his thanks. But, he was tired, really tired.
He put his head back down on his pillow. "Let me sleep a little
longer."

Asuka became even more irritated because of her longtime
friend's response. "What are you doing? It's time for you to get
up!" She yelled, reaching down and snatching the covers from
the boy.

Unfortunately, Shinji was having a very nice dream. Asuka
gasped and became red in the face. A second later the sound of
skin violently contacting skin echoed through the hall. The force
of the slap caused the head of a penguin-shaped bobble-head
doll, with a Pen^2 collar, perched on Shinji's dresser to shake back
and forth. "Shinji-baka-hentai! I can't believe you've got one of
those!"

Shinji grabbed his face in pain. "I can't help it! It's
morning!"

Downstairs, Shinji's mother, Yui, was at the kitchen sink
doing dishes when she heard the beginnings of yet another
argument between the two teens. "That Shinji!" She exclaimed
to Shinji's father, Gendo. "Asuka's so sweet to come pick him
up every morning. And he doesn't even appreciate it." Gendo
'uh'ed' his acknowledgement from behind the newspaper he was
reading. "Dear, you have to get ready too." This earned another
'uh' from the man. "Gosh, you're just like Shinji."

"Are you ready?" He asked, opting to answer with more than
a psuedo-word.

"Anytime." Yui answered. "I'm the one who gets complaints
from Professor Fuyutsuki if you're late for the meeting."

"That's true. He's you're biggest fan." He said with a flat
tone, though he was inwardly smiling.

Yui knew her husband well enough to know what he said
was in jest. "Oh, you! Cut that out and get ready."

Gendo answered with another 'uh,' before adding, "I
understand, Yui."

Outside of Shinji's door Asuka yelled at him to hurry. "I
know!" Shinji answered indignantly while finishing putting on
his belt. "You're such a pain in the ass sometimes, Asuka!" He
added, stepping out of the room.

Asuka glared at him and grit her teeth. "What did you
say!?!" Shinji was frozen in place. He knew what was coming.

A very loud smack reverberated throughout the apartment.

 Asuka's hand left an angry red welt on the side of Shinji's
face. They both made their way to the front door.

"Ittekimasu!" Asuka said from the door as she finished
putting on her shoes.

"Ittekimasu..." Shinji said as Asuka pushed him out of the
house.

"Itterasshai!" Yui answered.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Shinji ran behind Asuka as they both made the effort not to
be late for school. "Hey isn't there a new student starting today?"
His voice was raised to a near yell because of the traffic they
were making their way past..

Asuka looked over her shoulder to Shinji. "That right! Since
this city's going to be the new capital, there're a lot of people
moving in. It's no wonder we're getting so many new kids."

"Oh, that makes sense." Shinji took his gaze off of Asuka
and put it to the sky above. "I wonder what she's like..." He
continued wistfully. "I hope she's cute!"

Asuka growled softly as she glared at him.

Shinji didn't hear her because he was building a mental
image of what the girl might look like.

Elsewhere, a girl with blue hair and a piece of toast clenched
between her teeth ran down the sidewalk. "Oh, I'm late! I'm
late!" She wore a light tan sweater-vest over a white school shirt
and red tie, and a light greenish-gray skirt that went a few
centimeters above the knee. Clenched in her left hand was a
black leather attaché case. "I can't be late for the first day!"

She quickly approached the corner and gave a muffled
scream when she noticed a brown-haired boy popped out from
the corner. Unable to stop herself in time, she went into a
head-to-head collision with the boy. The piece of toast that she
was eating flew from her mouth on to the sidewalk where two
birds quickly descended upon it. The force of the impact
knocked her on her butt. Trying to rub the pain out of her aching
head, she slowly lifted her crimson red eyes up to meet with the
boy's own midnight blue ones. She regarded him for a second
before realizing the position she was in.  Her knees slammed
together as her hands flew in front of her to push her skirt down.
He looked at her with a mystified expression on his face. She
leapt up to resume her run.. "I'm sorry! I'm in a hurry!" She
looked over her shoulder to see the boy still on the ground. "I'm
really very sorry!"

 Shinji stared at her, still dazed from the impact. He kept
staring as the girl got further and further away.

Asuka didn't like the way her friend was staring at the girl.
"Baka! What are you doing!?! Get up!" She reached down and
grabbed his arm. Shinji marveled at his companion's strength as
she pulled him up with one swift pull. Though the pain in his
body jumped from his head to his shoulder. "Do you want us to
be late? Oh, never mind, don't answer that. You probably do,
just so you can tell your little friends perverted stories about us!
Don't think for one second that I'm going to let you do that!"
She ran off towards the school in a huff.

"Gee, why do you have to keep twisting things like that,
Asuka?" Shinji said. Fortunately for him, Asuka was no longer
within earshot. He brushed the dust from his pants, and took off
after the angry red-head. I wonder why I put up with her, he
thought to himself as he caught up with the girl. They continued
their run to the school in an uneasy silence.

After they arrived at the gate of the school Asuka had not
calmed down. Shinji thought it would be better if he took a
different route to their classroom.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

"What?!?" Cried out green-haired jock in his usual sports
attire. Shinji had just finished relating the story of his collision.
"Did you see her panties!?!"

Shinji rolled his eyes. He sometimes wondered exactly why
Toji Suzuhara was one of his best friends. "Well, it wasn't really
a good look." He explained, holding out his thumb and index
finger to illustrate his point. "Just a little flash."

Shinji's other best friend, Kensuke Aida, smiled to himself.
He knew that there was more than his friend let on.

Toji slapped his palm to his forehead. "I can't believe that
you're the one that gets all the luck!" That being said, Toji
incurred the wrath of the Class Representative, Hikari Horaki.
He winced in pain as someone grabbed his ear and pulled.
"What'd you do that for, Inchou?!?" He yelled out, knowing
Hikari would be the only person that could currently be attached
to his left ear.

Hikari tightened her grip slightly. "Suzuhara, just what
exactly were you talking about!?!" She fumed. Except for Toji, it
was well-known within the class that Hikari liked him. Rumors
floated around the class that she also liked someone else, but no
one knew who it was. Everyone knew because, every time that
Toji made a comment like the one he just made, she would get
angry. And everyone also knew, as nice and shy as she usually
was, that you don't make the representative of class 2-A angry
without getting her infamous 'Ear Pull of Death.' She twisted her
hand a bit before continuing. "Go change the water in the flower
vase right now! You understand?"

"You're so mean." Toji whined.

"What did you just say!?!"

Shinji frowned. "Poor Toji's so hen-pecked. It's sad, isn't
it?"

Before Kensuke could answer Asuka butted in from her desk
behind Shinji's right shoulder. "Look who's talking..."

Shinji craned his neck around. "Are you saying that I'm
easily manipulated?"

"I'm merely reporting the facts." Returned Asuka.

"How so?"

"It just is. Accept it."

"Why do you treat me like this?!?"

Meanwhile, Kensuke just leaned back against the window
and stared at the ceiling. He slowly tuned out Shinji and Asuka's
argument. Why do they always have to fight like that, he thought,
it's a beautiful day why can't they enjoy "the calm, peace and
tranquility..." His reverie was broken by loud engine moving
into the school parking lot. That can only mean one thing. He
grabbed his digital camera and turned to the window the same
time Toji flung it open. All three boys hung out of the window to
see their teacher, Misato Katsuragi, step out of her car and take
off her sunglasses. Boys from not only their class, but adjoining
classes began to gather at their windows to catch a glimpse of the
purple-haired beauty. Girls all over that side of the school rolled
their eyes collectively.

Misato stifled a laugh as she heard boys shuffle to the glass
above her. She took a quick glance to the window the classroom
she teaches, class 2-A and saw Toji almost drooling at her, Shinji
with a bigger than usual smile on his face, and Kensuke with his
ever-present video camera. She put on her best smile and flashed
them a "V" sign, which they excitedly returned. The voices of
Asuka and Hikari could be heard from inside of the classroom.
This time she did laugh. Must be complaining about the boys'
behavior.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Misato quickly made her way into the main office to get the
new student she knew would be there. Surely enough, an albino
girl was there waiting for her in one of the chairs in the office.
"Hello!" She greeted. "You must be the new student."

The young girl stood up and politely bowed to her. "Hai."
She said simply, but with barely any enthusiasm.

Misato turned towards the hallway and motioned to the girl
to follow. As they both started up the stairs to the second floor
Misato broke the silence. "So, where are you transferring from?"

The girl kept her eyes on the top of the steps as she
answered. "I am from Shibuya. I arrived here in Tokyo two days
ago." She answered. Misato saw that her mind was elsewhere
and told to her relax. She assured her that her soon-to-be
classmates were really good with new students and really made
them feel welcome. The girl nodded even though the teacher's
assumption on what was occupying her mind was wrong...

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

"All rise! Bow! Sit down!" Hikari ordered as Misato walked
into the class with the new girl in tow. She already knew about
the newest addition to their class. One of her responsibilities was
to assign laptops to transferees. I hope the boys stop drooling
over Misato-sensei long enough for the new student to introduce
herself. She gave a disapproving look at the group known as the
Three Stooges, otherwise known as Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke.

Misato walked to the center of the front of the room. "Listen
up, dudes!" She called out to the class. "We've got a new
blue-haired babe here to introduce herself!" She stepped aside to
reveal the girl.

"My name's Rei Ayanami! Nice to meet you!" She said with
a happy tone of voice.

Misato hid a surprised look from her students. That did not
sound like the girl she had talked to just prior.

Shinji yelped as he stood up in shock. That's the girl I ran
into!

She was in a similar state of shock. "You're the jerk who
was staring at my panties!" She yelled out jamming her finger in
his direction.

Asuka stood up in a huff. "Hey, what do you mean by
that?!? You're the one who was flashing them at Shinji!"

Shinji... that's his name...  "Who are you and why are you
defending him?" She smirked at her and lowered her voice. "Are
you guys doing it?"

Asuka was taken aback. "No!" She shouted. "We're just
really good childhood friends! You shut up!"

Hikari, getting into her class representative mode, stood up.
"Be quiet, you two! We're in a class, not a bar!" She said sternly.
An equally stern expression was on her face. Even though she
was laughing at her best friend's embarrassment inwardly.

Misato took a seat at the front of the room. "Hey, this is
more entertaining than class! I want to see how this turns out."
She said with a bit of a laugh. "Please continue." The entire class
erupted into laughter. Shinji got back into his seat and tried to
sink into the chair as the Toji and Kensuke began to tease him
about Asuka. Misato sighed. Well, guess more than one day
without teasing Shinji about him and Asuka was too much to
hope for from those two... She let the class do whatever they
pleased for the fifteen minutes it took Rei and Asuka to finish
their disagreement. Misato smiled as she heard Shinji breathe a
sigh of relief, and then she started the class.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

After a few hours of boring lecture the lunch bell sounded.
Shinji opted against joining his friends on the roof for lunch.
Instead, he took a small bentou box from his school bag and
followed Rei outside to a tree on the school grounds. He jumped
back when she whipped around to face him. "Why are you
following me?" She asked in a flat tone.

Shinji noticed the change in her voice. "Umm, uh..." Rei
just stood patiently, though a little annoyed, waiting for an
answer. "I just wanted to umm... apologize for before. You
know, when I ran into you."

"It is alright." She said with the same indifferent tone. She
sat down against the tree and tilted her face skyward. Closing her
eyes, She took in the sounds of the wind rustling through the
branches of the tree. Shinji remained where she stopped him, still
stunned by her shift in attitude. She was happier when she
introduced herself this morning. Shinji was taken out of his
thoughts by Rei's voice. "Is there anything else?" She asked with
her eyes still closed.

It's so creepy when she talks like that... "I was just
wondering..."

She finally opened her eyes to look at Shinji. "Yes?"

"Umm, well... It's just... you seem different than earlier.
You seem sadder, or something."

"Hmm... Well, if it seems that way, it's because of your
friend." Rei explained. "I dislike being in arguments like that.
And being in everyone's attention unless it is completely
necessary." She closes her eyes and puts her head against the tree
again.

"Oh, I see." Shinji takes another look at her and realizes that
she doesn't have a lunch. "Hey, aren't you hungry?"

"I was in too much of a rush to get to school this morning. I
forgot to pack a lunch. But, I can go without it for today."

"Well, umm..." He swallowed hard as she, again, opens her
eyes and stares at him. "I don't usually eat all my lunch. You can
have some of mine if you want."

She studied his face and thought to herself. Share a lunch?
But we just met! "I..."

Shinji interrupted when he saw the light blush cross her face.
He frantically waved his hands in front of him. "It's just that, I
don't want it to go to waste and you shouldn't have to go
hungry."

 "Then, I would enjoy having lunch with you..." She looks
up at him, hoping for him to give his full name.

Shinji smiled as he noticed the indifference in her voice had
disappeared. "Shinji. Shinji Ikari."

She smiled softly at him. "Please, sit down with me... Ikari."

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Hmm, what's Baka-Shinji doing? Asuka and Hikari opted to
have their lunch in the classroom. This afforded Asuka with a
view of the tree Rei decided to sit under. Why is he talking to the
new girl? Asuka watched as the two conversed in the shade.
After a few minutes, she saw sit him down next to her and open
his bentou box. "Argh! Now he's sharing his lunch with her!"

Hikari looked up from her own lunch. "Who are you talking
about, Asuka?" She asked.

"Baka-Shinji and the new girl." Asuka answered through grit
teeth. Her right eyebrow began to twitch.

"Calm down, Asuka." Hikari said to her livid friend. "I'm
sure it's nothing."

"Yeah, right! With that pervert!? He's probably planning
how to get into her panties right now!"

Hikari waved her hand dismissively. "Oh Asuka.
Shinji-kun's not that bad." She paused for a second in thought.
"At least, he doesn't seem as bad as the other two stooges."

Asuka smirked at her friend. "That what you think!" She
went into an explanation of the morning's events in Shinji's
bedroom with her own interesting twist.

Hikari's eyes widened in disbelief. She definitely did not
think a shy boy like Shinji would do that. "Really? That doesn't
sound like Shinji-kun... To jump you like that..." I'll have to
talk to Shinji about this.

"If anything, Baka-Shinji's the worst of the three stooges!"
Asuka folded her arms and returned her eyes to the tree where
Shinji and Rei were still seated.

Hikari turned her own gaze out of the window to the pair
below. "Hmm, those two make a cute couple though." She said,
a bit wistfully. Her eyes widened when she realized who she was
sitting with when she spoke her mind. She cringed when Asuka
snapped her head towards her.

"What!?!" Asuka yelled. "Those two? No way!" She
growled noticeably loud and turned back to the window. No way
in hell... She glared at the sight before her. The girl took a small
bite of a spring roll, keeping her eyes trained on Shinji as he
talked. Shinji always been so shy. How can a girl like her get
him to talk like that? She watched Shinji lean back against the
tree, laughing about something. He's seems so different, he's
smiling more. He's not so lost in his thoughts, like he usually is.
All the time we've been friends... He's never been that way with
me... Asuka's face dropped at the realization. Especially because
she did not approve of the girl he was being that way with.

Hikari gave her friend a sympathetic look. I wonder how she
really feels about him... And how does Shinji feel about her? I
wonder...

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Rei took another bite of one of Shinji's spring rolls. "So your
parents do scientific research in Shibuya?"

"Yeah, my mother does medical research and my father's a
bio-researcher there. It's funny how you just happened to have
moved here from there." Shinji laughed. He became serious after
a few seconds. "Hmm, I don't get it. You said earlier that you
didn't have many friends back in your old school, but you're so
easy to talk to."

Rei gave him a melancholy smile. "I normally don't talk to
people like this. I am typically a bit of an introvert, I usually shy
away from crowds and ignore people who speak to me
insincerely. People who don't seem to actually want to talk to
me. But, I am able to put on a façade when I have too many
people's attention, like this morning. I... dislike public speaking.
But, there are a few people I run into that I can actually talk to
comfortably." A small smile tugged at the corner of Rei's lips.
"With you, though, it happened quite literally!"

Shinji leaned his head back and laughed. "Well, either way.
I'm glad to be one of the honored few, Ayanami." This incited a
light giggle from Rei. Shinji snapped his head towards her upon
hearing it. He sat stunned for a second before finding her
laughter contagious. They both stopped as they heard the bell
signaling the end of the lunch period. Shinji got up and brushed
himself off, then held his hand out to Rei. She took his hand and
let him help her up. Their hands lingered for a moment before
she also dusted herself off. They both went back inside in a
comfortable silence.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Outside of the classroom Rei and Shinji were greeted by a
very angry redhead. "Baka-Shinji! What were you doing?" Rei
just walked past Asuka and went straight to her desk. Shinji
wasn't as lucky. She grabbed him by his shirt collar. "And where
do you think you're going?"

"I was talking with Ayanami." Shinji calmly explained.
Somehow he was able to pry the girl's hand off his shirt.
"What's wrong with that?"

"Plenty. How about the fact that she insulted the both of us
at the beginning of class!?" She said placing her hands on her
hips and leaning towards him.

"I had to apologize for running into her this morning! And,
it's her first day and we should make her feel welcome!"

At that comment, Rei instantly looked at him with a hurt
expression. Is that the only reason you talked to me, Ikari?

Shinji had his back to Rei so he didn't see her reaction. He
continued his argument. "Not only that, but Ayanami's really
nice when you get to know her." Had anyone been looking, they
would have noticed an imperceptible smile grace Rei's lips for a
split second before she turned to stare out the window.

"First of all, she ran into you." Asuka argued. "Second of all,
she started the argument this morning. And lastly: who cares
how about that bitch!?"

Shinji was about to answer, but he was interrupted by Hikari.
"All rise." The teacher had apparently come into the room.
"Bow. Sit down." Whew, that could have gotten really ugly...
thought Hikari.

Shinji sighed as he sat in his desk. As soon as he opened his
school laptop to begin typing out notes or the class, it started to
beep quietly signifying that someone had opened a connection to
chat with him.

I'll finish with you later

Shinji discreetly looked over to Asuka, who was glaring at
him. He sighed.

what's wrong with finishing now?

I'm not going to risk getting in trouble because of you

oh, okay we'll talk after dinner tonight

what?

dont you remember?

remember what?

your family's coming over for dinner tonight

oh right

we'll talk then

With that, Shinji sighed and closed the private connection.
He turned his attention to the class and began to take notes.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

"All rise. Bow. Dismissed." The bell for the end of the had
just sounded and Hikari dismissed the class. She looked around
for the person who had cleanup duty with her for the week. She
saw him trying to escape out the door she quickly went over and
grabbed him. "Oh, no, you don't Suzuhara! You have cleanup
duty with me this week and you're not going leave me here to do
it by myself again." Shinji and Kensuke laughed at their friend's
failed attempt to shirk his duties.

"But, Inchou... Cleaning isn't for a man to do!" Toji whined.

Shinji and Kensuke shook their heads at the same time.
That's gonna hurt him. They thought simultaneously.

Hikari lashed her arm out and grabbed his ear. "What did
you say, you jerk!?!"

Toji cried out in pain. "Nothing! Nothing!"

"She's got you on short leash doesn't she?" Kensuke teased,
which earned him a glare from Hikari. He threw up his hands in
defense. "Sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Shinji just snickered as he walked out the door. Asuka was
already down the hall. He stopped when Hikari called him from
inside the classroom.

Hikari stuck her head outside of the door. "Don't forget. You
promised to help me watch my sister and a few of her friends at
the beach tomorrow."

"We're all meeting at your house, right?"

She nodded. "Be there by six-thirty." She added with a smile
before ducking her head back into the classroom.

Shinji looked back down the hall. Asuka was gone. She
obviously didn't want to walk home with him, so he set out to
find Rei.

He looked around for a while when he came out the door of
the school. He spotted her making her way to the gate. He caught
up with her just as she was exiting through it. He called out to
her. "Ayanami! Ayanami!"

Hearing her name, Rei turned around to find the source of
the voice. Her eyes narrowed invisibly upon seeing Shinji. She
waited as he ran up to her. "What is it?" The emotion had left her
voice again

That tone again. "Is something wrong?"

Rei failed to notice Shinji shudder. "Why do you ask?"

"Your voice, it's different from earlier."

"I see. What is it that you wanted?"

Shinji tilted his head in confusion. "I just wanted to ask if I
could walk you home. But, before that... Are you angry at me, or
something?"

Rei looked away. "Yes."

This perplexed Shinji even more. When he saw that she
didn't plan on explaining to him, he asked why.

"Is it true that you only came to talk to me because you were
supposed to make me feel welcome?"

"Yes." She then turned to leave. Shinji jumped in front of
her. "But, I wanted to apologize too! And after I started to talk to
you, I really started to enjoy it."

Rei was surprised. "Really?" She asked, the life returning to
her voice.

Shinji smiled. He liked her voice. "Really."

Rei favored him with a soft smile. "Then, you may walk me
home."

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

"Tadaima!" Shinji yelled after opening the door to his
apartment. There wasn't any answer. "Guess nobody's home."
He took off his shoes and went to his room to put his school
things away. As he began to change, the phone began to ring.
"I'll let the answering machine get it..." He said as put on a new
shirt. The message could be heard from the living room, it was
his mother.

"Hello, Shinji? I'm calling to tell you that your father and I
will be a little late. I want you to cook dinner for us tonight.
Have it ready by seven. And remember: Asuka's family is
joining us tonight, so make enough for them, okay? Oh, and
don't forget to practice your cello. The school's going to have a
concert in five weeks, remember? Okay, gotta go. Bye! Love
you!"

Shinji finished changing and putting his dirty clothes away
when his mother hung up. He went into his closet to retrieve his
cello. Hmm, now where is it? The last time I practiced wasn't
that long ago, was it? A week, I think. Ah, here it is. He took it
into the living room to tune it. I don't see the point in practicing
so often. This comes so naturally to me. It's not perfect, but it's
good enough. A few minutes later, classical music could be
heard coming from the Ikari household. Shinji had only gotten
through a third of the way through the song when he was
interrupted by the doorbell.

At the door was a young girl of about eight years of age. The
girl had light brown hair that went down to the small of her back
in a long braid and violet eyes. She wore a cute little blue jumper
over a white long-sleeved shirt and a frown. It was Kotoko, the
neighbors' daughter. She'd always been like a little sister to him.
"Hello."

"Shinji-san..." She answered clearly annoyed. "You
promised me you'd invite me over the next time you played!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

Shinji smiled at the little girl. "Of course, how could I
forget? Come in, Ko-chan."

The child smiled brightly and stepped through the doorway.
"Thank you." She took off her shoes and followed Shinji to the
living room. He took his seat on the couch while she sat in front
of him, Indian-style. She watched in awe as music began to flow
from the cello once again. Shinji looked up at her to see she had
to himself. Such a cute little girl. He, too, closed his eyes.
Shinji's hands went on auto-pilot as he listened to the tune being
produced by his cello, Pachelbel's 'Kanon.'

Half an hour later, Shinji received a standing ovation from
his one-person audience. "You're really good, Shinji-san."

Shinji smiled at the girl again. "Thanks, Ko-chan."

"I have to leave now, I told mother I wouldn't be here long."
She got up to get her shoes.

Shinji followed to see her out. "Oh, yeah. Are you ready for
tomorrow?" He asked as she opened the door.

"Yeah!" Kotoko answered enthusiastically. "Mother got me
a new swimsuit and everything!"

"Be ready to leave for Nozomi's at ten after six. Okay?"

"Hai!" She exclaimed. She bid him farewell and went back
to her apartment. Shinji smiled at the girl's excitement and
closed the door.

For almost two hours, Shinji watched television before
deciding to start dinner. He perused through the kitchen for the
ingredients for stir fry for five; half vegetable, half beef. And he
also got a bottle of sake for the adults. Not for the first time,
Shinji was grateful to whatever higher power that gave him such
trusting parents. He laughed to himself. Of course, I would never
purposefully betray that trust... Twenty minutes later, the stir fry
was done and he was starting to set the table for dinner.

"Tadaima!" Shinji's mother called out from the front door.

"Okaerinasai!" Shinji answered.

Yui walked into the room just as Shinji came in with the stir
fry. She sniffed the air. "Mmm, it smells delicious, Shinji-kun."
Shinji's father nodded in approval from behind her.

Shinji placed the two bowls in the center of the table.
"Arigatougozaimasu. Kaasan, Tousan." He beamed before
returning to the kitchen for rice. He came back to find that his
parents had left to change clothes. From the table, it could be
heard that front door had just slid open and from it came Kyoko
Zeppelin Sohryu's cheery voice.

"Ojamashimasu!"

"Hello, Sohryu-san." Answered Shinji as he returned to the
kitchen once more to start the tea.

Yui stuck her head out of her and Gendo's room. "Hello,
Kyoko-san. Asuka-kun."

"Hello, Yui-san." Answered Kyoko.

"Hello, Ikari-san." Responded Asuka at the same time as her
mother. Yui and Gendo left the room to talk with their long-time
friend. Asuka escaped the parental chatter by joining Shinji in
the kitchen. "Hey, Shinji-kun. How's the tea coming?" She said
sweetly.

"Almost done." Looks like her mood's gotten better... Shinji
said to himself, seeing Asuka sit down and putting her elbows on
the table then resting her chin in her hands. She had a big smile
on her face. He pulled a serving tray from a cabinet above the
oven.

Asuka sighed contentedly. "I got to see my step-daddy's
friend today..."

Shinji smiled at her, That explains it. Kaji-san... He placed
five tea cups on the tray. Asuka stood up, got the tea, and poured
it for Shinji. This surprised the boy. "Umm, thanks..." Something
really good must've happened. He picked up the tray and led
Asuka into the den.

Everyone took their seats around the table in the dining
room. Shinji served everyone the tea and took his own seat.
"Itadaki-masu!" They all said before beginning the meal.

"So, how was school today, you two?" Yui asked Shinji and
Asuka.

"Boring, as usual." Asuka sighed.

Shinji smiled at her standard response.  "Wasn't that bad..."

Asuka smirked at him. "You're just saying that, because
you... got to talk to a giirrrl..." She teased.

Shinji nearly fell out of his chair. "It's not like that!" He felt
the heat that began to rise in his cheeks. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Aw... He's blushing!" Said Kyoko as she decided join her
daughter in teasing the young boy. Of course, having it brought
to the light, Shinji's blush deepened.

"Oh, come on, Shinji-chan! What's her name? What's she
like?" Urged Yui. "Have you guys kissed, yet?" She
mischievously added.

The red in Shinji's cheeks spread to the rest of his face.
"Kaasan!"

Yui grinned at her son. "Okay, okay!" She conceded.
"Well?"

"Her name's Rei Ayanami. She just started school today.
And she's..."

"... an annoying little girl." Asuka interrupted.

"Asuka!" Kyoko admonished.

She just shrugged. "Well, it's true."

Shinji jumped to Rei's defense. "No, it's not! You just didn't
take the time to get to know Ayanami."

"And, you can't see far enough past her pretty face to admit
that she's got a personality problem." She retorted calmly.

Gendo cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone at
the table. "Asuka. Shinji is correct. You did not give
Ayanami-san a fair chance." Asuka simply huffed. Shinji
grinned, while his father returned it with a small smirk. As
uncaring as Gendo could sometimes be, he had his moments. Yui
smiled at the exchange between her husband and their son.

Asuka slammed her palms on the table. "Argh!" She jumped
up from the table ran out the door.

Kyoko started for her daughter, but was stopped by Shinji.
"I'll get her." He said before he sprinted out after her.

Kyoko laughed lightly. "Those two are lucky to have each
other."

Yui nodded. "Hmm. Yes. They are." She commented. "Oh,
yes. I forgot to ask. Why couldn't Hejiko come?"

"He couldn't get away from work. As hard as he tried, he
couldn't get off night shift tonight." Kyoko answered. Hejiko
Sohryu was a police officer in the Tokyo police force. He and
Kyoko met in the year 2009, four years after the death of her
former husband. Both Asuka and her mother decided to keep the
surname out of respect. When Hejiko proposed in 2012; on
Asuka's request, Kyoko accepted on the condition that he took
the Sohryu family name. Hejiko, of course very much in love,
accepted the terms. The engagement lasted a year before they
married. Two years later, the trio turned out to be one of the
happiest families anyone could meet.

 "Shinji left the sake in the kitchen." Gendo observed after
the three had finished eating.

Yui picked up a few of the empty dishes. "Well, dear let's go
in there and finish our meal." Gendo nodded and took the
remaining dishes, leaving the ones that still had food on them,
and stepped followed his wife. He motioned for Kyoko to follow
him. Once in the kitchen, both of the Ikaris dumped off the plates
in the sink for Shinji to do later. Meanwhile, Kyoko got the
bottle of sake that had been left out and, after a quick inquisition,
got a few ochokos from one of the upper cabinets. She set them
out on the table after she had given the sake to Yui, who thanked
her as she took her seat. Yui waited for her husband to take his
seat before pouring out the rice wine for the three of them.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Outside Shinji was searching for where Asuka had gone. The
soft glow of the moon didn't give enough light to make the
search very easy. A voice in the dark nearly caused him to jump
up.

"Shinji-san?" Whispered a diminutive figure in the hallway
who was shrouded in the shadows.

Shinji recognized the voice. "Ko-chan? Is that you?"

Kotoko gingerly stepped into the moonlight. "Yes." She
answered in a hushed tone. "I heard Asuka-san slam the door a
minute ago. What happened to her?"

"She got angry with me because I sided with a new girl in
school instead of her."

A confused look was fixed on her face. "Oh. But, that's not a
reason to be angry enough to go make that much noise in the
evening."

Shinji laughed silently. She's as smart as Toji's sister. "Yes.
Well, according to her, it's because she said I was a jerk and
claimed me and Asuka had an improper relationship this
morning. But..."

Kotoko interrupted him, her demeanor turned to one similar
to the one that Asuka had earlier in the day. "Then, I was wrong!
No one insults my Shinji-san!" She jumped at Shinji and
possessively latched on to his arm. Kotoko was very protective
of her 'older brother.'

Shinji quietly laughed at the young girl. "Now, Ko-chan.
You didn't let me finish." He admonished, which got an
embarrassed blush from the child attached to his appendage.
Though Shinji didn't see it. She let go and took a step back.
Shinji read her expression and knew she wanted an explanation.
"I'll do that at another time. Now, I have to get to Asuka." She
nodded and reluctantly started to walk to her apartment. "Come
with me." Shinji smiled held his hand out to her. "I might need
your help." She dashed back and gleefully took his hand in hers.

They found Asuka sulking a on the other side of the complex
leaning over the rail. She was staring five stories down to the
street below. Shinji cleared his throat out loud before
approaching. She did not like being snuck up on. He
remembered the last time he did so. The bruise didn't clear up
until after a whole week. "Are you okay?" He asked in a low
voice. Asuka stayed quiet for a few moments before saying she
was okay. His mind was in conflict. He didn't know what to do.
After much deliberation, his hand released Kotoko's and found
its way onto Asuka's shoulder. She stiffened slightly, then
relaxed and stood up to face him. Kotoko, realizing that Shinji
could handle the rest on his own, silently slinked away. Shinji
looked into Asuka's ice blue eyes and asked her again. They
gleamed in the moonlight. "Daijobu desu ka?" She nodded. "Do
you want talk about it?"

Asuka shook her head. "Another time." She whispered,
leaning into him.

Shinji took her into his arms like he had done so many times
in the past, though she'd never admit to it. Five minutes passed
and she started to laugh. "What is it?"

"Wasn't Kotoko with you?" Asuka said, between giggles.
Shinji moved his head around to search for the girl for a few
seconds. "Baka-Shinji." She whispered in mock anger. "How
could lose such a sweet little girl?" Asuka knew of the
sibling-type relationship the two shared. She thought of the girl
as a sister too.

Shinji placed his forehead on his friend's shoulder and
feigned a sob. "Oh, no! Whatever am I to do?" He cried out
melodramatically.

Asuka shoved him lightly. "Shut up, you. Come on, let's
go." They made their way back to Shinji's apartment. When they
arrived they were met by the sounds of their parents in kitchen
talking over sake. Asuka informed them they were back and
would be talking in the living room. First they finished their
meals, then they both took a seat on the couch. "So," Asuka
started. "Why did you decide to defend that the... new girl?
We've been friends for years. You should have taken my side."

Shinji noticed that she made the effort not to call Rei bitch.
He smiled. "Because what you were saying wasn't true." Asuka
was about to argue, but Shinji raised a hand to stop her. Luckily,
he was one of the few people that she allowed to do that without
the consequence of a beating. Had it been anyone else, she
would have yelled at him after hitting him. "You saw us talking
at lunch today. I got to know her and she's really nice."

"I still don't understand why. When she introduced herself
this morning, she practically called you a pervert."

Shinji couldn't help but laugh, which got a deep frown from
Asuka. "Well, you do call me a pervert, and we're friends." He
said pointing at her.

Asuka put on a broad smile and nudged Shinji with her
elbow. "Well, that's because I know you. She shouldn't make
assumptions. And she insulted me, too. Remember?"

Shinji was about to argue with their first meeting, but
decided against it. "Fair enough. But, can't you at least try to get
along with her? Especially since, I get along with her. I don't
want stop hanging out with you, just because she and I are
friends."

She studied him for a moment. "Okay, I'll try. But, only
because a baka like you needs all the friends he can get."

He offered her a little smile. "That's all I ask." The
conversation then turned to more random topics. They talked
about school, the people coming into Tokyo, and what they
should do for the weekend. Before long, Asuka's mother finally
announced it was time to leave. The Ikaris all saw both mother
and child to the door and bid them good night. Shinji's parents
went into their bedroom while he picked up the remaining plates
and brought them to sink so he could wash them. After he was
finished with that, he retreated to his bedroom to do his
homework.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

A few seconds passed in the elevator before Kyoko spoke to
her daughter. "So, how did Shinji calm you down this time? Did
he kiss you?" She teased.

Asuka's face immediately became red and turned to face her
mother. "Mama!" She moaned as the elevator slowed to a stop.
The doors slid open to reveal second floor of the apartment
complex, location of the Sohryu residence. "Stop teasing me
about us!" She said stepping out into the hall. "It's nothing."

"I detect a hint of sadness in your voice." Kyoko prodded,
following Asuka.

"Stop that!" Asuka whined. She then twirled around to
continue walking to the apartment. She was stopped in her tracks
by a man who was approaching them. "Papa!" She cried out as
she closed in on the figure and hugged him.

"I got home and no one was there, so I was on my way to see
if I could catch up with you guys." Hejiko explained as he
returned his child's embrace.

"But, what about work?" Kyoko asked.

"I was finally able to get someone to take my shift. Guess,
I'm a little late, though, huh?" He joked. They arrived at their
home and he opened the door.

Asuka went off to her room while her mother went to make
something for her father. She walked in, closed the door behind
her, and plopped herself down on her bed. The day's events ran
through her mind. I can't believe I said I would try to get along
with that girl. I know Shinji can be a baka sometimes, but I don't
see why he likes her so much. The image of lunch went into her
thoughts. I guess I should be happy for him, though. He's usually
so depressed around new people. It's been years since he
actually opened up to other people. I mean, only being able to
talk with a handful of people is ridiculous. Her mind drifted back
to when both families moved to Tokyo, eight years ago.

~-~-~-~-~-~- Eight years ago; Kyoto -~-~-~-~-~

"But, we haven't even lived here a year! Why do we have to
move again?"

"Because, Asuka, Mama got a job in Tokyo that pays better
than my job now. Besides I thought you want to be somewhere
with more people, and more kids your age."

"I do, Mama. But, why so far?"

"It'll be okay Asuka, darling. You will have at least one
friend when we get there. Shinji's family is moving, too."

I'll go talk to him about it. Asuka thought. "Okay." She
started for the door. "I'm going over to his house."

"Alright." Her mother replied. "Be back in time for dinner."

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Mrs. Ikari had been happy to Asuka when she announced
herself. She told her to go right to Shinji's room. She had been
there before, so she didn't think that much of it. She knocked on
the door once she got there. The response she got took her
completely off guard.

"Go away." Said a voice from inside.

Asuka's cheeks puffed up in anger. "Don't you talk to me
like that! Open this door, or you'll regret it!" She shouted. She
gasped when the door finally did open. The young boy lost all
the life in his eyes. His gaze was directed downwards and he
stared blankly at whatever happened to cross into his range of
vision. "What's wrong?" Asuka asked, her sharp tone softening
considerably.

"We're moving..." Shinji answered, barely above a whisper.
He turned around and retreated back into his room.

Asuka followed him. "Is that all? It's not that bad."

"That's easy for you to say. You've haven't been here as
long as I have and you have more friends than I do."

Asuka failed to see a connection. "What does that have to do
with anything?"

Shinji laid down on his bed. "It's just that you make friends
so easily. It took me a long time to get the friends I have now.
We're going to be in a whole new place. So far away. So far
from everything I know. Everyone I know."

Asuka remembered her own reasons why she didn't want to
move. They paled in comparison. "It's going to be okay." She
comforted, leaning over the boy. "I'm moving, too. I'll be there
with you. You'll at least know me." She finished, trying to put
cheer in her voice. Judging by his reaction, or lack thereof, she
failed.

He laughed sadly. "Thanks for trying, but can you leave me
alone for now? Please?"

She was unable to say no. He sounded so pleading. So, she
left the room. She turned and close the door in time to him put on
the SDAT player she picked out for her mama to give to him for
his last birthday...

~-~-~-~-~ Eight years ago; Tokyo -~-~-~-~-~

Asuka was talking with her new friends when she looked
over to Shinji's desk. He was staring into his lunchbox, pushing
the food around with his chopsticks. He was right, it was a week
after they had moved into Tokyo and three days since they
started school, and he didn't have any friends. He was also right
about her, aside from the girls she was talking to, she had a few
others who were enjoying their lunch outside. She excused
herself from the group and made her way over to Shinji's desk.
"Come on, you're coming with me." She commanded. "And
bring your lunch."

Shinji didn't have the energy to protest. He did what he was
told.

Asuka led him outside to where one of her new
acquaintances was having lunch. She was with two boys. One
had glasses. The other had his ear in the hand of Asuka's friend.
He had apparently done something to make her angry. The girl
saw her coming. "Hi, Asuka! Hey, who's that?" She asked,
eyeing Shinji.

Shinji simply stared at his lunch. The girl tilted her head to
the side. "He's a friend of mine from back in Kyoto. His name's
Shinji." Asuka answered.

The girl let go of the boy's ear and stepped up to him. She
studied him carefully. "Yeah, that's right you started here the
same time as Asuka, right? Nice to meet you, Shinji. My name's
Hikari..." The girl said with a big smile.

~-~-~-~-~ Present; Asuka's bedroom -~-~-~-~-~

Asuka smiled at the memory. "He still has a long way to
go..." She sighed.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Shinji laid in his bed staring up at the ceiling of his room. He
listened to the classical music that flowed from his SDAT. Rei
Ayanami. A mysterious girl. She'll act happy when everyone's
watching her, but become so indifferent when it come to anyone
but her friends... I wonder why... He thinks back to how she was
when they were alone talking, then to how she reacted to him
when she thought he was insincere about talking to her. An
image of both Asuka and Rei popped into his head. They were
back to back, staring in opposite directions. Asuka... Rei... So
different... Now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense. Of
course they rub off on each other the wrong way, their
personalities are complete opposites. Rei's more subdued, while
Asuka can't be tamed. The last point made him blush. He
rebuked himself for thinking that way. A thought crossed his
mind. Heh, fire and ice... With that final fleeting thought, he
drifted off into slumber.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Shinji got up early in the morning and decided to surprise his
family with breakfast. His parents greeted him good morning as
he finished cooking. He excused himself to go take a bath and
get ready for school. The doorbell rang as he left his room, fully
dressed in his uniform. "I got it." He told his mother as he passed
the kitchen. He opened the front door to find Asuka. She was
clearly surprised to see him answer the door. "It's Asuka." He
called out. "Ittekimasu!"

"Itterasshai!" He heard his mother answer as he closed the
door behind him.

Asuka finally spoke up. "Hmm, it's been a while since you
got up on your own in a while. What's got you in such a rush?
Or should I ask who?" She teased.

"Asuka!" Shinji whined. He knew who she was talking
about. Though, he wasn't sure if it was true or not.

[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]=======[]

Rei woke up early in her new apartment building. Her body
was conditioned to wake up around that time everyday. She sat
up and stretched, then balled up her left hand brought it up to her
face to rub the sleep from her eye. She rose from her bed and
crept over to her bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she left the
bathroom freshly showered and drying herself with a towel.
Water dripped off her body as she plodded over to her dresser.
She slipped her uniform over her damp skin and grabbed her
bag. A slight breeze greeted her as she stepped out of the
apartment. She went next door to tell her parents of her
departure. Because of the size of the apartments of the complex
they chose to live in, Rei and her parents live in separate homes.
She didn't mind. In fact, she liked living basically by herself.
Minutes later, she walked down the necessary three flights of
stairs to get to the ground floor and was on her way.

She silently strolled through the streets, thinking of the
people she's met. Misato Katsuragi. The teacher of class 2-A. A
bit lax in her responsibilities. She did not discipline the class
yesterday, instead she encouraged the behavior. Hikari Horaki.
Class 2-A's Inchou. Respectable and authoritative. Worthy of
her position. Asuka Sohryu. Argumentative, unpleasant to be
around, but a friend of Shinji Ikari. Ikari... I am unsure of what I
think of him. He is kind, sincere, and he defended me yesterday.
At that last point, her face felt flush. She noticed her surrounding
and realized which block she was on. Her mind went to the
incident of the day before. She felt the heat rise in her face again
as she neared the corner.

"...have to join us?" Complained a familiar voice from the
other side of the corner.

Rei knew the voice was close so she stopped to let whoever
it was past. Flaming red hair filled her vision as its owner glared
at her companion while strafing sideways. Rei watched the two
figures until she recognized the second. "Ikari-kun?"

Shinji looked past Asuka to the girl who had said his name.
Asuka spun around and refocused her glare to the girl that took
Shinji's attention from her. Her eyes narrowed even further as
Rei came into view.

Shinji sensed that something bad was going happen. He
spoke up before Asuka could do anything. "You want to walk
with us, Ayanami?" Shinji flinched as Asuka turned to face him,
an angry look fixed on her face. He shook it off and just
shrugged.

Rei thought over the request for a moment. "I... would like
that, Ikari-kun." She answered, abandoning her own route to join
them.

For the first couple of blocks, they walked in silence. Shinji
finally broke it by asking if Rei'd been anywhere in Tokyo yet.
When she replied no, Shinji and Asuka began rattling off good
places eat, shop, and be with friends.

Rei took note of all the places the sounded interesting to her.
In the back of her mind, though, she couldn't help but wonder
what she had heard right before she saw them. 'Join us.' She
repeated in her mind. Who could she have been talking about?
And what place? Or event?

To Be Continued...

And with that I kick-off a series I can hopefully finish. Just so you all know, I'm not giving up the
planned pairing for this fic. Though, I think it's pretty obvious... But, who knows? I might throw
y'all a curve.

Now, I know some people will think the characters are OOC. But, I'll explain that right now.
The way I see it is that they aren't as screwed up as they are in the anime or manga, because they
had a more normal upbringing. Shinji has both parents, Asuka's mother didn't kill herself, and
Rei wasn't born in a lab and raised with only a singular purpose. So, I brought down the more
extreme parts of their personality down a few notches. And also, the way I see it, if the characters
are exactly in character, the story can only be a retelling of the anime or manga. That being said;
any reviews, comments, or suggestions can be sent to LQsniper@MSN.com.