I know I moved a bit quickly with Asuka, but she is forceful and when she
has something, she won't let anything get in the way of it. That was why I
did that in the previous chapter. Also, I'm slowing the romantic
development in this story here, and making both of them think over what has
happened, so no one complain about me diving into this without a plan.
Now, the actual convincing that Asuka should have gone through was bunched
into a dream when Kaworu talked to her. She just needs some time to sort
out everything. Well, I guess begging for reviews for another story of
mine in this one won't work. It did in my other stories though. Well, I
guess I'll just try it in the other one. Now, on with the story.
Chapter 8: Passage
Ritsuko finished typing the program. The genome had been corrected of all mistakes, and she now was ready to begin the first phase. One week and she would have the first one ready. Well, that would be how long it took for Unit 07 to get here. She had the time.
Asuka was sitting with Rei at the table. Shinji had gone with Misato to NERV and the two of them were left alone.
"All right Ayanami. You wanted to learn about relationships. Well, there are several different kinds."
"Yes. The relationship of a mother to her son, of a wife to her husband, of a brother to his sister."
"Right," said Asuka, "We're going to talk about the type of relationship Shinji and I have." I think, Asuka thought to herself. Shinji seemed to have accepted it, but she still wasn't sure. Well, time would tell. "Shinji and I are a couple. That means I'm his girlfriend, and he's my boyfriend."
"And how exactly is this relationship different from one of a wife and husband?" Rei asked.
Jeez, thought Asuka. Ayanami can be really dense. "Two major ones are that we aren't married, and that we don't sleep together." That thought caused Asuka to almost shudder. They were a long way from getting there.
"But do the two of you not sleep in the same bed?"
My god, she really is dense. "I mean we don't have sex together," Asuka said, trying to maintain control of her voice.
"I see. However, if the two of you did have sex, would that mean you are married?"
"No, we have to get a license and all that other stuff like getting married in a church," said Asuka, "Me and Shinji are a couple. We aren't married, but we like each other." I think, Asuka added to herself again. She did like him, but she just could not be sure how Shinji felt about her. However, she remembered Kaworu's statement. Perhaps it was true.
"And what kind of relationship do I have with Shinji?"
"You and Shinji are friends," said Asuka. Or you two better be. The thought that they were intimate was a bit unsettling. But, no. Shinji would never do such a thing.
"Thank you for explaining Soryu," said Rei, "If I need any further explanation, I will ask you."
"Yeah whatever."
Rei got up and went into Shinji's room again. Well, it was now officially hers. Shinji had even taken down the sign. Asuka remained sitting at the dining room table. She really didn't have anything to do. She sat there and contemplated her thoughts. Shinji was actually the nicest guy she had ever met. There was no way he would ever cheat on her. Well, she had declared them a couple. What if he didn't feel that way? What if-no. That Angel, Kaworu, had said that if she just trusted him, he would never intentionally leave her.
Shinji changed out of his plugsuit. He had taken another synchronization test, and Asuka was going to take hers tomorrow. He hoped that she would do better. He finished putting on his clothes and walked out into the hallway. Misato was waiting for him.
"Shinji, want to go out for lunch?"
"Uh, sure."
The two walked over to the elevator and took it down to the parking lot. As they went down, Misato began her little lecture.
"I hope you and Asuka aren't going to do something I'd disapprove of."
Shinji's face reddened, but controlled his voice as he spoke. "We are only sleeping together, Misato. We're not having sex. Besides, Asuka did declare us a couple."
"Does that mean you don't want this?"
"No! I mean, I liked Asuka ever since I saw the pain she went through. I tried to help her, but she kept fighting it. I think her pride was what was hurting her the most. She's starting to let it go though. Otherwise she would have never let me help her."
"I have to say Shinji, I'm proud of you. I mean, you've managed to do what I couldn't. You got Asuka to swallow her pride and accept help from others."
"Thanks Misato. But I don't think I'm the only one who did it. I mean, all of us, one way or another, after all that we had experienced, that is what really made Asuka get through it."
The two were silent for the rest of the lift up. They finally reached the parking lot and got into Misato's car. She took them out and they were on their way to a noodle shop.
"I'm surprised you could afford lunch here," Shinji joked.
"Well, considering all the overtime I've been working, and the fact that there's no place to spend my money, I have a large amount sitting in the bank."
"Why do women always want to spend money?" Shinji muttered to himself.
"The orders have been issued," said Gendo, "Unit 07 will soon be ours."
"How can you know the Chinese branch will obey them?"
"Because they have no choice in the matter. We were the ones who allowed them to build the unit. Besides, I've informed the UN that two Angels are still unaccounted for. Adam and Lilith."
"We have both," said Fuyutsuki, "Seele knows that, and they could tell the UN."
"That would not be logical. Why would we have two Angels? It is our job to fight them."
"I see. This is a dangerous game you plan Ikari," Fuyutsuki warned, "Seele will not let this sit."
"I do not expect them to. I have already initiated steps to counter any move they make."
Evans looked at his watch. A man walked into the bar. Right on time. The man sat down next to Evans and sat down. Evans placed his hand on a napkin and moved it a few seconds later. The man took the napkin after his drink had arrived. Evans waited a few more minutes later before leaving the bar. It was slightly surprising that this bar was still open. Well, capitalism survived despite everything the world had thrown at humanity. It was his job to make sure that there was a humanity to fight back against all the odds.
Maya was eating lunch when Evans entered the cafeteria. She was having a very late lunch since she had been working on preparing to receive Unit 07 and making sure nothing was wrong with it. Evans got his lunch and sat down next to her.
"So how has your busy day been?"
"It has been very busy," said Maya, "I don't suppose Section 2 has been calm of late."
"I wish. There are a lot of security concerns with the movement of an EVA. It is a very powerful weapon and there might be some other organizations that might try to steal it."
"We have to get ready to receive it and check for any problems."
"Compared to what you have to do, I have it easy."
Evans smiled at Maya and she returned it. Evans was glad that he had been assigned to NERV. Otherwise, he would have never met Maya. However, he was worried that if his cover was ever blown, Maya might be used against him. He swore that would never happen, but some things were out of his control. Well, not really.
"So what are you doing to make sure we're all safe?"
"We're looking to increase the guards we have," said Evans, "We're transferring commandos from the Intelligence section to the Defense section."
"Oh." Maya knew what he really meant was that they were giving more guards guns.
"And we're thinking of suggesting that all authorized personnel carry guns."
Evans smiled as Maya's face went white. She had made it clear before that she disliked guns.
"Don't worry, we're still thinking about that," he reassured her. He continued to grin.
Maya realized he was teasing her, and glared at him. "That isn't funny."
"Oh, we are actually thinking about it. But we need authorization for that to be actually carried out."
Maya sighed. She could never understand the obsession men had with guns. But then again, Major Katsuragi always seemed willing to use her weapon if she needed to.
Shinji and Misato brought back some takeout for dinner so they didn't have to cook. Asuka was waiting for Shinji to come back. She really needed to talk with him.
"Shinji! You're back!"
A smile appeared on his face as he set down the packages.
"Miss me?"
Asuka grabbed hold of him and pulled him into her room.
"We need to talk," she said in a serious tone.
After they were both in her room, she shot the door and locked it with a lock she had bought before on the claim that she didn't want a pervert like Shinji to peek at her. Now, it was to make sure no one disturbed either of them. They then sat down on the bed next to each other.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Shinji asked once he had turned on the light on the nightstand.
"Shinji, about us, I mean, didn't we move a bit fast?"
Shinji was quiet for several moments. Asuka looked over at him and saw thoughtfulness in his eyes. He had become very careful on how he answered people, and would probably think it over before he answered such a question.
"Asuka, to be honest, I'm surprised you made a move at all," he said, "I mean, a week ago, you would have never considered the fact that you liked me."
"I guess I just wouldn't listen to myself," Asuka replied quietly, "I let my pride control me."
"And that hid who you really were. A kind, sweet young woman."
"Damn right! And don't you forget that, Mr. Ikari," Asuka said with a wink. Then she turned serious again. "But when I did listen to myself, I was still fighting it."
"So what made you stop fighting?"
Asuka shook her head. "I'm still having trouble believing it."
"So? Crazier things have probably happened after all we've gone through."
"Okay, but you had better not laugh, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life," warned Asuka.
Shinji nodded and Asuka finally told what had happened.
"I was dreaming the night we had that, confrontation. A boy, he said he was the 17th Angel. He came to me and said that you would protect me." During her confession, Asuka didn't look up at Shinji. If she had, she would have seen that his jaw had dropped. "He said that you would never leave me. He said that you loved me."
By this time, a tear had appeared in Asuka's eye and ran down her cheek. Shinji wiped it away with his hand.
"A lady as beautiful as you should not cry."
That caused Asuka to laugh a little. "Been reading Misato's romance novels again?"
"Yeah. Better way to come up with something to sooth you."
Asuka shot him a warning glance, but let it go when she saw his face.
"You probably think I'm crazy or something," she said, "but I'm not, and I'll stick to that story even if you throw me into a mental institute."
Shinji moved closer to Asuka, but didn't hold her. He wasn't sure if he should.
"Asuka, I don't think you're crazy. Actually, I had a similar dream. Kaworu told me some things too."
Asuka's head came up and she looked him straight in the eye.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. He said that I had to choose something. Well, if I was to choose between protecting you and not, I would protect you until my soul was no more."
Asuka moved against him and let him hold her. "Don't say things like that. No matter where you are, I'm going to stay with you, so don't you dare die on me."
"My dear Asuka, I wouldn't think of it."
Outside, Misato and Rei were listening in. After the next few seconds, Misato stood up and Rei followed suit.
"Well Rei, what do you think?"
"That was, interesting. But is it not improper to listen in on a conversation when you should not?"
"Shinji's trying to help you understand emotions," Misato said with a smile, "I'm just giving him a hand."
Rei nodded. It was actually interesting. She knew that Shinji and her had a relationship that some would consider friendship, and Asuka and Shinji had a relationship that people would call a couple. That was not something she wished for herself. She just needed to protect him. Something inside her told her that she had to. Well, she would do that to the best of her abilities.
End of Chapter 8
Well, that's the first of my prewritten stories. I'll put one up for my stories each week, so Enforcers and Formalities should also get updated providing I actually did finish them. And PLEASE read Fantasies of Life! I need feedback on that desperately. In my opinion, that story has a lot of potential. I just have nothing to work from right now. Thanks to RagnarokZ for prereading.
Z98
Chapter 8: Passage
Ritsuko finished typing the program. The genome had been corrected of all mistakes, and she now was ready to begin the first phase. One week and she would have the first one ready. Well, that would be how long it took for Unit 07 to get here. She had the time.
Asuka was sitting with Rei at the table. Shinji had gone with Misato to NERV and the two of them were left alone.
"All right Ayanami. You wanted to learn about relationships. Well, there are several different kinds."
"Yes. The relationship of a mother to her son, of a wife to her husband, of a brother to his sister."
"Right," said Asuka, "We're going to talk about the type of relationship Shinji and I have." I think, Asuka thought to herself. Shinji seemed to have accepted it, but she still wasn't sure. Well, time would tell. "Shinji and I are a couple. That means I'm his girlfriend, and he's my boyfriend."
"And how exactly is this relationship different from one of a wife and husband?" Rei asked.
Jeez, thought Asuka. Ayanami can be really dense. "Two major ones are that we aren't married, and that we don't sleep together." That thought caused Asuka to almost shudder. They were a long way from getting there.
"But do the two of you not sleep in the same bed?"
My god, she really is dense. "I mean we don't have sex together," Asuka said, trying to maintain control of her voice.
"I see. However, if the two of you did have sex, would that mean you are married?"
"No, we have to get a license and all that other stuff like getting married in a church," said Asuka, "Me and Shinji are a couple. We aren't married, but we like each other." I think, Asuka added to herself again. She did like him, but she just could not be sure how Shinji felt about her. However, she remembered Kaworu's statement. Perhaps it was true.
"And what kind of relationship do I have with Shinji?"
"You and Shinji are friends," said Asuka. Or you two better be. The thought that they were intimate was a bit unsettling. But, no. Shinji would never do such a thing.
"Thank you for explaining Soryu," said Rei, "If I need any further explanation, I will ask you."
"Yeah whatever."
Rei got up and went into Shinji's room again. Well, it was now officially hers. Shinji had even taken down the sign. Asuka remained sitting at the dining room table. She really didn't have anything to do. She sat there and contemplated her thoughts. Shinji was actually the nicest guy she had ever met. There was no way he would ever cheat on her. Well, she had declared them a couple. What if he didn't feel that way? What if-no. That Angel, Kaworu, had said that if she just trusted him, he would never intentionally leave her.
Shinji changed out of his plugsuit. He had taken another synchronization test, and Asuka was going to take hers tomorrow. He hoped that she would do better. He finished putting on his clothes and walked out into the hallway. Misato was waiting for him.
"Shinji, want to go out for lunch?"
"Uh, sure."
The two walked over to the elevator and took it down to the parking lot. As they went down, Misato began her little lecture.
"I hope you and Asuka aren't going to do something I'd disapprove of."
Shinji's face reddened, but controlled his voice as he spoke. "We are only sleeping together, Misato. We're not having sex. Besides, Asuka did declare us a couple."
"Does that mean you don't want this?"
"No! I mean, I liked Asuka ever since I saw the pain she went through. I tried to help her, but she kept fighting it. I think her pride was what was hurting her the most. She's starting to let it go though. Otherwise she would have never let me help her."
"I have to say Shinji, I'm proud of you. I mean, you've managed to do what I couldn't. You got Asuka to swallow her pride and accept help from others."
"Thanks Misato. But I don't think I'm the only one who did it. I mean, all of us, one way or another, after all that we had experienced, that is what really made Asuka get through it."
The two were silent for the rest of the lift up. They finally reached the parking lot and got into Misato's car. She took them out and they were on their way to a noodle shop.
"I'm surprised you could afford lunch here," Shinji joked.
"Well, considering all the overtime I've been working, and the fact that there's no place to spend my money, I have a large amount sitting in the bank."
"Why do women always want to spend money?" Shinji muttered to himself.
"The orders have been issued," said Gendo, "Unit 07 will soon be ours."
"How can you know the Chinese branch will obey them?"
"Because they have no choice in the matter. We were the ones who allowed them to build the unit. Besides, I've informed the UN that two Angels are still unaccounted for. Adam and Lilith."
"We have both," said Fuyutsuki, "Seele knows that, and they could tell the UN."
"That would not be logical. Why would we have two Angels? It is our job to fight them."
"I see. This is a dangerous game you plan Ikari," Fuyutsuki warned, "Seele will not let this sit."
"I do not expect them to. I have already initiated steps to counter any move they make."
Evans looked at his watch. A man walked into the bar. Right on time. The man sat down next to Evans and sat down. Evans placed his hand on a napkin and moved it a few seconds later. The man took the napkin after his drink had arrived. Evans waited a few more minutes later before leaving the bar. It was slightly surprising that this bar was still open. Well, capitalism survived despite everything the world had thrown at humanity. It was his job to make sure that there was a humanity to fight back against all the odds.
Maya was eating lunch when Evans entered the cafeteria. She was having a very late lunch since she had been working on preparing to receive Unit 07 and making sure nothing was wrong with it. Evans got his lunch and sat down next to her.
"So how has your busy day been?"
"It has been very busy," said Maya, "I don't suppose Section 2 has been calm of late."
"I wish. There are a lot of security concerns with the movement of an EVA. It is a very powerful weapon and there might be some other organizations that might try to steal it."
"We have to get ready to receive it and check for any problems."
"Compared to what you have to do, I have it easy."
Evans smiled at Maya and she returned it. Evans was glad that he had been assigned to NERV. Otherwise, he would have never met Maya. However, he was worried that if his cover was ever blown, Maya might be used against him. He swore that would never happen, but some things were out of his control. Well, not really.
"So what are you doing to make sure we're all safe?"
"We're looking to increase the guards we have," said Evans, "We're transferring commandos from the Intelligence section to the Defense section."
"Oh." Maya knew what he really meant was that they were giving more guards guns.
"And we're thinking of suggesting that all authorized personnel carry guns."
Evans smiled as Maya's face went white. She had made it clear before that she disliked guns.
"Don't worry, we're still thinking about that," he reassured her. He continued to grin.
Maya realized he was teasing her, and glared at him. "That isn't funny."
"Oh, we are actually thinking about it. But we need authorization for that to be actually carried out."
Maya sighed. She could never understand the obsession men had with guns. But then again, Major Katsuragi always seemed willing to use her weapon if she needed to.
Shinji and Misato brought back some takeout for dinner so they didn't have to cook. Asuka was waiting for Shinji to come back. She really needed to talk with him.
"Shinji! You're back!"
A smile appeared on his face as he set down the packages.
"Miss me?"
Asuka grabbed hold of him and pulled him into her room.
"We need to talk," she said in a serious tone.
After they were both in her room, she shot the door and locked it with a lock she had bought before on the claim that she didn't want a pervert like Shinji to peek at her. Now, it was to make sure no one disturbed either of them. They then sat down on the bed next to each other.
"So what do you want to talk about?" Shinji asked once he had turned on the light on the nightstand.
"Shinji, about us, I mean, didn't we move a bit fast?"
Shinji was quiet for several moments. Asuka looked over at him and saw thoughtfulness in his eyes. He had become very careful on how he answered people, and would probably think it over before he answered such a question.
"Asuka, to be honest, I'm surprised you made a move at all," he said, "I mean, a week ago, you would have never considered the fact that you liked me."
"I guess I just wouldn't listen to myself," Asuka replied quietly, "I let my pride control me."
"And that hid who you really were. A kind, sweet young woman."
"Damn right! And don't you forget that, Mr. Ikari," Asuka said with a wink. Then she turned serious again. "But when I did listen to myself, I was still fighting it."
"So what made you stop fighting?"
Asuka shook her head. "I'm still having trouble believing it."
"So? Crazier things have probably happened after all we've gone through."
"Okay, but you had better not laugh, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life," warned Asuka.
Shinji nodded and Asuka finally told what had happened.
"I was dreaming the night we had that, confrontation. A boy, he said he was the 17th Angel. He came to me and said that you would protect me." During her confession, Asuka didn't look up at Shinji. If she had, she would have seen that his jaw had dropped. "He said that you would never leave me. He said that you loved me."
By this time, a tear had appeared in Asuka's eye and ran down her cheek. Shinji wiped it away with his hand.
"A lady as beautiful as you should not cry."
That caused Asuka to laugh a little. "Been reading Misato's romance novels again?"
"Yeah. Better way to come up with something to sooth you."
Asuka shot him a warning glance, but let it go when she saw his face.
"You probably think I'm crazy or something," she said, "but I'm not, and I'll stick to that story even if you throw me into a mental institute."
Shinji moved closer to Asuka, but didn't hold her. He wasn't sure if he should.
"Asuka, I don't think you're crazy. Actually, I had a similar dream. Kaworu told me some things too."
Asuka's head came up and she looked him straight in the eye.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. He said that I had to choose something. Well, if I was to choose between protecting you and not, I would protect you until my soul was no more."
Asuka moved against him and let him hold her. "Don't say things like that. No matter where you are, I'm going to stay with you, so don't you dare die on me."
"My dear Asuka, I wouldn't think of it."
Outside, Misato and Rei were listening in. After the next few seconds, Misato stood up and Rei followed suit.
"Well Rei, what do you think?"
"That was, interesting. But is it not improper to listen in on a conversation when you should not?"
"Shinji's trying to help you understand emotions," Misato said with a smile, "I'm just giving him a hand."
Rei nodded. It was actually interesting. She knew that Shinji and her had a relationship that some would consider friendship, and Asuka and Shinji had a relationship that people would call a couple. That was not something she wished for herself. She just needed to protect him. Something inside her told her that she had to. Well, she would do that to the best of her abilities.
End of Chapter 8
Well, that's the first of my prewritten stories. I'll put one up for my stories each week, so Enforcers and Formalities should also get updated providing I actually did finish them. And PLEASE read Fantasies of Life! I need feedback on that desperately. In my opinion, that story has a lot of potential. I just have nothing to work from right now. Thanks to RagnarokZ for prereading.
Z98