I do not own either of these series. If you wish to flame me on any subject, or at any level, then I welcome the very fires of Hell. Oh, and I like to follow the manga of Evangelion for some things, and the series for others. Also, I'm going to follow events to a certain extent and this is in the Evangelion universe. There will be no Negaverse monsters romping around. I'm doing this in order to challenge myself back into my Cowboy Bebop story.

My Purple Haze

A Sailor Moon / Evangelion crossover

Part Four

"You're fourteen?"

"Of course, silly!"

"But you're in seventh grade."

She shrugged and peeled open a chocolate bar. "Just because I'm an oddity doesn't mean I'm stupid," she said. Shinji poked his macaroni and cheese with a plastic fork.

"I didn't say you were stupid."

"Okay."

"Are you staying some place?"

"My apartment, of course."

"You live… alone?"

"Sure. Is anything wrong?"

You shouldn't be alone.

None of us should be, but we all are.

Father lost Mother so long ago. I lost them both. Rei lives alone. Asuka has me, I suppose, but what am I?

You're so full of humanity.

You are real and there's nothing I can do.

"Nah, not really," he said, picking noodles out of the cheese with the prongs of the fork, sliding them up and to each one and getting four on it.

Stop thinking like you are.

Shinji opened his mouth to say something more, but he noticed a familiar form.

"Hey Rei! Over here!"

Hotaru dropped her candy bar onto the table. Quickly, she twisted her form almost completely around. Her eyes darted around the room franticly, as if her life depended on the thing she sought. Then she saw the girl coming toward them and her face fell. She kept her eyes to the table, nibbling on her candy bar as Rei Ayanami came towards the table. She seemed very disappointed that Rei was there. Shinji saw it present in her eyes.

Rei did not sit down.

"What?"

Rei's voice was soft and simple.

"Rei, this is the pilot of Unit 05. Her name is Hotaru Tomoe. Hotaru, this is Rei Ayanami."

The girls locked eyes. Neither said anything.

Rei turned and left the lounge in the door opposite of the one she entered. Shinji assumed she was probably looking for someone. Hotaru went back to eating her candy. Her eyes went back to their place on the table.

"Something wrong, Hotaru?"

"Oh, I just thought… I knew… nevermind," she said quietly. She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh. Her smile returned. "So, do you live alone Shinji?"

Shinji let out a little laugh. "Not really. I live with Misato and Asuka. Asuka is the pilot of Unit 02," he said.

"Oh, yeah. She's the redhead. You live with her?"

"Yeah."

"Is she your girlfriend or something?"

Shinji blinked out of confusion. "Girlfriend?" he stuttered. Asuka? His girlfriend? She'd have to be both sedated and drunk to agree to go out with him.

Hotaru laughed. It was gentle and kind, but teasing still. "Should I assume that is an answer of no?" she said with a smile. Shinji just nodded as the blush began to creep across the apples of his cheeks.

"There you are!"

The shout came from the door to the lounge. Shinji inwardly groaned. Why are people looking for me more often than they usually do? he thought. The owner of the voice took no invitation to the table and made their way over as soon as Shinji was spotted. The figure stood over the table dominantly. "What are you doing? Ditching school with the new girl?" Asuka cracked.

"No… I… Ritsuko asked me to!" he stuttered out in his defense. However, Asuka had turned her attention to the girl that was seated at the table. "New girl, what's your name?" she said.

Hotaru smiled and extended a hand. "My name is Hotaru Tomoe. How do you do?" she said, still smiling. Asuka ignored her hand. "My name is Asuka Langley-Soryu. I'm the pilot of the production model, Unit 02," she said, flipping her sunset hair behind her shoulders. Hotaru pulled her hand back to her side and her smile broadened. "What a coincidence. I'm the pilot of a production model as well," she said. Her violet eyes never wavered in the challenge. Asuka narrowed her eyes. "Whatever," she grumbled and pulled out a chair. Its legs scraped across the floor, the sound loud and long, and then she plopped down in it.

"So, new girl, let's be friends," she said, her hand finding her cheek and propping it up. Hotaru shrugged. "Okay," she said. Asuka jerked a thumb in Shinji's direction. "Whatever the Third Child here has said about me is probably false," she cast a glare his way, "He has a tendency to over exaggerate and complain."

"Asuka, I do not!"

"Whatever. Now, Hotaru, what has he said?"

Hotaru smiled in amusement at their bickering. "Nothing much. Just that he lives with you and Misato. We actually haven't chatted that deeply. Though, I did manage to get the name of the love of his life," she said with a giggle.

Shinji jumped up from his chair and it fell backwards.

"WHAAAT?!?!" he cried.

Hotaru giggled. "I did. It wasn't that hard. Its all over your tone and body language," she said covering her mouth to keep from laughing out loud again at the look on Shinji's face. Asuka smirked. "Well, well. The Third Child has a little crush. Now, who may I ask is it?" she said.

Hotaru looked at Asuka and then at Shinji. She giggled again. "Oh, I don't think that Shinji would like me telling his secrets," she said.

Asuka rolled her eyes.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief.

Asuka looked down at the stuff that he had decided to eat. "How can you eat that stuff? It's worse than what Misato can cook up half asleep after a few beers!" she exclaimed. Shinji looked down at his food. It was a scoop of macaroni and cheese with a sandwich. It was like a packed lunch, but it hadn't been radiated in a microwave, not to his knowledge anyway.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It sucks, that's what! Hey, Hotaru, wanna come over to the apartment and have some real food? Shinji can eat his cheese flavored rubber here if he wants," Asuka said, standing. "Sure, I guess," the violet eyed girl said and stood up. She offered a tiny wave and light smile. "See ya Shinji," she said and followed Asuka out of the lounge. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Asuka put her arm around Hotaru's shoulders.

"Now, new girl, when we get there, why don't we have a little girl talk? Sharing secrets and all that…"

Secrets?!

"Hey Asuka! Wait up!"

A clunk was heard as the plate hit the bottom of the trashcan, followed by frantic sneakers on the floor.