AN: Ok I didn't update this for a long time because I didn't realize that anyone had reviewed until just yesterday, so I finished the first chapter. This chapter picks up at the end of Misato and Ritsuko's third year of college. Enjoy:

Chapter One: Misato the Drunkard Meets Kaji the Smoking Man

Ritsuko watched in pure disgust and Misato downed her third beer. They'd only been in the bar for ten minutes and already the purple haired girl sitting across from her was buzzing. "Misato, do you mind? People are beginning to stare."

"Aww, Ritsy-poo! Aren't you going to drink your beer?" Misato asked, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. Her elbows began to slip, but she caught herself.

"No, it taste like cat pee." Ritsuko pushed the sweating can away from her, and Misato quickly grabbed it in one swift motion.

"And I bet you'd know what cat pee taste like, Cat Lady." She chugged the beer quickly and set the empty can next to the other three.

"I hope you don't plan on being here long enough to make a pyramid." Ritsuko shifted in her seat as she reached down to the floor and felt for her purse. She pulled the leather bag to the table and dug around for a pack of cigarettes. Misato suddenly became entranced by the blonde's movements and watched as she lightly tapped the bottom of the pack and then revealed one of the slender sticks of tobacco from the top. Misato licked her lips and leaned forward. Ritsuko placed the cigarette in a small part between her lips and exposed a small lighter with which she lit the cigarette. Smoke curled from the end and up to the ceiling. Misato watched these actions as though they were poetry.

"Ritsuko?" She suddenly whispered, breaking Ritsuko's deep concentration of smoking. Ritsuko looked over to the other girl with a questioning look. "May I have one?" Misato asked innocently with a sweet and almost childish smile across her face. Ritsuko held out her pack and Misato, trying to imitate the beauty she'd just seen, pulled one from the pack and lit it. She sucked in and sat for a moment, trying to hold the smoke in her lungs. Suddenly she began coughing feverishly and her eyes began to water.

"I'll get you a drink," Ritsuko suggested, trying not to laugh in the poor girl's face. She raised her hand to call a waiter over, but before she could call out "Waiter" a man was next to her with a tray which had a beer and a martini on it. The man smiled at her and put the beer in front of Misato, who quickly inhaled the contents.

"Keep these coming," She mumbled, motioning to the line of empty cans. The waiter nodded and set the martini in front of Ritsuko.

"The compliments of the gentleman at the bar," The waiter replied to Ritsuko's confused look and gestured to a smoking man with a beer in his hand. He was tall with brown hair, a disheveled button-up shirt and a stubble of a beard.

Ritsuko grunted at his appearance and looked back to Misato with the intentions of tearing the poor man apart. She stopped, however, at the look in Misato's eyes.

"Ooh! He's cute! I'm gonna call him over here!" She exclaimed, and before Ritsuko could protest Misato had put her cigarette filled hand in the air and waved over the man.

"Oh, Misato!" Ritsuko whined.

"What?!? He's cute!" Misato whispered as the man sat down at their table.

"Hello, beautifuls," He growled in a low raspy voice.

Ritsuko grunted again at the lame line and looked away.

"Hi," Misato said, slipping her hand across the table to shake the man's hand. "My name's Katsuragi Misato. What's yours?"

"Kaji Ryouji." Kaji smiled.

Ritsuko grunted again. Misato sighed and kicked her friend's shin under the table. "Ow!" Ritsuko exclaimed and gave Misato a piercing, shocked glare.

"My rude friend is Akagi Ritsuko." Misato smiled at Ritsuko in a way that implied that she wanted Ritsuko to smile at Kaji.

Ritsuko didn't. Instead she stood and replied, "It was nice meeting you, but if you two don't mind, I have to be off. We have exams next week, don't forget, Misato. I'm going back to the dorm to study." And with that she was gone.

Misato leaned forward on the table and smiled at Kaji again. "I'm sorry about that. My friend is very picky when it comes to men."

"That's quite alright. You're the one I was interested in anyway." Kaji gave her a sly look and Misato giggled childishly. "You said your name was Katsuragi right? As in the Katsuragi expedition that went to Alaska right before the asteroid hit?"

Misato fidgeted with the cigarette in her hand and motioned for another drink to be brought to her table. "Um, yes, that's exactly right." She coughed nervously. "I don't want to sound rude or anything, but it's sort of a touchy subject. It wasn't exactly a pleasant experience."

Kaji smiled confidently. "That's quite alright. I didn't mean to be nosy. Let's change the subject. You're in college right?"

"Yes, my third year just ended."

"What are you planning to do afterwards?"

"You know, I don't really know. People keep asking and I don't know what to say. I thought about maybe working for the government, and follow in my father's footsteps or something. What about you, are you in college?"

"Not anymore, I just graduated. And to be honest with you, I don't know what to do now."

"Well, what was you're major?"

"German literature."

Misato sat back in her seat quite shocked. "German literature? What for?"

"I don't know. I like Germany." Kaji smiled again and took a sip of his drink. "Misato, would you like to play a drinking game?"

Misato's ears perked up at the thought of getting extremely drunk and she nodded her head vigorously.

Misato and Kaji spend the next two hours playing a very foolish and very revealing game of have you ever.

Misato slammed her shot glass on the table. "Okkkie, that one was ob-vious." She slurred. "But…I still can't believe juu wet jur pants in school when juu were seven."

Kaji laughed and tried to put his glass on the table, but it falls over and rolls off instead.

The waiter walks over and pries a bottle of liquor from Misato's hands. "I think it's time you two went home. It's pretty late, and you're pretty drunk."

"You are soooo right. Kasji, I am soo drunk." Misato exclaimed slapping Kaji on the shoulder. "I dun think I will find my way home. Can I come to your house?"

Kaji grinned and held his head up by cupping his chin in his left hand. "I would like that, Misato-dear, but your friend Ritsuko will worry about you."

Misato tried to make a tutting nose with her mouth but failed miserably and instead spit all over her own hand. "Ew," She said as she wiped off the spit. "That Ritsuko worries about ev'ything."

"Still, I should be a gentleman and take you home." He stood and held out his hand for her. She reached up and put her hand in his, but formed no grip, so when he pulled her to her feet she almost fell. "Whoa" Kaji said reaching his arms around Misato's waist and pulling her towards him. "I must say I'm impressed. Even though you're a slobbering, slurring, drunk right now, you really can hold your liquor." His compliment was met by a soft a snore, and he looked down to see that Misato had fallen asleep with her arms around his neck and her head resting on his shoulder. Kaji chuckled, "How am I going to figure out where you live?" He whispered. He reached down and pulled her purse towards him and began digging through it until he found her wallet. He pulled out her ID and read it silently. "We went to the same college." He commented looking at the sleeping drunk girl. "I can't believe I never saw a beautiful woman like you." He returned her things to her purse, scooped her up in his arms, and left the bar.

Upon reaching the dorm, Misato jerked and woke to find herself cradled in Kaji's arms. "What happened?" She murmured.

"You fell asleep at the bar. I brought you home." He turned the doorknob to find that the door had been unlocked, and he carried Misato to the empty bed. He smiled down at her and she curled up under the blankets.

"I would ask you to stay if I didn't think Ritsuko would lecture me in the morning." Misato whispered even though her eyes were closed and she appeared asleep.

"That's quite alright. My room is in the dorm next to this."

Misato's eyebrows wrinkled, but she didn't comment on his statement. "You can come over tomorrow if you want to."

"That sounds nice." He smiled again, kissed her on her forehead, and left the room quietly.

-FIN-

AN: Yay! Misato and Kaji WAFF! Well...I don't have anything to say, so please review! Ciao!