Disclaimer: see part 1.

Chances Taken

Part 3

Solace

By Random1377

Maya froze as she opened her door, cocking her head to the side. "Is he… talking to himself?" she murmured, hearing Kaworu's voice coming from the living room.

Taking her key out of the lock as quietly as she could, she tiptoed down the hallway, straining to hear what he was saying.

"I've always rather liked green," the gray-haired boy was saying, "how about you?"

Maya came up short two feet from the door to the living room as another voice replied, "Well… I kinda like blue, I guess…"

"Shinji…?"

The brown-haired tech opened the door, preparing to offer the boy a joyful greeting, but the blank stare that she received – from both Children – froze the words in her mouth. As her eyes met Shinji's she swallowed, trying to say something – anything… but nothing happened.

Since Kaworu had moved in, she had seen very little of her boyfriend. It seemed that there was always a sync test, or a school test, or a work test – or some kind of test – keeping them separate. If it wasn't that, she was working on a project for Doctor Akagi, or he was visiting Touji in the hospital.

And the thing that got to her most is that she was unsure if it was because he didn't want to see her, or if it was simple, honest, bad timing… but it had been nine days, and the extended separation (as she saw it) was unnerving her.

She was nearing the point of being uncomfortable when Shinji finally blinked, as if recognizing who he was looking at, and walked over to her, giving her an awkward kiss on the cheek. "Hey," he said quietly, blushing as Kaworu's eyes tracked their every move, "missed you…"

"Missed you too," she murmured, sighing as he slipped his hand into hers, "I thought you were going with Kensuke somewhere today?"

"I told him I couldn't make it," Shinji confessed, "I wanted to see you." He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the other Child as he asked, flat out, "Are you mad at me about something?"

"Mad…?" Maya echoed, stunned, "Me?? I thought you were mad!" She laughed happily, "Oh! All this time, I thought you were avoiding me because… because…" she trailed off, her laughter fading as Shinji frowned. "Can I explain?" she asked quietly, glancing towards her bedroom, "Please?"

Shinji nodded, heading towards the door as Maya excused them.

"Take your time," Kaworu said easily, remaining on the couch and closing his eyes, "I'm not in any rush."

"Thanks," the tech said gratefully, "I'm sorry I interrupted your conversation…"

The gray-haired boy waved his hand lazily, dismissing her apology.

Stepping into her room, Maya closed the door, reaching for the light switch on the wall. Since it was after dark, and her room had no windows, it was pitch black. As she found the switch, she felt Shinji's hand cover hers. "Don't…" he whispered softly, "it'll be easier this way…"

Feeling her blood running cold, Maya replied. "Make what easier, Shinji? Are you… breaking up with me?"

There was a long, awful silence before Shinji answered, "No! Why would I do something stupid like that??"

"Well," the young woman said defensively, "you're all serious… and you won't let me turn on the light, and you- mmm…"

She shivered as she felt his lips press carefully against hers. Well, half against hers and half against her cheek. "Sorry…" he boy murmured, "too dark…"

Maya giggled softly. "That's ok, but why can't I turn on the light? I kinda wanted to talk… do we have to do it in the dark?"

"It's stupid," the boy answered awkwardly, "I just… like being in the dark with you…"

Maya felt herself blushing – both at the implication of intimacy and the actuality of it. "We probably shouldn't, ummm…"

"I know," Shinji answered quickly, "I just… wanted to be close to you in the dark…"

Smiling, the tech replied, "Well, I guess that's ok." She reached out and found his shoulders, pulling him closer to her. "I… wanted to tell you why, though… why I let him stay and not you…"

She couldn't tell him the real reason, of course – she had sworn not to, and the repercussions for breaking that oath would be harsh and swift… but she needed to give him a reason.

He deserved one.

"I only want to know one thing…" Shinji murmured, his voice hesitant, "do you… want to be with him instead, or-"

"Oh come on!" Maya half laughed and half shouted, "I told you I loved you, I risked everything I had to help you when Asuka was in trouble, I slept with you, and I-"

"Ok, ok!!" Shinji said quickly, "I'm sorry… I just…" he sighed, "I just didn't know what to think. I know you have a good reason, and it must be something you can't tell me, or you would have by now… right? Anyway, that was the only thing that I could think of that was so bad that you wouldn't want to tell me…"

She flushed once more, remembering that she was the one with a secret. Very deliberately, she whispered, "I… only… want… to be… with you." She took a deep breath, treading a dangerous edge as she added, "I can't tell you the real reason he's here, Shinji, but please believe that it is a good one, ok? Can you trust me?"

Tensely, she waited for his reply. –I wasn't told not to tell him there was a secret,- she reasoned, -I was only told not to tell him the truth…-

"I trust you…" Shinji said softly, his hand finding hers, "can you tell me someday?"

"Maybe," Maya said, smiling weakly, "I honestly don't know. Hang on…" quietly, she opened the door, peeking out at the couch. "Kaworu's asleep…" she murmured, closing the door once more, "he sleeps kinda light, but if we were quiet… Shinji…"

Feeling her hand against his chest, urging him towards the bed, Shinji nodded. "Ok…"

"Have to be quiet…" the tech whispered, working on unbuttoning his shirt, "really, really quiet…"

Feeling his mouth go dry, the young man barely managed to reply, "Quiet… ok…"

As the two lovers reaffirmed their feelings, trying to stay as quiet as possible, Kaworu lay on the couch… smiling softly as he thought,

-Interesting…-

**

"How is Asuka doing today?" Misato asked, folding her arms as she came to a stop next to her old friend's desk.

"She's holding steady," Ritsuko replied, never looking up from her terminal, "but that's not a good thing. Since the fifteenth angel, her ratio has been slowly dropping – and right now it's barely in the upper teens."

"I see." She sighed, "Well, I guess all we can do is keep trying to encourage her. I don't know what she'll do if we have to replace her…"

"Oh," Ritsuko shrugged, "I think we have some idea – it involves screaming and violence, and probably some property damage and some big therapy bills."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, ok?" the purple-haired woman asked tiredly, "What about Rei? How has she been since the last angel?" She frowned as Ritsuko made no immediate reply, and as she opened her mouth to repeat herself, she got her answer.

"She's perfectly normal."

Misato looked from the observation window, where the four test plugs were displayed, to her friend's face, not at all liking the cold, hard edge in her tone. "And the boys?"

Ritsuko shrugged. "Well, Shinji's sync ratio is high, as usual… but Kaworu…"

"Yes?" Misato prompted as she trailed off, "What about him?"

"See for yourself."

Misato studied the readouts as the blonde brought them up, her face displaying confusion. "He can… change it?"

Ritsuko nodded, looking up at the screen showing the serene face of the Fifth Child. –Indeed he can,- she thought darkly, -SEELE was bold this time. Did they expect that we wouldn't figure it out? Or are they hoping we WILL figure it out and advance their plans for them?- She grinned unconsciously as the boy opened his eyes, -Well, I've got a little surprise for them – and her…-

Misato blinked as Ritsuko's eyes went from Kaworu's display to Rei's, narrowing slightly. "Something wrong?" she asked uneasily, still going over the information on the Fifth.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself about," Ritsuko answered softly, pulling her gaze away from the First Child and back to her terminal, "just thinking I should run a few tests on the Fifth – isolated from the others, of course. These readings need to be explained." She stood, stretching her back. "That's enough for today. Asuka, Shinji… Rei," her lip curled up slightly at the last name, "you are free to go. Kaworu."

"Yes ma'am?" came the unhurried reply.

"You will stay for further tests, understood?"

"Of course."

Misato frowned at the entire lack of surprise in the boy's voice, but she did not have time to consider its meaning as Asuka spoke.

"Why is HE staying?" the redhead demanded, "What makes him so special that WE all have to leave? Shinji's sync rate is higher than his, and Wondergirl's is lower," she avoided saying that hers was too, "so why does HE need more tests?"

Ritsuko shook her head, sighing. "Because he's still the newest pilot," she said tersely, "And truly, it's none of your concern WHY, Asuka, just do what you're-"

"The hell it isn't!" Asuka cut in, "You're going to replace me!"

Ritsuko rubbed her eyes.

"No one is getting replaced, Asuka," Misato said calmly, "now come on… you, me and Shinji will go out for lunch."

There was a moment of quiet before Asuka quietly said, "Alright…"

"Very clever," Ritsuko commented as the Second Child exited her plug.

"What?" Misato asked, blushing slightly. She knew full well what she had done, as did everyone in the room – even Asuka, on some level.

"Mention Shinji's name," the blond said softly, looking up at the screen where Kaworu's face was still shown, "and leave out Rei's, and Asuka will do anything you say."

"It's not THAT extreme," Misato protested, "sure, it works for little things like this, but she's still Asuka. It's not like she's a lovesick little puppy, following Shinji around wherever he goes."

"Well, that would be hard," Ritsuko commented dryly, "because I don't think she would fit in Maya's bed."

Misato's jaw dropped open and her eyes immediately sought out the brown-haired tech, who was sitting not five seats away, entering data on her keyboard with a small smile. –Doesn't look like she heard,- she thought, relieved, -but still, that was way uncalled for. And I don't think they've gone QUITE that far, have they?-

As if reading her thoughts, Ritsuko chuckled. "What happened to your sense of humor, Miso?" she asked lightly, "I'm just kidding."

Misato looked at her uncertainly.

"Get going," the blonde said quietly, "you've got Children to feed."

The Operations Director lingered for a moment longer, looking from Maya's happy face to Ritsuko's cold and thoughtful one. "Yeah," she said finally, turning for the door, "I'll see you later."

As she made her exit, though, she took one more look at Maya. –Think maybe you and me should talk,- she thought cautiously, -because I think, maybe, your sempai might planning something – and not something good.-

Had she been able to hear Ritsuko's thoughts at that very moment, her concern would have increased exponentially, as a single word she herself had spoken earlier kept echoing over and over again through the doctor's mind.

Replaced.

**

"Staying for more tests," Asuka grumbled, picking at her oonagi, "and I'm not supposed to think that's suspicious?"

Shinji took a bite of his tempura, chewing it slowly and swallowing before answering, "I don't think you need to worry, Asuka… he seems really nice. And I don't think Doctor Akagi would do something behind your back, I think she'd just say it."

"Oh, I know YOU don't have anything to worry about," the redhead said sarcastically, "you've got the highest sync ratio, and you've got the most kills, and you've got a pretty little girlfriend to-" She broke off, blushing. "Sorry."

Shinji shrugged awkwardly, looking down at his plate. "It's ok," he murmured, "I never really thought about it that way."

"I didn't mean for it to come out that way," Asuka said softly, pushing back at the sudden fear that he would stop talking to her, "I just…"

"I know," Shinji said soothingly as she trailed off, "it's ok, really."

The two fell into silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they resumed eating. Misato had gone back into work, of course, citing that she had much left to do, and had left them with a little extra money in case they were still hungry later. It was not lost on the two Children that their guardian was spending more and more time at NERV, but they both took it in stride, thinking that it was most likely related to Kaji's sudden and unexplained disappearance.

Shinji shook his head as he thought of the ponytailed man, wishing he could ask his advice. –Wonder if he ever worried about losing his girlfriend,- he thought idly as Asuka took a sip of her drink, -probably not – he didn't seem to worry about much.-

Not that he was worried about Maya, or losing her to Kaworu. She had made it very clear two nights prior that he was the only one on her mind.

Well, perhaps he worried just a bit. He was, after all, still in awe of the fact that she was his.

"Want another drink?" he asked, setting his carryout box to the side and getting to his feet.

"Yes please," Asuka replied quietly, setting her food on her lap and looking up at the boy with a small smile, "thanks."

Shinji shrugged awkwardly and assured her that it was no problem, then headed over to the restaurant they had purchased their food from.

As he walked away, Asuka sighed, letting her smile go. –Good lord,- she thought unsteadily, -what would I do if you ever stopped talking to me? You're the only one that still treats me like me.- She bit her bottom lip pensively, troubled by the dark train of thought, but unable to stop it. –Misato thinks I'm losing it, the Commander practically TOLD me I was losing it, Wondergirl is… Wondergirl,- she smiled slightly, amused by the lack of explanation need for that observation, -and the new kid-

"Asuka."

The redhead barely managed to contain a scream of surprise as a soft voice spoke her name. Raising her eyes, she stared in disbelief as the very person she was thinking of stood less than three feet in front of her. "What do you want?" she asked defensively, trying to cover her shock with anger – anger that was completely unfeigned, "And don't use my first name… I don't know you."

"Just happened to be passing by," the gray-haired boy said easily, offering her a pleasant smile, "and I saw you and Shinji sitting here, so I thought I would say hi."

"Don't you have tests or something?" Asuka asked caustically, "I thought they were keeping you?"

Kaworu shrugged. "Doctor Akagi simply wanted to run one more sync test and discuss the results." He smiled a bit wider, "It was most… interesting, to talk to her."

"Good for you," Asuka muttered, rolling her eyes, "but don't go getting comfy, Fifth Child, I'm not planning to go anywhere – and neither is Shinji."

"No," Kaworu replied, his expression conveying amusement, "I think he's comfortable right where he is – especially when he's in Miss Ibuki's company." He shook his head, as if lamenting, and added, "And they are also quite loud when they make love – I found it most distracting when they… what?"

Asuka was gaping at the boy, her face a brilliant shade of crimson. "That… that's sick!" she finally managed, "Listening to them when they… when they – that's SICK!"

She tried desperately to suppress the image of Shinji and Maya together, but the more she fought it, the more vivid it became.

"I didn't listen on purpose," Kaworu said with a smile, "I was simply trying to sleep, and in their defense, I think they were TRYING not to wake me, but I would imagine it's kind of hard – for them, anyway."

"Stop," Asuka whispered, "you shouldn't talk about it – even if you did hear them doing… that."

"Why not?" the boy asked innocently.

A confusion of feelings was rushing through the redhead, making coherent thought almost impossible. She could feel the anger she held towards the boy she saw as her replacement as well as shame at hearing of Shinji and Maya's most private affairs spoken of so plainly. But the dominant feeling, the one she had felt all too frequently lately, was that SHE had done something wrong.

Even though she knew this was not true, she found herself imagining that she had somehow failed to stop the gray-haired boy from so casually revealing the most intimate, personal detail of her roommate's life. –I shouldn't know about that,- she thought desperately, trying to find the words to explain just WHY it was so taboo, -God… how many times? How many places? How loud-

"AHHH!!!"

"Hmmm," Kaworu hummed, smiling broadly as the girl put her hands on either side of her head, "I'm sorry if I upset you." He looked up over Asuka's head. "Looks like Shinji's on his way back," he said lightly, "but I'm afraid I have to get back to my guardian's house. Tell him I said hi, alright? Bye now."

Asuka shook herself, looking up to call him back, but he had already vanished into the milling afternoon crowd. "You shouldn't talk about it because it's just for them," she whispered to herself, still flushed at the very thought of it all. "It's the way they show how much they love each other, it's their…" she struggled for the word she knew would fit, but could not bring it to mind.

"What's up?" Shinji asked, looking to where Asuka was staring as he offered her a bottle of soda, "Something wrong? You look worried."

"No," Asuka answered after a moment, choosing to keep her discussion with the red-eyed boy a secret as she absently took the drink, "just thinking that a nap would be kinda nice." She looked up into the placid blue eyes of the only person alive that understood her. "Wanna join me? You can share my pillow."

Shinji smiled, shrugging slightly. "Sure," he answered softly, "but for Heaven's sake, don't tell Maya that we're sleeping together!"

Asuka gave him a halfhearted chuckle, knowing he would want to know why if she didn't laugh. –Damn poor choice of words,- she thought, still feeling embarrassed as she rose to her feet, -but I won't say anything. Just pretend I don't know… yeah, that seems like the best way to go.-

Brushing off her shorts, the redhead closed her eyes for a moment, finally thinking of the word that fit best – and knowing that it applied to her as well.

Solace.

-So,- she thought as they started out, -they take comfort in each other, and I take comfort in him… my therapist would be so proud of me for working that out all by myself.- She almost laughed at the thought, but it just seemed too accurate to be amusing. So they walked in silence.

As they made their way towards the train station, they never noticed the crimson eyes that watched them from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. "VERY interesting," Kaworu murmured, "I was certain she would tell him of my knowing – simply to encourage him to dislike me." He smiled happily. "This is indeed a very interesting game…"

He watched them until they were lost in the crowd, then made good on his promise to seek out his guardian, wondering how she would react if she knew he had heard them, then discarding the notion. He decided that her reaction would be similar to the Second Child's, though more apologetic in tone.

Very boring.

He had seen many different human reactions – varying form ecstasy to agony – and though he was enjoying this current, idle amusement, he was growing a touch tired of the whole game. He did not feel bound by the timetable of the ones that sent him, and had barely listened to their carefully laid out instructions. He knew where his father slept, and he would end the game when he felt it was time… but before that, he wanted to see more of the one named Shinji. So far, he was unlike anyone he had dealt with before, and he was dreadfully curious… so, for a while longer, the game would continue.

"Yes," he said happily, "I think you are the most interesting of all, Shinji." He smiled radiantly, making a passing lady of twenty-nine blush and reconsider her wedding vows. "I think," he mused, pausing to wait for a red light to change, "that I may have been born just to meet you…"

He contemplated this thought for a moment, as well as considering what type of reaction he would feel inclined to draw the following day.

As the light turned green, allowing the pedestrians to continue on their way, he thought that he might just have an idea.

Continued…

Author's notes: wowie… how long has it been since I wrote a chapter?? Too long, I know, but hopefully releasing this and the lemon side story at the same time will SORTA make up for that. Sorta? _ Anyway, hope you liked this installment!

Thanks to Ryoma for pre-reading… even if he thinks that Asuka is the only girl for Shinji. :P

Feedback is always welcome at random1377@yahoo.com