Disclaimer: Neon Genesis: Evangelion. How I wish you were mine. Then I
could charge criminal prices for things such as mangas, and wall scrolls,
and DVD compilations of the series. But alas, I do not, for Gainax does,
for they own it. If they would let me charge criminal prices for the items
above, I would, but they would not. Shit.
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A Superior Game
Chapter 2: Awareness
Kaji stubbed out the remnants of his cigarette as he gave Shinji a cursory glance. This could be going better, Kaji thought to himself as he saw the blank look of disbelief adhere itself to the Third Child's face. He had laid it all out before the young Ikari: the reason Kaji had been sent to the apartment that night, to tell the boy of his gift: the ability to manipulate the opposite sex.
"So you see, Shinji, you've had this since birth. It's nothing to be afraid of," Kaji stated as he gave the young boy one of his trademark lazy grins. Unfortunately, it did little to shake Shinji's expression.
"I-I'm sorry, Kaji-san, but it seems, well...a little hard to believe."
"You don't have to tell me that, Shinji. The first time I heard about this, I had already turned 16, and even then it was a shock," Kaji replied as he leaned back in his chair. "But however difficult it may be to come to grips with it, it's something you have to do eventually. Don't get me wrong; it can do great things for you if you accept it, but if you try to fight it, your power, your gift...it can rise up and destroy you."
Kaji leaned forward in his chair and took a deep breath. "Shinji, I can guess what you've been taught in your life, and I know this flies in the face of most of the basic premises, but I swear to you it's true. Beyond the pretension, through all the crap about romantic notions, it all boils down to the fact that love, and to some degree life, is all one big game. If you learn nothing else, remember that." Kaji jabbed his finger on the table as he emphasized his point. "And like anything in life, there are going to be people who are more adept at succeeding in it than others, and you, Shinji Ikari, are one of them. You have the potential to be one of the greatest of our kind." Kaji leaned forward even further, his lazy grin widening a bit as he drew out the final part. "Love is one big game, and we can play the game better than almost any others. We are the superstars, but whether we play to our full potential or not, we still have to play."
The front door opened as Misato stepped in, her arms laden in bags. Work had been rough that day for the major, as she spent a majority of her day filling out reports in duplicate and triplicate, with a couple in quadruplicate and even one or two in quintuplicate. But now she was home. She could relax, kick back, and enjoy some of the delicious takeout she brought home with her (along with, perhaps, one or seven beers).
"I'm home!" she called out into the apartment as she slipped off her shoes at the door. She smiled slightly as she saw Shinji rise from his seat in the kitchen and heard him call back, "Welcome home." Her smile quickly faded as she stepped inside and saw, seated near where Shinji had just been sitting, one mister Kaji Ryoji, leaning back in his chair, grinning his usual grin.
"What is he doing here?" she said almost absently as she rested the various bags on the counter. Kaji grinned as he replied, "Just hanging out, trading skirt-chasing secrets with my friend Shinji here, waiting for some beautiful lady to come by and sweep me off my feet." His grin broadened as Misato shot him a mild glare.
"Do me a favor, Kaji," she bit out as she left the kitchen to hang up her jacket. "I know you're beyond redemption, but you could at least try to keep from turning Shinji into a lech like you." Her smile returned a bit as her gaze fell back on Shinji. "I brought dinner home tonight, Shinji-kun. Help yourself while I go change." Her gaze (and her glare) returned to Kaji, along with the withered statement, "Try to peek in on me, and I'll shoot you."
Kaji couldn't help but grin at her last comment.
"You expect me to believe that you could manipulate her, while she makes every indication she hates you?" Shinji inquired as he ambled toward the takeout on the counter. "Just how stupid do you think I am?"
Kaji grinned a bit as he rose from his chair and leaned against the wall. "Well, there's two things you have to remember. One, people often try to hide how they feel. For most, it works, but if you figure out how, you can read them as easily as if they weren't hiding anything. Two," Kaji continued, his grin faltering a bit, "well, our gift makes us good, but not unbeatable. There is a point where we can screw up to where it's hard to be forgiven. Hope you never find that point."
Kaji's grin returned with full force as he crossed his arms. "Now, for your first test..."
End Chapter 2
()==========(){============================================(
A Superior Game
Chapter 2: Awareness
Kaji stubbed out the remnants of his cigarette as he gave Shinji a cursory glance. This could be going better, Kaji thought to himself as he saw the blank look of disbelief adhere itself to the Third Child's face. He had laid it all out before the young Ikari: the reason Kaji had been sent to the apartment that night, to tell the boy of his gift: the ability to manipulate the opposite sex.
"So you see, Shinji, you've had this since birth. It's nothing to be afraid of," Kaji stated as he gave the young boy one of his trademark lazy grins. Unfortunately, it did little to shake Shinji's expression.
"I-I'm sorry, Kaji-san, but it seems, well...a little hard to believe."
"You don't have to tell me that, Shinji. The first time I heard about this, I had already turned 16, and even then it was a shock," Kaji replied as he leaned back in his chair. "But however difficult it may be to come to grips with it, it's something you have to do eventually. Don't get me wrong; it can do great things for you if you accept it, but if you try to fight it, your power, your gift...it can rise up and destroy you."
Kaji leaned forward in his chair and took a deep breath. "Shinji, I can guess what you've been taught in your life, and I know this flies in the face of most of the basic premises, but I swear to you it's true. Beyond the pretension, through all the crap about romantic notions, it all boils down to the fact that love, and to some degree life, is all one big game. If you learn nothing else, remember that." Kaji jabbed his finger on the table as he emphasized his point. "And like anything in life, there are going to be people who are more adept at succeeding in it than others, and you, Shinji Ikari, are one of them. You have the potential to be one of the greatest of our kind." Kaji leaned forward even further, his lazy grin widening a bit as he drew out the final part. "Love is one big game, and we can play the game better than almost any others. We are the superstars, but whether we play to our full potential or not, we still have to play."
The front door opened as Misato stepped in, her arms laden in bags. Work had been rough that day for the major, as she spent a majority of her day filling out reports in duplicate and triplicate, with a couple in quadruplicate and even one or two in quintuplicate. But now she was home. She could relax, kick back, and enjoy some of the delicious takeout she brought home with her (along with, perhaps, one or seven beers).
"I'm home!" she called out into the apartment as she slipped off her shoes at the door. She smiled slightly as she saw Shinji rise from his seat in the kitchen and heard him call back, "Welcome home." Her smile quickly faded as she stepped inside and saw, seated near where Shinji had just been sitting, one mister Kaji Ryoji, leaning back in his chair, grinning his usual grin.
"What is he doing here?" she said almost absently as she rested the various bags on the counter. Kaji grinned as he replied, "Just hanging out, trading skirt-chasing secrets with my friend Shinji here, waiting for some beautiful lady to come by and sweep me off my feet." His grin broadened as Misato shot him a mild glare.
"Do me a favor, Kaji," she bit out as she left the kitchen to hang up her jacket. "I know you're beyond redemption, but you could at least try to keep from turning Shinji into a lech like you." Her smile returned a bit as her gaze fell back on Shinji. "I brought dinner home tonight, Shinji-kun. Help yourself while I go change." Her gaze (and her glare) returned to Kaji, along with the withered statement, "Try to peek in on me, and I'll shoot you."
Kaji couldn't help but grin at her last comment.
"You expect me to believe that you could manipulate her, while she makes every indication she hates you?" Shinji inquired as he ambled toward the takeout on the counter. "Just how stupid do you think I am?"
Kaji grinned a bit as he rose from his chair and leaned against the wall. "Well, there's two things you have to remember. One, people often try to hide how they feel. For most, it works, but if you figure out how, you can read them as easily as if they weren't hiding anything. Two," Kaji continued, his grin faltering a bit, "well, our gift makes us good, but not unbeatable. There is a point where we can screw up to where it's hard to be forgiven. Hope you never find that point."
Kaji's grin returned with full force as he crossed his arms. "Now, for your first test..."
End Chapter 2
