Chapter 7

I am so sorry about the long update time! It shouldn't take as long this time.Thanks for the reviews, they are hightly appriciated by me! Thanks, and Domo arigato.

" Here, Shinji." Yuzika hands him a cup of tea gingerly. Shinji shakes the stunned look off his face and smiles accepting the tea.
" Thank you." He says. Yuzika and Shinji take a seat on the couch. He sips the tea. It's good, and warm. He sighs. Yuzika looks at him concerned.
" What did Asuka say?" She asks. Shinji sets his tea aside gently.
" It's what she didn't say. I'm worried about her." Shinji turns beat red, and shakes his head. " I mean..not worried..just wo-wondering what's wrong with her." Shinji says quickly. Yuzika smile fades and she looks worried.
" Ikari, I'd tell you. I really would ..but I promised not to. I promised. I couldn't." Yuzika says. Shinji slowly puts his hand over hers, she clasps it in return.
" Please, tell me." Shinji says. He can feel his face burning. But he needed to know what was up Asuka's attitude and her weird tattoos. Yuzika sighs.
" She was attacked by three guys from our opposing school, who abused and vandalized her." Yuzika says slowly. Shinji's shock stricken face made Yuzika feel horrible. " I promised not to tell. She didn't want anyone to tell." Yuzika murmers. Shinji thinks back to that day when he accidenlty saw Asuka in the bathroom tub. Those words they were blury and unfocused, all across her body.
" Yuzika, what did the words say?" He asks. Yuzika shook her head.
" I..don't know..but they weren't good." Yuzika says tightening the grip on his hand. Shinji stares at Yuzika's sad face. She is staring at the carpet sadly. He very softly embraces her. He can't beleive what he is doing. She returns with a hug. They stay like that for a long while untill Yuzika asks, " Do you want me to come with you?" Yuzika asks. Shinji nods, feeling her soft hair under his chin.
" Yes, thank you." He replies. They slowly get up and leave the appartment ready to face Asuka. Or at least try.

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Hikari was over. Asuka was sitting next to her on the couch with her back facing her. Hikari was brushing her hair softly, preparing ot braid it for her. Asuka sat in silence the whole time while Hikai gently worked on her hair.
" Asuka, are you okay?" She asks quietly. Asuka sighs a deep sigh. Hikari frowns slightly.
" Hikari...Shinji called me." She murmers barely audible. " I told him I was busy. I don't know where he is." Asuka adds. HIkari raises an eyebrow in suprise. Why would she care about Shinji all of a sudden?
" Shinji?..Are you ..worried?" She asks. Asuka's expression turns sour and hard.
" Of course not." She mummbles. " Misato would be pissed, that's all." She adds coldly. Hikari shrugs.
" All right than." Hikari says. Suddenly there is a fummbling at the door, and Shinji with Yuzika appear before them. Asuka whips around and stares.
" Hello, Asuka." Yuzika says in her most cheerful voice possible.
" Asuka.." Shinji says with a renewed confidence and a backbone behind him, supporting him for the first time in his life. Asuka stands quickly with Hikari sitting there.
" Hi, Shinji." Hikari murmers.
Asuka looks angry in a blown out angry way.

" Asuka.... I want you to know that I know about what happened with those guys. Please, I want to help if I can." Shinji stammers. His hand is scrunched into a fist and is shaking. Asuka glancese at Hikari, than quickly to Yuzika stunned.
" Asuka....." Hikari murmers.
" You..." Asuka murmers angrily, glaring at Yuzika. " You told him? " She walks twards Yuzika. Yuzika backs up slowly twards the wall behind her. " You told Hikari!! How dare you!" She sputters angrily. Yuzika bumps against the wall, cornered. Asuka places her shaking fists against the wall next to each side of Yuzika's head. Yuzika can only listen and watch the raw emotion with wide, shocked eyes.
" How could you tell him? How could you tell...Shinji.." Her anger becomes sorrow and she chokes on her words, as her head bows and small tears drip from her chin onto Yuzika's shirt.
HIkari and Shinji can only watch Asuka's back and Yuzika's confused face turning to sympethetic emotion.
" Asuka," whispers Yuzika. " I'm sorry. I thought he had to know. He was worried about you. Concerned for you...cares for you." Yuzika gently slides her hands on Asuka's trembling shoulders.
The hot tears spilling from her eyes plip onto Yuzika's arm and roll off onto her shirt, accumulating into a damp spot.
" Why...mamma.." Asuka whimpers so softly only Yuzika can hear. Asuka collapses into Yuzika's embrace. Yuzika welcomes her with a warm embrace as Asuka cries into her chest, and they fall to their knees, Asuka feeling her support.
" Is....is this really Asuka? Crying...in Yuzika's arms?" Shinji thinks.
Hikari looks concerned adn torn between staying and leaving. Her face was very pale at the time.
" It's all right, Asuka. Asuka it's okay..." Yuzika whispers near her ear.
After a few moments, Asuka begins to regain her composure. She slowly lifts her head to face her comforter. Asuka's bloodshot eyes blue eyes meet Yuzika's deep sky blue eyes. Friendly and warm with feeling. Such feeling! Asuka could almost see perfect white clouds move across those deep blue iris's of hers. Asuka was stunned that she felt content.
Asuka felt Yuzika's grip loosen on her shoulders. " Are you alright now?" Yuzika asks quietly. Asuka keeps her gaze, and nods slowly loosening her fists as well.
" Thank you," Asuka whispers. " Thank you for not leaving me alone." She stummbles to her feet breaking the deep gaze on Yuzika's eyes. Yuzika stands also.
Shinji looks so shocked, he's almost horrified. " Are you alright?" He asks.
Asuka goes straight into her room. Hikari can't bring herself to follow her. " what...just happened?" She asks quietly. Yuzika shrugs slowly. " I'm not sure but I think she'll be alright now." She smiles softly. Shinji's mind was blown and perplexed. That wasn't the Asuka he'd known. This was a weak, fragile little girl on the brink of mental destruction. Shinji's thoughts were all just obscured in the moment.

" Shinji..are you okay? You seem pale..Hikari as well." She asks. Shinji nods numbly, as well as Hikari.


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Misato is sitting is Ritsuko's office, Ritsuko is smoking a cigarette. Misato puts the papers back onto the desk and sighs deeply. They're the results from Yuzika's tests.
" She's quite amazing, huh?" Misato asks. Ritsuko exhales the smoke and sighs as well.
" Yes. Of all my years I've never seen anything like that." Ritsuko replies.
" Yeah the test's results are amazing.." Misato huffs.
" Not just that...the fact that she came from an EVA out of nowhere I can research..yet." Ritsuko says. The facts hit Misato like a sledgehammer. Why did she come from the EVA? And how? Misato ponders and beginds to rumage through the papers again.

" To tell you the truth, I'm suprised Gendoe is even letting a girl like her pilot EVA. Espeacialy when we have no clue where she came from. And letting her live with Maya!.." Ritsuko murmers. Misato stares at the papers in her hand. What was this girl capable of?

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Shinji sat next to Yuzika and Hikari. They were half waiting for Asuka and half waitng for nothing. THey sat there for 15 minutes before Hikari mentioned she had to leave. " My parents say my curfew is 11:00 PM, sorry." Hikari says. She walks over in front of Asuka's door. " Asuka...." She knocks lightly on the door. " I haft to go home now. Bye..Asuka. I'll call you later." She says, walking to the front door.
" Good bye, take care." Hikari leaves quietly.

Shinji is staring at the floor. Yuzika glances at him. " Are you okay, Shinji?" Yuzika asks. Shinji sighs. " I've never seen Asuka like that. You handled is well." Shinji murmers. Yuzika can sense his deep confusion and worrisom. " Shinji, give it time." She says.
Shinji puts his arm carefully around her and they stay close.,
" I will..I was just..I dunnno." He murmers. Yuzika holds his free hand softly. It was jittery from nerves. " You need to calm down, Shinji.Asuka will eventruly be okay." Yuzika says. Shinji rests his chin gently against her head. " I'm not majorly concerned about that, it's..something else.." Shinji says. " I'm worried about you piloting Eva, and what will happen if you'll stay...." Shinji trails off. Yuzika's eyes widen.
" Shinji, I'll stay." She whispers. " Don't you start worrying over silly things now." She whispers.

" Ok." He smiles softly. She smiles back.

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Asuka finally leaves her room an hour later, to see Shinji by himself watching TV. Yuzika must have left. Asuka plops down on thefar end of the couch from Shinji. Shinji gives her a quick glance and pretends to go back watching the TV. Asuka sighs.

" So you're interested in dog food commercials, Shinji?" Asuka asks quietly. Shinji quickly changes the channel. " No...Not really..." He murmers very shyly. Asuka scoots closer to him.
" I won't tell Misato...." Shinji says. Asuka smiles tiredly.
" It's ok," Asuka huffs. " Please don't act like everything is different.." She says half annoyed. shinji raises an eyebrow. He dare not look at her. Asuka is sitting right next him, reaches over and grabs his cheeks forcefully.
" Shinji," She glares into his eyes. " Did you hear me? Look at me!" She orders. Shinji slowly lifts his gaze to meet hers.
" Yeah..sorry." He murmers. Why is Asuka doing this? She's touching me?
" Shinji, don't act like anything has changed. Don't. Don't act like anything happened." She rests her forhead against his chin for a moment, hands still clinging to his red cheeks. " Got it, baka?" She lifts her head gently. Shinji nods.
" Y-Yes." He quickly stammers. Asuka releases him and scoots to the far end of the couch again. Shinji leaves for the bathroom. Asuka sighs.

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Yuzika walks into the appartment quickly and locks it like Maya had showed her. The place was empty. Her eyebrow ring ached for some reason. She couldn't even remember getting it peirced, or her birth..or anything at all. She could only remember as far back when she was in Eva 01 with Shinji...than..light..
Yuzika sighs. She stares at her cellphone on the coffee table. She thinks of Shinji and her floating in the vast blue of the Eva. Quietness and serenity fills her mind. Why?
She plops on the couch and drifts to sleep, thinking of that sea of LCL.