Chapter 11: Family Life
Shinji rolled off the bed.
"OW!"
Whoops. Why was Rei lying underneath him? Wasn't she always in the kitchen in the morning?
"Sorry about that, Rei. Usually you wake up earlier than anyone else."
"I was practicing drums last night."
"Oh. I won't do that again."
She yawned and turned onto her left cheek.
She looks kinda cute when sleeping, he thought. He fingered a small lock in her blue hair. He remembered creeping behind her and pulling her short hair when they were only five. She had started crying, and Gendo had made Shinji spend the entire evening kneeling on the hard kitchen floor. Good old Rei. He couldn't imagine himself without her.
"What are you doing?"
Asuka stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.
"Oh. Rei had some lice."
"Oh. You're nice to look after her like that."
There was almost a hint of anger in her voice, but she had become somewhat mellower over the past few days. Living with eleven housemates necessitated a decent level of tolerance, even from someone who had gotten away with using the housebroken male as a punching bag.
She stalked away, tapping the wall with her fingers. Shinji went directly to his Bass. He found that the morning glow inspired his mind. He could think more clearly, even though his thinking was unclear. Somehow, when he didn't have to think, or do, he did much more than he could do under intentional focus. He plugged it in and looked out the window into the sky. What had he learned, anyway? It came back to him. Jumping octaves, playing the pentatonic scales, the blues scale, the bass slap. All of these had come under his control in the past few weeks. He had a feeling of satisfaction at being able to copy any song he found on the radio. Asuka had even commended him. And Misato had found his progress quite surprising.
"I guess you can take your training into your own hands now," she said. "I don't think I can help you any more."
Shinji put on his headphones and started playing. Ten minutes later, he put the bass down and headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, Asuka was in the kitchen with Pen-pen. They were cooking fish. Pen-pen had long since overcome his antagonism towards cooking biological relatives. He busied himself with running around the kitchen, fetching Asuka her utensils.
"Penji! The spatula! Oh wait. Stop! Now I need the knife! You can't reach it? Fine. Cut it with your beak."
Shinji smiled as he listened to Asuka interacting with Pen-pen. He passed by the kitchen and went into the living room, where he had left his SDAT the night before. Maybe a little smooth jazz will calm me down, he thought. Then again, smooth jazz was just about the last thing that he really wanted to listen to. He yearned for the deafening rock they had played yesterday in the garage, the sounds reverberating through the air, shooting through their ears, cutting into their hearts. His vocals, combined with Gendo's Bass harmony, Rei's clear-cut voice, and Asuka's uncontrollable wailing, floated over the accompanying music like ripples in a pond. A very small pond, with no windows, ten hot bodies breathing down one's neck, stuffy air that made one feel like a compressor had just been applied to the lungs. Jeez. And now he'd have to go to school in twenty minutes.
First day at school….What would it feel like? Would he meet any nice people? Or were all of them stupid, mean, and perverted? Were they talkative, like Asuka, or silent, like Rei? Perhaps his teacher would be super hard and assign everyone a crazy project that was impossible to complete. Perhaps the class project would be…forming a super-band…no…No teacher was that crazy. Luckily, people like Misato weren't allowed in Tokyo-funded schools. But at least he'd have his band by his side. Should any other band attack, he knew who'd be backing him up. Probably not the coward Gendo, and not the opportunistic Misato, but everyone else seemed quite honorable.
"Eggs! Eggs!"
That was the call for breakfast. How many eggs did they have in this house, anyways? Couldn't they at least have sashimi or udon for once?
Oh well. Misato, almost broke from purchasing Rei's lavish drum set, had limited choices at the supermarket, and he knew that dreams had to precede simple necessities. He sat down and lifted up his plate. "Two eggs, please," he mumbled to Asuka.
Asuka smiled. "Jeez, you woke up thirty minutes ago and you're still sleepy?"
She slapped him in the back of the head. "I'm gonna sit behind you in class to make sure you don't fall asleep and get us in trouble."
"How'd you know I woke up?"
"Jeez…your bass has been at it for the last half hour." She rolled her eyes.
"Some people don't run out of energy."
He fingered the eggs. Oh, wait.
Misato was accompanying all of them to school that day. The children had all protested, but Misato, as usual, was not to be deterred. She wanted to see the university, and she was "going to check on all of you, and make sure you start the year off on your best behavior."
Thinking the same thing, both Shinji and Asuka chuckled.
Misato. What a mom.
"Urggg...morning guys."
Touji.
"Man…something smells like food. Why did you guys get up so early?"
Kensuke.
"Okay, let's get started, everyone! We gotta get out the door in fifteen minutes!"
Hikari.
"EEEP EEEP!"
Pen-pen.
Everyone turned to look at him. The penguin stood quite awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen with a neatly sewn, woolen school uniform.
"My handiwork," Hikari beamed.
The staring continued.
"I don't get it," said Touji. "How is a penguin going to understand anything at a prestigious university like Tokyo U?"
"Seriously," Kensuke said in agreement.
"GRRRRRRRRR!"
"Pen-pen is quite smart for his kind," Rei popped up from behind the cabinet. "It would be quite embarrassing for him to surpass you in grades, so you have quite a lot to worry about yourself."
"Yeah right," Touji mumbled. But he said nothing more about Pen-pen during their morning conversation.
"I can't believe we all actually made it into Tokyo U," Kensuke said.
"We didn't make it," Asuka added. "We slipped in under Misato's influence."
"Maybe that's not such a good thing," Kensuke replied.
Touji looked worried. "I hope the transition from high school to University isn't going to be too hard," he said.
"Well, I'm not going to have any problems," Asuka scoffed. "I've already completed University in Germany."
Touji and Kensuke looked at her angrily.
"Well, look at little Miss smarty here," Touji smirked. "Perhaps your figure got you the grade in biology, but how are you going to do in home economics?"
Touji was on the floor in a second. "Ow! You didn't have to do that!"
"Why would Tokyo U teach home economics, anyway? I could fry you for lunch any day, Home Economics or not."
Asuka grinned widely when Touji didn't get up. But strangely, he stayed under the table for an extraordinarily long time.
"Asuka," Rei said. "You're wearing a dress."
Asuka blushed bright red. "Stupid pervert!" she yelled as she kicked him in the face.
Rei laughed uproariously. Misato rushed in, asking what the commotion was. Both Asuka and Touji started yelling at the same time, but from the two large marks on Touji's face, Misato already knew what had occurred.
After the argument had settled down, the five children and Misato made their way down the sidewalk, Rei in the lead, Touji way in back. Trees lining the sidewalk threw down large, wavering shadows that sent shivers through the bodies of the children as they passed from light into dark and back again. Little was said for the first five minutes of their trip. Asuka was still fuming about the incident back at the house, and Touji was contemplating on how he would get his revenge.
Shinji caught up with Rei and took a long sidelong glance at her. She was looking prettier by the day.
"What a beautiful view," he said.
Rei turned towards him. "Isn't it?"
Shinji looked back down at the sidewalk. There was a slight blush in his cheeks, but he decided to press on.
"You know, after all the time we've known each other, this is the first time we're actually going to school together," he began. "It's strange to think that we could still be friends after being apart for so many years, and…and…with you living by yourself away from everyone."
Rei nodded. "It's only because I needed time to think through some things by myself," she said. "I-I really wish I could have been there with you at school, and…even lived with you like Asuka and Misato did, but there was this…I dunno. I was lonely, but I didn't want anyone. Not even you. The things I thought were important no longer mattered. I didn't understand what people meant to me anymore. I…almost lost you. I think I would have left for someplace far, far away if it hadn't been for you. But one day Misato came up with the idea of the band, and it struck me as the most brilliant thing she'd ever said. It was something…something that I could call my own. That we could call our own. That's why I decided to move in with everyone else. I felt like there was a mission we all could share in, one that…would bless us all. Eva…that was never what I wanted. I gave my life for those missions, but there was no sense of purpose. Just obedience to a man with no sense of logic or kindness. There was no love, no closeness…not even you. I guess I owe it to Misato for her idea. For giving me a chance at freedom."
Shinji merely nodded as he listened. He knew Rei wasn't accustomed to saying this much, so he simply let her continue. But he looked her straight in the eye-he wanted her to know he was listening with all his heart.
"Rei, if you…need to say anything to me, you don't have to keep it from me. I won't ever turn away…"
"Of course." She stroked his cheek. "I wouldn't hide anything from you."
Even though she was being perfectly honest, Shinji sensed there was something more.
"But, tell me what you really wanted to say."
"Well, Shinji, I just…I've always-"
"We're here!" Asuka squealed.
The University loomed up before them, monstrous and unreal, as was its sign: TOKYO U: we'll educate you like your mommas never did. And in the front lawn was a humungous Eva with the sign: WE SALUTE YOU, PILOTS. The Eva had the same design as Shinji's Purple 01. The whole memorial was black marble, with graffiti sprawled all over the surface. It was dated six months back.
"Funny. They never invited us to attend this place until now," Touji said.
The rest nodded.
"Maybe they don't want us here," Hikari conjectured.
Asuka grinned. "Maybe this place isn't big enough for the five of us."
Shinji rolled off the bed.
"OW!"
Whoops. Why was Rei lying underneath him? Wasn't she always in the kitchen in the morning?
"Sorry about that, Rei. Usually you wake up earlier than anyone else."
"I was practicing drums last night."
"Oh. I won't do that again."
She yawned and turned onto her left cheek.
She looks kinda cute when sleeping, he thought. He fingered a small lock in her blue hair. He remembered creeping behind her and pulling her short hair when they were only five. She had started crying, and Gendo had made Shinji spend the entire evening kneeling on the hard kitchen floor. Good old Rei. He couldn't imagine himself without her.
"What are you doing?"
Asuka stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.
"Oh. Rei had some lice."
"Oh. You're nice to look after her like that."
There was almost a hint of anger in her voice, but she had become somewhat mellower over the past few days. Living with eleven housemates necessitated a decent level of tolerance, even from someone who had gotten away with using the housebroken male as a punching bag.
She stalked away, tapping the wall with her fingers. Shinji went directly to his Bass. He found that the morning glow inspired his mind. He could think more clearly, even though his thinking was unclear. Somehow, when he didn't have to think, or do, he did much more than he could do under intentional focus. He plugged it in and looked out the window into the sky. What had he learned, anyway? It came back to him. Jumping octaves, playing the pentatonic scales, the blues scale, the bass slap. All of these had come under his control in the past few weeks. He had a feeling of satisfaction at being able to copy any song he found on the radio. Asuka had even commended him. And Misato had found his progress quite surprising.
"I guess you can take your training into your own hands now," she said. "I don't think I can help you any more."
Shinji put on his headphones and started playing. Ten minutes later, he put the bass down and headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, Asuka was in the kitchen with Pen-pen. They were cooking fish. Pen-pen had long since overcome his antagonism towards cooking biological relatives. He busied himself with running around the kitchen, fetching Asuka her utensils.
"Penji! The spatula! Oh wait. Stop! Now I need the knife! You can't reach it? Fine. Cut it with your beak."
Shinji smiled as he listened to Asuka interacting with Pen-pen. He passed by the kitchen and went into the living room, where he had left his SDAT the night before. Maybe a little smooth jazz will calm me down, he thought. Then again, smooth jazz was just about the last thing that he really wanted to listen to. He yearned for the deafening rock they had played yesterday in the garage, the sounds reverberating through the air, shooting through their ears, cutting into their hearts. His vocals, combined with Gendo's Bass harmony, Rei's clear-cut voice, and Asuka's uncontrollable wailing, floated over the accompanying music like ripples in a pond. A very small pond, with no windows, ten hot bodies breathing down one's neck, stuffy air that made one feel like a compressor had just been applied to the lungs. Jeez. And now he'd have to go to school in twenty minutes.
First day at school….What would it feel like? Would he meet any nice people? Or were all of them stupid, mean, and perverted? Were they talkative, like Asuka, or silent, like Rei? Perhaps his teacher would be super hard and assign everyone a crazy project that was impossible to complete. Perhaps the class project would be…forming a super-band…no…No teacher was that crazy. Luckily, people like Misato weren't allowed in Tokyo-funded schools. But at least he'd have his band by his side. Should any other band attack, he knew who'd be backing him up. Probably not the coward Gendo, and not the opportunistic Misato, but everyone else seemed quite honorable.
"Eggs! Eggs!"
That was the call for breakfast. How many eggs did they have in this house, anyways? Couldn't they at least have sashimi or udon for once?
Oh well. Misato, almost broke from purchasing Rei's lavish drum set, had limited choices at the supermarket, and he knew that dreams had to precede simple necessities. He sat down and lifted up his plate. "Two eggs, please," he mumbled to Asuka.
Asuka smiled. "Jeez, you woke up thirty minutes ago and you're still sleepy?"
She slapped him in the back of the head. "I'm gonna sit behind you in class to make sure you don't fall asleep and get us in trouble."
"How'd you know I woke up?"
"Jeez…your bass has been at it for the last half hour." She rolled her eyes.
"Some people don't run out of energy."
He fingered the eggs. Oh, wait.
Misato was accompanying all of them to school that day. The children had all protested, but Misato, as usual, was not to be deterred. She wanted to see the university, and she was "going to check on all of you, and make sure you start the year off on your best behavior."
Thinking the same thing, both Shinji and Asuka chuckled.
Misato. What a mom.
"Urggg...morning guys."
Touji.
"Man…something smells like food. Why did you guys get up so early?"
Kensuke.
"Okay, let's get started, everyone! We gotta get out the door in fifteen minutes!"
Hikari.
"EEEP EEEP!"
Pen-pen.
Everyone turned to look at him. The penguin stood quite awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen with a neatly sewn, woolen school uniform.
"My handiwork," Hikari beamed.
The staring continued.
"I don't get it," said Touji. "How is a penguin going to understand anything at a prestigious university like Tokyo U?"
"Seriously," Kensuke said in agreement.
"GRRRRRRRRR!"
"Pen-pen is quite smart for his kind," Rei popped up from behind the cabinet. "It would be quite embarrassing for him to surpass you in grades, so you have quite a lot to worry about yourself."
"Yeah right," Touji mumbled. But he said nothing more about Pen-pen during their morning conversation.
"I can't believe we all actually made it into Tokyo U," Kensuke said.
"We didn't make it," Asuka added. "We slipped in under Misato's influence."
"Maybe that's not such a good thing," Kensuke replied.
Touji looked worried. "I hope the transition from high school to University isn't going to be too hard," he said.
"Well, I'm not going to have any problems," Asuka scoffed. "I've already completed University in Germany."
Touji and Kensuke looked at her angrily.
"Well, look at little Miss smarty here," Touji smirked. "Perhaps your figure got you the grade in biology, but how are you going to do in home economics?"
Touji was on the floor in a second. "Ow! You didn't have to do that!"
"Why would Tokyo U teach home economics, anyway? I could fry you for lunch any day, Home Economics or not."
Asuka grinned widely when Touji didn't get up. But strangely, he stayed under the table for an extraordinarily long time.
"Asuka," Rei said. "You're wearing a dress."
Asuka blushed bright red. "Stupid pervert!" she yelled as she kicked him in the face.
Rei laughed uproariously. Misato rushed in, asking what the commotion was. Both Asuka and Touji started yelling at the same time, but from the two large marks on Touji's face, Misato already knew what had occurred.
After the argument had settled down, the five children and Misato made their way down the sidewalk, Rei in the lead, Touji way in back. Trees lining the sidewalk threw down large, wavering shadows that sent shivers through the bodies of the children as they passed from light into dark and back again. Little was said for the first five minutes of their trip. Asuka was still fuming about the incident back at the house, and Touji was contemplating on how he would get his revenge.
Shinji caught up with Rei and took a long sidelong glance at her. She was looking prettier by the day.
"What a beautiful view," he said.
Rei turned towards him. "Isn't it?"
Shinji looked back down at the sidewalk. There was a slight blush in his cheeks, but he decided to press on.
"You know, after all the time we've known each other, this is the first time we're actually going to school together," he began. "It's strange to think that we could still be friends after being apart for so many years, and…and…with you living by yourself away from everyone."
Rei nodded. "It's only because I needed time to think through some things by myself," she said. "I-I really wish I could have been there with you at school, and…even lived with you like Asuka and Misato did, but there was this…I dunno. I was lonely, but I didn't want anyone. Not even you. The things I thought were important no longer mattered. I didn't understand what people meant to me anymore. I…almost lost you. I think I would have left for someplace far, far away if it hadn't been for you. But one day Misato came up with the idea of the band, and it struck me as the most brilliant thing she'd ever said. It was something…something that I could call my own. That we could call our own. That's why I decided to move in with everyone else. I felt like there was a mission we all could share in, one that…would bless us all. Eva…that was never what I wanted. I gave my life for those missions, but there was no sense of purpose. Just obedience to a man with no sense of logic or kindness. There was no love, no closeness…not even you. I guess I owe it to Misato for her idea. For giving me a chance at freedom."
Shinji merely nodded as he listened. He knew Rei wasn't accustomed to saying this much, so he simply let her continue. But he looked her straight in the eye-he wanted her to know he was listening with all his heart.
"Rei, if you…need to say anything to me, you don't have to keep it from me. I won't ever turn away…"
"Of course." She stroked his cheek. "I wouldn't hide anything from you."
Even though she was being perfectly honest, Shinji sensed there was something more.
"But, tell me what you really wanted to say."
"Well, Shinji, I just…I've always-"
"We're here!" Asuka squealed.
The University loomed up before them, monstrous and unreal, as was its sign: TOKYO U: we'll educate you like your mommas never did. And in the front lawn was a humungous Eva with the sign: WE SALUTE YOU, PILOTS. The Eva had the same design as Shinji's Purple 01. The whole memorial was black marble, with graffiti sprawled all over the surface. It was dated six months back.
"Funny. They never invited us to attend this place until now," Touji said.
The rest nodded.
"Maybe they don't want us here," Hikari conjectured.
Asuka grinned. "Maybe this place isn't big enough for the five of us."