Well, school's started. That means I will have actual work to do, and thus less time to work on the fic. That might not mean that I won't be able to write as often. What it does mean is that the fic will once again be threatened by a sudden drop in quality. Unfortunately, I'm sure not all of you will notice. Sigh. The insult stings, but life continues.
Disclaimer: No own nada. This chapter inspired by psyanchosis' Last Gift She Expected
Fourth Impact
Chapter 41: Party!
Misato strolled through the park, reveling in the peace and quiet. Stop kidding yourself. You know that you're looking for Takoru-kun and Lilli-kun.
She suddenly spotted a pair of figures in the distance. She started to run over to them, but a pair of hands caught her shoulders and a cloth was shoved over her mouth. A funny smell filled her nose, and she blacked out.
She came to in pitch blackness. She got up slowly, and called out, "Hello? Anybody here?"
Then she heard a soft guitar playing somewhere. She tried to trace the sound, but it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. It was a haunting melody, and very familiar sounding. "What's that music?"
Then a huge boom echoed through the room, and the lights flared on. "Happy Birthday!" shouted a dozen voices as Misa realized that she was in the command center of NERV. The guitar was joined by a second, and by a rumbling drum line as the music picked up.
She turned to see Adamu and Lilliko on opposite sides of her, with Takoru up in the commander's balcony.
"Oh, wow!" she exclaimed as everyone came to greet her and hug her and congratulate her. "Thanks, everyone."
Misato laughed. "Oh, come on, we do this every year."
"Yes, but, well, look at this!" she gestured to the table set up, and the decorations. "I mean, you've made the control center completely unusable!"
Misato blinked, and everyone laughed. "So I went a bit overboard with the decorations."
"Thanks!" Misa hugged her namesake and grinned. She turned to the three musicians. "Turn it up!"
Another explosive boom reverberated throughout the center as Takoru kicked the switch for the amps.
"Here, Misa, you get first servings." The gang had settled down for dinner. Everyone was wishing Misa a happy birthday again, and the food, cooked by her parents, was served steaming hot.
"Wow! My favorite!" she exclaimed.
Lilliko blinked. "Raw fish?" Misa nodded, shoving a piece of tuna into her friend's mouth.
The adults, especially Misato, were a bit nervous when Kaoru served his special wine to everyone, including the children, but he said that it was fine. Ritsuko decided to stick with her coffee nonetheless.
One sip of the wine and Misato was hooked.
They passed the presents out after dinner. From her parents she got a full entertainment set. From Misato she got a promise of driving lessons. From the bridges bunnies she got various accessories, including both a dress and club-wear. From Ritsuko and Maya she got recordings of her parents from when they were her age.
For their present, her friends simply did a run-through of all her favorite pieces, stopping when a tipsy Lilliko tried to adapt Fur Elise to her guitar.
Misa studied the wine, wondering exactly what was so special about it. Misato caught her looking. "You should try this, it's great!"
"I'm only fifteen, Godmother." Misa objected.
"Please, just once?" Misato pleaded. She suddenly jumped on the table and shouted, "Who wants to help get the birthday girl drunk?"
Lilliko immediately abandoned her guitar and dashed over to them. Makoto laughed and joined them as well, as did Asuka.
"Well dear?" asked Asuka. "Are you going to show everyone how a Soryu drinks?"
"Mother!" Misa exclaimed, but Misato simply used her outburst as an opportunity to pour some of the liquid down her throat. She spluttered as it burned her senses, but swallowed. It has an almost sweet taste, with a hint of spice and chocolate. There was something else that she couldn't quite place…
"Makoto-kun, fill a bunch more cups. Asuka, if you would be so kind as to keep your daughter from escaping. Lilliko, you and me can alternate serving her." Lilliko nodded and grinned as Makoto passed her a cup.
"Here, Misa-chan, drink up."
"I don't want to." Misa said, blinking rapidly.
"Of course." She pushed forward and placed her forehead against Misa's. "Now be a good birthday girl and drink." She pressed the cup to Misa's lips and pried open her mouth. Another dose of Kaoru's brew burned its way down Misa's throat.
She blinked. "Stop that…" she tilted slightly, and her speech was slurred. Misato just poured another glass down her throat, followed shortly after by Lilliko.
Misa suddenly forced her way to her feet. "Look, I think I've had…" she stumbled to the side. "I think I've had enough…" Then her mother was in front of her, plying her with another glass.
"One more, Misa-chan. One more." Never one to refuse her mother directly, she took the glass and drank, blinking. "There we go."
Misa stumbled again, smiling. "You know, that stuff isn't that bad…"
Some time later, a bunch of tipsy adults and a drunken birthday girl were watching Lilliko trying to play through the wine-haze. The wine had only made Takoru's playing louder, and Adamu had somehow managed to remain sober, but a drinking contest with Misato had left Lilliko totally inebriated.
Lilliko cut off in the middle of an instrumental piece and launched into a raunchy song of her own creation about a silver-haired pirate and a quiet blue-haired tavern wench.
(AN: Guess who it's about. Hint: Not the twins…) Adamu just rolled his eyes and harmonized on his guitar.
Eventually Misa found herself on stage dancing wildly and singing something with Lilliko. No one ever really figured out what exactly they were singing, but everyone was enjoying it.
Adamu looked at the clock. It was somewhere around midnight. Rei had dragged Kaoru off for some privacy, a move mimicked by Asuka and Shinji. His sister was in another drinking contest with Misato, Takoru and the bridge-bunnies urging them on.
He suddenly found Misa staring at him. "You know, Adamu-kun, you smell really nice." He blinked. "Want to go make out?"
He blinked again, the only sign of his surprise. "How much did you drink?" he asked.
"More than you did." She hiccupped. "Let's go fix that." She dragged Adamu over to the refreshment table and forced a cup sloshing with wine into his hands. "Drink."
"But—" she was too busy pouring another glass for herself.
"The birthday girl demands that you drink with her." She said, her voice unsteady and slurred. "Drink." He rolled his eyes and drank, first one glass, then two, then four, then ten…
"You know what, Adamu-kun?" Misa asked, swaying in his arms as they danced to music only they could hear. "I've been thinking, and I realized something."
"Yes?" he asked, not really paying attention to anything.
"I love you." she told him sleepily.
"That's just the wine talking…" he protested.
"No, I really do." She said firmly. "I've been denying it for some time, but I really do love you." she sighed. "It's pathetic that I had to get drunk in order to admit it."
"Well, I think that I love you too." He replied shyly, staring off into the distance and holding her close. "And I certainly wouldn't have admitted that if I wasn't drunk."
She pulled her head of his chest. "Kiss me." she ordered. He blinked, taken aback and suddenly sober…ish. "You know you want to. Kiss me. Please? One more birthday present before I pass out? Please? I love you so much…"
He tilted her chin so that their eyes met, and even through the wine he could sense the power in her eyes. And he could see the emotion, the raw, unshielded emotion. He closed his eyes and met her lips.
Perhaps it was the wine. Perhaps it was her scent, or the taste of her lips, but something kept him from pulling away.
It could have been the pair of arms firmly locked around his back and head, but he was too drunk to realize that at the time.
It's three o'clock. Do you know where your Children are?
Misato pulled out her phone. "Section 2? I need the locations of Misa-chan and Adamu-kun."
She nodded. "Good. Just make sure they don't try anything with the plugs."
Ritsuko glanced at her. "So? Where are they?"
"They made it all the way to the Eva cages." Misato told her friend. "They're making out on the main deck."
Ritsuko blinked in surprise. "Well, that was unexpected."
Misato grinned. "That wasn't." she pointed to where Lilliko had Takoru pinned to the wall. She looked as if she was trying to bite his tongue off. He looked slightly less than scared witless.
"Maybe we should separate them before something happens." Ritsuko suggested. Misato shrugged.
"Let them have their fun. Given what they've been through, they deserve it." Speaking of which, Adamu-kun and Misa-chan are finally getting what they deserve.
AN: What was the point to this chapter? I'm not sure. Stay around for the aftermath.
Layra-chan: Omake! Omake!
DreyonLegacy: No! No—
Omake:
It's three o'clock. Do you know where your Children are?
Misato pulled out her phone. "Section 2? I need the locations of Misa-chan and Adamu-kun."
She gasped, shooting out of her seat.
She returned a little while later, a disturbed look on her face. Ritsuko glanced at her. "So? Where were they?"
"They made it all the way to the Eva cages." Misato told her friend. "Adamu-kun was trying to insert his entry plug into Misa-chan's Unit. Fortunately we managed to manually eject him before he crossed the ego border and synced, but it looked like they were about to merge. They're both being examined for contamination."
Ritsuko blinked in surprise. "At least you didn't catch them trying to have sex."
Misato frowned. "I thought that's what I just said."
Ritsuko took a moment to review what she'd heard and what Misato had actually said. Then she grabbed Misato's wine cup and downed it. I need to get out more.
End omake
Layra-chan: Yay! Love in the cages!
DreyonLegacy: *Shakes head in disgust and leaves quietly*