Disclaimer: see part 1 for full disclaimer.
The Complexities of Human Interaction
By Random1377
Contact 7: Can I Hold Your Hand?
"Hey, Horaki!"
Hikari groaned, burying her face in her pillow. "Just… gimme ten more minutes…" she murmured.
"Well I would," came the sarcastic response, "but I'm kind of attached to my boobs, and at this point – so are you!"
Hikari's eyes sprang open, showing her an expanse of pink, slightly damp flesh.
"Ahhh!!"
"Well at least I know you're straight," Asuka muttered as Hikari yanked herself off of her chest, "though I have to admit, it was very flattering when you muttered, 'I love you' in your sleep."
"I… I did?" Hikari yawned, rubbing her bleary eyes.
"You did," Asuka confirmed, pulling her shirt closed at the top. "I… HOPE you were dreaming about someone else."
Hikari yawned again, trying to recall what, exactly, she had been dreaming. There was a train, she could remember, and a little girl that looked like Nozomi, and also…
"Wasn't you," she murmured thickly, "it was… geez, it was a boy, but no one I know."
"Huh?"
Hikari yawned again, shaking herself and trying to wake all the way up. "It was like… well, I thought it was Ikari at first, but then it was Touji, and then it was kinda… both, you know?"
"No," Asuka said dryly, grabbing a handful of tissue and patting at her chest with a marked lack of subtlety, "I don't know. You're a freak."
Hikari chuckled weakly. "Yeah, sorry about that…"
"My maiden's purity," Asuka muttered dramatically, "sullied by my best friend. …I feel dirty."
"Oh stop," Hikari grumbled, "I said I was sorry."
Asuka stretched, tiring of the game as she tilted her head back and sniffed the air. "Mmmm," she sighed, "damn that smells good!"
Hikari found that she could not argue this point. "What is that?" she asked, wishing her mouth would not water quite so much.
"I don't know about you," Asuka muttered, slipping out of bed and making for the door with a devilish grin, "but I'm gonna go find out!"
Her friend returned the grin and moved to follow her, but paused just inside the room, glancing back over her shoulder at the bed they had shared. Do you think about her every night, Asuka? She wondered sadly. Well… as long as I'm here, I'll try my best to be her for you, ok? That's what friends do.
"Hikari! Come on!!"
She jumped at the note of annoyance in Asuka's voice. "C-coming!!" She hurried into the kitchen, blinking as she found a very somber-faced Shinji standing at the stove, alternately stirring a pan containing miso soup and a skillet full almost to overflowing with vegetables and meat. The table was already set with three place settings, and a small bowl of hardboiled eggs was sitting in the middle of it, looking picture-perfect next to a neatly arranged plate of French-toast.
"Interesting combination," Asuka observed, drawing Shinji's attention, "what happened? Couldn't decide between Eastern and Western?"
Hikari bit her lip as Shinji simply stared at her for a moment before turning back to the stove. "It just all sounded good," he said quietly, lowering the heat under the vegetables. "I figured whatever we didn't eat, we could take for lunch."
She stole a glance at Asuka, relieved to find that she was not the only one that found Shinji's quieter-than-normal attitude unnerving. "I'm going to use the bathroom real quick," she said softly, "be right back."
Asuka nodded. "K."
Hikari stepped out of the kitchen, but hesitated, staying by the door and being as quiet as she could. It's not eavesdropping, she told herself, listening intently for any conversation, I'm just… checking up.
Her patience was rewarded a moment later when Asuka murmured, "So what's up?"
Hikari blinked. I've never heard her talk to him like that before, she thought, she's still being herself – and acting like she expects an answer NOW – but she sounds almost… nice.
Shinji's reply was almost as surprising. "Misato's mad at me for something," he said quietly, answering with only a brief hesitation, "I don't know what I did, but she was really quiet this morning, and she wouldn't look at me." There was a short pause. "She left without breakfast."
"Well, she's got that trip," Asuka pointed out thoughtfully, "and she finally realized that 24 hour watch idea sucked, so she's probably got to figure out a new schedule… but she never skips breakfast – so that IS kinda weird."
"I know," Shinji said softly, "I just don't know what I did to make her mad."
Hikari felt her heart clench as her friend answered, "Screw her, Shinji… you didn't do anything wrong. She's probably on her period or something. I was home all last night, and I know you didn't do anything stupid – unless you waited until I was in bed."
So much for being nice, Hikari thought, barely resisting the urge to slap her forehead.
"Then why wouldn't she look at me?" Shinji asked uncertainly. "She didn't look at me once when she was getting ready to go – and I could hardly hear her when she said goodbye because she muttered it."
"Oh who cares what she thinks?" Asuka said coolly. "You worry too much, Shinji – really. You know you didn't do anything wrong, so it's probably something with her, right? Don't sweat it."
Hikari found that she was smiling as Shinji murmured, "Thanks."
Wow, she thought, hurrying to the bathroom before Asuka started yelling for her, they really DO sound like they're married sometimes! And she's actually NICE to him when she thinks no one's looking – but still not TOO nice. She shook her head. Man, if she would just talk TO him sometimes…
When she came back into the kitchen, she found Asuka nibbling on a piece of French-toast and staring thoughtfully at the table in front of her. "Looks great," she said honestly, giving Shinji a little smile as he looked at her over his shoulder.
"Go ahead and get started," he said lightly, "the rest will be done in a minute."
"You're too slow," Asuka said suddenly, winking at her friend behind Shinji's back, "I expect my breakfast on the table when I wake up, Third Child – it is one of your chores, you know."
"Sorry," Shinji replied sheepishly, "I'll do better, Asuka."
Just like that, Hikari thought wonderingly, just a few words when no one was looking, and he's smiling again.
"Man, you look like hell," Asuka said suddenly, nodding to Hikari, "how late were you up??"
Hikari blushed, shrugging uncomfortably as Shinji studied her over his shoulder. "It took me a while to get to sleep," she said awkwardly, shifting on her seat. Partly because I was holding you, she added mentally.
"Here."
She looked up as Shinji put a plate in front of her and piled it high with steaming vegetables. "Oh I can't eat that mu-" Hikari started to protest.
"You need it," Shinji cut in gently, "it'll help you wake up."
Hikari nodded quickly, more to get him to turn his attention to Asuka than because she agreed with what he was saying. She looks like she's ready to kill us both, she thought, remembering their conversation from the night before as Asuka's eyes narrowed slightly, I don't care what she says… she likes him. Hell, she might not even know it, but he's not 'just some guy we go to school with.'
"Did you get that social studies paper done?" she blurted suddenly, unnerved by the dark expression on Asuka's face.
"Yeah, mine's on disk," Asuka shrugged, handing Shinji her plate with a slight frown, "what about you, Third Child?"
Shinji nodded. "Yeah," he replied, turning the stove off and untying the apron he was wearing, "I turned it in yesterday, because I wanted to-"
"Suck up?" Asuka offered sarcastically.
Hikari laughed. "Maybe he has a crush on the teacher."
That's better, she thought as Asuka started giggling and Shinji stammered a denial, it was so serious in here – and over what? A little extra food on a plate? It's not like he's asking me out or anything, and you keep saying you don't like him She sighed to herself as Asuka asked if Shinji had Miss Mizuho's home number. So complicated.
"Mmm," Asuka quickly swallowed a bite of her breakfast, "it's getting late – I'm gonna get dressed real quick."
Hikari nodded. "Gimme a sec," she said, grabbing an egg and tapping it smartly on the table to crack it, "I'll come with y-"
"Just eat," Asuka cut in, giving her a wink, "you can drool on my boobs in gym."
"Asuka!!"
Hikari blushed as Shinji's jaw dropped open.
Asuka just laughed. "Back in a few."
There was an awkward silence in the kitchen as the redhead departed. I can't believe she said that, Hikari thought, pushing her food around on her plate, why is she so different when it's just us?
"So," Shinji said finally, sitting down across from Hikari and staring down at his plate, "you and Asuka, huh?"
"No!!" Hikari said quickly. "She was just kidding, Shinji – come on!"
"You make a cute couple."
Hikari ground her teeth. "You're impossible," she muttered, taking a bite of her egg, "you pilots, I swear! Do they give you a course in taunting when they strap you into that giant robot, or does it just come naturally? Because you and Asuka are right up there in making me feel like an idiot!"
Immediately, she knew this was the wrong thing to say. The playful smile that had been lingering on Shinji's lips fell away, and he bowed his head, paying far closer attention to his food than any normal person should.
Aww damn it! Hikari thought, Don't start hiding again – you're always so cool when it's just us, don't change because I said something stupid.
After several minutes of quiet, Shinji pushed his plate away and stood. "Better get lunch ready," he said softly, starting for the other side of the room, where three empty bentos were arranged in a neat line.
Hikari only hesitated for a moment.
Shinji gasped as the class rep grabbed his hand. "Wha-"
"Have lunch with us today," Hikari said quickly, "you know, you, me, Asuka, Touji, Kensuke – let's all have lunch together, ok? With all this food, there should be plenty for everyone, right?"
Wow this is awkward, she thought suddenly, averting her eyes as Shinji gaped at her, but screw it – I can live with it if it means staying close to you. She blushed at the need in her own thoughts. Damn, she thought tiredly, lose a little sleep, have a fight with your sister, and you just get all kinds of clingy, don't you? Good thing it's not him I like, or-
"What are you doing?"
Aww man!
"Geez!" Asuka complained, brushing past Shinji and retaking her seat. "Leave you two alone for five minutes and you're all over each other!"
Hikari blinked… then remembered that she was still holding Shinji's hand. "It's not like that!" she said quickly, shaking her head for emphasis, "We were just… I was… we… damn it – it's not what it looks like!"
Asuka just rolled her eyes. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Horaki," she mumbled, casting the two a withering glance, "it's not like I like him." She turned away, ignoring Shinji's downcast face and her friends fumbling attempts to clarify the situation. "I'm gonna go turn in that paper, you guys finish making out or whatever. Later."
It's like a bad comedy, Hikari thought sadly, watching Asuka shoulder her bag and stride out the door, I like Touji, Asuka likes Shinji – but she thinks I like him too, no matter how many times I tell her that I just want to be his friend… and no one, me included, really talks to each other. We all just go around, doing the same things every day, and pretending that we're close to each other. She sighed regretfully. If Asuka was really my friend, shouldn't she trust me? She frowned. If I hadn't had that fight with Kodama and started staying here… would I even care?
Hikari swallowed, closing her eyes tightly as another thought occurred to her.
Shinji's still holding my hand…
Continued…
Hikari's Excess Baggage
Hello again – Hikari Horaki here! Long time no see, huh? Well now that the summer's over, it's back to work for us! I hope you liked this installment, even if it was a little on the short side, but how about that ending, huh? Man, it IS getting complex, isn't it? And wait until the next show, when Touji… oops, almost ruined it!
Ok, this week's Baggage gives us a little deleted scene between me and PenPen. Hope you like it!
Start sequence:
Wow, she thought, hurrying to the bathroom before Asuka started yelling for her, they really DO sound like they're married sometimes!
On the way back, she nearly tripped over PenPen, giving a short yelp as she stumbled and fell backwards, rubbing her backside with a pained expression as the penguin glared reproachfully at her.
"Wark!"
"Sorry!" she said quickly, patting the bird on the head, "I was just… I've got a lot on my mind, you know?"
PenPen looked sympathetic. "Wark wark!"
"Well at least someone understands," Hikari laughed, smoothing his feathers thoughtfully, "I don't suppose you know why the Major's upset, do you? She was so intense last night. And Shinji's so serious this morning – Asuka too! It's like everyone's walking on eggshells here, and I don't know what to do about it."
"Wark wark, warrk," PenPen replied.
"You're a genius," Hikari grinned, pretending she could understand, "just do my best and it will all be ok? Thanks."
With a final pat, she rose to her feet and headed into the kitchen.
End Sequence.
The idea behind this scene was to show that the tension in the apartment is kinda on the rise, and being kind of an outsider, it's a little more visible to me. The director decided that it was a little too vague, though, and besides… the next two episodes will deal with why everyone's been so tense.
So! That's it for this week! Be sure to tune in next time for Can I Ask You Why? And I'll try to save some lunch for you!
See ya!
This contact was pre-read by Ryoma, who said something like, "Make the next one longer you slack-jawed yokel!!"
Feedback is always welcome at random1377@yahoo.com