The Complexities of Human Interaction Chapter 9: Contact 9: How Did it Come to This?, an evangelion fanfic

Disclaimer: see part 1 for full disclaimer.

The Complexities of Human Interaction

By Random1377

Contact 9: How Did it Come to This?

Hikari hummed to herself, glancing over her shoulder to check the time display on the microwave before turning her attention back to the wok in front of her and frowning a bit as her mind informed her that Asuka and Shinji were now ten minutes late. "Don't know why I'm in such a big hurry to see them," she muttered under her breath, "I blew Shinji off at lunch, and Asuka's been acting weird all day."

She stirred the contents of the wok carefully, then lowered the heat down to medium and covered it, absently licking a drop of soy sauce off of her thumb as she turned around to check the table. Four place settings, she thought approvingly, Me, Shinji, Asuka, and… the babysitter.

Hikari chuckled to herself, recalling the sour look on Asuka's face that afternoon. "Well you are kind of childish sometimes," she said softly, "maybe you should have a babysit-"

She cut herself off as the rattle of keys reached her ears.

"We're home!"

"Welcome home," Hikari called, lifting the lid to the wok and checking the contents, "I'm in the kitchen." She turned from the stove, taking a breath to say 'dinner will be ready in a few,' but the words died on her lips as she found herself face to face with a tall man with a five-o'clock shadow and a short ponytail.

The two stared at each other for several seconds. He's… handsome, Hikari thought, noting absently that Shinji and Asuka were standing behind the man, watching her with almost identical, bemused expressions, he looks so… I don't know, worldly I guess. Like he's seen it all. And those eyes! I could look at those all da-

With a small cough, the man held out his hand. "Miss Horaki, I presume?"

"Oh, yes," Hikari stuck out her hand, blushing as she overshot and ended up clasping the man's wrist, "Hokari Hiraki. Er, I mean, Hikari Horaki, sir."

"Ryouji Kaji," the man laughed, shaking Hikari's forearm, "it's a pleasure."

"Yes," Hikari nodded, now entirely flustered, "it is. I mean, ummm…" she took a deep breath, forcing a smile and inclining her head politely, "please come in. Would you like something to drink?"

"And that's Hikari," Asuka said with a devilish grin, "see? I told you she was fastidious."

Kaji laughed as Hikari colored even more. "A drink would be great," he grinned, "Shinji do you… hey, where'd he go?"

Hikari nearly slapped herself in the forehead. I didn't even notice him leave, she thought with a mental groan, 'Yeah, Shinji, I want to be your friend… but I'll be sure to ignore you and drool every time a cute guy walks past.' Yeah, I'm the best.

She blinked as Asuka let out a discreet yawn, turning away so that Kaji did not see her. "So what do you want, Asuka? Coffee?" she asked, taking great pleasure in the dark glare the redhead shot her.

Man, no wonder Shinji's down, she thought, checking the wok again and turning the heat all the way off, I brush him off, and this is the guy he has to compete with. And Asuka's all over him! She frowned slightly. Well, I guess he's not really COMPETING, I mean Misato…

Her thought were interrupted as she realized, "Misato's not going to be back tomorrow morning!"

Kaji and Asuka exchanged a glance. "Well, it WOULD be kind of hard," Kaji pointed out thoughtfully, "Matsushiro is pretty far away… and she is there for a reason, you know."

"I know, I know," Hikari said quickly, "I just… she was going to give me a ride to… to my appointment tomorrow."

"Ahh, that," Kaji said sagely, "I can drive you, if you want."

"That would be," how does he know where I'm going?? "…nice, thanks."

Kaji nodded. "So what are you cooking?" he asked, smoothly changing the subject, "Smells great."

"Chicken Teriyaki," Hikari replied, nervously unveiling the dish for Kaji's approval, "it's my mother's recipe… I hope it came out right, I've never tried to make it before."

"Looks good to me," Kaji said, nodding as Asuka muttered something about changing her clothes and slipped out of the room, "can I try it?"

Hikari shook her head. "You'll burn yourself," she said in a lecturing tone, "give it a few minutes."

"Aww, you're worse than Katsuragi," he grumbled, "but I'll bet your food is at least edible."

"That's… horrible!" Hikari gasped. "Isn't Miss Katsuragi your-" she cut herself off as Kaji's attention focused fully on her.

"My what?" he asked gently.

"N-nothing," Hikari stammered, entirely flustered, "I just… Asuka told me that you… and Miss Katsuragi… I'm sorry."

"No, go on," Kaji pressed, folding his arms, "I'm always interested in hearing gossip – especially about me." He flashed her a huge smile. "Look up narcissistic in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of me."

Hikari bit her lip, wishing the man would avert his watchful gaze… but when it became clear that he was not going to give up, her shoulders slumped and she whispered, "Asuka said you and Miss Katsuragi were dating."

Kaji nodded. "Good," he said firmly, "maybe she'll stop hitting on me then."

"Wh-what??" Hikari sputtered.

"Oh don't play innocent," Kaji winked, "you're her best friend. You know she's been trying to get me to go out with her since we lived in Germany, and from what she's told me… you've been trying to discourage that, so I guess I should be saying thanks." Ignoring the girl's stunned expression, he concluded, "But Katsuragi and I are, unfortunately, not currently an item… I'm only telling you this because you're staying here now and she'll probably get irritable if hints were dropped that we are, not so you can go tell Asuka, right?"

Hikari closed her mouth – which had somehow swung open as Kaji was talking – and nodded. "Right," she agreed quickly, "so, umm… here, you can try it now…"

Kaji sighed. "I can see that you're a force to be reckoned with," he said approvingly, "you adapt to changes quickly… and you know the way to a man's heart."

"Thanks…"

Fidgeting with one of the loops on her jeans, Hikari studied the man's profile. I can see why Asuka is so crazy for this guy, she thought. He's cute, he's charming, he knows how to make you comfortable… and… he knows it – he knows exactly how good looking and charming he is…

She averted her gaze, slightly unnerved by the depth of this observation.

"Light."

"Hmm?" Hikari looked up, finding Kaji carefully extracting a piece of chicken from the wok with a pair of chopsticks.

"Light," Kaji said quietly, blowing on the morsel to cool it. "Hikari means light, right?" When she nodded, he continued, "I think… things might get kind of strange around here after tomorrow… a little darker than usual. Do you think you can be their light for a while…?"

Hikari shifted from one foot to the other. "I don't… I don't understand," she said nervously, wishing suddenly that Asuka was there with her – not because she was afraid of the man, but more to help her understand.

Asuka always seemed to understand adult matters – and this felt like an adult matter.

Kaji sighed, popping the chicken into his mouth. "No," he said, chewing thoughtfully, "I guess you wouldn't would you…" He shook his head, turning to face her and offering her a sad smile. "All I'm saying is that if things get… tough around here, remember who your friends are and try to help them out, ok?"

This, Hikari could grasp. "Sure," she said, nodding decisively. She hesitated, almost asking 'what, exactly, is going to happen?' but instead finding herself whispering, "How's the chicken?"

- - - - -

Dinner proved to be a very tense affair. Asuka spoke to neither Hikari nor Shinji, keeping her attention focused on Kaji and discussing inane subjects like movies and the weather as the other two diners quietly ate their meals. Much to Hikari's disappointment, Shinji kept his head down throughout the evening, finally excusing himself to his room after eating less than half of what was on his plate.

He thinks I'm mad at him, she thought sadly, rising to her feet to clear the dishes as Kaji announced he was going to take a bath. I can't apologize if you won't talk to me, Shinji. Maybe I'll try after Asuka goes to bed – yeah, I'll make up an excuse to stay up, and I'll straighten things out with Shinji… no sweat, right?

She finished clearing up and began filling the sink with water, but as she turned around to wipe the table, she found Asuka standing right behind her. "Ahh!" she gasped, putting a hand over her heart, "You scared me!"

Asuka's hands were balled into tight fists at her side, and the expression on her face was clearly one of determination. "Look," she said quickly, "About Suzuhara, I-"

Hikari waited as the redhead fumbled for words. "What about him, Asuka?" she pressed gently as the other girl's shoulders slumped and she turned away. "Is he in trouble or something?"

"N-no," Asuka said hesitantly, "not exactly. He… just forget it, it's not that important."

"No, wait," Hikari said quickly, grabbing Asuka's arm as she turned to walk away. "Tell me. Please?"

Asuka tensed at the contact, pulling her arm free and shaking her head from side to side. "He can tell you himself," she said after a moment of silence. "After tomorrow…"

Hikari shivered. What's happening tomorrow? she thought, frowning as her friend made her way into the living room. Miss Katsuragi wouldn't tell me what she was going to do… and Mister Kaji was all cryptic. What's going to happen??

"Maybe Shinji knows," she murmured to herself, folding her arms and leaning back against the cabinets with a thoughtful expression. "Of course, it would be hard to get him to tell me about it, since he won't talk to me. I guess I can't blame him… I mean, I held his hand, then invited him to lunch, then… oh why am I still thinking about this??"

She put her head in her hands, angrily pushing on her temples as a dull throb began forming under her fingers. Dad always said I over-think things, she mused; I'll bet Shinji isn't even thinking about me at all! I'm just being paranoid.

Hikari looked up as she heard a footstep. "Oh, Shinji!" she gasped, pushing away from the cabinet as the boy stopped just inside the kitchen. "Hi…"

Shinji's hands were tucked deep inside his pockets, and his voice was barely audible as he whispered, "Hi…"

"Hey, about lunch," Hikari said quickly, not wanting to lose the chance she had been given, "I'm sorry. Asuka just-"

"It's ok," Shinji cut in quietly, "I understand."

No you don't, Hikari thought immediately, that's just something you say when you don't want to listen to someone anymore.

"Well," she murmured, "still… I'm sorry." She offered him a tentative smile. "Can I have a rain check?"

Shinji's eyes came up, and Hikari was surprised by the undisguised amazement in them. You really thought I hated you, didn't you? she thought sadly. You thought I was mad at you for holding my hand, so I was avoiding talking to… no… that doesn't make sense, does it? I tried to talk to you, but you were the one avoiding ME. Her eyes widened as Shinji looked away once more. Is… that it? she thought slowly. Do you… do you want more than this, Shinji? Is that why everyone's been so weird lately – because you… you like me??

Even this epiphany seemed incomplete. Some of it fit, Hikari realized, but at the same time… some of it did not. Even if Shinji liked her 'that way' it did not account for Asuka's odd behavior, or Mister Kaji's strange warning. No, this was not the whole story… but it certainly accounted for some of what was going on.

So now what? Hikari thought as Shinji finally gave her a hesitant nod. I like Touji – not you. It sounds so bad when I think of it like that, but it's true… I just want to be your friend, Shinji… She swallowed, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as Shinji stepped past her and opened the fridge to get out a can of juice, giving her a tentative, but warm smile as he headed back to his room.

…don't I?

- - - - -

Hikari kept her breathing deep and even, her fingers stroking absently along Asuka's back as the girl's breath blew against her neck. A quick glance at the clock told her that it was not quite two AM. Her appointment was in less than ten hours. Asuka had been in her arms for nearly two.

"What do you dream…?" she whispered, craning her neck to glance into her friend's currently peaceful face. "What's there when you close your eyes that hurts you so bad?"

The redhead stirred, pressing herself closer to Hikari's side and shivering lightly until the class rep breathed, 'shhhh…' and soothingly patted her head.

How do you exist without me?

Hikari closed her eyes, ashamed at the selfishness of this thought. Asuka was one of the strongest people she knew – there was no way she NEEDED Hikari! No way! …and yet, she could not imagine how the redhead got by with no one there to hold her and tell her everything was alright.

I wonder… if I'm hurting her, she thought suddenly. She's been ok without anyone else up until now – what if she gets used to this? Will she be able to get by without me after-

"God, someone's full of herself," Hikari muttered disgustedly, taking a deep breath as she opened her eyes once more. "I-"

She cut herself off as she found Asuka looking at her.

For a long, long moment, the two simply stared at each other, their slow, deep breathing the only sound passing between them as their gazes locked. I wonder why she hasn't started shouting yet, Hikari thought, feeling faint as Asuka slowly blinked. I might as well have just tattooed 'lesbian' across my forehead the way I'm holding her. I'll be lucky if she doesn't KILL me. I guess what dad said is true – no good deed goes unpunished.

The silence stretched on for a another full minute, then – to Hikari's VERY great surprise – Asuka's eyes slipped closed, and she lowered her head to Hikari's shoulder, burrowing in as close as she could get and letting out a long, shuddering sigh. Hikari half expected the redhead to say something like, 'if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you!!' but she simply lay still, her breath slowly evening back out as her slender body grew more and more relaxed.

When it was clear that Asuka was not going to say anything, Hikari swallowed. She must have been asleep, she told herself, feeling suddenly awkward and clumsy as she struggled with all of her might to believe this simple statement. There's no way she would admit that she was weak, or that she needed help… so she must have been asleep. Yeah…

Slowly… Hikari continued running her fingers over Asuka's back, understanding somehow that this would probably be her last night in the redhead's room. Tomorrow, Asuka would make up some excuse for why Hikari would need to sleep on the couch. She would say that the room was too hot, or that she had to study for something at NERV and would be up late, or that she was not sleeping very well with Hikari in the bed, or some other reason why the class rep would be better off sleeping somewhere else.

And if I ask her about what just happened, Hikari thought sadly, I guarantee she won't remember – or at least… she won't admit remembering.

With sudden bitterness, it occurred to her that she had no one in her life to hold HER when she had bad dreams. She did not begrudge Asuka her comfort… but when was it her turn? When did she get to cry and have someone hold her?

And damn it, why couldn't she stop thinking about Shinji?

Forcing her eyes to close, Hikari finally allowed herself to drift off, all of the conversations she had partaken in colliding in her mind and making her dreamscape a confusion of darkly murmured warnings, half-heard terms of endearment, and the inescapable certainty that she was rushing headlong towards something so large and terrifying that it would certainly crush her sanity.

When she woke to the blaring of the alarm clock, she found herself alone in Asuka's bed, the space the redhead had occupied in the night now populated with a small piece of scratch paper. Hikari picked up the note, feeling her heart clench in her chest as she read the single, clumsily drawn kanji character.

Arigato…

To be concluded…

Hikari's Excess Baggage

Hiiii!!! Hikari Horaki here. I know it's been a while since the last show, but due to some budget problems and, well, overall laziness from the director, we weren't able to finish shooting on schedule. The director wanted to take some screen time to apologize… but then Asuka pointed out that he isn't getting paid for this and that he should just shut up and get started on part 10 before he's lynched.

Now the Excess Baggage we were SUPPOSED to have this week was an entirely male-crowd-pleasing selection involving a certain scene between me and Asuka in a certain room in the house – and if you can't figure out what I'm hinting at… you shouldn't be reading anything more advanced than Dick and Jane have Sundaes.

So instead of pointless, sweaty yuri action… you guys get this.

Start Sequence:

Hikari closed her mouth – which had somehow swung open as Kaji was talking – and nodded. "Right," she agreed quickly, "then, umm… here, you can try it now…"

Kaji sighed. "I can see that you're a force to be reckoned with," he said approvingly, "you adapt to changes quickly… and you know the way to a man's heart."

"Yeah," Hikari nodded, "you go through his stomach!!"

With a psychotic scream, the class rep lunged forward, snatching the biggest butcher knife from the block and ramming it into a very surprised Kaji's abdomen.

"Lead my friend on, will you!?" she shrieked, twisting the knife, "all she wanted was a little kiss kiss feel feel, but nooo!! You had to be all high and mighty! Oh, and by the way?" She leaned closer, smiling insanely as she screamed, "I slept with your girl! That's right, I've been doing it with Misato since I moved in!!"

This last revelation was too much for Kaji, and with a final gasp of, "That slut!!" he keeled over.

"What's all the noise?" Shinji asked as he came into the kitchen several minutes later.

"Nothing," Hikari said sweetly, humming as she casually emptied an entire box of rat poison into the evening meal. "Dinner's almost done… go get Asuka, would you?"

Shinji shrugged. "Sure…"

Sill humming, Hikari calmly reached over and pushed Kaji's hand back into the fridge as it creaked open, slamming it closed and thinking that the storage capacity on those new Maytag's really WAS above average…

End Sequence.

If you can't get them with sex, throw in some violence… that's the director's motto. What's that? How could we throw something so gluttonously violent and pointless into this contemplative piece? What, you would have preferred the yuri? …oh, fine, here – we actually taped it just in case that last scene wasn't well received.

Start sequence:

She cut herself off as she found Asuka looking at her.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, however, as Asuka suddenly leaned forward, capturing her lips in a gentle, warm kiss. "Thanks," she whispered as she pulled back, lowering her head back to Hikari's shoulder.

"S-sure," Hikari managed, shivering violently as the redhead slowly began running her fingers over her flat stomach.

"Do you want more…?"

"What?!?"

Asuka raised her head. "I said do you want more," she whispered bluntly, sliding her fingers slowly up under Hikari's nightshirt. "I want more… do you…?"

Hikari gasped as the redhead's hands moved higher and higher, and the only word she could manage to croak out was, "…yes."

Before she quite knew what was happening, Hikari found her clothes in a pile by the side of the bed, with Asuka's hands touching places she herself had not even had the nerve to touch herself. And before the evening was through, she knew without a doubt… that she belonged right where she was.

End Sequence.

Happy now? …perverts.

Anyway, look forward to the last installment of The Complexities of Human Interaction: Where Do I Go From Here? Coming… sometime in 2004. Really!! I swear!! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT, I SAID WE'D GET IT DONE!!! God, some people!

Pre-read on this Contact was by Ryoma, who said 'Yes, damn it! She wants more!! So –cough- when do we get the extended, fully-lemon version of that last scene??' -sigh- some people…

Feedback is always welcome on any site with reviewing capabilities or by e-mailing random1377yahoo.com