Author's Notes- Sorry its taken so long for me to post, but I wanted to have a running start before I let this story see the light of day. I still have some gaps in the later part of the story, and I've had to add some chapters when there was too much to cover in one. As of this moment, the story has over twenty chapters. I stated at the beginning that I planned to post about once a week , and I think I am at the point where that is now possible (except for a possible hiatus at the end of Act 1) . Thanks again to all my pre-readers, especially those who read the scary chapters alone in the dark. *evil giggle*
Disclaimer- I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or Jekyll and Hyde.
The next morning, Asuka's Room…
She was awake long before her alarm clock went off. Asuka stared at the display, her gaze threatening to burn a hole clean through the offending numbers. With her early waking combined with her restlessness the night before, she had barely gotten five hours sleep.
There was no way she was going to be able to get back to sleep before she had to go to school, so she removed herself from her tangled covers made her way towards the bathroom.
Asuka stared at her reflection in the mirror, her image fuzzy. She rubbed her eyes, which burned from lack of sleep, temporarily clearing the image, but with every blink and movement her vision switched from blurry to clear, somewhere between the two, and back again. Her hair was rough, tousled in some spots and flattened in others where she had slept on it .
She turned on the shower, letting the water run for several minutes allowing plenty of time for the water to warm up. Soon great clouds of steam issued forth from the shower filling the ceiling of the bathroom and fogging the top of the mirror. She leaned in to turn up the cold water a little, careful to avoid the stream of hot water, a wave of steam tickling her nose.
Boy, that's familiar, she thought to herself as she scratched the side of her nose. Once she thought the water was the right temperature she undressed, stepping out of her clothes and into the water, which was unfortunately still a little too hot, forcing her to step to one side and evade the scalding spray until she got it adjusted correctly.
For several minutes she just stood in the stream of water, letting the warmth wash away her drowsiness and fatigue. Holding her head in the jet she soaked her hair until it hung limply and clung to her shoulders and face. Pushing her bangs back out of her eyes she cupped her hands and splashed the water on her face, rubbing her eyes and ridding herself of some of the irritation she had woken with.
She grabbed her bottle of shampoo, squirting some into her hand then working it into her hair, the soft, strawberry scent filling her nostrils. The aroma always relaxed her. If only for a few moments, she was at peace, letting everything else drop away as she let her senses be overwhelmed by the fragrance.
* * *
She had her hair wrapped in a towel as she left her room, already dressed in her school uniform. As she passed by it, she noticed Shinji's door was still closed. She poised her hand to knock, but hesitated. For a brief moment she considered bursting in and dragging him to the kitchen to make her breakfast, but only for an instant.
Instead, she slid his door open a crack to see if he was already awake.
Shinji lay in a tangled mess of sheets after what must have been a fitful sleep. One of his earbuds had been pulled free during the night, the other hung from his ear, the cord plugged into nothing. The S-DAT lay on the floor. Asuka could not see if it was on or if the batteries had run down during the night.
Seeing him lying there, his hair sticking out at odd angles and his face betraying none of the anguish it usually displayed with such ease, Asuka couldn't bring herself to wake him. Smiling, she quietly closed the door and padded into the kitchen. She'd let him sleep in just a little bit longer.
* * *
Conference Room, Nerv
Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki stood over Commander Ikari's shoulder glancing at the file folder that lay open in front of him. He only read a little of what was written.
Keel, Henrietta J.
DOB: 6/4/81
Nationality: British
Education: Standiford University, Palo Alto, California, USA. Oxford University, Headington, Oxford, UK
Doctorate in Psychiatry, MS in Chemical Engineering, MS in Nano-technology,
BA in Ar…
The rest was covered by another folder which Ikari kept closed. A photograph was papercliped in the corner of the file portraying a young woman with dark, tightly-crimped hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her features were lean and distinct, with well defined cheekbones, small nose and tapered chin, over which was drawn exceedingly pale skin, as if she never saw daylight.
The Sub-Commander briefly noticed a resemblance to Pilot Ayanami, though even Rei's lack of emotion was not so disturbing. Where the first child's presence was disquieting, he sometimes felt saddened by the unhappiness visible her crimson eyes. Keel's green eyes seemed to stare defiantly out from the photo, as if she had some vendetta with the world itself.
He looked up as the door opened and Doctor Akagi entered, a folder similar to Ikari's clutched in her hand.
"Good morning doctor," he greeted cheerily.
"Maybe after a few more cups of coffee, it will be," she remarked with a grim smirk. She nodded at Ikari. "Commander."
"Doctor."
An long silence followed, until the Sub-Commander sought to break the stillness. "So Doctor, what can you tell us about you colleague Doctor Keel?"
"Not much to say, really. I haven't had much opportunity to speak with her. She has done good work since she joined us, though."
"What are her assigned duties, Doctor?" Gendo ventured, not bothering to look at her.
"Mostly she has been analyzing the data and remains gathered from the angels that have been defeated."
Fuyutsuki was confused by this last comment. "I thought Doctor Keel was a Psychiatrist? What is she doing analyzing angels?"
"She hasn't had many requests from the staff for counseling, surprisingly," the doctor explained, muttering the last bit sardonically. "Rather than be stuck in her office doing nothing, she offered to assist us. The information she has gathered on the eleventh angel alone has been invaluable. Some of her research was even used to improve the performance of the Magi."
"Well," Fuyutsuki said, "I hope her newest proposal proves as helpful."
The Commander merely interlaced his fingers in front of his face, already knowing what Keel planned to propose, and what the outcome of the meeting would be.
* * *
Shinji stretched himself, pulling on the sheets tangled around his feet. Lightly dozing, his still-drowsy mind wandered, mulling over things like what he was going to make for lunch, how was he going to apologize to Asuka, what was he apologizing for again, why do I feel so rested for a change…
…what was that smell? It smelled like someone was…
COOKING!?! Shinji bolted upright, his mind abruptly awakened by the implication of this. Not wanting to believe it, he grabbed his clock, but staring at the numbers he could not deny it. He had forgotten to set his alarm and overslept. Asuka must have slept in too, otherwise he would already be in there cooking her breakfast.
Which could only mean that Misato had woken up early and was cooking breakfast herself. And if the food doesn't get me, Asuka will for letting Misato cook.
Shinji jumped as someone knocked on his door, praying for the only salvation that might save him.
Please let it be PenPen who's cooking. Please let it be PenPen who's cooking. Please let it be PenPen who's …
"Shinji?" came the soft voice through the door. Was that Asuka?
"Baka? Are you awake yet?" came the voice, sounding only slightly irritated. Definitely Asuka though, he thought as she knocked lightly again.
"Yes," came Shinji's slightly confused reply.
"Well hurry it up. Breakfast is going to get cold," he heard through the door, followed by light footsteps receding, not the characteristic stomping he normally associated with the fiery German girl.
His curiosity piqued, Shinji ventured out of his room, stepping cautiously toward the kitchen. Whatever it was that was cooking in there, it didn't smell like it was burning. In fact, it smelled absolutely delicious.
Shinji entered the kitchen not sure what to expect. He saw Asuka turning off the stove, which she had apparently forgotten when she went to get him. She dumped the slightly smoking pan into the sink, running water into it, which immediately started to steam. Asuka was cooking? He wondered what she was making, Okonomiyaki? He looked at the stack of thin golden brown cakes, wondering what the tiny blue spots in them were.
"Asuka?" he asked nervously.
"Hurry up and eat. We don't want to be late for school." She said as she turned off he water, adding some dish soap to the pan and letting it soak.
"Sure, but what is.."
"Look. Do you want breakfast, or not, Baka?" Asuka turned towards with her hands on her hips, fixing him with a unconvincing glare.
Shinji sat without another word as Asuka set a plate of the breakfast she had made in front of him. Shinji took the fork uncertainly, as Asuka sat across from him. He cut a piece off with the side of the fork. Glancing up, he could se Asuka was looking on hopefully so he took a hesitant bite.
Asuka's was shaking slightly, her stomach doing small somersaults. She had no idea if he would like them or not. She was reluctant to try her own pancakes, which had been her earliest attempts and were lopsided and burned. Not that it really mattered what to her what Shinji thought, she told herself, but she was not about to have anyone try anything but her best work.
Shinji chewed, swallowed, and Asuka waited apprehensively for his reaction.
"Hey Asuka, this is really good!"
Asuka was beaming with pride. "Well of course. What did you expect?"
Shinji cut off another bite, "What is it?"
"Blueberry pancakes," Asuka said as she started eating her own plate, which was palatable, but not as good as they might have been had they not been spider-webbed with burns. It helped when she poured on some of the syrup that had come with the pancake mix.
"Here, try it with this," she said handing him the syrup.
"Thanks."
Asuka smiled. She was glad It had surprised her when she received the care package from Germany almost a month ago, filled to near overflowing with her favorite foods, bath products, even a dress from her favorite boutique in Berlin. She knew that she should have thanked her stepmother for sending them, it was just hard for her to relate to the woman her father had married.
Maybe she could still write. She felt a little guilty for having waited so long, despite how she felt about her stepmother.
She was interrupted from her reflection by the sound of running water. She looked over her shoulder to see Shinji washing the syrup and crumbs from his plate. He's already finished? My cooking must be good, She thought proudly. Of course, Misato would have had a hard time screwing up the just-add-water recipe.
Looking down at the half-eaten, mostly-burned remains of her own pancakes, Asuka suddenly felt full. She dumped the remnants of her pancakes into the garbage, and took her plate to the sink.
Shinji had a hard time trying to figure out what was happening. Just yesterday, Asuka had been giving the stone-wall treatment to everyone, and now she was practically cheery. And the fact that she had made breakfast meant that he still had enough time left to get dressed and make their lunches before they went to school.
Asuka was now standing right next to him, washing off her own plate as he started cleaning the pan she had left in the sink to soak. He briefly wondered how she had managed to make such perfectly done cakes, and yet leave so much burnt onto the pan.
Of course, his train of thought was constantly being derailed by her close proximity, the faint strawberry scent of her shampoo mingling with the sweet smell lingering from the pancakes. He noticed Asuka taking a deep breath with her eyes closed out of the corner of his eye.
"Shinji?" she started.
"Yeah?"
"Did you take a shower last night?" she asked as she narrowed an accusatory gaze in his direction.
"Umm, well," he started to stammer.
"Eeeeewwwwwwww!" She gave him a light shove away from her. She pointed in the direction of the bathroom and shouted, "Shower! Now!"
"But Asuka, I…" he started to protest. What was she thinking? Its not like he didn't want to take a shower, but he didn't have time to do it, not if he was going to make their lunches.
"No 'buts' Baka! I am not going to walk to school with you while you smell like that." She punctuated her argument by shaking a fist in Shinji's direction. Seeing that Shinji was too dumbfounded to move on his own, she helped him along by pushing him out of the kitchen.
* * *
"And so, using LCL as a delivery medium the nano-machines quickly adhere to the targeted cells and begin activating dormant…"
"Thank you doctor", The commander interjected. "That will be all."
Keel stopped her presentation, slightly annoyed at having been interrupted, "If you will allow me to finish my presentation, I'm sure you'll see the numerous benefits that can be wrought from this. Cures for virtually all mental disorders and diseases, not to mention future application in other areas of medicine."
"Doctor, Nerv was created to defend earth against the angels. We do not have the time nor the resources to expend on scientific crusades, no matter how noble the intent." Gendo picked up the folder in front of him thumbing through to the.
"Commander, if you would just open your eyes."
"In addition, I find it disturbing how quickly you wish to progress to human testing, especially considering some of your earlier… efforts."
Keel was seething. That bastard. He had the gall to bring up the work she had done as a student. The technology had progressed so much since then, and with the knowledge she had gained from working with the Evangelions and the remains of the defeated angels, there was no doubt in her mind that her treatment was ready for human testing.
I'll test it on myself if it comes to that…
"Thank you for your time Doctor Keel." The Commander stated flatly
Doctor Keel looked to Ritsuko for some kind of support, but the doctor just shook her head and gave Henrietta a apologetic look. Keel gave her colleague a betrayed glare and stormed out of the room.
Ritsuko gave a regretful sigh and turned to the Commanders "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Sub-commander, Commander." She addressed Ikari with a little more scorn than she had Fuyutsuki, then she left.
"A little less than tactful," Fuyutsuki commented after Akagi had left. "You could have allowed her to finish her presentation."
"I think I gave her more than enough time to make her case, and I knew what she had I mind long before she started her proposal." Gendo said as he interlaced his fingers beneath his mouth. "I've already looked into her background, and I was less than impressed with her track record. There were multiple lawsuits for malpractice pending against her for several years. And her own psychological profile shows her to have an obsessive personality. She may be intelligent, but her obsessions blind her to the consequences of her actions."
"Fairly hypocritical of you some might say."
Ikari said nothing, but gave the sub-commander an annoyed 'humph'.
* * *
Asuka and Shinji managed to arrive a few minutes before the teacher. Shinji was immediately grabbed by both Kensuke and Touji, which left Asuka free to talk to Hikari.
That was if Hikari was still willing to talk to her…
Hikari was sitting at her desk, staring at the wall, as she had been since Asuka had entered the class. Asuka approached her cautiously.
"Hikari?" she said softly. She couldn't look Hikari in the face, and just stared out into the class. "Hikari, I… I just wanted to say… you were right."
Asuka mentally slapped herself the moment the words were out of her mouth. She had been meaning to apologize to Hikari for blowing up on her the other day, but for some reason the words just wouldn't come out of her mouth.
"Asuka?" she looked down and Hikari was looking back at her, smiling softly. "It okay, I know its not a comfortable subject to talk about."
"Thanks Hikari, I know it can't be easy having me as a friend."
"Yeah," Hikari sighed exhaustedly, "but I think its been worth it."
Asuka smiled at her best friend, glad to have someone who understood her just a little.
"So," Hikari said leaning forward towards Asuka, "what are you planning to do?"
"What makes you think I'm planning anything?" Asuka asked innocently.
"The smile on your face is a dead giveaway," Hikari teased. "Besides, I have a feeling you've already done something, given the good mood you seem to be in. Now, spill."
Asuka sighed and opened up her schoolbag just enough for Hikari to see inside. There were two bentos laying side-by-side in her bag. Asuka giggled at the shocked look on Hikari's face.
"I already made breakfast this morning," she whispered, blushing slightly, "and I thought I'd surprise him by making lunch."
"Wow," Hikari said, who was still trying to get over her astonishment when the teacher walked in. She reflexively sprung to her feet and shouted "Rise! Bow! Sit!" leaving Asuka to scramble back to her own desk as yet another boring lecture began.
* * *
Henrietta stormed into her office and slammed the door behind her. She paced back and forth in front of her desk, seething. With a sudden outraged scream, she threw a snow globe that rested on her desk against the door, covering it in water and purple glitter. She fell against her desk, her breath hissing through her gritted teeth.
"Yeah, Ikari can really get to you that way."
Keel whirled on the voice. A man stood in a dark corner of her office, leaning against a file cabinet nonchalantly. He was tall and unshaven, and wore his dark hair in a ponytail.
"You're lucky that Ikari either doesn't notice or doesn't care about family connections, otherwise he would be keeping better tabs on you."
"What are you doing in my office?" she snarled, aggravated at the intrusion.
"Just passing through," he said before taking a drink from a can of espresso, then tossing the can over her desk and into the wastebasket. "I just thought I'd give you a warning, don't do anything your going to regret."
"Ikari's the only one who's going to regret this," she said.
"I suggest you drop whatever it is your planning," he warned her. "it's a dangerous game you've been playing so far. Trust me, I know. You don't want to go and make this thing personal."
He walked towards the door, carefully stepping over the broken glass that littered the floor. He picked up a figurine from the floor of a little girl with red hair and a pink dress. "And try to control that temper of yours. Sometimes there are children around."
* * *
Asuka had searched the entire schoolyard for Shinji, with no luck. Realizing she had no other choice, she lowered herself to 'conversing' with his two pervert friends.
She approached Touji and Kensuke. "Idiot," she glanced at Kensuke, "lesser idiot. Where's the third stooge at?"
"What's it to you, Devil-girl?" Touji said, crossing his arms in defiance, staring down the red-haired menace with all the loathing he could muster.
"Not that its any of your business," turning he face away in abhorrence, "but Baka-Shinji forgot his lunch this morning."
"Well, as you can see, he's not here right now." Kensuke declared.
"Yeah, and there's no loitering allowed 'round here." Touji added.
"Obviously no such rule about littering or you two pieces of refuse wouldn't be here," Asuka countered, sneering at the jock. "Look, will you two dolts just make sure he gets his lunch?"
Touji nodded curtly and took the bento she handed to him. She walked off to where she and Hikari usually ate tense with irritation at having to deal with the lesser two stooges. As she left, Kensuke glanced at the Bento.
"Wasn't Shinji complaining that Asuka was going to kill him for forgetting to make their lunches today?" Kensuke inquired.
"Yeah, but then where did this come from?" The jock asked.
"Obviously it was the devil's doing, so we can be sure that whatever inside can't be good for Shinji."
"Yeah, she must have done something to the food," Touji said, opening the bento and scrutinizing a piece of sushi.
"Probably loaded down his food with way too much pepper, or salt, or maybe concentrated wasabi…" Kensuke rambled on as his friend sniffed at the sushi.
"Or! She could have gotten hold of some poisonous blowfish and made the sushi out of that!" Kensuke shouted. Touji froze in mid chew, gulped nervously then, realizing he had just swallowed said sushi, began clutching at his throat making a horrible retching sound.
"You know what? Asuka's right about one thing." Kensuke stated as Toiji stared at him with a panic-stricken look. "You are an idiot."
Kensuke calmly took a drink from his can of juice. Touji made a mental note that if he was going to die, at least he would be able to enjoy haunting Kensuke for the rest of his days. Then again, he though as a grin spread across his face, there was something to be said about haunting the girls' locker room.
Kensuke looked at his friend apprehensively, wondering for a moment if he might have been right about the blowfish poison, "Um, Touji? You're drooling all over Shinji's lunch..."
* * *
Asuka was less than enthusiastic about giving the lunch she had made to those two morons. She had wanted to give it to Shinji personally so she could see the look on his face, but at least she had tried.
Anyways, she thought, I'll still get to see him when I get home.
She smiled as she went to find Hikari so they could eat their own lunches. She was glad she had thought about what Hikari had said. It actually felt good to be doing nice things for Shinji.
But as it is with most things, the way her day had progressed was about to change.
She rounded the corner to see Shinji, sitting on a bench in the shade, eating a school bought lunch.
He was sitting with Ayanami.
They were talking.
They were eating.
Baka-Shinji and Rei were sitting on a bench eating lunch, together.
Wondergirl is having lunch with MY Shinji!
Asuka fought the urge to storm over and tear the two away from one another, fought the urge to go over and slap Shinji across the face. She realized that she had no reason to call him 'her Shinji', after all, they had never really done anything together. It was obvious now that he liked Rei better. They were sitting together and eating lunch. What had she and Shinji ever done together? Only kissed.
And that wasn't even a real kiss…
Asuka did the only thing she felt was left as an option now.
She ran away.