Yue's Lady (reading reviews and previous chapter and proceeding to repeatedly hit the keyboard with her head): Must explain the previous chapter's strange author's note. Here are the reasons and what I will try to do about the bias:
1) I was on a sugar + caffeine high. Too much Coke.
2) I do hate Asuka.
3) It remains a fact that she will continue to be err…bitchy in my fic.
4) I will try to limit the bias to a level so that my adapted Asuka corresponds as much as possible to the original Asuka in NGE. Happy now? No of course you're not.
I shall try to make chapters longer but after such an absence from watching NGE, my inspiration is trickling out…but I do try to keep up my knowledge about NGE from various websites so it should be accurate enough (aside from Asuka's coma, etc). I've even got some music from NGE to up my inspiration.
My thank you list:
Steve VADER: (laughs weakly)
spriteh: I shall try to do that…
brassmonki: did you mean my author's note sounded stupid, or what?
xlax: thanks!
et: err…
Andross937: you already know my reasons…I shall try making longer…it all depends on my inspiration at the moment…Rei wasn't exactly surprised, she only just decided to ponder why Asuka called Shinji that…and from my dim memory of NGE, Rei didn't really start asking questions of the world around her until the later episodes…just why she herself existed.
Messiah3: hmm…does that mean you want a Shinji/Xiao Lan thing?
Otaku D-Man: I shall try to limit the bias. May sometimes cross the bias line but will strive to refrain from doing so.
The Lord Of pencil: thanks ^___^
I hope I didn't forget anyone…
And due to the request of spriteh, I will experimenting with slightly less spacing- will it be easier to read then? Or is it okay the way it is?
Disclaimer: I do not own NGE. Period. Only Li Xiao Lan.
CHAPTER FOURBlood. The smell of blood. Shinji despised that smell. But every time he climbed into an entry plug or sim plug, he'd always smell it.
The constant reminder of what he was.
A murderer.
~.:*:.~
Asuka was impatient. She wanted to know her synch ratio score. She had been completely outraged at the outcome of the last synch test. I mean, there is no way that the baka beat me again! And Wonder Girl beat me as well! The scores were definitely messed up! I'm the best pilot there is! she thought, bunching her fists to her hips as she glared at nothing in particular. She glared around her.
Shinji was still listening to that accursed cassette player, Wonder Girl was placidly and intently eyeing Shinji with the intensity of a pinpointed laser, and the Chinese girl was simply twiddling her thumbs and gazing at the EVA cages.
Asuka frowned again and concentrated on trying to mentally fry the door to the room in which the scores were recorded and kept.
~.:*:.~
Xiao Lan put her head in her hands and resisted the urge to cough. When she had accomplished that, she looked up to see Shinji. She could feel the tension in the air. She looked at Rei, who continued to stare at the Third Child with crimson eyes.
Xiao Lan then looked at Asuka. The redhead could barely stand still.
Then the door opened.
~.:*:.~
Dr. Akagi scanned the room's occupants. Sighing, she looked through her files.
"The highest synch ratio for today's session belongs to Ayanami Rei," Ritsuko paused, smiling at Rei, who barely acknowledged the announcement with a nod before returning to the task of trying to burn a hole through the back of Shinji's head with her scrutiny.
Asuka was radiating rage, to which Ritsuko immediately stopped smiling.
"The second highest was Asuka, then Shinji, then Xiao Lan. Xiao Lan, report immediately to the medical center. I'll meet you there for your physical," Ritsuko said promptly. Xiao Lan nodded and got up.
Asuka glared at Rei. Shinji hadn't heard a word Dr. Akagi said and kept sitting. Asuka then stormed off, cursing loudly and very creatively in German, English, and Japanese.
~.:*:.~
As soon as Ritsuko entered the medical center, she almost immediately slapped on a respirator mask onto Xiao Lan and attaching the tube to a special container. Xiao Lan looked passively at the scientist as she adjusted the mask to fit more comfortably.
"Yes, Dr. Akagi?" Xiao Lan asked, breathing in the fluid. Her skin began to steam.
"For heaven's sake, Xiao Lan, you know perfectly well. Why did you apply to be a pilot? Not that you're actually allowed to apply and I cannot believe Commander Ikari actually agreed to it! Are you insane?" fumed Ritsuko.
"I have a purpose for doing so," Xiao Lan said calmly, her skin continuing to steam.
"What purpose?"
"I cannot tell you right now."
"Wonderful," Ritsuko said sarcastically. "You have cystic fibrosis for heaven's sake! And severe asthma to boot! Plus the fact you are partially allergic to the LCL fluid! You're being so baka!" Ritsuko uncharacteristically snapped, filling a syringe with blue liquid.
Xiao Lan did not reply, but instead, simply raised her arm and allowed Dr. Akagi to disinfect a patch of skin, and empty the syringe's contents into her bloodstream. Her skin pores began to then spew gray smoke. "Do not worry about my health, Dr. Akagi. I'll be fine. My main concern is simply to fulfill my purpose."
"What did your parents have to say about this?"
"I have no parents."
Dr. Akagi stared at the Sixth Child, who looked placidly back at her. Indeed, there had been nothing on the family details of Xiao Lan, but there rarely was…Ritsuko mentally slapped herself for forgetting that fact.
Xiao Lan's skin finally stopped smoking and the remaining steam forced out any soot in her skin pores. Dr. Akagi sighed, and then switched off the fluid supply. Xiao Lan took off her mask, looking considerably less pale than before.
"Here, take two tablets a day to force out the chemicals you're allergic to, and an adapted inhaler in case you get another asthma attack. And here's a special oxygenized (grammar?) fluid canister you can insert into the inhaler to keep you breathing and burn off the excess mucus in your lungs when your cystic fibrosis kicks in," Dr. Akagi explained, handing a small white box to the Sixth Child.
"Thank you," Xiao Lan replied, slipping the box into her bag.
"You may go now. But you must return for a physical every fortnight and whenever you need more supplies," Ritsuko said, eyeing the box. Xiao Lan nodded.
"Thank you," she repeated, and left the room.
~.:*:.~
"Itadakimasu!" Misato said cheerfully, or at least in part. She picked up her typical bowl of instant ramen and began to eat, her mouthfuls each carefully mixed with three hearty gulps of beer each.
Asuka looked disdainfully at her own ramen, but reluctantly began to eat. After all, it wouldn't do much good to ask Shinji the baka to cook in this state.
Shinji barely noticed what the heck he was consuming. He mechanically bit, chewed and swallowed, barely registering the horrible taste of it.
Penpen eyed his own meal, and reminisced longingly of the boy's cooking, but he dared not to disturb the boy. Even a penguin knew when and when not to disturb someone who was seriously depressed. He dipped his beak into the ramen bowl and tried not to pass out with disgust.
~.:*:.~
Rei was lying in her bed, in her school uniform, staring at the filthy ceiling. She was thinking of Shinji and his recent moods.
What is he feeling? I have thought of asking the Commander, but Commander Ikari will not approve of me doing so. Why is Ikari-kun acting like this? Why will he not talk to me anymore?
End of Chapter
Author's note: my sorry mind is having a bad case of writer's block, so now I have again posted another absolutely useless and hopelessly short chappie (sweatdrops)…nonetheless, I ask for your review. Oh and please tell me which kind of spacing you prefer, this chapter's or the previous chapters'?