Not That Shy...



"I'm home," Narikage called, kicking off his damp shoes. He walked into the kitchen where Misato was making a vain attempt to cook dinner. He ran over to help before she set the apartment on fire.

"You're all wet. I didn't think it was raining out."

"It's not." Misato sniffed the air and made a face.

"You reek of chlorine! What on earth have you been doing?!"

"Swimming. You burned the rice." Narikage took the pot off the stove and scraped the mess into the garbage pail.

"So I can't cook. Why were you swimming?" Misato was beginning to sound more and more like a mother and the thought made Narikage smile a little.

"I just felt like it I guess." He shrugged and started to boil water for more rice.

"You don't need to make that much; I'm not staying for dinner," Misato said as he measured out rice for two.

"Why? Where are you going?" Narikage asked, re-measuring. The woman cleared her throat, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable.

"Er...well...Kaji asked me out on a date..."

"Kaji?" Her blush darkened.

"He's a guy I dated a while ago. We had a few...problems and broke up."

"So you're going out with him again?"

"Well, it's just a thing between friends. He knows that I don't like him like that anymore." Narikage raised an eyebrow at her.

"Does he?"

"Of course! Better get ready!" Misato fled into her bedroom to hide her burning face.

(Time Cut)

"I'll get it!" Narikage wiped his hands and walked to the door, pushing the button to open it. Kaji turned and smiled, taking the toothpick out of his mouth.

"Hello. You must be Narikage."

"And you must be Kaji." He was a little surprised at how cold the boy sounded when he said his name.

"Er, yes, I am. Is Misato here?"

"She's still getting ready." He stepped back to allow Kaji entrance. The man stepped past him, moving quickly into the kitchen. Narikage's pale, unblinking eyes were kind of freaking him out. He moved past Kaji once they were in the kitchen, sitting back down at the table to finish his dinner.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to break in on your dinner."

"It's fine." Narikage gestured to the seat across from him which Kaji reluctantly took. He straightened his tie, feeling more nervous around this boy than he had ever been around a girl's father when in high school.

"So...Narikage...you're what? Sixteen?" The boy nodded and conversation lagged into an uncomfortable silence. For Kaji at least; Narikage appeared as calm as a snowball in winter. He tried again. "Misato tells me you're pretty smart."

"I suppose." Again he offered no other comment and Kaji cleared his throat.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

Narikage, in a movement Kaji couldn't even SEE, lunged across the table, grabbing his tie and yanking his face close so they were a mere inch apart.

"If you so much as FRACTURE Misato's heart, I'll cut YOURS out," he snarled in a soft but deadly voice. Then, before Kaji could stammer a reply, the other boy was sitting back in his seat, calmly eating as if nothing had happened while Kaji stared at him, slack-jawed. Misato came in around then, carrying her shoes.

"Oh, good, Kaji, you've meet Narikage," she said, slipping the strappy heels on her feet. Kaji blinked, snapping out of his shock.

"Uh, yeah. We met." He stood, eyeing Narikage out of the corner of his eye.

"Have fun, Miss Katsuragi," Narikage said, standing and taking his dishes to the sink. Misato beamed and thanked him, heading for the door. When Kaji glanced back, Narikage narrowed his eyes at him and drew a line across his throat.

Kaji fled.

(Time Cut)

"This place makes the best sushi!" Misato said, eagerly digging her chopsticks into a bowlful of noodles. "And noodles!" She slurped them into her mouth, chewing happily. Kaji watched her with a little smile.

"Your eating habits haven't changed, I see." Misato glared at him and he cleared his throat. "About that Narikage kid...who is he exactly?" She paused for a moment before sipping her sake once more.

"He's just a new pilot, that's all."

"But Narikage is the name Gendo wrote on his suicide note, wasn't it?"

"Er, yes."

"So what was their relationship? How did Gendo know Narikage." Misato thought fast.

"He trained Narikage as a pilot a long time ago but Narikage had to leave due to some family problems. I guess Gendo never got in contact with him again and that's why he left the note: so we'd find him." She shrugged, feining indifference. Secretly though, she was hoping the lie sounded convincing enough. She was relieved when Kaji seemed to buy it.

"Well, he seems a little weird to me."

"He's not weird just...different. He's had kind of a screwed up life. It's made him a little...shy." Kaji straightened his tie, thinking he hadn't been shy enough to threaten a man nearly twice his age. "Why did you ask me out tonight, Kaji?" Misato asked suddenly, breaking into his thought pattern. He laid down his chopsticks.

"Well, I just...I wanted to apologize for what I said about Shinji that last time. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or dishonor Shinji in any way. I liked him, I really did." Misato looked down at her plate, pushing a rice ball around with the tips of her chopsticks.

"I know you didn't mean to, Kaji. I'm sorry I hit you. I was still just a little stressed out about the whole thing." She shrugged a little, balancing a grain of rice on its end.

"I understand. But I still should have been more respectful of your feelings. I should have known how difficult the situation was for you. What do you say we just forget it ever happened and start fresh?"

"Sorry, pal. I STILL haven't forgiven you for what you did the last time we dated. It's not going to be THAT fresh," she said, resuming her meal.

"Oh, come on!!"

(Time Cut)

Misato turned at her door, smiling a little. "Thanks for tonight, Kaji. I actually had fun."

"Geez, try not to sound so surprised." He smiled. "But I had fun too. Maybe we could do it again sometime?"

"Maybe." She opened the door.

"What? Don't I even get a good night kiss?"

"In your dreams."

"Oooh. Hope." She slapped his shoulder and stepped inside, waving once before closing the door.

'He can be kind of sweet...when he's not fooling around with other girls...' she thought, slipping out of her shoes and turning. She promptly let out a screech when she realized Narikage was standing right there, nearly nose-to-nose with her.

"Have fun?"

"JESUS, Narikage!! Are you trying to kill me?!" She pushed him back a little so she could move around him and into the kitchen. "What are you still doing up anyway?" She opened the fridge and took out a beer, popping it open.

"I was waiting for you," he said simply.

"WHY?"

"Because. You didn't answer my question." Misato rolled her eyes, taking a deep swig of the alcoholic substance.

"Yes, I had fun. Happy now?"

"Are you going to see him again?"

"What are you? My father?" She tossed the empty can into a sack near the garbage and pulled out a fresh one. "What does it matter?"

"Call it curiosity."

"I don't know if I'm seeing him again; I haven't decided. Now is that the end of twenty questions because it's late and I'm tired." She glared at the teenager, hand on her hip.

"I suppose."

"Good. Goodnight, Narikage." She flashed him a peace sign before walking into her bedroom.

"Goodnight...Misato-san..."