Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of
the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime.
I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own
satisfaction.
Episode 2:05 Beginnings, Birthdays, and Bombshells
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.
Presumed dates are Tuesday May 31st, Thursday June 2nd, and Monday June 6th
Shinji came downstairs after his shower, wearing a loose shirt and a pair of sweatpants, his towel draped casually around his neck. Kensuke and Toji were in the middle of a game of pool, and, from the looks of the table, Toji was getting beat badly.
"Toji, what's up, I thought you were good at this kind of thing?" Shinji asked.
"I am, but the wunderkind here is some kinda prodigy. I've never seen anything like it," Toji complained.
"Ha, there's another one, Toji," Kensuke said, as another solid colored ball dropped into a pocket. He moved around the table, pointed to a side pocket, and dropped the 8-ball into it in one shot. "And that's game, old man. Hey Shinji. It's really not that hard, its basic geometry"
"Whatever you say, Kensuke," Shinji said, rubbing his head with his towel to dry his hair. "Hikari still here?" he asked, seeing the girls sister still playing the game on his tv.
"I'm here Shinji," he heard her call from the kitchen.
"You're not cooking in my Kitchen are you?"
"Of course I am. It's the least I can do. You have enough to deal with, working in the recovery teams, let someone else cook tonight."
"Uh, do you want some help?"
"Sure Shinji. I've made some Mu Shu Pork, and some Ramen. Could you get some small plates out, and set this on the bar?"
"Sure thing Hikari," he said. He went over and did as she asked, setting the items out. He also got a couple small bowls, which he filled with Ramen, and made up a small plate of the pork. Carrying them over to the Nazomi, he set it within reach and retreated. The younger girl pounced upon the food, hardly loosing pace with the game on the screen, and was soon pushing the plate away with her feet. Shinji walked over and picked up the plate and took it back into the kitchen, washing it, and placing it in a rack to dry.
Nazomi paused her game long enough to eat the Ramen, and ran to the kitchen to get a soda. Bolting her ramen, she handed Shinji the bowl, saying "Thank you Uncle Shinji," before going back to her game.
Toji laughed, "You could loose a finger in there. Watch out 'Uncle Shinji' I think she want some more."
"Oh yeah, Toji? Just wait, it's gonna be 'Daddy' or 'Brother' Toji the next time you turn around."
Toji sighed, "Yeah, well, that's one of the perks of being involved with Hikari." He grinned evilly at Shinji.
All three young men laughed.
"Oh, hey, I have something for you guys. Hang on, I need to go out to my bike,' Shinji said, walking out to his motorcycle. A couple minutes later he came back in, holding a small leather satchel. Flopping down on the couch, he tossed open the flap, and extracted two small items and two large folders. He glanced at the four items, and separated them, handing Toji and Kensuke.
"Here's your cell phones, and some paperwork we give to all new arrivals. The phones will keep you in touch, and the paperwork will let you decide what kind of training you can take. I should have given them too you yesterday, but the party kinda distracted me."
"Yeah, that was some welcome back party," Toji said.
"You said it, that was great," Kensuke agreed.
"Probably the best we've had yet," Shinji agreed. Although he didn't think it was really all that great; he'd not been able to spend as much time with Asuka as he normally did at such functions. In fact, Asuka hadn't spoken but a few words to him the last 36 hours. That wasn't like her, but then, she had been resuming old habits lately, so he really shouldn't be too surprised.
When they'd first arrived here, she'd seemed grateful for his presence and they had spent many nights together. Not like boyfriend and girlfriend, but more like family. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so comfortable, and content. They'd talked, and explored, and life had been wonderful. Then the Awakened had started to show up, and slowly, ever so slowly, his Asuka had drifted away. Hikari's arrival had actually improved things at the same time it had worsened them.
Asuka had stopped being so withdrawn, but she was now opening up for Hikari the way she had opened up for him. And with the confidence of her girlfriend, she no longer needed to spend as much time visiting with Shinji. He sighed inwardly at the loss, unable to come up with a way to reverse the return to status quo for Asuka.
"Shinji, you want to call Asuka, and tell her that dinner is ready, and she could come on over?" Hikari called.
"Sure thing," Shinji said, glad of any excuse to call Asuka. He picked up his cell, and punched the first number that popped up on his speed dial.
"What do YOU want Baka?" Asuka asked flippantly.
"Hikari says dinner is ready and you should come over."
"I'll be there in a minute," and she disconnected without saying goodbye or anything.
"Goodbye Asuka," he said to the dead air, and closed his phone.
Hikari noted the crestfallen look on his face, but didn't say anything.
A couple minutes later Asuka walked through the front door, snorted at the three guys, and continued on into the kitchen to Hikari. Shinji couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Asuka's snide tone led him to believe it was his antics with the bike. She'd spent a lot of time lately criticizing him, loudly and repeatedly the last couple weeks in fact.
Shinji looked up at the sound of dishes being set on the table. Hikari was bringing dinner in to the dining room. Shinji got up and walked into the kitchen, gathering plates, chop sticks, tea and cups. Returning to the dining room, he set places for all of them, including Nazomi, who he knew would not likely come away to the table to eat, preferring to snack in front of the tv.
"Hey you guys, dinner's ready," Hikari called. Toji and Kensuke rushed to the table, and flopped into their seats. Shinji sat down at the head of he table, and Asuka assumed her usual place at the far end of the table from him. Hikari sat down, and began moving the plates around the table until everyone had been served.
Dinner started and ended pleasantly, all of them talking about memories of their past in Tokyo-3, and Toji and Suzuhara caught up on their friends recent past. Asuka was mostly silent, except for the occasional snide comment. Shinji sighed.
'I'm sorry, Asuka,' he thought, 'I wish I knew how to make you happy."
Dinner finished, Shinji helped Hikari clear the dishes, and put away the few leftovers that there were. They returned from the kitchen, and joined Toji, Suzuhara, and Hikari's sister in the entertainment room.
"Where's Asuka?" Shinji asked.
"She's gone dude. Headed home by the looks of it," Toji said.
Shinji sighed. Well if she wanted to be alone, he guessed that was okay. He spent the next several hours talking with Hikari to Kensuke and Toji, answering as many of their questions as he could.
"Really, there's a lot that you can do. The packets I gave you have a list of all the things you can train to do, or positions you can fill immediately with minor introduction," Shinji told them.
"What do we get paid for all this?" Toji asked.
Shinji laughed. "Well we haven't started using money again, really, so nothing. We were too worried with survival to think about charging anyone for their service. As for your needs, almost everything can be met pretty easily. We have teams that are scouring Nagoya-2 for usable items, and things that people put on their 'want' lists. When the guys find the stuff you want, they either drop it off for you, or leave it at the Central Stores Warehouse, where you can pick it up later."
"Basically we're all doing what we can just to make sure we can survive. And it's going pretty well. Think about it guys, we're 3,000 people living off the remains of a city of 3 million. There's plenty of canned, and frozen food, and we're all planting gardens, so we'll have fresh vegetables. There's even a small group of farmers who've gone out to some of the neighboring farms, and started growing crops. We've got acres and acres of fields producing rice, and other foods; its probably much more food that we'll need for quite some time. But the machines still work, so we can harvest grain and tend the fields without huge demands in manual labor, and the orchards and berry patches are producing without very much tending at all."
"Sounds like a paradise," Toji remarked.
"Except for all the people. Does anyone know why not everyone has come back?" Kensuke asked.
"Well, Doctor Akagi thinks that what we at first called the Egg of Lilith is actually the Guff."
"What's that?"
"According to legend, the Guff is the place where all human souls come from. Ritsuko thinks that with the Guff re-filled, the souls that are there are content to remain, until they are needed on earth by the creation of a new life."
"Okay, but why did we all return to the Guff?"
"Seele thought that with Third Impact, they could unite all humanity in one form, and re-unite with god. Possibly even taking over. But it looks like god didn't want us," Shinji shrugged.
"That, and Shinji didn't want to unite with god," Hikari said, poking Shinji.
"Hikari," Shinji whined.
"Come on Shinji, you know that that's what Ritsuko and Professor Fuyutuski said. At the moment of unification, YOU were offered the choice, return to the creator, or return to a mortal life, full of all the joys and pains. You chose mortality."
Shinji blushed. He'd heard this line of reasoning before, and, though he wasn't sure that it was wrong, he was still uncomfortable with it.
"Well I hate to be a party pooper, but I've got duty again tomorrow, so I need to go up to bed. Do you guys mind if I play some music before I go to sleep? It always relaxes me."
"No Shinji go right ahead, I've gotta get the Nazomi home and into bed anyway, Goodnight," and with that Hikari gathered her sister, who pouted about going home, and kissed Suzuhara on the cheek before rushing out the door.
"Mmm. Night guys," Shinji said, and ascended the stairs. Toji sat with Kensuke, and both of them suddenly jumped for the video game console. Picking up the controls, they scrolled through the list of games, and finally chose a first person shooter game, and began hunting aliens across a desolate moon.
They were in the process of attacking a swarm of the aliens in a well- defended structure, when the first notes of Shinji's Cello began to swell through the house. Both of them stopped playing, and turned off the game.
"Wow," Kensuke whispered.
"Yeah," Toji agreed.
The music started soft and built to crescendo, but it didn't stop, there were periods of brief, peaceful notes, and then stretches of intense sound, pouring from the Cello. The front door opened softly, and Hikari came through the door.
"Nazomi's in bed, and Asuka's gone for a walk or something. I thought I'd come over and see if you'd like to take a walk with me Suzuhara."
"I'd love to. You don't mind Kensuke old man?" he asked.
"No, you two go right ahead. I'm gonna stay here and listen to the music."
The two teens let themselves out the front door, both grinning madly at one another, and Kensuke turned off all the lights downstairs, except one that lit the entryway, and sat down on the couch to listen.
Shinji was really pouring himself into the music now, and the peaks and valleys weaved an intricate melody, that stirred Kensuke Aida's imagination. He could almost see the images that Shinji was trying to convey through the song. Two notes played in harmony , on two separate strings, something that was no easy feat for even experienced players to master, had him imagining the time that Shinji and Asuka had to train for a joint attack on an angel. Another run up and down the scale, and he was remembering the giant spider angel, that had attacked NERV, and the story Shinji had told him of Asuka's bravery, placing herself between him and the Angels acid attack, so Shinji could get off the killing shot. He lay back and enjoyed the rest of the song.
"So where are we going to walk?" Toji asked Hikari as they left the house.
"Not far. I just wanted to walk with you while Shinji plays. Oh, look, he's left his French Doors open, so we should be able to hear it as we walk around. This block has really good acoustics, and on nights like this you can hear him play for a couple hundred yards in any direction.
Not really someone who appreciated music like this, Toji nonetheless listened. He had to admit that Ikari was actually pretty good on his cello. The music, though, was having a profound effect on Hikari.
"Do you hear that Toji, can you feel the raw emotion that he's put into it? It's almost like he's telling her how much his love is growing for her with every bar. Then there's this part. I think this is where he's telling her about how angry she was, and then there's this sad part, almost like she's broken his heart. That part actually repeats several times throughout the song, always a little less angry, and a little less sad. But then there's this sad despairing part here. It's almost as if this is how he remembers the death of Kaoru, and the discovery of Asuka in the ruins of my old house back in Tokyo-3."
Toji listened, and, even to his untrained ear, it did indeed sound sad and mournful. As a series of long hollow notes sounded out, Toji could sense the end of everything, and the total despair that Shinji had felt. Then there's a rise in the beat, and the tempo gradually picks up and soon the music is booming across the yard behind Hikari and Asuka's house.
"Asuka's final battle with the Angels," Toji whispered.
"That's exactly what I thought, now shush," she shushed him with a finger to his lips. Suddenly the music stopped, and when it started again, it was soft and mournful, and then sharp and dissonant.
Hikari swung herself into his arms, and looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Suzuhara-chan," she whispered, emotion raw in her throat.
"Hikari-chan," he answered, bending over.
Softly their lips touched as Shinji played on.
The emotion of seeing Unit-02 destroyed by Seele's production EVA's strong in his mind. The terror of believing the woman he was beginning to love was dead, stealing all sanity and rational thought from him. His desire to end it all, to destroy the EVA's, and Seele, and NERV, and the Earth itself, consuming him. And then the Cello screamed his pain and agony, as he had, in the plug of Unit-01 gone mad, and those terrible wings had opened. His capture by the EVA's, Rei/Liliths appearance, seeing Kaoru again, surrendering to emptiness, and then, at the last moment, refusing to go. To become one with all of mankind, and with god, and the universe. Then the music sounded as if waves were crashing upon a beach, and there was a minor building, and another dissonance, but at the same time melancholy, finding Asuka beside him, trying to choke her, but stopping himself. Then sleeping, and awakening to the hidden joy of Asuka beside him again.
As these final happy notes faded into silence, Hikari and Toji broke their kiss, and continued walking around the block. Shinji, through with his song, put up his cello, turned off his lights and climbed into bed. He lay there staring at the ceiling until he finally fell asleep.
"Hey, wanna see the Jacuzzi?" Hikari asked, with a mischievous grin.
"Uh, sure. After all, if we're gonna get one too, I should have an idea what I want to get," Toji replied.
They walked around the side of the house towards the back, when Toji began hearing the soft bubbling sound of the water in the hot tub. Hikari smiled up and him, and then started, her smile fading. She stopped walking, just short of the first step leading up to a large deck, and the concealed hot tub. When he went to ask her what was up, she placed a finger to his lips and then cupped her ear, indicating that he should listen. Barely audible over the slapping water, was the soft sound of someone weeping.
"Asuka," Hikari whispered, taking Toji by the hand again, and leading him back to the front of the house, treading softly so as not to betray their presence. Quickly they walked to the front of his house, and sat down on the porch swing. Hikari leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm over her shoulders.
"I'm glad you told me how you feel about me Hikari. It gave me the strength to tell you that I love you too," Toji said.
"Me too. I know, after I woke up, it's almost all I could think about, for weeks. Then, when Shinji called in to report that the two survivors he was about to pick up were you and Kensuke, I knew my chance had come at last," Hikari answered, snuggling in close.
"I wish Shinji could have that," he said.
"I wish Asuka could give it to him," She replied.
"Why do you think she can't?" he said.
"What? No demon or ice queen accusations to explain away her behavior?" Hikari asked.
"No Hikari. This is just the two of us. I don't have to pretend to be cool, I can just be myself, and I'm worried for Shinji," he answered.
"Well, I've suspected for a long time, even before the Awakening, that Asuka loved Shinji and He loved Her, but he's too scared of being hurt by those he loves to let someone he MIGHT love know his feelings. Fear of rejection, if he cares too deeply, he gets hurt when the person he loves doesn't return his feelings."
"I know that," Toji said, "I'm asking about Asuka."
"Well, it's pretty much the same. She was the one who found her mothers body, but she watched her mother go steadily mad after some incident with Unit-02. Asuka eventually decided that she didn't need anyone. Physically, mentally, or emotionally, she thinks she's strong enough to satisfy all her own needs, so she never lets anyone in, and that makes for a very emotionally isolated young woman."
"Well, I hope that they can work out their problems, I'd hate for them to keep being miserable around each other," he said.
Hikari snuggled up to Toji a little more, and turned to face him.
"Well, I think we have plenty of time ahead of us to discuss all of Asuka and Shinji's problems. I'd like to experience some of the benefits of us resolving our personal problems," Hikari said.
"I believe I can help you there Hikari-chan," he said, and leaned over to cover her mouth with his. They had quickly forgotten Shinji and Asuka for the moment, as they spent time getting reacquainted.
Shinji and Kaji met at the Temple the next night, so that Kaji could walk Shinji though his part in the wedding ceremony before the official practice on Saturday night.
"Okay, so I give you the ring, and then Ritsuko and I follow you and Misato out of the shrine after the presentation. Then we get in the receiving line, and after that head for the reception hall. There I have to make a toast to you and Misato. Have I got that right?" Shinji asked.
"You forgot one thing," Kaji said.
"What's that?" Shinji looked worried and checked his notes.
"When the music starts, you have to dance with Ritsuko."
Shinji gulped down his heart.
"Um. Kaji, I don't know how to dance."
"Oh surely you've been to your school dances before?"
"Well sure, but I never danced at them, and this is going to be a slow dance, and I've NEVER done that at ALL."
"Okay, well, I can see we're gonna have to think quick. Hang on," said Kaji. He picked up his Cell phone, and dialed Doctor Ikagi's home number. "Ritsuko? Kaji here. Yeah, hi, I'm fine, but we have a slight problem. No no, nothing like that, it's just that Shinji can't dance, and I think it would help if you could come over here and show him a few steps. Yeah, that's right, total wallflower. Okay. You will, great, see you in ten. Alright, goodbye." He hung up the phone.
"See Shinji problem solved."
Shinji tried to swallow his heart back down out of his throat again, and nodded numbly.
The next few days were packed with activity for Toji and Kensuke, as they adjusted to this new life. They weren't in school anymore, sure, but what they were learning was a whole lot more fun. Kensuke was learning to be a VTOL Recovery Pilot like Shinji, and Toji was studying Vehicle Maintenance.
The five friends got together each day after work or class, and had dinner together, which was generally cooked by Shinji or Hikari, and sometimes both. Hikari's little sister was usually with her, but Hikari always took her home and put her to bed before the others even considered winding things down.
Kensuke eventually chose a Motorcycle out of the bases extensive motor pool, but Toji was having a hard time picking out what he wanted for a vehicle.
"No way, am I gonna keep riding that dang shuttle bus to class," he growled. "I just haven't found the car that I want yet."
"Why not get a bike like me and Ikari," Kensuke asked.
"Well, I need something that I can pack Hikari and Nazomi into."
"Well then, why don't we go into a car lot in Nagoya-2 and see if we can't find something you like more," Kensuke suggested. So later that day, after Shinji got home, the three young men headed into town, looking for a car for Kensuke. It took almost three hours and five lots before Kensuke found the car he was looking for.
"Isn't she beautiful?" he said, admiring the brand new two-tone Toyota 4Runner.
"Yeah, but can you drive her?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah, I used to drive go carts, at the entertainment park, and I'm a pro at all those racing games," Toji said confidently.
"Uh, okay. Well here's the keys, take her out, but drive carefully," said Kensuke.
Toji jumped behind the wheel of the car, pulled the seat up forward, put on his seatbelt, and started the engine. To prove to his friends he knew how to drive, he took the car out of the lot, and drove around the block slowly several times. Kensuke and Shinji pulled out behind him, and followed him around, until they felt they were comfortable with his driving skills, and decided to take the car back home.
Although Toji couldn't go as fast as they could, they still made it back to the base in good time, and Toji pulled into the Driveway and beeped the horn, trying to get Hikari's attention. She rushed out of the house, hopped in the car, and was squealing excitedly as Toji pulled away from the house.
Kensuke and Shinji watched the two of them go, and laughed.
"I hope he's got enough gas," Kensuke said.
"If not, he might not want to call us for a while, so we'd better go get dinner ready. Come on," Shinji laughed, and waved Kensuke inside.
As usual, Shinji's house had been chosen to be the one where they would have dinner. Shinji had today off, but Asuka had to work. He made a very elaborate Japanese dinner for his friends, but decided to make something special for Asuka. Rolling out some flaky pastry dough, he filled it with ground beef and German sausage pieces, before folding thing dough over, and pinching it closed, making a hand held beef pie. He dug around in his pantry until he found some Sauerkraut, and some good German style mustard.
It didn't take too long before Toji and Hikari were pulling up into the driveway outside. Shinji wasn't paying too much attention, but he thought he heard more than their two voices outside. Glancing out the front window, he saw Misato and Kaji standing in his front yard, talking to Hikari and Toji.
"Misato," he called, "Kaji. What brings you two out to this neck of the woods?"
"You kiddo. It's not everyday your foster son turns 15," Misato beamed.
"What? Shinji, why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" the other's all complained.
"I'm sorry. I was so busy, I guess I just forgot to look at the calendar. It's not like we all don't have a hundred other things going on these days."
"Well, not to worry, Kaji and I thought you might have forgotten, so we organized a little party for you."
"Not another Katsuragi Party. I don't know if I can handle two in a week," Shinji moaned.
Misato laughed. "It's your own fault, if you don't participate in the party planning, and then don't like the party. The first guests should be arriving soon."
"Speaking of guests, could you ask Asuka to stop by the Commissary on her way home and pick up some soda, chips, and dip? We're gonna need some refreshments, if you're doing a party. I didn't cook enough food for everyone," Shinji said.
"Isn't she here?" Misato asked.
"Um. No, I thought she had work today," Shinji said.
"Nope, I knew today was your birthday, so I scheduled both of you to have it off," Misato said with a sly wink.
"Well, where is she, she left here first thing this morning, after we had breakfast," Shinji said.
"Ikari, you dog. You had breakfast with Asuka this morning and didn't say anything?" Toji teased.
"Well, yeah, we always eat breakfast together, even on days when the other one is off duty. Asuka even cooks for me on her days off," Shinji admitted with a blush.
"But that means that you were up cooking before 5 am," Kensuke observed.
Toji, looked down at Hikari, and whispered to her, "Did you know that they had breakfast every morning?"
"No," she answered, "I knew about the mornings they both had to work, but I didn't know they still did it on their days off. And on her days off Asuka cooks for him? Maybe there's hope for them yet," she giggled.
"Sit, birthday boy, no more working for you," Misato said, motioning him into one of the chairs on the front porch.
Shinji recognized her command voice, and sat as instructed. Within half an hour the party guests had begun to arrive, and Misato was in full swing as honorary hostess.
"You know Shinji, you've got a great house, but your back porch could use a little bit of work," Kaji observed.
"Yeah," Said Shinji, "Now that Kensuke and Toji are here, maybe we can get someone to help us tackle that project. Maybe make a deck and install that Jacuzzi tub that I've been talking to you about."
"Oh, I think we can do better than that," Kaji observed, flipping open his cell phone, and dialing a number. "Okay, you can bring it in."
"Kaji, what are you doing?" Shinji asked.
"Oh, this isn't my idea, I just had to make sure you were ready."
"Ready for what?" Shinji asked warily.
Kaji just grinned and pointed at the rapidly approaching craft. It was a UN VTOL Cargo Lifter. Suspended beneath it by several steel cables was a large pallet covered with construction material of some kind. It looked to Shinji like lumber. Kaji continued to give the pilot directions until they were right over the house.
"Whoa. Kaji, what's all this for?" Shinji asked.
"It's for your new deck," he answered. "Asuka convinced all the guys in maintenance to come over and hold a building blitz here this afternoon. By this afternoon, the deck of your dreams will stand here. Okay Asuka, everybody's clear, drop it down."
Shinji watched as Asuka piloted the VTOL down low, until it was hovering a bare 100 feet off the ground, the downwash from the powerful engines causing the pallet to move slightly in the powerful wind. Several men positioned themselves around the material, as Asuka lowered it the last few feet to the ground. When the pallet was finally down and in place, the helpers disconnected the cables and Kaji told Asuka to go ahead and take the Cargo Lifter back to the base. Several of the guys from the airfield started showing up, then, with hammers and drills and screws, and soon a flurry of construction was taking place outside of Shinji's back door.
Kaji walked over and picked up several pieces of grass sod that covered concrete footings that had been poured into the ground.
"When did you put those in?" Shinji asked.
"A couple days ago. Asuka and Misato made sure you were out of the house for a while and I had a couple guys come help me dig the holes and pour the concrete. It should be cured by now, so we can attach the deck. Sit back and relax Shinji, we'll get this all done in no time," Kaji said.
Seeing everyone busy working on his new deck, Shinji slipped through the back door into the house, and grabbed his helmet and jacket off their pegs in the closet, and headed out to his bike. Before anyone had noticed, he was cruising down the road, headed for the airfield.
As he came over the last small hill overlooking the NERV airfield, he could see Asuka's BMW in the parking lot, and the VTOL Cargo Lifter just setting down in it's landing spot. Racing through the open gate, and onto the tarmac, he pulled the bike up to the VTOL as she jumped out.
"Get on," he shouted, tossing her his spare helmet from the rear saddle bag.
"I can drive," she said, holding out the helmet for him.
"Not tonight, you aren't, you're gonna get chauffeured home for this one, and I'll even give you a ride back in tomorrow."
Asuka grinned, "So I take it you were surprised?"
"That's an understatement. I thought I was going to have to do all that work by myself," he said, motioning to her helmet. She gave in, and pulled the helmet on, climbing on behind him. He expected her to lean back in the reclined seat, but instead she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his chest. He enjoyed having her this close, and decided to go home at a more respectable speed, the better to prolong their physical contact.
Almost half an hour later they pulled up the driveway of Shinji's place, and were greeted by a slightly miffed Misato and company.
"You just vanished," Misato said. "What kind of party is it where the guest of honor just disappears for a half hour at a time."
Shinji grinned. "Sorry, Misato, I promise to never to this again, until the next time I decide to do it."
Misato looked pleased at the first part of his apology, but the became outraged by the second half. "Oh, you, that's it. Kaji, this boys deserving of 15 spanks, I believe the tradition says, so start beating."
"Hmm. I don't think so Katsuragi, if you want to enjoy the site of Shinji being spanked you're gonna have to do it yourself. You pervert," he said.
Misato looked huffily at her fiancée, and then thought better of it, when she noticed that Asuka was still sitting behind Shinji, arms draped over his shoulders.
"Well come on, then, you two, let's go ahead and get back to the party," She said, leading the way. Asuka and Shinji climbed off the bike, and went to hang up their gear. Shinji walked out the back door, and discovered that the deck was already finished. There were even two wooden picnic tables positioned on it, and these were covered in food, with large ice chests full of drinks between them. What caught Shinji's eye though was a large yellow fire hose strung across the deck.
"What's this," he asked, kicking the hose.
"This is for that," Kaji said, pointing. He followed Kaji's gaze, and saw a large Jacuzzi tub filling at the far end of the deck. There were some lattice walls built out from the Jacuzzi edge about 4 feet all the way around, and it was topped with a pagoda style roof.
"You guys work fast," Shinji said.
"Misato had the hot tub and the surround already built and loaded up on one of those trucks with a built in crane, and parked down the block. Once we'd gotten the deck bolts tied down, we brought the tub in. You should have seen the look on her face when she yelled surprise, and got one in return. You had already left."
Shinji looked sheepish when he said, "Sorry Misato, really. I just wanted to give Asuka a ride home."
Misato looked satisfied, "I understand Shinji, and it's quite all right. Whoa. Hey, it's overflowing." She shouted and pointed, and Kaji had to jump for the hose, as it lifted up out of the tub, and blasted water all over the pagoda structure and the whole side of Asuka and Hikari's house. Eventually the water was shut off, and Misato watched as Kaji plugged it into a large outlet on the side of he house, that Shinji was sure hadn't been there last week. Immediately the bubbles started, and an LED panel lit up, showing the current temperature.
Shinji looked at the display and stuck his hand in the water. It was a bone chillingly cold 58 degrees.
"Were going to run a hose out here from your kitchen Ikari, so that it heats up a little faster," Kaji said. "We'll have to drain some of this off though. Right now it's too full."
"Wow, thanks. If we do that, how long do you think it will take until we can use it," Shinji asked.
"Probably tomorrow at the earliest. It still won't be quite warm enough, even with all the hot water," he said.
"Why don't you run hoses from my house too. That way he can use it tonight," Asuka suggested.
"What a good idea Asuka, it might take a while, but if we shut the water off after the tanks empty out of hot water, we can just wait until they re- heat and run them out again. It should be filled and ready to go in about 3 hours," Kaji smiled at her.
As the party wound down, in the late evening, and the guests began to depart, Shinji was sitting in his new favorite chair, on the back porch, and enjoying a cool soda. Each guest would come up, bid him goodbye, and exit back through the house, and out the front. Finally, the last of the crowd disappeared; even his roommates and next-door neighbors. Shinji sat alone next to the Jacuzzi, dipping a hand into the water, and trying to decide if he was ready to take a dip in the steaming water.
"Shinji?" came a soft voice, from behind him. Startled he turned around to see Asuka in a red and while striped two-piece bathing suit.
"Uh, yes Asuka?" he choked out.
"Do you like your deck?"
"I love it, it was a huge surprise."
"Well, I can't claim all the credit. All the guys on both of our recovery teams, and both of the VTOL's maintenance crews helped build it." She grinned in the dark, "Is it warm enough to get into yet?"
"Yeah, I think it is."
"Shinji," she said.
"Yeah Asuka?"
"I got you something," she said, and held out a small package.
"You didn't have to Asuka, you've done more than enough already."
"No, I really wanted you to have this. Go ahead. Open it," she urged him.
He shook his head slightly and opened the package. Inside was a brand new MP3 player, with the ear-buds that he liked so much, and two spare memory chips.
"Asuka. How did you know?" he asked.
"Oh, I remembered that you always had that SDAT player on you, but you hadn't gotten one since we woke up. I found out why. Do you have any idea how old those things are. And the tapes are impossible to find. These things are everywhere, and they have a lot more memory. Two of the sticks already have 48 hours of music on them, and I left the third blank for you to record anything you want to."
Shinji didn't know what to say, so he just said what was expected. "Thanks Asuka."
"So, are you going to try out this Jacuzzi or what?"
"Um, well, yeah, I guess I am, it's just," he blushed, and looked at the ground.
"Would you like some company?"
Shinji swallowed. Hot tubbing with Asuka? How exciting/frightening.
"Um, that would be great. I mean, if you want to, that is."
"Dumbkopf," she said in German, swatting the end of his nose.
Shinji stood up, and went to head into the house.
"Where are you going?" Asuka asked.
"To get my swim trunks," he said.
"You don't need that, you're wearing boxers right?"
"Well, yeah," he blushed.
"Then just shuck out of your pants and shirt, and hop on in. Come on," she said, hooking a finger into his waist band. She giggled, and hopped into the jaccuzi.
Shinji watched her slide into the water, and then did as she suggested. Following after her in nothing but his boxers. As he mounted the steps to enter the Jacuzzi he saw that Asuka was already sitting in the center of it. As he watched, she submerged herself completely, and then surfaced, wiping the hair from her face.
"Come on in, slowpoke, what are you waiting for," she said, playfully.
Shinji walked up the steps, sat down, and eased himself into the Jacuzzi, the warm waters covering him to his neck as he sagged down in relief.
"All the way, Shinji, get it all wet."
"That's okay Asuka, I really don't like to get eyes wet."
"Oh no you don't," she said playfully, and, with a squeal, she lunged at him, pulling herself up out of the water, and pushing him under with her increased leverage. He surfaced spluttering and wiped the water from his face and eyes, which were now very blurry.
When he finally did manage to clear his vision, Asuka was still laughing and screeching in front of him, pleased with herself. Shinji could do nothing but stare as her breasts jiggled before his face, scant inches away. It was then he remembered a lesson on 'thermal expansion' that had occurred last year.
Asuka looked down at him, smiling, "Well Shinji? What do you think?"
"About?" he stammered out.
"About me?" she asked in a sultry voice.
Shinji felt his blood pressure rising, and not from the hot water. Asuka leaned in close to him, her breasts brushing up against his arm.
"Shinji?" she asked softly.
'Oh jeez, Asuka how do I answer this, you've been so cold these last couple months, and now this. Did you really mean all those mean things you've said, and this is your way of apologizing, or are you just testing me,' he thought furiously.
"Shinji!" she urged impatiently.
"I think you're beautiful," he said, and instantly realized it wasn't the answer she was looking for.
"MEN!" she growled, standing up, stepping out of the Jacuzzi, and gathering up her close. "You really know how to make a girl sick, you know that Ikari," she said, walking across the deck.
"Goodnight BAKA!" she shouted as she slammed her back door, leaving Shinji alone and confused in his hot tub.
Shinji sat there for several minutes, letting various excited body parts return to normal before standing up, and entering his house.
"Oh well, at least she didn't notice Shinji-kun's reaction to her," he said to himself as he crawled into bed.
Next on Episode 2:06 of Neon Genesis Evangelion after the lovers unite Shinji has to face one of his greatest fears, and Misato's surprise is sure to make him even more uncomfortable.
It's Evangelion Episode 2:06 Dancing with an Angel.
Episode 2:05 Beginnings, Birthdays, and Bombshells
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.
Presumed dates are Tuesday May 31st, Thursday June 2nd, and Monday June 6th
Shinji came downstairs after his shower, wearing a loose shirt and a pair of sweatpants, his towel draped casually around his neck. Kensuke and Toji were in the middle of a game of pool, and, from the looks of the table, Toji was getting beat badly.
"Toji, what's up, I thought you were good at this kind of thing?" Shinji asked.
"I am, but the wunderkind here is some kinda prodigy. I've never seen anything like it," Toji complained.
"Ha, there's another one, Toji," Kensuke said, as another solid colored ball dropped into a pocket. He moved around the table, pointed to a side pocket, and dropped the 8-ball into it in one shot. "And that's game, old man. Hey Shinji. It's really not that hard, its basic geometry"
"Whatever you say, Kensuke," Shinji said, rubbing his head with his towel to dry his hair. "Hikari still here?" he asked, seeing the girls sister still playing the game on his tv.
"I'm here Shinji," he heard her call from the kitchen.
"You're not cooking in my Kitchen are you?"
"Of course I am. It's the least I can do. You have enough to deal with, working in the recovery teams, let someone else cook tonight."
"Uh, do you want some help?"
"Sure Shinji. I've made some Mu Shu Pork, and some Ramen. Could you get some small plates out, and set this on the bar?"
"Sure thing Hikari," he said. He went over and did as she asked, setting the items out. He also got a couple small bowls, which he filled with Ramen, and made up a small plate of the pork. Carrying them over to the Nazomi, he set it within reach and retreated. The younger girl pounced upon the food, hardly loosing pace with the game on the screen, and was soon pushing the plate away with her feet. Shinji walked over and picked up the plate and took it back into the kitchen, washing it, and placing it in a rack to dry.
Nazomi paused her game long enough to eat the Ramen, and ran to the kitchen to get a soda. Bolting her ramen, she handed Shinji the bowl, saying "Thank you Uncle Shinji," before going back to her game.
Toji laughed, "You could loose a finger in there. Watch out 'Uncle Shinji' I think she want some more."
"Oh yeah, Toji? Just wait, it's gonna be 'Daddy' or 'Brother' Toji the next time you turn around."
Toji sighed, "Yeah, well, that's one of the perks of being involved with Hikari." He grinned evilly at Shinji.
All three young men laughed.
"Oh, hey, I have something for you guys. Hang on, I need to go out to my bike,' Shinji said, walking out to his motorcycle. A couple minutes later he came back in, holding a small leather satchel. Flopping down on the couch, he tossed open the flap, and extracted two small items and two large folders. He glanced at the four items, and separated them, handing Toji and Kensuke.
"Here's your cell phones, and some paperwork we give to all new arrivals. The phones will keep you in touch, and the paperwork will let you decide what kind of training you can take. I should have given them too you yesterday, but the party kinda distracted me."
"Yeah, that was some welcome back party," Toji said.
"You said it, that was great," Kensuke agreed.
"Probably the best we've had yet," Shinji agreed. Although he didn't think it was really all that great; he'd not been able to spend as much time with Asuka as he normally did at such functions. In fact, Asuka hadn't spoken but a few words to him the last 36 hours. That wasn't like her, but then, she had been resuming old habits lately, so he really shouldn't be too surprised.
When they'd first arrived here, she'd seemed grateful for his presence and they had spent many nights together. Not like boyfriend and girlfriend, but more like family. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so comfortable, and content. They'd talked, and explored, and life had been wonderful. Then the Awakened had started to show up, and slowly, ever so slowly, his Asuka had drifted away. Hikari's arrival had actually improved things at the same time it had worsened them.
Asuka had stopped being so withdrawn, but she was now opening up for Hikari the way she had opened up for him. And with the confidence of her girlfriend, she no longer needed to spend as much time visiting with Shinji. He sighed inwardly at the loss, unable to come up with a way to reverse the return to status quo for Asuka.
"Shinji, you want to call Asuka, and tell her that dinner is ready, and she could come on over?" Hikari called.
"Sure thing," Shinji said, glad of any excuse to call Asuka. He picked up his cell, and punched the first number that popped up on his speed dial.
"What do YOU want Baka?" Asuka asked flippantly.
"Hikari says dinner is ready and you should come over."
"I'll be there in a minute," and she disconnected without saying goodbye or anything.
"Goodbye Asuka," he said to the dead air, and closed his phone.
Hikari noted the crestfallen look on his face, but didn't say anything.
A couple minutes later Asuka walked through the front door, snorted at the three guys, and continued on into the kitchen to Hikari. Shinji couldn't hear what they were talking about, but Asuka's snide tone led him to believe it was his antics with the bike. She'd spent a lot of time lately criticizing him, loudly and repeatedly the last couple weeks in fact.
Shinji looked up at the sound of dishes being set on the table. Hikari was bringing dinner in to the dining room. Shinji got up and walked into the kitchen, gathering plates, chop sticks, tea and cups. Returning to the dining room, he set places for all of them, including Nazomi, who he knew would not likely come away to the table to eat, preferring to snack in front of the tv.
"Hey you guys, dinner's ready," Hikari called. Toji and Kensuke rushed to the table, and flopped into their seats. Shinji sat down at the head of he table, and Asuka assumed her usual place at the far end of the table from him. Hikari sat down, and began moving the plates around the table until everyone had been served.
Dinner started and ended pleasantly, all of them talking about memories of their past in Tokyo-3, and Toji and Suzuhara caught up on their friends recent past. Asuka was mostly silent, except for the occasional snide comment. Shinji sighed.
'I'm sorry, Asuka,' he thought, 'I wish I knew how to make you happy."
Dinner finished, Shinji helped Hikari clear the dishes, and put away the few leftovers that there were. They returned from the kitchen, and joined Toji, Suzuhara, and Hikari's sister in the entertainment room.
"Where's Asuka?" Shinji asked.
"She's gone dude. Headed home by the looks of it," Toji said.
Shinji sighed. Well if she wanted to be alone, he guessed that was okay. He spent the next several hours talking with Hikari to Kensuke and Toji, answering as many of their questions as he could.
"Really, there's a lot that you can do. The packets I gave you have a list of all the things you can train to do, or positions you can fill immediately with minor introduction," Shinji told them.
"What do we get paid for all this?" Toji asked.
Shinji laughed. "Well we haven't started using money again, really, so nothing. We were too worried with survival to think about charging anyone for their service. As for your needs, almost everything can be met pretty easily. We have teams that are scouring Nagoya-2 for usable items, and things that people put on their 'want' lists. When the guys find the stuff you want, they either drop it off for you, or leave it at the Central Stores Warehouse, where you can pick it up later."
"Basically we're all doing what we can just to make sure we can survive. And it's going pretty well. Think about it guys, we're 3,000 people living off the remains of a city of 3 million. There's plenty of canned, and frozen food, and we're all planting gardens, so we'll have fresh vegetables. There's even a small group of farmers who've gone out to some of the neighboring farms, and started growing crops. We've got acres and acres of fields producing rice, and other foods; its probably much more food that we'll need for quite some time. But the machines still work, so we can harvest grain and tend the fields without huge demands in manual labor, and the orchards and berry patches are producing without very much tending at all."
"Sounds like a paradise," Toji remarked.
"Except for all the people. Does anyone know why not everyone has come back?" Kensuke asked.
"Well, Doctor Akagi thinks that what we at first called the Egg of Lilith is actually the Guff."
"What's that?"
"According to legend, the Guff is the place where all human souls come from. Ritsuko thinks that with the Guff re-filled, the souls that are there are content to remain, until they are needed on earth by the creation of a new life."
"Okay, but why did we all return to the Guff?"
"Seele thought that with Third Impact, they could unite all humanity in one form, and re-unite with god. Possibly even taking over. But it looks like god didn't want us," Shinji shrugged.
"That, and Shinji didn't want to unite with god," Hikari said, poking Shinji.
"Hikari," Shinji whined.
"Come on Shinji, you know that that's what Ritsuko and Professor Fuyutuski said. At the moment of unification, YOU were offered the choice, return to the creator, or return to a mortal life, full of all the joys and pains. You chose mortality."
Shinji blushed. He'd heard this line of reasoning before, and, though he wasn't sure that it was wrong, he was still uncomfortable with it.
"Well I hate to be a party pooper, but I've got duty again tomorrow, so I need to go up to bed. Do you guys mind if I play some music before I go to sleep? It always relaxes me."
"No Shinji go right ahead, I've gotta get the Nazomi home and into bed anyway, Goodnight," and with that Hikari gathered her sister, who pouted about going home, and kissed Suzuhara on the cheek before rushing out the door.
"Mmm. Night guys," Shinji said, and ascended the stairs. Toji sat with Kensuke, and both of them suddenly jumped for the video game console. Picking up the controls, they scrolled through the list of games, and finally chose a first person shooter game, and began hunting aliens across a desolate moon.
They were in the process of attacking a swarm of the aliens in a well- defended structure, when the first notes of Shinji's Cello began to swell through the house. Both of them stopped playing, and turned off the game.
"Wow," Kensuke whispered.
"Yeah," Toji agreed.
The music started soft and built to crescendo, but it didn't stop, there were periods of brief, peaceful notes, and then stretches of intense sound, pouring from the Cello. The front door opened softly, and Hikari came through the door.
"Nazomi's in bed, and Asuka's gone for a walk or something. I thought I'd come over and see if you'd like to take a walk with me Suzuhara."
"I'd love to. You don't mind Kensuke old man?" he asked.
"No, you two go right ahead. I'm gonna stay here and listen to the music."
The two teens let themselves out the front door, both grinning madly at one another, and Kensuke turned off all the lights downstairs, except one that lit the entryway, and sat down on the couch to listen.
Shinji was really pouring himself into the music now, and the peaks and valleys weaved an intricate melody, that stirred Kensuke Aida's imagination. He could almost see the images that Shinji was trying to convey through the song. Two notes played in harmony , on two separate strings, something that was no easy feat for even experienced players to master, had him imagining the time that Shinji and Asuka had to train for a joint attack on an angel. Another run up and down the scale, and he was remembering the giant spider angel, that had attacked NERV, and the story Shinji had told him of Asuka's bravery, placing herself between him and the Angels acid attack, so Shinji could get off the killing shot. He lay back and enjoyed the rest of the song.
"So where are we going to walk?" Toji asked Hikari as they left the house.
"Not far. I just wanted to walk with you while Shinji plays. Oh, look, he's left his French Doors open, so we should be able to hear it as we walk around. This block has really good acoustics, and on nights like this you can hear him play for a couple hundred yards in any direction.
Not really someone who appreciated music like this, Toji nonetheless listened. He had to admit that Ikari was actually pretty good on his cello. The music, though, was having a profound effect on Hikari.
"Do you hear that Toji, can you feel the raw emotion that he's put into it? It's almost like he's telling her how much his love is growing for her with every bar. Then there's this part. I think this is where he's telling her about how angry she was, and then there's this sad part, almost like she's broken his heart. That part actually repeats several times throughout the song, always a little less angry, and a little less sad. But then there's this sad despairing part here. It's almost as if this is how he remembers the death of Kaoru, and the discovery of Asuka in the ruins of my old house back in Tokyo-3."
Toji listened, and, even to his untrained ear, it did indeed sound sad and mournful. As a series of long hollow notes sounded out, Toji could sense the end of everything, and the total despair that Shinji had felt. Then there's a rise in the beat, and the tempo gradually picks up and soon the music is booming across the yard behind Hikari and Asuka's house.
"Asuka's final battle with the Angels," Toji whispered.
"That's exactly what I thought, now shush," she shushed him with a finger to his lips. Suddenly the music stopped, and when it started again, it was soft and mournful, and then sharp and dissonant.
Hikari swung herself into his arms, and looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Suzuhara-chan," she whispered, emotion raw in her throat.
"Hikari-chan," he answered, bending over.
Softly their lips touched as Shinji played on.
The emotion of seeing Unit-02 destroyed by Seele's production EVA's strong in his mind. The terror of believing the woman he was beginning to love was dead, stealing all sanity and rational thought from him. His desire to end it all, to destroy the EVA's, and Seele, and NERV, and the Earth itself, consuming him. And then the Cello screamed his pain and agony, as he had, in the plug of Unit-01 gone mad, and those terrible wings had opened. His capture by the EVA's, Rei/Liliths appearance, seeing Kaoru again, surrendering to emptiness, and then, at the last moment, refusing to go. To become one with all of mankind, and with god, and the universe. Then the music sounded as if waves were crashing upon a beach, and there was a minor building, and another dissonance, but at the same time melancholy, finding Asuka beside him, trying to choke her, but stopping himself. Then sleeping, and awakening to the hidden joy of Asuka beside him again.
As these final happy notes faded into silence, Hikari and Toji broke their kiss, and continued walking around the block. Shinji, through with his song, put up his cello, turned off his lights and climbed into bed. He lay there staring at the ceiling until he finally fell asleep.
"Hey, wanna see the Jacuzzi?" Hikari asked, with a mischievous grin.
"Uh, sure. After all, if we're gonna get one too, I should have an idea what I want to get," Toji replied.
They walked around the side of the house towards the back, when Toji began hearing the soft bubbling sound of the water in the hot tub. Hikari smiled up and him, and then started, her smile fading. She stopped walking, just short of the first step leading up to a large deck, and the concealed hot tub. When he went to ask her what was up, she placed a finger to his lips and then cupped her ear, indicating that he should listen. Barely audible over the slapping water, was the soft sound of someone weeping.
"Asuka," Hikari whispered, taking Toji by the hand again, and leading him back to the front of the house, treading softly so as not to betray their presence. Quickly they walked to the front of his house, and sat down on the porch swing. Hikari leaned into him, and he wrapped an arm over her shoulders.
"I'm glad you told me how you feel about me Hikari. It gave me the strength to tell you that I love you too," Toji said.
"Me too. I know, after I woke up, it's almost all I could think about, for weeks. Then, when Shinji called in to report that the two survivors he was about to pick up were you and Kensuke, I knew my chance had come at last," Hikari answered, snuggling in close.
"I wish Shinji could have that," he said.
"I wish Asuka could give it to him," She replied.
"Why do you think she can't?" he said.
"What? No demon or ice queen accusations to explain away her behavior?" Hikari asked.
"No Hikari. This is just the two of us. I don't have to pretend to be cool, I can just be myself, and I'm worried for Shinji," he answered.
"Well, I've suspected for a long time, even before the Awakening, that Asuka loved Shinji and He loved Her, but he's too scared of being hurt by those he loves to let someone he MIGHT love know his feelings. Fear of rejection, if he cares too deeply, he gets hurt when the person he loves doesn't return his feelings."
"I know that," Toji said, "I'm asking about Asuka."
"Well, it's pretty much the same. She was the one who found her mothers body, but she watched her mother go steadily mad after some incident with Unit-02. Asuka eventually decided that she didn't need anyone. Physically, mentally, or emotionally, she thinks she's strong enough to satisfy all her own needs, so she never lets anyone in, and that makes for a very emotionally isolated young woman."
"Well, I hope that they can work out their problems, I'd hate for them to keep being miserable around each other," he said.
Hikari snuggled up to Toji a little more, and turned to face him.
"Well, I think we have plenty of time ahead of us to discuss all of Asuka and Shinji's problems. I'd like to experience some of the benefits of us resolving our personal problems," Hikari said.
"I believe I can help you there Hikari-chan," he said, and leaned over to cover her mouth with his. They had quickly forgotten Shinji and Asuka for the moment, as they spent time getting reacquainted.
Shinji and Kaji met at the Temple the next night, so that Kaji could walk Shinji though his part in the wedding ceremony before the official practice on Saturday night.
"Okay, so I give you the ring, and then Ritsuko and I follow you and Misato out of the shrine after the presentation. Then we get in the receiving line, and after that head for the reception hall. There I have to make a toast to you and Misato. Have I got that right?" Shinji asked.
"You forgot one thing," Kaji said.
"What's that?" Shinji looked worried and checked his notes.
"When the music starts, you have to dance with Ritsuko."
Shinji gulped down his heart.
"Um. Kaji, I don't know how to dance."
"Oh surely you've been to your school dances before?"
"Well sure, but I never danced at them, and this is going to be a slow dance, and I've NEVER done that at ALL."
"Okay, well, I can see we're gonna have to think quick. Hang on," said Kaji. He picked up his Cell phone, and dialed Doctor Ikagi's home number. "Ritsuko? Kaji here. Yeah, hi, I'm fine, but we have a slight problem. No no, nothing like that, it's just that Shinji can't dance, and I think it would help if you could come over here and show him a few steps. Yeah, that's right, total wallflower. Okay. You will, great, see you in ten. Alright, goodbye." He hung up the phone.
"See Shinji problem solved."
Shinji tried to swallow his heart back down out of his throat again, and nodded numbly.
The next few days were packed with activity for Toji and Kensuke, as they adjusted to this new life. They weren't in school anymore, sure, but what they were learning was a whole lot more fun. Kensuke was learning to be a VTOL Recovery Pilot like Shinji, and Toji was studying Vehicle Maintenance.
The five friends got together each day after work or class, and had dinner together, which was generally cooked by Shinji or Hikari, and sometimes both. Hikari's little sister was usually with her, but Hikari always took her home and put her to bed before the others even considered winding things down.
Kensuke eventually chose a Motorcycle out of the bases extensive motor pool, but Toji was having a hard time picking out what he wanted for a vehicle.
"No way, am I gonna keep riding that dang shuttle bus to class," he growled. "I just haven't found the car that I want yet."
"Why not get a bike like me and Ikari," Kensuke asked.
"Well, I need something that I can pack Hikari and Nazomi into."
"Well then, why don't we go into a car lot in Nagoya-2 and see if we can't find something you like more," Kensuke suggested. So later that day, after Shinji got home, the three young men headed into town, looking for a car for Kensuke. It took almost three hours and five lots before Kensuke found the car he was looking for.
"Isn't she beautiful?" he said, admiring the brand new two-tone Toyota 4Runner.
"Yeah, but can you drive her?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah, I used to drive go carts, at the entertainment park, and I'm a pro at all those racing games," Toji said confidently.
"Uh, okay. Well here's the keys, take her out, but drive carefully," said Kensuke.
Toji jumped behind the wheel of the car, pulled the seat up forward, put on his seatbelt, and started the engine. To prove to his friends he knew how to drive, he took the car out of the lot, and drove around the block slowly several times. Kensuke and Shinji pulled out behind him, and followed him around, until they felt they were comfortable with his driving skills, and decided to take the car back home.
Although Toji couldn't go as fast as they could, they still made it back to the base in good time, and Toji pulled into the Driveway and beeped the horn, trying to get Hikari's attention. She rushed out of the house, hopped in the car, and was squealing excitedly as Toji pulled away from the house.
Kensuke and Shinji watched the two of them go, and laughed.
"I hope he's got enough gas," Kensuke said.
"If not, he might not want to call us for a while, so we'd better go get dinner ready. Come on," Shinji laughed, and waved Kensuke inside.
As usual, Shinji's house had been chosen to be the one where they would have dinner. Shinji had today off, but Asuka had to work. He made a very elaborate Japanese dinner for his friends, but decided to make something special for Asuka. Rolling out some flaky pastry dough, he filled it with ground beef and German sausage pieces, before folding thing dough over, and pinching it closed, making a hand held beef pie. He dug around in his pantry until he found some Sauerkraut, and some good German style mustard.
It didn't take too long before Toji and Hikari were pulling up into the driveway outside. Shinji wasn't paying too much attention, but he thought he heard more than their two voices outside. Glancing out the front window, he saw Misato and Kaji standing in his front yard, talking to Hikari and Toji.
"Misato," he called, "Kaji. What brings you two out to this neck of the woods?"
"You kiddo. It's not everyday your foster son turns 15," Misato beamed.
"What? Shinji, why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?" the other's all complained.
"I'm sorry. I was so busy, I guess I just forgot to look at the calendar. It's not like we all don't have a hundred other things going on these days."
"Well, not to worry, Kaji and I thought you might have forgotten, so we organized a little party for you."
"Not another Katsuragi Party. I don't know if I can handle two in a week," Shinji moaned.
Misato laughed. "It's your own fault, if you don't participate in the party planning, and then don't like the party. The first guests should be arriving soon."
"Speaking of guests, could you ask Asuka to stop by the Commissary on her way home and pick up some soda, chips, and dip? We're gonna need some refreshments, if you're doing a party. I didn't cook enough food for everyone," Shinji said.
"Isn't she here?" Misato asked.
"Um. No, I thought she had work today," Shinji said.
"Nope, I knew today was your birthday, so I scheduled both of you to have it off," Misato said with a sly wink.
"Well, where is she, she left here first thing this morning, after we had breakfast," Shinji said.
"Ikari, you dog. You had breakfast with Asuka this morning and didn't say anything?" Toji teased.
"Well, yeah, we always eat breakfast together, even on days when the other one is off duty. Asuka even cooks for me on her days off," Shinji admitted with a blush.
"But that means that you were up cooking before 5 am," Kensuke observed.
Toji, looked down at Hikari, and whispered to her, "Did you know that they had breakfast every morning?"
"No," she answered, "I knew about the mornings they both had to work, but I didn't know they still did it on their days off. And on her days off Asuka cooks for him? Maybe there's hope for them yet," she giggled.
"Sit, birthday boy, no more working for you," Misato said, motioning him into one of the chairs on the front porch.
Shinji recognized her command voice, and sat as instructed. Within half an hour the party guests had begun to arrive, and Misato was in full swing as honorary hostess.
"You know Shinji, you've got a great house, but your back porch could use a little bit of work," Kaji observed.
"Yeah," Said Shinji, "Now that Kensuke and Toji are here, maybe we can get someone to help us tackle that project. Maybe make a deck and install that Jacuzzi tub that I've been talking to you about."
"Oh, I think we can do better than that," Kaji observed, flipping open his cell phone, and dialing a number. "Okay, you can bring it in."
"Kaji, what are you doing?" Shinji asked.
"Oh, this isn't my idea, I just had to make sure you were ready."
"Ready for what?" Shinji asked warily.
Kaji just grinned and pointed at the rapidly approaching craft. It was a UN VTOL Cargo Lifter. Suspended beneath it by several steel cables was a large pallet covered with construction material of some kind. It looked to Shinji like lumber. Kaji continued to give the pilot directions until they were right over the house.
"Whoa. Kaji, what's all this for?" Shinji asked.
"It's for your new deck," he answered. "Asuka convinced all the guys in maintenance to come over and hold a building blitz here this afternoon. By this afternoon, the deck of your dreams will stand here. Okay Asuka, everybody's clear, drop it down."
Shinji watched as Asuka piloted the VTOL down low, until it was hovering a bare 100 feet off the ground, the downwash from the powerful engines causing the pallet to move slightly in the powerful wind. Several men positioned themselves around the material, as Asuka lowered it the last few feet to the ground. When the pallet was finally down and in place, the helpers disconnected the cables and Kaji told Asuka to go ahead and take the Cargo Lifter back to the base. Several of the guys from the airfield started showing up, then, with hammers and drills and screws, and soon a flurry of construction was taking place outside of Shinji's back door.
Kaji walked over and picked up several pieces of grass sod that covered concrete footings that had been poured into the ground.
"When did you put those in?" Shinji asked.
"A couple days ago. Asuka and Misato made sure you were out of the house for a while and I had a couple guys come help me dig the holes and pour the concrete. It should be cured by now, so we can attach the deck. Sit back and relax Shinji, we'll get this all done in no time," Kaji said.
Seeing everyone busy working on his new deck, Shinji slipped through the back door into the house, and grabbed his helmet and jacket off their pegs in the closet, and headed out to his bike. Before anyone had noticed, he was cruising down the road, headed for the airfield.
As he came over the last small hill overlooking the NERV airfield, he could see Asuka's BMW in the parking lot, and the VTOL Cargo Lifter just setting down in it's landing spot. Racing through the open gate, and onto the tarmac, he pulled the bike up to the VTOL as she jumped out.
"Get on," he shouted, tossing her his spare helmet from the rear saddle bag.
"I can drive," she said, holding out the helmet for him.
"Not tonight, you aren't, you're gonna get chauffeured home for this one, and I'll even give you a ride back in tomorrow."
Asuka grinned, "So I take it you were surprised?"
"That's an understatement. I thought I was going to have to do all that work by myself," he said, motioning to her helmet. She gave in, and pulled the helmet on, climbing on behind him. He expected her to lean back in the reclined seat, but instead she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his chest. He enjoyed having her this close, and decided to go home at a more respectable speed, the better to prolong their physical contact.
Almost half an hour later they pulled up the driveway of Shinji's place, and were greeted by a slightly miffed Misato and company.
"You just vanished," Misato said. "What kind of party is it where the guest of honor just disappears for a half hour at a time."
Shinji grinned. "Sorry, Misato, I promise to never to this again, until the next time I decide to do it."
Misato looked pleased at the first part of his apology, but the became outraged by the second half. "Oh, you, that's it. Kaji, this boys deserving of 15 spanks, I believe the tradition says, so start beating."
"Hmm. I don't think so Katsuragi, if you want to enjoy the site of Shinji being spanked you're gonna have to do it yourself. You pervert," he said.
Misato looked huffily at her fiancée, and then thought better of it, when she noticed that Asuka was still sitting behind Shinji, arms draped over his shoulders.
"Well come on, then, you two, let's go ahead and get back to the party," She said, leading the way. Asuka and Shinji climbed off the bike, and went to hang up their gear. Shinji walked out the back door, and discovered that the deck was already finished. There were even two wooden picnic tables positioned on it, and these were covered in food, with large ice chests full of drinks between them. What caught Shinji's eye though was a large yellow fire hose strung across the deck.
"What's this," he asked, kicking the hose.
"This is for that," Kaji said, pointing. He followed Kaji's gaze, and saw a large Jacuzzi tub filling at the far end of the deck. There were some lattice walls built out from the Jacuzzi edge about 4 feet all the way around, and it was topped with a pagoda style roof.
"You guys work fast," Shinji said.
"Misato had the hot tub and the surround already built and loaded up on one of those trucks with a built in crane, and parked down the block. Once we'd gotten the deck bolts tied down, we brought the tub in. You should have seen the look on her face when she yelled surprise, and got one in return. You had already left."
Shinji looked sheepish when he said, "Sorry Misato, really. I just wanted to give Asuka a ride home."
Misato looked satisfied, "I understand Shinji, and it's quite all right. Whoa. Hey, it's overflowing." She shouted and pointed, and Kaji had to jump for the hose, as it lifted up out of the tub, and blasted water all over the pagoda structure and the whole side of Asuka and Hikari's house. Eventually the water was shut off, and Misato watched as Kaji plugged it into a large outlet on the side of he house, that Shinji was sure hadn't been there last week. Immediately the bubbles started, and an LED panel lit up, showing the current temperature.
Shinji looked at the display and stuck his hand in the water. It was a bone chillingly cold 58 degrees.
"Were going to run a hose out here from your kitchen Ikari, so that it heats up a little faster," Kaji said. "We'll have to drain some of this off though. Right now it's too full."
"Wow, thanks. If we do that, how long do you think it will take until we can use it," Shinji asked.
"Probably tomorrow at the earliest. It still won't be quite warm enough, even with all the hot water," he said.
"Why don't you run hoses from my house too. That way he can use it tonight," Asuka suggested.
"What a good idea Asuka, it might take a while, but if we shut the water off after the tanks empty out of hot water, we can just wait until they re- heat and run them out again. It should be filled and ready to go in about 3 hours," Kaji smiled at her.
As the party wound down, in the late evening, and the guests began to depart, Shinji was sitting in his new favorite chair, on the back porch, and enjoying a cool soda. Each guest would come up, bid him goodbye, and exit back through the house, and out the front. Finally, the last of the crowd disappeared; even his roommates and next-door neighbors. Shinji sat alone next to the Jacuzzi, dipping a hand into the water, and trying to decide if he was ready to take a dip in the steaming water.
"Shinji?" came a soft voice, from behind him. Startled he turned around to see Asuka in a red and while striped two-piece bathing suit.
"Uh, yes Asuka?" he choked out.
"Do you like your deck?"
"I love it, it was a huge surprise."
"Well, I can't claim all the credit. All the guys on both of our recovery teams, and both of the VTOL's maintenance crews helped build it." She grinned in the dark, "Is it warm enough to get into yet?"
"Yeah, I think it is."
"Shinji," she said.
"Yeah Asuka?"
"I got you something," she said, and held out a small package.
"You didn't have to Asuka, you've done more than enough already."
"No, I really wanted you to have this. Go ahead. Open it," she urged him.
He shook his head slightly and opened the package. Inside was a brand new MP3 player, with the ear-buds that he liked so much, and two spare memory chips.
"Asuka. How did you know?" he asked.
"Oh, I remembered that you always had that SDAT player on you, but you hadn't gotten one since we woke up. I found out why. Do you have any idea how old those things are. And the tapes are impossible to find. These things are everywhere, and they have a lot more memory. Two of the sticks already have 48 hours of music on them, and I left the third blank for you to record anything you want to."
Shinji didn't know what to say, so he just said what was expected. "Thanks Asuka."
"So, are you going to try out this Jacuzzi or what?"
"Um, well, yeah, I guess I am, it's just," he blushed, and looked at the ground.
"Would you like some company?"
Shinji swallowed. Hot tubbing with Asuka? How exciting/frightening.
"Um, that would be great. I mean, if you want to, that is."
"Dumbkopf," she said in German, swatting the end of his nose.
Shinji stood up, and went to head into the house.
"Where are you going?" Asuka asked.
"To get my swim trunks," he said.
"You don't need that, you're wearing boxers right?"
"Well, yeah," he blushed.
"Then just shuck out of your pants and shirt, and hop on in. Come on," she said, hooking a finger into his waist band. She giggled, and hopped into the jaccuzi.
Shinji watched her slide into the water, and then did as she suggested. Following after her in nothing but his boxers. As he mounted the steps to enter the Jacuzzi he saw that Asuka was already sitting in the center of it. As he watched, she submerged herself completely, and then surfaced, wiping the hair from her face.
"Come on in, slowpoke, what are you waiting for," she said, playfully.
Shinji walked up the steps, sat down, and eased himself into the Jacuzzi, the warm waters covering him to his neck as he sagged down in relief.
"All the way, Shinji, get it all wet."
"That's okay Asuka, I really don't like to get eyes wet."
"Oh no you don't," she said playfully, and, with a squeal, she lunged at him, pulling herself up out of the water, and pushing him under with her increased leverage. He surfaced spluttering and wiped the water from his face and eyes, which were now very blurry.
When he finally did manage to clear his vision, Asuka was still laughing and screeching in front of him, pleased with herself. Shinji could do nothing but stare as her breasts jiggled before his face, scant inches away. It was then he remembered a lesson on 'thermal expansion' that had occurred last year.
Asuka looked down at him, smiling, "Well Shinji? What do you think?"
"About?" he stammered out.
"About me?" she asked in a sultry voice.
Shinji felt his blood pressure rising, and not from the hot water. Asuka leaned in close to him, her breasts brushing up against his arm.
"Shinji?" she asked softly.
'Oh jeez, Asuka how do I answer this, you've been so cold these last couple months, and now this. Did you really mean all those mean things you've said, and this is your way of apologizing, or are you just testing me,' he thought furiously.
"Shinji!" she urged impatiently.
"I think you're beautiful," he said, and instantly realized it wasn't the answer she was looking for.
"MEN!" she growled, standing up, stepping out of the Jacuzzi, and gathering up her close. "You really know how to make a girl sick, you know that Ikari," she said, walking across the deck.
"Goodnight BAKA!" she shouted as she slammed her back door, leaving Shinji alone and confused in his hot tub.
Shinji sat there for several minutes, letting various excited body parts return to normal before standing up, and entering his house.
"Oh well, at least she didn't notice Shinji-kun's reaction to her," he said to himself as he crawled into bed.
Next on Episode 2:06 of Neon Genesis Evangelion after the lovers unite Shinji has to face one of his greatest fears, and Misato's surprise is sure to make him even more uncomfortable.
It's Evangelion Episode 2:06 Dancing with an Angel.