I own nothing. This story is set in an alternate universe. There will be OOC. You have been warned.
While You Were Sleeping
Chapter Three: Discussions
"This place is amazing," Asuka said in awe as she looked around the officer's lounge. She picked up her glass of water and sighed happily. Across from her Shinji put back a glass of brandy like it was a shot.
"I guess," he said with a look of distaste as he rubbed his freshly clean-shaven chin. Asuka took a moment to look him over. He was wearing a formal NERV uniform. The uniform was a pair of pressed black pants, a crisp red button down shirt, a black tie, and a spotless black jacket with silver buttons, military ribbons over the left breast pocket, and a black name plate with 'Nagisa' in white over his right breast pocket. Asuka couldn't help but notice that he looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Do you come here often?"
"Negative," Shinji answered. He picked up another glass of brandy and sipped it carefully.
"Then where do you normally go?" Asuka pressed. She was not going to let him fall into the old yes-or-no format.
"I usually go to the NCO lounge," Shinji said.
"Why?" Asuka asked. She couldn't understand why someone wouldn't want to be at the richly decorated officer's lounge.
"They have better booze." That made Asuka raise an eyebrow. Of all the things she thought this new Shinji was; she hadn't expected him to be an alcoholic. Then she remembered a message that Misato had asked her to pass on to Shinji.
"Misato says that your squad has a group promotion tomorrow."
"Blood money," Shinji growled quietly. He tugged at his collar and brushed the black combination cap sitting next to him on the table.
"So you're going out with Hikari?" Asuka winced. She had been planning on coercing it out of him, but that just sounded jealous.
"Affirmative," Shinji said coldly. Asuka winced again. She had deserved that.
"Why don't we just go to the enlisted lounge?" she asked peaceably.
"Okay," Shinji said as he pulled on his combination cover and tossed a wad of yen onto the table. "Let's get going."
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"So this is the NCO lounge," Asuka said as she looked around the large room. It was at least twice as big as the officer's lounge, but it was about four times as crowded. There were a number of booths along one wall, but most of the soldiers were either dancing to the loud techno music or at the bar.
"This is it," Shinji said. Asuka thought that he looked slightly pleased as he looked around the room. "Let's grab a booth." He took her hand and led her quickly through the dancing crowd to the booths. Asuka sat down and watched as Shinji did the same. "So I heard that you were planning on joining the Genesis." His voice was low, but it carried perfectly over the loud music.
"Yeah," Asuka said. "And there's nothing you can do or say that will stop me."
"Wrong," Shinji said simply. "There are many things that I can do to stop you, but I won't."
"Why not?" Asuka asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Because I don't give a damn," Shinji said smoothly. He turned slightly in his seat and waved at someone.
"You don't care?" Asuka asked. 'Why doesn't he care?' she wondered. 'I could be killed for Christ's sake!'
"I need all the soldiers I can get," Shinji said. "You heard Misato. Our stream of new blood is slowing. That may not sound too bad, but we were only getting about ten new soldiers a week. Of that only three even tried for Genesis. If you pass the boot camp then I have no doubt that you will be a great asset to the unit." Asuka felt herself swell with pride.
"Damn right I'm going to be an asset to your unit," she said with a smirk.
"Oh my God!" Asuka jumped in surprise and turned to face the young man who had appeared at their table. "You're an officer!"
"Funny," Shinji said. "Now go get a glass of water and my usual smart ass."
"I'm going," the young man muttered. "Damn Genesis have no sense of humor."
"Move your ass!" Shinji roared, making Asuka, the young man, and about twenty people around them jump. The young man practically sprinted away through the crowd. "Slacker."
"So you said you needed to talk to me when you asked me out," Asuka said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"You joining Genesis," Shinji said.
"I thought you didn't care," Asuka said in confusion.
"I don't," he said simply.
"Then why do you want to talk to me about it?" Asuka demanded. She was confused and that was starting to piss her off.
"He's talking to you because I asked him to." Asuka turned and watched as a brown-haired woman moved out of the crowd to stand by the table.
"Hikari?"
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"Could you move over?" Asuka quickly slid over and let her friend sit down. "Trust me on this. You may look like an adult, but you're still a teenager."
"You're just going to piss her off talking like that," Shinji said.
"I've seen what war does to teenagers," Hikari continued, ignoring Shinji's dry comment. "I don't want to see that happen to you."
"I'm twenty-six years old," Asuka said, feeling her temper rise. "That's old enough to do whatever I want."
"Actually," Shinji said. "You're physical body is about twenty one years old and your mental age is still sixteen." Before Asuka could retort the waiter had come back and set a large brown bottle, an empty glass, and a glass filled with water on the table. Shinji twisted the bottle's cap off with an easy move of his wrist. He filled the empty glass with the amber liquid and shot it down easily.
"Wow." There had to be at least six shot glasses in that one cup. Shinji brought the cup back down to the table. He must have noticed her rapt attention. He filled the glass with a small amount and nudged it her way.
"Want some?"
"Shinji," Hikari said in a warning tone. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"I'm fine," Asuka said as she snatched up the glass and shot back the burning liquid. She immediately began coughing.
"Good stuff huh?" Shinji asked as he took the glass back and filled it up again. Asuka grabbed her glass of water and drank some quickly.
"Hey Captain." Asuka turned and saw Maria standing at the edge of their table. "What's with the monkey suit?"
"Nothing," Shinji said as he shrugged his uniform's coat off and loosened his tie and cuffs.
"So what are you three doing?" Maria continued.
"We're trying to convince Asuka not to join Genesis," Hikari said. Maria glanced at Shinji, but he just shrugged and sipped at the liquor in his glass.
"You know," she said suddenly. "If you're just going to nurse that, then you better give it to someone who knows what to do with it." She snatched Shinji's glass and shot it back. Asuka watched in amusement as she began coughing too. "What the hell is that?"
"New stuff," Shinji said with a small smirk. "Pretty good."
"Yeah," Maria croaked. "Come on." Asuka watched as the First Sergeant tugged her superior officer out of his seat.
"Where are we going?"
"We're going to let them have their girl-to-girl chat," Maria said. "Now let's dance."
"Why me?" Shinji asked. Asuka had to laugh at his tone.
"So why are you so against me joining Genesis?" Asuka asked.
"Because this is a real war," Hikari said. "You won't be fighting massive monsters inside your own monster. You'll be fighting and killing real people and the scars you'll be getting are real too."
"I wasn't exactly skating through the Angel Wars," Asuka said angrily.
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"So are you two done talking?" Asuka glanced up as Shinji and Maria slid into the seat across from her. "We think we may have a good solution," Maria said proudly.
"What is it?" Asuka asked. She felt bad and wasn't in the mood for someone as overly cheerful as the First Sergeant.
"Officer candidate school begins in one week," Shinji said, his tone neutral. "As of right now you're too late to enroll. You're going to live with Maria for that week. If you can live like us then I'll pull some strings. How does that sound?"
"I guess," Hikari said tiredly. "Can you really get her enrolled in OCS that late?"
"Oh come on ma'am," Maria said chidingly. "This is the great and powerful Captain Nagisa. He has more say about how things are run down here then Sub-Commander Katsuragi."
"And if all else fails then blackmail always works," Shinji said. Asuka noticed a tiny smirk on his lips.
"It's good having famous friends," Hikari said, a trace of humor in her voice. "Or really conniving ones at least."
"That reminds me," Shinji began. "We have squad promotions tomorrow."
"How does the word 'conniving' remind you of promotions?" Maria asked. Shinji just ignored her question and sipped at his glass. "Oh well. I'm going to be a Gunny again!"
"Don't worry," Shinji deadpanned. "You'll always be a snobby little Private to me." Asuka had to laugh at the sour look on Maria's face.
"You're just such a sweetheart," she said sarcastically.
"You'd be amazed," Hikari said. Shinji ignored them and rolled up his sleeve to check his watch.
"Its about that time ladies and Sergeant." He stood up and picked up his jacket and cover.
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"What do you think?"
"I like it," Asuka said as she looked around her new quarters and grinned. The room was just big enough for two beds and a dresser, but it was still fairly nice.
"These are the best quarters," Maria said happily. "The showers are just down the hallway and most of the squad lives fairly close." Someone knocked on the door and Maria quickly opened it. Shinji stepped into the doorframe, the room wasn't big enough for him to step inside, and set a rather large black bag down.
"Compliments of the Sub-Commander," he said in explanation. "So how are you settling in?"
"It's great," Asuka said as she stretched out on her bed.
"Alright," Shinji said. "I have to go now." He turned to leave, but Maria grabbed his wrist.
"Hey Captain."
"Yes?" Shinji asked.
"Why didn't you ever tell us that you lived with the Second Child and the Sub-Commander?" Maria asked. Shinji's gaze caught Asuka's, but he looked more weary then angry.
"You never asked." In the blink of an eye he had disappeared from the doorframe and the door was swinging shut.
"I hate it when he does that," Maria growled as she sat on her own bed. "So what's in there?"
"Some BDUs, a towel, and a pair of combat boots," Asuka said simply. Not exactly her idea of high fashion.
"Well wasn't that nice," Maria said as she opened the wardrobe and pulled out a pair a towel. "Now how about a nice hot shower?"
"That sounds really good," Asuka said as she shoved a pair of BDUs aside and pulled out a fluffy emerald towel. "Is Shinji always like that?"
"He'll loosen up around you when you become Genesis," Maria said simply. "Now let's get going."
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"Were you serious when you said that Captain was shy?" Maria asked as they walked down the hall towards the bathroom.
"Yeah," Asuka said with a snort. "It was utterly pathetic."
"You loved it," Maria cut in with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"I did not," Asuka said in surprise. "He was pathetic."
"Sure," Maria drawled out. Asuka pushed open the door and came face-to-face with a young blue-haired man.
"Pervert!" Before he could say anything Asuka pulled back a fist and slammed it into his jaw. Asuka watched in satisfaction as the young man crumpled to the ground.
"What the hell is going on?" Asuka turned to see Shinji jogging down the hall. He glanced at the young man. "Lieutenant Levant? Okay, what happened?" He sounded absolutely exasperated.
"I have no clue," Maria answered as she kneeled to check the young man's jaw. "Lieutenant?"
"Levant!" Shinji barked sharply, making Asuka jump. The young man's eyes fluttered open and he stared at the ceiling. "What happened?"
"There was red," the young man said dreamily. "And then there was pain. Why am I on the floor?"
"It was a misunderstand Lieutenant," Shinji said as he practically picked the young man up and set him on his feet. "Go see the white coats, okay?" The blue-haired man continued to wobble slightly. "Levant?" Shinji snapped. "Hear me? Go see the white coats, now!"
"Yes sir," the blue haired man said quickly. He turned and began to walk, somewhat unstably, down the hall.
"I'm lost," Maria said. Shinji favored her with an annoyed glare.
"She's a teenagers worked here in 2016," he said slowly. Maria's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh," she said. "So she wouldn't know about the shortage of space and the integrated showers. I'm going to go apologize to the Lieutenant."
"And take the redhead with you," Shinji called in annoyance.
(:ii:)
"Get up!"
"Go away," Asuka groaned as she rolled over. "It's too early to wake up."
"Remember the deal," Maria said. "You think Captain is going to pull strings if you can't even get out of bed on time?" Asuka groaned angrily and slowly rolled out of her bed.
"What time is it?"
"Oh-four-thirty," Maria said. "Now come on. I bet everyone else is already up."
"You're right there Sergeant," a muffled voice said from behind the closed door. "Are you ladies planning on attending breakfast or should I just have then send it to you in bed?"
"We're coming Captain," Maria said, her voice betraying some nervousness. "Get dressed before he gets really annoyed."
"What's he going to do?" Asuka asked as she quickly dressed in a pair of her new urban BDUs.
"You'll find out if you make it to Genesis training," Maria said. She pushed the door open and they stepped out into the hall.
"Well I was about to give up on the two of you," Shinji said in annoyance.
"Why are the halls so empty?" Asuka asked as they began to walk. "Shouldn't there be more people up?"
"No," Shinji said. "Revelry is at five."
"You woke me up half an hour before I had to get up?" Asuka asked. She could feel her temper rising again.
"If you do go into the Genesis training program then you'll have to wake up at four normally," Shinji said. "We just get up early now so we don't have to wait for chow."
"He said normally because that's not taking into account all the surprise combat drills at two in the mourning, or the fire watches, or the. . ."
"Enough Sergeant," Shinji said. "We are not trying to frighten her away."
"I thought we were," Maria said in confusion. She suddenly broke into a broad grin. "Just kidding."
"About the wake up calls?" Asuka asked.
"No," Shinji answered dryly. "About the scaring you away part."
"You mean they actually do that?" Asuka asked in surprise.
"Of course," Shinji said. "I designed the program after all."
"The program is a reflection of his inner self," Maria said. "It's completely twisted and sadistic."
"Sergeant," Shinji said calmly.
"I'm not going to apologize for saying that," Maria said. "It's this Sergeant's personal opinion."
"Very well."
(:ii:)
"This place is huge," Asuka said as she looked around the NERV cafeteria.
"Well the Company needs to feed its employees," Shinji said.
"Why do you people keep mentioning 'the Company'?" Asuka asked.
"It's what we call NERV," Maria explained as she led them into the food line. "The higher ups are executives, medics are white coats, and we're operators."
"Are all soldiers operators?" Asuka asked.
"No," Maria said. "Only Genesis are operators. Demons are agents and normal soldiers are apes. Do you understand?"
"What's a Demon?" Maria almost fell over in shock and Shinji began coughing, trying to cover a laugh. Asuka grabbed a platter and followed Maria towards a table where the only other people were. Asuka looked at their faces and recognized all of them as Shinji's squad.
"So what's the deal with these promotions we keep hearing about?" one of the men called as Shinji sat down.
"Report to the Sub-Commander's office as twelve in full dress," Shinji said simply. "Any other questions before I start eating?"
"What's the plan of the day?" another young man asked.
"It's a standard after-mission day with a twist," Shinji said. "Have chow, weapons check at six, gear check at eight, and dismissal to prepare for promotions at ten."
"What's she doing here?" an older soldier asked.
"She's planning on being Genesis," Shinji said. "She'll be hanging around with us for a week before she goes through OCS. Feel free to show her anything you think may come in handy." With that he began eating. No one else deemed it safe to bother him, so Asuka didn't either.
"We'll have to dig up a Thirty-Six," one of the men said. "The school doesn't use Threes like us."
"They don't use cans either," someone else said. 'Cans?' Asuka wondered. She knew a fair amount of military jargon, but that was new one.
"What's a can?"
"A suppressor," one of the men said. "So what do you know about shooting an assault rifle?"
"The basics," Asuka said. "You know; point and squeeze." There were several groans of disgust and Shinji quieted them with a glare as he continued eating.
"We have a lot of work to do."
End
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Author's notes. Arrrrr! Avast ye bilge rats! Irish car bombs are fun. Go try one, or twelve.