I own nothing. This story is set in an alternate universe. There will be OOC. You have been warned.
While You Were Sleeping
Chapter Five: Ballroom Dancing
"Mourning Shinji." Asuka watched as Shinji glanced over his shoulder and nodded to her. "Do you come here after every mission?"
"Yes," Shinji said. He set down the Type 3 assault rifle he was holding and turned to face her fully.
"And what are you doing here?" Asuka asked. The brown-haired woman next to Shinji smiled.
"Just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I can't practice," Hikari said.
"Can I talk to you Shinji?" Asuka asked, not looking up to meet either of their eyes.
"Sure," Shinji said. "Hikari could you. . ."
"I'll be back in a minute," Hikari said with a smile. Shinji watched as Hikari walked away and turned back to Asuka.
"What's the problem Asuka?"
"The man in the truck," Asuka said. Shinji nodded his understanding.
"Don't worry. I was serious when I said that I would never make any of you do that," he said.
"It's not that," Asuka said. "I mean not really."
"You want to know why I told Doc to do it?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah," Asuka said with a nod.
"You heard what he said," Shinji said. "That man wouldn't have lived longer then an hour."
"And if he had been in better shape?" Asuka pressed.
"He would have been captured and brought back for questioning," Shinji said. "Beyond that I don't know, nor do I care what the Company does to him."
"I see," Asuka said. "I shouldn't have questioned your orders."
"Yes you should have," Shinji said. "I always want to know if any of my soldiers have problems with my orders; however, I must ask you to do this next time as well."
"What do you mean?" Asuka asked.
"I mean," Shinji began. "Come to me after a mission and do not argue with my orders during the mission."
"Alright," Asuka said with a nod. She watched as Shinji turned and picked up a small semi-auto pistol. "How many guns do you have over there?"
"A few." Shinji stepped aside and Asuka stared at the assortment of weapons spread out in front of him. "You want to go a few rounds?" he asked as he held out the pistol. It was a .45-caliber TACOM, just like the one she carried. She glanced at the much larger .45 SOCOM pistol that Shinji carried and then down the range at the target.
"I'm fine."
"Did you two have a nice talk?" Hikari asked as she walked back up to where she had been standing. She drew the Type 57 pistol from the holster on her belt and ejected the clip.
"Yeah," Asuka said. "Thanks for clearing that up Shinji."
"No problem."
(:ii:)
"Have a good talk with the Captain?" Asuka ignored Maria for a moment and laid flat on her bed. "Hello?"
"Yeah," Asuka said. "I did."
"He always manages to answer all the questions," Maria said with a nod. "Even if he can't tell you the answers. It makes him an excellent CO." Someone knocked at the door and Maria reached out and unlocked it with the toe of her boot. "It's open!" The door swung open and Shinji stepped into the doorframe. "What's up Skipper?"
"Just some officer's business."
"Oh," Maria said with a knowing nod.
"Is something wrong?" Asuka asked.
"No," Shinji said. "Well nothing bad that involves the enemy anyway."
"Spit it out," Maria said.
"Misato told me to tell you that there's an officer's ball at eight in the officer's lounge."
"Sounds posh," Maria said. "So I'll see you at the bar."
"Yeah."
"No," Hikari said as she walked past with a towel. "He's coming to the ball." Shinji's eyes closed and Asuka watched as a slow grin worked its way across Maria's face.
"I have to go."
"Nuh uh," Maria said, rocketing off of her bed.
"Hey look at that!"
"What?" Maria asked, turning to look behind her. She stared at the wall for a moment and spun in time to have the door slam in her face. "God damn it!"
"He's good at that."
"You don't know the half of it," Maria said with a frown. "So are you going?"
"Uh," Asuka began doggedly. "You know, I don't think so. It'll probably be really boring."
"Its just a ball," Maria said in exasperation. "I'll be fine drinking by myself for a few hours. Lord knows that Captain is going to want to erase having to prance around like an officer." Asuka laughed at the thought of Shinji in his full uniform prancing around the officer's lounge.
"So what time is it?"
"It's. . ." Maria glanced at her watch. "Six o'clock!"
"Shit! I'm not going to be ready in time!"
(:ii:)
"Asuka!" Asuka turned and smiled when she saw Misato waving at her.
"You look great Misato." The older woman smiled brightly.
"Thanks. Have a seat." Asuka sat down and glanced at the four other people sitting at the table.
"Good to see you again Lieutenant Sohryu," a Colonel with thick glasses said.
"Yes it is," another Colonel with long hair said.
"Evening." Asuka turned and saw Shinji standing at the table.
"Hey Shinji," the man with the glasses said. "So Hikari really did drag you here."
"I have the scuffmarks on my heels to prove it Colonel Hyuga," Shinji said dryly. Asuka glanced down and began to laugh.
"Nice boots." Shinji glance down and kicked at the expensive hardwood floor with his scuffed combat boots. "Not exactly regulation."
"They are too," Shinji said.
"On the combat uniform," Misato said, leaning to one side and laughing when she caught sight of Shinji's boots.
"What are you going to do?" Shinji asked. "Demote me?"
"Like that would really matter to you," Misato said in annoyance. "Well have a seat Shinji."
"Where's Hikari?" Asuka asked.
"Right here." Asuka jumped in surprise and watched as the brown-haired woman sat next to Shinji.
"Waiter?"
"Yes sir?"
"Do you have anything more then fifty-percent alcohol?" There was the sound of two things connecting solidly and Shinji smirked. "Combat boots."
"I think I broke my heel," Hikari said with a frown.
"Smart man," the Colonel with long hair said. "I'd hate to have a girl friend around to do that to me."
"I'm not your girl friend Shigeru, but I can kick you ass anyway," the female Brigadier General offered.
"No thanks Maya."
(:ii:)
"So how was the party?" Maria asked as Asuka walked into the room.
"Pretty good," Asuka said as she sat down heavily.
"Did Shinji do any ball room dancing?" Maria asked.
"Actually," Asuka said. "I danced with him."
"How did you manage that?" Maria asked in amazement.
"Hikari broke her heel on Shinji's boot and decided to make Shinji dance anyway," Asuka said with a laugh. "He ended up dancing with me, Sub-Commander Katsuragi, Brigadier General Ibuki, Doctor Akagi, Lieutenant Colonel Ayanami, and First Lieutenant Kirishima." As Asuka ticked off the names on her fingers Maria laughed harder and harder. "Of course by the time he was done Hikari had gotten a new pair of shoes so he spent the rest of the time dancing with her."
"Did he dance like a lumberjack?"
"He danced really well," Asuka said.
"Well thank you." Asuka jumped and spun to see Shinji standing in the doorframe, his uniform jacket open, his tie loosened, and a brown bottle in his hand.
"What's up Captain?" Maria asked.
"Just doing my rounds," Shinji said. Asuka had noticed that. He always visited all of his team members. He was giving them a chance to speak their minds. "Everything okay?"
Everything's fine Captain." Shinji nodded and stepped out so that he could close the door.
"So where did you meet Shinji?" Asuka asked.
"Captain?" Maria leaned back and thought for a moment. Finally she whistled. "A long time ago. Damn. I keep forgetting just how old I am."
"So where did you meet him?"
"On the deck of the former UNS Sea Lancer," Maria said. "That was about six years ago."
"Shinji wasn't with NERV six years ago," Asuka said. "He joined two years ago."
"He was part of a private security force," Maria explained. "They were stopping our ship to check for weapons and explosives before we entered a port about two miles from here. I joined NERV that day. I ran into the Captain a year ago here when he was just starting the Genesis Force. I signed up right away."
"How old are you anway?" Asuka asked.
"Twenty five," Maria said. "A year younger then the Captain. As a matter of fact we share the same birthday."
"So what was Shinji like six years ago?" Asuka asked.
"A lot quieter then he was now," Maria said. She laughed at some memory.
"What?"
"The crew of the Sea Lancer and most of the passengers were female and in their late teens or early twenties," Maria said. "And most of the soldiers with Shinji were in their late twenties to early thirties."
"Oh dear God," Asuka groaned as she began to laugh.
"And he was just as much of a babe back then as he is now," Maria continued. "They came out when we were still four hours out."
"So he was stuck on a boat full of women for four hours?" Asuka asked.
"Yeah."
(:ii:)
Asuka knocked on the door in front of her and yawned. "Come in." She pushed the door open and stepped into Misato's office.
"Hello Asuka."
"Hi," Asuka said. "Is something wrong?"
"No," Misato said. "Can't we just talk about old times?"
"I guess," Asuka said as she closed the door and sat down. "Have you seen Shinji?"
"Yes," Misato said. She reached behind her desk and pulled out a can of beer.
"That's against regulations," Asuka said in annoyance.
"I know," Misato said. "I've been trying to get that changed." Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" The door swung open and Shinji stepped in.
"I just came by to tell you that the mission is. . ." Shinji trailed off as his eyes found Asuka. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that you had company. I'll return later."
"Oh don't be so business like," Misato said. "Grab a seat and have a beer."
"Sure." Asuka watched as Shinji collapsed into a seat. He was wearing his normal urban BDUs with his button down blouse slung over his shoulder. He tugged his suspenders off his shoulders and leaned back.
"You just get back from a mission?" Asuka asked.
"No," Shinji answered smoothly as he kicked his heavy boots up and rested them on Misato's desk. "It was a training mission. Beer?"
"Now you're getting into the swing of things," Misato said as she tossed the Captain a beer. He caught the can and popped it with the same hand, the other one resting behind his head. Asuka spent a full minute staring at Shinji's arms. On his left was the Genesis crestand there wereseveral small skulls on his right. "How'd Pierce do?"
"I did fairly well." Both Misato and Asuka jumped as the second sniper seemingly appeared out of thin air.
"Four-for-four," Shinji said. He took another sip of his beer and held it out behind him. Pierce took it and took a sip.
"I have a new mission for your squad," Misato said as she threw her beer in the trashcan and opened one of her drawers.
"No rest for the wicked," Shinji said tiredly. "So what's the job?"
"Just your standard covert extraction and VIP protection mission," Misato said as she laid down a folder.
(:ii:)
"So all we have to do I go out and pick up some spook from intelligence?" Asuka asked as she zipped up her Kevlar vest and buttoned the strap over the zipper.
"And make sure he gets here alive," Shinji said. He was standing beside her. He reached into his locker and tugged something out.
"What's that?" Asuka asked.
"Its my bad karma," Shinji said. He held out the weapon and Asuka took it. It was a pair of black brass knuckles with a seven-inch blade. The words 'bad karma' had been engraved on both sides of the blade in English. Shinji took the knife and tucked it into a sheath on the back of his belt.
"You still have that thing?" Pierce asked quietly.
"Of course," Shinji said. He finished wrapping electrical tape around his bootlaces and stood up. "You have one minute to finish what you are doing and haul your lazy asses to the armory!" Asuka was already done. She followed Shinji and Pierce out of the locker room.
"So what's the name of this spy anyway?" Asuka asked.
"You'll see," Shinji said. That was one of the most annoying answers Asuka had every heard. She was going to chew him out, but light flashed off the rank on his collar.
"If you weren't my superior. . ." she began.
"I would kick your ass," Shinji said. He turned and smirked at her. "I know some really good holds. I could dislocate your shoulder without causing permanent damage."
"Didn't I teach you that one?" Pierce asked.
"I think so."
End
(:ii:)
Author's notes. Still don't have anything to say.