Yin and Yang

"About yesterday, I would just like to say sorry you know," Shinji apologized.

"It is alright, Shinji."

"No hard feelings right?" he said as he patted her back.

"Don't touch me."

"Okay," he snapped as he relaxed his hand back to his side. Misato was looking at the conversation with interest.

"I guess you two got that settled, let's go to the lab already." Rei and Shinji nodded their heads at the same time.

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'Where is that idiot? I just slapped him and he runs out like a crybaby. Lunch is over, don't tell me he took it that bad.' Asuka sat at her desk with her hand supporting her head. Toji was giving dark looks at Asuka as he rubbed his cheek.

'Damn she-devil…' he winced when he touched his cheek. Kensuke was thinking similar thoughts but also placed worry at the whereabouts of Shinji.

'Where is Shinji? He's not the type to run out. He sure took that slap pretty hard.'

(RINGRINGRING!!!) The entire class let out a collective sigh as they continued to walk out.

'Where is that Shinji?' Asuka thought. She walked outside in the hallway. Toji and Kensuke had similar concerns for their acquaintance. Asuka ignored them as she continued to walk out. 'Why am I so worried about him? This isn't like me! Still…' She left the school building and started to walk home. That was until she heard a rustling in the bushes. "Huh?" She heard a groaning. She approached closer and closer until she saw (GASP!!!) Shinji. "SHINJI!!!"

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Shinji shivered unintentionally as he was spinning himself on the swivel chair. Dr. Akagi noticed this involuntary shudder.

"What is it?" Shinji looked over at Rei and Misato.

"I don't know but it feels like something bad happened."

"Like what?"

"I'm not sure." Rei sat on the control console.

"Dr. Akagi?" Ritsuko took a sip of her coffee.

"Yes Rei?"

"Why don't we do the synch test now?"

"We're waiting for somebody," the doctor answered.

"Who?"

"Shinji." Rei turned her face over to Shinji and raised an eyebrow.

"But he's over there." Ritsuko took another sip as she leaned back on a desk.

"I know."

"But you're waiting for Shinji."

"So?"

"But he's over there." Rei wore a baffled face.

"I see that Rei, what's your point?" Ritsuko replied not sensing the girl's confusion.

"Why are we waiting for somebody already here?" Shinji put up his hand to stop Ritsuko from replying.

"Because sweetheart, there are two of me." She looked annoyed at him. Shinji smiled seeing the wide range of emotions that Rei was expressing.

"I don't understand." The doctor looked over at Shinji.

"You haven't told her yet?"

"Well judging from my bruise, no." Rei looked impatient.

"What is going on?" Misato took a sip of her beer.

"It's like this, Shinji somehow-,"

"Misato!!!"

"Huh?" She was startled by Asuka's call. Her eyes widened as she saw Shinji slung over her shoulder seriously injured.

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Shinji lay on the couch grasping his ribs.

"That hurt…" Fate looked indifferent.

"Don't worry about it, you're just FEELING it. It's not like you're going to die."

"What about my good counterpart?" Fate rubbed its shadow chin.

"Don't worry, he'll survive. After all, I am Fate right? I can see these things."

"Hmmm…"

"Don't worry about the guy who beat you up too. He's going to get what's coming to him."

"And what's that?"

"Just watch."

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Hours have passed since then…

Asuka was sitting worriedly by Shinji's bedside. He was bought into the Nerv hospital, where he is now lying down.

'Stupid Shinji, why'd you have to run out like that and get yourself hurt.' The other Shinji was standing outside the room leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Rei sat down on a chair next to him.

"Are you not worried about your…brother?" she simply asked. After the appearance of the second Shinji, she had been explained the whole situation. She took it pretty well, mostly because she had suspected that Shinji wasn't who she thought he was.

"No, he's going to live," Shinji remarked so casually.

"What makes you so sure?" He scoffed.

"If he dies, I die. One can't live without the other." Rei was silent.

"I hope…that you are right."

"Don't hope, because I know." Rei expressed some surprise in the words that laidback Shinji had spouted. She was somewhat…impressed?

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"This is bad isn't it?" Misato asked.

"Yes…in a way. He's going to be fine but who knows what psychological damage he would retain? He's only a part of Shinji, I don't know if he can deal with it," Ritsuko explained.

"I hope Asuka goes easy on him, it seems that the cause of all this was because she slapped him."

"(sigh) Looks like we're going to have to postpone the tests for a week."

"It looks like I need to rearrange the school schedule for Shinji too." She took a sip of her beer. "At least we still have the other Shinji."

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"Sir, your son is recovering from a fight earlier."

"A fight? Looks more like a beating to me. How pathetic. Do we know who did it?"

"We're still looking into it sir."

"Good."

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"Come on and eat Asuka! You have to," Shinji complained. They were back at the apartment trying to forget about the day. It was at night.

"I don't feel like it," Asuka said without the usual energy behind her voice. Misato drank down a gulp of her beer.

"Don't blame yourself Asuka, it's not your fault."

"Of course it is, if I hadn't slap him then he wouldn't have gotten beaten up so bad!" Shinji sat at the table.

"That still doesn't mean you have to let all that good food go to waste." Asuka looked heatedly at Shinji.

"Shut up! You know, I bet this has something to do with YOU!"

"What? I assure you, I have nothing but the best interests for my brother in mind."

"Oh please." Misato had a sweat drop on her head.

"Oh come on, let's all be nice here. Don't start blaming each other. Just eat right now. There's no good if we argue over Shinji now will it?" Asuka lowered her shoulders.

"I guess you're right Misato…" Misato responded by gulping down another drink of beer.

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It was early in the morning and Shinji started for school. He had woken up earlier because he didn't want to walk to school with Asuka lest she unleash her wrath upon him. Just to be polite though, he left breakfast on the table.

'Who the hell would want to beat me up? Whoever did it though, I'm going to find out whom it is and make sure he will never EVER try to beat me again. That's the price you pay when you try to mess with me or my brother.' He got lost in his thought and didn't notice that he had bumped into somebody.

"YOU again? You just come back for more don't you?" Shinji looked up at the SAME guy that the other Shinji met the other day.

"Who the hell are you?" The guy just smiled.

"Let me refresh your memory." He threw a punch that Shinji easily avoided.

"Nope, still don't remember you." The guy became angrier. He was confused, he was sure he had totally messed him up the other day.

"I'm Hitomi's boyfriend!" Shinji was struck with sudden realization.

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Asuka walked out of her bedroom expecting to see 'that idiot' up and cooking. To her disappointment, he wasn't. Disappointed you say? He's a pretty damn good cook.

'At least he left some breakfast for me.' After finishing up the food, she exited the apartment and began to make the journey to school.

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Shinji walked into the classroom looking satisfied with himself and beaming with pride. The occupants of the class stared at him. He noticed this unusual attention.

"What?" Kensuke pushed his glasses.

"We saw you being carried by Asuka yesterday, you looked terrible. What the hell happened?" A supportive murmur was given out from the class.

"Some guy tried to rough me up yesterday."

"You alright? You looked horrible when you were slung over her shoulder," Toji stated as he shifted his position from a 'lazy' style to a sitting one.

"Yeah, actually, I just met him on my way to school this morning."

"What happened?" Shinji gave out a wide grin.

"Look outside." The class followed the boy's instructions and peered out the window. Outside, a pair of legs can be seen sticking out from a garbage can.

"Whoooo!"

"Burn!"

"You da man Shinji!"

"Never thought he had it in him." Toji and Kensuke turned to Shinji.

"I guess you didn't beat him without him leaving you a mark eh?" Toji said.

"What do you mean?" Toji touched the side of his face.

"The bruise."

"This? He didn't give that to me." Kensuke became puzzled.

"Then who did?" As if on cue, Rei Ayanami walked in the room. Shinji pointed to her with his eyes.

"She? When?"

"Two days ago," Shinji replied as he went over to his seat, as did the rest of the class.

"What do you mean, I didn't that bruise yesterday," Toji observed.

"It's kind of hard to explain." Asuka walked into the room at that moment but nobody noticed her because she entered without the usual fanfare. She silently treaded to her seat without passing the usual 'stooge' comment. Kensuke rubbed his eyes.

"Did I just see a total role reversal here? First you walk in all happy and then she sulks in. Totally opposite from yesterday." Shinji gave a smile.

"Well…"

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"Damn! I never knew I could do that!" Shinji yelped. Fate was balancing himself on the couch, to Shinji's discomfort.

"Yeah well maybe if you actually stand up for yourself you'd know now wouldn't you?"

"Hey, like my bad side said, I don't hit women. I have more sense than that you know."

"I was talking about Toji."

"It worked out well in the end don't you think? He DID become my friend."

"Uh-huh." Shinji looked up at Fate.

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The lunch bell (RING!!!) went off to the relief of the students. Asuka walked over to Shinji.

"I heard that you did a number on some guy. Was he the same guy that beat up the other Shinji?" Toji and Kensuke were confused at Askuka's choice of words.

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Actually, there's a funny story about that. Remember at the mall when we went shopping the other day? Well that girl was the same one who's…"

Am I evil or what?