Sins and Retributions

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Servitude

'Why the hell did I do that?' Shinji thought as he ran a warm bath for his girlfriend. He put his hand under the faucet, and felt the water. 'Warm enough…' he thought as he put in the plug to fill the bathtub.

The boy called out, "Asuka! Your bath is ready!"

The girl stepped into the bathroom, garbed in a bathrobe, and she scowled, "What did you call me!"

Shinji sighed, "Beautiful Asuka, Ruler of Everything, and Best Evangelion Pilot in the World."

Triumphantly, Asuka smiled, "That's what I thought I heard!"

As Shinji turned away, she slipped out of the robe and into the tub, pulling the shower curtain to the point that Shinji couldn't see her body.

He turned back around, facing Asuka, and filled a pitcher with water. The young Ikari poured its warm contents over the girl's head.

Her hair clung to her skin, and Shinji drew it all into one large strand. He poured shampoo into his hands, and gingerly began to scrub Asuka's hair. She slid deeper into the bathtub, allowing herself to relax, and couldn't stifle the moan that escaped from her lips.

Shinji whispered into Asuka's ear, "Close you eyes, Asuka."

After she had done so, he let warm water caress Asuka's face, rinsing away the soap in her hair. Slowly, Asuka opened her beautiful cerulean eyes, and they were met with the warm, inviting, azure eyes of Shinji Ikari.

He leaned towards her, and his head drooped over her face. His lips brushed against hers, and he murmured, "Are we even now?"

Asuka stroked his cheek with one hand, and said, "Not yet… I want you to play your cello for me. And no complaints, okay?"

Again the young man turned around, but this time he grabbed Asuka's robe. When she stood up, the Second Child looked around for her robe, but since she couldn't find it, turned to look near the bathtub.

Shinji turned and wrapped the robe around her, "Just wait here."

Asuka sat down and Shinji retreated from the room. Moments later, he returned with his cello case.

(-----)

Rei sat on her bed and stared at the floor. She was waiting for Kaworu to ring her doorbell, so the both of them could go and surprise the occupants of the Katsuragi apartment.

The sudden noise from her door made Rei jump, and she moved to the door. She opened it, allowing the fading sun to spill on her pale skin and purple skirt. Her black shirt was slightly ruffled from sitting in the same position for a while.

Kaworu smiled at the girl, and she said, "Your eyes… You have glasses…"

The boy nodded and scowled, "Unfortunately… My eyesight has deteriorated enough to merit glasses all the time."

Rei smiled and spoke, "I believe that they look nice on you."

Kaworu's pale skin flushed a little, and he said, "I guess so…" Rei grabbed his hand, and let him lead her to the Katsuragi apartment.

(-----)

The Fifth Child knocked on the door, and called out, "Miss Katsuragi! Shinji! Asuka! Is anyone there?"

The door slammed open, and a tired looking Asuka sighed, "Huh… What's up?"

Rei spoke up, "We came to perform the act of visiting friends."

Though Asuka raised an eyebrow, she stepped aside and allowed passage.

Shinji was putting his cello back into its case, and he smiled at them, "Hey! What's up?"

With a deadly serious face, Kaworu spoke, "I believe it is the ceiling, is it not?"

Shinji rolled his eyes, "It's just an expression."

Ayanami nodded, "Even I understood that one." Kaworu blushed and adjusted his glasses on his face.

Asuka, who was leaning in the doorway, moved and sat in Shinji's lap. The boy blushed furiously, and Asuka said, "Hey. Those are new, aren't they? I didn't know you wore glasses." The crimson faced Shinji nodded in agreement.

Kaworu frowned and said, "Yes… They are a new acquisition… But I do not like them much. They have a tendency to slip further down on my nose than I want."

Asuka giggled, "Man! You sound just like this Dummkopf!"

The black, rounded square frames slid down his nose, and Kaworu, frustrated, slammed them back up on his face.

Shinji began to talk, "So would you two like something to eat? Misato should be back in a half-hour or so."

He hadn't noticed that his hand was resting on Asuka's leg until he tried to stand. Blushing heavily, the boy removed his hand, and stood up. Since Asuka was bored, she decided to follow him into the kitchen and 'help' him cook.

Again she assumed her position on the countertop, watching Shinji's every move. As he was working, the Second Child spoke, "I saw where that hand was."

Shinji flinched and slowly turned to the German. She slid off the counter and moved closer to him, and said, "Getting a little daring, now aren't we?"

He couldn't stop blushing, and he attempted to babble off a response, but Asuka cut him off, "Don't worry. I'll be nice." The Third Child returned to cooking, and Asuka became his cooking assistant.

(-----)

Rei and Kaworu watched the couple in the kitchen with curiosity, as neither had understood what happened.

Both shrugged, and Kaworu jumped as Misato kicked open the door to her apartment, "I'M HOME!"

Misato moved at the speed of light and was right in Kaworu's face, "I see you have glasses now! Kinda cute! How come you're over here?"

The former angel struggled to answer her question, and Misato looked at Rei, who wore a face of uncertainty.

Misato, obviously over caffeinated, spoke faster than many people could understand, "What's wrong Rei? Afraid I might steal your boyfriend? Come on Rei! We know each other better than that, don't we?"

Rei hesitated for a second, "I do not believe that you would be able to interest Kaworu in that sense. You already failed with attracting Shinji."

Misato frowned, "I was kidding… Anyway! I know Shinji will always be attracted to me. Especially after what happened a few weeks ago, right Shinji?"

Asuka looked at Shinji with murder in her eyes, "Yeah Shinji! What happened!"

He shifted uncomfortably under the redhead's gaze, and spoke quietly, "Well… I was using the bathroom, and Misato just kinda… stomped in. She just hopped in the shower, and told me to 'evaluate her assets'."

Asuka glared at their guardian, and Shinji muttered soft enough so that nobody heard, "Both of you are always complaining about privacy, and I'm the one that doesn't get any…"

The fiery pilot shouted, "You pervert! How could you do that!"

Misato genially smiled, "Oh calm down. I was only joking with him. It wasn't like I was trying to force him to do anything."

Asuka retorted, "Yeah right! I wonder how many times you've tried to get Shinji in your pants!"

Misato scowled, "I'm just kidding with him… besides who are you to talk! You do everything to sexually frustrate him!"

Asuka pulled back, "Well… Well that's different!"

Misato laughed, "How!" The German pilot shot back, "Hey! I don't do it to him that much!"

With that said, Misato produced a DVD from her jacket, and said, "Oh really? Well let's just take a look at this here disc."

She threw the disc into the player and said, "Merry Christmas kids!"

The four teenagers crowded around the screen of the television, and watched in amazement as a giant slideshow of pictures Misato had taken of Shinji and Asuka in compromising positions.

Kaworu and Rei chuckled while Shinji about died on the spot. Asuka simply glared at Misato.

The Sub-Commander laughed, "I already showed Ritsuko, Kaji, and all of the Bridge Crew. Hell! Even Commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki watched it! Both of them seemed interested."

Shinji scratched his head, 'Damn. Well… at least none of the school people have seen it.'

Misato smiled again, "Since Kensuke made it, I assume that Toji has seen it. I've also sold near to three for a hefty sum of money!"

Asuka screamed in rage, "You did WHAT!"

The woman smiled, "Gotcha! I still have all of the hundreds of copies here." Asuka shouted, "Well I'm going to throw them away!"

As if already prepared for that, Misato said, "What'll you do when some pervert is picking through the trash and sees it?"

The German sighed, "Scheisse! How the hell can I get rid of them?"

Shinji, the same one that had been silent for the whole exchange, spoke up, "A-Asuka…"

The girl rounded on him and snapped, "What Dummkopf!" Shinji blushed at his name, and spoke, a savage glint in his eyes, "Why not crush them In Units 01 and 02?"

Asuka grinned viciously, "Maybe you're not as simplistic as I thought, Third Child."

The young Ikari laughed, "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

Asuka grinned devilishly and said, "Oh, you'd love that wouldn't you, Third Child?" The boy couldn't hinder blush that rose in his face.

Pictures are Forever… under a 100 Foot Robot

Asuka clenched her fist. She jumped into the air, and started to hop up and down on top of the tapes, smashing a multitude of tapes in her Evangelion.

Shinji had meanwhile just crushed a few of them with his hand. The now promoted Commander Fuyutsuki stood in his usual position and said calmly, "I got three hundred yen that says Shinji breaks more than Asuka."

Immediately the bridge crew and the other occupants took up his offer, counting on the explosive nature of Asuka to smash the tapes to bits.

The rampaging Asuka continued to jump around, and stumbled, ramming into Unit 01. Shinji fell right on the large stack of tapes and DVD's, demolishing most of them.

He held up Unit 02 and righted it. For the last wave of tapes, Shinji made a chopping motion with his hand, reaching across his chest.

Asuka remembered the move, as she had used it at one point. A large AT Field shot out, dicing the records into small fragments.

Asuka gaped at what the boy did next. He picked up the last disc, and examined it for a moment, then his Eva's mouth opened, and Maya screamed, "Berserker!"

His Evangelion shrugged and popped it into its mouth like a cookie and chewed it up. From his entry plug, Shinji smiled and said, "Nope."

The German girl smiled and rolled her eyes, "Heh… Show off…"

(-----)

Shinji sat on the couch, attempting to get some homework finished, but he knew he didn't understand it. He shouted out, "Asuka! Can you come out here?"

Her head popped out of her room, and she silently moved behind him. She threw her arms around Shinji and pointed at his notebook. "Oh man! This is kids stuff! See here? This isotope is called Carbon 13."

Shinji nodded and groaned, "Not this again! Why can't you just give me the answer?"

She pulled his head to hers and flicked him on the forehead, "You should appreciate your good fortune! I'm the most popular and beautiful girl in school! Other than that, I'm the only one that's graduated College in the whole high school!"

Shinji sighed, "Yes, your highness." She glared at him and sardonically said, "Keep it up and you're alone tonight."

He immediately shut up, and Asuka hopped over the couch, resting her head on Shinji's chest. She looked up at him and asked, "Now! What is Carbon's Atomic Number?"

Shinji once again sighed, "It's six. So that means it has six protons, neutrons and electrons, right?"

She shook her head, and began getting frustrated, "Dummkopf! You are an idiot… But somehow you make it attractive… Anyway… You're right about the Atomic Number, but one of those numbers for the subatomic particles is wrong. Think now. What's that number under its symbol?"

As if it dawned on him, Shinji said, "The average atomic weight for all of the isotopes… least I think so. So that means that there couldn't be six… neutrons is it? Yeah, definitely, because the electrons are so small that we can't really measure them, more or less see them. Maybe Dr. Akagi could…"

Asuka gripped his chin, "Good job. Now get back on task! Okay, you just said that the Atomic Number represents the number of protons and electrons, but not neutrons. But why is the isotope called Carbon 13?"

Shinji faltered, and thought for a minute, "B-Because… That is its… Atomic Weight?"

The redhead nodded, and Shinji continued, "Since the electrons are too small to measure, I should look at the protons and neutrons. Okay, I think I got the hang of it. That means that the neutrons in Carbon 13 have to be seven, because seven and six make thirteen."

Asuka smiled, "You got it."

Shinji closed his notebook and yawned, then flipped on the TV.

Asuka glared up at him, "I help you with your homework and you're going to stiff me?"

The Third Child grinned, "I wouldn't dream of it." He leaned down and kissed Asuka's forehead, then moved to the tip of her nose, making her giggle.

He finally ended at the German's lips, where the two engaged one another in their company. Shinji reluctantly pulled back, "How's that for payment?"

Asuka smirked, "You forgot my tip." Shinji's head dipped down again.

(-----)

Toji sneezed and stared blankly at his biology homework, then exploded, "THIS IS BULLSHIT!"

He pulled out his cell phone and began to dial. First he tried Kensuke, then Hikari but neither answered the call. He sighed, 'Hope the demon doesn't answer…' Toji Suzuhara's fingers trembled as he dialed the last number.

(-----)

Shinji's phone rang and Asuka elbowed Shinji, "Hurry up and pick it up!" He yawned and received the call, "Hey, its Shinji."

Toji's voice could be heard through the receiver and Asuka could hear it, "Hey Shinji! Can you lend me your biology homework?"

Shinji's eyes rolled, "Toji… It's three in the morning. No. Besides, I had to pay for my answers."

The jock screamed into the phone, "WHAT! THAT'S BULLSHIT! WHERE'S THE BROTHERLY LOVE! EVEN LOVE AMONG STOOGES! BESIDES, A MAKEOUT SESSION ON THE COUCH ISN'T EXACTLY WHAT I'D CALL PAYING!"

Shinji laughed slightly, but cut it off, and said in a mechanical voice, "We're sorry. This call has been terminated for security reasons, and we appreciate your cooperation. Goodbye."

With that said, Shinji turned off his phone, and rolled over. He wrapped his arms around Asuka, and nervously let his hands rest on the spots she forced them to.

The young Ikari drew closer to her, pressing his chest against her back, and he took in the scent of the redhead's hair.

The girl moaned lightly, and Shinji whispered, "You're still up? Do you want me to stop?"

Asuka shook her head and yawned, "No… Keep doing exactly what you're doing."

Shinji began to tickle Asuka's flat stomach, but moved his way to her ribs. She snapped awake, "One more finger, and I'll turn you into a eunuch."

The boy sighed, "I just can't fall asleep." His hand slipped under the girl's shirt, and he gently cupped her breast.

She breathed in sharply, and thought, 'Damn Shinji! Getting kinda bold. I would have beaten the life from him if he tried this before… I definitely like this much better.' Asuka's methodic breathing lulled Shinji to sleep, and Asuka soon followed suit.

(-----)

Just like Sleeping Beauty, Shinji woke up Asuka with a kiss.

She opened her eyes and smiled at the boy, "Guten Morgen, Third."

He caressed her face, and said, "You should think about getting ready for school."

Asuka rolled over, pulling the blanket over her body tighter, "Just five more minutes."

Shinji Ikari sighed, and grabbed the covers, ripping them off of Asuka's body.

She glared at him, and motioned for him to come closer. The boy was expecting her to slap him, but she pulled him on top of her, and held tightly, "I told you I wanted five more minutes, now it's ten."

Shinji sighed, and resigned himself to being late for school… again. After ten minutes, Shinji picked himself up off of the bed, and said, "You should get ready now, that means you can't take an hour long bath today. Breakfast will be ready when you are."

Asuka absentmindedly nodded as she stood up and stretched. The girl trudged to the bathroom, and stripped off her clothes, starting the water to the shower. As soon as it was hot, Asuka stepped under the spigot, and let water run off of her body.

She rubbed her eyes, and suddenly felt dizzy. Asuka Langley Sohryu could feel herself falling, and she hit the bottom of the bathtub with a resounding thud.

Shinji was working in the kitchen, and somehow, he could sense that something would happen to Asuka. The loud German curse he had become familiar with confirmed his fears, "SCHEISSE!"

He slid open the door, and grabbed a towel from the rack, and covered the naked girl.

She spoke with her hands pressed to her temples, "Scheisse… I feel so… so dizzy."

He spoke with authority, "You're not going to school today. No complaints! And I'm staying home to watch you. No complaints, okay?"

Asuka nodded, and was picked up, and moved to the kitchen table.

(-----)

Misato was awoken by a phone ringing, and she growled, "This had better be important!" She picked up the phone and snapped, "What do you want!"

Shinji's voice was heard through the receiver, "It's Asuka! She collapsed in the shower today, so we're going to stay home from school."

Misato's eyes widened and she shouted, "Screw school! Get your asses to NERV immediately!"

Shinji made a vocal affirmation, and hung up.

Misato immediately used her intercom system to talk to Ritsuko, "Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, report to the Sub-Commander's office immediately!"

Ritsuko answered back, "Can't this wait? I'm doing a system checkup on the MAGI!"

Misato bellowed into the intercom, "SCREW THE MAGI! Asuka just collapsed! Get ready to do a full physical on her!"

Dr. Akagi almost fell back, "WHAT!" The woman immediately dropped what she was doing and had Maya prepare the examination room.

(-----)

Shinji held Asuka close as he ran through the streets of Tokyo III. The girl was completely silent for most of the trip, but once they got to the elevators, Asuka struggled to get out of Shinji's grip, "I… I wanna walk…"

The pilot of Unit 01 obediently set her on her feet, but that didn't stop him from wrapping an arm around her.

Asuka clutched at her left eye, "Damn… Not now!"

The Second Child swayed in Shinji's arms, but he held her tight, maintaining her position of standing.

The doors of the elevator opened, revealing Dr. Akagi and Sub-Commander Katsuragi. Misato was on the verge of tears and she cried out, "Asuka! Are you alright!"

Shinji shook his head and helped her walk to the examination room. Ritsuko turned to the boy, and said, "I'm sorry Shinji, but you need to leave."

Shinji growled, "I'm not leaving Asuka like this! Don't try and force me either!"

Ritsuko was going to say something, but Asuka gasped, "Just… Let him… stay in here…"

The doctor nodded and took an X-ray of Asuka's whole body. She gasped when she saw the results and said, "It looks like Asuka has a puddle of LCL behind her eye."

Asuka groaned and clutched at her eye, while Misato spoke, "What does that mean?"

Dr. Akagi shrugged and let out a sigh of frustration, "I don't know. I would assume that the LCL is trying to fuse with her eye…"

Shinji shouted out, "How the hell did it get there in the first place!"

This time, Asuka replied, "It was the Lance… Do you remember? I got one straight through the eye."

Ritsuko ran her fingers through her hair and said, "We got lucky that none of the other Lance entry points got LCL stuck in them. The real question is how the LCL actually got there. The Evangelions shouldn't inflict physical damage on their pilots."

Asuka scowled, "That's a load of bullshit! I know what I felt. You know, seeing as how blood was pouring out of my eye! Plus, I was in the LCL and my eye got a LANCE through it. It only makes sense that the LCL I was sitting in would get into the wound!"

Asuka squinted and blinked a few times, then fell backwards onto the bed.

Shinji was immediately at her side, "Asuka! Are you okay?"

The German girl nodded, gritting her teeth in pain, "I'm just a little dizzy… that's all…"

The Third Child squeezed her hand gently, and whispered, "Don't worry. I'm here for you. You don't have to act so tough, it's okay."

Tears glistened in her eyes, and Asuka buried her face in Shinji's chest, "It hurts so bad… It hurts… H-Help me…"

Shinji embraced her, and ran his fingers through her hair, "Just hang on, Asuka… Just hang on…" He looked at Dr. Akagi, "How are we going to fix this? When are we going to fix this?"

The doctor crossed her arms and spoke after a great deal of time, "We'll have to siphon the LCL out… At the earliest, we can do it by tomorrow, but the latest… We'll have what we need by the end of the week."

Asuka pushed harder against Shinji's chest, 'Scheisse! Damn this eye… Why does it hurt so badly?'

(-----)

Shinji sat at his desk with a sour look on his face.

A voice from behind him spoke out, "And how's our Little Storm Cloud doing?"

He looked back to see Toji, and frowned, "Shut up Toji! I'm in no mood to deal with this now."

Toji shrugged and wondered out loud, "Where's the Demo- Sohryu? Don't you two usually come to school together?"

Shinji leaned forward and slumped to his desk, "She's getting surgery later today…"

Toji raised an eyebrow, "Why would she need surgery? She may not be nice to us, but I can't say she isn't good looking."

Shinji turned around and snapped at the jock, "She's got some LCL stuck behind her left eye. I have no idea what it'll do to her, but it is not making me happy! I… I just can't stand to see her in so much pain."

Another voice spoke up, this time it was Kaworu, "I can see that Miss Sohryu isn't here today… Did something go wrong?"

A curt nod from Shinji brought him up to speed, and Kaworu pushed his glasses up on his nose, "Do not worry about her. She is strong… She is like you, Shinji."

His cell phone rang, though class was just starting.

Hikari stood up and shouted, "Hey Shinji! You're not allowed to have a cell phone during class! The alarms haven't gone off, so there's no need for it!"

Shinji spoke into his phone, "I'll be right there." He clicked off his phone and ran for the door, "Sorry Hikari! I gotta bail!"

The teacher had started his lecture, and nothing could stop him from droning on.

Operation

Shinji had gone through all of the sanitation steps, and he was being allowed to be in the actual room the operation was taking place in. He wore his latex gloves, and had to wear one of those ridiculous caps.

Asuka was lying on the operation table, knocked out through some sort of drug, and had an IV in her arm.

The doctors were trying to put a tube into her eye, but they couldn't find a safe place to put it. When the doctor tried to put the tube into the corner of her eye, her AT Field blocked it.

"Shit!" the doctor cursed, "This won't work at all!"

Shinji took a step back, "What? There's no way! Is her AT Field activating because it's dangerous?"

A tear slid from his eye, 'Damn…'

His mind raced, and he thought of all the experiences he had with Asuka. The way she smiled, the way she laughed… He couldn't ever live without her. His last thought was how she would always sit on the counter, and watch while he cooked for her. In his mind, Asuka smiled, then her lifeless body slid to the floor.

'NO! NO NO NO NO NO!'

A voice spoke up, 'Shinji! You need to help, now!'

Shinji blinked, 'I can't! I just can't! There's no way I can do anything!'

The gruff voice of Gendo called out, 'There is a use for you! If you are going to do something, do it! If not, then just do what you always do: run away.'

Shinji softly mumbled, "Can I really do anything?"

Yui's soothing voice spoke to Shinji, 'Wouldn't you do anything you can to keep the one you love alive? If you wouldn't, then I'm not sure I know you well enough…'

Shinji kept repeating the same phrase, it became a mantra in his mind, 'I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I won't leave you Asuka!'

Shinji moved to her side, and placed his left hand on hers, and his other hand, he elevated slightly over her left eye. Shinji's fingers twitched and an orange hexagonal pattern funneled into Asuka's open left eye.

Shinji could feel the vortex that swirled from it, and it drained the LCL from the recess behind her eye. Shinji could feel the warm liquid splash against his hand. Asuka's AT Field crackled with warm energy.

It wasn't blocking Shinji, it was actually aiding him. Both of their fields surrounded the other's and it quickly ejected all of the foreign liquid. Shinji drew back and a sharp intake of breath was all that showed his exhaustion.

He gently caressed Asuka's face, and said, "Asuka… Asuka, you can wake up now."

Asuka's other eye snapped open, and her dilated pupils contracted in the light. She blinked once, and smiled, "Show off…"

(-----)

Asuka sat up on her bed and sighed. She went into the bathroom, and stared at the mirror, focusing on her left eye.

It had changed, though only slightly.

Her eyes were two different shades of cerulean, her right eye was unchanged, but the left was a shade darker.

She sighed, 'At least nobody will notice… maybe somebody will.'

Asuka jumped as she glanced into the mirror, and Shinji stood behind her. He had appeared out of nowhere, and said, "I… I heard you come in and saw the light on…"

Asuka turned to face him, and smiled, "Trying to get a quick peep in, huh pervert?"

The alleged pervert shook his head, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She smirked, "I know that… It's so much fun to tease you though. Shinji?"

He gazed straight into her eyes with an intent look in his eyes. He put his hand on Asuka's cheek, and she pressed it against her face, but he said, "Your eye… it changed didn't it? It looks darker…"

Asuka flinched, "I didn't think anyone would notice…"

The Third Child chuckled, "I know you more than that. I would notice even the smallest change in your eyes… I gaze into them often enough to have them memorized."

Asuka pressed close to him, "I've noticed… I'm finished in here, and now it's time to go to bed children."

Shinji laughed at what she said, as he remembered that she had used that line once before. He moved to the side, allowing Asuka to pass him. He grabbed her around the waist and picked her up, and Asuka barely suppressed the squeal she let out.

Shinji carried her into his room, where he kissed the girl and whispered, "Goodnight… I love you."

Asuka pressed against Shinji, and he embraced her. His hand was up her shirt, resting on her ribs, where he could feel her chest rise and fall with each breath. An errant finger traced circles and lines all along her stomach and ribs. The tender finger that lightly danced across her body forced her to shiver.

Asuka could feel her body heating up, but calmed herself, 'He said that we're not ready yet. I'll respect his wishes.'

The tracing and drawing faded away, and Asuka felt a head fall onto the pillow, and light snoring followed. The German girl pressed closer to Shinji and closed her eyes, then smiled as sleep overtook her.

(-----)

Asuka sat in class not listening to the teacher that droned on monotonously. She occasionally looked at the computer screen, but was beginning to daydream. Her thoughts drifted to Shinji and herself.

As she was getting involved in her dreams, a message flashed up on her screen. She opened it, expecting it to be Shinji.

It was Hikari. 'Hey Asuka! I see you were thinking about Shinji again.'

Asuka furiously typed back, 'What makes you think I'd be dreaming of Shinji!'

After a few seconds, a reply popped up, 'The simple fact that you're face was redder than your hair. You can't deny liking him like you used to.'

Asuka smiled as she typed back, 'Yeah… but I don't just like him… I'm in love. As corny and out-dated as that sounds, it's true. I don't have to hide anything from him, and he doesn't hide anything from me. I doubt I could ever love anybody that isn't an Evangelion Pilot, simply because they have no clue what I had to go through, but Shinji does. He even had a past similar to mine.'

Hikari's message popped up on Asuka's screen after a minute or so, 'That's good Asuka. He seems to have calmed you down a lot. But I still doubt you'd let anyone get within five feet of you without beating the life out of them… except Shinji that is. Don't look now, but I think he's asleep.'

The redhead glanced over to Shinji's desk, where he was sitting in a position similar to the one that Gendo Ikari often assumed.

Asuka smirked and started to play with the pendant around her neck. She had taken it off only once, and that was while Lust was attacking. Other than that one time, Asuka had worn it endlessly, not even removing it to bathe. Asuka glanced to the window, and almost fell off of her chair. Rei Ayanami and Kaworu Nagisa were actually talking, and not just a little, they were chatting quite quickly. Every couple of seconds, Kaworu would reach to his face, and shove his glasses further up his nose.

Asuka couldn't help but laugh at something this comical, as Kaworu's ruffled hair often seemed to block one of his eyes. As if of one mind, the two red eyed pilots turned and looked at Asuka, and both smiled lightly.

Asuka shrugged, and twirled her pen around in her fingers. She quickly whipped it at Shinji, who snapped awake, and looked around.

A message popped up on his laptop screen and he knew who it was: Asuka Langley Sohryu. 'Shouldn't you be paying attention?'

Shinji smirked, 'Why? I have a beautiful and brilliant tutor, why should I listen to that old bat? You make it a lot more interesting.'

A message replied instantly after he sent his, 'You better hope for your sake, Shinji Ikari, that I don't raise my fees. And don't you forget that I'm beautiful and brilliant.'

The Third Child chuckled lightly, 'I already know how to thank you for tonight's lesson.'

He waited for a minute, which was an uncommonly long time for Asuka not to reply, then it came, 'Shinji… I'm the one that should be thanking you. Dr. Akagi said that if that LCL stayed behind my eye for even one more day, my brain would be killed. She said it was like putting A type blood into a body with O type. Although… LCL is the blood of Lilith, so… But it got tainted after being behind my eye and mixing with my own blood for so long. Like I said, shouldn't I be the one thanking you?'

Shinji sighed, 'Don't worry about that… We'll call that repayment for helping me deal with father's… death. Okay? Besides, you won't want to miss what I have planned.'

A reply was received after a few seconds, 'Sounds good to me… I can't wait for later.'

(-----)

Asuka was lying face down on Shinji's bed, and she had taken off her shirt, as Shinji requested. The redhead wasn't sure to expect, as Shinji had never asked her to take her shirt off before. She felt a body sit down on the bed next to her, and felt warm inviting hands press on her back.

They kneaded away all of the tension that had built up in her back, and Asuka couldn't stifle her moans of pleasure. She was surprised at how much of a difference there was between a massage through clothes, and a massage skin-to-skin. Her skin felt like putty, and Shinji was a master sculptor.

He worked with surprising tenderness and dexterity for such powerful fingers. Shinji stopped rubbing her back, and let his fingers dance lightly across her back, sending shivers up her spine. Asuka must have shuddered more than she thought, as Shinji murmured, "Are you okay?" The German nodded and made a noise to voice her affirmation.

This was not only a physical massage, as all of Asuka's doubts, all of Asuka's worries, disappeared. Shinji could feel Asuka slipping into a fitful sleep, so he stopped once she was safe inside of her dreams. He pulled a blanket over her and leaned down, kissing her cheek, "Sleep, princess…"

(-----)

Kaworu Nagisa sat on his bed, with one leg draped off of his bed. In his hand, he held a dagger, testing its point and edge.

With astonishing quickness, he whipped it straight at his meal. 'Who knows? I may have a use for this skill after all…' he thought as he looked at the perfectly cut steak on his plate.

It was becoming a habit of the Fifth Child's to push his glasses further up his nose every time they slid even a miniscule amount.

He loosed the knife from the wall, and made a mental note to fix the hole some time.

Kaworu took hold of his left arm, and made his wrist face upwards. Slowly, he examined his arm, but as his eyes slid further up his arm, he could feel that what he had once prided was not gone.

Just under his armpit on his arm, Kaworu looked at the black lettering that labeled him: Tabris. He involuntarily shuddered, 'I am no longer one of them… I am a human, am I not? Maybe I am simply half and half.'

He moved to his desk, and flipped open his bible, and read Genesis 6:1-4. 'A Nephilim, am I? Maybe that is what Miss Ayanami is also… We exhibit the same features… Maybe…'

His musings were cut short by a doorbell. Kaworu quickly tried to hide the tattoo, and opened the door.

Rei Ayanami stood in the doorway with a bleak expression on her face, "Kaworu… I can sense that something is troubling you. Would you care to have somebody listen?"

The Fifth Child looked away for a minute, afraid to say anything, but finally let the girl into his apartment.

Rei stood in the center of the room, not saying anything, simply observing the boy. Kaworu motioned for Rei to sit on his bed, and she complied.

He spoke, "This is part of the reason that I am not sure if I am human…" He pulled his shirt sleeve up, and showed his angelic brand to her.

Rei's voice caught in her throat, and after a while she finally said, "You are not an angel. The MAGI would have picked up on it."

The pilot of Eva Unit 03 sighed, "You are right, but I may have found something to call myself, though it is not human. I believe that I may be a Nephilim, a half angel. I was pondering… I could not help but notice that we are very similar. Maybe we are both Nephilim."

Rei blinked and nodded slowly, "I have long known that I am not human… I have been created through the tissue of an angel and a human, so I wouldn't be surprised if you are correct in your assumption. It makes my heart feel lighter to know what I actually am. T-Thank you."

Rei cursed herself internally, 'How can you still have trouble saying something as basic as Thank You!'

The silver haired boy sat down next to Rei and put his arms around her, "As long as I know that I am not alone… As long as I know you are with me, I can keep living."

Rei returned the embrace and marveled at how warm she felt inside.

(-----)

Toji had his prosthetic leg disconnected from his body, and he was sitting in his room. The jock let his fingers fall to the stump, and thought, 'I really need to talk to Shinji about this.'

He picked up the phone that was on his dresser, and dialed a number. He spoke into the telephone, "Hey Dev- er, Sohryu… Is Shinji there? … Shinji. I want you to come over here. We need to talk. Meet me at my place, okay?"

He clicked the phone off, and reconnected his leg. The boy made his way to the couch near the front door, and waited.

He didn't know how long he was waiting, but the doorbell finally rang. Toji had taken his leg off again, and called out, "It's open!"

Shinji stepped into the Suzuhara apartment, and said, "Hey Toji. What did you want?"

Toji looked over his shoulder and said, "C'mere! Sit down, take a load off." The Third Child did as he was bidden, and blanched when he saw the stump of Toji's leg.

Shinji immediately sputtered off an apology, "Toji… I-I'm so s-sorry…"

Toji snapped at him, "Shut up dude! Let me talk!"

He paused, and said, "You see this leg? You know what happened. So do I. I was thinking about it just today. You need to quit beating yourself up for it. Come on man, if I asked you if you meant to hurt me, you'd say no. Don't try to pull that crap about it being your fault neither! You know damn well that your dad was pulling the strings."

Shinji looked down at the floor, "Thank you Toji. You have no clue how much of a weight this lifts off of my shoulders."

The jock smiled, "Don't worry about it! It definitely is going to help you forgive yourself if I forgive you first."

Toji stood up with his good leg, and held out his arm, which Shinji clasped, "Thanks man."

(-----)

Kaji sat at his desk, with his legs propped up on the surface. He sighed and stood up, exiting his small office. He moved down the hallways of NERV with a skip in his step. The lady-killer glanced around the corner, making sure nobody saw him. Like a super-spy, Ryoji Kaji entered the room of Misato Katsuragi, furtively creeping up on her.

The man threw his arms around her, and spoke, "You busy?"

The purple-haired woman turned and faced him, "Not anymore." She kissed him, and the two remained like that for an undeterminable amount of time.

(-----)

Asuka lightly kicked Shinji, "Get up you idiot! It's time for dinner!"

The boy stirred, but simply rolled over, and Asuka poked at him with her big toe. He did nothing but heave a big sigh.

She walked away, and filled up a cup with water. She tipped the contents onto Shinji, and laughed.

The water that woke the youth was not cold in the least, rather it was searing hot. Shinji stood up and danced around, attempting to get the burning liquid off of him.

Asuka laughed at the sight, and said, "You should have gotten up when I told you."

The Third Child glowered, "There are many ways to wake somebody up, Asuka."

The girl sighed, "I know… I just chose the one that would hurt the least. Now get your ass into the kitchen and cook me dinner."

Shinji wiped the remaining droplets of water off of his face, and moved into the kitchen. Asuka assumed the position that she frequently did when the boy was cooking, and sat on the counter-top. She had one leg crossed over the other, and her hands folded in her lap. Shinji quickly threw something together, and started to cook it.

He turned to Asuka and said, "How could you do that? I mean, cold water is one thing, but burning hot water?"

The German smiled, "I guess I didn't check what the water would come out as on the sink."

The pilot of Unit 01 put his hand on the redhead's thigh, "It's okay… I doubt I could be mad at you for very long."

Asuka leaned close to his face, her lips parted slightly. Shinji was preparing for a kiss, but Asuka said, "Dummkopf… The food is burning."

He snapped to attention, and continued his toils over the stove. The girl murmured affectionately, "Dummkopf…"

(------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

Alright, that was the longest chapter to date. Sorry for it being so long. Anyhow, I hope you review this story. This outtake is back to regular format.

Outtake

Kaworu's door opened and the silver haired boy snapped to attention. Using all of the muscles in his body, he whipped a knife at the intruder. It hit home with a resounding thud.

"I… I…just… came… to… drop… off… the… mail…" a voice grunted.

The looked down at the mailman and dipped his fingers in the blood.

"S-Sorry! Dammit! Now I have to paint the whole room red…"