Shinji struggled to his feet, his pale and incompetent hands holding onto his cracked rib cage. He grimaced, and took a few steps forward onto the beach shore before falling straight on his face. Salt water rolled beside his cheek, with some of it stinging his eyes. He squinted his eyes shut, hoping somehow that the sting would fade away. When it refused to pass away, he tried to lift himself up. His strength faded, and he fell again on the sand.
Shinji sighed out of disappointment, and closed his eyes shut. He puckered his lips, unintentionally kissing the beach. Deciding not to let the salt water stain himself anymore, he dragged himself, relying more on the strength found in the fingers than any muscles in his arm, to the top of a sandy dune that overlooked the shore.
He didn't look back onto the shore, or to his and Asuka's entry plug that was half buried into the beach. He was too busy trying to hold throw up.
Mucus, as well as half-consumed meals, sipped between his fingers, and littered the dune. His head became heavier, and he started to breathe harder. He closed his eyes for several minutes, to try to gain control of calm himself, thinking that it will stop making his stomach turn. When that didn't work, Shinji dragged his weak body to a smooth and flat rock, resting his back against it.
For whatever reason, Shinji grabbed a handful of sand, and allowed the dirt to slip between his fingers. When there was nothing left, he grabbed another handful to continue the process. This cycle continued for several minutes.
Asuka's capsule was off into the distance, the orange pod half buried by both sand and sea. Shinji, as concerned as he would be for the red headed German if she was in danger, didn't lend a finger to pry the entry plug open. Asuka was too tough a nut to crack to be killed by a mere crash into the sea. Besides, if he did open the entry plug, she would just yell at the innocent Shinji, calling him stupid and cursing him in her native tongue. It would be for the best if he just let her be.
He sighed deeply, wiping some sweat off of his brow. He took another deep breath, thinking that would relieve some of the heat. Unfortunately for him, it only made the situation worse.
'What the hell happened?' the EVA pilot pondered to himself a few minutes later. 'Why the hell were we in the sky? Why were those…whatever they were, attacking us? They looked like EVAS…a little bit, I mean. They sure as hell looked like a metal monster. But, where am I…we going to go now. I mean, I don't have an idea what's going on, and Asuka sure as hell doesn't, with her being in a coma and all until now…whenever now is!'
Shinji sighed again, and pounded the earth with his fist in frustration.
"I don't want to kill," he announced out loud. "Not again, not after those screams." He licked his lips, and ripped the head bands that acted as a link between him and his EVA off. "I'm not going to kill anyone ever again, no matter what happens. Even if I have to die…I won't kill."
He heard a light chuckle, and he turned his head to the source. A red eyed Asuka stood there, wiping sweat from her head. She smiled that infamous smile of hers that formed across her face whenever she mocked Shinji in some way. "What's up with you, Third Child?"
Shinji smiled. He could at least trust the German to have an idea of what to do. After all, between the two of them and Rei, Asuka was always the brawn, and sometimes the brains of the trio. Whenever they had to think fast, Asuka was there to conduct some half-crazed scheme. Of course, more times than not, her plans usually created even more problems for the three EVA pilots to get themselves out of.
"Nothing."
"Yeah. Right," she said sarcastically. "Well, it doesn't really matter. We've got to get out of here." She headed up the dune and away from the beach. Shinji didn't follow. "Haul ass, Third Child. We've got to move."
"It's Shinji…" he mumbled.
The German turned her head towards Shinji. "What?"
"It's Shinji. My name is Shinji."
Asuka only sighed. "Come on, Third Child." Knowing that it was hopeless to convince Asuka of anything, Shinji followed. He would think that after being so long in a coma, she would at least be grateful to see Shinji. Shinji prayed that she might of have even changed, to be someone he could talk to, someone to know how he was feeling, to help him, and vice versa. But, alas, things didn't turn out as Shinji had hoped. Asuka was still the same insensitive jackass as before.
As he followed the red headed German, he started to wonder if it was too late for someone to change.
The sea is a dark and foreboding place. As much as it is a place of unrivaled beauty, tranquility and peace of mind, the darkest depths of the water realm holds dark secrets, and even darker tribulations for those that looked for them.
Uriel squad Uruz-seven had left Boston harbor three hours ago, a sudden and unexpected deployment in the middle of the day. Usually, the clawed submarines were used at night, where they could best do recon work. The order came right in the middle of their rest period, after six days of recon work elsewhere with little rest. However, they took pride in knowing that the task came directly from Lady Hamae, and they all secretly dreamed of the elegant woman praising them in private upon completion of the mission.
The six submarines slip their way through the cracks of the ocean rocks. They were here searching for something…an enemy from the past, the Lady had said in the report. It would be a lie if any of the crew members said that they weren't afraid. It was said that nothing short of an army could of threatened Kalem, nevertheless injure him to the point where sacrificing his Full Metal was his only option. Their large numbers eased themselves somewhat, however.
Suddenly, out of the dark a form slowly became visible. The six Uriels simultaneously flicked don their lights, more by reflexes than by discipline. The purple armor of EVA 01 was in their sights. A few feet off, EVA 02 was also somewhat visible.
A few of the submarines slowly approached the sleeping gods, their captains sweating nervously. They were certain that once they approached the monsters, their ghoulish eyes would glow, and their claws would rip them to shreds in an instant.
The EVAS never woke up.
Finally, one of the Uriels radioed head quarters. They found them.
A week later, at seven AM, Norwood High School was the same as it always has been: a stream of student drivers transporting themselves and their friends, buses dropping students off at sidewalks, and a few prodding pedestrians regretfully walking to the thirty plus year old building.
The High School, despite its appearance of a government building, never did hold a student body larger than five hundred. For as long as anyone in Norwood could remember, whenever a family would move out of the suburb another family would be quick to take their place. Despite being a mere half hour drive from Boston, Norwood never did become a large town; impressive, yes, but never large.
Despite its small size, Norwood was a town that took a sense of pride in its appearance. The roads were certainly better paved than most of the surrounding towns. The sidewalks were rarely, if ever, littered. Even in the Fall the trees acted just as much as glorified décor as things of nature. The buildings and houses were never too close together, but they were barely too far off.
The grumbling of a many high school students could be heard among the morning drama. Some complained of sore backs, but most were just mad that they had to wake up before eight just to go to a place they could care less about. All of them being juvenile complaints, and nothing more.
Amongst the group of students were two exchange students from Neo-Japan. Of course, no one initially recognized them when they entered the halls: after all, it's not exactly easy to distinguish new students from the existing five hundred.
The students of Norwood High were introduced to the students at first period, in Mister Murphy's Algebra-II class. The Math teacher certainly looked like his class: with his long, but somewhat muscular body, wrinkled face and rimmed glasses. His voice was deep but sturdy, and all of those who were in his class were quick to tell you that the first time you heard him you get a sort of fuzzy feeling under your skin, like you were talking to somebody who was worth talking to.
He was also a man whose first self-imposed assignment was to carve into his mind all of his student's names and faces. So, when he saw two new faces entering his classroom that November morning he had a few guesses as to why they were here. He approached the thin, but good intending looking lad and his fiery haired companion with a slight smile on his face.
"Morning to you both," he said in his deep voice. The two looked at him for a split second before doing the customary bow. He waved his hands in protest. "No need for that. You two are from Japan, right?"
"Y-yes sir," the boy said somewhat nervously.
"Well, take your seat. We have two spares in the back. You can have those if you want, or if you can convince someone to trade spaces with you, I won't mind taking your pick. Well, I'm Mr. Murphy. Can I see your schedules to make sure you're in the right class?" They handed it over to him. "I won't tell you how many times on the first day I get students who don't belong in my class. They must love Math so much," he noted to himself as he read their schedules. He turned to face the boy. "Shinji…Yamamoto? Did I say it right?"
"Y-yes, Murphy-san."
He smiled warmly. "I told you, my name does not have to san in it, or at least the last time I checked. Just Mr. Murphy will do." He turned to face the female. "Asuka Kazade?"
"It's KAZ-A-DUE, actually. Close enough, though, I guess."
"Well, don't you fret young lady, I'll get it done by tomorrow, I assure. Now, when the bell rings, go introduce yourselves to the class, won't you?" They shrugged in agreement. Despite their differences in both name and appearance, the old Mathematics teacher couldn't help but think that they were related somehow. He shrugged it off as him just getting too old.
Suddenly, the bell rang. He coughed, signaling them on his own terms to stick to the plan. The two exchange students walked to the front of the class. Half of the class was still in the morning ruckus as it were, and Mr. Murphy took it upon himself to settle them down. In a few moments, the class was in their place, facing the two new students. Shinji was obviously sweating nervously, and his fellow classmates noticed this, and a few whispers concerning the 'new guy' were somewhat hearable.
"Okay, settle down, all of you," the Math instructor demanded of his students. They did as were instructed of them, knowing full well how the old man could get when caught in a temper. He nodded to Shinji and Asuka. "Introduce yourselves, please."
Asuka nudged Shinji. He coughed nervously. "Well, uh, um, I'm Shinji Yamamoto. I come from Neo-Japan, as an, err, um, exchange student." He quickly backed off, allowing the red haired German to take his place.
"Well, my name's Asuka Kazadu. I'm from Neo-Japan too, for the same reason as this idiot behind me." She smirked with obvious sarcasm. Mr. Murphy rolled his eyes.
"Any questions for our new classmates?" he asked the class. A few raised their hands. He randomly picked one from amongst the crowds.
"Are you two dating?" a man wearing a football jacket asked.
"HELL NO!" the two said simultaneously. A few noticed them blushing.
Mr. Murphy coughed, obviously ignoring the language his newest students have just exploited. "Yes, well, are there any other questions?" Another hand rose.
No other hands rose, so Mr. Murphy proceeded to begin the class. He instructed the two to take their seats, and joked successfully to those in the back to make sure the two didn't flirt.
And thus began Shinji's and Asuka's first day in an American school, and moreover, their first day trying to figure out what was going on in the world.
It was around lunch time when the two managed to dig up some information. Instead of eating, they silently decided to head for the Computer Lab. All that was required of them was to sign on a sheet of paper their name, class and lunch number before they were given access to the thirty something computers.
Five minutes into their investigation, Asuka ushered Shinji over. "Hey…Third Child…over here," she whispered a few seats down. "Take a look at this."
'SEELE reported yesterday days ago that the cause of Colonel Kalam's ahead of schedule return to Earth was not four meteors that penetrated the atmosphere as predicted, but a malfunction in his transport.'
"Four meteors?", he whispered.
"Us dumbshit."
"I know that! But…what are they trying to hide?"
"And what's up with SEELE? Weren't they the ones who funded NERV…and us?"
"Yeah, but why are they trying to hide us in the first place. Hell, why were we in space at all?"
Asuka rolled her eyes. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be on a ten year old computer searching the internet looking for answers! Jeez Third Child!" Shinji just moaned.
For the rest of their half hour rest block, the two didn't find anything in their investigation. It was obvious to the two, who were from the inside, as it were, that SEELE was hiding something. Their were indications that NERV was now a offensive organization instead of a defensive one, but mostly just rumors. On top of that, there was no mentioning of the UN in any articles for the past two years.
Even Asuka was starting to get worried.
The bell rang at two thirty, signaling the end of the school day. Most of the buses were lined up, but Asuka and Shinji just walked home. Their apartment, which was a mere twenty minute walk from the school, was funded by two forged exchange student cards that Shinji made after seeing a copy of one off of a young boy on the streets. Asuka was still somewhat amazed that Shinji was so good at making a fake ID that looked legit, although she'd be damned if Shinji ever found out she appreciated something he did for her.
Shinji yawned lazily when they entered the apartment, unwillingly dropping his backpack to the floor. Asuka followed suit, dropping almost dead on the wooden floor. The apartment, excluding the two bedrooms and one bathroom, was simply furnished with just the essentials: a cough, a few beds, some cabinets and a somewhat dated television. They were fortunate that the owner of the complex didn't recognize some of the flaws in Shinji's fake IDs; they were also lucky to get the one spare apartment meant for exchange students.
"Man, today sucked", Shinji groaned as he dragged himself towards a counter to rest his heavy head on. "I didn't understand anything on paper."
Asuka mumbled something unintelligible. Shinji didn't ask what it was.
"Not to mention that I think that girl in Spanish class was looking at me in ways nobody should be looked at…"
"Oh stop your complaining!" Asuka ordered as she got up. "At least your ass didn't get slapped in the hallways between periods."
"You're kidding me," Shinji said in a tone that showed he wasn't surprised at all. Back in Tokyo-3, the boys sold explicit photos of Asuka for a fair amount of yen, and he wasn't surprised one bit that the Americans were already hitting on her.
"Don't you start with me, Third Child! Gawd!" She pulled on her hair frustration. "And I bet that jockey was hitting on me in Math class…why do we have to go to school anyways? Me in particular! I went to college!"
"We've got to fit in!"
"Yeah, a gorgeous German and a Japanese nerd who can't even read English fits in just fine."
"You're one to talk! You couldn't even read Japanese."
"Aw, shut your face Third Child. When's dinner? I'm starving!"
"We don't have any food. We've got no money."
"WHAT! You expect me to do both of our homework's on an empty stomach?"
"Who said you had to do mine?"
"You can't read English, so I have to for you!"
"Like that would help me," he mumbled.
"So what do you want me to do? Teach you to read English?"
"Now, that would help."
"In your dreams, pervert. Wait; don't even think about it in your dreams. I bet you have all types of fantasies when you snooze off, now don't you?"
"At least I wasn't attracted to somebody who was in his thirties!"
He got punched in the face for the effort. When he came to, Asuka was already slamming her bedroom door shut.
Shinji rose to his feet, his hand rubbing at the bruise Asuka left on his forehead. He sighed depressingly. As much as he wanted to apologize to Asuka, he knew that it wouldn't be of any use. She would just criticize him for apologizing.
It was times like this that made him wonder why the hell any guy would want to get involved with women. Suddenly, a mental image of Kaji popped into his head. He was like an older brother to the young EVA pilot…somebody he could turn to when he had troubles that only guys would get into it. Yes, he was more or less an idiot, but he actually knew things. And more importantly, he was kind.
He remembered something Kaji told him concerning women. 'Shinji, if there's one thing we guys have to learn, it's that we can't live with those adorable babes, and we sure as hell can't live without them. As much of a pain in the ass they are, no matter how much we can't stand them, we guys need women, and they need us.'
Shinji sighed, and walked towards the cough, when he then proceeded to drop head first on. He groaned aggressively.
He also remembered that he hated it whenever Kaji was right about women.
A half hour later, a starving Asuka exited from her bedroom. The first thing her eyes laid upon was the motionless body of Shinji Ikari. "What you thinking about now, Third Child?"
"Who says I am?" he mumbled through the soft exterior of the couch.
"Because whenever you shut that big mouth of yours, you're thinking about something. So spit it out, before I make you."
Shinji lazily flipped over. "I was thinking about Kaji." He paused for effect. "About something he said."
"That being?"
"How even though women are a pain, we guys can't live with you."
The red haired German placed her hands on her hips. "Pervert," she smiled mischievously as she went back in her room.
Shinji stretched his arms lazily. He was beginning to understand what Kaji meant. He yawned sleepily before falling asleep.