Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.
Chapter 29: Peter II
Asuka stared at the coffee cup in her hands, as if it could give answers to the questions running through her mind. The girl had gotten up before Kaworu, who as far as she knew was still sleeping. She didn't mind right now, though, as distance from him was giving her time to think about what had happened last night.
Why was it so easy to tell Kaworu all that?
It felt strange. Asuka was never one to open up to others-- the way she acted around people, with her pride and arrogance, was essentially a facade, one that had lasted for many long years without a single person questioning it. Yet this boy, whom she'd barely met, had managed to see through her and not only that, had quietly listened as she poured out her problems.
And then he said that he...
She blushed involuntarily at the memory as she tried to talk sense into herself
What am I thinking? I don't even KNOW this guy!
There was definitely something out of the ordinary about him. Not quite a bad something... but it made her uneasy nontheless. She felt strangely vulnerable around him, yet it was liberating at the same time-- Kaworu didn't judge her in any way, shape or form, so she didn't have to act around him.
I almost felt like... a different person around him. I haven't felt this safe with anyone for...God, I can't even remember.
Asuka wasn't entirely sure that was a good thing, though. She was shaken out of her reverie as the object of her musings walked into the tiny kitchen. He smiled at her kindly and she barely succeded in gathering her wits to wish him "good morning."
Oh God, and now I'm acting like some kind of schoolgirl. Get it together, Asuka!
"...Are you going to go home today, Asuka?" It took the girl a moment to register what Kaworu was saying. She almost felt numb, and it took her a moment to force her mouth to start working again.
...Does he want me to leave?
"Well, uh...I..." she turned her attention away from the boy and back to the coffee as she took a sip, barely tasting it, "...I don't know if I'm ready to go back just yet..." Fortunately, she didn't have to embarrass herself with feeble pleading for long. Kaworu looked away from the breakfast he was preparing on the stove and at the redhead sitting at the table.
"You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to, Asuka."
"T-thanks..." she said quietly, not wanting to betray how glad she was that he wasn't evicting her.
"...You know that we have a sync test tomorrow though, correct?" Asuka's eyes drooped a little at the thought. "You'll have to see them all then..."
The idea of having to see Shinji and Rei after she had run out made Asuka shake slightly. Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Every coherent thought going through her mind abandoned her as she only became aware of Kaworu's touch.
"Don't worry, Asuka. I know you're a strong person. Just remember that and you'll be fine."
He took his hand off (too soon for Asuka, in spite of herself) and returned to the stove, unaware that Asuka was still looking at him, wondering to herself how she could have thought him to be anything other than a good person.
Misato sat at her desk, looking through the file the Section 2 agent in front of her had put there. After a few minutes, she laid the manilla folder back on the steel surface in front of her, rubbing her eyes in frustration.
"So...nothing's happened?" she said tiredly to the well-built man in the dark suit and glasses. "No ma'am. Neither child has done anything out of the ordinary in the 16 hours since you requested a Priority-One Observation level. There are photos included in the docket, as well as a transcript of their conversations since approximately 1808 Hours yesterday."
"Hmm." Misato glanced at the transcript, the photos holding nothing that seemed worth noticing. The conversation seemed strangely civil, especially for Asuka's standards, but that wasn't what caught her attention.
"...What's this?" she said as she indicated a strange shift in the conversation. "They were talking at this point, then they're suddenly quiet again."
"Yes, ma'am. The recording equipment suffered a short and as a result there was a gap in the conversation." Misato looked curiously at the agent.
An electrical problem? With Section 2?
"Do you have any idea what caused it? The short, I mean." The agent shook his head slightly in response.
"At this point, it's assumed that the electrical error was the result of anything from an overload on the main switchboard to defective equipment." When the Major continued to stare at the papers intently, the agent spoke.
"...Major Katsuragi?" Misato managed to focus her attention back on the man in front of her, the expression on her face pensive and somber.
"It's nothing. Thank you, you're dismissed." The agent saluted her, then turned on his heel and left. Misato focused her eyes on the transcript again, as though daring it to deny her the suspicions she had.
A short? Not likely. Not with this kid.
She'd been up all night, trying to find more information on the Fifth Child, but a search of NERV's data mainframe had yielded nothing. It seemed that most of them were in the dark as much as she was. She had been ready to give up when she remembered that there was still one person who might be able to lend her a hand.
At that moment, the clicking of footsteps approaching alerted Misato to the arrival of Hyuga. The thin, almost fragile-looking twentysomething saluted when he was in front of her.
"...You asked to see me, Major?"
"Hyuga...There's something I need you to do. ...And this is strictly off the record, in case you needed reminding."
He pushed his glasses up, smiling as he realized what it was she was after.
"... What do you need, Major Katsuragi?" Misato grimaced slightly as she found a picture of Kaworu from the stack and handed it to the bridge technician.
"I need any information you can find on the Fifth Child."
A/N: There--I promised I'd have 2 up today and I did! Hooray:)