Chapter 6
Disclaimer- I don't own Evangelion. Nothing witty to say. :'(
A/N: I love the reviews. Keep them coming because it's my fuel for my writing fire…not to mean I'll set them on fire…unless they suck…which they don't…I'll shut up now.
Also, I'm in another C2, so 'm extra happy
One last thing…who will I pair? I am planning on some OC's for some characters but we never know…well…you won't know…mwahaha.
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Shinji awakens next to Kichi in their donated futon. He rubs his eyes trying to clear his vision, and finds himself in a cold sweat.
'Did I dream? …Yeah right' He shrugs it off and makes his way out of the room into the kitchen, pulling a crumpled cigarette from his pocket. He sticks the worn out tobacco in his mouth and lights it. After a few puffs, he notices the fridge shake slightly. A door on the side of it opens, revealing a rather large penguin. It wobbles to the bathroom, leaving a monotonous expression on the drowsy Ikari. He then examines the cigarette in his hands for a few moments, taking another puff. He expected to see the same occurrence but when nothing happens he sticks the tobacco back in his mouth, figuring it must be a regular cigarette.
"Morning, Shinji-Kun" Misato walks out of her bedroom, clad in her tank top and cut shorts. She sits down at the table across from Shinji, rubbing her eyes. Once her vision clears, she notices smoke rising from the young man's lips. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't smoke and I wouldn't drink."
"Oh…sorry, I'm not really a morning person…" Shinji pulls the tobacco out of his mouth and flicks it in a nearby trashcan. "Besides, I never said you couldn't drink, I said you couldn't drink in front of Ki-Chan"
"Oh, then you don't mind?" Misato looks at him with pleading eyes, her hands clasped as if she were giving a prayer.
"Nope, just make sure you don't do it when she wakes up" He watches as Misato gets up from her chair and opens her fridge, rubbing her stomach in the process. "By the way, is today your day off?"
"Yeah…it is…why do you ask?" Misato grabs her beer and sips it while sitting back down at the table.
"I need you to take care of Ki-Chan for the day" Shinji notices Misato freeze in position, her beer flowing down her chin and onto the coffee table. It takes a few moments for the information to sink into her brain.
"You want me to… WHAT?" There is a tense moment between the two until Misato gives her calmest answer possible. "I'm terrible with children; I wouldn't know the first thing to do…crap, crap, crap!"
"Keep it down!" Shinji says loudly under his breath, "You'll wake Ki-Chan!"
"Sorry" Misato sighs, gathering her composure. "Why…do I need to take care of her?"
"I have to see 'The Doctor' today, and it might be a good experience for you" Shinji leans back in his chair, stretching his arms outward.
"But…" Misato puffs out her bottom lip, trying to gain sympathy from the young man. It takes a few moments for her to notice that he is not budging, nor will he budge. "…I guess…" Misato sighs again knowing today will be hell.
"Thanks Misato-San, I owe you…" He thinks for a moment, and then pulls his keys out of his pocket hoping to surprise the Major. "Here, you can have these" He tosses the keys, which she catches in midair, and for another time this morning she is stunned.
"B…B…B…B-M-W?" Misato's mouth hung open from a loss of words.
"I figure since you lost your car, you can have mine. We should get the license plates cha…Misato-San?" The major is frozen in position. Her unmoving form hints her excitement and her confusion. It takes a few moments for her expression to 'thaw' and convey her reaction.
"Holy shit" Misato says plainly. "Wow…I…this…I mean…wow"
"Misato-San…your drooling" Misato rubs her chin clean of saliva, and thanks Shinji for his present.
"Wow, thank you so much" She says, something catching her attention in the process. "Wait…this isn't just a key chain? You mean the real thing right?"
"Yeah" Shinji sighs, "If you want to know how I got it, some really old man gave it to me after I helped him fix up his store. I used to do a lot of odd jobs for extra money and I came across the broken down store, right?" Shinji walks over to the refrigerator as he carries on the conversation.
"Yeah…"
"Well, anyways, I fix up this guy's shop and in return he gives me the car. It turns out it belonged to his son, but he was killed during the second impact. He said that I reminded him a lot like him, and I think that's why he gave it to me."
Shinji set his eyes on the instant ramen and grabs it from the fridge. "But it's getting repairs right now so you probably won't be able to get it until I move into my new place"
"That's fine with me…wait, why did it need repairs?"
"It's a little old so I had the brakes replaced and had it reupholstered. Everything else on it is fine" Shinji places his cup of ramen in the microwave, and presses the buttons to cook his breakfast. "Is this stuff any good?"
"I like it but Asuka…well, if you like it you'll be the first" Misato sighs. After the quick meal is done, Shinji grabs some chopsticks from a drawer and takes his instant ramen to the table. He begins to eat it, and surprises Misato again.
"You know what would make this better?"
"What?"
"Curry…" Misato nearly falls back in her seat at the suggestion. Before she can recover however, Shinji has already left for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower, so…" Right before he enters, a rather large penguin opens the door. As it walks by, Shinji shrugs it off and enters the shower.
"Wark!" The penguin wobbles to his refrigerator and nests inside. Misato can't help but stare at the keys to her new car.
'This has to be…wow…but why would he give it to me of all people?' She thinks for a few minutes, but the few minutes turn into ten minutes. She barley notices Shinji walk out of the bathroom, clad in the same clothes he entered with. "Why are you wearing the same outfit after you take a shower?"
"I didn't bring any. I only brought what my bag could carry so I packed Ki-Chan's clothes instead" He finishes his sentence as he uses a towel to dry his hair.
"By the way…"
"Yeah?" Shinji sits back at the table, feeling refreshed after a nice cold shower.
"Why did you give me the car?" Misato's says in an unworthy tone.
"Well, remember when you ducked on top of me and Ki-Chan right as that bomb went off?"
"Yeah…"
"I might owe you my life, not to mention you protected Ki-Chan's too. I think my car could be considered part of the compensation you deserve."
"Part?"
"Well, if the time ever comes, know I would take a bullet for you…" The next half hour is silent as Misato drinks her morning beer and Shinji reads the newspaper. That is until Ikari asks something that has been bugging him for all this time. "Say…do you have a penguin, or is that a stupid question?"
"Actually…yeah…" Misato is surprised, but not shocked. "Didn't you see him?"
"Well…I thought one of my construction buddies might have slipped me a 'special' cigarette…again…" He whispers the last part. It takes a few more minutes after his confusing question for him to ask another one. "Say, do you know what time I need to see Ritsuko-San?"
"No, but you should head in early. It's only eight forty-five so she might be in…as if she doesn't do anything else" Misato mumbles the last part.
"Ok, I'll head out then. I think I can figure out how to get there, from here" As he starts to get up from his chair he remembers something vital "Shit, one minute" Shinji walks to his room and goes inside. When he exits, he is seen carrying his bag. "I need to take my meds, can't forget them" Shinji only smiles at Misato as he grabs a glass of water and opens eleven separate bottles. One by one takes each pill, a separate sip of water for each. When he is done, he packs them back in his bag, but the expression Misato gives him catches his attention. "Do you feel sympathetic?" She does not speak but only gives a weak nod. "Don't because I think the worst thing you can do for me is feel sorry for me" He looks into her eyes, showing the same hollow look he gave her when she first met him.
"Sorry…" She gives her week reply, staring down at her feet.
"Its ok" Shinji sighs, "Just don't think of me as crippled, ok?" Shinji gives her a small smile, the life returning to his dark blue irises.
"Ok, I just…never met anyone like you before…"
"You're not the first. Anyways, I have to get going, so here's my number if you need anything" Shinji writes his number on a small scrap of paper and hands it to the major. "By the way, she loves penguins so you better watch her with…what's his name?"
"Pen-Pen"
"Cute…Anyways, she might squeeze the life out of him, and make sure you don't feed her to many sweets or anything with strawberries, she's allergic to them…I think that's everything"
"What do I do when she wakes up?"
"Tell her that I went to see the doctor. She's used to waking up to a nanny because sometimes I have to get up really early or if I work late"
"Anything else?"
"…Oh yeah, be sure to give her a bath. She's been through a dust storm, and threw up on herself so she needs a good scrub…I'm trusting her with you because I owe you my life…so be careful…" Misato gulps when he finishes his sentence. "Well, see you later then"
"Bye" She gives a feeble wave as Shinji exits the apartment. "What am I going to do today?" Misato groans. Suddenly the door to Shinji's room slides open, revealing a teary eyed Kichi. "Uh…Oh…"
Shinji stands outside the door for a full minute, listening to the chaos brewing inside the apartment. 'I'll go back if she keeps crying' He thinks this same message over in his head for a few moments. Fortunately his thought process is interrupted by 'OH! MY! GOD! A PENGUIN!' coming from the other side of the door. He gives a relieved sigh and makes his way to NERV headquarters by cab and then by tram system. As he descends further into NERV's chasms, he meets up with one of the bridge technicians.
"Oh hey, your Shinji right?" A man walks by him, stopping as they meet eye-level.
"Yeah…are you one of the bridge bunnies?"
"Bridge bunny? …Anyway we're throwing a party here in a few days, and we were wondering if you wanted to come…you know, for saving us and all" The technician rubs the back of his head and gives a sheepish smile.
"Sure…but what's the occasion? I heard you already partied pretty hard after last night's battle"
"You ever heard of a man named Shigeru Aoba?"
"You mean the guitar player?" Shinji raises an eyebrow, intrigued to where this conversation is going.
"The one and only. He used to actually work here a few years ago, but left when his contract was up for renewal…it's been pretty damn boring without him" The man sighs at the memory of his friend.
"I'll see if I can't make it…hey what's your name?"
"Makoto Hyuga"
"Ok, I'll see you later Makoto-San" Shinji walks off, waving to the technician as he walks further into the bowels of NERV. 'Ritsuko better be there' He reaches her office, managing to navigate the hallways thanks to a small map that was given to him. Right before he enters however, the door opens, reveling a shocked doctor.
"Shinji, you didn't have to be here for a few more hours!" Ritsuko places her hand on her chest, panting from the shock.
"No one told me…"
"Katsuragi was supposed to notify you…" Akagi manages to say with a shortage of breath.
"She did…only she told me to come here around this time"
"I…see…" He watches as the doctor snaps the pen in her hand in half.
"What? I figured you'd be glad to see me" Shinji gives a small wink, causing the angry doctor to turn a darker shade of red from the combination of anger and embarrassment.
"Well, while you're here, and I have nothing to do…let's just get this over with shall we?"
"No problem…" The doctor gives no response as they walk into her office.
"While you're here I don't want any smoking either…got it?" Shinji pulls his hand out of his pocket, deciding to release the lighter in his grip.
"Fine" Was his monotonous reply.
"Ok…" Ritsuko sits down at her computer in her swivel chair while Shinji sits at a wooden chair in the corner of her office. "First thing's first. I will write down a list of your symptoms and then we will proceed with a full physical followed by mental scan in the lab. After which I will have you submerged in LCL and try to get some more information on your synch ratio…is that a problem?"
"Not at all…" Shinji leans back in his chair, sighing for the long day ahead.
"By the way, can you bring Kichi next time? I should get an examination of her as well"
"That's not a problem…she's not really afraid of needles, but I don't want anything injected into her without my consent…I don't really trust anyone here…" Shinji leans back into his prone position, folding his arms.
"Ok, I only want to run some blood tests. Oh yeah, everything I ask will be from 2015 and 2019 because we already have your medical history before then…anyways, lets start this list shall we?" Ritsuko grabs her clipboard and a new pen, reading the questions off one by one. "First question, have you broken any bones?"
"Yeah. I believe seven ribs, a fractured skull, and my leg of course, my left arm, and my right foot"
"And how did you sustain each of these injuries?"
"Well, you already know what got my leg but I broke four ribs, my arm, my head, and my foot from a car accident. It's what also caused my brain damage"
"What kind of car accident?"
"I got piss drunk and walked out in traffic, not really giving a damn about what happened" Shinji stays his calm self as he answers the question, not caring is she thought of him as suicidal or insane.
"Ok…" Ritsuko writes some notes down on her clipboard, regretting the long day ahead. "How about the other injuries?"
"Oh, well…I broke the other three ribs from falling two stories into a spike pit"
"Spike pit?"
"Oh, sorry. That's what we call it down at the constructions site. It's actually just a pile of iron foundation bars. It was a bitch too because I ended up getting three through the chest" Shinji shakes his head, giving a weak laugh. "It's kind of lucky the bars missed anything vital…the doctor I talked to said if either bar went an inch one way or the other then I would have been Shinji-kabob"
'Damn' Ritsuko thought as she kept jotting her notes onto the pieces of paper. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, I also fractured my skull from…a self inflicted gunshot wound" Ritsuko froze in place, staring at the clipboard in front of her. "I have a metal from it also…" These last words cause the doctor to snap another pen in half. It takes a few tense moments but the doctor manages to blurt out some words.
"May I ask…why?"
"I wanted to die, isn't it that obvious?"
"When…did this happen?" Akagi nearly choked on her words this time.
"Three years ago. The night…hell, that entire month was a blur to me so don't ask for a specific time" He notices her shaking slightly in her seat and tries to calm her down. "Listen, it's in the past. After I was given a reason to live, I took it and never looked back. Besides, I have to be pretty lucky if I survive something like that, right?" He gives her a weak smile.
"I guess…" Akagi gives a saddened sigh. 'This is going to get worse isn't it?' she thinks to herself. Ikari notices this and devises a plan.
"We can skip this part of the examination"
"What?" This catches the doctor's attention. Sub-consciously she wanted to agree but she knew she had a job to do.
"I think it would be better if I just wrote it down myself and have someone log it into the computer" His voice becomes optimistic. "I don't want to sadden your pretty face" Ritsuko gives a weak smirk, feeling slightly cheerful from his reply.
"Thank y…you, but I really should continue…" She waits a few moments to calm down, thinking over his words. 'He said I was pretty…and beautiful…' The waiting does not bother the young man, knowing that the doctor is dealing with an internal conflict. "On second thought, I think that would be a good idea…but I would like to catalogue the mental deterioration myself"
"No problem, what do you want to know?"
"Well, can you tell me a few of your symptoms? Like loss of sleep, memory…?"
"Well, I can sleep pretty easily with some of the medicine they give me. Hmmm…" The young man tries to recollect the information on his condition. "Oh yeah, my body doesn't register pain correctly."
"What?" This surprises Ritsuko slightly, but she remembers the 'flame' incident. "What is it…like?" Her previous gloom is overcome with intrigue, which Shinji notices.
"Well, I know it's there. It's is just that when my brain receives the signal for pain, it just interprets it differently. Kind of like how you can receive a computer file, and know what's inside, but the data is corrupt"
"I see" The doctor starts to write down her notes, but forgot she broke another pen. This time however, she is covered in ink. "Damn it! I'm sorry, give me a second." She leans over her desk, and grabs a pencil. "Ok, anything else?"
"Uhh…what's the word…I think it's homeostatic?"
"You mean homeostasis?"
"Yeah, that's the word. Anyways, my body's homeostasis is…broken to say the least"
"So…your internal temperature isn't regulated properly?"
"Nope"
"Well, that's not good" Shinji notices her conversion become more casual as they continue.
"Yeah, but at least I can't tell anyways" He gives a little chuckle, hoping the day might end better then he expected.
"Well, aside from those symptoms, is there anything else?"
"I believe that's it. What's next?"
"Well…" She thinks for a moment, cupping her chin with her hand. "Is your…metal plate magnetic?"
"Only the screws holding it in place…is that a problem?"
"Damn, that means I can't give you an M.R.I., but I can still do the LCL synch test and the physical" Shinji notices Ritsuko slightly perk up at the word 'Physical'.
"I think we should do the synch test first" Shinji exclaims, "I want to go ahead and get it over with.
"Good idea" Ritsuko's optimistic tone does not change. "Besides, we need to perform 'the rest' of the tests down there anyways…" She emphasizes 'the rest'.
"Ok, after you Ritsuko" Shinji waves Akagi to the door, hoping to keep her happy.
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There is Chapter 6. Damn I am tired…
Anyways, I thank everyone for his or her support and reviews. Expect to see chapter seven in a few days.
BR/N: Well once again another great chapter, some grammatical errors here and there but nothing major. All I have to say is; "Go Ritsuko!" and am I the only one who for some reason always gets a chuckle from the word "Shinji-kabob"?