APRIL 8th, 2015:
It had been 5 days since Shinji was found and safely returned home. Though he was reprimanded for his running away, he was strangely let off easy by the Commander.
He guessed it had to do with his schoolwork-filled week of catching up to his class' current subject. Said week was tedious, and things had grown a little awkward again between him and Misato.
'Misato... she sure is one strange woman.' He thought while finishing the closing sentence on his essay, finally completing the packet of work he had been given. 'She seems to blame herself for what I did...'
She couldn't help but feel guilty about the whole thing. She was responsible for him, after all. For the whole week she was being overly-nice and tried sweeping the situation under the rug.
Although Shinji was actually glad to have a home again, he was absolutely irritated by her seemingly carefree nature. It was too carefree for his liking. The place was often a mess until he would be the one to clean up.
Misato tried to split the chores up evenly between the two, but she often forgot or just did a horrible job of tidying up. Often times, Shinji volunteered to take the days that were hers until he wound up taking most days.
He even began to cook most days, as he had grown sick of the cheap microwaveable food Misato kept bringing in. A clean house and delicious cooked food for free, Misato couldn't complain.
Shinji neatly put his finished assignment into his folder, and zipped it up in his new backpack. 'I oughta see about making dinner soon.' Heading for the kitchen, Shinji noticed Misato wasn't around. Probably another late shift.
Coincidentally, just as he was thinking about her, she came in the front door. She looked exhausted. "Oh, hey Misato. I'm just going to fix us up some dinner." She grinned, having mistaken today as her turn to prepare dinner.
"Ah, thanks Shinji. That's just what I need right now..." She rubbed her eyes, bringing the bags under her eyes to Shinji's attention. "You look absolutely spent, Misato. You okay?"
"Ugh... yeah, I am. Just a long day at work. Ran across someone I haven't seen in a long time, and honestly don't want to anymore..." Misato grimaced. "Oh, well do I know them?"
"Nah probably not. He was just assigned his first official task at Tokyo-3 with NERV. Your father is working with him." Shinji couldn't think of anyone else but that old man he had seen with Gendo in his office. "Oh. Well maybe I've seen him, then."
"Nah, probably not. You'd recognize him of you knew what he looked like; he's kinda tall, and he's got a light stubble on his face. Oh, and he's got a ponytail now-" "So I do know him! He was the one who directed us at the Angel camp invasion."
Misato rubbed her forehead in frustration. 'Great, my past being mixed up with the present...' Shinji noticed how she didn't take his news pretty well. Something was definitely up between the two. "I take it you guys don't get along?"
"Oh don't worry about it, Shinji. It's nothing. I just need a warm bath to relax a bit." As Misato headed for the shower, Shinji wondered what had gone on between the two.
'He seemed like a nice guy, wonder what that's all about?'
In the bathtub, the warm water helped calm Misato's nerves. She wasn't one to often hold grudges, or to even be made upset by the mere sight of someone.
She lay there, a wet towel on her forehead, replaying the very moment the two had run into each other earlier that day; Misato had been sent over to the War Room for NERV's new battle plans.
The War Room was a vast auditorium with multiple screens displaying maps, usually of places they planned to launch a full offensive on. She had gone for her usual seat, all the way in the back where Ritsuko also often took up.
The back was the most empty space in the house, giving the two friends a few chances to casually talk as they took notes for the battle plans. Though they had different tasks, the two would often suggest things to each other.
But this time, the two weren't alone. As always, Ristuko was the first to arrive, with Misato usually coming in about 15 minutes later. As Misato walked down the isle, she spotted Ritsuko chatting with someone.
"Hey! Who you got there Ritsu-" She only recognized that man was Kaji once she saw his face, that familiar smirk still glued to his face. "Only an old friend of ours, Misato."
"My, my... you still look as beautiful as ever, Major Katsuragi..." He said in his deep, suave voice. Misato was absolutely stunned, but clearly not happy. "W-What are you doing here?!"
Kaji chuckled. "Commander Ikari requested to have me sent back to NERV's Tokyo headquarters, seems my skills are required around here." Misato sat herself next to Ritsuko, looking extremely pouty.
"Well he's certainly in for a big disappointment." Ritsuko rolled her eyes at Misato's passive aggressive comment. "Hold on now, we're not talking about those skills of mine. And anyway, you seemed to enjoy them back in college..."
Misato's face turned a near fiery-red, enraged and embarrassed by his comment. Ritsuko couldn't help but giggle at Kaji's comment. "What kind of place do you think this is to say such a thing? That's personal!"
"Hey, I'm not saying it out loud! You being this loud is more likely to get everyone's attention. You guys come here 'cuz it's quieter, do you not?"
Misato gritted her teeth and chose to ignore him for the rest of their time in the War Room. 'Just like old times.' Thought Ritsuko. As the meeting began, their attention were drawn to the multiple screens.
Although she wasn't happy to see him, she couldn't help but think of his new appearance. In spirit, it looked similar to his old fashion sense. But he had a ponytail now, and a barely noticeable stubble on his face.
The sound of a water droplet in the tub snapped Misato back into the present. 'How long have I been spacing out? Shinji's probably already done preparing dinner.'
She drained the water and dried herself as quickly as she could, not wanting Shinji's delicious food cool down too much before she arrived to the dinner table.
To her luck, she got there right before he had finished cooking it. "Whew! What a relief, I thought I was in there longer than I should've been." Shinji, having no idea of her spacing out in the bath, had no idea what she was talking about.
After having prepared her dish, he reached in the fridge for her beer and brought it to her. "Aah, thank you Shinji! Y'know you can grab one for yourself, if you want. Feel free!"
"No thanks Misato, I shouldn't be drinking that stuff at my age." He politely rejected. "Well, suit yourself then!" She said as she cracked open the can. 'She's too lenient.'
Even though Shinji appreciated Misato's kindness, he wished she could be more responsible. He thought it was very rude of her to be so messy all the time.
"Mmmm! Delicious as always Shinji, thank you very much!" Shinji only nodded, as he had just taken a bite of his own meal. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow regarding school?"
"Well, lucky for you I can give you a ride since I have a meeting with the principle concerning your enrollment. Most days after that, though, you'll probably have to take the bus since I'll have shifts over at NERV HQ."
"I'm okay with that. I'll just need an umbrella, I don't want to get soaked up in that dirty rain again." He thought back to when he had returned to Misato's apartment, his white shirt had dried and had been permanently darkened with a very slight shade of brown due to the toxins in the rain.
The two finished dinner and Shinji took both their plates to the sink to begin cleaning them. Misato downed the last drop of beer in her can and put the empty can on the table.
"Can I ask you something, Shinji?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere. "Sure Misato, what is it?" A mischievous grin appeared on Misato's face. "What were you doing over at Ayanami's place, hotshot?"
Shinji immediately regretted letting her ask him anything, his face turning red. "It's not like that, Misato... I wasn't even in her apartment. Just... in the same building."
"Well how'd you come across it?" Shinji recalled being scared off by that homeless drunk, but he didn't want to bring him up. "Well, I was just going around the city by train and left at at random stop. It was raining and Ayanami happened to pass by-"
"...Aaand then you seduced your way into her apartment?" She barged in, her teases all readied up in her head. "N-No! Misato, I just wanted shelter from the rain! Why do you have to imply all these things?" He asked. Misato laughed. "Cuz you're too easy!"
"Well, anyway... she lead me to her building which wasn't too far from where we had run into each other, and as not to invade her privacy I opted to sleep somewhere in the corridors."
"Well, that sounds unsanitary." Shinji then remembered how worn down the whole building was. "Yeah, the place needed some long-overdue renovations."
Misato's smile had vanished. She felt guilty about the whole situation again. "Shinji... just know that you can always talk to me, okay? I was worried sick when you had run away... I was really scared."
Shinji quietly listened, becoming a tad anxious when she brought last week's situation up. "I'm here for you, okay? After all, it's my job to take care of you!"
"Your job?" He asked, slightly bothered by her choice of words. Shinji hadn't noticed it, but Misato had been slightly annoyed by his response. 'He's still really insecure, even after I offer him help.'
Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, Misato stood from her chari and stretched her arms out. "Well, I'm very tired. I'm headed to bed, and I recommend you do the same. You wouldn't wanna be tired on your first day."
"Sure thing, Misato. Have a good night." He finished cleaning up their plates, threw away the can of beer Misato forgot to dispose of herself, and walked to his room.
Once he laid down, he tuned out to his SDAT player and stared at the ceiling again. His thoughts were still clouded by his many frustrations. He had grown comfortable at Misato's place, but he wasn't any happier.
Not only that, but now he had to deal with school again. He didn't mind dealing with the rest of Unit-01 again, in fact he thought it might've been more laid back in an educative setting.
His worries lied within having to deal with Asuka again, someone he didn't get along with very well on his first battle. 'She's a hard-ass, but maybe she's just like that in the battlefield.'
He hoped for the best tomorrow, just as he began to fall asleep.
APRIL 9th, 2015
7:30am:
Water was still heard dripping loudly from the gutters as Shinji was brought back to reality from his dreams. The rising sun was completely blocked out by the thick clouds that always engulfed the city.
'Can't there be at least one sunny day?' He thought as he moved from the comfort of his bed. His new school uniform was folded neatly and placed on his chair. He stretched enough to hear subtle cracks on his back, and began changing.
He had already turned his alarm off, yet there was a digital beep still ringing somewhere. Misato, of course, was still deep in her sleep as the alarm kept going.
After having put his new uniform on, he headed over to Misato's room, finding her face buried in her pillow as if there was no obnoxious beep echoing through the walls of her room.
He turned off the alarm and went on to wake her up for what felt like the 100th time. 'Just like in the aircraft carrier, she barely changes her habits.' He shook her shoulder, this time he didn't even bother being gentle at first.
"C'mon Misato, it's time to get up." He said as she finally began to wake up. He spotted two empty beer cans on the floor beside her bed, no surprise there. "Uuugh, okay... I'll get up."
As she got up, Shinji went to the kitchen and started fixing them some breakfast. Something simple, as he had to be there in about an hour. Misato took a quick shower and came out wearing a very well put-together matching suit and skirt.
Shinji's jaw almost dropped, it wasn't often that she put much thought into her clothes. This was the most professional she had ever looked to him. She noticed his amazement. "I know, right? Ain't this is an unusual sight?"
"Ha... very much so, Misato."
The car sped through the streets of Tokyo-3. Shinji didn't know why Misato was in such a hurry, they were nowhere near running late. He figured she just liked the wind blowing through her hair.
Just before they had left, Misato put on pink lipstick that accentuated her lips. She almost looked like a completely different person. "Your first day at school here in Tokyo! You excited to see your unit again?"
"Meh, mostly just Toji and Kensuke. They're the only ones I can really say are my friends here." "Well it's better than having no friends. C'mon, Shinji! This is exciting!"
There was that fake optimism again. Though Shinji would be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat excited. He surely wasn't looking forward to it, but this would be the closest he got to a normal life in their wartime reality.
"Yeah, I guess it kind of is..."
They approached the campus, keeping at the same velocity as before. "Misato, shouldn't you slow down at a school zo-" Before he could finish his sentence, she sped through the parking lot and drifted perfectly into an empty spot.
Shinji was terrified, but above all he was thankful they hadn't suffered a major accident. "Well, here we are! I'll walk you over to the classroom." Shinji unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car and opened his umbrella.
The sound of a tire screech caught the attention of all the students waiting for class to start. Shinji saw all the windows filled with students' faces glued on the glass pane.
A familiar voice rang from one of the opened windows. "Yo, Shinji! Up here!" It was Toji and Kensuke, both waving frantically at him. He waved back, happy to see his friends excited at his arrival.
Their waving completely stopped once they saw who had drove him here, though. The one, the only; Major Katsuragi. "W-W-WOAH! T-That's... the Major!" Exclaimed Kensuke.
Misato looked up, and with a tender smile gave them a casual salute. Both of them immediately melted at her gesture, causing the rest of the class laugh at the two.
'If they knew what she was like at home, this would be a different story...'
The classroom door opened, letting in the new student and Unit-01's Major herself. Having her in the class like this was a strange sight for the rest of the unit, not to mention she was the one that had brought the new kid in.
"Morning, Unit-01!" No one really knew whether they should stand tall and give her the usual salute, causing half the class to stand up in confusion. "Hahaha, now's not the time for that, Unit-01. At ease!" She said in a playful tone as to assure them she wasn't being strict.
Shinji timidly stood at the very front of the class, feeling awkward about his guardian being so familiar with all of them. "I'm sure most of you remember Ikari over here. If you don't feel free to introduce yourselves!"
At first, Shinji was confused by her comment as he thought he knew all of his peers from Unit-01. But one look around the class revealed a few students he hadn't recognized, all of them bandaged up or recovering in some way.
"Anyway, Shinji. You can sit down if you'd like. I'm headed for a meeting with the principle." She waved goodbye and made her way out. Toji and Kensuke pointed at an empty seat beside them, inviting Shinji to sit over with them.
It was 8:13, not only had not all students arrived yet but they had some time to kill before class started. "'Ey, Shin-man! I'm glad you're okay! We was worried sick about ya when ya passed out!"
"Yeah, you looked like you had gone through hell back there! I'm glad you're back." Added Kensuke. "Thanks guys, I'm glad to be back." He replied as he placed his backpack under his seat.
"Oh, and uuuh... what's up with you and Misato, man? How come she was the one to drop ya off at school?" Asked Toji "Oh, well we live together. She was the one that enrolled me here."
His friends were baffled by his answer, and extremely jealous. "Y-Y-Ya live together? You and that babe? You?" Toji stuttered. Shinji nonchalantly laughed at their reactions. "Yeah... but it isn't what you guys think."
"Who cares? Oh my god... you lucky bastard! She's a total hottie! I knew there was something funny between you two..." Said Kensuke. Shinji turned red again. "I-I just said it isn't like that! Geez, you two oughta grow up..."
"That's the truest thing I've heard today, Ikari!" That voice again, yelling as usual. "Hello again, Soryu." He said, without even turning around to face her as she entered. 'Well, there goes my theory out the window...'
"Hey, dontcha worry about following any orders she spits out at ya here. She can only do that in the battlefield." Whispered Toji. Asuka, having only seen Toji whisper something in Shinji's ear, was enraged by what looked like gossip.
She rushed over at him, pulling his ear in the process. "What was that?! You wanna say that any louder for everyone to hear?!" Toji yelped in pain, trying to push Asuka away from him.
"Sure thing, I told him yer period is never-ending!" He said. With that, Asuka let his ear go and dropped him in his seat, causing him to hit his tailbone. "Gah! Fuck you... you bitch..."
As Asuka turned her eyes to Shinji, her stare paralyzed him in his place. "You better watch it, Ikari. These guys will only bring your I.Q level down to theirs, if not lower."
She walked to her seat, sitting more upfront but not too far from the trio. "Toji, you really shouldn't clap back at her like that. I mean, look where it always gets you!"
Toji rubbed his ear, then his behind where the pain still lingered. "Ah, don't worry about it. I can't let 'er have that satisfaction she's lookin' for. Besides, I've put up with worse from my pops."
That remark saddened Shinji upon him hearing it. He decided he wouldn't comment on it, as it seemed very personal. As his mind drifted off, he noticed Rei walking into the room.
She went to her assigned seat, one by the window. Walking through to her seat, she saw Shinji was now in their class. Shinji stared back not knowing whether to say hi or not, as he knew she could be very awkward.
"Hello, Ikari." She said in her quiet voice. "Hey Ayanami." He replied, shyly waving at her. What seemed like a very hollow interaction completely surprised the whole class.
They all looked at one-another, as if trying to confirm that what they had just heard happen, actually happened. "Shinji, what's your secret?" Asked Kensuke quietly. Shinji had no idea what he was talking about.
"What? What do you mean?" He asked, dumbfounded. "My guy, Ayanami just said hi to ya. She never says hi to anyone... ever!" Explained Toji. "Yeah, she barely ever says anything ever. She only responds to commands given to her, no one really knows anything about her here."
"That's... interesting..." Replied Shinji, unsure as how to feel about this. "It sure is... how's a newbie go about seducin' the hot Major Katsuragi and the mysterious girl?"
"Ha, shut up, Toji." He said, laughing slightly at his question. "C'mon! Tell me ya secret! I promise not to tell anyone." Toji begged. "Hey wait, if you tell him you should tell me too! I don't wanna be left out of this deal!"
The teacher walked in the class, an elderly man wearing reading glasses who was mostly bald. Class was now in session.
He had it easy on his first day, as most first-day students did. He turned in his catch-up assignments he had worked all week on and was allowed to sit back for the remainder of the day, though he still had to pay attention.
By the end of the school day, Shinji and his friends were walking over to their bus stops. Toji and Kensuke had spent all day talking about how 'hot' and 'sexy' Misato was, all the meanwhile Shinji just kept rolling his eyes.
It wasn't like he disagreed with them, but he saw her for who she really was at home. So he didn't really play along with their constant sexualization of her. He had long since spaced out in the middle of their 'Misato-talk' when one lewd sentence caught his attention.
"Oh man, and don't even get me started on 'er tits!" Exclaimed Toji, not at all embarrassed at the fact that he was perfectly audible to the pedestrian-filled streets of Tokyo-3. Shinji cringed at his comment.
"Guys I'm sorry to disappoint, but living with her can be kinda frustrating." Said Shinji. "Easy for you to say, Mister chick-magnet! You got the Major and Ayanami under your thumb!"
"You guys know it isn't like that with either of them, right? Ayanami and I just happened to talk a bit, while Misato felt bad for me because she didn't want me to live by myself!"
"Shinji, if i were in ya shoes, I woulda scored it with 'er by now. Just sayin', man." "No, you wouldn't. I see a side of her you don't see; she's messy, she drinks a lot, she barely takes care of herself and her house is chaotic!"
"Shinji, you do realize that's actually a very good thing, right?" Asked Kensuke, seeing something Shinji wasn't able to immediately see himself. "How so?"
"People only show their true selves to those they're comfortable around... for her to ease up around you like that probably means she sees you like family. It's kind of like she's opening up to you!"
Shinji was amazed, then immediately felt guilty about their exchange last night.
'I'm here for you, okay? After all, it's my job to take care of you!'
'Your job?'
"Oh man, I never realized that..." He said. "Yeah c'mon Shinji! I woulda picked up on that immediately! So obvious..." Said Toji, who obviously wouldn't have.
It seemed every time he had hung out with them, they would fill a void that had been missing all along. He never had friends like them, maybe not even friends. For most of his life, he had no drive to socialize to anybody unless he was required to.
"Yeah, family..." He said as his perspective on Misato completely changed. "Well, anyway Shinji. I'm glad you're back. It was good seeing you today, I gotta rush over to my bus since it's here. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"
The two waved goodbye to Kensuke, who began to run over to his bus. "My stop's further ahead, I'm guessin' this one's yours?" Asked Toji, seeing Shinji turn his direction to his own stop.
"Yeah, this one's mine. Have a good one, Toji." Shinji was surprised when Toji stuck his hand out, signaling a 'bro hug'. When Toji left, Shinji was left astonished, almost emotional at how good this day turned out to be.
It was all he had ever asked for, friends, a social school-life, and no emotional baggage haunting him. He would certainly go to battle again, but this wasn't too bad to have in between said battles.
As he seated himself in the back of the bus, he looked out the window his ride took off. All of those students, something that would usually bother him to be around, brought a smile to his face.
Upon arriving at Misato's, he found her at the couch, watching TV, drinking a beer... same as it ever was. He shook the water off his umbrella outside the door and proceeded to shut it. "Hey Misato! I'm home."
"Hey Shinji! How was class today?" Before he even said anything, she could see he was kind of smiling, in turn bringing a smile to her own face. "To my surprise, it was actually really good. I enjoyed talking to my friends again."
"See? You had a good time! I'm happy for you, Shin." She said, immediately followed by her downing the rest of her beer. What would've bothered him the day before, no longer did.
As Misato turned her attention back to the TV, Shinji thought about what Kensuke had told him. Through all of his tough times here, she was there for him. She was flawed, but she cared for him. And that's all he needed.
He realized how ungrateful he had been, even after she had reassured him after their first argument. He walked over to her and couldn't help but hug her, surprising Misato.
"Well, what's this all about?" She asked, though not bothered by it. "I just wanna say thank you... for caring for me." She heard a shakiness in his voice, and hugged him back.
"It's no problem at all, Shinji. Like I said, it's my job."
Her choice of words no longer bothered him.