APRIL 12th, 2015
7:30am:
Misato woke up calmly at first. It was only the second time she had woken up today. Upon realizing it was her second time waking up today, she became somewhat alarmed.
She looked over her digital clock, seeing that it was already half-past 7 in the morning. 'Crap! I snoozed again! Oh man I'm gonna be in so much trouble for arriving late again...'
She immediately got up from bed, rushing over to the bathroom to fix her hair. On her way there, she noticed Shinji was already up on the living room watching some TV. She hadn't seen him since Unit-01 was awaiting orders at NERV HQ just the day before.
She decided she could fix her hair later, as she wanted to check up on him first. "Morning Shinji." She said. "Good morning, Misato. I already made myself some breakfast, but I can still make you some if you'd like."
His kind nature made her smile. "I'd really appreciate that, I'm probably gonna be late to work today." She added, dreading the scolding she knew she would receive from her higher-ups.
"Okay, I'll get started immediately then." As Shinji shut off the TV and went to the kitchen, Misato went back to fixing her hair and dressing for the day. Once she sat herself down, she noticed Shinji was still in his pajamas.
"Well you certainly are in no rush to get to school today..." Shinji nodded. "Class was cancelled today. The battle plan was finalized earlier this morning when you were still asleep. We're getting sent off tomorrow."
"I see." She said, sounding somewhat dissatisfied. "Something wrong, Misato?" He asked, snapping Misato out of her thoughts. She had been quiet longer than she thought she had been.
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just still pretty tired." "Ah, okay then." He said. "Breakfast should be ready soon." "Thanks again, Shinji." She replied. "Oh, by the way what time did you get home last night? When I got home you were already asleep."
"I got back around 5-ish. I knocked out as soon as I got here, it's why I'm up so early today." She wondered what might've made him so tired, but seeing as how he was very obviously bummed out the previous morning, she chose not to ask about it.
"Well, I bet you're glad you have no school today. Cherish these days off, 'cuz when you reach my age you get no breaks..." Shinji chuckled. "Will do, Misato. Though to be honest, having nothing to do all day can be depressing."
"Well in that case, hang out with someone! You can always invite people over for a-" Misato stopped talking, interrupted by a sudden thought. "For a what?" Asked Shinji, wondering why she had stopped. "Oh my god... you should bring your friends over for a little party!"
Shinji didn't look too convinced. "A party, Misato?" "Yeah! Come on, don't be such a downer! It'll be fun! You can invite your friends! Tell you what, I'll try to get off extra early! Maybe Ritsuko can come too..."
"Um, I mean I can check with them to see if they..." Misato didn't seem to be paying much attention at the moment, she was already picturing the event in her head.
'Ugh, I shouldn't protest it. She looks so happy... I can live with it.' He thought just as he finished preparing Misato's cheese omelet. "Well, here you go Misato."
"Thank you, Shinji!"
NERV SCIENCE & RESEARCH FACILITIES:
"A party? At a times like these?" Asked Ritsuko, a little bewildered by Misato's invite. "What do you mean 'times like these'? The kids don't have school and most of NERV doesn't work a late shift today... it's perfect!"
"No... 'times like these' as in 'we deploy all units to Matsuyama tomorrow'. Is today really the best day to have a silly little get-together?" Misato groaned. "Don't be such a grouch, Rits! C'mooon... it'll be fun!"
Ritsuko sighed. 'Misato still acts like such a teenager sometimes...' She mused. "Fine... if it means that much to you, I'll go." Misato almost jumped with joy. "Yay! Perfect, now I won't be the only adult."
Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. "Hold up, we're gonna be the only adults there? Just what kind of party is this, Misato?" 'Oh yeah, I didn't tell her about that...' She thought to herself.
"Well, to be honest I put it together for Shinji. He's been rather depressed again lately so I figured I could try to take his mind off of whatever he's going through."
"Well, when you put it like that it makes a lot more sense." She said. "So when does it start?" Misato pondered for a few seconds. "How's 7 sound to you?" "I get off at exactly that hour. I'll be get to the party late, so you guys start without me."
"What's this about a party?" Asked Asuka out of the blue. Apparently she had been standing in the doorway listening to what they were saying. "Well hello Asuka! What are you doing at NERV this early?"
"I came here to pick up my chameleon suit. Picking it up earlier avoids crowded locker rooms in later hours." She said. "So, about that party?" She asked with a grin on her face.
"We're having dinner at my place tonight, Shinji is bringing some friends over too. Say, would you want to come along?" Bingo, she got what she had wanted. "Why I'd love to, Misato! Thank you very much!"
"Great! We'll see you at 7!"
MISATO'S APARTMENT:
Shinji stood in front of the little table that carried their phone. He had already called Toji and Kensuke, both of them having gotten really excited to spend some time with the Major.
Thinking his job was done, he put down the phone and was about to resume his 'doing nothing all day' schedule. But just as he turned around, he thought of Rei. 'Maybe I could invite her too. Though I don't know what she'll say.'
He grabbed the phone again and dialed her number. It wasn't long before the other end was picked up. "Hello?" She asked in her familiar whisper. "Hey Ayanami, it's Ikari again."
"Hello Ikari. What is it that you need?" "Well, I was just wondering if you uh... wanted to come over to this little party we're having here at Misato's place. A few other people are coming too."
"I don't like parties very much." Shinji quietly sighed, pretty much having known that would be her answer. "Ah, well I figured I'd ask-" "-but thank you." She added.
"Oh... uh, you're welcome." He said. "I'll talk to you later then. Hope you have a good day, Ayanami." "Bye." She said. After putting down the phone, he wondered if that whole interaction was awkward or not.
'Well either way, it was worth a shot.'
4 HOURS LATER
The sun had already set, and the time for feasting with friends was nearing. Misato had arrived some two hours ago and helped Shinji prep up the house for their guests.
Shinji had put on some clothes for the event; nothing fancy, just casual wear. The food had yet to be prepared, as Misato had decided to wait until Ritsuko had arrived to start eating.
Three rather excited knocks were heard coming from the door, forcing Shinji to go over to open it up. Sure enough, it was his two friends, already drooling for Misato.
"Hey you guys! Glad you two could make it!" She kindly greeted. "Hello Major Katsuragi! It's good to see you too!" The two said at the same time. "You guys are an embarrassment..." Said Shinji quietly towards them.
"Come on in, guys! Make yourselves at home!" With that, the two sat themselves at the dining table and Shinji closed the door. For now, they would chat to pass the time.
"So this is yer place, huh Major? This ain't too bad, Shinji! Better than the dump I call home!" Said Toji. "Haha, thank you Suzuhara! And don't worry about my ranking outside the battlefield. Just call me Misato!"
'Ah, great. That's all he needs to think he's got her.' Thought Shinji. "Anyway, I'd like to thank you guys for coming. I know you guys might be nervous about tomorrow, so let's enjoy our time together in the present!" She said, reaching to crack open her beer.
She raised the beer as if she was going for a toast, but said nothing as she drank it instead. Kensuke was made curious by the faint noise of bare footsteps coming down the hall.
After turning over to see who it was, he was surprised to see a mere penguin walking around the premises casually. "Uh, w-what's a... bird doing here?" He asked, looking absolutely puzzled.
"That's Pen Pen, he's my warm water penguin. Don't worry, he's friendly!" She said. Kensuke went over to pet him as everyone watched. Pen Pen lightly slapped his hand away from his head, not liking the gesture. Kensuke looked over at Misato, as if lost.
"He's... sensitive about being treated like a pet. He thinks he's better than that." He looked back over at the strange penguin. "Wark!" He let out as he walked over to his fridge.
"One of ya roommates is a penguin? Surreal, man." Said Toji. "Yeah, imagine how I felt first moving in here." Shinji whispered in response. Another knock was heard on the door.
Shinji looked at Misato, confused. "Didn't you say Dr. Akagi was going to be late?" He asked as he walked over. "It's probably not her. I invited someone else."
"Who else d'you invite?" He asked just as he opened the door. Red hair, a proud stance, a cocky smile, hands on her hips and a fashionable bag hanging from her right arm. "A-Ah, well hello Soryu." Her smile only widened. "Hi Ikari."
She waited no longer and made her way into the apartment, bringing with her her guest. "Hello Misato! I hope you don't mind my bringing of another guest!" She said, Hikari following along.
"Hi Asuka! And hello to you too, Hikari! I don't mind at all, the more the merrier!" She replied. "Wha? YOU'RE here?" Exclaimed Toji, pointing to Asuka. "Damn right I'm here, loser! This party just got a whole lot better, Suzuhara."
"Calm down you two... leave your bickering for tomorrow and let's enjoy ourselves while we can, yeah?" Misato brought forth a good point, everyone was nervous about the Matsuyama defense, so they figured they should put their issues aside for now.
Though, both were extremely reluctant about it. "Fine!" Both said in unison with their arms crossed. "Shinji, you can probably start preparing the food now. Ritsuko should be on her way."
"Okay, I'll get started then." He said as he stood up. "Wait, Ikari's cooking tonight? This better not suck!" Complained Asuka. Shinji's eye twitched at her comment. 'Already trynna get on my nerves, eh?'
"How could you say that, Asuka? You haven't even tried his cooking, yet! I assure you, it's really good." Misato said, trying to get Asuka off his back. "I have my doubts..." She replied.
Shinji didn't bother sticking around to say anything to her and instead went to the kitchen to start preparing tonight's dinner. All of the ingredients sat on the kitchen counter, ready to be used.
He began by washing his hands so he could handle the food in a sanitary manner. He decided he would go all out tonight and prepare some steamed crab meat with a side of sweetened tempura chicken and fried rice.
Everything else was easy to prepare, but this would be his first time steaming a crab. Earlier that day he had gone down to the seafood market near the 4th District to pick up some live dungeness crabs.
Since crabs are quick to decompose once killed, they have to be alive during the steaming. All Shinji had to do was stab a knife in a part that would sever its nerve point, making the crab lose all sensation in its body.
As he filled one of the two steamers with water, he looked at the three crabs he had picked out. With their snippers wrapped in tape, they were defenseless. In a silly way, it looked like the fear was in their eyes, as if they knew what was coming.
He couldn't help but feel kind of bed for them. But one thing was for sure, he was tonight's chef, and he wouldn't disappoint. He grabbed his first crab and laid it on its back.
On its underside, the crab had a little flap that exposed a tiny crevice. Upon trying to grab the flap, the crab's legs began to kick around in a panic. Shinji only felt more bad about what he had to do next.
"I'm sorry, little guy. It's nothing personal." He said quietly. Once he raised the flap out of the way, he inserted the knife into place and pushed down, disabling the crab's nervous system.
The crab quickly went limp, still alive but not feeling anything. He opened the steamer and placed the crab inside one of the available steamers. Shinji wondered how the crab felt at that very moment.
'Actually, I do know what it's like to lose sensation of my body.' He thought, flashing back to the inside of Ritsuko's genetic pod. After spacing out for a second, he drew his attention back on the food.
He repeated the process with the second crab and would wait until one of the steamers was freed up again to carry on with the third. It would take almost 20 minutes for the crabs to be fully steamed, so he decided to get started on the fried rice and chicken.
Whenever he really got into cooking, he sometimes felt like an artist painting a picture. Putting down crucial details, adding finishing touches, cooking really was something he really enjoyed doing.
After about 35 minutes, the rice and chicken were ready and the third crab was almost done steaming. He had already cracked open the other two and neatly placed them on the plate.
Shinji had really outdone himself. As he went to check on the steamer again, another knock was heard. "I have a feeling I know who that is!" Said an excited Misato.
Asuka went over to open the door and was greeted by Ritsuko. "Hello Dr. Akagi! It's been a little whi-" She stopped talking altogether when she caught sight of the Doctor's guest; one Ryoji Kaji.
"Kajiii!" Oh my god, you came! I wasn't expecting to see you today!" Shouted Asuka, overjoyed by his mere presence. Misato nearly spit out her drink all over her guests, shocked at the name she had just overheard.
"W-Wait! What're you doing here? You weren't invited!" She yelled. "Actually, I invited him." Assured Ritsuko with a mischievous grin. 'She did it on purpose...' Thought Misato, grumpily sipping her beer some more. Kaji entered the room in his usual carefree manner.
"Hey you guys! Hope you're all doing well." He said, as if Asuka wasn't desperately clinging onto his arm. "Hey Mr. Kaji." Said everyone else in the room that hadn't already greeted him.
Kaji looked over at the kitchen where he found a lone Shinji preparing their dinner. It was the smell that caught his attention, he was really enjoying just the scent of their food.
"Hey there Shinji! I take it you're tonight's chef?" He asked. "Hello Mr. Kaji. Yeah, I'm preparing something I hope you all like." He said, noticing Asuka giving him a death stare as she still held onto Kaji.
Shinji ignored her again, choosing to make his cooking perfect rather than to be distracted by the nag that was the redhead. For once, he didn't seem so upset anymore. Having everyone over put him in a somewhat cheery mood.
Finally, the last crab was fully steamed within just a few minutes. He cracked it open and split all the meat to evenly fill all the plates. Realizing that they had an additional three guests, he quickly saw that there wasn't enough for everyone.
'Well, at least I can get them started with this.' He thought. After adding his finishing touches to the plate, he began bringing it over to the dining table, where everyone had already made themselves comfortable.
"Here you go, guys." He said as he put the big plate in the middle of the table. Everyone looked in amazement, the thing looked pretty gourmet. "Is that even enough for everyone?" Asked Asuka, looking to point out any flaws she could.
"Ah, well I made this thinking we would only have one extra guest over, so I'm sorry if there's not enough for everyone." He said shyly. "I can prepare some more food, if you guys would like!" He added.
Asuka looked about ready to point and laugh at his face, but was interrupted by Ritsuko. "Don't worry about it Shinji, it was unannounced. We can probably order something for the rest of us."
"Sounds good to me..." Said Kaji. "...as long as i get some portions of this stuff, though!" He added, his mouth salivating at the sight of Shinji's delicious feast.
"Well, if you guys say so..." He said as he sat himself down. "Alright, let's dig in!" Said Misato.
An hour had passed since the party started, and everyone was talkative. Misato had plenty of cans and was beginning to slur her words a bit, much to Ritsuko and Kaji's amusement. 'Feels like college all over again.' Thought Ritsuko, a smile present on her face.
The teenagers were all grouped together, talking about the usual things they did. Being that Shinji was the newest one of the group, he was the least talkative out of the bunch.
Though he was the most awkward out of the bunch, he still felt happy. Seeing them all outside of school, and having a lot of fun with them, it was as if his life wasn't falling apart for a moment.
Asuka kept eyeing over at him, noticing how reserved he was. She also had spotted the abnormal amount of beers in Misato's fridge. The adults all seemed preoccupied with each other, an idea brewed up in her head.
She quickly scooted over next to Shinji. "Hey cherry, you look all spaced out!" She exclaimed. "Oh, sorry. I guess I got a lot on my mind right now." He replied, trying to downplay it.
"Ugh... I hate it when you do that!" She complained. "Do what?" He asked, not knowing what she was talking about. "When you apologize for literally everything! It's not genuine!"
"Ah, well so- I mean, I guess that's just a bad habit of mine." He explained. Their attitudes contrasted quite a lot; she was a lot more direct and loud, while he often beat around the bush in a timid fashion.
"You oughta man up sometime, Ikari." She said. "You're too gloomy to be around! Learn to have some fun!" She added. Shinji didn't take lightly to her criticism. "If I'm too gloomy, you probably should find someone else to talk to."
Asuka scowled, realizing what she thought needed to be done. "Well, if you're not gonna loosen yourself up, then maybe someone else can..." She said as she made her way to the fridge.
Rather effortlessly, she snuck a few cans of Yebisu into the little bag she had brought with her and walked back over to the group. Shinji witnessed the whole thing, panicking slightly as she returned.
"Soryu! Those are Misato's beers! If she catches up copping them-" He complained quietly. Asuka quickly grabbed him under the chin, lightly squeezing his cheeks to prevent him from talking any further.
"Shut it, newbie! We're gonna have some fun, got it?" She said, only further intimidating Shinji. "Now, I'm gonna hand you this bag and you're gonna place it in a hidden spot in your room. We can't drink out here."
She dropped the bag on his lap, the weight of the beers slamming against his legs. Now it was up to Shinji; would he sell her out and further ruin his already shaky relationship with his Lieutenant? Or would he finally go along for the ride?
Not wanting to be yelled at her any more, he chose the latter. He walked over to his room and placed the bag under his bed and made his way back to his friends.
Asuka gestured for him to sit next to her, as she needed the whereabouts of the beer she had stolen. "Down the hall and to the left, the room with the half-opened sliding door."
"Got it." She said, giving him a thumbs up. Though rather meaningless, it was probably the first time she showed him any sign of approval. Asuka whispered to the other three, letting them know of her little plan.
They decided that each of them would take turns sipping on one can at a time. Toji was the first to volunteer, but being that Asuka was the one who basically lead the group, she wasn't about to let him have that much fun.
She let Hikari go first, much to Shinji's surprise. He had figured that Toji and Kensuke had already done stuff like this before, but he was really surprised to see the girls go along with it like they were used to it.
"Have you guys done this before?" Asked Shinji, sounding as naive as ever. "What are you, an elementary schooler? People our age do this all the time!" She stated. "You freaking loner..."
Hikari had come back, looking rather satisfied. "Alright Kensuke, you're up!" Said Asuka. "Oh I see how it is! Yer doin' it on purpose!" Complained Toji, infuriated at the thought of waiting for a sip.
"Keep complaining, see where that gets you." She said with a smirk. Once Kensuke returned, Asuka decided she would go this time. With her gone for a bit, Toji was quick to trash talk her.
"Dat fuckin' bitch, man... always wantin' to pick a fight with someone." He said. Shinji sighed. "Y'know you could just try ignoring her, right?" He replied, not seeing the point in their constant bickering.
"What, and give 'er what she wants? Nuh-uh. Not today, not ever!" He said, louder than he had expected. "Well then you'll wanna get some bandages." Said Shinji, looking up at someone behind Toji.
Toji didn't have to look behind him to know who had just happened to walk in when he was saying these things. All he felt was a sharp pain on the back of his head coming from Asuka's vicious slap.
"Ikari, you're up." She said as she gently sat down next to him again. "Uh, I don't know... I'm not sure I want to..." Shinji said, looking really unsure. Asuka rolled her eyes.
"Ikari, this is a party... You act like you've never been to one. In parties, we like to have fun!" She teased, as if babying him. "That's because I haven't... I haven't really had any friends before you guys." He said rather sadly.
"'Ey Shinji if ya don't take yer sips, can I take 'em for ya?" Asked an impatient Toji. Asuka glared at him, basically telling him to back off. "Okay then, this is your first party. Just go!"
Shinji hesitated at first, but Asuka's refusal to let him back down actually got him going. He stood up and headed for his room. He couldn't believe what he was about to do.
Once he entered his own room, he was slightly alarmed at the obvious scent of beer. Before taking his sip, he decided to mask the smell as much as possible. Thankfully, Misato had given him some incense he thought he'd never use.
After lighting the vanilla scented stick, he looked under his bed for the can. Once he felt a cold metallic cylinder, he knew what had to be done. 'I really shouldn't do this... but, they're all doing it, so it must be okay, right?'
He didn't want to keep them waiting, so he went for the sip. A bitter sensation overwhelmed his taste buds, making him twitch slightly at his first try. 'Ugh, I guess it really isn't for the taste anyway.' Once he was done, he walked back to the living room.
Across the room, Ritsuko couldn't help but notice the teens kept taking turns going into the corridor. "That's the fourth time one of them heads into that room. Wonder if they're up to no good." Stated the doctor. "Eh, they're probably doing stupid teen-ish things." Kaji assumed.
"Well 'ow would yew knowww?" Asked a drunken Misato. "Shinji reminds me too much of myself when I was his age." He added, having observed Shinji's actions around his friends long enough.
"Wha d'you mean? *hic* Yew guys are toootally different... he's ver' shy, while yew were always sooo... confident, always catchin' every girls' att'ntion..." Said Misato as her eyes trailed up and down Kaji's body.
Kaji, though enjoying the sexual tension that had just gone on between the two of them, couldn't help but chuckle. "Misato, you're drunk. You're probably saying more than you should be right now..."
"Geez, this is just like college." Said Ritsuko, cringing at her sight. "Anyway, since you brought it up, what were you like when you Shinji's age?" She asked, actually interested in the question.
"Well, from what I've gathered he's extremely insecure about almost everything. Like just now... he didn't have the guts to do something until a girl gave him the confidence to do it."
"Do what?" She asked. "I don't know, they're obviously up to no good, haha." He said, scratching the back of his head. "Well, should we put a stop to it?" Asked Ritsuko, ready to step in and put them in their place.
"Nah, let them have their fun. If we were able to survive those insane college parties we've attended, I'm sure they'll be fine in this little get-together." He assured her.
"Fair enough." She said, taking one last sip of her sake. "Well, I better get going soon. We all have somewhere to be tomorrow morning, so make sure she's got all the alcohol out of her system." She said, pointing to a passed out Misato.
Kaji laughed. "You're right Rits... this is just like college."