Chapter 8: Shut Up and Dance Like You Mean It

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.

Yesterday was fucking hell! I knew I was gonna have a bad time with Asuka there, but damn, I didn't know it was gonna be that bad! The whole class treated her exactly how they treated me when I first arrived. They would ask Asuka stupid questions and fawn over every word coming out of her mouth. Hell, even the teachers would act like the redhead was some kind of princess! The worst part was that, unlike me, she would revel in all the attention. Drinking in every compliment like they were fine wine. It was extremely irritating watching her display that arrogant smile, knowing she had the whole class wrapped around her little finger! The whole fucking day was like that! Just the class staring in awe at the "oh so great" Asuka! It honestly makes me sick to my stomach!

I let out a long sigh as I walk onto campus. Usually I'd meet up with Toji and Kensuke, but they're off somewhere selling photos of Asuka to the boys at school. You see, after noticing how every guy in class was attracted to the redhead, Kensuke found an opportunity. He started taking pictures of Asuka then selling them. They weren't anything too revealing. The photos just consisted of her hanging around her "friends" or going to the school's pool. Kensuke got Toji involved and tried to get me in on it too, but I refused. I don't feel like getting in trouble. Also, I'm pretty sure what they're doing is illegal, or morally questionable at best. For those wondering, Asuka's fully aware of her exploits and doesn't seem the least bit upset. She's more irritated than anything else.

I shake my head to rid my thoughts of the girl. The least I think about her, the better. Just need to avoid her like I did yesterday. There's only so much I'm willing to deal wi-

"Guten Morgen!"

. . .

Fuck my life and fuck this universe!

Alright Michael. Just keep walking. Maybe if I pretend I don't hear her, she'll leave me alone.

"Guten Morgen!" repeats the bane of my existence, albeit slightly irritated.

Ignore her. Walk faster. Keep your head down. Keep your eyes on the ground! Boy, the concrete sure looks great today. That's right, get lost in its elegance!

My wonderful view of the ground becomes obscured by Asuka's shadow.

"Don't ignore me!" she demands, having moved in front of me. I look from the ground to see her. She has her hands on her hips and is leaning forward. Does she really think that pose is intimidating?

I give her a blank stare then speak in a dead voice. "Oh, Asuka. I didn't see you there."

She rolls her eyes then crosses her arms. "Why are you so upset?" A smirk becomes visible as she points her nose in the air. "You should be happy the most popular girl in school is speaking you."

"The attention you're getting is temporary," I inform her. "They reacted the same way when I first got here. They'll eventually calm down. So enjoy the spotlight while it lasts."

"That's where you're wrong," she insists. "They don't just adore me because I'm new. They've seen my beauty and all my talents, so they believe I'm worth their time."

"Wonder how you walk around with that big head of yours," I retort.

She scoffs at my comment.

"Anyway, do you know where the First Child is?"

Rei's probably sitting on a bench near the lower level of the school. That place is usually devoid of people.

I shrug my shoulders. Though, now that I think about it, we're standing near the stairs which leads to Rei's usual spot. Crap! Well, I just have to keep Asuka's attention away fr-

"Oh! There she is?" says Asuka as she peers over the rails, spotting Rei. Without hesitation, she goes down the stairs to greet the blue haired girl. Fucking great!

"Yo Michael!" calls a voice.

I turn around to see Toji and Kensuke heading my way. The latter's stuffing stacks of money in his pocket. They eventually get close enough so I don't have to yell.

"Done with your little 'operation'?" I ask while raising an eyebrow.

"We sure are! Got a lot of money selling those pics!" Toji says while smiling.

Kensuke looks around then asks, "What's with all these people?"

"Huh?"

I briefly scan my surroundings and see a bunch or student leaning over the rails. Must've snuck up on me while I was talking to Asuka. Still, I'm surprised I hadn't noticed them.

I point over the rails to show Kensuke what all the students are staring at. Kensuke looks in that direction and Toji follows suit.

"I guess that's why," says Kensuke.

"Wonder how this will go," Toji inquires.

We all stare at the scene unfolding. It's easy to hear what Asuka's saying, with her being so loud and all. She's declaring that her and Rei are going to be good friends. Rei is impossible to hear at this distance. She barely speaks above a whisper. Apparently, she said something that shocked Asuka, so the redhead voices her confusion.

"What?! What do you mean 'only if you're ordered to'?!"

"So that's what she said," I say while chuckling. Figured Rei would say something like that.

"Wonder if only weirdos are Eva pilots?" Toji comments, seemingly forgetting I'm standing right here.

I flick his ear which gets him to turn in my direction. He has the "what did I do" look. I respond with a blank stare.

"Wanna rephrase that?" I ask.

Toji rolls his eyes and Kensuke laughs.

Eventually, everyone gets to class and prepare for the rest of the day. Just like yesterday, everyone was bathing in Asuka's presence. It was really grating on my nerves. Whenever a teacher would ask the class a question, Asuka would proudly respond with the correct answer. This impressed the teachers and increased her popularity among the students. What made the day slightly bearable was testing out my new skill. Unlike the weeks before, I could actually understand what was being written on the board. Rei's tutoring was really paying off.

During one of the class breaks, my phone rings, interrupting the study session I was having with Rei. Rei's phone starts ringing as well. We both take a look at our devices then we look at each other. Immediately, we leave the room. Asuka, receiving the same message, runs out of the room as well.

There's a new Angel.

We all arrive at the Geofront and make our way to the Command Center. Misato briefs us on the Angel's location (somewhere near the Kii Peninsula). Unit-01 and Unit-02 will be used on this mission. Unit-00's still being repaired, so it won't be combat ready for a while. Throughout the whole briefing, Asuka's been giving Rei and I a weird look. Though, the former held her attention slightly more. The look is calculating, but I also detect a bit of spite.

Must still be sore on how Rei spoke to her.

Eventually, Asuka and I are sent to the Angel's location. Standing in the ocean, near the shore, is our target. It's a humanoid creature with three prongs for fingers. Its color is kind of a light shade of purple, and its main body's shaped like a triangle. Its core is situated on the pelvic area and its mask is located on the "chest". The mask in question is split into two colors, red and blue. The way they are separated reminds me of the yin and yang symbol.

Asuka and I are standing on the shore, readying ourselves for the upcoming battle. Asuka's Eva is equipped with a Sonic Glaive. A spear-like weapon whose function is similar to a Progressive Knife only with extended range. My Eva's equipped with the Pallet rifle, which is basically my default weapon.

I groan in disappointment. Misato's the one who chose our weapons, and I really wanted the Glaive.

"Funny how the new girl gets a cool spear while I'm stuck with a boring rifle," I radio Misato.

The captain chuckles in response. "I thought you hated fighting Angels up close. That's why I gave you the rifle."

"Yeah, well I still do," I respond. "But, it would've been nice for you to ask whether I wanted the glaive or not."

"Alright Michael, enough joking around." Misato commands.

"Right," I adopt a serious look on my face.

I don't know this Angel. At least, I don't think I do. There's a vague memory of it, some video on the internet involving that creature. Dammit! Wish I paid more attention! I just know that teamwork is key in this battle.

"Asuka, listen very closely." I say slowly. "Attacking individually might be a bad idea. We need to work together and-"

Asuka immediately commands her Eva to charge the Angel. The robot lifts the glaive over its head, preparing to strike.

"Or you can ignore every word I say! ! !" I yell in frustration.

Unit-02 jumps into the air, towards its prey. The robot then brings the glaive down onto the creature, splitting the Angel in two. Landing in the sea, Unit-02 then stands up straight, putting one hand on its hip.

A holographic screen appears on the bottom right corner of my display screen. It reveals Asuka's smug look.

"See that Fourth Child! That's how you end a fight! Quick, clean, and elegant."

I gotta say, I'm sort of impressed. The strike split the Angel down the middle, piercing the co-

. . .

Where's the core?! Usually when the core's destroyed, pieces of it still remain. But there's nothing! The Angel's core is just. . .gone! Like it was never there in the first place. Something's wrong.

The seemingly dead creature starts moving! The two halves move away from each other, growing their own bodies.

Fuck! Now there's two of them! One red and one grey.

"What?!" says a confused Asuka.

The grey Angel charges at Asuka, prepared to strike. Asuka dodges the creature's attack and swings her glaive at it. The creature easily blocks the assault and shoots a beam of energy from its eyes, sending Asuka flying. I attempt to shoot the grey Angel, but its twin gets in the way and start attacking me. I dodge each one of its strikes and deliver a kick so I can gain some distance. I shoot at the now staggered creature, creating a cloud of smoke. Not even a second passes for the red devil to recover and charge at me. It takes a swipe at me while I use the rifle to guard my Eva. The gun is now cut in two. Oh shit!

"Why won't it die? ! ? !" I hear Asuka yell in frustration.

I dodge another attack from the red creature.

"We're getting nowhere fast!" I alert Asuka. "Back off and regroup!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" she starts. "I know how to do my job!"

"Dammit Asuka! This isn't the time to-" I'm cut short as the red Angel prepares to strike me. Instead of running, I charge at the creature and shove my back against its chest. Grabbing its arm, and using the creatures own momentum, I throw it over my shoulder and slam it into the ground. Something new I learned when training in the battle sim.

Extracting my Progressive Knife from the Eva's shoulder pylon, I drive the weapon into the Angel's core. The red orb cracks, and for a moment, I think I've won. That's when the creature grabs me and throws me across the battlefield. When I hit the ground, the impact nearly knocks the wind out of me. Getting up, I see my opponent rising to its feet, core completely intact.

What the hell?! It should be dead! Why isn't it-

Suddenly, remembering the creature's weakness, I attempt to alert Asuka.

"Listen! We need to attack together! Can you hea-"

I only hear static over the radio. Looking over where I last saw her, I see Unit-02's legs sticking out of the ocean. A rather undignified position.

"Shit."

Wait! Where's the other-

The grey Angel pops up in the corner of my eye! It swipes at me and I attempt to use the Eva's A.T. Field to defend itself. The field dampens the attack, only giving Unit-01 a scratch.

I jump back to gain some distance. The red Angel's eye sockets glow as it shoots a beam of energy at me. The beam knocks me out of the air and sends me to the ground.

"Dammit!" I smash my hand against the control handles. A scowl is painted on my face. I command my Eva to get to its feet. Fueled completely by rage, I charge at the Angels. "Screw you two! ! !"

Both of their masks glow as two beams of energy head towards me.

Just charge straight through them and crush both of their cores. I just need to-

Everything goes black.

When I return to the land of consciousness, I see the Eva's shutdown. I can't even get anyone on the radio. How long was I out?

"Well. . . fuck."

It takes about an hour for Nerv to extract me from Unit-01. When out, I found out why they took so long. The Angels somehow jammed my Eva's top half deep underground. Nerv had to dig around the robot to reach and extract my entry plug. Wonder how they'll remove Unit-01.

Anyway, Asuka and I are taken to the Command Center. For some reason, we weren't allowed to change out of our plugsuits. Something about Vice Commander Fuyutsuki wanting to see us immediately. When we arrived there, we were shown a recording of our battle. It was an utter failure. So much so, the U.N. had to intervene and bombed those Angels to hell. They didn't kill the creatures, but it was enough put them in a dormant state.

Asuka's not happy. Not one bit.

"This is all your fault! ! !" she blames me.

"No! You're not pulling this crap!" I tell her. "If you'd just listen to me, we wouldn't be in this mess! ! !"

"You're saying this is my fault?!"

"Of course this is your fault! ! !"

"Why should I listen to an amateur like you?! I've had years of experience piloting an Eva! ! !"

"And your doing such an 'amazing' job!" I reply sarcastically. "You haven't killed a single Angel by yourself, this is only your second time in actual combat, yet you claim I'm the amateur? ! ? !"

"Why you-"

"ENOUGH! ! !" yells Vice Commander Fuyutsuki. This got both Asuka and I to stop our bickering. "What do you both think your jobs are?!"

". . .Piloting Eva?" Asuka says tentatively.

"Wrong!" That gets both Asuka and I to flinch. "It's to defeat the Angels! It's a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously! The world's at the brink of calamity, and I will not risk its well being because our pilots think mindless bickering is more important than their jobs! The U.N. won't always be there to fix your mistakes, so learn to work together!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?!" I ask.

"It looks like you not even trying to temper the flames between you and Asuka!" The Vice Commander points out. "You only seem interested in antagonizing her!"

"What?!" I say in surprise.

"Enough of this." The man presses a button, making the platform he's standing on to descend into the ground. "These two are now your problem Kaji." The man and the platform disappear into the floor.

I let out a scoff. What the hell does he know? I don't antagonize Asuka. I just point out her shitty behavior. She's the one causing problems.

"Yo Kaji," I alert the man who was casually watching Fuyutsuki chew me and Asuka out. "Do you know where Misato is?"

Kaji stretches his arms a bit. "She's doing paperwork. Due to all the collateral damage, and the need for the U.N. to get involved, someone has to report today's failure. Naturally, the responsibility falls on the one in charge of today's mission."

Wow. . .really? Sounds like a lot of work. Kinda feel bad for Misato.

"Well, I'm gonna take a shower then go home," I begin walking out of the Command Center. "See ya."

"Wait a second Hart." Kaji stops me. "Misato wants you to go back to school."

"What?!" I turn around, caught off guard at what he said. "Are you serious?!"

The man nods. "School's not over yet."

I shake my head then look at Asuka. "What about her?"

"Oh, Asuka?" Kaji says while maintaining the smirk he always wears. "She needs to take care of a few things at Nerv. As such, she's excused from school."

Asuka sticks her tongue out at me. I hold back my urge to curse her out then walk to the showers.

Today's just isn't my day.

Can't believe I had to go back to school after all that! Almost getting killed by Asuka's stubbornness should've earned me the rest of the day off. But nooooo, I got stuck with class work while the redhead goes home early! That's complete bull!

I shake my head while making my way to the apartment front door. I can't help but become even more frustrated when thinking about today's unfortunate events. What's with today's Angel?! That creature's ability is extremely annoying! I can't kill either of them unless I crush their cores simultaneously. Shit, it's like that thing was designed for the soul purpose of Asuka and I working together! Also, the Angel was sure in a hurry to get here! Barely a day passed since Asuka and I killed the last one. Seriously, what the hell?!

Opening the front door, I'm met with a shocking sight. There's boxes spread lazily around the hallway, like whoever put them there expected someone else to move them.

Right. Asuka's supposed to move in here.

. . .

How did I forget that?!

Upon closer inspection, I see most of the boxes are littered around my room's door. Pushing the boxes aside, I slide open the door to look inside.

THAT BITCH! ! !

She moved all my stuff out of my room and replaced it with her crap!

Taking a moment to breathe in deeply, I manage to calm myself down. I then enter my room, grab a box, then threw it out the damn door! I grab another box and proceed to do the same thing. I do this for about a minute or two until I hear someone gasp.

"What are you doing?!" asks Asuka.

I turn around to see her. The girl's wearing a yellow blouse and short shorts. A towel hangs over her shoulders. Probably just got out of the shower.

I give her a blank stare then drop the box I was carrying. Not caring if there was anything valuable in there.

"What does it look like?" I ask, "I'm taking my room back!"

"So what?! You just decided to carelessly throw my things around? ! ? !"

"Well maybe that'll teach you not to move your things into someone else's room," I tell her while giving my best glare.

Asuka dons a confident smile while crossing her arms. "Oh, didn't Misato tell you? This isn't you room anymore. Since I'm moving in, she obviously decided that you're moving out."

"Like I believe that for a second!"

"Face facts! You've been replaced!"

"You conceited bit-"

We continue our little back and forth for about. . .actually, I don't know how long we were arguing. Time seemed to lose all meaning while we were throwing insults at each other. We eventually stop when Misato walks in on us.

"Seriously, I can't leave you two alone for a second," says Misato.

"Go on Misato! Tell him he's moving out!" says Asuka as she gives me a smug look. I just roll my eyes.

Misato chuckles. "No. He's not moving out Asuka. You two will be living together."

I knew this was gonna happen. I just hoped against all hope that Misato wouldn't confirm it.

Asuka's jaw drop. "What?! You want me to live with this idiot?!"

"The Vice Commander thought it would be a good way for you both to learn teamwork," Misato lets out a short laugh. "I'm inclined to agree."

"B-but, this is unacceptable!" Asuka complains. "A boy and a girl shouldn't live under the same roof!" She points a finger towards me. "What if he tries something?!"

Ignoring that last comment, I give my attention to Misato. "How long will we be living together?"

"I'm not sure," she responds. "I just know that Fuyutsuki also wanted you two living together so you both can train to defeat the Angel we encountered."

Asuka and I pause for a moment.

"Training? What kind of training?" asks Asuka while narrowing her eyes.

Misato's lips twist into a smile. "Well, I'm glad you asked."

Moments later, our little group is in the living room. In front of the tv, lying on the floor, are two white mats. Each mat has a series of red transparent buttons displayed on them.

Are those. . .?

"DDR mats?" I inquire.

"Kinda," responds Misato. "These mats are used in games which train people to coordinate their movements. Usually, those games incorporate music to aid in the coordination."

"Yeah, so basically DDR mats."

"Don't be a smart ass." Misato responds, though I can hear the playfulness in her voice.

"How will these things help us kill the Angel?" asks Asuka as she inspects the mats.

"Simple," starts Misato. "As you both know, the Angel can split in two, cloning itself. Destroying one of the cores seem to do nothing, so we came up with a theory. If we can perform a synchronized attack and destroy both Angels' cores at the same time, then they'll die." She points to the mats. "As I mentioned before, those mats are used to get two people to coordinate with each other. You and Michael will need to be able to mimic each other's movements if you want to defeat the Angel, these mats will help with that."

"Makes sense." I say out loud.

"Hmph. Whatever."

"Well, might as well get started," says Misato as she claps her hands. "We only have six days before the Angel finishes regenerating!"

We spend the next thirty minutes training on those DDR mats. Misato insisted (and by that I mean forced) the two of us to dress in similar work out attire. Now we're both matching. Fucking great!

Anyway, the training seemed pretty straight forward at first. Just press the button that lights up at the same time as my partner. But I quickly found out it wasn't that easy. You see, the buttons light up on random parts of the mat; the only pattern is that they light up in rhythm of the music being played. The music's absolute crap by the way, some classical shit. Also, another problem I'm facing is the number of buttons. Even though I compared the object to a DDR mat, it has way more buttons! So much so, I had to use my hands to press buttons while my feet were preoccupied. It reminds me more of twister than DDR now that I think about it. But, despite its difficulty, I was able to come up with a strategy. Each time a button lights up, it stays lit for approximately 1.5 seconds. The small window of time allows me to press the button then scan the rest of the mat. Using the music as my guide, I can prepare myself for the next light. Then, when I press the next button, I just search for the next light. Press, scan, listen, then repeat.

Of course, this strategy only works if both partners are using it! Asuka refuses to listen to what I have to fucking say! She insists it's about pressing the buttons as quickly as possible and that I have to keep up! Dumb ass! If it were really that easy, then I would have already thought of that!

Right now, Asuka and I are sitting on the living room floor. Sweat exits both our pores as we attempt to steady our breaths. Wiping the sweat away from my forehead, I glare at Asuka.

"Will you just listen to me for once?!"

She matches my glare with her own. "Why should I?! You're only gonna over complicate things!"

"The hell do you mean by that?!"

"Press the buttons as soon as they light up! It's that simple!"

"If it were that easy then we wouldn't need the music now would we! ! !"

A loud whistle catches both of our attention. We look to the source of the noise and see Misato shaking her head.

"I swear," she starts. "It's like you two enjoy arguing." She looks at the tv screen, displaying me and Asuka's scores. "You're supposed to be working together, not fighting."

"I'm trying," starts Asuka, then she points to me. "But this oaf keeps holding me back!"

"Screw you!" I respond.

"Okay you two, break it up!" Misato says as she gets between us. She grabs the bridge of her nose then starts laughing. "You two need to decide on a strategy. Any strategy. We only have six days until the Angel finishes regenerating, and your constant fighting isn't going to get things done. So make a compromise or something."

Asuka and I cross our arms and look away from each other. A scowl is carved into my face, and I have no doubt Asuka's wearing the same expression.

I know I'm right. Asuka's just gonna have to listen to me! Is what I'm doing childish? Maybe. Still doesn't change the fact I'm right!

All of us hear a few knocks at the front door.

"The two of you answer that. I'm gonna get something to drink."

Misato then disappears into the kitchen. I let out a sigh and walk to the front door. Asuka soon follows. We both open the portal and, much to my chagrin, my friends are standing there with the class rep.

Crap!

Of course, they're all surprised and a bit suspicious. Hikari says Asuka and I are being indecent by living together (that Asuka agrees with). Toji and Kensuke make a joke about me cheating on Rei. And. . .Rei? Why is she here? Anyway, she's just staring at me questioningly. Asuka and I then explain ourselves which gets everyone to calm down. To satisfy their curiosity, we invite them inside. Well. . .Asuka invited Hikari. Toji and Kensuke just sorta let themselves in. The only one left outside is Rei.

I scratch the back of my head. "Why are you all the way over here?"

She momentarily look to the books she's carrying then back to me. "You did not walk home with me so I could aid in your studies. I thought you may have forgotten, so I came here to remind you."

Huh. Guess I just sorta stormed off when school was over.

"Sorry about that," I apologize. "Didn't mean to ditch you. I just wanted to get home as soon as possible."

She gives an understanding nod and turns to leave.

"Hey!" I call out to her. She stops and gives me a curious look. "You can stay you know. After all, you came all this way."

Her neutral look turns to uncertainty. I smile at her then gesture for her to come in. She stares at me, then walks through the door slowly.

Asuka and I eventually return to our training, only this time, we have an audience. Toji and Kensuke would laugh at our antics, while Hikari provided words of encouragement to Asuka. Rei just silently observed our little routine. Me and the redhead just couldn't cooperate, no matter how hard we tried. We're both incompatible.

I collapse to the ground, mentally and physically exhausted. "Misato, there has to be another way! I can't work with her!"

The woman in question takes a sip of beer then shakes her head. "This is the only way Michael, whether you like it or not."

Asuka scoffs, obviously not liking the idea any more than me. I let out a groan as I come up with another suggestion.

"Then have Rei work with me."

"Unit-00's being repaired." Misato reminds me.

"I already know that! Just reconfigure Unit-02 so Rei can pilot it."

Asuka, who was silently listening to my rant, suddenly gets into a standing position. Her eyes briefly reveal a moment of rage before becoming cold.

"No one pilots Unit-02 except me," she says in a dangerously calm voice. "Besides," a smirk finds its way onto her face. "If she wants to pilot my Eva, she'll need to do better than me on this stupid thing," she says while pointing at the white mat. "And anyone would be terrible with you as a partner."

I look to Misato and she has a thoughtful expression on her face. That look morphs into a playful grin. "I don't know, Michael might have a point." She turns to Rei then points to the DDR mat Asuka was standing on. "Rei, go give it a try."

The blue haired girl nods then walks to Asuka. The redhead scoffs and allows Rei to stand on the white mat. Rei give me a look, signaling she's ready to start. I nod and prepare for the music to play. The music begins as the buttons light up. Immediately, I press the lit up buttons, using the music as my guide. In the corner of my eye, I spot Rei mimicking my movements. I knew she and I would work well together, but damn, it's like looking in a mirror. Like she can read my mind or something.

The music's tempo increases, causing the mat to light up even faster. I almost trip over my own limbs trying to keep up with the sudden speed. Rei's movements is still synchronized with mine, but we're starting miss more lights. Our movements are too slow, but that can be worked on. A loud huff breaks my concentration as someone walks out of the living room. The person makes sure to stomp loudly while leaving. This gets me to stop what I'm doing and look up from my mat. Asuka's missing.

Everyone's staring in the direction Asuka stormed off to.

"Oh man, she looks pissed," says Toji.

Hikari tears her gaze away from where Asuka went and glares at me. Aw crap.

"Go apologize, now!"

I shrink back a bit. "W-Why?"

She looks like she's holding back her urge to yell. "Why?! Because you made her cry! You need to take responsibility!"

I really don't want to piss Hikari off even further, but-

"Don't see why I need to apologize. The only thing I did was state facts." I cross my arms and display an annoyed look. "Besides, I don't care about Asuka."

Hikari looks like she's gonna explode but stops herself. She has a curious look on her face. Actually, everyone's got that same look. What's gotten into them?

Turning in the direction of their gaze, I see Rei staring at me. She's giving me a weird expression, like she's expecting me to do something. But, upon closer inspection, it looks like she's. . .scolding me?

"Rei," I say hesitantly, "Are you okay?"

Slowly, she looks in the direction Asuka ran off to then back to me. Putting two and two together, my jaw nearly hits the floor.

"You can't be serious?" She really wants me to apologize?!

Rei hardens her look, and let me tell you, that was scary. In all my time knowing her, I've never seen so much as a frown on her face. To see her give such a stern look, caught me off guard. Those crimson red eyes, seemingly piercing into my very soul, sends chills down my spine.

Unable to look her in the eye, I turn away slightly. Eventually, I let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine, I'll go."

I get to my feet and walk to the kitchen, the place Asuka ran off to. As I make my way there, I hear Toji making a whipping noise. I flip him off before continuing on my destination. Why the hell should I apologize? Asuka's the one being difficult! If you don't like the person you're working with, simply work with someone else. Is there anything wrong with that? Also, I call bullshit on what Hikari said. There's no way Asuka ran off crying. The redhead isn't the kind of person to do that. She's just probably sulking in a corner over how well Rei and I worked together.

When I enter the kitchen, I see the fridge's door open. Asuka's sticking her head in it, probably looking for something to eat. I cross my arms as a scowl paints my face. How am I gonna go about this? My thoughts stop when I hear a whimpering noise; it's faint, but it's definitely there. What the. . .is that coming from Asuka? Is she crying? But, there's no way that's happening. Maybe I'm just hearing things.

. . .

Dammit!

"H-Hey. . .I. . .I didn't mean to-"

Asuka pulls her head out of the fridge. She grabs some canned soda from the fridge and gives me an annoyed look.

"What do you want?"

I'm taken aback. If she was crying, there's no evidence of it.

Asuka rolls her eyes then slams the fridge's door, storming off to the balcony. I look back to the living room and see everyone staring at me. They all gesture for me to follow Asuka, which gets me to roll my eyes. I follow Asuka to the balcony and see her looking over the city. I stop a few feet away from her and take a deep breath.

"Don't even bother," she says before I could speak. " *Sigh* Listen, I don't like you. Ever since we first spoke to each other, you've been nothing but rude me. We barely know each other, yet somehow you already made up your mind about me. It honestly makes me sick, having to work with someone like that."

She turns to me, a serious look painted on her face. "But, as much as I hate to admit it, we need to work together. I can't let anyone else pilot my Eva," her body tenses slightly. "I won't."

I take a moment to think about what I'm gonna say. "I admit I haven't been the most. . .pleasant person to be around. It's like the Vice Commander said, I seem more interested in antagonizing you than anything else. *Sigh* Must've made it real difficult for you work with me."

I look Asuka in the eyes. "How about this, if you try to listen to what I have to say, then I'll try to be a bit. . . 'nicer'."

"Whatever." Asuka then takes a sip of the drink she brought outside. "I can't promise anything. But, I still think you're over complicating things."

"How in the world am I doing that?"

She rolls her eyes. "Look, this isn't one of those dance games you play at the arcade. The mats we're using have way more buttons and require us to use our hands as well as our feet. Following the music is a good way to predict when a button will light up, but relying on it too much will slow you down. Tell me, what usually happens when the tempo picks up?"

I'm caught off guard by her question. Blinking a few times, I think about my time on the DDR mats. "I usually start tripping over my own limbs, missing a few buttons in the process."

"Exactly," she says while lifting her right index finger. "You body's gotten so use to the original tempo that when it picks up, you have trouble adjusting. That's why the better option is to scan the board and press whatever lights up as quickly as possible."

She. . .actually has a point. My strategy relies too heavily on things remaining the same, while Asuka's strategy is more adaptive. Though, her plan isn't perfect. Too much brute force and not enough order. Order is needed for cooperation. "You do bring up a few good points. But. . ."

We continue our conversation for about thirty minutes. Eventually, we form a plan of attack and go back to training. This time, we did a whole lot better than before we had our conversation. Sure, we were far from perfect, but we're improving. Still, that didn't stop us from throwing insults at each other. It was childish and petty. But I guess that's how we are with each other.

Five days has passed. They were the most exhausting days of my life. Every morning, Asuka and I would practically do everything together. We'd brush our teeth together, eat together, and even sleep together. You heard that right, SLEEP TOGETHER! ! ! Granted, we both were sleeping on a mattress in the living room, well within Misato's line of sight. Still, that was awkward for the both of us. Though, at least something good came out of that. Our movements were completely synchronized. The DDR mats at Misato's place was practically child's play. Every time Asuka and I got on those things, we'd get a perfect score. Of course, the side effect of such training was that we mimicked each other's movements without noticing. There were so many times we'd mirror each other's body language or speak simultaneously. It's honestly kinda freaky.

You'd think after all we've been through, we would be nicer to each other. Nope, seems like the opposite happened. Being in such close proximity with the girl only increased my irritation with her. Sure, we never argued during our training; after all, that would be counterproductive. But we made sure to throw rather colorful insults at each other outside of training. Though, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy making fun of the redhead.

Right now, I'm resting my head on my desk at school. The class is having its usual fifteen minute break, so Rei and I started our studies. But lately, I've become too tired to even bother lifting a finger.

"Are you feeling well Hart?" asks Rei.

I mumble some incoherent words before looking at Rei. "Yeah, just tired. Asuka made me stay up all night training."

Rei gives and understanding nod. "We may continue our studies tomorrow, if you wish."

I let out a yawn. "No, I'm good. Come on, let's continue. Now, where were we?" I pick up my pencil and begin working on the writing "homework" Rei provided. Can't imagine how Rei comes up with something for me to work on everyday. As tiring as it is working on these handouts, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to create them everyday.

. . .

Gotta find a way to repay her.

Rei goes silent for a moment. Eventually, she digs into her bag, pulls out a book, then hands it to me. I grab the book and get a good look at it. The book is thicker than the ones Rei usually gives me to read everyday. The cover is glossy, and has a picture of a man sitting on a grassy hill. The man is staring at the night sky, but the sky itself looks strange. Instead of stars, there are spheres which held images inside them. Doesn't look like a children's book.

"What's this for?" I ask Rei.

"For reading," she simply states.

I give her a deadpan expression. Hate how she takes things so literally. "What I mean is, why are you giving me this book? It's longer than the ones I usually read."

"Your ability to write and read has increased substantially," she explains. "Therefore, it makes sense to give you something more challenging to read."

Did I really improve that much? I mean, Rei's only been tutoring me for about two weeks! No human can understand a language in that short amount of time! Though, I did notice that reading and writing has become easier. How's that even possible? Guess I really shouldn't question it. All that matters is I'm learning, and I should be grateful for that.

"The book is a short story, you should be able to finish it within a few weeks. As usual, you will write a summary of the story and give a critical review," explains Rei. "You may begin reading after you have finished your upcoming mission."

I look at her then back to the book. It looks like it might be a fun read. A nice change from reading simple stories.

"Umm. . .Rei?"

"Yes?"

"Erm," I start scratching the back of my head. How do I phrase this. "I. . .I never thanked for you listening to me about. . .well you know." She nods. "It must've been real awkward for you, watching me cry like an idiot. A-Anyway, thanks for, you know, helping me in general."

Rei gives me an uncertain look, then displays a small smile. I respond with a smile of my own, albeit, a nervous one. Eventually, class starts. The rest of the day was uneventful.

Right now, it's around seven in the afternoon. I'm back at Misato's apartment, sitting on the mattress in the living room, playing a game on my handheld console. You know, I never really bothered trying to figure out the name of this product. It kinda looks like a PSP only thinner. I tried reading the cover but I'm unfamiliar with the letters. Probably should ask Misato about it later.

I hear a door open and in the corner of my eye, witness Asuka walking of the bathroom, obviously finished with her shower. She's already dressed in the clothes she usually sleeps in.

"Has Misato come home yet?" asks the redhead.

"No, she won't be coming home for a while," I inform her. "Has to work late."

She gives and understanding nod, then smirks.

"Guess that means we're all alone, right Michael?" Asuka says in a flirtatious voice.

I roll my eyes. I know what she's doing. We've long since gotten use to each other's insults, so for the past few days she began flirting with me. Its her way of trying to mess with me. But she should know by know that her tricks don't work on me. I continue giving my full attention to my game. She hates it when I ignore her.

Asuka lets out a frustrated huff as she walks over to the mattress I'm sitting on. She grabs her pillow and covers, then walks to Misato's room. She slides open the door, walks in, then closes the portal. Guess we won't be sleeping together tonight, not that I'm complaining. Suddenly, Asuka opens the door and glares at me.

"Now listen here Fourth Child! This is the impenetrable wall of Jericho!" she says, obviously meaning the flimsy door. "Come across this border and you'll be sorry!"

"Fuck off," I tell her casually. "Also, Jericho's walls weren't impenetrable. They were about as fragile as that door you're hiding behind."

"Just stay of my room!" she yells as she slams the door. I resist the urge to point out that she's in Misato's room and not hers. Eventually, I get tired and rest on the mattress.

Later that night, probably around ten, something woke me up. Turning my head slightly, I spot Asuka exiting Misato's room. Seeing nothing to worry about, I fall back to sleep. What felt like minutes later, something crashes onto the mattress. The sudden shock wakes me up, pissing me off. Getting jolted awake will do that to a person. I turn to whatever woke me up, hoping it wasn't Pen Pen dry humping a pillow. . .again. My rage tempers as I see Asuka sleeping next to me. Huh. She must've been sleep walking. I saw her do that once during our training, thought it was an isolated incident. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I turn away from her and attempt to get comfortable. Was really hoping I'd get to sleep alone.

"Mama," I hear a fragile voice call out.

I turn back around in surprise. Was that Asuka, or am I hearing things?

"Mama," repeats the sleeping girl. Tears are rolling down her face. Her body's shaking, like she's been left out in the cold, and I can hear her sobbing slightly. Asuka's crying. She's actually crying. The same person who I've been constantly arguing with, the same person who I assumed was too strong, too prideful, to let a tear stain her face; this same fiery redhead, is now crying for her mother. There are so many emotions swirling around inside me at the sight of her. Confusion, concern, uneasiness. . .anger, disgust, annoyance.

I grab my pillow and covers then get off the mattress. I head to my room, attempting to get away from Asuka's crying. I don't want to hear that. I don't need to hear that.

When I open the door, I groan at my own forgetfulness. Asuka's stuff is still in there. Not feeling like moving them around, I go to the room across from this one. Think it might've been a storage room. Well, it's where I'm sleeping now. As I set my pillow on the cold wooden floor, I can't help but think about Asuka. She really pisses me off. How pathetic must you be to cry for your mother? I hate it when people do that.

I had hard time sleeping that night.

I breathe in the LCL as I mentally practice for the upcoming battle. That's the thing that never changes. Even though I've gotten better at hiding it, I'm always nervous before a battle. There's always a possibility that I won't come back when an Angel's involved. Sure, there are moments when I feel like nothing could go wrong. But that usually happens when the adrenaline kicks in. Looking at the holographic screen displaying Asuka's face, I don't see the same trepidation which exists inside me. She's either hiding it like I am, or is actually not worried about the upcoming battle.

"Are the both of you ready?" asks Misato over the radio.

"Yes!" responds Asuka and I.

"Good. Remember, you both will be on limited power. So take out the Angel as quickly as possible."

It was agreed awhile ago that the Evangelions were to fight without the umbilical cables. It would heighten me and Asuka's mobility so we could perform synchronized movements. Of course, that meant we had to kill the Angel (technically Angels) in under a minute. So as Misato said, we need to take the creature out as quickly as possible. In other words, don't hold back.

Oh how I pity the people who'll clean up our mess.

"Right," Asuka and I respond to Misato.

"You ready for this Fourth Child?" asks Asuka, donning a confident look. For some reason, I'm no longer nervous.

"Yeah," I respond, revealing a smirk. "Just don't get in my way."

"Ha! I should be telling you that!" she responds, still smiling.

"Prepare for launch!" Misato tells her subordinates.

Seconds later, Asuka and I are launched to the surface, just in time to see the Angel fully regenerated. A building opens up, revealing a series of weapons. We both pick a Sonic Glaive and toss them at the Angel. The glaives pierce the creature, forcing it to split in two.

Forty-five seconds.

Asuka's Eva grabs a gun which requires two hands to use. It shoots out a powerful stream of yellow energy, knocking down the grey Angel. The other creature, attempts to strike Asuka, but I back her up with a pistol, distracting the Angel. Both creatures get tired of our antics and fire quick successive blasts of energy. With ease, we dodge every single shot and hide behind a few buildings. We both grab a Pallet rifle and fire at the Angels, kicking up dust, and blinding them.

Twenty seconds left.

Without speaking to each other, we charged the creatures at the same time. Mirroring each other's movements, we deliver a powerful punch followed by a kick, creating a shock wave of power. The two creatures get blown away and are forced to fuse back together. The now single creature, shoots another beam of energy at Asuka and I. But like many times before, we easily evade the attack.

Fifteen seconds left.

"This is it!" I say, a grin painting my face.

"Let's finish this!" responds Asuka.

We both leap into the air, preparing to deliver the final blow. We let out a battle cry as our twin flying kicks it its mark. The core.

Our momentum sends us and the creature flying towards Mt. Futago. The Angel's core finally shatters, causing the creature to explode. The force of the explosion rattles the inside of my entry plug. I have to grab the controls just so I'm not sent flying around the capsule.

When the entry plug stops shaking, I take a look at the display screen. It's off. Right, must have ran out of power. Really hope the Angel's dead. Tentatively, I open my entry plug and take a peek outside. Both my Eva and Unit-02 are lying in a huge crater. My Eva's lying on its stomach, and Unit-02's lying face first on my robot's ass. I resist the urge to laugh. Asuka's not gonna be happy about that.

Taking a look around, I see that the city pretty much intact. Sure, a few building were destroyed, but it's nothing compared to the damage the fifth Angel did.

Riiing! Riiing!

Huh? Is that. . .is that a phone?

I search for the source of the noise and eventually find a home phone. It's attached near the entrance of the entry plug. Why have I never noticed that?

Picking up the phone, I put it near my ear.

"Hello?"

My eardrum was nearly blown out from the shouting on the other end of the line.

"You idiot! Look at what you did to my Unit-02! ! !"

"The hell are you talking about?" I ask Asuka.

"You messed up the damn timing! Forcing my Eva into this. . .undignified position! ! !"

I start laughing up a storm. I knew she'd be pissed but it honestly isn't that big a deal. I mean, we just took down an Angel in under a minute, yet she's worried about the position of her Eva.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny! ! !" Asuka yells/whines over the phone.

I wipe a tear away. "You can yell at me all you want, but you're honestly missing the big picture. Seriously, are you gonna acknowledge how AWESOME that fight was? ! ? !"

Asuka just huffs then hangs up. I continue laughing my ass off.

Author's Notes: Finally, I'm done with this chapter. Sorry it took so long, school made it hard for me to have any free time. So, was the quality of this chapter worth the wait. . .probably not. Still, I'm glad I got this out. Even though I won't have as much time to work on this story, I'll still continue writing it. Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter. Have a good day. Oh also, Thomas Drovin got the name of last chapter's band correct, but the song's name is incorrect.

Chapter 8 hint: Think of the name of Michael Jackson's most famous dance, then rearrange the words. That's how you'll find the name of the band. The song name is within the title of this chapter. I just added a few words and it should be easy to figure out.

Next chapter should come out in around a month.