Bucky Presents

An 'Other Side' Production

Old Friends, New Enemies: Chapter 8: A Battle, A kiss and the day after 

"Status report" the violet haired Major Katsuragi asked, in what was more like a command then a question. She had finished taunting Shinji about the small joke that she had picked up on from Asuka and was now ready to start the operation. It wasn't going to be easy even though Shinji and Asuka were able to synch perfectly. That was then this is the now and now is very different. Here today the two teens had so much riding on their shoulders, one slip up and they could kiss themselves goodbye. This is what had Misato worried.

Though she hadn't known him for that long, the violet haired woman had grown to love Shinji Ikari like a mother would her son. If it weren't for the name of the commander she'd probably be his mum. Misato had wanted children at one stage in her life, not for very long though. It seems that taking care of a friend's baby for a few days one time was enough for the NERV major to handle. But having Shinji around was different, he was older that's for sure. Not only that he was smart, well behaved and a great cook. Now that she thought about it Misato wouldn't know what to do without Shinji around, though she wouldn't admit it directly.

As for Asuka, Asuka was an enigma to Misato. At times she was a little bitch, stuck up, selfish and extremely annoying. Then other times she could be nice, kind, caring and overall sweet, mostly towards Shinji Misato noticed. Another thing she had noticed about the redhead was her strange tendencies to just sit and stare at the boy while he wasn't looking. She wouldn't even know she was staring at Shinji; she just seemed to be distant at times like that, as if the teen was contemplating the meaning of life or something.

"Everything is looking good, Shinji holding his synch steady at 56% and Asuka at 89%" Maya reported, snapping Misato out of her revere. "Shinjis fluid levels seem to be down a bit has he had anything to drink this morning?"

"I'm not sure we did leave in kind of a hurry" Misato answered while trying to drive away thoughts of bad things that COULD happen. "How's Asuka?"

"No problems detected with the Second Child" the blonde Ritsuko replied while scanning her computer terminal, "I don't quite like the feedback we're getting from Unit-01. Are you sure Shinjis ok apart from lack of fluids?"

The violet haired Major thought for a second before answering "not that I know of." As she said that something clicked in her mind "he has been waking up in the middle of the night more often than usual."

It was now Ritsukos turn to wonder for a minute, she had not done a proper physical or psychological check up on the Children since Asuka had come. "Is everything alright at home Major?"

"Actually Ritsuko it's, well, better I suppose." Misato paused trying to think wether or not it was better at home or not, "Shinji seems happy. Since Asuka came he's been a lot more…cheery, he's not moping around as much as he used to. Why, do you think this could be caused by something at the apartment?"

"Not something…" Ritsuko answered softly, "more like someone."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Having Asuka around could be affecting Shinji psychologically"

"How?"

"I'm not sure, but if the nightmares continue bring him to see me ok?"

"Sure anything for Shinji…"

*****

Shinji Ikari sighed with relief; so far the 'dance' as NERV were calling it was going well. Asuka and he had made it to the stage where his dream had gone wrong and nothing bad was happening. Maybe around 40 seconds ago Misato had given the order to launch and everything went from there.

He had to admit he had his doubts about the operation from the very beginning, even with Asuka on as his partner he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong. He just had one of those gut wrenching feelings that kept people up all night worrying about the little things that could go wrong. He hated being so serious and worrying all the time, but it was his personality. No matter how long he tries he just couldn't change, he could alter his personality a little like he had already done recently.

Pushing those thoughts away Shinji gripped the butterfly controls of his Eva and concentrated on the mission. At this point both Evas were waiting behind a wall of thick metal for the enemy to blast it away. The twin Angels lifted themselves off the ground using their AT fields to jump through the air. That was Asuka and Shinjis que to run, or…jump anyway.

Shinji dived off to the left while Asuka in her red Unit-02 jumped off to the right, both Evas were cleared and out of the way just in time for the Angels to rip through the metallic wall they were hiding behind. Shinji miscalculated his jump and ended up landing on the ground with his Evas head in a building.

Misato saw this little incident and the first thought that came to mind was 'I bet that was expensive.' She then jumped straight into major mode and ordered all missile turret, tanks and VTOLs to fire their payloads at both targets. This manoeuvre allowed Shinji to stand up again and also did some considerable damage to the Angels.

Now standing up right Shinji brought his Eva over to where Asuka was waiting with her Unit-02. "Ready Asuka?" he asked into the comm as he waited for the que to jump.

"As ever" Asuka answered from her entry plug with as much enthusiasm as possible at the time. To herself she just smiled and hoped that this would be the end of this Angel, her first real kill. She regretted having to share the kill with Shinji but it was better than sharing it with Rei or not having any of it at all.

The smoke cleared from the explosion that bombarded the Angels and that was the Evas Que. Both unit-01 and 02 launched forward and delivered surprising uppercuts to each of the Angels sending them flying into the air. Shinji and Asuka however didn't let them get that far away. They both simultaneously brought their Eva sized feet up and kicked each of their targets in the torso.

The two Angels were propelled into each other and collided with enough force to meld them back into one being. Allowing only a second for pride both pilots leaped their Evas high into the sky. Side by side the two Evas began to descend back to earth, at the same time Asuka stretched out her left foot and Shinji did the same with his right.

A moment later and both their feet met with an Angel core each, they both provided as much force to their feet as possible. The Angel was taken, yet again, completely by surprise and it lost its footing sending it and the Evas ploughing up the side of the mountain. As the last second of power drained from both Evas the duel cores of the 7th Angel shattered into a dozen pieces.

The command crew of NERV watched in awe as the entire mountain known as Fugai exploded in a light show of reds and yellows. If it weren't for the destructive nature of the blast one would have thought it to be a beautiful sight. To all who witnessed it this was not a beautiful sight it was a nightmare.

The explosion sent clouds of dust and smoke billowing into the air and city below. Rocks the size of Volkswagens flew through the air at high speeds until finally meeting face to face with a skyscraper or billboard. One could only guess what fate the Evas and their pilots had suffered.

The smoke took four minutes to clear enough to gain a visual on the crater left behind, that was the worst four minutes of Major Katsuragis life. Her two children were in there and they were possibly injured or at worst dead. She wanted to know what had happened to them, "give me a visual!" Misato ordered with concern for her adopted children.

"Coming online now" Maya called from the other side of the command room. The cinema sized screen in front of them flickered twice then an image of Unit-01 lying on top of Unit-02 inside a crater appeared. "Both Evas are ok" Maya reported, "Pilots life signs are normal."

*****

The LCL drained from the plug as soon as the hatch opened. The yellow liquid spilled to the ground like a waterfall cascading down a cliff. Shinji had no idea of when he regained consciousness all he could remember was the explosion then opening the entry-plug. He pulled himself up out of the plug and onto the neck of Eva Unit-01 being careful not to fall off; it would be a long drop he noted.

Shinji drew his hand up and whipped the sweat off his forehead then scratched the back of his neck. His eyes scanned the surrounding area or what was left of it anyway. Trees were uprooted and burnt to a crisp, jagged rocks were sticking out of the ground where they had most likely been thrown. From his position he could see smoke rising from a few of the buildings in the city, which had obviously taken damage from the fire fight or even the resulting explosion.

What worried Shinji the most was he could not see Unit-02 in the near area; he was beginning to get scared when a sound caught his attention. It sounded like something between a phone and an alarm. He turned around and looked for the source; he soon found it in the form of a flashing picture next to the plug. Curiously the brown haired pilot approached and touched the flashing symbol. Shinji jumped back in surprise when a small section of the armour opened up and a phone popped out. Not know exactly what to do he just picked up the receiver and said "uh…hello."

"You IDIOT, what are you doing on top of MY unit-02!?"

"Ahhh….Asuka?"

"Of course it's me Dumkopf, who else did you think it would be, the tooth fairy!?"

"Um…yeah right…uh…where are you?"

"Look DOWN dummy!"

Shinji taking Asukas advice leaned cautiously over the edge of his Eva and looked down toward the ground. Before the ground however, he saw something big and red with a white plug hanging out and a small red figure standing next to it. "Oh…there you are…hi" Shinji waved nervously to Asuka then pulled back away from the edge.

"Idiot" Asuka scolded in mock anger, "I'll ask again why you are on top of my Eva?"

"Sorry…I…well that is I…uh…never mind"

"NEVER mind, never MIND!!! What do you mean by that you….oh when we get home I'm gonna kill you Shinji Soryu!!"

"Oh crap, can you at least quit it with the Soryu thing it's getting old"

"Oh I don't think so Shinji" Misatos voice jumped into the conversation, "do you, guys?"

Shinji mumbled something under his breathe as there was a loud giggling sound coming from two ends of the three-way conversation. "That's it Asuka this has gone too far, do you want me to tell them about your bowel control problems?"

"You wouldn't dare!!"

"Oh yeah?"

"You…couldn't!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Okay I'll stop joking around"

"Good"

"What bowel control problems?" Misato asked happily, she just loved gossip and even more she loved teasing ammo.

"Oh nothing" Shinji smiled to himself, "now can you get us out of here please I need a shower."

"I'll second that" Asuka sighed.

"OHHHH come on Shinji, please just a little hint?" Misato begged in her kiddie tone.

"Good one Shinji look what you started"

"ME, you started it"

"Did not"

"Did too"

"NOT"

"TOO"

"NOT"

In the command centre both Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki wore large sweat drops on their foreheads. "Those kids are embarrassing us again" Fuyutsuki rubbed his face with both hands. Commander Ikari just sat there in the Gendo Position™ and sighed loudly at the behaviour of the pilots.

*****

"YES" Shinji practically yelled as he stepped through the door to the Katsuragi apartment. "It's good to be home" he added while stretching his arms until both joints cracked, "hey Misato can we order in?"

"Oh, I don't see why we can't" Misato followed Shinji through into the apartment followed by Asuka who was bringing up the rear. "What do you two want?" the violet haired woman walked over to the phone and picked it up, "nothing too expensive though. Remember I'm broke until Thursday."

Shinji thought for a moment, Misato wasn't that rich so he could cross out the French restaurant down the road. Asuka didn't like traditional Japanese food that much so he automatically said no to that. Still stuck for clues Shinji turned to the foremost expert on food, "what will we get Asuka? You choose."

"I'm not that hungry" Asuka said tiredly as she walked over to the couch and slumped down, "how bout pizza?" The redhead pulled both her legs up and rested them on the other end of the couch. She wasn't feeling the best and didn't really care too much about dinner at the moment. Her mind was… too preoccupied to be thinking about food.

"Uh…ok, pizza it is" Misato said dialling the nearest pizza place, "Hey what's with you Shinji? You seem more upbeat than usual." Both the violet haired woman and the young redhead had noticed and commented quietly on Shinjis unusual behaviour. It wasn't like him to be this happy, especially after piloting.

The brown haired pilot just shrugged his shoulders and smiled broadly, "just happy that dreams really don't come true." With that he cast a sidelong glance at Asuka and caught a glimpse of a smile on her face. All too soon though the smile dropped away and was replaced by that 'spaced-out' look she sometimes had.

"I'm going to my room" Asuka said as she stood up and walked towards the hallway, "call me when the food's here." Misato just nodded in reply and the German girl disappeared down the hall and into her room.

"So Shinji…" Misato turned to the young boy who had now sat down on the couch, "what's this about Asuka and bowel control problems?"

"Misato!"

****

Asuka lay on her bed thinking quietly to herself. She had been pleased with the outcome of the battle, no one was hurt and the Angels were defeated. But she couldn't understand why she felt so…empty, hollow. She closed her eyes and sighed loudly enjoying the comfort of being alone in her room.

"But I hate being alone" the redhead barley whispered and it was the truth. Most of her life she had spent alone, even when her mother was still alive she was still alone due to her mothers physiological instability. Either that or she was always at work and made no efforts to spend time with her daughter. Asuka often wondered if she was meant to exist, if she was an accident, a mistake that her mother chose to ignore. When Kyoko took her life she confirmed in Asukas mind that she was unwanted and not meant to be.

As that stage in her life ended she was dropped into another one. She was sent to live with a boy named Shinji Ikari and his uncle mister Ikari. There she made improvements, though still thinking she was a mistake and unwanted. That was until she got close to Shinji, being so young her defences that she has now weren't completely developed. This allowed the small brown haired boy to wriggle his way in and lodge himself deeply in her heart.

He had become the friend that she never thought she would have, the brother she never wanted but enjoyed having. Her feelings of emptiness disappeared for those three short and wonderful years, she didn't fear being alone because her friend would be there for her and she would be for him.

"Asuka" the familiar voice shocked the young redhead out of her musings and she sat strait up. "Sorry" Shinji said apologetically "didn't think you were sleeping." The boy turned and started to leave.

Asuka almost jumped to her feet "it's alright, don't go." She smiled slightly as Shinji stopped and walked back into the room stopping in the centre and kneeling down on both knees. "So…" strapped for things to talk about she decided to find out why he was in here "what you want?"

"Well, this girl I know told me to come get her when the pizza arrived" Shinji smiled "so I thought I better get her seeing as though the pizza is here." He stood up and approached her slowly; he then put his hand on Asukas shoulder. "You ok? You seem out of it."

The redhead sighed and averted her eyes, "yeah, just…thinking."

"Bout what?"

"Nothing…"

"Oh come on, I know you better then that"

"Yeah I suppose you do"

Asuka slowly met his gaze and saw a touch of concern in his deep blue eyes, "Shinji, what do you think of me?"

Shinji jerked back a little surprised at the redhead's sudden question, "uh…what do you mean?" He thought for a second and answered his own question "if you mean that I think you're a good person, when someone gets to know you. Um…let's see you're smart, talented with a violin and a great pilot."

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked softly looking away once more, "I mean do you, you know, find me…attractive?"

Shinji was once again shocked, "um…well yeah you're easily the most beautiful girl in the city, hell probably even Japan. What brought all this on? You got self appearance issues or something?"

"No I…just that I" Asuka blushed a little then smiled as she turned to face Shinji a bit better, "I want to call in the 'I owe you.'" She thought that this was the perfect way for her to sort out her feelings for the boy and it would be kinda fun. "Any objections?"

"Oh boy" Shinji sighed but he still kept his smile, "I don't know. You could have something nasty lined up for me."

"Trust me, you'll like it"

"Ok then what is it? Make it quick because I'm hungry"

"Ok then, I want you to…kiss me"

"What?"

"Kiss me"

Shinji scratched the back of his head for a second just staring at his long time friend; this was a little out of the ordinary. "Did you just say you wanted me to…kiss you?" he echoed her previous request, she nodded in reply. "Um…o…ok I suppose" Shinji stepped a little closer and leaned in towards Asukas face. The young redhead closed her eyes and pursed her lips in anticipation, only to feel a soft kiss on her cheek.

"That wasn't a kiss!" she almost sighed as he pulled back quickly, Shinji of course being a man didn't get the picture. Asuka knew he could be dense but not this dense, she also knew she would have to take things into her own hands to get them done.

Before Shinji could question the girl Asuka pulled her hands up and wrapped them round his neck, pulling him in so that his lips met with hers. The boy was still for a long moment as he was completely stunned. Asuka had successfully begun kissing Shinji but there was a problem, he wasn't kissing back. This little fact was unacceptable to the redhead so she tried harder.

Using her tongue to push his lips open Asuka began to deepen the kiss. Shinji was still in a state of shock until he felt Asukas tongue enter his mouth and brush lightly against his. At this point he abandoned reasonable thought and let his male instincts take over. Remembering all those sappy movies he had seen over the years Shinji began to kiss her back. She seemed happy for this and deepened the kiss even more, if such a thing was possible.

Asuka was surprised that he actually joined in, she at first had expected him to remain still and stoic in the whole event, she was glad she was proven wrong. The sensation the redhead was feeling was overwhelming her, just to have him close was filling that hollow feeling she had earlier. If it wasn't for the burdens of the human anatomy she would have gladly stayed where she was but it seems her or Shinjis lungs didn't quite agree.

The young German girl pulled back hesitantly as did the young Ikari both just stared at each other for a minute before they each averted their eyes. Shinji was STILL shocked, dumbfounded, confused and any other analogy you could think of. Asuka was somewhat relieved of finally getting that off her chest and was also a little excited, it being her first kiss and all.

The brown haired pilot was the first to break the long silence, "that was…"

"Wrong?" Asuka asked in a whisper

"Unexpected"

"Oh"

"What…why…"

"SHINJI, ASUKA" A loud voice yelled out form in the kitchen, "Where are you two? It's getting cold and I don't think I can hold Pen-Pen back any longer."

"We better go eat" Shinji said as he backed away slowly still not looking directly at his friend. "I…well…urgh" he turned around and walked out swiftly leaving Asuka alone in her room to think.

"What have I done?"

****

AN: MWAHAHAHAHAHA what have you done indeed!! Hey guys and gals I'm back again sorry it took so long but certain things are happening and I just couldn't think clearly to write. It seems my School don't think I'm smart enough to go up into year eleven so I have to repeat 3 year ten subjects, which are Math, History and RE (Religious Education) YUK. I HATE SCHOOL. Oh well at least I get to do my I.T Tafe course still.

Anyway I did have more planned for this chap but u know me and the 3000 word mark. I don't know I just don't usually go over that for one chapter heh I'm just weird, but hey we all knew that right? Anyway I'll do the 'Next Day' part in the next chapter. In the next chapter Asuka will seek advice from Misato and her friend to be Hikari. Meanwhile Shinji ponders the events of the previous night, but all is doomed to become chaos when Shinji gets a not so secret admirer.

Hope you had a merry Christmas and to all a happy new year from all of us on the other side, mainly me!!!

Seya on da other side…………………….