Stage Ten [ Nazo - Mystery ]
Shinji couldn't believe it as the girl began to shake in his arms. Asuka Langley Soryu was a solid iron fortress. A prideful monument of strength forged from fire, blood, sweat, and tears. And he was just . . . him. What was it that made her feel this way enough to grab him like that? It wasn't like the spontaneous kiss from boredom earlier. This was something more pressing as Shinji found that she went from initiating the hug to going limp and letting him do all the work, turning to her side so that his hip was against the seat of the chair. He had to admit that feeling her against him certainly felt nice. And Asuka must've needed it just as badly as he did considering her shaking body and tight grip on him.
"Asuka, are you sure you're doing ok?" Shinji whispered as he kept his grip steady and shifted so Asuka could rest her head on his shoulder. The hospital they were in was quiet as the only sounds were beeps from monitoring devices beside Rei's bedside.
"I – I've been better." She whispered back. "The other day when I was attacked the the Angel you – you called out to me and that really woke me up from the mind attack. That attack made me see things that I don't want to talk about. But maybe if I really try to talk about them, I'll feel better." Asuka admitted.
"Like I said. I'll listen - if you want me to." Shinji said.
Asuka loosened her grip, pushing him slightly away to give him a genuine smile as she rested her plug suit covered hands on his shoulders.
"Not right now. I don't want to stay here much longer. But once we have some privacy - then I really do want to talk to you." Asuka said and Shinji smiled.
"But Shinji – why are you doing this for someone like me?" Asuka questioned as Shinji kept holding her.
"You – you know how important you are, right? You're the great Asuka Langley Soryu. The best EVA pilot. You've said so yourself. And you're my friend. Why wouldn't I want to help you out?" Shinji asked her.
"B-but! Hang on. I forced you into – this." She said, giving each of his shoulders a squeeze. "Did – did you really mean it?" She asked him.
"Well – yeah. Are you kidding me? After all this fighting and stress, I think we all need some kind of comfort. And . . . " He stopped for a moment, thinking of what to say.
". . . I only wish I could do more to help you." He finished.
"Yeah but – all the time I called you names. Teased you. Kicked you. Took your old room even. And . . . your first kiss. How can you forgive me?" She asked him.
She was right. What she'd done to him in the past had been pretty bad - and he'd let the negativity stay bottled up. Even so, Shinji found an answer pretty quickly.
"Well that's . . . I . . . look. I don't want you to suffer. And I can let all that stuff go for now to make sure you're doing ok." Shinji said and looked unsure of himself.
"Well – I guess those are pretty small things in comparison to an Angel attack, but I'm sorry, Shinji. I really messed up. When I – when I kissed you on the day of your Mother's death – I should have just told you I wanted you to hold me back."
She paused for a moment.
"And I definitely shouldn't have forced the kiss That wasn't right of me." Asuka stopped and looked up at him apologetically. She might not have wanted to look it, but she was giving him a puppy dog eyed look.
"Like when you put your hand on my shoulder just now. You saw how much further I took it, and I never even explained myself to you." She added.
"So, the 'Unbreakable Wall of Jericho?' Did you really mean that you didn't want to talk to me back then?" He asked.
"Right. Yeah, like that. I – I wanted you to say something to me then. I didn't expect you'd just ignore me like that. At the time . . . I thought me saying that Misato wasn't home would've given you a hint."
"Hm. Well then you're right to call me an idiot . . . "
"No! No, Shinji. I was the fool there! I've been treating you like trash, Shinji. And then I expect you to just know how to help me?!"
"Asuka . . . don't kick yourself for that stuff. That's not helping anyone. We can talk about that all later. For now, don't we have places to be? Rei's OK and we agreed that it wouldn't be long." Shinji said.
He put his hands on her shoulders again and pushed as he stood up. His face was wet from the weeping but for some reason Asuka found it was endearing rather than pathetic.
"Then we'll talk more about our issues at home. And Misato won't be any the wiser." Asuka said with a tired smile.
Shinji wiped his eyes with his left hand and extended his right hand to her. "Deal." he said as she took his hand and he pulled her up. He continued to hold it as she spoke to him.
"I think if I hadn't fought against the Mazingers in Unit 02 I'd feel even worse. But hearing Go and Kabuto praise me the other day and just now – and even having you take my picture hitching a ride on Mazinkaiser helped. Don't get me wrong, I still feel terrible about the mental attack but now – I guess I still feel like I have a reason to stay here." Asuka finished, decided to shake Shinji's hand in a show of respect so they could let go with a common gesture.
"So I take it you're both ready?" Kei said and the two spun around, shocked as she sat at the far end of the room, her face cradled in her hands as she beamed at them with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile.
"How long were you there?!" Asuka yelled, her face turning as red as her hair and Kei chuckled.
"Oh, I just got back a few minutes ago. But it's good to see that you two are getting along." The pilot said as Shinji's face turned the same shade of red.
"G-getting?" Shinji sighed, and Kei laughed. "I swear that wasn't intentional."
"Well let's Get out of here and Get us some dinner." Asuka said, relieved that Shinji didn't see her blush. Shinji put a hand to his face at the response pun as Kei laughed even harder.
/
The intimacy was even better than Misato remembered as Kaji had been holding out on her. But tonight they'd both let loose all of their passion in her bedroom. Once they were done making love and holding each other Kaji changed. Then he left to smoke and head out, leaving Misato sprawled out in bed, a sheet covering her body. It had been just the escape she'd needed to get away from the stressors of work.
She looked back to her dresser, appearing upside down from her position on the bed. Kaji had left something there in some kind of capsule and Misato remembered he'd wanted to talk about something. But then they both got careless and let their bodies do the talking instead. She made a note to look at it later as she sat up and washed before changing into a tank top and some shorts, grabbing a beer and getting another buzz, wondering when Shinji and Asuka would make it back home. She had sent them a text earlier to see when they'd get back and Shinji had responded that they'd get dinner with Kei Kuruma first. After the event of today, they'd earned it. And it had been the window she and Kaji had needed to crawl in her bed.
/
I am Rei Ayanami. And I see another me. She is blurred and flickering, like an unstable television channel. But she shows me things that she experienced and I see them as my own memories. Shinji Ikari is telling me to smile when I am happy. Asuka is telling me that I am a doll. Gendo Ikari is burning his hands to remove me from a dangerous situation. An Angel is talking to me. It took my image and speaks to me of loneliness. I die happy thanking Shinji and Asuka. The memories are just flashes but they are enough.
The faces of the Second and Third Child have some meaning to them as I open my eyes.
/
Rei woke up, seeing Shinji and Asuka sitting close to her as the other woman sat further back in the room. She turned and realized she was crying as she saw the Second and Third Child's faces but she didn't know why.
"Do you feel OK?" Kei asked.
"I feel alright. And I have seen you before. Pilot Ikari. Pilot Soryu." Rei said as she wiped her eyes with her free hand.
Asuka shrugged. "Well, get better Wonder-Girl. Then you can help out. I'm going to not be an EVA pilot for a while, so I hope you can fill in at least one of my shoes."
Shinji nodded. "Just rest up as much as you can, Rei. I'm glad you remember our names, even if you're not the exact same Rei Ayanami we remember."
"Thank you. Tell Go that from me – you are?" Rei said and Kei nodded with a smile.
"My name's Kei. Go's my brother. And I will tell him. Now rest up. I'm going to take your coworkers to eat now, but you're invited once you get better. See you soon, Rei." Kei said and led Shinji and Asuka out of the hospital.
/
The work took Ritsuko longer than she'd like as she analyzed each Evangelion's combat results and the pilots' sync rates as well. It took more time partially due to the massive machine looming over her. The Evangelions all stared straight ahead when at rest. But it was a far different story for Shin Getter Robo.
The machine stood straight alright, but it's yellow eyes also contained pupils that followed the staff around as it seemed to observe them. As Ritsuko became the only person in the room, it became unsettling and terrifying. She already had enough trouble with Unit 00 trying to kill her when they activated the Dummy Plug system in a test earlier in the year.
At Commander Ikari's request, the Getter machine was to be placed in the same holdings as Mazinkaiser had been while in NERV custody. Things got a bit dicier however, when the red machine began staring at people despite it's head locked into place. The eyes followed the staff across catwalks in front of the machine. Ritsuko had to call Ryoma and ask him about it.
Ryoma Nagare had been let out of NERV HQ after being unarmed and attending a brief meeting with Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. He was allowed to stay inside of Tokyo-3 alongside the rest of the Getter Team but Commander Ikari had ordered the Getter Team to leave the NERV HQ as quickly as possible. Ritsuko would ask him why, but he wouldn't tell her unless it was on a need-to-know basis.
"Hello, this is Ryoma."
"This is Dr. Akagi."
"Oh, you're with NERV, right?" he answered.
"That's right." She said, feeling a bit awkward.
"What can I help you with, Doctor?" Ryoma asked.
"I'm a bit concerned about Shin Getter Robo." Ritsuko said. "It's – watching me while I work. It looks curious and . . . like it's observing what I'm doing." She stopped.
Redundant speaking. A basic description. Fearful reactions. She was smarter than this. She was logical, dammit! Why was this machine so intimidating? The exaggerated build of the robot was like an EVA's. A person with exaggerated muscular proportions. And then there were the minor details. Edged blades of three on the forearms and spiked horns jutting out of the sides of the head were just there for function. The mere thought of it's appearance being frightening was preposterous. Yet – as with Mazinkaiser as well, there was something to be said about an impressive design.
"Shin Getter's a bit more sentient than our other machines. You might not want to just lock it up for the night. Make sure it's got a path to fly out of NERV HQ if you can." He'd said to her. The man spoke as though it was from experience.
"But if it goes berserk then-" Ritsuko began.
"It won't. The only things I've seen go crazy have been EVA Unit 01 and Mazinkaiser. And Kouji when I steal his breakfast. Shin Getter's fine, just know that if anything happens to Go, it might try to find him on it's own."
"How is that possible?" Dr. Akagi asked.
"Go has a special connection with Shin Getter. All I know is Getter Rays make it work. Don't ask a dumb pilot like me about the science behind it." Ryoma responded.
So it was then ordered that the central elevator be left open in case the machine just decided to leave. As the bridge got dark, the crimson robot's eyes glowed yellow, exaggerating the pupils even more. They were joined by a green glowing from the translucent emerald parts on Shin Getter's chest, arms, legs, and face. The glowing eyes and the green parts made work nearly impossible.
Ritsuko almost wished Mazinkaiser was still here instead – at least that thing stayed put and didn't give off a light show or watch the staff working. She finished the work in a hurry and left as soon as she could, the machine's gaze boring into her back the entire time. Yet it was still less terrifying than the thought of her 'report' to Commander Ikari's room, she mused, wondering just when she'd realized she didn't like the routine flings they'd been having after work hours ended.
.
/
Hayato frowned as he reclined in the Photon Labs' break room, a cup of caffeinated coffee in his hand. He was planning on pulling an all-nighter as the earlier events in the day had dictated. The room was wide and oval shaped, spacious and with a long couch he currently leaned back into. He'd have a smoke if it was regulation here but it was too comfortable to go outside and light one up.
The events he'd thought about were many. For one, there was NERV's position regarding Shin Dragon. The monster had appeared but didn't engage Tokyo-3 in a full on attack. It was strange and that told Hayato that the Invaders were waiting for something. Whatever that could be, Hayato couldn't say, but as he monitored Ryoma's call from Dr. Akagi, he got an idea.
He'd already spoken to Benkei about Kouji and Sayaka's transfer and thought it was a good idea. Considering Gendo Ikari's threat to shoot him and Ryoma on sight at NERV HQ, keeping Kouji away from the man would put everyone's mind at ease.
Regarding Gendo's threat of shooting on sight, that hadn't been the case today as Ryoma had been on his best behavior. Hayato was surprised his copilot didn't assault anyone at NERV, but then again he'd been sent to prison before. Ryoma knew how to save his anger and rage for when it mattered.
Hayato sipped the coffee and took a deep breath. Benkei had agreed to the next step in their plan and at this point Hayato could only wait for Go and Ryoma to contact him once they left Tokyo – 3. Until then there wasn't much else to do. He'd already contacted Tetsuya and Jun. They'd found something of interest and would be returning with it in a week once all the red tape cleared up around international travel considering the massive Getter that had appeared above Tokyo – 3 the other day. Still, people would want to evacuate. Or in some cases, move into the new city. Hayato could thank the relative stupidity of human beings for the window of opportunity his allies been given.
Getter Robo Go's systems had been exhausted and Hayato ordered it be put in into storage. The repair costs spent to bring it's power to full would be better suited on Great Mazinger and Getter Dragon. Getter Robo Go had been an experimental Getter, powered by plasma energy and made in case the Japanese Government wanted him to cease all Getter Ray related research. But considering how helpful Shin Getter Robo had been in protecting the area, Hayato could rest easy on that matter at least.
And that left a matter of the EVA pilots. Hayato looked over the psyche evaluations in front of him that Kaji had snagged the past week ago. They were now out of date but still gave him a picture of their basic mental health and daily routines.
"If I knew any better, I'd say Commander Ikari is making them feel emotionally dependent on being a pilot. Now why would someone like him want to do that?" Hayato asked with a frown. It was a strange puzzle piece and it made Hayato wonder just how all of Gendo Ikari's particular puzzle pieces would add up in the end.
/
The capsule delivered to Misato, Kaji walked quietly down the streets of Tokyo – 3. He had a gut feeling he was being followed and didn't want Misato to be involved. He'd already sent her a voice message about the capsule and eyed a bar he could step in and hopefully lose his pursuers.
Then he saw his wound be executioner. A face he recognized. Then this was it. It would be his death. The person said nothing as they pulled out a gun discreetly. It was very professional work and Kaji spoke what he guessed would be his last words with a smile on his face.
He expected a gunshot but instead he heard a loud cry as someone started running towards him in a dark green military jacket.
"SHIN GETTAAAAAAAAAA-!" The man yelled as he ran toward Kaji.
The man had thrown a cloak over Kaji and at this point Kaji registered the sounds of the bullets and found that the man had pulled him to the ground as some bullets whizzed over the two of them. There was a great crash and then green light flooded the street, visible from even under the cloak.
Kaji heard yelling as several of the people in the street screamed and ran away. The pursuer he could only imagine did the same. Then he heard yelling and something humongous landed in front of him. Kaji moved his head to look at the street's surface he was lying on and saw the suited assassin with his face planted in the ground far across the street. The one responsible was engaging two other men, coolly spinning around and backhanding one as he punched the other in the neck with a soulful Kiai shout -
"TOOOORIIIYAAAAAAAAH!"
Needless to say, the assassin he punched was sent sprawling, and Kaji heard something break when the body hit the pavement.
The man in the green jacket pulled him up and began climbing a ladder. Kaji didn't complain as he follow. The ladder led inside of an open hatch of some kind. He grunted and got through the hatch with plenty of space. Kaji took a breath and wondered where the hell he was.
Then Kaji felt the world turn as he rose higher than he thought possible. The screaming man had followed, now silent. He was wearing the red scarf and beige trenchcoat, pulling the scarf he'd wrapped around his face off and taking a breath. Then the ladder rose up into wherever they were and the hatch shut with a hiss. A light came on, and the whole area they were in was illuminated but cramped.
"And that's that. Good to see you again, Kaji." Ryoma Nagare said as he stepped into an elevator inside of Shin Getter Robo and went up.
Shin Getter took to the skies, flying high above NERV's official airspace in a matter of seconds. Kaji grunted as the mecha stopped and he clutched his head.
"Kaji Ryoji, you are safely in the Getter Team's care and we are out of NERV's sensor range so this call won't be monitored. Operation Jackrabbit is a success. Welcome aboard Shin Getter Robo." Hayato Jin's voice said dryly on a monitor of the rather plain looking cockpit. There were levers everywhere and the whole assembly looked unstable for such an advanced machine.
"I appreciate saving me from SEELE, but are you really expecting me to pilot something as fearsome as this Getter Robo?" Kaji asked as he moved a helmet from the seat and sat down. Hayato smiled as Go stepped into another elevator, going up as well.
"No. Ryoma and Go will handle the piloting. You just need to be our witness. After all, you're the secret weapon that can shoot both SEELE and NERV down in one shot if things go to plan." Hayato said as Kaji scratched at the stubble on his chin.
"Triple Agent. And now a – Quadruple Agent?" The scruffy man asked as he grabbed some grips on the seat and fought the alcohol in his system. It desperately wanted to escape from his stomach and Ryoma's voice came online.
"Kaji! That helmet looking thing there will calm you down! Just put it on and don't worry about the rest! Go and I will handle it from here!"
"Gentlemen, I leave you to your work." Hayato said before the transmission ended and then Kaji felt the space around him shift as two ships – white and red took off ahead of him.
Go spoke up. "I'll lead next. We'll form Shin Getter 2."
"And then we'll see just what skeletons Gendo Ikari and NERV have in their closet for ourselves!" Ryoma said as the red ship vanished and then Kaji felt an impact in the back of the craft he was on.
"Now we'll dock with Getter Jaguar and do a Getter Change. Just relax! And no pressure, the first time Hayato got in one of these bad boys, he pissed himself!" Ryoma said as the joined craft boosted forward, slamming into the white ship, thrusters moving out of the way to merge the ships together.
"CHANGE! Shin Getter 2!" Go cried out as the space around Kaji warped again, and now he felt like he was in a more vertical shaped structure.
The helmet must've done it's job as Kaji was neither expelling the alcohol or pissing himself. Instead it gave him some kind of high as he still held on for dear life but was excited to see what would happen next. He thought of Misato going through his watermelon patch and the thought made him immeasurably happy for some reason.
/
Gendo sighed with anger as the alarms started blaring, signifying a take-off.
"The Children are accounted for. Rei's at the hospital and Shinji and Asuka just left it. They're wandering the streets now with Kei Kuruma." Ritsuko said, secretly glad that the alarm had cut off any late night activities Commander Ikari wanted to indulge it. She'd barely arrived at the man's room when the warning sounds blared.
"The Getter, then." Gendo said, his frown and forward gaze just as foreboding as they'd been on the bridge. He still wore his suit and raised his tinted orange glasses to his face. He didn't look quite upset but the emotion he conveyed was still one Ritsuko didn't want to measure.
"I need to check on how it took off, Commander. Permission to leave?" She asked, feeling a lump in her throat. No doubt Gendo would still want their meeting to take place eventually.
" . . . Leave the report here. We will continue this later." he said, showing no more emotion after that.
Ritsuko handed him the file and grabbed her lab coat, turning quickly and leaving as fast as she could, glad she had an excuse to get away from the man.
No sign of Shin Getter of course. Meaning that Ryoma's suggestion had paid off. Go had called it after all. But just telling that to Commander Ikari would be foolish. Ryoma's number came up as unlisted when sh dialed it again and she found herself amused for some reason. Even if she knew it had happened, no one at NERV could prove it. And tracing the call history would prove fruitless.
"Just what are you planning, Getter Team?" Ritsuko thought as she prepared a report that both Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki could ignore later. It was at least a better alternative to returning to Commander Ikari's private quarters below. She sighed and wondered what the ramifications of this would be.
/
"EVA pilots? In my shop?! You get a free meal! On the house!" The ramen chef said as he pointed to Asuka and Shinji's plug suits.
"Not to bring up anything unnecessary, but this one with us pilots Shin Getter Robo too." Asuka said, throwing a thumb backwards to point to Kei who was standing behind them.
"Ah! A pilot of something like the legendary Getter Robo is here too!? I'll have to go all out then!" The man said, ushering the trio to a small table.
"You don't have to make the whole thing free. I just wanted to get these two a meal, after all." Kei said and the man shook his head.
"I understand, but I still want to show my gratitude. Look at how skinny you all are! I'll make sure you all eat your fill!" He said and Asuka sighed. Shinji smiled at the man's antics and Kei simply took in the whole spectacle.
Then there was a crash and green lights flooded the street.
"Oh my god!" Kei yelled, grabbing Shinji and Asuka by reflex. They had done the same thing, each putting a hand on Kei's shoulder and one on each others'.
"What the hell – why is Shin Getter Robo here?!" Kei whispered.
"Never mind that! What's it fighting!? I don't hear the Angel alarm? And didn't we kick Dr. Hell's ass pretty hard?" Asuka whispered back.
Then there was a rushing noise as the engines of the super robot ignited and it was gone just a quickly as it had landed.
The owner hid behind his kitchen counter and looked to the trio.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Shinji nodded. The three had moved under the table, looking at the door. There were eventually police sirens as the street was investigated. After ten minutes of waiting, the area was deemed clear.
Kei was shocked. "Is NERV really that strong? Some kind of incident like that is dealt with that quickly?"
Asuka nodded. "They're the glue holding Tokyo – 3 together after all. Remember, we deal with Angel attacks too."
"But Shin Getter was there. Do you know anything about that, Kei?" Shinji asked.
Kei shook her head. "I heard Go's voice. He summoned Shin Getter. Whatever the problem was, it's gone now."
"He's a man of few words, but I'm sure my brother's safe. He must've come here to do whatever that was as well. I don't know what that is, but I trust him." Kei said with a reassured smile.
"Well let's either order now or go home. I'm famished, EVA pilot or not." Asuka said, her statement a hair away from being a complaint.
Shinji looked to the owner. "Than is it fine if you get us whatever you can in a hurry and we'll be on our way?" The Third Child requested.
The man nodded and went back to the kitchen area in a hurry. Kei smiled and looked to the two pilots.
"So, how are you? Outside of Piloting EVAs?" Kei asked.
"Tired." Shinji said and Asuka gave a brief nod.
"I'm OK. Despite NOT being able to pilot an EVA for a while." Asuka said, leaning back and pouting. "It's a miracle this idiot's now clear to deploy, otherwise we'd just be relying on a bed-ridden Rei." The Second Child said.
"Well, what are you finding enjoyable?" Kei asked, her smile lessening.
"Hmm. Training's going OK. Ryoma's harsh but he's actually making us all work together pretty well. We still can't Get-Change just yet, but combat training's fun. I get paid to try and kick Kouji's butt." Asuka said.
"And the strategy meetings are pretty fun too. We're trying to theorize how an AT Field could be used to deflect attacks and confuse enemies. I'm trying to see how our AT Fields could defect an ally's attack like a Getter or Photon Beam." Shinji said.
"Hmm. Well it sounds like I should come along to the next training. Asuka, we can't just let all these guys call the shots! No offense, Shinji." Kei added quickly.
"None taken." Shinji said just as fast, letting the conversation keep flowing.
"We should have a girl's night out with Sayaka and take Wonder-girl out shopping. Maybe we can even rope Misato into it." Asuka said.
"Yeah! Sayaka's really excited to see you guys at the party. I'm glad you've all become good friends. And to be honest I wish I'd met you all earlier." Kei admitted.
"Hey, it's fine. You're working with the Getter repair team so it's cool. I guess I'm pretty happy about that party, it's on the same day as my birthday." Asuka said.
"What?! And you didn't say anything?" Kei asked and Shinji was silent, looking taken aback.
"What? I didn't want to make a big fuss about it. Besides, that way it will be a party for all of us, not just for the great Asuka Langley Soryu." Asuka said, leaning forward and looking at both Kei and Shinji.
"But Asuka, what if we want to do something for you too?" Shinji asked.
"Then do it! You don't need to ask for my permission! Idiot!" She breathed but couldn't end her words without a slight smile.
"Yeah. Dad's gonna want to spoil you." Kei said with a grin. "So what do you want?"
Asuka stopped. "Let's see . . . new clothes . . . um . . . some shoes . . . oh, I don't know! I didn't exactly make a list you know?"
"Well if we go shopping, I'll just cover your bill." Kei said and Asuka nodded.
"And I'll make you some food you'll like. Just let me know what kinds of food you've been missing and I'll do my best to cook for you." Shinji suggested.
Asuka smiled harder and tried to get Shinji out of her head. Ever since he'd touched her at the hospital and they'd ended up hugging, he'd been in her thoughts. Holding him . . . had been nice. Stupid Shinji.
"Guess I need to make two lists then." Asuka said and Kei's eyes narrowed.
"Don't forget about Sayaka. If she learns you hid your birthday from her, she'll never forgive you!" Kei said.
"R-really?! But she's so nice!" Shinji stated.
"A joke. But let her and Kouji know. Birthdays are a big deal to them. Since we're all missing some kind of family member at the Photon Labs, we celebrate those among us who make it another year. Sorry if that's morbid." Kei said with a sigh.
"Drinks." The owner said, giving them each a water. "And please let me know when you want more."
"Thank you." Shinji said as he took a sip of the clear and cold water.
"No – it's fine that you say that. We've both had some messed up stuff happen lately." Asuka said and took a sip herself. Why had she said that? It was an admittance of weakness. Just like when she'd told Shinji about her reassuring her family just to get them off her back.
Then she saw him and knew why. He was hurting. And so was Rei. So it was only natural that she be dealing with her own pain as well. Even if she was loathe to admit it, hearing the stories of the Getter Team's loss of their teammate Musashi and Tetsuya's own feelings for his damaged Great Mazinger helped a bit in this regard.
"I was stuck in LCL for a while. Right, you both knew that." Shinji said and Kei grinned.
"Go tells me you were fine. I hear you handled it like a trooper." Kei said.
"And you, Asuka. Even after that mental probe, you beat both Great and Z. I know you've already heard that was awesome but still – it's inspiring seeing you get up after that attack." Kei said to her.
"And Rei. . . She's probably trying to remember who she is." Kei finished, looking to Asuka and Shinji.
"Well I'm alright from the LCL." Shinji said. "I actually saw my mother while I was . . . in that experience. I can't really describe it well. I was on a train. And Go was there. Then he left when my mother appeared."
"Wait . . . you did mention your mother. And you thought she was your EVA. . . " Asuka said and her eyes widened.
"But if she actually saw you . . . then my EVA – could it be my mother?!" She felt a surge of electricity go through her and took another sip of water, her hand now shaking with the possibility of it being true.
"I don't know. But try talking to your EVA the next chance you get." Shinji said. "Mother didn't say anything to me when we were training the other day but I felt amusement from her when we were thumb wrestling. And a lot of anger when we ripped that latest Angel to shreds with Shin Getter. She and I grabbed Getter Tomahawk as one to cut the thing open. I definitely heard her roar with me there."
"But after that mental attack – my sync rate – it's . . ." Asuka stopped and hung her head.
"And - I overheard Misato talking to Ritsuko about replacing me as an EVA pilot." Asuka said, grabbing her right wrist with her left hand and squeezing it.
"Just keep at training and don't let it bother you." Kei said, putting a hand on Asuka's right shoulder. "And if it does bother you, at least you have people you can talk to about it. Sayaka and I. Shinji and Kouji. Miss Misato and the Getter Team. We're all here for you, Asuka. Even if it's true." Kei reassured her.
"But it might be my mother in there! And I might not be able to talk to her!" Asuka rebuked. She sighed and looked to Shinji.
"Hey, if they do tests with you and Wonder-girl tomorrow, see if you can talk to Unit 02. Just tell her Asuka wants to talk." Asuka said, looking away from Shinji as her hair hung over her face.
" . . . Asuka." Shinji said and nodded. He wished he could reach out again but the girl might be embarrassed by Kei again.
"I don't suppose this is a good time for me to bring up that my father is Dr. Saotome?" Kei asked and Shinji was surprised yet again. Asuka turned to her, looking a bit surprised herself.
"Yeah. He raised me as a boy named Genki Saotome. But after he went crazy, Benkei adopted me as his daughter and renamed me Kei Kuruma. Shinji, I know your Dad is pretty bad. You know how bad mine is. I just thought of parents and that jumped out at me." Kei said. "It's unfair to bring up now but-"
"Shut up. It's something you have in common with both of us. So share away. You and Idiot Shinji aren't the only people here with a terrible parent." Asuka said and finished her water.
The food then arrived. Shinji got a platter of sushi while Kei got tempura and Asuka got chicken katsu. The three ate and conversation was slowed as they all ate for a few minutes.
"Still, I didn't remember about Saotome being my biological Dad until he told me about it." Kei said. "I thought it was a lie. But it all came back to me once I thought about it." The teen said.
"I – it was like me too, with that Angel." Asuka said. "I didn't want to admit that it was true, but it showed me things that happened. That I didn't want to admit to myself." She said and sighed, taking a bite of chicken.
"Look at us. We're expected to pilot humongous machines like Getters and Evangelions with this amount of problems?" Shinji said as he'd swallowed his current bite of sushi.
"And Kouji's an orphan who lost his grandfather. Maybe it's a prerequisite for piloting a mecha?" Kei joked and took a sip of water.
"But Shinji – in your case." Asuka noted. "Your father is choosing to keep you this distant. He's not really caring for you. Misato's the closest thing to a parent that both of us have and it doesn't add up."
Shinji nodded, letting her suspicion of his father add onto his own frustrations. "And we don't know anything about Rei's parents." Shinji added.
"Right. She might not have any real people who raised her since we know she's a clone. She never got to pick a favorite food or a favorite color." Asuka said. "I'd wager she's probably missing a Mother as well. Come to think of it." Asuka stopped and looked to Shinji.
"Does anybody in our class have a Mom? Or am I just overthinking this?" Asuka asked.
Shinji shrugged and Kei looked like she had an idea.
"I'll get Dad to investigate that while he's . . . doing his other project. With NERV breathing down our necks on interfering with your standard training, we'll need to change tactics." Kei said.
"Still. Rei's case is strange." Kei said. "Go's father is technically Dr. Saotome's, but that's due to Saotome being the one who cloned him."
"Then my suspicions are right. NERV's hiding something. And I bet it's something huge. The Angel attacks might be distractions from something else. Something big." Asuka said.
"What do you mean?! How could those monsters be controlled in any way? And as a sort of distraction as well?!" Kei began to ask but stopped as Shinji coughed, gagging on his food.
"Shinji?! Hey! Hey, breathe!" Asuka yelled, dropping her utensils and getting behind him to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
The boy coughed, but spat out the offending bit of food from his mouth once Asuka shoved upwards with her clenched fist into his gut. Asuka stayed like that for a moment, hanging over him and rubbing his back and making sure he could breathe clearly. He reached over his shoulder and grabbed her fingers with his left hand and put them in a grip.
"I remember! - Mother said it! And it came up in that video you took, Asuka!" Shinji practically shouted as he turned to her and then looked to Kei, staring her straight in the eyes.
"Kei, do you know anything about a "Human Instrumentality Project?" he asked.