7:00 am, Tuesday the 28th of July, State of Japan, Tokyo-3, NERV Quarters
Sleep had come the previous evening, despite all his tossing, turning, and terrible dreams. His smaller bed hadn't helped, as Shinji had to adjust to not having as much room to move about any more. And so it was he'd laid awake for a few hours, having woken up at six, staring up at the ceiling and pondering on whatever Misato had prepared for them.
It can't be good, whatever it is. And that's without having to do it with those two...
But then he felt himself lighten up.
Well, at least I get few days off school and have Rei over. Spirits, what's she going to make of this?
Growing bored of residing beneath his sheets, he sat up, sighed, then swung his legs over the bed's side. Placing his feet on the floor and wiggling his toes so as to stretch out any muscle that needed stretching, Shinji padded over to the door, slid it open, and made his way to the kitchen to make some breakfast.
What he didn't expect to find was Samuel, already awake with dark circles under his eyes, holding a mug of hot chocolate in hand and leaning against the mantelpiece.
It was the way the Imperial dressed however, that truly caught Shinji's attention.
In a blue and white striped pyjama set, most buttons done up, he had both his feet placed into some cosy looking brown slippers, with an about as cosy looking brown dressing gown over him. Scarcely anyone in Japan dressed like that these days.
"Good morning, Meadow-san." Shinji said, giving a polite bow of his head.
"Morning..." he said a little lifelessly, sipping some more of his hot chocolate.
"Um...did you sleep well?" The Japanese boy offered.
"No. Your Lieutenant Colonel snores like a pig, and I'm still getting used to this time zone." The Imperial began twisting his neck, result in a few satisfying clicks as his bones went back into place.
"That bad, huh?"
"Yes that bad. Not to mention my neck feels stiff after sleeping on that bloody sofa..."
"What?" Shinji became genuinely confused, having seen Misato lay out two mattresses on the floor.
"I slept on the sofa. Is there a problem with that?" Samuel shrugged.
"...why?" The Japanese boy tilted his head.
"Because even servants don't sleep on the floor. Damn, your people are strange..." The Imperial said, as if this should be obvious.
"Where's Misato-san?" Shinji asked, keen to move on from how the different the westerner was to him, and keen to discover the whereabouts of his guardian.
"Had to dash off to work or something. Apparently she won't be long..." Samuel mused. It was surprising just how quickly the woman had awoken from a deep sleep when the phone rang, and how in but fifteen minutes she'd thrown her uniform on and was out the door.
Perhaps you are a soldier after all.
"I see...is Soryu-san still asleep?" The brown haired boy asked, eliciting a snigger from Samuel.
"Owing to the severe lack of loud demands, I'd say that's a given. She's always liked her beauty sleep, and woe betide anyone who disturbs her." The Imperial took another sip from his warm drink, but there was a humoured warning in his eyes. He'd clearly had bad experience with this sort of thing before.
Shinji decided to heed his advice.
The boy in question gave a quick smile of humour before moving over to the kitchen and brewing some tea, the taller Imperial shuffling out of his way. As the kettle boiled, a small part of Shinji found himself a little unnerved by being left in the same house as the other two teenagers without adult supervision. But...they didn't seem to feel any ill will towards him, just some sort of benign superiority.
This being something he could happily cope with.
"What about you?" Samuel's question caught him a little off guard.
"Hmm, what?" Shinji said, surprised the aloof Imperial would even deign him worthy of conversation.
"How did you sleep? You dolt." He said. To those versed in "people skills", his meaning would be obvious. But not to Shinji Ikari. Thoughts of terrible nightmares soon came to mind, ones of fire, darkness, death, and those unending voices which told him the truth of himself.
That he was worthless.
"I slept fine." He lied, as he always did whenever asked about such things. Gaining a satisfied "hmm" from Samuel, he continued to brew and make his tea, then sat down on the sofa with it in hand. Immediately, Shinji noticed the "sixteen year old boy shape" pressed into its fabric after a night of having the boy in question sleeping upon it. Which reminded him...
"Oh...do you mind?" He inquired, having remembered this was the Imperial's sleeping area now. It was unfortunate, as he'd only just gotten used to sitting down on it without permission.
"There is no love lost between me and that blasted thing. Feel free." Samuel gestured with his left hand, whilst he let the thick and sweet contents of what he called his "mug", soothe his very being. This was the drink of his childhood, and it would be something he'd cling to for as long as he'd live.
The mug would be filled with three quarters of milk, heated in a microwave for one minute and fifty seconds, then have three heaped tea spoons of hot chocolate powder stirred in with it. This was his precise routine, and the British officer never changed it.
Just like you showed me. I haven't forgotten, Mum.
Shinji proceeded to drink his tea, before noticing a strange sight. The sofa's two cushions had been jammed into the midway split section, creating something akin to a "wall."
"What's this for?" He inquired, gaining nothing but a few murmurs of "bloody stupid bird," as the Imperial continued to sip his warm drink.
Deciding not to press the matter, he chose instead to lean into the sofa a bit more, letting its softness embrace his back. Some part of Shinji was tempted to turn on the television, maybe even engage in a great journey of discovery by watching something other than channel Ghibli, but he declined. He did not have the bravery to explore, and he did not have the desire to wake Asuka up. Considering that flaming hot temper she appeared to have...it seemed like a logical reason.
The boy might have disliked himself, but he rather enjoyed having his head where it currently resided.
The two "young men" didn't exchange any more words for a while, both their respective warm drinks, and the slight awkwardness of their situation, being enough to stop a conversation in its tracks. This was soon disturbed, as the sound of a bedroom door opening caught both their attention.
Shinji braced himself for whatever an early morning Asuka was like, whilst Samuel gave a simple, tired, but ultimately warm smile. Well...as far as a member of the largest Empire in history's noble class could show "warmth."
The redhead yawned slightly as she walked into the living room, giving a nod at them both, with the one directed at Samuel being more pronounced and friendly, instead of just courtesy.
Not really knowing what to say, Shinji remained quiet.
"Did you have fun and games with Pen-pen?" She asked Samuel, seeing the cushioned wall in the sofa.
"...yes..." he grumbled.
Asuka laughed at that, before plopping herself down on one of Misato's recently acquired bean bags.
"Anyone got the remote?" She asked.
"Um...yes...of course..." Shinji looked around himself for a moment, sighting the remote in question, picking it up, and handing it to Asuka who unceremoniously took it out of his hand and turned the television on. He flinched slightly from this, sensitive thing that he was.
"Asuka..." Samuel chastised with faint amusement.
"What?" She said sardonically, fixing him with a stare.
"Manners."
"Hmm..." The redhead turned her gaze back to the screen, and flicked through the various channels it had.
Sighing with both a chuckle and the shake of his head, the Imperial leaned upon the sofa with one hand, positioning himself just to Shinji's left.
"Don't worry, chum. It took me a few years to get her to start saying thank you, every now and again. I think I'm getting close to please now-"
"Oh go to hell, Sam." Asuka grumbled.
She continued to go through the channels at an incredible rate, both boys watching her. The Japanese boy remained quiet as he had no idea how to handle this, and the Imperial's smile continued to grow.
Practically broadening when the German girl muttered "Don't they have any Gott verdammt channels in Deutscher?"
"I...I wouldn't think so. You're in Japan after all..." Shinji turned paler than Rei, as Asuka fixed him with a searing sapphire glare.
"Shut up, Third."
9:00am
Misato stumbled in through the door, desperately attempting to blink away any and all exhaustion, to little avail. She could handle it of course, being a tough woman even in her weakest moments, but the purplehead still felt early mornings were a curse from the Spirits.
But upon making her way into her small apartment's kitchen, Misato supposed some thanks was in order for them, as nothing was in pieces, covered in blood, on fire, or all of the above. That may have sounded almost impossible to anyone who'd lived in a civilised part of the world before 2000 AD, but it was something any who'd survived Second Impact were all too familiar with...
Standing by the kitchen sink, cutlery and plates clattering as they were scrubbed and piled on top of each other, was Shinji. With a kitchen apron on and some rubber gloves, he'd push his earphones into his ears and was merrily humming along to "ode to joy."
At least...that's what Misato reckoned.
"Hey, Shinji-kun." She smiled slightly upon gaining no response, the boy being so utterly engrossed in his work and music. She received no greeting from the other two, who remained in front of the television watching what appeared to be BBC news.
...how the hell did they get hold of that...scratch that, how long did they spend going through all the channels?
With stealth only a seasoned soldier could manage, and wasn't really required, Misato moved herself behind her charge and tapped him on the shoulder. The dish cloth nearly flew out of his hands, as he fiddled with his ear phones to pull them out. His pale expression soon vanished after seeing whom had disturbed him.
The other two children meanwhile, had taken a quick look at the source of the noise, Asuka muttering "dummkopf", and Samuel giving a quick chuckle of "pansy," then returning to seeing the latest updates on the Empire's further pacification of South America, and rising tensions on its border with the Federation.
Having gotten over his fright, Shinji huffed a little bit at his guardian's giggling before shaking his head.
"Very funny, Misato-san." He grumbled, getting a hearty pat on the back from the purplehead.
"I aim to please. That's a lot of washing up for one person..." She trailed off, eyeing the three sets of cutlery and glasses neatly stacked in the corner waiting to be dried.
"Um...well we all had our breakfast together, and I did the cooking so it was only fair I washed up..." He said innocently.
Misato winced.
Great, you've already established that you're a doormat to Asuka-chan...that's going to end well. And considering mister "pinnacle of the Empire's noble class" probably spent most of his life with servants doing shit for him, you've probably given him the wrong impression...great...just great...
"Is there a problem?" Shinji asked nervously. Misato brushed it off with a laugh.
"Oh, it's nothing. You'd all better finish up whatever you're doing. Team building starts now." She directed at all three of the children, gaining a further paled expression from Shinji, a resigned sigh from Asuka, and an outright groan from Samuel.
"I thought we weren't starting until ten?" The Imperial rolled his head back.
"Time waits for no man, Samuel-chan." Misato's grin widened as Asuka roared with laughter, Shinji barely suppressed a snigger, and Samuel fixed her with a confused stare.
"What did you just call me?"
15 minutes later
Rei's journey had been uneventful. A simple train had carried her most of the way, and now she found herself barely a hundred feet from the entrance to the apartment complex. She wore her school uniform, as it was basically the only thing she had in terms of clothing, and even had her school bag slung over her shoulder, so as to deal with the work given to her yesterday during education.
The albino was aware, of course, she probably wouldn't have much time for that but brought it nonetheless. Within the bag however, was something she had absolutely no intention of anyone save for her brother discovering.
The item in question, was a book. What was apparently called a "light novel", within which was contained a story. Rei had always been aware of "stories", but had never read, nor been taught any. Up until Shinji's arrival in Tokyo-3, she'd never even spared it a thought, but what with how engaging she found books containing information, she felt driven to find something more. Thus, when the Librarian had inquired as to why she'd never gone into the fiction section, the albino found herself perplexed.
The thought had simply not occurred to her, and upon thinking of it, at first she'd felt that she mustn't indulge in the falsehood of escapism, another delusion that human beings engaged with so as to endure the misery of life.
A misery caused by the universal truth of all men being alone.
A cage I must free them from. But they will not understand, only the Commander possesses the wisdom and foresight to do such a thing. He gave me purpose...to that I am grateful.
She arrived at the entrance a few minutes later, pressing the buzzer for Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi's apartment.
Her hand moved over her bag, gently feeling for the thick lump that was her book. She'd spent a few hours browsing the school library, looking on the backs of so many covers. Many had been romance novels, which held little interest for her, as she knew that the greatest lie of all humanity was "love." But one had caught her attention, an interesting idea of people being trapped in a virtual reality where if they were killed there, they died in real life. Despite there apparently being a romance involved, she picked it up, read a few pages which caused her eyebrow to rise, before it putting it back down with all haste and resolving to never touch it again...
Why do so many believe the colour black to be "cool?" It is a bland and basic thing...so...dark.
Rei's mind soon focused on a more pressing matter.
Soryu...Meadow...Ikari-kun is clearly made uncomfortable by them. I shall inquire as to whether or not he requires an escape route. This should not prove troublesome, as this building has roughly seven of them.
The door slid open, and there stood one of the two people in this world she genuinely trusted, with her own life and even more.
"Hello, Ayanami-chan." Shinji's expression clearly lit up at the mere sight of those red eyes.
"Good morning, Ikari-kun. How...are you...holding up?" She forced out those last words in a manner that indicated she only just understood their meaning. But nevertheless, they touched their recipient to no small extent.
"I'm fine. Come in, I've got the kettle boiling." He beamed, and gestured for her to walk inside, to which Rei gladly obliged. They ascended the flights of stairs quickly, the albino appraising the clothing of her progenitor's child. The only time she'd seen him in anything but school uniform or plugsuit, was the first day they'd met. It seemed he liked shirts and trousers, immaculately ironed and crisp. This coupled with his not exactly unhealthy form, indicated Shinji Ikari could take care of almost everything except his self esteem.
Arriving back at the apartment door, Shinji slid his key card through the lock, and the metal slab slid open with an electronic hum.
"I'm back! Ayanami-chan's here!" He called out.
"Great, the kettle finished boiling so I put some tea out for you both." Misato responded, a little part of her inwardly wincing over whether or not the "Commander's pet", enjoyed tea. But if she was anything like Shinji, there was most likely no problem.
Having been knelt down for a while, laying out two mats, she stood up and brushed herself down, a slight grin on her face due to Asuka's ever widening eyes, and Samuel's risen eyebrow.
"So you're telling me, that NERV's grand strategy, is to defeat our enemy via twister." The Imperial ran a gloved hand through his hair, still observing the two poke-a-dot mats on the floor with various machinery hooked up to them.
"It's not twister." The redhead objected, no less horrified however.
"Yes it is!"
"Just because it's covered in multi coloured dots-"
"It's basically twister!"
"Actually it's an interactive dance game..." Misato's smile continued to broaden as the two teenagers looked at her completely gone out.
"...my point still stands..." Samuel huffed, folding his arms.
Asuka meanwhile, made many a noise of disagreement and disbelief before actually pushing some words out.
"You can't be serious, Misato. This...this has got to be some sort of joke." She said with anger and dread in her tone, as when one knew Misato Katsuragi, they knew this sort of thing was most certainly not out of the question.
"Overall this has very little to do with our battle plan. But, what it will do, is teach you how to move in tandem with one another. If you can't work as a unit, then we might as well just roll over and let the Seraphim wipe us out." The purplehead raised a hand to quieten any complaints.
"Now I get that this is embarrassing, but considering the situation, I really couldn't care less. You will learn how to be a team, and you will keep whatever issues you have off the battlefield before they get us all killed. Is that understood?" Her tone became slightly harsher.
There were some mumbles of disgruntled acceptance, causing Misato's eyes to narrow.
"Louder volume, and the words you're looking for are Ryokai or yes ma'am."
After a few moments, the two westerners straightened up and said the words she'd demanded. The purplehead then relaxed and put her old smile back on.
"Great. Shinji-kun, could you get over here?" She beckoned to her mild mannered charge. Immediately, after sipping some of his tea, the boy brought himself over to her.
He warily eyed the pads on the floor, but clearly didn't think too much of them. It wasn't his place to question after all, as defeating the Seraphim took absolute priority. Especially after seeing what his enemy was capable of, the idea of having nothing to stop them was...a terrifying thought indeed.
"Right, as you and Asuka-san have the most trouble getting along, you'll go first." Misato's words were met with uncomfortable shifting and groaning.
"Really? Him? Couldn't I do this with Sam-" Asuka whined as the purplehead shook her head with a smile.
"No can do, Asuka-san, and that's what the brass is saying, not just me...anyway, before we get started, I just need to grab something." The Lieutenant Colonel abruptly vanished off into the various boxes piled in the corner, leaving the children to muse on the situation.
Shinji said nothing, as was his way, whilst getting constant evils from Asuka. Samuel had a bemused expression, whilst Rei observed blankly from the kitchen. A few moments later, Misato returned with what appeared to be tight and ridiculous looking leotards on some hangers.
"You're going to be doing a lot of moving today, so you'll be needing these." She said cheerfully. The two children to which she held them out seemed like they'd beheld death incarnate. The Imperial took one look at the things, decided he wouldn't touch them with a ten foot long pole, and shook his head.
"Nah." He turned away.
A few hours later...
She gently raised her hand and pressed the doorbell, hoping a non-confrontational face would meet her. Hikari had personally felt that one of the two boys she was accompanying should have done it, but alas at the last hurdle they'd lost their nerve.
"Horaki-san...what do we do if Soryu-san or Meadow-san are on the other side of that door?" Kensuke said nervously. The previous evening, Shinji had called both him and Toji to lament on how he was now having to share his home with the new arrivals.
The mere thought of living with just one of them was scary enough, but two all at once? That was horror beyond imagining...
"We'll be polite either way, it doesn't matter who answers. Besides, it'll be better than being bored." The pig tailed girl said, vaguely thinking about all the chores she'd have to do if she went home. Things that would be waiting for her, when she went home.
Cook for everyone...help Nozomi with her homework...make a packed lunch for Kodama...and say hello to father when he comes home. If he comes home...
"I don't know, being stuck in a confined space with those gaijn doesn't sound fun." Toji mused, causing Hikari to whirl around on him with a glare.
"We won't be having any of that language in there. Understood?" She said sharply.
The jock mumbled something about "yes, class-rep."
With the school being closed down due to the big scary eldritch abominations residing not too far away, the three of them had plenty of time on their hands, and had elected to meet up somewhere. For reasons none of them had been willing to disclose, their places of residence had been out of the question, so they'd asked Shinji's, ergo Misato's, permission to spend a bit of the day at her place. Surprisingly, the Lieutenant Colonel had no problems with this at all, so they found themselves here.
The door hissed as it slid open, a pair of red eyes peeking out from behind it.
"Oh...good afternoon, Ayanami-san." Hikari gave a quick bow, which the other two boys followed with bows of their own. Rei stared blankly back at them, before, as Shinji had taught her, giving a slight nod in return.
"Good afternoon." She said in that whisp of a voice.
"Everyone else busy?" Kensuke said, having not really imagined the bluehead answering a door of her own volition.
"Pilot Soryu and Ikari-kun are...training. Lieutenant Colonel Katsuragi is busy, and Pilot Meadow is laughing...so I am here." The bluehead said nonchalantly.
"Right...can we come in." Toji asked, shifting uncomfortably beneath that ruby red gaze. Not that he feared it at all, with the albino joining himself, Kensuke's and Shinji's small group, and showing herself to be a quiet yet nice individual...if her stance towards Shinji was anything to go on.
Nothing between them? Seriously man, I'm not stupid...
"Of course. That is why I have answered your call." She stood away from the entrance, which allowed the three teenagers passage through into the complex. The stairs were quickly ascended, and in a matter of minutes they found themselves within the residence of Misato Katsuragi.
The cheerful purplehead greeted them herself, a large grin spread across her lips and hands upon her waist.
"Hey there strangers. Shinji-kun's classmates am I right?" She tilted her head slightly, gaining three nods in response.
"In that case-" She bowed slightly, gaining the exact same in return, as was custom of the Japanese culture when greeting others.
"-welcome to my humble abode. Sorry if it's a bit small. I've put some snacks out for you so help yourself-"
"Ficking dummkopf!" A voice everyone in that house was all too familiar with barked, a whimper of "I'm sorry!" soon following it, accompanied by the sound of a shrill voice howling with laughter.
"I see training is going well, Katsuragi-san." Hikari said with a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm, going better than it could be." The older woman shrugged her shoulders and ushered the children out of the hall way and into the living room. There, they found a most intriguing...and amusing sight.
Upon what appeared to be two dance mats, attached to a mechanical apparatus that measured the pressing of hands, knees and feet with electronic bleeps and bloops, were two teenagers making a desperate attempt at moving in synch. The sheer lack of coordination between the sounds was good indication the "team building" wasn't going very well so far.
Asuka was as quick as she was in combat, responding a little too quickly to the music that was playing. Shinji meanwhile slightly lagged behind, his brain processing the order before acting. Whilst they were doing as the music commanded, they could not do it in tandem.
Much to the redhead's frustration, and the Imperial's evident amusement.
"Careful, Asuka. Your face is so red I'm struggling to see your freckles." Samuel chuckled, sitting on the floor his arms folded behind his head, his back resting against the sofa.
She snorted in rage at that, then stopped mid movement upon noticing the new arrivals. Asuka remained frozen for a few moments, as Shinji gingerly looked up from his hunched over position. His lips curled into a weak but genuine smile.
"Hello." He said meekly.
"Shinji-san...what are you doing?" Toji observed, utterly confused, as were his other two companions.
Shinji sighed slightly before standing up and dusting himself down.
"It's synch training. NERV Command wants us working as a team better, so we're trying to practice moving in synch with each other-"
"None of you saw anything." Asuka's snarl interrupted him, causing the boy to wince slightly.
"Really? Because I see someone making a fool of themself, which makes me quite glad I came here." Hikari folded her arms, a wry smile crossing her lips. This provoked noises of horror from the other boys in there, including the Imperial whose eyes had widened, apathy from Rei, a low whistle from Misato, and various grunts and growls of indescribable rage from the German redhead.
Instead of being cowed however, Hikari's brown eyebrow simply rose. After all, she was quite familiar with handling outraged toddlers...
Asuka soon realised the class rep was completely unintimidated by her usually very imposing temper, and dropped her searing blue gaze back onto the mat and continued to practice moving, muttering a barely audible "Eh...whatever..." under her breath.
The atmosphere became normal again, as the two Pilots continued to try and move as one to the beat, whilst the rest of the apartment's current inhabitants and guests, sat themselves down by the table and talked among themselves.
"How long have they been up to that?" Toji asked, stretching his legs out.
"The past three hours...there has been little progress." Rei quietly noted, angling her gaze downward into her book.
"Shit..."
"Hey, small steps, we'll get there." Misato cut in with a tone that indicated "don't worry, it's all under control." Something even she knew to be nonsense.
"Oh don't rush them, I'm enjoying this." Samuel quietly laughed, quickly casting his gaze upon yet another "ruckus."
Asuka was venting at Shinji again, pointing at him, declaring he was an "animated turnip" or something along those lines. From a distance it was rather amusing, but for poor Shinji it was quite terrifying.
Kensuke's shoulders slumped.
"Oh today of all days, is the one where I leave my camera at home...Spirits!" He grumbled.
"She'd pull it out of your hands, and shove it up your arse. I'm not joking, Asuka doesn't like witnesses to the rare occasions she gets things wrong." The Imperial directed at the geek, causing a paling of said geek's skin.
"So...Meadow-san...how are you finding things in Japan? It must be very different here when compared to Britain." Hikari said, eager to take the conversation elsewhere.
"Well...it's not awful. You have some semblance of manners I suppose, and your military might is to be respected. Most things are fast, efficient, and advanced here, but... all the bowing...the stiffness...those strange words you put on the end of names...your complete lack of understanding for privacy, and oh good lord, your alarming obsession with teenage girls..." His pale expression winced at the mere thought. How thankful the Emperor had decreed paedophilia to be a capital offense...
I've said it before, but my god we've got our work cut out civilising you lot.
"Hardly anyone looks at that shit, buddy. It's nasty, the people who like it are nasty, but at least they can be sick in a fictional world instead of reality." Toji added, crossing his arms in slight irritation. Honestly, the amount of times foreigners got things wrong about his people...
Just because it's legal doesn't mean everyone likes it...for Spirits' sake...
"Hmm...perhaps...anyway, I presume you're all local here?" Samuel said, lightening the mood a little.
Three "yeses", and a "no" soon responded, Rei remaining in silence.
"Ah. Pray tell, what was this place like before it became the capital? Much less bustling I imagine?"
Hikari let out a slight whistle as she cast her memory back.
"You're reaching back over twelve years, Meadow-san. When we were in pre-school, there were a few settlements around here which eventually fused, but we didn't become Tokyo-3 until after Tokyo-2 got levelled."
"I see. But why do you keep numbering them though? I mean, we didn't rename Bristol London-2 after we lost the old capital, so why do you?" He asked, curiously.
"It's mostly out of respect to Old Tokyo I assume. Aside from that, no idea. Maybe the National Diet just felt like it..." Misato cut in, sipping a freshly acquired can of beer.
Yeah, I don't see Motichka being really into naming cities. Especially naming them after the place where she lost everything...poor woman
As much as the purplehead thought the General was "a bitch", in some ways she felt nothing but pity for her. After all, Misato Katsuragi knew what it was to lose everything you love all at once. However, she corrected herself, General Motichka had given the order to slaughter thousands on Bloody April 14th. She was an iron fisted dictator, nothing more, nothing less.
"I suppose that makes some sense." Samuel nodded to himself before lying back a bit. Kensuke began nervously but inquisitively looking back and forth between the Imperial and Toji. The black haired jock noticed this, and produced a sigh.
"Alright, Kensuke-san. Uh...Meadow-san?" He said, awkwardly.
"Hmm?" The blonde aristocrat said, electric blue gaze meeting brown.
"Sorry to bother you, but my friend here is wondering if you're of any relation to High Field Marshal Alexander Meadow. It's...it's just your surname and all-"
"Yes."
That simple word stopped Toji dead in his tracks, and caused Kensuke's eyes to widen.
"What do you mean, yes?" The geek leaned forward, his inner military otaku squealing in delight.
"As in yes I'm related to him. Unless Mum was seeing people behind his back, which I doubt..." The Imperial chuckled at his slight joke.
There was deathly silence on the part of the three newcomers for a few moments, until Hikari managed to stammer out some words after overcoming her initial shock.
"Let me get this straight. You...you are the son of Alexander Meadow. The conqueror of France, the humbler of the Feds, one of the British Emperor's right hand men, the High Field Marshal of the Great British Empire, that is your father?"
"In short, yes. Can't be that hard to understand, I have got his eyes and hair colour after all." Samuel said as if this should be obvious. All within Imperial society recognized him on sight, but here...even his father's name was a distant thing to the locals.
"Wow...the Empire must expect a lot from you-" The pig tailed class rep was saying before Kensuke burst in, beaming ear to ear.
"I've studied your father's campaigns, he's a military genius! What's he really like!?" The geek might as well have said, can I have his autograph when he'd gotten that far into the Imperial's personal space. Samuel however, handled it with a tact he'd been taught from his early years.
"If you would kindly get out of my personal space, I'll tell you all that I know. After all, how can a child of the Empire deny a barbarian the chance to hear of its glory." He ushered the sandy haired boy back, whom was somewhat held down by the other two he'd travelled with.
"Whilst his official residence is at Meadow Manor, my father is a very busy man so he isn't there all that often. When he is...he's quiet but not quite cold, if you get my meaning." The Imperial was quick to add, hoping not to give a poor image of his father. Clearly, from the nodding of heads, the message was received. Even Misato had her attention engaged, as she was a soldier, and Alexander Meadow was perhaps the best of their age, with maybe the Federal Legate Gregory Johnson being his possible match.
The battle of Quincy/Hannibal was the one time the two men had met on the field, and that was relatively indecisive.
"As for how he comes up with his strategies, our library is fully stocked with books and journals on the campaigns of Caesar, Frederick, Hannibal, Karl XII, Napoleon, Alexander the Great, all that sort of stuff. He basically taught himself how to lead armies." Samuel had many a fond memory of his home's library, shelf upon shelf of past general's wisdom waiting to be sampled. Perhaps it was in that great, warm, and comfortable room he'd decided to be a soldier.
"Wow...I wish I had a library..." Kensuke whispered in a dreamlike tone.
"Eh, I don't do so well with books. There's nothing in there a good documentary can't teach you." Toji chimed in.
"I'll drink to that. Books are a little bit boring to me anyway." Misato agreed cheerfully, as was her way. The Imperial merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Well maybe they are to people with the literary capability of an-"
"Dummkopf!" Asuka's bellow echoed across the room. Shinji had fallen over himself once again, and now the redhead was positively seething.
"So much for synchronization! I can do a lot of things, but I could never sink to this snail's level. The whole thing's impossible if you ask me!" She pouted putting her hands on her hips. The brown haired boy cowered on the floor.
Whilst all others gazed at her, Misato raised an eyebrow at behaviour she was quite used to.
"I see...what do you think, Shinji-kun? Is Asuka-san over exaggerating?" She directed at her primary charge.
"No...not at all...I'm just a bit slow..." He said quietly, being drowned out once again.
"Damn right you are! Gott, perhaps if I hit with something to make you go faster..." Asuka grumbled, scanning the room for some sort of stick.
"Perhaps you were moving too quickly-" Rei attempted to put across, driven slightly by a desire to protect the first person who'd ever shown her unconditional kindness. However, the redhead was every bit as fiery as her hair colour that day.
"Shut up, First! If you think you're so good, why don't you do it." Asuka sneered, only to be surprised by the albino not just being un-bothered by her temper, but also responding.
"As you wish." She gently picked herself up off the floor and walked over to the mats, still clothed in school uniform.
Asuka was half tempted to shout her down, to push her away, not literally of course. But she felt that it would be more fun to watch the clone make a fool of itself, whilst a little bit deeper down, the redhead couldn't deny someone rising to a challenge. In fact, she respected that.
"Alright, knock yourself out..." She lazily gestured with her hand, vacating her mat. Standing aside, she folded her arms and watched Rei get into a crouching position. Shinji gave a look of tired gratitude at all he had left of his mother, and soon copied the stance.
The music began to play...and there was not a single misstep. The artificial human split her attention between accepting the commands of song, and calculating her "partner's" reaction times. The latter was surprisingly simple, as in that regard Rei knew her brother liked time to process things, only requiring that she slow down.
The two moved methodically and capably, not quite with grace or passion, but efficiently and almost militarily.
The sound of the music slowly died down, and the two "offspring" of Yui Ikari returned to their original stance. There was a round of applause from those seated around the table, aside from Samuel who raised a mildly impressed eyebrow.
Asuka however...her eyes had widened. Oddly enough it wasn't in rage, or anger, or hate...but fear. Fear and distress.
Her gaze frantically flashed backwards and forwards between the two on the mats, and the other current inhabitants of the apartment.
"No!" She yelped, halfway between frustration and...despair...before scrambling out the room, into the corridor, and out of the apartment, the door slamming behind her. All present watched the small display, with Toji being the one to wonder aloud, "what the hell was that about?"
"Oh dear...give me a moment." Samuel slowly stood up, his face surprisingly stony and his tone...a little sad. Sighing, he quickly disappeared outside in pursuit of his friend.
He didn't rush at all, knowing full well that she needed a few minutes to cool her temper. Granted, Asuka would most likely be receptive to his presence regardless, but at least this way she'd be a bit less hostile.
And the redhead hated being ratty with her only friend, and vice versa. It was one of the few things that would make both of them feel guilty.
The Imperial eventually found her in the nearby convenience store, roaming around in the cold drinks section, a thoughtful scowl etched on her pretty features. He stood about three metres from her with a rare look of concern and patience.
"Are you alright?" His gloved hands remained behind his uniformed back, as he calmly appraised her. A sapphire gaze soon met his, one that was deeply troubled.
"What do you think?" Asuka instinctively snarked, then winced in regret and dropped her head. Her friend of course, didn't bat an eye at this.
"Not doing well at dancing isn't the end of the world. You've seen how bad I am at the Manor's yearly ball." He said, humour inflected into his tone.
"It's not like that..."
"It sort of is...except I'm not stepping on your foot this time..." Both chuckled at that.
Samuel made a slight smile, one of chastisement but also one of reassurance.
"Asuka, only a specific, elite, few, can pilot Evangelions. And you're still one of the best of the best. Don't let some daft team building exercise make you think otherwise." He offered.
She closed the fridge door, having retrieved a can of ice cold soda. She stood up with a mildly accepting look, before it changed into humoured confusion.
"One of the best?" She smirked.
Samuel shrugged.
"It's yet to be decided whose the best between us. But even in the worst case scenario, being second to me is hardly a fate worse than death..."
"Oh...that's fighting talk, Samuel Meadow."
The two laughed again, before Asuka returned to a more serious tone.
"What am I going to do? It's hardly my fault if I'm too quick for him..." Her head angled downwards at the floor, her spare hand placing itself on her hip. In terms of "Asuka" body language, this meant "deep in thought."
The Imperial knew very well this was not something to be interrupted, so he kept quiet and turned to look out the window and watch the world go by.
Life in 21st century, post impact Japan, could honestly have been worse. Ever since the JSA had declared themselves, military, police force, and judiciary system, and utterly crushed any dissent, the country had become a stable place once again. It's democracy was lost, with only the "Free Japan" movement attempting to restore power to the National Diet and the people. However, as their methods were not...ethical...popular support was not high for them, making the rule of the Defence Board unchallenged.
With stability restored, foreign investors had returned to what was once the economic power house of Asia, bringing business, commerce and jobs to the nation. Not to mention the lucrative arms deal the JSA had with Kotai Industries provided an almost unending amount of jobs. Work was not an issue in the State of Japan. People and cars moved along the street, showing a bustling city and thriving economy.
But the blue coated, armed men marching through on patrol, and the constant presence of five FCVs in the sky above them, was a reminder of the cost the Japanese people had to pay for their prosperity.
It was in among the crowd, Samuel noticed an individual nervously looking around, clad in a ridiculous leotard that got looks from many people, causing him to blush in embarrassment. From beneath a mousey brown fringe, a pair of cerulean eyes set themselves upon Samuel.
The aristocrat sighed, then beckoned him over.
"Talk of the devil...looks like we have company." Samuel nodded towards the shop window, at the sight of a very meek looking Shinji approaching it. Slowly, he pushed open the door, and made his way to the two's location.
It had been a few minutes after Samuel left, that he'd decided to follow. As little as he knew of human interaction, even he had seen the pain in her eyes, and thus Shinji had immediately started worrying he'd somehow hurt her feelings. Which, with Shinji being Shinji, he automatically assumed he had. Even then it took a little bit of encouragement from Hikari surprisingly, with the rest of them not overly interested, to get him to pursue the redhead.
"I'm not saying it's your fault, or anyone's. But it's best not to let these things fester. Go on, get after her."
As suicidal as the operation sounded, he heeded those words. Which was what brought him here, somewhat bent on fixing whatever he'd done.
Even if he hadn't done anything at all.
Gingerly, he stood a few metres from them, his hands frantically fiddling with each other.
"Um...I didn't upset you or anything did I?" Shinji said in a nervous tone, one he used a great deal, especially around these two. The Imperial raised an eyebrow at his "pathetic" form, and the freckled Teuton loudly exhaled through her nose, sapphire eyes still fixed on the floor.
Slowly she raised her head to look the meek Japanese boy in the eye.
Can't make this easy on me can you, Third?
It would be so much easier if Shinji was both irritating and unpleasant, then she could just straight up dislike him. But no, he had to be just a little bit sweet, and very soft. Therefore, Asuka didn't have the heart to hate him.
But she could be angry with him.
"Don't snivel, you'll make me sick." She quietly growled.
Shinji bowed his head, the awkwardness almost being too much for him.
"Sorry." He stammered out. This didn't help in the slightest, as Asuka explosively sighed.
"Don't do that as well. Gott, you're such a doormat...oh don't start crying..." Her words being directed at Shinji's form being on the verge of breaking, through fear and upset.
Of course I've hurt her feelings. I can't do anything except that.
"Look. I'll make you a deal, Third. I'll try and slow down a bit, you try and speed up a bit. Deal?" The redhead offered, not actually wanting friction on this.
We need to make this work. If we don't...the Seraphim destroy everything. My pride is important to me...but not that important.
"I'll try." Shinji responded, limply.
"...alright...that will have to do." Asuka nodded in acceptance.
It had been a long day, Misato mused.
The thirty year old soldier had not been overly shocked to see Asuka throw her dolls out of the pram, and was actually quite pleasantly surprised to see her come back and put more effort into their training than she'd ever seen before.
Hikari, Toji, Kensuke, and Rei had left about half an hour ago, the sun setting indicating they needed to get home. Politely bidding farewell, and cleaning away whatever cutlery or dishes they'd dirtied, by command of the Class Rep, they'd left the apartment a much quieter place. Granted it was still quite crowded in there, having three teenagers and a fully grown adult would do that to a place.
Now she was in the kitchen, having attended to dinner and held back on the spice, Samuel's situation the previous day being good incentive.
Shinji says it'll take a while to clear the toilet...Spirits on high, sorry I did that to you, kid.
Speaking of which, the Imperial in question was currently residing upon the sofa, occasionally glaring at the Penguin which sat next to him whilst they watched the television. It had taken ten minutes altogether, but Samuel had now firmly placed himself in the "High Imperial" part of the channels.
Outside upon the balcony however, were Asuka and Shinji, having "finished" their training for the day. He was simply relaxing upon a folding chair, and of course, she, was standing, with the sun's beams falling down upon her. They'd both sweat buckets over the past few hours, in attempt to "move as one." Whilst they hadn't quite achieved that, the two were much better at it than when they started in the morning. Misato honestly wondered what had brought about such a change in their attitudes.
Have they just talked it out? No...Shinji's too much of a doormat, and Asuka would never admit that she's in the wrong. Eh, Amaterasu must have lent a hand.
And thus the purplehead continued with the crafting of her "utterly neutered" Curry surprise.
Meanwhile, outside the glass doors and on the balcony, the two teens resided in quiet and peace, having assumed a normal pattern of breathing after a great deal of panting due to their "team building exercise." Both of them had the general feeling that it wasn't very successful, as whilst they could tolerate each other, they certainly weren't "friends" or anything.
Probably never will be... Shinji had to stop himself there. He'd befriended Rei, somehow made friends with Kensuke and Toji, even establishing an amicable acquaintance with the class rep, although he felt that was more due to her feeling responsible for him and the rest of the class.
So...miracles were possible, how else was he still alive?
"I think we're getting better." He said, marvelling at the orange sky made by the setting sun, and the various FCVs hovering in the heavens.
"Slowly...at this rate you might be ready for those Seraphim." A small smile curled into existence on Asuka's lips, as Shinji made a few noises of annoyance.
"Me? I wasn't the one who took an eldritch hammer to the face!"
"Well maybe if you weren't sitting on your arse-"
"I was covering Ayanami-chan!"
"Whatever..." She waved those words away, leaving the two in silence.
They remained there, in the quiet and the awkwardness, for roughly a minute before the redhead spoke again.
"I was angry at you. But only a little bit...and it wasn't entirely your fault." She said, thoughtfully.
Shinji didn't say anything, fearing what he might say may annoy her even more, or interrupt her.
"I'm just...not overly fond of being upstaged..." Asuka trailed off, the hand on her hip fidgeting slightly.
"Do you mean...when me and Ayanami-chan danced together?" He put forward tenderly, his own memory of it actually being quite positive. They knew each other, much better than anyone else in many ways, and could as a result move as one. There were no teamwork issues between Shinji and Rei.
"Jah." Asuka forced out, only just. She hated that it grated on her, seeing that "doll" do effortlessly what the redhead really struggled with. But grate on her, it most certainly did.
"That's important to you?" Shinji inquired, the tightening of her freckled features being enough indication to even him this had affected her in ways he didn't quite understand. However, immediately, the sullen and slightly angry expression vanished, to be replaced by one brimming with confidence and passion.
Asuka's usual face.
"Of course it's important, it's a matter of pride!" She said with utmost conviction, placing a hand on her chest.
In that moment, Shinji decided on something. Despite all the trouble she caused, how she talked down to him, and how very prideful she was, he couldn't help but feel admiration for her. It was clear to him that unlike his cowardly self, Asuka was fearless. She would do her job to the best of her ability, nothing less would be acceptable for her.
Maybe I can work with that...
"Well...sorry if I scratched it in any way." He offered, as a way of appeasing her with slight humour in his tone. What he got was not scathing, but a gentle sigh and a shake of the head.
"Stupid Shinji."