From the author : I'M FINALLY BACK ! The internet finally returned and I can finally write !

don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and Akira

Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to Studio GAINAX and Hideaki Anno

Akira belongs to Kōdansha and Katsuhiro Ōtomo

"this" is speech

'this' is thought

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION HIGHWAY STAR

Chapter 22 : Damn it, I hate being a chick magnet !

'BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP'

The sound of an alarm clock echoed across the door as Shinji Ikari was trying to turn it off . Every morning since he came to Tokyo 3 he has missed his old Neogoyan apartment. Even if it was way smaller he could manage the small space way better than Misato ever could . Especially he missed his Kamen Rider Black RX alarm clock that played the opening. Shinji finally managed to punch the alarm clock sound out of existence and got his head from under the covers and looked at the floor and the night table . He noticed his biker clothes and new pair of underwear and socks. As he got dressed he took a look at the night table and noticed the two essentials. A fresh pack of Marlboro smokes and his pistol. For years now he never left his home without a firearm . For years his daily equipment changed with the only constant element being his SDAT with supply of DAT tapes for the day . Shinji's attention then shifted to the pack of smokes laying in front of him. For two years now he couldn't free himself from smoke going into his lungs . Before taking his first bath inside the LCL he was probably close to getting lung cancer . But now since his lungs were regularly purified he could quit . Or at least try to quit it. But where was the motivation for that ? That was until a pair of hands got on his eyes

"Guess who ?" -Asuka whispered to his ear as Shinji smirked

"I dunno , but i guess a sexy redhead"-Shinji said as he turned around to kiss Asuka

"That's right, dummy. But you should really shower in the morning , you haven't done that for two weeks now"-Asuka said as Shinji's face showed a frown

"Well , I would if all three of you wouldn't use the entire hot water !"-Shinji said as Asuka bended over to him with puppy eyes

"Oh , I'm sorry. But I'm sure you will be able to wash in the evening"-Asuka said as she caressed Shinji's scar with her finger.

"Brother , Asuka . Major Katsuragi is waiting for breakfast"-Rei said as Shinji made his way to the toilet to finish his morning routine. After that he got to work on breakfast. Traditional Japanese basics . After setting down the food everyone got to eat . After breakfast was finished Misato switched her cup of coffee for a yebisu can

"KYAAAAAAAAHH ! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT !"-Misato said as both Shinji and Asuka cringed

"You could at least drink imported beer , even my fridge back home has better beer"-Shinji said as Misato opened her eyes

"Did you just say Imported beer ?"-Misato asked as she finished her can

"Yes , but it's only for special occasions and not to get drunk everyday"-Shinji said with a "I'm not a drunk like you" look on his face

"Oh come on ! At least tell em what's for dinner tonight"-Misato asked as Shinji closed his eyes

"Tentamen , i want to try something more extreme than regular Shoyu"-Shinji said as Misato licked her lips

"Oh , gimme some of that , I'll be waiting !"-Misato said as Shinji Asuka and Rei left the apartment . As they reached the motorcycle Shinji lifted off the canvas

"Ok , so who is going with me ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka closed her eyes . After a few seconds she opened them again.

"No one, today you are gonna do some practice . Me and Rei will go by train , i'll call you when you're gonna start"-Asuka said as she and Rei walked away . For 30 minutes Shinji waited with SDAT earbuds and Helmet on before his phone rang.

"Ok , now . You have 5 minutes"-Asuka said before closing down the call . Shinji took out his phone to check the time . 'Wait , so I waited so long for-OH HOLY SHIT FIVE MINUTES'-Shinji thought as he started the bike and pulled the gas to the extreme as he broke several traffic rules before jumping onto the main street . Shinji meanwhile tried to manage the motorcycle while also checking the time on every clock he could find while dodging all the cars. He made sure that he flicked the button to change the license plate from Neogoya green to the NERV barcode one so that he wouldn't need to care about the blues chasing him. Dodging cars was easy since years of escaping the police and skipping highways with tiny alleyways got into play . It was until he noticed two things . Number 1 was the red light , and number 2 was that a semi truck was coming to crush him. 'Ok , so if i don't want to be isekaied i need to press hard . AND NOW !'-Shinji thought as he pulled hard and quickly dodged the semi and two cars that were just trying to make their way to their mundane jobs. Shinji pressed hard both his hands as they never seemed to leave clutch and throttle. And it was at this moment that Shinji noticed his destination point . As he drove to the school zone he pulled a sharp left and pressed hard on the brakes before parking on his spot that taken most of the time . As he stopped the bike and got off he noticed Asuka standing with a stopwatch

"Mhmmm , 44 seconds before the start . We need to get you down by 15 seconds and-HEY WAIT UP !"-Asuka screamed as she noticed Shinji running all the way to the classroom while passing a group of girls

"Oh hi Ikari kun !"-One of them said as the whole group tried to start a conversation .

"Sorry girls but i got work to do"-Shinji said while Asuka stared down the whole group while running past them. 'Don't you dare look at my boyfriend ! MINE AND MINE ! IF YOU COME CLOSER I'LL RIP OUT YOUR EYEBALLS !'-Asuka thought as they finally reached the classroom

"Traffic"-Shinji said as he got to his seat again, getting another group of girls enchanted to counter Asuka's rising jealousy. 'DAMN ! LEAVE MY PIECE OF SEXY BODY ALONE ! MINE MINE AND MINE !'-Her inner self screamed as they opened their laptops . Rei and Asuka opened their school software while Shinji opened his search bar. After several minutes Asuka decided to text to Shinji

PRIVATE MESSAGE FROM : ASUKA L.S - accept Y/N ?

Y

ASUKA L.S : HOW THE HELL YOU LIVE WITH A BUILT IN CHICK MAGNET ?

SHINJI I : IT'S HARD AT FIRST . BUT YOU GET USED TO IT

ASUKA L.S : BUT HOW CAN SOMEONE LIVE WITH IT EVERYDAY ?

SHINJI I : SINCE MOST OF THE GIRLS BACK HOME ACTED ONLY TO CLING TO YOUR MOTORCYCLE AND YOUR CROTCH

ASUKA L.S : WAIT , MOST ?

SHINJI I : WELL I TOLD YOU ABOUT KAORI AND KEI , BUT IN TERMS OF "FREE GIRLS" THERE WERE ALSO SOME EXAMPLES

ASUKA L.S : WHO ?-Asuka typed as both jealousness and curiousness were arousing in her mind

SHINJI I : I WILL TELL YOU AFTER THE LESSON-Shinji wrote as he relaxed with his earbuds on. Another 40 minutes of "Boring Bullshit" passed as Shinji Asuka and Rei were sitting on the rooftop

"So Shinji , you said that there were more girls that somehow made it past the mark of "Back off bitch and dont touch me" ?"-Asuka asked as she laid on his lap

"So , there were two. First was Mr Kichirou's niece Mayumi. Her parents worked at some corporation and since that means an incredible lack of time. That resulted in Mr Kichirou's maids taking care of her. And since my uncle couldn't leave me alone just yet and Hiei's weren't available he took me with him. that resulted in us playing together a lot . But years were flying and we grew detached. Me Kaneda Tetsuo and the rest started to hang out more on the street while she was studying. The last thing I heard about her was that went to Switzerland for studies . And that ends the story of my first quote-on-quote love"-Shinji finished his first story as Asuka got up from his his lap as both she and Rei looked at Shinji

"So , that was your first platonic love ?. I can understand it. But it's still not a reason why half of the entire girl population in our school haven't lost their virginity ?"-Asuka asked as Shinji rubbed his chin and closed his eyes and a little grin came over his mouth

"Well sit tight kids because we go in the deep pile of my memories . Probably the reason why i was Demisexual for so long , being launched straight into the friendzone ,the-"

"Just get into the story !"-Asuka cutted him off

"I will but we need to clarify. Have you heard about the T-RIDEN-T program ?"-Shinji asked as Asuka pondered a bit before answering

"Ah ! The one with the giant robotic dinosaur ?"-Asuka asked

"The very same , well listen to the story of Mana Kirishima . Mana was another girl from the orphanage , blue eyes and short red hair . Or at least it looked like she had short red/brownish hair . It was depending on the light . Anyways we met the same day as me and my pal Takuro landed in the orphanage/daycare/preschool . But immediately I was pulled away by Kaneda because "Girls are disgusting". Anyways months passed and our group of four idiots was joined by Kaori and Mana. Years were passing and our little group was growing . Before we got on our motorcycles we would navigate the streets together . And it was probably the time we started getting close together , and my bosozoku heart started beating towards her . But after years of being stuck in a place without leaving she decided to do something i despise"-Shinji finished his monologue

"Well ,if you really liked her, why weren't you a couple ?"-Asuka asked both out of curiosity and jealousy 'if he had a childhood friend that knew him for years then why me ?'-She thought as Shinji looked at the sky

"Well let's go back in time"

JANUARY 2014

NEOGOYA

"Are you crazy Mana ?!"-Shinji asked as he watched his childhood friend pack her things into a sports bag

"This is my only shot to get out of here Shinji , its either that or i'm gonna finish like poor Kaori who has to be scared about herself everyday"-Mana said as she handed over the papers she applied

"You are going to Tokyo 2 to join the JSSDF ? Isn't having child soldiers illegal ?"-Shinji asked as Mana was finishing emptying her dorm room

"Yes , I filled out my application and they accepted me , I faked my data and now I'm able to start learning to pilot the T-RIDEN-T next week . I'm running away with the intention of never coming back to this city. Thats why im only telling you"-Mana said as she grabbed Shinji's hand

"But why ? My uncle could do some papers and-"

"please Shinji , i want to leave this place , can i ask you to get me to the train station ?"-Mana asked in her sweet voice. Shinji agreed as he and Mana got on his motorcycle and made their way towards the main train station . Shinji and Mana stood in front of the train as Shinji tried to bring himself to say what he felt

"Mana i"

"I know , for a wannabe tough boy your feelings are incredibly easy to read . I knew that for some time but i didn't want to start anything"-Mana said as she got on the train

"But i love you"-Shinji said as Mana caressed his forehead

"But I don't want you to live everyday being halted back from happiness , please Shinji . I know that there will be someone who can give you love thousands of times bigger than I could. You are not the person to be held back"-Mana said as she kissed Shinji's forehead

"goodbye Shinji , and thank you for loving me. I can only hope that someone will bring you happiness"-Mana said as the traindoor closed and Mana left Shinji's life in a train

—-

"And that was the last time i saw her , the first love in my life left in a train , but i did what she asked me to do and moved on"-Shinji replied as he caressed Asuka's hand

"So that's why you became demisexual"-Asuka said as she looked upon her boyfriend

"For someone that refers to himself to being a hard shelled punk brother does have a complicated view of love"-Rei said as she was eating her bento

"And that's how my ideal view of a girl was born , strong , imposing and asserting dominance . Someone mature for their own age , proud and passionate yet someone intensely clinging . Looking back at it I can say one thing . Mana was right , i did found my own happiness in terms of relationships"-Shinji said as he looked at Asuka and Rei

"And that's another reason for why you hide your feelings and put them inside such a shell"-Asuka said as she caressed Shinji's cheek

"Yep , it was a hard lesson but I took it directly to myself . The next day I told everyone that I helped Mana escape . The cops looked for her but she managed to evade it. I would love to thank her for that lesson . If it wasn't for her i would probably child support to several girls"-Shinji said as he finished eating his food

"Well that got depressing , I'm sorry about the whole Mana situation . But at least i see that you are in a better place now"-Asuka said as Shinji smiled at her

"You are right , when I first laid my eyes on you you completely made my feelings about girls do a 180 . At first i didn't want to accept it but time passed and after basic attraction came this unknown feeling and by the cliche of every high school movie you probably know what i mean"-Shinji said as Asuka kissed him on the lips

"If i didn't kiss you right now i wouldn't know what you mean"-Asuka said as she licked her lips

"Now we are gonna get to the classroom since the lesson will start in a few minutes"-Shinji said as Asuka and Rei made their way towards the classroom . As they sat in their chairs and opened their laptops . Shinji sat around and opened the search bar and googled 'T-RIDEN-T' and checked the results on the internet. And found exactly what he wanted to find . A picture of Mana on a T-RIDEN-T , and that meant that she managed to achieve what she wanted to do. Shinji founded the infoline and typed the phone number in his NERV-issued phone

"Leaving to make a phone call"-Shinji said as he left the classroom . Hikari tried to stop him but she knew that authority for him was just a joke. Shinji meanwhile typed the number in the NERV issued and pressed the call button. After standing on the wait line Shinji finally heard a voice

"Hello the JSSDF T-RIDEN-T program. How can I help you ?"-a woman voice said

"Hello, this is one of the pilots from NERV . I want to talk to one of your pilots , and if you don't switch me up I'll bankrupt your whole development program. I am the commander's son after all"-Shinji said as he heard the woman whisper behind the phone 'It's him' . Was he really that famous ?

"With whom do you want to be connected ?"-the woman voice asked

"The girl , Kirishima"-Shinji replied as he heard the line go dead for a bit before hearing some voices 'I don't know he just wants to talk to you'

"Hello ?"-a familiar voice said

"Hey Mana , it's me"-Shinji said as he heard the phone fall down on the floor

"S-Shinji ? Oh my god it's you ! It's been over a year ! So how are you doing ! You are a pilot now ? How are Kaori and the rest doing ?"-Mana asked with happiness that her friend finally reached out to her

"Great . In fact i did listen to you , i found my happiness"-Shinji said as Mana smiled behind the phone

"Who is she ?"-Mana asked

"Someone great , really great"-Shinji replied with a smile thinking about Asuka

"Im busy right now , but you probably haven't changed your number"-Mana said

"I haven't ,so you can always call me"-Shinji said as he smiled

"Ok i'll call you tomorrow !"-Mana said as she closed the call while Shinji grinned at the glass of the nearest vending machine. Shinji bought a can of Red Bull before jugging it down and returned to the classroom . Asuka noticed how big his grin was so she decided to texted him

PRIVATE MESSAGE FROM : ASUKA L.S - accept Y/N ?

Y

ASUKA L.S : SO YOU FINALLY TOOK SOME TIME TO FIND HER

SHINJI I : HOW DID YOU KNOW ?

ASUKA L.S : INTUITION , SO . YOU TOLD HER WHAT YOU WANTED TO SAY ?

SHINJI I : YES , AND I'M ONE MORE STEP TO CLOSING MY PAST

ASUKA L.S : YOU STILL HAVENT TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED TO TAKURO

SHINJI I : I WILL TELL YOU ONE DAY . BUT I'M NOT READY JUST YET . I CAN ONLY SAY THAT THINGS NOW WILL GET BETTER FOR NOW ON . EVERYTHING IS ALRIGHT WITH THE WORLD . WE STILL HAVE MANY MYSTERIES TO UNCOVER

A/N : I really wanted to expand on Shinji's demisexuality . As i wrote this story i noticed that with Shinji growing around Kaneda who was a real Casanova in the manga before meeting Kei there was no chance that Shinji would turn out a complete virgin even with his uncle's advice. Besides, I really wanted to give the game girls a cameo. Especially Mana who was originally supposed to be the main love interest in this story. From the first Idea to the first chapter there has been some time in between and I saw that Asuka fits the "Bad Boy" Shinji better than her. Even if I love Asushin I still think that Mana is for Shinji the best gf material even if it lacks what makes Asushin so great . For all you Mari fans don't worry , she and her Neogoyan buddies will make a comeback sooner or later

NEXT TIME ON HIGHWAY STAR : Shinji finds himself between the hammer and anvil with both NERV and WILLE