Chapter 10: Normalcy, or Not

Asuka: Hey, any of you guys see the author?

Misato: Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him or Kensuke or Touji

Kaji: I think I saw them leave the building a while back

Shinji: So who's writing this chapter?

Rei: It is logical to assume that we are

Hunter: I think that might not be the best idea

Asuka: Why? We can write this however we want, and I can finally get together with Kaji!

Ninetri9: Don't think so

Shinji: Gah! Where'd you come from?

Ninetri9: I spent the last few days trying to lose the other stooges and I only just lost them

Misato: Come on, just give in and give them what they want

Ninetri9: pulls out paperThey want to be the heroes, have places in Nerv, and have lots of cash, Touji to have a harem of beautiful women, and Asuka to be Kensuke's girlfriend

Asuka and Shinji: WHAT!

Ninetri9: Oh, they also want Misato to be their maid, and Shinji their butler

Misato: WHAT!

Rei: Is there anything in that contract about me?

Ninetri9: Yeah, they want you paired with one of my characters and leave this dimension, then return older with technology to help them take over the world

Silence

Asuka: I'm going to kill those stooges!

Hikari: What's going on?

reads paper given to her

Hikari: I'm coming with you

Misato: Save some for me

Shinji: Um, don't kill them; they're still needed for the story

Ninetri9: Let them, now girls, choose your weapons

Asuka takes a machete, Hikari picks up a steel bat, and Misato picks up semi-automatic

Rei picks up chainsaw

Hunter: Rei, why are you going with them?

Rei: It's bad enough being involved in one plot, I do not want to be part of another

Ninetri9: sighMight as well get this started. Disclaimer, I do not own NGE, Gainax does. I do own all original characters in this fiction, if there is any resemblance to any characters of other stories or to real people it is purely coincidental

Asuka: It's time to go hunting!

Hunter: I better go after them before things get too hectic

Kaji: I think I'll go with him as well

Ninetri9: I hope this brings some peace and quiet

Katsuragi Residence

Loud laughter could be heard emanating from the apartment where Misato and her two charges lived. Inside, the said guardian can be found rolling around, holding her sides while laughing. Sitting on the couch were two very red-faced teenagers.

Gasping, Misato asked, "S-say that a-again, Ha ha, the two of you, snort are stuck together?"

Both said, "Yes"

At this, Misato burst out laughing harder than ever. Pen-Pen came out to see what the commotion was all about and saw his owner rolling around laughing. Waddling up to the kids, he warked.

"Shut up Pen-Pen," Asuka growled, "this is not the time"

Shinji could feel the growing anger that was coming across the mental connection and was growing worried. Resigning himself to the upcoming eruption, he got up and headed to the kitchen to cook dinner. He had barely reached the door when a tug swept him off his feet and onto his backside. The yelp of pain from the living room emphasized their connection.

Getting up and rubbing her aching backside, Asuka turned and berated the boy, "Watch it you dummkopf, what the hell were you doing?"

Mumbling something about making dinner, the red-head felt waves of fear and guilt coming from the boy. Feeling bad, she went over and helped the boy to his feet.

Misato had finally recovered and had stopped laughing, although she still had a huge grin.

"Well this is interesting. I wonder where these people were when the Sixth Angel was attacking"

Flushing, Asuka said, "Quit joking around and figure a way to undo what those guys did!"

Passing the children into the kitchen, Misato grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down. Asuka joined her while Shinji went to prepare dinner.

After a moment of silence, Misato said, "I'm sorry, but I don't see how we can fix this problem"

Asuka said in a pleading voice, "Please, there has to be some way to separate us"

Shinji was preparing to cook, but he was having a hard time concentrating with the embarrassment and rage that was coming from his red-headed companion.

Taking a deep breathe, Shinji turned to Asuka and asked, "Could you please calm down? I'm having a hard time concentrating."

Looking peeved, Asuka was about to tell Shinji to shut up when Misato spoke up, "Don't worry Shinji, I'll give you a break tonight. We can order out today"

Going to the phone in the living room, Misato dialed the number for the nearest pizza shop and ordered some pizza pies. In the kitchen, Shinji put away the cooking utensils and sat at the table opposite Asuka. They just sat there, staring at one another, sensing the emotions of the other.

Shinji felt anger and annoyance coming from the red-head. He could understand that she would be annoyed that they were stuck like this, but he did not understand why she was so angry. Pulling out his SDAT, he put the buds in his ear and lost himself in the music.

Asuka was fuming, she hated being near the boy who had prove himself better than her. She did not want to be in the same room as him, but could not do anything about it because of the stupid pink bird-man. Seeing Shinji losing himself to the music of his SDAT, she felt waves of calm covering over the nervousness and fear that was originally present. Recalling when she had caught Shinji playing his cello, she remembered the serene look on his face while he played. Feeling the calm coming across the link made her realize how much that Shinji enjoyed music.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Misato came back into the kitchen. Sitting between the two kids, she had a more serious face on. Touching Shinji on the shoulder to get his attention, she waited for him to collect himself. Taking a deep breathe, Misato went into a discussion of their current situation.

"Okay you two, we are having a talk to figure out what has been going on."

Turning to Shinji, she asked, "First, Shinji, you said that you had gotten help from this man, Iak, from earlier when you were in the Sea, right?"

Receiving a nod from the boy, Misato continued, "And he came into your ward while Asuka was visiting"

Flushing, Asuka said, "I was just seeing if he was okay, one professional to another"

Smiling slightly, Misato continued, "Then he put some sort of weird love spell on you guys and left you hanging"

Shinji flushed when he said, "It isn't a love spell actually, because he said that forcing people to love each other was morally wrong"

Taking another gulp from her can, Misato resumed, "Until we get this sorted out, just go through life as normal"

Asuka roared, "There is no way that I can go to school with that baka like this!"

Pulling some papers from her pocket, their guardian said, "I got some papers that will get you out of gym, the most I can do until I get things sorted with the higher ups"

Growling in frustration, Asuka stormed out of the kitchen with Shinji following to prevent her from falling when they reached the end of the tether. Sitting on the couch as far away from each other as possible, the two watched TV until the pizza arrived. While they were eating in the kitchen, no one spoke. Shinji was in a worried silence, Asuka in a furious silence, and Misato in a smiling silence. After the dishes were done, the two kids left the kitchen. Shinji sniffed himself and smelled the residue of LCL on his skin.

Sensing some revulsion, Asuka assumed it was toward her and turned to berate the boy when she saw him sniffing himself. Realizing that he was still covered in LCL, she calmed down slightly.

"Need a bath Third?" she asked

Nodding, Shinji grabbed his toiletries from his room and the two headed for the bathroom. Stopping at the door, the two glanced at each other flushing. Misato saw them and chuckled, seeing their dilemma.

"Why not take a bath together?" she said teasingly

Both blushed very hard and yelled, "Misato!"

They heard a knock at the window. Looking over, they saw Iak outside on the patio. Rushing over to open the windows, Misato asked with a smile, "You the one who helped put them together?"

Both Asuka and Shinji yelled, "Misato!"

Ruefully smiling, Iak bowed to them and said, "Yes, I wish to apologize for the inconvenience"

Growing very angry, the red-headed girl charged the winged man only to be drawn short by the tether between her and Shinji. Ignoring the snort of laughter from their guardian, Shinji pulled up his flat mate.

Going up to Iak, Shinji asked, "Could you take this spell or whatever it is off of us, please?"

Surprised at his boldness, Asuka sensed seriousness from the boy and an iron resolve. Looking at the robed man, she saw him pull out a scroll from his sleeve.

Unrolling it, Iak said , "I'm sorry, but due to irresponsibility of certain people of the team, the spell cast on you is permanent until certain parameters have been met"

Jumping up to the man, Asuka demanded, "Well, tell us what they are!"

Sighing, he asked, "Please sit down, you are not going to like what I'm going to tell you"

After waiting for everyone to sit, Misato on the sofa, Asuka and Shinji sat next to each other on the couch, Iak took a deep breath.

"The spell will wear off on one of two conditions"

Seeing that everyone was listening closely, Iak continued, "One, is that the two of you tell each other, with all honesty from the depths of your heart and soul that you love each other and kiss"

Both teens blushed a deep red when he said this while Misato chocked on her beer laughing.

Jumping up, Asuka yelled, "There is no way that I would ever get that close with that spineless boy!"

Shinji could feel the shame and embarrassment that she felt and bowed his head to hide his red face. He himself felt his own waves of embarrassment as he recalled his feelings for the red head yelling at the winged man.

Asuka felt Shinji's embarrassment and thought that she sensed something else, but couldn't tell what it was. She turned back to see Iak holding his hands out.

"You may reconsider after you hear the second option"

Sitting back down, she asked, "How much worse could it get?"

Flushing, the man seemed to have a hard time saying it, "Well, the second option is that, um, you, err, that is, the two of you, uhh…"

Annoyed, Asuka yelled, "What is it?"

Drawing a deep breath, Iak said, "The other condition is that the two of you 'become one'"

For a few moments nobody said anything as they digested what the man said. It was Misato's red face and muffled laughter that first clued Asuka in.

"Why are you laughing Misato?" she asked in a deadly tone

Calming herself, their guardian said, "Before anything else happens, I think it may be time for, the 'talk'"

Taking a moment to digest this, Asuka soon turned redder than her hair. Sensing the huge waves of shock and embarrassment, Shinji grew sort of worried.

"What are you talking…" he began before it dawned on him as well

Looking at the ceiling, Iak said tersely, "You seem to have finally understood my words"

Loud enough to be heard across the city, Asuka screamed, "YOU PERVERT!"

Jumping back from Asuka's assault, Iak said calmly, "If you will do neither, then you might as well get comfortable, because there is no other way, short of death"

Sitting back down, the red-head was in shock. Her reputation would be ruined if she was seen so much around Shinji, and would cause rumors to spread rampant about her. Shinji was of two minds; one part of him was glad to be with Asuka, another said that he should be ashamed of taking advantage of the situation.

Again pulling out the scroll, Iak said, "It's not all that bad, I can provide a little assistance. Remember, you can still be at least five feet between you, so it's not like you have to be extremely close to each other"

Seeing that no one was going to say anything else, he turned to leave. Before he got too far, Iak was stopped by Misato.

A serious look on her face, Misato asked, "Why are you people doing this?"

"It's our job and duty, Major"

Sighing, the winged man gave a card to Misato. Turning it over, she saw that one side had a picture of a flying crow and the other had an infinity symbol on it.

"The number on theside with the crow will get you in contact with me; the number on the other side will put you in touch with our organization's complaint department"

Seeing the incredulous look on the purple-hair guardian, Iak elaborated, "There have been many complaints, and the people in the field can't always deal with it, so a department was made specifically for this"

Bowing, he exited the apartment via the patio. Stretching his wings, he turned back to the inhabitants.

"You should take the time to enjoy yourselves"

Everyone, even Asuka recovering from shock, looked up at him

"The next Angel is to attack in about two months from now. Meaning, since it is now November (I'm making up dates), the Angel will appear sometime in January"

Misato was about to ask a question when the bird-man jumped off the patio and took off into the darkening sky. They all rushed to the window in time to see him circle once before vanishing.

Going back into the living room, Misato sat down with a beer. Turning her head, she saw that Shinji and Asuka were conversing. A moment later, the two headed towards the bathroom. Going from experience, Misato knew that the bathroom could be a nice place to do you-know-what. Freaking out, she ran around the corner in time to see Shinji enter the bathroom, but Asuka was sitting outside,

Seeing her relieved face, Asuka immediately understood Misato's thoughts, "You may be a disgusting person, but even you wouldn't think that"

Smiling, Misato took a seat next to the girl. Putting her arm across her shoulder, she trapped the girl, even though Asuka was unable to move much further anyway due to the spell.

"Asuka, I think that we need a talk"

Freaking out, the red-head said, "No, we don't. There is no way that I am doing that with HIM"

Laughing, Misato calmed the girl explaining, "No, not that talk, although we will have to fairly soon. We need to talk about your relationship with Shinji"

Blushing, Asuka said, "What relationship? There is nothing between us!"

Sighing, Misato decided to tip her hand, "Then why did you really go to see Shinji? It was for far more than professional interests"

Turning her head angrily, Asuka refused to say anything. Letting the silence stretch out, Misato gave some time for Asuka to think things over.

After a few long moments, the red-head said very softly, "I was a little worried about him"

Misato was barely able to hear this, and would have thought that she imagined it had she not seen the flush on Asuka's face.

Patting gently on her shoulder, Misato said, "There's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural to feel worried about a friend"

Asuka flushed some more, but didn't say anything. Letting a small smile appear on her face, the purple-haired buxom gave the girl a light hug

"It's okay to feel what you do. It's a part of being human"

In the bathroom, Shinji couldn't hear much laying in the bathtub, but he felt the emotions that were coming from Asuka. First was a wave of disgust, then anger. After that was confusion and worry. Not really understanding, Shinji could only lean back as he went over the recent events. First was the warning from Iak on the bus, then he sees him and his friends during the recent Angel attack. Later, he and Asuka were bonded together due to a spell cast by the bird man. Remembering what Iak looked like, Shinji couldn't help but let a chuckle of amusement come out. After he let that out, he sighed as he remembered the predicament they were in. He was afraid of being rejected by Asuka, and worse, afraid of hurting the girl he liked. Sinking up to his eyeballs, Shinji began asking himself why his life seemed so bad.

Nerv HQ

Inside the Commanders office, another discussion was going on. Ritsuko stood in front of the Commanders desk, feeling very nervous but not showing it. The sub-commander, Fuyutsuki, looked over the reports that were given by the doctor.

Sitting at the desk with the lower half of his face concealed by folded hands was the king of misery and pain, Commander Gendo Ikari. He had already looked through the report and was silent.

After a long moment of silence, the Commander said, "It is most unfortunate that this has occurred. But, we still have learned things of importance"

"Sir," Ritsuko said in a steady voice, "it still is only a fraction of what could be learned"

"Nevertheless, it seems that a new outside force is affecting our reality"

Picking up the report, he scanned it again. There wasn't much in it, and the bulk of it is made up of a medical report from when one of the pilots was moved to the medical facility. Looking back up, Gendo asked for his old sensei's opinion on the matter.

Clearing his throat, Fuyutsuki said, "It appears that they are attempting to usurp the scenario made by you and SEELE. It also appears to me that they have great experience, meaning that they have done things like this before"

Nodding, Gendo said nothing.

Ritsuko took the opportunity to add, "The upgrades done to our Evas have finally been put in correctly and are working at peak efficiency"

Fuyutsuki asked, "What have you learned about the travelers' Evas?"

Looking through her own notes, Ritsuko said, "Because of circumstances, we were only able to glean small amounts. All three of the Evas were similar to our own, except that they are even far more human than ours"

Raising an eyebrow in query, Fuyutsuki asked, "How close?"

Pausing, the doctor took a deep breathe before saying, "99.999"

Eyes widening, Fuyutsuki said, "Impossible! There can be no way that their Evas could come that close"

Interrupting, Gendo asked, "What of the travelers themselves?"

Again referring to her notes, Ritsuko said, "The only one we studied in depth was the one called Kaitos. Preliminary studies show that he has severe damage to his right side: lung withered, bones gnarled, muscles almost destroyed, almost every inch of his limbs have been reinforced with metal braces to allow him to move. From the reports, it's almost a miracle that he was even alive"

"We have to assume that they can perform miracles" Gendo said neutrally

Nodding, Ritsuko continued, "Blood tests confirm that they are indeed human, although their abilities are unnatural. The child Shuri-Shara has been labeled as a ninja and the cripple appears to be able to alter physical substances"

Looking over the pictures taken, one of Kaitos exiting a window amidst steam and of two people leaving the restroom and attacking the other guard, they saw that they were formidable. Going from one to the other, the discussion continued for about an hour.

Looking at his watch, Fuyutsuki tapped Gendo on his shoulder to get his attention. Nodding his understanding, Gendo motioned for Ritsuko to finish.

Clearing her throat, the faux-blonde concluded, "I do not know if they are a threat, but it would make sense that they are people we could trust. Still, it would be wise to keep watch for them."

After concluding, Ritsuko collected her things, bowed, and then left the office. After a few quiet moments, Fuyutsuki asked, "Will this affect your scenario?"

Not saying anything, Gendo only sat there, face hidden by interlaced fingers. From the look on his face it could be told that he was deeply thinking.

Long moments later, the king of all bastards said his will, "When next they come, they must be kept from the pilots at any cost"

Surprised, the old teacher asked, "Why, how could they be such a danger?"

Getting out of his seat, Gendo walked towards the door with Fuyutsuki following.

"They give hope to the Third, and for the scenario to work, he must be prepared by the Angels"

He then left the office, leaving the old man alone.

How low have you gone? Fuyutsuki thought, I am beginning to wish I have never met you

With that he left, unaware of the spies in the ceiling. Both Shuri-Shara and Keevan were in the ventilation and observing the events below. In their awkward positioning they were barely able to listen in to the conversation or the thoughts emanating from the crystal ball Keevan brought.

Shifting slightly, the boy said, "This is not good"

Raising an eyebrow, the ninja asked, "How is it not good? Sure they know something about us, but it isn't a lot"

"No, I mean that I'm beginning to lose feeling in my legs. I am so out of here before I can't move"

With that he left, albeit very clumsily. It was most fortunate that no one was close enough to here the light clangs from the ventilation.

Following the younger boy, much more quietly, Shuri-Shara continued making conversation, "Do you think we should tell the others about this?"

Shrugging, the boy said, "Maybe, they probably know already, but it wouldn't hurt to tell them"

Nodding, Shuri-Shara and Keevan finished their escape in silence

The Next Day

After much talk, and arguments, the paired kids were in Shinji's room. Being the gentleman he was, the boy let Asuka sleep on his bed while he slept on a futon on the floor.

Rousing himself from slumber, Shinji felt something warm against his back. Shifting himself to see what it was, he was shocked to see Asuka's face no more than an inch away from his. His mind went into total lock down and he couldn't move. After seeing that the red-head wasn't waking up soon, he slowly eased away from her, only to find that she had her arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms. Unable to move, Shinji began to panic a little. Looking back at the girl's face, he saw content in her features as well as across their mental link. Relaxing, Shinji took the moment to look at the features of the girl he had a crush on.

Soon enough, Asuka began to wake up. Knowing that if she saw them like this, he would suffer badly, so closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, praying that she would be fooled. Asuka opened her blue eyes and found herself mere inches away from the face of Shinji. Her first thought was outrage, and then she took a look and saw that her arms were around him, pinning him down. Looking at the boy, Asuka sensed fear emanating from him. Realizing that he was awake, she would normally beat on him, but due to circumstances, it would not be a good idea.

Pulling away from the boy, she said, "Get up Third, you aren't fooling anyone"

Opening his eyes, Shinji sat up and said, "Sorry"

Batting him lightly on the head, the red-head said, "Stop apologizing for every little detail"

Asuka then got up and headed for the door. Sliding it open, she asked, "You coming, because I need to shower"

Remembering the terms to the spell, Shinji nodded and went with her to the bathroom. Sitting outside the door, he pulled out his SDAT and lost himself to the music.

Opening her door, Misato came out dressed in her sleeping attire consisting of extremely short shorts and a small sleeveless shirt. Passing the boy, she entered the kitchen. Moments later, one could hear the chugging of beer followed by the usual Misato's First-Beer-Cry. Looking up in her newly awakened state, she smelled breakfast. At the same time, Misato heard the shower going. Growing confused, she looked around the corner to see Shinji sitting outside the bathroom. Even more confused, the purple-haired woman turned her head again to see who was cooking. If it wasn't Shinji, Asuka, or herself, then who could it be?

Looking, she saw that someone was at the stove cooking breakfast. A girl with light brown wings. Doing a double take, Misato saw the girl turn around. The girl appeared to be more or less around the kids' age; she had shoulder lengthpale blonde hair and green eyes, with afiguresimilar to Asuka's. She wore baggy pants and robe style shirt, which had slits on the back to allow the wings through, and an apron.

Smiling, the girl said, "Good morning, Katsuragi-san"

Confused, Misato replied, "Good morning whoever you are"

Bopping herself on the head, the girl said, "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Rikku Naori, Iak sent me to help the kids till the spell wore off"

Hearing gasps, Misato turned to see that Asuka had finished with her shower, and that both she and Shinji saw their new guest.

Waving a greeting at the kids, Rikku said, "Breakfast will be finished momentarily, and your lunches have also been prepared and are in the fridge"

Seeing that no one was moving, the bird-girl put her hands on her hips and said in mock anger, "Well, are you going to stand there like statues?"

In a few moments everyone was at the table getting ready to eat breakfast. Set on the table was a variety of dishes, most of which none of them had ever seen. One plate had something akin to pudding, but was green and covered in blue specs, another had orange rice, and another had some sort of soup filled with green leaves and orange orbs.

Looking from one face to another, Rikku had a look of worry on her face, "Well, why don't you try it?"

Being the gentleman, Shinji became the guinea pig for everyone else. Picking up a spoon, he scooped some of the green pudding on his plate. Taking a deep breath, he took a spoonful and ate it. Everyone looked at him, awaiting his reaction.

With a look of surprise on his face, Shinji said, "It's good, really good!"

Smiling, Rikku said, "Good, because I'll be taking care of meals while you and Asuka are stuck like this"

Surprised, Asuka asked, "You'll be cooking for us?"

Pointing at the girl, the bird-woman said, "The two of you have different lifestyles and schedules, and so have a hard time working together. Until you settle how you live, I will be here to help you"

Nodding, the red-head dug in. Her face lit up when she tasted the orange rice. Misato was trying the soup and found it delicious.

"What are these things called?" the guardian asked

Rikku first pointed to the soup Misato was drinking, "That is Corin Leaf soup, refreshing and also good as herbal medicine for sore throats"

Pointing to the other dishes, "That is Aponi with blueberries, and the rice is Abathan"

"It's very good" Shinji said

After breakfast was finished and the dishes done, the kids changed and got ready for school. Leaving the building, the two walked towards school. Asuka was near the end of her tether in front of Shinji. Neither of them spoke to each other during the entirety of the trip. They stopped at the entrance to the school, and just stood there.

Turning to the nervous boy, Asuka said in a deadly tone, "Do not tell anyone what has happened, understand?"

Gulping, Shinji replied, "H-h-hai"

Nodding, the German girl than began to walk into the building with Shinji following close behind. Upon entering the class room, the two looked at the desks, then at each other. They didn't know if the space between their desks was more than five feet or not. Shinji sat near the middle of the class while Asuka sat closer to the front on the right side. Trying, the two went to their seats and prayed they wouldn't fall. Good news was, they could sit in their seat, bad news was that they were near the breaking point of the connection, and had to be extremely careful about moving too much.

Hikari and the two remaining stooges were in the classroom at the time and noticed the look that their friends gave to each other. Wondering what was going on, the class rep went up to her friend to talk. The stooges had gathered up and were already pestering Shinji with questions.

Going up to the red-head, Hikari asked, "How are you?"

Looking up, Asuka gave a wry smile, "Hey Hikari, I'm fine, you?"

Smiling, the brunette nodded. Looking over at the boys, she saw that Shinji was looking tired as his friends bombarded him with questions

"How's Ikari doing? I heard that something happened during the last attack"

Looking over at Shinji as well, Asuka replied, "As you can see, he's perfectly fine"

Noting the tone in the red-head's voice, Hikari was about to inquire more when the teacher walked into the room. Everyone went to their seats and they went through the routine. Moments later the teacher made an announcement.

"Uh, class, as I have announced earlier, we have two new students joining us today. Please come in"

The last comment was made to the people outside the class. Entering, the first person was a boy about fourteen with a height and physique similar to Touji. He had short blonde hair that had streaks of red in it and light brown eyes. The girls began to quietly converse with each other, apparently they thought that he was cute. The only people unaffected was Rei, Asuka, and, oddly enough, Hikari.

"Greetings everyone, it's a pleasure to be in your class. My name is Sai Batu, and I hope that we will all get along" he said in a voice that Asuka thought very familiar.

The next person to come in was a surprise to everyone, although Rei still doesn't show much emotion. The person was a boy about ten years with dark brown hair and pale green eyes. He was also wearing pince-nez, indicating his vision problems.

Bowing shyly to the class, he introduced himself, "H-hello, m-my name is K-Keevan M-m-Markan. I hope that we c-can be f-friends"

For a moment nobody said anything, the silence stretching greatly. The boy grew even more uncomfortable and looked ready to run when the girls began to greet the child. All the boys looked surly since the new kids were garnering all the attention. After a few moments of this Hikari decided to bring the class back under control, "Okay everyone, sit back down and chill"

Everyone became quiet again and the teacher resumed, "Hem, okay, Batu, you can take the seat behind Asuka, the red-head girl, and Markan, you can sit there, behind the blue-head, err, Rei"

After settling in their seats, the teacher began his lecture. As per usual, people were sleeping, gossiping, or otherwise using their time differently. Shinji was staring off into space when he sensed that Asuka was feeling uncomfortable. Glancing at the girl, he could not tell what was wrong, so he opened his laptop to contact her.

The red-head looked up when her laptop pinged, telling her someone wanted to contact her. Opening it, she saw that it was Shinji. Looking over at the boy, Asuka felt concern emanating from the boy. Knowing that his concern was concentrated on her discomfort, she opened up a chat room with Shinji.

Lost1: Hey Asuka, are you okay?

RedChamp1: Of course I am

Lost1: You are not; I can feel that you're not comfortable

Asuka cringed at the reminder of their connection

RedChamp1: Okay, I am

Lost1: Why?

RedChamp1: …

Lost1: Asuka, please

RedChamp1: I need to use the bathroom

At this Shinji flushed, he knew that this was going to be a problem. Looking up, he saw that Touji and Kensuke were looking at him.

SportStar has entered the chat room

1LtFreak has entered the chat room

SportStar: Yo, Shinji, what's going on?

1LtFreak: Why are you and the red devil chatting?

SportStar: You haven't lost your soul to her, have you?

1LtFreak: NOO, we lost him!

Lost1: Leave us alone

SportStar: You two have hooked up!

RedChamp1: NO WAY, stay out of this stooge

A/N: New screen names for new students

Keevan-MagMas

Sai-KinSl

MagMas has entered the chat room

KinSl has entered the chat room

KinSl: Hey what's going on?

Lost1: How'd you get in?

MagMas: Ask the other on, Sai I think

KinSl: Hacked it, very easy

Everyone was surprised; even though it wasn't all that hard to hack someone, it was hard enough that one had to be experienced

SportStar has been kicked out

1LtFreak has been kicked out

RedChamp1: How'd you do that, I didn't know it was possible to kick someone off a chat room

KinSl: Hacker

MagMas: Don't worry; they'll think they're still in the chat room

Lost1?

KinSl: Programmed simulated conversation in their laptops

At this, both Shinji and Asuka had the same feeling of surprise. If someone can program a computer like that, what else can that person do?

MagMas has left the chat room

KinSl: I think the two of you need some alone time

KinSl has left the chat room

For a few moments, neither Shinji nor Asuka did anything. When the bell rang, Asuka messaged to Shinji. Both of them got up and left the room together. The others in the classroom were curious of the going on between Shinji and Asuka, but were afraid to query due to the rumors of the wrath of the German devil.

That is, everyone but the two remaining stooges. They were extremely curious, especially after figuring out that they were chatting with simulated people. The two followed them and saw that Shinji was waiting right outside the girls' bathroom. They ran up to him, causing him to grow even more nervous and frightened.

"What are you doing here Shinji?" Kensuke asked recording with his camera

Shinji only flushed and refused to say anything

Touji grabbed him by the arm and tried to drag him away, "Come on bud, we need to talk"

They had not gone far when Touji and Shinji fell flat on their backs. Kensuke was laughing as the others got back to their feet.

"Dude, what was that for?" the jock asked angrily

Shinji stammered, "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, b-but I c-can't leave"

Kensuke was about to ask why when Asuka came out of the girls' room. Kensuke put two and two together and gaped at the two of them. Touji pulled Shinji up and attempted to drag him away.

Again they were tossed on their backs before going too far. From around the corner came the class rep, who saw the two sprawling on the ground.

"What's going on here?" she asked with hands on her hip

Touji got up and was attempting to mollify the raging girl while Kensuke looked on with laughter. Amidst the confusion, both Shinji and Asuka had sneaked away, back to class.

Back in class, Keevan was being mobbed by the other students who wanted to know more about the boy.

"Where are you from?"

"E-England"

"How old are you?"

"T-t-ten"

While the interrogation was going on, Sai was laughing quietly at the cornered boy. Leaning back, he went back to his planning. He wanted to perfect his computer program so that no problems would occur during its maiden voyage. While working, he noticed the entrance of the two ensorcelled kids. Smiling slightly, Sai began the secret plan that the others made in the absence of the more serious people in the team.

Checking for witnesses, he pulled out a small jar of oil and poured some of it in the two kids' path. The two walked in and headed for their seats. In moments, they reached the oiled spot.

Asuka was the first to step on the slicked tiles, and she began to fall backwards. Shinji sensed the surprise across their bond and turned in time to catch Asuka's falling body. Flailing her arms, Asuka accidentally caused Shinji to fall, with her on top of him.

Asuka had braced herself for impact when she felt something soft catch her. Shocked, her first instinct was to flail out in self-defense. She felt the pain of impact with the ground, but more muted, as though it was a memory of the impact.

Looking over, the red head was surprised to see that she was sitting on top of Shinji. She could only look on in surprise at the boy. Suddenly feeling conspicuous, she got up and went to her seat. Shinji had a wry smile as he returned to his seat.

Soon class resumed, and everyone went back to either zoning out or otherwise using their time differently. Asuka sat at her desk staring out at nothing. She could not stop herself from going over what had happened. She walked into the classroom, headed for her seat, and slipped on the ground. As she was about to fall, she was caught by Shinji, the boy she couldn't stand. Once again, he had helped her out, and she could not figure out why.

Lunch came, and in order to avoid embarrassment from their peers, they left to go to someplace private. They were sitting under a tree far from the school. Remembering the breakfast they had, they opened their bento boxes to be surprised to find regular Japanese food instead of the exotic food that their guest had made. There was rice, steamed vegetables, and some fish in their boxes. The two sat down and ate their breakfast in silence.

Unbeknownst to the two, they had been followed by Hikari, who was worried by their behavior. Peeking from behind the tree, she saw that Shinji and Asuka were sitting under a tree eating lunch together. The class rep allowed a smile to appear upon her face, she was glad that the two of them had finally gotten together. She was about to leave when she heard them talking. Not helping herself, Hikari listened in on them.

"Hey Shinji"

He looked over at Asuka, "Yeah?"

Leaning back, the red-head said quietly, "Thank you"

Flushing, Shinji asked, "For what?"

Also turning red, Asuka said, "For saving me during the Angel attack, and for earlier"

Looking away, the red faced boy said, "I-It's no problem"

After that, the two red faced teens were silent, each feeling the turmoil of emotions from the other. Their unseen spy silently slipped away, glad that the two had finally gotten together.

Unknown to any of them was another pair of spies, Shuri and Shara. Silently laughing, the two slipped away.

"Match made in heaven" Shara said boisterously

"Yep, some matches just seem to happen" Shuri said shyly

The two of them made ninja leaps, headed towards base to make their reports

Later that Day

School had ended, and everyone was heading home. Shinji and Asuka had already left to avoid any awkward questions. Walking home as quietly as they had left, they shared quick glances at one another. The turmoil in their heads had not gone away, and they could not have the liberty of privacy to sort through them. Arriving at their apartment, they entered their home

"We're home" the duo said in unison

"Welcome back"

Misato was still in her sleeping attire and was watching TV while drinking beer. From the general direction of the bathroom came sounds of someone being violently sick.

Asuka asked, "What's going on?"

Waving a hand dismissively, their guardian said, "That's Rikku, I don't know what is wrong with her, but she's been like that all afternoon"

Walking as far as he could, Shinji called out, "Are you okay, Naori-san?"

Coming out of the bathroom, one could see that the bird-girl was not feeing well. Her wings were dragging, the feathers dull, her face was pale and slightly haggard.

"Not really," the girl rasped, "I had some of Katsuragi's cooking for lunch"

Ducking back into the bathroom, Shinji and Asuka turned to Misato, who sat as though nothing was happening.

"You are cruel," the red-head said, "She's our guest and you try to kill her"

Shrugging, their guardian replied, "She was alright when she finished her plate"

Paling, the two looked at each other. They knew the effects of one bite of Misato's cooking . Nodding their heads in unison, the two teens went to the phone. Picking up the card that Iak had given them, Asuka dialed the number to call the bird-man.

Two ring tones later and the phone was answered, "Hello"

"Is this Iak?" Asuka inquired

"Yes, do you need help Asuka?"

"I don't, but your friend does"

Worry could be heard in the winged one's voice, "Is Rikku alright?"

"Listen for yourself"

And the red-head held the phone towards the bathroom as loud retching noises came out.

"I'm on my way"

The phone hung up, and so the teen also hung up. After a few moments they hearda tapping noise at the window.Everyone turned to see Iak outside the window like the other night. Opening the window, Misato was brushed aside as the black winged man headed towards the bathroom.

Sneaking towards the room, Shinji, Asuka, and Misato listened in on their conversation. Unfortunately, they spoke in a weird language of chirps and whistles, unknown to the inhabitants. All of them except Pen-Pen, who waddled in and added his two cents to the people already inside the bathroom.

Soon, Iak came out carrying a pale Rikku in his arms. Placing her gently on the couch, he took a bottle out and gave the girl a spoonful of the contents.

Putting the jar on the table, Iak said, "She is going to be alright, but I think that you should not cook anymore Misato"

Flushing, Misato grumbled something about her cooking being good enough. Patting the pale girl on the head, Iak said to herone last thing in their odd language and turned to leave.

As he was about to exit, Shinji stopped him by asking, "I thought that the other Aerolans didn't want to be associated with you"

Half turning, the black winged being replied, "I was lucky to find someone who didn't judge someone by their looks or by culture"

Leaving through the same window, Iak flapped his wings and left as quickly as he came.

That evening Shinji cooked dinner, leaving the ailing Rikku to rest from her ordeal. Asuka sat at the table as she watched the boy cook. She felt concern and perplexity from the boy. Obviously, Shinji was wondering what to make for dinner. Feeling confidence that seemed unlike the boy, Asuka watched as he began to cook.

"Hey Shinji"

Not turning, he replied, "Yeah?"

"What did you mean when you said that to Iak?"

Stopping momentarily, Shinji replied, "I saw some of his life while I was in the sea"

Asuka didn't say anything, which prompted him to continue, "He had a bad life, one where he was rejected, like I was"

Tilting her head, the German girl said, "I heard about what happened between you and the Commander"

Resuming, Shinji replied, "Its okay, the past has happened, we have to look past it"

Dinner was served, Rikku, being incapacitated, was given a tray while she lay on the couch. Sitting down, Misato began to ask about the kids' day

"So, did anything new happen?"

Asuka said, "Yeah, we got two new students in our class"

"Really?"

"That's right," Shinji said, "A boy our age and another who's only ten"

Eyes widening, the purple-haired woman said, "Wow, he must be a child prodigy"

Frowning, Asuka said, "Big deal, I went to college at his age, being a few grades ahead is not so special"

Smiling, their guardian teased, "Feeling jealous, eh Asuka?"

Flushing, the red-head denied it. Shinji, however, could feel that she was, and that her pride was threatened by someone younger than they were.

Patting her gently on the shoulder, he said, "Its okay Asuka"

Mollified, Asuka felt waves of compassion coming from the boy and flushed

Seeing her red face, Misato asked, "I see that you two have gotten along better, I guess we had better plan your first date"

Laughing, Misato couldn't help but notice the red tinge on both teens faces as they attempted to stop her. From her position in the living room, Rikku could hear everything that was said. Grimacing, she pulled herself upright and put the tray on the table. She let a smile appear on her face as she compared the two kids with herself and Iak. The herald of destruction tended to keep his emotions to himself, not letting others in so as to prevent harm to himself and others. She herself boasted about her prodigious abilities as well as her skill. Amazing how two opposites, a quiet depressed boy and wild optimistic girl, can make a couple.

Listening to the kids denying their relationship, mostly done by Asuka, Rikku became more firm in her belief that the two would make a great couple. Lying back, she took some more of the medicine that Iak had left for her. Another grumble attested to the poison in the food that Misato had cooked. It was going to be a while before she would ever trust anything touched by that woman.

Ninetri9: Another chapter done!

Iak: Cutting it off again?

Ninetri9: It was getting too long, I had to stop here

Iak: Whatever

Ninetri9: Care to do the honors?

Iak: sighSure. Thank you for reading this fiction, please R&R and we'll get back as soon as possible

Ninetri9: Thank you

Shuri: Hey any of you see my sister?

Ninetri9 and Iak: No

Shuri: Oh dear, if you do, tell me

Ninetri9: What do you think?

Iak: I'd think she went after the stooges, but I don't understand why

Ninetri9: I'm ending it now; I'm too tired for this. Until next time!