Chapter 23: Preperations

Hello everyone! The date of this submission is December 25, 2006. You know what that means; Christmas! As a way to celebrate, I'm submitting TWO chapters, with the much awaited love scene btw Shinji and Asuka!

Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does. I do own all original characters, and if they bear resemblence to characters in other stories or to real people, it is coincidental.

Now, on with the show!

Shinji was on clean-up duty, so Asuka and Hikari went ahead to the Avatar home. The pair had arrived outside the door as before. The class rep was still a little frightened by the whole teleportation deal, but she was able to calm herself upon their arrival.

"Alright, we're here" Asuka proclaimed.

Opening the door, she saw that Iak and Rikku were working on some paperwork.

"Is this how you spell that?" Rikku asked him pointing at something on her paper

Looking over it, Iak squinted a little before saying, "Yes"

Sighing, he put his papers down and looked up, "Welcome back Sohryu-san. Greetings Horaki-san"

"Hello Iak-san, Naori-san" Hikari replied, bowing politely

Smiling, Rikku replied, "I told you, call me Rikku"

"Alright" the brunette said shyly

Setting her bag down, Asuka spied the papers that the Aerolans were working on, "Hey, what's this? A registration form?"

Picking up the papers and shuffling them so they were neater, Iak replied, "It is nothing you need worry about for now. Would you like some tea?"

With that, he went to the kitchen to get the supplies, while Asuka and Hikari joined Rikku on the couch.

Leaning back, the female Aerolan said, "Let me guess. Romance problems too?"

Hikari flushed a little while nodding. Smiling a little, Rikku leaned forward and spoke with her the same sort of things that the Aerolan had told Asuka the night before.

Meanwhile, Iak was about to bring the tea to the table when his cell rang. Flipping it open, he said, "Hello?"

"You leader, Cairn here with a look at the day's forecast"

"Just tell me your report" Iak told him brusquely

"Fine, you can be a real wet towel, ya know?"

"Whatever"

"Anyway, we have located and are currently tracking Bardiel"

"That's good"

"Not necessarily. Apparently this Angel is not one for patience, because he's heading towards one of the other Evas that are closer to completion"

Frowning, Iak peeked around the doorway to see that Rikku was keeping the other girls occupied.

"Dedaeh eh si erehw?"

"Ah, the pilots are there, well then; Aissur rof gnidaeh s'eh. Mih tcerider ot yaw ym no m'I"

"Detsop em peek, doog"

"Enod tuoba tsuj si avE ruoy taht wonk ouy llet ot em detnaw Sotiak, haey ho"

(A/N: To read the above text, read like from Harry Potter book one)

"Whatever," Iak replied as he hung up. Putting away his cell, the black winged Aerolan picked up the tray of tea and brought it to the girls, who were all discussing the upcoming dance.

"You still haven't decided what to dress as?" Asuka was proclaiming in shock

Flushing, Hikari retorted, "I just can't think of something that would suit me"

Rikku was deep in thought as she pondered the brunette's dilemma. Standing up, she began looking at Hikari from different angles. Being scrutinized like this was making the girl feel very nervous.

Snapping her fingers, Rikku said, "I got it, I know who you can go as"

Sipping his tea, Iak looked up and said out of the blue, "Second drawer, fourth cabinet on the left"

Smiling, the other Aerolan skipped down the hall, calling back, "Thanks; wait there you two"

Hikari and Asuka looked at each other in bafflement before turning their gazes on Iak, who only passed them cups of tea. Before they could ask what was going on, Rikku reappeared with a bundle of clothing.

"I'll have to adjust some of these, but they should fit fine" she said, holding a dress up

Taking Hikari and pulling her up, she held a pink dress against her, "You make a great Aeris Gainsborough"

At this time, Asuka was also standing, looking at the bewildered girl, "Yes, that's it! That's perfect"

Having finally regained her voice, Hikari asked, "Do you really think so?"

Both girls nodded and were making voice their encouragement. Smiling now, Hikari took a look at the clothes spread before her.

"It needs some adjustments," Rikku was saying, "We'll need you to try them on. Then we can get to work on your hair"

The girls began to talk excitedly amongst themselves as they headed down the hall to find some privacy for the fittings. Iak sat in the living room and sipped his tea, letting the silence surround him for a few minutes. Putting down his cup, Iak leaned back and sighed in quiet relief.

Just then, the door opened and admitted Keevan and Sai, who called out, "Tadaimas"

"Welcome back"

Seating himself on the couch, Sai grabbed one of the cups of tea, "Wow, service before we even order"

"That's Asuka's cup," he said, nimbly dodging the ensuing spray, "Though she didn't drink from it yet"

Glaring at him, Sai muttered, "Could have told me that earlier"

Keevan giggled a little while pouring himself a fresh cup, "Why do you have three other cups out?"

"Hikari visiting Rikku for love advice, and figuring a costume for the dance" Iak replied in a toneless voice

At that moment, three girls came back down the hall, two of which were very changed. Sai dropped his cup at the sight of Éclair and Aeris Gainsborough. Keevan was momentarily wide-eyed before saying, "Wow. Asuka, Hikari, you look great"

His head whipping first from the boy back to the girls, Sai muttered, "They look so much like them"

"Really?" Hikari said hopefully

She wore a modest pink button up dress that had the lower few unbuttoned with a small, short sleeved red jacket over it. Her hair was undone and re-braided into one big one that had a pink bow tied near the top of her head. It was a little short, but the likeness was striking, especially since Hikari was wearing contacts to make her eyes green.

"Of course," Asuka scoffed, "You look great, and so do I"

Asuka was wearing a very short red dress with slightly puffed shoulders and a skirt length that bordered the fine line of decency. There was an upside down cross cut off the front of the dress, showing her belly button and a modest amount of cleavage. Around her neck was a green choker with pieces of string of the same color flowing from it. She was also wearing black gloves that were so long that they nearly touched her shoulders. Like Hikari, Asuka was also wearing contacts, making the red-head have yellow eyes.

Giving a little leer, Sai said, "That's going to turn more than a few heads"

Not getting the hint, Keevan said, "Yeah, they're going to be extra impressed because they are a very good likeness"

No one wanted to tell the young boy the meaning behind Sai's words, and, with the exception of Iak, turned away with light blushes.

Coughing lightly, Rikku, steering the topic of discussion, said, "Well wait 'till Shinji sees this"

Just then Hikari remembered, "Oh, he's a judge!"

"Me too" Keevan told everyone excitedly

At this, Iak's interest was peaked, "You and Shinji are judges?"

Keevan nodded, "I know what you're thinking," he said in a mature tone that was contrary to his youth face, "and no, I do not have my judgments biased because I got a sneak preview of what someone will wear for the contest"

"That's good to hear," Asuka said, "A contestant should not affect the rulings by biasing the judges. We better get out of these before Shinji gets home"

"I'll hold onto them until this weekend" Rikku suggested

The trio again left for the hallway, leaving Sai to stare curiously at Keevan. Uncomfortable under the stare, the mage fiddled with his tea cup.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked

Sai answered, "I was wondering if someone had replaced you with a dwarf adult who looks like you"

Frowning, Keevan replied, "Don't make fun of me"

"There we go, that's the boy mage we know" Sai said in a teasing tone

And so, with the boys bickering and the girls gossiping, Iak sighed and went to the roof, hoping for some peace and quiet.

School

Shinji was stuck on clean-up duty. Since two students were assigned for each day, he wasn't alone. Unfortunately, he was paired off with a girl who kept on pushing him to vote for her in the costume contest. Her name was Akemi Etsuko, and she thought she was beautiful. Granted, she really was with long silky black hair, bright blue eyes and a well formed figure, but Shinji had no interest in her.

At the moment, Akemi was attempting another advance on him, "Wow Ikari-kun, you've gotten your side so clean. You must be so observant for every detail"

Considering that I had to clean up after two very messy women, it's no wonder I clean well, Shinji thought

"I heard that you and Sohryu were living together" the girl was saying

Nodding confirmation, Shinji watched her sigh dramatically, "Oh you poor boy. I can feel your pain, having to live with the demon girl"

"She's not really that bad" he defended

Sniffing, Akemi replied, "Oh really? With the way she treats you, I'm surprised I don't see a leash on you"

Flushing, Shinji was about to retort when he realized that the space between them had gotten smaller. Stepping back, he backed into the wall, where Akemi had him trapped.

"You know," Akemi said in a seductive tone, "I think you deserve someone better"

Gulping, Shinji stuttered, "W-w-what d-do you m-mean?"

She giggled, "You're cute when you're nervous. I didn't think that our hero would be so frightened by little girls"

I'm not sure if you count, Shinji thought, for Akemi was well endowed for her age

Leaning against him, Akemi continued, "You don't have a girlfriend, right?"

Shaking his head no, Shinji said, "No"

"Is there someone you like?"

"Well, er"

Interrupting his musings, Akemi then said, "Whoever it is, I know I can be better for you. Let me prove it"

With that she leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips. Shinji was paralyzed with shock as thousands of thoughts ran through his head at once. Unfortunately, his 'brain burst' attracted the attention of a certain red-head.

Shinji, what's going on?

Crap. Asuka wait!

Too little too late, Asuka took one look in his head and saw that he was kissing Akemi. To his surprise, she didn't yell at him, or call him hentai. Instead, he feels shock and some other emotion he couldn't identify. Before he knew it, Asuka was gone, building a mental wall so thick that it was impossible to even sense her.

Forcefully breaking the kiss, Shinji apologized, "I'm sorry Etsuko-san, but I have to get home"

He then rushed out of the room, leaving a confused girl behind. Running down the halls, Shinji sprinted out the school doors and down the nearest alley. Pulling out his cell, he pushed the warp button and jumped through it as soon as it opened. He didn't notice that he had a watcher, who was watching where his last position was with a slack-jawed look. It was most fortunate that he didn't have his camera on, or he'd have proof of the weirdest thing to ever happen to his friend.

Avatar base

Hikari was a little worried for her friend. One moment they were talking, the next Asuka had a dazed look then looked on the verge of tears. Before the brunette could ask what was going on, the red-head had dashed out of the room.

Rikku had gotten up at this point and was going after the girl, with Hikari close behind. They followed Asuka up to the roof, where Iak was holding her limp form.

Hikari was shocked to see that Asuka was crying, "Asuka, what's wrong?"

Rikku took Iak's place, "You better go talk to Shinji"

He nodded as he went down the stairs to the main area of the base.

Hikari kneeled down next to the pair and asked in a gentle tone, "Asuka, what's wrong?"

Looking up with tear stained eyes, Asuka said simply, "Shinji"

Downstairs, Iak had intercepted Shinji, who was asking about Asuka

"Come here and relax, we need to talk"

Leading him to the kitchen, Iak said, "Sai, Keevan, some privacy?"

Both boys got up and went to their respective rooms. Setting a cup of tea before Shinji, he sat down with his own cup.

"How was school?" he asked

Shinji mumbled, "It was fine. Asuka-"

"Thinks you love someone else" Iak finished for him

Jerking his head up, Shinji told Iak, "I don't, I…"

He trailed off, face becoming red. Iak took another sip and gestured for Shinji to try some. Sipping, the teen was surprised at the flavor. Smelling of mints, it somehow conveyed the taste of flowers and a spring day.

"This tea is made with the petals of a Horaz flower, which only blooms once every ten years. It is an exceptional tea and is used in meditations" Iak explained.

Shinji silently agreed as the taste was quite calming. Finishing his cup, Iak looked at the boy and asked, "Do you have feelings for Asuka?"

Shinji nodded, his face nearly as red as Asuka's hair, "Yes, I think I love her"

"As she does you"

His head jerking up, Shinji asked, "Really?"

"You'll have to ask her"

Shinji nodded, so Iak continued, "When she saw you with that other girl, her heart broke. You should go and comfort her; otherwise you're going to hurt her more"

He didn't want to cause pain to the girl that she loved, so Shinji asked, "Where is she?"

"Rooftop, Rikku and Hikari are there as well"

"Thank you," Shinji said while rushing to the stairs that led to the roof.

At the same time that Shinji was conversing with Iak, Rikku and Hikari were comforting a certain red-head.

"Come on Asuka," Hikari was saying, "it's not like Shinji would leave you after everything you've been through"

Calm, but still a little teary eyed, Asuka replied, "I guess"

Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Rikku said, "Besides, it may have been just a girl who was trying to win Shinji's vote. Like you said, some girls will do anything to win"

Smiling a little, Asuka looked up to see that Shinji had just arrived on the rooftop. Feeling Rikku stand up, she saw that the Aerolan and Hikari were going to leave her and Shinji alone.

When they had gone, Asuka stood up and faced Shinji, who closed the distance between them, until only a few feet separated them.

"Asuka" Shinji began after a few moments of silence

"Yes?"

"A-are you okay?"

Looking away, Asuka replied, "I saw you kissing Etsuko earlier"

Shinji flushed, "She kissed me, but I don't like her like that"

Looking at her toes, Asuka asked in a small tone most unlike her, "Really?"

Taking the last few steps between them, Shinji tentatively placed a hand on her cheek. Surprised at his boldness, Asuka looked up to see that, although he was blushing heavily, Shinji kept his gaze on her. Smiling, the red-head placed her hand on his.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you Asuka"

"Baka-Shinji," Asuka retorted, feeling like herself, "Grow a spine"

Happy that Asuka was feeling better, Shinji then asked, "I was wondering if you had a date for the dance, and…"

A serious look on her face, Asuka said, "Not really. Since you're judging, you shouldn't be looking for dates"

Looking downtrodden, Shinji said, "Oh, yeah. That's right"

Biting her lip, Asuka took a deep breath. This could be it, she wanted to tell him, but she knew it might bias his judgments at the contest, and wanted it to be fair.

"Maybe after the contest, we could have a dance?"

Looking up, Shinji said, "That'll be nice"

For the moment, the two had perfectly happy faces. The moment, however, was broken by some giggles.

Looking to their right, they saw that they had garnered an audience. Shuri-Shara, Misato, Kaji, Hikari, and Rikku were standing there watching them.

"Oh don't mind us," Misato said in a teasing tone, "Keep going, this is so cute"

Both teens had bright red faces as they realized the position they were in. Grinding her teeth, Asuka held up a fist.

"You better have a first aid kit, because you are all going to need it," she shouted as she started chasing them around the rooftop.

Shinji stood there watching. He was still red faced, but he had a smile on as he watched Asuka running around.

"Good work"

Looking back, Shinji saw that Iak was standing next to him, watching the proceedings as well. The two watched in silent amusement as Asuka continued to chase the teasing group across the rooftop.

This is it, the next chapter is the moment everyone's been waiting for. Read on, my supporters!