Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion. Eva is owned by others that make more money than I do (People like Hideaki Anno and Gainax, for example).
However, I DO own this story. I wrote it for people to enjoy, not to plagiarize or sell for profit. Please do not claim it as your own, or try to make money off it. If you want to repost it, just send me an E-mail if you want to translate it or post it on your site.
Comments and Creative Criticism are always welcome. Please send all E-mail to: willz@wpi.edu. No flames - we are all better than that.
Thanks: Special thanks goes to numerous people. I appreciate all the help everyone gave me, and I appreciate their letting me pester them a lot. Special thanks to Aisu, Dr. Geoduck, Xylis, LittlePriest, Zel-ouki, Big__D, Thoth_of_ND, Sethra_lavode, LedZepFan, Gendo_ohki, Taloon, Beagle-san and Kyokki, to name a few.
Dictionary:
Ok - an explanation first: I like the way certain words sound in other languages, so I opted to use those words instead of the English equivalent. They are listed below. Note: Asuka DOES use German occasionally in the sub/dubs, so I am going to keep that up here.
The words/phrases:
hentai, ecchi and sukebe - pervert or perverted (Japanese).
Arschloch - A-Hole (German).
Mein Gott! - My GOD! (German)
Dummkopf - Idiot or moron - literally translated as "stupid head" (German).
Baka - idiot, moron or jerk. The MOST versatile word in Asuka's Japanese dictionary!
Gomen (or Gomen Nasai) - I'm sorry (Japanese)
Note: "chan" at the end of names is used as a familiar title, or one of affection, and "sama" or "san" are ones of respect: the first is very respected, the latter is respect as equals.
Note: There is a German phrase near the end. Asuka says it in English right after. Thanks Dr Geoduck for the German refresher and translations!
Now, Will Z Presents:
She's Got a Way About Her
A Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Chapter Three: Cheer
If Misato could have a five-yen piece for every time she wished to skip mornings altogether, then she would be a rich lady, indeed. Her clothing was a mess, and yet as is the norm for this type of morning, the inside of her mouth tasted like the inside of an old shoe. Granted, she didn't know what an old insole tasted like, but the tactical specialist was SURE that this came close. She looked at the time, and noticed she still had a good half-hour before Shinji woke up.
Misato lifted her head, and barely stifled a yelp of surprised pain as her hair held to the table. She looked to see that a good 2 inches of the hair on her left side was firmly mingled with the wax from the candles she had burnt the previous night.
With her eyes closed, she took a firm hold of her hair, and tugged. The wax held strong, but she was able to pull the purplish locks away without too much trouble.
Now, she was going to have to cut her hair. At least it was only a few inches, and not MOST of it. The thought of having hair as short as Ritsuko's made her cringe.
When she was finished trimming her hair, she returned to the table, wondering how she was going to get rid of the residue wax on its linoleum coating. As she pondered this situation, Shinji entered and began the process of making breakfast.
He looked terrible. His clothing looked as though he slept in it. He didn't seem to be too lively today, either: Usually, he'd tease her for drinking too much, or he'd be in somewhat of a pleasant mood as he made the day's meals. Today, however, he seemed apathetic to everything.
"Good morning, Shinji!" she said, smiling. Shinji didn't even turn to look at her, let alone reply to her greeting. Heck even him exploding at her would have been better than the treatment he gave her now!
The silence stretched, making Misato feel uncomfortable. She dispelled the silence by going to the fridge, grabbing a beer, opening it, and chugging half of the can's contents.
"Boy, that hits the spot!" she said, looking at Shinji from the corner of her eye.
Silence once again answered her as Shinji kept cooking breakfast.
Fortunately, Asuka showed up. Usually when Shinji was in a funk, He would argue with Asuka, and everything would return to normal.
"Guten morgen!" she said, stretching. Suddenly Shinji slammed the pans into the sink, and stormed out of the kitchen. Asuka and Misato just looked at each other in confusion.
"What's wrong with him?" They both asked at the same time.
"So, THAT's why he was acting odd," Misato said as Asuka sipped her tea, "the holidays must really be a sore spot to him, with his father and all."
"Maybe." Asuka said aloud, but then muttered, "I bet he's depressed he can't get any, the hentai." Misato pretended not to hear, even though she wanted to slap the redhead upside the head for the comment.
While Asuka got ready for work, an idea began to form in Misato's mind. What if SHE was to help Shinji get back his Christmas spirit, by showing him how nice the holiday could be?
The plan in motion in her mind, Misato began getting ready for work. This was going to be the BEST Christmas any of them had ever had!
Almost two weeks had passed since their first project meeting, and Shinji still showed no signs of cheering up. If anything, the Third Child seemed to get more depressed as signs of the holiday increased in number. His shoulders slumped as he went by waving Santas or the Christmas trees that were being sold in parking lots.
Nobody seemed to know what Shinji's problem was, though Misato tried to fix it by playing Christmas carols every evening. She even tried decorating the apartment with Christmas lights to brighten the mood. The result: Shinji would come home from school and hide in his room, only coming out to eat, drink or use the bathroom.
Kensuke tried several times to get Shinji to come over and spend time in a family atmosphere, to see if that would help his friend's attitude, but even that had no affect on Shinji's disposition.
Touji had thought about bringing Shinji to see his sister at the hospital, to show the improvement she was making to the Third Child, but wise advice from Hikari showed him that Shinji seeing her like that would only make his mood darken.
Asuka kept an outward appearance that she couldn't concern herself with him, while inside, she worried if Shinji might have come down with something. Just because Ritsuko gave him a clean bill of health didn't mean that there wasn't a flaw somewhere in the exams.
Shinji, meanwhile was feeling pressed on all sides, except from the one he WANTED to be pressed by. The redhead kept herself aloof, making Shinji feel more and more alone. He hated this feeling. It was almost as bad as when he thought about the time Asuka had sleepwalked into his room, and he had almost kissed her.
He was still kicking himself for that, even though nothing happened. Granted she had been asleep, but Shinji wanted to be her Prince Charming, and wake her with a kiss. He knew it sounded sappy, but he didn't care.
Rei was impassive to everything around her, though occasionally she could be seen looking at Shinji, and on other occasions at Kensuke. The thing was: If anyone paid attention, she seemed to spend a bit more time looking at Kensuke than at Shinji. Rei was intrigued by Kensuke's attention, but she still couldn't figure out why he was giving her, when in the past, only the Commander or Shinji seemed to take notice of her well-being.
The 15th day after their first meeting, the first two Stooges gathered the others together in order to come up with a way to cheer him up. The project seemed to be progressing well, except for Shinji's part of it. He seemed to make no progress, and would barely speak to anyone of it, even when asked.
"This is not good," Touji said, as he ate from the bento Hikari brought for him, "Shinji's not talking to anyone anymore."
"He hasn't said two words to anyone in three days!" Kensuke added.
"Ikari-kun seems to be retreating into himself." Rei stated. They all stared at her as if she had grown a second head. She didn't catch it though, and continued to look at Shinji eating alone by the window.
After taking a moment to recover from Rei's insight, Hikari spoke up, suggesting they should organize another meeting: If Shinji didn't offer to come on his own, Touji and Kensuke were to force him to come along by any means necessary. Kensuke and Touji accepted the task, and the group began to disperse. Asuka hadn't protested as much as was feared. She seemed to want to cheer Shinji up enough that he could replace Misato as chef again.
"Asuka, Hikari," Kensuke said, as everyone got up from the table. Touji waved to everyone with his chopsticks and wandered over to the window near Shinji. Rei went to retrieve her lunch. The two girls stood looking at him with the same look of annoyance, and he found himself swallowing before speaking again.
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Kensuke said, gulping again before continuing under their unblinking gazes, "Would it... Well, Rei... I mean... Could you two... maybe..."
Hikari and Asuka looked at each other and smiled. It was Hikari that spoke, though.
"You want us to give Rei a makeover." She said simply.
"How did..." Kensuke began, but was interrupted by Asuka.
"Baka! The way you look at her, it's OBVIOUS! You have the 'hots' for the Ice Queen!" the redhead smiled, causing Kensuke to hold back his defense of Rei, "Relax, Stooge: We have everything well under control!" Hikari grinned as widely as Asuka did.
"Um... How?" was all Kensuke could say, confused. He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, still blinking in disbelief.
"Easy!" Both said in unison giving himt the "thumbs up" sign, "Slumber party!"
Kensuke was worried. Maybe he made a mistake asking the two girls to help.
"And she'll be there, even if I have to tie her up!" Asuka declared.
Kensuke instinctively put a hand to his nose, as a mental image came to him of Asuka tying Rei up and...
"BAKA HENTAI!" Asuka screamed, smashing him on the top of the head with her fist, "That was a FIGURE OF SPEECH!"
Rubbing his head, he watched the retreating pair, trying very hard NOT to think about Rei in such an... Interesting... Circumstance. As his mind ignored his pleas to stop, the image of Rei came back to him, but this time, the chocolate syrup had time to place itself back in before he shook it away.
Rei went to the door, wondering who could be calling on her at this time of day. Maya occasionally came over to check on the First Child, but those visits usually were before she went to work, and only lasted long enough for Maya to compile a report on Rei's health for the doctor.
She opened the door to see a dimpled, freckled brunette standing next to a beaming blue-eyed redhead. As one they grabbed hold of the door, opened it further, and began speaking.
"Hello! We're the Fashion Emergency team!" They both waved as they said this.
Rei just blinked at them, nonplussed.
"We were told that you," Asuka began.
"Have a hot date coming up soon," the brunette continued.
"And we're here by Kensuke's request to" the redhead took over once again.
"See that you," Hikari said. Suddenly, both girls pointed at Rei, who blinked at the accusing fingers.
"Look like a supermodel for it!" Both finished in unison.
It was nice that Kensuke seemed to be concerned for her, but Rei didn't know what to make of the situation. She decided that since it was just a "study date," she would just go in her school clothes as she usually did.
"... Please go away." Rei said, after a long pause. The other two girls sweatdropped as Rei turned to head back into her apartment.
"Now wait a minute!" Asuka complained. "We went through that whole spiel that we practiced for an HOUR before coming over, just to hear you say 'Go away'? I don't think so!" Asuka and Hikari rushed in, grabbed Rei by the arms, and dragged the startled blue-haired girl out of her apartment.
Shinji looked out the window as he ate his lunch. He hated the holidays. The more that the holidays made their presence known, the more he wished he could just crawl under a rock and hide until they were over. The cheerful people, the cheerful songs, all of it rubbed on him. He wanted to be that happy just once for the holidays, but the last eleven years of holiday cheer seemed to make their way to everyone but him. Shinji couldn't even remember the last Christmas he was able to share with his mother, and that saddened him most of all. Not even his father bothered with him on Christmas. No call, no present, no visit of any kind. Eva or no Eva, he didn't feel like a celebrity; he felt like the pathetic loser he saw every morning staring back at him in the bathroom mirror.
He was so absorbed in his darkening mood, he jumped about a foot in the air when Touji put his hand on the Eva pilot's shoulder.
"Heya, Shinji!" Touji exclaimed, grinning from ear-to-ear "Kensuke and myself need your help."
"IF you think I'm going to get set up on..." He began, an angry look on his face, but Kensuke interrupted him.
"The girls are going to have a sleepover at Hikari's place!" the freckled boy said, holding his nose with his left hand.
Shinji stared at Kensuke. He then turned to look at Touji, but his black-haired friend seemed to be in his own little world: Touji's eyes looked glazed-over, a blush was on his cheeks, and a small river of blood made its way out of his nose.
Shinji put a hand to his nose only to discover his was sharing a similar state.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Touji finally said, wiping his nose with a napkin while the grin on his face grew.
Shinji wasn't sure WHAT it meant, but he knew that the glint in Kensuke and Touji's eyes gave him an incredible sense of foreboding.
Asuka grinned at the blue-haired girl. This time, she knew she would get some sort of reaction from Rei with the scissors she held in her hand. Rei sat placidly, making Asuka think she needed to enhance the scenario by chuckling evilly.
"You know, I COULD make you bald," Asuka giggled, eyeing Rei.
Rei sat there, waiting patiently for her hair to be cut. Hikari sat to the left of Rei, at the dresser with the extensive makeup sets on them. Hikari rummaged through the stacks of cosmetics, looking for the right lipstick and blush to use on Rei's complexion. While Asuka thought of this as a service to the community, Hikari thought of it as a mission to unite two people that needed to be united in the WORST way. The silence continued, which annoyed Asuka to no end.
"Well?" Asuka said, pointing the clippers at Rei, "I could snip it all off," She gestured with the scissors, closing them as she did so, "and make you look like a cue ball!"
"Hair isn't needed to pilot an Eva," Rei answered calmly.
Asuka frowned as she began cutting Rei's hair. That exchange did not go as Asuka had planned, so she decided to drop it and focus on the task at hand. Fortunately the job was going to be easy: Rei's hair only needed a good trimming of the split ends, and she'd have really nice hair, especially once Asuka showed her the right shampoos and conditioners to use.
Asuka was actually glad she had opted to help the poor girl out some. Rei might be adept at a lot of things, but people skills were very lacking in the albino girl. She was hoping to fix this - especially if it got Wonder Girl away from Shinji.
Asuka almost dropped the scissors. Where did that thought come from? It wasn't like she was jealous or anything. Maybe she was just afraid that Rei's arrogant posturing would rub off on the baka.
"Asuka," Rei said calmly, "Are you finished cutting my hair?"
Asuka started, bringing herself out of her thoughts. She blushed and continued cutting Rei's hair.
"No." was all she said through clenched teeth. Why did Rei have to be so blasted...
Asuka calmed herself enough to remember that she was fixing Rei up for KENSUKE. She hoped the Stooge appreciated her efforts!
"I can't believe I am doing this," Shinji said as he peeked over the balcony railing. He still wondered how he could breathe with the large towel tied under his nose, but so far, he was managing.
He looked over at his friends, who were waving him on in encouragement. They were both wearing the towels on their heads as well; something Touji had called "Essential Traditional Peeping Garb," or some similar foolish name. Maybe Shinji should just leave before he got caught.
"How do you keep your skin so smooth?" Asuka asked, amazement clear in her tone.
"And soft!" Hikari added. Maybe this WAS worth investigating, after all.
"LCL." Came the soft reply from Rei. Shinji banished the image of Rei naked in LCL from his mind.
The amateur peeping Tom almost slipped as another mental image came to mind of the girls wearing very little or nothing. He needed to focus on the job at hand!
He regained his grip, pulling himself over the edge. He looked in the window, and saw a middle-aged guy in his boxers sitting on his bed clipping his toenails. From the look of the nails, they hadn't been clipped in at LEAST a month. With a wince, Shinji distracted himself with trying to find Hikari's room.
He followed the idle chatter of Asuka and Hikari over to a window. Unfortunately, this window was a good three meters up and two meters to the left of the balcony. Calling in reinforcements was now rendered moot.
He was about to signal the other two of his accomplices that the mission was scrubbed, when he finally caught bits of conversation from Hikari's room. He climbed onto the balcony's edging, hoping he'd hear more.
"I'm still surprised you don't fix yourself up for your dates with Kensuke, Rei," Asuka's distinctive voice said. He could almost hear the teasing tone in it distinctively, "It doesn't take much effort to show a man that you like him."
"If that's the case, Asuka," Hikari replied, "Then why don't you do that for Shinji?"
Shinji almost fell when he heard that. He looked up at the window, trying to keep his attention on what was being said.
"Well, I..." Asuka began. Suddenly she sounded uncertain.
"Come on! Fess up!" Hikari badgered.
"I've seen Asuka look at Ikari-kun," Rei's soft voice said, barely audible, "Perhaps she doesn't want to admit to herself that she likes Ikari-kun."
Shinji listened intently, even though he knew what her answer would be.
"You know you like him, Asuka!" Hikari practically chirped in glee. Shinji blinked; she almost seemed to be enjoying her friend's discomfort.
"Nothing... We aren't..." Asuka retorted. She seemed hesitant and her answers weren't really matching any of the questions, so he kept listening.
"I bet you've kissed him!" Hikari exclaimed. Shinji practically fell off the balcony in shock once more.
"Was the kiss nice, or messy, or...." Hikari kept on.
"Please tell us," Rei said with what sounded like amusement, "if Ikari-kun is as bad at kissing as he is at piloting Eva." Shinji felt his cheeks burn at Rei's directness.
"Well, I... That is... I'm not..." Asuka started loudly, then trailed off, almost sighing, "He isn't that much of a baka."
Shinji was totally stunned. He had been expecting a tirade of German curses and several different names for idiot associated with his name to come pouring forth from the window, but he never expected THAT. From Asuka, that was almost confessing that you loved someone!
"I knew it!" Hikari cried, starting to chatter at Asuka, seizing the moment to begin pummeling her with questions. He didn't pay attention to what she said, though; He was too confused to understand the conversation was far from over.
A moment later, he was climbing back down to the ground from the third floor balcony, his mind whirling.
"What happened?" Touji hissed, annoyed at the mission's failure.
"Did they see you?" Kensuke added.
"No... No," Shinji said, still recovering. That window I was looking at is Hikari's room." He pointed at it for empahasis, "It would be impossible to get to."
"Did you hear anything?" Touji asked. Shinji shook his head negative.
"Aw, man!" Touji complained, " And the other room?"
"You don't want to know." Shinji said, shivering.
"I bet he's lying!" Kensuke said, almost frantic. "I tell ya! They're taunting us!" Shinji felt the sweat on his head increase at this friend's accusation. He was extremely relieved that at the moment Touji's own little world only seemed to involve the Class Rep and Touji himself.
"Can I take this stupid towel off before someone sees us?" Shinji responded, changing the subject. He just wanted to get back home before the girls caught them. Dejected, Touji and Kensuke looked at the distant window once more before heading back to Shinji's place.
It was a somber trio that entered the apartment. Shinji was still mulling over what Asuka had said, and both Kensuke and Touji STILL had those stupid towels on their heads. He still couldn't believe he caved in to agreeing to help them with that little stunt. He was as frustrated at himself for helping them, as he was relieved that they weren't caught peeping by the girls.
Though in retrospect, it only would have been his hide in the fire, since the other two had been "lookouts", and thus, they weren't in any real danger of getting caught as he had been.
After a moment, he realized this little distraction wasn't helping him any - he was still trying to decipher what Asuka had said to the other two girls. Was Asuka really admitting she liked him? Was she just putting up a front so the other girls would leave her alone? No: The other two seemed to be fueled by her admission, so maybe, just maybe, he might have a chance to win her affection after all.
"Could it be she really likes me?" Shinji absently said aloud.
"What did you say, Shinji?" Touji asked, as he turned to look at his friend. Kensuke had gone to the refrigerator to get them something to drink. The guys had "volunteered" themselves to sleep over, not because it would make the "reconnaissance" mission any more successful - they came here for the simple excuse to see Misato wearing a spaghetti-string top and no bra. He thought it was disgusting when she wore her bum-around clothes, but they seemed to think it was a special treat.
He still didn't know what the fuss was about Misato. She was cute, true, but she just didn't seem to get his attention like a certain redhead always did. His friends thought he was demented, but he knew the truth about Misato, and was NOT going to even breach that subject with a 10-foot pole!
"So... How about a game of Rummy?" he tried feebly, as his friends began to hound him on Misato's daily doings when she wasn't at work. He was glad Misato was working late to oversee her little project, so he didn't have to worry about her popping in unexpectedly. As Kensuke returned with the drinks, Shinji began planning a way to keep his friends from interrogating him once more about his two roommates.
"Hold still," Asuka said to the girl sitting in the chair before her, "Do you want me to ruin your makeup?"
"Your hands are shaking." Rei said, "I have not moved."
Asuka muttered some comments in German, but continued to apply the makeup with a steadier hand. She couldn't understand why she was a bundle of nerves tonight. Granted, Rei looked good, but she knew she looked as good, if not better! She finished putting on the faint blush, and opened up the pale pink lipstick.
The redhead nervously checked on everything for her blue haired charge. Hikari needed to return home to replace a broken heel, which left Asuka to make sure Rei was ready for Kensuke. Her hands brushed at the other girl's shoulders for the fifth time as she fixed the blouse's seam lines and dusted the soft fabric.
Stepping back, she examined her handiwork. Rei was wearing a dark denim skirt with a light blue blouse. She also wore a gold bracelet and a pair of clip-on earrings. To finish it off, with Asuka's approval, she wore a pair of dark blue flats and pale pantyhose.
If this doesn't make Kensuke's eyes pop out of his head, Asuka thought, then the Stooge is as sentient as cold ramen!
She really hoped Rei stunned Kensuke. She didn't want Rei to blow her chance to... show her finesse with fashion. That was it: Her fashion sense. Maybe she shouldn't have let the other two badger her last night. She still felt as if she had been sent through the wringer several times, especially with Rei's calm, pointed comments. How many times DID she have to tell them she didn't have an interest in Shinji, just because she didn't think he was a baka...
And how DID Hikari know about the kiss anyways? No. Best not to think of the past no matter how...
With a sigh, Asuka began rechecking Rei's clothing to make sure everything was perfect.
Kensuke paced in front of the door, his hands fidgeting with his tie. He loosened then tightened the fit around the collar, trying to decide if he should knock or not. He was so absorbed with trying to choose whether to knock or mess with his tie, he almost tripped on the trashcan next to Rei's door.
Hastily avoiding the trash, he continued pacing for another minute before going over to the door. He tried to think of something to say to her, but he wasn't sure WHAT. Ever since the peeping incident two nights previous, he hadn't seen or heard from the girls, except for the time Hikari called him this morning to tell him to be at Rei's house at 3:00, and to be dressed nicely.
Well, 3:00 was now here, he was dressed as nicely as he could be, and he couldn't muster the strength to knock on the door.
"You can do this, Kensuke," He said aloud, raising his hand to the door.
"So, can you tell me EXACTLY why we are here again?" Shinji asked Asuka, while standing outside the only concert hall in Tokyo-3. Asuka was dressed in a long dark green dress with thin straps. She wore matching gloves, and what looked like pearls.
"We're here," Asuka said, giving Shinji a withering look," Because I thought you stooges could use some CULTURE in your unrefined lives!"
"I still think we could have at least gone without the heels," Hikari muttered, as she almost wobbled. Touji steadied her, and she gave him a grateful look. Plan one is a success, Asuka grinned to herself, Now, IF Rei remembers to follow through...
As if on cue, Rei dropped her pocketbook. Kensuke bent over, grabbed it and its contents, and carefully gave it back to Rei. Both of them were blushing to the point that Asuka almost burst out laughing at Rei's surprise. Rei had expected "Aida-san" would let her collect its contents on her own once it fell to the ground. Rei had also been extremely surprised at the compliment Kensuke had given her when she had answered the door.
"Thank you," Rei said, still blushing furiously. Asuka was annoyed that the girl said nothing else. Fortunately, no other words seemed necessary, since Kensuke and Rei seemed to be smiling at each other while their hands touched on her purse. Asuka refrained from commenting at how cute of a couple they were. She decided to head inside before they were caught in the milling crowd outside of the dome-shaped theater.
Asuka felt like cursing. At the entrance, holding the door like the perfect gentleman should, stood Shinji. She was hoping to get through the door before he could do something so nice.
Still, Asuka couldn't help but smile, even if she felt like strangling him with her purse's strap.
By the Second Act of "The Nutcracker", Asuka was completely nonplussed. She thought Shinji would spend his time moping or fidgeting, but he seemed to really enjoy the first part. During intermission, he had offered to get her refreshments from the main lobby. He had even managed to pick up several small pastries in a napkin for her, as well.
What really surprised her, was when he offered them all to her, commenting how he knew she had spent the whole day over at Rei's house to get her ready, and that she probably hadn't had a chance to eat.
He was right on all points, and it irritated her to no end that she couldn't argue any of them with him.
The Third Act brought even more surprises, as Shinji offered to take a walk with her, so they could stretch their legs during the intermission. She thought for a moment that the idiot might be trying to use her own ploy against her, but it didn't seem to fit; He was smiling warmly at her, and the there were people everywhere, so she knew he wasn't going to try anything, so she opted to take advantage of this stroke of good fortune.
As they walked, they were quiet, but it was still nice. Shinji had a smile on his face instead of the gloomy one he had had for weeks. She still was concerned that he would go back to being like that, especially since it meant more of Misato's cooking if he did.
She tried to convince herself of that all through the Fourth Act.
Shinji waved to Touji and Hikari, as they broke away from their group. He wondered if Touji would get the courage to kiss Hikari or not. They seemed to be friendlier to each other. As they chatted with each other all night, it was hard to tell if they were making progress or not, since Asuka had been taking his attention. He wasn't sure if he was making an impression on the blue-eyed girl or not. He just knew that he wanted to get lost in that smile of hers.
He thought about what had happened that day. It was definitely odd, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. How Pen-pen could type on the datapad, and how he could have found such a gift was still beyond Shinji's comprehension.
The bird somehow had logged into an online auction and won the most amazing piece of jewelry he had ever seen. He had ordered it sent one-day mail to his Nerv mailbox, so that a certain snooping Duet would not find it before he gave it to Asuka.
Pen-pen had seemed adamant that Shinji pay for it, but, he hadn't known he got paid until Asuka had blurted out how she had purchased the dress and fake pearls for the concert.
He was sorely tempted to tell her about it, but thought that patience would win out in the end, and, just maybe, she would actually take him seriously when he... No. He didn't want to build up his anxiety any higher than it already was. He had to think...
"Shinji?" Asuka's voice said softly from beside him.
"Yes?" He answered, afraid of saying something that might set her off.
"Want to go for some ice cream?"
"Yes."
**
OMAKE!
Shinji on the balcony:
Shinji couldn't believe it! Asuka liked him! Asuka..
Without warning, he slipped form the third floor, landing on his leg. There was a loud, sharp crack.
"AAAHH!! MY LEGS!" came the discordant wail from his mouth.
Misato was flustered. Why had she been called to the hospital, anyways?
She opened the door, to see Shinji in a lower-body cast, with the stooges looking on , abashed, while Asuka, Rei, and Hikari looked as if they were going to kill all three of them.
For some reason, Shinji had a peeping towel on his head.
"Ok," Misato said, "would someone please tell me what's going on here, and why there are several police officers outside the door?"
However, I DO own this story. I wrote it for people to enjoy, not to plagiarize or sell for profit. Please do not claim it as your own, or try to make money off it. If you want to repost it, just send me an E-mail if you want to translate it or post it on your site.
Comments and Creative Criticism are always welcome. Please send all E-mail to: willz@wpi.edu. No flames - we are all better than that.
Thanks: Special thanks goes to numerous people. I appreciate all the help everyone gave me, and I appreciate their letting me pester them a lot. Special thanks to Aisu, Dr. Geoduck, Xylis, LittlePriest, Zel-ouki, Big__D, Thoth_of_ND, Sethra_lavode, LedZepFan, Gendo_ohki, Taloon, Beagle-san and Kyokki, to name a few.
Dictionary:
Ok - an explanation first: I like the way certain words sound in other languages, so I opted to use those words instead of the English equivalent. They are listed below. Note: Asuka DOES use German occasionally in the sub/dubs, so I am going to keep that up here.
The words/phrases:
hentai, ecchi and sukebe - pervert or perverted (Japanese).
Arschloch - A-Hole (German).
Mein Gott! - My GOD! (German)
Dummkopf - Idiot or moron - literally translated as "stupid head" (German).
Baka - idiot, moron or jerk. The MOST versatile word in Asuka's Japanese dictionary!
Gomen (or Gomen Nasai) - I'm sorry (Japanese)
Note: "chan" at the end of names is used as a familiar title, or one of affection, and "sama" or "san" are ones of respect: the first is very respected, the latter is respect as equals.
Note: There is a German phrase near the end. Asuka says it in English right after. Thanks Dr Geoduck for the German refresher and translations!
Now, Will Z Presents:
She's Got a Way About Her
A Neon Genesis Evangelion fanfiction
Chapter Three: Cheer
If Misato could have a five-yen piece for every time she wished to skip mornings altogether, then she would be a rich lady, indeed. Her clothing was a mess, and yet as is the norm for this type of morning, the inside of her mouth tasted like the inside of an old shoe. Granted, she didn't know what an old insole tasted like, but the tactical specialist was SURE that this came close. She looked at the time, and noticed she still had a good half-hour before Shinji woke up.
Misato lifted her head, and barely stifled a yelp of surprised pain as her hair held to the table. She looked to see that a good 2 inches of the hair on her left side was firmly mingled with the wax from the candles she had burnt the previous night.
With her eyes closed, she took a firm hold of her hair, and tugged. The wax held strong, but she was able to pull the purplish locks away without too much trouble.
Now, she was going to have to cut her hair. At least it was only a few inches, and not MOST of it. The thought of having hair as short as Ritsuko's made her cringe.
When she was finished trimming her hair, she returned to the table, wondering how she was going to get rid of the residue wax on its linoleum coating. As she pondered this situation, Shinji entered and began the process of making breakfast.
He looked terrible. His clothing looked as though he slept in it. He didn't seem to be too lively today, either: Usually, he'd tease her for drinking too much, or he'd be in somewhat of a pleasant mood as he made the day's meals. Today, however, he seemed apathetic to everything.
"Good morning, Shinji!" she said, smiling. Shinji didn't even turn to look at her, let alone reply to her greeting. Heck even him exploding at her would have been better than the treatment he gave her now!
The silence stretched, making Misato feel uncomfortable. She dispelled the silence by going to the fridge, grabbing a beer, opening it, and chugging half of the can's contents.
"Boy, that hits the spot!" she said, looking at Shinji from the corner of her eye.
Silence once again answered her as Shinji kept cooking breakfast.
Fortunately, Asuka showed up. Usually when Shinji was in a funk, He would argue with Asuka, and everything would return to normal.
"Guten morgen!" she said, stretching. Suddenly Shinji slammed the pans into the sink, and stormed out of the kitchen. Asuka and Misato just looked at each other in confusion.
"What's wrong with him?" They both asked at the same time.
"So, THAT's why he was acting odd," Misato said as Asuka sipped her tea, "the holidays must really be a sore spot to him, with his father and all."
"Maybe." Asuka said aloud, but then muttered, "I bet he's depressed he can't get any, the hentai." Misato pretended not to hear, even though she wanted to slap the redhead upside the head for the comment.
While Asuka got ready for work, an idea began to form in Misato's mind. What if SHE was to help Shinji get back his Christmas spirit, by showing him how nice the holiday could be?
The plan in motion in her mind, Misato began getting ready for work. This was going to be the BEST Christmas any of them had ever had!
Almost two weeks had passed since their first project meeting, and Shinji still showed no signs of cheering up. If anything, the Third Child seemed to get more depressed as signs of the holiday increased in number. His shoulders slumped as he went by waving Santas or the Christmas trees that were being sold in parking lots.
Nobody seemed to know what Shinji's problem was, though Misato tried to fix it by playing Christmas carols every evening. She even tried decorating the apartment with Christmas lights to brighten the mood. The result: Shinji would come home from school and hide in his room, only coming out to eat, drink or use the bathroom.
Kensuke tried several times to get Shinji to come over and spend time in a family atmosphere, to see if that would help his friend's attitude, but even that had no affect on Shinji's disposition.
Touji had thought about bringing Shinji to see his sister at the hospital, to show the improvement she was making to the Third Child, but wise advice from Hikari showed him that Shinji seeing her like that would only make his mood darken.
Asuka kept an outward appearance that she couldn't concern herself with him, while inside, she worried if Shinji might have come down with something. Just because Ritsuko gave him a clean bill of health didn't mean that there wasn't a flaw somewhere in the exams.
Shinji, meanwhile was feeling pressed on all sides, except from the one he WANTED to be pressed by. The redhead kept herself aloof, making Shinji feel more and more alone. He hated this feeling. It was almost as bad as when he thought about the time Asuka had sleepwalked into his room, and he had almost kissed her.
He was still kicking himself for that, even though nothing happened. Granted she had been asleep, but Shinji wanted to be her Prince Charming, and wake her with a kiss. He knew it sounded sappy, but he didn't care.
Rei was impassive to everything around her, though occasionally she could be seen looking at Shinji, and on other occasions at Kensuke. The thing was: If anyone paid attention, she seemed to spend a bit more time looking at Kensuke than at Shinji. Rei was intrigued by Kensuke's attention, but she still couldn't figure out why he was giving her, when in the past, only the Commander or Shinji seemed to take notice of her well-being.
The 15th day after their first meeting, the first two Stooges gathered the others together in order to come up with a way to cheer him up. The project seemed to be progressing well, except for Shinji's part of it. He seemed to make no progress, and would barely speak to anyone of it, even when asked.
"This is not good," Touji said, as he ate from the bento Hikari brought for him, "Shinji's not talking to anyone anymore."
"He hasn't said two words to anyone in three days!" Kensuke added.
"Ikari-kun seems to be retreating into himself." Rei stated. They all stared at her as if she had grown a second head. She didn't catch it though, and continued to look at Shinji eating alone by the window.
After taking a moment to recover from Rei's insight, Hikari spoke up, suggesting they should organize another meeting: If Shinji didn't offer to come on his own, Touji and Kensuke were to force him to come along by any means necessary. Kensuke and Touji accepted the task, and the group began to disperse. Asuka hadn't protested as much as was feared. She seemed to want to cheer Shinji up enough that he could replace Misato as chef again.
"Asuka, Hikari," Kensuke said, as everyone got up from the table. Touji waved to everyone with his chopsticks and wandered over to the window near Shinji. Rei went to retrieve her lunch. The two girls stood looking at him with the same look of annoyance, and he found himself swallowing before speaking again.
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor," Kensuke said, gulping again before continuing under their unblinking gazes, "Would it... Well, Rei... I mean... Could you two... maybe..."
Hikari and Asuka looked at each other and smiled. It was Hikari that spoke, though.
"You want us to give Rei a makeover." She said simply.
"How did..." Kensuke began, but was interrupted by Asuka.
"Baka! The way you look at her, it's OBVIOUS! You have the 'hots' for the Ice Queen!" the redhead smiled, causing Kensuke to hold back his defense of Rei, "Relax, Stooge: We have everything well under control!" Hikari grinned as widely as Asuka did.
"Um... How?" was all Kensuke could say, confused. He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, still blinking in disbelief.
"Easy!" Both said in unison giving himt the "thumbs up" sign, "Slumber party!"
Kensuke was worried. Maybe he made a mistake asking the two girls to help.
"And she'll be there, even if I have to tie her up!" Asuka declared.
Kensuke instinctively put a hand to his nose, as a mental image came to him of Asuka tying Rei up and...
"BAKA HENTAI!" Asuka screamed, smashing him on the top of the head with her fist, "That was a FIGURE OF SPEECH!"
Rubbing his head, he watched the retreating pair, trying very hard NOT to think about Rei in such an... Interesting... Circumstance. As his mind ignored his pleas to stop, the image of Rei came back to him, but this time, the chocolate syrup had time to place itself back in before he shook it away.
Rei went to the door, wondering who could be calling on her at this time of day. Maya occasionally came over to check on the First Child, but those visits usually were before she went to work, and only lasted long enough for Maya to compile a report on Rei's health for the doctor.
She opened the door to see a dimpled, freckled brunette standing next to a beaming blue-eyed redhead. As one they grabbed hold of the door, opened it further, and began speaking.
"Hello! We're the Fashion Emergency team!" They both waved as they said this.
Rei just blinked at them, nonplussed.
"We were told that you," Asuka began.
"Have a hot date coming up soon," the brunette continued.
"And we're here by Kensuke's request to" the redhead took over once again.
"See that you," Hikari said. Suddenly, both girls pointed at Rei, who blinked at the accusing fingers.
"Look like a supermodel for it!" Both finished in unison.
It was nice that Kensuke seemed to be concerned for her, but Rei didn't know what to make of the situation. She decided that since it was just a "study date," she would just go in her school clothes as she usually did.
"... Please go away." Rei said, after a long pause. The other two girls sweatdropped as Rei turned to head back into her apartment.
"Now wait a minute!" Asuka complained. "We went through that whole spiel that we practiced for an HOUR before coming over, just to hear you say 'Go away'? I don't think so!" Asuka and Hikari rushed in, grabbed Rei by the arms, and dragged the startled blue-haired girl out of her apartment.
Shinji looked out the window as he ate his lunch. He hated the holidays. The more that the holidays made their presence known, the more he wished he could just crawl under a rock and hide until they were over. The cheerful people, the cheerful songs, all of it rubbed on him. He wanted to be that happy just once for the holidays, but the last eleven years of holiday cheer seemed to make their way to everyone but him. Shinji couldn't even remember the last Christmas he was able to share with his mother, and that saddened him most of all. Not even his father bothered with him on Christmas. No call, no present, no visit of any kind. Eva or no Eva, he didn't feel like a celebrity; he felt like the pathetic loser he saw every morning staring back at him in the bathroom mirror.
He was so absorbed in his darkening mood, he jumped about a foot in the air when Touji put his hand on the Eva pilot's shoulder.
"Heya, Shinji!" Touji exclaimed, grinning from ear-to-ear "Kensuke and myself need your help."
"IF you think I'm going to get set up on..." He began, an angry look on his face, but Kensuke interrupted him.
"The girls are going to have a sleepover at Hikari's place!" the freckled boy said, holding his nose with his left hand.
Shinji stared at Kensuke. He then turned to look at Touji, but his black-haired friend seemed to be in his own little world: Touji's eyes looked glazed-over, a blush was on his cheeks, and a small river of blood made its way out of his nose.
Shinji put a hand to his nose only to discover his was sharing a similar state.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Touji finally said, wiping his nose with a napkin while the grin on his face grew.
Shinji wasn't sure WHAT it meant, but he knew that the glint in Kensuke and Touji's eyes gave him an incredible sense of foreboding.
Asuka grinned at the blue-haired girl. This time, she knew she would get some sort of reaction from Rei with the scissors she held in her hand. Rei sat placidly, making Asuka think she needed to enhance the scenario by chuckling evilly.
"You know, I COULD make you bald," Asuka giggled, eyeing Rei.
Rei sat there, waiting patiently for her hair to be cut. Hikari sat to the left of Rei, at the dresser with the extensive makeup sets on them. Hikari rummaged through the stacks of cosmetics, looking for the right lipstick and blush to use on Rei's complexion. While Asuka thought of this as a service to the community, Hikari thought of it as a mission to unite two people that needed to be united in the WORST way. The silence continued, which annoyed Asuka to no end.
"Well?" Asuka said, pointing the clippers at Rei, "I could snip it all off," She gestured with the scissors, closing them as she did so, "and make you look like a cue ball!"
"Hair isn't needed to pilot an Eva," Rei answered calmly.
Asuka frowned as she began cutting Rei's hair. That exchange did not go as Asuka had planned, so she decided to drop it and focus on the task at hand. Fortunately the job was going to be easy: Rei's hair only needed a good trimming of the split ends, and she'd have really nice hair, especially once Asuka showed her the right shampoos and conditioners to use.
Asuka was actually glad she had opted to help the poor girl out some. Rei might be adept at a lot of things, but people skills were very lacking in the albino girl. She was hoping to fix this - especially if it got Wonder Girl away from Shinji.
Asuka almost dropped the scissors. Where did that thought come from? It wasn't like she was jealous or anything. Maybe she was just afraid that Rei's arrogant posturing would rub off on the baka.
"Asuka," Rei said calmly, "Are you finished cutting my hair?"
Asuka started, bringing herself out of her thoughts. She blushed and continued cutting Rei's hair.
"No." was all she said through clenched teeth. Why did Rei have to be so blasted...
Asuka calmed herself enough to remember that she was fixing Rei up for KENSUKE. She hoped the Stooge appreciated her efforts!
"I can't believe I am doing this," Shinji said as he peeked over the balcony railing. He still wondered how he could breathe with the large towel tied under his nose, but so far, he was managing.
He looked over at his friends, who were waving him on in encouragement. They were both wearing the towels on their heads as well; something Touji had called "Essential Traditional Peeping Garb," or some similar foolish name. Maybe Shinji should just leave before he got caught.
"How do you keep your skin so smooth?" Asuka asked, amazement clear in her tone.
"And soft!" Hikari added. Maybe this WAS worth investigating, after all.
"LCL." Came the soft reply from Rei. Shinji banished the image of Rei naked in LCL from his mind.
The amateur peeping Tom almost slipped as another mental image came to mind of the girls wearing very little or nothing. He needed to focus on the job at hand!
He regained his grip, pulling himself over the edge. He looked in the window, and saw a middle-aged guy in his boxers sitting on his bed clipping his toenails. From the look of the nails, they hadn't been clipped in at LEAST a month. With a wince, Shinji distracted himself with trying to find Hikari's room.
He followed the idle chatter of Asuka and Hikari over to a window. Unfortunately, this window was a good three meters up and two meters to the left of the balcony. Calling in reinforcements was now rendered moot.
He was about to signal the other two of his accomplices that the mission was scrubbed, when he finally caught bits of conversation from Hikari's room. He climbed onto the balcony's edging, hoping he'd hear more.
"I'm still surprised you don't fix yourself up for your dates with Kensuke, Rei," Asuka's distinctive voice said. He could almost hear the teasing tone in it distinctively, "It doesn't take much effort to show a man that you like him."
"If that's the case, Asuka," Hikari replied, "Then why don't you do that for Shinji?"
Shinji almost fell when he heard that. He looked up at the window, trying to keep his attention on what was being said.
"Well, I..." Asuka began. Suddenly she sounded uncertain.
"Come on! Fess up!" Hikari badgered.
"I've seen Asuka look at Ikari-kun," Rei's soft voice said, barely audible, "Perhaps she doesn't want to admit to herself that she likes Ikari-kun."
Shinji listened intently, even though he knew what her answer would be.
"You know you like him, Asuka!" Hikari practically chirped in glee. Shinji blinked; she almost seemed to be enjoying her friend's discomfort.
"Nothing... We aren't..." Asuka retorted. She seemed hesitant and her answers weren't really matching any of the questions, so he kept listening.
"I bet you've kissed him!" Hikari exclaimed. Shinji practically fell off the balcony in shock once more.
"Was the kiss nice, or messy, or...." Hikari kept on.
"Please tell us," Rei said with what sounded like amusement, "if Ikari-kun is as bad at kissing as he is at piloting Eva." Shinji felt his cheeks burn at Rei's directness.
"Well, I... That is... I'm not..." Asuka started loudly, then trailed off, almost sighing, "He isn't that much of a baka."
Shinji was totally stunned. He had been expecting a tirade of German curses and several different names for idiot associated with his name to come pouring forth from the window, but he never expected THAT. From Asuka, that was almost confessing that you loved someone!
"I knew it!" Hikari cried, starting to chatter at Asuka, seizing the moment to begin pummeling her with questions. He didn't pay attention to what she said, though; He was too confused to understand the conversation was far from over.
A moment later, he was climbing back down to the ground from the third floor balcony, his mind whirling.
"What happened?" Touji hissed, annoyed at the mission's failure.
"Did they see you?" Kensuke added.
"No... No," Shinji said, still recovering. That window I was looking at is Hikari's room." He pointed at it for empahasis, "It would be impossible to get to."
"Did you hear anything?" Touji asked. Shinji shook his head negative.
"Aw, man!" Touji complained, " And the other room?"
"You don't want to know." Shinji said, shivering.
"I bet he's lying!" Kensuke said, almost frantic. "I tell ya! They're taunting us!" Shinji felt the sweat on his head increase at this friend's accusation. He was extremely relieved that at the moment Touji's own little world only seemed to involve the Class Rep and Touji himself.
"Can I take this stupid towel off before someone sees us?" Shinji responded, changing the subject. He just wanted to get back home before the girls caught them. Dejected, Touji and Kensuke looked at the distant window once more before heading back to Shinji's place.
It was a somber trio that entered the apartment. Shinji was still mulling over what Asuka had said, and both Kensuke and Touji STILL had those stupid towels on their heads. He still couldn't believe he caved in to agreeing to help them with that little stunt. He was as frustrated at himself for helping them, as he was relieved that they weren't caught peeping by the girls.
Though in retrospect, it only would have been his hide in the fire, since the other two had been "lookouts", and thus, they weren't in any real danger of getting caught as he had been.
After a moment, he realized this little distraction wasn't helping him any - he was still trying to decipher what Asuka had said to the other two girls. Was Asuka really admitting she liked him? Was she just putting up a front so the other girls would leave her alone? No: The other two seemed to be fueled by her admission, so maybe, just maybe, he might have a chance to win her affection after all.
"Could it be she really likes me?" Shinji absently said aloud.
"What did you say, Shinji?" Touji asked, as he turned to look at his friend. Kensuke had gone to the refrigerator to get them something to drink. The guys had "volunteered" themselves to sleep over, not because it would make the "reconnaissance" mission any more successful - they came here for the simple excuse to see Misato wearing a spaghetti-string top and no bra. He thought it was disgusting when she wore her bum-around clothes, but they seemed to think it was a special treat.
He still didn't know what the fuss was about Misato. She was cute, true, but she just didn't seem to get his attention like a certain redhead always did. His friends thought he was demented, but he knew the truth about Misato, and was NOT going to even breach that subject with a 10-foot pole!
"So... How about a game of Rummy?" he tried feebly, as his friends began to hound him on Misato's daily doings when she wasn't at work. He was glad Misato was working late to oversee her little project, so he didn't have to worry about her popping in unexpectedly. As Kensuke returned with the drinks, Shinji began planning a way to keep his friends from interrogating him once more about his two roommates.
"Hold still," Asuka said to the girl sitting in the chair before her, "Do you want me to ruin your makeup?"
"Your hands are shaking." Rei said, "I have not moved."
Asuka muttered some comments in German, but continued to apply the makeup with a steadier hand. She couldn't understand why she was a bundle of nerves tonight. Granted, Rei looked good, but she knew she looked as good, if not better! She finished putting on the faint blush, and opened up the pale pink lipstick.
The redhead nervously checked on everything for her blue haired charge. Hikari needed to return home to replace a broken heel, which left Asuka to make sure Rei was ready for Kensuke. Her hands brushed at the other girl's shoulders for the fifth time as she fixed the blouse's seam lines and dusted the soft fabric.
Stepping back, she examined her handiwork. Rei was wearing a dark denim skirt with a light blue blouse. She also wore a gold bracelet and a pair of clip-on earrings. To finish it off, with Asuka's approval, she wore a pair of dark blue flats and pale pantyhose.
If this doesn't make Kensuke's eyes pop out of his head, Asuka thought, then the Stooge is as sentient as cold ramen!
She really hoped Rei stunned Kensuke. She didn't want Rei to blow her chance to... show her finesse with fashion. That was it: Her fashion sense. Maybe she shouldn't have let the other two badger her last night. She still felt as if she had been sent through the wringer several times, especially with Rei's calm, pointed comments. How many times DID she have to tell them she didn't have an interest in Shinji, just because she didn't think he was a baka...
And how DID Hikari know about the kiss anyways? No. Best not to think of the past no matter how...
With a sigh, Asuka began rechecking Rei's clothing to make sure everything was perfect.
Kensuke paced in front of the door, his hands fidgeting with his tie. He loosened then tightened the fit around the collar, trying to decide if he should knock or not. He was so absorbed with trying to choose whether to knock or mess with his tie, he almost tripped on the trashcan next to Rei's door.
Hastily avoiding the trash, he continued pacing for another minute before going over to the door. He tried to think of something to say to her, but he wasn't sure WHAT. Ever since the peeping incident two nights previous, he hadn't seen or heard from the girls, except for the time Hikari called him this morning to tell him to be at Rei's house at 3:00, and to be dressed nicely.
Well, 3:00 was now here, he was dressed as nicely as he could be, and he couldn't muster the strength to knock on the door.
"You can do this, Kensuke," He said aloud, raising his hand to the door.
"So, can you tell me EXACTLY why we are here again?" Shinji asked Asuka, while standing outside the only concert hall in Tokyo-3. Asuka was dressed in a long dark green dress with thin straps. She wore matching gloves, and what looked like pearls.
"We're here," Asuka said, giving Shinji a withering look," Because I thought you stooges could use some CULTURE in your unrefined lives!"
"I still think we could have at least gone without the heels," Hikari muttered, as she almost wobbled. Touji steadied her, and she gave him a grateful look. Plan one is a success, Asuka grinned to herself, Now, IF Rei remembers to follow through...
As if on cue, Rei dropped her pocketbook. Kensuke bent over, grabbed it and its contents, and carefully gave it back to Rei. Both of them were blushing to the point that Asuka almost burst out laughing at Rei's surprise. Rei had expected "Aida-san" would let her collect its contents on her own once it fell to the ground. Rei had also been extremely surprised at the compliment Kensuke had given her when she had answered the door.
"Thank you," Rei said, still blushing furiously. Asuka was annoyed that the girl said nothing else. Fortunately, no other words seemed necessary, since Kensuke and Rei seemed to be smiling at each other while their hands touched on her purse. Asuka refrained from commenting at how cute of a couple they were. She decided to head inside before they were caught in the milling crowd outside of the dome-shaped theater.
Asuka felt like cursing. At the entrance, holding the door like the perfect gentleman should, stood Shinji. She was hoping to get through the door before he could do something so nice.
Still, Asuka couldn't help but smile, even if she felt like strangling him with her purse's strap.
By the Second Act of "The Nutcracker", Asuka was completely nonplussed. She thought Shinji would spend his time moping or fidgeting, but he seemed to really enjoy the first part. During intermission, he had offered to get her refreshments from the main lobby. He had even managed to pick up several small pastries in a napkin for her, as well.
What really surprised her, was when he offered them all to her, commenting how he knew she had spent the whole day over at Rei's house to get her ready, and that she probably hadn't had a chance to eat.
He was right on all points, and it irritated her to no end that she couldn't argue any of them with him.
The Third Act brought even more surprises, as Shinji offered to take a walk with her, so they could stretch their legs during the intermission. She thought for a moment that the idiot might be trying to use her own ploy against her, but it didn't seem to fit; He was smiling warmly at her, and the there were people everywhere, so she knew he wasn't going to try anything, so she opted to take advantage of this stroke of good fortune.
As they walked, they were quiet, but it was still nice. Shinji had a smile on his face instead of the gloomy one he had had for weeks. She still was concerned that he would go back to being like that, especially since it meant more of Misato's cooking if he did.
She tried to convince herself of that all through the Fourth Act.
Shinji waved to Touji and Hikari, as they broke away from their group. He wondered if Touji would get the courage to kiss Hikari or not. They seemed to be friendlier to each other. As they chatted with each other all night, it was hard to tell if they were making progress or not, since Asuka had been taking his attention. He wasn't sure if he was making an impression on the blue-eyed girl or not. He just knew that he wanted to get lost in that smile of hers.
He thought about what had happened that day. It was definitely odd, but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. How Pen-pen could type on the datapad, and how he could have found such a gift was still beyond Shinji's comprehension.
The bird somehow had logged into an online auction and won the most amazing piece of jewelry he had ever seen. He had ordered it sent one-day mail to his Nerv mailbox, so that a certain snooping Duet would not find it before he gave it to Asuka.
Pen-pen had seemed adamant that Shinji pay for it, but, he hadn't known he got paid until Asuka had blurted out how she had purchased the dress and fake pearls for the concert.
He was sorely tempted to tell her about it, but thought that patience would win out in the end, and, just maybe, she would actually take him seriously when he... No. He didn't want to build up his anxiety any higher than it already was. He had to think...
"Shinji?" Asuka's voice said softly from beside him.
"Yes?" He answered, afraid of saying something that might set her off.
"Want to go for some ice cream?"
"Yes."
**
OMAKE!
Shinji on the balcony:
Shinji couldn't believe it! Asuka liked him! Asuka..
Without warning, he slipped form the third floor, landing on his leg. There was a loud, sharp crack.
"AAAHH!! MY LEGS!" came the discordant wail from his mouth.
Misato was flustered. Why had she been called to the hospital, anyways?
She opened the door, to see Shinji in a lower-body cast, with the stooges looking on , abashed, while Asuka, Rei, and Hikari looked as if they were going to kill all three of them.
For some reason, Shinji had a peeping towel on his head.
"Ok," Misato said, "would someone please tell me what's going on here, and why there are several police officers outside the door?"