Nothing Will Ever Change That
Chapter 107: A New Home
A/N- This chapter was proof-read by Frost-Eva-04. Thanks for the help!
A/A/N- So yeah, like I said before, every other chapter will be written in Asuka's first person. This is one of those chapters, and then it will be Shinji and so on.
Akagi's Office – 2:00 PM
"You want what? Why?" like always, I was the one to explain what we needed. It wasn't even really a want; it was really becoming a necessity due to our children. Did she really expect us to raise two children in one room?
"Because when we only had Dietlinde, that was fine, but with another baby on the way, we need something bigger. Please? All I'm asking for is one of those forms," maybe I'm not always the one to explain…
"You do realize that you'll be out of the safety of NERV, no one will be there to protect you," I… really didn't like that idea. Hell, I was fine; it was our children who I was worried about.
"I'll have cameras set up in the house, if anything goes wrong, the police will be down there within minutes. Ritsuko, we're adults now, we don't need constant protection," adults NOW? We've had adult responsibilities since we were fourteen! I'm pretty sure saving the world classified us as adults!
"I know that Shinji, but after I saw what happened in NERV of all places… I just don't want you two to go through that again," maybe this was a bad idea…
"If you think I'm going to live there without a little protection of my own, you need to think a little deeper. Though the idea isn't exactly appealing, I'm going to buy a gun and have it our room in case anything goes wrong," Shinji seemed… different somehow. He was actually acting like a grown man… not that he always didn't do that, but it's just… I can't put a finger on it.
"I can get you a bigger room here. There's one in another wing of NERV that's pretty big, about twice the size of your's right now…" was Ritsuko… wanting us to stay?
"I'd rather leave NERV. Too many things have gone wrong here, I'm not going to risk more," he was right. Gahiji was able to get to Dietlinde, and then some other creep from SEELE got to me when I was with Cass.
"Okay… I'm going to miss you two..." she hands Shinji one of those forms, "It's been nice having you around. If you ever need anything from me, just ask," Shinji signs the paper with a small smile.
"We're going to miss you too Rits, but we'll visit every now and then," she looked at me and smiled.
"Promise?" I hate it when she acts like a child!
"Yeah, we promise," to my surprise and hers, Shinji leaned over the desk and hugged Ritsuko. She accepted it and hugged him back with a tear in her eye. What's so sad about this? It's not like we're moving across Japan! I'm guessing that we'll be within four miles of NERV; even I didn't want to move away that far. I pick Dietlinde up from her stroller and cradle her.
"You're daddy's a real emotional, you know that? I gotta be the tough one," I lightly kiss her forehead as she smiled up at me.
"If I remember right, when you were pregnant with Dietlinde you were quite the emotional yourself," I turn back around to see both Shinji and Ritsuko starting at me with a smile.
"How about you carry around ten pounds for seven months and see how you feel!" come to think of it, those ten pounds have really grown! Dietlinde was about fifteen to twenty pounds right now, and compared to what she was when she was born, that's a huge difference!
"No, I'm good thanks," as Shinji walked past me with the paper in hands, he pecked me on the lips, "Thanks again Ritsuko. Oh, before I forget, when you start to pack, just call me. I wanted to help you out a little," as we walked off she waved.
"Will do," we close the door behind us and Shinji smiles at Dietlinde and showed her the paper.
"We're getting a new house!" she giggled at him.
"Hey Shinji, I was thinking that we should get a fairly big house. Sam and Cass will be having a baby soon too, so I thought maybe they could live with us…" I'm such a liar! I just didn't want to leave my friends!
"Sure, why not? I wouldn't mind that at all, but we still have to ask them of course," like they wouldn't say yes!
"Yeah, I know. Before we go out let's ask, I don't want a huge house and find out that they don't want to!" I wasn't about to do all of that cleaning! We start to walk to their room, and knowing how Sam is right now, I knock softly, "Hey Sam, can we come in?"
"Yeah…" she still had her 'please kill me' voice on. We walk in to see Cass coming out of the bathroom with an ice-bag in his hands.
"Oh, hey guys, you need something?" he gently puts it on her head and she smiles up at him.
"Yeah, we were wondering if you wanted to move out of this place and in to our house. All being paid for by NERV of course!" hell, everything in our lives was being paid for by NERV! Food, clothes, family, housing, everything!
"Wait… what? You guys are moving out?" Sam simply smiled, compared to Cass who was about to faint.
"Yeah, we are, but we were wondering if you wanted to live with us. I mean, with two babies on the way it'd be a pretty good idea to live together. You want to?" I still held Dietlinde – who was still staring up at me – in my arms.
"Um… sure, I guess… just don't make us all live in some small apartment!" I take it that Sam was still hurting!
"Don't worry about that. Do you want to come with?" Sam waves her hand in the air.
"Nah, I'm good right here…"
"And I better stay here to make sure Sam's okay, you two just chose. I'm sure it'll be fine," he sits next to a smiling Sam. With a shrug, we walk out of the room. Hey, if they wanted us to chose, we will!
"So Asuka, what are you looking for in the house… aside from thick walls…" I smile seductively at him, and as always, he blushes. I really don't get that; the simplest of things could make him blush, but when we were actually having sex, he was normal… Shinji confuses me!
"Well, for Dietlinde and the new baby I want to be fairly close to a school and in a safe neighborhood. It obviously has to have two stories for Sam and Cass, and it should have a big kitchen," then Shinji can make even better meals!
"Okay that should be easy enough… we should still have thick walls though, right?" I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hey, if you want, sure… ah crap…"
"What?"
"No, seriously… can we go back to our room real quick? Dietlinde needs to be changed," that's about the only downside of being a parent… the Goddamn diapers! Without missing a beat, he turns the stroller around and unlocks our room, "How about a little warning next time, huh?" she smiles up at me… was she mocking me!
"Asuka, she's a baby," I was joking!
"I know that!" I set Dietlinde up on her changing table and change her with quick skill. I have to admit, the lessons with Akagi on how to change Dietlinde were annoying, but they sure paid off! "I gotta teach you how to change diapers, I'm not going to be doing two babies!" if thought that I was going to become the stereotypical house wife, he's sadly mistaken!
"Yeah, I know. How about I do the next one?" hey, as long as he does it!
"Sure, if you want, I'll guide ya through it!" seriously, it's harder then it looks! He grabs the diaper bag and puts it in the stroller, "Okay, NOW we can go," once again, I carry Dietlinde out of the room.
"Any idea where we should start? I know of an elementary school about two miles from here, is that what you wanted? I think they also have a preschool attached to it, so I think that'd work," well that's some good news; we won't have to move for at least nine years.
"Yeah, let's check that out," this was exciting! Getting our own house, having two children… it really feels like we're adults now.
"You want to leave Dietlinde with Rits?" truthfully, I'm not going to leave Dietlinde with anyone anymore unless it's at school. What happened really made me evaluate my parenting skills.
"No, we need her to help, don't we?" I rub my nose against Dietlinde's, making her giggle, "If she's a smart as her mommy, then we could use the extra head!" seriously, I wonder if she will be smart. I mean, she's already shown signs of intellect.
"Yeah, that's true," he gives me that warm smile of his. When we finally get out to the car – HIS car – he puts the stroller and diaper bag in the trunk and I sit in the passenger's side with Dietlinde in my arms.
"We really should have taken my old van, this isn't safe for Dietlinde…" if we got into an accident, she'd fly out of my arms.
"Yeah, you're right… you want to go get it?" no, I didn't want to go BACK again, but I didn't want to do this.
"Yeah, I-" before I could finish my sentence, he took off back to NERV's entrance running as fast as he could. What's happened to him these last few years? When I first met him, he could not have been more of a wimp, but now… he's really grown up. The first time he actually held me in his arms was the night of the party, and that's when I finally admitted to myself that I liked him… quite a bit actually. It wasn't love by any stretch, but it was still a start. Through that year that I knew him, I was always too busy teasing or ridiculing him to see what was really happening. It could have just been me, but when he held me, he was strong… he had actually began to grow into a man, and the result is my husband. Whether he admits it or not, he is pretty well cut. A faint six pack is visible, and his arms were very noticeably muscular. How these muscles developed is beyond me. Sure, back when we piloted the Evas we all got a good workout, hell, even I had some strong muscles, but he managed to keep them up. Does he work out behind my back? I really can't imagine him in a gym or even running around to gain muscle mass.
"Okay! Back!" I see him running back out of NERV, somehow even faster then when he left. He went back into the trunk and got the stroller and diaper bag.
"That was fast," he wasn't even breathing hard! How did he run all that way without even losing his breath?
"Yeah? Well, I ran you know," even if, that was still fast as hell! I set up Dietlinde's car seat in the back and get in the front myself, "Okay, let's see if we can find a nice house!" as he drove off; I couldn't help but stare at his forearm. My mind kept on wandering back to the same question; how was he muscular? So eventually, I asked.
"Shinji? Do you work out?" he looks over at me with a confused look.
"No, why?" okay, so he wasn't lying, I could always tell.
"Look at yourself, you're ripped!" once again, he looked confused.
"Me? No, I'm just not scrawny," like I said before, he'll deny it. To prove a point, I hit his stomach with the side of my fist. Like I expected, my hand simply bounced off. In fact, he actually laughed a little.
"See? That was actually tickling you! Seriously Shinji, how do you stay in shape?" he simply shrugs.
"I guess piloting the Evas did that… I still don't think I'm THAT strong," well he was able to carry me out to the parking lot that one time, and he only had one hand!
"But we stopped piloting awhile ago… well… aside from the last time," he died, so that doesn't really count, "C'mon Shinji, just tell me… please?" I give him those eyes that he would do anything for, and he sighs.
"Fine… I've been going to the NERV gym once a week in the morning… sorry I didn't tell you, but I thought that you'd think it was stupid," hey, if this is the result, I'm fine!
"Why did you start?" so Shinji did care about looks… I knew it!
"Because I felt like I couldn't protect you outside of an Eva… I know that it's stupid, but-" I put my finger over his lips.
"I don't think that it's stupid at all, I think it's actually pretty sweet… but you're also an asshole for not telling me!" I – of course – was being sarcastic, "So tell me… how much can you lift?" he blushed a little.
"Not too much…" he took a short pause, "About two-seventy benching…" he's got to be kidding!
"Wait… not that much? You lift two-seventy, and you're saying that it isn't much?" hell, I bet all I could do is a little over one-fifty…
"Well, compared to a lot of the guys there, it's not that much…" apparently his self confidence was crap when it came to bodies.
"Hey, enough for me!" seriously, I had no idea he was THAT strong! "Hey Shinji? You mind taking me with you after I give birth? Getting off those extra pounds is hard as hell!" before I actually looked pregnant, I was just starting to get my figure back.
"Sure, if you want, I'd be happy to… just try not to show me up too much!" yeah, like I'd be able to do that! "Okay, now let's see if we can find a house actually for sale…" the school was just across the street, and still in session. After a few minutes of driving through the maze of streets, we come across a fairly big two story house with a 'For Sale' sign up front.
"How about that one? I like the look of it," it was a plain cream color… that actually appealed to me for some reason. He pulls into the driveway and one woman comes walking out of the house. We get out of the car and I pick Dietlinde up.
"Why hello there! Are you here to look at the house?" there was something different about this woman…
"Yeah, we are," she stops as they see Dietlinde in my arms.
"Um… we're going to need to your parents for you to buy this house… you're too young," I really hate it when they do this!
"Ugh… let's get this out of the way. This is my daughter, we're not too young, and I'm the head of NERV, so if you don't mind, can we see the house?" Shinji flashes his ID, and as always, she cowers before it.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me show you around," she goes to put her arm around Shinji, but he ducks and smiles nervously.
"Sorry," he rushes back over to me and puts his arm around my shoulders, "But I don't think my wife would be happy about that!" oh great, now he's putting this on me! The woman actually laughs as he guides us into the house.
"Oh, real funny Shinji," he smiles down at me.
"Hey, I had to do something!" Dietlinde giggles at her father's tone. We walk through the door and immediately notice that the entire house reeked of a strong smelling candle. Dietlinde buried her face in my chest, obviously trying to get away from the smell.
"Okay, before we start, you should know that all of the furniture comes included, along with the fridge, washer and dryer. Is that okay?" come to think of it, we don't even have so much as a chair to move in with!
"Yeah, sure," Shinji answered before I had the chance.
"Good. Well this is the living room," all of the walls were the same color as the outside, only high gloss. Not much to say, it was pretty plain. A sofa here, a few chairs there, nothing special, "Now let me show you the kitchen. It was custom designed down the finest detail," Shinji's eyes light up when he sees the kitchen… I had to admit, it was pretty damn good, "Ahh, do we have a cook here?" she crosses her arms and looks at Shinji with a smile.
"Yeah, he's my personal chief!" she laughs a little.
"Anyway, the stove is gas powered, as is the oven. There's something like five cubic yards of counter space," damn! I mean, I knew it was big, but holy crap!
"Wow… and what are the counters made of?" Shinji goes up and scratches the counter with his thumb.
"Um… granite I think," Shinji smiled and nods.
"Okay, we can move on now," what was going on in his mind right now? Probably planning out his first meal in this house as we speak! The woman guides us to a short hallway with two doors.
"Okay, on the left is the master bedroom. Like I said before, it has all furniture including a king sized bed. That door is the master bathroom, but there's another one upstairs a little smaller. Let's go up there now," she guides us up the stairs and into a room slightly smaller than the master bedroom, "This room is only two feet narrower than the master bedroom, so it's kinda like a second master. The bathroom – just so you know – is right here," she reached into a small hole in the wall and opened it, "It's a hidden door. Not too sure why my ex bought it, but hell, I don't know why he does half the stuff he does," I had to admit, that was pretty cool, "And then there's two guest rooms down the hall… one I take it will be her room, no?" Dietlinde still had her face buried in my chest. Hell, I wish I could do that! My eyes are actually starting to water!
"Yeah… so what's the asking price?" the woman laughs at Shinji's question.
"Well… how's a million sound?" Shinji nearly faints. How could it be so cheap?
"Hold on, a million YEN?" she nods, "Why so cheap?"
"Long story short, me and my husband are getting divorced, and I want to screw him over one last time," Shinji busts out laughing, "Yeah, that's why I'm doing it. Anything coming out of the sale of this house he gets!" I had to admit, I'd do the exact same thing!
A/N- One million yen is about ten thousand dollars.
"Okay, where do we sign?" looks like we found our new home…
---
Ten Minutes Later
Shinji was just finishing up signing all of the papers to get the deed. The woman was overjoyed when she learned that NERV was going to be paying for it… knowing NERV, it'll take them a few years to pay it off completely! When we were done, she guides us back out of the house. When we get outside, Dietlinde takes a deep breath, and frankly, so do we.
"So… say hello to our new home!" the woman said that we could move in next month. Packing for us is basically two suitcases each. All we owned were clothes; no furniture, nothing, "You think Sam and Cass will like it?" Shinji looked over at me with a smile.
"Yeah, I do… at least I hope! I just signed off on it!" I set Dietlinde back in her car seat and once again get in next to Shinji, "I wonder how Sam's doing…"
"Well, if she's doing as good as me when I was pregnant with Dietlinde… she's pretty bad!" seriously, being pregnant SUCKS! Akagi said that after the first birth it's easier to give birth… I sure as hell hope so! There's really no words that can describe just how painful that is.
"Any idea what we can do to help her?" actually, there was something.
"Yeah… basically a bullet to the head! But seriously, all she needs is rest," truthfully, I've had to keep my emotions under control today. My hormones were once again screwed up, and I feel like I could blow up over the smallest thing.
"Okay, if you think so…" he pulls out of he driveway and gets back onto the main road, "So… what now? Want to just go home?" I didn't want to go home, but what else was there to do?
"Sure, I guess," damn it… what ever happened to that assertive girl? Eh… I guess I've just matured… we eventually make our way back home and back into our room. Sam and Cass didn't answer the door, so we took it that they were asleep… or at least Sam was and Cass didn't want to wake her. I set Dietlinde in her crib and go into the bathroom.
"Hey Asuka?" couldn't he wait until I was done?
"What is it?" not exactly in the mood to chat, my voice was harsh.
"Did… you put this note on the bed?" I walk back out of the bathroom to see him holding a small piece of paper, "It says to look in the closet…"
"It was probably Sam or Cass… okay, Cass. He's just pulling another prank on us," Shinji didn't looks so sure, "Fine, I'll do it," I start to walk towards the closet, but he grabs my wrist.
"This isn't Cass… I know his handwriting… listen, I want you to grab Dietlinde and wait down the hall. Don't argue, just do it," his voice was sharp… I did as I was told, not wanting to upset him. What was going on? If it wasn't Cass, then who? I hear a few clicking noises, then a crash.
"Shinji? You okay?" the noise stopped and I hear him sigh.
"Asuka, cover Dietlinde's eyes with something," that voice… I know that voice… I put Dietlinde over my shoulder, making her look behind me. I see Shinji walk back out holding a man in a headlock with a gun in his mouth. The man was in a full black army uniform. In a way, he kind of looked like someone from SWAT, "Stand in front of me and walk down the hall… hold Dietlinde, don't let her see me," when I get over to him I put Dietlinde back in my arms, "I swear to God, you pull anything… okay, walk down to Akagi's office," with trembling legs, I walk down the hall. I think Dietlinde picked up on my nervousness, because even she had a concerned face on.
"Shinji, what's going on?"
"Not now, don't talk…"
A/N- Hello! Well, some good, some bad. They got a new house, but now what's going on? Not much more to say aside from that, so read the next chapter; New View, until then, keep on keepin' on!