Standard disclaimers apply. See prologue for details.
The Legend of Lord Susano-o
Chapter 1 - Plan B
By Brishen1066
"I don't know, NERV keeps us pretty busy. What makes you think I'd want to be in your play anyway?"
Mana knew it wouldn't be a simple task to recruit Asuka, but the resistance was lighter than she had anticipated. Asuka had accepted the script and flipped through it briefly, and was now asking the questions that indicated she had taken a serious interest in it. Sitting in the desk next to Asuka's, she continued with her negotiations.
"I've seen how much you pilots have to miss class because of your duties, but really, I figured you might like acting. You've certainly got the body for it, and the presence needed for stage performance." "Flattery will get you everywhere," Mana thought to herself. "But really, everything about you screams 'center stage.' I don't mean to sound patronizing, but you're really the greatest at everything you do. With your ability, and the right script, you can prove to everyone that you're a truly talented person."
"Hm…you'd have to accept my schedule at NERV. A lot of things we have to do there are unscheduled. If I joined, I'd do what I could to be there—it's just out of my hands at times."
"Oh, I'm sure we could work around your work schedule. Just take the script home with you and read it over sometime, ok?"
Asuka still didn't appear to be completely on board, but she was certainly interested. Pleased with her success, she returned to her seat between Akiko and Masashi, discretely flashing them a victory sign.
Meanwhile, a group of three friends, otherwise known as the stooges, were engaged in a debate regarding the merits of the fairer sex.
"No way, I'd rather hook up with Shima any day!" Touji claimed, making his stance in the debate known. The other stooges took a moment to consider their rebuttal.
"Shima's not bad," Kensuke concurred, "but personally, I'd rather go with Kirishima. That hair, those eyes, that skin…" Kensuke turned his camera toward his preferred girl, and his friends both sighed.
"Kirishima's ok, really…but Shima's breasts are huge! What do you think, Shinji?"
Shinji turned to glance at the two girls chatting amicably in the back of the room. "I don't know, guys…you don't even know them, really. Just because they're good looking doesn't mean you'd enjoy going out with them."
The other stooges nodded sagely. "Yes, I see your point," Kensuke agreed, finally turning his camera away from the young redhead. "I mean, the Red Devil over there is probably the hottest girl in school, and there's no way you could get me to go on a date with her." Upon mention of their nemesis, both stooges made the sign of the cross, moving their hands from forehead to chest and shoulders in typical Christian fashion. "Although we did make a killing selling those pictures of her."
"So Shinji, who's dancing around naked in your dreams?" Touji asked. Both of Shinji's friends were leaning toward him, so as not to miss whatever he might say.
"I…don't really think about things like that." He replied.
"Tch, of course he doesn't," Kensuke said, leaning back into his chair. "He gets to see Miss Misato in those short shorts and low cut shirts, and he's probably caught a few peeks of the Red Devil too!" Feeling Asuka's glare from the front of the room, both stooges promptly made the sign of the cross to ward off the Evil Eye.
Shinji sighed. It was going to be a long day…
( 0 0 0 )
Shinji was lying in the floor of the living room working on his physics assignments. Asuka was seated on the couch, thumbing through some manuscript while idly listening to some frivolous talent show on TV.
"There's no way I'm doing this!" Asuka exclaimed. Shinji looked up to see what was wrong. Asuka was glaring with disgust at her manuscript, her eyes flicking swiftly over the pages, as if searching for any redeeming qualities in the words therein.
"Doing what?" Shinji asked.
"This play…Mana Kirishima asked me to read this script and see if I'd like to be in it. There's no way I'm going to satisfy some pervert's sick fantasies, though!" With that, Asuka tossed the script aside. Curious, Shinji picked it up and thumbed through to the near end, where Asuka had been reading. After a moment to assess the scene described in the script, Shinji offered his opinion.
"It's just a kiss scene…and you don't even have to do that unless you're cast as Kushinada."
"Kushinada is the lead female role, dummkopf! Who else would I be?"
"Well, there is the goddess Amaterasu. You could fill that role nicely, and you wouldn't have to kiss anyone."
After considering his response, Asuka decided that it did not merit punishment. "That's true…but I doubt any of the other girls could beat me for the lead." Although he didn't say so, Shinji silently agreed.
"I never knew you were into acting," Shinji said.
"There's a lot you don't know about me, Shinji-boy," she replied smugly. He was only half-listening, however, since he was eagerly reading through the script. "What, don't tell me you're going to be in the play."
"Huh? Oh! I doubt I'd have any talent…I just think it's a shame that you don't give it a shot. You can turn down a role if you don't like it."
"Yeah, maybe…" Asuka conceded wearily. "If you're going to read that whole thing, you can give it back to Mana tomorrow. Tell her I'm not interested. I'm going to bed."
"Oh…goodnight, then," he said. He shamefully watched her as she walked down the hall to her room, not even realizing he was looking until she was gone. Looking down at his physics work, he closed the book and picked up the script.
Shinji sighed. It was going to be a long night…
( 0 0 0 )
"Um…Miss Kirishima?"
Mana turned around in her desk to see Shinji Ikari standing beside her, one fist clenching nervously, and the other in a white-knuckled grip on her script. "Oh, Ikari! You read the script too? What did you think?" she asked animatedly. Recruiting Shinji had been a backup plan at best, but it never hurt to test the waters.
"Um…it was nice. Asuka asked me to…um…to return this to you," he said, stiffly holding the script out to her. Shinji could feel the eyes of the classroom on him. To see the reclusive pilot talking to anyone—much less a girl—was an event worth witnessing in class 2-A.
"Oh, I see…so she didn't want to try out, huh?"
"No…I'm sorry…"
"Oh well, it's not your fault," Mana said with a smile. "I really hope plan B works…I sure don't want to try my luck with Ayanami." "Hey, are you doing anything after school, Ikari?"
Although it didn't seem possible, a bit more of the blood drained out of Shinji's face, leaving him pale as Kensuke and as dizzy as Misato on a Saturday night. By now, the entire class was openly staring with baited breath, awaiting his reply.
"Um…no…"
"That's great!" Mana said happily. "Can you please meet me after school? There's something I need help with, and you're the only one who can help me." Mana gazed up at the stunned Ikari with her best look of desperation.
"Um…ok…" he replied, nearly whispering. Even so, his voice was heard in every corner of the silent classroom.
"Oh thank you!" Mana exclaimed, jumping up from her seat to embrace the hapless pilot in an excited hug. It was rather brief, though, since the shock of hugging the boy forced her out of character. Stepping back a bit, she kept her eyes on her shoes, hiding her blush and preserving her last shreds of modesty. "Um…I'll be in the auditorium after school, ok?"
"Yeah…ok. Um...I guess…bye." "Real smooth, Shinji," he mentally berated himself. Mindlessly, he shuffled back to his desk and fell into it. Only then did the class turn its attention elsewhere. Slowly returning to his senses, he glanced around. Masashi Yamaguchi's glare could have killed him if he were any closer. Touji was speechless. Kensuke's face was unreadable.
Shinji sighed. It was going to be a long day…
( 0 0 0 )
Shinji nervously walked toward the auditorium, exhausted after a day's worth of merciless teasing by his two 'friends.' "I'm surprised the whole class isn't here to see what happens," he thought darkly. Steeling himself against his fear, he pushed open the auditorium door. Kirishima was alone, sitting on the edge of the stage.
"Oh, Ikari! I'm so glad you decided to come," she said happily. She truly was excited, but she tried to keep herself a bit more subdued, lest she embarrass herself like she did earlier.
"Well…I did say I'd meet you…right?" Shinji smiled weakly.
"Yes, you did," she agreed, flashing him a winning smile. "You're truly a man of your word."
"Um…thanks. What did you need help with, Miss Kirishima?"
Slipping into her business mode, Mana took a breath and prepared to do the impossible. "Can I be honest with you, Ikari?"
"Er…sure."
"Look…the truth is, the drama club isn't doing so well lately. Our membership is down really badly, and our last performance didn't make as much as we had hoped. We've got a really solid script here, but I'm afraid it just won't be enough without a few good ringers in the cast. Do you know what I'm getting at?"
"Um…not really. I tried to convince Asuka to try out, but I'm not sure if she will."
"Ok…you may not be aware of it, but you're a pretty popular guy, Ikari. A lot of people admire you for piloting the Eva, and there are a lot of girls who would love the chance just to speak with you. You've kind of got this shell around you, though…like you don't want anyone to talk to you. I think if you were to try out for this play, girls would find you more approachable. I'm not suggesting you date any of them—I just think it's a shame that you're the most popular guy in school and you can't even enjoy it."
Shinji was hesitant. He may have been anti-social, but he wasn't dumb—he knew that piloting imparted a certain amount of popularity. Nobody really cared about him though—they just wanted to share his experiences piloting. And quite honestly, he didn't think anyone deserved to be burdened with his piloting experiences. "I don't know…being popular doesn't really interest me. Everyone just wants to know about the Eva anyway… I'm sorry, Miss Kirishima."
"Ikari…I know popularity doesn't really interest you…but the drama club is running really short on popularity right now. I don't want you to feel used, and I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. I'm just asking…will you please try out for the play?"
"I'm not really talented, Miss Kirishima. I know I could help you boost your club's popularity, but I'm not sure I'd feel right playing a role I don't deserve."
"I know, and I won't cast you if I don't honestly think you can handle a part. Can you please try out, though? Even if you're not cast, other people will come to the tryouts because you're there. I won't make you do anything you're not willing to do, and I can promise you that you won't be shown favor in casting. I'm only asking for you to try out. Besides, you might like it."
Shinji considered her words. He had certainly imagined what it would be like to be liked, or to be seen by lots of people who thought he had talent. Also, he truly did want to help out Miss Kirishima. Even so, his decision was against his better judgment.
"All right…I'll come to the tryouts."
"That's great!" Mana exclaimed. "You really don't know how much this means to me. The first tryout is tomorrow after school, ok? I really hope you can make it."
"Yeah…I'll be there."
After Mana said her final thanks, and they finished up their goodbyes, Shinji started his walk home. "Oh man…Asuka is going to be wondering what was going on with Kirishima. When she finds out about the play, she's going to be furious. It's not like I'm trying to show her up…oh man…"
Shinji sighed. It was going to be a long night…
( 0 0 0 )
Author's notes: There's the first real chapter. I'll try to write at a reasonable pace, but I'm pretty busy, sadly. Also, for those who are unfamiliar with the legends, Kushinada was the woman who eventually became Susano-o's wife. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.