A/N: Well, I've been away from this one for a while, so now it's time to kick back into gear. I'm glad my Zany Antics got such a warm reception. Thanks to all that reviewed. And another thanks to those who voted too. It shows that you care.
Now for a quick response to the reviewers.
Marine Brother Shran – Expect to see something on what you said VERY soon
Infinite Freedom – The chances of what you said in your latest review is much more likely to happen than what you said earlier. Asuka Langley Ikari does have a nice ring to it and is easier to pronounce than Sohryu.
Maria – I'm glad you and destinyfaith like my story so much. If your mind has something it wants to post on the site, then go for it!
Naon Tiotami – Thanks for asking me to be a staff member for your C2!
Now this chapter will be a little less tense than before. So you can relax and put your mind at ease. If any of you are concerned about the next Black Angel, don't worry, I already know what's going to happen. It will come, because I will it so. Now on with it!
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Misato's Apartment
It was yet another day for Misato without a car. Today would mark the third day she didn't have her car. And that was because when Elly was kidnapped, Zack fought her kidnapper to win her freedom. Zack won alright, but he kicked the Ron through the window, and he fell through her car, totaling it. Luckily, it would be covered under NERV's insurance plan, otherwise Zack would have more than a few broken ribs.
She was ready to beat Zack down when she found out it was him, and the ruckus he had caused by the stunt he pulled, herself, Kaji, Ritsuko, and Maya could have been killed. Zack and Ivana were never even disciplined by Commander Ikari for the gunfight they started. But when Ritsuko told Misato Zack had suffered a few broken ribs, Misato decided to back off, saying that she wouldn't kick an adversary when he's down. Misato didn't even know Ivana had all those weapons in her room to begin with.
But on a positive note, she learned that Zack and Elly were now an "item", so hopefully that would mean Zack would stop hitting on other girls… for the moment.
Misato focused on her current priorities. The first one was getting through her second morning beer. The second was making sure that the kids were getting ready for school. The third priority was convincing Zack that he wouldn't have to do gym class because of his broken ribs. Today was Friday, and Shinji and Asuka were already complaining about Phys Ed class at the end of the day. Turns out they had some super macho man for a teacher, who would probably run them until they threw up.
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School
When Zack came to school, everyone wanted to know how he had broken his ribs. Zack's excuse was that he got into a fight, and although he had won, he didn't walk away without any injuries. Zack was a smooth talker, and his story wasn't all lies either, just kept the classified stuff classified. Elly's excuse for the painkillers was LAME though. She had to explain that she got electrocuted by sticking a knife in the toaster. Elly unfortunately wasn't as smooth though, and it took a call from Elly's legal guardian, Kozou Fuyutski (just in name because Elly needs a registered guardian) to verify her story, and her prescription.
Things were going much better for Shinji and Asuka though. More for Shinji than Asuka anyhow. Shinji was the spectacle of the cooking class, being the only male student in the class. So this meant every girl in the class had their eyes set on him. And with Asuka wanting to keep their relationship discreet, that fact wasn't helping at all. So Asuka had started spreading a rumour around saying Shinji had a crazy, bitchy, psychotic girlfriend who would kill any of the girls if she found them with their hands on Shinji.
Friday was also cooking day, and so a few kids, Shinji included were cooking up a wonderful apple crisp for the rest of the class. And they would have the teacher do the lecture for the second half of the class.
While the teacher was teaching, Asuka was on her laptop checking out what the others were talking about in the chat rooms. Apparently, her rumour that she had spread was working efficiently, as the other girls were going to be afraid of whoever the psycho girl Asuka had talked about was true.
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Science Class (H stands for Hydrogen. Cl stands for Chlorine)
Elly was still having trouble getting used to the effects of the electricity. All the muscles in her body didn't feel like they should. It was difficult to walk and move, as her muscles were tight from the shocks she got at the hands of the Ron. The painkillers were meant to blot out the pain she was in. She checked the clock in the classroom. It was 10:00am right now. She figured she could take another pill at 12:00pm and that should last the rest of the school day…
"Elly Simpson, answer the question. What element does sodium stand for?" said the teacher, snapping her out of her thought.
Luckily it was an easy one for Elly. She had spent a few days checking on the notes for the days ahead, so she could answer, and not look like an idiot. "The answer is Na." Good, that would keep Mr. Pitts off her back for a while.
"Very good," replied the teacher. "It's good to see you weren't doing nothing while you were at the hospital."
And so Elly decided to pay attention to the rest of the class just in case she got hit with a question she didn't know and wouldn't get scrutinized for not playing attention. Mr. Pitts really was the pits and would be more than ready to fail anyone who dared to cross him.
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Gendo Ikari's Office
Gendo Ikari was once more doing work in his office. For a while now, he was wondering if they could use the S2 organ that Unit 01 ingested for when they had to fight the Black Angels in the future. According to what Dr. Akagi had said, it was possible to draw power from it, so it could be used. On top of that, he had also ordered that they make a prototype S2 organ as well not long after the aborted 3rd Impact.
Suddenly, a phone call had come in. It was Dr. Akagi. "Yes," he said into the phone.
"Commander, we have good news about the prototype S2 organ."
This was good to hear, right as he was thinking about it too. Convenient. "How is it coming along?"
"The prototype is completed sir," replied the doctor.
"Good. I wish for it to be installed in Unit 02," the commander responded. "I want to try to activate Units 01 and 02 with the S2 organs as soon as possible."
"Understood." Dr. Akagi then hung up.
So hopefully in a day or two, two of his EVAs could be able to function in combat as long as they needed to. If the prototype was successful, then they would be able to build S2 organs for the other EVAs. With nothing more to do, he called the cafeteria and ordered a coffee.
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Now we skip ahead to the end of the day and Phys Ed class
The class was waiting out in the gymnasium, cringing at the thought of Coach Thunder showing up. Much to their great dismay, the big American brute showed up in the gym, gum being chewed with clipboard in hand.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS SITTING AROUND FOR?" he yelled. "GET YOUR LAPS IN NOW DAMMIT!" He was already expecting them to be running when he got out there.
Zack went up to Coach Thunder. "Uhh, Coach. I got this doctor's note that tells me to refrain from any physical activity until my ribs are healed."
Coach Thunder looked at the note for about 5 seconds. He unfolded a wheelchair that he had in his pack. "YOU SEE THIS WHEELCHAIR? WHEEL YOUR LAPS IN IT! GO! GO! GO!
So as Zack had the task of wheeling around the gym, Elly showed Coach Thunder her doctor's note.
"YOU SEE THIS OTHER WHEELCHAIR? YOU WILL BE USING THIS ONE! NOW GET GOING!"
Now Elly was also wheeling around the gym in a wheelchair. It was pretty embarrassing to say the least.
While they were running, Shinji and Asuka ran at the same pace so they could share a few words.
"So Shinji," she said as she was running. "Who do you think is worse? This guy? Or Misato with no beer?"
Shinji chuckled and panted at the same time, and almost hiccupped. "Obviously it's Misato without beer AND having Kaji in the present area too. As for Coach Jerk, maybe we stepped on his house during an Angel attack."
Now Asuka was laughing out loud in response to Shinji's comment. However, what happened next made them stop laughing. Coach Thunder happened again. "HEY IKARI! SOHRYU! WHEN YOU TWO ARE FINISHED KISSING I GOT MORE LAPS FOR YA!"
Asuka was ready to let off a chain of German swear words when Shinji told her there was no point because they would get more laps.
Once everyone was done their five laps, and Asuka and Shinji done their ten laps, they all had to do their usual warm-ups, when Coach Thunder brought out four utility balls. (You know, those rubber balls you would use in gym class when you were young) Coach Thunder then divided the class into two teams, with Asuka, Shinji, and Ivana on one team, and Toji, Hikari, Kensuke and Rei on the other team.
"OKAY! YOU BRATS ARE GOING TO PLAY DODGEBALL! AND I EXPECT YOU TO SHOW NO MERCY! I DON'T CARE IF IT MEANS TAKING YOUR FRIEND'S HEAD OFF! NO FUCKING MERCY!" Thunder boomed. His voice echoed off the gym walls. "YOU CAN HIT YOUR OPPENENTS ANYWHERE! YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE RULES!"
And so the game began. Ivana and Toji, being the hardest throwers on the floor, were obviously front liners, being able to hit their opponents with devastating hard throws. Asuka, Kensuke and Rei were more likely to be in the middle row, catching the balls that got by the front row people. Shinji and Hikari… back row. They were the ones catching the balls that got by everybody, and staying as far away as possible from the missile-like throws from the front liners like Toji and Ivana.
WOOSH! A ball shot by Shinji's head.
"C'mon Shinji! Let 'em have it!" yelled Zack from the sidelines.
"It's too dangerous," yelled back Shinji as he ducked another ball and picked up another.
"If you got the ball, then they fear you," said Zack. "Show them that they should fear you!"
'Yeah,' thought Shinji to himself, feeling the power that he now possessed as a ball carrier. He boldly advanced to the frontlines, not feeling afraid of the balls that zipped by. He quickly eyed the opponent's field. He could choose either Rei or Kensuke as his targets.
Kensuke and Rei both realized that Shinji had a ball and was locked in his crosshairs. So they took a step back. Shinji then tried an old trick that people always would get him with. He took a step with his eyes locked on Rei, and without hesitation, launched the ball at Kensuke, nailing him right in the chest.
Shinji had finally gotten someone. After all this time, he had finally taken someone out of the game.
WHAM!
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"Shinji."
What was that? Who was calling him? That voice sounded beautiful.
"Shiiinnnji."
Whoever it was who had that beautiful voice, was calling him again. Apparently he must have fallen asleep somewhere. It was a girl's voice trying to call to him. So he figured he should respond quickly so as not to keep her waiting.
"Shinji! Wake up dammit!"
"Yaaahhhh!" That last call wasn't as nice as the others, and it startled him into consciousness. He was lying in a bed in what he assumed to be the nurse's office. He looked around. He saw Asuka standing over him. She must have brought him here, or at least watched over him as he slept. "Asuka? How'd I get here?"
"Mein gott, you must have mild amnesia. You got the wind knocked out of you while we were playing dodgeball."
Shinji's memory began to come back. "Oh yeah, I remember. I managed to hit Kensuke with the ball…"
Asuka finished for him. "Then the other Stooge threw a rocket at you right in the chest. You were out cold before you hit the ground. You're lucky I caught you, otherwise you'd have a concussion to go along with getting winded."
Now Shinji felt the slight pain in the chest area. "What time is it?"
"It's 3:30pm," replied the redhead. "School ended about 40 minutes ago. So are you gonna come or are you gonna sleep here tonight and leave me all alone?"
"Sorry. Just give me a minute."
Five minutes later, the two were walking back home from school, when Shinji got an idea. "Hey Asuka, I got an idea."
"Wow. You actually have an idea. What is it?"
"I know this great place we can have dinner at," said Shinji. "If you don't mind, I'd like to treat you to dinner tonight. See it as my thanks for helping me out today."
Asuka's face had lit up like a lamppost. "That's probably the best idea you've had today. I'd love to go at your expense. We'll have to tell Misato what we're doing. It's my turn to cook tonight. So Misato will cook in my place." Asuka's grin grew even bigger. "I'd love to see the look on Casanova's face when he finds out Misato is cooking tonight. His broken ribs will be the least of his worries."
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Misato's Apartment
"Asuka! Shinji! NO! You can't do this to us! I'd rather fight a Black Angel than suffer from Misato's cooking!" Zack was not pleased about the fact that Shinji and Asuka wanted to go out for dinner by themselves and have to suffer the wrath of Misato's always horrible cooking.
"Suck it up Casanova," said Asuka. "And don't even think about trying to stop me. If you try to stop me, I'll make sure your ribs puncture your lungs and you can drown in your blood. Besides, Misato gave us the okay to go."
"Why me…" muttered Zack. Once Asuka went into her room to get ready, Zack pulled something out of the couch. It was a bottle with a pink liquid inside. "It's a good thing I brought tons of this stuff from Canada. Pepto Bismol will help soothe my soon to be upset stomach after dinner. Knowing Ivana and Rei, they may need some too."
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"So Shinji, what place did you have in mind?" asked Asuka as they walked down the road. Asuka had changed out of her school uniform and had now changed into some street clothes. She was wearing a red t-shirt, and blue short shorts. It was a warm September night, so she didn't have to bundle up.
"Oh it was this place Zack found," replied Shinji. "He said it was a bar and grill called 'Shoeless Joe's'. The food there he said was supposed to be awesome." Shinji was wearing plain brown pants, and a white t-shirt, which was something similar to the school uniform he had. Typical plainness for Shinji.
As they made their way to this restaurant, they would appear to be an odd couple. What looked like a plain, boring guy with a really hot babe for a girlfriend.
Suddenly Shinji had a question out of the blue. "Hey Asuka. During gym class after I was knocked out, what happened afterwards?"
"It was rather funny. Coach Thunder got so pissed off at first because he thought you were trying to fake it at first. But he got even angrier when he found out you really were out for the count, and in frustration told me and Ivana to drag you to the nurse's office. And I stayed there until you regained consciousness."
Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what happened?"
Asuka then continued. "Well, according to Hikari, Coach Thunder challenged the whole class to a game of dodgeball. He said if we could hit him once, he would be really nice for the rest of the year. That big lug just wanted to show off. He won too."
"What an ass," replied Shinji. "What made him so angry at the world? Was he abused by his parents or something?"
"That would about do it," chuckled Asuka. "Is this the place?" she asked pointing at a building.
"Yeah, that's it. Shoeless Joes."
And so, our favourite (and somehow functional) couple went inside. The place was loud, and full of activity. There were booths where patrons who just wanted to eat would sit, and there was a bar section for people if they wanted to have a few beers.
A waiter came to seat them. "Ah, a young couple. Smoking or non-smoking?"
"Non-smoking please," said Shinji.
"Follow me." Shinji and Asuka followed the waiter until he led them to an unoccupied booth. Once they had sat down, the waiter offered to get them both drinks. Shinji opted for a Coke, and Asuka opted for a Pepsi.
"I think you're tastes are getting better Shinji," said Asuka. "This place has a lively atmosphere. I think you should stay outside of your shell. It's doing you good."
"If you say so," replied Shinji.
Just then, the waiter came back with their drinks. "Now then, are you two ready to order?"
"I'll order a pound of medium spiced chicken wings," said Shinji.
"And I'll have an order of extra hot chicken wings," said Asuka.
"Very well," replied the waiter as he took the menus away.
Now Shinji and Asuka had a moment to themselves. "So Asuka, what do you want to do when this is all over?" Shinji asked.
"I don't know," replied Asuka. "Originally I planned to go back to Germany as a hero after the Angels. But apparently," pointing at Shinji. "A certain someone has made me want to stay in boring old Japan. As for a career, I would probably want to be a doctor. And if I'm lucky, the man I'll one day marry will have a good enough job that I won't have to work."
Shinji blushed at the thought of one day marrying Asuka. He pictured himself fainting at the altar and Asuka throwing a fit at him for ruining the wedding. Now Asuka asked him the question. "What do you want to do when this is all over?"
"Uh, let's see. I guess I would want to just live a normal life as a normal person. I know I'm a good cook, so I guess I would one day want to be a chef and maybe own my own restaurant."
"Would you get married one day?" asked Asuka with her eyes glowing more than usual. Apparently, Asuka was comfortable with the topic of marriage when it was just her and Shinji.
"I guess so," said Shinji. "I figure I would be marrying the most beautiful girl that ever graced Japan with her presence."
"That's so sweet of you Shinji." Asuka probably would have crawled over to Shinji's booth and kissed him, but their dinner arrived. The thought of dinner made Asuka have a nasty thought. "Speaking of dinner, I wonder how Casanova is faring with Misato and her cooking."
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Misato's Apartment
Zack was in a lot of pain. His chest felt like it was going to explode. Misato's attempt at a beef and rice casserole dish was a complete and utter failure! He was surprised at how Rei and Ivana made it through this. He could tell from the look on their faces that it had tasted like cat hair mixed in with puke and porridge left in the pot for ten days.
He stumbled over to the couch, being careful not to aggravate his broken ribs. He reached inside the couch and found what he was looking for. The bottle of Pepto Bismol. He whipped out a teaspoon and gave himself two teaspoons of the medicine. It would only be a matter of time before Misato's latest attempt at cooking would become a mere memory.
"Rei! Ivana! Come here! I have the instant cure for Misato's poor excuse for a dinner dish!"
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On the way home
"That place sure was lively," said Asuka as the two made their way back home. They had stayed there for about two hours before finally leaving the restaurant.
"It was a little too noisy for me," replied Shinji. "Maybe we should go again when it isn't so noisy."
"Don't worry about it! I had a great time. You picked a great place to go!" It was later now, and it got a tad colder. "Damn! Why did I have to wear these shorts?"
"Appeal?" suggested Shinji.
"You wish." Asuka suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I'm cold and tired. Can you carry me?"
And that was that. He didn't have much choice in the matter. He knew the trip home would be a long one. Regardless, Shinji picked her up with one hand under her back, and the other under her legs. Asuka then wrapped her arms around Shinji, trying to absorb any warmth he gave off.
"That's better," said Asuka. "You're so warm."
The rest of the trip home was rather quiet. It would take about fifteen minutes to get home. And so, fifteen minutes later, Shinji and Asuka finally made it home. "Asuka. We're home."
There was no response from the redhead. All he could hear was her rhythmic breathing. She had fallen asleep in his arms. It was difficult, but he managed to open the door and not have to put her down. Once he was inside, he saw a note on the wall. It was meant for him and Asuka.
Shinji and Asuka,
Misato decided to try her hand at attempting to cook a casserole dish. I will not go into details about what it was like. Apparently, I, Zack, and Rei all got upset stomachs after dinner. After taking some of Zack's Pepto Bismol, I suggested we should sleep it off and hopefully we'll all feel better tomorrow. I hope your time together was much enjoyed. Good night comrade.
Ivana
PS: Misato passed out.
'So that explains why everyone is already sleeping,' thought Shinji to himself. 'I guess I'll call it in too.'
He carried Asuka into their room and tucked her into bed. He then also crawled in next to her and tried to go to sleep. Strangely though, he heard Asuka talk in her sleep.
"Hi… I'm Asuka… Langley… Ikari…"
Shinji thought about that for a second. It had a nice ring to it. 'Maybe one day,' he thought before exhaustion finally caught up and surpassed him.
A/N: Whew! That was quite a chapter! 41 and still going strong! Remember, you have until November 25 to cast your vote for the next "Zany Antic". Until 42, be cool!
OMAKE
Finally, Shinji and Asuka got their chicken wings. Asuka sure was hungry. And without hesitation, she took a bite into one of her wings. It tasted good but… there was no spice!
"Hey! What's the idea! These wings aren't hot at all!"
But then it hit Asuka. If her wings weren't hot… then Shinji's must be… "Shinji? Did our wings get switched?"
She looked at Shinji. He had taken a bite of a wing, but his face was completely red.
"YAAAAHHHH! HOT! HOT!"