I want you to explain this to me again. From the top.
Shinji was in his room in Misato's apartment, getting dressed. He had a big day today. Misato had asked him to accompany her when she went to greet the Second Child, who was arriving by ship from Germany today. But first, he had some things to settle.
I've explained this to you three times already. You just aren't listening.
I'm listening just fine. You :st aren't explaining our 'arrangement' to my satisfaction. And why do we have to talk like this again?
Shinji looked in his mirror. In the reflection appeared the woman, dressed in the same white business suit as before. Her mouth did not move, but Shinji could hear her speak.
I for one would think it very suspect if you spoke to me out loud, where everyone could hear. Just think what you want to say, and I will hear you. Her voice chimed somewhat melodically in Shinji's head.
Something else we have to cover. Why could Rei see you? That was confusing, to say the least.
I honestly don't know. Only you should be able to see me. I'm manipulating the visual fields of your eyesight in order for you to see me.
Manipulating the visual fields...? I don't know how much of this I like. Everyone was asking a lot of questions I could not answer about that night. Rei was asking a lot of questions..about what happened...about you...what was I supposed to say?
Say nothing. If you believe nothing else, believe that I am for you. I am on your side in this. Explaining everything at this point would be...difficult. Not even I understand everything.
I certainly feel...better that before. Stronger. I noticed I was faster during my training this morning.
I think you will need it. But still...what I have done...was not enough. I did not have enough time...
Have enough time for what?
That's not important for you to know right now.
You're just like everyone else...keeping things from me. I hate that.
I have my reasons. But you must believe me. I have only your best interests at heart in this.
That'll do...for now.
Shinji felt his mind depressurize slightly, and he was alone again. A knock on his door caught his attention.
"Shinji..." a muffled voice called. Misato. "You ready yet? Now where are those friends of yours? You know I was being nice when I allowed them to come along. Where are they?"
"They'll be here shortly." Shinji called. He slid open his door. Misato was waiting outside. Shinji stepped out and pounted to a sign that Misato had attached to his door.
" 'Shinji's Lovely Suite'. Was that really necessary, Misato? Lovely is'nt the first thing that comes to mind when I think about myself or my stuff."
"Oh come on. I think it's cute. Ohhh. You're looking pretty cute yourself, Mister. You fill out a suit well."
Shinji stood uncomfortably as Misato circled him, appraising him. He wore an off white suit with a midnight black shirt and smooth blue tie. Shinji's hair was combed in place, and he wore dark sunglasses. He did fill out the suit quite well, and with style.
Misato poked and prodded him, cooing and sqealing in delight. Sinally Shinji walked to the door and put on his shoes, dark brown shoes of Italian manufacture. "Can we go?"
Misato frowned. "Grouch." She opened the apartment door. Waiting in the hallway were Kensuke and Toji, who leapt to their feet upon seeing Misato.
"Good to see you again, Ms. Katsuragi." Kensuke said.
"It was great of you to let us come, Misato." Toji said, a dreamlike smile on his face.
"No problem boys." Misato said, walking down the stairs. "Just don't cause me any trouble, OK?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" they both said simultaeneously. They were jolted back to reality as Shinji loudly shut the apartment door.
"It's never going to happen for either of you, you know." Shinji said, his hands in his pockets.
"What a killjoy. A man can dream, right?" Kensuke said.
"Check out this man here." Toji said, fingering Shinji's suit. "Biiiiig spender."
Shinji slapped Toji's hand away. "Gotta spend money to look this decent. You know that. Not all of us can pull off a tracksuit look like you, Toji." Toji frowned.
"I can't thank you enough for getting Misato to let us come along." Kensuke said. "The UN Pacific Fleet! Those ships are classics!"
"Whatever. Just don't embarrass me, alright?" Shinji walked down the stairs after Misato, Toji and Kensuke right behind him.
Shinji knew that Kensuke loved anything associated with the military, but the boy seemed out of control. Shinji was comfortably in his seat inside the NERV helicopter as Kensuke kept moving around the cabin, taking shots of the ocean and the UN battleships and carriers in the distance with his camera.
In my day, they called what that kid has ADD. Shinji felt her familar presence speaking to him again. He chuckled. That was actually funny.
When was your day anyway? he asked. He found no answer, as he felt her presence diminish inside him.
"Something funny?" Misato said, looking at him with concern. Shinji had the feeling that she knew that something was up, ever since that day he fought against the Fifth Angel. How he had recovered from a seemingly debilitating attack was still under investigation, and Misato was not one to easily let things go. Neither was Ritsuko.
"Just...things in general, Misato. Nothing to worry about."
"All right then." Misato turned back to what she had been doing, but looked at him from time to time with a worried expression on her face.
Stepping out of the dark cabin of the helicopter to the bright light of midday was somewhat disorienting. Shinji was glad that he wore his sunglasses. Misato also pulled out a pair, and Toji and Kensuke had no choice but to shield their eyes with their hands. Misato led them through a doorway into a stairwell, leading to a lower deck of the UN flagship. Shinji could see in the darkness Toji pulling out a baseball cap from his back pocket and shoving it on.
Suddenly, Shinji felt a lurching feeling inside his chest, similar to indigestion. There was no pain, but there was a...dropping feeling, or a pulling feeling. It was very strange. He felt as if he was being...led somewhere. Suddenly, for a fraction of a second, he saw a small...egg would be the best way to describe it, with some kind of embryo inside of it. Before the image faded, he saw the embryo jerk or spasm. Why it was doing so was a mystery to him.
You felt that? That was...strange. I feel as if whatever that was, it was familiar, somehow. It's close, whatever it is. You have to try and stay alert, and fight through whatever it's pulling you with. Shinji, you understand?
Shinji felt the pressure in his mind increase, as if waiting for a response. "I-I understand..." he whispered. He regained his bearings and began walking foward again, towards the lower open observation deck where everyone else was.
As Shinji stepped out, he heard Toji yelp out as a sudden draft of wind knocked his hat off and sent it skittering on the deck. Toji chased after it until a foot in yellow flip-flops crashed down on it.
Looking down at Toji was a girl, around the same age as Shinji, wearing a yellow sundress. She had dark red hair that looked quite striking in the sunlight. She held attention with a very commanding stare, with a fire of either madness or extreme confidence behind deep blue eyes.
"Look at you." she drawled. "Chasing after your cap like a little dog after a bone. Bark for me, little doggy, and I'll give you your bone back." an imperious grin broke over her face.
"Don't be difficult." Toji yelled. "Just give me back my hat."
"Say please." she moaned in a low voice.
Before Toji could say anything, a sharp wind swept over the ship, blowing the redhead's dress up. What was underneath was plain for all to see.
"BAKA HENTAI!!!" the girl screamed in rage, before slapping and hitting both Kensuke and Toji.
"What the hell was that for?!" Toji yelled.
"As if you don't know, you stooge! I'm Asuka Langley Soryu, the Greatest Show on Earth! You want to see it, you have to pay the price."
"You'll see something, all right." Toji grumbled. He grabbed his pants and pulled them down. The disgusted look on Asuka's face was priceless. "There's a show, all right." Toji said.
Slowly, the look of disgust and horror changed on Asuka's face to one of rage. She raised her hand to strike Toji again. Suddenly, she was pulled off balance and placed in an arm lock.
"I think you're done hitting people." Shinji said. He held Asuka in a soft lock, enough so she would'nt hit Toji again.
"You-you bastard! Let me out, godammit!"
Shinji released his hold on Asuka's arm, and she began rubbing it to get the feeling back in it.
Shinji walked up to Toji. He looked surprised that Shinji had stopped this crazy girl so easily.
Shinji said only one thing to him. "Pull your pants up, man. No one wants to see that." There was a slight grin on his face as he said it. Toji pulled his pants up, a grin on his face. He seemed happy that someone had stopped the redheaded demon, as he already thought of her.
Shinji turned back around to face Asuka. She was panting hard, seemingly to psych herself up for something. Her face was registering increasing levels of anger and fury. She was seeing red, and Shinji was her target. Shinji knew that in a situation like this, the best thing to do would be to defuse this...time bomb of a girl. But...he reflected. Was the best thing always the most fun? He thought not. He took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket.
"So." Shinji said, looking Asuka in the eyes. "The Great Asuka Langley Soryu, huh? I personally don't think flapping your ass to the world is great, per se, but maybe you and I have different definitions."
He heard the sharp intake of breath from everyone present, right before ducking as a foot came speeding at his head.
He heard Asuka grunting as she continued to strike out at him, failing every time. He had shifted her off focus, and she was just operating on rage. She clawed at his eyes, a strike which he quickly ducked back out of. She kept pressing him back with wild, uncoordinated strikes, a wild, furious look in her eyes. She was quick, he noted, and she had similar training in martial arts like him, but he had succeeded in pushing her off axis quite easily. If she had been on point, she would not be telegraphing her strikes to openly for him to see.
Shinji reversed course, coming back at her. He did not strike, but with every punch or kick she threw at him, he pressed into her zone of defense, causing Asuka to become off balance. Finally, as she struck out at him again, Shinji grabbed an arm and moved her into a trapping manuever, trapping her arms at her sides and lifting her slightly off the ground. Shinji fely distantly her bare feet, as she had kicked off her sandals, hitting him in the shins. She was struggling quite violently. Shinji thought for a second it was a wild animal in his grip.
"Hey," he said, addressing Asuka. "You finished?" She began struggling against his hold even more at that, but finally went limp. Shinji finally let her down. She stood and smoothed her clothes. She then looked at him and slapped him.
"You son of a bitch," she hissed. "No one does that to me. No one!" she then stormed off back into the ship. Misato looked at Shinji a moment, and then ran after her.
Shinji turned around at the sound of someone clapping. A man, early thirties, was appraching him. He had his hair in a short ponytail, and had a five o'clock shadow. He was smoking.
"I've known Asuka a long time, but that's the first time I've ever seen someone shut her up. This will go down in the history books for sure."
"And you are?"
"Call me Kaji. You're Shinji Ikari, aren't you? The Third Child. You've got some sharp moves. And you did'nt even wrinkle your suit. That's style, all right."
"Thanks, man. Let's go in already. I'm hungry." Shinji headed to the same doorway Asuka and Misato had gone through.
As he was walking, Toji and Kensuke patted him on the back.
"Fuckin'-A, man." Toji said. "Fuckin'-A."