Evangelion is property of Studio Khara and GAINAX.

Street Fighter and Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist are property of CAPCOM.

NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: SENSHI NO MICHI

"What the hell?" Asuka whispered, to the empty locker room surrounding her.

The girl's nose wrinkled, as she held up the vacuum-packed package in front of her. She held it at multiple different angles, as if attempting to discern some hidden meaning from it. Within the clear plastic, there appeared to be something akin to a red wetsuit, but the material was more akin to PBC than anything, with the odd spot of what seemed to be orange plastic.

With a sigh, she pulled open the back of the package, and pulled the full suit out, unfolding it and holding it in front of her. This thing – Misato had called it a 'plugsuit' before disappearing from the room – was meant to enhance her connection with the EVA. Unconsciously, Asuka's fingers tightened, crumpling the red material in her hands.

Even thinking about it…how can I be expected to pilot it, whatever that means?

Slowly, she turned and sat down on the nearby bench, her shoulders and head slumping down, almost in defeat.

But I can't turn my back on this. I…just need to take it as it comes. Meet the challenge.

Straightening up, Asuka held up the plugsuit in front of her, and let out a breath. Apparently, it had to be worn without anything else beneath it. She rolled her eyes, and then glanced around.

"Alright, how hard can it be?"

Beginning to search for some kind of zipper or fastener, the redhead turned the suit over several times in her hands. Eventually, she did come across a somewhat well hidden clasp near the neck, above a yellow strip which stretched across the collarbones.

Undoing it, Asuka watched as the suit opened up, and then began to strip down. Afterwards, she began to awkwardly clamber into the suit with balance unbefitting of a martial arts master, cursing as she stumbled slightly.

Finally, Asuka breathed out in relief, as she pulled the material across her shoulders and chest.

It's surprisingly warm. But, it's kind of loose. Hmm…

Biting her lip in thought, she gazed down at her hands, as if they might provide some kind of answer. Funnily enough, they did – the cuffs on the wrists had very prominent buttons, with the word ENGAGE marked on them. With a non-committal shrug, Asuka grasped one cuff, and depressed the button.

Outside of the female locker room, Misato leant against the wall, arms folded. She promptly jerked forwards, however, when an almighty screech came from within the room.

"Mein Gott!"

Hand instinctively reaching into her jacket for her service pistol, Misato quickly moved over to the door, rapping it sharply.

"Asuka?" The captain called, brow furrowed. "Asuka, what's wrong? Asuka –"

The door slid open, and out stepped the redhead.

Misato struggled to hold back a small giggle.

The girl's expression was equal parts shock, disgust, and contempt, and she practically waddled towards Misato, in the now skintight plugsuit.

"What…" Asuka hissed, "is this?" The redhead indicated the plugsuit, which clung to every contour of her body, almost like a second skin.

With a small smirk on her face, Misato drew back. "That is a plugsuit." She replied, simply, watching as Asuka seethed.

After a few moments, the girl in front of her straightened up, and then looked at her before beginning to stalk down the corridor towards the testing facility.

"Well, what do you think?" Makoto asked, watching as Shinji stepped out of the male locker room, clad in his own plugsuit. The upper portion of the torso was coloured white and black, while the legs, hands and lower body were red. The boy made a face, shuffling around slightly for a moment.

"I…think it's giving me a wedgie." He replied, but shrugged. "Other than that, it's alright, I guess."

The technician across from him offered a smile, and then gestured towards the hallway. "Project E's testing facility is close. Not long to go."

Shinji simply nodded, and followed Makoto, as he led the boy down to the labs.

"Hey…" The boy murmured, behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think…my…father…will be there?" Shinji asked, slowly and carefully. Makoto couldn't guess the reason for such a tone, but he nodded, regardless.

"I think so. This is the first time both Unit One and Unit Two have been activated. He'll want to be there to oversee everything." The technician offered.

"I see." Shinji replied, and then quieted down.

The two turned a corner, but stopped at the sight of both Captain Katsuragi and Asuka. Both Misato and the newly minted Second Child had opposite expressions on their faces – the older woman bore a poorly hidden smug grin, while the redhead beside her seemed like she wanted to murder someone. She too was clad in a plugsuit, and Makoto caught himself staring at the hard angles of muscle, unfitting of a girl of that size and age.

"Hey!" Asuka called out, and Makoto flinched, drawing back slightly beside Shinji, watching as the redhead began to fume.

"I'm not wearing this thing for you to gawk, I'm wearing it because I have to!" The girl's embarrassment shone through her words, although it dampened somewhat as her eyes moved to Shinji.

After a second or so of silence, her features were split with a grin.

"Well, at least I'm not alone in this, 'Third Child'." Asuka spoke the title jokingly, watching as her friend's own smile emerged.

The two groups found themselves walking to the laboratories together, Makoto and Misato walking ahead while Shinji and Asuka chattered behind.

"Your one looks far cooler." Asuka whispered, glancing over Shinji's new attire. The boy furrowed his brow, looking back at the girl.

"But I thought you liked red clothes. Nearly every shirt you own is red."

The girl shook her head, then gestured to herself. "I like red, but not when it's this tight."

Shinji's eyes followed Asuka's movements unconsciously, and out of nowhere, he realised he was staring at her chest, at the emerging curves of her body. A light blush rose to his cheeks, and he swallowed, before looking straight ahead.

Okay, that was weird. That was just…that.

It wasn't like Shinji hadn't seen Asuka in a state of undress before – the two made a habit of hanging around a waterfall near the dojo whenever they'd had free time. They'd even gone swimming – in shirts and shorts, of course. Then again, for the past year or so, his friend had been a little awkward about heading there to relax.

I guess it's because we're both growing up. Does this mean that things might change? Between me and her? Because I like the way things are now. They don't need to change.

"Hey. Hey, Shinji?"

Shinji shook his head slightly, and turned back to his friend with a small smile. "Sorry, I was distracted for a moment."

"No kidding…" The redhead replied, with a subdued smile of her own. "This…is…it's something else." She glanced around the harsh metal corridors, and then at the door at the end of the corridor which the group was approaching.

Beside her, Shinji made a small noise of agreement, before returning to his thoughts.

I guess I've just never seen Asuka…that way. She's a friend.

Will I ever see her that way?

The boy's gaze returned to his friend. Their eyes met for a moment, before Asuka looked ahead. Shinji did as well, and he realised they were at the door, watching as it slid open and allowed Makoto and Misato through.

Slowly, the two moved into the room beyond, and looked around. Asuka spied the technician she'd talked with earlier that morning – Maya, she believed – and noticed that the woman seemed more than a little tired.

Doctor Akagi was beside her, leaning over to inspect a few of the monitors, and then glanced up, staring out of the large window in front of the technicians and computers.

However, what drew Shinji's attention was the presence of Commander Ikari, who himself was standing next to the window, simply staring out of it.

The two children were somewhat apprehensive to enter any further – for their own separate reasons, but when Misato glanced back to make sure they were still near her, the two quickly approached. By this time, they'd drawn more than a few gazes, and Ritsuko moved over to the group, nodding to Misato and Makoto, before she turned to Shinji and Asuka.

"You seem comfortable enough." The doctor mused, her tone neutral, looking the two of them over before she motioned for Maya. The mousy assistant handed the bottle-blonde something, and Asuka tilted her head in curiosity, as Ritsuko turned back around.

Two pairs of polished plastic pods, one red, the other white, each pair connected by a wire-thin hairband.

"These are Interface Headsets. You'll need them in addition to the plugsuits." Ritsuko intoned, handing the red set to Asuka, and the white to Shinji. For a moment, they seemed to fiddle with the new items aimlessly, before managing to put them on.

The wire portion obscured by the hair, it almost appeared as if the two were wearing bizarre cat ears.

The doctor in front of them just seemed to watch, then spoke when the two had finished fiddling with the headsets.

"We'll get started as soon as possible. Shinji, you'll need to take the door on the right…" Ritsuko indicated a metal door to the far right of the room, and then an opposite one on the far left. "Asuka, you'll move through the one on the left. The technical crews will help you from there."

Without anything else, the doctor moved back to her consoles and monitors, and Asuka and Shinji were left by themselves, until Misato came over. The captain glanced at the two of them, and then moved to speak, but stopped, as if the words were difficult to say. Finally, after a few seconds, she spoke, her voice quiet and almost inaudible above all the talking and whirring of computers.

"Look, I…I realise this is strange. And difficult, for the both of you. I mean, this is really…this isn't natural, all of this." Misato made a small gesture, indicating the room around them, and whatever lay beyond the large window. She took a moment to inhale, then continued. "If you need a helping hand, or…anything, you can trust me. It's the least I can do."

For a moment, nothing was said – but it was Asuka who spoke first. "…If there is anything." The redhead echoed, faintly, before her lips curled into a smile. "We will. Thanks." Beside her, Shinji nodded, and smiled as well. Misato returned the nod, and then looked back at the assembled technicians, and Ritsuko.

"Well, they're all waiting on you. Good luck." Misato said, her tone somewhat lighter than before, her smile small, but a smile nonetheless.

Asuka turned to Shinji, and the two of them managed to grin at each other for a moment, before they brought their left hands up, curled them into fists, and bumped them together.

"See you on the other side, baka." The girl said, with a small chuckle, and then turned, heading swiftly for the door on the far left side of the room.

Watching as Asuka moved over to the door, then disappeared behind it, Shinji took a deep breath, and then moved to his own door on the right. He stopped in front of it, and turned slightly, gazing over at his father, who was still beside the window.

The commander seemed to realise he was being watched, and his eyes moved to meet Shinji's. The gaze was held for only a second, before the boy quickly moved through the door, and away from the man.

Asuka moved down the metal walkway, and with barely hidden trepidation, looked at the crimson behemoth only a hundred feet away from her.

Evangelion Unit Two.

She took the sight in, noticed how it was hunched over slightly, despite being mounted on the monolithic walls of the testing chamber.

Following the instructions of the workers on hand to direct her towards the Evangelion, Asuka moved down the catwalk, noticing that her path led her towards the back of its neck, specifically a long, tubular capsule protruding from it.

The redhead paused as she came to the ladder beneath the capsule, gazing up at it.

Slowly, she took one rung after the other, and when she was high enough to move into the capsule, peered in. There appeared to be some kind of pilot's seat – along with a pair of elaborate-looking levers, which the girl presumed to be some kind of controls.

Asuka leaned forward, as if to move in, but hesitated at the last second.

The image of her mother, eyes blank and expression slack, flashed through her mind, and the girl swallowed, clutching the ladder tightly. Before she began to move back down, the sound of activity on the other side of the massive room drew her attention, and she looked over.

Shinji, flanked by a few workers, was advancing to the white and red giant opposite Eva Unit Two.

Asuka drew in a breath, and then looked back into the capsule.

If Shinji can do it, so can I.

Clambering into the capsule, the redhead moved around and slid into the seat, wriggling slightly to get comfortable.

At least the seat's kind of padded.

She flinched sharply as the capsule's hatch closed loudly behind her, swallowing and focusing straight ahead. With little else to do, Asuka moved her hands towards the controls, a hand wrapping around each one.

See? Nothing to it.

Out of nowhere, what seemed to be a holographic window of light emerged near the left wall of the capsule, and the girl flinched again, much to her displeasure.

I really need to calm down, or I will mess something up.

The window changed colour for a moment, before displaying the face of Misato, a curious expression on her face.

"You alright in there?" The captain asked, one eyebrow raised. "Your heart's beating pretty fast."

"Fine." Asuka replied.

Misato didn't reply, and the window disappeared. The girl narrowed her eyes, then glanced down to the front of the capsule as a noise like water rushing reached her ears. Her expression blanched as she realised an amber-coloured liquid of some kind was filling the capsule, and instinctively, she drew back in the seat, eyes widening.

The holographic window reappeared, and it was Ritsuko, this time, who spoke.

"Remain calm. This is LCL, an oxygenated liquid. It's necessary for the synchronisation to take place." Her voice was clinical, cool, almost as if she was narrating a documentary and not watching a teenage girl squirm.

The liquid reached past Asuka's ankles, and the redhead shivered. "It's cold."

"It'll warm up."

As the LCL reached her waist, the girl caught herself holding her breath.

"Breathe normally. It'll be easier if you don't hold your breath." The doctor said, and Asuka had to fight the impulse to shake her head, because no, she didn't want to, it was up to her neck now, and it was liquid so she would surely drown, she'd drown and why did it smell like blood–

The liquid rushed into her mouth, and for one brief, terrible moment, the girl began to retch and choke. However, as quickly as the liquid had made itself known, it had almost seemed to disappear equally as fast.

Asuka dared to breathe, and it was like she was out in the open air. A great sigh of relief escaped her, and she collapsed back into her seat.

"Good. We'll begin the synchronisation now." Ritsuko's voice echoed out then disappeared, along with the hologram.

Staring ahead, the girl watched as the capsule around her began to flash, began to glimmer with a hundred thousand different colours she couldn't name, but yet somehow could.

Something tickled at the back of her neck, and suddenly, she felt.

It was almost as if she had become the Evangelion – her fists clenched slowly, and so did Unit Two's. She could feel the strange, flexible yet metallic texture of its massive hands, and her eyes widened as she gazed ahead, watching how the walls of the capsule had seemed to vanish - and were now replaced with a view of the other behemoth in front of her, as well as the room at large.

"This is incredible…" Asuka murmured, without even realising it.

Misato's face reappeared next to her, with a wide grin on her face. "You're doing great, Asuka! You too, Shinji!"

Across from her, the white-plated Evangelion seemed to shift slightly in its position, and Shinji's face appeared below Misato's.

"So…what do you need us to do?" The boy asked, his voice quiet.

"Just take it easy. We need to get a few readings, and then that's it for today." Misato said, before her window blinked out of existence.

Asuka looked over at Shinji's window, watching as he returned her glance.

"Um…wow." The redhead spoke, before letting out a nervous laugh. "Wow, this is weird." Shinji laughed as well, seeming somewhat at ease, most likely due to the fact that she was as well.

"So, she wants us to relax?" The boy finally replied, five seconds later. Asuka shrugged, leaning back in her chair.

"I'm just going to meditate." The girl mused, and Shinji nodded. "Good idea." He murmured, before his face disappeared from her view.

With a sigh, Asuka finally relaxed.

I guess I didn't really have anything to be worried about. At least for today…

With nothing else to focus on, the girl looked inwards. Her eyes closed, and she inhaled. As she had done countless times before, she looked into herself, calming mind and body, until she could only feel the steady, reliable pulse of her ki, her hado. It was strong, warm, powerful.

Like me.

Asuka smirked, eyes still closed.

Maya's eyes widened as she looked at the display. The brunette then leaned over to check another monitor, to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Sempai!" The technician called out. "Akagi-sempai!"

Behind her, Ritsuko approached, one eyebrow raised. "What is it, Maya?"

The technician could only gesture at the screen, and the doctor leaned in to get a better look. When she did, she gasped, drawing Misato's gaze.

The captain tilted her head in interest, noticing that the Commander was looking as well.

"What is it?" Misato asked, moving nearer to Ritsuko, who stood up slowly, gazing out the window at the two Evangelion Units.

"It's their synchronisation ratios…"

"What about them?" Misato asked, shrugging. "We knew they'd be low, they always are, at the start –"

"No, it's…" Ritsuko cut the captain off, but her own voice drifted after a few moments, as she struggled to process the impossibility of the situation. "Shinji and Asuka's synchronisation ratios…are eighty-one percent and seventy-nine percent respectively."

The plot loosens. Hopefully I can keep the updates quick and constant! Please, please review!