I do not own the rights to Neon Genesis Evangelion, or any of the characters, equipment, or locations written in this fanfiction. The purpose of this fanfiction is merely for the non-profit enjoyment of other readers. If requested by Gainax, Hideki Anno, or other parties which represent aforementioned objects in this story, I will remove it promptly.
Chapter VII:
Ibuki slid her arms around Ikari's chest, receiving some stuttered protests. They had been there, unable to sleep for ten hours. Yet neither of them wanted to move from that spot. There was nothing to do on the train, and still several hours before their arrival."What do you want?" Maya asked. Shinji found it hard to think clearly, the physical sensations clouding his mind. His head slumped further into the mattress, mouth hanging open, taking it sharp breaths. Maya had kept her hands safely away from anything sensitive, but still, just feeling her arms around him was irritating his nerves. She detected the hint, and pulled her arms away. "It still hurts?"
"I... I just want someone who will be with me. I don't want to be touched. I don't want to be comforted. I just want someone to listen and stay."
Maya sighed, and rolled onto her other side. The two had their backs to each other now, but even so, they could each feel the other's presence. It was as delicate yet obvious presence as the blankets underneath them. "Okay," Maya replied, letting out a yawn. "Will you talk to me?"
"Can I trust you?"
Ibuki smiled sarcastically. "That is the question, isn't it?" Maya couldn't decide how to start, but she knew the answer would involve talking. It always seemed to fall back to talking with him. In a way, it was nice, knowing he wasn't some pervert. She could see the desire in his eyes, but it wasn't anything like Kaji, or the other men who tried to hit on her at work. There was a genuine interest in everything about her, which included her body as much as her mind. "I didn't think there was anything you hadn't learned about me already," she began. "But... there is something." Maya blushed, wondering just what she would say next.
Shinji just listened quietly, drifting off to sleep as the former lieutenant began her confession. Perhaps he would trust her after all. But that decision would have to be made later, after their arrival in the city.
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Ritsuko tried to smile, but found it impossible. Both the Fourth and Fifth Child scowled back at her. Toji knew what this woman had done to Shinji, what he was forced to do because this "expert" was careless with his last assignment. Kensuke also felt disgusted, both from what he learned from Toji's experience, and from his own observations of the Children. If it weren't for their weaknesses, the Children would have, in their right mind, simply left NERV. There was no desire whatsoever to pilot. His dreams of glory were now being replaced with the fact any actions he would take for his own survival would be overridden for the best interests of this organization.
"I cannot accept your application if you cannot put in the same effort as a healthy pilot," Ritsuko began, addressing Suzahara.
The boy cursed under his breath, and turned away. "You have our physical fitness results," he snarled. "You even confirmed our fitness again at the training grounds here. How can you still criticize us?" Kensuke walked to his friend, and threw the doctor's office door open. "Besides, who do you think made me this way?"
"Shinji, of course-" she began, before finding the Fourth Child leaping at her throat. "Wha?" Akagi squeaked, the hands clamping down on her larynx. Her breaths were short, body breaking out in sweat. "Stop!" she hissed.
"Am I still unfit for combat, Doctor?" Toji snarled, a smirk on his face. The woman glanced at Aida for assistance. However, the nerd simply folded his arms, watching from the doorway. His eyes showed his sense of pleasure, watching what both Children believed was a necessary revenge. "Well? ANSWER ME!"
The doctor shook her head.
Toji released the woman's throat quickly, shoving her back against her desk. "Just remember," he hissed. "YOU did this, not Shinji, not anyone else. Stop blaming him for your mistakes." Looking at his friend, Toji nodded towards the door. "Come on, let's get out of this place." Reaching towards the desk again, Ritsuko shrinking back, the jock snatched the two applications.
"Yeah," Aida replied, taking his application from his friend, tearing it neatly in two. "I don't know what we were thinking."
It was only two minutes after their final encounter with Ritsuko Akagi that they found Asuka leaving the locker rooms. She didn't sense them at first, just continuing on her sluggish, wandering path towards the elevator. Both boys knew something was wrong with her, her head slumped down, eyes staring down at her feet. She did not bear that proud character she once used so often in class.
Hearing the footsteps, Soryu visibly shook, turning to stare at the two oncoming threats with wide eyes. Her fists clenching, a satchel in one hand, she sprinted towards the elevator. "Hey, Asuka, wait up!" Kensuke protested. It was too late, however. As artful as she was in combat, she seemed to be getting better, teh Children noticed, in running. "That's... not right," Aida sighed. "Maybe Hikari should talk to her."
"Maybe..." Toji breathed. "Maybe she should talk to him."
"Oh come on!" Kensuke laughed. "Would she do anything more than tease him, or pick on him? She's just feeling crappy because she doesn't have someone to bully. There's no one around she thinks is weaker than her to make up for her shortcomings."
The redhead, they were unaware, listened to the conversation from the blind spot of the cooridor junction. The elevator's lights and buzzer signaled its return to that level, but she was no longer motivated to use it. Pulling the satchel to her chest, she slumped to the floor, and cried.
•••••••••••••
The apartment was a Western design, but still made in the Post-Inpact style of concrete, recycled steel, and aging roofing materials. The loss of construction quality gave Tokyo-2 and the other First World nations a Cold War Eastern Bloc feel after the reconstruction efforts. There was beauty in this town, however, even with the lack of building aesthetics. He could see it from the fifth floor catwalk.
The endless summer kept the trees fully coated in leaves, the prematurely aged streets given a kind of beauty. The street lamps were crude in design, but efficient, their orange-glowing lights a different look than the cold shimmer of Tokyo-3's fluorescent lighting. Shinji stared out at the residential zone that formed nine square blocks, Ibuki's apartment almost within the center of that zone. He allowed a soft smile to pass through his grim features. This was a fresh start, in a place that was just as physically beautiful as the woman who accompanied him in the elevator.
His mind protested once again, trying to keep from seeing her in that way. Maya was a nice friend, and a more than fair guardian. However, thinking of her in any other way was out of the question, at least for now. Maybe, in time, when he was no longer dependent on her, it would be appropriate. But not like this. Not when he was her charge, and she felt it was necessary to help him.
The outer door to the apartment was painted black, a simple chromed knob and deadbolt latching it shut. With a quick twist of the key, first in the deadbolt, and then in the knob, Maya eased the door open, her left arm filled with a small stack of boxes. "Shinji, are you sure there is nothing else you need?"
Shinji shook his head. "I will be fine."
Ibuki sighed. "Trust me, Shinji. We can splurge a little if we want, at least to get you set up."
"That would be foolish, wouldn't it?" he asked. "I mean, when I have to go somewhere else, that's just more stuff I have to take with me."
The brunette sighed. "Haven't you ever had more than just enough to carry on your back before?"
"My cello qualifies, doesn't it?"
Ibuki beamed, a little too excessively. "I didn't know you played the cello." Immediately Maya was looking around the apartment. Shinji followed behind, confused, but otherwise his passive, quiet self. The apartment's interior was a little out of style with the modern trends. The sourdough paint, maroon window curtains, teak stained woodwork, and mottled maroon carpet was not considered attractive to most of the tenants. Only the few Westerners who stayed over appreciated the mix between comfortable home and clean office. However, the gentle feel of the apartment made both former employees of NERV feel at ease. In a moment of touring the living room, Ibuki found what she was looking for.
Looking out framed, double pane windows of the living room, Maya brushed the curtains aside, and lifted the sliding portions open. This was where one would normally expect the balcony to a standard apart to be, but building codes in Tokyo-2 during the reconstruction prohibited them. Only in Tokyo-3, with the resources and new materials to make the buildings safe, did the government allow balconies. However, the management firm which leased the apartments had found the perfect location and layout to improvise for the lack of an essential apartment structure.
The sweet summer air filled with the fragrance of heat, blooming plants, and the not too unpleasant city scents wafted into the apartment with the cool breeze. "This is perfect," she smiled.
"Perfect?" Shinji asked.
Maya looked around the apartment, and pulled out a simple wooden kitchen chair. "Have a seat, and tell me what you think." Shinji retracted for a moment, but then proceeded, still confused. Walking up to the chair, he sat down briskly, looking around from side to side, trying to study all the details at once. "No," Maya sighed, gently setting her hands on the sides of Shinji's head. Immediately the boy froze, his body tensing with fear. "Shinji..." the woman breathed. "I'm not going to hurt you. You trust me, right?"
Shinji hesitated, giving her the answer she didn't want to hear. Though it didn't bother her too much. "Just... give me some time, okay?" she whispered. The Child nodded, and blushed. Maya's hands were still on his cheeks, ever so softly caressing them. "Close your eyes for a minute, and just breathe deeply."
Shinji complied, still unsure. However, the slow, deep breaths of the summer air, and the small portion of warm sunlight that passed through the window started to ease his stress. That slight smile crossed his face again, immediately causing the former lieutenant to smile even wider. "What do you think?"
"About?" Shinji asked.
"Open your eyes." Shinji again complied, and looked down over the neighborhood streets. "Isn't this the perfect place for your cello practice?" The Child thought about it for a moment, and nodded in agreement. "Excellent," the woman exclaimed. Ikari didn't know what to say. His eyes were still fixed on the view out the windows. "First rule of the apartment," Ibuki sounded in a serious note. "This is your space for free time. Use this for those times when you need to relax."
"Can I study here?" Shinji asked, just as serious as the former lieutenant.
Maya shook her head. "Shinji, you have the entire apartment to study in. Well, except my room, you can't study there." Both roommates blushed at that. "But this place is meant for you to express yourself. It's meant to be a sanctuary from the requirements of life. Play the cello as loud as you want, draw if you want, whatever, so long as you only enjoy yourself at this spot."
"Am I... required to enjoy myself?"
Ibuki raised an eyebrow. "You're not required, Shinji," she started. "But I'd like to think you'd want to."
"Okay," Shinji breathed, letting his smile hold on his face. "I'll try."
End of Chapter VII
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