Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.
S
Asuka found herself pacing her small bedroom, hugging herself and rubbing her shoulders. Her stomach was a flight of butterflies, and it was four in the morning, over two hours before she needed to wake. She knew she was drawing it out, that it would seem longer, but she couldn't sleep anymore. A curious mixture of fatigue and alertness fell on her, and to fill the time, she unpacked her already packed bag, to re-pack it. She, Misato, Rei Ayanami, and Shinji would be guests aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt for two days while she sailed into port, escorting the barge carrying her Unit Two. The thought of piloting her Eva gain excited her, but at the same time, she felt a terrible trepidation. Unit One had started to feel familiar, almost like home.
Then, there was the other. Kaji was on the Roosevelt. When Misato told her, it almost surprised her. She hadn't thought about him for days, maybe weeks. All she could think about was the night before she was bundled off in a great hurry, when he'd soundly and finally rebuffed her advances. She lifted the nightgown she'd bought with a wicked smile. It was light, airy, mostly transparent white trimmed with red ribbons. It would actually cover her from her knees to her neck, but at the same time, do a very poor job of concealing anything. It was a far cry from the t-shirt and shorts she normally slept in, a habit she'd picked up from Misato without realizing it.
Holding the skimpy gown, she tried to imagine Kaji opening the door to her cabin and falling silently into bed with her, but every time, she forgot herself, and she discovered someone else in his place, someone shorter and slighter without the shaggy two day growth of beard and sloppy grin, someone quiet and unassuming but strong and kind, and in her mind's eye, she'd reach up and slip his glasses off as she…
She shook her head, startled at herself. Quickly, she folded the gown and pressed it into her suitcase, on the very bottom in case Misato decided, for some reason, to look over what she'd packed. On top of it she layered on series of dresses, the tight fitting yellow sun dress she so favored and a green one and several others, to suit her many moods. She had the bag near to bursting and had to pack her cosmetics and accessories and second, smaller bag. She'd bought a bottle of her own perfume, the same kind Misato wore. She packed that last, turning the small, multi-faceted bottle in her fingers, and something in the back of her mind tempted her to leave it behind. She ignored it, biting her lip, and slipped it into the bag anyway.
When Misato and Shinji's alarm clocks went off, Asuka was already sitting at the kitchen table waiting for them in an airy red dress with matching shoes and a ribbon tied around her throat, tapping the balls of her feet on the floor, head in hand. The bird emerged from his tiny home, looked at her, turned around, and disappeared back into his icy abode. Shinji had already stocked him with layers of half-frozen sardines that would feed him while they were gone.
Misato, shockingly, got dressed and ready in about ten minutes, and in no less than her full dress uniform, and without any complaint. Asuka eyed her warily, feeling that something was amiss. She rummaged around for a can of chilled coffee and leaned against the counter while Shinji got ready.
"Did you bring your homework?"
"What?" Asuka blurted. "No, why would I-"
"Because you're failing all your classes."
"I took them all already!" she snapped. "I've already graduated from high school, and university."
"Yes," said Misato, "but you didn't take them in Japanese. Look, I don't expect you to pass them all with flying colors, you're busy being an Eva pilot and that's more important, but I want you to get a full social experience while you're here. All I ask is that you pass."
"Bah," Asuka waved her hand.
"So," said Misato. "I've made arrangements. Shinji will tutor you."
Asuka sat up, stiffly. "What?"
"I asked him, and he said yes. He gets perfect scores on everything, it's incredible. He's like some kind of robot."
"Being a pilot is a little more intense than being someone's intern," Asuka grumbled. "It's not like he's going out saving the world on a regular basis."
Misato snorted. As if on cue, Shinji emerged, his hair still wet, dressed in his school uniform of all things. Asuka looked him up and down.
"Is that what you're wearing?"
"I don't really have anything else," he said, sheepishly.
Asuka rolled her eyes, tilting her head theatrically. "Of course. You and Rei, peas in a pod. I swear, it's like you're brother and sister."
Shinji merely shrugged.
"Shinji," said Misato. "Do you have the school stuff?"
He nodded, lifting his suitcase. It was markedly smaller than Asuka's bags.
"Get our bags, will you?" said Misato, striding out of the room. "I have a phone call to make."
"My tutor, huh," said Asuka, after she'd left.
"Yes," said Shinji. "Misato asked if I could-"
"Yeah," Asuka said, eyes narrowing. "Cute. If you try anything-"
"Try anything?" he said, innocently.
Asuka sighed. "Never mind."
Misato poked her head in the kitchen. "Come on," she said. "We have to get to the VTOL in half an hour."
"VTOL?" said Shinji.
"What's the matter," said Asuka. "Never flown before?"
The question seemed to startle him. "No," he said, "Not on one of those. Or at all, really."
"Just be glad you didn't eat a big breakfast," said Misato. "Let's not be late."
Maya had a headache. The screens in Central Dogma always gave her a headache, but it was particularly bad today. She'd been on watch for three hours, next to Hyuga and Aoba, and they were all profoundly bored. Aoba seemed content to bop his head along to some inaudible music, while Hyuga was poring over some magazine the newspaper put out, all color pictures of Superman in action. He reacted to each image as though it were unfolding before him, cringing or pumping his fist. Maya flicked through page after page of synchronization data and occasionally glanced at the blue pattern detection system, alternately wishing it would spike and sent out an alarm, and cursing herself for being childish. It would be better if there were no more alerts ever again.
Her phone rang, and she put it to her ear.
"Maya," said Doctor Akagi, "Can you come down to my lab for a minute? I need a second opinion on something."
Dutifully, Maya stood up, stretched, and half-limped out of the control room on a sleeping leg. She had pins and needles burning in her thigh by the time she reached the elevator and rubbed the muscle, knowing it wouldn't do any good but doing it anyway just for something to do. She felt less stiff by the time she reached the cage level where the doctor worked, and forced herself to walk normally when she slid her key card through the security reader and opened the door.
She yelped as she walked inside. There was a stranger in the doctor's lab, a woman of similar build in a labcoat, but with short close-shorn brown hair in a spiky pixie cut.
"Who are you?" Maya demanded, reaching for the phone.
When Doctor Akagi turned around, it took Maya a moment to recognize her. She looked completely different, without her bleached bob. She'd gotten new glasses, too, still light wire frames but a slightly different shape to the lenses.
"Well?" she said.
"Wow," said Maya. "You look really pretty." She winced. "I, um, I mean, what did you-"
Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Maya. I knew it would be a shock. Do I look that bad?"
"No!" Maya said hurriedly, "You look really nice."
The two women stared at each other for a moment. There was an uncomfortable stillness.
"Did you, um,"
"Yes," said Doctor Akagi. "The synch data for the new pilot just came in."
"New pilot?" said Maya.
"Yes," said Ritsuko. "New to us, anyway." She held up a manila folder. "He's from the German branch, apparently been training for years…"
Maya touched her chin. "That's weird. Asuka never mentioned another pilot."
"Asuka talks to you?" said Doctor Akagi, quirking an eyebrow.
"Well," said Maya, looking at the floor. "No, but if there was another pilot she'd say something about his ratios, I'm sure."
Ritsuko nodded. "Good point. Sit down."
Maya's breathing quickened as she sat down next to her mentor, who opened the folder. She blinked, and her breath caught, when she saw the folder clipped inside the dossier. He looked like Rei. Well, sort of. His facial structure was different, and had he different coloring, they actually would have looked nothing alike, but as it was, the resemblance was striking. His hair was a fine silvery color, and the way he had it cut reminded Maya of a baby chick- it was actually kind of cute. His skin, though, his skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and he had the red eyes of an albino, but even redder, not from the lack of pigmentation that showed blood underneath, but a crimson hue of their own. It was unsettling, as if he was watching her through the picture.
"What's his name?" said Maya.
"Kaworu Nagisa," said Akagi, carefully pronouncing the name as she turned the page so they could read together. Maya found herself staring at the way the older woman tilted her head slightly while she read, and craned her neck over the papers.
She shook herself out of it. "There isn't much here. He goes to a private school, there's no parents listed, no address, no vital statistics, just his synch data, and some of it's missing."
Akagi nodded.
"What's missing?"
Maya looked again, touching the figures and charts with her fingernail. "I don't know, Doctor-"
"Maya," she said, sharply. "Stop calling me that."
"What?" said Maya.
"My name is 'Ritsuko.'"
"Oh," said Maya. "I'm sorry, doc-"
The look silenced her. "Say it with me. Rit-su-ko."
"Ritsuko," said Maya.
"Better. What you're not seeing is the secondary and tertiary feeds. We have enough data in here to calibrate out systems, but nothing more. He's fundamentally different from the other pilots, including Rei, and look at his actual ratio."
"Wow," Maya breathed. "That's almost twenty percent higher than Asuka's."
"Yes," said Ritsuko. "Don't you think it's a little odd she never mentioned him? That she goes around claiming she has the highest ratio?"
Maya shrugged. "I thought you helped select the pilots. Doesn't the Institute use some of the data you've collected?"
"I review some of their findings," Ritsuko said, glancing away. "I've never heard of him. I can look up when Asuka went to the bathroom during a test five years ago, but there's no records of this Nagisa at all."
"That's really weird," said Maya. "Why…"
Ritsuko sat up, and took in a deep breath, then nodded.
"Why does he look so much like Rei? Asuka isn't like that."
Ritsuko looked around, nervously. "I can't talk about that."
"Oh," said Maya. "I guess I should get back upstairs. I have to…"
Ritsuko touched her hand, just ghosting her fingertips over the back of her palm. "I was hoping I could see you privately."
"You mean, you want me to help out in the lab?"
"No," said Ritsuko. "I was thinking, actually… coffee."
"Oh," said Maya.
Shinji was beginning to grow tired of the VTOL. Flying in the big-bellied craft was cramped, uncomfortable, and loud, with the constant drone of the engines in his ears. It was quiet enough in the cabin to speak, but no one was talking. They'd lost sight of land over an hour ago, and there was nothing but the deep blue sea spread out underneath him. It occurred to him that he'd be more comfortable outside. Misato had fallen asleep, and her head was resting on Shinji's shoulder, forcing him to remain still for fear of waking her up. Asuka was staring daggers at her, between glances out the window.
Rei was seated across from him, and Shinji had to fight not look at her. Fuyutsuki told him they were related somehow, but that information was buried under the confusion he felt. Before, she'd been strange and almost frightening with her pale skin and roughly shorn hair, but after Misato and Asuka had their hands on her for an afternoon, she looked like a different person. Instead of her customary school uniform she had on a sky blue sun dress, and she was wearing makeup, making her cheekbones stand out more, and her eyes seem a little bigger. They'd gotten her a haircut, and it closely resembled the way she normally wore her hair, but trimmed neatly and brushed to a high sheen, like polished steel. She stared vaguely at the floor, looking at nothing, obviously deep in thought.
Suddenly, Asuka grew excited, pulling at her safety harness. Misato woke up, blinking.
"What?" she slurred.
"I see it!"
Shinji sat up turned to look out the window beside him. Streaking across the blue expanse was a great armada of ships and boats, pulling long white trails behind them. They were arranged in tight circles, the smaller vessels ringed around the larger ones- two aircraft carriers flanking a gigantic barge, mostly covered with a brown tarp of enormous size. Here and there, the wind lifted the edges and he saw the bright crimson armor of the Evangelion underneath, Unit Two.
He undid his seat belt and turned to get a better look. He saw through the tarp, and the Eva within, lying face down in a shallow pool of LCL that was being pumped over it with hoses. There was a plug mounted in the exposed neck joint, and an umbilical was coiled alongside it, ready to connect to the Eva itself, as if they were expecting to power it up. Something about that made him nervous.
"Shinji," Misato said, "Come on, strap in. We're going to land."
He did as he was bid and pushed back into the seat, trying to look queasy as the craft sharply rolled to the side and began to turn. Asuka grabbed the straps of her safety harness and actually looked a little green, pressing her lips together so hard they turned white, and closing her eyes. For her part, Rei simply looked out the window and leaned into the turn, seemingly unconcerned. The center of the fleet swept out of view as it came under the nose of the craft, and they leveled out. The engines started to swing, spinning up to maintain level flight, and the entire craft tilted backwards at a lazy angle.
The broad deck of the carrier swept out on either side as the VTOL descended, slowing and moving from a diagonal descent to a straight vertical one, pushing this way and that with the thrusting of small jets. It came to rest with a squeal of tires as the engines rapidly spun down, dropping the entire weight of the vehicle on the landing gear with a sudden lurch that made Asuka put her hand to her mouth.
"Are you okay?" said Shinji.
She pinched her eyes shut and nodded, then gradually took her hand down. "Fine," she said, hoarsely.
Shinji undid his harness and stood up, steadying himself as the floor shifted slightly beneath him, and dropped into the seat beside her.
"I said I'm fine," she snapped, quickly.
"I know," he said. He helped her stand up, and she didn't begrudge him. Rei and Misato, meanwhile, freed themselves and stood, Misato pulling at their bags.
"Shinji," she said, "Help me here."
Gingerly, he let go of Asuka and took their bags in bundles, two or three in each hand, and waited for the ramp to open. The back of the craft scissored up with a mechanical grind and a long ramp slid out, extending from the floor before it clicked into place and lowered to the deck of the carrier with a series of thumps. Shinji shouldered some of the bags and held the rest in his hands as he descended, ducking his head under the door. Asuka leaned on Misato on her way down, and seemed to brighten a bit once she was outside.
The sky above was perfectly clear, and a sharp, chill wind whipped across the deck, tugging at their clothes. A tall man with a ponytail flailing to his side like a flag stood with a knot of officers in white uniforms on the deck. Shinji fell in behind the others as they walked towards them, Asuka moving slowly as she grabbed her skirts to hold them down, Rei not seeming to care.
As the group drew closer, the officers fanned out, the man with the ponytail took the lead. Shinji took a liking to him almost immediately. He had an easy manner, carrying his jacket over his shoulder. There was someone else he hadn't noticed before, though, a thin, willow boy dressed in clothes eerily similar to his own, pale of skin with silver hair and haunted red eyes. Shinji blinked. In the boy's chest, tucked behind his breastbone, was a red sphere, pushing his lungs and stomach out of the way, smooth and hard.
Shinji froze.
"What are you doing here?" Misato said, icily.
The man with the ponytail grinned at her. "Supervising the transfer. I-"
"Kaji!" Asuka squealed, darting forward. She locked her arms around him and pushed him back a step with the fury of her embrace. He blinked, holding his arms out wide, and looked nervously at the naval officers.
"Asuka!" Misato snapped.
Rei just looked confused, until she saw the boy. She froze, her hands trembling slightly, eyes wide. Shinji watched them both, suddenly aware that he was being ignored.
Asuka detached herself. "I missed you so," she beamed, "It's been so dreary and dull without you, trapped a half a world away."
Kaji deliberately distanced himself, moving towards Misato. "So," he said, "You're here for the transfer. I didn't think you'd bring the kids."
"Asuka can help us with the inspection," said Misato, "and Rei… doesn't get out enough."
The silver-haired boy appeared beside Kaji. Shinji blinked, realizing he'd somehow lost track of him for a moment. He moved with an easy, quick grave, always smiling slightly, as if at some private joke. Rei took a reflexive step back.
The boy bowed slightly. "Greetings. I am Kaworu Nagisa."
"You're the Third Child?" Asuka said, her voice wavering slightly.
Nagisa fixed her with his crimson eyes, taking a step closer to her. "Yes. You must be Soryu. I have heard ever so much about you."
He quickly clasped her hand, lifted it, and bowed forward, as if it meant to kiss her knuckles. Asuka darted back, hair whirling.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Forgive me," said Nagisa. "I was brought up to observe the old continental courtesies. I apologize if I offended you."
"Don't ever touch me," Asuka growled.
Shinji stepped to her side immediately, almost without realizing it.
"And this," said Nagisa, turning to him, "Must be Ikari. I've so been looking forward to meeting you. I imagine we have much in common."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Shinji said, flatly. Asuka glanced at him.
Nagisa had already moved on to Misato. "Ah, and my commanding officer. I have looked forward to meeting you, Captain. All of Nerv Berlin is enchanted with your beauty and grace."
Kaji snorted. Misato's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Uh," she said, "Thank you, Kaworu. I-"
"Ayanami," he said, drifting past her. "I have been so eager to meet you. I was hoping you would permit me to call you Rei."
Rei said nothing, eyes wide, and took a step back. Nagisa continued to approach her, until Shinji dropped the bags he held and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
Nagisa turned over his shoulder and looked back, eyes narrowing, and shrugged out from Shinji's grip. The two regarded each other.
"Ah," said Kaji, "The officers have invited us to dinner in the admiral's stateroom," said Kaji. "If you would all follow me—"
"Alas," said Kaworu, "I have my studies. I think I shall take supper in my cabin. Good day to you."
As the boy sauntered off, Shinji took up the bags again. There was a silence on the deck, save for the cutting winds and the distant sounds of sailors about their business, scurrying about in orange jumpsuits. The officers were making their introductions to Misato, and when they finished, the group continued along the deck towards the "island", the huge tower that jutted from the side of the deck.
Asuka fell in beside him, and Rei beside her. "What the hell is he supposed to be?"
Shinji shrugged. "He gives me the creeps."
Asuka glanced at Rei. "Are you… cousins with him or something?"
Rei looked at her, considering for a moment. "I do not know who he is."
A young man in a crisp white uniform approached them.
"I'm Ensign Baker," he said, talking to Shinji. "I'm told you're carrying the luggage."
Shinji glanced at the profusion of bags hanging from his shoulders and hands.
"Yeah," said the Ensign. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll show you your quarters so you can drop everything off."
Shinji nodded, and broke off to follow him.
Rei observed.
Last week, Doctor Akagi had informed her that her medication schedule would be changing. Rei paid it little mind, as she felt no particular interest in what her drugs were called or what they actually did, so long as she was able to keep up with the regimen, and they performed their purpose. Since they had been visibly reduced, she presumed that whatever conditions they were meant to prevent were less of a problem, and she would be weaned off of them. It was for the better, as she considered the swallowing of her heaping dose of medication a mild annoyance.
Something was different. Before, she had been building a web of discrete facts on her wall, pinned in place and connected with color coded lengths of yarn to draw them together into a cohesive whole. Now, she no longer needed the pieces of yarn. Facts and bits of data appeared to her everywhere, arising from the environment to catch her attention, and she could see the connections between them without a visual aid, as though the world was connected with an endless, intricate tapestry of strings, vibrating like the strings on a guitar.
Though she had never met this Mister Kaji, she could tell from the way he carried himself that he had combat training. The way he occasionally patted his hip and his gait dragged slightly to one side suggested he was carrying a concealed firearm and was unconsciously worried it would be seen. As she watched him banter with Captain Katsuragi, new connections formed, new understanding. The way he continuously glanced at her breasts and hips and took in slightly deeper breaths when he was close to her suggested a strong sexual interest. Her behavior had changed as well, her movements becoming tighter, more nervous, her breathing shallower, and her pupils had dilated. She allowed a thick strand of hair to fall loose from her ponytail, and continuously flicked it with her hand while she spoke to him. This behavior was at odds with the way she scowled.
She turned to Soryu and Ikari. Their behavior was similar, but clumsier. Soryu constantly bumped into him, and though there was adequate room at the table for them both, sat so near to him they might as well have shared a chair. Even though they did not speak to each other with any frequency, both stared at the other. A pattern emerged where she would stare at him until he noticed, their eyes met, and they both looked away, followed by him re-starting the same pattern of activity, over and over. He said something to her about studying for a chemistry test, and she blushed deeply as her back arched slightly.
"So Rei," said Kaji, turning to her. "How's it going?"
She put her fork down. It was an effort not to stare at it. She knew, somehow, that the lattice structure of this particular alloy was-
"Rei?"
She shook her head. "I am sorry. How is what going?"
"Life?"
"East," said Rei, taking another bite of food. It had potassium benzoate in it, for its preservative properties.
"That's, ah, not what I meant."
"Our Rei is quite a character," said Captain Katsuragi.
Rei blinked. She was reasonably certain she was not a fictional character.
"I mean," Kaji said, glancing at Katsuragi with a feigned annoyance, "How do you feel? How are you doing?"
"It is cold in here," said Rei, "and the only part of this dish I would like to eat is the 'mashed potatoes.' I dislike eating meat."
Kaji stared at her. "Okay," he said.
Rei stared at the cut of beef on her plate. The smell of it disturbed her. She pushed it back from her place. The naval officer standing nearby with a towel over his forearm looked displeased with her, but said nothing.
"Oh," said Misato, "I forgot to mention that. Rei is a vegetarian."
The plate of meat was removed, and a few minutes later, a plate of greens and cut vegetables was set before her. She continued eating without particular interest in her food.
"Shinji," said Kaji, rudely talking through a mouthful of food, "You've been living with the girls."
"I am not a girl," Soryu said, sharply. "I'm a full grown woman."
That was not correct. Though she had likely reached ninety-eight percent of her likely adult height, Soryu was not fully developed, and was aware of her condition. She had mentioned to Horaki during their last shopping trip that she needed to purchase brassieres with a slightly larger band and cup size.
Kaji looked at her blankly for just a second. "As I was saying, how's it been, living with these two beauties?"
"I," Shinji started, blushing furious, "I, um, that is… nice, I guess?"
"Oh," said Kaji, "when I was your age, I would have killed to be you. I imagine every boy in class envies you, living with Asuka."
Rei flicked her gaze back and forth between Katsuragi and Soryu. They eyed each other in a curious way. Katusragi scowled at Kaji all the more furiously, while Soryu slowly lowered her fork to her plate, an unusual look of confusion on her face. She began glancing back and forth from Kaji to Shinji.
Shinji looked frustrated. He leaned his arm on the table and slipped his glasses off, and pinched at the bridge of his nose. Rei started, dropping her fork. Something arranged itself in her mind, tightened, and she held her breath. She could feel it, like a presence behind her, something she couldn't see no matter how she turned.
Then, she burped.
Everyone at the table stared at her.
"Excuse me," she said politely.
Kaji shrugged, and turned back to the others. "So, Asuka. Are you and Shinji an item yet?"
Rei watched from the corner of her eye, curious. She expected a violent, angry reaction from Soryu given how the subject seemed to inflame her when Horaki broached it, but was confronted with quite the opposite. Soryu stood up slowly, pushing back from the table without looking at Kaji.
"I'm full," she said. "I'm going to my quarters."
As Soryu left, Shinji stood up, but Captain Katsuragi took his arm. "Let her go," she said.
Shinji looked confused and somewhat saddened, staring at his feet as he glumly sat down to continue eating, resting his cheek on his hand. He stirred the food on his plate idly with his fork, poking at his own salad. Rei cocked her head to the side. She did not know he disliked eating meat, as well. Captain Katsuragi's voice indicated actual anger when she spoke.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she said, sharply.
Kaji stared at her. "What?"
Katsuragi shook her head. "You're a jerk."
Captain Katsuragi stood and left, without speaking, leaving her alone with Shinji and Kaji. Rei continued eating, somewhat relieved at the silence. Shinji finished the last of his food, stuffing his mouth so that a sprig of lettuce was sticking out from between his lips, and hurried away. Rei glanced after him.
"So," said Kaji. "Just you and me, huh."
"Yes," said Rei.
"So," he said.
"Yes?"
He looked at her. He was noting the color of her hair and studying her eyes.
"I guess albinism is a quality they look for in pilots."
"I am not an albino," said Rei.
"Huh."
"So tell me…"
"Yes."
He folded his hands in front of his face and leaned forward. "How do you like being a pilot?"
"I do not like or dislike it."
"Then why do you do it?"
She shrugged a small shrug, and pushed her plate back.
"It's funny," he said. "I've read your file, but it doesn't say anything about your parents, or where you were born."
"I cannot speak about this to you," said Rei, standing up. "I have been ordered to report any such inquiries."
She watched him. His eyes flickered, but he continued smiling, at least with his lips. He tensed visibly, weighing her.
"Oh," he said, "I meant no offense. I was just curious."
"I see," said Rei. "I must go."
"How could he say that?"
Asuka looked around. The cramped quarters gave her no answer.
The room was abominably small. It made Shinji's little closet look like a hotel suite. Everything was plastic and metal, carefully designed to take up as little space as possible. There was an old tube television on a cracked plastic cart, but she didn't think it worked. Sitting on the thin mattress of her bunk, she stared down at her bags and wondered what the hell she was doing here. She was the one who asked Misato come out for the inspection of Unit Two, and somehow that turned into Shinji and Rei tagging along.
There was a knock at her door.
"Asuka? It's me," said Shinji, muffled by the metal.
"Go away," she said thickly.
"We're supposed to study for the physics test-"
"I don't care about the stupid physics test," she shouted, her voice cracking. "I said go away."
Silence.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" she shouted, pitching her shoe at the door.
She folded her legs under and rested against the wall, fuming. How could he say that? She came all this way to see him and he just ignored her, fawning all over Misato and then to ask her about Shinji. Hikari was always singing that stupid song too, how kind and gentle and handsome Shinji is, like he was the best thing in the damned world. She was getting so sick of it, she was about to tell Hikari to ask him out herself if she thought he was so damned great.
She watched the clock ticking, wondering if it was right. She heard voices in the hallway outside, the others talking to one another; Misato shouting, Rei's soft, inaudible comments about something, and Shinji sighing. She'd recognize that sound anywhere. She pulled her knees up and leaned on them, brooding.
She might have fallen asleep, she wasn't sure. The next time she glanced at the clock, it was after midnight, and she felt stiff, her eyes sticky, her mouth dry. She slipped down onto the floor and opened her back, pulling it up onto the bed. She pulled out the gauzy nightgown and her terrycloth robe and laid them out, and then stripped out of her clothes, leaving on only the red satin underwear she'd chosen. She dropped the nightgown down over her head, pulled on the robe, and stole out into the hall in her soft slippers. Kaji's room was down the hall, past Shinji's.
She padded on the balls of her feet, careful not to make any noise, pausing at Misato's door. She was snoring loudly. Asuka relaxed a little and made her way up to the door, and rapped on it softly. She heard a groan, the sound of the lock ratcheting open, and the hatch swung in. Kaji stood there in all his glory, tie discarded, shirt open, a pencil gripped in his mouth. He had some papers or something spread out on his small desk.
She stepped just inside the door, but he didn't budge. Trembling, her fingers fumbled with the knot of her robe. Kaji's eyes went wide, and the pencil dropped out of his mouth. Almost roughly, he grabbed the collar of her robe and closed it tightly around her neck. Her hands dropped to her sides.
"No," he said sharply, but quietly. "No, no, no. Go back to your room and go to sleep."
"But-"
"I said no."
"Please, just let me-"
"No, Asuka! I'm old enough to be your father! Go back to bed!"
She hugged herself. "But you're not my-"
"I said go," he said, thickly.
She stumbled backwards, and he closed the door in her face. She stood there shaking, staring at his door. Her eyes stung fiercely, and she fought so hard to keep them dry, it hurt. She snuffed as she ran the sleeve of her robe under her nose. She knocked again, and this time there was no answer but silence. She made a soft, strangled sound that was half cough and half sob, and darted back to her room. She tripped over something, maybe her own feet, and spilled across the floor, another half-sob gurgling out of her throat.
Shinji picked her up. He knelt down and slid his arms under her shoulders and her knees and scooped her off of the floor. She curled up and he carried her, turning sideways to carry her into her room. He brushed the suitcase off the bed as he rested her on it, supporting her head as she came to rest on the pillow.
He turned.
"Don't go," she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she even realized it.
"I'm not," he said as he swung the door shut, nodding to someone outside. He latched it and came over to crouch by her side. "Are you okay?"
She shook her head.
"Did he… did Mister Kaji…"
"No," she said quickly, sharply. "It's not like that."
"Oh."
He sat down on the bed. "Do you want to… umm… talk?"
She watched him for a second. "No," she said, "I don't want to talk."
She sat up. She grabbed him by the collar –he still had his stupid school uniform on, at least the shirt, anyway- and she kissed him. He jerked back for an instant, and then he kissed her back, slipping his arm around her waist. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled, dragging him onto the bed with her. She broke from the kiss, and the look of shock on his face, the way his breath quickened, excited her. With both hands on his shoulders, she pushed him down onto the bed, threw her leg over him, and sat on his waist. He had on a pair of sleeping shorts, and the skin of her thighs whispered against his.
"What are you-"
Fingers shaking wildly, she yanked furiously at the knot on her robe, only tightening it worse, and finally just gave up on it, tearing the robe open with her bare hands. Shinji tried to say something but made only a soft glrk sound, his mouth hanging wide open. She fell forward, sliding her hands over his chest.
"Wait," he said, before she could kiss him again.
She froze. Her lips trembled so hard her jaw shook, and when she tried to speak only a soft gurgling came out.
"D-don't," she managed at last, "D-d-don't you like me?"
Slowly, carefully, he put his arms around her again, and turned until she fell onto the bed, and they lay side by side. He straightened her robe, covering her long legs. She folded her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. She bit down sharply on a sob.
He pressed her head onto his shoulder and held her, rocking gently.
"I do," he said. "You're the bravest person I know. You're smart and talented and kinder than you think you are."
"No," she said, her voice strained from dryness. "Don't you like me."
"Yes," he said softly. "Sometimes, I look at you and…"
"What?"
"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."
She put her head on the pillow, facing him, so close their noses almost touched. "Then why don't you want to… you know…"
He swallowed. "I do," he said, "but I'm not ready. I don't think it would be good for us."
"Why not?"
"We're too young," he said, "and you're too upset. It's not right. If we… did… that… and you w-woke up in the morning and hated me, I think I might die."
She looked at him for a while, just watched him breathe. "You mean that."
"Every word."
She sat up. "Okay," she said, softly.
"Stay here," he said, getting up. "I'm going to get you some water. I'll be right back."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Shinji's heart pounded in his chest, and he was afraid he would throw up. When he closed the door behind him, he doubled over on his knees, panting. He stood up, watched his trembling hands for a moment, and seemingly of their own accord, they curled into fists. He stomped down the hall, clenched hands at his sides, until he reached Kaji's room. Gently, he tapped on it three times with his knuckles, and waited. There was no response. He tapped on it again.
"Go away," the man said from inside.
Shinji almost bit his tongue. "You have five seconds to get away from the door."
"What?"
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five."
He raised his hand, uncurled his fingers, and gave the door a sharp tap with his fingertips. It slammed open, banging hard against the inner wall. Papers and folders tumbled from the shelf lining the inside wall in a pile, and the lock mechanism clanged off the wall and bounced along the floor. Kaji stood up, pushing backwards from his desk as Shinji stepped inside. He closed the door behind him.
"What did you do to her?"
Kaji backed up until his knees hit the bed, hands up in surrender. "I swear, I didn't touch her!"
Shinji reached out, grabbed him by the collar, and hauled him off his feet. "What. Happened."
Kaji stared at him in shock. "Don't-"
Shinji dropped him onto the bed and leaned on the wall. "I'm not going to hurt you," he drew in a breath, flexing his fingers. "You have five minutes to explain what just happened, or I'm going to Misato. She'll hurt you."
"Asuka has a crush on me," Kaji said, sitting down. "It's a thing teenage girls do. She always flirted with me, tried to crawl in bed with me a few times. Nothing happened."
Shinji watched him as he spoke. "Go on."
` "She… she has… I can't tell you the specifics, but Asuka has had a rough life. I tried to let her down gently before she left Berlin, but I guess it didn't take. I didn't want to upset her, but I couldn't get it go any further. You saw how she was dressed. She won't stop."
"You're not lying," said Shinji, folding his arms over his chest.
"No, I'm not. If I was going to take advantage of her, I already would have. She might as well be my daughter. Katsuragi and I raised her together for years before she left for Japan."
"I…" said Shinji. "I'm sorry. "
Kaji sat down. A small, matte black automatic pistol slid out of his waistband and bounced on the mattress. He picked it up, checked the safety, and put it on the desk. Shinji eyed it warily, until his hand left it.
"Don't worry," said Kaji. "I'm not going to shoot you. Not like it would do me any good."
The door swung open. Misato stood in the doorway, a pistol in her hand, eyes wide with fury. She looked down at Kaji, grinding her teeth as she spoke.
"What the hell is going on?"
Kaji started to speak, but Shinji waved him off. He turned to Misato, gently taking the gun out of her hand as he told her what happened. She listened, nodding. When he finished, she took the weapon back and slid it in the waistband of her skirt, under her jacket.
"I didn't mean to upset her," said Kaji.
Misato said nothing. She stalked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her, and left the pair alone. Shinji sighed. "I have to get back to her."
"Yeah," said Kaji. "You know, you need to be more careful."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No," said Kaji, standing up. He cleared his throat and pointed at the remains of his door's latch on the floor. "At some point, I'm going to have to explain that, Shinji. You're lucky Misato didn't see it. She might wonder how you can bend steel with your bare hands."
Shinji's mouth clicked shut, and he sucked in a breath through his nostrils. "I," he said, "I uh, I work out…"
Kaji smirked, but sadly. "Tell her I'm sorry, will you?"
"No," said Shinji. "You will. When it's the right time."
He nodded, and Shinji knelt down. He picked up the lock mechanism, looked at it and the void in the door where it once rested. Carefully, he bent and folded it with his fingertips until he could jimmy it back into place, giving it a final tap with the heel of his hand to seat it.
One he was out, he ducked into his own room and scooped up a bottle of water, and headed back for Asuka.
Misato caught him in the hall, her hand on his arm.
He froze. If she heard Kaji…
"You're going back to Asuka's room."
He nodded.
She smiled a sad smile, and let go of his arm to ruffle his hair. "There's maybe one boy I would trust in the entire world."
Asuka was sitting on the bed when he returned. She'd taken the time to change into a simple tee shirt that hung down past her knees. He twisted the cap off the water bottle and handed it to her.
"Took you long enough," she snapped.
"Sorry," he said. "I forgot that I have no idea where the glasses are."
She smiled at him and took a drink, coughing a little. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
She shifted herself until she was against the wall. His heart fluttered in his chest as he laid down beside her. Neither of them moved for a time, the both of them simply staring at the ceiling. He folded his hands on his chest, and suddenly his throat felt dry.
"So," he said.
"So."
"Umm, Asuka?"
"What?"
"Will you go out with me?"
She made a choked sound that was mostly a laugh. "I guess so."
He closed his eyes, and his breathing became more regularly. He hadn't slept in a week, so he was actually tired.
"Hey," said Asuka.
"Yes?"
"Was that your first kiss?"
His eyes flicked open. She wasn't looking at him.
"Sort of."
"Sort of?" she said, sharply.
"I got kissed on the cheek once."
"Oh," said Asuka, "By who?"
"A girl from my village. Her house burned down when I was about thirteen. So it was my first real one. You, I mean."
"Did you like it?"
"Yeah," he said.
"Good. Maybe we can do it again sometime."
She rolled over on her side, facing away from him. He closed his eyes again, and drifted off to sleep to the gentle sound of her breathing.
Misato felt cold as she buttoned up the shirt of her dress uniform. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, grabbed her shoulder rig from the bed, and shrugged into it, the checked the safety on her service pistol and slipped it into the holster. Pulling on her jacket, she crept down the hall and gently knocked on the door to Asuka's room. Asuka opened it, dressed in a yellow sun dress, one side of her hair still down and unbound by her nerve conduction clip.
"What?"
"Are you ready? We need to go see Unit Two."
"Whatever," Asuka muttered, pushing the door shut.
Misato caught it with her hand.
"Nothing happened," Asuka said, sharply.
Misato looked at her. Ice crystals may as well have formed in the air.
"Where's Shinji?"
"In his room, I guess," Asuka shrugged. She pushed the door shut as Misato let go.
Misato looked at the blank metal for a moment and stepped back, crossing her arms. Shinji's door opened and he emerged, his school backpack slung over his shoulder. He glanced at his watch, and stared at the floor, never quite meeting her gaze. She motioned for him to follow and stepped away from Asuka's room.
"What happened this morning?"
Shinji sighed, and there was a slight tremble in his shoulders. "Nothing, I… she just said 'get out.'"
Misato frowned. "That's it?"
"Yeah," he said, softly.
She folded her arms over her chest. "She's a complex person, Shinji. She just needs time to-"
"The kanji we use for the word 'she'," Kaji interrupted, appearing behind her, "means 'a woman far away.' To us men, women will always appear to be on the shore across. It means there is a river deeper and wider than the ocean that divides men and women."
"Very poetic," Misato growled, "Louse."
Shinji smiled softly to himself. "I can't swim," he said.
"I guess not," said Kaji. "If you two don't mind, I must take my leave. I'm taking the VTOL back to the mainland."
"The transfer-" Misato started.
"You'll handle it, Captain," Kaji grinned, "I trust you're as capable an administrator as I remember. If your skills have grown with your rear end, you should be fine."
Misato took a swing at him but he neatly ducked under it, waved mockingly, and darted off, heels clanging on the decking. Shinji scowled at him, but said nothing. Rei and Asuka emerged from their rooms, Rei glancing at everyone else in confusion.
"There was an event last night," said Rei.
"Let's move on," said Misato, forcing herself to smile. "We have work to do."
Panting, an officer in whites ducked into the hall, winded from a hard run. He doubled over for a moment, then stood up, his face a mask of blind panic.
"Captain," he panted, "We just got a call from the mainland. They've detected an angel in the water."
Asuka lit up. "Let's go. I have to get to Unit Two."
The officer blinked. "Pilot Nagisa has already started the activation sequence."
"What?"
Misato winced. She turned and followed behind Asuka, up the narrow stairs and down a hallway to an elevator that carried them to the bridge. Asuka may as well have melted the walls from her fury. Her hands were balled into fists and she was visibly grinding her teeth, and her bloodshot eyes narrowed. Rei stepped into the elevator last, and the doors closed. Misato pinched the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes. She'd only just woken up, and already had a pounding headache. She needed to get to the bridge of the carrier, get in touch with headquarters, and formulate some kind of battle plan to relay to a pilot she hadn't had a full conversation with, yet.
When the doors opened, she realized something was amiss.
"Where's Shinji?"
"He said he had to get life jackets," said Rei.
Asuka rolled her eyes. Misato shook her head. "He'll find his way up here. Let's go."
Shinji's cape flapped behind him like a flag as he ran across the deck, waving his arms. The sailors were preparing airplanes to fly, lining them up along the rear quarter deck of the ship. When he tapped one of them on the shoulder, the taller American turned around, stared at him for a second, and then his jaw dropped.
"You can't fly these things against an angel," Shinji shouted, gesturing at the ocean. "It's suicide!"
"We have orders!" the sailor shouted back, waving him away. "I don't know what you're supposed to…"
He trailed off as Shinji put his arms to his sides and lifted off, the deck of the carrier pushing away and tilting beneath him. He went up and up until he could see the rings of ships surrounding the barge carrying the Evangelion. In the distance, he saw a great whitecap, a moving funnel of white water rocketing towards the fleet. Beneath him, he heard metallic scraping sounds and the grinding of servos, and the huge tarp on the transport barge shifted, sliding forward, almost liquid. A great red hand reached up and pulled it away, dumping it all at once into the ocean as Unit Two stood up and crouched. The huge ship seemed to tilt and pitch beneath it, like a rowboat under a standing man.
The Evangelion turned around and gazed out at the oncoming angel, and then in a fluid motion, sprang towards another ship. It crossed the gap with a wide-legged leap, came down with feet planted on either end of a destroyer, and then on the rebound as the ship sank and bobbed back up, jumped for the carrier. It landed with a crash, feet scraping across the deck, and took up an umbilical jack from the rear end.
Shinji dipped down and headed for the carrier. The Eva spotted him, catching him in its four-eyed gaze, and swatted at him. He dodged the back of the Eva's hand, blinking. The other arm shot out and grabbed him in an iron grip, and tossed him into the deck. The world spun crazily as he fell, and with a great thud he bounced off the flight deck, leaving a shallow dent in it. He rolled onto his feet, shaking his head, and looked up. The Eva ignored him, turning as it plugged the jack into its back, and crouched on the edge of the carrier. The entire ship leaned crazily. At the aft launch catapult, a jet snapped free and slid across the deck.
Quickly, Shinji jumped, passed between the Eva's legs, and put himself between the jet and the others waiting with their wings folded, and caught it with his hands against the fuselage. The carrier started to roll, groaning, but not before one of the planes with folded wings toppled off the side, the nose tipping up as it rolled from the edge. He let go of the one jet and ran to the other, diving over the side. The pilot stared at him in mute appeal as the rear of the jet hit the surface of the water and crumpled. Shinji dropped down onto the nose, grabbed the cockpit windshield, and wrenched it free as the plane started to sink. The pilot scrambled at his safety harness until Shinji took hold of the ejection seat and pulled it free of the plane. He crouched, pistoned his legs under himself, and landed on the deck with a bounce.
He ran through the cheering crew, lifted off, and flew up the size of the "island" to the bridge. As he tapped on the window, the sailors and officers stared at him in mute awe. Misato pointed to her side and ran until she could open the door and step out onto a metal walkway.
"Superman!" she shouted.
"What's the plan?"
"Don't worry about the angel, the Eva will handle it. The Kirov is going down, the angel rammed it!"
He nodded, turned, and saw the plume of water in the distance where the destroyer was beginning to slide under the surface. Again the Evangelion swiped at him as he lifted off, but he was quickly out of reach, sweeping over the fleet with outstretched arms. He saw the huge white form of the angel under the surface of the water, and clenched his teeth, moving past it.
Sailors ran to the rails and shouted at him in Russian, pointing to the great frothy bowl of water surging into the Kirov's side. He took a deep breath, reared up, and dove down into the water with a splash. The force of it nearly sucked him into the great rent in the ship's hull. Bubbles trickling from his mouth, he half-swam until he simply started to fly underwater, ducking under the surge. He found the keel with his hands, pressed his shoulders against it, and pushed. The ship groaned as he lifted, but she held, the metal quivering in his hands. He let go and let himself slide along the side to the tear in the metal.
Digging his fingers into either side, he pulled the metal together, closing his eyes and pressing his teeth together with effort. When it was close enough, the water boiled in his face as the heat of his vision turned it red hot then white hot, until it softened and the metal began to merge. He pressed it all together, shaping it into a rough patch with his hands while the water cooled it. He lifted up out of the ocean, past the cheers on the deck, and back out into the air.
He broke the surface just in time to see the angel surface. It broke out of the water with a thundering wail, its great cetacean body streaming back into the water like rain. It opened long jaws filled with sharp, triangular teeth, and though it seemed to lack eyes, it fixed on Unit Two. Its bulk slammed down on the deck of the carrier, and he realized that it was nearly as big as the ship itself. Its jaws clamped down around Unit Two's leg and tugged, and the Eva's feet went out from under it. There was a tremendous, rippling boom as the Evangelion fell onto its back and was dragged into the ocean in a spreading wave of metallic sparks. It grabbed feebly at the side of the ship, pulling loose a whole section of the flight deck before it went under.
The entire carrier turned, the sudden shock of the movement torturing the metal, unleashing a series of hollow booms and an eerie, almost living wail. The umbilicus rolled along the deck until it hit the torn section, where it caught, tugged, and began to fray. Thin layers of the outer sheathing uncoiled from it, one after another, until the shiny silver of the cable itself became visible. The carrier began to dip down again.
He dove down, punched his fists through the water, and continued spiraling downwards, sheathed in bubbles from the descent. The thundering of the carrier's propellers was above him, and below he saw the Eva and the angel, glowing eerily against the silhouetted shapes of flooded buildings, like broken down old trees. They couldn't be far from the coast, now. Following the cable, he headed for the Eva. As he reached it, there was a mighty thump, the water shoved him away, and he saw the cable whipping back upwards, suddenly relieved of the tension.
The angel turned, dragging the Eva under itself, the latter flailing helplessly at its eyeless head. It pulled, and twisted, and finally tore free. Thick red blood clouded the water, and in horror, Shinji realized that Unit Two had torn loose and left its own leg behind, still clamped in the Angel's mouth. The Eva reached up and pulled a knife from its shoulder pylon and plunged it into the angel's flesh. Shinji dodged a gigantic fin, the water tugging at him from its passing, and ducked around under it. The thing saw him, opened its jaws, and the water suddenly turned stone-hard, a massive shockwave pushing him backwards, tumbling head over heels through the deep. He caught himself, turned, and headed back for it.
As he did, the Eva grabbed its own severed leg, turned it, and wedged it deep in the angel's jaws. The Eva pulled back, turned the knife in its hand, and plunged it deep into the thing's mouth. Shinji glimpsed the red sphere inside just in time to see the knife sink in to the hilt. The sphere cracked, the angel screamed, and with a great jerk in the water, it went limp and began drifting ever downwards, the Eva sinking alongside it, unmoving.
Shinji passed behind it, found the umbilical jack, and thrust his arms into the holes for the locking prongs. He grunted, bubbling the water in front of his face, as he pushed upwards, dragging the Eva along with him. He pushed harder, and faster, and the word grew lighter until he dragged the Evangelion up out of the water. When his head broke the surface he shouted, forcing all the air from his lungs at once. The Eva started to shift in his grasp, no longer supported by the water, and he felt the back armor assembly coming apart under the strain of being lifted by the umbilical jack. With no other option, he pulled the Eva back over the side of the carrier, bring it gently to rest on its side on the flight deck.
He knelt on the black surface of the deck, panting. In the distance, he heard cheering, and footsteps racing towards him. There was a metallic thunk and the entry plug of Unit Two slid free, bobbing slightly as it came to rest in the loading position. The hatch fell open and a great gout of LCL poured out. Nagisa, in a dark blue plugsuit, lowered himself out of the hatch until he hung by his outstretched arms. Shinji jumped to his feet, but Nagisa let go and dropped the good thirty feet to the deck, landing in a smooth crouch. He stood up.
He regarded Shinji almost contemptuously. "I had the situation well in hand."
Shinji stopped. "If you say so."
Nagisa smiled enigmatically. "There will come a time when I am not so limited, and we will test one another. That time is not today."
Shinji blinked as Nagisa turned and strode off, slicking a hand through his hair before flicking a handful of LCL onto the deck. He heard shouting behind him, and turned to see Misato and the others running across the deck with a knot of naval officers. He waved at them, looked up, and took off before they got close enough to see him.
The fleet spread out beneath him again, until he was high up that he could no longer be seen. He waited a moment, then headed out to the side of the ship, took a quick look around, and landed where he'd left. His school bag was where he'd left it, wedged under a pipe with his clothes inside. He ducked out of sight to change, relived that he'd taken the time to convert the plugsuit Ritsuko gave him into a new costume; it was waterproof.
As he pulled on his pants, he felt something in his pocket. He unfolded a piece of paper, and the ink smeared from the seawater on his fingers.
"We should talk, sometime. –K"
He balled the paper up in his fist and tossed it, letting it flutter out onto the wind.
Asuka stood up on the island, high, near the bridge. She liked the sea wind in her hair. It made her feel clean. She didn't feel much else, staring at the curled, slumped form of her Evangelion. Helicopters buzzed overhead, and the other carrier escorting the fleet had flights of jets blasting by overhead, for all the good that would do if another angel attacked them. She avoided looking at the ugly ruin of Unit Two's left leg, ending just below the knee in a twisted sheathing of bent metal and cracked ceramics over the white, bloodless stump of the Eva's inner flesh. It had already healed over, gradually forming into a shapeless mass. Seeing her Eva that way hurt, but there was something else.
Misato appeared beside her.
"Kaji left," said Misato.
"Yeah," said Asuka. "He said."
"So," said Misato.
"So," said Asuka. "I don't want to talk about it."
"I know," said Misato, "but I have to."
Asuka looked at her, but Misato was looking out over the ocean, leaning on the rail.
"Asuka," said Misato. "It was cute when you were twelve and accused me of stealing him from you, but…"
"I know you're not with him," Asuka said, flatly. "I don't care. I don't care what he does, or who he does it with anymore."
She looked down at her feet as she stood up.
Misato sighed. "That's what's bothering you, isn't it?"
Asuka didn't answer. She folded her arms around herself and shrugged. She turned as she heard footsteps, and Shinji appeared, wearing a bright orange life vest, with a bundle of them in either hand. Asuka rolled her eyes, and Misato burst out laughing.
"Where did you get those?"
"They're on the walls," said Shinji.
"We'll be docking in a few hours," said Misato. "Then, we can get out of here. I, uh, I have to call headquarters."
She flounced off, half running, suddenly leaving her alone with Shinji. He dropped the life vests on the deck and peeled off the one he had around his neck, and stepped up to the rail beside her. She didn't meet his gaze, even as he watched her for a while.
"What?" she said.
"Um," he turned from her, blushing. "Well, I… I don't know. Are we…"
"What?"
"Ummm," said Shinji. He trailed off, and sighed.
She stood up, moved closer to him, and leaned on the rail beside him. Their arms touched, and the wind blew her hair over his shoulders.
"I don't say this very often," said Asuka, "but I'm sorry about this morning."
He swallowed. "It's okay. I knew you didn't mean it."
"Quit being such a doormat," she said, sharply.
"Sorry," he muttered.
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Stop apologizing all the time. That's the first rule."
"First rule?" said Shinji.
She stood up. "These are the other rules. If you brag about this to your idiot friends, I'll kill you."
"I wouldn't-"
"No lies," she said, gripping the rail so hard her knuckles turned white. "No secrets. If I'm going to have you, I want all of you for myself. Do you understand?"
He looked at her for a while in silence. Something about the way he looked made her blush, and she turned away to hide it. He stood up, took her by the arms, and turned her to face him.
"No secrets. I promise."
He leaned in, and she closed her eyes. He touched her lightly, as though he was afraid she might break. It was to her to press harder against him, slipping her arms around his back. She pulled away from his lips and rested her head on his shoulder, breathing deeply. He smelled like seawater.
Gendo craned forward over the desk as Ryoji Kaji entered his office, briefcase in hand. He said nothing as the spy rested the case on the polished ebon expanse of his desk and opened it, fumbling with the locks. He turned it around, displaying the cube of brushed metal within, resting in a foam cutout. Gendo reached in and picked it up, surprised by its weight. He rested it on his desk with a heavy thump, and folded his hands.
"Well," said Kaji. "Here it is."
"Yes," said Gendo. "No one suspects you?"
"I'm sure its absence has been noted by now, but no, there would be no reason to suspect me. I left a few red herrings behind."
"That will be all."
Kaji closed the briefcase and picked it up, lingering for a moment in silence. Gendo watched him over his knuckles, concealing the softest smirk forming on his lips.
"You've never said what this is, exactly."
"Correct," said Gendo. "There will be nothing further."
Kaji shrugged, glanced over his shoulder as he left, and disappeared through the doors. Gendo leaned back in his chair, reaching under the desk to flip a switch. With a pneumatic thump, the doors to his office locked. A section of the desk popped up, the cleverly concealed seam in the surface opening to allow a monitor to unfold from within. The feeds began to download.
He replayed the file again, as he unlatched the safety clips on the box. Carefully, he drew the lid upwards, lifting it out of rubber o-ring that held it in place. A sickly green glow bathed the room, making his reflection in the surface of the desk pale and corpselike. He grasped the crystal, an irregular chunk about the size of a lime, and held it in his hand. The surface had a slightly greasy feeling to it, like graphit, though it left no residue on his fingers. The color was curious, almost like an emerald but not quite, with a light of its own burning within.
He reached out and touched the console with his other hand.
"Do you understand?"
"No secrets. I promise."
You have been reading
Last Child of Krypton: Redux
S
Chapter 9: A Fish Story