"We're The Band"
Chapter 10: Enter the Preacher's Son
A Tuesday Afternoon – Misato's Office
Asuka and Misato sat across from Misato's terminal ready to continue with the day's lessons in tactics and operations. This had been the normal routine for weeks now, and while Asuka would only admit it under duress, she was actually having fun learning from Misato.
"So, to continue today, we're going to go over the status reports I receive from the specialist instructors for Rei and Shinji," came the mostly neutral statement from Misato. Asuka perked up at this. She hadn't been able to get a clear picture of what they were going through and how well they were doing since neither Rei nor Shinji were all that curious themselves. Plus, it would be interesting to see what professionals thought of them – especially her baka.
"Let's start with Rei," and with this Misato cued her terminal.
"Captain Ayanami's progress through the precision shooting curriculum is on pace. She has completed the timed sprint course with distance shooting in the top 5 percentile."
At this point, the instructor's voice dropped out and video of Rei sprinting from a prone position to the next prone position and taking a controlled shot at a 500 meter target was played along with insets of the target results.
"It is noted that Captain Ayanami has autonomic control exceeding average values for students in this course. This is a primary factor in her success at precision shooting. However, during stalking training, it was observed that she has trouble changing her point of view to accurately reflect a potential observer. While she is still able to obtain adequate capability in concealment, there are lapses and the instructional staff consensus is that she has the potential to become uniquely skilled based on her control and patience. It is recommended that she receive additional instruction in this area at the end of the course."
Some other minor items continued, but Misato cut it off and initiated the status report on Shinji. Video of Shinji sparring with his instructor and performing particular movements played across the screen as the instructor's voice over summarized his observations.
"Captain Ikari's progress has exceeded instructor expectations. It appears that his past combat experiences have not become the serious stumbling block initially believed. His physical conditioning is acceptable and overall reaction speed and strength place him above average of past students. His mind is quick and his ability to adapt to situations is remarkable. However, his emotional control is below average. In response to this deficiency, we have accelerated the mental discipline aspects of the curriculum."
At this, the video images shifted to show Shinji going through meditative exercises and physical endurance training while under mental stress such as being asked to solve complex problems. Then, the video returned to Shinji sparring with the instruction staff.
"It should be noted that in this next video sequence, Captain Ikari's potential is revealed as he manages to push an attack through the instructor's defense."
The video scene shifted and the playback speed slowed to show Shinji sparring with one of the agents from Section 2. To Asuka's eyes, she saw Shinji mostly holding his own, but as she watched more closely, she saw a subtle change. Shinji's tactics began to evolve drawing the agent further and further out of good defensive position until he finally slipped his attack through and instead of delivering the killing blow to the agent's throat he merely tapped it with his finger tips. The two stepped back and bowed to each other – a surprised look on the agent's face that he was unable to mask.
"Captain Ikari has developed an almost instinctual response to hand to hand combat situations. Based on video review of his prior EVA battles, his unarmed combat skills had been latent and merely needed to be accessed on a more regular basis." The status report continued to drone on, but Asuka had tuned it out and was contemplating the change in her Shinji. He was starting to grow strong in his own way and that held an appeal to her, but also triggered some of the latent insecurities about their relationship and was he growing out of it?
"Asuka?"
Misato's voice brought Asuka out of her daydreaming, "I'm back. Sorry."
"Ok. Knowing the current strengths and weaknesses of Rei and Shinji, if the three of you were in the following situation . . ." and Asuka's education continued through the afternoon.
Later That Afternoon – NERV Break Room
Asuka was sipping a soda while waiting for Rei and Shinji to make their appearance. It was a nice chance to do some thinking about Shinji. She kept coming back to a central question in their relationship like picking at a scab – why, after all of her behavior had he been subjected to, did he still love her? They had talked about it in the past, but she still had trouble reconciling it with her original opinion of him as weak and spineless. As she wrestled with her thoughts, the subject of those thoughts made his appearance in the break room.
"Hi Asuka-chan. Were you waiting long?" asked Shinji as he came up to give her a hug and kiss.
"No, not really. I was just thinking," was the distracted response from Asuka as she tried to focus back in on the "here and now".
Shinji was immediately on alert. While Asuka had changed, mostly for the better in his opinion, there were some aspects of her that probably would never change. He patiently waited for the other shoe to drop as he sipped his soda. As he watched her face, he saw the subtle changes that signaled she had resolved to ask him something, especially given that they were alone with as much privacy as anyone ever got within headquarters.
Asuka, for her part, had decided to just ask him again and dig until she got an answer she could live with. Deep within her, she knew that she wouldn't be able to move on with their relationship and her own healing until she knew.
"Shinji, I want to ask . . . why?"
Shinji put his soda down and drew Asuka to the same battered couch they had sat on before. As he took her hands in his, he knew instinctively what she was asking and that the answers she had heard had not helped her reconcile the view she had of him before with the view of him now.
"You remember when you first arrived? You were like a typhoon roaring through our lives – powerful, determined, and unrestrained." Asuka bit back the angry retort that had started to form knowing that Shinji was right, and Shinji could feel the tension ebb and flow in her hands. He raised his hand to caress her face and watched her eyes close as she luxuriated in the sensation. "While I may have been weak and fearful, it did allow me to be the willow in the face of all of that power. I suspect that if I had a stiff spine, I would have broken as many of the strong trees fall in the face of a typhoon. It's almost like the martial arts teachings that I'm getting now – you must let the whirlwind pass through and around you. Bend to the forces, but don't break. But, there needs to be the will to recover."
Shinji drew her closer. "It's like I told you before. I found my will to recover in the possibility of us, in the example you set, and in the hope you gave. But, it did take something big like Third Impact to 'wire my stuff together' as some of the agents say," explained Shinji with a bit of a rueful grin since 'stuff' wasn't the word the agents had used.
"Baka-kun, that's gotta be the corniest thing you've ever said to me," giggled Asuka. Shinji stiffened in surprise until he realized that she was teasing him again. They sat quietly for a few minutes before Shinji felt that it was time to find out what was going on.
"Asuka?"
"Hmm?"
"Why the sudden curiosity in my deeper psychological motivations?" In truth, Shinji knew he wasn't very good at humor and his feeble attempts were more humorous because they were feeble, but it was his only card to really play.
"Oh, no reason."
"Asuka."
She gave a little sign and began to fidget and play with his fingers. She had been caught and was struggling to give her fears a voice. All her life, she had merely locked them away because that's what she thought the strong did, and now, when she desperately wanted to be strong for this boy and the life they were sharing, he was asking her to not be. Shinji had seen this activity play out many times. He had tried many ways to deal with this but had found that the only one that had ever worked was to be patient and allow Asuka come to terms with what she wanted to say. But, he had recently learned a way to speed that along. He rubbed her back a few times and ended with his hand under her hair and massaging her neck. As he felt the tension subside, he knew she was about ready.
"Misato showed me a status report from your martial arts teacher as part of a tactical problem. I was proud of you on how far you've come and the inner strength you're growing. Heh, you looked like Bruce Lee . . . " Asuka's voice trailed off a little as her resolve waivered.
"But?" Shinji gently prodded – if she just kept going, it would come out.
"I started to worry that if you got strong enough, you wouldn't need me. That if you kept growing, we'd grow apart. I'm afraid that I'll lose you," choked out Asuka between clenched teeth and sniffling. She hated this part. She still hadn't gotten used to admitting problems, and while it didn't feel like it used to, admitting she had problems and insecurities still bothered her.
Shinji was stunned. Luckily, his hand continued to massage Asuka's neck and his other closed around her fidgeting fingers. "Asuka, we were meant to be together. I'll never leave you." Gently turning her head so she could see his face, he continued, "You know I've never been able to lie to you. I promise. I'll always be yours."
Shinji gathered her close as he had a sudden realization. "Asuka-chan, if you're worried about us growing apart, why don't we grow together? You don't have to be Asuka Langley Soryu – Second Child, Greatest Evangelion Pilot, Savior of Humanity. Be Asuka Langley Soryu – fourteen years old, prettiest, smartest, most popular girl in school, and my love."
Asuka was quiet. He made sense – damn baka – and her well-honed cynicism didn't sound the Liar! alarm. But, she knew this wasn't some soap opera on television. She wasn't going to have to think about this a lot more, but she was willing to accept it. Besides, she could always make Shinji do what she wanted because she knew the ultimate truth – girls always have their guys wrapped around their little fingers, right?
"Shinji, when did you get so philosophical and wise?"
"Master gave me a fortune cookie after practice," retorted Shinji.
In the hallway, Rei and Misato looked at each other as they listened to the laughter. They had been in the hallway for most of the conversation and had heard enough to know that another land mine had been avoided. With some hand signs, Misato told Rei that they were going for a short walk and would come back to get her brother and his girlfriend later.
Later that Evening – Study Session at the Katsuragi Abode
Toji, Rei, Shinji, Hikari, Kensuke, and Asuka had given up on their history report and had settled for some impromptu vocal practice. The report was on the teacher's favorite topic – Second Impact. Shinji detested history for that simple reason and was putting forth no effort. Rei and Asuka, just like Shinji, knew the truth about Second Impact and were mentally exhausted in trying to censor out what they were allowed to say from what they knew and what was being taught. Toji and Kensuke were more focused on snacks and jokes, leaving Hikari as the only one actually trying to write the report. Hikari had finally thrown in the towel when soda had come out Kensuke's nose when Toji and Shinji had made him laugh while he was trying to take a drink.
They had listened to a song that Asuka had passed around and having downloaded a karaoke track for it, the girls stood and decided to serenade the boys with Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and Asuka's clear voice began to echo through the apartment.
Billy-Ray was a preacher's son
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along
When they gathered round and started talkin'
That's when Billy would take me walkin'
A-through the backyard we'd go walkin'
Then he'd look into my eyes
Lord knows to my surprise
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, oooh, yes he was
It was a bit of a novelty to have the girls singing while Toji, Kensuke and Shinji merely listened. In fact, each of the boys was thinking the same thing – how do we get them to do this more often?
Shinji looked up to see Asuka's eyes on him. He'd always been a little slow when it came to the emotions surrounding his relationship with Asuka, and today was no exception. He'd missed it all through rehearsal. This was her message to him. As the realization dawned on him, a broad smile crossed his face.
Being good isn't always easy
No matter how hard I try
'Cause when he started sweet-talkin' to me
He'd come and tell me everything is all right
He'd kiss and tell me everything is all right
Can I get away again tonight?
The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, Lord knows he was
Asuka saw the smile spread on Shinji's face as her Baka finally got it. The love in his eyes raced through her like a warm wave, and she started to dance for him. It was sultry and full of passion, yet to Toji and Kensuke, that was all lost on them. It was just dancing. In fact, as Rei and Hikari added the backup vocals, Toji had achieved a sort of tunnel vision that only showed Hikari and the devoted puppy look on his face confirmed his complete enthrallment in the siren song.
How well I remember
The look that was in his eyes
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly
Takin' time to make time
Tellin' me that he's all mine
Learnin' from each other's knowing
Lookin' to see how much we're growing
Asuka had danced herself to Shinji and knelt down in front of him to caress his face. Shinji was in heaven. Asuka was singing to him as he had done for her so many times and to feel the emotions and the sense of belonging was almost overwhelming.
And the only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, oh, yes he was
He was the sweet-talking son of a preacher man
I kissed the son of a preacher man
The sweet-lovin' son of a preacher man
Ahh, ooh, ahh...
As the music faded, the boys applauded, whooped, and hollered to Hikari's embarrassment and Asuka's delight. As they sat down, Rei saw the dreamy look on Kensuke's face and, having learned at the hand of two of the greatest living teasing masters, attacked without mercy.
"Thinking of Takeda-san, Kensuke?"
Kensuke turned several shades of scarlet as his friends laughed. Study break over, they all refocused back onto the report due tomorrow.
After Class and Before Club the Next Day, School Halls
Shinji stood patiently in the hallway waiting for Asuka and Rei, so they could head to NERV and find out what latest torture Maya had thought up for them. They'd been held up with what he supposed was a girl thing. As he was waiting, he absently fended off the advances of some of the younger girls. Ever since the dance, the combination of guitar player and Eva pilot had rocketed him to idol status much to the amusement of Rei. In fact, Rei had observed that it was like some sort of sick joke on the student population that the most popular boy and girl in school were now going out after having shown next to no interest in dating. She had even relayed the fact that some of the girls were particularly frustrated that Shinji wouldn't even consider going out with them as they felt they could be nicer to him than Asuka could.
Shinji noticed a group of boys walking purposefully towards him including the boy whose hand he had stepped on at the dance. He already knew that there was no way to avoid them – the halls were too crowded to run and some of them were probably faster anyways.
"Hey, twerp."
Shinji turned to the boy who spoke. He was, not surprisingly, the biggest of the group. Shinji did notice the smirk on the face of the boy with the bandage on his hand. Shinji merely looked up at the larger boy with a question on his face. On the periphery, he noted that most of the kids around him had backed away leaving a small clearing. They had recognized this group as a group of popular boys who had a reputation for being bullies.
"I bet you think you're all that, but let me tell you that you're nothing. You should leave Soryu to real men."
Shinji's discipline held and he didn't just laugh at that statement outright. "You're wasting your time, but if you want to try, I'm not worried about you," was the surprising statement from Shinji. Asuka and Rei, who had just rounded the corner, were astounded that such a bold statement could come from Shinji.
"What? What did you say?" snarled the boy.
"Deaf as well as dumb? I have even less to worry about that I thought," mused Shinji to the astonishment of all within ear shot.
Without warning, the boy punched Shinji landing the blow square on the side of Shinji's face. Shinji staggered back a step, but his knees didn't buckle much to the chagrin of the bullies. Shinji tasted blood in his mouth and a part of his mind was acutely aware that his martial arts teacher would be disappointed that the blow had landed.
Flashback – NERV Dojo
Shinji stood in the 'horse stance' while Seifu continued with the lesson.
"Captain Ikari, what is the difference between matches here in the dojo and combat?"
Shinji, whose legs were on fire, valiantly attempted an answer to end the suffering. "Combat is more real because death can be an outcome."
"Captain Ikari, death can be an outcome here in the dojo. Given your lack of focus today, I will explain. In combat or other encounters, there are no rules. There is no nice bow to start. There are no 'Gentleman's Agreements' on what can and can not be done. Like with animals, it is only about survival. Therefore, you will do what must be done to survive."
"But, Seifu, what about honor?"
"How can there be honor in fighting dogs? Honor is to be had in holding to your standards and expectations, not in the combat itself."
End Flashback
Shinji turned to face the bully who was more than a little surprised that Shinji didn't just drop to the ground and cry. Shinji was deaf to the shouting and heckling from all of the other kids in the hallway including Asuka and Rei. In fact, Shinji was only concentrating on the bully and his friends.
Shinji tried to block the next punch but ended up feeling his ribs give under the blow. Shinji had his opening, though, and grabbed the boy's ear and twisted savagely. The boy screamed in pain as the thin skin holding the ear to his head began to tear and blood began to run down his neck. As the boy twisted, trying to relieve the pressure on his abused ear, Shinji drove his fist into the boy's solar plexus silencing the screams. Releasing the ear as the bully doubled over in pain, gasping to fill his lungs, the hard area of Shinji's forearm close to the elbow flashed up to strike the bridge of the boy's nose, breaking it with a sickening crunch and another stream of blood. Shinji, mercifully, allowed the boy to drop, unconscious, to the floor of the hallway.
The rest of the pack was stunned that the pack leader had been taken down. The two obvious lieutenants snarled and attacked, but Shinji had already moved into the first of them. Shinji was mostly calm inside and his perception was that everyone in the hallway was moving in slow motion. He absently noticed Rei running to get a teacher and Asuka trying to push through the sea of kids to join in the fight. He also noted, almost mechanically, that by the time Rei returned with the teacher, this fight would be over.
Shinji's foot came crashing down on the foot of the first boy who screamed as he felt the arch in his foot collapse. Shinji shifted his feet to regain solid footing and dodged a kick the second boy launched. Shinji immediately recognized an opponent with at least some training. He dodged the second kick, and noting that his opponent was angry and was slow to recover from trying to deliver an out of control kick, Shinji shuffled his feet into a side kick delivered to the torso of the unlucky boy, sending him stumbling backward into the row of lockers with a crash. Dazed, the boy tried to punch one of the three Shinji's swimming through his field of vision only to be rewarded with a roundhouse kick sending him blissfully unconscious to the floor. Shinji turned to the rest of the pack with an unnaturally calm, almost serene look, on his face only to have them back away with fear evident in every one of them.
"SHINJI!" Asuka's voice finally penetrated and he turned to see his girlfriend having finally made it through the crush of now gossiping students. "Are you alright?"
Shinji merely nodded his head before noticing that it hurt to breathe as he felt the flaring pain in his ribs. Shinji allowed himself to be guided into a classroom by Asuka as he heard the voices of teachers rushing to the scene.
20 minutes later
"So, young man, you need to see the medical staff at NERV," pronounced the paramedic. "You're stable right now, but you should go straight there. And keep the icepack on your face."
Asuka and Rei helped Shinji get up so they could get to the car that Misato had sent. Rei, having dropped into her ultra-efficient "Wondergirl"-mode had alerted Misato to the events at the school. Shinji passed by the three boys being packaged onto gurneys for their ambulance ride to the hospital with a look of regret. He hadn't meant to hurt them so badly. Asuka noticed the look in his eyes.
"Shinji," she said, gaining his attention. "I saw and heard the whole thing. They deserved what they got. You have nothing to be ashamed of."
"Yeah," sighed Shinji. He didn't want to argue, right now. He just wanted to see the doctor and get patched up.
The children boarded the car and were whisked away towards NERV and the awaiting medical staff.
NERV Medical Section – Waiting Area
Three tired and anxious women sat waiting for news from the medical staff. Rei merely sat outwardly calm but with inner turmoil. Misato waited but split her attention between the door to the medical area and the pacing, ranting red head.
Said girl was pacing in the small area, ranting and muttering about bakas, inefficiencies, death and destruction to all idiot boys, and other favorite topics. She hadn't been happy when the medical staff had returned her to the waiting area after repeatedly trying to follow Shinji from room to room. In fact, there were a couple of nurses who suffered a little trauma of their own.
Misato had already heard from Rei, Asuka, and Section 2 about the incident. She had also been contacted by the school's principal. She and Shinji were to be in his office first thing in the morning. She also knew from Section 2 that the agents who were Shinji's sparring partners were pleased that he had been able to defend himself but a little disappointed about the injuries he had received. Misato smiled inwardly, if she knew the testosterone fueled agents, there would be some serious teasing and associated hazing in the dojo when Shinji was deemed fit enough to resume martial arts practice.
All of this activity stopped as they heard the door to the waiting area unlock and watched one of the doctors enter. A fairly experienced physician, he stood patiently as the tidal wave of questions from the three women washed over him. After a few moments, the questions subsided and he could respond.
"Shinji is fine. No concussion. He has a bruised cheek and needed some stitches where his cheek was cut on his teeth from the blow. He has a sheet of instructions on the stitches and what his diet should be until the cut is healed – probably in about a week. He has two cracked ribs, but no additional complications were detected. All in all, he's in pretty good shape. We gave him some painkillers, and he has the prescription anti-inflammatory medication to use as necessary. Now, the cracked ribs mean Shinji will have limited physical exertion for 6-8 weeks. We'll need to see him every week, but his past history is that he heals pretty quickly. From a duty status perspective, martial arts' training is suspended until we clear him. Research activities are limited to the restrictions we've provided Lieutenant Ibuki. Any questions?"
The relieved trio luckily didn't have any additional questions to ask as everything halted as Shinji came through the doors. He was greeted with hugs and, from Asuka, kisses as well until they noticed the wincing from the over-exuberant hugging. The doctor made a graceful exit as the small family made their way home.
Author's Parting Shots: Sorry about the half-baked philosophy J. I know this is supposed to be a WAFF/Romance fic, but I couldn't resist. I saw 'Fearless' and had to put a fight scene in – welcome to my world muwahahahahaha.