"We're The Band"
Chapter 21: Dirty Deeds
Roof - Lunchtime
Asuka had gone in search of Shinji. He had not come to morning classes after his meeting with the Principal, and Asuka's worry meter had pegged out. Having quickly worked her way through the building, her last location was the roof. As she squinted at the bright sunlight, she recognized the familiar figure of Shinji standing at the railing surrounding the edge of the roof.
As she approached, Asuka noticed that Shinji's knuckles were white on the railing; his back was rigid, and she could see his jaw muscles working as he practically shook with stress. Wrapping her arms around his chest as she hugged him tightly from behind, she brushed her nose against his ear and was rewarded with a sigh as the tension washed from him.
Shinji had been staring sightlessly out at the horizon trying to control the frustration and anger from his meeting with the principal. With Asuka's arrival, a comforting presence reasserted itself, and he placed his hands over hers as he regained a semblance of composure. There was a fleeting moment when he wondered if this was why his father had been so willing to sacrifice everything to regain his lost wife. A shudder went through Shinji on that realization, and he focused on the warm presence at his back and the soft breath against his neck to distract himself from the unwanted comparison.
"Shinji, do you want to tell me about it?"
Principal's Office – Morning
Shinji had been waiting most of the morning for the principal to call him. It was obviously some sort of power game. Shinji recognized it as the same sort of thing his father would have done and had seen it in action around NERV. Misato had warned him about this sort of thing and that knowledge allowed Shinji to sit calmly and do a version of meditation.
Shinji wasn't sure how long he sat on the bench in the teacher's area waiting for the door to the principal's office to open with his summons. He did realize in watching the flow of teachers in and out of the area that he had been there at least a couple of hours. In fact, he had watched with an idle curiosity as some other students were ushered into and, subsequently, out of the principal's office.
When the moment finally arrived, he walked stiffly to the chair indicated by the principal through a brusque waive of his hand and something approaching a grunt.
"Ikari, let me get right to the point. I don't like you, your guardian, or how the organization you work for came in here demanding special treatment for you."
Shinji had been taught some very expensive poker lessons - expensive by the standards of a boy who had never had any money - by the agents on the security detail. Those lessons kept his face an expressionless mask, but the emotions had begun to seethe within Shinji. Unbidden, the words of AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" began to underscore his thoughts to go with his clenched fists below the edge of the principal's desk.
If your havin' trouble with your high school head
He's givin' you the blues
You wanna graduate but not in 'is bed
Here's what you gotta do -
Pick up the phone
I'm here alone
Call me any time
36 24 36 (slaver)
I lead a life of crime
"I don't appreciate having the classes my students are assigned to 'suggested' to me and my staff. I have also discussed your disciplinary file with your previous principal and let me assure you that you will receive no such leniency from me for altercations on school grounds."
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Your havin' problems in your life of love
You got a broken heart
He's double dealin' with your best friend
That's when the teardrops start -
Pick up the phone
I'm here alone
Or make a social call
Come right in
Forget about him
We'll have ourselves a ball
The principal paused here to closely observe the student in front of him. Normally, students showed obvious signs of fear or at least stress. This boy in front of him merely looked back with a calmness that could almost be called serene, but unknown to the principal, Shinji's nails had dug deep into the palms of his hands as his fists trembled with rage not fear. Having been a primary focus during what was essentially Armageddon, an angry bureaucrat created no feelings of fear or intimidation, but they did create feelings of annoyance. A little put off by this, the principal launched once more at this new challenge.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
If you got a lady but you want her gone
But you ain't got the guts
She keeps naggin' you night and day
Enough to drive you nuts -
Pick up the phone
Leave her alone
It's time you made a stand
For a fee I'll be happy to be
Your back door man
"Ikari, I have my eye on you. I don't like disruptions to the normal flow of activities here at this school. Your special circumstances and non-standard schedule are, in my opinion, an enormous disruption. I will not allow you to derail the educational process! Get out of my office," roared the principal with a thunderous slap to the desk.
While startled at the theatrics and the desk pounding, Shinji merely stood and said, "Yes, sir."
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Concrete shoes, cyanide, TNT
Done Dirt Cheap
Neckties, contracts, high voltage
Done Dirt Cheap
Shinji found himself on the roof of the school, unable to face his classmates while the frustration boiled and seethed within him. The embarrassment and indignation were almost too much to take, and in this state is where Asuka found him.
Present
Although furious, Asuka focused on the feel of Shinji's hands – warm and rough with musician's calluses, yet gentle and soothing. It was a pleasant distraction that allowed the powerful, deductive part of her mind assert itself.
"Shinji?"
Eyes closed, Shinji's only response was a soft, "Hmmm?"
"We've been 'dressed down' by the best of them including 'The B-', um, your father and Fuyutski. What else did the principal say that has you so upset?"
Shinji paused in his contemplation of the tranquility that descended on him with the mere arrival of Asuka. Turning within her arms to return the embrace, Shinji's voice was strangely light. "You would have thought that I would have figured out by now that I can't hide anything from you," was his reply as he nuzzled her hair.
"You're avoiding my question, Baka-kun. I'll have to make you pay later for doubting my supremacy."
Shinji took a moment to gather himself – not so much for what he was going to say, but against what he thought the response would be. "Well, he did make a veiled threat against you and Rei. Something along the lines of being additional pressure points to make me do what he wants."
Shinji was more than a little surprised that the nuclear event he had braced himself for, did not come to pass. Opening his eyes, he saw a pair of slightly amused eyes staring back at him.
"Shinji, you're such an adorable baka," laughed Asuka as she cupped Shinji's cheek. "You're just the messenger. I am angry at the principal not you. But, right now, I'm thinking that we should provide a much more . . . calculated response. First steps to that end are to talk to Rei and Misato. We should be able to come up with a suitable response." A little chill ran down Shinji's spine as Asuka finished off her last statement with a feral grin. He had watched the three of them scheme with a morbid fascination as truly chilling punishments were devised and deliveries planned.
Shinji had noticed that Asuka was much more calculated in her responses now. He secretly suspected that the burden of leadership placed on her by Misato pushed that more than the "I'm just more mature now" answer that he had received.
"But, it's lunch time, and our friends are worried that you weren't in class," continued Asuka with a gentle tug at Shinji's arm breaking his reverie.
NERV – Almost Dinner Time
Shinji, Rei, and Asuka had just gathered on the main gangways after one of the first sync tests with the LCL substitute. Although it was a short test, the group is visibly tired.
"That stuff is nastier than LCL," declared Asuka as she tried to squeeze the foul liquid out of her hair. "It's going to take forever to get this crud off of us."
"At least it doesn't smell like blood. That was just disgusting," replied Shinji as he chose to just stand and drip.
"Like this unique smell that Ibuki's discovered is better," shot Rei referencing her current favorite movie – Star Wars: A New Hope – that she considered a classic and had practically worn out the DVD. "It's just an amazing blend of so many of my favorite smells like sweat and dirty gym socks."
Shinji stared in utter surprise at the amount of sarcasm dripping off of Rei's comments. "I think you've spent too much time around Misato."
"I need a shower even though I doubt I'll ever feel clean," came from Asuka.
"We could scrub for ages and probably still stink," agreed Rei taking Asuka's cue on ignoring Shinji.
Shinji just stood and watched as the two headed to the showers, their voices fading into the background noise of machinery. He headed in roughly the same direction to the men's locker room lost in thought. Asuka and Rei had spent most of the trip to NERV plotting and strategizing against the school. They had some creative and, in some cases, frightening ideas. Their little group did keep stalling out as they tried to determine exactly what they wanted to achieve with their attack plan on the principal. Total domination of the school seemed possible, but just not really worth the effort.
Shinji continued to think about this as he stood under the hot shower. Unaware of how long he had stood under the pounding spray, he simply exited to notice that while he was drying off, his fingers had pruned.
Dressed and de-odorized, Shinji made his way to the break room rendezvous point only to find that he still had beaten Rei and Asuka out of the shower even after his day dreaming. With a sigh, he stretched out on the couch to await their arrival, ultimately, drifting off into a little nap like every other teenage boy.
Author's Parting Shots: Well, this took longer than I expected - real life excuses and all that. I did decide to make each chapter a little shorter to, hopefully, be able to bring them out faster.