Standard Disclaimer
Been so darn tired lately. Work has been odd, but that's just how things go in IT for a big(ish) company. Debating on getting a new cat to replace my recently departed one. Trying to keep all three plots moving at a decent pace but not to fast, hope you approve.
X-X
The Friend of my Enemy
Chapter – 8
Staring out of the helicopter's window, Shinji clenched at his stomach as another bout of queasiness struck him. Kensuke's jostling around and Touji's over eagerness to impress Misato weren't the cause of his disquiet, hell up until twenty minutes ago he had felt fine. But as they neared their destination he just felt his insides to funny, his hands shaking, and an odd feeling of dread came upon him. Not wanting to ruin the trip for his two friends though, Shinji kept these facts to himself.
"Oh man it's a whole fleet! Touji-Touji you have to look at this! I never thought I'd see a whole division of battle ships and cruisers!" Kensuke gushed as his camera filmed everything it could. The camera quickly flittered over to Misato in the co-pilots chair, and paused, as Kensuke turned back to his friends. "Thanks so much Shinji for inviting me to go with you! I owe you so much for this," he discreetly kept the camera just low of Misato's face.
Fixing his hat for the twentieth time of the flight, Touji elbowed Shinji playfully as he nodded at Kensuke's easily spotted coverage. "Don't know why you asked us to go with you over your girlfriends, but I agree Shin-man. Thanks for the invite. Not only do we get to miss school but we get to spend time with the lovely Misato-chan!" his boisterous voice filled the small cabin of the copter.
Rubbing his stomach hoping the soothing motions would ease out the ill feeling, Shinji smiled unevenly. "Well I can't spend all my time with Chizuru-san, and we haven't had a chance to hang out much since the last angel," he confessed. Two weeks of confusion with Shizuka and Rei's new fixation had left very little time for Touji and Kensuke. Honestly loving his newfound partners in life, Shinji did have to insist that Himari and Chizuru not stow onboard the trip.
Himari begrudgingly accepted his request since it was all but impossible for Shinji to be attacked while flying to an unknown location in the ocean. She had insisted on Shizuka not sneak aboard in a water bottle or other container though, claiming she still didn't trust the Mizuchi. Chizuru had been a much harder sell. Ever since their first time making love, Shinji and Misato saw a very marked change in the girl's attitude.
While Shinji was content to take to sex like a fine dessert, savoring it once in a while and with great relish, Chizuru was quite the opposite. The nine-tail had found something akin to ambrosia in the act, and any date that didn't take place at the Ikari/Katsuragi household ended in her basking in her pampering/pampered mate's skills. Chizuru was more prone now to hug, hold, and just be close to Shinji, not that he complained aloud anyway. Still uncomfortable with closeness, Shinji didn't want to offend his girlfriend, nor Himari.
"I hope Himari is doing alright," Shinji muttered, thankfully Kensuke's shouting covered it. Leaning over to see the approaching fleet, Shinji didn't know what was so exciting about it, and his nerves about meeting the new pilot compounded things. She was better than he was, according to Akagi's reports on the matter. What would that mean for him? His other main worry was Himari…they hadn't had much time together and that saddened him. With more conviction he vowed, "A date, when I get back we'll go on a date just the two of us."
Turning back to the boys Misato had a very embarrassed air about her. "Shinji-kun doesn't need to have those girls around him all the time Suzuhara-kun. I swear Himari is attached to his side whenever she can be. I keep expecting her to pop out of the back compartment when we land. And as for Shin-chan's little minx, girl is attached to his hip whenever I'm not looking! Shinji could stand to be away from HER for a little while. As for…" Misato caught sight of Shinji signaling her to stop, her eyes went a little wide catching on.
Both Touji and Kensuke turned to Shinji with stunned expressions, Touji more in pride and Kensuke abstract awe. "You dog! You never told us you popped your cherry! Our little Shin-man has become a real man!" Touji and Kensuke gave each other high-fives as Shinji put his palm over his face. Touji continued with his usual excessive energy, "And what about Ayanami, girl is all over you at school. You can't deny it after yesterday's lunch! She was literally sitting in your lap and sleeping against you!"
It was Misato's turn to take on the astonished mantle. "Shinji-kun! When did you become the player? Don't think I like what you've become, going to have to have a nice talk to you about respecting women. How would Chizuru and Himari react to knowing you've yet ANOTHER girl," Misato's voice hinted at anger but her face was smiling. Figuring out just what the captain felt was impossible.
Catching Misato's subtle reference to Shizuka, Shinji was just glad that his two friends present didn't know about the green haired deadpan snarker. Ayanami's rather drastic change in her actions, not so much her visual emotions and speech, had left not only Shinji but Himari perplexed. "I don't want to think of Ayanami-san like that. She's just confused after the last angel. Something about being ordered to protect me, or me being in her pack…she's just confused," Shinji really didn't want to think about it.
"Anyway, Chizuru-san and Himari said they'd be talking to her while we had our little trip," Shinji was quick to announce. The last thing Shinji wanted was to get a big head about his current love life less he destroy it. Shizuka was quite adamant that she was just observing him, no worries. Himari and Chizuru had some agreement between them that Shinji wasn't questioning. Rei…well that was just one big rock thrown into the pond that was his life. "I was going to tell you Misato-san, honest! Just as soon as I figured it out," he crumpled under Misato's gaze.
Laughing out loud, Kouru the pilot turned on the overhead speaker. "We'll be making our decent in a few moments now, you kids best put your seat belts on. And you Ikari-kun, seem to be quite the ladies man, so be careful not to synch it in the strap. I'd hate to have anybody upset with you for damaging the merchandise," the man laughed a little more before turning off the speaker.
Doing as he was told, Shinji tried to keep his blush from spreading to far, and was mostly successful. He wasn't a lady's man, or a playboy, or anything of the sort! People needed to stop teasing him about it, it just made him feel bad about things. Grabbing the overhead loop, Shinji felt his stomach loosen as the helicopter made its landing. Damn emotions, he couldn't/wouldn't stop them for either girl. Rei made things complex as he had to admit to having had a small crush on her after they first met.
Winking at Misato as the copter powered down, Kouru shut the whirlybird off and pulled his helmet off. "I thank you for flying with me everybody, and you Katsuragi-san are the vision everybody told me you were," he tried charming. Going to take Misato's hand, he hissed as she blatantly moved it away to fix her hair. Disengaging the locks on the doors he relented, "Can't blame a man for trying."
Feeling a little worse after landing, Shinji covered his mouth with his hand. Something just felt wrong and he couldn't tell what it was. Sitting a few moments, Kensuke was filming everything he could and Touji was running down the deck, he took several deep breaths. He felt it in pulses, waves of worry and fear that he'd never experienced before. Closing his eyes as another wave struck, he wanted nothing more than to block it out less it overcome him. Vaguely he could hear somebody talking to him, but it was hard to make out.
"Shinji-kun, Shinji-kun are you alright you look a little pale," Misato asked. Concern etched into her features, the woman was hunched over staring directly into his eyes. Putting the back of her hand to his forehead she grimaced. "Airsick? You don't have a fever or anything," she gingerly took Shinji's arm and lead him off the copter rather than give the pilot anymore time staring at her rump.
Staggering against Misato's side, Shinji nodded hoping Misato would buy it. Whatever it was, the sensation was going away, sealed back wherever it came from. "I'm good, don't know what it is really. Just started feeling, I don't know, like I've been electrocuted or something," was the best he could compare the odd sensation too. His vision clearing, he still saw Misato looking pensively at him. Patting the arm that she used to support him, Shinji remembered it helped calm Himari to have some degree of contact. "I'm fine, Misato-san, feeling better already," he nodded.
Hooking her arm with his, Misato dazzled the boy with a grin, she dragged him along after the departing duo. "Lets catch up to your friends before they get us kicked off this old derelict. If you start feeling bad again tell me though, Himari will have my head if something happens to you, and I fear how that girlfriend of yours would try to nurse you back to health," Misato's features hardened upon mentioning Chizuru.
Having a moment of insight, Shinji could see Misato's growing concern over Chizuru. She never said Chizuru's name anymore, hardly spoke to the girl when she visited, and just was more stand-offish regarding Shinji's paramour. Had he been feeling better, he'd have known not to say anything, but his brain was alight with things he never experienced before. "Are you upset with Chizuru-san, Misato-san? Are you upset with me?" he could guess the reason.
Taking a page from Shinji's book, Misato patted his arm lightly. "Not upset really, Shinji-kun. Concerned is more like it. I know what you two have been doing, don't try and hid it, and I worry she's making you do things you don't want or aren't ready for," her hand gripped Shinji's arm tightly. "As for YOU though, I am upset that you'd try and keep Ayanami a secret from me. You two haven't been…is it true what they say about the quiet ones?" Misato couldn't help but tease.
Dumbstruck Shinji could only balk at Misato's statement. Had she not been forcing them to walk he'd have come to a complete standstill. "M-M-Misato-san I-we-why would you think that we've been!" Shinji stammered flustered. He had to try hard to NOT think of Rei in a sexual way after her sudden shift into the physical spectrum. Her little bought of using his lap as a seat the day before enlightened him that she was very comfortable to have in that position. NO! Bad Shinji bad! He had a girlfriend in Chizuru and a life partner in Himari, he shouldn't be thinking like about Rei.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Touji's voice carried perfectly across the moist air surrounding the ship. "Bitch we didn't ask to see dem panties!" he slurred angrily as he continued to shout. Standing before the jock, a smug yet confident looking girl stood arms crossed.
Lining up with the other boys, Misato released her hold on Shinji's arm. "Ah Asuka you've grown since I last saw you! I see you met Shinji-kun's friends. Making acquaintances already with them? Boys this is Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Child," Misato introduced the redheaded German.
Addressing Misato as an equal not the superior that rank officially made the older woman, "Oh Misato! So glad to see you again, I've grown in all right places too." Cocking her head back, eyes closed as she let the lowers bask in her superiority, Asuka made a content humph. "And as for the little love tap, it was payment for seeing me. Quite the bargain wasn't it? Not like you boys see girls of my caliber," she gave her chest a little pat. "As for you," she pointed at Shinji, "you're as she explained. Though I think she could better than you, slayer."
SLAYER! Shinji's eyes went wide, this girl knew about his odd title as demon slayer? "Uh, y-yeah I did fight those angels didn't I," he prayed she took the hint to not go into more details. Just who was this girl, why did she know about him? And while he had to admit she was attractive, in a unique foreign way, he wasn't a sucker for a pretty face. "And p-payment for what?" he looked at the slap marks on the other two boys faces.
"Bitch! Shinji's girlfriend is ten times the woman you are, and that body guard of his is about as attractive as Chizuru! So back the fuck down or I'll give YOU a show," Touji's hands went to his slacks as he literally vibrated with anger.
"Girlfriend! But what about…" Asuka turned to Shinji, eyes laced with venom as she grit her teeth. "Bastard," she yelled and slammed her fist into Shinji's stomach sending him to his knees. Tossing her hair over her shoulders, Asuka sauntered off leaving the assembled to tend to the wounded pilot totally confused.
X-X
As the residents of Tokyo-3 were meeting one Ryoji Kaji, Tayura was experiencing what he believed was his own version of hell. Four girls were in his apartment, three of those girls were over to visit his sister. On good days, Tayura could placate Chizuru and avoid her wrath. Bad days for his temperamental quasi-sibling made him question his earlier sister fixation. Shinji could have Chizuru, he made the girl happy. Tayura could only calm her or provide a target for her animosity.
Peeking out of the kitchen at the clutch of women, three of them were sitting on the couch looking at a third. Himari, Chizuru, and to a degree Shizuka were known quantities to the lone male, the last however was new. "What did he unwittingly do now?" Tayura blanched. Pouring iced tea into the glasses on the tray, next to a small box of cookies, he readied himself to enter their company.
Looking much like the waiter Chizuru was making him into, Tayura held the plate of glasses with one hand on outstretched fingers. "You said iced tea with lemon right, Chizuru?" he asked setting the aforementioned beverages on the table. Chizuru he could see was sitting with legs crossed and arms tightly wound around her waist, a look he knew all to well. She was pensive and judging everything critically. Finding the new girl looking nearly like Shizuka with just blue hair rather than green he asked, "You're Ayanami-san from class right?"
Taking the tea off the plate, Chizuru sampled it and scrunched her forehead, "It's to bitter, if Shin-chan were here he'd have made it sweet like I prefer." Setting the glass back down, she helped herself to the provided snacks as well. Snapping the cooking in half, "Well what are you waiting for, Tayura, sit down! You're apart of this as well today, or did you think you were going to escape this?"
Gesturing to Ayanami's side, Himari extended one of her fingers. "We doth need more focused a spirit being to analyze yon Ayanami. We believe she be not quite human, not after her…change regarding Shinji-sama," Himari's brow was furrowed and her own leg twitched. With her sheathed sword on her lap, Himari's grip was so tenacious that the knuckles were audibly popping.
"What happened to that steak I made earlier," Tayura asked noticing the empty plate dripping with meat juice. He wasn't going to fight being forced into Chizuru's gaggle of the day, he knew her to well. Fight or not he'd end up doing what she wanted regardless, so it was easier just to cave in. 'Shinji you owe me for this one!' he mentally vowed to make Shinji pay him back for the day. The second steak in the fridge that Shinji brought over the day before would be a start.
Her tongue out of her mouth dancing about playfully, Shizuka pointed the forked prehensile muscle at the seated Ayanami. "It seems our newest friend has a taste for meat, both crafted by and owned by our dear Slayer. Nine-tail here has been to busy trying to drag him off into service closets to notice much, but Neko-hime has been about ready to cut her blue head off. I'm guessing it's because somebody has more lap time than our little kitten," Shizuku made a strange 'hu-hu-hu' laugh.
"Ikari-kun is the only male in my pack, it is only natural that I be ready to sate his needs," Rei said without batting an eyelash. Running her finger across the empty plate, she licked the juice off her finger. Never taking her eyes off where her last meal has been, "This sensation is still new to me, but as Ikari-kun is the only one to risk his life for mine and to seek my comfort I know of no other that I wish to be bound to."
Shinji just had to much luck, Tayura realized, but whether it was good or bad was still in debate. But looking at the small girl, nearly the same size as the Mizuchi, he had to ask, where did she put that damn steak? It had to have been a good twenty oz and she still looked hungry. Spotting Chizuru's expression darkening he tried to calm things, "Well that's just till you find somebody…more fitting for your uh pack right? Not like its permanent or that you're even doing anything with him?" Having seen the girl sitting on Shinji the other day, Tayura just hoped Himari didn't correct him.
Flexing and unflexing her fingers on her blade, Himari shut her eyes in deep concentration. "Tis part of what I desired to occur. The breaking of shackles that bound the odd creature. But I doth not have foreseen the extent of her attachment for Shinji-sama. And as for you," Himari shifted her focus to Shizuka her expression going from angered to mocking. "Shinji-sama had allowed me to be his bed warmer yon past eve. I shall no longer have mine own room upon my request to him as well," a smugness oddly fitting the warrior filled the room.
The silence of Himari's statement didn't last long, as Chizuru slowly forced her resistant head in her direction. "Only when I'M not there, Kuro-neko, only when I'm not there. Same goes for you, Ayanami-kun, I'm the wife and until you get your own, you can share my scraps with the kitten here," Chizuru hoisted her thumb at Himari. "Honestly if I didn't love him so much I'd just leave here with him. But he'd not be happy causing pain. Oh the pains I suffer for my unending love for Shin-chan," she threw here head back in mock drama.
"You'd likely kill him with your smothering if we didn't keep an eye on you," Tayura pointed out. His sister had really taken to Shinji in ways Tayura couldn't fathom. After the realization that Shinji and she finally stepped over the line, Tayura didn't know what to feel. His sister was a woman now, Shinji's woman (not that Shinji would force anything) but the older brother in him wanted to beat Shinji down. Having Chizuru flaunt it about like sex with Shinji was a gift from the gods made Tayura want to vomit. Suddenly wanting out of the room, "Are we going to do anything or am I just going to sit here being weirded out by Shinji's cast of girlfri-GUH"
Shizuka, Himari, and Chizuru all felt the need to shut Tayura up and after the triple punch looked at each other. Disturbed both Himari and Chizuru looked at Shizuka who sat down quickly. "I do not want to be lumped together with you two. The Slayer is merely a target of observation for me," Shizuka daintily sat with her hands on her lap now. "But your brother is correct, we have a purpose to fulfill. And it is the only reason I am not with him now, observing," her eyes were closed as maybe the light of the room or her own cheeks reddened.
"As yon serpent has stated, young Ayanami, we have a purpose for requesting your prescience here today," Himari didn't take her eyes off Shizuka. Drawing in a mighty gust of air, her chest puffing out from the effort catching Tayura's eye, Himari began to explain. "It has been my belief since making your acquaintance, that ye not be a full human. Not quite the same as Tayura-kun and myself here, nor a pure demon as the beast of lust and thee observer," she hissed out Shizuka's qualifier.
Her hand stopped its routine juice collection and fell to her side, but Rei only tilted her head to the side. "You don't believe I'm human," she stated very matter-of-factly. Eying the door momentarily, Shizuka got to her feet in response, walked to the escape, and leaned against it. Owing up to it Rei's shoulders relaxed and she reclined into a better seated position, "Then what am I? While I do not agree with your statements outright, some part of me…"
Letting her own ears pop out and her hair change color, Chizuru smiled warmly and reached for Rei's hand. "We don't want to mean you're a bad person, Ayanami-chan. What we mean is you're like us as her odd way of saying failed to make known. Nobody in this room is a technically a human, and we can sense our own," compassion rarely seen bellowed out of Chizuru. Rubbing her thumb over Rei's hand soothingly, "We just want to make sure. If we're right, that agency Shin-chan and you work for know of us and are lying to everybody, or…well…" Chizuru winced a little.
Understanding know, Tayura struck his fist to his palm. "Oh so we're going to force her to change over, or try and make her forget! Makes sense, if that Nerv place knows about spirit animals, it would explain why they're fighting the guardians," he hadn't thought of that. Shinji hadn't known of their kind while even being a slayer, the woman he lived with knew even less. If this girl wasn't fully human, they could sense some humanity in her, it would mean…Nerv was laying around with dangerous things. "So what do we…do?" covering his stomach fearing another attack, Tayura saw three angry faces looking at him.
"STUPID BROTHER!" Chizuru yelled loudly. Getting out of her seat, she moved to Rei's side and put a hand to the openly afraid girl's side. With Himari's ears and tail out now as well, Rei was seeing something few humans ever did and lived. "We aren't going to hurt you, Ayanami-chan. Far from it, we want to help you since its obvious you don't know about it either, if it's true. Will you let us find out?" she was as gentle as she could be in asking.
Taking one barely recognized fearful glance at Tayura, Rei gave Chizuru and Himari her full attention. With both the demon-cat and nine-tail taking one of her outstretched hands, "If I am…can I stay at his side?" Her head bounced from girl to girl with practiced ease. Slowly and without betraying any emotion, "He knows of you four, would it not be hard to find another that accepts such extravagant tales?"
Glancing over Rei's shoulder at Tayura, Himari nodded her head at Rei. "We will honor our earlier pledge. You may stay till you find your own pack. If thee doth not find such, well I have naught but myself for suggesting your bonds of fake loyalty be broken. Tayura-kun assist us," Himari commanded as she shut her eyes and concentrated.
Putting his own hands on Rei's shoulders, Tayura had only heard of this practice from his mother once. Demon-animals that were lost amongst humans that didn't know how to utilize their powers. Forcing a change for one such as that took tremendous energy, and often the participant attempted to flee at the inhuman nature of the event. He was their only to hold Ayanami down while they attempted things, he wasn't strong enough to help.
"Good luck I guess," he offered watching with full attention. His sister, damn she always surprised him. One moment she was complaining Shinji wasn't their to pamper her, and the next she was so tender to this odd emotionless girl. He could feel them start channeling as the temperature dropped suddenly. The hairs on his arm started to stand on end, the girl under his hands started to start pushing against them. Colder and colder it got, he could see his breath leaving his mouth, a cold but not painful sensation rippled out of from Rei as she rebelled against him further and further.
Darkness pervaded the room, all light was appeared drawn to Ayanami's body nearly blinding the young fox-boy. "Hurry up I can hardly hold her down!" he yelped as Rei's strength doubled. Still no reaction though, he could vaguely hear Himari saying something that sounded like 'I've found it' or "bacon strips' he wasn't sure. With Ayanami practically vibrating in his hands, all his might used to keep her seated, for a moment he doubted, maybe she was just a strange human after all.
Then a moment later, the lights popped back on, the room refilled with warmth, and there Ayanami Rei sat. Though to look at her now many wouldn't believe it was the same girl, not with the silver hair, wolf ears, and fluffy tail half the size of Himari and Chizuru's. Her body stopped all rebelling as she gently tugged on her newly formed ears. "This is, I feel…" and she fainted dead away into Chizuru's welcoming embrace.
"Tayura, go make that other steak for Ayanami-chan here. She'll be hungry when she wakes, and she'll need her energy. We're all going shopping once she does, I bet she'll be up for it," Chizuru gently hugged the unconscious girl to her body and stroked the girl's ears.
"But I thought that was mine?" Tayura tried to protest. Shinji had even said he had seasoned it just how Tayura liked it! The meaty treat was to be his reward for putting up with the gross home invasion! "Can't you take her to that family rest-u…I'll get cooking," he saw the venom back in Chizuru's eyes and gave up. Fine! He'd order delivery after those ungrateful girls left! He'd eat it all and leave the mess on Chizuru's bed. NO! He'd put her damn dating magazines into it! Yeah, revenge was a dish best served covered in tasty sauce the victim couldn't enjoy!
X-X
Tossing the only towel he could find up into Unit-02's upturned hand, Shinji climbed up after it. Whatever illness he had been feeling fled during the battle, thankfully, so he only had his own physical limitations to deal with to get up on the mammoth extremity. However returning as he had been ordered to by Asuka did not leave him in a better state of mind. Why was the girl so spiteful towards him, she had punched him for no real reason, and during the talk with Kaji she had only glared balefully at him.
Watching the girl wrap the large towel around herself, her shivering stopped neigh instantly, Shinji sat at a respectful distance from her. "Are you feeling better? Combat does strange things to me personally," he offered the peace branch. He had felt Asuka's reaction to the angel, but his time with Chizuru and Himari had enlightened him a great deal in human interaction. This girl's, Asuka, previous boasting of how much improved her unit was, how she had trained, and general air about her lead him to not want to cast any doubt on her prowess. So he was not going to mention how she panicked.
Pulling the full body towel closer around her form Asuka uttered on shuttering sneeze. "Stupid ocean, damn LCL, its freezing out here," she muttered. With only her face exposed to the elements, her icy blue eyes glared at Shinji. Not looking away, "I'm better, so wipe that damn worried expression from your face. I don't want YOUR pity or worry, not after what you did. Probably expecting me to repay you or something perverted. I'll show you up next angel."
Not wanting to show how she was affecting him, Shinji joined the German at looking out at the other ships in the fleet. Misato and his friends were on another ship, his clothing now on the ocean bottom, Shinji was not enjoying his current state. Being alone with Asuka while wearing a woman's plugsuit was just wonderful, especially the chaffing. He could feel her anger exuding out of her, pulsating like waves.
"I never saw an angel with a mouth before, scared me for a moment," Shinji tried offering. It was true, seeing such a change was startling. All the angels before had to alien and bizarre to invoke such emotions from him, but something about this last one was different. It was more animal, primal, and just felt more of a threat. "Being eaten like a worm, Misato-san has some strange ideas for winning doesn't she? C-couldn't have done it without you though," he took a fugitive look at the girl. Oh he wished he hadn't, why was she so angry!
Her head bobbed a single time, "Footage of the others was all I had to go off of, so yeah. It was odd to see something so lifelike on that thing." Wiggling a little, Asuka sneezed again then rubbed her nose on the towel. "Just you wait though, Third-Child, I'll show you just how much better I am than you. She'll see how much better I am than you to, slayer," Asuka sneered at him before covering all but her eyes with the towel.
Assuming Asuka meant Misato, Shinji had no doubt Misato would see just how more skilled she was than him. But that took a back seat to something he had forgotten about in the heat of battle. Going from Kaji insinuating he had sex with Misato, Asuka dragging him to brag, and nearly being eaten it wasn't hard to do. "You know about all that stuff then? I…I didn't know about it until about a few months ago. H-how did you find out?" he was a little amazed. Aside from Misato and himself, Shinji wondered how many knew of the oddities of the world.
Lurching backward from her huddled position, Asuka cast the towel back violently. "What do you mean you didn't know about it? You were raised into this slayer business weren't you? You can't trick me that easily," but doubt was seen in an eye twitch Asuka didn't know she had. "I heard all about you and your grandparents, the shrine in the woods, and…" she cut off grabbing the towel again.
Was this tied to what Kaji said about him being famous? Did many people know about his mother's clan and he didn't? If true maybe he could talk to them, learn about all this business he knew nothing about and Himari was reluctant to talk about. Putting Asuka's little knowledge bomb on the slide, he just continued to watch the fleet approaching Japan. "I assume you know about the d-demons and demon-animals then," Shinji asked more setting the stage.
Hearing Asuka's grunt of acknowledgment, Shinji pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "Well apparently just before my grandparents died and sent me to live with a teacher, they gave me an amulet to hide me from them. This was before H-Himari-san started to protect me," Shinji heard a grumble from Asuka but couldn't make it out. "Well, according to her it really messed with my memories of my past. It's so cloudy and fuzzy, I can hardly remember a thing. I know I was happy there, I see a girl at a lake, and…nothing else," he put his head on his knees and sighed. He hated not knowing.
"You expect me to believe that? Little convenient," Asuka did however shuffle just a little bit closer to the boy. Tapping his shoulder, she bored down on him with an intense expression, "Look me in the eye and tell me it's true, that you don't remember your childhood. I'll know if you're lying. And if you are." Holding her hand out before her, her pristine eyes closed and her forehead furrowed in deep concentration. As beads of perspiration started to trickle down her face an inch size ball of blue flame appeared. Huffing from the exertion, "You're lying its punishment time."
Swallowing hard, Shinji couldn't take his eyes off the pulsating tiny blue ball. It flickered and waved, but it was pure fire by the looks. Forcing his attention at the holder of that little quantity of pain, "I hate not knowing about any of this. One day everything is fine, and the next I'm told I'm some slayer of a great clan, demons and the like exist, and I realize I can't remember anything about my grandparents. They…they were the only ones to care about me after my father abandoned me…and I can't even remember what they look like."
And just like that, the ball of fire dissipated, though Asuka didn't look to pleased by the answer. "This complicates things, doesn't it," she said to herself as she took part of the towel off. "Sit by me baka, its cold and I want to leach your body heat. That little trick takes a lot out of me still," she scooted over to the lad and wrapped the towel around him. Sheepishly she added, "Sorry about hitting you before, just wasn't expecting to hear that from you first thing. I have some calls to make once I hit Tokyo-3."
Stunned at the total change in the girl's attitude, Shinji just let her do what she wanted. A lesson Chizuru taught him was never to pry into a woman's business if she didn't look like she wanted to talk. Asuka did NOT look like she had anymore to say at the moment. But she wasn't all bad it seemed, it was defiantly warmer now with her sitting next to him, and he was grateful for it.
Questions bubbled to the surface of his mind like air escaping an upturned cup. This girl could do magic like Chizuru and Shizuka could, but she was human. Asuka had knowledge of him and demon slayers in general. But as hard as he tried to see her as the girl at the lake that kissed him all those years ago, he knew it wasn't right. That girl had black hair…black hair…Himari? Could that girl have been Himari? Well Himari did say she had watched him growing up and her sword was a gift from his grandfather. He'd have to ask.
"So tell me about your girlfriend Himari, I've heard a bit about her. Want to know if the rumors are true," Asuka wiggled a little next to Shinji. Leaning next to the boy, "Stop squirming, and this is only because I'm cold so don't get any funny ideas."
Well that wasn't what he wanted to talk about, but he was going to have to confess to things eventually. So for the rest of the trip, Shinji related the events as he knew them from the time he arrived in Tokyo-3. Starting with Chizuru and ending with the odd change in Rei, he noticed Asuka grimaced whenever he mentioned a girl. What was she hiding, offering no details, his current companion just listened and laughed from time to time.
"Well despite what people call you, you are not a playboy, Shinji-kun," she showed no concern about speaking his first name. "Luck just doesn't seem to be in your cards, or hers, but I have faith. But I have to mold you into something more fitting her," she actually laughed boldly before flicking Shinji's forehead. Leaving him only to ponder, Asuka leapt off Unit-02's hand as the boat made port. She joined the two other boy's in a good laugh at Shinji's rather feminine decent to the dock.
X-X
Walking up the dirt and garbage laden stairs, Chizuru was hard pressed to not run away to take a shower but held until they got to the right floor. They had spent a good afternoon talking at, as Rei hardly spoke back, to the newly awakened half-wolf spirit. Shopping was a must, Chizuru needed to get Rei something new to wear, they stopped at her favorite family restaurant, and would have continued having fun had Himari not gotten a call from Misato. Upon hearing that her darling Shinji had fought another guardian at sea, well Chizuru was alright sending Himari to collect him.
"Why do you live here again when there are perfectly fine and not insect ridden places," Chizuru bristled. She was afraid to look at anything other than the back of Rei's head, just knowing a cockroach or something would be there. Smells she had only briefly wafted from dark alleys and garbage bins. Finding yet another broken down door she had to ask, "Does anybody else even live here, legally?"
Stepping over what looked like either food refuse or a dead animal, Rei stopped to answer. "I was ordered to live here by the Commander, and until today my sense of smell was capable of standing it. As for other residents, I have seen vagrants occasionally and an elderly couple on the first floor," she said simply before continuing her trek to her dwelling.
Using an extension of her powers, Shizuka lifted a piece of paper to grab a used condom and hold it before Chizuru's face. "This is hardly a place for a young woman. Though it looks like the nine-tail brought the slayer here before," she dangled the dried bit of plastic like a cat toy. Stopping her advancement just as Chizuru swung back in anger, Shizuka laughed mockingly, "You're right this is too old to be yours. You only started taming him two weeks ago."
What as worse the fact that the Mizuchi knew the exact number of times Shinji and she made love, or that the damn water demon knew Shinji was oddly better at the task than she was. "Be careful with that, don't want you getting an STD and 'observing' it on my Shin-chan while you stalk him. Ooops I meant watch him," Chizuru barked. Part of the fox wanted nothing more than to burn the little spy to vapor, but Shinji would be upset…and Chizuru wasn't a murderer.
Finding Rei had continued walking down the barely lit corridor without them, Chizuru hustled to catch up. "Ayanami-chan, have you thought of asking for a transfer? This can't be healthy for you," and she did have an extra room. Currently she was keeping her extra reading material in it, but she could get Tayura to clear it out for Rei. The girl was going to need a lot of help learning to harness her new abilities. Leaning past Rei's shoulder to smile in the girl's face, "You could move in with me until you get a better place! It'd be like having a little sister! A semi-mute and social dead sister but I can fix that!"
Distending her body via a long tube of water, Shizuka popped up on Chizuru's side. Licking Chizuru's cheek with her extended tongue, "And become a beast of ero as she is. If you ask nicely I'm sure the slayer would break you in gently. You should see how he pampers her." Again the tongue flittered lightly against Chizuru's cheek for a moment before she pulled back to looking normal.
Rei's hand stalled on he doorknob, head cast down as a smattering of red glossed a cheek. "Would Ikari-kun even consider me in that light? Minamoto-kun and Noihara-kun are already his mates, and from their words I am unwanted to join his pack. Was I wrong in believing I had a place?" Rei asked more to herself but loud enough to hear.
This was far from the romantic life she saw for herself, but Chizuru's companionate nature overtook her. Putting her hand on the one Rei held the handle with, Chizuru opened the door and ushered Rei inside. "Kuro-neko said she basically set this up to happen, so that means she's ok with it. I'll admit I'd rather have Shin-chan all to myself, but as long as you recognize I'm the alpha-female in this little pack then…" Chizuru hugged Rei from behind.
Having been a lot like Rei in her youth, Chizuru understood how frightening it had to be for Ayanami. Being lost in a new world, nobody to turn to, nobody to explain the workings of things. Had Tamano not found her and later Tayura who knows what life would have been like. So maybe she was to hard on her mother from time to time, but maybe helping Rei could be the start of atonement.
Following closely behind the rather amorous pair, Shizuka slithered past them into the dusk lit room. "Will she have to take a ticket to ride the train? As for Neko-hime, she doesn't qualify as mate yet," she paused for a moment with her head tilted, "Puppy-kun." Walking deeper into the apartment, the Mizuchi disappeared behind the corner into unknown territories of the apartment.
"I guess that means she accepts you too, she gave you a nickname like the rest of us," Chizuru nuzzled Rei affectionately. Odd how after finding the truth of Rei all Chizuru wanted to do was see the girl smile. Anger at her nosing in on Shinji was gone, well not fully gone as the stake Chizuru claimed in Shinji was mighty large, but smaller. Opening her eyes to view Rei's living place, Chizuru's grip went lax, "You can't be serious. This is were you live?"
Quick to put a little distance between Chizuru and herself, at least out of arms reach, Rei sauntered towards her bed. "It fulfils my living requirements adequately. Though the provisions delivered do lack the protein I have begun eating," Rei's eyes wafted to a partially destroyed container on her nightstand. Picking up the thin plastic box, Rei sat down on the bed which erupted in a plumb of dust. With what might have passed for regret, "As for your offer to change dwellings, I must decline. I was told to live here, and that is not an option for debate. As long as this location is functionally sound I have no recourse."
Well that was easy to fix, Chizuru thought, a place like this wouldn't take much to destroy. "So of all your things, what do you actually need to keep? The cloths we bought today have been sent to my place, your bedding is garbage, but do you have any mementos you want to keep?" she asked picking up a cracked pair of glasses. Putting them up to her eyes, Chizuru looked at the distorted image of Rei beyond the lens. "Need these?" she flipped them over into her extended hand.
Reaching out for the glasses, Rei's hand stalled just short of grabbing them. Several times she moved to pick them up only to stop a moment prior. "My existence up to today has been under false pretenses. I was lead to believe I was human, and I am not," Rei said cryptically. Grabbing the glasses finally, Rei simply disposed of them in the trash, the confliction on her face washing back to the normal lack of expression. "I will honor my creator, but Noihara was right, he has done nothing to deserve blind loyalty," Rei stood up and smoothed her dress.
Not really understanding what Rei was going on about, Chizuru was just glad that the girl seemed content with herself. "Well that's, good, want to throw that garbage out too?" she pointed at the container in Rei's hand. When she went to reach for it though, Rei pulled back as if burnt and shielded the container to her chest. "Guess not, no matter, so shall I break this little place down?" Chizuru grinned and effortlessly summoned a small fox fire. Hearing the door open behind her, "Did you leave already spy?"
Walking into the dingy living room/bedroom was a tall silver haired man in a leather jacket. "Trail leads here…Chizuru what the hell are you doing here?" Saku balked as he went to cover his nose. The man's shoulder length hair was unkempt and frazzled, his jacket jangled as metal buckles bounced about, but he stood stock still mouth agape.
Much like Rei had, Chizuru instinctively covered her bust with her hands and twisted away from her quasi-ex. "Shouldn't I be asking YOU that Saku? I haven't heard from you since I kicked you out, and that was years ago. And now I see you stalking into a young woman's room?" Chizuru's tone held an extra ounce of barb. Saku had been a mistake in her past, she had mistaken good looks for a good man. While he wasn't necessarily a bad person, he just wasn't what she saw in a life partner.
"I'm looking for Nozomu, she was kidnapped about fifteen years ago while we were in Europe," Saku stuffed his hands into his pockets. Slowly moving deeper into the room, he sniffed the air several times, his head shifted quickly from side to side nostrils flaring. "I was at a conference of people I thought were responsible and I over heard some lady saying your name. She passed it off, but I suspected she knew more than she was letting on. So I came here and I caught scent of Nozomu," Saku peered over Chizuru's shoulder at Rei and his eyes hardened.
Standing defensively in front of her self appointed charge, Chizuru held one hand back blocking Rei from Saku. "I'm sorry to hear that about your sister, but she's not here Saku. So you should just leave, alright?" she begged things not to escalate. Saku was to impulsive, driven to rashness, and Chizuru doubted she could beat him in a straight up fight. Popping her ears and tail out, "Don't make this harder than it has to be, alright?"
Startling the girl, Saku moved but not to attack Rei, no his hand cupped Chizuru's chin delicately. "Just as beautiful as the day you left me. If she's not here, how about you and I go find out where she…" he sniffed the air. Leaning in closer to Chizuru he sniffed hard, then harder, "I smell a man on you. Chizuru are you-did you?" Backing away quickly, Saku's fangs were bore and his own wolf ears immerged.
"I'll kill him, and that damn facsimile of my sister!" Saku roared as his body continued to transform. His jacket fell off as his shirt tore open, snarling he foamed at the mouth. "Taking MY sister, taking MY Chizuru…damn humans! I'll kill them both, eat their bones, and claim you as my own! Chi-g-g-gha!" Saku doubled over as his body was suddenly enveloped in water.
Standing in the doorway to the kitchen, Shizuka controlled a torrent of water from the faucet to Saku's face. "My-my quite the possessive man you are, I can see why the nine-tail left you. Now you can calm down and leave or I'll drown you right here," Shizuka said coldly. Eyes flashing red, the Mizuchi stood confidently before the know kneeling wolf. "Chizuru chose the slayer, not the other way around, maybe you're mistake here. As for Puppy-kun, she only found out her true nature TODAY so blaming her is wrong. So will you be a good boy?" Shizuka summoned more water around the wolf-man's body.
Making a third option, Saku barreled past Chizuru and Rei destroying the room in the processes as he dove out of the window and out of Shizuka's range. Leaving the trio behind to pick up the pieces, Chizuru felt her hands shaking. Saku was back, and he was very angry. He was to powerful for her to fight alone, and had Shizuka not had the drop on him, she doubted that trick would have worked. Worse he might go after Shinji or Rei, something had to be done. But what and when?
Trying to calm everybody's nerves, Chizuru offered a weak, "Well now I don't have to destroy this place. Let's go home, Ayanami-chan you're living with me for now."
X-X
Filling up his shopping basket, Tayura was not pleased at all. His attempt at getting some meager revenge against Chizuru had gone for naught. Sure he dirtied up those magazines and dating references, nothing to bad just mild annoyances, only to have her call and say to throw them all out. Fitting as it took a lot of effort to soil them but not ruin them and now she didn't want them. Next came the boxes, so many boxes of clothing for what he initially thought was Chizuru.
Thankfully he knew Chizuru was using the young Ikari's money for most of it, the money Chizuru's boyfriend earned from his dangerous job had been a great boon to them. Tayura was leery of it though, while Shinji was very open about letting them use his spare card, he didn't want to be greedy, Chizuru normally was the same. That lead Tayura to worry for a moment, all those boxes and no Chizuru…could she have started down the path of a gold digger?
All those fears went to dust and made him even more perplexed when Chizuru returned with Ayanami. While he'd admit she was a little cute in her wolf form, but Rei was no Akane. Hearing he was going to be living with the girl though, well Tayura wasn't keen on that at all. Chizuru was hard enough to live under, what would this new girl add to his life in forms of complexity? First order of business that Chizuru demanded was to go out and fetch food to cook for the night. His sister wanted to try cooking a meal for her returning boyfriend and to welcome the new flat-mate.
So tired and confused, Tayura set out to the normal grocery store with a list from Chizuru on what she needed. "Fitting she makes the simplest thing she could, but at least she isn't having me cook it," he groaned. Yeah sure she wasn't going to ask him to do it. This song and dance had been done before. She'd start it but either wouldn't finish or leave the cleaning to him. Thumbing down the list, the basket nearly full, "So the last thing is…condoms. Seriously?"
The possibility of a human getting a pure blood pregnant was suspect, but Tayura didn't want to know the answer. "Can't she be on the pill or something…that way I don't have to…" he whined. But he'd catch hell if he didn't, and after the day he had Tayura just wanted to mitigate his pain. Walking down the hygienic aisle, he stood before the boxes of contraceptives. "Oh shit," he boggled at the options before him. "I did NOT want to think about Shinji-kun's…" Tayura shuddered. What was the size Shinji was going to need?
Boggling over the various words and descriptions on the boxes, Tayura could feel his cheeks flushing as a few mothers commented on the 'young man' in the aisle. Great, now he was going to be labeled a pervert of sex fiend, thanks Chizuru. Looking at the list again, praying he had misread it, Tayura let the paper slip from his hands. "She wrote his size down, did not need to know that," Tayura felt like crying. Grabbing the appropriate size, one bigger than he'd need himself, Tayura stashed it in the bottom of his basket.
"How can this get any worse," he wondered aloud as he got into the only open check out lane. His sister was having sex with her boyfriend, and Tayura couldn't hate Shinji for it. Knowing the timid boy, Tayura liked him! Shinji was a good kid, fun to hang out with, and of all the possible boys Chizuru could be with, well Tayura was ok with it. Just what brother wants to know of his sister's sex life? "At least they don't use our apartment," while he was there at least he knew.
Proving that Tayura should be careful with his words, a slightly happier than normal voice rang out, "Oh Minamoto-kun! What are you doing here by yourself?" Hikari was manning the register again and ringing up the items from his basket. "Wow that's a lot of meat, having a party?" the girl bashfully looked over at the man.
Rocked out of his mental funk at the girl's call, Tayura missed any subtlety in Hikari's actions. "Oh uh, y-yeah little bit," he instantly looked at the basket. She would find the box of condoms! What would she have to say about that, at least it was Hokari and nobody else from school? "W-working here again?" he had to hope she didn't spread any rumors about him.
"Minamoto-kun, that IS you, odd to see you without Ikari-kun and Suzuhara-kun," Asahina said from behind the teen. Adjusting her glasses, "Thought it was you but it's so rare for you to be alone."
His stomach chilled and dropped in his chest, but Tayura had to confront the gods punishment and turned on his heels. "A-A-Asahina-san! H-how are you t-tonight? And y-yeah I'm alone today," this wasn't fair! Why gods, why did they hate him so! Asahina would see the box of condoms for Chizuru and then she'd think he was some sort of deviant! "W-what brings you here tonight?" he felt the sweat building in his armpits.
Holding up her basket, filled mostly with vegetables and food stock. "We were running out so my parents asked me to come. At least it's a break from studying," she rested her arms back down. Holding the sparsely loaded basked with one hand, she scratched at her cheek with her left hand, "S-so do you know where Ikari, Suzuhara, and Aida-kun went today? I over heard them talking about some trip."
"Oh yeah I did hear about that too!" Hikari said loudly breaking between the other too. "Oh and Minamoto-kun these onion stalks are on sale, I have the coupon at the register if you don't have one," she smiled softly at him while holding up the vegetable.
Alternating between the two women, Tayura was out of his mind with fret. Why were they asking about Shinji? Did…did Akane have a thing for Shinji? She got along better with Shinji than the other boys. Akane was always telling Shinji to worry about his sister and that she was bad for him. Did-did Akane want Shinji? Hikari's little interruption Tayura wrote off as her wanting to keep the line moving quickly.
"They went to get the new um-Child from some fleet or something," Tayura used the code word for those in the know. Best to not let unseemly sorts know of pilots if unnecessary. "And yeah, sure Hokari-kun, that's nice of you," it was Shinji's money again and Tayura would thank him, so spending more/less didn't really matter.
"Condoms!" Hikari gasped as she emptied the basket. She picked the box out with her thumb and forefingers as if it were dripping with disease. "M-Minamoto-kun w-why do you…you have a girlfriend?" Hikari gasped out appalled and with a hint of depression.
Bursting past the stunned male, Akane adjusted her glasses and read the box. "W-what is the meaning of this Minamoto-kun? You're not like your sister are you? I thought better of you and this is what I see?" Akane accused with a hard line on her brow.
Waving his hands back and forth widely, Tayura was in full on panic mode. Two girls, both cute in their own right but only Akane struck his fancy, were demand he explain why he was getting condoms. "I-I don't have a girlfriend, you know that, and those are…they're…" he couldn't say they were for Chizuru! They didn't need to know his sister's nocturnal activity, so he'd bite the bullet. "But you never know if you'd ever really need them…and its not like I plan on using them…better safe than sorry?" he said lamely.
With a heavy sigh, Hikari actually blessed the boy with a brilliant smile. "Thank goodness. While I would hope you'd not rush into things, its good to know you're thinking more than two minutes ahead," she scanned the box and added it to the bag. "Just don't be in a rush to do that, girls don't like pushy guys," she took the card from his hand. "If I didn't know you used Shinji-kun's card I'd have to call this in you know," she teased as she ran the debit card.
"Hokari-kun has a point I guess, as do you. Just don't be to much like your sister and…well just don't let your loins rule your life," Akane huffed and walked back behind Tayura in line. "Oh and say 'hi' to them when you see them tonight," she added a little timidly.
Taking his receipt and bags, Tayura nodded and hustled out of the shop. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he was exhilarated! He had gotten away with it, and Akane paid him a complement! "Wait…they both saw the box and its…they think I'm…" he looked down at his crotch and smiled a little. Maybe it wasn't being very honest, but it's not like he SAID that was for him. He'd have to talk to Shinji about Akane though, inform him that she was off limits! So maybe the day wasn't so bad after all, not all bad at least.
X-X
Notes
Keeping three shows plotlines moving is a bit of a complex thing, hope I'm not rushing things. Balancing the funny, action, drama, and sexy is also a bit of a challenge…hope I'm not favoring one to much. But I'm sure you'd let me know if I was.
Anyway hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and continue to support my odd imagination and its creations.
Later
Mercaba