Covenant Red
Chapter 3: Another Transfer
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion.
/\/\/\/\
Kensuke woke before his alarm. He groaned into his pillow, groping blindly for his glasses on the nightstand. His hand fell into empty space. He dragged his face free from the pillow and stared.
Even in the near dark his room was a clear collection of shadows. He saw the edge of his bed collapse into the inky black of the far wall. He saw lazy dust motes dance in the slice of air left bright by the window blind's edge.
He no longer needed glasses. He had the blood of a Nephilim inside him. He was the Third Child.
This was now reality.
He rolled in bed, gazing up at the dark ceiling.
"Awesome."
Kensuke hopped out of bed and left his empty bedroom. The rest of the apartment was similarly stocked. No furniture aside from the single bed and a knee-high fridge in the kitchen. The walls were all inoffensive off-white. Everything smelled of dull antiseptic. The design lacked originality and emotion, a bad motel on a low budget.
But it was his.
On a whim, Kensuke opened the refrigerator. Two water bottles greeted him. He shut the door and marveled at his lack of outrage. He moved in late last night, in a dull haze of confusion after being in WILLE's windowless base for days of tests. He lost all track of time confined, being shuffled between a collection of sterile white rooms, seeing only Dr. Akagi and her staff. Even the vaguest of inquiries about other WILLE members was met with an unfailingly serene "It's classified."
Ritsuko oversaw a laundry list of tests on him: Physical and eye exams, x-rays, MRIs, EKGs, countless blood draws and even written comprehension assessments, all the while bringing him up to speed on the world he now belonged to. Including reassignment to the capital, a short tram ride away from WILLE's base outside the city limits. It was refreshing to be in the real world again after being deemed healthy and safe, even if it was only in an unfurnished apartment.
His tiled bathroom was startlingly clean. He hummed as he brushed his teeth. He sang as he showered. He wandered back to his bedroom and nudged the closet door open with a bare foot. Inside three identical sets of clothes hung from a rack. The school uniform, he assumed it was a school uniform, was sober but expensive-looking. Well made, but lacking flair or originality. Dull tan with red trim helped inspire the desired conformity.
He examined the uniform tie, weighing it in his hand. He needed some teenage reality in this wardrobe, and this apartment. All of his possessions were gone, buried under the Nephilim's devastation. Kensuke considered asking WILLE for a loan. They were fronting the apartment and appeared to spare no expense for arms; surely they could throw a few bills his way for a TV. Nothing extravagant. Just a simple thirty-two incher. Maybe a forty incher. And a last-gen game console. And a couple games.
He was forming a spreadsheet in his mind over the growing tally when the front bell buzzed. It took a moment for Kensuke to reorient himself in the barren apartment. He threw on the uniform and rushed to the front door, opening it without bothering to check the security feed.
"Good morning, Mr. Aida," the young woman on his doorstep responded with a cheerful smile. She waited for reciprocation and got none. "I'm Maya Ibuki? We met at HQ?"
How could I forget? Even under the towering beauty of Soryu and the Commander and Dr. Akagi, a shining gem like Ms. Ibuki was not easily overlooked. "No, I remember," Kensuke told her, a bit too enthusiastically.
Maya didn't seem to notice. "Great! So, are you ready?"
"For…?"
"For school, of course!" She was still all smiles. "I'm here to drive you on your first day." She nodded vaguely to her side. "I actually live two floors up, so it's not out of my way or anything. I thought this might be nicer than braving the tram circuit."
He brightened. "Yeah. Sure." He hadn't bothered to think how he was supposed to get to his new school until now.
They walked down to the apartment parking lot. In a reserved space sat a pristine sedan. Maya fished a Sanrio keychain from her pocket and unlocked the car doors. The interior looked as immaculately clean as the outside.
"Thanks," Kensuke said, sliding into the passenger seat. "I sort of overslept, so this is great."
Maya sat behind the wheel with a cringe, but still smiled. "Please don't get your hopes up for a ride every day. My shifts are pretty crazy. But I made sure to get this morning off."
"Thanks," he said again, feeling a warm swell. Maybe WILLE people weren't all crazy.
"You're welcome. You know, Asuka and Toji live in the building, too. Maybe you could go to school with them from now on."
She sounded full of cheery hope at the prospect. Kensuke was less optimistic. Soryu seemed intent on fostering her hatred for him, all the while deftly ignoring any culpability for his current situation. Suzuhara seemed sane enough, although it might be a carefully constructed mask of coolness to attract the many fine ladies of WILLE. Plus, he looked like a jock. Not ideal best friend material.
They pulled out from the apartment parking lot and slipped into the flow of morning traffic. Maya was a conscientious driver; she leaned forward in her seat, her hands clutched ten and two.
"I think you'll like Comfort 17," she said, eyes never leaving the road. "The base actually has living quarters on-site, but it's important to have a life outside WILLE. Lt. Aoba lives there. He always argues it's more convenient and safer, but you lose touch with reality. We need to remember the people outside, who we're working to protect. And the base can get a little cabin-fevery. You need real sunshine sometimes."
"Mmm."
Kensuke gripped the armrest on the door, ordering his new high definition eyes not to carefully examine Maya Ibuki's left thigh, clad in pale tights and revealed to a dangerous degree by WILLE's uniform skirt and her posture.
"And you're still young," she went on. "You should be learning, making friends and having important experiences while you can. It's that normal kind of life we want to return to and preserve. And going to school, even in the midst of our crisis, is important to maintain the standard for normal. We can't bury our heads in the sand and forget, focusing only on the here and now. That kind of mindset can be dangerous, for everyone."
She eased off the gas before a stoplight, forcing her skirt hem up another maddening fraction of an inch. Kensuke wondered if the tights were light enough to show off the shade of her underwear. Would she favor a traditional solid color, or maybe cling to her youth through a playful print? Was she a no-nonsense cotton kind of girl, or did she possess a naughty satin streak?
"We can't lose sight of our goal. It can be easy to do when we're fighting, and when everyone is so focused on that. But you're part of our team now. I think an outside perspective will help everyone remember what exactly we're fighting for. So we'll try hard to help you, if you try to help us."
She absently tugged her skirt down, only to have it slide further up her leg.
"Thanks for the uniform," Kensuke blurted, plucking at his shirt.
Maya laughed lightly. "I'm sure your place wasn't furnished. The farther we stray from base, the thinner our budget gets. I'll bug Lt. Hyuga today about fast tracking your stipend."
The word refocused him entirely. "Stipend?"
"Well, yeah. You're going to need money to live here. Food, clothes, academic expenses, toiletries and the like." She dared to let her eyes glance towards his general direction. "Uh, I mean, we'll take care of utilities and bills and medical…" She bit her bottom lip. "Just focus on school for now, okay?"
The promise of money silenced any dissention. "Sure."
Maya pulled off a main street and stopped before a wide staircase traveling up a low hill. A number of teenagers wearing Kensuke's uniform were ascending to a complicated structure above. With a profound fetishistic disappointment Kensuke noted the female uniforms did not feature ties.
"Here we are," Maya announced. "Oh! Right. I almost forgot."
She handed him a cell phone and he hid his frown. It was sleek but government standard-issue, no bells or whistles.
"In case we need to reach you, or you need to reach us," she explained. "The labeled numbers in there bypass the main directory, but only call in an emergency, okay? Otherwise, I'm sure Toji and Asuka can answer any questions."
"I'll keep that in mind." He waved, then reached for the door handle. He smiled at her. "Thanks for the ride."
"Um… Here," Maya said, leaning over towards him. Kensuke froze as she quickly undid his tie, then redid it correctly. "There. Got to make a good first impression in your new school." She patted the tie and he stumbled backwards out of the car.
"Y-Yeah." He stiffly shut the open door.
"Have a good day!" Maya called out before slipping back into traffic and disappearing.
"Yeah."
/\/\/\/\
Kensuke walked up the wide staircase with the last straggling students flirting with truancy. He crested the hill and the school spread before him, a sprawling complex of interconnected buildings situated between a series of manicured sports fields. It all looked expensive and prestigious, if thinly used. Kensuke walked beneath the front gates to a lobby, and went to locating the faculty advisor office.
A new school, a new life. Kensuke felt liberated, unchained from the phantom shackles of his pre-Nephilim existence. All sins were forgiven and he was granted a fresh identity. No one knew him, he had no father to answer to any longer. He was free.
He was directed to class 1A on the first floor of the main building. Year two was on the second floor, and seniors were spread in the auxiliary wings. The halls were wide, each room clearly labeled. Outside class 1A he saw a freckled girl, her brown hair collected in a tight ponytail. She waved as he neared.
"Hello," she said with a quick bow. "I'm the class representative, Hikari Horaki. I'm pleased to meet you."
He returned the formality. "Me too."
"I'm kind of surprised we're getting a transfer in," she went on. "These days it's a steady stream out. But we're always happy to see a new face." She peered at him.
"Something wrong?"
"Oh!" Hikari pulled away and blushed appropriately. "No. Sorry. It's just you have, um, interesting contact lenses. I've never seen that style before."
"… Yeah. Uh, I'm not breaking the dress code, am I?"
She laughed lightly. "No. I may be a class representative, but I do know some rebellion can be good for students. Just don't go dying your hair a crazy color."
He assured her she would not have to worry about that. Funny contacts would be the extent of his dealings with the local teenage disciplinary squad.
Hikari led him inside the classroom. He quickly scanned for Soryu. On a remote plane of consciousness, he realized WILLE would likely consolidate their resources within the school, positioning the Children as close as possible to each other for rapid deployment in the dire case of an attack. It was bolstered by Maya earlier as she intimated Toji and Asuka would be close by to direct him.
On a closer plane of consciousness, he just wanted to see how Soryu filled out the school uniform.
He spotted her in the second row by the windows. She was tall and lithe. Long, agile limbs flowed out of the school uniform, which turned flattering and stylish on her. Wide, striking eyes sparkled. Her features were stunningly exotic. Her posture was confident. Everything about her communicated unapproachable perfection.
She stared down at her open desk terminal, one hand delicately holding her chin, the other idly working the keyboard. Even under the crushing rote homogeny of public school life she stood out without effort. Were these other girls even trying? Then again, why bother? Best to concede defeat and try to salvage your life. You can't compete with the ideal.
"Mr. Aida?"
"Yo," he answered on reflex. The class giggled. He recalled where he was. "I mean, yes, sir?"
The teacher gave him a dull stare from his podium. "I said, if you would care to introduce yourself now?"
"Right, right. Sorry." He chalked his name on the board and read it aloud for any blind students. He readied the back-story WILLE pushed on him in case of follow-up questions: his father transferred him to the capital for its educational opportunities. No one asked.
"Very well. Let's see about a seat…"
Suzuhara, sitting low in his chair in the back, whistled sharply, startling everyone. "The transfer can sit over here," he announced with a slow wave.
The teacher looked over the rest of the room. There were plenty of open seats. "I suppose…" he relented, watching his new pupil already edging his way to the rear. "Well, alright, then. Enough excitement. Let's begin."
Kensuke reached the empty desk beside Toji. He glanced at him expectantly and he leaned over.
"Got to look after our own, right?"
"Yeah." Kensuke couldn't tell if he was being sincere. "Thanks, Suzuhara."
He waved the formality away. "Call me Toji. It'll be easier."
"Oh. Sure. Uh, call me Kensuke, then."
"Sounds like a plan."
Classes began. Kensuke successfully resisted the urge to dive into the school's computer system and did his best to pay attention to the teacher's lesson. The material possessed a stricter mentality and difficulty level than his previous school, but without the individual consideration of a smaller classroom, despite the many empty seats. It reeked of standardized conformity.
He kept himself awake until lunch before he realized he had no bento or money. Toji seemed to read his mind.
"Come on," he said, rising to his feet and stretching. "I'll treat you today. The cafeteria isn't anything special but it gets the job done."
Kensuke felt a stab of stubborn spite, despite his lack of breakfast. He wasn't a charity case. "Thanks, but I don't want to be a bother."
"Forget all that. Unless you want to treat me." He grinned. "I figured WILLE didn't exactly cover all your necessities. They can lose sight of little details like food and shelter. Honestly, I'm shocked they remembered your uniform. Well, appearances are everything, I guess."
He was readying a firmer refusal when a pair of tall boys approached Toji. They exchanged a wave.
"Yo," one said, before glancing at Kensuke. "Uh, what's going on, man?"
"It's my civic duty to bring the transfer up to speed," Toji said with a dull flare of drama.
"Civic duty?"
"Alright, alright. I know I've been slacking off lately so I'm hoping to keep the tiger in its den." He nodded at the class representative near the front of the room.
That appeased the boys entirely and they relaxed before departing amiably. Toji watched them leave before speaking again.
"I probably won't be able to eat with you every day, but…" He noticed Kensuke eyeing him. "Hey. This isn't a chore for me. I don't do pity. Just, you know, until you get your bearings and all we should hang out."
Kensuke felt an acute pang of guilt for trying so hard to dislike the boy. He shrugged it away.
"So," he began, careful to stay casual, "you hang out with Soryu at lunch, too, or what?"
"Or what," Toji replied with a dull snort. "Lowly mortals like us don't make her radar outside WILLE. Even there, it's fifty-fifty. You may have noticed she isn't the friendliest person around. It's safer to stay out of her way."
"Oh. Still, isn't that bad for, um, team morale?"
He gave Kensuke an amused grin. "Look at you, the eager new recruit. Don't worry about all that yet. Akagi said your blood skill hasn't fully manifested, so we won't be throwing you into combat soon."
Kensuke had failed to consider the prospect of eventual battle. Somehow, he couldn't see himself punching cars at inhuman monsters. Guns seemed a safer bet. Maybe Soryu could give him lessons.
They left class, Kensuke catching one last sight of Asuka at her desk with a spread of store-bought convenience as her repast. How did she keep that figure on such a diet?
Damn, he thought. So cool.
/\/\/\/\
"Mr. Aida?"
He looked up from his desk. Class was over for the day and the other students were packing up to leave. Suzuhara left as soon as the bell rang, offering only a brief wave. Soryu was in the process of dragging her body out of her chair. Before him was the ponytailed class representative.
"Ms. Horaki, right?"
"Yes. I hope you're finding our school a good fit. I know moving can be a big adjustment, and classes here tend to be dismissive of that fact, so if you have any questions feel free to ask me."
"No questions," Kensuke said, hoping to end the meeting here and now.
"Very well. I just wanted to make sure. But before you go, if I could ask a favor…"
Hell. Did he have a target for disciplinarians on him?
"I know it's your first day here, but could you at least look in at the clubs? It might inspire other students to take a renewed interest. And it would give existing club members a nice confidence boost."
Kensuke weighed his options, or lack thereof. His only after-school plans consisted of inquiring into the stipend Ms. Ibuki mentioned that morning and then proceeding to blow through it at an electronics store. Club activities were definitely not on the agenda.
At the same time, he hoped to stay off the radar of any authority figures in school. Some habits were harder to break than others. And Ms. Horaki's tone, although mild and bright, communicated no deviation from her chosen path. He shrugged in defeat.
"Sure," he said. "I'll check around."
Hikari took the victory in stride with a quick nod. "Here's a list with schedules," she told him, plucking a sheet from the stack in her arms. "Please try not to disrupt them when you visit."
With that she was off and Kensuke rose from his desk with dull obedience. He looked the schedule over and didn't meet any surprises. There were a good number of standards available, as expected of an expensive school in the capital, but there wasn't much for him to get excited about.
He stepped into the hall. Art was closest. He sent a limp knock against the door and it creaked open. Thick glasses peeked out from a curtain of wiry gray hair.
"May I help you?"
"I guess," he said. "I just transferred in today. You're the Art teacher?"
"Indeed," the woman responded, pulling the door wide to let him enter. She was thin and crooked, cloaked in a flowing dress that tickled the floor. "Welcome to my humble studio. Please, please; come in."
She ushered him to the front of the room. It was a lean crowd, observing him with polite neutrality. Kensuke stumbled as he spotted Asuka among them, who casually ignored him.
The teacher positioned him facing front. She backed away with a gesture of presentation to her pupils.
"Uh, hi," he said. "I'm Kensuke Aida."
"Yes, the new transfer is already joining us. What school spirit."
"Maybe joining," Kensuke quickly clarified. "Just thinking about it. Weighing my options."
"Oh." The Art teacher looked baffled why he wasn't already picking up an easel and brush. "Well, you can observe today and then join."
"We'll see."
"Yes." The teacher was a fount of optimism for the prospect.
Kensuke loitered by the exit as the day's lesson began, still life with oils. The students lined up in a horseshoe around a stool displaying a vase with a single rose bent over its side.
The subject matter seemed cliché, even to a Philistine like Kensuke, but the Art teacher was saturated with a mellow, good-natured enthusiasm for everything she said and did. Her old age seemed impervious to cynicism. She appeared incapable of not smiling.
"Let the subject be a foundation for you," she was saying as she floated behind the students. "Don't be confined by the colors and shapes you see with your eye; let your brush be guided by your emotions. How does it make you feel? Does a rose conjure memories, good or bad? I don't want a painting of this vase and flower. I want a painting of your vase and flower."
Oh, brother, Kensuke thought as the rest of the class dipped into whatever well of tolerance artistic people had access to. He considered leaving outright but he remembered Asuka and he slowly made his way around to see how she was dealing with the assignment.
She ignored his approach and he congratulated himself for it. With a silent sigh Asuka plucked a brush up and stared hard at it. Her bright blue eyes flashed blood red for a soft moment.
What the hell?
In a deft flourish of motion Asuka forced three unrelated brushstrokes into the form of a rose. Then the curve of the stem over the lip of the vase. Then the vase with more fluid strokes that defied disorder. The shape and coloring were spot-on. The texture was palpable. It was a perfect recreation.
"Wow," Kensuke blurted, breaking the class' silence.
The other students startled and turned towards him, then to what he was gaping at. Asuka didn't move at all. Even as her classmates crowded around she accepted their subdued accolades without expression.
Why weren't they amazed or at least excited? To Kensuke, this was real art, not abstract craziness or pretentious bullshit. Soryu was an artist.
He remembered her eyes flashing red, and Dr. Akagi's explanation of her blood skill. She gained mastery over any tool she held. Be it a deadly SMG, or a mundane paintbrush. He worked hard against the sudden sour feeling.
"Asuka," the teacher began gently as she approached. "This is a beautiful painting as always. But I wanted you to paint something we couldn't see. A feeling, or an emotion."
"I didn't see the point."
The teacher looked deeply affected. "Expressing emotions is never pointless, Asuka."
Asuka discreetly rolled her eyes. Kensuke got the impression this was not a new argument.
"I can't concentrate with an audience," she said, and Kensuke was again in the spotlight.
The teacher looked stricken between comforting her star pupil and recruiting a new unknown. He decided to make it easy for her.
"I should probably get going," he explained, already backing towards the door. "A lot of other club possibilities. Thanks for letting me peek in."
He made one last silent attempt to draw Asuka's eyes as he exited. She refused him.
/\/\/\/\
After quick stops in Music and Home Ec, and even quicker reminders he had no aptitude with either, Kensuke simply wandered around the spacious academy. The main building alone was easily more than twice the size of his previous school, featuring all the amenities expected of a capital institution. Everything was clean and polished, expensive and large. He got lost twice.
Eventually he found a door leading outside and stepped into the late afternoon sun. Most of the campus was deserted as he meandered through the halls, everyone in clubs or on their way home. Outside, a few sports teams occupied the fields surrounding the school proper and Kensuke strayed towards them.
He idly scanned the teams, passing over the activities with little interest until he spotted Toji among a group of boys at a basketball court. They were in the midst of a team scrimmage, five players in school jerseys, the other five wearing them inside out. They all performed with a good-naturedly heated attitude.
Kensuke shrugged. He was tired from wandering the school and decided to give his fellow Child some support. That, and he wasn't entirely sure how to get back home by himself. He loosened his uniform tie and got comfortable on the bleachers, deciding to wait the practice out.
Toji was, amazingly, not the tallest player. To Kensuke's uneducated eye he was good, slipping through traffic and working the ball all in the context of the team's structure. Despite the scrimmage, Toji was fouled. He stepped up to the free throw line without malice. He stood straight, holding the ball close to the side of his face. He exhaled.
Toji's eyes flashed blood red. His arms traced a perfect arc to propel the ball through the air and into the waiting basket with a whisper of contact. The other team scrambled after the loose ball as Toji collected a few claps on the back. Kensuke frowned.
He watched the rest of the game. It was close; only two late baskets giving Toji's side a victory. He did not use blood skill again.
The crowd dispersed as the players toweled off and cleared the court. Toji spotted Kensuke in the stands and waved. He parted ways with his teammates and headed over to him.
"Hey there," he said, taking a seat beside him. "I didn't know you were a sports fan. We can always use another player."
"Ah, no. I was checking out the clubs and sort of ended up here."
The response didn't seem to offend Toji at all. "The class rep got to you, huh?"
"I felt like I'd be strangling a kitten if I said no to her."
"Years of training. She is a master of politely making you do crap you hate."
Kensuke hesitated. "You're pretty good. I'm no expert, but you were really, ah, quick and accurate."
"Thanks," came the bemused response.
"Like I said, I'm no expert, but the way you stood up to those other guys pushing and shoving you was impressive. Even when you got fouled, you just got right back up. And that free throw was something else."
Toji shifted.
"My cousin always complained about players missing free throws. Like, how hard is it to sink a basket when you're standing still, taking your time, with no opposing team pressure? Easy to judge, I guess. It looks tough. But you nailed it."
"… Is there something you want to say to me?"
Kensuke swallowed. "You used blood skill during that free throw, right? Dr. Akagi told me you can shift your body mass or something. I saw your eyes change color and I sort of assumed…"
Toji went from surprised to wary. "So, what if I did? You going to rat me out?"
He weighed his response. Toji wasn't angry or defensive. He shook his head. "No. I mean, if Soryu can ace art class with her skill, I don't see the harm in you schooling some guys in a practice match."
Toji relaxed without cheer. He looked out over the basketball court. "It's not like I'm using my blood skill to be a star or anything. I want to help the team. We've had a lot of transfers out of the city and we lost some good players. It sucks. If I can help out the guys that are still here…"
"That's nice of you." I guess.
"Yeah," he said, without meaning it. He glanced around then snorted a humorless laugh. "It sounds really selfish when I say it out loud."
"No," Kensuke said, suddenly desperate to let him off the hook. "Being part of a team means helping out however you can, right? Just like you said."
"Now the new guy is pitying me…"
They were quiet. The court was empty. The sun rested above the horizon in an orange haze.
"How does it work?" Kensuke asked, suddenly curious. "Your blood skill?"
"It's kind of like muscle memory," Toji explained. "I think. I've memorized exactly how to push to get the ball from my hands to the net from that spot on the court. So, yeah, it's sort of cheating, but it's also practice for my blood skill. Something I can do outside WILLE to get better. And that's something I have to do. I have to keep getting better."
He spoke with steady determination. Kensuke smiled.
"You two have certainly become fast friends," Asuka said, approaching the bleachers. She had a leisurely gait, yet remained purposeful. "How cute."
Kensuke bristled at her tone without wanting to. Toji just grinned.
"Yeah," he said back, "we're starting a club. No girls allowed."
"You don't need to form a club to keep the girls away."
"And yet you're coming towards us," Kensuke blurted, destroying the mood.
Asuka's face collapsed but her step never faltered. "This is the quickest route out of school. And away from you."
The fact that they'd see each other tomorrow in class, eventually at WILLE, or that they lived in the same apartment complex all fled from his mind. Her sharp tone told him he crossed some unknown, invisible line and he could only watch in silence as she strode past. He looked over to Toji for apologetic help.
"Hold up," he called to Asuka, and she, amazingly, held up a step. "Check this: Kensuke here can see when we use blood skill."
Her face darted back. "What?"
Toji nodded at Kensuke to let him explain.
"Ah, well, yeah," he fumbled under Asuka's gaze. "I mean, your eyes flash red when it kicks in, I guess? Like this." He flexed his fingers to simulate the speed. "You used it in art class with the paintbrush and—"
"Why didn't you tell anyone earlier?" she demanded.
Kensuke stared at her. He shrugged. She groaned angrily.
"We better tell Dr. Akagi about this," Toji said, getting up from his seat. Asuka already had her phone out, giving WILLE a heads-up of their impending arrival.
Realization dawned. "Oh," Kensuke said. "Not everyone can see it?"
Asuka clutched at her head in frustration.
"You're the first to see any kind of indication of it happening," Toji said. "I'm sure the Doc will be tickled. Get ready for more tests. They call us Children when they really mean guinea pigs."
The trio walked to the city's sprawling central line hub, still flooded with students and an incoming influx of workers. No one gave the Children a second look as they entered together or headed to a small private tram out of the city.
They travelled through a security checkpoint outside WILLE's aboveground front, a nondescript government research facility sitting inside an impressive plot of land surrounded by a high barb wired fence. The actual base extended below the surface for hundreds of meters and housed everything from training areas to labs to barracks to the medical wing Kensuke was already familiar with.
They were underground heading to the base proper when Asuka spoke again. She was alone on the far side of the tram, legs and arms crossed. She observed Kensuke with a dull, there-is-literally-nothing-else-to-look-at-but-you gaze.
"Your tie is crooked."
"Could you fix it for me?" he asked. At his side, Toji tensed up.
"I only know how to tie nooses."
Kensuke chuckled. Until he realized she wasn't joking. Toji was tensed for the rest of the ride.
They arrived at WILLE. Dr. Akagi was there, Kensuke got the feeling she was always there, and he was again subjected to her scientific mercies. He related the afternoon's discovery, earning a brief flicker of genuine surprise. This brought about a brand new series of now old tests, but with a renewed urgency. Whatever sparked the doctor's interest was kept from Kensuke, and as the test series entered hour two he gave up trying to ask.
He was in a medical chair, sitting forward as Dr. Akagi examined his eyes through a variety of lenses connected to a bulky, expensive-looking machine hanging before his face. She would type something at a nearby terminal, the machine would click and whir softly, and she'd peer at the readout.
"Sit up straight," she told him.
He did, sourly noting her posture was lackluster. "So, you sent Soryu and Toji home. Good idea. It must be late and it is a school night…"
"Don't worry," Ritsuko said, still focused on the readout screen, "we're almost done here."
Time passed. Kensuke was already nostalgic for his lonely new apartment. So much for using the stipend Ms. Ibuki mentioned today. He did his best not to think about her thighs. Which led to his best not to think about Soryu's thighs. He needed a distraction.
He cleared his throat to force human interaction from the Doctor. He got the feeling she was resigned to people doing that around her.
"Yes?"
"I was just wondering," Kensuke began. "I mean, it was weird. Soryu can paint. Really, really well. Everybody knew it. But she acted like it was torture. Why would she sign up for Art and ace it, then act like she hates it?"
Ritsuko continued her exam without pausing. Her tone was professional casualness. "Asuka attends art classes at school as a part of her training. Knowing how to use a tool and exploiting it are two different things. Learning new ways to utilize said tools, through a variety of methods, can be invaluable."
"She didn't seem too keen on following the assignment in class."
"It's been difficult," she conceded. "But the training program won't be rescinded. Commander's orders."
"But wouldn't it make more sense to use the time in Art here, training with guns?"
Ritsuko smiled, a thin, curving twist of cheerless emotion. "Commander's orders."
/\/\/\/\
It was just shy of midnight when Kensuke stumbled through his apartment door. He entered his bare kitchen, realizing he'd have to stock it himself. Besides a desperate handful of peanuts from an opened vending machine bag in Dr. Akagi's lab he was operating on the echo of his school lunch. He hunched down in front of his tiny fridge, hoping the water bottles would ward off starvation.
There was a note taped on the refrigerator door.
He blearily pinched the edge of the pastel stationary: Hi, Mr. Aida, it read. I hope you had a great first day at school. I had some free time on my lunch break and decided to drop off everything you need for a nutritious, delicious lunch of your own. Lunch bags and plastic utensils are in the top drawer. Sincerely, Maya Ibuki.
He rifled through his fridge's new contents, past fresh fruit, vegetables and whole wheat bread to something he actually wanted to ingest. Well, it was the thought that counted.
He shut the fridge door and found the note again. Maya's handwriting was like her driving, he thought. Very precise, clean and compact. He stared at the note.
How the hell did she get in my apartment?
Kensuke looked around, suddenly suspicious. Nothing appeared different from the morning; the apartment was still small and clean. No visible cameras or bugs. No bars on the windows. Just a confined space in a complex stocked with WILLE members who apparently had free entry to his home whenever they wished.
A flare of righteous indignation sputtered and died. Why wouldn't WILLE have access to him at all times? He was a valuable commodity. Both Toji and Soryu seemed resigned to that fact. Maybe he should surrender as well. He wondered if Ms. Ibuki's talk that morning was nothing but a scripted attempt to dull his suspicions and make him feel everything was normal.
He was a genetically modified teenager in a covert paramilitary organization battling inhuman, murderous monsters in the shadows of the capital. Everything was not normal.
He was too exhausted to shower and collapsed into bed. He saw his closet, still open from the morning, displaying two more uniforms. The bedroom door was ajar, letting him see down the hallway to the kitchen. The newly filled refrigerator hummed in the dark. Kensuke rolled away from it onto his back and yanked his tie off, flinging it carelessly across the room. He shut his eyes.
"Still awesome," he told himself.
/\/\/\/\
End of chapter 3
Author notes: I don't plan on including any giant flying battleships in this, despite the WILLE moniker.
I'm trying not to overdo Kensuke's perviness. But he had some pervy moments in the series. Endure.
Next chapter: Trial by firing squad.