To say that it was rare to see Rei smile would be an understatement. That faint, soft smile always was a singular instance. There nearly never was a day where it was seen twice, and many a day without a single one. In fact, Asuka and Shinji had needed to tell her to smile even when she had escaped death. It was only since then that she had begun smiling at all. It was for that reason that every time that did happen, it still managed to stun Asuka.

Goddamn her. By now, Asuka could admit at least to herself that she found her damn cute. Her lithe figure, her graceful way of moving, those honest looks, the tiny smiles... Stupid cute Rei.

Rei showed her emotions in other ways. And a week of intensive synchronization training had made Asuka tune to those little signals. So she noticed that while Rei didn't smile when she saw Shinji waiting for them just outside the door to Misato's apartment, she did look slightly more upwards, with a more steady gaze, and her steps quickened. She was obviously looking forward to walking to school with Shinji, just as much...

...well, just as much as Asuka was.

There was not much which could make Rei show even that little emotion. She blatantly just endured synch tests and school classes and talks with NERV personnel. In a way, she went through life as if it weren't her own. That anything could make her react at all was rare and therefore precious.

And therefore Shinji was.

The three began walking their route in silence. Shinji is kinda special as well. Okay, he was maybe a bit... finicky, and much too shy in social situations, but he was by no means a coward. She had watched his berserk attack against Shamshel. That had not been his Evangelion, that had been he himself attacking the angel with suicidal recklessness. Worrisome, yes, but by no means cowardly. There were lots of brave boys around, though. What made Shinji special was that he was brave, but also not a brute macho guy. He cooked. He listened. He... he put up with her.

And yes, his own shy and awkward smiles, and his scrawny, wiry figure were kinda cute as well.

Who'd have thought that I have a thing for clumsy puppies? Asuka scoffed mentally. It kinda figures, doesn't it? I find people who I find... uh... yeah... and then it's two of them at once. All in all, her plan to end this confusion was the only way forward. Shinji and Rei clearly had a thing for each other, and while yes, both were kinda-sorta cute, neither of them could come close to Kaji.

She had thought about her 'battle plan' the whole day yesterday. The most crucial problem was a lack of intelligence. She didn't know exactly what Rei and Shinji thought about each other, so as of yet she had no hook she could use. So her plan for today was to change that. She could ask Rei in the evening, in their apartment, so for now she would concentrate on Shinji. She would have to separate him from Rei during school and ask him about her.

"I wonder what we'll be doing next week," Shinji spoke up.

"Grr, don't remind me," Asuka fumed. "The last school day before the Okinawa trip. And we aren't going! I swear, if someone makes a stupid comment about that, I'll bash their head against the tables."

"That would be inadvisable," Rei commented.

Asuka scoffed. "It'd feel good, though. I'd even be willing to write another essay, on why it's a bad idea."

Shinji chuckled, which caused Asuka to grin triumphantly.

She had heard about his first meeting with Touji. Apparently the guy really was even more of a jerk than he let on. They were all good buddies now, and Touji even had let Shinji beat him back, which was only sensible in Asuka's opinion, but it was clear Shinji shied away from physical violence. Oh well... it was maybe not very... masculine, but so what? It wasn't like Asuka needed protection. In fact, if the next bully appeared, it could well be her solving the issue physically. She was trained, after all.

Still, there was a certain attraction to competence and confidence, which was why men like Kaji would always win out over boys like Shinji.

The trio was greeted at the entrance to the school yard by Hikari, a clear sign that they all could have slept in a few more minutes. Taking her role as class rep way too seriously, Hikari was usually the first of the class to arrive. Especially now that Rei didn't appear super-early anymore.

Hikari obviously noted that fact as well. "Hello, Asuka. Ikari and Ayanami seem to be a good influence on you."

Asuka scoffed. "Aren't you afraid I'll corrupt them or something?"

Hikari took a good look at Shinji, then at Rei. "...unlikely."

Asuka supposed she had a point there. She sighed. "You know I'm only here for shit and giggles, right? That I don't really need the school grades and all that stuff?"

"Well, yeah, you've told me..." Hikari answered unsurely. Probably fretting if she has overstepped a line. Good.

"That means I come when I want, and if I want," Asuka drove the point home.

"Well, ah, anyway, I wanted to ask you if you're okay," Hikari changed the topic.

Asuka turned her head and glanced at Hikari sideways. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you seemed kinda... out of it yesterday afternoon," Hikari explained. "In PE."

Hoo, boy... There was a reason for that. PE had consisted of swimming again, and Asuka had decided to use that chance to check where she stood in regard to girls. As it turned out, nothing happened... or nearly nothing. She could glance at Hikari undressing, even continuing her talk with her as they both did, and nothing would happen. Looking at most girls did nothing for her. But there was Sanae Ishimoto, the star of the volleyball club, her athletic body, her abs and her... yeah. Even the new girl, Mana Kirishima, had looked kinda nice from behind. Ehem... And then of course there was Rei. Lithe figure, but, ah, otherwise well developed. What a combination. After looking a bit too long in the direction of those girls in a state of undress, was it any wonder she spent most of the PE lesson somewhat bedazzled?

So it appeared some girls did do something for her. Hmm.

"Are you spying on me or what?" Asuka asked. Hah. Projection much, Asuka?

"It... was pretty obvious," Hikari answered. "You looked kinda... flustered. I already worried you had a fever."

"You're weird," Asuka said dismissively.

Hikari didn't reply, and neither Shinji nor Rei said a word. Oh great. Another conversation killed by the great Asuka Langley-Soryu...

Finally, they all kinda trotted inside and waited for the teacher to arrive. Maths was easy as always, Japanese a chore as always. History was just plain boring, but at least not as exhausting as Japanese. Asuka idly looked around in the room. Rei was looking out of the window, as always. Kensuke looked like he might die from boredom any minute now. Touji did something below his desk, probably using his phone. Mana had arrived late to class and now kept glancing over at Shinji. Grrr... And Shinji... Shinji appeared to be actually attentive. Huh.

He sat upright, his eyes on the teacher, obviously listening. That was odd. Most people thought the droning, rambling history teacher to be the worst bore in all of Tokyo-3. And Shinji himself rarely paid attention to anything, or rather, rarely showed interest in anything. He could pilot the EVA well, but only because he had been forced to. Even cooking was the same: He was excellent at it, but had only really started with it out of self-defence from Misato's attempts at it.

And while Asuka could only see him from behind, she kinda liked seeing a Shinji who took an interest in something. To see his usually so mopy figure straightened up. He was kinda cute that way...

...I'm so fucked up. Time to get my plan going.

That was why she immediately jumped up from her seat when the break started. Unfortunately, Mana had an advantage over her, sitting as she was right next to Shinji.

"I'm really wondering what I can even do next week," Asuka heard the brunette complain. "I hope it won't get too boring."

"Well, uh, you could..." Shinji stuttered.

Oh no you don't! The boy was too good-hearted for his own good; of course he would offer help. Or maybe he has already taken a liking to Ms Schoolgirl Stereotype? That notion kinda frightened Asuka. It... would threaten her plans in regards to him and Rei. Yeah. That would be bad.

"Hey, Shinji," she interrupted in a deliberately loud voice.

He turned towards her.

"There's..." Asuka began, and then was unsure how to continue. She shrugged. Why not be blunt? "There's something we need to talk about. Come with me."

"Uh, what?" Shinji responded.

Asuka grabbed his arm. "I said, come with me." And with that she basically dragged Shinji along behind her.

Right. I got him away from the Dark Seductress, and I can him ask about Rei. Efficient. In fact, getting away from Mana was no small extra bonus. The brunette had constantly orbited around Shinji the previous day. It was kinda unsettling how quickly and how much she was latching onto the boy.

Asuka stopped her march once they had reached the building's central staircase.

"Uh... Asuka..." Shinji spoke up after some seconds of silence, looking pointedly at her hand still holding his arm.

"Oh," Asuka voiced. Even then it took some more seconds until she let go.

"So... what's this about?" Shinji asked.

"What do you think about Rei?" Asuka asked bluntly.

"In... in what way?" Shinji posed a counter-question.

"Well... in general!" Asuka exclaimed.

Shinji looked somewhat suspicious now. "She's a nice girl. Uh... dedicated pilot. Quiet, of course, but uh, you know that. Fun to walk to school with. Yeah..."

Asuka furrowed her brows. "Is that all?"

"Well, what more do you want?" Shinji asked. It sounded like he tried his best not to sound too complaining, not to give offence.

Which of course only served to further annoy Asuka. "Well... you think she looks attractive?"

That got Shinji nervous. "Ah... sorta? I mean... she's, uh... exotic. The blue hair and all."

Exotic. That was not much to work with. "And do you think she's... you know... a good person?"

"Uh... sure," Shinji answered. "She... she always listened. And she jumped into that beam for you. Ahhh... I mean... before you defeated that angel, of course."

Asuka dismissed Shinji's obvious concerns with a handwave. It had been in fact her who had eliminated Ramiel, so she didn't see Rei's action as competition. Rather she was still astounded that anyone would take a lethal beam shot for her, even if with protective shield and as part of a mission.

"Yes, yes, but beyond that," Asuka demanded to know. "I mean... you've hung out with her an awful lot. Well, 'a lot' for you. And certainly for her. So, you know..."

"I know... what?" Shinji asked suspiciously.

An idea for a formulation hit Asuka. "If you had to choose a girlfriend, would you choose her?"

Shinji's eye widened. His face reddened. "You... you can't put me on the spot like this!"

"Oh come on, just answer the damned question!" Asuka demanded.

"Ah well... I mean... maybe... not that you... I mean... I won't... uh..." Shinji stuttered.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Right." Why had she ever thought she could get Shinji talking about girls and relationships? The guy still turned into a tomato every time Touji told one of his dirty jokes. She would have to be more subtle...

...only that she couldn't do 'subtle', of course.

She sighed in annoyance. "Let's just get back into the classroom."

This sucks. Boooring!

Asuka was all alone in her apartment and had nothing at all to do. Well, that wasn't quite correct. Theoretically, she still had an essay to write. Eh, screw that. Her entire class would be preparing for the big day tomorrow, Monday, the flight to Okinawa, but she of course wasn't part of that. It was just unfair! Her piloting was never even brought up in her daily life, never recognized... and the one time it did interact with her daily life was to deprive her of something. It really felt like she had to get out there and fight monsters, at the risk of her life, and then be punished for it. It wasn't fair that the sacrifices she had already made anyway should have to come with yet more sacrifice, instead of being rewarded.

After all, she had spent hour after hour training since she was six. Between that and school/college, she had barely had any free time at all. And was that ever recognized? No, rather, to add insult to injury, now she was even deprived of a single school trip. A small issue maybe, all things considered, but for the first time in a long while she had a feeling that EVA was screwing her life over.

Unfortunately, she had nothing else.

And to make matters worse, the previous day, Saturday, Rei had disappeared. She hadn't even told her anything; Asuka had just found out she was gone in the morning. Some calls Misato had made on her insistence had revealed she was at the Geofront for a lengthy medical check-up; Dr Akagi estimated she would stay there for several days. What can they prod her about for several days? Was there something wrong with Rei? It would fit to her to not mention such things, even if they were maybe a life-threatening condition. Oh Gott...

More immediately it meant that Asuka was bored. Misato had promised her that her belongings would be moved to the new apartments on Monday, and a new TV should arrive within the week. Finally, finally she would be able to play video games again. But for now all she could do was to sit in the kitchen and stare at the wall. Fuck. She was left fuming at her situation, worrying about Rei and getting bored out of her mind.

With a loud groan that probably could be heard two blocs over, Asuka got up, grabbed her wallet and got out of the apartment. Walking two doors over, she rang the bell of the Katsuragi residence. Misato opened.

"Hello, Asuka," she greeted her.

"Yes, yes, hello," Asuka greeted back... in a way. "Is Shinji here and no, you don't even need to bother, I can already guess what you'll say. Just answer my question."

"Charming as ever," Misato muttered. "Shinji's inside, yeah." She turned around and called: "Hey, Shin-chan! Asuka is here to take you on a daaate."

"Oh for fuck's sake..." Asuka grumbled.

Shinji appeared at the door. He seemed hesitant. "Uh... yeah, Asuka?"

"Rei's still away and I'm bored," she told him bluntly. "Let's go to the city."

"See," Misato addressed Shinji. "Told you!"

Shinji ignored her. "Uh... Sure. Let me get my things."

Asuka wondered what those "things" could even be. It wasn't like Shinji had ever been seen in anything else than black trousers with too long belts and white shirts, outside of PE and NERV activities.

Come to think of it, I should take him shopping as well. Together with Rei... well, together with Rei and her NERV credit card.

"Have fuu-uun," Misato trilled as the two turned to leave. Shinji sighed. Asuka rolled her eyes.

"How do you stand living with that person on a daily basis?" an exasperated Asuka asked.

Shinji remained uncomfortably silent. Huh. Apparently that issue was more serious than just Misato's teasing. Or Shinji is overdramatizing things again. Would fit to him.

"So," she spoke up again. "Any idea what to do now?"

"You're the one who wanted to go to the city!" Shinji protested.

Asuka hand-waved that protest away. "You've lived in this city longer than me."

"Only by about two months!" Shinji protested again. "And you've been to the city plenty of times by now."

"True," Asuka admitted in an aggressive voice. "So, do you want to go to the hairdresser first? Or the boutiques? Or maybe the beauty salon?"

"...I see your point," Shinji mumbled. He glanced over sideways to her. "That's all you've ever done there?"

Asuka raised an eyebrow. "As opposed to you... doing what exactly in the city?"

"Ah... well... uh..." Shinji stuttered. Then he stopped walking. "Oh. That's right. Say, Asuka, you like playing video games, don't you?"

"Or I would if NERV finally handed my consoles back over to me. Or got me a TV," Asuka complained.

"Well, I just remembered, the inner city mall recently reopened," Shinji told her. "They had an arcade hall there. Maybe that one is open again as well."

Asuka scoffed. "You still have arcade halls here?"

"Uh... yeah?" Shinji answered.

Arcade halls. Seriously. Have I stepped into the 80s? She shrugged. "Well, it's an idea, at least." She got moving again.

There was one advantage to Tokyo-3 that even Asuka had to admit: Its excellent public transportation system. Granted, Berlin had two subway networks, the S-Bahn network, the trams in the east of the city... but some of the trains on the S-Bahn network weren't merely pre-Second Impact or even only pre-Reunification, but pre-World War 2. Mothballed in 1997 and slated to be scrapped, they had to be reactivated after the grave damages of Second Impact. Meanwhile, Tokyo-3 employed ultramodern, state of the art trains on a coherently planned grid network.

...which meant they really could have used normal seats to fill up the train wagons instead of benches at the side to leave the centre free for standing passengers. Due to the excellent condition of the system, it wasn't like how things had been in old Tokyo, with every cm³ of the wagons used to cram passengers in. No, due to the lack of benches or seats it merely meant there would be too few sitting places during rush hour.

Silly Japanese.

"So," Asuka spoke up from her position on the bench, "Do you have any idea what could have happened to Rei?"

"Ah well," Shinji, sitting next to her, answered. "Could be anything. She has often been absent from school before. Never for several days at once, though."

"Hrm. I don't like this!" Asuka complained. "We should get more information. Rei is one of us, after all. An EVA pilot. And they treat us like children who don't get to know anything!"

"Well, we are..." Shinji began.

"What normal children have to take several megaton into life and death battles?" Asuka argued forcefully. "We're doing adults' work. More than normal adults' work, in fact. So they should treat us accordingly. Hell, I have a college degree!"

Shinji didn't answer to that. Asuka pointedly sighed in exasperation. She really hated it when he did things like that. Hated it when he appeared sullen or weak. It was pathetic.

...and yet, at the same time it also made her feel genuinely sympathetic. She would like to see Shinji more cheerful, or just... smiling. Which of course was one more reason to hate his dark moods, when he wasn't and which made Asuka feel conflicted.

Asuka hadn't had a chance to visit the mall before Ramiel destroyed it, so she couldn't say how well they had built it up again. But whatever it was before, now it looked quite magnificent, full of lights and potted plants and squeaky clean ground tiles. And the amount of small stores inside was truly staggering. Why couldn't they have finished this sooner? Having everything in one building would have made that shopping trip with Rei so much easier!

The arcade hall had in fact reopened as well. There were some clunky machines in a corner that looked like they had come straight out of the 80s, but those were definitely the minority. The whole place looked sleek and modern, and most of its attractions were things standard PCs and consoles didn't offer: 3d and even VR goggles, laser pistols, dancing mats. To say that this all looked very interesting to Asuka would have been an understatement; starved of video games for months now she felt like she had entered the promised land.

Shinji has been good for something. Who would've thought?

Okay, maybe that was a bit of an unfair thought, but Asuka was too busy too care, already basically jumping to the nearest free shooter game. Then to a piloting simulator... okay, that one felt a bit familiar. Though, really, even the shooting games were familiar enough. Target in the centre, pull the switch... Asuka didn't mind, though. Quite the opposite: She enjoyed the skill boost her NERV training gave her in those games. She was better than anyone else playing them.

"Hey, it's Shinji! And... Soryu? Man, I'm sorry, Shinji!"

Asuka groaned in her "pilot's seat". Touji. Which meant...

"Hey there, Shinji, Soryu."

Yeah. The two stooges. She ended her game and stood up. And indeed there they were, approaching her and Shinji: Touji in his usual training apparel and Kensuke in his usual white shirt.

"Uh.. shouldn't you two be packing?" Shinji asked.

Kensuke shrugged as they came to a halt. "Already did. Now we have nothing better to do."

"Yeah, it'll be so much fun t..." Touji tried to tease them.

"Not another word!" Asuka cut in and aggressively pointed her finger at him. "Remember my promise about aiming higher the next time? Yeah."

"Spoilsport," Touji muttered. "I'm sure Shinji..."

"If I hear you say anything to me, him or Rei, there'll be... scrambled eggs," Asuka threatened. Before he could reply, she threw her arms into the air and began to vent, "I mean, for fuck's sake!" The use of the expletive had everyone stunned. "We're protecting your sorry asses, and what do we get in return? We can't even go on school trips! And instead of sympathy from those we fucking protect, we get mockery! Maybe I should simply let the next angel destroy the city!"

"Well, it's your job..." Touji muttered.

"Yes, the job I chose to take on," Asuka reminded him forcefully. Mana was right. We don't get enough respect. It's time to demand it from people. "In order to keep you pathetic little clowns protected. Without us, you'd all have been killed half a dozen times over. For that we risk our lives. For that we suffer the pain of the neural feedback. So show some fucking respect."

"I was just trying to make a joke!" Touji complained loudly.

"At our expense," Asuka pointed out coldly.

An icy, uncomfortable silence followed. The four stood in a sort of rectangle next to the piloting simulator, all looking at each other tensely. Shinji in particular looked awkward. He was the one who stood furthest away from the other three, doing his best to appear invisible.

"Ah, well," Kensuke spoke up nervously. "Maybe we should..."

"No. She is right," Touji spoke up again. He sounded unwilling to admit this, but surprisingly serious for him. "If they don't want jokes about it..." He shrugged. Asuka was stunned.

"Uh... right..." Kensuke voiced.

"We saw what it's like," Touji pointed out to him.

That got Kensuke serious as well. "Yeah. We did."

Touji turned to Asuka again. "You're right, I suppose. It's shitty that you can't go."

As far as apologies went, this one was a bit lame. Though at least it didn't involve the usual Japanese bowing nonsense. Touji was probably too Osakan for that.

"She didn't need to put it like that," Kensuke complained in a small voice.

"Only way to get it through your thick skulls!" Asuka claimed.

"What are you two doing here, anyway?" Touji asked dismissively.

"What does it look like, genius?" Asuka shot back.

Touji narrowed his eyes. "What about Ayanami? Hey, Shinji, you should take her along..." He looked at Asuka. "Uh... take her along as well, I mean."

"Ah, she's getting some sort of medical treatment," Shinji explained. "Seems like she couldn't have gone to Okinawa anyway..."

Another silence followed, which was broken by Kensuke. "You any good at those games?"

Asuka scoffed. "I only discovered them today, but I bet I could beat your sorry ass in them."

Kensuke smirked. "It's on."

Touji sighed. "And here we go..."

Asuka was... frantic. That was the only way to describe her playing style. Neither her character, nor the target cross, nor she herself were ever still. It was a markable contrast to Kensuke, who was cold, unmoving, outwardly professional. And whereas Asuka routinely muttered German swearwords, Kensuke remained entirely quiet.

Normally one would think this would ensure Kensuke's victory, but it was always a close affair. He did win time after time, but then he was the group's master gamer who had visited this establishment dozens of time whereas Asuka was a green rookie who had come here for the first time. She had experience with console games and, Shinji suspected, NERV's VR training, but the games she played here she had never touched before. Clearly, her wild and exhausting playing style worked for her.

What was more, seeing Asuka bent forwards, backwards and sideways in her tight jeans, see her jumping around, sweating, growling...

...it invoked some very peculiar feelings inside Shinji. Like he could grab her right now and... ehem. Why the hell was he having such abysmal thoughts? That was terrible of him!

Touji sighed. "Poor Soryu."

Reluctantly, Shinji turned his attention away from the game to his friend. "Huh?"

"She'll never get rid of Kensuke now," Touji explained. "This is the first time in forever he has found a more or less equal opponent. He should be very happy right now."

"Sure doesn't look like it," Shinji muttered.

Touji shrugged. "You know how he is during games. Ice cold."

Before Shinji could reply, Asuka burst out in loud curses. "This is bullshit!" She had lost again. "Absolute bullshit! Who designed these games? Let's have another round!"

"Ah, I'm running out of mon..." Kensuke tried.

"I'm paying. Now shut up and play!" Asuka demanded.

"Yes, ma'am," Kensuke confirmed.

A wall separated the two players, so that neither could look on the other's screen. Both had a pistol at hand with which to shoot at the screen... and ideally kill the other's character or its AI allies. As soon as Asuka had paid the two went hunting each other again.

Kensuke found Asuka first.

Her nervous playing style saved her. While some shots grazed her persona, she got away. Kensuke didn't comment at all; Asuka emitted a vicious growl as she was finally around a corner.

"Yes! Now go get him!" Shinji suddenly cheered Asuka on. She would be unbearable if she didn't win a single game, but that wasn't the main reason why Shinji did so. Mostly it was... seeing Asuka play, she was so alive. So fiery. So... uh... yeah, he had to admit it: So goddamn attractive.

Touji shot an angry glare at him and then turned his attention back to the game. "Don't give up, Kensu! You nearly had her! Victory is yours!"

Some other people in the arcade hall turned their heads to them, but nobody really cared. The rules were a bit more relaxed here, and people cheering on their friends happened.

In the end, Asuka lost that game again, again under loud curses.

"Another one!" she demanded.

...and lost that one as well. Kensuke was down to barely any life points at all, but he remained victorious.

"Gottverdammte Scheiße!" she cursed. "You can't be serious! How can you... after all that... and you still survive! That's bullshit!"

"Well, I have played this game for..." Kensuke tried, but he didn't come far.

"Well, you'll play it another time!" Asuka demanded.

"Uh, are you sure that's..." Kensuke began, but he was interrupted again.

"I'm damn sure and I'm paying, so shut up!" Asuka ordered him.

Kensuke shrugged, turned towards his screen and started. His character cautiously looked around corners, crawled through ventilation shafts, directed his AI minions. He was a cold-blooded professional...

...who was suddenly under fire.

Running through a city square, Kensuke's character managed to reach the safety of a half-bombed out house... a safety that proved to be treacherous. AI minions of Asuka's had occupied it, and while Kensuke cleaned them out easily, that took time. Shortly after the last of the AI characters had been dispatched, Kensuke's avatar came under fire from the building level above him. It retreated into a corner and waited...

...click click click...

Something metal rolled over the virtual ground. A grenade. It exploded.

"Flawless victory!"

"Yes!" Asuka exclaimed. Her avatar had not been touched once. "Yes! Yes yes yes! Take that, Four-Eyes! You may win, but I win in style!"

She was positively glowing. Like a sparkling fire... and right now Shinji felt like a moth. Damnit, but he wanted to see Asuka like that more often. Maybe cause her to be like that.

"That... was honestly impressive," Kensuke admitted, peering around the wall separating the two. "You really have never played this game?"

"Pff. No need to," Asuka claimed arrogantly.

"Apparently not," Kensuke conceded. "So, are you content now?"

"Quite," Asuka agreed haughtily. "You want to give up already?"

Kensuke shrugged. "Well, I already got three free games out of it. I doubt you'll dole out more now that you've won."

"Hah, you're right," Asuka confirmed. "Actually, I'm kinda hungry. We should go eat something, Shinji."

"Uh... well... I haven't eaten anything yet, either," Shinji admitted.

"Come on, Shin-Man, you want to let yourself be bullied around by Soryu?" Touji protested. "Stay with us and we'll do something fun."

Kensuke shrugged and smirked. "While he's hungry? I don't think that works. Come on, Touji, we've played enough for today. Have a good day, Shinji, Soryu."

"Wait, what?" Touji protested as Kensuke got going.

"Come on, Touji," Kensuke repeated without turning around. "Let them eat something."

"Oh, that's bullshit," Touji grumbled as he followed his friend.

What was that about? Shinji wondered as he watched the two leave.

"So, you're coming?" Asuka asked.

"Ah, sure," Shinji agreed.

The place they decided to go to... okay, the place Asuka decided they would go to was a fast food restaurant serving burgers and fries. Asuka claimed she was getting sick of having rice with everything and 'weird' sauces as part of almost every meal.

"Well, that was satisfying," Asuka declared before she put about five fries at once in her mouth.

"The game, or venting at Touji?" Shinji muttered.

Asuka scoffed and chewed on her fries. After she had gulped them down she declared, "Both, of course." She looked at Shinji across the table and narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you disapprove."

"It's just... it could make things kinda awkward," Shinji explained. "I mean, they are my friends."

"All the more reason for them to be more considerate of you!" Asuka argued.

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked, honestly confused.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean?' ?" Asuka shot back. "If they are your friends, then they should be considerate and friendly towards you. Seems obvious to me!"

"But... they are my friends," Shinji just repeated. "That means, we don't need to be all polite and thoughtful and all that around each other. It means we can be relaxed with each other."

Asuka's arm stopped mid-movement of grabbing more fries. "...right. That's this Japanese ingroup-outgroup bullshit, isn't it?"

Shinji had no idea what she meant by that specifically, but he got the gist of it. "Things are... different in Germany?"

Asuka shrugged. "I'm just saying. If I have friends, I'd expect them to be mindful of me."

"More so than with strangers?" Shinji asked.

"Of course!" Asuka exclaimed. "What else is the point of friends then? They're the people you go that extra mile for."

Shinji considered that. "Well... you aren't wrong, but... they're also the people around which you can be yourself."

"Maybe," Asuka allowed. "But not at the friend's expense."

Shinji used the ensuing silence to take a bite of his burger. He had no problems with fast food per se, but after the last few months of having spent quite some effort on preparing his meals himself he found it somewhat lacking. Asuka obviously seemed to enjoy it, though. Maybe it was just was because it was in fact something else for once. Or maybe she just liked eating in general; she certainly seemed to enjoy his cooking as well. Or maybe she actually doesn't and would like more 'western' food...

"Though yes, winning against Kensuke was also fun," Asuka stated. "And how I did! Flawless victory! He never achieved that against me!"

Shinji barely managed to suppress a 'Took you long enough'. Instead, he formulated it slightly more politely. "Achieving that seemed important to you."

"I always win in the end," Asuka claimed, sounding slightly icy.

"It seems so," Shinji muttered.

"You doubt that?" Asuka asked. She sounded enraged now.

"No, no, no, not doubt..." Shinji defended himself. "It just seems to me... you went to some awful lengths to get that victory. I'm just wondering if it was worth it."

"I always win in the end," Asuka repeated her position.

Shinji hesitated. Asuka looked proud now, but it seemed a very fragile pride. A pride Shinji wouldn't want to shatter. He even kinda liked that attitude about her. That drive that he himself utterly lacked. And yet...

"That's important to you?" he asked.

"What does that matter to you?" Asuka shouted angrily.

"Sorry," Shinji whispered. "It's just... I never felt the same."

Asuka scoffed. "That's obvious."

Shinji looked around before answering. There was a group of three people present, older teenagers, but they were several tables away. Apart from that, the restaurant was empty. "And yet... we both lost our mothers to EVA. At the same time. And yet then... developed so differently."

Asuka stared at him angrily for a moment. Then the tension left her body. "I did wonder about that, actually. You told me how... how your mother left you, how your father abandoned you. Just like with me." Shinji nodded. Asuka shifted in her seat uncomfortably and finally shrugged. "I can't make people stop abandoning me. It's what people do. I had half a dozen guardians during my time in NERV, for example. But I can... I can make them respect me. Being on top... means being safe." She breathed out. "So how can you be so calm about all that?"

Oh.

Half a dozen emotions ran through Shinji's head. Foremost surprise, of course, that Asuka would tell him that. Awkwardness, about what to say now. Even a certain fear about having to explain himself in turn now. A slowly dawning realization about Asuka. And, strangely, the instinctive desire to wrap her in his arms and be the one person to not leave her.

...not that she would ever let him.

Finally, he managed to speak up. "What would be the point of trying? My mother left me, my father abandoned me, and my tutor never really cared about me. No matter what I did. I just... I just want the world to go away, sometimes. The SDAT player helps in that."

"You've given up," Asuka summarized flatly. "You don't even try."

Shinji didn't answer, just held his head rigidly downwards, looking at his tray with the fries and the remaining burger.

He heard Asuka whisper, "Verdammt nocheinmal, Ikari... Dreckskerl..."

Shinji felt a sudden strong grip around his left lower arm. He looked up to see a determined expression on Asuka's face, looking right him. "So you've given up. And I've become a goddamn tryhard." She laughed bitterly. "The elite EVA pilot corps, everyone."

Her eyes widened when, by a sheer impulse he couldn't explain himself, he laid his hand on hers. "We've gone through the same things. But I think you've dealt better with them than me.

Asuka hastily withdrew her hand. "I'm not so sure about that," she muttered, nearly to the point of unintelligibility.

"I mean, I think I know what you mean," Shinji continued. "If I thought it could change anything... could maybe bring Father back..." He shook his head. "Maybe winning would be just as important to me. Instead, I've given up."

"And I can understand that," Asuka assured him. "I've long since given up on..." She fought with the right words. "...on things getting better, I guess. I just desperately hope they don't get worse."

"Oh," Shinji voiced. Then he shrugged. "I guess I kinda assume it'll come to that. Life at my tutor's was bad, but then... but then I had to pilot Evangelion."

"It's... weird to me to hear you talk about Evangelion in that way," Asuka admitted quietly. "But I guess there really is no reason why it should mean as much to you as it does to me. You kinda really were grabbed off the street."

Now, for once, it was Shinji who scoffed. "That's one way of putting it. Another one is that my father..." He stopped, overwhelmed by emotions. His hands balled into fists. "He hadn't spoken with me in ten years, or even only written to me. And then I get a note, and the only thing it says is to come to Tokyo-3. And then I find out the only reason he called for me is to have me pilot that... that thing." He hissed that word, and added in a whisper, "To have me suffer."

"...and I thought my father was an asshole," Asuka commented. "At least he always did write to me at Christmas and my birthdays. And he never used another girl to blackmail me."

"Damn it," Shinj cursed. "He never showed his face in ten years. Why is he still having such an effect on me?"

"...because you have nothing else," Asuka attempted an explanation. "I know how that is. And... maybe that's for the best. Look at how I threw myself at the Evangelion program."

"Always staying safe," Shinji muttered.

Asuka nodded in confirmation. And at that moment, Shinji felt so incredibly close to her, like... the only other time he had felt so close to a person had been the double-synch with Ayanami, and that had involved weird EVA neurotech. Here and now he seemed to have achieved that entirely without such enigmatic technology. For a moment he truly did wish to never leave her alone again, and not just for her sake – for his as well.

A fast food restaurant was a weird place to have such an intensely emotional moment.

"Maybe..." Asuka began. "Maybe we have nothing at the moment. Or only have the Evangelion program. But that'll pass, surely? Surely, eventually... we'll just have to survive until then."

A shiver went down Shinji's spine as Asuka so bluntly put the risks of their 'job'. They make us fight life and death battles... And for once, Asuka seemed to notice how someone in her vicinity felt.

"Hey," she spoke up forcefully. "We will survive. So that we'll find... I dunno... stuff to live for. Bah, that sounds awfully high-minded. But you know what I mean." She worked her mouth. "You will survive. I'll protect you. I promise you."

Half a smile appeared on Shinji's face. The same promise he had made to Ayanami. And Ayanami, in the end, had protected Asuka against Ramiel's beam.

"I'll take you up on that," he said softly. Asuka nodded again, as if to reaffirm the point.

In that moment it occurred to Shinji that maybe they all had something worth living for within reach. But it was a quick and fleeting thought.

The rest of the meal was spent in silence. After what they had just said, what more was there to add? So it was a comfortable silence. They had stated what needed to be stated. In fact, Shinji had never planned to go that far in the conversation, but... strangely and against all expectations it had paid off. Even if it had meant holding that conversation in a fast food restaurant of all places.

Weird... weird... weird...

That thought kept circulating in Asuka's mind. That conversation... she hadn't meant to open up like that, but it had felt good, but it was being held in a friggen fast food restaurant.

It figured that she had been forced to make the first step. To tell Shinji about... her. Her development. Her... fears. That was weird as well. There was no other person with whom Asuka would have talked about this. Certainly none of the half dozen guardians she had, or her stepmother, or even her father. But Shinji... he had gone through the same anyway, hadn't he? She had been sure he'd understand. Still nervous, of course. But then he had in fact shown to understand.

And Asuka had almost shivered.

It seemed Shinji had been hit harder than herself. She at least still struggled. Maybe it had made her an obsessive, aggressive bitch, but by God, she still struggled. She wasn't dead yet. But Shinji... he had just given up. And while normally Asuka would sneer at that... It wasn't like this made Shinji useless. Quite the contrary. He cooked for her, he listened to her, he had defeated two angels solo. So at that moment, what Asuka had felt was an intense anger at Gendo Ikari, genuine sympathy for Shinji, something she hadn't felt in a while... except maybe for Rei, but that was Ikari's fault as well...and a need to somehow shelter him. Protect him.

And amazingly, she had even managed to express that as well. Normally conversations just didn't go that way for her!

And when she now looked at Shinji eating up the last of his fries... that honest face, the typically slumped shoulders, the sad attempts at smiles that adorned that face now and then... something inside her wanted to 'protect and shelter' him in much more direct ways. Which was a bit scary. Sudden thoughts and images about holding Shinji...

It was little wonder that the two of them were both a bit awkward when they got up and left the restaurant.

...only to discover a familiar hairdo in the crowd outside, short-clipped, red-tinged brown hair. Mana Kirishima. Asuka's mood soured slightly. What's she doing here?

By chance she and Shinji approached Mana's position. The girl was talking with a man in his fifties, who looked bullish and muscular, but as if to compensate for that image wore an excellent business suit. Hands as broad as a child's head attached to arms covered in what was probably designer clothing. The man hesitated when he saw the two approaching. Mana turned around as well.

"Ah, Ikari, Soryu," she greeted them. "Ah... that's my uncle. Yohei Kaneko. He's taking care of me." Kaneko nodded curtly at the two. "Those are Shinji Ikari and Asuka Soryu, classmates of mine. What are you doing here?"

Before Shinji could answer, Asuka let herself be led by her annoyance at the girl. "I could just as well ask the same of you."

"True enough," Mana admitted. "I've been shopping with my uncle. Still finding things for our new apartment." She giggled. Of course...

"We've been to the arcade hall," Shinji offered with a half-smile. Asuka rolled her eyes.

"They have an arcade hall here?" Mana asked.

"Uh... if you're here... you should have passed it," Asuka pointed out.

There was a bit of silence. "Oh. Well. I'm not very observant it seems," Mana admitted. And giggled. "Well, maybe I should accompany you two to there one of these days. It's not like we have anything to do next week after all."

"Don't you start as well," Asuka muttered.

"Oh, I wouldn't..." Mana began but then stopped herself. "I mean, I just want some ways to alleviate the sure to come boredom."

"Right," Asuka muttered. "Well, we should be going." She turned around and left the scene.

"Ah... have a nice day still, Kirishima, Mr Kaneko," Shinji still said before following her.