Interlude 5: The Funny Thing About Family
Tokyo-3 Seiyu Supermarket, June 3rd, 2015
Shinji Ikari was… well, he was at something of a loss. And this time, it had nothing to do with the Evangelion.
'What should I get Ms. Misato?' he thought as he stood alone in the grocery store in the midst of his regular shopping. His intentions went well beyond the usual food and snacks that sustained them this time.
It was in actually executing his intentions that he found himself a little lost. What kind of gift did you get for… someone like Misato? There just wasn't any better way to put it, and thus it made actually trying to think of something she might find meaningful remarkably difficult.
Budget, as he'd found out recently from Asuka, was of remarkably little concern, his mind still spinning from the numbers on the few, but remarkably generous checks that were just… waiting for a bank account to go into. But that just seemed to make everything that much harder instead. Much as he had no intention to be lavish, it had lifted his eyes to consider looking for more expensive gifts.
'Where do I even go for something like what Misato might like?' he pondered as he got the requisite bags of rice, adding them to his handbasket of vegetables, chicken, and fish. The idea of going somewhere targeted towards girls and women… alone… well…
"Oh. Hello, Shinji."
Shinji started from his reverie with a slight jump, looking to his right to find First Lieutenant Ibuki, dressed down to a light blue and white striped shirt, white pants, and sandals. Along with a basket, she had a purse slung over her shoulder.
"Hello, uh…" Shinji said, trying to find some proper way to address her outside of the usual chain of command. "Hello, First Lieutenant Ibuki," he finally settled on.
Ibuki chucked, putting a hand to her mouth in an almost dainty fashion. "It's okay, Shinji. We're not exactly on the clock. You can just call me Maya."
"Okay, Ms. Maya," Shinji said. "I… didn't expect to see you here."
"My usual supermarket was out of stock on a few things," Maya replied. "This was the next closest place."
She smiled, a slight, but warm thing that managed to put Shinji rather strangely at ease. "With how close it is to Colonel Katsuragi's apartment, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that I bumped into you today. How are you?"
Shinji blinked at the question. "Oh, you know, just… living life. School's going well, and I suppose Asuka's settling in."
How did the answer to that particular question come so easily when Daniel asked it? What was he expecting from Ibuki that made him so hesitant?
Maya simply nodded, moving with Shinji as he made his way to another aisle. "That's good to know. You the cook of the house?"
Shinji nodded. "Yeah," he said absentmindedly as he gauged the price of two brands. "It's something I needed to do to feed myself when I was younger, so I got to be pretty good at it. When I met Daniel, he helped foster my interest in it, said it'd always come in handy."
Maya arched a brow slightly. "Is that so? I didn't know you and Mr. Theisman knew each other."
A part of him froze for a moment, wondering what Daniel might think of volunteering such information. Their relationship, the role that Daniel had played in his life, needed to be kept a secret from his father. 'But… it's not like Ms. Ibuki is going to tell this to my father. Is she?'
He took a breath, then decided to nod. "Yeah. Daniel took me in when I was around 9, and he was my guardian for three years before he left for Germany. He's… well he was my guardian."
Still was, to no small extent. But Maya had gotten all he wanted her to know as she nodded in understanding.
"That's sweet," she said as she paused to pick up some instant ramen. "I haven't gotten to know Mr. Theisman that well, but he seems like a decent guy." she paused for a moment, her smile becoming something of a grin. "Especially if he helped out with making you such a brave, courteous kid."
The remark likely had its intended effect as Shinji blushed deeply, looking down at his feet as Maya chuckled for a moment. "I'm sorry," she said after the chuckling stopped. "I only meant to compliment you. You have been very brave these last few months."
"Thanks," Shinji managed not to mumble.
It was silent for a few moments before Maya spoke again. "So, what's on your shopping list?"
Shinji almost sighed in relief at the change in topic. "Well, I've got chicken, fish, panko, rice, sugar peas, some snacks, and…"
He trailed off. He still hadn't decided on what to get Misato. Maya's interruption hadn't exactly helped things.
"A special ingredient?" Maya asked, curiosity suffusing her words. "What would that be, Shinji?"
Should he tell her? 'Maybe she might have an idea of what to do, being a woman and all. She's not really going to be interacting with Misato that much, so… what's the harm?'
"Well," he began, "I'm trying to find something I can give as a gift to Misato so that I can show my appreciation for her. She's worked so hard since I moved in with her, and I wanted to make sure she felt recognized for how she's helped me."
He looked at Maya and found her nodding slowly in understanding. "And because you haven't really grown up with any girls, you're in a bind."
Shinji nodded, and it was silent between them for a moment as Maya's brow furled slightly. After a few moments more, she nodded.
"Tell you what," she said, pulling her phone out of her bag and beginning to type. "Meet me at this address," she paused to turn the screen to him, an address displayed on it, "after you drop off your groceries. I think I can help you out just fine."
Shinji nodded, pulling out his phone and taking the address down. "Thank you, Ms. Maya," he said after pocketing his phone.
"It's no problem, Shinji," Maya said. "We all need some help once in a while."
With that, they went their separate ways, Shinji looking back to catch Maya hopping onto a well-timed bus before focusing on his walk home. It left him time to ponder on what would be waiting for him.
The address, he found, was a mall that was fairly popular, according to the reviews he found about it, and had a remarkable amount of stores, only a few of which he could recognize.
'How was it Daniel puts it?' he pondered as the apartment building came into sight. 'That's right. Stranger in a strange land. As if I didn't have enough of that already in my life.'
He entered the apartment, making his way into the kitchen, and saw Misato pouring over a laptop and more than a few stacks of paper. As he began to put the groceries away, he caught Asuka poking her head out of the living room.
"There you are, Shinji," she said. "We've got to get on your training today, now that you're done shopping."
"Actually, Lehrerin," Shinji said, "there's one more thing I've got to do."
Asuka's brows rose. "And what could that possibly be? You're making a ton of progress at this point! This is no time to get lazy!"
Shinji glanced over at Misato, who seemed so engrossed by her work that she hadn't lifted her eyes to greet him. After a moment's consideration, he looked back at Asuka, wordlessly nodding over to the entryway.
Asuka's consternation became curiosity, her brows rising as she silently made her way to the entryway, Shinji quickly packing away the rest of the groceries and following after.
"What's up?" Asuka asked quietly. "And what's it got to do with Misato?"
"I'm going to get Misato a gift, to show my appreciation for her," Shinji said. "I've got a place in mind to go, but I'm still figuring things out as I go."
Asuka grinned, an almost devilish look that made Shinji blush and glance away as Asuka gently punched his shoulder. "Well, aren't you a romantic? You're probably going to need some help with that. Give me a second, and I'll get ready."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Shinji replied. "I'm already meeting Ms. Ibuki at the mall."
"Ms. Ibuki…" Asuka said, her eyes narrowing. "Who's…"
"She's one of the technicians that works with us in NERV," Shinji interjected, perhaps a little too hastily than he should have. "I guess you haven't really gotten to meet her yet. I promise I'm telling the truth."
Asuka shrugged. "Honestly, you're a pretty bad liar anyway."
She put her hands on her hips, blocking the way to the front door. "Well, if you've already got a guide for wherever you're going, let me at least give you a few tips. If you don't want to get a nosebleed over the women's underwear section, she likes the smell of lavender. And if the women's store is a bust, I'd say get her a nice sporty model car. She's into the whole auto scene."
With that, she stepped aside. "You're a decently smart guy. Do with that what you will."
Shinji sighed quietly. "Thanks, Asuka."
"I'll try and keep Misato off your scent," Asuka replied. "She's busy enough right now, I probably won't have to do too much."
Shinji made his way to the door, looking back and waving. "See you later."
As Asuka waved back, he walked out the door, beginning his trek to the mall. A decent walk and a bus ride later, the rather bustling mall was laid out before him, the crowds and the noise setting him on edge as he looked around to try and find Maya.
No luck outside. Maybe she was in front of the store itself? So, he took a deep breath and made his way into the mall proper.
As much as he hated crowds and the noise that they made, he found solace in being able to just… blend in. Just another middle schooler coming to the mall after school and chores. Nothing to do with NERV, no worry about someone pointing at him and shouting about piloting the Evangelion. He could pretend, at least a little, that he was a normal guy.
'Why did this shop have to be in the back of the mall?' he lamented silently as he looked around, following the mall's directories. Finally, however, the storefront finally came into sight, Maya standing in front of it.
As he drew closer, however, he could see she was having a conversation with a man. One that, judging by her rather exasperated expression, wasn't going well.
"I appreciate the offer, but again, I'm waiting for someone," he managed to hear her say as he came within hearing. "No, it's not my boyfriend, I've already said that. And just because I don't have a boyfriend-"
She looked out into the crowd, spotting Shinji and waving towards him as her expression lit up. "Oh, there you are, Shinji!"
Shinji made his way over to Maya, stopping by her side as he looked up with a wary expression at the man who talked to her, a man with longer hair and a rather punkish look in his bleach-stained t-shirt, ripped jeans, and beaten up bomber jacket.
The man looked intently at Shinji, then glanced between him and Maya for a few seconds before shrugging. "Little brother, I guess," he groused as he began to turn away. "Whatever. Later."
With that, he walked away, leaving Shinji standing next to Maya as she sighed in relief. "You've got good timing, Shinji," she said. "That was getting really annoying."
"Did you… know him?" Shinji asked.
Maya shook her head. "Nope. He seemed cute enough, but there was just a terrible personality under all that initial charm."
Shinji nodded, looking into the store. "Alright. Well… I'm glad I could help out. I'm ready to go shopping here."
Shinji looked up at Maya, and found her regarding him intently, almost as intently as the man had been. "Ms. Maya?" Shinji said slowly.
Maya began to grin slightly. "He did have kind of a point with what he thought about you, though," she said slowly.
Shinji's brow furled in slight, but mounting concern. "That I… look like your little brother?"
Maya's grin grew. "It'd make a good cover story for us. You get a reason to come into the store in the first place, and I get a reason to be in here with someone who's obviously younger than me."
Shinji blushed and looked away as Maya nodded slowly. "My little bro Shinji… it has a nice ring to it."
"Alright, I'll go along with it," Shinji finally said, looking back up at Maya almost challengingly.
Maya's brows arched as she leaned forward, her expression meaningful.
Shinji stared her down for long moments before, at last, sighing and shrinking into himself slightly. "Big sis," he said mulishly.
A wide, warm smile blossomed to life on Maya's face. "There you go! You're such a good actor, too!"
Seeing Maya's smile, comfortable and kind, stirred something in Shinji. It reminded him of…
Well, whatever it reminded him of, he knew it felt good. He felt a smile starting to crack through the embarrassment in his expression, and the pair made their way into the store.
It was a riot of sights and smells utterly unfamiliar to Shinji, pastel colors and floral patterns decorating the walls accompanied by the sort of music that he was sure would have quite nicely slotted into the soundtrack of a romance film. It was, as far as Shinji was aware, remarkably feminine.
"So," he said quietly to Maya as they ambled through the store, "where do we start?"
"Depends on what you're looking for," Maya replied, her gaze sweeping across the aisles. "Have any hints as to what Misato might find to be a good gift?"
"Well, Asuka said that she likes lavender as a scent," Shinji said as he tried to follow Maya's lead, doing his best not to look at anything intimate for too long. "Maybe there's some sort of incense or something we could get her…"
Maya nodded. "That's a great start. Follow me."
Shinji followed behind as Maya blazed a trail towards an aisle, pausing at its entrance and looking down to see rows and rows of small glass bottles, the smell of what was likely dozens of perfumes almost physically assaulting Shinji's sinuses, causing him to wince as his eyes watered.
"So, lavender…" Maya said as she made her way into the aisle, Shinji rubbing his eyes as he followed after. "At least they labeled what everything's supposed to smell like. Take a look, Shinji, and show me what you find."
Shinji nodded wordlessly, trying his best to breathe as he narrowed his eyes to read the labels. Several brands he'd never heard of, with several combinations that piqued his interest for later, led to one that seemed to be a decent fit; Shiseido's Mountain Meadows.
"Hey, Maya," he said, looking back to see her studying another perfume. "This one has lavender in it as one of the first… ingredients, I guess."
Maya looked back at Shinji, replacing the test bottle she held and coming to Shinji's side as she looked at the label in turn. "Yeah, it's one of the top notes…" she said, nodding slightly before looking at Shinji. "Well, only one really good way to find out if this works. Here."
As she spoke, she took the test bottle from Shinji's hand, lifted his wrist, and sprayed some of the perfume on it. Shinji found himself a little surprised as Maya rubbed it in gently.
"Give it a second, then breathe it in," Maya said. "It's best to see how it smells when it's applied to where it's supposed to go."
Shinji couldn't fully argue with that. 'Where else would you really put this stuff?' he mused before lifting his wrist to his nose, hoping he'd be able to pick it out amongst the riot of other perfumes.
Unsurprisingly, he smelled lavender first and foremost, but there were other hints in there, under the surface. Cinnamon and jasmine and… was that sandalwood? Those, he managed to recognize, at the very least. He was sure that the other fragrances escaped his understanding.
"Ooh," he heard Maya say, looking up to see her own wrist lifted up to her face, letting it drop to regard Shinji with a slight smile. "This is a good one. I think you'd give Ms. Katsuragi a great gift with this."
Shinji nodded. "Then let's get this one."
Maya nodded in turn, picking up a voucher from under where the test bottle rested. "Alright. I've helped you out… now it's time for you to return the favor."
Shinji's brows rose as she regarded Maya's amused demeanor. "How?" he asked.
"Well, when you mentioned getting a present to show your appreciation to Ms. Katsuragi, I started to think about getting something similar for my senpai, Doctor Akagi. So, I'm glad that I recommended this store to you. Because it's also got a selection of what I'm considering. Come on."
Maya turned and made her way down the perfume aisle, Shinji following and finding himself more than a little relieved when the smell of the perfume aisle stopped bombarding him. Winding through the aisles, they came to a stop in front of…
Several displays of porcelain model cats, both realistic and stylized and coming in a variety of different colors and patterns.
"Doctor Akagi's got an old cat she takes care of," Maya said. "She's always been fond of her, so I figured getting a companion for her might be nice."
Shinji nodded. "Okay. And… how do I come in?"
Maya looked at Shinji with a slight smile. "I'd like you to pick something out. I've had a lot of fun having a sibling today."
"Oh," Shinji said as he started to look through the gathered figurines. "Do you not have any siblings?"
"No," Maya said with a quiet sigh as she followed behind. "I was an only child, much as I wanted to have siblings. I was always kind of jealous of my friends who did have them. Getting home was always lonely whenever mom and dad were out."
"Yeah…" Shinji said softly, ruminating on the many times in his life up until recently that he'd experienced much the same. "I get the feeling."
"You're an only child too, huh?" Maya said quietly. "Did you ever wonder about having siblings?"
"Not really," Shinji admitted, passing on from the more realistic depictions of cats to the more stylized ones. "Where I lived made it… complicated."
"I'm sorry to hear," Maya said, her low, soft tone soothing the memories as Shinji found himself taken by one particular figurine.
It was a smooth, flowing thing, almost like a swirl of water in a cat-shaped container, with a white, brown, and black coat, its eyes sculpted in and painted closed, the expression almost serene.
Maya stopped by Shinji's side, her eyes wide with wonder as a slight smile graced her expression. "Aww… this one's so cute!" she said quietly. "A little calico… I think it's perfect."
She picked it up gently, studying it closely before looking at Shinji. "Thanks, little bro," she said. Her sincerity made the whole act feel… real, for the briefest of moments.
Shinji smiled somewhat bashfully. "You're welcome, big sis."
They made their way to the checkout counter, and the older lady working there looked between the two of them as Maya handed her the perfume voucher. "Are these for personal use, or are they gifts?" she asked.
Maya nodded. "I'm getting the cat as a surprise gift for my teacher, and my brother is getting the perfume as a surprise gift for a close aunt who's helped him out a lot."
The shopkeeper didn't even blink as she retrieved the perfume from a secured display.'We really do fit as siblings, don't we?' Shinji mused as they checked out. The idea… didn't really seem so bad, now.
"Would you like to attach messages to the gifts?" the shopkeeper asked. "It is free of charge."
Maya and Shinji glanced at each other before nodding to the shopkeeper. "Yes, please," Maya said.
After their messages were expertly written out and attached with ribbons to the packaging, Shinji and Maya made their way out of the store, then eventually back out into the open air of Tokyo-3.
Maya looked at Shinji as they paused. "It was nice being a big sister today," she said. "Thanks for giving me a chance."
"You're welcome," Shinji replied. "Maybe I'll get to be a little brother again in the future."
Maya smiled. "That would be nice. Well… I'll see you later, Shinji."
With that, they went their separate ways, Shinji climbing onto a bus and texting Asuka. 'Is Misato still working?'
Less than 30 seconds passed before a reply. 'Yep. So, what'd you get her?'
Shinji opened the little paper bag, shifting the perfume just so to take a picture, sending it to Asuka.
After a moment more: 'Man, look at you, treating Misato like a queen. No love for your Lehrerin?'
Shinji rolled his eyes, but the idea wasn't a bad one. 'That'll probably be later. I already spent an eye-watering amount today.'
'I wait with bated breath.'
Shinji shook his head slightly as he settled in for the ride home.
He stepped up to the door as the sun began to set, looking back out at it for a moment before stepping through the door. "I'm home!" he called out.
"Oh, Shinji," Misato's voice called out from the dining room. "Where have you been?"
"Running some errands," Shinji replied as he took off his shoes and made his way into the hall, peeking out to see Misato still at work.
He crossed the room while she was distracted. "I ran into Ms. Ibuki today," he said once he was sure the present was out of sight. "We did some shopping together."
"Well, that's nice," Misato said as she glanced up at Shinji with a wry grin. "She's pretty cute. I hope you had a nice time."
Shinji tried to pay no mind to the blush as he smiled slightly. "It was a nice time. I'm going to put some things away that don't go in the kitchen, then I'll get started on dinner."
Misato turned her attention back to her laptop. "I'm looking forward to it," she said with a slight smile.
Ensuring that Misato's focus was truly back on her work, he made his way to Misato's room as stealthily as he could, breathing a quiet sigh as he took the perfume from the paper bag and set it on the table in her room. He took a moment to read the message he'd decided upon one more time.
'To Misato:
Thank you for giving me a home here.'
"That's cute," a soft voice said.
Shinji's heart leaped into his throat as he looked back to see… Asuka, standing in the doorway.
Shinji made his way to the doorway, Asuka stepping back as he quietly slid it shut. "Have you been here all day?" he asked.
Asuka shrugged. "Daniel's pretty understanding, and besides, I think Wondergirl needs some space every once in a while. Besides, it's not like I actually live here"
Shinji shrugged, making his way back into the kitchen. Asuka was right in that regard. A part of Shinji couldn't imagine how he'd keep his sanity in that regard.
'Well, no reason to worry too much about that right now,' he thought as he began to focus on cooking dinner for them, Asuka included.