SCRIBES OF TOKYO-3
By Eva On The Rocks
CHAPTER 9 Writer's Block / Uncomfortable Silences
THE GEOFRONT
In the garden of melons, Misato stared at the pyramid that housed NERV Headquarters as Kaji tended to his 'secret' hobby.
"Unit Three has been transferred," Misato said. "Do you think it could still be an Angel?"
"Maybe." Kaji set the watering can down and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I'm sure Ikari is aware of that possibility."
"Then why put all of Headquarters at risk by bringing Unit Three there?" Misato glanced down at the melons. "And the Fourteenth Angel is meant to arrive within days."
"Yes, and I heard something else that might interest you," he said. "Seele are sending the Fifth Child. They are aware that Ikari has knowledge of future events, however, the information they have is sketchy at best."
"You informed them."
"I had to." Kaji gave a shrug. "Sooner or later, they would have found out anyway. I'm not the only spy working at NERV, and if I appear to be still useful to them, perhaps they'll keep me around a little longer."
"Don't talk like that," Misato whispered.
"Like what?" Kaji smiled. "This is the line of work I chose, and sadly, it comes with a shorter lifespan than other occupations."
"Just don't be a fool, Kaji."
"Anyway, the Old Men have bits and pieces of information to decipher. Apart from the no-show of the Thirteenth Angel, nothing has changed as far as they're concerned. The Angels are coming as predicted and we are all serving our purpose."
"But why are they sending the Fifth Child now?" Misato asked. "He's supposed to be the last Angel, surely those bastards know that." She shook her head. "Kaji, maybe they know more than you think..."
"Possibly," he admitted. "But for their plan to succeed, the Angels must be defeated in a specific order, so the Fifth can't be arriving to advance their schedule when there are three Angels predicted to arrive before him. He is the Angel of Free Will - it makes sense that he would be the last one."
Misato's eyes widened as she saw an opportunity. "This could be our chance!"
"Hmm?"
"We could take out the Fifth when he arrives! Wouldn't that ruin all of their plans - Seele's and Ikari's?"
"Maybe." A small frown appeared on Kaji's face as he regarded her. "But remember what we've read about this boy-"
"This Angel, you mean."
"He is to Seele," he continued, ignoring the interruption. "What Rei Ayanami is to Ikari..."
"Oh..." Misato let out a sigh. "Which means he's replaceable."
"Exactly." Kaji looked in the direction of NERV Headquarters. "And like the First Child, he's also human."
Misato stared at the ground, frowning as his words sank in.
"Could you bring yourself to kill Ayanami because of her nature?" he asked. "When it is through no fault of her own that she is what she is?"
"No," Misato admitted, chewing on her lower lip. "Am I a bad person for even considering taking a child's life?"
"You're not a bad person, Katsuragi." Kaji offered a reassuring smile. "But under these circumstances, I think you're justified in considering the option, and you're a better person than the likes of Ikari for dismissing said option."
Misato let out a sigh before returning the smile. "So, we'll wait and watch?"
"That's all we can do right now."
"In the next battle, Unit One is supposed to awaken..."
"And with its awakening," Kaji said. "Ikari's plan will begin gaining momentum."
"You know, if he wasn't such a ruthless, cold-hearted, manipulating bastard-"
"You forgot 'evil' and 'inhuman.'"
"-then I could almost feel sorry for him. He's just doing it all to be reunited with his wife..." Misato trailed off for a moment, finding the idea to be somewhat romantic despite what it meant for the rest of humanity. "From what I read, Yui Ikari seemed like a nice person. What could she have seen in a jerk like Ikari?"
"I guess that's just another of life's great mysteries, Katsuragi," Kaji chuckled. "But if she hadn't seen something in him, then we wouldn't have Shinji to fight for us - reluctant as he may be to do so at times."
"Yeah," she agreed. "Hey, are you busy tonight?"
"No," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "Planning something?"
"I think a little party might be in order, to celebrate Toji being the Fourth Child and...nobody being maimed or killed during today's activation."
"Sure." Kaji winked at her. "Just as long as it's not your night to cook."
"There's nothing wrong with my cooking!"
THE KATSURAGI RESIDENCEIt was a wonder Misato could find anything in her office, Asuka decided, as she literally kicked her way through the piles of trash that filled the room.
When attempting to visit the fan-fiction websites, Asuka had found herself confronted with a message telling her that only 'authorised NERV personnel' were allowed to access the content of the site.
"I'm authorised," Asuka growled, finally clearing a path to the Major's desk.
She was about to switch on the computer when some papers on the desk caught the eye of the Second Child. They stood out amongst the other junk because they were in a neat pile.
"Hmm."
Asuka picked them up and found herself faced with the enormous task of translating Misato's messy handwriting. After a moment, Asuka made out a heading for what she guessed to be notes concerning the fan-fiction.
"'Rough timeline from Twelfth Angel (Leliel) to Third Impact'...?"
The Second Child's eyes widened at the last two words.
"Isn't that what NERV is supposed to prevent?"
As she continued to read through Misato's near-illegible scrawl, Asuka mentally kicked herself for not having read between the lines of the fan-fiction earlier. At first, she had been having too much fun to care about the seriousness of the stories, and had only started hunting for the 'facts' after it registered that some events she was reading about had already occurred.
Thanks to NERV apparently blocking access to the fan-fiction websites, she was now forced to rely on the stories she had thought to save on her computer. So far, Asuka had only managed to read about Unit Three's apparent infection by an Angel, which was why her eyes widened as she skimmed through these events yet to occur; details of how the next Angels would attack, the revelation that she would be defeated again and again.
"No," Asuka hissed, tightening her grip on the notes. "No, no, no! It's not going to end like this! I won't let it!"
"Asuka?"
Shinji. Damn!
Asuka hid the notes behind her back, aware that it would be perfectly obvious she was concealing something, but counting on Shinji's fear of her temper to keep him from asking what she was hiding.
"What's wrong, Asuka?" Shinji asked, taking a cautious step into the office.
"I...kicked my toe." Asuka went so far as to hop so that the lame response might seem believable.
"Did you want some ice for it?" Shinji asked.
"No."
"Um...why are you in Misato's office?"
"I can't connect to the fan-fiction websites from my computer," Asuka replied, frowning. "I figured her computer would have access."
"Oh." Shinji appeared to be satisfied with the response and changed the subject. "Well, Misato just called and she's on her way home. She's decided to throw a party to celebrate today going smoothly and Toji becoming the Fourth Child."
"Great." Asuka spoke with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, which was none, because a party interfered with her plans to read through Misato's notes.
"Is everything okay?" Shinji asked. "You haven't said much since we caught the train home..."
You'll show the world your story for Wondergirl, Asuka thought, the jealousy resurging as she recalled the bargain between Shinji and Rei.
"Who will be coming to this party?" Asuka ignored his question.
"I'm not sure. Kaji was with her when she called, so I guess he'll be here."
At least there would be one decent male specimen, Asuka thought. "Are you asking Wondergirl?"
"I guess," Shinji replied.
"And the other stooges will be there, naturally..." Asuka forced herself not to dwell on the contents of Misato's notes. "I'll invite Hikari. That way I'll have somebody intelligent to talk to."
Plus it would be an opportunity to play matchmaker to Hikari and the stooge.
"Okay," Shinji said, smiling as he walked out of the office, apparently pleased that her mood was improving.
As soon as he was out the door, Asuka set the notes back into their spot, vowing to return to them later.
THE APARTMENT OF REI AYANAMIRei was sitting staring at the screen of her laptop computer, understanding the notion of 'writer's block' for the first time, as she tried to find the words to continue her small contribution to the land of fan-fiction.
What had compelled her to accept Pilot Sohryu's challenge? Was it to prove that she was not a doll?
Partly, she admitted to herself. But it was the prospect of Pilot Ikari posting his own story - provided Rei did first - that motivated her to dabble in this medium of expression. Perhaps it was because Rei was so looking forward to reading Shinji's story that she was unable to bring her own tale to life.
What do I wish to write about? Who do I wish to write about?
A ringing sound suddenly intruded on Rei's thoughts, and it took a moment for it to register that it was her cell phone. Glancing at the phone's display, Rei was surprised to see the call was coming from the Katsuragi residence.
Silently, Rei answered the phone and waited for the caller to speak. This tactic often resulted in people hanging up on her, but she reasoned that it filtered the important calls from the unimportant.
"Uh...Ayanami?" Shinji asked hesitantly.
"Ikari."
"Are you...um...are you busy?"
"No."
"Well," he paused. "Misato's having a few people over - a small party - to celebrate Toji being the Fourth Child and everything turning out fine today...I was wondering if...would you like to come over?"
Rei took a moment to go over what he had said, and out of habit in her conversations with the Commander, repeated what he had said for confirmation.
"Major Katsuragi is holding a gathering in recognition of Suzahara's selection as the Fourth Child, as well as to acknowledge the fact that there was no Angel attack today." Rei paused, satisfied with the summarisation. "And you are extending an invitation to me to attend this gathering, correct?"
"Uh, yeah."
"I would like to attend."
"You would?" Shinji sounded surprised.
"Yes."
"G-great, then I'll see you later - about seven. Did you need a ride or-?"
"No," Rei replied, before adding, "but thank you for the offer of transportation."
Ending the call, Rei made a note of the time - one hour before the gathering would commence - before resuming her staring contest with the laptop's screen.
ON A PLANE HEADING FOR JAPAN...The silver-haired boy with crimson eyes smiled at the air stewardess, who was checking on him for the seventh time. She was no doubt worried for his well being because he was travelling alone, and so he thanked her for the seventh time.
As she moved along the aisle, the boy turned his attention back to the laptop computer before him, immersed in these 'fan-fictions' that he had been ordered to read before arriving in Tokyo-3.
Kaworu Nagisa, the Fifth Child, was somewhat bothered by what he read - particularly about himself - but the stories were giving him much insight into these Lillim creatures with whom he would soon be interacting.
They are the Lillim, he thought, but aren't I also one of them?
His arrival in Tokyo-3 was earlier than the original scenario had depicted, and Kaworu was still unsure as to what his purpose was in this grand scheme put in motion by the group known as Seele. He was destined to be the final messenger, the Angel of Free Will, but the brothers preceding Tabris were yet to fall and Adam's soul remained dormant in its shell.
And so Tabris was yet to awaken within him, meaning that for now he was simply Kaworu.
There was another like him though, a selected child created for a purpose, and her name was Rei Ayanami. Of Lilith though, he had discovered from these online tales about the people of Tokyo-3, and not of Adam like he was.
His thoughts shifted from the First Child and came to dwell on the Third, Shinji Ikari, the boy who would have to make such hard choices as things progressed.
The boy who is destined to end my existence, Kaworu thought with a smile.
He reflected over the other 'characters' in these stories, feeling as if he knew them all intimately from reading about them, hoping he would have the opportunity to truly know them.
With a soft sigh, Kaworu continued to educate himself on Eva Fan-Fiction.
THE KATSURAGI RESIDENCERei pressed the doorbell again, glancing at her watch to confirm that the time was indeed seven o'clock, and after a small delay the door slid open to reveal Pilot Sohryu.
"Wondergirl."
"Red Devil."
Asuka gave a sound of displeasure, but Rei felt that had more to do with her presence rather than her referring to the Second by that nickname. Rei reasoned it was fair to address Sohryu in this manner though, as the red-haired girl continued to call her 'Wondergirl,' even though 'Ayanami' or 'Rei' would be much more preferable.
As Asuka began to walk inside, she turned and sighed at the sight of Rei still standing in the hallway, awaiting invitation.
"Are you just going to stand there all night?" Asuka asked.
That was probably as close to an invitation Rei would get from the Second Child, and so she stepped into the apartment.
"Rei!"
Misato gave her an enthusiastic wave from her spot on the lounge, and Rei determined - from the slight slur and pitch in the Major's voice - that the woman was slightly intoxicated.
The small collection of empty beer cans by the feet of the purple-haired woman strengthened this impression. "Glad ya could make it!"
"Do you need another beer, Miss Misato?" Kensuke asked.
"Oh, sure, if you're getting one." Misato turned to address Kaji, who was seated beside her and whose lap she now chose to use as a footrest. "Kaji, you need another?"
"Misato, don't you think Kaji deserves a bit more than your stinking feet on him?" Asuka asked, narrowing her eyes at the sight of the two adults before approaching Hikari.
"Hello, Miss Ayanami!" Kaji smiled at Rei. A rather flirtatious smile it was, too, but Rei would learn over the course of the evening that this was simply a part of the man's character.
"Hello," Rei replied, aware of the glare the Second Child was directing at her and linking it to her apparent infatuation with the pony-tailed man.
"Ayanami!" Shinji smiled as he stepped into the living room from the kitchen. "Glad you made it."
"Gonna hold her hand again, Shinji?" Toji teased.
"Maybe a kiss on the cheek?" Kensuke joined in, resulting in Shinji's face turning a deep shade of red.
"Hey, we need some music," Misato declared. "Asuka?"
Asuka was on her way to the balcony with Hikari, appearing as if she intended on having a private discussion with the Class Representative, and became somewhat annoyed at the Major's summons.
"What, Misato?"
"We need some music."
"Fine," Asuka sighed, moving towards the cd collection.
"Not that noise you listen to either!" Misato sat upright. "Put something fun on."
"Define fun." Asuka cast a cynical glance around the room. "I'm not putting on some make-out music for you and Kaji!"
Both Misato and Kaji began to blush, before the Major found her voice. "Asuka!"
"Alright!" Asuka chuckled to herself as she began looking through the collection. "Fun, fun..."
"Who else will be here tonight, Misato?" Hikari asked.
"Yeah, I need to know how much to cook." Shinji's skin colour had finally returned to normal.
"Well, I'm not sure," Misato said. "I asked Maya but I don't think she'll be drinking with me or Kaji for a while...Hyuga and Aoba got stuck with the night shift so they're out, maybe Ritsuko." The Major gave a shrug. "Just cook a little extra, just in case."
"Toji will eat any leftovers!" Kensuke said.
"Ikari." Rei moved closer to the Third Child so that she did not need to raise her voice over the other conversations. "Did you require assistance with the food preparation?"
"Yeah!" Hikari said, over-hearing Rei's query and joining them. "I have to cook for my sisters all the time at home. I can help as well!"
"Sure!" Shinji appeared surprised but pleased. "That would be great..."
The doorbell sounded.
"Oh, I better get that." Shinji hurried to answer it and quickly returned with Doctor Akagi, who immediately sent a look of disapproval towards Misato and Kaji.
Soon enough though, Ritsuko had a beer in her hands and seemed to be on the verge of relaxing as well.
"Do you cook as well, Rei?" Hikari asked.
"No," Rei replied. "But it seemed unfair for Ikari to do all the cooking by himself when there are so many people here."
"We'll find something for you to do!" Hikari said enthusiastically, as Shinji rejoined them.
"Hmm?" Shinji looked from Hikari to Rei.
"Rei doesn't cook," Hikari explained. "But I'm sure we'll be able to teach her a thing or two in the kitchen, right?"
"Right." Shinji gave a nod.
"I found a fun song, Misato." Asuka's suddenly cheerful voice carried through the room.
The song started playing and Misato started nodding in time to the beat, apparently satisfied with the selection.
"What's this?" Toji asked. "I've never heard it..."
"One of Misato's older cds," Asuka replied, as an evil smile animated her face. "'The Best of Weird Al Yankovic.'"
As the singing on the track began, Hikari and Shinji began to discuss the cooking process they would be undertaking, making it difficult for Rei to hear the words to the song.
However, Rei noticed that Ritsuko grew rigid and gripped the can of beer she was holding so tightly that it crumpled, oozing the amber liquid onto the already stained carpet. The music was too faint for the lyrics to carry over the din of conversation, so Rei was unable to understand why Ritsuko was reacting the way she was, or why a look that was a mixture of horror and comprehension was slowly creeping over Misato's face.
"Should I turn it up?" Asuka asked, as she reached for the remote.
"Yeah, I can't hear it!" Kensuke replied.
Toji also responded in the affirmative, and Rei was curious to know what it was about the song that was bothering Misato and Ritsuko so much. Asuka stood by the stereo, smirking as she pressed down on the volume button of the remote control.
"No!" Misato suddenly launched herself at the Second Child, in a manner similar to how the Sixth Angel had launched itself at Unit Two in it's first battle, and soon the pair were on the floor wrestling for control of the remote.
The volume of the song increased, and conversations momentarily quietened and the lyrics of the song became audible.
"'...I think I'm a clone now...'"
"Now this is a party!" Kensuke shouted, producing his video camera.
Toji and Kaji were immediately by Kensuke's side, cheering the two wrestling housemates on, and soon enough Shinji, Rei and Hikari had moved so that they too could observe the battle for the remote.
"Give me that!"
"You said put on a song that was fun!"
"Don't you think that was just a little inappropriate?"
"It was funny! A little Weird Al wouldn't hurt her-!"
"Oh, for God's sake!" Ritsuko stepped forward to separate them, only to be pushed into the middle of the wrestling by Kaji.
"Now all we need is some mud!" The pony-tailed man grinned.
"Don't even think about it, Kaji!" Misato shouted.
"Too late," Kaji said, before turning to address Kensuke. "I'll have a copy of that tape."
"It'll cost ya," Kensuke chuckled.
Rei was thankful when the Class Representative suggested they start cooking dinner.
"Yes..." Shinji said, a faint blush creeping up his neck as he watched the spectacle. "I think that would be best."
"I agree," Rei said. "Are all of the Major's gatherings so eventful?"
"Oh, no." Shinji appeared to be having difficultly pulling his eyes away from the sight of wrestling women on the living room floor. "They're usually a lot wilder than this."
"Hmm."
Suddenly, inspiration for a story struck the First Child, and she smiled faintly as they walked into the kitchen.
THE KATSURAGI RESIDENCEShinji had just finished cleaning up after the party, having decided it was worth staying up late to get it done rather than be confronted with the mess first thing in the morning.
Not that Misato or Asuka would care if the place was messy, he thought with a smile.
It had been a nice gathering, even though Shinji still had trouble dealing with large groups of people. While preparing food for everyone with Hikari and Rei, Shinji had enjoyed being able to talk about something not related to Eva, and was pleased that he and Hikari had been able to teach Rei a few cooking skills.
The best part about that had been that Rei had actually seemed interested in what they were showing her.
After the wrestling episode, which Misato declared herself victorious in, the music had thankfully been changed and things had gone relatively smoothly after that. Rei hadn't seemed the least bit bothered by Asuka's song choice, and when Shinji asked her later if she had taken offence, Rei replied in the negative before commenting that 'Weird Al' was a strange name.
The other good thing about the night was that Shinji had managed to stay off Misato's teasing radar, the Major choosing to torment Toji and Ritsuko more than anybody else.
Ritsuko's been having a relationship with Father, Shinji thought. He wasn't sure what he felt about that, but from what he had overheard, things were finished between them and Misato seemed intent on setting Ritsuko up with her assistant.
Maya? Shinji gave a shrug, deciding that it would be a healthier relationship for the doctor than the one she'd been having with his father.
Asuka had ended up dragging Hikari away from the kitchen for some 'girl talk' and Shinji had guessed the topic of conversation to be Toji. Asuka shouting, "Ask the dumb jock out already!" loud enough for everybody in Tokyo-3 to hear, probably meant everybody present had known what they were discussing as well.
Shinji chuckled to himself, as he opened the fridge and passed a beer to Pen-Pen. The penguin had wisely remained hidden in his freezer for the duration of the party, only emerging once the guests had left and his owner had retreated to her room.
Shinji's thoughts returned to Asuka, and he wondered what had prompted her fan-fiction challenge to Rei. It also occurred to Shinji that Rei, despite showing little emotion, was actually looking forward to writing a story.
Or is she, like Asuka, just eager to read what I've written? Shinji wondered.
No, Rei had said she had an idea for her story when she was leaving.
That had upset Asuka, Shinji recalled. Not because Rei was leaving, but because Kaji had insisted on driving her home at that hour of night. Asuka had disappeared into her room not long after that, but not before taking something out of Misato's office. Shinji had found her in there earlier, when he'd told her about the party and she seemed to be in a strange mood.
Misato's office...the computer in there could access the fan-fiction websites, Shinji recalled.
Glancing around the silent apartment, Shinji made his way into the office, trying not to trip over as he reached the desk.
"I shouldn't do this..." Shinji whispered, opening one of the Eva Fan-Fiction websites and clicking on the New Stories section.
"Wark!"
Shinji jumped, startled at the appearance of the penguin beside him.
"Pen-Pen!" Shinji hissed, turning his attention back to the monitor. "Okay, new stories...I can't imagine Rei would have posted anything yet, it's only been a couple of hours since..."
New Stories:The Gathering by Wondergirl (0 Reviews)
The Lonely Jew on Christmas by The Chairman (1 Review)
Dude, Where's Our Backstory? by The Secondary Characters (3 Reviews)
Retribution by Bastard King (0 Reviews) (Lemon)
Queer Eye for the NERV Guy by Yebisu Queen (15 Reviews)
Asuka Strikes Back by Red Devil 02 (33 Reviews)
Shinji Ikari and the Yebisu Can of Secrets by Yebisu Queen (37 Reviews)
"Huh?" Shinji blinked several times. "She didn't..." He looked at Pen-Pen, who offered him an indifferent shrug, then turned back to the monitor. "And she called herself 'Wondergirl' as well? So who wrote these others, I wonder?"Shinji clicked on 'Retribution,' read the first paragraph and immediately clicked back. He stole Pen-Pen's beer for a moment, and after taking a sip, didn't feel as...dirty.
"Sorry, Pen-Pen, that story was just..." Shinji shuddered, returning the beer to the confused penguin before looking at 'Dude, Where's Our Backstory?'
After skimming through that story, Shinji looked at 'The Lonely Jew on Christmas' and discovered that it was a Song-fic - something the author claimed he had written when he was eight years old and living in a small mountain town in America. A lot of the references in the fic were lost on Shinji, so he clicked back again.
"I've never known an eight year old to say words like that," Shinji murmured, finally taking a seat so that he could read 'The Gathering.'
Pen-Pen moved to stand beside him, a protective flipper over his beer, so that he could read as well.
"Once I read this, Pen-Pen, I'm going to have to post my story too..."
"Wark?"
"Yeah," Shinji said, half-smiling as he clicked on the link. "Well, let's read Ayanami's story."
The penguin nodded in agreement.
NERV HEADQUARTERS"You'd think we'd get better coffee when we have to stay awake for so long," Aoba said, handing a cup to Maya and Hyuga.
It was just after dawn up there in the 'real world,' not that the time of day meant much at NERV Headquarters, and while Maya was just starting her shift for the day, Aoba and Hyuga were nearing the end of theirs.
"So..." Hyuga took a sip of coffee before tapping his fingers on the terminal.
"So..." Aoba rubbed his chin.
Maya just stared at the pair of them, wondering what they were up to...this time.
Suddenly, in perfect synch, the pair of them logged onto the Internet and brought up fan-fiction websites on their terminals.
"Hey!" Maya whispered. "We're not meant to look at those..."
"Shh!" Aoba put a finger to his lips, chuckling. "We've got reviews, check it out."
"You posted a story?" Maya bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, and then brought up the same website. "'Dude, Where's Our Backstory?'"
"How'd you know?" Hyuga asked.
Maya just rolled her eyes and looked at the reviews the two techs had received. "Red Devil 02 didn't enjoy it...Wondergirl has left a really, really long assessment of the story..."
"Who does 'Red Devil 02' think he is? His story was all about the Second Child and just bashed all the other characters." Aoba scowled. "Some Asuka worshipper who forgets there's a whole cast here!"
"Hey!" Hyuga hissed. "Be quiet, it's bad enough Doctor Akagi busted us last time. We really don't want one of the commanders to catch us..."
"Right." Aoba nodded in agreement.
"You know," Maya said, going back to the index of the website. "I think 'Red Devil 02' might just be Asuka herself."
"You're joking?" Aoba looked up from his screen.
"It makes sense." Hyuga gave a shrug. "Who else's screen name can you reveal to us, Maya? What's yours? Have you been posting stories?"
"N-no! Of course not!" Maya shrunk into her seat as Hyuga and Aoba chuckled.
"Anyway." Aoba turned back to his terminal. "I think 'Yebisu Queen' is the Major."
Maya nodded.
"Not sure about 'Bastard King' or 'The Chairman,' or 'Wondergirl' for that matter." Hyuga quickly looked around the Command Centre, checking that nobody was in hearing distance. "Although I have an idea about who Bastard King might be..."
"Hyuga, don't say it out loud!" Aoba warned, before lowering his voice. "I think we're all thinking the same thing."
"Look, there's a forum here." Hyuga tapped his screen.
"Anything good in it?" Aoba asked, following his lead.
"We've got work to do, guys." Maya closed down the websites and brought up the data that needed to be looked over.
"I found a Character Popularity poll," Hyuga said. "No prizes for guessing who is the most unpopular."
"And who might that be, Lieutenant?"
Hyuga let out a yelp, before slowly turning around to see Ritsuko was standing behind him, coffee cup in hand, shaking her head in disapproval.
"Uh," Hyuga began sheepishly. "Good morning, Doctor Akagi."
"It won't be for you if you don't close those websites immediately," Ritsuko warned.
"Yes, ma'am!" Aoba and Hyuga closed the websites and brought up the work they were supposed to be doing.
"Maya." Ritsuko stepped behind her assistant, placing a hand on her shoulder and lowering her voice. "I need to have a word with you later."
Despite feeling as if she were having a heart attack, Maya managed to nod in response.
THE KATSURAGI RESIDENCEWhen Asuka was returning Misato's scribbled notes back to the office first thing in the morning, she was a little surprised to see Shinji seated in front of the computer.
"What's this? The Third Child disobeying orders and reading fan-fiction, hmm?" Asuka dropped the notes onto the desk before leaning over Shinji's shoulder. When she didn't get a response, Asuka inspected Shinji a little closer and chuckled as the faint sound of snoring escaped him. "Idiot," she whispered, studying his sleeping face.
He looked at peace when he was asleep, which was quite remarkable considering he was slumped in an uncomfortable looking desk chair.
"Let's have a look at what you were reading..." Asuka reached forward and moved the mouse.
It was the end of a fan-fiction, so she had to scroll back up to the beginning and was quite surprised when she read the title and author.
"'The Gathering' by 'Wondergirl'?" Asuka blinked. "You mean she actually used that as her pen name?"
Asuka was smirking though, deciding it was progress for the First Child - not only had she accepted the challenge, but she had also demonstrated something resembling a sense of humour in using the name 'Wondergirl' to identify herself to the online world.
Asuka still felt resentment towards Rei; for being the First, for her compliance, for bringing out a spine in Shinji at the times Asuka couldn't. But after reading what she had about Rei, she found it more difficult to hate the girl, and even though they would probably never be friends, maybe Asuka could help get the girl in touch with her emotions.
Maybe the fan-fiction had been the first step?
Asuka began to read, then let out a groan. "It's in script format!"
Shinji mumbled something in his sleep and shifted slightly in the chair. The movement was enough to send him falling to the side, bumping into Asuka, who promptly shouted at him for brushing against her.
That woke the Third Child up just in time to see the floor rushing up to greet him.
"Argh!" Shinji cried, reaching up to stop his fall and catching hold of Asuka.
"You idio-!"
Crash! They both landed on the floor, with Shinji positioned a little too close to Asuka for her liking - directly on top of her, staring uncomprehendingly into her eyes.
For a moment - only a fraction of a second by Asuka's count - she just stared back at him, not quite enjoying the closeness but not hating it either...
And then, as his breath began to tickle her face, common sense returned to her.
"Get off me, Third Child!" she hissed, preparing to bring her knee up.
"Huh?"
"Shinji!" Asuka cried. "Move!"
"Wha-?" Realisation replaced the dazed expression. "Argh!" It seemed he became airborne, before leaping up and crawling back onto the chair. "Sorry!"
For a moment, Asuka felt a little upset that he had managed to move so quickly upon realising what had happened, but then she sat up and shook her head.
"Idiot..." she muttered, although it wasn't directed at Shinji this time.
"I'm sorry," Shinji repeated. "I was...I didn't mean to..."
"I know you didn't mean to," Asuka sighed, getting to her feet. "So, Wondergirl posted her story, huh?"
"Yeah..." Shinji rubbed some sleep out of his eyes. "You know, you could call her 'Rei' every now and then..."
"Pardon?" Asuka narrowed her eyes and stood over him, although she was secretly pleased to see a flash of spine.
"Just every now and then!" Shinji cringed beneath the glare.
"You don't even call her 'Rei,' you call her 'Ayanami' all of the time!" Asuka said. "Tell you what, you call her 'Rei,' and I'll consider calling her 'Rei'...but only every now and then. And she can call me 'Asuka' instead of 'Pilot Sohryu' or 'Red Devil,' how about that?"
"Okay," he replied, smiling. "That...that would be good."
"Hmph!" Asuka looked at the monitor and rolled her eyes. "Script format."
Before Shinji could say anything, the sound of the refrigerator door opening reached their ears.
"Quick!" Asuka bolted out the door and casually strolled into the kitchen, just in time to be half-deafened by Misato's morning cheer.
"Yeeee-haaaa!" Misato slammed the beer can down on the table, letting out a small belch, as her eyes focused on the Second Child. "Morning Asuka, where's Shinji?"
"How should I know?" Asuka replied.
Shinji stepped into the kitchen, looking as if he had in fact fallen asleep in a chair, with messy hair and bags under his eyes.
"Rough night, hey?" Misato raised an eyebrow and winked. "Asuka didn't keep you up, did she?"
"What?!" Asuka glared at Misato, who began chuckling at the reaction. "That's disgusting!"
Shinji, naturally, turned bright red and headed for the bathroom.
NERV HEADQUARTERSThe office of Ritsuko Akagi was a scene of organised chaos. The doctor sighed, looking for somewhere to set her eighth cup of coffee for the day, but the only clear desk space was taken up by the computer and an ashtray. Carefully shifting a pile of printouts aside, Ritsuko found room for the coffee and decided it was time - yet again - to disregard long-standing health regulations and light a cigarette.
Once again, she had caught Aoba and Hyuga looking at those fan-fiction sites - not that she herself hadn't been keeping a close eye on the content of the websites either, ever since Misato had pointed out that Maya...
When Ritsuko had spoken to her assistant before, informing her that she wanted to speak with her, it seemed to almost send Maya into a panic attack.
"How am I supposed to deal with this?" Ritsuko whispered, ashing the cigarette and bringing up an old photo on her computer. Herself, her mother, and him. She studied her own profile and barely recognised herself in the image.
How quiet she had been back then, never questioning anything her mother did or said, keeping to herself and just watching others from a safe distance.
It struck her then how at that age, in a lot of ways, she hadn't been that different from the way Rei was now, even the way she would look up at him as if he were the only man in the world...
"That's over now," Ritsuko told herself, angrily taking a drag on her cigarette.
While monitoring the activity on the fan-fiction websites, Ritsuko had noticed a new story posted by somebody named 'Wondergirl' and it just registered now that Asuka referred to Rei by that name.
Surely Rei wouldn't defy orders - from the Commander no less - and post a story? It seemed highly unlikely, but then the whole fan-fiction business was causing everybody to act a little out of character.
She recalled the party at Misato's last night and smiled to herself at the memory - although at the time she was horrified - of Asuka selecting 'I Think I'm A Clone Now' for music. Rei, of course, had not seemed the least bit bothered. Ritsuko also recalled the amateur wrestling of Misato, Asuka, and herself - thanks to Kaji pushing her into the middle of it - before a horrible realisation struck her.
That Kensuke Aida boy had it all on film.
Before Ritsuko could fume over that little detail, there was a soft knock at the door and she turned to see Maya standing there, looking more nervous than she did during Angel attacks.
"You wanted to talk to me, ma'am?" Maya was clutching a stack of reports to her chest.
"Yes," Ritsuko replied. "Come in, just put those..." She looked around the office and pointed. "On the floor there."
Maya put the reports down, then stood silently, staring at the floor and looking for all the world like she would rather be anywhere but there. The fact it was now afternoon, meaning Maya had taken several hours longer than normal to bring the reports to her, revealed just how reluctant she was feeling about this 'talk' Ritsuko had requested. As the uncomfortable silence became almost unbearable, Ritsuko finally found something to say.
"You've hardly said a word to me since you brought the fan-fiction to my attention." Ritsuko gestured for Maya to come closer as she considered what to say. "I've...missed you bringing me coffee."
Mental head slap, Ritsuko thought, trying not to cringe at how bad that sounded.
"Sorry, I..." Maya trailed off a moment, before meeting Ritsuko's eyes. Her expression became one of confusion. "Did you want another coffee, ma'am?"
"No!" Ritsuko shook her head and laughed. "I wanted to talk to you...the problem is, I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything, ma'am," Maya replied, managing a half-smile. "I look up to you, that's no secret...and I..." She faltered for a moment. "Well…I-"
"Doctor Akagi."
Ritsuko looked up to see the Commander standing outside her door.
"Commander?" Ritsuko did her best not to make it sound like a sigh, while her assistant silently stared at the floor.
"Your attention is required in Unit Three's cage." Ikari cast what Ritsuko thought was an almost amused glance in Maya's direction, before turning his attention back to her.
"Yes, sir." Ritsuko stubbed out the cigarette that she had forgotten about and got to her feet.
As Ikari disappeared out the door, no doubt expecting Ritsuko to follow immediately, she stopped in front of Maya.
"Ma'am?" Maya said.
"Look." Ritsuko kept her voice low. "I did want to talk to you, but-"
"He's waiting for you." Maya gestured towards the open door and Ritsuko wondered if perhaps she was happy the Commander had interrupted their conversation. "You can talk to me later, Doctor Akagi."
"Maya..." Ritsuko began, only to be cut off by the sound of alarms blaring throughout Headquarters.
"An Angel?" Maya's eyes widened.
Damn it, Ritsuko thought.
Ikari stepped back into the office. "Lieutenant, get to your post." He looked at Ritsuko, impatience flickering in his expression. "Doctor?"
"Yes," Ritsuko replied, as she followed him out the door.
"I don't like being made to wait," Ikari said, as they walked briskly towards Unit Three's cage.
Ritsuko said nothing, struggling to keep up with him.
"A faint disturbance was detected in Unit Three just a few minutes ago," Ikari explained. "While a threat has not yet been determined within the Eva, I would have us be prepared."
"So, the Angel about to attack us now," Ritsuko said, as First Stage Alert was declared throughout Headquarters, "it isn't the Thirteenth?"
Ikari was silent as they reached the cage, where an anxious looking Toji stood waiting for instruction.
"Prepare the Fourth Child," Ikari ordered.
"But-" Ritsuko began. Was Ikari going to use Toji as bait for the Thirteenth Angel?
"Doctor, don't make me repeat myself."
"Yes, sir." Ritsuko waved Toji over as Ikari departed for the Command Centre. "Time to get suited up, Mr Suzahara."
"Sure, Miss Doctor Lady," he replied.