Disclaimer:

Disclaimer:

Studio Gainax animation is the sole owner to the rights of Evangelion. I own no privileges to anything currently, (probably never will) and will understandably remove, edit, or delete my writings if needed, rather than getting into a mess dealing with copyright infringement. Everyone has enough of their on troubles as it is.

Chapter 4: The Date

~ (Part One: The Question) ~

Quietly opening the door to the apartment, Shinji slowly walked inside, fatigue weighing heavily down on him. Coming to the conclusion that he wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep anyway, the Eva Pilot had wandered around the streets of Tokyo-3 the entire night. The same questions that he pondered yesterday were still flying around in his head; questions that after spending hours thinking about, he still had no definite answer to. Taking a glance at the clock, there was only about half an hour left before school started.

He sighed.

There was no way he would be able to stay awake through class today. Not to even mention that his whole body was numb from the lack of rest, it was already difficult enough in just a normal state of mind to stay alert during the sensei’s lectures.

Taking his shoes off, Shinji then walked towards the kitchen, deciding that he should at least have some breakfast. He didn’t fell hungry at all, but knew that his body would probably give out if he didn’t eat something.

Gathering a few things from the pantry, he just made a couple of sandwiches, not really having the energy to do anything else.

Taking a rather large bite, he quickly swallowed the portion before even having a chance to taste it.

Considering Shinji’s present mood, he could have finished off one of Misato’s curry ramens and not be able to tell the difference.

About to get a soda from the fridge, a rattle suddenly made itself heard in the background.

Turning his head around towards the source of the noise, he caught a glimpse of Asuka’s screen discreetly being closed.

Tilting his head slightly back, he sighed again.

‘Just great. She’s avoiding me now...’

Getting a plate, he put his other sandwich on it and walked towards her room, careful to not step on any of Misato’s stray beer cans. Putting his ear up against her fushuma, he carefully listened into the room.

He couldn’t hear any sound at all though, his own heart beat louder than anything else.

Clearing his throat, he gently tapped on her door.

“Asuka? Are you awake?”

Letting out a small yawn, he waited a few moments for a reply.

“School starts in less than half an hour you know.”

Still hoping to hear some kind of response from the redhead, the silence just continued, deafening in its calmness. It seemed that she wasn’t going to answer him any time soon; at least before class started anyway. A forced smile appearing in his features, this was probably one of the only times he would’ve actually wanted to hear Asuka’s incessant babbling; for her to at least call him ‘Baka’.

This stillness was just simply unnerving.

Putting the plate down on the floor, he slowly tried to slide open the fushuma, hoping that it would be unlocked.

Unsurprisingly, it was.

Frustration building up in him, he nonetheless just took a deep breath, clearing his mind before he spoke.

“Well, I’m going to head off to school now. There’s a sandwich in front of your door. You should at least eat that if anything.”

Waiting for a moment longer, he then turned around and headed towards the foyer.

She wouldn’t be going to school today.

‘Everything just seems to keep on getting worse…’ Shinji thought to himself.

Picking up his book bag by the entrance, he suddenly heard a light reverberation begin, the sound seemingly coming from outside. Frowning, he stuffed the remaining part of his sandwich into his mouth and opened the door.

It was raining...

…hard…

Upon entering the building, Shinji immediately spotted Touji waiting outside the classroom door. Seeing him, the jock gave a dramatic bow and walked over to the Eva Pilot, his face expressing a look of obvious concern. Before Shinji had a chance to say anything though, his friend immediately began uttering a mass of apologizes.

A bit embarrassed and yet thankful for his consideration, Shinji said it was an accident waiting to happen anyway, and that Touji not blame himself for the situation.

Suddenly hearing their names called, both students turned around towards the direction of the new voice.

Giving the two a small wave, Kensuke stressfully headed towards them. Squinting his eyes as the boy walked closer, Shinji noticed that what he at first perceived as Kensuke walking slowly, was actually him limping towards the group.

“Hey Shinji, I heard what happened. Are you alright?”

Shinji gave the freckled boy a quizzical look. Taking a quick glance over him, he observed that Kensuke, besides the limping condition, also had a black eye and what appeared to be several bruises on his arms.

“Not really, but I’m a heck of a lot better than you appear to be.”

Kensuke just shrugged.

“At least I’m still alive though. Besides, it was worth it.”

Touji smiled in amusement.

“Considering what you look like right now, I’m not too sure it was worth it, but it sure was funny.”

Shinji shook his head.

“I still don’t think what you did compensates for taking that kind of beating from Asuka though.”

The mecha crazed boy just smiled. “Too late now. But … what about you Shinji? Besides that slap mark, you don’t seem hurt at all.”

Glancing at his friend, Touji also frowned in suspicion.

“Yeah, that’s true. I thought you would’ve looked like an angel after an Eva confrontation this morning.”

Shinji turned his palms outward.

“I just got lucky I guess.”

Both Kensuke and Touji looked at each other.

“Seems like she has a special place in her heart for him, doesn’t it?”

“Yep.”

Shinji rolled his eyes. “If you mean that in a negative way, then yes, she does.”

Interrupting their conversation, the school bell rang out. Having lost track of time, the three began sprinting towards the classroom, Kensuke looking like a rabbit as they did so.

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Fifteen minutes into the class, Shinji felt himself begin to doze off. He was barely managing to keep his eyes open, his whole body feeling as if it were asleep already. Not that it really mattered of course; if needed, he could quote the sensei verbatim for the entire hour and a half of lecture. Even now, in his drowsy state, he wasn’t too sure if what he was hearing about the second impact was actually the sensei talking or his own memory of the lecture. Giving the chalkboard one last look, he exhaustively laid his head down on the desk. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, relaxing his muscles as he did so. This day seemed to become longer by the second. Feeling himself starting to fall asleep, the conversations of his classmates, which were always going on during the lessons, seemed to become hushed. Even the sensei’s lecture became silent.

About to let himself drift off farther though, he suddenly paused in thought.

‘Why is the ‘sensei’ silent?’

Quickly reopening his eyes, Shinji looked around the classroom, everyone seemingly unmoving. Turning his gaze towards the front, even the teacher seemed motionless. Frowning, he attempted to follow what everyone seemed to be staring at. Tracking their line of sight, he focused his attention on the entrance.

He froze.

An uncomfortable silence lingering in the air, the instructor was the first one to break out of the daze. Clearing his throat, he gestured for the student to take a seat.

Her face slightly tiled down, the blue haired girl slowly walked into the room.

The eyes of the entire student body were focused on Rei like a target. She was almost always the first one to be in class. For her to be simply on time was extremely rare; the thought of her being late, up till this point, was … unimaginable.

Looking at Rei as she walked towards her desk, her gaze suddenly met with Shinji’s. About to wave to her though, he could detect a slight frown in her features.

Thinking about it for a moment, a memory suddenly hit him like a progressive knife.

He’d totally forgotten to show up at her apartment yesterday.

Feeling himself want to shout an instant apology though, he let the words freeze in his throat. She was probably already mad enough as it is; the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her in front of the class.

Sitting down at her desk, it seemed that the female Eva Pilot was avoiding eye contact with him. Not that it really surprised Shinji of course; she had every reason to be irritated. Sighing once again, he wondered how the heck he ended up in this mess. Whatever small amount of optimism he had that morning was now completely shattered. In just one night alone, he had lied to and angered both Asuka and Rei. Ruffling a hand through his hair, Shinji’s tiredness was replaced with utter aggravation.

He unconsciously clenched his hand, just wanting to vent his anger in some way. Taking a shallow breath, he glanced at his laptop, imagining himself just slamming his fists down on the keyboard. He didn’t need it for class anyway, he thought sarcastically. Pausing for a moment though, he suddenly noticed something flashing on his screen.

Pressing the enter key, a message popped up.

Slowly reading the text with the little amount of liveliness he still had in him, Shinji immediately felt his mind begin to freeze for what seemed like the tenth time that day.

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Finishing the updates to the attendance sheet, Hikari quietly closed her laptop. Placing her hands together, she looked up at the ceiling in thought. It appeared that Asuka wasn’t going to show up at all this morning. To be honest though, after what had happened yesterday, she had expected her friend not to come. It seemed to be one of Asuka’s characteristics to isolate herself when really irritated over something. Nodding, the class representative made a mental note to visit her after class was over. She had asked Touji to see how Shinji was doing, but just by judging how tired the Eva Pilot looked this morning, she already knew that something had happened between the two. Whether she would admit it or not, Hikari knew that the redhead had feelings for Shinji. Even with all her verbal assailments directed toward the boy, every time the she had asked a question about the male Eva Pilot with Asuka, she always became predictably too defensive. The fact that she didn’t show up to class today was obvious evidence of that.

Thinking about other unusual events that had happened, she remembered that student Ayanami had been extremely late coming in also.

Frowning, it seemed that all the Eva Pilots were having certain issues.

Stretching her back, the class representative took a quick look around the room again, seeing that most of the students were on their sleep period right now. Continuing to slowly scan the desks however, her gaze immediately paused near the window. Widening her eyes in astonishment, she noticed that Rei seemed to be actually using her laptop.

‘I don’t think she’s even touched it before… Is she messaging someone?’

Staring blankly for a few more moments, her nerves finally kicked in. Reopening her own laptop, she selected the option to view any class messages that were going on.

Except for critical times where she was told by the sensei to do so, Hikari had always tried to avoid using this option. Feeling that it was an invasion of privacy, she always had a sense of guilt every time she used it. There was of course no need for her to use it now, but she could vow ‘female curiosity’ as a viable excuse.

Finding Rei on the selection chart, it did appear that there was activity coming from her messenger system. Clicking on her name, she viewed who the female Eva Pilot was talking to.

‘Let’s see here …she’s talking with…’

‘… Shinji!?…’

Silently waiting for a response, Rei kept her eyes patiently focused on the computer screen. She had stayed awake the entire night, her mind having been in a vexed state. In fact, that was the reason she had been late to class this morning. Not having set her alarm yesterday, it was only by sheer luck that she had decided to look at the clock earlier. Furrowing her eyebrows, she knew that the commander would be informed about today’s irregularity. He would probably schedule a talk with her later.

But that wasn’t important to her right now.

Slowly blinking, it seemed that Shinji had finally typed back a reply.

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Hitting the enter key, the boy cellist took a deep breath, gently rubbing his eyes as he did so. Looking back at the text, Rei’s question had completely caught him off guard, and to be honest with himself, was something that he had no idea how to answer truthfully. Not that it really mattered in the long run ~ he would have to be answering it sooner or later. Deciding to ignore her message though, he typed back a completely different response, as if he was the one who had started the conversation. Shinji just hoped that Rei wouldn’t notice that he was avoiding her question, for now at least. Seeing her new reply on screen, he placed his hands back on the keyboard.

<Student Rei Ayanami> [I do not understand the meaning of your response.]

<Student Shinji Ikari> [Well… can I talk with you later? Maybe after school?]

<Student Rei Ayanami> [What is it that you would want to discuss with me?]

<Student Shinji Ikari> [Just…trust me on this. Please.]

<Student Rei Ayanami> [At which location would you like me to me you?]

<Student Shinji Ikari> [Where we were together last time…]

<Student Rei Ayanami> [I understand. I will be there after school then.]

The conversation box automatically closing, Shinji logged out of his messaging system. Shaking away any other thoughts, he decided that the remaining class time should be used to help make up for his lack of sleep. The last thing he wanted to do was have a discussion with Rei in a completely drowsy condition. Taking a quick glance at her, the Eva Pilot then let his head abruptly collapse on the laptop, slumber instantly falling upon him. Moving his body position slightly, his cheekbone then oddly came to rest on the keyboard’s “z” button ~ the letters quickly filling up the whole screen.

Unbeknownst to the either Rei or Shinji however, someone had been monitoring their conversation the entire time, a frown now apparent on the girl’s face…

‘I look horrible…’

Placing her mirror back on the nightstand, Asuka briskly ruffled her hands through her hair, unintentionally scattering her neuroclips on the floor. Her eyes narrowed, just having the want to lash out at something. She had heard Shinji leave the apartment at some unruly hour last night, and knew that he didn’t come back until this morning. She hadn’t been able to sleep any; her mind constantly wondering where he had gone. However, there was only one conclusion that she could think about.

He slept over at Rei’s place.

Feeling the anger seeping through her again, her hands began to tremble.

“Why am I so frustrated about this! I could care less where that baka went off to.”

As the words left her lips though, they felt so hallow. She knew deep down she was just trying to convince herself of what she wanted to believe.

The silence only contributed to her irritation. Picking up one of the fallen neuroclips, she clenched it tightly in her hand. Glaring at the object, she then forcefully threw it at the wall closest to her, a million pieces of red shattering instantly.

“Dammit!!! How could he…with that…DOLL!!!”

Noticing that she was now breathing quite hard, she calmed herself the best she could. The fragments of her favorite hair accessory were strewn all over parts of the floor, looking like an angel that had been blasted apart. Giving a quick last glace at the mess, she then threw open her fushuma, the wood sounding like it cracked. About to step forward though, she abruptly spotted the sandwiches Shinji had made for her this morning.

The nerves in her foot felt like stomping on the late breakfast, but something made her feel that it was just…wasn’t right. Letting out an exasperated sigh she reluctantly picked it up and took a rather crude bite, the taste not really registering in her mind.

Looking up at the clock, she noticed that school would be have been dismissed already.

Shinji would be home soon.

Frowning, she didn’t want to be here when he did.

Thinking about where to go, she hoped that Hikari wouldn’t mind if she suddenly showed up. But as of right now, being in a run down street of Tokyo-3 would be better than just staying here. Quickly getting dressed, Asuka then swiftly walked out the door, dialing her friend’s house number on her cell phone.

Looking at the clouds, Shinji hoped that the rain would hold back at least until he got home. There was still dew clinging to the grass around him, with the lake appearing to be a few feet higher than usual. Granted, he hadn’t seen a drop of water since it started drizzling this morning, but the sky had an ominous color to it, looking gray and heavy, as if it were ready to pour down at any moment. His lips producing a thin smile, he found it rather ironic that the weather resembled his mood right now.

‘What a contrast from yesterday…’ He thought dryly.

“Pilot Ikari?”

Turning towards the voice, Shinji forced himself to keep his head up, the nerves in his neck fighting against the urge to shift his view downward. He had not seen or even heard Rei approach him, but from experience ~ and also the fact that he felt half asleep, kept him from jumping at her sudden presence. Even though Rei was not particularly trying to be quiet, most of the time she was practically next to impossible to hear.

Another thought occurring to him, Shinji realized that Rei had just reverted back to what she used to call him, Pilot Ikari.

Innerly cringing, those two words had never sounded so cold before.

“Yes, Rei?” he replied shyly.

Keeping his view on her, she suddenly turned away from him.

“I’m sorry.”

Blinking, Shinji just stood there for a moment, wondering if he had heard her right.

“What…what for?”

It was a rhetorical question of course; possibly a way of confirming to himself that his voice still functioned.

Hearing her give out a light sigh, Rei continued.

“I apologize that I’ve frustrated you…I’m sorry that you appear so tired today because of my lack of consideration…”

Standing perfectly still, Shinji’s mind lagged in confusion. ‘Shouldn’t I be saying those lines?…’ He thought, puzzled.

“No Rei, there’s no reason for you to apologize at all. I’m the one who should say that I’m sorry. I’m not tired or frustrated because of you at all. You have no reason to…”

“Then why were you not there?” Rei cut in abruptly, her voice thin. “Why did you not come to my apartment last night?”

Clearing his throat to reply, Shinji quickly paused. Telling her what actually happened yesterday probably wouldn’t be a very good idea.

Considering the circumstances, it would be a horrible idea.

“Um, well…you see…I went to get something to drink from the fridge and …um…accidentally drank one of Misato’s beers, which was placed where I usually put my orange juice. And so…I began feeling kind of …drunk…I guess, so decided that I should go to bed instead of taking the chance of falling asleep if I were to walk over to your place…”

Wanting to slap himself, Shinji swore that he was the worst liar to ever live.

An uneasy silence draped down on the couple, both of them considering his statement.

After a few moments though, Rei slowly turned around towards Shinji, a look of hope evident in her eyes.

“So the reason you did not appear at my apartment is that you were afraid of not being able to arrive there safely?”

Crossing his fingers, Shinji just nodded.

Letting out a short breath, Rei then brought a hand up to her chest, a slight feeling of relief coming over her.

“ I understand now.”

Relaxing his muscles, Shinji let out his own sigh, not realizing that he’d been tense this whole time.

Looking up in thought and serenity, he remembered a question that he wanted to ask earlier.

“Um Rei, may I ask why you wanted me to come over to your place last night?”

Turning her gaze downward, she shook her head.

“I am not positive as to why I asked you to come over…” She began hesitantly, “but I think that it is because I wanted to spend more time with you that day….”

Weakly smiling, Shinji walked closer to her, feeling a drop of rain land on his arm as he moved. He was actually quite surprised that Rei would be able to say something like that, to be so open with her words. Thinking about it for another moment, he couldn’t recall a time in the past where she had even talked this much; not that he was complaining of course.

Looking to meet his gaze, Rei’s eyes slowly closed, this relatively new feeling of nervousness making her heart rate elevate again.

‘Why do I keep on having this feeling?’ She thought timidly. ‘Is it normal?…’

Standing a foot away from her, Shinji just stared at Rei for a moment, wondering what he should say or do next. His mind was racing to think up of something. Fainting in panic would not be a good choice right now he thought sarcastically. His nerves on edge, an idea finally occurred to him. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his fingers and then slowly reached out and held Rei’s hand in his, eliciting a slight tremble from the girl. He did not know if it was a good thing to do, but to him… it just felt…right. As to where he was getting this sudden confidence from, he had absolutely no idea. He just hoped that it wouldn’t disappear any time soon. Part of him was wanting to actually run away, but thankfully his legs were too shaky and tired to move. Unknowingly to him, Rei was feeling the same way.

The rain gradually increased, but they hardly noticed or even felt it for that matter. As it continued to fall, the two just kept gazing at each other, a light blush visible toning both of their cheeks. All previous thoughts of that day were completely absent from their minds at that moment. Right now, the most comfortable place was by the presence of each other.

By the time they parted, the grass where they stood together was entirely filled with water.

Finishing up the last of her drink, Hikari felt as if she was going to burst out screaming. For the last hour and a half, all she heard was Asuka complain about Shinji, saying how much of a moron, pervert, and liar he was. While she did sympathize with the girl’s situation, Hikari did not see enough reason for her to berate her fellow Eva Pilot so strongly. It’s not that she disliked Asuka’s ravings, she sometimes even found them quite amusing, but there was no need to recite everything in overwhelming detail. The redhead had also interrogated her for a moment, asking why she didn’t tell her sooner, but the class representative said that at the time she was on a restroom break and had not actually seen the event happen.

It was rather far fetched of course, but as her best friend, Hikari didn’t want Asuka to think she had kept it a secret from her.

Looking at the clock, she let out a big sigh, wondering how she was going to finish all her homework with Asuka’s continuous interruptions.

“How could he have kissed her?!...”

Hikari looked tiredly at her friend.

“You know Asuka, it’s not like Rei’s the worst looking girl in the class…when she first arrived at this school, most of the guys here were constantly ogling her…some still do. Even Kensuke and Touji said that they thought she was attractive.”

Asuka waved dismissively with her hand.

“They’re all just a bunch of immature males with overactive hormones. Especially Touji and Kensuke. They’d date or drool over any girl whether they were attractive or not.”

Frowning, Hikari wondered if Asuka realized that her comment was an indirect insult to her. Either way though, the girl decided that she had heard enough. Being her best friend didn’t mean that she always had to be nice.

Taking a deep breath, Hikari stood up from her bed.

“Why don’t you just admit your feelings for him?”

Asuka gave her a bewildered look.

“What are you talking about?!”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why don’t you just tell Shinji that you like him?”

Asuka rolled her eyes.

“Me, the beautiful and dazzling Asuka Langley Sohryu, have feelings for that eechi?! I doubt it.”

Raising an eyebrow, Hikari shifted herself into a ‘I know I’m right’ pose.

The doorbell suddenly rang at that moment, prompting a mental sigh of relief from the brown haired girl. She decided that she deserved a break from this conversation, and now was as good a time as any. Without so much as a wave, Hikari walked out of her room and to the foyer….hoping that by the time she came back, Asuka would have something else to talk about.

That didn’t seem likely though.

Unbolting the locks, she then opened the front door, little rain droplets gently sprinkling against her face.

“May I help….”

Blinking, Hikari stepped back in surprise. “Oh, hi Mrs. Katsuragi.”

The Nerv Operations Director gave her a goofy smile, waving a hand up.

“Please, call me Misato…and it’s miss, not misses.”

Laying down on his bed, Shinji closed his eyes, letting himself relax into the sheets. His whole body was aching from the wariness, every muscle sore to the point it felt numb. Thinking about the past couple of days, he couldn’t remember ever feeling this worn out before…

Then again, he couldn’t remember a time where he had felt this cheerful either.

Before he finally arrived back at the apartment, Shinji had spent the last three hours just walking around the lake with Rei, holding her hand the entire time. The rain had continued to pour down on the couple, but it wasn’t even the slightest distraction to him. Except for a goodbye, they had not even exchanged a single word the entire time together. But it wasn’t as if and conversation was needed. The light tone of red on each of their cheeks told them all they wanted to know.

Shinji had always thought Rei was quite attractive before, but until today, he had never realized that she was just so…beautiful.

The way the rain laced her eyelashes; the way each drop of water would slide down her face; the way the moisture accented her delicate features.

Everything about her just seemed … perfect…

Shinji couldn’t help but smile.

Hearing the front door slide open, Shinji slowly sat up straight on his bed, looking into the living room.

“We’re home.”

Seeing them head to the dining table, he gave the purple haired woman a quick wave.

“Hi Misato. Where have you been?”

Giving him a tired look, she tilted her head over one shoulder, gesturing for the boy to look towards the entrance.

Walking into view, Asuka swiftly retreated into her room, giving Shinji an icy glare just before closing her fushuma.

Just staring blankly for a few moments, he then turned his view up to the ceiling, wondering how he should apologize to the redhead.

The three roommates ate dinner in an unusual silence, all of them taking occasional glances…or glares…at on another.

Not that it was very surprising though.

It was just that Shinji found it rather ironic that the one time where they ate dinner quietly, was the one dinner he wished everyone would be more talkative. It wasn’t to the point where he disliked the peacefulness, but the room had a restrained calm to it, as if everyone were ready to burst out yelling at any second.

It felt odd without the everyday arguments at dinner, the name calling, or the tirade of complaints from Asuka.

Of course, everyone’s mood contributed largely to this irregularity.

He almost wished things could be changed back to the way they were.

He almost did.

A small smile creeping into his features again, his thoughts returned back to a certain blue haired girl.

“What so funny Third Child?”

Breaking his line of thought, Shinji accidentally dropped his chopsticks.

“Oh…um…I was just thinking about how… how… boring the sensei’s lectures are, that’s all.”

In unison, both females at the table looked at him skeptically, Asuka having a slightly sharper glint in her eyes.

Appearing as if she was going to say something though, the redhead just turned back to her plate, not bothering to give him another glimpse.

‘At least she spoke…’ Shinji thought sardonically.

Shifting her view between the two Eva Pilots, Misato could detect a degree of bitterness between them. She let herself express a light sigh.

It looked like she would have to be the one that helped settled whatever issue was going on. Finishing up the rest of her beer, she coarsely cleared her throat.

“What’s wrong you two?”

Asuka’s response was immediate.

“Why don’t you ask the invincible Shinji over there?...or better yet, ask that slut doll of his…”

Frowning, Shinji looked back up, irritated at the bitter and sarcastic tone of her words.

“She’s not a slut nor doll!”

Asuka rolled her eyes, giving him a look of feigned apology.

“Oh, I’m just so sorry…is playtoy a better word?

“That’s enough.” Misato cut in forcefully. “I just said tha…”

Ignoring her, Asuka continued her diatribe.

“If the pervert over there learned to keep his hormones in check, then we wouldn’t be having this argument now would we!?”

Raising her eyebrows, Misato shook her head.

“Look Asuka, that happened three whole days ago. Can’t you just wait until dinner’s over to have this argument?”

Freezing in place, a look of shock appeared on the redhead’s face.

“You…you knew about this??!!!”

Quickly realizing her error, Misato went on the defensive.

“Well, it’s not tha…”

“You’ve known about this the whole time haven’t you!! I see now. So, you said that he just slept through the entire class did he? And …even missed lunch right? You’re so full of crap!!!”

Slamming her fists down on the table, she pointed accusingly at her guardian.

“I know both of you are just trying to make fun of me!!! Well, both you and Shinji can go to hell!!”

Standing up from the table, Asuka headed towards the entrance. “I’m leaving!”

“Wait, Asuka…” Misato called jadedly.

Before she could finish her comment though, she heard the door slide open and close swiftly. Silence filled the room once again, as it was just a mere ten seconds ago. This time though, it was more subdued. Hearing thunder strike outside, Shinji turned to look at the Major.

“I’m sorry … I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen…”

Looking at the boy, her gaze softened, understanding showing on her face.

“It’s not your fault Shinji…Asuka’s just … impulsive sometimes. Just give her a few days; it’ll be like nothing happened.”

As much as he wanted to believe those words though, he somehow felt that wouldn’t be the case….

… unless he did something about it…

“It’s still raining pretty hard out there … I better go and see if she’s okay…”

The woman gave him an appreciative smile.

“Don’t forget to take an extra umbrella with you.”

Standing up, Shinji determinedly walked towards the foyer, giving Misato a quick wave.

“You don’t need to worry. I’ll …we’ll be back soon.”

Quickly putting on his shoes, he then hastily opened the door just in time to see a bolt of lightning flash in the distance. The rain was literally hammering outside, with his clothes feeling as if they were a magnet for the water. Scanning the grounds below him, he saw a figure running in the downpour, with the suggestive shade of red reflected against a passing streetlight.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, summing together all the reserve strength remaining in his body. Hoping Asuka would be okay until he caught up with her, Shinji felt himself instantly take off, sprinting fast enough to be a mistaken shadow in the rain.

Waking up with a stir, Ritsuko realized that she’d fallen asleep at her desk again, her back painfully making it obvious. Ever since her college days, it seemed that sleep continued to become more of a convenience than a need. And even in the occasional times where she was able to have an entire night to herself, she couldn’t stay asleep for more than a few hours at most, unpleasant images always forcing her to abruptly wake up. Stretching out her arms, she let out a distinct yawn, blinking the sleepiness out of her eyes.

She turned her view towards the Eva Cages, tired of looking at the ever-sullen computer screen. She always had a feeling of uncertainty ever time she looked at the mechas, knowing full well what really laid behind those plates of painted armor. It didn’t frighten her though. She had seen things that were far worse than the true beings behind the Eva. Things that would probably even make any soldier fall to their knees in terror.

It was hardly something she took pride in however.

If offered a choice, she would have rather taken a life as a normal carefree computer scientist, than her carrier at Nerv. It made her sad to know certain things that others didn’t, to know the actual truth and purpose behind the second impact and Nerv.

Even her mother had died for the cause, and as for the commander…..

Ritsuko never knew she could love and hate someone so much at the same time.

Looking back at the charts on her screen, she took a sip of her cold coffee, missing the discreet but sudden glow from Unit One’s eyes.

‘Well, it seems that we have just two days to prepare left…’

“Asuka, please stop!”

Shinji had been chasing her for almost half an hour now, the rain coming down so strongly that it even hurt to open his eyes. His lungs were burning for more air and even though the rest of his body should have felt equally affected, his nerves were completely numb, exhausted from the fatigue. Having run from the Apartment all the way to the Nerv Headquarters, they had just passed the school a few moments back, seeming to be near some sort of lake at the moment. All of this was a blur to Shinji’s mind though, as if it had all happened in one second.

“Leave me alone!!”

A crease formed on his forehead.

“Not while your acting like this! You’ll catch a cold if you don’t get inside!”

The redhead just seemed to run faster.

“Go away!!!”

Feeling as if he was about to collapse, Shinji begin to tremble, a burning sensation entering the back of his head. However, he wouldn’t let his body give out yet.

Snapping his eyes open, the Eva Pilot forced himself to use the last burst of speed he had left, ignoring the sudden renounced pain biting at every nerve.

Catching up to Asuka, he roughly grabbed onto her wrist and pulled back with all his might.

Hearing her give out a small shriek, he saw her feet lose touch with the ground, slipping because of the sudden change in inertia. A sequence of lightning bolts flashed, making her fall appear as if he were seeing separate picture frames out of a movie. Falling onto the grass, Asuka let out sharp cry of pain, feeling something snap in her arm.

Having her wrist in a tight hold, Shinji echoed the girl’s movements, skidding roughly against the mud as he fell over.

Both of them laid still for a moment as the rain continued to fall on them, their gasps for oxygen masked by the immense sound generated by the splashing water.

Placing his hands to his sides, Shinji noticed that he only had one umbrella, wondering what happened to the other.

Shaking his head though, he realized that they needed to find a shelter soon if they intended to avoid getting sick. But just by one look around, the closest building was at least a ten minute walk away, and knowing his present physical state, Shinji considered himself lucky to even be moving. Slowly dragging himself to where Asuka was, he then weakly opened the umbrella, making sure that it covered both their heads.

Laying himself down on the ground next to her, he placed the umbrella in between them, listening to the siege of rain bounce off the covering. In any other predicament, the closeness of the two would have probably seemed a bit too intimate for either of them, but right now, that was the farthest thought from their minds. Facing the redhead, she appeared to be holding her arm tightly, her face expressing a look of distress.

“Asuka…are you okay?”

Turning her head, she gave him an annoyed look.

“I think you broke my arm baka…is that ‘okay’ enough for you?”

Shinji shook his head.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

Starting to feel his legs again, Shinji winced in pain.

“Well, it’s quite a bit late for sorry, Third Child.”

Swallowing to keep his dinner from rising back up, he slowly nodded.

“I know.”

Hearing her let out another whine of discomfort, he saw her then gradually sit up, her hair brushing against the umbrella’s underside.

“Since when ….have you been in such good shape?” Asuka panted out.

Shinji waved opened his palms.

“I don’t think I am … it took everything I had to keep up with you…I can’t even move my legs now…”

Letting out a light sneeze, Shinji forced himself up into a sitting position, wiping off some of the mud from his hair.

A silence descending upon the two, both of them listened to the rain as it continued to fall.

Even though their legs were exposed to the drizzle, the water felt surprisingly refreshing against their skin. The umbrella did what it needed to though, providing an adequate cover over their heads. Looking sideways at Asuka, he could see that she was trembling, probably due to a combination of the chilliness and fatigue.

Not really knowing what else to do, he simply moved closer to her, and placed a hand on her arm. A twinge of guilt then entered his mind, but he forced those thoughts away. He needed to find out why she was angry, otherwise the feelings between them would become even worse.

This more than enough to draw a response from the redhead. Turning her head quickly towards him, a blush made itself immediately apparent on her face.

“What…what are you doing?!”

“Why are you angry that I kissed Rei?” Shinji replied seriously, ignoring her question.

Asuka rapidly tried to think of a response, the fact that Shinji was touching her making that task slightly more difficult.

“It’s because…you’re a pervert!”

“In that case, why are you letting me still hold your arm?”

Looking away in embarrassment, she tried to pull herself out of his grip, but noticed that he wouldn’t let go.

“Let me…”

“Are you angry because I only kissed …her?”

As the words barely left his mouth, Asuka expression slowly changed into one of disbelief.

“What are you implying?...” She began slowly, her voice incredulous. “…that I’m jealous because you didn’t kiss me?!”

Shinji raised his eyebrows, slightly tilting his head.

“You just said it yourself, not me.”

The girl just rolled her eyes.

“Oh that’s funny Third Child. Me of all people getting irritated because a small wimpy boy like you kissed that doll?”

Shaking her head, Asuka turned to stare at him. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Shinji could feel his own anger building up, but knew that letting it flare wouldn’t help the situation. He had to find out the true reason why she was acting like this.

“Then why are you jealous?” He asked critically.

“Dammit!!! Are you deaf?! I’m NOT jealous!!!”

Asuka glared at him, her face color completely betraying her words.

“Then why are you blushing so furiously?!”

Opening her mouth several times in an attempt to speak, it seemed that she was at a loss for what to say. Seeming to find a response though, Asuka’s face swiftly became firm, lowering her voice to a cold whisper.

“Even if I was jealous, a weak boy like you would never have the nerve to kiss me.”

Feeling something in his mind snap, he instantly shot back a retort.

“It’s you who doesn’t have the nerve to admit your true feelings! I know that if it had been you instead of Rei back then, nothing like this would’ve ever happened! You wouldn’t have been complaining at all. Even now, I wouldn’t have the slightest bit of hesitation if I were to kiss you!”

Asuka threw him a mocking look.

“Such big words from the invincible Shinji! Oh I’m so scared!!!”

Feeling himself clench his fist, Shinji was straining to keep himself calm.

Asuka just gave him an arrogant smile. “Oh, what happened to ‘you were gonna kiss me’, huh? Don’t have the guts?! I know I’m right.”

Turning away from him, she shook her head.

“You wouldn’t dare to Third Ch…”

Before even realizing what was going on, Asuka suddenly felt something soft and warm pressed against her lips. Her eyes snapped wide open as her body involuntarily became tense. One second passed, followed by another, and soon enough, she unconsciously returned the kiss.

Feeling him put his arm around her, they both laid back down on the grass, the water once again soaking their clothes. A gust of wind suddenly flew threw the air, tossing the umbrella over their heads and into the nearby trees. Neither of them even noticed the sudden rain precipitate down on them though, every sensation or feeling they had focused on each other.

Their eyelids shut, both of them took a quick breath before resuming contact with one another.

However, this time… the moment wouldn’t last very long.

Pushing him away, Asuka broke the kiss, a look of bashfulness and confusion clearly expressed on her face. That look quickly changed to one of anger though, her blue eyes now possessing a cold and harsh brilliance.

Standing up, she slowly moved a few steps away from Shinji, as if he were an angel emerging from the ground.

Making eye contact with her, Shinji also shakily stood up, slightly closing the distance between the two.

He continued to keep his gaze focused on her, but the task was something the boy had to force himself to carry out. Feelings of embarrassment and reproach completely engulfing his mind., the male Eva Pilot mentally admonished himself, wishing that he wouldn’t have been so rash.

‘But it’s her fault…’ Shinji thought defensively.

Seeming to seethe with resentment, Asuka raised up her uninjured arm, pointing accusingly at him.

“You perverted jerk! How … how dare you kiss me!”

Shinji walked closer, timidly shaking his head.

“Look Asuka… I’m sor…”

Cut off in mid sentence, Shinji suddenly felt the redhead’s hand strike him forcefully across the cheek, sending him sprawling to the ground. His legs were already weak and worn out from the run, so he wasn’t surprised that they gave out so easily. Although to him, it seemed more like a punch than it did a slap.

He slowly moved his body back into a sitting position, but by the time he looked back up, Asuka was already sprinting down the hill, running as if they had never stopped earlier. Squeezing his eyes shut, Shinji angrily slammed his fist against the ground.

‘Shinji, you idiot…’

Not bothering to move, he continued to lay there in the rain, gazing off in the darkness long after Asuka was out of sight…

Finally arriving back to the apartment, Shinji suppressed the urge to faint. With all the forced running he did with Asuka on their ‘weather marathon across Tokyo-3 ‘, the boy thought that he’d more than earned enough credit to skip track class for the rest of the year.

Sliding the front door closed, he gradually came to his room, not wanting to force himself to move any more than he needed to. Changing into a dry set of clothes, he decided to skip taking a shower.

‘I’ve already spent more time being wet than dry today…’ He thought unenergetically.

Opening his closet, Shinji picked up a clean towel and ran it through his hair, ignoring the sprinkles that were falling onto he carpet.

He didn’t think that he’d caught a cold, but taking that chance could only have bad results. Judging by how the events were unraveling these past couple of days, it would be odd rather if he did not become sick. Luck was hardly something that was on his side.

Wearily placing the towel on his lap, he made a ball out of it and made a toss towards the laundry basket, sounding a soggy thump as it landed in.

His eyes felt like they’d been glazed over with salt, being battered by the rain as they were.

Taking a deep breath, Shinji then allowed himself to collapse on the bed, finally letting his muscles indulge in a well earned rest.

Even though his body was presently in a relaxed state, his mind was a flurry of activity, images of both his fellow Eva Pilots randomly appearing. What really irritated him was that while his nerves were begging for him to sleep, his thoughts wouldn’t let him. Every time he tried to think of a pleasant illustration of just Rei or just Asuka, the other appeared girl appeared in it, with a look on her face that made him hurt inside.

Placing his hands on both sides of his head in frustration, Shinji tried to clear his thoughts of either of them.

He tried to.

Frowning, winkled his forehead in confusion, wondering why he couldn’t get them out of his mind.

Another few quiet moments passing by though, Shinji suddenly sat up, slightly wincing from the abrupt movement.

“Do I …like both of them?” He whispered to himself, a look of uncertainty and realization alternately appearing on his face. “Do I like both Rei and Asuka?”

Biting his lower lip in concentration, Shinji shook his head, not wanting to believe what now seemed so obvious to him. With the exception of his uncle, anyone who he had ever cared for had either died or neglected him. His mother had passed away when he was only four, the only memories he could recall being only that of her voice. And as for his father…it hurt to even think about it. And now, could it be possible that two other people, two beautiful girls, who unfortunately despised one another…that he had feelings for….might like him back?

He didn’t know what to think.

Turning on his side, his eyes somehow came to focus on his cello, the lightning illuminating the room at that exact moment.

Slowly rising from his bed again, he eyed the instrument as an idea popped into his head.

Placing a hand on her stomach, Asuka blinked her eyes. She had been looking ponderously at the moonlight as it’s light glow gently reflected off her face. She could still hear the rain falling outside, little droplets of water landing softly outside her window, and although the weather had lightened somewhat, a continuous series of dark clouds and lightning in the distance indicated that the drizzle would not be stopping anytime soon.

Shifting her view down to her right arm, the girl frowned.

Remembering the discoloration of her skin, she knew that a broken bone was would be the least of her problems tomorrow.

She had bandaged the injury up of course, but that would only give her a minimal amount of support.

A trip to the hospital would be in order she thought unenthusiastically.

Asuka had always hated those kinds of places, where every patient that passed by made her feel a degree less confident about herself. Every patient that she passed by in a room sometimes reminding her of her mother…

She was Asuka Langley Sohryu, and being out of the spotlight or feeling depressed was not something she coped with very nicely.

She was after all, the best Eva Pilot right now. Even Shinji’s sync rate wasn’t up to hers.

Creasing her forehead, her thoughts involuntarily turned to him again.

Putting two fingers on her lips, she held them there for a few moments, closing her eyes as she did so.

Recalling how it felt when Shinji kissed her, she would be lying to herself if she said it wasn’t enjoyable.

Even as she was arguing with her roommate, there was a small voice inside her calling out for him to kiss her.

Sighing, she felt annoyed that she’d been the one to break it off.

‘How did I end up liking a wimp like him?…’

The entire time she was taunting the boy, she was hoping that he’d do exactly what happened, but for some reason, she still had the impulse to put up a façade to pretend she didn’t like it.

Asuka was glad that he’d took charge and kissed her….it was that side of him that she found…exciting…just like the time where he had saved her from the volcano in the battle with the eighth angel. Deep down, she knew that she liked Shinji, but pride would not let her admit that to anyone.

And although at times she loathed the usual spineless Shinji, it was also that gentleness in him that she also was fond of.

Shaking her head in frustration, Shinji’s words once again rang in her mind… ‘It’s you who doesn’t have the nerve to admit your true feelings!…’

So deep in thought, she at first didn’t even hear the knock on her door.

“Asuka?”

Startled, she fell of her bed, landing on the floor with a light thud.

Black dots momentarily appeared in her vision as the pain in her arm registered again. Letting out a slight moan of discomfort, she walked up to the screen and stood behind it, making sure the lock was on.

“What is it?” She called softly.

There was a hesitant pause before he responded.

“I’m sorry about what happened tonight…and I just thought…” She could hear him let out a discreet sigh. “…well…just listen…”

Uncertain as to what he meant, she just continued to be silent.

Then, with a nascent sound entering her room, she understood. Hearing Shinji’s cello, Asuka closed her eyes once again, listening to him play.

“Have you already completed the preparations?”

Turning around from the desk, the pony-tailed man let out a slight grin.

“Not yet, but I’ll finish it tonight. Assuming the information you’ve given me about the security systems is valid of course.”

“There will be no problems with the security. Just make sure that you finish the assignment before you leave. Time is of the essence now that we have only two days left”

Walking towards the only door of the room, Kaji lightly shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if I don’t finish it, I’ll be dead.”

The marble floor accentuated every footstep as he passed across it, making his shoes sound like metal tapping against glass. A rather intimidating environment, it’s not that this area was created to be very pleasant in the first place of course. If anything, the room complimented the Commander’s personality quite well in Kaji’s opinion. Taking a quick look up at the detailed ceiling, he remembered something that had caught his interest earlier.

“By the way, how’s your son?”

Had he looked back, he would have noticed a frown appear on the Older Ikari’s face.

“As to be expected.” came the reply bluntly.

“And how’s Rei?”

Knowing that Gendo knew what he was trying to suggest, the unshaven man just wanted to see how the Commander would react.

“That is none of your concern Mr. Ryoji.”

Pushing his thumb against the access panel, the entrance quickly slid open.

“Of course it isn’t…”

Letting the final chord ring out, Shinji gently lifted his bow from the strings, seeing some of the rosin create a white mist as it flew up in the air. The music continued to repeat in his ears as he let himself express a slight smile of satisfaction.

He didn’t know what it was, but every time he played that prelude, there was just something about the piece that made him lose himself in it every time.

Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind of those thoughts though, bringing himself back to reality.

He hadn’t planned what to do past this point, but the continuing stillness indicated to him that he probably should leave. Not being able to think of anything else to say, it was more than likely the best idea.

“Goodnight Asuka.”

Placing both the cello and bow in one hand, he was just about to turn around when the screen in front of him slid right open.

Quickly sitting back down, he felt Asuka place her lips on his.

Before he had a chance to react though, she pulled away from him, walking backwards to her room.

“That’s to make up for earlier Third Child…I do have to admit…you are a pretty good kisser…”

Placing her hands on her fushuma, she slid it half way open, giving a playful wave to the blank faced boy before completely closing it.

“Goodnight Shinji.”

It took a few more seconds for Shinji to remember to breathe again.

Still in the process of comprehending what just happened, he sat perfectly still replying in his mind what just happened.

Smiling now, Shinji layed the cello down on the carpet and rose himself up from the chair. Walking back to his own room with a cheerful step, he opened the door and slowly let out a soft yawn.

Oddly enough, even with his muscles aching the way they were, the boy had seemingly forgotten how worn out he was.

About to head towards his bed though, he suddenly felt his face pressed up against two soft objects.

His eyes going wide, he hastily stepped backwards.

Switching on the lights, Misato gave him a mischievous grin.

“So my little Shinji-kun, whose lips are softer? Asuka’s? or Rei’s?”

His faced paled.

“Misato!…What are you doing here?!”

She threw him a matter of factly look.

“This is my place you know.”

Crossing her arms, she raised an eyebrow. “But…you still haven’t answered my question…”

Shinji furiously shook his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Rolling her eyes, the violet haired woman laughed.

“Oh my, don’t you know by now you can’t hide anything from me. I just saw you and Asuka right now…”

Letting a pause hand in the air, it looked like Shinji was about to faint.

“…giving each other a ‘goodnight kiss’.”

Before he could respond though, Misato thought that she might as well amuse herself as much as she could.

“While we’re on the topic though, I was faxed your school report today…and it seems that you also spent a few hours walking around the lake, holding hands with your …how should I put it…other girlfriend.”

Glancing towards the ceiling, Shinji let out a sigh, guessing that he might as well drop the naive pretense.

“Neither of them is my girlfriend…”

This drew a curious look from his guardian.

“So then Shinji, who do you like better?”

He let out a heavy sigh.

“Is this an interrogation?”

Misato smiled. “I could make it one if you wanted.”

He rolled his eyes. “No thanks.”

Clearing her throat, she kept her gaze steady on the tired boys face.

“Well Shinji?”

“I don’t know…”

Misato frowned. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

He looked up at her with sincerity.

“I’ve never known anyone who’s actually cared for me before…and now…”

Letting him have time to express himself, Misato waited patiently for him to find his voice again. She could relate somewhat to how he felt, for her own childhood was rather harsh as well, with no one really being or having spent time with her. So playing the pseudo-mother was actually rather comforting to her in some ways. Looking towards the kitchen, she wished that she’d brought a beer with her though.

“…Rei…”

Hearing a whisper from Shinji, she turned to look back at him.

“What was that?”

Fiddling with his fingers, Shinji kept his eyes focused on the carpet.

“I think that I…like Rei…”

“And?”

He opened his palms outward. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I would like to get to know her better…”

He turned his view up back up to Misato. “But I don’t want to hurt Asuka’s feelings because I care about her also…”

Rubbing his eyelids, Shinji sat down on the floor. “What should I do?”

She shook her head. “This is a decision you’re going to have to make for yourself Shinji, but all I can say is that whatever you do, don’t rush into anything. Take your time and really find out who it is that you like better.”

Grinning, Misato thought up of something else.

“And when I say that you should really find out who you like better…I recommend you stay away from doing anything that might be considered…’adult’…if you know what I mean…”

She didn’t know what thought just flashed through his mind, but from his reaction she knew it must have been quite naughty. Jumping up from the floor, his face became completely red.

“Misato!”

She broke out in laughter. “What were you just thinking about Shinji?”

He looked at her incredulously.

“I wasn’t think about anything even close to … that!”

She rolled her eyes. “Then why are you blushing so hard?”

“I….it’s that…just…stop teasing me!”

Giving the situation some time to calm down, Misato finally diminished her laugh into a light giggle, but to Shinji’s obvious discomfort, couldn’t get rid of her suggestive smile.

“But seriously Misato…what should I do?”

Tilting her head slightly to one side, she raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

Looking down in thought for a few moments, he tried to think of how to put his thoughts into words.

“Well, how should I … get to know who I honestly like?”

Suppressing the want to say something else, she decided that she’d already had a decent amount of amusement for one day.

Holding up a finger near her face, she tossed him a wink.

“Don’t worry Shinji, you’ll figure it out for yourself soon enough.”

The boy didn’t appear very convinced though.

"I don’t know," he said uncertainly.

Thinking for a few moments, an idea suddenly popped into her head. Her smile growing even wider, Shinji began to feel apprehensive ~ while not unusual for Misato to be amused, that didn’t mean it wasn’t scary from time to time.

“Well, it’s late right now, or early; whichever way you want to think about it, so you get some rest first and I’ll tell you tomorrow how to find which girl is the object of your affections. Even a woman as brilliant as me needs her beauty sleep too you know.”

Shinji decided to keep quiet on that one.

“I know you’ll tell me tomorrow, but can you at least give me a hint as to how I’m supposed to do that?”

Looking up in thought, Misato threw Shinji a small smile.

“You wouldn’t happen to know what Rei’s doing this weekend would you?…”

To be continued…