Biker Sukeban Asuka-sama sounds like a perfectly good idea to me, and I think someone who has fewer rampant plotbunnies running riot in their head than me should write it.
...*sighs again*
In the continuing saga of Yakuza: Tokyo-3 Edition...
xxxx
/Years Prior to the
Last Snippet/
/Tokyo-3/
Shinji Ikari, son of the patriarch of the Ikari Family, had somehow gotten separated from his fellows on the school trip to the aquarium.
I told them I was just using the restroom...did they really leave without me?
(Little did he know that Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida, who were part of his assigned group on this trip, had simply pretended to call in for him before the bus departed; sitting as far back as they did, their teacher had not bothered to do a full headcount. They were rather befuddled by all the weird rumors surrounding Ikari as it was, and considered his aloofness to be a manifestation of snobbishness. Surely being unable to attend the penguin exhibit would teach him a lesson!)
(Said teacher would get a severe reprimand much later on for his negligence.)
(In like manner, Toji and Kensuke would get a severe scolding as well, once their parents received 'polite' visits from rough-looking gentlemen about who exactly their boys had inadvertently left unattended.)
(Shinji would be very confused by Toji and Kensuke's groveling apologies a few days after the fact, but that's another story altogether.)
Feeling a strange bit of rebellious pique, he went wandering away from the academy grounds (because honestly, his father kept him far enough away from New Kamurocho where the 'family business' was run as it was...and there were only so many euphemisms about what they did that even
he could stomach). With instincts born of growing up in the household of yakuza, he instinctively avoided street corners with well-dressed gentlemen, and ducked into well-lit alleyways rather than walk along streets filled with questionable businesses.
(It didn't occur to him that these instincts, lacking any sort of real experience, could lead him astray.)
As such, it was to his great misfortune that he came face-to-face with a
sukeban gang, clad in pleated red skirts and jet black sailor uniforms, situated in a rather quiet location surrounded by bicycles and
motorcycles...some of which had been obviously modified.
...well, it
would be a bit of misfortune, if he hadn't been caught in a stare by the features of the crew leader: with her skirt going down to her ankles, she might have been classified as demure...were it not for Zippo lighter she kept flicking, and the dented aluminum bat she kept tapping against the ground. But the most eye-catching thing?
Her hair: long and fiery, with shades that veered from auburn to strawberry blonde to
crimson in the sunlight. Held up by red barrettes that seemed akin to cat ears, the
gaijin was an utterly striking figure, even compared to the other girls in her crew (some of which had obviously dyed their hair).
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrBkS7P0ixU
"Well well
well," muttered the redhead, rising to her feet. Her crew of seven followed her lead: some wielding
shinai, some smoking cigarettes, others drinking
beer...truly, this was a high concentration of delinquency. "What's a goody-two-shoes like you wandering around outside of a school?"
Shinji didn't answer, too busy warily watching the other seven girls as they began circling him.
"He looks pretty innocent..."
"-
too innocent."
"He looks like he ironed his pants too, what a
good boy..."
Somehow, the giggling evoked images of circling sharks.
All the while, the redhead stared, flicking her Zippo lighter with a bored expression. "Well? You got a name,
Junge?"
He didn't recognize that last word (was it even English), but he nonetheless said, "...Shinji."
"...what, no surname?" The redhead snorted. "Awfully
forward, ain't it?"
The circling girls continued their comments. "Pretty forward of him, Asuka-
aneki..."
"Maybe he thinks he has a chance with Sohryu-senpai?"
"He'd best call her Sohryu-
sama then!"
Gulping, Shinji muttered, "n-no, I'm not trying to be forward..."
"Oh?" Leering, the redhead — Asuka Sohryu, apparently? — couldn't help but sneer. "Then that must mean your family name isn't one you like advertising. Pretty sloppy."
The giggling girls suddenly became very pointed in their comments...to the point of sounding predatory. "Ah, think he's a brat from one of the local families?"
"Could be someone that would make a good hostage...who do you think he's with?"
"Who knows...who in the Nerv Clan has well-known kids?"
Crap. This was turning bad in a hurry. "Um..."
What would Ayanami-san do?
(He envisioned Rei Ayanami, his strangely lithe yet intimidating bodyguard, pulling out a pair of brass knuckles, and
going to town.)
Um, um...what would Kaji-san do?!
(He envisioned one of the Ikari Family's many informants in law enforcement, a strangely affable yet slippery fellow by the name of Ryoji Kaji, often seen coming over to share drinks with his father and various 'associates.' Inexplicably, the man said, "peace out!" before running away.)
...worth a shot! "...HOLY CRAP,
WHAT'S THAT?!" he said, eyes going wide as he pointed behind the redhead.
Impulsively, all of the teenage girls followed along, looking to where he pointed-
And that's when he made a break for the bicycles.
xx
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0ycsDdlwzo
Asuka Langley-Sohryu narrowed her eyes, inwardly raging at how she had fallen for the oldest trick in the book.
Dieser Bastard hat mich verarscht, she thought with a snarl-
"HEY!"
The cry of the blonde one that she had taken to calling Nikki prompted her to turn around; the two-timing
weasel had grabbed Megumi's purple bicycle, which had coincidentally been the closest to his position. As the brat took off pedaling, she roared, "SADDLE UP GIRLS, we've got a
thief to catch!"
The engines of their bikes rumbled as they began their pursuit; leaving their old bicycles behind (because everyone now knew that this tiny corner of Tokyo-3 belonged to the
Seele Clan, now), Asuka led her gang of miscreants after the snotty little jerkwad. As the sole solo rider, her crew members were doubled-up, leaving four motorbikes to pursue a measly boy on a 7-speed. She anticipated that they'd catch up to him in short order.
Except...they didn't.
The brat would dive through gaps in pedestrian traffic to slip through alleyways, prompting them to have to take long detours; he'd cross intersections right as the lights changed, delaying them further; he
inexplicably drew the attention of one of the local beat cops that had proven to be surprisingly effective despite being new to her job (seriously, did those goons hire Misato straight from the underground racing circuit or something???). As her compadres diverted to draw the heat from Officer Katsuragi, she kept up her single-minded pursuit of the boy, wondering how in the
hell he was keeping ahead of her.
This guy must know this town like the back of his hand...!
xx
Shinji's current Mental State:
sheer, unadulterated PANIC.
Shinji's current train of thought:
oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap-!
xx
Grimacing, Asuka realized she was nearing the edge of the Seele Clan's territory in Tokyo-3; any further, and even
her daredevilish ways wouldn't be enough to keep her out of trouble.
Damn it. DAMN IT!
As the boy darted through yet
another alleyway — one too small for her own bike to fit through — she reluctantly acknowledged defeat. "...I'll get you next time, you little
punk." She impulsively veered off towards a side road to get away from the sound of police sirens.
Next time, you're MINE.
(It would be years, alas, until their paths crossed again.)
xx
(Meanwhile, Shinji — exhausted and utterly spent — inexplicably ended up at the aquarium, much to his surprise.)
(Alas, he ended up sleeping on one of the benches outside the main doors, too tired to rejoin his school group...and so he never got to see the penguins.)
xxxx
/Well Over a Decade Later/
/
New Usagi Bar, New Kamurocho/
Rei Ayanami arched an eyebrow as her 'date' finished relaying his story. "So
that's how those two actually met?"
Kaworu Nagisa, sipping from a martini, nodded. "Indeed; Miss Sohryu was in a right foul mood when she returned to the Langley compound."
"...that certainly explains why Ikari-sama was so tired, that day. A shame he never got to see the penguins..."
"Why does everyone keep talking about
penguins in this city?"
"They're a pretty big deal around here." Letting the feel of chilled
saké trickle down her throat, she murmured, "strange...given her tenacity, I would have expected her to try and get her revenge on him."
"Were it not for the fact that the Langley Family had to temporarily withdraw from Tokyo-3 due to certain 'political' issues, it's likely that she would have," acknowledged Kaworu. "She was quite upset too, because she had taken to modifying her
own bicycle so that she could 'f
ight him on a level playing field,'" he said, complete with air quotes. "Alas, one thing led to another, and Miss Sohryu ended up on the path that led her to becoming the Mad Dog..."
"...a foul and ruthless beast," said Rei with a grim frown. "It's hard to even imagine her as a
sukeban, now."
"Too deranged for even that?"
Rei nodded.
"...I suppose that's a reasonable position to take. Until this neutrality pact between Nerv and Seele, we weren't in a position to even come
close to New Kamurocho. Were it not for the Angel Alliance and the unique threats they present, it's likely they would have never crossed paths again."
"Hm," she hummed, gazing out at the window towards the rainy sky. "At least the weather ensures the riff-raff will be less likely to poke their heads out..." Having left Ikari-sama back at the family compound, it was the only reason she felt comfortable rendezvousing with Nagisa this evening.
And Sohryu-san is probably causing trouble in her own ways regardless...
xx
/Elsewhere in New Kamurocho/
"PEDAL
FASTER, SHINJI-CHAN!!"
HOW DID I LET HER TALK ME INTO THIS?!?! frantically thought Shinji Ikari as he pedalled as though his life depended on it. Which, given the presence of Asuka Sohryu — standing on the rear wheel's pegs, clutching the back of his shirt with one hand, holding an aluminum
bat with the other — it kind of did.
"Come on come
on, we've almost caught up~"
With speed more befitting a motorcycle than a 21-speed, Shinji Ikari somehow caught up with the nondescript armored car; with a mad laugh, Asuka
leapt off of his back and onto the hood, clutching tightly onto the edge with her free hand. "SURPRISE!"
The suited members of the
Arael Family blinked back with surprise, their shades doing little to hide the unnatural light glowing behind their eyes.
"GOT ANOTHER
PRESENT FOR YA!" she howled, smashing her bat through the windshield.
xx
...hopefully not, mused Rei.
"More saké, Ayanami-chan?"
Rei held up her empty cup for the gentleman to pour. "Much obliged, Nagisa-kun."
xx
It was an empty parking lot, at this time of night; the Mad Dog's rampaging had caused the armored car to veer off the road, forcing the members of the Arael Family to engage them on foot.
Even with a three-to-one advantage, Asuka and Ikari had taken them down without a problem. As it was, they had been thrown into a heap near the side of the nearest building, where bums would undoubtedly loot them before long.
It was why she was able to experience any catharsis at all, as a mixture of gasoline and lighter fluid set the armored vehicle ablaze. Not even the rain which now began to pour even
harder would be able to snuff it out before all of the evidence would be destroyed.
All the secrets those bastards managed to steal...up in flames. That the Arael Family had even been
ballsy enough to try and steal from
her, as well...that just crossed so many lines.
"...so, is that it?"
"Yeah. Without that information, the Angel Alliance won't be able to break the ceasefire between Nerv and Seele..." Sighing, she added, "you're such an unselfish twat, you know? You didn't have to go out of your way to help me. I would've been fine on my own."
"I know...but I still wanted to." After several more moments of silence, he added, "...your bike goes pretty fast, Sohryu-san."
Asuka couldn't help but snort; Ikari (who was at least polite enough to stand to her right so she could see him out of her peripheral vision) had a strange talent for dry humor. "Actually modded it myself. It was
supposed to help me beat this snotty little punk who thought he had one on me...but that was years ago, now."
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWooB4tpQ9I
Shinji chuckled quietly. "I'm pretty sure he was too busy panicking to think of things like that..." As the fire and rain roared, he asked, "when did you remember, Sohryu-san?"
"About three days after our little tussle with the Israfel Family. Why do you think I kept trying to bug you so much? I wanted to see what became of that little goody-two-shoes."
"...well, what do you think?" he solemnly asked.
"Well, you can still ride a bike pretty well." With a self-deprecating grin, she rested her metal bat on her shoulder, gesturing to herself with her free hand. "And...I won't lie and say you're as scrawny as you used to be.
Me, though..." In the leather pants, brown snakeskin jacket,
sarashi wraps holding her bosom down, and the black eyepatch over her ruined left eye, she doubted that she cut a very feminine figure at all. "...well, I doubt there's any skirt that'd fit a beast like me, anymore." The image was only solidified by how the rain had matted down her thick and glorious mane of hair.
Now I truly look like the bitch I am...
Shinji stared at her, slowly raising his hand. Despite the impertinence of it, she allowed him to brush the fabric on her eyepatch, with all the gentleness of someone caressing a lover. "...I still see a woman, Sohryu-san."
"..." Throwing caution to the wind, Asuka dropped her bat and gripped Shinji by the lapels of his shirt, dragging him down for a hungry kiss that was more akin to her gnawing his face off than a romantic smooch. (That he was able to respond as well as he
did was...surprising.) Releasing him from her fit of passion with a throaty gasp, she huskily added, "careful,
Shinji-chan...a dog like me might get ideas." As the adrenaline finally began to fade, she ended up slumping against him. The moment of weakness should have been cringe-inducing...and yet it wasn't. "
Bring mich weg. Bring mich nach Hause..." she tiredly muttered.
"...Kaji-san's house is neutral ground. You'll be able to stay there until the morning."
(...not quite what she had in mind, but it would do.) "...will you stay?"
"I won't leave. You have my word."
"...
good..." (There were times that she didn't
want to be the Mad Dog. Those times...were few and far between, these days.)
As Shinji placed her bat into the holster on her bike, he wearily maneuvered them so she was sitting behind him on the rather large seat; with her arms wrapped around his torso, she was secure enough for one last ride.
Thus did the scion of the Ikari Family pedal off into the night, with the Mad Dog clinging to his back...
(In the morning, she would ask him when he remembered her as the redhead with the
sukeban crew.)
(His answer — that he had known from the moment he set eyes on her again, because who could forget hair like
hers? — made her want to deck him for being such a snob about it.)
(It also made her want to kiss him again, but she would ignore that part...for the time being.)
xxxx
/wheeeee
My wife would love it. (She's constantly quoting that line)
