- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Fanart? ~blink blink~ Huh....
Welp, there's motivation for getting back to work on Chapter 3. I think I've figured out events as far as Zeruel and aftermath, now...
Advice and Trust [NGE]
Welp, there's motivation for getting back to work on Chapter 3. I think I've figured out events as far as Zeruel and aftermath, now...
crapcrapcrapcrap i'm sorry i havent drawn anything, just stuff i've found. 
fuck
fuck
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Well, on that thought here's a visual preview of next chapter.
Replacing the 'Shinji alone on a bus' scene of canon.
Replacing the 'Shinji alone on a bus' scene of canon.
I'm gonna nibble your ear.
SaltyWaffles
I am dissapoint, son
- Pronouns
- He/Him
She would like to, but the presence of the bus driver (and others) kind of make that a bad idea.
---
WE HAVE TO PRETEND TO BE MISERABLE ALL THE TIME, BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, THEY'LL GET SUSPICIOUS AND MAKE US MISERABLE ALL THE TIME!
Shinji, Asuka, and Rei should really just form a Pilot's Union. For the lulz.
Character Notes #3
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Ironically, it's proving to be Asuka who's having the hardest time upholding the prohibition. Retreating into passivity, not doing anything, is pretty easy for the Third Child. For a much more active (and deep down insecure) person like Asuka, not grabbing a hold of that source of happiness/reassurance whenever she can is a real struggle.
I'd say 'Do you want to give Misato a drinking problem?', but boy, has that ship already sailed...
2500 words into Ch 3 now. May post tonight if I can transcribe it into my laptop. Shinji's sense of humor is starting to infect Asuka too...
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
Poor Asuka
She needs all the hugs.
SaltyWaffles
I am dissapoint, son
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Man, if Leliel happens anything like cannon, that is going to be rough as hell on Asuka. And entertaining to watch.
But yes, your analysis of Asuka is spot on. If anything, I'm surprised she managed to overcome her insecurity strongly enough to initiate the relationship with Shinji, but she would be the one more likely to do it under the right circumstances.
Character Notes #4
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
It won't.
She did try, that's what the canon kiss scene was all about. But being who she was, she did it in such a hesitant and 'I was only joking!' way that poor raised-by-an-elderly-sensei-in-practical-isolation Shinji just missed all her hints that she was interested. All that changed here is he held her, and she took that as a go sign. That's all that would have been needed... but then, a central theme of Eva is how hard it is to truly communicate with others...
- Location
- Logan, Queensland, australia
I thought the Bus/Train scenes in NGE were some sort of shared pilot and E shared mindscape? To hammer in the angst and unbreakable loneliness angle of the show.
If that's the case, the tension would be broken if suddenly S and A are in the same car, because there's literally no one else there.
...on the other hand...
...Suddenly, Rei...
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
The weirdness in Leliel and End of Eva did include head trip train scenes, yes, but in this case they are literally just riding on a bus.
Chapter 3.1
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Next few scenes of Ch 3 written, but I'm too tired to transcribe them tonight, and it's already... oh, F me, 0012 here. So here's just the first scene of Chapter 3 for you all.
Chapter 3, part 1 of 7
Testing and Proving
+++++++++++++++++
Misato sipped at the soup, making a surprised and pleased sound at the flavor. "Mmm. Hey, Shinji, did you change the soup stock?"
Shinji carefully lifted up the hot pot with the rest of lunch in it with mittened hands and turned towards the table. "Yeah, it's a bonito stock. It's a gift from Ritsuko-san."
"HOTTTTTTTTTT!" The aggrieved shout from the bathroom startled the two inhabitants of the dining area. A rapid stomping of feet heralded the door to the bathroom being flung open by an upset redhead clad only in a pair of towels wrapped tightly around her hair and torso. She leveled an accusing finger at Shinji. "That bath was too HOT!"
"I'm sorry," his mouth said on autopilot. A small part of his brain was concentrating on not dropping the hot pot on his feet, because most of it was trying not to drool helplessly over the way Asuka's long, smooth legs disappeared up under the hem of the towel, mixed in with memories of last night that said sight triggered. Stopping in the middle of things to take a shower had been Asuka's idea. It had been a good one; she'd suggested there was a way to save water... Wow...
Um. She was still pointing at him and yelling. "You always apologize right away, but do you actually feel sorry?!"
"Um." Nope, brain still off.
"It's like you apologize as a conditioned reflex to avoid being scolded!"
"I'm sorry." Autopilot was still good, check.
"Exactly like that. You're just fundamentally too self-deprecating!"
He frowned slightly. She'd mentioned something similar last night, when they were quietly talking in her bed, but her tone had been much softer then. He could understand that yelling at him now was a part of keeping up their front of antagonism for Misato, but it still stung a little. Less than it might have if he didn't know she actually cared about him, though. It did remind him they were still deceiving Misato, however, and his face clouded. He hated lying to her.
Misato saw his look darken, but misunderstood why. She came to his rescue against Asuka's rant. "Now, now, that's just Shin-chan's way..."
Asuka folded her arms over her chest and sniffed. "Just his way? You're being too soft on him! He need firm training, not lax attitude! Haven't you been a little too soft on him lately?"
"Have I?" Misato asked innocently, taking a sip from her beer. She loved Sundays.
Asuka glared at their guardian. "Just because you and Kaji-san have hooked up again, don't project your happiness on other people so easily!"
"There's nothing between Kaji and me," Misato intoned piously.
The phone in Misato's bedroom rang, and picked up on voicemail after one ring. "Yo, Katsuragi!" Kaji's voice rang out, perfectly clear to everyone in the dining room. "I found a bar that serves a decent drink! How about tonight? See you!" Beeeeeep.
Misato's expression was a trifle embarrassed.
Asuka's tone shifted from angry to sarcastic. "Sure, nothing between you... No daylight, no air gap, nothing but sweat, I bet. Perverted guardian! Disgusting!"
Misato just tipped her can back and looked intently at the ceiling, muttering about Kaji's sense of timing.
With Misato's gaze diverted, Asuka took the chance to give Shinji a wink. 'So Misato will probably be out tonight, hmm?' it promised. Asuka slipped back into the bathroom as Shinji quickly turned back towards the kitchen to hide his face. He wasn't entirely comfortable with hiding their relationship from Misato, but sometimes the game was a thrill on its own...
Chapter 3, part 1 of 7
Testing and Proving
+++++++++++++++++
Misato sipped at the soup, making a surprised and pleased sound at the flavor. "Mmm. Hey, Shinji, did you change the soup stock?"
Shinji carefully lifted up the hot pot with the rest of lunch in it with mittened hands and turned towards the table. "Yeah, it's a bonito stock. It's a gift from Ritsuko-san."
"HOTTTTTTTTTT!" The aggrieved shout from the bathroom startled the two inhabitants of the dining area. A rapid stomping of feet heralded the door to the bathroom being flung open by an upset redhead clad only in a pair of towels wrapped tightly around her hair and torso. She leveled an accusing finger at Shinji. "That bath was too HOT!"
"I'm sorry," his mouth said on autopilot. A small part of his brain was concentrating on not dropping the hot pot on his feet, because most of it was trying not to drool helplessly over the way Asuka's long, smooth legs disappeared up under the hem of the towel, mixed in with memories of last night that said sight triggered. Stopping in the middle of things to take a shower had been Asuka's idea. It had been a good one; she'd suggested there was a way to save water... Wow...
Um. She was still pointing at him and yelling. "You always apologize right away, but do you actually feel sorry?!"
"Um." Nope, brain still off.
"It's like you apologize as a conditioned reflex to avoid being scolded!"
"I'm sorry." Autopilot was still good, check.
"Exactly like that. You're just fundamentally too self-deprecating!"
He frowned slightly. She'd mentioned something similar last night, when they were quietly talking in her bed, but her tone had been much softer then. He could understand that yelling at him now was a part of keeping up their front of antagonism for Misato, but it still stung a little. Less than it might have if he didn't know she actually cared about him, though. It did remind him they were still deceiving Misato, however, and his face clouded. He hated lying to her.
Misato saw his look darken, but misunderstood why. She came to his rescue against Asuka's rant. "Now, now, that's just Shin-chan's way..."
Asuka folded her arms over her chest and sniffed. "Just his way? You're being too soft on him! He need firm training, not lax attitude! Haven't you been a little too soft on him lately?"
"Have I?" Misato asked innocently, taking a sip from her beer. She loved Sundays.
Asuka glared at their guardian. "Just because you and Kaji-san have hooked up again, don't project your happiness on other people so easily!"
"There's nothing between Kaji and me," Misato intoned piously.
The phone in Misato's bedroom rang, and picked up on voicemail after one ring. "Yo, Katsuragi!" Kaji's voice rang out, perfectly clear to everyone in the dining room. "I found a bar that serves a decent drink! How about tonight? See you!" Beeeeeep.
Misato's expression was a trifle embarrassed.
Asuka's tone shifted from angry to sarcastic. "Sure, nothing between you... No daylight, no air gap, nothing but sweat, I bet. Perverted guardian! Disgusting!"
Misato just tipped her can back and looked intently at the ceiling, muttering about Kaji's sense of timing.
With Misato's gaze diverted, Asuka took the chance to give Shinji a wink. 'So Misato will probably be out tonight, hmm?' it promised. Asuka slipped back into the bathroom as Shinji quickly turned back towards the kitchen to hide his face. He wasn't entirely comfortable with hiding their relationship from Misato, but sometimes the game was a thrill on its own...
Dat wink.
SaltyWaffles
I am dissapoint, son
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Methinks the bath's temperature was, in fact, just fine. Asuka is getting creative.
Stargrave
Wine-drinking evil
- Location
- The White City
Methinks the temperature was very hot, and Shinji's just getting better at making Asuka run half naked around the house without drawing suspicion.
Quadhelix
Professional Windmill Hunter
I don't know why, but seeing these two statements together really brought to mind How To Train Your Dragon.
Toothpick holder, where art thou?
...this is now headcannon.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
If he admits to this, Asuka's going to have a hard time deciding if she's angry, impressed, or turned on. All three in order, most likely.
1500 more words today, battle with Leliel begun. Big update if I can get them transcribed tonight.
SaltyWaffles
I am dissapoint, son
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"Battle" with Leliel? How exactly do you fight something like that? Going berserk whilst inside the Derac Sea of Leliel seemed to be the only thing that had any effect on it, and attacking the "shadow" that makes up its real body is basically like shooting bullets into a portal--you're not so much hitting it as sending stuff into it, which clearly isn't going to hurt it.
Man, Leliel was fucking weird. Zeruel was ridiculously powerful, and Armisael was highly alien and very rule-breaking when it came to Angels, but Leliel was as close as you could get to a non-entity--how do you kill something that, physically speaking, isn't even there?
Man, Leliel was fucking weird. Zeruel was ridiculously powerful, and Armisael was highly alien and very rule-breaking when it came to Angels, but Leliel was as close as you could get to a non-entity--how do you kill something that, physically speaking, isn't even there?
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
The same way you kill many other things in Eva: with love and madness...
Chapter 3.2
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Argh, transcription is slow! Ugh. This is only half of what I've got written right now, but it's late. Here's everything before Leliel appears. Enjoy the fluffiness; the drama is about to hit. They're about to learn love has a price.
Chapter 3, part 2 of 7
Testing and Proving
+++++++++++++++++
"B-type harmonics test complete, no problems. Projected adjustment values have been cleared," Lieutenant Ibuki's voice rang over the test chamber's speakers.
Misato covered her mouth to hide a yawn. The observation room overlooking the test chamber was too warm for her comfort, thanks to the blood-warm vat of LCL the Test Plugs sat in for the Synch Test. The heat and short sleep were leaving her drowsy.
She didn't hide the yawn well enough. "You look tired, Misato-san," observed Lieutenant Hyuga.
Misato rubbed at her neck. "Yeah, for a lot of private reasons," she admitted.
"Kaji," Doctor Akagi commented flatly, not even looking up from her clipboard.
"Shut it!" Misato barked at her old friend. So it might have been true, so what? It still wasn't what everyone thought. But better everyone assuming she was just up all night because she and Kaji were back together than anyone looking closer. Kaji showing her the unearthly white giant stored away in Terminal Dogma had been enough to keep her awake for hours all by itself. The drinking she'd done to let herself finally get to sleep had been entirely medicinal, for a change. What else was NERV keeping secret besides an Angel in the basement?
She sighed, returning her attention to the nearly completed Synch Test. She bent over Maya's chair. "Well, how's the Third Child doing?" she inquired.
Maya smiled over her shoulder and tapped at her keyboard, bringing up a simplified results display. "Take a look."
"Hmm, let me see..." It took her a second to interpret the technical readout and compare it to the prior results, but only one. This was the 132nd Synch Test, after all. "A six percent jump over last test? Are... are the results stable? Wow."
Maya nodded. "It's not just him, either. The Second Child is up too, four percent. Shinji's caught up to her. In fact, he's peaking ahead of her by a hair on some of the harmonics, but he can't seem to stabilize that."
"What about Rei? Is this an artifact of the equipment modifications we're testing?"
The technical Lieutenant shook her head. "I checked her, too. She's up, but just zero-point-eight percent. It's just Shinji and Asuka getting this big spike. I'll try to isolate the cause."
"My my... I hope that knowing this will boost his confidence. Asuka is always going on about how superior and elite she is. Shinji catching up to her might give him a boost, and maybe spur her on to stay ahead." She keyed the Pilot's communication link. "Can you hear me, Shinji-kun?"
Shinji opened his eyes in the Test Plug. He actually looked pretty happy for once, Misato noted. He perked up further at her voice. "Misato-san? How were my test scores?"
Misato gave him a thumbs-up. "You're up six points this time, Shinji! You're tied with Asuka!"
Shinji glowed happily. The rare, straight praise almost seemed to surprise him.
.
Asuka snorted derisively in her plug. "No doubt because of my fine example of how to be a superior Eva Pilot! You should be honored how much of me has rubbed off on you, Third Child!" Asuka quickly cut the comm window off and desperately stuffed her hands over her mouth. 'Oh Gott, now baka-Shinji's got me doing it too! 'How much of me has rubbed off on him?' Hahahahaha! How about 'all of me, several times!'?' She grinned beneath her covering hands. Last night had been even more fun than the first. Shinji's long, sensitive musician's fingers were good for more than just playing cello. He gave amazing backrubs.
She was actually enjoying herself. So he'd caught up? She was going to make him work to stay there. Mama would be proud of her. If Shinji could raise his Synch Score enough to match her, she could raise hers just as much to keep ahead. 'I like the idea of making him chase me, oh yes.'
She sank her head back into the seat and smiled faintly, closing her eyes. 'I haven't felt this good in years. Mama, would you have liked him? He makes me happy like you did. ...I wish I could show him to you.'
.
Maya narrowed her eyes at the test results. Asuka's graph had just wobbled upwards another 0.5 percent. She glanced up at the display screen showing all three Pilot's faces side by side. Rei was as blank as ever. Shinji was smiling, still chatting with Misato. Asuka... had her head back and eyes closed, like she was meditating. "Asuka, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. You just went up another half a point!"
.
Asuka blinked her eyes open in surprise. A cocky grin grew on her face. "Oh, does that mean Shinji's no longer caught up, hmm?"
Misato gave her a half-smile. "You are now just ahead of him, Asuka. You are Number One."
.
"Oh man, that was a close one, but in the end my natural skill and superior training record easily beat him. And you were just left in the dust, First. To be honest, getting beat that easily must be a little frustrating for you, no? I can't help it that I'm amazing, wonderful, awesome, just tooooo awesome for you to match! Even the great, invincible Shinji-sama cannot beat me! Although he is almost as good as I am. My influence, no doubt. Just being around me makes him better. You should try it sometime, First."
'Being around Ikari-kun more often would... be agreeable,' Rei thought. She otherwise tried her best to tune out the Second Child's happy babbling. The Second had been unusually cheerful the last few days. Her successfully registering the top Synch Score in today's test seemed to have energized her even more. She had not stopped talking since they'd left the test chamber, mostly about her own superiority. Rei frowned slightly. She was mentioning Ikari-kun unusually often, and in more complimentary manner than she commonly favored him with. She had only used 'baka' twice the entire time. Curious.
Rei shelved the thought for later. Doctor Akagi had ordered her to stop by her lab, to be followed by her regular full brain scan and upload in Terminal Dogma. She did not have time to spend listening any further to the Second's opinion of herself, nor devote to the mystery of why she seemed less hostile to Ikari-kun lately. She finished adjusting her school uniform and closed her locker. Picking up her bookbag, she walked to the door of the locker room.
"Well, that just means you'll get to take it easy from now on, right? But I guess you should at least do your best not to be left behind," Asuka continued, not even looking at Rei as she energetically danced around in front of her locker, admiring herself in the mirror mounted in the door.
"Goodbye," Rei said quietly, leaving the Second to continue her chattering without an audience. Not that Rei cared.
.
Asuka froze as the door hissed shut and listened carefully as Rei's delicate footsteps faded away down the hall. Without another word she rapidly finished dressing and slammed her locker shut. She was out the locker room door and down the hall in the opposite direction within thirty seconds of Rei's departure, bag bouncing madly against her hip as she ran.
'I told him to wait for me at the Geofront-to-surface train station near the fourth shaft. If I make it there in the next ten minutes, he and I can catch the bus on the surface almost all the way home. We'll be alone and in the apartment by 1830!' Asuka grinned and ran faster. 'And I won! So it was by half a point? So what? I'm still the best! And Shinji's chasing right behind me! With me! Come on, Third Child, chase me!'
She skidded into the deserted train station with a minute to spare. She spotted Shinji waiting on a bench near the last door in the train. The train itself stood empty with its door open. The lack of regular riders on this particular train was why Asuka had selected it. The automated voice was already warning them to board. She pointed at the train as she ran the last few meters to board the car closest to her. Shinji jogged into the one near him and immediately started moving his way forward to meet her. They ran together and wrapped their arms around each other like they'd been separated for days instead of a few hours.
"The ride... to the... surface," Asuka gasped between kisses, "Is eighteen minutes. We'll be in public at the surface station and on the bus, so let's make the most of this ride."
"Un," Shinji agreed, unwilling to waste time with words. His hands were already starting to work their magic on her back, kneading at muscles made stiff from hours spent sitting in the Test Plugs.
Asuka groaned in pleasure. 'Mmm... Gott, his hands... you are mine mine mine, Third Child.'
All too quickly, they were on the surface, waiting ten minutes for the bus to take them to within a few blocks of Misato's apartment. Asuka forced herself to wipe the contented smile off her face while they were in public, forcing it down to one of her more usual haughty smirks. The crowd of homeward-bound NERV people forced them to pretend to ignore each other. Happily, the bus fairly quickly emptied out of most of its passengers as it headed north through Tokyo-3. The orange light of the setting sun made the whole bus glow, making Shinji's chestnut brown hair look like it had a halo from Asuka's seat behind him.
Once they were almost alone on the bus, Asuka felt safe to talk to him, and rested her head on her arms on the back of Shinji's seat. Shinji was staring out the window, a faintly sad look on his face. She poked him in the back of the head. "Why the glum look, Shinji?"
Shinji blinked and snapped out of his distracted fugue. "Uh? Oh, it's nothing."
She poked him again. "Bullshit. Talk, Third. I like it when you smile too."
That did bring a faint smile to his face. "Well... I was pretty happy I'd caught up to you there for a minute. You're... you've been training for this your whole life, Asuka. It's kind of intimidating, trying to keep up with you. It all seems to come to you so easily. But then you somehow pulled out ahead again. I... I wonder sometimes if I'm good enough to keep up with you at all."
"Don't. Being the second greatest Eva Pilot in the world isn't exactly making you one of the unwashed masses, Shinji, especially when I'm the top mark. You brought your score up six points in a week, and almost matched me. And who beat Sachiel with no training? Who beat Shamshel despite two Stooges in the Entry Plug with him weighing him down? Who was right there with me against Gaghiel and Israfel? Hm?"
Shinji colored a bit. "Me," he mumbled.
"Damn straight. So straighten up and be proud of it, Shinji. You're more than good enough to fight with me. We're elite Eva Pilots, one in a billion. Don't you ever stop chasing me, either. You and me are the most dangerous people on the planet. There's no one else I'd trust to have next to me in a fight like you." Asuka stopped and blinked to herself. She hadn't intended to be that open. She hadn't even realized how true that statement was until she said it. But it was. The thought of going into a fight now without her baka-Shinji at her side was profoundly unappealing. When they were together, they won. "Until the end of the world, you and me, against the Angels and anything else that tries to hurt us."
Shinji turned in his seat to look straight at her. His mouth worked, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Eventually he just nodded, his eyes glistening a bit. He leaned forward to kiss her softly. "Yes."
A couple of kids at the front of the bus snickered at the two teens kissing in the back. Asuka eyed them disdainfully. 'Eh, no one we know. Screw it. They want to stare and laugh? Let's give them something to watch.' She grabbed Shinji and kissed him harder. "Mmm, and you keep doing that, Third. Always."
The bus rolled to a halt at their stop with a hiss of brakes. Shinji stood up, his hand halfway to helping her up before he remembered they shouldn't be seen doing that. Asuka took it anyhow. "Let's go have dinner," she smiled. "And get to bed."
Chapter 3, part 2 of 7
Testing and Proving
+++++++++++++++++
"B-type harmonics test complete, no problems. Projected adjustment values have been cleared," Lieutenant Ibuki's voice rang over the test chamber's speakers.
Misato covered her mouth to hide a yawn. The observation room overlooking the test chamber was too warm for her comfort, thanks to the blood-warm vat of LCL the Test Plugs sat in for the Synch Test. The heat and short sleep were leaving her drowsy.
She didn't hide the yawn well enough. "You look tired, Misato-san," observed Lieutenant Hyuga.
Misato rubbed at her neck. "Yeah, for a lot of private reasons," she admitted.
"Kaji," Doctor Akagi commented flatly, not even looking up from her clipboard.
"Shut it!" Misato barked at her old friend. So it might have been true, so what? It still wasn't what everyone thought. But better everyone assuming she was just up all night because she and Kaji were back together than anyone looking closer. Kaji showing her the unearthly white giant stored away in Terminal Dogma had been enough to keep her awake for hours all by itself. The drinking she'd done to let herself finally get to sleep had been entirely medicinal, for a change. What else was NERV keeping secret besides an Angel in the basement?
She sighed, returning her attention to the nearly completed Synch Test. She bent over Maya's chair. "Well, how's the Third Child doing?" she inquired.
Maya smiled over her shoulder and tapped at her keyboard, bringing up a simplified results display. "Take a look."
"Hmm, let me see..." It took her a second to interpret the technical readout and compare it to the prior results, but only one. This was the 132nd Synch Test, after all. "A six percent jump over last test? Are... are the results stable? Wow."
Maya nodded. "It's not just him, either. The Second Child is up too, four percent. Shinji's caught up to her. In fact, he's peaking ahead of her by a hair on some of the harmonics, but he can't seem to stabilize that."
"What about Rei? Is this an artifact of the equipment modifications we're testing?"
The technical Lieutenant shook her head. "I checked her, too. She's up, but just zero-point-eight percent. It's just Shinji and Asuka getting this big spike. I'll try to isolate the cause."
"My my... I hope that knowing this will boost his confidence. Asuka is always going on about how superior and elite she is. Shinji catching up to her might give him a boost, and maybe spur her on to stay ahead." She keyed the Pilot's communication link. "Can you hear me, Shinji-kun?"
Shinji opened his eyes in the Test Plug. He actually looked pretty happy for once, Misato noted. He perked up further at her voice. "Misato-san? How were my test scores?"
Misato gave him a thumbs-up. "You're up six points this time, Shinji! You're tied with Asuka!"
Shinji glowed happily. The rare, straight praise almost seemed to surprise him.
.
Asuka snorted derisively in her plug. "No doubt because of my fine example of how to be a superior Eva Pilot! You should be honored how much of me has rubbed off on you, Third Child!" Asuka quickly cut the comm window off and desperately stuffed her hands over her mouth. 'Oh Gott, now baka-Shinji's got me doing it too! 'How much of me has rubbed off on him?' Hahahahaha! How about 'all of me, several times!'?' She grinned beneath her covering hands. Last night had been even more fun than the first. Shinji's long, sensitive musician's fingers were good for more than just playing cello. He gave amazing backrubs.
She was actually enjoying herself. So he'd caught up? She was going to make him work to stay there. Mama would be proud of her. If Shinji could raise his Synch Score enough to match her, she could raise hers just as much to keep ahead. 'I like the idea of making him chase me, oh yes.'
She sank her head back into the seat and smiled faintly, closing her eyes. 'I haven't felt this good in years. Mama, would you have liked him? He makes me happy like you did. ...I wish I could show him to you.'
.
Maya narrowed her eyes at the test results. Asuka's graph had just wobbled upwards another 0.5 percent. She glanced up at the display screen showing all three Pilot's faces side by side. Rei was as blank as ever. Shinji was smiling, still chatting with Misato. Asuka... had her head back and eyes closed, like she was meditating. "Asuka, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. You just went up another half a point!"
.
Asuka blinked her eyes open in surprise. A cocky grin grew on her face. "Oh, does that mean Shinji's no longer caught up, hmm?"
Misato gave her a half-smile. "You are now just ahead of him, Asuka. You are Number One."
.
"Oh man, that was a close one, but in the end my natural skill and superior training record easily beat him. And you were just left in the dust, First. To be honest, getting beat that easily must be a little frustrating for you, no? I can't help it that I'm amazing, wonderful, awesome, just tooooo awesome for you to match! Even the great, invincible Shinji-sama cannot beat me! Although he is almost as good as I am. My influence, no doubt. Just being around me makes him better. You should try it sometime, First."
'Being around Ikari-kun more often would... be agreeable,' Rei thought. She otherwise tried her best to tune out the Second Child's happy babbling. The Second had been unusually cheerful the last few days. Her successfully registering the top Synch Score in today's test seemed to have energized her even more. She had not stopped talking since they'd left the test chamber, mostly about her own superiority. Rei frowned slightly. She was mentioning Ikari-kun unusually often, and in more complimentary manner than she commonly favored him with. She had only used 'baka' twice the entire time. Curious.
Rei shelved the thought for later. Doctor Akagi had ordered her to stop by her lab, to be followed by her regular full brain scan and upload in Terminal Dogma. She did not have time to spend listening any further to the Second's opinion of herself, nor devote to the mystery of why she seemed less hostile to Ikari-kun lately. She finished adjusting her school uniform and closed her locker. Picking up her bookbag, she walked to the door of the locker room.
"Well, that just means you'll get to take it easy from now on, right? But I guess you should at least do your best not to be left behind," Asuka continued, not even looking at Rei as she energetically danced around in front of her locker, admiring herself in the mirror mounted in the door.
"Goodbye," Rei said quietly, leaving the Second to continue her chattering without an audience. Not that Rei cared.
.
Asuka froze as the door hissed shut and listened carefully as Rei's delicate footsteps faded away down the hall. Without another word she rapidly finished dressing and slammed her locker shut. She was out the locker room door and down the hall in the opposite direction within thirty seconds of Rei's departure, bag bouncing madly against her hip as she ran.
'I told him to wait for me at the Geofront-to-surface train station near the fourth shaft. If I make it there in the next ten minutes, he and I can catch the bus on the surface almost all the way home. We'll be alone and in the apartment by 1830!' Asuka grinned and ran faster. 'And I won! So it was by half a point? So what? I'm still the best! And Shinji's chasing right behind me! With me! Come on, Third Child, chase me!'
She skidded into the deserted train station with a minute to spare. She spotted Shinji waiting on a bench near the last door in the train. The train itself stood empty with its door open. The lack of regular riders on this particular train was why Asuka had selected it. The automated voice was already warning them to board. She pointed at the train as she ran the last few meters to board the car closest to her. Shinji jogged into the one near him and immediately started moving his way forward to meet her. They ran together and wrapped their arms around each other like they'd been separated for days instead of a few hours.
"The ride... to the... surface," Asuka gasped between kisses, "Is eighteen minutes. We'll be in public at the surface station and on the bus, so let's make the most of this ride."
"Un," Shinji agreed, unwilling to waste time with words. His hands were already starting to work their magic on her back, kneading at muscles made stiff from hours spent sitting in the Test Plugs.
Asuka groaned in pleasure. 'Mmm... Gott, his hands... you are mine mine mine, Third Child.'
All too quickly, they were on the surface, waiting ten minutes for the bus to take them to within a few blocks of Misato's apartment. Asuka forced herself to wipe the contented smile off her face while they were in public, forcing it down to one of her more usual haughty smirks. The crowd of homeward-bound NERV people forced them to pretend to ignore each other. Happily, the bus fairly quickly emptied out of most of its passengers as it headed north through Tokyo-3. The orange light of the setting sun made the whole bus glow, making Shinji's chestnut brown hair look like it had a halo from Asuka's seat behind him.
Once they were almost alone on the bus, Asuka felt safe to talk to him, and rested her head on her arms on the back of Shinji's seat. Shinji was staring out the window, a faintly sad look on his face. She poked him in the back of the head. "Why the glum look, Shinji?"
Shinji blinked and snapped out of his distracted fugue. "Uh? Oh, it's nothing."
She poked him again. "Bullshit. Talk, Third. I like it when you smile too."
That did bring a faint smile to his face. "Well... I was pretty happy I'd caught up to you there for a minute. You're... you've been training for this your whole life, Asuka. It's kind of intimidating, trying to keep up with you. It all seems to come to you so easily. But then you somehow pulled out ahead again. I... I wonder sometimes if I'm good enough to keep up with you at all."
"Don't. Being the second greatest Eva Pilot in the world isn't exactly making you one of the unwashed masses, Shinji, especially when I'm the top mark. You brought your score up six points in a week, and almost matched me. And who beat Sachiel with no training? Who beat Shamshel despite two Stooges in the Entry Plug with him weighing him down? Who was right there with me against Gaghiel and Israfel? Hm?"
Shinji colored a bit. "Me," he mumbled.
"Damn straight. So straighten up and be proud of it, Shinji. You're more than good enough to fight with me. We're elite Eva Pilots, one in a billion. Don't you ever stop chasing me, either. You and me are the most dangerous people on the planet. There's no one else I'd trust to have next to me in a fight like you." Asuka stopped and blinked to herself. She hadn't intended to be that open. She hadn't even realized how true that statement was until she said it. But it was. The thought of going into a fight now without her baka-Shinji at her side was profoundly unappealing. When they were together, they won. "Until the end of the world, you and me, against the Angels and anything else that tries to hurt us."
Shinji turned in his seat to look straight at her. His mouth worked, but he couldn't seem to find the words. Eventually he just nodded, his eyes glistening a bit. He leaned forward to kiss her softly. "Yes."
A couple of kids at the front of the bus snickered at the two teens kissing in the back. Asuka eyed them disdainfully. 'Eh, no one we know. Screw it. They want to stare and laugh? Let's give them something to watch.' She grabbed Shinji and kissed him harder. "Mmm, and you keep doing that, Third. Always."
The bus rolled to a halt at their stop with a hiss of brakes. Shinji stood up, his hand halfway to helping her up before he remembered they shouldn't be seen doing that. Asuka took it anyhow. "Let's go have dinner," she smiled. "And get to bed."
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SaltyWaffles
I am dissapoint, son
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You dun goofed, Asuka. Oh well.
Regardless, such feels, hilarity, and amusement. Rei not even batting an eye at Asuka's endless ego-stroking is something only Rei could manage to pull off.
And Leliel shows up next? In that case...
Regardless, such feels, hilarity, and amusement. Rei not even batting an eye at Asuka's endless ego-stroking is something only Rei could manage to pull off.
And Leliel shows up next? In that case...