Shinji's Girlfriend

Neon Genesis: Evangelion OFF series #4

By Austin Covello

Based on the characters created by GAINAX

Dedicated to Kristy O'Connor

When Shinji Ikari first awoke, the first thing on his mind was that it was his turn to make breakfast. Shinji took great comfort in that fact. It wasn't just because he was the best cook in the apartment-although he was. Misato's cooking was atrocious; the fish was always burned and the steamed rice was always over or undercooked, depending on how attentive she was. Asuka's cooking might have been good, but she always served up some kind of foreign dish that left him with heartburn on the best of days and upset stomach on the worst. Why, just yesterday she prepared some sickly sweet gruel called "maple brown sugar oatmeal," after hearing that he had barely been able to hold down the bacon she had prepared.

Shinji quietly tiptoed away from his futon and began running water for his shower. No, it wasn't that his cooking was the most agreeable in the apartment, it was the sense of contribution that he felt from cooking. Misato and Asuka were the closest thing to a family that he had, and cooking for them was one of his ways of expressing love for them. Shinji's reason for cooking was like Rei's reason for piloting her Eva: It was his bond to them.

He was just starting on the fish when the half asleep form of Asuka Langley Soryu stepped out of her room. "Morning Shinji," she greeting him with a yawn, not even bothering with a Güten Morgen that signified her German heritage.

Shinji looked at the redheaded, blue eyed girl with a smile playing at his face. When Asuka had first come to live with Misato and him, Shinji had resented her. He had seen her as a usurper, a competitor for Misato and NERV's attention, and a tormenter who would point out his shortcomings gleefully just to spite him. But as Shinji had come to know Asuka, he came to regard her as the annoying little sister he'd never had. Now, he actually looked forward to her teasing, and spent hours crafting subtle retorts for every remark she made. It was a private game they played.

"What are you staring at?" said Asuka snippily.

"Uh… nothing, Asuka," replied Shinji. Time for another round, he thought.

"What? Are you trying to say that I'm nothing to you? And after all the times I saved your life in combat!"

"When was this?" asked Shinji. Shinji had one advantage over Asuka right now. Shinji was a morning person, and his wit was at its best at this time of the day. Asuka needed more time to wake up, and Shinji used that time to his advantage.

Asuka recognized this, and let the question slide, mainly because she knew her statement was untrue. She marched into the shower and closed the curtain. Thirty seconds later, there came a shout. "Yiiiiy! This water's too cold! Aaaa!"

"Sorry," called Shinji.

Asuka threw open the shower-curtain and marched out, wearing nothing but a towel. "Why are you apologizing? You're not the super. You're always assuming responsibility that isn't yours, you back down from every confrontation; you buckle like a belt. Show some backbone for once, will you!"

Shinji was oblivious, continuing in a singsong voice, "Sorry, sorry, sorrysorry, sorrrrrrry." He looked up at her. "Did I mention that I was sorry?"

"Oh, you're funny, Third Child, really funny. Did you ever think of going into show business?" With that she went back to the shower, turned the water back on, and closed the curtain. Shinji went back to attending to breakfast. Ten minutes later the fish and rice were ready, and Asuka was dressed.

"I can already tell that this is going to be a great day!" she cried exuberantly, glossing over the fact that her day so far had sucked. "In fact, I'll bet it'll be the day. You know what day I'm talking about, right Shinji?"

"No," said Shinji truthfully. "What day, Asuka?"

"The day when Kaji finally proposes to me!" Asuka pirouetted over to the table and sat down.

"Dream on," said Shinji. Kaji was an ex-boyfriend of Misato's who was about fifteen years older than Asuka. Kaji took her places, but a pat on the head was the most affection he had ever displayed toward her.

Asuka ignored Shinji and kept right on talking. "I can just picture it. Kaji will come right into the class. He'll have flowers and a ring. He'll take me into his arms and say, 'Asuka, I can't live without you.' Then he'll ask that magic question! Should I accept right away, or should I pretend to think about it?"

"I thought you took a cold shower," mused Shinji.

Asuka harrumphed and turned her head to the side, putting her nose up in the air. "You're just jealous because no sane girl would go out with you." Then she suddenly became serious. "Hey Shinji, isn't there any girl that you like?"

"What? No!" cried Shinji, thrown off balance by the question. Asuka knew that his love life was a sore subject with him, but she usually laid off of it. Except for today.

"What about Rei? I bet you have a crush on her."

"No I don't," Shinji answered calmly. Shinji felt something for Rei, and found her intriguing, but a crush? No, definitely not.

Asuka got up from her seat and went over to where Shinji was boiling water for tea. She rested her head in her hands and gazed at him. "Do you have a crush on…me?" she asked flirtatiously.

Shinji let out a yelp and jumped back away from her. "No, of course not!" he cried.

Asuka smiled a devilish smile. "Oh, yes you do, Shinji. Would you like to kiss me?"

"Yes… I mean no!" cried Shinji, thrown off balance by Asuka's forwardness.

Asuka began to make kissy faces at Shinji. "Come on," she wheedled, "just one teensy-weensy one?"

Just then, the door to Misato's room opened. Major Misato Katsuragi stumbled out of her room. "Good morning," she murmured, grabbing a beer from the fridge. She sat down at the table and took a long swig. She plumped the can down abruptly. "Yee-hah!" she hollered, following it up with a belch. "Now that's the way to start your morning!"

Asuka smirked. "Take a raincheck," she said as she went to sit down at the table.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as he began to serve breakfast. He had never been so glad to see the purple-black haired woman in all his fourteen years as he had now. He took his place next to Asuka.

"We've got a fourth level candidate coming in from the United States today," began Misato. "She'll be starting in your class, so I'm sure you'll get to meet her."

Asuka sighed. "I wish they'd get some boys to pilot the Evas. All I can settle for is Mr. Mom over here," she jerked her thumb over at Shinji.

"No one's saying that this is the Fourth Child, Asuka. She's just a candidate. For all we know, the Fourth Child could be Toji."

Asuka snorted. "Oh yeah right. That dork has as much chance of being the Fourth Child as the Fifth Child has of being an Angel."

"Well, one thing's for sure, we're going to need some more pilots. Units 03 and 04 are nearing completion, and right now we don't have anyone to man them."

"I bet Shinji doesn't mind that it's a girl pilot. Especially an American girl pilot. American girls are sluts, Shinji. They'd even go out with someone like you." This, coming from someone who was about to kiss him just for the hell of it earlier?

The meal was eaten with usual volume of chatter and teasing.

***

Classroom 2-A was taught by a short, elderly teacher with glasses and a mild disposition. While it was customary to respect both elders and teachers alike, no one could deny the fact that the old man had slipped into his dotage. Therefore, most of the administrative tasks that would be reserved for the teacher were left in the hands of the class representative, Hikari Hiroki.

Hikari's job was the unenviable task of introducing yet another new student. This was her third one, however, so she felt like an old pro. "All right everyone, can I have your attention? Quiet down please! I'd like to introduce you to our American exchange student." She gestured at a girl writing her name at the blackboard.

Shinji gasped. She was beautiful! Her long, brown hair was put up in a red butterfly barrette so that it draped over her shoulder. As she turned around, Shinji saw that she had almond shaped green eyes. Green eyes! Who had green eyes? Her cream colored face was dotted with freckles, and it had an open, friendly quality. Shinji also noticed that she wasn't wearing a school uniform, but was dressed in regular clothing, wearing blue jeans and a black shirt, which was amply filled but not tight.

"Hello!" said the new student in a voice that was high pitched and feminine. "My name is Katherine O'Malley, but everyone calls me Katty. I'm the new student from the United States, and I'll be training to become the next Eva pilot."

Collective sounds of awe came from the classroom. That had certainly caught their attention. In classroom 2-A, being an Eva pilot was about two steps down from Godhood.

Katty blushed. Evidently she hadn't expected such a response. "Well, I haven't gotten the job yet, so I'm not supposed to talk about it. But anyway, I know that I'll like this school and your country. I'm not what you call well-traveled. The farthest I've ever been from home before now was down to Kansas where my aunt lived and…"

Hikari coughed delicately. "Um, I think we'd better find you a seat now," she interrupted gently.

"Oh, yes." She bowed. "Sorry. Sometimes I tend to babble." She giggled girlishly.

"You can sit next to Ikari. Shinji, would you raise your hand please?"

Shinji reluctantly raised his right hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Asuka's nostrils flare.

"There's a seat for you right on his right side," directed Hikari.

Shinji began to break into a cold sweat as Katty walked toward the seat. He felt his heartbeat grow quicker and quicker as she came closer. His face grew hotter and hotter with every step she took. She put her knapsack on the desk next to him and began to rummage around in it for her laptop. She then put her book-bag down in between their desks and sat down. She flashed him a brief, polite smile, revealing perfectly white teeth. Then she opened her laptop in preparation for the lesson.

As Hikari took her own seat and the senile sensei began to lecture, Katty leaned over to Shinji. "You can put your hand down now," she whispered in his ear.

***

The physics lesson that day had been uncharacteristically tough, and Shinji sat on the bench just outside of school studying his textbook at recess. Katty hadn't said two words to him after that, and had just concentrated on getting her work done. Shinji had made a conscious effort not to stare at her, but toward the end he found himself making sidelong glances at the exotically beautiful American. It wasn't something that he was used to.

Shinji tore his mind away from her and concentrated on the lesson. Hmm…aerodynamics? Shinji just didn't get it. How could how something was shaped have something to do with how fast it went? Maybe Asuka would know. Of course, if he asked her, then he'd have to endure about fifty "Shinji you idiot"s, along with every other insult in her pantheon. Oh well, what can't be cured…

A shadow passed over his textbook. Shinji looked up to see Katty O'Malley standing over him. She grabbed the barrette out of her hair and put her hair in a ponytail. "Hi," she greeted as she secured her new hairdo with the accessory. "Shinji, right? I'm Katty O'Malley. Pleased to meet you."

"P-p-pleased to m-meet you," stammered Shinji.

Katty giggled as she sat down beside him. "You're the pilot of Unit 01 right? We'll probably be working together, then."

"Uh… I guess so," said Shinji apprehensively. She seemed straightforward enough, but then so was Asuka. The prospect of two girls tormenting him was not a pleasant thought.

"I introduced myself to the other two Eva pilots," she said. "The blue haired one-Rei her name was? She seemed sort of… abstracted, you know what I mean?" Her tone was probing, a mixture of curiosity, thought…and something else. Shinji couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was as if she were looking for a specific response from him, and yet at the same time hoping it wouldn't come.

"Yeah," said Shinji, "I know what you mean. She's usually off in her own little world. Sometimes I wonder what she thinks about."

"Well, at least she try to didn't bite my head off, which is more than I can say for the other one. Is she like that with everyone, or was it something I said?"

"A little of both, I think. Asuka is really competitive, and I get the feeling she doesn't like Americans very much. She just takes some getting used to, I guess."

"Oh. What're you working on?"

"This whole aerodynamics thing. I didn't really understand it when we went over it in class."

"Oh, that. That's easy."

Shinji sighed. Yup. Another Asuka. Just what he needed. He sat back and waited for the recriminations to start.

"Here's how it goes," she started, fiddling with her hair yet again. "Let's say you have a tear drop. The top of the tear drop is narrower than the bottom of it, right?" She put her hair in a bun and secured it with the barrette.

"Yes," said Shinji, wondering what she was getting at.

"Okay, now if we flipped the tear drop on its side, we would want the top half to face the front, while the bottom is in the back. This way the air goes off to either side and there's less wind resistance. And if there's less resistance, it goes faster. Understand?"

It was as if a window opened in his mind. "I get it!" he cried triumphantly. And without Asuka's help!

"You do? That's great! I mean…it's pretty hard to understand, you know."

And she isn't even nasty about it, either! "Thank you so much! I don't know how I can repay you, but if there's anything…"

Katty laughed. "Well, for starters, you can walk me to NERV HQ." She laughed again at Shinji's shocked look. "It's okay. Dr. Akagi and Commander Ikari are going to run some IQ and thinking tests on me. Are you and the Commander related, by any chance?"

Shinji stiffened. "He's my father," he answered briefly.

Katty nodded. "Oh. I see. You two aren't exactly on speaking terms. Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Shinji looked at Katty's suddenly earnest face. "N-no. Go right ahead."

"Is your mother dead?"

The impact of that question hit Shinji two seconds after she asked it. "How did you…? I mean, what makes you think…?"

"My mother died when I was two. There's a rumor that Asuka's mother killed herself. Rei said that she never knew her mother. I just wanted to see if it was a coincidence or if all Eva pilots didn't have mothers."

"Oh." They sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

Katty broke the silence. "You don't talk much, do you."

"No. I don't usually have much to say."

"Actually, I think you do. You just haven't gotten a chance. Or you're too scared. One or the other."

Just then the bell rang, signaling the afternoon class. "Well, it looks like we've got to go. See you back in class." She ran off, leaving him to wonder why she didn't let him walk her there, and almost wishing she had.

***

From their vantage point above the bench, Asuka and Rei surveyed the little exchange. "That idiot!" Asuka screamed. "Doesn't he know she's just looking for another victim? I warned him about American girls!"

Rei nodded with wordless assent.

"It's unnatural! A virtual innocent like Shinji going out with that…that little minx!" Asuka continued.

"Jealous," murmured Rei.

Asuka whirled on Rei. " Jealous? Of that foreigner stealing Shinji? I always thought you were weird, First Child, but now I know you're delusional. Like I'd really fall for that apathetic twerp."

But Rei was already walking away. Her anger robbed of its target, Asuka kicked an unoffending trash can to the ground.

Meanwhile, a lump formed in Rei's throat as she walked away from the fuming Asuka. Hot tears rolled down her cheek as she replayed the scene in her head over and over. Why am I crying? an abstracted part of her wondered.

***

"And so your father forced you to pilot it?" asked Katty. The two were walking to NERV Headquarters, and Shinji was recounting the first time he had had to pilot his Eva.

"Actually, looking back on it, it was more Rei than my father. They were going to make her pilot Unit 01, but when they wheeled her out, she was in such pain that there was no way I could have lived with myself if she'd gotten in," replied Shinji.

During class, Shinji had been unable to concentrate on the history lesson, no thanks to Katty. She had sent little graphics from her laptop to him. One had been of her and him about to kiss when she blew bubble gum in his face. Another had an Eva with flowers and chocolates in hand. Katty sure had a weird sense of humor, but it wasn't quite as cruel as Asuka's.

Meanwhile, Asuka had sat in her seat and fumed. She had no doubt seen what had transpired during recess and had sent a message to his laptop.

SHINJI YOU IDIOT! Why are you letting her lead you on like that?

Rei, meanwhile, had shown up late to class, her eyes red rimmed and her nose stuffy. She took her seat and drew a few quivering breaths before going back to normal. Shinji hadn't seen her in such a state since he had first met her.

"So you didn't want to be an Eva pilot back then. But you did it because you couldn't bear to see a fellow human suffer," guessed Katty.

"Yeah. I guess that's it."

Katty smiled winsomely. "You know something, Shinji? I like you. It's been a while since I've liked a boy."

Shinji blushed. "Thanks. I like you, too."

"I wonder what it would be like to pilot an Eva," mused Katty.

"Don't worry," said Shinji. "You'll find out soon, won't you?"

Katty shook her head. "I know better than to get my hopes up this early on. I'm just a candidate, not really one of the special children."

"If it makes you feel better, it's really overrated. Most of the time you're stuck meditating in an entry plug or participating in some experiment."

"You let me be the judge of that. Being an Evangelion Pilot is all I've ever wanted to do. You're out there saving people's lives. You're making a difference. Most people never get a chance to do that."

Shinji looked at the American with a sense of awe. "I've never thought of it that way," said Shinji. Clearly, he needed to do some mental reevaluations.

***

Once at NERV, Katty and Shinji separated, and Shinji found himself in an elevator traveling down to the locker rooms. Next to him, Rei Ayanami, First of the Special Children and pilot of Eva Unit 00, stood meticulously examining the wall of the elevator. Normally, Shinji would be staring at Rei, observing her every move as he wondered how this girl could be closer than he was to his own father. But today, Shinji was too preoccupied worry about such trivial matters.

Katty O'Malley. She was smart, lovely, and seemed to take more than a passing interest in him. She was an aspiring Eva pilot, and she was easy to talk to. She saw an ideal in piloting Eva that no one else seemed to. She was more articulate than Rei, but in a good way. She was smarter than he was, but didn't use it to demonstrate how superior she was. The more Shinji thought about her, the more he wanted to spend time with her. And he had only met her once.

"She is…pleasant," murmured Rei. Shinji turned and saw that the blue haired girl was staring at him. It was an odd reversal.

Shinji's mouth hung open as he returned Rei's gaze. Her voice hadn't betrayed anything, but her red eyes were as hard as agates. Has she been reading my mind? But that's impossible!

"You didn't stare at me today," she said in her usual monotone, but her eyes made it almost an accusation. "You were very distant." The elevator door opened, and Rei shouldered past him to get out. Shinji stared slackjawed for a heartbeat at her retreating form. She had seemed angry and confused, and all directed at him. What had gotten into her?

Shinji sprinted down the hall onto an escalator where Rei was standing. Rei turned around to face Shinji. Her eyes softened. "Someone who does not belong has bonded to you, Ikari," she said. "I don't know how to feel about that." When Shinji stared at her wordlessly, she continued. "Perhaps you should be together. It will be helpful to us."

The escalator descended to the opening of the locker rooms, where they separated.

***

Katty O'Malley was in heaven. That was the only way she could interpret what she saw. NERV HQ had gone beyond her imagination, and had put her in a state of perpetual awe. Katty never would have expected such a massive underground landscape as The Geofront could have even existed, let alone house a base of operations for mankind's last hope for survival. It was enough to make her giddy.

On either side of her walked two distinguished individuals. On her left walked Gendo Ikari, Commander-in-Chief of NERV and Executive Vice President of the Marduke Institute. Katty observed the man, wondering what could drive a person to alienate his own son. He seemed nice enough, but the way he seemed to hold himself aloof from everyone else sent a chill down her spine.

On her right strode Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, the world's premiere mind. Dr. Akagi was NERV's head of research and development, and the peroxide blonde's analytical mind was renowned throughout Japan. Still, she hadn't been anything but friendly to Katty, and the two both shared a love of cats.

The odd trio was on their way to the operations center. Katty took this as a good sign; few outside of NERV personnel were admitted, so if they were willing to show her around their main control center, then that had to bode well for her.

"Enjoying your first day, Katty?" asked Dr. Akagi.

"It's like a dream come true!" replied Katty. "This place is awesome! I can't wait to start working here!"

Commander Ikari smiled. "Just wait until we find out if you qualify."

"Now, now," admonished Dr. Akagi. "Her I.Q. is way above average. Even if she doesn't qualify as a pilot, I can still use her on my staff."

"What would I be doing?" asked Katty.

"Well, I could always use a secretary. Maybe you could make coffee or something."

Katty snorted. "Coffee? You need someone with an above average I.Q. to make coffee?"

Akagi smiled. "You bet. I've got these idiots making it for me, and I've yet to get a decent cup."

"We've all got to start someplace," advised Commander Ikari. "Twenty years from now, you could be running the place if you take a job with us."

The door to the ops center slid open to admit the three of them. Katty stood transfixed on the sight she saw from the command balcony. Down below the balcony, three technicians, two male and one female, sat coolly manipulating the command consoles. All three of them were passing information in crisp, succinct voices. Below that, enlisted ratings and non-coms sat at secondary nodes in front of massive red-lidded system units: The MAGI super computer. Right below them, supervising the whole thing sat a woman with purple-black hair in a secondary command chair. Katty knew her to be Major Misato Katsuragi, the Director of Operations and Shinji's guardian.

Katty's mind drifted briefly to Shinji. He was definitely an enigma. Katty wanted to know more about the shy, quiet boy she sat next to. Why was he so quiet? What was it like not living with his father? What was it like living with two members of the opposite sex? Most importantly, did he have a girlfriend? He was pretty cute.

A man old enough to be her grandfather sat at the con. "Katty, this is Vice Commander Kouzu Fuyutski, my second in command," Commander Ikari introduced.

Katty bowed as she had been instructed, and then shook Fuyutski's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

Fuyutski chuckled. "So you're the next candidate for our pilots. Well, one thing's for sure, you're refreshingly well mannered." He got out of the chair. "Commander on deck!" he announced. Everyone in the room rose to attention as one.

Misato stepped forward. "Sir, we were just about to send the Evas out on a practice drill. All pilots have been inserted and are awaiting final instructions."

"Carry on, Major. Oh, one other thing."

"Sir?"

"We have company here, so try to keep you're banter with Dr. Akagi down to a minimum today, shall we?"

Misato sighed. "Yes sir. Contact the pilots," she ordered Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba. Under her breath she muttered, "Why does he always take her side?"

Images of Shinji, Asuka, and Rei came on her screen. "Listen up: this will be a standard shooting gallery drill. Take out as many Angels as you can without hitting any other targets."

"Piece of cake," said Asuka. "Just you see how many of those things I take out this time, Misato."

"Just don't hit any friendlys this time, okay Asuka? Point man for this operation will be Shinji."

Shinji and Rei both rogered. "Why does he get to be the pointman?" whined Asuka. "Oh I get it. He has to look good for his new girlfriend."

"What are you talking about, Asuka?" Shinji yelled.

"You and Miss America. Why don't you say hello to her, Shinji? She's in the ops center, you know."

"Can you discuss this some other time?" asked Misato bluntly. "We have a practice to get through." Then she turned to Lieutenant Maya Ibuki. "Roll out all Evas onto the catapults and count down to launch. Destination: Geofront."

"Eva Units 00 through 02 are in position," rogered Ibuki. "Counting down: ten, nine, eight, seven, six…"

"One way elevator to hell, going up!" yelled Asuka.

"…two, one."

"Launch Evas," cried Misato.

Asuka let out a loud whoop as the Evas shot to the Geofront's artificial surface. Misato put her head in her hands, silently vowing never to let her watch stupid war films for the rest of her sorry, adolescent life.

***

"Was that really necessary, Asuka?" scolded Shinji once they were at the Geofront.

"What? Me talking about you and Katty, or…" she took a deep breath. "WAAAAHOOOOO!"

"Both!" admonished Shinji. "This is a practice drill, not a picnic."

Asuka winced at that. It usually took some getting used to Shinji while he was piloting. While she always managed to subsume her Eva's personality and dominate it, Asuka suspected that that wasn't quite the case with Shinji. With Shinji, his bond with Unit 01 was sort of half-and-half, and that's where his backbone came from. She saluted mockingly. "Yes sir! Orders, O fearless leader?" she teased.

"Aw, cut it out!" replied Shinji as the holographic representation came online. "Rei: Circle left and cover blocks one through twenty. Asuka: You'll be taking the right section; blocks forty-one through sixty. I'll take the central area. Remember, our goal is…"

"…to get to the lake at the other side," finished Asuka monotonously. "We've done it a million times before, so quit trying to show off your non-existent leadership abilities. Just tell us to move out and leave everything to me."

Not bloody likely, thought Shinji. Still, he was as ready as Asuka to go kill some holograms. "Move out," he muttered.

Asuka and Rei both rogered.

***

"Is it always like this?" Katty asked Misato.

Misato laughed. "On practice drills? Yeah. Most of their time working here is spent indoors, so they think of these sessions as sort of a recess."

"According to the field plan, Unit 01 should be passing right by us anytime now," reported Ibuki.

"Lieutenant Hyuga, open the observation dome," ordered Ikari. "Let's let our guest have a look at what she'll be working with."

Hyuga smiled. "Yes sir!" It was one of the few orders he'd ever actually enjoyed carrying out. While monitors and communications windows could easily allow them to see the Evangelion, there was nothing that compared to actually seeing it out the observation dome's super-thick glass window.

As the ceiling rolled back to reveal the Geofront, Katty gasped at the one hundred fifty foot tall, sleek, purple robot. The Eva turned toward the headquarters building and gave a smart salute. Then, it went of to join in the game.

Katty smiled. She'd hit the jackpot!

Beside Commander Ikari, Ritsuko whispered into his ear. "Do you have to get her hopes up like that?"

"She'll be in for plenty of disappointment later," replied Ikari. "It won't kill her to get a little thrill while she can."

"Compassion, Gendo? Isn't that a little out of character?" asked Ritsuko coolly.

"The committee ordered me to extend full diplomatic courtesy toward her, and like it or not, I have to do that. I just hope she doesn't do anything untoward when she finds out that she isn't The Fourth Child."

***

Asuka creeped through the streets of the holographic Tokyo-3, pistol in both hands by her four-eyed face, ready and eager to unleash a lead-filled death on whichever Angel was ready to show its ugly face. If only he was one of them. Then she snorted at the idea. That one was so miniscule that she'd have probably killed him by accident just by stepping on him. The little jerk.

Asuka reflexively turned at the sound of a propeller and was rewarded with the sight of a JASDF protocopter. She relaxed her guard. So, Lieutenant Ibuki, trying to get me stirred up by sending me nothing but friendlys, eh? Then she tensed up again. That's what they wanted her to do. Relax her guard. If they could desensitize her to sudden movements and noise, they could send an Angel right where she could blunder right into it-and its cross-blast. That would end the drill real quick.

It almost worked. A heartbeat later, The Third Angel appeared right in front of her, firing wildly. Asuka ran behind a building, cocked her pistol, then jumped out and fired. She smiled as she was rewarded with a small explosion.

One down, she thought running straight down the street toward her destination. The Fourth Angel appeared directly to the side of her. As it's electric tentacles lashed out, Asuka ducked, took out her prog knife, and rolled in one fluid motion. She came up mere inches away from the Angel and thrust the knife into the core, and watched as the hologram vaporized.

Next was Angel number eight. She'd faced it before, in the depths of the volcano, so she knew just what to do. Dodging its physical attack, she grabbed a holographic ice beam from the nearby armament building and shot it. The Angel froze in place as Asuka ran through it, shattering it.

Yes! I'm there! she exulted to herself as she saw the lake. No friendlys hit! Not a scratch on her! She opened a window to Shinji and Rei. "Lake in sight, slowpokes! Tell me what a great pilot I am!" she gloated.

However Shinji's reply was much more urgent than she'd anticipated. "Asuka, look out!"

Asuka stared in horror as The Sixth Angel rose from the lake and began shooting its teeth. She didn't even have time to scream as everything went black.

Asuka sat in her entry plug, staring at the black screen. Her blood began to boil as she heard the muffled explosion outside that signified the death of the holographic Sixth Angel. Dammit! And I was so close.

The screen came on again to reveal the three lieutenants. "Direct hits to the head and torso areas. Death was instantaneous," intoned Ibuki.

"Confirmed," replied Lieutenant Aoba. "You're dead, Asuka."

"Yeah, I know," grumbled Asuka.

"And let that be a lesson," remarked Misato, leaning into the display. "Remember, anytime you have a goal, it will be blocked to the very end. In this case, the goal wasn't just to get to the lake, but to neutralize The Sixth Angel. Even though they aren't doing it now, we have to assume that there will come a time when you'll have to intercept multiple probes. In this case, the Angel in the lake was directing the attack, and everyone else was protecting it. Expect to see more of these types of exercises in the future. That'll be all."

As Asuka felt herself merge once again with Unit 02, she contacted Misato. "Misato, just out of curiosity, who got the Angel?"

"That kill goes to Shinji."

Great! thought Asuka sarcastically. I can just hear that American tramp now. "Oh Shinji, you're my hero!" It was enough to make her want to slit her wrists.

***

Once at the cages, Asuka continued her tirade. "I can't believe it! I had victory in my grasp! I was two seconds away from reaching that lake when that…that hologram killed me!" She mock sniffled for the benefit of her audience-Shinji and Rei. "Now I'll never learn to drive." Asuka suppressed a grin as Shinji laughed. At least for now she had his attention.

She went over to Shinji with and looked at him, deceptively doe-eyed. "You killed that Angel didn't you, Shinji? Tell me my death didn't go unavenged."

Shinji paused uncertainly. "Um…yeah, Asuka, I got it."

Asuka put her arm around his shoulders with a squeeze. "My hero!" she joked. Beat you that time, Katty.

Shinji stiffened, and Asuka's small hug wavered. Dammit Shinji, can't you relax around me just once?

Misato came into the cages along with Katty. Giving her the grand tour, Misato? thought Asuka sourly. Then he noticed Shinji's face as it fixed lovingly on Katty's. He had almost forgotten everything about Asuka as he almost drooled over her. He's staring at her! No! This can't be happening! He told me he loved me! He lied to me! That bastard!

Katty went over to Shinji. "Wow! You got the one that no one even saw coming! You were fantastic!"

Shinji blushed. "Well…it wasn't all me. I mean…if it weren't for Asuka getting there first, I'd have probably gotten killed. That's what she's good for."

A snarl escaped Asuka's lips. "Oh it is, is it? Well, why don't you just paint a bulls-eye on my Eva, then? Since that's all I'm good for!"

"I didn't mean…"

"I know exactly what you meant!" shouted Asuka. Then she noticed that her arm was still around Shinji. "And get your hands off of me! Pervesling mensch!" She shoved Shinji into Katty and stormed out of the cage.

Shinji stared at Asuka's retreating form. Shinji had known Asuka long enough to realize when she was playing and when she was serious, and this time, he had definitely struck a nerve.

Katty went over next to Shinji. "What do you suppose that was all about?" she asked.

"I don't know," replied Shinji. "She's never been this sensitive about her piloting before. I think…I don't know what to think."

Misato, on the other hand, knew exactly what to think. Poor Asuka, she thought as Rei went out the door. She's fallen for him, bad. But I can't do anything about it. I'll just have to hope Shinji comes to his senses…or Katty doesn't stick around too long.

***

The elevator door closed and began its assent, leaving Rei to her conflicting emotions and logic.

Why? Why do I care that Shinji has found another? Does he care for me at all? Am I jealous?

It is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is Eva.

No! There is more to life than Eva! Shinji has taught me so.

Shinji is wrong. Piloting Eva is your purpose. Pleasing Commander Ikari is your purpose.

But if all I am doing is existing to please others, then what is the point of living? What is the point of life?

Irrelevant. There is no life, only existence.

You're wrong! Stop it! Stop thinking for me!

No. You are incapable of thought.

That's not true! Stop it! "Damn you! Stop controlling my life!" she screamed at her Other Half.

As Rei's scream faded from the elevator, she quickly covered her mouth, eyes wide in shock. Am I the one who's doing this? Or is it…me? A small sliver of emotional light had broken through the dark shell of apathy, and now it seemed as if she were trying to contain it.

Rei slumped into the corner of the elevator, clutched her knees to her chest, and buried her face in her thighs. Who am I? What am I? What are we? She needed to talk to someone. But there was only one person she could think of. Gendo. Must see Gendo.

Yes. Talk to Gendo. Rei rode the rest of the elevator ride in silent vacancy.

***

"I still say it's awful," said Maya as she set her coffee cup on the table by the chair across from Ritsuko in the break room and sat down. "Building up a little girl's hopes like this just isn't right. I mean, she came all this way!"

Ritsuko sighed, wondering if telling Maya the truth was a bad idea. But then, knowing her aide and pupil, she would have found out eventually, and then…well, it was best not to dwell on that. The important thing was that Maya had kept NERV's secrets as well as anyone else who knew about them. "It can't be helped. The Japanese Government is breathing down our necks about where these children come from."

"You think they suspect something?" asked Maya.

"Perhaps. Of course, I doubt that anyone suspects that The Marduke Institute is a dummy corporation. But even the fact that they've complained means that we have to at least pretend that we're looking for candidates. We'll give Katty some thrills, maybe a T-shirt, and then we'll send her back home where she belongs."

"And what about Shinji?" asked Maya.

"Aww," mocked Ritsuko. "Is the hopeless yet ethical romantic welling up inside you, Maya? Or are you still sad that Shigeru hasn't asked you out, yet?" Ritsuko smirked.

"Don't try to change the subject!" snapped Maya. "There is nothing going on between me and Shigeru!"

"If you say so," replied Ritsuko. "Anyway, don't worry about Shinji. When all is said and done, he'll have his memories. And besides, there's always Asuka or Rei." She sighed. "You know, Maya, I used to be like you. I used to have all these ideals about the methods used to achieve goals. But you'll outgrow that phase soon enough. Trust me."

"If you say so," muttered Maya, obviously not believing a word of it.

"Now what about those MAGI trainees? You told me that one was making quite a nuisance of himself."

"Yes. Cadet Mitsue. He deliberately left out a Time parameter in his source code and…"

As Maya began to tell her about Mitsue's latest prank, Ritsuko's thoughts once again drifted to Katty. Once the Japanese Government saw that they were testing children for candidates, they'd back off. Katty would be seriously considered, and then seriously rejected, at least from their perspective. Yes, no harm would come of this little bit of truth-bending. For once.

***

In his office, Commander Gendo Ikari poured the steaming cocoa into the two mugs and sprinkled cinnamon liberally into the left one. Rei had always liked cinnamon in her cocoa. Just like Yui.

Ikari had never cared much for children. He didn't have the time, and besides, they had never really interested him anyway. Most of them didn't have much of a use other than crying for a candy bar in the supermarket aisle. But Rei was different. Rei was like the daughter he'd never had.

In many ways, she was the daughter he'd never had.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Come," said Ikari, knowing full well who it was. Rei walked into the room and closed the door softly behind her. "Good afternoon, Rei," he greeted warmly. "Have a seat." He offered the cinnamon-flavored cocoa to her.

Rei smiled a thanks as she took the mug and drank deeply.

"So, what do you think of Katty?" asked Ikari.

"She seems nice. But she isn't…one of us," replied Rei.

Ikari smiled. There wasn't anything that got by Rei. Besides, the two of them didn't keep any secrets from each other. Except maybe one… thought Ikari. "Yes. We're going to have a lot of these dummy candidates coming in from now on. We can only hope he does his job well enough to inform the Japanese of what's going on."

"Yes sir." Rei shifted uncomfortably. "There's a complication."

Ikari's eyebrows lifted. "A complication?" he repeated.

"Yes. It would seem…it would seem Shinji and Katty are getting along. Well."

Ikari laughed. "Yes, well what can I say? Katty has that effect on boys her age."

"Asuka is getting jealous." And what about me? How do I feel about all of this?

You do not feel. You do not love.

I don't?

Commander Ikari's words cut into her mental argument. "That is also good. It may inspire Asuka to be more aggressive in her pursuits. If anything, Katty may hasten things along. She won't impede the plan."

"But what if Shinji and Katty start dating?"

"Then they'll date for as long as Katty is here and no longer. Speaking of Shinji, how is he doing in school?"

Rei smiled. If there was one thing about which she enjoyed talking to Gendo, it was Shinji.

"Well, his grades in physics are improving, and he, Toji, and Kensuke are thinking about chairing a study group…" Gendo listened as Rei began to tell him all about his son.

***

The next day before school, Katty took three plastic animals out of her bookbag as Shinji looked on. She gestured to the blue donkey. "This one is Eeyore," she introduced. "He's always gloomy."

Rei turned to stare at the two of them. "And this one…" she pointed at a slightly deformed tiger on two legs, "…is tigger. He thinks he does everything the best, but actually all he ever does is bounce people."

"'Bounce people?'" repeated Shinji incredulously. From behind them, Asuka glowered at Katty.

"Uh-huh. 'Bouncing' is sort of like pouncing, only it's more playful. And this one…" she gestured to the piglet, "…is Piglet, a Very Small Animal. He's going to keep you company for the rest of the day. Okay?" She put Piglet on Shinji's desk. "They're from Winnie-the-Pooh."

"Winnie-the-Pooh? What's Winnie-the-Pooh?"

"One of the great western Taoists," remarked Katty with a smile.

"Oh. Um…Katty? I was wondering…" Shinji trailed off.

"What?" asked Katty.

"Well…ah…em…er…uhhh…"

"Oh. You want to ask me out?"

Shinji nodded. "Er…well…I…um…that is…"

"Tonight? After synch tests?"

Shinji nodded again. "M-m-m-m-m-a-a-a…"

"The mall?"

Shinji nodded vigorously.

Katty smiled. "That'd be perfect! See you then."

As Shinji breathed a sigh of relief, Kensuke leaned in next to him. "There. Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"N-no, I guess not."

Toji turned around in his seat. "Yeah. Good thing Katty speaks wuss-ese!"

***

What a waste of my time, though Ritsuko as she sipped her coffee from her cat mug in the control box. Unit 00 stood thoroughly restrained in the testing area, its cyclops face staring at her in the annoyance she felt. At her left hand, Maya studied the harmonics and synch ratio reports of the pilot. But this time, the pilot wasn't Rei.

Doing her best not to sigh with boredom, Ritsuko radioed Katty. "So how's it feel to be piloting Unit 00 for the first time, Katty?" she asked.

"Kind of boring, to be honest," came Katty's reply. "I don't feel anything. There's no connection."

At least I'm not the only one who's bored. "Try, Katty. Concentrate. Let's start from the top." She heard Maya sigh and saw her roll her eyes upward in the computer monitor's reflection. "Empty your mind of all thoughts."

"Yes ma'am," Katty replied.

"Good. Now form a door in your mind's eye that is your height and width."

Form a door in your mind's eye that is your height and width. The door came gradually: It was a brown, wooden door with out any windows. At the left was a gold, ornate handle.

For now, simply try opening the door. Katty took the handle in her hands and attempted to twist it. Locked…locked…locked…no wait! There you go! Unlocked. She turned the handle.

It had the weight of an asteroid. Katty pulled and yanked with all of her strength, but she could barely budge the door. Open… open… open… open… open…

"Synch ratio at point zero zero one percent repeating," reported Maya.

"That's pathetic, even for a first attempt," remarked Ritsuko. She sighed and turned to one of the enlistments. "How long have we had her in there?"

"Fifty-eight minutes and thirty-two seconds and counting," replied the tech.

"Well, I don't think there'll be much improvement within the next thirty seconds. Shut down Unit 00."

Just as Katty was about to budge the door, it vanished. Katty opened her eyes to see the confines of the entry plug. Good one, Katty, she thought sarcastically as she sighed, exhaling air bubbles into the LCL.

***

With Misato working an all-nighter and Shinji out on his date with Katty, Asuka sat alone in the apartment, bored out of her skull and struggling with a few lines of The Honor of the Queen. "'Hard…to…p-p-'" Must be "port". Dammit! Why isn't Shinji here when I need him? Because he's off with that stupid American!

"'S-s-s-Simonds? Simonds b-b-b'" Why? Why her and not me? What does she have that I don't? I'm as human as the next girl, aren't I? Aren't I?

"'H-hon. Hon-ne-r.'" Clenching her teeth, Asuka threw the novel across the room. "Stupid Kanji!" she yelled at the book.

***

Shinji and Katty strolled from the Sarku stand in the food court toward the seating area. "Not too many potatoes in Japan, are there?" remarked Katty.

"I guess not," shrugged Shinji.

"Actually, that's pretty healthy," continued Katty as they sat down at an empty table. "Did you know that eating six potatoes in six minutes is fatal?"

"Well, that sort of makes sense. After all, wouldn't you choke to death?"

Katty laughed. "Oh my God! I never thought of that!"

***

No longer trusting herself with reading of any kind, Asuka lay on her stomach in front of the TV, remote in hand. "Okay, television," she said. "It's just you and me." With that, she turned it on.

The first image was that of a man and a woman kissing. "Darling," said the man, "you're the best thing that ever happened to me. Let's get married…right now."

"Oh, yes! It's so romantic."

"Uck!" grunted Asuka as she flipped the clicker. The next image showed a male and female teenager together at the beach. Dawson's Creek, Japan, 2015? Asuka mentally remarked.

The boy was in just concluding a monologue. "And I just wanted to say…you know…that you mean a lot to me. Misa-chan…"

Asuka changed the channel. "Don't buy it, Misa-chan. He's just using you to get to Minmay. He always does," sighed Asuka morosely as she flipped on her back.

"Daria, I…" started Trent.

"Yeeesss?"

"I want you to help me pick out a birthday gift for Janey…"

Asuka disgustedly turned the television off. Why is there never any good TV on, anymore? "Fourteen years of loyalty, and this is how you repay me?" she scolded the television. "American TV and a shipper episode, no less!" With a disgusted grunt, she stormed from the living room.

***

At about an hour into their date, Katty had run into her first dilemma. Trying to hold Shinji's hand while fiddling with her hair. She sighed. "I give up. Shinji, could you help me with this?"

Shinji swallowed. "M-me? Touch your hair?"

Katty flashed a naughty smirk. "Well, there are more indecent places you could touch, if you want."

Shinji felt a warmth spreading across his cheeks as Katty laughed. "No, no. Your hair would be fine." He took Katty's barrette in one hand and her hair in the other. It was long, silky, and soft to the touch. Shinji realized that he could spend hours with her hair. Then he smiled as he decided to have a bit of fun. "Katty, what would you do if someone stole your barrette?"

"Are you kidding? It's my most prized possession." Katty's tone was exaggerated. "If some evil, foul person were to take my most prized barrette, I'd chase after them, grab my barrette, and bludgeon them with it!"

"Oh," Shinji replied. "That's too bad then." With that, he ran off.

"Shinji, get back here!" cried Katty, running after him.

***

With her two biggest boredom-sappers gone, Asuka decided to take a staple from Kaji's advice and go to bed. She changed into her night-shirt, crawled into her futon, and turned out the lights. Her eyelids grew heavy as, slowly but surely, she drifted off to sleep.

It seemed that she was only asleep five minutes when the voice she had dreaded returned to haunt her. "Well…well…well. No Shinji, it would appear."

Asuka opened her eyes and jerked upward in her futon. "Get the hell out of here, you jerk!" she yelled at the red-eyed albino boy standing next to her futon. The Angel had returned.

"Oh, Asuka. I saw how lonely you were, and I decided to keep you company. What would you like to talk about tonight?" replied the Angel.

"How about slamming a door shut on your head?" snarled Asuka, getting to her feet. "Dammit, go away! I rejected you once already! You can't be here!"

"We'll never go away, Asuka. We're here for you, no matter how much you try to reject us. Your violent nature stems from your inner demons. I can help you quell them." With that, he gently caressed her face.

The hand felt warm to the touch, and for a moment, Asuka felt her worries drop away, and she was surrounded by an aura of peace, warmth, and love. For a moment. Only a moment. Then she remembered who she was dealing with. Without warning, she seized the arm that had sullied her with its touch, and bent it backward in an effort to break it. "If you ever touch me again, I swear I'll…" she trailed off as she saw his palm. In the middle of it was a small hole. Mein Gott! Stigmatized!

"Such violence," said The Angel, unperturbed. "What would your mother say?"

Asuka released his arm. "What do you know about my mother?" she asked.

Suddenly, she realized that she was no longer in her room. There was nothing but blackness all around her. Where am I? Am I back in my spirit again? No. This…feels different, somehow. Maybe this is hell. Oh, don't be ridiculous, Asuka! There's no such place!

The Angel stood beside her. "I know a great deal about your mother, Asuka. Observe." He gestured to a white door in one of the black walls. Golden light streamed through the doorframe, and a woman's face was silhouetted in the window.

"Asuka," the woman's voice called. "Are you there, Asuka?"

Asuka slowly approached the door. "Mother?" she said hesitantly. Oh God. If there is a God, please let her recognize me, not some doll.

"It is you, Asuka. I thought I'd never hear from you again. I just hope that you can forgive me."

Asuka's face was blank as she approached the door as her emotions swirled like a vortex. Why can't I answer her? Can I forgive her? Do I love her? Do I hate her? I know she was insane. She had no control. But she hurt me! I at least owe her an answer. "Mother…I…" she faltered as she touched the door. Her eyes suddenly widened as she felt her mother's presence fading…fading…fading…

"Mother? Mother!" she called out. No answer. "Mother!" She began to pound on the door. "Mothermothermothermother!" No! She can't have gone away again! Not now! Not when she's been cured! Yelling incoherently, she continued to pound on the door.

A warm hand rested on her shoulder. "She cannot answer you, Asuka." She turned to see The Angel standing next to her. "The only way you will be able to see her is to become my…queen."

"Your queen?" Asuka snorted. "Oh come on. How corny is that?"

The Angel's answer took the form of a long, loving look. Then suddenly, rivulets of blood began to trickle down from his forehead into his face. The blood wasn't blue, as were other Angel's, but red as any human's. "Your answer wounds me deeply, Asuka. And it hurts you, as well."

Asuka cried out in pain as a million million spines pierced the top of her head. Blood trickled into her eyes, blurring her vision. She spied an ornate mirror, framed with gold, on the wall across from her. Stumbling toward it, she looked at herself in an effort to pinpoint the source of the blood, the pain. As she gazed at her mirror image, she saw the crown atop her head.

A crown of thorns.

Asuka's scream welled up from her soul…

***

Asuka screamed as she sat up in her bed, her breath coming in short, labored gasps. The Angel had thrown everything in his repertoire that time. It was now obvious what he wanted. And he would use anyone-even her dead mother-to get it. But why was he trying to tempt her? If he was truly a creature of God (assuming that there was such a thing, for the sake of argument), then couldn't he compel her to his will?

Asuka glanced at her alarm clock. Eleven thirty at night. She got up from her futon and went out of her bedroom to see Shinji. He had to be back from his date by now! Yes, talking to Shinji would be help. Or at least be better than the loneliness.

He wasn't there. Asuka heaved a sigh as he saw Shinji's perfectly made futon, his fastidiously organized and dusted dresser, and neatly stacked schoolbooks. Damn Shinji. Never around when you need him.

Asuka gently slid his door closed and headed toward the living room. The last place she wanted to be was her bedroom. As she entered the living room, she spied Pen-Pen waddling out of his fridge. She trudged over to him and scooped up the penguin in her arms, hugging him to her chest. "At least I have you around," she said to him.

No sooner did she utter those words than Pen-Pen began to squirm in her arms, squawking and shedding up a storm. When Pen-Pen didn't want to be held, he let the holder know. This was one of those times.

"All right! All right!" Asuka soothed, lowering him to the ground. "Here." Pen-Pen let out a reprimanding squawk and then waddled away. Meanwhile, Asuka's vision began to blur with hot tears as she choked back a sob. This was too much!

Defiantly, she wiped the tears from her eyes as she felt her stomach rumble. Obeying her instincts, she began to walk to the kitchen. Some junk food would be good right now. Potato chips and ice cream. In fact, with that one craving, Asuka had found the solution to her problems. She was going to get fat.

***

The elevator opened to let Shinji and Katty off. "Thanks for walking me home," said Shinji.

"Oh, it's no problem," answered Katty. Her eyes widened as she looked at her watch. "Eleven thirty? I didn't realize that it was so late. Will you get in trouble?"

"No. Misato's working late tonight. She probably doesn't even know I'm gone."

The twosome approached the door to the apartment. "Well, I had a good time tonight," said Katty.

"Me too," replied Shinji. "I hope you're not mad at me for taking your barrette."

Katty laughed. "Why would I be mad about that? You were just playing around, after all." With that, she leaned in closer and kissed him full on the mouth.

The kiss lasted longer than Shinji had anticipated. Dimly, he was aware of his heartbeat getting faster as he felt Katty's warm, moist lips pressed against his. Then Katty gently pulled away. She quirked a smile. "You're pretty good at that. See you tomorrow!" She said, walking away.

Shinji stared after her, slightly bemused. Had this beautiful and charming girl just kissed him? Or was it all a dream? It almost had to be. No girl ever kissed him. No girl ever liked him. And yet, Katty had. Shinji smiled. He finally had a girlfriend.

With a light heart, he entered the apartment, tiptoeing toward his room. Asuka would be asleep by now, and he didn't want to disturb her.

"Well, look who it is!" a mocking voice came from behind him. Shinji jumped and turned to see Asuka coming from the kitchen. Behind her, an empty liter of ice-cream littered the kitchen table. "Mr. Saturday Night back from his date."

"Uh…hi, Asuka," Shinji greeted her warily. It was obvious that Asuka was mad. The fists balled at her sides and the mocking tone of her voice made that apparent. But the fact that she was on a sugar high made it even worse. Shinji took in the details of her face. Her auburn hair wasn't in the disarray that meant she'd gone to bed earlier. She'd obviously waited up for him to come home. Her big, sky-blue eyes were as hard as agates, meaning that this wasn't some late-night teasing session. Her thin-lipped mouth was twisted into a frown, and any second she would let loose a barrage of accusations and insults from it to send him cowering to his room.

"Don't 'hi Asuka' me, you dork! You know full well that you stayed out way too late! What happened, were you and Miss America making out in the back of her limo?" accused Asuka.

"Katty doesn't have a limo. And all we did was kiss!" said Shinji, feeling his face get hot. It had been such a perfect evening. Why did Asuka have to spoil it?

"You kissed her?" Asuka asked incredulously. "You kissed her?" Her voice went up two octaves. Shinji watched as she stomped around, swearing in German. Abruptly, she stopped and pointed an accusing finger at Shinji. "How could you? Sneak behind my back and kiss her like that! It was only your first date! And we've known each other six months! Why haven't you ever…"

"Oh, shut up," said Shinji, cutting off Asuka's tirade. For once, if Asuka didn't like what he did, then that was too bad for her. A haze clouded his vision. He wasn't about to feel guilty over being with someone whom he liked and who liked him. Not this time. "Maybe you can't comprehend this, but Katty likes me. She doesn't judge me or berate me like you do! You know, Asuka, if I'm such a spineless wimp, you don't have to talk to me. In fact, I'd rather you didn't."

Then, Shinji's vision cleared, and he saw Asuka once more, her eyes wide and bright with held back tears as if she'd been slapped. He delivered his coup de grace. "Go away, Asuka," he said in a quietly firm voice while throwing her a smoldering glare.

Asuka continued to stare at him as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. Then, unable to bear his gaze any longer, she ran past him and into her bedroom, all the while sobbing uncontrollably.

Shinji's resolve melted as he listened to Asuka weep in her bedroom. He had finally gotten the best of her. But why hadn't it felt good? Pondering this question, Shinji trudged to his bedroom, the guilt he had sworn to himself that he wouldn't feel swallowing him.

***

"All rise!" ordered Hikari. "Dismissed!"

It was lunchtime for classroom 2-A, and everyone was paring up to eat lunch together. Hikari turned and saw Shinji and Katty walk out of the classroom hand in hand. In the back of the room, Asuka deliberately looked away.

Hikari sighed. It had been a week since Asuka and Shinji had talked to each other. It would have even been nice to see them fighting, the way that they used to. But whenever Shinji seemed to want to talk to her, she would just…go away. It would be about that time that Katty would come over to Shinji.

Hikari looked over toward Asuka. Whatever had happened between them had left her as the odd man out, and she deserved better. She needed someone to talk to.

Toji came over to her. "Hey class rep! What're you standing around for? Let's go eat!"

"Actually, Toji, with Shinji and Katty eating lunch together all the time, it occurred to me that Kensuke might be lonely. Why don't you eat lunch with him?"

"Aww, come on…" whined Toji.

"Oh, quit being such a baby!" scolded Hikari. "You'll have me all to yourself when we go to Okinawa in two weeks! Unless you'd rather go alone with your father on his business trip?" Toji swallowed fiercely. "That's what I thought." With that, she kissed Toji on his cheek and went over to Asuka.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to," began Hikari.

"And you look like you want the latest dirt," retorted Asuka.

Hikari shrugged. "Fair exchange." She sat down next to Asuka. "So what's going on with you and Shinji? You two haven't spoken to each other in a whole week. I've never seen you so mad at him."

Asuka sighed. "I'm not mad at him." She rested her cheek on her fist.

Hikari's eyes widened. This was not the Asuka she knew. "Does it have to do with Katty?"

"Not really. Hikari…I don't think he wants me around anymore." She frowned. "Hell. I know he doesn't want me around anymore. He told me so! Ever since Katty came around, he doesn't even stare at Rei anymore, much less pay attention to me!"

"Has it ever occurred to you to tell him how you feel?" asked Hikari.

"I already did that, Hikari! You were there, remember?"

Hikari's jaw dropped. "But…we all thought you were delirious!"

Asuka snorted. "That figures. But it's too late to tell him, anyway. Katty's got him wrapped around her little finger."

"And you're supposed to be team Eva's toughest member? Jeez, it's a miracle we all haven't been killed by now!" said Hikari. If she couldn't get Asuka out of her slump by being sympathetic, then she'd cajole her out of her mood. "Whatever happened to the girl who told me not to worry about Rei stealing Toji out from under my nose because she was so dense that she was off the atomic scale? Whatever happened to the girl who had me twist Toji's ear until he agreed to take me out?"

"I never had you twist Toji's ear!" cried Asuka.

"No, but I did it anyway, because that's what I think you'd have done. And that's what you should do to Shinji," replied Hikari.

"Are you kidding? I could never twist Shinji's ear!"

Hikari smirked. "Then bend his fingers back. That's always effective."

Asuka laughed. "Boy Hikari, you have the weirdest sex fantasies."

Hikari joined her. Maybe she wasn't any closer to getting Shinji, but at least she was laughing again.

The bell rang, and five minutes later everyone was back in their seats, ready for the days lesson. The teacher opened a textbook. "Second Impact was the greatest disaster in human history…" His last two words were suddenly drowned out by a shrill alarm.

Hikari jumped up from her seat. "Evacuation drill! Everyone calmly file out of the classroom! No pushing or shoving!"

As the other students got out of their seats, Hikari watched as Shinji went to join Katty. Asuka's eyes narrowed, and then she went over and whapped Shinji on the back of the head. "Where do you think you're going, dummkopf?"

Shinji turned to Asuka. "Well…I'm going to the shelter with the rest of the class."

"Are you stupid? Evacuation training isn't for pilots like us! We're going to NERV for some testing, remember?"

"Well, um…Katty's…"

"What about Katty? She's supposed to go to NERV, too." She turned to Katty, her eyes burning a hole in her head. "Unless you think you're not good Eva pilot material?"

Katty returned her steely gaze. "Why no Asuka. Of course not."

Hikari smiled. Asuka was back.

***

In Ritsuko's office, Asuka was in the middle of a hissy fit. "What do you mean you're trying her out on Unit 02?" she screamed at Ritsuko. "How could you give my Eva to that little bitch?"

"She hasn't been doing very well with Unit 00," stated Ritsuko matter-of-factly. "In order to determine whether Katty really is the Fourth Child or not, we have to eliminate all of the extraneous variables. That means that we have to try her out on more than one Eva to see how she synchronizes." And make sure that there aren't any loopholes, she added to herself.

"Then why don't you use Unit 01?" asked Asuka. "That's the test type! First the battery prototype and now this! What the hell is so special about Unit 01 that you never even touch it?"

"Katty might associate Shinji with Unit 01, and the emotions that she feels toward Shinji might translate into a higher synch ratio than she'd get if she were piloting Unit 03. That's another extraneous variable."

"So, you're saying she can't use Unit 01 because she and Shinji are going out?"

Ritsuko sighed. She didn't feel like putting up with Asuka's crap. Not today. "Look, Asuka, we wouldn't be doing it if we didn't think it was vital to our investigations. Like it or not, Katty will be piloting Unit 02 this time around."

Asuka responded with a growl.

"Look at it this way," remarked Ritsuko. "If she doesn't synch well, it will be just one more indication that she isn't the one we're looking for. She'll be one more step out the door."

"Fine," said Asuka sourly. She snorted. "It's not my Unit 02 would ever bond to someone like her, anyway." With that, she stomped out of Ritsuko's office.

***

Evangelion Unit 02 felt much different than Unit 00. Katty sensed the difference as soon as the Eva was activated. Unit 00 was much older, for one thing, and it seemed to possess a maturity that Unit 02 lacked. Just like its pilot, thought Katty sourly. Why couldn't Asuka just accept the fact that she and Shinji were going out? It would make things easier for everyone involved. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

***

In the control box, Maya monitored Katty's readouts. "Her synch ratio's decreased from the Unit 00 synch tests. And I'm picking up some slight harmonics fluctuations."

"Oh?" Ritsuko put down her coffee cup. Harmonic flux was normal enough in qualified pilots, but during the pre-tests they were unheard of. "Give me five second reports. Forty second duration," she ordered.

"Down two…up one…up two…down three…up four…down five…up one…down two," Maya replied.

"Life signs?" she inquired to one of the non-coms.

"All respiratory, cardiovascular, and brainwave patterns appear normal," answered the tech.

Ritsuko smiled and sipped her coffee. "I don't think we need to worry, then. Log this anomaly for future experiments."

***

Meanwhile, Katty once again formed a door in her mind's eye. This time, you're opening. She walked over to the door and pulled. This time around, it was unlocked. She pulled again…and it budged! Katty smiled with excitement as she once again tried hauling the door open.

***

"Her synch ratio's increasing!" cried Maya excitedly.

"What?" Ritsuko nearly spilled her cup as she ran over to stare over Maya's shoulder. They stared at the synch ratio intently-so intently, in fact, that neither of them noticed the harmonics tag change one by one from green to red.

***

Katty jerked open the door so hard that the recoil knocked her off her feet and onto her stomach. She got up and turned around to stare at a plain looking glass.

But the image inside the looking glass wasn't her reflection. Katty stared in horror at the image of Asuka Langley Soryu in the mirror. The image smirked. "I am the real you," it said.

Katty screamed.

***

The scream over the communications channel jerked Maya's head over to the harmonics display. "Mental contamination!" she cried out. "She's past the borderline! Synch ratio at twelve percent!"

"Brainwaves off the scale! Blood-pressure rising!" added the tech.

"Dammit! Cut synch-ratio down to three percent!" ordered Ritsuko.

Maya's hands flew over the controls. "No effect. Synch ratio rising!"

"Blood pressure one-forty over forty five and rising!" the tech reported frantically.

Ritsuko broke into a cold sweat. "Break the nerve connection! Stand by on the bakelite!" My God. This has to work, otherwise Katty will live out her life as a raving lunatic. Assuming her heart doesn't explode, first.

"Nerve connection has been broken," reported Maya, now breathing heavily. "Unit 02 shows no sign of movement."

"Cut power to Unit 02. Stand down bakelite." Ritsuko wiped the sweat from her brow. This has gone far enough. "Clear the control box," she ordered coolly. What she was about to do wasn't going to be respectful, and she knew her obligation to set an example for her subordinates.

Maya stood up a heartbeat before the technicians. They all orderly filed out of the room.

Ritsuko went over to the phone and dialed up Lieutenant Aoba's terminal. "Get me Commander Ikari," she ordered. There was a moment's pause and then she yelled into the phone. "Then get him back here! Now!" She slammed the phone down.

***

Katty sat at the train station staring blankly at the train tracks. All of her hopes, all of her dreams had been dashed away. There was no chance that she was the Fourth Child, and now everyone involved knew it.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel relieved. That…that thing that she had been in had tried to kill her! Dr. Akagi could make all of the scientific rationalizations that she liked, but she knew what had been on the Eva's mind: Murder. Murder for not being Asuka Langley Soryu. No one could fathom the depths of the Evas' relationships to their pilots, but Katty knew that no one but Asuka would ever synch with Unit 02.

But they hadn't even let her say goodbye to Shinji. That was the worst part. When Katty had been fired, NERV Intelligence refused to give her the whereabouts of any personnel. Classified information, they had said.

Her train of thought was cut off as klaxons began to blare. "A special state of emergency has been declared for the Chubu and Tokai regions," said a calm, female voice over the cities public address as warning displays came online. "All civilians and non-combatants proceed to your designated shelters."

***

Zeruel had never been one to think things through. Sitting and pondering what to do and who would do it wasn't his strength, nor did he take pleasure in it.

Yet his brothers seemed to. They were probably still sitting there, pondering who would go out in search of Adam, not even noticing that he'd gone. It was only right that he go, as he was the strongest, and therefore stood the best chance of achieving their goal. And they would certainly be pleasantly surprised when he finally cleansed God's world of the demon spawn that plagued it. With a mental chuckle, he commenced his attack on Tokyo-3.

***

Shinji once again swallowed a gag as the coppery, blood-like taste of Link Connection Liquid hit his taste buds. The Eva suddenly shook as a shockwave from the Angel's multiple cross-flares hit the Geofront. Even at this time, Shinji's thought's were on Katty. I hope she made it out in time. Wait a minute. What am I worried about? Of course she did! She's probably halfway to America by now. But how do I feel about that?

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt himself merge with Unit 01. Shinji's heart began to beat faster as the irrational fear overcame him once again. No! Not again! Please…mother… Shinji's spirit fell into the gaping maw of the Evangelion.

***

"Launch Evas!" ordered Misato.

As the three mechas were catapulted up to the surface, Ritsuko opened a comm window. "We've analyzed the Angel's weapons, and we've determined are powerful enough to pierce your individual AT Fields. Not only that, the Angel's own field is too powerful for your long range weapons."

"Understood," replied Rei.

"With that in mind, I want you to keep as close together as possible in a three-abreast formation to reinforce each other's AT Fields." instructed Misato.

"What?" protested Asuka. "If we do that, we won't be able to maneuver! We'll be sitting ducks!"

"I'm aware of that," replied Misato. "However, you'll just have to risk a straightforward attack. It's the best chance we've got. With luck…" She trailed off.

Asuka sighed. "I understand."

"You're getting soft," remarked Maya.

"What was that?" cried Asuka.

"Uh…nothing," replied Maya.

***

"AT Fields to maximum!" ordered Shinji as his final safety lock was released. The air in front of him rippled as the force field came online. He then moved to join Asuka and Rei, and the three Evangelions marched like a battalion of American Civil War soldiers toward the Angel.

With surprising speed, the Angel took to the air and fired another volley of cross blasts, this time directed at the Evas. The Field rippled and wavered, yet still held strong.

"Well, what do you know?" remarked Asuka. "It works!"

***

Elsewhere, Katty O'Malley ran for her life.

It seemed so simple. Just find a shelter. That's all she had to do. So what if she had skipped out on evacuation training? Finding a shelter couldn't be that hard, right?

She turned another corner. A dead end. She doubled back and saw a main road. Realizing that it was the only option open to her, she started running down the street.

***

The Evas and the Angel had battled to a stalemate. Their combined AT Field had been able to push back the Angel's offense so that no harm could come to them. Unfortunately, the three Evangelions couldn't neutralize the Angel's own field. From a distance, it looked like a one-sided game of Pong, with the Evas as the paddle.

"I've had it!" growled Asuka. "If we can't destroy this thing, then we'll at least push it back! Everybody, full rush on my mark. Three. Two…"

She never finished her countdown. Without warning, the Angel's two razor-like arms shot out. "Scatter!" ordered Shinji. The Evas jumped in all directions. Asuka wiped cold sweat from her brow as she realized that she had escaped the blades unscathed. Then she understood just what had happened. "Oh Scheiße," she swore under her breath.

Zeruel smirked to himself as he saw the demons scatter, and moved in between them to keep them from reinforcing one another. He could taste the victory in his grasp. He and Adam would be joined!

You are rash, Zeruel, Kaworu's telepathic voice entered his mind's ear. You were not chosen to be the messenger.

What is the difference, Eldest? Zeruel's reply was in angry surprise. I can defeat them. I can join with Adam. We can survive!

There is more to living than surviving, replied Kaworu. And certain rules must be observed. God has not chosen you to do this.

Angrily, Zeruel shot out at one of his demonic sisters, and was shocked to see another push her out of the blast's way.

Would you go against the will of God? Would you do as Lucifer has done in times past? asked Kaworu.

Lucifer… Zeruel trembled with anger at the name. Kaworu knew all of his weak spots. To be compared with the one thing that Zeruel hated the most…

He took off and departed Tokyo-3, never once looking back.

***

It all happened so fast. Shinji saw The Angel come directly between him and Rei. Somehow, the Angel managed to knock him to the ground. And then he saw her. Katty. She came directly into the battle scene, underneath a building right behind Unit 02 and the Angel. As Shinji got back to his feet, The Angel took aim at Asuka and fired.

Without even bothering to think, Shinji reacted instantaneously. He ran as fast as he'd ever run, knocking both himself and Asuka out of the path of fire. The twosome crashed into a building, landing in a heap.

"Are you okay, Asuka?" asked Shinji.

"Shinji you idiot! Get off of me!" Asuka shouted at him. "This isn't the time for feel-ups, after all," she teased.

Shinji smiled. If Asuka weren't grateful, she wouldn't have made that remark. Then he turned and saw the building that Katty was standing under.

It had collapsed.

"Katty!" Shinji cried as he hysterically began to sift through the debris.

"Idiot!" shouted Asuka. "We've still got an Angel to kill!"

"Negative," intoned Rei.

"What?"

"The Angel is retreating. Observe." She pointed at the sky where The Angel had become a mere speck in the distance.

"No!" Shinji's sudden howl jerked Asuka away from the sight. Unit 01 was down on one knee in the rubble, staring at his right hand.

Asuka trudged over to where Shinji was, knowing full well was in the palm of his hand. Asuka looked down and saw the body of Katty O'Malley, crushed nearly beyond all recognition like a boy's favorite pet ant. She forced down the taste of bile in her throat. Over the comm window, she heard the choke-backed sobs, and she knew her duty as a friend, teammate, and would-be girlfriend.

She gently put her arms around the Eva's shoulders, and squeezed gently.

***

"A hit and fade," breathed Misato. "That isn't the Angels' usual style." Maybe we'll have to worry about multiple probes sooner than we anticipated.

"It could be that The Angel we just encountered was a scout, and the next Angel will arrive quickly to finish the job," deduced Commander Ikari. "I want all sectors put on yellow alert for the next week. This city will be kept at battle mode, and the Evas will perform their drills above ground."

"Yes sir," replied Misato.

***

The boy was weeping. Rei heard it echoing in her ears. However, unlike when she had first heard it, it wasn't a relieved, joyful sound. It was a sound that mirrored the injustice and cruelty of a life cut short. A life that affected him.

Why? Why do you care about his problems? They are no concern of yours.

I care because Shinji is a friend. Shinji has shown concern toward me in times past, and it is only right that I help him.

There is no right, only what Gendo wishes.

I have told you that you are wrong. Before her logic could take hold again, she forced herself into the room.

Tears flowed freely from Shinji's eyes as his head hung from his neck. Wordlessly, Rei knelt down in front of him and looked into his eyes. Smiling at him, she gently wiped the tears away from his cheeks.

Why do I feel this way about him? wondered Rei. Why is it that whenever he is sad I feel that I must please him. Is it Gendo's compulsion? Or is it me?

Shinji sniffed and then smiled at him. Slowly, mechanically, Rei put her arms around Shinji's shoulders, and was rewarded with his around her waist. "Thank you," murmured Shinji.

Why do I feel this way about him? Like he is…part of me somehow. What am I?

***

Asuka sat in her room listening to the sound of the cello baying from the living room. Twenty four hours had passed since Katty's death, and Shinji had officially gone into mourning. Shinji was the best cello player in Tokyo-3; quite possibly the best in Japan, and he was giving a stellar performance. The song was very downbeat, and the lower tones added a certain melancholy to it. Drawn toward it, she walked out of her room and sat on the floor next to him.

No sheet music, she noted. She shifted awkwardly. "Umm…hi," she greeted.

Shinji stopped playing and looked at her. "Hi," he said halfheartedly.

Asuka sighed. "Look, I know you're mourning Katty. I just wanted to say…that…that it wasn't your fault that Katty died. These things happen. Your reaction was pure reflex. Both Rei and I'd have done the same thing. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I was the one who egged Katty on about being a pilot. If you hate me right now, I don't blame you, but… Anyway, that's all I've got to say."

She got up and turned to leave, when she felt Shinji's hand gently grasp hers. "Stay," he murmured.

Asuka looked at him and saw all of the traces of the anger, sadness, and fear from the past week washed away from his face, leaving only a forgiving smile. Not letting go of his hand, she sat back down, enjoying the warmth of his friendship.

To Be Continued

Next Episode:

As Eva Pilots, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei have had to endure battle after battle. But sometimes those battles aren't always against Angels, and when two bullies from a rival school decide to make a name for themselves, they choose Shinji as their target. However, Asuka won't stand for it, and before long she and the rest of the children are involved as well. Can Shinji finally be able to stand up for himself and resolve this crisis? It's in the next episode:

Hatred Beget Rage Beget Love

Afterword

Well, at long last Shinji's Girlfriend is completed. Took a while, too. I actually began this thing before I even thought up the OFF series. The original draft was going to be a gap filler where Katty convinces Gendo to see more of his son, and Asuka actually makes fun of him for participating in drills. That's also why Zeruel runs away instead of getting killed. However, I instead used this debut some of the arc plots in the OFF series, especially Rei's.

Yes, I had planned it all along that Katty was going to get killed off. The OFF series isn't a Mary Sue/Avatar series, and she'll probably be my only prominent ACC. I wanted to kill her off so that I wouldn't be tempted to use her further along the way. Not only that, this is war, and people get killed in wars. Before this is all over, there's going to be a big pound of flesh, not all of it military. Yes, I'm aware that Katty was underdeveloped, but I had a lot of stuff to jam into this one, and some stuff had to be snipped. Poor Katty. We hardly knew you.

Now, the points of interest:

Daria Reference:

This will be my only Daria reference in the OFF series. I only did it because I had Asuka make a cameo in one of my Daria-fics. (She's fairly OOC too.) Actually, it was also a big stretch, since Jane is Trent's sister. Okay, I'll shut up about Daria, now.

Winnie-the Pooh:

That will never happen again either. I can just picture Anno out for my blood for that one.

Delays:

Big ones. Chronic Writer's Block was the first. Second, the plot is wicked similar to my Daria/Evangelion crossover. In it, a girl from America comes to pilot Eva, falls in love with Shinji, and annoys Asuka. Whoa! Deja Vû.

Asuka and Shinji:
Will be resolved in the next episode. Don't get too thrilled, since Gendo seems to have plans for them both.
Thanks for reading!