Hatred Beget Rage Beget Love

Neon Genesis: Evangelion OFF Series #5

By Austin Covello

Based on the characters created by GAINAX

High Chancellor Inoki's office was comprised of two main areas. The first was Inoki's office proper, where the chancellor spent eight hours of every day endorsing or vetoing the bills passed by the rest of the council. The second area was the reception area, comprised of seven padded yet uncomfortable chairs along the wall by the main entrance. In between the chairs were drink-stained glass coffee tables littered with news magazines, so that someone with an appointment to see the chancellor wouldn't get bored waiting.

However, JASDF Major Ryogi Kaji had other ways to amuse himself while waiting to see Chancellor Inoki, because in addition to all of this was a receptionists desk, and its prime decorative piece was (naturally) a very pretty receptionist. As such, Kaji had chosen as his seat the top of the desk, since the real seats were so uncomfortable, and if it made the woman's job more difficult, then that was too bad.

Kaji looked down at her. "So, is this your first day? You must be new here, because I'm sure that I would have remembered someone as pretty as you."

The receptionist shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Well… that is… I'm only a temp."

Kaji allowed himself a mental smile. Of all the things he enjoyed doing with women, making them squirm was his favorite. To him, the chase was more fun than the capture. He heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Pity. And I would have made many more appointments with Chancellor Inoki, too."

"The chancellor is a very busy man," said the woman in some attempt to stand up to him. "He doesn't have time for social calls."

Kaji smiled wolfishly. "Well, in that case, why don't I make an appointment with you instead? If you give me your phone number, I'm sure we can work things out." He leaned toward her.

"Found another victim, Kaji?" a feminine voice came from behind him. Kaji turned to see a brown-haired, green-eyed youth carrying a clipboard.

Kaji waved at her. "Hello Mana. You're looking as lovely as ever today."

"Forget it," retorted Mana flatly. "You're too old for me, anyway. The chancellor will see you now, Major."

Kaji hopped off the desk. "Ciao for now, gorgeous!" he remarked as the receptionist blushed. With that, he followed Mana to the chancellor's office.

"So, are you here to talk to Inoki about Project Ami?" began Mana.

"Among other things, yes," replied Kaji. "I've got some findings about NERV that I'm sure he'll find interesting."

"Still playing spy, huh?" remarked Mana.

"Playing?" repeated Kaji. "Do you honestly think that what I'm doing is fun, Mana?"

"Yeah," replied Mana. "At least I'm sure it beats overseeing the construction end of Ami. I'll announce you." Mana opened the door to the office and stuck her head in. "Kaji's here!" she yelled.

"Oh, that was professional," deadpanned Kaji.

"Well, what do you want? I'm a pilot, not an attaché. Bye, Major." With that, she walked back down the hall.

The office was filled with book shelves with law books from Japan and around the world. In the exact center of the room was a desk made of pine wood-quite a luxury. At the desk sat Chancellor Antonio Inoki, a lean man in his late sixties.

Kaji bowed. "Major Ryogi Kaji reporting as ordered, sir."

"Sit down, Major," said Inoki, gesturing at the chair opposite him. "So, Katty O'Malley wasn't the Fourth Child after all?"

Kaji did as he was told. "Correct. But that wasn't much of a surprise to NERV. It turns out that she was nothing more than a dummy candidate."

Inoki's eyes widened. "What? You mean that they paid all of that money to bring a girl overseas, knowing full well that she wasn't the one they wanted?"

"That's right. It's possible that they did this purely to get us off their back."

"But how would they know that Katty wasn't The Fourth Child even before they tested her?"

"The evidence suggests that they already know who the candidates are. They're just keeping them hidden."

Inoki frowned. "Of course, it's also possible that they suspect us as well. Isn't it a little convenient that Katty was killed in the last Angel attack? She would have made an excellent candidate for Project Ami, after all."

Kaji shifted uncomfortably in his chair. If NERV did know about the JASDF's plans, he'd be at the top of a miniscule list of suspects. And there wouldn't be much of a trial. "If Ikari does suspect us, he hasn't said anything to me about it. Besides, it was the Angel that killed Katty. NERV had nothing to do with it."

"Unless we go on the theory that SEELE somehow controls the Angels. What if they decided to kill the dummy candidate before we could recruit her? It did retreat as soon as that building collapsed, after all."

Kaji shook his head. "Sir, with all due respect, I believe you're grasping at shadows. Project Ami has kept so low of a profile that only a handful of the JASDF knows about it. Besides, we also know that SEELE is following a preplanned schedule involving both the Angels and the Evas. Even if they did control them, they wouldn't use them for something as trivial as assassination. Not to mention the fact that Keel doesn't have any special love for Ikari. Not so much that he'd risk SEELE's deniability to save his hide, at least."

"Nonetheless, we should speed up construction. Have your technicians start pulling double shifts. You can bring in more people if you have to, but I want those robots finished within the month."

***

"Well, Ikari, it seems that you've made yet another mess for us to clean up again."

Gendo Ikari, Commander-in-Chief of NERV, sat at the foot of the Tokyo-3 Provisional Committee's-or SEELE's-holo table, hoping the fact that Councilor Prospector's slick southern drawl got on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard didn't register on his face. Across from him, Chairman Keel Lorenz stared silently at him through his visor, letting his puppets do all of his scolding for him.

Ikari defiantly pushed his rose-tinted glasses further up on his nose and steepled his hands. Officially, Keel had called this meeting for a review of the past three month's events, and to lay plans for the next stage of the Human Instrumentality Project. Unofficially, however, this was yet another session where the committee members all took turns chewing Ikari out for something that had happened that they didn't like.

"The unscheduled appearance of the Fourteenth Angel was one of the worst disasters that could have happened," Councilor Kamorov picked up where Prospector had left off, fingering his thick moustache. "And the fact that you were unable to capture or destroy it left NERV's credibility dubious at best."

"Not only that," growled Councilor Pollard, "the property damage cost millions of Japanese Yen. That, coupled with the legal fees from the lawsuit over the death of Katty O'Malley by her family, cuts our budget…" He checked the printout in front of him. "…to next to nothing."

"Also, your act of covering up these actions through the yellow alert you declared was neither needed nor appreciated," commented Councilor Cullen. "The only thing it accomplished was panic. And that was the last thing we wanted."

"You should feel lucky that your removal from this committee hasn't been called for," drawled Prospector. With that, everyone except for Keel and Ikari faded from the table, leaving the twosome alone.

Keel frowned at Ikari as he finally spoke. "Overall, we aren't very pleased with you, Ikari. We're expecting you to resolve these situations as soon as possible." With that, he also disappeared.

Ikari sat in silence, his fingers still steepled and elbows still resting on the table. He allowed himself a mental smile. Indeed he was lucky! He loved seeing the old men at SEELE squirm. How does it feel to find out you don't know everything after all, Keel? The appearance of the Fourteenth Angel had confirmed what he had said all along: That the Dead Sea Scrolls were not the end-all, be-all tomb of knowledge concerning the Angels and the Evas.

That was what his backup plan was for.

That was why, in the end, he would win.

***

It was just another Tuesday morning, and Shinji Ikari, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit 01, was getting ready for school. While most children his age weren't fond of school, and some even hated it, Shinji was one of the few kids who actually enjoyed it. It wasn't because he found the courses interesting. Nor was it because he considered the teacher as someone who pushed him to excel in his studies. No, the main reason Shinji loved school was that, with the exception of his roommate, Asuka Langley Soryu, it was the only place where he could see his friends. After all, he was always busy with his piloting duties during the afternoons and Sunday, and when he thought about how he could possibly die in the next Angel attack… he realized that it was always good to be with people who cared about him.

Shinji's eyes widened as he went into the kitchen to see a fully dressed Major Misato Katsuragi, his guardian and commanding officer. "G-good morning, Misato," stammered Shinji, taken aback by the fact that the major was fully dressed and groomed at this hour. Normally, she'd still be in her night-gown, drinking her breakfast-a cool, smooth, Yebisu-and teasing him for all she was worth.

Misato caught Shinji's stutter and looked at him. "I have to go into work early today," she explained, and winked at him. "Don't expect me to make a habit of this."

"Oh." He looked around. "So where's Asuka?"

"I'm afraid that she left already," replied Misato. "She just had time for a quick bite and then she took off."

Shinji sighed. "I was hoping that we could walk to school together. Ever since Katty…left, she's been so…nice. It's almost like she likes me."

Misato smiled. "Asuka does like you, Shinji. It's just that she has a tough time expressing it, and so she just glosses over it with an insult. But she knows that you're going through a tough time right now, and she…" she stopped. "Well, let's just say that she needs you, as well as you need her."

Shinji grimaced. There was something that Misato was holding back. Something about Asuka's feelings toward him. Had Asuka told Misato something about him?

Well, there was no use prying it out of Misato, knowing how well she kept her girl-talk a secret. He changed the subject. "Misato, I was wondering, how long until Eva Unit 03 is shipped here?"

"It's entering into the final phases of its construction. The best estimate was that it would be here in about a month."

"And what happens if there's no one to pilot it?"

"I'm not sure. I guess… with Rei's Evangelion being the oldest, they'll have her pilot Unit 03 and scrap Unit 00."

"Scrap Unit 00?" exclaimed Shinji. "They can't do that! Rei loves that Eva! She'd never pilot any other one!"

"It's just a rumor," said Misato. "And it'll be a moot point if the Fourth Child is found before then."

"Which means that there'll be more candidates," said Shinji sourly.

"No. Commander Ikari recently turned over the evaluation of the candidates to Branch Three in Germany. That way they'll be safe from…" she trailed off.

Wordlessly, Shinji headed out the door.

***

There was a time when Shinji hadn't minded walking to school alone. Back in those days, he was used to it, and it gave him the time to think. He would think about everything: his cello playing, his future plans, his love life, and old regrets.

Today he could only think about how lonely he was.

He missed Asuka's chatter, how she talked endlessly about nothing; people in his class that he hardly knew, the newest boy that had asked her out (and she had blown off), and gossiping about Toji and Hikari.

Toji, Kensuke… With Asuka spending more and more time with Shinji, neither of them seemed to want to be around him anymore. No, that wasn't true. They didn't want to be around Asuka. Shinji sighed. Why couldn't his friends get along? True, Asuka had acted like a complete jerk when they had first met her, but so much had changed since then. Couldn't Toji and Kensuke give her another chance?

The school came into view. Shinji frowned at the building with resolution. He was sick of his friends fighting, and he finally knew what he had to do. He was going to sit down with all of them and force them to make peace. It would be hard, but he knew it could be done.

As he started toward the school, a huge force pushed him from behind. Shinji stumbled forward, and then tasted dirt in his mouth as he landed face first on the ground.

A nasty, low-pitched chuckle forced him onto his back. Shinji lifted his head up and saw two boys, both of whom were about high school age. One of them had short-cropped black hair and dark skin. The other had long, sandy hair, with boyish good looks that would have made most of the girls in Shinji's class swoon. Both of them were well-toned and leered evilly at him.

"Well, lookie here!" said the black-haired one. "Looks like we found us a celebrity! Eh, Hiryu?" He gestured to the pale one.

"Sure looks like it to me," said the pale one sarcastically. "One of the famous, world-saving Eva Pilots. When's your late-show appearance, kid?" he snarled.

Shinji struggled to get back to his feet. "L-look, I don't know what you guys want, but I'm not looking for any trouble, okay?"

The pale one-Hiryu-hauled Shinji up by his armpits. "Is that right? You aren't looking for trouble. Well, maybe trouble's looking for you!" With another chortle, he shoved him into the dark-haired one. "'I'm not looking for any trouble!'" he mimicked.

The dark haired one grabbed Shinji by his shirt collar. "I bet you Eva pilots think you're real tough, sitting in your little robots! Are you tough, Eva-boy?" He shoved Shinji back to the ground.

"What a wuss!" snorted Hiryu. "Come on, Akito. He's barely worth our time!"

The dark skinned one-Akito-looked down at Shinji as if he wanted to do more. Then, reluctantly, he followed his associate.

Shinji lay there until long after the bell for school had rung. Then he got back up, gathered his belongings, and proceeded to school; beaten, trembling, and very late.

***

"Shinji, you idiot!" an angry, high-pitched voice greeted him. "Why are you so late? Class began fifteen minutes ago!" Asuka Langley Soryu was quickly shushed by her fellow classmates for fear of alerting the teacher. But the senile old man kept on lecturing-to the outside window.

"Well?" continued Asuka. "Don't you have some sort of explanation?"

"Aw, knock it off!" rumbled Toji Suzuhara, one of Shinji's best friends. "You aren't the class rep! Besides, I'm sure Shinji has a good reason for being late."

"Yeah," agreed Kensuke Aida, Shinji's other best friend. "Why not give him a chance to explain? Go ahead and tell us, Shinji."

"Well," began Shinji. "You see, there were these two guys, and they just…"

"Hold it," interrupted Hikari Horaki, the class representative and Asuka's best friend. Normally, she'd be at least pretending to pay attention to the lesson, to set a good example for the rest of the class. But at hearing Shinji's mention of two guys, she pricked up her ears. "Two guys, about high school age? One of them fair, and the other one dark?"

"That's right," said Shinji.

"You know about these guys?" asked Kensuke.

Hikari nodded. "Their names are Akito and Hiryu. They're a couple of high schooler's with something to prove. They usually come down to terrorize a middle schooler or two every other week. It looks like Shinji's their new target."

"What?" Asuka cried out. "A couple of bullies are trying to make a name for themselves at Shinji's expense?" She whirled on Shinji. "Why didn't you kick their asses?" Her eyes narrowed.

Asuka's question was a knife stabbing into Shinji's stomach. The worst part was that he probably could have beaten up those two. With the primary method for fighting the Angels being hand to hand combat, NERV required that all of the pilots have extensive training in all fighting forms, especially martial arts. Shinji was a second degree black-belt, and he'd be going for his third stripe next month. "Well… I thought… they might…" he looked over at Toji.

"Oh, so you thought that they might have had family or something injured in a battle, did you?" snarled Asuka. "Well, get this straight, Third Child. This is war. In war, people get hurt and killed. And you aren't the one responsible! Right, Toji?"

Shinji paled. Of all the cruel things Asuka had done, this ranked among the cruelest. She'd heard about how Toji's sister had been injured during the first battle of Tokyo-3. Indeed, it had been Shinji's own Eva going berserk that was the direct cause. But Asuka's tone demanded that Toji take Shinji's side. It was true that the whole issue between Shinji and Toji had been settled months ago, but still…

"Yeah, Shinji," said Toji. "It's all because of those stupid Angels. Besides, they live on the other side of the city from where the battle took place. I don't think any of their family got hurt."

"Uh oh, we're in trouble now," said Kensuke. The foursome gave him a questioning look. "Well, they agreed!" he remarked, gesturing at Toji and Asuka.

***

"Idiot. I can't let you out of my site for two seconds," Asuka chided Shinji. Her light tone, on the other hand, made it seem like she didn't want to let him out of her sight.

It was after school, and Hikari had decided that the best thing to do was to walk home together. Akito and Hiryu might be reluctant to harass them if they all stuck together.

"Hey Toji," said Kensuke slyly. "Isn't the big trip to Okinawa in a few days? The one with you and Hikari?"

"Aw, knock it off!" replied Toji, blushing. "It's with my dad too, you know!"

"One of the perks of his promotion, no doubt," chuckled Kensuke.

Suddenly, a voice that was dreadfully familiar to Shinji made itself heard. "Well what do you know? The Eva Pilot's got a little gang!" Shinji looked up to see Akito and Hiryu standing before them.

Asuka stepped forward, hands balled into fists at her sides. "You got that right, jerk! You stay away from Shinji!"

Hiryu laughed. "Another Eva Pilot," he observed, looking at Shinji. "What is she, kid? Your girlfriend?" With that, he advanced on Asuka.

Asuka, however, wasn't intimidated. She quickly grabbed Hiryu's arm, shifted her weight, and threw him to the ground. "Dummkopf," she snorted.

Hiryu get up, shaking his head. "Well, now I know who has the nads in this little relationship." He and Akito laughed.

Hikari looked at them. "What is wrong with you two? You always come down here, picking on everybody. Now you're picking on Eva Pilots, our last hope for survival. Why?"

"Why not?" replied Hiryu.

But Akito's answer drowned him out. "Because I'm sick of hearing about how great they are! Everyone tells me how brave you Eva-kids are, as if you didn't do anything that the JASDF couldn't."

Toji snorted. "You think the Self Defense Force could defeat Angels? And I thought that Eva Pilots were nuts."

Akito was about to reply when Hiryu glanced at his watch. "We're gonna be late, Akito," he said.

A snarl escaped the dark-haired bully's lips. "All right. We'll settle this later. And you three had better not get in the way." He pointed at Toji, Kensuke, and Hikari. With that, the twosome retreated down the road.

"Oh, we'll settle it, all right!" cried Asuka.

Shinji once again looked at Asuka, taking in her features. A stray gust of wind billowed through her fiery auburn hair as her thin lips curled backwards, baring her white teeth. Her sky-blue eyes once again danced with rage, adrenaline, and excitement. It was hard not to notice Asuka when she was angry, but this time, Shinji noticed that she looked absolutely stunning when she was.

***

Later, at NERV Headquarters, Lieutenant Maya Ibuki studied the latest synch-ratio reports in the testing area's control box. In the testing area itself, Asuka, Shinji, and Rei Ayanami, the pilot of Unit 00, meditated in their simulation plugs. "Shinji's synch-ratio is down from last time," she reported.

Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, NERV's head of Technology and Development, sipped at her coffee mug as she looked over Maya's shoulder. "I expected as much. First Katty and now those bullies Asuka told me about. Poor kid. He's really having a bad month."

"Imagine," murmured Maya. "Picking on a quiet kid like Shinji. Those two should be ashamed of themselves."

"Boys will be boys," remarked Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba from the seat next to her. "Remember how he got into that fight with that other kid? And now look. They're best of friends."

Maya snorted. "Neanderthal," she accused under her breath.

Shigeru's face fell briefly, and than brightened. "Say Maya, I heard that those new double gigahert PC's just came on the market…"

Oh, yeah!" cried Maya with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Of course, they're by Intel, and I'm not too sure about Intel these days. They've gotten fairly shoddy as of late. I'm still a big fan of AMD. Of course, with the hard drive space exceeding nine-hundred gigs and that new patented 3D accelerator card, it would be good for the latest video games. Can you believe that they've exceeded a full gigabyte of RAM?"

"Uh…" Shigeru fought with his brain to come up with an intelligent reply.

Maya's eyes gleamed in challenge. "Did you want to talk about computers, Lieutenant? Or were you just trying to make chit-chat?"

Shigeru sighed. "All right. You win. I give up."

"Why don't you take a break, Shigeru?" suggested Ritsuko. "I can cover your terminal until you get back. Go stretch your legs."

Shigeru got up. "Sure thing, boss." With that, he left the room.

Ritsuko sat down beside Maya, frowning. "I swear, sometimes you can be worse than Misato!"

Maya's eyes widened. "What?" she asked.

"You and Shigeru. It couldn't hurt to give him a try, at least. I mean, who else have you got?"

"Are you kidding? There's no way I'm dating someone who's been divorced already. Besides, we have nothing in common."

"You don't know that, Maya. Shigeru's a nice guy, and a competent officer. What's the matter, you don't like musicians?" she teased.

"No. It's just that… well… I'm kind of… inexperienced with men." She blushed.

"And you're afraid that since he's already been through a marriage, you wouldn't be enough for him, is that it?"

"Something like that, yes."

"I understand," Ritsuko nodded. "I was in that position myself, once. Look, sex is not the main issue in a good relationship. Shigeru doesn't go for women just for their looks. That's how his first marriage got ruined. No, he likes you for your compassion, your intellect, and-dare I say it-your morals."

Maya's jaw dropped. "Wait a minute. You talked to Shigeru about this?"

"No. Shigeru talked to me. He asked me how he could get to know you better. And, dummy that I am, I said, 'Try computers. She likes them.' Knowing full well how PC illiterate he is." Ritsuko got up as Shigeru walked in. "Okay, the sermon's over. Time to get back to work."

***

The next day at lunch, Rei Ayanami sat in the school courtyard's bench, studying her math book while eating. With the amount of school she missed, she usually had to work overtime to make it up, and the courtyard was actually the quietest place. Not that I really need to learn math, anyway, a part of her mind thought somewhat bitterly.

That is correct. Math is irrelevant to your purpose.

I like math. It's actually pretty fun.

There is no such thing as fun. Fun is a concept…

But what I reallylike is composition. Writing poems always allows me to express myself. And of course, there's always physics, history, psychology, and biology. There's so much to learn, wouldn't you agree?

…

Rei allowed herself a small smile. That'll hold her for awhile. Humming softly to herself, she went on to the next exercise.

"Well, aren't we a cutie!" Rei looked up to see two boys, one pale and one dark.

Rei smiled at them, missing the venom in the young man's tone. "Hello. I'm Rei Ayanami, designated pilot of…" Rei never finished her sentence. A memory flashed in front of her eyes.

"Two boys attacked you?" Rei asked.

"Well… not exactly attacked,"Shinji answered. "More like… harassed."

"But they put their hands on you without your permission, did they not?"

"Um… yes."

Rei frowned. "If they return, the only thing you can do is face them. That is the only way they will leave you alone."

Shinji's eyes trembled as his mouth hung open. Rei quickly turned away from him. "I am sorry Shinji." Her tone was indifferent despite her words. "But I can not help you with this. You must handle it on your own." The elevator opened, and Rei strode out.

Rei's smile faded, and her eyes became dead. All of the muscles in her face went limp.

The apathy had returned, burying all emotion in her subconscious.

"Yeah, we know what you pilot," said the dark-skinned one. "Do you know what we do to Eva Pilots?"

Rei nodded. "Your reputation precedes you," she deadpanned. It is obvious that a fight is inevitable. More so, my two opponents are merely building energy to reach peak psychological performance, at which time they will attack. Constant: my fighting prowess. Variable: their fighting prowess.

Resolution: Attack before they are allowed to reach peak psychological performance, thus reducing the variable.

With cold calculation, Rei jumped off of the bench and launched herself at the surprised Akito, knocking him down. Hiryu's eyes went wide as Rei sent a martial arts kick into the boy's stomach.

As Akito screamed and clutched his bruised face, Rei's eyes flashed with anger as her emotions reawakened. Her time had been wasted by these two thugs, time that could have been well spent doing her math make-ups. With rage blazing from her stomach, she once again attacked her two defeated adversaries.

***

"Rei's been suspended?" Misato's tone was one of frantic disbelief. This must be a dream. Rei doesn't get into fights! She doesn't even call people names!

"That's right." Ritsuko sipped her coffee at her office desk. "Actually, I talked to Rei about it, and from what I gather, the two boys she beat up were about to attack her, anyway. So…"

"She thought that a pre-emptive strike would be the best way to go." Misato sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Damn those two! Like Rei doesn't miss enough school as it is."

Ritsuko shrugged. "Her combat training kicked in. Well, at least this will give me more time to spend with her."

There was a small silence, and then Misato spoke. "So, what do you and Rei do, anyway?"

"Sorry, but that's classified. Misato, if you're so concerned about these bullies, why don't you get Security involved? That would scare them off."

Misato shook her head. "I talked to Elson about it last night. He reminded me that his orders are to intervene only in a life-threatening situations. Otherwise he is only to survey and report."

"Talking with other men, Misato?" a masculine voice came from the doorway. Misato turned and saw Ryogi Kaji, NERV's chief liaison officer, step into Ritsuko's office.

"Yeah. So what if I am? It's not your business!" retorted Misato. She sniffed at the air. "What's that smell?" she asked.

Kaji smiled. "Like my new cologne?"

"It smells more like body-odor to me," replied Misato.

"Ahem. Children," interjected Ritsuko, faux-maternal.

"What a pity," continued Kaji. "Since I picked up some of this fine perfume all the way from Germany, the very same place that I got my… scent. But since I'm sure you don't want it, I'll just find some other young lady to whom I can give my lowly trinket of affection."

"Germany?" cried Misato. Her demeanor suddenly changed as she broke into a smile and tittered at him. "Kaji, sweety, have I ever told you just how much you've meant to me over the years?"

"No," replied Kaji coyly. "But now's as good a time as any," he smiled.

"I imagine your meaning would go up if you gave her that perfume," remarked Ritsuko.

"Shut your hole!" barked Misato. Then she turned to Kaji. "But it would be a nice gesture, wouldn't it? Something to get on my good side?"

Kaji smiled. "Anything to get a member of the command staff's favor," he said, handing an ornate bottle to Misato.

Misato graciously took the bottle and strode out of the office. Just before getting to the door, she turned and smiled sweetly at him. "Have fun at the debriefing…" her eyes narrowed and her voice turned harsh, "…you jerk!" With that, she sprinted out of the office as if the devil were after her.

Kaji sighed. "Fooled once again by a member of the fairer sex. When will I ever learn?"

"Oh yeah," laughed Ritsuko. She knew that Kaji would have given Misato the perfume no matter how she had acted. "She had your number, all right. So, how was Germany?"

"The same as always. The new candidate arrived at the third branch right on schedule."

"And what about Tokyo-2? Any good shops there?"

Kaji fidgeted. "Uh… What are you talking about, Ritsuko?"

Ritsuko sighed. "That's the problem with you men. No matter how high we rise, you think we women are as dumb as door-posts. I'm talking about your little side-trip to the High Chancellor's office."

Kaji smiled. "There's a rather nice-looking new secretary there. I thought I'd stop by and pay my regards."

"And what about the JASDF high command?" Ritsuko snorted. "Look, I don't know what you're looking for, but keep it up, and the only thing your going to find is a tombstone. That's the advice of a friend."

Kaji kept his wolfish expression as he put his arms around her. "I'm just looking for love," he said, caressing her chin.

"Mm-hmm? Too bad I'm taken." She gently freed herself from his grasp and began to walk out of the office.

"Oh?" Kaji called after her. "And just who is the lucky guy? The Commander?"

"That, my dear Kaji, is none of your business," said Ritsuko over her shoulder. "I wouldn't want my love life to end up on Chancellor Inoki's desk, after all." She strutted out of the room.

***

"Way to go, Rei!" cried Asuka as she ran into the break room where she and Shinji were sitting and gave Rei a sisterly hug around the shoulders. Normally, Asuka acted as if she couldn't stand her, but today Shinji noticed that Asuka was treating Rei like a conquering hero. And it wasn't just Rei. Asuka had also managed to keep her insults to Toji and Kensuke down to a minimum. Ever since the incident the day before, it seemed as if the talk Shinji had planned for all of them was unnecessary. But what happens when the bullies stop picking on me? Will everything go back to being like it was?

Asuka turned to Shinji. "You see how it's done, Shinji? Just follow Wonder Girl's example. She had those jerks down in two seconds! And then gave them a few extra, to boot!" She pantomimed punches at the wall. "Boom! Boom, boom! I wish I could have been there!"

"No, you don't," Rei's voice cut through Asuka's imagery.

Asuka stopped and looked at Rei. "What? What do you mean, 'I don't?'"

"What I did was wrong. I…understand that. Shinji, Asuka…"

Asuka started. Rei had never called her by her name before. It was always "Pilot of Unit 02" or "Pilot Soryu," but never "Asuka."

"I attacked them. They never hurt me. Even if they implied that they might, I should have waited for them to be ready. I did the dishonorable thing. And then when I got mad… I just lost it… I… I'm sorry." With that she got up and headed toward the door.

"Rei, wait!" cried Shinji. Rei turned. "I… I'm grateful…for what you did. Even if you aren't proud of it."

Rei smiled wanly. "Thank you, Shinji. That means a lot." She walked out of the room.

"Now, what do you suppose has gotten into her?" asked Asuka skeptically. "Since when does Wonder Girl get mad? And since when does she use contractions? 'I'm sorry?' 'You don't?' There's something going on with her, Shinji."

Shinji could only agree. It's like she blows hot and cold. One day she doesn't care about anything, and the next day, she's almost normal. She was never like this when I first met her. What's going on?

Asuka continued. "If you ask me, it's time for a girls' night out," said Asuka. "I want to find out what's going on with her. Besides, I owe her that much, no matter what she thinks about beating up those two bullies."

Shinji sighed. "I guess you're right."

Asuka smiled. "Shinji, you idiot! Of course I'm right! We women always are, after all." With that, she got up, mussed Shinji's hair, and went out the door.

Shinji stared at the doorway and touched the places where Asuka's hands had been as his facial muscles pulled the corners of his lips upward.

***

Toji Suzuhara stepped out of the elevator onto the fifth floor of the hospital. It was his last day in Tokyo-3 before leaving for Okinawa, and he wanted to see his sister for one more time before leaving. But even though he should have been looking forward to the visit, his brain was travelling to the past.

Images flooded his mind as he remembered his first meeting with Shinji. He remembered how angry he had been when he had grabbed the unsuspecting Eva Pilot and hit him with a right cross strong enough to fell a person twice Shinji's size. The wrath he had felt toward Shinji then had been so righteous, so justified.

So wrong.

Toji hadn't had proof at the time that Shinji was the Eva Pilot. For all he knew, Shinji could have been someone who was trying to impress others by claiming that he was. And even if he had known, Shinji was attempting to save humanity. He'd had no right to beat him up, as his sister had told him-loudly.

So how was he any different from Akito and Hiryu? He had beaten up Shinji in an attempt to take him down a notch in the eyes of his peers. He might still be doing so, if he hadn't seen how he had suffered in his Eva. No, that wasn't quite right. Through whatever miraculous technology that NERV used to allow the pilots to control their Evas, Toji had actually felt what Shinji was feeling. It had been dim-barely registering on his senses, but he had felt it nonetheless. And in that painful sensation, Toji had come to understand the pain-both emotional and physical-that Shinji had gone through, and went through every combat.

But then, perhaps that is what makes us different. Our level of understanding. If they could be made to understand what Shinji goes through…

No. Akito and Hiryu wouldn't stop. Akito and Hiryu wouldn't even care.

That was what made Toji different from them. His compassion. He had beaten Shinji out of compassion for his sister, not just out of scorn or meanness. And that same compassion was what made him apologize to Shinji and befriend him afterward. It was something that Akito and Hiryu would never be able experience.

Toji stopped at his sister's room and went in with the knowledge that she would be glad to see him.

***

"That little bitch!" cried Akito as he pressed an ice pack to his face. "Did you see what she did?" he cried at Hiryu.

"More like felt it," groaned Hiryu as he clutched an ice pack of his own to his ribs. "Look, maybe this wasn't so great of an idea. Those pilots… they're better fighters than we thought, you know what I mean? I mean, that red-headed one must have thrown me ten feet, and that Rei girl…" He shuddered. "I don't even want to think about what she can do."

"Then don't," replied Akito. "Don't think. It makes you a candy-ass."

"What?" cried Hiryu.

"Hey, I can kick any middle school pansy's ass, any day of the week, buddy! And since when do we pick on girls, anyway? Ikari's the one I want."

"Now wait a minute! Ikari's supposed to be the best one out of all of them. For all we know, he could…"

"What? Are you scared?" Akito threw his friend a challenging stare.

"Scared? Me? No…"

Akito smiled. "Then tomorrow, we'll make him wish he'd never been born."

***

Shinji awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of someone retching. It sounds like Asuka. Maybe I should go check on her… No, she'd just call me an idiot or something… But what if she needs my help? Hell with it. She's called me an idiot before. With that, he got up from his futon.

Shinji had missed Asuka that night. She hadn't shown up before he went to bed. On one hand, it was good, since she must have been talking to Rei. It was great, in fact, since he considered both of them his friends and had always wished that the twosome would get along better. On the other hand, it meant that he wouldn't get to spend time with Asuka that night.

But why had spending time with Asuka become so important, all of a sudden? Maybe it was because he wanted someone to fill the void that Katty had left when she had died. Maybe it was because he'd felt safer when she'd been around to stand up to those two bullies, and it stemmed from some irrational fear that they'd return if she wasn't there. Or maybe because she'd been so nice to him lately.

Shinji got to the bathroom door just in time to hear a fresh spasm of vomiting. Throwing privacy to the wind, he slid the door open.

Asuka's face was nearly completely in the toilet as she emptied the contents of her stomach into it. She looked up to see Shinji standing there, her eyes glassy. She glanced at the latrine. "Hey," she joked weakly, "I don't remember eating that."

Asuka groaned as Shinji helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," sighed Asuka tiredly. "I think I just ate some bad Sarku, that's all. Damn, I'm dizzy." She put her hand to her head.

Shinji put his hand to her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever," he confirmed. Despite this, he put Asuka's arm around his shoulders, supporting her weight.

"Pervert," groaned Asuka. "Taking advantage of a sick girl like this."

"Oh, be quiet," chided Shinji. "You know I'm only trying to help."

"You are such a gentleman," said Asuka in a sarcastic tone.

A light went on in Misato's bedroom and then she stepped out. "What's going on?"

"Check the toilet," said Asuka dryly.

"Asuka got sick," Shinji informed her. "Don't worry. I'm taking care of it."

"Oh. Well, look at it this way, Asuka. At least you won't have to go to school tomorrow," remarked Misato.

"Whoopee," deadpanned Asuka. With that, she and Shinji went passed her and into Asuka's room. Shinji turned down her futon covers, and freed Asuka's shoulders.

Asuka crawled into her futon as Shinji turned to leave. "Shinji? Would you stay here with me for a bit?"

Shinji paused. It wasn't exactly proper for a boy to be in a girl's room at this hour of the night, but still… "Okay, Asuka." With that, he knelt by her futon and smiled at her. "So, how was your night out with Rei?"

"Lousy. It was going okay for a bit, but then she just clammed up on me all of a sudden. It was like she was a whole different person." She smirked. "But don't worry. I think I got a few bad habits into her." She laughed.

"Really? What kind of bad habits?" asked Shinji.

"Like acting like a complete snot to your loved ones," replied Asuka. "You watch. When she gets back from suspension, you'll have two girls calling you an idiot at school."

Shinji smiled briefly. "Well, you haven't been acting like a complete snot lately. I mean, you've been really nice to me for the past two weeks. And it seems like you're starting to warm up to Toji and Kensuke and even Rei."

"Shinji…" Asuka trailed off as she lowered her eyes demurely. Then with a sigh, she raised them. "…I need a barf bag. I don't think I can make it to the toilet. Could you get one for me from the kitchen?"

Shinji laughed as the tension bled from shoulders. "Sure, Asuka. I'll be right back." He got up and left the room.

When he returned from the kitchen with a paper bag, Asuka was already fast asleep. Shinji left the bag by her futon, and went out of her room, turning the light off as he went. And I'd bet a million yen that she never finishes what she was really about to say.

***

"What do you mean I have to stay in bed?" Shinji heard Asuka's cry early the next morning as he was getting ready for school. "I told you, it was just something I ate!"

Shinji put on his sneakers and walked down the hall to Asuka's room. He had resolved to check on Asuka the first thing in the morning before school. She certainly sounded like her usual self, but it was best to check just to make sure.

"No arguments, Asuka," said Misato sternly. "I saw how sick you were last night. There's no way I'm letting you out of bed."

Shinji entered the room to see Asuka sitting up in her futon with her teeth bared at Misato. "But I'm fine! You're going to keep me locked up in this stupid room with nothing to do but lie here like a vegetable while Shinji gets to go to school? That's not fair!" She turned to Shinji. "And what are you doing in here, you pervert? Trying to get a glimpse of me half-naked, no doubt!"

"Actually, I w-was just checking to see if you were okay, Asuka," stammered Shinji.

"Does it look like I'm okay? No! I have to be cooped up in this smelly old apartment, dammit!"

Misato sighed. "You'll live through it." She suddenly perked up. "Hey, if you're feeling this good, you can join Shinji and Rei for harmonics tests at the lab this afternoon, okay?"

Asuka gasped in revulsion. Then she clutched her stomach and fell backward, groaning. "Ohhhh, my stomach! Cramps! Ohhhh!"

Misato's eyes widened. "Asuka! Are you okay? Shinji, quick, call the doctor!"

"No," called Asuka, her voice feint. "Shinji… come here, Shinji."

Shinji went to her side and knelt by her. "I'm right here, Asuka," he said soothingly.

"Come closer." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Shinji bent his head down toward Asuka. In a flurry of motion, Asuka reached up, grabbed Shinji around the neck, and pulled him down to give him a playful, sisterly kiss on the cheek.

Then she passed out as Misato began to laugh.

"Asuka?" Shinji called out. "Asuka!"

Asuka opened one eye. "I was just faking, you idiot. Be careful going to school today. Watch out for those bullies."

"S-sure thing," uncomfortable with having made a fool of himself, he left the room.

Five feet down the hall he stopped at Misato's slightly muffled voice. "Well, you certainly had me fooled."

Reflexively, Shinji turned to listen. While he didn't normally eavesdrop, he wanted to find out just what it was that Asuka would tell Misato and not him. "So now can I go to school?" asked Asuka.

"No. My decision stands."

"Meanie."

Shinji heard Misato laugh. "Oh! Did I show you the perfume Kaji got for me?"

"No. Show me!"

"Here it is. All the way from Germany."

There was a brief pause and then Asuka began to crack up.

"Hey! What's so funny?"

"He got you this? D. Lavender 5? That's the cheapest crap on the market!"

Shinji heard Misato snarl. "What? Why that cheap, inconsiderate… con artist!"

"Wait a minute, Misato. Remember, this is a man we're dealing with. Since when do they know about good perfume?"

"True."

"I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt, this time. Besides," she added slyly, "I could be saying that only so you'll get mad at him."

"That's true. But then again, you're over him, aren't you?"

Shinji heard Asuka laugh. "Damn straight. I'm after bigger game."

"Oh really? And just who is the lucky guy?"

"Well, it's kind of a secret."

"It couldn't be Shinji, could it?"

Shinji gasped at Misato's suggestion.

Silence.

Abruptly, Asuka's voice pierced the bedroom. "Shinji you idiot! Get out of here! Eavesdropping dork!"

Shinji ran for the front door.

***

School had been as boring as usual, and Shinji had been looking forward to the last bell of the day. With Kensuke absent and Toji and Hikari making final preparations for their trip, Shinji hadn't had anyone to talk to. With any luck, Misato would let Asuka out of the house for synch tests, and to see Toji and Hikari off.

When the bell finally did ring, Shinji almost jumped out of his seat. There was no way Misato wouldn't let Asuka out for the harmonics tests, and after last night, he really wanted to see her.

But what had happened last night? Nothing, really, Shinji realized as he walked out of the school's exit. Asuka had just gotten a little sick, and that was all. But it seemed like so much more had happened between them. (She lowered her eyes demurely.) She seemed so fragile. Just like that night when I wanted to kiss her.

But then, how many times had he really felt that way toward her? Ever since he had met her, she'd often entered his thoughts. She always seemed there, a shrine in his mind devoted only to her. But then, there were shrines like that devoted to Rei and Misato as well. But it seemed that lately he had been visiting Asuka's shrine more often than usual, and building it higher than the other two.

Perhaps the main reason for this was the fact that she seemed to reciprocate his regard-more so than anyone else in his life. Ever since Toji and Hikari started dating, neither of them seemed to have as much time for him. Kensuke's friendship with him was based basically on hero worship and the fact that he was an Eva Pilot. He and Rei seemed to share a special bond, but she was always so distant. And Misato was just too distracted with her job.

But Asuka was something else. Even though she was the most popular girl in school, dating every boy there, she always made time for him. Even if only to call him an idiot now and again. In fact, ever since Asuka had moved in, he was lucky to get a moment to himself. She was always there, like an annoying little sister. Or a nagging wife.

Shinji stopped. Where had that thought come from?

A sharp blow to the back of the head sent him careening to the ground. Shinji attempted to get up, but was met with a swift kick to the diaphragm. The air whooshed out of Shinji's lungs as he collapsed to the ground.

Shinji turned his head to look up at Akito and Hiryu. Akito's face was a mask of hatred and rage as he prepared himself for another kick to Shinji's midsection.

Shinji just looked at them, helpless.

Akito sent another kick to Shinji's ribs. Asuka…

Pain.

Help me!

Pain to his ribs.

Make it stop, please!

Pain to his face, back; his kidneys.

Make it stop.

Pain lancing throughout his body. Dull agony suddenly pierced by sharper, newborn pain.

Stop. Stop. Stop.

Grogginess. Dizziness. Blackness.

***

"So he's in no condition for harmonics tests, then?" asked Misato. She and Ritsuko sat in the break room, discussing the latest incident between Shinji and the two bullies.

"Unfortunately," answered Ritsuko. "Doctor Sadamoto said that he only had some bruised ribs and a few cuts, but his nerve pulses are way beyond tolerance. In fact, it was the mental stress that caused him to black out."

"This is starting to get serious," muttered Misato.

Asuka stormed in, practically dragging Shinji along. "You see? If you had let me go to school with him, he wouldn't have gotten beat up as bad as this! Look at him! A fat lip, bruises all over his back, and his ribs on ice!"

"If you ask me, he got off light," remarked Ritsuko.

Asuka snorted. "The only way he got off light was the fact that he didn't have to lose to me in the harmonics tests today. I was looking forward to humiliating him again." She smirked at Shinji.

Shinji returned her smile as best he could as he clutched an ice pack to his ribs. "Well, look at it this way. You won by default."

Asuka brightened slightly. "Yeah. That's true, isn't it?" She plopped into a chair. "Well, I'm sure you gave as good as you got. Right, Shinji?" Asuka's look was so hopeful, so penetrating.

Shinji quickly looked away, a small sigh escaping his lips.

Asuka's look went from hopeful to amazement; amazement to rage. "What? You just sat there and let them beat you up? And didn't do or say anything?"

Shinji slowly hung his head. His eyes lowered as he barely nodded.

Asuka's jaw dropped. "You mean you'd rather get beat up and kicked around than even say anything to these guys?"

"Well… I guess…"

Asuka cut him off. She channeled all of her anger into what was said next. And even though she had said the words so many times that he'd probably become desensitized to them; even though she had often used them only as a way of playful teasing and trivial matters, she had never meant them more than when she said them now.

"Shinji… you idiot!" With that, she stormed out of the break room, fists clenched at her sides.

***

Asuka, Shinji, Toji and Hikari all sat in the airport terminal. Both Asuka and Shinji had promised to see their friends off on the trip, and broken ribs or no, Shinji was determined to keep it.

"I knew I should have walked you to NERV," said Toji dejectedly. "You might not have gotten beat up, if I had."

"It's not your fault," replied Shinji.

"You got that right." Asuka cut him off. "You shouldn't have to babysit him. If he doesn't know enough to kick their asses, he deserves to get beat up!"

Hikari changed the subject before Shinji could reply, handing him some papers. "Here are some of your duties as acting class representative, Shinji. You're sure that you can handle this?"

"Yes," deadpanned Shinji.

Hikari continued. "Mainly, it's just the duty assignments and such. I've put Akira in charge of evacuation, so meet with him to determine effective routes and drill times, okay?"

"Yes," deadpanned Shinji.

"One last thing," added Hikari.

"What's that?"

Hikari smiled. "Cheer up! Things won't seem so bad tomorrow!"

An announcement came over the PA. "The 7:15 flight outbound for Okinawa is now boarding. All passengers please report to gate 5B."

Hikari got up. "Well, that's our flight." She went over to Asuka and hugged her. "Take care of Shinji, okay?" she whispered.

"Don't worry. I will," replied Asuka.

"See you in two weeks." Toji clasped Shinji's hand. "And if those jerks are still bothering you when I get back, I'll give 'em a whap on the head!"

Hikari laughed. "Come on, Tarzan. We don't want to miss the flight." The couple picked up their bags and left.

***

From outside the airport, Asuka and Shinji watched as the jet took off. "Well, there they go," said Asuka, gazing at the plane. "Off for two weeks of surf, sun, and fun."

"Yeah," murmured Shinji.

Asuka turned to Shinji. "Well, you certainly seem happy for them," she remarked sardonically. "Is the mantle of acting class rep weighing on you already?"

"No. I was just thinking. Wouldn't it be nice if we could go on vacation for once? Just get away from it all. If only for a few days."

"Except in your case, it wouldn't be 'for a few days.'"

Shinji frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Asuka gave Shinji a severe look. "I know you, Shinji. With everything that's been going on in the past month, you wouldn't want to come back. You'd stay in Okinawa until the cows came home."

Shinji's eyes narrowed. "So what? What's wrong with wanting to be someplace other than where your problems are? And anyway, you wouldn't care."

"Excuse me?" Asuka's eyes were wide with surprise. Slowly, her hands began to ball up at her sides. "Listen, Third Child, I happen to care about you very deeply! If I didn't, I wouldn't care what Akito and Hiryu did to you!"

Shinji blinked. "Why?"

"Why?" Asuka repeated. "It's because..." She trailed off and looked away. "I don't know," she said flatly.

"What do you mean, 'you don't know?'" asked Shinji incredulously. He sighed. Enough of this. It's time for the direct approach. No matter how painful it might be, I have to find out where we stand. "Asuka... do you have a crush on me?" he blurted. God, that sounded stupid.

"This is better than a soap opera," came Hiryu's voice from ten feet away. Asuka and Shinji both turned at the sound of the two bullies coarse laughter.

Asuka stamped her foot. "Hey, jerk! This is an A-B conversation! So C your way out of here, dummkopf!"

Akito stepped forward. "Make me," he growled.

"I'm sick of this." Asuka's voice was barely above a whisper. "Since the year started, you've picked on my classmates. I always wondered when you'd start in on me or a loved one. Now, you ruin something I've been looking forward to since that day..." she trailed off. Suddenly, her voice rose as high and as loud as it ever had. "You picked the wrong girl on the wrong day, bonehead!" With that, she launched herself at Akito.

But this time, Akito was prepared.

Shinji watched numbly as Asuka committed to a somersault kick toward Akito. With cold deliberation, Akito neatly sidestepped, backhanding Asuka in the face. With a grunt, she fell to the ground.

She didn't get up.

A white spark lit up behind Shinji's eyes as he saw Asuka's still form, face mercifully away from him. She must have landed the wrong way. Her neck... No!

But it was the only thing he could think of. Asuka was...gone.

Without warning, the white light began to play memories.

"That was very nice, Shinji," said Asuka as she applauded his cello playing.

Gone.

"Look," said Asuka. "In the unlikely event that we defeat this thing... Misato can't afford any of these places, and none of them serve vegetarian dishes for Rei. Besides, if we do pull this off, it'll be Misato's strategy. Why don't we just let her take us to a ramen place and call it even?"

Gone...

Asuka put her arms around Shinji in a gentle hug.

Gone...

Asuka lay in her bed, just awoken from the coma. "I love you," she whispered in his ears.

Gone...

"Listen, Third Child, I happen to care about you very deeply!"

Gone...

The white light behind his eyes glowed red...

Gone...

His hands balled into fists...

Gone...

All of the stress and repressed emotions of the past month erupted like a volcano.

Gone... Gone... GONE!

Shinji launched himself into the air toward Akito in the form of a martial-arts kick. His senses barely registered the impact when he connected, his ears barely registered the cracking sound of Akito's knee as it bent backwards.

Hiryu tried to come to the aid of his friend, but before he could Shinji let loose an uppercut which rendered him unconscious. Then he turned back to Akito.

The dark-haired thug was in pain. He rolled around, clutching at the knee where Shinji had kicked him. Blood seeped through his fingers as he screamed in agony.

Still, this was not enough to quench the berserk Eva Pilot. With a fierce war howl, he charged at the downed Akito, jumping on him, kneeing him in the stomach. His teeth clenched and his throat dry, he wrapped his hands around Akito's throat and squeezed.

"Bastard son of a bitch murderer you killed Asuka bastard..." Shinji spoke in tongues that he only understood on his subconscious level. Deep within himself, he wondered if this was how Unit 01 had felt that fateful day when he'd first piloted it. "Die bastard die you son of a..."

"Shinji."

It was Asuka's voice. Asuka's ghost. Telling him to finish the job. That made him feel better.

"Shinji."

He could hear her plainly, crying out to him. This was what she'd wanted from the start. She'd be proud.

"Shinji!"

An unseen force pulled him away from Akito. He spun around…

…and found himself staring directly into the face of Asuka. Her left eye was blackened, and the way she gripped him proved she was no ghost.

Shinji's vision began to blur with hot tears as his jaw worked, attempting to form all of what he felt into any words the Japanese language could allow. "Asuka, you're... I thought... Oh, God!" The tears began to flow down his cheeks. Sobbing, he buried his face in Asuka's shoulder.

***

"I hope you realize what you've done," Misato admonished Shinji that evening. The two were in the living room, discussing the incident at the airport.

"Yes, I know," said Shinji. "And I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" cried Misato. "Do you realize that that boy is going to live out the rest of his life as a cripple because of what you did? Hell, you almost killed him! If Asuka hadn't intervened when she did, you'd have been a murderer! Do you want that?"

"No," answered Shinji.

Misato softened. "You see, Shinji? This is what happens when you bottle up your emotions like that. It just builds and builds, until finally something triggers it to explode. Maybe, had you stood up to them from day one, this wouldn't have happened." She sighed. "Well, we can talk about this later. Right now, I want you to go to your room and get some rest. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," said Shinji, getting up.

He wasn't in his room more than five minutes when a small tap came at the door. "Hey Shinji, are you decent?" Asuka's voice came through the wall.

"Yeah. Come in if you're coming."

The door slid open, and Asuka trudged in holding an ice pack to her eye. She sat down on the bed next to him. "Man. I was hoping you'd beat them up, but I didn't expect you to go ballistic! What were you thinking?"

"I thought you were dead." Shinji's voice was barely above a whisper.

"You thought I was what?" Asuka giggled. "Shinji, do you honestly think that I could get killed from being hit in the face?"

"Er... well... It seemed reasonable at the time. And then all of these memories just came flooding into my head. Every good thing you've ever done. Any time you were nice to me. All of them at once. And I thought... 'I'm never going to see her again.' And I hated that feeling, Asuka. Even worse than being kicked around. And then, when I thought that, I just... snapped."

Asuka gently caressed his cheek, her eyes sincere. "Don't be stupid. No one is taking me away from you."

Shinji took her hand. "There's something else. Asuka... Would you be my girlfriend? I know this may seem sudden... but... well..."

Asuka didn't wait for him to finish what he was saying. Her answer came in the form of a kiss full on the mouth. They had kissed before, but it had always been playful, joking. This kiss was neither of these.

The door opened, and Misato peeked her head in. Abruptly the two broke off and looked at her.

Misato smiled. "Well it's about time!"

To Be Continued

Next Episode:

Rei Ayanami has never really been the assertive type, and so her combat experience is virtually nil. But when an Angel that is nearly identical to the Third Angel attacks Tokyo-3, Misato uses this as an opportunity to give Rei some command experience. However, with leadership comes responsibility, and when this seemingly routine mission becomes tragic, it's Rei who takes the blame. It's in the next episode:

And the Meek Shall Inherit the Earth

Afterword

Well, here it is, not too behind schedule, the fifth in the series. I hope you liked it. And yes, this is the episode where Shinji and Asuka get together (much to the distress of the Rei fans. Don't worry though. She'll get some, too. Trust me. There are plenty of baloney ponies in the world.)

This is a departure from the rest of the series, since this one is actually a (gasp) Shinji-centric fic, and I'm usually an Asuka writer. But in this case, it was essential, since I spent the first four fics mainly dealing with how Asuka feels about Shinji, and I had to see things from the other side of the coin.

I finally have a small list of the working Arc Plots of the fic. Here they are:

· Shinji and Asuka, and Gendo's involvement with

· Asuka and Kaworu

· Rei's conflicting personalities

· NERV versus Japan/JASDF and Mana (yes, that wasn't just an OOC cameo)

· Toji and Hikari

· Shigeru and Maya (to be resolved early next fanfic)

Points of Interest:

Historical Note

Just for the record, High Chancellor Antonio Inoki is in fact named for the real-life Antonio Inoki, a (former?) member of the Japanese Parliament, a veteran wrestler, and the owner of the New Japan wrestling promotion. Note that while I'm borrowing the name, any other similarities to him by this character are strictly coincidental.

Name Droppings

Sgt. Morgan Elson, Jason D. Sullivan aka Ottoman_27's ACC from "Rei's Odd Day" gets a name check, as does Dr. Sadamoto from "Asuka Versus Herself."

Kaji

To me, it just seems right that Kaji have some kind of rank in the JASDF. (This is who he's working for as a spy in my fics.) Don't ask me why, but Major sounds right to me.

(His name is) Shingeru Aoba

In one of Enigma-O's fanfics, she states that she doesn't know the name of "that long haired guy". Whether she was telling the truth, or doing it as a commentary on how everyone skips over him, I wasn't sure, but I've decided to do a mini-arc with him from 4-6. I gave him a little back story, saying that he was divorced. We might get more on that next episode, but if we don't-no biggie, right?

Deliberate "Misspellings"

Okay, this has been going on for about five or six fics, now, and I thought I'd address it, since if I don't, someone else will. Two misspellings: I've been spelling "Sohryu" "Soryu". Why? Well, first of all, I think it looks nicer, and because in episode 22, you can clearly see on her harmonics window: "Asuka Langley Soryu" spelled exactly that way. I absolutely refuse to spell Soryu with an "h".

"Toji" isn't really a misspelling of "Touji", either. In episode 14, it says as a caption, "Excerpt from the notebook of Toji Suzuhara." However, I'm not as prejudiced against "Touji" as I am "Sohryu," so I spell it the standard way in all of my stand alone Eva-fics (i.e. "Stacy Rowe, Evangelion Pilot"). I think that this is all related to the reason that Kara Wild spells "Eep" "Eap". (Kara Wild's an author whose fanfic continuum is an influence on how I try to create mine, in case you were wondering.)

And as always, thanks for reading!