Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Between the Fiery Mind and Cold Heart ❯ A Newcomer in Class ( Chapter 8 )

Between the Fiery Mind and Cold Heart

Note: I'm in debt to you reviewers for your opinions on this story. It looks like I've got legions of Rei and Asuka fans pouring in this story's reviews! As I mentioned previously in Chapter 7, make your pick on which girl is best suited for Shinji to be with and tell me your opinion. That'll help me determine the climax for this story >_<.

I've settled Shinji, Asuka, Rei, Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke in 2nd Year High School at Tokyo High, with section 2-1 as their year level. Oh yeah, I've started work on my second fanfic and it'll be posted soon in Gatekeepers. It's called 'A Rising Power: Your Heart'. I'm at hard work on that fanfic starting it up, so please bear your patience. Hopefully, it'll be up in a matter of days. I'm exercising my brain to get more ideas on that, due to writer's block. Gomen.

And now, on with the story!

Chapter 8 - A Newcomer in Class

Legend:

Word - denotes character's thoughts

<Word> - denotes sound effect

[Word] - denotes concept of setting, time

[March 13, 2015, Monday]

<RI----------NG>

"Muwaaahhhh… yeah, yeah… I know."

Shinji rubbed off sleep from his eyes as he turned his alarm clock off. He groggily checked the time --- 7:00 AM. Ah shoot, I'll have to hurry, or I might miss my usual walk with Asuka to school. Hmm… I hope she's still not upset about yesterday…damn, he thought. He went to the bathroom and fixed himself up. He returned to his room and changed into his school uniform. He checked the necessary contents of his backpack --- 3 regular notebooks, a pencil case, calculator, ruler, and his schoolbooks.

"Sigh… another usual school day, I guess," he said to himself.

He checked himself on his mirror posted on his bedroom wall. As he stared at his reflection, a flashback of him running right into Rei with his messed-up state ran through his mind (Author: refer to Chapter 4: A Peaceful Time with Ayanami for info). Rei… ha, ha, ha… yeah I remember that, he smiled at the thought. After a last look at himself, he proceeded downstairs to the dining room for breakfast.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, otousan, okasan," he greeted his parents.

"Good morning," Gendo greeted with a nod. He was already helping himself with the deliciously cooked meal served.

"Good morning to you, Shinji," Yui greeted sweetly back.

Shinji sat himself down and joined in.

"Mmm… it tastes delicious, mom! What did you made this time?" he asked as he took a bite out of the meal.

"Oh that? Well, it's scrambled eggs, bacon, fried rice, with bread and butter. I figured I'd experiment cooking this western-style of meal for breakfast. Eat up!" Yui said, ruffling her son's hair.

After around 15 minutes of eating, they finished breakfast. As Yui started gathering their plates to the kitchen, Shinji decided to lend a hand to her.

"Mom, allow me," he said, picking up the rest of the plates and carrying them to the kitchen sink.

"Shinji, you don't have to. Besides, you'll be late for your class," she retorted.

"Mom, it's ok, I don't mind helping you out. I can't have you do all the household chores just by yourself, no?" he grinned. Shinji… you're so full of life. I thank God to have you as my son, Yui thought happily. With that said, he helped his mom with the dishes. After being done with them, he wiped his hands off with a rag tied to their refrigerator's handle. He checked his watch --- 7:35 AM.

"Yikes! I better head over to Asuka's place right away for our walk," he said to himself. He gave his parents goodbye --- kissing his mom on the cheek and giving his dad a quick hug ---, grabbed his backpack, and ran next door to the Sohryu residence.

"Sigh… dear, our son is always full of life, right?" Yui asked her husband after Shinji slammed the front door in a hurry.

"Yes he is, Yui. Though he takes after you, I could see something of me in him as well," he replied. He set aside the newspaper he was reading and readied his things for work. "I wonder… well, Yui, I'm off."

"Take care, dear. How's the office?"

"Hmm… still the same, they're introducing new biomedical machines to be installed in hospitals nationwide. Within the next few months, their shipment will start."

"My aren't you a workaholic. That's what I loved about you before we got married."

Yui wrapped her arms around him and looked at his eyes.

"I'm afraid so… the same thing with me about you as well."

Gendo smiled and had his arms around by her waist. They remained in that stance and savored the moment.

[Sohryu Residence]

Shoot… I hope Asuka's not in a fit for me being late for our walk, Shinji thought as he approached at the front door of the Sohryu residence. He pressed the doorbell.

<DING-DONG>

"Good morning! Oh, it's you Shinji! Well, Asuka's ready and she's quite… excited to see you," greeted Kyoko.

"Excited? Humph, you baka, what's keeping you so long? Come on, we'll be late!" Asuka exclaimed, coming out. She gripped around his arm and pulled him towards her. "Bye mama!" She waved goodbye to her mom.

"Take care you two, don't be late!" Kyoko said as she watched the two teens faded out of view. Seems like she's happier whenever he's around her, she smiled at the thought.

"Woah! S-S-Slow down Asuka!" Shinji exclaimed, as Asuka was dragging him along in a hurry. Either she's back to her usual self, or she's mad at me, he thought.

"It's your fault for waking up late, you baka! That's why I'm dragging you with me like this!" she replied.

"'Waking up late'? But I just got up early! I-I-It was j-just my mom's cooking that made me take my time in breakfast!"

"Humph! Well, in any case we'd better hurry or we'll be late! And also," she suddenly stopped and embraced him, "If you were early before, then we could have taken our time before walking to school… like this."

"Asuka…" Shinji wrapped his arms around by her waist. "Gomen nasai. Next time I won't be late for our walk, ok?" He locked his eyes at hers and she nodded back in reply. Hmm… this may not be the right time, but I can't help it, she thought. She placed a small kiss on his lips. Shinji's eyes went wide in surprise and he smiled.

"And… that should remind you not to be late for our walk." She smiled slyly. She held her hands over his and resumed their frantic rush to class.

"H-H-Hey! Matte!" Shinji exclaimed. What was that about, he thought, confused.

[Tokyo-3 High]

Inside the classroom of section 2-1, most of the respective students gathered inside for their first period of class. At one particular corner of the classroom, the jock, otaku, and the Class Rep were in discussion, as they waited for the arrival of Shinji and Asuka.

"Where's Shin-man? It's not like him to be late as usual for class," Touji wondered.

Kensuke, who was hacking through the school's files in his classroom laptop, said, "Maybe the red-haired devil had something planned for him."

"Humph. Yeah, it's as if she's worked over him. Why is she such a pain in the… OW, OW, OW!" the jock winced from the 'ear pinch of doom' by his girlfriend, who was seated next to him.

"And you were saying what about her?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"U-uh n-nothing! Sorry!" he meekly apologized.

"That's better. Maybe she and Shinji are taking their time walking here. I remember her complaining of him being late for their daily walk. Perhaps it's their daily ritual," she said, releasing her grip on his ear. "You look so cute when you're like that," she smiled at her boyfriend who was still wincing in pain.

Kensuke rolled his eyes over at the loving sight of the couple. "Oh boy… I feel sorry for you, dude, when you're punished by her like that," he said.

"And what that's supposed to mean?" Hikari turned her eyes like pointed daggers at the otaku.

"Eeek… back to work!" he exclaimed, as he resumed his work on his laptop.

The jock cupped his brightly colored earlobe (due to the 'ear pinch of doom') with one hand as he held his girlfriend's hand with the other. Hikari turned her attention toward her ailing boyfriend and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how he got Ayanami to open up to him?" Touji asked.

"Rei? He got her to open up to him? What do you mean?" the Class Rep asked. The two stooges explained the details to her. "Wow… I didn't know he'd take an interest in her," she wondered.

"Well actually, it was she that took an interest in him first. She invited him over at her place. Shinji told us that they just talked and that was that," Kensuke replied. The trio looked over at Rei, who was sitting near the windows and in her 'stare-out-of-the-window' mode. But before Hikari could ask more, a clatter of footsteps were heard at the entrance of the classroom. The two teens arrived and they looked worn out.

"Hah, hah… you… baka, we… made it," Asuka said, catching her breath.

"I… guess… so," Shinji said, his hands on his knees and bending slightly down to catch his breath as well.

"Hey you two! What took you long?" Hikari asked. Rei, though staring out on the window, produced a small smile as she looked with the corner of her eye at her love. The two made their way towards the trio and took their seats.

"Mein gott! I nearly got late if it wasn't for this idiot! He had to take his sweet time digesting breakfast!" Asuka exclaimed at Shinji, who flinched at her complaining voice. Sigh… yep, she's her usual self all right, but… happy, he smiled.

"Asuka… my mom's breakfast was delicious! I couldn't get enough of it," he argued back.

"Why couldn't you let him take his time eating breakfast in peace, you red-haired devil?" Touji exclaimed.

"Why you, stooge!" Asuka retorted.

The two bore 'killer' eyes at one another. An anime-style sweatdrop appeared behind the others' heads. "Oh boy… they're at it again. SUZUHURA!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Yikes! S-S-Sorry, Class Rep, she's just pestering Shinji as usual," the jock said, looking defeated.

"Humph! Serves you right, stooge, for arguing with Asuka Langley Sohryu!" Asuka crossed her arms and looked away in triumph over their bickering.

<RI----------NG> The bell rang, signaling the start of classes. The principal walked inside the classroom.

"Rise, bow, and Sit." Hikari announced.

As the students took their seats, the principal began his announcement. "Cough… class, your professor, Mr. Ogawa, has been admitted to the hospital due to an illness. So, I've decided for someone to fill in his place," he gestured with his left hand open, "Please meet Misato Katsuragi, your new professor."

A lady stepped inside and introduced herself. "Hello class! Please to meet you all!" She greeted with a wave of her hand. Having purple-colored, long hair, an appealing face, an AMAZING body curve, and a somewhat sultry-like voice, she was gorgeous. The female students looked at her with envy while the male students had their jaws dropped down like bricks and eyes popping out from their sockets, taking in the view of their professor. The class's reaction was instant.

"Damn… check out that body!" Touji whispered to Shinji, who was dumbstruck to see a gorgeous professor. His eyes traveled upwards and downwards, admiring his professor's physical features. No words came out from his mouth. A small trickle of blood came out from his nose and he immediately wiped it off with his handkerchief.

Humph, I can't believe he's like this. Men, Hikari frowned as she saw her boyfriend juggling his eyes up and down on the professor. Rei and Asuka frowned too as they saw their object of interest reacting quite 'naturally' in the professor's sight. Shinji… sigh, well, I guess it's usual for guys like you to react that way, Rei thought. That baka… humph, I'm prettier as she is! Asuka thought, as she looked at the new professor with a jealous eye.

"AHEM," the principal stated, getting the class's attention, "Well, I guess I leave the rest to you, professor Katsuragi." He left the classroom.

"Alright! Let me check here in your previous professor's lesson planner to see where he left off," Misato said as she scanned on the pages of the planner that was on the previous professor's desk, "Hmm… let's see here… an Algebra lecture on notations." She closed the planner and looked at the class. "From what your previous professor wrote in this planner, it looks like we'll start today's lesson in Algebra, on notations." Groans and sighs were exclaimed from the class. As she was about to write her name on the chalkboard for her small introduction to the class, the school secretary knocked the door.

<KNOCK, KNOCK>

"Yes?" Misato asked the secretary.

She handed in a small piece of paper with a name on it to her. "This name here is of a new student, who'll be joining this section. Make sure she's welcomed," she said. A girl walked inside and went next to the secretary. Having dark-brown long hair, purple eyes, and wearing a cool-looking eyeglass, she was pretty.

"Got it," Misato replied.

The secretary then left the classroom.

"Ahem… class, we have here a new student joining this section. So, make her feel welcome here, yeah?" Misato announced to the class.

The girl introduced herself with a smile. "My name's Megan Kimiko. Nice to meet you all!"

Shinji's eye went wide in surprise as his brain registered the new student's name. So that's Kensuke's chat mate from America? Wow… she looks prettier in person than in her picture, he thought. Goofy grins and raised eyebrows came from the boys while happy and curious looks came from the girls. He looked at the rest of his friends for their reaction:

Kensuke was smiling to himself as he finally saw his chat mate in person. Looks like he's glad to see her. I should ask him to get her to join us for lunch, Shinji thought.

The jock looked like a wolf looking for its prey as his eyes continued traveling up and down, admiring the newcomer's looks.

The Class Rep had an anime style small cross etched onto her forehead as she saw her boyfriend staring with interest at the newcomer. Her eyes turned into 'killer mode'. A sweat drop appeared behind Shinji's head. Ha, ha, is Touji going to get it later, he thought amusingly.

Rei looked at the new student for a minute, as if studying her, and resumed to her 'stare-outside-the-window' mode.

Asuka had a look of jealousy and uncertainty as she watched the new student.

"As to your seating arrangement, Megan, let me see… you'll be seating next to Shinji Ikari right there," Misato said, her arm outstretched with her hand pointing at her seat. H-huh? She's seating next to me? Crap… I hope Kensuke's not taking it the wrong way, Shinji thought, as he saw the otaku's smile turn into a frown. Megan walked up to her spot and sat down. Shinji decided to make a small chat with her.

"Hi there! My name's Shinji Ikari," he introduced himself to her.

"Please to meet you, Shinji. The class looks welcoming here," she replied.

"Ha, ha, well, they're like that when it comes to new students, I suppose. So you must be my friend Kensuke's chat mate from America, I presume?"

"Kensuke? Yes, we met over the Internet three months ago."

"Why did you plan to study here for high school instead of there?"

" I came back from America because of my parents who're working here in Tokyo. They told me that I should finish high school here than in the States. And so, here I am."

"Ah… souka."

Misato picked up the chalk and wrote her name on the chalkboard.

"My name's Misato Katsuragi. You can call me Misato, or 'professor Katsuragi' sounds fine. From now on, I'll be your professor. Don't worry kids, we'll get along just fine! I'll try to make each of your classes exciting and fun to learn as well," she said, sitting down on the desk. She crossed her long, sexy legs and smiled seductively with a mischievous wink. It was almost as if she was doing a pose. Many of the male students mustered all of their willpower to stop their nosebleeds. Only a few barely made it while the rest immediately went for their handkerchiefs and wiped their trace of arousal ^_^.

"He, he, okay class, now that we're done with the introductions, let's move on our lecture on notations for our Algebra period," Misato said, her voice switching from sweet to commanding. She began to write the pointers of the topic on the chalkboard. Hmm… an interesting day we're having. Sigh, Shinji thought, as he rolled over his eyes on the sudden change of the class atmosphere.

[Lunch break - 12:00 PM, outside campus of Tokyo-3 High]

<R----------ING>

The school bell rang, signaling start of lunch break. Immediately all the students scattered outside their classrooms and into the outside campus. Most flocked to the food canteen stationed nearby while the others huddled together in groups looking for their spots to eat. Shinji took out the obento his mom made out of his backpack and looked outside of the window in the classroom.

"Better head to my usual place then. Sigh… at least I'll get some peace."

With his obento in hand, he left the classroom and went towards his usual spot in the lonesome sakura cherry-blossom tree. He opened his obento and was about to take his first bite of the delicious contents made (Author: <stomach grumbling> I better grab a bite to eat as well!) when he felt a hand resting on his shoulder.

"Shinji-kun?" A beautiful voice said. Shinji turned around to find his girlfriend Rei, smiling at him. She was carrying an obento in hand.

"Rei-chan… please, sit down," he said, smiling back as well. She sat next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and snuggling on his shoulder. Shinji inhaled the fresh scent of her hair as he set his chopsticks aside.

"Shinji-kun? What do you think of the new professor?" Rei asked.

"W-Well, I find her to be attractive and bubbly. I guess she changed the class atmosphere," he replied.

"'Bubbly'? What do you mean by that?"

"When I looked at her in first glance, there's this feeling I get… like she's going to be looking forward to an exciting time in her job."

"I see."

"So, what do you have over there?" Shinji mentioned toward the obento Rei had in hand.

"Oh this? Umm…" Rei shyly handed in the obento to him, "This is for you… I hope you like it. I made it myself this morning." He opened it to see what she made --- packed rice balls, sushi, egg rolls, and fried rice. He took a taste on each of them.

"<Chew, chew> Mmm… this is delicious!" he exclaimed.

She blushed on his reaction. "Arigato. It's my first time in making this for you. Do you want me to make this for you every school day?"

"No, it's ok. I appreciate it though. I want you to enjoy your own obento as well. Besides my mom's packing a lot in my obento." He pointed at his obento he opened a while ago.

"Oh… I understand. But I'm glad you liked it though."

"Rei-chan… anything from you is good, yeah? Come on, let's settle ourselves to these deliciously packed meals."

Shinji held her hand and placed it against his cheek, feeling its soft texture. Rei could only giggle and smile at his action. They then settle themselves to their lunch. Unfortunately, interruption had to occur once more.

"Hey Shin-man! Mind if we join along the both of you?" asked a voice from behind. Shinji turned around to find Touji, Kensuke, and Megan.

"O-Oh? Uh, sure, we don't mind," he replied.

The three settled themselves around the couple. Shinji noticed the otaku and newcomer sitting within a close distance next each other. Well, well, well… I'd never thought Kensuke could hit it off, he thought. Rei frowned upon seeing her private time with her love being interrupted. Shinji noticed this and whispered to her ear, "Hey, don't be like that. Listen, how about we go out this Saturday? My treat, anywhere you suggest. And besides, I think it's time you should open up to others slowly, yeah? Just listen to their conversation. Hopefully you'll get adjusted to them." Rei's frown turned into a slight smile and she nodded. She held his hand tightly to convey her response to him.

"So Shin-man, looks like you and Ayanami are getting personal, eh?" The jock asked him with a raised eyebrow and goofy grin. Shinji rolled over his eyes. Sigh… I'm getting annoyed of keeping my relationship with Rei in secret. I might as well let them know, he thought.

He whispered to Rei, "I think it's about time we made our relationship in public. Is that okay with you?" Their feel of their intertwined hands conveyed her response. He looked straight at her eyes.

Rei then answered the jock in a cheerful tone, "Yes, Suzuhura, Ikari… no, Shinji-kun and I were enjoying our time together as a couple."

The two stooges' jaws dropped like falling bricks and eyes turned into saucers.

"Did I say something wrong?" she asked.

"No Rei-chan, you didn't. It's just… a surprise to them," Shinji answered, sighing dejectedly.

"'Kun'? 'Chan'? …SHINJI YOU SLY DOG!" The two stooges exclaimed. In an instant, the jock had Shinji in a headlock while the otaku shook his hand.

"H-H-Hey! You guys! L-LET ME GO!" Shinji exclaimed. After a few seconds, they managed to calm down.

"Okay you guys, before you two start blasting me with questions, I'll say a few things: a.) Yes, me and Rei are now a couple; b.) No, it wasn't like THAT; and c.) Well, that's that." Shinji stated, removing any curious questions the two stooges might form. "Ok, now that's over with, how about you guys?"

"Well, Shin-man, we figured we'd join you and let Megan here tell us more about herself." The jock thumbed at Megan.

"Where's Hikari? She's usually with you at this time,"

"She and the German devil had to do an errand given by our new professor. Speaking of which, here they come,"

Asuka and Hikari arrived and joined the group. The Class Rep sat on the jock's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. The two smiled at each other before shifting their attention towards the others.

"Well, well, I guess I don't need to say much about the two of you," Shinji commented on the loving position the two were on.

They blushed on his comment.

"Where were you girls?" he asked.

"Well, professor Katsuragi had us help her with the paperwork and check with the class list of the students of our section. She seems very friendly and cheerful as we helped her," Hikari said.

"Friendly and cheerful --- yep, those are the two words that describe that babe… ow, ow, ow! Okay, okay, that 'babe' meant you, Class Rep!" Touji exclaimed as his ear received another pulling from her.

"That's better. I hope that 'babe' doesn't mean her, mister, so don't you forget it," Hikari warned sternly.

"Yes ma'am!" he meekly answered.

"Ha, ha! Busted, dude!" Kensuke laughed, as he ducked the jock's punch.

Asuka noticed the comfortable position her love and Rei were. Humph, two can play this game, she smirked. She seated herself next to Shinji on his other side.

"A-Asuka… how are you doing?" he asked. He was beginning to feel awkward as he had his two loves clinging onto him. Oh shoot. What a position I'm in, he thought.

"I'm always doing great each day, you baka," she replied. She secretly held his hand over hers as she sat close to him, snuggling against his other shoulder. Rei noticed her love's disposition and found his other hand held by Asuka. She frowned at her and the two ended up having a staring match while clinging to their respective sides of their love --- his left and right side to be precise.

"Uh… l-ladies, um, w-why don't we all get along and listen to our new classmate's story here?" Shinji awkwardly said to them both. Their staring match was broken up and they settled down comfortably next to their object of interest. Luckily the others didn't notice the situation. They were too busy to see it as they waited for Megan to explain her story.

"Well… let me say a few things about myself. I'm half-Japanese / half-American; I'm mostly close to my dad; he's Japanese while my mom's an American. Like Kensuke here, I'm an otaku and technology fanatic. I've started making my own inventions as my hobby!" Kensuke grinned at the similarity as Megan continued on.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but why study here in Tokyo-3 High?" Asuka asked.

"My dad's working as a scientist here in Japan. He's helped the country in some technological advances due to his research," Megan paused to catch her breath, "At that time, he and my mom were working regularly in America. My mom's a scientist also, but she's more onto medical technology, unlike my dad, who researches on ANY kind of field of research --- military, medicine, city planning, business, etc. Anyway, my dad got a call from NERV and they offered him a job as head researcher here in Japan. After thinking about it, he and my mom talked it over, and they agreed. Within 2 weeks they left for here and left me in the care of my aunt and uncle. After finishing 1st yr high school there, they called me to join them. And so, here I am."

"Wow, I didn't know your parents were so worked up as scientists. I guess it was kind of lonely not being with them while you were studying 1st yr high school there yeah?" Touji asked.

"Well, it was kind of. I had a few friends to keep me company aside from my aunt and uncle. School life there was fun and it was great to study and learn."

Hmm… somewhat like me… sounds similar, Shinji thought. He then remembered to ask her his question. "By the way, how did you meet with Kensuke at first? He told us that you two met over the Internet through chat."

"Oh that? He-he-he… yes we first met each other through mIRC when I surfed around the Internet. At first I thought he'd be one of those guys who're so persistent to know me. But when we started to chat with each other, I found out that he's a goofy, enjoyable guy to have as a friend." A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she said the last part. The otaku had his hand behind his head in slight embarrassment.

"Well, I'll be. Looks like you've scored a big one, dude!" Touji gave a light punch on the otaku's shoulder.

Asuka and Hikari then chatted with Megan while the two stooges discussed among themselves.

Shinji looked at Rei and saw a hint of loneliness on her face. He went up to her and said quietly, "Rei-chan, now's a chance to get in touch with other friends besides me. Go on there and join the girls and listen what they're talking about, okay?"

Rei nodded in response and gave a quick kiss on his cheek. She then joined the girls.

Shinji held his cheek and smiled. He then joined the two stooges and braced for their 'interrogation' on his relationship with Rei. Oh boy, talk about an awkward position. Thank kami-sama that the rest didn't see it, he thought at the staring match between the fiery princess and the ice queen.

The coming days were going to be interesting as well…

Author's Note: Whew! Finally got this chapter done. As promised, I've managed to get in Misato and Megan. From the class' reaction mentioned above, it looks like Misato is going to have an enjoyable time 'teaching'. But at least she changed the mood in an instant, no ;-)? Looks like Megan received a warm welcome by the gang and class. Yep, she's going to have an easy time making friends out from the gang ^_^.

The temperature is starting to rise as the competition for Shinji's heart is on, as shown in the short staring match between the fiery German/Japanese redhead and the icy blue-haired angel and their 'claim' on their love's side, as if marking him as a territory O_O. Ha, ha… just wanted to get the intrigue up, folks. Hopefully, it won't erupt into more violent means… ahem.

Coming up on the next chapter: Chapter 9 - A Boyfriend's Worry: Cancelled Plans. Expect some changes on the upcoming chapter titles. Until then… R+R! Thanks for your support, readers.