Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Practice ❯ Inexperience ( Chapter 5 )

“'Afternoon, Mr. Akagawa.” Shinji said as he walked into his Strings class.

He was always the first one to come to Strings, since his History class was down the hall. “Hello, Shinji.” Shinji was about to go and put his bag down by his seat when Mr. Akagawa spoke again. “I want to talk to you about something.”

Oh, no, he's found out somehow. Was the only thing Shinji could think. “You made use of the practice room last class, while everyone else was here watching a movie. I admire your initiative, and so, here.” Mr. Akagawa gave Shinji a key. “This is the key to unlock the practice rooms. It's yours for as long as I'm here.”

“Really? Thank you, sir... but are you sure you...” Shinji trailed off.

“Yes, I've already talked it over with the administration, they decided that it was fine to give you the key since it only unlocks the practice rooms, and you need to get into the drama room or this room first to have access to the rooms anyway. Just don't lose it.” Mr. Akagawa smiled.

“I won't, sir.”

Students were starting to file into the class. “You can go to the practice rooms whenever you like, or you can stay here and take some time off when you feel like it. Your choice.”

“Thanks, sir.” Shinji said again as he picked up his cello and walked to the door that led to the practice room hallway.

Shinji walked through the door and then leaned back against it, breathing heavily. Okay, false alarm, you can quit beating so hard now. He tried to tell his heart as he walked to the end of the hallway.

He was halfway to the last practice room when a thought hit him and he froze in his tracks... No. He thought, resuming his pace. Coincidence the first time, I doubt she'd be here again.

He tried to look into the room through the tiny window set into the door, but he couldn't see anything in the pitch-blackness. If I'm so worried about catching Motowa again, Shinji thought as he opened the door, Why am I still going in this room?

Kicking the door closed and flicking the light on, he glanced around the room. He let out a sigh of relief as it was blessedly empty. Setting his SDAT player on top of the piano, he continued to think about Motowa as he sat down and arranged his music on the stand in the room. Am I really as ecchi as Asuka makes me out to be, hoping to walk in and see someone doing that again?

Shinji began to play, the cello section of an orchestral version of Fly Me to the Moon filling the air in the tiny room. No, he decided. I just wanted to see Motowa again.

He paused for half a note as realization hit him. I wanted to see Motowa again... I've been thinking about her ever since I walked in on her here... I could get used to being a good friend of hers... or maybe more than that?

Shinji thought about what Motowa said at the mall. “`I count myself in nothing else so happy as in a soul remembering my good friends.'” Motowa's voice echoed in his mind, unconsciously slowing his playing by a half a beat-per-minute or so.

“I'm a good friend?” Shinji's memory replied.

“Well, you have to be that before you can be--”

The clicking sound of a door being opened startled Shinji, and he winced as his bow slipped, producing what could only be described as the mating call of an exotic bird as the strings were rubbed in entirely the wrong way. “Ooh, sorry,” A familiar voice said, closing the door again.

Shinji blinked as he recognized the voice after a second. He set down his cello carefully and opened the door again. Motowa was already halfway down the corridor. “Motowa?” Shinji called out.

Motowa stopped in her tracks and turned around. “Shinji?” Even in the dim light, the blush on her face was evident. “Sorry, I didn't know it was you in there, or I would have come in.”

Shinji had been walking down the hallway towards Motowa, but stopped as he heard that. He blushed at the memory of what had happened the last time the two of them were in that practice room, as well as the thought of it possibly occurring again, though he'd never admit that thought to anyone else.

Motowa snickered in embarrassment. “Shinji!” She jokingly chided.

Shinji himself started to laugh nervously. “Sorry...”

“You like me, don't you?” She giggled, walking back towards him, only really meaning it as a joke.

Shinji blushed even deeper, the laughter dying away. “Yes, I think I do.”

It was Motowa's turn to freeze in her tracks once again. “You do?”

“Yeah.” Shinji said. “I haven't been able to keep you out of my thoughts for the last four days. Heck, I couldn't even fully concentrate on my music, I was thinking about when I met you at the mall.”

Motowa resumed her walk towards Shinji. “I've been thinking about you a lot, too,” She said as she reached the Third Child. “And...” She trailed off as she leaned forward and kissed Shinji.

All of Shinji's muscles immediately locked up in their current position, save for his heart, which sped up rapidly. At Shinji's reaction, Motowa pulled back. “Oh, I'm sorry, Shinji, I'm being too forward, aren't I?”

It took a full second for Shinji to actually hear Motowa, and another two to parse it, but when he did he spoke on impulse. “No, no... I wasn't expecting it, that was all...”

Motowa's eyes were downcast. “Gomen nasai...” She said, starting to turn around.

Shinji acted quickly, grabbing Motowa's wrist to stop her. Her head snapped up to look directly into Shinji's eyes, seeing a strange emotion in the seas of bottomless blue. “I just wasn't expecting it...” Shinji repeated as he tilted his head and leaned forward.

Their lips met, and this time it was Motowa's turn to lock up, her brain overloading at the electric sensation it produced. Shinji pulled away again after a few seconds.

The two students stared at each other for what seemed like ages. Finally, Shinji began to chuckle. “What?” Motowa asked.

“That was my first kiss.” Shinji replied.

“It was?” Motowa said, then blushed deeply. “You... you're a natural.”

Shinji chuckled again. “Thank you.”

More silence. “So now what happens?” Motowa asked.

Shinji glanced at his watch. “Um, I'd like to continue practicing my cello... if you'd like to come listen, you can.”

“Okay.” Motowa said, following Shinji into the room again.

Shinji picked up his cello and began playing. “You know the song Fly me to the Moon?”

“I think so...” Motowa said before clearing her throat. “Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars...”

Motowa's voice was quite a bit off-key, but Shinji wasn't about to say anything. If anything, his was worse. “That's the one.” He said.

“I know, my singing is terrible.” Motowa said apologetically.

“Don't worry about it,” Shinji said, “mine is worse...” Shinji sang the next two lines of the song. “Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars...”

“We're a fine duo, aren't we? Between the two of us, I think we'll get most of the windows in the school at this rate.” Motowa said dryly.

Shinji laughed as he started playing.

---

“Why can't you tell me?”

“I'm sorry, Motowa, but it's classified. I'd love to tell you, really, I would, but I really don't need Section Two hunting the both of us down.”

Motowa's eyes widened. “Is it really that bad?”

“When they say `Top Secret', they mean it.”

Shinji's watch beeped. “And that's the end of class.” He got up and stretched. “Wow, that didn't seem like a whole period.”

“Time flies when you're having fun?” Motowa offered, getting to her feet herself.

“Nah, better than that.” Shinji replied.

“Hm?”

“`Sit with a pretty girl and two hours seem like two minutes. Sit on a hot stove and two minutes seem like two hours. That's relativity.'”

Motowa blushed. “You think I'm pretty?”

“You're kidding me, right? You're absolutely beautif--oof!”

Shinji felt the rest of the air in his lungs leave in a whoosh as he was suddenly pulled into a crushing hug by Motowa. “Thank you...” Motowa said. “You don't know how much that means to me...”

Motowa pulled back and gave Shinji a quick peck on the cheek before letting go of him again. “Are you doing anything after class?”

Shinji thought for a second before he realized that he indeed had prior engagements. “Synch test.”

“Oh. Well, there's always tomorrow.” She smiled. “Hey, do you lug that thing home every day?” She said, pointing to Shinji's cello, still on its side on the ground.

“No, I only do that when I have a reason to. Why?”

“Well... do you want to know how a secret way of getting out of here?”

“Huh? Uh, ok...”

“Good. Go put your cello away and meet me at the second practice room.”

Shinji nodded and walked out the door with his cello, wondering what kind of secret way would exist to get outside the school, and how Motowa knew about it in the first place.

---

...but I can't tell you, because you're not a monk.

Anyways, I'm horribly sorry for cliffhanging like this, but I'm trying to keep these chapters roughly the same length. But look on the bright side, it took me one day to write this chapter! I could have another one out tomorrow!

Or it could be two weeks like Chapter 4's update.

Nah, I know how the next chapter'll pan out. I'll start on the next chapter as soon as this one is posted.

By the by, I did some photomanip work on a picture of Misato to come up with a sketch of Motowa. It can be found at http://tinyurl.com/7nrjm. A comparison (IE, the original) picture of Misato is on the right.