Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Nephilim Complex ❯ Kaji's Plan and Shinji's Dream ( Chapter 2 )

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It has been pointed out to me by a few people that they feel Asuka a little too out of character. Asuka here is based off a mix from the anime and the manga. To those who haven't read the manga, trust me when I say she is quite different there. Just as... Asuka... but a little more flippy, too. Fast, sudden changes in mood - and I believe kindness can be portrayed there, too. That's about all I'm taking from the manga that I am aware of, but there might be more. If there is, I'm sure someone will point it out.

I hope you enjoy it, and if anything confuses you, then I guess my work is done (just a little canon humour for you...)

Anyway, enjoy!

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Chapter Two: Kaji's Plan and Shinji's Dream

"His synch ratio has finally returned to where it was," Ritsuko said calmly, looking down at the results being displayed on her screen.

"Like I said," Misato said with a wave of a hand. "I knew school would do him good. Though I wish I knew what was getting him down in the first place," she added with a sigh.

"I do not think Pilot Ikari's education did anything for his testing," the dry voice of Rei came over the comm. system, and the two looked quickly to the screen that showed her impassive face looking at them. The screens with both Asuka and Shinji showed them both to have their heads down, like they were supposed to.

"Why not, Rei?" Misato asked after getting over the shock of the quiet pilot offering an opinion without being asked.

"Ikari did not spend much of the day in class, but rather spent it sitting on the roof of the building," she replied easily.

"And just how would you know that?" Asuka demanded from the scene beside her suddenly. "Did you go up to see him or something?"

"I was trying to help Ikari," Rei said in a monotone. "He seemed overly depressed during the morning and for the past several days, and it made me feel... uneasy."

"Hmm. Figures," Asuka said, muttering something else under her breath that was not picked up by the microphone.

"So you helped him, Rei?" Misato asked. "I am impressed. I didn't think you had it in you!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"I do not believe I was of any assistance to him," Rei countered. "He was feeling no better when I left him than before I had come. I believe my visit was actually a waste of time."

"He's better now, isn't he?" Ritsuko pointed out.

"He did seem to be of livelier spirits when we arrived for testing this evening," Rei replied with a nod. "Perhaps it was not as big a waste as I thought."

"Or maybe," another voice said from behind the two women monitoring the test. "Shinji had another visitor."

"What do you think you are doing here?" Misato asked coolly, not turning around to face Kaji.

Her voice was drowned out, however, by Asuka's scream to him. It was loud enough to be distorted by the speakers, and all meaning lost, however. It did serve to wake Shinji from his slumber, though, and he looked over to where he knew her plug was. "What are you yelling about now?"

"What do you care?" Asuka demanded angrily.

"You are hurting Ikari's eardrums," Rei said in a quiet, flat voice. "And mine. I would request that you stop shouting into the system."

"And just how would you know if I'm hurting Shinji or not?!" the fiery redhead demanded. "You're on the other side of me compared to him."

"I am observing him on a monitor from within my entry plug."

"What?" Shinji and Asuka both demanded at the same time.

"I said..."

"I heard what you said, Wondergirl, what I mean is why? Why would you be staring at Shinji during testing?" she shouted again.

"It appears I have upset you both," she said quietly. "I will stop such activities, now and in the future," she added, reaching forward and flicking a switch. Her comm. link went dead, as did the monitors she was watching, showing both Asuka and Shinji.

"Hündin..." Asuka muttered loud enough to be picked up by the sensors.

"Your time is now up," Ritsuko said, looking away from the argument that was taking place between Kaji and Misato. "I'll open the plugs and let you go get changed. Then I want you all up here for a moment."

Shinji simply nodded, and Rei said nothing at all. Asuka, however, looked at Ritsuko through the monitor with a look of disbelief. "First you get us to sit here for two hours, and then you want to waste even more of our time?"

"That is exactly what I expect," Ritsuko said coldly. "And if I thought it was a waste, then I wouldn't do it. My time is valuable, too. But I need some information. The ratios are strange today."

"And just what does that mean?"

"You'll have to come up and find out."

"Verdammen!" The monitors then went blank as the doctor ejected the plugs. No sooner had she done so, however, than a red alarm started to flash above her.

"What?" Misato demanded, turning back to see what was going on. "An Angel? Now?" She looked from Ritsuko to Kaji and back. "Unit-00 isn't repaired yet, is it?"

"Only 80%," Ritsuko confirmed. "It'll have to be Shinji and Asuka."

"Where is it?" Misato called out to the command bridge as she entered, followed closely by Ritsuko and Kaji. They had just told Shinji and Asuka to prepare themselves, and head to the cages for their Evangelions.

"Just off the coast, still. It is moving at a slow enough rate that intercept should be possible inland three kilometres, if not sooner than that, if departure is immediate," Maya replied from her terminal.

"Got it. Rits, you've got the bridge," she added, noting that neither the commander nor vice-commander were present. "I'm taking them to the coast."

It was only a few minutes later that the two Evangelions were loaded into a large VTOL with Misato on board. It seemed like much longer, but time was of the essence. Misato's voice came over their intercoms once they were in the air.

"The target has been sighted off the coast," she explained. She then paused for a moment, as though in thought. "Any comments about this one, Shinji?" she asked, looking to a monitor that showed the young pilot.

He paled almost at once at the question, so much so that it was obvious to both Misato and Asuka. "I... I don't know anything," he whispered, more to himself than in answer to her question. "I never..."

"That's enough," Misato said quickly, cutting off his negative line of thinking. "The Angel is to be stopped before it can make it's way to the city. We are still cleaning up the remains of the last Angel, and our defenses are almost zero. Can you do it?"

"Two against one?" Asuka asked, looking at the monitor with Shinji in it with a disgusted look on her face. "Why couldn't you have just sent me, Misato? Why bother with the old, useless Third?"

"I don't care if it's fair or not," Misato replied angrily. "A lot in life isn't fair, mostly because of those blasted Angels! It's about time we repaid the favour!"

"Whatever," Asuka mumbled as Misato gave the order to drop the two into position. Once she had installed her power cord into her back, she turned to the purple unit next to her, which appeared to be fumbling with the socket. "Just stay out of my way, alright?"

Shinji didn't reply as he stood up in the unit again. He hoisted the massive gun that had been given to him as a weapon, and just waited, trying not to think too much. All he could think about was Misato's question, which forced him to ask another question. 'What's this Angel's real name?' he thought to himself. He barely noticed Asuka withdrawing a large weapon he had never seen before. If the Evangelion were human, it would have been a spear, but as not, it was hard to say what it could be called.

"Cover me!" she cried suddenly, racing forward. He simply stood there as the Angel withdrew itself from the waters, his gun still at his side. The german girl cried out in triumph as she lifted the weapon above her head and split the beast in two before it could even take a single step.

"She's not bad," Misato said to herself, though the words were picked up over the intercom. "Not bad at all. But it looks like Shinji's..."

Unit-01 suddenly started moving quickly towards the waters, and the red 02 looked back in surprise. "What are you doing, Shinji?" she asked. When he didn't answer her, she turned back to the Angel, and almost fell backwards in surprise. Instead of just one Angel, suddenly there were two.

She dove to the side as the two attacked in unison, and filling the void where she had just been was Unit-01. Shinji's Evangelion caught one of the two Angels by what looked like it's horns and roared, spinning it around into the other. Misato could only stare in amazement at Shinji, as in the entry plug, he was starting to glow.

"Baka!" Asuka cried suddenly as he turned his attention to help her up. "I don't need your help!" Before she could say anything else, however, both Angels caught hold of the purple Eva in front of her and he was flying through the air, high above the waters, his power cable snapped. Even before he landed, however, Asuka felt the grip on her own arms as the Angels grabbed hold of Unit-02 and threw as hard as they could. She then knew no more for a long time.

The redhead opened her eyes slowly to a strange sight. Two great red eyes were staring at her. Pushing back, there was a giggle before she could figure out what was going on. She closed her eyes again and groaned. It felt like she had been run over. "So, you awake yet?" a young girl's voice asked her.

Asuka turned sharply, not expecting a voice like that. She had assumed that the eyes belonged to Rei. She had never seen another with eyes like hers before. She was startled by what she saw. A young girl, around nine years old, was sitting at the side of her bed. She had long red hair, longer than her own, even, but oddly enough, was wearing no clothes at all.

"I guess so. Bye!" the girl said with a smile, and then she was gone. Asuka groaned again and started to sit up. The room she was in spun quickly, and she suddenly found herself no longer alone in a small white room, but with a few people surrounding her in a large hospital room.

"What?" she started, but then Misato's face came into view.

"About time she woke up. How's Shinji doing?" she asked, looking up but not moving her head.

"Ugh, Misato, I can see right up your nose," Asuka groaned. She pushed the woman away from her and sat up this time fully. Beside her bed was another that looked just like it, and had Shinji lying in it. Unlike her, however, the boy was unmoving. Aside from him and Misato, there were five other people in the room. She groaned for another time as she saw the two stooges standing near Shinji's bed. Her mood lightened considerably when she saw Hikari sitting at the foot of her own. It brightened even more when she saw Kaji standing in the doorway. "Kaji!" she cried, leaping out of bed and grabbing his arm tightly. "You came to check on me!"

The unshaven man smiled to her for a moment before looking back up. "The commander wishes to speak with you, Misato," he said softly. She turned in an instant, and shook her head.

"I'm not leaving here until Shinji wakes up," she replied.

"Man, I wish she cared that much about us," Kensuke whispered to Toji, who grinned and nodded his agreement.

"I will take over watch for you, Major," Rei said in her monotone. "And I will inform you as soon as his condition changes."

"Is this sudden change because of the last Angel you two fought together?" Misato asked. "Because you seem quite different recently, Rei."

"I am unsure," she replied in a simple tone. "I do not feel any different. If you recommend it, I will speak with the doctor to see about a physical." She paused for a moment, and then looked to Shinji. "He told me that the Angel's name was Ramiel."

"Did he tell you how he knew?" Kaji asked almost at once.

"No."

Another groan interrupted the conversation, and all eyes turned to the prone figure in the bed. "Shinji?" Misato asked, moving around the bed to see if he was alright. When he opened his eyes, Kaji cleared his throat.

"I suggest you get going now, before the delay costs you your job," he said kindly.

"Fine," Misato said after the barest of pauses. "I'll be back to check on you two later. And thanks for your offer, Rei, but I think he'll be alright now."

As soon as the woman was out the door, Kaji asked Rei to go and get them some drinks of juice. She nodded without a word and stepped out. He had Kensuke, Toji, and Hikari go with the girl, so it would be the fastest one who could get drinks. He set it up almost like a contest. He then shut the door quickly and quietly.

"Alright you two, here's the deal. Misato is in a lot of trouble over the ruckus you caused, and it is up to her to figure out a way to defeat the Angels. They have been delayed for five days to a week thanks to a few Non-Nuclear mines being planted," he explained in a hurry. "You aren't to know the following information, but it is apparent that the two Angels work in tandem. It is also apparent that it has two power cores, so two S2 engines. If you expect to be able to defeat it, you'll have to work together to do it."

"Work with that baka?" Asuka asked, pointing at Shinji as he was sitting up. "Right. Like that'll ever happen. You know I can do it by myself, right Kaji?" she asked, looking up to him and batting her eyelashes.

"Do you know how long you two were out of it?" he asked rather than reply. When both shook their heads, he sighed. "Just as well."

"We must have missed at least three days of school," Shinji said slowly. "Otherwise, Hikari wouldn't have come, would she?"

"And what makes you think she didn't come to see me?" Asuka demanded, turning to him. "She is my friend, you know! Though maybe not as good as I thought if the she brought the stooges along..."

"I sent for the three of them," Kaji interrupted the two with a sigh. "I thought being around friends might help you wake up sooner. I have to speak with Misato about something before she comes back. As for you two..." he detached Asuka from his arm with a bit of difficulty and stepped back to the suddenly open door again. "Try not to kill each other, alright?"

As soon as the door shut again, Asuka whirled on Shinji. Just before she could yell at him for making her look bad in front of Kaji, he bowed his head. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"I never would have guessed," she said dryly. 'Spineless baka...'

"What?" he asked, looking up in surprise.

"You're always sorry, Shinji," she said in exasperation. She didn't say anything for a moment, and then looked back. "What did she look like?"

"Who?" Asuka growled her frustration, and he backed away a bit, ending up against the wall once he was off the bed. "Her? Well she had..."

He stopped as the door was flung open, revealing a smiling Toji. "Got yer drink, Shin-man!" he declared hautily, walking over and tossing his a can.

"What about mine?" Asuka demanded.

"Why would I bring the devil a drink?" he replied.

"Why you..." she started to advance towards him, but Shinji's voice caught her attention first.

"Here," he said, tossing the can to her and walking to the door. "I didn't want one anyway." Without another word to either of them, he was gone.

Once he found his way out of the hospital, he wandered around town for a quite a while, never quite sure where he was going. The wound he thought Asuka had sealed on the rooftop earlier had been torn open again by Misato's question. Then, after he had finally forced it from his mind, Asuka had to ask him what she looked like. It was not something he wanted to deal with.

"Ikari," a voice caught his attention, and he turned in surprise to find Rei standing by a tree. "What happened in the hospital?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied with a sigh.

"I fail to believe that, Ikari," she said in her monotone. "You were feeling better during the synchronization test, but when you went to fight the Angel, you were worse again. I wish to help you again. For longer this time. What can I do?"

"I..." Shinji's voice faltered. He had never really had anyone care about him, anyone aside from Nephilim, anyway, and someone who insisted on being treated like his sister didn't count. "I don't know."

"Soryu embraced you before. Would an embrace from myself be appropriate at this time?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"You saw us?" Shinji demanded in surprise. "Did you hear us?"

"I only observed from the ground, Ikari," she explained. "But I know for some reason such physical contact helped you. Would it help in this case, too?"

"I don't know, Ayanami," he whispered. Before he knew what was happening, he felt her arms around him, and he swallowed hard. He had found it hard around her for a time after he had fallen on her when she was naked, but he thought he was over that. With her arms around him again, though, all he could picture was that scene again.

As quickly as it started, it was over again as she stepped back. "I am glad to have helped," she said. He did not miss the fact that her voice cracked as she spoke, and then she turned and walked away in silence.

Deciding he had nothing better to do, he started back towards the apartment he shared with Misato. He didn't think she would be back just yet, but he could use a little time alone. He frowned slightly when he saw that the door was partially open. He thought he had closed it earlier in the morning.

Pushing it open, his jaw almost hit the floor as he saw dozens and dozens of boxes piled up to the ceiling all over the entranceway. "What's going on here?" he breathed, stepping around the mess and into the kitchen. He walked down the hall, still amazed at all the boxes, and stopped at his room. The sign that Misato had put on his door "Shinji's Lovely Suite" was crumpled in an empty box, and the door was half open. He pushed it open the rest of the way, and fell back in shock.

"What do you think you are doing?" Asuka demanded as she stood up from the box she had been working with. "Get out of my room!"

"But that's my room..." Shinji said quietly.

"Did you really think you'd be staying here still? They've finally sorted out my arrangements, and now I'm with Misato. Obviously she wanted to keep the most talented pilot close at hand," she explained, shoving him out of the room. "Though personally I'd rather be with my Kaji..."

"Actually," Misato said dryly from the entrance. "Your room is further down the hall, Asuka. That is still Shinji's room."

"What?" both teens demanded at the same time. "I have to live... with that?" they cried, pointing at each other.

Misato chuckled as she pulling the sign out of the box and put it back on the door after smoothing it out. "It may not take as long as we thought after all."

"What?" Asuka demanded.

"Getting you two in synch with one another. Both mentally and biologically," she explained at their looks. "It is the only way you will be able to beat the Angels."

"You expect me to live with this spineless baka for how long?" Asuka cried at her commanding officer.

"For as long as is necessary. Besides, it's not like you'll be alone here. I'm still living here, and so is Penpen," she explained.

"Penpen?"

"Him," Shinji offered, pointing out the warm water penguin as it waddled passed the doorway to the kitchen.

"Great," Asuka muttered. She then looked back to Shinji. "Don't just stand there! Start moving these boxes to my room!"

"Great, I get to be ordered around by the devil..." Shinji said under his breath as he picked up the first set of boxes and moved them.

"And what's with no locks on any of these doors?" Asuka asked, looking to Misato. "Have you no sense of decency, or privacy?"

"The Japanese way is to consider others ahead of yourself," Misato explained. "It would do you well to consider that."

The next morning came far too quickly for Shinji's liking. For once in his life he would have been far happier going to school than staying at home. Misato had set up a dance pad, with lights that would glow in a set order. The two of them had to go through the routine on separate pads until they were doing everything together.

The worst part by far was the clothes that she made them wear. Dancing clothes. It was nice, however, that such activity forced the thoughts of Nephilim from his mind. The various kicks, punches, and slaps from Asuka were not quite so pleasant, however.

"Verdammt, baka!" she cried for the umpteenth time that morning, pushing him off the dance pad. "Can't you do anything right?"

"Sorry," he muttered as he pulled himself to his feet.

"Not just a klutz, but spineless, too."

"I am not spineless, Asuka," he said quietly, though he did not look at her when he spoke. Instead, it looked like he was watching Penpen eating fish from his bowl. "But I am a klutz."

"I'll believe part of that, anyway," Asuka glowered, stepping off the pad. "Hey, Misato! When's lunch?"

"Whenever Shinji decides it's time to make it," Misato replied, looking up from the table. There were several empty beer cans around her, and she was nursing another. "Though I was hoping you would at least be able to get through a full routine first..."

"What are you waiting for, Shinji?" Asuka demanded, whirling on the Third Child before Misato could finish her thought. "Get in there and start cooking!"

"Just when are you going to add her to the schedule, Misato?" Shinji asked calmly as he walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"What?" Asuka cried, spinning to face Misato again. "You wouldn't dare..."

"I almost forgot," Misato smiled, slurring her words slightly. "But I think it will have to wait for later..." She downed the rest of her can, and then set her head down on the table. It wasn't long before she started snoring lightly.

"When lunch is ready, come tell me," Asuka said from the doorway to the kitchen. "I'll be in my room. And if she doesn't wake up, you can forget about practicing with me this afternoon. I already know the full thing perfectly."

Shinji made no sign that he heard her at all from the stove, but she turned anyway. When he heard the door to her room slide shut, he sighed. It was going to be a long week.

Two more days passed of almost the same routine. Misato stopped drinking as much, though, which forced the two to work longer into the day. All this accomplished, however, was proving to Asuka how hopeless Shinji really was, and that he could never hope to keep up with her superior skill.

A light knock on the door interrupted them. Before anyone could say anything, Shinji had walked out of the room and opened it. "Ay... Ayanami?" he asked in surprise. She was one of the last people he had expected to see. Behind the albino girl was the unshaven man with a ponytail, and Shinji couldn't help but smile just a bit. "Hello, Kaji," he added.

"Kaji?" Asuka called from the other room.

"Yes, I'm here," he said ruefully, shrugging to Shinji. "But I'm just here to watch for a bit," he added before she could run to him.

"So why'd you bring Wondergirl?" Asuka asked as the three entered the main room where the dance pads had been set up.

"Mr. Kaji did not ask me to come here," Rei said before he could reply. "I have noticed your absence from class, Ikari," she added, looking to Shinji rather than both of them suddenly. "And I found myself... worried. Is everything... fine?"

Her question seemed to have caught Shinji off guard, for he just looked at her for a moment, speechless. "I... I'm fine," he finally said.

"I am glad," she replied, her voice still flat.

"Well, since you are here, you might as well watch these two," Misato sighed. "These two still need a lot of practice, though," she added darkly, looking to the two of them.

"But I've got it perfectly!" Asuka objected. "It's Shinji who's the klutz!"

"This is about working together, remember Asuka?" Misato asked. "Let's see it again."

The two sighed and took their positions on the mat. They managed to get about ten steps in before Shinji found his foot on the wrong pad, and the error light flashed behind him. Asuka screamed at him and kicked him again.

"See what I mean?" she demanded, whirling on Kaji. "How am I supposed to work with someone who doesn't know his right foot from his left?"

"Rei," Misato said quietly, causing Asuka to clam up almost at once. "Would you try?"

"Yes," she said simply. Asuka stepped to the side, not sure what was going on, and Rei took the position she had seen Asuka in earlier. The german girl could only stare in amazement, however, as she went through the routine with Shinji. For every step that he missed, she also missed it, tricking the system into showing no errors. She could see the First Child watching Shinji out of the corner of her eye to time her movement with him.

When they finished, the 100% sign was flashing behind them. "Perhaps I should switch it so Rei works with Shinji..." Misato muttered.

"Do whatever you want!" Asuka screamed at her, turning and storming from the room. The door to the apartment slammed shut moments later.

[Go after her,] a soft voice came to Shinji suddenly. He held his head, shocked by the voice he was hearing. [Go after her, before it is too late, brother.]

"Nephilim?" he whispered so quietly that the others could only see his lips move.

[In a sense.] There was a pause, and then the calming voice in his mind continued. [You do not have long. The Angels will awaken in two days, which is before the prediction. You must be ready to face them, and Rei is not capable of it.]

"She seemed capable to me," Shinji muttered. His heart had dropped when the voice had called the Angels by title and not by name. "And you aren't her."

[Israfel will not wait for long.]

"What are you waiting for, Shinji?" Kaji's voice pierced his thoughts. "Aren't you going to go after her?"

"Why would I?" he asked half heartedly. "She doesn't want me around anyway, or haven't you noticed?"

"And you don't want to pilot, or haven't you noticed? Some things happen despite our wishes," Kaji replied simply. "But if you aren't going to speak with her, I would like to have a word with you."

"I didn't say I wasn't going," Shinji said after a moment. Without a word to Rei or Misato, he fled from the room, not entirely sure why his heart felt so heavy.

Emerging from the apartment building, he looked up and down the street. There was no sign of the girl anywhere. He had never travelled with her before, and doubted highly that he would have any idea where she went, so he picked a direction at random and started to run.

He rounded the bend and was met with a crowd of people. Not letting this fact deter him, he simply ducked around them and entered the park to cross to the other side. As he ran, a speck of red caught his attention, and he skidded to a halt. He walked swiftly to the other side of a fountain, knowing that Asuka was sitting on the bench behind it.

"Now what?" Shinji asked himself. "What did he expect me to say to her? What did she want me to say?" He sunk to the bench on his side and leaned back. "What am I supposed to do?"

A shadow fell across his lap, and he looked up in surprise. "Third," Asuka said grimly.

"A... Asuka..." Shinji managed. He had gotten used to her calling him by his name, and the sudden use of his title had caught him off guard, almost as off guard as her noticing him.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I..."

"And if you say you came to get me, you better think again."

Shinji fell silent, and looked to the ground at his feet. "I'm sorry," he settled on finally.

"Baka!" Shinji fell back as a sharp blow to his cheek sent him reeling. "How is being sorry supposed to help anything?"

"I..." he stopped himself from apologizing again, and fell silent for a moment. Finally, he looked up again. "You told me not to tell you why I came here."

"I said if you came to get me, you can forget it."

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you always so angry?"

"I'm not," she said immediately. "Why are you always so depressed?"

"I think I have good reason to be," he mumbled, looking away from her again.

"I was just shown up by a windup doll!" Asuka screamed in his face. "Don't you think I have the right to be angry? At both of you?"

"Rei is not a windup doll!" Shinji snapped back.

"Oh, sorry for insulting your girlfriend!" Asuka said harshly.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

His last comment shut Asuka up suddenly. She stood glaring at him for a moment before finally sinking to the bench herself. "I'm still pissed at both of you."

"Why me?"

"Because you are too much of a klutz!" she said angrily.

"Maybe so," Shinji replied sadly. "But if you were to slow down a bit..."

"Do you really think the Angels are going to slow down?" Asuka pointed out.

"Israfel," Shinji corrected before he could stop himself.

Asuka looked at him sharply. "Israfel?" she asked.

He sighed and looked away. "Never mind," he sighed again.

She slapped him again, and he looked back, fire in his eyes. "You dodged it before, and if you dodge it again, I swear, I'll drown you in this fountain!"

"She told me," he said, his voice hard and steady.

"She?" Asuka asked. It just took a moment for the recognition to dawn upon her. "I thought she was... you know..."

"So did I," Shinji sighed. "And I still think she is. She just spoke to me through my mind. It's not like I saw her."

Asuka's mind was instantly on the naked girl who had been next to her when she woke up in the dream. She started to say something, but decided against it. "I know what we have to do," she finally said, letting the subject drop.

"You do?" Shinji asked in surprise.

"I'll work with you, but only cause I have no choice," she said quietly. "But only if you are willing to listen for once!" she added harshly. "We have to put Misato and Rei to shame."

"Why to shame?" Shinji asked, startled by her sudden determination.

"They humiliated me!" she cried. "How could you even ask such a thing?"

Shinji smiled to himself, though his outward expression stayed the same. 'She's got a fire in her. There's something about her drive... unstoppable. Not like me.' "Alright," he said after a moment. "Just don't kill me first, okay?" he asked as the two stood.

"I make no promises," she replied at once.

They returned home to an empty house. There were two notes sitting on the table, though, and another on the dance pad that had been Shinji's. The note on top of the stack on the table was from Kaji, and addressed to both of them.

"I have managed to pull Misato away from the house for the next two days. Make good use of them. - Kaji"

"Just what does he think we're going to do?" Asuka asked in horror as Shinji passed her the note to look at, picking up the next one.

"It seems that the commander wants to go over strategy, as I have a few meetings involving the UN, and the cost of that last battle. Seems no one wants to have to pay for repairs, but they'll give. They always do, anyway. But that means I can't be there for a few days. I expect you two to work together, and learn the dance perfectly. That doesn't mean doing it perfectly, just together. Don't forget to feed Penpen (as if you could!) I also expect you both to sleep in the living room. Biologically, it should help you two work together better. I doubt I have to say this, but don't do anything stupid. You'll regret it. - Misato."

"I'm going to get a shower," Asuka announced after reading over the note. "Cause I know that's one spot that I can get away from you. And I've got to wash this filth off me... as if I'd ever consider something... If you dare peek..." she finished her ramblings by turning on Shinji suddenly.

"I know, I know," Shinji mumbled. "Like I said before, though, who would want to?"

"But you looked last time!"

"I didn't see anything, though!"

Asuka stormed off towards the bathroom, leaving Shinji standing in the kitchen alone. He stood there for a moment before he felt a pecking at his leg. Looking down, he found the warm water penguin poking him, asking for dinner.

"It is getting late, isn't it, Penpen?" When the penguin warked, Shinji smiled and got his food out. After that was done, he started working on getting some food ready for Asuka and himself. He put some water on the stove, pouring it into the pot from water in the fridge rather than risking disturbing the girl in the shower. Judging by the amount of steam that was wafting down the halls, there was no question about how hot it was.

He was so absorbed in his cooking that he didn't notice the water turn off. Nor did he notice Asuka standing in the entrance to the kitchen, a towel wrapped about her as she used another towel to dry off her hair. "Supper?" she asked, catching him by surprise.

He turned to tell her what he was making, but when he saw what she was wearing, he turned around again quickly, a deep blush rising in his cheeks. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"What, don't like what you see?" she asked, tossing the towel she had in her hair aside. "And here I thought you would nearly die seeing me like this."

"But... you just said..."

"I'm filling out nicely, too," she murmured, peeking inside the towel while keeping herself covered. "My breasts are really coming in. Want to see?" she asked, grinning to him.

"What?" he demanded, shielding himself and taking a step back.

She flung the towel from herself, revealing the fact that she was wearing shorts and a tube top, meaning she was completely covered. It also revealed the fact that she was laughing, hard. "I can't believe you fell for that!" she laughed.

Shinji groaned as he turned around, not sure what else he could say to her. He froze when he looked at the burnt noodles stuck to the bottom of the pot. He covered them quickly before the smoke could fill his nostrils. "What do you want for supper?" he asked, not turning to face her, not wanting to see her still laughing at him.

"What are you asking me for?" she asked in response. "I thought you were already making supper."

"I was," he said glumly.

"Did I distract you with my feminine charm?" she asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Is that what you call it?" Shinji muttered, getting another pot of water on the stove. "Can you make yourself supper?" he asked, turning to her despite his still red face. "I really don't feel like eating tonight anyway..."

She didn't have a chance to reply before he had pushed passed her and closed the door to his room. 'Humph, I guess he's not following Misato's orders for once,' she thought to herself as she went to the fridge to look for something to cook.

All colour drained from her face, as did all her thoughts as she just looked at the stockpile of beer and snacks in the cool space in the fridge. Otherwise, it was almost empty. Checking the cupboards, she found them to be lined with Instant meals, and nothing at all that resembled anything that she had seen Shinji produce over the past couple of days.

Asuka knew she was facing a problem suddenly. If she went to Shinji for help, then she was admitting that she couldn't get by on her own. But if she didn't, she would probably never find any real food in the house and starve to death. Finally, after an especially loud grumbling from her stomach, she marched to Shinji's room.

"Alright, Shinji, where did you hide all the..." her strict voice trailed off as she slammed the door open. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting to find, but it certainly wasn't the scene that lay before her.

Shinji was sprawled on his bed, his SDAT player on the floor, too far away for him to reach. In his hands, however, was the white dress that she immediately recognized from the other day. He was fast asleep, and had a pathetically sad look on his face. When Asuka's growl did nothing to wake him, she stormed out of the room again, deciding on an Instant Ramen meal instead of nothing at all. She fell asleep in her bed after eating, and didn't wake again until the morning sun fell across her eyes.

She emerges from her room slowly, a little disoriented in the early morning still. Her clock digits were flashing, which gave her no clue as to what time it actually was. She slumped to a seat at the table before she noticed that Shinji was already up, and was in the middle of preparing breakfast.

"Guten morgen, Asuka," he said quietly.

"Morgen, Shinji," she muttered, not really noticing his use of German in the slightest, setting her head down on her hands.

"Doesn't look like you slept very well at all," Shinji said, his voice still soft. He had his back turned to her, so she couldn't even see what he was making.

"I could have used longer," she admitted.

"I hope you like toast, rice, and some juice," he said after a moment, turning around with a couple of plates.

"Japanese again?" she asked with a sigh, picking up her chopsticks to deal with the bowl of rice first. "Can't you make any real food?"

"This is real food," Shinji said simply, looking down at his plate. Before either could say anything else, the door to the second fridge banged open, and Penpen waddled out and looked down at his dish. "Sorry Pen," he said, standing to get the fish for the bird.

Once he had served the penguin, Asuka looked at him again. "I mean again non-Japanese food. I'm getting sick of it already!"

"What would you suggest?" Shinji asked politely after swallowing his piece of toast.

"How about making something German?"

"I never would have guessed you would want something like that..."

"I bet you just can't do it!" Asuka said harshly, slamming her rice bowl down now that every last piece was gone. Shinji noticed this fact, and looked away from her quickly. Did she realize that she could have easily insulted him just by not finishing the rice? No, she must have just been hungry...

"I bet you can't go one full day without hitting me!" Shinji retorted, standing.

"You're on!" Asuka said with a grin. She would never turn down a challenge. "If I can go one day without hitting you for no good reason, then you have to make German breakfasts for a week!"

"Not good enough," Shinji said, sitting down again. "No hitting at all. Even if you think I deserve it," he added after a moment. Before she could object, he started again. "If you want the German food, you had better agree."

"Since when did you grow a spine?" she muttered, sitting down again and starting on her toast.

Shinji chose simply not to reply to her question. Once they were both done, Asuka left to the main room where the dance pads were set up, leaving Shinji to deal with the dishes. She frowned when she entered the room and saw the paper sitting on Shinji's pad.

"Ikari. Please do not hesitate to dial my cellular telephone number if you require assistance. Your sadness affects me in a way that I can not explain. I would tell you this to your face, but Mr. Kaji and the Major are demanding that we leave at once, and I feel it is improper to argue. Take care of yourself, and do not let Pilot Soryu harm you. - Rei Ayanami." Scanning it quickly, she stuffed it into her pocket just before Shinji walked into the room.

"Still willing to work your butt off?" Asuka demanded, whirling on him the moment she heard him enter.

"Shouldn't we get our dance clothes on first?" he asked.

"What for?" she replied simply. "If someone was going to be checking up on us, then it would matter. But with Kaji being tied up, I can't think of anyone else who would care about me enough to bother..."

"Whatever," Shinji muttered, taking his position on the pad.

The fact that they worked right through lunch and supper went completely unnoticed by Shinji. All he knew was that Asuka was yelling at him almost constantly, though he did notice that she didn't actually hit him at all. He doubted he would have noticed after the first three hours straight that they worked.

When he finally collapsed on the pad, he saw Asuka actually smiling down at him. "I think you are starting to get it, Shinji," she said, her voice amazingly calm. "But right now, I think it is time to eat."

"I don't think I can move," he managed.

"Forget it," she said, whirling on him. "Just get to your room. I'll see you in the morning." She walked into the kitchen and sighed almost as soon as she entered. The Instant food hadn't been much good the day before, and she doubted it would be any better this time around. Before she could go demand that Shinji make her something better, she heard the door to his room slide shut. "Stupid baka finds the energy to move after all, and he can't even make me a descent meal..." She eventually settled for some of the same food she had the night before, and went to her room as well.

In Shinji's room, he was tossing and turning on his bed. His SDAT player was not forgotten this night, however, nor was the white dress. The player had been thrown from his ears as he tossed, though, and now was playing uselessly on the floor.

"Where am I?" he asked the empty air around him. All he could see was nothingness for miles around. He could feel the darkness and silence gripping him, but rather than be spooked by it as most would have been, he found comfort in it. "Are you here, Nephilim?" he called.

"Of course, brother," a voice said from beside him. He had known she would be there. It was the same way he had meet her in the first place, when she said she had stopped things. Even though she had explained it to him, it never made much sense at all.

He turned quickly towards the voice, but found nothing. Instead, it suddenly felt like he was watching something he had seen before through his own eyes. He could no longer move his own body, but only listen and react as he once had.

A pair of brown eyes blinked slowly in the dark of the tunnel. All sound had suddenly ceased, and the lights had shut off. Even the people on the train were quiet - he had assumed that they would all be crying out in fear. It was certainly what he felt like doing. Even now, even though he had been here before and knew that nothing was really wrong, he still felt like crying out, screaming to anyone who would listen.

So why wasn't he?

He looked around carefully, as though trying to determine what was going on. The earphones that he had in fell out as he toppled off the bench. A young girl, who couldn't have been older than nine or ten, was sitting next to him, staring at him with piercing red eyes. Her long red hair was literally glowing, and her white dress seemed to also have an otherworldly feel about it.

Still, Shinji did nothing. Obviously the girl had been separated from her parents, and it wasn't his place to step in. After a moment, he got up from the ground and sat down a little further away from her than he had been. "Sorry," he said softly. His voice seemed hauntingly loud in the deafening silence that surrounded the two, and also seemed to echo as both the old and the new Shinji said it at the same time. There was so much else the current Shinji wanted to say, but found his body not agreeing with him at all. He was just an observer this time around.

"For what?" the girl asked in a soft tone.

For some reason, he found that her voice calmed him a bit. He put his hand to his forehead to make sure he wasn't imagining things, and then he noticed that it was so dark that he couldn't even see his own hand. "What's going on?" he asked, an edge of fear showing in the fourteen year old's voice.

"I have stopped things," she replied simply enough, sitting back in the seat and bouncing her legs off the edge. She wasn't tall enough to plant her feet on the ground.

"What?"

"I wanted to talk with you, Shinji Ikari," she said softly. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Just who are you?" he found himself asking, though the current Shinji felt more like crying. He knew who the girl was. He knew she was gone. Almost as soon as he had, he covered his mouth quickly, surprised by his own rudeness. "Sorry," he said, bowing his head to her.

"You did nothing wrong," she replied in her calming voice. "You have every right to be frightened, though I am glad you are willing to listen to me," she added thoughtfully as she fingered the golden cross that hung at her neck. "I am called Nephilim."

"Called? By who?" he asked after a moment of silence. It was a question that she never really answered.

"I just am," she explained. "And I want to help you. Do you mind?"

"Help me with what?" he replied, curious now. "And just what is going on? You stopping things isn't really explaining anything to me."

"With what you have been called to do, that's what. You will not be able to fight those against you," she said softly. "And as to what I have done, I am simply here."

"That's not much of an answer." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You know what I'm going to do? Why father called me?"

"I do," she explained. "And would you rather I just appeared as normal and had people think you were talking to an imaginary person?"

"What do you mean?"

"No one else can see me, Third Child." As she said these words, his senses were suddenly bombarded by light, noise, and the rank smell of the filled train. Nephilim was still sitting on the bench, and patted next to her. "But I will be here for as long as you wish."

The scene suddenly faded before his eyes, and Shinji found himself back in the nothingness, without even the young Nephilim to keep him company. The loneliness of it all gripped him, and he turned, looking for a way out.

He stopped when he saw the hair. Red and flowing, he ran towards it as fast as his legs would take him in the nothingness that was everywhere. The red seemed to circle around him the closer he got to it, and finally it stopped. He looked down at the map of hair where he assumed the ground was, and found his sister lying there, not moving a muscle, and completely naked.

He looked to his own hands suddenly, realizing that he was actually holding something. The white fabric of her dress was glowing faintly in the dark, just like it had been whenever he had seen her wearing it. He had helped her get dressed before after giving her a bath when she was really sick, and had no real problem doing it this time, either.

Once she had the dress on, which wasn't quite fully clothed but it was enough, he rocked her back and forth in his lap, trying to wake her up. Although she was warm to the touch, when he checked for a pulse or for any sign of breathing, he found nothing.

A sound behind him caught his attention, and he looked up suddenly. Instantly, he wished he hadn't, as he found himself staring into the piercing green eye that he had seen only one time before. The very eye that had regenerated out of a shattered metal socket the first time he had ridden in an Evangelion. The real eye of Eva Unit-01.

His scream echoed all around him, and he felt his sister disappear almost at once. Before he knew what was going on, colour flooded his eyes again and he realized that he was being shaken, hard.

"Wake up, Shinji!" Asuka was shouting at him.

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly, finding Asuka standing over him, dressed in her nightgown. "What the hell do you think you are doing, screaming in the middle of the night like that?" she demanded. "Disturbing my sleep?" She trailed off when she saw the tears in his eyes. "What gives?" she asked in a kinder voice almost at once. The change caught Shinji off guard, and he blinked rapidly before answering.

"Just a bad dream, that's all," he muttered. "I'm..."

"Sorry, yeah, I know," she interrupted him. "Just make sure you don't do it again, alright? If you can't sleep, then how are we supposed to beat the Angel... what did you call it... Isarfel?"

"Israfel," he corrected her, but the fact that she almost remembered caused him to grin just a little. "And I'll try." As she reached his doorway, he called after her. "Asuka?" When she turned, he nodded to her. "Thank you."

"Whatever."

Shinji rolled over on his mattress, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to get to sleep again for quite some time. It was then that he noticed his SDAT player on the ground. He picked it up and put the earpieces back in, and then looked around. The player wasn't the only thing that was out of place.

He looked to the side of his bed quickly, and then stood up, searching more frantically. Finally he turned the light on in his room and started throwing everything out of his closet and the drawers in the dresser that Misato had insisted on his getting.

When the door opened, he didn't even wait for the outburst that he knew was coming. "It's gone!" he said first. Although his voice was quiet, it held an intensity that Asuka had never heard before. "It's gone. I can't find it anywhere!"

"What's gone, baka?" Asuka sighed from the doorway. "Your teddy bear?"

"Damn it, Asuka, the dress! The white dress!" When it still didn't look like she had quite clued it, probably because of how tired she was herself, he shook his head. "Nephilim's dress!"

"Her dress?" Asuka asked, snapping to a more alert state almost at once. "Well, did you take it to the wash?" she suggested.

"I was holding it tonight when I fell asleep!" he countered, returning to his frantic search. Asuka watched him from the doorway for a moment before turning.

"Look, if you find it, great," she said quietly when he noticed and paused to hear her. "If not, it is not the end of the world. She is in your heart, if nowhere else. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep in the living room. If you decide to join me out there, you had better sleep on the other side of the room, and not so much as glance in my direction. Understand?" she asked, looking back to make sure he heard every word she said.

"Fine," he said after a moment. When she left, he spent another hour tearing apart his room looking for the dress before breaking down into tears in the middle of it all. It was almost 4 in the morning when he stood up again and dragged himself out to the living room.

Asuka was lying on the couch, spread out, and was sound asleep. He looked at her for a moment, and noticed that her nightgown had slipped sometime during her sleep, and her breasts were almost completely exposed. As soon as he realized that he was staring at her, he looked away quickly, blushing deeply despite himself.

He forced himself to curl up against the far wall, facing away from the couch so she couldn't accuse him of looking at her in the night. He hated to think that for once, if she called him a pervert, she would have been right.

Shinji figured a couple of hours must have passed before he woke again. This time, he was awake because he had heard movement. Always having been a light sleeper, any sound in the night seemed to awaken him, unless he was in the middle of a dream.

He figured that it must have been Asuka getting up to use the bathroom, and froze when he felt someone lie down behind him. He stiffened even more, if that were possible, when a pair of arms wrapped around him, and red hair fell across his face. Breathing hard, he knew that the smell was Asuka.

Shinji nudged her slightly, to see if she was, in fact, awake or not. The moan he received told him that she must have been sleepwalking, and that he was in for a world of hurt in the morning. Deciding finally, he rolled over slowly so he was face to face with the German girl. If he was going to get hurt, he might as well make it worth his while.

His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when he saw just how close she was. He had felt her legs against him, as well as the fact that she had been pressed right up against his back, but when he turned, he was less than an inch away from her face. Pulling back a bit, he realized that he could see more than just most of her breasts in his current possible, and pulled another part of himself back in case it was to wake her suddenly. He looked back to her face, and was amazed at how peaceful she looked.

Her lips had never looked so soft, either. Leaning forward just a little, he could feel her breath against his lips. He touched his lips to hers softly, and pulled back right away, almost ashamed with himself. She stirred suddenly, and he froze.

"Ma... ma..." she whispered, and gripped him tighter than before suddenly, pulling him back to her. He managed to keep his head back, but one of her legs pulled the rest of him right against her again, which only presented him with another problem.

Slowly, painfully slowly, he managed to move her arm off his shoulder, and her other one off his back. He inched his way out from under her legs, and then stood up. He left his blanket where it was, and walked over to the other side of the room.

He plopped down on the ground and curled up without his blanket. He was cold, but more than ever, he suddenly felt like he deserved to be. Cold... and alone.

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Sometimes I feel like I don't have
Nothing in this world,
But stress, anger, and wrath;
The nearly unbearable pain and agony
turning me insane gradually.

I'm in the zone.
It's like a million of miles from home.
But still I'm right here.
With tears in my eyes and starting to cry.

Wishing upon fallen star.
Lacrimosa.
Another story for another tear.
Lacrimosa.
A thousand tears start to...
Lacrimosa.
Another story for another tear.
Lacrimosa.
A thousand tears start to fall!

- Artist to be revealed next posting
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