Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Swim of Things ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

The Swim of Things

By Ret Nuh

 

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On Monday Misato showed up at practice with Keiko in tow. She wanted to see how things were going and also make sure Asuka wasn't pushing anyone too hard. Truthfully though she was more worried about Asuka pushing herself than the others. Asuka was now the team captain and that meant she expected the most out of herself. If the team won then she did her job. If the team lost that meant she had failed them. That kind of attitude was something that still upset Misato. Asuka had the problem of being her own worst enemy along with now putting the weight of everyone else on her shoulders. If things were up to her she had better damn well come through for her team.

 

Misato sat there with Keiko knowing that one day this attitude was going to seriously bite Asuka on the ass but the only thing she could do is sit there and let Asuka learn that herself. She could preach to Asuka till she was blue in the face but Asuka learned by experience, not words.

 

Misato had decided to sit down next to Shinji and the other two boys Touji and Kensuke. She just wanted to be around people she knew and none of the other parents in the stands fit that category.

 

Both of the other boys said hello to her right away and she responded with a “Hello boys” and a wink.

 

This affected only Kensuke in the old ways. For some reason Touji didn't act the same way. Maybe it was because of Hikari, maybe he had matured some, or maybe it was because Misato had a baby sitting on her lap. To Touji Misato lost all her mystique the second Keiko was born. She was just something different now. Sure she looked the same but now respect played into an area where lust had once occupied.

 

That was just him though, Kensuke had no problems ogling her and he whispered to Touji “Misato's definitely one of the hotter MILFs on this planet.”

 

Touji responded to this vulgar comment with a punch in the arm to Kensuke. “Keiko is sitting right there dumbass.”

 

Kensuke rubbed his arm. “Ah you're no fun anymore.” He then went back to ogling the girls down below as Touji did have a minor point there. It was really hard to stare at Misato in a suggestive nature when she had Keiko on her lap.

 

Keiko was looking at the pool funny and then back up at her mommy. “Baff?”

 

Misato smiled at her child “Not a bath, that's a swimming pool. You've been in one of those before.”

 

Keiko looked back at the pool and studied it again. When she was done she proclaimed, this time more sure of herself, “Baff!”

 

“Ok honey” Misato chuckled. “If that's what you want to believe, it's a giant bath.”

 

“Me baff?”

 

“No. Not your bath. You already had one.”

 

Keiko then pointed out at the pool “Asa, Ra Ra, Hari baff.”

 

“I guess you could say that” Misato told her. “Asuka, Rei, and Hikari are playing in the giant bath.”

 

“Me Pay?” Keiko asked with wide eyes.

 

“Maybe later” Misato answered knowing Keiko would have forgotten about it by then. There was no need to tell her no and start a tantrum when more proven motherly answers could handle it.

 

From the other side they heard Kensuke say with a grin “Hmmm… Asuka, Rei, and Hikari playing in a bath all at the same time. That's an interesting thought.” This was of course followed by a loud “OWW!” as Touji belted him one in the arm again.

 

Keiko giggled “Funny stooges.”

 

“Who taught you that phrase child?” Misato said looking down at her baby while at the same time knowing the answer.

 

“Asa” Keiko answered proudly.

 

“And I'm not sorry I did.” Asuka had got up on a bench and was looking level with the elevated bleacher deck floor when she said that.

 

When Keiko saw Asuka she got all wiggly and Misato put her down. Keiko walked up to the edge of the railing and asked “Asa pay in baff?”

 

Asuka had to look up to Misato for clarification as she didn't know what Keiko was asking her. Misato mouthed back `she thinks the pool is a bath tub.' Asuka smiled at this and looked back at Keiko “Yup. Auntie Asuka is playing in the giant bath. And if you're big enough maybe next year your Auntie will teach you how to swim.”

 

Keiko got all happy about that and squealed “Asa teach! Asa teach!”

 

Misato picked her child back up “Your Auntie Asuka teaches you too much already.”

 

Asuka snickered at Misato for that and then went back to practice. She knew Misato still wasn't pleased about it being her that taught Keiko how to throw her utensils as the little girl thought it was a really fun thing to do at meal time.

 

“You should stop Asuka from teaching her things like that” Touji said to Shinji referring to the little insult against him and Kensuke.

 

“Why me?” Shinji asked.

 

“Well because she's your…. OWWW.” This time it was Kensuke who punched Touji. “What the hell was that for?”

 

“I don't know” Kensuke answered. “And neither do you.” That shut Touji up real quick.

 

Shinji acted like he didn't know what they were talking about but in truth he was happy that they did know. By them not saying anything that meant they didn't have a problem with it. That was something he wasn't so sure about them before. With all the uncertainty out of the air Shinji started to relax a little, which wasn't a smart idea. There were simply too many people in his life now for him to let his guard down. The most dangerous one being the grown woman with the child sitting next to him. She had a shocking ability to think up things on the fly that seemed to change his life drastically.

 

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As the group of spectators continued to watch the girls practice a thought popped into Misato's mind as she looked around the pool deck. She looked at Shinji and weighed the decision in her mind for a couple minutes. She decided that it was a good idea as not only would it get Shinji more active and involved in school life her idea would look really good on his transcripts, so she decided to act on it. “Shinji would you mind holding Keiko for a minute or two? I need to ask coach Kumara a question.”

 

“Sure” Shinji answered and Misato handed Keiko off to him. Misato then made her way over to the stairs that led down to the pool deck. These stairs were off limits to both the swimmers and any teen spectators but parents were free to use them if they had any questions for the coach.

 

Shinji didn't notice it but when he started playing with Keiko, mainly to distract the girl from noticing mommy was walking away, he caught the attention of quite a few girls. Shinji was a cute boy, but the combination of him and a baby that was simply adorable herself was an irresistible draw. And he was doing a good job of taking care of her too as she was smiling and giggling and just generally happy. That meant he must of known what he was doing and must be a very mature young man. Many girls made a mental note to keep him in mind and also an eye on him. Shinji had just elevated his rank to possible boyfriend material.

 

Even a bunch of girls from Karowu's group took notice. Karowu took notice of this too, or more precisely the sudden lack of attention on him. He was not happy about it. He was supposed to be the pretty one that all the girls looked at and wanted to play with. But the kid he always considered a pawn had just stolen his thunder. What anyone could see in Shinji was beyond his comprehension. But maybe he could turn this to his advantage. Going over by Touji was a dangerous gamble, but even he wasn't a big enough of a brute to start something in front of a baby. The baby itself though was his primary objective. If he could just hold it for a couple seconds he could get back his mojo and maybe get somewhere with one of the girls he was with. Plus in his mind he knew Shinji thought of him as a good friend. This was exactly what he wanted his pawns to think.

 

So Karowu got up and made his way over. All he had to do was sidle up next to Shinji. Say a few words, hold the baby for a couple seconds, and then he would come back and proclaim he was just giving Shinji some helpful hints on how to handle the baby.

 

What he forgot to take into account was the child's mother. Mothers tend to have a sixth sense when it comes to their babies and they know who not to let near them. And as Karowu made his way over he heard a low growl coming from below him on the pool deck. “Go near my child and die.”

 

Karowu stopped dead in his tracks and looked down only to be met by the brown eyes of a fiercely protective mother. He instantly lost his nerve and went up the bleachers and out the back door acting like he was headed towards the bathrooms. Which if he had stood there a second longer he would have in his pants. There were some people in this world that you just didn't mess with.

 

As Misato continued to walk along the side the pool she heard a distinctive “Mommy” as she passed by where Shinji and his friends were sitting. She stepped up onto a bench and reached thru the railing to beep her child's nose. “Now be a good girl for uncle Shinji. Mommy will be back soon.” Before she continued on her way though she called Touji over and told him something. He nodded his head and sat back down.

 

About a minute later Touji got back up and said he had to hit the can. When he got to the bathroom he heard Karowu talking to himself in front of the mirror. “Think Karowu, think. There must be a way you can get your hands on that stupid baby. Just a couple seconds holding that thing would get me some.”

 

“Too bad that ain't gonna happen” Touji said announcing his presence.

 

Karowu jumped and started backing his way towards one of the stalls to try and hide while saying “I swear I haven't gone near Hikari.”

 

Touji made his way over to the sinks and started to wash his hands. “Don't worry you big pussy, I didn't come in here to mess you up. I came here to make sure Misato's message was clearly delivered. Because you see she wasn't only talking about Keiko. She meant the other two as well.”

 

“What other two?”

 

“Fucking moron, you're more dense than what Asuka accuses me of being” Touji told him. “I was talking about Shinji and Asuka.”

 

“They're not her kids.”

 

“She thinks they are” Touji answered. “And if they don't argue that, I ain't either. Unlike you I'm not stupid enough to even think of challenging that woman.”

 

“But Shinji is a close friend of mine” Karowu argued. “That bitch can't tell me what to do.”

 

“What world are you living in” Touji laughed. “Shinji hates your guts as much as I do. The only reason he doesn't tell you himself is it would be a waste of his time, kinda like how this is now.” … “Oh and I almost forgot, if I ever see you at practice again I will tell Asuka that you were going to use Keiko as a tool to get laid. And trust me on this dipwad, she's just begging to get her hands on you. And not in a way you want those skanky fangirls of yours to.” Touji then turned off the water and dried his hands before he walked out of the bathroom.

 

Karowu was left standing there shaking. He had totally forgotten about Asuka and that was a very, very bad thing. He knew that girl was out for blood concerning him.

 

Touji got as far as the door to the pool area before he stopped and turned around to head back towards the bathrooms while muttering “Crap. Now I really do have to piss.” When he got back into the bathroom he noticed Karowu was no where to be seen.

 

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In the pool area Misato walked up to the coach “These girls are a bit on the messy side.”

 

“That's an understatement” the coach quipped as she looked around at all the towels, paper cups, and water bottles strewn about. “But they're all typical teenagers. You can tell them to pick up after themselves but….”

 

“…But that doesn't mean they will” Misato finished for her.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Don't you usually have a team manager to clean up the area for you?”

 

“Not this year” coach Kumara sighed. “My last one graduated and word got out that work was involved with the position.”

 

“So no takers huh?”

 

“Not a one I like” The coach said.

 

“Mind if I make a suggestion?” Misato asked.

 

The coach looked at her curiously. She desperately needed the help and was getting very tired of the late nights she had to put in because she didn't have any. “Who's the girl?”

 

“She is a he that needs something to do” Misato told her. “Shinji.”

 

The answer was quick and precise. “No.”

 

“Aw why not?” Misato asked. “You were his teacher last year. You know he is a kind, reliable, and trustworthy kid.”

 

“While those are qualities I like to have in a manager, Shinji has the one quality I desire the least.”

 

“My Shinji is a very good boy” Misato proclaimed in his defense.

 

“Exactly” the coach said again. “He is a boy. And that's a problem.”

 

“What's wrong with that?” Misato asked. “A lot of the other sports teams have managers of the opposite sex.”

 

“Not mine” the coach said.

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I made that mistake about ten years ago and had one of my team manager's work a little too closely with one of my girls” the coach explained. “I lost her due to medical reasons half way through the season. I found out later the medical reason was pregnancy and my trustworthy manager was the father. I swore from that day forward I would never have another male manager again.”

 

Misato winced a little as that was a damn good reason. This was going to be a harder sale than she expected, but she wasn't going to give up. “That is a very good reason but c'mon this is Shinji we're talking about.”

 

“Shinji's just as much of a boy as the rest of them.”

 

“Shinji is special” Misato said. “He's much more trustworthy. He won't try anything with any of your girls.”

 

“Oh really?” the coach smirked and pointed towards the stands.

 

Misato looked up and groaned quietly to herself “Asuka you aren't making this any easier girl.”

 

When Misato and the coach first started talking Asuka was swimming laps. But sometime in the middle she got out of the pool and looked up into the stands. The first thing she saw was Shinji sitting on the floor of the bleachers playing with Keiko. Keiko would run to the end of the bleacher and then run back and hug Shinji. This was pretty cute and it made her smile.

 

But the smile faded as she noticed other girls were watching this too. Some were definitely making eyes at Shinji and a couple looked like they were about to get up and talk with him. This was strictly not allowed in her mind and she decided to do something about it. So Asuka made her way over to where Keiko and Shinji were playing, stepped up on a bench, grabbed one of the bars of the railing, and pulled herself up into the stands.

 

She then walked to the far end of the bleacher and then called Keiko. Keiko of course came running and this became a game. She would run to Asuka and give her a hug, then she would run back to Shinji to get a hug, and just go back and forth getting attention. This squashed any ambition any of the other girls had. It was also what coach Kumara saw.

 

“I can explain that” Misato quickly said.

 

“So can I” the coach answered. “I have been a mother, a teacher, and a coach for over ten years. I know what I just saw.”

 

“That situation's much different than it appears to be” Misato replied back.

 

The coach took a deep breath. “I'll level with you Mrs. Katsuragi, here is what I'm thinking. When I was their teacher last year I could see there was something between the two. It was vague but it was there. When school and practice started up again this year I almost thought it had disappeared. But last week I noticed a huge difference. The Asuka I knew on Tuesday was not the Asuka I met on Wednesday. And the old Asuka hasn't come back either. Plus as it is plainly obvious there is mutual co-operation and probably more between those two now.”

 

“Officially you are dead wrong” Misato said to her. “But unofficially….”

 

“I thought so.”

 

Misato could tell she wasn't doing a very good job of convincing coach Kumara so she decided to level with her too. “You're right but there is so much more. I want Shinji to do this because I want to help nurture their relationship. I'm very happy they are together and I'm hoping this will teach him responsibility in a good way. Plus it will get him directly involved in something that is important to Asuka. I think she will appreciate that.”

 

“That's one of the things I'm worried about” The coach said.

 

“Don't be” Misato answered. “That kind of appreciation is a long ways off. Both of them have holes in their hearts that they need to fill long before anything like that happens. Plus there are some bumps in the road.”

 

“Such as?” the coach asked wanting an explanation. Asuka was her star swimmer and she wanted nothing to get in the way of the girl.

 

“The biggest being Asuka is terrified of intimacy and Shinji isn't much better.”

 

The coach looked at Misato funny. She could believe that about Shinji but not Asuka. “Asuka does not strike me as the shy little school girl type. From what I have seen she's the kind of girl who goes out and gets what she wants, and that's what concerns me.”

 

“On the outside she is” Misato answered truthfully. “She's strong, brash, arrogant, and extremely intelligent. But on the inside and considering matters of the heart she's just a lost and lonely little girl stumbling around in the dark with no clue as how to turn on the light.”

 

“So you're hoping that those two find the light switch together?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But what happens when they find the switch and how quickly will it be before they turn it back off for some privacy?” the coach questioned.

 

“Considering they haven't even kissed yet, I predict a long while.”

 

“Really?” the coach said surprised. “The ones with pasts are usually the fastest.” Mrs. Kumara had heard all the rumors in the past and knew there was some type of history between the two teens, she just didn't know what type of history.

 

“There's some truth to that. But their pasts are very nasty and left quite a few scars. It will take a while for them to heal.” Misato then thought of something else that might help her case. “And actually, according to what I was told yesterday, what's happening to Asuka is more than she can handle already.”

 

Misato had chuckled a bit at the end of that and the coach grew curious why so she prodded for the rest of it.

 

“On Saturday Rei and Shinji went with her to the mall. And not only was she hiding the fact they are dating fiercely, she got startled pretty badly on the way home.” Misato whispered this next part to Coach Kumara just to make sure no one overheard them. “Apparently she had hushed Shinji by putting a finger on his lips for some reason and then Shinji showed he does have an inkling of a backbone as he gave her finger an innocent little peck.”

 

“She slapped him hard, didn't she?” The coach asked as that was the first action she expected out of Asuka.

 

“Nope” Misato answered. “She got humbled, embarrassed, and silent. And according to Rei she stayed that way until they got off the train ten minutes later.”

 

The coach had to chuckle at that. She had never seen Asuka like that before and the thought was humorous. “Ok, so I don't have to worry about this year. What about next?”

 

“Asuka's definitely going in for a shot this Wednesday and every third Wednesday of the month after that. No one is taking any chances here.”

 

That was an answer the coach could love. It was very relieving but there were other problems “What if they break up? That has potential to tear this team apart.”

 

“Won't happen” Misato answered sounding very sure of herself. “There's way too much there for it to happen.”

 

“Are you sure? Very few high school sweethearts end up together now days.”

 

“Very few high school sweethearts went through what they did” Misato said. “Out of respect for their privacy I'm not going to say much but I will say those two had a very unique and intermixed third impact than the rest of us.”

 

The coach was starting to feel very uneasy at this point. Misato kept giving her good answers and Shinji was starting to look like a good choice. But all she had to do was look out to spot another problem. There weren't just girls in the stands looking at Shinji, there were some looks coming from the pool area too. “I see potential for some ugly jealousy and teenage girls can do some real nasty things when they are jealous.”

 

“Asuka's going to do them whether he's manager or not” Misato pointed out. “At least my way would put him under your direct supervision and you could control it.”

 

The coach let out a frustrated breath while saying quietly “Shit.” … “Ok he's got the job. But on one condition. That little cutie you have needs to be a rare sight at practice.”

 

Misato looked over and saw half the team standing over there and even Hikari was up in the stands with Asuka now. “She's a bit of a distraction, isn't she?”

 

“They all are at that age” Coach Kumara responded with much motherly experience. “Plus I know about Hikari and that jock. Seeing her hold a child makes me downright scared.”

 

Misato smirked at that “Guess I shouldn't tell you then that Hikari is my primary babysitter.”

 

The coach really didn't want to hear that and wanted to cry to herself as Misato started to walk away.

 

Misato made her way back to the stands and shooed the other girls away. With Keiko back in her arms she looked at Shinji “Well what are you waiting for? Get to work.”

 

“Huh?” and Shinji's confusion was added to as the swim coach yelled “Ikari I need to have a word with you.” He was hesitant at first but Misato gave him a little push and Shinji made his way down to the pool. When he got there he looked up at his old teacher and said “You- you wanted to talk to me Mrs. Kumara?”

 

“It's coach Kumara now” and she turned him around so he could face all the girls. Then the coach made a general announcement. “Girls your attention please. I would like to make an announcement. Shinji Ikari has volunteered to be our new team manager. I expect you to treat him nicely and not abuse his generosity.”

 

A squeak of fear escaped from Shinji's throat as he looked out at the direct eyes of a team full of girls. He was in a world of trouble and he knew it. His first thought was to deny and run but then he saw something that changed his mind. Asuka smiled at the announcement and looked up towards Misato. He could see her mouth the words `thank you.'

 

Misato smiled back and turned her head towards Shinji who she knew was giving her a look of confusion. She gave him a look that asked `will you do it for her?'

 

The answer to that question was the clincher and Shinji looked back at the coach and nodded his head yes. He would be the team manager for Asuka's sake and happiness.

 

“Ok girls, Back In the Pool.” Coach Kumara yelled when the introduction was over with. She then looked over at him and pulled him aside to explain a few things. “I will go over most of the rules and your duties with you later, but it's mainly common sense stuff and cleaning up after the girls. But especially for you I'm adding one more rule. Knock up your girlfriend, whoever she may be, and you die. Is that clear?”

 

Shinji turned red at that and stuttered out a “Y-y-yes m-ma'am.”

 

“Good” the coach responded but looked at him funny. “What's with your hand?”

 

Shinji reached down and held it shut with the other. “Sorry.”

 

“So it's some kind of nervous twitch?”

 

Shinji nodded his head yes.

 

“Glad to see you are that nervous about the implication. Now I can place some trust in you. Welcome to the team manager Ikari.”

 

“Thank you ma'am” Shinji replied respectfully.

 

“Let's see if you say that after you find out that the girls aren't going to listen to me about not abusing you.” Shinji didn't react to that in any way and the coach said with some humor “That was supposed to scare you.”

 

Shinji answered with a completely serious expression “I'm used to it.” And with that he was put to work immediately.

 

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Shinji had many responsibilities, the first of which was picking up after the girls. Of course this was a continuous task and on top of that most girls never used a towel to dry off with more than once. He would hand one to them when they got out of the pool, they would walk off with it, and then they would drop it on the floor when they decided to get back in the pool making him have to walk over there to pick it up.

 

Another one of his tasks was making sure the girls always had water. That was the easy part. The hard part was that most of the girls could never throw the bottle or paper cup into the trash next to the barrel. The more common place was the floor or in the pool itself, in which case he had to fish them out with a long net.

 

Still another task of his upon all that was to stand next to the coach and write down the times when she was running time trials. This freed up her hands up so she could give better advice to her swimmers on hand movements in the water while they were actually swimming.

 

Plus his job didn't end at practice, he was the designated `gofer' for the team in the weight room. Which is were he found himself running around as the girls always needed help with something. Shinji got more of a workout than most of the girls did. Plus there were special case girls he had to deal with in there too. The coach had given him strict orders not to let Asuka overexert herself as she was prone to do. So Shinji was constantly taking weights off her equipment or slowing down her treadmill.

 

Asuka on the other hand would fight the intervention and try to slap his hand away while telling him to go help Hikari or Rei. Shinji never listened to her and instead followed the coach's orders much to Asuka's consternation.

 

Another special case was Mana as she was always whining about something, needed something, or was generally underfoot when he was helping someone else. At first Asuka got pissed at this but settled down when she noticed Shinji was always looking over Mana's shoulder and at her.

 

Unfortunately so were a lot of other guys. That bodysuit Asuka was wearing definitely got her attention as it was a bit risqué. But in truth this was attention she no longer wanted as she had finally realized that attention from the right individual was so much better than attention from the general public. Asuka didn't even argue with the coach when she came into the weight room and told Asuka she had to wear her regular gym clothes from now on like the rest of the girls.

 

The lack of an argument with her star athlete floored the coach so much that she nearly forgot why she came in the first place. She had come bearing gifts for her new team manager. First was a shirt that said `Manager' on the front and `T4 HS Girls Swim Team' on the back. Second he was given a pair of swim trunks as since he was going to be working around the pool he was going to get wet. A couple of the girls grumbled that he should have to wear a pair of skimpy swim shorts like they do on the boys swim team instead of the baggy cargo short types of ones he was given but as long as one of the grumblers wasn't Asuka she didn't care.

 

Eventually the coach left to take care of other matters and left Shinji alone again. He soon found himself gang tackled and pinned to the ground on his stomach by a gaggle of girls. Asuka walked up with a sharpie and wrote `Property of the' over the words on the back of his shirt. She then let him back up and said “Welcome to the team Ikari. Now go get me a bottle of water.”

 

Shinji smirked at Asuka and headed over to the ice chest. Some of the guys in the weight room were standing around it and they all asked the same question. “How?” “I don't know” Shinji answered. “Weird things just seem to happen to me.” He heard a couple “lucky you”s followed by a bunch of female voices all asking for something at once. He grabbed a bunch of waters while saying sarcastically “Yeah right.”

 

It wasn't totally bad as there were times he could sit and take a short breather, plus Touji was there too. Touji was there to get in shape for basketball season and he would give Shinji a hand from time to time. Granted most of that time was spent being Hikari's personal helper but that just meant one less girl that he had to worry about.

 

Shinji's job went even further than that as when all the girls were finally gone he had to clean the locker room and launder the towels. The bad part of this was he couldn't walk home with Asuka anymore. But she did give him a gift as from time to time Shinji would find a small special candy wrapper on the floor next to her locker. On them was always written a little message, `Thank You.'

 

When Shinji was finally done with all his duties the coach was impressed. Shinji had turned out to be a good choice after all. She gave him the keys to the pool and locker room and told him his last job. To turn out the lights when he was done.

 

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By the time Shinji got home it was late and he ran into Kaji in the elevator. “Awfully late to be getting home from school isn't it?” Kaji asked. The way Kaji said it though was a mixture of his usual good natured tone and a bit of seriousness. Shinji wasn't the kind of kid to get in trouble at school but he was getting home at a time that usually only Asuka did when she got in trouble. (Her usual offense was lipping off to a teacher which would get her cleanup duties)

 

His attitude lightened up as Shinji told him why though. That by had the world just thrown on top of him and Kaji had to chuckle at the situation as he offered Shinji some advice on how to handle himself around the ladies. That boy was going to need it too.

 

When Kaji and Shinji got off the elevator they were still discussing things when they ran into Rei in the hallway. She looked surprisingly relaxed but they were too busy talking to each other and hungry to question why.

 

Rei probably wouldn't have told them anyway because it was a secret. For when Rei got home from practice she found a surprise waiting for her in the middle of her living room. It was a certain black leather chair with a note on it. `Every girl deserves a little bit of luxury, here's yours. And if you think I am being too generous just think of this as buying your silence. Oh and don't tell Asuka about the instant noodles I stashed in your cupboard.'

 

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Sadly the only secret kept was about the instant noodles as on Thursday the chair was discovered by Asuka. When Rei had failed to show up to help with dinner Asuka went over to her place to see why. The blue haired child that had fallen asleep in the chair she wanted was not among one of the reasons Asuka figured why. So when Asuka got back to her place she pointed at Misato and then her room.

 

When both were in the room and weren't in front of Keiko Asuka shut the door. “Why the hell does she get the chair and not me?!” Asuka yelled at the top of her lungs. “I'm the one who wants it.”

 

This wasn't a normal Asuka hissy fit. It was obvious to Misato that Asuka's feelings got slighted and hurt. “Before you get too far let me ask you something. Has Rei ever had any bit of excess luxury in her life? Something that had no other purpose than to make her happy.”

 

“How the hell should I know?” Asuka yelled.

 

“Well I do know and the answer is No.” Misato said and then walked over to Asuka's closet and opened it. It was jammed full of clothes and shoes and purses and many other accessories. “Can you say the same about yourself?”

 

“That's different” Asuka cried out. “I really needed that chair.”

 

“Just like you need that Beamer, or how you need that Versachi dress, or you need that diamond necklace, or even how you absolutely need the vacation to Monte Carlo?”

 

“Well I….” Asuka didn't really have an answer to all that.

 

“Asuka you know I love you and I spoil you rotten because of that. But with you I have to set limits” Misato explained. “Rei's not going to ask for anything else but you would.” Asuka sat down on her bed, crossed her arms, and got that typical pouty and mad teenager face. Misato sat down and wrapped an arm around her. “I'm not trying to punish you or be mean to you..”

 

“Well you are” Asuka interrupted with a pout.

 

“.. No I'm not. I'm just trying to set limits” Misato calmly explained. “Plus you don't need that chair.”

 

“Yes I do.”

 

“No you don't, because you have something much better.”

 

“What?” Asuka demanded to know.

 

“You have Shinji” Misato answered.

 

“That's not a fair answer” Asuka screamed. “Shinji is a person, not a thing.”

 

“Yes but he is a person who can do what that thing can, and better” Misato told her. “I have sat in it and tested it out and I can tell you the feel of Kaji's hands is a much better sensation than that chair.”

 

Asuka's eyes got very big and she started getting nervous. Misato had just thrown out a very big suggestion. One in which she wasn't ready for. It was one thing for Shinji to hold her hand or a caress of the cheek, but to let him massage her body? She didn't know if she couldn't handle that. “I… I'm not ready for that…”

 

“Why not?” Misato asked. “I'm not suggesting anything bad or intimate.”

 

“But he will be touching me. I- I don't want that yet.”

 

“Asuka you will have to let him touch you some time. Why not start with massages? Misato said to her.

 

“What if I, you know, react to it?” Asuka asked.

 

“Then you react to it” Misato answered. “It's no big deal.”

 

“But.. But…”

 

“Listen Asuka I'm not saying let him have free access to your body. I'm just suggesting you let him massage places you are comfortable with” Misato explained to her. “You can set up limits with him and as you feel more comfortable with it you can allow him more access to yourself.”

 

“Limits?” Asuka questioned. “Is that even possible? What if he wants more?”

 

“Then he wants more, but that doesn't mean he will touch more.”

 

“What would stop him?” Asuka then asked. “Because I don't know if I would.” She knew she wasn't as strong of a person as she said she was. If Shinji got intimate with her she might find herself caving into his desire to make him happy.

 

“Trust” Misato answered simply enough. “You need to learn how to trust him. If you really want this relationship to work you will have to learn that.”

 

“So do you think he would really only touch me where I want him too?” Asuka questioned as she wasn't really sure herself. Her real knowledge of guys was much less than her bragged knowledge.

 

“What I think doesn't matter. It's what you think that does” Misato told her and then got up from the bed. She told Asuka to wait there for a moment and when Misato returned she was carrying a book with her. “This is a book I got back in college that luckily survived. It describes how to give massages in a very clinical way. Use it if you wish but I'm not going to force anything on you.”

 

Asuka took the book and looked at it with many questions. Misato then told her to think about it and that she would handle dinner tonight.

 

When Misato left her room Asuka didn't follow. She stayed sitting on her bed as she had a lot to think about. Certain priorities in her life were in a definite flux right now as Misato had just opened her eyes to reality a bit more.

 

****^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^****

 

Dinner that night was on the quiet side. Most of the talking that was done was by Misato and that was mainly to Keiko. Asuka was silent because she was still in deep thought about everything Misato had talked to her about. This decision was a huge one and she wasn't going to rush into it with a rash answer. Rei was usually quiet bet even more so tonight as she thought Asuka may have been mad at her over the chair and was giving her the silent treatment. Shinji was quiet because everyone else was and he didn't know why. Kaji was quiet for pretty much the same reason. There was no sense rocking the boat without a good reason. So with the majority of the conversation at the table being coos and baby talk that night's dinner went by quickly.

 

After dinner Asuka didn't go sit in front of the TV like usual, she went to her room. She asked Shinji to join her.

 

While Shinji and Asuka were talking Rei was helping Misato with the dishes. “Did I do something wrong?”

 

Misato looked at Rei “What makes you think that?”

 

“Asuka was very quiet tonight. That's unlike her and I believe it might be because of me.”

 

Rei actually looked worried about this so Misato told her calmly with a gentle mom like smile “No it's not your fault. Asuka is a little confused right now. Just give her some time and space and she will be back to normal.”

 

“So it has nothing to do with my chair?” Rei asked.

 

“Not anymore” Misato answered. “I gave her some more serious issues to deal with than petty jealousy.”

 

“Still I think I will invite her over to use it when she desires” Rei offered.

 

“That's very nice of you dear” Misato said looking at her like she was proud of Rei for saying that. “But why don't you hold up on that offer till later. I don't think right now is the best time to disturb them.”

 

“Ok Misato” Rei answered but looked at the glass she was drying. She then looked at all the dishes. They had a theme to them, specifically they all had children's cartoon characters on them.

 

“Can you tell I have a little one?” Misato kidded.

 

“Clearly” Rei answered back with a little smile.

 

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(A/N: I Re-re-edited. Changed a few words around. Fixed some grammar. Broke up some of the bigger blocks of text. And expounded on some parts to make them clearer. Basically gave this a good once over to improve its quality.)