Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Swim of Things ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

The Swim of Things

By

Ret Nuh

 

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It was March 20th, the first day of spring in Japan. And it was also the designated day of remembrance. On this day just about everything closed down for the festivities as the first day of spring was one of the few things around the world that symbolized the same thing, rebirth. A very fitting idea and a good way to spin the whole third impact thing into something positive. The actual day of third impact itself was left to the individual as most people would rather not remember it. It was not a good day in the least and for most it was a day when they lost someone they once knew. To try and celebrate this day would be a depressing mistake and it was better left to becoming a byline in history than to commemorate it.

 

The opposing idea to this festival originally was to celebrate this holiday on the day you came back. This was a difficult thing to do as the actual day you came back could vary. The revival, if you want to call it that, happened over a two-week period. Asuka and Shinji may have been the only ones who came back on that first day but each day after there was a surging of life reborn upon the planet. And since no one could agree on a certain day during that timeframe, due to their own perspectives that the day should be celebrated on the day they personally came back, the world's governing body did a rare thing and came together to say it would be celebrated on the first day of spring. A pretty intelligent decision, which was surprising considering most of these people were the same bureaucrats that got suckered in by SEELE, which led to an uncommon compromise by all. So March 20th, the first day of spring, the time to celebrate coming back, the time to go out and have a good time, the time to remember why you came back, and also a time to remember and pay tribute to those who didn't.

 

As you could probably guess this celebration for the residence of Tokyo-4 took place on the beaches surrounding the sea that used to be Tokyo-3. There was generally a carnival type atmosphere as there were rides and many stands that sold everything from food, drinks, and snacks to knick-knacks, art work, and souvenirs of the day. Along with this came the obligatory scam artists that tried to sell stuff they claimed came from angels or the Evas but in truth 99.999999999% of the time that stuff was fake and even if it wasn't the scam artist probably didn't know it was real themselves. So most of this day was spent milling around and having a good time talking with your friends and family followed by an extravagant fireworks show in the evening. But right now it was very early in the morning, most of the booths and stands were just setting up, the ride operators were getting their machines up and going, and the main beach was closed off in preparation of the upcoming festivities. Or at least that is what the general population was told. The beach was really closed off to give some people who were much closer to the whole third impact situation a chance to commemorate what happened in some peace and privacy.

 

And that's exactly what was happening. Misato was by a monument, Asuka was wading in the shallows, Shinji was sitting on the beach looking up, Rei was on a nearby overlook of the area, and Kaji was carrying around Keiko. Kaji and Keiko weren't near the beach though, instead they were wandering around the area where stands and rides were being set up. Basically he was just keeping her out of the way and sort of protecting her from the reality of the situation down there. He would just walk around with her and sort of show her off to the people getting ready, many of which he knew, and they in return would say hi back and sometimes give the little cutey a treat. This way Keiko was kept happy and away from something that would make her cry because being as young as she was, she was very sensitive to the emotions of those around her. If she sensed that Shinji, Asuka, or even Rei was sad she would be sad too. And if she saw that her mommy was sad the waterworks would come out instantly. That is just how little kids are so it was best if she was removed from the situation.

 

So as her husband took care of their child Misato had two yellow carnations in her hands while standing in front of a memorial. One from her and one from Kaji. This memorial was a rather large monument made up of marble. Its base was a rounded pillar that supported a large marble dove with a laurel in its beak. A very fitting image considering it was a monument dedicated to peace. It wasn't peace as in the absence of strife in the world but more like peace in ones heart and soul. For on the pillar was a plaque that read `For all those who did not come back, may you find peace in your soul that you could not in life.'

 

Misato knelt down in front of the memorial and laid the two carnations down. And with a soft voice she asked “Oh Ritsuko why did you have to do such foolish things? And why couldn't you have come back? We would have forgiven you.” It was a good thing Keiko was not around as Misato then shed a tear for her lost friend. She missed Ritsuko so much. Yes Ritsuko had a lot of problem and was addicted to an uncaring man she shouldn't have been but she was still her friend. There were so many of Ritsuko's friends and colleagues that could have helped her out if she would have come back but she didn't even give them the chance. She truly hated herself and could not envision a monster like her being allowed to come back to a reborn and happier world. After what she had done she felt she didn't deserve it. This truly was the most foolish decision her friends felt she had ever made. All of them had the same vision of her right before they came back from third impact. She stood in front of them like the repentant sinner and said she was sorry, then she faded away into an existence of nothingness.

 

As Misato knelt there weeping she noticed two more carnations were placed beside hers along with a yellow rose with a little commemorative coin shaped like a cat attached to it. There was another flower put down as well but it was not yellow like the others but instead a very dark red. This was meant for someone else.

 

As Misato stood up she gave a crying Maya a hug. This memorial was such a hard thing for Maya to look at. To her it symbolized the loss of someone very important to her. The others did not even know how close to Ritsuko Maya felt, hell Ritsuko didn't even know, until Maya came back and cried out for her. But Maya knew Ritsuko wasn't coming back, she knew she wasn't going to get the chance to tell her how much she meant to her, she knew her feelings were a lost cause. And those reasons were why this situation hurt so much.

 

But Maya wasn't as alone as she thought she was. She had some close friends that helped pick her up and gave her the confidence to go on in life. One of those friends ended up becoming very close to her in the process, even closer to her heart than Ritsuko did. Shigeru even wrote a song about it at her wedding. The song was centered on the main lyrics `From two rotted vines of misguided feelings grew a mighty oak of love.' Horribly cheesy and sappy but since Shigeru Aoba was big into rock ballads, and right now those ballads were making him a very rich and popular man, it was not all that unexpected. Plus it adequately described Makoto and Maya. Both of them had a love for someone else that would never be requited. But as much as that could hurt it was also something they could take solace in together. And in this case that solace turned into a love that neither of them knew existed.

 

After a long hug Misato released the crying girl back over to her main emotional supporter. Makoto was a very good person for her to have as he hugged her close and held her. Misato then turned to Kouzou Fuyutsuki “Did Shinji give you that?”

 

“Yes” the good professor answered. “I don't know how but he really did forgive that man.”

 

“It's because he knew why his father did what he did” Misato told him. “The Commander just wanted to be with Yui again. And Shinji can easily relate to that.”

 

“That stubborn old fool” Fuyutsuki said looking at the memorial. “He just couldn't accept that it wasn't an accident. He genuinely believed Yui was going to choose him over Shinji.”

 

“A mother's love is absolute” Misato answered back. Before she had Keiko she didn't really understand this but now it was a very clear thought to her.

 

“I just wish he would have figured that out sooner” Kouzou said shaking his head. After he said that though he noticed a man wearing a pulled up coat, sunglasses, and a baseball hat walk up to him. That man then threw a yellow carnation onto the memorial. “Welcome home.”

 

“Thanks” he answered as he went to give hugs to his old friends.

 

Misato let out a little laugh as she hugged him “I'm surprised you came alone. Last time I saw you, you were being mugged by a bunch of teenage girls.”

 

“It wasn't easy let me tell you” the rock star Shigeru answered. “I had to change cars three times and drive twenty miles out of the city just to avoid the paparazzi.” He then looked at all his friends “But I don't skip out on things that are important.”

 

“So you going to stick around this time or do you have to jet right away?” Makoto asked him.

 

“Actually I'm in town for a couple days” he answered. “I'm doing a surprise charity performance on the main stage this afternoon and then the band and I are going to give another performance over at one of the bars we first played in.” He then offered some invites “If you want I can get you guys some VIP passes?”

 

Fuyutsuki was a little long in the tooth for Shigeru's brand of music and he respectfully declined. Makoto and Maya took up his offer for the afternoon performance but declined on the evening one. Maya was avoiding the bars at this particular time. As for Misato, she looked out and saw something in the water that gave her the answer to that.

 

“I don't think we are going to be able to be around today.” The others looked out and saw what she was referring to. But as sad as the sight was Misato smiled while saying “I'm just glad that the right person is there comforting her this time.”

 

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Shinji was just sitting on the beach looking up at the sky. It was still early so he could see the moon and faint stars but that was not what he was looking at. For in front of the moon was the true monument to third impact. The stone form of Evangelion unit 01. As foreboding as its presence was at times to the people of the world, to Shinji only one thing was linked to the stone centennial in the sky, Mother. And while he was sitting there in silence a tall grayed haired gentleman walked up to him.

 

“I look up at her all the time as well.”

 

Shinji got up and bowed politely to this elder. “I can't explain why but her presence makes me feel better. I feel like she's watching over me.”

 

“I believe she is” Professor Fuyutsuki answered. “There's so much we don't understand about what happened but there is something inside of me that thinks that stone form is just a façade. Your mother's soul was such an indomitable spirit that I refuse to believe it is gone.” The professor then looked over at the teen next to him “and if there was anything she would be watching over, it would be you.”

 

Shinji smiled at this. Very few people regarded his mother like that. To most people who looked up in the sky it was just a chunk of stone floating out there. To those who knew something it was a reminder of there past mistakes.

 

To scientists though it was a constant curiosity. There was a definite form to the object and also a flame that never went out. This was a huge and unexplainable quandary to them. And to make matters worse they couldn't study it. While there had actually been missions up into space to do that, some of those missions were even funded by people with alternative goals that involved creating a fourth impact or simply to get a sample in an attempt to create the ultimate weapon, every mission resulted in failure. It was impossible to get near the stone monolith. No matter what they tried there seemed to be an invisible and impenetrable barrier that stopped them. They simply could not get near Unit-01. There had even been a mission that cost a great deal of money and resources to try and retrieve the lance of longenius in an effort to try and break this invisible field. It was obvious that this endeavor was funded by someone who knew something but those directly involved in what had really happened weren't worried. Exactly what they thought would happen did when that team landed on the moon intent on retrieving it. They were held off by a strong barrier. The team even brought along the latest advancements in weapons technology and tried to blast its way through the barrier but to no avail. The only thing they could ever see, as every attack was redirected away, was a slight orangish hexagonal pattern. After that colossal and extremely expensive failure the world governments put the kibosh on any further explorations up there. Now if you wanted to do the space thing you had to do the traditional stuff like building a space station, launching satellites, trying to put a base on the moon, or trying to get to Mars.

 

Shinji looked back up at his mother in the sky along side the other person who missed her as well for a little while before he gave Professor Fuyutsuki a flower. “I know a lot of people disagree with me but I still don't hate him. Could you put this on the memorial in his honor for me?” Fuyutsuki of course nodded his head yes and he left to give Shinji some privacy.

 

Shinji returned his attention towards the sky “I know I'm finally doing much better now mom. It was touch and go there for a while but I'm so much happier now than I was last year. You probably can see the reason why and I want you to know that I took to heart what you told me. I love her and will not let her go.” Shinji then let out a little laugh “You are probably the only person who would have ever expected me to say something like that before third impact.” Shinji then sighed out “But I still do miss you. I know I always will. But I understand what you did for me, you just wanted to protect me and keep me safe. No matter what anyone else says you are a great mother… and I love you.” It was after Shinji finished saying that when he heard sobbing.

 

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While most others thought of this day as one of fun and merriment, Asuka hated it. If she could she would have spent it all day in her bed hiding from the world, but she couldn't. She had to do something that she knew was very important and would emotionally break her. Not even her best defenses could hide this harsh reality from her. This day was by far the hardest day of the year for her.

 

She had to wade out into the Tokyo-3 Sea.

 

Everyone else saw this place as either just another place to have fun or a tourist trap, but that's not how she saw it. Even most of her friends never understood how Asuka felt about this place as they always invited her to go swimming and visit the beach with them. But Asuka always had a reason not to. And if she didn't she would make one up. Considering the beach around the Sea was probably the most popular place to see or be seen this confused a good many people. It just seemed like the natural place for Asuka to be. Her in a little bikini lounging on a beach blanket tanning herself, knowing that a hundred guys couldn't take their eyes off her magnificent body. To some of her friends and classmates this was the Asuka they knew. But strangely enough none of them had ever seen her at the beach, and a good many boys looked for her there too.

 

But what no one understood was just how painful emotionally it was for Asuka to be there. For to Asuka this wasn't a fabulous beach at all, it was her mother's grave. Somewhere under all that water were the last remnants of Evangelion Unit 02. This was where she finally connected with her mother in a valiant effort against the MP Evas. She had no chance of winning that battle but still she teamed up with her mother and they gave it everything they had. It was during that chaotic moment in time that she finally understood something. Her mother didn't hate her, she loved her. All those painful memories of hers were of a sick and emotionally destroyed mother who no one lifted a finger to help.

 

Nerv, Gehrin, SEELE, or whoever it was, thought it was better that Asuka's mother stayed the psychological wreck they forced her to be as it would create the harsh and bitter pilot they wanted. But in that brief moment of her fight when she connected with her mother's soul she learned the truth and a great many other things. Not only did her mother love her but they had happy times too. Asuka must have locked them away deep inside herself but in the times before she turned four and her mother's mind was destroyed they were so very close.

 

Maybe Kyoko knew something she shouldn't but in the early days she never let go of her daughter. She knew her daughter was incredibly gifted but she wanted the girl to live a normal life. Obviously others didn't agree with her and this forced Kyoko to be very protective of her little child. Asuka was the one person she cherished the most and she gave the girl her undying love and devotion. It was memories of this that Asuka was given during that battle. And they were memories that she would never let go of again. Her mother loved her. That was important to Asuka. And as the girl waded into the water it lapped at her feet. She then set afloat a wreath of intertwined roses.

 

As she watched the roses float off she said “I love you Mommy.” … “And I know you love me…” Asuka was already starting to lose control of herself. The emotions she was feeling were too much for the girl to handle. She was so strong while at the same time so emotionally weak. “…I- I miss you so much…” and Asuka fell to her knees and started crying. Her tears melting into the sea. It was just too hard for her to stay strong. The only thing she could do was cry as her emotions spilled out for the world to see.

 

But soon after she broke she felt someone kneel down beside her. His hands wrapped around her and she turned so she could cry on his chest. She so desperately needed to be held at this time. When she was most vulnerable she needed someone who she could feel safe with. She needed someone who could understand her. She needed someone who could help her with this intense grief she was feeling. She needed Shinji and now he was there for her. He was there for her to cry on. He was there to tell her he understood how much it hurt. He was there to tell her it was ok. He was there to comfort her. And most importantly he was there to love her.

 

This is what Misato saw along with the others standing by the monument. This is what told her she didn't need to go down there and help the girl anymore, there was someone better now to do that. And that made Misato happy.

 

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Misato wasn't the only one that saw that and felt happy. A lone girl sitting up on an overlook saw everything that had happened too. She plucked a few pieces of grass from the ground beside her and cast them out onto the breeze. And as she watched the green blades flutter around she said softly to herself “All is right in this world now.”

 

Rei then let out a sigh as she realized she was such a softie for all that mushy romantic stuff and shouldn't say corny things like that, even to herself. She should really work on bettering that part of herself. She continued to sit there for a little bit longer watching the events below unfold in front of her until she finally saw Shinji helping Asuka back towards shore and she got up to go walk down to the others. She had enough alone time for today. But as she walked down towards the others she ran into someone. This happened last year too and she said the same thing to him “You're not supposed to be here yet.”

 

The boy said back the same thing he said last year. “Yeah, yeah I know. I just hate crowds.” And he kept on walking.

 

Like last year she did nothing about it. She could have alerted any number of guards in the area that he had somehow eluded when he snuck in but she didn't. She just let the boy go on his way as what he was doing was none of her business.

 

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None of the other people down there stopped him either and they just nodded their heads at him silently as they passed by. He didn't even pay any attention to an obviously emotionally distraught Asuka who was leaning on Shinji for support as she passed by. This may have been why she trusted him as he had seen her like this last year too and never said a thing. For someone who had an undying curiosity he did know when to keep his mouth shut. What he saw here today was something he shouldn't of and that meant it was something he never talked about. What was happening was a private thing and none of his business. And the reason he was down here, at risk to himself as getting caught by the guards could lead to big trouble, was why he thought that way. He didn't want anyone bugging him either as he said his piece in his own remembrance of those who didn't come back.

 

Kensuke walked up to the memorial and indignantly threw a computer chip by it. “Since you loved your work so much I guess this is a fitting tribute to you.” The blonde haired boy then turned around and as he was about to walk off he added “And know this. The only reason I came today was because mom would have wanted me to do this. It wasn't for you, you ungrateful bastard.” And then Kensuke walked off towards a thicket of trees.

 

From up above Misato was resting her arms on the top of the driver's side door. She had watched what had just happened and she sighed “He still hates his father after all this time.”

 

Shinji though corrected her from inside the car where he had an arm wrapped around Asuka. “He doesn't hate his father Misato. He's just very disappointed in him. By not coming back he feels his father abandoned him and his mother's memory.”

 

Misato could only shake her head at that as she got in the car and honked the horn a couple times to let Kaji know he should come back with Keiko now. The boy had every right in the world to feel that way but it was still a sad thing to Misato. But it also stressed an important point. For as joyous and happy for most people this day was, it was just as crappy for others.

 

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It was late in the evening and Asuka and Shinji were looking up at the night sky from atop their apartment complex. Shinji had lain down a blanket on top of the roof and Asuka and he were going to watch the fireworks from up there. It was someplace where they could be alone as very few people had access to the roof in this complex. Both of them were hoping this would at least cheer them up a little and maybe end this day on a slightly upbeat note as most of the day had been spent in mourning.

 

Asuka didn't feel like doing anything more than moping in her bed and Shinji had sat down beside her to give her support. And truthfully he didn't feel like doing much else either. Both of them had even gotten calls from their friends and classmates inviting them out but Misato covered for them and said they were out already. The only call she actually let through was one from a concerned friend who knew more than all of Asuka's other friends. Hikari just wanted to make sure Asuka was all right and if she wanted her to come over so they could talk. Last year Asuka had said yes to that but this year she told Hikari she was fine and that Shinji was there to offer her a shoulder to cry on so she should go out and have a fun time with Touji.

 

But now they were feeling a speck better looking up at the night sky. “Have you ever noticed how your mom flickers at times?” Asuka asked him.

 

Shinji nodded his head yes. “It's strange though, I only started noticing it in the last couple months.”

 

“Same here” Asuka answered. “And you know the more I think about it the more I believe it started when we first got together.”

 

The fact that a lot of Shinji's thoughts were pretty far out there already concerning his mother made him say “Please don't tell me things like that.”

 

Asuka giggled “Why?… I believe you when you said you think she's still watching over you.”

 

“But most people would think I was completely insane if I said that out loud” Shinji answered her.

 

“But most people don't know shit” Asuka told him. “Hell we don't even know anything. This is all still pretty much a mystery that I don't believe anyone will ever figure out. Personally I think her being up there defies all scientific reasoning and people don't want to admit that. And if she's watching over us, which I really do believe she is, then that's a good thing.”

 

Shinji let out a little breath and conceded to Asuka. It was just further proof that if she wanted to Asuka could talk him into a corner whenever she wanted to. But it wasn't like what Asuka said was a bad thing. In fact it made Shinji feel better. There were at least some people in this world that believed him. He rolled over and gave Asuka a little kiss.

 

After the kiss Asuka sat up with him “I wonder?” and she gave a nicer and more drawn out kiss. After the kiss was over she asked him “So was your mom flickering at that?”

 

“Huh???” Shinji asked totally confused.

 

“Well was she flickering or not when we kissed?” Asuka asked. “Because I have a theory about all that. I bet she flickers the most when she sees something she likes.”

 

“As if I don't have enough complexes already” Shinji chuckled.

 

But Asuka may have been serious about it as she asked again “Well did she?”

 

“I.. ahhh… Um, I don't know” Shinji answered. He wasn't exactly paying attention to anything besides Asuka when they were kissing. And truthfully he really didn't want to know the answer to Asuka's question. It would be sort of freaky if she was right.

 

Asuka though was persistent about her little study and she demanded another kiss so she could experiment. The interesting thing was that she kept “screwing up” or at least that's what she said as they had to keep kissing over and over because she kept closing her eyes. Shinji on the other hand was intentionally not looking but Asuka didn't care. She just wanted to keep doing her little experiment till they got it right.

 

Eventually she ended up lying down on her back while Shinji and she kissed each other. While doing this she really did get curious and she opened her eyes. What she saw though was not a flickering of a celestial body but a raven-haired woman.

 

“Sorry to interrupt but someone is being persistent.” Misato said and then brought notice to the little girl that was holding her hand. This was in relation to Keiko was worried about Asuka. From the second Keiko was put into Misato's car she noticed something was wrong. Her Auntie Asuka seemed very sad. The result of this was she was also very sad. And since Asuka seemed to stay like this for the whole day so did Keiko. The little girl was simply reacting to the emotions of a loved one around her, a very classic and normal thing.

 

Seeing as they now had company Asuka and Shinji sat back up and Keiko let go of her mother's hand and walked up to Asuka with a sad droop to her lips “Asa sad.”

 

Asuka opened her arms so Keiko could crawl into them as she told the little one “I'm all better now ok Keiko?”

 

Keiko responded by snuggling into Asuka and asking “Asa happy?”

 

“Yup, your auntie Asuka is all happy now.” Asuka couldn't help but smile as Keiko cooed to that and let herself be held by Asuka. The little girl was just worried about her.

 

Misato then sat down beside them on a corner of the blanket. “I'm really sorry for this. But she wouldn't go to bed until she knew you felt better.”

 

“It's ok” Asuka told her and then noticed Keiko looked like she was trying to get comfortable. She let out a little “Please don't” but it was too late.

 

Shinji looked over and saw the inevitable, Keiko fell asleep on Asuka. “I guess were stuck.”

 

“Oh yeah” Misato told them. “When she gets comfortable it's almost impossible to move her. Don't worry though she will only stay like that for a half hour max.”

 

“I guess this isn't too bad” Asuka said as while this was an interruption it wasn't too bad of one. Keiko was just being a snuggly child and Asuka couldn't really blame the girl for that. Plus it wasn't exactly like Asuka didn't like this, holding a little child that has love for you tends to make you feel better. So Asuka just sat there and held Keiko while she napped away in Asuka's arms.

 

Shinji though got a really weird look on his face when he looked up. He was sitting right next to Asuka and still had an arm around her still while she held a baby when for some reason he just sort of looked up at the sky. He wasn't looking at anything in particular but something caught his attention. It was only out of the corner of his eye but he could have sworn that he saw his mom flicker. He blinked a couple times and looked again as he thought he was only seeing things but then he saw it again. His mom flickered. By the third time Misato had reacted to his strange look and was looking up at where he was too.

 

“Did Unit-01 just flicker?” Misato asked a bit on the confused side.

 

Asuka had been looking down at the sleeping Keiko so she didn't notice what the other two were doing but those words definitely caught her attention. She looked straight at Misato “What did you just say?”

 

“I swear to god I just saw Unit-01 flicker” Misato repeated.

 

When Asuka looked over she saw Shinji nodding his head yes to that too. Asuka then looked up at the sky and well, she saw a flicker. Asuka was acutely aware of how she looked right now with a baby in her lap and Shinji holding her and she stared daggers at the celestial body and warned “Don't you dare.” The warning didn't do any good though as Unit-01 flickered again. Asuka continued to glare at the sky while telling Shinji “That little theory I was thinking about is complete bunk Shinji. You can completely forget about it.”

 

Misato was curious about what Asuka was talking about so she inquired and Shinji explained it to her “Asuka said that she thinks my mom flickers whenever she sees something she likes.”

 

While Misato didn't really buy into the way Shinji thought of that floating mass in the sky she never discouraged the thinking either. If it helped Shinji to think that his mother's soul was still in Unit-01 and that she was watching down on him she was fine with it. But in this particular instance she was willing to believe. “You know, I think I agree with ol' Yui up there. You two all close together and cuddly with a baby in your arms is a cute sight.”

 

Asuka whipped her head around at Misato “Don't you get started having stupid ideas too.” Asuka then looked up at the sky and saw another flicker. “I don't care if you come out of the sky and show up on our doorstep. I'm not popping out a bunch of grandkids for you to watch over.”

 

Misato had to snicker at that, Asuka was still in denial about the whole kids thing. But considering Asuka was still young it wasn't all that big of a deal. She knew eventually Asuka's biological clock would start ticking and the more the girl told it no the louder it would get. The same thing had happened to her and considering how quickly she noticed Asuka jump at the insinuation she wondered if the girl didn't already have a strange thought or two swimming around in her head.

 

Asuka though was trading evil looks between Misato and Yui. She even threw one at Shinji as the boy definitely looked like he was biting his lip, trying not to smile or something. So what if she liked holding Keiko, it didn't mean that she personally wanted to have a baby. But then again she did have that really weird dream about it once. Asuka quickly chased that thought away in her head as it was bad. She in no way wanted to have a baby and she told her mind that over and over and over, now if the stupid thing would just listen to her. Eventually though Asuka just shook her head and cast off the whole matter entirely, she didn't want to think about it right now and also the little one in her lap just got startled from her sleep by a different kind of flicker.

 

This flicker came with a loud boom and it lit up the sky in a shower of colors. The fireworks were starting and after a couple seconds of a startled cry Asuka had turned Keiko around so that she was looking out at the sky. What was in the sky was very pretty and Keiko quickly cheered up and she cooed out a “Rwed” as the sky was filled with it due to the last explosion.

 

Misato smiled “Very good Keiko.” She had been working on colors with the little girl for a while now and red was proving to be one of the harder ones for the girl to get right.

 

As another one went off Keiko cooed out “Buu.”

 

This time Asuka said good job and then she pointed to a different part of the sky “And what color is that one?”

 

Keiko's eyes went wide as a really big firework had just gone off and she let out a mesmerized “Gween.”

 

And that is how the fireworks show went for Shinji and Asuka. Sure it wasn't as private of a thing as they wanted but the precocious youngster yelling out the colors was a fun thing too. Plus it wasn't like they didn't get their privacy eventually as when the fireworks were over Misato picked up Keiko and went inside with her.

 

Now that they were alone again Asuka pushed Shinji down onto his back and crawled on top of him “Now where were we?”

 

Shinji wrapped his arms around Asuka and told her “We were trying to cheer each other up.”

 

“Oh yeah” Asuka answered and then gave him a kiss that was sure to do that.

 

And the two of them stayed up on that roof till midnight cheering each other up. They both knew they had all the time in the world as while it was a Wednesday it was also spring break. No school tomorrow meant they didn't have to get up early so there was no reason to limit what they were doing.

 

Eventually though the cool spring air did force them to go inside but things were very different this time. While Asuka was feeling much better she still wanted some closeness. She wanted someone to chase away the bad dreams she knew she would have. She wanted Shinji to do something they had never intentionally meant to do together, she wanted to share her bed with him while they slept together.

 

\\\\||||////

*********** OOO ***********

////||||\\\\

 

The following morning one pair of blue eyes looked into the slightly opening other pair of blue eyes belonging to her bedmate. After both pairs of eyes got a good look at each other Asuka asked “We have gotten pretty close right Shin-kun?”

 

Shinji answered with a drowsy “Yes.”

 

“We've had intimate moments like this before right?”

 

Another “Yes” by Shinji.

 

“We've even spent the night together once before right?” Asuka continued to question.

 

The only answer Shinji could respond to that was “Yes” as it was true.

 

Asuka's voice then switched over to an incredibly whiney one as she requested “Then for the sake of god please tell me why we both are acting like a pair of idiots and blushing like mad. I thought we got over this the last time we woke up next to each other.”

 

Shinji just shook his head slightly while his head was still on the pillow. He had no answer for Asuka and worse yet he felt incredibly stupid for looking like this. They hadn't done anything more than sleep next to each other. He could understand if they had done something more than just sleeping they might wake up like this but they shouldn't be blushing like a pair of love struck pre-teens just from sleeping next to each other. It was stupid, it was irrational, it was illogical, and most of all it was just plain silly. They were 17 years old for heavens sake. He turned over and looked up at the ceiling “We're hopeless.”

 

“I couldn't agree more” Asuka answered as she could still feel the bright blush on her face. She turned to look at the ceiling just like Shinji had and the both of them laid there staring straight up. This was so embarrassing and horribly juvenile and worse yet they were still blushing several minutes later. The stupid feelings they were having just weren't going away. “Are we always going to be like this Shinji?”

 

“If I say no will you believe me?” Shinji asked.

 

“Not really” Asuka answered. The two then laid there for a couple more minutes before Asuka sat up in bed. “You know what? If we're going to be this emotionally stupid I want to at least have a good reason why.” Asuka then took off the flimsy shirt that acted as the top of her pj's. “Shin-kun, I think it is about time we earned these stupid blushes we keep getting.”

 

Shinji's only answer to that was a stupid looking grin that crept across his face as his eyes went big. Her breasts were just as beautiful as he remembered and those oh so tempting freckles were right there for the taking.

 

Asuka though giggled a bit at Shinji's intense fascination. It was such an ego boost to know that her breasts were so beautiful that he basically froze solid with his eyes glued on them. She bounced them around a little bit then asked “Well… what are you waiting for? Make me blush.”

 

She then let out a little “Eeeepp” as Shinji basically pounced at her.

 

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

 

It was around noon when Asuka finally got up out of bed and walked over to the kitchen to get some breakfast. She met Misato and Keiko in there who were both having some lunch. “Well hello there sleepyhead. Did you have a good night?”

 

“Very good” Asuka answered as she got a glass of orange juice and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard for some cereal.

 

“So what time did you two finally get to bed?” Misato asked as she watched Asuka poor a bowl of brightly colored cereal.

 

“We came in just after midnight” Asuka answered. And knowing the curious girl in the highchair always wanted to sample from other people's food Asuka poured a couple pieces of Trix onto her tray.

 

“And you're just getting up now?” Misato questioned as it was unlike either of the two to sleep half the day away. She had figured they were up really late and that's why Asuka was just coming out of her room now.

 

“Actually I have been up for a while now.” Then with a sly, and brand new knowledgeable, grin Asuka added “Shinji and I slept together last night.”

 

Misato already knew that as with his room empty there was only one other place he could be. “So is that blush on your face just the normal one or did you earn it?”

 

“I got sick of having stupid blushes for absolutely no reason” Asuka answered and then threw Misato a wink. “So this time I decided to do something to earn it.” Asuka could see the word curiosity written all over Misato's face instantly after she said that. But she had to give Misato some credit as despite the look and her obvious desire to know what happen Misato didn't press too much.

 

While Misato did like to tease she knew where the line between teasing and prying was.

 

Asuka though was sort of in the mood to brag and she also had some questions so she said “You can say it.”

 

“What did you and Shinji do!???”

 

“I let the boy finally get to second” Asuka answered. Considering Keiko was sitting right there she didn't want to get too accurate but knowing Misato she didn't have to.

 

“So how was it?” Misato then asked.

 

“I think he's been waiting for this for a long while as he was atypically aggressive. And at first it was a little weird as it was almost like he was trying to turn some dials or something. But after he got over the shock of getting to touch them he started being really gentle” Asuka explained. “I kinda wish I had let him do this to me sooner.”

 

Misato was smiling after hearing that. She also wanted to know more “So was it only his hands?”

 

Asuka shook her head no. “He's a lot more sensual than most people give him credit for.”

 

“You are a lucky, lucky girl” Misato told her.

 

“Oh don't I know it” Asuka answered. “But I do have a couple questions.”

 

“Ask away” Misato told her. “I'm all ears.” Misato could tell these may have been on the personal side as before Asuka asked her questions she peaked to make sure Shinji was still in the shower and that Kaji was watching the baseball game over in the other room.

 

“Is it normal for Shinji to be so…” this was probably the wrong word but it best described how it seemed Shinji was to a certain part of her “…addicted to them?”

 

“Oh trust me Asuka you have nothing to be worried about there” Misato answered. “That's very normal for guys and after a while you get used to it. I don't even really notice Kaji staring at me when I get dressed in the morning anymore unless I'm trying to sex it up. That's just something of a male trait, they want to look at pretty girls with no clothes on. And honestly you don't know anything yet, wait until he gets you completely naked. Then you will be in for a world of lusting.”

 

“They get even more grabby?” Asuka wondered out loud and with slight amazement. Shinji was already not wanting to let go of her and while what he was doing did feel good, after a couple hours of it she told him to go hit the showers because she was tired of being in bed. “So from now on he's most likely going to try to be feeling me up a lot, isn't he?”

 

“Oh god yes” Misato answered with laughter. She then quieted down to a whisper “And just between us girls try not to let on that we get more out of it than they do. That way they think we are doing THEM a favor and not the other way around.”

 

Asuka had to chuckle at that. It certainly did seem to her that Shinji took this as a huge favor for her to let him have access to one of the more private parts of her body but at the same time she did let out a few Oooo's and Ahhh's while he was playing with her. And considering there past pattern of learning by doing she was pretty sure he was just going to get better at playing with her. “I'll try to keep that in mind, but I'm not promising anything.”

 

Misato then asked her “So you going to hang around at this level or go for the good stuff now?”

 

Asuka wasn't sure about this. Part of her was undeniably sparked by this intimacy and wanted more but another part of her was saying hold off just a little longer. “If Shinji wants to rove his hands around I probably would let him but I don't think I'm ready just yet for the whole experience.”

 

“Still a little scared of intimacy?” Misato asked.

 

“I wouldn't say scared anymore so much as anxious” Asuka answered her. “I mean when we first got together I was downright petrified of it. I was worried that it would completely screw us up and endanger our relationship. Knowing us we would mess it up royally, cause pain to each other, and end up thinking that we didn't belong together. I wasn't willing to take that chance back then.”

 

“Wow” Misato said a bit on the astonished side. “Who knew you had a streak of maturity and common sense in you back then.”

 

Asuka knew that wasn't a slight by Misato but more of a compliment. She also knew Misato had a major point. “I doubt anyone did, even me. But things have gotten better and I'm not so afraid of it anymore. I pretty much have accepted that while it may not go as well as it does in my dreams and fantasies, if we work on it I think we can figure the whole intimacy issue out.”

 

“Good for you” Misato told the girl she was currently impressed with. Then Misato took a crack at that displayed sense of maturity. “Now only if you would stop eating kids cereal I could call you a mature young woman.”

 

Asuka finished eating a spoonful of her Trix before she answered that little affront to her character. “I was already an adult once in my life, it sucked. I would rather stay a kid as long as I can before going back to that world. This way I can have more fun.”

 

Misato turned over to look at Keiko after Asuka said that. “It's answers like that, that make your Auntie Asuka a brat.”

 

Keiko giggled at that but so did Asuka. She had got Misato pretty good with that answer.

 

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

 

While the two women took jabs at each other Shinji walked into the kitchen and Asuka asked him a question right away. “Am I a brat Shin-kun?”

 

“Do I still have to go shopping with you today?” Shinji responded. His answer obviously depended on what she was going to say to that.

 

“Yes” Asuka answered. “You owe me big time and I want one full day at the mall with you.” You could tell Shinji was crying inside because of that answer.

 

“You're the biggest brat I know” Shinji answered and then dug in the fridge for something to eat before he made his way over to the living room to watch the game with Kaji. It was bad enough that he had to go shopping with the girl, he wasn't going to stick around for her to tear him to pieces for that answer. While munching on some leftovers Shinji asked “What's the score?”

 

“Tigers are down six to nothing” Kaji answered. “They really stink this year.”

 

“If they paid their players more the good ones probably wouldn't jump so quickly to the American pro leagues” Shinji replied back.

 

“Ain't that the truth” Kaji grumbled. The tigers were his favorite team but in the last two years they had been gutted by the other leagues of the world and had been reduced to a whipping boy status in the Japanese leagues. “So you got any plans for today?”

 

With a sigh Shinji answered “I have to go shopping.”

 

“Tough break” Kaji told him with a smirk. “By the way we're going to have company over tonight.”

 

“Having another poker game?” Shinji asked.

 

“Yup” Kaji answered. “Since everyone's in town we're having a little get together.”

 

“So do you want Asuka and me to stop over at Shin Seiki's on the way home to pick up some food?” Shinji offered.

 

“Don't bother” Kaji told him. “I think Maya's planning on bringing something over.”

 

The two of them were then interrupted as Asuka came over and tapped Shinji on the shoulder. “As soon as I get done with my shower we're leaving, ok?”

 

“Fine” Shinji sighed. He would have much rather stayed home and watch the home team get trounced than go to the mall with Asuka.

 

Asuka cast an eye on him for that less than enthusiastic answer before she left to go get a shower. Then again he did tell her he would go to the mall with her just a little bit before so it wasn't like he could do anything about it. So she cheated and asked the question while he had a handful of her, all was fair after all in love and war.

 

Plus she really wanted to go shopping and since Hikari already had plans she could not get anyone else to go with her. Most of her other friends couldn't handle the full Asuka shopping experience so they were a no go as well. Misato would just laugh in her face if she even thought of asking her to go. And Rei would most likely slam her door in Asuka's face and put a barricade behind it. So that left only one other trusty shopping buddy, Shinji. So the boy complained every once and a while and walked around in a complete `I don't want to be here' daze while listening to his music, it wasn't like she wasn't used to it by now. And considering their relationship's new level she was pretty sure she could make it up to him.

 

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

 

Shinji was grumbling to himself when he finally got home after spending way too many hours at the mall shopping with Asuka. While shopping with Asuka wasn't as much of a day killer it used to be, he had acclimated to the experience somewhat, the fact that they were at the mall for 6 hours and he was only carrying one bag irritated him. Lately the girl had not been buying nearly the amount of things as she used to yet the amount of time she still spent at the mall was equal.

 

To Asuka though this was nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the times when she went shopping with Hikari they spent the whole day at the mall and bought relatively little. It's just that when she went shopping with Shinji she had a habit of buying a little more because Shinji would always say she looked cute in something whenever she asked for his opinion. Sure she knew this was his automatic answer but it was still flattering. This time though she was short of cash so she only bought an inexpensive t-shirt and the rest of the time was spent wishing she could buy all the cool outfits she saw in the store windows.

 

But while they were shopping she was well aware of the fact that Shinji was not having the best of times so she stopped him out in the hallway. “How about I pay you back right now?” and she leaned forward to kiss him.

 

After the kiss Shinji looked in her eyes “How come you can always get away with dragging me through the mall by just giving me a kiss?”

 

“Because I am the great Asuka Langley Sohryu” she smiled. “Plus…” Asuka said this time leaning her whole body into him and pressing it up very close “You know that this isn't going to end with a simple kiss.”

 

This time the kiss was much more intense and had Shinji wrapping his hands around her. His hand placement was the key to the kiss as it was on Asuka's ass and he was pressing a certain area of her into a certain area of him and both were feeling very good about this. This type of kiss was a very welcomed advancement in their relationship. Very, very welcomed as it created some definite heat.

 

But along with the heat came a few hushed giggles and Asuka pulled her lips away from Shinji's for a second. “The hall has developed an eye problem again, lets go inside.”

 

That was the main problem with kissing in the hallway. There were other people who lived in this place too and every once in a while they got some unexpected company. Typically when they came home late at night they didn't have this problem but considering this was still early evening and during school break they should have looked down the hall before they started up on each other.

 

If they would have they would of noticed a handful of junior high kids standing outside one of the other apartments talking to each other. Their attentions drawn to the young couple rather intensely. Asuka was surprised to recognize one of the faces though. “What are you doing here Yuma?”

 

The young girl, who had sort of tried to hide behind her other friends as she was horribly embarrassed to have interrupted Asuka, stepped forward and bowed her head down as she said softly “Sorry for interrupting you and Shinji.”

 

Asuka smiled at Yuma to let her know everything was all right and told the young teammate of hers “There's nothing to be sorry about. Shin-kun and I should have been paying better attention to our surroundings before we started playing around with each other.”

 

That made Yuma feel so much better as the last person she wanted to impose on was Asuka. Asuka was the girl she was striving to be like. To her Asuka was strong, confident, mature, and a champion. Added to all that Asuka also had Shinji as a boyfriend and Yuma sort of adored him too as he was a really nice guy and so much different from most of the boys that were around her.

 

And speaking of the boys around, the three of them that were there all had looks of astonishment and one in particular stumbled out “Y-you know that girl????”

 

Yuma whipped around and glared at the boy. She was looking at him like he was a total idiot “Of course I do! That is Miss Asuka… everyone knows her.”

 

This little bit of idol worship was very flattering to Asuka but it was also unneeded. She recognized the three boys standing there as the trio that always watched her and Rei walk down the hall and she told them “I'm one of Yuma's teammates on the swimming team. And Shinji here is the team manager.”

 

Shinji then waived a hi at them all. He didn't actually say anything as his mind was still very much on the kiss. It was hard to cast off such feelings so quickly for him.

 

The other two girls that were with Yuma both blushed and giggled at that. Shinji was clearly a older high school boy, a cute one at that too, and he just recognized their existence. In the grand scheme of the whole school dynamics thing that was a big compliment. The only high school boys that normally said anything to junior high girls were usually the creepy perverted ones but just now one of the cool one said hi.

 

Yuma then spoke up and introduced her friends to Asuka and Shinji. “Miss Asuka, manager Shinji these are my two best friends Kohama Saito and Tamiko Hasegawa.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you” Asuka said. “I am Asuka Langely Sohryu.”

 

“Shinji Ikari” Shinji said with a nod of his head.

 

Both girls looked over at Yuma with complete awe. Their friend knew such cool older people, and considering they both recognized the names from the time she told them all about that high school party she was allowed to go to they both thought Shinji and Asuka were the coolest people around. Yuma then introduced the other people she was with, but you could kind of tell there was some regret in doing so as she was embarrassed by the three boys who were currently gawking at Asuka. She pointed at the first boy “That's Takeshi Ikuhara” she pointed at the next boy “That's Yutaka Enoto” she then rolled her eyes as she pointed at the last boy “And that is Hoshi Siratori.”

 

Asuka recognized the last boys surname right away. It was the same as Yuma's and considering he looked like he was the same age as her she said “Twin brother I take it?”

 

“Unfortunately” Yuma responded and then bowed at Asuka in apology as she said “I'm sorry if he bothers you all the time. He's so immature.”

 

Asuka chuckled at that and told her it was ok. “That's just how young boys are.”

 

Now that was absolutely devastating to the three boys. One of the girls they always looked at and thought was so totally hot just basically agreed to them being immature young boys. They didn't think it couldn't possibly get any worse but it did as after Asuka said that she basically ignored them and returned her attention back toward the girls “So what are you girls up to?”

 

“We just got back from New Akihabara” Yuma answered.

 

“You go there to get anything special?” Shinji asked. He also threw a little glance over at Asuka as if they were going to go shopping over in the mall district the least she could of done is let him play around over there for a bit and get some new music. This glance was totally ignored though.

 

“Not really” Yuma said. “We went down there more to waste time than anything.”

 

“I was just doing that at the mall too” Asuka answered.

 

Yuma let out a disappointed “Ahh… I knew we should have gone to the mall instead.” She then threw a very dirty look towards the trio of boys and said sarcastically “Thanks a lot guys.”

 

Asuka could pretty much guess whose decision to go over to New Akihabara it was from that statement. But considering that area was nothing more than a giant electronics, music, anime, and manga toy store it wasn't like it was a surprise. Asuka then said something that made Yuma's eyes go wide in exhilaration “If you girls ever want to do some real shopping just give me a call, I'm always up for a day at the mall. You got my number right Yuma?”

 

Yuma was quick to go for her cell phone and showed Asuka that her number was at the top of the girl's call list. She then giggled as she saw Asuka play swat Shinji on the shoulder. Apparently Asuka disagreed with his whispered mumble of “oh god there's going to be no living with you now” over the fact that Asuka was number one on the list. But Shinji did say, might I add a bit enthusiastically, out loud “Does this mean I get a pass on shopping with you from now on?”

 

Asuka just laughed at him for that. “I don't think that was even worth the effort it took for you to say it.”

 

Shinji smirked at her “Oh yes it was.”

 

“Well too bad” Asuka proclaimed. “You're my boyfriend so you have to go to the mall with me. You don't get a choice in the matter.”

 

Shinji acted falsely offended by that and looked over at the boys “Enjoy being single while you can. Because once you get a real girlfriend your life belongs to them.”

 

This wouldn't have been nearly as scary if Asuka didn't add a “Damn straight it does.”

 

You could kind of tell the maturity difference between the boys and girls at that age as the boys took this as Shinji telling the truth while the girls took it for what it was. Asuka and Shinji were just teasing each other. But they were done now and Asuka asked Yuma “Have you been keeping in shape?”

 

Yuma nodded her head yes. “I walk home from school every day and I jog around my block a couple times every night… Oh and I signed up for a swimming camp this summer.”

 

“Good” Asuka answered. “This year I expect you to be as good as me.” Yuma's trepidation of that comment was very apparent to Asuka. The girl even started to worry shake a little. “Don't worry, I'm positive you can do it.”

 

“I-if you say so Miss Asuka…” Yuma replied nervously. Asuka belief in her was clearly higher than her own.

 

“You know I may have something that can help you” Asuka told her. “When I first started swimming I got a DVD of the last summer Olympics swimming competitions. I used to study it to try and pick up what the pros were doing and maybe improve my technique but if you want I could borrow it to you.”

 

“Really” Yuma answered with stars in her eyes. If this was something that helped Asuka it was something that would definitely help her.

 

“Sure” Asuka replied with a little laugh. She had a feeling that dvd would mean a lot more to Yuma than it did to her. Hell she hadn't even watched the thing in over a year now.

 

She then invited Yuma and her two friends into the apartment and she was just about to go walk over to her room to get the DVD for Yuma when she saw the three girls stop dead in their tracks and freeze. They were all staring over at a table in the middle of the kitchen that had four men playing poker around it. There were three women, a little child, and an infatuated penguin there too but they were sitting over in the living room away from the guys. They weren't all that important at this second though as one of the men at the table looked very, very familiar to the three girls in question.

 

The girls were having trouble believing their own eyes as what they were seeing couldn't have been right. Sitting there, in front of them, was Shigeru Aoba. Wait scratch that, not just Shigeru Aoba but the rock star Shigeru Aoba. The lead singer and guitarist for the band Nerv's of Steel. One of the dreamiest hunks on this planet that created music that was so touching and emotional that all the young girls felt that he knew what was truly in their hearts. (A/N: If you are not too young just remember what the female fans of Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and G&R acted like for proper reference.)

 

Asuka covered her face with her hand and let fly a little “Schiesse” as she had totally forgotten about the company they were having today. To the rest of the world Shigeru was a celebrity but to her he was just plain old Shigeru Aoba, ex-techy extraordinaire. And he actually came over quite often any time he was in town as he was a regular at the poker table along with Kaji, Fuyutsuki, and Makoto. This was nothing more than a bunch of old work buddies getting together for some fun and relaxation. But to the average ninth grade girl this was not the case and Asuka barely got out and apology to him before three girls shrieked in excitement.

 

Shigeru though took it in stride. He was pretty used to this by now and if Asuka hadn't said anything first he probably would not have even realized he was being screamed at. It happened so often that he had grown deaf to the screams of adoring fans. He also knew how to handle them and so as not to make a scene and alert every young girl in the building to his presence he proposed a deal to the three girls on the verge of passing out. “I'm kind of here for some R&R so how about I make a deal with you three?”

 

Shinji actually walked up behind Yuma at this point as she really did look like she was about to fall down. Yuma was a pretty excitable girl and the fact that her favorite musician was talking to her was probably too much for the poor girl to handle.

 

“If you girls stay quiet and don't let anyone know that I'm here I will sign some stuff for you.”

 

Three heads all quickly nodded yes to that.

 

The only problem was that he didn't really have anything to sign. He wasn't the type of guy to carry around headshots of himself and didn't have any band merchandise with him as he didn't expect to run into any fans when he came over to play some cards so he looked over at Asuka. “You wouldn't have a CD or two of mine, would you? I will get you some new ones.”

 

Asuka shook her head no and pointed over at Shinji “I steal all my music from him.”

 

Shinji though was already a step ahead of the other two as he was walking over to his room. He wasn't exactly a fan of the revived 80's hair band style of music that was popular right now, he actually liked the classic rock from the 60's and 70's, but he did have some CDs of Shigeru's band. He was a friend after all so the least he could do was show a little support and buy a CD or two. Unfortunately that's all he had, two CDs.

 

Shigeru proved he was pretty smart as he knew how to make good with what he had. He signed and wrote a personal message on each of the CDs and gave one each to Yuma's friends but to Yuma he gave a special gift. He took the baseball hat he was wearing off his head and signed it `To my biggest fan Yuma: You rock girl: All my love, Shigeru Aoba.' He then slapped the hat onto the head of the overly excited girl standing beside him. He also had to catch her as the second he put the hat on her she let out a gleeful “Eeepp” and her legs went out from under her.

 

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

 

After all the excitement ended and the three junior high girls finally left Asuka was over in the living room with Misato, Rei, Keiko, and Maya. Who incidentally had PenPen stuck on her leg, crying his penguin eyes out, as he had heard some really bad news and didn't want to lose his most favorite TV reporter. Maya though didn't mind and she continued on “… and I didn't notice it when I signed my contract but it's there. I am contractually not allowed to get pregnant.”

 

“So are you going to get fired then?” Asuka asked.

 

“I don't know” Maya answered. “My boss just kind of freaked out on me and I guess he has to talk to his boss who has to talk with her boss and so on before a decision will be made.”

 

“See Misato” Asuka said with a good touch of brattiness. “Another reason why I should never get pregnant.”

 

Misato only had to smile at her as she knew she didn't have to answer the girl, Maya would correct her on it.

 

“Trust me Asuka, I won't care one bit if I get fired for this. Both Makoto and I wanted to start a family and that wish is much more important than my job.” Both older women then chuckled at the deflated redhead. Asuka thought she had such a good argument only to get shot down right away.

 

The thing with Maya was that she had a certain appeal factor that brought in that coveted 18-35 year old male market that advertisers loved. Not only was she cute but she was also very wholesome looking and came off as a really sweet-hearted young woman. She was the type of girl that you could bring home to your mother and your mother would absolutely love her. Which was actually true as Makoto's mom, who was sort of protective of her son, approved of Maya the second she met her.

 

But her on air personality was not the same as her off air. On air she was cute, sweet, bubbly, and maybe available as she didn't have a ring on her finger. Off the air though she had a ring, a husband, and now a baby in the making. She could always hide the husband and the ring behind the façade of a camera but eventually not the baby part. And that little fact would probably chase off the male viewers. This is why her station didn't want her to get pregnant.

 

But a little technicality written in micro sized font on her contract was no match for the clock ticking inside of her. And truthfully she didn't even know that stipulation was there when she and Makoto decided to start a family. Maya then rubbed her tummy while looking at Keiko and said playfully “I hope my baby's going to be as beautiful as you.”

 

That got a big smile out of the little girl sitting next to her. She liked being called pretty and beautiful and everything else that came with being a baby. Misato though said “I'm sure it will… but if you ever want some practice taking care of a baby, you know who to call.” Misato could picture it now, a couple extra hours of peace and quiet. This would be a godsend to her.

 

“I'll keep that in mind” Maya answered and did plan to take Misato up on that offer. It would be good practice for her and considering Keiko was snuggled between her and Misato on the couch right now she figured the little girl would be comfortable enough for that to happen.

 

Asuka though told Maya “Better you than me.”

 

“It wasn't that traumatizing of an experience” Misato chuckled. Ever since that one day when Asuka had to take care of Keiko by herself she had steadfastly refused to ever do it again. She would HELP take care of Keiko but she would no longer do it on her own. Then again it wasn't that big of a deal to Misato as she had her usual babysitter in Hikari.

 

Asuka though answered Misato's sarcastic remark “She basically screamed the whole time she was awake” in defense of herself.

 

“Well that's because she was teething at the time” Misato told her plainly and in a way like that answered everything.

 

The worse part in all of this is Maya went right along with Misato. Asuka could not understand this and she shook her head while muttering out “God I hope I never become like either of you.” Of course the only thing that resulted from that comment was more giggling. Finally in the act of finding someone who could possibly understand what she was saying she turned and looked at Rei. “You understand the no baby thing right?”

 

Rei had to think about this for a couple seconds before she answered with an “I don't know”

 

“How could you not know?” Asuka said giving Rei a slightly dirty look. She was expecting the girl to say yes.

 

Rei looked over at Keiko first and then towards Misato. “While the concept of taking care of a baby still frightens me like it does you, Misato has told me she once felt that way too. But now she has a baby and is happy about it. It's all very confusing and I'm not sure how to answer. And in the long run any answer I do give may turn out to be false as I don't know what changes will happen to me as I grow up.”

 

Asuka looked at the blue haired girl and blinked a couple times before saying “Do you realize how much it bugs me when you answer stuff with common sense instead of acting like the teenager you are?”

 

Rei smirked out a “Yes.” While the two older women continued laughing.

 

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

 

Over at the poker table the guys were talking while playing cards. While they would always joke about sending each other to the poorhouse they never actually played for money. They each had an equal number of chips in front of them and they played until someone had won them all. The true prize was basically bragging rights, which if you think about it is even more valuable to a male than money.

 

Kaji was just folding another hand while grumbling a bit about this deck of cards being cursed too when he asked Shinji “So have you given anymore thought about joining the baseball team?”

 

“Sort of” Shinji answered. “Touji wants me to and Kensuke says he's rejoining the team this year because he needs something to do, but I don't know.”

 

“Not much of a baseball fan?' Makoto asked him.

 

“Actually baseball was one of the few normal things I did like to play before” Shinji answered.

 

“So join the team” Shigeru said endorsing the sport. “I played baseball in high school. Had a great time doing it too.”

 

“You worried about making the team?” Kaji asked him.

 

“Touji says I shouldn't be and even the gym teacher has said I should give it a try a couple times” Shinji answered.

 

“So what's the hold up?” Kaji then said as both Misato and him thought it would be a world of good for him if he joined the team. He knew Shinji really liked baseball as most of the time when he was watching a game Shinji was sitting right there beside him.

 

Considering he was surrounded by a group of men right now he was hesitant to give the real answer why he was hedging on a decision. But he took a breath and told them anyway “Not everyone is sure this is a good use of my time.”

 

There were four snickers from the other table members for that. They knew what that answer really meant. The “everyone” in question was Asuka and she probably did not want to share him with others as playing baseball would take a lot of their alone time away from them.

 

The good professor told him while laying down his cards revealing another winning hand “Trust me Shinji, every guy here has dealt with that issue before.”

 

“You can say that again” Shigeru added. “Any of you guys remember Yoko Imai?”

 

“You mean the second level security guard with the awesome body?” Makoto grinned.

 

“That's the one” Shigeru said. Both Kaji and Fuyutsuki grinned at that too. The truth about that girl is she was put there as a distraction to any would be snoops. She was very pleasing to the eyes so most guys would not hesitate taking a double look at her. That double look could be a crucial thing as the time wasted doing that would get them busted. Nerv was very good at using all its resources. “When I got back after third impact I hooked up with her. By far the most beautiful girl I have ever been with.”

 

“You're one lucky dog” Makoto commented. “I knew so many guys that wanted a chance with her.”

 

Shigeru sighed as he told them “Well one of them got it. We were happy with each other until the band started to get big. Once those long tours started up everything broke apart and one day I came back to an empty place. She wasn't willing to be a rock star's girlfriend and she moved on.”

 

“Ouch” Kaji said. “That's harsh.”

 

Shigeru looked over at Shinji “Have you ever heard that song I wrote, The One That Got Away?”

 

“Pretty much everyday for about two months” Shinji answered. That was probably Shigeru's band's biggest hit. It was everywhere for a while and just about everyday you could here someone playing it in the halls. While it was a good song Shinji didn't like it much as it's reference to losing the one you love was a harsh reminder to him of the situation between him and Asuka. Obviously this song was popular before they got together. “No offense but I hated that song.”

 

“You're not the only one” Shigeru told him as they started up on a new hand. “I wrote that thing in a state of depression and if I could get away with it I would never play it again.”

 

“So would you trade all the fame for another chance at her?” Fuyutsuki asked.

 

Shigeru fiddled with his cards for a couple seconds before answering “Some days yes and some days no.” He then looked over at Shinji “Don't worry too much about what I told you though. Your situation's nothing like that one.”

 

“I know” Shinji answered while trying to hold back a smile as the flop just gave him two pair. “It's just that if I say yes I don't know what Asuka's going to do. While I can tell she isn't happy about it she hasn't ever said no.”

 

That got Kaji to raise an eyebrow. “It isn't like Asuka not to give an answer. I guess you're going to have to have one of those “fun” kind of talks with her soon.”

 

Shinji let out an unenthusiastic “Whoopee” to that and decided to punish Kaji for reminding him of that. Considering Kaji was the short stack right now and he had been playing this hand pretty aggressively he figured he must have a good hand, possibly a straight. But Kaji really should have gone all in before the river as Shinji got the card he was looking for on that turn. He counted out his chips and raised the pot to put Kaji all in. None of the other guys at the table wanted anything to do with this bold move. The chances that Kaji had a straight combined with Shinji acting unusually assertive was enough to clue them off that it was time to fold their hands before they lost even more of their chips.

 

Kaji went in the second Shinji raised him to his limit. He in fact did have a straight and was hoping to lure someone into trying to bust him. He turned his two down cards over to reveal a queen high straight and looked over at Shinji “Sorry son but you should have quit while you were ahead.”

 

Shinji looked at the two cards and smiled “And you should have went all in before the river. I would've folded back then because that second Jack that was laid down…” Shinji then laid down his two down cards “…gave me a full house.”

 

Kaji just looked at Shinji's cards with absolute shock. That boy had luck that would even make the devil jealous. He got up and turned towards the living room and shouted out “Woman, what have I told you about buying cursed cards.”

 

“There's nothing cursed about those cards” Misato laughed back. “You just suck at poker.” Considering all the other guys at the table were grinning over that and had marked Kaji from the start as the weak link you could tell she was right.

 

Of course with the first sucker now gone three heads turned towards Shigeru. As good as he was with his guitar he was as bad with cards. He looked down at his stack of chips and swallowed nervously. He was now the short stack and the one the other three were gunning for.

 

Although Shigeru did get devoured in the next couple hands it wasn't too bad as Makoto followed him over to the loser's area, where the girls were, on the next hand. Fifteen minutes later the game was over. Shinji may have been riding lady luck but he was no match for the group's master poker player. And once again the guy walking away with the bragging rights was the good professor.

 

(A/N: This is the end of chapter 11. (At least I think it is chapter 11, I really need to start numbering these things in the title) I went for action and ended up with sentimental fluff. Oh well, I am not going to say I am sorry as I like how this chapter came out. Sometimes what you plan on writing doesn't turn out as good as what you do write which is why this story comes off as a babbling incoherent stream of thought. Plus while I know where I am going in the long run concerning this story I am really enjoying not knowing which roads I will take to get there. It's rather fun and lets me be creative. This is actually very important to me as if it wasn't fun I would slap a quick ending on this bugger and kill it. But that is something I am not ready to do at this time. 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.)