Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Tribute ❯ Shinji the Guitar Man ( Chapter 1 )

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Shinji was on a couch backstage at the place where he went for his audition: two voices were the clearest in the fray: both English, one male one female

"Ozzy, why did you scare the poor lad like that?" the woman asked

"Sharon, I swear I didn't mean it. All I did was say that he sounded good. Most people look happy when I say that; they don't pass out" Ozzy said indignantly

"Ozzy, he's a fragile kid, not an aspiring rock star" Sharon pleaded

Shinji, still groggy tried to get up off the couch

"Oh man, what a head ache" he groaned

Adrian, who'd tagged along for the ride, went over to Shinji with a glass of water and handed it and two white pills to Shinji. Sharon looked at them suspiciously

"Those better be aspirin, Adrian" she warned

"Ye of little faith Sharon, they are indeed the tablets you describe" Adrian said in a melodramatic way

"Thanks, uh?" Shinji tried to grasp the man's name as he took the tablets and drank the water

"Adrian, Adrian Smith" he introduced himself

Shinji nearly dropped his glass in shock as the heavy metal guitarist introduced himself; Adrian caught the boy's hand

"Whoa, you okay kid?" he asked

Shinji nodded

"Yeah, just a little surprised is all" he replied and offered a weak smile

Sharon couldn't help but feel so incredibly sorry for the boy: he bore a responsibility no one his age or any age should bear

[How can one so fragile fight such a hard fight?], she wondered as she shooed Adrian off and sat down beside Shinji

She smiled at him

"Hi" she said and held her hand out

Shinji, smiling again shook the hand

"Mrs. Osbourne" he said formally

Ozzy blinked a little at the comment

"You know, that is the first time I've ever heard you called that, Sharon" Ozzy said

Sharon wearily shook her head as her chuckling husband went for a bite to eat with Paul and Axl, leaving John, Gene, Adrian and Slash plus herself and her kids

"John, be a good fellow and ask Mr. Yamamoto to call the boy's guardian to come and get him; I think he needs to rest" Sharon said

John waved and went to speak with said man about his task. Shinji meanwhile, was still contemplating his position: he had the worlds' most famous rock stars milling around for him, an achievement if ever there was one

"I'm sorry for the bother" Shinji said and tried to get up, this time he was stopped by Sharon

"It isn't a bother: hell, we came here to perform for you and your two friends, seems quite interesting that you're a talented player" she said

Shinji chuckled weakly at the complement as John came back and gave an a-okay sign for Shinji's guardian being on her way. He then wondered if maybe to keep this whole thing on the QT as the manager has asked, he should wait outside rather than Misato come and pluck him from the company of the rock stars

"I better wait outside for Misato" he said and went towards the door, and then he noticed a large guitar

"Oh, you like?" Adrian asked

"It is kind of nice" Shinji had to admit; there was a great deal of craftsmanship in the instrument

Adrian picked it up and strummed a few bars off it; he'd been practicing so it was still hooked into an amp

"That was good" Shinji said

Adrian handed the instrument to him

"Want to try?" he offered

Shinji paled at the thought

"No thanks, I can't play guitar" he said

Adrian shrugged

"So, I'll teach you if you want" he said

Now Shinji was at that niceness overload and close to passing out stage again: Adrian Smith was offering to teach him how to play guitar. To make that deal any better he'd have to be Eric Clapton

"No, not today" Shinji said

"Okay, I'll do you a deal Shinji: after each practice session here for the show: I will teach you guitar" Adrian said

"And I have to do what in return?" Shinji asked

"Teach me Kanji" Adrian said with a red face: he could speak the lingo, but not read it

Before any form of logical synapse could be sparked and fired, Shinji gave an answer

"Sure, sounds cool" he said

Adrian broke out in a grin and gave Shinji a noogie

"Thanks Shinji, you're the coolest" he said

"Adrian, get off him" Sharon said and pried the over excited man off the poor boy

At that moment, the interpreter came in and said Shinji's guardian had arrived

"I'll walk him out. Seems fair since I caused this mess" said a now full and returned Ozzy

Shinji could only nod dumbly as he was escorted out of the building by Ozzy to the car. Misato wound down the window to ask him how he was

"I'm fine" he said and put his cello in the boot and got in

Misato leaned over to thank the man that brought him out and she stopped dead and dropped her jaw as she came face to face with the living legend of British Heavy Metal himself: Ozzy Osbourne

"Hi, um, sorry about the bother" Ozzy said in a strained form of Japanese

Misato took a few seconds to right herself and say that it was fine

"Shinji, you'll have to discuss the arrangements of the performance with your mother" Ozzy said

Shinji looked kind of crest fallen at the mention of his mother, Misato shot a 'delicate issue' look at Ozzy and he nodded

"Bye" he said and quickly went inside

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The car ride was silent for the most part until Misato couldn't hold it in any longer

"This is what you were so happy about last night!" she cried

"Yeah" Shinji said; some of the joy had been taken from the event with its discovery by Misato

"Shinji; this is the coolest thing I've ever heard" Misato said and beamed at Shinji

He looked her way in shock: she was happy about this

"You're happy about this?" Shinji was a little confused

"Of course: you get to do something you enjoy and this time for other people. And with him the main attraction of that show, ooh yeah" she said

Then an eyebrow was quirked at Shinji

"Who else was there?" she asked

"Well, Ozzy's wife, a guy named John, Axl, Adrian and Paul were the only ones I saw" he said

Misato put the puzzle together and nearly slammed on the brakes to the car in total shock

"Shinji, when we get home I want you to point them out to me; I have huge book on old rock bands at home" she said and continued on their way

Upon arriving home; Misato dragged the boy upstairs and pulled out the aforementioned book and went through it and Shinji pointed out each musician he could remember being told was in on the act

"So let me get this straight Shinji: you're performing a rock symphony with: Guns 'N' Roses, KISS, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne and the remaining members of Queen?" she asked

Shinji nodded and Misato just gaped at that: that was the largest gathering of rock and heavy metal stars in known history and in this dangerous city too. And Shinji was a part of it; and on his own merits as a musician: Misato was so happy she could cry

"Oh Shinji, this is too good to be true. I am so happy for you" she said and hugged the boy

"That's fine Misato, just don't tell anyone, especially Asuka" Shinji pleaded

"I wouldn't dream of it. This is your event, your time of glory and no one else's" she said

Shinji thanked her and began to make dinner. It was not long after that task was begun that Asuka and Hikari and of all people, Rei came in the front door

"Rei, what brings you to our humble abode?" Misato asked

"Representative Horaki asked me to deliver a print out to Ikari, since she knew Soryu would not do it" Rei answered

"Oh, okay. Shinji's in the kitchen" Misato said.

Rei nodded curtly and went to the kitchen while Asuka and Hikari set themselves up on the couch to watch a bit of TV. Shinji was humming to himself as he made dinner, although Rei could not place the song.

"Ikari" her soft voice caught Shinji by surprise and he accidentally cut himself

"Ayanami, you scared me" Shinji gasped as he panted upon turning around

Rei however was concentrating on Shinji's cut finger. With tenderness the likes of which Shinji had never known, Rei reached out and carefully cradled Shinji's hand and dabbed the blood with her handkerchief, then she wrapped his finger in the soft material square.

"Thank you" Shinji managed to stutter out while the girl gave him a stare the reason behind he could not fathom

"I dislike seeing you hurt; it disturbs me" she whispered, it was so quiet that Rei was sure only she heard the words

"It does?" Shinji asked

Rei nodded and gently rubbed his finger with her thumb. There was dead silence in the kitchen for so long that Misato thought she should investigate: Rei was still holding Shinji's hand in that gentle manner and Misato noticed that Shinji seemed almost hypnotised by the attention he was receiving

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked teasingly

Shinji yelped and would have drawn his hand away but even he was to rapt to force Rei to let his hand go. Although he blushed a deep crimson as Misato cast a very suggestive leer his way. Rei was unperturbed

"I was checking his condition major" Rei said

Shinji couldn't help but wince slightly at the words, but not so anyone noticed. Rei looked up and saw that Shinji was still rather red

"I shall go now, Ikari. Goodbye" she said and walked out

Shinji stood rooted on the spot, an odd and uncharacteristic look on his face

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The next day after school, Shinji made his way to the practice hall where the bands were practicing. He arrived an hour earlier than the rest of the orchestra: in this hour Shinji was to be taught the art of guitar from Adrian. Then after practice, he would teach Adrian how to read Kanji

"Hi Shinji; are you ready for the practice?" Axl asked

"Yeah; I guess so" he answered as he made his way to the practice hall

Adrian was up on the stage with his guitar and an amp. Another guitar sat by his: it was dark purple with a green neck. Shinji had to chuckle at Adrian's thoughtfulness

"Hi Adrian" Shinji said quietly

Adrian turned around and looked at Shinji quizzically

"Is that the loudest you can speak?" he asked

"More or less" Shinji admitted

Adrian then asked Bruce to come over and show Shinji something

"Show this kid what you can do" he said

Bruce asked him what the hell he was talking about

"Do that bit from Aces High, the end of the second chorus" Adrian explained himself

Bruce shrugged and did the small request as best he could

"ACES, HI - IIIIIIIIGH" Bruce nearly screamed but it had some tune to it

Shinji had to cover his ears from the shrill sound but he was impressed none the less by the high volume of voice a man as old as Bruce could still achieve

"See, no offence Shinji, but I honestly think you need to perk up that self confidence: and with Confidence Master Adrian at your service, it shall be done" he declared with great melodrama

Shinji was starting to get very, very scared.

"But first, guitar lessons" Adrian said and leapt down

The next hour was the toughest but most rewarding Shinji had ever had in his life. He was a quick learner with strings thanks to his lessons in cello, although playing the instrument was Shinji's main obstacle: he had trouble holding it and using guitar picks at first but he was getting better

"You really should practice at home, Shinji" Adrian said as he helped the boy with the guitar

"That would give the game plan away though" he said and explained his situation to Adrian regarding Asuka

To Shinji's surprise, Adrian did not think any less of him for his lack of reaction to Asuka's taunts and insults and abuse. He just nodded thoughtfully and placed his hand reassuringly on Shinji's shoulder

"Shinji, I think that you have shown more dignity in how you react to Asuka than any man I could name" he said and smiled

This comment caught Shinji off guard and he was a little surprised by it. Adrian grinned rakishly as Mr. Yamamoto came in

"Shinji, rehearsal time" he called out

"Coming" Shinji replied and said goodbye to Adrian as he grabbed his cello

Shinji then spent the next two hours practicing with an almost full orchestra the tunes of Black Sabbath, KISS, Queen, Iron Maiden and Guns N Roses. Some other bands songs were played as well: a few from the Rolling Stones, Dream Theatre, AC DC, Metallica and others. Shinji liked the song 'Under a Glass Moon' best.

"That was a great session guys; see ya next week" conductor Aritomo Asano said and dismissed the orchestra

As Shinji was leaving, Adrian came up to him and gave him a guitar case a piece of sheet music

"Just make up a story about the guitar; but I want you to practice, and try to sing if you want" he said grinning widely

Bruce sighed and grabbed Adrian; said goodbye to Shinji and nearly frogmarched him into the practice studio. Shinji laughed at the antics of the two men and began to walk home. It was a bit late when he arrived home but Misato was still awake and Asuka was no where to be seen

"Hi Shinji, how was practice?" Misato asked

"Good thanks" he said and trundled through

Misato blinked at the guitar case that made Shinji look like a musical clown in a balancing act, cello in one hand and guitar in the other, all while stumbling about the place scaring Pen-Pen

"Who gave you the guitar?" she asked, following a sweaty Shinji to his bedroom

"Adrian" he grunted as he heaved both instruments onto the bed

Shinji now was faced with the dilemma of where to keep the guitar as he had a smaller room than Asuka and a lot of that space was already taken up by the cello

"Hmm" Shinji pondered his dilemma

He looked around his room and decided that he would just manage with less space for his clothes: he had lots of room in his closet as revealed by a quick inspection of the large closet unit

"Good" he said and packed the cello away and got his new guitar out

Misato cocked an eyebrow as the nervous Shinji set up his music holder and put the music he'd been given on it and looked up at Misato while drawing in a huge breath

"Well, at least if I humiliate myself, it's in front of you rather than Asuka" he said to Misato

She smiled and prompted him to start. With a second deep and more hesitant breath, Shinji began to play. He started off a little shaky at first, but soon got into the rhythm of it

"Tommy used to work on the docks; union's been on strike he's down on his luck. It's tough" Shinji sang the first part, not very well but certainly there were worse

Misato nodded her head to the beat and tapped her foot as Shinji continued to play

"She says we gotta hold on to what we got, it doesn't really matter if we make it or not, we got each other and that's a lot. For love - we'll give it a shot" Shinji's singing was still bad, but his guitar was very good

"Ooh, we're half way there, Waooh, livin on a prayer. Take my hand and we'll make it I swear. Waooh, livin on a prayer" the chorus wasn't too bad for a beginner

Misato and Shinji were so wrapped up in the song that they failed to hear the door to their apartment open or hear the very quiet steps enter the abode itself and beeline for the room they were in. By this time, Shinji was winding down the song and had reached the last words and played the last few bars

"That was pretty good Shinji" Misato said

"For someone who's had an hour of practice I think so" he said

"Yes. Your new found talent is remarkable" a third, quieter proffered her opinion

Shinji and Misato both spun around to see Rei standing in the doorway. How long she had been there was anyone's guess

"Hi Rei" Misato said brightly

"Ayanami" Shinji greeted, a little red

Misato quickly saw that Rei wanted to speak to Shinji; for she was staring at him and Misato knew that Shinji could only take so much embarrassment so she excused herself quickly and went to have a beer

"What can I do for you, Ayanami?" Shinji asked, gulping

"I came to tell you that sync test has been scheduled for 6 pm tomorrow" she said, her voice flat

Shinji looked kind of crest fallen at her news

"Thank you. Anything else?" he asked

"Unless you wish something of me, no" she replied and turned to leave

"Ayanami, I need some help with my guitar playing, can you stay and help me?" Shinji blurted out, not meaning to say it but glad he did

Rei turned and looked Shinji in the eyes. She felt a hot feeling go across her cheeks and nausea took root in her stomach; but she did not feel sick, just light. After some careful thought, Rei spoke

"Play another song. If you wish to get better, you must practice. I shall be your… test audience" Rei took a minute to find the appropriate words and sat down on the edge of the bed

Shinji felt a little better that Rei was here to help him; he quickly found the sheet for the song he'd discovered today during practice. Strong guitar tunes began to emanate from Shinji's room. Misato smiled nostalgically as recognised the song

"Tell me, remind me" she sang to herself as she drank her beer and read the newspaper in front of her

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