Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy ❯ Interludes: Part 2 � The Cute Computer Geek Girl ( Chapter 16 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Evangelion: Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy

Author's Note: This chapter starts out when Maya was 16 and ends in the recent past so bear that in mind to avoid confusion. And since it's been so long since I last updated, I'm giving you a monster of a chapter! Much longer than normal, longer even than my longest chapter to date. But there was a lot I wanted to cover… teehee.

Required Disclaimer: No own. No money. No conscience. And no jelly donuts! Enjoy and ponder on the glory of GAINAX!

Chapter 16: Interludes: Part 2 - The Cute Computer Geek Girl

11th April 2008- Maya is 16 years old

Maya Ibuki stood amongst a number of other high school students, shivering slightly from the unseasonable (or rather what used to be unseasonable before the second impact) cold that surrounded them. It was lunch time, but a number of students chose to spend that time outside talking, smoking, studying, or just staring off into space and wishing they were somewhere else. Maya was no different, though she was more often found in the computer lab, programming or talking to people on the internet, or in the library reading a romance novel. Her friend Yukiko had dragged her out into the quad with her that day, intent on getting the girl to socialize with someone by a means other than computer text.

"Hey, new girl." A boy said off to her side.

Maya blinked and looked at him. "I'm not new… I've been attending this school for 3 years now."

"Oh, whatever. You want a smoke?" He asked, proffering a pack of cigarettes with one sticking halfway out.

Ms. Ibuki stared at it for several long moments then reached out tentatively and took it. A moment later it was lit and she was trying not to cough off her first inhale. "Um… thank you." She bowed slightly, wondering why the boy had given her a cigarette. <Do I look like a smoker? Well… here I am smoking. Why am I out here again?>

"You're cute, anyone ever tell you that?" The boy inquired.

Maya felt her cheeks warming up, embarrassed by the compliment. "I… I suppose so. Thank you. Um… my name is Ibuki Maya, it's nice to meet you." <Where did Yuki-chan go? She was here just a moment ago…>

"NaganoTetsuo. You're a friend of Nagumo's, right?" Tetsuo asked, casually leaning against a wall.

"Yes. Yukiko and I have been friends for a few years now. Do you know her?" The girl inquired. <A friend of a friend?>

"Yeah… yeah you could say that." He gave her an easy smile that made her blush again. "You going to the party later?"

Maya blinked. "Party?" <What party?>

"The one at Kendo's house. You haven't heard? I look forward to seeing you there… dress casual, maybe a little sexy. 9pm. See ya." He wandered off, leaving her feeling confused and strangely intrigued.

She looked around for Yukiko again and saw her coming out of a storage shed a few minutes later, followed a moment later by a flushed looking guy. "Hey Maya, you having fun?" The girl inquired, leaning in close to the future NERV officer and giving her a hug.

Maya grinned and returned the hug and looked her friend over. "The top few buttons on your blouse are snapped wrong. Were you making out with that boy in there?"

The other girl flashed a smile and shrugged. "A bit more than that. So did you talk to anyone?"

Ibuki was about to respond when she overheard the guy that her friend had been in the shed with talking to one of his friends in a low voice, but Maya was just close enough to overhear. "Yeah, you were right. Nagumo is a great lay! I think I'll do her again at the party tonight."

Maya blushed, realizing her friend had been having sex in the tool shed. <No wonder she's so chipper…> "Um… yeah a boy invited me to some party tonight."

Yukiko smiled and hugged her again. "Great! You can walk with me there. Meet up at my house around 8, ok? Let's get a quick bite to eat before class, I'm hungry."

Maya followed her friend, glancing down at the sway of the other girl's hips a bit more than most other people would, well at least those that weren't interested in girls… The two girls had just enough time to share a meal together before the bell for the next class rang.

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Still 11th April 2008

Maya and Yukiko walked into the party, finding that the place wasn't as crowded as they thought it would be, which was good in Maya's estimation. After much consideration (as in, spending three hours rummaging through all her clothes as well as her mother's) the young computer geek had selected a snug fitting blue sweater and a just shy of knee-length black skirt to wear, as well as some doe-leather boots that made her feel more self-confident.

Yukiko looked around, smiling and waving at various people while Maya stood near her side as if she'd get kidnapped if she took more than a step away from her. "Is that guy here yet?" Nagumo asked, glancing at her and stifling a laugh when she saw how uncomfortable her friend was in a more crowded setting.

Ibuki looked around and then shook her head. "I don't see him."

"Don't see who?" Tetsuo asked, walking up behind Maya and slipping an arm around her waist.

Maya squeaked and looked up at the tall boy. "Um… you."

"Well, now you've found me, beautiful." Nagano stated, leaning over to inhale the scent of her hair and smiled in satisfaction.

Ibuki blushed and glanced at her friend who seemed rather amused at the attention she was receiving. "I should greet the host of the party… we only just arrived." She said, attempting to change the subject, trying her best to ignore the way her skin was tingling.

"I just saw him go upstairs with Akemi." Yukiko informed her. She then smiled and said "Well I'll leave you two alone to talk. Come find me later." Without awaiting a response, she wandered off and started talking to a cute guy.

Maya stared after her as if her lifeline was being dragged away. "Oh… what now?"

"Wanna dance?" Tetsuo asked, nodding towards the open area that contained a few couples dancing. He gave her that relaxed smile again and Maya found herself nodding without really thinking about it. He gently took her hand and led her to the dance area and in moments they were doing a reasonable approximation of a dance. Tetsuo was mostly just shaking his arms and bobbing his head and Maya was swaying and moving her arms a bit, remembering a little of some traditional Japanese dance she had learned when she was a little girl and wanting to move in ways that the fast music didn't quite accommodate. They didn't look like they were dancing to the same song… actually neither of them looked like they were dancing to the song that was playing. "You having fun?" The boy asked.

"Yeah, of course." Ibuki responded after only a few moments of hesitation. <I'd rather be at home on my computer… I just got a new RPG I wanted to try out.>

The stereo, which was apparently on a random shuffle, selected a slow song next. Nagano grinned and stepped forward, taking one of her hands in his and slipping the other around her waist. Maya looked confused for a moment and her free hand went to several places before the boy gently placed it on his shoulder. "Slow dances I can do." He murmured, gazing into her eyes as they started swaying to the music.

The transition of clumsy swaying to expert dancing between songs was quite surprising, and Maya found herself leaning forward to rest her head against the boy's shoulder, as she was too short to rest it on the shoulder itself. She squeaked in surprise when his hands moved down to cup her bum, though he didn't quite squeeze it so much as hold it. Maya pulled back a little and gave him a surprised look.

"Is this ok?" Tetsuo asked, rubbing her gently and raising an eyebrow.

Maya glanced behind herself and realized no one was paying her any attention. She had been paranoid that everyone was staring at her when his hands had moved down. She took a deep breath and nodded uncertainly, leaning back into him. "It's ok…" <Why am I here again?>

"If you want me to move my hands just say so. I won't get mad." He told her in a teasing tone.

Ibuki looked up and saw that he didn't look upset, only amused. She figured he was being honest in saying he wouldn't be upset so she shrugged and let it pass. "I'm fine." She leaned back into him, biting her lip when his hands started to caress her rather than just hold her. She almost felt like purring when he nuzzled into her neck and kissed her there.

Tetsuo brought a hand up for a moment and brushed her long hair away from her neck, then started kissing her there again. "You smell so good…" He murmured into her ear.

The blush returned with a vengeance and she kept silent, not knowing how to respond to such a statement. <Yeah, I like the way my shampoo smells too> seemed too lame to even utter. Her thoughts were interrupted when a boy pushed past them, arguing with another boy about a girl that had been flirting with them both. The cozy feeling turned into self-consciousness again and she pulled away from Tetsuo a bit and glanced nervously around. <Maybe I should leave now…>

"Let's go upstairs where we can be alone." He stated more than suggested.

"Ok." She responded immediately. <What? Wait…> Despite her inner voice advising caution, she followed him upstairs. She kept thinking the host wouldn't want them up but by the sounds coming from behind some of the closed doors, she realized that this was allowed. She glanced to her side and saw Yukiko smile at her before going into a room with the boy she had seen her with earlier that day. As the door was closing, her friend was pulling off her shirt. <Oh my…>

"You ok?" Tetsuo asked, running his hand gently over her back as they walked further down the hall.

"… Yeah." Maya replied. <Am I?>

Nagamo paused at a door near the end of the hall and listened at the door for a moment. Before the girl could ask him what he was listening to, he knocked gently on the door. "Anyone in the red room?" He asked in a soft voice. When he got no response, he opened the door slowly and then all the way and motioned her in. They walked inside and he closed the door and immediately wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

Maya pulled away after several long moments and glanced at the door. "Aren't you going to lock it?"

"No locks. But don't worry; no one will walk in without knocking to make sure it's empty." He replied in a soothing voice.

She shook her head when he kissed her neck. "Why don't they just leave the door open if it's unoccupied then?"

"Because an open door means a common room and closed door means private room. You've never been to a party before, have you?" He inquired with amusement shining in his eye.

Ibuki shook her head, being honest. "No. I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Don't be. Now, if at any time you wanna stop, slow down, go home, whatever, just say so, ok?" After she nodded uncertainly, he started kissing her again and his hand moved up to cup one of her breasts. He paused when she backed away from him a bit. "Stop?"

"What are we here to do?" She inquired in a soft, vulnerable voice.

"What do you want to do?" Tetsuo asked with a playful grin.

<Play on my computer at home and forget that I'm almost an adult…> "I don't know." Maya replied.

He frowned thoughtfully for a moment then held her close again. "Is this ok?"

"Yes." She responded, hugging him back.

He reached down and squeezed her bum gently and caressed it as he kissed her neck. "Is this ok?" He inquired in a soft husky voice.

Ibuki felt her eyes rolling back a bit in her head and fluttered her eyelashes. "Yes…"

One of Tetsuo's hands slid back up her body and went under her sweater and squeezed and fondled her breast. He paused for a moment when he realized he was touching bare flesh and not a bra and smiled before kissing her ear. "Is this ok?"

Maya swallowed nervously, feeling a tingling feeling traveling throughout her body. "… Yes."

"May I make love to you?" He asked, leaning back a bit to look into her eyes.

"… No, I'm not ready. I'm sorry, I…" She paused when he pressed a finger to her lips.

"It's ok. Do you want to do something else?" He leaned into her and kisses her lips and darted his tongue into her mouth as if to emphasize what he meant.

"Oh… um… ok." Maya replied. <What!?>

"You don't have to." Nagano stated in a reassuring tone. He smiled and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

The girl smiled and nodded. "It's ok." She said a little more certainly. <He said I could stop if I wanted to, after all… It might be fun.> She looked back at him as he watched her expectantly. After several long tense moments she inquired, "What are we waiting for?"

"For you to start…" He grinned at her.

<Oh… I thought he was at least going to take off his own pants…> "Oh, I'm sorry. I've never done this before." Maya bit her lip nervously, unsure of what to do.

The amused expression returned to Tetsuo's face and he nodded at her. "Ok Maya-chan… get on your knees and open your mouth."

After a brief moment of panic, she complied, looking up at him expectantly. He unzipped his pants and pulled his member out and Maya blushed as she got her first real look at a very erect penis. She opened her mouth to make a comment about how she thought it was too big for her and he chose that moment to insert it. She squeaked in surprise and opened her mouth wider. The boy reached down and ran his fingers through her hair tenderly and thrust his hips slowly, gradually working himself deeper into her mouth.

For a while she just sat there on her heels as he thrusted but then hesitantly she started moving her tongue. He was longer than she expected but wasn't very thick so her jaw wasn't getting stretched overly much. She looked up into his eyes as her tongue moved against his flesh and was encouraged when he groaned softly. He leaned over a little and held her head still as his thrusts gained in speed. "Is it ok? Am I going to fast?" He whispered down at her.

Unable to speak with her mouth stuffed as it was, Maya simply shook her head slightly and gave him a thumbs up gesture. She found herself becoming very aroused as Tetsuo's breathing became heavier and his thrusts a little faster and more shallow. She applied a little more suction and heard him groan in the most delicious manner. She nearly choked, however, when the tip of his penis hit the back of her throat. She figured he wouldn't thrust that deep again but she was wrong, instead nearly all of his thrusts reached that depth and he seemed a little frustrated that it wasn't going any deeper. <What is he trying to do, ram it down my throat!?>

"Relax. You're tensing up. If you want me to stop tap my leg or something, I don't want to hurt you." Tetsuo whispered in a hoarse tone.

<Relax? Well maybe I can try this…> No sooner had she readjusted than his next thrust buried his penis to the hilt in her mouth. She nearly melted when she heard his low groan and he paused there for several moments. Maya at first felt like she was going to choke but somehow figured out a way to keep from resist the choke reflex. <This is a lot harder than I thought it would be… I can't believe I'm doing this. Just yesterday I was looking forward to a weekend spent playing my new game and being alone…>

They were rudely interrupted when suddenly a knock sounded on the door. "Anyone in there?" They heard a gruff male voice inquire.

Maya pulled back from Tetsuo so quickly that he was lucky her teeth hadn't grazed him or he might have been in a lot of pain. "Yes!" The boy cried, cursing under his breath. He looked back down at Maya and saw the panicked look in her eyes. "Hey, hey it's ok. See? I told you they wouldn't come in if we responded. It's ok." The tense expression on his face made it apparent that stopping now would be quite… stressful.

"I'm sorry, it was a reflex. Are you ok?" Maya gave him a concerned look.

"Yeah… yeah. It's ok. Do you mind if we continue or would you rather stop?" His tone was almost squeaking.

Ibuki nodded uncertainly and relaxed. A moment later, he was sliding slowly back into her mouth and didn't stop until he was all the way in. She found it much easier to adjust this time and was relieved. She resumed licking as he slid in and out of her mouth and she found herself bobbing her head to his rhythm.

"Oh yeah… I'm gunna cum." Nagamo said suddenly.

<Cum? Oh! He's going to ejaculate!> She tried to back away but his hand was still on the back of her head as he thrusted into her mouth one last time and let out a long low groan. She jerked slightly when his seed hit the back of her throat but she calmed down and simply let it happen, as there wasn't much she could do about it. <And I was just wondering what the protocol on this was… I guess I have my answer.>

"Oooh… Maya-chan…." He murmured as his movements became slow and gentle. Tetsuo slid out of her mouth and turned to flop down on the bed behind them and took deep breaths for several moments as he relaxed.

Maya sat there for several moments before she realized his seed was still filling her mouth. <What am I supposed to do with it?!> She looked to see if the room had a sink or adjoined to a wash closet, but it was simply a bedroom. <Damn it…> She finally swallowed it because she was about to choke and that would have just spilled it all over her sweater. She didn't want to explain that to her mother. She hesitantly sat beside him on the bed and watched him, wondering if she should leave or wait and wishing she had established that before they had started.

Tetsuo cracked an eye open and looked at her. "You ok?"

Maya nodded a little too quickly. "Yes, I'm fine."

He reached out and pulled her down to lie beside him and they simply cuddled for a little while. Finally he turned onto his elbow and gave her a mischievous grin. "Want me to return the favor?"

Her eyes doubled in size. "What? No that's um… ok. I don't… um…"

"Are you sure? You'd enjoy it a lot, I think." His hand trailed down to gently rub her inner thigh. He watched her as his hand moved further up until it was touching against her panties. "You can tell me to stop if you don't like it."

Given that she was still highly aroused from when she had pleasured him, she nodded without hesitation this time. Maya watched nervously as he turned over onto his knees and slid her panties down and laid them gently on the bed to her side. He gazed at her womanhood in awe and smiled up at her, obviously stifling a laugh as he saw how embarrassed she was at his attention there. "You're beautiful." He murmured, attempting to reassure her.

"Don't stare…" She looked away, feeling bashful.

Tetsuo moved upwards on the bed to lie beside her and pulled her sweater up so he could caress her tummy while he kissed her. After she started to relax, his hand moved up to cup and massage one of her small breasts. He pulled away slightly and gave her an encouraging smile as his hand moved down to her knee then slid slowly upwards. Maya bit her lip nervously and closed her eyes. "It's ok… just relax." Nagano whispered. A moment later his hand brushed up against her outer lips. She twitched and nearly jumped off the bed but he whispered to her in a calming voice and kissed her. "If you want me to stop, I will." He whispered again. Since she didn't tell him to stop, he continued.

Tetsuo's fingers brushed through her pubic hair then moved back down to lightly press against her moistened womanhood. "My finger is going to slide in a little, but not too deep. So don't be startled. I won't hurt you." He murmured into her ear before licking it. He felt her tense up a little but not enough to discourage him, so the tip of his finger found her opening and moved inside her.

"Nnng…" Maya murmured, tensing up again.

"Ssh… it's ok. I won't hurt you. Trust me." He kissed her forehead and his finger moved deeper while his other fingers lightly brushed against her outer lips. He glanced down and watched while he manipulated her with his hand, soon feeling the tension drain out of the girl as her pleasure increased. He smiled and started kissing her neck again. Slowly his mouth moved downwards until he was suckling on a nipple, his fingers still gliding over spots that made Maya breathe more deeply.

Tetsuo's eyes met Maya's as he knelt between her legs again. Her eyes widened slightly and she was about to protest before his mouth touched her. Then she was too busy trying to keep still enough to enjoy what he was doing. She was letting out little gasps and moans as his tongue moved around inside her with a skill that exposed his skill, at least in this area of lovemaking.

Maya's back arched as her enjoyment increased. She bit her lip a little too hard at one point and drew a little blood so she had to make do without biting. "Oh!" She gasped when his tongue brushed against her clitoris and she moved back away from him.

"Too soon?" He asked in a husky voice, looking up at her.

"Too much. Not there, please." Maya gasped out. Tetsuo looked a little surprised but then resumed his previous actions. Maya sighed softly and closed her eyes, feeling her hips moving of their own accord. Her hands reached down to move gently through Nagano's hair and subconsciously guided him to her most sensitive spots.

Ibuki's mind started to wander and she found herself wondering what Yukiko was doing right now. <Likely the same thing as me… or going further.> Maya suddenly thought of Yukiko doing to her what Tetsuo was. The thought triggered a spark deep inside her and she let out a strangled squeak and felt her body shaking and her eyes squeezed shut. She relaxed and moments later felt Tetsuo holding her in his arms. She murmured something unintelligible and cuddled against him. She smiled faintly as his hand made lazy circles on her exposed belly.

Maya's eyes opened and met Tetsuo's. "Thank you." She whispered, unable to stop smiling. <Beats playing Final Fantasy 15…>

Tetsuo grinned and kissed her before inquiring, "Are you sure you don't want to go all the way?"

She was tempted. She couldn't lie to herself, but she just wasn't ready and she knew that. "I'm sure. Some other time, ok?"

"Sure." He replied, trying to hide a disappointed look.

They just cuddled there for a while before there was another knock at the door. "Anyone in this room?"

"Yeah!" Tetsuo called, annoyance clearly in his tone.

Maya blushed and straightened her clothes, suddenly self-conscious again. "Maybe we should get going. Want to go get something to eat?"

Nagano shrugged. "Sure." And so they left the party.

For the next several months they had a fairly close relationship, but they drifted apart. Their break-up was amicable, and they remained friends even up to present day.

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28th August 2010- Maya is 19 years old

"Open up your test booklets and begin." The exam proctor announced, looking up from the clock he had been watching.

Maya Ibuki, a college student about to start her last year of college, opened her exam booklet and began answering the questions. It was an ability exam for placement in the final year of college. The students would be returning to classes at the beginning of September, they were on summer break but still had to take this exam, which lasted all day. It was grueling, but necessary.

Hours later, Maya finished up the exam a little early and left, stretching and yawning. She went to her small apartment and flopped onto her bed and dozed off, exhausted from the long exam. She was awoken sometime later by her phone ringing. She groaned and rolled over to pick up the handset. "Hai? Moshi moshi." Maya said in greeting.

"Maya-chan, I'm glad I caught you. Can you talk?" The voice of Ichiro, Maya's older brother, came to her ear.

She immediately sat up despite her fatigue. His tone sounded urgent… worried. "What's wrong, big brother?"

The young Ibuki heard him sniffle and she waited anxiously for his response. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he started talking again. "It's Shiori. She… we were in an accident. There was so much blood. Oh god…" She heard him vomiting and she winced.

<Shiori… his wife. She's hurt!> "Big brother… what happened? Is she ok?" Maya asked.

"No… she's… oh god damn…" The sounds of more vomit interrupted her bother's reply.

The reality dawned on her then, as she realized what must be causing this strong a reaction in him… her loving and playful brother. "Is she… dead?" The girl inquired in a soft hesitant voice.

"… Yes." Ichiro finally responded. "Can you get away from college for a few days, little sister?"

"Oh! Of course, Ichi-kun! I'm on summer break. I'll be on the train first chance I get. I'll call from the first stop to tell you the arrival time." She responded immediately, looking at the closet where her suitcase was stashed and thinking about what all she would need to take.

"Thanks. Oh, dad is here now so I'll have him make the rest of the calls. See you soon sis… and… thanks." He hung up before awaiting a response.

Maya sat still for several minutes then leaned her face into her hands and cried. She hadn't known her sister-in-law all that well, but she had always felt good in the girl's presence. Finally, she straightened herself up and took a quick shower and packed her things, making sure to include a few changes of clothes and her laptop computer in her suitcase. Then she made her way to the train station and took the first train to New Osaka, which was the closest station to her brother's country home.

True to his word, Ichiro was waiting for her. "Maya-chan…" It was all he could manage before he hugged her close and cried on her shoulder.

She simply hugged him back, at a loss for words. <What do you say to someone that just lost the love of their lives?>

Her brother backed away and sniffed, self-consciously brushing at his tears with the back of his hand. "We should get going. There's a lot to do before the funeral."

For the first time Maya realized there was a large looking bandage showing on his left arm. "Are you ok? You're bleeding."

He glanced at his arm and shrugged. "I'll be ok. One of the glass pieces gashed my arm. It's no big deal."

Maya frowned and followed her brother to his car and they rode to his house in silence. For the next few hours, she spent most of her time greeting family members and friends of her brother's and sister-in-law's that she barely knew or had never even met. She did as much as she could to take the burden off of her brother and makes things a little less stressful for him, but she knew she could never help him enough. Only time would heal his wounds.

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10th January 2010- Maya is still 19

Maya was studying in the library when a military officer approached her. He glanced at a photo then sat down next to her, which immediately got her attention. "Excuse me ma'am, are you Ibuki Maya?"

Maya nodded carefully, wondering what business the man could possibly have with her. "Something I can help you with, sir?"

"My name is Major Kono. Your performance and test scores have caught our attention. Have you given any thought to joining the military?" The major inquired.

The young Ibuki stared at him with her mouth hanging open. She hadn't even considered it. She always thought she'd end up working for a software company of some sort. "I'm into computers. Not… you know… killing people."

Offense flashed on the man's face for a moment then he smiled, accustomed to such responses. "There are many technical and computer-related jobs in the military, young lady, and very few of them involve killing people. Might I add, we have the most advanced computers on the planet and use them in far more interesting ways then designing computer games."

<Ooo… advanced computers… just think of what I could do with one of those badboys…> After an almost sexual-thrill moment of considering the possibilities, Maya looked at the officer. "How advanced, Kono-shousa?"

The major smiled. "Come with me, I'll show you a few of them." Needless to say, she was hooked after she left that military complex and had already signed up to go into the military academy when she graduated college in a few months.

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3rd October 2011- Maya is 20 years old

Maya sat on the bed in her hotel room, sighing with relief. "I'm finally done… I survived basic training! I never thought it was possible…" <Granted, I barely met the minimum requirements… but that's more than sufficient for a tech job!>

She looked into the mirror and shook her head, not even recognizing herself for a moment. She had had long hair since she was a little girl, and now it was short. Very short. She tilted her head to one side and then the other and frowned, brushing the hair one way then the other with her fingers then she smiled. "It's not half bad… I guess it can grow on me." She ruffled her hair a bit and shook her head to give the short hair a little more volume and nodded in satisfaction. "It's cute."

Ibuki then flipped in her laptop and connected it to the broadband port supplied by the hotel and immediately ran her security program so she couldn't be hacked or observed. She readjusted herself so she was lying on her stomach propped up on her elbows and started reading her emails from the last few weeks. Mostly they were congratulations for surviving basic training, well wishes, and questions on when she would visit. She smiled when she read that her brother had met a nice girl and they were spending the weekend together. <Good, he's been so lonely since Shiori died.>

Maya grinned as she read a rather humorous email from Tetsuo, which she responded to and then flipped off her computer. Normally she was happy to spend the whole night on her computer, but today she had graduated from basic training and she was joining her fellow graduates at a local bar to relax, drink, and forget the hellish drill instructor they had been subjected to during their training.

Ibuki was tempted to change into her regular clothes, but apparently it was a tradition to attend Miyato's Bar in full uniform after graduating basic training. She looked into the mirror and brushed the uniform off and gave her reflection a bright smile then walked to the bar. As expected, several of her comrades were already in attendance and each had an empty shot glass and were working on their first bottles of beer. "Hey guys." She greeted with a smile.

They all smiled and stood up, giving her a salute. "Good evening, Lieutenant!" Ayabito greeted with a smile.

Maya blushed and returned their salutes after a moment of hesitation. "At ease." <Damn, I don't know if I'll ever get accustomed to that.> She slid onto a stool at their oversized table and noticed an MP sitting at another table keeping an eye on them so she gave him a respectful nod and a smile. He simply returned the nod and sipped at a bottle of cola. He didn't seem sour, just very professional so she didn't give him a second thought.

"All right Ibuki, you have to catch up to the rest of us!" Okabe stated, pouring her a cup of sake. "Drink up!"

Maya bit her lip nervously. She knew there would be drinking, but she had never had alcohol before and she was a bit nervous. "Thank you." She swallowed down the sake and winced, much to her comrades' merriment.

"All right we popped her alcohol cherry!" Sakoda cried. It had been a source of constant teasing once they found out she had never had a drink before.

Ibuki blushed and felt like crawling under the table and hiding by the stares she received. She laughed nervously and looked up as a server approach. "What will you be drinking, ma'am?" She was asked.

Maya looked around at the others. "Uh… I'm not sure. What are you all having?"

"Beer." Ayabito stated, holding up a bottle of Kirinbeer. "But you don't want to drink beer after sake, you'll be under the table. Stick with sake, cutie." He flashed her a friendly smile.

She saw no disagreement from the others so Ibuki smiled up at the waitress. "Sake, please." She glanced around and noticed most of the others were sticking with sake as well and only Ayabito was brave, or foolish enough to mix drinks. "I'm going to get drunk anyway, aren't I?"

"Absolutely!" Sakoda assured her. "But don't worry, our friend over there won't let you do anything too embarrassing. Though he might not mind if you decide to flash everyone…"

He was silenced when Toyoshima elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't pay any attention to Sakoda." She assured Maya. "We won't let you embarrass yourself."

Maya blushed as she poured herself another shot of sake and downed it, feeling her cheeks warming up. "It's… very good. Ha ha…"

"That a girl!" Okabe called, raising his glass in salute to her.

They slowed down in the drinking so they wouldn't get too drunk and end up in the brig, and started playing pool. Maya, who had never played before, was pleasantly surprised to play reasonably well and had a lot of fun. She found herself laughing a lot easier than usual and soon was feeling sleepy and realized she was getting drunk. "I need to sit down…" She informed the others and plopped down in her stool and nearly lost her balance.

"No more sake for you, Ibuki." Ayabito chuckled as he ordered some water for her. "Drink at least two glasses before you leave so you won't be hung over tomorrow."

"Thank you." Maya nodded in thanks and rubbed at her eyes and rested her chin on her arm.

The conversation turned to future plans and discussions on what their assignments were, which Maya mostly tuned out. She had heard all of their assignments and she was a bit too fuzzy-brained to care about their future plans. She didn't realize she had dozed off until one of her comrades shook her shoulder. "Huh?" She sat up and blinked.

"Finish your water. The bar is about to close." Sakoda informed her.

"Oh… ok." Maya rubbed her eyes and blushed when she realized she had been drooling. She dabbed her chin clean and downed her water and got up and was relieved to find that she was sober enough walk (mostly) straight. "Good night, all. And good luck!"

The others gave her one last salute before parting ways. Ibuki blushed when she heard them still joking about her first encounter with alcohol. When she got to her apartment she visited the wash closet and then plopped down on top of the covers of her bed and fell into a blissful sleep.

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19th August 2013- Maya is 22 years old

Maya Ibuki stretched and glanced at the clock. <Two more minutes before classes let out for the weekend… I can't wait for next week… hands on learning is so much more fun and interesting than learning computer theory and military history and application.> Finally the class was dismissed and she breathed a sigh of relief and started heading to the door, her mind already on what she would do for the weekend.

"Maya-chan!" Her friend Remi called to her, rushing up to her side.

"Hi Remi-chan. What's going on?" Ibuki inquired with a smile in greeting.

The girl was practically dancing in the hallway. "I received my assignment! I'll be joining the KAOS team! Can you believe it?! I'll be working on the most advanced super-computer ever!" [AN: She doesn't know about the MAGI system, of course.]

Maya smiled, though inwardly she was very disappointed. She had worked very hard towards gaining that assignment for herself. Likely she would just be a regular systems analyst now. "Congratulations. I'm surprised you received your assignment so early! We still have almost four months until graduation." <DIE! DIE! No… I'm happy for her. Really I am. Really…>

"I know, they informed me because I'm graduating early. I'm leaving tonight! I have to call my parents and tell them the good news! Take care and good luck, Maya-chan!" Remi exclaimed. She grabbed the other girl into an embrace, and very surprisingly kissed her on the mouth.

Maya blinked in surprise, especially when the other girl's tongue slipped into her mouth. She was about to deepen the kiss when the other girl broke it off and waved before running to her room. The young lieutenant stared after her, feeling as if everyone in the hall was staring at her when in fact they had mostly ignored the girls other than a curious glance. She made her way to her room and was surprised to see a blonde woman leaning against the wall next to her dorm room.

The girl was about to go into her room under the assumption that the woman was waiting for someone else, when she spoke. "Ibuki-shoui, am I right?"

Maya froze, her hand on her door handle, and turned to look at the lovely blonde woman. "Oh, were you waiting for me? What can I help you with?"

"Akagi Ritsuko, it's nice to meet you. May I come inside?" The young doctor inquired, giving her a very business-like look.

<If you're here to sweep me off my feet, sure! Oh… I've been without romance too long...> Maya noticed the doctor's badge marked her as being a very important person, though she didn't seem military. "Of course, come inside please." They walked into her dorm room and Maya sat down on her bed, fidgeting with the collar of her uniform. "What did you wish to speak to me about?"

"Your work here at the academy has not gone unnoticed. Especially your application to join the KAOS program." Ritsuko began.

Lt. Ibuki shook her head slightly. "My friend just informed me she was given the spot on that program. There was only one opening."

"Yes, of course. I am not associated with that project. I am from a more… discrete organization. We would like you to work with us. I can't say too much until you have gone through all the standard non-disclosure procedures, of course." Dr. Akagi informed her.

"But… I was hoping to get into the KAOS program. I'll take a job as a systems analyst if I have to, but I was hoping for something a little more… exciting. And important. No offense, but I don't want to work for a counter-intelligence agency." Maya was about to tell the doctor she could go ahead and leave when the next statement made her blood quicken.

"If you think the KAOS system is exciting, you'd cum in your panties by working with me. Now… are you interested or shall we forget we ever talked." Ritsuko inquired.

"… Where do I sign?" Maya responded with an excited smile. Graduating early was a big plus as well as joining NERV to work on the MAGI system and Project: EVA.

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5th February, 2014- Maya is still 22

Maya and Ritsuko were working on the MAGI system, as it had been giving them problems of late. "What's it say now?" The blonde doctor inquired, peeking out of the casing of Casper.

"It's still showing the inconsistency… actually it's increased." The young lieutenant reported.

The doctor looked at the guts of the giant computer again and shook her head. This problem had proven to be more and more stressful by the day and Commander Ikari was beginning to give the two of them sterner looks than usual. He expected results, and he expected them soon. "Mother… what is wrong?" Ritsuko whispered. <Damn… if only she hadn't killed herself right after completing the system…> She stepped out of the machine and walked over to the display panel that Maya was observing, grabbing her cup of lukewarm coffee as she went. "Any change?" She took a sip and winced at the cooling bitter taste.

Lt. Ibuki shook her head. "No, sempai. It's still showing a 2.37% inconsistency."

"And even 0.01% is more than we are wanting… DAMN IT!" The doctor threw her coffee cup across the room in a moment of frustration. "What am I missing?!"

Maya scrunched down in her seat a little bit, intimidated by the display of anger, and frowned in thought. Her finger tapped against the control panel as her mind worked. "It had to have been something your mother thought she accounted for, her was going to try to fine tune…" She let her gaze wander and it landed on the coffee maker as the doctor was getting another cup and glancing at the shattered cup with a trace of shame on her face. A realization dawned on her then. "The filtration system!"

Dr. Akagi leaned back against one of the other control interfaces and raised an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. "What about it?"

"It's turned up too high!" The lieutenant stated in a fast, energetic tone.

The doctor quickly shook her head. "No, it has to be at that setting or the information from the three components would get jumbled together."

"Exactly!" Maya stood up and walked over to the skeptical-looking Ritsuko, waving her hands enthusiastically. "Think about it, sempai. Melchior, Balthasar, and Casper are meant to be conferring on all decisions and come to a consensus. We're filtering some of the information they give to each other, and thus it creates inconsistency!"

Ritsuko blinked. <She's right...> "I see your point. However, we cannot process information from three different sources when they're not even being separated in a logical fashion. They may be able to interface with each other better, but we won't understand what they're telling us. We need the filter… we have to find another way."

Maya looked visibly deflated for a moment and they both turned to look at the computers. She frowned and looked up at Ritsuko. "Why don't we build a better interface then?"

"We can't..." The doctor paused as she considered it. She saw the look on Maya's face, realizing the girl felt she was right but was ready to shut up and take orders if need be. <Wait… if we re-route the interface through the secondary processors instead of the primaries… oh my.> "Maya, you're a genius!" The blonde doctor hugged her young protégé and almost literally dived back into the guts of Casper. The young lieutenant blushed and felt happy. She was ecstatic when Dr. Akagi said, "Come help me realign these interfaces, then we'll see how you do with Balthasar on your own. Under my close supervision of course."

Maya couldn't stop smiling as she helped the good doctor closely to finish the alterations. After they were done, the young lieutenant looked at the readouts and nodded. "0.00000000000013% inconsistency."

Ritsuko breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down in a chair. "Well below allowable parameters! Finally… we're done. I'll take you out to dinner tonight to celebrate. My treat! The Olive Tree, if you have no objections." She sighed then. "Now I'll have to go report to the commander. Wish me luck…"

Maya nodded with a big grin on her face. "Of course! Good luck… and I'm looking forward to dinner! And the Olive Tree sounds perfect." <Oh my… that's a cozy romantic restaurant… I'm so happy!>

The young lieutenant wasn't called by the doctor that night, however. After informing the commander of the good news, he had thanked her in a most personal manner… by seducing her. Maya ate instant noodles for dinner that night alone at nearly 11 pm after her hunger became too strong to ignore. The next day, Ritsuko was happy and carefree and Maya was quiet and tired, and the good doctor never noticed the change.

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27th August 2014- Maya is 23 years old

Maya walked up to stand beside the young Ayanami Rei, who was staring at Eva Unit 00. "Impressive, isn't it?" She stated, attempting to start a conversation with the quiet girl. She looked at the girl in the corner of her eye and saw she was getting no response, not even a nod. "In a few months you'll be test-piloting it for real and not just in simulations. Are you nervous?"

Rei turned slightly to regard the lieutenant. Perhaps thinking it best to respond to her superior officer, or simply to get the older girl to leave her alone, she responded. "I do not believe so."

Maya bit her lip. It wasn't the response she was expecting. "So, what's on your mind?"

The first child simply stared at her.

"Not feeling very talkative, are you? That's ok. I don't mind." Lt. Ibuki continued talking, despite the lack of response. "It amazes me that an assignment where I was simply to help maintain and possibly upgrade the most advanced supercomputer ever constructed has turned into this. It seems amazing that a gargantuan piece of machinery like that is going to be piloted by you, a 13 year old girl. Or are you 14 now?" No response. "14, ok. Say, wanna go see a movie with me?"

"For what purpose?" Rei inquired. She seemed almost surprised by the offer.

"To get out, do something. Get to know each other. We'll be working closely for the next year or so at least, saving humanity. Or we can just get something to eat and talk." Maya smiled and looked at the girl who continued to stare without expression. "No to both? It's either that or we go swimming or shopping or just to get our nails done. What do you say?"

"… Are you ordering me to accompany you, Ibuki-chuii?" The blue-haired girl inquired in a flat voice.

"Only if you don't accompany me by choice." Maya replied with a friendly smile.

Rei stared at her for over a minute. Then she simple stated, "I wish to remain here."

The lieutenant sighed. "Ok, then I order you to accompany me for the next few hours. Starting immediately."

Ayanami nodded. "Understood."

The first child followed Maya silently to the Blue Lotus, a fairly nice restaurant that was known for sudden bouts of humor or dance from the servers and cooks and was popular amongst young consumers. The cute computer technician assumed the joyful atmosphere would allow the pilot to open up a bit. Instead, she ate her dinner silently and only responded when asked direct questions. "You're quite a challenge, Ayanami-kun. But I don't mind. I didn't want to be alone today. I've been going home alone for a year now, so even if I am accompanied by a quiet shy girl, I am thankful she is at least pretty." <That should get a response of some sort…>

Rei ate a rice ball.

<Wow… so expressive. I heard she lost her parents a number of years ago… maybe that's why she's so quiet. Sempai mentioned that Katsuragi-taii did not speak for a number of years after she lost her family in the Second Impact…> Maya finished her dinner, not giving up on trying to evoke a response from the girl.

Next, they went to the movie theater. "Pick a movie." The lieutenant offered.

"Any movie you choose is sufficient." Ayanami replied.

"Pick a movie anyway. Consider it an order." The dark-haired girl stated in a teasing tone.

Rei pointed to a movie at random. "This is my choice then."

"Let me rephrase. Look at the movies and pick one that seems interesting to you. I did not ask you to put your finger on whatever movie selection it happened to fall on." Maya bit her tongue to keep from laughing. She was enjoying this. It was better than another lonely night reading messages and playing the same tired games. If she didn't know better, she would have thought she saw annoyance flash over the young pilot's features.

The first child looked at the movie selections and even read the descriptions of the movies. Finally, she pointed out a movie. "This is my choice."

Maya smiled. <A romance movie… it was precisely what I would have chosen if I came her alone. This won't be so bad after all. I was afraid she'd pick that gore fest movie she was looking at.> They watched the movie in silence and Maya noticed the girl looked slightly confused several times throughout the movie. After I was over, they walked in the park. "You looked a little confused during the movie. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

At first Rei shook her head, then she reconsidered. "Why did Sagawa not stay and fight against the uprising peasants as his lord ordered him to, instead of leaving to retrieve Hitori from those demons? It was his duty to do as his lord commanded."

Lt. Ibuki leaned against a tree and titled her head slightly to the side. "Well, he was in love with Hitori. And he felt his lord was wrong in trying to slaughter all those peasants instead of simply removing the officer that had raped and murdered that shopkeeper's daughter. It was a choice of love and conscience over duty."

"But… there is nothing greater than duty." Ayanami argued, shaking her head.

Maya shrugged. "That is true for the most part, but sometimes love is more powerful than duty. Sometimes love is even more powerful than destiny."

Rei frowned. She disagreed but saw no point in arguing the matter further. At least, she thought she disagreed. A small part of her, however, realized that the lieutenant knew more about life and emotions than she did and it was very possible that she was correct in her observation. She kept all this to herself, however. "

Maya looked up at the time that was displayed on a nearby building. "We still have time to do some shopping. So you have your choice. Clothes, or toys."

The red-eyed girl looked almost exasperated, or at least as exasperated as someone can look without showing facial expressions. "If I must choose, then clothing would be the more practical choice."

"Toys it is, then." Maya replied, taking her hand and walking towards a shop that sold video games, models, and various other toys.

"Ibuki-chuii, I chose clothes." Unit 00's pilot objected.

"Yes, but for the wrong reasons. We're not shopping for practicality, we're shopping for fun. Thus, toys it is. Do you have a computer?" The dark-haired girl held up a fun looking adventure game.

"No." Ayanami responded simply.

Maya stared at her. <Inconceivable!> "Well, you should get one someday… soon." <How can you not have a computer!?!?!?!?> "Well… what else can we find. You don't look like the type to play with models." She held up a stuffed toy. "How about something like this?"

Rei looked almost horrified. "I think not." She replied simply.

They continued walking and Maya turned around to ask her if she was interested in books when she noticed the girl's red eyes fixed on something. She followed the girl's gaze and saw she was looking at a beautifully crafted unicorn figurine. "Let's get it." The lieutenant offered.

The blue-haired girl looked at her. "Get what?"

"The figurine you were just looking at. Pick it up, it's yours." Maya gave her a kind smile.

Ayanami shook her head. "It's not practical. I could use a bookmark, I have been folding down the pages of books that I read."

The dark-haired girl laughed softly and picked up the unicorn figurine. "We'll get both." She turned and walked towards the bookmarks without allowing the girl to protest. She quickly selected a bookmark and held it up for scrutiny. On it was a unicorn running by a lovely brook. "Stick with the unicorn motif?"

Rei shook her head and looked at the bookmarks. After several minutes of consideration, she picked up a bookmark and handed it to Maya. "This one will do."

The lieutenant looked at it, finding a picture of two lovers embracing and the caption of 'Love is the grandest of adventures.' adornng it. She looked at the young pilot for several moments then a small smile touched her lips and she nodded. "Wonderful choice, Ayanami-kun." She walked back over to the games and picked up two copies of the adventure game she had looked at earlier. "One for me and one for you when you get a computer."

"But…" Rei started to protest.

"Let's go get these and then I'll walk you home. I hope you had a good time." Maya made the purchases and walked the girl home, despite the small protest she put up. "Someday you'll appreciate it when someone spends time with you."

The red-eyed girl remained silent. She was alone, but was content in that. Why would she need someone else? Though she tried to deny it to herself, she had enjoyed her day with the lieutenant. But she made no attempts to spend any more time with the older girl and so they resumed a professional relationship, despite the chance at friendship they once had.

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6th June 2015- Maya is still 23 years old

Maya sighed and stretched before leaving her station. She waved at Shigeru as he took over for his shift, not noticing that the man was watching her ass with interest as she walked away. As she was approaching the subway she paused and turned to see a boy sitting on the bench facing the station. "Ikari-kun?"

Shinji didn't notice her at first, as his earpieces were in and he was listening to his SDAT player. He happened to glance up and saw the cute lieutenant staring at him. "Ibuki-chuii?" He pulled off his earpieces and stared back at her.

"Ikari-kun… why are you sitting out here alone? It's well past dark." Lt. Ibuki inquired, sitting down next to the boy.

He retreated into his shell, turning slightly to glance away.

"Ikari-kun…. Shinji. Do you want to talk about it?" Maya inquired with concern in her voice.

Shinji remained silent for several long moments then sighed. She wasn't going to go away and leave him alone. "Things are just… off today."

Lt. Ibuki raised an eyebrow when he didn't elaborate. "Because of what happened when you were absorbed by your EVA unit?"

The young Ikari shook his head, a momentary display of worry passing over his face at the mention of that recent incident. "No. Well… partially. Ever since then, Asuka-san has been… very antisocial. Misato-san has been distant as well and I'm not sure if I mind or not." He frowned and glanced away from the girl.

"What do you mean? Why would you not mind?" Maya inquired.

Shinji stared down at his hand.

"Shinji-kun?" She prompted.

Finally he responded. "I've been alone for most of my life. I think I might prefer it."

"But you're not alone. I'm here with you right now. And there are others that care about you. Katsuragi-shousa has had a lot on her mind, of late, I think. You should not take it personally. As for Pilot Soryu… she has never been the friendliest of girls, ne?" Maya grinned playfully and elbowed the third child gently.

Shinji looked up at her. She could see that part of him agreed and part of him either disagreed or was too afraid to admit it. "Perhaps I should return home. Misato-san and Asuka-san were arguing when I left… they are likely finished now." He got up and waved and began to walk towards Major Katsuragi's apartment.

"Shinji-kun!" Maya called. She waited until he turned to look at her. "Happy birthday."

The third child looked shocked. "Someone remembered?" He said softly, likely thinking she couldn't overhear him. He smiled brightly and thanked her before running off.

Maya smiled and went home, happy that she had brightened the young pilot's day.

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18th August 2015- Maya is 24 years old

Maya sat down in front of her computer after changing into some comfortable clothes and stared at the screen, but she just couldn't bring herself to flip the machine on. She glanced at the clock and then stretched out with her hands behind her head. <So much has happened today. The day started out so normally, but first we discover that Shinji-kun is developing an S2 organ, and then I go and suck him off just because sempai rejected me...>

The captain paused at that thought. It was very screwed up and she felt guilty as hell for the act, but it had been fun, and she hadn't had sex with anyone but herself since a while before joining Project: Eva. <Wow… it's been a year and a half since the last time I was with someone.>

Maya stood up and walked into the kitchen and started warming up some sake, feeling she needed some tonight. Her reflection of the day continued as she started drinking. <Then after all that, the commander calls me into his office a few hours later to promote me out of the blue stating that he had noticed me growing closer to Shinji-kun… which makes no sense because we haven't even talked that much… unless you consider my duties as sempai's assistant. Before I can even absorb that the angel alert sounds off, obviously Ayanami having an accidental discharge, and sempai gets angry at me for getting promoted. Everything is just getting so fucked up…>

The young captain pushed the sake away before she passed the 'buzzed' threshold and rested her head on her crossed arms, staring at the wall. Her thoughts returned to the young Ikari and she found herself wondering, <Is it better to be close to someone you don't love, or to be lonely?> She shook that thought off as best she could and resolved to try her best to develop a healthy friendship with the boy and not let herself wallow in despair. <It's just not like me…>

Maya sighed and returned to her computer and flipped it on. She saw an email from her brother and immediately clicked on it to read it, hoping it would cheer her up. What she saw made her freeze in place. "Maya. I stopped to write you and tell you the good news! I got married to a girl named Aya last night. Can you believe I found love again? Sorry I couldn't invite you to the wedding but it happened so fast and I know you're busy on that computer project of yours so I thought an email would serve just as well. Gotta go, we ordered room service and it just arrived! -Ichiro"

Maya stared at the email and read it again just to make sure she hadn't misread. "He got married… and I didn't even know he was dating anyone. He's found love twice… I haven't even found it once. All I found was an underage boy to suck off and wallow in my self-pity with." She flipped off the computer and left her apartment and wandered aimlessly, as her thoughts scattered to the winds.

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Another chapter comes to a close! I hope it was enjoyable and worth the wait. Hopefully the next one won't take two months. (Yeah, I always say that.) Oh and as I mentioned in my livejournal, I started a forum at a message board where you can discuss my fanfics and ask questions or make comments or wharever. It's at: http://invisionfree.com/forums/CrossRoad_Inn/ Anyway, Next Chapter: Shinji spends some time getting to know Kaoru, and Asuka and Rei see what kind of trouble they can get into. Until next time, la revedere!