Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy ❯ Time to Regret ( Chapter 32 )

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

Evangelion: Only In Your Eyes Am I Worthy

Author's Note: Bonus points to whomever figures out what game Shinji and Asuka were playing. Bonus points at what, I have no idea. You can reward yourself with a cookie, I guess. Sugarless, if you're diabetic or something. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Required Disclaimer: Still no own. Still no money. Too evil for a conscience. I think I might just have some jelly donuts around here now, however… Enjoy and ponder on the glory of GAINAX! And stuff.

Chapter 32: Time to Regret

Shinji's bladder informed him that if he didn't get up and go use the toilet, it would choose to empty itself regardless. And when organs and tissues decide to speak up, they mean business. So he came up with a bright idea… he eased himself out from under the German spitfire that was draped over him, then he gently picked her up and placed her onto the couch. A moment later he was rushing into the wash closet to relieve himself. “Phew… I nearly made a mess.” The boy breathed out before washing his hands.

He quickly walked back out and checked on Asuka and he found it interesting that the disturbed expression on her face seemed to vanish as he approached. `She can sense when I'm near? I guess as long as I'm around to watch over her, she's ok.' He reasoned. The third child's stomach took that opportunity to remind him that breakfast was the next order of business, which was the loose translation of the grumbling noises it made. An amused smile crossed his face as he patted his abdomen. He moved into the kitchen and started cooking, diverting part of his attention towards the couch to keep watch for any signs of distress from the second child.

Asuka sat up suddenly, her nose alerting her to the presence of sausage. Before the panic of not only being alone set in as well as not being in the place where she fell asleep, she heard the boy's greeting called from the kitchen. “Hey… you moved me in here?” She called out as she stretched.

“Yeah, I had to pee and I was afraid of you waking up alone again… I hope that's ok with you.” The blue-eyed boy stated as he turned the sausages. “Oh, do you want an omelet or not? I wasn't sure since you seemed to have developed an aversion to eggs…”

The red-haired girl scratched her stomach and yawned as she stood up. She looked down and blushed as she realized she hadn't redressed after being… serviced by the young Ikari. And yet he was fully dressed, as he had been while he pleasured her. “Pervert.” She grumbled playfully as she stuck her tongue out at him. She then started walking towards Shinji's room to retrieve her clothes. “I'll try them. I can't promise I'll finish them, but we'll see.” She answered the question finally before heading into the room to dress.

Shinji smiled as he admired the girl's body, but made sure to focus on the cooking when she came back out so she didn't see the smirk on his face. “Ah, would you prefer them scrambled or as an omelet?” He inquired.

The German pilot approached and poked at the sausages and lowered the heat a bit on the range. “If you're willing to make those neat little layered omelets, then I'll take one of those.” She pulled open the refrigerator and smiled as she pulled out some orange juice. “Schön (Beautiful/nice/general word of approval)… you found some juice? Are they still sending some supplies or was this left over from before that last angel attack?”

The third child shook his head. “They have to be sending some supplies. It's been over two weeks, and with all the NERV personnel still in the city, the supplies would all be gone by now otherwise. Unless they've been hitting all the stores that are closed…”

“Or going to the NERV cafeteria as much as possible.” Asuka added as she munched on a pickle. “Speaking of supplies, I need to pick up my happy pills after breakfast. Do you mind coming with me?”

The blue-eyed boy blinked a few times, but then he realized that with Rei spending the next day or two in NERV headquarters with his father, there wasn't much else to do but watch movies and play video games. “Sure, I don't mind.”

The second child nodded and plopped down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “Those sausages need another ten minutes.” She informed the boy absently.

Shinji looked at the sausages, which looked nearly done, then over at the German girl. “Are you sure? You haven't even looked at them since you adjusted the heat.”

The red-haired beauty tapped her nose and grinned. “I don't have to look at them. I could cook sausages blind-folded.”

The third child grinned and shook his head. “It's amazing that you can't cook anything else.”

“I'm German. We're not even allowed into Gymnasium (one of the school systems, grades 5-13 basically, university track. Different from the vocation schools) without knowing how to cook sausage properly, you know.” Asuka informed him.

The blue-eyed boy stared at the girl with his mouth hanging open. “Are you serious!?” He blurted out finally.

“No, silly boy. I'm teasing you.” The red-haired girl giggled and rested her folded arms across the back of the chair and then her chin on top of her arms to watch the boy as he cooked. “I learned how to cook sausage growing up because my aunt worked in the morning, so it was either eat cold cereal and toast every single morning, or learn how to cook sausage and eggs for something different. I never really had a talent for anything else. But I was too busy with Eva pilot training and Gymnasium, and then Universität to learn how to cook anything else. I barely had time to even sleep when I was studying for das Abitur.”

“Do you want to try some miso again? Before you eat meat, this time?” Shinji inquired, which earned a shrug from the girl so he handed her a bowl to sip on while she waited for the rest of the meal. “So why did you push yourself that hard? I mean… why go to university so young?”

The second child shrugged as she sipped the soup, frowning a bit but not finding it quite as disgusting as it had been the last time she sampled it. “I was intelligent enough. If I did my schooling at the normal pace, I became bored. So, I took all the accelerated courses so I could stay interested. I also felt that what I learned would be useful as an Eva pilot. And I was right. I wouldn't have defeated that angel in the volcano without my knowledge of thermodynamics. Frau Doktor Akagi has all those degrees, but it was me with my simple physics degree that came up with that idea. I'd be dead now if I relied on her knowledge and ideas alone, ja?”

The young Ikari nodded, realizing she was right. “I see your point. I never really applied myself to schooling… I suppose I never saw much point in doing more than what was expected of me. Nothing really caught my attention. I learned the cello because it was expected of me. I did my schooling because it was expected also. But I never found… my passion, I guess.”

“Until you became an Eva pilot, ja?” Asuka inquired.

The blue-eyed boy gave the girl a quizzical look. “What makes you think that's my passion? I think I've made it pretty clear that I hate piloting that thing.”

“True, but you do it because you're protecting the people you love. And that, mein Freund, is your passion.” The German girl stated confidently.

The third child considered that silently. He wasn't sure he agreed with her, but he admitted to himself that she was smarter than he was and she was also an outside observer, so she could have picked up on things he wasn't aware of. “Ah… do you want some bacon, as well?”

The blue-eyed girl's eyes lit up. “We have bacon? Sicher (Sure), cook it up!”

Shinji grinned with his back to the girl, as he had known she'd like that. “Yeah, I found some pepper bacon at the market. I knew you'd like it, so I picked some up.” He placed the bacon into the same skillet as the sausages, figuring they'd both be done about the same time. He finished up an omelet and placed it on a plate for the girl and handed it to her as he sipped at his own bowl of miso soup.

“Do we have enough food for lunch and dinner? Or should we stop at the market while we're out?” The second child inquired as she stared at the omelet and tried to decide whether she could eat it or not, trying to block out what the well-meaning first child had called eggs. `Well… most people probably wouldn't eat a lot of foods if they really knew what was in it or what it was made out of… so what if eggs are chicken menses. It's not like it's blood and uterine lining like it is for humans…' She reasoned as she took a hesitant bite, finding the omelet to be sweet and a little salty. Her stomach informed her that it didn't care what eggs were either, so she started wolfing down the omelet. Once that was done, she ended up finishing off the miso soup as well and then started munching on some pickled vegetables in a bowl on the table, something she rarely did.

The blue-eyed boy blinked in surprise as he saw the girl ravenously devour all the food she could get her hands on. He knew she had been eating normally, if not a little more than usual lately, so seeing her so hungry was quite a surprise. He wondered if it was because of their activities earlier that morning, or if something else was going on. A nagging feeling crept into the back of his mind as he recalled he had a hunger like that when his S2 organ first became active. “No, we have plenty of food now. Unless there's something special you want for dinner, we won't need to go to the market.”

“Do we have any rice?” Asuka inquired, looking over at the rice steamer.

The third child blinked again. The only time the German girl asked for rice was when she was exceptionally hungry or they were having something spicy, or if it was part of the meal itself. “Ah… of course. Let me get you some…”

“No need, I'll get it. You need to flip that bacon over.” The red-haired girl informed him, getting up and grabbing a bowl and then she started to scoop out a rather large amount of rice into it. She grabbed a fork and started shoveling the rice into her mouth as she eyed the sausages and bacon.

“Are you… feeling ok? It's unusual to see you so hungry unless you've missed a meal…” Shinji stated hesitantly, a feeling of foreboding settling over him.

“Herr Doktor Kagame said as the depression was counteracted by the medication, that I'd likely start noticing things like hunger and my libido… I've just been a little hungrier lately than normal, that's all. I feel great. Better than I've ever felt in my life, actually.” The second child grinned as she finished off the rice and approached the stove. “The sausage is ready. Turn the heat down all the way and give the bacon another minute or so to get crispy.”

“Ah… hai.” The young Ikari nodded as he used some prongs to lift the sausage onto a serving plate after lowering the heat. “Any ah… side effects from the medication? Like ah… are you having mild hallucinations, or um… waking dreams? Anything… just really strange?” He inquired carefully.

“Dry throat sometimes… increased appetite and libido. That's all.” Asuka replied as she retrieved some brown mustard from the refrigerator. She glanced back at the boy curiously. “The symptoms you mentioned aren't listed side effects of the medication. Do you know something I don't?”

The third child's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. “No! Of course not. There's actually been a bit of a strange illness going around with those symptoms. I guess I was just a little worried, because a ravenous appetite seems to be one of the indicators.”

The German girl smiled. “Aw… that's so sweet that you're concerned about me, Shinji-kun. Thank you, but I'm fine. It's just the medication that's making me hungry. Or, as the soul plumber said, I was this hungry before but I just didn't notice it.”

Shinji nodded in relief and prodded the bacon for a few moments. A moment later he placed them on a paper towel and set them on the table. He grabbed a bowl of rice for himself and sat down with his own omelet, taking a small amount of the bacon and one of the sausages and leaving the rest for the ravenous second child. He watched her with a happy feeling in his heart. He wasn't sure if it was because of her appreciation for his concern, or whether it was because he was happy seeing her happy, or because she was enjoying the meal he cooked for her, or just a combination of it all.

Asuka frowned slightly at the sausages. “I guess they didn't have any decent bratwurst?”

“I was lucky to find those. I'm sorry.” The third child admitted. Though he didn't taste much difference between these sausages and the brand the girl normally preferred, he found it uncanny that she always knew when he was forced to buy an inferior brand.

“It's ok, the bacon more than makes up for it.” The German girl stated, chewing on the crunchy seasoned bacon with a content grin on her face. She sighed a few moments later as she finished her meal and patted her stomach. “That hit the spot.”

“I'm glad.” The blue-eyed boy replied with a happy smile. `It's definitely that she's happy, that I feel this way. I wish everyone I cared about could stay this happy. Maybe she's right… my passion is keeping those that I love happy and safe.'

Without even being asked to, the second child placed her dishes in the dishwasher after giving them a quick rinse, and then she headed to the wash closet to brush her teeth and use the toilet.

Shinji was surprised by that, because normally she never cleaned up after herself. `I guess she really isfeeling good today. Is it… because of what we did earlier? Will she stop being happy if she realizes that I didn't intend to do it on a regular basis?' He wondered.

The red-haired beauty came out a few minutes later with her hair brushed and her breath pleasant. “I'm ready when you are.”

The blue-eyed boy nodded and went to wash up as well after he finished cleaning up after breakfast and placing some more rice into the steamer for later. When he walked out he was ambushed by a sudden hug from the German girl. “Eh?” He gasped out in surprise.

“Good morning.” The second child stated with a flirtatious smile.

The young Ikari laughed nervously. “Ah… good morning.” He blushed from the unexpected affection, realizing the girl was indeed in a very good mood.

“Ready to go?” Asuka inquired, which earned a nod from the still stunned boy. She picked up her prescription bottle so it could be refilled and tucked it into her purse. They walked to the pharmacy in relative silence, though the blue-eyed girl hummed a happy tune to herself. After they got to the store, she looked over at the introspective boy beside her as she inquired, “Do you need anything while we're here?”

“Ah… no. I'm ok.” Shinji replied, glancing around nervously.

“Hmm. All right.” The second child replied in a tone that suggested she didn't believe him. She walked up to the pharmacist and smiled at the 30ish year old woman as she handed the pill bottle over. “I need a refill on that, please, Miss Pharmacist.”

The woman nodded and went into the back to refill the bottle and returned a few minutes later. “Can I get anything else for you today?” She inquired politely.

The German girl looked over at the dark-haired boy standing nervously behind her for a few moments then looked back at the pharmacist. “Yes, a box of condoms, please.”

“Huh?” Shinji gasped out in surprise, his eyes widening in shock.

“Of course. What size?” The older lady asked, casually looking the young Ikari over, correctly assuming they were for him.

The red-haired girl frowned slightly and looked back at the boy behind her and raised an eyebrow. “What do you think, Shinji-kun?”

“I don't need any of… those!” The third child squeaked out, horrified by the question and its implications.

Asuka sighed and shook her head. “Boys. They always think they don't need them.” She stated in a disappointed tone. She glared at the boy for several moments before she spoke again. “Just answer the question, please.”

“I don't know!” The blue-eyed boy retorted, his face doing a very convincing tomato impersonation. “Um… small I guess? Or maybe medium?”

The second child looked down at the boy's crotch area skeptically then turned back to the pharmacist. “He's about so long… and so thick.” She informed the woman, using her hands to indicate the sizes, which nearly made the poor boy behind her pass out.

The pharmacist placed a box of condoms onto the counter as she gave the boy a more interested perusal. “Will there be anything else?” She asked, her eyes not stopping from their appraisal of the self-conscious boy that seemed to be trying his best to disappear.

The blue-eyed girl considered buying some extra feminine products, but she knew she had enough to last one more cycle and she was afraid making such a purchase would turn the boy off so she decided to hold off on those items until she could come back by herself, or at the very least with Misato or Rei. “Oh! Yes, can you recommend a good lubrication? I've heard some don't do well with condoms… so…”

The woman nodded and reached under the counter and placed one amongst the other purchases. “Water-based ones are your best choice. This one is my recommendation.”

“Asuka!” Shinji protested, his face darkening even more in embarrassment.

“What? It doesn't hurt to have some, just in case. Something like this shouldn't embarrass you. If you can do the deed, you should be man enough to prepare for such things.” The German girl admonished him playfully.

The young Ikari didn't want to reply saying he hadn't planned to do the deed to begin with, but figured it was best he kept his tongue on that. “Fine. Are we done here?”

The second child looked at the box of condoms and the count of how many there were. “You think this is enough? Or should we get a second box?”

“That's enough!” The blue-eyed boy blurted out, wishing desperately he hadn't agreed to come along for the shopping trip.

Asuka shrugged and handed her NERV-issued insurance card over. “That should cover everything. Or… maybe not the lubrication… is that covered?”

“Not usually, but I'll check your policy.” The pharmacist replied, swiping the card and frowning when it said all the purchases were covered. `Wow… I've never seen an insurance policy cover sex-aids beyond contraceptives before…' She thought to herself. She wondered why NERV felt that the pilots' lubrication needs should be covered, but she shrugged and bagged everything and handed the card back over. “Looks like you're covered. Have a nice day and come back to see us.”

The German girl sighed with relief, because she still didn't have any money and she doubted that the third child would hand over the cash to pay for the lubrication since he was protesting getting it in the first place. She smiled and thanked the pharmacist and picked up the bag. “You said we had food for lunch and dinner, right? Or do you want to stop somewhere for lunch while we're out?”

Shinji looked over at the other pilot in surprise. “We just had breakfast less than an hour ago!”

The red-haired beauty shrugged. “I'm just asking.”

The third child scratched his head. “Are you craving something we don't have at home, or something?”

“Yes! I've been craving some fajitas for weeks now!” Asuka exclaimed, salivating at the thought of the meal.

The young Ikari considered that. For some reason, the thought of fajitas made him really hungry too. “There are only two restaurants open though… one is a Japanese restaurant; the other is a European style one. I don't think they have Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes.”

The second child's smile dropped immediately and she looked crestfallen. “Those fucking cowards! Why'd they all have to leave?! They're inconveniencing the very people who are saving their miserable ungrateful lives!”

Sweat formed on Shinji's brow as he witnessed the girl's sudden mood-swing. “Ah… we could just get the ingredients and I can make them at home.” He suggested, hoping to bring the smile back to the girl's face.

“I've been keeping an eye out for the ingredients since all the stores closed. Do you know how hard it is to find tortillas in this country?! Let alone the peppers and spices we'd need.” The blue-eyed girl grumbled in disappointment. “Need to find some fish? It's all over the place. You can't take a step without seeing fresh fish for sale. All manner of soy products? It's practically falling from the sky! Rice? Just reach your hand out, you'll bring it back with a fistful. But if you want to find western foods, you better get your ass on a plane, then.” She spat out.

The sweat-drops increased in size on the boy's brow. “Ah… I'm sorry.”

“It's not your fault! Stop apologizing for things that aren't your fault, damn it!” Asuka exclaimed as she threw her arms up in exasperation.

The sweat-drops grew to astronomical proportions. “… I'm sorry.” The young Ikari repeated, unable to think of anything else to say.

The German girl gripped her hair tightly and let out a cry of frustration. “Saublöder Junge! (Bloody stupid boy!)” She yelled for the entire world to hear. She glared at the clueless boy for a few moments, and when he started to apologize again she suddenly grabbed him just under both ears and gave him a hot toe-curling kiss. “When did that stop being annoying and start being adorable?” She wondered aloud as their lips parted.

Shinji blinked rapidly, unable to even form a coherent thought at the moment.

A smug grin formed on the second child's lips for a few moments and then she suddenly held her hand out. “Give me your cell phone.”

“Huh? What's wrong with yours?” The blue-eyed boy asked, unconsciously reaching into his pocket to retrieve the mobile phone.

“Nothing at all.” Asuka assured him as she plucked the phone out of the flabbergasted boy's hands and started looking at his saved numbers. “Ha! I knew you'd have her number in here.” She grinned as she hit the call button and held up her finger to silence the boy's question. After a few moments, she received a response. “Hello, Ibuki-taii… yes I'm using Shinji-kun's phone. I just had a quick question. I know that you, Misato-san, and Akagi-sensei keep up with all the restaurants that are open… are there any still around that serve Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes? Like any small diners or... hell, even a street-side cart will do. Yeah, we're simply dying for some fajitas. Yeah I know, it does sound good, doesn't it?” She paused as she listened, ignoring the embarrassed look on the boy's face as he realized who she was talking to. “Uh huh… oh really? I didn't even know there was a little place like that over there… yeah… well, ah… we're kind of on a date tonight. Maybe next time? No, he's still with Ayanami. She just lent him to me. Uh huh… ok, thanks again.” She hung up and handed the phone back to the blushing boy. “Thanks, Shinji-kun. There's a sports bar open down in the GeoFront near headquarters that serves fajitas and nachos and all that good stuff.”

Shinji made several sounds as he tried to form a coherent response, but he was too flabbergasted. The red-haired beauty waited patiently for his mouth to catch up to his mind. “Wha… I… you… wha… lent? Why did you… why did you tell Ibuki-taii that?!”

The German girl shrugged. “What's the problem? I know you're friends with her, but do you really care if she knows about our little arrangement?”

“Huh? Arrangement?” The third child asked, growing even more confused.

“Hmm? What, am I just your fuck-buddy now?” The blue-eyed girl asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

“No! What are you talking about?!” The young Ikari protested, grabbing his temples and vainly attempting not to freak out.

Asuka smirked. “Good, I'm glad I'm not just a warm body for you to have some fun with. Now let's go, there's a transport tube over that way.” Without waiting for the boy to protest, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along, appreciating the company almost as much as she was enjoying the teasing.

The blue-eyed boy sighed and kept his mouth shut, knowing better than to resist the girl because she was liable to yank his arm out of the socket. They found the sports bar after a little searching and they both scratched their head in wonder as to how they had ever missed it before. “I thought it would be a little more… rundown and dirty. It actually looked pretty upscale.”

“It's in spitting distance of NERV headquarters, what do you expect? This place is probably frequented by all the personnel there. Hell, your old man probably even comes here when he wants to watch a boxing match or something.” The second child informed him as they walked in. Soon after that, they were seated in a comfortable booth and given some menus. “Wow, now that is a big screen. I wish we had one of those at home.” She remarked, gazing in awe at the wall-mounted screen that the big sporting events were played on. Some sumo matches were the current pick.

“That screen would take up our entire wall.” Shinji responded, watching as two of the rikishi in the current match faced off.

The German girl smirked as she watched the rapt interest in her fellow pilot's eyes. “Boys and their sports.” She teased.

“Sumo is a martial art, not a sport.” The third child responded automatically, not even blinking as the two men stared at each other than broke away to resume their rituals.

“Pardon me, I didn't mean to sully the sanctity of your martial art, Shinji-sama.” The red-haired beauty quipped teasingly.

“It's ok.” The blue-eyed boy replied, trying not to blink as the rikishi faced off again and rushed each other.

Asuka quirked up an eyebrow, as it was rare to see the boy this interested in anything besides music or women. “I didn't realize you were so into sumo.” She remarked.

“I don't really follow it… Oh!!!” The young Ikari, as well as nearly every other patron in the bar cried out as one of the rikishi fell to one knee. “I thought he was going to win, too.”

The German girl blinked and shook her head in confusion. “It's over? I thought one of them had to be pushed out?”

“Yeah, or they lose if any part of their body but the soles of their feet touch the ground.” Shinji replied, turning his attention towards the waitress as she approached, as she had been watching the bout as well. “Oh, ah, what do you want to drink?” He inquired quickly, glancing over at the blue-eyed girl.

“I'd say a beer but I'm not supposed to have alcohol with this medication. What good is coming to a bar if you can't have a beer, ja?” The second child asked with a shake of her head. She noticed the insistent look on the boy's face so she sighed and glanced at the menu again. “I'll just have a soda.”

The waitress walked up and bowed. “Welcome. What can I bring you?” She inquired with a polite smile.

The second child opened her mouth to respond, but the young Ikari spoke up first. “We'll both have fajitas. An orange soda for the lady, and I'll have a ginger ale.”

Asuka blinked in surprise, astonished he ordered for them both. `Must be one of those Japanese things. She didn't even look at me.' She thought. “Uh, excuse me? He wants a beer, too.”

Shinji's eyes whipped around to stare at the German girl. “But I'm und-”

“He's a pilot at NERV. Show her your ID card, Shinji-kun.” The blue-eyed girl stated with a wicked grin.

The waitress raised an eyebrow and stared at the boy, an amused smile on her face as she thought about how the girl was obviously the dominant one in the couple. She looked at the NERV issued ID card which identified him as an Evangelion pilot, ignored the age on it, and bowed. “Thank you, your order will be out shortly.”

The third child tucked the card back into his pocket and glared at the girl across from him. “I'm underage, Asuka-chan. This isn't Germany, where you can practically drink alcohol when you're still in diapers.”

“Actually it's age 16 but it's usually not enforced. And who cares if you're underage? Your ID card has your date of birth on it; the server didn't even bat an eyelash at it. You're having a beer. Don't argue with me.” The German girl stated firmly.

The young Ikari smirked and looked over at the next sumo match. “Peer pressure, peer pressure!” He joked.

“Sure, like you're not drooling at the thought of having your first beer.” Asuka teased.

The blue-eyed boy kept quiet, both because he was watching the next sumo bout, as well as knowing he was looking forward to his first beer. When the drinks arrived, he stared at the beer for several long moments before he picked it up. Then he stared at it some more. The other pilot watched him curiously, so he finally took a long swallow. Then he shivered. “It's bitter.”

“The first sip is always the worst, or best in some people's estimation. Take a few more sips before you decide if you like it. It's not a good German lager, so I can't make any estimations on whether that's a good brand or not.” The German girl stated, sounding like more of an authority on the matter than she really was.

“Have you had a lot of beer?” Shinji inquired as he took another sip, not finding it quite as bitter that time. Misato had offered him beer more than once before, especially when she was drunk, but he had never accepted. He wondered why the major consumed so much of it, thinking it wasn't something he would have more than on rare occasions.

The second child shrugged nonchalantly as she sipped her soda. “I had some once or twice with my aunt. And we had a celebration that included beer when my classmates and I graduated university. The last time I had a beer was right before I came to Japan. I had a few with Kaji-san. Actually I had two and he had about five… I was actually hoping he'd get a little drunk so I could take advantage of him.”

The blue-eyed boy coughed and looked down at the beer suspiciously. “Is that what you're trying to do to me?”

Asuka scoffed. “You're not going to get drunk off of one beer, Shinji-kun. At least… I don't think you will. You're a lightweight… and you're not German…” A gleam appeared in her eye and she smiled at the boy. “Do I really need to get you drunk to take advantage of you?”

The third child laughed nervously. “Oh, that was a good bout.” He stated to avoid answering the question.

The red-haired girl frowned, feeling a little rejected. `I take that as a yes.' She thought to herself. “Shinji-kun… don't you think I'm sexy?” She asked in an innocent tone out of the blue.

Shinji's eyes widened as he stared at the other pilot for several moments then he stood up suddenly. “Ah, I have to use the toilet.” He explained quickly before scampering off.

The German girl sighed and shook her head in disappointment. “That Shinji… always running away. Keep that up and I'll tie you up, little boy.” After that statement a devious smirk appeared on her lips as she contemplated that thought.

The blue-eyed boy returned a few minutes later and blushed when he saw the smirk on the girl's face, though he wasn't sure why he was embarrassed. “Ah… sorry about that.” He laughed nervously as he sat back down. Just as he was about to attempt to change the topic of conversation to something other than the other pilot's sex appeal, the sound of sizzling quieted them both down and they smiled as the fajitas were placed in front of them along with some chips and salsa. “Wow, this looks great! I wonder where they get their tortilla shells from?”

“Hmph… a little light on the toppings, don't you think? What is this, a thimble of sour cream?” Asuka griped as she poked the small glass container holding the aforementioned cream.

The third child laughed nervously as he started eating, glad that the girl in front of him was doing the same, despite her protests about the scarceness of toppings for the meat. “I still can't believe we're eating like this so soon after breakfast…”

“So we'll have a late dinner. So what?” The blue-eyed girl shrugged before stuffing her mouth with a fajita. After chewing and swallowing a mischievous grin was cast the boy's way.

Shinji blinked several times, speechless. `Why… is she smiling at me like that?' He wondered.

`He is so turned on… he was totally wishing it was his penis that was in my mouth like that.' The second child thought smugly.

The dark-haired boy coughed nervously and looked at the television screen on the wall. “Oh… the sumo matches are over.” He remarked in disappointment. A few moments later the program was switched to a Japanese baseball game, which was ignored by the boy. “Should we bother replacing my bedding… or getting you new bedding if you'd prefer not taking yours back?” He inquired.

“You… don't want me sleeping with you anymore?” The red-haired beauty asked timidly.

A middle-aged man just happened to be walking past them at about that moment and he paused and looked between the two youngsters. “Idiot. I wouldn't let a hot girl like that go if I were you. If this guy doesn't want you, I'll take you.” He grinned down at the lovely young spitfire.

Asuka blinked several times, waiting for Shinji to rush to her defense, but he seemed too intimidated to say anything. “You're Watanabe, right? One of the mechanics at NERV?” She asked the man.

The man's smile grew larger at being recognized. “Yes, that's me.” He affirmed.

The German pilot nodded. “If you don't walk away in the next three seconds, my Eva will step on you the next time I pilot it.”

Watanabe's mouth dropped open in shock. “But I was just…”

“Two…” The blue-eyed beauty stated, glancing at her watch.

“Going! Bye!” The man rushed off, breaking into a sweat.

Shinji laughed softly. “I don't think you have to worry about him hitting on you anymore, Asuka-chan.”

The second child turned a cold glare to the boy, which made him stiffen in surprise. Just as he was starting to ask why she was looking at him like that, she informed him. “You're a jerk, Shinji. You didn't even defend me! You just sat there staring like a slack-jawed yokel while that ugly wrinkled old geezer tried to work his country-boy charms on me!”

The young Ikari recoiled in fear from the intense glare the girl was giving him. “It… it's not my place to defend you like that!” He protested.

“Yes it is, god damn it!” Asuka cried, getting up suddenly and walking out the door.

The blue-eyed boy stared at the retreating figure of the girl for several moments before he realized she wasn't coming back or even slowing down. “Shit!” He grumbled, jumping up and tossing more than enough money to pay for the meal on the table before rushing out after the girl. “Asuka-chan! Slow down!” He hurried after her, only catching up as she boarded a train going back to the transports going up to the surface. They both sat down, the girl staring out the window with an angry look on her face, and the boy looking scared. “What was that about?” He asked timidly.

“If you cared about me, you'd defend me. If you loved me, you'd take care of me. If you wanted me, you'd show it. But you don't. And I just can't figure out why I'm not good enough for you.” The second child stated in a distant, defeated tone.

Shinji's mouth dropped open in shock and it took him several tries before he could force words out of his numbed lips. “That's… that's not it at all! You know I care about you! Why are you acting like this? Is it… the medication?”

“You can't handle my feelings, so you blame the drugs? You son of a…” She trailed off into a long stream of very loud obscenities in German, English, and Japanese as she clenched her fists in anger.

The third child paled and cringed away from the girl, glancing around quickly and was relieved that they were alone in the train. “Asuka-chan… I'm sorry.” He hoped the girl's wrath would be diffused with an apology. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect.

Asuka rushed forward and grabbed onto the other pilot's shirt, yanked him up to his feet and slammed him back against the glass window behind him. “Shut the fuck up! Don't fucking apologize for that kind of thing! Don't…” She trailed off as she realized she had hurt the boy. “Damn it! Don't just let me hurt you like this! Push me away or grab my wrists or something!” She bashed the boy's chest with her fists like a hammer striking a nail, frustrated by the boy's meek acceptance of her outbursts.

The blue-eyed boy winced in pain as the girl struck him repeatedly. A loud smacking sound was heard suddenly and they both stared at each other in awe. Shinji's eyes slowly lowered until he was staring at his reddened hand that was still tingling from the impact and then he looked up at his hand imprint on the girl's cheek. `Oh shit…' was all that he could think.

One of her hands rose up to feel her hot cheek as the German girl stared at the boy who had just slapped the taste out of her mouth. Several rapid blinks later, she burst into tears and clutched at the boy's shirt.

“Oh god… I'm so sorry, Asuka-chan! I… I didn't mean to do that… I…” Shinji felt worse then than he had ever felt in his life. And that was saying quite a bit.

“You idiot… you finally defended yourself. Thank you.” The red-haired beauty pushed the boy back down onto the bench and started looking him over in concern, inspecting him for wounds. “Did I hurt you badly? I'm so sorry. I didn't intend to hit you that hard…”

“I… I'm fine.” The young Ikari stared at the girl, completely confused on what was going on. He knew she was unbalanced but this was more than a little disturbing. For striking her, even unintentionally like that, he had fully expected to be beaten until he could barely move… instead the girl thanked him and became tender and loving. It was just… wrong. “Are you… all right?” He inquired carefully.

The second child straddled his lap suddenly and kissed the clueless boy. “Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to stop me from hurting you like that? I was beginning to think you were a masochist.”

“I… ah… Asuka-chan? What… are you doing?” The blue-eyed boy asked, perplexed at the girl's mysterious behavior.

Asuka nibbled on Shinji's ear and licked his neck. “I'm crazy, remember? I'm acting the part. You just don't know how worried I was that you would keep letting me hurt you… I just wanted you to stop me. To care enough to keep me from hurting you or anyone else, and to hold me tight and show me how much you care…” She whispered into his ear before kissing on his neck again.

The third child groaned as he felt the girl writhing on top of him and lust started burning its way like liquid fire through his veins. His pants were becoming incredibly uncomfortable as the girl wiggled on his lap. “Asuka-chan…” He whispered.

The blue-eyed girl leaned back and stared into the boy's darker blue eyes, adoration and desire shining through her gaze. “Shin-chan… reach into that bag and get one of those condoms out.”

Shinji's mouth dropped open in shock. “Wha… what?! But we're…”

The German girl unzipped the boy's pants and reached into his underpants to grasp his firm member and stroked it gently. “Hurry… we've already turned around and are going back towards NERV. We might run into passengers in the next ten minutes.”

“But… but how will we…” The dark-haired boy tried desperately to find some way out of this situation.

“Reach under my skirt and push my panties to the side. I'll take care of it all, sweet boy…” Asuka gave the boy a naughty smile as she squeezed him playfully.

“Nngh… what if someone…” He latched onto his next excuse, while the third child's penis was telling him to shut the hell up and take the girl.

“If you hurry the fuck up and get that damned condom on, we'll be done before we get back into the populated section of the GeoFront! And if someone does see they'll say `Look at that crazy girl… and that lucky bastard! Now hurry, damn it!” The red-haired beauty urged as she pulled her skirt up enough that it wasn't in the way.

Shinji licked his lips nervously as his hand moved of its own volition into the bag and he fumbled with the box of condoms to pry it open. A moment later he had retrieved one of the foil packets and then torn it open. The girl snatched it from him and slipped it on for him. The boy's blood felt like it was boiling and he couldn't even form a coherent thought as the girl pushed her panties over to the side, exposing her moistened petals. He stared in rapt attention as she lowered herself towards his straining erection. The young Ikari reached up and clutched at the girl's pert buttocks automatically as she writhed around on top of him. He blinked and realized what they were doing and fear clutched at his heart. “Asuka-chan… what are we…”

“Shut up and fuck me.” The second child commanded firmly, wincing slightly as she fumbled clumsily at trying to couple with the worried boy.

`I shouldn't be doing this… why am I doing this?!' The blue-eyed boy wondered as he pulled the girl down. `Oh god… I'm not even inside her yet and I think I'm going to cum…' He opened his eyes and glanced towards the station they were approaching and his eyes widened in horror. “Oh shit! Asuka, get off! Get off now!!!” He cried desperately.

“But we're not done ye-” The red-haired girl started to protest.

Shinji shoved the girl off his lap and zipped his pants back up so fast he nearly got caught in the zipper as he frantically tried to straighten himself out. He was freaking out as he shoved the box of condoms back into the bag, moving faster than he ever had in his life.

“What the fuck are you… oh shit!” Asuka cried in horror as she saw the person waiting to get onto the train. She hastily ducked down a bit and straightened out her panties and dress as the train pulled to a stop. She felt her cheeks burning a bright red and she desperately wished they'd return to normal but that only seemed to deepen her blush as the passenger boarded the train and then sat directly across from them.

The young Ikari stared at the other person with wide eyes, knowing somehow that he knew what they were just doing on the train. He glanced over at the girl beside him and saw that her eyes were fixated on a discoloration on the floor and her cheeks were as dark as her hair and he knew his own were likely the same way. He coughed nervously and tried to slow the frantic beating of his heart.

“Ikari.” The man greeted stiffly.

Shinji swallowed nervously. “Good afternoon… father.”

“Hello commander.” The second child added, just as nervously.

Gendo remained silent as he stared at his son without expression for several minutes, then he broke the silence with a question. “Has Rei informed you that she will be at NERV until tomorrow evening?”

“Yes sir.” The blue-eyed boy responded, his voice cracking slightly.

The commander nodded. He glared down at his son for another few minutes before speaking again. “Come to NERV tomorrow morning. We'll all have breakfast together.”

The younger Ikari's eyes widened in shock and his mouth dropped open and after several attempts he finally forced out a response. “Ah… yes sir! Of course!”

The elder Ikari nodded and looked at the second child, whom was doing her best to disappear. “You come as well, Pilot Soryu.”

Asuka's head snapped up and she stared at the man across from her in surprise. “Ah… all right.” She turned to look at the third child, her eyes conveying her thoughts. `What the hell is this about, and why does he want me to come too?!'

The train pulled to a stop at the NERV headquarters station. Gendo stood up and walked over to the exit, but he paused and turned to look at the second child and beckoned her with his finger. She cast a hesitant look at the blue-eyed boy beside her before standing up to approach the man. "Next time, use the M train. Hardly anyone uses it, especially now with the city so deserted. It also has more time between stops so privacy is easier to maintain." Without another word, he turned and left, heading towards NERV, not even slowing down as Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki fell into step beside him from where he had been waiting for the commander's arrival.

The red-haired beauty stared at the man's back with her mouth hanging open in shock. After losing her balance when the train started moving again, she rushed back to her seat beside the flustered boy and stared at him in silence.

Shinji coughed nervously. “Ah… what did he say?”

“He said…” The second child paused and rubbed her temples as her cheeks enflamed once more. “He said that the next time we fuck on a train, we should use the M train because we'll have more privacy.”

The blue-eyed boy's heart stopped. “Oh shit…” He gasped out.

Asuka stared at the floor for a few moments then she suddenly started laughing. “Between Misato and your father, we just can't catch a break. But now your father knows… and doesn't seem to mind. That must be where Rei-chan gets it from, huh?”

The third child at first thought the girl had lost her touch on reality but after she spoke he found himself agreeing with her. “Yeah… you're probably right.” He sighed and rubbed his temples as his head started to hurt. “I can't believe we almost… had sex... on a train, no less.”

The girl's royal blue eyes shifted over to look at the boy, crestfallen by his words. `He… regrets it. Shit. I know a girl's first time usually sucks, but this is just ridiculous.' She grumbled internally. Though she had to admit, it was pretty hot until they were interrupted. “Ah… you might want to get that thing off… unless you want to try again?” She suggested hopefully.

The young Ikari blushed and reached into his pants and groped around for a few minutes before yanking the condom off his deflated member. “Ah… sorry about that.”

The second child sighed and leaned her head over on the boy's shoulder. “It's not your fault. Stop apologizing.”

“Sorry…” Shinji replied automatically before he could stop himself.

Asuka sighed and elbowed him in the ribs. “Stop that. It won't work this time.”

The blue-eyed boy frowned and looked down at the girl's lovely face. “Ah… Asuka-chan. What we just did… it was a mis-”

“If you finish that sentence, I will kill you.” The German girl warned seriously.

The third child coughed nervously and wrapped his arm around the girl beside him, enjoying the closeness. He wished things didn't have to be so complicated with her and that she didn't want more than he could give her. `Even though a certain part of me seems to have a mind of its own… damn it. First I slap the poor girl and then I take advantage of her. I'm such a pathetic wretch.All I'm doing is confusing her. I'm so dishonest, even with myself… such a sneaky pathetic wretch. I'm away from Rei-chan for one day and already I'm cheating on her. I don't deserve her. I hate myself.' He thought bitterly.

The red-haired girl elbowed the boy in the ribs as she noticed him wallowing in self-pity. “Hey… don't feel bad. It was pretty sexy while it lasted.”

The young Ikari sighed and rested his forehead on his hand. “I'm so fucked up.” He bemoaned.

Asuka snorted. “Waah. I have two hot girls that adore me. And they want to do fun things with me… and sexy things too. I'm such an unfortunate little boy. Waah waah waah.” She elbowed him in the ribs again and grinned.

A smile touched the young Ikari's lips at the girl's good-natured teasing. “All right, stop reminding me how I'm much luckier than I should be.”

“Shinji-kun, you don't deserve me.” The blue-eyed girl informed him seriously.

“I know.” Shinji agreed gloomily.

The German pilot elbowed him in the ribs again. “So stop whining about it and make yourself worthy. I can't do all the work, no matter how great I am.”

A frown touched the third child's lips. `I just fell into a trap again, damn it.' He thought bitterly. “Asuka-chan… you deserve more than that. You deserve someone of your own. I just… I'm not…” He trailed off. He couldn't even think of the words to use, but he felt like he had to say something, profound, if possible. “You deserve someone that can make you… happy.”

“You do make me happy, idiot.” Asuka stated firmly. “Is it so hard to believe that you're a nice guy?”

“But I'm not a nice guy! A nice guy wouldn't have sex with another girl when he was already courting a girl as special and wonderful as Rei! No matter how exciting and beautiful that other girl may be. I'm a wretch and nothing you say will change that.” The young Ikari protested, falling back into his pit of self-deprecation.

The second child snorted in disgust. “Erzähle mir nicht so einen Mist! (Don't give/tell me that shit!) If you don't want to do anything sexy with me, that's fine. I'm not forcing you. You're already going well beyond just what a good friend would do for a crazy mixed-up bitch like me. And I'm grateful for it. I would probably be locked away with the key thrown out by now if it weren't for you. But you have to start being honest with yourself. You're not the undeserving wretch you think you are. And you don't want to be intimate with me just because I'm beautiful and exciting, but because you genuinely care about me. You love Rei, whether you admit it or not, but showing me affection doesn't change that.”

“But it tarnishes it.” Shinji blurted. The moment the words escaped his lips a horrified look crossed his face as he realized the implications of it and his hand shot up to cover his mouth, but it was too late.

“So I tarnish you and your feelings for Rei? Is that it? I dirty you? I'm a filthy whore now?” The German girl asked in a dangerously grave tone that sent chills up the third child's spine.

“That's not… I didn't mean… no! I'm… Asuka-chan… I…” The blue-eyed boy was in a panic and couldn't form a coherent thought, let alone sentence.

Asuka took a deep breath. “Shinji, I'm about to hit you. And I'm afraid once I start hitting you, I won't be able to stop. I suggest you come up with a way to avoid hospitalization or death in the next few seconds, because I'd hate to have to explain to Rei-chan why her boyfriend is paralyzed.”

`Oh shit, she's serious. If I run away… can I outrun her until wereach the next stop so I can get away? She's raising her fist, oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit… I know!' Thinking as quickly as his panic-stricken mind allowed, he grabbed the girl's cheeks in a similar way that she had done to him on various occasions and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. He figured it worked on him, so he desperately hoped it had the same effect on her.

The red-haired spitfire raised her fist then dropped it uncertainly. She had expected him to start a string of apologies that would only exasperate her further, but this was unexpected. After holding the kiss, and his breath, for as long as he could, the boy backed away and searched the girl's royal blue eyes for her reaction. She raised an eyebrow. “Ok, that bought you a reprieve. Now you can begin explaining how I'm not sullying you.”

Shinji let out the breath he had been holding for what now seemed an eternity and felt faint. “I didn't mean it that way. You are not dirtying me. I'm the dirty one. If I were a better person, I would have just been flattered by your attention but not shown any interest. You would have found someone that deserved you that could make you happy while I focused fully on making Rei-chan feel as special as she is. I wouldn't be sitting here thinking about how many condoms in that box we could go through Rei comes back from headquarters. I'm a horrible person and you deserve better. I can't think of any way to say it other than that.”

“Eight.” Asuka stated rather ambiguously.

The young Ikari blinked several times rapidly. That was not the response he expected and it made no sense to him. He proceeded to vocalize his deeply introspective and analytical thoughts. “Huh?” Ok, so it wasn't all that deep, or really analytical. Or introspective, for that matter.

“I think we could go through eight condoms.” The second child elaborated.

The blue-eyed boy stared at the girl until her words sunk in. “I said all that and that's your reply?”

The German girl nodded. “Yes. The rest was so idiotic that it didn't deserve a reply. All it boiled down to was `Waah. Nobody showed me any love growing up and now I don't know what to do with it when two girls that adore me try to show it. Waah!' And then of course, the part about the condoms.”

The third child stared at the other pilot blankly for so long that his eyes dried out and he had to blink several times rapidly to compensate for it. Then a strange snorting sound issued forth from him, followed by several more rapid guttural snorts. Finally, his mouth opened and a laugh forced its way out. Moments later he was laughing so hard that he couldn't breathe and his ribs, which were still sore from the flogging he received earlier, began to ache. It was the most carefree he had ever felt in his life, and it felt good. The girl gave him an amused smile, obviously enjoying his appreciation of her humor. Finally he wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes out and looked out the window of the train. “Oops, we missed our stop.” He observed.

“I know.” Asuka replied with a nod. “I didn't want to interrupt your laughter. We can walk from the next stop, it's no problem.”

The young Ikari nodded and leaned back, occasionally letting a chuckle slip out as he tried to compose himself. He turned his head to look at the lovely young girl beside him out of the corner of his eye. “Ah… so it's really all right with you if we don't have sex?”

“Oh, hell no. I'm going to tie you up and have my way with you when we get home.” The second child responded mock-seriously.

Shinji's mouth dropped open in surprise while another part of his body let it be known that it felt that was a good idea. “I… ah… we don't have any rope…”

“That's what bed sheets are for, Dummchen.” The blue-eyed girl responded.

The third child blinked rapidly as his mind tried to process what his body already understood. “Oh.” was all he could come up with in reply.

“You're taking me seriously, aren't you?” Asuka inquired with an amused smirk.

“What? No… I… ah… that is… ah…” The blue-eyed boy tried to think of something witty to say. “Um… we probably couldn't go through eight. I mean… Misato-san will be home soon and she's going to be pretty tired from all that work so we'd have to keep it down.”

The second child nodded. “You're probably right. And I'm probably over-estimating your stamina, Mr. `My tongue is getting tired.' Three, perhaps.”

“Well, I don't talk a lot so my tongue isn't accustomed to all that work. But I think I'd have more stamina in… what am I saying? Ah… the next stop is coming up.” Shinji blushed and gathered up the bags.

“Your tongue doesn't get much of a workout but other areas do, is that what you're saying?” The blue-eyed girl teased.

“Here's our stop. It shouldn't take much longer to walk from here than our usual stop…” The young Ikari stated, trying desperately to stop his cheeks from burning.

“Ja, I don't think it'll tax our stamina too much more from here. Even if your legs don't get quite the workout that other body parts do.” Asuka continued her tease.

`I'm never going to live that down now.' The third child bemoaned to himself, hanging his head in shame.

“You are so adorable. Clueless, but adorable.” The German girl shook her head and chuckled softly. She hoped that the boy's thoughts were now turned away from his self-pity because cheering others up was hardly a strength of hers, as it was unfamiliar territory for her.

They walked home in silence, Asuka humming a tune to herself with her head held high while Shinji stared at the ground, looking very much like a lost puppy. Soon enough they were at home and were playing video games. “Watch out for that dog! He ran behind the church.” The second child stated, pointing at the screen as she yelled out excitedly.

“There's another one? Ah! Crap there he is. That's one fast puppy… damn it needs to let go of my throat now.” The third child grumbled, mashing the buttons on his controller to try to wiggle out of the dog's bite. “Ah crap there's another one. That's it; I'm getting the shotgun out.”

“But you only have eight shells left! What if a boss fight is coming up? Run back and toss a grenade.” The red-haired girl advised.

“Damn, they're too fast! I can't get any distance! Aw… damn it. Ew… it just tore my throat out.” The blue-eyed boy complained as the big bloody `You have died' message popped up while the dogs were shown making a bloody mess of his character on the screen.

“Ach, if only you had petted them more. Man's best friend, indeed.” Asuka joked.

Shinji shrugged and offered the controller to the girl beside him. “You want to give it a try?”

“Ja, sure.” The German girl nodded and took the controller and hit continue. She ran the character forward until three dogs jumped out after her and immediately had the guy turn and run away, and then turn back and he tossed a grenade, turned and ran again. After it detonated, she turned the character back around and three dead mutant dogs were on the ground. “So einfach ist das! (It's as simple as that!)” She exclaimed proudly, moving on with the game.

“Well… you knew they were coming. I didn't.” The young Ikari grumbled. He caught the look she gave him out of the corner of her eye and hastily added to his statement. “Well done, though. You timed that perfectly.”

“Danke schön, mein Freund. (Thank you very much, my friend.)” The young spitfire nodded. A few moments later she was frowning. “Ach, a puzzle. Am I just supposed to try random combinations here?”

The third child looked at the screen and scratched his head. “Ah… oh I think you're supposed to make that symbol in the middle. So they must combine somehow to make it… try turning the green one… oh see how those things there match up? Now the blue…”

“Oh, I see it!” The auburn-tressed beauty exclaimed. After a minute or so, she had the puzzle solved. “If that bitch isn't in here, I'm finding that Spanish prick and strangling him. Ah, there she is. Now I have to cart her sorry butt around and she doesn't even have a weapon? Is she too good to use a gun or something? I think I should let the zombies eat her.”

Shinji chuckled. “Oh, it's that robed asshole. He kind of reminds me of someone…”

“Your father.” The second child responded.

The young Ikari blushed. “Ah, no… uh… it must be someone else.”

“Someone like your father.” Asuka agreed. “Manipulative, controlling, arrogant…”

“Asuka-chan…” The third child groaned and slapped his hand to his forehead.

“Hey, they made this game like ten years ago, right? Maybe the designers based him on your father.” The blue-eyed girl teased.

Shinji sighed and leaned over to press his lips to the girl's. He didn't know any other way to get her to shut up. He blushed after a few moments and pulled away after he heard the soft `mmm' sound come from her. “Ah… sorry.”

“For what?” The red-haired girl inquired in her best impersonation of Rei.

“You got killed by that villager guy while I was kissing you. I guess I should have warned you or something.” He admitted with a bashful shrug.

“Fuck the game.” Asuka stated, setting the controller down and climbing into the boy's lap. “This one is more fun…” She pressed her lips to the boy's, not giving him time to protest.

“I'm home!” Misato called as she entered her apartment, sounding almost as exhausted as she was.

The second child quickly plopped back onto the couch and picked up the controller again as she blushed.

“Ah… welcome home, Misato-san!” Shinji called, curious as to why the German girl didn't call out a greeting. `Misato has great timing. I almost… damn it!'

`Misato has some shitty timing. We almost… damn it!' The blue-eyed girl's thoughts mirrored the boys but in frustration rather than relief.

“I'm beyond tired so keep it down, you two. Ok?” The major requested, making a beeline for the refrigerator to have a beer before she passed out.

Asuka pressed her finger to her mouth for a moment and then swallowed. “You bit my tongue.” She complained softly to the boy beside her, elbowing him in his already bruised ribs. As the purple-haired beauty was making her way towards her room, the girl decided to have some revenge. “Misato-san, Shinji-kun wants to molest you in your sleep.”

“That's fine, as long as he doesn't wake me up.” Misato replied tiredly, walking into her bedroom without batting an eye.

Shinji's mouth and eyes were wide open in shock. “Wha… why did you say that!? What if she wasn't too tired to comprehend what you just said!?”

The major suddenly walked back out from her room. “Shin-chan, can you give me a back massage? I've got a kink in my back and I don't know if I'll be able to sleep with it, and I desperately need to sleep…”

The young Ikari's face turned beet red. “Ah… sure. Of course. Definitely. I'd be glad to, Misato-san!” He gushed nervously.

Asuka groaned and slapped her forehead. “Nie im Leben! (No way!) Not another melon-chaser!” She grumbled. A frown formed on her lips as she heard soft groans of pained pleasure coming from the older woman after the third child went in there. She picked up the controller and tried to get back into the game but she was getting distracted as the moans continued. “Verdammt! (Damn!) What are they doing in there?!” She grumbled in frustration. She grew more and more upset as the minutes ticked by.

Over half an hour later, the boy trudged out of the major's bedroom with a flushed face. “Ah… I'll be back in a few minutes.” He stated anxiously as he scuttled into the washroom.

“Was zum Teufel!? (What the hell!?)” The German girl cried. Suspicion crept over her as she wondered if he was wanking himself in the wash closet, or worse… washing away the evidence of his misdeeds. “Maybe I should have asked for a back massage. If that woman got to him, I swear I'll…” She trailed off, forcing herself to calm down because she was moments away from having a violent outburst that would no doubt cause her pilot status to be revoked, and possibly her freedom in the outside world. “Calm down… calm down… shut up, mother…” She spat out bitterly.

Shinji walked out a few minutes later, looking remarkably more relaxed. “Ah, sorry about the wait. Do you want to watch a movie?” He asked with a friendly smile.

The second child stared at him, feeling betrayed though she wasn't sure why. Whether he just had hot passionate sex with the older woman or felt the need to relieve his frustrations himself afterwards, either way, it was a blatant slap in the face that said she wasn't good enough for him. “Blödes Arschloch! Ist sie ein guter Fick?! (Stupid asshole! Is she a good fuck?!)” She demanded, shaking in rage. “Ein nettes Betthäschen?! (A good lay… literally a bed-rabbit)”

The blue-eyed boy cringed away, frightened by the girl's display of rage. `What the hell did I do thistime!?' He wondered. “Asuka-chan… you know I can't understand you when you speak German…”

Asuka took a deep breath and raised both hands up to rub the bridge of her nose, looking rather like the age-old prayer pose in a strange sort of way. “You just had sex with Misato, didn't you?” She asked a little more calmly.

The third child's mouth dropped open in shock and horror and he shook his head, dumbfounded by the accusation. “What!? No! I just gave her a massage. It took a while to work out all the sore muscles, that's all. Even if she wanted to, and I doubt she's ever even entertained the idea in her drunkest moments, do you really think she'd seduce me when she was that damn tired?!”

The German girl hissed in frustration. “Don't lie to me! What was all that moaning and groaning if you weren't screwing her?”

Shinji blushed and glanced away nervously. “I don't know. She was just… vocal while I was massaging her. Her back was really tense. I had to use my elbows to loosen them up.”

The second child frowned. She was willing to believe him, but she didn't think it was the full truth. “Then what were you doing in the wash room?”

The boy's blush deepened, giving the girl all the answer she needed. “Ah… well that was… ah… after hearing all that… don't make me answer that question, please!” The young Ikari pleaded.

Tears started dripping out of the girl's eyes, but she didn't notice them. “I was right here… but you went in there and wanked off rather than come to me. Do you realize how that makes me feel?” Asuka demanded.

“But…” The third child backed a step away apprehensively because of the dangerous glare she was giving him. “I care about you, Asuka-chan. That's why I can't use you like that. And you know how I feel about Rei-chan… whether she gives me permission to sleep with other girls or not, I can't do that to her. Don't punish me for being a good boyfriend to her.”

The red-haired girl frowned, feeling guilty now. “I… I'm sorry. I guess I am being unreasonable.” The guilt didn't last, however. “No wait, fuck that! I'm not being unreasonable! All I wanted was a little love… but you hide behind excuses because of the simple fact that you don't consider me worthy of your affection. Maybe you're right to. I have treated you poorly in the past, but I thought we were past that… I've tried to keep my temper under control. I've been going to therapy. I've been taking those god-damned pills… I've endured the stares of those people at NERV who act like I'm about to go nuts and kill everyone! All I wanted was to feel special and loved before I died. What do I get instead? Rejection, which you flushed down the toilet instead of soiling yourself on me. No, I'm not being unreasonable at all.” She turned away, feeling ashamed now that she felt the hot wetness on her cheeks and realized she was crying. `Crying again… I have no resolve at all.'

Shinji stared at the girl's back in awe. “What? I didn't… you… I… we… wait… what do you mean before you die?”

“Idiot.” The German girl grumbled, shaking her head without looking at him.

Fear clutched at the young Ikari's heart as he approached the girl carefully, reaching out to touch her as he hoped it wouldn't startle or anger her. She only stiffened slightly so he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close from behind. “What… did you mean? Is there… something I should know?”

“Consider the last few angels, Shinji-kun. They've been getting more and more powerful. The one that raped my mind attacked from orbit. If Rei hadn't used that Lance thing, we'd probably all be dead now. But we couldn't recover the Lance. What if the next angel attacks from orbit as well? Or think of the last angel. Nothing that was done to it had any effect. Rei had to destroy her Eva and nearly died to defeat it. Our chances of dying in the next attack are pretty fucking high. And you know they're going to send me in first. They won't use Unit-01 unless they have to because they know they can't control it. So that means if someone dies, it'll be me. I accepted that as a risk when I signed on as an Eva pilot…” Asuka trailed off and sighed. “I just have a terrible feeling in my heart… I just know I'm not going to survive. Is it so bad or selfish that I don't want to die a virgin who's never felt loved in her life?”

The third child felt anxiety choking him. He rarely heard the German spitfire speak with such grim certainty and it scared the crap out him. “Asuka-chan… don't talk that way. Don't talk like you're going to die, it's too sad! You're a better pilot than me… you know you're the best! And I won't let you die… I'll be backing you up.”

The blue-eyed girl sighed and shook her head. “Disgusting.” She spat out, though she didn't elaborate as to whether she meant her own behavior or his attempts to console her. “I'm going for a walk before it gets dark. I really don't want to look at you right now.” Perhaps she did elaborate a little bit, actually.

Shinji let her go and stared at the ground in shame as she walked out. “I'm sorry.” He muttered to the door after it closed.

*************************

Rei stepped into Dr. Akagi's cell and stared at her. “Ritsuko.” She stated stiffly, to alert the woman to her presence.

“R- ah… Ayanami-san. I'm surprised you came.” The blonde stated, turning her head to look at the pale girl visiting her.

“Why?” The blue-haired angel inquired softly.

Unlike some people, she was accustomed to the way the clone spoke, so she knew the girl wasn't asking why she was surprised, but why she did what she did. “I did it in revenge upon you. I was angry.”

“You dishonored yourself and murdered children.” The red-eyed girl stated flatly.

“Yes.” Ritsuko acknowledged the statement with a nod.

“You murdered me.” Rei stated with a touch of anger in her voice.

“Yes.” Dr. Akagi stated again, not arguing with her.

The young Ayanami was silent for several minutes and then spoke again, the anger still in her tone. “Why?”

“I wanted his love, but he never gave it to me. All he cared about was you. You were first in his life. You were the special one. You were the one he loved. And so I hate you. I hate you so much that I tried to kill you. I hate you with so much passion that I murdered all your soulless clones with a simple press of a button.” Ritsuko replied with a disturbing amount of calmness.

“You are incorrect. He has never loved me. Nor has he ever treated me any differently than any other pilot. In fact, he treats Ikari-kun with more kindness than he does me.” The first child stated, a touch of sadness in her voice.

Dr. Akagi snorted. “Gendo doesn't treat Shinji kindly at all.” Confusion passed over her features as she realized what that meant. “I see. So we are both simply victims of him. You realize that he is monitoring this conversation, don't you?”

“Yes.” The blue-haired girl responded simply.

“Are you here to kill me?” Ritsuko inquired, looking up at the red-eyed angel with her own blank white eyes.

“No. I shall give you the chance that you did not give to my sisters. You will do three things. First, you will prepare the MAGI system to prevent it from being hacked by other computers. Other MAGI systems, in particular. Second, you shall teach Ibuki-taii anything she needs to know to prevent and combat any such attempts at hacking, and anything else she needs to know to take your place.” Rei informed her.

Dr. Akagi made a thoughtful noise. “And the third?”

The first child glanced at the surveillance camera for a moment, causing a puff of smoke to be emitted from it as she employed her AT-field on it. Then she pulled a knife out and dropped it at the doctor's feet. “One of us will die.”

The blonde woman looked down at the knife for a few moments then raised her blank gaze up to stare at the angel before her. “What if I just killed you now?”

“You would die without honor.” The first child responded evenly.

Ritsuko snorted. “I'm a scientist. What do I care about honor?”

“Then kill me. The knife is in your possession.” The blue-haired girl stated without a trace of fear in her voice.

Dr. Akagi stared into the girl's crimson eyes silently.

“I will see you one last time before the end, then. Goodbye, Ritsuko.” Rei turned around and left without a glance back.

The doctor sighed and picked the knife up and stared at it before hiding the sheathed blade underneath her blouse, tucked into her skirt. “One of us will die. Hmph… why am I not surprised?” She walked out of the cell, not even acknowledging the security detail that scowled at her as she walked towards the control room to begin work on the MAGI system, knowing that Maya was also likely to be there.

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The plot thickens! Or something. Next chapter: The final angel attack. And everything changes. Angst, despair, guilt, anger, betrayal and lots of other neat stuff! That's what you have to look forward to in the next few chapters. Bwahahaha!!! Until then… na razie!