My first fic, so be nice.
Note: My real name is NOT Hideaki Anno. I do not own Gainax or any of its
creations, let alone Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Locations, characters,
ideas and themes present in this fan fic are used without permission from
Mr. Anno or Gainax.
Bah! Stupid italics not working!!! Ah well, for the time being, instead of being in proper italics, thought pieces are in the funny box-brackets, [like this], at least until I can get italics to work. What? Are you laughing!? C'mon, I'm new at this.!
And, without further ado...the new and improved, slightly formatted.
The Last Gift She Expected, Chapter 1: The Secret Plan//Out of Practice
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[God, how long does it take to fill up one shopping bag?]
Shinji looked in front of him. The cashier was helping an old lady with her shopping. He stood in line, clutching a bag full of instant noodles, instant curry, and instant every other bloody thing. Thankfully next week it wasn't Misato's turn to cook. The air conditioners were on full blast in the supermarket, and the chill cooled Shinji off a bit, at least until he had to trudge home with the shopping. The weather report suggested 39 degrees this afternoon...
Hmph. So much for the express lane... Shinji thought to himself as the cashier turned to him at last. He dumped the bag onto the counter and glanced at the cashier. It didn't take long for Shinji to recognise who it was.
"Kensuke?"
He looked up. "Hey, Shinji! Fancy seeing you here." Kensuke looked at the bag. "Misato cooking again?"
Shinji sighed. "Yeah. Can't she cook real food or what? Anyway, I didn't know you worked here..."
Kensuke glanced at Shinji. "Yeah, well, not everybody gets to pilot an E-"
"Shhh!" Shinji hushed. "Ix-nay on the Eva-hey! Some people are under the impression that I'm bad for business.."
"Oh, sorry. Uh, that'll be...3468 yen."
Shinji felt into his pocket for the 5000 that Major Katsuragi had left him when his mobile rumbled in his other pocket. Pulling it out, he held it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Ikari! It's me, Toji."
Shinji handed Kensuke the money, and took his groceries to the side so that he could talk to Toji. "Hey, how you been?"
"Yeah, alright."
"So how are things with you and Hikari?"
"Yeah, great. Listen, you know what's coming up, right?"
Shinji instantly knew what he was going to say. Asuka's brithday was next Monday. She hadn't shut up about it for the last month. Gathering all the sarcasm he could muster, he said, "Gee, it's on the tip of my tongue...nothin' to do with Asuka, is it?"
"Yeah. Well anyway, we're planning a surprise party for her this weekend, and we wanted to know if you're in."
"Yeah, why not? Nothing better to do, unless the long-lost 19th Angel attacks. Count me in." "Good. We'll have the party at Misato's place, and-"
"WHAT!? That tiny place?! No way that'll fit everyone."
"Why not? Who'd want to come?"
"Well, there's me, Asuka, Misato, you, Hikari, Kensuke (Kensuke's head turned when he heard his name), Rei, Dr. Akagi and Maya..."
"That shouldn't be a problem."
Shinji caved in. "I guess it isn't that bad. Sounds good, Toji. Anyway, I've gotta get this shopping home."
Toji sounded bemused. "You're at a checkout?"
"Yeah. I've just been talking to Kensuke."
"Oh. Well, tell him I said 'Hi'. Seeya, Shinji."
"Bye." Shinji closed the phone. He turned to Kensuke. "Toji says 'Hi'. We're throwing Asuka a surprise birthday on Saturday. You coming?"
Kensuke nodded. "Sure, I'll come."
"Great. I'll see you round then." Kensuke waved, and Shinji walked out of the supermarket. The blast of heat hit him like a ton of bricks.
[Awwww....]
------------
Shinji kicked his shoes off, while juggling the shopping. "I'm home!" he shouted.
Deep within the house, Misato responded. "Welcome home!" At about the same time, Asuka shouted from her room, "Hey, Shinji!"
Shinji dumped the sprawling mass of packet mixes and two-minute noddles onto the table and walked to the living area. Misato was watching some soapie on the television, and Asuka had just bundled up all her washing, taking it to the laundry. When Asuka was gone, Shinji rushed to Misato.
"Misato! Get Dr. Akagi on the phone, quick!"
Misato was surprised. "Why? What for? Why do you need Ritsuko?"
"Just do it! I'll explain when Asuka's gone!"
Misato punched in Ritsuko's home number. Shinji snatched the phone from Misato, and ran for his room, making it just in time before Asuka walked out of the laundry. Asuka watched the flimsy door slam shut behind Shinji. She turned to Misato, a puzzled look on her face.
"What's that dumbkopf up to now?"
Misato shrugged. "Not a clue..."
-----------
Shinji sat on his bed, phone pressed to his ear, waiting for Ritsuko to pick up. Oh, cmon, Ritsuko...
Finally, he heard someone pick up. "Uhn...hello?"
Shinji was surprised by who it was. "Miss Ibuki? What are you doing at Ritsuko's place?"
Shinji heard a shuffle over the line, making out the words "gimme that", "quick, get it out", and a few ahs and ouches. Ritsuko's voice now sounded on the line. "Mmm...who is it?"
Shinji was confused. "I'm sorry, Rits...I mean Dr. Akagi. Uh, did I get you out of bed? And why is Miss Ibuki there?"
Ritsuko sounded embarrased. "Uh....erm...ah, nothing. She's not even here. That was me. Now what do you want?"
Shinji realised what was going on. His face got redder. "Uh, I caught you at a bed, I mean bad, time, didn't I?"
Ritsuko sounded more embarrased. "Uh, no, not at all..." A muffled "quit it, I'm on the phone", followed by a low moaning sound.
Shinji's face glowed. Thermal expansion took place. "A really bad time..."
Ritsuko snapped. "Aw, what did you call me for, you little pervert!?"
Shinji went out of his little daze. "Uh, I was wondering if you could get Asuka out of the house sometime today, you know for a sync ratio test or something."
"Why?" More muffled panting and moaning, more thermal expansion on Shinji's behalf. Ritsuko was starting to sound short of breath.
"By the way, you and Miss Ibuki are invited to the surprise birthday party we're planning for Asuka. We just need some time away from her to organise it."
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Aah!" Ritsuko gasped. Speaking away from the phone, "Quit it! It's Shi-ooh..." Ritsuko continued. "I can get her in at at about two o'clock, okay?"
Shinji thanked her. "That's great, thanks. I'll leave you to it then..."
"Leave me to it? What are you implying, you little...ah, aaah!"
Shinji hung up. He looked down. Oh God...
----------
Meanwhile, Toji was spreading the word to Hikari.
"So the party's gonna be at the Major's place?"
Toji nodded. "Shinji's organising that as we speak. Dunno how he's gonna get away from Asuka though."
"Are we allowed to bring drinks?" Hikari asked.
"Are you kidding? Who needs to bring booze? There's enough alcohol in Misato's fridge to drown an Angel."
Hikari giggled. "No kidding?"
"Well, that and canned coffee."
"Uh...are you going?"
"Yeah, I might as well." He winked at Hikari. "But I wasn't intending on staying there..."
Hikari smiled. "Oh, you devil, you..." More giggling...
-----------
Sure enough, later that afternoon, Ritsuko called the Katsuragi apartment. Shinji was first to pick it up.
"Um, hello?" he answered.
"Ah, Shinji," Ritsuko said. "Is Asuka there?"
"Yeah, good, thanks, Dr. Akagi."
"Shinji, just call me Ritsuko. You're not at work anymore."
"Sorry, Ms Ritsuko. I'll get Asuka." Shinji put down the phone. Ritsuko grumbled inaudibly. When is that kid gonna grow some balls? Then Asuka picked up the phone.
"Alo?"
"Asuka. It's Ritsuko here. Listen, we, er, need you to, um, pick up new ID cards from NERV HQ. Yeah, we've updated the files and you've gotta come and pick them up."
"Huh?! You want me to walk to NERV headquarters just to pick up some new ID cards?! Mein gott!"
"Uh, you're also scheduled for a Sync Ratio test at 16:30..."
"Whaaat!? But we've killed all of the Angels! Why do we still need Sync tests?!"
"Because you're still required for, uh, other duties. Maybe the Angels will come back, I don't know. Whatever the reason, you're still in NERV's employ, so you still have to perform these tests."
"Oh, alright...I'll go tell Shinji..."
"No no, Asuka, just you. Shinji did his the morning. I believe he was to do the shopping on the way home."
"Okay...see you in a minute."
"Oh, before you go, can you put Shinji on the phone?" "Huh? Oh, sure. Bye" Asuka put the phone on the counter and sighed. She called out to Misato from the kitchen. Shinji walked into the kitchen. "Ah, nein...they want me for a sync test..." Asuka turned to Shinji. "I didn't know you did a sync test this morning..."
Shinji thought quick. "Um, yeah, I was a bit rusty though. I only got a 72.3..."
Asuka gave a quick laugh, and with "Ritsuko wants to talk to you", walked in to the lounge to find Misato.
Shinji picked up the phone. "Dr. Akagi?"
"Listen. About this morning. You might have heard some...strange noises over the phone..."
"No, but I did hear Maya cleaning out your insides with her tongue..."
"Just keep it under your hat, alright?"
"Okay. Bye Dr. Akagi." Shinji hung up. Meanwhile, Asuka had just found Misato.
"Can you give me a ride in?" Asuka asked her.
"Sorry, I've have four this morning, this one's my fifth," Misato slurred, shaking an almost empty can of beer, "Heh, I'm wasted..."
Asuka stood there, blood boiling, before finally snapping. "Feh! You lazy slob!" With that she stormed out of the apartment.
Shinji watched her leave. "Hmph. Seeya, Asuka."
Misato turned to Shijni. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Shinji faced Misato. "Well, me and Toji are, well, we're organising a surprise party, uh, here, and uh-"
"No way."
Shinji looked at Misato. "Cmon, at least her me out..."
"I've already sorted out a party."
"Oh. Really? You organised it?"
Misato stood up. "I'm going in to buy supplies. Then we can figure out what sort of present we're getting her."
"Huh?" Shinji was astonished by Misato's sudden motivation. "You can't drive in, can you? Like you said, you've had five. You're wasted..."
"Oh really?" Misato shoved the can into Shinji's vision. It looked like an ordinary can of beer, but the top section of it had been taken off and forged back on. "What the-?"
"It's not beer. It's coffee. The beer can is a decoy. I use it to get Asuka out of the house. Aoba and I were organising the party at NERV. If we have it there, it'll be fully catered. We just tell Asuka that the Commander wants to see her. She won't expect a thing! All we need to do is get the drinks, and sort out who's coming and who isn't."
Shinji frowned. "But the Control center is classified, isn't it? All of our friends from school won't be able to come..."
"Oh, they can. They just have to be silenced afterward." Shinji gasped. Misato got the reaction she was looking for, and laughed. "Just kidding. Fuyutski's already drafted a contract, binding them to keep their clams shut about the whole thing. They just need to sign it."
Shinji stood there, mouth wide open. "Miss Katsuragi...I've never seen you so organised before, and that's counting all of the Angel attacks combined..."
Misato blushed. "Aw, hold the applause. Now, who else did you say was planning the party here?"
"Uh, just me and Toji. Kensuke knew, and Hikari should know about it too..."
"Well you better tell them otherwise."
"Uh, yes ma'am." Shinji was amazed at how efficient Misato could be, when she wants to be. "Misato?"
"Yeah?"
"You're a genius!"
----------
Fuyutski stood as he always had, at the right hand side of his one superior. He was still unsure of the Major's plan to use the Control center as the venue for a kegger.
"Commander, are you sure that it won't be a problem for the Major to host her...party...in the Control center? Surely you too think that this idea is insane? Do you really want to let a bunch of kids run throughout our facilities...especially that little militant brat with the camcorder..."
"Fuyutski..." Ikari spoke.
"...uh, yes, sir?"
"..." Ikari stayed silent for a while, not quite sure how to put it.
"...Sir?"
"...Lighten up, Fuyutski..."
Fuyutski was dumbfounded.
----------
Kensuke ejected a thick spray of Coke over Toji's face when he heard the news.
"WHAAAAT?! ASUKA'S PARTY'S GONNA BE AT NERV CENTRAL?!"
Toji immediately went from soaked and enraged to soaked and astonished.
Shinji's voice barely registered in Kensuke's brain from the mobile. "Yeah, I was surprised too. But there's this contract you gotta sign that says you have to keep your mouth shut about what you see. I'm not sure what it says about cameras or camcorders. You'll just have to read through it when you get a copy. Is that alright with you?"
Kensuke was clearly disappointed. "Oh, what a bummer...but just to see what NERV central looks like inside...count me in!"
"What does Toji say?"
Kensuke turned to Toji. Toji was doing a good imitation of a supercharged drummer bunny with a high sugar count programmed to say "I get to see NERV HQ!" over and over again.
Kensuke laughed. "Yeah, I think he likes the idea, Shinji!"
"Great!" Shinji said. "Well, you should get your contracts in the mail tomorrow. Hand them in to Misato before the weekend and she can get temporary ID cards done up..."
"WE GET OUR OWN NERV ID CARDS?! SWEEEEEEEEET!!!" Toji immediately went from soaked and dancing back to soaked and astonished.
"Well, see you later, Kensuke."
"Seeya Shinji, and thanks again!" Kensuke hung up.
Shinji was sitting at his desk. In his left hand was a can of Misato's "beer", in the other his cell phone. A crack of sunlight shone onto a list on his desk. He put down the phone and grabbed a pencil. Looking at the list, he put a tick next to Kensuke and Toji. He then looked down the list. As well as Kensuke and Toji, there were ticks next to Hikari, Dr Akagi (Shinji mentally slapped himself. It's Ritsuko now...), Ms Ibuki (slap Maya...) a couple of Asuka's friends, Misato, and Hyuga. A question mark stood next to Aoba, who was coming down with the flu, and said that he would go if he could make it. Big red "M"s were beside Fuyutski and Gendo. [Leave those ones to Misato.] That left two more people on the list.
"Ayanami..." Shinji sat still for a while before standing up and going to the door.
----------
Shinji pressed the buzzer for the third time. Still no response. Shinji tried to recall whether Rei had any sync ratio tests or experiments today. As he turned away from the door, he heard a response from the speaker, so soft it was almost a whisper.
"Who is it?" It was Rei. Shinji turned around and pressed the button that enabled him to talk.
"It's me, uh, Shinji Ikari. I, uh came to tell you, uh, can 1, um, well, you see..."
As he stammered on, the door creaked open. Rei was standing there, in her regular school uniform. Shinji stood there gazing at Rei. There was a long silence between the two, until Rei spoke.
"Come in, Ikari," she said. She stepped aside, motioning a hand indoors. Shinji obeyed her and entered.
Rei's apartment was just as dull and grubby as he had remembered it. Not as many bloodstained bandages, though. Rei sat down on her bed, then looked at Shinji. "You were saying?"
"Oh, right." Shinji could already feel butterflies in his stomach. Why did he get this strange nervousness around her? There's something about her that just...feels... Damn, the message!
"Um, there's a, uh, party at NERV Central for Asuka's..."
"I know." Rei interrupted. "It was my idea."
"Your idea?" Shinji was amazed.
"What's so surprising about it?" Rei inquired.
"Well, you're usually so, ah, quiet, and...uh..."
"I suggested the idea to Major Katsuragi, who asked the Commander. The Major said that the idea was mine, so Commander Ikari allowed it."
"I see..." Shinji couldn't get over the fact that Rei came up with the idea. It just seemed...wrong.
"Yes. I'm coming." Rei answered the question that Shinji was too busy stuttering to ask.
"Oh...that's, um, good..." Shinji turned around, for some reason unable to face her. Somethig about her didn't seem right. It wasn't like Rei to plan a party. Usually she avoided that kind of thing.
Suddenly, Shinji felt a hand on his shoulder. It pulled him around, and he came face to face with Rei. His deep brown eyes met with her...unnatural...red eyes, as they had done once before.
"I'll see you there." she said softly, as she leaned closer. Their lips touched. Shinji's heart broke land speed records. Rei leaned further. Her eyes closed. Shinji's were wide open, like a rabbit caught in high beams. Slowly, Shinji felt his nervousness drift away. All the tension that was there between the two evaporated while their lips remained as one. After what seemed like an eternity, Rei broke the kiss. Shinji stumbled backward through the door. They looked at each other for a moment.
"I'm sorry I startled you...Shinji..." That was the first time Rei had ever used his given name. The door closed between them. Shinji's heart finally began to slow. He couldn't move...
-----------
Asuka sat inside Unit 02, bored out of her mind.
[Sheist, I forgot how boring these tests were. I mean I remember that it was basically sitting in the claustrophobic's nightmare of an Entry Plug, trying to breathe this pea-soup LCL crap.]
But she forgot the one thing she always did to pass time in the plug. What was it? Oh yeah! She was supposed to concentrate on synchronising with her Eva. Oh shit! She hadn't even been trying! What would Ritsuko say about her sync rate being zero!? Asuka got really worried. She opened her eyes to see the frown on Ritsuko's face, only to find that Dr. Akagi wasn't there.
"Hey! Ritsuko! Where the hell are you?"
No response. Asuka sat there fuming at her being ignored, especially during a sync test.
A few minutes later, when Ritsuko came back, Asuka was waiting. "Finally! Where the hell were you, Ritsuko?"
Dr. Akagi snapped. "Firstly, you're at work now, so to you it's Dr. Akagi, and secondly, I was talking to the Commander."
Asuka was still angry. "Oh yeah? About what?"
Ritsuko was, of course, planning the party catering. She had to think on her feet. "Uh..." She gazed down at Asuka's monitor and saw "Maximum Synchronisation: 0.3%".
"About your pathetic sync ratio!" Ritsuko sounded angry.
Shit! Asuka knew she was in trouble. "I'm sorry," she stammered, "I'm just a...little off today..."
"Honestly, I understand that you haven't done this for a while, but 0.3% is ridiculous!"
Asuka was slightly bemused. Wow, I didn't even think I got that...
"I took it up with the Commander, and he is reconsidering your employment here..."
Asuka was shocked. "Oh, c'mon! It's not like there are thousands of people on your Marduke Report..."
Ritsuko smiled. "No...just three."
Asuka immediately petrified. "Three others?!"
"Yes. The most qualified is a boy from Australia by the name of Cyan Monteru. His first sync ratio result was in the mid sixties, which is nothing compared to Shinji and Rei, but if your results don't improve rather drastically, then I think we might need to call a replacement. With a bit of training, we should have him piloting in no time."
Ritsuko was almost cracking. [Cyan Monteru...what a good one.] God knows where she pulled a name like that from. She could hear that it was having the desired effect. Asuka, most unusually, was dead silent.
"But...but...I...pl..."
"Open the plug! Asuka, get changed and go home. Commander Ikari and I will discuss your situation. You'll have one more sync test on Saturday at 18:00. After that, the Commander will talk to you directly."
Ritsuko was hysterical. Thankfully this didn't show. [Maybe I've been too hard on her...] She closed the monitor program off so that she could look at the direct video feed from the plug. Immediately she felt terrible. Asuka, hands over her eyes, was sobbing uncontrollably, her watery tears created ripples through the thicker LCL. [Oh my God...] The first pangs of guilt stabbed at Ritsuko's heart...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------
How bad has Ritsuko injured Asuka's pride? Will Asuka be alright for her surprise party? What has made Rei act so...not Rei? Find out this and more in the next exciting installment of The Last Gift She Expected!
Note: My real name is NOT Hideaki Anno. I do not own Gainax or any of its creations, let alone Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Locations, characters, ideas and themes present in this fan fic are used without permission from Mr. Anno or Gainax.
Author's Note: Hopefully this is better than the giant block paragraphs than last time, and you can tell the difference between thought and plot. I'll work on formatting Chapter 2, then I'll put up Chapter 3. Hopefully, it won't take that long. Until then, sayonara!
Bah! Stupid italics not working!!! Ah well, for the time being, instead of being in proper italics, thought pieces are in the funny box-brackets, [like this], at least until I can get italics to work. What? Are you laughing!? C'mon, I'm new at this.!
And, without further ado...the new and improved, slightly formatted.
The Last Gift She Expected, Chapter 1: The Secret Plan//Out of Practice
--------------
[God, how long does it take to fill up one shopping bag?]
Shinji looked in front of him. The cashier was helping an old lady with her shopping. He stood in line, clutching a bag full of instant noodles, instant curry, and instant every other bloody thing. Thankfully next week it wasn't Misato's turn to cook. The air conditioners were on full blast in the supermarket, and the chill cooled Shinji off a bit, at least until he had to trudge home with the shopping. The weather report suggested 39 degrees this afternoon...
Hmph. So much for the express lane... Shinji thought to himself as the cashier turned to him at last. He dumped the bag onto the counter and glanced at the cashier. It didn't take long for Shinji to recognise who it was.
"Kensuke?"
He looked up. "Hey, Shinji! Fancy seeing you here." Kensuke looked at the bag. "Misato cooking again?"
Shinji sighed. "Yeah. Can't she cook real food or what? Anyway, I didn't know you worked here..."
Kensuke glanced at Shinji. "Yeah, well, not everybody gets to pilot an E-"
"Shhh!" Shinji hushed. "Ix-nay on the Eva-hey! Some people are under the impression that I'm bad for business.."
"Oh, sorry. Uh, that'll be...3468 yen."
Shinji felt into his pocket for the 5000 that Major Katsuragi had left him when his mobile rumbled in his other pocket. Pulling it out, he held it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Ikari! It's me, Toji."
Shinji handed Kensuke the money, and took his groceries to the side so that he could talk to Toji. "Hey, how you been?"
"Yeah, alright."
"So how are things with you and Hikari?"
"Yeah, great. Listen, you know what's coming up, right?"
Shinji instantly knew what he was going to say. Asuka's brithday was next Monday. She hadn't shut up about it for the last month. Gathering all the sarcasm he could muster, he said, "Gee, it's on the tip of my tongue...nothin' to do with Asuka, is it?"
"Yeah. Well anyway, we're planning a surprise party for her this weekend, and we wanted to know if you're in."
"Yeah, why not? Nothing better to do, unless the long-lost 19th Angel attacks. Count me in." "Good. We'll have the party at Misato's place, and-"
"WHAT!? That tiny place?! No way that'll fit everyone."
"Why not? Who'd want to come?"
"Well, there's me, Asuka, Misato, you, Hikari, Kensuke (Kensuke's head turned when he heard his name), Rei, Dr. Akagi and Maya..."
"That shouldn't be a problem."
Shinji caved in. "I guess it isn't that bad. Sounds good, Toji. Anyway, I've gotta get this shopping home."
Toji sounded bemused. "You're at a checkout?"
"Yeah. I've just been talking to Kensuke."
"Oh. Well, tell him I said 'Hi'. Seeya, Shinji."
"Bye." Shinji closed the phone. He turned to Kensuke. "Toji says 'Hi'. We're throwing Asuka a surprise birthday on Saturday. You coming?"
Kensuke nodded. "Sure, I'll come."
"Great. I'll see you round then." Kensuke waved, and Shinji walked out of the supermarket. The blast of heat hit him like a ton of bricks.
[Awwww....]
------------
Shinji kicked his shoes off, while juggling the shopping. "I'm home!" he shouted.
Deep within the house, Misato responded. "Welcome home!" At about the same time, Asuka shouted from her room, "Hey, Shinji!"
Shinji dumped the sprawling mass of packet mixes and two-minute noddles onto the table and walked to the living area. Misato was watching some soapie on the television, and Asuka had just bundled up all her washing, taking it to the laundry. When Asuka was gone, Shinji rushed to Misato.
"Misato! Get Dr. Akagi on the phone, quick!"
Misato was surprised. "Why? What for? Why do you need Ritsuko?"
"Just do it! I'll explain when Asuka's gone!"
Misato punched in Ritsuko's home number. Shinji snatched the phone from Misato, and ran for his room, making it just in time before Asuka walked out of the laundry. Asuka watched the flimsy door slam shut behind Shinji. She turned to Misato, a puzzled look on her face.
"What's that dumbkopf up to now?"
Misato shrugged. "Not a clue..."
-----------
Shinji sat on his bed, phone pressed to his ear, waiting for Ritsuko to pick up. Oh, cmon, Ritsuko...
Finally, he heard someone pick up. "Uhn...hello?"
Shinji was surprised by who it was. "Miss Ibuki? What are you doing at Ritsuko's place?"
Shinji heard a shuffle over the line, making out the words "gimme that", "quick, get it out", and a few ahs and ouches. Ritsuko's voice now sounded on the line. "Mmm...who is it?"
Shinji was confused. "I'm sorry, Rits...I mean Dr. Akagi. Uh, did I get you out of bed? And why is Miss Ibuki there?"
Ritsuko sounded embarrased. "Uh....erm...ah, nothing. She's not even here. That was me. Now what do you want?"
Shinji realised what was going on. His face got redder. "Uh, I caught you at a bed, I mean bad, time, didn't I?"
Ritsuko sounded more embarrased. "Uh, no, not at all..." A muffled "quit it, I'm on the phone", followed by a low moaning sound.
Shinji's face glowed. Thermal expansion took place. "A really bad time..."
Ritsuko snapped. "Aw, what did you call me for, you little pervert!?"
Shinji went out of his little daze. "Uh, I was wondering if you could get Asuka out of the house sometime today, you know for a sync ratio test or something."
"Why?" More muffled panting and moaning, more thermal expansion on Shinji's behalf. Ritsuko was starting to sound short of breath.
"By the way, you and Miss Ibuki are invited to the surprise birthday party we're planning for Asuka. We just need some time away from her to organise it."
"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Aah!" Ritsuko gasped. Speaking away from the phone, "Quit it! It's Shi-ooh..." Ritsuko continued. "I can get her in at at about two o'clock, okay?"
Shinji thanked her. "That's great, thanks. I'll leave you to it then..."
"Leave me to it? What are you implying, you little...ah, aaah!"
Shinji hung up. He looked down. Oh God...
----------
Meanwhile, Toji was spreading the word to Hikari.
"So the party's gonna be at the Major's place?"
Toji nodded. "Shinji's organising that as we speak. Dunno how he's gonna get away from Asuka though."
"Are we allowed to bring drinks?" Hikari asked.
"Are you kidding? Who needs to bring booze? There's enough alcohol in Misato's fridge to drown an Angel."
Hikari giggled. "No kidding?"
"Well, that and canned coffee."
"Uh...are you going?"
"Yeah, I might as well." He winked at Hikari. "But I wasn't intending on staying there..."
Hikari smiled. "Oh, you devil, you..." More giggling...
-----------
Sure enough, later that afternoon, Ritsuko called the Katsuragi apartment. Shinji was first to pick it up.
"Um, hello?" he answered.
"Ah, Shinji," Ritsuko said. "Is Asuka there?"
"Yeah, good, thanks, Dr. Akagi."
"Shinji, just call me Ritsuko. You're not at work anymore."
"Sorry, Ms Ritsuko. I'll get Asuka." Shinji put down the phone. Ritsuko grumbled inaudibly. When is that kid gonna grow some balls? Then Asuka picked up the phone.
"Alo?"
"Asuka. It's Ritsuko here. Listen, we, er, need you to, um, pick up new ID cards from NERV HQ. Yeah, we've updated the files and you've gotta come and pick them up."
"Huh?! You want me to walk to NERV headquarters just to pick up some new ID cards?! Mein gott!"
"Uh, you're also scheduled for a Sync Ratio test at 16:30..."
"Whaaat!? But we've killed all of the Angels! Why do we still need Sync tests?!"
"Because you're still required for, uh, other duties. Maybe the Angels will come back, I don't know. Whatever the reason, you're still in NERV's employ, so you still have to perform these tests."
"Oh, alright...I'll go tell Shinji..."
"No no, Asuka, just you. Shinji did his the morning. I believe he was to do the shopping on the way home."
"Okay...see you in a minute."
"Oh, before you go, can you put Shinji on the phone?" "Huh? Oh, sure. Bye" Asuka put the phone on the counter and sighed. She called out to Misato from the kitchen. Shinji walked into the kitchen. "Ah, nein...they want me for a sync test..." Asuka turned to Shinji. "I didn't know you did a sync test this morning..."
Shinji thought quick. "Um, yeah, I was a bit rusty though. I only got a 72.3..."
Asuka gave a quick laugh, and with "Ritsuko wants to talk to you", walked in to the lounge to find Misato.
Shinji picked up the phone. "Dr. Akagi?"
"Listen. About this morning. You might have heard some...strange noises over the phone..."
"No, but I did hear Maya cleaning out your insides with her tongue..."
"Just keep it under your hat, alright?"
"Okay. Bye Dr. Akagi." Shinji hung up. Meanwhile, Asuka had just found Misato.
"Can you give me a ride in?" Asuka asked her.
"Sorry, I've have four this morning, this one's my fifth," Misato slurred, shaking an almost empty can of beer, "Heh, I'm wasted..."
Asuka stood there, blood boiling, before finally snapping. "Feh! You lazy slob!" With that she stormed out of the apartment.
Shinji watched her leave. "Hmph. Seeya, Asuka."
Misato turned to Shijni. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"
Shinji faced Misato. "Well, me and Toji are, well, we're organising a surprise party, uh, here, and uh-"
"No way."
Shinji looked at Misato. "Cmon, at least her me out..."
"I've already sorted out a party."
"Oh. Really? You organised it?"
Misato stood up. "I'm going in to buy supplies. Then we can figure out what sort of present we're getting her."
"Huh?" Shinji was astonished by Misato's sudden motivation. "You can't drive in, can you? Like you said, you've had five. You're wasted..."
"Oh really?" Misato shoved the can into Shinji's vision. It looked like an ordinary can of beer, but the top section of it had been taken off and forged back on. "What the-?"
"It's not beer. It's coffee. The beer can is a decoy. I use it to get Asuka out of the house. Aoba and I were organising the party at NERV. If we have it there, it'll be fully catered. We just tell Asuka that the Commander wants to see her. She won't expect a thing! All we need to do is get the drinks, and sort out who's coming and who isn't."
Shinji frowned. "But the Control center is classified, isn't it? All of our friends from school won't be able to come..."
"Oh, they can. They just have to be silenced afterward." Shinji gasped. Misato got the reaction she was looking for, and laughed. "Just kidding. Fuyutski's already drafted a contract, binding them to keep their clams shut about the whole thing. They just need to sign it."
Shinji stood there, mouth wide open. "Miss Katsuragi...I've never seen you so organised before, and that's counting all of the Angel attacks combined..."
Misato blushed. "Aw, hold the applause. Now, who else did you say was planning the party here?"
"Uh, just me and Toji. Kensuke knew, and Hikari should know about it too..."
"Well you better tell them otherwise."
"Uh, yes ma'am." Shinji was amazed at how efficient Misato could be, when she wants to be. "Misato?"
"Yeah?"
"You're a genius!"
----------
Fuyutski stood as he always had, at the right hand side of his one superior. He was still unsure of the Major's plan to use the Control center as the venue for a kegger.
"Commander, are you sure that it won't be a problem for the Major to host her...party...in the Control center? Surely you too think that this idea is insane? Do you really want to let a bunch of kids run throughout our facilities...especially that little militant brat with the camcorder..."
"Fuyutski..." Ikari spoke.
"...uh, yes, sir?"
"..." Ikari stayed silent for a while, not quite sure how to put it.
"...Sir?"
"...Lighten up, Fuyutski..."
Fuyutski was dumbfounded.
----------
Kensuke ejected a thick spray of Coke over Toji's face when he heard the news.
"WHAAAAT?! ASUKA'S PARTY'S GONNA BE AT NERV CENTRAL?!"
Toji immediately went from soaked and enraged to soaked and astonished.
Shinji's voice barely registered in Kensuke's brain from the mobile. "Yeah, I was surprised too. But there's this contract you gotta sign that says you have to keep your mouth shut about what you see. I'm not sure what it says about cameras or camcorders. You'll just have to read through it when you get a copy. Is that alright with you?"
Kensuke was clearly disappointed. "Oh, what a bummer...but just to see what NERV central looks like inside...count me in!"
"What does Toji say?"
Kensuke turned to Toji. Toji was doing a good imitation of a supercharged drummer bunny with a high sugar count programmed to say "I get to see NERV HQ!" over and over again.
Kensuke laughed. "Yeah, I think he likes the idea, Shinji!"
"Great!" Shinji said. "Well, you should get your contracts in the mail tomorrow. Hand them in to Misato before the weekend and she can get temporary ID cards done up..."
"WE GET OUR OWN NERV ID CARDS?! SWEEEEEEEEET!!!" Toji immediately went from soaked and dancing back to soaked and astonished.
"Well, see you later, Kensuke."
"Seeya Shinji, and thanks again!" Kensuke hung up.
Shinji was sitting at his desk. In his left hand was a can of Misato's "beer", in the other his cell phone. A crack of sunlight shone onto a list on his desk. He put down the phone and grabbed a pencil. Looking at the list, he put a tick next to Kensuke and Toji. He then looked down the list. As well as Kensuke and Toji, there were ticks next to Hikari, Dr Akagi (Shinji mentally slapped himself. It's Ritsuko now...), Ms Ibuki (slap Maya...) a couple of Asuka's friends, Misato, and Hyuga. A question mark stood next to Aoba, who was coming down with the flu, and said that he would go if he could make it. Big red "M"s were beside Fuyutski and Gendo. [Leave those ones to Misato.] That left two more people on the list.
"Ayanami..." Shinji sat still for a while before standing up and going to the door.
----------
Shinji pressed the buzzer for the third time. Still no response. Shinji tried to recall whether Rei had any sync ratio tests or experiments today. As he turned away from the door, he heard a response from the speaker, so soft it was almost a whisper.
"Who is it?" It was Rei. Shinji turned around and pressed the button that enabled him to talk.
"It's me, uh, Shinji Ikari. I, uh came to tell you, uh, can 1, um, well, you see..."
As he stammered on, the door creaked open. Rei was standing there, in her regular school uniform. Shinji stood there gazing at Rei. There was a long silence between the two, until Rei spoke.
"Come in, Ikari," she said. She stepped aside, motioning a hand indoors. Shinji obeyed her and entered.
Rei's apartment was just as dull and grubby as he had remembered it. Not as many bloodstained bandages, though. Rei sat down on her bed, then looked at Shinji. "You were saying?"
"Oh, right." Shinji could already feel butterflies in his stomach. Why did he get this strange nervousness around her? There's something about her that just...feels... Damn, the message!
"Um, there's a, uh, party at NERV Central for Asuka's..."
"I know." Rei interrupted. "It was my idea."
"Your idea?" Shinji was amazed.
"What's so surprising about it?" Rei inquired.
"Well, you're usually so, ah, quiet, and...uh..."
"I suggested the idea to Major Katsuragi, who asked the Commander. The Major said that the idea was mine, so Commander Ikari allowed it."
"I see..." Shinji couldn't get over the fact that Rei came up with the idea. It just seemed...wrong.
"Yes. I'm coming." Rei answered the question that Shinji was too busy stuttering to ask.
"Oh...that's, um, good..." Shinji turned around, for some reason unable to face her. Somethig about her didn't seem right. It wasn't like Rei to plan a party. Usually she avoided that kind of thing.
Suddenly, Shinji felt a hand on his shoulder. It pulled him around, and he came face to face with Rei. His deep brown eyes met with her...unnatural...red eyes, as they had done once before.
"I'll see you there." she said softly, as she leaned closer. Their lips touched. Shinji's heart broke land speed records. Rei leaned further. Her eyes closed. Shinji's were wide open, like a rabbit caught in high beams. Slowly, Shinji felt his nervousness drift away. All the tension that was there between the two evaporated while their lips remained as one. After what seemed like an eternity, Rei broke the kiss. Shinji stumbled backward through the door. They looked at each other for a moment.
"I'm sorry I startled you...Shinji..." That was the first time Rei had ever used his given name. The door closed between them. Shinji's heart finally began to slow. He couldn't move...
-----------
Asuka sat inside Unit 02, bored out of her mind.
[Sheist, I forgot how boring these tests were. I mean I remember that it was basically sitting in the claustrophobic's nightmare of an Entry Plug, trying to breathe this pea-soup LCL crap.]
But she forgot the one thing she always did to pass time in the plug. What was it? Oh yeah! She was supposed to concentrate on synchronising with her Eva. Oh shit! She hadn't even been trying! What would Ritsuko say about her sync rate being zero!? Asuka got really worried. She opened her eyes to see the frown on Ritsuko's face, only to find that Dr. Akagi wasn't there.
"Hey! Ritsuko! Where the hell are you?"
No response. Asuka sat there fuming at her being ignored, especially during a sync test.
A few minutes later, when Ritsuko came back, Asuka was waiting. "Finally! Where the hell were you, Ritsuko?"
Dr. Akagi snapped. "Firstly, you're at work now, so to you it's Dr. Akagi, and secondly, I was talking to the Commander."
Asuka was still angry. "Oh yeah? About what?"
Ritsuko was, of course, planning the party catering. She had to think on her feet. "Uh..." She gazed down at Asuka's monitor and saw "Maximum Synchronisation: 0.3%".
"About your pathetic sync ratio!" Ritsuko sounded angry.
Shit! Asuka knew she was in trouble. "I'm sorry," she stammered, "I'm just a...little off today..."
"Honestly, I understand that you haven't done this for a while, but 0.3% is ridiculous!"
Asuka was slightly bemused. Wow, I didn't even think I got that...
"I took it up with the Commander, and he is reconsidering your employment here..."
Asuka was shocked. "Oh, c'mon! It's not like there are thousands of people on your Marduke Report..."
Ritsuko smiled. "No...just three."
Asuka immediately petrified. "Three others?!"
"Yes. The most qualified is a boy from Australia by the name of Cyan Monteru. His first sync ratio result was in the mid sixties, which is nothing compared to Shinji and Rei, but if your results don't improve rather drastically, then I think we might need to call a replacement. With a bit of training, we should have him piloting in no time."
Ritsuko was almost cracking. [Cyan Monteru...what a good one.] God knows where she pulled a name like that from. She could hear that it was having the desired effect. Asuka, most unusually, was dead silent.
"But...but...I...pl..."
"Open the plug! Asuka, get changed and go home. Commander Ikari and I will discuss your situation. You'll have one more sync test on Saturday at 18:00. After that, the Commander will talk to you directly."
Ritsuko was hysterical. Thankfully this didn't show. [Maybe I've been too hard on her...] She closed the monitor program off so that she could look at the direct video feed from the plug. Immediately she felt terrible. Asuka, hands over her eyes, was sobbing uncontrollably, her watery tears created ripples through the thicker LCL. [Oh my God...] The first pangs of guilt stabbed at Ritsuko's heart...
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How bad has Ritsuko injured Asuka's pride? Will Asuka be alright for her surprise party? What has made Rei act so...not Rei? Find out this and more in the next exciting installment of The Last Gift She Expected!
Note: My real name is NOT Hideaki Anno. I do not own Gainax or any of its creations, let alone Neon Genesis: Evangelion. Locations, characters, ideas and themes present in this fan fic are used without permission from Mr. Anno or Gainax.
Author's Note: Hopefully this is better than the giant block paragraphs than last time, and you can tell the difference between thought and plot. I'll work on formatting Chapter 2, then I'll put up Chapter 3. Hopefully, it won't take that long. Until then, sayonara!