SHINJI AND MURAYAMA
by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or Highschool DxD, or their characters.

Summary: How I think Shinji and Murayama could have gotten together.

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Stats:

Murayama Ishihara - amber eyes, brown hair, tall and athletic

Shinji Ikari - blue eyes, short brown hair, lean and athletic

Note: Murayama's last name was taken from the actress who voiced her in the series.

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Shinji Ikari had reached his locker and was putting away his shoes and other school supplies, though with a dejected look on his face. He had asked out Murayama Ishihara once again, only to be rejected once again. And again for the same reason: she wanted to be asked out by Yuuto Kiba, the school prince.

"You know, I don't get you, Shinji." the voice of Toji Suzuhara said as he approached his best friend.

"What do you mean, Toji?" Shinji replied, his thoughts brought out be being rejected once more.

"You know what I mean. Murayama! I mean... why her?" Toji asked.

"Why not her?" Shinji replied.

"Dude! She's not exactly the top of the babe list here. What about Rias Gremory? Or Akeno-sempai? Or what about that cute girl on the Student Council?"

"Which cute girl on the Student Council?" Shinji asked.

"The one with the white hair." Toji described, trying to remember her name.

"Momo Hanakai." Shinji answered.

"Right. Her. Or what about the Vice-President of the Student Council? She's got a body." Toji grinned.

"Tsubaki Shinra. You know it's not all about looks, Toji, okay? And besides, I think Murayama's cute."

"You may be the only one. You know some people think she's a lesbian." he stated.

"I heard she likes Kiba-san." Shinji replied.

"I heard he might actually be gay." Toji countered.

"Why?" Shinji asked.

"Because he doesn't date anyone. All those girls that flock around him every day, I've never seen him give them more than a smile and a nod. Nothing else." Toji stated. "So why Murayama, of all people?"

"Because she has all the qualities I'm looking for in a wife." Shinji answered.

"Wife? Wife?! Jumping the gun a little, aren't you, Shinji?" Toji said, half-laughing, half-gasping in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked.

"You're 17 years old, and you want a wife? You don't want a girlfriend first?" the jock asked.

"I want a girlfriend, but I'm thinking long-term, Toji." Shinji stated.

"And just what is it about Miss Ishihara that you find so appealing? She's not exactly one of the Great Ladies of this school. And she's rejected you, what? 12 times already?" Toji asked.

"11 times." Shinji corrected. "But I still think she's the right choice."

"Okay. Why exactly?"

"She's head of the Kendo Team, which means she's strong and can handle herself. She gets good grades, because I've seen her name in the top 10% when they post our test scores. I've seen her bring her own bento's to school, so I know she's a good cook. She's been the first to beat up on Issei Hyodo and his two perverted friends, so I know she doesn't like perverts, which I'm not." he said as he looked at Toji.

"Hey! I've never peeked into the girls locker room like those three have." Toji defended. "I like girls, but I'm not that desperate to see one naked."

"Especially if they can beat the crap out of you." Shinji said off-handedly.

"Exactly. Hey! I'm not that bad!" Toji snapped.

"Good to know." Shinji smiled.

"Go on." Toji said.

"Murayama is smart, strong, compassionate, talented and cute. She would make a great mother and a wife." Shinji explained.

"Only because no one here thinks about her like she's an idol or a model. Heck, I'm pretty sure no guy here, except you, has even thought about having her as a girlfriend or a lover. I mean, most guys our age would settle for a girl with a pretty face, a hot body, one or two common interests, and an IQ just a couple points lower than our own."

Shinji stared at Toji incredulously.

"What?" Toji asked, seeing his friends shocked expression.

"Toji, every girl here is more than just eye candy. What about having musical talent? Or interest in the historical arts? Or being a good cook or..."

"Are you for real?" Toji interrupted as he stared at Shinji, deadpan in his eyes. "What, you want that whole 'Yamato Nadeshiko' thing? I mean, that's great and all, but Murayama's far from that."

"Toji!"

"I know you think she's something special, but she's far from being perfect. In a lot of guys opinions. And not just mine."

"No one is ever truly perfect, and that's in the eye of the beholder."

"Stop waxing poetically, Shinji. I'll say it again: you are 17 years old! And you want a wife of all things? I mean I'm glad you aren't some raging pervert who just wants to get into a girls panties, but you sound like you wanna get married, settle down, raise some kids, like now. Just skip the fun-lover part of the relationship and go right for the whole married-with-kids responsibility part. I mean... why?"

"Honestly? Because I'm pretty sure no girl would want to have that kind of fun with me." Shinji said, slightly dejected.

"Oh, come on..."

"I'm serious, Toji. How many girls in this school have smiled at me in a flirting manner? How many have left me little notes saying they think that I'm cute? How many girls have confessed to me? None! And don't think I'm ignorant or oblivious about it, either. I know I'm not the star athlete, I'll never be at the top of the class grade-wise, I'm not rich, and I'll never be the charming and handsome school prince that Kiba is, but..."

"Dude, you are really selling yourself short." Toji said. "And it's not like you've confessed to anyone."

Shinji stared at his friend with narrowed eyes.

"Except for Murayama." the jock countered. "And besides, being able to cook, liking art and classical music isn't a bad thing."

"You said it was." Shinji stated.

"I was teasing you! That's what friends do to each other!" Toji shot back as he punched Shinji in the arm. "Besides, there are plenty of girls in this school to choose from. And who says it has to be now? You could meet someone when you apply to a university. Or later when you get a regular job. And besides, why pick Murayama? The one girl who's rejected you more times than any other girl at this school, and only because you've only asked HER! You've never asked anyone else. And everyone knows she's in love with Kiba! Like every other girl in this place! If I were you, bud, I'd look for someone who'd at least say 'yes' to going out with you."

Shinji bowed his head and seemed to mull that over.

"Well... maybe." he said with a sigh. "Tell you what... if she rejects me a 12th time... then I'll move on. And you stop badgering me about her, alright?"

"Alright, fair enough." Toji agreed.

As the two boys left to meet up with their third friend, Kensuke Aida, they failed to notice that the subject of their conversation, one Murayama Ishihara, was on the other side of the shoe lockers, leaning against the lockers, her hand over her heart and a stunned look in her eyes.

She had heard everything.

Shinji's confession, how he defended his choice by listing off her good qualities, and even the number of times he had been rejected by her.

Honestly, she thought it was only 10. But still...

I never thought I'd say this, but Suzuhara is right. Murayama thought. I pine away for Kiba, like every girl here does, and he's never been out on a date with anyone. Does he even like girls? So many have confessed to him. I have confessed to him, but he kindly rejects all of us. I do want a boyfriend, but... have I pushed away the only boy in this school that has ever spoke so kindly of me? He asks me out, I reject him. Again and again and again. He defends me when other people have such a low opinion of me. He actually thinks I'm cute, that I'd make a better wife than a lover. Unless, that is... he doesn't think I'm interested in sex. I... I...

Her mind was a torrent of emotions trying to understand more about why Shinji liked her, and why she hadn't considered it in the first place.

Of course, she wanted Kiba, while Shinji wanted her. A weird triangle, really. But Kiba didn't seem interested in her, and Shinji did. She had rejected Shinji, and where was she now? Alone, that's where.

And it was not a feeling she wanted.

While she was glad that Shinji wasn't a raging pervert like Issei Hyodo and his two friends, she was a little upset that he didn't think of her like that. Granted that she wasn't one of the Three Great Ladies of the school, who just radiated sexiness, but she didn't think she was so unattractive that no boy would look at her like they wanted to screw her.

Then again, it wasn't like boys were lining up to ask her out. Come to think of it, she had never been on a date, period.

It did hurt a little that many boys didn't think of her like that.

She wasn't ignorant of the fact that love and sex went hand-in-hand with each other, but most boys seemed to overlook the romantic aspects in favor of the physical pleasures of a relationship.

Shinji, it seemed, was not solely interested in the sex part, since he didn't think any girl would like him like that.

For some reason, it made Murayama a little sad to think that Shinji wasn't really a happy person.

He seemed like one of the few decent persons in this school, and as much as he wanted to be happy, he didn't think he ever would be.

But maybe she was reading too much into that.

Getting her stuff together, Murayama quickly raced out to find Shinji. She needed to talk to him.

Just from listening to his conversation with Suzuhara, Murayama had found out all sorts of things about the only boy whom she had constantly turned down. She knew how he felt, what his real objectives were, and most importantly, that he actually knew more about her than she knew about him. While she knew what about him? Next to nothing.

I have to find Shinji-kun. I need to talk to him. she thought as she raced out to find him.

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Authors Notes:

This is just something I've been working on for a while. I didn't want to turn this into a huge epic-adventure/romance story like my other works of fiction. This was just something I was wondering could have happened. The pairing being Shinji and Murayama.

There will be a follow up to this one. But I'm just leaving this to be read for now.

Please read and review.

Next chapter: Momo Hanakai.