SHINJI, WILL YOU DANCE WITH ME?
              (a sequel to "Asuka, Will You Dance With Me?")

Written by Axel Terizaki (aterizak@club-internet.fr, axelt@fanfiction.net)
ICQ# 34301980 - IRC: #teri-chan
ASUKA's Notebook:  http://asuka.notebook.eu.org/
Retooled by Dave Watson (aj153@freenet.carleton.ca) and Terizaki, 1999 9 
26-10 02.
Version 1.0.

-=LIME WARNING=-
This fic contains LIME elements.  If you don't like that kind of stuff, 
just stop reading now.

---

CAPTION:  NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
CAPTION 2:  Shinji, Will You Dance With Me?

---

Misato's apartment.  The clock in the dark hallway reads 6:01 AM.  A 
feminine silhouette with short hair emerges from a door and tiptoes 
towards the next one...but, suddenly, a hand switches the light on and 
completely paralyzes the figure in her tracks.  She has been caught!

Misato:  "I think I deserve a little explanation, don't you?"

Misato is in pajamas next to the light switch.  The other girl doesn't 
dare to move.  She has shoulder-length red hair.  The girl turns back 
towards the older woman.

Asuka:  "Well, I was going to my room.  Any objections?"

Misato:  "Why were you in Shinji's room so early in the morning?"

Asuka:  "That's none of your business, Misato."

Misato:  "I know you've been doing this every morning for a month now.  
What are you doing in his room?"

Asuka (letting out an exasperated sigh):  "I'm sleeping.  Isn't that 
what people usually do during the night?"

Misato:  "With Shinji?"

Asuka:  "Well, it's his room."

Misato is a bit dumbstuck by that.  But she eventually manages a smile 
at her younger roommate.

Misato:  "So you two are getting along better now..."

Asuka doesn't answer.  Instead, she enters her room and closes the door 
behind her.  Misato then does the same, wearing a huge grin on her face.

---

The next day.

Asuka:  "Hurry up, baka Shinji!  We're going to be late!"

They are in Shinji's room.  Asuka's already in her school uniform, 
while Shinji is finishing putting his on.

Shinji:  "But...Asuka...my legs are still a bit weak..."

Asuka:  "I don't care, hurry up!"

Shinji:  "Oh, well...

Misato is in the doorway, not yet fully dressed, a can of beer in hand.

Misato:  "Asuka, don't be so hard on him.  Ritsuko said he would be 
able to walk today, but that doesn't mean that he has to do it as if 
his legs were 100% okay..."

Asuka:  "Oh, don't be so soft on him!  I know he's a wimp, but, 
still...!"

Shinji gets up.

Shinji:  "You see?  I can stand up just fine.  There's no problem."

Misato:  "Stop lying, Shinji.  Your legs are shaking."

Asuka looks down at them.  They are indeed shaking.

Asuka (glaring at Misato):  "I don't care!  He's coming with me to 
school today!"

Misato:  "Oh, well...if I can't make you change your mind..."

Asuka:  "Okay, time to go!"

She almost pushes Shinji out of his room, and then out of the apartment.  
On the way out, Asuka looks the calendar in the kitchen.  It's June the 
6th, 2016.

Misato (calling):  "Hey!  Did you eat breakfast?"

Asuka (on her way to the elevator):  "I packed some extra food for us!  
We'll eat it on the way!"

The elevator door closes.  Misato stands in the doorway, looking very 
surprised.

Misato (to herself):  "Huh?  Asuka's cooking now?"

---

Tokyo-3's streets.  Asuka and Shinji are walking side by side.

Shinji:  "Asuka...please slow down.  I can't follow your pace..."

Asuka:  "Oh, sorry."

She slows down her walking speed to match his.  Shinji's legs are 
still a bit weak, and he can't walk too quickly.

Shinji:  "Thanks."

Asuka (smiling):  "Well...and to think it's all my fault..."

Shinji (chuckling):  "Errr...not entirely, but..."

Asuka (honestly elated):  "I'm happy that you can walk again!"

Shinji:  "But I'm still weak..."

Asuka:  "Isn't it better than your wheelchair?"

Shinji:  "A bit more tiring...in the wheelchair, I was able to sit down, 
at least..."

Asuka:  "You got lazy, huh?"

Shinji:  "Yeah.  But when I think about the other morning, when you 
woke up too late and Misato caught you leaving my room...I have to say, 
I'm not as lazy as you!"

Asuka (grinning devilishly):  "Well, here's the school.  Come on, let's 
hurry up and get to class!"

And with those last words, she starts running towards the school, 
leaving Shinji behind.

Shinji:  "Hey, Asuka!  Wait for me!!"

He tries his best to catch up to her, as she is looking back and stick-
ing her tongue out at him...

---

Class 2-A.  Lunch time.  Toji and Kensuke are standing at Shinji's 
desk.  They're the only ones here now.

Kensuke:  "Wow, you recovered so quickly!"

Toji:  "Shinji's an Eva pilot!  He's strong, isn't he?"

Kensuke:  "Yeah!  I wish I could be a pilot too!  I'll have to ask 
Misato-san!"

Shinji:  "Well, I need to walk a lot to get my strength back in my legs, 
but it's really tiring..."

Toji:  "But it's better than not being able to at all, right?"

Shinji (sighing):  "Yeah..."

Eyes open wide all around as a lunch box suddenly hits his desk.  Asuka 
had just walked up behind Kensuke and Toji and slammed it down there.

Asuka (in her usual disdainful tone):  "You forgot your lunch this
morning, you stupid idiot!"

Toji:  "Oh, no, the red-headed devil strikes again."

Asuka:  "I have nothing to say to a moron like you!  I'm just trying to 
graciously give Baka here his lunch."

She then turns around and walks out of the classroom, closely followed 
by Hikari.  They all turn to watch her as Shinji takes the lid off of 
the bento box.

Shinji (to himself):  "W-what?  She...I probably didn't hear well..."

Toji:  "That looks delicious, Shinji.  You should eat it..."

Shinji:  "Hm...yeah, of course."

The three began to eat their lunches.

Toji:  "By the way, Shinji, did you hear that..."

---

Outside, on a patch of grass near the school, two girls are peacefully 
eating their lunches.  Until this moment.

Hikari:  "YOU'RE *WHAT*!?"

Asuka (covering Hikari's mouth with her hand):  "SHHH!!  Hikari, not so 
loud!"

Hikari:  "But that's insane!  You're barely 14!  Have you thought about 
all the complications?!  And what if you..."

Asuka:  "I won't, Hikari!  I once heard that prolonged contact with the 
Eva's liquid has an effect on that."

Hikari:  "But you don't know that for sure, do you?"

Asuka:  "You're right.  Well, there's other ways around that."

Hikari (sighing):  "Still, what exactly are you thinking?  I mean, 
you're always so hard on him, and now you're telling me...I can't 
believe it!"

Asuka:  "I'm decided to give that piece of me to him...I mean...I'd 
like to give him something special for his birthday..."

Hikari:  "That's not something you just *give* to a boy, Asuka.  It's 
something special, and to just treat it so casually..."

Asuka (standing up):  "I'm not treating it casually, Hikari.  I've 
been thinking about it for a long time now."

Hikari:  "How long?"

Pause.

Asuka:  "I don't remember when I started to."

Her lunch now finished, Asuka starts walking back to her homeroom class.  
Hikari promptly follows her.

Hikari:  "You know, you're cuter with your hair shorter."

Asuka (chuckling):  "I don't think everyone likes my hair cut like 
this."

Hikari:  "Then why did you do it?"

Asuka:  "I thought Shinji might notice it and like it if I got it 
done, because I notice how he's always looking at Wondergirl.  Of 
course I wasn't going to get it cut as short as hers.  She looks like 
she belongs in the American army."

Hikari:  "That's not a very good reason to get a haircut, Asuka."

Asuka:  "I don't care.  I did it for him and he told me likes it this 
way.  That's all that matters to me now."

---

From the window of a classroom on the second floor, three boys were 
watching the scene.  They were focusing on one of the girls.  When 
Asuka went out of their sight, a tall boy with dark brown hair started 
to talk.

Tenchi:  "Is that the girl, Koichi?"

Koichi:  "Yeah.  That little bitch will pay for humiliating me like 
that."

A smaller guy joins them.

Shukaido:  "Is this really necessary?"

Koichi (nodding):  "Absolutely.  I can still feel that slap across my 
face like she just did it.  And don't worry, once I'm finished with her, 
you can have some fun with her as well..."

A wicked smiles crosses his face...

Tenchi:  "Okay, I'll go see if the other team is ready, then."

Koichi:  "Tell them that NERV security is pretty tough."

---

For the rest of the day, Asuka completely ignored Shinji, except for 
the times when she insulted him.  Nothing out of the usual there, but 
she seemed to dig into Shinji even harder then she usually did.  He was 
a bit disturbed by that.  The girl who was cuddling up to him every 
night, sharing body warmth with him, seemed meaner than ever before 
during the day...as if she was switching personalities like masks.

---

On the way back to school, Asuka sees Shinji, and she goes up to him to 
talk.

Asuka:  "Are your legs okay?"

Shinji (coldly):  "Better now, for all you care."

Asuka is a bit shocked by that kind of tone.  She reaches over to take 
his hand in hers, but just as she touches his hand, he yanks it away 
from her.

Shinji:  "Don't touch me!"

Asuka is now even more surprised.

Asuka:  "What's wrong?"

Shinji:  "'What's wrong'?!  Why are you acting like that!?"

Asuka (puzzled):  "What?"

Shinji:  "When we're alone, you act nice and sweet and all, but when 
we're around other people you keep putting me down, like you usually 
do.  Don't you know how much that hurts?"

Asuka (looking down a little):  "But, Shinji..."

Shinji (angry):  "I understand!  You're ashamed of me!  You don't want 
others to see you being with me!  You're using me!  I thought that you 
wanted me to walk home with you because you were proud or whatever to 
be with me!  How could I be such a damn fool?"

Now Shinji looks down.

Shinji (softer):  "You're just using me for your own happiness...you 
don't care at all...about how I feel..."

He then starts to almost run towards the apartment.  Asuka can't believe 
it.  The boy whose legs were so weak this morning...was running.  He was 
running away from her.

Asuka (whispering):  "Shinji, you're wrong.  *I'm* the fool here."

---

That evening.  Asuka is walking silently down the street, when she 
passes a bar.  She remembers something, turns and walks in, approaching 
the bartender.

Asuka:  "Excuse me, where is the women's washroom?"

Bartender:  "On your left, Miss."

Asuka doesn't reply.  She just heads there.  Once inside, she sees 
another woman leaving a stall.  But that isn't her reason for being 
there.  She spots a vending machine, and drops a 100-yen coin into it.  
As soon as the item hits the slot at the bottom of the machine, she 
picks it up and slides it into her schoolbag as fast as she can.  The 
woman, completely speechless, eyes her carefully.  Asuka tries to hide 
her embarrassment from the woman by quickly running out of the place.
Once outside, she takes a quick look at the item she just bought and 
puts it back in her schoolbag.

Asuka:  "Prevention is better than cure."

The street is rather empty, which it usually is at this time of the 
day.  As she thinks about the conversation she had with Hikari during 
lunch, she feels a sudden jolt shoot through her body, and falls to 
the ground.  A pair of hands pick her up by her arms, and another pair 
grabs her ankles.  Before she can realize it, she is being carried 
into a dark alley.  She tries to turn her head, but she finds herself 
too weak to do so.  She can't feel her body anymore...

Tenchi:  "Man, that stun gun really does what it's supposed to do."

Koichi:  "I knew it'd be worth the risk I took to steal it."

Asuka is completely numb and can't move at all, but she is still 
conscious...and afraid.

Asuka (to herself):  "Where the hell is NERV Security when you need 
them!!?  Please don't let me be..."

Koichi:  "Now we're gonna have some fun with you, Sohryu.  You're 
gonna pay for making me look like an idiot in front of everyone at the 
dance..."

Asuka (to herself):  "No...not by this bunch of morons!"

Koichi:  "What's wrong, Sohryu?  Nothing to say, for once?  Ha ha..."

Asuka (frowning and trying to open her mouth):  "A....sss...asss...
hole..."

Koichi:  "What's that?  'Asshole'?  You want me to start there?  What a 
little whore you are!"

The anger is rising inside Asuka.

Shukaido:  "We'll just wait here until you're done, Koichi."

Koichi:  "Fine by me.  But don't hold your breath waiting."

He pulls out a flicknife, pops the blade out with a *snick* and shows 
it to Asuka.

Koichi:  "I hate that ribbon around your collar..."

He then slowly proceeds to cut through the ribbon of her school 
uniform.

Asuka (to herself):  "NO!!!  This can't be happening!  MOVE, dammit!  
Why won't you move?"

Koichi:  "And I really hate those buttons on your blouse..."

He sticks the blade under each button and, with quick slices through 
the threads, sends them softly clicking to the cement.  The blouse 
front opens, slowly revealing her bare skin and her red cotton bra 
underneath.

Koichi:  "What a beautiful view..."

Asuka:  "S...stop...that..."

Koichi:  "Yes!  Beg me to stop..."

He then opens her blouse a bit wider and slides the straps of her 
dress off of her shoulders.

Tenchi:  "Those are sure big, for a 14-year-old."

Koichi:  "Let's see how soft they are..."

He slowly puts one hand on her bra-clad breast, and begins to knead it.
Asuka looks up at him, angry, terrified and helpless.

Koichi:  "You like it, huh?"

Shinji:  "Asuka!"

The three boys turn their heads towards the end of the dark alley and 
see Shinji standing there, holding Asuka's schoolbag in his hand.

Shinji:  "Get your filthy hands off her, you bastard!"

Koichi (taking his (filthy) hand off her):  "What do you want, you 
little prick?"

Shinji (frowning):  "I want you to leave her alone!"

Koichi (cracking his knuckles):  "Well, that's too damn bad..."

Shukaido:  "Err...Koichi..."

Koichi:  "What?"

Shukaido:  "That boy...it's Ikari Shinji...I remember his face..."

Koichi (a bit scared):  "What!?  I thought the other team was taking 
care of him!"

Shinji stands there, smiling, confidantly.  It's eerie.  Koichi starts 
to get very nervous.

Shinji:  "Don't ever underestimate NERV."

Koichi:  "Sh-shut up!"

Tenchi:  "NERV security's prob'ly right behind him.  We better run.  
Now."

Koichi:  "Y-yeah, I think so, too."

The three then turn around and run toward the other end of the alley.  
Shinji approaches Asuka, who is trying to sit up against the wall.

Shinji:  "I'm sorry, Asuka..."

Asuka:  "Y...you i...diot..."

Shinji puts down Asuka's schoolbag, takes off his jacket and puts it 
over Asuka to hide her bare skin from view.

Shinji:  "Can you stand up?"

Asuka frowns, and painfully tries to get up.  Seeing that she can 
barely stand up by herself, Shinji slides one of her arms around his 
shoulder and puts one of his around her waist to support her.

Asuka:  "You...stupid...your legs...are still weak..."

Shinji:  "They'll find the strength to carry you home, don't worry."

He picks up the schoolbag and stands up, bringing Asuka to her feet.  
When he looks at her again, he can see that she's crying.

Shinji:  "Did those guys hurt you?"

Asuka (weakly wiping her tears):  "No...no harm done...they used a stun 
gun on me...I can hardly move..."

Shinji:  "You should be okay soon..."

Asuka (looking down):  "I'm useless now..."

Shinji (puzzled):  "W-why are you saying that?"

Asuka:  "I bet they didn't know I'm an Eva pilot, too!  All the things I 
did...all the efforts I made...to get noticed...to exist...useless!"

Shinji:  "Asuka, you're not useless.  Not to me, at least...I-I like 
being around you...and Misato and Hikari like you, too."

Asuka:  "It's not enough...!"

Shinji:  "Yes, it is.  I had to step in and help you because I think 
you're worth helping.  Really.  I--"

Asuka:  "SHUT UP!!!"

Shinji is surprised by Asuka's sudden outburst.

Asuka (angrily):  "Shut up!  I don't want your goddamned pity!"

Shinji:  "Asuka, please calm down..."

Asuka:  "I don't want it!  I don't want anything..."

Her voice drops, and her eyes start to tear up again.

Asuka:  "I-I feel dirty...I don't feel pure anymore...I've been raped 
by those guys..."

Shinji:  "You *could* have been, if I didn't see your schoolbag on the 
sidewalk, and didn't hear those guys say your name.  But you weren't.  
You're all right.  You're not dirty.  It wasn't your fault this hap-
pened, right?  So don't worry about it...because I still care about 
you."

Asuka looks up at him, hope starting to shine in her eyes.

Shinji:  "I mean, you're beautiful, smart, and all that...but I don't 
like you just for that.  I don't like you like all the other boys do.  
You're my fellow pilot first, and you're a girl I want to be with...
who I want to protect.  Do you understand what I mean?"

Asuka (now frowning):  "...I told you, I don't want your pity..."

Shinji:  "Please stop saying that!  Stop it!  It's human to accept 
pity.  Pity is love, too!  Well, that's what I think..."

Asuka:  "I don't know why I still care...if only I'd left you in your 
damned wheelchair that time...none of this would have happened!"

Shinji:  "Don't tell me you regret taking care of me like you did.  I 
don't believe that!  Not with everything you said and did afterwards!"

Asuka:  "...maybe I'm just lying to myself..."

Shinji:  "We all do that sometimes.  Life often hurts...and until 
recently, I was running away from mine.  Then you showed me that you 
cared about me.  It showed me that life was worth living.  I don't know 
if what I'm saying really makes sense, but...that's what I think."

Asuka:  "Maybe that's what I'm doing.  Running away."

Shinji:  "Really, there's other things to life than piloting Eva and 
all."

Asuka:  "Maybe you're right."

Shinji (a little more upbeat):  "Of course I'm right!" (more serious 
now:) "But still...why do you keep on ignoring me or insulting me when 
we're around other people?"

Asuka (sighing):  "I'm sorry for treating you so badly.  I guess you 
know how I feel, too..."

Shinji slowly nods.

Asuka:  "All those feelings and emotions, I only want you to know them.  
I don't want to show everyone what I feel for you.  I believe that...
being nice to you...kissing you...and sleeping by your side are too 
personal for other people, even Misato, to know about..."

With that, she tenderly kisses his cheek.

Shinji:  "I see...and I agree with you, Asuka.  I was such an idiot 
during all this.  I couldn't see what you were trying to tell me."

Asuka:  "It's all right now."

Shinji:  "On my way back from school, I was attacked by four guys...
I heard them talking about you and it really scared me...that's when 
the NERV security agents showed up and took care of them.  So I was 
able to get away and search for you...I was really worried..."

Asuka:  "So...that's was why there weren't any security agents around 
at that moment..."

Shinji:  "Yeah.  The guys who attacked me were probably used to throw 
them off of what was really happening."

Asuka (sighing):  "Don't worry, Shinji.  No one will get to see and 
touch your birthday present but you."

Shinji (surprised):  "You...you knew!?"

Asuka (smiling slightly):  "Of course, idiot.  How could I could forget 
that?"

Shinji:  "It's just that...I've never really gotten a birthday present 
before..."

Asuka:  "I have one for you...but it's only for tonight.  Because 
tonight, I planned something special."

---

The apartment, a little later.  The front door slides open to reveal 
Asuka with an arm still around Shinji's shoulder.

Asuka:  "It's okay...I think I can walk by myself now...I can feel my 
legs again."

Shinji:  "That's nice to hear."

Shinji lets go of Asuka, and she slowly, carefully walks towards the 
kitchen.  She stops at the entranceway and turns around to face Shinji.

Asuka (happily):  "You see?"

Shinji (smiling):  "Yeah.  I'm gonna go lie down on the couch.  My legs 
really hurt."

Asuka:  "Okay.  I hope they'll be all right later this evening!"

Shinji (to himself):  "What?"

Asuka:  "But now I'm going to make dinner for tonight."

Shinji:  "Really!?"

Asuka:  "Why are you so surprised about that?  Is something wrong?!"

Shinji (trying to defend himself):  "No, no!  It's nothing, really!  
It's just the first time you've ever made dinner for me."

Asuka (rolling up her sleeves):  "You'll see what a Langley can do!"

Shinji smiles, and, without another word, flops down on the couch and 
takes a nap.

---

Some time later...

Asuka:  "Shinji...wake up..."

Shinji slowly opens his eyes, to be greeted by a close view of Asuka's
face.  She's leaning over him.

Shinji:  "Asuka?  What time is it?"

Asuka:  "You slept for nearly three hours..."

Shinji:  "Oh..."

As he gets a better look at her, he notices that she's not in her 
school uniform anymore.

Shinji:  "Where did you get that dress?"

Asuka:  "Idiot, I have a lot of different dresses in my wardrobe."

Shinji:  "I didn't know you had such a nice evening dress."

Indeed, Asuka is wearing a sexy sleeveless red dress.

Shinji:  "And why did you turn off all the lights?"

Asuka:  "Come into the kitchen, and you'll see..."

He slowly gets up from the couch and follows Asuka's feminine 
silhouette to the kitchen.  There, he is greeted by the sight of a 
fully-arranged kitchen table, softly lit by two candles.

Asuka:  "Take a seat."

Shinji sits down, and Asuka seats herself across from him.  He looks 
down at the food she prepared for him.

Shinji (surprised):  "Curry?"

Asuka:  "I didn't know what else to make, and I didn't want to try to 
cook something too difficult, so..."

Shinji:  "That's okay..."

Asuka:  "Good."

Shinji:  "Itedakimasu [I will receive it]."

Shinji picks up his spoon, takes a bit of his curry, and tastes it.

Shinji (gulping):  "Your cooking is really nice."

Asuka:  "You think so?  To tell the truth, I haven't tasted it yet."

Seeing that Shinji seems to be enjoying each bite he's eating, Asuka 
decided to try herself.  As she puts her spoon in her mouth, she 
twitches a bit and her left eyebrow arches.

Asuka (to herself):  "But this...this is TERRIBLE!  How can he like 
this?!  What have I cooked!?  I'm worse than Misato!"

She then looks at him again.  He is indeed enjoying the meal she cooked 
for him, much to her disbelief...

Asuka (looking down):  "Shinji, be honest with me.  If you don't want 
to eat this, don't force yourself.  And you can say it:  It's awful."

Shinji looks up at her and stops eating.

Shinji:  "I think that, since you put a lot of effort into making this, 
it makes it better than it looks or tastes.  To me, everything you'll 
ever cook will be good, because it's something you did by yourself...
it's like you're giving a part of yourself to me."

Asuka is speechless.

Shinji:  "Really."

Asuka:  "I-if you say so..."

They continue to eat in silence.  She still feels uneasy about her 
cooking, though, and it casts a pall over her face.  Shinji reads 
her look as being about what happened earlier, and he speaks up.

Shinji:  "Asuka...sorry for bringing this up so suddenly now, but...
did you knew those guys?"

Asuka (looking down a bit):  "Oh...yeah...one of them was the guy I 
dumped for you at the school dance.  He wanted to get revenge..."

Shinji:  "Damn...if I ever see them again..."

He clenches and unclenches his fist as the anger spreads over his 
face.

Asuka (with a worried look):  "Calm down, Shinji.  It's over now.  It 
was terrible, but...I feel better about it now, because you came for 
me and you stopped them."

Shinji:  "Yeah...sorry." (flustered:) "I-I mean, about getting mad just 
now..."

Asuka (angrily):  "Damn, I hate it when you apologize for insignificant 
things like that!"

Shinji:  "Sor--"

Asuka is throwing a death glare at him.  Shinji, for some strange 
reason, bursts out laughing.  Asuka's brow furrows in confusion.

Shinji (still laughing a little):  "You may like to insult me and all 
that, but there's something I like to do as well:  Make you angry!  
God, you're so cute when...ha ha ha ha!"

Asuka (realizing):  "Wait, you little...!"

Asuka starts to get up out of her chair, then remembers what he just 
said, settles down and fumes a bit.  Shinji laughs again a little, 
calms down and goes back to his dinner.

Shinji (calming down and finishing eating):  "Gochisousama deshita 
[Thank you for the feast].  That was good, Asuka.  Your cooking's not 
the best, but it's good."

Asuka (standing up):  "I still need more practice.  Stay there, I'll be 
right back."

She then turns and walks to a part of the kitchen not lit up by the 
candles.  She comes back with a big platter in her hands and sets it 
down on the table between them.

Asuka (happily):  "Jyaaaaaan!!"

Shinji is speechless.  A huge, luscious, and appetizing chocolate cake 
is sitting in front of him.  On it stand fifteen candles, which Asuka 
is now lighting with a match.

Shinji:  "You...you..."

Asuka (lighting the last candle):  "I hope this'll be better than the 
curry was."

Shinji:  "Wow...It looks great!  I-I'm impressed!"

Asuka:  "Happy birthday, Ikari Shinji!"

Shinji (stunned):  "I still can't believe this!"

Asuka (grinning):  "Come on, blow the candles out!  If you can blow 
all fifteen of them out at once, you may get a nice reward..."

Shinji:  "Okay..."

He takes a deep breath, and, with one long, slow puff, blows out every 
candle on the cake.  As he closes his eyes and begins to recover, he 
can hear clapping.  He opens his eyes again.

Asuka (applauding):  "Congratulations, Shinji." (now grinning:) "I'm 
sure you'll appreciate the reward very much...but that's for the third 
part of the evening!"

She giggles.

Shinji:  "Really?  What is it?"

Asuka (calming down a bit):  "It's a surprise.  You'll see!"

Asuka pulls the candles out of the cake.  She then cuts the cake into 
eight equal portions with a large knife.

Shinji:  "Don't you think this is...a bit too much for just the two of 
us?"

Asuka grins as she puts a slice on a dessert plate with a spatula and 
sets it in front of Shinji.

Asuka:  "I'm sure you'll want to eat it all..."

Shinji (smiling):  "Let's see about that."

He picks up his fork, takes a piece of the cake, pops it into his mouth, 
and chews it slowly and carefully before swallowing it.  And then 
smiles.

Shinji:  "Excellent!"

Asuka (smiling):  "Let's see if you're lying or not..."

She takes a bite of her own slice.

Asuka:  "Hmmm...you're right!  This is great!"

Shinji:  "See?  You're not as bad as you say you are!"

Shinji quickly finishes his portion.  Asuka reaches for the spatula so 
she can give him another slice, but he gestures and quickly swallows 
his last bite.

Shinji:  "Thanks, but I don't think I can eat any more of this cake.  
I mean, it's great, but it's just a bit too...rich for me."

Asuka (chuckling):  "Oops, I forgot that you have a Japanese stomach!"

Shinji:  "Yeah..."

Asuka:  "Okay, I won't let you just sit there watching me eat my cake.  
We can have more later..."

With that, she stands up.  Shinji stands up, as well, and takes the 
hand that Asuka is holding out to him.

Shinji:  "So, what's next?"

Asuka:  "Are your legs okay?"

Shinji:  "I think they are."

Asuka:  "Then, let me remind you that I still owe you a dance.  And I 
hate to be in debt to anyone."

Shinji:  "Yeah, that's right.  I remember.  I guess you planned every-
thing for that as well."

Asuka:  "Of course!"

Shinji follows Asuka into the living room, where she had moved her 
SoundSpace(tm) audio system from her bedroom.  She walks over to the 
system and pushes the play button of the DAD [Digital Audio Disc] 
player.  Soon, the living room is filled with a soft and slow song.  
A tune from the late 90's, from what Shinji can remember of his 
limited knowledge of pop songs.

Asuka (holding out her arms to him):  "Shall we dance?"

Shinji is a bit surprised by the sudden change of atmosphere.  
Especially in Asuka's mood and actions.

Shinji:  "Errr...sure."

Shinji approaches Asuka, and before he realizes it, he's lost in her
beautiful blue eyes.  Those two blue orbs that would cry sometimes, 
smile sometimes, shine with excitement and rage during Angel battles...
the windows to her soul that could keep him busy for ages just looking 
into them...Asuka puts her hands on his shoulders, and looks right into 
his own eyes with a smile.  Shinji then slowly wraps his arms around 
Asuka's waist, holding her firmly, but still gently, close to him.  
They both start to slowly sway and turn to the music.

Asuka (softly):  "Well, you're not a bad dancer..."

Shinji:  "It's not that difficult, actua--"

Asuka interrupts him by slowly placing a finger on his lips.

Asuka:  "Sssshhh...let's just dance now..."

She then gently takes her hands off of Shinji's shoulders, and folds 
her arms around the back of his neck.  She draws closer to him, and 
finally rests her head on his left shoulder.  Shinji brushes some of 
Asuka's hair off his face, and continues dancing.  The tracks from 
Asuka's DAD player slowly and softly unfold from the speakers, all 
blurring into one single dimension where things like plaster casts and 
alleys no longer exist.  Before either of them know it, the player 
reaches track 9, and begins to fill the room with Megumi Hayashibara's 
"Alchemy Of Love."

Shinji:  "It's strange...don't you think this singer's voice sounds 
like Ayanami's?"

Asuka:  "Errr...what?"

Shinji (softly):  "Just listen..."

Asuka:  "Yeah, you're right.  That's funny.  I never noticed that 
before..."

The lights in the room were turned down to the strict minimum, making it 
hard to distinguish the two silhouettes slowly gliding across the room.  
It's even harder due to the face they are so close to each other, one 
could swear it was only one person dancing, alone...they danced, danced, 
danced until the DAD player reached track 19.  They didn't care how long 
they danced, how much Shinji's legs were aching, or if Misato was coming 
back now.  For them, time simply ground to a halt...as they hugged each 
other tightly, Asuka spoke.

Asuka (softly):  "Shinji...?"

Shinji:  "Yes?"

Asuka:  "Let's go to your room.  I'm...tired."

Shinji (nodding):  "Sure..."

They slowly release each other from their tight embrace, and go to 
Shinji's room.  After Shinji enters the room, Asuka locks the door 
behind him.

Asuka:  "Lay down on the bed, and close your eyes, okay?"

Shinji doesn't really know what she's going to do, but he obeys her.

Asuka:  "And keep them closed..."

Shinji does as he was told.  Once he lays down on the bed, where he 
can finally rest his legs a little, he closes his eyes.  His curiosity 
tells him to peek, but his gentlemanly side tells him to keep them 
closed, as Asuka told him to.  But the rustling he hearsisn't helping 
at all.  Before long, the rustling stops, and he can feel another 
weight on the bed.  He opens his eyes wide when he then feels a pair 
of lips against his.  Asuka is indeed planting a passionate kiss on 
his lips...

Shinji (looking down):  "A...Asuka!"

Asuka (beginning to gently nibble his neck):  "This is my birthday 
present to you, Shinji..."

As Shinji looks down, he can swear that his heart had just missed a 
beat or two.  Asuka is completely naked, and lying on top of his body 
with all her weight.  He is unable to get away, even if he wants to.  
When he finally recovers his senses, Asuka had already unbuttoned his 
shirt, and was now undoing his belt.

Shinji:  "Asuka...do you really think that..."

Asuka cuts him off by kissing him passionately again, this time with 
her tongue forcing its way inside his mouth, and sensually caressing 
his.  She slowly breaks the kiss after a few seconds.

Asuka:  "Isn't this a nice present?"

Shinji:  "I think we're a bit too young for this..."

Asuka:  "There has to be a first time for everything...and this first 
time...I want it to be with you.  I want to love you.  I want to prove 
it..."

Shinji:  "You're sure you won't regret it...?"

Asuka:  "Oh, no, I won't...I'm sure I won't...Shinji...please..."

With those last words, she plants another short and soft kiss on his 
lips.

Shinji:  "But, what about..."

Asuka reaches for his nightstand, picks something up from it and holds 
it up.  It was the condom she had bought earlier that day.  Shinji is 
surprised, since he knows he never bought one in his life.  She did 
that...for him.

Asuka (softly):  "Don't worry about that...I thought about that today." 
(smiling:) "I mean, there's some risks even *I* won't take."

Shinji:  "Well, if we don't have to worry about that...than I really 
want to show you how much I love you, too.  But aren't you a bit 
scared?"

Asuka:  "Scared?  Why should I be?  I trust you.  I know you would 
never try to hurt me..."

Shinji (whispering into her ear):  "I won't.  Never."

Shinji starts to nibble Asuka's neck like she had his earlier, and 
before too long Sohryu Asuka Langley and Ikari Shinji broke through 
the world of childlike purity and innocence, into a universe of love 
and ultimate trust.  One that was so far away, but so close to them.  
They were only vaguely familiar with it before, but now that they 
had led each other there in each other's arms, they knew that they 
had found something they had never felt before...a sense of belonging.  
To each other.  An English song by a band from the 1980's can be heard 
from the living room now...

"I'll stop the world and melt with you
I've seen some changes but it's getting better all the time
There's nothing you and I won't do
I'll stop the world and melt with you
The future's open wide..."

--------
THE END?
--------

Author's notes:

I think I'm gonna see a LOT of complaints about the near-rape scene.  
Sorry about that, but I think it had to be done...

And remember to always use a condom, m'kay? :)

Special thanks goes to Alain Gravel, RG-01, Cedric Ranson, Dave Watson, 
and EBJ! Thank you all for the invaluable help in this fic!

And kisses to Deina-chan, Juju/Asuka-chan and Alice-chan! (thanks for 
the Asuka-in-a-wedding-dress drawing :)) :>

Now, the usual pre-readers roll call :) :
Al-I-Bus
Alain Gravel
Borderline Case
Cedric Ranson
C-mann
David Templar
Dave Watson
Disaster
EBJ
Eva_Pilot00
Godsend777
Greg Thomas
Jayson Deare
Jeff T.
DJ Lesser
Juju/Asuka
Kaoru Nagisa
RG-01
LocutusXX
Pheaton
X-Ray
Readiosys Fisher
Sammy Sy
Sanderson Leslie
Shadow's Madness
Shinji the 10 O'clock Assassin
Sudhoya'da
Sushi Boy
Tim Lee
Yousef Al-Samshi

Wow, 30 pre-readers already!!  I guess this deserves a little 
celebration...

Retooler's notes:

Any similarities between this fic and my Video Girl Ai limefic "Past 
the Return Date" are purely coincidental.  Or so Axel says dB).  I'll 
have to take him at his word here.  Whatever the case is, I most 
definitely did not stick them in to refer to my own work.  In fact, I 
bugged Axel to take out the part about Megumi Hayashibara's singing 
sounding like one of the characters she voice-acts, but he insisted on 
keeping it in.  So BLAME HIM! dB)

As I retooled the last part of the fic, I was listening to the 4AD 
Records promo compilation CD _Clipped and Clustered_, and the Modern 
English song "I Melt With You" was playing.  The chorus near the end 
of the song matched the mood of the ending so well that I couldn't 
help but include it here.  The song is written by Modern English, 
published by Beggars Banquet Music, and available on the album _After 
the Snow._  If anybody involved in the above entities are reading this, 
the lyrics are used without permission, but, for Belldandy's sake, you 
got proper credit and a plug, no one is making money off this story and 
Axel and I are so poor it wouldn't be worth the lawyer's fees to sue 
us, so please don't do an Oasis on us, okay?

---

CAPTION:  EPILOGUE
CAPTION 2:  (yeah, another one :) )

Early the next morning.  Asuka is back in her red sleeveless evening 
dress, and is silently leaving Shinji's room.  Just as she is going 
back to her room, she sees Misato slumped on the kitchen table.

Asuka:  "Why is she sleeping there?"

She looks closer and sees that there are now only two slices of 
chocolate cake left on the platter, plus an empty beer can nearby.  She 
then understands what happened.

Asuka (sighing):  "Ach, Gott [Oh, god]..."

She walks up to Misato and shakes her by the shoulder.

Asuka:  "Misato, wake up!"

Misato (slowly waking up):  "Hmmmmmmmm..."

Asuka:  "Wake up, I said!"

Misato looks up at Asuka.

Misato:  "What am I doing there?"

Asuka:  "You ate most of Shinji's birthday cake, you idiot!!"

Misato:  "Oh, it was for Shinji...oops..."

Asuka:  "You're going to get fat!"

Misato (giggling):  "Well, I couldn't help it.  I musta had the beer 
munchies when I got home, and this just looked so good.  Tasted good, 
too."

She rolls her tongue around inside her mouth and frowns at the 
combination of beer hangover and chocolate on her breath.

Misato:  "Ugh.  Doesn't taste so good now, though."

Asuka sweatdrops a little.

Misato (more serious):  "What are you doing in that evening dress so
early in the (yawn) morning?  You sleep with him again?"

Asuka begins to walk towards her room.

Misato:  "Why?"

Asuka stops and answers Misato without turning around.

Asuka:  "Because I love him, Misato.  I love Shinji with all my heart."

Pause.  Asuka starts walking towards her room again.

Misato (smiling):  "I guess I got the answer I was looking for now.  So 
what are you doing out here?  Go back to his room and see how he's 
doing, okay?"

Asuka stops in her tracks and looks back at her guardian, who smiles and 
winks knowingly at her.  Asuka then smiles warmly and almost runs into 
Shinji's room, where she undresses as fast as she can, and joins Shinji 
back under the covers, where she cuddles up to him, as close as she can 
without waking him up.  She lays still like that for five minutes, until 
she is asleep again, in the arms of the boy she loves.


---
END
---

See you soon!
Axel Terizaki