Round Perdition's Flames 

Part III

"Who Wrote The Book Of Love, Anyway"


"Why, why did they send her over anyone else?
How should I react?
These things happen to other people
They don't happen at all, in fact."
		--They Might Be Giants
		"She's An Angel"

--Friday/Early Saturday--

	It was a typical night over Tokyo-3. The stars shone down from above, adding a surreal
 effect to the hub of the urban area. It was all very beautiful, though arguably best observed
 from a hill not to far from the apartment building. The three children had been known to visit
 there on more than one occasion, though one of them was absent this evening. Shinji allowed
 himself a brief moment to think about Rei Ayanami as Asuka pulled him through the city. What
 was she doing at this very moment? "Probably sleeping." He thought aloud. After realizing that
 he had spoken, he expected Asuka to turn towards him and asking him what he was blabbering
 about, but either she hadn't heard him, or she didn't care. Shinji quickly decided the latter
 was more likely the case. Concerned about where he was being dragged, Shinji raised his voice
 and addressed Asuka more directly. "Asuka! Where are you taking us?!"

	Asuka looked back at him for a moment, then slowed her pace, bringing them to a stop. "I
 don't know." She answered his question non-chalantly.

	"You don't know?!" He had never really known Asuka to not have some sort of plan. He
 noticed that when she did something, it usually had a purpose and meaning, a rhyme and a
 reason, even if it was just to get a rise out of someone else.

	"Nope. Why, does it matter? Misato gave us some cash so we don't have to spend our own,
 so I figured we'd just walk around until we find something worthwhile. It's not like we're
 pressed for time or anything!"

	Shinji smirked. He had her on one count in this situation. "You forgot one thing."

	"Oh yeah? Like what?"

	"Misato gave --me-- some money. I didn't recall her saying anything about you."

	Asuka pulled Shinji closer with her left arm and made a fist with her right hand. "What
 were you saying, soon to be mourned Third Child?!!"

	Shinji squirmed a bit but decided not to yield to her just yet. After all, he was
 probably going to get pounded anyway, so he might as well make it worth Asuka's while. "I said
 I've got the money, so I think I have some say regarding where we're going."

	"So, you want a say, do you?"

	"Ulp! Yes'm!"

	Asuka smiled wolfishly for the second time that hour. "Well, --say--, would you look at
 that?!" The girl quickly released her grip on Shinji, sending him crashing down into the
 pavement. "Oh dear, did I do that? I'm so sorry." The fallen boy made an attempt to calculate
 exactly how much sarcasm was radiating from Asuka at that moment, but then he realized that it
 was much too far off the chart for him to ever pinpoint.
 
	Shinji coughed and pulled himself back onto his feet, then began dusting himself off.
 "No problem." He rolled his eyes. What had made him do that? Why, when he was endeavoring to be
 nicer to her, had he just all but begged her to do something to him? Stranger yet, had he
 enjoyed that? No. He was accustomed to it. His day wasn't complete if Asuka didn't do something
 cruel to him. His head hurt. He had been thinking about far too many complicated and confusing
 things that evening. This was all still very new to him. Shinji cursed himself, then abruptly
 laughed inwardly. Of all the girls, it just had to be this one. Someone out there had played a
 very cruel joke on him at the cosmic level, and one day he vowed to pay whoever it was back,
 assuming of course he found out who had put him in this predicament to begin with. The human
 heart was a curious thing. This was not the first time in recorded history that one had set
 itself on another that was seemingly unattainable. His mind told him that this was craziness,
 but his heart told him otherwise. Just another example of the mind/heart dichotomy: What you
 know versus what you --know.-- And Shinji knew in his heart that despite the uncomfortable
 postions he was finding himself in, that somehow this was right.
 
	Ikari was brought back to reality by a red-headed girl snapping her fingers and waving
 her hand in front of his eyes. "This is Earth to Shinji Ikari." He heard her say. "It appears
 our preliminary reports were correct, there's no sign of any intelligent life."

	"Huh?" the boy asked, startled and unsure of himself.

	"Grrrr! You are such an idiot! Baka-Shinji! Why are you staring off into space like
 that?" 

	"I. . .I don't know. I was just. . .thinking."

	"I told you before, you never think!" Asuka grumbled on unintelligibly for a moment,
 speaking some strange combination of German and Japanese that made Misato's drunken dialect
 easy to understand by comparison.
 
	Shinji ignored her insult. Asuka couldn't get under his skin, not tonight. Not after
 what Misato had said. Aggressive though she was, she also had this inner quality about her that
 had sparkled, despite whatever cruel epithets might be coming from her mouth. It was this very
 inner quality, one that Shinji had yet to pin down, that had drawn him to her in the first
 place. She was dangerous to him, he knew. He was young, as was she. There were still many
 things he had to figure out for himself before he could go on, yet he certainly couldn't go
 back from here. He wasn't in any sort of position where could give Asuka his heart, she would
 simply crush it and hand it back to him. No, this wasn't going to be easy. He grimaced. That
 thought seemed familiar. He only had an inkling of where to start, by doing his best to be nice
 to her. Still, where Asuka was concerned, being nice was not easy, she did her absolute best to
 ensure that. And even when he did succeed, she tended to find some way to spoil it. Telling her
 she looked nice would only succeed in being accused of perversion, for example. Still, he
 decided to press onward. If God had any mercy on him, perhaps he would provide an opportunity.
 
	"Let's head for the theater." Shinji suggested.

	"Why?"

	"Well, like I was saying back at the apartment, I think they're doing an all-night movie
 again. I went to it once. . ." Shinji declined to finish the thought. It brought back
 unpleasant memories of when he had run from Misato. He wasn't proud of that. No, no more
 looking back. "I think it might be the same one."

	"What's it about?"
 
	"The Second Impact."

	Asuka groaned. "Gott in Himmel! I am so sick of hearing about it! It happened a long
 time ago! No one cares anymore! We should be looking forward to what we're going to do about
 stopping a Third Impact!"

	"I thought that's what my father's agency was all about. Isn't that. . .isn't that why
 we battle the Angels?"

	"I battle the Angels as a matter of pride. Those bastards think that they're going to
 get rid of us? Think again!"

	Shinji decided not to comment. At the moment, he really didn't care about Angels. There
 was plenty of time to worry about them while he was in the bowels of NERV, or when they were
 attacking. For now, he just wanted to concentrate on the evening and his companion.
	
	"Oh, come on, Asuka. Look, it'll probably be good for a laugh. You're right, whoever
 made that movie has no clue about the truth behind the Second Impact."

	Asuka let out a sigh. "I suppose a chuckle or two wouldn't be so bad. But if I don't
 like it, I'm walking out!"

	"Deal."
 
	Shinji took up a position beside the object of his eternal torment and took a deep
 breath. It all made sense now. This was complete and total insanity. There was something
 severely wrong with him, yes. Something must've happened to his brain during a battle or
 something. Either that, or somewhere along the line he had died and been sent to hell. What he
 wouldn't give for something, anything, that could impress this girl. Her terminal bitchiness
 was going to be a bigger obstacle than he had anticipated. He needed an ally. Misato had said
 that she would help, but deep inside Shinji realized that it was going to take more than that.
 He needed the assistance of someone who knew all about women. He needed the support of a true
 ladies' man. Shinji sighed. He needed Kaji. Shinji's hands subconsciously clenched and
 unclenched. That was just cruelty! Kaji had somehow managed to get Asuka eating out of his hand
 simply by existing. And he wasn't even interested! I mean, what a cheat! Shinji knew that out
 of all the guys he knew, Kaji seemed to be closest to the mark regarding that universal mystery
 of what it is that women want. Therefore, Kaji would certainly be able to give him some
 pointers, key him into what it was that a girl like Asuka saw in him. Unfortunately, Shinji
 came to the quick realization that Asuka was attracted to Kaji for the simple reason that he 
 was Kaji. "Damn it!" Shinji muttered under his breath. It was up to him for now. Perhaps he
 could still get some advice out of Kaji. Then again, if he confessed to Kaji that he wanted to
 pursue Asuka, he might never live it down. Come to think of it, Shinji suddenly understood that
 this was a secret he had best keep to himself and a very select circle of accomplises. If
 someone like Toji or Kensuke got wind of this, they might never forgive him for such a
 betrayal. To his friends, Asuka was generally regarded as the enemy, though undeniably she was
 a looker. Kensuke still hadn't spent all of the money he had made selling pictures of her when
 she was new to school! Moreover, if the whole school found out, he might have to consider
 fleeing Japan altogether for his own safety.
 
	All of this still bothered him. When all was said and done, she was still Asuka, wasn't
 she? A grevious doubt ran through him, and he nearly froze in place. What if he wasn't good
 enough for the girl? He had been attracted to her because of the things she did to push him
 away, after all. Aside from that, he really did want her to be his partner. Despite her open
 hostility, she was the balance that he needed. By nature, he was a private person. He was
 content to stay quiet and surf the tides of life. He remembered sitting at Misato's promotion
 party, listening to everyone else carry on, whooping and hollering. Misato had been the only
 one to understand. If he had been ten years older, and Misato wasn't such a heavy drinker, they
 might have made a good pair. He felt sorry for Misato. She could confront most situations head
 on, like the time she had just jumped onto the runaway Jet Alone, climbed inside, and attempted
 to deactivate its reactor, despite the tremendous threat to her own safety. He admired that. So
 why couldn't she and Kaji just have it out. Whenever the two were together, Misato always did
 her best to belittle him.. Shinji had pieced together that they were old beaus whose romance
 had ended badly, but it must have been a long time ago. If she really didn't like him, then why
 did she avoid him so much? She wasn't quiet like him. She should just have it out with him and
 stop putting it off. But instead, she was pulling a Shinji. . .had he really just thought that?
 It probably wasn't a good sign when you began associating your own name with a negative action.
 It really didn't matter, because it was at that moment that he felt himself falling forward
 again, his hands instinctively reaching out and scraping the ground in order to break his fall.

	"You really should be more careful." Asuka commented. Shinji was able to tell by her
 tone of voice that he had fallen on his own this time. If Asuka was going to abuse him, which
 was one of the few things in life he could consistently count on, verbal abuse was preferable
 to the physical kind. Unless of course she felt like combining the two, which was often the
 case. Still, he wasn't improving his case at all. Somehow, he felt that ever since they had
 left Misato's apartment, he had gone out of his way to do everything he could to lessen Asuka's
 already poor opinion of himself. That was enough. Competition and dignity be damned. He had to
 talk to Kaji. He would never succeed in courting any girl if he couldn't get his act together.
 He was just going to have to trust Kaji not to go blathering his secret to everyone on the
 Geofront. What a downer! Wasn't falling for someone else supposed to bring you closer to
 happiness? Moreover, why were all these questions with no readily available answers floating
 his way lately?

	"Y'know, Shinji, I'm sure that asphalt tastes wonderful, but are you planning on
 spending all night down there? Because this sure isn't my idea of a good time!"
 
	Damn this girl. Did she have even one kind word in his heart for him? What the hell was
 wrong with him anyway? How, on any level behind the superficial physical one, could he find
 this girl attractive? Had he become self-destructive? No, he wasn't that bad off. Come to think
 of it, he had gotten a lot out of his system when he had run away from Misato after his battle
 with the 4th Angel. He hadn't been completely sure at the time, but he was now very grateful
 that he had stayed. No matter how bad things got, this was his home now. He didn't have
 anywhere to go back to. He couldn't respect himself if he did go back to his previous
 existence. He was in the process of finding himself now. Perhaps that was where the attraction
 lay. Asuka was a representation of everything he felt that he should be, but wasn't. Well,
 okay, maybe not --everything--. But she was an individual of strong will. She didn't believe
 that there was something that she could not accomplish.
 
	"Baka Shinji! Stop trying to look up my skirt and get up!" She gave him a kick, not as
 strong as he had expected, more of a nudge to get moving. He complied, why shouldn't he? Asuka
 did have a point, lying on the sidewalk at three in the morning could hardly be described as a
 good time. Adventureous, maybe, but not a good time. The boy did his best to put a smile on and
 then he pulled himself to a standing position. Inspecting his hands, he noted that he had
 scraped them a bit, but it appeared as though they would be all right.

	"I wasn't trying to look up your skirt." He said with some authority, suprising the both
 of them. Then he resumed his walk towards the theater.

	"O-Of course you were!" Asuka cursed to herself and began walking again as well. She
 almost never sounded unsure of herself. It was a sign of weakness. "Why else were you just
 lying down back there? You pervert!"

	A wry smile crossed Shinji's lips, though he made sure his back was towards her so she
 couldn't see. "You know, that only proves you don't know me at all."

	Now she was getting angry. This kid was more dangerous than she had thought. A surge of
 emotion ran through her. Ten years. She had trained for nearly ten years to become an Eva
 pilot. And now, this kid was starting to become a direct threat to her standing. In a matter of
 months, he had managed to get his syncronization rate to approximately 50% of her own, and he
 didn't show any signs of leveling off just yet. If she wasn't more careful, she was going to
 lose her place in the sun. And now, this dumbkopft was telling her that she didn't know him at
 all? The absolute nerve! After all she had done! After the living hell they had both endured in
 order to defeat 7th Angel! For a good week or two after that, she still knew when he had to
 pee, for God's sake!
 
	"How dare you! I know you! I had damn well better, for all the time we have to spend
 living in close quarters! Maybe we don't get along very well, but that's your fault anyway!"

	"Asuka, if you really knew me, then you would know why I wasn't looking up your skirt."

	"This I've got to hear! Okay, hentai, I'm waiting for your little explanation as to why
 you aren't a filthy, disgusting little pervert! And it had better be a convincing one,
 especially considering those two clowns you always hang out with."

	Shinji turned to face her. "I can't speak for Toji or Kensuke, Asuka. I can only speak
 for myself. And I grew up the mindset that true beauty is not something that should be looked
 at lewdly. It should be admired properly and purely, not degraded." Shinji once again turned
 around and continued walking.

	Asuka began to follow him. She had no words to say in retort. This annoyed her to no
 end. Was that some round about way of complimenting her he had just used? And if so, what
 should she do about it? It was far too late now to respond to it, the moment had passed. A
 large part of her felt like picking Shinji up, and drop-kicking him into another block. But
 what would have been the point in doing that? For starters, it would sure make her feel a lot
 better. Why did he have to be so annoying all the time? Generally, it was easy for her to get
 him to go along with whatever it was she wanted. This should have made him one of her favorite
 people, instead, it somehow made him one of the most aggravating she had ever known. And now he
 had to go and say something like that. Damn him! Where did he get off? How had he somehow ended
 up in control of the situation? That responsibility was meant to rest directly with her. She
 couldn't trust anyone else. She was a leader, not a follower. She didn't need this. She didn't
 want it either. Why had Misato forced them out of the apartment? She wasn't really a people
 person, and she usually made this information available to just about everyone who crossed her
 path. There were only a few people that she associated herself with, and nearly all of them
 were NERV personnel.
 
	Looking forward, she realized that Shinji was now far ahead of her. That kid could walk
 when he was in a hurry! "Hey!" she yelled after him. "You can't just leave me here! You idiot!"
 
	Shinji stopped himself. She did have a point. Besides, Asuka was his unofficial "date"
 for the evening, even if it wasn't a real date. But he was paying. So that had to count for
 something. Even if it was Misato's money. He did feel a tad guilty about that. Misato wasn't
 exactly rich or anything. If she was, she would probably hire professional cleaners. Shinji
 shuddered as he thought about what her place looked like when he had first arrived. It had
 taken a lot of hard work and elbow grease, but the place looked respectable now. Misato was a
 great battle tactician, but she would never survive as a housewife. She was totally clueless.
 In fact, she was the only person he knew who could make something like instant ramen and manage
 to mess it up. "Asuka?! What were you doing way back there?" he inquired as she came running
 up.

	"Well, excuse me, but --somebody-- didn't wait up for me! You moron!"

	"Oh."

	"I still can't believe that Misato threw us out here at this hour!"

	"Well, as the old saying goes, let's just try to make the best of it. I tell you what,
 I'll make you a bet."

	"What kind of a bet?"

	"I'll bet you that we can make it from now until we can go back home without arguing. If
 we can't, I'll do the dishes for two weeks straight."

	"Hold up a second! How do I know you won't cheat?"

	"Cheat? Me? I don't cheat! Even if I did, how could I?"

	"No fair doing a silent treatment. We have to engage in normal conversation."

	"Hah! Why not? You'll never make it! I'm going to be looking forward to the next two
 weeks."

	"You're on, Third Child! You're going to be eating so much crow!" As soon as she had
 said it, she felt a tad bit nervous. Who was she fooling? This bet was going to be much easier
 for Shinji to win than for her. Heck, she couldn't really recall a "normal" conversation that
 they had had since they had first met. Silently, they grasped hands and pumped twice. Shinji
 couldn't help but notice how soft her hands felt, especially for someone with such a rough
 personality. Asuka, in turn, noticed how Shinji's hands felt rough and calloused from when they
 had scraped across the sidewalk earlier. They didn't feel the way she thought they should. Not
 that she really knew how Shinji's hands were supposed to feel anyway, but, somehow, they just
 didn't feel. . .right. Shinji hated to let go of her hand, but he knew that he couldn't hold
 onto it much longer without arousing suspicion. He had to be careful, now was certainly not the
 time. He needed to find a reason for Asuka to go with him, something that would suit her. That
 certainly wouldn't be an easy task. He couldn't just go and make something like this up, he had
 to give her something valid, something concrete, something solid, something that she couldn't
 refuse. Otherwise, there was not way he was ever going to pull this off. A brief scowl ran
 acorss his face. All right then, he wouldn't back down, no matter how many doubts came into his
 head. He had done enough waffling and second guessing. At this point, Asuka noticed Shinji's
 dark look. "What's wrong, Shinji, don't you like holding my hand?" she teased seductively.

	"Eh? Ah! No! I mean yes! I mean-"

	"Save it! It's okay, I'll allow you escort me. Maybe it'll help keep any freaks and
 weirdos out there at bay."

	"Oh." Shinji silently wondered how he would be expected to repay this later.
 
	"Hmpf! Try not to be so disappointed! What did you expect?"

	*A lot less than this.* He thought to himself. "I don't know."

	Asuka turned back towards their destination, now only a few blocks away, and promptly
 reclaimed her appendage. "Shinji?"

	"Yes?"

	"We will agree that our. . .conversation this afternoon never took place." She said it
 as a fact, not a question. Just as well, Misato was the only other one who had seen any of the
 less than perfect moment, and even Asuka wasn't aware of that little tidbit. Shinji was
 inclined to keep it that way. "Yes."

	She smiled ever-so-slightly at him. "Good. Now, get a move on! I'm hungry! I want you to
 buy me some popcorn! Shinji resumed his walk as well, but he couldn't help but think that
 somehow, he was getting all the burdens of a relationship without any of the benefits.
 
************************************************************************

The Legal Lambada--I don't have anything to do with Neon Genesis Evangelion. I didn't produce
 it, I didn't create it, and I don't pretend to have! This series is copyright by Gainax, A.D.V.
 Films holds the rights to the English Language Version.The author makes no claim whatsoever to
 any of the characters or the setting contained within this work, merely the situation in which
 they have been placed. Standard disclaimers apply. No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds.
 Batteries not included. Thanks you've all been a great crowd, don't forget to tip your servers
 on the way out. Amen.

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

Author's Note--Those of you still with me have probably noticed that I have an uncanny ability
 for stringing a lot of words together and still having very little happening. Well, I agree.
 This story is a bet "heady" as we say in my town. There's a lot of different thoughts bubbling
 up to the surface, and so far that's what the majority of this story has entailed. Some of you
 make think it different and enjoyable. Others may wish to tie me to a chair and kick me down
 the stairs, I really don't know. This chapter was restructured somewhat, and I've decided to
 break it into two parts. So yes, there is a point to all of this, and I am getting there. You
 shouldn't have too much longer of a wait now for a more "normal" story with more dialogue and
 the like, you know, things happening! Right now, I'm just trying to show everyone where the
 main players are coming from, what's their frame of mind? I hope I've at least accomplished
 that! Also, some of you may be wondering where the WAFF is. So far, we've seen inner turmoil,
 unrequited. . .well, I hate to use the term love, I don't think it's quite that (at least not
 at this point), a bit of the inner Asuka, and I touched just a smidgen on something with
 Misato. But so far, there really hasn't been any WAFF. Sorry, but I'm a believer that the warm
 and fuzzy things will have to wait. Those of you out there who are fanfic writers know how
 frustrating it can be to have great scenes laid out, but first you need to write the groundwork
 for them. This is usually easier said than done. But I'm working on it! This story means a lot
 to me. I'm constantly working on it. There are times when I'll bet the show going on behind the
 scenes as I write is more entertaining than what I've actually written. It's a strangely
 satisfying feeling when you bang your head against the keyboard in frustration at 3 o'clock in
 the morning, wondering why you can't get something to come out right and just how little sleep
 you can get and still be attentive in class the next morning. There's still a line or two that
 I just felt weren't Asuka enough, or Shinji enough, but then, the very nature of this fic is
 likely to cause a little case of OOC-itis, but I'm hoping that I've designed it in such a way
 that it's few and far between. At any rate, this is the end of the current installment. If
 you're reading this fic when it is "new" which it is as of 4/7/00, 3:31 AM EST, and you don't
 see a link taking you to Chapter 3.5 somewhere, then go outside and play, all right? If you do
 see a link, it means that unfortunately for you, I've written even more of this story, and
 since you've committed yourself this for, you should be heading to 3.5 right now. Or plotting
 to kill me. Either way, you've got some work to do, don't you, so stop lollygagging around
 here! I'm serious! This is the end of the file. The floor show is over. Yeah, I know, you got
 screwed again. What, you want your money back? Life is full of disappointments! Okay, that's
 it. End of file. Finis. See y'all later. Don't let the screen door hit you where Pen-pen should
 have bit you!

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