Nightshift

Nightshift
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Shinji was never really good at school.

Even though he did manage to keep his grades up to par, he never actually excelled at anything. From exams to physical education, he was only average. However, there was one aspect of school that Shinji completely and utterly always failed at.

The pilot of Unit 01 gulped as he stood in front of the house. Briefly wondering why a pilot wasn’t exempted from something like this, the boy softly knocked on the door. When no immediate response came, Shinji’s apprehension subsided somewhat but he knew that he would have to try again.

Slightly harder than before, he tapped the door with his knuckles but no one answered. Relieved, Shinji backed away from the door. This meant that he wouldn’t have to start on the project today.

Yes, Shinji Ikari was terrible at group projects.

The only saving grace came in the form of the class representative herself. Since she was his partner, he actually had a chance of making a decent grade but that didn’t mean anything if they never got to work.

Even if he was certain that he wouldn’t fail based on the studious nature of Hikari that didn’t mean that working together with her or virtually anyone would be easy.

“At least it’s easier than dealing with Asuka or Ayanami…” Shinji thought out loud, the thought of Asuka laughing in his face or being faced with Rei’s blank silence enough to send a shiver down his spine.

All too quickly, he started to make his retreat down the street until the sound of someone approaching reached his ears. Even from where he stood he could hear the details of the argument.

“Come on! I just want to know why you are leaving me like this!”

“Do you really want to know?” A young woman said, her voice making it obvious that she was tired of dealing with the man.

“Why do you think I’m following you?!” He screamed in her face, his frustration clearly marked in his words.

Not one to even remotely like confrontation, Shinji simply shrugged his shoulders and returned to walking back to the apartment he shared with his co-workers.

“Oh well, if you really want to know… I’m seeing someone else.”

“W-What!?”

A pause followed his shocked words and the pilot didn’t need to look behind him to feel that something was about to go wrong. That’s why he started to walk a bit faster.

“There he is! See he was waiting on me!”

“You’re lying! That guy is walking away!” The brown haired boy took a quick look over his shoulder at the man before he started to walk even faster than before, “N-No!! He’s running away!”

Shinji could feel the eyes lingering on his back and the things they were saying weren’t exactly music to his ears. Although he could hear the footsteps coming in his direction, he sincerely started to hope what he had in mind wasn’t happening but it already was.

“Hey! It’s me! Kodama!”

In realizing that the name sounded extremely familiar, Shinji made the ultimate mistake of slowing down which gave the girl behind him just enough time to catch up. Tensing up as she put her hand on his shoulder, Shinji turned to look at the girl who stared back at him with a look that told him to go along with it or she’d kill him.

Not far behind, the large man that was following her came to a stop, “Stop messing around! That guy isn’t your boyfriend!” He exclaimed, pointing at Shinji as he spoke.

“How are you going to tell me?” Kodama’s expression softened as she circled Shinji and embraced him from behind, “This boy is my lover…” She said as she tightened her hold on him.

Sensing Shinji’s discomfort, the guy smirked, “What’s his name then?”

“Takashiro.” She replied quickly, leaving a dumbfounded look on both their faces.

Slowly nodding, the man pulled out his trump card. Refusing to believe that she left him like that for a shrimp like the boy in front of him, he looked her directly in the eye, “If he means so much to you why don’t you kiss him?”

Kodama’s sly grin was enough to tell him that he made another mistake, “You really want to get your feelings hurt that bad huh? Let’s show him then… Takashiro.”

Confused, Shinji didn’t speak or even more after she wrapped her arms around him. It wasn’t until she dug her fingernail into his side that he remembered that Takashiro was supposed to be his name.

He turned his head just in time to see her face moving closer to his, “W-Wait! I… I’m n-“

She pressed her lips against his.

In front of her former boyfriend, she licked her tongue across his lips and invoked the reaction she wanted when his lips parted. The way he unwillingly allowed her to have access into his mouth pleased her and the kiss continued. With her mouth completely on top of his, she tried to explore every region of his mouth and cleaned every bit of it that she could with her tongue.

She didn’t stop there…

As the kiss they shared deepened, so did her enjoyment. This was innocence she tasted… and the way he relented just made her crave it even more. Even if all the men she have been with submitted to her, this boy was the only one who did it against his will.

She forgot she was on the sidewalk. She forgot that she was outside. That’s why she started to reach for the buttons on his shirt until the receding footsteps of her audience made the gears of her mind come back to life.

Instantly releasing Shinji, she broke the kiss and stepped backwards.

They stared at each other as he reached up and touched his lips, momentarily remembering that it was his first kiss. Also, it was only now that he took a good look at her.

The khaki pants and the white blouse which had her name stitched into it made him recall that it was the same uniform the people at the clothing store a few blocks away wore. The clothes displayed the figure she was proud of just as well as the clothes fit. Even if her curves could capture the attention of nearly any man, Shinji’s eyes were locked on the face that stared back at him.

Unlike him, she was seemingly unfazed by the kiss. Despite that, her lax brown eyes stared at him with something hidden within their depths and the lips that were lustfully pressed against his not even seconds ago went into motion as she spoke.

The long ponytail made up of her long black hair swayed as she moved closer to him, “So what is your real name Takashiro?” She asked softly, the feeling of the kiss they shared still on her mind.

“It’s Shinji…”

Kodama smiled, “Well you just helped me out a lot Shinji. You’re acting was pretty garbage but it’s a good thing he was stupid.”

“Um... Y-You’re welcome?” He said, still blushing because of the abrupt kiss.

Amused, she narrowed her eyes at the pilot, “Anyway, you want to come in? It’s the least-“

“Kodama!”

Shinji’s partner stood in the doorway with an expression that made the older girl cringe. Rubbing her eye as she looked at her sister, Hikari stepped out of the house, “I told Nozomi to wake me up twenty minutes ago…” She whispered under her breath, angry at herself for depending on her younger sister for something.

The pilot quietly observed the two as he recalled the reason why Kodama’s name sounded so familiar. It was because Kodama and Nozomi were Hikari’s sisters. She had told him in advance and he’d have forgot again if it wasn’t for the chance encounter with the eldest of the three, “Sorry Miss Horaki, I-“

Hikari shook her head. He shouldn’t be the one apologizing, “Don’t worry about it Shinji. It’s my fault that you almost left since I was sleep.”

The apology to Shinji took second place to giving her older sister the lecture she deserved. Staring Kodama directly in the eye, Hikari put her hands on her hips, “I thought I heard arguing… and I come out here to find you messing with Shinji.”

Even though she was absolutely against it, she knew fully well how her sister treated members of the opposite sex, “He’s my friend Kodama so don’t start your stupid games with him.”

Another sly grin found a home on Kodama’s face, “Whoever said I was playing?”

Hikari raised an eyebrow as her sister made her way towards a blushing Shinji and, again, wrapped her arms around his frame. Positioning herself so she’ll still be able to see her sister’s expression from behind Shinji, Kodama fought to contain a laugh, “He just agreed to be my boyfriend a few minutes ago.”

His classmate sighed, “You know I’m not going to fall for that.”

Kodama laughed as a cloud started to block the rays of the afternoon sun, “I knew you were going to say something like that. You can just ask Shinji if you want.”

Immediately, Hikari’s sight landed on him and Kodama’s finger poked him in the side. Shinji held in a sigh as he was placed in another awkward position.

Seconds passed and his partner was about to speak until Shinji replied with an answered that silenced her.

“Yes… I’m her boyfriend.”

Of course, it was bad acting on his part again but the statement had just enough impact to get the look Kodama wanted on Hikari’s face.

Even though Kodama was only having her fun, Hikari knew that Shinji wasn’t the kind of person to even talk about a relationship like that much less be in one. She never was a fan of her sister’s antics, but doing it to someone as shy as Shinji couldn’t possibly lead to anything good.

Angry at herself for being partly to blame for them meeting like this, Hikari marched in front of Shinji and grabbed his wrist, “Whatever Kodama, let’s go start on the project Shinji.”

Her sister released him and calmly watched as her younger sister half dragged the boy away. Yawning, Kodama followed them into the house. Sadly, her little sister had no idea that the fact that she knew Shinji only made messing with him more fun. However, Kodama couldn’t deny that she liked his bashful nature…

~*~

Around the time of Second Impact, the world was in disarray. Even though a few select places were somehow continuing on despite what had happen, the majority of the world was still frozen in time. Skirmishes were still happening at nearly every boarder but it wasn’t until the people of China took up arms against each other that the first official war took place. With the civil war in China as a spark, the flames of war overwhelmed the entire world.

It wasn’t until the United Nations, with much protest, took the offensive and swept across the world. In light of the UN’s power, nearly every armed force was crushed. Despite heavy loses, the United Nations did what it set out to do and proper control was established throughout the world.

Everyone knew this but not many people knew exactly how the UN did it. That’s why the class was assigned the task of choosing a country and showing how the United Nations successfully routed the uprisings.

“This… This is so boring.” She muttered as she looked down at the sheets of paper that talked about the important periods of recent history.

Kodama was glad she wasn’t in school anymore. She was already too lazy to help them but the fact that the project was so boring made it even worse.

Shinji said nothing as he continued to draw the map. With painstaking care, he slowly sketched every detail as shown on the book. It wouldn’t take long to finish the outline of the island but, even if this wasn’t exactly easy, he knew Hikari had the hardest job.

Quietly, his partner sat opposite him at the table. The big book she was reading had all the information they needed but extracting the information they needed out of the book and turning it into a proper report would be kind of difficult considering all she had to read.

“Hmm… I didn’t know you could draw that well Shinji.”

Hikari’s eyebrow started to twitch, “Probably because you don’t know him…”

“What are you talking about?” Kodama asked before sliding her seat closer to Shinji, “I’m his girlfriend.” She purred in his ear causing him to mess up on the line he was drawing.

“You’re getting in the way now…” Hikari closed the book and stood up, “Shinji, if you want her to leave then just tell her to go.”

“You don’t have to worry about that...” Kodama leaned into Shinji and rested her head on his shoulder, “My Shinji would never want me to leave his side.”

The older girl cracked a smile as she could virtually see the steam coming out of her sister’s ears. She knew more than anyone that her little sister hated when people disturbed her schoolwork and that was precisely what she was doing.

“Why don’t you go and take one of your naps or something? It’s not like you ever do anything constructive.”

“Why don’t you go make dinner or something before I give him something to eat?” Kodama said, a smile beginning to spread across her face at the thought of her sister’s reaction.

Her face flushing with color, Hikari took a quick glance at the drawing Shinji who was oblivious to the innuendo. Even though the meaning behind her statement was indecent to say the least, she was right about dinner. Still, that didn’t mean that she would give her sister the pleasure of ordering her around.

The fiery look in the class representative’s eyes matched the lazy but amused look in her sister’s. This happened every day. Every day it was something about her boy crazy sister. She endured the repeated calls that endlessly asked for her sister. She purposely overlooked the fact that her sister actually liked twisting up people’s feelings and then throwing them away when she was finished with them.

Today was a different story though… Not only was she trying to make Shinji into another one of her toys but she was interrupting their work.

Hikari’s frustration started to peak as she stared at her older sister. Even now, Kodama was waiting on her to say something just so she could retort with a witty remark that would make her look stupid.

“Look Kodama, I-“

“Hey big brother, can I draw too?”

Everyone turned their attention to the youngest of the three sisters as she stepped closer to Shinji. Above everything, Nozomi was a miniature version of Hikari from the freckles to the pigtails. Still dressed in her school uniform, the young girl patiently waited on his reply as her large brown eyes quietly observed him. In contrast to her sisters, Nozomi lacked the sense of presence that they had. Instead of being charming like Kodama or somewhat commanding like Hikari, Nozomi was soft-spoken.

Shinji nodded before he handed her the rest of the lineless paper. Upon handing her the spare pencil he kept in his pocket, she smiled brightly, “Thank you big brother.”

As Nozomi took a seat at the table and started to randomly drag the pencil across the paper in an attempt to draw balloons, the confrontation that was about to happened prior to her arrival in the room never occurred.

Hikari, temporarily pushing back what she wanted to say to Kodama, sighed as another obstacle got in the way of their project, “Nozomi, you didn’t even introduce yourself.”

“What’s the point of introductions when you already know who each other are?”

“Nobody asked you Kodama!”

“Hey big brother,” Nozomi held out the sheet of paper she was drawing on, “Can you draw me an airplane?”

He again nodded as he accepted the paper and started to draw as Hikari and Kodama got into another argument. As he sketched the wings, Shinji smiled as he heard his partner instruct her sister to say please while Kodama made fun of their project. In a sense, it was kind of hard to keep up with but, at the same time, harmony was there.

Their personalities conflicted but they also complimented each other. It might have sounded chaotic but it was probably a usual day for all of them.

He said nothing as he listened to the commotion around him. While he sketched, he briefly wondered if this was what it was like to have a family.

“Shinji,” Hikari said, drawing his attention, “It’s time for me to make dinner but you can stay around if you want.”

The pilot shook his head as he put the finishing touches on the airplane, “No thank you, I have to get back to the apartment and make Misato and Asuka something to eat or else they’ll try fixing something to eat.” He voiced before he handed the drawing to the young girl at the end of the table.

Nozomi’s face lit up as she looked at the drawing but her eyes held a hint of disappointment, “You’re leaving already big brother?”

Hikari nodded, “It’s time for him to leave but you can help me get dinner ready if you want to.”

With that, the youngest made her exit but not before waving goodbye to Shinji who waved back. Hikari escorted the girl into the kitchen and looked behind her as she walked, “I’m sorry we didn’t get much done today but I’ll work extra hard tomorrow. I know it’s not due for a while but it’s best to get it finished early just in case.”

“It’s okay,” Shinji put his pencil back in his pocket before sliding his chair back to get up, “You don’t have to force your-“

“Do you want me to walk you home?”

Surprised, Shinji stumbled over his words after Kodama posed the question, “Y-You don’t have too. I’m a-alright by myself.”

Hikari breathed in a sign of relief as she walked into the kitchen. The last thing she needed was Kodama to be out of her sight with Shinji, “See you later Shinji and I promise I’ll be awake tomorrow so we won’t waste any time.”

“Okay.” He said as he excused himself from the table and walked towards the front door, “Bye everyone.”

With the slam of the door noting that he left, Hikari opened the refrigerator to get some of the ingredients she needed, “Nozomi, tell Kodama to set the table since she doesn’t like to help cook.”

“Huh?” Nozomi looked up at her sister, “She left with big brother.”

Hikari blinked, “What!?”

~*~

“You really didn’t have to come…”

Kodama smiled as she walked beside him down the sidewalk, “I wanted to and you don’t have to be nervous around me. We’ve already kissed you know.”

He stopped walking as he remembered that they actually did kiss and that was all the time she needed to casually wrap her arms around his neck from behind. With her cunning smile still in place, she moved her mouth closer to his ear, “You don’t like being around people do you?”

“It’s not like that.” Shinji admitted, her arms still around him, “I just don’t-“

“Feel comfortable around others? It’s not hard to see that.” Kodama released him and slowly circled around him as she spoke, “For example, it’s hard for you to look me in the eyes.”

“Sorry…”

She chuckled, “You’re cute so it’s okay. You don’t have to apologize but I need you to answer a question for me.”

Shinji looked up, “Um, what is it?”

“You want to be my boyfriend?”

“I…”

The smile on her face grew in size as the boy in front of her opted to look at the ground, “Don’t take it so seriously. It’s just a joke I’m going to play on my sister.”

Shinji looked up in thought, “I don’t know. She probably won’t like it.”

“Oh? Her reaction isn’t that important,” Kodama put her hand on his shoulder, “I like you Shinji.”

“I want to help you.” She said softly as she moved closer to him, “Just spend a few days with me and… hmm… I’ll help you build your self confidence.”

Under the night sky, Shinji adverted his eyes away from the girl in front of him, “No one ever said they liked me before…”

Her laid back smile disappeared, “Ah? Your sister doesn’t like you?”

Shinji’s eyebrow went up at the question, “I don’t have a sister.”

Kodama folded her arms, “Then who is Asuka?”

Shinji was never one to burst out laughing but there were always exceptions and this was certainly one. His eyes watered as he fought to contain his laughter but his effort was in vain as he laughed out loud, clutching the fence before he fell on the ground.

Puzzled, she could only watch, “If the idea of you two being related is that funny then I’ll have to meet her someday.”

Still laughing, the pilot shook his head, “She… She is my coworker.”

Kodama snapped her fingers, “Oh yeah, I almost forgot that Hikari told me you were a pilot but was it really that funny?”

“Kind of… I had this image in my head that’s hard to put into words.” Shinji said as he rubbed his eyes.

“I’m glad I could make you laugh,” Kodama put her hands behind her head as they started walking again, “You were looking down every since we left the house.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” She smiled again as she looked up at the stars, “So what do you say Shinji? Will you take me as your girlfriend?”

In the end it would probably just be a joke or even just her wasting time on him but did he have any reason to say no? It wasn’t like he really had anything to do in his free time for real anyway.

Shinji turned towards Kodama, “If you want to...”

~*~

Kodama was a very patient person. If you didn’t give situations the time needed for them to turn to your favor then the entire point of being involved was lost but, at the same time, you couldn’t tend to everything like a flower or you’d end up wasting time.

That’s why you had to know what you were doing and…

Shinji walked out of the parking lot yawning until he caught sight of the girl waving at him. Holding a hand in front of his eyes to block the sunlight, he could see that the person was waiting on him, “Kodama…?”

She always knew what she was doing.

Kodama stretched as she nodded, “Good morning Shinji.”

“Um…” He looked around for sight of Hikari, “Why are you here?”

She held her hand in front of her mouth as she laughed, “Forgot already? You’re my boyfriend. I don’t need a reason to be around you.”

That’s right. He agreed to it before she left yesterday.

Shinji turned away to hide his blush but, in doing that, he didn’t see Kodama go into motion. The girl grasped his hand and smiled as he turned to her in shock, “People do things like this when they’re together.” She said happily, pointing at their joined hands.

“I see…” He said softly, entranced by the sight of his hand being held so tightly.

“If you care that much about holding hands then I think we’re going to have a lot of fun together.” She started to walk with Shinji following but he couldn’t take his eyes off their hands.

It might have not been that important to her but, to Shinji, things like this were precious. Being in contact with someone like this meant that they were friends and that was one of the best things he could ever ask for.

“Where are we going…?” Shinji asked as Kodama pulled him across the street with her, breaking away from the route he took to walk to Hikari’s house.

“We’re going to work of course.”

Setting aside the fact that he didn’t work with her, Shinji looked over his shoulder at the road he should have walked down, “Hikari wants to get started on the project though. I just can’t-“

“Ah? She won’t be up for a while and besides…” Kodama came to an abrupt stop and turned around with a grin spread across her face, “Aren’t you supposed to make time for your girlfriend?”

Obviously, she was enjoying it and he found her enthusiasm contagious.

He nodded and she spun back around to resume their walk to the clothing store she worked at. It didn’t take long for them to reach the street that the store was on and he decided to pose a question to his faux girlfriend as he walked in, “Kodama, why… um… why am I going to work with you?”

“I was waiting on that Shinji.” That familiar sly smile on her face told her that she was ready and prepared exactly for that question.

Despite that, she opted to pull open the door to the store instead of answer his question. She released the hold she had on his hand and signaled over her shoulder for Shinji to follow her but not before looking from side to side just to check if anyone inside the clothing store saw her.

It was in the corner of the store that Shinji saw something that caught his eye and, instantly, an ominous feeling came over him, ‘She couldn’t… be taking me there!’ His mind cried as he froze in place, knowing he couldn’t continue.

Unfortunately, Kodama grabbed his wrist and pulled him deeper into the section of the store dedicated solely to women’s underwear. Given the all the lacy and see through material around him, it was no wonder he was blushing but he had another question for his girlfriend, “Why are we here?” Shinji coughed out, hiding behind a mannequin as an older woman walked into the store.

“So you can buy me some underwear of course!” She announced loudly, giving him all the more reason to duck just a bit lower behind the clothing display.

“A-Are you serious?”

That sly smile was his answer as she started to walk away to another part of the star, “I’m going to clock in but you’ll have something for me when I come back right?”

“W-Wait!” He shouted to the retreating girl, “I don’t even know what color you like!”

She waved him off, “How about you get something you like then?”

With that, she was gone and Shinji sighed as he turned back towards the underwear section. Seeing that it was a clothing store, the selection was large and varied greatly. It stretched from the very exotic to the pretty plain in more than enough colors to fill a crayon box.

Shyly, he reached out and picked up a jet black set of satin panties. Shinji stared at them with an unreadable expression and his eyebrow started to twitch as he realized something.

What was he doing?

He was supposed to be working on a group project not… panty shopping.

“Hmm?” Said the returning girlfriend, “Didn’t think you would like something like that.”

With the blush successfully conquering most of his face, he dropped the panties back on the shelf. Still, what he had to say was serious, “Sorry Kodama but I think Hikari might be awake now so-“

“You’re not getting them?” She asked, interrupting him in the process.

“Well, no…” Shinji said simply, “I can’t just pick out your… underwear.”

This surprised her… Given his personality, she assumed he would randomly buy something like everyone else she dragged in with her like this. Not that this was a test or anything, it was just interesting that this was the first time anyone of the opposite sex said no to her in a long time. Hikari’s friend was an interesting one indeed.

“Come on,” Kodama grabbed the panties and, to Shinji’s shock, stuffed them into her pocket, “Let’s head to the house then.”

“B-But what happened to working?” The pilot wondered out loud as he followed the sneaky girl out of the store.

“Easy. I just clock in and then come back to clock out.” Kodama flashed a smile as she grabbed his hand, leading him down the street before the manager caught sight of her, “It’s not like I need to be there. I can do a week’s work in a day anyway.”

She looked over her shoulder at the brown haired boy, “Besides it’s only right that I make time for my wonderful boyfriend since he made time for me right?”

The crafty look in her eyes made him gulp, “I guess so…”

Similar to the walk to the clothing store, the walk from it was just as silent but for different reasons. While Shinji was surprised by Kodama’s sudden touch the first time around, his mind was on the unfinished project as they hopefully headed to her house.

However, Kodama’s thoughts weren’t as pure.

He was passive enough to be dragged across town but he was still defiant enough to not bend when she wanted him to. Was it a coincidence? It had to be. She never met anyone who could resist her charm but her sister’s classmate was proving to be just enough of a challenge to make it even more fun than it was before.

Overlooking that, she could tell from the beginning that he was worth her time. Either way, today was going to be very amusing one way or-

“Kodama!!”

That familiar screeching of her name was more than enough to derail her train of thought. Kodama released Shinji’s hand and her arm fell to her side as she looked up at the only person who could make such an annoying scream, “Hikari?”

She was so deep in thought that she didn’t realize that they were already there.

“I knew something was up when you got up this early.” The freckled girl took her time walking from the doorway of the house all the way to the sidewalk, “I told you to stop your dumb games already!”

“My boyfriend here walked me to work but we came back here so we could help my little sister out,” Kodama faced her sister’s anger with sarcastic tone, “A shame that she doesn’t appreciate the fact that I gave up my precious time for her.”

“Forger that… Shinji, did she do anything to you?” His partner asked as she peeked behind Kodama at him.

He shook his head, “It’s just like she said.”

“Come on, let’s get started and you…” A frustrated sigh was enough of a sign to show how Hikari felt about their fake relationship, “Go back to work.” She said, pointing at her sister for further reference.

The oldest sister shrugged, “Why do you think I’m here? I’m off today.”

Hikari ignored her sister's lies and ushered her guest inside the house, “My father’s here today so we’re having dinner early Shinji. I’ll like if you can stay since you couldn’t last time. You’re up for it?”

Shinji idly scratched the side of his face as he thought if he should take her invitation or not. He wouldn’t mind seeing that meant he could eat here and then make something for his roommates but, at the same time, he didn’t want to intrude.

“That’s a good idea.” Kodama added, “I think father would be glad to meet a pilot and Nozomi would be glad if you stayed just an extra hour or two.”

Hikari had her reasons to suspect that Kodama wanting Shinji around was simply for her own enjoyment but she couldn’t deny that she agreed with her for once.

If they were looking forward to it that much then he couldn’t let them down, “I guess its okay then.”

~*~

“Ah, so you’re the pilot?”

“Did you know he was my boyfriend daddy?” Kodama said with ease, staring at the boy who sat opposite her as she spoke.

“Hey big brother, do you want to play after dinner?” Nozomi asked, turning to the side to look him in the face.

The soft spoken man almost spit out the tea he was drinking, “Y-Your boyfriend!?”

Hikari placed the last dish on the table before patting her father on the back as he coughed, “Don’t believe her father!”

To put it simply, the kitchen table was more animated than Shinji expected it to be. As Hikari took her seat on the side of Kodama, Shinji couldn’t help but let his wander to the only unoccupied chair in the room. It didn’t take long for him to figure out who it probably belonged to but the feeling of something brushing against his leg distracted him enough that he couldn’t even maintain the thought of wondering what kind of person the sisters’ mother was.

“Daddy, I’m glad you could meet Shinji today,” Kodama smiled at him as she rubbed her leg against his under the table, “He’s an important person to me.”

“Well, he’s an important person to me also Kodama.” Her father commented as he looked at the pilot, “Most of my work is indirectly because of him.” He said before he reached for the bowl of rice in front of him.

“Sorry.”

“Oh no, I mean it’s because of you that I even have a job Ikari. We’re happy to have you here.” Mister Horaki said quickly to clear up what he meant.

“Yeah,” Nozomi agreed, “We can play with dolls later if you want to big brother.”

When he looked into the shining eyes of the girl who sat beside him he had no choice but to nod which drew a smile from the youngest sister. It was then that he could tell how similar Nozomi was to her father but her sisters couldn’t possibly be more different than the seemingly docile father and daughter.

Despite that, the atmosphere of the room was so wholesome that Shinji completely forgot how nervous he felt before he sat at the table. As they started to talk about the day, Shinji quietly ate his food and then simply watched as he purposely stayed out of the conversation.

Kodama honestly smiled as her father proposed the idea of her using the car seeing that he would probably get a new one soon. Hikari chastised her younger sister for her poor table manners seeing that they had a guest in the house.

“Hmm?” His girlfriend put an end to his watchful observations as she looked squarely at him, “Do you want some more Shinji?”

“No thank you,” Shinji said politely, “I’m already-“

A cell phone interrupted him as the ringing reached his ears. Slowly, he reached for his pocket knowing exactly what that call meant but found something was off when he heard a hello coming from the head of the table.

Shinji breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that the father was the one who received the call. Upon hanging up, the man promptly stood up, “Sorry everyone but it looks like I have some work to do.”

“I thought daddy didn’t go to work today though.” Nozomi stated as she watched her father quickly eat a bit more before sliding his chair under the table.

The grown man rubbed his hand in her hair, “Daddy always has work to do.”

As the girls bid their father goodbye, Shinji could see where Hikari got her work ethic from. Upon hearing the door close, his project partner got up and picked up the empty plate her father left behind, “I can get your plate if you’re finished Shinji.”

“Hmm? You never asked if I wanted you to get my plate.”

Hikari frowned, “Probably because you can put it in the sink yourself Kodama.”

“But big brother can put his plate in the sink, too.” Nozomi noted, unintentionally adding to the stress Kodama put on Hikari.

“Nozomi, we do that because he’s a guest. You-“

“That’s okay,” Shinji stated as he picked up his plate, “Do you want me to help you wash dishes?”

Ignoring her sisters, Hikari stopped to think about it. This was also a good opportunity to talk to him alone for a while, “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind.”

To avoid cleaning the table, Kodama slipped away from the table as Hikari deposited the dishes in the sink but Nozomi still had something to ask the pilot, “Are we still going to play big brother?”

Shinji nodded as he gathered the rest of the dishes on the table, “After I finish, what do you want to do?” He asked, kneeling over to get on eye level with her.

The happy smile on her face was more than enough to make him forget the heart attack he almost had when the cell phone started to ring. As Nozomi ran off to get her dolls, Hikari decided that this was the best time to say what she had on her mind, “Shinji, I’ve been waiting to talk to you for a while.”

He gently placed the dishes in the water for her, “I’m finished drawing the map. We only have to mark the cities on it and-“

“I’m not talking about the project Shinji.” She cut him off as she started to wash the dishes, “It’s about my sister.”

“Kodama?”

“She is really smart but… she likes playing with people.”

Despite how lazy she was, Kodama was easily the smartest person she knew. When she was Nozomi’s age she used to look up to her and even want to be like her but now she didn’t even respect her anymore.

Just like she said, she liked playing with people. Making them look stupid, manipulating them, hurting feelings, and anything else she thought was fun. She just enjoyed twisting people’s feelings with her own hands for perfectly no reason other than the fact that she thought it was fun.

Not to mention what she did with the boys that liked her…

“Shinji, don’t let her use you anymore.” Hikari didn’t bother to turn around and speak to him. She knew that he clearly heard her and she also knew fully well what she was asking of him, “Tell her to stop. If you… If you aren’t up to it then I’ll tell her for you, okay?”

“I… If…” He hesitated, “If you really feel that way about then I’ll-“

“Break up with my dear girlfriend even though she means so much to me.” Kodama said dramatically as she walked back into the kitchen, “Shinji, you’re too considerate of others. It only makes me like you more though.”

Unfazed by the conversation she walked in on, the eldest sister leaned on the refrigerator, “Nozomi did all that talk about playing with you but fell asleep the second she touched the bed. Anyway, come on Shinji.”

“Kodama stop! He doesn’t want to do this anymore!” Hikari yelled, spinning around to face her older sister.

With that as her cue, Kodama skipped towards Shinji and wrapped her arms around him. Burying his head in her chest, she grinned as she turned to Hikari, “Hmm? I told you we’re serious.”

“You’re lying! Shinji, tell her and we can make her stop.”

“He’s my boyfriend Hikari.” Kodama said as the smile on her face faded away. The serious tone of her voice and the lack of action on Shinji’s part almost made Hikari reconsider what she was doing but her sister still had something to share with her, “He is important to me.”

Kodama was a master at lying and Shinji seemed like the kind of person who would go along with her if she pushed him enough but that was also the first time in a long time that Kodama was anything close to being serious. Still, the idea that Shinji and her sister was together was too hard to believe…

“Kodama, I’m not scared to-“

“I like kissing him.” Kodama calmly added, her sly smile returning if only to add fuel to the fire in Hikari’s eyes.

Frustrated, his classmate forgot completely about washing dishes as she stormed out of the kitchen to leave them alone. She wasn’t mean enough to give Shinji an ‘I told you so’ when Kodama eventually cast him to the side but she wasn’t going to try and help if he wasn’t going to help himself.

With the sound of Hikari’s angry footsteps getting more distant, Kodama released the hold she had on Shinji. The pilot almost fell backwards as he fought to breath properly again, “You almost… You almost strangled me.”

“No need to get angry, it’s a good place to die.” Kodama smiled brightly as she remembered the expression on her sister’s face, “Good thing she was too angry to notice that though.”

“About that…” Shinji looked her in the eyes, “I don’t want to make her mad anymore.”

“Done.”

“It’s just that she really looked- Huh?”

Kodama laughed, “If you ask me something and I can do it then I will do it. I said I was going to help you build your self confidence didn’t I? Besides, it’s something I’ll do for my boyfriend.”

“You were serious?”

“I always was.” She reached for his hand and took it into her own, “I meant it when I said I like you so do you like me?”

“I do.” Shinji said simply, managing to surprise even himself with his quick answer.

“Come with me then.” Kodama whispered as she began to lead him out of the kitchen and down the hall to her room. Walking past the close door that led into the room her sisters shared, she pushed the unlocked door of the next room and they ventured inside a place few ever had reason to go.

Her room, Shinji decided, didn’t match her character. The plain dark blue walls were the same color as the carpet but what caught Shinji’s eye was the fact that everything was so neat. From the carefully made bed to the properly cleaned desk, everything was spotless.

In a way, it reminded him of his room…

“I’m wearing them.” Kodama said quietly as she closed the door behind them. The look on his face told her that he needed some help so she gave him a hint, “What we picked out together.”

Shinji coughed as he remembered that she stole them, “Y-You’re wearing those panties?”

Kodama gave him just enough of a push for him to fall back on the bed, “Gee Shinji, I didn’t know you’d be that happy.” She said sarcastically before moving closer to him.

“You stole them though…”

“You made me remember that I didn’t clock out.” She smiled as she crawled over him with intention to change the subject, “I’m about to kiss you again Shinji.”

He made no attempt to stop her from getting on top of him but, again, he spoke before he could hold back what he wanted to say, “Kodama, do you really like me?”

Her advance was halted, “What are you talking about?”

Based on the way she looked at him, he had no choice but to reply. Shinji blushed as he decided to make himself clear, “I like you but… I can tell that you don’t like me the same way that I like you.”

Kodama stared down at him with a blank look on her face and blinked when she realized that he just successfully fended off her advances in an attempt to confirm her feelings for him. She knew Shinji was interesting and that it was a chance he would be a difficult one but she never expected this much out of him.

She was the type of girl who loved a challenge and, more importantly than that, she knew exactly how she felt about the boy she met not even days ago, “Hmm? It’s hard to believe that I like you enough to bring you in my room and kiss you as much as you want?”

That was the point.

It was hard to believe.

He liked to be with Kodama but he couldn’t forget what Hikari said to him. He didn’t want her to just push him away when she had her fun with him. If she honestly liked him then he was okay with anything she wanted to do and even if she was lying he still didn’t mind.

The familiar feeling of her mouth on his was unexpected but it set him at ease.

Her body pressed his into the bed and her tongue reached deeper into his mouth. He would be the first to admit that it felt good to do this with her but he maintained only one thought as the kiss continued.

More than piloting Evangelion or finishing the project, he wished that she wouldn’t do him wrong.

~*~

He was glad that she gave him a good reason to get out of the apartment. If he had to listen to any more of the arguments between Asuka and Touji he was going to go crazy and Kodama answered his prayers by knocking on the door. Sadly, the partners decided to follow him to Hikari’s house not only for a break but to see how far they got on the assignment.

“Hmm?” Kodama placed her hands in her pockets as she walked, “So you’re the Asuka I heard so much about?”

The second child turned around and pointed at Shinji as she stood with one hand on her hip, “What has that pervert Shinji been telling you?”

“Just like red ta make fun of sumbody since she can’t do her part of the work.”

“Shut up stooge! What have you done to help me then?”

“You told me you didn’t need no help!” Touji snapped at her, tired of her releasing her frustration on other people.

Shinji rubbed his head in a lame attempt to make his headache go away but it was no surprise that Kodama was the first one to make it worst. Looking away from the fascinating exchange of insults, she poked Shinji in the side of the face, “You don’t look so happy today? Can it be that you’re sad that your friends are cutting in on our time?”

“K-Kind of…” The pilot admitted, his face taking on some color as he spoke.

Already lagging behind the trouble in front of them, Kodama slowed down to distance herself from Asuka and Touji even more. Once the partners disappeared around a corner, Kodama grabbed his hand, “You don’t want them to know do you?”

“Kodama…”

“I was thinking about you last night Shinji.” She looked straight ahead as she spoke, “I’m going to tell you something I never told anyone else. It’s a secret between us okay?”

He nodded in silent agreement to keep the secret and she smiled as she stopped walking. She looked at their joined hands, taking her time to put words to what she was thinking, “What Hikari told you was true but I wanted you to know that I meant it. There are things that I’ll only do with you from now on if you let me.”

“What do you-“

“I want to have sex with you.”

The blush she expected from him never came to his face, “We can’t do things like that…”

“Why not?” Kodama asked quickly, her discontent showing as she moved closer to him.

“I… I have to finish the project.”

It was an excuse but she couldn’t fault him since it was a good one. Still, she wasn’t going to lose to him. She smiled as she pulled out a balled up piece of paper from her pocket, “I marked the cities for you last night. It’s finished.” She grinned as she let the torn page from the textbook drift away in the wind.

While the idea that she did it because she was smart enough to predict that this was going to happen would add more to her ego, she did it purely out of her own free will seeing that she took up most of his time yesterday. On a darker note, she knew why he didn’t want to go with her.

“Thank you.” He whispered, unable to look up into her eyes.

“So what do I have to do in order to convince my boyfriend of all people that I really like him?” Kodama looked up at passing clouds, “Get his name tattooed across my neck? Give him back the special panties he picked for me? Tell my family that I’ll marry-“

“Okay!” He said, changing his tone as he realized he raised his voice, “Okay, I get it.”

She let go of his hand in order to place both of hers on his shoulders, “Shinji, I won’t say that I love you because I don’t yet but this is something that I’ll only do with you from now on. If you don’t want to then I-“

“I want to… be closer to you.” He admitted, blushing like a schoolgirl after a confession.

“That’s the same way I feel.” Kodama replied as they walked back into the parking lot of the apartment complex, both of them knowing what was going to happen when they got inside the empty apartment.

~*~

The sound of clothes being thrown off was one that Shinji long ago forgot as she pressed him against the locked door of his room. The cotton of her bra rubbed against the skin of his bare chest but even that feeling was lost seeing that the only thing he could concentrate on was Kodama. She was already pretty even in the uniform she had to wear to work but when she took off the clip that neatly kept her hair in a ponytail he swore on his life that she was the most beautiful woman he ever laid his eyes on.

With her hair falling down to the small of her back, Kodama looked elegant… almost like a shrine maiden.

However, her kisses were not graceful at all.

She held nothing back and her kisses reflected that flawlessly, the sound of the sloppy kiss they shared was proof enough of the fact. Their tongues did not duel but instead simply slid against each others in an attempt to get more access into the other’s mouth and that was what happened.

His tongue slid across the roof her mouth and she flicked her tongue across his teeth, both tasted the other. Kodama slowly pulled away from him, licking her lips to get the saliva Shinji left on them.

Unsure of what to do next, Shinji waited on her to take motion and she did.

“Took a bit of time but that’s okay.” She smiled as she rubbed his crotch and felt the bulge she was searching for.

“K-Kodama!”

“Shhh…” His girlfriend looked him in the eyes as she pulled down his zipper and reached her hand inside the warmth that was his boxers. When her hand came into contact with his dick, Shinji could feel the hair rising on the back of his neck but she had way more to do than just touch the most private of his body parts, “Just stand still for me okay?” She whispered, amused by what seemed to be a permanent blush on his face.

She pulled her hand out of his boxers and kneeled down in front of him. Using one hand to unbuckle his pants and, later, pull down his underwear, Kodama reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, flat square. Too embarrassed to look down anymore, Shinji chose to stare at the wall until she called his name.

“Shinji,” Kodama spit out the plastic wrapping and looked up at him, “Pay attention to this.” She said seriously as she once again touched him.

The rubbery material of the condom stretched over the sensitive head of his penis and she slid the rest of it down his length. His girlfriend regained her soft smile as she stood back up, “This is so you won’t turn me into a mama okay?”

The simple explanation was more than enough to make the situation feel even more embarrassing but this was just the beginning.

Placing her hand on his shoulder to support her, Kodama took off her pants and threw them on top of her shirt. The older girl smiled as Shinji couldn’t bring himself to look at her, the awkwardness of being naked with someone being too much for him to handle.

Recalling her first time, she knew more than anyone that this was the time to reassure him and that was exactly what she did when she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek to get his attention, “Don’t worry, I’m going to show you what to do.” She whispered as she looked him in the eyes.

He nodded and she walked towards his bed. Taking a seat on it, Kodama waited for her lover to come closer and unclasped her bra. With one of the straps of the bra falling off her shoulder, Shinji couldn’t pull his eyes away as she placed her fingers inside the bands of her panties and started to pull them off.

When the panties landed on top of the rest of clothes, he was looking at a completely naked girl for the first time in his entire life.

“Come here…” Kodama purred.

Shinji moved in front of her and she reached between her legs. His eyes followed her hand down to her sex and the sight of her spreading the lips of her vagina made him feel even more aroused if that was possible. Entranced by the glistening pink folds of her sex, he made no attempt to move as she used her fingers to open her entrance even more.

“Touch me.” She whispered, her words rousing him from his trance.

He complied by reaching out a shaky hand and she warmly aided him by showing him what she wanted. With her help, his fingers came into contact with the petals of her sex and he felt what she wanted him to.

“Right there… Do you feel that?” Kodama blissfully smiled up at him, “Rub me right- Ahh…”

Shinji listened to her and gently rubbed the area she directed but, in shifting around to let him see, he slipped one of his fingers inside her. His probing finger went deep enough to solicit a moan from her and, unsure of what to do, he continued.

The wet, slick sound of his finger sliding out of her mixed with the sound she made compelled him to go on but it took far more than that to get her off. Kodama, pleased that he tried despite his inexperience, gently pulled him down next to her on the bed and smiled as she put her fingers in his mouth.

He didn’t have long to think about the salty taste seeing that her fingers were replaced with her tongue as she kissed him again but she drew back sooner than expected, “Don’t rush it. I’m going to take my time with you Shinji.” She said with the smile still spread across her face.

Shinji found himself in a familiar situation as Kodama crawled on top of him but it was drastically different from before. She got on top of him, her hands placed on the sides of his head and her knees positioned on the side of his hips. Her long hair pooled on the bed as she tilted her head.

The sincere smile on her face told him everything he needed to know as she removed one of hands and reached under her for his dick. Finding it, she locked eyes with him as she lowered herself.

She rubbed the head of his manhood with her fingers and Shinji closed his eyes as the feeling took him away. Relishing in the pleasure, it wasn’t until he opened his eyes that he realized that he was inside her.

The words of support that Kodama first whispered to him were replaced with sounds of the more intimate sort.

The deep breaths he took as he looked down to see her breasts swaying with every descent. The soft gasps that came out her mouth every time he entered her. The sound of the bed sheets shifting against each other as she moved faster, gripping the sheets with the hand that supported her as she picked up her pace.

His room, devoid of any distractions, was the perfect place for Kodama who enjoyed hearing their pleasure. She didn’t need any music to set the mood because this was all that she needed to get excited…

With her rapid pace possessing her, Kodama leaned forward and Shinji knew what she was looking for as they met. A trail of saliva of his saliva was left on the side of her mouth as his tongue licked across her lips but that was more than okay seeing that neither of the two was aiming for perfection.

Their combined passion caused another kiss, more haphazard than the last and certainly more daring. Shinji wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her and she made no attempt to stop them as they rolled over causing him to be on top of her.

Her hands found their place on his back where one moved up to the back of his head, tangling her fingers in his hair as they kissed. Directing him was all but forgotten as she broke the kiss, taking a much needed deep breath as Shinji put something he saw in a borrowed video tape to good use.

Kodama stifled a cry of ecstasy as his hand gave one of her breasts a good squeeze as he licked the side of her neck. He took another broad lick across her neck and, this time, she did scream out as he groped her, “God… Keep doing it!!” She shouted, raising her voice for the first time since he known him.

He did it again and she could grip his sheets to stop from screaming out loud. If he kept doing something like then she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

Making it up as he went along, Shinji left a trail of kisses down the side of her body as his hand crept down the other side. Using his hand to help dip the head of his dick back into her, Shinji lifted himself off her as he did his best to mimic what she did earlier.

Spreading her legs to make more room for him, Kodama could feel herself starting to shake in anticipation of what was about to happen and it arrived faster than she ever imagined.

His length slid into her as his hands barely managed to get a good hold on her waist because of the sweat. He positioned his hand on the side of her chest and entered her as he squeezed her breast. Kodama’s mind drifted off to another place as her boyfriend did his best to pleasure her.

In the daze brought on by such gratification, she could hardly put her senses to use. This was the first time she ever felt this good and her orgasm was proof of that. She grabbed the first thing she could which happened to be Shinji’s arm as she rode the wave of bliss until she couldn’t anymore.

Shinji, his seed stuck in the end of the condom, rested on top of her. With their energy spent, neither of them could do much more than stare at each other. Kodama, her black hair matted to the side of her face thanks to the sweat, discovered that she was speechless… Again, he surprised her.

Determined, his girlfriend rolled to the side of the bed and stretched her arm out to grab her pants off the floor. Fishing in her pocket, she found what she was looking for as her lover laid beside her.

Kodama pulled a cigarette out of a pack and lit it with her lighter before she took a light puff, “Here Shinji.”

With visions of her still fresh in his mind, Shinji accepted it despite the fact that he didn’t smoke. Inhaling, he almost dropped the cigarette as he went into a smoking fit and Kodama managed to laugh out loud at him.

“Don’t worry…” She whispered as she gently took the cigarette from him and, to his horror, put it out by driving it into the wall, “I don’t smoke either.”

For whatever reason, he started to find it as funny as she did and, even if suddenly felt too tired to ask why, it wasn’t hard to see that she did it to ease how awkward he felt after they were finished.

Satisfied with one of her favorite jokes, she threw the cigarette away and quietly watched as he started to fall asleep. Kodama kissed him on the forehead as she got up to clean up but not before making a promise.

“I’ll make it better… next time.”

~*~

The clothing store she worked at was never really busy despite its location downtown. That’s why it was so easy to just pretend to be here so she could get her pay and then leave without getting caught because they got so little business.

Kodama sighed as she waited in front of the cash register already knowing that it could be hours before the next customer came in. If Shinji wasn’t at school then she would be with him instead of getting bored here, “If I wasn’t so lazy then I would just get a better job.”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

She didn’t need to look up since she was able to tell who it was by the sound of his voice, “Skipping school to come see your girlfriend? Don’t get me wrong but-“

Shinji smiled as he placed his bento on the side of the cash register, “It’s not like that. It’s lunch time so I… Wait, what is that on the side of your neck?” He asked, as he tried to read the characters written there.

“Hmm, it’s your name. It’s not a tattoo though,” She said as she licked her finger and rubbed the side of her neck causing a character to smear, “Just a little something I did to see how daddy and Hikari would react.”

“About Hikari,” Her boyfriend opened the lunch box and placed the chopsticks in front of her, “I don’t think she likes me that much anymore… She is avoiding me.”

“Give it some time. She’s just a bit angry you didn’t take her advice.” Kodama laughed as she slid the chopsticks back in his direction, “At least she doesn’t think we’re faking it anymore. So what did you two make on the project?” She inquired, picking up an egg roll as Shinji tried to remember.

“I think it was sixty percent. You misnamed some of the cities.”

She dropped the egg roll, “A-Are you serious?!”

Shinji, thankful that he got in at least one joke on his girlfriend, smiled as he shook his head, “They’re not graded yet but Hikari checked over everything so I believe it's okay but…”

Kodama picked up another egg roll, “But?”

Blushing, Shinji looked around the store before he held up his other hand. Kodama almost dropped her egg roll for the second time as he placed the set of underwear next to his lunch, “How much does this cost?”

“S-Shinji…?” She dropped the food back into the lunch box and looked up with a blush on her face but Shinji was already out of the store by the time she called out his name.

Kodama grabbed his chopsticks and stared at the lunch she knew he made for her. Little by little, he changed from the boy she used as an excuse into the first boy she really liked being with. While more subtle than the lunch, she could tell that he was changing to accommodate her so…

Smiling, she took another look at the set he picked out. She pulled a few bills out of her pocket and put them into the cash register. The lone clerk in the store laughed as she put the underwear in the bag, “I’ll see how funny he finds it when I have them on.”

It was only right that she changed a bit for him.

~Fin

Author’s Note: Ha, don’t worry. I haven’t abandoned anything especially my well received series of one-shots. ^_^ It’s just that I’ve been a bit busy not to mention that my other stories need attention, too. ;_; At least I got it out before it got on page three. o.o

Really, it might seem like I’m just saying it, but I’m honestly thankful for every review and I mean that. With that much support, it’s not a matter of if I’m doing a chapter but when I’m getting it out. ^_^ Still, it might be a while until I really get around to actually editing out the errors and stuff in the previous chapters. ^_^;

About the chapter? Like most, this would probably be better as a full story as opposed to being squeezed into a chapter like this. I liked writing Hikari’s sisters but writing Nozomi so cute made me feel a bit odd considering she’s going to have her own chapter someday… o.o

Sorry for the delay but, like always, many thanks for reading. ^_^ I don’t know when I’ll get the next chapter out but I am trying my best.