Chapter Text
Something is beeping. It’s a muffled beeping, but Maya can still make out the distinct noise. She groans, before forcing her heavy eyelids open.
The room is dark, the usually bright colors of the condo’s bedroom instead washed out, replaced with shades of gray. The only source of light in the room comes from the few beams of sunlight trickling in from between the curtains, and a harsher, artificial blue light from behind her.
She turns over in bed, pulling the earbud out of her left ear. Through bleary eyes, Maya spots the source of the noise: the alarm clock sat on her bedside table. The clock reads ‘6:30’ in blue, digital numbers. It had read something like ‘3:30’ the last time she’d seen it, although her tired mind couldn’t remember anything more precise.
With a yawn, she reaches over and taps the top of the alarm clock, silencing it. A stretch overtakes her as she retracts her arm, and after a few minutes of lying in bed, fighting off the temptations of her warm blanket, she forces herself to sit up. She can’t risk falling back to sleep.
She slowly pushes herself up, letting her covers fall off of her as she moves. Fighting off the weariness of a poor night’s rest, she feels around for her earbud. Finding it, she traces the wire, letting it lead her to a particularly large mangle of blanket folds. Reaching in, she finds her target: the S-DAT. It must have ran out of tape at some point between her drifting off, and being so rudely awoken by her alarm clock.
She lightly presses the rewind button, before winding the earbuds around the S-DAT and placing it next to her alarm clock. She rubs the last bit of sleep from her eyes before sliding out from under her covers.
Standing up from her bed, she passively scans the room. Despite the bedroom only being a spare, (her parents having seized the master bedroom almost as soon as they stepped through the door) it’s decidedly spacious. It’s probably larger than her room back home, and it definitely feels larger, despite also being better furnished. The bed, for example, easily dwarfs her own, and yet it doesn’t seem to take up comparatively more space. It’s also softer than her own bed (not that said softness had done her any good last night). The feeling of size also isn’t helped by the room’s windows. They’re massive; only a few inches away from being floor-to-ceiling. If the curtains were drawn, they’d offer a stunning view of the beach.
Neither the bed, nor the view is Maya’s favorite part of the room, however. That award belongs to the en-suite bathroom. Shaking away the lethargy, Maya makes her way across the bedroom, reaching a door across from her bed. She gently pushes it open and slips into the bathroom.
Although not as dark as the bedroom thanks to the small, frosted glass windows lining the walls, she still squints as she flicks on the bathroom light. As the artificial light ignites the almost completely white room, she blinks rapidly, adjusting to the change in brightness, revealing the increasingly familiar bathroom. She’s more familiar with western bathrooms than most Japanese, given her mother’s insistence that they have at least one western-style bathroom at home, but she was still surprised when she first saw how large this one was. She had gotten used to the extra space at this point, of course, and now found herself enjoying it. The privacy of the bathroom, being somewhat isolated from the rest of the condo, is especially appreciated by her. She would’ve liked it to be a bit more colorful, though.
Ignoring how awful her fuzzy reflection looks in the mirror, she reaches into the shower and turns on the water, waiting for it to warm up before slipping out of her pajamas and into the warm, steaming embrace of the falling water. She can’t help but let out a long, tired sigh as the water hits her, washing away the poor night of sleep. The refreshing downpour does have one unfortunate side effect however; it offers her a place to think, and she finds the same thoughts that kept her up so late, returning once more.
A new school…
Just because she’s now an Evangelion pilot, it doesn’t mean she’s no longer a student. Or at least, that’s what her parents had told her the day after the fight with the Angel. Maya would still have to attend school, even while they were in Hawaii. Japanese schools are bad enough, but now she finds herself staring down the barrel of a foreign school, with foreign rules and foreign students.
Maya lets her hands fall from her soapy hair, letting the water carry the suds away, and silently hoping the thoughts go with it. Despite the soothing touch of the water on her face, her thoughts don’t leave her.
Nor does her feeling of unpreparedness. Her parents had only told her about her new school three days ago. She hasn’t met any teachers, nor been to the school in person yet. Instead, her and her parents had found a map of the school online, and she had used that to familiarize herself with its floor plan. She doesn’t even have the school’s uniform yet, or even know what it looks like. Fortunately, her parents had thought to bring her old uniform with them.
I suppose I should thank them for tha-
“Maya?!”
Her mother’s muffled shout nearly makes her jump out of her skin, and causes the bottle of face wash in her hand to go flying into the air. She scrambles for it; but in vain, as the plastic bottle comes crashing down onto the bottom of the shower.
“Y-yes?!” Maya responds after collecting herself.
“It’s almost seven, Liebling! Please hurry up!” Her mother shouts. She must be standing on the other side of the bathroom door, based on how her voice sounds
“O-okay!” Maya shouts back, bending over to recover the face wash.
It’s really been almost half an hour?
Filled with a new sense of urgency, Maya pushes her worries away and quickly finishes up. After drying off and brushing her teeth, she peeks out of the bathroom and scans her room. Upon seeing that her door is closed and her room is empty, she cautiously steps into her room. Her mother must have turned on the room's light when she had checked on her, as the once dark room is now filled with light, showing off the multitude of tropical paintings hung on the walls. Walking over to her nightstand, Maya’s eyes flick over to the alarm clock.
Seven twelve…
It isn’t terribly late, but she really wished she didn’t need to rush through her routine. It would’ve saved her a lot of trouble if she could’ve taken her time with the knots in her hair. With a light shake of her head, she reaches for a small, gray case next to the alarm clock. Opening it, she retrieves her glasses and her hair tie. She slides her hair tie onto her wrist and (after brushing a few damp hairs out of the way) sets her glasses snugly on her face, banishing the slight fuzziness that had been tinting the world until then. She then grabs her S-DAT, still sitting comfortably on the nightstand. In one practiced motion, she unwinds the earbuds and places one in her ear, before tapping the play button.
<-tomodachi to shuumatsu umi e iku anata o…> Dutifully, the S-DAT sings, picking up in the middle of a song.
A light, satisfied smile graces Maya’s face as she places the S-DAT back on the nightstand, before turning to her right, towards the wooden dresser pushed against the wall. Sitting atop it, neatly folded, is her school uniform.
Black socks, a gray skirt, a white dress shirt, and a dark crimson bow; the uniform is basic, and very bland, but that’s why Maya likes it. A uniform shouldn’t draw attention to the wearer, and this one is more than suited to that task. With practiced movements, Maya changes into the uniform quickly, and after tying the bow, she grabs the S-DAT and clips it to her waistband.
Just like I’m back home…
It’s strange, the feeling of familiarity in this otherwise foreign place. It’s comforting, though. A bit of normalcy in a very extraordinary situation. With a slightly shaky breath, Maya turns up the S-DAT just a bit, before leaving her room.
As soon as she enters the hallway, she’s hit with a smell she’s not experienced in a long time. Her heart nearly skips a beat as she recognizes it, and she feels her anxieties melt away as she practically runs down the hall. She comes to a stop at the threshold of the condo’s kitchen, sliding slightly as her socks fail to find purchase on the wood flooring.
“ There she is!” Her mother exclaims. She’s sitting at the kitchen’s dining table, her PDA in one hand, and a mug of coffee in the other.
Maya barely registers the comment, however. Her attention is instead locked onto her father. He’s standing in the kitchen, wearing a slightly worn white apron. He’s holding a pan over the kitchen’s stovetop, and with a calm and confident flick of his wrist, he sends its contents into the air. The pancake flips once, before returning to the pan.
“Good morning, Liebling.” Shinji says as he looks up from the stove, meeting Maya’s wide-eyed gaze.
“You’re making breakfast?” Maya asks, her tone that of bewilderment. Almost unconsciously, Maya reaches down to her S-DAT and lightly taps on the pause button, silencing its singing.
“It’s been a while, I know.” He says as he deposits the pancake onto an already-stacked plate. “But because I didn’t have to get up so early for work today, I finally got a good chance to break out the apron again.” He smiles as he turns off the burner, before picking up the plate of pancakes and setting it on the dining table, alongside the already-laid-out plates of bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. Shinji then pulls out a chair; an invitation which Maya enthusiastically accepts. As she takes her seat, Shinji sets a plate down in front of her, before setting his own plate down and sitting in the chair next to her. Asuka’s sitting across from her, and has already had her share of the banquet, given the dirty plate before her.
“Thank you for making breakfast, Papa.” Maya smiles at her father.
“You’re welcome.” Shinji smiles back, patting her on the shoulder. “Eat up quick, though. You’ve got about-” He looks up, checking the digital clock on the kitchen’s microwave. “Ten minutes before you have to head out.”
Maya nods, before turning to the food laid before her. It’s decidedly American, of course. Probably by design, given the circumstances. She can’t complain though, (not that she would have either way) this is her father’s cooking. With barely-contained excitement she spears one of the pancakes, before transferring it to her plate. A few strips of bacon, and a respectable serving of eggs follow. Satisfied with her plate, she digs in.
The pancake is light and fluffy, but still dense enough to offer a satisfying resistance to her chewing. The eggs are much the same, though hints of salt and pepper offer a bit more flavor. The bacon, on the other hand, is nice and crisp, although still thick enough that it isn’t brittle. As Maya works through her plate, she finds it hard to decide what to eat for each new bite; all three items on her plate are equally as inviting. That doesn’t stop her, of course—or slow her down at all, really.
Her feeding frenzy is interrupted by a plastic box being set down next to her, and a hand being placed on her shoulder.
“You’re all ready for school?” Shinji asks.
My backpack and shoes are by the door, my lunch is right next to me…
Maya nods, before returning to her food.
“And you, meine Liebe?” Shinji looks across the table, towards Asuka.
“What do you mean?” Asuka replies. “Ready for what?”
“You’re driving.”
Maya almost spits out her food as both her and her mother’s eyes widen in unison.
“What?!” They both shout, eyes darting between each other and Shinji.
“You know what she’s like when she drives, Papa!” Maya says, pointing to her mother to emphasize her point.
“And I still have to analyze the data from the Leviathan fight!” Asuka says, holding the PDA towards Shinji to further her argument.
“ That can wait!” Shinji says as he suddenly snaps the PDA out of Asuka’s hand, catching her by surprise. “Besides, it’s good to get out—see that beautiful Hawaiian landscape.”
“But-” Both Ikari-Soryu women try to retort, but Shinji cuts them both off.
“ And I still have to do the dishes.” Shinji gestures towards the kitchen, and the large number of dirty pots and pans scattered about it.
There’s a moment of silence as both Maya and Asuka attempt to counter Shinji, but nothing comes of them.
“Plus, it’s almost seven forty-five. You have to get going if Maya wants to make it on time.”
Shoot!
Her father’s right. A cursory glance at the kitchen’s clock confirms it.
“Fine…” Both Maya and Asuka mutter in unison.
Maya takes one last bite of breakfast, before pushing herself out of her chair. She says a quick goodbye to her father, before grabbing her lunch and her backpack, slipping on her shoes, and following Asuka out to their rented car.
Lewis rests his hands on his knees, sucking in air as he catches his breath. Were he not already sweating, the humid morning air would be clinging to his skin.
As he feels some of his breath return to him, he pushes off of his knees and starts walking down the sidewalk. He can’t just stop, after all, not if he doesn’t want to be sore this evening. After a few steps, he reaches into his pocket and fishes out his phone. Checking the screen, he quickly reads the time.
Six o’ two, nice!
Satisfied, Lewis clicks his phone off, before dropping it back into his pocket. As his stamina starts to return to him fully, his runner’s high wears off, and he starts to reorient himself with his environment. Rooster caws fill the air; staccato bursts of sound sheltered between the nearly-imperceptible din of waves against the beach. He would have been able to taste the salt in the air as well, were he closer to the shore. Lewis feels himself calm as O’ahu serenades him. He looks out to the horizon, where he can see the first beams of sunlight breaking through the morning dark.
As he silently makes his way back home, he can’t help but let his thoughts drift to his new school. He would be attending school, after all, even though he would (probably) only spend a few weeks in Hawaii. It’s business as usual, really; new house, new school, new friends, only to start it all over again the next time he moves.
There is one thing different this time around, though. A difference important enough that it completely overwrites all his frustrations about starting the cycle once more.
A difference that greets him as he steps through the front door of his temporary home.
“Good morning, kiddo!” His father calls out to him from the kitchen. “How was the run?”
Lewis feels an increasingly familiar grin grace his face as he kicks his shoes off. “Great!” He responds as he makes his way to the kitchen. “I got a new personal best!”
“Did you now?” His father responds as Lewis steps into the kitchen. He’s sitting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in hand, and a crumb-littered plate before him. He’s wearing plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt with the phrase ‘It’s 5 O’ Clock Somewhere’ emblazoned across the chest in faded letters. He has a clear case of bedhead, despite how short his blonde hair is. His father looks up from his mug of coffee, and their blue eyes meet.
“Yep!” Lewis says eagerly. “Two miles in seventeen minutes.”
“Nice!” His father responds, flashing an approving smile. “I remember when I was able to put up times like that.”
“Who says you can’t now?” Lewis asks as he walks over to the fridge. Pulling it open, he grabs the partially-empty gallon of milk, before shutting the fridge.
“These two.” His father says, patting his knee. “It’s the Navy’s fault, giving me all that paperwork.”
The two Gridleys smile at their shared in-joke as Lewis pours himself a glass of milk.
“Is there still food left?” Lewis asks, gesturing to his father’s empty plate before taking a big gulp of milk.
“Eggs and bacon are on the stove.” His father answers, tilting his head towards the cook top. Lewis’ eyes follow his father’s gesture, quickly locating the two pans, and (more importantly) their delicious contents.
Lewis sets his milk glass down, before grabbing a plate and a fork out of a nearby cabinet and making his way over to the stove
“By the way,” His father starts as Lewis is filling his plate. “I won’t be able to pick you up after school, so what do you think of driving yourself?”
“Wait, really?” Lewis asks, excitement clear in his voice. He turns to look at his father, a strip of bacon still skewered on his fork, waiting to join its brothers on his plate.
“You have your license, don’t you?” His father replies, meeting his eager gaze.
“Oh, sick!” Lewis grins. “And, uh, yeah, I can totally drive myself.” He adds.
His father nods, before turning back to his coffee. Lewis joins him shortly after, his plate stacked full of protein, and his glass of milk refilled. Before he digs in, though, a question occurs to him.
“What’re you busy with this afternoon?” Lewis asks. “Since you can’t pick me up.”
“It’s some sort of conference.” He says dismissively. “It’s about your fight with that Angel, actually.” He adds.
Lewis pauses at that, his attention thoroughly captured, and his fork full of eggs only inches from his mouth. “What sorta’ conference?” He asks, his now forgotten fork slowly lowering back down to his plate.
“I was only told about it last night, but it’s been in the works since the Angel first showed up.” His father takes a swig of coffee before continuing. “I wasn’t told much, but it’s gonna be a meeting between the American and Japanese governments, basically just to figure out what to do about the Angels and the Evas.” He sets his mug on the table, and turns to face Lewis. “I guess they want me there because I was involved with the battle.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Lewis says looking down at his plate. “I wish they’d have told you about it a bit earlier though.” He adds, grumbling.
“That’s the military for you.” His father replies, sounding exasperated.
This earns a chuckle out of Lewis, although it’s born more out of frustration rather than amusement.
With the conversation coming to a natural end, Lewis returns to his food, absentmindedly eating as he lets his eyes wander the kitchen, eventually drifting over the clock mounted on the wall.
It’s almost seven?!
He nearly chokes on his food, earning a concerned look from his father.
“You alright kiddo?” He asks.
Lewis doesn’t have the time to respond though, as he quickly shovels his breakfast into his mouth. Instead, he merely points to the clock. His father follows his finger, and nearly jumps when he sees the time.
“Shoot, you’re gonna be late!” He says, turning back to Lewis.
Lewis shakes his head as he swallows down his last bite of food. “Not if I’m quick about it.” He says, already pushing out his chair. It only takes him a few steps to reach the stairs, and a few more to reach the top. As he practically bounds into the bathroom, a single thought enters his mind:
Damn, I was really looking forward to a long shower!
105, 107, 109, there!
Room 110. Math. Nearly sprinting at this point, Maya slips in through the classroom door and passes through the threshold just as the bell rings.
The drive to the school had been uneventful—or at least as uneventful as it could have been with her mother driving; A few questionable lane changes, and one ‘Anta baka!’ was to be expected. When Asuka finally pulled into Mililani High School’s parking lot, it was seven fifty-six, which gave Maya four minutes to make it to class. She had to run most of the way, and very nearly took a wrong turn, but she managed to make it.
She comes to a stop just beyond the threshold of the door, chest heaving as she takes a few moments to recover from her run. When her breath finally returns to her, she looks up, quickly scanning her new homeroom.
From what she had seen in the few American movies she had watched, the classroom is fairly standard. Cheesy posters, bland-colored walls, and cheap looking desks arranged in small groups. She had been somewhat interested (and deathly nervous) to see what it would be like to sit in groups, rather than alone like in Japanese schools.
All those thoughts leave her, however, as she looks over the students themselves. All of them had already taken their seats, given that class was just about to start, but where she had expected only a few of them to give her any mind, she instead found nearly the entire class intently watching her. Worse still, she noticed their attire. Instead of the expected formal uniforms, almost every kid was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and half of them had on flip-flops. One of the kids even had on what looked like pajamas. That was when she remembered something about American schools; something that had completely slipped her mind these past few days.
They don’t wear uniforms!
Maya feels her face start to burn, and her knees start to weaken as the wave of embarrassment washes over her. Her uniform, meant to allow her to blend in seamlessly, instead turned into a beacon, marking her as completely out-of-place in this new environment. She would have buried her face in her hands were she not already gripping the straps of her backpack with all her strength. She can feel her heart rate climbing, and her breaths growing shall-
“Oh, there you are!” A voice calls out from somewhere to her right.
Her head whips to her right as she turns to face the new speaker; undoubtedly the teacher. The middle-aged man is sitting in an office chair behind a cluttered desk. Despite his position of authority, he’s dressed fairly similarly to his students, which would have shocked Maya were she not on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“Lewis!” The teacher calls as he turns back to the class. “Would you mind coming up here for a moment!”
L-Lewis? Does he mean-
Maya’s question is answered as a boy sitting in the back of the class springs out of his seat. He’s wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt, and equally colorful swim trunks. As he begins weaving through the groups of desks, his blue eyes meet her’s, and he gives her a friendly wave.
Maya feels like passing out.
It’s bad enough that the whole class had to see her so unprepared, so hopelessly out of her depth, but now even Lewis—someone she actually knows to some degree—has to see her like this too. Even worse, this is the first time they've spoken since the Angel fight, and the first time they’ve actually seen each other in person.
Lewis clears the last group of desks, before coming to a stop next to her. “Hey.” he whispers, leaning towards her. “Are you new here too?”
Maya can barely muster a nod.
He smiles. “Wow, cool. I’m Lewis, if you couldn’t guess. What’s your name?”
M-M-Maybe I could just n-never tell him. C-Come up with some f-fake name. T-Then he’ll never have to know it’s me.
Lewis’ smile falters slightly as he notices the state that Maya’s in. “You aren’t looking too hot, are you okay?”
Before Maya can muster another head movement, the teacher speaks up once again.
“Class, we have two new students joining us!” He announces, gesturing to Maya and Lewis.
Oh no…
“Now this here-” He quickly checks a paper on his desk before continuing. “-is Lewis Gridley.”
Oh no!
“He flew all the way in from Nevada!” Lewis smiles and waves at the class as he’s introduced.
“And this is-” The teacher continues. His voice falters slightly as he flicks his eyes back to his paper.
No no please no!
“-is Maya…” He hesitates. “Ikari-Soryu.”
Maya’s emotions go supercritical as the dominoes start to fall. First comes the chatter; the muted discussion as the class figures out who she is—who she’s related to. Then comes Lewis’ reaction. First, his eyes widen slightly in recognition of her first name, and he opens his mouth to speak, almost certainly some sort of friendly greeting. But he’s cut off as her last name is spoken, and his eyes go as round as dinner plates.
“You’re…” He whispers, trailing off as he’s caught between the recognition of her first and last name.
As Maya’s emotional state goes the way of Chernobyl, she feels herself start to shake. Her eyes shoot to her feet, and she tries her hardest to block out the quiet din of rumors, speculation, and gossip.
W-w-w-w-why did he s-s-say it out l-l-loud…!
Tears prick the corners of her eyes as she digs her nails into the straps of her backpack. This always happens. Every time. Why did she think it would have gone any differently? Was it blind optimism? Had she been so intoxicated by the Angel fight that she had forgotten that it always ended up like this?
“You should, um, sit with Lewis’ group.” The teacher says. Maya barely registers the comment, but nevertheless obeys. What else could she do? With her eyes planted firmly at her feet, she rushes past Lewis and quickly maneuvers to the back of the class, trying her best to avoid the looks she’s getting from the other students.
When she finally reaches the grouping of desks that Lewis had stood up from, she quickly finds the desk that’s positioned the farthest away from the rest of the class. She slips off her backpack and pulls it to her chest as she practically collapses into the desk’s hard plastic chair. Without looking up, she unzips her backpack and begins desperately searching inside of it.
W-w-where is it! Please!
Her heart skips a beat as her shaky hand hits the familiar plastic music player. She quickly snatches the S-DAT and pulls it free from her bag, before unwinding the earbuds as quickly as she can manage. She stuffs both sides into her ear, cranks up the volume, and hits the play button.
<-Koraekirezu kanashimi ga tomaranai…> The singing drowns out the murmuring, and the glances, and most importantly, her own thoughts. All she can hear is the enchanting singing. She blinks the tears away as she slowly begins to feel her heart rate calm, and the color begins to return to her face. She doesn’t dare look up though, lest her delicate facade of composure be completely lost. Instead, she simply stares into her desk, ignoring everything around her.
She stays like that for the rest of the period.
“ You are driving us to the conference.” Asuka announces as she steps into the condo. She pulls the door closed behind her with a bit more force the necessary, causing it to slam shut.
“You would not believe how slow the people here drive!” Asuka complains as she rounds the corner of the condo’s foyer and steps into the kitchen. “Seriously, I think this island is inhabited exclusively by elderly women.”
“Did you have a nice drive?” Shinji asks, not even attempting to hide his grin.
“Very funny, Third.” Asuka says flatly, giving Shinji a look. She perks up slightly after noticing his mug, however. “Is there still coffee?”
Shinji nods, tilting his head towards the coffee maker on the counter. A slight smile graces her face as she eagerly sets about pouring herself a mug.
“Speaking of the conference,” Shinji starts, his tone becoming far more serious. “I think we should review what we’re going to say and do while we’re there. Just to make sure we’re ready, you know?”
He’s doing it again.
Asuka lets out a long, tired sigh. This is the fifth, or maybe the sixth time he had asked to do that since the Leviathan fight. If she were to agree to do it now, it would mark the third time they’d reviewed their plans since learning of the conference. As the last drops of coffee fall into her mug, Asuka turns to face her husband. Their eyes meet, and Asuka can clearly read the anxiety and hesitation in his gaze, despite his calm demeanor. She gives him a sympathetic smile as she approaches the dinner table.
“Shinji, Schatz,” she coos as she takes a seat beside him. “We went over everything just a few days ago.” She places her hand on his, and gives it a comforting squeeze. “I think you’re far too nervous about this conference.”
“…you’re right.” He relents after a moment of contemplation. He sinks down into his chair and rubs the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “It’s just… well, the last time I did something like this was at the UN, and you know how that turned out.”
“But I’ll be with you this time.” Asuka counters, her voice soothing, yet full of calm assertiveness. “And you should know how convincing I can be.”
Shinji goes silent, clearly deep in thought. After a few moments pass, however, a mischievous grin graces his face. “Do you plan on kicking them if they disagree?”
“That’s not-!” Asuka attempts to retort, but finds herself caught off guard in the face of Shinji’s sudden teasing.
“I mean, it was pretty convincing when you did it to me.” He says, his grin already turned into a wide smile.
“Yeah, well…” Asuka bumbles, still looking for a counter. Finding nothing, however, she eventually relents. “I was an ass back then, I know…”
“Went from being one to having one.” Shinji says under his breath, but just loud enough for her to hear.
In an instant, Asuka’s face turns to a brighter shade of red than her hair. “M-MAYBE I SHOULD BRING BACK THE KICKING!”
“I love you too, meine Liebe.” Shinji retorts with a wink, his shit-eating grin some how growing even wider.
<…Ima sara modorenai no sa…> Maya lets out a long, shaky sigh as she sits. It’s finally time for lunch. After three periods, she finally gets some respite. Sure, only one of the three periods included a public introduction, but based on the behavior of her classmates, it would seem that news gets around the school fast. Fortunately, none of her classmates had tried to harass her with questions—or the S-DAT blocked them out, at least.
It’s past her either way. All she has to worry about now is her food, her music, and her hour of reprieve. Reaching into her backpack, she carefully searches it for a moment, until her hand meets the hard plastic of her bento box. She retrieves it, and sets it on the table. The familiarity of it all, mixed with the pleasant weather, finally allows her to feel some semblance of relaxation. Before she opens her food, she takes a moment to appreciate her surroundings.
She’s sitting at an old (and cheap-looking) picnic table, nestled under the shade of a tree. A few beams of sunlight filter in through the branches, but the shade still offers a respectable escape from the tropical sun. She doesn’t know exactly where she is on school grounds, but she made sure to try to find an isolated spot; somewhere she wouldn’t be stumbled upon. It remains to be seen if she had succeeded in that goal, but she certainly felt like she did. The table she’s sitting at is hidden away in a corner of campus, and is more than likely impossible to see from the cafeteria. The view isn’t very impressive, of course, just dirt and grass shadowed by one of the school’s many buildings, but that’s the least of her worries at this point.
As she lets out another, less shaky breath, she turns back to her bento. With practiced moves she unclips the cover, removes it, and pauses. In the bento, placed carefully overtop the food, is a folded piece of paper. She takes it, and hesitantly unfolds it, revealing it to be a note.
‘We hope you’re having a wonderful first day of school! Papa made your favorite!
Love, Mama and Papa.’
Her vision goes blurry as tears well up in her eyes, and for the first time since this morning, a smile graces her face. With a shaky hand, she reaches for her S-DAT, and gently pauses it. “Thank you…” she whispers, before carefully folding up the note. She wipes away her tears, pushing her glasses up her face as she does. She takes one final look at the note, before tucking it away in her backpack.
Turning back to her food, she finally takes a look inside her bento, and her bittersweet melancholy turns to excitement; the note wasn’t lying, her father really had made her favorite.
Inside the plastic bento are two onigiri, and a respectable serving of potato salad. Her smile widens just a bit more as she grabs her chopsticks and digs in.
She starts with the potato salad. She quickly singles out a good-sized piece of potato and picks it up, before placing it in her mouth. It’s undeniably the work of her father. The potato is cooked to perfection; soft, yet still firm enough to offer a satisfying bite, an anchor for the creamy mayonnaise. The flavor is light, with just enough dill to add an enjoyable pop to the otherwise bland ingredients. As she chews, she feels a comforting sense of nostalgia overtake her.
When she was younger, back when her father could regularly cook dinner for the family, her mother would often request that he cook German dishes, much to Maya’s displeasure. Maya tended to avoid western foods, finding them too strong in flavor and too heavy in texture. One night, however, she had been feeling particularly adventurous. The potato salad—or Kartoffelsalat, as her mother had insisted on calling it—had caught her attention, and she decided to try a bite. Much to her surprise, (and her mother’s delight) she enjoyed it. A lot. It rapidly became a staple of their Germanic dinners, and even after her father stopped cooking in the afternoons, she’d regularly find it left over in the fridge, joining her for her many lonely dinners.
She works through roughly a third of the potato salad, delighting in each bite. Soon, however, she finds the onigiri calling out to her. Switching gears, she picks up one of the rice balls and, with calculated precision, takes a bite.
The rice is, well, rice. Sticky enough to hold itself together, and not much else. The main attraction is the salmon. Light and buttery, with hints of sweetness, the salmon is cooked to perfection. The ratio of rice to salmon is also perfect; neither ingredient being too plentiful as to dominate the other, instead complimenting each other in flavor and texture. It’s exactly what she would expect from her father’s cooki-
“ There you are!” A familiar voice calls out.
Maya nearly screams.
Worse than that, she swallows. Her body is wracked with coughs as the food prematurely shoots down her throat. Reeling, her attention returns to her surroundings, and towards her unexpected visitor.
L-L-Lewis?!
Her blood runs cold. They hadn’t spoken since first period, despite sharing most of their classes. Maya had figured that he just wanted to avoid her, given her newly-revealed family ties. The fact that he had sought her out now, however, tells her that he was just waiting. Waiting for a free moment to confront her.
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you like that.” He says. He’s standing across from her, with the picnic table between them. His dark blonde hair is somehow messier than it was this morning, and his face is slightly flushed, almost as though he was just exerting himself. He’s holding a foam tray, which in turn is carrying a bread roll, a sad-looking piece of pizza, and a small carton of milk.
Maya can feel herself start to shake as he looks down at her. “Do you mind if I sit?” Lewis asks, his tone deceptively friendly.
“P-Please, just leave me alone.” Maya responds, trying to keep her voice level.
Lewis’ face falls, and he lets out a long sigh. “I’m not that type of person.” He states, almost sounding disappointed. “I’m not here to chew you out, or call you a SEELE apologist, or anything like that. I’m not gonna hold the things that your grandad did against you, or the rest of your family.”
Maya’s eyes widen slightly as surprise overtakes her. “R-Really?” She asks.
Lewis nods, giving her a smile as he does. “Can I sit?” He asks, gesturing to the table. Maya hesitates for a moment, before relenting, and giving him a nod.
“I actually wanted to check on you.” He says, setting down his tray and taking a seat. “I can tell that you’re having a very rough day, so I wanted to ask if you were doing alright.” He looks down for a moment, before looking back up at her.
Maya’s at a loss for words. The conversation had gone in the exact opposite direction that she was expecting it to. The two sit in a rapidly awkward-turning silence, as Lewis waits for a response, and Maya tries to find one. Eventually, however, she manages to gather her thoughts. “I… I’m managing, I guess.” She responds. “I’m kind of used to it at this point…”
“Well, I just want you to know that not everyone in the school hates you.” He says confidently, before his eyes go wide. “Er- Um, that sounds bad.” He scrambles. “What I mean is, um, y’know, I… I’m here for you.” He finally says. “As corny as that sounds.” He adds.
Maya can’t help but feel slight amusement in the face of Lewis’ bumbling. “T-Thanks.” She says, the shakiness mostly leaving her voice.
The two of them settle into a silence; one that’s neither awkward, nor comforting. They share one, final look, before Lewis turns to his food. Maya does the same, taking another bite of her onigiri.
“Whatcha got?” Lewis asks abruptly, gesturing to her food.
“S-Salmon onigiri.” She responds after swallowing. “My dad made it.”
“Wait, so Shinji made it?” Lewis asks, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
“Yeah?” Maya responds, slightly off put. It’s strange to hear her father referred to by his first name, especially by someone she barely knows.
“Does he usually cook?” He asks, a slight grin sneaking onto his face.
“…Yes?” Maya answers hesitantly.
Lewis snickers, and his grin turns into an amused smile.
“W-what’s so funny?” Maya asks.
“It’s just,” he starts, trying to push down his laughter. “I learned about your dad in history class; I saw a buncha’ bad-ass videos of him, in his Eva, fighting and killing all these angels. And now-” He stifles a laugh. “-I’m just imagining him in some absurd pink apron, whistling as he bakes a cake or something. It’s weird, but it’s funny.”
The mental image forms in her mind. Sure, she had seen her father cooking before, but not like the caricature that she’s imagining. She can’t help but smile at the absurdity of it.
“H-He also plays the cello.” Maya adds. “Well, not really anymore, but he used to…”
Lewis stares at her for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Maya soon found herself giggling; the infectiousness of it getting to her.
“So, so-” Lewis takes a moment to collect himself. “So you’re telling me that your dad, after hopping into a giant robot and pile-driving some giant, murderous monster, would go back home, play the cello, and bake a cake?” Lewis snickers again. “Which part won over Asuka, the giant monster fighting or the dainty cake baking?” With his punchline delivered, Lewis again descends into laughter, this time taking Maya with him.
The two teens laugh for what must have been minutes. Eventually, Lewis is able to collect himself. “Was it-” he takes a moment to catch his breath. “Was it your parents I talked to before the Angel fight?” He asks.
It takes Maya a bit more time to get her giggling back under control. “It was, yeah.” Maya responds.
“That’s… weird to think about.” He says, the last hints of humor slowly dissipating from his voice. “I never expected to meet both Evangelion pilots.”
“Did you ever expect to become an Evangelion pilot?” Maya responds.
“That’s… That’s a good point.” Lewis relents.
With the conversation tapering off, the two of them turn back to their food, and eat in a much more comfortable silence. Maya takes her time savoring her father’s cooking, while Lewis tears through his food.
“Y’know, I know I kinda laughed at your dad for cooking and all, but that looks really good.” He says, gesturing to Maya’s food. “Especially when compared to the school’s food.”
Maya nods, swallowing the food in her mouth. “D-do you want to try some?”
“Sure!” Lewis enthusiastically responds. He holds his tray out to her, and Maya gives him a piece of the onigiri and the rest of the potato salad.
Retracting his tray, Lewis picks up the onigiri and pops it into his mouth. Immediately, his eyes light up, and he turns to her. With his mouth full, he can only manage a thumbs up, but Maya gets the message.
The two finish off their lunches, making intermittent conversation as they eat. Not long after, the bell rings, signaling the end of the period. Maya gets up to leave, but Lewis stops her before she can go.
“Oh yeah!” Lewis says, springing up from the picnic table. “The classes listed for your last two periods are wrong.”
“What?” Maya asks. She reaches for her bag to double-check her schedule, but Lewis interrupts her.
“Yeah, this was said in homeroom, but I figured you missed it.” Lewis says, walking over to her. “Basically, because we joined this school so suddenly, we didn’t get any electives. So the two classes listed there are just placeholders. Instead, we’re supposed to go to the library for study hall.”
“Really?” Maya asks, adjusting her backpack.
“Yep!” Lewis responds, sounding oddly excited about the prospect. “Now c’mon!” He says, walking ahead of Maya. “We don’t wanna be late.”
Maya nods, and the two of them start their walk to the library.
“Man, it’s hot.” Shinji mutters.
Asuka flicks her eyes over to her husband. He’s wearing a black suit, with a white dress shirt and a crimson tie. “I told you to wear something light.” She whispers.
“We’re basically wearing the same thing.” Shinji retorts.
They most certainly are not. She’s wearing a black pencil skirt, a deep crimson blouse, and a black suit jacket. “Not at all.” She counters, pushing her glasses up with her black-gloved hand. “Your jacket is much heavier than mine is, and you have it buttoned up.”
“Well…” Shinji starts, attempting to conjure a retort. “Let’s just go inside.” He relents. “It’ll be cool in there.”
Asuka smiles, reveling in her victory. The two of them step up the concrete stairs of the New Hawaii State Capitol, his dress shoes and her heels clicking as they climb. They come to a stop before the large double doors, and briefly share a look.
Here goes nothing.
Shinji pushes one of the doors open, and the two step inside. Cool air washes over her as the couple passes the threshold, and the door closes behind them.
The room (undoubtedly some sort of lobby or central hall) is large and cavernous. The ceiling stretches multiple stories into the air, and a line of skylights illuminates the space. The walls are decorated with various historical paintings and artifacts, and an ornate tile pattern fills the floor. A group of people, dressed in a medley of suits and uniforms, are standing near the center of the lobby.
“There.” Asuka whispers, discreetly pointing towards the crowd. Shinji nods, and the two make their way towards them, their footsteps echoing through the hall.
As they approach, an American Army officer near the outskirts of the group notices them, and begins walking towards them.
“Mr. and Mrs. Ikari-Soryu!” The man greets them in English, with a distinct southern drawl. A hint of frustration briefly flickers across Shinji’s face.
That’s why I’m here, Schatz.
The officer offers his hand, and both Shinji and Asuka shake it.
“Major Anthony Aylwin.” The officer introduces himself. “Head of the US Army’s Evangelion project.”
Asuka quickly translates for Shinji, before turning back to the major. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“Likewise.” Aylwin replies. “Now, to cut to the chase, I was talking to a few of the Japanese representatives, and they told me that it was you two who detected that Angel, and organized a response to it. Is that right?”
“Well,” Asuka starts, forgoing the translation and earning an annoyed glance from Shinji. “It was our sensors that detected the Angel, and the Japanese government played a large part in organizing the response. We only… pushed them along a little.”
“That pushin’ was mighty important.” The major counters. “I reckon that if we’d have been any slower to respond, the Angel woulda’ done a helluva’ lot more damage, so I oughta’ thank you two.”
“Oh, well, you’re welcome then.” Asuka responds, giving the major a polite smile. “And I suppose I should thank you for running your Eva Project so well. I don’t know if we would have been able to handle Leviathan alone.”
“Then I s’pose you’re welcome too!” Aylwin responds, returning the smile. “Although,” he starts, adopting a more hushed tone. “I don’t think we’ll be alone for much longer.”
Asuka furrows her brow. “What do you mean by that?” She asks, mirroring the major’s tone.
“That group-” He tilts his head towards the large group in the center of the lobby. “-ain’t just Americans and Japanese. There’s also diplomats from Russia, China, France, and Britain.”
Yes!
Asuka has to suppress the urge to grin. “Is that so?” She asks, attempting to sound as innocent as possible.
“Yep.” Aylwin affirms. “Speakin’ of which-” He quickly checks his watch. “I was havin’ a rather thrilling conversation with one of the English representatives, so if you excuse me, I’d like to get back to that before the conference starts proper.”
“Of course.” Asuka responds. The major nods, before returning to the center of the lobby.
“Well?” Shinji asks impatiently.
Asuka gives him a look, but holds her tongue. “First,” Asuka starts, switching back to Japanese. “He thanked us for being so proactive about the Angel.”
“That’s nice of him.” Shinji comments.
Asuka nods. “Then, he told me that there are a few other countries attending this conference.” Asuka can’t help but grin.
“You mean…?” Shinji trails off, anticipation in his voice.
“Yep.” Asuka says.
A grin slips onto Shinji’s face, and the couple shares a knowing look.
“That makes things easier.” Shinji says, his voice upbeat.
“We can only hope they’ll be cooperative.” Asuka comments.
We can only hope…
Maya’s starting to get annoyed.
“Could you please stop that.” She asks, looking up from her homework and towards Lewis.
“Sorry…” He says, thumb hovering over the pen’s clicker. He sets the source of her annoyance down on the table, before slumping down into his chair.
They had been in the library for about half an hour, and—thanks to Lewis—Maya was barely a fifth of the way through what little homework she had. Maya shakes her head, and turns back to her worksheet. Before she writes anything, however, a question arises.
“Don’t you have any homework to do?” Maya asks.
“I do.” Lewis responds.
“Why aren’t you working on it then?” Maya asks, her gaze once again returning to the boy.
“I don’t want to.” He states, matter-of-factly.
“B-But-” Maya bumbles, taken off-guard by his casual tone. “If you do it now, you won’t have to do it later.”
Lewis lets out a sigh, leaning forward and propping his chin up on his arms. “The homework doesn’t matter…” he mumbles.
Maya’s practically at a loss for words. “W-What about your grades?”
“They won’t matter in…” he trails off, his eyes wandering around the room. “Three weeks, tops.” He says, definitively.
“What?” Maya leans forward, setting her pencil down. “W-Why do you say that?”
“Because that’s as long as we’ll be here.” He says, his eyes finally meeting hers. “We’re only here because the Angel was here. Now that that’s gone, we’ll be going back home here pretty soon.”
The look in his eyes is… strange. It’s neither happy, nor angry, nor even sad; it just looks bored. It’s almost unsettling, the way it contrasts with his naturally bright voice. “W-Why haven’t we already gone home, then?” Maya asks.
“There’s some sorta’ meeting between the American and Japanese militaries happening today.” Lewis says, his eyes again wandering the room. “My dad told me about it this morning. In a day or so, when it’s wrapped up, they’re gonna start getting us ready to go back home.”
“What makes you so sure?” Maya questions. “I mean, why wouldn’t they just keep us here for a while?”
“Hawaii doesn’t have the logistical capabilities to handle an Eva.” He states, almost sounding bored. “There’s a lot of infrastructure that goes into maintaining an Evangelion, and Hawaii doesn’t have it. So, we’ll be going back home real soon.”
“Oh…” Maya responds, thinking back to her parents’ workplace.
“My dad’s a carrier captain in the Navy,” Lewis continues, his gaze returning to Maya. “And let me tell you, this stuff happens all the time in the military.” He pushes off of the desk, and sinks back into his chair.
“It’s always ‘Sorry kiddo, they’re reshuffling the fleet, looks like we’re going back to San Diego!’ or ‘Sorry kiddo, the ship’s being refit, looks like we’re going to Seattle!’ or ‘Sorry kiddo, I have to cancel our camping trip, the Chinese just shot a missle over Korea so now I’m going to fucking Japan for a month!’” Lewis takes a deep breath in, before tilting his head back and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Maya doesn’t know what to say. Her mind races to try to think of something, but nothing comes. The two just sit in silence.
Eventually, Lewis lets out a breath, and pushes himself up in his chair. When his eyes meet Maya’s, however, he freezes, and surprise flickers over his face. Maya gets the distinct impression that he said more than he wanted to.
Maya, suddenly aware of how intensely she must be staring, quickly breaks eye contact with Lewis, instead looking back down to her paper.
“I…” Lewis starts, his tone softening. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t get too attached to this place. Pretty soon, you’ll be somewhere else, and you’ll have to start again from scratch. New school, new grades… new friends.” He says that last part quietly.
“W-Well, even if you have to leave the school and grades behind,” Maya looks back up at Lewis. “I’ll probably go anywhere you’re going, so I can be…” she hesitates, feeling her cheeks start to burn. She forces down her shyness, however. “…your f-friend…”
A beat passes, with Maya trying her best not to die of embarrassment. Just as she thinks she’s going to pass out, Lewis speaks. “I’d like that.” He says, giving her a friendly smile.
This only makes Maya’s blushing worse, forcing her to look away from Lewis. Despite that, a small smile creeps its way onto Maya’s face.
A friend…
“We should probably exchange phone numbers, now that I think about it.” Lewis suddenly states, causing Maya to jump slightly.
“R-R-Right.” Maya stutters out. She shakily retrieves her phone from her backpack, and (after more than a bit of bumbling on her part) they manage to exchange numbers.
“Well,” He starts, dropping his phone back into his backpack. “We still have quite a bit of time until school lets out, so maybe I can help you with your homework.”
“S-Sure…” Maya says in a very unsure way.
G-Get a hold of yourself!
Lewis grabs his chair and drags it around the table, sliding it next to Maya. He then drops down onto it, before pulling himself up to the table. “Whatcha got?” He says, looking down on the paper.
“M-Math.” Maya responds, far shakier than she would have preferred.
“Ah.” Lewis says, sounding disappointed. “Well, let’s see then…”
I don’t like it.
Nishimura takes one last drag of his cigarette, before flicking it into the receptacle nearby. The sun has just started to dip behind the towering mountains of O’ahu, causing the palm trees to cast long shadows on the New Hawaii State Capitol. The first session of the Mililani Conference—what it will surely be known as once it goes public—had just ended, and Nishimura took the opportunity to get some air, and to think.
Damn Ikaris…
They were up to something, he knew that much. They hadn’t participated in the actual conference—not much, anyway—but everytime the discussions were temporarily convened, they would go off and have some hushed chat with one of the diplomats. He had watched them, again and again, scurry off into some side room, dragging some representative along with them. He could never find a way to listen in on them, though. At least, not in a way that wouldn’t have seemed suspicious. So, time and again, he found himself outmaneuvered.
He had been outmaneuvered a lot these past few weeks. First it was that UN visit. It was unusually bold for the Ikari’s patriarch, and it completely blindsided him. Then it was their reaction to the Angel. It was too quick, too clean. Nishimura knew the type of planning that went into a military operation, and he knew how long it took to get right. For the Ikaris, then, to organize a response as quickly as they did, and for it to go so well; arriving just in time, avoiding any civilian or military casualties… it didn’t sit right with him. It was too perfect; almost like they knew in advance that the Angel was going to appear, and what it was going to do.
But they couldn’t have known about it, surely not.
Nishimura has thoroughly lost the initiative, and he lacks a plan to get it back. Perhaps he’ll have to fallback and regroup, or perhaps the Ikaris will leave a hole in their lines. He doesn’t quite know yet. He does know, however, that he’s still in the fight. He can afford to sit and wait, bide his time, and wait for an opportunity.
The crunching of asphalt behind him pulls him out of his thoughts, and signifies that his transportation has arrived. Nishimura takes one last look at the state capitol, before turning and stepping into the vehicle.
He’ll have to wait for now.
WAIT!
Maya’s shoes pound against the concrete of the sidewalk, propelling her forwards. The bus is right there, only a few meters away. She’ll only need a few more seconds to reac-
With a hiss, the bus’s doors slam shut, and the oversized transport slowly starts to roll forward.
Damn it!
Maya stumbles to a stop, panting heavily as she tries to catch her breath. Bracing herself on her knees, she looks up helplessly as the bus pulls out of the parking lot, leaving her behind. Slowly, her breath returns to her, and she’s eventually able to straighten back up. She lets out a long, tired breath, before readjusting her glasses.
I’ll guess I’ll have to call Papa…
Defeated, Maya slips her backpack off of her shoulders, setting it on the ground and unzipping it. She kneels down, but before she can start to search through it, a car horn sounds off behind her, nearly causing her to jump. She wheels around, turning to see a gray jeep pulled up to the curb, its passenger window rolled down. The jeep honks again, clearly trying to get her attention. Hesitantly, Maya takes a few steps towards the jeep, peering in to see the driver.
Lewis?!
Sure enough, the boy is sitting behind the wheel, wearing a pair of aviators and a wide smile. “C’mere!” He yells, straining over the noise of the engine.
Maya quickly zips up her backpack, before pulling it onto her shoulders and making her way over to the open window.
“The bus leave ya’ behind?” Lewis asks, looking over his sunglasses.
“Yeah…” Maya responds, slightly embarrassed.
“Hop in then!” Lewis cheerfully invites, patting the passenger seat.
With the opportunity presenting itself, Maya accepts the invitation. Pulling open the jeep’s door, she sets her backpack down on the vehicle’s floor, before climbing in herself. After taking a moment to find legroom, she pulls the door closed.
“So you can drive?” She asks, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Yep! I got my license and everything.” He proudly declares. “Now, ya’ ready?” He asks.
Maya nods, before buckling her seatbelt.
“Here we go…” Lewis mutters, as he turns back to the road.
Maya sinks into the leather seat as the cool AC blows in her face. Maybe it was a good thing that she missed her bu-
The jeep lurches forward, before stalling, catching Maya by surprise and causing her to yelp.
“Sorry!” Lewis says, gritting his teeth slightly. “I let off the clutch a bit quick.”
Maya only shoots him a look, one he returns with an embarrassed smile.
“I’m not the best with manuals.” He admits sheepishly.
Despite the hiccups, Lewis is able to restart the jeep, and soon enough, they’ve pulled onto the main road, and are heading towards the highway.
H-He drives like Mama!
“So, where’s your place at?” Lewis asks, sounding far too casual for the speed he’s going.
“P-Pearl City.” Maya responds, her hand wrapped tightly around the grab handle above her head.
“Oh, nice.” Lewis says, nodding in approval.
“It is.” Maya diverts her eyes from the road, instead turning to Lewis. “We’re pretty close to the beach, actually.”
“How often do you go to the beach, then?” He asks, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Not that often.” Maya responds. “The beach is pretty small, and nobody’s allowed to swim in the ocean.”
“Oh right, of course.” Lewis says. “All that’s closed off because it used to be part of Pearl Harbor.”
“Y-Yeah…” Maya says, remembering reading something about the flooded naval base online.
“So, have you swam at any other beaches then?” Lewis asks.
“No, I haven’t.” Maya responds. “I, uh, forgot to bring my swimsuit.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Lewis says, sounding disappointed. “The beaches here are awesome.”
Maya opens her mouth to respond, but is cut off by Lewis. “I could totally drive you to a store and help you buy one!” He announces, seemingly unaware of what he just insinuated.
“W-W-W-W-What?!” Maya stutters out, her face now a deep shade of crimson.
“Yeah, that’d totally work.” He continues. “I wouldn’t even mind paying for it.” He offers, completely clueless.
“N-N-No!” Maya quickly shoots him down. “I-I’m fine!”
“Oh.” Lewis says, the disappointment returning to his voice. “Not really a beach person, huh?”
“Y-Yeah…” Maya trails off, the red slowly starting to leave her cheeks.
An awkward (at least for Maya) silence sets in as the jeep reaches the highway. Lewis and Maya share a bit more small talk on the short drive over the highway, but with the former focused on driving, and the latter unable able to speak without stuttering, it hardly amounts to much. Soon, Lewis reaches Pearl City, and after a quick inquiry into her address, Maya finds herself parked in front of her temporary home.
“T-Thanks.” Maya says, stepping out as the jeep and picking up her backpack.
“No problem!” Lewis responds, giving her a thumbs up. “See ya’ tomorrow!”
“Y-Yeah…” Maya trails off.
I guess I will be seeing him tomorrow.
A small smile creeps onto her face.
“Hey,” Lewis abruptly calls out, nearly causing her to jump as she’s shaken from her thoughts. “Coulda’ get the door, please?” He asks, gesturing to the jeep’s passenger door.
“O-Oh! Uh, yeah!” Maya says, before pushing the door closed.
The jeep gives an appreciative honk, before driving off; without stalling this time.
“Who was that?” Her mother’s voice suddenly comes from behind her, causing her to jump.
Maya takes a moment to collect herself, before answering. “T-That was Lewis.” She says.
“He can drive?” Asuka asks, her brow furrowing.
“He drives like you do.” Maya responds.
Asuka grimaces at that. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with him driving you around, then.”
“I-I was exaggerating.” Maya quickly adds. “He can read the speed limit signs, at least.”
Asuka gives Maya a look, but doesn’t push the issue any further. “Let’s head in, it’s hot out here.” Maya nods, and the two of them head back into the condo.
Cool air washes over her as Maya steps through the door. She sets her backpack down and carefully pulls her shoes off, leaving them by the door. Satisfied, she turns, and walks through the foyer and into the living room.
The bear hug comes from her right.
“I haven’t seen you in ages .” A familiar voice says as her glasses are pushed up her face.
“M-Mr. Aida?!” Maya asks, shocked more by the surprise guest than the ambush.
“Hey now,” He says, letting her go and taking a step back. “You can call me Ken, and Kensuke if you’re trying to be formal. ‘Mr. Aida’ is business talk.”
Maya takes a moment to find her footing and adjust her glasses, before meeting Kensuke’s gaze. His light brown hair is unkempt, and he looks like he hasn’t shaved in a few days. He’s wearing khaki shorts, a white t-shirt, and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt. The looseness of his clothes only serves to accentuate his lanky frame.
“I haven’t seen you in ages !” He exclaims, before adjusting his glasses. “How’ve you been?”
“A-Alright.” Maya responds.
“Well, your dad was just telling me about your new boyfriend, that Lewis kid-”
“W-W-W-W-WHAT?!” Maya stutters out, turning to her father. He’s sitting on the living room couch, in a white dress shirt and dress pants.
“I did not call him your boyfriend.” Her father says, sitting up to meet Maya’s panicked eyes. “I was just telling him about your experience piloting.”
“O-Oh…” Maya lets out a breath, feeling her heart rate return to a somewhat normal level.
“I’m proud of you, kid.” Kensuke says, patting Maya on the shoulder. “But I’m also jealous. Did you know I was supposed to be an Eva pilot too?”
“R-Really?” Maya asks, turning back to Kensuke.
“Yep. That’s how I met your dad, actually.” He states. “And your mom, too.” He adds.
“But I thought you met in middle school?” Maya questions.
“We did.” Shinji responds. “They kept all the potential pilots in one school. I guess it was easier to keep track of us that way.”
“Speaking of school.” Asuka says, joining the conversation. “How was your day today Maya?”
The question makes Maya pause, and think. How had her day been? There were more than a few ways she could answer the question, and most of them would be truthful. She takes a few moments to decide on an answer, but finally she speaks.
“It… It went well.”