Disclaimer: Y'all don't think I own any of this stuff, do you? Good, 'cause I don't.

Shinji had been listening to Ryoji Kaji and Misato-san, his guardian, going on back and forth for several minutes now. He acted awfully familiar towards her, while she seemed to be very unhappy and agravated by him. He had his suspicions, but certainly didn't want to say anything. Besides, now that he wasn't crammed into a tiny elevator, although he had enjoyed being pressed that close to Misato's...assets, he was busy thinking about how he felt about his guardian.

Kensuke and Toji had a point - she didn't make an effort to hide her bad points, like her drinking, sloppiness, and bizarre taste in food, but he'd also seen her good points, too, how she seemed to genuinely care about him, and how she'd risked herself to save others during that mess with the Jet Alone robot.

They were in the mess hall, now, with Ryoji-san continuing his fun. Shinji could see Misato getting more and more upset. "So," Ryoji said, as he turned to Shinji, "I understand you're living with Katsuragi."

Shinji just smiled. It seemed a harmless enough question, so he hesitated only slightly before responding, a smile on his face. "Uh, yeah."

"Tell me, is she still so...wild in bed?"

The looks of shock and dismay on the faces of those at the table were priceless. Asuka, the Second Child, looked at Ryoji in shock and dismay, while his friends, Kensuke and Toji, wore the same shocked expressions while looking at Shinji. For Shinji, though, it just confirmed what he was suspecting - the two had been an item at one point, and how he was toying with her.

Misato slammed her fists down on the table, her face red. "What are you implying by that!"

Shinji smiled. He thought back to something Ritsuko-sensei had told him, about how fun it was to tease Misato. This had gone beyond mere teasing, though. It was time to turn the tables on Ryoji-san.

Kaji still wore the same amused smile on his face as he continued toying with Misato. "No, she hasn't changed at all, has she, Shinji?"

"No, Ryoji-san," Shinji replied, "and I hope she never does." Turning to Misato, he smiled and gave her a wink. "Right, Misa-chan?"

This time, all five of his companions turned to Shinji, trying to pick their jaws up off the floor.

Misato recovered first, grinning evilly, as she realized what Shinji was up to. "Of course, dear. After all, I didn't hear you complaining last night!"

Even after Kensuke and Toji both collapsed in shock, and despite Asuka's dirty looks directed at the two of them, Misato fell into a fit of laughter, and, after a few moments, Shinji joined her.

Author's Notes: Just a little something that occurred to me as a friend of mine & his wife (who I just introduced Evangelion to) and I watched that "Asuka Strikes!" last night. I couldn't help but notice, through the first few episodes, that Shinji was opening up more, becoming more relaxed, and was getting along pretty well with Misato. Wondering what would happen if that had continued, I wondered what would happen if he decided to stick up for her against Kaji by turning his own joke around on him.