Chapter 1
Greetings everyone, and welcome to my second ever fanfic. To start off, this is AU, and there will be occasions of OOC throughout, just to forewarn everyone. Pairings will be AxS
Disclaimer: I do not own NGE, Gainax does
Now, on with the show!
It was dark out, the last rays of sunlight disappearing behind the horizon. Its light fell upon a red sports car that was speeding around a mountain on a thankfully empty road. Inside the car, a woman about thirty drove, not always paying attention to the road. She had purple hair and was wearing shorts and a tight sleeveless black shirt with an equally tight red jacket over it.
"And that's what Tokyo-3 is like," she was telling the person behind her, "So, what do you think?"
In the rear of the car, a fourteen year old girl sat, looking depressed. She wore a yellow sundress that made her red hair stand out even more. Her blue eyes stared out the window lifelessly as she shrugged.
"It sounds nice"
Sighing, the woman said, "Asuka, you could be a bit more cheerful"
Frowning, the red-head replied, "Please Misato, like there's really anything to be cheerful about"
Misato sighed as she looked into the mirror at her young ward. Asuka's mother had passed away when she was young, and her father didn't even want to look at her after his wife's death. It had been one thing after another for years, being shunted to different family members, all who took care of Asuka, but were unable to keep her. Finally, Misato came along, an old friend of Kyoko, and said that she'd take care of the young red-head.
"Come on," the red-head's guardian said, "As the saying goes, 'Every storm cloud has a silver lining'"
"Whatever," the teen said as she looked forward in time to see that someone was on the road
"Misato look out!"
The older woman turned to the road in front of her in time to hit the breaks, swerving around the and just missing him. When they stopped, she looked out the side window to see that the person had collapsed
"Crap, Asuka call an ambulance," Misato told her passenger as she tossed her the cell phone
Climbing out of the car, she approached the person to see that it was a teenage boy around Asuka's age. A closer inspection also showed that he was badly injured, and not from being hit by a car. His gray clothes were soaked with blood, his left arm held at an unnatural angle. Cuts and bruises covered the skin where Misato could see, with more probably under his clothes.
Remembering the rules of helping an injured person, Misato didn't try to move the boy, asking, "Are you alright?"
The boy groaned, trying to shift his body, which alarmed the woman, "Don't try to move, you're hurt badly"
Asuka came out of the car and told Misato, "The can't get through, too much traffic"
"Okay, I guess we'll have to take him there then," the woman turned and told the boy in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, you'll get help, we'll get you to some doctors who'll take care of you"
At the mention of doctors, the boy's eyes widened and he struggled to get up. Alarmed, Misato placed a hand on his shoulder and held him down.
"Don't move, if you do you're only going to hurt yourself even more"
"N-no, doc-tors, must get a-away" he said in a weak voice
Worried, Misato tried to calm him down, "Easy, easy, it's alright"
The boy then collapsed in a heap, unconscious from fatigue and his injuries.
"Hey Misato," Asuka asked in a quiet tone as she stepped up to them, "Is he alright? He didn't…?"
Feeling for his pulse and finding one, Misato heaved a sigh of relief and shook her head, "No, he's still alive. He probably fainted from blood loss"
Getting up, she told Asuka, "Get the emergency kit, there's a first aid kit inside it. This kid's in serious need of medical assistance, and we have to get him to a hospital"
Nodding, the red-head went to the trunk and grabbed the first aid kit as well as a blanket, just in case. Back with Misato, Asuka gulped at the amount of blood that was beginning to spill.
"Give me the anti-septic and bandages," the woman ordered, snapping Asuka out of her daze, "There isn't much we can do about his arm, but we have to at least stop the bleeding"
Twenty minutes later, and most of the boy's bigger wounds were covered, and he was wrapped in the blanket in the back of the car.
"Hang on to him Asuka," Misato said buckling up, "We have to get him to the hospital fast"
Nodding, the red-head held tight to the boy as the woman drove well beyond the speed limit of the road. The trip was in grim silence, interrupted by sharp turns and bumps. After a particularly large bump, the boy's eyes opened. Looking down, Asuka saw that his eyes were a deep blue color, like the depths of the ocean.
His eyes looked around, taking in his surroundings, after which he opened his mouth and asked weakly, "Where am I?"
"On our way to the hospital," Asuka told the boy who was lying across her lap, "Mind telling me what happened to you?"
The boy apparently didn't hear her, his eyes closing again. Frustrated, the red-head stopped herself from throttling the boy.
"At least tell me your name"
When he said it, she almost missed it, how softly he said it, "Shinji"
Hospital
Misato got them to the hospital in almost no time, making sure Asuka called ahead to tell them that they were bringing someone who was in need of immediate medical attention. Upon arrival, they let a pair of paramedics take the boy and put him on a stretcher.
A doctor came up to Misato and asked, "Are you his parent or guardian?"
Shaking her head, she told him, "No, we just found him lying on the street, so we don't know where his parents might be"
"Do you know his name?"
Just as Misato was about to say no, Asuka told them, "I asked, but I only got his first name, Shinji"
Scratching his head, the doctor thought a little when Misato asked, "Will he be alright?"
This time the doctor smiled, telling them, "Don't worry, you got him here quickly, and you stopped his bleeding. Between your quick actions and the surgery team, Shinji will be fine"
Sighing in relief, Misato said, "That's great news. If he'd died I would've had that on my conscious"
"Would you like to stay and wait?" the doctor asked
"I'd never get a good night's sleep until I know that he's going to be alright"
"Misato!" Asuka hissed, "What are you doing? We don't even know him, we nearly ran him over!"
A stern look on her face, Misato said, "We saved his life, so he's our responsibility until we find his parents"
In a teasing tone, she continued, "Besides, the two of you looked so cute in the back seat like that"
Flushing, Asuka brandished her fist and said, "I was like that because you told me to hang onto him"
Angry at herself and Misato for riling her, the red-head then asked, "So where do we wait?"
Light shone through a slightly open window, casting its glow on the bandaged figure lying on the bed. Opening his eyes, the boy looked around in confusion. He failed when he tried to sit up, and saw that his arm was in a cast and that much of his body was wrapped in bandages.
"Where am I?"
He was laying there for some time before a nurse opened the door and saw that he was awake. She called out to another nurse to get the doctor and then stepped inside.
"Ohayo," she said in a gentle tone, "How are you this morning?"
"I think I'm okay"
Nodding, she said, "That's good to know. There will be a few people coming by later to check up on you in a minute, so just lay back and relax"
As she promised, the doctor came into the boy's room within a minute, followed by Misato and a reluctant Asuka.
"Ah, how are you feeling today?"
"A little sore," the bandaged boy told the doctor
"That's to be expected with the injuries that you had," the doctor said, "I believe your name is Shinji"
Tilting his head, the boy said, "Is it? I don't remember"
Suddenly the red-head shouted at him, "What!?? How can you not remember your own name? You told me that was your name!"
"Asuka, shh, this is a hospital," Misato told her, holding a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture
Frowning, Asuka crossed her arms and turned away. Sighing, the purple-haired buxom turned to the doctor and apologized.
"Don't worry," he said, "Now, I want you to tell me what happened to you. Many of those injuries seemed to have been inflicted by a serious fall"
The boy closed his eyes as he tried to recall what happened. Finally sighing, he opened his eyes and shook his head
"I see," the doctor said musingly
"Gomen"
Smiling in a reassuring way, the doctor replied, "Don't be, we'll just leave it at that for now. Do you mind telling what you do remember?"
Again closing his eyes in thought, he shook his head and said, "Gomen, I can't remember anything"
"Is there something wrong doctor?" Misato asked
"It appears that the boy has amnesia, which was probably caused by head trauma" the doctor answered
The nurse then said, "Poor boy, can't even remember who he is or where he's from"
Misato, who had been thinking after the doctor said the boy had amnesia, asked, "If it's possible, I'd like to take Shinji under my care until he can recall who he is or someone else comes for him"
"What?!" Asuka shouted, causing Misato to shush her, "Why do you want to take care of that idiot?"
"Because, Asuka, I want to. Besides, he doesn't have anyone else"
Frowning, the red-head sulked as the doctor said, "It is possible for you to take him, but there are some documents that we need to work through first, and he has to be cleared before he can get out of bed"
"Did you hear that?" Misato asked the boy, "You get to live with us"
"Yeah," Asuka said, before pointing a finger at him, "But if you try anything ecchi, I crush your manhood to dust"
Gulping, the boy nodded nervously. Within the hour, the boy, known now as Shinji, was now under the custody of Misato Katsuragi.
"Now that that's done, let us introduce ourselves," the woman said when they helped Shinji to the car, "My name is Katsuragi Misato"
Jerking her thumb to the girl following them she told him, "That's another of my wards, Sohryu Asuka Langley"
The red-head grunted, sulkily seating herself in the back seat of the car. Shinji was sitting in the front seat, the crutch he was to use until he could use his legs properly in the back with Asuka. The car ride passed with Misato telling Shinji about herself, and Shinji listening attentively
"And that's about it," Misato finished, swerving around a corner
Snorting, Asuka asked, "Aren't you going to tell him about your hentai ways or your drinking problems?"
"Shut up!"
The two of them began to argue and shout at each other, with Shinji looking on curiously.
"Whatever," Misato said, pulling into the parking lot of a convenience store.
Parking, she turned to the kids and told them, "I'm going to get some stuff. Asuka, watch Shinji for me"
Before the red-head could argue, Misato had climbed out of the car and was already half way to the store's entrance. Frowning, she sat back and stared at the back of the boy's head. Feeling her stare, he looked over the seat to see Asuka glaring at her.
"What?" Asuka demanded
Flushing, Shinji quickly turned back around, muttering apologies.
"Stop apologizing you baka"
"Gomen"
Sighing in frustration, Asuka just told him, "Just shut up"
After a few moments of silence, Shinji asked, "Did I really tell you that my name was Shinji?"
"You were falling asleep when that happened," Asuka explained, "I may have mistaken it and it might be something else"
"Oh"
More silence ensued before the red-head then asked, "You really don't remember anything, do you?"
Shaking his head sadly, he replied, "No. It's kind of hard to not know who you really are"
Feeling guilty about shouting at Shinji, Asuka said, "I wouldn't know, but there have been some times when I didn't know who I was or why I was around"
Looking up to see that he was looking at her curiously, the red-head said in an angry tone, "Oh forget what I just said. And turn around"
Jerking his head around, Shinji muttered, "Gomenasai"
She was about to tear into him about apologizing all the time when Misato came back, carrying multiple plastic bags
"Glad to see that the two of you getting along," she said with a smile, as she put the bag into the trunk of the car.
Harrumphing, Asuka didn't say anything as Misato started up the car again. They took off, nearly crashing into a blue sedan.
"Schiesst," the red-head swore, "Misato, are you trying to kill us?"
Laughing weakly, she said, "Gomen, but I wanted to head home as quickly as possible so we could show Shinji his new home"
"Trying to impress the baka? Figures you would be hentai enough to want to get it on with someone half your age"
"Hey!"
Deciding to let it slide, Misato turned to Shinji and told him, "We're going home now"
Shinji nodded, feeling a little sick from the way that the woman was driving, swerving all over the streets.
Misato and Asuka were carrying the groceries as they led Shinji to their apartment.
"Alright Shinji," the woman announced as they stood in front of the door, "Here's your new home"
The door opened, showing various boxes laying around, to which Misato apologized, "Sorry about the mess, we just moved in ourselves"
She stepped inside, followed quickly by Asuka. Shinji stood at the doorway, leaning on his crutch, indecisiveness inscribed on his face. Seeing him standing at the doorway nervously, the red-head put on a frown and stepped up in front of the boy.
"Well? What are you waiting for?"
"Ano, I hope that I'm not intruding-"
Smiling in a reassuring way, Misato interrupted to say, "I already told you, this is your home as well, so come on in"
Taking a tentative step through the doorway, Shinji smiled back nervously.
"Tadaimas"
If that seemed like it jumped around a lot, sorry. Anyway, if your a fan, you know the drill. For those who don't, R&R, and try not to be too mean. I'll get back whenever