May I Have this Dance?
---------

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)

A fanfic inspired by the anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
---------


Shinji stayed all afternoon in his room.  As always, whenever he found
silence around him, he had the earphones plugged in his ears while his
newest audio digital tape was running on his portable.  He sighed, thinking
of only one thing ever since he came back from school.  He closed his eyes,
desperately trying to form an image in mind.  It was pleasant to imagine,
the flow and tides in his daydreams were his passion.  This time though,
with the upcoming school activity, he had to turn his dreams into reality.

A knock came trough the door, it was his guardian, Major Katsuragi.  She was
just asking how he was doing, Shinji didn't disappoint her.  He was fine,
indeed.  Though, she wasn't the one he had been waiting all afternoon.  He
heard the sound of the front door sliding opening again.  He knew it was
Asuka.  Finally, he said to himself.  Before he left, taking a deep breath
helped him relax.

"Asuka?" Too late, she was already in her room.  Probably for the rest of
the afternoon, or until dinner.  Misato was cooking tonight, so the
possibility of Asuka coming out was close to nil.  He held up his hand,
hoping to knock on Asuka's door.  Somehow he couldn't bring himself to
intrude to her privacy.  She was...an impossible girl after all, he thought.
He only wanted friendship, she made it a competition.  He just stayed
silent, she kept nagging him.  He did what he was asked to do, she hated him
for it.  How could she ask her now?

"Shinji?"  Asuka stood in front of him, apparently the door wasn't there
anymore.  Shinji brought his arm down, embarrassed as he was, he felt the
silence was more to his ineptness.  "Did you want something?"  He looked up,
she was looking at him so quizzically that he almost ran away.  She did have
that effect on him.  Though, this time the question was honest, and timely
and fortunate.

"Asuka, I'd like to," Shinji tried to smile, "ask a favor from you?"  That
made Asuka's eyes react nervously and agitated to his request.

"Ok, I'm listening."  Asuka crossed her arms, it was as if the door was
still there, a barrier that made the friendship almost impossible.  She
waited, he was nervous as usual.  Sometimes she just wants to slap him,
being indecisive and all.  But, something made her rethink.  Was it because
Shinji was acting brave enough lately?  He did have the chance to knock on
her door a while ago.  She looked at him, his eyes were serious, though
reading them wasn't her specialty.  Somehow if Shinji thinks that she could
help him, maybe it was a start.  Something big for the two.  Shinji, was a
compatriot, a friend at work and in the field.  She wondered was what was on
his mind.

"Well, you see.  This morning, the school announced that..." Shinji mumbled,
or fumbled with the words.  As inexperienced as he was, Asuka was changed by
his words.  It didn't take long her to recall that announcement while in
school earlier.  Yes, the School Dance, she remembered.  Was he asking her
out? Shinji had the same feeling.  "Well, I don't know how to dance, you
see."

"So you want me to teach you?"  Play hard to get, Asuka told herself.  Even
if her heart was falling every bit Shinji's lips moved, she was composed.
The distance between them was about to be bridged, she couldn't pass that
up.  Forget what they had gone through, she screamed inside, this was a new
beginning.  She hoped that was true.  Shinji nodded, so it was true.   "Ok."

"Really?"  Shinji was surprised by the quick reply.  Had he been living
another dream again, he sincerely hoped not.  "Thanks, Asuka."

"Well, come on in."  She tried hard to stop flushing red.  This was quite
irregular for her, asking Shinji in her room.  But it was, as she had heard
over some flick she watched a few years ago, a step in the right direction.
She closed the door behind her, Shinji awed by the room.  Asuka walked over
towards her component, ejecting the soft metal tape she's been dragging in
it for the past weeks now.  She searched her catalogue, disappointed in
herself for not having the right one to do the job.  Behind her Shinji
brought out his own tape.

"Here, try this."  Shinji held out a digital tape which Asuka inspected.
"It's a little old but..."  Her short gasp was totally unexpected to him.

"Oh, these are perfect."  Asuka was on a high now.  He was unique, a boy he
never really paid much attention in the way she badly want to do now.  And
on top of that, it was going to be an afternoon filled with the voices
of...well, she really didn't know much about the songs.  All she knew that
they were the once she wanted to play at that moment.  That lesson, the
closeness they'll share, it was magic and luck that it's about to happen.
She pushed the play button, and the room was filled with a smooth rhythm and
melody that was, in her own words, perfect.  "Shall we...begin."

"Um," Shinji hesitated, but soon the man that was growing in him, the spirit
that was soaring, knew exactly what to say, "may I have this dance, Asuka?"
She giggled, receiving his hand.  They held on as she stepped in closer.
Soon, they were...dancing.

--------

Misato had cooked dinner and all she was waiting for were the two other
roommates she had.  She didn't try to interrupt the dance lessons, though
she had the hardest time peeking through Asuka's door.  She sat down, a beer
in her hand.  "I wonder what are they doing right now?"  She gave it some
thought, though she would hate herself whenever she would end up in a
fantasy of hers rather than something that was even possible for the two.
They were still young, she thought.  Too young to...she told herself to stop
it already.  She laughed a bit, not noticing the music dying from Asuka's
room.  A while later the door opened and Shinji finally came out.

"Dinner, Shinji-kun.  Where is Asuka?"  He excused himself as he rushed
towards his room.  Asuka finally came out, silently sitting at her regular
place at the dinner table.  Misato was now worried.  Asuka looked...calm, in
fact too calm she noted.  Was it just the calm before the storm, she
wondered.  In fact, her intents of having a girl talk with her was being
diffused by the solemn and silent look on Asuka's face.  What happened?
Well at least she doesn't seem to be crying, Misato knew that would be bad.

"Well, I got to go, Misato-chan."  Shinji walked past the dinner table and
waved to the two.  He had a rather formal dress on, long sleeves and all.
Misato asked him where he was going, and he only said "the school dance"
before he thanked Asuka and left the room in a hurry.  Misato looked at
Asuka, still at a lost herself.

"He's asking Rei to the dance."  That surprised Misato.  All afternoon she
had thought it was the other way around, but she was apparently wrong.
Asuka snapped out of her trance and hurriedly dug into the food, no
matter how 'instant' it was.

"Hmm...Why?  That dirty rat!"  Misato shook the beer can in her hand while
pouting.  Asuka asked her who she was talking about.  "Who?  Shinji, of
course.  He's got the nerve to ask Rei, when he should have asked..."  Asuka
already told her to stop.

"Shinji is no rat, Misato-chan."  Asuka grinned, before returning to the
bowl of noodles she had in her hands.  She even managed to giggle in between
spoonfuls.  Misato just sat there dumbstruck.

It took her a minute or two, but it finally made sense.  The girl she knew
was no longer the girl she had known.  Asuka had him, all afternoon, and
Misato guessed that was enough to make a young girl realize the...woman
inside her.  She giggled.

"Huh?  What are you laughing at now, Misato-chan?"

"Um, nothing.  I'm just thinking if I should ask Shinji-kun if he'd teach me
how to dance."  A glare was what she got in return.

"Don't you dare!"

"What?  Were both grown women here."  She blinked.  Asuka was totally caught
off guard, the red flush color of her face proving it.  "I see.  Well, it
looks like I have to get Shinji-kun his own place now."  Misato was at her
teasing best, and she liked it.  But, unlike Shinji, Asuka wasn't ballistic.
Instead, she kept silent.  That only proved one thing for Misato.  "Ok, I
won't do that.  Besides, with the red tape in doing that, gee...I'd have
better chance in cooking."  Asuka was ecstatic, she almost cried.

"Arigato."  She finished her noodles and quickly ran to her room.

"Don't mention it, Asuka." Misato silently whispered in the air as she found
herself alone again.

--------

The End

--------

C & C please.
SPAM, use the SPAM ML