Subject: [FFML] [NGE][fanfic] Pages 6
From: Lara Bartram
Date: 10/10/1999, 10:06 PM
To: Fanfic Mailing List

Thanks to Ammadeau, Donny Cheng, Alan Harnum, Richard Lawson, 
              and the C*B*L for pre-reading duties.


Characters belong to Gainax, and they need the money more than I 
         do probably - unless they get audited for fun.



                            P A G E S

                         by Lara Bartram
                         ---------------

Page 26


	The end of yet another semester.  Almost.  Yui stood out 
in the hall as other students exited the auditorium.  It was all 
rather... anti-climactic.  She was that much closer to 
graduation and she didn't feel anything like she thought she 
should have.
	If it weren't for the project, she would have definitely 
been finished with school.  Then, perhaps, there wouldn't be 
such a battle for her attention; Gendo wanted it all, naturally.
	But the project was probably more important than school, 
so over spring and summer, her attention would turn to it.
	"Easy as pie," a voice whispered in her ear as arms 
wrapped around her from behind.
	The project still had competition though.  "You think you 
did well?" Yui asked, turning around.
	"Absolutely.  Couldn't have been easier, unless it was 
basic math," he answered, grinning.
	"Or French history?"
	The grin disappeared.  "That's not... until tomorrow, 
right?" Gendo asked nervously.
	"Tomorrow."  Yui watched him fidget for a bit before 
taking pity on him.  "Come on.  I'll help you study.  I know you 
need it."

	"I get it now; you're ready to fail the class just so you 
can mess around, aren't you?"
	"No, not specifically.  I am ready to 'mess around' as you 
put it, and if I happen to fail because of that, oh well."  
Gendo shrugged.
	"Are you always going to do this?  Act like you want 
something only so you can get something else out of someone?  
You could have just asked," Yui said, annoyed about the 
deception.  "You didn't need to pretend you wanted to study."
	"But I do want to study.  I just want to do other things 
too."
	"Priorities!  Get some!  You can't always do this."
	Properly chastised, Gendo started to pack his few 
remaining things.  "Fine.  So start studying."
	Yui watched him fill the final box.  "You're so immature 
sometimes.  How do you manage it?"
	"I'm good at everything I do," Gendo answered listlessly.
	That should have been a lot more energetic than it was.  
She hadn't wanted to put him in one of his moods.  "I just want 
you to take this a little seriously.  It's only one more day."
	"I just want to know why you put me down every chance you 
get.  Why am I fair game to insult when I just want to have some 
fun?" he asked, gripping a full cardboard box tightly.
	"Because this is your future," Yui replied just as 
intensely.  "Remember?  You weren't going to end up like your 
father?  And I was going to help you?  I'm trying to help you 
right now."
	Gendo's grip continued to tighten on the box, and he 
closed his eyes.  After what felt like an eternity to him in 
that position, he released the box and opened his eyes.  He 
pulled the chair from the desk over and sat in it.  "Fine.  Then 
let's study."
	"I'm cutting you slack because I said I'd help," Yui said, 
looking at Gendo, one lip wanting to curl into a snarl.  "I sure 
as hell am not happy about it though.  I feel used and pretty 
much spit on right now.  What's your reply to that?"
	"Sorry."
	"You're not.  Why do you even bother?"
	"Because it's what you want to hear."
	"Yeah, well, thanks, and don't bother.  If you want to 
fail..."  Yui stopped speaking, reminding herself that she had 
to help, not walk out.  "Damn it," she swore quietly.  "I'll be 
back," she said, then stood and left.

	She stood in front of his door.  She wasn't even sure if 
he'd be there or not, or if he'd be sober.  Pushing away the 
anger that hadn't left during her walk, Yui opened the door and 
looked inside the room.  Gendo was there, quietly looking 
through her notes.

---

Page 27


	Finished, Gendo slapped his pencil down on the 
desk and glanced over at Yui.  She still had half a page 
to go, so he went back over his scantron.
	It was a minute or so later that Yui rose, 
gathered her things, and headed to the front.
	Gendo followed quickly, even going so far as to 
bid farewell to the professor; he was so glad to be done 
with the class.  He managed to walk out of the 
auditorium calmly, without drawing unneeded attention to 
himself.
	Out in the hall was another matter completely.  He 
grabbed Yui around the waist and spun her around.  
"You're going to make me apologize, aren't you?"
	"Only if you mean it.  You really think you did 
that well?" Yui asked, her arms around his neck.
	He set her down gently.  "I don't know how well I 
did, but I felt like I knew more.  And I really am 
sorry.  For real."
	With her arms still around him, Yui smiled.  
"Apology accepted.  I take it you're all packed?"
	"What little I have."
	"Good.  Now we can celebrate."

	He didn't see it happen.  All he knew was that 
when he got back from getting takeout, she was in his 
bed again.  "Aren't you hungry?" Gendo asked.
	"A little."
	He looked around the room.  "Um, you want to eat 
something?"
	"Not really."
	Gendo swallowed audibly and set the food down.  
"So..."
	"Quit playing around."
	What was she trying to do to him!?  "Damn it..."
	"You want me to leave?"
	"I want you to stop getting in my bed unless you 
really mean it.  And I don't think you mean it."  Oh how 
he wished she did though.
	"I mean it."
	"No, you don't.  I remember how worried you were 
about your roommate walking in on us, but it wasn't 
about her, was it?"  He could tell that she was subtly 
holding back, not allowing herself to give in to the 
moments when they were alone.
	"Is it my fault I want things to be... right?  I'd 
like it to mean something, not just be some... zipless 
fuck."  Yui frowned at her own choice of words.
	"Which is exactly why I don't think you mean it 
now."  Gendo shook his head, smiling ruefully.  "You're 
too nice for this, Yui."
	"I know you're not."
	"You're right, but I also care about you and don't 
think this is the right time or place.  No matter how 
big a tease you are."  He could see her smile in the 
faint light coming in through the window.
	"I never teased you on purpose, Gen-chan."
	"I know, which makes it that much worse.  Not only 
are you a tease, but you're an _innocent_ tease.  It 
drives me crazy."
	"In a good way, I hope."
	Gendo released a breath.  "Oh, exactly the way you 
think.  You're just very fortunate I'm not ruled by my 
hormones."
	"I know I am.  I'm very lucky to have you."
	There was no reply Gendo could think of to that.
	"Don't say anything arrogant to ruin the moment."
	"I wasn't going to," he replied in a whisper.
	"Good.  I like it when you're quiet.  Then I can 
concentrate on the real you and not what a jerk you are 
to other people."  She smiled again and adjusted the 
covers, giving a brief glimpse of bare skin.
	"I like it when you're not nagging me."
	"Hush yourself and get into bed."
	"You don't mean it, Yui.  Don't do this to me..."

---

Page 28


	Gendo pulled off his shirt and tossed it on one of 
the boxes.  Looking at Yui, who was looking at him, he 
turned and unbuckled his belt.  Taking a deep breath, he 
undid his pants and pushed them down.
	He heard the rustle of covers again, and when he 
turned around, kicking his pants away, Yui was holding 
up the blanket for him.
	"I can almost hear it," she said quietly.
	"Hear what?" Gendo squeaked.
	"Your heart beat."
	He wondered if she also heard his heart stop right 
then.  If she talked like that all the time, he would do 
anything she wanted him to.  Shuffling across the floor, 
his bare feet like lumps of concrete, Gendo stopped at 
the side of the bed.
	Resist.  Don't' do such a crazy thing.  She's too 
young.  You're too old.  What's wrong with you?
	Gendo turned off his internal warning system and 
slid beneath the covers.  The first sensation, her bare 
legs against his sent his temperature right up.  When 
they were both awake and sober, when it wasn't a hazy 
dream...
	Then his bare chest against hers, stomachs pressed 
against one another, pelvises almost grinding together, 
separated only by two thin layers of material...  "Yui," 
Gendo gasped, his hands moving over her skin.
	She didn't bother to answer with words, merely 
capturing his mouth with her own, putting her arm over 
him.  It took everything she had not to move wildly 
against him and burn off the lust that was eating her 
up.  His skin against hers...  That was all it took.
	Almost.  Almost, but not quite.  Gendo had been 
right.  When his hands moved lower, to push down her 
panties, her arms worked their way between his and his 
body, forcing them away.
	Understanding her actions, Gendo moved his hands 
back up and stopped moving as forcefully against her as 
he had been.  Needing to breathe, he pulled back and 
took a big gulp of air.
	"I'm sorry," Yui whispered.  "You're right."
	"Don't be sorry.  Especially not for that."
	His fingertips wandered down her cheek.  "That 
was... almost more than I could handle."
	"I... I didn't want to be a tease.  I wanted..."
	"Shh."  A tease?  Not really.  More of a... vixen 
really.  "I think you just need to learn how much power 
you have over me, and how dangerous that can be at 
times."
	"Stop joking, Gendo."
	"What happened to Gen-chan?  I liked that.  Coming 
from you."
	Instead of answering, Yui kissed him again, with 
the same intensity as before.  All questions and answers 
were lost in it.
	Gasping again, for oxygen and his wits, Gendo 
shook his head.  "It's not right, is it?"
	"Not... quite," Yui spoke quietly.  "Even though 
I'd like it to be."  Two layers...  It'd be so easy to 
overcome, and he'd be willing...  If only she could 
bring herself to do it.
	"I love you, you little tease," whispered Gendo, 
kissing her on the cheek.
	"The time is going to be right one day," Yui 
promised, kissing him in return.
	"And until then... you don't mind..."  He let his 
words trail off, confident she would know exactly what 
he was thinking.
	The smile she flashed was all he needed.  "Until 
then," she said anyway, "yes.  I wouldn't want you 
walking around and being a grump all day."
	"You definitely know how to... lift my mood."
	"Now who's playing word games?" Yui asked, noting 
his grin.  "Besides... I'm hungry."
	Gendo laid back and groaned.  A cold shower... 
necessary... fast.

---

Page 29


	"It's small."
	"I don't take up much room.  Besides..."  Yui 
looked at Gendo and smiled devilishly.  "Just enough 
room for two in the bedroom."
	"Yui," he warned.
	"It was a joke.  What happened to your sense of 
humor?  Besides, you should be happy since you saw the 
results of your finals."
	"Yeah, but now it's... job season, and I'm not 
looking forward to that."
	Yui shrugged, setting down a box.  "I don't know.  
I think I'd rather work than go to school.  That way I 
feel like I'm accomplishing something."
	"Yeah, but you're strange."
	She elbowed Gendo in the gut.  "Then what does 
that say about you?"
	"I'm easily charmed by good looks, of course."
	"Of course, how silly of me."  Looking at the 
small apartment, Yui had a hard time believing that 
she'd be living there.  It was always either the dorm 
or, well, the dorm when the project paid for her 
residence over the previous spring and summer.  Going 
home was definitely out of the question, though she'd 
need to find a way to tell everything to her parents.
	"You know," she said thoughtfully as Gendo began 
moving boxes, "if you really want a job..."
	"No.  How many times are you going to make me say 
it?  Your professor and I don't get along," he answered, 
stopping her.
	"You only met him once."
	"And that was enough."
	Sighing, Yui dropped the subject for the time 
being.

	"How did the move go?"
	"Just fine."
	"If you need more time, just let me know and I'm 
sure we can work something out."
	"No, it's really okay, Professor.  All moved in; 
just the unpacking left to do."
	"I still have my concerns about it."
	Yui smiled, slipping on a lab coat.  "Don't worry.  
I can handle Gendo.  He's just a big kitten."
	Fuyutsuki shook his head when Yui wasn't looking.  
It looked like he was too late, hadn't been assertive 
enough to stop her from continuing in what he considered 
a complete farce of a relationship.
	"He's really smart, maybe even smarter than I am, 
but I wouldn't admit that to anyone else," she 
continued.
	Smiling faintly, Fuyutsuki nodded.  She sounded 
the same, but there was a look to her...
	"I... asked him if he was interested in joining 
the project."
	The smile immediately fell from his face, which 
Yui _did_ see.
	"I hope you don't mind, Professor.  I really think 
he could be an asset here."  Yui briefly got an annoyed 
look on her face.  "If I can ever get him to shape up."
	Adopting a perfectly normal smile, Fuyutsuki said, 
"Oh, that's fine.  I have confidence in your judgment.  
The more good people we have working, the better."
	"That's what I thought, and I'm not exaggerating 
when I say how smart he is.  But he seems more 
interested in working at a burger counter than doing 
anything worthwhile."
	Kozo Fuyutsuki maintained the smile that didn't 
reach his eyes, and nodded.  "You know how busy we'll 
be..."  Busy enough to keep her away from Rokubungi.
	"I could ask again if he wanted to join, but I 
don't think he'll change his mind.  He's pretty stubborn 
like that."  Yui shrugged, feeling a bit odd when the 
older man patted her shoulder.
	"Do your best."  And he hoped to never see the 
face of that other man again.

---

Page 30


	The alarm went off, jarring Yui from sleep.  She 
opened her eyes and stared at the clock.  A quarter to 
nine.  Groaning, she slapped at the alarm and turned it 
off.
	Working as much as she had over the past week was 
taking its toll.  Even after almost nine hours sleep she 
was tired and lacked energy.  The one positive about the 
morning...  She listened and heard sounds from the 
kitchen.
	From the state of Gendo's sleeping mat, he had 
been up a while, and Yui envied him for that.  The 
ability to wake up in the morning and be able to do 
something other than stare at the wall was something she 
wished she could do again.
	Crawling out from under the blanket, Yui forced 
herself to stand and put on a robe.  Maybe breakfast 
would wake her up; she didn't want to have to start 
drinking coffee.
	The door opened and Gendo looked in.  "Oh good.  I 
didn't want to have to pull the covers off you."
	Yui just grunted and pushed past him.
	"Chipper as usual.  Food is almost done," Gendo 
informed her, watching her plop down at the table.  
"Sure you don't want to try some coffee?"
	Shaking her head was almost too much, and Yui had 
to brace herself to keep from falling over and going 
back to sleep.
	"I think you're working too much, Yui," Gendo said 
and set breakfast down.  "It's not good for you."
	Yui waved her hand vaguely in the air, her eyes 
mostly closed.  "Food, not lectures."
	Gendo frowned as he watched her eat slowly.  It 
really wasn't healthy, and was probably detrimental to 
her work.  No one could work reliably for twelve hours a 
day, five days a week.  In fact, Yui would have been 
working seven days a week, but he had strictly forbidden 
her to overwork herself.
	There was one person in his mind, and kind 
thoughts were not directed at it: Fuyutsuki.  "He's 
doing this on purpose, Yui."
	She was too absorbed in breakfast and he had said 
it too quietly for her to hear.
	"Tomorrow's a day off, right?" he asked, sitting 
down to start into breakfast himself.
	Yui nodded.
	"Going to work late again tonight?"
	She nodded.
	Gendo stood and went to use the phone where Yui 
wouldn't hear him.  Working late...  Probably encouraged 
by Fuyutsuki to work as hard as she could for as long as 
possible.  Bastard.  "Yes, Professor Fuyutsuki," he said 
quietly into the phone when the secretary answered.
	He was going to give it to the pompous, over-
inflated know-it-all son of a bitch.  "Professor, it's 
nice to talk to you again," he said with as much 
unpleasantness in his voice as possible.
	/"Is there something you wanted, young man?"/
	The mocking was unmistakable to Gendo.  "Stop 
pushing her.  She's going to get hurt, and then what?  
Pretty good way to get back at me, but how will that 
make you feel?"
	/"Don't call me here again, Rokubungi.  I don't 
want to hear your voice, see your face, have to share 
the same air with you."/
	The line went dead in Gendo's ear and he slammed 
the phone down.  "Asshole!"
	"Gen-chan, what's wrong?"  She had picked that up 
almost right away.  If he was in a bad mood, the 
utterance of that pet name would settle him down.
	"Yui, why don't you cut tonight a little short, 
leave two hours early?" he asked, a hint of pleading in 
his voice.
	"I can't.  I have to..."
	"Do more work than the others?  Stay there late 
_every_ night?  I don't think so.  He's using your 
dedication."
	"For what?  To what end?" Yui asked, quite awake 
now.
	"I don't know, but I know I don't like it.  There 
is something not right going on with him, and I'm going 
to find out what."

---

lara@emunix.emich.edu
http://www.thekeep.org/~lara/index.html

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