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 35
"I can still picture the look on your face."
"Something else you'll never let me live down. That was
four days ago. Can we stop now?"
Yui pouted. "You're no fun."
"Yeah, yeah. Tell the jokes at my expense while I just
stand here and don't say anything."
"I could never imagine you not saying something. It's
just not who you are." As was customary with their walks, she
was leaning against Gendo, holding his arm. She sighed.
"You know," Gendo started quietly, "I will get you for
that one day, and then who'll be laughing?"
"It was worth it," she answered almost dreamily.
"It really wasn't a joke, was it?" Gendo asked, looking
down at her as they walked.
"Yes, it was a joke." Yui paused long enough to take a
deep breath. "Sort of."
"That's what I thought." Not that it was a bad thing, he
just wasn't sure what to say, how to handle it. "That kind of
thing is a bit... sudden, don't you think?"
Yui's shrugs were like a language in themselves. The one
she gave him said that she knew, but didn't know what else to do
about it.
"What about your family?"
"What about yours?" she shot back defensively.
So that was what she had meant. Not a joke, but not that
big step either. Just a... hope of things to come. "I don't
particularly care. My life is not my family's concern.
Certainly not who I'm seeing or what we might have planned for
the future."
"Do you not like your family? I've never heard you talk
about them... positively."
It was Gendo's turn to shrug, but his revealed nothing.
"Not much to say. I don't see them much anymore."
"Oh. I haven't seen my parents since last holiday break.
But I think that's probably for the best. My mother..." Yui
looked at Gendo, who raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent.
"She's a bit nosy, a little bossy. Under certain circumstances,
she can be hard to deal with."
"Certain circumstances... Let me guess. Dating and
living with a man ten years older than you."
"Those would definitely qualify, but it doesn't even need
to be that big a deal. There's no reason to even be talking
about it really. This is my life and my decision."
"Parents are a bit... sticky like that."
Yui snickered. "Sticky. I would have never thought about
it like that."
"Maybe you need to be a little more imaginative then."
Gendo gave her a smile that bordered dangerously on a wicked
grin.
She returned it. "But I'm so young and sweet and
innocent," Yui exclaimed, flashing a forlorn puppy-like
expression up at Gendo.
That made him laugh immediately. "Sweet I'll give you.
Innocent, no way in hell. Maybe a bit... inexperienced, but
that's perfectly okay with me."
Gendo laughed a little again, shaking his head.
"Innocent..." he muttered under his breath.
"Isn't that what all men like? A woman who's so innocent
she's helpless?" Yui asked.
"Not me. I don't think it's possible to be that innocent
anyway. Everyone is a little corrupt inside." Gendo looked at
her from the corner of his eye. "I like to think I'm a pretty
good judge of character, and you are not innocent at all."
"And what about you?"
"Oh, I know I'm not innocent."
Yui chuckled softly. "If you had said you were, I would
have known you were off your rocker." She smiled, more to
herself than anything. "I don't find innocence all that
attractive anyway."
---
Page 36
"I'm sorry, Professor. I can't stay late tonight. Gendo
and I are going out."
"What about..."
"I'm all caught up. I'll see you tomorrow." Yui
collected her things and left, not paying any further attention
to the lab behind her.
Fuyutsuki frowned. She was caught up. And she was going
out with Rokubungi. What had happened to turn her attitude
around so completely? Each morning she'd be chipper and alert,
talkative, not tired at all, sometimes even excited.
It certainly couldn't have been just because of Rokubungi,
could it?
Gendo was just getting changed as Yui arrived.
"Reservations are for seven. Will you make it?" he called out
from the bathroom.
"Time me!"
Twenty-four minutes later, Yui was running a brush through
her hair for the last time. "Will we make it?"
"Shouldn't be too tough." Gendo held the door open for
Yui as they left the apartment. Just as they headed down the
walk, they took each other's hands.
She managed to hold off until the door was closed. After
that, Gendo had his hands more than full. "That was great," Yui
whispered to him, her arms encircling him from behind. "And
it's still too early to go to bed."
"I wasn't going to suggest it."
"Then we can do something else."
Gendo rolled his eyes. The woman was almost out of
control. "Not for twenty minutes after eating," he warned
seriously, hoping she would believe him.
"You're such a party pooper."
"Yui, you are the biggest party girl I have ever met, so I
wouldn't rely on those types of insults." He turned his head
and looked at her as best he could. "You are aware of the
trouble this could get us both into, aren't you?"
Yui sighed and released him. "Fine, fine. You really
aren't any fun."
"That's not what you said that first night."
"I don't recall saying anything if you want to get picky."
Gendo turned around to face her, grinning. "What was that
I heard in my ear then? It sounded like..."
"Heavy breathing. Anything else and you need your hearing
checked," Yui answered quickly to cut him off. There was a very
healthy blush in her cheeks.
Eyebrows lifting slowly, he gave Yui an amused look.
"Check my hearing?" He took a step backward, which Yui
followed. "And where might I get my hearing checked?"
"The doctor probably." She followed each of his
retreating steps. "But I could probably be convinced to check
those big Dumbo ears of yours."
"How closely?"
His one step back was countered by Yui's two steps
forward, and she was suddenly leaning against him. "Very
closely," she whispered in his ear and then nibbled delicately
on it.
Gendo flushed, goosebumps traveling up and down his back.
"I can't really call you a tease anymore, can I?"
"If that's what you want. I don't see how it matters one
way or the other." Yui smiled coyly. "Unless that's what you
want me to do."
"You're still a tease. You always will be. But you're my
tease." They stayed that way for a few moments, just looking at
each other. "It's been twenty minutes."
Yui grinned and glanced at her watch. "Only eighteen."
"Two minutes to get undressed then. Come on, tease."
---
Page 37
"Sorry, Satoshi. I'm meeting Gendo for a n... lunch."
Yui smiled a bit too widely to just be talking about lunch.
"Sounds like you and Rokubungi are pretty serious," her
co-worker commented.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"I might also say a little more than serious." He gave
her a friendly smile.
Yui returned it. "You could say that too."
"Just send me an invitation," he said, then walked off to
get his own lunch.
Professor Kozo Fuyutsuki shook his head slightly. A
ridiculous idea, but one that seemed... inevitable. That didn't
change his opinion of Yui though, or of Rokubungi.
He supposed she would just have to learn the hard way
about men like that; then he would be there to console her when
it all fell apart.
The phone rang, jarring him from his contemplation. He
looked back to see that Yui was already gone, then picked up the
phone. "Yes? Yes, put her through."
While listening with half an ear, he looked at the stack
of paper on his desk. So much work still to be done.
"Yes, yes, Doctor. I've seen them, and I must admit that
they're quite... ambitious. Funding for something like that..."
No matter how glorious the end product would be, money would be
hard to find without definite end results.
"You've done what? Doctor, that was highly..." Fuyutsuki
paused, and irritated look crossing his face. "I understand the
way funding works as well as anyone, but to use our data and
demonstrate it... That's..."
Releasing an annoyed sigh, Kozo shook his head. "If you
knew it was insecure, why did you do it?"
He knew that she couldn't be trusted, but she was also
necessary, and that meant putting up with her stunts and playing
damage control.
And calling her "Doctor". "Doctor Akagi, even if you did
procure funding, I don't approve. People just wouldn't
understand what it is..."
Just agree. Just keep agreeing to get her off the phone.
"Very well. Just as long as you realize my objections."
Without another word, he hung up the phone, glad to not
have to speak to the woman any longer.
The people he needed were so difficult to work with, and
the ones he wanted were... out of reach.
Sighing, he turned his attention back to the papers on his
desk.
"I'm going to the doctor next week."
"No sooner?"
"I had to fit it in on one of my days off."
"Maybe we should hold off until then."
Yui looked absolutely horrified at the suggestion. "No!"
"It was just a suggestion."
She frowned in response, but not at Gendo. "What would
you do if... an accident did happen?"
"You're not..."
"No, but I'm curious."
There was no point in telling her something just to make
her feel better. "I'd... marry you, get a job and help raise
it."
"Don't say it just because you think that's what I want to
hear. I want the truth."
"I just gave it to you. I am... aware," he continued
slowly, "of personal responsibility. I won't run from it."
"But would you really want all that? With me?"
"With you? Definitely."
---
Page 38
They were in the kitchen together, cooking dinner and
sharing a bottle of beer.
"Don't backwash in that," Yui warned as she watched Gendo
take a drink.
"You couldn't tell mine from yours so don't worry about
it."
"Just knowing you spit up in something I'm drinking is
enough. Whether it's mixed with mine or not." Yui had a
disgusted look on her face as she watched Gendo drink.
After she said that though, he looked at her, then the
bottle in his hand, and then poured the rest of it down the
sink. "Thanks. That was just what I wanted to hear _while_ I
was drinking."
"Now that you're done finishing off another beer can you
help me here? I'm sure you'll end up eating at least half of
it."
"Probably more. Yui, you just don't eat enough."
"You want me to get fat? If I ate like you, I would."
"Then who bought the ice cream in the freezer? It sure
wasn't me since I wouldn't eat butter pecan," Gendo said,
looking at Yui skeptically as he stirred the cooking noodles.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with ice cream. As long as
it's eaten in moderation."
Gendo smiled. "You don't need to make excuses for
yourself. We'll work off the extra calories together."
Putting her arm around his waist, Yui just shook her head.
There was no reason to battle him in his current mood. It would
probably pass shortly and he'd back to his usual self.
"Besides, I don't think you have any extra calories to
work off," she said anyway. Her fingers moved lightly over his
ribs.
"Stop that!" Gendo twisted away from Yui, who started
laughing.
"I know your weak point now." She reached out for him
again, smiling, and watched him quickly move to the other side
of the kitchen.
"Hmph. It's not a weak point; you just caught me by
surprise." He had his arms crossed over his stomach, hands
guarding his ribs.
Giving him a knowing look, Yui nodded. "Of course.
Caught by surprise." She knew his weak points anyway, and they
weren't really related to how ticklish his ribs were.
"Come back over here, Gen-chan," she beckoned. "I won't
do it again since I know how it wounds your pride." She held
her arm out to invite him to stand next to her.
"I hate when you do that," he mumbled and walked to her.
He stood, arms still crossed, next to her and let her put her
arm around him.
She glanced at him, still smiling. "I said I wasn't going
to do it again. Are you going to help me or not?"
"Yui..."
"Gen-chan, don't be so touchy. You take things too
seriously. I remember when you were accusing me of that." She
tightened her hold on him. "Just because I get the best of you
every now and then."
"It's not that."
"Then what is it?"
Gendo paused, then slowly put his arm around Yui. "I
suppose it might be that."
"I always knew you were a closet control freak. If you
want to take over dinner, be my guest."
He shook his head. "I wouldn't say that. I'm a
little..."
"Possessive? Controlling?"
"There you go again. Really know how to improve my mood.
If I was nearly as bad as you say I am, I would have gotten you
out of that lab a long time ago."
---
Page 39
He watched her as the sun shone through the window,
periodically interrupted by the buildings they passed. "Yui,"
he said, his voice seeming like it was coming from somewhere
outside of himself.
Yui turned her head to look at him, moving like she was in
slow motion, a smile on her lips. Her mouth opened and she
spoke, but he couldn't hear what she said.
"It's... nothing," he replied shakily, not even sure what
he had been meaning to say. He turned his head away, thanking
silently whatever had made the strange feeling pass.
Smiling slightly, Yui just shook her head, then turned her
gaze back out the window of the train.
"Have you always had this wandering eye?"
The woman disappeared around a corner and Gendo returned
his attention to Yui. "Hm?"
"I'll take that as a yes. I certainly feel special on
this date."
"What?"
Yui couldn't help but laugh. "Sometimes you are so
adorably thick-headed. But really, could you at least try not
to look while we're out on a date?"
Her meaning finally caught up to him. "Oh, right. Sorry.
Habit."
"One I hope you grow out of soon enough, at least long
enough to hold an uninterrupted conversation." Yui gave Gendo a
look that was sure to leave him no doubt that she meant
business.
His reply was to completely change the subject. "I'm just
surprised you could get this evening off on such short notice."
Yui smiled knowingly. "Whatever you think of the
professor, he's not a slave driver. I just said I'd make up the
time over the rest of the week."
"When is this going to stop, Yui? When will you be able
to cut back your hours?"
"Probably not for a while. And I've cut them back once
already. Isn't that enough?"
"No," Gendo answered, frowning. "When will I get more
time? I thought that was what you wanted, for us to be
together."
"It sounds like what you want is to have me all to
yourself. Don't be so selfish. Someone has to support us."
That stung, and they both knew it. Gendo looked away,
ashamed. "Well excuse me for being in love with you. Next time
I'll just keep quiet."
"Damn it. You know I've cut back as much as I can.
Things aren't getting easier; they're getting more... urgent.
And this is already a long-term project. You just don't have
any idea," lectured Yui.
"I don't understand because you don't tell me. You talk
about this project every day, how important it is, but never
give any details. Like you're going to take over the world or
something." Gendo paused, finding the courage to say the words
he had been dreading. "If it's Fuyutsuki, tell me now. Don't
spare me."
"It's nothing like that! I thought we were beyond this.
I can't tell you about the work, and you keep refusing the offer
for a job. Even Professor Fuyutsuki said he wouldn't mind," Yui
said, confused and a little desperate. This was not how she
wanted to spend the evening.
Unwilling to fight over it, Gendo just sighed. "That's
not the point and you know it. And it's not about keeping track
of you either. You're just gone so much."
Yui stroked his cheek. "I'm doing the best I can. This
is the most important thing right now, after you, but... It
needs my attention."
"I need your attention."
"And you have it, but... work is work. And this is the
most important thing I've ever done."
Gendo just looked at her, still frowning. 'So far,' he
thought to himself.
---
lara@emunix.emich.edu
http://www.thekeep.org/~lara/index.html