From The White Sands, The Letters Spelling PAST by Leon Myjia

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From The White Sands, The Letters Spelling PAST
By Leon Myjia 7 Comments Post Comment	May 15, 2008
Secondary Genre: Drama	This chapter has received 244 visitors.
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Author’s Notes: Okay, here it is. Chapter 8. I hope you enjoyed the ride so far, and to those who have and continue to come back, I thank you. Please, review and let me know how I’m doing ^^; I need it.

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Back, back to years past. Youth returns, as do old memories and fateful encounters. Now, a train car, the low rumbling of the train passing over the tracks as the young Katsuragi Misato help tight onto the handle, looking over her dress and sighing at the wrinkles. ‘My favorite dress…ruined…damn that Kaji-kun!’

“I swear…Kaji-kun isn’t going to hear the end of it from me after that…I can’t believe he would show up looking like that, embarrassing me.” Misato griped, recalling her earlier date with a certain Ryoji Kaji, who had arrived in his normal appearance - scruffy facial hair, somewhat ragged clothes and hair. During the course of the date, it seemed, Kaji’s inappropriate - in Misato’s eyes - advances towards her had caused various wrinkles and other blemishes on Misato’s current favorite dress.

“At least his friend was better behaved. Speaking of which, Ritsu-chan, how was your date?” Misato turned her attention now to the young blonde woman to her right, holding onto a handle in one hand, while she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse.

“You call that a date? I couldn’t stand it, he’s not my type.” She released the handle for a moment, digging through her purse now to find a small, white lighter - a black cat painted on the side. “I’m not sure what it was, but I got this feeling from him like everything he was doing was fake.”

Ritsuko lifted the cigarette to her red painted lips and let it rest there as she lit it. She took a slow drag, looking upwards at the sign above her head that read ’No Smoking’. Slender fingers pulled the cigarette from her lips, returning it to her hand as she blew a plume of smoke, watching as it rolled over the sign.

“Not like he was trying to trick me or anything, just that he didn’t really mean anything he said. It was like he was just going through the motions. It was all very transparent.” Misato chuckled slightly, a smile that carried a mix of nervous humor and slight concern for her friend fought it’s way to her features.

“You’re too analytical, Ritsu-chan. You’re going to scare all the men out of your life before you’re thirty.” It was Ritsuko’s turn to laugh, as she closed her eyes, shaking her head somewhat as she placed the cigarette back into her mouth.

“It’s only natural. I’m going to be a scientist after all.” Ristuko opened her eyes just slightly, enough to peer out of the window in front of her. “But, it doesn’t take a scientist to see through him.”

Misato sighed, but let the nervous chuckle remain, trying to remain as cheerful as possible despite the attitude of Ritsuko bringing her down. “Heh…what was his name again?”

***

“Yoichi Satoru. Why I didn’t recognize the name right away, I’ll never know.” Misato murmured, the cup of coffee resting between her fingers rippled as she sighed, shaking her head. Exasperated by her own forgetfulness, her attention snapped back to Satoru as he began speaking. He paused for a moment when he was handed a clipboard from Maya, sitting not far off. He scribbled on the papers as he continued. The break room was empty, save for the three adults, and the quiet hum of the vending machines nearby.

“Well, Katsuragi-chan, it has been a long time. A lot has changed over the years. Not only that, our contact back then was pretty limited, and Kaji-kun was almost always around, if I recall correctly, and your attention was focused solely on him.” He paused for a moment when he was handed a clipboard from Maya, sitting not far off. Grumbling slightly, he scribbled on the papers as he continued with a knowing smirk. “It’s not surprising that you didn’t recognize me, after all, is it?”

Misato was slightly taken aback at his words, but their actual meaning - teasing in nature - slowly dawned on her, bringing a smile and a bit of laughter that caught her off guard, breaking her normal irritated attitude towards the man. “Ahem, excuse me.” She shifted her weight onto one foot, taking a brief sip of her coffee before she spoke once more. “Anyway, I happen to remember you going on a double date with Ritsuko and I back then. I remember it now, I told Kaji-kun to find a date for Ritsuko or I wouldn’t go.”

Satoru stopped his writing, looking to Misato for a brief moment before tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling. He gave off a soft humming sound as he thought, before he snapped his fingers and returned his gaze to Misato. “Oh yeah…I recall that. I tried my best really, but Akagi-chan wasn’t very receptive towards me.”

Misato let out a slight laugh, turning her head to the side to stare at a vending machine, scanning over the contents, as Maya offered a brief smile and took the clipboard from Satoru as he finished, going over the information. “That sounds like Akagi-san, for sure. She was never really receptive towards any men as far as I know.”

“Well, then, it looks like you’re still a little hung up on her after all these years, eh, Satoru-san? Going out of your way to find her after her disappearance, how loyal you are.” Misato spoke as she strode over to the vending machine, placing her money into the acceptor. Satoru, however, seemed less than amused. He stood up slowly and started towards the door, pausing for a moment to glance back at Misato, no trace of that earlier smile.

“If you’re hinting at some kind of unrequited love, you’re wrong. I don’t feel anything for Dr. Akagi.” He turned his back to Misato, opening the door slowly and staring out into the hallway, his tones dropping lower slightly. “I just know where she could be, and would rather she not be there.” At that, Satoru took his leave, closing the door behind him. Maya watched him, silent until after he had been gone for a few moments. An awkward silence passed between the two women, the hum of the vending machine behind Misato the only sound in the room. The numbers of the money deposited flashed repeatedly, awaiting input from the woman, though she did nothing.

“Katsuragi-chan…Satoru-kun isn’t after Akagi-san for his own sake. I asked him to find her for me.” Misato looked up suddenly, hearing Maya speak.

‘Of course,’ Misato’s inner dialogue began. ‘she was always so attached to Ritsuko..’ She shifted her stance slightly, feeling a bit of pity, as well as sympathy, for the young woman. “Maya-chan…”

“We may not talk anymore, but I still don’t want anything bad happening to her. She did teach me all I needed to know.” She looked down at the clip board held in her hands, studying what was written upon it meticulously. “When I heard she disappeared, I went to Satoru-kun and asked him to help me. He was very supportive and promised to do all he could.” She smiled slightly now, looking up to Misato. “He’s really not as abrasive as you seem to think, Katsuragi-chan. Just rough around the edges some times, and a little blunt.”

Misato found herself slightly perturbed at Maya‘s words, a apprehensive expression making it‘s way to her features, forcing it‘s way to the surface and rendering her unable to hide her reaction. “Maya-chan…don’t tell me you and Satoru-san…”

Maya’s body twitched, visibly at her words, and her grip on the clipboard tightened. “What? Don’t be ridiculous.” She looked away now, attempting to hide her face away from Misato, though whether it was embarrassment or something wasn’t known to Misato. “It’s nothing like that. There couldn’t be anything like that between us.”

***

Satoru sat silently within his office, elbows propped upon the desk before him and his fingers interlaced. His forehead rested upon the knuckles of his hands, eyes closed. His glasses rested upon the desk as his mind was lost in thought, the room completely dark and letting his thoughts run rampant. ‘Unrequited love? I’m not capable of something like that.’ He let his eyes drift open, scanning the empty desk for anything to hold his attention other than his thoughts. ‘Why, then, do I wonder about those words? Unrequited love?’ His gaze hardened slightly as he thought, grinding his teeth somewhat as a realization dawned upon him.

“No…unrequited has nothing to do with it…” The door to his office opened swiftly, drawing his attention upward to it rather than his desk, effectively pulling him away from his thoughts. “Sitting in here with the lights off all by yourself again, Satoru-kun?” A chuckle came from the young man as his hands fell to his sides. Leaning back in his chair, Satoru brushed hair back out of his eyes and addressed his friend.

“That doesn’t concern you, does it Kaji-kun?” Kaji stopped at Satoru’s desk and waited as the young commander activated the chair, giving Kaji a place to sit, though he instead sat directly on Satoru’s desk. He continued now that Kaji had found himself a seat. “How did the budget conference go?” Kaji shrugged his shoulder and leaned onto his hand, setting a folder that had been under his arm onto the desk.

“They’ve approved a one-hundred-million yen budget increase for us. It isn’t much, but it should be enough to show them we’re worth more.” Satoru grumbled as he picked up the file, opening it up so that he could read the contents within. “Tight-fisted bastards. They’ll change their tune after the next time SEELE attacks, I’m sure.” He read over the files briefly in silence, before setting them down once more. “At least it’s enough to begin construction on Unit-0X’s new system.” Kaji’s brow furrowed at Satoru’s statement, standing up now.

“S.L.S. The Soul Link System…you’re placing an awful lot of faith into something we don’t even know is compatible yet. It’ll create problems for the funding if you spend all of our money on this and it doesn’t work.” Satoru laughed aloud now, reaching for his sunglasses and placing them on.

“The system relies on Dr. Akagi’s data from the battle with Gaghiel. Maya-chan has also refined said data into a system we can use. I’m not worried about it - those two are the best at what they do, don’t forget.” Satoru stood as well, now, letting his explanation waver off.

“Well then, let’s not talk about that for now. About those drinks you owe me.” Kaji chuckled nervously as he was reminded of the drinks, nodding his head slightly. “Why don’t we ask Misato and Ibuki-chan to come with is, Satoru? It’d be more fun with them around than if we just went ourselves.” Satoru let the idea mull over in his mind for a moment as he walked towards the door, Kaji close behind.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt. I didn’t know Maya-chan drank, though. Doesn’t seem like something she’d do.” Kaji looked over to Satoru for a moment, as though he had missed the point of the invitations, but decided not to mention anything about it. “I’ll catch you later, then, Satoru-kun.”

Satoru nodded as Kaji disappeared down the hall, then raised his arm to pull back his sleeve and look at the time. “Four forty-five. Fifteen minutes…”

***

“The Soul Link System? You’re finalizing my old plans it seems.” Gendou murmured to the man behind him, turning the page of his newspaper as he often did when conversing with Satoru. Another meeting, more information traded and divulged.

Satoru smirked at the older man’s words, tilting his head back to look at the sky, finding himself without a newspaper today. “Don’t try to take credit for this, old man. This isn’t your work. This is owed to Dr. Akagi and Dr. Ibuki.”

Gendou folded the newspaper into his lap and stared straight ahead, speaking the words he knew would hit a mark. “And Dr. Akagi’s work is mine. After all, her work was done at my request, to win my favor.”

Satoru’s brow twitched for a moment, and he looked straight ahead as well with a scowl. “You’ve no problem using people, do you?” Gendou remained silent, raising the younger man’s ire to even greater heights. “Well, you won’t be able to use this to your advantage. All the data is in my hands, this time.”

“I don’t need the data when I have it’s creator in my hands.” Satoru turned his body suddenly to stare with widened eyes at the older man’s back, the shock turning to anger. “You…so that’s what it is…using people never stops with you, does it Ikari?”

Gendou, unmoved by the comment, started to walk away from Satoru, pausing to shoot one last bullet at the younger man. “And what about you? It has it’s uses, after all.” Satoru glared at him, hating that calm demeanor he tried so desperately to imitate. The cold, detached feeling he got from the man belied the hostility shared between them.

“Fine…I lost this one -” Satoru began as he stood, his hands finding their way into his pockets, running his thumb over a small diskette. “-but what are you planning, Ikari? Why did you give me this information?” No words were given in reply as a small black car came to a stop beside the two. Gendou turned and looked at Satoru - only a tense silence passing between the two. What was only seconds felt like hours, before Gendou simply entered the car door that was opened for him, leaving Satoru to stare at the ground as the car drove away.

“…damn him.”

***

“Drinks? I-I don’t know.” Maya began, recalling her only previous encounter with the man standing over her at this time. “That doesn’t seem very appropriate for you to ask of me, anyway, why don’t you ask Katsuragi-chan?” Kaji chuckled, placing an arm around Maya’s shoulder and tilting his head to look at her eyes, watching her reactions.

“I already asked Katsuragi-chan. She’s going to go with us. Why don’t you come along too? We all need a break now and then, and you’re included in that.” Kaji took the clipboard from Maya’s hand, looking it over despite her protests. His cheerful demeanor vanished as he read over the contents of the file. “The tests were already run? Is this readout right?” Maya pulled the clipboard from Kaji’s hands and stepped away from the man, regaining her composure after a moment’s time.

“Yes, but it’s all theoretical data. We don’t have and hard data on the compatibility, nor do we have any raw data on the pilots. We’ll have to run a raw harmonics test with them soon.” Kaji brought a hand up to his head, scratching his head as he thought of the problems that could arise from such a test. “I’m hoping this test will be run before we pair the pilots up.”

Maya looked at Kaji with her eyes somewhat narrowed, though she knew why he would be concerned. “Of course - I’m not so foolish enough to put them in that kind of environment together. It’s asking for trouble.” Kaji chuckled slightly as she spoke, looking up at a nearby clock.

“Well, we’ll be meeting there in about an hour. Will you be joining us or are you going to stay here and be a workaholic?” Maya thought about going to the bar for a moment, having not been to a bar since college.

‘It couldn’t be that bad, could it?’ She thought, before turning her attention back to Kaji. “Alright. I’ll go. I guess I really do need a break from all of this work.”

Kaji smiled and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Alright, then. I’ll see you there - I’ve got to go get ready myself. Katsuragi-chan would kill me if I showed up in my work clothes.” Maya smiled, glad for the levity in his voice as he started to leave.

She looked down at the clipboard in her hands, then sighed, tucking it under her arm. “…but if I take a break, I’ll never get done…”

***

Misato stood within the apartment she shared with Shinji and Asuka, waving her hands as if it would tame the wild beast that was Asuka, who was having a tirade in front of her. “Why is it that you always go out with Kaji? It isn’t fair, you know!”

“Now now, Asuka…the four of us have never really had time to sit down and catch up. Don’t you think that’s unfair, too?” Shinji, who had been listening nearby as he washed the dishes, stopped to turn around and look at Misato, smiling slightly.

“I think it’s nice that they’re going to take time to talk. It’ll help in the long run, Sohryu-chan.” Asuka, more annoyed than pleased with Shinji’s response, turned to face him with angry eyes.

“Oh, shut up Shinji! Quit rising to her defense! She’s not the only one who wants to spend time with Kaji after all!” Misato flinched slightly at Asuka’s words. She knew the young red-head wanted to see Kaji as well, it was no surprise given her previous attachment to the man. Though, it was no longer truly a ‘previous’ attachment now that Kaji had returned. An idea struck her for a moment, and she raised up a finger to point out a suggestion.

“Hey, I have an idea…why don’t you two go out with Rei-chan and Yuu-kun? The three of you should get to know Yuu-kun a little better, you’re going to be working with him from now on so it wouldn’t hurt.” Asuka huffed, crossing her arms.

“I’m not going anywhere near the first child, but I guess I don’t mind the idea of the Sixth. Still, something about him just pisses me off.” She looked over to Shinji for a moment as the young boy began to speak.

“What do you want to do, then, Sohryu-chan? Anything’s better than staying here, right?” Asuka ground her teeth, then turned towards her room, her hair flowing about as she did so.

“I don’t care…let’s meet with the Sixth then…we’ll see just what he’s really like.” Misato smiled at that, watching Asuka disappear into her room.

Once she was out of earshot, she turned to Shinji with a slightly concerned expression, now, worried about the boy’s mental state when dealing with the new child. “Are you going to be okay, Shinji-kun?”

Shinji returned Misato’s stare, before returning to his chores, his back to the older woman now. “I don’t know…if I do nothing, though, then that’s all that will happen…nothing.” Shinji paused his washing for a moment, his thoughts taking over. ‘Though…I don’t mind if that happens…But if I run away again…’ He thought for a moment of his new commander, and his eyes narrowed slightly, feeling a growing anger in his stomach. ‘Then I’ll lose…’ Meanwhile, Misato noticed Shinji’s growing grip on the cup he was washing - both the cup and his arm starting to shake from the force of the grip. Stepping towards the boy, she placed her hand upon his shoulder, causing him to recoil slightly, inadvertently causing his glare and anger to focus on Misato.

“Shinji-kun…are you…what’s wrong?” Shinji was brought back to reality by these words, looking to see the hurt expression on Misato’s features.

“Misato-san…I’m sorry.” Misato’s heart ached at the boy’s earlier expression, feeling it had been directed towards her, and feeling the need to correct whatever it was she had said to upset the boy.

“Shinji…if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to…Don’t let what I said force you to-” Shinji cut Misato off, his gaze growing stony as he clenched the cup harder.

“Stop it, Misato-san! I’ll do it…” He opened his eyes, only narrowly, staring into the soapy water in the sink. “It’s the most convenient, after all…”

***

“Shinji-kun…I think he’s becoming just how he was when he first arrived at NERV.” Misato began, watching the ice in her glass shift position, clinking against the sides of the glass. “Back to doing whatever he’s told…”

“I don’t know about that, Katsuragi-chan.” Misato looked down the bar, her eyes stopping on Satoru, whose glass rested just shy of his lips as he spoke. “I had a chat with Shinji-kun before the first Synch Tests the other day…there was a bit of a fire in him…” He took a sip of the alcohol within the glass, before setting it down upon the bar, looking down to meet Misato’s gaze. “Of course, calling him out on being a coward might have had something to do with it.” Misato seemed shocked at what she had just heard, and was ready to stand up and fire back at him, but he continued before she had a chance, sensing her hostility from her expression. “I called him out because he needed a kick in the ass. At his age, issuing a challenge to him might spark a desire to not be proven wrong.” He turned his attention once more to his drink, smiling. “And sometimes the physical changes in the body can overtake the mental aspect. I’m banking on that when it comes to Shinji-kun.”

Misato narrowed her gaze at Satoru, which was better than what she had previously intended to do by a long shot. “You’re a monster…you’re putting his mental stability at risk doing things this way.” She looked over her shoulder as Satoru countered her, looking for any sign of Kaji or Maya arriving.

“Life is full of risks, Katsuragi-chan. If you live life without taking risks, it’s no different than death.” Misato said nothing to this, instead offering a change of subject, to avoid a fight.

“Asuka doesn’t seem to be any diferent than she was after the battle with the mass-produced Evas…like she’s back at the top of her game, but I can’t help shaking that there’s more to it than that. Like she’s trying to hide how she really feels by lashing out at anyone who gets close again.” Satoru shrugged his shoulders, sitting upright a bit more in his stool as he tilted his glass in a slow circle, watching the ice swirl within.

“I remember reading that she was hospitalized due to her mental state before hand…then she is suddenly back at her prime without so much as any indication why.” He stopped tilting the glass to look to Misato once more, making sure he had her attention. “Are you concerned?”

Misato leaned towards him, placing a hand on the bar to keep her balance. “Of course I’m concerned! You can’t blame me for that!” Satoru laughed once more, shaking his head yet again.

“No, I’m not blaming you. In fact, I know where you’re coming from.” He waved a finger towards her as he set his drink back on the bar. “Don’t forget…I’ve raised Yuu myself.” Misato returned her eyes to the bar in front of her, her thoughts running rampant for a moment, before she spoke what was on her mind.

“The Sixth Child…Rokuro Yuu…just what is your relationship to him?” Satoru huffed for a moment, having hoped the conversation would have ended with that, but he should have known it was pointless.

“I’ve raised Yuu for a long time now, ever since I first started working towards joining NERV.” He noted Misato’s curious glance about his words, and in truth the woman was pondering his reasons for joining NERV, but he spoke before she could voice them.

“That was after you and Dr. Akagi joined. I’d originally heard about it from Dr. Akagi, back when it was still Gehirn. I shouldn’t have known, but she told me. Eventually, I abandoned my plans to be a musician to join NERV.” Letting his head tilt back some, he closed his eyes. “Yeah…since then, he’s been living with me for the most part. I was accepted as NERV’s new commander after that last battle, and the rest is history.” Turning his head, he opened his eyes to look at Misato, who had been listening intently despite having her eyes trained solely on her drink. Deciding it best to avoid further conversation on the matter due to the awkward silence that passed between the two, Misato changed the subject once more.

“I still can’t believe we went to college together…Kaji-kun sure had some strange friends.” Satoru’s brow furrowed for a moment at her words, before he simply let his eyes look in her direction, rather than turning his whole head, his smile fading to a rather blank expression. “And you tried dating Ritsuko for a while too…I didn’t even know she tried dating anyone in college except for the one date, and that didn’t go so well according to her.”

“Some things we can’t help, and the past is one of them…” Satoru thought about the irony in his words for a moment, recalling a certain boy who had so easily been able to help the past, but decided now was not the time nor the place to think of those things. “Dr. Akagi may have turned me down, but perhaps it was for the best, given what became of her…” He took another drink, closing his eyes as he reminisced. “I’d much rather not have gotten involved.”

“Talking about the past already, are we? That’s not nice, leaving me out of it like that.” The familiar voice came from behind the two, causing both to turn and smiled at their mutual friends. Kaji had arrived with Maya not far behind, Kaji catching Misato’s attention more than Satoru, who was busy being lost in his own thoughts. Kaji took a seat to Misato’s right, and Maya on Satoru’s left. Satoru glanced towards Maya, who had decided to wear a simple light blue t-shirt and blue jeans, as opposed to Misato who was wearing her black dress - the usual she wore when out drinking. Seeing what Maya had brought with her, however, Satoru frowned slightly.

“I’m glad you came out, Maya-chan, but…” He pointed to the file she had set on the bar, glancing to her now. “Did you have to bring that with you?” Maya let out a nervous chuckle, leaning slightly on the bar now. “Well, if I didn’t, I’d fall behind - you’d chew my ass off for it.” Satoru stared at Maya in silence for a moment, and Maya returned his gaze, before the two share a chuckle, causing their friends to look towards the two of them. Misato was the first to comment, looking now to Kaji.

“They sure are friendly.” Kaji laughed quietly and nodded, and it was Maya and Satoru’s turn to look upon them, as they were now the topic of conversation.

“Well, that’s because they work together more than anyone else at NERV, myself included. It’s only natural they’d be on such good terms.” Maya interjected on the conversation, waving a hand as if to dismiss what Kaji had said.

“Oh please, don’t let this fool you - he works me to death, dumping all the things he doesn’t want to do on me.” Satoru grumbled, rolling his eyes as he did so.

“Hey, come on…it’s not like I dump everything on you. There are just some things that you do better than me.” Maya turned her attention back to her superior, raising a brow.

“Oh, and is waking someone up on the list of things I do better than you? That’s why you had me wake up Rei when I had dozens of other things to do? Things you ordered me to do, don’t forget.”

Satoru let out a nervous chuckle, then looked off to the side as everyone had a laugh at his expense. He wasn’t hurt by their laughter, nor the fact that they continued their conversation without him. He was busy with his own thoughts and memories, his eyes resting on the empty stool to his right.

***

“Really? Your mother is Akagi Naoko?” The question shocked a young Ritsuko, and she stopped walking to look at the man next to her.

“You didn’t know?” Ristuko knew her mother’s name was quite well known, yet she had never met anyone who had failed to make the connection between her mother and herself save for Misato, and she didn’t seem to care. Of course, now this man, Yoichi Satoru, had the same reaction.

“Nope…didn’t know at all…” Ritsuko tugged at her white sleeveless, shrugging her shoulders and continuing their walk.

“Unbelievable, Satoru-kun. You’re as dense as they come.” She glanced over to the blue-eyed male, smiling away and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

“That’s fine, isn’t it?” Satoru turned his head to watch where he was going for a moment. “It’s nice that your mother is famous and all, but I’m not interested in your mother.” He set his eyes on Ritsuko once more, watching her reaction. “You’re the one I’m interested in.” Ritsuko glanced to Satoru for a moment, before looking ahead in silence.

Dear Mother, I’ve met an…interesting type of man today. His name is Yoichi Satoru. He’s a friend of Misato’s boyfriend, you know the one I told you about? He’s not as sloppy but he’s just as frivolous as Kaji. Still, I thought he was transparent and fake, but the more I get to know him, the more confused I become. He’s getting more and more hard to read.

“Hey, wanna go out to the bar tonight, Ritsuko-chan? Or did you want to work on your dissertation?” Satoru began, fiddling with his ponytail, but not daring to pull it out due to the heat. The pair sat at a lunch table, eating lunch together while a slew of papers were spread out before them.

Ritsuko looked up from her meal to him, then sighed, nodding her head. “Alright, I guess it won’t hurt to take a break for that much.”

I guess it’s kind of selfish of me, but I’ve been seeing him a few days now strictly for my own scientific curiosity. I want to know more about him, but I don’t want to get to know him better, if that makes any sense.

“That isn’t fair, Ritsu-chan. You should be kinder to him, he’s a good hearted guy.” Misato pleaded, standing nearby the woman, both riding in an elevator taking them down from the top floor of the laboratory wing of the college. Ritsuko lit a cigarette, placing it between her lips as she spoke.

“I’ll admit he’s…not bad.” Taking a drag, she blew smoke up towards the ceiling, sighing slightly. “I guess I should give him more of a chance after all…”

Dear Ritchan, it’s nice that you’re finally overcoming your shyness with men, despite it being what it is. Don’t worry about the trivial details, so much, though. It’s nice to have a man in your life - no matter what level that relationship might be.

Ritsuko set a paper upon the bar as she sat down, sliding it over towards Satoru. “Take a look at this, Sato-kun. My dissertation got a perfect score!” Satoru raised a brow as she slid the paper towards him, and he lifted it up to study the marks, or lack thereof, upon the paper.

“You’re not kidding…there isn’t a single red mark in this entire paper.” He smiled to her and set the paper back down on the bar, sliding it towards her. “I take it that’s what made you so late? You were talking about your dissertation?” Satoru pulled a pair of cigarettes from his pocket, handing one to Ritsuko. She took the small gift, lighting it and placing her cat lighter on the bar for Satoru to take to light his own cigarette.

“Uh-huh, you’re not going to believe it - They said that if kept it up, I’ll get into Gehirn for sure!” Satoru smiled, waving his hands up and down.

“Easy now, Ritsu-chan…you’re not even supposed to be talking to me about that, remember?” Ritsuko stared at him for a moment, slightly put off by his words. “I am proud, and happy for you, though, Aka-nyan…”

Dear Mother, I was told today that I would be able to get into Gehirn if I continued my work towards becoming a scientist at the pace I am. This is wonderful news to me, but I’ve noticed that I’m starting to become more attached to Satoru as a person rather than the object of my scientific observation. He called me Aka-nyan today, and it made me feel good…it’s concerning - if I go to Gehirn I won’t be able to see him anymore, so I don’t want to get too attached. I think it’s better off if I end it where it is. I wasn’t able to find out who he really was, in the end.

“I thought we were doing well…but you’re really wanting to break up with me so easily?” Satoru queried painfully, watching Ritsuko look off to the side.

“Don’t say it like that…it’s not like this was really that serious or anything…” Her eyes dropped somewhat, staring now at the ground as Satoru took a single step towards her. “Aka-nyan…”

Ritsuko’s head snapped towards Satoru, stepping away from him. “Don’t call me that anymore, Yoichi-san.”

***

“Satoru-kun? Satoru-kun are you okay?” Maya raised a hand to his shoulder, shaking him slightly. Satoru turned his head slightly to Maya, raising a brow.

“Hmm? What is it?” Maya looked down the bar towards Kaji and Misato, who were also staring at Satoru with somewhat concerned expressions, before returning her gaze to Satoru.

“You just stopped talking and were sitting there staring at your drink for a while. Are you okay?” Satoru smiled nervously and nodded, waving her hand away.

“Sorry about that. I guess I zoned out…maybe I am a bit overworked, too.” He let his hand drift into his pocket to pull out a cigarette, placing it in his lips. He fumbled for a moment for his lighter, before pulling it from his pocket and looking down at it, his eyes widening for a moment before he sighed, slipping it back into his pocket.

“Kaji-kun…do you have a lighter?”

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Authors Notes: Yay! I