Story: Night Shift Confessions (all chapters)

It had been mere hours since the last Angel attack and the entire staff at NERV HQ was just coming off of alert. The tension that had permeated every inch of the Command Center was beginning to dissipate. Techs were able to take breaks again, or just go back to their routine work. When Commander Ikari left the room, everyone knew things were back to normal. Or as normal as they ever were.

At her station, Maya Ibuki leaned back in her chair and sighed. She wiped a stray lock of hair from her brow and found it slightly damp with sweat. It is really hot in her today, she thought to herself. Looking over at Hyuga, she saw the other operator fanning himself with a stack of reports. That brought a silent groan from Maya as she hesitantly glanced back at her station.

Data from the battle streamed across her screen. The Magi may have been making some sense of it then, but it would be up to Dr. Akagi to take the analysis one step further. That meant Maya was looking at another late night pouring over figures, but a late night pouring over figures with her sempai. Maya brightened at that thought. She looked over to where Dr. Akagi stood, her serious eyes pinned on her clipboard, as if the recent printouts held there were the only thing in the world. Seeing the doctor so intense gave Maya butterflies; so much so that the young tech almost giggled to herself.

“So,” came a voice from beside her. It was Aoba, the third technician Maya worked closely with during the day. He had his bag ready to go, obviously wanting to get off shift before something else dire happened. “Are you two coming?”

Maya’s eyes shifted from Aoba to Ritsuko and then to Hyuga. “I have some more work to do before I can go.”

“Well, I’m outta here,” Hyuga said with a smile as he got to his feet wearily. Waving to Maya, he headed out of the Command area on the heels of Aoba.

More and more, the command center returned to the humdrum activity it usually saw. Maya waited by her terminal until she got confirmation that all three Eva pilots had returned safely. She downloaded the new battle information to her laptop and waited patiently for the voice she secretly longed to hear more than anything.

“Maya.”

The young tech’s skin tingled with pleasure at the sound of her sempai calling her name. She looked up at Ritsuko, eager to work, laptop clasped in her arms. "Hai, sempai."

Ritsuko looked down at her senior technician and hardest worker and faintly smiled. There was just something about Maya that appealed to the doctor. Perhaps it was her attention to detail and how she could work long into the night without a complaint. It was true that Ritsuko would never have gotten as much reported on time to Commander Ikari if it hadn’t been for Maya’s hard work and devotion. A devotion that seemed to go far beyond her dedication for the job. She smiled to herself as she left the Command Center for the science labs.

It didn’t take long for Maya to catch up to Ritsuko, her NERV issued boots clacking against the tiled floor of the hallway. She came up to Ritsuko’s left side, staying slightly behind her left elbow. Another late night with sempai, Maya thought to herself again, with a twinge of sorrow this time. As far as anyone knew, Maya’s fascination with Dr Akagi was no more than professional, however, every time the two of them were alone, Maya wished with all her heart she could just let Ritsuko know how she felt. Even just once. Her cheeks were suddenly burning and she dropped a step further behind to hide that fact from Ritsuko.

“Maya?”

The questioning tone in Ritsuko’s voice brought the young tech from her musings. “Yes?”

“You seemed distracted. Is something wrong?”

Maya shook her head. “Oh, no. Nothing. I was just. . .thinking.”

The back of Ritsuko’s hand was suddenly against Maya’s forehead, which made the tech weak in the knees. Ritsuko's hand slid down to Maya’s cheek and Maya had to use all of her willpower not to lean into the gentle touch she longed for so much.

“Hmm, you feel kind of warm. Are you getting a fever?” The hand slid away. “Maybe you should get some rest.”

“No, I’m fine, really,” Maya insisted. “It was just really warm in Central Dogma. That’s all.”

Ritsuko sighed and continued toward the science labs. “Well, that’s true. With so many people running around during an Angel attack, it's bound to heat up in there.”

The silence of the science labs was a welcome change from the hectic pace of Central Dogma. Maya breathed a sigh of relief as she set her laptop at her station and got ready to work. She brought up the compiled data from the day’s battle as well as the previously gathered synch ratios from the three Eva pilots. The initial data seemed to show no significant differences from the last lab test.

“How’s it look?” Ritsuko asked. She came up behind Maya and looked over her shoulder. “Any changes?”

Maya shook her head. “Doesn’t look to be too different. Asuka’s synch is perfect as usual. Rei’s hasn’t changed. Shinji is. . .well, Shinji.”

Ritsuko smiled and laughed gently. “That’s one way to put it. I often wonder if his lack of improvement is due to his stubbornness. He really can be just like his father, sometimes.”

At the mention of Commander Ikari, Maya stiffened. He was the one who stood between her and Dr. Akagi. He was the one who had Ritsuko’s attentions when the Eva’s were taken care of and the Geofront was silent. He was the one who ruled Ritsuko’s life in such a way to make Maya’s usually meek demeanor turn to anger.

“Something is wrong.” This was a statement that came from the doctor as opposed to a question. She leaned over Maya’s left shoulder, her brown eyes meeting those of Maya. “Lieutenant Ibuki, I could have sworn I just heard you growl.”

Maya blushed fiercely. She looked down at the terminal in front of her, embarrassed to have been caught in such a moment of jealousy as that. Could Ritsuko know something? Maya furrowed her brow. Couldn’t be, she thought. There’s no way.

“Was that a growl of. . .jealousy?” Ritsuko took Maya by the chin and forced the young technician to look her in the eyes. The doctor’s eyes lit up as Maya gasped and drew back in shock. “Hmm, did I hit a nerve? So it is jealousy?”

Maya looked back at her terminal, clamping her hands over the keyboard. She typed a few strokes, trying to focus on the readouts before her. Ritsuko wasn’t going to be ignored so easily, especially when she was about to get her little assistant on the ropes. She came up behind Maya, wrapping her arms around to place her hands over Maya’s on the keyboard. Her hands rested gently, but firmly on Maya’s hands, keeping her from typing. Leaning close to Maya’s ear, Ritsuko spoke softly.

“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Maya?”

A shiver of pleasure ran through Maya’s entire body as Ritsuko leaned over her. She tried to form words, but all she could get out was one. “S-sempai. . .”

“Hmm.” Ritsuko straightened and put her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. Drawing her right one out, she revealed a small data disk labeled with Maya’s name and a small pink heart in the corner. “I’ll ask you again, Maya. Is there something you’d like to tell me?”

She tossed the disk on the terminal in front of Maya and grinned, awaiting Maya’s reaction to this revelation.

Seeing the disk clatter in front of her, Maya felt her heart pound heavily. It had been a few days since she had last seen that disk but had thought she had simply left it at her apartment. She had no idea that Dr Akagi had what boiled down to her digital diary. The things she had written about Ritsuko in those entries ranged from the very innocent to what the young tech wished the doctor to do to her during their late nights. In a panic and slightly confused, Maya didn't know what to say.

"Sempai, where did you find that?" she managed to stutter past a growing cold lump of fear in her stomach.

"The floor of the locker room," Ritsuko said evenly. "I found it the other day and, thinking it was the report you were going to hand in to me, I took it back to my office. Imagine my surprise when I found out what was really on that disk."

Maya couldn't breathe. The disk must have slipped out of her pocket when she had changed from her uniform to her civvies one day. She fought to draw breath, but the panic welling up inside of her refused to release her lungs. The only thing she could do was sit, catatonic, awaiting what Dr. Akagi had for her. As she waited, Dr Akagi rounded on her suddenly.

"Didn't plan on me finding that, did you?" she asked rhetorically. "But if not, I have to wonder, why did you have it at work? Maybe you meant to let me in on your little secret at some time?"

Maya's body took to trembling slightly as her sempai questioned her. The disk sat silently on the terminal, mocking her; its contents no longer a secret. "Dr. A-Akagi. . .I. . ."

Leaning over the terminal, Ritsuko placed her fingertips lightly across the disk and looked at Maya. "'I can't help feeling this way when I'm around her. Every day we're together is another day I'm glad to be alive. I know it's not professional, but I think I may have more than a crush on her.' And that's one of the more. . .innocent entries. I would really like to know who you are writing about, Maya. Major Katsuragi? No, you don't see her every day. Can't be her. Perhaps one of the pilots? Rei or Asuka? No, you're not one to push the boundaries of the law like that. It couldn't possibly be. . .me?"

The look in Dr. Akagi's eyes was so cruel. Maya couldn't decide of the doctor was playing with her, or if she was truly angry at having found out. Ritsuko could play it cool when she wanted to, having had practice working under Commander Ikari for so long. Several times, Maya had seen the doctor's emotions fade away into a mask of professionalism, but never when it directly concerned her. Still trembling, Maya dared meet her sempai's eyes.

"Please, sempai," the young technician pleaded in a tear-strained voice. "I never wanted you to find out. Please don't hate me. I couldn't stand it!"

Ritsuko suddenly came up right behind Maya and wrapped her arms around the young tech. She hovered by Maya's ear, laughing low in her throat. "Hate you? Maya, you're my hardest worker; I could never hate you. But wouldn't it be awkward if Commander Ikari found out. . .?"

Maya sucked in a quick breath and tensed at the mention of the Commander's name. She was somewhere between Heaven and Hell with Ritsuko's sweet breath playing against her ear and the threat of being turned in to the Commander dangling over her head. A slight tremble rushed through her and Maya bowed her eyes.

"Please, Sempai. Please don't tell the commander. I'll do anything you say, just. . .please. . ."

Ritsuko laughed softly again, coming around to peer into Maya's downcast eyes. "Silly girl. I didn't say I was going to tell him. I merely suggested it would be awkward if he knew what was going on."

"Going on?" Maya was becoming confused.

"Yes." And Ritsuko drew closer so her lips hovered dangerously close to Maya's. "If he knew what was going on in the lab. . .right. . .now."

As Maya continued to stare at Ritsuko she became aware of the doctor closing the distance between them. The instant she felt Ritsuko's soft lips brush hers, however, a bolt of pure ecstasy charged through her. With a muffled moan of surprise, Maya leaned back in her chair until she ran into the headrest and became trapped. Ritsuko used this advantage to press in for a brief moment before drawing back. Her eyes rested on Maya, waiting for a response from her assistant.

Gasping from the sudden kiss and her shock, Maya couldn't meet Ritsuko's eyes. A deep blush crawled into her cheeks and her fingers gently traced their way over her lips. Ritsuko took Maya's hand away from her lips and gently smiled at her.

"Was that really so bad, Maya-chan?" the doctor asked. "You look like you enjoyed it."

"Sempai. . .Why?" Maya blinked back tears as they suddenly pricked her eyes. "Why now?"

"Do you think I could really spend so much time with one person if I didn't like them?" Ritsuko's voice held a chiding tone, like she might take with an errant child. "And do you really think you could hide something so obvious as your crush for me that even Misato knew about it? Please, if that woman notices anything besides beer and Kaji, it must be obvious."

A thought flashed through Maya's mind. "But then, the commander. . ."

Ritsuko shook her head. "You let me handle the commander."

As a wave of relief flooded through Maya, she felt the first tear escape her defenses and trace its way down her cheek. Sniffing, she tried to hold back the emotions she had kept pent up for so long. However, Ritsuko wrapped her arms around the young technician and Maya leaned forward into those welcoming arms and cried. Emotions she had kept to herself for so long were now freed, washing through her soul like a great cleansing wave. Ritsuko held her for a while, letting her assistant calm down, but then pulled back and met Maya's eyes. She gently drew her thumb across Maya's cheek, wiping away a stray tear and smiled gently.

"Come on," Ritsuko said gently. "There's work to do. . .Maya-chan."

Maya nodded and smiled broadly. "Hai, Sempai!"

Although Maya was used to working the late shift with Ritsuko, this one had been different.  After her sempai had found Maya’s digital diary, the young tech had been forced to admit her feelings for Ritsuko.  Scared as she had been, however, Maya found her feelings were not rejected.  Though Ritsuko had not reciprocated, she hadn’t turned her assistant away, either.  This, at least, calmed Maya’s nerves, so she could work on the figures on the screen before her.

            So, their research had progressed late into the night.  Maya was nearly beside herself with ecstasy as she no longer had to hide her feelings and Ritsuko seemed to be willing to play to the tech’s whims.  Ritsuko would occasionally linger over Maya’s shoulder longer than necessary, leaning in close to her.  Maya found herself leaning her head back on Ritsuko’s arm and looking into her eyes adoringly.  Ritsuko would always smile back, the cold eyes of a scientist softening when she took in the visage of her adoring assistant.

            Finally, not long after three in the morning, Ritsuko finished her last cup of coffee.  She had gone through three pots of the brew, all of which had been lovingly prepared by Maya, as well as a few cigarettes.  The report was ready for Commander Ikari in the morning and Ritsuko declared it was time to leave.  With a smile, Maya stretched in her chair before rising to her feet to join her sempai.  Ritsuko laid her hand on Maya’s head.  The young tech leaned into the touch, a contented smile spreading across her face.

            “So,” Ritsuko said, gathering the file folder with that night’s analysis, “I think it’s as good a time as any to call it a night.”

            Maya nodded. “Yeah.  I’m beat.” She yawned suddenly, covering it by hiding behind her laptop.

            Ritsuko looked at her watch and sighed.  “It’s a little later than I like, but can’t say I haven’t done it before.  I’ve just never kept you here this late.  Sorry, Maya.”

            “It's all right,” Maya insisted, clutching her laptop to her breast.

            “No, it’s not.” Ritsuko cast a concerned look on her assistant.  “I usually let you go around midnight.  There are still some other personnel around at that hour, so I don’t worry about you going back to your quarters.  But it’s after three now. . .”

            Maya blinked in confusion, wondering if her sempai was heading in the direction she thought she was.

            “I wouldn’t feel right having you walk back alone.  Angels aren’t the only things we have to watch out for these days.”  Ritsuko looked at Maya and smiled slightly.  “Wouldn’t you agree?”

            “Hai, sempai!” Maya could barely contain her excitement.  Ritsuko was going to walk her home.  And Maya was pretty sure, with the late hour, she could convince her sempai to spend the night.  Her heart skipped at the thought and she had to wonder if Ritsuko would refuse the sofa for. . .other sleeping accommodations.

            Ritsuko headed for the door, confident that Maya would be directly on her heels.  She was, taking up her customary position at Ritsuko’s left, just a step behind the older woman.  Although the hallways of NERV were maze-like, Ritsuko knew them all, plus a few most people didn’t know about.  She took the route that would lead them to the exit closest to general quarters to save what little time they had left before dawn.  Maya stayed quiet the whole time, happy just to be with her sempai; not needing conversation to ruin the moment.  It was a comfortable silence.

Exiting NERV and the Geofront, the two science team members found themselves in the darkness of a Tokyo-3 night.  Streetlamps set along the road marked where they needed to go to get to general quarters.  Maya stepped up, now, taking the lead, as it was to her place they were going.  It actually wasn’t all that far and Maya was soon fumbling with sleep-deprived fingers for her key card.  Her hand shook with more than lack of sleep as she tried to swipe the card through the reader next to the door.  With an understanding smile that was lost in the darkness, Ritsuko placed her hand gently over Maya’s and guided it to the card reader.  A green light flashed and the door opened.

“I’m home,” Maya mumbled wearily as she stepped across the threshold.

Ritsuko wrapped her arms around her from behind and whispered in Maya’s ear, “Welcome home.”  She lightly grazed her lips across Maya’s neck, feeling the young tech shiver in her grasp.  Ritsuko smiled, loving the power she had.

Almost regretfully, Maya disengaged herself from Ritsuko and turned around to welcome her into what Maya considered home.  She cast a fretful glance around to make sure the apartment was clean enough for her sempai.  Fortunately, everything seemed to be in order.

“Would you, um, like something to drink?  Coffee?” Maya asked.  It was a little late, or was it early, for coffee, she thought, however, Maya also knew her sempai’s love of the brew.  She was surprised, however, when Ritsuko declined, saying it was already nearly morning and the two of them would need to get some sleep.

Maya agreed whole-heartedly, as she was almost unable to keep her eyes open to make it to her bedroom.  She changed quickly, deciding to wear a conservative ensemble of loose running shorts and a tank top to bed, and returned to find Ritsuko was standing in the middle of the living room, staring at her.  It was then that Maya realized she hadn't offered her sempai anything in the way of sleeping accommodations.  She groaned inwardly, embarrassed.

The doctor had a faint smile on her face as her eyes took in her assistant in fewer clothes than she had ever seen her.  Ritsuko already knew that Maya had a cute body, thanks to the form-fitting NERV uniforms most of the female techs wore.  However, seeing Maya's shapely legs and slender arms bare was a sight Ritsuko hadn't realized she had been yearning for.  The tank top even went so far as to present Ritsuko with the slightest glimpse of the younger woman's cleavage.  When Maya realized she was being appraised, she blushed and cast her eyes away, which caused Ritsuko to chuckle.

"Don't be shy." Ritsuko advanced on Maya, gently drawing her fingers down Maya's cheek to her chin.  She raised Maya's face and met her eyes.  "You look adorable."

Maya's blush deepened.  "Sempai. . ."  She tried to think of something to say, but her mind was suddenly blank.  All she wanted was to stay exactly as she was, but at the same time, the late hour tugged at her consciousness.  Her eyes flitted to Ritsuko's.  She wanted to say something, offer Ritsuko her bed to sleep in, anything at all; however, all she could do was stare into Ritsuko's eyes.

            "So." It was Ritsuko who finally broke the silence.  "Aren't you going to invite me to share your bed tonight?"

            Maya's breath caught quickly in her throat.  She quickly tried to fumble for an answer. Having her every desire suddenly laid out before her, Maya wasn't sure if things were moving too quickly for her now.  "I. . .um, I don't know if. . ."

            Bending down, Ritsuko placed her lips close to Maya's ear and whispered, "There's no need to be scared.  I won't hurt you."  A hand slid lasciviously down Maya's side to her thigh.  "Unless you want to act on some of those things in your journal."

            "Sempai. . .did you really read. . .?" Maya wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to her half-asked question.

            "All of it," Ritsuko confirmed. 

            "All of it. . ."

            Ritsuko took Maya by the hand and led her toward the bedroom.  Turning Maya to face her, she pushed her little assistant onto the bed and kneeled over her, a knowing grin spreading across her face.  "Every. . .little. . .detail. . ."

            Biting her bottom lip, Maya felt her face burn with embarrassment and her nether regions suddenly tighten.  She self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest, wondering exactly how far Ritsuko intended on taking this situation.  All the while, Ritsuko kneeled over Maya, studying her little assistant as the scientist she was.  Her fingers gently played across Maya's arms, flitting dangerously close to the younger woman's breasts.

            "With all those Eva tests, I never knew that the most interesting specimen at NERV was right in front of me."  Ritsuko smiled faintly, letting her fingers continue to explore Maya's soft flesh.  "Certainly the most willing specimen, as I gathered from your journal entries."

            "I-I never meant for you to see those," Maya admitted, shivering with pleasure under Ritsuko's teasing touch. "I thought that you would never know."

            Ritsuko smiled down at Maya.  "Making sure I always had fresh coffee.  Staying far later than you needed to if work ran late.  Standing beside me in my decisions more than was prudent.  And am I wrong in assuming it's you that has, on several occasions, covered me with a blanket when I've fallen asleep at my workstation?  Finding out the truth from bits of information is what a scientist does, Maya.  Did you think I would never figure it out?"

            As Ritsuko's hand slid across Maya's forehead, the NERV tech took it into her own hand and held it gently against her cheek. "Sempai. . .I admire you so much.  I always have.  And having you here is something that I never could have hoped for except. . ."

            "Except in what you wrote?"  Ritsuko leaned down and brushed her lips across Maya's gently.  "Well, I'm here now.  The problem is, what to do now that I am here?"

            "Sempai?"

            Maya barely got the question out before Ritsuko pressed her lips against Maya's again, insistently this time.  The young tech stifled a moan as Ritsuko pressed closer, bridging the gap between their bodies.  She placed one hand just to Maya's side as her right hand wrapped around the back of Maya's neck, keeping the young tech from retreating.  When Ritsuko felt Maya's startled resistance fade, she slid her hand away from the girl's neck to cup her cheek tenderly.  She kissed Maya deeper now, testing just how far her seemingly willing subject would go.

            As for Maya, just seeing Ritsuko hovering over her, still in her lab coat hearkened back to some of her more intimate fantasies.  Having one of them played out caused her body to react as it never had before.  Maya's slim body squirmed with pleasure beneath the doctor’s touch and a moan escaped her lips before she could sensor it.

            “Hmm. . .” Ritsuko looked down evenly at Maya, as if she was observing one of the Eva’s.  “The subject seems to react strongly to such light stimuli.  I wonder what would happen if the intensity was increased?”

            This caused Maya to open her eyes and meet the doctor’s inquisitive look.  The doctor stood beside the bed, looking down at Maya, as the young tech looked on with uncertainty in her eyes.  Wanting to set the mood a bit more, Ritsuko pulled a rolling chair from Maya’s computer desk and sat in it beside the bed.  She rolled the chair closer to the bed and continued to hover over Maya, teasing her with inaction.

            Like any cold scientist, Ritsuko began her examination of this new subject as if Maya was nothing more than an Angel sample or a broken part of an Eva.  Ritsuko had read about such fantasies in Maya’s journal, ones in which Maya had been the subject of Ritsuko’s research and the doctor would be focused on her to the exclusion of everything else.  Truthfully, Ritsuko had never thought of Maya as the submissive type.  She always held her own in the Command Center, even surrounded by Hyuga and Aoba.  There had even been times when she had questioned Commander Ikari’s decisions.

            And now, here she was, completely under the control of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, possibly the only one at NERV to whom she would willingly submit.  The doctor smiled to herself at the power she’d had all along and never knew until recently.  Looking over Maya’s prone form, Ritsuko had to wonder how far out to play this little game.  She decided to leave that up to Maya.

            “Doctor Akagi?” Maya asked quietly.  “Is something wrong?”

            “Possibly,” Ritsuko answered.  “I was thinking back to earlier today.  Did you realize your synch ratio was down a few points?”

            Maya blinked. “My synch. . .?” She trailed off, realizing Ritsuko was following one of the scenarios Maya had written about in her journal.  Maya’s cheeks burned in embarrassment as with that one question, Ritsuko had not only revealed her intentions, but proven to Maya that she had, indeed, read the journal thoroughly.

            “Yes.”  Ritsuko looked over her subject, concerned.  “I’ll have to see if there are any physical reasons for this.  Understand?”

            “Yes, Doctor.”

            "Good.  Now, I'll need you to get undressed."  Ritsuko sat back in her chair, waiting for Maya to comply with her demand.  After a moment of stunned silence, Maya realized this wasn't a joke, that Ritsuko was serious.  Sitting up, Maya turned her face away from the doctor and began to strip off her clothing slowly.  She had never been nude in front of anyone before and having the first time be with her sempai stirred butterflies up in Maya's nervous stomach.  Once she was completely naked, Maya looked shyly toward Ritsuko who nodded professionally and indicated Maya should lie down.

            The flush in Maya’s cheeks spread throughout her entire body now as she lay under her sempai’s scrutinizing eyes.  “Will this hurt?”

            Ritsuko smiled slyly.  She didn’t answer, but took Maya’s wrists in one hand and gently pinned them above her head.  With Maya’s body spread out before her, Ritsuko saw that her little assistant was incredibly cute when she was so helpless.  Even though she had never imagined doing anything like this (especially after that one time with Misato), the prospect certainly seemed much more appealing now.

            As for Maya, she was somewhere between ecstasy and torture as she waited for Ritsuko to begin.  Her fingers grasped the pillow above her head and her eyes shyly avoided those of the stern doctor.  It was at the moment Maya looked away that she suddenly felt Ritsuko’s hands on her stomach.  With a gasp, Maya looked back toward Ritsuko.

            “Easy,” Ritsuko said softly as her hands slid to Maya’s sides.  She ran her thumbs just beneath the quivering woman’s breasts.  When Maya began to squirm, Ritsuko placed a firm hand on her chest and brought her other hand up to cup her assistant’s small breast.  She heard Maya try to stifle a moan and began to gently knead the younger woman’s breast with her hand, all the time pinning her to the bed with her other hand.

            When Maya jumped under Ritsuko’s ministrations, the doctor quickly moved her hand from Maya’s chest to grasp her wrists above her head.  Her free hand wandered softly over Maya’s breasts, jumping across from one nipple to the other.  She watched with the interest of a scientist as Maya’s nipples became hard beneath her fingers.

            “Nng. . .” Maya fought to control her responses as Ritsuko continued to tease her.  Her fingers twisted themselves in the pillowcase as she felt a heat growing between her legs.  She clenched her thighs together, rubbing them in an effort to relieve some of what threatened to consume her body.

            “You seem responsive enough,” Ritsuko remarked.  “So, why is your synch ratio so low?  Hmm. . .”  Ritsuko placed one hand just below Maya's breasts and looked into the girl's eyes.  "There is evidence that certain stimuli can increase one's synch ratio.  Tell me, Maya, when's the last time you had an orgasm?"

            Maya's eyes widened in shock at the blunt question.  She bit her bottom lip and quickly looked away, humiliated.  This was going just like it had in that one entry she had written.  That one entry when. . .Maya closed her eyes and shuddered.

            "Maya?"

            Ritsuko's voice snapped the young tech back to herself and she bravely looked over.  "S-sempai?"

            "Answer me," the doctor commanded evenly.  She rubbed Maya's stomach gently with one hand, her eyes locked on those of her assistant.

            Maya whimpered softly, but couldn't bring herself to answer.  It was too embarrassing for the meek NERV tech.  Ritsuko could see, however, that Maya's embarrassment also served in making the young tech hotter.  She saw how Maya desperately tried to keep her body's desires down by rubbing her legs together slowly.

            "Sempai, please don't tease me," Maya pleaded. "It's embarrassing."

            "Hmm," Ritsuko replied coolly.  "It seems like humiliation turns you on.  This could be important."  As she spoke, Ritsuko trailed her right hand down Maya's stomach to rest it wickedly between the young tech's legs.  "I wonder if. . .?"

            Maya looked pleadingly at Ritsuko as the doctor furrowed her brow in thought.  The wait was killing her.  Having Ritsuko's teasing fingers so close to her hot sex was a sensation so new to her and so shameful that Maya was unsure of how to process it.  Her breathing increased significantly and a light sweat broke out across her svelte body. 

            Seeing this change in her assistant, Ritsuko knew it was time to act, before she lost the girl completely.  She gently slipped her fingers between Maya's legs, fingering her outer lips before plunging between them into the hot wetness Maya's body has created.  Maya's shocked gasp encouraged Ritsuko to continue and so the doctor probed her quivering assistant until she found Maya's aroused clit.

            "This should help you," Ritsuko said softly.  She released Maya's wrists to lay her left hand on the young tech's breast and keep her from moving.  "Don't move now."

            Maya gasped as Ritsuko brushed her fingers against her clit again, only harder, more insistent.  The more the doctor probed, the hotter Maya became.  She could no longer keep her moans silent, no matter how hard she tried.  More than once, she cried out loud as Ritsuko's fingers triggered jolts through her body as she had never felt before. 

            "How do you feel, Maya?" Ritsuko asked her test subject as a grin crossed her face.

            "Good, Sempai," Maya admitted.  "So good. . ."

            Maya loudly cried out once more, before Ritsuko leaned over to cover her mouth with hers, suppressing the girl's cries so they were mere soft whimpers.  The doctor's fingers still worked Maya's clit, speeding up as Maya's breathing did.  She knew Maya had to be on the edge of orgasm and suddenly wondered if it was because this was her first time.

            Curiously, the doctor's fingers strayed from Maya's clit to test her hole gingerly.  Lightly probing, Ritsuko found her suspicions to be true; Maya was a virgin.  She withdrew her fingers back to her assistant's clit, saving that experience for another time.  Right now, she just wanted Maya to be happy.

            A few brief moments later, Maya's body tensed.  The young tech clenched the bed sheets in her hands, throwing her head back and crying out in ecstasy.  Wave after pleasurable wave broke over her body until they had all passed, leaving her quivering and covered in sweat.  Maya lay still, concentrating on her breathing as much as she could, before opening her eyes.  Above her was the pleased face of her sempai.  Maya managed a small smile.

            "Very good, Maya," Ritsuko praised her.

            "Sempai. . ."

            Ritsuko smiled and shook her head.  "Quiet now.  Get some sleep."

            Nodding, Maya suddenly realized how incredibly exhausted she was.  Rolling onto her side, she pulled the bed sheets over her and closed her eyes.  Time faded into nothingness, except for a brief moment when she felt the naked form of Ritsuko sidle up behind her.  Ritsuko draped her arm across Maya's waist, drawing her assistant against her tightly.

            "You did well," Ritsuko whispered into Maya's ear.  "But we may have to conduct more tests before we have any definitive results."

            With that, Ritsuko left Maya in the dark to wonder what exactly she meant by that.

To Be Continued. . .