It's Fate

'I am Asuka Langley Sohryu'.

'I am also the Second Child'.

'I was a fourteen-year-old girl who was chosen to pilot an Eva. Does that sound odd? Maybe it is. I was told that only the children born within 9 months of the Second Impact are able to synchronize. I guess I lucked out. I would be crushed if I had to give up Eva 02 to someone else. What would I do if I weren't an Eva pilot anymore? Where would I go? My home is at NERV... that's where I belong... it's where I'm wanted....'

"Asuka! Asuka! Would you kindly answer the question!"

She awoke from her thoughts with a start. Glancing up, she saw her teacher towering over her with his fists on his hips and a scowl on his face. 'Uh oh... I've been daydreaming again. That's the third time this week! '

"This is the third time you've daydreamed in my class this week, Asuka, and it's only Wednesday. Do not continue this a habit, young lady. Do you understand?"

She nodded meekly, not trusting her voice. 'What was wrong with me? I feel like Shinji... all weak!' She gathered up her courage and whipped her senses back into place before she said anything else more embarrassing.

"Yes, sensei." She said, her voice wavering only a little. 'How pathetic.'

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kaworu staring at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking but he had a worried look on his face. 'What an idiot. Why does he care?'

The last bell rang. 'Finally! I should have just stayed home... I'm sure Misato wouldn't have minded. I mean, it's taken me a while to learn the kanji... but now I can pretty much understand everything. Missing a day wouldn't hurt my grade. As far as I'm concerned, I don't even need to be here. I graduated years ago.'

"All rise!" Hikari, the class representative, called to the class.

Asuka rose.

"All dismissed!"

Everyone started to socialize and pack up their school things. Asuka sighed and gathered her papers, shoving them into her schoolbag.

"Hey Asuka... is there something wrong?" Hikari asked. Asuka smiled at her. 'We've been good friends for a long time. Of course she'd notice that something was wrong.'

"No, not really. I'm just... sick of school." She lied.

"Oh, ok. Well, Touji and I are going out to eat in about an hour. Would you care to join us?"

'She knows I'm lying.' "No thanks. You guys go have fun. I'll go some other time, ok?" She said. Hikari nodded, laid a hand on her arm, and left to walk home with Touji.

'I feel shitty. I need to take a shower and a nap. I need to be alone... for once.'

"Hey Asuka, you wanna go out tonight?"

Irritated, she turned around to find a cute guy standing behind her with a grin on his face. She recognized him. 'He has asked me out before...'

"Not really." She said, and left the building.

' That was cold.' But she didn't care. She just wanted to be left alone. 'I don't think I've ever been this depressed before. I definitely feel like Shinji... how disgusting. '

Asuka had been depressed for three days now. It all started when Asuka and Shinji got into a huge fight over invading privacy or something stupid like that. Come to think of it, the fight was no different than before, only Shinji said something that struck home this time.

'Y-you think the world revolves around you, Asuka! Why don't you just get over yourself! You are so impossible to get along with. I'm sick of being insulted and I'm sick of your superior attitude. I give up! Someday this is all going to come back at you. And when that day comes, I'll laugh.' Kaworu was there witnessing the fight with sadness in his eyes.

Asuka was devastated. Since when had Shinji gotten balls? No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She had always been the beautiful and popular girl at school. Being the center of attention was natural, and she was used to getting what she wanted. Was that so bad? Maybe, just maybe he is right.

Something Kaji once said: 'People are popular because of their own doing. No one makes them popular. No one makes someone the center of attention. That person does it unto his or her own selves...'

She hadn't understood what he meant by that. Surely he wasn't reprimanding her for being who she was!

Asuka had a feeling she knew why. And it made her all the more sick. She was starting to hate him and was lucky she hadn't seen him since that day. Otherwise…

"Asuka? Hey, are you ok?"

Asuka started at the voice, it was Kaworu. Although living under the same roof, they hardly even know or talked to each other. Whatever the reason is, only God knows, and there's always this warm feeling deep inside every time she laid an eye on him.

"I'm fine." Asuka didn't have the courage to look into his beautiful crimson eyes that she had become so intriguing with. She hadn't the courage to look into his face that was probably lined with the same worry she saw earlier that would make her cheeks turn red. She couldn't bare it. It was hard enough that the're living in the same house.

"No. I don't think you are." He said. He put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her, turning her around to face him. She was surprised, but refused to look at him. She was staring at the ground and she knew her shame was written all over her face.

"Look, Asuka. I know, ever since that fight with Shinji, you've been acting somewhat different, and I…I hate to see you like this. I know you're deeply hurt, and there must be a way I can help.

Asuka couldn't believe it. Kaworu was saying something that made her feel all the better inside. He knew he was right... and what's worse, she knew he was right. She just doesn't want to admit it.

Asuka gave a bitter laugh. "What makes you think that I need help and why do you care anyway? It's none of your business!'

She ran away from him before he could see the tears forming in her eyes and running down her face. Classmates turned to look at her while she ran but she didn't care. As long as he didn't see her... she didn't care. She could hear Kaworu call after her, but she ignored it. The only person she felt like seeing now was....

Asuka finally made it to her building complex and rushed into the house, sobbing. She stood at the door for a second and searched around the house for Misato, but she wasn't home. Asuka dropped to the ground immediately and cried.

A hard cry.

When she was reduced to sniffles, she got up and went to the bathroom, washing her face. 'I'm such a loser. I'm no better than Rei... than Kaworu... Isn't that what Shinji was trying to tell me? What a complete and utter fool I've been.

Asuka dried her face off with a towel and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Even when she was despondent, she was beautiful. Asuka had often wondered why Shinji was so infatuated with Rei, when he had someone like her living in the house. Now, Asuka didn't even need to ask. Shinji was one of those people who looked past appearances, and into the personality. And Asuka knew she stood dead last in that department. Rei was enigmatic. She was a mystery. She provoked thought. She was stimulating. She was everything Asuka wasn't. Wonder Girl had it all. Even beauty. But she just realized that it doesn't matter anymore, because there's always him…

There was a click at the door and Asuka could hear Kaworu take a step into the house. She panicked. She didn't want him to see her now! But there was nothing she could do. There was no where else to hide except her bedroom, and she'd have to pass him to get there. She was trapped.

"Asuka? Asuka! Please, just let me talk to you." Kaworu said.

'Oh no... no no no!' Asuka chewed on her lower lip and wrung her hands. What to do? What to do? 'I can't stay in the bathroom forever! I'll just have to face him'

Asuka steeled herself and opened the door to the bathroom. Kaworu stood directly in front of her, staring at her. He caught her eyes with his gaze and she froze. Asuka's heart quickened and her stomach felt like it was in knots. 'Damn it! Damn it! Asuka Sohryu, snap out of it!!'

With that mental shout, she wrenched her eyes away from him and once again stared at the floor. She could feel herself trembling and tried so very hard to remain still.

"You've been crying. Why?" He said. His voice was distressed. He lifted his hand to her face in an attempt to wipe the tears away. Asuka batted it away.

"I don't need your pity, Nagisa. Let me pass." Asuka said.

"Not until you give me a chance to talk to you, ok? Asuka... please, look at me!" He said. Asuka became furious.

"What is it that you want, Kaworu? Haven't I already told you that I don't need your help and it's none of your business? Or did I miss something the last time?" She said, bitterly.

"N-no! Listen, I CAN help, help you forget about Shinji…and for once in your lifetime...to be happy."

"The hell you can't! Don't you dare tell me you could do it just because the look on your face says it all. Shinji is right, ok? I'm a horrible person! I can live with that, but I can't live with you helping me out every second."

"Asuka please, every thing Shinji said is not true. Don't let it get into you. Look, Asuka, I don't want you to stay this way. You've been so out of it that you've lost all the life in you. Asuka, you're the life of this operation. You're the life of the Eva team! You can't be like this! Don't let what he said get in the way of anything. He said stupid things. But no matter what, I like you for who you are. You don't have to change for something that he stupidly said in the heat of an argument!"

Asuka stared stupidly at Kaworu. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. She blinked. She didn't know what to say.

"Ka..Kaworu..." She stuttered.

Kaworu had a look of apprehension on his face but he smiled when she uttered his name. The smile spread warmth through Asuka's body and she yearned to fly into his arms. The knot in Asuka's belly tightened and it soon became hard to breathe. Suddenly, the intense look in Kaworu's crimson eyes was too much for her. She broke down and cried. Again. "A-Asuka! Please don't!" He said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Asuka shook her head, unable to stop crying, and unable to utter anything intelligible. 'If only he knew... if only he knew how I just felt... what I just felt... for him...'

Asuka bolted to her bedroom door. 'I'm such a coward. Ever since... ever since... God! I'm such a coward!' Asuka pounded her pillow. 'I've blown it. I could've just accepted his help and everything would have been all right... but.... but..... I'm too damn scared! Now he won't bother with me again... I've thrown away my only chance with Kaworu I could have ever had... I've thrown away the chance to redeem myself... if that's even possible. It's funny how a few simple words can destroy a strong-willed person in a matter of seconds. I used to be respected... desired... but now... now I'm just third rate.'

Asuka ignored Kaworu's pounding on her door and wrapped herself in a blanket, trying to suffocate all the feelings out of her person.

"That's it Asuka. I'm coming in." Kaworu said, clearly through the door.

'Coming in?! No! He can't see me like this! That idiot!'

Asuka's heart filled with dread as she heard the door slide open and then shut seconds later. She attempted not to breathe or make a sound. There were a few moments of silence and then Asuka jumped at the contact Kaworu made through the blanket. Her shoulder felt tingly.

"A-Asuka... please... I'm so sorry I've hurt you like this... I n-never m-meant...I was only trying to help." He mumbled, keeping his hand on her shoulder.

Asuka sat up and held the blanked in her hands. Kaworu immediately took his hand away from her.

"I-I know you were trying to help…you were trying to make me forget about …that baka-hentai Shinji, but what he said is true " She said, brokenly.

"But that's not true! You've done nothing wrong. It was the insensitive bastard!" He said, clenching his fist.

Asuka's face softned "Kaworu…I…I shouldn't be like this. You are right, I do need your help and I shouldn't have taken his words seriously. I'm sorry for being so mean…stubborn…and uncaring. I'm sorry for yelling at you just now and for making you worry so much. I-I'm just really sorry and if there is anyway I could make it up to you, please tell me! Please, Kawo- umph!!"

Asuka was cut off with a kiss. A deep passionate kiss. Kaworu wrapped his arms around her tightly and Asuka melted. Everything she was concerned with a moment before dissipated into his kiss. Asuka deepened it and wrapped her arms around him. Her heart fluttered and she pressed against him, wanting to fill any gap in-between them. ... Kaworu...

Kaworu hesitantly released Asuka's lips and looked into her eyes. He seemed as confused as she was.

"I've...I've never done that before..." Kaworu said with a sweet laugh. He looked at her seriously and for a moment, she thought he was going to decline.

"Asuka, you don't need to make it up to me."

The weight in Asuka's heart was instantaneously lifted and she almost started to cry again. She threw her arms around him and knocked him to the ground.

"Ooof!"

Asuka giggled and held him close, she could hear his heart beating.

"Thank you…Kaworu and I..I love you…" She whispered.

"Asuka…" Kaworu smiled. "I love you too."

After those heart melting words, they fell yet into another deep passionate kiss…

'Kaworu once said that he would help me forget about Shinji and for once to let me discover the true meaning of happiness…and he did. What happened that day, is something I can never forget and something that will change my life..forever…and no one can stand in our way, not friends…not enemies…and not even Shinji. We were bound together by fate…'

The End