Rain
An Evangelion fan-fiction.
Evangelion is the property of studio Gainax.
Series created by Hideaki Anno with character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.
Rain fell on two pedestrians, the constant pitter-patter of water on umbrella drowning out the din of early morning rush hour. The small, flimsy canvas barely covered them, forcing the two to squeeze close against each other to stay sheltered. Close enough to each other that a certain Japanese boy could almost smell the faintest hint of a certain redhead's shampoo.
Asuka Langley Soryu was not pleased at all. It was bad enough that she was walking with the pervert who had almost kissed her while she was asleep, but to have to be pressed up against each other? It was like an invitation for him to try again.
As a fee for such intimacy, she had made him carry her bag, and the umbrella too. Shinji, despite being stronger than he looked, teetered with the combined weight of two schoolbags and lunches while trying to keep the handle balanced.
Asuka, scowling at thin metal rods banging against her A-10 connectors, yelled, "Hold the thing higher, idiot! You're messing up my hair!"
Misato had lost the last of their good umbrellas during one of her dates. Between NERV testing and Angel attacks, none of them had thought to restock. It was pure luck that Shinji had scrounged up the small, extendable cylinder from somewhere in his room. Upon seeing it, Asuka muttered about its lack of a strong backbone, much like its owner, while inwardly thanking him for the promise of a dry walk to school. In the current weather conditions however, she was right: the umbrella was rather hard to keep upright.
The wind had picked up since they left the apartment; trees along the sidewalk swayed at 45 degree angles, rocking back-and-forth like leaf-covered metronomes. Shinji raised the handle, his arm sore from the continuous struggle. Unfortunately, this made it harder and harder to keep level, and with a particularly strong gust, rain fell on both of them.
"Are you stupid? Hold it like this!"
Not content to wait while Shinji lost his fight against the weather, Asuka snatched the handle from him abruptly. Unfortunately, the sudden change in equilibrium disrupted Shinji's tenuous balance, and sent him sprawling into a not-so-conveniently placed puddle.
Asuka couldn't hold back her laughter at Shinji's shocked expression, before offering a hand in assistance with a Cheshire grin. After all, he was carrying her bag after all…
Lucky for him, Shinji kept a change of his school uniform in his locker. Their rain-soaked shoes exchanged for school slippers, the two sauntered into their classroom. A subdued mood hung over most of the students – rainy days had that effect. Hikari Horaki, on the other hand, performed her duties with the same enthusiasm and loud ringing voice as always.
"All rise! Bow! Sit down!"
Their grey-haired teacher adjusted his glasses and started reading out the attendance sheet. A few students were absent (presumably tardy due to the weather), including Rei (presumably not coming). The list of students had dwindled over the last month. Many families had decided that a fortress city with giant monsters and bio-mechanical robots was not a suitable place to raise their children.
Shinji just stared outside, observing the rain falling steadily. His monitor blinked with a few messages from Kensuke and Toji, but they went ignored. A spit ball gently reminded him of their urgency with a soft, if moist, impact.
Shinji looked up just in time to see Toji putting away a straw, snickering from a few desks away. With a sigh, he checked his screen to see what was so important, lest he be hit with more projectiles. First up was a link from Kensuke about the latest news on his favourite anime mecha strategy game series, while Toji had written a dozen sentences involving the repeated uses of the words "breasts", "thighs", and "swim team". Shinji replied to these with noncommittal answers and half-hearted agreements.
Scrolling down the message queue, he was surprised to see one from Asuka.
"Third child, I never properly thanked you for carrying my bag this morning. It's a good thing it didn't get wet when you fell, clumsy boy."
A thank-you mixed with an insult. Only Asuka could combine the two, especially when it had been her fault in the first place. He turned his head to look at the girl; catching a flash of movement as she shifted her gaze to her computer.
"Was she just staring at me?" Shinji thought. "Nah, couldn't have." He noticed that most of the other boys in the class were looking at her too. To the average Japanese boy, a red-headed, blue-eyed girl was an obviously an exotic sight. Some of the girls glared at her, maybe because of her abrasive personality, or for the fact that she was stealing the gazes of the boys they wished would stare at them instead.
To Shinji, she was a curious mix of beauty and bitch. They were comrades-in-arms, after all, and with that came a certain trust in each other, a reliance on each other's skills; yet they were competitors, in synch-test scores and for personal pride (at least to Asuka). On top of that, they were roommates.
His hormones cried, "Come on, dammit, she's your age and she looks like that? Target center…" But his brain knew that he had about as much luck with Asuka as Unit-01 had catching an Angel from the sky.
Yet that might have been part of the charm. As much as Toji and Kensuke's "Devil" nickname for her was exaggerated, that same outgoing personality at least forced him to take notice of her. Her endless energy seemed to be intoxicating at times, especially when it was focused on him.
Fourteen is a confusing age for a boy, even for one not cursed with Shinji's social skills, but even he knew there was something to the "newlyweds" title the two carried around. After all, all jokes carried at least some grain of truth.
The flashing screen signalled another incoming message.
"Awe-struck at my lovely beauty, third child? It's not polite to stare, you know."
Shinji's face turned a noticeable shade of red.
Asuka groaned as the bell rang to signal the end of the day. Outside, the rain still hadn't shown any signs of letting up – if anything, it had started to fall even harder. Her groan intensified as Hikari came up to her with bucket and towel in hand. By some cruel twist of fate, it was her and Shinji's turn today.
He grabbed the mop and started to clean the floor while Asuka wiped the blackboards, unconsciously staring at the blue-eyed boy. Shinji just looked down, going about his tasks wordlessly. A small frown appeared on Asuka's face as he went about the classroom, head lowered.
It's not that she particularly hated Shinji. It's just that he was just so… boring. Everything about him just screamed mediocrity. Even when he showed some potential, like with Eva, he just settled into a passionless existence. Just the way he dressed most days, from his white shirt to his uniform pants, was so banal and dreary that she wanted to drag him to the nearest mall and teach him about the colour wheel.
So, why didn't she? There was a thought. Even better, it was already the start of the month, meaning that their monthly pilots allowance would be in their accounts. Asuka reached into her pocket and anxiously fingered her NERV card. Even better, today was a rare sync-test free day, even if it was raining.
"Hey Shinji, I'm bored. Want to go shopping?"
"N-now?" the boy stuttered, "but we still have to finish cleaning up… and it's raining."
"Not right now, you idiot, after we finish," Asuka explained, mindlessly wiping over the same area repeatedly.
"I'm not sure, Asuka, it's raining pretty hard…" Shinji replied, his voice starting to betray a hint of crumbling resolve.
Hearing his tone, the redhead pressed her advantage. "Come on! We can stop by the mall and I'll even let you watch me try on some outfits," Asuka countered, with a smirk. "Besides, we can get a better umbrella, too!"
"Well… alright," Shinji said, his reluctance failing in the face of logic.
"Excellent, third child. If you're lucky, some of my great fashion sense might just rub off on you."
The mall was somewhat sparse – the rain had driven away most of the usual after-school crowd. Idle shoppers milled around, while a few more goal-oriented customers scrambled to finish their purchases and get home.
The two pilots, on the other hand, had lost count of the number of stores they had browsed through. Asuka's tally included a new pair of boots, a new dress she had found on sale, and a pair of designer jeans. Shinji's purchases for the afternoon consisted of a new bright red umbrella (Asuka had picked it out). The old one lay discarded in a nearby trash bin, having broken under the strain of another walk through the rain.
Shinji was impossibly hard to shop for. He just couldn't seem to look right in anything. It turned out that the only clothes which seemed to suit his style were the type he already owned: collared shirts and long pants. In the end, she decided to just go with it and picked out for him a few shirts of varying colours and patterns, instead of plain white. Hopefully, they wouldn't be hidden away in the back of his closet.
As they headed to the cashier, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of a dark navy blazer hanging nearby. Suddenly changing course, she strode to the rack and grabbed the hanger, practically running back as she shoved it in the Japanese boy's face.
"Try it on," she ordered.
Shinji meekly took it and did as she asked. The sleeves were a big long for him, and it didn't quite fit at the shoulders, but as soon as he turned around, she knew that it definitely screamed, "buy me!" A quick trip to and back from the rack to grab the right size, and it looked much better on his thin frame.
Instead of looking like a boy playing dress-up, the jacket actually aged Shinji a bit, lending a bit of much-needed sophistication to his otherwise-dull attire. He wouldn't wear it that often, but Asuka was pleased enough at the thought that she had at least improved his wardrobe just a bit.
Asuka grinned… and promptly face-faulted when she saw the price.
"Asuka… I can't afford that…"
"That's alright. You NEED this, third child. Think of it as your birthday present." She hadn't really thought about his birthday; after all, it was so far away, but he did really need it. "I can always return those jeans," she thought with a pang of sadness.
When she dragged him to the counter, the clerk gave the two a small smile as she started scanning the items through. Shinji didn't notice, but Asuka's face turned red and she looked down as she took out her NERV ID. As they walked out, bags in tow, Asuka realized people thought they were a teenage couple on a trip to the mall.
"Why am I doing this?" she thought, "Shopping with boring Shinji? Buying something for him? But it's not like it's weird… no, this has been a nice afternoon, but why did I even want to do this in the first place?" Asuka's attention was focused completely on the question at hand, so much so that Shinji had to grab her hand and pull her away from walking into a column.
"His hand is warm." A warm feeling flowed through the redhead's body, from head to toe. She just stared, speechless as Shinji looked back at her. "His eyes, have they always been blue? Wait, he's saying something… what?"
"Asuka, are you alright?"
Fortunately for her, Asuka recovered from her stupor quickly. "What was that for, you idiot?!" She punctuated her yell with a hit on the head, though not as hard as she usually hit him. "I don't need your help!"
"Sorr-"
"And don't even apologize, let's just get home."
Asuka was quiet as they walked in the rain under the new umbrella. She just looked at her right hand, still tingling from Shinji's touch. For his part was lost in his own thoughts, seemingly oblivious to her thoughts. She adjusted her bags and backpack as she snuck a glance at him.
"Why am I still thinking about this? He's a boy. He's just a weak little boy. No boy could ever be enough for the great Asuka Langley Soryu!" The use of the word "boy" rang more and more hollow with each repetition in her mind.
No, he wasn't a boy. They weren't children anymore, they were Pilots. A Pilot became something more the moment they sat in those cockpits and let that amber liquid surround them. No one who was entrusted with a hulking mecha armed to the teeth remained innocent or unimportant. Her entire life was defined by this. Who was she to say he didn't deserve a measure of the respect she yearned for?
And they worked so well together…
The wind and rain had become even worse, if that was possible. One of the trees in their path had broken from the strain of the weather; a large branch lay in the middle of the road. Traffic was slowed as cars changed lanes to avoid it. Around them, giant puddles had now formed in the small craters and holes left over from a previous Angel battle. As well funded as the city was, construction crews mostly left these smaller cavities in the ground unfilled, preferring to focus on the larger scars in the city.
Shinji came across a large pool of water, and decided to jump awkwardly to avoid it. His right arm carried the new umbrella, which had held up against the weather rather admirably. Unfortunately, he miscalculated how high he leapt, as the canvas was caught in the branches of a dangerously low-swaying maple tree.
"Shinji, look out," Asuka warned, her voice falling as she realized what had happened a second too late.
The umbrella, snared, was caught in a slingshot action as the tree snapped back. It flew clear of the branches, leaves flying, and the wind took over its trajectory. Shinji and Asuka could only watch as the umbrella flew farther and farther away, twirling furiously like a demented top.
Instead of yelling at him again, Asuka just grabbed him by the arm. "Come on," she ordered, breaking into a run. Their shopping bags and backpacks went thumping against each other as they furiously hurried along the sidewalk. Asuka was greatly relieved that there were no pedestrians; apparently they were the only two people brave and stupid enough to be outside in this weather. Crossing the street and running straight through a large puddle, she finally ducked into a nearby apartment's doorway, Shinji in tow.
The two dropped their bags and started to catch their breath. A small overhang provided adequate enough shelter against the storm. She waited for the inevitable.
Shinji didn't even get out the first syllable when Asuka snapped at him to stop apologizing. He fell silent at the rebuke. Asuka just looked at him, opened her mouth, and thought better of it. She false-started on the conversation before offering up a meek and obvious observation.
"It looks like we might be a while," Asuka stated. Someone had to break the ice.
"Yeah." Shinji replied, ever the conversationalist.
Drops of water fell from Asuka's hair onto the back of her hand. She looked at it, finally realizing that it was no longer warm from Shinji's touch, just cold from the rain. In fact, her entire body was shivering, soaking wet. The sound of her teeth chattering was noticeable.
Shinji bent down and grabbed the newly-bought jacket from one of the bags. "Here," he said, "this should be better." He draped it around her shoulders, drawing her close in the process. Asuka felt a familiar warm sensation envelop her as she felt his arms touch her back.
"I can smell his shampoo," she realized. She pulled the jacket around herself in an effort to warm up. The thin jacket wouldn't be much help, but at least he offered.
"Thanks," Asuka whispered. Her teeth were still chattering. Shinji pulled away from her, and before she knew what she was doing, she said, "no," and wrapped her arms tight around him.
Startled, Shinji managed to stammer out, "Wha-what are you doing?"
"What does it look like, you idiot?" Asuka shouted. She brought her voice back down. "Body heat. Don't get any wrong ideas."
"I-I wouldn't!" Shinji denied, quick to establish his innocence.
"Good," Asuka whispered. She closed her eyes and leaned against his chest.
"His chest is soft."
Wide-eyed, Shinji tensed up, and did his best to stand there very still. As he realized Asuka really wasn't going to hit him, he relaxed a bit, arms around her waist.
His survival instinct sated, he looked at the top of Asuka's head, which was currently all which he could see of her. The neural clips kept her hair mostly neat, but one or two strands were still touching his cheeks. He rested his chin on her head, earning an "mmmm..." sound from Asuka, but nothing else.
It had been an unordinary day. From freezing rain in Tokyo-3's post-impact perpetual summer to their shopping trip, Shinji's day had taken one strange turn after another. Which had led him to this moment.
He pulled her closer. Even if it was just for body heat, Shinji savoured the moment. For a second, he thought Asuka might break away and start screaming about perverted tendencies, but she dug in closer. The two stayed there for a while, locked in embrace.
The rain continued outside, unabated.
A/N: This was written over the course of about a week, whenever the urge to write hit me. It's short, and it's intended as a one-shot. Shinji and Asuka aren't two people who just fall in love with one other, but that doesn't mean they can't share a few nice moments every now and again…
Then again, I could easily think of places where the story could go.
No pre-reader was used aside from spell-check; feel free to point out any errors/inconsistencies. Timeline-wise, it's somewhere between the "Shinji tries to kiss Asuka in her sleep" and "Shinji kisses Asuka without any air" of Evangelion.
Edit: Thanks to those who pointed out that I had Asuka's surname mixed up, for some reason o.O
C&C is welcomed and encouraged! Even if it's just to tell me I suck. =D