Snowy Promises
By Satosh1
Episode 1: Getting a Girl
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It was a fair night of quiet in the city of Tokyo-3. The particular weather became bitterly cold, not at all similar to yesterday. Few people knew why, as their seasons have always been so unpredictable. People became too engrossed within their own activities to give notice to the chilly winds.
Then, a single snowflake fell, like a tear shed by the radiant silver moon; shimmering into existence within the lights of artificial. They fell more and more, and soon the entire city is covered with hundreds of thousands of the same. Buildings, pathways and streets gloated their blankets of frost. Citizens became frightened by the season of new and gathered whatever things they could grasp to combat the cold. Being the first time the populace experienced a season of bitter, and it did not seem to fair well. Fortunate for everyone, the vigilant metropolis and its people came through without harm, and Tokyo-3 had filled with the everlasting serenity of an opening wintry season.
"Shinji!" An ecstatic Asuka ran and slid the porch window open. "It's snowing, it's really snowing outside!"
Shinji and Misato, followed her hollers until they came behind her. In awe, all of them were.
"This is the first time I've ever seen Tokyo-3 covered with snow..." alleged Misato, with a tone of excitement. "'Bout time, it needed a new scenery."
They peered into the distance with considerable interest. Except for their male resident who apparently didn't feel the same. He turned around and headed towards the kitchen, leaving the two alone.
Misato leaned back and shouted towards the boy's direction. "Shinji, don't you want to see how beautiful it looks outside?" What only followed after, was silence.
"Shinji, you idiot..." Asuka murmured while wincing at him. After awhile, Asuka became bored of viewing and went inside, leaving Misato behind.
"I'm going to see what Shinji's up to." She said to her. Misato signaled in acknowledge and then continued with her gaze upon the city, still mesmerized.
Asuka stepped into the kitchen and immediately noticed Shinji sitting there by the table, listening to his S-DAT with a saddened face. His eyes were closed, so he had not noticed Asuka approaching him.
"Shinji, why are you so gloomy today?" Asuka hinted a voice of concern.
Shinji's eyes propped open at Asuka's voice. Gradually taking off his earphones he asked, "Why do you say that?"
"Well," Asuka placed a finger on her chin. "For one, you didn't seem at all interested in the snow."
"Sorry..." he simply replied.
"Idiot, you don't have to be sorry about that!""Sorry, Asuka..."
"Ugh, never mind... forget I asked." Asuka couldn't put up with Shinji's repetitive apologies and left the room, quickly stepping back when she heard Shinji calling her.
"Wait, Asuka." Shinji facing her while seated still. His eyes began to wander around the room, nervously. "There's something I want to tell you."
"Uh, go ahead then... what's up?" She queried while opening her soda can and drinking it down.
"It... it's winter." He merely stated.
Asuka glanced at Shinji, annoyed. "So?"
"I... I made a promise, that if snow would fall in the city... I would get... uhm..."
"Let it out already, Shinji!"
He quaked in fear, seeing Asuka's infuriation. "Asuka, could you..."
"Could I...?" By now, Asuka was extremely annoyed.
"Could you... uh... help m...me... find a... girl... friend?"
"WHAT!?" She became absolutely flabbergasted. "What the hell kind of promise did you get yourself in!?"
"L... like I said... I made a promise... to... Toji and Kensuke that if snow fell, I would go find myself a girlfriend... and I accepted, since it seemed so unlikely."
"What are you, stupid?" She rhetorically asked. "That's the stupidest promise I've ever heard of, even though I expect it as much from you three stooges."
"I don't want to break a promise, especially to Toji and Kensuke..."
She reluctantly accepted, knowing it would do well for Shinji to have a companion, though being so sentimental sickened her to the core. "Okay, okay... but I make the picks and dates, alright?" After they shook hands, Asuka ran to grab a cell phone from her room and started calling numerous people, chatting for long periods and sometimes initiating hook-ups for Shinji. He simply sat there, staring and waiting. Sometimes he could her Asuka speaking in German, a language he could not understand at all but admired, listening to many of the foreign accents. Finally she stopped her calls and faced Shinji.
"Alright, I was just talking to a friend... and she says," Asuka was interrupted by a call, and lifted a finger up to tell Shinji to wait a second. He sighed, and continued watching her.
"...Oh... yeah... Shinji... I know, that idiot... WHAT?" Her obnoxious shout out startled Shinji, making him flinch back. Asuka finished her call and continued their conversation.
"Okay Shinji, I got the perfect girl for you." Asuka seemed to hesitate a bit. "And you might be surprised... it's... Hikari."
He jumped in surprise. "Are... are you serious?"
"I'm more surprised than you... but she sounded like she really wanted to go out with you, Shinji."
Asuka examined Shinji's attire. "Now, all we have to do now is get you some new clothes."
"Hey!" Shinji glanced at his own clothes. "These aren't that bad..."
"But we need to have you all gussied up for Hikari! I can't just have you with her, completely out of style!" She entered her room and came out carrying newly-bought winter jackets. "Wear this one, I bought these the last time I went shopping just in case there would be a snowy day, and I'm glad I did."
Shinji noticed the jacket design being ideal for boys, and wondered if Asuka had bought one for him intentionally. Sliding his arms into its puffy sleeves, he asked, "Are we going outside, Asuka?"
"Of course we are, stupid!" She glared at Shinji. "We're going clothes shopping!" Asuka pulled out a pair of red mitts and earmuffs for herself, and blue pairs for Shinji. Thoroughly prepared for the weather, they shouted their departs to Misato and then headed out, continuously having their shoes filled with snow as they stomped towards the downtown mall.
"We're here!" Asuka shouted to Shinji, as they stepped into the entrance. "First, I want to go here... then I want to go there... oooh, I'm going there first!"
'What did I get myself into...?' Shinji thought to himself, as Asuka shouted for him to follow. She seemingly had made definite plans for herself, running through many stores and buying every pink and purple item there was.
"Um, Asuka... what about you saying you would buy me... clothes?"
"Oh shut up Shinji, you come last!" Asuka continued her sprightly frolicking around the mall's interiors. Shinji merely sighed, again. After nearly a couple hours of Shinji simply following her behind and doing nothing, Asuka finally dragged herself into a men's clothing store, containing all the latest winter styles and designs.
She faced Shinji. "I'll pick and buy the clothes for you, just wait here." He sighed, yet again, and waited outside the store.
"Wait... don't you need to know my clothing sizes, Asuka?"
Asuka shouted at a distance, "I already know them!"
'How can she already know...?' He wavered the thought, sighing. Looking in through the entrance, he could see Asuka already picking up many unusual styles and other wears that he doubt he would ever actually wear outside of dating.
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked Asuka for help..."
Then after awhile, Asuka walked out with huge bags of clothing that protruded out of the top. "Let's go home and have you try these on, it's getting late anyways!"
Shinji sighed once more.
Misato's apartment, within the living room.
"Wow... lookin' good Shinji!"
He blushed at Asuka's complement, wearing a white polyester shirt and casual baggy tan-colored pants that Asuka insisted he put on first. While looking in the mirror, he became even more flustered, giving notice to Misato who was also in the room, chuckling at the sight.
"This isn't my kind of style..." he said.
"You don't even have a style, Shinji!"
"Ah, you're right..." Shinji rightfully agreed.
Suddenly there was a ringing sound echoing across the room. Someone had pushed the doorbell outside.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Asuka queued her words for a second. "Hikari wanted to schedule the date for today."
"WHAT!?"
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to be continued...