This will be home to my collection of stories for my Shinn Asuka claim at livejournal community 10hugs. I do plan on writing about all of the girls that are important in his life- both on a familial level with Mayu and on a romantic level with Stellar and Lunamaria. Other than that, they'll be general Shinn-centric pieces.

Anyways, enjoy!

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Title: I'll Be There
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Introspective
Pairings: Shinn/Lunamaria
Word Count: 504
Summary: Slowly, we were trying to go back to the people we were before. To live normal lives, to be normal teenagers, to say goodbye to our past and welcome whatever the future holds for us. Lunamaria POV.

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He was left with nothing. His family was dead, his childhood home destroyed, and his meager belongings on the ship were all he had to his name. Now that the war was over- he had nowhere to go.

I didn't even have to think twice before having him come home with me.

It was a bit hectic at first. My mother had a fit when I asked if I could stay in his room at night and it wasn't until that first night when Shinn woke up crying in his sleep that she finally understood why I'd asked. After that, I slept across the room from him- two twin beds arranged much like a room on the Minerva.

Shinn was a part of our family now.

During the day, Shinn and I would go out. And if I was lucky, something would get his smile to surface- even if just for a second. The war had aged him far beyond his sixteen years. On the outside, he was still a teenage boy; but a closer look at his eyes would show that he'd seen more than a child should ever have to see.

Slowly, we were trying to go back to the people we were before. To live normal lives, to be normal teenagers, to say goodbye to our past and welcome whatever the future holds for us.

But goodbyes were always hard- and Shinn clung very tightly to the tragedies of his past. The chaos of the war helped him forget for awhile, but now that it was over- he seemed to dwell on it. And so, I did what I could for him.

Some days, we'd drive for hours just to visit the ocean- a romantic trip to most, but a somber journey for the two of us. Often, Shinn would just sit there- staring at the tide for hours. Silently, I'd wait beside him and hold his hand until he was ready to leave.

When the sun began to set, he'd turn to me with the slighest smile say, "Lunamaria, let's go home."

They were the simplest words, but they meant everything to me. And so, we'd leave a single white flower on the shore- waiting there until the tide took it away.

At night I could hear him mumbling the names of those he'd lost that were dear to him. Quietly, I'd get up and go to his side. I knew there was nothing I could do to take away the painful memories that haunted him, so I offered him my warm embrace instead. Holding him gently and letting him fall sleep there until the nightmares went away.

Each day, Shinn gave me more hope for the future. A tender smile, a sudden hug or kiss when we were alone together or something as simple as a gentle squeeze of his hand accompanied by a 'thank you.' Things would be better someday, I was sure of that. But until then, I'd be there for him always, waiting with open arms.

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