Title: Punishment
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: None really.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Eva. I am looking to buy Rei, so tell me if you see her on sale.
Summary: One man reminisces about his past and all the things that got left behind. Short One Shot.
AN: Rei is not a clone of anybody, I hate that entire concept.
The surf crashed against the jagged cliffs, sending up sprays of water which drenched the figure right by the drop-off. He stood silently, watching the water flow over the ancient ruins. The man looked to be in his early thirties, his brown hair cut short, but long enough to cover his eyes when he lowered his head. It was his eyes that showed his true age, and ancient and weary soul. An old woman sat on a rock back from the edge.
"How have you been?" the man asked.
"You know the answer to that." The old woman replied.
A sad smile crossed over the man's face.
"Sorry."
An uneasy pause descended for a moment.
"Why do you always come here, Shinji?"
"I can remember them here. I loved them all, and I still miss them. Touji would always say the wrong thing and get chewed out by Hikari, even after they had been married for twenty years. Misato finally giving up beer as her way of saying goodbye to Kaji. Asuka…."
He trailed off, his voice breaking. The waves continued to crash against the cliffs, slowly wearing away the ruins of the long abandoned Tokyo 3.
"Shinji, from what you tell me, that was over twelve thousand years ago." The old woman said.
"I know, Yui. Let me ask you this, do you still think about William?"
"Of course." Yui responded.
"But he died over sixty years ago." Shinji retorted.
Yui opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it with a thoughtful expression. Shinji looked on his descendant with sympathetic eyes. She had also lived a hard life, like all those who had stayed on Earth when most of humanity hurled itself into space, to escape the memory of the things he had done.
"We all paid our price for the things we did back then. Misato lost Kaji. Touji lost his arm and his leg. Asuka lost her life to the Sixteenth. For a time, Rei and I thought we had escaped; we got married, had children and started to live happily ever after. Her punishment was to grow old and die, her love never changing. This is my punishment, to live. To watch as everyone I love grows old and dies."
Silence fell. Shinji turned to look at Yui, but she was gone. Then, with a sigh, he remembered that she had died, a thousand years ago. The waves pounded against the cliff, time marched on and Shinji watched it all.
The End
