Angel's Choice by X-Reiless
The Earth climate suddenly changed again, and soft and snow winter fell on the fortress city Tokio-3 for the first time in fifteen years. The Last Angel was not coming in any way, and people tired from living in permanent tension of Heaven's Messenger awaiting began to get used to a peaceful life.
At the cold, frosty noon two figures walked slowly through the thick moving curtain of falling snow to Geofront. They did not feel chilly, their closeness warmed them, and sympathy arisen at their first meet and never been told by word let them communicate with each other on a higher level, that is accessible only for intimate souls.
The slim tall boy walking at the left frowned thoughtfully sometimes as if he was worrying of something, but a brief look at his companion comforted him, and the girl in a light fluffy coat walked silent and calm, just smiling with a sad unique smile when their elbows occasionally came into contact.
- What is it? - finally she asked not even looking at him, but feeling his state.
- Ummm... I... have wanted to tell you for a long time... - he looked entirely gloomy and unhappy, - let me tell you one story, ok? - he finished absolutely unexpectedly.
- Come on, - she agreed, nodding slightly and shaking some snowflakes off her nose.
- This is.. a tale... a tale about Angels...
- About that ones we fight against?
He flinched.
- Yes... about them... So, once upon a time there was Adam, the father of Angels, and he sent Angels one by one to humans, so as to try to understand them...
- Where did you know it from? - she interrupted.
- As I said, it's a tale.
- Ah, continue then, I'm listening.
- But people did not understand Angels, as Angels did not understand people, so they carried war on each other. And Angels died, after all, even with the fruit of Life, Adam's gift that gave power and immortality to Angels, they had not enough strength to withstand, because they were solitary and even could not explain to people what they wanted.
- How sad, I have never thought that Angels can feel anything... except for the one which... - she suddenly stopped.
- Hey, are you alright? - he began to worry.
- Yeah, I just remembered that I am... - she whispered, - the Third, - she finished barely audible and gulped back unshed tears. - Go on, - she said and smiled at him.
- Well, - he sighed, reassured with her smile, and went on. - Seeing the death of many of his children, Adam decided to send his last child to humans, the strongest Angel, who got all the remainded strength of Adam, and who was able to destroy humanity.
But, in addition to that, Adam gave him a human shape, and said: "I do not want you to perish like your brothers, so if you feel that you will never understand humans, will never be understood by them, kill them, kill them all. If you cannot destroy them, and they will defeat you, give my power back to me, and I will never try to close to humans and will only keep the memories of you and your brothers."
- Did he get it? To close to people? - she asked interestedly, carried away with the story and forgetting of her problems and worries for this time.
- I do not know. It is so hard to understand them, - he said thoughtfully. - Sometimes they cannot understand themselves.
He fastened his pace, not looking at her side as he was trying to run from her, and she barely kept up with him.
- And how will that Angel be able to return the power to Adam? Well, what if he fails? - she went on asking.
- He must say the words which we... - he stumped, - which Angels never understood before, and those words somehow are very important for people.
- What kind of words are they? - they came to the entry of Geofront and suddenly stopped. She turned to him and now was looking straight into his eyes that shone with the same soft, sad, crimson light as her own.
He sighed deeply but did not avert his eyes and said: - I love you, - and then repeated, only for her at this time, - I love you, Rei.
They stood for a long moment, looking in each other's eyes and giving no attention to the raged snowstorm, and she did not even notice how a light red spark came off his body and instantly disappeared in a sheet of snow.
- I love you. I love you, Kaworu, - her tender voice echoed. - What a beautiful tale, - she whispered and smiled again.
Taking hands, together they walked into the unnecessary now fortress, understanding that even the Third Impact, if it came at this very moment, cannot take them apart.
And the little red light, moving somewhere through the snowstorm, bearing unrealized Angels' hopes and the possible death of humanity, flew past a large inform board at the main square of Tokio-3, and having illuminated the numbers 31.12.2015, was gone forever.
Translated by NotAnotherEvaFan.
Special thanks to the author for some corrections.