Chapter I: The Capture of Shinji Ikari
Subchapter II: The Sea
When the mind is not permitted to look at a particular focus, the object in question begins to grow and swell in the darkness. In the corner of the inky unknown, the forbidden slowly unfurls. Just out of sight, yet in no way out of mind, the taboo spreads to the very edges of one's vision, its longest tendrils stretching against the very edges of perception, threatening to reach within and envelope the senses.
As Shinji refused to look over to his left, all the signs of Asuka's existence crept to the forefront of his remaining senses. He could not help but hear every ragged breath she took with as much resolution as if she panted directly into his ears with her hair caressing his neck. He could not help but notice every tremor as the sand shifted gently just inches away from him when she occasionally repositioned herself. He could smell just the faintest breath of detergent against the overpowering onslaught of an unrecognizable yet familiar miasma. Every aspect of her proximity seemed to suffocate Shinji as he refused to look over or give any acknowledgement of her existence. What she was doing there, he hadn't the faintest idea. Minutes after he had collapsed upon her crying, he pulled himself away with his eyes clenched. While he yearned to look over at the girl who was constricting all of his other senses, the only things he permitted himself to see were his own sneakers. His steely blue eyes were absolutely fixated upon them. The black pupils were dilated and unwavering on the footwear. The imitation brand sneakers were as beaten and worn as he remembered them. The shoestrings were frayed at the same places; the same scuff marks adorned the corners. The beginnings of a tear on the left were present and accounted for. Perhaps that tear was a bit larger now, Shinji conceded to himself. Then, suddenly, just beyond those off white sneakers something else came into focus. It contrasted so violently with the dusty sneakers that Shinji's gaze was finally wretched from his own shoes.
The sand was pure white
Shinji had rarely been to the beach, yet he had never beheld such white and pure sands those his sneakers rested upon. It was a brilliant white that swallowed all detail, all shadow. Whether it was smooth or rippled in dunes, Shinji could not tell. With a jerk of surprise, he realized he had been clutching the sand between his fingers as he supported himself all this time. It was solid, and yet seemed to flow through his fingers like cream. It was as airy as perfume, yet supported his weight easily. He picked up a pinch and rubbed the grains between his fingers, and looked at his hand for the first time. He had never so closely examined sand before, yet he knew that this must have been an incredible example of the breed. Each grain was exactly the same size, perfectly clear, and impossibly spherical. As he threw the handful into the air, it seemed to disperse like mist. He raised his hands to his face and he looked at the familiar lines and creases that crossed his palm. Then he looked at this outstretched fingers, and finally beyond at the inky darkness beyond them.
The sky was impossibly black
The night sky was as total in its blackness as the sands were complete in their whiteness. The horizon where they met was sharp as a razors edge. As Shinji blinked, the vicious contrast between the two infinite expanses burned impressions of the horizon on his retina. Yet within the darkness, an overwhelming number of stars pierced through the obsidian. These stars did not wink, or twinkle, instead they gleamed steadily and seamlessly. This was not the starry sky of an enchanted fragrant summer's eve. This was the harsh sky of space, with seemingly no atmosphere to blur the boundaries between the vast emptiness and the distant reactions of intense fusion. The night sky seemed to carry no weight and the air did not warm or cool his skin. There was no gentle sea breeze, no sense of volume or distance to the atmosphere above. It seemed to Shinji to be the vacuum of space, yet his lungs filled easily with air that seemed to have no substance. Then as he continued to scan the space above him, he noticed a red mist. He thought it must have been an optical illusion at first. It was the only thing he had seen so far that was not sharply and absolutely defined. Shinji almost had trouble following the line of red that divided the sky at first, yet as he continued to gaze, it seemed to brighten under his view, until it seemed to be the most glaring feature of the sky. A continuous band of what looked like blood, a rainbow from hell. It even seemed to cast a shadow across the pristine white sand in the far distance. Though the mist appeared whisker thin in the sky, its shadow seemed to be miles wide, a gradual taper that raced to the horizon the only detail that betrayed distance in the featureless void of black and white. Shinji now stood up to gaze at the sky. His new found height allowed him to stand over the redheaded girl he knew he must not look at. For the first time, he looked over to his left. As he looked over the head of that person, he allowed his gaze to drop until it was just above what he assumed was the top of her red hair. At first he thought he must have looked too far down and was looking into the waves of Asuka's flowing scarlet locks. Yet as generous as Asuka's hair was, what Shinji saw now was far too expansive. Just above and beyond Asuka's head were gentle undulations and rocking of an impossible color.
The sea was red
This fact was not an exaggeration of a normal quality. The sky was blacker than a normal black. The sand was whiter than a normal white. However as Shinji stood on his toes to look over Asuka onto the ocean, he could not fathom an entirely red sea. In the distance it was entirely a uniform color of pale sickly red except for the white caps and the pale froth near the shore. The waves crashed relentlessly on the white beach despite an absolute lack of wind, as if the red sea was a living entity of its own, forcing itself upon the land. Shinji looked across the ocean for any signs of land on the other side. Instead he only saw the curvature of the horizon itself and red as far as he could see. He brought his gaze closer to himself, careful to avoid the girl sitting at his feet. He focused on the leading edge of the waves as they crept down the sloping sand. That's when he noticed the familiar yellow tingle the thin sheet took as it closed on shore. The smell was now unmistakable. It was LCL. It was blood. Shinji realized now they were one and the same. With that gut twisting conclusion, Shinji turned around with his back to the waves and doubled over. He wretched and heaved and only a string of clear saliva issued. His stomach was completely empty already. The sounds of his agony joining the never ending chorus of the relentless waves.
"What is this place?" A strangled voice called about from behind him. It was as alien as it was dreadfully familiar. Shinji realized he could no longer avoid the forbidden object any longer. He spun around to look over at Asuka. His expression dropped. The sight was perhaps the most shocking of all.
Asuka was hurt
Extra-Scene:
Asuka watched intently as Shinji stared only at his feet. She watched silently, carefully, betraying no emotion. Shinji looked almost intoxicated, hardly aware of his surroundings. He began to clutch at the sand, playing with it between his fingers, throwing handfuls into the air. Asuka shifted uncomfortably, curious and yet cautious. Finally Shinji looked to the stars and gasped a breath of disbelief, and stood in wonderment at the space above. As he turned towards her, his gaze grazed her scalp as he locked eyes to the red ocean, and at this Asuka's gaze turned to troubled concern. Though his face was hidden from view far about her, his astonishment was evident. Yet the darkness that crossed her face was only for a moment, as he made the motion to turn around, Asuka quickly rearranged her features into a pained faint smile as he began to dry heave. And then Asuka opened her mouth to speak.