Case 03- Frightened of the possibilities.
"Shinji. Aren't you going to get up?" Misato knocked on Shinji's door. "Come on, your N2 device is already fixed and Asuka's going to train you for next time! We'll be prepared. It's been almost a week..." Growing annoyed. "SHINJI?" She opened the door to find an envelope with his ID card next to it, with Misato's name written upon it. And then an odd beeping sound was emitting from somewhere in the complex. "Idiot."
Trauma, and then intervention...
"Yeah... It's a shame. He had to come face to face with that monster just after it... Well she's gone now, but still I-" Misato was explaining to Ritsuko, all the paths that made Shinji want to leave until she heard knocking on the door. "Hold on!" And she ran towards the hallway. "SHINJI!" She opened the door to the two kids that witnessed the attack take place a week ago.
"Umm, We're looking-"
"Looking for Shinji! He.. Hasn't been to school so we were... worried." Toji interrupted Kensuke in an attempt to get first word from Misato, followed by a bow from himself.
"Oh! You were there when the angel destroyed one of the freeways, right?" She asked, already knowing who they were.
"Ye-"
"Yes maam! We're so sorry for getting involved!" Toji interrupted Kensuke again, bringing an annoyed groan from him.
"Well Shinji's at NERV HQ and he's right now testing with Asuka! I'll tell him you stopped by though." She tried getting them to leave with her bad excuse of a lie.
"Yes! That'd be wonderful Miss...?"
"Misato. Anyway, bye!" She was waving her hand goodbye, while also shutting the door with a half tried chuckle.
...
"I never got a good look at her when we were attacked." Kensuke realizing the situation.
"Geez, she looks like... She's pretty young. That's got me hopeful! She was pretty hot huh?" Toji added.
...
Misato was blushing furiously on her face after she heard the two comment on her, and she growled in anger and kicked the door. "Shinji... You idiot! Jerk..." Misato sighed... The rain outside was falling even harder outside and then thunder struck.
"Yeah, he's a jerk alright. That little wimp just ran away after his first real fight, and now he's got his two little friends over here worrying about him. I say let him leave. He's just too weak to stay with us." Asuka said to Misato in the living room, bringing out a nerve in Misato.
"Don't you say that, he's a strong person... I know he is, he just witnessed Rukira... Well you'd be shocked if it was Hikari wouldn't you?" Misato said in a serious tone.
"Well...Er yes. But-"
"THEN WHY WEREN'T YOU THERE? YOU HAD YOUR ORDERS ASUKA! YOU! YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE TO HELP!" Misato raged furiously, making Asuka jump a little. "Because of your insubordination, you made Shinji have to witness the death of his 1st partner. We're not going to worry about bringing him back yet. The Intel will do that job...But Asuka... I'm placing you on suspension." Misato looked over to Asuka with one foot out the other door.
"Well didn't you...? Didn't you just...?" Asuka was about to finish her sentence with a comeback just to show how much of a hypocrite Misato was, but she saw the older woman hold her head down in shame, so she felt no need to say it.
"I'll be home later... You can look for him if you want..."
...
Walking the desolate streets of an quiet town, it was nearing morning for Shinji and all he could hear was the steady slow grow of cicadas in the bushes after he was finally down the street. He thought after a few seconds, somebody was trailing behind him, and so he looked, but to no avail. The cries grew louder, and the world around him was entirely soaked in pink. The sun coming over the tallest building had a small ray of light hit his face, and his paranoia grew once he thought he could her low hums of people's voices. The buildings all around him stirred like he was the mixing in the bowl and his thoughts grew unbearable after the cicada's grew even louder. And without moving... He heard the echo of that familiar roar he had only heard once...
"!" He turned to his heel and ran towards the other way to another city as he held his ears from the horrifying sounds that were all around him. Making his way into a shuttle... a streetlight broke.
TRACK 25
Shinji's SDAT hit a song he liked to hear a lot, and he had this on loop with the track afterwards all day long since this morning since he was on the train. It was probably noon now, and it was gray outside with rain hitting hard on the ground outside, and this case, the metallic and rain drops up top came down like a thundering drum roll. The metallic train stopped in the middle of the capitol, and Shinji kept his head down in case his classmates saw him, but with his head down, he really did not stick out in any crowd. Some other person ran last behind everybody and he heard the shoes clap against the wet floor, as he felt that presence sit next to him. He barely looked up but immediately froze in place once he saw... That red hair...
"Glad to have found you... Yeah. I'm surprised you had the guts to get on a train to leave us all." She said with half a bite in her tone, making Shinji wonder if she was tying to be nice. But he ignored her anyway.
"..."
"What?! You still upset about that? It's not like I was trying to be your friend just because of your father. I just did it for the benefit for it all. It'd make a lot of sense you know?" She said annoyingly.
"You mean for your own benefit?!" Shinji snapped. The train stopped and thunder struck loud outside, it was dark out, and the blue ray lingered on throughout the town as Shinji left into the gross underworld he was in now. Asuka quickly waited for the right time for him to turn around, and she ran out of the train, getting herself all wet. Shinji had already made his way down into the streets of town, and the different colored lights that filled above his head imbued an orb of glow through out, and the colors seeped onto his figure. Asuka finally caught up and punched him in the side and dragged him into an alleyway.
"Look, I'm sorry! I've never had a friend before so I didn't know how the hell to act! You're a boy! I didn't think there ever existed a boy so damn sensitive! But of course I now know how in the hell to treat you! Ok?" Asuka's anger died down, and she held out her hand. "New start?"
Shinji saw her put on the cutest puppy face and thought she was a terrible person for a moment... But she was sincere about that other statement... Never a friend before she said... Shinji could relate. "Sure..." He shook her hand "But I can't image you with no friends. You're pretty popular at school Asuka." He stated, almost regretting his decision to forgive her.
"Ugh! I told you already! Dumkopf! They're all just a bunch of perverts who don't care if I seek friendship with anybody or not." She pushed her chest out towards him in another flirtatious manner. "They only want me for my body! Oh Woe is me!" Asuka trying to say in a humorous voice, actually making Shinji chuckle quite a bit. "So you're not a doll! I have faith in you after all."
"With good humor, I can accept that from only you." Shinji smiled a bit, with the rain rolling down his face.
"But honestly. Are you going to end up coming back or what? I'm only going this far so... So you'll have to make up your mind!" She hesitated on giving him a choice.
"Honestly? Yes... To be honest, I think I need to explore... To go out and be to myself... I will come home eventually... But after this I will." He said with his head held high. And looking at the sprinkling sky it was now. Asuka turned her back from him, and all he could hear was a sigh.
"I trust you... So do you trust me?" Asuka asked with another hint of annoyance, though Shinji ignored this.
"I don't necessarily trust anybody, but I don't feel anxious around you right now." Shinji noticed Asuka flinch from the word: Anxious.
"Do you... Always feel anxious?" She turned her head over her shoulder.
"I don't like the feeling..." Shinji's voice crackled a bit, with his eyes feeling hot.
"Whenever you wake up, you wonder what the hell you're going to do in the day? You just want to go back to bed and not think about anything?" Asuka also starting to tear up, Though she kept her back to him.
"It's fine once I occupy myself, but when I'm all alone, that's all I would do is sleep." Shinji finally opened a bit of his hard exterior to this girl, and he started crying finally. "I've always been alone. I've never known the love of a real family, so all I did was try to look mean toward the first person who ever tried to seek me out to help me." A dark purple haired woman came to his mind smiling. "But now... I don't even know if I can trust her..." Shinji slammed both of his palms to his forehead.
"Look, I heard about it, she just was worried is all. She's mad at me too ya know?" Asuka dried her tears quickly, but hesitated on making clear on the last part.
"W-What is she mad at you for?" Shinji had to ask.
"W-Well... I uh..." She didn't want to lose his trust again.
"Is it because you didn't come when you were supposed to? When you could have helped?"
"Y-Yeah..." Asuka bit down on her lip, ashamed of herself.
"Why didn't you come? B-BECAUSE OF YOU! RUKIRA- RUKIRA GOT-" Shinji cut himself off from the horrible detail he tried to forget of how she died.
"It's because I was upset... But to be honest... You had Misato and Rukira with you... So I thought that'd be more then enough. That's all the more about what troubles me Shinji. Did anyone tell you that Rukira, that girl who died is actually much better than me? Better than me as an officer? It's odd, what do you think made it so that she got taken down... So easily? Misato said all that happened was a quick loss of balance and then... that's it? I don't want to bring up awful memories for you, but she could have gotten away easily! It's disturbing me..." Asuka finally looked toward him, to try and get the situation understood.
"Asuka." He said, though she could barely hear him. "She was smiling."
"!"
...
"I'm home now... Though it's starting to get dark. It's only past noon and it's practically pitch black outside! Asuka's run off to find him, but I don't expect Shinji to come home after what I said to him." Misato saddened her voice into her home phone, feeling lost.
"Hmm? Well what did you say?" The blonde on the other line was interested.
"Well..."
"What the hell did I tell you to do?"
"You told me to run." Shinji said plainly.
"Why did you obey my orders? Did you feel the need to be heroic? Did you feel bad after Rukira got smashed huh? You shoulld have just listened to me!" She yelled onto him, though she could tell he was starting to get annoyed.
"Because we were already there, and I had the shot." Shinji holding back his annoyance.
"B-BECAUSE YOU HAD THE SHOT?! Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you after you were forced to use your N2 device so early in training?! You'll go mad Shinji! Don't you even care?" She asked him like he was stupid.
"I never said that, but more importantly, I'm the one who was in the face of death, and all you could do was cower by the police car and assure your own life by retreating! That's your excuse Miisato! I already know the type of person you are! You don't give a damn if we live or die! Just as long as you live to see another paycheck! Why else would you just calmly ignore Rukira's death like that?! Y-YOU'RE A TERRIBLE PERSON MISATO!" Shinji yelled at her in his highest voice which shook Misato a bit.
"Y-YOU LITTLE SHIT!" She walked fast towards Shinji, and smacked him across the face. She then grabbed him by the collar to get her point across, He struck a nerve and she was willing to say anything to make him wrong otherwise... Even if it were true. "I-I DID IT FOR YOUR AND YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS TOO! Would you rather risk their lives along with it! I need to be alive so that these monsters can be in custody! I could give a rats ass about you and those stupid cocky tier one officers starting to roll in! If you die, then you'll be replaced! I WON'T BE RE-" Misato finally realized the words coming out of her mouth and let go of Shinji quickly as she backed into a locker holding her mouth. She felt disgusting as a person. "P-Please go home. I'll be there late tonight." She muffled, though she could tell Shinji walked out with an emotional scar left deep into his heart.
...
"My god! You're a monster! Didn't you even apologize to him Misato?!"
"Well... I was going to. But since Asuka's run off, I'm sure she's upset with me too. Oh maybe she went to find him. She's never had a real friend and he's different from all the others. So maybe they're already coming back home." Misato sighed.
"Little hopeful at least. You know even if you did run away that day, you might not have escaped anyway you know that right? Because Shinji acted while in the face of danger, you're still alive. If you retreated, that angel would have killed you in a second." Ritsuko surprised her.
"I'm sure we would have... Gotten away."
"So sure? Maybe just you and Shinji, but he's got a point, you would have just abandoned his classmates."
"S-SHUT UP!" Misato yelled furiously as she hung up the phone. "She's so insensitive... She has no right to say...but she's still right. I'm no more shameless than Ritsuko. *Sigh* I really ought to get counseling..." She said to herself, sipping on her beer as she lay herself in a hot bath tub.
Downtown, Tokyo.
"Please stand back! We do not want to cause any unnecessary harm towards civilians!" An ordinary riot guard stood with 5 men to his left and right while they blocked off a huge road that leads into the country side. "All access is off limits into the country side! Please! Return to your daily activities and be on your way!" Asuka and Shinji casually walked through the slums of this old Tokyo, and they noticed the regular police for this city were blocking off a road for some reason.
"Hey! Baka Shinji!" Asuka called out to Shinji while she went to go into another alleyway, and she hid behind a wall to her left in the wet dark alley.
"Yeah... W-Wait did you just call me a-" Shinji looked behind him surprised, and did not see the girl he was with, he looked over yonder even more until he walked more ahead the red brick wall he stood by and then he felt something grab him by the wrist. "Waaah!" He yelled out, but then she covered his mouth and whispered into his left ear.
"Oh yeah, that little red head came by, we went and snagged her up real quick. Well I guess you're her boyfriend! You better go save-" Asuka was cut off from her manly sounding whisper by Shinji who had pushed her to the ground.
"ASUKA! I'LL SAVE YOU!" Shinji yelled while sprinting down the alleyway as quick as lightning.
"W-WAIT YOU IDIOT! I'm right here! Are you really that gullible?!" She yelled in frustration as her school uniform was all muddy now.
"B-BUT! W-Wait! WHAT?! You sounded so! SO! SO MANLY!" Shinji turned around and leaned down to give a helping hand, but she instead sucker punched him in the jaw and walked away while stomping her feet.
"I SOUND MANLY HUH?! I'LL SHOW YOU MANLY!" She turned around furiously and tried lifting a huge green trash bin, but to no avail. She panted up and down while Shinji chuckled at her. He stood up with his clothes wet and himself covered in mud and he went out of the alleyway.
"You've still got your card right? I left mine because I'm leaving Tokyo eventually... We need new clothes." He said in a sincere tone, trying to forget the idea that he may still be leaving.
"Hmph! I shouldn't have to buy a quitter new clothes... Why the hell are you leaving Shinji? Is it because of what I did?" Asuka scratched the back of her head trying to not sound angry.
"No, it's not you Asuka, it's just because of... Well I'm uncomfortable living with Misato that's all. She lives a... Well it's clean for the most part, but she seems to contracted to her work. Like everything is just business. I-I may not be relatable... Even if you gave me a manual I probably couldn't relate... A-At least I'm not insensitive you know..." Shinji's body was shaking in anger.
"Yeah, but you're about to be relatable Shinji." Asuka leaned herself on the red brick wall while civilians shouted, throwing bottles at the riot squad just down the street from them while red orbs peeked through the alley way with a blue light followed by after in flashes. Giving the alley a cherry red color, followed by a switch to a blue. "You'll relate to me in some way... You can relate to anyone now, you just don't know it."
"Umm...Asuka?" Shinji said shyly.
"Yeah? What?" She was a little eager to hear what he had to say.
"T-Thanks... I mean for talking to me..." Shinji's head was low, and his low sobs could be heard from Asuka's ears.
"Oh geez..." She walked over to him and hugged him lightly. "You're just a child you know."
"I'm just lost right now, I don't even know why I'm here."He calmed down, and his sobs disappeared.
"Talking... This is what a friend is like? It's fine for friends to hug right?" Asuka asked while holding him tighter, though Shinji was getting a bit nervous from this act she was forcing upon him.
"W-Well when a man and woman hug, it's a bit inappropriate unless they're uhhh D-Dating!" Shinji was ready to ramble on, but he stopped himself.
"Dating?! Bleh! I could never date a wimp like you!" She pushed him off of her, in disgust.
"Ehh yeah..." Shinji scratched his head, trying to remember what they were doing before their talk.
"What will make you stay Shinji? Do you want to live somewhere else?" She looked over her shoulder in anticipation.
"I don't really know... W-Wait maybe If I... Hmmm... I could just..." Shinji didn't want to say in front of Asuka.
"SPIT IT OUT WOULD YOU!" She turned to him and huffed.
"Well... NERV police said I could get my own quarters anywhere in Rinbo Tokyo. So I could live alone... I could..." Shinji smiled coldly, like he was fine being alone. He honestly was, it was natural.
"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! With all that stress and delusions you're going to go through using that N2 device like that, you can not live alone!" She pointed a sharp finger at him. "If that's what will make you stay, then... I suppose I'll have to share a home with you. Reports of lonely Tier one officers say they committed suicide. We wouldn't want that now would we?"
"Y-Yeah." Shinji did not deny her wish, because he at least found another friend while out here...
"Well, while the riot is hot, let's take a shuttle to the next district over. There's plenty of shops over there."
...
NERV HQ.
"Child Three might be leaving our facilities. From my sources, he'd have good reason to. Though The Second is missing as well, I don't suspect the two would be traveling together." The blonde scientist said.
"He'll be back, it may be a hard time for him, but I have faith in a coward like him. Cowards will always run back to what's the most comfortable. Rei, you will be his partner for the next operation." Gendo looked back at the blue haired girl.
"Yes sir..." All she could say.
...
"You ever done this before? Like have you ever really tried running away from home?" Asuka looked over to him.
"Well, there was always some town sort of like this one next to my country town village. And whenever things got to me, I would leave to the city for a while. It was a small village so I left often. But... I kind of like trains."
"FATHER!"
"Why? They're easy to get away from your problems?" Asuka knew already.
"He deserted me!"
"Well... They also give me time to think." Flashes of his father gauged into his mind, and he immediately remembered an orange sunset on a familiar lake he grown to hated. "But... I do not like boats. They'll cast you away, without ever bringing you back..." Shinji looked upset.
"Huh?" The redhead quickly looked over to him as if he was in his own little world. There were audible sounds of those damn train bells ringing, and they finally rose to a loudness that rung her ears for a split second. Though Shinji ignored the bells. The train stopped again, and Shinji left with Asuka as lead, and they were down the stairs from the two story platform. Asuka looked around for a shop, but Shinji was ahead of her, and felt comfortable dragging her along, so he grabbed her by the wrist.
"Come on!" He dragged her across the street, which surprised her.
"Ah!" She yelped.
"What now?!" Shinji turned to her, and she was all fidgety with her free arm, stroking her hair.
"Isn't this... Inappropriate too idiot!?" Asuka smacked her hand from his wrist, and ran ahead of him tapping her foot with her temper through the roof, while civilians walked by, gawking at them.
"Is this the real you? I've seen flashes of your anger, but to be so uh... Feisty all the time seems tiresome." Shinji asked as he stepped his foot onto the curb she was on, and the two slowly walked down the street.
"Ha! Tiresome?! Not really! What the hell gave you that idea huh? Why are you always so humble?! THAT sounds tiresome to be honest." She sounded in hysteria.
"Well I used to be like that, so I understand all about that. I fought back, had an attitude, thought I wasn't..."
"WORTHLESS!"
"Hmm?" Asuka was curious as to what he was about to compare himself to, but he had cut himself off.
"I don't know... It was a while ago, so I try not to remember." The curious boy stared off in the opposite direction from her so he wouldn't let her see his expression.
"You have a father complex Shinji? Or is he just confusing you?" She didn't know what else to say, but this was always on her mind since she first looked through his data, but she waited until she got the chance to see their relationship in action.
"Of course not..."
"Oh..." She was about to give up since it seemed to make him uncomfortable, but she held his hand for comfort. "Surely like a child... It's not like I'll judge you."
"Well... I really hate him. I do, but I always feel so much joy whenever he praises me... But he's been trying to make me too comfortable lately. Like when I complained to him about you being my partner... I-" Asuka swatted her hand out from under his.
"YOU BASTARD! I KNEW YOU WOULD HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT ME! HMPH!" She huffed up again to turn around and cross her arms. "Some friend you are!" She said a little hurt.
"Well you're awfully sensitive. And besides, you were only trying to be my friend because of my father... You still probably are." He wasn't too serious about that last statement.
"You're an asshole! I can't wait until you decide to leave!" She was hurt even more.
"I was kidding... Come on A-" He turned on the wet sidewalk they stood on and she was frowning with her hands formed in fists shaking. She was trying really hard not to cry, keeping her frown. Shinji could see this as her sort of poker face.
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" She said shaking furiously.
"Hey! I'm sorry! I know you didn't come all the way out here to find me because of an order you got. Hell nobody would ask you to look for me when they can easily find me themselves. Look, what can I say to make you forgive me?" He saw her still shaking, and the tears coming down faster.
"..." She didn't say anything... But Shinji figured she was just upset and couldn't control herself.
"Are you mad because I thought you were just trying to use me?" Shinji saw her nod her head furiously, and he felt a tug at one of his heart strings. "Look, I'm not relatable! I'm a jerk! Please just stop crying!" He felt weak making her like this.
"!" She flinched but still couldn't control herself, and she leaned on a wet wall nearby as she put her forearm against her forehead. The sobs now becoming muffled.
"ASUKA! J-Just stop please! I hate seeing people cry! I just can't look! S-STOP IT!" To no avail, he finally couldn't stand it, and he turned her around to hug her. She wrapped her arms around him again tightly, as he felt his nails dig deep through his shirt. She sobbed as loud as she could, but Shinji didn't budge.
"I-I've never had real friends before! T-That's all..." She admitted.
"Oh..." He understood now... But then again, it did remind him, since this is the 2nd time she told him. She wiped the tears from her face, and looked up enthusiastically.
"A pretty gril must shed some tears! And she cannot be alone to grieve over such little annoyances! You'll just have to be my shoulder Shinji! It's your duty!" She tried to assure him of staying... Again.
"Yeah, the thought is nice, but I could always come visit... I'll just leave Rinbo..."
"I thought you said you were going to live with me! A pretty girl none the less! What are you? Gay?!" She said half serious.
"*Clears throat* I'll have you know, there was somebody in my village who had a crush on me but I had to turn them down! So no it was not a male!" He said.
"Ohh, and what was this crush's name huh? Could I meet her before you leave hmm?" She thought he was lying.
"Her name was-"
"Shinji... Please... Would you-"
"Meyami."
"Why'd you pause for a second there? You just made her up huh? You can't lie to me Shinji!"
"Yeah..." He looked over the mountains where his village is, but could see only darkness. "New clothes! Come on!" Shinji was getting tired of talking in mud.
...
The two were in a popular chain clothing store, and were immediately greeted by a girl. "My god! You two must have gotten involved in that riot in the other district huh! Well good thing the trains are running! So I suspect you're looking for something warm to cast away this rainy night?"
"Uhh... Yes! I'm not sure what she wants, but I'm looking for an entirely new set of clothes. Heh Heh..." Shinji chuckled lightly, as the girl looked up and down at his muddy exterior.
"I know what I want! So we'll be fine! I've got some fashion sense so he's all I'll need!" Asuka stated as she was inches away from Shinji.
"W-Well maybe some extra help would be- EEE!" He crunched up quickly to be pinched by Asuka.
"N-No no! He's just kidding! We're a couple and he's always such a hound dog! Well nice meeting you." Shinji was paralyzed by her angered expression as she dragged him by his wrist. They were in the men aisle, and they were looking for jackets first. They stumbled upon a raincoat that was white with red stripes, but Shinji didn't care as long as it was comfortable. Asuka left him to go have him look for 'other' clothes to finish his set. And so he was done in an instant. Black Cargo pants, Red converse, and a gray saggy beanie. He reluctantly went to the girls aisle and saw Asuka was looking around on her tippy toes, and her eyes flashed brightly once they came into contact with hers.
"Come on over here! No need to be shy!" She waved her hand over to him, though Shinji was blushing while striving not to catch glances of all the erotic products. She then hurried him over to where she was... Lingerie.
"Come on now! I know you must know the rumor of a woman who wears black panties?" She asked him while holding something behind her back, giggling.
"Well... Gee...I-I wouldn't know stuff about that!" He kind of did, but he didn't want to seem like a pervert.
"Ahh! Really?! Shucks! Well this still makes it humorous to tease you. Now which one? Red, or black?" She held up two pairs of lacey underwear and held them up for view by her crotch. "Well?!" She was eager to see if he had a response.
"R-Red suits you better." Shinji was being honest, though he held his face in fear of a nosebleed.
"Oh? Well you do have some balls after all! Now lets see how far that can take you!" She said, making him feel ever more nervous. "Now! What size do you think my bra is? As a friend you mustn't be exact, but you should at least try and guess!" She pushed her cleavage up, with light glaring off the wet drops that still lingered there.
"O-OH GOD! C-C CUP! I'm outta here!" He yelled as he quickly walked out of the store, and awaited outside with an umbrella.
"Hmm... How did he know? The Hell?! He must have actually been popular in that little village of his..." This made Asuka feel a tinge of jealousy. Though she got what she wanted, and she walked outside to surprise Shinji. She wore a red turtleneck sweater, a black, silver striped skirt and a black silky scarf. "Look, I thought you'd be smarter than that! You're not supposed to guess that kind of thing! IT'S! INAPPROPRIATE! She punched him in the gut, which made him almost on his knees, but she then quickly picked him up so he wouldn't get his new clothes dirty and wet.
"You're so physical. That should be inappropriate." He wheezed as he tried holding the umbrella above her.
"Beside's that... Where the hell did you plan on sleeping huh?" She was tired, and felt nothing more than the comfort of somewhere to lie on down.
"Well... Maybe you should head back to Misato's..."
"Huh? B-But why?" She was thrown off, and a bit hurt.
"Well, I don't feel like I know what I'm doing out here. But I want to keep walking until I'm fed up with it all. So I don't want to drag you along, it may be a few more days..." He looked toward the mountains where his village lay.
"Are you going to go home?" She looked in the same direction. as him.
"I just want to see how they're all doing. But no I don't want to stay there... So I'll be back sometime. If you see Toji and Kensuke, tell them I said, 'It was us, or him.'" And so he left her with the umbrella and he was already on another train.
"B-But... What If I wanted to leave?" Asuka asked herself, as she slowly made her way up to another train station where it'd take her back to Misato's as she felt alone again.
Misato's Condo.
A single pair of wet shoes came in through the door, and a collapsing of an umbrella closed as it came closer to ear.
"Oh hey." Asuka looked over to the drunk woman who sat on her long leather couch, with a beer in hand.
"Hey..." She slurred.
"He's not coming back you know." Asuka made her statement, and waited for a reply.
"What makes you say that?" Misato was curious to hear HER reply.
"I seen him today."
"WHAT?!" Misato fell off her couch, with her beer still in hand. "Well why isn't he here? If you saw him, then why isn't he here huh?" She was a bit upset, cause she probably did see him.
"Well we talked the whole day, and he just doesn't feel comfortable here anymore... Something you said to him?" She didn't get the whole story, so she wanted to hear it from her. If not, another day then.
"Oh... That's why. Yeah it would make sense... A-Are you sure he doesn't want to come back Asuka?"
"Oh I'm sure... We said a lot Misato. And I... I think he's okay with it all."
"Huh?" Misato looked to her. "Ok with what" She asked.
"Ok with giving his life... For the city, and his own sanity. He wouldn't have let you, me, or any innocent people get killed. So don't you feel bad? You scolded him harshly, and all he did was save you... For what it's worth, I would have been smitten if I was there, Such a heroic act right?"
"THAT'S... That's right!" Misato exclaimed out loud.
"What?" Asuka came closer to her, being very curious.
"He has barely any way to express himself, unless you prompt him too! He does what he's told, but that doesn't mean he'll be ok with it. He did that not to spite me... But because he panicked... Now I understand..." Misato gained clarity, as an image of Shinji rising his pistol to the monster became very clear to her.
"Well duh, he is human!" Asuka looked at her with stupidity.
"Yeah...That's right. Asuka, where did he go when you last saw him?" Misato rose from the ground quickly.
"Why should I tell you?"
"I won't pursue him! But by god, it'd make me SOOO much more comfortable to know where he's going! Please Asuka! He's not going home is he?" Misato started having her brain work in a brilliant way as all the pieces to the puzzle started coming together... she hoped he didn't go home.
"Misato, you're scaring me! W-Why does it matter if He-He goes home or not! T-Tell me!" Asuka started to panic.
"He has no home left! That first one destroyed it Asuka! Now get your shoes back on! We've got to find him!"
Trauma~
Shinji walked up the long dirt trail that led him up to his old village where he live in...And to no avail, there were no lights ahead, it was quiet as a mouse, and the rain stopped just a while before he got off the train to city limits. He got to the entrance of it finally after he passed over the hill trail he walked over, there were pieces of wood scattered throughout the giant square he used to live in. No kids were running around, no school was in session, and it was dead quiet. He quickly paced his steps as he went to the mounted steps of where his home used to be, but what lay there was only a pit in the ground, and four base wooden bars that used to hold up the house. He teared up quickly, as he looked all around him in the darkness, but he was so scared, he had trouble turning on a flashlight he bought while he was out, and he pointed it all around him. The old houses there were full of holes, old bun stains, blood running all over the ground, and Shinji felt insane. He stood up and he made his way to the schoolhouse where he used to go with the few friends he had, and he saw a burned off shirt of what seemed to be a girls. He looked at the tag, and could barely make out an M, Fukozai.
"Meyami..." Shinji dropped it as he chuckled to himself, and he kneeled down to the ground, getting him bloody and muddy. He couldn't bare to look around anymore, and he dropped his flashlight in front of him. His laughter was mixed with sobs now, and his recent memory came to light again.
"Shinji... Please... Would you-"
"Hmm? W-What is it?" Shinji was back in the village, and the shy girl was blushing furiously.
"Please... Would you...date me? Date me Ikari?"
"Meyami? I... I am still leaving. I can't stay here anymore. I need to know what I'm worth Meyami." Shinji said.
"You're going to die out there! You don't even know the first thing about being a police man! The police can't handle terrorists! The military can handle that Shinji! S-STAY HERE! I couldn't stand... Seeing you leave Shinji! Come on Waka! Tell him!"
"W-Well..." Waka was about to say something to Shinji, but then a loud boom came into the town...
...
"That's right... They all died right in front of me... But why the hell couldn't I have died? I was RIGHT... right there! In plain sight but I watched."
Alone in the darkness where only the sound of wind passing by was clear to him. He stood up and walked pass all the dismembered bodies as he held his palms over his eyes. He went out to the fenced off cliff and sat there looking below the giant fall. He was alone again, but he didn't want to be so selfish to forget the time he spent with Asuka... Maybe it'd be just like in a movie where they both come to save him, and then he'll realize how he's important to Misato. To show that he's not just a subordinate.
Intervention~
Misato and Asuka were quick out of the car as they huffed and puffed, running up the large hill trail that led into his village, though they both had a lot on their minds.
"What- do you- think he's- gonna- do? What happened- here- Misato?" Asuka breathed in and out between every few words.
"Something I'd rather not think about! And I'm pretty sure this village got destroyed sometime when he left! He just couldn't remember it! You know! Suppressed! memories!" Misato yelled as she strived to keep up with Asuka up the muddy trail.
"W-WHAT?!" Asuka yelled.
"Come on! He should be..." They reached the top of the hill, and saw a light ahead of them onto the ground. They looked around the shambles of the destroyed village, but Asuka caught sight of a dismembered dead body and she shrieked. She looked back ahead quickly to the flashlight, and Asuka picked it up to look around. She walked around a bit quickly, and was breathing heavily with a sad frown on her face. She was starting to cry and she started to shout his name.
"SHINJI!" She kept looking around, and ran towards a fenced off hill where a pair of shoes were. She stopped before the fence and gazed at them, she fell to her knees and cried hysterically. "S-Shinji! W-WHY!" She pounded on the ground, and Misato was in such a state of shock she could only shut her eyes. Asuka could hear footsteps come her way, and she thought it was only Misato coming to give her sympathy. "Get the hell away from me! He was my only friend... There's nothing you can say to bring him back... Nothing.
"Umm... I just want my shoes back... Mud got into them, so I took them off to find another pair..." Shinji was back with sandals on and no socks, Asuka looked up from her teary face and she let the shoes drop from her palms as she hugged him tightly. She sobbed uncontrollably on his chest which got his windbreaker jacket soaked. Misato looked over to the two of them for what seemed like forever. Shinji's SDAT fell out of his pocket as a familiar pop song started to play audibly with the flashlight shining over the two of them. She finally decided to walk on over to the two of them and faintly, Asuka stopped her crying, and Misato gave her a look as if it was her turn. She then hugged him tightly, which made Asuka fidgety from watching, but she kept quiet. There was silence for a long time until Shinji backed away to speak.
"I'm- I'm home." Misato heard these familiar words, and she decided to play along.
"Welcome Home." She said back.