Wow...it's been a long time. I'm deeply sorry for not getting you this in awhile...I've been busy with theatre lately and so I've lost ideas, especially when "Forget Me, Let Me Go" became popular. I wanna thank all the readers who read this story (or used to) and read that one, you've kept my love for writing to keep going on, like a flame that never dies. And at one point, I thought of discontinuing this, but then realized how bad that woudl be for the readers. So, although somewhat of a typical cliche type of filler/advancing chapter for the story, hopefully it'll satisfy you until a possible Christmas chapter. I have an idea that might work, but might not.

But for now, enjoying this long and overdue chapter of ths story...


"I'm sorry Asuka…I won't leave you again…" said Shinji while he held her in his arms, the sobbing continued as tonight he learned that he was truly the creator of his own destiny…

Chapter 7: Rain That Washed Barriers Away

The last few days had been so different than that of the past after Third Impact that it seemed the past had never happened. They had been closer than ever before, grasping the idea that one person could be gone and dead the day they least expect it, so to live it like it's your last had been the idea you would say. It had been great to him, made him feel more alive than he had before. It made him regret every second he spent in that stupid reality he created. Now, he felt like he could live everyday and make sure that Asuka would be okay, that he could finally prove his love and not look at the circumstances but to embrace the possible future he has. Even still, it seemed he was falling for Asuka more and more, as if he was starting to realize what life would be like without her. He remembered the sinking feeling in his pit when she called him the "Third Child" once again and realized that if it would be like this, then he would feel like he was dead on the inside, hollow like nothing but a shell that could never exist.

"Now that I think about it, I couldn't live without her, she's become this part of me I can never let go of, no matter how the world seems…" thought Shinji, sitting on the ground next to a piece of wood and watching Asuka from afar, who was working on some vegetables. She had this bright glow for the last few days he could never understand, that somehow she had changed drastically for the better.

"She's become this different person, and it seems somewhat for the better," thought Shinji, staring up into the air and getting lost in thought, "but then, sometimes I wouldn't mind the teasing she would do or anything." Asuka saw him sitting there and gave a teasing grin towards him.

"Hey baka, don't forget we have work to do! After all, this place isn't gonna restore itself, sheesh after all the hard work…" began Asuka with the mumbling while she got back to work, Shinji smiling while he welcomed this type of talk from her.

"She's back to normal…somewhat…" thought Shinji to himself while he got up and began to work on salvaging nuts on the ground to grow some trees and to also pull some debris out of the area. Too many things to remind him of the sin committed in the past that he could never forgive himself, even if he's found some light left in the darkness. Still, he continued to work hard that day, knowing that as long as he had Asuka with him, nothing would cause him to feel depressed and gone again.

When the night came, they both were tired out to really want to fall asleep. When they went to bed, Asuka snuggled closely to Shinji to where he felt her pushing herself onto herself. He didn't care though, wrapping his arms around her lovingly and in a way that meant he would never leave her again. She rested her head on his shoulder, both feeling warm in the embrace of the other.

"Shinji…" said Asuka while Shinji looked at her with a curious look on his face.

"What is it Asuka?"

"How long do you think we're going to survive here?" asked Asuka with a look up towards the ceiling, Shinji looking back up towards it too.

"What's it matter, as long as we're here now, trying to survive right?" said Shinji with a look back at her with a look that said "We'll survive" but Asuka didn't feel assured.

"No Shinji, I'm scared that we're not going to live much longer and…" began Asuka, interrupted by a kiss from Shinji which shocked her instantly. Somehow it made her feel a little more comforted than before, and she couldn't help but kiss him back. Ever since he had been "gone" for that time, she realized that he was more precious to him than she could ever let on, and now she had a vow to live to. To show what he meant to her every day because she realized that every day could possibly be your last. So for her, it seemed that the feelings that she had for Shinji soared higher than ever before, and that she would live to be with him and work hard to survive this world that gives grim hope and optimism.

When the kiss stopped, Shinji smiled at her with this smile that would always make Asuka blush. It had never changed, it was the true genuine smile of his that was rare to see, and whenever she saw it, it would make her feel embarrassed that he had only shown her and her alone but at the same time flattered.

"Asuka, we'll make it, we'll keep going on and live out our lives. We're young and we can make it. So don't feel this way k? Look towards the future where we're alive and prospering, and humanity could possibly begin again." Said Shinji with that same smile, causing Asuka to smile back because she felt warm and safe now, like he would make sure they would still be alive. She kissed him back, but longer and with more passion that sent shivers down her spine and his spine.

When it was done and gone, she couldn't help but smile the same way once again, something that made Shinji feel different inside.

"She's actually beautiful when she does that, in fact, it makes her feel more real and open to me…" thought Shinji while he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Asuka, we'll have to get up early in the morning and keep working k? We'll make it out alive, I promise you that." Said Shinji while she snuggled her head into his chest.

"Ok Shinji, we will." Said Asuka while falling asleep silently, Shinji following soon behind her to fall into that peaceful place of slumber.

The next few days though, things got a little bit interesting for the both of them. For one, Shinji had not only been working on the place they were at now, but he would leave off for a couple of hours to somewhere he would not say while Asuka would work on the field of food that would be eaten later on. However, what she would do is secretly work on another ration in another spot so that they would have more food that would last them longer.

When the afternoon would come he would just come back with dust on his clothes or sweat. As for Asuka, she kept working on the food needed to sustain the life they had. It seemed that for once, life would be giving them a chance to live peacefully with no problems, no regrets, just to live until they die out or the human race.

The one day, everything seemed to have to change…

The wind blew with ferocity, sending shivers down their spine when they woke up in the morning. It had been chillingly cold during the night and they could even feel it in the blankets! It had kept them both awake during the night and when day struck, exhaustion slowly was taking it's course on the both of them.

"Damn, I never realized how tiring it could be from staying up all night…" thought Shinji while yawning, slowly working on the place that he would work on during some part of the day. It had been interesting weather because somehow clouds were slowly starting to form and turning grey, which could simply lead to rain. To him, if it was just going to rain it wouldn't bug him and it would surely help out Asuka with her work to give water to the seeds to grow.

"Well, this is going to be interesting…" thought Asuka to herself while looking up at the sky, the clouds of grey coming closer together than before. She hated this, this feeling that something wrong was going to happen. Not the good type of thing to happen though, maybe more like a bad thing. Call it premonition or something but the signs were giving off that whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Where's Shinji at?" she thought to herself while getting back to work and planting some more seeds. Then she felt a trickle of rain fall onto the ground, and immediately rain started down pouring like a dam just busted open. She was soaked to the bare bone, and to her this was the worst feeling she'd had in a while.

"Schist!" snapped Asuka while the rain continued to pour on. She muttered curses under her breath and ran towards their home. She didn't care about the plants now, what she needed was to get out of the rain.

"Why did this have to happen at a time like this?" snapped Asuka while getting through the door and into the home, dripping on the floor like a wet cat. It was freezing cold simply put, and the clothes only made it colder.

"I have to find some dry clothes fast!" thought Asuka, running towards a closet and grabbing the quickest clothes she could find. Immediately and with haste she put them on, getting it on like she was the "Flash".

Putting on the last garment with a triumphant look and sigh, congratulating herself with mindless jabber to make her ego boost.

She decided since it was raining work would be pointless to do, and the water would hopefully help the plants. She decided to sit down this time and ponder…ponder the thoughts she needed to and always tried to stop herself from looking into.

"When did I fall in love with him?" thought Asuka, plopping onto the bed with a thump. "Why did I fall in love with him?" she continued on, like a reporter interrogating their victim, except herself. These were questions she tried to avoid at all costs, hoping for this fantastic fairytale conclusion of life as it was now. Even if they were truly grim like they are now, at least she could restart life with him.

But what drove her to feel this way towards him? He never fit her mold of the perfect man, nor seemed to be the obvious romantic one to sweep her off of her feet, and yet look at her now. She was with the wimpy, spineless boy who couldn't allow himself to get close to anyone. Yet, it seemed she could relate to him so well. It was as if…he really was her in a different body. They both lost their mothers and both had this shell that blocked others from getting close. They both were fragile and couldn't take another shot to the heart, nor take rejection. They, in essence, couldn't take one another's love and yet…yet…they could. No, they needed each other because they knew the pain they had, for the violin had been playing their number from day one.

It was as if, really the mold she thought was the ideal man was only a façade, only one she created to try and push him away. Shinji could never reach that and whenever he would try, he would only be shot down. Yet, it seemed through him, she felt healed just a little bit inside. He had driven her to this forgone conclusion that he was indeed the mold of the ideal man that she hid from herself in her own pride and conscious.

That was the reason she fell in love with him. In the end, he helped her become who she was now; kind and loving, nurtured and nurturing. She knew she too was helping him become the man he always needed to be; strong and brave.

"I think I know when now I fell in love with him…" Asuka thought to herself, still zoning out while staring into the bland ceiling. She fell in love with him when he had saved her those countless times, from helping her defeat Gaghiel, to the time he saved her from dying in the lava. It added up, one to another, the characteristics that she was hoping to help him gain. Really, she had been in love with him for the longest time, but could never get herself to realize that.

"If I had told him all this, if I had been with him and gave him my heart…would this all be different now?" she asked herself, getting up slowly and staring out into the windows that only gave grey darkness. The rain was as if it were cleansing her, washing away her ego and barrier once again, allowing the heart to beat with a large "thump" at the thought of his name. Look at her, it was as if she were becoming a giddy little school girl again. A light blush crept up on her face.

"Shinji, I love you…and nothing else matters to me…" she thought to herself, a contented smile resting upon her face. As if happiness crept up from behind her and wrapped itself around her, she felt this odd vibe and radiance glow from herself, and she could only continue to bask in it. This was life should've been…even if life were bleak now. Life should have this contented feeling, this feeling as if even if all odds were against you, you could still be happy.

"Asuka?! Asuka?!" yelled a worried voice from a distance. Immediately Asuka shook out of her senses, recognizing that voice. She got up and ran to the door, opening it and looking out for where the voice came from.

"Shinji, where are you? I'm over here!" yelled Asuka while standing in the rain, her breath becoming visible in front of her. She stood there, waiting in the silence for a reply. It seemed in those few seconds that an eternity had passed while an answer still wasn't there.

"Asuka! Are you here? Asuka!" snapped Shinji from far, starting to becoming visible in the rain, Asuka's eyes opening up with happiness. There he was, running to her, but with a worried look on his face. She stood there only for a brief second, then blazing at him with the speed no one could compare to.

"Shinji, I'm right here!" she said, smiling and wanting him more than anything. In those spare thoughts, that spare time, she couldn't help but feel this way. She needed him now, she needed him to be her source of warmth and peace. With the steps that only brought them closer, her smile never left her face.

"Asuka!" yelled Shinji with a relieved tone, smiling and running faster towards her. As if a magnet were pulling them together, they met halfway, the embrace filled with longing and yearning for warmth. However, Asuka felt a slight tremble and wince of Shinji, and had to pull out to look at him. Immediately, she saw a blood mark on his shirt from his abdomen, and Asuka felt a sense of worry creep over her.

"Shinji, what happened?" asked Asuka with a worried and demanding tone, Shinji then looking perplexed. Suddenly dawning on him, he looked at his injury and shrugged it off. This seemed to get Asuka a little bit teed off.

"Where the hell did that come from baka?" snapped Asuka with a more assertive tone, causing Shinji to flinch, backing up a step.

"It's okay Asuka, it's just a scratch, that's all…" began Shinji with a nervous smile and laugh, Asuka immediately replying back.

"Are you kidding me?!" she said with more shock than worry, "That's not just a scratch, that's a wound…we need to get you bandaged up!" with that, she grabbed his hand and ran, Shinji immediately running to make sure not to fall down. He winced at some of the pain from running again, but took it in and kept running to make sure he didn't cause any more problems with the problems they faced now.

When they got back to their place, soaking wet, they stood there for a while to catch their breath. Asuka looked at Shinji with a worried look, Shinji giving her this "I'm trying to get you to be calm" look. After taking a few minutes of catching breath, Asuka finally spoke.

"Shinji, got and get dressed into some clean and dry clothes," said Asuka, throwing the clothes at him, him fumbling some of them until he got them all, "and then I'll change after you." Immediately he walked off, going to the bathroom and changing.

He hadn't really taken the time to look at the wound, but in the bathroom that was a different story. What he saw was a little bit of a cut into the skin, but not deep enough to where there would be a lot of worry. He sighed it off and put on the rest of the clothes, walking out of the restroom and putting his wet clothes in a hamper. Immediately, Asuka followed suit and got changed. When she came out she got him to sit on the bed.

"Take your shirt off." Snapped Asuka with a motherly tone, Shinji obeying her command like a little three year old. Immediately, she saw the wound and winced as if she could feel the pain. She walked over to a drawer to pull out the first aid kit she found a while back while the place remained as ruins. She walked back over to him, opening it and setting it next to him.

"This will sting at first…" said Asuka with a caring tone, trying to get him to stay calm. Shinji didn't even flinch, let alone say anything to reply. She took out the Hydrogen Peroxide and put it on some cotton, swabbing the wound with it. She could feel the tenseness of Shinji's body whenever she put it on, but he braved it out. After about ten cotton balls, she finished, then slowly wrapping bandage around it.

"There, we're done…" said Asuka wrapping her arms around Shinji from the back of him. He immediately placed a hand on her two hands and looked at her with a smile. This is what he loved about her.

"Thanks Asuka, it feels better now…" said Shinji with a loving tone and a thanking tone. Asuka immediately rested her head on his left shoulder, getting her head in a position to be able to look at him and connect with eyes.
"No problem Shinji, after all, it was a pretty bad wound…" said Asuka while Shinji only continued to give her a genuine smile, warming her up inside while it stayed on his face.

"I don't know what I'd do without you really…" said Shinji with the tenderness and honesty behind his voice.

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm sure that without you I wouldn't be who I am today…"

"And I too…"

"Asuka, I look back at who I am now, to who I was then, and I've become someone I never thought I could become…"

"And you've helped me change into someone more than I used to be…remember that…"

Slowly, as if it were a calculated, their faces slowly started to come together. Their lips yearning for the touch of the others crept closer and closer together.

BOOM! It was the shrill cry of the crackling of lightening and immediately at the sound you could see Asuka jump from the sound. She shot up sitting, still holding on to Shinji but sitting in an alerted way.

"Uh…Asuka…" said Shinji with an airy tone in his voice. Asuka looked at him in bewilderment, only to look at what was going on and blush.

"Could you please release your death grasp on my neck…" asked Shinji with a polite tone, causing Asuka to blush even more. Immediately she let go and Shinji rubbed him neck some. He looked back at her to see her trembling a little.

"Asuka, are you okay?" asked Shinji with a wondering tone, Asuka nodding at him without any hesitation to it.

"You seemed scared there Asuka…"

"That's a funny one right there…I the great Asuka!"

"It's ok to be afraid here and –wait, did you call yourself the great Asuka?!"

"So what if I did? You got a problem with that?"

"Haha, if Asuka was so great then she wouldn't be afraid of the lightening!"

"You think that I'm really afraid of --,"

Another boom resonated in the room, and immediately two arms wrapped around Shinji with a tight grasp. Asuka buried herself in his chest, as if hiding from it all. He smiled at her with a calming feel, wrapping his arms around her to protect her. He would make sure he was there for her no matter what, he made that promise.

"It'll be fine Asuka, I'll always be here with you, remember? I'll never leave you alone again. I'll protect you Asuka…" continued Shinji with a warming voice. He could feel the trembling of Asuka's body slowly start to dissipate.

When it all finally stopped, except the rain, Asuka held herself in the same spot that was in Shinji's lap and arms. She didn't care whether or not it would look right, but to her it was a place of safety. She took one look at him with admiration and love, love that said "thanks for it all, thanks for being my savior."

Slowly, as if the rain were washing away the barriers that they had yet to let go off, it melted them away. It melted any distance between them, and in the moment they were intertwined in, they slowly felt their hearts becoming one, their bond becoming bigger and their love even stronger.

In the rain that eradicated the barriers, the kiss that they had would seal it, causing them to become closer than ever…