Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion.
Chapter 8: Goodbye, Mothers Pt1
Morning had just begun to grey the pre-dawn skies when Shinji woke. He blinked as he brushed strands of long red hair out of his face, wondering why he felt some sort of weight on his chest.
The alarm was not loud, but Shinji was used to wake in the first two seconds of its sound. He reached to deactivate it. A glance at the alarm told him it was 6:45 in the morning – half an hour before the collective wake-up call. He looked down and blushed a deep crimson - Asuka, laying on her side, clinging to him, her legs intertwined with his, her nightshirt lifted to half her torso. He silently blessed the fact that they both were still wearing sufficient clothing.
Shinji didn't remember falling asleep like this last night –the last thing he knew was he and Asuka laying back-to-back –albeit in the same sheet. She said something like 'don't turn around or I'll kill you.'
Carefully disentangling himself, Shinji began to slowly rise from the king-sized bed. A grabbing hand suddenly made this difficult.
"You not goin' 'nywhere…" A dizzy and muffled voice came from Asuka's half-sleeping form.
"Asuka, it's morning", he pleaded just above a whisper, "you need to leave before the Janitors notice anything."
"I hate it when you're 'ight…" Asuka stirred and slowly got up from the bed before looking down at her own appearance and their position in bed, her face instantly flushing, "how did we end up like this? You… didn't do anything improper, did you?"
"Wha-what? I-I just got up! I di-didn't do anything!" Shinji stammered, his blush turned into an incandescent one.
"I trust you not do anything perverted, Baka, that's why I came here in the first place," Asuka yawned and stood on the floor, tidying up her messy hair and clothes, "you may be a Baka, but you're the kind of Baka who's honest," she added with a smile. "Thanks for the warmth, and I had a good dream last night as well," Asuka said, putting on the coat she wore last night.
"Um, you're welcome?" Shinji smiled an uneasy smile, "I mean, I-I'm glad to help." He relaxed a little, then frowned as he realized a problem, "Asuka, how'd you get back? I'm definitely NOT letting you climb the ladders!"
"Right," Asuka sighed, "I'll just go back in the normal way. Hope the Janitors aren't up yet. I set the alarm early for this purpose," she explained, "Shinji, go and check for me! They don't know I'm here!"
"Sure," Shinji agreed, walking to the door while Asuka hid behind the bed frame. He slowly and lightly cracked the door open, his head peeking out, scanning the corridor for any moving objects. Seeing none, he closed the door with a soft THUD and turned to Asuka's direction, who slowly stood up from her hiding place, "no one's out there, you're safe to go," he said, shaking his head.
Asuka nodded and strode to the door, giving Shinji one last appreciative smile, taking a deep breath before opening the door. She peeked out her head and checked one last time, then exited the room in swift movements, closing the door behind her. Asuka's heart pounded crazily as she rushed to the elevator, not forgetting to use her arms to hide her face in front of security cameras. It might be a little overboard since sensei wouldn't really go as far as checking security footages just to see if anyone sneaked out their rooms during the night – but she couldn't take any risk.
Fortunately, no one was in the hallway, no janitors, no cleaners, and most importantly –no other boys from the school. The rumors – ' yet they are getting closer to the truth,' a treacherous voice in Asuka's mind sounded, eliciting a blush from the redhead – would never see the end if she got caught by other boys.
Asuka leaned on the elevator wall, panting heavily, both from the physical effect and mental exhaustion. With a Ding, the door opened on the third floor.
And an impatient, foot-tapping Mari Makinami was waiting outside.
The two just stared at each other without movements or sounds for the entire duration - from the elevator door opening to closing, before Mari raised and stuck her arm between the elevator doors at a lightning-fast speed.
The elevator door opened again; Asuka composed herself and exited the elevator, trying to ignore the forgot-to-breath-in-shock brunette.
Mari coughed, getting Asuka's attention; her half-amused, half-disbelieving expression making Asuka feel nothing good would happen next, "princess…tell me at least you guys used protection?"
Asuka blushed – much to Mari's amusement – and scowled, "We. Did. Not. Have. Sex." She hissed out every word with a threatening tone, "say one word about this, they'll never find your body." She threatened, "Am. I. Clear?"
Mari gulped, her body tensing up. She'd heard about the infamous redheaded wrath from other students –personally facing it was another level of experience. "O-okay, not a word, you guys have fun," she hastily said, "I-I'll go have breakfast if you don't mind-"
"Do whatever you want for all I care," Asuka turned to leave, feeling satisfied with the result, "remember, not a word. And we didn't have sex!"
A violent, repetitive nod was the only answer from a very scared-looking Mari.
XXXXXX
"Shinji, let's go for a walk," Asuka ambushed Shinji on his way out of the hotel cafeteria. Her unusually good mood in the morning was ruined by the undesired encounter with Mari, and the surprisingly tasty breakfast provided by the hotel did little to help with that. What's worse - the low temperature outside wasn't really suitable for swimming. Asuka grabbed his wrist and dragged him along.
"Um, okay," Shinji said, getting used to the pushy personality of the fiery redhead, but not without an internal sigh of defeat. He was used to be left alone and not cared for by anybody. In other matters, especially those that life threw at him - which tended to happen quite often since he became an EVA pilot – he simply tried to dodge the best he could, without thinking why all this is happening to him. When things became too much, he simply ran away, then returned when he realized the futility of running. It did not gain him friends, but it got him by.
This had changed. A lot.
Asuka burst into his life, turning it upside down almost as much as him being called to Tokyo-3 and shoved into an EVA. He didn't know what had caused them both to wake up on that beach – he also didn't know whether their 'former' relationship, as indicated by the prophesier, was anything like what they were having now. At first Asuka was a disruptive force that made him angry, even physically assaulted him; then she changed quickly, as she 'followed her heart' –also indicated by the prophesier. Shinji started to wonder just who the prophesier was? He seemed to know so much about the redhead and Shinji that his' relationship advices' were all critically important and useful.
'I wonder if I could make it this far without the prophesier's guidance…' Shinji mused as he and Asuka walked along the trail in a park near the beach in companionable silence. Asuka smiled a small smile as a cool morning breeze blew past her face, her mood slowly turning from cloudy to sunny.
"Shinji…" Asuka started, looking up to the sky, her voice uncertain.
"M?" Shinji acknowledged in a soft murmur.
"Do you trust me?" she asked out of the blue. Surprised by the serious question, Shinji slowly raised his head and looked at the redhead. "Asuka, we've been through so much together…the EVAs, and now all this…what makes you think I don't trust you?"
She took a deep breath. "Just… making sure. Okay. I am going to ask you a question, and you better think well before you answer", she lowered her head and leveled with Shinji's. Their eyes met.
"Of course?" he replied matter-of-factly.
"Who am I to you?"
Shinji's lips narrowed to a thin line, his eyes turning thoughtful. There were, of course, numerous answers to that question: friend, coworker, classmates… not to mention the absurd 'ex'-girlfriend. But he knew that Asuka did not tell him to 'think well' just to give a first one. And she was looking at him, waiting with surprising patience. What could he say? What should he say?
Shinji was nothing if not honest. He didn't want to see Asuka as someone he might love because God told him so; he wanted to develop his own feelings towards the girl. Shinji had never thought he would ever love someone else because he didn't even love himself; he only wanted affection from others so he could stay in the warm corner and never be hurt again.
However, the redhead walking beside him was the first person in years to whom he actually wished to actively devote. Finally, he took a deep breath and decided to speak his heart, "You're the closest person I ever had… the first one I think I can really trust", he said slowly. "I want to help you…I don't think there's a single word for that. I–" 'want to stay with you forever' was left unsaid since he wasn't sure whether she felt the same way –Shinji still feared rejection.
Asuka suddenly put the finger on his lips. "Thank you," she whispered. He noticed her voice was nervous, but he could have sworn her eyes gleamed with joy. "Listen… I'll get back to that, okay? I promise. I just need to think about it." He nodded carefully in response. "And I… I know we need to discuss that. I mean, really, really need to discuss that. But… I don't want either of us to fuck this up, okay?" she continued in an uncharacteristically uncertain voice. "But for now… you're the same to me. The first person I could really trust. And you're the closest I have to…" she trailed off. "Well, the closest one I have. That I ever had, I suppose", she sighed. "There was Kaji-" Shinji raised an eyebrow at her mention of his guardian. Still, he decided to listen up, "he was my guardian…back in Germany when I was training to be an EVA pilot, and he took care of me, so…but this Kaji didn't even know me, so I guess now you're the only one. And you better not fuck it up, too, because while I'm quite serene right now, I will kill you if you do."
That answered his questions about Asuka's initial behaviors around Kaji. Shinji smiled and took the hand that was silencing him in his own, squeezing it hard. "I…promise?" He smiled. Asuka closed her eyes; her body was shaking softly. "Asuka…Are you alright?" He asked with a concerning look.
"Never better," Asuka replied with a smile, "you may be a Baka, but the kind of Baka who keeps his promises. Let's continue walking, I'm enjoying it."
The duo resumed walking in silence, smiles on both of their faces. A glitter of sunshine broke out of the cumulus, shining on the former pilots through the cracks between layers of green leaves.
The moment of tranquility was interrupted by a round of laughter and chaotic footsteps. Asuka suddenly stopped as she recognized the voice belonged to Takumi. A gust of wind started blowing as the clouds gathered, covering the sun. A chill ran down Asuka's spine; she turned and grabbed Shinji's wrist, "let's get out of there."
"What's wrong?" Shinji frowned but made no resistance, following the redhead.
"Damn it!" Asuka hissed, "we were having a moment! And it has to be ruined by some random jerks!" She stomped her foot in frustration, emitting a murderous aura.
Maybe it was their voices that went too loud, maybe it was the sound of their footsteps, the group of upper-classmen noticed the presence of other people in this particularly remote part of the park.
"Yo, isn't that Shikinami?" a male voice sounded, "Hey guys, look who's there?"
The group of males approached the duo slowly. 'Mein Gott, how unlucky,' Asuka thought with bitterness and rising anger, 'do I have to come here and relax with Shinji, just to accidentally run into these morons? So fucking unfortunate.'
"Hey there hot stuff, is he your little boyfriend?" Takumi approached with a sly grin, "how about you ditch that dork and come with us? I'll show you a good time." He eyed his companies, who immediately understood his intentions and quickly formed a circle around the duo.
Asuka looked around her. Each one of the bullies was giving her the eye. Asuka wanted to puke.
"Fuck off right now so you can leave in whole," Asuka said coldly, "I thought one trip to the hospital was enough a lesson for you."
The group of bullies first looked at each other dumbfounded, then burst out laughing. "Very funny, Shikinami. There're four of us, your little boyfriend can't do anything, and you're nothing but a helpless little girl…" Takumi said, "Just make it easy for us so we won't hurt you so much…"
"She's the one who put you into a hospital for a day?" Another bully suddenly asked, "bro, you sure this is a good idea?" He seemed intimidated by the glare that rivaled Ramiel's particle beam.
"Shut it Yin! I was careless, which she took full advantage of," Takumi said, "now with four of us, I'll show this little girl where she truly belongs! She made a fool of me in front of the girls! She's so gonna pay for it!"
Utilizing their moment of distraction, Asuka gave Shinji a look and made several gestures. Shinji nodded as he understood that Asuka wanted to execute a simultaneous attack on Takumi, using the strategy they used against the Israfel as they remembered.
"Alright Shinji, on my mark, 3, 2, 1, MARK!" Asuka said in German –thankfully she had taught him the basics of the language, which now proved to be a good choice.
In a blink of an eye, both Children dashed forward; Asuka kicked Takumi in the groin, while Shinji elbowed him in the gut. She then slid into his legs while Shinji kneed him in his jaw. Asuka quickly recovered from her slide and took Takumi's right arm behind his back and bent it in an unnatural formation. Takumi fainted under the intolerable pain and fell flat on the ground, blood dripping down from his holes.
Takumi's three buddies watched the whole ordeal transfixed since neither of them knew those small-looking kids possessed so much power and combat skills. As Asuka turned her glare to them, they were already on their feet running –and intercepted by a dozen black-suit-wearing, gun-holding Section 2 Agents.
Both Children were surprised at the appearance of Section 2, but they decided to worry about it later. Asuka looked down at the guy on the ground who's still breathing; her look changed from angry to complete contempt and disgust.
"Disgrace of humanity," Asuka said, her tone freezing cold, "I wonder how we are the same species."
Asuka wanted to say why she chose Shinji – all the reasons she had come to realize during the past three weeks. She would say them just for Shinji to hear. But she reckoned it could wait. The person – no, the scum that was constituted by human cells – wasn't even worth hearing it.
Asuka turned to Shinji and grabbed his wrist, "let's go Shinji. Let Section 2 do their jobs. I'm leaving this place –we'll go back to Tokyo-3 tomorrow, alright?" Her face showing a bit of worry since she wasn't sure whether Shinji would want-
"Where you go, I'll go too, Asuka," Shinji replied with an understanding smile, "I don't want to stay here any longer as well. I mean…so much had happened since we got here."
"Yeah," Asuka sighed before smiling back, her darkened mood improved a little, "I'll tell Misato to arrange it for us."
XXXXXX
At the moment, Earth Orbit
"See, no one messes with God's pairings," the God Asuka huffed before smiling, "they've made some real progress! I suppose acting as my subconscious really helped."
"Of course," the God Shinji replied, "even without our help, our counterparts will eventually get together, albeit slower. Our past experiences draw us together." He trailed off. "Um, what do we do now?"
"I say we continue from where we left off," the God Asuka said with a seductive smile, a smile the God Shinji couldn't be more familiar with. "Sure, I'm coming darling."
XXXXXX
A lone girl laid in her bed, brooding about the events that happened that day, and the day before. In the afternoon, she tried to enjoy herself; she really did. Asuka even joined Rei and Mari to play some beach volleyball, but her mood didn't see significant improvement.
Then she went scuba diving with Shinji. She had fun during the time – in retrospect, it was mainly because of Shinji's presence, not much to do with the actual diving.
Asuka tossed and turned in the bed, unable to sleep. There was no way she could go to his room now –one of the reasons she didn't want to stay here any longer. Last night was so peaceful –no nightmares, no taunting memories –nothing but warmth. She feared she would get addicted to sleeping that way –as comfortable as it was, it's still somewhat improper for a boy and a girl at their age to sleep in the same room, much less the same bed. Unless they were-
"Right," Asuka sighed. The appearance of that particular thought didn't bother her as much as it did the last time. In fact the thought acted as a cue – Asuka took out the nightshirt she wore last night, sniffing it as she put the shirt close to her nose. It smelled the vanilla shower gel, laundry detergent – and a faint smell of Shinji.
Asuka calmed down as her turmoil of thoughts was wiped away by the simple smell. She couldn't explain it –she felt like her brain somehow was used to the smell when sleeping.
Asuka smiled and padded it on the pillow. With his smell nearby she quickly settled down, slowly drifting into sleep.
Asuka opened her eyes, finding herself sitting in a train, sitting across her was a girl wearing a yellow sundress; she had red hair and blue eyes, two A-10 neural clips - which Asuka immediately recognized –sitting on top of her head. Asuka frowned; she didn't wear the neural connectors Gehirn gave her since they were ugly, and the former purpose of wearing them all day was to tell the world she was an EVA pilot. Now EVAs weren't even a thing, so there's no point in wearing those neural connectors anymore. However she was still aware of Gehirn's reputation, at least in Tokyo-3, so instead of the neural connectors she chose Gehirn employee breastpin – which did a better job raising people's eyebrows, much to her satisfaction.
"What the fuck?" She murmured to herself, "am I looking at a mirror?"
"No you aren't," the other Asuka spoke up.
"Then who the hell are you? I'm definitely dreaming," Asuka huffed, "and why do you have the A-10 clips?" She was assaulted by a wave of nostalgia.
"Look, I'm your subconscious," the other Asuka explained, "you called me for help and here I am."
"What the hell are you talking about? I don't remember calling anyone for help!" Asuka barked.
The subconscious-Asuka frowned, "you subconsciously called me for help, alright?!" She seemed irritated, "that's why I'm your subconscious in the first place!"
"Even if I did, I don't need it now!" Asuka shot back, "you can get lost for all I care!"
The subconscious Asuka grumbled in frustration, "gottverdammt! Why are you so stubborn! I'm trying to help damn it! For the love of God just accept it!"
"Why should I?! Now fuck off my face before I hurt you!" Asuka threatened.
The subconscious-Asuka clenched her fists, "ANTA BAKA?!" She roared, "acting headstrong leas you nowhere!"
"Well, you do sound an awful lot like me," Asuka huffed, "if you're really my subconscious, you should've already known what kind of person I am! Don't get too surprised when I'm acting like myself!"
"Do you really know yourself, though?" The subconscious-Asuka suddenly asked, "cuz from what I know you don't!
The accusation caught Asuka off guard, "(cough) wh-what are you implying by that?!"
The other Asuka smirked in triumph, "did I stutter?"
"Well, enlighten me, then!" Asuka barked.
"No, I need you to answer by yourself!" The subconscious-Asuka said, "first question, who are you?"
Asuka frowned and put her fingers under her chin, pondering for a moment before she spoke up, "well that's easy. I was an elite, world's best EVA pilot! And I am a test subject for Gehirn, no one else in the world except Baka-Shinji could do my job! I am the great Asuka Langley Soryu!"
The subconscious-Asuka looked…amused, barely able to hold back a chuckle, as if she was looking at a childish brat, "well, you're not wrong, however," she trailed off, seeing Asuka raising a threatening eyebrow, as if saying 'dispute me and I'll destroy you', "who do you want to be, though?"
"What are you implying by that? I'm perfectly fine with who I am right now!"
"Don't lie to me, especially not yourself, little girl," the subconscious-Asuka snorted, "Who. Do. You. Want. To. Be?" She hissed out word by word, glaring at Asuka that looked right into her soul.
Asuka flinched before sighing in defeat, "I…I just want to be myself, just be Asuka Langley Soryu," she admitted, "I don't want those stupid façades!"
The subconscious-Asuka smiled, "hm, there's hope for you after all," she scoffed, "how do you reckon you should do that, then?"
"I…I honestly don't know," Asuka put up her defenses once more, "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this! What are you, a psychotherapist or something?"
"Your secrets are safe with me," the subconscious-Asuka reassured, "look, like I said I'm just your subconscious. Talking to me is just like talking to yourself!"
"Right," Asuka looked down at the floor, though not speaking anymore.
"Argh you're hopeless," the subconscious-Asuka groaned in annoyance, "you want to find someone special, who will accept you for who you truly are –Asuka Langley Soryu, not the elite EVA pilot or some one-in-billion test subject," she pointed out, eliciting narrowed eyes from Asuka, "and I'm sure you've already found o-"
"WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?!" Asuka interrupted loudly, "AS IF I'D EVER NEED SOMEONE!"
"But you already did!" The subconscious-Asuka shot back, "and you know perfectly well who I'm talking about!"
Asuka wanted to retort, but found herself unable to – not in front of a mountain of undeniable evidence. "Even if I truly need that Baka, how can I be sure he won't abandon me once he's done with me?!"
"He won't, ever," the other Asuka said calmly, "he needs you as well. You're so similar in so many ways that other people don't even dare to imagine. You two are the only ones in the world who could possibly understand each other!"
"I still need to make sure by myself before I try anything!" Asuka finally spoke after a long silence.
"Sure, just don't make him wait too long," the subconscious-Asuka started fading away with the surroundings, "remember, I'm always here to help!"
Asuka grudgingly opened her eyes, wondering why she felt more exhausted than usual –not exactly tired, but mentally exhausted. She shook the dizziness off –her eyes widened as last night's memories came back to her.
"Scheiße…"
XXXXXX
At the moment, Earth Orbit
"Mein Gott," the God Asuka sweatdropped, "I was almost about to punch myself in the face," she sighed, "just how could she be so god damn stubborn?!"
The God Shinji chuckled, eliciting an intense glare from the God Asuka, "got anything to say, THIRD?"
"N-nothing!" Shinji hastily replied, "sorry!"
"Hmph, I thought I got you rid of your apologizing habits!"
"Sorry!"
"Now you're doing it just to get under my skin, aren't you bastard?!"
"I'm sorry!" The God Asuka could hear the clear amusement in his voice. "Oh you're so going to get it Shinji SORYU!"
Half an hour of intimate moments later
"Seriously Shinji, how did you put up with me?" The God Asuka asked with a remorseful look.
"Because…I love you?" the God Shinji replied, blushing a little, "Asuka… it's not like I never got angry with you, especially when we first met," he admitted.
The God Asuka smiled a small smile, "yeah, we know, crazy me."
XXXXXX
"What do we do with the kid, Ikari?"
"Erase him. We can't afford any kind of risk to our scenario. The old men have already consented. Also, reinforce security perimeters around The Two."
"As you command."
In the gloomy light of the Geofront prison, a distinct sound of cartridge explosion broke the silence.
XXXXXX
"Seriously though, they sent Section 2 agents all the way here?!" Asuka complained as she and Shinji waited for Gehirn's private jet to arrive. Their belongings were packed neatly, sitting beside them.
"Um, it's not a bad thing? I mean, they did help us in the end…" Shinji replied halfheartedly, not looking at the redhead, seemingly having a lot on his mind.
"We could've defeated all four of them with ease! We had combat training, don't forget," Asuka shoved her hair behind her ear.
"M."
Asuka frowned, "hey Baka! Oi, earth to Shinji!" Getting no replies whatsoever from him, she nudged Shinji in the rib cage with some force, which worked instantly, "ouch! A-Asuka? What was that for?" He rubbed the sour spot, finally looking into her blue eyes.
"What are you brooding on?" Asuka asked, frowning.
"Nothing," he tried.
"Bullshit, I know that face, all too well," Asuka claimed. "Okay, timeout", she took a quick look around, grabbed his elbow, and pulled him into a quiet corner in one smooth move. "Okay, we have about", Asuka took a quick look at her small red watch, "ten minutes before Section 2 Agents arrive and escort us home. So, skip the beating around the bush. What happened?"
"N-nothing–" he tried again. A glare cut him off. "Hey. I'm trying to help, for fuck's sake, and I'm not going to hurt you, whatever the fuck you say. Fess up now, promise me you'll explain later, but don't leave me hanging", she demanded, grabbing his hand.
Shinji took a deep breath. "It's… not really important", his tone quite convincing.
"Bullshit," Asuka smirked. "It's important enough if you aren't even blushing when I'm holding your hand," she lifted their hands up in front of his eyes.
Shinji's lips were a thin line. He was sorely tempted to repeat his reassurance, but he knew Asuka well enough to know it would bring nothing. The closest option was to tell her to drop the subject, but she formulated it in a way that made polite handling impossible. The only thing left was then the truth, mortifying as it might have been.
"Just… wondering," he admitted after a pause. "I… I don't know what I did to… deserve this."
"Deserve what?" Asuka frowned.
"Well, erm, you," Shinji's cheeks turned pink, "I mean, you being nice to me, all that stuff…"
Asuka's palm met her face; her jaw clenched. 'God damn it, Shinji. And I thought I was the World Champion of Self-doubts.' "Listen…" she started slowly, picking her words carefully. "I don't know what's going in your head, okay? But you know, I wasn't exactly nice to you when we…first met, right?" Shinji nodded with an embarrassed expression, Asuka turned red-faced as well, "but you did something right, and I'm NOT letting you go! Is that enough for you?"
"Thank you, Asuka." He nodded again and smiled a small smile.
Asuka let out a heavy sigh. "Gott, and I thought I should be the one self-doubting how I deserved your kindness when I did nothing but torment you... And before you start apologizing, keep in mind that I can choke you right now."
Shinji gulped, mustering all his willpower to squash an automatic apologize, just in time to catch it before it came out of his mouth –he didn't want to die yet, there were still good things in his life – the person who just threatened to kill him was the major one.
XXXXXX
"Tadaima!" Both Children announced in unison as they entered the Katsuragi residence. They went to Shinji's apartment first, Asuka helped him sort out his stuff; as payback, he needed to help her sort out her stuff. Shinji's eyes wandered back and forth between his one small suitcase and Asuka's two huge suitcases, sweatdropping as he realized it wasn't really a fair trade.
"Welcome home kids!" Misato's cheerful voice came from the kitchen, eliciting shivers ran down both children's spine as they realized the only thing she would be doing in the kitchen at that time of the day. "Take a seat around the table! Lunch will be ready in ten minutes!" Yep, that confirmed their fears.
Both Children made a face, "no thanks Misato! We'll order some takeout," they said in sync. Asuka went to pick up the landline while Shinji carried the suitcases to Asuka's room –as she 'generously permitted' him to do it.
Misato pouted, "Hey! My newest curry isn't that bad!" She protested, "Kaji had already tested it out!"
"Speaking of Kaji, where is him?" Shinji asked, walking out of Asuka's room, "I haven't seen him since we came back. You said you were going to hang out with him, right Misato-san?"
"Yeah, and he's in the hospital right now," Misato said, her tone completely unserious while it should be.
"What happened? Is he okay?"
"Well, he got some sort of stomach ache this morning after breakfast," Misato replied, "nothing serious, the doctor said after gastric lavage he'll be back before dinner, albeit he can't have it."
"Sounds like he got 'food' poisoning from whatever shit you made you call food!" Asuka shouted, just putting down the phone, "I seriously wonder how he even survived the first day!"
Misato's face reddened at the accusation as a mountain of undeniable facts were laid in front of her, "c'mon! It was just a little experiment! I wanted to try something new!"
"Well you should use real lab rats instead of fucking humans!" Asuka barked, "it's explicitly banned by the Geneva Conventions!"
Misato stuck out her tongue to Asuka, who huffed in response, walking into her room. "Shinji, come and help me arrange my stuff!"
"Hai." Shinji followed the redhead into her room, to which Misato narrowed her eyes in suspicion. 'Since when is Asuka comfortable enough to let him enter her room?'
One hour later
The trio sat around the dining table, having just finished the meal. Asuka wiped her mouth with a tissue before starting, "that was not even half as good as Shinji's cooking," she complimented, eliciting a small blush from the aforementioned boy, "and I'm fully expecting some real German food today. Think you could do that, Shinji?"
"Whoa Asuka, he's not your personal servant you know," Misato gave her a small disapproving glare, "you can't just order him around like that!"
"What, I wasn't ordering him around!" Asuka shot back before turning her head to Shinji, "I asked him. It's up to him if he wants to do it or not! What do you say, Baka?" Although it was technically a choice, her glare had already left him only one choice.
"Right," Shinji sighed internally, "I'll cook some German food tonight," Asuka smirked in triumph. "Actually, I bought some ingredients online," it was another thing in this world which the Children liked, "they'll arrive next Monday. Then I try a recipe I recently acquired."
"That's great, Shin-chan," Misato gulped down another can of beer, "however you don't need to cook next Monday," both Children raised an eyebrow, "we're going to attend a wedding ceremony that day!"
"Oh. Whose?" Asuka asked, slumping back to the chair.
"Aira-san and Futoshi," Misato replied, "they are Gehirn employees. Kaji and I are invited along with you guys, so yeah."
"Fine, I suppose…" Asuka grumbled in annoyance, "we need to dress up, right?"
"Of course, it's a formal circumstance."
"Too bad, this Baka doesn't have any formal wear," Asuka sighed, "it seems like we need another shopping trip…"
"Erm, I'm planning to buy something, anyway," Shinji spoke, to which Asuka looked at him with surprise, "well, that's rich, coming from you." She interrupted.
"Asuka! Let him finish."
"Hai, hai."
Shinji swallowed, "well, I'm planning to buy a Cello…"
"What?!" Asuka cried in surprise, "you play Cello?"
"Yeah, I've been playing it since five," Shinji replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Damn I'm interested," Asuka said, "you're just full of surprises Shinji."
"My, my, you're interested in what, Asuka?" Misato winked, "the Cello? Or just him?"
Asuka blushed a little, "shut it, alright?!" In fact it was a little bit of both, "I played violin when I was young, I think maybe we can play together, like a duet or something," she explained, Shinji smiled in response, "well… I'm looking forward to it," he said, "I know a musical instrument shop downtown, just near the mall, so I'm thinking-"
"So it's settled! You're coming with me, Third!" Asuka cut him off with a cheerful cry, "let's not waste more time! Shinji go change! Wait for me at the door, I'll brush my hair."
Misato watched in pleasure as both Children went to do their respective things with smiles on their faces. She felt a deep feeling of satisfaction that her parenting approach finally started to bear fruit.
XXXXXX
"I remember this is the place…" Shinji stopped in front of a musical instrument shop, carefully examining the surroundings, "yep, this is the one. Let's get in."
Asuka grumbled an agreement and followed him inside, and soon was feeling out of place. This was not something unusual; ever since they woke up on the beach, every single of their encounters brought something new and strange into her life. But this was done in private places – such as in the walls of the apartment. This was different. And she brought it upon herself, driven by an impulse she did not really understand.
But this time, the context was different. She was not doing mindless, routine shopping out of the list or just buying Misato some beer; this was shopping with someone who was clearly enjoying it – and despite that, paid more attention to her than to the goods. Also, she had to squash a 'like a couple' thought at least twice in the last ten minutes; despite that practice, she was not getting better at it. Shinji's apparent lack of issues with 'accidental' arms brushing when walking side by side did not help.
"I want this one," Asuka said, trying to cover her turmoil.
"Alright, I've chosen mine as well," Shinji said, picking up the Cello. "Let's go," he headed to the checkout; she followed, still annoyed by the whole situation. The fact that the elderly cashier gave them a knowing smile did not help things, if not making it worse.
XXXXXX
"Let's hear what the almighty Shinji-sama could do with his Cello, shall we?" Asuka, sitting on the couch, said with half-amusement and half-anticipation.
"Right."
The sound of music flowed through Misato's apartment as Shinji slid the bow across the strings of his Cello. Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, one of the most famous cello compositions ever made. He had to play it about fifteen beats slower than originally composed though, as his skills weren't exactly anything to boast about. He hadn't played in quite a while.
He had almost forgotten how much solace and peace it brought him to play, especially after all of the confusing feelings that had been plaguing his mind lately. The music carried him away as the melody flowed through him like a river of sound. It had been quite a while since he had found himself in such a state of ease. He could almost forget about all of the troubles he had been through, all of the hardships he had faced, all of it felt as though it didn't even exist. It was just him, his bow, and his Cello. As he made his final stroke across the strings, he could hear the sound of clapping coming from behind him.
"Very well, Shinji," Asuka praised, her eyes shining with surprise, "I'm impressed."
Shinji blushed at the sincere praise, "I'm glad you like it, Asuka, but I'm not really good at it."
"Don't sell yourself short, it's really good," Asuka insisted, "c'mon, it's a compliment from me! You know how rare these things happen." She smirked.
"I suppose you're right," Shinji chuckled.
"Of course I'm right," Asuka said, pulling out her violin, "Gah, I've been waiting for a while now. Let's get ready!"
Shinji was more than surprised to see that Asuka wanted to play with him. He couldn't help but smile wider. Pulling out another chair from the table, he invited Asuka to sit beside him, so they could see each other's moves clearly. Asuka sat down and readied her instrument, waiting for Shinji to give the signal.
They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and nodded simultaneously.
Once again music flooded the apartment, and time disappeared for both of them.
After hours of playing, the Children finally pulled to a stop, content smiles on both of their faces. "Y-you played well, Asuka." Shinji complimented, which caused Asuka to blush a little. After all, it was a compliment from someone who was much more proficient in music than her. "What do you expect, Baka-Shinji?" She boasted.
Shinji snickered, "I have a question, though," seeing he got Asuka's attention, he continued, "would you like to…play with me in the future?"
Asuka blinked…then started laughing.
Shinji was dumbfounded by her reaction, so he decided to use his old strategy, "s-sorry…"
"What are you apologizing for, Baka?" Asuka shot him a glare after calming down from the laughter.
"Erm, did I say something wrong?" Shinji asked nervously.
"Absolutely nothing was wrong," Asuka reassured him, wiping tears off her eyes, "gott…Shinji, you're just…impossible," she breathed out the air, "anyway, the answer is 'yes, I'd love to!' Satisfied?"
Shinji's worried expression turned into a grin in a blink of an eye, "right."
"Okay, we'll talk about what we want to play next, and practice together…"
Shinji kept smiling as Asuka drowned on about her plans of the duets with him. Their lives were certainly getting better and better.
XXXXXX
Next Monday, Wedding Ceremony
"Gods you're hopeless," Asuka complained as she once again adjusted Shinji's tilted tie, but not without a smile, "how are you supposed to even live without me wiping your ass?"
Shinji's face flushed in embarrassment, "Asuka… I'm not, very, erm, social, as you can see," he said, to which Asuka chuckled, "I mean, I've never had anyone close before, so I really suck at social etiquettes."
"Well, appreciate your good fortune, you have the gorgeous Asuka as your teacher," Asuka boasted, "now just a little tighter…great! Just perfect."
Shinji wore a standard black suit and trousers and a light-blue shirt, with a tie that had red and purple stripes on it. The whole outfit was moderate, but it fitted his appearance just well. His cobalt eyes complemented with the tie exceptionally. Asuka grinned as she took a whole look at her work – a dressed-up Shinji definitely looked much more mature.
'So who gives a fuck even if you're not perfect in every way?' Asuka thought as she beheld the sight in front of her eyes, 'I'll make you perfect.'
As for Asuka herself, she wore a pair of heels that perfectly matched the color of the dress, boosting her height to exactly match Shinji's, the fact that he dismissed having any possibility of sheer coincidence. Her dress reached to her ankles and…her dress…
It started with an embroidered strip that wrapped around her elegant neck, crossing just under her throat, thickening to a modest width halfway down each of her breasts to create a thin triangular-shaped gap in the precise center of her chest, as the embroidered pattern gave way to pure, smooth, silk that resonated in the sunset. The bottom of the dress covered her thigh and ankle, but not leaving little room for imagination.
Above the stunning, adult dress however – which was more than potent enough to blow his mind away - was her face.
Although Asuka only wore light makeup that day, it did nothing to hinder her beauty. Her fiery red hair fell down almost to her waist level like a waterfall, two red hair clips resting on her head. Lightly applied mascara framed her sapphire eyes, which danced with emotions Shinji could not name, her lips forming a tiny smile, but whether it was because she was happy to see him, pleased with his presentation, or just delighted that she had blown his mind somewhere into the ionosphere, he didn't have a clue.
In short, she was more ready for a date than a wedding ceremony.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's welcome our newlyweds –Himari Aira and Ichiro Futoshi!" With a round of applause, the happy bride and bridegroom walked to the stage on the red carpet. Misato and Kaji were in a far corner, not really interested in the event; they just came here out of courtesy.
Shinji and Asuka chatted about their future duet plans as the couple did their usual wedding traditions. "Now let's welcome our bridesmaid –Yui Ikari - to give her speech!"
Shinji and Asuka blinked. A series of emotions went through Shinji's face: confusion, surprise, fear – he reluctantly looked toward the stage, and instinctively blurted out, "Ayanami?" He narrowed his eyes, his heart pounding at 120 beats per minute. "No, it's…mother…" His knees started to go wobble.
Asuka observed his reactions and acted instantly –she caught him just in time and put him on a chair. Shinji was hyperventilating, eyes widen as his brain failed to process the information and emotions.
"Shinji, look at me," he slowly turned his head to the redhead, "she's not your mother – just like the Commander is not your father. They are Rei Ikari's parents." Seeing no obvious effect, she tried again, "c'mon, repeat after me: the woman on the stage, the bridesmaid, is not my mother."
Shinji nodded slowly and took a deep breath, "the woman on the stage, the bridesmaid, is not my mother." He started to calm down.
"Breathe, Shinji, breathe," he complied. "Good," Asuka said, looking around the room, "are you feeling okay? Do you want to go home early?"
Shinji nodded, "ye-yeah," he answered weakly, tears threatening to come out of the corner of his eyes, "l-let's go home." He gradually stood up with Asuka's help, walking together with the redhead to where Misato and Kaji were.
"This Baka needs to go home, I think he had a panic attack," Asuka executed her technically true statement, "I'll go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!"
She took off and headed to the restroom hurriedly, not wanting to have Shinji wait any longer. Five minutes later she rushed out of the bathroom, jogging back to Shinji's side.
Then the universe decided to play a trick on her.
"Hello, young lady?" A familiar, yet terrifying voice that had been taunting her in her nightmares came to her, freezing Asuka on the spot like a deer caught in the headlights. "Do you know where the bathroom is? I couldn't find it, and I saw water on your hands…"
Asuka raised her head, her eyes widened in fear; it looked like she's just seen a ghost.
Asuka dear, die with me…
"Are you okay, young lady? You look…pale," Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu asked with a concerned look, a look Asuka had missed so much-
Who are you?
"Momma?" Asuka shivered violently hearing the voice. Another girl at her age emerged, she also had blue eyes, but her hair was short and reddish-brown. "You still haven't found out where the bathroom is?"
Kyoko turned her attention to Mana Langley Soryu, a smile appearing on her face –the same smile she used when talking to the doll-
Asuka…my dear…
Asuka watched Mana and Kyoko talked to each other, both of them smiling lovingly.
The hospital. The doll. The smile.
She was unable to move, unable to think.
Mana said something to which Kyoko laughed slightly before they both walked away, leaving a transfixed Asuka at the spot.
"Asuka? Where are- Oh, here you are," Shinji's concerned voice sounded. He quickly ran to her and looked at her with a worried expression, "what happened? Are you okay?" He grabbed her hand, hoping this small gesture of support could help her in some way.
Asuka snapped out of the state, her brain started reacting again after a complete meltdown. She returned the handholding with a death grip, "l-let's go home, Shinji." She said in a whisper.
XXXXXX
On the way home, neither Children spoke to each other, much less their guardians. Both of them mused about what happened that day. Asuka was shivering slightly the entire way, much to Shinji's concern.
As soon as they got home Asuka immediately ran into her room and shut off the door. The booming sound of a bedroom door slamming shut echoed throughout the apartment. Shinji sighed and lowered his head.
Letting out a sigh, Shinji rose from his feet and trudged towards the hallway, making his way to Asuka's room.
"Asuka, are you alright?" He knocked on the door, asking.
"Go away!" Asuka snarled through the door.
"Asuka," Shinji sighed. "please open the door?"
"I said get lost!"
"Please, Asuka?"
"What are you, stupid? I said fuck off!"
Shinji let his head fall limp and his forehead thudded against the door where it remained while he looked down at his feet. He really didn't want to leave her like this. Between this and the mini-episode she had back in the wedding ceremony, he knew that Asuka was probably on the brink of possibly relapsing into her former state of hating everything.
After standing there in silence for what felt like close to a minute, Shinji could hear the German girl's voice come through the door once again. "You're not leaving, are you?"
"No." He answered with little enthusiasm in his tone. Through the door, he could hear her snicker. "Of course you aren't." Asuka took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Shinji, if it'll make you feel any better, we can talk about this tomorrow, okay? I just… I just really don't want to talk to anyone right now."
The brown-haired teen felt that he had no choice but to accept her offer. She wasn't going to open the door for anything, and pushing the subject at this point would probably just make her not want to talk about it at all. Reluctantly, Shinji was forced to agree. "Alright." He spoke. "We can talk about it tomorrow, then."
"Thank you, Shinji." Asuka's voice came back as little more than a whisper. "I really appreciate it." Cracking a faint grin, Shinji turned around and leaned his back against the door, sliding down it until he was sitting on the floor. Even though he knew that there was no way he could get through to her tonight, he still had to get the point across that he was going to keep the promise he made to her. "But I'm not leaving." He turned his head towards the door to ensure that his voice would make it into her room. At first there was no reply, but after a few seconds of silence between the two, Asuka finally responded.
"I know."
XXXXXX
AN: Next chapter – serious talks with their 'mothers', and they could finally move on! Stay tuned!
PS: The heights of Children –it's in mid-2016, so of course Shinji would be a bit higher than Asuka. Leave a review!