Dreams of Children Part 1 – My Shinji-kun
Written by Rei-chan (Ayanami00)
All characters in this Neon Genesis Evangelion fan fiction belong to the creators at Gainax.
I hope you have read "Dreams of Children – The Beginning." It sets the tone for this part and the rest of the fan fiction.
Enjoy this one and please write a review for it. My idea for this fanfic came after I have written "The Soul: Ikari Shinji." ^_^
Dreams of Children – My Shinji-kun
Playing at the nearby playground is Ikari Shinji. Kneeling before a pile of soft sand in the sandbox the little boy wonders why no one has come to play with him. The children are either away playing hopscotch or in a game of kickball. It is getting dark outside now. The sun starts to set.
Scooping up some water from a pail, he pours it onto a mound of sand to make it hard and moldable. Carefully, using a little red toy shovel, he molds the sand into a heart. With the extra sand, he makes a picture of two friends holding hands.
He looks up and around to see where everyone is. From a distance, he can see his mother, Yui Ikari, his mother's friend, Kyoko Soryu, and her little daughter, Asuka. His mother sees him looking at her with his big brown eyes. She smiles and waves to him. Any child would run over to his or her mother, but not Shinji. He remains in the sandbox, bending over his pictures of a heart and friends. Now his mother and friends are standing just outside of the sandbox. Shinji stands up and looks at his mother.
Yui: Why are you over here all alone? Why are you not playing with the other children my little Shinji?
Shinji does not reply but looks down at his sand-filled shoes.
Kyoko: Did you get into a fight with someone Shin-chan? I thought you have many friends to play with.
Asuka: Well he does not need anymore friends but me. I am his best friend, mama! Right Shinji-kun?
Shinji: I want friends…
Using his finger, he separates the hands of the two friends in his sand picture.
Asuka: What about me? Well who needs you anyway.
Shinji, standing there staring at his shoes, have little tears forming in his eyes. He is hurt, deeply hurt. No, Asuka is not the only friend he needs. Is she a friend at all? All she ever does is tease him.
Hurting so badly, Shinji runs off into a grove of trees. Yui, Kyoko, and Asuka stand there in shock. What has gotten into Shin-chan? Shinji-kun, that little boy who shows no emotion most of the time, and obeys every command anyone throws at him.
Yui: Oh my….
She turns to Kyoko, looking for support. Kyoko stares down at where Shinji once stood. She turns her head to Asuka, who has her hands crossed across her chest, and sends her off to play on the swings. Then she turns to Yui.
Kyoko: Go…
This is the word Yui needs to hear before she takes off after her beloved child. Worried that Shinji may get lost; she picks up her pace. Where is she going? She does not even know. After a minute of running around, she finds her little boy staring into a secluded lake surrounded by trees.
Yui: My Shinji-kun, what is bothering you? Tell mama.
Shinji: Asuka bothers me. She is not the only friend I need. All she does is tease me. I do not like her, mama. I want friends…I want to play with them.
Yui: You are not alone. I am your friend Shinji. Your daddy is your friend. Mrs. Soryu is your friend.
Shinji: Daddy is not my friend. Daddy does not want to play with me. I am here all by myself.
Yui: You are not here all by yourself. I am sorry that no one wants to play. I will take you somewhere new…somewhere where everyone will be your friend. Do you like that idea?
Shinji nods. He looks up at where his mother used to stand. She is now further away from him. She seems to move closer to the lake. Her appearance – no, not just her appearance, but her whole being is disappearing with the evening sun.
Little Shinji runs toward his mother with open arms and tears in his eyes. She smiles and mouths, "I will take you to that special place where everyone will play with you. You just wait and see."
Kyoko, at the time where Yui went to find Shinji, goes and talks to her little girl, this little girl, with such an energetic and fiery personality.
Kyoko: Asuka-chan, do you want Shinji-kun to have only one friend? Only you?
Asuka: He needs more?
Kyoko: Sweetheart, children need more than one friend. What if you want to play kickball and Shinji is not there. Can you play kickball all alone?
Asuka: No…
Asuka and Kyoko turn toward the noise through a grove of trees. Shinji appears into the opening without his mother. His face shows no emotion at all.
Kyoko: Where is your mother Shin-chan?
Shinji: My mother is gone. She is off to find somewhere where everyone will be my friend.
Darkness finally falls upon everything. Kyoko and Asuka disappear into this dark abyss. Shinji stands there…all alone again. Suddenly, he sees himself lying down in a bed in a dark room. Silence fills the air.
Shinji: It is only a dream. My mom never disappeared like that…I was a little boy back then in my dream. I am now 14 years old. There is a big difference.
The Third Child sighs, closes his eyes, and drifts into a light sleep.
Next is "Dreams of Children Part 2 – My Asuka-chan."