It was a beautiful day

It was a beautiful day. It was not to hot, there was a crystal clear blue sky with a few puffy white clouds slowly making there way across it. It was the kind of day Shinji Ikari loved but now would loath for the rest of his existence.

The sun shown brightly on the small gathering of family and friend around the grave of his beloved Hikari, but Shinji was not with them. He watched the funeral from afar. "How can I show my face around them after my failure." He thought to him self as he scanned the crowd. His eyes fell on the young face of Nobuko Hikari's younger sister. She was holding to her older sister arm. Moemi, Hikari's older sister just looked strait ahead with an emotion less gaze.

Shinji remembered the first time he met the two. Hikari had invited him over for dinner. It was pleasant evening. Nobuko took Shinji quickly asking him dozens question of no real importance. Later that evening Nobuko had persuaded Shinji in to playing a board game while Hikari and Moemi cleaned up.

"Well what do you think of him?" Hikari asked with a smile

"Hmmmm…He is to quiet I don't trust him. Its always the quiet ones you know." Moemi answered.

"Moemi!" Hikari said with a frown, "Shinji is nothing like that he would never do anything to hurt me."

"If you say so but I am going to keep my on him." She said in a skeptical tone.

Just then Shinji walked in to the kitchen and asked, "Were done out her what would you guys like to do?"

Before he got an answer Moemi motioned for Shinji to come near her. When he got with in a foot of her, Moemi looked at him with narrowed eyes and stuck her finger in to his chest and said, "Now listen I am only going to say this once, if you ever do any thing to hurt my sister they will never find you body. Got it?"

Shinji was stunned and he could was nod. "Good." Moemi said as he put arm around Shinji's shoulder and led him out of the kitchen in to the living room.

After that night Shinji spent a lot of his time at Hikari's Even though most of the time he was there he ended up being persuaded by Nobuko to play a game of some sort, but he never minded he actually enjoyed it. Some times he would end up spending more time playing with Nobuko then with Hikari when he was at there residence. After a while he grew a little protective of the girl

Shinji was brought back to the present as he took another look at Nobuko's face. It once and a look hope in it, now it was just sorrow and heart ach. He looked away she began to cry.

As the funeral ended Shinji pulled a small orange container out of his pocket and took one of the painkillers in side. Shinji picked up the small white rose he had brought and made his way to the grave. He knelt down by the head stone and dropped the rose to the coffin. He whispered, "I Love you." Before he kissed the head stone and backed up so the workmen could fill in the grave.

He stood there for hours after the grave was filled in. Just as he was about to leave he heard footsteps approaching him. Shinji turned around to see Moemi and Nobuko, before he could speak Nobuko ran to him and put her arms around his waist in a clumsy embrace, she was soon followed by Moemi. The three stayed in that embrace for a moment or two comforting each other if only a little. Moemi stepped back for Shinji while Nobuko stayed by his side holding his hand.

"I think Hikari would want you to have this Shinji." Moemi said in as she pulled some thing from her pocket.

Shinji looked down at the small gold locket that Moemi had handed to him and with a sad smile said, "Thank you…Well its getting late I will walk you home."

===

Shinji looked on nervously as Hikari opened the poorly wrapped birthday present. When she saw the small gold locket she quickly gave Shinji a warm embrace.

"So you like it?" He asked sheepishly

"I love it sill…" Her body began to spasm in his arms as a hundreds of gashes appeared all over her body and blood spilled to the floor.

Shinji shoot up in his bed his shirt plastered to his body from sweat. Shinji stood up and as he exited his room he kicked the small waist basket in frustration because he knew he would not be getting any sleep tonight.

"You ok Shinji?" Misato asked looking down the hall

"I am ok." He said as he made his way to the kitchen and sat down at the table across from Misato.

"Another nightmare?" She asked with a worried expression.

"Yep" He answered with sigh. "What time is it?"

"Eleven-o-clock." She answered before taking a sip of beer.

Shinji let out a small whimper before his head hit the table, "Just shoot me now Misato, just shoot me now."

"Shinji go try and get some sleep we have to leave early tomorrow to pick up the second child."

"What why do I have to go?" He said in whiney tone of voice.

"Because you have not left the apartment since the funeral and…" She quickly shut her mouth after she mentioned the funeral and she knew that was the last thing she would say to him tonight.

Shinji said nothing he just got up from the table and walked out to the balcony were he would stay for the rest of the night.

===

"How is he?" Ritsuko asked over the phone to her long time friend.

"He has hardly slept since the funeral he keeps having nightmares." Misato said with a concerned tone.

"Maybe you should try some sleeping pills." Ritsuko said

"I don't know he is still young, but he can't keep this up I will think about it." Misato said with a concerned tone.

"What about the second child? Do you want us to get her a room in the geo-front?" The Dr asked.

Misato thought about it for second before she answered, "No. It might be good for him to have some one else to talk to. Maybe she can get him off the damned balcony."

"What's he doing out there?" Ritsuko asked

"He just sits out there and stares at Hikari's apartment building day and night. He only comes in side to eat and use the bathroom." Misato took a quick glance at the wall clock and she suddenly realized that they were going to be late for their rendezvous. "Damn I have to go Ritsuko, bye." She hung up before the Dr could answer.

===

Shinji unconsciously clutched the small locket that hung from a gold chain around his neck as he fallowed Misato on the massive deck of the aircraft carrier. After a few moments Shinji noticed a red head in yellow sundress standing in the path.

"Shinji this is the second child Asuka Langley Sohryu." Misato said motioning to the red head in front of them. "Asuka this is Shinji Ikari the third child."

"Not much to look at is he." Asuka said moving with in inches of Shinji's face.

Shinji said nothing in response he just glared at the redhead for a second before he turned and walked off.

Asuka looked up Misato with an annoyed expression, "What's his problem?"

"He has not had the best month Asuka, just go easy on him ok. Come on lets go talk to the captin." Misato then turned and headed to the bridge. Asuka gave one last look at the fading form of the younger Ikari before she fallowed Misato.

Shinji stood looking at the small picture of him and Hikari that was in the locket. He then herd foot steps approaching, he turned his head to see the Asuka standing by him, "Come third child I want you to see some thing." She said with smug expression.

"No that's ok you go ahead." Shinji replied as he scowled at the young woman.

Before she could respond there was a massive explosion as one the ships split in two and sank. As the two pilots looked at the fleet the saw a massive whit shape break the surface and crash into another ship causing it to spilt in two and sink.

" An Angel we have to tell Misato." Shinji yelled

"You go tell her I will go get help." She exclaimed with a fiendish grin.

A few second later Shinji was in the bridge, "What are we going to do?" Shinji asked. Before the woman could answer a rumbling was herd form under the tarp on deck a second later the tarp was in the air and there stood the massive red titan known as Evangelion unit-02. As soon as the EVA appeared the massive angel launched out of the sea and strait at it. Asuka barely had enough time puller progressive knife before the angel touched down one the deck. The EVA struggled with the beast for what seamed like an eternity before the angel mad a mistake. It open its jaws trying to take a bit out of unit-02 and Asuka noticed it core and drove the knife deep inside shattering it, the beast lay limp on the deck before unit-02 pushed it over bored.

===

Back at port Shinji sat in the back of a jeep waiting for Misato to drive home.

"Well what did you think? Pretty impressive huh." Asuka said leaning in to the jeep. She looked the young Ikari up and down before her eyes fell upon the small gold locket around his neck. "Hey isn't that a girls locket?" She asked as she reached for the pendant.

Shinji slapped her hand away as he growled, "Don't you ever touch that."

Misato intervened before there was a fight. "Hey you two cut it out. I don't want you fighting all the way home." With that she started up the jeep and headed for Tokyo-3.

===

Disclaimer—I do not own any rights the Evangelion

Comments are always welcome, dragon_of_earth_fuma@yaho.com

Much thanks to my pre-readers, asukalangleyu02 and NanuNanu14