After Dark
Misato Katsuragi's Apartment
Friday
8:30 PM
Asuka sighed as she flipped through the near endless television stations on the living room TV. Getting annoyed at the lack of anything that got her attention, she pressed the power button on the remote, turning it off.
Sitting nearby, Shinji sat on a cushion reading some random book he found. Wasn't particularly anything exciting, just something to pass the time. He had his earbuds in, listening to the same few songs over and over.
Trying to find something to do, Asuka looked around the room. She kept looking around until her focus stopped on the patio window. Staring out the window, she gazed upon the cityscape that was Tokyo-III.
"Idea…"
She got up and stepped over to Shinji, pulling out an earbud.
"Hey Shinji, you bored too?"
Slightly annoyed, but indeed also bored, he answered.
"Yeah, why?"
Asuka smirked.
"Well how about we go and explore the city? We can even bring wondergirl with us."
She sounded confident in her idea.
"It's almost 8 pm, I don't think Miss Misato would let us go out that late…"
Asuka cursed herself for not thinking about that. They could go out tomorrow, but she was impatient, and extremely bored.
"Well… How about she doesn't have to know? "
A mischievous smile formed on her face, much to Shinji's dismay.
"She is already drunk and passed out~"
He sighed.
"There is no way I'm going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?"
"Nope!"
Groaning, he got up and pulled out his phone.
"I'll call Ayanami. . ."
"Good."
Opening up his contacts app on his phone, he scrolled down until he found Rei's phone number. Tapping it and pressing the call button, also turning on speaker mode.
It rang for a moment or two before the line connected.
"Yes?"
Gulping, Shinji asked her the odd request.
"Ayanami, do you want to come with us in a bit? We are going to go explore the city at night."
. . .
A pause.
. . .
"Why?"
"Asuka wanted something to do, and she said you could come with us. Something we could all do as friends."
. . .
Another pause.
. . .
"Where do we meet up?"
Success.
Asuka jumped in on the conversation.
"We'll meet up in the middle at the Train Station, in 10 minutes."
. . .
Another Pause.
. . .
"I will meet you there."
"Great-"
She hung up before Shinji could finish his sentence.
. . .
"Let's get ready I suppose."
8:42 PM
Nearby Train Station.
Asuka and Shinji stood near the entry gates, waiting for Rei to show up. The trains are beginning to shut down for the night, so there was barely anyone there.
Shinji wore some shorts and a t-shirt, while Asuka wore a simple dress, both preparing their clothes for a slightly warm night.
"I'm here."
"Gah!"
Shinji and Asuka yelped as he turned and faced Rei, who had suddenly appeared behind them. She was just wearing her school uniform.
"Jesus, Don't scare us like that!"
Rei just stood there with a blank expression.
"I have been told I tend to do that."
Asuka sighed, just before pulling out her phone and tapping a few things.
"Go on your phone and turn it off. I don't want Section 2 ruining our fun."
Shinji raised an eyebrow, but kept his mouth shut. It was already too late to turn back.
He and Rei both complied with her request, each one going on their phone and turning it off.
"I thought that Wonder Girl was going to say something about Commander Ikari telling her not to or something."
Commented Asuka, who just looked surprised.
"If he needs me, he will find me."
Asuka groaned, rolling her eyes.
"Fair enough…"
. . .
"So now what?"
Shinji asked. He was nervous about this whole idea. He really didn't want to face Misato's wraith again.
"Now, we head downtown and see the lights!"
Downtown Tokyo-III
8:24 PM
The trio walked down the oddly busy street, all lit up with neon and LED lights. A few people gave them a look, but none ever approached them or said anything.
"It's really odd to be up late when it isn't for a battle."
Shinji commented, fascinated by the scene around him. He looked at the people walking by, most of them in casual clothing, and most of them seeming relaxed.
"It seems so lively…"
Rei's eyes sparkled in the night, reflecting and absorbing all the signs.
"It's pretty… So where do you guys want to go see?"
"Hmm… What about the mall?"
Shinji offered, but Asuka quickly shook her head.
"It's closed. Try something else."
. . .
Rei, for once, looked like she was deep in thought.
"What about the flower park? They have night events."
Asuka grinned madly, obviously still impressed with Rei's slight improvements.
"Now that's an Idea! Good job Wonder girl."
"Please don't call me that."
"I'll stop with the name if you keep coming up with good ideas."
Sigh.
"To the Park!"
Misato Katsuragi's Apartment
8:58 PM
Misato woke herself up with a snort, groggily looking around and propping herself up. She had worked really hard that day and passed out early in the evening.
"I gotta piss."
She lazily got up and stretched, her joints popping.. She was getting old, too soon.
Still barely awake, she walked over to her door and slid it open. Looking around and seeing no one else around.
"Maybe they are in their rooms…"
Sighing, she scratched her stomach, walked over to the bathroom, and entered it.
A few moments later.
After she finished, she walked out of the bathroom and headed over to Shinji's room, unsure if he would even be awake or in there.
Knock Knock Knock.
"Shinji, are you still up?"
She said as she slid open the door.
It was slightly hard to see, but she could plainly see that Shinji wasn't here.
"Shinji?..."
"Maybe he is in Asuka's room?... Or maybe Asuka will know…"
She padded over to the other hall and knocked on Asuka's door, just before opening it.
"Asuka?"
. . .
No one was inside.
. . .
"Where are they?..."
She walked back to her room and took out her phone, dialing Asuka's number. Hoping she would answer quickly.
Ring…
. . .
Ring…
. . .
Ring…
. . .
Ring…
. . .
She couldn't hear Asuka's phone ring in her room.
"Hey, It's Asuka, I'm currently not able to answer right now, but please leave a message when you can, and I'll maybe call back!"
BEEP
"Asuka? Where are you? Are you with Shinji? Please call me back immediately."
She then hung up, and began dialing Shinji's number.
Ring…
.
Ring…
.
Ring…
She couldn't hear his phone either.
"Uh is this thing on? Uh.. I'm not here right now, so please leave me a message with your number and name. Oh! This is Shinji by the way!"
BEEP
"Shinji, Where are you? Please call back! I can't find Asuka or you here!"
Ending the call, she began to breathe heavily. A panic attack beginning to come on.
. . .
"Just calm down… Maybe they are at a friend's house… Hopefully…"
Soon she began dialing their friend's houses one by one in a hurried frenzy.
. . .
"Shin-man ain't here Ma'am, What's wrong, has he gone missing again?... Soryu too?! No I haven't seen either! I'll call if I hear anything!"
. . .
"Nope, Sorry. Shinji isn't here, Have you checked with To- Oh. Asuka too huh?... Sorry… None of them have called or said anything about this… I'll keep an eye out and let you know if I see or hear them."
. . .
"Sorry Miss Katsuragi, Neither of them are here… I can ask some other classmates they have. I'll let you know about anything."
. . .
"Dammit you two… Where are you?.."
Downtown Tokyo-III
Flower gardens
9:20 PM
The gardens were lit up with a multitude of different colored lights, each one complimenting the flowers it shone on.
The sweet smell of the blooming flowers tickled each of their noses, releasing the tension in the air from all of them.
They walked down a cobblestone path, surrounded on both sides with shrubbery. Soft music filled the air, making the beautiful scene much more pleasant.
Rei took it all in, her mouth slightly agape, trying to process the view before her. Her eyes took in the sight.
Shinji seemed to notice and tried calling out her name to try and speak to her. She simply ignored him until he started waving his hand in her face.
"Come on Rei, Asuka's already ahead of us!"
Shinji exclaimed, pointing at the redhead who was already far away.
"Oh, Alright then."
Shinji grabbed her hand and dragged her with him, both now trying to catch up with Asuka.
"Let's go! We don't want to be left behind!"
10 minutes later
They strode through the gardens, walking past other people who also decided to take a walk through here. They soon made their way into a central part of the gardens, a small gazebo and some benches.
Asuka sat down on one and took a deep breath. Her face illuminated red with one of the lights.
Shinji stood by the gazebo, just admiring it. His body lit up with a purple light.
Rei crouched near one of the exotic plants, taking in every detail of it. Her back was covered in a blue light.
"So where to next?"
Asuka asked the two, who turned to hear better.
"Hmmm… Wasn't there supposed to be an event soon?"
Shinji asked, remembering what Rei said earlier about this place. Rei got up and walked over to a poster board. She examined it for a moment before turning back.
"It was canceled due to lack of attendance."
Shinji and Asuka let out a sigh of disappointment. Shinji really wanted to see what they had in store for them, and Asuka wanted something to do.
"Well that sucks…"
"Yeah…"
. . .
"Now what? Gotta be something better to do, right? We can't just finish this night so early!"
Shinji and Rei began to think of ideas. Asuka tried as well, but despite being here a few months, she had no idea what to do.
"What about the Museum? It's open almost all the time!"
Shinji offered. Asuka snorted at the idea, but conceded.
"We have no other ideas, so let's just go there. You take the lead, I don't know where it is."
"Alright! Just follow me!"
Misato Katsuragi's Apartment
10:10 PM
"Yes, I know it's only Ten, but I can't seem to reach them anywhere! They won't answer their phones, and none of their friends have seen them!"
. . .
"Of course their phones are gone! I checked! They must've taken it with them!"
. . .
"What do you mean he made a call to Rei?"
. . .
"Do you think she is missing too?"
. . .
"Call her real quick on another line."
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
"So she also didn't answer… That worries me even more… Rits, get together a few people and Section Two, I'm calling on a search party."
. . .
"YES I'M SERIOUS! NOW GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP AND OVER HERE!"
Misato hung up the phone with frustration, slamming it back into the phone dock.
Why did they leave?
She thought to herself all the reasons why they would just up and leave without telling anyone.
Did they go out for a long walk?
Did they get kidnapped?
Did…
Did she do something wrong?
Did they leave because of her?
. . .
"Why?... Where did you guys go?..."
Downtown Tokyo-III
The Tokyo-III Museum of Arts
10:24 PM
"The museum looks like it also retracts into the ground…"
Shinji said, pointing out the red and black stripes surrounding the perimeter of the building, usually indicating moving parts.
"It does. It's to protect the museum from any threats from battles."
Rei stated.
"Oh.. That's actually neat, thanks for telling me that!"
Shinji exclaimed, causing a slight tinge of pink to form on Rei's face.
"Alright Shinji, is there any fee to get in?"
Asuka asked him. Shinji gave it some thought before nodding. He pointed to a sign behind them which had all the prices.
"Anyone under 12 is ¥700 per person, and anyone under 20 is ¥1400 per person. And… I didn't bring my card…"
Shinji began to regret coming here, he had wasted their time by walking here.
"Sorry-"
As Shinji was about to continue his sentence when Asuka shoved a wallet in his face.
"I got some!"
Shinji examined the wallet presented before him before making a startling realization.
"THAT'S MISATO'S!"
Asuka sighed and pulled out a few yen bills from one of the slots.
"She won't notice, she has the memory of a goldfish when it comes to her money. 'Why don't I have enough money?!?' MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE YOU BINGED RANDOM STUFF!"
Asuka seemed to get personal at the last part, which was understandable. They had to pay for the groceries with their own money at times, and it was indeed annoying.
"Fine, But it's still a bad idea…"
Shinji muttered to which Asuka just smugly grinned.
"I'm glad you could see things my way!"
The trio walked into the main lobby of the modern looking museum. Signs pointing to the main admittance booth guided them along.
They all stopped at an open booth and waited for the man to acknowledge them.
"Seems a bit late for you three, shouldn't you be at home?"
The man tiredly said, he seems like he's had a long day. Asuka simply handed the man the card. He sighed and took it. A few taps on a cash register later, he handed them a receipt and the card back.
"Enjoy you three…"
"Thanks!"
Immediately after taking it, the three went in and gave it to the attendant who let them in.
"Let's go see some of the art!"
Misato Katsuragi's Apartment
10:43 PM
Section Two agents combed the apartment for clues and signs of a break-in. Camera flashes, taking shots of potential items of interest.
Some of the bridge crew and command staff huddled around the kitchen table, most of them had hurriedly thrown on clothes, while Maya was still wearing her onesie pajamas. All of them were tired as they had gone home early today and wanted to get some rest. Kaji simply stood nearby, although he looked like he was sleeping standing up.
"They never told me anything about them going anywhere today. They must've snuck out while I was asleep."
"Anything else you can remember? Anything that would make them mar, or upset at you? Or even anything they might want to go see?"
Misato gave it some thought, trying to remember the past week's events. Her memory wasn't as good as it used to be, with the evenings usually being a blur…
"I'm not so sure… Rits, Do you think I did anything wrong?"
Ritsuko scoffed sarcastically.
"Well… You do binge spend a lot, leaving the kids to pay for the groceries with their own money… And I think they asked to go see a concert before… Which I think is today."
Misato smacked her palm with her fist. She knew they would be there! They are so predictable!
"We'll look for them there!"
Misato said, but was shot down by Shigeru. He was still dressed in his normal clothes.
"It ended an hour ago. I was there. I played in the opening band. It was a quick gig. But I didn't see them there in the crowd. Blue and Red hair is surprisingly easy to spot in the crowd."
Misato's face faltered. They were back to square one.
"Major, they might possibly just be doing teenage things. Skipping curfew and sneaking out to do things that they wanted to…"
Fuyutsuki said, Tired but patient. He had dealt with delinquent behavior before with a certain student. He looked back at the unkempt commander behind him.
"Even so, finding and securing the pilots are our priority right now. They may be in danger in certain parts of the city at this time of night. We cannot afford to lose any of them."
Gendo replied, annoyance clearly visible in his voice and face.
A Section Two agent stepped up to the group with a tablet.
"We have gotten reports of what seems to be the pilots at the Art Museum downtown. What tipped us off was the fact they used your credit card."
Misato looked flabbergasted, wondering how she still had money, but it soon turned into anger.
She quickly rushed to her room. Items could be heard thrown about in there, as she searched for something. A few moments later she stomped out, fury in her eyes.
"That little shit Asuka took it! I'm going to throttle her-"
Ahem
"Katsuragi, we will pay you reparations later, for now focus on getting them back."
"Oh yeah… Let's head out, we can take my car."
Ritsuko was about to object, but was cut off by Kaji falling over.
Downtown Tokyo-III
Tokyo-III Museum of Arts
Modern Art Wing
10:58 PM
"It's just a banana taped to a wall! This isn't art! The MAGI could make something better than this!"
Asuka exclaimed, clearly pissed off about the lack of effort for this.
"I mean..The MAGI can make it within a few seconds, so it doesn't put a lot of effort into it either…"
Shinji countered, which just made Asuka give him a look.
Staring at it for a moment, she reached out and grabbed it. She peeled it and took a bite from it. Shinji gave a look of pure horror as Asuka munched on the former piece of Art.
She grimaced and looked at the banana.
"Hmm… Think it went bad. Lot of brown parts… Not like I care, people who don't eat the brown parts are cowards."
"Asuka! You just ate the art piece!"
Shinji yelled, drawing the attention of the other museum-goers.
"I did this place a favor!"
She was about to continue but heard the thumping of footsteps heading towards them. The trio turned to face the source of the loud noise.
A group of tired looking Section Two agents rushed in, pointing at them.
"Hold it right there! Pilots, you are in violation of… Of… Breaking Curfew?..."
They all chattered to themselves for a moment, before nodding.
"Yes, You are in violation of your Curfew, You have not informed Major Katsuragi of your leave. We are authorized to use force to bring you back to her."
. . .
"SCRAM!"
Asuka, Shinji and Rei (who was dragged by Asuka) ran away from the group of agents. The agents sighed and gave chase to them, yelling for them to stop.
They ran through the modern art wing, with the trio snaking through the odd layout and avoiding the podiums full of art. The Agents however had trouble coordinating through, knocking over the pieces as they rushed through.
"Ha! Take that ya g-men!"
Asuka yelled back at the stumbling men in black. They soon made their way out of the wing and into the lobby, where they quickly sprinted out.
They ran and ran, all the way down the street, past confused civilians, who assumed they were just running away from the police.
Still downtown.
A few minutes later…
11:02 PM
"I can't believe we managed to do that… Ms Misato is going to kill us…"
Shinji said, in between huffs. He was exhausted. Asuka simply laughed. She was also tired but still sported a excited smile.
"Fuck that, It was fun! I've never gotten to do that before!"
"I will admit that was a rush. Seeing… Asuka eat the piece was surprising, but… Funny."
Rei wasn't tired, but what she said shocked the two.
But it was a pleasant shock.
"That's the spirit Rei! See Shinji, even she had fun!"
Asuka smiled wide, patting Rei on the back.
"Alright… it was fun…"
Admitted Shinji, who chuckled a bit.
"Let's head out, I want to see the city from above!"
Asuka exclaimed, dragging the two with her at full speed.
"Oh boy…"
Museum
11:17 PM
Misato's car screeched to a halt in front of the museum, barely stopping before the disappointed looking Section Two agents.
She opened the door and stepped out, a look of anger on her face. The passengers in the back looked sick, clearly from Misato's reckless driving. Ritsuko looked like she was going to throw up, Fuyutsuki fainted, Gendo was clutching his chest, and Kaji was still Asleep.
She walked over to the group and scowled.
"You failed, didn't you?"
Her voice was filled with venom. She said this more as a statement, more than a question.
They didn't even speak, knowing that they'll only be yelled at more for their failure.
"I should crucify every last one of you for this fuck up."
She was about to give them a tongue lashing, but Ritsuko spoke up.
"Misato, some cameras caught them heading towards city limits to the south."
She spun around and ran back to the car, sparing the agents already broken egos from more destruction.
"Let's go get them…"
And with that she sped off, subjecting her passengers to more torture.
Tokyo-III Outskirts
11:27 PM
The trio of pilots made their way up a hill. A hill that overlooked the majority of the city.
They walked.
And walked.
And walked some more.
They walked until they reached the top.
"We're here…"
Said Asuka, even more exhausted from the continuous running. Rei looked tired as well, with Shinji looking like he was about to keel over and die.
"I… Feel like i'm going to pass out… Gah…"
Shinji and Rei followed Asuka to a spot in the grass.
Asuka laid down in the grass, patting the spots next to her on both sides. Shinji tiredly complied and sat down, falling backwards as he had not strength to do it slowly. Rei followed suit, albeit more gracefully.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
"It's beautiful."
. . .
. . .
"It really is…"
. . .
. . .
"It's… A wonder to behold…"
. . .
They all just stared at the stars above. It was slightly blocked out by the city lights, but it was still there.
It was always there.
Those stars above to guide them.
They could see the constellations, they could see the twinkling, they could see it all.
They could see the prettiest star.
They took it all in.
"This was fun. To bad it'll be over soon…"
Shinji said l, a bit of sorrow in his voice. Asuka simply shrugged that last part off.
" 'least we did it. We probably won't get this chance again."
"I had fun with you two. This is what friends do, right?"
. . .
"Yeah, this is what friends do Rei…"
. . .
. . .
. . .
The sound of a car's engine could be heard heading towards them at a high speed.
They knew who it was.
The blue Renault stopped a few feet away, with its door nearly being thrown off its hinges. Misato rushed out and stopped just short of the three.
She was not happy.
They all smelled of fear, Rei also felt fearful of this.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKING WORRIED I WAS?!"
None of them said anything, they were too afraid.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED TO YOU?! YOU THREE COULD'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED OR KILLED!"
. . .
"WELL!? DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY FOR YOURSELVES?!"
. . .
"It was fun?..."
. . .
"YOU ARE ALL GROUNDED! EVEN YOU REI! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DID TO CONVINCE YOU, BUT NONE OF YOU ARE LEAVING THE HOUSE UNLESS FOR SCHOOL OR FOR TRAINING!"
Misato was absolutely furious, but that fury slowly turned into relief. Her eyes began to form tears.
. . .
"Do you know how worried I was?... When I couldn't find you guys at home?..."
. . .
They felt a bit of guilt, making Misato worry like this.
The back doors of the car opened, letting out the slightly disoriented passengers. Kaji was awake this time albeit barely.
They all walked over to the group with a look of tired disappointment.
Kaji stepped over to Asuka, who propped herself up to face him better. She steeled herself to prepare for his next words.
"Asuka… I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. Get in the car…"
Asuka sighed and did as he commanded. There was no use Arguing with him.
Ritsuko stood in front of Rei.
"I honestly would've thought you wouldn't listen to Asuka… While I'm surprised, I'm still disappointed in you for going along with such a crazy idea… Just get in the car."
Rei got up, and headed into the car.
Gendo stood a foot away from Shinji, his tired eyes boring into Shinji's.
"I'm disappointed in you. This is reckless and dangerous for a person of your importance. Do you realize what could have happened to you?..."
. . .
"Y-Yes…"
. . .
"Good. Head to the car."
Shinji sadly got up and began walking to the car, when Gendo placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Next time… Use something that reassembles a body. Make sure it's all covered up, to look inconspicuous…"
He whispered, before letting go of the boy. Shinji, shocked, still headed to the car.
He got in the car, alongside Asuka and Rei.
Each of them had a face of shame…
. . .
. . .
"Let's do it again next week."
"Deal."
"I am alright with that."
Fin.
I began writing this after listening to the song "After Dark" By Mr Kitty. I then thought, why don't they do something that almost every teen does and sneaks out of the house at night?
And boom, I got this!
This is my longest one shot so far, and probably the longest single chapter thing I've done!
Thanks for reading it!
And thank you to SheriffJohnStone for beta Reading this!
I'll see you all later!
-DerpymanMT
Deus
