Music Box

Prologue: Unexpected Gift

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion nor do I claim to. It belongs to the omnipotent Gainax. Not me.

I started this fic again and I'm planning on continuing it… If my empty schedule will permit it.

           "Hey want to go watch that Evangelion movie?" "Sure, I hear it's pretty good." I walked into my room and opened a drawer, in it was a music box. "I didn't think they'd make a movie on it all." "Neither did I." I replied quietly, memories began flooding into my head.

I stood at the train station, among the many people trying to get out of the city to find a new home. After the angel war and the attack on Nerv, very few buildings were left standing. I didn't think I'd miss everyone so much. I just wanted to run back and give them all hugs. Even the stooges. Giving a sigh, I looked around for the train that would take me away from here and let me forget the pain of Tokyo-3. Both happiness and sadness struck my heart when I saw it coming to a stop. The doors opened slowly as if giving me a chance to change my mind but nothing would change my decision. I was about to step in but I felt something tapping on my right shoulder. I turned my head, thinking it was just too crowded, when I saw a blushing Shinji with a shy smile. "Hey, I didn't expect to see you here."

He glanced towards me but quickly turned his attention back to the ground.

"I um… I didn't want… I wanted to give you something to uh… To remember me by."

His smile disappeared and he eyes were closed like he was expecting me to take this chance to make fun of him or something. He brought his hands out from behind his back and handed me a music box. I opened it and inside was a silver heart on a pedestal. I wound it up, turned it on and it started playing a soft tune that seemed to bring the happy times back. Looking back at the spinning heart, two doors opened to reveal a small picture of Shinji. I was confused to say the least. I smiled at him. "Uh… Thanks." I closed it and the music stopped. "I have to go now. It was nice to see you again." Shinji looked disappointed but quickly had a soft smile again. I slowly turned around and stepped into the train car. I looked back at Shinji and waved good-bye and as the doors closed he said to me, "Good bye- "

"Hey glad you're back in reality. Better hurry up if we want to get to the movies on time." Mirou put her hand on my shoulder and looked at the music box with a sly grin. "Who's that? I didn't know you had a boyfriend." Mirou's my best friend and my neighbor. I met her when I moved to Tokyo-4 and we became friends instantly. I closed the box and stuck it in a nearby drawer. "If I had a boyfriend then you would know. I tell you everything." I said. Mirou pushed a few strands of her green hair back around her ear. Before she could say anything else I whispered mostly to myself. "He's just a friend."

I stared at the ground as we walked down the snow sprinkled streets of Tokyo-2. I couldn't get him out of my head; every time I tried to think about something else, something would remind me of Shinji and throw every other thought out. We never had that close of a friendship so why do I feel this way about him? It's entirely his fault. His fault… Mirou waved her hand in front of my face a couple of times, causing me to blush in embarrassment. She grinned at me, "Thinking about him, I bet." I turned a deeper shade of red as I tried to convince her that I was just worried about the exam coming up next week. To my surprise, she bought it and turned her attention back to the busy city I call home. Unfortunately, I was having trouble convincing myself.

"Shinji, uh… About the box."

"You didn't like it…" He sounded absolutely depressed.

I wound my finger around the phone cord as I spoke. "N-no, that's not it at all! I just… I don't deserve it."

            "Well that was pretty good! I thought the whole hidden romance between those two pilots was just over done though. Too bad they weren't allowed to keep the names the same." Mirou stared at the sky absently with her arms crossed behind her head as she walked. "Think that there was actually a thing between the two in real life?" I frowned at the snow littered sidewalk and hesitantly I replied, "No… I doubt there was anything between them." She sighed in disappointment; Mirou knew I was in Tokyo-3 during the angel wars and that I was close to all the action. She didn't know how close though and I was close…

Authors Notes:

 I'm back!!! My pc is dead for the time being so I have a lot of time to work on this!

Please, do help me by reading and reviewing. Constructive criticism and constructive flames preferably. Give me ideas!! Don't ask it to be a S/XX fic because I already have someone lined up.