Neon Genesis Evangelion
Disclaimer: I don't own NGE, GAINAX and co. does.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! I really appreciate them!
"I've been followed?!'
Shinji turned around as fast as he could as he heard the slightest sound behind him. As he turned around, he saw a faint hint of a figure hide itself quickly behind a tree. Shinji wondered briefly if it was just a figment of his imagination. But he was too sure he heard and saw something.
'Who would follow ME?'
Shinji moved slowly toward the tree. But something made him stop. 'What if it's someone dangerous?' But another thing made him move again. 'No matter, right? My father has security guards following us all around Tokyo-III… Maybe it's one of them?'
Shinji picked up his pace toward the tree, no longer afraid it's dangerous. 'I'll probably make a fool of myself right now…'
But the figure soon jumped from behind the tree, in Shinji's eyesight, but only for a split second, since it ran away immediately..
'A.. Asuka?'
Watch and Try to Learn
- by TokehGecko
Chapter 3
Shinji walked slowly back home, he was confused by the appearance of what looked like Asuka.
'Was it really Asuka?'
Shinji shook his head as he passed a pair that was kissing each other while they were walking. Shinji looked sadly at them.
'That… I will never reach..'
A group of friends were yelling and laughing with and at each other on the side of the street as Shinji walked. His ears could detect the genuine joy emanating from their laughter.
'Why… why would Asuka do… why would she even follow me? I bet it wasn't Asuka, or she was playing a sick joke on me, as always.'
Shinji tried to recall any 'nice' memories of discussion between him and Asuka. Shinji sighed deeply when he could only remember insults directed towards him, and injuries he inflicted.
'No.. Asuka's only present to be the best here.. and to hurt me, I guess..'
If there was one thing Shinji could never step in, it was dog shit. Shinji walked with his eyes directed towards the ground. He could even avoid stepping on any ants. if there were any… Second Impact… had been rough..
'I doubt it was Asuka… She would never do something like this… ' Shinji sighed sadly. 'Normally, she doesn't even notice me, it's like I'm not even present in the living room sometimes.' Shinji smiled sadly. 'Especially on the battle grounds.'
Shinji continued his trek home, never bothering to think about the fact that it really could have been Asuka.
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"Phew.. !'" Asuka breathed heavily, from relief and slowly dissipating fear of getting caught.
'I almost got caught right there! Thank god he didn't see me!'
Asuka had run away as fast as she could when she saw Shinji approaching him in the park.
'That jerky brat has a good set of ears on him!'
After running for about ten minutes, in the direction of their apartment, Asuka had calmed down and found a great spot, in the shadow from a roof from an old building. There was no need to worry about old pervert trying to sneak up on her in the middle of the night. There were security guards watching her every movement, after all.
'Damn…. Now I still haven't seen it. It's like I'm not allowed to see it.'
Asuka noticed a small spot of dirt on her school outfit. Considering the small puddles on the streets she had come across during her running, it had rained in the afternoon. It seems she had run through too many puddles and now her dress was dirty.
'Not that it matters… I have plenty of clothes..' Asuka seemed to pause about that certain thought. "Hmm, Hikari and I didn't really buy a lot today, however.."
As Asuka was thinking about buying new dresses and other similar things, Shinji rounded a corner and came in Asuka's eyesight. Asuka quickly hid in the shadow the roof created and watched as Shinji, ever so slowly, passed the spot where she was at.
'If I go home now, and be quicker than Shinji, which is easy, he'll think it really was me in the park, and I have run straight back home. ' Asuka paused, as she balled her right hand into a fist, and leaned her face on it, leaning her right elbow on her knee. 'If I go home later than him, he'll think I hesitated and purposely went home later than him.'
Asuka rose from her feet and leaned against a wall a bit. 'I guess I'll head over to Hikari's place, maybe I can sleep there. That way, I can always say I was there all the time, should Shinji ask, if discovers some spine somewhere in his body.'
As Asuka began to walk toward away, and rounded the corner, she heard her name being spoken.
"Asuka?"
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Shinji walked forward in slow pace, he had grabbed his SDAT from his pocket, thinking he could fix it during his walking. He rammed on it with his fist, softly, a few times. But the 'Play'-Button just didn't seem to work. Shinji snarled at the thing in his hand.
'Jeez… I don't like this at all. Everything seems to backfire at me today.'
He decided to bash at his SDAT one more time, hoping this time it would work he hit it a little harder. But, Shinji, being the klutz that he is, dropped the SDAT to the ground. It landed on a brick that made the SDAT bounce backwards. Shinji had to turn around to grab it. When he had the SDAT back in his hands he noticed a figure appearing a few meters ahead. And the light from the lantern displayed it all perfectly.
"Asuka?"
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She didn't know how this happened… Ok, she did know, but she didn't know it was going to turn out like this. To think she wouldn't be able to keep her countenance. Of course Shinji asked her if she had followed him. And as a natural response, for Asuka, her defences went way up. Somehow, Asuka could only recall Shinji's extremely sad face, as if he was about to cry, as he slowly turned around and walked home. It seems Asuka insulted him greatly in that certain conversation.
'Damn… I didn't want to see THAT look…'
Pity is feeling that shouldn't be expressed, Asuka always thought. If you feel pity for another, he or she is just not worthy of living, for their pride had already been wounded and it seems pity is only left after that. And to receive pity, is just the same.
'I don't pity Shinji…. I just don't want to see THAT look anymore..'
Shinji's sad face repeated itself in Asuka's mind. Her screaming and cursing at him, and the facial change of expression in Shinji. Asuka turned around as Shinji walked away from her. She took a run for it, in the other direction.
'Damn…. _I_ made him look that way.'
But Asuka never considered Shinji's feelings… ever. Why should she now?
'Hmm… It's partially my fault, I guess… But I shouldn't let it bother me this much. Shinji is an idiot who doesn't deserve a second glance, especially not from me.'
Asuka turned around in her bed and now faced the door instead of the wall. She decided not to worry about Shinji anymore and let her thoughts wander toward the subject clothes.
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Shinji had walked to all the spots of Tokyo-III he knew where he could be at ease. Now, though, the confrontation between him and Asuka haunted him.
'I always knew…. she hated me… I think.. But why did she follow me? Was it to empathise on the fact she really did hate me? It couldn't be curiosity, no, not from her. But I didn'expect her to get so angry so quick. I just greeted her, like anyone would greet another when he or she was familiar to him or her. But, she slapped me… She slapped me twice, then she insulted me… called me names.. a lot of names.. I guess I shouldn't have asked her if she had followed me. Stupid….'
Shinji looked up to see a car drive by and an old man who waited for the car to pass by, who started walking. It was already getting late, but Shinji chose to not go home, sleep be damned..
'Asuka…. I don't know why you hate me so much.. Why you have to slap me all the time or why you have to insult me… But I don't want to try and understand you anymore…. It seems you slapped some sense in me… if it's called sense what I feel.'
After a little while, Shinji knocked on a door, since the bell didn't work, he recalled. After ten seconds or so, the door opened.
"Uhh.. Hi, Ayanami."
"Ikari-kun."
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'Jeeezz.. I'm alone…. Not that I care… but the idiot isn't home yet and Misato is working late.. again! And on top of that, the place is a complete mess… Shinji had better come home and clean it all up..'
Asuka's eyes were almost closed as she stared up at the television. Nothing great was on, but then again, it was already 1:34. All there was on now, was porn and news. Even the Music Channel was very boring, Asuka noted as she zapped.
'Music nowadays…'
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Asuka worried.. She didn't want to, but it was undeniable.
'Shinji hasn't come back yet… What if, he left Tokyo-III? No, for something like this, he wouldn't.'
Asuka bit her lower lip.
'He wouldn't.. I'll bet he is on his way home right now… In fact, I'll just wait until he comes home and yell at him for coming in so late!! Maybe I'll even say he woke me up by slamming the door shut or something.'
Asuka decided she would wait… But sleep caught her, after fifteen minutes.. She didn't have a happy look on her face, however.
And Shinji never came…
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'Well, I'll never understand either of them. No matter how hard I try to understand a little bit of them, they do something that's completely out of place. But.. Like I'm one to talk..'
Shinji observed Rei as she sat on a chair in the living room. He himself sat on the ground. He asked Rei if he could sleep here for the night. Rei simply nodded, let him in and sat on the only chair in the apartment.
'Odd, really.. Now I'm here, alone with Rei in a very, grey, room, I don't feel uncomfortable. Well, a little bit, because of the silence. But, I like silence, and I'm betting so does Rei.'
Shinji frowned as he stared at Rei for a moment.
'Now that I think of it. We are somewhat… alike. Strange.. She's not very adept.. at living..' Shinji thought recalling something Ritsuko once said. 'Maybe I'm not adept at living either.. ?' Shinji frowned deeply. 'Yeah.. In some ways… I'm even the same as my father..'
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Asuka woke up, slowly opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was a purple mess on the floor next to her.
'Again?? Damned Misato always goes for a few drinks after work..'
Asuka rose from the small red couch, evaded a few beer cans Misato dropped and, strangely enough, went to Shinji's door..
'Hmm, if he's awake, my excuse will be… "Make Dinner!" or something like that..'
To her surprise however, there was no Shinji in Shinji's bed.
'Wha.. But where?'
Asuka turned around and picked Misato up from the floor. Not entirely, but mostly just her head.
'Jeez, what a horrible wannabe-mother you are…'
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A/N: Sorry, but still not much angst.. A few things had to happen otherwise it would simply be dumb to just put angst in the fic. So, next chapter will be angsty, I promise!! If not, you can smack me a big one later on.. but.. not too hard, of course..
