CHAPTER 6
As Misato, Shinji and Mia arrived home and walked in everyone jumped out and threw streamers everywhere shouting surprise. Misato was welcomed into her home by praises and congratulations.
"Awe thanks you guys and thank you Toji" she smiled opening a can off beer as they all sat around a coffee table to celebrate Misato's promotion.
"Oh no, this was all Kensuke's idea" Toji said patting Kensuke on the shoulder. Asuka kicked Toji under the table while sitting beside Mia who laughed at his pained reaction.
"That's right, I Kensuke Aida am the mastermind behind this dinner," he said standing up as if reporting to a commander or major for that matter.
"Oh well then thank you mister Aida" Misato corrected herself as Shinji thought alone.
"No problem. It wasn't such a big deal really," Kensuke said going red.
Someone knocked on the door and Asuka got up and let in the class rep and she sat down beside Mia. Toji jumped up.
"Hey just who invited the class rep?" he asked.
"I did!" Asuka snapped smiling at her.
"Did you invite Rei too?" Misato asked and Asuka nodded sculling her drink.
"I did invite her but she is not exactly the party type ya know" she answered before grabbing Mia's hand and looking at her watch. "Darn why is Kaji so late?"
"Kaji? You mean that really cool guy who never shaves?" the class rep asked.
"Yeah after hanging around these dork all day it is good to know what a real guy is like" she said glaring at Shinji, Kensuke and Toji, Mia just giggled to herself, all of them were so straightforward toward each other, but Shinji wasn't.
"Real man?" Toji barked. "How dare you!" he sat up and Mia tuned out watching as Shinji whispered something to Misato, she couldn't quite hear what they were saying but soon enough everyone around her was screaming. Toji got up and started accusing Asuka of something and Kensuke was pointing and yelling at the class rep.
Asuka got up and started poking at Toji that mad him more agitated so they began to argue even more.
"Why don't you just go home!" Toji snapped at the class rep.
"Why not you instead!" Asuka snapped and Mia just watched them. Her ears burned like the old wives tale of if someone is talking or thinking about you your ears burn. She turned around and Shinji pretended not to be staring at her but she knew he had been because he was nervously glancing at her while she looked at him.
He started talking with Misato again so she turned away and just watched the fight continue between the four of the others.
"What do you think Mia?" Asuka asked and Mia shrugged.
"I really don't know" she smiled taking a sip of her soda. The doorbell rang and suddenly everyone stopped fighting.
"That's got to be Kaji!" Asuka squealed running for the door. When she opened the door she frowned to see that Kaji was standing there with Ritsuko.
"Hi I came directly from HQ. We just happened to meet on the way," he said referring to Ritsuko.
"A likely story" both Asuka and Misato snapped in suspicion.
"You're not jealous are you?" Ritsuko asked Misato.
"Absolutely not" she retorted drinking some more of her beer.
"Anyway I would like to give you my fondest regards, MAJOR Katsuragi" Kaji exclaimed bowing politely. "I suppose I will have to be more polite to you from now on" he said rising up.
"And just what does that mean?" Misato asked with a mouthful of food.
"Well you know that commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki have never left Japan at the same time together before, I guess they must really feel old Katsuragi is dependable" Kaji smirked maliciously as he said this.
"My father had left Japan again?" Shinji asked.
"That's right Shinji, you father is at the South Pole at the moment" Ritsuko explained and Shinji nodded.
Late that night after everyone had gone home Shinji sat alone in the living room watching the city lights slowly turn off one by one. He felt mesmerized by the lights that made he remember the four of them on the grass hill the other night. He watched as the candle near him burned out and wondered if that would be his fate, to simply burn out after all the angels have been defeated, if they are defeated that is.
He drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly getting a cold shiver running down his spine. He sat there in the dark until he felt some kind of presence behind him, he almost felt afraid to turn around but gathered the courage assuming that it would just be Penpen. But it wasn't.
"Mia?" he said quietly to find her sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.
"Shinji" she said his name after he said hers and he had to think.
"Why are you up?" he asked.
"Long story, to put is short I don't sleep much these days so I was going to come out here and watch the lights go out, but you beat me to it so I just watched you and the lights instead" she shrugged and he almost felt embarrassed by her honesty. "What about you?"
"I just can't sleep," he said exhaustedly.
"Why?" she asked and he shrugged.
"Sleeping is just like taking a bath, it brings back memories," he answered.
"Bad ones?"
"Yeah"
"Do you mind if I ask you like what?" Mia asked timidly. "You don't have to answer".
"No it is OK. I just don't have a very good past and with that bad past comes bad memories that still haunt my mind," he answered tiredly.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked softly.
"My father abandoned me when I was little, after my mothers death actually" Shinji said watching the stars sparkle. "I really don't have anyone other than Misato, but sometimes I feel as if I am even more alone than I think."
"What is loneliness? Is it isolation or the inability of being close to someone for fear of being hurt?" she wondered aloud.
"Maybe it is both." Shinji thought.
"Are you afraid of both?"
"I just don't want to be hated"
"How can someone like you be hated? You have one of those souls that makes you a good person, not like me," Mia said trailing off.
"Not like you?" Shinji said.
"I am a weak person with a disturbed mind, it is hard too heal wounds embedded in my soul" she whispered wrapping her arms around her knees and looking at the floor.
"Hmm I find that hard to believe Mia, you look so emotionally strong, like just before when you defined loneliness and in the car when you almost read my mind like it was a locked door that just needed to be opened with a key that you possessed" Shinji said and she blushed.
"I guess I just can tell" she smiled and he smiled back.
"We had better get some sleep" Shinji said getting up. "You never know what tomorrow brings"
"Hmm, I guess I should just pray for a dreamless sleep then, goodnight Shinji" she said walking into her room and closing the door slowly.
"Goodnight Mia" he replied flopping on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before remembering something that she said: 'disturbed mind' what did she mean by that?
As Misato, Shinji and Mia arrived home and walked in everyone jumped out and threw streamers everywhere shouting surprise. Misato was welcomed into her home by praises and congratulations.
"Awe thanks you guys and thank you Toji" she smiled opening a can off beer as they all sat around a coffee table to celebrate Misato's promotion.
"Oh no, this was all Kensuke's idea" Toji said patting Kensuke on the shoulder. Asuka kicked Toji under the table while sitting beside Mia who laughed at his pained reaction.
"That's right, I Kensuke Aida am the mastermind behind this dinner," he said standing up as if reporting to a commander or major for that matter.
"Oh well then thank you mister Aida" Misato corrected herself as Shinji thought alone.
"No problem. It wasn't such a big deal really," Kensuke said going red.
Someone knocked on the door and Asuka got up and let in the class rep and she sat down beside Mia. Toji jumped up.
"Hey just who invited the class rep?" he asked.
"I did!" Asuka snapped smiling at her.
"Did you invite Rei too?" Misato asked and Asuka nodded sculling her drink.
"I did invite her but she is not exactly the party type ya know" she answered before grabbing Mia's hand and looking at her watch. "Darn why is Kaji so late?"
"Kaji? You mean that really cool guy who never shaves?" the class rep asked.
"Yeah after hanging around these dork all day it is good to know what a real guy is like" she said glaring at Shinji, Kensuke and Toji, Mia just giggled to herself, all of them were so straightforward toward each other, but Shinji wasn't.
"Real man?" Toji barked. "How dare you!" he sat up and Mia tuned out watching as Shinji whispered something to Misato, she couldn't quite hear what they were saying but soon enough everyone around her was screaming. Toji got up and started accusing Asuka of something and Kensuke was pointing and yelling at the class rep.
Asuka got up and started poking at Toji that mad him more agitated so they began to argue even more.
"Why don't you just go home!" Toji snapped at the class rep.
"Why not you instead!" Asuka snapped and Mia just watched them. Her ears burned like the old wives tale of if someone is talking or thinking about you your ears burn. She turned around and Shinji pretended not to be staring at her but she knew he had been because he was nervously glancing at her while she looked at him.
He started talking with Misato again so she turned away and just watched the fight continue between the four of the others.
"What do you think Mia?" Asuka asked and Mia shrugged.
"I really don't know" she smiled taking a sip of her soda. The doorbell rang and suddenly everyone stopped fighting.
"That's got to be Kaji!" Asuka squealed running for the door. When she opened the door she frowned to see that Kaji was standing there with Ritsuko.
"Hi I came directly from HQ. We just happened to meet on the way," he said referring to Ritsuko.
"A likely story" both Asuka and Misato snapped in suspicion.
"You're not jealous are you?" Ritsuko asked Misato.
"Absolutely not" she retorted drinking some more of her beer.
"Anyway I would like to give you my fondest regards, MAJOR Katsuragi" Kaji exclaimed bowing politely. "I suppose I will have to be more polite to you from now on" he said rising up.
"And just what does that mean?" Misato asked with a mouthful of food.
"Well you know that commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki have never left Japan at the same time together before, I guess they must really feel old Katsuragi is dependable" Kaji smirked maliciously as he said this.
"My father had left Japan again?" Shinji asked.
"That's right Shinji, you father is at the South Pole at the moment" Ritsuko explained and Shinji nodded.
Late that night after everyone had gone home Shinji sat alone in the living room watching the city lights slowly turn off one by one. He felt mesmerized by the lights that made he remember the four of them on the grass hill the other night. He watched as the candle near him burned out and wondered if that would be his fate, to simply burn out after all the angels have been defeated, if they are defeated that is.
He drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly getting a cold shiver running down his spine. He sat there in the dark until he felt some kind of presence behind him, he almost felt afraid to turn around but gathered the courage assuming that it would just be Penpen. But it wasn't.
"Mia?" he said quietly to find her sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.
"Shinji" she said his name after he said hers and he had to think.
"Why are you up?" he asked.
"Long story, to put is short I don't sleep much these days so I was going to come out here and watch the lights go out, but you beat me to it so I just watched you and the lights instead" she shrugged and he almost felt embarrassed by her honesty. "What about you?"
"I just can't sleep," he said exhaustedly.
"Why?" she asked and he shrugged.
"Sleeping is just like taking a bath, it brings back memories," he answered.
"Bad ones?"
"Yeah"
"Do you mind if I ask you like what?" Mia asked timidly. "You don't have to answer".
"No it is OK. I just don't have a very good past and with that bad past comes bad memories that still haunt my mind," he answered tiredly.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked softly.
"My father abandoned me when I was little, after my mothers death actually" Shinji said watching the stars sparkle. "I really don't have anyone other than Misato, but sometimes I feel as if I am even more alone than I think."
"What is loneliness? Is it isolation or the inability of being close to someone for fear of being hurt?" she wondered aloud.
"Maybe it is both." Shinji thought.
"Are you afraid of both?"
"I just don't want to be hated"
"How can someone like you be hated? You have one of those souls that makes you a good person, not like me," Mia said trailing off.
"Not like you?" Shinji said.
"I am a weak person with a disturbed mind, it is hard too heal wounds embedded in my soul" she whispered wrapping her arms around her knees and looking at the floor.
"Hmm I find that hard to believe Mia, you look so emotionally strong, like just before when you defined loneliness and in the car when you almost read my mind like it was a locked door that just needed to be opened with a key that you possessed" Shinji said and she blushed.
"I guess I just can tell" she smiled and he smiled back.
"We had better get some sleep" Shinji said getting up. "You never know what tomorrow brings"
"Hmm, I guess I should just pray for a dreamless sleep then, goodnight Shinji" she said walking into her room and closing the door slowly.
"Goodnight Mia" he replied flopping on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before remembering something that she said: 'disturbed mind' what did she mean by that?