Hey People im back and ready to write my fingers off ! , Im real sorry bout the lateness of this chapter :(.I was being piled with homework and projects from school for ages and couldnt find time to write.I really do hope people still have an interest in this.
Anyways if ya havent noticed already, I have changed to Novel Styles , and it seems to be real good and easy to write and easier to read for the reader so I changed except for when I do battles I will change to script.I will try to change the previous chapters before this one to novel soon but I wont have an exact date.I might also change the summary a bit so please make a note of it.
Also please read and review and tell me what ya think !, dont be like my sister and read and run , cause reviews always help right ? :)
A major and big ass thanks to Vanimal for the constuctive pre-reading and my good friend Bucky for being my Sensei!
Now on with the story !!!!
Disclaimer:I dont own Eva im just borrowing aight !
Chapter 6:A Day To Remember
"Rise Bow Sit down"
The final bell had rung for the end of the school day and the class had already started to pour out of the classroom hoping to finish the day on a brighter note.
Once the majority of the class had left Shinji, Rei, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari came together and decided that a trip to the arcade was in order to cheer up the day and to relax.
"Lets go!" the group yelled in unison as the idea was great, but Hikari had to disagree. She had to get back home to look after her little sister. Of course Touji sided with Hikari and offered to go with her but she thought it better he go and have fun, but even with all the encouraging, Touji still wouldn't go.
"I wanna go and help you, Hikari" Touji said whining like a little boy.
"Go have some fun Touji, don't miss out on my behalf" replied Hikari with a pleading look.
"It's not going to fun without you so let me go with you" Touji whined.
"That's so sweet, Touji," Hikari said with a slight blush, but then she turned into class rep mode, "But MR SUZAHARA, I order you to go!"
For some reason, Touji just wouldn't leave, so with a silent message to Kensuke and Shinji from Hikari the two boys grabbed Touji and pried him away forcefully.
"See ya, Hikari!!!" Yelled Shinji and Kensuke in unison, dragging an annoyed looking Touji as Rei trailed behind.
"Bye guys!" Hikari replied as she waved and blushed furiously at the group as they quickly went out of view. "I'll miss you, Touji!"
A whimper could be heard from Touji a mile away.
---
When Kensuke and Shinji got tired of dragging Touji and his heavy body, they helped him to his feet and sat down on a couple of benches for a quick rest.
"Why did you guys have to drag me away man, I wanted to spend some time with her," Touji said while straightening his shirt "I would of bopped you two but I didn't want to get Hikari angry."
"Yeah we know" said Kensuke while Shinji remembered actually being bopped by Touji when he first arrived in Tokyo-3.
"Look on the bright side, Touji," said Shinji, trying to forget the beating he received.
"What bright side?"
"Hikari wanted you to go and since you didn't want to leave her or have fun without her, doesn't that send a message about how you feel for her ?"
"Yeah...... Yeah! And that means I'm in the good books!" said Touji with new found happiness.
As Touji completely takes in that he had impressed Hikari without even knowing it, Kensuke and Shinji could only sigh.
Since Shinji's arm was now free, Rei made her move and quickly latched onto it with a smile. The group got back off of the bench and continued on their walk to the arcade more upbeat.
---
When the gang finally arrived at the enormous Video Arcade, Kensuke broke off the gang first to play, naturally, the war games. Next was Touji, who specialized in the pre-second impact NBA games. Since Shinji and Rei haven't really spent much time in the arcade they wandered around the arcade arm in arm looking for a game which caught their attention.
Finally, they came across a game which looked like a cockpit of a machine. When the pair examined it more closely they found out it was a cockpit of a rather old Gundam sort of game , where you pilot robots against one another.
"Hey Rei-chan, how bout we both play this game" Shinji said while reading the instructions and finding it quite interesting.
"Yes, I would like to try it," Rei said plainly while looking at the game with astonishment.
Shinji, being the gentlemen he is, helped Rei into her game machine and then got into his own. They both quickly deposited their money into their games and started.
Shinji and Rei quickly got through the tutorial and begun to choose their mechas. Rei firstly chose a blue mecha with a huge arsenal and, Shinji chose a purple robot so that both of their selections would match their own evas.
"Good luck Rei-chan" Shinji happily shot over to Rei.
"You too Shinji-kun" replied Rei.
Then the game began...........
---
Back over at the Horaki residence, Hikari had just arrived at apartment gates, because on the way home she had made a quick stop at the supermarket to get some groceries for dinner. When Hikari had made it up the elevator and towards the door of her apartment she spotted a red haired figure leaning on the railings.
"Asuka?" said Hikari, both happy and worried at the same time.
"Hey" Asuka said tiredly, with no life in her voice.
"Asuka!!!" Hikari said while dropping her grocery bags and running over to Asuka and giving her a hug. "Are you alright? Where have you been the whole day, I was worried!?" she quickly continued.
"I'm fine , It's not like I was gone for a week or a month or something."
"Yeah, well, you were supposed to meet me this morning and when you didn't I looked everywhere for you" said Hikari with a angry voice and disappointed look.
"Sorry, I kinda forgot about it, I had a lot on my mind..........." Asuka said softly.
"I see..." said Hikari. Reassuringly, she continued, "Do you want to come in and talk about it?"
".........................." Asuka's only reply was silence.
"Asuka?" Hikari restated her question.
"O.o.ok" Asuka said reluctantly.
"Good, come in Asuka" Hikari said while ushering Asuka inside her apartment.
Once inside the apartment Hikari announced her arrival and started putting away the groceries when a giant ball of energy (A.K.A. her little sister) came running out of her room and gave Hikari a big hug.
"Hi Nozomi-chan" Hikari said while giving her little sister a big hug back.
"Can I go over to Kasumi's house!!!!!!!!!!" Nozomi said over excitedly "Please, pleasepleaseplease PLEASE!!!" she jabbered
"Well......................ok" Hikari replied after a brief moment to think.
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" Nozomi shouted happily
"But I thought we were going to do something together..........Oh well go have fun" Hikari said with a smile.
"Okay, thanks Hikari"
"First, aren't you going to say hello to Asuka?"
"Oh... I'm so sorry, Hi Asuka-san, bye Asuka-san" Nozomi said while chucking her shoes on and bolting to the door.
"Be back for dinner !" Hikari shouted out the door, and when not receiving an answer she figured her little sister must of really stepped on the gas and didn't hear her so Hikari went back to the kitchen to talk to Asuka.
Hikari quickly finished unpacking the groceries and gathered some snacks and soda's for herself and Asuka.
She then placed the tray of food on the table and sat down opposite Asuka on the table.
"A little bundle of energy you got yourself" Asuka commented
"Yeah ..........she's a handful but it keeps me young" Hikari said while quietly giggling "Sounds like I'm an aging mother."
Asuka did join in the giggling but soon stopped and turned back into her down mood. "I wish I was like that, she said very quietly.
An eerie silence enveloped the two until Hikari finally broke it. "You are Asuka, you always were a ball of energy."
"I was," was all Asuka said, still speaking very quietly.
"Asuka, do you want me to help?" Hikari said reassuringly, "Tell me what's wrong. Asuka, I'm here for you"
"......................"
"I'm your best friend Asuka, I'm here to help" Hikari stated.
"Thanks, Hikari" said Asuka, smiling for the first time today.
With that said, Asuka thought for a few minutes to try and find the right words to express herself.
The silence of thinking continued to flow through the room like a thick fog, but when Asuka finally thought up of what to say she let it go.
"I'm worthless," Asuka said in a quiet voice as if she had given up on life completely.
"NO YOUR NOT ASUKA, DON'T SAY THAT!!!" Hikari yelled, surprising Asuka and herself with her outburst.
"But its the truth, I can't escape it," Asuka said again in her previous tone, "I am now good for nothing, worthless, and mean nothing."
"Your aren't worthless Asuka, you're smart, strong , confident , beautiful and you're a savior for the earth"
"Thats what everyone says but I'm no savior anymore, that's BAKA Shinji's and Hiro's job now..." Asuka said, then turned her head downwards, "I've been surpassed once again."
(She just has so much pride, she feels as she has completely lost it) thought Hikari while a silence once again filters the room.
"I trained for so many years, Hikari, just for one thing and that was Eva" Asuka stated as she began to shudder while Hikari could only sit closer to her and lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"But your good at other things Asuka, it doesn't always have to be about your Eva !" Hikari insisted.
"But Eva is my life and I'm not fit to pilot my Eva anymore." Asuka whispers "And that means I am no longer fit for life" She continues, falling into tears.
Hikari tightens her grip on Asuka's shoulders as she listens to the words which are spilling out of Asuka's mouth.
"NERV will soon start to look for a new pilot and I will be discarded like a tool which has no use anymore," whispers Asuka.
"Asuka listen to me, you are not useless, you will be yourself in no..."
Before Hikari could finish Asuka cut her off. "I can't! I couldn't destroy the frickin angel, and what's worse is I had to be helped by him"
(Him?) Hikari pondered until she got it was Hiro. "Asuka he helped you because he..."
"Likes me !" Asuka finished Hikari's sentence. "No one ever could and I want to keep it that way!" yelled Asuka as she violently stood from her chair, causing it to topple backwards, and bolted for the door to make a dash out of the apartment.
"Asuka..."
---
Back over at the arcade a crowd of excited and amazed teens mobbed around the game units which occupied Shinji and Rei. The two pilots seemed to attract unwanted attention from the other gamers as Shinji and Rei had chosen the co-op mode instead of the versus at the beginning and were coming to the closing levels to the mecha game. What really caught the crowds attention is that the way the two played like pros and were about to finish the game no person had been able to beat yet.
The crowd of teens and the arcade staff watched in awe, and even the manager thought this event was worth putting up on the big screen. Shinji and Rei were really opening up their talents as one by one they took out the enemy without stiff movements, but rather in one swift motion.
As the game came into a close and Shinji had just delivered an uppercut to the final boss the crowd roared with clapping and cheering , while Shinji and Rei inputted their names into the ranking system and came out both in 1st place equal.
When the two pilots got out of their machines they were applauded even louder and started being congratulated by random people until the voice of the manager came over the intercom.
"Congratulations, Sir and Madam, you have completed the hardest game in our arcade with flying colors" the manager roared "How do you do it?"
"Well...um..." Shinji stammered, a little nervous due to the attention but luckily or unluckily for him, Kensuke and Touji decided to intervene.
"That's because they ARE pilots" Touji stated matter-of-factly, while going up to Shinji and wrapping his arm around his neck. "My friend and his lovely lady here are the famous pilots of the giant robots called the Evangelions which saves our sorry asses whenever there is an angel attack and we civilians cower in shelters," Touji once again broadly stated with confidence.
"They are the best in the business and the worlds hero and heroine" Kensuke joined in.
The crowd began to gasp and chatter as they knew of the robot but never knew of the pilots. Then a brief silence came upon the arcade until it was rudely broken by the crowd trying to talk and meet the saviors of the human race.
"They're the pilots! oooooh, so COOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!" yelled a little kid
"Wow! They save the world," a high school junior said.
"Wow, I wonder if the blue haired girl is his girlfriend? I hope not," a schoolgirl said to one of her friends.
Of course, all the attention brought a shade of crimson flush over Shinji's face while he began to shake everyone's hands. Even Rei became very flushed due to all this attention.
---
When Shinji and Rei were able to escape the crowd of people who now know of the pilot's identities , the two squeezed themselves outside and found Touji and Kensuke sitting on a bench eating ice-cream.
"Jeez guys why did you have to say to everyone that were pilots?" Shinji said angrily.
"Yes Suzahara, Aida, why did you have to announce our jobs , it only caused havoc," stated Rei
"Yeah yeah, sorry we just thought you two needed to be appreciated more for what you do," Kensuke said
"That's right, plus think of it as we saved you, because they would have bugged you until they got how you play the game so well, and cause Shinji here to stutter and cause damage to his skull," Touji laughed
"Thanks guys," Shinji said with a smile which then turned upside down, "Hey, don't we get ice cream ?"
"Sorry dude, we just used our spare change, were broke" Kensuke said while he and Touji emptied their pockets and a little anime spoof sound appeared indicating that they were broke.
Shinji sweat dropped
"We got to get home anyway Shinji, go treat ya girlfriend to something nice aye?"
Touji gave Shinji a reassuring thumbs up, "O...o.o...ok" stammered Shinji while Touji and Kensuke stood to leave.
"Laters Shinji, Ayanami" Shinji's two friends yelled to him while they ran back to their homes.
"Well I guess we can go do something. How bout we get some ice cream?" Shinji said with a smile, and took hold of Rei's hand.
Rei gave Shinji one of her rare genuine smiles back "That would be nice"
The pair then walked off in the direction of the nearest ice cream stall. When they found a stall Shinji purchased a green tea cone for him and Rei and they both sat down on a bench to enjoy them.
"This ice-cream flavor is very...delicious" Rei said as if she hadn't tasted it before.
"I'm glad you like it Rei-chan, green tea is my favorite flavor"
The pair sat and enjoyed the full flavor of their cones, especially Rei who seemed to take a liking to it. Once they had finished their cones Rei realized that Shinji had some ice cream on his chin so she used her index finger and wiped it away for him.
"Thanks Rei-chan" Shinji said while blushing.
"Your welcome Shinji-kun" replied Rei as she leaned her head onto Shinji's shoulder and the two sat staring at the start of the sunset.
They stared off in silence as they enjoyed the romantic moment while Shinji thought of something.
"Rei-chan , I think that us finishing that game at the arcade together symbolizes how we are so good together as a team on the field and together as a couple." Shinji said out of the blue.
"Yes, it could be our symbol stating our affection for one another" Rei said while turning her head to look up at Shinji.
As Rei looked up , Shinji looked downwards and became entranced by Rei's beautiful crimson eyes which show a depth that no other could show. The two stared into each others eyes looking for any insecurity and doubt, and when finding nothing but the force of what you could call love they slowly moved in closer to each other.
Inch
By
Inch
As if in a romance flick they slowly came closer while both their heart beats jumped more than a beat and the desire to hold each other more overpowering than anything else.
They moved slowly until... they closed their eyes and Shinji tilted his head and their lips touched. Shinji and Rei's heart were beating so furiously while their whole body was steaming from the moment. Shinji, being a gentleman, didn't want to force it onto Rei so he kept it
decent by wrapping his arms around her waist and slowly bringing her closer , wanting to be as close as he could be to her without being what Asuka would call a pervert.
The pair kissed and kept their lips locked softly, on the bench while the sun set in the background. When Shinji broke the kiss he blushed brightly enough to match the sunset as he became fidgety while Rei on the other hand was so amazed and happy that she had experienced a kiss which meant affection towards one another with someone she cared for.
In turn the two both blushed to their fullest and sat back in their normal positions. They both knew they both enjoyed it as neither wanted to pull away but being human means they have to come out to breathe.
"Rei-chan that was...um...." Shinji squeaked as he couldn't stop blushing.
"Wonderful," replied Rei as she smiled while a blush also crept up onto her face.
"Yeah..." Shinji sighed contently as he took hold of Rei's hand and looked to already set sun and the street lights being put on. "It's getting late, Rei-chan , we better get home."
"Yes" Rei said with a unusually disappointed tone.
The two got up from the bench and silently made their way back to Rei's Apartment.
When they arrived Shinji and Rei stood opposite each other in front of Rei's apartment door and shared another peaceful goodnight kiss. "Goodnight Rei-chan, I'll see you tomorrow at school," Shinji said with a blush while holding both of Rei's hands in front of him.
"Yes goodnight Shinji-kun" Rei replied with a smile and entered her apartment
When Rei had completely closed the door, Shinji turned from his position and made his way down to the ground floor and started his long trek home. Shinji had just experienced his first kiss in a way, since the kiss with Asuka was not good on both parts apparently, but nonetheless he had shared a kiss with a lovely girl. He was over the moon with happiness but the realization of going home to Asuka meant that if she was home, it would be a aspect which would bring the world down.
The arcade trip did its job in suppressing the thoughts of Asuka away for awhile but in the end it comes back full blast.
(I hope Asuka IS okay though) Shinji thought as he crossed an intersection (I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her)
Shinji pushed the thoughts of Asuka away as he wanted to keep this day a day to remember but the thought of Misato cooking overpowered them. So Shinji looked down to his cell-phone for the time and read it as nearing 7. If he ran, he could make it in time to prevent Misato from what she would call cooking.
Shinji ran... pretty damn fast for a skinny boy.
---
Back over at Rei's apartment, Rei sat on her bed musing of the day and a slight smile and blush crept up on her face.
(The kiss we shared was... so wonderful, I was one with Shinji in a way of affection) Rei mused (It gave me a feeling of warmth and security) Rei continued as she couldn't help but keep smiling and holding her hands together on her heart as if it was going to pop out.
"You have captured my heart and soul, Shinji" Rei said softly "I am glad you have chosen me to which you would share this feeling"
---
Back over at the Katsuragi residence, Shinji busted through the apartment door as soon as he arrived. Shinji firstly scanned the room for smoke or any foul smell, but after doing so, he happily concluded that the effects of Misato's cooking were not lingering around. However, he found it odd that the lights have not been turned on and the room was covered in total darkness.
Shinji shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen to confirm his findings, turning the light on and found it untouched and as he left it. He happily sighed and slouched over onto the table.
"Where have you been?" A voice said from the darkness.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Shinji yelled in utter surprise and fell over pale white onto the kitchen floor.
The lights in the living room flickered on and the owner of the voice, Misato Katsuragi, she ran over to the Shinji's limp figure.
"Shinji, Shinji, you alright kiddo?" Misato asked as he helped Shinji up onto a chair
"Misato, you scared me!!!" a still shocked Shinji replied while gathering his peanuts.
Misato started to rub her head and poke her tongue out, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, it was just a joke."
"Yeah, one that nearly killed me," Shinji mumbled.
The two shared a quick laugh, but Misato soon changed into her serious Major of Operations mode.
"Anyway where have you been Shinji" ordered Misato, "I was worried sick ,you don't normally come home late without a phone call , a note..." Misato rambled on like a mother would when angry with the kids and a glare to top things off.
"Sorry, I was just... um... well..." Shinji stuttetered under the major's glare. "Uh... we... ya... um..." he continued as he began to sweat.
"JUST KIDDING SHINJI, you're too easy," Misato said right before she blew up once again in laughter.
"Huh?"
"I already know where you where, I asked section 2," Misato said still giggling,"You were at the arcade with your friends."
"Um... yeah," said Shinji, realizing that he had been tricked once again but relaxing as Misato doesn't know about the part after the arcade.
"Then you had some PRIVATE time with Rei," Misato evilly grinned and started elbowing Shinji "I see it was VERY romantic , good thinking Shinji" she continued while childishly urging Shinji to spill it.
(Damn)
"Mi...Misato!" Shinji said blushing and finding his feet interesting
"Shinji the ladies man, who would of figured," Misato joked , while gently placing her arm around Shinji's shoulder "Don't worry Shinji, I'm not going to pry, just be nice to Rei. Okay?"
"I always am, Misato," replied Shinji
"Good," Misato then guided Shinji to sit on a chair while she started to collect items from the drawers. "I'm gonna get started on dinner"
"Nooooooooooo!!!" Shinji yelled and made a quick dive to grab the utensils and keep then as far away from Misato as he could. "I think I should do it Misato," Shinji said as he wiped the sweat off his brow and slowly started cooking.
"My cooking isn't that bad you know!" Misato pouted. (You fell into my trap little Shinji Ikari , today was my day to cook and now I got my self out of it when I was going to order takeout. You just saved me couple of bucks Hehe) Misato thought with a grin.
Misato then turned on her heels and grabbed a beer from the fridge then made her way to the lounge. "Tell me when its dinner okay Shin-chan" she said while flopping onto the couch and turning the TV on.
"Yeah... okay" Shinji replied from the kitchen.
---
About 45 minutes later Misato could smell the wonderful smell of Yakizakana drifting through the air and into her nose. "Smells good Shinji" she yelled into the kitchen while muting the TV.
"Thanks Misato, its ready now" Shinji said as he cleared the table and started to put plates and chopsticks on the table. "Um... is Asuka going to eat Misato?" Shinji asked nervously.
Realizing she hadn't seen Asuka all day Misato went to her room, feeling a little guilty as she hadn't checked up on her. Misato knew that Asuka didn't go to school and thought she needed a break to think and knew that she would be alright but had forgotten to check up on her personally.
When Misato reached Asuka's door she found a plain piece of white paper cello taped onto the door stating in bold Kanji 'leave me alone'. Coming to the conclusion that Asuka wasn't going to join them , Misato went over to the kitchen and sat down. "I don't think Asuka wants to join us Shinji" she said.
"But Misato, she has to eat," Shinji said worryingly as he placed the food on the table.
"She needs time alone Shinji" Misato plainly said and received a nod from Shinji saying he understood.
"Ill leave her something for later then" Shinji said
The two then ate their dinner in silence.
----
When they had finished Shinji cleared up as usual as Misato said her goodnights, grabbed as much beer as she could, and escaped off into her room. Shinji couldn't stop thinking about Asuka; even though he had just had a wonderful day, he kept remembering Asuka and the pain she must be going through. Shinji finished clearing the table and made his way to his room but first made a turn to Asuka door.
Shinji read the note attached to the door and could only get more worried. He traced the messy writing of kanji with his finger and sighed "I hope you get better soon Asuka." he said and turned to his room for a night he knew would be hard to sleep as he remembered Hiro's state once again at the still folded futon which hasn't been used for a while.
"Why do people around me always have to be in pain" Shinji asked to no one in particular but himself.
"And why is that when something good happens something else brings it back down....." He continued while flopping onto his futon still fully clothed
End of chapter 6 , Chapter 7 coming soon.
Hey Hey thats chapter 6 and as I said first im real sorry for the lateness but i hope this chapter makes up for it , Its not that bad right ?
Anway please R and R ,I like reading them
And dont fear the next chapter is coming.
Also any Q's drop us a line at Original_Aki@hotmail.com
Th1Rd_Ch1Ld
Anyways if ya havent noticed already, I have changed to Novel Styles , and it seems to be real good and easy to write and easier to read for the reader so I changed except for when I do battles I will change to script.I will try to change the previous chapters before this one to novel soon but I wont have an exact date.I might also change the summary a bit so please make a note of it.
Also please read and review and tell me what ya think !, dont be like my sister and read and run , cause reviews always help right ? :)
A major and big ass thanks to Vanimal for the constuctive pre-reading and my good friend Bucky for being my Sensei!
Now on with the story !!!!
Disclaimer:I dont own Eva im just borrowing aight !
Chapter 6:A Day To Remember
"Rise Bow Sit down"
The final bell had rung for the end of the school day and the class had already started to pour out of the classroom hoping to finish the day on a brighter note.
Once the majority of the class had left Shinji, Rei, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari came together and decided that a trip to the arcade was in order to cheer up the day and to relax.
"Lets go!" the group yelled in unison as the idea was great, but Hikari had to disagree. She had to get back home to look after her little sister. Of course Touji sided with Hikari and offered to go with her but she thought it better he go and have fun, but even with all the encouraging, Touji still wouldn't go.
"I wanna go and help you, Hikari" Touji said whining like a little boy.
"Go have some fun Touji, don't miss out on my behalf" replied Hikari with a pleading look.
"It's not going to fun without you so let me go with you" Touji whined.
"That's so sweet, Touji," Hikari said with a slight blush, but then she turned into class rep mode, "But MR SUZAHARA, I order you to go!"
For some reason, Touji just wouldn't leave, so with a silent message to Kensuke and Shinji from Hikari the two boys grabbed Touji and pried him away forcefully.
"See ya, Hikari!!!" Yelled Shinji and Kensuke in unison, dragging an annoyed looking Touji as Rei trailed behind.
"Bye guys!" Hikari replied as she waved and blushed furiously at the group as they quickly went out of view. "I'll miss you, Touji!"
A whimper could be heard from Touji a mile away.
---
When Kensuke and Shinji got tired of dragging Touji and his heavy body, they helped him to his feet and sat down on a couple of benches for a quick rest.
"Why did you guys have to drag me away man, I wanted to spend some time with her," Touji said while straightening his shirt "I would of bopped you two but I didn't want to get Hikari angry."
"Yeah we know" said Kensuke while Shinji remembered actually being bopped by Touji when he first arrived in Tokyo-3.
"Look on the bright side, Touji," said Shinji, trying to forget the beating he received.
"What bright side?"
"Hikari wanted you to go and since you didn't want to leave her or have fun without her, doesn't that send a message about how you feel for her ?"
"Yeah...... Yeah! And that means I'm in the good books!" said Touji with new found happiness.
As Touji completely takes in that he had impressed Hikari without even knowing it, Kensuke and Shinji could only sigh.
Since Shinji's arm was now free, Rei made her move and quickly latched onto it with a smile. The group got back off of the bench and continued on their walk to the arcade more upbeat.
---
When the gang finally arrived at the enormous Video Arcade, Kensuke broke off the gang first to play, naturally, the war games. Next was Touji, who specialized in the pre-second impact NBA games. Since Shinji and Rei haven't really spent much time in the arcade they wandered around the arcade arm in arm looking for a game which caught their attention.
Finally, they came across a game which looked like a cockpit of a machine. When the pair examined it more closely they found out it was a cockpit of a rather old Gundam sort of game , where you pilot robots against one another.
"Hey Rei-chan, how bout we both play this game" Shinji said while reading the instructions and finding it quite interesting.
"Yes, I would like to try it," Rei said plainly while looking at the game with astonishment.
Shinji, being the gentlemen he is, helped Rei into her game machine and then got into his own. They both quickly deposited their money into their games and started.
Shinji and Rei quickly got through the tutorial and begun to choose their mechas. Rei firstly chose a blue mecha with a huge arsenal and, Shinji chose a purple robot so that both of their selections would match their own evas.
"Good luck Rei-chan" Shinji happily shot over to Rei.
"You too Shinji-kun" replied Rei.
Then the game began...........
---
Back over at the Horaki residence, Hikari had just arrived at apartment gates, because on the way home she had made a quick stop at the supermarket to get some groceries for dinner. When Hikari had made it up the elevator and towards the door of her apartment she spotted a red haired figure leaning on the railings.
"Asuka?" said Hikari, both happy and worried at the same time.
"Hey" Asuka said tiredly, with no life in her voice.
"Asuka!!!" Hikari said while dropping her grocery bags and running over to Asuka and giving her a hug. "Are you alright? Where have you been the whole day, I was worried!?" she quickly continued.
"I'm fine , It's not like I was gone for a week or a month or something."
"Yeah, well, you were supposed to meet me this morning and when you didn't I looked everywhere for you" said Hikari with a angry voice and disappointed look.
"Sorry, I kinda forgot about it, I had a lot on my mind..........." Asuka said softly.
"I see..." said Hikari. Reassuringly, she continued, "Do you want to come in and talk about it?"
".........................." Asuka's only reply was silence.
"Asuka?" Hikari restated her question.
"O.o.ok" Asuka said reluctantly.
"Good, come in Asuka" Hikari said while ushering Asuka inside her apartment.
Once inside the apartment Hikari announced her arrival and started putting away the groceries when a giant ball of energy (A.K.A. her little sister) came running out of her room and gave Hikari a big hug.
"Hi Nozomi-chan" Hikari said while giving her little sister a big hug back.
"Can I go over to Kasumi's house!!!!!!!!!!" Nozomi said over excitedly "Please, pleasepleaseplease PLEASE!!!" she jabbered
"Well......................ok" Hikari replied after a brief moment to think.
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH" Nozomi shouted happily
"But I thought we were going to do something together..........Oh well go have fun" Hikari said with a smile.
"Okay, thanks Hikari"
"First, aren't you going to say hello to Asuka?"
"Oh... I'm so sorry, Hi Asuka-san, bye Asuka-san" Nozomi said while chucking her shoes on and bolting to the door.
"Be back for dinner !" Hikari shouted out the door, and when not receiving an answer she figured her little sister must of really stepped on the gas and didn't hear her so Hikari went back to the kitchen to talk to Asuka.
Hikari quickly finished unpacking the groceries and gathered some snacks and soda's for herself and Asuka.
She then placed the tray of food on the table and sat down opposite Asuka on the table.
"A little bundle of energy you got yourself" Asuka commented
"Yeah ..........she's a handful but it keeps me young" Hikari said while quietly giggling "Sounds like I'm an aging mother."
Asuka did join in the giggling but soon stopped and turned back into her down mood. "I wish I was like that, she said very quietly.
An eerie silence enveloped the two until Hikari finally broke it. "You are Asuka, you always were a ball of energy."
"I was," was all Asuka said, still speaking very quietly.
"Asuka, do you want me to help?" Hikari said reassuringly, "Tell me what's wrong. Asuka, I'm here for you"
"......................"
"I'm your best friend Asuka, I'm here to help" Hikari stated.
"Thanks, Hikari" said Asuka, smiling for the first time today.
With that said, Asuka thought for a few minutes to try and find the right words to express herself.
The silence of thinking continued to flow through the room like a thick fog, but when Asuka finally thought up of what to say she let it go.
"I'm worthless," Asuka said in a quiet voice as if she had given up on life completely.
"NO YOUR NOT ASUKA, DON'T SAY THAT!!!" Hikari yelled, surprising Asuka and herself with her outburst.
"But its the truth, I can't escape it," Asuka said again in her previous tone, "I am now good for nothing, worthless, and mean nothing."
"Your aren't worthless Asuka, you're smart, strong , confident , beautiful and you're a savior for the earth"
"Thats what everyone says but I'm no savior anymore, that's BAKA Shinji's and Hiro's job now..." Asuka said, then turned her head downwards, "I've been surpassed once again."
(She just has so much pride, she feels as she has completely lost it) thought Hikari while a silence once again filters the room.
"I trained for so many years, Hikari, just for one thing and that was Eva" Asuka stated as she began to shudder while Hikari could only sit closer to her and lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"But your good at other things Asuka, it doesn't always have to be about your Eva !" Hikari insisted.
"But Eva is my life and I'm not fit to pilot my Eva anymore." Asuka whispers "And that means I am no longer fit for life" She continues, falling into tears.
Hikari tightens her grip on Asuka's shoulders as she listens to the words which are spilling out of Asuka's mouth.
"NERV will soon start to look for a new pilot and I will be discarded like a tool which has no use anymore," whispers Asuka.
"Asuka listen to me, you are not useless, you will be yourself in no..."
Before Hikari could finish Asuka cut her off. "I can't! I couldn't destroy the frickin angel, and what's worse is I had to be helped by him"
(Him?) Hikari pondered until she got it was Hiro. "Asuka he helped you because he..."
"Likes me !" Asuka finished Hikari's sentence. "No one ever could and I want to keep it that way!" yelled Asuka as she violently stood from her chair, causing it to topple backwards, and bolted for the door to make a dash out of the apartment.
"Asuka..."
---
Back over at the arcade a crowd of excited and amazed teens mobbed around the game units which occupied Shinji and Rei. The two pilots seemed to attract unwanted attention from the other gamers as Shinji and Rei had chosen the co-op mode instead of the versus at the beginning and were coming to the closing levels to the mecha game. What really caught the crowds attention is that the way the two played like pros and were about to finish the game no person had been able to beat yet.
The crowd of teens and the arcade staff watched in awe, and even the manager thought this event was worth putting up on the big screen. Shinji and Rei were really opening up their talents as one by one they took out the enemy without stiff movements, but rather in one swift motion.
As the game came into a close and Shinji had just delivered an uppercut to the final boss the crowd roared with clapping and cheering , while Shinji and Rei inputted their names into the ranking system and came out both in 1st place equal.
When the two pilots got out of their machines they were applauded even louder and started being congratulated by random people until the voice of the manager came over the intercom.
"Congratulations, Sir and Madam, you have completed the hardest game in our arcade with flying colors" the manager roared "How do you do it?"
"Well...um..." Shinji stammered, a little nervous due to the attention but luckily or unluckily for him, Kensuke and Touji decided to intervene.
"That's because they ARE pilots" Touji stated matter-of-factly, while going up to Shinji and wrapping his arm around his neck. "My friend and his lovely lady here are the famous pilots of the giant robots called the Evangelions which saves our sorry asses whenever there is an angel attack and we civilians cower in shelters," Touji once again broadly stated with confidence.
"They are the best in the business and the worlds hero and heroine" Kensuke joined in.
The crowd began to gasp and chatter as they knew of the robot but never knew of the pilots. Then a brief silence came upon the arcade until it was rudely broken by the crowd trying to talk and meet the saviors of the human race.
"They're the pilots! oooooh, so COOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL!!!" yelled a little kid
"Wow! They save the world," a high school junior said.
"Wow, I wonder if the blue haired girl is his girlfriend? I hope not," a schoolgirl said to one of her friends.
Of course, all the attention brought a shade of crimson flush over Shinji's face while he began to shake everyone's hands. Even Rei became very flushed due to all this attention.
---
When Shinji and Rei were able to escape the crowd of people who now know of the pilot's identities , the two squeezed themselves outside and found Touji and Kensuke sitting on a bench eating ice-cream.
"Jeez guys why did you have to say to everyone that were pilots?" Shinji said angrily.
"Yes Suzahara, Aida, why did you have to announce our jobs , it only caused havoc," stated Rei
"Yeah yeah, sorry we just thought you two needed to be appreciated more for what you do," Kensuke said
"That's right, plus think of it as we saved you, because they would have bugged you until they got how you play the game so well, and cause Shinji here to stutter and cause damage to his skull," Touji laughed
"Thanks guys," Shinji said with a smile which then turned upside down, "Hey, don't we get ice cream ?"
"Sorry dude, we just used our spare change, were broke" Kensuke said while he and Touji emptied their pockets and a little anime spoof sound appeared indicating that they were broke.
Shinji sweat dropped
"We got to get home anyway Shinji, go treat ya girlfriend to something nice aye?"
Touji gave Shinji a reassuring thumbs up, "O...o.o...ok" stammered Shinji while Touji and Kensuke stood to leave.
"Laters Shinji, Ayanami" Shinji's two friends yelled to him while they ran back to their homes.
"Well I guess we can go do something. How bout we get some ice cream?" Shinji said with a smile, and took hold of Rei's hand.
Rei gave Shinji one of her rare genuine smiles back "That would be nice"
The pair then walked off in the direction of the nearest ice cream stall. When they found a stall Shinji purchased a green tea cone for him and Rei and they both sat down on a bench to enjoy them.
"This ice-cream flavor is very...delicious" Rei said as if she hadn't tasted it before.
"I'm glad you like it Rei-chan, green tea is my favorite flavor"
The pair sat and enjoyed the full flavor of their cones, especially Rei who seemed to take a liking to it. Once they had finished their cones Rei realized that Shinji had some ice cream on his chin so she used her index finger and wiped it away for him.
"Thanks Rei-chan" Shinji said while blushing.
"Your welcome Shinji-kun" replied Rei as she leaned her head onto Shinji's shoulder and the two sat staring at the start of the sunset.
They stared off in silence as they enjoyed the romantic moment while Shinji thought of something.
"Rei-chan , I think that us finishing that game at the arcade together symbolizes how we are so good together as a team on the field and together as a couple." Shinji said out of the blue.
"Yes, it could be our symbol stating our affection for one another" Rei said while turning her head to look up at Shinji.
As Rei looked up , Shinji looked downwards and became entranced by Rei's beautiful crimson eyes which show a depth that no other could show. The two stared into each others eyes looking for any insecurity and doubt, and when finding nothing but the force of what you could call love they slowly moved in closer to each other.
Inch
By
Inch
As if in a romance flick they slowly came closer while both their heart beats jumped more than a beat and the desire to hold each other more overpowering than anything else.
They moved slowly until... they closed their eyes and Shinji tilted his head and their lips touched. Shinji and Rei's heart were beating so furiously while their whole body was steaming from the moment. Shinji, being a gentleman, didn't want to force it onto Rei so he kept it
decent by wrapping his arms around her waist and slowly bringing her closer , wanting to be as close as he could be to her without being what Asuka would call a pervert.
The pair kissed and kept their lips locked softly, on the bench while the sun set in the background. When Shinji broke the kiss he blushed brightly enough to match the sunset as he became fidgety while Rei on the other hand was so amazed and happy that she had experienced a kiss which meant affection towards one another with someone she cared for.
In turn the two both blushed to their fullest and sat back in their normal positions. They both knew they both enjoyed it as neither wanted to pull away but being human means they have to come out to breathe.
"Rei-chan that was...um...." Shinji squeaked as he couldn't stop blushing.
"Wonderful," replied Rei as she smiled while a blush also crept up onto her face.
"Yeah..." Shinji sighed contently as he took hold of Rei's hand and looked to already set sun and the street lights being put on. "It's getting late, Rei-chan , we better get home."
"Yes" Rei said with a unusually disappointed tone.
The two got up from the bench and silently made their way back to Rei's Apartment.
When they arrived Shinji and Rei stood opposite each other in front of Rei's apartment door and shared another peaceful goodnight kiss. "Goodnight Rei-chan, I'll see you tomorrow at school," Shinji said with a blush while holding both of Rei's hands in front of him.
"Yes goodnight Shinji-kun" Rei replied with a smile and entered her apartment
When Rei had completely closed the door, Shinji turned from his position and made his way down to the ground floor and started his long trek home. Shinji had just experienced his first kiss in a way, since the kiss with Asuka was not good on both parts apparently, but nonetheless he had shared a kiss with a lovely girl. He was over the moon with happiness but the realization of going home to Asuka meant that if she was home, it would be a aspect which would bring the world down.
The arcade trip did its job in suppressing the thoughts of Asuka away for awhile but in the end it comes back full blast.
(I hope Asuka IS okay though) Shinji thought as he crossed an intersection (I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her)
Shinji pushed the thoughts of Asuka away as he wanted to keep this day a day to remember but the thought of Misato cooking overpowered them. So Shinji looked down to his cell-phone for the time and read it as nearing 7. If he ran, he could make it in time to prevent Misato from what she would call cooking.
Shinji ran... pretty damn fast for a skinny boy.
---
Back over at Rei's apartment, Rei sat on her bed musing of the day and a slight smile and blush crept up on her face.
(The kiss we shared was... so wonderful, I was one with Shinji in a way of affection) Rei mused (It gave me a feeling of warmth and security) Rei continued as she couldn't help but keep smiling and holding her hands together on her heart as if it was going to pop out.
"You have captured my heart and soul, Shinji" Rei said softly "I am glad you have chosen me to which you would share this feeling"
---
Back over at the Katsuragi residence, Shinji busted through the apartment door as soon as he arrived. Shinji firstly scanned the room for smoke or any foul smell, but after doing so, he happily concluded that the effects of Misato's cooking were not lingering around. However, he found it odd that the lights have not been turned on and the room was covered in total darkness.
Shinji shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen to confirm his findings, turning the light on and found it untouched and as he left it. He happily sighed and slouched over onto the table.
"Where have you been?" A voice said from the darkness.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Shinji yelled in utter surprise and fell over pale white onto the kitchen floor.
The lights in the living room flickered on and the owner of the voice, Misato Katsuragi, she ran over to the Shinji's limp figure.
"Shinji, Shinji, you alright kiddo?" Misato asked as he helped Shinji up onto a chair
"Misato, you scared me!!!" a still shocked Shinji replied while gathering his peanuts.
Misato started to rub her head and poke her tongue out, "Sorry, I didn't mean to, it was just a joke."
"Yeah, one that nearly killed me," Shinji mumbled.
The two shared a quick laugh, but Misato soon changed into her serious Major of Operations mode.
"Anyway where have you been Shinji" ordered Misato, "I was worried sick ,you don't normally come home late without a phone call , a note..." Misato rambled on like a mother would when angry with the kids and a glare to top things off.
"Sorry, I was just... um... well..." Shinji stuttetered under the major's glare. "Uh... we... ya... um..." he continued as he began to sweat.
"JUST KIDDING SHINJI, you're too easy," Misato said right before she blew up once again in laughter.
"Huh?"
"I already know where you where, I asked section 2," Misato said still giggling,"You were at the arcade with your friends."
"Um... yeah," said Shinji, realizing that he had been tricked once again but relaxing as Misato doesn't know about the part after the arcade.
"Then you had some PRIVATE time with Rei," Misato evilly grinned and started elbowing Shinji "I see it was VERY romantic , good thinking Shinji" she continued while childishly urging Shinji to spill it.
(Damn)
"Mi...Misato!" Shinji said blushing and finding his feet interesting
"Shinji the ladies man, who would of figured," Misato joked , while gently placing her arm around Shinji's shoulder "Don't worry Shinji, I'm not going to pry, just be nice to Rei. Okay?"
"I always am, Misato," replied Shinji
"Good," Misato then guided Shinji to sit on a chair while she started to collect items from the drawers. "I'm gonna get started on dinner"
"Nooooooooooo!!!" Shinji yelled and made a quick dive to grab the utensils and keep then as far away from Misato as he could. "I think I should do it Misato," Shinji said as he wiped the sweat off his brow and slowly started cooking.
"My cooking isn't that bad you know!" Misato pouted. (You fell into my trap little Shinji Ikari , today was my day to cook and now I got my self out of it when I was going to order takeout. You just saved me couple of bucks Hehe) Misato thought with a grin.
Misato then turned on her heels and grabbed a beer from the fridge then made her way to the lounge. "Tell me when its dinner okay Shin-chan" she said while flopping onto the couch and turning the TV on.
"Yeah... okay" Shinji replied from the kitchen.
---
About 45 minutes later Misato could smell the wonderful smell of Yakizakana drifting through the air and into her nose. "Smells good Shinji" she yelled into the kitchen while muting the TV.
"Thanks Misato, its ready now" Shinji said as he cleared the table and started to put plates and chopsticks on the table. "Um... is Asuka going to eat Misato?" Shinji asked nervously.
Realizing she hadn't seen Asuka all day Misato went to her room, feeling a little guilty as she hadn't checked up on her. Misato knew that Asuka didn't go to school and thought she needed a break to think and knew that she would be alright but had forgotten to check up on her personally.
When Misato reached Asuka's door she found a plain piece of white paper cello taped onto the door stating in bold Kanji 'leave me alone'. Coming to the conclusion that Asuka wasn't going to join them , Misato went over to the kitchen and sat down. "I don't think Asuka wants to join us Shinji" she said.
"But Misato, she has to eat," Shinji said worryingly as he placed the food on the table.
"She needs time alone Shinji" Misato plainly said and received a nod from Shinji saying he understood.
"Ill leave her something for later then" Shinji said
The two then ate their dinner in silence.
----
When they had finished Shinji cleared up as usual as Misato said her goodnights, grabbed as much beer as she could, and escaped off into her room. Shinji couldn't stop thinking about Asuka; even though he had just had a wonderful day, he kept remembering Asuka and the pain she must be going through. Shinji finished clearing the table and made his way to his room but first made a turn to Asuka door.
Shinji read the note attached to the door and could only get more worried. He traced the messy writing of kanji with his finger and sighed "I hope you get better soon Asuka." he said and turned to his room for a night he knew would be hard to sleep as he remembered Hiro's state once again at the still folded futon which hasn't been used for a while.
"Why do people around me always have to be in pain" Shinji asked to no one in particular but himself.
"And why is that when something good happens something else brings it back down....." He continued while flopping onto his futon still fully clothed
End of chapter 6 , Chapter 7 coming soon.
Hey Hey thats chapter 6 and as I said first im real sorry for the lateness but i hope this chapter makes up for it , Its not that bad right ?
Anway please R and R ,I like reading them
And dont fear the next chapter is coming.
Also any Q's drop us a line at Original_Aki@hotmail.com
Th1Rd_Ch1Ld