Chapter 8: Dream
Eagles- One of these nights
Darn. Practice was tiring. He plopped into bed and prayed for good dreams.
---------
He suddenly realized that he didn't want to find her. Perhaps she was the kind of person more real in a dream, someone whose tangible existence he didn't want to acknowledge. It wasn't that he disliked her. If she were far away from him, he could love her forever. He didn't want to look for her a thousand times, only to find out that she was imperfect.
He played his cello when she asked him to, and she yelled at him when he made a stupid mistake. What exactly did she mean to him, anyway?
----------
The blue sky matched his eyes perfectly. She stood at the window. A serene wind blew through the apartment and lifted her hair, twirling the individual strands. No one knows. He doesn't even know. She looked down at her palms. She was almost ashamed of how she treated him. Almost. We hurt the ones we love-she knew that perfectly well. But could she ever express-
----------
"Coffee!" yelled Misato.
-----------
"Eeeeeek!"
Pen-pen.
-----------
"I am I."
Rei.
-----------
"Listen, it's a fresh day. Good sunshine outside. Go do something. I need to go to the back-doctor to get my back-brace checked soon, but I advise that everyone seeing this do something fun today. Find that lost friend. Go on a date. Do something. It's a day for fun, for activity. And, most importantly of all, tell that someone you love them."
NJFDSjdfgmxdb News. I'll be back.
------------
-That Morning, as experienced by each of the individual members of the Katsuragi household.
-----------
"One of these dreams…one of these lost and lonely dreams…"
"So, Shinji, what do think about this G&L bass? It's a jazz bass. Real low action and maple neck. You could play it in your sleep. Smooth and easy. Don't you wish all women were that way?"
"I dunno. I wish I…Can you turn around?"
She giggled. Turning around, she watched the report and mimicked the reporter.
……
"Shinji?"
"Hold on…"
"Hey, there's no music practice today. Want to go shopping, Shinji?"
He faltered. "I wish…"
"Wish?"
"I wish I had enough money."
"I think we'd be happier without it. It's just a distraction. Can I turn around?"
"No."
Whistle, whistle.
"Shinji?"
"I'm still not done."
….
"Okay, now!"
"Oh lord, Shinji."
She was red in the face.
"Happy birthday, Asuka!"
--------
"I've been searching for the daughter of the devil himself,
I've been searching for an angel in white…"
Shinji: "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"
Asuka: "Guess."
Shinji: "I don't know."
"You're so brainless, Shinji. Just exert yourself for once…try to conceive."
"I'm not sure."
"Just keep trying."
"Sunny side up?"
"Try again."
Shinji rolled on his side to face her.
"Fertilized?"
"Try harder!"
"Aborted?"
"Harder!"
"Asuka, stop screaming. The neighbors are going to wander what's wrong with us."
"I don't mind."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Asuka."
"So the great chef, Shinji, has come here to prepare my eggs, but he can't even conceive. Stupid Baka."
----------
"Oooh, loneliness will find you, in between the wrong and the right…"
There was little to nothing in the void. Just a soft muttering. She opened her eyes. His breathing came to her through the wall that separated their rooms. She had snapped at him during dinner, and refused to sleep next to him in the living room, as was the custom. They had both retired to their individual rooms. She sighed. She was tired, but sleep wouldn't come. Outside, the night animals were wide awake. Then again, no crickets tonight. And the shooting stars…Misato had decorated the ceiling well. But she didn't want to watch them forever.
He was deep asleep. Stupid Baka…
Why was she like that to him? Perhaps she should apologize…
She lifted the covers to her bed. A nightlight illuminated the far side of the room, and she squinted at the dim clock. 2 AM. She went to the closet and grabbed her classical.
*Squeak*
Shinji lay in his sleep, mumbling.
"Dad? Dad? No…I don't want to…"
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, nudging him with insistence.
"Wake up…wake up!" she hissed.
"Okay, okay."
He lifted his head and saw red. He knew, unmistakably, who it was.
"Hey, Asuka…" he groaned.
"Hey, do you wanna play?"
He sat bolt upright. Was this sounding familiar or what?
"Yea, sure. Play what?"
"Just…music. I can't sleep. I think…something soft and nice. Haven't you ever wanted to play at night?"
He thought for a moment. "Actually, I've wanted to for quite a while."
"Don't hold back."
Asuka plopped down on a floor cushion and plucked an A minor chord. Shinji walked over to the closet, pulling out his acoustic.
"So…wanna jam?"
"Do I ever."
"3…2…1… Let's jam!"
"One of these crazy, crazy, crazy nights…"
Shinji strummed his guitar as if the world had come to an end. Asuka mingled her voice in the chords, blending the soft notes together. All the strains uplifted her, the arpeggios just like petals of chocolate…falling sweetly, one by one, into the ear as the night stood still, the two lying on the floor, time pausing, allowing them to lose themselves in indescribable dreams.
Eagles- One of these nights
Darn. Practice was tiring. He plopped into bed and prayed for good dreams.
---------
He suddenly realized that he didn't want to find her. Perhaps she was the kind of person more real in a dream, someone whose tangible existence he didn't want to acknowledge. It wasn't that he disliked her. If she were far away from him, he could love her forever. He didn't want to look for her a thousand times, only to find out that she was imperfect.
He played his cello when she asked him to, and she yelled at him when he made a stupid mistake. What exactly did she mean to him, anyway?
----------
The blue sky matched his eyes perfectly. She stood at the window. A serene wind blew through the apartment and lifted her hair, twirling the individual strands. No one knows. He doesn't even know. She looked down at her palms. She was almost ashamed of how she treated him. Almost. We hurt the ones we love-she knew that perfectly well. But could she ever express-
----------
"Coffee!" yelled Misato.
-----------
"Eeeeeek!"
Pen-pen.
-----------
"I am I."
Rei.
-----------
"Listen, it's a fresh day. Good sunshine outside. Go do something. I need to go to the back-doctor to get my back-brace checked soon, but I advise that everyone seeing this do something fun today. Find that lost friend. Go on a date. Do something. It's a day for fun, for activity. And, most importantly of all, tell that someone you love them."
NJFDSjdfgmxdb News. I'll be back.
------------
-That Morning, as experienced by each of the individual members of the Katsuragi household.
-----------
"One of these dreams…one of these lost and lonely dreams…"
"So, Shinji, what do think about this G&L bass? It's a jazz bass. Real low action and maple neck. You could play it in your sleep. Smooth and easy. Don't you wish all women were that way?"
"I dunno. I wish I…Can you turn around?"
She giggled. Turning around, she watched the report and mimicked the reporter.
……
"Shinji?"
"Hold on…"
"Hey, there's no music practice today. Want to go shopping, Shinji?"
He faltered. "I wish…"
"Wish?"
"I wish I had enough money."
"I think we'd be happier without it. It's just a distraction. Can I turn around?"
"No."
Whistle, whistle.
"Shinji?"
"I'm still not done."
….
"Okay, now!"
"Oh lord, Shinji."
She was red in the face.
"Happy birthday, Asuka!"
--------
"I've been searching for the daughter of the devil himself,
I've been searching for an angel in white…"
Shinji: "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"
Asuka: "Guess."
Shinji: "I don't know."
"You're so brainless, Shinji. Just exert yourself for once…try to conceive."
"I'm not sure."
"Just keep trying."
"Sunny side up?"
"Try again."
Shinji rolled on his side to face her.
"Fertilized?"
"Try harder!"
"Aborted?"
"Harder!"
"Asuka, stop screaming. The neighbors are going to wander what's wrong with us."
"I don't mind."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Asuka."
"So the great chef, Shinji, has come here to prepare my eggs, but he can't even conceive. Stupid Baka."
----------
"Oooh, loneliness will find you, in between the wrong and the right…"
There was little to nothing in the void. Just a soft muttering. She opened her eyes. His breathing came to her through the wall that separated their rooms. She had snapped at him during dinner, and refused to sleep next to him in the living room, as was the custom. They had both retired to their individual rooms. She sighed. She was tired, but sleep wouldn't come. Outside, the night animals were wide awake. Then again, no crickets tonight. And the shooting stars…Misato had decorated the ceiling well. But she didn't want to watch them forever.
He was deep asleep. Stupid Baka…
Why was she like that to him? Perhaps she should apologize…
She lifted the covers to her bed. A nightlight illuminated the far side of the room, and she squinted at the dim clock. 2 AM. She went to the closet and grabbed her classical.
*Squeak*
Shinji lay in his sleep, mumbling.
"Dad? Dad? No…I don't want to…"
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, nudging him with insistence.
"Wake up…wake up!" she hissed.
"Okay, okay."
He lifted his head and saw red. He knew, unmistakably, who it was.
"Hey, Asuka…" he groaned.
"Hey, do you wanna play?"
He sat bolt upright. Was this sounding familiar or what?
"Yea, sure. Play what?"
"Just…music. I can't sleep. I think…something soft and nice. Haven't you ever wanted to play at night?"
He thought for a moment. "Actually, I've wanted to for quite a while."
"Don't hold back."
Asuka plopped down on a floor cushion and plucked an A minor chord. Shinji walked over to the closet, pulling out his acoustic.
"So…wanna jam?"
"Do I ever."
"3…2…1… Let's jam!"
"One of these crazy, crazy, crazy nights…"
Shinji strummed his guitar as if the world had come to an end. Asuka mingled her voice in the chords, blending the soft notes together. All the strains uplifted her, the arpeggios just like petals of chocolate…falling sweetly, one by one, into the ear as the night stood still, the two lying on the floor, time pausing, allowing them to lose themselves in indescribable dreams.