You guys caught on the Kaji/Misato link pretty quick. Well, I intended to make it the way it is, but it will change later on.
Anyway, the first chapter was only a prologue. The real stuff begins now.
********************
Chapter 1
---
A month passed quickly for Shinji and Hitomi. Before either one of them realized, they were saying farewell to their close friends and co-workers at the airport.
Shinji was surrounded by large group of people, mainly his old time friends from school and some from Nerv. Misato was also amongst them.
Hitomi was giving her best friend one last hug before she took a step back and said her final goodbye.
"Don't look so sad guys, we won't be gone forever." Shinji assured everyone around him.
"Heh, that's our Shinji!" Touji patted Shinji on the back with his good arm. Although the ex-jock had been given the best artificial limbs available after the Unit 03 incident, they were still no match for his originals. Because of this, his prowess at sports had been nullified and his phisique had suffered because of it.
Kensuke grinned from behind his camera as he recorded the event.
Turning back to the people that surrounded him, Shinji noticed something strange.
"Misato, are you crying?"
She sniffed. "I'm sorry, Shinji... I just get so emotional sometimes..." Not being able to hold back any longer, she rushed over to him and pulled him in to a hug. Although Misato was now at an age well above forty, her natural beauty still remained pretty much un-changed.
"You just hurry back... okay?"
He smiled. "Sure."
********************
*German Nerv Branch*
Two large doors opened automatically, admitting Asuka in to the office of the base's number one in charge. It was as though an ominous darkness hovered above the mysterious commander.
"You wanted to see me sir?"
"That is correct." He shuffled some papers on his desk. "Today is the day that Unit 01 and it's pilot will be arriving from Japan."
"I am already aware of that."
"Yes, that's right." He took one of the sheets and threw it in to a bin at the side of his desk. "I want you to be the one to greet the new pilot when she arrives at the base."
"Alright." She turned to leave.
"Before you go…" She paused and looked back at the commander as he spoke. "The Pilot will have an escort with her. I believe it is someone you are familiar with."
"Is that relevant?"
"Not really." The commander smirked. "I just thought you'd like to know."
She remained at attention for a few moments.
"You may go, Sub-Commander."
"Yes sir."
********************
*The skies over the Pacific Ocean*
The gigantic aircraft flew at a steady pace high above the clouds. It carried the silent form of the purple Evangelion with it.
Shinji made his way over to the cockpit to talk with the pilots.
"Why are we flying over the pacific? It would be a quicker route to Germany if we flew in the opposite direction."
"Yes that's true." One of the crewmen replied. "But we have our orders."
"The safety of this aircraft?"
The Captain turned in his chair to look at Shinji. "Nerv still has many enemies; the skies over the seas are the safest."
Satisfied with the answer, Shinji returned to his seat at the far end of the transport. He saw that Hitomi was waving for him to hurry up and join her.
"Hey, where did you go?"
"I was just curious about something." He replied.
"So, how long is the journey to Germany going to take?" Hitomi asked him.
"It will be about 12 more hours before we arrive and touch down."
"Aww man, that's ages."
Shinji sighed deeply.
"I'm glad you decided to come with me." She told him after a while.
He smiled. "I couldn't let you go off all on your own now, could I?" Shinji cringed as he received a light punch to his shoulder for his trouble.
The girl smiled at her handy work and wrapped herself around his arm. "We're gonna have a lot fo fun, aren't we?"
Shinji eyed her suspiciously. "Um... I guess."
"Yay!"
********************
*German Nerv Branch - Central Runway*
Asuka looked up at the plane that was slowly descending to their position.
"Well I'll be... They actually came on time."
---
The door to the gigantic aircraft slowly opened and an ecstatic looking girl hopped down the stairs leading to the ground.
Asuka watched with a twitch in her eye as the girl ran circles around her. Eventually she stopped and walked up to face the Sub Commander.
"Sorry about that." The girl smiled. "I had some excess energy to burn off. I'm Hitomi, Unit 01's current active pilot."
"Right." Asuka's gaze finally softened. "I'm Sub Commander Sohryu."
"I'm pleased to meet you."
"Same here." Asuka nodded. "I was told that you would be escorted here by someone?"
"Oh?" Suddenly Hitomi's eyes began to sparkle and she smiled again. "He'll be coming down in a minute."
"Hey Hitomi, were you talking about me?" A voice sounded from behind them.
When Asuka looked at who had spoken, it took her a few moments to process the information. In front of her, there stood a tall, good looking man the same age as her. She was amazed when the realization of who it was sunk in. Gone was the skinny frame, now replaced with broad shoulders. Gone were those sad and uncertain eyes, yet the new ones were still that same blue that would haunt her every time she closed hers.
"S-Shinji?"
He looked at her for a moment before answering. "Oh... You must be the Sub-Commander." He said in a level voice. "I see you've already met Hitomi."
The girl in question smiled at being mentioned and latched on to Shinji again.
Asuka could only stutter. "Y-Yes."
"Well," Shinji spoke up. "I have some unloading to do, so if you'll excuse me..." He turned and walked away, with Hitomi skipping behind him.
********************
Asuka walked in to her office and shut the door behind her. Collapsing on a chair, all she could do was sigh. Her mind was quickly spinning out of control.
Shinji.
Shinji was here.
The same Shinji from thirteen years ago... though he wasn't the same anymore...
A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Come in." She said aloud. The door opened revealing her friend Hurshy.
"Hey, what's up Asuka?"
"A lot of things..."
Her friend looked puzzled for a moment. "Oh yeah, the new pilot arrived today. So, have you met her yet?"
"I did." Asuka replied.
"Really? What's she like?"
"I honestly don't know..." She replied, carried away. Remembering something in the back of her head Asuka looked down at her watch. "Look, Hurshy, I'd like to talk to you but there are some things I have to do." Standing up she walked to the door. "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Hurshy said, waving her hand a bit. "It's no prob, I'll see you later!"
********************
Shinji and Hitomi were seated in one of the Nerv Cafe's, and were enjoying a drink of some colourful and surprisingly tasty soda.
"So, how come we're just waiting here?" Hitomi asked him.
"This is where we're supposed to meet the Sub Commander." He explained. "Apparently she'll be the one to show us to the apartment we'll be staying in."
Hitomi looked up at the news. "We're going to be sharing in the same apartment?"
"We could be..." He sounded unsure. "But I'm pretty certain they'll give us separate rooms." He assured her.
Unknown to him, Hitomi was greatly disappointed by what he had said. "Hey look, here she comes." The young girl said pointing in a direction behind him.
He turned to see Asuka approaching their table.
"Hi." She said.
"Hello." Hitomi and Shinji both replied.
"Mind if I join you guys?" Asuka asked them. Shinji shrugged while Hitomi pointed to the empty seat beside her.
All three of them were quiet for a moment before Asuka chose to break the ice.
"So Shinji... it really has been a while hasn't it?"
He was silent for a moment. "Yes." He finally said. "It has."
"You two know each-other?" Hitomi asked aloud. She was quite frightened at the prospect of this attractive redhead being close to her object of affection.
"Indeed we do." Asuka answered. "Although it's been so long since we've spoken to each-other."
Shinji nodded.
"Anyway," Asuka chose to change the subject and turned to Hitomi. "How did you end up as the pilot for Unit 01?"
"I was chosen out of a number of potential candidates." Hitomi replied.
"And you pilot Unit 01?" Asuka asked. "I didn't think that anyone apart from Shinji could do it."
Shinji chose to answer this question. "There are no limits to what anyone can achieve. I trained her myself, I showed her how to open her mind to the Eva. Her sync ratio is almost at the same level as mine."
Asuka was very impressed by the strong tone Shinji used to answer her question. It left no room for error; He knew what he was talking about.
"Well, you guys would probably like to get some rest." Asuka said as she stood up. "Why don't I give you a ride to the place you'll be staying?" The question was rhetorical of course.
The trio walked over to Asuka's car and they soon departed.
"Your stuff has already been delivered." She told them from behind the wheel of the sporty red car. "You're all set for a good rest until tomorrow."
********************
When they arrived at their new residence, Shinji and Hitomi couldn't help but be impressed. They weren't given an apartment, but instead they had been provided with a nice medium sized suburban house.
"Well, this sure is better than what they provide us with in Japan." Shinji commented.
"Germany knows how to treat people!" Asuka stated boldly.
The trio walked up to the front door. Shinji opened the door but before he could walk in he was interrupted by Asuka.
"Shinji, can I talk to you for a moment?"
He looked back at her before telling Hitomi to go inside and have a look around. She complied, but not before giving Asuka a suspicious glare.
When to door was closed he finally spoke. "Yes?"
"Shinji, how would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night? We could catch up on old times." Asuka suggested.
He looked away for a while before he shook his head.
"The day after, maybe?" Asuka asked him hopefully.
"No." He replied flatly.
"But Shinji, it's been so long, it just wouldn't be right if we didn't spend some time together." She offered. "Just like old time."
She had hoped that this would convince him, but instead she was surprised when an angry expression took over the features on his face.
"Tell me Asuka." He hissed. "Do you remember what I told you that day before you left Japan?"
She was surprised, but after a while she nodded.
"I believe I said that I would always remain by your side, and that I'd never leave you."
She looked down at the floor when his words sunk in.
"I would have never broken that promise... but in the end, it was you who left me..." His anger was gone now, replaced with a look of sadness and regret. "Maybe it would have been better if I had never said anything..."
She could no longer look at his face. She felt so ashamed and guilty. "Shinji... I..." She was silenced when he lifted his hand up.
"I'm sorry Asuka..." He said quietly. "...I just don't want you in my life again. I hope you can understand."
With that said he walked in to the house and quietly shut the door, leaving Asuka alone outside.
It took her a while to realize that she was crying. It was silent, but there was no mistaking it. She tried to wipe the tears away as she made her way down to her car.
"Damn it..." She sighed as she buried her face in the steering wheel. "Why...?"
---
To be continued...
********************
I hope you liked that chapter. I'm afraid it will be a while before my next update. I can only really work on my stories during the week-ends.
Anyway, the first chapter was only a prologue. The real stuff begins now.
********************
Chapter 1
---
A month passed quickly for Shinji and Hitomi. Before either one of them realized, they were saying farewell to their close friends and co-workers at the airport.
Shinji was surrounded by large group of people, mainly his old time friends from school and some from Nerv. Misato was also amongst them.
Hitomi was giving her best friend one last hug before she took a step back and said her final goodbye.
"Don't look so sad guys, we won't be gone forever." Shinji assured everyone around him.
"Heh, that's our Shinji!" Touji patted Shinji on the back with his good arm. Although the ex-jock had been given the best artificial limbs available after the Unit 03 incident, they were still no match for his originals. Because of this, his prowess at sports had been nullified and his phisique had suffered because of it.
Kensuke grinned from behind his camera as he recorded the event.
Turning back to the people that surrounded him, Shinji noticed something strange.
"Misato, are you crying?"
She sniffed. "I'm sorry, Shinji... I just get so emotional sometimes..." Not being able to hold back any longer, she rushed over to him and pulled him in to a hug. Although Misato was now at an age well above forty, her natural beauty still remained pretty much un-changed.
"You just hurry back... okay?"
He smiled. "Sure."
********************
*German Nerv Branch*
Two large doors opened automatically, admitting Asuka in to the office of the base's number one in charge. It was as though an ominous darkness hovered above the mysterious commander.
"You wanted to see me sir?"
"That is correct." He shuffled some papers on his desk. "Today is the day that Unit 01 and it's pilot will be arriving from Japan."
"I am already aware of that."
"Yes, that's right." He took one of the sheets and threw it in to a bin at the side of his desk. "I want you to be the one to greet the new pilot when she arrives at the base."
"Alright." She turned to leave.
"Before you go…" She paused and looked back at the commander as he spoke. "The Pilot will have an escort with her. I believe it is someone you are familiar with."
"Is that relevant?"
"Not really." The commander smirked. "I just thought you'd like to know."
She remained at attention for a few moments.
"You may go, Sub-Commander."
"Yes sir."
********************
*The skies over the Pacific Ocean*
The gigantic aircraft flew at a steady pace high above the clouds. It carried the silent form of the purple Evangelion with it.
Shinji made his way over to the cockpit to talk with the pilots.
"Why are we flying over the pacific? It would be a quicker route to Germany if we flew in the opposite direction."
"Yes that's true." One of the crewmen replied. "But we have our orders."
"The safety of this aircraft?"
The Captain turned in his chair to look at Shinji. "Nerv still has many enemies; the skies over the seas are the safest."
Satisfied with the answer, Shinji returned to his seat at the far end of the transport. He saw that Hitomi was waving for him to hurry up and join her.
"Hey, where did you go?"
"I was just curious about something." He replied.
"So, how long is the journey to Germany going to take?" Hitomi asked him.
"It will be about 12 more hours before we arrive and touch down."
"Aww man, that's ages."
Shinji sighed deeply.
"I'm glad you decided to come with me." She told him after a while.
He smiled. "I couldn't let you go off all on your own now, could I?" Shinji cringed as he received a light punch to his shoulder for his trouble.
The girl smiled at her handy work and wrapped herself around his arm. "We're gonna have a lot fo fun, aren't we?"
Shinji eyed her suspiciously. "Um... I guess."
"Yay!"
********************
*German Nerv Branch - Central Runway*
Asuka looked up at the plane that was slowly descending to their position.
"Well I'll be... They actually came on time."
---
The door to the gigantic aircraft slowly opened and an ecstatic looking girl hopped down the stairs leading to the ground.
Asuka watched with a twitch in her eye as the girl ran circles around her. Eventually she stopped and walked up to face the Sub Commander.
"Sorry about that." The girl smiled. "I had some excess energy to burn off. I'm Hitomi, Unit 01's current active pilot."
"Right." Asuka's gaze finally softened. "I'm Sub Commander Sohryu."
"I'm pleased to meet you."
"Same here." Asuka nodded. "I was told that you would be escorted here by someone?"
"Oh?" Suddenly Hitomi's eyes began to sparkle and she smiled again. "He'll be coming down in a minute."
"Hey Hitomi, were you talking about me?" A voice sounded from behind them.
When Asuka looked at who had spoken, it took her a few moments to process the information. In front of her, there stood a tall, good looking man the same age as her. She was amazed when the realization of who it was sunk in. Gone was the skinny frame, now replaced with broad shoulders. Gone were those sad and uncertain eyes, yet the new ones were still that same blue that would haunt her every time she closed hers.
"S-Shinji?"
He looked at her for a moment before answering. "Oh... You must be the Sub-Commander." He said in a level voice. "I see you've already met Hitomi."
The girl in question smiled at being mentioned and latched on to Shinji again.
Asuka could only stutter. "Y-Yes."
"Well," Shinji spoke up. "I have some unloading to do, so if you'll excuse me..." He turned and walked away, with Hitomi skipping behind him.
********************
Asuka walked in to her office and shut the door behind her. Collapsing on a chair, all she could do was sigh. Her mind was quickly spinning out of control.
Shinji.
Shinji was here.
The same Shinji from thirteen years ago... though he wasn't the same anymore...
A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Come in." She said aloud. The door opened revealing her friend Hurshy.
"Hey, what's up Asuka?"
"A lot of things..."
Her friend looked puzzled for a moment. "Oh yeah, the new pilot arrived today. So, have you met her yet?"
"I did." Asuka replied.
"Really? What's she like?"
"I honestly don't know..." She replied, carried away. Remembering something in the back of her head Asuka looked down at her watch. "Look, Hurshy, I'd like to talk to you but there are some things I have to do." Standing up she walked to the door. "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Hurshy said, waving her hand a bit. "It's no prob, I'll see you later!"
********************
Shinji and Hitomi were seated in one of the Nerv Cafe's, and were enjoying a drink of some colourful and surprisingly tasty soda.
"So, how come we're just waiting here?" Hitomi asked him.
"This is where we're supposed to meet the Sub Commander." He explained. "Apparently she'll be the one to show us to the apartment we'll be staying in."
Hitomi looked up at the news. "We're going to be sharing in the same apartment?"
"We could be..." He sounded unsure. "But I'm pretty certain they'll give us separate rooms." He assured her.
Unknown to him, Hitomi was greatly disappointed by what he had said. "Hey look, here she comes." The young girl said pointing in a direction behind him.
He turned to see Asuka approaching their table.
"Hi." She said.
"Hello." Hitomi and Shinji both replied.
"Mind if I join you guys?" Asuka asked them. Shinji shrugged while Hitomi pointed to the empty seat beside her.
All three of them were quiet for a moment before Asuka chose to break the ice.
"So Shinji... it really has been a while hasn't it?"
He was silent for a moment. "Yes." He finally said. "It has."
"You two know each-other?" Hitomi asked aloud. She was quite frightened at the prospect of this attractive redhead being close to her object of affection.
"Indeed we do." Asuka answered. "Although it's been so long since we've spoken to each-other."
Shinji nodded.
"Anyway," Asuka chose to change the subject and turned to Hitomi. "How did you end up as the pilot for Unit 01?"
"I was chosen out of a number of potential candidates." Hitomi replied.
"And you pilot Unit 01?" Asuka asked. "I didn't think that anyone apart from Shinji could do it."
Shinji chose to answer this question. "There are no limits to what anyone can achieve. I trained her myself, I showed her how to open her mind to the Eva. Her sync ratio is almost at the same level as mine."
Asuka was very impressed by the strong tone Shinji used to answer her question. It left no room for error; He knew what he was talking about.
"Well, you guys would probably like to get some rest." Asuka said as she stood up. "Why don't I give you a ride to the place you'll be staying?" The question was rhetorical of course.
The trio walked over to Asuka's car and they soon departed.
"Your stuff has already been delivered." She told them from behind the wheel of the sporty red car. "You're all set for a good rest until tomorrow."
********************
When they arrived at their new residence, Shinji and Hitomi couldn't help but be impressed. They weren't given an apartment, but instead they had been provided with a nice medium sized suburban house.
"Well, this sure is better than what they provide us with in Japan." Shinji commented.
"Germany knows how to treat people!" Asuka stated boldly.
The trio walked up to the front door. Shinji opened the door but before he could walk in he was interrupted by Asuka.
"Shinji, can I talk to you for a moment?"
He looked back at her before telling Hitomi to go inside and have a look around. She complied, but not before giving Asuka a suspicious glare.
When to door was closed he finally spoke. "Yes?"
"Shinji, how would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night? We could catch up on old times." Asuka suggested.
He looked away for a while before he shook his head.
"The day after, maybe?" Asuka asked him hopefully.
"No." He replied flatly.
"But Shinji, it's been so long, it just wouldn't be right if we didn't spend some time together." She offered. "Just like old time."
She had hoped that this would convince him, but instead she was surprised when an angry expression took over the features on his face.
"Tell me Asuka." He hissed. "Do you remember what I told you that day before you left Japan?"
She was surprised, but after a while she nodded.
"I believe I said that I would always remain by your side, and that I'd never leave you."
She looked down at the floor when his words sunk in.
"I would have never broken that promise... but in the end, it was you who left me..." His anger was gone now, replaced with a look of sadness and regret. "Maybe it would have been better if I had never said anything..."
She could no longer look at his face. She felt so ashamed and guilty. "Shinji... I..." She was silenced when he lifted his hand up.
"I'm sorry Asuka..." He said quietly. "...I just don't want you in my life again. I hope you can understand."
With that said he walked in to the house and quietly shut the door, leaving Asuka alone outside.
It took her a while to realize that she was crying. It was silent, but there was no mistaking it. She tried to wipe the tears away as she made her way down to her car.
"Damn it..." She sighed as she buried her face in the steering wheel. "Why...?"
---
To be continued...
********************
I hope you liked that chapter. I'm afraid it will be a while before my next update. I can only really work on my stories during the week-ends.