Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. All characters and other affiliated trademarks are property of Gainax.
Shinji Ikari stared out into the sunset. He let out a long sigh, whether it was from relief or from deep thought, or from depression, only he knew. This was it, the end of a chapter in his life. Tomorrow was graduation. It had been three long years since he had spoken with Koaru. Three years since that night in the rain. Three years since his choice. He was 17 now, nearly 18, and had grown into manhood. He had left his childish awkwardness behind, yet his mind was still plagued by what was to come. He kept only a small group of his close friends and rarely consorted with others (they were usually turned away by his quiet and thoughtful demeanor anyhow). His grades were still bad, but it did not matter. There was no university in the world that would reject the application of "mankind's savior." For some reason he found it depressing. He knew that this should be a happy time. He was about to embark on an entirely new path in life. Yet he still knew that the war was coming. It was only a matter of when; therefore his mind was rarely at rest from thinking about it. Shinji looked up into the sky. The white moon was rising as the black moon began to set. "The Wraiths." They still had not returned. The sphere still remained dormant. This fact worried Shinji the most. It made him think that perhaps the war would not be between man and Wraith; that perhaps the war would be between men only.
Shinji had decided to attend Tokyo 3 university because of its closeness to NERV and the Evangelions. NERV had used its influence to get all of the other children designated by the marduke report into the college as well. "All nine of us." Though that wasn't really true. Only god knew where Koaru was. But if he did return, then there would be a place waiting for him. Even Asuka had decided to get another degree, if not only to be around her friends. Personally Shinji thought of all of them more like family than anything. In fact, because of increased worries about assassination attempts and kidnappings, they would all be living in the same household while they attended the university. This way they could be easily monitored and guarded by government personnel on their own private estate. Shinji scoffed at this. They were still thought of as tools; investments that were in need of protection.
Shinji had paid close attention to Ryoji Kaji since he had returned on that day three years ago. It was admittedly a rather easy task to accomplish seeing as he had moved in with them. Truth be told, Shinji had enjoyed having a father figure around but he had enjoyed even more seeing Misato happy after all of what she had suffered through. In truth Kaji was quite different than the person he had used to be. The man suffered from amnesia, and remembered almost nothing of his past, though he sometimes had rather frightening flashbacks. The only thing that he really remembered at all was his love for Misato, which he had finally been able to profess to her. His personality hadn't changed at all though; he was still very forward and sloppy. Shinji liked that about him; maybe because it was the opposite of his own personality. Kaji had asked him only once about the twin scars that they shared. Shinji had been unable to give him a strait answer, and in truth, he did not have one himself. That was what worried him.
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"Misato?"
Asuka Langley Soryu walked out into the apartment living room. She looked into the kitchen and saw her guardian trying to make soup for dinner while at the same time playfully fighting off the kisses of her fiancée.
"Uh huh, Kaji quit it. I'm serious," Misato said, though through her giggles it was easy to see that she was clearly not serious.
"Have you guys seen Shinji?"
Ryoji Kaji turned and swept Misato off of her feet, like he was dipping her for a ballroom dance. He set his eyes on her chest, and slowly panned up to look her in the eyes. Misato was giggling uncontrollably (Asuka also noticed that the wine she had been using to cook was not actually making it into the food). With ought taking his eyes from Misato, Kaji gave the German girl a response.
"I believe the young Ikari is off gazing into the distance again," Kaji said, now turning his head to look at Asuka while still keeping the laughing Major in dip position, "I guess he is just a hopeless romantic."
Kaji began to laugh and both he and Misato fell to the floor laughing and trying not to spill their wine. Asuka couldn't help but smile at them. They were like this every night. They really did love each other. With a final glance to her two guardians she made her way out to the deck.
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Shinji Ikari could feel the warm arms of the second child silently slide around his waist. The second child laid her head against his back (Shinji was easily taller than her now) and gave him a hug.
"What are you thinking about Shinji?"
Shinji let out another sigh before responding.
"Uncertainty."
Asuka smiled.
"You are so weird," she laughed back while squeezing him tighter.
Shinji chuckled. "If only you knew the things that I know," He thought to himself. In truth Shinji had done his best to tell her of the things Koaru had told him, but so much of what he had been told was hard to explain. It was mostly feelings that Shinji had; little things that he sensed. Dreams. Shinji turned to face her and returned the hug; feeling her warmth against his.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"That's fine," she said back, smiling up at him.
Shinji nodded and returned her smile. At this moment they both managed to hear the clanging of pots in the kitchen, and several swear words. The two pilots headed back inside to see a vat of spilled soup on the ground and a furious Misato. She was yelling something at a smiling Kaji.
"Did I ever tell you how absolutely gorgeous you are when you are angry, Misato?" Kaji said with a twinkle in his eye.
Shinji could see Misato's anger deflate instantly.
"Ohhhh...Kaji you are so sweet!" the Major responded as she began to kiss him as her socks began to absorb the spilled dinner.
Asuka scoffed at the scene, while Shinji grinned.
"Aren't they cute Asuka?"
The second child groaned.
After a few more seconds of kissing Misato pulled away to assess the damage.
"Well, it looks like we better order in."
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Dinner had been both delicious and pleasant for the entire Katsuragi/Kaji household. Dinner had been good for the most part simply because Misato had not made it, while it had been made pleasant by some of Kaji's new jokes. These jokes were predominantly dirty, though very funny, and Asuka enjoyed them immensely although she could tell they made Shinji slightly uncomfortable. For some reason she found his little insecurities charming now.
Once dinner had been finished they had all helped to clean up and wash, and had then settled down to watch a movie. Misato and Kaji had not lasted long through the film however and were soon asleep (whether it was from boredom, sleepiness, or just the large amount of alcohol they had consumed). Shinji had turned the movie off and helped Asuka to transport the two into their bedroom. When they had both returned to the living room, Asuka began to yawn and Shinji checked his watch.
"It's almost midnight."
"Yah," Asuka said, "we should probably get some sleep. We got a big day tomorrow."
Shinji nodded.
"I suppose."
Both pilots stood and went to their respective rooms to change for bed. Shinji finished first and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth, where he was soon joined by his red-headed room mate. After Asuka had finished brushing her teeth she headed back into her room and got into her bed. Soon afterward Shinji entered her room as well, sitting down on a chair next to her. Asuka smiled at him.
"I can't believe that we are graduating tomorrow, Shinji."
"I know. Its unreal….," Shinji paused for a moment and then added "…That we lived to see it."
Asuka nodded.
"We haven't exactly had normal lives, have we?"
"I suppose not," Shinji returned.
After this both pilots sat in silence for a time, until Shinji again broke the silence.
"Hey, do you think that tonight,… could be the night?"
Asuka turned to look at him with a surprised expression on her face.
"Uh…well I mean," Shinji stammered, "They were pretty drunk. I don't think that they will be up until at least noon tomorrow soo…"
Asuka smiled.
"Well, what do you think, Shinji?"
Shinji found himself staring at the ground. Then he looked back up to her, returning her smile. He nodded, sliding into bed next to her. The Third child looked deep into the German girl's eyes; he looked deep down into her very heart; into her soul. He kissed her softly and then pulled away to look into her eyes again.
"I love you Asuka."
"I love you too."
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"Have all of the security features finished installation?"
Commander Kozo Fuyutski glanced at his watch. It was past midnight. "I am getting to old for this damn job," he thought to himself, rubbing his eyes softly.
"Alright. Thank you very much."
The commander hung the phone up. He had spent the entire day making absolutely sure that section 2 had the new house covered. The world could not afford to lose all eight of its Evangelion pilots. Whether or not anyone would actually try to kill or kidnap them was yet to be seen, and had not happened thus far anyhow. However he knew, as the UN did, that these gifted children were far too valuable a resource to be handled so lightly. Though at the same time Fuyutski knew that this worth and value could very well soon be challenged. Challenged by man and his "science."
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Shinji Ikari had always been told not to give in. Temptation was something that was to be fought, not something to be indulged. Yet as he looked down upon the beautiful woman beneath him it did not feel like he was giving in. No, it felt like he was becoming one. His heart was beating in unison with this person; he was expressing his love for her. The beating of her heart. It was the only thing that he lived for. It was the reason for his continued existence. The reason that he had chosen to go on. The reason that he had chosen to fight instead of run. To save life; existence. To save her. To be with her.
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Misato Katsuragi stirred in her sleep, her mind wavering for a moment between consciousness and rest. She attempted to roll over in bed, and in doing so bumped into the sleeping Kaji. The major watched this man breathe softly in his slumber as her mind wandered about the memories of her life. She thought about how lucky she was to have him next to her. She had often pondered it. "What act of God has returned this man to me?" She knew that the answer to this question was unimportant. The fact was he was here, and she had been given another chance at love.
Her thoughts wandered to the kids. She smiled at herself for thinking of them that way. "My kids." She had felt sorry for Shinji; felt sorry for his acceptance of being alone, so she had taken him in. In reality it was probably to fill the gaps in her own lonely life. But now he was no longer her child, if he ever was. Tomorrow both of her "kids" would be leaving the nest. She felt both sorrowful and proud. She would miss them; miss the accidental and impromptu family that she had been blessed with. Misato Katsuragi drifted silently back to sleep.
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Kensuke Aida hoped this kiss would never end. She was pushing herself up against him. He moved his hands up to the side of her head, brushing the hair away from her face. "She has always been a great kisser," he thought to himself. After a few more moments, she slowly pulled away, smiling.. And then giggling. He smiled as well.
"Goodnight Kensuke."
"Goodnight Nishka."
The blonde girl turned to enter the dorm building.
"You're going to help me move out in the morning, right Kensuke?"
"But of course. I'll be here at eight sharp."
She nodded.
"Okay. I should be up. But if I'm not then it's okay to come in and wake me."
"Yah, alright."
"Do you still have the key?"
"Never leave home without it."
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Shinji Ikari finally pulled away from her, breathing heavily. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling through closed eyes. She reached out for him in the darkness, doing her best to pull the surrounding pillows and blankets back into order at the same time. He held her close, and soon they were both asleep; two hearts beating as one.
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"Wow! This place is huge!"
Damon Robinson couldn't believe his eyes as he dropped his bags in the hallway.
"Well there will be eight of us living here," Rei Ayanami responded in her familiar monotone.
"My God! This is going to be so great!"
Rei couldn't help but let a small smile grace her lips. He was just like a little child when he got excited.
"Well now. Should we pick our room?"
"Our room?" Rei said, raising an eyebrow.
Rei could see some of the excitement drain from his face.
"Wha? No?" Damon said.
"I suppose we will just have to see."
"Damn it," Damon thought to himself, "Well it was worth a try."
The American boy picked up his bags again and walked out of the hallway into the living room. The house really was nice. "Looks like old Fuyutski spared no expense," he thought to himself as Rei followed him into the kitchen.
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"Hello! Is anyone here yet?"
Toji Suzahara stepped into the hallway of the building.
"Wow."
Toji had never in his entire life been in a place half as nice as this one was.
"Suzahara?!"
"Huh? Oh, yah I'm here. Damon?"
"Yah."
"Where are you?"
"The kitchen. It's straight ahead and to your right."
Toji followed his friend's directions and soon found himself in the huge, spotless, brand new kitchen.
"Hey, dude, where's Hikari?" Damon asked the rather amazed looking Japanese boy.
"Uh. I think she is coming later with Nishka."
"I thought that she was coming with you. You were going to help her, were you not?" Rei asked with a skeptical tone.
"Yah well I was."
Damon laughed.
"You said something stupid, didn't you?"
Toji chuckled.
"Whoah yah."
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Ryoji Kaji rolled groggily out of his bed and headed for the bathroom. His head hurt. "I think Katsuragi's habits must be rubbing off on me," he thought to himself as he glanced into the mirror. Kaji opened the medicine cabinet, locating his toothpaste, and proceeded to brush his teeth before heading into the kitchen. Once there he proceeded to the counter and started up the coffee pot. Kaji looked over to his right and noticed a light blinking on the answering machine. He moved over to it and checked the numbers that had called in from the previous night. He recognized the first number as that of Hikari Horaki. Kaji sniffed and then let out a large belch.
"Asuka!" He shouted, "Hikari called."
Kaji received no response however and after a few moments proceeded to return to the hallway and head towards Asuka's room. "Weird," he thought, "they're both usually up by now."
Kaji slowly slid open the door to Asuka's room and glanced inside. Asuka was definitely there, however Shinji was definitely there as well. Kaji noticed that both were lacking a good amount of clothing. He smiled and quietly retreated to the hallway, closing the door as he did so.
"Shinji you dog."
Kaji chuckled all the way back to the coffee pot.
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Asuka Langley Soryu's eyes slowly opened to the morning light. The sun's rays were serenely filtering into her room from the window. She could feel Shinji's arms still wrapped around her. She yawned, and then slowly lifted Shinji's arms from around her waist. Asuka moved to the side of the bed and then stood, stretching as she did so.
"Hmm. Clothes," she said to herself as she glanced around the room for something to wrap herself in. Then she noticed her door was not closed completely. Asuka walked over to it and peaked through the crack. She could see Kaji making breakfast in the kitchen.
"Shiess!"
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Kensuke Aida struggled up the pathway to his new. He was being careful not to drop both his, Nishka's, and Hikari's luggage (for some reason he had been entrusted with all of it). The two ladies in question were walking about 6 feet ahead of him, talking excitedly. Kensuke couldn't here exactly what they were talking about, but he caught words like "Toji" and "baka."
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"Look, Hikari, I don't think that he meant it that way."
Nishka Zalomai could see that they were now drawing close to the new house.
"Are you serious?"
"Well…Yah. I think maybe next time you should give him a moment to explain himself."
"Hmm. Maybe you're right. I guess it's just going to take me some time to get out of class rep mode."
Nishka nodded with a laugh.
"And we both know Toji's not a bad guy. He's just a little dense sometimes. You know he wouldn't say something like that on purpose."
"Yah," Hikari said cheering up, "I suppose you're right."
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"Shinji!"
"Huh? Mpheykidll."
"Wake up, Baka!"
Shinji rolled on to his back, squinting in the light. He yawned.
"What's wrong?"
"Shinji, we overslept! Kaji's awake!"
"What? Are your serious?"
"Why would I lie?"
Shinji gave her a funny look after that comment, forcing Asuka to rephrase.
"Okay fine, I'm not lying."
"Oh God. What do we do?"
"Well," Asuka thought out loud, "I can still leave the room and it won't be suspicious, but if he sees you…"
"So you have to distract him."
"Okay," she said, "No problem."
Asuka dressed as best as she could, and then walked out into the living room. Kaji looked at her as she walked towards him.
"Good morning Asuka."
"Good morning Kaji."
"Breakfast sure smells good."
"Thank you Asuka."
"Your welcome."
"You know, Asuka, I would hurry up and get Shinji out of your room before Misato wakes up."
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Ryoji Kaji watched as the color drained from the red headed girls face. He laughed. Kaji then proceeded to watch as Asuka looked back into her room and told Shinji to hurry up. Then Misato left her room. She was fully dressed for the day, as well as bright eyed and bushy tailed. Kaji gulped.
Asuka turned in his direction with a pleading look on her face.
"Katsuragi! Good morning! You look absolutely gorgeous."
"Well thank you Kaji I-"
"So gorgeous in fact that I must insist on taking you to breakfast immediately, and I wont take no for an answer."
"Uh…, that's wonderful Kaji but-"
"Excellent, my sweet. I know the greatest little restaurant."
And with that a nervous Kaji escorted a bewildered, yet happy Misato Katsuragi out the front door.
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"Finally you guys show up!" Damon Robinson said as he approached Asuka Langley Soryu to help her with her bags.
"Yah," Kensuke said, "You're like two whole hours late."
"It's a long story," Shinji responded.
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The graduation ceremony had been pleasant, although it really hadn't meant a great deal to Shinji, he was still happy to see everyone else so happy. He thought he even saw Misato shed a few tears. Afterwards they had all gone out to dinner. It felt great to have all of these wonderful people around him, his friends, and his family. Shinji Ikari tried his best to concentrate on these moments, to enjoy the present. He tried to forget what he had been told. The things that he knew. "The future." Shinji did his best to push these thoughts away and enjoy his dinner and his company.
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Shinji Ikari stared silently out of the living room window. He watched the moon.
"You still up man?"
It was Damon.
"Yes."
"What's up?"
"I wish I knew."
"You should really stop worrying so much. Whatever happens, happens. There is no sense in worrying about it."
"Perhaps."
"Well, don't stay up too late man."
"I won't."
"Alright. See you in the morning."
Shinji nodded as the American boy walked quietly to his room. The third child then returned his gaze to the stars. He was trying his best to hold back all of the fear he held inside. Shinji wouldn't cry. He wouldn't run. He couldn't. Not anymore.
"Please. Please show me something. Anything. Please…Kaoru...please help me."