Author's notes:
Before starting this chapter, I wanted to thank EGBC for his/her review. Thank you, EGBC!
Pain and departure"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!" – heard Shinji familiar voice, and he instantly woke up.
"What has happened?" – asked Shinji, as he looked around – "And where am I?"
When Shinji woke up it was already morning. Shinji woke up at some kind of square with fountain in the middle of it. Fountain itself wasn't working, but still some water remained in fountain pool. Around the square was the city, but just as fountain, the city looked broken and abounded.
"You fall asleep during our flight" – informed him Asuka – "Fortunately for you, I flew you here very carefully, so you managed not to fall out of the Devil Ship. As a matter of fact, I have saved your life once again, since I believe, that there is a lot of food and water in here, and as I remember, you was hungry and thirsty…"
But Shinji didn't bothered himself to listen until the end. Shinji run to the fountain pool, cupped his hands, scooped a little water and drank it. Asuka looked at Shinji with hint of worry on her face. She knew, that she should be as hungry and thirsty as Shinji was, but for some reason, Asuka didn't felt either hunger or thirst. At first Asuka thought, that she was just too tired to think about hunger or thirst, but now she realized that it was something different.
From memories of the Devil Ship, Asuka knew everything about how to pilot Devil Ship properly, everything about traveling through Hyperspace and so on… in short, Asuka knew all technical aspects of piloting Devil Ship. However, Asuka didn't knew anything about results of her symbiosis with the Devil Ship, and this lack of knowledge have already started to worry her.
"Hay, Asuka?" – interrupted Asuka's thoughts Shinji.
"Yes, what is it?" – asked Asuka.
"I was just a bit worried about you" – said Shinji – "Have you drank already?"
"Um, no" – said Asuka – "I have already told you, that I am not thirsty."
"What is wrong with you, Asuka?" – asked Shinji with concern in his voice – "You haven't been same, since you awoken with this red gem in your forehead. Are you going to die from thirst and hunger?"
"No, of course not, baka!" – answered Asuka a bit angrily.
"Then you should drink some water" – said Shinji – "Hell, you didn't drink and eat for two days now, and you claim that you are neither hungry or thirsty! What is wrong with you, Asuka?"
"Nothing" – said Asuka, calming down – "But, I guess, I could drink a bit after all."
After Asuka took a drink from fountain pool, she suddenly reached for bandage over her injured left eyes, and tore it away. After that, Asuka opened her left eye, which appeared completely unharmed.
"Ah" – said Asuka – "It is good to see with both eyes again!"
"Um, Asuka" – said Shinji, looking at Asuka with surprise upon his face – "I thought, that your left eye was seriously injured. How did it happen, that it is okay now?"
"Well" – said Asuka uncertainly – "I guess, it just wasn't as bad, as it appeared from the first glance."
"Um, maybe so" – said Shinji uncertainly.
"What is wrong with you, Asuka?" – thought Shinji – "Just a day before yesterday you could barely move and talk. And now, you look completely healthy, and you are not either hungry or thirsty, despite the fact, that you haven't eaten or drink for two days. What is wrong with you, Asuka?"
But of course, neither Asuka nor Shinji knew, what was going on with Asuka, and this fact troubled both of them.
"Okay" – said Asuka after a short pause – "We better start searching for some food. I feel like I could use some."
And they started to walk through the city. The city looked deserted, and the whole street before them looked like one big car-crush. Shinji imagined, how cars crushed into each other at top speed, when all people were gone, and this though make him shiver. Needless to say, Asuka and Shinji had troubles passing through car-filled street.
"Maybe we better chose another street" – said Shinji – "What do you think, Asuka?"
"I think, it won't make any difference" – said Asuka – "The whole city is deserted and devastated. I wonder what has happened here."
"What, you don't…" – started Shinji, but Asuka interrupted him, before he had finished his sentence.
"Let's save talk for later, ok?" – said Asuka – "You will explain everything to me later. First of all, we should get some food and eat. After drinking, I started to feel kind of hungry too. Well, anyway here it is"
And Asuka pointed to the small shop across the street. Neither Asuka nor Shinji could read the sign, but picture of cooked turkey above the sign clearly marked the shop as either food shop or some kind of small restaurant.
With some difficulty Asuka and Shinji made their way across the street to the shop, walking over crashed cars. Without much surprise, Shinji noticed that Asuka made her way across the street much easier then him, and, as Shinji suspected, much easier then she would do it some months ago, despite her recent injuries. It seemed, that Asuka wasn't just recovering her strength, she was gaining strength.
Eventually, Asuka and Shinji reached the shop, which turned out to be a small fast food shop. Fortunately for Asuka and Shinji the door wasn't closed. Without doubt, Third Impact catch inhabitants of this city in the middle of a busy day.
Shinji quickly helped himself to the can of Coca-Cola and a packet of chips. Asuka also helped herself to the can of Sprite and a packet of chips, but she ate and drank with visibly less hunger and thirst then Shinji. Not that Shinji noticed it, for he was too busy with consuming his food and drink.
After almost an hour, Shinji was finally satisfied, after he ate eight packets of chips and drank five cans of Coca-Cola. On the other hand, Asuka satisfied herself with much less amount of food and drink – with only one packet of chips and only one can of Sprite.
"Well now" – said Asuka after Shinji finished eating and drinking – "I think it is time for you to tell me, what has really happened back then."
"You mean, you don't remember?" – asked Shinji – "About Third Impact and all?"
"No really" – answered Asuka
"Not really?" – asked Shinji – "Do you remember nothing at all? Or do you remember at last something?"
"Well, I remember only some separated images and feelings, but I can weave them into whole picture" – answered Asuka – "I remembered it quite clearly since my awakening from come, the battle against Mass Production Evangelions and all… but then, after they hit me with all their lances…"
"Asuka, you don't need to tell it, if it pains you" – said Shinji.
"Don't worry, it is okay with me" – said Asuka – "You know, I have this kind of strange feeling, like all of it happened not with me, but with some kind of other person. So, it doesn't pains me at all. But even if it would pain me, I am not running from my pain as you are."
"Do you really think so?" – thought Shinji, but didn't said anything aloud.
"Anyway" – continued Asuka – "Just after they hit me with all their lances, everything became kind of blurred. I don't remember anything exactly, just that someone or something was trying to force me doing something, I didn't wanted to do. I cried and struggled, and then everything was… I don't know how to put it… like shattered. And then, I awoke on the beach, with you trying to strangle me."
"I… I didn't meant to do it!" – said Shinji guiltily.
"I know" – answered Asuka gently – "You must have been as broke as I was after all these. Well, now you was going to tell me, what has really happened during the Third Impact."
"Well" – said Shinji – "I guess, I am not prepared to tell you everything, I guess, I will never be prepared to tell you everything about Third Impact, but you see, it was all my fault…"
"Of course it was your fault" – said Asuka – "You didn't helped me to defeat Mass Production Evangelions. And it was probably only time when I really needed your help. If only you would hold them for at last half a minute, I would be able to insert another energy cable, and everything would be okay. But you didn't do that. But still, I kind of forgave you for that."
"It is not just it" – said Shinji lowering his head – "You see, even after you was defeated, there was still chance to make everything okay. But I kind of wished for Third Impact to happen…"
"What?!" – interrupted him Asuka – "You wished for Third Impact to happen?! But Third Impact was end to everything!"
"Well, not exactly" – said Shinji – "But it was a close thing. Anyway the whole world was devastated, when Third Impact took place. I think, that whole Japan was totally destroyed, and now Ocean of LCL Fluid is in the place, where Japan was. But anyway, in the end I realized that Third Impact was a wrong thing, and wished for all people to come back. But the world remained devastated. In the end, all people would make in back, and everything would be okay, if only these aliens wouldn't appear, and wouldn't steal souls of all humans. I guess, we just made it back faster then everyone else, and so we are still alive. But everyone else is still must be in this neither living nor dead condition, and so…"
"I can't believe it!" – shouted Asuka, interrupting Shinji – "I fought, I suffered, and then you just threw away everything, I fought and suffered for! Just like that, as if didn't worth anything! You are disgusting! I hate you! It would be better, if I wouldn't save you at all! It would be better if you wouldn't be born at all!"
After that, Asuka stood up and smacked Shinji hard into abdomen, driving air out of him and crushing him into the wall. After that Asuka ran outside of the shop, ignoring Shinji's moaning. After about ten minutes Shinji has finally recovered from Asuka's blow. Shinji felt, that Asuka was becoming stronger, but he never thought, that she would become that strong. And now Shinji get a chance to experience all Asuka's new strength personally. Barely Shinji made his way to the outside of the shop, only to see Devil Ship, as it slowly rose above devastated city and then rushed forward, heading straight toward the north. Asuka has left.