Precious Petals
By ArchangelUK
Just a brief note: My continued thanks for all those who support my writing, this fic is for those people who read the R/S likes of 'Only You' and more notably 'Dream A Little Dream Of Me' and asked for an A/S fic in similarish vein. For those who did and for those who didn't, I present this little moment in time. I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, neither do I own a greenhouse or have green fingers, unless I have been involved in some horrific lime jelly accident in which case it is possible I suppose...
There was little to say, after all what can you say to the person you love but are too afraid to say anything. Such a conundrum was damaging to an already scarred heart and for the hearts of both girl and boy that was some serious scar tissue. It could be argued that there was more scar tissue that working cardio-muscular system. So they stood; two statues on a hill, in a field of shimmering grass that swayed with the late autumn breeze. One looked at a bush as though it was the most important thing in the entire world. The way the boy was looking at his shoes had he closed his eyes he probably could have drawn a near faultless representation of every flaw and nuance of the battered white plastic. What was there to do now? Not much.
Shinji Ikari's tongue darted out of his mouth like a lizard to lick his lips, lips dry from nerves and the wind which tousled his hair with its imperceptibly light delicately thin fingers. The girl opposite him closed her eyes and wished she was somewhere else, somewhere far away. She'd rather face a whole flock of Angels than herself and of course him.
Shinji looked up and for the briefest second there was eye contact.
A flash, no bigger than the brink of an eye but it was there and that was reason enough for both to turn away as if blinded. It was indeed a curious thing to react in horror to something considered the exact opposite of horror, but then again that was the beauty of it because within thirty seconds it would be deja-vu all over again.
Shoes.
And the briar.
And the shimmering grass.
Asuka glanced upwards towards the sky; it was a glorious honeycomb yellow dotted with a streak of red the exact colour of her Eva. Clouds of gold floated like castles in this an ochre sea, battlements highlighted by tattered purple banners, banners that had once flown high and proud. It was her castle, the cloud, above all - untouchable, unbeatable, impenetrable.
That was what she had thought, but all that had changed when she had uttered four words: 'Come and fight Angel'.
Asuka closed her eyes and deliberately turned around looking for a fraction of a second straight at Shinji before correcting herself.
Shoes.
And the briar.
And the shimmering grass.
Shinji sighed, air hissing out of his nose in frustration at the situation. They could end up staying here all day at this rate, at least until it got too cold and Asuka would make the move. It would be her first, not because of the cold but it'd be excuse enough to stomp off. He knew her well, despite her well vocalised opinions to the contrary. He glanced up deliberately, the action not noticed by Asuka who had screwed tight her eyes presumably in the hope that kami-sama or someone would simply make everything go away. He had to do something, something to get them out of this funk they were both in, a rut they had been stuck in for too long. Something. Anything.
Asuka breathed in the cool air, crisp, soft traces of pollen on the wind, the faintest wisp of peppermint dancing on breeze - Shinji's smell.
She opened her eyes suddenly, Shinji had seemingly moved without making a sound his normally gawky frame not even rustling the long grass on the hill. Swallowing and shaking visibly he thrust out his hand in Asuka's direction making the Second Child involuntarily take half a step back. Casting her eyes downwards she saw a single flash of yellow the colour of a new sun, the colour of her castle in the sky. It was a flower, well, actually it wasn't really a flower technically it was a weed. It was a marigold.
A small smile crept sheepishly onto Shinji's face and Asuka, her body seemingly moving without her control took the small yellow flower from the young Ikari's shaking hand.
She looked down at it confused, then back at him with greater confusion before looking back at his offering. She was surrounded a whole host of wild flowers, purple orchids the colour of Misato's shimmering hair, reds and whites and blues were dotted around. It wasn't as if it was the prettiest thing there, heck, there were daisies there that were prettier. As she scanned the ground though she couldn't see any other marigolds though, she opened her mouth to say something but then realised Shinji wasn't there anymore. He was already half way down the hill.
What did he mean by this? Why did he give her this... this plant? Was it because he thought she needed it? Perhaps, it was because he thought she would have wanted it. But then maybe, just maybe he gave it to her simply because he had to give it to her.
She lifted it to her nose and sniffed, a light perfume that could hardly be called sensational filled her senses. She smiled, smiled for the first time in days. She followed Shinji's retreating back until her eyes could perceive him no more. Asuka delicately threaded the marigold through a button hole on her dress her fingers delicately tracing the thin yellow petals.
"Thank you." She said quietly then began her trek back down the hill and to the outskirts of Tokyo-3 above which clouds of gold floated like a castle in the sky; a castle that though battered seemed a little grander than before, surrounded as it was by an ochre sea of marigolds.
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