I do not own any characters or anything else from Evangelion. Everything is the sole property of Gainax. There, now that that's out of the way...
Just so there's no confusion: 'Thinking silently' and "Speaking aloud"
Due to popular demand (my friend Taxi Driver's advice) I decided to go back over this chapter and fix a couple things. I sort of rushed getting it on the site, and only revised it once. I hope this time I fixed most of what I shouldn't have done the first time.
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"What a sick feeling"
Was all he could say. He held her head in his lap. A tear dripped from his chin to her cheek. 'I just tried to kill the only person that I wanted to live,' He thought silently as he wiped the tear from her face. 'What kind of person am I? What kind of fool am I? What kind of monster am I?'
Her eyes cracked open. She blinked twice, staring up at him. His eyes were closed tightly. Teardrops flowed from the corners of his eyes and collected under his chin. "Sh-Shinji?" She said weakly. He opened his eyes now, barely able to see.
"Asuka!" he exclaimed. He pulled her up against him, supporting her weak body under her arms. She layed her head on his shoulder, her cheek nestled against his.
"You're such an idiot." She whispered to him. He let a broad smile escape, knowing she could not see him. She felt his cheek tighten against her's, and smiled weakly herself.
"I thought you were gone forever, Asuka." His voice trembled. He was still in shock from the giant Ayanami staring him in the face. He squeezed her tighter, trying to make sure she was real, fearing she might vanish from his arms. He didn't know if everything he'd seen was real; if any of it was real.
"You can't get rid of Asuka Langley Soryu that easily." Her strength was beginning to come back. There was definitely nothing wrong with her. It was the same Asuka as always. She gazed out into the distance, noticing for the first time anything other than the boy who held her. All she could see was an endless sea of orange. A strong whiff of a familiar scent caught her off guard. 'This place smells just like the entry plug. Where am I?' She pulled away from him just enough to see his face. "Shinji, what's going on?" Her tone was firm, yet panicked. Like someone whose life hung on the answer to that question.
"I'm not sure. I think... I did this." He sounded puzzled by the question. "Is this what I wanted?"
"Shinji, there's no one else here!" She was becoming more and more anxious. "What did you do?" She grabbed him by the collar and glared at him. He simply turned his head away, trying to avoid the question. "Whatever you did, you need to undo it now! This isn't right, Shinji. You have to bring everyone back. Bring them back now!"
"I... don't know if... I can," he stammered.
"Well you had better try! Man, are you stupid." She pulled farther away from him and crossed her arms over her stomach, sitting just in front of him. Shinji closed his eyes. His brow furrowed, and his fists clenched. He began to grit his teeth. Slowly, a figure began to materalize behind him. Only the back of the person's head was visible behind him, but the long, blue hair was a clear mark of who it was.
"Misato!" Asuka cried. Shinji opened his eyes, but Asuka was gone. He turned around and saw Asuka kneeling beside Misato, who was lying naked on her side. Shinji's eyes widened and he immediately darted to her. He knelt down next her, grabbed her arm and gently shook her. She looked up at him with a confused look. Quickly, that look turned into one of relief and surprise. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly, making him slightly uncomfortable to have a wrap her arms around him. Then she noticed her immodest condition. She pulled away from him and sat in front of him, attempting to cover her chest. She looked around to see the orange ocean the others had already discovered. "Where... What?" She looked around thoughtfully. "I guess the instrumentality actually worked. But... Why are we still here?" She turned back to Shinji, who seemed to not notice her lack of clothes. His lip quivered, and his eyes were wet.
"Misato..." he trailed off. 'I pulled away - he must think I don't want him near me.' She cracked a smile. 'He's such a baby.' She wrapped her arms around him and held on, like he would disappear if she let him go. Asuka came from the side and grabbed both of them in her arms. They lingered like that for a few moments, until Misato finally broke free. She held Shinji by his shoulders and fixed her eyes on his.
"Shinji, listen to me. You have to put everything back, just the way it was. You're the only one who can fix this." Misato said forcefully. "Just concentrate on the way everything was before. You can do it, I know you can." She forced a smile.
"But this...this isn't what I wanted." He looked away from her to the expanse of LCL.
"Look at me, Shinji." He didn't move. "Look at me!" She cried, grabbing his face and forcing him to turn her way. "None of that matters now," Her tone was gentle now, as if reassurring a small child who had just spilled his drink. "All that matters is that you fix what's gone wrong. No one will blame you for it. No one will hate you for it. If you won't do it for me, do it for Touji. Do it for Kensuke. Do it for Rei. But I'll never forgive you if you don't try." She was pleading with him now. Her words took him back to the elevator inside NERV. Back to her kiss. He looked down at the pendant from her necklace that he still held in his hand.
Without a word, Shinji closed his eyes.
Just so there's no confusion: 'Thinking silently' and "Speaking aloud"
Due to popular demand (my friend Taxi Driver's advice) I decided to go back over this chapter and fix a couple things. I sort of rushed getting it on the site, and only revised it once. I hope this time I fixed most of what I shouldn't have done the first time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What a sick feeling"
Was all he could say. He held her head in his lap. A tear dripped from his chin to her cheek. 'I just tried to kill the only person that I wanted to live,' He thought silently as he wiped the tear from her face. 'What kind of person am I? What kind of fool am I? What kind of monster am I?'
Her eyes cracked open. She blinked twice, staring up at him. His eyes were closed tightly. Teardrops flowed from the corners of his eyes and collected under his chin. "Sh-Shinji?" She said weakly. He opened his eyes now, barely able to see.
"Asuka!" he exclaimed. He pulled her up against him, supporting her weak body under her arms. She layed her head on his shoulder, her cheek nestled against his.
"You're such an idiot." She whispered to him. He let a broad smile escape, knowing she could not see him. She felt his cheek tighten against her's, and smiled weakly herself.
"I thought you were gone forever, Asuka." His voice trembled. He was still in shock from the giant Ayanami staring him in the face. He squeezed her tighter, trying to make sure she was real, fearing she might vanish from his arms. He didn't know if everything he'd seen was real; if any of it was real.
"You can't get rid of Asuka Langley Soryu that easily." Her strength was beginning to come back. There was definitely nothing wrong with her. It was the same Asuka as always. She gazed out into the distance, noticing for the first time anything other than the boy who held her. All she could see was an endless sea of orange. A strong whiff of a familiar scent caught her off guard. 'This place smells just like the entry plug. Where am I?' She pulled away from him just enough to see his face. "Shinji, what's going on?" Her tone was firm, yet panicked. Like someone whose life hung on the answer to that question.
"I'm not sure. I think... I did this." He sounded puzzled by the question. "Is this what I wanted?"
"Shinji, there's no one else here!" She was becoming more and more anxious. "What did you do?" She grabbed him by the collar and glared at him. He simply turned his head away, trying to avoid the question. "Whatever you did, you need to undo it now! This isn't right, Shinji. You have to bring everyone back. Bring them back now!"
"I... don't know if... I can," he stammered.
"Well you had better try! Man, are you stupid." She pulled farther away from him and crossed her arms over her stomach, sitting just in front of him. Shinji closed his eyes. His brow furrowed, and his fists clenched. He began to grit his teeth. Slowly, a figure began to materalize behind him. Only the back of the person's head was visible behind him, but the long, blue hair was a clear mark of who it was.
"Misato!" Asuka cried. Shinji opened his eyes, but Asuka was gone. He turned around and saw Asuka kneeling beside Misato, who was lying naked on her side. Shinji's eyes widened and he immediately darted to her. He knelt down next her, grabbed her arm and gently shook her. She looked up at him with a confused look. Quickly, that look turned into one of relief and surprise. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly, making him slightly uncomfortable to have a wrap her arms around him. Then she noticed her immodest condition. She pulled away from him and sat in front of him, attempting to cover her chest. She looked around to see the orange ocean the others had already discovered. "Where... What?" She looked around thoughtfully. "I guess the instrumentality actually worked. But... Why are we still here?" She turned back to Shinji, who seemed to not notice her lack of clothes. His lip quivered, and his eyes were wet.
"Misato..." he trailed off. 'I pulled away - he must think I don't want him near me.' She cracked a smile. 'He's such a baby.' She wrapped her arms around him and held on, like he would disappear if she let him go. Asuka came from the side and grabbed both of them in her arms. They lingered like that for a few moments, until Misato finally broke free. She held Shinji by his shoulders and fixed her eyes on his.
"Shinji, listen to me. You have to put everything back, just the way it was. You're the only one who can fix this." Misato said forcefully. "Just concentrate on the way everything was before. You can do it, I know you can." She forced a smile.
"But this...this isn't what I wanted." He looked away from her to the expanse of LCL.
"Look at me, Shinji." He didn't move. "Look at me!" She cried, grabbing his face and forcing him to turn her way. "None of that matters now," Her tone was gentle now, as if reassurring a small child who had just spilled his drink. "All that matters is that you fix what's gone wrong. No one will blame you for it. No one will hate you for it. If you won't do it for me, do it for Touji. Do it for Kensuke. Do it for Rei. But I'll never forgive you if you don't try." She was pleading with him now. Her words took him back to the elevator inside NERV. Back to her kiss. He looked down at the pendant from her necklace that he still held in his hand.
Without a word, Shinji closed his eyes.