Asuka went in immediately after he unlocked the door and stepped out of her shoes without even breaking stride. Shinji stepped inside, slowly slipped off his shoes and slid them against the wall. He walked to the kitchen, while Asuka walked past it, stretched herself out on the couch and turned on the television. She layed her bookbag on the floor in front of the couch and pulled a notebook out.
"We have chicken, shrimp, beef, and urchin-flavored ramen. Which one do you want?" He called from the kitchen, trying to speak above the noise of pans clanging as he pulled them out of the drawer.
"I'm not hungry, take whichever one you want," she replied.
"Yeah, I'm not either." He put the pans back and walked into the living room. Asuka pulled her legs up for him to sit down. He hesitated for a moment, amazed that she had not told him to go find his own seat. "What's that?" He pointed to the notebook she was writing in.
"It's for school," she replied quietly. "I have to write a poem for literature." She was obviously very upset. She had offered him to sit with her and had not told him to 'mind his own business' when he asked about her notebook.
'How could I cheer her up?' He pondered.
'Tell her how you feel.' It was Misato in his head. 'Tell her that you love her.'
'I can't let her know I'm hearing it again. I don't want to upset her more.'
'Because you're in love with her, right?' Now it was Rei.
'No I'm not! Why do you keep bothering me?'
'Because something's wrong, Ikari,' Rei replied.
'I know something's wrong with me. It's you!'
'Something's wrong with this world,' Rei corrected. 'You have to fix it.'
"Are you hearing them again?" Asuka asked.
"H-how did you know?" He stammered.
"Just a guess. You know, they go away when you talk to a real person. At least that works for me," she said kindly. Shinji smiled appreciatively at her. "If you start hearing them in public, say something about flowers to me. I'll do the same for you," she smiled. Shinji was surprised by her sincerity. "We're going to have to work together to deal with this." She went back to her notebook. Now he was more like astounded.
"Yeah... together," he smiled at her. She looked up and smiled back.
"I'll be back in a minute," she said as she got up and walked to the bathroom.
'A poem...' he thought to himself. 'I didn't know Asuka wrote poetry.' He reached over and picked up the notebook. It was folded at the page she had been writing on. 'Crap, it's in German. I guess she translates it before she turns it in.' Asuka had taught him a little German, so he tried his hand at making some sense of it. Most of it escaped him, but one phrase seemed to reccur by itself every few lines: "Und ich liebe ihn." He knew that "ich liebe" meant "I love," but the rest was beyond him. He memorized the sentence so he could look it up later. Just then, he heard the water running in the bathroom. He instinctively threw the notebook back to where she had left it. Asuka opened the door and returned to her seat on the couch. She sat her notebook on the floor and stretched her legs out to cover the empty space between the two of them.
"Miss me?" Asuka said playfully.
"Like a hangnail," Shinji smiled. She smiled before turning her eyes to the television.
"Anything good on?"
"There's a new reality show on 23," he sighed as he flipped through the channels.
"Ugh, are the Japanese copying those stupid things from Americans now?"
"Looks that way."
"Anything else?"
"A new teenage soap opera on 57. Everything else is pretty much reruns."
"Well then, just forget it," she sighed. Shinji turned it off and let the remote fall to the floor. They both stared at the black screen in silence.
'You should tell him,' Kaji's voice chimed.
'Go away!' She replied.
'It's the only way, Asuka.' Now it was Misato. She covered her ears and curled her knees up to her chest.
"Are they back?" Now it was Shinji's voice. She looked up at him helplessly. "Are the voices back?" He repeated. He had a concerned look on his face. She nodded slowly.
"Why won't they go away, Shinji?" Her voice was shakey. "Why can't they just go away?" She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.
"Shh..." he said softly as he rubbed her head. "Don't cry, Asuka. They aren't real."
"I know that," she sobbed. He could feel her hot breath on him as she spoke. "Help me, Shinji."
"There's nothing to worry about," he said tenderly. "As long as you don't let them get to you, everything will be all right."
With those words, her tears ceased. She still clung to him, like she was afraid to let go. They hung there in silence.
'Try to get her mind on something else...' he thought to himself.
"Hey Asuka?" He finally said softly.
"Yeah?"
"What does 'und ich liebe ihn' mean?" She pulled away from him and sat back on her knees.
"Where did you hear that?" She asked anxiously. "Did you read my notebook?"
"Um, no." He replied nervously. He braced himself for the beating.
"Yes you did. Why did you read it?" Now he was in shock. She almost sounded happy.
"I dunno. I didn't understand anything, I just saw that phrase over and over again." His voice was becoming panicked. He knew that she still might attack him. "I was just wondering what it meant."
"It means: 'And I love him.'" She chuckled. She smiled at him. "It's about someone who is very important to me."
"Oh," he replied, puzzled that she had volunteered information like that. "Who is it about?"
Without a word, Asuka leaned closer to him. Shinji's eyes popped wide open as he felt her soft, moist lips gently embrace his. Her breath carressed his face like a warm breeze on a sunny day. Her fingers trailing through his hair sent a chill down his spine. After the initial shock, he finally closed his eyes and let the sensations wash over him. His entire body felt weightless and tingley. After what seemed like hours, she pulled away and they both opened their eyes. Asuka pressed her forehead against his and smiled.
"You," she whispered.
"We have chicken, shrimp, beef, and urchin-flavored ramen. Which one do you want?" He called from the kitchen, trying to speak above the noise of pans clanging as he pulled them out of the drawer.
"I'm not hungry, take whichever one you want," she replied.
"Yeah, I'm not either." He put the pans back and walked into the living room. Asuka pulled her legs up for him to sit down. He hesitated for a moment, amazed that she had not told him to go find his own seat. "What's that?" He pointed to the notebook she was writing in.
"It's for school," she replied quietly. "I have to write a poem for literature." She was obviously very upset. She had offered him to sit with her and had not told him to 'mind his own business' when he asked about her notebook.
'How could I cheer her up?' He pondered.
'Tell her how you feel.' It was Misato in his head. 'Tell her that you love her.'
'I can't let her know I'm hearing it again. I don't want to upset her more.'
'Because you're in love with her, right?' Now it was Rei.
'No I'm not! Why do you keep bothering me?'
'Because something's wrong, Ikari,' Rei replied.
'I know something's wrong with me. It's you!'
'Something's wrong with this world,' Rei corrected. 'You have to fix it.'
"Are you hearing them again?" Asuka asked.
"H-how did you know?" He stammered.
"Just a guess. You know, they go away when you talk to a real person. At least that works for me," she said kindly. Shinji smiled appreciatively at her. "If you start hearing them in public, say something about flowers to me. I'll do the same for you," she smiled. Shinji was surprised by her sincerity. "We're going to have to work together to deal with this." She went back to her notebook. Now he was more like astounded.
"Yeah... together," he smiled at her. She looked up and smiled back.
"I'll be back in a minute," she said as she got up and walked to the bathroom.
'A poem...' he thought to himself. 'I didn't know Asuka wrote poetry.' He reached over and picked up the notebook. It was folded at the page she had been writing on. 'Crap, it's in German. I guess she translates it before she turns it in.' Asuka had taught him a little German, so he tried his hand at making some sense of it. Most of it escaped him, but one phrase seemed to reccur by itself every few lines: "Und ich liebe ihn." He knew that "ich liebe" meant "I love," but the rest was beyond him. He memorized the sentence so he could look it up later. Just then, he heard the water running in the bathroom. He instinctively threw the notebook back to where she had left it. Asuka opened the door and returned to her seat on the couch. She sat her notebook on the floor and stretched her legs out to cover the empty space between the two of them.
"Miss me?" Asuka said playfully.
"Like a hangnail," Shinji smiled. She smiled before turning her eyes to the television.
"Anything good on?"
"There's a new reality show on 23," he sighed as he flipped through the channels.
"Ugh, are the Japanese copying those stupid things from Americans now?"
"Looks that way."
"Anything else?"
"A new teenage soap opera on 57. Everything else is pretty much reruns."
"Well then, just forget it," she sighed. Shinji turned it off and let the remote fall to the floor. They both stared at the black screen in silence.
'You should tell him,' Kaji's voice chimed.
'Go away!' She replied.
'It's the only way, Asuka.' Now it was Misato. She covered her ears and curled her knees up to her chest.
"Are they back?" Now it was Shinji's voice. She looked up at him helplessly. "Are the voices back?" He repeated. He had a concerned look on his face. She nodded slowly.
"Why won't they go away, Shinji?" Her voice was shakey. "Why can't they just go away?" She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest.
"Shh..." he said softly as he rubbed her head. "Don't cry, Asuka. They aren't real."
"I know that," she sobbed. He could feel her hot breath on him as she spoke. "Help me, Shinji."
"There's nothing to worry about," he said tenderly. "As long as you don't let them get to you, everything will be all right."
With those words, her tears ceased. She still clung to him, like she was afraid to let go. They hung there in silence.
'Try to get her mind on something else...' he thought to himself.
"Hey Asuka?" He finally said softly.
"Yeah?"
"What does 'und ich liebe ihn' mean?" She pulled away from him and sat back on her knees.
"Where did you hear that?" She asked anxiously. "Did you read my notebook?"
"Um, no." He replied nervously. He braced himself for the beating.
"Yes you did. Why did you read it?" Now he was in shock. She almost sounded happy.
"I dunno. I didn't understand anything, I just saw that phrase over and over again." His voice was becoming panicked. He knew that she still might attack him. "I was just wondering what it meant."
"It means: 'And I love him.'" She chuckled. She smiled at him. "It's about someone who is very important to me."
"Oh," he replied, puzzled that she had volunteered information like that. "Who is it about?"
Without a word, Asuka leaned closer to him. Shinji's eyes popped wide open as he felt her soft, moist lips gently embrace his. Her breath carressed his face like a warm breeze on a sunny day. Her fingers trailing through his hair sent a chill down his spine. After the initial shock, he finally closed his eyes and let the sensations wash over him. His entire body felt weightless and tingley. After what seemed like hours, she pulled away and they both opened their eyes. Asuka pressed her forehead against his and smiled.
"You," she whispered.