"The plan has failed."
"No, it has only been delayed."
"The Human Instrumentality shall come to be. We shall be one with God!"
"Yes, eternal tranquility for all of mankind."
"What has gone wrong?"
"A mistake was made in the choosing of the pilots."
"This organization cannot afford mistakes."
"Agreed. This must be corrected."
"Why did the plan fail, Fuyutsuki?"
"Evidently, he was not the one."
"How could this be?"
"That's impossible!"
"This organization is incapable of making such an error."
"Well then, what do you gentlemen suppose went wrong?"
"Do not speak so condescendingly to this committee, Fuyutsuki. People have disappeared for less."
"It is strange, isn't it? Why don't you remember anything beyond the termination of the seventeenth angel? It seems that NERV employees are the only ones with any recollection."
"We have yet to see proof that you remember anything!"
"It is rather odd that over one hundred people, all of whom NERV personel, have recently consulted therapists regarding a certain disturbing dream in which all of humanity, including themselves, vanished, and yet continued to exist."
"Yes, we have been aware of this for some time."
"It is proof of nothing!"
"The rest of this meeting does not concern you, Fuyutsuki. You'll be hearing from us very soon."
"A pleasure, as always, gentlemen."
A large screen flickered off amongst a circle of several other similar screens.
"He speaks the truth! What do we do about this?"
"No pilots; the Evangelions, Adam and Lilith have disappeared... we're back where we started!"
"How could this have happened? That boy has made a mockery of us!"
"Collect yourselves. We simply proceed as if nothing has happened. Begin the search for the new pilots."
"Of what good are pilots without Evangelions?"
"Agreed. We must first determine the whereabouts of Lilith. Then, we can create more Evangelions. This time, our plan shall not fail."
------------------------------------------------------------
The sunlight streamed in through the half-opened window on the far side of the room. The sun was still low enough that the rays bathed the sofa in a warm, soothing glow. Shinji stirred slightly, yawned and rubbed his eyes. He first noticed the beautiful red-head sleeping peacefully with her head rested on his chest. He gazed around the room as well as he could, doing his best not to disturb her. Everything was still in the same place as the night before, yet something seemed unfamiliar. There was a shadow cast on the wall opposite the window. A person's shadow. He sat up with a start, causing Asuka to roll over and lay her head between his shoulder and the couch.
"Don't worry, I called her mother when I got home last night," a woman's voice said quietly. It was his mother. "You two looked like you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you."
'When did I fall asleep?' He wondered. 'Was last night even real?'
"It's only seven-thirty," she whispered. "Go back to sleep." Asuka lifted her head and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around her.
"Huh? Where...?" she mumbled sleepily. She turned around to discover that Shinji was lying under her. "How'd you get here?"
"I think we fell asleep on my couch last night," he smiled.
"Oh..." she sighed. She layed down on top of him again, falling asleep almost instantly.
"I'll wake you up in a few hours," Yui smiled sweetly. Shinji layed his head down and let his eyelids drop.
'Something's wrong,' Rei was talking to him again. 'You can't let them do it.'
'Go away,' he replied.
'It's coming, Ikari. You can't let them do it.'
'What are you talking about?' He knew she would persist even if he ignored her.
'The end is coming. You have to fix it.'
'The end of what?'
'The end of humanity.' A strange orange glow filled his eyes, even though they were closed. He immediately snapped them open. He was lying on a beach. The only sound was that of the waves gently peeling sand from the shore. He looked up into the cloudless blue sky, unsure of whether to get up or try to make it go away. The breeze picked up from the sea, carrying with it that disgusting stench.
'Blood...' his stomach turned. "I thought... I fixed this."
'But you didn't, did you?'
"Yes, I did. Everything went back to the way it was supposed to be. I brought everyone back."
'Are you sure?'
"What do you mean? What kind of a question is that?"
"Help me, Shinji!" It was Misato. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere.
"Where are you?" He was growing more anxious.
"I'm right here!"
"Where?" He sat up and frantically looked around. "I can't see you!"
"Right in front of you..." She trailed off. He looked down at his feet. The ripples in the orange sea began to swirl. The liquid swelled upwards, like bread rising in an oven. It formed itself into a rough sphere, which gradually warped into what resembled a person's head. Then, a face began to take shape.
"M-M-Muh..." he stammered. "Misato?" He swallowed hard.
"Hel...p m...eeee..." Her mouth twisted and contorted into a large, vaguely round opening. He scrambled backwards and raised his arm up in front of him, like he felt it could attack at any moment. His eye twitched slightly as his lips warped into a psychotic smile. Then, with a piercing shriek, the grotesque abomination sunk back into the waves.
"You have to help her, Ikari." It was Rei again. "You're the only one who can stop them." It sounded like she was right behind him. He twisted around to find himself staring at her knees. He tilted his head up to face her. She was wearing her plug suit. He tried to speak, but there was no sound. "Help me, Shinji."
'That's the first time she's called me anything but "Ikari,"' he thought. "What do you mean?" He pleaded. "You have to tell me what to do!"
"I don't know. Help me..." she trailed off. She suddenly burst into orange liquid, leaving her plug suit behind on the sand. He could only watch, horrified and confused, as the rife fluid trickled down to meet the ocean in little rivers. He crawled away from a rogue stream that nearly touched him.
"Shinji..." It was Asuka's voice. He looked all round him, but he was alone. "You have to stop it." She almost sounded angry.
"Asuka?" He said quietly. Suddenly, he found himself sinking into the sand. Slowly at first, but he sank faster whenever he moved. Before he realized what had happened, his head had gone under. He felt himself falling. He could only feel the air rushing past his ears. He was unsure of whether he was even screaming or not. Then he hit. His eyes popped open, revealing a very annoyed red-haired girl in a school uniform glaring down at him.
"You have to stop sleeping so late," she said forcefully. "It's after eleven!" She walked around him, passing behind his head. He suddenly realized he was lying on the floor. He rubbed the back of his head as he stood up.
"Did you have to do that?" He asked, slightly irritated. "That really hurt."
"Well, it serves you right, rolling on top of me like you did. I woke up and I couldn't breathe!" She replied angrily.
"Oh, sorry" He said quietly. He straightened up the ruffled couch cushions.
"Come on, your breakfast is ready." Her tone was kind now. "I made it myself!" She smiled sweetly at him. He stared at her with a puzzled look on his face.
"Oh...I hope you didn't go to too much trouble."
"Nonsense!" She chimed. "Now, come over here and eat." She pulled a chair out and motioned for him to sit down. He cautiously walked over, sat down and pulled the chair up. "Here you are," she smiled wide. She set a plate in front of him with a napkin over top of it. There seemed to be a large portion under it. He slowly lifted the napkin, wondering if something would attack him once it was off the plate. Finally, he quickly pulled it away. His face turned to one of surprise and utter disappointment.
"Rice balls?" He asked flatly. "You made me rice balls?"
"Something WRONG with rice balls?" She sounded as if she wanted him to say something to anger her.
"No, no, they're... fine," he forced a smile. "They look delicious."
"Well, hurry up and eat. I want to beat the crowd to the beach."
"Huh?" He looked up at her, holding one of the balls in his hand.
"Don't tell me you forgot!"
"No, I just didn't think that was today."
"I swear, you'd miss out on everything if I wasn't here to remind you. You can be really stupid sometimes."
'Maybe last night really was a dream,' he thought as he took his first bite. He chewed a few times, then paused.
"Wow, these are great!" He exclaimed, his mouth full of rice. A few grains flew onto the table. "What did you put in these?"
"That's a secret," she smiled. "See? Even if you don't expect to like something, it may end up surprising you," she winked at him. He suddenly stopped eating.
"Yeah..." he trailed off. After a few moments, he resumed eating. Asuka sat down in the seat opposite him. She layed her head on her hand, making mock circles in the wood with the other. Shinji seemed to not notice anything other than his food. Grains of rice fell to his plate with each bite he took. The sun was higher now, and the couch was shrouded in the shadow of the wall once more. The ethereal glow made it impossible to tell morning from evening without the aid of a clock. Perhaps the clock was wrong, and it the sun was on its way down to the horizon instead up through the sky.
"Hey Shinji?" She finally broke the silence.
"Yeah?" He continued eating.
"Did you want me to kiss you?" She asked quietly. Her finger continued to chase itself in circles on the table. Shinji put what was left of his last rice ball on the plate. He sat quietly for what seemed like hours.
"I don't know," he finally replied.
"It's a simple question. Either you did, or you didn't." Her tone made it seem as if the answer made no difference.
"If you mean 'Was I hoping you would?', then, no." He said quietly.
"...I see." Her finger stopped moving.
"But, if you mean 'Am I glad you did?', then I would have to say..." she finally looked up at him as he paused for a moment. "I would have to say 'yes.'" He smiled slightly as he fixed his eyes on hers. She opened her mouth to say something, but only returned his smile. Shinji picked up the rest of his rice ball. Just as he took a bite, he felt something warm and soft take hold of his hand. He hesitated for a moment, then squeezed her hand. He felt her grip tighten around his and smiled again. He looked up at her staring at him.
'So this is what it's like,' he thought to himself. 'This is how it feels to be happy.'
He returned his focus to the food in his hand, only the rice ball was gone. In its place was a hand - just a hand. It was roughly severed at the wrist, as if it had been gnawed off a person's body. He shrieked and dropped it to his plate. Sweat beads began forming on his forehead as he stared at his own hand. It was covered in blood.
'Your mouth.' It was Rei's voice.
'Tell me what's going on!' He was tired of trying to ignore it.
'Clean your mouth.' He wiped his mouth with the back of his other hand. His hand was smeared red where he had rubbed it across his lips. He was almost hyperventilating now.
"How did I...what...when did it...why won't..." he blubbered. His throat seemed to be tightening.
"Just hold on... a little longer..." The voice was unfamiliar.
"Everything's going to be fine, Shinji. Just hang in there!"
"Asuka?" He mumbled weakly. He suddenly realized his eyes had been closed. He managed to force them open slightly.
'I'm moving... those lights... I'm on my back? What's going on?'
"Doctor, his eyes are open. I think he's awake!" It was his mother. "Is that a good sign?"
"This is where you two stop." It was that same strange voice. "Just sit tight and let them do their job." He saw a door frame pass overhead and felt himself come to a stop.
"Sleep tight, kid." A man wearing glasses and a mask put something over his face. "Everything'll be all right when you wake up."
------------------------------------------------------------
Asuka lied in an armchair curled into a ball, crying uncontrolably. She hugged her legs, her face buried in her knees. "We were just sitting there, talking..." she sobbed to herself. "I grabbed his hand, he squeezed and looked up at me, then he just fell over."
"Shhh... It's all right," Yui said softly. She walked over to Asuka's chair and crouched down. "Everything will be just fine." She reached up and gently rubbed Asuka's head. Asuka looked up at her with puffy, red eyes. Yui only gave her a warm smile. It was all she could do to keep bursting into tears herself.
A door suddenly flew open on one side of the room. A woman with dark blue hair rushed to the desk. "I'm looking for Shinji Ikari." She sounded out of breath.
"And who might you be?" The clerk asked.
"I'm his..." she paused. "I'm his aunt."
"Misato, over here!" Yui called to her. She turned around and hurried over to her. "They took him in a few minutes ago. Asuka said that he just fell over for no reason at all." Another door opened at the opposite side of the room. A woman in scrubs carrying a clipboard stood in the doorway.
"Is the guardian of Shinji Ikari here?" She looked around the room. Yui stood up and walked to her.
"I'm his mother. Did they find out anything?" She asked anxiously.
"The doctor said he suffered a small aneurism in a non-vital part of the brain. They're going to operate immediately. We'll have to keep him overnight, but the doctor said he should make a full recovery." Yui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, I'll pass that along." She bowed and walked back to the others. Everyone relaxed a little when she told them, and Asuka finally got out of the fetal position.
'It's a good thing you told him.' Rei's voice echoed inside Asuka's head.
'Yeah. If he had died just now, he would have never known how you felt.' Now it was Kaji. 'What a sad story that would have made.'
"How can you be so cold?" Asuka mumbled softly.
"What was that, Asuka?" Yui asked softly. "I didn't quite catch that."
"I, uh... I said I was getting cold." Her voice shook. Misato looked down at her. They apparently had not told Yui what Ritsuko had said.
"I'll get you a blanket, Asuka," Misato smiled. She walked away towards the counter and returned shortly with a red blanket. "This was all they had," she smiled as she handed it to her.
"It's okay. Thank you," she sniffled as she wrapped it around her. A woman slowly approached them from the desk. It was the same nurse with the clipboard.
"You folks may as well go home and get some rest. There isn't much you can do here," she smiled, trying to sound comforting.
"Maybe you're right, I'm exhausted," Yui yawned as she stood up. "Would you like to stay at my house tonight, Asuka?"
"I'd rather stay here," she said weakly. "It's not like I'll get any sleep, anyway." She hugged the blanket tighter.
"I'll stay with her, you get some rest. She'll be fine." Misato assured Yui. Yui smiled as she looked as Asuka, already fast asleep on Misato's shoulder.
"Good night."
"No, it has only been delayed."
"The Human Instrumentality shall come to be. We shall be one with God!"
"Yes, eternal tranquility for all of mankind."
"What has gone wrong?"
"A mistake was made in the choosing of the pilots."
"This organization cannot afford mistakes."
"Agreed. This must be corrected."
"Why did the plan fail, Fuyutsuki?"
"Evidently, he was not the one."
"How could this be?"
"That's impossible!"
"This organization is incapable of making such an error."
"Well then, what do you gentlemen suppose went wrong?"
"Do not speak so condescendingly to this committee, Fuyutsuki. People have disappeared for less."
"It is strange, isn't it? Why don't you remember anything beyond the termination of the seventeenth angel? It seems that NERV employees are the only ones with any recollection."
"We have yet to see proof that you remember anything!"
"It is rather odd that over one hundred people, all of whom NERV personel, have recently consulted therapists regarding a certain disturbing dream in which all of humanity, including themselves, vanished, and yet continued to exist."
"Yes, we have been aware of this for some time."
"It is proof of nothing!"
"The rest of this meeting does not concern you, Fuyutsuki. You'll be hearing from us very soon."
"A pleasure, as always, gentlemen."
A large screen flickered off amongst a circle of several other similar screens.
"He speaks the truth! What do we do about this?"
"No pilots; the Evangelions, Adam and Lilith have disappeared... we're back where we started!"
"How could this have happened? That boy has made a mockery of us!"
"Collect yourselves. We simply proceed as if nothing has happened. Begin the search for the new pilots."
"Of what good are pilots without Evangelions?"
"Agreed. We must first determine the whereabouts of Lilith. Then, we can create more Evangelions. This time, our plan shall not fail."
------------------------------------------------------------
The sunlight streamed in through the half-opened window on the far side of the room. The sun was still low enough that the rays bathed the sofa in a warm, soothing glow. Shinji stirred slightly, yawned and rubbed his eyes. He first noticed the beautiful red-head sleeping peacefully with her head rested on his chest. He gazed around the room as well as he could, doing his best not to disturb her. Everything was still in the same place as the night before, yet something seemed unfamiliar. There was a shadow cast on the wall opposite the window. A person's shadow. He sat up with a start, causing Asuka to roll over and lay her head between his shoulder and the couch.
"Don't worry, I called her mother when I got home last night," a woman's voice said quietly. It was his mother. "You two looked like you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you."
'When did I fall asleep?' He wondered. 'Was last night even real?'
"It's only seven-thirty," she whispered. "Go back to sleep." Asuka lifted her head and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around her.
"Huh? Where...?" she mumbled sleepily. She turned around to discover that Shinji was lying under her. "How'd you get here?"
"I think we fell asleep on my couch last night," he smiled.
"Oh..." she sighed. She layed down on top of him again, falling asleep almost instantly.
"I'll wake you up in a few hours," Yui smiled sweetly. Shinji layed his head down and let his eyelids drop.
'Something's wrong,' Rei was talking to him again. 'You can't let them do it.'
'Go away,' he replied.
'It's coming, Ikari. You can't let them do it.'
'What are you talking about?' He knew she would persist even if he ignored her.
'The end is coming. You have to fix it.'
'The end of what?'
'The end of humanity.' A strange orange glow filled his eyes, even though they were closed. He immediately snapped them open. He was lying on a beach. The only sound was that of the waves gently peeling sand from the shore. He looked up into the cloudless blue sky, unsure of whether to get up or try to make it go away. The breeze picked up from the sea, carrying with it that disgusting stench.
'Blood...' his stomach turned. "I thought... I fixed this."
'But you didn't, did you?'
"Yes, I did. Everything went back to the way it was supposed to be. I brought everyone back."
'Are you sure?'
"What do you mean? What kind of a question is that?"
"Help me, Shinji!" It was Misato. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere.
"Where are you?" He was growing more anxious.
"I'm right here!"
"Where?" He sat up and frantically looked around. "I can't see you!"
"Right in front of you..." She trailed off. He looked down at his feet. The ripples in the orange sea began to swirl. The liquid swelled upwards, like bread rising in an oven. It formed itself into a rough sphere, which gradually warped into what resembled a person's head. Then, a face began to take shape.
"M-M-Muh..." he stammered. "Misato?" He swallowed hard.
"Hel...p m...eeee..." Her mouth twisted and contorted into a large, vaguely round opening. He scrambled backwards and raised his arm up in front of him, like he felt it could attack at any moment. His eye twitched slightly as his lips warped into a psychotic smile. Then, with a piercing shriek, the grotesque abomination sunk back into the waves.
"You have to help her, Ikari." It was Rei again. "You're the only one who can stop them." It sounded like she was right behind him. He twisted around to find himself staring at her knees. He tilted his head up to face her. She was wearing her plug suit. He tried to speak, but there was no sound. "Help me, Shinji."
'That's the first time she's called me anything but "Ikari,"' he thought. "What do you mean?" He pleaded. "You have to tell me what to do!"
"I don't know. Help me..." she trailed off. She suddenly burst into orange liquid, leaving her plug suit behind on the sand. He could only watch, horrified and confused, as the rife fluid trickled down to meet the ocean in little rivers. He crawled away from a rogue stream that nearly touched him.
"Shinji..." It was Asuka's voice. He looked all round him, but he was alone. "You have to stop it." She almost sounded angry.
"Asuka?" He said quietly. Suddenly, he found himself sinking into the sand. Slowly at first, but he sank faster whenever he moved. Before he realized what had happened, his head had gone under. He felt himself falling. He could only feel the air rushing past his ears. He was unsure of whether he was even screaming or not. Then he hit. His eyes popped open, revealing a very annoyed red-haired girl in a school uniform glaring down at him.
"You have to stop sleeping so late," she said forcefully. "It's after eleven!" She walked around him, passing behind his head. He suddenly realized he was lying on the floor. He rubbed the back of his head as he stood up.
"Did you have to do that?" He asked, slightly irritated. "That really hurt."
"Well, it serves you right, rolling on top of me like you did. I woke up and I couldn't breathe!" She replied angrily.
"Oh, sorry" He said quietly. He straightened up the ruffled couch cushions.
"Come on, your breakfast is ready." Her tone was kind now. "I made it myself!" She smiled sweetly at him. He stared at her with a puzzled look on his face.
"Oh...I hope you didn't go to too much trouble."
"Nonsense!" She chimed. "Now, come over here and eat." She pulled a chair out and motioned for him to sit down. He cautiously walked over, sat down and pulled the chair up. "Here you are," she smiled wide. She set a plate in front of him with a napkin over top of it. There seemed to be a large portion under it. He slowly lifted the napkin, wondering if something would attack him once it was off the plate. Finally, he quickly pulled it away. His face turned to one of surprise and utter disappointment.
"Rice balls?" He asked flatly. "You made me rice balls?"
"Something WRONG with rice balls?" She sounded as if she wanted him to say something to anger her.
"No, no, they're... fine," he forced a smile. "They look delicious."
"Well, hurry up and eat. I want to beat the crowd to the beach."
"Huh?" He looked up at her, holding one of the balls in his hand.
"Don't tell me you forgot!"
"No, I just didn't think that was today."
"I swear, you'd miss out on everything if I wasn't here to remind you. You can be really stupid sometimes."
'Maybe last night really was a dream,' he thought as he took his first bite. He chewed a few times, then paused.
"Wow, these are great!" He exclaimed, his mouth full of rice. A few grains flew onto the table. "What did you put in these?"
"That's a secret," she smiled. "See? Even if you don't expect to like something, it may end up surprising you," she winked at him. He suddenly stopped eating.
"Yeah..." he trailed off. After a few moments, he resumed eating. Asuka sat down in the seat opposite him. She layed her head on her hand, making mock circles in the wood with the other. Shinji seemed to not notice anything other than his food. Grains of rice fell to his plate with each bite he took. The sun was higher now, and the couch was shrouded in the shadow of the wall once more. The ethereal glow made it impossible to tell morning from evening without the aid of a clock. Perhaps the clock was wrong, and it the sun was on its way down to the horizon instead up through the sky.
"Hey Shinji?" She finally broke the silence.
"Yeah?" He continued eating.
"Did you want me to kiss you?" She asked quietly. Her finger continued to chase itself in circles on the table. Shinji put what was left of his last rice ball on the plate. He sat quietly for what seemed like hours.
"I don't know," he finally replied.
"It's a simple question. Either you did, or you didn't." Her tone made it seem as if the answer made no difference.
"If you mean 'Was I hoping you would?', then, no." He said quietly.
"...I see." Her finger stopped moving.
"But, if you mean 'Am I glad you did?', then I would have to say..." she finally looked up at him as he paused for a moment. "I would have to say 'yes.'" He smiled slightly as he fixed his eyes on hers. She opened her mouth to say something, but only returned his smile. Shinji picked up the rest of his rice ball. Just as he took a bite, he felt something warm and soft take hold of his hand. He hesitated for a moment, then squeezed her hand. He felt her grip tighten around his and smiled again. He looked up at her staring at him.
'So this is what it's like,' he thought to himself. 'This is how it feels to be happy.'
He returned his focus to the food in his hand, only the rice ball was gone. In its place was a hand - just a hand. It was roughly severed at the wrist, as if it had been gnawed off a person's body. He shrieked and dropped it to his plate. Sweat beads began forming on his forehead as he stared at his own hand. It was covered in blood.
'Your mouth.' It was Rei's voice.
'Tell me what's going on!' He was tired of trying to ignore it.
'Clean your mouth.' He wiped his mouth with the back of his other hand. His hand was smeared red where he had rubbed it across his lips. He was almost hyperventilating now.
"How did I...what...when did it...why won't..." he blubbered. His throat seemed to be tightening.
"Just hold on... a little longer..." The voice was unfamiliar.
"Everything's going to be fine, Shinji. Just hang in there!"
"Asuka?" He mumbled weakly. He suddenly realized his eyes had been closed. He managed to force them open slightly.
'I'm moving... those lights... I'm on my back? What's going on?'
"Doctor, his eyes are open. I think he's awake!" It was his mother. "Is that a good sign?"
"This is where you two stop." It was that same strange voice. "Just sit tight and let them do their job." He saw a door frame pass overhead and felt himself come to a stop.
"Sleep tight, kid." A man wearing glasses and a mask put something over his face. "Everything'll be all right when you wake up."
------------------------------------------------------------
Asuka lied in an armchair curled into a ball, crying uncontrolably. She hugged her legs, her face buried in her knees. "We were just sitting there, talking..." she sobbed to herself. "I grabbed his hand, he squeezed and looked up at me, then he just fell over."
"Shhh... It's all right," Yui said softly. She walked over to Asuka's chair and crouched down. "Everything will be just fine." She reached up and gently rubbed Asuka's head. Asuka looked up at her with puffy, red eyes. Yui only gave her a warm smile. It was all she could do to keep bursting into tears herself.
A door suddenly flew open on one side of the room. A woman with dark blue hair rushed to the desk. "I'm looking for Shinji Ikari." She sounded out of breath.
"And who might you be?" The clerk asked.
"I'm his..." she paused. "I'm his aunt."
"Misato, over here!" Yui called to her. She turned around and hurried over to her. "They took him in a few minutes ago. Asuka said that he just fell over for no reason at all." Another door opened at the opposite side of the room. A woman in scrubs carrying a clipboard stood in the doorway.
"Is the guardian of Shinji Ikari here?" She looked around the room. Yui stood up and walked to her.
"I'm his mother. Did they find out anything?" She asked anxiously.
"The doctor said he suffered a small aneurism in a non-vital part of the brain. They're going to operate immediately. We'll have to keep him overnight, but the doctor said he should make a full recovery." Yui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, I'll pass that along." She bowed and walked back to the others. Everyone relaxed a little when she told them, and Asuka finally got out of the fetal position.
'It's a good thing you told him.' Rei's voice echoed inside Asuka's head.
'Yeah. If he had died just now, he would have never known how you felt.' Now it was Kaji. 'What a sad story that would have made.'
"How can you be so cold?" Asuka mumbled softly.
"What was that, Asuka?" Yui asked softly. "I didn't quite catch that."
"I, uh... I said I was getting cold." Her voice shook. Misato looked down at her. They apparently had not told Yui what Ritsuko had said.
"I'll get you a blanket, Asuka," Misato smiled. She walked away towards the counter and returned shortly with a red blanket. "This was all they had," she smiled as she handed it to her.
"It's okay. Thank you," she sniffled as she wrapped it around her. A woman slowly approached them from the desk. It was the same nurse with the clipboard.
"You folks may as well go home and get some rest. There isn't much you can do here," she smiled, trying to sound comforting.
"Maybe you're right, I'm exhausted," Yui yawned as she stood up. "Would you like to stay at my house tonight, Asuka?"
"I'd rather stay here," she said weakly. "It's not like I'll get any sleep, anyway." She hugged the blanket tighter.
"I'll stay with her, you get some rest. She'll be fine." Misato assured Yui. Yui smiled as she looked as Asuka, already fast asleep on Misato's shoulder.
"Good night."