Asuka's POV

Shinji better not let me find him, because as soon as I did, I would really give the boy a few kicks in the right place. I actually had to postpone dinner simply because he decided to wander off. And even worse, his reason for not coming back was that Rei had rejected his advance. I swear, all boys are the same. Perverts…that's what they are…nothing but perverts.

Searching for him in this neighbourhood had been fruitless. Shinji was the type of quiet person who preferred staying at home to outdoor activities. I didn't have the slightest idea of where he would be at this hour. The boy didn't have a favourite spot where he could hang out and relax. And so all I could do was check around with no good targets in mind.

If it wasn't for Rei, I wouldn't have troubled myself with this rubbish.

About two hours later, it started to rain. Initially, it was just tiny droplets so I continued my search. However, the rain drops soon got bigger and fell more frequently. Before long, a mist had formed just above the ground from the heavy rain. Visibility was decreased, and my difficult objective suddenly turned impossible. Things were getting wonderful. Someone up there must love me.

Misato's apartment was a whole five kilometres away. With this weather, I would be soaking wet once I got back. Besides, I still had to find the bloody idiot. So I decided to find a shelter and continue my searching once the rain stopped.

This part of the city was quite old. The walls of the buildings were mouldy. There were very few cars and passengers. Some of the lamp posts were even bent, and their lights twinkled on and off as if there wasn't enough electrical supply. I looked around and picked the most solid looking building. It looked dusty and isolated, though. I walked over to it and sat down under the roof.

It was getting cold. The chill wind acted as if it was trying to freeze me. I immediately regretted coming out wearing just a thin sleeveless shirt and shorts. I also felt stupid for having cut the bottom half of my shirt. At first, it seemed to be cool idea to expose the skin of my stomach, but now it was giving me even more shivers. And as if that wasn't enough, my shoes were all soggy from stepping in the pools of water while I ran here.

I took off the uncomfortable shoes and lay them in front of me to dry. It was then someone came from behind me.

"What business does a fine lady like you have in this part of the city?" He asked.

"What business does a crooked old man like you have in talking to a fine lady like me? Now get lost!" I spat back. I didn't need anyone bothering me right now.

"Hahaha…" he laughed softly, "Do I really look that old?"

I looked up at his face closely. It was framed by a mass of silvery hair, and it was then I noticed that his hair, instead of a dull grey, was quite shiny. His height and built suggested that he was around the same age as I was. Other features appeared relatively vague with the dim light.

"As a matter of fact, you do." I replied, turning away.

"Fascinating," The boy said as he sat down beside me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I thought you would feel warmer with me sitting close to you."

"I hate your smell, you know that?"

"You are a very interesting lady." He replied with a soft chuckle.

"Your charm won't work on me," I said, "And before you think you're cool, I think you should know that silver hair is lame and outdated."

"Yes it is, but I'm proud of it because it's natural."

I tried to ignore him but I had to admit, having him sitting next to me brought a little extra warmth in this cold rain. We sat there quietly for a while. His breaths were smooth and despite what I had said, he actually smelt quite pleasant. So far he had not done or said anything impolite, but if he decided I would be an easy target, he would be quite wrong. I was an expert at every form of marital arts with a name.

"When are you going to leave?" I broke the silence after a while.

"As soon as you do," he replied.

"I already have a boyfriend, and he's twice as handsome as you." I said and turned to look at him. There was a flash of lightning and for a moment, his face was as clear as daylight. Two thin lines of eyebrows were drawn above the two crimson orbs of eyes. His roman nose sat between two pale cheeks. A gentle curve of jaw line made the lower border of a handsome face. Kaji was no where near as beautiful.

"I wonder if you're talking about Shinji."

"H-him?! No way!! ……H-hey…what the…how do you-??"

"The famous trio. Rei, Asuka and Shinji. Children who pilot Evangelion to protect our world. Who wouldn't know of them?" He said with a warm smile.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Nagisa. Nagisa Kaworu. You may call me Kaworu. I'm the Fifth Child."

"The Fifth Child? Impossible! Where is your Eva?"

"I'm only a back up pilot, my lady. I'm not as fortunate, nor as gifted as you. I do not have my own Evangelion." He smiled.

"Oh…well, just leave mine alone and we'll…we'll get along fine." I replied. The warm smile never left his face no matter how rude I was to him. And something about him intrigued me. Was it the way he kept calling me a lady? Was it the way he always seemed to acknowledge my presence? Or was it the calming smile he put on whenever he talked?

"The Second Child sure is a very interesting lady." He said again.

"Yeah, whatever. So you've been following me?"

"It seems that you're the one who has been following me." He laughed.

"What are you talking about? I came here first! I was just sitting here and then you came and joined me!"

Kaworu stood up and walked a few metres away from me. He then opened a door before adding, "The rain would go on for a while. Would you like to come inside?"

"Wh-what? You? Here?" I stammered.

"I live in this building. Now come on, I'll make some tea for you." He said and disappeared into the door.

He was right. The rain seemed to be getting worse. I picked up my cell phone and tried to call Rei, but noticed that my battery had gone flat. Reluctantly, I followed the boy into his residence. It was a very dusty room, with rubble lying at the corners. The place was dimly lit by a white light. There was a limp mattress on the floor and a few bottles of water sitting next to it. A few pieces of wet clothes hung in the air by a thin line across the room. The only highlight was an expensive looking piano standing majestically in the middle of the room.

Kaworu was at the stove boiling water. I sat down at the piano. Neither of us said a thing and I began to get bored. My fingers played around with the keys, drawing a few tinkling sounds from it.

"Do you play?" The boy asked as he came and handed me a cup of hot tea.

"No."

"I do."

"I didn't ask."

"Would you like to listen to me play?"

"No."

He sat down beside me and stretched his arms. Then, he started caressing the keys slowly and gently with his delicate fingers. The sleek motion soon turned focused and before long, his fingers were dancing on the keyboard as a melodious tune filled the air. It was the Ninth by Beethoven.

At first, I was annoyed. I had never met anyone so full of himself, but then as he continued playing, the anxiety in my heart was calmed. Smooth waves of music washed over me again and again. Kaworu had his eyes closed, but his fingers hit each key skilfully as if the piano itself was part of him. For the first time, I felt overwhelmed, and fascinated that a simple boy like him made me feel this way. There seemed to be an exceptional air around him.

I realised he wasn't arrogant. He was confident.

"You do not like people knowing you, do you?" Kaworu asked as he continued playing.

"Why do you ask?"

"Pardon me, but the way you've been acting towards me is quite impolite."

"Finally speaking the truth eh?"

"The truth does not need to be spoken. It's in your heart."

Something about the way he said it irritated me. The boy had wit, but I did not like being treated like a little child. I barely knew him, and he was already giving me all this deep trash. Nevertheless, his music calmed me. I didn't understand why. There seemed to be a glow around him that made me feel secured.

"I'm rude and I know it. I don't need you telling me. In any case, I didn't want to come here. It was you who invited me."

"You're worried about your friends. You do not wish to be here."

"What do you know about me?!"

The pace of his fingers increased as the tune slowly reached towards its climax. Kaworu still had his eyes closed. The music was becoming invading, yet so soothing. I felt like I was being opened up by this strange, and yet beautiful boy.

"If you weren't worried about them, you wouldn't be here looking for Shinji. You do not need to be too concerned, however, for he returned to his residence."

"You followed him?"

"I made sure he didn't do anything foolish."

"Heh, who cares anyway?" I said casually, although deep inside I felt relieved.

"You do."

"What?"

The boy kept silent as the tune slowly trailed off. His skilful hands made it sound like a smooth landing. Finally, he rubbed his hands together, stood up and stretched his body.

"You do not need to be afraid to show who you really are."

"You don't know anything. No one knows what it's like." The words came out before I realised what I had just said. For a moment my mind searched for a way to take them back, but I stopped when Kaworu ran a hand through his hair and asked.

"Do you remember what I told you about my hair?"

"You agreed that silver hair is lame and outdated."

"And?"

"That…that you're proud because it's natural…"

"True. Be proud of your true self, and don't be afraid to show your nature." Before I could answer, he decided to add, "You've been through a lot. My lady, I think you're a very strong person. I want you to know this."

"Wait…what are you talking about?" I asked, feeling uneasy. He sounded as if he knew about my past, about my mother. I didn't want anyone to know…

Kaworu looked at me quietly before smiling warmly, "Not everyone has what it takes to pilot an Eva, much less enjoy it. And for that, I think you're a strong person."

I admit I like flattery, but what he said had a total different meaning. His words seemed to touch something sensitive inside me. Kaworu might be a stranger, but he understood me like no one else did. I didn't understand why I suddenly felt so comfortable with him. When he sat down and started playing once again, I turned my head the other way. There were tears in my eyes.

He thought I was a strong person…I wanted to laugh…but instead, I silently wiped away the tears, turned around and put on a sincere smile…It was something I had lost a very long time ago, but today I regained it.

"I like you, Kaworu."

"I thought you said I was a crooked old man," He said with a laugh before turning his attention back to the piano. This time, a slow version of Fly Me to the Moon was being played. It felt like he was playing the piano for me.

I went to lie on his mattress. The rain had not stopped. Shinji had gone back. I hoped he could work out his problems with Rei soon, but for now I just wanted to rest. I hadn't felt this serene for a long time. Amidst the soothing music and dancing raindrops, I let my heavy eyelids close and drifted off to sleep.

My peaceful slumber was disturbed by a loud familiar siren. It sounded inflamed and urgent. An Angel was attacking.

I quickly sat up and looked around. The boy from yesterday had been sleeping on the floor. He, too, woke up and stared at me expectantly. I was too shocked to move. I couldn't believe I actually spent the night here with him.

"Well?" He said breaking our silence.

"What?"

"Is there something you should be doing?"

"Oh…that…" I said, recomposing myself. I stood up and headed quickly towards the exit before he stopped me.

"You still haven't told me your name."

"Sohryu. Asuka Langley Sohryu. You may call me Asuka." I replied, smiling.

"Asuka…now go," He said, "Your friends need you."

With that, I turned around and left his home. Then, I ran towards the Nerv complex as fast as I could. Deep inside my heart, I mouthed a silent thank you to my new friend.