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Episode 2:23 Blow out your Candles.
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.
Presumed date is June 6th, 2019
The morning dawned bright and sunny, and Shinji stood up to look out the French doors separating his house from the Suzuhara household. The curtains were drawn back on the balcony doors and Shinji could see that the bed was already made.
He yawned. Toji and Hikari must have already gotten up. He sniffed the air, but didn't smell anything that would indicate she'd come over to cook in his kitchen. Just as well, he wasn't much in the mood for company today.
'Ironic,' he thought, 'that most people would think the day of their eighteenth birthday was a special time to spend partying and celebrating. While I would give anything to be left in peace.'
He hoped they would leave him alone today. He hadn't reported to the base for training at all since Kim had died, and only shown up when he was needed to fight off two Legionnaires.
His friends had been around him constantly, keeping him company, and helping him deal with his depression, and making a general nuisance of themselves. They kept telling him that it was all right, these things sometimes happen, especially when you're drunk and you black out.
If only that were true. Yes, he was drunk , and yes, he hadn't known what he was doing, or at least, been so drunk he no longer cared about the consequences. But the big lie, that none of them knew, was that he could remember what had happened. His memory had returned the evening after it had happened, and it was available in vivid detail for him to examine every nuance. Not that he cared to. He knew the woman had tried to call him on several occasions, but Misato had found out and put a stop to it.
She'd been suspended from NERV operations, and was now doing something else. He'd overheard Hikari and Kensuke talking while they thought he was asleep.
He had a hard time sleeping these days, but didn't want to advertise it. Ritsuko came by every few days and dropped off anti-depressants and sleeping pills for him, and he promised to take them. After she left, he'd take the first set of pills and flush them down the toilet. Another set would follow each day, so when Ritsuko checked again, he'd have the proper number of pills in the bottles she'd given him.
He didn't want the pills. He didn't deserve the pills. The pills let him forget, they let him not care, and he didn't want that. He knew he had to remember, to face it, to care about it, or he'd never be able to get rid of the stain it had made on his soul.
He got up, showered and looked in the mirror. Yes, he needed to shave, so he got out the electric razor and trimmed everything up well. He liked being clean shaven, his father had worn a beard, and he'd always felt that it was an affectation to keep people distracted from the fact that he was an inhuman monster.
Finished with this chore, he went into his room and dressed, putting on a pair of light sweat pants, a tank top, and socks. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he walked into the kitchen, and looked for signs of life.
Nothing.
Except a note, tacked to the teapot.
"Ikari, had an important call, left early.
Be back ???
Happy Birthday
Aida"
'Well, at least someone remembered,' the thought.
"Jeez, it's after 8:00 in the morning, I really slept in."
Before the 'incident' he'd been an early riser, always up and ready to go by six am, six thirty at the latest. Sooner or later he'd pick that habit back up, he knew, it just wasn't that important to him right now.
Making a cup of tea, he walked out onto the back porch and stared at the Jacuzzi. Kensuke had finally gotten the pump fixed, and it was supposed to be up and running. Not that he really cared. He could count the numbers of times he'd used it since Misato's wedding on one hand.
Misato's wedding.
The day she'd left.
The day she'd abandoned him.
He'd spoken to her three times, he knew, he was sure. Once as he lay dying, and twice in the dream realm, but he'd never been able to reach her any other time.
'Are you still out there Asuka? Do you still listen for me?' he thought, trying to project his thoughts into the ether where they'd talked once before. Not hearing a reply, but not really expecting it, he walked across the deck and knocked on the back door of the Suzuhara place.
Mari Suzuhara came over and answered the door.
"Hey, Unca Shinji, come in, want some cereal?" the 11 year old asked. She was actually 12, but she'd been gone a year in the LCL, so they didn't count that against her age.
"Good morning sweetie, is your brother here?"
"Nah, he left early this morning with Unca Kensuke," she said, swinging on the door.
"Shinji, come in please, Mari, quit hanging on that doorknob, you know that just ruins them," Hikari scolded.
"Happy Birthday Shinji," Hikari said, coming over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, I wanted to do that first," Mari pouted.
"You can give me my first hug, kiddo, come here," he said, holding his arms out. The little girl jumped at him, and he had to bend down to catch her. She squeezed him fiercely, and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Unca Shinji," she said.
"So, where's Nazomi this morning Hikari," he said, standing up, releasing Mari from his grip.
"She's next door getting the house ready to move into. She says that despite two months work, she's certain that Kensuke won't want to move in with her when she's got it ready. She thinks Kensuke's getting cold feet, now that he's actually said that he loves her and wants to live with her."
Shinji laughed, "Yeah, he probably does have cold feet, but I keep putting them to the fire. I told him that if I walk in on them making out in the living room one more time, I'm going to turn the hose on them like a couple of dogs."
Hikari and Shinji laughed at this, Mari told Shinji that she didn't like the way he treated dogs, and it was no wonder that the only pet he'd ever had was that weird penguin she'd heard about. Shinji grinned at Hikari and nodded his agreement to Mari.
Hikari finished making the crepes she was cooking for breakfast, and offered Shinji a plate. Shinji gratefully accepted and sprinkled a little powdered sugar on his, before adding a little bit of jelly, and stuffing the first bite in his mouth. Treats like this were Hikari's specialty, and for once, he didn't mind eating a breakfast he didn't make himself.
"So, Hikari, Where'd Kensuke and Toji head off to this morning?" he asked.
"No idea, honestly. Toji got a phone call at 3:00 am and ran out of the house, saying he had to take Kensuke to the Base, and not to worry. There wasn't an alert on, so I didn't think too much about it. They'll probably be home soon enough. So tell me, are you enjoying the new bike?"
"Honestly, Hikari, since the motor pool dropped it off, I haven't even started it. I've gone out to look at it a few times, but it's just sitting there right now. I haven't been able to bring myself to take it out for a test drive."
"And after all the trouble Kensuke went to getting the guys at the motor pool customize the paint scheme for you. He was going to wait until today to give it to you, but he just couldn't wait."
"I'm glad he didn't. We searched for another bike like that for years, and he only just found one in a mansion overlooking the sea on Hokkaido. If it weren't for the bill of sale at the dealers office we might never have found it," Shinji explained.
"So did you like the paint job they did for you?" She was referring to the odd way the paint sparkled in the light, purple when looked at in one light, crimson when looked at in another. Simply by tipping your head you could make it flash back and forth between colors.
"Yeah, it's great," 'I just miss my old riding partner,' he didn't say.
"Well anyhow, the guys should be home soon, and I think they have something planned by way of a party for you this afternoon."
"What, no surprise party? Or were you not supposed to tell me, but decided I couldn't take the shock" he said.
"We honestly didn't think you would like another huge party. We thought it would just be us, your small extended family, celebrating with you, would that be all right?"
"Hikari, I'd nominate you for the Nobel prize, if there was still a Nobel committee," he said.
"Well anyhow, I'm going to go over and help Nazomi work on the house until the guys get back. See you for lunch?" She asked, putting her dishes away.
"Sounds good. My treat, come on over, and I'll make something for us. What about you, Mari, what're you doing today?"
She giggled, "Helping Hikari and Nazomi silly," she said, and hugged him again.
"Then I think I'm going to go work in the garden. You have a nice day."
He was still out in his garden five hours later when Toji's 4 Runner pulled up. He waved at Toji as he got out of his car, and Toji waved back, then hurried into his house, quickly coming out, and running over to the home that they were all now referring to as the Aida residence.
'Hmm. No Kensuke, wonder what was up?' thought idly.
There were three delighted squeals coming from the Aida house, and he could distinctly hear the older two women laughing about something. Mari opened the back door, and looked like she was trying to make a run for it, but Toji grabbed her and hauled her back in. Her giggles and squeals of "I promise, I promise," echoed back out into the yard.
Shinji smiled. These things lightened his heart more than he'd ever thought they would. His family, extended though it was, happy and laughing brought real joy to his heart, and made him forget.
Forget what he'd done. What he'd let happen.
He frowned at himself. He'd refreshed everything in his mind again, and he was becoming depressed.
'I mustn't run away I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away,' the old litany danced through his mind as he faced the memories.
Painful though it was, he knew it was the only way to cope. He had to get through this, or he'd be worthless. A noise from his house surprised him, and he walked in to find four of the Cherubim pilots walking back and forth between his house, specifically Kensuke's room, and the Future Aida House.
Shinji cornered one of them and asked what was up.
"Evidently Aida's decided it's time to make the arrangement with the girl permanent sir. He asked us to come over here and move his stuff while he finished up some things at HQ."
"What's he doing there?"
"No idea sir. He's been in meetings since early this morning, as far I know, he said that they were taking a break for lunch when he called, and asked us to take care of this for him."
Shinji was puzzled, 'A meeting without me. That's odd. Still, in my current state, I'm not much use to anyone, so it's no wonder Misato's asking for Kensuke instead of me.' Because of all of his military lore, Kensuke was the Cerubim's defacto military tactician.
"Well I'll be out back if you need me. Oh, and there's beer in the fridge on the deck if you guys want it."
"Thanks sir, we might just take you up on that a little later," the pilot said, hefting his box, and walking out the door.
Shinji went back to his roses, and went through them very carefully. He had a couple that had some kind of leaf rot; he'd have to ask the master gardeners about.
He looked up at the fridge he'd just told the men about, and pondered getting a beer for himself. He wouldn't, but he could still think about it. He hadn't touched any alcohol since that day. He couldn't.
He went back to inspecting the roses, and was so intent on them that he didn't hear the footfalls until the spit polished combat boots came into view.
"Afternoon Kensuke," he said.
"Hey Shinji," Kensuke said.
"So, when were you going to tell me that you were moving out?"
"Well, I hadn't really thought about it too much, but then this morning I realized it would probably be best if Nazomi and I had our own place. I sent Toji ahead to tell the girls."
"I heard them squealing about something earlier, but not exactly what,"
"That's probably it," Kensuke said.
"Well I'm not gonna be that sad to see you go, you know. You're going to be 2 houses down, and probably still eating out of my kitchen every morning," Shinji said.
"Not every morning," Kensuke said.
"You'd better. Nazomi didn't' get the cooking gene that Hikari did. I'm not saying it's going to be as bad as Misato's cooking, but you might want to get some MRE's and emergency rations just in case," Shinji joked.
"I think you're right," Kensuke agreed. "Anyway, the guys are about done, and I'm going to go see if they need any help with the bed. See you later Ikari?"
"Yeah. Hey, any idea if Misato's coming by tonight for this party Hikari said you were organizing?"
"Well, I don't really know Shinji. She's been dealing with some stuff at work since early this morning, and she and Ryouji might be too pooped to stop by. And I think Nazomi and I are going to have dinner at our place tonight, by ourselves. You know how it is, first day living together and all."
"Yeah, I remember Toji and Hikari," Shinji said.
"I tell you what, though, we'll all set up the grills, and do some steak and garlic chicken kabobs later."
"You know Kensuke, a little Bento sounds like the best birthday meal I've had in quite a while," he said.
"Happy birthday, man. I hope you have as good a day as I think you will."
"Kensuke, the day's almost over," Shinji observed the lowering afternoon sun.
"Not by a long shot pal," Kensuke grinned, and left for his old bedroom.
"Weirdo," Shinji commented, and went back to his garden.
By five pm he'd done about all he could in the garden, and was sitting on the edge of the deck picking strawberries off the pants that were in the planters there. He had a large bowl picked already, and was busy popping the ones that wouldn't fit in it into his mouth.
He was looking up at the apple trees he'd planted in the garden last year, admiring the few remaining blossoms, and trying to estimate its' probable yield when a pair of soft hands slid around the side of his face and covered his eyes.
"Guess who," came a soft voice from behind him.
Now who in the world? He knew it wasn't Hikari or Nazomi, this voice was lower and huskier than theirs. It sounded similar to Misato's maybe, but there was a little rasp in it, like some funny burr. The person behind him gave a slight intake of air, and Shinji could hear the rasp continue. If he didn't know better he'd say that this person had been crying, or was very tired, the hands were shaking slightly, as if their owner was about to fall asleep from exhaustion.
"Misato?"
"No. Guess again."
"Maya." He knew it wasn't Maya, even though he guessed her, this voice was totally different.
"Wrong. Again."
He sat there and thought for a minute. The minute turned into two minutes. He should know this voice, he thought, it was agonizingly familiar.
"I give up," he finally said.
The hands were removed, and he watched as they slowly shifted down to his shoulders, gripping him firmly. He turned his head to one side, but whoever it was, shifted away so the couldn't see them.
"Not that easily," she laughed.
Shinji was getting annoyed and determined. He looked left, again the shifting, then to the right, still no sight of this mystery teaser.
"Enough already," he growled, irritated. If this was one of the female Cherubim Pilot's or Trainee's ideas of a joke it was in very poor taste.
The hands were slowly removed, and he stayed facing forward.
"Well?" he said, finally.
"Please turn around," came the soft voice.
Shinji turned around to face the person who was standing behind him.
'My that certainly is a bright red,' his brain registered, looking at the waist of a long red silk dress. It was very bright red, almost like the ripest of apples, or the most brilliant rose in his garden.
"Or the dress Asuka wore the day..." he whispered to himself, remembering that day so long ago when she'd stormed out of his life. He'd given the dress to Misato, along with all of Asuka's other belongings, and they'd been put into storage, in the event she ever returned.
He stayed there looking straight ahead. Refusing to look up, refusing to be hurt by what he saw. It couldn't be her. It was someone else, and he'd look up, and it wouldn't be her and he'd be devastated.
"Shinji?" came the question, softly spoken by the woman in the red dress
He shut his eyes tightly, refusing to look up, refusing to face the pain that he knew must come. He felt the woman kneel down, and place both of her hands on his shoulders, this time so she could look at his face. He began to shake his head in denial, just wishing that the woman would go away and leave him with his memories.
"Why won't you look at me? Why won't you open your eyes?" came the soft voice.
He continued to shake his head. No. I'm imagining it, if it were really her, I'd know it. I'd FEEL it. Or would he? He had been so distracted all day that he'd not been able to clearly focus his mind at all, and his thoughts were in a jumble. He hadn't done any Tai Chi or breathing exercises in days.
He bowed his head and began some deep breathing to cleanse his mind of all the garbage. He hadn't done this since before... the bar.
'Please, oh please, let me be wrong,' he thought privately.
He could hear a deep intake of breath from the woman before him.
"Shinji?" the voice was thick with emotion now.
"Shhh," he said, concentrating his energy about him. He could feel his AT field responding, beginning to manifest itself around him. He'd learned long ago that if he didn't want someone to touch him, all he had to do was bring up the AT field and no one could even get close. However, the interaction of their inherent AT field with his manifested AT field allowed him to tell who it was.
He could tell that the person in front of him had detected the AT field forming, and had taken a step backward. Shinji also stepped back, just a couple steps but that was more than enough.
He continued to solidify and manifest the field until it became a solid barrier between him and the other person. Sooner or later, whoever it was would go away,
Then, something unique in his experience happened. His AT field surged right in front of him, power flaring, as it touched something that felt crimson, pink and white. He didn't know that AT Aura, and he puzzled over it, trying to figure it out. He knew the AT Aura of almost everyone he had contact with, it was just something he found out about them at one time or another.
Then a pair of hands wrapped around his neck, and a pair of soft lips brushed against his own, and a husky voice, full of need and grief and joy, filled his ears. "Shinji," she sobbed, and his eyes snapped open.
Soft white skin, long red hair, reaching almost to her waist, and bright sapphire blue eyes. So blue that he was instantly lost within them.
His throat tightened, and his eyes filled with tears, blinding him, but it didn't matter, he was sure of what he'd seen, and that was enough.
He sagged, and his arms snaked around her pulling her into him as he buried his face in her long red hair, and inhaled the scent of her.
He sobbed into her ear, so softly it could barely be heard, but it was there, even if it was squeaked and choked out of him. A single word. A single name. A name that meant everything to him.
"Asuka!"
"Shinji!" she answered in the same voice, and Shinji felt the AT field he'd raised explode upward, carrying his heart and joy with it.
"Asuka," he breathed, "is it really you?" he managed to choke out.
"I love you too Shinji, I always have," the voice came back, and the dam burst, and Shinji was sobbing uncontrollably, and she was too.
He tried to gather himself, and push away from her, to get another look at her, but he couldn't let go, and she was holding on to him as hard as he was her. Finally he felt her hands release their death grip as she pulled back, and cupped his face with them. Their lips met in what was only their third kiss.
Shinji knew the moment her lips touched his that this would be the kiss he would remember until the end of his days. Their tears of sorrow, and joy mingled, and fell down their cheeks as they tenderly kissed, exploring one another, at first soft, then hard and demanding, but then soft and caressing again. The interplay of lips and tongues, and the soft feel of her breath on his face, the tickle of his breath on her cheek, which four years ago had earned him a pinched nose, was now a pleasurable part of the experience.
It kept building and pulling at them until it consumed them both, and they were lost in one another's embrace, the world around them vanishing as they held each other. Shinji felt his chest tingling with emotion, and his whole body was trembling in joy. As was hers.
Finally the passion slowed to a manageable level, and the long deep passionate kiss turned into dozens of soft little pecks. Shinji felt her soft hands drop from behind his head, where they had drifted, to his shoulders, as she reluctantly pulled away from him. He could still feel her breath on him, but knew she was standing right before him.
He took a deep breath and looked down at her. Her face was puffy, and her eyes red and still leaking tears, but he'd have recognized her no matter what.
"Asu-chan," he whispered.
"Shin-chan," she answered, "Happy birthday."
Next on Episode 2:24 of Neon Genesis Evangelion It's the second half of our two part Season Finale. Shinji and Asuka spend the evening getting reacquainted, but Shinji has a confession to make, one that is troubling him greatly. Will Asuka be understanding of the situation, or turn away from him in anger and disgust. Only time will tell.
It's Evangelion Episode 2:24 The Reunion.
Episode 2:23 Blow out your Candles.
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.
Presumed date is June 6th, 2019
The morning dawned bright and sunny, and Shinji stood up to look out the French doors separating his house from the Suzuhara household. The curtains were drawn back on the balcony doors and Shinji could see that the bed was already made.
He yawned. Toji and Hikari must have already gotten up. He sniffed the air, but didn't smell anything that would indicate she'd come over to cook in his kitchen. Just as well, he wasn't much in the mood for company today.
'Ironic,' he thought, 'that most people would think the day of their eighteenth birthday was a special time to spend partying and celebrating. While I would give anything to be left in peace.'
He hoped they would leave him alone today. He hadn't reported to the base for training at all since Kim had died, and only shown up when he was needed to fight off two Legionnaires.
His friends had been around him constantly, keeping him company, and helping him deal with his depression, and making a general nuisance of themselves. They kept telling him that it was all right, these things sometimes happen, especially when you're drunk and you black out.
If only that were true. Yes, he was drunk , and yes, he hadn't known what he was doing, or at least, been so drunk he no longer cared about the consequences. But the big lie, that none of them knew, was that he could remember what had happened. His memory had returned the evening after it had happened, and it was available in vivid detail for him to examine every nuance. Not that he cared to. He knew the woman had tried to call him on several occasions, but Misato had found out and put a stop to it.
She'd been suspended from NERV operations, and was now doing something else. He'd overheard Hikari and Kensuke talking while they thought he was asleep.
He had a hard time sleeping these days, but didn't want to advertise it. Ritsuko came by every few days and dropped off anti-depressants and sleeping pills for him, and he promised to take them. After she left, he'd take the first set of pills and flush them down the toilet. Another set would follow each day, so when Ritsuko checked again, he'd have the proper number of pills in the bottles she'd given him.
He didn't want the pills. He didn't deserve the pills. The pills let him forget, they let him not care, and he didn't want that. He knew he had to remember, to face it, to care about it, or he'd never be able to get rid of the stain it had made on his soul.
He got up, showered and looked in the mirror. Yes, he needed to shave, so he got out the electric razor and trimmed everything up well. He liked being clean shaven, his father had worn a beard, and he'd always felt that it was an affectation to keep people distracted from the fact that he was an inhuman monster.
Finished with this chore, he went into his room and dressed, putting on a pair of light sweat pants, a tank top, and socks. When he reached the bottom of the stairs he walked into the kitchen, and looked for signs of life.
Nothing.
Except a note, tacked to the teapot.
"Ikari, had an important call, left early.
Be back ???
Happy Birthday
Aida"
'Well, at least someone remembered,' the thought.
"Jeez, it's after 8:00 in the morning, I really slept in."
Before the 'incident' he'd been an early riser, always up and ready to go by six am, six thirty at the latest. Sooner or later he'd pick that habit back up, he knew, it just wasn't that important to him right now.
Making a cup of tea, he walked out onto the back porch and stared at the Jacuzzi. Kensuke had finally gotten the pump fixed, and it was supposed to be up and running. Not that he really cared. He could count the numbers of times he'd used it since Misato's wedding on one hand.
Misato's wedding.
The day she'd left.
The day she'd abandoned him.
He'd spoken to her three times, he knew, he was sure. Once as he lay dying, and twice in the dream realm, but he'd never been able to reach her any other time.
'Are you still out there Asuka? Do you still listen for me?' he thought, trying to project his thoughts into the ether where they'd talked once before. Not hearing a reply, but not really expecting it, he walked across the deck and knocked on the back door of the Suzuhara place.
Mari Suzuhara came over and answered the door.
"Hey, Unca Shinji, come in, want some cereal?" the 11 year old asked. She was actually 12, but she'd been gone a year in the LCL, so they didn't count that against her age.
"Good morning sweetie, is your brother here?"
"Nah, he left early this morning with Unca Kensuke," she said, swinging on the door.
"Shinji, come in please, Mari, quit hanging on that doorknob, you know that just ruins them," Hikari scolded.
"Happy Birthday Shinji," Hikari said, coming over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, I wanted to do that first," Mari pouted.
"You can give me my first hug, kiddo, come here," he said, holding his arms out. The little girl jumped at him, and he had to bend down to catch her. She squeezed him fiercely, and kissed him on the cheek. "Happy Birthday Unca Shinji," she said.
"So, where's Nazomi this morning Hikari," he said, standing up, releasing Mari from his grip.
"She's next door getting the house ready to move into. She says that despite two months work, she's certain that Kensuke won't want to move in with her when she's got it ready. She thinks Kensuke's getting cold feet, now that he's actually said that he loves her and wants to live with her."
Shinji laughed, "Yeah, he probably does have cold feet, but I keep putting them to the fire. I told him that if I walk in on them making out in the living room one more time, I'm going to turn the hose on them like a couple of dogs."
Hikari and Shinji laughed at this, Mari told Shinji that she didn't like the way he treated dogs, and it was no wonder that the only pet he'd ever had was that weird penguin she'd heard about. Shinji grinned at Hikari and nodded his agreement to Mari.
Hikari finished making the crepes she was cooking for breakfast, and offered Shinji a plate. Shinji gratefully accepted and sprinkled a little powdered sugar on his, before adding a little bit of jelly, and stuffing the first bite in his mouth. Treats like this were Hikari's specialty, and for once, he didn't mind eating a breakfast he didn't make himself.
"So, Hikari, Where'd Kensuke and Toji head off to this morning?" he asked.
"No idea, honestly. Toji got a phone call at 3:00 am and ran out of the house, saying he had to take Kensuke to the Base, and not to worry. There wasn't an alert on, so I didn't think too much about it. They'll probably be home soon enough. So tell me, are you enjoying the new bike?"
"Honestly, Hikari, since the motor pool dropped it off, I haven't even started it. I've gone out to look at it a few times, but it's just sitting there right now. I haven't been able to bring myself to take it out for a test drive."
"And after all the trouble Kensuke went to getting the guys at the motor pool customize the paint scheme for you. He was going to wait until today to give it to you, but he just couldn't wait."
"I'm glad he didn't. We searched for another bike like that for years, and he only just found one in a mansion overlooking the sea on Hokkaido. If it weren't for the bill of sale at the dealers office we might never have found it," Shinji explained.
"So did you like the paint job they did for you?" She was referring to the odd way the paint sparkled in the light, purple when looked at in one light, crimson when looked at in another. Simply by tipping your head you could make it flash back and forth between colors.
"Yeah, it's great," 'I just miss my old riding partner,' he didn't say.
"Well anyhow, the guys should be home soon, and I think they have something planned by way of a party for you this afternoon."
"What, no surprise party? Or were you not supposed to tell me, but decided I couldn't take the shock" he said.
"We honestly didn't think you would like another huge party. We thought it would just be us, your small extended family, celebrating with you, would that be all right?"
"Hikari, I'd nominate you for the Nobel prize, if there was still a Nobel committee," he said.
"Well anyhow, I'm going to go over and help Nazomi work on the house until the guys get back. See you for lunch?" She asked, putting her dishes away.
"Sounds good. My treat, come on over, and I'll make something for us. What about you, Mari, what're you doing today?"
She giggled, "Helping Hikari and Nazomi silly," she said, and hugged him again.
"Then I think I'm going to go work in the garden. You have a nice day."
He was still out in his garden five hours later when Toji's 4 Runner pulled up. He waved at Toji as he got out of his car, and Toji waved back, then hurried into his house, quickly coming out, and running over to the home that they were all now referring to as the Aida residence.
'Hmm. No Kensuke, wonder what was up?' thought idly.
There were three delighted squeals coming from the Aida house, and he could distinctly hear the older two women laughing about something. Mari opened the back door, and looked like she was trying to make a run for it, but Toji grabbed her and hauled her back in. Her giggles and squeals of "I promise, I promise," echoed back out into the yard.
Shinji smiled. These things lightened his heart more than he'd ever thought they would. His family, extended though it was, happy and laughing brought real joy to his heart, and made him forget.
Forget what he'd done. What he'd let happen.
He frowned at himself. He'd refreshed everything in his mind again, and he was becoming depressed.
'I mustn't run away I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away,' the old litany danced through his mind as he faced the memories.
Painful though it was, he knew it was the only way to cope. He had to get through this, or he'd be worthless. A noise from his house surprised him, and he walked in to find four of the Cherubim pilots walking back and forth between his house, specifically Kensuke's room, and the Future Aida House.
Shinji cornered one of them and asked what was up.
"Evidently Aida's decided it's time to make the arrangement with the girl permanent sir. He asked us to come over here and move his stuff while he finished up some things at HQ."
"What's he doing there?"
"No idea sir. He's been in meetings since early this morning, as far I know, he said that they were taking a break for lunch when he called, and asked us to take care of this for him."
Shinji was puzzled, 'A meeting without me. That's odd. Still, in my current state, I'm not much use to anyone, so it's no wonder Misato's asking for Kensuke instead of me.' Because of all of his military lore, Kensuke was the Cerubim's defacto military tactician.
"Well I'll be out back if you need me. Oh, and there's beer in the fridge on the deck if you guys want it."
"Thanks sir, we might just take you up on that a little later," the pilot said, hefting his box, and walking out the door.
Shinji went back to his roses, and went through them very carefully. He had a couple that had some kind of leaf rot; he'd have to ask the master gardeners about.
He looked up at the fridge he'd just told the men about, and pondered getting a beer for himself. He wouldn't, but he could still think about it. He hadn't touched any alcohol since that day. He couldn't.
He went back to inspecting the roses, and was so intent on them that he didn't hear the footfalls until the spit polished combat boots came into view.
"Afternoon Kensuke," he said.
"Hey Shinji," Kensuke said.
"So, when were you going to tell me that you were moving out?"
"Well, I hadn't really thought about it too much, but then this morning I realized it would probably be best if Nazomi and I had our own place. I sent Toji ahead to tell the girls."
"I heard them squealing about something earlier, but not exactly what,"
"That's probably it," Kensuke said.
"Well I'm not gonna be that sad to see you go, you know. You're going to be 2 houses down, and probably still eating out of my kitchen every morning," Shinji said.
"Not every morning," Kensuke said.
"You'd better. Nazomi didn't' get the cooking gene that Hikari did. I'm not saying it's going to be as bad as Misato's cooking, but you might want to get some MRE's and emergency rations just in case," Shinji joked.
"I think you're right," Kensuke agreed. "Anyway, the guys are about done, and I'm going to go see if they need any help with the bed. See you later Ikari?"
"Yeah. Hey, any idea if Misato's coming by tonight for this party Hikari said you were organizing?"
"Well, I don't really know Shinji. She's been dealing with some stuff at work since early this morning, and she and Ryouji might be too pooped to stop by. And I think Nazomi and I are going to have dinner at our place tonight, by ourselves. You know how it is, first day living together and all."
"Yeah, I remember Toji and Hikari," Shinji said.
"I tell you what, though, we'll all set up the grills, and do some steak and garlic chicken kabobs later."
"You know Kensuke, a little Bento sounds like the best birthday meal I've had in quite a while," he said.
"Happy birthday, man. I hope you have as good a day as I think you will."
"Kensuke, the day's almost over," Shinji observed the lowering afternoon sun.
"Not by a long shot pal," Kensuke grinned, and left for his old bedroom.
"Weirdo," Shinji commented, and went back to his garden.
By five pm he'd done about all he could in the garden, and was sitting on the edge of the deck picking strawberries off the pants that were in the planters there. He had a large bowl picked already, and was busy popping the ones that wouldn't fit in it into his mouth.
He was looking up at the apple trees he'd planted in the garden last year, admiring the few remaining blossoms, and trying to estimate its' probable yield when a pair of soft hands slid around the side of his face and covered his eyes.
"Guess who," came a soft voice from behind him.
Now who in the world? He knew it wasn't Hikari or Nazomi, this voice was lower and huskier than theirs. It sounded similar to Misato's maybe, but there was a little rasp in it, like some funny burr. The person behind him gave a slight intake of air, and Shinji could hear the rasp continue. If he didn't know better he'd say that this person had been crying, or was very tired, the hands were shaking slightly, as if their owner was about to fall asleep from exhaustion.
"Misato?"
"No. Guess again."
"Maya." He knew it wasn't Maya, even though he guessed her, this voice was totally different.
"Wrong. Again."
He sat there and thought for a minute. The minute turned into two minutes. He should know this voice, he thought, it was agonizingly familiar.
"I give up," he finally said.
The hands were removed, and he watched as they slowly shifted down to his shoulders, gripping him firmly. He turned his head to one side, but whoever it was, shifted away so the couldn't see them.
"Not that easily," she laughed.
Shinji was getting annoyed and determined. He looked left, again the shifting, then to the right, still no sight of this mystery teaser.
"Enough already," he growled, irritated. If this was one of the female Cherubim Pilot's or Trainee's ideas of a joke it was in very poor taste.
The hands were slowly removed, and he stayed facing forward.
"Well?" he said, finally.
"Please turn around," came the soft voice.
Shinji turned around to face the person who was standing behind him.
'My that certainly is a bright red,' his brain registered, looking at the waist of a long red silk dress. It was very bright red, almost like the ripest of apples, or the most brilliant rose in his garden.
"Or the dress Asuka wore the day..." he whispered to himself, remembering that day so long ago when she'd stormed out of his life. He'd given the dress to Misato, along with all of Asuka's other belongings, and they'd been put into storage, in the event she ever returned.
He stayed there looking straight ahead. Refusing to look up, refusing to be hurt by what he saw. It couldn't be her. It was someone else, and he'd look up, and it wouldn't be her and he'd be devastated.
"Shinji?" came the question, softly spoken by the woman in the red dress
He shut his eyes tightly, refusing to look up, refusing to face the pain that he knew must come. He felt the woman kneel down, and place both of her hands on his shoulders, this time so she could look at his face. He began to shake his head in denial, just wishing that the woman would go away and leave him with his memories.
"Why won't you look at me? Why won't you open your eyes?" came the soft voice.
He continued to shake his head. No. I'm imagining it, if it were really her, I'd know it. I'd FEEL it. Or would he? He had been so distracted all day that he'd not been able to clearly focus his mind at all, and his thoughts were in a jumble. He hadn't done any Tai Chi or breathing exercises in days.
He bowed his head and began some deep breathing to cleanse his mind of all the garbage. He hadn't done this since before... the bar.
'Please, oh please, let me be wrong,' he thought privately.
He could hear a deep intake of breath from the woman before him.
"Shinji?" the voice was thick with emotion now.
"Shhh," he said, concentrating his energy about him. He could feel his AT field responding, beginning to manifest itself around him. He'd learned long ago that if he didn't want someone to touch him, all he had to do was bring up the AT field and no one could even get close. However, the interaction of their inherent AT field with his manifested AT field allowed him to tell who it was.
He could tell that the person in front of him had detected the AT field forming, and had taken a step backward. Shinji also stepped back, just a couple steps but that was more than enough.
He continued to solidify and manifest the field until it became a solid barrier between him and the other person. Sooner or later, whoever it was would go away,
Then, something unique in his experience happened. His AT field surged right in front of him, power flaring, as it touched something that felt crimson, pink and white. He didn't know that AT Aura, and he puzzled over it, trying to figure it out. He knew the AT Aura of almost everyone he had contact with, it was just something he found out about them at one time or another.
Then a pair of hands wrapped around his neck, and a pair of soft lips brushed against his own, and a husky voice, full of need and grief and joy, filled his ears. "Shinji," she sobbed, and his eyes snapped open.
Soft white skin, long red hair, reaching almost to her waist, and bright sapphire blue eyes. So blue that he was instantly lost within them.
His throat tightened, and his eyes filled with tears, blinding him, but it didn't matter, he was sure of what he'd seen, and that was enough.
He sagged, and his arms snaked around her pulling her into him as he buried his face in her long red hair, and inhaled the scent of her.
He sobbed into her ear, so softly it could barely be heard, but it was there, even if it was squeaked and choked out of him. A single word. A single name. A name that meant everything to him.
"Asuka!"
"Shinji!" she answered in the same voice, and Shinji felt the AT field he'd raised explode upward, carrying his heart and joy with it.
"Asuka," he breathed, "is it really you?" he managed to choke out.
"I love you too Shinji, I always have," the voice came back, and the dam burst, and Shinji was sobbing uncontrollably, and she was too.
He tried to gather himself, and push away from her, to get another look at her, but he couldn't let go, and she was holding on to him as hard as he was her. Finally he felt her hands release their death grip as she pulled back, and cupped his face with them. Their lips met in what was only their third kiss.
Shinji knew the moment her lips touched his that this would be the kiss he would remember until the end of his days. Their tears of sorrow, and joy mingled, and fell down their cheeks as they tenderly kissed, exploring one another, at first soft, then hard and demanding, but then soft and caressing again. The interplay of lips and tongues, and the soft feel of her breath on his face, the tickle of his breath on her cheek, which four years ago had earned him a pinched nose, was now a pleasurable part of the experience.
It kept building and pulling at them until it consumed them both, and they were lost in one another's embrace, the world around them vanishing as they held each other. Shinji felt his chest tingling with emotion, and his whole body was trembling in joy. As was hers.
Finally the passion slowed to a manageable level, and the long deep passionate kiss turned into dozens of soft little pecks. Shinji felt her soft hands drop from behind his head, where they had drifted, to his shoulders, as she reluctantly pulled away from him. He could still feel her breath on him, but knew she was standing right before him.
He took a deep breath and looked down at her. Her face was puffy, and her eyes red and still leaking tears, but he'd have recognized her no matter what.
"Asu-chan," he whispered.
"Shin-chan," she answered, "Happy birthday."
Next on Episode 2:24 of Neon Genesis Evangelion It's the second half of our two part Season Finale. Shinji and Asuka spend the evening getting reacquainted, but Shinji has a confession to make, one that is troubling him greatly. Will Asuka be understanding of the situation, or turn away from him in anger and disgust. Only time will tell.
It's Evangelion Episode 2:24 The Reunion.