Chapter 34
Laughter filled a house in a valley in the shadow of a large mountain that stood in the distance as night arrived. In the living room of this house, five people sat on the carpet or the couch beside the fireplace which crackled and brightly brightly.. All of them were happy and couldn't stop laughing as they told jokes and stories nearly all night long.
They had all come together and were enjoying themselves. They had enjoyed a great dinner with all of their favorite things to eat, sipped good wine and now were enjoying the company of each other.
"More wine?" Souke asked as he held up a bottle.
"No, Souke. I've had enough." A pretty girl by his side said. She had dark eyes that shined at him and dark jet black hair that was straight as a pain. She smiled gently at him and he in turn could not stop smiling at her.
"Anyone else?" he asked.
"No, Souke. I can't I've got duty tomorrow." Hope said as she leaned up against a hard chest whose strong arms came around her.
"Rei? You?"
"No, Souke. Thanks." She said as she sat on the couch and bought her feet up on it, leaning on one elbow..
"Geez! You guys are lightweights." Souke said as he poured himself another glass.
"Hey, Ma." Reina said as she chuckled. "Tell us that story about you and Dad. You know? The first kiss story?"
"Yeah!" Hope said with excitement. "That's the best! That is so funny!"
"You don't want to hear that story again, do you?" Asuka asked with annoyance as she rolled her eyes and bought her beige colored sweater around her.
"Ah, c'mon, Ma!" All three exclaimed at the same time.
"Tell us, Ma."
"Would you please?"
"Come on, Mom. Sawyer's never heard it before."
:"Yeah, neither has Kiri." Souke said with a chuckle.
"Okay!" Asuka growled. "Shut up all ready! I'll tell you! Geez, you guys are just like when you were kids. You never get enough of that story!"
"C'mon, Ma." Hope said.
"Okay fine." Asuka said as she chuckled. "Well, it was a long time ago. We were both fourteen and we were living at Misato's. The part I left out when I first told you this story is that we were EVA pilots and we were working for NERV."
"Yeah, Ma. I always wondered why you and Dad lived at the same place." Souke said.
"I mean that exchange student thing? I just wasn't buying it." Hope said.
"I know can we say LAME?' Reina called out with a chuckle as all four began to laugh.
"Will you three PLEASE SHUT UP AND LET ME CONTINUE?" Asuka boomed.
Hope chuckled and said. "We're sorry, Mom."
"Go ahead, General." Sawyer told her. "I'd like to hear it."
"Oh this is the best." Hope chuckled.
"Okay, so I went out on this double date with my friend Hikari and she fixed me up with this really cute but oh so boring football player. I couldn't wait to get out of there. So, I kind of ditched him." Asuka said with a chuckle.
"Mom, that was so mean." Hope said.
"Well, anyway," Asuka said with a laugh as she continued. "I arrived at the apartment complex and I'm walking through the hall on my way back to our apartment. I had my keys in my hand and I hear music."
"Music?" Sawyer asked.
"Yeah." Hope said as she looked up at him with a smile. "Listen, it gets better."
"So there I am out in the hall. " Asuka said as she leaned against the couch. "I was just listening to this beautiful music and it enthralled me. It was so wonderful; it was like being swept up in a dream. So I open the door and there by the window, seated in a chair, was your Dad." Asuka smiled as she thought back. "He was sitting with his back facing me and he was playing his cello. It was the first time I ever saw him do that. He was so wrapped up in it. He had a smile on his face and it was like he was feeling the music through him, it was quite unlike anything I've ever seen before. So I stood there in the doorway and I just watched him. I watched for a good hour I think. He was so deeply passionately and for his age, I mean, he was young, but I just…. I felt something right there for him…. and it was like all I wanted at that point was just to be with him."
"This is a funny story?" Sawyer asked as he whispered into Hope's ear.
"Shush." Hope whispered. "It gets better."
"Oh wow!" Kiri said. "You guys must have been in love from the start!"
"I wouldn't say that." Asuka said with a smile and a chuckle.. "So, anyway after he was done, he sits in the chair and looks out the window. I applauded and he turned around, red in the face, and smiled at me. I told him that I thought it was very good. He asked me, how long I was standing there for? I lied. I told him a few minutes. I was really there a hour. He asked me, what I was doing back so early from my date. I said, that the guy was a jerk and he was boring so I left. That surprised him and he scolded me for leaving the guy. So, I trotted off to my room and changed. I came out and there was your Dad just sitting on the floor in the kitchen. His back was against the wall and he was staring off into space. I came into the kitchen and I sat down at the table. I laid my head down on my arm and turned just looking at him. I was thinking, he really is cute after all. Then I kept thinking, wow that music was just beautiful. He must really have passion inside of him. So look over at him and I asked him, in just this very casual voice: Hey, Shinji, you wanna kiss me?"
"You approached him first?" Sawyer asked.
"Shinji, when he was younger, was a very shy boy." Asuka said to Sawyer as she sat back and thumbed the necklace around her neck. "Later on, the shyness kind of disappeared but when he was a boy, Shinji Ikari was so shy and so withdrawn. He was afraid, so shy and unsure. It was adorable." Asuka said with a laugh.
"So what did he do?" Kiri asked.
"He looked at me as if I was crazy." Asuka told them with a chuckle. "He was like, what? Kiss you? Why? So, I thought about the answer for a second and said to him, because I'm bored that's why! It gives us something to do. Haven't you ever wanted to? So, your Dad got uneasy and he looked at me and said. Why do you want to do that? So again I thought about my answer and said very casually once more, Well, do you or don't you, idiot? What's the matter? You scared or somethin'? Your Dad turned to me with this look of fire in his eyes. He stood up as he raised his fist and said. I am not! Pucker up!" Asuka said as she tried to intimidate Shinji's adolescent voice with a raised fist and an angry look.
Hope cracked up laughing as she heard her mother, as she said. "Oh my God! That's just the way Daddy used to tell it!"
"So, what happened after that?" Sawyer asked.
"Well," Asuka said. "I got up from my chair, pushed it in, walked right up to him and said: here I come! Your Dad looked so nervous. He starting sweating, his face got red, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. So I approach him, looked into his eyes and lost myself there for a second. I started to move in and then I thought to myself, well if this is really good then I might get carried away. I have to do something that makes sure that doesn't happen."
"Yeah." Souke said with a chuckle. "Ma was afraid of Dad slipping her the tongue!"
The room laughed as they heard him while Asuka threw a pillow at Souke. "Idiot! Will you let me tell the story?"
"Okay, Ma. Sorry." Souke said.
"So, I walk up to your Dad and I said: Shinji, your breath is tickling me. He looks at me and says with a shrug of shoulders: I can't help it, Asuka. So quickly, I move right in and I press my lips against his and then…. I grabbed… his nose."
"You what?" Sawyer asked with a laugh.
"She pinched his nose." Hope said with a chuckle.
"You're kidding!" Kiri called out with laughter.. "You actually did that?"
"Uh huh." Asuka said with a laugh. "So, there we are. In the kitchen, kissing one another and I'm pinching his nose. It was funny though. It was a good kiss and I almost let go of his nose. Meanwhile, your Dad was running out of breath and nearly turning blue. So I parted from him and he stepped back, holding onto his chest, breathing in air, and nearly passing out. I stood there smirking for a minute and then quickly made like it grossed me out. I ran into the bathroom and started saying. Oh that Baka Shinji. Ewe! Gross! Yuck! How could I stoop so low?"
"What did Dad do?" Reina asked.
Asuka smiled and then said. "When I came out from the bathroom, he was standing in the kitchen and he saw me. Then, he smiled. He actually smiled at me. I looked back at him, turned up my nose and went Hmph! I marched straight into my room, shut the door and then giggled like a schoolgirl."
"You must have been crazy about him." Kiri said with a smile.
"I would never admit it." Asuka said. "I was nuts over him. He was everything that I was not. Yet, we were identical to each other. Any time I needed him, he was there. I was really mean to him though. There was another time, and I don't I ever told you guys this, but, one night I had a really bad nightmare. I woke up and I was scared. So I get up and I walk over to your Dad's door. I'm standing there for a minute and then I opened the door and walked in. Your Dad was in bed, he had his SDAT player on in his ear, snoring away. Little did I know that your Dad was faking being asleep and he knew I was right outside the door. He told me that he also knew I was crying in the next room. I came over to his bed and sat down, just looking at him. Then I lie down next to him and shut my eyes, he woke up startled! He later told me that at that moment he was thinking, oh my God, there's a girl in my bed."
The three chuckled as they looked at their mother.
"What did Daddy do?" Hope asked.
"Well, I wasn't asleep. I could hear his breathing quickening and then I felt him move closer. I could tell he was looking at me. I felt him move again and I could feel his breath coming closer. He was going to try and kiss me. At this point I got scared. I was thinking, what if he kisses me and we can't stop? What if we get too carried away? What could happen? We are in his bed and things like that happen when two people are in bed with each other. Should we do that? I can't let that Baka Shinji take advantage of me! Quick think of something! A lot goes through an adolescent mind. Now, he's just a breath away from me. I can hear him breathing and feel his hand rest on my arm. So I said something that I knew would throw him off. I said: Kaji."
"Oh man! Ouch!" Souke said.
"Poor Daddy." Hope said with a chuckle. "Mom, that was mean!"
"So, what happened?" Reina asked. "Did Dad say anything? Did he kiss you still? I mean what happened?"
Asuka smirked. "I heard your Dad make a small noise almost like a gasp.. Your Dad told me that at that moment, he felt his heart break. I felt your Dad get up from the bed and grab his pillow and then I reached over to touch him to see if he was there. I turned and opened my eyes and he was sleeping on the floor. Then I heard him say, you're still just a kid, aren't you? He pulled the blanket over his head and went to sleep. I watched him the whole night. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. In the morning when I woke up, he had covered me with a blanket and I woke up with this strange feeling inside of me and then I said to myself: Oh no! I'm in love with Shinji!
Everyone in that room laughedThen Hope asked her mother. "Okay, Mom, here's a question for you? Now that we all know you and Dad were the only survivors of Third Impact…. what did you and Dad do for all that time you were alone together, huh?"
"HOPE!" Asuka exclaimed.
"Yeah, Mom. I mean we are all proof you and Dad got together but what about when you two hormone driven teenagers were all by yourselves…. alone in the wilderness?" Souke asked.
"Souke Ikari! Show some respect!" Asuka growled as she shook her head. "You don't want to hear this."
"Yes, we do!" All three said.
"It was tough." Asuka said. "We were all alone in the world with no one and nothing. We only had each other to survive."
"Is that when you guys made up your rule? Where you go, I go?"
Asuka nodded. "That's where it came from. We faced life and death everyday. We did our best to survive and get along. It was very hard at first. Your Dad was so strong though through it all. I always acted like I was in charge but it was him all along. I needed your Dad and he needed me."
"When did you give Dad a real kiss?" Hope asked.
"Mom, you have to tell us." Reina said with a smile.
"Oh my God!" Asuka said as she leaned up on her elbow and shook her head.
"Yeah, I want to know too, Ma!" Souke said. "When did Dad get a real kiss from you?"
"Okay, fine." Asuka said as she looked at them. "It was a year after Third Impact and we were walking along this road, a curved road it was pretty high. Out in the distance you could see the crater from Third Impact. So we stop for a break and I saw a flower. When I went to go pick it, I fell."
"You fell?"
"Yeah but as I fell I grabbed a hold of this plant root and hung on. As soon as I fell, your Dad was right there. He reached down and grabbed me and the ground started to shake! So, he grabs me and pulls me right up while the ground is shaking. Your Dad gets us out of the way by jumping over to harder ground and the whole road at that point just crumbled right before our eyes and fell all the way down. So your Dad is sitting with me by the side of the road and I'm terrified, shaking, holding onto him, and I just never wanted to let go. So, Dad looks at me and he holds me really tight and then he looked into my eyes and he kissed me. It was amazing." Asuka said as a tear fell from her eye. "Your Dad was something else."
"Wow." Hope said. "So, what kind of kiss was it, Mom?"
"Yeah, did Dad slip you the tongue then?"
"Yeah, Mom, do tell." Reina said.
Asuka chuckled at them and said. "It was the kind of the kiss that made butterflies go off in my stomach and my knees shake. My head felt it was spinning and it was just…just great…. and no, Souke, he did not slip me the tongue!"
Souke chuckled and said. "Well eventually he did, right?"
Asuka stretched and then said. . "On that note, I think its time for bed."
"C'mon, Mom, its early. Its only like ten o'clock!" Souke told her.
"For you. For me, its not." Asuka said. "I've got this mission tomorrow. So, I'm going to say good night now."
"Okay Mom." Souke said. "So just out of curiosity when did he?"
"SOUKE!" Asuka growled. "IT-WAS-A-YEAR-AFTER-THAT-OKAY?"
"Damn, Ma. You waited way too long." Souke said with a chuckle.
"Funny, mister." Asuka said as she narrowed her eyes.
"Mama, good luck tomorrow." Reina said as she looked at her. "We'll be awake when you're ready to go."
Asuka smiled at her daughter. She hugged her and then said gently."Thank you, Sweetheart."
Souke stood up and looked at his mother next, smiling at her. "Ma, it's going to be fine tomorrow. You'll do it. I know you will. I think Dad will be with you tomorrow, I know you'll do it."
"Souke…." Asuka said with a smile as she looked upon her son. "My Souke. My son." She said to him as she walked over to him and hugged him.
Souke closed his eyes as he hugged his mother back and smiled. "You'll do it, Mom. I know you will."
Turning towards her oldest daughter, Hope walked up to her and smiled. "We've got a lot to think about, Mom, but we'll be okay."
Asuka nodded at her and said. "I know we will."
Hope hugged her mother and smiled. "I have faith in you. We're going to win, Mom."
Asuka smiled at her and nodded. "There's no doubt in my mind. Hope, come with me for a second. There's something I want to show you."
"Sure Mom." Hope said as she turned to Sawyer and said. "Go on up. I'll be there in a minute."
Sawyer nodded at her and then watched as Asuka and Hope walked down the hall to Asuka's bedroom.
Hope walked in and sat down on the bed, looking at her mother as Asuka went into a drawer and pulled out a small box.
She turned back to Hope and smiled as she said.
"This is something that I think you should have." Asuka told her as she walked up to her daughter and handed her the box.
As Hope took it and looked at it, she stared up at her mother as she took the box into her hands and opened it. She looked back at her mother as she took it out of the box and held it in her hand.
"What is this?" Hope asked.
"Many years ago, Misato gave your Dad the strength to go pilot Unit 01 to stop SEELE. While she was getting him to safety, she was shot and right before she died she gave that to your father. Your father kept it for many years. It was her way of giving him strength. Then later on, I was piloting an EVA. You were very little. You had just turned five and Souke was just a baby. Your Dad was convinced that he would never pilot an EVA again but when I was in trouble, your father bravely decided he would pilot the EVA one last time to save me. He gave this back to Misato and told her that he had found his strength and he would never be afraid again. Then Dad went to go save me."
"Wow." Hope said as she looked at it.
"When Misato was in the hospital, after her accident, right before she passed away, she gave this back to me and told me that this was for you. She said someday that you would need it and she asked me to give it to you. So she put it in my hand and then said good bye." Asuka said with a smile. "I've had it for many years. Your Dad knew and we've kept it safe for you. Now I'm giving it you for your strength because it carries the spirit of your father and of Misato to guide you."
Hope stared at it. It was a small simple cross that hung on a plastic necklace. She clutched it in her hand and then put it around her neck looking back at her mother.
"I know where my strength lies, Mama." Hope said as she stood up and walked over to her mother. "It came from my father, from you, from Souke, Reina, Isao and Sawyer. My love is my strength. My family is the source of it. You and Daddy gave me that belief and I hold it close to my heart, just like I will hold this close to my heart and always keep it close."
Asuka smiled at her daughter and then walked up to her and hugged her. "I love you, Hope." Asuka whispered as she hugged her. "You are my first born and you are my hope for the future. I love you with all my heart, my sweet girl, and I believe in you with all that I am."
"I love you too, Mama." Hope said as she hugged her mother. "I believe in you too. I won't let you down. I swear to you."
As Hope looked at mother, Asuka smiled at her and then said. "Get a good night's rest and tomorrow morning, we'll do our duty."
Hope nodded and then walked to the bedroom door saying. "Good night, Mama."
"Good night, Sweetheart." Asuka told her.
As Asuka watched Hope leave the room and shut the door, she pulled out from around her neck a small gold chain that had a gold ring hanging from it. .
Staring at the picture on her dresser, she picked it up and looked at it, smiling at it as she felt a tear come out of her eye.
"Shinji." She whispered.
The picture showed him smiling back at her, leaning up against the tree in the backyard on a bright summer day. He was wearing the clothes he would favor most of the time, a long sleeved white button down shirt and blue jeans. It was taken when he was around thirty, his arms were crossed and he smiled at her while she took that picture.
It was her favorite picture of him.
"Baka Shinji." She said to the picture. "I love you. Give me strength tomorrow, my love. Guide Hope. Guide me. I know you'll be there."
Gently, she bought her finger to her lips and then placed it on the picture that she lightly traced with a smile across her face. "Baka." She whispered as she sat the picture down and then changed into a pair of comfortable pajamas and settled into bed.
She looked over at the empty spot. It was his side of the bed and in all of the time that she had known him; he had never changed from sleeping on that side no matter where they were.
Lightly put her hand on the pillow, as she sighed out and closed her eyes.
Right before she fell asleep, she thought she heard someone say gently to her.
"I'm here. I'm right beside you. I'm not going anywhere."
"Shinji." She breathed out as sleep took hold of her.
(I'm going to give you a heads up for the later chapters. Pay attention to the formatting. Its essential. That's all I will tell you. Stay tuned there is an update on the way and the end is near!)