Chapter 55

TWENTY YEARS LATER.

On the outskirts of the mountains, while children played outside and the cool winds blew through the area, a small cottage was nestled in a quaint, German town.

An elderly woman sat on her porch swing, rocking back and forth. She wore a long, beige colored wool sweater that was wrapped around her and underneath she wore a gray sweatshirt, blue sweatpants and sneakers. Her once fiery, red hair was now all white tied up neatly into a bun

"Grandma?" A young woman's voice asked from within the house.

"Yes?" She answered.

"It's time for lunch now."

She got up and walked into her cottage.

She stopped and looked upon the wall, smiling from ear to ear. All along the walls were pictures of her family. She looked at a large picture with a wood frame around it.

It was of all of them, taken last summer, the last family reunion at her daughter's home in Northern Japan. All of them standing outside, underneath their favorite tree, all them smiling, all of them proud and successful.

She breathed in and she smiled proudly at her oldest daughter. Her name was Hope. She was an officer, a pilot, a General in the Japanese Air Force. She stood next to her American born husband Sawyer, with their arms around each other, smiling happily for the cameras.

Gaijin-Sawyer: Asuka's nickname for him. She liked him though. He was a good husband; a good father and he owned a lucrative small airline that he had built himself.

In that same picture, kneeling down in front of their parents with happy smiling faces were their four children, two boys, two girls. Asuka loved the happy, smiling faces. Her first-born grandchild, her granddaughter, was here with her now, visiting for the summer before her first year of college started.

She saw next to her daughter, her son, Souke, her second born. How much he looked like his father, chestnut brown hair, deep blue eyes, and that smile. He has his Dad's smile.. Her son was smiling proudly, standing with his wife, Kiri, whom he had met at law school many years earlier. He had pursued her for months, until finally she said yes. They had three children. His first born, her grandson, had the same silly smirk that his father had and the two other boys each with the same devilish smiles. How proud she was of her son. He was a lawyer and a good one, a prosecutor. .

She turned to her youngest daughter, Reina, she smiled widely; she had the fiery red hair of her mother and the deep blue eyes of her father. Her smile was impeccable and Asuka immediately saw her younger self in her youngest daughter.

Musically inclined, she took after both of her parents playing both the cello and violin. She lived in the United States in New York City with her husband Phil and their two little girls who smiled proudly for the camera. She was employed at New York Philharmonic and was in the first string section..

In the center of the photo was Asuka standing proudly with her family around her. She had a wide smile on her face and she was dressed well for the party last summer. .

My legacy. She thought as she stared upon the wall. How proud I am.

Then, she looked to another picture; her favorite out of all of them, taken when he was around thirty.

"Baka Shinji." She said aloud as she tried to hold back tears. She called him that nearly every day.

He was standing outside on a bright summer day underneath their favorite tree. He was wearing a simple long sleeved white button down shirt while his brown hair swayed in the wind. His arms were crossed; he was smiling at her as she took his picture.

She had been married to him for over thirty years before his life was cut short by cancer.

She missed him every day of her life.

"Baka Shinji." She chuckled again.

She reached up and lightly touched the picture with her fingertips, smiling at him. "Baka." She whispered once more as a tear rolled out of her eye.

"Grandma?" A young woman wearing a light blue sweater and a pain of jeans asked as she came from down the hall.

"Amanda." Asuka said as she wiped a tear away.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked as she stepped over to her.

Asuka smiled as she looked at her granddaughter. My sweet Amanda, she thought as she gazed upon the young woman. With her deep blue eyes, soft long brown hair, and a body that most young men in the town couldn't stop drooling over whenever she walked past. Amanda could have been considered to be quite a catch. She was beautiful, sweet, smart and gentle and known sometimes to have a bit of temper too. She was a quarter Japanese, a quarter German, half American Irish-German. She was the apple of Asuka's eye.

"Grandma, are you okay?" Amanda asked.

"Yes," Asuka said quickly with a small smile as she looked back to the wall.

Then Amanda understood. "You miss Grandpa, don't you?"

Asuka nodded as her granddaughter put her arms around her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek.

"I wish I could have known him, Grandma."

"Oh you would have loved him so." Asuka said gently. "I know he is watching over you happily. I know that he is very proud of you, Amanda. You've done so well, my sweet."

Amanda smiled. "Thank you, Grandma. Hey, you know? I never noticed it before, Mom has Grandpa's smile."

"I know." Asuka said gently.

Amanda smiled at her grandmother. .

Every day Grandma Asuka would get up, have breakfast, nap, get up, tend to the garden, stare at the wall, cry a little, stand before her grandfather's picture, call him "baka", have lunch, take a nap, wake up, talk with Amanda and then walk with her granddaughter again. After dinner, once more she would see her go back to her grandfather's picture and hear Grandma Asuka call him "baka." It was a normal routine but this day felt strange and Amanda couldn't tell why.

"Come and have some lunch, Grandma." Amanda told her. "I only have three days left before I have to go home. I want to spend as much time as I can with you."

Asuka smiled and followed her granddaughter to the table.

After lunch, Asuka smiled as she said to her granddaughter. "Amanda, I know we usually take walks after lunch but today I'm a little tired. Would you mind terribly if I take a nap?"

"Not at all, Grandma." Amanda said as she began to clear the dishes and it was then there was a knock on the door.

Asuka raised an eyebrow as she looked at Amanda.

"I'll go see." Amanda said as she took the dishes into the kitchen and then stood at the window, grimacing. "Ugh!"

"What is it?" Asuka asked as she came over to her.

"Its that Baka Heinz Mueller!" Amanda snapped. "Why does this fool like to bother me everyday?"

"Because the boy likes you, Amanda."

"Well, I don't…."

Asuka chuckled as she heard her granddaughter. "Yes, you do…."

"That guy?" Amanda asked. "He's…. such a…baka, Grandma!"

Asuka laughed again. "Exactly what I said."

Amanda blushed as she crossed her arms and looked up to the sky. "I have school this September! I don't need some Baka German boy following me around like a puppy! It wouldn't work anyway. I'm going to USC and he lives in Germany. It would never work. Besides, he's a baka! I'm better off without him."

"Oh?" Asuka asked. "Are you sure he's not suddenly the baka because you are going away to school and don't want to admit how you feel about him? I didn't see you minding his company too much last week, young lady. I saw the two of you kissing on the front porch, you didn't seem like you were objecting at all, and from what I was seeing he didn't seem to be such a bakayaro to you then, did he?." Asuka raised her eyebrow and laughed at her.

"Grandma!" Amanda said with wide eyes trying to cover up a smirk with her hand.

"Amanda," Asuka told her with a smile. "Its okay to love the idiot. I had an idiot too for a long time. Just, don't keep them waiting too long. Idiots get antsy. Don't hide how you feel about him, Amanda. Remember, your father does own an airline. I'm sure you could visit a lot more. Besides, the super jets they have now fly around the world in two hours and your Dad told me that he was going to buy two of them. So maybe Gaijin-Sawyer will let his little angel fly to see her baka. I don't think your Dad would mind at all."

Amanda huffed as she raised her eyebrow, then she darted her eyes to her and asked with a smirk. "How is it you know these things?"

"Because, I am your grandmother, that's why. Old ladies are supposed to be wise and also wear sweatpants." Asuka said with a smirk. "Its not so far if you think about it but when I can tell you is don't hide away from love. Embrace it. Amanda, love is the source of your strength. Remember that. True love only happens once in a lifetime and if you're lucky, it can last a lifetime but if you're not careful, it can slip away. Don't let it slip away from you. You've liked this boy from the first moments you met him and every time you come out here, you two are always attached at the hip. I know at this point, you more then like him now."

Amanda smirked and then asked. "Would you mind, Grandma?"

"Go have fun with your idiot." Asuka told her with a smirk as she went over to her rocking recliner by the window and sat in it. "Remember, what I told you. Don't hold back how you feel about him but, also…exercise judgment, young lady."

"Grandma!" Amanda chuckled. Then she turned and hugged her as she said happily. "You're the best. I love you, Grandma."

"I love you too." Asuka told her as Amanda kissed her grandmother on the cheek and then went to the door. "Now, go hang out with the idiot."

Amanda chuckled as she went happily to the front door, cleared her throat and opened it.

There, on her doorstep, stood a tall, blond haired German boy wearing a long jacket with a sweater and jeans underneath. The boy, who was flushed, nervously held his hat in his hands.

Casually, Amanda stood with her hand on her hip and looked at him matter of factly. "Hello, Heinz."

"Gun tag, Amanda."

"Yeah, what do you want?" She asked as she looked away.

"I would like to walk with you if you'd let me?" he asked her.

"Hmph! Why should I walk with you, Baka?"

"Because, I think you are special, Amanda Dell. I know you are leaving shortly but I want to be with you as much as I can. I really care for you, Amanda. There is something I must say to you."

"Oh?" Amanda asked.

"Yes…. Ich liebe dich" He said with a small grin.

"Oh…. Heinz…" Amanda became flushed for a moment as she looked at him with her eyes wide and smiled gently. Then, she whispered softly. "I love you too, Heinz."

From her recliner, Asuka watched and giggled like a schoolgirl as she watched the two of them. "Oh, sorry." Asuka said with another giggle.

"Good afternoon, Frau Ikari."

"To you too, Heinz. Have fun you two." Asuka said with a smile.

Amanda smirked and then looked at him as she said. "I should get my coat."

"Oh!" Heinz said as he removed his coat. "You may use mine."

"But, it's cold outside." Amanda said to him.

"I am warm enough. I am a guy. I can handle it."

Oh, where I have heard that before? Asuka chuckled as she looked at him and then continued to rock in the recliner.

"Baka." Amanda smiled again as she walked towards him, turned around and allowed him to drape the coat over her shoulders. "Thank you." She said as she smiled at him. "Let's walk, Baka."

"What does this mean?" Heinz asked. "What is Baka? You call me this all the time yet I never know what it means! What is Baka?"

Amanda chuckled as she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. "Its my special name for you." She stared into the boy's eyes and lightly tapped him on the nose with her finger as she smiled at him..

Heinz smiled widely, breathing out with wide eyes as she reached for the door handle. Looking back at her grandmother, she gave her a wink, smirked and then shut the door.

Asuka watched through the window as the two walked together. She saw Heinz reach for Amanda's hand in which she allowed him to hold hers and they smiled at each other as they continued to walk down the road.

Asuka smiled and chuckled. "You are definitely more my side that's for sure." She said aloud as she laughed.

She relaxed as she sat in her recliner and slowly rocked back and forth.

Feeling a little tired, she pulled the lever on the side of the recliner allowing it to go back. Taking a throw blanket that hung on the arm of the chair, she laid it over her, and yawned as she prepared for her afternoon nap.

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, shutting her eyes as she felt her sleep take hold.

As she rested, a smile formed on her lips and she breathed out a single word.

"Baka."

"Asuka?"

Slowly, her eyes opened and she smiled wider as her eyes started shining. She felt warm light on her face as she turned her head.