Disclaimer: Don't Own Eva.
Hey everyone. Inspiration hit me like a brick, and motivation was up to the max. In other words, early update!
Enjoy!
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Chapter 13: The Harder They Fall.
All was well again.
Tokyo-3 was once again bustlingwith the sounds of people, as the ever-infamous Eva pursuit had come to a peaceful end. Not one citizen knew why this national event had all the sudden ceased; all they knew was that the Evangelion was back in the hands of NERV headquarters.
It all happened only yesterday…
FLASHBACK
At about Noon, Tokyo-3 was visited with a rather pleasant (and unsuspected) surprise, as the Evangelion known as Unit 01, trudged its way into the city limits. Naturally, the populace was shocked at first; Cars piled in the streets, sidewalks were suddenly still, and the only sound that could be heard was the repetitive rumbling of the Evangelion's steps. It apparently wasn't ready for battle mode, let alone was it planning on damaging anything at all.
It was just…walking. Like it was a normal citizen of this city (a 100 foot tall citizen…).
Commotion started breaking loose, as one person shouted at it in fear. Then one thing lead to another, and soon the whole crowd was shouting at the elusive beast as it trampled its way into a empty intersection within the once-bustling city streets.
"What's it doing?!'
"What does he want from us?!"
"Is he…..giving up?!"
These were just a few of the shouts given by the population, all of whom were equally perplexed by what was happening. Hell, they were confused from the very beginning; why was the Eva still alive? Why did its' rouge pilot take it?
They hoped for some answers, seeing as the truth behind the events prior to Third Impact was revealed to them as well. The angels….the reality of Second Impact…the Evangelion, NERV, everything was told to the general public. So if NERV knew everything then, what about now? Shouldn't theyknow what's going on now?
The Eva ceased it trek, and stopped in the middle of a street intersection, completely free of vehicles, the citizens, everything. That just raised more speculation and fear among the crowd.
"What's it doing now?"
"Oh my God! Is it going to attack?!"
"What's wrong with the pilot?"
Their questions were answered abruptly as the Evangelion shuttled downward into the streets below, as if it had fallen into a trapdoor of sorts. It had disappeared within seconds, and there was no explanation for it.
Except one….NERV Headquarters.
The Evangelion was going back to NERV. And that alone was proof enough that this conflict they were facing for the past weeks have finally come to a close. That gave the spectators a little more ease and relief.
Yet they still wanted to know….what the hell is going on?
The Eva descended into the rocky geofront, traveling at a high velocity into the very heart of NERV headquarters. The catapult was obviously waiting for him at the surface, meaning that NERV central control was all ready for Shinji's eminent arrival.
"What is his estimated time of arrival?" Misato demanded. They needed to time the Eva's arrival into the holding compound perfectly, or else the sudden impact of the catapult onto the ground could cause a tuning fork effect into the Eva, throwing off the harmonics of the whole Unit. In other words, Sync ratio would deteriorate, and the pilot could face some significant mental damage.
"Time of arrival: 28 seconds till he reaches the cage compound. 18 seconds till he reaches reduction point." Stated one of the personnel, "Once we reach the reduction point, we have to decrease the speed of the catapult instantaneously to a comfortable velocity, or else it will surely collide."
Misato knew damn well that all the catapults were malfunctioning. They were originally programmed to accelerate at high speed during ascent, and descend at low speed. But with all the changes and dismantling that took place within the headquarters itself, the catapults had somehow glitched;Now itonly moved at tremendous speed when activated.
The only way to stop it, was to manuallytake overcontrols.
"10 seconds till reduction point!"
"Prepare for manual override!" Misato ordered. An officer responded by typing in a series of logarithms into the main console.
"catapult debugged! Ready for velocity configuration."
"5 seconds to Reduction!"
Misato kept silent. These moments were usually the most tense for her; if anything were to go wrong, she was the one who had to take responsiblity.
"4….3….2…1"
"NOW!"
The catapult jolted momentarily, then proceeded downward at a moderate speed. The Eva staggered slightly from the abrupt change in speed, but no damage was done in the least. This Eva had faced much worse battle damage.
"Catapult velocity reduced, approaching the vicinity at a speed of 10 mph Estimated time of arrival: 20 seconds"
"All right! Prepare the bridge!" Misato shouted. She felt slightly more comfortable knowing that the launch pad was overridden. They still had to complete a successful docking sequence nonetheless, though that procedure was much less difficult. From here on in, it was just another typical NERV operation course of action
"Bridge ready for docking. Unit 01's estimated time of arrival: 4 seconds"
Misato watched the console screen as Evangelion Unit 01 came into direct view. It was descending slowly, reaching the ground surface closer with every second. Soon, the entire catapult was locked into place by the large metallic clamps built into the compound.
"Launch pad halted. Commencing docking procedure."
Two large vices took hold of the Eva on both sides, each were equipped onto a magnetic track below the steel surface. The vices lead the Eva downward along a fifteen-degree angle, accelerating at a speed of 20 mph towards the umbilical bridge. That very bridge was their final destination.
The vices stopped within the precise position among the bridge.
"Primary restraints engaged."
The Eva's body suddenly felt the imprisoning grip of the clamps around its body. These clamps were supposedly meant to keep the Eva controlled at all costs, though that normally proved to be ineffective. Oh well, it didn't matterthat much. It was just part of normal NERV procedure.
"Secondary restraints engaged."
The grasp around Unit 01 become tenser, as several more hydraulic clasps took their hold.
"Eva secured. Docking complete."
"Data readings affirmative. Harmonics appear normal. Synch ratio well over 70 percent."
" 70 percent?! That's pretty impressive for the Unit's idle state. All right, force eject the plug." Misato ordered as the Eva's database supplied the console with the familiar parameters. Everything was getting back to the way it should be.
" I'm going to go help them. Take over for me," Commanded Mistato.
"Yes, Commander," the young personnel nodded as Misato took her leave from Central Dogma.
Down below, the Evangelions' plug was ejected and ready to be unlocked. The door to the plug jiggled slightly, as the door was attempted to be open from the inside. For some reason, it was difficult for Shinji to open the door; it must have been the LCL.
But sure enough, the door opened up as all three Eva pilots collapsed to ground; the idea being that they would put all their body weight on the door in order to open it.
"Hey! Watch where you're putting your hands idiot!" Shouted Asuka in her usual manner.
"sorry! sorry!...sheesh....chill out..." Toji rebutted, pulling himself off the top of Asuka. Asuka repeated the action by getting off of Shinji.
"Come on guys. We just got back, and I don't want to hear any arguing right now." Shinji complained as the three of them made their way along the umbilical bridge. All were completely drenched in LCL.
"Ugh…I really need to bathe Shinji. That LCL is always hard to get out of my hair," exclaimed Asuka.
"Whoa…..this place hasn't changed…" Toji spoke in awe, as he looked at the surroundings among him. He had only piloted his Evangelion once, so this sight was still exciting to him.
He was right though, the Eva's cage hasn't changed that much at all. The bridge was apparently intact, hanging about 100 feet off the ground. The room itself was relatively sterile and well-taken care of, as if this part of the headquarters had remained undamaged for ages. And in front of them stood the Eva: back where it should be; it's very own home within the bowels of NERV headquarters. It was in the exact same position that Shinji found it in every time he would ready himself for piloting.
"We must be in a different cage. The Eva destroyed the last one when I tried to escape." Shinji said with some worry in the sound of his voice. He didn't really cause any unnecessary trouble for Misato, especially when it came to damage costs. He had completely destroyed the Umbilical Bridge, decimated the side of a launch chute (probably blocking off the whole path upward); and not to mention the damages done to the city itself.
"Sciess Baka….you're lucky that this place is to be dismantled soon anyway" Asuka said with mild sarcasm, "or else Misato would have killed you for sure."
Shinji bowed his head in regret and pouted," you don't have to rub it in Asuka…"
"oh, don't start with that whole pity act Baka! It's really getting on my nerves!" Asuka added irritably," why don't you act your age for a change?"
"oh, like you can talk! All you do is yell and insult me all the time! Why don't you grow up?!"
Asuka grew angry and grabbed by the held and pulled him into a headlock, reigning horrible death upon the poor boy's cranium," HOWS THIS FOR GROWN-UP?! HUH?!"
"ow! Let go of me Asuka! OOOWWWW!! Please!" Shinji begged as Asuka continued to pound Shinji's head with her left fist.
" Begging won't get you out of this one, Baka!!"
"ahem."
Everyone grew silent. Auska stopped pummeling Shinji across the head, and the two of them focused toward the source of the voice.
Misato stood on the other side of the bridge, looking at the two oddballs will disbelief.
Asuka loosened her grip as Shinji stood up next to Asuka's side. Toji took a couple of steps next to them; all three facing Misato.
No one spoke a word, as if the ability to speak had mysteriously left each of them. There really were no words that could be spoken right now; this reunion was thought to have never come between any them. Misato had thought that she would never be able to see here adopted children again, let alone Shinji's classroom buddy, Toji Suzahara. As a result, she could never truly find the words that would describe her joy of seeing them again.
Instead, she merely walked towards them. Slowly at first, then she broke into a full sprint and hugged Shinji with great force. Shinij was caught off guard, causing him to collapse backwards onto the ground. Misato broke down into tears of joy.
"h-h-hi….Misato…" Shinji said nervously; he not used to this form of affection coming from his guardian. She was bawling like crazy too, which only added to his already embarrassed state.
Asuka became slightly jealous of Misato's sudden jump onto Shinji, making her turn red with fury, "HEY! What are you doing to him guardian?!"
Misato choked back her tears and released her grasp on Shinji. She stood up quickly and wiped some excess tears from her eyes, "sorry Shinji. I…sniff....I'm just so happy to see you all again.."
Asuka scoffed slightly and crossed her arms along her chest," don't embarrass yourself Misato. We're glad to see you too," she added with a smile.
Misato glared at Asuka for a few moments," Will you ever change Asuka? I thought that Shinji opened your heart or something romantic like that."
Asuka blushed; she was not comfortableof sharing her feelings with anyone except Shinji.
"H- He did. It's just that if any girl touches him, they answer to the great Asuka! Yeah, that's it!"
Misato laughed weakly," heh…I see….and what were you just doing to him earlier?"
Asuka averted her eyes from Misato," I was just playing with him. We do that a lot, right Shinji?"
Shinji nodded and whispered something under his breath, '…but you hurt me…"
Asuka didn't catch the last part, but the nod was good enough confirmation for her," see? We have changed Misato!"
Misato was still in disbelief. Asuka was still as fiery as ever, and Shinji continued to be submissive and quiet. How could they have possibly changed?
Maybe if she examined long enough, she would understand.
Misato switched her train of thought as she spotted someone out of the corner of her eye; it was Toji, who was wise to not get caught up in the recent quarrel. Instead, he quietlystepped behind his two fellow pilots.
"Toji, is that you?" Misatoasked brightly.
Toji immediately tensed up and blushed madly. If Shinji didn't know any better, he would say that Toji still had a liking to Misato…
"Y-yeah. Hi M-Misato," was all that Toji managed to get out.
'What's the matter with you Suzahara? Did yourbrain shut down on you again?" Asuka teased with a small hint of sarcasm.
Toji glared at Asuka angrily and retorted," S-shut up! This doesn't concern you!"
Asuka looked back at Toji with confusion, when all the sudden she finally realized what was going on.
Her face changed as she looked at Toji evilly.
"Oh….I get it. You still have a thing for Misato, don't you Toji?" Asuka asked slyly.
Toji's grew even more redder and his stuttering became more frequent.
"W-w-w-w-WHAT? NO!" Toji was slowly losing his grip on the whole conversation.
"Ha! I knew it! You can't even come up with a decent insult! This idiot DOES have a crush on Misato. Sigh….boy…Hikari going be sooooooo disappointed when she hears about this…." Asuka suddenly gained the upper hand with their little talk.
Toji jerked back and his eyes grew wide," WHAT? Don't you dare do that to me devil!" Toji clasped his mouth quickly, but it was too late. Thedeadly word got out again…and Asuka heard it….
"What?!! What did you just call me?!!" Asukastalked towards Suzahara and kicked him along the thigh with her good leg. Toji grunted in pain and fell to the ground. Asuka took advantage of Toji's weaken state and began stomped on him repeatedly.
Toji would have been in worse trouble, if Shinji hadn't ran over and restrained Asuka from behind.
"Whoa! Slow down, Asuka! You know that he was just teasing!"
Asuka stopped kicking against Suzahara and started breathing slowly. Toji wasn't hurt badly (heck, it was only a bruises), but getting your ass kicked twice in the same day would sure put a damper on things.
"I told him never to call me that Shinji! You know that!"
"I know…I know….but still, you were teasing him too. That must have provoked him to say it…"
Asuka's breathing became more moderate as she looked down at the frightened Toji; chances are, he wouldn't be ready to talk for another couple of hours at least.
Shinji kept his grasp on Asuka, just in case she felt like trying that stunt again; but his eyes were focused on Misato, who was (ironically) the primary source of this conversation.
She was…..shocked….to say the least.
"Goodness….you three have been away from civilization longer than I thought…"
Shinji chuckled weakly," heh heh…yeah. That's kind of the reason we came back...."
Misato nodded," Well then…..all I have to say is…Welcome home Shinji."
"Thanks Misato.And honestly....it does feel a liitle good to be back again," Shinji nodded in response.
"Oh, and Asuka?" Misato added. Asuka turned her head to her former guardian and commander. She was still chilling out from her little fit.
"We really need to do something about that temper of yours."
END FLASHBACK
"Hey, did hear about what happened yesterday?"
"Of course, everyone in the whole town heard about it.Tt's nationwide news."
"Then is it true that Eva gave up? Is it really done fighting?"
"How the hell should I know?......Still….I sure hope it's done too. It's done enough damage already…"
This kind ofheated conversation is the one you would typically find between two elderly gentlemen in a local coffee shop. It was the latest news after all, and probably the only topic of discussion for some individuals.
For others, however, it was merely a sign that something was still going on…..something big.
Why would a 100 foot monster justactivate and leave, and then come back three weeks later to NERV's welcome mat? There had to be a motive….
One particular individual was in the process of investigating that motive. He was semi-tall man, with neatly trimmed brown hair and a pair of specs. He wore a fairly casual clothing, and was currently doing God-knows-what on his laptop. From this apparent imagery, it can be safe to say that this young man was probably a university student….or possibly a Government agent….
Sadly, he was neither. Just another normal guy from the city looking for a way to make a living in the growing metropolis; while at the same time, looking for the dream he always hungered for.
This man was known as Kensuke Aida. 20 years old, an expert hacker, and a combat enthusiast. And right now, he only had one goal in mind: find the reasoning behind Eva unit 01's sudden reappearance
" Why won't they tell us anything? You know…that one company….now what is it called…..NERV! that's it!"
"Good point. They did tell us about everything that happened the last time. The 'angels' or whatever they called them….."
"Still……they didn't tell us until it was all over…..so the reason they aren't telling us now…"
"Is because it is not over yet," Kensuke stated, interrupting the two gentlemen talking.
Thepair turned around and looked at the young man who so rudely butted into their conversation. The boy wasn't even looking at them; just typing on his little computer, eyes glued to it and never looking away.
"Pardon me Young man?"
Ken continued gazing at the luminous computer screen and typed furiously, "You're right, NERV will tell us everything; all the questions we have about this whole incident will be answered. But they will only tell us once they see it fit, meaning that the situation has to be over before they announce."
The two men gave the boy their full attention, though they still didn't appreciate being interrupted by an eavesdropping punk.
"So logically, it means that whatever is going on right now….is not over yet. Simple as that; that is why the Evangelion came back. The real question is: what is going on, and why did it prompt the pilotto come back?"
One of the two men chuckling heartily," So you don't know either……eh, boy?"
"Then we may never know what's happening! What if this situation involves us?" Said the other of the two.
Kensuke shut the laptop and stood up,"I don;t very much about going on, but I plan to find out"
Kensuke walked past his audience and made way for the front entrance. The two gentlemen were not satisfied with the answer given to them.
"Hey! What makes you think that you can find out?"
Aida stopped in his tracks and addressed the question casually, "You two haven't lived here in Tokyo-3 long, have you?"
The pair of them shook their heads in response.
Kensuke simply smiled, "then you probably won't understand anyway."
With those final words, Aida opened the door and took leave from the quaint coffee shop, into the brisk world outside.
The two men felt insulted by his last words, but they didn't want to bother to do anything about it. That boy was just an arrogant young man…..that's all. He knew nothing, nothing at all.
……But still….something seemed odd about him. As if he reallywas hiding something that would be hard for others to understand.
Only a Tokyo-3 native would be that mysterious.
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It was a small apartment; that is all that can be said. It was a little smaller than Misato's pad (almost identical to it), and could only house two people at most; no pets or anything. It had the usual kitchen/dining room, a living room complete with a television and a couch, abathroomand two bedrooms. The bedrooms themselves appeared to be quite empty, apart from the covered beds and a few loose clothes hangers isolated within the closet. All in all, the apartment itself was a little better than Asuka, but not as comfortable as Misato's.
Still, Shinji and Asuka would have to call this place home from now on.
"Well here it is!" Said a cheerful Misato, as she unlocked the door and invited the two of them in, "Not too luxurious, but it is the best we can afford for now."
Shinji and Asuka stepped in, both slightly disappointed with how gloomy theis placeappeared to be.
"So…..what do you think?" Misato asked anxiously.
Asuka was the first to speak, "you mean this where I have to live? Seems kind of depressing Misato…"
Misato shrugged," Just needs the lights turned on; and your stuff still hasn't been brought from Tokyo-2 yet Asuka. Once you get some more stuff in here, I'm sure that you and Shinji call this place home."
"You mean that Shinji and I are to share this place?!" Asuka asked with some surprise.
Though it was Misato who was the surprised one, "Of course! I thought you two....liked being together...you know?"
Asuka blushed but quickly caught herself, "w-we do! It's just that…well…what if we......well....get too close?"
Misato giggled a little, "Don't worry Asuka, I fully trust the both of you."
Shinji spoke next, though his voice hung with concern and embarrassment, "Don't worry Asuka, We just have to be careful…that's all."
Misato nodded," Shinji's right Asuka. That means that if the two of you do it, then please use protection."
"W-WHAT?!" Asuka managed to blurt out of sheer embarrassment.
Shinji was equally embarrassed, "What?! T-that's not what I meant!!"
Misato knew that she was teasing, but continued playing along, "hee..hee….I'm sorry. But if you ever need it Shinji, there is a nice little convenient st-"
"MISATO!!" Shinji shouted. The shame was just too much for the poor boy.
"Sorry…sorry...just kidding…" Misato said in surrender," anyway, this will be your place from on. If you need anything, I am just a floor down from here. Here, take this."
Misato handed Asuka a small piece of paper.
"It's a list of phone numbers; top one's mine, bottom one's the NERV line; only use that line in an absolute emergency! And the rest are pretty self-explanatory. Any questions? " Misato explained.
"handed Asuka a small piece of paper.
"It's a list of phone numbers; top one's mine, bottom one's the NERV line; only use that line in an absolute emergency! And the rest are pretty self-explanatory. Any questions? " Misato explained.
" Yeah…Misato. Do you really trust us to live here all by ourselves?" Shinji asked, still very anxious about the whole thing.
"I most certainly do. You two have done it time and time again without any major problems. And besides….."
Misato grabbed onto both of their shoulders and pulled them close, "you two are adults now. You have the responsibility to make your own choices. Please…make the right ones."
She let them go and headed for the front door.
"Asuka, your stuff should arrive in the morning. Until then, please just try to make the best of this place. I'll stop by tomorrow evening to see how the two of you are getting along."
She began to close the door behind her, "Good night you two!"
Shinji and Asuka waved goodbye," Goodnight Misato!"
Misato closed the door completely, shutting in the only two residents of this lonely room. She was right though; the two really did have to make the best of this cold, bleak apartment for the mean time.
"Scheiss….I hate it when she gets all sentimental. Hey Shinji! How about we get some dinner?" Asuka askedwith fiery anticipation.
Shinji smiled and nodded, "Sure. Will ramen be alright for tonight?"
Asuka shrugged her shoulders, "aww….is ramen the best you can do? Sigh….alright, that's fine."
Shinji walked to cabinet; Misato had already provided them with plenty of food, seeing as it was all NERV's investment.
As Shinji searched the kitchen,Asuka noticed that there was something odd about his smile.
It seemed so….sad…..
Twenty minutes later, their dinner was all set and ready. Misato was right about this place; once you've learned to open up more, it seemed more comfortable and not as foreboding. The lights were on as well, though the bulbs looked like they would go out any minute. It was this light that kept things at peace, without it, the two of them would just plummet into the chaos of the darkness….
Or maybe…the chaos within their souls…
Asuka was pleased to see an actual dinner for a change; but it wasn't the food that made it that way (hell, they have been eating instant food for quite a long time now) it was the atmosphere once again. She felt like she was back at Misato's apartment,when things were the way they should be; back when things shouldn't have taken for granted.
Asuka cherished those memories more than anything. Ironically, it was those days before Third Impact when Asuka reached into the deepest part of herself and pulled out all her horrible memories. It was those days that made her remember the things she tried to forget.
And it was those days she missed the most. She often thought about thetime of the Third Impact. Why did it have to happen? Why did everyone have to suffer its wrath? And why did Shinji have to suffer the most?
While literally inhaling her food, Asuka noticed that Shinji hadn't even touched his. He looked like utterly depressed for some reason, as if someone had dug into his heartand pulled out all the happiness inside of him.
Asuka stopped chewing her food and looked at him with concern.
"What's the matter Shinji? You haven't eaten any of your food yet." She asked cheerfully in hopes of spiking up his mood.
"huh?." Shinji jutted out of his little trance and looked at Asuka with a blank face.
That didn't surprise her much, "sigh……weren't you even listening to me? What's the matter, Shinji? Something has to be bothering you."
Shinji nodded sadly and collected his words," Yeah…something is…."
There was silence for a few minutes, then he spoke again.
"Asuka…do you really love me?"
Asuka scoffed nonchalantly, as if that question didn't mean anything, "Of course I do Shinji. Why else would I stay with you baka?"
Shinji smiled weakly, "Okay…but…Asuka?"
"What is it Shinji?"
"If you love me, then why is it that you still act this way?"
Asuka was taken by surprise for a moment, "Hey! What do you mean by that?"
Shinji's voice grew stronger as he spoke with more confidence, " I thought you changed Asuka. Remember when I first found you three weeks ago? I thought I saw a different Asuka then….one that was caring, understanding, and not too much like what she used be....just a little like the old Asuka. It was nice…I liked it."
Asuka continued to listen intently.
"But then after a few days, you started acting normally again. Always insulting me and calling me baka; I can understand the baka part Asuka, and I do like it…..somewhat….but you still keep on hurting me. Like this afternoon when you attacked me and then Toji. You keep hurting others."
Asuka chuckled a little, "Come on Shinji, you know that I was just playing with you. I would never hurt intentionally, ever. And as for Suzahara.... well...he should of kept his mouth shut."
"I understand Asuka, but it is still embarrassing and hurtful. It was just like back when we were younger…"
Asuka stopped chuckling and looked at Shinji with a concerned face. He really was acting serious. Did he really believe that she hurt him on purpose?
"Asuka…..I'm starting to think that…..you haven't changed at all."
Shinji's last sentence echoed in her mind. A series of memories flashed before her eyes;…Evangelion Unit 02……Shinji…Misato……NERV headquarters…..the doll……..her mother's doll…..suicide….."will you join me?"……I don't want you……"you're unwanted"……….As an Eva Pilot, you are wanted…..
Haven't changed at all…Haven't changed at all…Haven't changed at all…Those words sparked something inside of Asuka. Something that she thought was gone for good, but it wasn't. It was the very thing that drove the two of them apart six years ago…..her anger and pride….
And this time, it was back for vengeance.
"You think I haven't changed? Look at you! You're still always moping around and hiding behind others! Don't go judging me Shinji Ikari! You're guilty as well you stupid pervert!"
Shinji never thought those words would come from her. He expected the caring Asuka to understand how he felt, but that wasn't the case.
Instead she only brought with her words of pain…..and resentment.
Nonetheless, Shinji wasn't going to let Asuka get away with hurting him.
"What?! Oh-oh yeah!? Look at you! Even though you don't always say you're little Miss Perfect, you still act like it! You're as arrogant as ever!"
Shinji's words fed Asuka's fire of anger, " ARROGANT?! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT! AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH TOGETHER! AFTER HOW I HELPED YOU!"
Shinji raised his voice as well.
"ITS TRUE THOUGH! YOU'RE STILL AS STUCK UP AS EVER!"
"AND YOU MY DEAR SHINJI, ARE NOTHING MORE THAN THE SPINELESS COWARD I THOUGHT YOU TO BE!"
Shinji's anger was reaching a breaking point.
"OH YEAH?!! WELL AT LEAST I STILL HAVE MY EVA! AND MY MOTHER!"
Shinji knew he crossed the line that time. But there was nothing he could do. Asuka heard it. Loud and clear.
Her face boiled with anger, and her eyes flashed with chaos. She grunted out of pure fury and grabbed onto the table in front her. With all her strength, Asuka flipped the table and its contents onto Shinji.
Shinji covered his head, as hot ramen poured over him. He fell onto the floor with a loud thump, and remained there unmoving. The silverware scattered over the floor in all directions, and the chairs turned over and fell onto the floor as hard as Shinji did. Asuka stood there in a defensive stance, breathing hard as the rage in her body subsided temporary.
All was silent for a long while.
Asuka's fit of fury had apparently ceased; she just stood there and stared at the pathetic worm that struggled on the ground before her. She had done it. She had hurt Shinji again, as a part of her wanted.
Her voice broke the silence.
"I'm leaving Shinji. I don't want to be around a coward like you anymore."
Asuka's soft footsteps made way for the door. She winced several times in the process; she really couldn't believe what she was saying, and a part of her kept telling her to stop; but nonetheless, it appeared that she really was back to her old self. Boy…was she back to her old self.
And that is what hurt Shinji the most. Not the hot liquids burning his skin, or the crushing blow of his body hitting the ground; it was the fact that Asuka was back to…..'normal'….for a lack of a proper term. All the hard work he did in attempting to save her from herself…didn't pay off.
Asuka put on her shoes, coat, and walked out of the entrance into the cold, cold night outside. She slammed the door behind her, leaving Shinji alone in his own misery and pain.
He was alone again. Something that he wanted long ago, but never again did he make that wish. He knew now that he wanted, and needed,someonespecialin order to exist; and he irresponsibly just drove awaythat significant other.
Shinji stood up and walked to couch, uncaring of how much pain he was facing physically. The mental pain was far more strenuous than anything his bodily shell could.
Many thoughts dug into his mind…horrible ones….
'All I do is hurt others……why……why is it that all I do is hurt other people?…….'
Voices started gathering within the bowels of his subconscious.
'Hedgehog's Dilemma…..Hiding behind the skirt of a little girl at a time like this!?….The hedgehog wants to closer to other hedgehogs, but he can't without getting hurt by the thorns….get up Shinji…help me Asuka….You don't care about me!….You don't even love yourself!'
these voices….these horrible yet familiar voices…..were all true. He clutched onto his head in agony and tried to block out these terrible memories.
'….our spare is being delivered….I'm not going to feel sorry for you Shinji!….you're useless!…..you coward….baka….spineless….there is nothing more useless then a housebroken male!'
The voices stopped; he didn't know where they came from or why the came, but they were here; echoing inside his very head. Shinji lowered his head, relieved to see that the voices in his head stopped; but still….they were right. They were all right about him.
He was spineless. He was a coward. He didn't want to hurt others. He didn't want to be hurt by others. He was usable if he piloted the Evangelion. He hated……himself.
Shinji broke down and began sobbing his hands.
"I'm no different……I'm no different…..I haven't changed in the least…"
The lights went out as Shinji sobbed in the darkness that filled the room. With the night that had befallen him, everything seemed so hopeless….
He mourned for himself, whom he never truly loved or changed. And he mourned for Asuka, for whom he pushed away over a petty and meaningless fight; the girl he hurt because he, ironically, didn't want to be hurt.
'What have I done?…sob……What have I done?…….'
The darkness was growing deeper now as Shinji fell into deep despair. The night grew colder…and the apartment was so barren. Too barren for a boy like Shinji.
He didn't want to be alone anymore. Never again did he want to be alone.
He ceased crying and crouched over, his head hovering over the dark cold floor. He see his last remaining teardrops fall to the ground, like the rain in Tokyo-2. That cold depressing rain...
He muttered three words then; the only words that truly meant anything to him from this moment on.
"I'm Sorry Asuka."
Shinji staggered up and walked to his room, prepared for the worst night of his life.
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END OF CHAPTER 13
What will happen to Shinji and Asuka's newly developed love? Why did they remember their memories? Have they really remained unchanged over the years in which they matured? Not sure….next chapter will have the answers though.
Well, another chapter completed. Good news is that myfinals haven't really started yet, so I had a chance to re-watch some of the Evangelion episodes, as well as EoE. Doing that made typing this fic a lot more comfortable….hence, the early update.
I'am really pleased with how this chapter turned out; a little short, but not enough so that it is bothersome. Nonetheless, I'm much more satisfied with this onethan with the recent chapters I have made (thank you free time!). So that was rather nice.
I have no idea if I will get another chapter done this week, but rest assured… I will try to update as soon as possible.
In the meantime, please continuing reviewing!
That's about all I have to say. So until the next chapter, see you later!