Asuka and Shinji were standing at the dinner table, at Misato's apartment.
An uncomfortable silence between them was broken by Asuka's soft and confident voice.
"Say, Shinji... wanna kiss? Or are you afraid?"
Misato's voice echoed into the room.
"You mustn't! It's not something kids should do."
Asuka ignored the voice and stood up, getting closer to Shinji.
"Okay, here goes..."
But instead of kissing him, Asuka stopped.
"You don't understand anything! Stay away from me!"
Shinji looked at her, surprised, with his hand twitching.
"I do understand."
"No, you don't, you idiot!" - Asuka kicked Shinji's leg, as his hand convulsed. - "You really think you understand me!? You think that you can help me? That is so arrogant! You couldn't possibly understand me!"
"How can I understand, if you don't say anything? You don't say anything... You don't talk to me! How can I understand you? It's impossible!"
"Ikari-kun, did you try to understand?" – Rei Ayanami's soft voice spoke.
"I… I tried..." – he said, closing his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, Asuka was standing over him, while Rei just observed from the other side of the train wagon.
"If I can't have you all to myself, then I don't want anything from you!"
"Then, be nice to me..."
"Nice? Nice? Are you stupid? You're a fake and a phony, and I wish I never laid eyes on you." – Asuka ran out of the wagon in frustration as tears formed in her eyes.
Shinji stared at her going away, with an emotionless face, and his hand twitching again.
"Ayanami… what should I do?"
"Ikari-kun. If you're really filled with affection, you're too shy to convey."
"Huh?"
"In the eternal summer days of post Third Impact Japan, under the summer sun, something's begun. In the summer heat, boy and girl meet."
Shinji rubbed his eyes and noticed that he was in school again, on his physical education class. He was alongside Toji and Kensuke on the running track.
"Hey Shinji. Man, Okinawa was so good. And what happened there at Mt. Asama? Tell me more, man!"
"Well, the trip had me a blast. Asuka was there, 'cute' as can be." – he said, trying to make the compliment sounds more ironic than it was. He took a glance at Asuka, who was sitting by the pool alongside Hikari and Rei.
"Hey Asuka, we missed you there in Okinawa. What did you do in the past week? Tell me more about it. I heard that you defeated another Angel. And that Shinji…"
"Well… the battle happened so fast, but one thing is clear. That stupid boy is crazy… for me." - Asuka said, trying to make it sound like she was disgusted with the statement, but as she said that, she looked at Shinji on the track, running in circles around her, and sighed.
"What? The red devil was cute? Impossible! You better tell us more!"
"We were at the pool, she… huh- talked to me. At the battle, did quite well, but I saved her life, she nearly drowned." – he said, remembering his leap of faith in the magma.
"Whaaaaat? He likes you? Like, really, really like?" – said Hikari overjoyed. "Tell me more, Asuka!"
"He dived for me, without proper equipment on. When they opened the plug, his plug suit was damp. But he showed off, without any wound." – she said, remembering how she called him a 'show off', with a rare genuine smile in her face.
"You saved her life? That's you being awesome Shin-man. But I don't think that the devil would even say thank you, am I right? Tell me more."
"Well, she got… friendly… when we got back on firm land." – he took another glance at the pool and found Asuka also staring at him.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" – Hikari shouted an excited fangirl scream –" So, he dived in a volcano to save you Asuka? That's so romantic! And how did you feel? Tell me more.
"W-well… He got a friendly hold on my hand. He was sweet, but… he is still just a teen!" – she said, looking at the running track and finding Shinji looking at her. – "N-not a man like Kaji, you know."
"But, Shinji, did the devil at least say thanks to you?"
"W-well, she was… good… you know what I mean." – Shinji said, awkwardly looking away from the pool.
"And what happened after, Asuka?"
"The battle was over, that's where it ends." – Asuka said, in a quiet and nonchalant voice, also turning her head away from the tracking field.
"Hey Shinji, don't fall into the devil's charm, ok?
"I hope that at least we will be friends. Wonder what she's thinking now…"
"So, you won't do anything, Asuka?"
"I will pay him back, I made a vow."
"Summer dreams ripped at the seams. But, oh, those summer nights."
Asuka looked at Rei, confused with her unexpected words, as Shinji looked back to stare at them from the track, until the bright sunlight dazzled his eyes.
Shinji opened his eyes again and he was in Misato's apartment, with Asuka sitting dejectedly at table.
"Asuka… I want to help you in some way... and to be with you forever."
Asuka looked at the boy with a tired and emotionless look, and whispered in a harsh way.
"You better shape up."
"Huh?" – Shinji took a step back, in surprise as Asuka started to walk in a threateningly way towards him.
Shinji stepped back until he hit the wall. Asuka closed the gap between them with a furious glare on her face.
"Are you that stupid? Do I have to explain everything to you? Fine! You better understand, ok? I… need…."
Shinji looked at her blushing face and started to try to say something, but she put a hand on his mouth.
"Wait. Don't say anything. Listen, I don't expect you to do anything ok? I'm just saying that because I must be true to my heart and… my heart is… my heart set on you."
She said it an immediately rushed to her room and slammed her door, almost tripping in a confused PenPen that was staring at Shinji with an annoyed face.
Shinji snapped out of the shock and, clenching his fist, quietly opened the door. He saw the girl laying on her bed, with her face buried in her pillow.
He took a few steps in the direction of the bed, as the girl hugged her pillow, without looking at him. He took a deep breath and laid down on the bed embracing her from behind.
They stayed there, for some minutes that felt like centuries, without saying nothing.
"Asuka I… I think I understand…I promise you. I'm gonna shape up. Even if I don't know if I can be the man you need, I swear that I'm gonna prove that your faith is justified."
She turned her head and body to face him and saw a determined, yet soft smile on his face. A mix of the brave invincible Shinji that piloted the Eva better than anyone else and of the cute stupid Shinji that made her lunch and walked her to school every day.
"Shinji… are you sure? Even after all this… you still want to try?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Down deep inside."
"So… you better prove that my faith is justified." – the girl said with a blush and a soft smirk starting to form on her face.
"I will do it. You're the one that I want, Asuka. The one I need."
"Oh, yes indeed, idiot!"
Asuka closed the gap between them and they kissed each other.
"Asuka is this the end?"
"No, Shinji. It's only the beginning."
As the instrumentality dream scenario began to fade, until only the image of a smiling Rei Ayanami remained.
"What the hell was that?" – said a confused Kaworu Nagisa that just appeared from nowhere in the blank scenario.
Rei Ayanami turned at him with a warm smile and a blush on her cheeks, saying with an utterly innocent voice.
"Well… sappy romance comedy musicals are the greatest achievement of the Lilin culture, don't you agree Nagisa?"
"…"
As some of you know, things have been a little busy for me and my country in the last months, but I had some spare time to drop this very short update in memorian of one of my mother's favorite actresses and one of the most famous musical movies ever. Once again, thanks for the feedback and for the support. Hopefully I will catch up with r&r other fics and, if things get calmer here, write more chapters to reach the intended goal of 26 episodes until the end of this year. Take care and have a nice week :)
