Haha, wow. I actually though this chapter was gonna be short. But, I actually did manage to get the 10,000 words that I use as my general marker for a "full chapter."
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Okay, review responses. Let's do this quick because it's a beautiful fall day where I am and I'd like to go out and do something before the day is done.
Useful76: Haha, you read the whole thing in a week, huh? And to think, what takes you a week to read takes me a year to write. If only writing were as easy as reading. Anyhow, about the non-main characters getting their own stories. I'm happy you noticed... I mean, not that it was hard, but still. I do intend to write quiet a few little side stories for the other characters and I'll be trying to build on them in my own way. A lot of that is going to be done through flashback chapters that explain things about the characters' pasts. On top of having a whole set of major 'pre-Evangelion' flashback chapters for Shinji, Asuka, and Rei, I intend to have some for Misato, Kaji, Gendo, Ritsuko, and...well, probably as many other characters as I can fit in really.
Hellsink Bathhall: I don't want to get too spoilery, but there's a couple things that I'll say you're right on the money about. I'm also happy that I'm able to make some of the more boring episode plotlines seem a little less boring. Usually, if there's a boring part of an episode, I'm gonna try to stick some sexual comedy in there...speaking of which...I don't actually know if I'm any funny. Does my sexual comedy actually make anyone laugh? I mean, maybe someone might giggle or chuckle, but does it actually make anyone start just rolling on the floor laughing their ass off? No? That's just me? Oh, okay... I see how it is.
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Okay, one quick author note and then I'm going outside. I can tell you right now... I don't think...that this chapter is going to be what you were all expecting. I'm cringing right now because I hope that's a good thing, but I'm worried it might not be. Just...if this chapter isn't what you were expecting, bear with me. It's coming. I promise. I just, figured that there was something...a moment...a reaction, and it was just something I had to capture in my writing before I moved on to other stuff.
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Text Guide
Standard Wording
"Spoken Dialogue/Speech"
'Internal Dialogue/Thoughts'
(Flashbacks)
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[Slash denotes scene transition for the moment; this may be changed in the future so as to become more visible.]
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Disclaimer: I do not own or profit off of Neon Genesis Evangelion, End Of Evangelion, or the Rebuilds of Evangelion. I do not own Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Sohryu, or any of the other characters/ideas from the Evangelion intellectual property collective. All licenses remain with the proper license holders. If asked to, I will formally remove this story from the hosting website.
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*Cruel Angel's Thesis and Eva intro starts playing*
Neon Genesis Evangelion
A Journey of Hate, Power, and Love
Chapter 15
Petals and Everything Dear
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"Rei, what's wrong? Why…why are you crying?" Shinji sniffled, trying to hold back his tears.
"I…am not sure. I feel something in my chest. I failed to understand what it was for a long time. However, there was someone who helped me to understand. But, even now, I don't believe I realize what it is I am feeling."
"Rei," Shinji cried, no longer able to hold back his own tears, fearing the worst, "I don't understand, Rei. What's wrong. How…how can I help?"
"Nothing is wrong, Shinji. I think…I believe…that…I love you."
For a moment, the entire world around Shinji stopped. Had he really heard her correctly? Did Rei really just say that she loved him?
But, before the boy could think any further on the matter, Rei's lips met his, her arms wrapping around his neck and cradling his head.
Shinji's knees immediately felt weak and he didn't kiss back at first. He was too disturbed? Afraid? Entranced? He didn't know exactly what he was feeling. But whatever Rei was doing, it was nerve-wracking to him. He wasn't even sure if what he was experiencing was real.
However, he then took notice of the soft skin of her arms around his neck. The same soft skin that had held his hands many times since he'd first told her to try smiling all those moons ago. He noticed her hot lips applying gentle pressure to his own and her warm moist breath sweeping across his cheeks as she occasionally parted her lips to breathe before they magnetized back toward his
'This is real. Oh my god, this is real! Toji, Kensuke; they were right. She does…she does love me.'
More hot tears spilled out of his eyes, and he found himself returning her kiss to the best of his ability. He raised his quivering hands and placed them on Rei's hips before his knees finally gave out and he stumbled to the ground with Rei as her knees also shook and trembled and collapsed beneath her. But, through all the shaking and excitement, neither broke the kiss.
Neither of them were really great at kissing for neither of them had ever kissed before. But, they were able to manage. And more than that, their actions came from their hearts, and they continued smooching despite how sloppy and inexperienced they both were.
After finally stopping to take a breath, Rei began speaking, almost sounding embarrassed. Almost…
"I apologize. I believe that is how you convey to someone that you love them, by touching lips. Though, I feel I could use practice in the act."
"N-no! Don't apologize! It was fine!"
'Practice!?' Shinji thought to himself, trying not to become dizzy at the thought.
"I am worried, Shinji. I am shaking and I cannot seem to stop. Do you know what is wrong with me?"
"I have no idea. I can't stop shaking either."
Rei giggled, which also caused Shinji to laugh as well. And it wasn't his usual timid or forced laugh. It was a genuine laugh spurred on by true amusement.
"Rei, do you really mean it?" he asked after catching his breath again.
"Mean what, Shinji?" Rei asked as she tilted her head questioningly.
"Do you really…love me?"
"Yes. I believe I do," she answered immediately and without hesitation.
"But, why?"
Rei looked at the ground in thought before answering.
"Because you are kind. And you…appear to care for me. And... because we share…a bond. A bond in that I promised to protect you just how I believe you will protect me; just like we will protect everyone. You are my friend. But…you are more than my friend as well," she struggled to say before looking back into Shinji's dark eyes, "I apologize. I am not well versed in such topics of conversation. It is...difficult for me to answer. But, I do believe I love you."
"It's okay, Rei. I think I understand. You don't need to be sorry. Besides," Shinji smiled as a few tears continued to spill out of his eyes, "I think…I love you too."
Rei smiled at him; a full-fledged smile that people rarely were able to bear witness to.
"That…makes me happy…Shinji," Rei said as she crawled a little closer to him and laid her head on his chest.
Even with both his and her declaration of love, he still felt his face get hot with embarrassment as she rested on him, though he wasn't sure why when it didn't seem like anyone was there to judge them.
Though, to the lack of Shinji and Rei's knowledge both, there was indeed someone watching them.
"Those idiots!" She cursed to herself through grit teeth, hoping she'd remained quiet enough that neither of them had noticed her.
'How?! How is this possible?! Sure, I helped her out, but I thought Shinji would have run away from her advances! This isn't right! This is so fucked up! I should have been the one to get a significant other first! At least I actually socialize with people like an actual human. But, here these two idiots are, a housebroken beta male and a soulless doll, kissing under the moonlight like they're in some romance novel!'
The girl peered through the bushes and saw Rei kiss Shinji once more.
'They act like they do this all the time! This is so fucked up! It's sickening! I'm the one who deserves someone who cares, not…' she watched Rei kiss the boy again and stroke his cheek gently, 'Not- Not them! That's mine! They don't deserve that happiness!' she cursed to herself again, trying so very hard to make sure that none of the tears welling up in her eyes spilled out of them.
She clenched her teeth so hard that it hurt her. Sneaking out of the bushes she sulkingly made her way to Misato's Renault as quietly as she could. And, upon getting a little closer, saw that the woman had passed out on the hood of the car and was lightly snoring. She also noticed that the windows to the car had been left down.
And, so, she crawled into the shotgun seat, sniffling occasionally while she climbed through the window, though she never quite began crying in earnest.
'You can't cry, Asuka. You can't. Don't you dare cry. Just wait until I find someone. I'll show them. They'll be so jealous. They won't even know what happiness is after I bring home my future boyfriend.'
She rolled over in the car seat a bit so that she could lay on her side before she sniffled again with her lips curled into an extremely pouty frown.
"Future boyfriend…" she whispered to herself.
'Who even would be my future boyfriend? All Kaji's been doing recently is pushing me away. And everyone else is just a bunch of jerks!'
A wind whispered through the windows of the car, causing the girl to hug herself to keep from shivering.
She stared at the driver's seat of the car covered in the shadow of the night, as she became lost in her mind trying to figure out exactly where her life went wrong.
'Maybe it went wrong when I came here. Nothing has ever gone right ever since I got here. Stupid Shinji is always fucking everything up and stealing my glory.'
She clenched her teeth again and let out an angry but quivering breath.
'Maybe it went wrong because of Misato. She's trying to steal Kaji from me. And, he's obviously still interested in her just because of her pathetic lewd demeanor.'
Another gale blew through the car, and Asuka's nails began to dig into her shoulders as she hugged herself even tighter. Though, in this case, it wasn't because she was cold.
'Maybe it's because of my stupid mother ruining everything. Maybe if she didn't fucking kill herself, I never would have met Kaji. And then I wouldn't have to worry about trying to win someone who's not even interested in me.'
Asuka released her grip on her arms and held her hands in front of her face. Looking at her palms brought back all kinds of memories. But, she still told herself, no, forced herself not to cry.
'Maybe my life was ruined before I was ever even born… Maybe Kaji and Misato and Second Impact fucked up everything for me before I even existed.'
As she watched her hands, she noticed that she was absentmindedly bringing them closer to herself, as though she had no control over herself or her actions anymore. It was like she was trapped in her own body, and therefore trapped unto her fate until she could be free from her body.
"No. No… Maybe… Maybe I ruined everything. Maybe I ruined my life because…because…'
She brought her hand to her throat and when she felt she had a good grip, she began to constrict her fingers around her neck.
'Because I let everything ruin my life. I want everything to ruin my life.'
She felt pressure building up behind her eyes as she continued to choke herself.
'I can feel it. I can feel my heartbeat in my fingers. Is this what it felt like, mother? Is this what it felt like when you tied that fucking noose around your neck, you fucking coward? Could you feel your heartbeat like I feel mine? Did it feel good, you insane bitch? Did it feel good to know everything would stop? Did it feel good to run away from everything? Did it feel good to run away from yourself?'
Asuka's small thin body began spasming and convulsing from the lack of oxygen. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she started to see faint glowing patterns in the darkness.
'Run away from yourself, Asuka. Run away,' an alien, but at the same time, familiar voice echoed deep from inside Asuka's mind.
'Run away? Who are you? Get out of my head!'
'Run away, Asuka. If the world hurts, just run away. There's nothing wrong with running away. You run away all the time. But, you've never run away like this before. You keep running away, but you never go anywhere. You're always stuck. You're always here. You're always trapped. So, run away with me instead. Don't stop running this time. Don't breathe, Asuka. Don't breathe. Just keep running instead.'
'WHO ARE YOU? GET AWAY FROM ME!'
'You know who I am, my sweet baby Asuka. Now, come to me.'
'NO! WHO ARE YOU? GET OUT OF ME! GET OUT OF MY MIND!'
'Don't breathe, Asuka. Listen to me. Listen to us. Listen to our voice. Listen to our heartbeat. Don't breathe. Don't breathe. Don't breathe. Keep running. Don't stop.'
'MOTHER! GET AWAY FROM ME! LET GO OF ME! YOU'RE HORRIBLE! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON AND A HORRIBLE MOM!'
'You'd be a horrible mother too, Asuka. Look at you. Run away, Asuka. That's all you do. You run away from Misato. You run away from Rei. You run away from Shinji. You run away from yourself. All you want for yourself is to hurt yourself. Run away. Don't breathe and run away with me. Come with me, Asuka. Stop hurting yourself and run away with me.'
'NO! RUNNING AWAY IS SOMETHING YOU DO! NOT ME! I'M NOT A COWARD.'
'Kill yourself.'
'SHUT UP!'
'Kill yourself, Asuka.'
'SHUT UP, BITCH!'
'KILL YOURSELF, ASUKA! KILL YOURSELF! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO! SO JUST DO IT!'
'SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!'
Asuka finally convinced herself to release her hands from her throat and she gasped quietly, trying to hide what she'd been doing from any unwelcome eyes that might be watching her.
She looked at the windshield and saw that Misato was still sleeping peacefully against it. She then looked over her shoulder and couldn't see Shinji nor Rei. She assumed that they must've still been hiding in the bushes making out or doing something else equally as gross if not more so.
"Stupid. So stupid," she whispered to herself, "Running away. That's something stupid Shinji would do."
The tears that had been threatening to spill over had disappeared and, in place of the sadness they brought, there was now anger. Asuka rolled over in the seat and began resting on her back as she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to calm herself and her thoughts.
However, she jumped a little when she heard a soft thud outside the car, and this served to only make her angrier.
She looked around for the source of the sound and noticed that Misato was no longer sleeping on the hood of the car. And, seeing that, Asuka surmised that she must have rolled off the car in her sleep.
Asuka opened the passenger side door of the car and stomped out of it before slamming the door as hard as she could and marching around to the other side of the vehicle. She looked down at the ground and, though it was dark, she could see Misato slumped over in the dirt, trying to get up.
"YOU IDIOT!"
"Hmm? What'd I do?" she mumbled as she used her hands to push herself up.
"Stupid idiot! You better not have been drinking or something. We still need to get home tonight!" Asuka scolded the older woman.
"I wasn't drinking! …Though, I wish I was," Misato grumbled as she rubbed her head.
"Hey, what's going on over here? Why are you yelling, Asuka?" Shinji asked as he approached the two women with Rei in toe behind him.
"SHINJIIIIII, YOU IDIOT!" Asuka screamed at the boy, "I HATE YOU! GET IN THE CAR! WE'RE GOING HOME!"
Shinji wasn't sure exactly what had caused the girl to start erupting, but he did as he was told and got into the car quietly as Rei held his hand and Asuka glared at him the entire time.
"Get UP Misato!" Asuka snapped at the woman sharply as she wondered if she should kick her.
Luckily, it didn't come to that and Misato finally got on her feet and opened the car door. Asuka made her way back around the car and Misato made sure to have the engine started before she had fastened her seatbelt.
/
-A Mother and a Daughter and Someone You Know-
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"Daddy, why does Mama have to be in there? Is she sick? It looks cruel."
"Oh, Asuka, she…she's in there because…you'll understand when you're older."
"But, I don't want to understand when I'm older. I want to understand now!"
"Asuka, I can't explain it to you. Even I don't really know what happened to her when she got inside that…that thing. I'm not a scientist. I'm not a doctor. I don't know what is wrong with her. And you don't need to worry about it either. You just need to focus on being successful and trying to become an Eva pilot. If you can do that, you can bring us lots of money. And then, maybe, we can fix your mother."
"So…the Eva is what hurt her…"
Asuka's father looked at her sadly but chose not to answer her.
"Then, why daddy? Why do you want to put me in it too?"
Her father still couldn't find any words to say to the girl. But, fortunately for him, someone was coming to his rescue.
Kyoko's doctor was down the hall and called out to Asuka's father.
"Daniffen! There you are. I have things to discuss with you about your wife," The woman winked naughtily towards the man while she briskly approached him.
"Ah, Doctor Vela. What news?" the man asked uncomfortably as he tugged at the collar of his shirt.
"Well, I think we should talk about that at lunch," the woman said before she kissed Asuka's father.
'Why does daddy let her kiss him? He shouldn't let her do that. It's mean to mommy,' Asuka thought to herself as she held her hands closely to her chest like a scared animal.
The woman then turned her attention towards Asuka.
"How are you today, little one?" The woman asked innocently.
"I'm okay…" Asuka whimpered dejectedly as she failed to look away from the perfectly white and haunting tiles of the hospital floor.
"You look adorable today. That's a cute little outfit!" the woman continued as she bent over and poked Asuka's shoulder a little roughly while making sure to flash her the panties under her skirt for Asuka's father.
Asuka was wearing an unbuttoned, small, charcoal-grey, blazer that had sleeves that reached a little past her fingers. Underneath was a white collared shirt with a red bow tie looped a little too high around her neck. Asuka uncomfortably laced her hands in front of her light, gray, pleated, skirt, which hid the lip of her white stockings.
Admittedly, Asuka had always thought the clothes were a little cute, but she certainly didn't feel cute right now; she felt intimidated and betrayed. She didn't like this woman and she knew the woman didn't like her despite the compliment she'd just given her.
Neither voiced their displeasure of the other, though. Everything was just an act to be performed before God for his own amusement. And neither actor would break her character.
"Thank you," Asuka whispered sadly, trying to make sure her voice didn't pathetically break in front of her father or the woman.
The woman then stood back up and turned around to face Asuka's father. She then grabbed him by his tie and began dragging him down the hall.
"You stay here, little one. Your father is coming with me to discuss some things," the woman sung happily, causing a lump to form in Asuka's throat.
As they both walked away, Asuka overheard the couple talking.
"You know, I would appreciate it if you didn't act like that in front of her. She's my daughter, you know."
"Oh, hush, Daniffen. She's just a stupid child. In a few years, she won't remember her mother or any of this. And we'll be rich and happy because of her."
"That's only if these Gehirn people or whatever they call themselves actually decide to keep paying us."
"They will, Daniffen. If their projects are really as big as you say they are, then they're not going to risk upsetting us. If they do, we'll just take your little girl away from them."
"They already sent me a letter saying that they are going to draft her. And, with Kyoko having lost her mind, I have very little say in anything that goes on. And, I know that these Gehirn assholes have the authority to take Asuka from me. We have to make sure that we do appear to be model parents or they will take her away from us. And we will have nothing, Karla."
"Then just keep the little bitch in line and everything will be fine."
Asuka silently watched and listened as the two disappeared around a corner, her heart breaking more and more with every word they spoke.
Asuka collapsed on her knees before she clutched her arms around her chest and began crying quietly.
The halls of the hospital were empty and quiet, which only made her sobbing seem all the louder.
She let herself fall back and leaned against the wall of the room her broken mother was being kept in. She rested her arms over her knees and buried her head into them before crying into the sleeve of her blazer.
"Why? Why did this have to happen? Why, mommy?" she cried loudly, though the fabric muffled her small and lonely voice.
Her body shook and shivered as she cried.
"Asuka."
The girl's crying became a little more gentle and she looked at the door to her mother's room, where she thought she'd heard her name from. She crawled over to the door, her tears somewhat drying up.
"Mama? Mama, are you okay?"
"I love you, Asuka."
"Mama? I love you too, Mama. Can I come in?" she asked as she placed her lips near the door and spoke through it.
"Come to me, Asuka."
Asuka's heart skipped a beat.
'Is mama back? Is she okay now?'
Asuka struggled to reach the door handle, and had to stand on the tips of her toes to actually get her fingers around it and open it.
She slowly opened the door, barely peeking in. The first thing she noticed was the window. It was cloudy outside and there were rain drops calmly sitting strewn across the glass. It wasn't the most inviting sight, but it wasn't as disheartening as what she saw next.
Her mother was hunched over in the bed. Her usually gorgeous red hair was matted, tangled, and greasy and hung in front of her eyes in thick strands.
Kyoko had lost a lot of weight since Asuka had last seen her. What use to be a full-bodied woman now looked like little more than a corpse. Asuka could see her mother's jaw bones where she used to have soft cheeks that Asuka loved to nuzzle against. And the woman's eyes had sunken into her skull and looked pale, dim, and bloodshot, unlike the comforting, bright, surreal, glowing blue jewels she used to have.
Kyoko turned to face Asuka as she noticed her entering the room
The hospital gown around her body only fitted her loosely. Her shoulders had lost their beautiful feminine definition. Where skin used to contour tightly against her muscles, it now hung like a bag over her bones. Her breasts had been dilapidated as well; so much so that Asuka could clearly see her mother's ribs and sternum in the cleavage of the hospital robe.
Asuka's gaze traveled further down her mother to her arms. They looked so thin and frail and she could see the bones in them. As well as that, her nails hadn't been clipped any time recently and were long, pointed, and chipped in places. And, much to Asuka's dismay, one of her mother's arms was chained to the bed she rested in while in her other hand was a plush doll with red yarn for hair and blue buttons for eyes.
At the sight of her child, the woman squeezed the throat of the doll, which made Asuka shiver.
"Mama, what are they doing to you in here? What's happening?" Asuka asked, almost regretting stepping into the room when she saw the pitiful state that was her mother was in.
The woman held out her hand, seemingly offering Asuka a warm place at her side.
"Come to me," the woman said soullessly.
In spite of the condition of the rest of her, Kyoko's voice was just as youthful sounding as it had always been; even if she did sound more chilling than usual.
Asuka unsurely approached her almost unrecognizable mother.
"Mama?" she whimpered, "Is everything okay?"
Kyoko stared at her with wide, sleepless, and strained eyes and a slight but twisted smile on her face; her lips parting just enough for Asuka to see her teeth.
"Everything is…fine…" the woman said as she reached her hand out further.
Asuka was beginning to become scared, but she still courageously walked to her mother's outstretched arm before taking her hand.
"Good, child," Kyoko said as Asuka placed her hand in her palm.
Kyoko wasn't talking like herself. She seemed much colder than she used to, but at the same time, she was trying to be welcoming. And, so Asuka tried to suppress her fear. She did flinch however when her mother closed her fingers around the girl's hand and started pulling her into the hospital bed with her.
Though Kyoko no longer possessed the soft and warm skin she used to, Asuka was still happy just to be held by her mother. Feeling her fingers stroking her hair brought much joy to the as of yet innocent child. But, there were still many things troubling her, and she knew she wouldn't be comfortable until she'd spoken to her mom about them.
"Mama?"
"Yes? Speak, child."
"I saw daddy kissing your doctor," Asuka said as she choked up and began sobbing.
Kyoko said nothing, but Asuka felt her mother's fingers stop stroking her hair.
"I'm sorry, Mama. I was scared to tell him to stop."
The haunted woman put her unchained hand on Asuka's stomach before caressing it over her body, past her chest, until Kyoko's fingers were loosely around Asuka's throat.
"Mama?"
"Why, child? Why would he do that to me? After everything I did for him…"
"I don't know, Mama. I don't know. I'm so scared!"
Kyoko looked down at her child absently before looking out the window in her room, her eyes still just as empty.
"Mama?"
Kyoko did not respond. Somehow, she just couldn't.
"Mam- guh" Asuka started to say again before choking and being interrupted by Kyoko's fingers instantly tightening around her throat.
"Why…why didn't you stop him, Asuka?"
Asuka couldn't respond. All she could do was struggle and choke, try as she might to answer her mother's question.
"Why won't you answer me, Asuka?!" Kyoko said menacingly, as she raised her voice and further tightened her grip around the small child's throat.
Asuka tried to answer. She wanted to so badly. She wanted to tell her mother it was all her fault. She wanted to make everything okay. But, nothing could come out of her mouth with how tightly Kyoko was strangling her.
"ASUKA!" The woman screamed as she dragged the child off her lap and forcefully shoved her head into the wall next to her bed, making a loud and resounding thud as the little girl's skull impacted against the hard cinderblock.
Asuka had never been so disoriented in her life. She couldn't feel anything except the rattling pain in her head and she was beginning to lose consciousness.
Kyoko looked down at the child in her hand slowly becoming limp. Asuka's eyes had rolled into the back of her head. Her jaw was agape and her tongue was lolling out of her mouth as she came closer and closer to death, and the struggling arms of the child slowly gave way and fell to her side in fatigue.
"Die with me, Asuka. Die with me!" Kyoko hissed to the girl, throwing her tiny limp body onto her lap before slapping her across the face.
Asuka gasped for breath and began crying painfully as she rested on the covers over her mother's boney thighs. She wanted to run, but she was too weak and didn't even know if she could stand up. And so, she let herself remain at the mercy of her broken mother as she cuddled more tightly into her lap and panted, her small breaths slowly becoming less ragged.
Kyoko reached for her child, causing her to flinch in fear, though her mother only offered a gentle caressing touch on the girl's cheek, much to Asuka's relief.
"Do you want to die with me, Asuka?" her mother asked as she continued to brush her fingers across Asuka's cheek.
"I want to make you happy, Mama," Asuka said between slow deep breaths.
"Then you will die with me."
"Yes, Mama."
"Asuka."
"Yes, Mama?"
"The next time you come here to see me, bring a knife from our kitchen. Don't tell your father."
"Yes, Mama," Asuka said once again, her breathing finally starting to calm as she fell asleep on her mother's lap.
/
-Let's All Just Run Away-
/
Asuka's eyes shot wide open. She was breathing shallowly and she was burning up.
She quickly glanced around and remembered she was safely in her room laying in her bed.
'Just a dream…'
She turned over and looked at the digital clock on the small table next to her bed.
'Almost time for school… I guess I'll go to school today…'
She threw the warm covers off her and got out of bed. She could already smell Shinji's cooking and she frowned.
For the time being, she didn't feel like dressing into her school uniform that she hated so much and instead chose to remain in her white see-through nightie and black lace G-string.
She opened the door and stepped out of her room. The now unmistakable scent of waffles became much stronger and they were no doubt being cooked for her, which made the girl sad for some unexplainable reason.
She exited her room and padded down the short hallway, her bare feet barely making a sound as she got closer and closer to the kitchen. She peeked around the wall and saw steam rising out of the waffle griddle as Shinji himself leaned against the kitchen counter.
Asuka glared at the boy as she examined him. He seemed happier than usual and had a visible smile on his face, no doubt because of what happened last night.
Asuka finally stepped into the kitchen and tried to ignore him.
"Good morning, er, wait. Guten Morgen, Asuka," he said as he smiled at the girl.
"Hmph," Asuka huffed as she continued to ignore him and started digging around in one of the kitchen cabinets.
Shinji frowned sadly a little at the girl's cold dejection before noticing that she happened to be looking through the cabinet where Misato kept her more expensive alcohol.
"Um, Asuka?"
The girl didn't say anything or even look at him as she continued to make clinking sounds as she shifted a few bottles around.
"Asuka?"
The girl pulled out a bottle of gin and set it on the countertop before returning her attention back to the cabinet, seemingly searching for something else.
"Asuka, what are you doing? Aren't those Misato's drinks?"
Asuka turned and glared at the boy. Shinji could plainly see she was angry, but he saw something else too. Something…sad. The girl's eyes were watery, though she wasn't crying, her lip was quivering intermittently. It wasn't the same vile scowl she usually shot at him.
"As…uka?" he asked worriedly.
The girl focused back on her task and ended up pulling out a bottle of bourbon. She unscrewed the cap and sniffed it and then walked over to the table and set it down. She then searched another cabinet and pulled out a compact, hearty, angular glass and sat down at the table.
"Asuka?"
She still paid the boy no mind as she poured the bourbon into her glass.
"Listen, I know you don't like me! But can't you at least tell me what's going on!?" the boy asked, raising his voice slightly in frustration.
"No…" Asuka said emptily and uncaringly as she lifted the glass to her lips.
"Well…then..." the boy said, trying to quell his voice, "can't you at least tell me how to help?"
Asuka lifted her hand over her shoulder and pointed her finger behind her, obviously gesturing to the waffles that the boy was cooking.
Shinji nodded even though Asuka wasn't looking at him. The waffles were pretty much finished the moment she'd walked in anyhow. So, he opened the griddle and flipped the waffles out onto a plate before spreading some fluffy butter across the center and drizzling only a small amount of syrup on them, just how Asuka liked it; enough syrup to sweeten them and make them sticky, but not so much that it flooded it and washed away the flavor of everything else.
However, that wasn't all he had planned.
He then reached into the cupboard he had designated as the spice cabinet and found some brown sugar. He sprinkled it on the waffle before going to the fridge and finding some chocolate syrup and squeezing just a little onto it as well.
Asuka was starting to get curious what was taking him so long. But, she resisted the urge to turn around and instead poured another glass of bourbon for herself.
Meanwhile, Shinji was adding the finishing touch to what he assumed would be the best waffle he'd ever served Asuka. He spread some smooth, red, adzuki bean paste over the waffle and smiled at his creation. He really felt proud of himself when he looked at the waffle.
He picked the plate up and confidently set it down in front of Asuka and her jaw dropped slightly in awe, though she tried to hide it.
'So, stupid Shinji is trying to outdo himself today, huh?' Asuka thought as she scowled at the expertly prepared breakfast that could probably be found in a gourmet restaurant.
Shinji frowned a little when the girl didn't immediately begin to eat. But, his heart was set at ease when she did eventually pick up the fork and try a bite of it.
Shinji watched her intently as she lifted the fork to her mouth and placed the food on her tongue. But, Asuka betrayed no emotion and Shinji couldn't tell if she liked it just from simply observing her.
'Hmm, I guess it's okay. Maybe I wouldn't mind having this for breakfast every day for the rest of my life. Hah, and retarded Wondergirl will get to have this everyday if she wants once she's married to stupid Shinji. So stupid! They don't even deserve each other, but they're so perfect for each other that it's just stupid. So fucking stupid.'
Asuka finished chewing and set down the fork after swallowing. She picked up the glass of bourbon and finished what was in it before pouring another glass and drinking it too.
This made Shinji a little uneasy as he watched her. Something was obviously hurting her and he was helpless to stop whatever it was if she wouldn't tell him.
"Asuka, are you going to school today?"
Asuka didn't answer. It was like her soul had left her body.
"If you are, you probably shouldn't be drinking that. You'll get in trouble."
"Stupid Shinji. You're so stupid," she mumbled quietly, "Don't you know I'm an Eva pilot? I can't get in trouble. What would they do to me? They can't do anything to me. NERV owns us. We're their property. And NERV's authority overrides whatever pathetic demands the school is going to make. They aren't going to let someone lock us up when they need us. Didn't it ever occur to you, even once, that when you get inside your Eva, you're basically a god."
Shinji just stared at the girl sadly in response.
"Of course, that never occurred to you. Why would I ever think that you would figure that out by yourself. You're just so stupid. You don't even get it," Asuka quietly and sadly chuckled to herself.
"But, Asuka, still. You shouldn't drink that."
"Stupid Shinji, it goes well with the waffles. I thought you were a cook. I thought you knew this stuff," Asuka continued to mumble.
"Asuka, please! You could get hurt."
"Hahaha, you idiot. You really are stupid. I already got hurt by it. But, I guess Misato didn't tell you about how I got all those bruises a couple weeks ago. That's probably a good thing though. You're too stupid to get it."
Shinji's eye's widened as Asuka continued on with her cocky but still sad attitude.
"Wait, Asuka. You mean that…that when Rei and I went on that date...you… What? What happened? You stole Misato's alcohol and what? Did she hit you?" Shinji asked, his expression showing more horror by the second as he started jumping to conclusions.
Asuka tried to contain her laughter, but she mostly just ended up spitting on the table as she tried to keep her lips pursed.
"Hahaha, psh! Hit me? More like hit on me! Hahahaha!"
"Asuka, I don't understand! What happened?!" Shinji asked, becoming frustrated that he wasn't being taken seriously, though he also felt tears welling up in his eyes.
"Hah, like I'd ever tell you," Asuka said as she got out of her seat and walked over to the counter to try to ignore Shinji, having become too frustrated and annoyed to eat.
Shinji too got out of his seat and walked up behind her before grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to turn around to face him. He placed both his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently.
"Asuka! What happened?!" Shinji shouted at her.
Asuka's eyes widened and she gasped as she made eye contact with Shinji, not sure if she was surprised or appalled at his actions.
"It doesn't concern you!" Asuka shouted back at him.
"Why won't you answer me, Asuka!?"
("Why won't you answer me, Asuka?!" Kyoko growled as she tightened her fingers around Asuka's throat, suffocating the little girl and keeping her from answering her question.)
Tears started forming in Asuka's eyes as her lips trembled and her jaw hung open, like she was trying to say something but couldn't. Shinji saw her complexion shift so suddenly that it frightened him. And more than that, he'd never seen her look so…broken.
Shinji was beginning to regret his actions.
"Asuka?"
The girl's breathing had become rapid and shallow, and it almost looked like she was staring past him instead of at him. She let out small breathy whimpers as her whole body began shivering uncontrollably and her eyes became more watery.
"As…Asuka?"
"Just…go away…Shinji," she whispered as her voice started to break.
"Why…won't you help me help you?" Shinji asked sadly and comfortingly as he pulled the girl into an embrace.
He held her for a moment or maybe even more than a moment. He couldn't tell. He'd lost most of his sense of time.
He felt her raise her hands from her side and wiggle them in between him and her. She then moved them further up his body, sliding them between his chest and hers. She then grabbed the fabric of his shirt and wadded it into her hands as she coiled her fingers into fists.
"Let go," she whispered.
"Hmm?"
"LET GO!" she yelped as one of her hands shot to his throat.
She spun Shinji around her so that his back was to the counter. She then bent him over backwards and slammed his head into the countertop and she began shoving her hand down on his throat, trying to strangle him.
"Asuka, please!" the boy choked.
"No! Don't you touch me! Don't touch me when you've been kissing that- that- that disgusting whore; that thing, that doll! Don't touch me!" Asuka shouted as she slapped Shinji across the face hard enough to cause tears to fall out of the boy's eyes.
Shinji's eyes widened when he realized that Asuka must have seen him kiss Rei last night.
'Is that what this is about? Is this why she's upset?' Shinji wondered to himself as he struggled to remain conscious.
"Asuk- Ehuh, ehuh, Asuka," the boy coughed as he slowly raised one of his hands up to Asuka's face and caressed her cheek.
The girl tightened her grip at his touch.
"I told you not to touch me when your mouth has been on that filthy slut!' Asuka growled sadly through her grit teeth.
Shinji knew he should be mad. He knew that anyone who valued their life would be fighting to get free. But, somehow, he just couldn't bring himself to fight the girl. He looked into her blue eyes. He could see the sadness. He knew she wanted to cry right now even though she wouldn't. He'd seen himself in the mirror too many times to mistake it for anything else. He didn't know exactly what was causing it. He didn't know if it was because he'd kissed Rei. He didn't know if it was just because she felt left out now or if she had secretly had feelings for him. He didn't know. But, he knew she was sad. And so, instead of retaliating, he raised his hand and brushed it across her cheek a second time.
("Do you want to die with me, Asuka?" Kyoko murmured sweetly to her child as she stroked her cheek.)
Asuka's eyes suddenly became much gentler as she stared down at Shinji and her grip on him slowly…loosened.
("ASUKA!" Kyoko shrieked madly as she lifted Asuka off her lap and smashed her head into the wall beside her bed.)
Asuka looked down at the boy beneath her, pinned to the countertop like some kind of nail hammered into a wall; like how Asuka's mother had shoved her into the wall of her ward all those years ago. She watched him gasping for breath now that she'd untightened her fingers and he could breathe.
'I'm…I'm acting just like her,' Asuka realized as her lower lip started trembling again.
She finally let go of Shinji's throat and the boy propped himself on the counter with his elbows, not daring to stand upright until the girl had put some space between him and her.
Asuka walked back to the kitchen table and sat down. She picked up her fork and resumed eating the waffles, though she swore she couldn't taste anything.
/
-Morning Time, Rei, and The Hearts She Breaks-
/
"Well, well, well. Look who actually came to school today," Toji said with a cheeky grin as he relaxed next to Kensuke on the bench of a picnic table in the school courtyard before class.
"Shove it, fuck face! You jerkwad!" Asuka snapped at the boy with a bit of a slur.
"Oooh! Someone's in a bad mood today! Are you menstruating? Oh, wait! I forgot! You're always menstruating!" Toji joked, causing Kensuke to try to hide a laugh.
Asuka glared at the jock but tried to control her temper as she sat down at the picnic table.
"Hey, Toji, let's leave her alone today," Shinji said as he took his backpack off and put it on the table.
Asuka then pointed her glaring eyes at Shinji, though the anger in them seemed to die down a little.
"Man, Shinji comes up and saves your sorry ass, and you're still gonna do him like that?" Toji said as he scolded the girl for looking at Shinji the way she did.
"You know what, you little faggot? Why don't you just shove that dorky nerd's flabby dick up your ass!" Asuka drunkenly hissed back at Toji.
"She didn't mean me when she said dorky nerd, did she?" Kensuke chuckled, obviously embarrassed.
"You little bitch, you!" Toji said as he started to get out of his seat.
"Hey, come on, guys. Can we not do this today? I don't think anyone is in the mood after the angel yesterday," Shinji pleaded.
'Hehe, at least he's finally starting to get a little more dominant. Maybe him kissing that little slut gave him some courage,' Asuka thought to herself as she eyed Shinji drunkenly and boredly.
"Hmph, fine!" she huffed.
"Yeah, whatever," Toji said as he looked away from the girl.
Shinji sighed in relief.
"Hey, Shinji! Is it true there was an angel yesterday? Like, for real? I mean, I guess there was, but..." Kensuke asked excitedly.
"Huh? Well, I mean-"
Before Shinji could finish answering however, Asuka spoke in his place.
"Hehehe," she drunkenly laughed, "Of course, one attacked. I thought you were suppo- hic- supposed to be the smart one."
"Uh… Sohryu, are you drunk?" Kensuke asked after hearing her slur and hiccup.
"So what if I am?!" she asked as she slammed her hands down on the wooden picnic table.
"Whoa! Hehe, I was just asking. It's not a problem."
"It better not be," Asuka mumbled as she folded her arms over the table and rested her head on them.
"So…uh…what's it like?" Kensuke asked, seeming a little giddy.
Shinji sighed, already knowing what Asuka was going to say considering she'd told him the same thing.
'She's probably going to tell him "Oh, you should try it yourself" or something equally as illegal.'
"Why don't you just try it yourself, stupid? I mean, it's not like any description I could give would be enough to do the sensation any justice."
"Oh…well, I guess that makes sense," Kensuke said as he scratched the back of his head, somewhat disappointed in her answer.
"Come on, Kensuke. You don't need to worry about that stuff anyways. Alcohol's basically poison, man."
"Pah! Says the virgin who's probably never drunk a drop in his life," Asuka shouted loudly enough that her voice echoed off the walls of the school buildings.
Luckily, no one else was at school this early in the morning to actually hear the girl's ranting.
"V-virgin? Please, Sohryu! With your attitude, you're probably a virgin too," Toji shot back.
The girl didn't say anything but she did stare daggers at the boy across the table.
"Yeah… that's what I thought," Toji said in a rather final manner.
'Asuka is a…virgin? Is she really? But…how?' Shinji wondered as he stared at her wide eyed.
"At least I'm only a virgin because I don't just let every man I see get inside me. But you're a virgin because you couldn't even get a girl if you tried."
"Oh yeah? You think so?" Toji taunted.
"I know so. Even stupid Shinji is less of a virgin than you. And he's pathetic," Asuka smiled devilishly as she tried her best to out-argue Toji.
Shinji blushed and looked at the table awkwardly.
"He's getting it from two girls," Asuka continued, "I'd like to see you beat that, Suzuhara."
"WHAAAAAAAAT!?" Toji and Kensuke both yelled at the same time, disbelief apparent in their voices.
Shinji began choking on his own spit after hearing Asuka's words, and everything was only made worse with the fact that Toji and Kensuke were both staring at him with…very bizarre expressions.
"No! Ehuh! Ehuh, ehuh! No, I'm not!" Shinji tried to deny Asuka's claim as he tried to quiet his coughing cause by him choking on his own spit.
"What are you talking about? Yes you are," Asuka said comfortingly as she patted Shinji's back.
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up," Toji began," Two girls? So, what? Ayanami and… and who? And you? You are all Eva pilots after all."
Asuka blushed madly.
"No, you retarded pervert! Absolutely not me! I already said I was a virgin!" she shrieked.
"Then who? Are you just bluffing, Sohryu? No offense to Shinji or anything. But, I find that hard to believe."
Shinji himself was wondering this very thing. Was Asuka just bluffing in an attempt to shame Toji. Or…did she actually know that Misato had indeed engaged in sexual activities with him, even if it was for only a few seconds.
Asuka stuck one of her fingers in her hair and began twirling one of her golden-red locks as she looked around innocently.
"No, I'm not bluffing. He really is getting it from two girls. You know he's an Eva pilot right? Everyone is after him. Oh, and speaking of those two girls, here comes one of them right now."
Shinji looked to the entrance of the school courtyard and saw Rei approaching. But, he felt the table shake and soon turned around to see that Asuka had gotten up and was walking toward one of the school buildings.
"A- Asuka, where are you going?" Shinji asked sadly.
"Away," she said with obvious distaste.
Shinji frowned, but then turned to Toji who was looking at him expectantly.
"She was just bluffing, right, Shin-man? Like, I mean, you're probably not even getting it from Rei yet, am I right?"
Shinji laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head while trying to contain the stupidly big grin on his face.
"Oh, come on. Now you're just riding Sohryu's dick. You just think you can get away with bluffing something that big just because she's backing you?"
Rei had just arrived at the table right as Toji had finished calling Shinji out on his bluff…only to find he wasn't bluffing.
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before sitting down next to him.
Both Toji and Kensuke gasped!
"Oh god, she wasn't bluffing!" Toji said in utter disbelief.
"Nope! She wasn't!" Kensuke cried.
"Wait, so then who's the other girl!?" Toji asked, completely astounded.
"No, no, no! There is no other girl! Asuka was lying about that!" Shinji immediately confessed, starting to get flustered.
Toji sighed in relief.
"Well, that's good. You were about to give me a heart attack. But then…she wasn't lying about you and Rei. Like, you're actually getting it from her?
"Yes, he is getting it from me," Rei said innocently and sweetly.
"WHAAAAAAAT!?" Toji and Kensuke both cried for the second time that morning.
"No! NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HER! SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE'S SAYING!" Shinji begged as he gestured disapprovingly by waving both his arms back and forth in front of himself while shaking his head vigorously.
"WH- WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN, REI?! WE NEED ALL THE DETAILS!" Toji said he slammed his fist on the picnic table in an official manner.
Rei looked at the two boys and blinked in confusion.
"It occurred last night. Or rather, early this morning at approximately one AM."
"WHAAAAAATTTT!?" Kensuke and Toji yelled once again.
"No! Guys, it's not what you're thinking!" Shinji tried to interrupt, though neither of the other boys were paying him any attention.
"Kensuke, what were you doing at one last night?" Toji asked inquisitively.
"I was doing the new Return to Ivalice Raid in Final Fantasy XIV," Kensuke sobbed dramatically.
"So then…that means that…while this guy was raiding with his no life Free Company… and while I was eating cold macaroni and cheese for a midnight snack… you two," Toji paused his assessment for a moment and pointed his finger back and forth between Rei and Shinji, "were doing the…" he stopped again and made a whistling sound before raising and lowering his eyebrows and smiling pervertedly.
Shinji and Rei both looked at him, obviously very confused by his…deduction.
When it became apparent that both Shinji and Rei were lost, Toji nodded and licked his lips like he was still expecting them to answer him, though awkward silence was the only thing that ensued.
"Well, you guys know what I mean. Like, you got it from her. She gave it to you."
"N-no! Toji, that's not what happened!" Shinji exclaimed.
"So…where did it happen?" Kensuke asked naughtily.
"I just said it didn't happen!" Shinji groaned.
"It happened behind some foliage," Rei responded as Toji and Kensuke made an expression that said she could have picked a worse spot, "under the stars" the boys then began to nod approvingly as they scratched their nonexistent beards, "with a… scenic… view of the entire city at night."
The two boys then applauded in a very gentlemanly manner while nodding as they closed their eyes and imagined themselves to be much more sophisticated than they actually were.
"Well done, Rei. Well done, indeed!" Toji said as he held his palm in their air in front of her, though he was actually surprised that Rei had actually understood the gesture and gave him a high five before she giggled.
"So, tell us, what exactly happened?" Toji asked, questioning the girl still further.
Shinji was cradling his head in his arms, trying to hide himself from the disappointment that Toji and Kensuke would undoubtedly be feeling in a few moments.
"I told him I believed I love him."
"Hmm, I would have figured he would have told you first, but carry on." Toji said as he contentedly returned to listening to Rei's fanciful story.
"I felt something strange...right here," Rei said as she pointed at her heart, "and here," she then pointed at her throat, "…and maybe here as well," she said as she pointed at her eyes.
"You…you mean you were crying?" Kensuke asked in amazement.
"I believe so," Rei nodded.
"Awwww," Toji and Kensuke said simultaneously.
"After that…"
"Uh-huh?" Toji and Kensuke said, their anticipation growing more and more.
"I embraced Shinji's head…"
"Uh-huh?!"
"And…I kissed him," Rei said with a sweet smile.
"And then?" the boys once again said in uncanny unison.
"We both collapsed onto the ground!"
"What happened then?" Kensuke asked.
"Yeah! You have to tell us!" Toji added.
"I kissed him again," Rei said, not entirely sure where this conversation was supposed to lead.
"Aaaaand?" the two boys prodded expectantly.
"Oh, that is all. There was nothing else," Rei smiled innocently.
Toji and Kensuke both turned to face Shinji, their perverted smiles still plastered across their faces as their souls left their bodies.
"You…didn't get it from her…did you?" Toji asked rigidly and with immense dissatisfaction.
Shinji looked at Toji with a blank face before inhaling slowly and then exhaling even slower, trying to tell him that he shouldn't have expected any better.
/
"Stupid, bitching, bitch-ass Ayanami," Asuka mumbled to herself as she plodded down the hallway to her homeroom class shortly after abandoning Shinji at the picnic table.
Asuka wobbled back and forth some, but for the most part, did a good job keeping her drunken feet in line as she walked down the hallway. Not that it really mattered, she was the only one in the hallway this early before school.
She finally came to her homeroom class. She threw her backpack on the floor and plopped down on the cold tiles before yawning.
"So tired…" she said as she yawned.
"Asuka?!" a voiced called down the hall.
The girl slowly turned her head around with a disappointed expression and bored look in her eyes.
"Oh great, just what I don't need. More people," Asuka mumbled to herself as she saw Hikari hurrying down the hallway.
"You're here early today. I'm actually surprised you're here at all. The other Eva pilots are usually here, but I guess you're busier than they are," Hikari said with a smile as she fumbled around in her pockets and pulled out a key to the classroom door.
Asuka smirked to herself, obviously amused that Hikari actually thought she was working when she'd really just blackmailed Misato and had been given leave to stay at home.
"Yeah, well, that's because I'm the best," Asuka slurred.
Hikari turned the key and then opened the door to the class room.
Asuka got up from the floor, grabbed her backpack, and then made her way to her desk.
"Say, do you always have that key with you?"
"Well, I am the class representative," Hikari laughed as she lifted the keychain up playfully, making a little chime as the metal scratched against itself.
"And…do you always get here this early?" Asuka asked before collapsing into her seat
"Yeah, usually. Why?"
"Because I'd…rather be in here than out there with those…people."
"Hey, Asuka, you sound a little funny. Are you okay?"
"Just tired. I'm not a morning person," she mumbled and slurred as she let her head fall into her arms which were folded over her desk.
'I'm not a morning person at all…' she thought to herself as she grit her teeth.
/
"Hey, Asuka. Come on! It's time to go home!" Shinji called out to the girl.
Asuka looked up and saw Rei clinging to one of the boy's arms outside the school courtyard while he beckoned to Asuka with his free arm.
For a moment, she considered picking up her pace and trying to meet Shinji, but she then saw Rei kiss his cheek and Asuka immediately rejected the idea and looked back down at her feet as her shoes continued to scuff along the sidewalk while she made her way to the back exit from the school behind the cafeteria.
/
It had been a few hours since the final school bell had rung and it was now late in the evening.
Asuka had found herself wandering around one of the many parks scattered about Tokyo-3 as the sun began falling lower in the sky.
She had eventually come to take a seat on a wooden bench overlooking a small decorative pond with a statue in the center of it; the statue in particular acting as a portrayal of the three resident Evangelions, Unit-00, Unit-01, and Unit-02 all standing in a line holding various weaponry in a heroic manner as little jets of water sprayed outwards from around the base of the statue.
Obviously, the statue was erected to elicit feelings of pride or patriotism from the denizens of Tokyo-3, though Asuka felt no such thing as she stared blankly at the statue and sighed as the sun set lower and lower before being eclipsed by the statue.
A pair of lights hidden underneath the water of the pool automatically turned on as the night drew nearer, illuminating the chiseled stone Evangelions for all to see, even as the dark closed in from all sides.
Asuka sighed.
"How gloriously romantic…just like those two idiots. Oh, stick together even when everything's falling apart. Our heroes will save us! Such stupid fairytales. So stupid."
/
The door to Misato's apartment creaked open as Asuka snuck in. She could hear that the TV was on, though she assumed that, if anything, Misato was probably passed out in front of it.
Asuka closed the door carefully and snuck down the foyer. Peaking around the corner, she saw that Misato was indeed asleep on the couch.
Asuka chuckled quietly to herself. The woman was probably so busy with drinking and tired from doing her paperwork, that when she got home, she probably hadn't even noticed that Asuka hadn't come home.
Asuka also saw that Shinji wasn't anywhere to be found and she assumed he was probably sleeping in his room. So, she walked out into the kitchen and crossed over into the living room quietly.
Choosing to skip bathing tonight and instead take a shower tomorrow morning, she headed straight to her room as quietly and quickly as she could. She slid the door open very quietly, slipped into her room, and then shut the door just as quietly as she'd opened it.
She tore off her school uniform, throwing it on the floor as disrespectfully as she possibly could. She then pulled off her black bra and red panties before slipping into one of her nicer lace pairs and wiggling into her white nightie.
She threw the covers back aggressively and jumped into the bed, causing the floor to creak as she did. She then reached down and pulled her covers over her head but left a little opening near her mouth and nose so that she could breathe without needing to inhale the soon to be stagnant air under the covers.
But, just as she was getting comfortable, she heard a knock on the door, which caused her to frown.
"What do you want, Shinji!? Can't you let a girl sleep?" she spat.
"I just wanted to say sorry," he said regretfully through the door, not even bothering to open it.
"Stupid Shinji! Just go away. Go have fun with that stupid Ayanami sex doll and leave me alone."
"She's not a sex doll, Asuka," Shinji said a bit more assertively than he usually did.
"I DON'T CARE! JUST GO AWAY!" she shrieked loud enough that it hurt Shinji's ears even through the closed door.
"I'm sorry, Asuka."
"Stupid Shinji! You always used to do as other people said! So why won't you leave when I tell you to leave?! Just do what you're told like how you used to! I hate you! Go away!"
Shinji, disheartened, turned away from Asuka's room and returned to his own across the hall. He knew, however, that he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.
.
*Eva credits roll and Fly Me to the Moon plays*
.
*Misato drunkenly walks into recording booth*
"So...hi...hey everyone. Yeah, it's Misato. I hope you didn't forget about me. I haven't being showing up a whole bunch recently. But, that's going to change soon, so no worries. Okay, okay, this is good. I'm not having a midlife crisis. Wait, yes I am. Okay, I'm just going to get this chapter preview out of the way so I can go back to drinking.
In the next chapter, Shinji and Rei finally get an entire chapter all to themselves again! Aww, isn't that cute? Ooh, but it could turn lewd too. That would be even better! Anyhow, Shinji and Rei simply get to have some alone time. They come over to my place, they go to some other place, maybe they get a little touchy feely while they're there... or maybe they don't. Who knows? Not me... Well, I mean, actually, I do know. But, I'm not going to tell you... because it's a preview and...and...has anyone seen my beer? Oh, wait, that's right! My beer is in the next chapter of Neon Genesis Evangelion: A Journey of Hate, Power and Love; Days In, Days Out.
Anyways, something about this and that and fan service. Come back next time for cutes and lewds starring Rei and Shinji...and not me..."
.
So, I'm sure a lot of you thought this was going to be a Shinji and Rei chapter. But, no, it went and turned out to be an Asuka chapter. (Sorry Asuka haters. I just need to do a lot of work and characterization on her to get her to turn herself around without it seeming too abrupt of forced.)
But, don't worry. Next chapter is going to be a Shinji and Rei chapter.
Wait, I lied. (Well, only kinda) Next chapter is actually gonna be a side story chapter covering…
Oh, wait, you actually expected me to tell you? Nah, I'm not. Sorry. Not sorry. You're just gonna have to wait and see. Muahahahahahahahaha!
But, like I said, it's gonna be a side chapter instead of one of the proper numbered chapters. It's hopefully going to be creepy. It's going to be M-rated. And then, after that, "Days In, Days Out" is going to be a Shinji and Rei chapter. And, I've also felt like I've been neglecting Misato a bit recently. So, she's gonna have a chapter sometime soon too. It's probably gonna involve her, Kaji, Ritsuko, and maybe Maya too since her and Ritsuko are together... in this story anyways.
.
Update: Okay everyone. I've been working on the next chapter some. But, I've been at my grandparent's house for thanksgiving. And, like...hell, my grandmother is so old and demented, she just came into my room and asked where her husband was, seemingly not remembering he died a few years ago. And then like, half the time she doesn't even remember I'm her grandchild. And, when she does remember I'm her grandchild, she always asking me if I remember my great great aunt, who I never even met before. Though, if her words are anything to go by, my hair is a lot like my great great aunt's hair, which is I guess why she keeps asking me about her. But, yeah. My grandmother is a handful. And, it's been taking a little longer than I wanted to get this next chapter out. Oh god, and don't even get me started on the shit internet here. I'm lucky I was even able to get a decent connection long enough to actually post this update. So, yeah. I may have the next chapter done within a few days. But, I might not be able to upload it for another week depending on my connection.
Update: I have published the side chapter, but I will not be leaving updates on it since it's not a full chapter. Instead, I will continue leaving updates at the end of this chapter until I have published chapter 16.
Update: I began working on chapter 16 officially last night. (12/2/2017 6:39 PM) Hopefully it'll be out in a little less than a week...
Update: Okay. I'm hoping that I'll be able to publish the next chapter sometime tomorrow.
Final Update: Okay everyone, next chapter is about to be uploaded.
