Out somewhere far away from Tokyo-3, sat Shinji. He didn't really know where he was, but he didn't care. He felt comfort in the spot where he could oversee the city.

The first time he came to this spot was some time ago, when he ran away from Misato, from NERV, from everyone. He remembered this place more than anything else during that brief odyssey.

It since became a place where he could vanish. Nobody bothered to look for him, because he'd come back home eventually.

Shinji was lost in thought, in a quiet spot for contemplation, where even the cicadas didn't make noise.

"Out of all places, you had to pick somewhere so far away. You never make it easy, do you, Shinji?

He knew right away that Asuka was there. He couldn't however be bothered to ask how she found him.

"Yeah, I guess." It was all he could say, still facing the city below.

"You're either stubborn or an idiot. I can't decide."

"Mmm."

"Is that all? Do you know how long it took me to find you?"

Silence along with the wind blowing was all she got.

"God damn it, say something!"

Asuka thrived on attention. This sort of silence she couldn't deal with so well.

"What do you see in this spot, anyway?"

In this space, the words only echo, dissipating into nothingness.

"Just going to sit there, I see how it is. Always the same thing. You're stubborn and an idiot. How do you keep coming back to this place. You think you're some enigma, but after living under the same roof, you're an open book. No wonder why Misato loves to drink all the time."

"Easy for you to say."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You know I'm the model student, someone who loves the spotlight, and so much more. And what do you do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm amazed you're here, honestly. If you wanted to sulk, you should have done it in your room. It would have been much easier. Not like I want to come into your room anyway. I keep saying you're an idiot, Shinji, but you always give me some new reason. How I don't get tired of it, I don't know. You just want to throw everything away. You couldn't see something in front of you, even if you tried. You're wasting my time…"

Shinji knew better than to interrupt one of Asuka's tirades, as he often found out the hard way. He curled slightly, not out of discomfort from Asuka, but rather to make himself comfortable where he was sitting.

"…and you're inescapable. No matter where I go, you're always there. How do you keep coming back to this place? It's such a long walk to get here, and a long walk to get back. Why do you make this hike? You always make things so difficult. I could be doing something else. Be somewhere else. I…"

Asuka was losing her words. She could walk away, but that was easier said than done. This wasn't Misato's apartment. Far from it.

"I like being here. I can be myself. I don't have to push others away. Nobody expecting me to do things. And…," he tilts his head slightly toward her, "it's quite nice here."

"You don't get tired of all the walking and hiking?"

"You get used to it."

"I guess so."

"Have you been here before?"

"Nope, never had a reason to come here. I'd have a million other places to be, but nobody is around. Or should I say, I don't want to be around anyone. I was going to lose my mind if I spent another minute in Misato's apartment. Not even the one game I'm currently playing could save me from this… feeling of emptiness. I don't know why, but the moment you walked out of your room and outside the apartment in the middle of the day… I had nowhere else to go… I followed you all the way here."

Shinji turned around completely.

"Ah, so that's why… you know, you don't have to stay here if you don't want to. Though…"

"Don't you get cold up here?"

"Sometimes, yeah."

"I'm… I... hey Shinji, mind if I join you?"

"I don't mind, Asuka."

With that, Asuka made her way over and sat right next to Shinji. She wasn't used to seeing Shinji look like he was in peace the way he was here in this moment. In his eyes, she found comfort. Maybe this was the sort of thing she was looking for, because she couldn't find it anywhere else. Yet it felt right. She leaned more into him.

"I think… I get why you like coming up here all the time."

"I never get tired of this view. It always amazes me how different the world looks once you step away this far. It reminds me there's more to this world than Tokyo-3. While I'm someone who has so many expectations to live up to, I can be myself here. How do you deal with it all, Asuka? I wonder that about you."

"You know, I try not to think on it too often. The moment I do, my self-doubts show up. There's a lot of them. Things I try my best not to show others. Yet you see them slip so often. Besides, I'm feeling rather chilly. You don't mind me being here like this, Shinji?"

"I don't mind, Asuka. I'm used to having this place to myself, though you being here is a nice change. Sorry if I don't have much to say a lot of the time."

"It's okay. You're here and that's all I could ask for. With a view like this…"

"…I don't have to pretend to be someone else."

"Yeah. I get tired of it."

Wanting to cast away the shadows of her inner loneliness, Asuka reaches around Shinji's waist to join her hand with his, using him for full support. She in fact knew Shinji well enough to be the first to initiate these displays and actions of intimacy because he didn't hide his shyness when it came to these things. This prompted Shinji to in turn reach his hand around Asuka's waist to join his other hand with hers. He then guided both of their hands, to help keep her in her comfortable space, head resting on his shoulder.

"Want to stay until sunset?"

"I'd be more than happy to."

With that, they sat there quietly, in the comfort of each other, in this space where they could be themselves.