Nothing Will Ever Change That
Disclaimer- I do not own anything to do with NGE. That was faster than normal!
Chapter 39: Paradise Part 1: Arrival
Same Place - Fifteen Hours Later
"Oh… my… God…" Asuka was complaining again, "I'm so bored! Damn! I've seen this friggin' Adam Sandler movie eight times now! I swear to God, if I see that 'you can do it!' guy one more time I'll kill myself!"
A/N- I do not own any of Adam's movies. I HATE DISCLAIMERS!
"We're almost there, see, the pilot just sent a message. He said that we're going to arrive in about ten minutes." Cass and Sam are asleep… and Sam is using him as a pillow. CLICK, I might need this later. I put the camera away and go back to talking with Asuka.
"Thank God! I'm so sick of this! Oh yeah, Shinji, I've been meaning to ask you something, what is a mile-high-club? I've seen that couple talking about it all day, then the just went somewhere. It's bugging me now, so I need to know," she didn't know?
"Well… it's… uh… just don't use the bathroom."
"Why? Wait… oh that's just gross!" I laughed at her reaction to this. When the couple came back, Asuka glared at the guy. "Pervert." Asuka just couldn't keep her mouth shut.
"What did you say to me?" he stood up, and turned out to be a six foot tall man. Crap.
"You heard me!" Please shut up Asuka… please!
"The hell is your problem? Little bitch, try and get some manners!" wrong thing to say. Asuka stood up and kneed him in the groin.
"What was that? Manners? How was that? Now, when we land, you are going to clean that bathroom, you hear me?" she whispered to him while he was on the ground. He just nodded and squeaked a little. Note to self…do NOT call Asuka a bitch!
"Asuka… what was the point of that?" she just laughs and sits back down.
"Plane will be landing in a few minutes. Please fasten your seat-belts." We did so, but the man had a little trouble. I saw him loosen it up a lot. The plane shakes and makes a whirring sound, causing Sam to fall off of Cass.
"Huh? Cass, why did you… oh shit!" She leaps into her seat, embarrassed at what just happened. How she was so agile even without eyes was beyond me. The plane landed and we all got off, with the exception of a man and woman.
"Wow! It's beautiful! Look at the sky, so clear. I could get used to this!" Asuka was in aw… that was rare.
"Not bad," Cass was trying to sound cool, but you could hear the excitement in his voice.
"Never realized just how bad Tokyo-3 smelled," smelled bad? How does a city smell bad? I called for a cab and we left for our hotel. Sam – the poor girl – had to do all of the talking. We picked up some words on the way here, but not much. We checked into our hotel, I think it was called The Fountain Blue.
A/N- No, I did not make the hotel up. It is real and I do not own it. Damn disclaimers.
Me and Asuka shared a room, while Cass and Sam did the same. We each got a suite, complete with a king-sized bed, two bathrooms, and a Jacuzzi on the balcony. Even I had to admit it was amazing. We went to bed right after we got there; basically because it was twelve at night. Our room over looked the beach and we were able to hear the slow crashing of the waves on the coast-line. We were in bed when I remembered about her back.
"Asuka… what happened to your back?" she tensed up.
"My back? What do you mean?" did she not know?
"Your back…. has scars all over it. Why?" she leaped out of bed and ran over to the bathroom.
"What the hell! Where did these… ah crap! That bitch Akagi didn't put her acid on my back! Damn! She sure as hell be able to fix this!" I knew she would take it to heart. In my opinion – and I'm sure hers – her body was perfect. No obscene marks, no features out of place, and it used to be free of scars. She crawled back into bed. It was then I realized… I'm fifteen, and I sleep with her on a nightly basis. That couldn't be appropriate. I brushed off this thought off and go to sleep with a pissed Asuka next to me.
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The Fountain Blue – Morning
"Shinji! Wake up!" I wake up to see Asuka still in the clothes from last night, "Come on! We are all ready to go!" ready?
"Ready for what?" I look at the clock to see that it was eleven already.
"We're going to a place called the Keys. It's a chain of islands off the coast. Some of the most popular beaches are there! You're the only one not ready to go." I take a second look at her. I was right; she was still in her old clothes.
"But look at you, neither are you!" she sighs and lifts up her shirt to reveal a bikini top.
"Yes I am! Now hurry up, we're leaving in ten minutes, with or without you." I knew she wouldn't leave me, but I hurried anyway. We all ran out to the cab and we were off. It took about an hour to get there, but it was worth it! We got to a pink-sand beach that had only about a hundred other people there.
"Wow, I've never seen a pink sand beach before. Pretty cool," Cass was walking around the calm beach.
"You've never seen one because they are so rare. Pink coral doesn't typically grow in clusters, so pink sand in general is rare," I just felt like I had to throw that little piece of science out there.
"Leave it to Shinji to get all scientific! Look, just have fun!" Asuka was right, I had to calm down and relax. I saw a sandbar a little ways out, and I got an idea.
"Hey, Asuka, I have an idea. Want our own private island? Come with me," I take off my shirt and go into the warm water. "come on, trust me! You'll like it, I swear!" she just shrugs and follows me into the water after taking off her shirt and pants. We swim for awhile until we reach the sandbar.
"This was worth the swim! We're so secluded out here! Nice eye Shinji! So, what now?" like she didn't know.
"Just relax I guess, we can lay down here," I sit down on a spot with a half-inch of water over it.
"Right, like you brought me out here to relax! Just make the first move for once," she laid down next to me and I took her advice. I lean in and embrace her in a deep kiss. She pulled back and talked, "see? Not that hard, is it?" she leaned back into my lips. In danger of sounding corny – every time we kissed was literally like magic. It wasn't even about the labels of boyfriend or girlfriend, I really felt at peace when I was around her. She broke the kiss and put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.
"This was a good idea, huh? We needed some time away from everything."
"Yeah," she slowly said. She was relaxed. "Ya know Shinji, even though I don't want scars, I think it works for you. Makes you look a little manly. Really look at yourself, two bullets, two knife, and a few random scars on your torso. You have to admit it looks hot…" that caught me off guard… big time.
"Uh… s-sure. I guess…" I didn't really know how to respond to it.
"You know it does! Quit being so modest. We should start to head back, I'm sure Cass and Sam are getting suspicious," so we swam back to he shore and met them back there.
"There are the two lovebirds! You do know we could see you guys, right?" both of us blush.
"Whatever! Look, there's a sign for some snorkeling tours. We should do one, sounds fun," Asuka was actually trying to change the subject instead of just hitting him. we all agreed on it – even Sam – and went to sign up for it. We caught the boat just on time, and it took us about two miles off shore.
"Okay, look, you are free to explore the reefs as you want, but I have to point out one detail; if you touch, stand, grab, or have any physical contact with the reefs, you will be fined five-hundred dollars per square inch you touch. Get me? Okay, now you are free to go. Have fun!" the instructor just got done telling us rules, guidelines, and how to put on the equipment.
A/N- I did not make up that 500 dollar thing, it is true.
We all jump in and start to swim away from the small boat. It was beautiful to say the least. There was a rainbow of different colors. Schools of fish would swim right under you. A few nurse sharks would pick off the loners, and the reefs seemed to be moving, but at the same time still. I look over at Sam, who was still swimming, but obviously not interested in the sights. She was actually swimming like a pro! She would disappear under the surface for a few minutes, and come back up, panting for breath.
"Hey, Asuka, what is she doing?" I nudge her to look up at me.
"Weren't you listening? There is a statue of Jesus Christ about seventy feet under the surface. It shows him raising his hands to the sky, and it is said the if you touch one of his hands, you will be blessed." She sure did her homework, "One problem though, its almost fully covered with Fire Coral. You really should go help her before she gets burnt."
A/N- Look, anything I refer to Miami is real from now on. The Jesus statue is real, and the Fire Coral is too, if you touch it, it really does burn, and it will scar the area it touched. The statue is also covered with it except for a small portion of its hand.
"Ah crap, I'll be right back," I swim over to her and call her name. She apparently didn't hear me, because she shot under the water again. She could easily out-swim me, so all I could do was watch as she got closer to it. 'Damnit! Sam, stop swimming!' I thought to myself. She was a few feet from it, and actually reached out to touch it. By some miracle, she gets her hand on the small portion that was free of the blood-red coral. A small smile of victory crossed her face and she torpedoed to the surface. "Sam, how did you know what area to touch? Let alone where to go?" she never stopped amazing me.
"I've been here before, seemed deeper last time. Why don't you try?" like I could swim that deep.
"No, I'm good. I don't really need to be blessed, I have you guys." I never stop sounding corny do I?
"Okay, if you say so," we just swam around for awhile and by the time we were done, even Cass was in aw. We took the boat back to our spot on the beach.
"Cass, you forgot tanning lotion didn't you?" Asuka was almost laughing. I look at him to see he was beat red!
"I didn't think I would need it… I never needed it in Japan! What the hell happened!" I couldn't contain myself; I busted out laughing, "Hey! It's not funny! It hurts like hell!"
"Look, the reason you got burnt is because of all the moisture in the air. It acts like a magnifying glass for the sun," Asuka gave me another look, "sorry," I was being scientific again.
"I'm hungry; we should get something to eat. Know of any good places around here Sam?"
"Actually, I do. I forgot the name of it, but it is near here and when you order, they actually catch your food on the spot!" they… catch it?
"That sounds… good, actually. I take it that it's on a dock?" she nods and waves us down a cab. It wasn't too far, just five minutes.
"Smells like… fish." Cass was complaining! That was new.
"Well duh! Didn't you hear her say 'catch'?" Asuka took a table right near the rail separating the ocean and the dock. The waiter came and took our orders.
"Okay, we'll have two orders of calamari, an order of crab legs, and one salmon. Thanks." Sam obviously had to order for us.
"Right away, thank you," the man walked away and we began to talk.
"This place is pretty cool. Pretty cheap too. Glad you knew about this Sam, great job." Sam blushed at Cass's comment.
"Yeah, about that, how do you know so much about this place?" She must have been here at one point.
"Well, I was born in Orlando, Florida. Then my parents had me move here when I was four, then NERV relocated me to Japan this year. So I know my way around. In fact, I know the owner of this place, I could probably get him to give us a free meal." One thing bothered me about her story.
"Really? I didn't know that, why didn't you tell us?" Cass really never bothered to get to know about her past.
"You never asked! No hold on, I'll be right back," she gets up and walks over to the main building. Sam comes back a few minutes later with a tall, fat man with a deep tan. Turned out that he was Cuban. "See, these are the people that I told you about," she was speaking in English to him.
"Really? Now, which is the one you're dating?" She points to Cass.
"His name is Cass, and…" he cuts her off.
"This wimp? Sam, you could have done better than this! You should be dating this young man, not that lanky army wannabe!" Cass understood enough of this and shot up out of his chair.
"Who are you calling a wimp?" how did Cass know English? He said he didn't know it.
"Cass! Sit down, come on, calm down. He was just joking" There we go, now I know what's going on.
"Nah, screw that. Hey, you got something to say, say it to my face!" both me and Asuka are so lost. He was up in the dark man's face.
"Calm down. Listen to your girl," What the hell is going on! Either speak English or Japanese, please!
"Whoa! How did you…" Sam cut him off.
"Miguel's the one that taught me Japanese. Now please, calm down." Cass sat down, obviously confused.
"Wait, you can speak Japanese… and your name is Miguel. I'm lost," So was I, Asuka.
"Ah, so this must be Shinji! Heard that you were the first one to kiss my Sammy," Asuka was fuming, and I was blushing.
"And it was his last!" Asuka was glaring at Miguel.
"And you must be Asuka, the fiery red-head. Nice to meet you all," Asuka hated when she was called that. She dropped it though when I grabbed her hand and gave her 'the look'.
"This is Miguel, he took care of me for a year after my parents moved to Washington," so that was their relation.
"Sam, come on, what joke are you playing? I want to see your eyes! Let me see those green eyes!" he didn't know? Sam bowed her head in embarrassment.
"What the hell is your problem, man! That is NOT funny!" Cass was up in his face again.
"What's not funny? What the hell is your problem?" Cass looked at him with a disgusted face.
"You know damn well she's…" Sam cut him off.
"No he doesn't. Miguel… I'm… blind." He just stared at her.
"What are you talking about?" he wasn't getting it. Sam looked at him and opened her eyes. He jumped a little at the sight, "Sam… what happened?" his voice was uneasy.
"You know that story I told you about Gluttony? Well, this was the part I left out. I didn't want you to worry about me…" he hugs her. I could see a small tear form in his eye, but it was quickly brushed off.
"Well I can see it hasn't affected you! Let's leave it at that. Oh, here comes the food," I saw a platter with all of our meals on it. Sam smiled slightly and sat down, so did Cass.
"Aren't you going to join us?" Sam invited him to the table.
"No, I can't. I have a lot of work to do, sorry. I'll talk to you later. Bye," he sounded horrible.
"Okay, bye," he went out of sight, "now let's eat!" the food, I had to admit, was great! Nothing that I ever ate back at home came close. Once we were done eating we headed back to the beach. Not much more happened that day aside from Asuka beating up about three guys for hitting on her.
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The Fountain Blue – 9:00 PM
"My back is killing me! I'm going into the Jacuzzi to loosen up," I heard Asuka climbing into the mini-pool. I walk out to see her in her bathing suit from today leaning back relaxing. I had just got done changing into my night clothes.
"I think I'm going to go to bed, I'm wiped. Need anything before I do?" she smiles at me.
"Yeah, yeah I do. Come here…" I walk over to her and lean down to talk to her. She grabs me and pulls me in the Jacuzzi. I should have seen that coming.
"Real funny. You could have at least let me change…" she was laughing.
"Shinji, do you hear yourself when you talk? Just relax! Here, rub my back for awhile," she turns around and I start to massage, "A little higher… yeah, right there. You know, you'd be a good misuse." Now I'm going to have to change again! I had to admit though, the Jacuzzi was nice. It was out on the balcony, and we overlooked the beach. The sun was just starting to set, and the waves were a bright orange. Only half of the blinding sun peeked over the horizon.
"Asuka, look," I point out to the ocean. She turned her head and went wide-eyed.
"Amazing. It's so beautiful…" her reaction surprised me. Maybe we really did need this vacation. To get more comfortable in the Jacuzzi, I took off my shirt and leaded back.
"This was worth the trip," I said with my eyes closed, "hey, about Sam, do you know when her birthday is? I know Cass's is next month, but I don't know about her."
"It's tomorrow. I was planning on sending you two out while I got the party together, but you ruined it. So this is what we are going to do; you take her to eat breakfast tomorrow morning, and I'll do all the work. Just make sure you et back before twelve." Wonder what she was planning.
"Why didn't she say anything?" Asuka shrugged.
"Dunno. I just looked at the MAGI one day and found it out then." That was weird. Normally Sam loved to be the center of attention. Hope she likes what Asuka has planned.
A/N- Hope you liked the long chapter, I did it for all of my loyal readers; two in particular – thanks to Frost-Eva-00 and dennisud for reading this far. Now that the formalities are out of the way; what do you think the party will be like? Will Sam like it? Find out in the next chapter; Paradise Part 2: Bad Memories, until then, keep on keepin' on!