Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion, some famous director named Hideki Anno does. If the opportunity presents itself, I would much like to buy it. I don't see that as likely though, do you?
Misato and Asuka walked through the park. It was a typical park, with the typical couple on a bench, and typical pigeons eating the grain thrown to them by passersby. There were kids on the playground, and the joggers were out in full force. It was a beautiful day, with a deep blue sky, and no clouds in the sky. Misato found a nice bench in the shade of a large oak tree. She motioned for Asuka to sit down, and sat down herself.
"Asuka, we need to talk." Misato said bluntly.
"About what, everything is perfect!" Asuka said with a nervous laugh.
"No. No it isn't. You and Shinji, I know you've never gotten along well in the first place, but still, it seems to have gotten worse recently." Misato said.
"Why did you drag me down to the park to talk about that baka pervert anyway?" Asuka said. "Its not as if he does anything to bother me."
"That's kinda the point, Asuka. You always hit him, call him an idiot, everything. What has he ever done to you?"
"He's such a stooge! He needs to grow a backbone! Always saying 'I'm sorry' and 'okay Asuka', he never stands up for himself! Its so annoying!" Asuka said, starting to whip herself up into one of her (in)famous rants.
"And so you hit him?"
"Well du-uh, what else is going to get him to stand up for himself?"
"I don't know Asuka, but do you honestly think hitting him is going to get him to stand up for himself. You know Shinji, he's a quiet person by nature, and the last thing he would do is try to anger someone."
"I know that! But its so damn frustrating!" Asuka said, her anger burning out prematurely.
"Asuka, Shinji is a very nice man, and-"
"So he's a man now, huh!" Asuka said, anger rapidly coming back full force. "Just because he can score higher on his sync ratio than me, he's a man now, is that what you think? You're wrong!"
"Asuka, I didn't say anything of the sort. If I were talking about you elsewhere, I'd refer to you as a woman. You and Shinji, you've seen a lot more of the world in 14 years than many people have in 40. And as such, you two have matured faster than a lot of kids your age."
"So I'm a kid now? Shinji the Wonderboy is now a man, and I'm just a mere kid in your eyes?"
"Asuka, you're jumping to conclusions again. I never said that."
Asuka was now at the point of tears. "No, you didn't say that, but I know that's what you think! You always spend time with Shinji, you practically ignore my existence, so does he! Even if I do something to try to get him to notice me! He's such a spineless coward!"
Misato frowned. "Perhaps if you didn't hit him as much Asuka, there's a certain tolerance for some things. I know how you act, Asuka. You may do something to get him to notice you, then hit him if he does. I'm not surprised he ignores you."
Asuka broke down. "Is that why he ignores me, I'm not beautiful enough to withstand minor injures to have? I'm not perfect enough to hold? Is that what he thinks? I hate his guts, he can drop DEAD!" Several parkgoers looked at Asuka, and the small flock of pigeons at their feet scattered.
"Asuka, calm down, you're being unreasonable again. Don't you remember that he jumped into a volcano to save you? A goddamn active volcano, and with no special armor! He screamed bloody murder when he realized what was going on, and he jumped in to rescue you! He did that to save you, and you seem not to regard that as nothing at all." Misato said, her anger starting to show.
"But..he's almost a different person inside his Eva. He's so much better than me in that goddamn Eva, even though I'd made a pledge to be the best pilot ever when I was little! I've practiced at the Eva since I was a little girl, that idiot shows up and pilots the Eva without even seeing it before! How am I supposed to be the best when I have to compare to that!"
"Asuka, you don't have to compare with anybody. As long as you are happy, others will be happy too. As long as you do your best, then that is okay. You don't always have to be number one to be happy and successful. I know it seems like it now, but wait for you to grow up a little more, wait for a life after Eva, for life after I'm gone, and with no Shinji to cook for you. If you keep acting like you are, you will find yourself alone and friendless." Misato said, starting to calm down a little bit. "I know losing your mother hurts, you loved her deeply from what I can tell. I know what its like, even if I didn't like my father. I know you've been burned when it comes to loving someone, to get close to someone, only to have them leave you behind. But Asuka, life goes on, and love manages to find its way back into people's lives."
"But that's what I'm afraid of, I don't want to love someone, and have them rip me off!" Asuka said, tears starting to form in the corner of her eyes. "I don't want to be alone, but I don't want the pain of having someone I love leave me!"
"Asuka, you will never be alone. People come into your life, people leave your life. It's only natural. I see why you're afraid, but time heals all wounds. You just need to let others into your heart, and you will never be alone anymore. Even if a person leaves, you still have memories of the good times with that person, and you have the knowledge that others will eventually fill the hole."
"But I don't want to forget the ones that I loved!" Asuka said, crying now.
Misato gave a little smile. "Asuka, if you truly loved that person, then you can never forget them. Remember that Asuka, and you'll be okay." Misato wrapped her arms around Asuka. "And I love you too, Asuka. Even through the good times and the bad. You're like the daughter I never had."
Asuka started openly crying. The small crowd that had grown around them gave a collective 'aww…' Misato looked up and saw the group gathered around them. "Don't you people have lives?!?" The crowd started mumbling and talking among themselves, and slowly began to disperse.
"Okay, Asuka, let's go get some ice cream or something, and we'll go visit Shinji in the hospital. I'm sure that he'll like that."
A/N: Well, I've got this chapter finished. And surprisingly, it really didn't use much of the conversation that I used in the last chapter. I hope you find the dialog in this chapter at least bearable to read, this sort of talk really isn't my strong point. Anyway, this kicks off the next story arc, as we get prepared for the events surrounding the 15th's attack. I hope this story is keeping all of you all's attentions, and please feel free to comment on anything you feel I am messing up with, and I'll try to fix it.