Chapter five! Finally! Can you believe it?

I'm so so so so sorry for those who wanted it sooner...it really couldn't happen...my laptop was broken and I sent this chapter to my proofreader as soon as I got the computer back...so please don't be mad at me !

Well, this chapter is dedicated to GirlInAllGreys and 94saturn, thanks for your support!

Disclaimer: I don't own NGE cus if I did...well, let's just say it wouldn't be a shounen anime. I also don't own Evanescence's song "Taking Over Me" (I repeat, I can sing it but I didn't wrote it). The title comes from BoA Kwon's "Jewel Song". It's the first line.

Warnings: this fic is YAOI, or at leats Shounen Ai, if you dislike relashionships between two boys, then go away or read and deal with it...

Japanese: boku wa I am. Gomen nasai Sorry Watashi I am Sensei teacher Arigato thanks bento as in 'bento lunch' that packed lunch that is so popular in Japan.

'thoughts'

"spoken words"

song

Hey, do you remember?

Shinji hadn't realize how awfully late he was going to be. With all the remembering he had totally lost track of time. And time is mean it waits for you to forget about it and then soundly reminds you of its being, by moving faster and making you be late. Or it simply hangs on until you find yourself wishing it would stop, when you are in one of those moments that make life meaningful, so it can accelerate itself again, to make you feel those unforgettable occasions lasted a second.
The brunette teen took a look at the now clear sky over him, and the fact that the sun was now higher than it usually was when Shinji walked to school alerted him that he was tardy. He paid a look at his watch and then started running towards the school. He had been wrong in guessing he was going to be late…he was already late. Ten minutes had gone by since the bell must haveannounced the beginning of the first lesson. He ran and ran, until he started feeling hot despite the cold morning air, until he started to sweat under his blue shirt, part of his new school's uniform. It had been raining madly last night it almost seemed that every angel from Heaven had poured their tears on Earth…
'Angels….that's almost funny…' Shinji thought.
He was trying not to slip on the wet concrete, but he could almost sense he was going to fall down in any moment.
'Well, at least it's Thursday and my first class is with Daichi-san. And she's never on time…'
When he had been running for almost ten blocks and he was already seeing the school building, the unavoidable happened. He slipped while stepping into a particularly big puddle and collided against someone, bringing them both to the ground in less than a second.
…...

You don't remember me
But I remember you

An Angel stood outside a building. His pale features showing an anxiety almost unbearable. His hands were placed casually in his gray pants pockets, but his fists were clenched to prevent his hands from trembling. A blonde middle aged woman was standing beside him. She was very short, and a big smile crossed her face while she talked about everything her new student will need to know. Kaworu, in the mean time, just pretended to listen to her, and nodded while he laid his eyes in the street in front of him. He had used his charming angel abilities to convince this woman to accept him in her school, no matter the school year had started months ago, and no matter no one had come with him as his legal guardian. Being an Angel, you know, also has its benefits.
Kaworu had introduced himself as an emancipated teenager (and of course, he had brought official papers that proved it. How did he got them, no one would ever know) so there was no need to contact his parents.
He had just asked the headmistress to join the group where Ikari-kun was. "I am acquainted with him from before, you know, and being a little reserved myself I wondered if I could be in his group so I would know him at least." and the headmistress had stared at him and only said "That would be lovely, Ikari is a very introverted kid. I hope you two can be friends. We could get him here to tell him an old friend has come to visit him." And Kaworu, smartly enough had avoided that, muttering that it wasn't probable that Ikari-kun remembered him, and that if she -the honorable principal of this great school- could keep the fact that he knew Ikari-kun from before to herself, he would be very much grateful. It was amazing how he was able to manipulate people, even if he was Fallen, he still had some of his Angel talents.
So there he was now, standing outside the school with his new headmistress, waiting…

I lay awake and try so hard
Not to think of you

"Oh.." he said, and the headmistress stopped her monologue. Apparently whatever she was telling Kaworu wasn't something you can answer with an 'oh'.
"I think I have left several of my books at home. Would it be a problem if I went home to fetch them?" he politely added, staring at the headmistress with his piercing red orbs.
"Er…" she seemed doubtful. Letting a student, especially a new one, go home to get some books wasn't her style, probably.
"I promise I will not take long" he stated with a reassuring look in his eyes.
The headmistress seemed to consider that for a moment, and given that the bell hadn't sound yet so school hadn't started, she answered:
"Ok, I think there's no problem if you promise to comeback on time for class."
"There is nothing to worry about, I will be back in a minute." Kaworu bowed to the headmistress and then left the school grounds. He hadn't forgotten any of his text books, but he was feeling rather sick being stuck in the school entrance, he just wanted to clear his head a bit, before he had to face Shinji. He couldn't do as promised, though.

But who can decide what they dream?
And dream I do?

He was wandering in the still wet streets when someone bumped on him, making him lose stability and fall to the ground in consequence.
When he had recovered himself from the shock, Kaworu tried to lift himself up, but sank to the ground again. He hadn't realized the other boy was now lying on top of him. His eyes examined the Lilim's head.
His red orbs grew wide, pupils contracted so much that they almost disappeared, and his face got even paler when his eyes met chocolate brown hair, and after that a pair of the most beautiful midnight blue eyes.
Shinji got up slowly, and then simply stared at the teen trapped below him. His eyes were a dark red, blood-like. His hair was a silvery gray and fell casually all over his eyes. An expression of sheer terror crossed his delicate and pale face.
A single second, just a silent second passed by. Both teenagers stared at the other's eyes. Kaworu's face showed shock and something resembling fear. The brunette's face just showed confusion. A glorious second that made the Angel's hopes rise incredibly. But then...
"Gomen nasai! Are you ok?" Shinji managed to say.
What about this boy brought that feeling of sadness to him? Of sadness and calm at the same time? He lifted himself up and helped the other up. "Gomen nasai" he repeated. "I should have watched were I was going. It's all my fault" Only then he noticed that the other one was wearing his school's uniform.
Kaworu was awfully stunned, he couldn't move a muscle, all he could do was lie on the wet sidewalk and fix his eyes on the figure standing in front of him. He had longed for this moment all morning, and the day before, and every second he had spent in Hell. But now, all he could do was stare at the Lilim and try his best not to throw himself on Shinji. And then as his mind slowly re-started functioning, the meaning of Shinji's words sank into him.
'Shinji-kun doesn't remember me he doesn't know who I am…' He had prepared himself for this, he had been 99 sure Shinji wasn't going to remember him.
Why? Why everyone acted like he had never existed? Was it some sick way of making him suffer even if he had escaped Hell? It probably was His doing, after all.
But, then again, nothing could have prepared him for this… for this second where his last hope was killed.
'Shinji-kun doesn't know me…'

I believe in you
I'd give up everything
Just to find you

Shinji, on the other hand, kept staring at the silver-haired boy. He didn't even bother on picking up his bag, or his schoolbooks that were now lying all over the sidewalk.
"Shinji-kun…" the boy whispered almost inaudibly, probably more to himself than to Shinji. His voice was soothing, almost silky.
"How do you know my name!?!?" Shinji's face was white with panic now. A horrible feeling of alarm started to grow inside him.
'How does he know my name? Has he recognized me? It can't be!'
He waited for an answer from the other boy, no matter how scared he was. What am I gonna do if he recognizes me? God, god, god…
"I…I….It is on your schoolbooks, I guess" Kaworu tried his best to hide his emotions. He couldn't believe he had lost it so easily… but it had been all so sudden…
"Oh" Shinji blushed at his unfounded fear…
'I'm paranoid', He said to himself.
"Gomen…It's just…You scared me." He turned his face to the ground in the exact moment, otherwise he would have noticed the tears running down Kaworu's cheeks.
"It is all right…" Kaworu muttered and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. Shinji noticed that and stared dumbfounded at this mysterious boy.
"Did I hurt you that bad?" Shinji said incredulously.
"No!…no…I just…" Kaworu was starting to feel dizzy.
"You're from my school, aren't you?" Shinji said. A stupid question, since he was wearing the same uniform as himself, he was definitely from Shinji's school. Kaworu nodded nervously. "How come I have never seen you there?" Shinji asked, while he picked up Kaworu's books and handle them to the boy.
It was a funny scene, like they had switched roles. Kaworu was the nervous blushing one and Shinji was the easy going and chatty.
"Arigato" Kaworu whispered as he took his books. "I have just moved in." he added. Shinji then, as he had been somehow taken from reality by the encounter with this mysterious boy, remembered he was terribly late and took the boy's arm.
Kaworu flinched at Shinji's touch, as if the brunette's hand was burning him.
"We are going to be late! We'd better hurry up." Shinji then grabbed his arm and forced Kaworu to move with him, heading to school.
After running for three blocks, the both of them were passing the school's entrance doors and Kaworu found himself being guided by Shinji to their classroom. Then Shinji stopped, so suddenly that Kaworu bumped onto him, shivering at the contact with Shinji's body.
"Gomen nasai" the silver-haired boy muttered. Shinji dismissed the apology with a wave of his hand and turned to face Kaworu.
"I didn't ask which class were you in." Shinji said simply. Kaworu tried to remember…
"3-b" he answered. The same class that Shinji was in. So he kept walking through the school corridors, closely followed by a silent Kaworu. When he was about to slide open the classroom door he said: "Oh, I still don't know your name..." Kaworu had just opened his mouth to answer, when a woman slid the door open and glared at them, indicating with her finger for them to enter the classroom.
"You're late, Ikari." The woman's voice was soft and high pitched but her tone was a very authoritarian one. A thought suddenly occurred to Kaworu, that he'd better not piss this woman off. She turned her light blue eyes to Kaworu. "And you must be the new student, Nagisa" It wasn't a question, she was only stating that she knew who he was, and by her tone, that he wasn't going to get away with it. Kaworu didn't notice, but Shinji seemed to react somehow at the name of the crimson-eyed teen. Now Shinji was sure his boy reminded him of someone or something…but what was it, he couldn't say.
"Gomen nasai, sensei Daichi." Shinji said bowing. "I promise it won't happen again. We fell down because of the rain and that delayed us." He lifted his blue eyes to face that ones of his sensei.
"Ok, I'll let it pass only for this time. Now come in and take your sit." Shinji headed to an empty sit at the back of the classroom. "Not you, Nagisa." she added when Kaworu attempted to follow Shinji. "You'll have to introduce yourself."
Kaworu gave a general look to the rest of the students, his eyes lying here and there. A group of people were standing at the end of the class, they seemed to be surrounding something that he later realized was a heater. As soon as Shinji had sat down, a brunette girl with short hair had greeted him and turned from her sit to chat with him. A very short girl was standing at the front of the class, her blonde hair reached her elbows. She had a look of modest self-sufficiency in her dark eyes and she was holding a bunch of papers.
'She must be the class representative', Kaworu thought.
He then laid his eyes in the rest of the students, meeting some curious faces staring at him, a little of them who seemed uninterested, two or three chatting between them, and a lot that didn't appear to notice that they had left their beds.
The blonde teacher indicated him to stand beside the class rep. He stood there, and as he found Shinji looking at him, he let out a small smile for him, making Shinji go through several shades of red.
The girl he had assumed to be the class rep looked over the class. "Minna-san, stand up, bow, greet our new classmate" she said mechanically. The sensei continued after the class had obeyed the class rep.
"Well, girls and boys, this is Nagisa he'll be your classmate for the rest of the year. And you'd better be nice to him." She emphasized the last phrase with a glare at the whole classroom. "Behave properly, just for once" she added threateningly.
A dark haired boy, that didn't look innocent at all, and that was sitting in the back of the classroom looked at the teacher with puppy eyes.
"But, sensei, what are we supposed to do? You know that we are the most well-behaved and polite persons in the face of the Earth! 'Inappropriate behavior' is not even in our dictionaries" Kaworu had the feeling that this boy was exactly the opposite and that 'inappropriate behavior' was the first thing in his dictionary, but decided to laugh with the rest of the class at the joke.
"Ok, Aizawa, now stop joking for God's sake" Kaworu cringed involuntarily at His name, almost like a scared child would when someone pronounced the name of his abusive father.
The blonde sensei didn't notice or dismissed it because she kept talking. "So, Nagisa, tell us something about yourself, will you?" Kaworu stepped in the front of the class, his always enchanting smile lighting up his pale features, his persuasive red orbs staring to the students one by one. He bowed to the students before he started talking.
"Watashi Nagisa Kaworu, I have just moved into the city…"he looked hesitantly at the sensei, who nodded at him, encouragingly. "There isn't a lot to say about me. I am 15 years old, like most of you. I enjoy reading and I love music, I play the violin, too." he finished and the class (which was now a bit more awake) stared at him.
"Well" the sensei swept the class with her gaze. "Ask him whatever you want now. I don't want you interrupting the class a thousand times as always" she rolled her light blue eyes.
It was awesome, the whole classroom started shooting questions to a dazzled Kaworu, any drowsiness they were feeling before was now gone. The sensei, though, didn't seem to be shocked nor scared, because she raised her voice over the noisy students and declared "One by one".
"Were are you from?" A blonde short boy asked him first.
"I was raised in Germany" Kaworu answered. It was true he had been raised in Germany by Seele's men. At least his human form was. "But I was born here, in Japan" Now, granted, that was a lie.
"What brought you here, to Osaka?" a tall brown haired boy was speaking then. Kaworu faced him and shrugged.
"I guess, I am here to recuperate something that was taken away from me" he answered lazily, and the whole class exchanged looks.
"Where's your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Now a girl with curly blonde hair was talking.
"My siblings were taken during the Angel attacks" Kaworu lowered his eyes a bit. He could felt tears clinging in the corners of his eyes, not because he had been reminded of his siblings' deaths, but because he remembered how they had cursed him and asked for the worst punishment. "My father was…" he didn't know how to explain what had happened to Adam "he died in the Second impact." Well, that was also a lie, Adam didn't die in the Second Impact he caused it.
The girl seemed taken aback by his answer, and muttered something that sounded like a 'gomen'. Kaworu looked up at her. "Do not be sorry. It was not your fault." he dedicated one of his cutest smiles to the girl, who turned bright red and seemed to develop a furious interest in her hands.
"Enough questions for today, I guess…" the teacher said. Kaworu was amused by how informal the teacher was with her students, and how at the same time the students' attitude towards her was of respect and admiration.
"Nagisa, why don't you take a seat? So that Akai" she pointed at the short girl in the front of the class "can finish with the tests." Kaworu searched the classroom for an empty seat.
As he didn't found one, the teacher pointed at the short haired girl sitting in front of Shinji.
"Yonamine, go get a desk for Nagisa and help him bring it in here" The girl rushed out the classroom and Kaworu followed her.
"So", she tried, looking at him out of the corner of her dark eyes. "Are you Ikari's friend?" she dedicated a smile to him. An encouraging gesture to show friendliness and try to get the other talking.
"We have just met in the way to school" Kaworu sighed. Then they entered an empty classroom and the girl grabbed a chair, while Kaworu picked a desk.
"Oh, watashi Yonamine Mai" she blinked funnily and smiled to him a bit.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Yonamine-san" he offered a pale hand that she accepted joyfully. Kaworu decided that he liked that Lilim girl. She seemed to be Shinji's friend, anyway. Or at least she acted friendly enough towards him, which was something that Shinji needed desperately.
"Oh, onegai, Nagisa-san, just call me Mai" her voice brought Kaworu back to reality.
"Only if you call me Kaworu, Mai" he answered while they made their way back to their classroom.
"It's a deal then" she told him just before they entered the classroom. The silver-haired thought it as a coincidence when she headed for the left end of the classroom and placed the chair in the spot behind Shinji. The girl in the front of the class was naming student after student and handling them some papers.
"Konami" she would say in a bored voice, and the blonde girl that had asked Kaworu about his siblings would stand up and receive her test with a trembling hand.
Mai turned around on her sit and started chatting with Shinji about the test. Well, actually, she was the one talking and all Shinji did was nod and let out a monosyllable from time to time.
"Miyagi" this time it was a short brunette the one that stood up, pulling down her clothes.
Mai turned from Shinji to Kaworu and talked to the last one.
"Can you believe Ikari? He said he was failing and he's got an A+!" she was so happy that anyone would think she was the one getting the max grade.
"Only 'cause you helped me studying" Shinji's voice faded a bit with every word. Mai just laughed and stepped in the front of the class to get her own test, a immaculate A+ as well.
"She always does well in the exams" Shinji whispered more to himself than to Kaworu, but turning to take a better look of his new classmate. Kaworu almost jumped out of his seat with this sudden display of social interest from Shinji. His new life had obviously changed him.
"Gomen nasai. For bumping into you earlier." The Angel said, smiling his soul out. The brunette simply flushed.
"Oh, that was my fault." At least his mania of blaming himself for everything was still there. "And, by the way, boku wa Ikari Shinji" and he lowered his eyes a bit "But you already know that, don't you?"
"Call me Kaworu, Ikari-kun" Kaworu crossed his arms on the table, the smile never leaving his face. His whole body was craving for Shinji now, for his touch. He wanted to hug Shinji so tight that he wouldn't be able to breathe, he wanted to kiss Shinji's lips forever. Maybe only to caress his hands… being so close to Shinji after he had thought he would never see him again was making Kaworu lose control of himself.

I have to be with you
To live, to breathe
You're taking over me

"Oh, call me Shinji, onegai, Kaworu-kun" he blushed even more while saying that, then turned to Mai, probably to hide his blushing from Kaworu. "The same for you, Mai". The girl smiled at him and nodded.
The rest of the class passed by normally. A lot of jokes from Aizawa and another boy called Saito -who seemed to be the ones that brought fun into boring school days-, some randomly-made comments from Mai to both Kaworu and Shinji -whose anti social personality seemed to be a challenge for Mai, as if Shinji were her own personal mission in life-, innumerable lectures from sensei Daichi and without learning a damn thing. When the school bell announced the lunch break most of the students left the classroom and some students from other divisions came to reunite with the ones that remained. And there stood Kaworu, without the slightest idea of what he was supposed to do.
"Ne, Nagisa, why don't you have lunch with us?" the short brunette girl called Miyagi addressed him. She waved a hand at two other girls behind her. She seemed the kind of person that is always organizing things for others to have fun. Kaworu doubted, and as he eyed Shinji, Miyagi added "Ikari, Yonamine, would you join us?" Mai refused with a wave of her hand.
"I have to deal with some things, but Shinji will be glad to join you" she smiled at the glare she received from Shinji. Another attempt of making Shinji socialize with his classmates. Kaworu couldn't help but to grin.
"Er, I…" Shinji's blue eyes stayed on Mai until she left the classroom.
"I will not take no for an answer, Shinji-kun" Kaworu stated and took hold of Shinji's arm. Miyagi smiled to her two friends, one of them Kaworu recognized was Konami.

Have you forgotten all I know?
And all we had?

The five of them sat down on the school grounds after they had wandered enough through the school, deciding which place would be better.
"We didn't introduce ourselves yet, did we? Boku wa Miyagi Akina, but just call me Akina" the girl opened her lunch box and started eating.
"Oh, boku wa Chikamoto Nami" the other brown haired smiled to Kaworu in an almost funny way. "As Aki-chan said, you can call me Nami"
"You already know my name, I think. Boku wa Konami. Konami Yuri" Konami didn't smile to him as the other too had done, she probably was still feeling guilty for reminding Kaworu of his allegedly dead family. "You can call me Yuri, if you want to…" she was possibly offering him so only because she wanted him to forget about earlier. But Kaworu didn't care. He still didn't understand Lilims' fervent interest for people that were strangers to them.
"It is nice to meet you, Akina, Nami, Yuri" Kaworu smiled back at them, turning to face each one as he named them. "And I beg you, just call me Kaworu."
The three girls nodded and began unpacking their lunches and chatting between them. Kaworu glanced at Shinji, only to caught him gazing absently at him, like the brunette had began by staring shyly at him and was now so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't realize he was still staring. However, he was abruptly brought back to reality when his blue eyes met Kaworu's red ones. He flushed almost instantly, only to become as red as the Angel's eyes as Kaworu offered him his best smile.

You saw me mourning
My love for you
And touched my hand

"So, Kaworu" Nami addressed him while she held her chopsticks with her right hand. "How come you ended up in our school?" Kaworu carefully considered the question before answering.
"One could say, it was meant to be" An enigmatic smile now playing on his lips. Nami and Akina exchanged looks. Kaworu could easily read what they should be thinking. 'The boy has totally lost it' or more probably 'the boy should quit coke'.
"You are quite eccentric, aren't you?" Nami replied, carefully measuring every word, and lifting a fine brow. Kaworu smiled even more.
"You two arrived together today." Akina pointed graciously. She was surely craving to know if the lone Shinji had finally got out of his shell and engaged any form of social activities with another living being. She was talking to Kaworu but she indicated Shinji with a movement of her head.
"That's just because I slipped and landed on Kaworu-kun" Shinji's voice barely reached the others' ears. He didn't sound insulted at the insinuation that their arrival had been suspicious, he also didn't show any kind of emotion, reminding Kaworu of the First Children, Ayanami Rei. The brunette's hands were entwined on his lap, and his eyes were glued to them as he spoke. Kaworu could almost felt as an arrow had pierced him through his heart; Shinji seemed as depressed as he had felt he was while watching him from Hell. His tone could have saddened the happiest person alive.
Kaworu slowly reached out and placed a pale hand on Shinji's shoulder, who lifted his eyes to meet Kaworu's and blushed the reddest of his blushes.
"That was not your fault at all, it was an accident." The Angel turned to face the girls, his hand never leaving Shinji's shoulder, but tightening his grip, enjoying the feeling of being able to touch Shinji once more.

I knew you loved me then

"Shinji-kun accompanied me in my way to school and he kindly offered to show me my new classroom" he explained. Nami seemed a bit shocked that Kaworu was already calling Shinji by his given name.
"It was nothing…" Shinji said, and with a last stroke at the blue-eyed's shoulder, Kaworu drew his hand back. It was more difficult than it seemed, though, for Kaworu felt he was drawn to Shinji as if he were a powerful magnet and Kaworu himself nothing more than a weak nail.
Akina giggled and gave a meaningful look to her two friends.
"Ikari, you're too quiet, always listening to music and never talking to anybody" She kept smiling, but her smile was somehow a bit sad now. "And, by the way, we don't really know anything about you…tell us and your new friend" she indicated Kaworu, a mischievous expression lightening her features. "something about yourself. Like what do you like doing and that kind of stuff." Kaworu thought that Akina was a very talkative girl, it appeared she needed to be friends with everyone.
Shinji's answer came in a lazy tone. Like he was somewhat bored of people's attempts of socializing with him.
"Not much, really… I like reading from time to time and listening to music, as you said. I guess I spent most of my time thinking or just relaxing in a park near my home."
"And what about your family? Where are them?" Akina had started her questioning and she wasn't likely to finish it before she had satiated her information appetite. Kaworu quickly found a way to change that subject.
"And you, Akina, what kind of things do you enjoy doing?" And Shinji's family was totally forgotten. All they talked about after that was the girls' hobbies.
Shinji, on the other hand, couldn't believe his ears. Had Kaworu's sudden change of subject been only a freaking coincidence?
'It has to be. And still, I feel he somehow knew I didn't want to talk about that…I guess I'm still paranoid after all.'

I look in the mirror and see your face
If I look deep enough…

After several minutes passed by, Shinji could hear the school bell announcing the end of the lunch break like it was some heavenly sound sent to free him from his kidnappers. Because that was how he felt whenever the girls or the boys tried to include him in their activities. He felt like he had been abducted by them, then put into a dark room and interrogated while a blinding lamp was headed to his eyes. He sighed at his own stupid thought and silently returned to their classroom, without even noticing the strange expression on Kaworu-kun's features while he was gazing at the brunette's back.
As soon as sensei Shirai had entered the classroom, Shinji pulled his textbook out from his bag and sighed. Its title, 'Physics 1' was all blurry and the book was still wet from his fall.
'Baka me, I ruined my book.'
Next, as abrupt as a lightning, he remembered something Kaworu-kun had said.

So many things inside
That just like you are taking over

He began pulling book after book from his bag. After he had meticulously examined every one of them, he began pulling out everything he found inside his schoolbag, but the result was the same. Impossible… he turned around to gaze at Kaworu. He didn't understand… he returned his gaze to the latest notebook he had pulled out from his school bag. An odd sensation started flowing through him, like that one feels when standing in a dark and unknown room, and lays one's hand on the light's switch. The feeling of knowing that whatever lies on the dark could be worse than the darkness itself.

I believe in you
I'd give up everything just to find you

There was no name in any of his textbooks, notebooks or any other thing. He had never written his name on them.

I have to be with you
To live, to breathe
You're taking over me.

Author's Note: all non Evangelion characters on this story are based on real people, only the names have been changed (to avoid getting the author killed). Shinji's classmates and teachers are real people, Asami Kawashi is partially based on my grandfather's personality.