Author's Notes: Reviews are welcome!
Disclaimer: Nope still don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion...well i've got the boxset...does that count?
Moving Forward, or Those Lives That Once Were, Live On
前方へ移動したりするとされた人たち、のライブ
Chapter 4
A slit of white light spilled into the small room through the gap in the curtains, lighting the room up gently as Shinji raked through his cupboard.
Picking up a dark blue shirt, Shinji studied it intently.
"I don't remember buying this." he said quietly
Examing it further, Shinji soon found that the shirt was at least two sizes to big for him. Scrunching it up into a ball, Shinji threw the shirt into the corner of the room.
After having cleaned up in the kitchen, Shinji had decided to sort out his clothes, though he found the idea pointless considering that there wasn't much he could take; the extent of his wardrobe were two pairs of school uniform, the reddish pink shirt he was wearing and a dark blue version of the same shirt. As he continued to look through his clothes, he found he was suffering from the same problem as Asuka's; he had no clothes suited for the cold temperature. After clearing away some fallen clothes from the bottom of the cupboard, Shinji found an old suitcase, and after a couple minutes trying to remember where he'd seen it from, he realised that it was the suitcase he had taken with him when he had first come to Tokyo-3. Laying it on the bed, Shinji opened the lid and found something that surprised him.
Picking up a slightly baggy brown Haori from a suitcase, Shinji examined it, his mind racing to remember if it belonged to him. It was then that it came to him, the haori had belonged to his old Sensei, the one he had lived with after his father had abandoned him. Staring at the haori for a while, Shinji's mind whirled with thoughts of his old carer. Whilst he had been old and a little distant , and by no stretch of the imagination was he kind, Shinji remembered his teacher as a good man. In an attempt at an act of kindness, when Shinji had been called to Tokyo-3 by his father, the old man had given Shinji the haori he held in his hands now. Shinji had never really been in a position to appreciate it untill now.
Slipping it on, Shinji found that it was indeed baggy, but was perfect for keeping him warm in the cold weather. Taking a look at himself in the mirror, Shinji could not help but think of his sensei again.
"i wonder what happened to him, he probably ended up in the Sea of LCL." he thought."I hope he was able to return to LCL in peace and not...in fear."
As he continued to stare at his reflection, Shinji's face dropped. He was feeling guilty again.
"I started Instrumentality for my own selfish reasons, i started it because i thought i was unloved, that everyone hated me, i know what i experienced in life made it that way, but i can't help but feel guilty about it."
Shinji sat on his bed with his head in his hands for a time before a growl of frustration emanated around the small room as Shinji stood up, moved over to the nearby door and smacked his hand against it, his head resting gently on the door itself.
"Why i'm i still stuck in the past, why can't i think positively for once!" he wailed."I promised myself and Asuka that i'd move on, but here i am still mulling over the same old crap!"
Turning around so his back was now resting against the door, Shinji stared upwards at the ceiling. Almost as soon as he did, Shinji's peripheral vision caught something. Slowly shifting his gaze back to his bed, Shinji could no longer say he was shocked or surprised by what was happening to him anymore, because sitting on the bed was the disheveled and scruffy form of Ryoji Kaji.
Smiling, the dark haired man sat with his right leg folded over his left, smoking a cigarette.
"Your still mulling over the ""same old crap"" because of one reason, Shinji. Every choice we make in life , every single thing forms us, our victories AND our mistakes, the only problem is that your stuck thinking negative." he said.
Pulling the cigarette out of his mouth, Kaji blew the smoke that had recently been permeating inside his lungs out into the surrounding atmosphere. Staring up at the ceiling, Kaji spoke once more.
"That's a lot better than my own blood in the lungs." he said sarcastically. "Look Shinji, if you were to forget the mistakes that you made you'd just as likely make them again sometime in the future, the good thing is that you've recognised what are your mistakes and what are your victories."
Shinji, rubbing the back of his head, smiled weakly.
"I can accept that, but...no matter how hard i try, my past still haunts me and all that ever whirls around my head is my failures and my mistakes, no matter how hard i try to ignore them."
The older man, taking a drag of his cigarette, sat forward, removing his leg from its crossed position over the other leg. Leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees, Kaji's face became serious. As he began to speak, the smoke emerged from his nostrils.
"Y'know, you shouldn't ignore those mistakes, Shinji, rather you should remember the victories you've had in your life, remember the mistakes and maybe the lessons that you learned from those same mistakes and turn them power, the power to move forward and make a better life for yourself...and Asuka."
The last part he added with a knowing smile, to which Shinji blushed at slightly. Taking another drag of his cigarette, Kaji looked towards the ceiling again as he blew the smoke out of his mouth once more, a happy sigh escaping his lips. Looking at Shinji again, his face took on that easy and somewhat jaded and laid back look that Shinji remembered, the same look that could make anyone feel at ease and make you believe that the man who wore this look didn't have a single care in the world.
"Not holding Asuka when you first kissed her, not fighting back against Unit 03 when even you knew that you could have fought back and disabled it without harming your friend, not standing up to your father, these were all mistakes Shinji, but you can use these to move forward, to move on. Everything that happens to us in life is an experience, a lesson, we just have to recognise that what we did right and what we did wrong teach us something about ourselves as well as others."
Shinji, stared at the older man for a time, everything that he had said, the teenager had taken in, but he was still a little confused.
"I'm...not sure i understand, Kaji." he said meekly.
At Shinji's reply, Kaji smiled whilst shaking his head gently and slowly. Standing up to his full height, Kaji took one final drag of his cigarette, blew the smoke out, dropped it on the floor and stubbed it out on Shinji's carpet. Placing his hands in his pockets, the older man replied.
"Next time you and Asuka kiss, make sure one hand is firmly around her waist and the other is squeezing something very firm indeed, even if you do get a slap it'll be worth it...and a slap in the right direction." he said calmly.
This made a little bit more sense to Shinji, even if it was a little crude. Smiling, Shinji bowed his head, his right hand rubbing the back of his head gently, and was about to thank Kaji, when he looked back up to find the man had gone.
"Squeezing something firm, huh...i wonder if that's how he introduced himself to Misato." he asked, his tongue placed firmly in cheek.
Asuka lay on her bed, her head buried into her pillow. She had been lying in this position ever since she came in, she had neither the desire nor the inclination to pack, her reasoning being that her body warmer and thick thigh high socks could keep her warm, especially if her theory about the Geo-Front was right. Asuka's reason for her lethargic episode came from worry mostly; seeing that whilst Shinji had been changing, there were still parts of the boy's personality that contained self-loathing and worry, this in turn had made Asuka worry if it was truly possible for either of them to change, to move on. This was not the only problem however, Asuka had been continuing to mull over what had happened between her and Shinji the week before when they had almost kissed. This event had in turn left Asuka wondering whether she should try to form some kind of intimate relationship with the teenager.
Turning around onto her side, Asuka stared at the door, her mind whizzing and whirling around.
"I want us to become closer, but i don't feel ready yet. I still feel like i need time, but i don't know why." She thought."But i'm happy that our relationship is back to how it used to be."
As Asuka finished thinking, her thoughts began to dwell on memories of her and Shinji's first meeting and their first two battles herself up from her prone position on the bed, Asuka shuffled over to the window on her knees and began to stare out the window, watching the snow fall and the flakes melt gently against the glass.
"After i died, after Instrumentality and meeting my mother again in that huge mind soup i feel as if all that hatred i had in, all that pain that had accumulated over the years as just...disappeared." she said."I feel...happy, to be here with Shinji, and i don't find it odd anymore."
Resting her chin in her hand Asuka puffed out her lips and made a clicking sound with her tongue.
"I feel as if my soul has been...purified...if that can ever really happen." she said,cynically.
Sighing heavily, Asuka turned around and sat at the edge of her bed, staring for a time at her wardrobe door, which was swinging gently open; after coming into her room, Asuka had half-heartedly looked through her cupboard, knowing full well already that there wasn't anything there that she could possibly take. After a time staring at the door, her eyes glazed over, Asuka spied her old school uniform, hanging just at the opening, and her half destroyed Entry Plug Suit lying in a mangled heap at the bottom. Staring at these two garments made Asuka's mind whirl into action once more.
"Hmph, if it had been the me from any time after the battle with Unit 03, i probably would have lashed out at Shinji, screamed and kicked at him even. Even then though, even though i hated then, there was still a peace inside me that i'd never felt before." she said.
Raising her hand to her chest, Asuka felt her heart thrum gently. Smiling slightly, Asuka stared at her old clothes once more.
"Maybe i am changing, maybe i am becoming the better person that i want to be. If i can really change then that means...that means i do have a future and i'm not just stuck in the past anymore." she said, rising from her bed. Making her way to the her bedroom door, Asuka turned as she was just about to exit, and said.
"Who cares for you, Old Asuka Langley Soryu?" she said."Your nothing but my past."
Before switching the light off
Making her way into the Living room, Asuka flopped onto the sofa and waited for Shinji. After about five seconds, however, Asuka's patience wore thin.
"HEY, Baka Shinji, get a move on, we haven't got all day you know!" she called.
Poking his head out from behind the door, Shinji stared at the fiery red head, his eybrows raised in surprise.
"Have you got some pressing social engagement to go off to?" he asked." or haven't you noticed that that we're quite possibly the last human beings alive."
His answer was met with an expertly aimed and thrown pillow. Not reacting at all to the projectile which had been launched at him, Shinji closed his eyes and shook his head gently, a small sigh escaping his lips.
"I'll be a minute, i just need to find my old baseball boots."
Asuka, knowing that baseball boots would be utterly out of the question for snow, stared incredulously in the direction of Shinji's bedroom.
"Gott im himmel, why are you looking for them?" she cried."Your feet will be soaking wet before we've even got out of the forcourt...well they will be now considering that you haven't shovelled in about three hours." she added wryly
"I'm not taking them to wear out there, Asuka, im taking them to wear in the Geo-Front, as long as it hasn't snowed there either." he said
Simply replying with an "oh" Asuka went back to staring out of the window as she wait for Shinji.
Emerging from his room, Shinji was clothed in his usual garb of jeans and reddish-pink shirt, this time topped off with a dark brown Haori jacket and his baseball boots hanging around his neck, the lacers tied together. Taking note of Asuka's clothing, Shinji pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Aren't you taking anything,Asuka?" he asked."And are you sure your body warmer is going to keep you warm enough?"
Standing bolt up right from the sofa, Asuka turned around to face Shinji, her hands on her hips.
"Good grief, stop clucking over me like a broody hen, Shinji!" she cried impatienly.
"Oh Asuka!" replied Shinji in mock reproach."I'd never do such a thing."
Raising her eyebrow ans smiling softly, Asuka shifted her standing position, moving her hips a little over to the right and folding her arms, as a small smile played across her lips
"I,the great,wonderful and beautiful Asuka Langley Soryu, am German, as if you didn't know Baka Shinji."said Asuka,grandeously."The German people are used to heavy winters, it's in my blood!".
As she spoke, Asuka threw her arms out, commanding the intention of all in the room. The one person there to see this spectacle was less than impressed.
"I thought your passport said that you're an American citizen,meaning that you must have been born in the US, Asuka, and your a quarter Japanese." said Shinji."Added to that the fact that you don't have any winter clothes is probably the reason why your wearing the same clothes you put on last week."
Asuka, her face taking on a ridiculous expression, laughed quietly and without the least bit of humour as her hands dropped to her side.
"Well, yes i was born in America. Houston, Texas as a matter of fact, but i was raised Germany, and i also went to college in the US." she said her voice trying to reclaim her normal confidence."Also in regards to my wardrobe...yes your right, i don't have a lot of warm clothing but you obviously don't either, so that brings me to a point of order i want to discuss."
Walking over to the balcony doors, Asuka threw open the curtains with great vigour, and pointed to the wild and wintry conditions outside.
"The point,dear baka Shinji , is that we could just as easily freeze to death before we even find the Geo-Front entrance with the way things are out there." she said
Moving over to Asuka's side, Shinji stared at the falling snow for a time before answering.
"Well, it looks as if it could ease up a little soon, so we could wait for that, and leave when the snow's not so bad, that way we'll have a good chance of making it to the Geo-Front Elevator."
Asuka considered this.
"So your saying that we swap freezing to death outside for freezing to death inside, instead then?" she said, her voice full of whimsy
Shinji's face took on the exact same expression as Asuka's had when he mentioned the that she was American. Rubbing his head, Shinji smiled meekly.
"Let's get going then." he said
Smiling triumphantly, Asuka marched over to the front door and beckoned Shinji to follow. Hesitating slightly, Shinji made his way out and turned to look back into the apartment. His finger resting gently on the button to close the apartment, Shinji found himself unable to remove his finger, would this be the last time he ever saw Misato's apartment? Would all those memories he remembered fondly just disappear?
Asuka, seeing Shinji's hesitation, knew instantly what was wrong and rested her own finger against Shinji's. Blushing slightly, Shinji turned and stared at Asuka and the two watched each other for a time.
"Let's go Shinji." She said, softly.
Pressing the button to close the door, Shinji took Asuka's hand and the two former Evangelion pilots left the safety and relative security of the only place they could ever call home.
Gendo Ikari's office was, to say the least, impractically and ridiculously huge. Containing only a desk and a chair, the office itself seemed to be designed to cause anyone unfamiliar with the inner workings of the commander of Nerv's personal dimension to slowly descend into a gibbering mess. It was the sort of office that only constant trouble makers and the owner could ever feel comfortable in. The girl sitting at said desk, however, could very easily be described as a trouble maker.
Mana sat in Gendo Ikari's chair, a cup of green tea in one and a personale file in the other, reading it intently. The personale file itself was of one Shinji Ikari.
Taking a sip from her mug, the young women made a face as she swallowed with great difficulty.
"Bleugh, they don't even make decent instant Green Tea at Nerv from those vending machines , these Evangelion pilots must have been fed on a bread and water." she said, the disdain clear in her voice."Though you, Mr. Shinji Ikari, may be a little scrawny your certainly a cutey, probably even more so in person."
Placing her mug on the table, Mana began to flick quickly through the file, citing each page as "Boring" as she barely gave the pages time to settle before the next whizzed past. Throwing the file over her shoulders, and causing a flurry of paper and pictures to explode ever which way behind her, Mana crossed her arms, a her face taking on a pouting expression.
"Come on, where's all the juicy stuff huh!?" she exclaimed."I want to see my little Shin-Chan in action, i want to see his heroic deeds, not read that he's suffered from depressive episodes and feelings of worthlessness since his father abandoned him."
As Mana lifted her feet from the desk, her foot caught a small button situated on the edge. As the button depressed, the office darkened and a projector flickered on at some point behind Mana's shoulder. Looking towards the wall, Mana watched intently as words and images projected themselves onto the wall. Various images of all the Angels that attacked Tokyo-3 were shown, captions indicating their designated number and name. Along with these images came the sight of various Evangelions in battle. The most prominant of these was Evangelion Unit 01, much to Mana's delight.
"Oooooh, you're a scrapper aren't you Shin-chan." she said cheerily."You interest me even more."
Standing up from the desk, Mana placed her hands behind her back and marched happily out of the office.
"Maybe i can find some decent tea in this place before they get here."
"Bliss"
"My life was nothing before this."
"I feel at peace now."
"Won't you join us?"
The voices of the Fallen spoke to her as she fell through the blood red liquid, the voices of millions-upon-billions of human beings merged together as one, speaking as one. The blue-haired girl fell, her arms outstretched, a blissful smile adorning her soft features, whilst all around her, small bright red orbs darted this way and that, others merely floating gently along with her; the souls of mankind itself inhabiting one wonderful existence .
"I have never felt comfort such as this." she said, her eyes closed, the smile still prevalent upon her face.
Bring her flight to an abrupt halt, Rei maneuvered herself into a standing position, her eyes now open, a dreamy look glazing them. As she did this, the soul-orbs gathered around her, the blood red LCL becoming a brighter. The dreamy look dissipating, Rei's face took on a serious expression as spoke.
"Come to me, you are needed."
Reaching her hand out, Rei made to touch one single orb in the millions of others that surrounded her, when the orb pulled away.
"...but...why?" she asked.
There was no reply, the orb merely continued to move away from Rei, as the girl stared after it.
"I hope that you ar right."
Turning, Rei reached out to another orb, and cradled it in her hand. Stroking it gently, Rei lifted it above her head and the Soul-orb began to glow brighter than before. As the glow reached it's peak, a crack appeared across the surface and soon more followed, one after the other until the orb itself shattered into uncountable pieces.
It was then that Rei's eyes shot open, a shocked expression creasing her face.
"No...Ikari...you must not...you cannot leave."
Dropping her hands, Rei shot upwards from her previous point and flew towards the surface of the LCL. The fragments of the former orb began to glisten and shine as the pieces slowly began to merge together. As each fragment fused to the next, the LCL seemed to swirl around the distinct shape that was forming; the body of a slim women. As her body finally began to form, there were a few moments where she remained in the fetal position, before her eyes shot open. Realising where she was, the woman pulled herself upwards, swimming with all her strength to reach the surface. As she broke the LCL's surface, the women's features and attributes became clear; She was a women in her thirty's, blonde hair and a paradoxical mix of stern yet soft features. The crowning feature upon this face was a small mole which resided upon her left cheek.
Moving toward the nearby platform, the woman pulled herself onto dry land and vomited violently, LCL spilling out on to the once dry platform.
Ritsuko Akagi had been reborn.
"Ugh, this snow is getting on my nerves, i can barely walk in this crap!" moaned Asuka.
Shinji merely replied with an unenthusiastic grunt. As soon as they had left Misato's, the complaining had started, first about the cold, then about the snow. Shinji's patience was slowly wearing thin. What made it all the more worse was that they had only left Misato's apartment 10 minutes ago. Stopping and rubbing his head, Shinji turned to Asuka, a tired expression coming across his face.
"Thats funny, about a week ago you loved it." he said
"I loved snow when it's ankle deep, not knee deep, i keep falling over!" she wailed.
"Just take my hand like i said to then!" Shinji retorted
Asuka stared at Shinji for a time, and indignant expression crossing her features.
"I wouldn't be caught dead holding your hand Baka Shinji!" said Asuka.
"Well you held it when we left the apartment." said Shinji simply.
As Shinji said this, he heard a noise that sounded something along the lines of "Agurk" as Asuka turned her back to him with lightening speed, her arms crossing as she did so.
"I...well...oh shut up and lets go!" she said.
Turning around, Asuka stormed, as best she could, past Shinji her own hand latching onto Shinji's as she did.
It was about half an hour before the two spoke again, after Shinji came to the conclusion that they were lost in the unfamilar city.
"Asuka, let's stop, we're lost." said Shinji
"How can we be lost!?" said Asuka, loudly
"I don't know, but how about we just take a quick rest before my legs fall off." reasoned Shinji.
"Your legs will fall off anyway if you stop in this giant outdoor freezer." commented Asuka.
Looking up to the sky for a moment, Shinji smiled, ever-so-slightly, before taking a seat on small mound of rubble. Rubbing his hand, Shinji watched Asuka as stomped around the vicinity, flailing her arms around and moaning about the snow, which had stopped falling.
"Grrr, this crap is everywhere, what was the weather like before i arrived Shinji?" asked Asuka, in characteristic frustration.
Shinji continued to stare at Asuka as he thought about the question. In the while he had waited on the beach, Shinji hadn't really noticed the weather, though now he thought about it, it must have been alright considering he had been lying in only his school uniform.
"Well, i suppose the weather was normal, i didn't really notice...i had other things on my mind."
The last part Shinji added with hesitation , which in turn caused an awkward silence between the two teenagers; the first in a long time. Returning to her frustration, Asuka continued to moan and whinge about the snow and the state of the city, as Shinji closed his eyes and let the cool breeze whisk him away.
It was the first time in a long time, Shinji thought, that the he had been able to enjoy a cool breeze.
"There are so many things in life that people take for granted, that i take for granted. I spent so much time worrying and hiding myself away, that i never noticed that small things can help in the bigger picture."
Scooting himself to the bottom of the rubble pile, Shinji laid back and rested his head as comfortably as he could against the rocks, his head finally managing to clear with the help of the wind. Laying there with his eye's shut, Shinji felt himself drifting off, even with Asuka's tirade going in the background.
"Hey don't go to sleep, you idiot!" yelled Asuka, kicking Shinji in the side.
The kick had no strength in it, at least it wasn't the usual Asuka-like kick. Giving Asuka a dejected look, Shinji stood up and stretched. As he did, Asuka spoke again.
"Look we're not going to be able to find the Geo-Front entrance with the situation we're in now." she said.
"What situation?" asked Shinji, stupidly
"Well the fact that it's been half destroyed, the snow has covered everything and the fact that we're about fifty minutes away from sunset." said Asuka, whacking him across the back of the head.
"Well i spose you could be right." was all he said.
As Shinji nursed his sore spot, he looked back to the fiery red-head, preparing to say something else, when something caught his eye. Looking up at a building, the outside wall blown away and the interior almost completely gutted, Shinji saw Rei Ayanami standing on the what was left and visible of the first floor. At first, upon seeing the young girl again, flashes of images of the creepy and eerie face of Lilith, her eyes yellow, and the incessant girlish giggling echoed inside Shinji's head. suppressing the urge to yell or run away, Shinji stood his ground and stared back at the blue haired girl.
"What's wrong with me? It's Ayanami,It's Ayanami, it's only Ayanami...she brought...she brough Asuka back...Rei" though Shinji,desperately
"Hey Baka Shinji, are you alright?" asked Asuka, with only the faintest sound of worry.
After finally managing to quiet to his worry, Shinji turned and smiled at Asuka, secretly glad that she had not seen what he was seeing.
"I'm alright, i've just got to go take a whizz or something."he said happily." Back in a sec."
Shrugging her shoulders Asuka took the seat that Shinji had been occupying on the rubble as the teenage boy moved over to the gutted building where Ayanami still stood.
Even after the people who had come to him to offer advice and help, Shinji still felt a little afraid to confide this reality to Asuka; in truth, he was terrified that she would think him a lunatic. This in mind, Shinji had made his excuse, and whilst he made his ascent to the first floor, he continually checked to see that the red head was not watching him. As he approached Rei, Shinji made sure that they were out of Asuka's line of sight and began his questioning.
"Ayanami what are you doing here?" he asked, quickly.
"Why have you left Katsuragi's home, Ikari?" she asked flatly.
Shinji, utterly used to Rei and her tendency to ignore his questions and interrupt with her own, was still surprised by her question. After taking a minute to think, Shinji answered.
"It's too cold to stay on the surface, and we can't fix up Misato's apartment either. We just can't stay here in Tokyo-3, it'd be better to stay in the Geo-Front and Nerv HQ."
Rei didn't even take time to consider this, making Shinji belive that she hadn't even heard his response.
"You must stay here, you cannot go to the Geo-Front...it is...dangerous, there are many ghosts and echoes there."
Shinji felt a chill travel up his spine as Rei said this, the fact the she herself stated that it was dangerous made him feel all the more worried.
"I know that you wouldn't mislead me Ayanami, but i don't think i could convince Asuka to stay on the suface and to be honest we've probably been through worse than what we could encounter in the Geo-Front." said Shinji."Besides, we have to find out what's going on."
For the first time since Shinji had met her, Rei's face took on an annoyed expression, almost of impatient anger. Looking directly at Shinji, Rei began to formulate her response, when she stopped suddenly, a look of confusion passing across her face. There was a few moments of silence as the two former Evangelion pilots stared at one another. The continued silence and the fact that Rei was just standing there staring, the look of confusion still upon her face, made Shinji feel uncomfortable.
"Ay-Ay-Ayanami...are you all right?" he asked.
As Shinji spoke, Rei reacted as if she had just noticed his very existence, and blinked several times, before a sad smile began to form on her face. When she spoke, the emotion in her voice matched her smile.
"You will have to go through much more hardship, Shinji, before you can truly live the life you want. The future is not set in stone, and your future is constantly changing."
Brining her hand up and resting it on Shinji chest, exactly where his heart was, Rei looked deep into his eyes.
"Be safe, Ikari."
Before she evaporated from right in front of him.
Shinji felt his face burn from th contact with Rei, and thought about her words.
"What did she mean? is...is something going to happen to me? or to Asuka?" He thought.
Shaking his head, and the thoughts away, Shinji made the decent back to where Asuka was waiting. As he got closer, he realised that she was not where he had left her, and panic immediately began to set in as he scoured the near vacinity for her, to no avail.
"Asuka, ASUKA where are you!?" he shouted.
"Over here Shinji, look what i've found!" came the voice of Asuka from the far end of the street.
As the panic began to dissipate, Shinji felt the same cold dread creeping into his mind and body as he processed what Asuka had said.
"Tha last time she said that, it was our school she found and i don't want to repeat THAT experience again."
Making his way to the bottom of the street, Shinji found relief wash away the dread as he took in the sight before him.
Asuka was standing, her hands upon her hips as usual and a satisfied smile adorning her face, in front of the Geo-Front Gateway Entrance.
Not too far away Rei stood watching the teenagers, her face filled with sadness, the sad smile now gone. Staring after the two as they disappeared through the doorway, Rei clenched her fists tightly as she stared off toward the horizon, with a disapassionate look.
"Being a God has it's bad sides too." she said sadly
The bridge area of Nerve HQ hummed gently with the sound of power flowing through every electronic appliance. From the most simple light to the most complex computer, everything had power, and the bridge area eminated this in spades. The Bridge itself was relatively pristine, apart from some signs of explosive and gun damage from the very last battle to take place before Third Impact took the souls of the occupants of the bridge. The place where the three operators, Hyuga, Aoboa and Maya, once worked was also pristine, curiously missing the leftover clothes of those very people and the Vice Commander Fuyutski. Further up, the desk of Gendo Ikari, where many a cruel, but efficent, solution to a problem had been made, was currently being occupied by Ritsuko Akagi.
Since her resurrection, she had taken the time to find her old clothes, and after having made it to the bridge area, she herself had tidied up the crumpled heaps of clothes that had been left behind. After a time of silence where the thirty-something woman sat staring at the ceiling, she moved to rest her head in her hands as she began to cry gently.
"Why?" she said."Why have i returned to...this, i don't want to be here."
Ritsuko wept for a time, before she finally found the resolve to stop. Wiping her face dry, Ritsuko stared at her hands as something seemed to come over her.
"No...please...don't...why are you doing this?" she said, her voiced strained.
Clenching her hands shut tightly, Dr. Akagi closed her eyes tightly as if trying to shoo away a bad though or memory. Bringing her fists up to her face, she pressed them tightly against her face, before she let out a frustrated growl. Slamming her fists onto the table, Ritsuko's eyes took on a manic gleam as she slowly reached out to the drawer of the desk. Opening it quickly, Ritsuko pulled a small revolver from the desk, and gently placed it on the table.
"It was Gendo Ikari's fault, that...manipulative bastard. I'll remove all traces of that man for the world...i'll remove everything to do with him from this existence!"
Rising up from the table, Ritsuko moved toward the control area below, and as she began pressing buttons and flicking switches, the same evil look crossed her face, the merest hint of inner turmoil revealed in her eyes.
"And that include his son, Shinji Ikari."
The elevator doors, squeaked and creaked in a manner that suggested that they were a hundred years old and rust ridden, as Shinji and Asuka stood staring into the darkened compartment. The inside was fine enough, but it was the flickering light and the constant laboured grind of engines that brought worried expressions across the two teenagers faces. Moving slightly closer to Shinji, Asuka nudged his arm gently, and once he had turned to face the red head, she indicated the elevator.
"Go on, or are you scared?" she asked, a mischievous gleam in her eye.
"I'm not afraid of an elevator." he said bravely."just broken elevators that go hurtling towards the ground once the doors shut, i mean it is over two hundred and fifty stories that we have to descend."
As Shinji finished, Asuka moved quickly over to a door in the far corner of the room, kicked said door open and flicked her hand for Shinji to follow. Following her, Shinji realised they had walked into a stairwell, and as Asuka leaned over the side of the railing, She spoke loudly, letting her voice echo all around.
"Would you prefer to take this route, Baka Shinji."
The "Baka Shinji" echoed and reverberated constantly off of the walls, as if some kind of ironic statement. A look of disapproval creased Shinji's features as a thought suddenly struck him and his expression became incredulous.
"They have a stairwell, in a place like this." he said, utterly baffleed."It's over two hundred and fifty stories to climb, you'd probably die of exhaustion and loneliness before you even reached the fiftieth floor!"
Asuka, pulling herself back from the edge, smiled and made her way over to Shinji, stopping just in front him.
"Don't ask me, i didn't design and build this place, i just worked here." she said, cheerily." So is it the elevator then?"
"Yeah okay, but if those cables snap or the power shuts off completely when we're in there, i've got every right to say i told you so." he said
"I can understand that, why did you have to tell me?" asked Asuka
Shinji stared at the girl as if the answer was obvious, before answering, the merest hint of a smile creeping across his face.
"It was just to make sure that you knew, so when you hit me for saying it, i can use that as an excuse for you not getting into heaven."
This response was met with a kick to the shin, to which Shinji winced.
"Come on, Dummkopf, we've got an elevator to catch."
Pulling Shinji by the hand, Asuka marched them both into the small compartment and clicked the button for the ground floor. As the the engines whirled into life, Shinji felt a grumbling feeling in his stomach. Turning to Asuka, Shinji could see that the red head was having the exact same feeling. In no time at all, the elevator began to descend and the two teenagers fears were quelled. The decent would take a little while, and because of this, Shinji decided to take a look out of the small window that revealed the Geo-Front.
It was dark outside and but Shinji could see a pyramid-like shape lit by small lights criss crossing the surface.
"I told you so, didn't i Shinji?" said Asuka from behind his shoulder.
Mumbling an incoherent sound of affirmation, Shinji continued to stare as something nagged at him.
"Wait...we're in the wrong elevator." he thought.
Turning around Shinji spoke to Asuka.
"We're in the wrong elevator Asuka, we won't be going anywhere near the the express freight." he said.
Raising her eyebrows in question, Asuka looked at Shinji like he was a fool.
"What are you talking about, isn't this the entrance we normally take?" she asked.
"No i don't think we are, and this elevator will take us to the road that leads to headquarters." said Shinji.
Asuka, shrugging her shoulders, replied with an easy going smile.
"Well, we'll just have to walk, don't complain it'll keep us fit, and look there isn't any snow so hopefully it'll be warm when we get out." she said, hopefully.
Shinji, an annoyed look passing across his face, grumbled.
"I'm sick and tired of walking."
"Your such a whiner Shinji!" said Asuka.
"Says you." he grumbled.
Asuka, hearing what he said, wrapped Shinji's head in an extremely tight headlock and began rubbing her fist into his head.
"What did you say Baka Shinji!?" she yelled, her voice quivering with laughter as she pretended to be annoyed."I'd love to hear you say that again you dork!"
The arguing and "fighting" continued all the way to the ground floor.
Ritsuko stood in front of the former Commander's desk, her face showing signs of turmoil. Something was happening in her mind, and only Ritsuko Akagi seemed to know what.
"What your asking me to do, no what your making me do is immoral, it's just plain murder." she said, her voice filled with emotion.
There was a few minutes of silence, as Ritsuko stood still, staring ahead, the only noise being the sound of the ventilation system grumbling and twisting. Suddenly Ritsuko grabbed her head and screamed.
"HE'S JUST A CHILD, DON'T MAKE ME DO IT PLEASE!"
As soon as she finished, the doctor up ended the desk in front of her and began to kick it, violently. Picking up the chair, Ritsukp smashed it across the desk untill eventually the desk cracked. This seemed to calm her, as she dropped the chair, panting heavily and tears threatening to fall. Turning around, Ritsuko stumbled towards the door, before her knees crumpled beneath her and she fell to the floor, sobbing. Pulling the revolver from her inside coat pocket, she stared at as the tears continued to fall freely.
"How can you do this to me?" she said."
Placing the gun on the floor, Ritsuko seemed to have trouble letting it go. The gun itself hovered in her hand above the floor, as her face became unreadable.
"No...he deserves to die...he NEEDS to die!" she exclaimed, lifting the gun up to her face and staring at it with complete fascination.
As she did, the door to the office slid open as Mana Kirishima waltzed in through the door, a sandwhich in mouth and a cup of something warm in the other.
"Wow hey guys, whats going on...i can see your busy, i'll just go back to my room and watch Cowboy Bebop then shall I?" she asked, fake shock and amusement dripping from her voice and expression.
Taking a bite out of her sand which, Mana studied what was left of the desk and chair from across the room with disdain. Turning her attention to Ritsuko, her face became a mixture of emotion, turning from confusing to shock and then, curiously,to hatred.
"Grow up." she said venomously."Ritsuko managed it when she joined the human race in Instrumentality, sure she would have been a little bit annoyed, but she still wouldn't go to the lengths that you've gone to over the past twelve years."
Without turning around, Ritsuko replaced the gun in her pocket and replied.
"Leave me alone, Mana, i'm not in the mood."
"You can't fool me y'know, i know what you are and i know who you are too. I'm not worried though, Ritsuko is stronger than you." she said, the disdain and disgust still evadent in her voice and her expression.
Standing up, Ritsuko turned and walked the length of the room until she was right beside Mana. Stopping she looked out of the corner of her eye at the girl.
"I haven't a clue what your talking about." she said, simply.
The constant thrum and chirping of cicadas emanated around the forest and the nearby road, completing the atmosphere of an unending heat wave. The tree's rustled gently as a quiet breeze blew by, causing various leaves to to pull away from their former homestead and float gently towards the ground. The grass rustled gently as the leaves landed and everything became a little more quiet as Cicada's continued to chirp. The heat was so strong that the wavering and shimmering distortion that accompanied heatwaves could be seen hovering just above the road.
Asuka stood alone, her head held high, eyes closed and a bright smile adorning her beautiful face as she stood at the edge of an overlook, looking across the entire of the forest that was between the two teenagers and Nerve HQ. The breeze blew her long red hair back across her shoulder, allowing the fiery red head to feel the joyous cool feeling on her bare neck. flexing and unflexing her hands into fists, Asuka revelled in the strong heat that had conquered the underworld of the Geo-Front. Having removed her undershirt, but still choosing to wear her jumper and body warmer, Asuka was now utterly comfortable and stretched languidly, as a heavy sigh escaped her lips.
Not to far away from her, Shinji sat up against a tree, his face red, but not with the heat. The way that Asuka was both stretching and smile was only serving to make Shinji feel "Uncomfortable"."
"Does she have to do that?" he thought.
Shinji continued to stare at the feiry German girl, a smile slowly spread across his face as she put her hands through her are and threw it gently backwards, ensuring that no wayward hair made its way in front of her shoulder.
"Oh god, she's so beautiful."
Turning around Asuka smiled as Shinji turned away shyly.
"Well then Shinji, why don't we get going?" She asked.
Turning back, Shinji smiled too.
"Yeah, let's go."
As Shinji stood up, he stood still as if thinking.
"Um...i need pee, back in a second." he said, desperately.
"What, you just went for a pee about forty-five minutes ago, you've got the constitution of an old man!" she yelled after him.
Turning around as he contined to move further into the forest, Shinji reubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously.
"I know...i have a bladder the size of an egg!" he said nervously.
Turning and walking quicker, Shinji's face took on a worried look.
"How can i tell her about what i've seen?"
Making his way to a tree, and after making sure he was perfectly hidden from plain view, Shinji relieved himself. After he had finished, Shinji began to make his way through the tree's when he became aware of something, someone behind him. Turning around slowly, Shinji wasn't shocked by the sight that met him, more disappointed.
Standing, one hand in his pocket, the other resting by his side, was Gendo Ikari.
"Hello Shinji." he said, his gruff voice betraying no sign of tenderness or happiness.
Shinji's face took on an annoyed look, as he turned his face away from his father. This was not going to be easy.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, the hatred evident in his voice."I hoped we'd never have to see each other again."
Gendo, pushing his glasses back into place, took a step forward, a smile creeping slowly across his face. The smile itself was like his voice, it was not out of happiness he smile, more like malice.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked."Trying to survive in this world, Shinji?"
Shinji turned and looked his father in the eye as he answered, his hand flexing involuntarily.
"Because i have to take responsibility for what i've done, there's someone that i have to look out for, someone i care about...i don't expect you to understand that father." he said, his voice wavering slightly, but full of strength.
Gendo laughed hollowly, only for a moment, before he replied to his son.
"You and i aren't so different, you shouldn't pretend that we are, you'll just be running away again."
At this Shinji's hands flexed into fists as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"I'm not going to run away anymore, i'm going to leave the person i used to be behind, father, i'm going to leave the Shinji Ikari who ran away from you and his mothers grave behind. I'm going to leave the Shinji Ikari who couldn't take care of his friends or himself behind, because i have a purpose now, i have a reason to live."
Gendo remained unmoved by this statement, the look he gave Shinji still emanating the disapproval Shinji believed belonged upon his face.
"You made the world that your wading through, you're the one to blame for all of this and all that will happen." he said."Tell me Shinji, what do you have that could possibly keep you alive, that could possibly give you purpose."
Shinji stared at the mud and dirt on the ground for a time, the anger within him rising to such heights that even he, Shinji Ikari, couldn't believe. Looking back at his father, Shinji answered honestly.
"Because i love Asuka, and i want to take care of her, i want to be with her." he answered, the resolution in his voice evident." If we can survive together then so can mankind when they pull themselves from the LCL, and the only way we can survive is if we let go of our pasts and i'm letting go of you and mother."
At Shinji's answer, Gendo Ikari became visibly disturbed by what he said, though what emotion he was feeling exactly, could not be identified.
"Love is what drove me, Shinji, and all love does is destroy you in the end. I cannot be with my Yui again even in the glorious one mind that humanity has become and you will not be able to hold onto your Asuka forever, she will betray you or she will die and you will be alone again."
"Your wrong!" he shouted."You don't know a thing about me or Asuka...I...I-I-I h-hate you..." he said the last part underneath his breath.
Gendo did not seem to here this and was in the process of demanding to now what he said, when Shinji repeated himself, loudly.
"I HATE YOU, YOU BASTARD!"
Turning Shinji was about to move away, when a thought struck him. Turning his head to the side, Shinji spoke to his father for the final time.
"And i'm not running away, not this time. I'm walking away, i'm leaving my past behind. I'm leaving you behind." he said
Gendo's face was, as was natural for the former commander, unreadable as his son walked away from him. Just before Shinji was out of earshot, Gendo spoke. When he heard those words, Shinji stopped, shock rising across his face. Turning around quickly, Shinji found he was alone in the woods once more as the chirping of Cicadas became the only sound for miles.
Asuka lay against a tree, her eyes flickering open and closed, the heat contributing to her nodding off. Half awake, the feiry red head listened to the birds that hopped among the tree's above, their calls echoing around the area.
"This heat is heaven...but Shinji...better hurry up, before...i fall asleep." she said.
As Asuka began to slump further and further, she was startled awake by a voice. The voice spoke as if right by her ear.
"Hehehe, your lucky Vice-Commander, I mean all you got away with was a warning when you tried to uncover the truth to the world, but Shinchiro, man he was not the luckiest guy in the world in life and he sure as hell wasn't lucky in the way he died!" it said.
As Asuka listened another voice spoke, this time by her other ear and also a familiar voice at that. It was that of Vice-Commander Fuyutski.
"He was always an idiot, i tried to warn him, i tried to tell him that if he pushed the Commitee and Ikari to far he wouldn't live to see the next sunrise, but no, he wouldn't listen. Now look at him, buried somewhere out in the Geo-Front, missing a few vital organs and his body scarred beyond recognition."
Asuka, who was now standing, looked all around her, hoping that maybe the owners of the voices were certainly not disembodied. The search was to no avail. As the fear in her began to rise, she was startled by a voice behind her.
"Are you ready to go Asuk-"
Shinji was cut of by the surprised Asuka punching him full force in the face. As he hit the ground, Asuka looked over the boy shocked by what had just happened.
"Oh Sheisse, sorry Shinji, you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that!"
The punch that Shinji had received had knocked him clean out, though his nose had virtually exploded; blood was oozing from his nose and dribbling across his face. Seeing this Asuka did not feel the propensity she normally felt to automatically blame Shinji for everything, though it was still partly his fault, she thought.
"Ugh, i'll go see if i can wet my handkerchief or something."
Picking the teenager up by his arms, Asuka pulled him off of the road and over to a nearby tree, where she left him prompt up against the same tree she had been lazing on. Cleaning her hands of dirt and blood, Asuka eyed Shinji worridly, before turning around and making her way through the forest.
The one thing that caused Asuka so much aggravation and wonderment at that moment in time, was the forest of the Geo-Front. Asuka herself had only ever been outside of Nerv HQ and into the surrounding wilderness of the Geo-Front on two occasions, two occasions which were not wholly comfortable and wonderful memories.
"The 14th Angel, Zeruel and the Mass Production Eva Series, those were the battles that brought me out here." she said as she moved throughout the mix of assorted pine,ash and oak trees, her voice a mix of dejection and sadness."I didn't have time to notcie then, but this place is so vast, and the tree's and plants are mixed species; there are some plants that you can't get in Japan that are growing all over the place."
Stopping, Asuka knelt onto her haunches and examined the various plants that surrounded her. There was Knapweed and Edelwiess growing next to Thistle's and Roses, all of which Asuka couldn't help but stare at.
"They've obviously been planted here by the Nerve staff, but i wonder why, seems like a pointless gesture to me, though what would i know about that sort of thing."
In her life, Asuka had never had much time for the finer things in life, those small little things that most people take for granted. In Short, taking time to smell the flowers or even lie in them had nnever been one of Asuka's priorities, being the Second Child and an Evangelion pilot, though she couldn't help but take time to enjoy them now of all times.
Shaking her head, Asuka brought herself out of her zone.
"Stop smelling the daisy's, Asuka, you've gotta clean Shinji up!" she chided herself.
Standing up, Asuka closed her eyes and listened intently. If there was a stream or a river of some kind, then she would be able to hear it, however faint. It took a while, but eventually she could hear it, the soft gurgling and splashing sound of a stream coming from directly in front of her; and away from Shinji. It was a little bit deeper into the forest by the sounds of it, but it didn't really matter, there wasn't anything to be afraid of.
"After all Shinji and i are the last human beings alive." she said, a smile trying desperately to surface on her lips as worry tugged gently at her nerves.
{What are you without Eva?}
"I...I'm Shinji Ikari."
{But isn't Shinji Ikari a totally worthless being?}
"The Shinji Ikari who destroyed the world, who instigated Instrumentality was worthless, but that isn't who i am now, that isn't who i want to be anymore."
{Human beings are not capable of such radical changes.}
"Yes they are, they are if they try hard enough, and if i try my best then i can move on."
{What else do you desire?}
"To know love, to be loved and to love someone with all my heart and soul."
{This was not something you cared for before Instrumentality, why now?}
"Because i'm a different person, i've left my past behind me. Love will complete me."
{Will you take anyone's love?}
"No, only Asuka's. I need her, i want her...i love her."
{We will soon see if your resolve to be loved by one particular girl is strong, you are, after all, merely human}
Shinji awoke with a startle, gasping for a lungful of air, as if someone had just attempted to suffocate him. After a few minutes, a cold clear pain began to make itself known on his face. Lifting his hand up toward his nose, Shinji touched it gingerly.
"Ow...you've got one heck of a punch, Asuka." he said, his nose throbbing gently.
Standing up Shinji looked all around, Asuka was no where to be seen.
"Now where have you gone." he said impatiently.
it was then that a scream rang out, chilling Shinji to his bones.
"Asuka."
It hadn't taken long to find the stream, and now Asuka was wetting her handkerchief. Apart from the gurgling and sloshing of the water, the immediate area was silent. No bird song, nor any breeze and the atmosphere was beginning to worry Asuka. The moment she had dipped her handkerchief into the water she had the awful and undeniable feeling that she was being watched, and the feeling was getting worse as time went by.
"Baka Shinji, always walking into situations like this. Why does he have to be such a clumsy dork?" she asked herself.
Standing up straight, Asuka rang out her handkerchief and turned, preparing to race back to where Shinji lay, when she caught sight of something that nearly made her yell with surprise.
Not too far away from the stream itself was a large tree stump, which Asuka had taken note of when she first arrived and had noted it as unoccupied. Sitting on that stump was a man, a small penknife in one hand and a dirtied, dog-eared and frayed piece of paper, his head slumped seemingly staring at the knife. It took a while for Asuka to compose herself, but when she did, she slowly advanced forward; she soon wished that she hadn't. As Asuka got within two metres of the man an horrific realisation overtook her and she gasped audible as her hand rocketed to her mouth, more out of a desire to make sure she wasn't about to be sick than to stop her from screaming.
The man was rotting.
Starting from the bottom and working her way up, Asuka saw that the mans legs where cut ribbons, small fragments of flesh hanging from large blister like scars. Moving up to his abdomen, Asuka found her urge to be sick rising, as she observed that his his stomach had been ripped open and various vital organs removed, though the man himself seemed neither to notice nor care. Looking at his hands, the german girl saw the that the fingers of his left hand, the one holding the paper, had mostly been removed, the only remaining fingers being his index and thumb. His right hand, the one holding his penknife, was a little bit more lucky, only having lost its pinky finger. At this point, Asuka begged herself to stop, to turn and flee, but that odd bit of curiosity inside her, that silly little part of human nature that ridiculously tells you that you wouldn't be able to sleep at night if you didn't finish whjat you started, urge hr to go on.
"I'm not likely to get any sleep if i do or don't look, that is if i get out of this in one piece." she thought.
Swallowing hard, Asuka took in the sight of the mans face and her stomach curled at the sight. The man's left eye was hanging from the socket and his face had wounds and scars that suggested it had been chewed partially by animals. suppressing the urge to either scream or vomit, Asuka took a few steps backwards, finding herself finaly able to move, when the man began to speak
"Ikari...Ikari that...fucker...he did this...HE DID THIS TO ME!" he screamed."All i wanted was to tell the world the truth behind Second Impact, The Human Instumentality Project and those old fossils in SEELE, the truth behind Yomi Village, but look what happened, not even the "good man" Fuyutski lifted a finger to help me ."
As the man spoke he began to wave the scrap of paper he was holding.
"This...this paper had the truth about what happened at Yomi Village and about Second Impact, and as a cruel joke they buried it, they buried the truth...with me."
The man began to advance slowly forward as his demanour began to become more and more intimadatory.
"LOOK AT ME, i...i used to be a looker, y'know...the ladies couldn't keep their hands off of me."
Against her better judgement, Asuka spoke. The part of her that disliked self pity was screaming for her to snap at the man.
"Yeah and now they wouldn't want to touch you in case something came off when they tried." she said, surprise slapping across her face as soon as she spoke.
The man did not take kindly to this. Lunging forward he slashed his knife this way and that, as Asuka tried her best to dodge. Thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body, Asuka found her aggressive point and launched her own attack on the man as he stumbled forward thanks to Asuka's lightening quick dodge. Asuka soon found that this was a pointless gesture. Bringing her leg up in a kick that should have sent the man flying, resulted in Asuka falling backwards onto her backside. A little dazed by her apparent failure to hit her target, the fiery red head launched a flurry of punches at the man, only to find her fists going through him. Shocked by what was happening, Asuka was not quick enough to avoid a slash from the man' knife, the knife cutting her arm. Yelping at the pain, and deciding that there was nothing she could do, Asuka turned and ran as fast as she could.
Running through the tree's, Asuka was desperate to find Shinji. Unable to find to the courage to look around to see if she was being followed, Asuka pushed herself to her limit as she burst through the various bushes and tree's that separated her and Shinji. Finally when her energy began to fall, Asuka slowed and gripped a nearby tree for support. Looking around, the man was only a few feet away and running fast towards her, the knife in his hand.
Asuka screamed.
"Asuka...Asuka...please be alright." panted Shinji.
Upon hearing the scream, Shinji had taken of like a gazelle through the forest and was desperate to find Asuka. Knowing Asuka well, Shinji knew that if Asuka screamed she really was in trouble.
"I promised i'd take care of her...i promised!" he growled in frustration as he ran.
Stopping to catch his breath, Shinji turned around a full three hundred and sixty degrees, eagerly searching for the red head. Something catching his eye a few metres away, Shinji stained his eyes and realised what it was.
It was Asuka's entry plug clips, still attached to her hair, seemingly floating next to a tree.
Moving towards it, Shinji soon found nothing supernatural at work. Asuka herself was on her haunches, her head bowed into her hands. Laying his hand gently on her shoulder, Shinji spoke.
"Asuka...are you alr-"
Shinji was cut off by Asuka, her arms wrapped around his neck and her face nestled into his chest. Blushing at the contact, Shinji put his arms around her, as the red head panted softly. Shinji had no way of telling but he was entirely sure that Asuka was trying her hardest not to cry.
"So you've seen them too?" said Shinji.
"Yeah it started with Hikari at the school, and then that guy in the woods." said Asuka.
After finally managing to find the road again, and after Asuka had found the courage within her to tell Shinji what had happened, Shinji himself decided to tell Asuka about what he had experianced.
"But i can tell you this Shinji Ikari" said Asuka."THAT will not be happening again."
It took a few minutes for Shinji to realise what she meant, but when he did, he smiled gently.
Silence overtook the two teenagers as they continued to walk the road. Stealing glances at Shinji, Asuka came to a decision, a blush evident on her cheeks. Moving closer, Asuka took Shinji's hand in her own and held his arm with her other hand. Turning in surprise, Asuka gave Shinji a silencing look and spoke herself.
"What?" she said."I'm just making sure you don't get lost, i mean you are prone to it after all."
Blushing himself, Shinji smiled again.
"Thanks Asuka."
The two teenagers walked for a time, untill they finally reached a small path made out in the out into the distance, they saw the the brightly lit form of Nerv HQ only a mile away.
つづく
To Be Continued.