...So I don't have internet where I live right now, so updates might come a little less often, just a heads up. Anyway while writing this chapter (which I absolutely love and hope you do to) I realized that it has been over a year since I started this story (actually it was last month but I forgot) I've no idea where the time went but I'd just like to give a big thanks to everybody that has ever reviewed or read this story, whether you've stuck with it since the beginning, or are just jumping on it. Thanks a bunch!
Shinji's felt as though his whole body had pins and needles drilled through it when he woke up the day after his battle with the angel.
He was in a room that was devoid of a window, and therefore pitch black without the lights on. As he tentatively opened his eyes, he winced slightly at the pain that hit him, though he wasn't really surprised as he recalled yesterdays events. He supposed that he was lucky to be alive.
Laying with his hands resting at his side, he shifted to his right slightly and paused momentarily as he felt the left side of his body brush up against something. His mind suddenly ceased all other functions as he tried to determine who or what was laying next to him. He sincerely hoped that his mind was playing tricks on him, but had to come to terms with the situation when he heard the soft breathing of somebody sleeping next to him.
Shinji's body suddenly became as ridged as a statue at this sudden realization. Turning his head slightly to his left, he was able to discern the small lump of a person next to him, even in the dark.
'...'
His mind drew a complete blank now. He supposed he could get up and search for the light in the dark, but quite possibly he would end up tripping over something and waking the person up. Even so though, he didn't feel comfortable laying there anymore, so with great care, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and immediately had to hold in a string of swear words as his feet hit a plastic chair and knocked it over.
'Why the hell would there be something like this here?' he wondered.
Carefully placing one foot down on the hard marmoleum floor, he determined that the chair had been knocked a good distance, and brought his other foot down on the cold floor. Pushing himself off the bed, he winced as he drew in a sharp intake of breath, which felt very painful for some reason.
'Thats right, I should have only one lung,' he reminded himself.
Slowly shuffling towards what he figured was the door, he thought that his best bet was to find somebody that could help him with his...problem, as he thought of it. Though as he reached the door and grasped the door knob to turn it, he realized that it had been locked. Swearing quietly, he searched for the latch that would grant him freedom, when he heard soft mumbling behind him.
Spinning around, he squinted towards the shape that was now tossing and turning in the bed that he had recently vacated. Unsure of how he should proceed, he stood motionless in front of the door watching as the nameless person tossed and turned. Something about the simple motion seemed to jog a memory in Shinji's mind, but he couldn't completely pull it to the forefront.
Hesitating slightly, he finally started tiptoeing back to the edge of his bed as his curiosity got the better of him. Who exactly was in the bed that he had been in moments before. Realization hit him none to gently as he reached out a hand to prod against what he assumed was the persons back, only to freeze inches away as he heard a very distinguishable word, coupled with a faint flowery smell. The word uttered was his name of course.
A bead of sweat suddenly formed on Shinji's forehead and cascaded down the side of his face before dripping off his chin and onto the bed spread.
"Asu...ka?" His voice was so quiet that if a breeze had flown through the room, you would have thought he hadn't spoken a word. Be that as it may, he did say Asuka's name, for she was the person that had been laying next to him.
Utterly dumbfounded by something so stupefying, Shinji's hand dropped from where it was in mid air and landed with a loud 'thud' on the bed sheets. Shinji's first question, incredulous as it may be was, 'Okay what happened? And was I awake?'
Well, no, he wasn't awake, at least, he didn't think he was. He couldn't remember a time that he had awoken before this, though it didn't rule out the possibility that he had, and if so, what had happened between them to...instigate something such as this.
'Think,' he told himself, 'if there was ever a time for some serious critical thinking, now was the time,' Nothing came to light of course.
Now becoming more accustomed to the darkness, Shinji was able to pick out the few features of Asuka's face that he could see, and any misconception that it wasn't her, was completely blown away.
Shinji wasn't sure if she had laid down like that originally, or had shifted towards the position eventually, but her face was pointed towards him. He supposed it was a miracle that he hadn't turned that way while he was sleeping. The thought of there first kiss as something as comical as this wasn't too endearing.
It seemed that she had managed to bury herself quite comfortably in the covers as her head was just poking out of the flap of cloth that covered the majority of her head. She seemed to be curled up in a tight ball, and what Shinji had thought was her back, seemed to be her legs, drawn close together at the knees, so as to keep warm. Her eyes were peacefully closed, with her eyes lashes twitching every so slightly as she breathed deeply. To top it all off, her mouth was slightly open, revealing a small glimmer of her white teeth.
As Shinji took all this in, (albeit attempting not to stare too much) Asuka shifted slightly in her sleep again, flipping onto her back now, and pulling the covers down to just below her chin. It looked as though she was a neatly wrapped Christmas present, excluding the bow.
Shinji's eye twitched slightly at what he could only describe as a cuteness hardly found in Asuka. Her normal abrasive behavior had completely evaporated and the annoyed look she almost always wore while she looked at Shinji was gone. Though he had to remind himself that this was because she was asleep. He found it unpleasantly painful to be tested in such a way as this. How was it that he could pilot a giant, twenty foot robot, fight monsters that were bent on destroying humanity, and save the word, yet he got flustered over a silly experience with a fifteen year old girl?
'This is really pathetic,' he thought.
Bitting his lip slightly, he carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, careful to ignore the peaceful look on Asuka's face.
He figured he had two options available to him. One: he goes back to sleep and forget this ever happened, and two: wake Asuka up and take a gamble on the events that happen afterwards. Maybe it was because he was trying to change himself, because option one simply felt as though he was running away again, so he decided to stick with option two. A part of him had to admit that, even though waking her up might be a painful experience, he still wanted to hear her voice.
And so, ever so carefully, he gently grasped Asuka's shoulder that was closest to him, and shook it. After several seconds of her not even flinching, he felt that maybe he should shake her a little harder, when her right arm came out of nowhere. Shinji who had been seconds away from letting out a loud shriek, let his breath subside, as he saw that she had merely moved her right hand, and position it over the top of his, which was still holding onto her shoulder.
'Why am I doing this,' he suddenly wondered before he finally called her name, first softly, but much firmer each repeated time. Eventually she relented.
First it was her eyelashes that flickered as her mind seemed to register the noise of his voice. Then the corners of her eyes twitched as they felt the darkness of the room creeping in. Finally after several more seconds of coaxing her, Asuka's right hand finally went to her eyes and started rubbing them absentmindedly.
"Asuka...can you hear me?" Shinji asked slowly.
Her simple response was, "Uhhhhhh..." He seemed to guess that meant yes, though he didn't think she realized exactly who she was talking to yet.
After waiting a few more seconds, Asuka's right hand finally left her eyes, which slowly opened to reveal the darkness. Moving her head upwards slightly, she looked around briefly before flopping back down onto a pillow, which they had thankfully not been sharing.
"Asuka?" asked Shinji again.
He saw her tilt her head towards him in the darkness and heard her say a few undefinable words.
"Whozhat?"
Guessing what she meant, Shinji let out a low chuckle and said, "...Shinji...of course.
"Shinji?" she asked back as if she had never heard the word.
As her eyes started adjusting to the darkness and the drowsiness seemed to leave her, realization seemed to dawn on her and Shinji thought he saw her eyebrows sore into her bangs, while her mouth started opening in a loud gasp, before he managed to quickly say, "Don't scream, it will only make this worse.
Still not understanding what was actually happening, Asuka was under the delusion that they were both back at Misato's apartment and he had snuck into her room while she was asleep.
"What. In. The. Hell. Are. You. Doing?" she annunciated with each word.
Shinji stared back at her in amazement and whispered, "I should ask you the same thing. Isn't this Nerv?"
Hissing back at him, Asuka said, "What? This isn't Nerv, its...wait..."
As the events of the previous day came flying back to Asuka, her entire face lit up like a Christmas light and Shinji was afraid that she was going to explode.
"Asuka calm dow-"
"Calm down!" she hissed back, "How can I be calm when I...We...what are you doing here anyway? This is my-"
"This is where I'm supposed to be...as for you," here Shinji's face turned slightly red as he finished, "well...you were next to me while I slept I guess."
Asuka opened her mouth and closed it furiously. "Thats impossible, yes I was sitting next to your bed for a while, but then I got tired and..."
And what? She could vaguely remember the conversation she had had with herself over sleeping in the same bed as Shinji's, but she had won. She had told herself it was disgusting, so why in God's name was she waking up to find herself so close to him that she could almost smell his breath-
At this point, Shinji wouldn't have been surprised if smoke started gushing out of Asuka's ears. Shinji could almost feeling the heat coming off Asuka as she blushed furiously.
"This is somehow your fault," she managed to say in between breaths.
"How is you sleeping next to me my fault?"
"I don't kno-"
Shinji just managed to plant the palm of his hand over her mouth as she was close to yelling her words through the room. Shinji didn't want to think what people would say if they caught them in an embarrassing situation as this.
After several seconds of being glared at by Asuka, Shinji realized that he still had his hand covering her mouth and quickly took it back.
"Sorry," he mumbled, "but I don't think its a good idea for people to...see us like this. Wrong misconception."
Asuka glared at him for a while before letting an indignant, "Hmph," escape her lips, before she rolled over and faced the side that wasn't facing Shinji, and more importantly, causing her to feel as though she had a strong head cold.
After several seconds of silence, Asuka surprisingly broke it.
"So...how do you feel?"
Surprised that she had asked so soon, Shinji turned toward her and said, "Better, I suppose. I wont know for certain until Ritsuko gives me a thorough medical examine though."
"Hmmm? You scared everyone half to death you know. I've never seen Misato in such a state of hysteria when the managed to drag you out of the entry plug. Even Ritsuko was showing remorse. Everyone had thought you had lost to much blood, but it seemed as though your body absorbed some of the LCL fluid as something of a placeholder, while your red blood cells replenished themselves."
"I...what?"
"I don't know," mumbled Asuka quietly, "its just what I heard..."
Shinji suddenly felt very violated at the thought of LCL fluid flowing through his veins.
"What about you," he suddenly asked, "how did you...deal with what had happened?"
Asuka was silent for a minute before she titled her head in his direction slightly. Sighing deeply, she rolled onto her back and started talking towards the ceiling.
"I was out for the majority of everything that happened. I awoke right when they were recovering Unit 01 and I remember thinking, 'where is Shinji?' I felt well enough to walk so I grabbed a shirt and some sweats and made my way to the Evangelion's chamber. When I saw that they had managed to recover you I...well I'm not really sure how to say it. I felt relief I suppose, even thought I didn't know whether you were truly alive or dead, though I guess a part of me knew that you were."
"Whys that?" Shinji asked softly.
"I don't know...maybe because of what you said yesterday to me, about coming back."
Shinji flushed slightly as he recalled his own words.
"And its a good thing that you did keep your promise-," replied Asuka, her tone suddenly growing cold.
Shinji face changed from a light shade of maroon to pale white so fast you'd have thought he had been kicked in the groin.
"-because I would have beaten you to a living pulp and dragged your ass half way around town making you buy stuff for me if I so much as thought you had left."
"...But I'm here," said Shinji, trying to remedy the problem.
Asuka contained her silence as she continued to look up at the ceiling.
"I suppose you are," she said after a few moments passed. Suddenly inhaling sharply, she filled her lungs up to the brim with fresh oxygen and released it as words came spiraling out of her mouth.
"And...I suppose that I'm glad you are here."
Shinji's mouth opened slightly in surprise at her words, but it was more the fact that she was smiling when she had said it that shocked Shinji.
"Now then," muttered Asuka as she turned towards Shinji with a slight smirk on her face.
Shinji felt as though a large wave was about to crash into him and was about to take a step back when Asuka said, "Out."
"...Hu-"
"Out," she repeated.
"Asuka wha-"
"Out, or if not sleep on the floor."
Finally understanding what Asuka was getting at, Shinji raised an eyebrow and said, "What? You don't want me slee-"
Asuka's hand came soaring out of nowhere and grabbed one of Shinji's ears, tugging on it painfully. Putting most of his self control into not yelling, Shinji desperately whispered back, "Ow, Asuka that hurts."
"Don't even think of something like that," she snarled back. "Its completely and utterly disgust-"
"You're the one that crawled in here in the first place, and in case you forgot this isn't the first ti-"
If Asuka had been embarrassed before, it was nothing to how she looked now. Her entire face lit up like an overripe cherry. Her eyes grew as wide as a child's does when it sees a large stack of presents under the Christmas tree. Her entire body seemed to draw backwards in surprise at what Shinji said, and if Shinji wasn't mistaken, he thought he saw that her eyes had started to water.
Realizing that he might have said too much, Shinji opened his mouth and reached out towards her to apologize, when she slapped his hand away saying, "Forget it."
Asuka then turned away from him and crawled towards the very edge of the bed, where she was likely to fall off.
Surprised at this sudden turn of events, Shinji sat on the edge of the bed for a minute, wondering what he should do when Asuka said with a slight hint of malice in her voice, "I can't sleep with you sitting on the edge of the bed, so either stay or don't. Just do something damn it."
Taken aback at what she had said, Shinji hesitated for a fraction of a second before carefully swinging his legs up onto the bed, careful not to brush against hers in the process. Folding the covers back, he slid his legs under them, during which he was almost positive that Asuka's heart rate had skyrocketed through her chest at his actions.
'Well this isn't awkward,' Shinji thought sarcastically. 'Just two confused teenagers sleeping in the same bed with the lights off and God knows what time it is in the morning. Nope...every things fine.'
'Like hell it is,' said a voice in his mind, but he ignored it.
Next to him, Asuka was sweating profusely. Why the hell had she said the things she had said? What in the hell had she been thinking at the time? And furthermore, why did she feel like she didn't care deep down. So Shinji had been right about her crawling into bed with him before, but that had been very different. First they weren't even using the same sheets or pillows, she had seen to that herself. Then he had become uncomfortable and left and she had fallen asleep in his room. What would happen now though? Would he eventually become uncomfortable and vacate to the floor? And why the fuck did she feel as though she didn't want that?
Just as she was about to turn towards him and ask him if he had considered sleeping on the floor at all, Shinji instead caught her off guard with his own question.
"Hey Asuka."
"What," she snapped back, not meaning to, but in her surprise she did anyway.
"I know that you don't like this any better than I do, but don't fall off the edge of the bed just because of this..."
Asuka realized what he meant, as both her legs were practically dangly over the side of the bed, while both her arms were almost able to touch the wall on her side of the bed.
"Thats," she started, but Shinji cut her off.
"I'm just saying...we should...share the space."
"Perv-"
"Asuka!"
"Fine, don't complain to me if I push you off your side of the bed though.
Shinji felt her body shift suddenly, and was starting to regret his words when he felt a soft 'plunk' land very close to his back. Next second, her silky hair brushed up against his back, but she seemed to noticed it, and tucked it behind her head. If Shinji were to turn towards her now, his noes would be a mere centimeter away from her back.
Feeling the awkwardness of there close proximity, neither was really sure if a conversation was even start-able at this point.
Asuka suddenly drew in a sharp breath, and let it out all at once as she sneezed. Shinji, without even a seconds thought replied, "Bless you..."
"...Thanks," replied Asuka.
There nervousness suddenly evaporated with this simple action, and if somebody had entered while they had been sleeping, they would have sworn that they had fallen asleep while facing each other.
The next morning was rather hectic when Shinji woke up. He had momentarily forgotten about the incident with Asuka last night, and thought nothing of it as he rolled onto his other side. Of course he was inches away from kissing her. It took Shinji several minutes to remember everything that had happened...well, what he supposed was earlier in the morning, since he assumed that it was morning by now. When he did though, he felt as though his head was about to explode.
'How the hell had it come to this,' he wondered.
Maybe it was an unspoken thing between them, something that really didn't need to be said. Maybe they had already excepted how close they were to each other, and just took this as another thing that drew them closer. Certainly they felt awkward about it, as any other couple of fifteen year olds would, but it was more the fact that they didn't want to accept how they felt about each other. Neither of them had a clear understanding of what love was, but both of them had felt the feeling of it in there lives.
And so it was that Shinji felt this as he watched Asuka slowly open her eyes.
It was still dark in the room, but not nearly as dark as it had been early in the morning. As Asuka slowly opened her eyes, the first thing that her eyes latched onto was Shinji, since he practically took up her entire field of vision.
Asuka's lips parted slightly as she saw Shinji and she momentarily, (just as Shinji) forgot what had happened earlier in the night. Realizing that his lips were a mere inches away from her own, she scooted to the very edge of the bed, and almost fell out of it.
"What the fuck are you doing you pervert-"
Shinji quickly cut her off by saying, "Sorry, I woke up like this...
Asuka gaped like a fish out of water briefly before she glared at Shinji and said, "You didn't do anything-"
"No, of course not-"
"because if you did I'd have to break that plastic chair over your head."
Shinji recoiled at the threat in her voice, and shrank back to the far side of his own bed. And here he had thought that after the end of last night, things would have improved greatly for them. Asuka though, seemed to have barely changed in the slightest.
"How'd you sleep?" asked Shinji the moment he felt that it was okay for him to venture into that territory.
"Terrible," she replied, "My back aches, my neck is sore, I have a pounding headache, and my eyes are suffering from having to look at you so much lately."
'So in other words,' though Shinji, 'no difference what so ever.'
"This hospital bed sucks," she finished. "I don't know how I managed to sleep on this uncomfortable bed this entire time.
'Probably because you were drugged up half the time,' thought Shinji as he got off the bed, being sure to not give Asuka anything else to gripe about.
With the darkness not quite complete as it had been last night, Asuka had got a bit more of an eyeful of Shinji then she had ever intended...or cared for.
As Shinji stood up, both him and Asuka realized that he had a hospital gown on, the kind that has the revealing flap in the back. As he pushed himself off the bed, the resounded force sent the flap soaring upwards, revealing his naked back and a little more in the process.
Shinji didn't realize immediately what he was wearing, though Asuka certainly did. Her face turned bright red and she felt as though her eyes were about to burn out of her socket. If steam could have erupted out of her ears, they would have.
Stammering heavily, as though she had a speech impairment, she replied, "Shi-Shi-Shin-Shinji..."
"What?" he replied as he turned his head towards her, shifting the flap so that it briefly revealed his hips, and a little more than Asuka cared to comment on.
Yelling much louder than she intended, Asuka cried back, "You disgusting pervert! You're naked underneath that!"
"I am?" asked Shinji as he turned his head to try to look behind him. He thought it had felt oddly drafty back there.
"Yes you are," yelled Asuka back, with her eyes firmly closed now. "So get out of here and change before I-"
Asuka cut herself off mid sentence when she realized what she had been about to say. Shinji raised an eyebrow in her direction wondering what she could possibly thinking. Shrugging his shoulders then, he walked to the door and realized that the latch to open it was much lower than he would ever have guessed last night. Turning his head around, he glanced at Asuka who's head was turned away from him, but he was almost certain that she could see him in her peripheral vision.
"What?" she finally snapped at him.
"Nothing," replied Shinji shaking his head. He didn't think it best to ask why she had locked the door.
Turning back towards the door, he slipped his finger under the latch and lifted up on it. Grabbing the door handle he opened it inward, and almost walked head first into Misato who had her hand poised in midair, about to knock on it.
"Shinji?"
"Misato?"
"Moron," Shinji thought he heard Asuka whisper behind him.
After picking themselves off the floor, Misato gazed back at Shinji and suddenly threw her arms over his shoulders and brought him into a motherly hug.
"Shinji you're okay. How do you feel? Does anything hurt? How is your-"
"I feel fine Misato...really."
"But you..."
"He's completely fine," said Asuka suddenly speaking up from where she was still tangled in the beds blankets.
Misato, just noticing that she was also in the room, parted her mouth slightly in surprise while her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Asuka...what are you doing here, and-"
"Nothing that should worry you," replied Asuka, signaling to Misato that she wasn't keen on the subject.
"...Right," replied Misato after a moments pause, though she would expect a better explanation later.
Turning towards Shinji, she said, "Shinji I know this is rather sudden but we need to run some tests on you-"
"That is no longer necessary," said a voice behind Misato.
Turning around, Misato saw that Ritsuko was standing behind her with a clipboard under her arm and a cup of coffee in the other. Whats more she had a large smile on her face.
"Shinji's lung has regrown itself somehow. Whether its because of some lingering affect from Unit 01 unique ability to regenerate, or Shinji's own physiological make up, I don't know. But the scar tissue that formed over his missing lung originally, seems to have molded in a full working lung."
"How is that possible?" asked Misato. "I thought that certain cells have certain functions that they only regulate."
"Normally yes, but it isn't to far a stretch to assume that Shinji's cells may function differently than the average human though. Don't forget that each cell in his body has a very small strand of angel DNA."
"Can we finish this so I can go back to bed?" said Asuka interrupting the biology lesson, clearly displeased about how things were going.
Ritsuko noticed then, just as Misato had done a little while ago that Asuka was in the room Shinji had slept in. Turning towards Misato, she raised and eyebrow at Misato who's nostrils seemed to be flaring.
"Then if there isn't any tests I need to take, I need to find some clothes...and something to eat."
"Thats the other thing I had meant to tell you," said Misato, "you've been given the day off...you and Asuka."
"Wha-"
"I know that recent events have been rather...trying on the both of you. So today I put in a request for leave time for both of you. No school, no synchronization tests, no on standby in case an angel attacks, just take the day off."
Shinji's mouth opened slightly but he quickly closed it.
"I still need clothes though-"
"Taken care of," said Misato as she suddenly tossed several pieces of clothing that had been slung over her shoulder.
"As for food...well frankly Nerv provisions have been cut short recently with the angel attacks. I'd recommend that you both find something in Tokyo-3 somewhere."
"Both?" asked Asuka speaking up again.
"Yes...both," replied Misato, peering around Shinji to get a better look at Asuka. "Since neither of you will be needed, its best if you just go out and have a good time...together."
The look on Asuka's face was rather skeptical until she finally said, "Well, I suppose I can always have Shinji carry the bags after I go shopping."
'Wonderful,' thought Shinji.
"Great," said Misato. "Asuka your clothes are in your room, so if you could go change, Shinji can change right here."
Asuka didn't like the way that Misato had emphasized your, when referring to where she was supposed to sleep.
Sighing slightly, Asuka said, "Fine, I'll get up."
It was then that Misato felt something she should have been aware of, but she was a bit late as Asuka slithered out from under the covers, and Shinji's face turned the color of a tomato.
You had to honestly assume that some force had possessed Asuka's body and mind last night when she had gotten in bed with Shinji, for no amount of alcohol, hormone malfunction, or teenage romance, could have forced Asuka into bed with Shinji...unless it was completely intentional on her part. As Asuka slid out of the covers, it was revealed what she was wearing. She had a short, loose, light blue tang top on that fell just above her waist so that if she threw her arms in the air, it would reveal the smooth skin of her stomach. As she tumbled out of the blankets, Shinji saw that the right strap holding the tang top on her shoulders had fallen down, and was now dangling in a free fall just above her elbow. If the right side of the tang top had fallen just a little more, Shinji would have gotten a glimpse of her right breast. Below was much worse, and it was here that Shinji's eyes had inadvertently darted when her, 'nakedness' was revealed before him. Her underwear consisted of white and blue stripped, cotton panties, with interlacing laces that held the underwear together at her hips. Quite frankly, it looked more like swimwear than anything else.
Shinji's mind drew a complete blank. Since when had Asuka started wearing stuff such as thi-
His train of thought was interrupted however as a plastic chair came hurtling towards him. Asuka, seeing the look on Shinji's face at her lack of proper etiquette, picked up the chair and thought nothing except wiping that look of his face.
Shinji could very well have blocked it, or sliced it in half with a simple thought with his AT-field, but maybe it was because it was Asuka who was trying to hurt him that he didn't even think of protecting himself. Instead, he moved to his left slightly, as the chair went soaring past his right ear. Thankfully, both Ritsuko and Misato had seen what he was doing and managed to get out of the way in time.
Asuka however was not about to relent and with her face the color of maroon, she started grabbing every object within her reach that had even the slightest chance of hurting him, and flung it at him.
"Asu...ka...calm...down," said Shinji, each word said as he dodged flying objects.
"YOU UNBELIEVABLE HORNY BASTARD," she shrieked back at him. "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT YOU FUCKING MORON? THAT I'D SLEEP IN JEANS?"
"Asuka calm down already," said Shinji, trying not to laugh and failing miserably.
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING YOU HORNY PERVERT?" she yelled back at him as she picked up the lamp side table and threw it at him.
Dodging it easily, Shinji said back while laughing, "Sorry...its just that it was funny and cute of you I suppose."
The air was suddenly devoid of objects bent on breaking Shinji's neck.
"What!" Asuka managed to say in between breaths. "Did you just call me cute!"
"Anything wrong with that?"
"Yeah there is, I don't want to hear something as disgusting as that, especially from you!"
Shinji simply rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever you say. I'll go find a bathroom to change and you can just change here then."
Walking past Misato and Ritsuko who where both gaping like fish out of water, Shinji rolled his clothes up into a small bundle and walked down the corridor, looking for a bathroom.
Asuka blinked, realizing that he was gone as silent fury radiated off of her.
"I'll just go get your clothes then," said Misato, trying to sound casual.
"Whatever," replied Asuka.
When Misato and Ritsuko both left, Asuka bolted upward and closed the door before anybody would be able to peer in and see her like this. Turning around, she sat back down on the bed and put a pillow in her lap where she buried her head in.
'Out of the few days I had chosen to wear that particular piece of underwear, why was today the one day that Shinji had had to see them,' she thought.
Punching the side of the pillow to mold it into a better shape, she let out a low sigh and said quietly, "He thought I was cute though? Don't give me that kind of crap. Stupid...idiot...embarrassing me like that."
Even so, why was her heart beating like crazy, and why did she feel so warm inside?
"Disgusting," she mumbled again before Misato came in with clothes and thankfully, a different pair of underwear. Asuka had a feeling she wouldn't be able to wear these without remembering this painful experience ever again.
"So where exactly are we going?" asked Asuka, clearly still grumpy about earlier events.
"A place," said Shinji simply.
"And what place is that?" Asuka snapped back at him.
"I found it while walking around Tokyo-3 yesterday."
"And what? You just decided to take me to it?"
"Well...something like that I suppose, though theres somebody I want you to meet also."
Asuka let out a low 'Hmph' and continued walking down the side walk, leaving Shinji trailing behind her.
Shinji let out a low sigh and had to wonder why Asuka's personality couldn't be like the weather right now. Looking up into the blue sky, he had to squint his eyes as the brightness of the sun seared his eyes. Well, he supposed that he was lucky that she had agreed to come along, considering what had happened earlier. He didn't think Asuka would ever forgive him, and Misato would certainly never let him forget about it.
As usual, the clothes that Misato had given him was his usual dark black pants and white button up shirt. Shinji wasn't sure why, but he just didn't feel comfortable in anything else. Asuka on the other hand...
Shinji glanced at her back as she continued walking briskly in front of him, which was strange considering she had absolutely no idea where they were going. Asuka was in a dark blue pair of jeans that...well, highlight her features particularly accurately, in Shinji's opinion. He supposed that Misato had purposefully chosen the pair. Surprisingly though, Asuka was not wearing her normal red shirt, in fact, she wasn't wearing anything red. (that Shinji could see at least) Misato instead, had given her a light blue t-shirt with the Nerv emblem on the back of it. Shinji was surprised by this...strange piece of clothing and it was clear to him that Asuka was not enjoying it in the least.
Suddenly being pulled away from his thoughts, he almost walked straight into Asuka who had stopped at an intersection.
"Well, which way?" she attempted to ask politely, but instead came off rather snobbish.
"Oh...sorry," replied Shinji as he walked past her, getting a faint whiff of the usual flowery smell that seemed to radiate off her. If he had to stand next to her for too long, he was afraid he might pass out.
"Its this way," said Shinji, recognizing a sign that was advertising for some new diet supplement.
Turning the corner, Shinji walked in front with Asuka just trailing behind him. Due to there close proximity, (and the fact that Tokyo-3's sidewalks are rather narrow) their arms kept on bumping into each other to the point that Asuka got so fed up with it that she linked her left arm around Shinji's right arm.
"What are you doing?" asked Shinji the moment he noticed that she had not shunned away from the skin contact.
"Forget about it and just keep walking," replied Asuka with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Or would you prefer I just drag you instead?"
"No, I wouldn't prefer that," said Shinji in a quiet voice.
"Good, then forget about it," said Asuka.
Shinji was slightly bemused at her decision; to any casual onlooker, they looked like a couple.
Maybe half an hour later, Shinji finally stood where he had the day before: directly across the street from where he had met Rebecca yesterday. As they had sunk deeper and deeper into the slums of Tokyo-3, Asuka had started to get mildly curious about where Shinji was taking her.
"Thats it?" she asked while looking across the street at the small cafe.
"Yep, thats it," replied Shinji.
"Looks like a dump."
Shinji turned to look at her with a hurt look on his face, as though he had been insulted personally. Seeing the look on his face, Asuka hurriedly said, "Well it does...I mean...its not the sort of place I'd ever consider eating at. Besides," here she looked around at the abandoned buildings that littered most of the street, "I can't imagine they get much business."
"C'mon," said Shinji slightly annoyed at her response.
Cupping his hand in her own, he started making his way across the street with her in tow.
He wasn't sure what he should expect as he opened the door to the cafe, though it looked as though nothing had changed. Everything was in the same place, including that terrible painting of the coffee cup behind the counter.
As Shinji walked up to the counter, he was starting to wonder if Rebecca had not come in today, when she came out of the back room with a book in her hand. She looked much the same as yesterday, except that today she had her long, dark hair, tied back in a ponytail.
No doubt because she had heard the chiming of the bell ringing above the door, she had come out of the back room, expecting to see Eein and his thugs wanting their cut of the day. What she didn't expect was to see Shinji standing precisely where he had been yesterday, when she had still thought he was a spoiled rotten child who had gotten into a fight with his parents.
She stood there for a second, rather stunned that he would appear before her so soon when his face broke into a smile, and ignoring the person a step behind him, she threw herself over the counter and brought him into a bone crunching hug.
"Shinji!" she yelled both happy and surprised at his sudden appearance.
Behind them, the corners of Asuka's eyes twitched slightly.
'What, first name basis already?' she thought suddenly feeling angry. Slowly her eyes trailed over the person who's name she did not know, comparing herself to her in the process. She didn't like what she saw. How old was this chick precisely, because she was a good four or five years older than Asuka herself. And then their was her...chest (Asuka refused to think of the other word) and the fact that it was pressed firmly against Shinji. The mere thought of this made Asuka feel like destroying every breakable object in sight. Looking down at her own features, she suddenly felt outclassed.
Shinji may have sensed the cold fury that was slowly starting to emit off the angry girl behind him, because he quickly untangled himself from Rebecca's surprisingly strong grip and stood back from her.
"I told you that I'd come by again," replied Shinji.
"I know but...I didn't think it would be this soon. I hadn't really expected you till like...next week, or something."
"Are you going to introduce me or not?" asked Asuka feeling left out and extremely grumpy.
Rebecca, just noticing Asuka said, "You must be the girl I had heard about...Asuka right?"
Asuka raised an eyebrow and turned towards Shinji with her hands folded in front of her chest and said indignantly, "How is it that she knows about me but I have absolutely no idea who she is, and furthermore, what have you been saying about me?"
"I had intended to keep it a surprise," mumbled Shinji almost inaudible.
"Big surprise that you failed," said Asuka sarcastically.
As Rebecca looked from Shinji to Asuka her impression was grossly different than what she had expected when Shinji had briefly mentioned Asuka last time.
"I'm sorry, but you caught me by surprise, so I'm not really sure what I'll be able to make-"
"Don't worry about it," said Shinji hurriedly, "two Cola's will be fine for now."
Beaming at him, Rebecca hurriedly retreated in the back room for glasses that she normally kept on hand for people she personally knew, leaving Shinji and Asuka to find a seat. Needless to say, the tension in the air was so strong you would have difficulties cutting it with a knife.
Finding a seat by the window, Shinji and Asuka sat down across from each other, with Shinji lounging back in his chair, while Asuka crossed her legs and planted her chin in the palm of her hands in clear irritation.
After several seconds of this, Shinji finally spoke up.
"Is something wrong?"
"Not at all," replied Asuka, making it quite clear that something was definitely wrong.
"But you seem...angry at something. Is it still because of earlier...I mean, I meant what I said, about you being cu-"
"It has nothing to do with that," said Asuka tensely, still remembering the unfortunate events of earlier."
"Then what is it-"
"Figure it out yourself," she snapped back at him.
Shinji winced at the tone in her voice and gaped back at her, confused at her sudden coldness towards him. Closing his mouth, he suddenly felt irritated in turn, and turned his head towards the window, determined not to look at her face...which he'd been sneaking glances at most of the way since they left Nerv.
As Rebecca came out of the back room, she immediately could tell that something had happened between the two, considering that she didn't hear any talking. She had assumed that they were at least very good friends, if not dating, but she was rather surprised at the coldness they were showing towards each other.
Walking up to the table they were seated at, Shinji put both glasses down on the table and asked, "Is anything wrong?"
"Not at all," replied Shinji and Asuka at the same time.
Rather taken aback, Rebecca was forced to bight down on her tongue to express her opinion at how stupid they were being. If she had had somebody special in her life, as both Shinji and Asuka did...well, she'd like to hope her life would have turned out differently.
Grabbing a chair from a nearby table, she spun it around and planted it on the ground, so that she sat next to both Shinji and Asuka. Sitting down on it with the back of the chair in the opposite direction, she spread her hands across the cool plastic, and rested her chin in her hands.
After several seconds of silence from both of the stubborn teenagers, Rebecca threw caution to the winds and dived into conversation with Shinji.
"Are you going to tell me what you were doing yesterday? I've heard plenty of rumors by now...but I'd prefer to hear it from your own mouth."
It took Shinji a second or so to remember what she was talking about, during which Asuka shifted her gaze away from the window and stared at Rebecca out of the corner of her eye. Why was she loathing this chick more and more by the second?
"Oh that...right," said Shinji, finally remembering his promise to her yesterday.
"So are you going to...you did promise."
A vein pulsated in Asuka's forehead. 'So he promised her something too?' she thought spitefully.
Shinji hesitated for a second before saying, "What exactly have you heard?"
"A lot really, though I've no idea how much is true. From what I've gathered, you are involved with some organization called Nerv, which has some surface dealings, but what its really done has always been kept hidden in the shadows. You hear a lot of strange stuff in this part of town. Anyways, it seems that something has been attacking Tokyo-3 and thats why the shelters have been opening so often recently. I heard that many times, people had tried to get footage of these things...but every time they did the JSDF would silence them and destroy the footage. I'm guessing that you, in some way, have helped to defeat these things."
Shinji was rather surprised at how close she was to the point, she just didn't know the finer details. It reaffirmed what he had thought before of her having strong critical thinking skills.
"And I'm guessing that you fit into this somehow Asuka," Rebecca said, turning towards her, "because you're an employee of Nerv also."
Asuka narrowed her eyes and asked, "How do you figure that?"
"Because Shinji used some card with your picture on it to buy a sandwich here before, so I'm guessing that you also work with Nerv."
Asuka blinked several times to show her surprise at Rebecca's deductive reasoning. Though she had not heard anything about Shinji buying with her security card that she had lent him. Turning towards him she mouthed, 'What is this about you buying stuff before?'
Shinji shrugged as though it didn't matter right now and turned back to Rebecca. Asuka was extremely annoyed at his obvious disinterest in herself and turned back to facing the window, determined to block out the conversation next to her.
"Well...I know I had said I would tell you everything later...but really its not something the general public should know about," said Shinji meekly.
"Can I really be considered part of the general public considering I've met both of you, and I know that you had something to do with what happened yesterday?" said Rebecca stubbornly.
"A little help Asuka?" said Shinji, turning towards her.
"...Oh? So now you want to talk to me?"
"...Whats up with you today? Ever since we got here you've been rather-"
"I don't care whether she knows what we do or not, but leave me out of it," replied Asuka sourly.
Shinji waited a second longer, hoping that Asuka would change her mind. When she didn't, Shinji let out a low sigh and said to Rebecca, "Fine, I'll tell you."
"Good," said Rebecca.
Standing up, she spun the chair around again, this time so that her back could rest against the back of the chair. If she was going to hear what Shinji was going to say, she may as well be comfortable.
Folding her arms in front of her chest, she crossed her legs in a way that Shinji was reminded briefly of Asuka. Pushing the thought to the side before it could take a firm hold in his mind, he opened his mouth and said, "I suppose that I should first tell you what the Evangelions are."
Rebecca blinked and asked, "Evangel...what?"
"I don't really know myself," said Shinji, "but they are giant robot-no...thats not quite right I suppose. They have flesh and blood so its closer to call them a cyborg I guess."
"So they are humanoid?"
"...I suppose its the closest you could call them. Anyways...we pilot these things called Evangelions."
"We?"
"Me, Asuka, and another named Ayanami Rei."
"Why though?"
"...Well, there are these...things called angels...why we call them that I'm not really sure. They attack here because of Lil-some reason." Shinji caught himself before he had let slip about Lilith. Even Asuka didn't know about the fact that an angel was buried beneath Nerv, and Shinji didn't think it wise for her to know.
Changing the subject, he said, "You know what Second Impact is of course."
"Yeah, thats when a meteor hit the South Pole and turned much of the ocean red, killing off marine life."
"Its not true," said Shinji bluntly.
"What! What do you mean not true!"
"Thats just something that world governments have fed to the general population. In truth, Second Impact initiated because of a science experiment that involved contact with an angel. The experiment...went wrong and the angel went on a rampage, destroying the scientists there and laboratories. What the angels are trying to do now is something similar. They want to start Third Impact, and recreate a new Earth without any harm from human beings, or at least, thats what I've been told."
"So then you...defeat these angels with the...Eva thingy's?"
"Yeah..."
"But why you...why Asuka?"
"...It has something to do with children born after Second Impact...brain waves I think."
"So then I couldn't help could I," mumbled Rebecca, more to herself than to Shinji.
"Why? Were you born before Second Impact?"
"Yeah, just four months before it happened."
"You should be thankful that you don't have to. Piloting them is a rather...gruesome experience."
"You sound bitter..."
"...I suppose I am. Our lives are changed because of the Evangelions so much that normal living is not possible...even if this all ends. We are always having to do tests with our Evangelions."
"Do you have your own?"
"Yeah, we each have our own that is uniquely for us. None of the others can pilot mine, and I can't piloting any of the others."
"...Then what happened yesterday, when you seemed to faint?"
Asuka perked up slightly at her question and turned her head a fraction of an inch towards Shinji.
Caught off guard momentarily, Shinji hesitating before saying, "That was...something different...not really important."
Attempting to change the subject, Shinji instead asked, "But what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Have you seen Eein at all since yesterday?"
"No of course not. I had momentarily thought it was him when you two came in so I was rather hesitant to come out of the back. I'm not sure what he'll do considering what you did yesterday."
"And what exactly did Shinji do yesterday," asked Asuka suddenly speaking up, still staring blankly at the window.
Rebecca and Shinji both looked at each other here. Shinji shrugged his shoulders, meaning that if Rebecca wanted to she could tell Asuka what had happened. She would ask him later about it anyway, if she didn't get an answer now.
"Well," Rebecca started, "Shinji came in looking sorta lost and ordered a Cola and two sandwich's. I wasn't having a very good day so I was rather...pissed at him I suppose without really meaning to. I remember he asked me what I was reading and we talked shortly then...just small talk. Then Eein and Gonzo came in and-"
"And who are these two?" asked Asuka.
"...You could call them something of my bosses I guess, though not in the normal sense. Eein considers me his property."
"So what...you're like his bitch or something?"
"Asuka!" retorted Shinji angrily.
"No its fine, she technically is right," said Rebecca. "My mom has a condition and I basically work for Eein to help pay off the debt I owe him. He comes in usually once a day and collects any money that I earned that day."
"That sucks," said Asuka, idly twirling a lock of her hair between her fingers.
"Yes it does, but I love my mom too much to give up on her. Anyways, Eein and Gonzo come in and like usual ask me whether I got any money, because they only care about cash. Shinji of course used your card and Eein got mad and started threatening me like he does sometimes. He wasn't in a very good mood that day either and, well, wanted me to pleasure him."
"Like what...sex?"
"Err, not quite, he never went that far, but he'd always want me to do...other stuff for him, though it usually never came to it."
Asuka couldn't help but shiver at the way Rebecca had said usually. She was reminded briefly of her own experience with a sex offender.
"At this point Shinji got...mad I guess."
'And with good reason,' thought Asuka.
"But he...I don't really know how to explain it...he threatened them I think."
Asuka's eyebrows soared into her bangs. "What? He threatened them?"
"I think...they backed off, but I remember that the air felt...hostile. It wasn't directed at me, but I still remember how Eein's henchmen looked...they were scared, really scared, as though Shinji could have killed them if he had wanted to."
Throughout this story, Shinji was calmly looking out the window, as though he didn't care how it ended.
"But they left and Shinji seemed to relax...I felt terrible at that point, because he had to see something like that, and because I think they would have done something if he wasn't there."
Asuka's mouth was slightly agape as Rebecca finished telling her story. Closing it with a snap, she fiercely turned towards Shinji and snarled, "What did you do!"
It took Shinji a few seconds to shift his gaze away from the window, but when he did, he looked into Asuka's clear blue eyes.
Repeating herself again, Asuka said, "What did you do!"
"Nothing," replied Shinji calmly.
"Shinji if you...if you-"
"I didn't...not again...I don't want to."
Relief seemed to wash over Asuka's face and if Rebecca hadn't been there she probably would have hugged him. She was afraid that he might have used his AT-field, even with the way Rebecca had described everything. She couldn't stand it if he was taken away again for more experiments. She'd probably go insane.
Propping her head up with the palm of her hand, she suddenly became thirsty, and gulped a large amount of the Cola down.
Shinji who had remained tensed while telling Asuka he had no intention of using his AT-field on another human again, suddenly relaxed and grabbed his own glass of Cola, intending on draining it.
As Rebecca looked from both Shinji to Asuka and back again, she finally asked what she had been wondering for a while now.
"Um...I've been wondering about this but...but are you guys like...dating?"
Cola spewed forth from Shinji's nostrils at her question, spewing snot and sugar water across the table. Likewise, across the table, something similar had happened to Asuka. She had swallowed a large gulp of Cola as Rebecca had asked her question, sending some of the Cola down her Trachea instead of her Esophagus, causing her to cough violently.
Seeing that she had obviously asked the wrong question, Rebecca quickly said, "Sorry, I just thought that you were, since you seemed to get along so well."
"What? With this idiot?" said Asuka in between coughing.
"Sorry," repeated Rebecca, "but it seemed like you could have been...so I asked."
"Not a chance...never in a million years," said Asuka stubbornly.
"I don't think I could have survived this long if we were dating," said Shinji, wincing at the feel of his nose.
A nerve twitched in Asuka and she was suddenly grabbing Shinji across the table and yelled, "You don't think you'd be alive if we were dating!"
"If this right here is any indication...no, probably not."
Asuka's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she let go of Shinji shirt and sat back down.
"Hmph, your probably right, we can't even get along properly anyway."
Rebecca looked from Shinji to Asuka, wondering how both of them could be so stupid when there was obviously a connection between them.
"I still need to go shopping," said Asuka suddenly.
"What do you mean still? I thought you decided you didn't want to-"
"I changed my mind, I've got a few things that I need to get. Besides, its not as though I need you with me or anything. So you can stay here and keep chatting for all I care."
"...Then you know how to get back without me?"
"Of course," said Asuka stubbornly.
"Okay then...I guess I'll hang out for a while longer with Rebecca. Do you want to meet somewhere or-"
Shinji cut himself off when he saw the hurt expression on Asuka's face. Seriously...what had he done to anger her in such a way?
"Asuka wha-"
"Forget it," she snapped back at him.
Standing up promptly, she spun around, her hair whipping across her face, and walked out of the cafe without another word.
Shinji meanwhile, was left sitting in his seat, wondering how the hell everything had turned so shitty in the last few minutes.
"What exactly just happened?" he asked to no one in particular.
Rebecca was silent as she stood up and grabbed what remained of Shinji and Asuka's glasses. Walking around the side of the counter, she dropped them into the dishwasher built into the wooden surface next to the sink.
Turning around, she saw that Shinji had budged an inch since Asuka left, nor gave any sign that he intended to go after. It was this, more than anything else, that made her voice her opinion.
"You really should go after her."
Turning towards her, Shinji asked, "Why? She obviously doesn't care whether I'm there or not."
Rebecca let out an audible sigh and walked back around the counter. Sitting back down in the chair she had recently vacated, she said to Shinji, "I know that you've never been good with other people Shinji, but can't you see that what she said isn't what she really wanted."
"I hardly ever know whats true when it comes out of her mouth. I don't even know why she's been so angry ever since I got here-"
"For God's sake Shinji, she was jealous!"
It took her words a few seconds to sink into Shinji's mind, but when they did-
"You've gotta be kidding me," said Shinji, trying his best not to laugh. "Asuka...jealous? Why?"
"Why? Because of me obviously!"
"You? But still why?"
"Shinji what do you think me?"
"What do I think of you?"
"Do you like me?"
"...Well yeah..."
"Then do you love me?"
Shinji didn't even have to think of that.
"No, I don't."
"How did Asuka view our relationship?"
"...How am I supposed to know?"
"Exactly, you can't know. She may have thought that you loved me or something. I can't imagine that she's had to contend with other females before anyway. She saw me as a...nuisance, in case you didn't realize it, nor did she like how easy it was for us to talk to each other, as though we'd known each other for a long time."
"Still thats-"
"Thats how girls think. She saw me as an obstacle, and the fact that I'm more mature and older didn't help her view of me. Shinji, let me ask you a question...how many girls do you know?"
Shinji was rather taken aback at the question but was about to count off on his fingers when she changed the question.
"That are your age."
"Um...there's Asuka of course...Ayanami...and Hikari I suppose, though I don't know the later very well."
"So Asuka has never had anybody to serious contend with from the sounds of things."
"I'm still confused...Asuka doesn't really...I mean...jealous? Thats not really her."
"Its not surprising for her age...jealousy is fairly common."
"But why...wouldn't she have to...like me...or-"
"Can't you see that she does!"
"She has an odd way of showing it," retorted Shinji.
"But she does still."
"I think you're making things more complicated than they are."
"And your stubbornly dumbing them down to your level of social expertise."
That one hurt, and Shinji could feel it.
"Sorry," said Rebecca hurriedly, "but it bothers me how stubborn both of you were. I feel that...if maybe I had somebody in my life that I could have trusted and cared for...well maybe things would have turned out a bit different." She said this while gesturing around at her current environment.
"Look," she continued, "I can see that not only you, but she too has stuff buried deep that she doesn't want to talk about. Maybe you've heard some of it, maybe not, I don't want to know. Point is, is that you both have something to lean on when you're hurt or troubled. Accept it...for there may come a time when it is no longer there, and you will start to long for it."
Shinji was silent for a while as he churned everything over in his head.
"So? What are you going to do?" asked Rebecca as she placed her hands on her hips.
Wordlessly Shinji stood up and muttered a brief thanks before hurrying out the door.
Rebecca stood still for a moment or so, and watched as Shinji started running in the direction where he hoped Asuka would be.
"If they don't end of together, I swear I'll make them both sit through counseling, even if I have to do it myself."
Shinji didn't have to go very far until he saw Asuka leaning against a brick building with glass window panes.
Skidding to a halt, he bent over with his hands placed on his knees and started breathing laboriously.
"So you came back," said Asuka as though he was a disobedient dog who had just returned to its master.
"Yeah...I...Did..."
"And why is that?" Asuka asked with a snarl, "didn't I say that I didn't care whether you were with me or no-"
"But I want to be with you!" Shinji shouted out into the open air.
Asuka literally turned into a frozen statue at his words and if Shinji had known, a pleasant shiver started at the top of her spine, and made its way down her back.
"What did you say?" she managed to whisper.
"I-I don't know...it just doesn't feel...right, if we aren't together. So I want to be with you."
"And what about Rebecca huh? Do you want to be with her also?"
"Asuka its not like that with her...it never was."
"Then what is it hmmm?"
"She's like...she's like an older sister to me."
Asuka blinked back at him, surprised at his choice of words.
"She's like a sister to you?"
"Yeah, somebody who's older than me, who knows more than I do and somebody I can ask for help or advice when...something I don't know is bothering me."
"I don't believe you!"
"Asuka...are you jealous."
"Jealous...me? As if!"
'Then why did you feel so angry whenever Shinji and that girl were talking to each other,' asked a voice in her mind.
'Shut Up!' she shouted back.
"Then what was wrong back there? Why did you leave so suddenly?"
"I didn't like it there. The Cola was watered down and the atmosphere sucked."
"Asuka!"
"What damn it!"
"Why are you being like this!"
"I'm not being like anything!"
"Yes you are, you're angry at something which has no basis."
"I'm not mad!"
'Yes you are,' replied the voice in her mind.
'No I'm not!'
'You didn't like how easily they got along. You didn't like that they had been able to talk so easily with each other, while you and Shinji are still rocky to this day.'
'Shut the fuck up!'
'You were annoyed!'
'Shut up!'
'You hated it!'
'Shut up!'
'You were jealous.'
"IS IT SO WRONG FOR ME TO HATE IT!" Asuka yelled into the open air, completely catching Shinji of guard.
"IS IT WRONG FOR ME TO FEEL ANNOYED! IS IT WRONG FOR ME TO FEEL JEALOUS!"
"Asuka," said Shinji attempted to stop her screaming, but was brutally cut off by the next sentence.
"YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT CARES ABOUT ME! NOBODY ELSE DOES! MY FATHER, MY STEPMOTHER THEY DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ME! I HATE THE FEELING OF LONELINESS. I DON'T WANT TO EVER FEEL IT EVER AGAIN. I DON'T WANT YOU TAKEN FROM ME!"
"Asuka, I'm not going anywhere," Shinji attempted at a normal volume conversation.
"LIAR! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS WHEN YOU HAD BEEN CONFINED AT NERV! EACH DAY WAS A STRUGGLE! EACH DAY I HAD TO FORCE MYSELF TO CONTINUE WITHOUT YOU THERE! EACH DAY WAS...Each Day Was...each day was..."
Asuka's words slowly sank into a dull whisper.
"Asuka, I told you, it was never like that with Rebecca, and I'm not leaving yo-."
"Why! Why is it like this!"
"Asuka wha-"
She suddenly crashed into him with her full body weighed, sending him reeling backwards onto the hard cement sidewalk.
"Asuka what are you-"
Her fist pounded against his chest.
"I hate this feeling," she whispered.
"Asu-"
'I HATE THIS FEELING!" she yelled as she pounded her fist against his chest again, angry tears streaming down her face and splashing onto Shinji's shirt.
"I hate it, I hate it, I hate it...but I cant get rid of it damn it! Why? Why do you always make me feel so-"
Shinji's index finger pressed against Asuka's warm lips, affectively silencing her rant.
"Asuka...stop please, you're crushing me."
"I don't care about that right now," she retorted through half closed lips. "I don't care about angels, Evangelions, or if the whole fucking world explodes right now. Right now...all I care about is you and me."
"Then can you please get off me already?"
"No...not until you promise me something."
"What?"
"...That you'll never look at anybody else..."
"Asuka thats rather hard to-"
"Of the opposite sex! Do I really need to spell it out for you!"
"Even so...oh...I get it."
"You're mine and mine alone...nobody else's."
"Then does that go for me also?"
"What? Of course not...I'm still free after all."
"Fine, great, can you get off me now? I think I bruised my spine."
"Shinji!"
"What!"
It was then that Shinji realized just how serious Asuka was about this as he looked back into her sky blue eyes. He wasn't sure when it had all happened, but he supposed that it had been coming on for a while. They were both just to stupid to accept it earlier.
"Promise me you wont leave...ever...I can bear everything else...but I can't bear losing you again. Not to another person, not to laboratory experiments, not to death."
"My spine..."
"Shinji...please. I know I've asked much from you...but this, this one thing..."
At that point, the pain in Shinji's back suddenly disappeared, leaving a warmth he had never felt. Propping himself up on his arms, he looked Asuka in the eye and said, "I promise never to leave you, nor look at any other woman...is that good enough?"
"It'll do," said Asuka thoughtfully. "Though you didn't word it very well...it sounded like some wedding vow."
"It felt like one," said Shinji blushing slightly.
"You better keep your word...if not I'll-."
"Kill me, yes I know."
"Correct...now I suppose I should get off you...my legs are starting to hurt anyway."
"Ah...wait a minute Asuka."
"What?"
Asuka blinked and Shinji had moved so fast that she was now looking partially down his shirt and the other part was looking at his chin.
"Huh?" she thought as she felt Shinji's warm breath against her forehead, parting her bangs slightly.
"Shi-Shin-Shinji...what are you-"
Asuka's optical nerves shut down completely as Shinji's lips made contact with her forehead, and her entire body suddenly shut down shortly after that. Every nerve in her suddenly felt the huge electrical shock surge through her body as her brain registered the fact that Shinji's lips were touching her skin. If smoke could come out of ears from a fried brain, they would have here.
Shinji softly pressed his lips against her forehead, and parted them slightly, inhaling the flowery scent that he was so accustomed to...though this time it was overpowering, and he felt his mind slipping. Trying to ignore the burning sensation in his stomach, he felt that he could no longer sit up as such, and let his body go falling back to the earth. Well, he thought that he had surprised Asuka mightily well at least, and sure enough when he looked up at her, still straddling his waist, she looked like an overripe strawberry. He couldn't imagine he looked much better though; his face felt incredibly flushed.
"So..." said Shinji trying to sound as though nothing had just happened, "you can get off me now."
Silence was greeted at his words.
"Asuka...are you going to get off or-"
"Shinji, y-you j-just...k-k-kiss-"
"...Yeah, I did. So can you please get off-"
The shock of what Shinji had done seemed to be too much for Asuka to handle, and she leaned like a drunk to her left and slid off of Shinji's waist.
"Oi Asuka! Are you okay?"
"Of course not you idiot," she managed to mumble back. "You just...for no reason...bothers...me..."
"Well, I don't know about the no reason part but-"
"Forget it," mumbled Asuka, sitting upright with her legs crossed blushing furiously. "It was just because of the moment...so I'll forgive you for it."
'Are you sure you didn't enjoy it?' thought Shinji silently to himself.
"So are you still planning on going shopping?" asked Shinji.
"...No, I don't think I ever intended to...I just...wanted to spend some time with you today...just the two of us, since we hardly get this chance now days."
"...Then where should we go?" said Shinji standing up and holding out his hand to Asuka.
"No clue, some food first I suppose," replied Asuka, accepting Shinji's gesture and placing her hand in his.
Shinji effortlessly lifted Asuka to her feet; she was really quite light.
"Hmm...I think I have a place in mind," said Shinji.
Asuka narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion, "It better be good, for making up what happened earlier."
"You're saying you don't like Rebecca?"
"No I like her, but I don't like the fact that you two seemed so close."
"So you were jealous?"
Asuka muttered something unintelligible, which Shinji to mean she didn't want to talk about what she had said recently.
"So where is this place?"
"Where I used to live before I met Misato. Its a ways away, but it is good...italian food."
"Like I'll believe the Japanese even know how to make italian...but whatever, lead the way I suppose."
"Hmmm, okay then."
Strangely enough, since Shinji had lifted Asuka to her feet, their hands had not parted.
Gendo stood in his dark office, flexing his right hand and examining the way the new skin had flaked over the old. The dead skin cells were already starting to flake off, and he didn't know how long he'd be able to maintain his new right hand; the decay had already started to set in. After all, his body wasn't fit to contain an angels DNA. However...soon he would be reunited with the one he loved. But things were becoming more complicated. Seele was bound to interfere soon, as they have started to look into Shinji's back history, and then unconfirmed rumors of the fourth child being selected had reached his ears. The Eva series was nearing its completion, while Unit 01 had finally consumed the S2 engine...and yet something seemed amiss. Things had not gone completely the way his design of fifteen years had predicted. Almost as though some outside interference was changing the way things were meant to be.
'Lilith and Adam?' he thought silently. 'The harbingers of death and rebirth...'