A woman approached a gravestone, where a rose-colored wreath lied, tattered and torn. The grass had grown and poked through the gaps in the wreath, making green accents to the faded red. The grave was peaceful and quiet, no one else was around, no one to bother her during this time. The woman sat down next to the grave, looking at the name inscribed on it. Memories flooded back; all the good times, when they laughed; the bad times, when she cried in his arms; the look in his eyes as she lied to him. Tears welled up in her eyes—after all this time, it still hurt like a fresh wound.
"Where have all the good times gone? Why did they have to end like this? Why couldn't I have been better?" The tears fell heavily now, blurring her vision. The evening sun was setting behind her and she could feel the warmth fading. Just as the warmth she'd felt from her memories had faded; just as the warmth she'd had with him had faded.
The woman placed a hand on the grave, running it down across the letters of his name. Though she'd never allow herself to admit it, she felt like she was dead too. He had brought so much with simply his presence, and now she had nothing. His smile made her day and now her frown steals the joy from everyone else. She felt alone; no one could understand how she felt, no person on Earth could share her pain, her loss. She'd known the risks; loving that hard could only lead to sorrow just as intense. And now she was paying the price. Alone. Because he was gone.
The tears returned in force as more memories flooded her mind. Images of them watching TV and making fun of shows. "Why those memories?" She'd began to speak to the grave the last time she'd visited, she didn't understand why, but it made her feel a bit better. Like she was updating him on her life, and asking him questions that she had. Even though she knew he couldn't answer, it comforted her to know she'd asked him.
She sighed and wiped her eyes. "Well. I've got a new job. It pays nice, I can afford my own place again. You'd like it; its got a big balcony and a great view of the mountains. It's like that old apartment from before Third Impact. It reminds of it a bit too much sometimes… And I stop and relive all the things that happened in that place. The good and the bad. But this new place is only a couple blocks from my job. It's a boring desk job, but it keeps me distracted. Y'know, I never thought that I could be happy working one of those jobs. Heh. You always did say to get out of my comfort zone. I wish you could come over… I wish I could see you again. You know that I've never been great with my emotions but… I really miss you. Things are so… upside down now."
The wind blew, driving the cold up her spine. The sun had set and the darkness was all that kept her company. But she stayed next to the grave, next to the place that had become her shrine.
"It's been hard to move on since you… left. But I'm trying. Heh. I've even," the tears returned and her voice broke. "I've even got friends clamoring, trying to set me up a date. Could you imagine that? Me, getting all dressed up to go on a date with some guy I don't even know. Ugh."
The cold was too unbearable by now. The woman stood and bade goodnight to the grave, then she turned and walked back towards her car. Two others waited next to it for her: A young man with blue eyes and brown hair and a beautiful young woman with blue eyes and fiery red hair. The two stood hand-in-hand and only nodded at the woman.
"Ready to go, Misato?" The young man asked.
"Yes, Shinji, let's go."
Well, that was a heaping dose of depression. Some housekeeping: these stories are all one-shots, mostly involving Shinji & Asuka pairings, but will also focus on other characters and pairings (like Kaji & Misato). The lengths will also probably vary a lot, as exemplified in the previous two stories and this one.
Thanks for reading,
Commander Sarco