Chapter 8
Morning glow flooded into the apartment basking everything in a golden light.
Misato was the first to awaken, she sleepily exited her room and began her morning routine. First, she checked on Shinji, something she did every morning regardless of his current condition. She then moved to the bathroom to brush her teeth, once finished, she took her spot at the table in the kitchen with a cold beer.
Shinji was the next to awaken, the aching of his wounds waking him up. The boy sat up and got to his feet, a surprisingly difficult task in his current condition. He slowly got up and made his way to the bathroom, also brushing his teeth.
"Good morning, Misato." The boy took his seat across from Misato. He rested his head on the table, practically falling back asleep.
"Morning, Shinji! Feeling better?"
"The painkillers they gave me wore off. everything is starting to hurt…"
The boy was sore all over. NERV medical technology and teams of doctors were amazing but more focused on keeping you alive and getting you ready to work again rather than easing your pain.
"Aww, poor Shinji. I'll talk to the doctors, see if we can't get you something for the pain."
"Thank you, Misato…"
Misato took another sip of her beer, a slightly anxious look forming on her face as she sat it down.
Shinji noticed that Misato seemingly wanted to tell him something, but was biting her tongue.
"Is everything okay, Misato?"
"Well… I have something to tell you, Shinji."
The woman took another drink of her beer and let out a deep sigh.
"Yesterday a representative from the government came to my office. I told him about the attack that happened the other day and he was quite worried with the information. He has tasked NERV with hunting down the rogue Evangelions."
This surprised Shinji. He knew there was a possibility that the other Evangelions were out there but for NERV to forsake their typical defensive stance and go on the offensive was a shock.
"H-hunt them down?"
"Right. Hunt them down and exterminate them. It's the last wrong NERV has to right. I still intend to keep my promise to you, and honestly, I considered not even telling you this in the first place but the choice should be yours. These things can't be harmed with typical weapons, another Evangelion is the only thing that could defeat them, and you're currently the only person who could pilot. Say the word and we'll find another way, a new pilot, a new dummy system, whatever. You don't have to do this."
Shinji felt a chill run down his spine knowing he was the only one who could kill these things. Asuka was in no condition to pilot and he couldn't just dump the responsibility on some other poor kid who would be recruited as the new third child. He knew he had to be the one to do it but fighting only one left him wounded, could he really take on eight more on top of that?
The boy sat in silence, struggling to decide.
"W-well… there's no one else, is there? So it'll have to be me. I'll do it."
This was the answer Misato didn't want to hear. She had hoped the boy would denounce piloting and never put his life on the line again.
"If that's what you want… they were wanting to run a sync test today, feeling up for it?"
"I guess so…"
Suddenly the sliding door to Asuka's door opened. The girl emerged from her room and made her way to the bathroom, saying nothing to the two.
"Well… she's out of her room. That's good, I guess." Misato said under her breath.
The girl entered the bathroom and locked the door, making little noise.
"I hope she doesn't break something else in there…"
The mirror in the bathroom was still absent, an empty frame in its place.
"She better not. it's our only bathroom."
Asuka stared at the space where the mirror used to be, the wounds on her hand still aching.
'Sync test? Just back in the saddle like nothing even happened…'
Asuka grabbed her toothbrush from its holder and began brushing her teeth.
'He's this fucked up after only facing one. What does he think will happen with the other eight?! But Mr. People-pleaser can't say no. Should've just gotten some other schmuck to do it.'
Asuka was gripping her toothbrush harder, the plastic bending from the force.
'Idiot doesn't know what he's getting himself into.'
Asuka spit the toothpaste into the sink and rinsed off her now-bent toothbrush. She put her toothbrush away and stood in front of the bathroom door, anxious to face her housemates.
'I can't let him get himself killed.'
Asuka slowly opened the door, a creak on the hinges ringing out through the apartment. Asuka moved to the table, taking her seat as far away from the two as possible.
"Good morning, Asuka."
"Misato."
The three shared a short awkward silence, neither of the two knowing what to say to the girl.
"So, you're piloting again?" Asuka was speaking to Shinji, her gaze piercing deep into his soul.
"I-I am…"
"Why?"
Shinji was taken aback by the question, the girls threatening demeanor freaking him out.
"Because I have to… there's no one else…"
"And what? You're just going to fight them all? Look at yourself. All of that is from just one… ONE! And you really think you're gonna be able to do this eight more times? Your luck will run out far before that."
"I have to…"
Asuka scoffed and moved her eyes to Misato, who was trying her best to avoid eye contact.
"Then I'm doing it too. Im not gonna let this idiot get himself killed."
"Are you sure, Asuka?" Misato looked to the girl, who had a determined, and angry, look on her face.
"Yes. I'll do the sync test too, then."
"Asuka, you know you don't have to-"
"Yeah yeah, I don't have to pilot, whatever. But if Shinji is going to then I will too."
Misato could see through the tough act Asuka was putting up, she hid it well but she was terrified.
"If that's what you want… Well, they were wanting to run the test at three, we'll have to do some check-ups on you two before we let you get in the plugs so we'd better get going."
The three got dressed and ready to leave. The kids began mentally preparing themselves for the day as Misato drove them to base.
The hum of the decontamination chamber lights were loud, amplified by the fact that not a word was being spoken between Asuka and Shinji.
The kids always hated sync tests. The tests themselves were stressful and the protocols to even start the tests were time-consuming.
Before they could put on their plug suits they had to be blasted with decontamination spray. The spray would cause any cuts or bruises, something Asuka and Shinji currently had plenty of, to sting. The decontamination sequence was complete and the two entered the next room, a small dressing room with an opaque divider between the two sides. Sitting neatly folded on a bench were their plugsuits and interface headsets.
Shinji slipped into the plugsuit, the loose suit shrinking into a tight fit with the press of a button. Through the opaque barrier Shinji could see Asuka's silhouette.
"Asuka?"
"What?"
Shinji stuttered slightly as he picked up his interface headset, clipping it to his head.
"I just wanted to say thank you. I've been nervous about piloting again, but knowing that you're doing it with me makes it easier. I know it's probably tough for you too and I just want you to know… we're in this together."
"Thanks… Shinji…
The girl had a warm smile on her face that was hidden from the boy by the opaque barrier between the two. His words eased some of her anxiousness, letting her know she wasn't entirely alone.
'Together.'
After getting dressed they entered the final chamber, a small room with their entry plugs at the other end. They climbed in and got ready for the worst part.
A deep red liquid began slowly filling the entry plug. Watching it rise made them anxious, no matter how many times they'd done it. The liquid covered their heads and they began to allow the liquid to fill their lungs, a horrible process. The liquid was oxygenated and would infuse oxygen directly into their bloodstream but their lungs being filled with the liquid felt like they were in a constant state of drowning. It was practically torture.
With a clunk the entry plugs descended into a partially flooded room, they came to a rest and the initialization sequence began. Bright colors flashed brightly and the walls around them became transparent.
"Beginning synchronization test, vital signs for both pilots are normal." The female lieutenant typed away at her terminal, initiating the next stage of synchronization.
Misato watched on through the window in the control room.
"What are their current levels?"
"Shinji is currently resting at fifty-two percent, Asuka is maintaining a level of… fifteen."
'You can do this, Asuka.'
Asuka's levels were significantly better than the ones she had after her encounter with Arael but she was still held back by the memories of her final experience in her Eva. Merely sitting in her entry plug caused her to relieve the fight with the mass-produced Evangelions. She was trying her best to stay focused as her breaths became shallow and an anxious feeling crept down her back.
'No… no...'
She began hyperventilating as the memories of her fight flashed before her eyes. She was reliving her duel with each of the Evangelions, gory imagery of their revived corpses filling her mind.
Suddenly, the image of a spear hurtling toward her flashed into her mind. She began screaming and slamming her hands into her controls.
"Sync rate dropping, she's down to single digits!"
"Get her out of there! Raise entry plug!"
The power to Asuka's entry plug was cut, the lights in the plug went out and she was left in darkness. She curled up into a ball and began sobbing.
The hydraulic arms lifted her plug back up into the chamber and the hatch opened. LCL flooded out onto the tiled floor and swirled around the drains. Asuka fell out of her plug and began vomiting LCL, the liquid that filled her lungs violently being expelled.
She got to her feet and ran through the decontamination chamber with her hand holding her stomach. She burst through the doors into the female locker room and opened her locker. She pushed her clothes aside, not bothering to take the time to get changed, and grabbed her house keys. She slammed her locker shut and left the room.
Asuka marched through the halls, making her way to the exit so she could go home.
"Asuka!"
Behind, Misato ran out into the hall. She spotted the girl and jogged to catch up to her. She reached her hand out and grabbed the girl by the shoulder, her hand being violently slapped away. The girl spun around, her eyes were filled with tears and her face was snarled.
"Don't fucking touch me Misato!"
Misato was shocked by the girl's fierce reaction, all she wanted to do was help her but Asuka wouldn't give her the chance.
"Asuka, you don't have to go through this alone. If you just let me help we can-"
"You think I want your fucking help? You think you can just come to my rescue and act like my "mommy" like how you do with Shinji? What a joke. You're nothing but a stranger. You think sitting down and talking about it will make it better? Make what I went through go away? You have no clue what it was like Misato, what it's still like. You just send us out and pick up the pieces of whatever comes back. I don't need your help, I don't need anyone's help."
Misato was speechless. It was clear she couldn't comfort the girl, even if she did let her help. She just watched as the girl stomped away.
Shinji burst into the hall, dripping with LCL.
"Misato! Where's Asuka?"
Misato was silent, she had a sullen look on her face and was keeping her eyes down.
Shinji looked ahead and saw Asuka angrily marching down the hall. Seeing this, and the state Misato was in, allowed Shinji to somewhat discern what had happened.
"M-Misato?"
Misato was trying her best to not let the girl's words get to her, she knew she was just lashing out to cope with her trauma at the hands of the Eva series but the words hurt nonetheless. Ever since Kaji's death and the deterioration of her relationship with Ritsuko, Misato had been feeling increasingly lonely. She started to grow more and more attached to the kids, in some ways seeing them as her own, especially Shinji. Asuka's admission of seeing her as a mere stranger hurt her deeply.
Misato began crying softly, her tears falling onto the floor.
Shinji saw this and felt an uneasiness creep into him. He wasn't good with comforting people.
"U-um…"
Shinji had been in this situation before, Misato crying and him looking onward not knowing how to help her. But this time he felt he couldn't just ignore it and walk away. She had been there for him so many times in the past, he needed to be there for her.
Shinji reluctantly raised his hand, he disliked physical contact with others but he had started to get comfortable with the idea when it came to Misato.
He placed his hand on her shoulder, his arm shaking from his nervousness. Misato turned to Shinji, her head facing down and her eyes filled with tears. She grabbed the boy and pulled him close, she knew he was reluctant to share physical contact with others and that his shoulder touch would be the extent of his courage, so she closed the gap. She began crying into his shoulder, his arms awkwardly out to the sides rather than returning the hug. He slowly brought his arms in and held her, his head resting on hers.
The two held the hug for some time, not saying a word. Eventually, Misato let go of Shinji and pulled away from the boy, his shoulder was stained with tears.
"A-are you okay, Misato?"
"I'm fine Shinji… what she said just… cut deep I guess."
The woman gave the boy a warm smile, Shinji awkwardly returned it.
"Thank you, Shinji. Why don't you go get cleaned up so we can go home, okay?"
"Okay, Ms. Misato."
Shinji returned to the changing room and cleaned up. He washed the LCL off of himself and changed back into his normal clothes, Misato sat in the hall waiting for him. Shinji came out and the two made their way to the subterranean garage.
The drive home was slower than usual, Misato not quite eager to hurry home and see Asuka again. Misato deviated from the usual path home and instead headed across town to a small ramen stand.
"What are we doing here, Misato?"
"Do you remember this place, Shinji? We all came here quite some time ago. The owner recently reopened and I had planned on us stopping by as a reward for completing the tests. I'm not in a hurry to get home, I'm sure Asuka could still use some time to cool off."
"I do remember. We settled on this place because Rei couldn't eat meat…"
Shinji reflected on that day. Back before everything went awry. It was a rare time Shinji was happy. His relationship with his father had yet to be completely tarnished and he felt like he was finally taking the first steps to open himself up to others. It hurt to think back to that time, to think of what went wrong and what could have been.
"Shall we?"
Misato's question broke Shinji out of his thoughts, she had a comforting smile on her face as she awaited Shinji's response.
"Yes!"
Misato excitedly exited the vehicle, Shinji following closely behind. They ordered two bowls and sat on a nearby bench.
"Just as good as I remember!"
Misato slurped up the noodles, the bowl being quickly devoured. Shinji took a slower approach, barely having touched his food by the time Misato was finished.
"Need help with that?" Misato said as she scooted closer to Shinji, eyeing his food.
"Huh? No! Hands off!"
Shinji feebly fought off the woman, unable to stop her from stealing most of his food.
"Ahh now yours is gone too… don't worry, I'll get us some more!"
"Eat your own this time…"
Misato got another round for the both of them, this time restraining herself from stealing Shinji's. When finished the two returned to the car. But before they left Misato had one more thing to do.
She pulled a small purple box with a bow from underneath the back seat. She handed it to Shinji with a wide smile on her face.
"F-for me? What's this, Misato?"
"Open it. It's for all the help you've given me ever since I was appointed commander."
Shinji nervously opened the box. He gently unfurled the purple ribbon and pulled it apart. Opening the lid revealed an SDAT. The SDAT looked quite different from his, with a more modern finish to it.
"A music player?"
"Yep! You always use that old one so I thought I'd get you a newer model. I saw it while shopping one day, it comes preloaded with music so you won't have to buy any tapes! Classical, pop, rock, and even metal, it has them all!"
Misato was excitedly awaiting the boy's response, desperately hoping he would like it. She wouldn't tell him but the newer model came with quite a hefty price tag.
"Thank you so much, Misato… this is amazing!"
Shinji didn't get gifts very often. His face was bright red, overwhelmed by the emotions involved.
"I'm glad you like it. You've been such a huge help for me ever since I was promoted to commander so it's the least I could do. Thank you, Shinji."
Misato had a loving smile on her face as she watched the boy play around with his new SDAT. The gift was a small price to pay for everything the boy had done for her. Ever since Shinji first moved in all that time ago he had handled all the housework. Now, with how busy she was with her new position, Misato had grown to rely on the boy.
"Well… It's getting late. We better get home."
Misato had put off going home for as long as she could. She had hoped Asuka would be asleep by the time they returned so she wouldn't have to face her, still hurt by her words. She put the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking space, starting the drive home.
Asuka sat on a bench underneath the stairs that led up to the apartment. She would often come out to get away from Misato and Shinji, the familiar buzz of the nearby vending machine offering her some sort of comfort.
'Why are you so weak? Why are you letting them get to you?'
Asuka was enraged with herself, feeling ashamed she couldn't even get through a simple sync test, something she always excelled at. Merely sitting in the practice plug had brought back grim memories of her final moments, the weakness she showed only serving to make her every angrier with herself
Asuka heard a car engine pull into the lot, followed by two doors being opened and closed. She pulled her feet up onto the bench and tucked herself into the dark corner of the bench, knowing who it was.
Shinji and Misato walked past, Asuka hidden well enough to avoid detection. The two were chatting and laughing about something, Asuka just tuned them out as they walked up the stairs to the apartment. Asuka despised how close the two would be at times. She despised the attempts made by Misato to get close to her. She felt she was beyond the need for a mother figure, having cut off that part of her long ago. Yet, she still felt jealousy at the relationship Shinji and Misato had cultivated. The boy was somewhat able to recover from the loss of his mother, allowing another to fill the spot, whether he knew it or not, unlike Asuka.
'Stranger.'
Asuka felt the guilt of what she said to Misato creeping into her. She had lashed out viciously at the woman, she didn't deserve to be called a mere stranger by the girl who she had been there for from the start. She was no mother to Asuka but she was far from a stranger.
'I'm sorry, Misato…'
Asuka heard a set of soft footsteps approaching from ahead of her, she quickly got up and put some change in the vending machine, acting like she was simply grabbing a drink, not wanting a stranger to see her weakness. She bent down and grabbed the soda, putting on her best deadpan look as the footsteps rounded the corner.
"Asuka!" A girl's giddy voice called to Asuka.
"H-Hikari?!" Asuka dropped her soda on the floor, it bursting open on the hard concrete ground.
Hikari giggled and ran to the girl, pulling her into a tight hug.
"I knew you'd still be here!"
Hikari was bouncing up and down with Asuka in her arms. Asuka grabbed the girl back and began excitedly shaking her.
"You're alive! What are you doing here?!"
"I'm here for you! My parents moved us back once they heard Tokyo-3 was back!"
"I've missed you so much…" Asuka was holding the girl tightly, rocking back and forth with her.
The girls held the hug for a short while longer, when finished, Asuka took her to a more private place to catch up.
The two sat on the roof of the apartment building, talking about what had happened in recent months while they stared up at the sky.
"Relocation compensation?"
"Yep, I guess NERV offered everyone who was displaced when Tokyo-3 was destroyed money to move back to their old homes. We didn't have much going for us in our new town so we decided to move back."
"That's great. Honestly, I didn't think I'd ever see you again… I wasn't even sure you had revived."
"Yeah, that was… something. We stayed in a refugee camp for a while, I would've come sooner but the rebuilding has been a nightmare, we had barely been back in our home a few weeks before NERV offered to move us back. But that's enough about me, how have you been?"
Asuka had a sullen look on her face, she tried her best to hide it from Hikari but the girl could tell something was wrong.
"Ah… are you still dealing with everything from before?"
Asuka sat up, positioning herself to face the girl.
"Something else happened…"
Asuka stared at the floor, her knees up into her chest as she curled up into a ball.
"Something else?"
"Just before everything happened I was fighting other Evangelions."
"Other Evangelions?"
"It's a long story… I was feeling good about myself, I was even winning against those damn things but… I was killed, Hikari."
Tears began forming in the corners of Asuka's eyes, Hikari put her hand to her mouth.
"Killed…"
"I was held down and torn apart by them. They mutilated me… I died. But then I came back, my wounds healed like nothing happened."
"Asuka…"
"And now they're back. They came back too. One attacked recently and Shinji just barely managed to kill it… I just watched while he fought, I couldn't do anything."
Tears were falling onto the floor as they flowed freely from Asuka's eyes.
"And now… we have to kill them. all of them. Misato is planning on hunting them down and Shinji is on board with it. I want to help him, I can't let him do it alone but…"
Asuka was sobbing, she buried her face into her hands feebly trying to hide her tears from Hikari.
"Asuka…"
Hikari moved close to the girl. She reached her hand out and pulled the girl into a hug, Asuka sobbed into her shoulder.
"What do I do Hikari… I feel so weak…"
Hikari was searching for the words to comfort her, seeing the usually stoic girl cry so hard was a shock for her.
"You're…strong, Asuka. The strongest person I know…"
Asuka was still sobbing into Hikari's shoulder her tears pouring from her eyes unrelentingly.
"Ever since we became friends I've always tried to be like you… be stronger."
Asuka sniffled, her sobs turning into light groans as she attempted to stop crying.
"I'm not… I'm weak… I'm worthless…"
Hikari pulled the girl off of her, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at her
"No, you're not! Asuka I know it's hard… what you said happened to you was horrible but I know you can get through this. You're amazing, Asuka."
Asuka's face was wet with her tears and bright red from crying. She managed to stifle her sobs, Hikari's words had comforted her enough to stop her tears.
"Thank you… Hikari…"
Hikari had a soft, comforting smile on her face as she hugged the girl again.
"I'm sorry… you shouldn't have to see me like this."
Asuka had never shown such weakness to anyone. Hikari was her closest friend but even her seeing Asuka in this state made her deeply embarrassed.
"It's nothing Asuka… you know I'll always be here for you."
Asuka wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at the girl.
The light pitter-patter of rain started falling around them, the light droplets turning into moderate rainfall as the girls ran for cover.
"We should go inside. You shouldn't walk home in this. Do you want to stay the night, Hikari?"
"I'd love to."
The girls opened the door to the roof and descended the steps, Asuka felt anxiousness creep into her as she made her way to the apartment. She didn't know what she was going to say to Misato and Shinji but she couldn't avoid them forever.
The front door to the apartment slowly creaked open, Asuka and Hikari taking refuge from the rain in the entranceway. Asuka could hear Misato and Shinji softly speaking in the living room. The two girls quietly walked through the kitchen, Asuka letting out a sigh as she stepped into view of the living room.
Misato and Shinji were sitting on the couch, the two sharing the earbuds of Shinji's SDAT as they listened to music. The two looked up, seeing Asuka now standing in the room. Upon seeing her Shinji bolted upright, Misato stayed seated, an uncomfortable look on her face as she avoided looking at the girl.
"Asuka! You're back! Are… are you okay?"
"I'm alright..."
Hikari rounded the corner, she gave Shinji a small wave as she stepped into the room. She giggled when she saw his eyepatch, she thought he looked like a pirate.
"Hikari?"
"Hey, Shinji. It's been a while."
Shinji wasn't sure Hikari had ever chosen to revive, she was like a living relic from his life pre-impact and to see her walk up next to Asuka was a shock for him. He had almost expected Toji and Kensuke alongside her, a slight twinge of disappointment filling him as he realized they weren't there.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, I recently moved back to Tokyo-3 and I came to see Asuka."
Hikari moved her gaze to Misato, who was still averting her eyes from Asuka.
"I apologize for my intrusion, Ms. Katsuragi. I had intended to just catch up with Asuka for a while but I got caught in the rain…"
Misato clapped her hands together and stood up.
"No, no, you're really no intrusion. I'm happy to have you here. How about I get you kids some drinks while you guys catch up? Shinji, would you mind getting the table out?"
Misato exited the room and began grabbing the kids some snacks and drinks. Shinji grabbed the folding table from the closet and put it in the center of the room for them to sit at.
"Um… Hikari? Have you heard anything about Toji and Kensuke?"
"Ah, actually that's something I came here to tell you. They'll be moving back soon as well!" The girl said as she knelt at the low table.
"Really?! It's been too long since I last saw them…"
"The return of the stooges…" Asuka muttered under her breath as she joined them at the table.
Misato entered the room carrying a variety of things, soda, water, chips, and a variety of other small snack foods. She sat them all down at the table and gave each of the kids a drink.
"Well, I'll get out of you guys' hair. I'll be in my room if you need anything."
"You won't be joining us, Ms. Katsuragi?"
"No, I'm sorry, I still have some work to finish up. You kids have fun!"
Misato had an awkward smile as she made her way out of the room. Asuka looked away, knowing the real reason why she wouldn't be joining them. She bit her lip as the guilt of what she said to her continued to build.
The kids spend the next hour catching up and reminiscing. Hikari led the conversation, Asuka not in much of a talking mood, and Shinji never a conversationalist in the first place. She kept the topics light, not wanting to spark more negative memories for Asuka.
"I like the eyepatch, Shinji. Makes you look tough. Toji and Kensuke will go crazy when they see it."
Shinji rubbed his neck awkwardly. Her comment serving to boost his ego a bit, if not make him feel less self-conscious about his eyepatch.
"Tough? R-really? I thought it looked dumb…"
Asuka reached forward and pulled Shinji's eyepatch off of his face. She then let go of it which caused it to slap back onto his face, Shinji letting out a wimpy groan as he fell backwards.
"Tough and Shinji don't belong in the same sentence… but she's right, it doesn't look half bad."
Shinji blushed as he unconsciously puffed himself up, the idea of him seeming tough stuck in his head.
The night grew late and Shinji was the first to turn in, he took a bath and retired to bed. Hikari was next, Asuka being insistent that she bathe first. This left Asuka alone in the living room with her thoughts, with her guilt.
The girl agonized, she knew wanted to apologize but she wasn't keen on actually doing it, never being the type to admit her wrongdoings.
She stood outside of Misato's door, fists clenched. She would occasionally reach for the handle before pulling her hand back, not being able to commit.
Asuka took a deep breath, raised her hand, and knocked on the door.
"Misato? Can I come in?"
There was only silence for a moment, enough time to allow a pit to form in Asuka's stomach before a soft voice replied.
"Yes."
Asuka opened the door and stepped in. Misato was sitting on her bed, facing away from the door.
"Do you need something, Asuka?"
Asuka stood there for a few moments, unsure how to convey her emotions.
"Misato… I'm… I'm sorry. About what I said."
"Asuka… it's alright. You don't see me as anything more than your commander, and that's okay. I'm sorry for trying to push my feelings onto you."
"Misato…"
"You were right, it's not my place to try and mother you. I had this vision of our relationship, of how close we are, and I tried to force it on you. That was wrong, it was all just for me."
"You're not my mother, Misato. But you're not a stranger. You've been there for me… you care about me. And you didn't deserve that. I'm sorry. I know I don't really say it enough but… thank you… for always supporting me."
Misato turned to face the girl, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She was fighting the urge to jump up and hug the girl, but she knew she wouldn't like that. Instead, the two shared content smiles as they finally made eye contact.
"Thank you, Asuka."
"Goodnight, Misato."
"Goodnight, Asuka."
Asuka closed the door, letting out a deep sigh as she leaned back against it. She had never been as emotionally vulnerable as she did that day and it had exhausted her. By the time she finished up, Hikari was already out of the bath. Asuka took her turn and the two settled into her room, quickly falling asleep to the sound of the rain pouring outside.