Farewell, (to the Final)
By Daruma and Ka-Wing Tam
E-mail: daruma@tokyo-3.com, tamkawing@yahoo.com
Homepage: http://members.xoom.com/fanficworks,
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Club/2637/fanfics.html
ICQ #: 24423411, 6253558
______________________________________________________________________
Disclaimer:
Neon Genesis Evangelion and all it contains are owned by GAINAX. We
have no permission whatsoever to use their characters, ideas etc. and
We are not recieving any benefits as a result of this venture, except
for personal enjoyment.
Daruma's Pre-Notes:
My first co-authoring project, with the much more prolific Ka-Wing Tam.
I originally intended to write this all myself, but then I grew short
on time and managed to find help in Ka-Wing, and I think a much better
product was produced than what I could have done. So, I think our
collaboration was a successful one! Read on, and enjoy!
Ka-Wing:
_My_ first co-authoring project, too, and it wasn't even intended to be
in the beginning. What can I say? Two minds are better than one. This
was _very_ fun to write, and refreshing as well. Very. I do hope you
enjoy this. And another thank you to Daruma for coming to _me_ with
this fic instead of to one of a thousand better writers out there.
______________________________________________________________________
Farewell, (to the Final)
Shinji woke up to yet another day. Ever since the Angels stopped
coming, everyday was...normal. For the first time in his life, he felt
a normalcy around him, as though he no longer barely existed, like
before he began to pilot EVA, and no more was his life filled with the
different lifestyle of an EVA pilot.
Shinji woke up to yet another day. Ever since the Angels stopped
coming, everyday was...normal. For the first time in his life, he felt
a normalcy around him. He didn't feel as he no longer barely existed,
like before he began to pilot EVA, but no more was his life filled with
the different lifestyle of an EVA pilot.
It was just...normal.
'It feels strange to feel normal...heh heh. I feel like an
invisible fly on the wall. Or... a leaf. Yeah, a dry leaf that's fallen
off the tree branches because it's Autumn. Gah. Maybe normal isn't
good. I'm rambling. Hope this doesn't become a habit.' Shinji mused to
himself as he prepared himself for school. He took care of his daily
hygeine, made himself decent to the outside world, and stepped into
the meal room for his breakfast.
"Ohayo!" came Misato's cry from the kitchen bench. She was already
preparing their breakfast. Shinji could smell the crispiness of the
fried eggs she was no doubt making. He and Asuka no longer minded her
cooking as much as before. Well, he didn't mind but Asuka still seemed
to have some problem with it... but still, they'd come to appreciate
it, especially since it left them more time for their increasingly
hectic schoolwork. Misato had less work to do at NERV's base now, and
she filled her spare time with -- of all things! -- cooking lessons.
"Ohayo..." Shinji replied, smiling slightly. He began to help with
the cooking but was forcibly stopped.
"How can I get it right if you keep trying to help me? Just sit
yourself down, it'll be ready in a minute," Misato chided gently,
carefully making sure that the eggs didn't burn too much.
"And about time too!" Asuka said, annoucing her existence to
Shinji, who didn't realise that she was already up. "Guten morgan!"
"Ohayo, Asuka," said Shinji. Misato was too busy with the eggs to
give any greeting, and he called over to her, "Be careful not to break
the yolks when you flip them."
"Fried eggs again?" Asuka moaned, dropping into her usual seat.
"Please... just kill me."
"There's a course on how to crack passable or even good jokes at
the community center where I'm taking my cooking lessons," Misato
remarked with a slight grin. "Maybe you should try it, Asuka."
The redhead made a face. Shinji plonked himself down in the seat
opposite her and patiently awaited his food as Misato came out from
behind the kitchen bench and served them. He took one look at the
shapeless blob on his plate and decided to remain silent. Asuka didn't.
"You burst the yolk!" she accused. "Even when Shinji specifically told
you not to."
"Come on, Asuka," Shinji said quickly. "It's not too bad." To
encourage Misato, he took a tentative bite. Asuka was now observing
doubtfully Shinji as he chewed on his breakfast.
"Is it edible?" she asked, with a bit of mirth in her voice. After
a nod from Shinji, Asuka began to dig in. Misato frowned at her and
sat down and began to eat her eggs.
"Now come on, I've been taking lessons for a coupla weeks now, and
this is only fried eggs. You should taste my special combination
noodles!" Misato said proudly, between bites.
"I'd rather not. Well, at least it's an improvement over the beef
curry you tried last night," Asuka commented. "Speaking of spice, this
needs a little more of it," she said to herself as she picked up the
pepper shaker and proceeded to cover the egg in pepper. She took an
experimental bite, and a smile of satisfaction grew on her face as she
began to inhale the rest of it.
Misato glared at Asuka. "It's not that bad. Shinji's not
complaining."
"I didn't say it was bad. I just like my food spicy, is all."
"What do you think of it, Shinji?" asked Misato, unwilling to
settle for Asuka's commentary. Over the past weeks of Misato's
continual cooking because she insisted that she needed to 'get it
right' Shinji had lied a bit about what he thought. This time, he
really didn't need to lie, and his comments came freely.
"It's great," he said, as he finished up his egg. "And I'll bet
Asuka likes it too!" He was met by a big smile and an even bigger hug.
"Thanks Shin-chan!" she exclaimed, not realising he was choking on
his egg. She carefully released her hug and Shinji managed to regain
his breath. Soon enough, they had finished breakfast and were ready to
go to school. Just as they were going out the door, Misato called out
to them.
"Hey, you guys want a lift? I'm not due in for work for another
hour anyway."
"Sure!" Asuka said before Shinji had the time to refuse.
"That's good, I want to take my new baby out for a ride anyway."
Misato said as she appeared in the hallway, ready to send them off.
They filed into Misato's brand new dark green pergeot, and soon were
on their way to school.
"Oh, by the way Asuka, this came for you in the mail this morning.
Here," Misato said, keeping her eyes on the road.
"Thanks," said Asuka, taking it and opening the envelope.
Noticing the foreign postmark, Misato asked, "Letter from father?"
"No, it's from the University of Berlin," Shinji read out loud, as
he peered over to see what the letter was about. Asuka wouldn't let him
have a look, though, and a strategically placed slap put him back in
his place.
"Ow, what was that for?" he sulked, rubbing his red cheek. Asuka
finished scanning the letter before responding.
"That was for not minding your own business."
"What was the letter about, anyway?"
"None of your business, idiot."
"Come on, tell us," Misato chimed in.
"None of your business, bimbo."
"Bimbo?" Misato was indignant. "I'm still your legal guardian,
missy, even if NERV's got no more use for you two. Now spill. What was
in the letter? I have a right to know."
"I don't know, okay? I'll tell you later! Stop bothering me." Asuka
placed the letter back into the envelope and ignored the exchanged look
between Misato and Shinji. What the letter said had nothing to do with
them anyway. She'd think about it and decide later. Right now, she had
more important issues on her mind. Like school.
---
School...that too was normal. No more were school days interrupted
by a warning siren. No more was the school half-empty. The halls
buzzed with the chatter of the teen students as the hustle and bustle
of plain normality filled Shinji's mind. He didn't realise before how
empty the school was before, and now had to cope with the flood of the
many students in the cramped hall.
Students habitually elbowed each other for space among the horde of
people. Shinji had formulated a technique of getting to his locker
without any physical contact. He had observed on occasion that the
teachers usually came to class about 5-10 minutes after the bell had
rung. After a while he realised they purposely came late to avoid
"rush hour" in the hallways.
So he tried it one day. He found out that some of the other more
enterprising students in the school also did the same, and still
managed to get to class in time. So he would usually wait outside the
buildings, talking to Touji or Kensuke about whatever came to mind.
Today, was no exception.
"Yo! Shin-boy, Asuka-red-devil!" called Touji. "Over here."
Shinji waved good-bye to Misato as she pulled out of the school
carpark, and he and Asuka made there way over to where Touji and Hikari
were waiting. The taller boy had his arm draped over his girlfriend's
shoulders and they were the perfect picture of young love. Of course,
that was open to debate. There were still some objections...
"Who're you calling Red Devil, you country bumpkin?" snarled Asuka
as soon as they were within speaking distance.
Touji put his arms up defensively and backed away with a grin.
"Whoa, whoa. Easy there, wild mare..."
Hikari giggled and tried to stop Asuka from attempting to beat the
living snot out of Touji. "Good morning, Asuka, Shinji. You two are
early this morning."
"Yes, Misato offered to drive us to school this morning," Shinji
explained, setting his school bag on the ground at his feet.
"So I saw, so I saw." Kensuke made his entrance. He had grown half
a head taller over the months, exchanged his glasses for a pair of
contacts, and was now the envy of every boy in the school except Touji.
"Morning, all. Boy, you are still one lucky bastard after all this
time, Shinji. Man! My heart still races at the very sight of the
beautiful long-haired goddess who lives with you..." He missed the
gentle look Shinji cast shyly at Asuka while he was speaking, but Touji
and Hikari didn't. Luckily, Asuka missed it as well, or there'd be a
lot to answer for.
"Aren't you afraid Rei's gonna hear what you just said?" smirked
Touji. Then he remembered something else. "Shin-boy," he jerked his
head towards Asuka, "Have you asked her about the..." He put his thumbs
together and wiggled them. "What'd she say? Huh?"
Asuka looked from Shinji to Touji blankly.
"Did you say yes?" Hikari cheerfully hooked her arm through
Asuka's. "Oh, I do hope you said yes! It'll be so fun!"
"What'll be fun?"
"You mean, Shinji didn't ask you?"
Shinji hung his head while Kensuke shook his.
"I knew it. He chickened out," Touji snorted. "Hikari's agreed
already. We're just waiting for you two."
Asuka appeared to be the only one who wasn't sure what was going
on. "What are you all talking about?"
"Double date! Double date, double date, double date." Kensuke
clapped his hands. "Shinji wants to ask you out on a date with Touji
and Hikari to the movies on Saturday night, Touji's uncle gave him four
free tickets. Please say yes, he'd love to go with you." Asuka and
Shinji turned red while Kensuke turned to the latter. "There, I asked.
That's a new pair of binoculars you owe me."
"Idiot!" Shinji hissed. "I wanted you to ask for me yesterday!"
Asuka narrowed her eyes, but before she could say anything, Hikari
pleaded in a hushed whisper, "Say yes! ... You know how Touji is...
it'll be so much more interesting if you come along."
"What do you say?" said Touji. "It'll be fun, and I know Shinji
wants you to come, don't you, Shin-boy?" He delivered a nudge to
Shinji's ribs, and the boy blushed even more deeply.
"Hey, if Asuka and Shinji aren't going, I could always ask Rei,"
said Kensuke. "Then again, she wouldn't come. Asuka, you're stuck.
Touji's not brave enough to ask anyone else to double date with him,
and the tickets'll go to waste."
"From whom did you hear that I would not come, Aida-kun?" said a
quiet voice. Rei stepped up to them, school bag in her hands, and an
impassive look on her face. "I would go... if Ikari-kun asked me to."
Asuka bit her lip and made a decision. "... Okay, I'll go... but
only 'cos Hikari asked!" She immediately regretted it. The happy glow
on Shinji's face was just too obvious. In embarrassment, she turned
away quickly. "Class is starting, you dopes! Move it, or we'll be
late!" Without another word she turned on her heel and hurried off.
Immediately the air was filled with whoops of joy. "Good on ya,
Shinji!" Touji grabbed the boy in a neck hold and ruffled his hair. "Ya
finally did it!" Kensuke patted Shinji on the back.
"You certainly took your time about it," scolded Hikari, hands on
hips. "She's been waiting forever for you to ask her out. And it wasn't
even you who said it, you got Kensuke to ask for you."
"What does it matter?" grinned Kensuke. "After years'n years of
hoping, Shinji can finally find happiness. Though I do find his taste
somewhat questionable..."
"Thanks, guys," Shinji said, beaming. "I mean, really. Thanks! I
couldn't have done it without you."
"That you couldn't, that you couldn't. Remember my binoculars!"
"Plus a pair of tickets to the movie on Saturday," said Rei. When
everyone turned to stare at her, she explained, "I will be going with
Aida-kun. You know... triple date?" Kensuke winked at her, and she
began to blush lightly.
"She's new at this." Kensuke put an arm around Rei's shoulders.
"Just get the tickets."
"And my video game," added Touji. "Now, to class, or the class
monitor'll kill us, won't you?" He wrinkled his nose at Hikari, who
bopped him lightly on the head before kissing him on the cheek.
"Coming, Shinji?"
Shinji just nodded, too happy to speak.
---
"Wonder why the Commander wants to see you after so long," said
Misato as she led Asuka through a maze of corridors.
"Dunno."
Misato glanced curiously at her out of the corner of her eye. Asuka
was showing a surprising lack of excitement at being invited back to
the base that housed the EVA she so used to delight in. Then again, she
had been rather quiet these few days. Probably that time of the month
again.
They arrived at a pair of tall doors with a security guard standing
on either side. "Commander Fuyutsuki will see you now," intoned the one
on the right. He pushed the door open smartly, holding it open for them
to enter, and returned to his position.
Fuyutsuki Kouzou hadn't changed a single bit over the months. He
sat behind his oak desk in the well-lit room. "Major Katsuragi, Miss
Souryuu," he smiled warmly. "How nice to see you again."
Misato saluted. "Likewise, Sir." Then she relaxed and gave a
giggle. "Sorry, couldn't resist. How's the Commander doing?"
"Ikari's doing fine. He's holding up rather well, what being in
solitary confinement and all," said Fuyutsuki. Realising his mistake,
he chuckled and scratched his head. "Sorry. Can't get used to Gendou's
old position. I'm doing fine, thank you. Now, to business." He turned
to Asuka and looked at her expectantly.
"What? Oh. Yes," said Asuka, standing up a bit straighter. "You've
already received the letter from the university, I assume?"
"Yes, I have," Fuyutsuki said. "This is a weird turn of events, I
must say." He glanced over to where Misato was still standing at
attention. "Even though she has no direct say in this, Major Katsuragi
has been informed already, I take it?"
"She knows all she needs to know regarding this matter, yes," Asuka
replied carefully. Misato tried not to look like an ignorant duck with
her mouth open. She'd give it to Asuka when they went home, she would,
for putting her in an awkward situation like this.
Fuyutsuki frowned. "I understand that this was originally the
school's request."
"Yes," Asuka said.
"But, you are willing to agree to it."
"Yes."
"You do realise that you are still officially a pilot of NERV,
don't you?"
"I do."
"You will continue your duties as such a pilot of NERV at our base
in Germany."
"Yes."
"You should be on alert and ready to move out at all times, and
available whenever NERV should contact you for any emergency."
"Yes."
"Should your studies or anything you do involved with the school be
affected by your status, NERV holds no responsibility."
"I understand."
Fuyutsuki smiled, standing up. "Good. If you would sign your name
here, please, Miss Souryuu?" He handed Asuka a pen and pointed to a
blank line on something resembling a contract. The girl closed her eyes
and gripped the pen tightly before scrawling her name on it.
"I must say, I'll miss you, Asuka." Fuyutsuki came over to her side
of the desk and put a hand on her shoulder. "If only I'd spent some
time socialising with the pilots... ah, well. We'll be losing one of
our best assets to the University of Berlin, won't we, Major?"
Misato just stared.
---
Shinji returned home to a loud fight in the kitchen.
"Ladies, ladies," he cried, kicking his shoes off and running
towards the source of the crashes and screams. "What's going on?"
Misato was glaring angrily at Asuka, who was sitting at the dinner
table with a mug in her hand. "And just tell me, young lady, how in the
world are you going to pay for everything?"
"I told you, for crying out loud! They're offering me a bloody
scholarship. Do you know what a scholarship is? It's when they give--"
"I know what a scholarship is, that's not the point. You have to
eat, you know. You have to pay bills, you have to--"
"Well, this is a surprise," said Shinji. Usually it was the other
way around, with Misato at the table and Asuka glaring angrily. Now
Misato turned her death glare on Shinji, and the boy decided quickly
that he preferred Asuka glaring at him. Misato was too... scary.
Definitely not normal.
"Erp... what's wrong?" he squeaked.
"This is ridiculous! Shinji, tell her she can't go!"
"Can't go? Where?" He began to panic, the thought of Asuka being
grounded on Saturday night and missing the date filling his mind.
"To Germany!"
Shinji heaved a sigh of relief before the fact registered. "Germany?
Why would Asuka be going to Germany?"
"She didn't tell you either?" said Misato in disbelief. When Shinji
shook his head in wonder, Misato gave a loud laugh. "She didn't tell
you either. Great! Just great. You live with them for months, you watch
them, you take care of them, you _care_ for them, and this is how they
repay you! They leave you to stare after them helplessly for the rest
of your life!"
"I'm only staying there till I get my degree."
"How long's that gonna take you, huh? How long till you get back?
You didn't stop to think about who you're gonna leave behind, did you?
How bloody inconsiderate, how bloody irresponsible of you!"
"Irresponsible? What do I owe you, anyway?"
"Germany?" repeated Shinji.
"Souryuu Asuka!" Misato shouted, slamming her hands onto the table
and purposely omitting Asuka's surname. "I am _still_ your legal
guardian. It says so in black and white. It's said by the law. And if I
don't let you out of this house, you're not going to be allowed to step
out of this house. If I say you can't leave this bloody country, you
stay in this bloody country. If I say you can't go to some goddamn
gaijin university to study, it's final! You stay! Do you hear me?"
"Oh, Misato, that's stupid!" Now Asuka was slamming the table too,
her mug cast aside carelessly. "You aren't my keeper, and I'll go if I
bloody well please!"
"Do you hear that, Shinji?" cried Misato. "Do you hear _that_? How
long have you been living under my roof, missy? You can't just--"
"Who are you to me, anyway? You have no control over me! You're not
my anybody, you're nothing to me!"
Both Misato and Shinji flinched at this remark, though in Misato's
case it was invisible. "You take that back, Asuka!" By now Misato was
screaming. Out of the corner of his eye Shinji saw Pen-pen crawling for
cover and he wanted to do the same thing.
"I won't!" shrieked Asuka. "I'm going to Berlin and you can't stop
me!" She realised how utterly juvenile this argument was getting, but
it was escalating out of her control. "And it's not like--"
"You can't!" screamed Misato. "You can't just leave and sail out of
here like that, without any warning! You can't! It's against the rules!
You could've at least... told us... so that we could... prepare..."
Gulping and covering her face, the woman ran from the room.
Shinji and Asuka remained motionless, both unsure of what to say.
The boy's mind was in a whirl. Asuka leaving? Asuka _leaving_? _Asuka_
leaving? It didn't sound right, any way. It _wasn't_ right any way.
This wasn't possible. He groped blindly for words and found some.
"Asuka? Are you... still free for our date Saturday?"
The girl blinked, stared, growled, and muttered something, stomping
out of the room. Shinji looked after her.
"I hope that was a yes..."
---
For once, Touji was speechless.
"She is?" said Kensuke.
"She will?" said Rei.
"Why didn't she tell me?" wailed Hikari.
Why didn't she tell _me_? thought Shinji.
"So... is she still coming tonight?" said Touji, looking at the
movie tickets in his fist.
"She said she would... I don't know." Shinji put his elbows on the
table and rested his head on his hands glumly. Seeing the disappointed
look on his face, Rei moved over and put a consoling hand on his arm.
"I think she will come. After all, you--I mean, _we_ went to so
much trouble to get her to."
Shinji bit his lip.
After sniffling a bit into her handkerchief, Hikari looked up, and
noticing a familiar redhead approaching them, perked up a bit. "Hey,
she's here!" Kensuke waved to get Asuka's attention.
As soon as Asuka reached their table, Hikari shouted, "Why didn't
you tell us you were leaving?" Asuka winced.
"Sorry, sorry... I meant to tell you later." Then she started
looking around for the only person who could have spilt the beans.
Noticing Rei and Kensuke, she commented, "What is this, a triple date?"
Then, Shinji shrunk under Asuka's glare.
"Sorry, sorry..."
"Who told you to tell them, huh?"
"You never told me not to...!"
Asuka stopped short. That was true.
"It doesn't matter now, anyway," said Kensuke, taking a sip of his
drink. "When will you be leaving?"
"Next Saturday," came the reply. "So, what time's the movie?"
Touji looked at his watch. "In fifteen minutes it'll start. We'd
better get going now."
---
Shinji tried to ignore the couples sitting around him, and
Kensuke's arm hanging casually around Rei's shoulders, and Hikari
leaning happily against Touji, and the painful distance between him and
Asuka. He sighed. Why was this so hard?
What had Touji told him to do? Small talk, small talk...
"So," he said to Asuka. "Have you--"
"Quiet!" came a voice from the front of the audience at the same
time Asuka hissed, "Shhh. I can't hear the words."
"Sorry..." Shinji squeaked. This was going to be a long night.
"No, no, it's okay... I don't have a clue what's going on anyway,"
replied Asuka quickly in a low voice. "What did you want to say?"
"Oh! I just wanted to ask if you've seen any previous Slayers
movies or TV series, that's all."
"Nope. Who's that girl with the long yellow hair and the sword?"
"That's Gourry Gabriev, a _guy_ and the main male character. And
that girl with your hair and your temp--er, sparkling personality, is
Lina Inverse, the heroine."
"I always knew girls like me should be the main character."
"Anyway, Lina's a really powerful sorceress and she's really smart
and and spunky and everything, and Gourry's her sidekick but with a big
mental disability. Really thick. He keeps on calling himself Lina's
guardian and he cares a lot about her, and she cares for him as well
but she never admits it."
"It doesn't seem like it here."
"Oh, that part about them two happened in the second Slayers TV
series, called Slayers Next. This is the Slayers', let me see...
seventh movie now. I think it's going to be the last one as well,
seeing that they've called it Slayers Final."
They went on watching for a while, then Asuka muttered, "Why's
Gourry getting trashed all the time? Everyone else has got super strong
weapons and magic spells, but all Gourry's got is this lame sword, and
look! It's broken into two _again_."
"Well, he used to have this magic sword, the Sword of Light, but he
gave it to someone from another world in Slayers Try. Ever since then
he's been pretty much a punching bag and the clown of the story."
"What an idiot. Why don't they just kill him? The guy with the
stony face and the hero complex is much cooler."
"The producers attempted a romance between Zelgadis and Lina in the
fourth season, Slayers For, and the audience loved it. Gourry virtually
faded into the background in the following seasons, on some sort of
long training trip for a year as a lousy excuse to half get rid of him,
and the last I heard Lina and Zel were still together. I think the
producers wanted to give Gourry a last shot in the final movie."
"But that sucks!"
"Who, Gourry?" said Shinji.
"No, Lina and the stone man."
"I thought you said Zelgadis was cool."
"Yeah, but I hate it when they put the main character with someone
the strong silent type. Although Gourry's getting mashed into pulp
every few seconds, it's still obvious that he cares for Lina. Just 'cos
he's an idiot is no reason to make him redundant. Besides, Gourry was
the main male counterpart first. He and Lina should be together."
"Don't agree with you there. Just because he appeared first doesn't
mean that he has to be paired up with the main character. But you're
right, Lina and Gourry should be together. They're such good partners.
Don't you think?"
"Yeah..." Asuka watched the huge flickering screen for a while.
"They're made for each other. See?" She clapped her hands happily as
Gourry saved Lina from some falling boulders and was promptly hit by
one of them himself. "He's such a... a... doofus. But he's so sweet and
clumsy, I like him anyway."
She likes clumsy guys? Shinji accidentally overturned his bucket of
popcorn over Asuka's dress in surprise.
"Hey, you doofus!" shouted Asuka.
"Quiet!" came several voices from the front of the audience.
"Sorry!" gulped Shinji, frantically trying to help Asuka clean off
the front of her dress and occasionally grabbing her hands by mistake.
"Don't let go," said Asuka suddenly.
"What?" Shinji looked down and realised he was holding two of
Asuka's fingers. There was an embarrassed pause.
"A year. That's all. One year," Asuka said softly, looking up.
"What do you think?"
"A year?" stammered Shinji, feeling Asuka's soft skin in his palms.
"One year. Yeah, I can manage in one year," she said with
increasing confidence. "After all, I'm a genius, aren't I?"
Shinji didn't understand, simply nodding.
"Good! That's settled. You hungry? Cos you have to finish this."
She grabbed a handful of popcorn from her lap and stuffed it into his
mouth, gleefully pounding onto his back when he started to choke.
"A-asuka!" he shouted.
"Quiet!" came voices from the whole audience.
After the closing credits had rolled by and Lina and Gourrys'
seiyuus finished singing "Final Rush," everyone slowly made their way
out of the cinema. "What'd you guys think of it?" Touji said.
"Lina's voice reminded me of Rei," said Kensuke, grinning at said
girl. "And I would've enjoyed it more if TWO certain members of our
gang had kept quiet during the movie." Shinji looked sheepish. "But
that swordfight between Zelgadis and Gourry near the end was amazing!"
"Though I would have preferred it if Zel had won, you know," said
Hikari. "Then it would have seemed more as if he'd won Lina's hand,
instead of making their relationship so vague."
"They should've given it some finality," agreed Touji. "Now you
gotta ask yourself, is she gonna stay with Zel 'cos she really likes
him and not just out of duty, or is she gonna go with that numbskull
Gourry again?"
"They made it look as if Lina _wanted_ to go along with Gourry,"
remarked Rei, "Just wandering around aimlessly as before, on another
so-called training trip."
"You've been quiet," said Kensuke to Shinji. "What did you think?"
"Oh..." Shinji glanced over to where Asuka was walking ahead, by
herself. "I quite liked the ending... and I think Asuka did too."
---
It was now 7:30 pm and Shinji and Misato had begun to prepare for
the party. Well, Shinji had begun, while Misato said she'd begin after
she threw back a few beers to get herself into the "party" mood. It
was a sad occasion after all, and she didn't want to spoil everyone's
night by crying all the time.
Shinji really didn't mind as he ordered a variety of party-type
food and drinks. People weren't due to arrive until 8:00 pm but it was
always safe to prepare for the early birds that appeared, so he began
setting up the living area and various tables and seating arrangements
for their guests.
Though there were many people attending the party, basically the
whole class (after some convincing that Touji and Kensuke should come)
there were only a few close friends of Asuka's that came. Actually,
Shinji never really noticed before that Asuka actually didn't have any
really close friends other than Hikari. She did have friends, just not
really someone she could confide in. In his view, that is.
The persistant ringing of the door chime interrupted his reverie
though, and he quickly finished up what he was doing before answering
the door. It was Touji and Kensuke.
"Took your time didn't you?" Touji said, as he invited himself
inside, a parcel wrapped in shiny red wrapping in hand as Kensuke
followed behind, recording all the action with his camera.
"So, where's the red devil?" Kensuke asked, gingerly stepping over
some of the rampant beer cans left lying around by a presently resting
Misato. Shinji quickly disposed of them, and then set Misato upright
before answering.
"Out with Hikari." He was too pre-occupied with preparing for the
party to think of anything more complicated. Kensuke wasn't really
concerned about his reply, as he was now taking some rather embarrasing
footage of Misato drooling in her sleep. Touji set the present on the
coffee table as he flicked on the TV.
"So, no-one's here yet I see." Touji said, while channel surfing.
Shinji, finally finishing the preparations, plonked himself into an
armchair, exhausted from all the cleaning.
"You're extremely observant today. You weren't due until 8."
"Yeah, well Mr Aida here wanted to avoid the rain," Touji said,
glancing out the window and listening to the patter on the window
sills, "which, by the way, seems to have started."
"You know how it is, I can't get this baby damaged one bit."
Kensuke said, patting his camcorder. Shinji eyed the parcel
suspiciously.
"You didn't get me something that big for _my_ birthday," he half-
whined, seeing as the present was significantly bigger than the
package of DAT tapes he had recieved from Touji and the videotape he
had recieved from Kensuke on his 15th Birthday.
"Well, you aren't leaving for a year. Wanna know what we got her?"
Touji said, finally setting the remote control down, content on
watching the basketball game on TV.
"Indulge me."
"Well, we're not telling you." Kensuke said, "It's a surprise."
"Then why offer?"
"To dick with you." was the simple reply Touji gave. Shinji gave
him a weird look.
"To dick with me? Do you know how that sounds?" Shinji said.
"Well, you know what I meant." Touji replied. He switched off the
TV, the basketball game no longer interesting him. "Got any music?" he
asked.
"Um, yeah, but since it's Asuka's night tonight it's stuff that
she likes." General distaste was shown by the two other boys as Shinji
walked over to the cd player and inserted the first cd. As the music
began to play, the look of distaste on Touji and Kensuke's faces only
increased.
"What is this crap?" Touji said, covering his ears with his hands.
Kensuke was struggling to understand how the lead singer was able to
sing so badly. It barely qualified as singing.
"Um, Fire Bomber, it says on the cd case. Apparently, it was quite
popular in the pre-impact days..." Shinji said.
"What were they, tone deaf? Gimme a look at the case." Touji said,
as Shinji passed him the case. Touji looked at the cd case
suspiciously. A spiky haired guitarist with sunglasses and a pink
haired bassist dominated the front cover.
"So we have to listen to this _all_ night?" Kensuke inquired,
fearing the answer. Shinji peered through the 'Asuka's Favourites'
stack of cds, and found some hope in it.
"Well, most of it _is_ Fire Bomber, but there is some more recent
stuff and more pre-impact stuff..." Shinji reported. Touji and Kensuke
breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"What are you waiting for?" shouted Touji. "Put something else on!"
"Okay, okay!" Shinji pulled out a CD and stuck it into the player.
Touji and Kensuke listened and thought a bit. "I can't decide
whether I like it or not. What is it?" said Kensuke finally.
"I have no idea." Shinji looked at the cover. "Ben Folds Five? Oh,
Asuka's always bugging me to listen to this but I've never found the
time. Argh, still haven't. Forgot about the drinks in the fridge! Gotta
get a move on."
"So now what?" said Touji, after Shinji had left. "We're just going
to continue listening to this ununderstandable music?"
"Let's see if there's anything else..." Kensuke rummaged through
Asuka's favourites and found something he liked. "At least she still
has hope," he grinned. "Gundam Wing Operation 4!" After skipping
through the first few songs, he sat down and started to sing along with
Ai wa Ryusei.
The doorbell chose that time to ring and Shinji went to greet the
guests. On his way he woke the still slumbering Misato. He also grabbed
a towel, in case they needed a little drying off. It was good
initiative on his part, for the two women did need to dry off a bit.
"Hi Dr. Akagi, Miss Ibuki." Shinji greeted them, handing Maya the
towel. "Um, Help yourself to food or drink or whatever in the living
room, and if you need a hairdryer or something the bathroom's the
third door on the right." Shinji said, pointing in the general
direction.
"Arigatou, Shinji-kun. We were in the middle of walking here when
it just started to pour!" exclaimed Maya as she finished drying off her
hair and handed the towel to Ritsuko.
"Unlucky."
"We'll have to leave a bit early, since we have something to do
later," said Ritsuko. "Sorry about that. It's, a, um... social function
of ours." Maya blushed.
"That's okay," Shinji said, smiling, as they removed their shoes
and wandered off to find the hairdryer. He didn't know what to think of
their relationship, but it felt good inside to know that some people
managed to overcome so many odds and still find love. He hung the towel
near the door and he returned to the living room to find that Touji and
Kensuke had sabotaged the music and had begun to play one of the non-
Fire Bomber cds. They had also helped themselves to some of the food.
Everyone began to trickle in slowly after that, some arriving later
than the specified time, but it didn't matter, Shinji had prepared for
this, and had asked Hikari to bring Asuka back to the apartment at
around 8:30. Which is what she did. Sure enough, at 8:30, the doorbell
rang.
---
Shinji found her sitting on her bed, cross-legged with a book in
her lap. It was the photo album Misato had given her. She flipped
through it absently, looking at times gone past, good experiences, sad
occasions. She didn't seem to notice him for a while there, so he
knocked on the door to gain her attention.
"Yes?" said Asuka.
Shinji chuckled nervously.
"What?"
Shinji shook his head and waved his hands inanely.
"You better start talking or I'll kick you out of here."
"How was the party?" Shinji yelped.
Asuka stopped frowning and put her book down, shaking her hair off
her shoulders. "It was fun. Thanks for everything. I know you worked
hard to keep it a secret and all."
The boy looked at his hands. "Not at all, not at all! Misato helped
too, you know."
"Yeah, but she told me you did more."
Shinji just blushed. "What'd Touji and Kensuke get you, anyway?"
The girl made a face. "You'll never guess: a Red Devils jacket. The
baseball team, you know?"
Shinji couldn't help laughing.
"How'd you manage to invite so many people?" said Asuka.
Shinji was surprised at the question. "It was easy. Everyone wanted
to come when they heard you were leaving."
"Oh, so they're celebrating my departure?" Asuka giggled at the
chagrined look on Shinji's face. "I was kidding. Just kidding, okay?"
"You're still as popular as before, you know. There's no need to
think less of yourself just because we're no longer EVA pilots."
"Haven't we had this conversation before?" smiled Asuka.
They had, many times, especially after the seventeenth Angel. It
had been quite a rough time for both of them.
"Is that why you're leaving?" said Shinji quietly.
Asuka stopped smiling. She began very interested at her hands for
some reason, and paused for a while. Shinji began to worry.
"It's not that really...but you could say it was part of it..."
Asuka said finally.
"It's not...but it is?" he asked, confused.
"Well, when I was piloting EVA, I did it to prove to the world that
I existed, that I had a reason for living on this Earth. I was accepted
and congratulated for my acheivements. But lately... it's just not the
same, I can't just be a nobody in this world full of nobodys."
"Now don't say that..."
"But it's true. Asuka Langley Soryu cannot just stand by while
others achieve greater heights! She has to be up there with them,
higher than them, and this is my chance! The only real chance I'll have
to be someone different..."
"I see. And is there room for me up there?"
"Well..."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine down here with the rest of the nobodys."
"I didn't mean it to come out like that, and you know I didn't. You
ought to know what I'm talking about."
"Yeah..." said Shinji reluctantly. "I suppose. When I piloted EVA,
it was the need for acceptance that kept me going back in there. What
would I be if I didn't have EVA? I still would be back in Kyoto with my
teacher, living the same monotonous life, but now I have a reason to be
here. Because I have friends and loved ones here."
"But I'm different, I can't just be satisfied with that."
"Why not? Is excelling is that important to you? You can excel here
in Japan, too, if you want! And here, you'll have people to help you!"
"It's not that simple! Jeez, I'm leaving tomorrow and you still
don't get it, do you?" Asuka stopped speaking, disgusted at herself for
raising her voice. "It's ... something else as well. I've told you
about what happened to mother, haven't I?"
"Your mother? ... yes, you have." Shinji remembered and shuddered,
thinking of his own mother and how her fate was so similar to Asuka's
mother's.
"Well, in a way, it's for her as well. Those doctors that were
trying to help her were absolute crap. I mean, they studied and got a
bloody doctor's degree, became psychiatrists, and they couldn't even
help my mother? I mean, what kind of baka doctor is that? And in the
end, they couldn't even stop her from..."
"Yes, yes, I understand," said Shinji quickly, seeing that Asuka's
face was starting to turn pale.
"I mean, becoming a psychiatrist... it's been something I've wanted
to do ever since I was a kid. Something subconscious underneath, you
know? I never really considered it, but I always knew that I'd be a
psychiatrist one day, no matter what it took me. And now that I have
this chance..."
Shinji smiled wearily. "You don't have to justify yourself to me."
"Huh?"
"It's your decision. I don't mind, really I don't. And you're a
genius, right? I'm willing to bet that you'll have that degree in one
year's time, like you said."
"Yeah, only a year. And I'll have a chance to kick father's ass!"
"I didn't realise you didn't like him that much."
"Well, after he put mum through all that stuff, he deserves it."
"Heh, well good luck on you quest for justice."
"Thanks."
"Oh, by the way, do you think we could, I mean, would you like to
um, play together?"
"What?!"
"I mean, a duet. Y'know. Anything. One last song."
"Do you know how corny you sound, Ikari Shinji?"
"Please? Pretty pretty please? I'll even listen to that lousy Ben
Folds Five cd of yours."
"Jeez. Whatever."
Shinji grinned and ran off to fetch his cello while Asuka prepared
her violin. Soon enough, sweet melodies were floating from Asuka's
room.
---
"Not gonna cry, not gonna cry, not gonna cry..." Shinji muttered to
himself while they waited for Asuka to finish checking in at the
counter at the airport.
"Oh, you will, Shin-boy, you will," grinned Touji. "You and Misato
and Hikari are the only people who have any reason to. It's not like
anyone else is gonna miss her."
Hikari punched him in the shoulder. "Don't be so mean. In fifteen
minutes she's going to leave through those doors in an aeroplane
forever."
"No, she's not," said Kensuke matter-of-factly. "Only for a year."
"Don't worry, Ikari-kun," said Rei. "One year is over very soon."
Asuka thanked the person behind the counter and took her boarding
pass, then made her way to her hand baggage where everyone was waiting.
Misato, Shinji, Touji, Hikari, Kensuke, and Rei were there. So were
Ritsuko, Fuyutsuki and the rest of the bridge crew, standing a short
distance apart. They'd all come to see their second pilot off.
"Well..." Asuka said awkwardly.
"Well..." repeated everyone else.
"What time do you have to board?" said Misato.
Asuka checked her watch. "Boarding starts in half an hour. So..."
"So..." said everyone else.
"Would you like a drink before you leave?" said Misato.
Asuka shook her head. "Nah... had some coffee before I left home."
The word home sounded strange and sent twinges of pain through
Shinji's, Misato's and Asuka's chests.
"Well! No use standing around doing nothing," said Misato brightly.
"You might as well pass immigrations now."
"We're not allowed in with her, are we?" said Shinji glumly.
"No, it's off-limits to visitors," said Kensuke. "Always has been."
"Don't go in yet," Shinji begged. "Stay a bit longer."
"No, immigrations takes ages." Misato shook her head. "You'd better
leave now."
Asuka looked at her luggage and sighed. "Yeah." She picked up her
bag and turned to leave.
"Yo, wait a minute! Not even a goodbye hug?" said Touji.
"And I purposely brought my hand camera just for this event," said
Kensuke, waving it around. "Just hang on a sec while I put the tape
in... check the battery... there. Now... suh-miiile."
Asuka gritted her teeth and bared them at the camera.
"I said to smile, not growl. Leave us a good impression of you.
Thaaaat's better. Now, put that bag down and give us a few words of
farewell."
"Must I?" groaned Asuka.
"I'll go first!" said Touji enthusiastically. "I hereby officially
bid Souryuu Asuka Langley good riddance, and--"
"Get away, pig." Asuka pushed him out of the camera's way. "Today I
leave Japan! Yeah. Good luck without me. Um. See you all. That's it."
"Good, very good," said Kensuke, still filming. He turned a quick
circle to take in everyone who had come. "Now for the hugs."
"Hugs?"
"Goodbye hugs. Who wants to start?"
Asuka looked at him with a mix of blankness and horror.
"I will." Misato stepped forward. "You better get back here in one
piece, young lady, or I'll get over there, stitch you back together and
kick your ass myself." She grinned and ruffled Asuka's hair. "Take care
of yourself, okay?"
"Oh, Misato." Asuka grabbed the woman into a hug, and despite
having convinced herself that leaving for a year was nothing to cry
about, she suddenly choked and felt tears running from her eyes.
"Don't be silly, Asuka, you'll be back in a year," Misato chided,
wiping her own eyes. "Here, now, let go. Look at me. You're gonna be
fine, right? Come on, come on. Asuka Langley's gonna be fine, right?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna be fine." The girl smothered a sob and unwillingly
loosened her grip on Misato's jacket.
"Thanks for everything, Dr. Akagi." Asuka hugged Ritsuko briefly.
"You take care of yourself, Asuka. Make us proud."
"That I will. And when I come back, I might even take your job."
"Not unless you're going to take bioengineering." Ritsuko grinned,
let go, and allowed Asuka to move onto Maya.
"Oh, do be careful, Asuka," said the bridge operator. "It feels so
funny letting you go so far away after watching your back so many times
in battle."
"We feel the same way," chuckled Makoto, coming up and patting
Asuka on the shoulder. "Good luck," added Shigeru.
"Thanks for everything, guys." They've done so much for me, yet I
hardly know their names, thought Asuka. On an impulse, she added,
"Don't forget me, will you?"
"Oh, we won't," assured Shigeru.
Fuyutsuki shook her hand. "It will be a fine loss to us today," he
said. "Good luck. And don't overtax yourself." Asuka just grinned.
"Hey, what about us?" The girl turned and found Kensuke's camera
practically shoved into her face. "Here, hold this for me, Shinji...
now shoot me, shoot me! Yes, this is the one and only Aida Kensuke
you're seeing in front of you right now," he announced to the lens,
"And now, I'm hugging Asuka goodbye!" Asuka was uncharacteristically
slow to escape, and Shinji got a good shot of her stricken face as
Kensuke glomped her. "Now, who's next? Keep filming, keep filming...!"
"We're gonna miss you, you devil," said Touji, coming up. He
wrapped her with his huge arms in a bear hug. "Oh, no, don't start
crying on me, I hate it when girls go to pieces in my arms..."
"Take care of Hikari, you big doof... dope," giggled Asuka.
"Count on me. And I'll take care of Shinji for you in the bargain."
Asuka pretended not to understand, and turned to Rei. "Good luck,
Asuka," said Rei, embracing her. "We'll take good care of Ikari-kun
while you are gone."
"Oh, don't you start as well..."
Then it was time to say goodbye to her dearest, closest friend and
the tears started afresh. "Oh, Asuka! I'll miss you so much!" Hikari
burst into tears. Asuka buried her face into her friend's shoulder. She
didn't want to let go, otherwise she was afraid she'd totally lose it.
Eventually, she did, and straightened her dress.
"Is there anybody else?" she grinned, wiping her nose. Of course
she knew that there was someone else, after all, she'd purposely saved
him till last.
"Hold this for me, Kensuke?" said Shinji. As soon as he felt the
camera being taken from his hand, he approached her. "Asuka, I..."
Words failed him again, and he stood there helplessly.
"Say something, you doofus," hissed Asuka. "They're staring."
Quickly he put his arms around her. "Goodbye," he whispered.
"Yeah, goodbye. Is that all you have to say?"
"Um...Lina and Gourry are perfect for each other, don't you think?"
"Huh?"
Shinji took a deep breath, hesitated, and plunged ahead. "The
brilliant, fiery redhead and the doofus. They're made for each other."
A slow grin formed on Asuka's face. "Yeah, they are."
"Yes. Only a training trip."
"Yeah. Only a year-long training trip."
Shinji put his lips next to Asuka's ear and said two more words
softly. For a moment, she didn't react, and Shinji wasn't sure if she'd
heard. Then she pulled her arms from around his waist.
"I'd better get going..."
"Here." Shinji slipped a brown package into her hands. There was
another chorus of goodbyes, and Asuka disappeared through the doors.
After immigrations, after an eternity of queues and waiting, her
plane took off. Asuka took one last look at the place she had called
home for the past two years. It was then that she suddenly remembered
something and quickly began searching through her hand luggage. Soon
she found what she had been searching for.
A small, brown paper bag. She withdrew it carefully from the
handbag she had placed it in and peered at the note, written in very
neat kanji, which clearly said,
'Do not open until you have taken off'. She had followed it's
instructions, to her own surprise, as normally it was hard for her to
follow anyone's intructions, let alone a piece of paper. She pried open
the sealed top of the bag, and look into it to see what it contained.
Shinji's SDAT.
From her view, it was his most precious item, and probably the
most expensive item he owned. Why had he given it to her? She took it
out of the bag and carefully read another note attached to the SDAT.
'Press play'. She did as what the note told her to, and placed
the earphones in her ears, and listened. Shinji's voice came through,
loud and clear.
Asuka hung on to every word, and listened very carefully. She
smiled at his words, and felt good inside. She played his words back
again, as she sat back in her seat.
"Unless you were impatient, and opened the bag before the note
said, then you should be on your way back to Germany. I just wanted to
say...thank you. Thank you for all the joy you have brought us, the
fun times, the memorable times. I hope you have a good time in Germany
and come back soon. I know that you think airplane music is terrible,
so I included your favourite songs on this DAT. Sorry I can't do
anything about the meals. I'll miss you. And... well, I, you know, I--"
Those two words again, uttered in a soft, sincere voice.
She smiled again, and sat back, whispering quietly to herself,
"I'll miss you too... Shinji-kun."
In her heart, she gave a reply to the two words Shinji had murmured
to her earlier, even though she knew he had no way of receiving it. But
there'd be time enough for that later. She would come back to Japan,
and then what? She'd let him know ten years later. Plenty of time for
everything.
---
Epilogue:
In the dead silence of midnight, a girl was typing diligently at
her computer. At first glance, it appeared she was doing a thesis, or
revising for a test. But, instead, on the computer monitor was...
a super-long e-mail message.
>and Touji is such an idiot! You know, now that you're gone, I don't
>think I'll be able to resist keeping my hands off your Shinji
Don't you dare, Hikari! Shinji's mine!
...and if you tell him I said that I'll kill you.
and taking
>him for myself. He misses you a lot, I think. Kensuke and Rei are
>doing much better than me and Touji are. I think I like Rei more now
>that she's opened up a bit more. She still misses Shinji's father a
>lot, despite all those drugs he pumped into her
He's such a dick. Does Shinji still keep in touch with him? The longer
that Ikari Gendou stays in jail the better.
and I'd never thought I'd say this but
>I think Kensuke's good for her.
Ack. Imagine that. Kensuke and Rei? I think anyone reading this letter
would think it weird too.
>How's life over there in Berlin?
Managing okay. It's not that tough. Actually, it is. I never thought
taking a doctor's degree in a year would be so hard. But don't tell
anyone I said that.
>We're doing fine. Met any cute boys? ^_^
None of your business, fraulein. As a matter of fact, I have, plenty,
but they're all under me anyway. They're absolutely smitten by this
sixteen year-old girl genius.
>How about homework?
Argh, don't even bring it up. I have this fifty-page long paper to
write and it's worth so much. Damn. If I keep this up I'll never be
able to make it back in a year. And I've spent so much time replying to
this email already... how come you always make these things so long
anyway?
>Well, that's about it and
About time too. Gotta do my work!!
here are the usual stats.
>Time of commencement of letter: Oct 23 2017 9:34PM GMT +9:00
>Time of completion of letter: Oct 27 2017 7:20PM GMT +9:00
>Average time spent on letter per day: four hours
>Size of letter: 67KB
Here are mine.
Time of commencement of letter: Oct 28 2017 11:10PM GMT +1:00
Time of completion of letter: Nov 1 2017 7:19PM GMT +1:00
Average time spent on letter per day: three hours
Size of letter: 69KB
This thing just keeps getting longer and longer, doesn't it? Give my
love to Shinji and Misato and everyone else.
Love, Asuka
______________________________________________________________________
Daruma's After-Notes:
In the author section it says "Daruma and Ka-Wing" but really, it's
mostly Ka-Wing's work. I only provided the basis, while she provided
the much needed substance. Also, it didn't work out too well as we both
have very differing styles, and it's painfully obvious. Ugh. But
anyway, hope you enjoyed the fic, seeing as this thing is going to be
the only fic from me for a long while, since at the time of posting I'm
probably off on my holiday or school camp, but when I come back, I
should be more active then!
Ka-Wing:
Daruma's being humble (for probably the first time in his life), and he
keeps getting this ridiculous notion that I did more'n him, which as
you can tell is obviously not true. Um... I'm going to be laying low
for a time as well, as I have come overseas (overseas to me that is) to
the States for a year to study and to put it lightly, boarding school
life does not take well to me. So we'll have to see. Maybe I'll find to
do some writing later, or if opportunity allows, I'll find someone else
to co-write with! Thanks for reading.
E-mail: daruma@tokyo-3.com
tamkawing@yahoo.com
Homepage: http://members.xoom.com/fanficworks
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Club/2637/fanfics.html
ICQ #: 24423411, 6253558
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geocities.com/tokyo/shrine/3281) (
geocities.com/tokyo/shrine) (
geocities.com/tokyo)