You Can (Not) Forget

The Sound of Silence IV

Groggily, Shinji opened his eyes. The ceiling of his room in Misato's apartment came slowly into focus and he sat up a moment later. Shinji let out a sigh as he pulled the covers off his body. He felt drained. He supposed that made some sense. His past few days had not been relaxing really. Between Israfel and the events that followed the seraph's fall, he hadn't gotten much time to just rest.

Logically, Shinji knew that he was not tired. His body wasn't really capable of that. But the mind was a wondrous thing. He would have been tired as a human and he knew that. The fatigue was reflected even now. He supposed that if he wasn't actively focusing on the logic of his new existence, he could remain somewhat normal for a human being.

Patting his face, Shinji woke himself fully and got to his feet. He quickly left his room and walked off to the restroom to get ready for the day. Walking over to the sink he turned on the water and bent down to splash his face with it.

Ound... hi...!

Shinji's head jerked up and he whipped around. Droplets of water flew from the damp fringe of his hair as he looked about.

There was no one in the room with him.

Shinji wondered if Misato had left the tv on. Turning back to the sink he looked in the mirror and blinked, frown stretched across his face. For a minute he thought he'd seen himself glaring.

"I was more tired than I thought..." Shinji mumbled before continuing with his morning routine. Once he was refreshed, he went back to his room to get dressed. It wasn't long after that that he was out the door, never noticing that the tv was turned off.

Shinji didn't really remember how he got to school. It was almost as if he was stepping up to the gates the moment he stepped out the door. He knew the way like the back of his hand, so his lack of attention was a non-issue, but he couldn't seem to remember what daydream had distracted him so. School was mind numbing. Which wasn't anything new for Shinji. In fact, he welcomed it. This was the normality he'd been missing. So much had happened lately that he'd not been able to enjoy just being a kid.

"Murderer!"

Shinji winced and massaged his temples, wondering where his sudden headache had come from. It wasn't long before he'd put it out of his mind and let his train of thought continue, however.

The Third Child had even more responsibility on his shoulders now than he did in his original dimension. That's why when he finally stepped into the too clean halls of the school, he felt at peace. Finally, he was in a place he could be free to relax. He could fall into the monotony of classes. This was a routine he could get behind.

But today was not routine.

Musc... rophy? Angels... incappa... things.

Alwa... specia...

"Shinji!"

He turned at her voice, deciding that whatever had been said before Asuka spoke was just some overheard conversation in the halls. The students chatted about the angels often enough, after all. A smile slipped onto Shinji's lips that he was incapable of suppressing. Not that he would want to. He didn't want to hide his happiness at all. Asuka walked up to him, slowing down as she must have been speed walking. The girl threw her arms around him in a hug that filled his nose with apple and jasmine. Her locks of silky red hair tangling between his fingers as he circled his own arms around her.