Asuka - Love's Third Impact

Chapter 1 - Love Awakens

Asuka opens her eyes to a dark and empty room, silence in the air. Over and over, the memories of the Third Impact flood her mind. She brings a hand to her eye, remembering the sharp pain of the Spear of Longinus piercing her head. Shinji's scream echoing in her cockpit as he sees her being devoured by the Mass Production Evas. Four years have passed. Was it all a dream? "Mom... are you still with me?" Asuka falls back asleep.

"Asuka..." Shinji taps her shoulder "Asuka, you gotta wake up or we'll be late for school..."

"Baka Shinji! Five more minutes." Asuka brings the sheets over her head, trying to keep warm and hide herself from Shinji's annoyingness. "Just leave me alone."

Shinji walks over to the kitchen within Misato Katsuragi's apartment. He packs his and Asukas lunch he made the night before and walks back over to Asuka. "Here's your lunch" He throws the pack onto Asuka's hidden self.

"OOF!" The pack lands on her stomach. "BAKA SHINJI YOU'LL PAY FOR THAAAAAT!!!"

Asuka and Shinji walk to school, Shinji a few meters ahead, Asuka walking slower so as to not to be with Shinji. She glances at the pack of lunch Shinji made for her. She feels her face go red and she shakes her head and thinks no, that baka is the worst....

As she looks up from her pack, she realizes that Shinji has stopped and is now facing her. They are looking into each other's eyes, seconds pass by and Asuka snaps out of it. "B- Baka Shinji! What do you think you're doing!" She looks away from him. That idiot... why do I feel warm inside?

As they reach their classroom, Shinji enters then Asuks goes in after.

"Hikari-san, meet me on the roof after school, I need to talk to you about- about something, S-h-i-n-j-i related," Asuka whispers.

After class, Asuka walks up to the roof where she sees Hikari waiting for her. "Hikari-san, thanks for meeting me"

"Of course, Asuka," Hikari looks off the edge of the roof, she can see Ikari, Kensuke, and Tōji- Suzuhara-san I mean... Hikari blushes. "So, what's going on with you and Ikari-kun?"

Asuka is caught off guard, though she knows that's why they're here. "Y- yeah... well how do you know when a guy likes you? Like I mean, making you lunches and... well like how you and Suzuhara are-"

"Suzuhara!? I- I don't know what you mean... Suzuhara and I are- just friends" Hikari looks down, face flush. "Asuka, do you ever think about the future? About how one day in the future you'll look back and your whole life has passed."

"..." Asuka thinks for a moment, thinking back to when she first became a Eva Pilot in Germany. When she first visited Japan and met Shinji. When she- she stops, thinking about the red sea and shinji lying next to her. All she's been through since the Third Impact, the four years of training, only for nothing to happen between her and Shinji. She hates that. She hates him... Shinji, I lied, that first kiss, back all those years ago, I didn't want it but I needed it, I didn't want to love you but the thought of you makes me feel things. BAKA SHINJI WHAT AM I THINKING "AHHHHH!!!!"

"Asuka are you ok?" Hikari says, alarmed.

"I- I was NOT thinking about that idiot Shinji," Asuka yells.

Hikari laughs at her, "You really do like him," she giggles

Asuka blushes "I'm done with this conversation!" Asuka runs back downstairs and out of the school. As she runs home she has Shinji in her mind. Why... why can't I stop thinking of him?

Asuka enters Misato's apartment and sees Shinji sitting at the kitchen table. "What are you looking at, idiot."

"Asuka I-" Asuka interrupts him.

Asuka stomps to her room and slams the sliding door. Tears fill her eyes as she cries into her pillow. Conflict in her mind, her emotions which have been hidden deep down for years, why isn't she strong enough to tell Shinji how she really feels.

"Asuka, can I come in?" Shinji asks softly.

"No- just leave me alone..."

Shinji comes in anyway, and takes a seat next to Asuka on her bed. He rests his hand on hers. Asuka flinches, but doesn't move away. Shinji can feel the warmness on Asukas skin, the softness. Asuka lifts her head and Shinji sees her reddened eyes, tears still floating on the bottom lid.

"When we first met on that navy ship, I was starstruck, well I mean so were Tōji and Kensuke haha, but it was your fiery personality that struck me. You had the strength to defeat the angel by yourself. You didn't need me in that cockpit with you, yet you made me put on that embarrassing plug suit and sit with you, it was intense at the moment but looking back, it was really fun.

Asuka turns to Shinji and chuckles, "You really gotta work on talking to girls, but thank you."

"Wow you're able to give compliments?" Shinji jokes "But seriously, it means a lot to hear that from you Asuka. I'm glad that I can talk to you about more personal stuff, I don't really have that feeling with anyone else."

Asuka looks down at her feet, "You know you really are a baka," Asuka smiles, cheeks red, scooting next to him so there legs are touching, "but you're my baka."

Shinji's face goes red, "And you say I'm bad at talking to girls, you're worse at talking to guys for sure," he gives a small laugh.

"Only with the guys I like..."

"Asuka..."

She turns to him once again, but this time with different intentions. Her breath warm and face flush, she stares into his eyes, as if looking up at the stars. Is this what Misato feels when she's with Kaji, that tingling sensation in your stomach?

"Baka Shinji, close your eyes..."

In the almost pitch black room, with only moonlight shining through her window, Asuka faces Shinji's silhouette, almost like a shadow in the dark. As he closes his eyes, Asuka goes to plug her nose, but stops and removes her fingers, unlike their last kiss, this one means something, it's real. As she leans in, she feels Shinji's hot breath against her lips. He is breathing heavier than normal, he must know what's about to happen.

She closes her own eyes and takes a deep breath. The years of emotional buildup, all about to be released. As they kiss, she feels tears running down her face.

"Asuka... are you ok?"

"Shut up... Shinji," Asuka wraps her arms around Shinji's neck and kisses him harder. Leaning forward, she falls on top of him. "Watch those hands baka!" But Asuka couldn't care less right now, all she wants is Shinji.

Asuka hears a door shut, it must be Misato. Damn her, things were just getting good. She realizes that she's not alone, but with a guy, Kaji.

"Shinji get up, Misato is here" she whispers. Asuka tries to get away from Shinji but her efforts are too slow, Misato is already standing in the doorway, glaring at them. Kaji laughing in the background.

"I guess you finally got your wish," Kaji says to Asuka, making her beet red. "You guys remind me of Misato and I when we were younger, well not much has changed," Misato grows red as well and elbows him in the gut.

Asuka realizes she's still on Shinji and jumps off, as if a spider was there. "We- we were just," Asuka thinks for a moment of what to say. No matter what excuse she gives, there's no hiding the fact of what it looked like. "We were wrestling and um, well you just came in on us in a bad position and, why am I even having to explain myself to you! We are both adults, it's a lot cleaner than whatever you and Kaji did!"

With that, she stands up, fixes her partially unbuttoned blouse, and walks out of the room, saying something under her breath. Shinji stares are her, static from what he just experienced, he wants to chase after her, but Misato stops him.

"Shinji-kun, are you alright, I mean knowing her I assume she started this whole thing, but either way," she reaches into Kaji's pocket and hands Shinji something, "Always remember to use-"

"MISATO-SAAAAAN!!!" Shinji shouts.