L O V E : A G O O D B Y E - 真的是这样吗？

" d e e p i n h i s h e a r t " - ENG TRANSLATION

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the shattered windows, casting long shadows that danced across the cold, concrete floor of the derelict building. In the center of the room, Shinji Ikari sat alone, arms tightly wrapped around his knees, staring blankly ahead. The city around him was in ruins, a ghost town of broken dreams and lost hopes.

"Shinji," a familiar voice called out, soft yet echoing, reverberating through the empty building.

Shinji looked up, his heart skipping a beat as he saw Kaworu Nagisa standing in the doorway. The pale hair of the boy was bathed in the fading sunlight, making him appear almost angelic, as if he had descended from heaven. But Shinji knew better. He knew Kaworu was no longer an angel-at least, not anymore. After everything that had happened, nothing was the same.

"Kaworu..." Shinji's voice was barely a whisper, his throat tight with unshed tears.

Kaworu slowly walked closer, his red eyes filled with emotions Shinji couldn't fully comprehend. Was it regret? sorrow? Perhaps it was even love, but now it was impossible to know. The distance between them felt like an endless void, yet Kaworu closed it in just a few steps and sat down beside Shinji without saying a word.

"I thought you wouldn't come back," Shinji finally spoke, his voice trembling as he struggled to stay composed.

"I never left," Kaworu replied, his tone so gentle it almost seemed out of place in their shattered world.

Shinji's breath caught as he felt Kaworu's hand cover his. The hand was cold, a stark reminder that Kaworu was no longer truly alive-if he ever had been. But that coldness also brought a strange comfort, a fleeting warmth in the desolation of Shinji's heart.

"You did what you had to do," Kaworu continued, his gaze drifting to the horizon where the sun was sinking, taking the last light with it. "It's all over now. The pain, the torment... it's all over."

Shinji shook his head, tears finally slipping free as he gripped Kaworu's hand tighter. "But it's not over, Kaworu. It'll never be over. Every time I close my eyes, I see- I see you, I see everything I've done, I see everything I've lost. It's all my fault. I destroyed everything."

Kaworu turned to him, his expression unreadable, but those eyes-those heartbreaking red eyes-bore into Shinji's soul with an intensity that made him ache. "You didn't destroy anything, Shinji. You tried to save everyone. Even if it meant... even if it meant losing me."

"But I did lose you," Shinji choked out, his voice barely audible. "I lost you, Kaworu, and it hurts too much. I don't know how to keep going."

Kaworu sighed softly, the sound almost human in its sadness. He reached out with his other hand, gently caressing Shinji's cheek, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "You're not alone, Shinji. I'll always be with you, even if it's just a memory. Even if it's just an echo of what we once had."

Shinji leaned into Kaworu's touch, closing his eyes as more tears fell. He wished he could stay in this moment forever, in this fragile peace where the outside world didn't exist, where he wasn't the boy who failed to save anyone, where Kaworu was still alive and they were together.

But he knew it was impossible. The world wouldn't stop for wishes or dreams, and neither would the pain.

Kaworu gently pulled Shinji closer, and for a brief moment, Shinji almost believed that he might find solace in this fragile connection. But deep down, he knew it was just another illusion, another fleeting hope that would shatter the moment he opened his eyes.

As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, plunging the world into darkness, Kaworu's voice whispered in his ear, a final, bittersweet farewell.

"Goodbye, Shinji. Be strong."

When Shinji opened his eyes, Kaworu was gone, leaving only the cold and endless night of the ruined building to engulf him once more. He was alone again, as he had always been, the weight of that loneliness nearly crushing him.

But he had to keep going, didn't he? For Kaworu, for those he had already lost. Even if the pain would never truly leave him, even if the memories would haunt him until his last breath, he had to keep moving forward.

Shinji stood up, his legs trembling but resolute. He wiped away the last of his tears, his face showing a weary yet determined expression. The world was broken, his heart was shattered, and the future was uncertain.

But he would keep going, step by step, even if it was filled with pain.

Because it was the only thing he knew how to do.

Deep within his soul, he carried Kaworu's final words, like a faint, dying star guiding him through the endless night.