Neon Genesis Evangelion: Second Coming

Welcome home

Shinji stayed with asuka until she fell asleep.  He didn't know how long it was, and he didn't care.  The only thing in his world that mattered was the girl in front of him.  She seemed so vulnerable, so helpless, yet so strong.  It almost brought him to tears, but the past few months had changed him, he was no longer a 14 year old kid, he was a man.  He had grown up fast.  He had grown up enough to understand that it's best to tell someone you love them while you had the chance.  Asuka's sleeping face was so peaceful.  Shinji didn't know anything about her past, but he now knew he wanted to, he wanted to help her bare what ever pain she was carrying.  He could at least do that for her.  The door slid open after god knows how long had passed.  He had expected misato to come looking for him, or rei to happen in. But the person in the door was a surprise. 
"How is she." Gendo Ikari asked walking up behind shinji. 
"Alive." Shinji said.
"Good." Gendo said.  "And how are you?"   Shinji was a little taken aback,  did his father just ask him how he was doing.
"I'm fine." He said.
"Are you really?" His father asked, in his same monotones voice.
"Fuck no." Shinji said.  "What was the point of all this."
"We had to save humanity from the horror of third impact." Gendo said.
"You know I was thinking." Shinji said.  He stood up and looked his father in the eye for the first time in years.  "What if the goal of this war wasn't to save us from the horror, what if it was the horror itself."
"What." Gendo said.
"How often did we disregard the Japanese Government, the UN, and our own conscious to get where we are today, how many times did you disregard your own son to stand where we are today." Shinji said.  "And the most damning part of it is, you beat the fucking game, you beat fate.  You did it and lost nothing." Shinji said.
"Your wrong." Gendo said.  "I lost everything." 
"What." Shinji said
"Later, you have enough to worry about." Gendo said turning around. "keep an eye on asuka, she will need you."

Asuka was discharged back home a few days later.  She was still weak and had to be brought up in a wheelchair.  Shinji met her at the car.  As she was dropped off, he ran up to her.  He hugged her, and he wouldn't let her go.  Tears ran down his face. 
"I'm so glad your back." He said.
"They said I'd been fine a few days ago." She squeaked.  "What are you stupid." But this time there was no malice on her voice, just relief that she was still around to say it. 
"Maybe." Shinji said as he pushed her to the elevator. 

"So listen." Shinji said as he pushed asuka towards their home. She felt almost to light. "I told misato not to set up some huge party, but you know what she is like."
"Oh god." Asuka said, flashing a little grin. They opened the door to the apartment and to no ones surprise, misato had thrown them a party. She and rei, toji and kensuke, hikari, hyuga, ibuki, and aoba, even fuyutsike. Shinji didn't see his father anywhere. He let asuka socialize while he pulled misato to the side.
"Where's my father?" He asked. "You said you would try to invite him."
"I did, he said he would try to come, but I got a call not five minutes ago saying he was stuck in a meeting." Misato said

"With the final angel defeated, I suggest we deactivate all evangelion units and cease production on all currently under construction." Ikari said, his hands laced in front of his face, light glinting off his glasses
"We cannot do that Ikari." 3 said
"The evas are necessary to the survival of the human race." 6 added
"With the last angel defeated, humanity is no longer in danger." Ikari said. "Unless there is something you are not telling me."
"Enough, the Evas stay online, that's the end of it." 1 said. Ikari noticed his voice sounded different.

That night, shinji helped asuka into bed.
"Shinji" asuka said.
"Yes, what is it." Shinji said covering her up.
"I uh..." asuka stuttered
"What." Shinji asked again
"Could you stay with me tonight." Asuka said.
"Of course." Shinji said. "I'll just go grab a mat."
"No, I couldn't ask you to do that." Asuka stammered. "Just sleep in the bed."
"Are you sure." Shinji asked
"Yeah, I think so." Asuka said. Shinji smiled and crawled into bed next to her.
"Shinji." She asked as he settled in
"Yeah." He responded
"You'll watch over me tonight right." She asked
"Of course I will." He said looking her in the eye. It was the first time he saw fear in her eyes. It was the first time she looked at him not as a rival but a friend. "I won't let anything hurt you again, I won't run away, not again." Asuka smiled
"Goodnight Shinji." She said.
"Goodnight asuka." He said and kissed her on the forehead