Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Practice ❯ Those Women Longed for the Touch of Other's Lips, and thus Invited their Kisses ( Chapter 11 )

“It's been three years since we've come here together.”

Shinji felt his ears involuntarily twitch at his father's voice, but otherwise didn't move. He was on one knee at his mother's grave, one hand still on the bouquet of flowers he had just laid there. “I ran away then, and haven't been back since. It just hasn't sunk in that Mother is resting here.” A small pause, then: “I don't even remember her face.”

“Man survives by forgetting his memories, but there are some things a man should never forget.” Gendo replied. “Yui taught me about the irreplaceable things.” Motowa's image flashed in Shinji's mind, derailing his train of thought. “I come here to confirm that.”

Shinji said nothing, trying to comprehend how his mind had reacted to the Commander's statement. Do I care that much about her? Shinji asked himself. Yes, I do.

A thought occurred to Shinji. “You have no pictures of her?” Idly, he heard the whirring of a NERV helicopter in the distance.

“There are none left. This grave is just a decoration too. There is no corpse.”

“So the teacher was right. You threw them all away.”

Gendo stared into the sea of graves around him. “I keep everything in my heart. That is enough for now.”

The helicopter landed on a strip of barren land, and Gendo turned to leave. “It's time. I'm leaving.”

“Father!” Shinji called out on impulse.

Gendo turned back to look at his son. “Uh, I'm glad I got to talk to you today.”

“Indeed.” The commander turned back to the helicopter and got in through the side hatch.

The helicopter ramped up the power again, lifting off and moving into the distance. Shinji watched it for a while, then turned to leave.

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I watch the desert landscape turn into the grassier expanse of Tokyo-3's borders as the NERV transport bus takes me back to the Central Dogma access building. I don't know what to make of my father. He seems normal enough, but does he always have to guard his emotions so well? Can he not show feeling to anyone? Not even his son?

My mind flashes back to when my father was leaving. Rei-chan was there. Rei... you guard your emotions too. Is it because you are around my father so much? And what does it take to slip past the masks and see the real you?

Motowa knows. She has been able to find a crack in your armour and get to know you, well enough for you to talk to her. I wonder if it was simply time, or something else that got Rei to open up to her?

I would have had a hard time opening up to Motowa, had the thing in the Practice Room not happened. I doubt I would have met Motowa, for that matter. I reflect back on that as buildings start to appear near the road. It's a good thing I met her. I don't know what I would do without someone I can enjoy being in the company of, as a friend and as a girlfriend.

The bus turns a corner and slows. “We have arrived at Central Dogma. The time is 7:06. All passengers, please exit.”

I look around, an ironic smile on my face. I'm the only one on the bus. Sighing, I get up out of my seat and go out the front doors, coming to a stop at the card swipe stations. Behind me, the doors close and the bus accelerate, moving to wherever its garage is. I could use someone to talk to. I think as I start walking.

Before I even realize where I'm walking to, I'm at the park Motowa had shown me. I look around for her, and spot a figure jumping off of rails and picnic tables at one of the gazebos off in the distance. As they come into the sun, I can see a flash of amber hair. That's Motowa. I think, my spirits beginning to lift already.

I walk up to the gazebo in silence, going up the steps as I watch Motowa go through a run. She gets a running start on the floor before jumping off of the picnic table that had been moved right near the railed edge of the pavilion. She aims for just to the right of a vertical support pole, grabbing it as she flies past and using her momentum to swing around. She lands facing me, standing on the railing, but doesn't see me as her attention was focused on the next step in her run. She jumps and does a half-somersault in the air, completing the revolution on the picnic table. However, she misjudged how long the table was, and her momentum makes her legs land on the ground as her momentum continues to make her rotate. I act quickly, running towards Motowa.

Sliding on my knees, I extend my arms to catch her, the orange-haired girl falling into me instead of faceplanting on the hardwood floor. Neither one of us moved for a few moments, before Motowa finally said “This better be Ikari Shinji's lap I'm in.” Her voice was muffled.

“And if it isn't?” I ask mirthfully.

“Then I'd like to know why my face is pressed up against a total stranger's crotch and why their hands are on my breasts.” She said darkly, and I can feel myself blush like crazy upon realizing why Motowa's voice was muffled.

I use what limited upper-arm strength I possess to quickly push Motowa upwards, letting her get to her feet again. “Thanks for catching me, Shinji, but did you have to do it in such a compromising way?” Motowa said, dusting herself off with one hand and extending a hand to help me to my feet.

“Um, I didn't have much time to think about that.” I admit sheepishly.

Motowa shook his head. “No harm, no foul. Thank you for saving me from having to peel myself off of the ground.”

“Well, I couldn't let anything happen to a face like yours.” I say on impulse, knowing how well Motowa takes compliments.

“Flatterer.” Motowa says, blushing.

“Just an observer.” I respond.

Motowa leans forward and presses her lips to mine, sending small sparks through me. I return the kiss, my arms coming up to wrap around her. Some small part of me recognizes the gesture as one of protection just as it is one of love.

Motowa pulls back slightly after a while, a warm smile on her face. “You really know how to make me feel special, you know that?” She whispers.

“I try.” I reply, my hands falling to my sides.

My father's words echo in my mind. Yui taught me about the irreplaceable things. My expression darkens a shade as I think more about the commander of NERV, and Motowa picks up on my change in mood. “Shinji? What's wrong?” She asks.

“I saw my father today.” I reply. “We went to see my mother's grave. It's the first time in three years I've gone.” My mood darkens further.

Motowa pressed herself closer to me, wrapping me up in a comforting hug. “I'm sorry.”

“No, it's alright. I never really knew my mother. She died when I was very little.”

“I don't like seeing you like this, Shinji.” Motowa whispers in my ear.

“I don't like being like this either.” I reply, beginning to grow more and more upset with each passing second. “Having to pilot Eva weighs on me. Being so distant from my father weighs on me. Always feeling like people only talk to me because I save the world every other week--”

“Stop it.” Motowa said softly, and despite my barely hearing it, it has a profound effect on me.

I fall into an uneasy silence. “I don't want you to think that I care about you just because you go out and be the hero. I didn't even know who you were when I met you, but I did see someone who was smart and funny and caring. I care about you because you're you, not because you're the Third Child.”

Motowa paused and pulled back, and as I stare into her eyes I notice they're beginning to overflow. “I won't ever forget that.” I promise, feeling some of my emotional walls start to break down. “It's just that I've never really had someone who cares about me like you do.”

“Well, I'm going to make it count.” Motowa said resolutely.

I look into Motowa's eyes, seeing the sincerity in them. “Thank you...” I manage, my voice barely above a whisper as a single tear falls.

Motowa smiles at me again, lifting my spirit once again. “You're welcome.” She sniffles once and wipes her eyes, trying to regain some composure. “So that's why you didn't go to school, huh?” Motowa said. “You know, I was all by myself during your Music class last period today.”

I smirk as I recognize the hook in the bait offered to me, and decide to chomp down on it. “I'm sure you were able to occupy your time well enough.”

“Actually, I was quite bored...” Motowa said, stretching.

I'm momentarily distracted by the fact that her gym shirt is being pulled up by her movements, exposing her navel. Her eyes close as she yawns, and so she doesn't catch the shift in attention. “...I was kind of hoping you could give me a hand...” She says nonchalantly.

She opens one eye as she finishes stretching and proceeds to burst out laughing at my expression. “Calm down, Shinji, I was joking...” She says. “If you keep blushing like that, I think you'll wind up hurting something.”

“I can't quite help it.” My face feels like it's on fire.

Motowa laughed again. “Sorry.”

“Don't worry about it. Just be thankful that I don't have a weak heart.” I reply.

“I'm thankful, alright. I make one little sex joke to my boyfriend and then I have to bury him. Doesn't rank too high on my list of fantasies.”

“You know, I don't think it's quite right to call us boyfriend and girlfriend... for one, we haven't even gone out on a date yet.”

Motowa thought for a second. “You doing anything tonight?”

“Nope, I was just going to stay in.” I reply.

“How would you like to come over for dinner tonight, then?”

“I thought it was my job to ask you out on a date.”

“I got impatient.” Motowa smirked.

I nod. “Tonight it is. I was just going to stay in tonight anyway.” I glance at my watch. “Er... it's half-past five already.”

“What? It is?” Motowa said. “Wow, I'm cutting this a bit close, then... We should get going, dinner's usually at around 6:30 and mom doesn't have trouble cooking for more than just her and I, but not if she doesn't know it.”

I smile as I walk with Motowa through the park towards her house. “Um, do you know if there's a pay phone on the way?” I ask as a thought occurs to me.

“Yep, there's one on the corner across the street.” She says, pointing to a booth.

“Good. I doubt there'll be any problems, but I do need to check in.” Shinji said, idly wondering if today was going to have any respite from the torrent of emotions bearing down on him, both good and bad.

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Wow, this took a long time to write. Sorry for not updating sooner, but I've been rotating between the four media I work in (Music, Text, Picture and Video) quite a lot.

So is this it? Will Shinji finally get some next chapter? Will Asuka stand the prospect of being alone in the apartment all night?

Gimme a few days.

Oh, and if you're a Sailor Moon fanfiction fan, you might recognize one of the lines Motowa says to Shinji, and Shinji's reply, as being from chapter 1 of Sailor Moon V: The Dark Adventures of the Sailor Scouts, by Troy “Silver” Stanton (http://www.sailormoonv.net/da.htm). It's one of my favorite lines from that fic.

Okay, now here's my excuse for Kensuke: He's the war guy. He's half-obsessed with getting into NERV. I figure if he can know about Unit 03, which Shinji didn't even know, he can know about the Commander's personality, which is far from classified info.