Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ The Way Out is Through ❯ Shades of Grey ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

I do not own Evangelion. I do however… well never mind, I’m poor.





The Way Out is Through
By Ovrboost

There’s a shadow just behind me. shrouding every step I take.Making every promise empty. pointing every finger at me.Waiting like a stalking butler, who upon the finger rests.Murder now the path of ’must we’, just because the son has come.Jesus, won’t you fucking whistle. something but the past and done.Why can’t we not be sober? I just want to start this over.Why can’t we drink forever? I just want to start this over.I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile.I will only complicate you. trust in me and fall as well.I will find a center in you. I will chew it up and leave.I will work to elevate you, just enough to bring you down.Mother mary, won’t you whisper. something but the past is done.Why can’t we not be sober? I just want to start this over.Why can’t we sleep forever? I just want to start this over.I am just a worthless liar. I am just an imbecile.I will only complicate you. trust in me and fall as well.I will find a center in you. I will chew it up and leave.Trust me. trust me. trust me. trust me. trust me.Why can’t we not be sober. I just want to start things over.Why can’t we sleep forever. I just want to start this over.I want what I want...
The house was kept in a perpetual twilight, as the candles on the mantel burned towards their end. Sitting heavily the plush couch, and blankly staring into nothing was Asuka. In her hand, the final remnants of the vodka that Yuriy had brought back over a week ago lay in a short glass. Just under half of the bottle had found it’s self laid to waste, and was currently residing within the redhead’s stomach. She felt numb. Finally. It had only taken an hour and a half.

In the other room, Yuriy tended to his one remaining patient. Getting back to the house had been tricky to say the least, but they had managed. He hadn’t felt comfortable enough to remove the chest tube, so the boy had to be positioned on the far side of the bed, in order to limit the amount of blood on the mattress.

Yuriy despised the fact that Asuka had taken the opportunity to get drunk, which meant that he would have to keep watch until she sobered. It had been a long day, and the coffee could help only so much. At least he was breathing on his own, a ventilator would have been better, but beggars can’t be choosers. Yuriy leaned back in the wooden rocker beside the bed, and lifted the slowly cooling mug of coffee to his lips. In his mind’s eye, he could vividly recall the small diamond ring on the girl’s finger. It should have been sparkling, had it not been doused in blood, later covered by dirt. You poor, young bastard. I’m glad I’m not in your shoes… anymore. He grimaced with the thought, and set the coffee back down by his feet.

He couldn’t help but remember. Throughout the morning, he had had flashbacks of that fateful day, but now… now that he had a chance to sit, and reflect, Yuriy couldn’t stop his mind from mulling over the past. The blood, the screams… the desperation, and the tears. It all seemed so long ago, yet it also seemed as if it had just happened the day before. His beautiful wife of just over ten years, half crushed by a falling wooden beam. He could see with shocking clarity, the look on her face, as he was forced to open her up without any kind of anesthetic. He could hear the haunting screams of his two year old daughter from somewhere behind him, dreadfully mixed with his own pleading sobs. His wife’s last words, and the dull look in her eyes a moment after she had said them…

He was muttering in his sleep again. Quick, incoherent words passed through the lips, as his head jerked back and forth every once and a while. Yuriy looked on with bloodshot eyes. He couldn’t take much more of this, he realized, as the slowly rising sun glowed behind the drawn curtains of the room’s one window.

Stifling a yawn, Yuriy stretched, leaning further back in the wooden rocker. He opened his eyes, only to catch a glimpse of Asuka as she staggered past the doorway. The frustration, and growing anger he had felt towards her throughout the night all came rushing back to him in that one instant, and before he knew it, he was silently watching her from the kitchen’s threshold. He watched her pour herself a cup of coffee, and stand before the window. She was bringing the mug up to her mouth when he spoke.

“Sober yet?” His voice was rough from a long night of disuse, and it startled her. Asuka jumped slightly, spilling some of the hot liquid onto her blouse. She yelped, and cursed loudly.

“God damn it, Yuriy!” she spun, and set her glaring eyes firmly upon his. “Don’t fucking do that again.”

“Is that a yes?” he asked, leaning against the wall, and folding his arms.

“What do you think.” she spat back, turning towards the window, and taking a sip of the coffee.

“What do I think? I think it would have been nice to have gotten some sleep last night.” Yuriy pulled himself away from the wall, and stepped towards the counter to refill his own mug.

“Humph…” Yuriy stopped mid-stride, and glared at her back for a long moment.

“Well princess, would you mind pitching in, so I might be able to?” He asked, voice slightly rising. Yuriy saw her tense.

“I’m going into town.” she replied in a low voice, taking another sip of her coffee.

“I’m sorry? What did you say?” She set the mug down on the counter. Hard. Asuka spun back around, and looked Yuriy square in the eye.

“I said I’m going back into town. Get Svetlana to do it, I don’t…” she glanced away, and sighed; “Look, I’ll do it later. Just… not now, okay?” Yuriy continued to stare at her, disbelieving.

“What‘s going on with you, Asuka?” he asked, almost breathlessly. “What’s wrong?” Concern evident within his brown eyes, and jaw firmly set beneath his salt, and pepper beard.

“Nothing…” she glanced up at him, seeing the look on his face, and looked quickly back down. “Stop looking at me like that…” she whispered, still looking at the floor. They stood there in silence for what seemed an eternity, before Asuka pushed herself away from the counter, and headed out, brushing passed Yuriy.

He clasped onto her wrist as she passed, jerking her to a halt. Their eyes met, Yuriy’s dull brown, and Asuka’s glaring blue, partnered with the gray. It only took one look from the redhead, and Yuriy released the wrist, and let her go. He watched her as she strode quickly through the house, grabbing up her nine millimeter, and tucking it in the small of her back. She paused at the front door, sparing him a quick glance before walking out. Yuriy sighed, and filled his coffee cup with a shake of his head.

The beautiful weather from the previous evening didn’t last. As Asuka walked down the road with ever-increasing familiarity, she mentally groaned, and wished she had remembered the umbrella. It hadn’t quite started to rain yet, but the dark, rolling clouds above promised it, and more. Unconsciously, she began to walk faster. The distance rumbles added urgency to her steps. With luck, she would reach shelter before the storm broke.

Luck, however, proved uncooperative.

The sky flashed, and the slightly delayed thunderclap nearly jolted Asuka right out of her skin. She had only managed to get to the outskirts of town, and she could feel the intermittent drops of rain begin to pelt her from above. Her quick footsteps soon became a brisk jog. The clinic soon came into view, but she kept going. She was twenty feet from the broken glass door leading into the small general store, when a veritable wall of water fell from the heavens, soon after, her jog slowed to a leisurely walk. What’s the use, I’m already soaked… she thought dismally, as she stepped up to the threshold of the store.

Just before disappearing into the darkened building, she brought her left arm up, resting her hand on the inside of the doorframe, and took a look back out towards the rain. Story of my life… thought Asuka, with a sigh. She let her arm fall to her side, as she stepped through the doorway, which resulted in her taking a sharp intake of breath.

“Scheiße! God damn it!” she screamed into the shadows, clutching her hand to her chest. In her fury, she slammed her foot into an errant box laying on the floor, sending it flying towards the other side of the store. After a moment, she examined her palm, holding it tentatively. The glass shard had sliced cleanly into her palm, going deep. A good amount of blood poured from the wound, dripping onto the floor. Disgusted, Asuka let it hang by her side, and bleed. Punishment. she reasoned; for being so fucking careless. Go ahead… bleed.

She glanced back outside, then again at her bleeding hand, and heaved a quick sigh, with a shake of her head. The shattered glass beneath her feet crackled, and crunched, with each step, until she cleared a few isles. Asuka moved towards the rear of the store, trying to remember which isle it was, that Yuriy had requisitioned the throat scorching vodka from. Ah, there you are. She thought, as the slightly picked over liquor section came to view. If she had cared, she probably would have taken more time, to choose a higher quality drink. Instead, she grabbed the first thing handy, and followed the dotted red line back to the front of the store, creating another, parallel to the first.

Asuka eased herself to the floor, and leaned back against a stack of shelves facing the door, setting the bottle between her legs. She held her injured hand in front of her, resting the elbow at the knee, and stared out into the rain. The symphony of a hard rain on concrete killed the silence, while Asuka did her best to silence it with a glare, and a hard slug of vodka.

“Papa?” came Svetlana’s small voice from behind the doorway.

“Come in, little one.” called Yuriy, as he sat heavily beside his own bed. He had tried to sleep, but his thoughts simply would not be silent long enough for him to finally drift off. He had considered sleeping pills, but disregarded them. Wouldn’t want to be groggy, in the event of an emergency. So here he sat, watching the rain fall, from the comfort of his armchair. The faint squeal of the door hinges sounded unnaturally loud.

Yuriy turned his chair slightly to face his daughter, as she made her way across the room. The mere sight of her brought a small smile to his face. She smiled back, as he patted his lap. “How is he, Svetlana?”

“Fine papa, no fever, and he’s breathing okay.” she replied, as she took a seat on his offered lap. She felt his strong arm, as it wrapped itself around her waist. The strength comforted her, and reinforced her belief that her papa was indeed invincible.

“Hmm, and how about you?”

“I’m great!” She said, with noticeably greater zeal. Her voice complementing the smile, now firmly planted upon her features.

“Are you!?” Yuriy smiled; “Excellent!” he exclaimed, trying to mirror her enthusiasm, and bouncing her slightly on his leg. He half succeeded, and she noticed, but giggled, and played along anyways. His faltering smile caused a small chain reaction, as she followed suit.

“Papa, what’s wrong?” His leg stopped, and they both sat there in silence for a moment.

“Nothing’s wrong, honey. Why do you ask?”

“I… heard Asuka yelling this morning.” Yuriy gave her a thoughtful look, before replying.

“She…” He sighed softly, “We had a disagreement this morning, that’s all.”

“Is she coming back?” she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. Yuriy gazed out the window, into the falling rain.

“Yes, Svetlana… She’ll be back.” with this bit of information, she brightened considerably.

“Good! She better, cause I’m gonna make dinner extra, extra special!” she exclaimed, bouncing herself upon his knee. Her huge smile was infectious, succeeding in lifting Yuriy’s spirits.

“Oh yea? Extra, extra, huh?”

“Yep! You’re gonna love it!” she said, emphasizing the ‘you’re’, and poking him squarely in the chest. “Asuka will too!”

“Well, all right then.” God, what would I do without you, Svetlana? the thought almost caused his smile to falter once more, but he caught it just in time. “It’s getting late, we must get started. Go wash up, little one. I‘ll be there in a second.”

“Okay.” she groaned, pulling herself up off his lap. Yuriy watched her as she left, returning his eyes to the window once she disappeared through the doorway. The rain continued, unrelenting. It was getting late, a fact made obvious by the diminishing light.

I hope she comes back, anyways… he thought, as the dim shadows played across his face.

The hour was most definitely growing late, yet the rains refused to subside. The occasional flash of lighting illuminated the interior of the darkened store, gleaming brightly off the wet shards of broken glass, and casting sharp shadows over the contents therein. Not far from where she had been sitting, Asuka leaned lazily against a wall adjacent to a small window, staring serenely out into the night, empty bottle in hand.

As the afternoon had progressed, along with her blood alcohol level, the rain had grown more, and more hypnotic. Almost soothing, cleansing… well, to a degree, anyways. The blood from her hand was splattered all over the floor in chaotic dotted patterns. She had actually forgotten about it, until she had went to brush her hair out of her face, and ended up smearing blood across her features. Exasperated, she had cut off a long strip from her blouse, and tied it tightly around her hand, finally slowing, and eventually stopping the flow.

The sky flashed, and growled deeply at her, as Asuka stepped out into the rain. Free from the confines of the store, she looked heavenward, and twirled. The rain fell cool upon her face, as she spun with arms parallel to the ground, and she laughed. She didn’t know why she laughed, but before she had a chance to think about it, she grew incredibly dizzy. Once the feeling hit, she stopped spinning, or attempted to at least. Her torso stopped, but her arms, and legs kept going. Incidentally, she had decided to take a step forward at around the same time, of course it didn’t quite work out, and she soon ended up on the ground.

The shock of the impact registered belatedly, but no real pain was evident. What was evident however, was the fact that despite her being firmly planted on the rain soaked street, everything was still spinning, and she felt like she was still falling. “Ohhhh… Ssssssscheiße!” She said, groaning at the same time. If there was one feeling she remembered well when it concerned alcohol, this was definitely it. Got… to keep… moooving.

A wry smile appeared on her lips, as she staggered back to her feet. It took her a second to steady herself, but once accomplished she looked back up towards the sky, letting the rain once again pelt her face. She looked back down to the half empty bottle she had grabbed before leaving the store, turning it about in her hand in almost curious examination, before chucking it across the street. The bottle’s flight seemed to take longer than it should have, but at it’s end, the satisfying smash heralded it’s destruction. The night erupted with another echoing boom, making her jump a little bit.

Asuka jerked around, and yelled at nothing. “What!?” She turned around again, as if looking for a fight. “What are you gonna do? Huh!? …What!?” she asked of no one… except perhaps herself.

She stopped turning, and stood there in the rain gazing at the ground before her, feeling as if her body was still moving. Asuka watched the small river of pooled water as it flowed towards the ancient drainage ditch with her eyes wide open. Her hands jerked towards her skull, and she ran her hands through her soaked hair, towards the back of her head where she grabbed handfuls. Jerking back on her hair, she screamed. She screamed until her throat wore raw, and then she screamed again.

How did everything get so fucked up? she mentally asked herself, as she collapsed upon her hands, and knees, letting her hair hang down into the street. What did I do to deserve this? Huh? Oh Christ, what is there to live for? This world is fucking dead! What… what the hell am I suppose to do…“ugh…” Oh.. Oh God… Oh… G… She threw up. Her back heaved, and her stomach rebelled until it was nothing more than painful, non-productive dry heaving.

Finished, she collapsed next to the fading pool of stomach acid, and half eaten snack food, and rolled onto her back. The falling drops of rain, innumerable came rushing at her from the black oblivion. The tears welled up in her eyes, and joined her rain cascading down her face. “There’s nothing left.” she whispered to herself, to anyone willing to listen. “I…” she stopped, as a sob racked her small body at the full realization of her own words. “I have nothing… I have nothing left… nothing left…” She couldn’t stop crying, and it pissed her off. Another dry heave cut into her rage, doubling her up into herself, but nothing would come anymore. Once it passed, she drew in a long, ragged breath, and rolled back over.

“God damn it!” she screamed, her voice hoarse, and pounded the pavement with her injured fist, reopening the wound. “I don’t fucking have anything!” She started screaming into her sobs, still pounding her bloodied fists into the pavement. The rain, uncaring in it’s simplicity, washed it all away. The blood, the vomit, and the screams… just washed it all away.

The house was dark, almost deathly silent. In the far corner of the kitchen the large wind-up clock ticked away the seconds, unnaturally loud in the stillness of the night. The remains of an uneaten dinner plate sit wrapped in foil on one of the kitchen counters. The pots, pans and utensils, which only hours before had been used with great care by young hands sit soaking in the sink. Somewhere along the way, it had stopped raining. A light snore emanated from from another room, where Yuriy had finally dosed off while watching over the unconscious young man beside him, awaiting the return of his other houseguest.

The sound of the back door slamming open jolted him from his sleep. It took him a moment to regain his bearings, while the sound of staggered footsteps echoed in from the kitchen. Yuriy’s hand flew over to his shotgun. He had kept it close ever since the incident the day before. He held it now, as he leaned up against the doorway, at a low ready. Taking a deep breath, he spun around, and into the hall, simultaneously bringing the weapon to his shoulder, instinctually searching for targets. Nothing.

The great thing about shotguns, is that everyone, almost everywhere knows exactly what they sound like. That sound, that click-clack, usually had a psychological effect on an enemy (or in this case, intruder), that usually resulted in the immediate shitting of his, or her pants. This little bit of knowledge was why Yuriy racked another round into his weapon’s chamber, effectively expelling and unspent cartridge onto the carpet. The noise stopped. The intruder was now trapped in the small anteroom connecting through an open doorway to the kitchen. They could either leave, or try their luck against Yuriy’s twelve gauge Mossberg. They chose the latter. Yuriy’s finger began to tense around the trigger of his shotgun, as he followed the dark shape of the intruder. He could make out the shadow, as it peaked around the corner.

“Don’t fucking move!” he shouted in Russian. The shadow froze. A tense moment passed, as neither moved. The shadow spoke.

“You gonna to shoot me, Yuriy?” it asked in German. Yuriy released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, and lowered his weapon.

“Jesus Asuka, why didn’t you say something earlier?” He asked, turning around to grab a candle by its brass holder, after fumbling around for a moment, he lit it with a match. The soft glow light up his immediate surroundings. “You know” he said, putting the pack of matches back in a drawer; “Svetlana was really upset about you missing dinner…” He turned back around, only to find that Asuka had walked to within inches of him. The resulting shock almost caused him to drop the lit candle. “God damn i…” He started to curse, but cut himself off once he got a good look at her face. “Jesus Christ, Asuka.. What… what the hell happ…”

“Don’t bother, Yuriy.” she said in a tired voice. Her face was pale, eyes slightly sunken, and bloodshot, her hair damp, and matted to her head, and neck. For lack of better words, she looked like hell warmed over.

“What do you mean, ‘don’t bother’, Asuka, you look like hell! What happened?” Yuriy looked at her for a moment, expecting a reply. Then it hit him. The pungent odor of alcohol, and vomit assaulted his nose, causing him to cringe, and step back slightly. He stood to his full height, and looked down at her. “You were drinking all night, weren’t you.” She just looked at him, as if to say “Yea, So?”

“I’m going to change. Then I’m going to sleep.” she said, her voice almost acidic. He said nothing, but she still stood there, under his withering, accusing gaze. An odd sound reached both their ears, in the lull of their conversation, the sound of something wet impacting the carpet made itself evident. Yuriy looked down, almost out of annoyance, to find blood oozing out of Asuka’s clinched left fist, and subsequent improvised , and soaked-through bandage. She followed his gaze, then suddenly tried to step around him.

“No.” he stated, putting his hand to the center of her chest, just below the neck. “You’re not.” She stopped, and shot a glare at him.

“Get you’re hand off of me.” He didn’t comply, so she tried to remove the offending appendage herself. She grabbed his wrist, and pulled, with no effect. She tried to step back, and around him, but he had grabbed a hold of her blouse, twisting it around his hand. “Let go of me!” she shouted at him, pounding her injured fist into his chest, leaving a bloodied imprint on his shirt.

“Settle down Asuka!” he said, raising his voice slightly. “Hey! Just… Settle.. Down!” She kept struggling, twisting, turning, trying to beat him into letting her go. She failed, and so did the fabric of her blouse. She let out a startled yelp, as she fell, twisting to the ground. The sound of her soaking wet blouse ripping from her torso cut the night, as both went silent. Neither said anything further, only their heavy breathing permeated the silence. Yuriy stood, holding the candle in one hand, and half of Asuka’s blouse in the other, while Asuka lay at his feet, breasts exposed to the candlelight, bleeding, and breathing heavily. She still glared up at him, but quickly turned her head, as she felt her eyes start to fill once more.

“Please, just leave me alone, Yuriy.” she whispered towards the wall, hiding the tears that threatened to spill.

At this, Yuriy finally glanced away, feeling guilty. He took in a quick, shuddering breath before replying. “Asuka… put another shirt on.” He tried to swallow with a dry throat. “When… when you’re done, come into the kitchen, and let me suture that hand for you. Okay?”

“Yuriy, just…”

“God damn it Asuka… just do it.” Silence. She got to her feet, and shot him a quick glance, jerking the remnants of her shirt from his hand.

“Fine.” she spat out, walking towards the living room. Neither saw the small, scared face hidden in the darkness, nor did they hear the door when it softly shut.

They met again, five minutes later, at the kitchen table. Yuriy had lit three other candles, and set them up around the large towel he had set on the table next to the suture kit. Asuka walked into the room silently, and sat down opposite of Yuriy. Neither spoke for a solid minute, they simply sat, looking at each other waiting for one another to either blink, or speak. Asuka won.

“Let me see your hand.” Yuriy said with a soft sigh. She complied, rolling up the sleeve of the scarlet blouse she had received on her first day of residence, and setting her arm upon the table. Yuriy leaned into the table, and pealed the makeshift bandage slowly from her palm. Asuka hissed when the final wrap was removed, which caused Yuriy to pause in his work and glance up.

“What?” she asked softly, but with no less venom than earlier.

“Would you like something for the pain? This will hurt.” he said, emphasizing the word ‘will’.

“No.” Yuriy grunted with her simple answer, a wry smile crossed his face.

“Stubborn girl.” he muttered under his breath, but not low enough for her not to hear. Asuka attempted to burn through his head with her glare, but it had little effect. Yuriy gently spread apart the laceration checking it for debris, while using a syringe (minus needle) to push saline through it. “It’s deep. How long ago did you cut it?”

“Right after the storm hit.” He stopped working again, to look at her, but said nothing. He half sighed, and half growled in tired exasperation. Finally he picked up the hooked suture needle.

“Ready?” he asked, without looking up this time.

“Yea”

“Sure you don’t want anything?”

“Just fucking do it, Yuriy.” he scowled at her, but after a moment, he smiled a sickening half smile.

“You asked for it.” he said solemnly, and drove down the needle, and attacked the wound. The sudden pain caused Asuka to jerk her hand slightly, and she let a pitiful sounding whimper escape her lips. He kept going regardless, and before it was finished, he had had to pin her hand to the towel to stop her from trying to jerk it away.

“Alright. I’m finished, get some sleep. We will talk in the morning.” Yuriy said, after he had put the finishing touches on the new bandage. When he looked back up at her, she brought her other hand up to her face to brush away the final traces of the pain. She sniffed, but kept glaring at him.

“Fine. Tomorrow.” With that, she stood, and walked out of the room. Yuriy sighed, and cleaned up the mess, before returning back to his patient’s side. Who knew, he might even get a chance to sleep, even it is only for an hour or two.

He was muttering in his sleep again. Quick, incoherent words passed through the lips, as his head jerked back and forth every once and a while. Yuriy looked on with bloodshot eyes. He couldn’t take much more of this, he realized, as the slowly rising sun glowed behind the drawn curtains of the room’s one window. Stifling a yawn, Yuriy stretched, leaning further back in the wooden rocker. He opened his eyes, just in time to catch the young man’s eyes snap open.

“Ming!” the young man screamed out, with wild eyes scanning over the ceiling. He was breathing quickly, and he tried to sit up, but the immense, stabbing pain in his chest, and shoulder stopped him. Yuriy acted quickly, and tried to restrain his newly awakened patient.

“Settle down! You’re alright.” He said, one hand firmly on the man’s shoulder, the other applying light pressure to the unwounded side of his chest. “It’s okay… It’s alright. Breath easy young man.” he said soothingly. The advice was heeded after a moment, and the young man looked pleadingly into Yuriy’s eyes. Searching for something, anything. Yuriy was pretty sure he knew what it was he was looking for.

“M..Ming… the girl I was with… she was shot, God, Is she okay? Is she alive?” he pleaded in rapid fire Japanese, far to quick for Yuriy’s pitiful grasp on the language. “Please, I have to know is she alive? God, tell me she’s okay!” Yuriy motioned for him to slow down with his hands.

“Slow. You must talk slower, young boy.” Yuriy said in his broken Japanese. The young man looked at him with a puzzled expression, before complying.

“The girl. Ming. Is she okay?” he asked slowly, knowing the man had comprehended by the look in his face, the eyes said it all.

“No. We tried hard, but she did not make it.” Yuriy spat out, wishing he had a better grasp on the language, if not for conversation, then at least for times like this. He watched as the young man, who had grabbed a fist full of Yuriy’s shirt in desperation, let go, and virtually fall back into the mattress. It was almost like watching himself six years prior. The look on the young man’s face, the inevitable tears. God, he thought to himself; why does life have to be so damn cruel? He watched in silence, as the poor boy lay, and stewed in his grief. He couldn’t help but shake his head.

Outside the closed door of the room Yuriy was in, and in the kitchen, Asuka had just finished getting herself a cup of coffee, when she heard the muffled yelling from the other room. Japanese? she asked herself in curiosity; the guy speaks Japanese? Huh. Unable to resist her curiosity, she crept up towards the door in time to hear the sobbing.

“What’s your name, young boy?” she heard Yuriy ask after the young man had settled a bit. There was a pause.

“I.. Ikari. My name is Shinji Ikari.” He said with a quick cough. Asuka’s breath caught in her throat, and she was vaguely aware that she had dropped her coffee mug.

Said mug smashed to the ground with a loud THUNK!, the hot coffee, and pieces of the mug scattered everywhere. Inside the room, both individuals jumped slightly, and they turned their heads towards the closed doorway.

“Wait a minute, Shinji…” Yuriy said, as he rose t o his feet. As Yuriy strode across the room, he called out. “Asuka? …ist das Sie?” Behind him, laying in the bed Shinji quietly repeated him.

“Asuka?” little more than a whisper, but the volume would pick up soon enough.


A/N: Well there it is, and sooner than I thought. Heh, hopefully next chapter goes as smoothly… Anyways, believe it, or not if it wasn’t for the fact that “Fight Night” for PSP was so damn addicting this probably would have been done sooner, my thumb started to hurt, so I decided to write. Heh, go figures. In other news, our PX burned down, can you believe it? Eh, whatever… Well, thanks for reading! I really do appreciate it, but I’d really, really appreciate some more feedback. Lol, till next time, peace, love, and near beer! ~Rob