PICTURES An EVA fic by flori-dono DISCLAIMERS: Neon Genesis Evangelion and all characters are owned by Gainax. STUFF TO READ BEFORE READING THIS: Okay, this is pure fluff. And has only very light WAFFY elements. I was going to develop this into at least 6 pages but my brain wasn't functioning pretty well. So,I guess you have to bear with this. Hope you'll enjoy it! Shinji removed the speakers from his ears. It was one of those days when all he wanted to do was listen to his SDAT player and stare at the ceiling. His sync ratio was down a few percent, Asuka was mad at him for some reason (she always was), and Misato left the kitchen in a total disaster before leaving for work that morning. And guess who had to clean the mess up? He rolled over, leaning down at the side of his bed and reached for something underneath. When his hand emerged, it held a box. There was nothing spectacular about it. It was just some old shoebox. He sat on his bed, yoga-style and opened it. The box was his 'memory chest'. Or that was what his sappy side called it. His rational part merely labeled it as "the trash bin." Inside was stuff that he hadn't had the heart to throw away, because of sentimental reasons. There was of course the picture of his Okaasan, which he placed on the bed, face down. He still hadn't had the courage to look at it, for fear of breaking down. Some time ago, he had resolved within himself that he wasn't going to be emotional ever again. He had to be strong and brave. Goodness, he was an EVA pilot! But wasn't he being emotional just now? Hmm, a candy wrapper from (obviously) a candy, which a girl classmate had given him when he was in third grade; a torn pin-up poster of a naked woman from Touji's magazine (who until now never knew who filched it from him); a faded paper which had been the sign Misato had posted on his bedroom door the first time he came (he took it off because Asuka had tormented him about it for countless of times); and other stuff which Shinji himself couldn't even remember anymore why he kept them in the first place. And then there were Asuka's pictures. He remembered the time when he, Kensuke and Touji took pictures of Asuka and sold them to the other boys at school. He was amazed at how fast they disappeared. Back then, he didn't realize how beautiful Asuka really was. He was too busy being annoyed with her "look-at-me- I'm-queen-attitude." All he knew was that she was a pretty redheaded devil. A few months ago, he discovered a roll of film in his camera. He was curious about it so he had them developed. He was surprised that it was the last roll that the three of them had forgotten. There were twelve pictures and all of them were of Asuka. Almost each shot was a candid one and not very good at that. Kensuke may be good with his video cam, but he certainly wasn't with a still one. Most of them were blurred and off-center. But there was this one which he himself had taken. Like the others it was shot secretly. He had just been walking at the field near NERV headquarters when he spotted her. Asuka was sitting on top of a grassy hillock, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was smiling. Not her usual sly one, but a smile, which was so serene he had dared thought of it as angelic. The apricot light of the setting sun bathed her slender form. All in all, with a plethora of wild flowers as her background, she made an exquisite picture. There was a sudden urge in him to capture it on film and he did. He had planned to give it to Asuka as soon as he got it developed, but he didn't cherish the thought of her pummeling him to the ground for taking her picture without her knowledge. For sure, he would be lambasted with words such as "hentai," or "baka," or any German cuss word. So he kept the picture instead. And besides it was something to remind him of her after all the ANGEL problems would be solved. He knew that by then she'd be back in Germany, and then he'd miss her. Yes, he must admit that he had fallen in love with Asuka Langley Sohryu. During the course of combat, name-calling and housework arguing, he had grown to like her... and more. Perhaps because they were yin and yang. Opposites attract, they said. He was subdued and insecure while Asuka was feisty and so sure of herself. Or perhaps, they were actually the same. Asuka may be the epitome of fieriness but under all the hype, she was a lonely kid like him. Whatever! He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why he loved her, he just did. The only problem was if she loved him too. Shinji sighed. There was no way that Asuka would return his feelings. It was more likely that she'd laugh at him if he ever told her of his intentions. That is, if he'd ever get the courage to do so. Nope, he would rather keep silent than be rejected once again. He took one last look at the picture. He pressed his lips on it, wishing it was the real Asuka he was kissing. He shivered, his cheeks red. "Agh," he thought. "When did I get so mushy?" And before he could embarrass himself any further, he put it back inside the box along with the others. He placed it in its hiding place and got out of his room. As he was on his way to the kitchen to get a can of juice, he noticed an object lying on the dining table. He came closer and realized that it was Asuka's wallet. Something inside him prodded him to pick the red wallet up. Should he look at what's inside? He knew that he shouldn't. A girl's wallet is like a diary, and looking inside it, would be a violation of one's privacy. But then again, Asuka would never find out unless he told her. Would he or wouldn't he? He did. And he found out how uninteresting Asuka's wallet really was. ...Five thousand yen! :Where did she get this kind of money? I never knew we were getting paid as pilots. I should talk to Misato about this. ...Some receipts from a fast-food restaurant : So Asuka would sneak out and eat? And yish! Look at the money she spends on gorging... the whole NERV staff could be fed on these! ... a folded cut-out picture of Mark McGrath from an old magazine : What? Asuka likes this guy? He's practically ancient! So she likes gruffy- looking guys... hmmm, mental note here. ... and some other stuff only girls keep. Shinji never knew Asuka was a boring person. Her wallet told nothing except that she pigs out every now and then and that she likes Mark McGrath. No love- letters, no interesting stuff. He sighed, only one last nook to look at. He felt inside the only untouched pocket and found a thin paper underneath. As he slipped the paper out, he froze. What he thought of as another receipt was actually a small white paper-- a computer print out. And boy was he surprised when he found out what was printed on it. It was HIS picture! Shinji's heart stopped beating. He peered at it closely just to make sure. Yes, it was really his. Not Kaji, not Touji or any other boy... it was 100 percent him. :What is she doing with MY picture? What do you think, moron? Why do you keep her picture? Then does that mean that she...? Shinji grinned foolishly. Now there was a chance after all. But he still had his doubts. Then something caught his eye. There was something he could see at the edge of the paper... :Holy... a kiss mark? Don't tell me Asuka... Shinji felt like he was floating on air. He carefully placed the picture in its former place and lay the wallet down back on the table. He had forgotten his can of juice. He walked back to the room and flopped on his bed. He inserted the speakers back to his ears. It was one of those days when all he wanted to do was listen to his SDAT player, stare at the ceiling... and dream of Asuka. *OWARI*