For Just One Day
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, nor do I claim to. All rights belong to Hideaki Anno, Studio Gainax, and Studio Khara.
A/N: Man, I haven't written anything in a while. I guess I may as well do this. It's a small concept that I had been thinking of for some time now, but I never really bothered to actually go ahead and write this down, considering that I would consider this so simple that it may come off as completely redundant, but whatever, I'm just writing this because I want to. It's not much, but I hope you enjoy this.

If only for one day, the children could enjoy a normal day together as normal friends in a normal life.

But they were denied even that. They were denied even one day.

The children attended school like normal children. They did their schoolwork like normal children. But they were not normal children. No matter how they tried, they would be different from the others no matter what. They were bound to their fate as those who were different.

At times, the young boy of chocolate brown hair would look up and yearn for his normal life to return, but at the same time, he would realize how much he owed to this new life, even if the bad things overshadowed the good times he had shared with the others. The boy was different from his friends. He wasn't big and tough like his friend. He didn't sport glasses or have extensive knowledge on matters like military like his other friend. He was simply him.

Still, he wanted to be normal. Normal like them. At least for just one day. That would've been enough.

It would've been enough. A day where he wouldn't have to visit a large, confusing base where he would be shoved into Entry Plugs, which in turn would be inserted into a giant purple death machine that he didn't know much about. And yet, inside this death machine, this weapon, he felt at peace. He felt calm. Times like these would make him wonder if he wanted his so-called normal life back. This weapon, this Evangelion, it reminded him of mother. Her image, however blurry it was in his mind, always put the boy at peace.

He loved his mother, even if he didn't remember her at all. He did know that he missed her dearly, though. Then again, like him, everyone he knew was without mothers. His guardian, the raven-haired woman. His co-pilot, the blue-haired girl. His friends, the jock and the nerd. As far as he knew, everyone had at least one parent missing in their life.

The blue-haired girl desperately wanted a normal life too, though not even she or the people around her were aware of that fact. Her crimson eyes were full of apathy, as if she were content with the "life" she had right now. But she wasn't. It was like she wanted to scream, but lacked the mouth to do so. She was trapped in her own world and not even she realized it.

She lived by herself. She liked the quiet, the tranquility of it all. It put her at ease. It soothed her mind when the only sound present in her apartment was the sound of familiar construction outside, and yet, just like any other "normal" child, she felt lonely at times. She felt an odd, unfamiliar feeling when she was present with her co-pilots, the Commander's son and the Red Devil.

And yet, this feeling was not unwelcome.

She felt warm inside when she was with the boy. She felt human when she was with the other girl. When she was both, she felt the closest to...dare she even think, being a normal girl. But as far as she knew, she was not normal. While other people were the only ones around, she could easily be replaced. But the boy wouldn't listen. He wanted to let her know that no one could ever replace her. That was why it made her feel warm. Was this what normal girls felt? Did they ever feel warm with boys? Or was it just her?

As for the Red Devil? The German girl with red hair and blue eyes? She had tried to convince others and herself that she had no need of something as pathetic as a normal life. While she succeeded in convincing others she had pride in herself, the hardest to fool was herself. She couldn't lie to herself. She lied so much to others that she never believed in what she said. She never believed herself. And that was why she hated herself. The young girl simply couldn't escape herself, no matter how far she'd try to run away like the boy.

It'd be nice for a few moments. To have a simple, worry-free life with none of the responsibilities she faced as a pilot of a weapon the size of a skyscraper. In it, she felt in control. She felt powerful. But she also felt weak, fragile, and vulnerable. She loved piloting the EVA, and yet, she hated it as well, but she couldn't let anyone know that. She wasn't weak. She wasn't dependent on her desires.

But even so, that was a lie as well, wasn't it?

She attended school like the other kids. She had a home to walk to after school like the other kids. She ate lunch with her friend like the other kids. Shouldn't that be enough? No. For all the blessings she claimed to have as an Evangelion pilot, she also felt cursed deep down, bound to put her life on the line every time. Bound to fight amazing, horrifying cosmic beings to protect the world. Sometimes, she wondered if the world was even worth saving sometimes.

But no one would ever let her think that. Not even herself. Because people are selfish. They yearn for things. And yet, she was no different. None of the pilots were any different.

Even behind all the smiles and laughs, the older, raven-haired woman suspected that the children were hurt inside. She was the one who ignored her own pain, looking after those who were like family to her. Those who were like her own children. She dared to say she raised them on her own. She examined their lives, and pitied them. She knew they wanted nothing more than a day to be free from their cursed lives, but with these cursed lives, it was too risky. The children were too important. The needs of the world came before the needs of the three children. The three children who had sacrificed everything for the world, whether they wanted to or not. The three children who had fought off monstrous entities, whether they desired this fate or not.

What would the children do with the chance to be normal?

Would anything be different for that one day? Would they all go out together and perhaps get some ice cream for an afternoon snack like good old friends? Talking away blissfully about normal kid things, like the big upcoming test, or the big rumor spreading about the popular guy? Or would they waste their one day of being normal?

Would the boy simply spend his time listening to his music like he usually did? Would the blue-haired girl do something with her new freedom? Would the redhead try new things? Would anything be different? Would it even matter in the long run?

Would that one day of new-found freedom do any good for them? Was she sure? Was it worth it? They certainly deserved time off, considering what they went through on a weekly, if not monthly basis; being shoved inside those damned EVAs in order to fight off Angels that threatened the entire world. Angels that not even trained military could take on. Angels that could only be defeated by fourteen year old kids.

On paper, it was inhumane. Sending young teenagers like that to their deaths, but when you remind people that no one else in the world could do it, it suddenly seemed a whole lot better. It was a cruel and unfair world that they all lived in, but it wasn't their fault, was it?

And when they saved the world, inside those monstrosities known as the Evangelions, little did it occur to those children that they had the power of gods. With this power, they could touch the face of God. But all they had asked for was a simple day to themselves.

If only for one day, the children could enjoy a normal day together as normal friends in a normal life.

A/N: Yeah, uh, admittedly, this is not my strongest piece of work in my honest opinion, but I'm still fairly proud of how it turned out anyway, seeing it for what it was supposed to be. It's not my traditional writing style. It's not even something with a concrete plot. Hell, I'm not even sure what to think of this. What did you guys think? Did you enjoy it? Please, let me know with a review. Or a favorite. Y'know, I suppose that'll do, but yeah! Reviews would be greatly appreciated!