Whew, alright. I'm very rusty at writing, I've written on here before and it wasn't that great, in fact one could say my writing was pretty bad. It probably still is, it has been a few years since I've made the effort to write, but this idea has been stuck in my head for a really long time, and with 3.0 FINALLY getting a release date, I'm chancing getting back in these fan-fueled waters.

A bit of background on me and Evangelion, I've only recently gotten into it but it has quickly become one of my favorite anime of all time, and that includes the Rebuild films. Now 3.0 is my favorite of the films and one of my favorite anime films in general, I loved how hopeless and quiet it was, and I thought Shinji's relationship with Kaworu was really interesting. But I don't want to focus on them, but rather my preferred pairing of Shinji and Asuka.

So that brings us to Belated Comfort, basically what I would want to see in 3.0 + 1.0, I hope you enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Evangelion.

Reunion

The noises that could be heard on board The Wunder did little to calm Shinji's mind, the subtle humming of the engines were as loud as thunder, the tiny sounds of creaking metal were as sudden as a lightning strike, and the softly echoed footsteps of the Wille troopers pounded on his mind like a downpour. All of these elements added to the rigorous storm that had continued to plague Shinji's mind ever since he witnessed Kaworu, his last true friend in the hell he had created, die by his actions.

Did it start then? Or did it start when he pulled out the spears in his feeble attempt to fix the world? Did it start with the truth about Rei? Walking up to his allies regarding him as a monster? Attempting to save Rei from the Tenth Angel? Watching Asuka die by his hands? Or did it start when he made the choice to follow his father's wishes and pilot the Eva for the first time?

If he had never gotten in the Eva, would Kaworu still be alive?

If he had never gotten in the Eva, would his friends actually had a chance at a better future?

If he had never been born, would the Earth be more than a wasteland of death and pain?

If he had nev- "Guh?" he grunted in surprise.

A sudden pressure on the other side of his bed managed to knock him out of his stupor. He was no longer alone in his cell. After a month of solitude, he was finally in the presence of another human being. For a minute he just laid there, frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Mustering up a small amount of courage, he began to turn his body around to-

"Turn. Back. Around."

His heart skipped a beat, all of his muscles clamped up in fear, the air left his lungs, and he became as still as stone.

Asuka Langley Shikinami, the pilot of Evangelion Unit 2, was sharing his bed.

To say he was shocked was a massive understatement. Ever since his awakening, Asuka had been nothing but hostile to him. Granted he only had a minute with her before Rei began her assault the first time, and the second...

"I'm such an idiot." he thought to himself. Of course she viewed him with hostility, he was the cause of the Third Impact, the very end of the world. On top of that, not only was he responsible for it to begin with, he was responsible for starting it again within a few days.

But what made his heart drop even more was the fact that she had tried to stop him, she had fought against him, and he ignored her, ignored Kaworu, in his feeble attempt to undo his mistakes.

"You really are a brat."

That's what she had said. That's what her response was to his attempts to fix everything.

She was right.

"I'm sorry."

Two words, that's all he could muster.

It was more than enough.

Within seconds he felt a pressure on his shirt collar being yanked to the other side of the bed, and Shinji Ikari found himself staring into a sea of blue fire.

For a brief moment he took in the sight. Pure anger radiated off of her, her glare screaming hatred, her hair disheveled, and the eyepatch glowing a faint blue in a cross-like shape.

Anyone would've been terrified, but for some reason Shinji found that fear was the furthest thing from his mind. She looked intent to slaughter him, yet in that brief moment, he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

"'Sorry?'" she sneered. "'You're sorry?'" She looked as if she wanted to say more, but that was unnecessary, her eyes said it all.

Whether or not his eyes did the same thing was irrelevant, he needed to speak, to talk, to tell someone why he did what he did. With as much strength as he could muster, his face hardened, and he found himself staring right into her eyes.

With a deep inhale, he finally spoke.

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"... Why?"

He refused to break eye contact. "Because all I've done since I got in that Eva is screw everything up; I've caused two impacts, practically obliterated our species, and ruined the lives of everyone I care about; Touji, Keneske, Misato, You, K-"

His vision went white. He was suddenly on the ground. He felt lightheaded. His face was numb. Tentatively, he put his fingers to his numb face, only to feel the warm liquid of blood pouring out of his probably broken nose. The source of his cracked nose still had her fist in the air, and was shaking in fury.

"Don't you dare act like you care for anyone other than yourself, least of all me."

This caught Shinji off guard, and he was quick to respond.

"What are you talking about? Of course I care about yo-"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING LIE TO ME!" she screamed. "HAVEN'T YOU HURT ME ENOUGH?!"

He couldn't keep eye contact, his numb face was beginning to feel again, and it ached.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just leave me alone." She then turned to leave.

No. He couldn't let her leave. He couldn't let this end like this. He grabbed her wrist before she could leave the cell. "Wai-"

She didn't need to punch him, she didn't need to berate him, all she needed to do was look at him. In her eyes Shinji saw that the rage was absent, replaced by a look of betrayal and sorrow.

With her feelings clear as day, he released his grip, and the familiar feeling of solitude returned as his call door slid shut.

Well, there's chapter 1. I won't make this too long, maybe 5 chapters at most, unless I lose all drive to write in which case this will just collect virtual dust.

Please review, I'm open to all criticism, but I would ask that you keep it constructive, anything that could make my writing more bearable.