Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion or anything associated with it. Gainax created this world, I just play in it.

Well, it took longer than I anticipated, (largely due to some personal issues) but here it is, the last chapter.

Please read and review.

Thirteen

Chapter 3:

Misato sat in the shade on a park bench. The cheerful chattering of the birds and the quiet beauty of the well tended park were lost on her as she closely watched Shinji as he stood at a nearby vendor's cart. She had chased him all the way to the other side of the park, not catching him until he had stumbled to a stop next to a water fountain.

He had been doubled over and trying to catch his breath, his hands locked tightly onto the edge of the fountain, when she stopped beside him and tentatively placed her hand on his back to let him know that she was there for him.

He had flinched and pulled away from her like her touch had burned him.

'Leave me alone!' he had wheezed, the catch in his voice making her realize that he was crying. 'Please…just for a few minutes.'

'O..okay,' she had stuttered rather meekly, before taking up her current position on the bench.

She had begun to cry herself as she watched him there with his head hung low and his shoulders shaking. She had seen him hurt so many times before and she always felt so helpless to do anything for him. She wanted nothing more than to go over there and wrap her arms around him and tell him that everything was alright.

But the truth of the matter was, she didn't know if it would be, or if she even believed it could.

'We're falling apart,' she had lamented. 'I thought we were moving forward and getting stronger. I don't even know if we can lean on each other anymore.'

It took a long time for him to regain his composure, finally splashing some cool water from the fountain on his face before turning and walking away. She was afraid that he was going to leave her there and was unsure about going after him if he did. Thankfully he had stopped at the vendor's cart.

She sniffled and wiped the remaining dampness from her eyes, wishing that she could just start the whole day all over again. No, actually she wished she could have the last month or so back to do over, but that wasn't going to happen either. If only she hadn't been so wrapped up in her own self pity to notice how it had been hurting Shinji.

"Here," he said to her, his gentle voice cutting through her thoughts. She took the ice cream cone he was holding out to her. Raspberry swirl, one of her favourites. He sat down next to her and began eating his own.

"Vanilla again?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I like vanilla," he said simply.

They remained silent as they ate their ice cream, both trying to order their thoughts. Now would be as good a time as any to try and get things straightened out between them. They both knew that things couldn't continue as they had been.

Shinji finished his cold treat first and finally turned to look at her. Since sitting down he had avoided doing so for two reasons. One was the need to concentrate on his own thoughts and to get things straight in his mind before he spoke, for fear of making a fool of himself.

The second was that watching Misato Katsuragi eat an ice cream cone was an exercise in unintentional eroticism that he didn't need to see right now. He definitely didn't need to have the blood leave his head for the southern regions of his body at this point in time.

"I'm sorry," he began softly with his usual refrain. "About earlier and for this morning. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Well, I was being a bit of a pain I guess," she said, trying to absorb some of the blame he felt.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "You were trying to look out for me like you always do and I threw it back in your face." He sighed. "You were right, we should have skipped out. We should be in a movie theatre right now watching a bad movie and eating bad popcorn."

"So…do you really think that I don't want to be around you?" she asked, really afraid of what the answer would be.

"I don't know," he answered quietly, ashamed that he couldn't say no. "You used to glomp me every morning and try to get me to give you a piggy back ride to school. You used to goof around and spontaneously hug me or grab my arm when we were walking and when we were joking around with our friends. You used to tease me just like you always did. But now you don't glomp me or grab me and you barely tease me at all. I don't know what to think now." He paused for a moment. When he resumed speaking it was in very quiet, sad voice.

"That night at your apartment…I was such a coward and I know I really hurt your feelings. I guess I really can't blame you if you don't want to be around me."

'What have I done to him?' she thought frantically. Not only did she have him thinking she didn't want to be around him, but he was blaming himself for it.

"But you didn't do anything wrong," she cried, unable to stop the tears from coming again. "It's all my fault Shinji. I'm the one who messed up and I should have known better. Damn it, I did know better but I couldn't stop myself. I'm the coward, I'm the one who hurt you and instead of apologizing I kept my distance."

"But I couldn't give you what you wanted Misato," he said, his subconscious and almost pathological habit of taking the blame rising to the surface. "And I ran away like always."

"Don't you dare," she sobbed. "Don't you dare take the blame for this. You're the victim. I tried to use you just like I always used to because I'm stupid and I'm weak and I don't even know who I am anymore."

"You're not stupid and weak Misato," he countered. He was starting to tear up again himself, seeing her like this.

"Yes I am Shinji," she sobbed. "And because I am I did something inexcusable. I know you. I know what makes you happy and what scares you and what I tried to do is right near the top of your list of fears. I knew it, but I did it anyway. What kind of friend am I Shinji that I could do that to you?"

"Finally," Misato sighed with satisfaction. "Thanks a lot Shinji, I don't think I could have gotten all this done without you." She cemented her thanks by leaning into him and kissing him on the cheek.

"N..no problem," he stuttered.

Sure enough, it had been a strange and nervous evening for him. She had been sick for most of the last week, though she could have gone to school today, she had decided that going for one day out of the whole week was kind of pointless. Besides, the flu bug had hit her pretty hard and she needed the rest.

He had brought all of her homework assignments with him when he got home from school, using them as ammunition to get past the guard dog that was Misato's building manager. Mrs. Ajibana didn't really like having the boys and girls from the residences she and her husband managed going to each other's apartments. She was positive they would be up to no good, but she did trust a few of them more than others and Shinji happened to be on her good list. Having the armload of homework assignments was a bonus that helped get him through the door.

He should have known something was up when Misato, wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans, both of which clung tightly to her eye catching curves, greeted him with a longer and tighter than usual bear hug. She was also wearing a little bit of make up and the slightest hint of familiar lavender perfume, something she rarely did. While it was true that the only contact they had had for the week was a nightly chat on the phone, by the way she was acting you would think they hadn't seen each other for months.

He was used to a certain amount of physical contact from Misato. It came with the territory and it had taken him a long time to stop flinching and stammering like a fool whenever she glomped him, but there was something different about this. As he went over the assignments she had missed and then started dinner for them, she remained very close to him, almost in constant contact. When they were sitting on the couch she was close enough that their legs touched and neither of them could move without brushing arms or shoulders together.

As she was helping him cook dinner she seemed to always be lightly brushing her body against his as they moved around the small kitchen. He lost count of the number of times their hands touched or her hip would bump his as they worked at the counter, and he kept catching her looking at him and he couldn't quite identify the look in her eyes, but it made him nervous.

It was more of the same when they finished eating and did the dishes, and when they sat down on the couch to resume doing her homework. Even when he tried to put a little bit of space between them, it would soon disappear.

He had never been good with physical contact with anyone and especially not with a member of the opposite sex. Even after all of the bear hugs and playful headlocks he got from adult Misato, and all of the similar contact from her younger self over the past two years, the problem still remained.

His fear of contact wasn't rooted in the physical, but in the emotional part of his life. Losing his mother, being abandoned by his father, being treated with disdain by the teacher his father left him with, all of these things served to build a shield around him that he used to hide from all things painful and unpleasant. It stripped away any sense of self esteem he may have had and convinced him that he was a loathsome, useless person, unworthy of any kind of positive interaction with others. Every negative thing that happened to him only reinforced it in his mind.

Isolating himself meant no contact and no contact meant no pain, be it physical or otherwise. If you had no contact or connection with someone, no matter how much you wanted to, it didn't hurt when they left you. Mix in the usual nervousness of a very shy teenaged boy being around a very outgoing and beautiful teenaged girl and you had a recipe for disaster.

He could only describe her actions as being somewhat…amorous. The physical contact, the way she looked at him, the way she smiled at him, the way she spoke and the tone in her voice had him torn in two directions.

One side of him was enjoying it and was exhilarated by it. It was an absolute truth, one which he hadn't shared with anyone, that he was in love with Misato. That realisation had finally cemented itself in his mind over the last few months. She was beautiful, she was a lot of fun to hang around with, and they knew and understood each other so well. They were always there for each other no matter what, and he felt that she was largely responsible for the slow but steady progress he was making in his life.

The way she was acting tonight had definitely gotten his attention.

The other side of him however, was beating the snot out of the side of him that was enjoying the attention. Quite frankly, he was scared to death. She was being seriously flirtatious and the little touches, and especially that kiss on the cheek, were sending panic alarms ringing in his head. Being playfully glomped and hugged were one thing, but this was a whole different animal. This was serious business.

And it was only getting more serious by the minute.

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly to her oh so warm and soft body. "I've been pretty lonely around here all week by myself Shinji. I missed hanging out with you."

"M..me too," he said. He was having trouble thinking. How could something that felt so nice, be so scary at the same time.

She giggled. "You're so cute when you blush like that." She kissed his earlobe, making him shiver. What she said next nearly gave him a stroke. " Do you wanna fool around a little Shinji?"

"Wha..what?" he squeaked.

The next thing he knew he was on his back on the couch with Misato laying on top of him. Her soft lips were on his and her right hand was gliding through his hair. He went rigid, paralyzed with both fear and wonderment. The part of him that loved her wanted to go with it and return the kiss, but again the other side won out.

"M..Misato," he gasped, finally able to move and break the kiss.

"Relax Shinji," she whispered in his ear, cutting him off before he could say more. She kissed her way down his neck and started to unbutton his shirt with her left hand. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Her warm breath tickled his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. The feel of her lips on his neck and her hand stroking his chest inside his shirt was highly distracting and would have felt damn good if he wasn't on the verge of a panic attack. Again, that one part of him wanted what she was doing and wanted to give her whatever she wanted, but the other part was in control.

"I.. I… d..don't think we should do this," he stuttered. Unfortunately, a certain part of his anatomy was having other thoughts and reacted in the same way it seemed to do so very often around her. And like usual, she did not fail to notice.

"It's not so bad is it?" she whispered in his ear again before giving it a playful nip. "One part of you is interested it seems. Just go with it Shinji, you'll like it."

He felt almost claustrophobic and he was sure he was going to hyperventilate. His stomach was twisted into knots and his heart was pounding. He was in full panic mode. He tried to squirm out from under her, but couldn't. Even now she was still stronger than he was, and she didn't want to let him go anyway.

"P..please Misato, s..stop it!" he stammered, almost in tears now. "I..I can't. P..please!"

His plea, if it was heard, was ignored. He felt trapped and was becoming frantic. He was also ashamed of himself. Any other boy in his position would have been overjoyed at the attention he was receiving, but not him. Once again he was Shinji the coward, Shinji the wimp. He continued to plead for her to stop, his stammering and stuttering practically incoherent. He couldn't even manage a simple, forceful 'NO'.

Her mouth was on his again, silencing his ineffectual protests. She kissed him with a ferocity that made him think she was trying to devour him. Her body felt so hot against his. As her hand was fumbling with his belt, his panic went full tilt.

With a surge of adrenaline he managed to roughly roll her off of him. They fell off the couch and knocked the coffee table over, sending school papers flying. He scrambled to his feet and quickly gathered his book bag and his shoes.

"I-I-I'm sorry," he wheezed, tears running down his face. "I ha-have to go." He practically fell out the door and into the hallway as he made a hasty, stumbling exit.

Misato sat on the floor staring at the door. She was trembling and tears were rolling down her face. She felt as if she had just awakened from a trance and the full realization of what she had been doing had just hit her like a hard slap in the face. She knew Shinji better than anyone and she knew that he had issues with human contact, intimate or otherwise. He had been like that from the time she first met him and it was still one of the biggest issues in his life, even though he and his therapist had been trying to fix it.

And she had just tried to force herself on him. The look on his face as he left was burned into her mind.

He had been terrified.

"Oh god," she sobbed. "What have I done?"

"Why did you do it?" he asked softly.

"Because I still seem to equate love with sex and I was feeling lonely," she answered, wiping tears from her face with a trembling hand. "I was alone that whole week and when I'm by myself for very long I get lonely and start thinking too much about the past. I've always been lonely and it doesn't take much to make me feel that way and I lose myself to it." She managed a little smile. "The only time I don't feel lonely is when you and I are hanging around together."

"I like hanging around with you too," he said. "I always have. That's one reason why this last month has been so hard, because it was like you weren't even here."

She couldn't look at him, as ashamed as she was at how she had acted. "My loneliness was why I used to run off to see Kaji, you know. I wanted someone to love me so that I wouldn't feel lonely anymore and even though he never told me that he loved me, I still kept going back to him. I knew it was bullshit, but somehow I convinced myself that letting him screw my brains out was an act of love and for that short time, I wasn't lonely."

She shook her head sadly, her eyes downcast. "I was so stupid. The week I was sick I fell back into that way of thinking. It was pretty easy really, since from one day to the next I don't really know if I'm the adult I used to be or the girl you see in front of you right now. I was confused and lonely and wanted to feel loved and I fell right back to being that filthy thing I used to be."

"And I couldn't give you what you needed," Shinji said sullenly, unable to look at her.

"And I'm glad you didn't," she said softly, finally able to look at him again. "What I did was bad enough, but if I had gotten my way it would have been worse. I was using you for my own selfish and stupid reasons, just like I did for my revenge against the Angels. The worst part of it was that I knew you would get scared just like you did, but I did it anyway. I'm still a rotten, worthless human being, just like I was then and I don't even know how to go about asking for your forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it."

"Stop running yourself down!" he snapped, his usual frustration at her self degradation rising to the surface. "You're not rotten and you're not worthless!"

"I'll stop when you do!" she countered. "And when you stop blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault!"

They glared hard at each other for a moment, brown eyes challenging blue, before finally he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I guess neither of us has our act together as well as we thought we did," he stated quietly.

"I guess not," she agreed.

"I really wanted to talk to you the next day," he continued. "But I couldn't make myself walk out the door and I spent half the day picking up the phone and putting it down again without dialling."

"I probably wouldn't have answered," she admitted. "I spent the night on the floor where we landed when we fell off the couch and most of the next day locked in my bedroom in the dark, crying about what an idiot I was. I was afraid that you would hate me."

"I would never hate you Misato," he assured her. "We're both idiots because we let it drag on. Even after all of the time we've spent talking about the things we both did or didn't do in our lives and why, we let this go on." He sighed. "I didn't know what to say or how to go about fixing this."

She began to unconsciously fiddle with the hem of her skirt. "I kept my distance because of what I did, and I realized that I had already been taking a lot of liberties with you all along, by always mauling you like I was. I'm so sorry Shinji, I shouldn't have been doing that."

"I didn't mind," he said sheepishly.

"You didn't?" she questioned, a little confused. "But you usually get nervous and embarrassed. Your face turns red, and you start stuttering."

He shrugged. "But I'm not as bad as I used to be. And you always seemed so happy. It makes you laugh and smile so I don't mind. It became normal and I actually missed it when you stopped. Teasing and glomping me has always been how you've shown me that you cared about me and I was afraid that I had lost that."

"Shinji…" she was nearly speechless. "I really do care about you. I always have." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I guess in my own, strange and twisted way, that was part of what happened that night. I wouldn't have tried to do that with just anyone, despite my past reputation."

"I know," he said softly.

She had told him during their many talks that despite the way she projected herself to the world, she really wasn't the promiscuous woman that everyone thought she was. Kaji was the only man she had ever been with.

He had liked Kaji, but it bothered him that he had been so willing to help her dirty herself and that he had never once told her that he loved her. It made him wonder if Kaji really did or not. But she had loved him and it was the only way she had known to try and escape her crushing loneliness.

'Wait a minute,' he thought as his brain put two and two together. "Does that mean…"

"Yes," she cut in, shakily, doing her best to make her eyes meet his hopeful gaze. "I love you Shinji, I really do and I'm so sorry for what I did. I messed up really, really bad and then I didn't know how to undo it and I made it worse." She sniffled and rubbed the tears from her cheeks. "It hurt a lot to keep my distance and I want to be around you like I used to be. Can you ever forgive me Shinji?"

'She…she loves me…?' He wasn't sure if he dared believe it and he was both hopeful and afraid at the same time. There was no doubt that he loved her, and there was also no doubt that he had been hoping that she felt that same way about him. But old, deep rooted fears did not wane easily and they made one think in strange ways. He had actually been afraid that he would lose that love before he ever even knew that he had it.

He looked into her beautiful brown eyes, seeing the desperate hope in them, the hope of a sad and lonely soul that just wanted to be loved. He noted the tears trailing down her cheeks. God how he hated to see her cry. That face was not one that should be stained with tears of sadness and pain. It was supposed to be laughing and smiling and filled with mischief.

'Hurry up and say something you idiot,' he admonished himself. 'Before she gets the wrong idea.'

"I forgive you Misato," he said, happy to see the relief on her face. "And…I," he swallowed hard. "I love you too."

Her eyes widened a bit. She had been afraid that he wouldn't feel the same. "You do? Even after what I did?"

He nodded. "I've been trying to find the courage and the words to tell you for a while now. I'd get myself talked into telling you and then I'd chicken out." He frowned. "I was also afraid that if you didn't feel the same way that I would have ruined our friendship…I don't think I could take that."

"Our friendship won't change Shinji," she assured him. "We died together, got a second chance together, and have held each other up through good and bad. That's pretty strong."

"I was determined that I was going to tell you that night when I came to your apartment," he admitted sheepishly, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Then I spent ten minutes staring at your door like an idiot before I finally rang the bell and I wimped out again."

A wave of fresh tears began to stream down her face, but this time she was smiling.

"Misato?" he asked, a little puzzled.

"Can…can you say it again Shinji? Please?"

He smiled and nodded. "I love you Misato." There was more confidence in his voice this time.

"I've wanted to hear someone say that for so long. I'm glad it was you Shinji." She seemed genuinely happy, more like her usual self.

Without thinking, she suddenly lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment she was stricken by the fear that she had just messed up again because his body tensed. She was about to pull away, ashamed that she didn't seem to be able to control herself, when she felt his arms tentatively go around her and then he gently embraced her.

"Thank you Shinji," she said with a catch in her voice as she relaxed into him. "And I promise I'll never try to use you like that again."

"There was a part of me that wanted it," he said, sounding ashamed of himself. "And that scared me even more than I already was. I…I'm just not ready for something like that."

She pulled back from him a little so she could look into his eyes. "I know, I knew that then I think, and I'm so ashamed of myself. I..."

"It's okay Misato," he cut her off, smiling. "We can forget that night and start fresh right now can't we?" he asked hopefully.

She returned the smile. "Yeah, Shinji. We can."

They found themselves staring into each other's eyes, both feeling greatly relieved. It was then that Shinji did something distinctly un-Shinji like. He took the initiative and he kissed her.

He didn't really know what made him take such a bold move, he just simply did it without thinking about it. It wasn't much, just a quick, soft peck on the lips, but it sent a tingle down his spine nonetheless.

By the look on her face it was obvious that he had surprised her, and he suddenly got the feeling that he had made a mistake. He was about to apologize for his grievous error when she smiled and kissed him back before the words could make the short journey from his brain to his mouth.

A year ago, he couldn't have seen this happening. Despite her appearance, in his mind she had still been the grown woman who had been his guardian and commanding officer. But as she had begun to act more and more like a teenager, his perception slowly began to change. Six months ago he realized that he was beginning to have feelings for her that were beyond mere friendship and it wasn't long before he came to the realisation that he was seriously in love with her.

As she broke the kiss and held him tightly to her, she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her. The boy she loved had not only forgiven her, but had told her that he loved her. She had been so unsure of who she was that she hadn't been able to tell him before.

In her old life she had found herself having some rather inappropriate thoughts about her young charge at times, adding it to the list of things she tried to drown with beer. Regardless of that, and as sappy as it sounded, he was her hero, and he had been from the moment he climbed into Unit 01 for the first time.

In this new life, she trusted him like she hadn't trusted anyone else before. He had never tried to take advantage of her, even though he could have after she woke up on the beach, since she had been too weak to defend herself. He could have done anything to her and she wouldn't have been able to stop him.

Many would have, but Shinji kept on being Shinji. He helped her, looked after her, even fought to protect her. He treated her with dignity and respect, never once trying to cop a feel like so many of the other boys at school had. Even when she caught him looking at her it was just a quick glance because he didn't want to offend her by staring.

New life or old, through good times and bad, he had stuck by her. Sure enough, they still had problems to deal with and it would take time and tears to do so. But now that they had said those three words to each other, she felt more confident than ever that they would be okay.

She pulled back from him again and smiled. "Thank you Shinji."

"For what?" he asked.

"For just being you. For everything you've done for me."

"You've done a lot for me too Misato," he said. "You've always tried to help me live and be better. You've always tried to be there for me no matter what I did. It doesn't seem like enough, but thank you."

"So I guess you and I are good again huh?" she teased.

He laughed. "Yeah, I'd say so. So, do you still want to go to the movies?"

"Good idea," she said as she stood up and wiped away the last of her tears. "We can make our escape before the principal catches up to us. I kind of knocked him on his butt when I ran after you."

"I know where we'll both be tomorrow then," he groused, not anticipating a trip to the principal's office.

"You worry too much," she laughed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Let's go, I think the theatre is having a Godzilla marathon."

"We're going to watch movies about giant monsters?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I know, I know," she conceded. "But I like Godzilla and you don't want to disappoint your girlfriend do you?"

'My girlfriend…?' he thought, a little dumbstruck, as she led him along. 'I like the sound of that.'

"Look's like it will be a beautiful day," Shinji said to himself as he leaned on the railing of his apartment balcony, regarding the clear blue sky before him. It would be a good day for the trip to the beach with Misato and their friends.

Unlike two weeks ago, he was well rested. The nightmares had pretty much stopped, he had only had one in the last fourteen days, and he was much happier than he had been even before the problems with Misato and the memorial dedication had come up. And with the next week off from school, he could relax and have a little fun.

Of course, having a relationship with someone as fun to be with as Misato, he couldn't help but be happy, and being her boyfriend had only added to his good mood as of late. Telling each other how they felt had removed an invisible barrier that neither of them had known was there, and had opened up a new wave of emotions for them.

For them both, knowing that someone truly loved them was helping them to lose the long held fear of letting someone get close to them and they were feeling more confident about themselves by the day. They found themselves able to express their feelings to one another without the self doubts and angst that had plagued them both for so much of their lives. Together they had lost the notion that they were unworthy of being loved.

Of course, there were other positive and enjoyable things about their new relationship too. He had discovered, after much initial nervousness on his part, that he really liked kissing Misato.

He really, really, liked it.

Movement across the way caught his attention as Misato slid aside the curtains and opened her balcony door. He smiled as she groggily stepped out into the warm morning sun, one hand covering a yawn, the other ruffling through her dishevelled purple hair. Past or present, alcohol or not, she was always a wreck first thing in the morning.

As she stretched her arms above her head and arched up onto her toes, he drank in the sight of his beautiful girlfriend with a happy little sigh. Recently his late awakening hormones had prompted him to start noticing her in a little different light. She was no longer just Misato, his best friend and the girl who kept raiding his freshly done laundry for her sleepwear.

He had begun to really notice the curves and contours of the beautiful girl who owned his heart. He had begun to notice things like the shape of her legs and the gentle swell of her slim hips. The unblemished skin of her flat stomach and the way the short grey shirt she wore to bed clung to her generous breasts, especially as it rose up her body as she stretched, barely keeping those bountiful assets contained.

He heard her laughing and realized that he had zoned out and had been caught staring. He would definitely get teased about this for the rest of the day. Though, he couldn't say that he really minded.

He returned the wave she sent his way and watched her saunter back into the apartment, purposely swaying her hips as she went.

God, but she had a cute butt!

He heard a sudden, short shriek and started to laugh. Apparently PenPen had struck again.

"That penguin has way too much fun at her expense," he said with a grin. Hearing the tea kettle beginning to whistle, he went inside for breakfast.

"I'm late again!" Misato groaned as she worked a pair of faded denim cut offs up over her hips. "Of course I wouldn't be if I hadn't had to chase down a certain penguin because he ran off with my bikini top!"

A nonchalant 'Wark' was heard from the direction of the couch were said penguin was reading the paper.

'He's faster than he looks, I'll give him that,' she thought as she put on the now retrieved top and covered it with a dark blue tank top. "You know, I could be nasty and cut off your internet access so you can't trade stocks or play poker with your online friends," she threatened.

"Wark?" PenPen squawked fearfully, the paper shaking in his flippers.

"But since I love you, I'm inclined to forgive you."

PenPen warked a sigh of relief. He had an extensive portfolio to manage and being cut off from the net for any period of time would be disastrous. That and there were pigeons to be plucked for his amusement in the poker rooms.

Misato rummaged through a small backpack to ensure that everything she had packed into it the night before was still there. A change of clothes, her beach towel, a bottle of tanning lotion, and all of the other various items she had packed were still there. Satisfied that she had everything, she went to the door and put on her shoes.

"Behave yourself while I'm gone PenPen," she said. "If you're really good maybe I'll ask Shinji to do up some more of those fish like he brought you last week."

PenPen dropped his newspaper and turned to face her, his right flipper raised to his head in a stiff salute.

"Wark!, Wark Wark!"

She could almost see the little hearts in his eyes. He had really liked those fish.

"Smart ass," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she went out the door.

She rushed down the stairs and out the building's front door. Sure enough, and like usual, Shinji was there waiting for her. He was dressed in a pair of dark blue beach shorts and a blue and green tropical print shirt that she had bought for him, because she thought he would look good in it.

And he did.

She had been feeling a lot better about herself over the last couple of weeks, and it was all due to the unassuming young man standing before her.

He loved her. He really and truly loved her. She could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes whenever he looked at her. It gave her a feeling like she had never known before in her life. She felt wanted. Not for her looks and her body or her military abilities, but just because she was herself.

She was no longer twenty nine year old Major Misato Katsuragi, Operations Director of NERV, drunken sex toy to Ryoji Kaji, and the dirty woman everyone loved to gossip about when they thought she couldn't hear them.

She was sixteen year old Misato Katsuragi, student at Tokyo-2 Central High School and girlfriend to the shy and cute Shinji Ikari.

She was also very happy.

She rushed over to him, dropping her backpack next to his, and administered his morning glomping, practically jumping on his back while wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Shinjiiiiiii!" she cried out happily, drawing dirty looks from the handful of other students who were around that just could not comprehend why 'such a hot babe like her was going out with Ikari'.

Shinji stumbled a bit but kept his balance, as used to Misato's affectionate tackles as he was. "Good morning Misato," he chuckled.

She kissed his cheek then let go of him. "So, did you see something you liked this morning?" she teased.

His face turned red. "I saw a very pretty girl stretching in the morning sun," he said sheepishly. Flirting required a little more self confidence than he yet possessed. But he was getting there.

She rewarded him with a quick peck on the lips that only made him blush more. They both picked up their backpacks and started on their way.

"We've come a long way haven't we?" she asked.

He nodded. "I never would have thought that my life would be like it is now, with or without Instrumentality. That day, I thought that the best it would ever get would be taking your hand and walking into the end of the world with you."

"And now," she began as she grabbed his right hand in her left and intertwined their fingers. "We're walking hand in hand in a new world where we're both happy and can live the way we want to."

"And instead of fighting giant monsters, we can go to the beach with our friends," he added with a smile.

"And I can watch your eyes pop out when I strip down to my bikini," she teased.

Just the thought of it was almost enough to make his eyes pop out now. Even if she was right, he still thought he should defend himself.

"At least I'm not like Touji, he'll be drooling and his tongue will be dragging in the sand."

"Which will earn him a beating from both Hikari and Asuka," she added with a laugh. "All while Kensuke kills himself laughing trying to film it."

The visual ran through his head and he couldn't help but laugh.

"I love to hear you laugh Shinji," she told him. "And I love to see you smile."

"I have reason to now," he said as he stopped and shyly looked into her beautiful, brown eyes. "I have someone with me who I know really cares about me."

She placed her hand on his cheek. "I've always cared about you Shinji."

"I know," he said. "But I couldn't see it then. All I could see was my own pain and I was drowning in it. You did your best for me and you believed in me when I thought I was worthless and that no one could possibly care about me."

"You did the same for me Shinji. I sent you out to fight, I got drunk and made a mess and made a fool of myself, yet you stuck with me. You stuck with me right to the end and beyond and you gave the world a second chance." She gave him a tender, loving smile. "You gave us a chance, and here we are."

"Living a completely average, normal life," he added.

"It's nice, isn't it?" She gave his hand a squeeze and they resumed walking, off to meet their friends for a day of fun.

Not looking back, but going forwards.

A/N: I sort of lost the feel for this along the way and it took a while to get it back. Hopefully I didn't completely screw it up.

I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you take the time to leave a review.

While you're hanging around, why not check out my other stories. You know where to find them.