Chapter 68 Before that

Bang ......Bang Bang bang bang.

One sunset afternoon, a silent train was speeding in the golden sun.

"This is ......" I opened my eyes and smiled miserably at the sunlight outside the window. Is it here again? ”

"Yes. This is your inner world. ”

"Who's talking? Inner world. What is that? ”

"It's your own heart, and I am you. Shinji Ikari. ”

"You're me? Hehe, who am I? ”

"Shinji Ikari, you and I are one."

"Then why can I talk to you? Am I talking to myself? ”

“……”

"Why don't you speak?"

"Why jump?" The voice of Shinji Ikari echoed in my ears.

"Why? Say, aren't you me? I smiled faintly.

"Is it because of me?" Shinji Ikari in front of him suddenly turned into Asuka. Both the voice and the image have become exactly the same as Asuka. The long orange hair is windless, but the ice-blue eyes look a little unfocused.

"Huh?" I was amazed.

"Jumping for me? Stupid Shinji. Why? ”

"Why? I don't know, it's a subconscious move......" I replied curtly.

"So what should I do?" The voice...... It's Liz. Asuka's image is transformed again. With short light blue hair and fair skin, Li's yes. But again, there was no sparkle in her ruby eyes. "If you have an accident...... So what do I do? ”

"Li...... "My brow furrowed, and I didn't know how to answer." I'm sorry Leigh, I didn't think about it that much at the time. ”

"Shin-chan, you like Asuka, right?" Leigh's image changed again, and Misato appeared in front of me with her long dark blue hair, but the pair of beautiful eyes were still so blank. "That'...... How are you going to explain that?

"Sister Misato......" My consciousness began to be confused, why did such things happen one after another.

"Stupid Shinji, why do you want to save me."

"Shinji, what should I do if you have an accident?"

"Shin-chan, you like Asuka, right? What about Li? ”

“……”

Three voices kept echoing in my ears...... It made me dizzy and irritable...... Finally......

"Enough!" I was a little crazy by the irritable voices in my ears. I yelled loudly. In the next second, the three people stopped talking at the same time.

"If you really were me, you'd understand why I did that!"

Sou......

The three women disappeared, and it was myself who appeared in front of me instead. Shinji Ikari.

"That'...... Why? Do you have the answer yourself? Is it to choose Leigh? Or Asuka? ”

I said. That's enough! ”

"Ahh The picture came to an abrupt end, Shinji opened his eyes, and the first thing that appeared in front of him was the strange and familiar ceiling.

"The hospital at the headquarters of the NERV...... That's ...... Dreams? Shinji let out a long breath. Immediately after that, a wry smile full of helplessness hung on the corner of his mouth. "What an unpleasant dream."

Sighing slightly, Shinji felt the sound of someone next to him breathing, and turned his head slightly, Shinji found that a touch of orange and textured long hair was floating beside his bed, and the owner of the long hair was already lying on the side of his bed because of fatigue and fell asleep.

"Asuka ......" Shinji looked at the girl in front of him lightly, and recalled the dream just now. My feelings for her...... What the hell ......" Shinji was puzzled, he never thought that such a proud and confident girl would break into his inner world so strongly, from the surprise at the beginning, to the relief later, and then to the confusion now. Shinji's heart is in turmoil. It's a mess.

With a touch of solemnity, Shinji stretched out his hand, which was still bandaged, and gently rubbed the girl's hair. The silky touch made Shinji's hesitant heart fluctuate slightly.

"Boom......"

Feeling movement around her, the girl woke up slowly.

"Shinji? Are you awake? How does it feel? Seeing that the boy on the hospital bed had woken up, Asuka stood up suddenly.

"Hehe, it feels good, and I slept peacefully." Shinji still has a lot of gauze on his face, and even if he smiles lightly, the wounds on his face will be moved.

"Whew...... That's good. Seeing that Shinji had regained his senses, Asuka's heart that had been hanging finally let go, and then the appearance of the queen came out again. What a peaceful sleep, stupid Shinji. Did you know that you've been in a coma for a whole day! ”

―――――――――――――――――a.tfield――――――――――――――――――

It turned out that after the battle that day, Shinji struggled with the last shred of his consciousness to drag Asuka and himself to the ground. At the moment when EVA Hatsui fell to the ground, A.Tfield's mental exhaustion after localization and the heavy blow to his chest made Shinji faint without resistance.

"Miri! Shinji...... Shinji him! Since no matter how Misato called Shinji, he didn't react, so Asuka turned on the communicator and looked at Shinji's video, however, what caught her eyes was nothing else, just the scarlet blood and the scarred teenager.

"Shinji! Are you okay! Medical class, first aid immediately! Looking at Shinji's state on the screen, Misato was also anxious and hurriedly ordered Shinji to launch first aid.

In this way, Shinji was sent to the emergency treatment module, and then was immediately transported to the headquarters hospital of NERV by a huge transport plane. There were also two people, Misato and Asuka who didn't even have time to change out of their combat uniforms. Ritsuko, on the other hand, stayed in the present to continue the work of sweeping up the tail after the apostle's annihilation.

"Asuka, take a break." In the cabin, Misato accompanied Asuka to look at Shinji in the treatment cabin. Asuka, who used A.Tfield's localization for the first time, seemed to be in a very bad mood at the moment, the confident smile was long gone, her pretty face was full of haggardness, and more importantly, the ice blue eyes were constantly shining with tears. Asuka didn't understand, and she never thought that the unconscious boy in front of her would protect herself so desperately, no matter who she was, she had never done so. At this moment, Asuka was completely lost. I couldn't help but think about it, tears kept flashing in my eyes, as if a little movement, there would be crystal teardrops slipping down......

"It's okay, I can hold on." Asuka wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to Misato with a sob.

"A.Tfield localization isn't that easy to use, you must be tired now, right?" Misato frowned slightly. "Shinji has already entered the emergency treatment pod, even if you keep watching him, it won't have any effect, go and rest, it will take a while to get to the hospital."

Asuka couldn't resist Misato, and finally took a deep look at Shinji who was lying in the cabin, grabbed a blanket and lay on the sofa next to her. The entire cabin also became quiet because of Asuka's movements. Only the first-aid cabin was left to send out "drops." Drip. The sound of rescue......

"Naw. Miri. After a long time, Asuka broke the silence as she tossed and turned.

"Huh?"

"Stupid Shinji...... He loves Ayaami, right? Asuka turned her back to Misato, leaving her with a lonely back.

"Huh? Well...... Judging from this period of time, Shinji really likes Rei, and in that regard, Shinji is an excellent boyfriend. Misato thought for a moment and answered Asuka's question. Why do you ask this? ”

"No, it's nothing......" Asuka's eyes flickered slightly. I just don't understand, wouldn't that stupid way of fighting make Ayanami worried? ”

"Huh?" Misato was surprised.

"Right?" Asuka sat up suddenly. "Jumping down recklessly like that, if you don't grab the cable and fall down, then you won't be able to get up again, let alone jump on the back of the apostle, how dangerous this way of fighting is, does he know it!" Asuka shouted. "Why did you jump? Wouldn't it be better to drop the combat knife as ordered and hand it over to me alone! Why bother me! ”

"Asuka!" Misato hurriedly stopped Asuka's complaints, because from Misato's eyes, she saw not Asuka's dissatisfaction, but deep guilt and touch. "Maybe only Shinji himself can answer these questions of yours, but now, take a good rest." Misato stood up, gently put Asuka on the sofa again, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said softly. "Shinji is that kind of person, even if he is in danger, he doesn't want to let the people around him be hurt in the slightest." A simple explanation caused Asuka's delicate body to tremble slightly, and she lay back on the sofa with her beautiful eyes slightly closed. Asuka, who was extremely tired, was already sleepy, but remembering the conversation she had with Shinji made it difficult for her to fall asleep at this moment, no matter how she turned over.

"I just want to protect the people I love and love me. Let them be able to live in this world in a stable and happy way. Li, Sister Misato, they are all the people I want to protect. Of course, Asuka you too...... I don't want to achieve much of what I can achieve, and I don't care what the world has become, I just need to do my own thing, so that all the people who put their hopes in me will not be disappointed, so that everyone can live in peace and security, and that's why I drive EVA. ”

The boy's words kept echoing in Asuka's ears, it was the last night she and Shinji lived alone, and that night, the boy and the girl slept with their backs to each other. That night, Asuka's opinion of Shinji changed, and that night, the boy and the girl talked a lot, and that night, Asuka touched her own warmth.

"Stupid Shinji ......" Asuka silently recited the name of the boy who broke into her world for the last time in her heart, and her frowning eyebrows gradually relaxed, with a worried face, and gradually entered the dream.

"Stupid Shinji...... Don't have anything to do......"