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Shinji figures it’s not the worst way to go. It’s not very poetic, not very dignified either, but hey. That fits him, doesn’t it? Still, though. He’d be a liar if he said that looking down the barrel of a gun didn’t scare the crap out of him.
Chancing a glance to his left, he sees Asuka, tied to a chair like he is, though she’s making it look a lot less severe than it is for him. She’s staring down her own assailant’s pistol like she could blow it up if she tried hard enough. Shinji wouldn’t put it past her, honestly.
“Last chance.” The man in front of Asuka cocks his pistol, prompting his partner to do the same. Most of his face is covered, but Shinji can hear the annoyance in his voice. Probably since neither of them had answered any of his questions. It’s not that Shinji is particularly resilient when it comes to this sort of thing, either. He would’ve folded immediately if it weren’t for Asuka practically ordering him to keep his mouth shut. Not for the first time, Shinji finds himself in awe of his younger roommate. She’s been calm and collected throughout this whole thing. She doesn’t even look nervous.
What he wouldn’t give to be like that.
Asuka doesn’t think she’s ever been more scared. She always, always thought that if she met her end one day, it’d be at the hands of an angel. And even then, she knew she’d put up a fight. Leave that thing wishing it had killed her faster. Now, though? She doesn’t know what she’s gonna do.
Not to give herself zero credit, of course. They’d been attacked by three guys initially, and Asuka kicked one of them in the jaw hard enough to knock him out. She doesn’t know what became of him, but she hopes he feels that kick for the rest of his rotten life. The only reason they even succeeded in apprehending her was because they threatened to kill Shinji right then and there if she didn’t comply. Asuka Langley Soryu is a proud girl, but not proud enough to let one of her… friends die because of her. Though now it looks like they’re both about to kick the bucket. So much for being a hero.
“Last chance.” The guy in front of her cocks his pistol. She hears the one in front of Shinji do the same.
Asuka’s life doesn’t flash before her eyes. She doesn’t have any grand epiphany, she doesn’t feel enlightened or anything mystical like that. All she feels is afraid. Afraid of dying, sure, but even more than that, afraid of what dying now would mean. She always felt inadequate, always felt like she wasn’t good enough, always felt less-than, even if she told herself again and again and again that she was the best, that she was important, that she mattered. And now, she’ll be leaving the world behind with the knowledge that she’s not the best pilot, that she’s replaceable, that she really is worthless. She always was. She always knew it, really. Now she just sees it clearly for the first time. Ironic that she won’t have any time to reflect, right?
Still, though. Let the whole stupid world be damned if she’s gonna give these mooks the satisfaction of seeing her give up. She may be worthless, she may be second-best, she may be replaceable, but Asuka refuses to go out with anything but a bang. If she dies, she dies on her terms.
Asuka looks the man dead in the eyes. “Eat shit.”
First she hears Shinji’s breath hitch. The second thing she hears is a bang.
Despite herself, Asuka can’t help but flinch at the sudden noise. It’s little more than a reflex, but as the seconds pass by with her eyes shut, she notices one important detail. I’m… not dead? She opens her eyes, cautiously, as if to make certain that her mind isn’t playing tricks on her. Even so, Asuka thinks that might not be too far off as she takes in the sight before her.
The door of the grimy room they’re holed up in has been blown clean off its hinges. Standing in the now open entryway is someone who Asuka didn’t think she’d ever lay eyes on again.
Misato is standing there. Pistol drawn and eyes lit up like hellfire. She’s seen her angry before, but this… You can’t call this anger. This is deeper. More primal. Asuka can see it in her face, in how hard she’s gripping the gun, in how her entire body looks coiled up like a snake about to strike. And, like a snake, she hears Misato hiss.
“Get away from my kids.”
It comes out quiet, and Asuka almost doesn’t catch it. But all the same, it sends a chill down her spine.
Before she can ruminate on this, there’s a flash of movement as the man in front of her, previously too stunned to make a move, whips around and takes aim. There’s another bang, this time the telltale sound of a gunshot, and the man crumples to the floor. Another bang. The man in front of Shinji meets a similar fate.
A quiet beat passes as the three still-living occupants of the room digest what just happened, Asuka’s ears still ringing from the two consecutive gunshots. A few more seconds pass, nobody moving, the sound of light panting from Misato the only thing breaking the silence, before Asuka gingerly opens her mouth.
“Can you– Um. Untie us?”
Misato’s pin-prick pupils shift from seemingly staring into space to make contact with Asuka’s, and all of a sudden it’s like all that coiled-up energy from before just dissipates. Her pupils dilate as she holsters her gun and rushes over to Asuka’s chair, quickly untying her before rushing over to Shinji to do the same.
The moment they’re free, Misato wraps both of them in the tightest bear hug Asuka thinks she’s ever felt. Her voice comes out trembling.
“Are– Are you both okay? Did they hurt you? Oh I swear to god if they–”
“We’re– We’re fine, Misato. Really.” Asuka can feel her voice getting shakier. Shinji doesn’t speak, simply humming in agreement.
Misato sighs. “Oh, thank– Thank god…” She squeezes them tighter. “I– I don’t know what I would do if– if–” Asuka cuts her off by squeezing in return. She can feel Shinji echo her. Misato lets out a quiet sob before speaking up again. “I– I know this is worthless, now, but– but I promise I will never let anything happen to you. I’ve been– been an awful guardian. To both of you. You both deserve someone so much better than me. But– But no matter what happens, I– I love you. So much. So much that it hurts. Both of you mean the world to me. Never forget that, okay?”
Asuka doesn’t respond. She knows that if she does it’ll come out as a broken sob. She promised, all those years ago, that she’d never cry again. She knows that promise has been broken already. Still, she doesn’t think she can open her mouth. Instead, it’s Shinji who speaks up.
“We– We won’t, Misato. We won’t forget.” His voice is watery, even more so than Misato’s. “I– We– We love you too. I love you. I promise.” She hears Misato’s breath hitch, and all of a sudden Asuka can’t bring herself to stay quiet.
“Y-Yeah. I– I love you too, Misato.” She was right, it is a sob. Somehow she doesn’t care. “I love you.”
Misato, impossibly, squeezes them even tighter.