TOYOKAWA, JAPAN: MAY 8, 2016...

     Shinji and Asuka were hardly what could be called
friends, but after coming to their understanding the night
before, they were at least on speaking terms again. Asuka
was willing to set aside her reservations about Shinji for
the sake of survival, and Shinji put his guilt to the back
of his mind in order to focus on the task of preparing to
depart. They knew their supplies wouldn't last here for very
long, and so, they had to move on.

     After some searching around, they discovered they were
some distance from Tokyo-3. According to a map they found,
they were on the outskirts of Toyokawa.

     It was mid-afternoon and Shinji was cooking lunch while
Asuka was sitting at a round wooden kitchen table idly
staring at a map of Japan with her head propped up on her
good arm.

     "So Shinji. When we leave here, which way do you think
we should head?" she asked, making small talk to alleviate
her boredom.

     "Well..." He stopped what he was doing and put down the
tongs to focus on the question. "I've been giving this some
thought and I was thinking that maybe we could head back to
Tokyo-3?"

     Asuka immediately sat up and looked at him
incredulously. "What the hell for!? It's 200 kilometers
away. There's at least half a dozen towns closer than that!"

     "Yeah, but..." Shinji began to fidget nervously. "I
kinda had my heart set on going home," he commented quietly,
averting his eyes from her.

     "Are you stupid? What's the point? There's no one there
to go home to anyway!"

     He turned to face her. "I know that, but..." He bowed
his head. "Asuka, it's the only place I've ever called
'home' and the only place I ever felt like I really
belonged." He raised his head to look at her again with
pleading eyes. "Even if there's no one there, that's my
home."

     Asuka stared at his face and what she considered to be
puppy dog eyes. Her face had an annoyed expression on it,
but after a moment, her face softened somewhat and she gave
in. She simply sighed and closed her eyes. "I still think
you're an idiot, but if it means that much to you, I guess
we can go back." She shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, I
left my stuff there and it'd be nice to go back and get it."

     Shinji smiled warmly at her. "Thanks, Asuka."

     "Whatever," she muttered and turned her attention back
to the map before her. "So...when are we heading out?"

     "I guess we should wait until your injuries heal."

     Asuka scowled at him. "I'm fine. Don't go out of your
way for my sake," she told him as bitterly as she could
manage.

     Shinji turned back to the fire and stared at the
grilled meat trying to think of something to tell her.
"Well, you know...the perishable foods here and everywhere
else are only going to last so long. We might as well make
the most of them while we still can."

     Asuka just stood up and scoffed. "Hmph. Do whatever you
want. I'm going to get something to drink from next door."

     Shinji looked after her until she walked out the front
door and closed it behind her. He sighed and shook his head.
Still, as hostile and unfriendly as she was acting towards
him, at least she was talking to him. This was to be
considered an improvement over the past two nights, despite
being a headache as well. He briefly wondered what had
caused this change seemingly overnight, but decided it best
not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

     He cut off a small piece of meat for him to taste. "It
could use some more pepper..."

MAY 14, 2016...

     Over the next several days the teenagers had learned a
number of things about their new surroundings. They learned
that water would freeze when left outside overnight. They
learned that the ice lasted longer during the day if put in
one of the refrigerators where the temperature was
insulated. This proved useful in ensuring that perishable
goods would last longer. They also soon found out that this
also used up their supply of clean drinking water at a
rather quick rate, so they decided it best not to make too
much ice.

     They discovered to set out water catchments when it
rained so they'd have as much water as possible.
Unfortunately, they also found out that the local wild
animals also wanted their water, so to keep it out of their
grasp, Shinji set the catchments on the roof. At night, rain
occasionally came in the form of sleet and was usually
frozen by morning.

     Shinji's brow was beaded with sweat made cold by the
chilling air and his bated breath was visible as he exhaled.
He wore layers of long-sleeved shirts since they couldn't
find any winter coats, as few people in Japan had needed to
own one. Placing another piece of wood on his chopping
block, he examined the blade of the axe he'd found a few
days back. The sun gleamed off the sharp steel surface. He
raised his axe high into the air, gripping it with one hand
at the base, the other at the bottom of the handle. With a
sharp exhale of air, he brought his hands together at the
bottom of the handle, swinging the axe down on the wood,
splitting it cleanly in half. Setting the two halves in the
pile of split wood, he went back to the pile of uncut wood
and repeated the cycle. In just a few short days Shinji had
gotten quite good at chopping wood and with the weather
constantly cold, they always needed to keep a hefty supply
of firewood. His muscles burned. His frozen hands ached and
throbbed with each impact.

     Asuka sat by the window at a table in the apartment
they were staying in. She had chosen this apartment because
it was the only one that was unlocked so they didn't have to
smash any windows to get inside, yet didn't have any piles
of clothes on the floor, marking where a person last stood.

     She was wrapped in a blanket as she watched Shinji
chopping away. It was almost all she did to pass the days
when she wasn't locked up in one of the bedrooms or by the
fire. It was always cold, and with no electricity, there was
no way of heating the apartments with the exception of the
small fireplaces.
     
     She observed Shinji split through another piece of
wood. Her injuries were nearly healed. She had taken off her
bandages and the only reminder of her wounds was a slight
stiffness in her muscles, yet she still did very little to
help with day-to-day affairs. She knew he had been doing
almost all the work: from cooking and cleaning to gathering
supplies and firewood, but instead of feeling grateful, she
felt resentment for the boy.
     
     She huffed and got up from the window. It was about
noon and Asuka was getting hungry. She was about to tell
Shinji to start making lunch when an idea came to her mind.
     
     Within the next few minutes, Asuka had collected an
assortment of ingredients and a cookbook she had found in
the kitchen. Within the next hour, she began to wonder how
Shinji managed do this three times a day without losing his
mind. The recipe itself was a rather simple one, but it was
quite an ordeal for the redhead due to her lack of kitchen
skills and difficulty reading the kanji in the cookbook.
     
     Asuka wasn't one to be easily driven to tears, but the
onion she was chopping proved to be too much for her
willpower to withstand. "Ow!" she yelped as she cut her
finger for the third time with the sharp knife she was using
to chop up vegetables. She instinctively sucked on her
finger before quickly pulling it out and spitting the strong
taste of onion into the sink. "Bleh! For this much trouble,
this had better be one really good soup," she muttered to no
one in particular.
     
     Of course she had to make modifications to the recipe
she was using. The cookbook had called for raw chicken, but
with the trouble she was having, she wasn't about to try her
hand at grilling. Instead, she settled for thawing out
frozen, precooked breast.
     
     She slowly tilted the container of paprika towards the
measuring spoon being careful so as not to spill it.
Unfortunately, the powder was packed tightly and wouldn't
pour. She tapped the bottle once. No effect. She tapped
again, a little harder. Again nothing came out. Frustrated,
Asuka shook the container, dumping the contents over the
spoon, her hand and the counter. She stared at the mess for
a moment before bowing her head and groaning in agitation.
     
     By the time she had finished the preparations, Asuka's
hair was frazzled and her eyes were red and puffy. She had
nicked her left hand about half a dozen times, stained her
outfit in several places, and sworn off the notion of ever
becoming a homemaker or chef regardless of whether or not
people ever came back.
     
     Asuka lifted the heavy pot off the counter and carried
it to the fire. She struggled under its weight, some of the
contents spilling over the side and onto the floor. Setting
it over a makeshift grill they had set up in the fireplace,
she sighed in relief, confident the hard part was over. She
left the food to cook while she tended to her injuries in
the bathroom.
     
******

     An hour later Asuka was sitting in front of the
fireplace, her hands bandaged up, waiting for the food to
finish cooking. She had dozed off during that time and after
her peaceful afternoon nap she slowly stirred to
consciousness. As she groggily surveyed her surroundings,
any remnants of sleep were blasted from her mind as she saw
the pot of stew boiling and bubbling over the sides.

"Mein gott!" She immediately leapt up from the living room
couch in a panic and grabbed a potholder from the kitchen.
She struggled to carry the pot back to the kitchen, and like
before, its contents were sloshing over the rim, but this
time it was boiling hot. Some of the liquid splashed against
Asuka's exposed leg and burned her. She gasped in pain and
surprise, dropping the pot to the floor with a loud crash.
She could only stare in shock and disbelief as the results
of her hard work spilled onto the floor.

     Seconds later, as if to add insult to injury, Shinji
rushed in through the front door after hearing the noise. He
had come to check if she was all right, but his concern was
replaced with surprise as he saw her standing in front of a
large mess on the floor. Her head was down with her bangs
overshadowing her eyes making her expression look rather
dark. Her body was tense with her fists in tight balls at
her side. He couldn't be sure from where he was standing,
but it appeared as if she was trembling. Shinji decided to
deal with the situation as if approaching a dangerous
animal.

     "Asuka?" he questioned timidly. "What happened in
here?"

     Asuka's head shot up and she glared at him with daggers
in her eyes. "Just leave me alone, Shinji!" she shouted as
she ran towards the door, stepping through the puddle and
pushing Shinji out of her way.

     Shinji stumbled back a few paces before regaining his
balance and standing up straight. He watched as Asuka ran
out the door and slammed it behind her with enough force to
cause a picture frame on the adjoined wall to fall to the
floor.

     Shinji stared at the door wide-eyed for a few moments
before turning his attention to the pot and steaming liquid
spilled out all over the floor. `She was...cooking?' he
thought incredulously to himself. He grabbed a mop and
filled a bucket with water from one of their container jugs.
As he approached the mess to clean it up, he decided
whatever she had been attempting to prepare hadn't smelled
too bad. He picked up the pot and ran a finger along the
inside. He tasted what was left of Asuka's stew on his
finger.

     "Hmm...Tastes pretty good," he admitted before setting
the bowl in the kitchen and mopping the floor.

******

     Shinji knew by this point that it was better to leave
Asuka alone when she was upset than to try to cheer her up.
But it was getting late and she hadn't returned. Shinji was
beginning to worry. Wrapping a blanket around himself, he
set off outside to find her. He had no idea where she'd be
or even what he'd tell her when he found her, but he figured
he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

     Provided she hadn't left the apartment complex
entirely, Shinji assumed she was camping out in one of the
other rooms for the night. `But which one is it?' he thought
to himself before he spotted something out of place,
answering his question.

     "Probably the one with the television set tossed out
the window..." he mumbled to himself.

     Shinji cautiously approached the door. Peering in the
broken window, he could see that the place was a shambles.
Knocking on the door once got him no response.

     The boy tried again slightly harder.

     Same results.

     He tested the doorknob and found it was unlocked. He
slowly opened it trying to make as little noise as possible.
When the door was about half open it made a loud, screeching
noise. He froze immediately. Silently cursing the door, he
walked inside and closed it behind him.

     The room was poorly lit and the boy had a hard time
maneuvering through the knocked over bookcases, broken glass
and ceramic, and toppled dead houseplants.

     "Asuka?" he whispered. Again he heard no response.
Shinji's concern as well as fear began to rise as he made
his way through the apartment. He hoped that Asuka hadn't
done something foolish like run off or hurt herself. He was
also fearful that when he found her, he might share a fate
similar to the dwelling he was currently searching through.

     "Asuka, if you're here will you please say something?"
he whispered again, though much louder and more urgent this
time. At that moment he heard something stirring in the
bedroom. His heartbeat picked up and his palms began to
sweat. "Is that you?" he asked in a low voice. There was
still no answer, but there was more stirring as if something
was shuffling through clothes. Shinji began to fear that
perhaps the disaster in the room wasn't caused by Asuka, but
rather some wild animal that might have made its way inside,
or worse yet, another survivor of Third Impact who could
possibly be dangerous.

     Shinji's breathing had gotten heavy with fear, he was
trembling from more than the cold, and he could feel the
blood pounding in his ears, but he forced himself onward and
slowly pushed the door open, silently praying that whoever
or whatever was on the other side wasn't something that
would harm Asuka or himself.

     When the terrified teen looked inside the room, he
found the perpetrator. Shinji's tense shoulders slumped, he
bowed his head and sighed loudly in relief. Asuka lay
sprawled on the floor in a restless slumber. Evidently she'd
worn herself out. Shinji considered this to a blessing
because he was not looking forward to confronting her while
she was in one of her tantrums.

     It appeared that she had started out with several heavy
blankets around her. But from all her fidgeting back and
forth, she'd managed to kick them all off. All she left had
to cover her body was a loose flannel shirt and a scant pair
of shorts. She was clearly having a nightmare from the
pained expression on her face, and her body was shivering
from the cold.
     
     Shinji found himself uncertain as to what he should do.
He didn't want to wake her from her nightmare and risk
facing her anger. He still couldn't bring himself to touch
her, let alone lift her and carry her back to the fireplace.
He'd seen in stories where someone would whisper words of
comfort to someone having a nightmare, and the person would
relax, but Shinji didn't know how to comfort her.
     
     For as much as he had wanted to help her, now that he
had the chance, he found he was unable to help her. He
closed his eyes and shook his head, disgusted with himself.
"I'm sorry, Asuka." Instead, he simply pulled her sheets
back over her body and hoped she wouldn't kick them off
again before morning. He then turned and walked out of the
room, leaving her alone with her nightmares.
     
     Making his way out of the apartment, it occurred to
Shinji that this would be the first time he'd slept alone
since before Instrumentality. In that time he'd never once
had a nightmare though he'd felt like the weight of the
world was on his shoulders. As he thought about it, he
realized that he was actually afraid to go back alone. He
began to appreciate what a calming effect the simple
presence of the girl had on him. Whatever their relationship
may have been, it helped to know that he wasn't alone. That
someone was there, even if she hated him.
     
     Shinji sat down and leaned against the door to the room
Asuka was in, pulling his blankets around him. He closed his
eyes, content to listen to her breathing on the other side.
`I'm too afraid to offer her any relief from her pain, yet I
use her to deal with my own. I really am just a cowardly
little boy after all...' he thought bitterly before drifting
off to sleep.