The Second Child

Asuka stood just inside of her apartment doorway again, looking a bit worn down. She'd come back from Ohtori and she hadn't really known what she was expecting. Kaworu had cut himself off from the world for a few days, but at least he was talking with her again. Better than the silence she had had to endure (and still wondered about). But she was home again.

Home.

This place was home, she realized. For all of the heartache and misery that tended to follow her around, this was more home than Germany had been. Or Tokyo-3. This was what she thought of. Her own space. Somewhere she could hide from the world if she needed to. Or that's what she'd thought for a long time until Shinji came back into the picture. But she was trying to get past that. Right? Or was she just kidding herself?

She took a step further into the room.

"I'm back."