Author�s note: This scene came up in my head as I was thinking about possible events in my fic �For I Have Seen You Smile� � a story that I am currently progressing slowly on.  At somewhere about two in the morning, this scene came up, and I decided that I didn�t want to wait until the day I got far enough in FIHSYS to write this scene.  And so, here it is:

Perdition
~ by Jonathan Wang

The young man walks down a sidewalk.  He is lonely amidst the crowds of people passing by his side.  He walks swiftly and smoothly, as if anything in his path steps aside without consciously doing so, which is a good thing, of course, since the man � whose face still cannot be clearly seen � walks with his head hanging.  Ah, or course, it is Shinji Ikari, the boy who is almost wearing the same bleak shirt and pants, although he is also wearing a black jacket to keep himself warm.  Looking around, one would see that it is a fresh winter.  There lies a thin layer of snow along the curb, complemented by the some random red leaves and speckles of flowers.  It is really a very beautiful day.

Back to the young boy-turned-man.  As he strolls by, some of the people whisper among themselves.

�It�s that boy,� they say to one another in conspiring voices.  �He�s the one they say piloted that robot EVA and saved the world.�

�Really?  That young man?  He doesn�t look like a pilot of anything,� one younger woman says in a dubious manner.

�He�s a hero,� the older lady would declare, and with one last stolen glance at the aforementioned Child, who was by now a good hundred feet away, the two faceless characters would move on, forgetting our Shinji Ikari for a long time to come.

Perhaps that is why he feels so sad at heart � because everyone seems to forget him, and those who do not he has lost.  It is a cursed fate, that a person who means so much cannot voice out his thoughts to those who would be most willing to hear it.  What is even more interesting is how despite the fact the boy is so renowned, no one stops him for even the slightest greeting.

More wandering.

He has reached a school � his school, of course.  Barely slowing his pace, he gently pushes the half-opened gates aside, and steps onto the campus.  It is a bleak place with neither students nor teachers in it, and the classrooms are hauntingly empty.  The wind shrieks through the bare trees.

The boy now finds himself a lone figure in the middle of a large open area, so he decides to enter one of the buildings, which, like people, let him pass without thought.

The halls are dark minus the light that hangs in from the windows.  Climbing stairs � it�s much darker in these corridors � Ikari realizes how forlorn the sounds of his steps are.  They ring throughout the interior of the building, with only the walls to reply his presence with echoes.  This hurries Shinji�s stride until he opens a door and finds himself upon the roof of the school building.

Now Shinji pauses for a second, taking in a silent breath before heading towards the railing at the edge of the roof and looking down below unto the masses.  His hands in his jacket pockets, his eyes are half-open, as if he was half-asleep.  He stays here this way, still and soundless, until the skies change their mood and it is darker now.  Heaving a light sigh, Shinji strolls back into the building and emerges below, heading back towards the sidewalk full of ever-transient commoners.

After some time, it is clear that our young Ikari�s trek is aimless.  Even more clear is that Shinji has not done this type of wandering too often, since he seems to be thinking about something�remembering something.  As he walks on, his stride becomes less restless and wearier, until he is trudging along the path as if it were knee-deep in snow.

�Ikari-kun.�

The voice is clear-cut, concise, and light.  At the sound, our impromptu vagabond suddenly looks up, and one would take notice that the hairs at the back of his neck rise in frustration.  He raises his head above the canopy of the crowd, glancing at all sides, calling out something � we cannot hear from this distance.  The people around look at him, speaking amongst themselves.

�What is he talking about?  Is he sane?� a young man exclaims to someone who is apparently his wife.

Some listen to his dry cries, and then wonder: �What does that mean?�

Decisively, some of the civilians can be seen shoving their way towards the Third Child with determined strength.  Bystanders are thrown on the floor without discretion, and ultimately Shinji finds himself toppled over by men who are ostensibly civilians armed with weapons and radio.  While who appear to be secret service agents sweep their weapons� aims around all areas, searching for something to shoot, Shinji is desperately trying to reach out of the clutter and pull himself out.  After a minute or two, he is successfully standing straight up, still looking about (most likely due to the fact that the agents then stopped looking for invisible enemies).  The bodyguards step away from the scene as their responsibility yells at them to leave, though none stray too far away from the area.

And now we see Shinji again, staring towards the sky, pulsating with light, even through the ominous clouds.  He mouth hangs open slightly, as if he has something to say.

Finally, he takes one last look around � the people have resumed walking past him without notice � and then stares down towards the floor.  He massages his eyes with a hand and rubs his face over, and resumes his gaze at the street.  His glances around him are now more lingering.  It is as if moving even an inch from his place would sacrifice something, and so he remains stiffly on his feet.

It is now early evening.  The snow has begun to fall again in tiny forms, and the pedestrians commuting through the area are greater in number � it seems the Third Child has placed himself in one of the more populated areas of Tokyo-3.  Ah, there are shops and the like nearby, not to mention the tall buildings squeezed in the vicinity of the streets.  It will be a lovely evening.

Slowly, the young man lifts up his right foot and begins to extend it out, until his has taken a solid step forward.  With a deep breath, Shinji begins to take a few more steps towards his undecided destination.  However, as soon as a good ten steps have been taken,

Shinji Ikari stops abruptly once more.
�Sayonara.�

More Author�s notes: Yes, I know � this thing lacks a plot, dialogue, action, etc.  Well, all I can say is that I was aiming for portraying Shinji�s lost figure.  I hope that some feedback will be given, however, on how I may improve it.  At the very least, I want to keep something like this on my website.  Feedback would be greatly appreciated.  This is, after all, just a first draft.

yaanathn@hotmail.com
http://members.xoom.com/yaanathn

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