Asuka I am sorry

March's second place winner.

Inside a small padded room, fluorescent lights cast their glow against pristine white walls. The faint scent of chemicals lingered in the air.

Asuka awoke, her mind hazy with confusion.

She found herself still clad in her familiar red plugsuit, but she felt an overwhelming heaviness, as if she were being weighed down. She shifted slightly, feeling the tight fabric pressing against her body with each movement.

Asuka

(She moves slightly, trying to gather her thoughts before narrowing her eyes warily at her surroundings.)

"Where… is this?"

Then, she noticed a shadow standing by the door.

Asuka

(Furrowing her brow, she let out a scoffing laugh.)

"Oh, give me a break… Don’t tell me it’s you?"

The lights flickered briefly before the sound of the door’s lock clicking open filled the silence. Shinji stepped inside, moving slowly. His dark uniform was neat, but his face carried an unmistakable weight of tension.

Asuka

(Glaring at him with sharp eyes, her voice laced with mockery.)

"Hah! Look at you… Did you get a new job as a prison warden? Pathetic."

Shinji

(Silent for a moment before speaking in an even tone.)

"You talk too much."

Asuka continued to sneer, her smirk unrelenting. But before she could speak any further, Shinji stepped toward her with newfound resolve.

Asuka

(Shouting as she instinctively tried to back away.)

"Don't you dare touch me, you coward!"

But there was nowhere to run. Shinji pulled a cloth—one with his name stitched onto it—from his pocket and, without hesitation, forced it into Asuka’s mouth.

Even as she struggled, clear tape was wrapped tightly around her lips, followed by a second layer of duct tape, ensuring she could make no sound. Then, he placed a locking gag over her mouth, securing it in place.

Asuka let out muffled cries, trying desperately to resist. She wriggled, her body restricted in the tight plugsuit, but it was useless.

Shinji stood still for a moment before pulling out a black latex hood. Slowly, he fitted it over Asuka’s head, sealing her away from the outside world entirely.

She kept squirming, but it was pointless… utterly pointless.

For a long moment, Shinji simply watched her, his expression unreadable. Then, he pressed his lips together before letting out a quiet sigh.

Shinji

(Whispering softly before stepping away.)

"...I'm sorry."

Just before the door shut completely, Shinji hesitated. His right hand trembled slightly before he raised it, staring at his fingertips.

A milky-white substance clung to them.

He stared at it for a moment, his eyes trembling, as if he was realizing something he desperately wished he hadn’t.

Shinji

(Muttering to himself, his voice unsteady.)

"…I'm really a piece of shit, aren't I?"

The door clicked shut, trapping both Asuka and Shinji’s sins within that room.