Aoi's eyes dropped, and she looked away. For a moment, Shinji thought he had overstepped, that he had pushed her too far. But then, in a low voice, she began to speak.

"You're my precious," he whispered into her ear. "My precious Aoi. I promise to always be here for you, no matter what."

Shinji had always known that his girlfriend, Aoi, was a bit of a mystery. She was always so kind and caring, but there were moments when her eyes seemed to cloud over, and she would withdraw into herself. He had grown accustomed to these episodes, but he had never really pressed her about them. After all, she had been through a lot in her life, and he didn't want to pry.

"What's your past like?" Shinji asked, trying to phrase it delicately. "You don't talk about it much, and I was just wondering...is everything okay?"

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

But as they sat on the couch together, watching the sunset through the window, Shinji found himself wondering about Aoi's past. What had she been through? Why did she sometimes seem so haunted?

Aoi's arms tightened around him, and she buried her face in his chest. "I'm glad I have you," she said, her voice muffled.