Another Reality
Chapter One - Without Rei

::Where am I? What is this place?::

::We are inside your mind, Shinji. Your mind is taking you to another possible reality.::

::Rei…is that you? Where are you?::

::You cannot see me here. In this reality, I am nothing more than a voice in the back of your head… a passing thought… In this reality, I may as well be nothing.::

::What do you mean nothing? You can't be nothing! You have to exist! Why don't you exist!? WHY!?::

::I do exist… because you cannot get rid of me. However, I exist in this meaningless state in the back of your mind and I exist here because you do not want me. The reason why I 'don't exist' is because you don't want me to exist.::

::LIES! I do want you to exist Rei! I want you around! Why aren't you here!?::

::You can say you want me here all you like. However, the truth still remains. I mean nothing in this world and that is because - deep down - you want to be rid of me.::

::NO!::

::It is what you chose...::

"No I didn't choose this! AYANAMI!" Shinji shot up in bed, cold and clammy from his own sweat. "I… must have had a bad dream. Who was I just calling out to? Ayanami? Who is that?"

::You idiot! How could you forget Ayanami!? Wait a minute…how can I remember Ayanami when he doesn't remember? Isn't he me?::

::He is you, yes. But you are not him. He is not the whole you. He is just a facet of your being.::

::Ayanami… I thought you said you didn't exist.::

::I don't exist to the facet you. However, you can never fit your entirety into one facet. There are always many sides. For example, how many sides are there to a coin?::

::To a coin? Two of course.::

::Wrong. You have forgotten all of the tiny facets along the sides of the coin. You have left out the entire third dimension. Shinji, you are the coin. The two large sides and all of the facets around the coin are all sides of you. Even those sides that others may deem insignificant are important to your being. That is why they cannot all merge into one side. That would defy existence.::

::But how does any of this relate to you and me? I don't understand.::

::In each of these realities, it is only a facet of you that actually enters the reality. Have you yet to notice that you are seeing one view through each eye?::

::No. I noticed. And it's kind of scary.::

::You see the reality this way because one eye sees it through your facet's viewpoint and the other sees it from a nonexistent viewpoint. Like a person watching a movie, neither I nor you exist in this reality. However, you have a part of you inside of that reality. That is why you have two views.::

::Wait… who is that?::

"Good morning, Shinji. It's time for school," a young woman entered the scene. Her hair was a dark brown, practically black, pulled back in a neat French braid that ended with a blue bow, and her eyes were blackish-brown as well. Her voice was cold and hollow.

::She is my replacement. She was designed by you to replace me. I am that easily replaced.::

::Ayanami… no, you aren't… You aren't that easily replaced.::

::Then how did you replace me so easily?::

::Ayanami…::

::I don't blame you. I would replace me too. I'm so worthless.::

::Rei…::

"Rika," Shinji turned to the girl and gave her a smile. "I just had the strangest dream."

Rika, as he had called her, seemed completely disinterested. She had no emotion to her face. She was like Rei but not; the same but different. "I don't have dreams."

"Of course you do. Everyone dreams. You probably just forget when you wake up."

"No. I just," Rika looked away, "don't dream."

"What time is it?" Shinji scratched his head.

"Seven fifteen. It's time for you to get dressed," Rika stated.

::Where did this girl come from?::

::She is like me. Like me, she was created by your father for your father. Only, because there are no EVAs or Angels in this world, Rika isn't a pilot; she's a servant.::

::Servant?::

::Yes, he spent hours and hours slaving away in a laboratory to create himself a puppet who could cook, clean, and get you out of bed in the morning.::

::She's a slave?::

::More or less. She's not really human and everyone knows that. She wouldn't be accepted anywhere else and so she has to stay here.::

::But she goes to school doesn't she? She is wearing the uniform.::

::Even there they treat her differently. You'll see. You are the only one who treats her like a human being.::

Shinji buttoned up his shirt, tugged on his pants, and fastened his belt. Rika turned to face him again now that he was fully dressed.

"Breakfast is on the table. Your father has gone to work."

"My father…" Shinji growled softly.

"You do not like your father. You hate your father. I can tell. So why do you not leave?" Rika asked.

"I… just can't," Shinji answered.

"I do not understand. I see no reason as to why you cannot leave. I am bound to this place because I am not accepted elsewhere but you have no such limitation."

"Never mind," Shinji forced a smile. "Let's just go eat."

The two went to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Shinji began eating but Rika just sat there. She was looking at him but Shinji noticed that it seemed as though she were looking through him and into nothingness.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Shinji asked.

"It does not matter if I go hungry. I am just a puppet."

"Come on. Eat something. Here," Shinji held out his half-finished breakfast.

"If I am commanded to do so," Rika took the plate and began to eat slowly.

"You don't have to do as you're told with me. I'm only concerned about you. You can do what you like."

"We are going to be late for school," Rika said, standing up. "Let's go."

"Alright," Shinji got up and the two headed out the door and off to school. When they got to school, Rika went instantly to her seat and sat down, waiting patiently for class to begin. That half of the classroom was slowly emptied after she sat down.

::Why did everyone leave when she came in?::

::She scares people. As I said before, you are the only one who treats her like a normal human being. She is not accepted by the others. They even refuse to sit near her. That's why she is seated in the corner seat in the back - no seat to her left, no seat to her back, and empty seats to her front and right.::

::She's treated… like an animal…::

::Exactly.::

"Hey Shinji," Asuka came up to Shinji, who was in the opposite corner of the room. She giggled flirtatiously. "So, what's up? I heard there's a school dance next Friday. Will you go with me?"

::Is that… Asuka?::

::It is. She's madly in love with you in this reality. However, you never seem to notice it.::

"Well, I kinda thought… well, I think Rika might want to go and I'd like to take her," Shinji answered.

"I see, you've fallen in love with daddy's little puppet," Asuka growled angrily. She thrust her arm out and pointed at Rika vehemently, "She isn't human! Haven't you realized that yet!? She's nothing but a doll! Nothing but a puppet! You can love her but she can never love you back!"

At this remark the room fell silent and Rika promptly stood and broke the said silence, "I am not a puppet."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Asuka objected. "You are a puppet! Nothing more than Mister Ikari's little genetic plaything! His slave! His obedient little doll!"

"I am not a puppet. I am not a doll. I am Rika. I am human. Shinji has shown me that," Rika argued forcefully yet calmly.

"You're nothing! NOTHING! Nothing but a wasted effort of rotten sciences! I hate you! I hate you! Why don't you just die!?"

"You don't know… how often I have tried," Rika pulled up her sleeves to reveal the slashes on her wrists. "The cuts keep scabbing over long before I lose enough blood to die. He won't let me die. No matter how hard I try, he won't let me die."

"Rika…" Shinji blinked. "I always wondered why she wore the long-sleeved blouse even when it was hot."

"If you can't die then just give up your life! Do us all a favor and drop out of school and slave your life away in the Ikari family kitchen like a good little puppet! No one wants you here anyway!"

"Leave her alone Asuka," Shinji insisted.

"I refuse to do that because it would be giving into his demands. I do not want to do what he asks of me. Coming here is my form of protest. This is my one and only freedom," Rika stated.

"No one wants you here! Go away! Go away! Go away and never come back!"

"Only if that is what Shinji asks of me," Rika sighed. Shinji's eyes widened. "I owe Shinji everything. He showed me that I was no puppet. He showed me that I was no doll. He showed me that I was the same as everyone else. He showed me that I was human. Whatever he asks of me, I shall do."

"Tell her to go away Shinji," Asuka persisted. "Tell her to go away for good."

"Why… don't you go away… Asuka?" Shinji responded, staring at his feet.

"What!?" Asuka demanded.

"You should be the one to go away," Shinji said. "I find Rika to be a decent human being. However, I find that you have a heart as black as the depths of hell. You go away, Asuka. You're the repulsive being that should go away and die."

::Is that really me? Did I really say that?::

::This side of you is the most courageous side of you. He speaks as honestly as he pleases and holds his tongue for no one. You hate Asuka, Shinji.::

::No I don't!::

::Then why did you tell her to go away and die?::

::I didn't! That's not me!::

::But it is you.::

::It's not! It's not!::

Asuka quickly laid her hand across his face with as much force as she could muster. "You bastard!"

Shinji did not speak to her. He just walked across the room and took Rika by the hand. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Rika asked as Shinji dragged her out of the room and through the halls.

"Home. We're going to get our stuff and go."

"Go where?"

"I don't know. All I know is that this place is no good for you and that's wrong."

"But where will we go? How are we going to get by? We have no money… no food…"

"We'll… get by… somehow…"

The scene faded into nothingness.

::What's happening?::

::We're moving to another reality.::

::We're moving to another world?::

::No. You must understand something Shinji.::

::What is it, Ayanami?::

::There are multiple views of one reality. There are multiple realities to one world. However, that is where it ends. There is only one world and that shall never change. That is why you cannot eliminate what already exists.::

::I understand, Ayanami. But what will happen to them?::

::They shall manage… somehow. You designed it after all. I doubt that you would plan misery and woe for yourself. You have had enough of that, haven't you?::

::Yes. Ayanami?::

::What is it?::

::I'm sorry I replaced you.::

::All is forgiven.::