Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or the characters within.

AN: I've decided to rearrange the fanfics into one and retitling it as one fanfic. I wish I could take the reviews with them (such great reviews), but oh well. Also, each chapter is based off of songs that I also Do Not Own, but inspired each.

Crescent

Song - Just Close Your Eyes by Waterproof Blonde

-()-

Ayanami Rei, pilot of the Evangelion 00 stared up at the ceiling unblinkingly in her apartment as she lay on the bed at night; correction, former pilot of the Evangelion 00. After the destruction of fifteenth Angel, everything simply stopped. The next Angel never arrived and thus Commander Ikari's plans, as well as SEELE's, evaporated into dust, as did Lilith and Adam, both of whom had somehow vanished without a trace. There seemed to be no reason or explanation for it and this baffled everyone, Rei included.

Without the last Angel or the two key Angels, neither NERV nor SEELE could complete their plans for Human Instrumentality. The years stretched on and it became clear that the Angel would not show and thus NERV fell under, in a way. They still existed and were on alert, but with the threat of the Angels seemingly gone, there was no real purpose for its existence.

The same seemed to be true for the First Child. Without the Angels to fight or Lilith and Adam to initiate Third Impact, her use to the Commander was over. Everything she had been taught by him was of no use anymore. Everything that had happened and it all bottomed down to one thing.

Nothing...

The girl looked at her now-lifted hands. 'What is left for me? Why do I exist anymore, if there is nothing left?' The girl shut her eyes tight. Eva had been her connection and now there was nothing; nothing to connect her to the world.

No…

There was something else...

There was someone else…

'Shinji...'

Like her, Shinji seemed to have nothing else. After the pilots' dismissal, Shinji sheltered away. Though he still lived with Misato and goes to school, he became more introverted than ever if that was possible. This hit Asuka as well, but as per the Second Child, she never let it show and remained the same, although the pain of having to move on could be seen in her eyes.

But Shinji was never good at hiding his feeling or pain. It always showed on his face. At least it did to her. She would often look at him through the window reflection in school so she could see him with his knowing it. She didn't understand why she had taken such an interest in him. She once thought it was because of who she was. After all, she had been made from Yui Ikari's DNA along with Lillith's DNA. But that wouldn't have mattered since the blending was so random; she was neither Angel, nor Yui. She just held Yui's face and Lillith's power, and even that wasn't exact.

'I…am I...'

Affection perhaps? He was attractive after all. The many girls in the school who asked him out or asked him to tutor them could attest to that. It had never been a strong suit of hers, but one thing was for certain. There was a bond between them. Ever since the first time they met, she felt a connection between them. When he risked his life to save hers when debris fell down on them when the Third Angel struck, when she risked her life to protect him when they fought the Fifth Angel, when he burned his hands to check on her, when she smiled for him, just to name a few. To know that such a sad, depressed young man could have such a light in his heart and that she was the only one that could see it...

She felt herself warm as she thought about him. His bravery to the point of putting his other's lives before his own captured her attention. To know that someone of that selflessness existed in a world were many would do otherwise made him stand out to her. Especially considering the pains he would go through afterwards was more than what most adults could stand in a lifetime. But he would endure and move on, albeit away from others. It was that solitary living that also caught her interest. In that respect, they were the same. Even though he had friends in school, for the most part, he was alone, like her. They were similar, yet he seemed to be the light for her.

The only light in her darkness...

That what she felt like she was in. 'Darkness...' And not because of the dark room she was laying in. The Commander, her father in a manner of speaking, had seemed to have discarded her altogether. He rarely even saw her anymore and only for brief meetings when he evaluated her, which he could already find out through her monthly scans and then some. She was alone, always had been, she realized. Nothing to comfort her or relieve her at all...

Except him...

Without even thinking about it, Rei sat up from her bed. She was still clothed so there was little to stop her from walking out the door of her apartment, aside from putting her shoes on. It was night outside, but not late night. At best, only 7:30. But the time didn't matter. It could have been midnight and she still would have left. Problem was that she didn't understand why. She just went. Walking down the streets toward the other side of town where he resided. Okay, so she did know why. She wanted to see him. But there was no reason, no logic, and no thought to it. It was like her body went on autopilot. Deciding that it was useless to think about it, she continued on. It was about 7:45 when she reached the apartment and then she froze. Now that she was here, now what would she do. 'See Shinji...' Yes, that is what she came for. It took her another minute before she moved again, going into the elevator and up toward the apartment. But when the door opened of the elevator opened, she was greeted by a surprise.

"Shinji..."

The young boy looked at her with wide eyes, obviously surprised as well. They stared at one another for some time before elevator door began closing automatically. Rei blinked out of her revere to reach the door to stop in. She did, but so had Shinji. And the result was both their hands touched as they held the door. A shock rippled through her hand briefly and she looked up at him, right on cue as he looked up at her. 'He's blushing. Why is he embarrassed?' She quickly stepped out of the elevator and stood before him, quickly reasoning that he wasn't used to being touched. Yet another thing they shared...

"Ayanami-san. W-what are you doing here?"

Rei felt a bit nervous right then, but quickly pushed it aside and answered. "I...I came to see you."

He blinked again. "Me?"

"Yes."

Another moment of silence came between them, and while Rei would have no problem with it, this time, it felt a little...discomforting. So she was glad and relieved when he ended it.

"Um...Okay. I guess...since I'm not doing anything now."

He turned around and the two strode back to the apartment. He then opened the door and invited Rei inside, although that was a moot point right now. The apartment was relatively the same as when she visited last, which was such a long time ago. After offering her a seat on the couch, Shinji went to the kitchen, saying that he was going to make some tea. As she sat down in wait, she noticed that the other two occupants weren't there. Misato was likely out at NERV HQ as she still had work there. It wasn't as much as before, so she was less stressed. And Asuka was likely with Hikari at her house. Rei was grateful that neither of them was there, as it gave her time to think about things.

Which was what Shinji was doing and why he insisted on making tea. He was trying to gather his thoughts together as well, as he wondered just what the First Child was doing there. In the end, when he brought the tea, he still didn't know what to think. Rei didn't mind though; just being with him seemed to be enough.

"Careful." Shinji warned as she reached for the tea. "It's still a little warm."

Rei suddenly recalled when Shinji had told her this before, a long time ago when he had visited her once. He had made tea for her and after burning her hand, he quickly put her hand in water in order to soothe the burn. Yet another example of his caring nature… She was unaware that she had smiled at the memory, although Shinji was quite aware of it. It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, in his opinion. He watched as she took a careful touch of the cup before gently taking it into her hands and carefully sipping it. Gratefully, it wasn't too hot and she was able to sip in a good amount.

"Sweet."

"I put a little honey in it." He then quickly added "I hope you don't mind."

She didn't answer and merely took another sip, indicating that she didn't mind. But of course, Shinji was still nervous all the while. After taking the sip, Rei lowered it, her eyes closed as she inhaled the scent.

"Ayanami..."

"Rei..." She opened her eyes stared ahead. "We have known each other for years, so please, call me Rei."

Shinji nodded. "Okay, Rei." He was still struggling within and then he finally managed to ask his unanswered question.

"You really came to just see me?"

"Yes." was the simply reply.

"Why?"

"Because...you are my light."

Now, Rei being Rei, she didn't realize the impact her words would have on the boy. When she looked over at him, he was completely stunned, his skin complexion beginning to pale. She began to look at him strangely and after a full minute, he strangled out.

"Your...light...?"

Rei nodded. "Yes. I do not have Eva anymore and the Commander has broken all contact with me. I have nothing left, except for you."

Again, Shinji was left spellbound by her words, but his recovery was quicker than before when he took in the full extent of her words.

"That's not true, Aya...Rei. Surely, there is something else besides Eva and...my father."

'It was strange' she thought. The Commander had abandoned Shinji just as he had abandoned her. And Shinji was his true son. Yet, Shinji continues to refer to him as his father.

"What about school? Surely you must have a friend or two."

It was a weak point, Shinji knew, since Rei never really spoke with anyone. But Shinji figured if he could make friends, then surely Rei could have had someone by this time.

"Class Representative Hokari once asked to be my friend. But I have never given a response to her."

So that was it. No one and nothing. But for some reason, Shinji wouldn't give up and continued to persist.

"What about at NERV?"

Rei shook her head. "No. Only you."

Shinji seemed to become saddened by this. It wasn't a surprise to be sure. Rei was as much as an introvert as he was. But he was able to make friends. She had lived there longer than he did, so there had to be more. But there wasn't anything at all.

"Rei...please don't say that you don't have anything."

"But I didn't say that." Rei replied. "I said that I have only you."

Shinji shuffled his feet nervously. "But...me...I am...nobody."

"Why do you say that?" Rei inquired.

"I...I do nothing except what people tell me to do. I'm...weak...spineless...a coward..."

"Your logic is flawed." Shinji lifted his head to her as she continued. "Your battles against the Angels prove otherwise. You are strong and brave. You put the lives and feelings of others before yourself. And you brave pains that few could survive."

Shinji was simply silent at her proclamation. He could not deny her truth. Well he could deny it, but it would have been empty words that even he wouldn't believe. Rei saw him for what he truly was.

"Rei..."

"Why were you embarrassed before?"

Shinji blinked (a third time) as he pondered what she was talking about.

What do you mean?"

"When you touched my hand while holding the elevator door, you were embarrassed"

His face immediately turned red as he recalled the memory. This though, was not lost on the First Child and she pointed it out.

"Are you uncomfortable with me touching you?"

"Yes...I mean no... I mean..." Shinji flushed as he tried to get his words straight and Rei simply stared at him as he struggled with himself. Finally, he took a deep sigh and answered. "No, I was not uncomfortable with you touching me. I just felt it was inappropriate."

"It wasn't intentional, Shinji." Rei reasoned. "You have no reason to feel uncomfortable."

"I know." He gave a brief smile. "I guess it was a force of habit."

Rei took in his smile gratefully. He had long told her that she should smile more. But to her, he had the wonderful smile that should be seen more. But the fact that he showed it to her made it all the more pleasant. Rei felt warm all over now and it made her ask a question that seemed out of her character.

"Would you still feel uncomfortable I allowed it?"

Silence was becoming a common event between their conversations, but Shinji seemed to be better at dealing with it now.

"I...I guess not."

With that answer, Rei looked down at her hands. Slowly, she let it glide across the couch and close to Shinji. She left it there, showing Shinji her intent. Shinji was nervous by this, but slowly, he lifted his hand up and it began to drift over to hers. It went slowly and unsteadily. Rei thought there were times when he would pull his hand back. But he continued, moving it toward her hand until finally, they were touching.

His touch was light against her skin, but the warmth was unmistakable. Rei allowed her eyes to close as she practically basked in it. Shinji began to become brave, allowing his hand to continue moving over until it covered over hers completely. Shinji was trembling slightly, but upon seeing the cool revere on Rei's face, he calmed down greatly. It wasn't so bad. Truth was Shinji was beginning to find comfort in it and closed his eyes as she did

"Shinji..." Rei whispered lightly.

"Yes?"

"I...I..."

Shinji's eyes opened as he saw Rei was at a loss for words, a sight that he never thought was possible. She wanted to say something, but it seemed that her lips betrayed her. So her body went into auto mode again, shifting toward Shinji while her eyes were still closed. Before Shinji or Rei realized it, the girl had positioned herself on his lap, with her back leaning on his chest and her hand remained underneath his. Shinji felt like running away, but doing so would throw her off of him, which he did not want.

And then he discovered…that he did not want to

In a rare show of courage, Shinji reached his other arm over and across her body in a loose embrace. Rei inhaled sharply as she realized this and she reached up and held his arm, locking the embrace more tightly. Shinji could not believe this was happening. Not only was he holding Rei, but he wasn't self-destructing because of it. In fact, his eyes closed once again to take in the full effect of what he felt; what they felt. Comfort, warmth, affection...perhaps love? It didn't matter now. What mattered was now for them was that there was someone for them.

Each other...

"Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji."

"You are my light."

Asuka and Misato both arrived at the elevator of their apartment later in the evening. Misato had gotten off early and Asuka had forgotten some of her stuff, so she couldn't stay at Hikari's for the night as she had hoped. By coincidence, they met up at the elevator and went on upstairs. Asuka was going through her usual complaints as Misato opened the door. Asuka moved to enter, only to be stopped by Misato's backside.

"Hey, what the he...?"

Misato quickly covered the German girl's mouth and slowly let her in to see Shinji and Rei asleep in each other's arms. Asuka's eyes widened with fury and was about to snatch Misato's hand away and let the two know how perverted they were when Misato bent close to her ear.

"Listen very carefully. We are going to stay very quiet and go to bed. If I so much as hear any loud noises from you, you will be spending the rest of the night out on the streets. Understood?"

Asuka growled, but nodded anyways. It was too late in the evening for this and she didn't want to take the chance of calling Misato's bluff (if it was one). Now that that was out of the way, Misato turned back to the two sleepers and smiled.

"It's so sweet" she said softly. "Just look at their faces. I've never seen either of them like that."

Asuka snorted lowly. "This just proves how much of a pervert he is. I mean just look at them."

"You're just jealous that that isn't you in Shinji's lap" Misato grinned

"Don't make me sick. I would rather burn than let that baka touch me."

Misato shrugged, still grinning. "Whatever Asuka. I'm going to bed." Misato began to head to her room when she stopped. Her head turned up toward the counter where a camera awaited. A sole mischievous thought soon swirled into her mind.

'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity here. No sense in missing it.'

*Click!*