Disclaimer: All rights belong to Gainax.
Lovers
Chapter One
Her
"Hah…"
Fighting the Angels constantly dipped his entire being into a puddle of anguish but this…
"Hah…"
This was something that shook him to the very core, something that made dealing with those unearthly monsters seem easy in comparison. His fear alone gave birth to the beads of sweat dissipating in the LCL but the jade dots that spied him from the dark made chills go down his spine.
Those four gleaming orbs weren't something as placid as simple dots but instead eyes, eyes that he knew belonged to an Evangelion. Unit 02 watched him from above like a hungry spider, the canopy of tree tops it balanced itself on cracking under its weight. It spread out, lowering the burden its massive size put on the trees with careful positioning.
Asuka found him.
The sound of its shoulder compartment opening echoed through the forest, the knife that slid out something that meant she wasn't playing games anymore. Under the moonlight, the crimson luster she was so proud of appeared dull but those sets of emerald shined as she forced her Evangelion to take the weapon.
Unit 02 was taking point so Unit 00 couldn't be far behind. That meant Rei was somewhere in that darkness, lurking to get in position to fire on him the moment she got the order. Immediately, he scanned the area and something caught his eye. At first, he could only see the gray glimmer of a rifle but right behind it was the prone figure of the one-eyed Evangelion.
"Stand down Shinji! I know you hear me!!" Misato yelled at him again, "This is your last chance! Don't make us have to do this to you!"
This pressure was unlike anything he ever felt and it multiplied on account of them getting serious. Even though it was just Asuka and Ayanami, they were both dangerous in their own right so trying to fend both of them off at the same time wasn't reckless.
It was suicide.
Unlike the desperate major, they didn't even bother to contact him and the reason was obvious. He was engaging in a capital offense not to mention he was now a traitor, the knife Unit 01 held so tight representing his treason.
The Angel he protected continued to dig, the dirt it flung and the trees it uprooted forming a mounting pile behind him. The monster he defended was what they attempted to concentrate on even though he was trying to get in their way but it all changed the moment he drew his progressive knife.
"Hah…"
He was exhausted, physically and mentally wore out but he couldn't let them harm the Angel. On the event that they did, any damage would simply be transferred to his girlfriend and he would rather die than let that happen.
Unit 01 braced itself, the foot it slid back in the dirt only to make its stance sturdier. He was ready for the oncoming attack even though he could never prepare his heart for what was sure to happen. The humming of their vibrating knives drowned out the rumbling of the digging behind him but he couldn't tune out the heavy sound of his heart beating in his chest.
Any second now, Misato was going to order them to attack and that solitary thought reminded him of something that made his thumping heart skip a beat. The Angel cut through his cable when it first started digging so… Shinji steeled himself before looking to the side of the entry plug.
He had exactly four minutes and twenty-one seconds of power left.
"Take…" In her pause, he could hear someone behind her mentioning that the Angel already breached the first barrier and was breaking through the second, "Take him down!!"
Using the reflexes honed by experience, Shinji made Unit 01 dash backwards and Unit 02 crashed into the place it once stood. The crimson Evangelion practically asked him for the fight he wanted as it held up its own progressive knife.
Suddenly, a volley of fire erupted from the left. Every tree in Rei's line of fire was completely and utterly annihilated by rounds bigger than cars. The forest itself shielded him but she still could have hit him if she tried.
It was a warning shot, a sign of how she felt about him even now. The fact that Unit 02 didn't cut him down yet a small indication that Asuka wasn't as angry as he thought as he quickly tried to think of his next move. Even though he was ready to fight till his time ran out, they still gave him just one more chance to stop.
"Shinji..." Her thin eyebrows were slightly furrowed as she stared at him through the com-link, agitation something that was easy to see on her face, "Stand down or I will not miss the next shot."
"I can't…" Shinji barely got out, talking was hard to do when he was this tired, "You know… that more than anyone Rei…"
The com-link promptly closed and he could see Unit 00 stand with rifle in hand. His view of the Evangelion had no obstructions now; he could clearly see it as she pointed the weapon at him with intent to disable.
Like that was the cue, Unit 02 reversed the grip on its knife and slashed at him. The strike was barely blocked, the sparks that came from the collision just the first of many to come. He avoided her next attack and shifted to the side so Rei wouldn't have a shot at him.
The First Child was a step ahead of him. She had already changed her position by then. With a fleeting moment of hesitation, she aimed and shot Unit 01. The round passed right through the back of its knee and Asuka took advantage of the situation by literally and figuratively disarming him.
Unit 01 crumbled to the ground like an autumn leaf, the pain its pilot was in nothing compared to what they were going to do to the Angel he protected. With thoughts of such filling his head, he tried to force the machine to get back up but they weren't having it.
The sound of another magazine being loaded into the rifle reached his ears as Unit 00 approached with the weapon trained on him and Unit 02 buried its knee in the spine of the Evangelion beneath it.
She was going to pull out the entry plug.
"Don't…" He begged, Unit 01 reaching behind its back to stop her with its remaining arm but it was snatched away and pinned to the ground by the progressive knife she stuck through its hand.
He was apprehended.
It wasn't supposed to happen like this though…
He was supposed to protect her like he said he would, like he promised he would but he was reduced to not even being able to do that. He didn't feel anything aside from heartache as Unit 01 shook its arm to free itself, the knife cutting through its hand before he tried once again to get up in spite of the Evangelion on its back.
Rei shot him again. The round that ripped through its elbow enough to send it back to the ground, making a splash in the blood that spilled out of the wounds. The hot brass of the casing flew up into the night air and she shot him again for his own sake. She knew he was all too aware that it was over; every attempt he made to get back up would just mean more pain.
He continued to struggle, his effort an exercise in vain as he realized the only reason Asuka just didn't forcefully eject him yet was merely because he saved her life not more than a few weeks ago… Like Rei, she attempted to spare him from further agony by subduing him but she didn't need to anymore. Unit 01 went limp as the reserve power finally ran out.
"A retrieval crew will come for you after we are done with the Angel."
He could hear the major from the loudspeaker on Unit 02. She was angry, her stern voice proof this was just the beginning of the trouble he was in but more than anyone else he was angry at himself.
Somewhere under this night sky, his girlfriend was going to be hurt again.
The disabled Evangelion rose from the ground like the undead, its injuries not at all healed as it managed to stand. It couldn't roar because it picked up its severed arm the only way it could, the marks on the limb thanks to the rows of teeth in its mouth. Instead, it merely peered at the opposition with eyes white enough to penetrate the darkness that surrounded it.
"She… won't…"
It was too hard to complete his declaration, but his intent was obvious as Unit 01 violently chewed through its own forearm in order to get to the progressive knife it still grasped. It bit into the handle of the knife as the remains of its arm hit the forest floor.
Just a few more seconds and he would kill them for her. Just a few more seconds was all he needed to cut them into so many pieces that his knife would break before he was finished.
Rei and Asuka were ready for him, their weapons at the ready as they all but ignored the Angel they were fighting over. Perhaps acting under new orders, they exchanged weapons. Unit 00 tossed the rifle towards Unit 02 and brandished two progressive knives as Rei calmly took point. The single red eye of the Evangelion watched as Unit 01 slowly advanced, staggering thanks to the injuries she previously dealt.
They were probably trying a new strategy Misato came up with on the spot but he didn't care. A few more seconds… Just a few more seconds was all he thought about and was all he needed to make sure his girlfriend would never be hurt again.
With thoughts tantamount to obsession being the only thing driving him, Unit 01 stood up and faced the death that was sure to come in the form of dual progressive knives in the hands of someone who loved him.
"Shinji… Please..."
A desperate plea was met with an attack as Unit 01 hurled itself in her direction. Sparks again flew through the air like they were destined to fly and friends fought with intent to kill.
0
"What do you think about sad stories?"
Shinji looked up from his lunch and turned towards the girl that sat beside him. She smiled, her glasses catching the light from the windows as she tilted her head in anticipation of his answer.
"Tragedies?" He cast a stray glance at the small pile of books in front of her, "I… I don't really like them."
"It's a unique genre." His classmate sat the book she was reading down on the table, "I prefer happy stories but I wouldn't be able to call myself an aspiring author if I couldn't appreciate other stories just as much."
"Oh, I didn't know you wanted to be a writer." The pilot slid his chair back and stood, his shadow covering the girl under his care, "I was wondering why you liked the library so much."
"Shinji…" She gazed up at him with surprise crossing her features, "I thought you knew how much I liked to-"
"No, I know that." He cut in quickly, raising his hands up in denial before looking around, "It's just that no one usually bothers to come here. I didn't even know we had a library until I followed you here."
This was the second time he set foot into this part of the school but this was the type of place one could never get used to. The tall windows in the room didn't have any sort of blinds or dressings, the lack of such the reason why the room seemed so serene. Sunlight graced the room like a blessing, making no distinction between the shadows it made or the dusty books that received its radiance.
Though it was a magnificent sight the first time around, the layer of dust was only one of the things that served as a reminder that it was a lonely place that was rarely if ever visited nowadays. Books that were missing from the large bookcases laid in various places, some broken desks were piled into a corner, and the long solitary table she sat at were missing over half its chairs. Disarray was too light a word for such a place.
In the process of looking around, he caught the look on her face and she spoke the moment they made eye contact, "I'm not troubling you by coming here am I?"
"N-Not at all," His observation was halted, "I was just wondering that's all."
Relieved, she turned back towards the books in front of her, "Oh…"
The brief spark of conversation was over, both of them too awkward to initiate it again and it wasn't worth the effort to try. Small talk reigned over them no matter where they were but it couldn't get any worse when they were alone with each other. There were only so many times they could chat about nothing of importance and if they weren't talking about the weather or the last book she read then it was the subject that bothered him the most.
"I'm sorry you have to look after me."
It was an off hand comment but he couldn't let it go unwarranted.
"Mayumi, it's not like that." Though she never voiced the fact, he could always tell that she regretted getting him caught up in her own health issues. Because he sat next to her, he was the one selected to keep up with her even though Hikari was the one who usually did it.
"Being around a lot of people makes me nervous so I can't stay in the classroom or go to the cafeteria. I can read in the library and we are the only people that come here." She adjusted her glasses, pushing them back up before she looked up at him, "If I wasn't sick then I wouldn't be a burden to anyone…"
"Really, I don't mind." His eyes snapped towards the entrance as someone pushed open the doors, "Miss Horaki?" He guessed right as the class representative smoothly slipped into the library and walked towards them.
"I don't see how both of you can still be so formal with me." She shot the pilot a sour look as she came to a stop behind Mayumi, "Especially you Shinji, you've been here longer so you don't have an excuse."
"Um," Already guilty, he tried to come up with a decent excuse, "I-It's because you're the class representative so-"
"No," Hikari shook her head as she held up a hand, "It was just my job to make you comfortable here but I'm one of your friends now."
He nodded, what she was saying wasn't unreasonable, "You're here for Mayumi?"
"Actually, I'm here to- Ah!" Her brown eyes widened as she realized something obvious, "That means you already think of Mayumi as one of your good friends?" She said, excitement creeping into her voice as her eyes grew even larger.
The pilot and the classmate he watched over exchanged looks before he turned back to the girl in front of him, "Yeah…" He whispered, the bubbly look in Hikari's eyes starting to make him feel uneasy.
"That's great!" Hikari nearly screamed, "Shinji, I need a really big favor."
He didn't like the sound of it already.
"I normally walk Mayumi home myself but I'm going to be leaving early today since I'm going to see relatives tomorrow." With the situation explained, it wasn't difficult to guess what she had to ask of him, "I was thinking I'll have to work something out with Rei at first but-"
"Ayanami?" Shinji and Mayumi said in unison, already wondering what the azure haired pilot had to do with anything.
"She lives in the same complex you do Mayumi, I thought you two came together since you both arrived so early."
"That's surprising…" The girl remarked as Shinji finally put together the puzzle that was the favor Hikari needed to ask of him, "I saw her this morning but I didn't even stop to think about it."
"Anyway," Hikari smiled, she could already see herself preparing for the trip, "Do you think you can walk Mayumi home this evening?"
"I…" A hint of red touched Mayumi's cheeks as she abruptly got up and answered before he could, "I can walk home by myself. I feel well enough today to manage on my own."
"Mayumi, you say that now but what if your anemia starts-"
"I'll do it." Shinji decided before Hikari could make the newest addition to their class see why she always needed to be accompanied by someone, "It kind of is my job to make sure she is alright."
He wasn't in a position to refuse seeing that he was supposed to be the one who walked her home every day in the first place. Being issued a task by the teacher made him feel more like a normal student even if responsibility was something he was weary of keeping.
"Thanks Shinji!" Hikari grabbed his hand and shook it up and down, beaming as she showed him how grateful she was to be relieved of her duty today, "Just remember everything I told you and you'll be fine."
"No p-problem…" It was his turn for his face to color as he eased his hand out of the handshake, "You don't have to thank me for something I should have been doing anyway."
With that and a quick wave, the class representative made her exit. The echoing of her retreating footsteps was proof that the library was eerily quiet but, in the back of his mind, Shinji recalled that they were supposed to be like this.
Compared to the training at NERV and the controlled chaos of the classroom, this place was actually a haven. Mayumi was a pretty reserved person so it wasn't surprising she would like a place that had little to no activity.
"It might not look like it but Ayanami is kind." Shinji thought about his fellow pilot as he looked around the library, "She's just really… Um, I don't know how to put it. I guess she's just really serious so she doesn't have time for things that aren't important."
"She seemed…" Mayumi trailed off as she vision wavered. The feeling that assaulted her was one she knew better than most. The blood that coursed through her head felt like it had spikes as the onset of her attack was realized.
A splitting headache…
It felt like her stomach was eating itself, acid dissolving not only her stomach but the organs surrounding it. It hurt so much she couldn't help but double over like someone took a sledgehammer to her abdominal.
Waves of nausea…
She felt woozy to the point where she slumped forward and fell, blacking out as she approached the floor. He was a step too late to even break her fall much less catch her, something that would haunt him when she hit the floor hard enough for a small cloud of dust to rise.
"Mayumi are you alright!?" He panicked, rushing to her aid as he yelled her name, "Mayumi!!"
She was far from alright seeing that she wasn't waking up.
0
Another room he never made an attempt to get familiar with was the infirmary but, now that he sat inside, it was a moot point as he looked out the window. The bright rays of light that once shined through the library windows were gone now, the sun reclaiming all of its light as it touched the horizon.
Shinji looked away from the window and at the reason he was here. Mayumi stared back at him with remorse clearly in the depths of her brown eyes. Without her glasses, she seemed even more sensitive but thanks it was thanks to that vulnerability that he came to notice how pretty she really was.
Her long locks of inky black hair stood in a violet contrast to her pale skin. She was almost sickly pale, her health surely playing a role in her complexion but the combination suited her well. There was a small dot of black under the corner of her mouth but the mole did little to take away from her beauty, instead adding to it in his opinion.
It was her eyes that always got him though. The chestnut colored eyes she so often hid behind her glasses always seemed to look at him with a level of respect she reserved for no one else, something that tore at him every time she dared apologize.
"I'm sorry…"
Shinji shook his head again, finally understanding why he annoyed people so much with his habit of saying the same, "It's not your fault Mayumi." He looked at her as she laid on the only bed in the room, "We'll leave when you feel good enough to walk okay?"
"We can leave as soon as I find my- Oh…"
He held up her glasses and placed them in her lap, "It's okay, I can wait until-"
"Aren't you tired of this yet?" She asked, not holding back as she took her glasses and put them on, "I haven't even been here for a whole week yet and I-"
"Mayumi, believe me." Shinji interrupted her rambling with a sigh, "I don't mind but it's important that you lay down until you feel better. I might be a pilot but I don't have anything to do… Well, unless an Angel attacks or something but even if that happened you still got to get your rest or you'll probably have to go to the hospital."
The frail girl openly disagreed with him as she swung her legs to the side of the bed and hopped off. It wasn't in protest of what he suggested but because he was willing to wait that she forced herself. Shinji was kind, too kind to have his time being taken up by someone who could manage on her own with just a little more effort than normal people needed.
He got up as she walked passed him and followed her out of the room and down the halls. It wasn't long before they were outside, the late afternoon sky the only thing to greet them as they walked away from the now unoccupied school. The streets of were void of people, only cars passing by every now and then as they slowly walked down the sidewalk.
"Are you…" She coughed, raising her hand to her face to hide her blush, "Are you walking this close to me on purpose?"
It was a sad attempt to make sure he would be able to catch her in case she fell or worse but he figured being that close was liable to be a reason she tripped. With that in mind, he motioned to make room but she closed the gap between them.
"It's alright." Mayumi smiled as they approached the apartments, the heavy sound of construction something that was always around every time he visited this part of the city, "You don't have to worry about catching me. I really feel better now."
"How…?" He appeared dazed as he looked at her shoulder, the dust that rested there proof that he failed her before, "How did you-"
She spun around, staring at her caretaker as she walked backwards, "I had a feeling you were just that kind of person." The small smile became a large one, "Is it that why so many people depend on you?"
The thought of anyone relying on him was almost laughable. Shinji shook his head as they made their way up the steps towards the third floor, "I don't know about that but I try to do what I can because that's the best I can do."
"I didn't think a pilot of one of those things could be so modest."
"Ha," He couldn't help but grin at that, "Asuka just likes piloting so she likes telling stories about what happened even if she exaggerates here and there. We aren't really bloodthirsty or anything."
Mayumi stopped in front of a door and drew another sigh from the pilot as she merely pushed it open and walked in. He watched from the doorway as she walked inside her apartment and beckoned him to come in, an offer he was ready to refuse thanks to an incident that occurred on the floor above.
With a deep breath, he forced away thoughts of a naked Rei and entered with the honest intent of staying for a few minutes before leaving. Her room just as barren as the one that belonged to his fellow pilot, the major exception being that it was clean.
The clang of metal against metal was a constant reminder of the construction outside but seeing the floor uncluttered with used bandages and trash was enough to make him glad. The bed was made, the large teddy bear that sat near the pillow just one of the few things that personalized her apartment.
"Shinji, do you want some tea?"
"Sure, but I can't stay long." He looked over his shoulder at the door, "Who knows what Asuka is telling Misato about this."
"Do you think Ayanami would want some too?" She asked on her way into the kitchen, "I should probably go ask her."
"I don't know about that Mayumi…" The pilot followed her, "I was trying to tell you earlier but she is kind of difficult to deal with if you don't know how to talk to her."
"Hmm, can you ask her then?" His classmate posed the question like she intended for him to do it in the first place as she started to boil water.
He headed towards the door with misgivings that were set aside. Rei wasn't a people person but it never hurt to try and she probably wouldn't mind coming down for a cup considering she wasn't busy or already gone.
Before he knew it, he was standing in front of her apartment and he hoped a friendly knock would be the only thing she needed to answer the door. It wasn't a surprise when her door creaked open after he tapped his knuckles on it but he was more than shocked when he realized that it was because she pulled the doorknob.
"A-Ayanami?"
"Ikari," The pilot she greeted turned away from her, his face burning as she stood before him dressed only in her blouse and, hopefully, panties hidden by her shirttail.
"M-Mayumi wanted to know if…" He gulped as her ruby eyes stared at him intently, "She wanted to know if you wanted to have some tea with us."
"That is acceptable." Rei turned around and headed towards the bed to put back on the clothes she just took off, "Yamagishi lives on the floor beneath me correct?"
"She does…" Shinji said, mystified that she even knew who Mayumi was not to mention the fact that she wanted to come, "I didn't think you would know her Ayanami, she didn't even know you lived here until Miss Horaki told her."
"You are involved with Yamagishi." She whispered before going back inside and slipping on the rest of her uniform, "The order to protect you has not been revoked so I watch the people you are involved with."
"I don't think Misato meant for you to take it like that Ayanami…"
Red eyes landed on him as neared the door, "An order is an order."
He left it at that and tea was all that was on the menu when they arrived at Mayumi's apartment. Two paper cups of steaming tea were warmly handed to her standing guests, both of them refusing the offer to sit on the bed next to her.
Talking was nonexistent. The only thing really happening being the slow, uneventful consumption of the bitter drink and even that seemed like it dragged on for hours.
"Why did you not decline the teacher's request?" Rei asked directly, the most unlikely person starting conversation with a question that she held since he accepted. Everyone was aware that they were pilots so even being asked to do something so time consuming was inappropriate to say the least.
"I didn't have a reason to say no."
She blinked, she had plenty of reasons why his course of action was ill advised, "We do not have time for anything that could interfere with our-"
"Ayanami," Shinji threw the empty cup at the trash can in the kitchen and missed, "Mayumi isn't a distraction or anything. She's my friend, I don't mind making sure she's okay just like I try to make sure you or no one else gets hurt when an Angel comes."
What he said meant that he thought just as highly of her as he did everyone else but that wouldn't stop her from stating the obvious, "She is still liability you do not need to concern yourself with."
"You can't talk about people like that Ayanami!" Shinji pointed at the girl sitting on the bed, "Especially when she's right there!"
"It's alright." Mayumi injected, unfazed as she smiled at both of them, "I can tell that you two are really good friends."
Not many things caught Rei off guard but such a statement was reason for her undivided attention to land on the girl who said it. She said nothing, the questioning look in her eyes all she needed to ask Mayumi to properly explain how she came to that conclusion.
"You're worried about him being around people you don't know and… Hmm," Their classmate set her empty cup on the floor as she turned towards Shinji, "You're the type that can only get angry at people you really care about aren't you?"
Her character analysis was so accurate that both of the pilots were left speechless, the argument that was started vanishing like it never existed in the first place. Both of them stared at her with varying degrees of shock and she took it as a sign that she really touched a part of their character that even they didn't know about.
Shinji and Rei turned towards each other, exposed feelings grating against each other as they made eye contact. Sapphire met ruby as they locked eyes, "I'm… I'm sorry for yelling at you Ayanami."
"No, I was… out of line." This uncomfortable feeling was not one she was familiar with, "I should leave."
She did just that, taking the paper cup with her as she briskly headed towards the door and left without neither a goodbye nor a thank you. He didn't even have the chance to stop her. Shinji sighed as he walked towards the trash can and picked up his cup to put it inside.
"You were right in saying she was kind but," Mayumi met him there, tossing her cup into the trash before she accompanied him to the door, "I think she is fond of you Shinji."
She was undeniably good at being able to see things like that in people and he had more than enough proof to believe what she said but that was impossible. He knew Rei was a nice person for sure but saying she liked him was pretty far out there. A passing glance at the glasses Mayumi wore reminded him of the person that Rei put above all others.
"I doubt it Mayumi but thanks for the tea." He forced a smile, the thought of his father always making his day worse than it was before, "I have to get back to the apartment before dinner time or Misato will get-"
"Is something wrong…?"
He stopped in his tracks, a shaky look over his shoulder enough for one of his eyes to be transfixed on the girl behind him. Her perception was extremely sensitive, her sixth sense in overdrive as she took off her glasses and stared back at him. She knew something was wrong without even needing to see his strained smile but her question was just a formality at best.
His problems weren't something that could be shared with her.
"Nope, I just have to hurry back before Asuka and Misato get hungry." Shinji turned around and walked outside, "Thank you letting me visit. I'll come early tomorrow."
"No, thank you for coming and…" She put her glasses back on, the lonely books she kept under her bed were about to have some company, "Goodbye Shinji."
0
"One day…" Kensuke started, valiantly holding his fist in the air as he stood next to his desk, "I'll work the nightshift!"
"Who would hire a nerd like you?" Asuka proudly walked passed him with her head held high and lunch in hand, "Best you can do is sell some upskirt pictures to perverts."
"You're just mad no one wants to take pictures of you."
"Shut up! I don't want anyone to take any pictures of me you idiot!" She stomped on the ground, even more agitated thanks to remembering the one time when Aida did try to sell pictures of her, "Hikari leaves for a day and you stooges start thinking you own the school."
"Don't even bring me into it Red." Touji reclined in his seat with nothing to do, his lunch something he ate long ago to make up for a missed breakfast, "I ain't said nothing to ya all day. I don't wanna have ta get started on ya when- Hey! Kirishima! Be a friend and let me get one of them rice balls."
"Hmm?" The charming girl looked up from her lunch with a sly smile on her face, "What would I get in return Suzahara?"
He narrowed his eyes at her as he considered giving something up to quiet his stomach but asking someone like her was a mistake in the first place. Touji sadly shook his head. It was always something wrong with the pretty ones.
"Well?"
"My jacket…" The jock said without thinking as his friend pulled out his video camera to watch the showdown.
"Don't do it Kirishima!" Asuka smiled as she found one of her enemies in a difficult position, "You can get something better than that stinking jacket!"
"Ya better shut up Red! I told ya I ain't even messed with ya so don't get me started when I'm hungry." Touji said slowly, stalling to think of a better item to trade as he looked at Mana.
"Hmm," She carefully tossed a ball of rice up and down, "Promise to do a few things for me and you can have two."
The challenge she issued was one he had to overcome just because he was never one to back down. He was hungry, he wanted those rice balls, and he was hungry but humiliation was something his pride wouldn't permit. With pleading eyes, he turned towards his best friend with the saddest look he could muster, "Hey Kensuke… I need ya to-"
"No," Kensuke held up a hand as he zoomed in with his camera, "I'm not going to slave so you can get something to eat."
In the middle of his plight a sparkle appeared in Touji's eye, his trump card something that appeared like an omen as a pilot entered the classroom. In pursuit of lunch, he was sure his other best friend wouldn't mind taking one for the team, "Shinji… My good friend Shinji…"
The sleepy pilot yawned as he reached under his desk to get his lunch, "What is it Touji?"
"Can ya do me a big favor?"
"Sure, I'll do it." He said with ease, the same answer for the same question he was asked yesterday even though he had no idea what was being asked of him.
Mana took a good look at her favorite pilot before tossing the food behind her. Touji successfully caught both, one breaking open the moment it landed in his hands but that wasn't a major concern. For now, he could only eat and watch what was going to happen with a heavy heart.
"You can have them for free…" The brown haired girl said without turning around in her seat, sparkling blue eyes still on the boy who unknowingly shook off her attempts to be more than just friends, "Shinji, are you al-"
"I would like to speak with you Ikari." Rei appeared behind him, ignoring the looks everyone gave her as she bent over and got his lunch for him, "Here."
"Um, thanks…" He took store bought lunch she handed him, "I'm about to go back to the infirmary though, I might have to walk Mayumi home early today now that I think about it."
"I will accompany you."
"Ayanami, wait…" Shinji tried to stop her before she left the classroom but she continued walking nonetheless, "What about class?" He asked as he weaved through desks with his lunch in hand.
"It is of no concern." She stopped in the doorway and responded quietly like she always did, her eyes closed as she contemplated what she wanted to say, "What I have to ask you is of more importance."
"What is it?" He asked as he caught up with her and left the classroom, "If it's about yesterday I-"
"Yazamaki was correct." Rei smoothly cut him off as they walked towards the infirmary, "I was under the assumption that I cared for you because of my orders but…" She stopped, pausing to think of the right word to use, "I do worry about you."
Shinji rubbed the back of his neck as he started to blush but for her to up and say it like that made things feel more awkward than she probably realized, "Thanks Ayanami…"
"It is because of that I have a request." The infirmary was right there in front of them but, unlike yesterday, this was something she had to say before they stepped in, "Ikari, it would be in your best interest to leave her in the care of Horaki."
"It's not a problem or anything Ayanami. I'm not a doctor but it's just anemia and all I have to do is be around when she's not feeling well."
She expected as much but trying when the outcome was obvious was a small but subtle sign of how strongly she felt about him, "Another request…"
He waited for her to speak as he entered the room and saw Mayumi peacefully sitting on the bed and looking out the window, the nurse doing the same as she sat in the same seat he did yesterday. It felt like he stepped into a painting, the image disturbed as both of the occupants of infirmary turned to face him.
Mayumi waved before getting up and walked towards them as the nurse continued her silent gazing on the world outside. Her face lit up with a smile, her hair lightly swaying on account of the bounce in her step. She was happy for no reason, a bright part of her personality that Shinji envied but liked to the point that just seeing her made him feel warm inside, "You got back really fast Shinji."
What Rei was going to ask of him died in the presence of Mayumi, the one thing she wanted to request something she couldn't do now that her neighbor had all of his attention.
"Yeah, I thought you'd be hungry so I brought my lunch." He held up the shrink wrapped lunch as he neared her, "Ayanami came with me so we can-"
"Rei?" Mayumi adjusted her glasses before looking around, "Is she waiting outside?"
"Huh? I thought she was…." He trailed off as he noticed she was gone, "I guess she changed her mind."
"Are you sure she didn't need to go back to the classroom to get something?" She walked passed him into the hallway and didn't see anyone.
"Now that I think about it, she didn't say anything about leaving with us but we weren't finished talking yet."
"Mind if I ask what you were talking about?" Mayumi laced her hands behind her back as they walked to the shoe lockers.
"Not at all, it's kind of about you anyway." He was forthcoming, having nothing to hide from her, "She said you were right about what you said yesterday and wanted me to let someone else handle this."
"I really appreciate it Shinji but maybe you should."
"Everyone has been bothering me about it. Misato calls it an affair, Touji claims I'm using you to get out of class, Asuka just thinks I'm being a pervert and even Ayanami…" Shinji sighed as the approached the shoe lockers, "I think I can manage though."
She opened a locker and pulled out her sneakers, "I always thought you hated the couple jokes more than anything."
"I don't mind them, they used to say the same thing about me and Asuka before you got here but she didn't find it funny at all."
"I think it's funny and I have to admit the thought of having a husband isn't a bad one."
Unlike before, their conversations had life and they actually talked about things that interested them as they made their way to her apartment. For once, getting to know someone was a process that felt natural but he couldn't help but feel that was simply because Mayumi was a normal person.
She had no responsibilities aside from school and the only thing that really separated her from the other students was the fact that she wasn't as healthy as everyone else. She was just normal in the sense that she was just a student and nothing else, someone who blended in with the rest of the class except for the select few he was included in.
Even though that was true, everyone had their unique exceptions.
"I got a love letter today." Mayumi said out of nowhere with a cheerful smile, her long black hair swishing behind her as they crossed the street, "I found it this morning but didn't open it yet."
"Why?" He wondered out loud. She was asking him about his cell phone just a few minutes ago.
"I looked at it…" His classmate reached into her briefcase and pulled it out. The letter was plain except for the big heart sticker on the front. Even though Asuka frequently complained about receiving them so much, this was the first time he ever saw one, "Then I realized that I didn't really know anyone except for you and Hikari. I'm just now starting to put together the names and faces of most of our classmates."
"Are you going to open it?" Shinji asked as they neared the apartment, "Asuka just throws away the letters without looking at them."
Mayumi laughed, "I can't do something like that Shinji. If someone was brave enough to put their feelings inside this then I can at least look at it."
It didn't matter if she didn't love or even knew the person the letter came from but she knew that the feeling itself was key. Whatever drove someone to write something like this was something she couldn't deny and wouldn't. The fact that she received it meant that she had to read it lest those important feelings locked inside would lay dormant until she did.
"It's nice to get one of these." She brought the letter to her chest and held it there as they looked up the flight of stairs they had to go up to get to her apartment, "I have to accept it and respond to his or even her feelings."
Shinji almost tripped as she openly acknowledged that affection didn't only come from one direction but it only served to show that Mayumi was easily the most considerate person he ever met in his life.
"Mayumi," He stopped, a question he shouldn't ask stirring in his heart as he looked up the stairs at the girl walking passed him, "What if I gave you one… A love letter?"
Was he an exception to her? A special case she would treat like no other? Would his letter be set aside among the pile of confessions and the like she was sure to get sooner or later? It wasn't that he was blindly in love. It was just a random question that slipped out the blank space in his mind.
"You're my best friend Shinji," She never lost her smile as she looked down at him, "Would you want to put our friendship in jeopardy with a relationship like that?"
Shocking realizations were disregarded in quest of an answer to his original question. He clutched the railing as he took another step, "I'm not saying I l-like you like that Mayumi but I was just curious."
A breeze touched her figure, her hair and clothes caught wind in the gentle wind as she held up a hand to stop her long locks from clouding her vision, "Shinji, I like you so I can tell you the truth." She never looked away from the pilot that stood a few steps away, "I'm sick."
"I don't understand… Everyone knows you're sick, I mean it's the reason you had permission to-
"No… No," She said sweetly upon noticing the look on his face, closing the distance between them as she walked back down the steps towards him, "I'm really… sick. I prefer to keep it a secret but I know I can depend on you."
Really sick? What else could she…
Terminally ill…
That was all he thought about and the words bounced around in his head until the meaning of it exploded in his mind. Questions needed to be asked. Lots of them needed to be asked. Stupid ones and important ones all jumbled together with each other but he couldn't say anything.
Wasted time…
Someone who was going to die soon didn't bother with a dusty library no one cared about and someone who was that sick didn't care about being kind to people who sent you love letters but that wasn't necessarily true. Something that was though was the fact that no one should voluntarily come to this city let alone someone like her.
His knees felt weak and his legs trembled like his bones were rattling. The grip he had on the railing wasn't to help him get up the steps anymore. If he let go then he would surely fall, "Tokyo-3…" He looked up at her with strained eyes, the tight knot of feelings in his throat making it difficult to ask a key question, "Why did you come here?"
The most formable city in the world was that way merely because it was the most dangerous. Out of all the places in the world, this was where the Angels attacked and that was why he looked at her with an expression she couldn't read.
"I want to be here." For the first time, light conversation turned dark but she told him what he wanted to know, "I feel better here than anywhere else I've been."
"Mayumi…" Shinji straightened his back and took in a steady deep breath as he listened to her honest reason for living in Toyko-3. He failed to calm himself, the feeling in the pit of his stomach one that would remain for a long time to come, "I just… I just don't know what to say."
The question that was the spark was indeed one that he should have kept to himself. Now he couldn't just look at her and see someone who normal but instead someone who stood just as close if not closer to death than he did.
An offer of tea would be refused so she didn't bother him by asking and he didn't try to ask anymore questions. He slowly backed down the steps before turning around, "I have to go..."
Mayumi watched him all but run away from her. She wasn't hurt by his reaction but, even if he took it better than her father, it was always the same thing when she told someone. Tomorrow he probably wouldn't come to walk with her and he definitely wouldn't act the same way around her even if he did.
The value of keeping her secret wasn't solely for her own benefit. When people knew, they either made it an effort to enforce their apathy or rained pity on her but she was never one to hold that kind of information from people who deserved to know.
She could wave off the occasional person with a white lie but Shinji was not the occasional person and he was not just a mere friend. He wasn't the first person who ever tried to make her feel accepted but he was certainly the first to make her truly feel that way.
That's why she couldn't help but think she made a grave mistake.
0
Mayumi walked into the school without anyone accompanying her, the same way it was when she first started coming. The first thing that greeted her was the overcast sky but it was the person who didn't greet her that she was thinking about.
Her prediction wasn't off.
She waited for him in front of her apartment and even managed to catch a glimpse of Rei on her way to school but it was on account of her patience that she was late. Everyone was already in class and she wasn't so haphazard to use her condition as an excuse but she wasn't angry at neither the punishment she would eventually face nor Shinji.
It was just the way things were. While she did come to regret telling him, she couldn't fault him for being that way after finding out the truth. Even if he did walk with her they probably wouldn't have even said anything to each other.
Just like that, she resigned herself to having lost another friend as she opened her shoe locker.
Something fell out and hit her in the leg, abruptly ending its short journey as it fell on the floor. It was a folded note, a piece of notebook paper folded in half so it could be slipped into the locker. Her worries were put on hold as she bent over and picked it up.
"It can't be another one…" She thought out loud before opening it, "Huh?"
Mayumi was rarely confused but the blank note was enough to leave her completely baffled. She didn't know if it was a joke or not but it made no sense at all to her.
"Hey," Someone said from behind, scaring her enough to make her jump, "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you but, um, that's from me."
"Shinji?" She was relieved to see him but she was even more confused than before, "What does it mean?"
"About that…" He scratched the side of his face as he looked to the side, "I wanted to write you a letter but I couldn't come up with anything to say…"
She laughed as she slipped off her shoes and put them in the locker. Everything was starting to come together now. Shinji waited for her while she was waiting on him so both of them ended up late even though he was probably here long before class started, "You didn't have to wait on me."
"I should have walked here with you but I wanted to put the note in your locker so..." He trailed off, sighing as it occurred to him that he just could have slipped it inside later in the day, "I'm sorry Mayumi, I just haven't been thinking straight since yesterday."
She of all people understood the impact of what she told him so just seeing him made her feel better, "Did you get the reaction you wanted Shinji?"
Getting to class was low on their list of priorities as she engaged him with a question that he should have expected. Mayumi cherished her ability to see though people and she was skilled to the point where he feared for anyone who had ulterior motives around her.
Shinji swung his head from side to side. It wasn't like he was expecting anything big but she was acting the same way she always did and he didn't feel any different if you didn't count how slow he felt for the greater part of last night and this morning.
"I'm happy." Mayumi graced him with a smile in spite of things that happened, "I'm happy that you gave me this."
"I didn't write anything though." He pointed out as she neared him, "It's really just a sheet of paper…"
"I told you yesterday Shinji." She pushed her glasses back to the bridge of her nose as fondly held the blank love letter close, "It doesn't matter how or what they come with, feelings are something that should always be considered."
"You might call it a blank sheet of paper but you don't really feel that way do you? You'll feel hurt if I just balled it up and threw it away wouldn't you?" His classmate held up the folded paper in front of him, "To me, this is irreplaceable… Your first love letter belongs to me even if we aren't really on those terms with each other."
"Mayumi…"
His first and last love letter, a declaration of how he felt about her was not only void of words but the true intent it was supposed to have. It was something he stressed over to the point that he didn't even know why he did it and the end result wasn't even worth her precious time.
She gently extended her slim arm in his direction and offered the blank piece of paper back to him, "You know better than anyone that I can't accept this though Shinji."
Their fingers came into contact as she returned it to him but neither made mention of it as he took it back and looked at it. His eyes were set on the paper he slid into her locker, a silly attempt to make him feel closer to her than the person that did the same before him.
"I'm going to give Hiroto his letter back after lunch-"
"It doesn't matter if you're sick." Shinji threw his blank note away, the piece of paper balled up before being tossed over his shoulder as he faced the person he couldn't stop thinking about, "If someone likes you now then it doesn't matter what happens later."
"No," She immediately countered as she eyed the ball of paper that fell on the ground, "It matters Shinji. Everything matters."
"Why?" He needed to know more than he could ask, a sad endeavor before he even started to press her, "Why does it matter if you're sick or not?"
"On the event I loved someone, wouldn't it be terribly selfish of me to leave him hurt because I wouldn't be there?" In spite of her frail health, Mayumi held onto her convictions with an iron grip and her maturity played a role in her wisdom, "I know we can all die at any time for any reason but wouldn't it be wrong to form a relationship when you know death isn't that far away?"
He wanted to say doctors could be wrong or that she couldn't know when she was going to die but her perception was something he would never doubt. What he could do was answer her questions to the best of his ability.
"I don't know how it feels to be you but…" The boy in front of her held onto an even stronger conviction, his mind clearing for the first time since she shared her secret with him, "I think it's selfish to think like that."
He knew it was just an honest effort to keep people around her from being hurt but she was too thoughtful, considerate to the point that she never stopped to think that someone could and would want to be with her regardless of the illness that would eventually strike her down.
Indirectly, she was saying that no one would love a person that stood next to death and that was something he wouldn't agree with. It was an opinion he would always reject not only for her sake but also his own.
"I like you Mayumi."
The feelings the discarded sheet of paper tried to convey were voiced and he didn't hold back. Last night, he thought about everything from how he was going to act around her to how he would try and get her to eat more during lunch but all of it was lost to him.
Ultimately, her reaction didn't matter and he didn't care if she didn't feel the same way about him. He had to make it clear how he felt to both her and himself and he set out to do so. He approached her and she shyly backed away. Her whole body felt like it was blushing but she couldn't shake the feeling that made her turn away from his confident gaze.
"It doesn't matter…" He repeated, a new mantra gained as he stopped directly in front of her, "It doesn't matter if you're sick or not. You are still you no matter what and I like you Mayumi."
He dismissed her fears without even knowing them and she smiled as she met his deep blue eyes with her friendly brown, "I like you too Shinji but there is a line between being friends and... lovers. Do you really want to cross that line with someone like me?"
"What would make you happy?"
"I…" She didn't expect a question like that, "I'll be happy if you are happy."
He lowered his head, a small blush touching his face as he spoke, "Just being around you makes me happy Mayumi and I don't know how to be more than just friends so… I just want to stay close to you as long as I can."
Mayumi was more than flattered, her smile something that grew in size as she made no attempt to hide her blush, "I'll like that…"
There were no tears of joy or kisses to commemorate their new found affections for each other. It was a relationship purely on an emotional basis, Mayumi being the first person he ever met that he could ever really connect to but that didn't mean it was one void of contact.
She touched him, her soft hand grabbing his and giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Let's go to class okay?"
Mayumi reserved a special place in his heart, a good portion of his thoughts donated to solely to her. She was more than just an important person to him now.
She was his girlfriend.
Continued…
Author's note: This is an edited Nightshift chapter to tell the truth. Since it was long enough, I thought I'd share it with my friends on FFN. Still, I might try to make an extra scene or two in the next chapter.
CF