The time is slightly into the future, although this could happen at any time after countries and cultures have separated themselves into different entities. The place is Tokyo-3, now a ruin like the former cities by the same name, and every other city. In the wreckage, one person survives, barely clinging onto existence by whatever she may find.

Rei Ayanami clung as previously stated, looting deserted stores for canned foods that may have survived the blast. The blast; there was something to think about. If an Evangelion could survive a nuclear blast, imagine what happened when Unit 01 for all intents and purposes became a nuclear blast. Not a pretty sight for those surviving long enough to see it. Rei was lucky enough to be inside her Eva doing synch tests when it happened, though she was now alone.

Staggeringly alone, really. She did little all day except forage for supplies, then go back to her shelter and wait for the next day. Other than loneliness, she was just bored of the same life day after day. It would have gone on interminably, except that one day she saw something truly remarkable.

A plane flew overhead, the first sign she had seen of outside life since the blast. A small speck fell behind the craft, a speck which expanded into a large circle as it fell lower. Something was being dropped in by parachute. Rei took cover behind a building as she had many times before in her Eva, before Unit 01 had exploded trying to defeat Shamshel. She watched as the object grew closer. It was not supplies, but another person!

A girl about Rei's age with red hair reached the ground and dropped her parachute pack. She wore a suit similar to the plugsuit Rei still wore. 'Could she be from the UN, here to search for survivors,' Rei thought as she observed the girl. She took out a small device, which Rei recognized as a Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer. 'She's determining if the air is breathable; she still has an oxygen mask on.' The new girl, standing in the street in her red suit, looked down at the GCMS, then spoke into a radio on her shoulder.

"Kein Strahlung, Kein Giftstoff. Ich kann die Luft atmen." She removed her oxygen mask, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes, widened with wonder at the destroyed environment. "Scheisse, was ist hier passiert?"

Rei stayed out of sight, beholding the newcomer from a distance. 'It has been so long since I've seen another human. She looks…so beautiful.' She took in the girl's figure. Her curves were just slightly more pronounced then Rei's own. She thought about how nice it would feel to be up against another body after so long.

"Was ist meinen Auftrag? Für Überlebende suchen? … Jawohl."

Rei still thought about the girl in front of her. 'She speaks a different language. That's so…mysterious, exotic. I want to let her know that I'm here.' Rei stepped out from behind the building, and walked towards the girl in red, putting her hands up to signify her intent. The foreign girl whipped around, and fired a well-placed shot at the ground by Rei's feet.

"Bitte, komm nicht näher!" Rei froze in her tracks, and the girl put her mask back on, and approached, holding the GCMS again. She passed it across Rei's body, pausing briefly over certain parts, as though lingering to simply behold the survivor's body. "Schön, du." She looked at the GCMS screen, put it away, and removed her mask once more. Rei got a good long look from the new girl's probing eyes, but didn't mind; she was doing the same thing.

"Deine Augen, sie sind so rot," the foreign girl said, staring deeply into Rei's eyes. Rei tried to understand, but merely shrugged. The girl pointed to Rei's eyes, and said slowly, "Augen." She then pointed to her skintight suit, saying, "Rot."

"What is your name," Rei asked, looking to make some connection with her new companion.

The foreign girl shot Rei a quizzical look, and asked, "Was? Ich verstehe nicht. Welche Sprache sprichst du?"

Rei looked back, and, seeing that no linguistic connection was to be made, pointed to herself, saying, "Rei." The girl spoke the word to herself, smiling pleasantly. "Rei…Rei…" She then pointed to herself, and said, "Asuka." Rei spoke it as well: "A-Asuka."

Rei took Asuka's hand, and pulled her along towards her shelter. Upon getting there, Rei tore into some canned food, and offered some to Asuka. Asuka took some, and ate it quietly, mostly just looking at Rei. As Rei finished eating, she looked up to Asuka, smiling cutely. Asuka looked at her, and giggled to herself, saying, "Du hast Reis an dein Gesicht." Rei just cocked her head, looking even cuter then before, saying, "Hmm?" Asuka gave up and just brushed the rice off her face, but let her hand linger. Rei took that hand in hers, and pressed it against her face. Asuka looked into Rei's eyes, and said to herself, "Du bist verzweifelt, nicht?"

Rei laid down in her bed that night, having put out some spare blankets for Asuka. Thoughts of the foreign beauty drifted through her head until, when she was finally drifting off, Asuka climbed into bed next to her, pressing her body up against Rei's as the latter had fantasized about earlier. It was even better than she had imagined it. "Ich liebe dich, Rei."