THE MARRIED COUPLE
by Gunman
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or its characters.
Summary: On Shinji and Asuka's wedding day, Asuka jilts him at the alter. Shinji, upset at this, decides to go on his honeymoon anyway. He is later joined by Rei Ayanami.
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(Tokyo-2 International Airport)
The blue-eyed, brown-haired young man with the ponytail and slight stubble on his chin stepped up to the counter as he was called.
"Ah. Mr. Ikari. Off on your honeymoon, yes?" the ticket agent asked.
"Uh... yes." Shinji replied, slightly depressed look on his face. He had made arrangements with this man, and was feeling a little embarrassed that his 'wife' wasn't there with him.
"And where is your wife?" the man asked.
"She's..." he started to say, only for a new voice to cut him off.
"SHINJI-KUN!" a voice cried out.
Shinji turned around, shocked when he heard the voice of his long-time crush, Rei Ayanami, running up towards him. She was wearing a white and blue dress with matching shoes and a sunhat. She had a travel bag in her hands.
"Aya-Rei? What...?" Shinji gasped as he saw the beautiful young woman.
"I am sorry I am late. Did I miss anything?" the bluenette asked.
"Oh, no. You are right on time, Mrs. Ikari." the check-in agent said.
Shinji looked at Rei and Rei looked at Shinji. The difference in their stares was apparent only to them. Shinji had a confused and lost look in his eyes, while Rei has a more calm and understanding gaze, which spoke volumes to him that no other person would realize.
It was a look that said 'Trust me'.
Once they were checked in and through security, and seated in First Class, Shinji actually got the chance to speak to Rei.
But before he could, he noticed that Rei was wearing a ring. A very familiar-looking ring.
"Is that..." he started to ask.
"Yes. It is the ring you were to give Asuka." she said.
"Why are you wearing it?" he asked.
"Because, if I did not, people would suspect you were not with your wife."
"So... you're pretending to be my wife... why?" he asked, clearly confused.
"To save you from embarrassment." she replied.
"Oh. I see."
Rei was not the scheming or deceitful type. Despite whom she had been raised under. To Shinji she had always been honest and straightforward. She had been his longest friend, even after she had revealed to be part of Gendo's plan to genocide the world. But she had turned on her creator and it was because of Shinji that she was this new and better person.
Ever since Shinji had rejected Third Impact, restored the world, he had also made sure that Rei was her own person, completely human, and in no way related to him by blood.
While this had made her happy, there was something else that would have made her happier: being with the one person who cared about her so much.
But Shinji's time together with Misato and Asuka had forged a bond that was not easily broken. (Or so he thought)
Misato was like the older sister/mother to the boy, and Asuka was slowly diverging from the sister he never had to the girlfriend and eventual wife he thought he wanted.
That was why Shinji had proposed to Asuka, because he believed he was meant to be with her.
But Asuka had left him, at the last minute, without a word and with everything she had for their trip. Or at least one of her bags. He tried calling her, but received nothing but a 'click', indicating her hanging up and dismissing him.
Shinjis plan was to get married by noon and then take the seaplane trip in the afternoon, arriving in the exotic Bora-Bora islands for their honeymoon. It had all been planned perfectly. At least he thought.
Shinji had booked the pair of them in an Overwater Bungalow Suite which was right on the ocean itself. It included a master bedroom with a king-size bed, a living room with a large screen television, a kitchen with a small fridge, a bathroom with a stand-up shower and toilet, and an unobstructed view of the lagoon they were situated on. The bedroom had access to its own private plunge pool, and a deck that lead right into the ocean, with a ladder to get back up into the bungalow. The deck also included an outside bed with canopy for anyone who wanted to lounge around in the sun and over the ocean.
When they arrived at the Bungalow, both Shinji and Rei had been enamored by the beauty of the island and its bungalows.
"It's beautiful here." Rei said as she looked out over the water.
"Yes. It is." Shinji said, upset at not being able to share this with Asuka.
Just then, Shinji received a call on his phone.
("Shinji?!")
"Misato! Is... is everything alright?" he asked his former guardian.
("Well... Rits and I just found out where Asuka went.")
"Went?" he asked.
("Yes, she apparently was seen boarding a plane leaving to Madrid, Spain.")
"Spain? But why did she..."
("I don't know. I haven't been able to reach her. She apparently bought her ticket en route from the church, and... well, I'll let you know what's going on. Ritsuko and I are going after her.")
"Can't you call the police or something? Stop her at the terminal, or..."
("No. It's not like it once was, Shinji-kun. We don't have the same authority we did when we were with NERV. Which means we can't stop her without a damn good reason. Plus, I wanna know where she is going and why. I'll call you when we have her.")
Misato hung up, leaving Shinji lost and confused.
"Is everything alright, Shinji-kun?" Rei asked.
"I... don't know." Shinji said in a depressed voice. "I just don't know."
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Shinji was feeling slightly better as he and Rei returned to their bungalow later that night.
Rei had been going out of her way to make Shinji feel better, but she knew that he was still not over Asuka.
Despite her best efforts, Rei knew it would take time for Shinji to heal over being abandoned by the girl he loved. But he needed some form of closure before he could feel better.
They had gone on a tour of the island, they had had a wonderful lunch with deserts neither of them had ever tried, visited a few shops where they bought things they needed. Rei had actually bought a new swimsuit, since the one that was packed for Asuka was too small in the chest area, and not Reis color.
The single-piece white swimsuit with the blue flowers on the waist was actually very form-fitting on her curvaceous form.
Then there was the barbershop, where Shinji had gotten a haircut more to which he wanted. While Shinji hadn't objected to the 'new look' that Asuka suggested, he wondered if it hadn't been part of a more subversive attempt on her part.
Rei had given an approving smile when she saw Shinji looked like Shinji again.
It was just after 9:00 when the pair returned to their bungalow. Dinner had been a wonderful affair, what with the buffet and the floor show featuring the hula dancers and the fire-eaters. Shinji seemed in better spirits, but Rei could tell that there was still something bothering him.
Changing into their sleeping clothes, Rei had pilfered Asuka's second suitcase (the redhead had only been able to grab one suitcase on her way out, for lighter travel) for something to wear.
She had brought her own bag of clothing and toiletries, but she didn't have 'everything' a woman would need for a vacation/honeymoon. And while she did do some shopping on the island, there were some things she did not have. Such as lingerie.
Coming out of the bathroom, Rei noticed that Shinji was setting a pillow and blanket on the couch.
"Shinji-kun? What are you doing?" she asked.
"Sleeping on the couch. I thought it would be better if I gave you the bed so that WHOA!" he gasped when he saw Rei, wearing a sexy red ADOME Satin Lace Chemise Spaghetti Strap Nightgown that showed a plunging valley of her chest where a small adjustable bow hung, and a small slit that exposed part of her left leg, and lace fringes all around the skirt. The bright red color seemed to clash against her lite-peach skin and blue hair. Rei actually had a much fuller figure than Asuka, so the nightgown was almost skin-tight on her.
Nevertheless, Shinji was stunned.
"I know this belonged to Sohryu. But... it was either this, or I sleep naked. Would you prefer that?" she asked.
Shinji was blushing heavily at hearing that.
Rei had always been beautiful to him, but now... she was like something out of a magazine.
Rei took Shinjis hand and lead him back to the bedroom.
"Rei... I..." he started to protest.
"This is supposed to be your honeymoon, Shinji-kun. I know I am not Sohryu, but... If it helps, you can pretend that I am her." she said.
"No!" Shinji said quickly. "I... It wouldn't be fair to you."
Rei looked Shinji in the eyes as she gently caressed his face. She liked that he was honest about his feelings for her.
"I am here for you, Shinji-kun. I always have been. Tell me... what you need. Tell me... how I can help you."
"I..." he started to say, when suddenly...
RING, RING
Shinji was hesitant to tear away from Rei, but did so as quickly as he could.
"Misato? Is that you?" Shinji asked as he quickly answered his phone.
("Shinji-kun. Yes, it's me. I'm here with Rits... and Asuka.") Misato said over the phone.
"You found her?" he asked.
("We did. Uh... Shinji... you're not going to believe this, but...")
"But what?"
("Well... Asuka apparently jilted you... because she received a letter... from Kaji, asking Asuka to come and meet him in Madrid, but...well...")
Shinji was silent for several seconds, before he spoke.
"Oh. Kaji contacted her." he said aloud.
("Yes, but... we haven't been able to find him. We've searched everywhere and... well, I'll let you know how that goes. But... I'm sorry, Shinji-kun. It seems she left you... because of him.")
Shinji was stunned to say the least.
"Yeah. I... I guess she made her choice." he said, nearly choked up.
("I'm so sorry, Shinji-kun.") Misato said.
"Yeah. Me too. Tell her... tell her good luck."
("Shinji...")
CLICK
Shinji dropped the phone on the table and then went out onto the deck that overlooked the water.
The moon was Full and there were no clouds out. There was some activity on the island itself, but Shinji was staring out over the ocean. He barely noticed the cool evening breeze that was washing over his skin.
Asuka had been in love with Kaji since she was a little girl. While he had never reciprocated her feelings, she had long held out hope that he would.
What's more, when Shinji averted Third Impact, Kaji had supposedly also been reborn.
But after more than ten years, he hadn't been seen by Shinji or the others. Especially by Asuka or Misato.
And yet, a mysterious letter, in Kaji's own handwriting, spoke volumes to the redheaded German.
She had left without hesitation, leaving Shinji standing at the alter.
Rei followed him out, concerned about what she had just heard.
"Shinji?" she spoke up.
"Did you hear?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Asuka apparently got a letter from Kaji, telling her he wanted her to come meet him in Spain. She left... without a second thought. Got a plane ticket on her way to the airport, and..." he explained.
"And left you standing at the alter." she finished.
"I... I don't know what I'm supposed to do, Rei. I... I guess... she made her choice." Shinji said as he hung his head. He was trying not to cry, but he could feel his eyes tearing up.
"You have not heard from the man for years. None of you. And... now... this letter from the man she was infatuated with for so long." Rei said as she approached closer to him. "I am sorry, Shinji-kun." she said as she gently touched his shoulder.
Despite how badly Shinji was feeling, he actually found the warmth in her hand to be the most comforting thing in the world now.
Shinji turned around to face the beautiful young bluenette.
When she was fourteen, Rei was the most exotic girl he had ever seen. And rightfully his first crush. Now, at 25 years of age, she was truly an Angel. Her short light blue hair had grown out to where it was just passed her shoulders. Her skin was flawless as always, though it was not pale as it had been. Some sun had given it a healthy lite-peach color. Her crimson eyes sparkled lightly in the glow of the moon and they were staring straight at him.
He remembered back when they were about to face the 5th Angel, how Rei, in her plugsuit, had looked against the ethereal glow of the moon at night. How beautiful she looked.
Now, standing before him, she looked even sexier.
Seeing him staring at her, Rei was very self-conscious, her heart beating wildly as she noticed his arousal as he was looking at her. She could not deny how much handsomer Shinji had become, and with none of his fathers features. Perhaps an aftereffect from his averting Third Impact? In the years passed she had truly come to despise the Commander, looking to his son to be her reason to live.
Steeling herself, the blue-haired young woman moved in and pressed her lips to Shinjis.
The young man was stunned for several seconds, before he finally gave into the kiss, his arms wrapping around Rei and holding her flush against him.
The pair kissed and held each other for several minutes, before Rei broke the kiss and stepped back.
Shinji just stared at Rei as she reached up and gently pulled on the shoulder straps of her nightgown, to allow the sexy garment to slide down her body and slowly pool around her feet. Despite how tight it had looked on her, the satin and lace nightgown slid easily to the floor.
Shinji felt his throat go dry as he stared at the naked woman before him. He hadn't even bothered to wonder if Rei had been wearing panties, but now he saw that she did. Bright red and lace to match the nightgown.
"Let me help you, Shinji-kun." Rei said softly as she looked at him with pleading eyes. "I am yours."
Shinji felt reason leave him, lust take over him, as he moved towards Rei, wrapping his arms around her nude body and bringing her against his body, her perky breasts rubbing against his bare chest, kissing her as passionately as he could.
Rei moaned passionately as her arms wrapped around his neck and he lifted her off the floor with his hands on her ass, her legs wrapped around his waist as their tongues invaded each others mouths.
Shinji carried the beautiful bluenette back into the bungalow and towards the bedroom.
Shinji set Rei down on the floor right in front of the bed, his hands sliding down her body until they reached her panties. She gasped lightly as he slid them off her hips and let them drop to the floor. Rei was nearly delirious with lust as her own hands gripped his boxer shorts and tugged them down, releasing his hardened member to the cool air of their open-door bungalow.
Their mouths were less than an inch from each other, their breath intermingling as Rei teasingly touched his lips with her tongue.
"Take me." Rei whispered softly to him.
Shinji leaned in and kissed Rei full on her lips, the bluenette moaning passionately as she fell back onto the bed with the male ex-pilot on top of her.
Rei gasped as she felt something long and hard penetrate her womanhood, sliding between her inner folds with friction that was stimulating her like nothing she had ever known. She felt the pain of her first time as her hymen broke, but was happy that Shinji was the one who did it.
Shinji himself felt a strong surge of adrenaline and euphoria surging through him as he pushed into the blue-haired beauty who writhed beneath him, her arms and legs wrapped around him tightly as she moaned erotically at his motions. His heart felt nothing but love for the woman who was his first crush, and now his first time.
"Sh-Shinji! SHINJI!" she cried out as she felt the orgasm pounded her body.
"REI! REI-CHAN!" he shouted as he came within the woman.
Their bodies convulsed as they held each other, sweat dripping off their skin as the blue-haired girl wrapped her arms and legs tightly around the young man.
Shinji gasped for breath as he untangled himself from Rei and fell on his back next to her. Rei smiled as she entangled her fingers with his. She turned her head to the side to look at Shinji, the young man doing the same to his first crush.
Words failed the pair as they stared at each other. Rei was the first to move, draping her right arm across his chest and her right leg across his thighs, her head resting on his shoulder. She sighed as she cuddled up against him, kissing his cheek softly as sleep took her. Shinji smiled happily as well, as sleep took him too.
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It was less than an hour before sunrise, as Shinji slept in the cool breeze of their bedroom. Rei had been awake for the last few minutes, staring at the young man whom she loved and was currently cuddled up to.
She was very conflicted.
You see, Rei had sent that letter to Asuka, not Kaji. It was a test, to see where Asuka's heart truly belonged.
Asuka's feelings towards the unshaven, pony-tailed man were very well-known. While Shinji was the better choice for Asuka, the former pilot of Unit-02 seemed to have Target Fixation when it came to Kaji. Ten years of nothing, and she runs off just before she is to be married to Shinji after receiving a letter she believes came from Kaji.
What's more is that 'Kaji' had stated that he wanted Asuka to meet him in Madrid, Spain.
Right away!
Yes, Asuka had truly demonstrated where her heart lay.
Rei had not done this to hurt Shinji but to ensure that he was happy. She had hoped that Asuka had moved on from her childhood infatuation and would embrace someone who actually wanted to be with her.
But Asuka had made her choice.
To that end, Rei had decided to help Shinji as much as she could, by accompanying him on his honeymoon as his 'wife' so that he would not suffer any sort of humiliation for his fiancee jilting him on their wedding day.
Her own feelings on the matter were clear, though. Rei loved Shinji, and would have given anything to be with him. Which is why she felt somewhat raw about what she had done to him. It was by her hand that Asuka had left Shinji standing at the alter, but it was also Asukas choice to do so, because she thought she would be getting someone 'better'.
But to Rei there was no other who was better.
Rei and Shinji had made love, with a passion that she had only read about in romance novels and hentai comics. It was not as awkward as she had thought it would have been for first-timers. It was to heal Shinjis heart, to let him know that he was loved, and Rei did not regret that.
Whatever happened now, Rei would be by Shinjis side, as either his friend or lover, or maybe even his wife. Regardless, she was happy, and would make Shinji happy as much as she could.
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EPILOGUE:
(Tokyo-2, Six Months Later)
Rei Ikari smiled as she flipped through the scrap book of pictures and postcards taken from her and Shinjis trip to Bora-Bora. Pictures of the bungalow where they had made love. Pictures of the pair riding their rented scooter around the island, their hikes through the jungle trails, their evenings spent at the dinner shows, and their snorkeling in the lagoon. She paused when she came to a postcard of The Maohi Protestant Church in Anau, where she and Shinji had gotten married.
It had been a simple ceremony, with the priest and the church and the organist, but Rei had never felt so loved as when Shinji asked if she wanted to make their relationship official. She agreed, and a quick shopping spree later, the pair were married, and enjoyed the rest of their two-week vacation in Bora-Bora (three days actually) as husband and wife.
She remembered, with a blush, how they had made love several more times in those two weeks, just prior to their wedding, all over the bungalow. She remembered his touch, his kisses, how his hips moved against and inside her. How warm and tender he had felt.
Just then, a loud knock on the door caused Rei to turn from her reminiscing. Getting up she walked over to the door, peeping through the keyhole and saw a very upset looking German redhead staring back at her.
Rei sighed, knowing this was inevitable. She opened the door and found Asuka just staring at her.
"You! How Could You?!" Asuka snapped at her.
"How could I what?" Rei asked.
"It was you! You sent that letter to me, not Kaji! You sent me on a wild goose-chase! You ruined my wedding!" Asuka snapped.
"And it took you six months to figure that out?" Rei said in an almost condescending tone. "It was a test. And you failed." Rei replied calmly.
"You tricked me!" she shouted.
"I forced you to make a choice. And you did." Rei said calmly.
"You took my boyfriend!" she spat.
"After you left him standing at the alter." she countered.
"You took my ring!" she snapped, pointing at the wedding band on her left hand.
"You had never worn it. I wore it so that Shinji-kun would not be humiliated by your betrayal if people saw his ring and not mine while we were together." she explained.
"You set that whole thing up!" she snarled.
"All I did was send you a letter, you have only yourself to blame for what happened afterwards."
"And what? You did this just to get Shinji for yourself and make him happy?" Asuka snapped again.
"You misunderstand, Sohryu. I wanted Shinji-kun to be happy. Even if it was with you." Rei said. "You were stupid and foolish. Stupid to not realize the letter was a fake, and foolish to choose Kaji over Shinji-kun."
"Because Kaji was always the better man!" she shouted.
"Kaji was a liar, a womanizer, and a scoundrel."
"How Dare You!"
Asuka lunged at Rei, looking to punch her for saying that. Rei stepped to the side, avoiding the punch, and sticking her foot out to trip her up, causing Asuka to land face-first on the ground.
"I am pregnant with Shinji-kuns child. I will not allow you to hurt our baby." Rei said, indicating the three-month baby bump in her belly.
Asuka was stunned at hearing that.
"You... you're pregnant... with my baby?" she gasped.
Rei felt her eye-twitch slightly at hearing that. It seemed that Asuka was still as selfish as ever.
"Do not think you can claim sole ownership of Shinji-kun, when you profess to still have feelings for Ryoji Kaji." Rei said. "Especially when you tried to turn Shinji-kun into Kaji."
Asuka paled as Rei said that.
"What do you mean by that?!" she protested.
"The clothes you made him wear, which matched Kajis clothing almost exactly. When you made Shinji-kun style his hair, with a ponytail, just like Kaji. Even to the point of making him not shave so that he would have 'stubble' on his face. It was at that point, I realized you did not truly love Shinji. You saw him only as a replacement for Kaji. I knew then, that I had to test you."
"And you sent me the letter. But how did you know..."
"Think about it, Sohryu. When he was alive, Kaji always kept you at arms-length. He was never interested in you. Only Misato. Yet you constantly chased him, like a love-sick school girl. He rebuffed you at every turn, constantly chasing Misato and other members of the opposite sex, who were all closer to his age. He was your guardian, but not by his choice. Misato, however, took Shinji in of her own volition, and grew to care for him greatly."
Asuka said nothing as the bluenette kept talking.
"Shinji has, I believe the expression is, bent over backwards, for you. He has been attentive to your needs, as well as the needs of others, foregoing his own. He has been there for you at your worst, and he has suffered much in order to make you happy. He has given you everything he could and asked nothing in return. He has only ever wanted you to be happy. Shinji wanted to marry you, because he loved you, but when he heard that Kaji had called you and wanted to see you...he was nearly broken. It took much to heal him from your betrayal."
"Because You Tricked Me!" she shouted.
"And you allowed yourself to be tricked." Rei retorted.
"That's Not The Point!" she shouted again.
"Yes. It. Is." Rei stated as sternly as possible. "You made your choice, Sohryu. And I will not allow you to use Shinji-kun as a substitute for Kaji."
"But I need Shinji!"
"Yes. You need him, but you did not, do not, want him. At your first opportunity, you left Shinji-kun because you thought Kaji wanted you. In the end, you choose a school-girl crush over the one who has been there for you for years, who wanted to marry you, and who only wanted one thing in return."
"Yes, of course. My virginity!" she said arrogantly.
"Your love." she said simply.
Asuka just looked at Rei as if she had been offended. Asuka was upset at being told that what she said was not what the blue-haired girl was thinking.
"You were so obsessed with the fact that Kaji had contacted you, you did not see the clues. You claim to be so intelligent, it should have been obvious to you, Sohryu." Rei said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Fact #1 - Kaji has not been seen or heard of, by anyone, for over ten years. Even in rumor. And yet, when he finally does make contact, it is to YOU and not Misato, a woman he has actually had a romantic history with. Fact #2 - When he contacts you, it is not by e-mail or text or by a more subtle method, no, but by the most public and easily accessed media available. Fact #3 - The letter in question arrives on the day of your wedding. Coincidence? Fact #4 - He asks you to come to Spain, of all places, which is half-a-world away. And to come immediately. Fact #5 - To make it even more special, you did not tell anyone about it. You just left, because you wanted Kaji all to yourself."
Asuka fell silent as she processed all this.
Reis logic was undeniable.
She really did feel like a fool. And she really hated the blue-haired girl.
"As I said, Sohryu, you made your choice. Shinji choose you, and he was rewarded with betrayal. I chose him, and I did not regret it."
Asuka snarled at the blue-haired woman.
"I could tell Shinji that it was you who sent that letter to ruin our wedding, just so that you could get him for yourself." Asuka retorted, not willing to be defeated so easily.
Rei didn't look worried. It was a bluff she knew. But she had a counter for that.
"Yes. You could. But, then again... you would not have flown to Madrid on your wedding day without telling anyone unless you felt Kaji had actual feelings for you."
Asuka scowled, realizing that Rei had a point. And again, she felt like a fool.
Asuka quickly realized that this was a losing battle, and departed.
Rei went back inside the house. As she closed the door, she turned to see Shinji standing right next to her.
"It's funny that you didn't tell her that you already told me about the letter you sent her." Shinji said.
"It seemed redundant. I do not think she would have believed it, unless you told her yourself." Rei replied.
"Even then..." Shinji said with a shrug.
"Agreed." Rei nodded.
Shinji moved up and embraced Rei from behind.
"She didn't hurt you, or the baby?" Shinji asked.
"She did not." Rei said, touching her stomach softly.
Shinji just held his wife from behind, tentatively giving her belly a gentle rub, his hand over her own.
He was happy, she was happy, and their child would be happy as well.