Shinji looked about in wonder at the beauty surrounding him; High-vaulted white ceilings above, gleaming white marble floor below, stained-glass windows with blue overtones to either side, and a myriad of organ pipes behind him. There was no doubt about it; Shinji Ikari was in church. But not church as you may know it, for Shinji's motivation to attend had changed. Most people attend church because of a moral obligation, but Shinji did it out of love. Not a love for God, though Shinji was not averse to anything he heard during mass; he found a different love in that echoing chamber.

It started one Sunday in March. It was Shinji's first experience with religion, and Ritsuko had turned him on to the idea. Her analytical voice rang through his ears as he passed through the vestibule.

"Shinji, are you still looking for something to do on the weekends?"

"Um, yes. Why?"

"You should try this Catholic church downtown."

Shinji said the word to himself. "Catholic…" It seemed an odd word, but intriguing.

"I had occasion to go there a few weeks ago, and it was very interesting."

"What do they do?"

"They have someone read from the Bible, which I found nice. Then there is a speech about the readings by the priest."

"I think I'll give it a try. Thanks, Ritsuko."

"'Bye."

He walked with the current of people slowly filing in, and watched them dip their fingers into a small dish filled with water, then wet their forehead, chest, and shoulders with the water. 'How odd,' Shinji thought as he walked by, opting out of the odd rite. He entered the main chamber of the church, and was awestruck. Nowhere else in Tokyo 3 could someone find such pure, bright, shining brilliance. Everything reflected the light streaming in through ornate stained glass windows, and between every pair of windows stood a statue. Shinji stood there gazing, then finally came to his senses and took a seat.

As he sat, he checked his watch, and noticed that the mass was not to start for another ten minutes. He sat back and relaxed, and slowly perceived a low note easing through the air. He looked behind him, where the sound had emanated from, and beheld a cascade of brass-lacquered organ pipes. The one low tone wavered, as though tuning to the right pitch. He looked around; organ pipes had to lead to an organ somewhere. Over to his right, on the other side of the chamber, a large box-like organ stood on a small dais. There was someone behind the organ, but Shinji could not see him.

He sat back in the pew, trying to find a comfortable position to wait in, when the one low organ note multiplied. It took on new tones above and below it to form a rich chord, which moved through a classical chord progression. The organist was now warmed up. Shinji saw parishioners settle back in their pews to listen to the organist's work before the mass began. Shinji did the same, and was thrilled to hear the dulcet tones. Unlike the others who sat back, some eyes closed dreamily, Shinji looked over to the organ eagerly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person responsible. An elderly woman leaned over to Shinji.

"You must be new here, son."

"Oh. Um, yes, I am."

"Well, don't bother going anywhere else, we've got the best organist in the prefecture. Such a joy to listen to, don't you agree?"

"Yes. It's…nice. What is that piece, though?"

"That's 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.' It's an old Bach piece. Sounds so nice like that."

"It does."

Hearing that piece made up Shinji's mind. If for nothing but the wonderful organ music, he would become a Catholic. He picked up some books on the subject, and was fascinated by all the rituals and rites. Most of his time at home was spent reading, but he finally came forward and asked Misato about it.

"Misato, are you Catholic?"

"What? No! Don't be silly. What put that in your head?"

"You're wearing a cross. That's a pretty sure sign. Well, that and all the guilt."

"Shinji, I don't believe in that sort of thing. This is just something my father gave me."

"Was he-"

"Yes," she answered through gritted teeth.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"I just can't be like him; that's why I can't believe in those things."

"Well, that's alright, Misato. I'm mostly in it for the organ music anyway."

"…Isn't it time for you to leave, Shinji?"

"Oh, you're right! I'll see you later, ok?"

'So what if Misato had cringed at the mention of Catholicism? She didn't know about all the music,' Shinji thought on the train to the church. He was going back for the fifth time, and had heard a nice cross-section of the organist's repertoire so far. That day, sitting in the pew before the mass started, He heard such a rubato, such a push and pull of tempo, that he was nearly driven to tears. Not a difficult feat for Shinji, to be sure, but music had never done this to him before. Sitting in that mostly empty, cavernous chamber let the music echo off everything and flow through him powerfully. That morning, as Shinji feigned attention to the homily, he resolved to finally meet the organist that had so inspired him.

Once the mass was complete, the congregation began to file out; only the devout few remained in the main sanctuary to pray. Shinji waited for the organist to finish the recessional hymn, and approached cautiously. However, as he was about to round the side of the dais and behold his idol, the organ came back to life for one last tune. It was 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' again, but with such expression as Shinji had never heard. He slowly edged around the organ's large bulk to meet with a shocking sight: Sitting on the bench seat was not the older gentleman he had envisioned, but Ayanami Rei!

Her head bobbed and swayed ever so slightly with expression as she seemed to float across the keys and pedals. Her fingers seemed not to push each key as much as gently stroke it into falling, and the keys graciously accepted. Shinji could see from this angle that, though she played with the prowess and free license of one who knew the music by heart, her deep red eyes were firmly locked on the sheet music. Shinji quietly stepped up a foot onto the dais, and moved behind Rei, who took no obvious notice. He simply watched as she played, hoping (as was probably Bach's intention,) that this song she played would go on and on forever.

Rei looked up after a few minutes, somewhat surprised to see that all the parishioners had departed. She finished with a quiet chord, and disengaged herself from the instrument. She gathered the sheet music with a rustle, and stood to leave. As she turned around, she was taken aback to see Shinji standing there, smiling meekly.

"Hello."

"Hi, Ayanami. I…didn't know you played."

"I could say the same of you."

"Huh? But- but I just play the cello. It's nothing like what you're doing up here."

"The organ? Thank you."

"You're really amazing, Rei." Rei could not seem to respond to the compliment; she merely looked down, seemingly embarrassed.

"So, how long have you been playing the organ, Rei?"

"Since I was nine years old, though I had always wanted to play the organ, ever since I first heard it as a very small child."

"I would love to learn to play as well. It's…beautiful."

"It's difficult, unless you've had some keyboard experience."

"I've been playing piano for a few years now… Do you think you could teach me, Rei?"

"Me?"

"Yeah! Could we maybe get together later?

"In the church?"

"I guess so."

"I don't think a church is the best place for a date."

"A d- a date!? No! I just wanted the two of us to meet later…"

"I see. I suppose we could meet here tonight. The church will be empty, but the organ will be on."

"Great!"

"Meet me outside the church at 2100."

"Ok, I'll see you then." He turned and left, walking quickly out of the church into the full sunshine outside, smiling to himself about his good fortune.

'A date? With Rei? Maybe not, but even so, it's a great opportunity! I can get to know her better, and learn to play the organ at the same time. This is going to be great!"