Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the sole property of Gainax Studios, TV Tokyo, and Production IG.

A/N: This fan-fic takes the place of episodes 21-26. So in it Rei and Kaji are both still alive and Asuka can still pilot Unit 02. This will be a Rei/Shinji fic. I hope you like it. Please review, Thanks!

Emotions

Rei Ayanami sat alone in her run-down apartment. Quietly trying to understand the recent wave of complex emotions that were beginning to overtake her.

'Why do I feel this way every time I'm near him? Why does just the thought of him, make me tingle?'

Rei had no way of understanding him much less herself.

'Ikari what have you done to me?'

Shinji Ikari the famed 'Third Child' and pilot of Eva Unit 01 was locked in a desperate struggle with his room mate Asuka Langley Sohryu.

"Shinji get out of bed!" Asuka bellowed. Pulling the reluctant pilot to the floor.

"Asuka." Shinji mumbled, "Its Saturday go away." Shinji got back into bed and put his pillow over his head.

Shinji could barely make out the German pilot saying something in her native language and slamming the door. 'Finally.'

Later all three Evangelion pilots were at NERV h.q.

"You must defeat the 16th Angel." Major Katsuragi instructed, "Rei and Unit 00 and Asuka in Unit 02. Shinji Unit 01 is still in lock down."

The male pilot nodded and looked to his fellow pilots, "Take care."

All three pilots were loaded into their Evas.

"Rei, you take point." Misato ordered.

"Yes." Came the girl's soft spoken reply. Rei was set to snipe out the 16th Angel.

The Angel seeming to understand the situation lashed out and sent his energy ring straight though Unit 00!

Alarms rang out all threw NERV!

"Target has made physical contact with Unit 00." Shigeru yelled from his console.

"What about Unit 00's AT Field?" Misato yelled at Maya. "It's active, but it's being eroded!"

"Is the Angel trying to make physical contact with Unit 00?" Ritsuko asked, more to herself then anybody else.

"This is deadly! Unit 00's biological parts are corroding." Maya yelled, reading the information flashing on her screen.

"Eva 02 launch! Asuka save her!" Misato yelled.

Rei was unaware of any of this. Rei only knew pain. Intense burning pain. The veins were slowly crawling up her body. Images, emotions all began to flash in her mind. 'Shinji.'

Unit 02 and it's pilot were being shot up to the surface.

Asuka began moving her Eva quickly towards Rei and the attacking Angel! "Hold on!"

Asuka never made it. The Angel spotted the other Eva and whipped out the approaching Eva sending it sprawling across the ground!

"Target is eroding Unit 00." Maya yelled franticly. "The biological components are already more than 5% fused." Ritsuko yelled immediately after Maya finished.

Rei floated in a sea of LCL , 'Where am I?' She looked to see herself, as a child. "Follow your heart." The child told her softly.

"What?" Rei could feel her veins ready to burst.

"You don't want to be lonely anymore. He's waiting for you. Go to him. End the loneliness."

Rei could feel moisture slide down her cheeks. 'Are these my tears?' Rei knew this was the end. Her body could take no more. 'Shinji.'

Shinji's anger was building. "Rei hold on."

Unit 01 restraints shattered instantly!

Alarms rang out!

"What the Hell?!" Misato asked half shocked. "Deploy Unit 01!" She ordered.

Unit 01 reached the surface in a matter of seconds. Shinji tore across the city! "I'm coming!"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Unit 01 trying desperately to reach her. "You came."

The Angel watched as the Eva charged towards it, Progressive Knife armed. The Angel shot at the approaching Eva!

Shinji saw the Angel coming…he jerked to the left side! "HA!" Shinji drove the Progressive Knife deep into the Angel's core. "DIE!!!!" Shinji jammed an N-2 mine directly into the Angel!

The knife cut straight through the Angel! Dropping the crippled Unit 00 to the ground. Unit 01 rolled to cover Unit 00 as the N-2 mine exploded!

"Rei!" Shinji tore the Entry plug from the back of Unit 00! "Don't die." He whispered.

Shinji ran to the burning hatch of Unit 00 and through pure adrenaline ripped open the plate!

"Rei! Oh my God! Rei!" Shinji saw the beaten form of the pilot. "Don't die, please Rei don't die." The body gathered her body into his arms, tears began to fall from his eyes. "No not now, don't leave me." The boy pleaded.

Rei opened her eyes slightly, "Shinji." and fell back into darkness.

Shinji sat alone in a detention cell. 'I did the right thing, I didn't run away.' He told himself. 'I did it for Rei.' With that last thought he no longer feared the consequences of his actions.

"Shinji Ikari." A voice bellowed, "The Commander wishes to see you now."

Shinji stood before his father, the Supreme Commander of NERV.

"You disobeyed orders. Unit 01 was to remain in lockdown." Gendo spoke coldly.

"I have no regrets." Shinji replied with firmness. "I followed my heart, something you don't have." Shinji spat. "You'd let all of them die. You-! You-!"

"Silence. I will not be challenged by a child. I follow an agenda that you will never understand, and if that means their deaths, so be it."

"I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU!!!" Shinji screamed at his father. "I'm leaving. Good Bye, father."

Rei awoke to the blank ceiling of the hospital. Her memories of the previous battle coming back. 'He saved me. He came for me. Why?' The strange feeling stirred. 'Is he the one? Do I long to be with him?' Rei wondered. Images of Shinji flooded her mind. 'Do I love him?'

Shinji wandered the streets of Tokyo-3, aimlessly. As much as he hated NERV, the Evas, fighting, Gendo; he couldn't fight the pull, the pull to go back. Shinji finally just stopped at a park bench and sat.

"Excuse me, Major Katsuragi." A soft voice asked.

Misato turned to the door of the command room. "Rei?" she questioned not use to hearing the girl speak.

"Major?"

"Rei just call me Misato, alright."

"Yes maim. Could you tell me where Shinji is?" Rei asked barely above a whisper.

"Umm." Misato was at a lost for words. "I umm, don't know where he is, he left after a fight with the Commander."

"Thank you, Major, for your time."

Misato could just barely make out sadness in the girl's normally monotone voice.

"Kaji," Misato began. "I need a favor."

"Anything for you gorgeous."

"Can it! I need you to find Shinji for me."

"Why?"

"Just do it, OK?"

"No problem good looking."

"Kaji!"

Rei once again sat alone in her apartment.

'Why did you? Why do I feel this way?' Rei just couldn't understand. Wasn't he just another person that would use her.

But he fought to save you. A childish voice in her head responded.

'But…'

He also bore the consequences.

'Why?'

To protect you. the voice told her.

'Does he feel the same way I do?'

Kaji spotted Shinji in the park. "Hey Shinji."

Shinji turned to see the NERV special agent coming towards him.

"Hey what's up?" Kaji asked trying to be friendly.

"What do you want? I'm not going back." Shinji said coldly.

"Whoa! I'm not here to arrest you. Misato sent me to find you."

"Why, so she can yell at me again?"

"I don't know for sure, but I think she just wants to talk, OK?"

Shinji nodded.

"OK, how about I have her meet you at the Café down on the corner of 6th and J."

"Alright."

"How's seven?"

"Fine. Seven at the café on the corner of 6th and J." Shinji turned and walked the other direction.

Kaji watched him leave. "Moody kid."

"Gorgeous!"

"Kaji." Misato growled. "When are you going to-"

"I found him."

Misato mood changed almost instantly. "Great! Did I tell you what a wonderful man you are?"

"No but you could show me."

"Kaji I'm going to-"

"He said he'd meet you at the café on the corner of 6th and J."

Misato smiled. "He won't be meeting me."

The phone in Rei's apartment rang. Shaking the girl from her reflection on Shinji and the battle.

"Hello?"

"Hello? Rei? This is Major Katsuragi. I've got a mission for you."

"Yes maim."

"I want you to meet Pilot Shinji Ikari at seven tonight; at a café on the corner of 6th and J. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

The line went dead. 'Pilot Ikari?'

Misato smiled playing matchmaker was fun when: 1.) The first didn't know he was being set up. And 2.) The other would follow orders without question.

As per orders Rei arrived at seven sharp to the café on the corner of 6th and J. The girl walked inside strangely she was nervous. Rei looked around the café for a moment, ready to complete her mission. This many people and her new emotions, just well, scared her.

"Rei?!" Came a surprised voice from behind.

Rei turned to look at the speaker, "Pilot Ikari."

"Umm, Rei what are you doing here?" The boy asked as he came closer.

"I was ordered to meet you here." Came the monotone reply.

"I thought…" Shinji trailed off. 'Why say something and ruin a good thing.' "Rei umm, I'm hungry you want to get some dinner? It is seven and we are here." Shinji blushed.

Rei studied him for a moment. Emotions battling inside. Her first reaction was to decline, but the look in his eyes, the sincerity. She felt her heart racing. "That would be nice." Rei felt her cheeks grow warm.

Shinji smiled.

Asuka Langley the German pilot of Unit 02 walked down the streets of Tokyo-3. 'Stupid third child. I guess I am the best.' She told herself. 'Why does he always run away? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!'

Asuka crossed the intersection of 6th and J; she just happened to look in a café window, "Wonder girl and him!" Asuka looked at the two. Both of them looked happy. 'I just don't get it.' Asuka resumed walking.

Rei and Shinji had just finished eating.

"Well thanks." Shinji said to the girl.

"Thank you for dinner I had a nice time." Came the reply.

"Your welcome. Say do you know what happened to Misato? Kaji said she wanted to meet me here." Shinji wondered aloud.

"Umm…"

"Well who cares. She was probably going to yell at me any ways."

Rei just studied him. She really did have a nice night and wasn't ready for it to end, but she didn't know why. Or was afraid to admit it.

"Hey, do want to get some ice cream?"

"Ice cream? I've never had ice cream."

Shinji's eyes grew wide. "You've never had ice cream?!"

"No."

"Well then come on." Shinji pulled the girl to the closet ice cream parlor.

The two finally found themselves at the same park, the same bench Shinji sat on earlier.

"Pilot Ikari, I mean Shinji." He told Rei enough times that night just to call him by his first name. "Why did you save me?"

Shinji looked at the girl and blushed. "You, umm mean a lot to me."

Rei looked at the boy. He looked angelic in the moon light. Angelic in the good sense of the word. All the new feelings came to the surface. 'I don't want too…'

All the girls thoughts halted as she felt his lips on hers.

'So this really is love…'

The End?

A/N: Well that's my first Neon Genesis fic. I hope it didn't suck too badly. Should I continue? Write a replacement for the end of the series? Please review, Thanks!