X: Rift

20 Minutes Later

Shinji continued though the city with purpose… he had locked into Rei's essence signature in the Æther but was confused by its location.

"She hasn't moved," Shinji said to himself.

"Wondergirl?" Asuka asked keeping pace with him in her Werewolf form. "Is that good or bad?"

"Don't know yet," he replied as he continued to the suburban area outside of Tokyo-3. "I don't even know why she's out this far."

"Maybe she already knows about the compromise. I'd want to get out of dodge if I knew that."

He stopped suddenly causing Asuka to almost run into him. They stood outside a suburban apartment with the name Ibuki M prominently displayed on the mailbox.

"She ran to the bridge bunny?" Asuka asked questioningly "Why the hell would she run to that lesbian?"

"Now how do you know she's a lesbian?" Shinji asked with a tinge of annoyance. He hated when people were given labels like that.

"I know she has a thing for Doctor Akagi," she replied sounding disgusted. "She's at least bi."

That really didn't sit well with Shinji, but he wouldn't believe for a moment Rei would do something with the tech. He walked up to the door of the apartment and noticed the lights were off, but he wasn't about to try the lock. Subsuming his body into pure shadow he slipped though the gap on the bottom and reformed himself on the other side. Asuka was unable to follow and growled with annoyance before shifting back into human form.

"Right so I'll just wait out here," she said and crossed her arms. "Typical."

Inside Shinji moved towards Rei's location and found her in the kitchen in the dark by the sink. She was only wearing a T-Shirt and underware, which made Shinji raise an eyebrow.

"There you are," he said trying to ignore this for the moment. "I've been worried!"

Rei jumped despite herself. "Shinji-kun… I wasn't expecting you to show up here."

"I wasn't expecting to find you here. I guess you already know what happened then."

"What do you mean?" she asked. Shinji realized instantly she had no idea… so why was she here? He sensed another mystical presence on her and she smelled a little strange to him. Something was off here….

"You're apartment was burned down," he said flatly.

"What?" she gasped with surprise. "By who?"

"Section-2 attacked me outside the apartment when I refused to go with them. They probably did it. They've been compromised Rei."

"Commander Ikari has to know." She started to move towards the living room when Shinji gently grasped her by the wrist.

"Rei… I'm sensing another mystical presence on you," Shinji whispered. "What's going on here?"

Rei froze instantly. She was planning on telling Shinji about what she had just done with Maya but not until she thought he was ready for it… the cat was about to come out of the bag now and she had to make a choice.

"Shinji-kun… there is something I should tell you."

In one of the those cases of "worst timing known to man", Maya walked into the kitchen. Though her regenerative abilities granted to her by the process instilled in her from The Midnight Order were potent, her most recient injuries were still visible to a discerning eye, especially the one she received barely half-an-hour ago. Shinji noticed this instantly and put two and two together. His eyes hardened instantly.

"Shinji?" Maya nearly gasped. "What are you doing in my apartment? Did Rei let you in?"

"No," he said flatly. "I let myself in."

Rei trembled under Shinji's grasp. Unconsciously his grip tightened at the revelation. "Shinji-kun… please don't be mad."

Shinji's gaze shifted to her. "How long has this been going on Rei?" he asked harshly.

"I… I was going to tell you!" Rei gasped out.

"When? In the morning? A week from now?"

"Shinji!" Maya called out snaping his attention towards her. "Please don't be mad! I-I-It was my fault! You know how vampires are, I took advantage of her!"

"Maya," Rei almost pleaded and shook her head.

"It was all me… I'm a sick girl you see… I get off on letting vampires drain me!"

Shinji gently let go of Rei's arm as she spoke.

"No… you can't take the whole blame for this," Rei said in low tone. "I could have resisted."

Shinji's anger was peaking and both girls noticed it. His aura of shadow around him had become so dark that even in the almost complete blackness of the apartment, it was noticeable. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists at their sides, struggling to keep both his magic and his anger in check. Both girls shuddered as the temperature in the room to a nosedive.

"I need a minute," he grunted out before he stomped off into the living room.

Rei was about to pursue him when Maya gently grasped her arm.

"No, you need to give him time to calm down," Maya protested.

A single bloody tear trailed down her cheek. "This… this is my fault," she whispered.

"Give him time Rei… he has to calm down so he doesn't completely blow a gasket."

Rei only lowered her head in shame as she maneuvered to one of the chairs at Maya's small kitchen table.

"So… Shinji's a Shadow Mage huh?" Maya asked trying to get Rei's mind off of the current tragedy and keep her occupied. She was certain that once Shinji calmed down, this would all get sorted out, though she had little doubt Rei was going to be in the proverbial dog house for a while.

In the living room Shinji sat cross legged in the middle of the room, closed his eyes and tried to calm his turbulent emotions. He didn't want to believe Rei would betray him like this though he knew that Maya and her shared a bit of a racy night this evening. But perhaps he was a bit hard on her. Perhaps she was going to tell him… but Shinji had been betrayed so many times in his life, it was hard not to be paranoid about these things.

He knew one thing about vampires, especially female vampires… they were emotional and sensual creatures. It wouldn't have taken much to get Rei in bed with the tech… the promise of a warm body could have been enough… but then again he didn't know what else happened today. Was Maya's companionship what brought her to this house or was it something more sinister?

Breathing evenly, he began to calm his turbulent emotions. He remembered the day he went to see his mother… Rei had confronted him there and tried to get back together with him. He had seen into her mind and heart that day, and there was no deception there. Shinji decided to stretch his mind out again and brush the surface of both of the girl's minds… but suddenly stopped himself.

"The fuck am I doing," he said to himself. "Peeking into their minds because of this? No! I can't do that! If I keep falling back to something like this I'm no better than my father… and I have to be able to trust Rei enough that what happened here was not betrayal."

He heard footsteps enter the living room and sensed it was Rei. She was approaching cautiously as if he were a rabid wolverine that might jump her at any moment.

"Shinji-kun," she whispered softly. He could hear the tears in her voice which wrenched at his heart… he desperately wanted to believe in her.

"Rei-chan," he whispered softly. "Come sit in front of me please."

She did so without hesitation. Now much calmer than he was a minute ago he opened his eyes to see bloody tracks down her face. He reached out and wiped them away.

"I hate to see you cry," he said. "Tell me everything."

Rei looked abashed as she began to speak. "I should tell you everything that happened between me and Maya after I was turned. I didn't think I'd have to bring this up… but I can't keep it inside anymore."

Shinji listened carefully to her story… how Maya had discovered what she had become and how Rei had to alter her thoughts slightly to keep her identity hidden. Shinji wasn't pleased to hear that but he understood that what she did was necessary for her ability to take hold, especially since Rei was only recently turned at that point. Then she relayed what she knew about Maya and what happened to her. Shinji raised an eyebrow at that story, not realizing that the reason Maya had any kind of a mystical signature in the Æther was because she had become in essence a supernatural entity herself. Rei went on to confirm that Maya was the aggressor and that Rei had given into her primal impulses, perhaps a bit too easily.

After he took all this in, he contemplated it all for a few moments. Rei was afraid of what would come out of his mouth next.

"You know… I actually don't mind the fact that you had sex with Maya," he said, "but what I do mind is the fact that you never told me anything about her before… or that you had to do what you did to her those months ago."

"I…" Rei shuddered. "I'm sorry… I didn't think this was going to come up again. Maya already forgave me for what I did and I figured it was over."

"The only reason I'm not entirely furious with you is because you almost died today," he said with a bit of a shudder in his voice as well. "If it wasn't for Maya, I'd have lost you forever. And I concede that what happened tonight was probably due to stress, emotions and a dozen other factors that conspired to rob you of your good sense. But make no mistake… I'm still not happy with you."

Tears of blood rolled down her face as he spoke. "Please don't hate me," she pleaded.

"I don't hate you Rei-chan," he affirmed. "But I am disappointed in you. I don't mind this relationship you have with Maya, because I know your heart is with me."

Rei smiled as she started wiping the tears away.

"What really irked me was that you didn't even tape the event for future viewing," Shinji got out with a smile.

Rei's eyes widened at that comment and suddenly Shinji got whacked in the head from behind.

"Baka hentai!" Asuka yelled in her human form. She whacked him again. "I knew you were a little perverted hentai!"

But the look on Shinji's face told Rei that he was in fact just joking to lighten the mood. She had to laugh at the display, they acted like siblings sometimes.

"Ow! Asuka! Geeze! I was just kidding! How the hell did you get in here anyway?"

"The door wasn't even locked, baka! You just had to go in the fancy way didn't you?"

Maya also chuckled at the display, thankful that things had been, at least partially defused for the time being. She knew Shinji was still a little mad at Rei but at least their relationship wasn't destroyed over her own selfishness. Maya wouldn't have been able to live with herself if that happened.

That Morning

Shinji's cellphone started ringing. He yawned, currently lying on the couch with his mostly uncovered girlfriend laying on him. The anger he felt last night was gone, but he knew this was something he'd have to get used to. Rei was potentially a nymphomaniac due to being a vampire, and he couldn't always be there for her. In a way he was jelous of Maya since she technically got to get Rei in bed first, but in his own mind lesbian sex didn't count.

He reached into his pocket and looked at the number… immediately he sighed. He knew this call was coming.

"I'm fine Misato," he said as soon as the phone was opened.

"Where the hell are you?" she nearly screamed, causing Shinji to hold the phone away from his ear. This was a partial mistake as the sound cause Rei to begin stirring, making annoyed sounds.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said dryly. "I'm still in Tokyo-3, and no I'm not running away."

"Ayanami's apartment was burned down last night," Misato said with obvious concern in her voice and still a bit of anger for her ward not coming home last night.

"What?" Shinji said, acting as surprised as possible. "Who did it?"

"We don't know… what's worse is we found a total of six Section-2 members dead; two inside the apartment and four outside. Rei is missing."

"She's with me," he admitted.

"What? Why?"

Shinji sighed. "I really can't discuss that over the phone."

"Oh?" Misato said in a teasing voice. "I suppose I should be glad little Rei-Chan was with big old Shinji-sama last night!"

"M-Misato-san!" He almost yelled into the phone. "This is no time for teasing! You just told me that Rei's apartment has been destroyed and people were murdered."

"Sorry Shinji-kun, I couldn't help it." Her voice took a serious turn. "Is Asuka with you too?"

"Yeah, she's here."

"Wow, both of them?"

"Misato-san!"

"Sorry," she reigned in her teasing attitude. "The three of you need to get to NERV immediately. You're likely still in danger."

"We'll leave as soon as we can," Shinji replied and hung up before anymore awkward questions or teasing could ensue. "Fuck."

"This isn't good," Rei said, echoing his sentiment.

"No… it isn't," he replied. "I'll need to conjure proper clothing for us. We can't go into NERV dressed like this."

"Or armed like that," Asuka asserted as she got up off the floor, referring to the pistols Shinji pilfered from the Section-2 agents.

"You slept on the floor?"

"Yeah, so? You and Wondergirl monopolized the couch and I wasn't about to ask Maya for room on her bed… that'd just be way too weird."

Rei got up allowing Shinji to do so. "Speaking of which, we need to get her up. Running to NERV wouldn't be a good idea. Not to mention they probably already traced down our location."

"We're going to have a hard time explaining this away Third," Asuka replied. "No amount of clothing change is going to stop that."

"I know," he replied. "We can bite the bullet on this one… say we went out on the town to unwind and we got carried away with our wandering, so we crashed at Maya's because her house was close by and we knew she didn't mind."

"That'd be enough for most people," Maya replied as she walked in, obviously quite awake. "I'm concerned that it wouldn't be enough to convince Commander Ikari or Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki." Maya was not just awake, but she was also dressed in her NERV Uniform.

"They'll believe me," Shinji said at length. "If I have to, I'll do a little mind sphere magic on the two of them to get them to see things my way. I hate using it on other people because it makes me feel evil, but I have no qualms about doing it to my father." He stood up and conjured forth some clothing… his normal school attire for himself and a normal school uniform for Rei. He turned towards Asuka and said, "Want the same outfit you had on the 'Over the Rainbow'?"

"That's fine," she dismissed. As soon as she had the outfit in hand she looked at it closely. "Are these permanent?"

"They better be," he said. "I just summoned them from their respective locations."

"And how do you know where I keep my dresses you perverted baka?"

"Actually that one was hanging in the laundry room," Shinji said with a smile. "You forget who does the laundry at home."

Asuka kept her mouth shut at that point.

"Is the bathroom opened?" Rei asked. "I need a shower."

"After last night I'm not surprised," Asuka said off handedly, earning a sour look from Rei.

Shinji glared at her as Rei left the room in a hurry, not wanting to relive last night.

"That… was uncalled for," he said with anger in his voice. Maya noticing that darkside of Shinji trying to surface again cringed. She hoped this wouldn't get ugly.

"I don't see how you can dismiss what she did Third," she retorted. "She essentially cheated on you!"

"You obviously don't understand vampires the way I do," he replied. "Either that or you're letting your inborn racial animosity get the better of you. Yeah I'm a little hurt that she did what she did, but I forgave her because that is her nature. If I can't accept that, then I don't deserve to have her as a girlfriend."

"So the great Shinji-sama is playing the martyr again," she cut. "You're unbelievable. Besides what they did in there was just sick…."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he snapped, and his voice echoed as if he had said it inside of a great chamber… the words punctuated by what almost sounded like distant thunder. Maya squeaked in surprise, knowing that Shinji was getting pissed now. "You just don't get it so don't even bother trying! Drop it, or I swear to Kami I'll drop you."

Asuka was instantly taken back by the sudden shift in Shinji. And he outright threatened her… which he would have never done before. Before he learned magic he was a spineless little coward… now that he had power he was aggressive, but he was also confident. She wondered if him obtaining magical power was really a good thing… especially how much power he seemed to have.

"Humph… if that's the way you want it… so be it. But when she breaks you're heart don't come crying to me."

"You'd be the last person I come to for support," he said sourly. "I'm starting to wonder just how much you really do care…."

Those words stung Asuka….

"Damn it I care about you ok?"

"You… care about me?"

"Yes Baka I do, ok? I know I don't exactly show it like a normal person would… but I'd be upset if anything happened to you…"

"How… how could you say that?" Asuka whispered as tears began to trail down her face.

"How? How? Isn't it obvious? You were always against Rei and I being together, I could tell… I just can't figure out why. Even if it is racial animosity that drives a rift between the two of you, your actions are still illogical. Why can't you just be happy for us and let me deal with any bumps in our relationship?"

At that Shinji left the room, leaving Asuka in tears. Just when she thought she finally had him as a friend, he turns on her like this… it's because of that vampire bitch… it had to be.

Maya approached her with the intent to be consoling but before she even got within three feet of Asuka, the redhead growled like a pissed off wolf. Maya froze instantly.

"I don't need you're pity," she snapped. Turning swiftly she left the house, slamming the door on the way out.

Maya looked down, sadness welling up inside her threatening to break free.

"This is my fault," she whispered. Now she wished she'd never put the moves on Rei like that… the last thing she wanted was to be the cause of the end of someone's friendship. "Why can't I have just a moment's happiness?"

She stopped fighting the tears and let them flow. Just then, her phone began to ring.

"Wonderful timing," she whispered, a slight hitch in her voice. She picked up the phone and composed herself.

"Hi Maya," came a friendly voice but one she didn't recognize.

"Um… Hi," She replied.

"Is it 3:16 yet?"

Maya's heart skipped a beat. That was the sign that she was being contacted by the order. They always used signs and counter-signs when contacting members over lines that could have monitoring on them, and her home phone line she knew had to be tapped by Section-2. It must be a lower level order member though, otherwise they would have contacted her on her personal cell… it wasn't monitored but only inner circle members had her number.

"It will be soon," Maya replied.

"Good to hear. It's been a while, and I know I haven't kept in touch as much as you'd like me to, but I'd like to touch base with you today if you can."

"Sure, I'll be on lunch around 1 o'clock," she replied.

"Any chance we can meet earlier?"

Maya thought for a second. "I can get away with taking it early today. I'll see you around noonish at the café on Takaga Street near the bank."

"Perfect! I'll see you then."

Maya bid the caller goodbye then finished getting her stuff together.

Meanwhile

Rei began to disrobe in preparation for her shower, when she sensed her Sire fading into existence.

"Is this a bad time?" he said. In reality he didn't mind seeing her naked and always thought she was a very beautiful creature, especially considering her unique nature. He also knew she had no real sense of shame, which was a plus. This time however, Rei stopped disrobing and looked towards him a little annoyed.

"Don't you knock anymore?"

"I never did," Kenjiro replied. He was a bit puzzled about her sudden modesty but decided he wouldn't let it bother him. Instead he focused on why he came here and placed the stack of books on the hamper. "I managed to save these from the apartment. There were people looking for you… I believe they wanted you dead."

"The books…" she whispered confused. "I… I'd forgotten about them. I never made it home…"

Kenjiro already knew what happened but he knew Rei wouldn't know that and would have no reason to believe he would. "Odd, what distracted you last night?"

"A Shadow Dancer," she said flatly as she started the water.

"I see," he replied. "So the Shadow Consul has stepped up its efforts then."

Rei was surprised to hear him say that. "You knew they were after me?"

"I only recently found out," he replied. "I was going to warn you tonight that they were active and that they were after you."

"Do you know why?" Rei of course already knew but she wanted to see just how much Kenjiro knew.

"Consul Seat Member Korgan had a Childe here in Tokyo-3. Do you remember The Gallow's End?"

So he knew that much. Where was he getting his information?

"Yeah," she said. "I killed quite a few vamps that night."

"Three of them were turned by Consul Seat Members… You let one live, Korgan and Vertas's turned were not so lucky. I heard that Vertas wasn't happy with the event but took no action. Korgan however is a hard-liner, even for the Shadow Consul. Unfortunately, he's also the one who has direct control over the Shadow Dancers."

"Wonderful," she whispered. "How do you know so much about the Shadow Consul?"

"I have my ways," he said. "I still have regular contact with my own Sire and he keeps me informed on such things. I think he might be part of the Grand Coven but he won't talk about that."

"Ah yes, I remember you telling me about that."

"Have you had anymore dreams about it?"

Rei nodded. "The dreams are almost always the same, but I keep noticing new things every time I have them… I know there are twelve members, one of them keeps telling me I shouldn't be there right before I wake up."

"Only high members in the Coven normally appear at these gatherings. I've learned the Grand Coven holds other meetings between lower tier members all the time. Unfortunately for me, I haven't found my way in yet."

Rei chuckled. "Politics is not my cup of tea. I don't know why I keep having these dreams. I know they're some kind of blood memory but…"

"Don't let it bother you too much," Kenjiro said dismissively. "Now before I go, I must tell you a few things about these books. The first two in the stack discuss the finer points of Thaumaturgy while the last two deal specifically with the Necromantic arts."

Rei looked towards the stack and noticed there were five books total.

"What of the one it the middle?"

"Oh, I think you'll like that one… if you can figure it out."

Rei was about to question what he meant by that, but he disappeared into the steam emitted by the shower, fading out of existence.

"I hate it when he does that."

Later

The car ride to NERV was in absolute silence. In order to transport the books Kenjiro gave her, she had Shinji turn her book bag into a dimensional pocket. Though he questioned her about the books, she said it was vampire magics. Shinji knew he probably couldn't learn anything from them.

Not surprisingly, Rei was summoned to Gendo's office as soon as she arrived. Without hesitation she made her way there. Even as a vampire, the darkness and size of the place was turning her blood to ice.

"You wanted to see me sir," she deadpanned. It wouldn't do to reveal just how much she's changed.

"Have you been informed as to the state of your apartment?" he asked levelly from behind folded hands.

"I have sir."

"There are forces at work that conspire against us, and the scenario." Gendo gauged her responses. Something was off about her but he simply could not put his finger on it. The reports from Akagi about her performance were also alarming. She was synching with her Eva much better than he had anticipated, especially against Israfel which was a fight she should not have been involved in, let alone had been able to win on her own.

"I understand. May I ask a question?"

Gendo raised an eyebrow. It wasn't often his doll would desire to ask for information beyond what she was told. He decided to see where she was going with this.

"Proceed."

"Do we know who is attempting to disrupt the scenario?"

"Not as of yet. We do know that Section-2 has somehow been compromised. We may have to institute a purge."

"I see."

"You don't approve?"

Rei looked down but only for a split second. "I have no feelings about it either way. Security is paramount to the success of the scenario."

It was an expected answer but something was just not sitting right with him. Something about her was irking him in a way he could not put to words. As much as he was loath to admit it, even to himself… there was something about Rei that was giving him a sensation he was just barely familiar with…

… fear…

… something about her scared him deep within his core. He'd never show it, but it was something he needed addressed with Doctor Akagi.

"Rei… I want you to submit to a full medical examination," he ordered.

"Very well. When?"

"Immediately," he replied. He reached over to his intercom. "Doctor Akagi, prepare a room in the ward. I want a full medical diagnostic done on Pilot Ayanami immediately."

"As you wish," Ritusko replied over the intercom.

"Shall I go now?" Rei asked.

"Yes," Gendo responded. "I will call for you again when I need you."

She bowed respectfully and left the room. Inside she was worried. Up until now, her condition was kept secret by her ability to force her body to simulate biorhythms. A full medical exam would be almost impossible to fool. They'd know she was a Vampire, and then Gendo would kill her.

As she left the room, her heart rate began to pick up. This was not going to be easy. She might have to get into Akagi's head….

Elsewhere

Kenjio entered the top floor of an abandoned warehouse not far from where Rei's apartment used to be. This place was his base of operations for the time being. His laptop set up on an old desk was beeping at him, which meant someone was attempting to contact him discreetly.

Before sitting down at the desk he took a look around the room. A few shelves with a few books on them, weapons set up all over another wall, his box spring and mattress on the floor and his sheets were a mess.

Nothing was disturbed which was good, he always had his room this messy on account that he was seldom here except when he needed rest or was expecting a call. It was still early in the day, so he knew Scabbard wasn't at the drop just yet, and he certainly wouldn't bother him this early in the day. Tossing a book he was carrying onto his bed he sat at the desk and opened the laptop. The built in camera zoomed on him and his communication program auto-executed. The face on the pop-up window was not one he wanted to see right now.

"Consul Seat Member Korgan…" he deadpanned. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Cut the bullshit Wraith," he snapped. "You're interfering in an internal matter now."

"My apologies Consulman, but your need for revenge against my childe is interfering with the scenario. I must request that you desist… you've already put the scenario in jeopardy. It is likely that Commander Ikari is going to force Rei to stay within NERV as they now know that their internal security forces have been compromised."

"Don't lecture me you peon!" he snapped. "It was your little bitch that killed my childe. He was going to succeed me on the consul in a century or so, now I have start over again! Do you understand how much of a pain in the ass it is to find the perfect person to turn?"

"You're petty concerns mean nothing to me," Kenjiro replied. "The entire Consul agreed to this plan and it has been in the works now for the better part of two decades. Don't fuck this thing up over a personal slight. You can take it out on me and her later, AFTER everything is all said and done."

"Very well," he said, anger still laced in his words. "But when this is over there will be a reckoning, and you won't like it… I guarantee."

At that point the line went dead.

"Fucker…" was all Kenjiro could say to that. "He better back the hell off… I'm going to have a helluva time fixing this mess."

Minutes Later

Rei entered the examination room and looked about. Akagi was waiting by the table setting everything up.

"Don't know what this is all about but you better not give me a hard time today Ayanami," Ritsuko said with annoyance laced in her voice. "I was supposed to have lunch with Maya today, and she had to take off an hour early for some reason she wouldn't explain to me. So if you don't mind, get out of your cloths and let's get this over with."

Rei obediently stripped out of her clothing and got up on the table. She focused inwardly trying to approximate all the vital functions of a living being.

"You're relationship with Maya has become closer lately," Rei observed.

"Why do you care?" Ritsuko asked with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"I think it's nice."

"Since when does the Commander's Doll have an opinion about anything?"

Rei's eyes hardened. "I am not a doll."

Ritsuko felt the air in the room get colder for a moment… and a sudden primal revulsion told her it came from Rei. She looked at her right hand where she held a medical steel implement normally used in such examinations. At this angle she should be able to see Rei's reflection… she couldn't.

Without facing Rei she pulled out a compact she used to touch up her makeup. Rei was in her own world at that moment, hating the fact that she had to be here and try to keep up appearances. She didn't see Ritsuko open the compact and angle the mirror towards her. She did however hear it snap closed.

"What are you?" Akagi asked her, not wanting to believe what she saw.

As Rei sat up Ritsuko backed away from her in fear.

"Nosferatu," she deadpanned. "Don't worry… I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're a vampire?" she gasped. "I-Impossible! Vampire's don't exist!" But the more Ritsuko tried to scientifically deny it, the more obvious it was that she was wrong. Rei's eyes glowed and she smiled at the doctor, revealing her fangs.

At that point the doctor was against the wall. She had no way to call for help, but then something happened… realization struck her, and her fear started turning into anger.

"You…" she whispered as she clenched her fists. "You hurt Maya… You hurt MY Maya!" Ritsuko rushed her in a moment of courage only to be suddenly thrown onto the examination table. Rei mounted her instantly pinning her down. "I'll kill you for this!" Ritsuko yelled as she struggled against Rei's hold on her.

"I'm glad to see you so protective of Maya-chan," Rei said. "As it happened, she discovered the truth about me and I had to protect myself. I never wanted to hurt her, only sedate her so I could remove the memory of me from her mind."

"She was out of work for almost a month!"

"And she probably needed the vacation," Rei countered. "I'm not going to get into an argument about this with you. The fact is… at first… I hated you. And I hated the idea that Maya was in love with you."

"She…" Ritsuko's voice trailed off and she stopped struggling. She already knew that Maya had a crush on her but she thought it was probably just a phase with the girl, and that Maya would be back to being her normal self again once her curiosity was satisfied. She didn't realize it wasn't a phase or passing fancy… the girl was in love with her. And the more she thought about it, the more Ritsuko realized she loved Maya too.

"Your mother killed The First, and I know you hated me because of how much I monopolized Commander Ikari's affections. I was prepared to kill you if necessary… but as it happens, I care for Maya as well. And murdering you would damage her beyond hope of repair." Rei closed her eyes a moment, briefly imagining the tech turned Vampire Hunter hunting her. It wasn't a pleasant thought. "I can't do that to her…." Her voice got lower when she reached that point.

Rei's emotions were still in turmoil... months after she was turned and she had yet to grasp the full depths that emotions can reach. The thoughts about what the latest incident were probably doing to her, especially since she blamed herself for almost destroying her and Shinji's relationship, made her sad. Combine that with still not quite getting over almost losing Shinji to a single bad decision nearly broke her.

"She's… one of the only friends I have…." Tears of blood fell from Rei's eyes onto the doctor's face as she realized that. Unlike many people she knew, her list of close associates was far from impressive.

Ritsuko felt Rei's hold on her lessening but wasn't about to make any sudden moves. She did however gently release her right wrist from Rei's clutches, reached up to Rei's face and wiped her tears away. Rei's emotions were a rollercoaster and completely out of control, and for the first time in her life, Ritsuko actually felt sorry for her. The transformation she went though could not have been good to her.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Ritsuko whispered. "I can't imagine what you're going through."

Rei got off of her and leaned against the examination table as Ritsuko got up. Rei didn't want to seek the comfort of the bottle blonde and fought desperately to keep her emotions under control.

"As a Vampire, the drugs that Commander Ikari ordered you be prescribed won't help you anymore."

"They were meant to keep me docile and controllable… weren't they?" she asked sadly.

"That and keep your body from deteriorating," Ritsuko confirmed. "I can only assume since you became a Vampire… something about the condition is keeping your body from falling apart….

"Probably my regeneration."

"I have to assume."

They stayed there in silence for almost a full minute; Ritsuko sitting almost sideways on the examination table, Rei leaning against it to her right facing away. She continued to wipe her tears away but she was finally beginning to get a handle on her sadness.

"Where does this leave us, Doctor Akagi?" she asked.

Ritsuko sighed. "Honestly, I'd like nothing more than to see Commander Ikari's scenario fail. He's done nothing but use my family since day one. Even I fell into the trap… at first he was everything I thought I needed…. The next… well… I was no better than a doll myself…."

Rei raised her head a bit. "I still remember what it was like before I was turned… not having any purpose or meaning to my life other than what The Commander had for me… to die in a controlled Third Impact in order to resurrect his wife."

Ritsuko cringed a bit, knowing she was not innocent in this mess.

"I'm no one's doll anymore. My life is my own."

Ritsuko sighed. "I'm already hell-bound… but maybe I can rest easier if I tried to help fix this mess. Neither Ikari's scenario or SEELE's can come to pass, otherwise the world is doomed."

"I know…" Rei sighed. "There is more I need to tell you. It's about Maya specifically."

"What about Maya?" Ritusko turned from her position and faced her.

Rei for her part moved to start dressing again. Though she didn't mind being naked in front of the doctor, she figured now that the conversation was less medical and more personal, she didn't need to be in such a state of undress.

"She's special in more ways than you know. For obviously reasons, she couldn't tell you. She's not like me… so you can relax." Rei had sensed Ritsuko's sudden apprehension and knew why she was worried.

"How is she special then?"

"All in good time, I'd prefer she tell you herself."

End of Chapter 10

Sanguis meus fervidus est,

Sanguis meus avidus est,

Sanguis tuus suavis est,

Sanguis tuus iucundus est

A/N: This was a rough chapter to write… really emotional… but then again, when is the fallout from an event like the last chapter ever easy on anyone. It also ended up a lot longer than I expected it to.

Tearian: When it comes to relationships with vampires, its hard not to have this sort of shit happen. Vampires are normally every passionate creatures and Rei really couldn't control herself. She actually lucked out that Shinji found out this soon after it happened, the fallout would have been worse if time had passed before she told him. Gotta feel sorry for Maya though, she thinks everything is her fault.

Henry V: Welcome back. I've only reciently started putting more work into this one.

gunman: Perhaps I didn't explain the whole blood thing correctly… I'll go back and correct it later but the short form is its not a sickness. Maya… due to the process that created her, actually has richer blood than the vast majority of humans out there. As a result a vampire can feed off of her and be full while taking less blood. Rei realized this during their little bedroom escapade. If Rei had drank too much it would be like having that fifth serving of Thanksgiving Turkey… it wouldn't kill her but it would give her a tummyache something fierce.

Well I hope this answered everyone's concerns. This story has become very enjoyable to write again so I'll try to get another chapter out before too long. This current college class is kicking my ass though…