Shinji...

He looked around him, trying to place the source of the sound; someone was calling him. The voice was soft, and seemed to long for his attention. No matter how hard the young man tried, however, attention wasn't something he could offer to the seemingly disembodied voice. All he could see was his apartment, surrounding him like a security blanket, with sunset seeping in hungrily through the drawn curtains.

Shinji...

It seemed to come from... outside? Shinji nodded to himself, contently. Of course; the outside world looked so inviting... the sun was so warm, and such a lovely colour. He walked over to the door and turned the knob, but the stubborn piece of metal refused to give way, no matter how hard he struggled.

Shinji!

The voice interjected again, this time sounding more hurried. Shinji continued to pull desperately against the door, but to no avail.

Shinji.

The voice whispered directly behind him. Spinning around, Shinji's heart seemed to leap into his throat.

It was Asuka. She stared deep into his eyes, failing to blink even once over what seems like an eternity for Shinji.

What do you think of me?

Her voice was lighthearted, almost mocking. She produced a smile, and it curled upwards almost unnaturally. No one could be that happy. Still, she awaited an answer:

"I lov-"

Shinji had barely opened his mouth to confess before she puked, releasing inhuman amounts of black sludge from her mouth and into his own. His words, carefully chosen, had drowned.

Soon enough the black sludge engulfed his entire face, cutting off his vision. Desperately wiping away at his eyes, Shinji was confused to find that upon recapturing his vision, he was no longer in his apartment.

He tried to get his bearings, looking around him nervously.

It was the university clubroom... he recognized the old battered table, located in the center of the room, but eerily missing the usual messes of student-life it usually upheld.

Shinji.

A voice called to him again. A shiver ran up his spine; he no longer found the haunting voices endearing. Turning in place, to and fro, Shinji tried his best to guard himself.

Suddenly, strands of raven hair entered his vision from the left side, before seemingly wrapping themselves around his face to the right. Shinji spun to his left, arms outstretched, as if to push away the perpetrator.

It was Misato. His outstretched arms, intended to push himself away, now found themselves wrapped around the woman lovingly, who herself had her own arms wrapped around him. She pushed him onto the clubroom table with unnatural strength, pinning Shinji below her.

Was I wrong about you?

The woman had asked, with that... same unnatural smile.

"N-no! I lov-"

Misato pressed a forceful finger against his lips, silencing him. Soon, though, she lowered her head down his. Pursing her lips, she closed her eyes for a kiss. Shinji reciprocated eagerly. As she drew closer and closer to him, her long strands of hair began covering her face. Shinji couldn't see this with his eyes closed... but he could feel it. He could feel the hairs slowly cover his face, more and more... and no kissed followed.

He opened his eyes to a sea of suffocating raven locks... and that flowery smell that had haunted him for years. He reached out to Misato, grasping in front of him, but it was useless.

Shinji...

"NO!" Shinji yelled out, as the disembodied voice taunted him, yet again.

Shinji.

Emerging from the raven sea, Rei's face burst forth, stopping within inches of his own.

"Rei... what are you..."

Rei smiled the unnatural smile. Her mouth opened wider and wider before her jar pried open like a snake preparing to devour its prey. Shinji whimpered.

Itadakimasu.

Shinji Ikari's body jumped, pulling him violently from his sleep. He stared up at the ceiling of his apartment, too scared to move.

A dream? Is it... over?

Carefully, he righted himself upwards. Taking a deep breath, his attention was immediately caught by the sound of his game console; sound effects, incessant clicking of buttons.

Asuka was playing, staring boredly at the screen. The way she looked at the screen reminded Shinji of himself, initially. Just like for him, too, Rei was sitting directly behind Asuka in her usual spectating position.

She wasn't spectating, though. She was staring at him... intently. Suddenly Shinji knew what had just happened.

Those... fucking red eyes.

Picking up an emptied cup of ramen noodles, he threw the garbage at Rei with a rage he didn't really knew he possessed.

"Stay out of my fucking head!" He shouted, causing Asuka to almost have a heart attack. Rei, meanwhile, barely reacted as the Styrofoam cup collided harmlessly with her face.

"Jesus Christ!" Asuka complained, clutching at her chest. "How about you give us a warning before you go all rage-tastic on us? The fuck is your problem?"

In his sleepy rage, Shinji had almost forgotten about his guest. What she knew, what she didn't knew. For Kaji's sake, he bit his tongue, despite having a great deal of desire to expose the... monster that was currently living his house.

As cathartic as it was for the boy to steam away, swearing internally at his telepathic roomate, he forced himself to get up from his futon and make his way to the bathroom. Splashing water on his face Shinji cooled off in more ways than one.

He wanted to be alone, but found himself sighing deeply as Rei followed him, waiting patiently in the doorframe of the bathroom entrance. Asuka too, eventually followed, apparently bored with gaming. The two women waited for him like vultures, as Shinji did his best to ignore them.

"I am sorry, Shinji. You were sleeping with your eyes open." Rei explained. "I was curious."

Shinji looked over at her; there was a semblance of 'apology' plastered on her face. It was hard to tell, sometimes. Regardless, her attempt was enough to make him calm down.

"I-it's okay, Rei... but just for future notice, that's not an... invitation." Shinji said, shaking his head. "I don't know if all of that was intentional, but that was scary... really fucking scary."

"What the hell are you two even talking about?" Asuka interjected both verbally and physically, squeezing her way into the bathroom.

Shinji shook his head, cursing himself for not being more tight-lipped. "It's nothing; s-she was just... screwing with me while I was asleep. I-I got angry."

Asuka raised a brow. "Really? Guess I was zoned out... y'know, those games you have aren't half bad. They're outdated, though."

Shinji turned to the redheaded girl... and the blue-headed one. He wanted to leave the bathroom, but they were now completely occupying the doorway. Shinji sighed again.

"Don't you have classes to go to?" Shinji asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Asuka shrugged, looking almost offended. "Sure, but at this point, why bother? I'm going to miss a bunch soon, anyways."

Shinji wanted to reprimand the girl, having been the rule-adhering student he was, but relented. She had a point.

"Speaking of, you said Misato was coming tomorrow, right?" Asuka added, assuming a much happier mood. "I finally went back to the dorms and packed my shit up."

"Y-you did? When?" Shinji asked, confused.

"I dunno, when you were sleeping, probably." Asuka smirked. "Which is an unhealthy amount, by the by."

Shinji felt his face heat up.

"Didn't we agree that while you crashed here..."

"I wouldn't judge your lifestyle... I know." Asuka rolled her eyes, but still smiling. "It's been like a week, and I've been super good, cut me some slack."

Shinji stared at the girl, unimpressed.

"Super good, huh? I-I can't help but remember you... constantly calling me names, a-and making fun of my anime collection. W-which isn't-"

"I know, it's not even yours..." Asuka cut him off, groaning. "Well, I can't help but remember cleaning this place until it was spotless, buying you and Rei groceries, and organizing said anime collection, which whether or not it's yours... is full of really weird-ass shit."

Shinji's face heated up even more.

"Like I said, it's n-not mine." He defended himself. "Besides, no one asked you to do that..."

Asuka didn't respond. She just stared, expectantly, with a smug smirk.

"...thank you, Asuka."

Asuka's smirk turned into a genuine grin.

"You are welcome, Shinji." She responded, properly. "Besides, it's actually been pretty nice living here with you two... after I put in some elbow grease, of course."

Shinji looked at the girl confused. "...nice? Really?"

"Let's just say... It's been a change of pace. I was getting sick of school... of that dorm." Asuka explained, before walking out of the bathroom. The girl walked over to what Shinji correctly guessed to be her suitcase. Rummaging around aimlessly, she seemed to keep herself busy.

"You call it a change of pace, but. Aren't you just... ditching school? What's your... dad going to think?" Shinji asked, carefully.

"If you ask me to not judge you, Shinji, then can we stop the reverse, too?" Asuka asked, now rummaging more violently through her belongings. As if to get fed up, she spun around to face Shinji with a burning gaze.

"I don't give a shit! About school, or my dad. Fuck em." Asuka explained, forcefully. "And... fuck you."

"...how eloquent." Shinji sighed, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Whatever." Asuka replied fruitlessly, going back to her bag.

Shinji paused a moment, looking at the girl, still fuming away.

"F-for what it's worth, Asuka... I-I'm glad you're coming." Shinji managed, glancing hesitantly at the girls back.

Standing up, Asuka turned around. Shinji expected otherwise, but the girl's face was actually calm. Pensive, even.

"Yeah? Why's that?" She asked him, staring. The intensity and precision of the question left Shinji feeling anxious.

"Uh. W-well, Y'know, M-Misato said she needed a break. I... I think we all need a break. W-we have to help Rei, too."

Asuka sighed heavily, making Shinji's anxiety only worsen.

"You know, you keep saying we need to help her... but neither of you have bothered to explain why."

Asuka had widened her accusations, now staring behind Shinji. Looking behind him, Shinji saw that Rei was mere inches behind him, staring back at Asuka herself.

"Why is she hiding here? Why does she need to go to Kagawa?" Asuka pressed further, walking closer to them.

"I... I don't really know." Shinji offered, raising his hands defensively, as the girl approached.

"What the hell do you mean, you don't know?" Asuka asked, narrowing her eyes, frustrated. "You just agreed to help her, without knowing anything?"

Shinji, unable to truly meet the girl's eyes, just shrugged. "Kaji... Kaji asked me to help her. And now that he's..."

Asuka's frustrated expression gave way to a solemn change, though only for a moment. Soon, she shook her head, as if to shake some unwelcomed feeling off.

"Fine... whatever. I don't really... give a fuck." Asuka relented, squeezing the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Shinji, meanwhile, was taken aback. "Asuka... are you okay?"

The aforementioned woman grabbed him by the nose. Squeezing down, the girl laughed, before smiling sarcastically. "I'm swell, lame-Shinji. You two can keep your secrets... I'm beyond caring at this point."

"What's... what's that supposed to mean?" Shinji asked the girl, though she didn't even bother to address him. Instead, Asuka practically dragged Shinji aside by the nose, in order to reveal the blue-haired phenom hiding behind him.

"Just promise me one thing, Blue." Asuka said, staring daggers at Rei. "Promise me you're not taking advantage of him."

"I am not sure... what you mean." Rei asked, clearly confused.

"Look... I know first-hand that it's tempting to take advantage of this idiot... but, he's a good guy. You're not roping him into anything criminal, are ya? Anything dangerous?"

Rei didn't flinch at the accusation, and stared back at Asuka with equal strength, but much more purpose. "I am not what you think I am. I need his help. He is my only hope."

Asuka laughed, and laughed hard, at that; even Rei seemed confused at the abruptness.

"HAHAhahah.. ha... Jesus, Blue... that's pretty damn dramatic, but... I can't say I don't identify with that, just a bit."

"A-Asuka, what are you..." Shinji tried to regain control of the conversation, hopelessly confused.

"Anyways, I get that you're like relying on him and everything... but sometimes you need more brains in the operations of things." Asuka continued, smiling wide.

"Asuka, can you please tell me what you're on about..." Shinji pleaded, practically stepping between them.

"Welll... look, this is going to seem really random, but talking to Blue here got me thinking." Asuka explained, looking at Rei, up and down. "If she's hiding, why the fuck is she still broadcasting her identity like that?"

Asuka had pointed at Rei, specifically her hair... her face.

"Blue hair, Red eyes." Asuka spelt out for the two of them, who still looked to be slow on the uptake. "It's fucking creepy! More importantly, kind of hard to blend in, don't'cha think?"

For once, Rei seemed a bit self-conscious at the scrutiny. Touching her hair gently, she seemed a bit lost in thought.

"How about you ditch the hair-dye and the contacts, Blue." Asuka finished, hands placed on her hips.

"This is... natural." Rei explained, still touching her hair, almost defensively.

Cue a deadpan look from Asuka. "...you're fucking with me, right?"

"...how does one... fuck... with someone?" Rei sounded out, confused.

Asuka's surprised look morphed almost into concern, as the girl struggled to wrap her head around Rei's inner-workings... and outer-appearance.

"Okay, Christ... look, I've got plenty of spare cash. I'm gonna go to the mall and grab some hair-dye and contacts, cause apparently you don't use them... somehow." Asuka explained, clearly still a bit in disbelief. "Then once we head out, every person in Japan won't be gawking."

As Asuka pushed push Shinji and Rei to get to the door, Shinji found himself feeling a bit sorry for her.

"Sorry... Asuka. I never really thought about that..."

Asuka turned back, as she put her shoes on, wearing her typically smug smirk when dealing with her hikikomori friend.

"Well like I said... we need some brains in this operation." She chuckled, shaking her head. "Besides, someone around here has to do the whole 'going outside' thing."

Shinji nodded his head, sheepishly. "R-right... I'll leave it to you."

Grabbing the doorknob to leave, though, Asuka turned with newfound vigour:

"Can I just say though, that if somewhere down the line we find out that Blue is an alien, I'm totally calling it right now."

Facepalming, Shinji nodded as Asuka stepped outside. "Noted, Asuka."

"Mark my words!" Her voice disappeared as the door slammed shut.

...

A silence emerged as the two remaining occupants of the apartment stared at the recently closed door.

"...hey, Rei?"

"Yes?"

"I know I said I was off limits... but you haven't been delving into her mind... have you?

"No, although it has been tempting."

"Yeah... I don't think I'd be able to resist."

"...so, shall I?"

"N-no!"

Sitting and playing video games, Shinji Ikari tried his best to ignore the noises coming from his bathroom. Of course, most of the noise was from Asuka, who was busy laughing and giggling away. Rei, meanwhile, was only heard through the occasional talking or questioning. Shinji could do little but speculate what exactly they were talking about, their words hopelessly muffled by the bathroom door.

Part of me thinks I should be weirded out by this... but by now it's almost like we've become some... messed up family unit. Shinji thought, sighing at himself. It's been what, a month? What happened to my cozy life?

Of course he wanted to complain. But he knew at the end of the day, this was all his doing. His choices. His... friend. His Sister.

If there was some things Shinji could be thankful for, though, it'd be that Rei's hiding here had been wholly uneventful, and that Asuka apparently remembered nothing of their messy night together. Nothing... important, at least. These two things combined lead to their somehow being some semblance of peace amongst their strange household of misfits and broken-folk.

Shinji found himself wishing, yet again, that Kaji was still around to offer some guidance. It was a naïve desire though, he knew...

"Ta-Da!"

Asuka's voice, alongside the abrupt opening of his bathroom door, let Shinji know that Asuka was finished doing... whatever it was she was doing. He had a good idea, of course, but the amount of fun she seemed to be having was making his mind wander.

Turning around, Shinji found himself face-to-face with... "The new Rei!"

Asuka sounded excited saying this, and practically grabbed Rei's arm to force her to twirl. Rei was wearing now wearing one of Asuka's sundresses, and it fluttered as she spun in place, her face confused.

Her face, of course, was the bigger concern. Rei's hair was now brown, and her eyes a darker shade of the same.

Shinji went to say something; one of the numerous pre-planned compliments he had devised while he waited for them to finish up.

'You look great!'

'Wow, it's so different!'

'Awesome!'

..but none of that came out. Nothing did. Shinji found himself instead stuck on a thought, a nagging feeling that he couldn't escape. Somehow... somehow, Shinji felt even more creeped out than before.

"Uh, hey Shinji... stop gawking and say something." Asuka reminded him, snapping at the air in front of his face. "Hell, this is a tad more conservative a look, don't'cha think? What's got you all flustered?"

Shinji forced himself out of his thoughts.

"U-uh, sorry, Rei." Shinji apologized, feeling a bit of a cold sweat. "Just... I think I was just used to the... old you. You look, erm, nice, though."

Silence.

"And now, Rei, is when you say 'thank you'!" Asuka added, exasperated.

"Thank you, Shinji." Rei replies, face unchanging.

Silence.

Asuka shook her head, sighing.

"Christ, you guys are awkward."