A/N: I would start a new story for each individual arc, but I want to see how many reviews I can get on this sucker. Further, I am going to include more Asuka sections, on the grounds that they get the best responses. And… uh… taking after J.G.'s NGE Season 2, we now have theme music!

Subtle V

"This is the fic that never ends!
It just goes on and on my friends!
These poor souls began reading it,
Not knowing what it was,
But they'll just keep reading forever because-"

Shinji was sitting at the desk, doing homework. Rei was sitting at the opposite chair, staring at him. He was getting use to it, but it was a little creepy.

"Don't you have any homework to do?" he asked, suddenly looking up.

"I finished it."

Shinji looked down at his work, and odd expression on his face. "Rei, this is advanced trigonometry. This can take mathematicians hours."

"It is simply numbers."

Shinji looked down at the mess of calculations on his paper. This was going nowhere. Sighing, he returned to his work. Fifteen minutes passed, and Rei was still staring at him. He was about to turn on the fan (Rei would stare at that for hours for reasons unknown), but she cut in with a surprising comment.

"I can finish it for you, Ikari." Shinji looked up. Rei was still looking at him, with a very odd look on her face.

"Excuse me?"

"I can finish this trigonometry homework for you, Ikari. It would be easily within my abilities." Shinji looked at her questioningly.

"Why?"

Rei continued to stare at him. "Sohryu-" She cut off abruptly. "I enjoy it," she said, blandly. Shinji was understandably suspicious. He hadn't heard of Rei enjoying anything, other than not dieing.

"What were you saying about Asuka?" he asked.

"I did not mention Pilot Sohryu," she responded, quickly. Too quickly.

"Yes you did."

"I did not."

Shinji pulled out the script. "See! It's right there in paragraph eleven!" Then, however, Shinji realized this is self-referential, and does not count.

"I assure you, I did not."

Shinji looked around, then at the homework. This was going nowhere fast. He was hesitant, but… He shoved it over to Rei's side of the table with a curt, "Don't tell Misato." As she filled in the answers, Shinji found that she was startlingly good at replicating his hand writing. She even got that subtle little sideways tilt on crossing the t's right. She quickly returned it to him. Staring at it, Shinji got up and returned to his room. He was placing the homework in his bag when he felt light breathing on his back. Looking over his shoulder, he saw was standing behind him, questionably close.

"Uh… Rei?"

"Yes, Shinji?"

Shinji started. This was the first time she did not address him simply as Ikari. "Uh Rei? Why have your speech patterns changed? And, uh… why are you trying to hug me?"

"Pilot Sohryu informed me that when one person does another's homework, it is a sign of undying love." She drew closer. Shinji backed into the desk.

"Uh… That might be true in Germany, but Germany's weird…"

"Why is the nation of Germany unusual?" Rei's advance continued.

"They attacked Poland because they thought it was looking at them funny!" Shinji had nowhere to run. Would he be the first boy to be raped by an albino Eva pilot with blue hair?

"Ikari, I want your love." If there was one thing creepier than Asuka and Gendo… Or maybe not. It's a close match.

"Uh… Look! The fan is on!" Rei abruptly turned around, and Shinji made a run for it. However, Rei grabbed him by the collar.

"If you do not wish for me, I will allow you to leave." Shinji stared into her eyes, which suddenly seemed sad. And when Rei puts on puppy eyes, she's hard to resist.

Shinji stared at her. "You want to be a couple?"

She nodded.

"With me?"

She nodded again, puppy eyes growing wider.

"And Asuka put you up to this?"

"I came to her for advice."

"Uh…"

"Let me love you, Ikari, please." Shinji could tell she was on the edge of tears. He'd never seen such a display of emotion from her. If he said no, she'd probably die over and over and over… until Gendo decided it wasn't worth the effort and just didn't resurrect her. Further, it's not like she'd make a bad girlfriend, but he couldn't really see himself settling down with her. However, those big, puppy eyes…

"Oh… alright." Her face moved back to neutrality, and she let go of his collar. There was a long, tense silence.

"What now?" Shinji asked.

"I do not know," Rei said. She stared at him. Shinji realized that, although she had feelings, she didn't know what to do with them.

"Do you want to go out for lunch?" She nodded. Shinji shrugged, dawned a coat, and headed out of the door, Rei in tow. They made there way to a corner diner and took a corner booth, corner's galore. Rei stared at him. Shinji stared back.

"How long have you piloted?" Shinji asked.

"As long as I can remember," said Rei.

There was a silence. "Is that why you are so quiet?"

"I am uncertain. Dr. Akagi once said that 'She's been piloting so long that her brain's turned to mash potatoes and her DNA's become a single helix', but I did not understand the expression."

Shinji considered explaining it to her, but decided against it. He tried to find out what other interest she had. "Uh… Do you have any interests beyond piloting?"

Rei considered. "I enjoy reading."

That would explain her straight A's in literature and philosophy. "Emmanuel Kant?"

"Yes, among others."

Another silence. OK, so maybe they didn't have anysimilar interests. There had something.

"I can play the cello," said Shinji, brightly.

But then Rei said something so shocking, so unexpected, that Shinji gagged. However, it did sound nice… pleasurable, even… and it suddenly seemed so… appealing. And I would tell it to you what it was…

BUT

Asuka was watching them from across the diner. "As Asuka's master ordered, Asuka shall watch the dummkopf for signs of treachery… yes… Asuka will serve her master well…" she muttered to herself, between taking inhumanly sized bites out of the prime ribs before her.

The two abruptly got up, Shinji paid the bill, and they left. Asuka jumped up and followed them, sneaking from hiding place along their path. Rei had a weird smile on her face. They stopped by the drug store, but before Asuka could follow them in, the exited. Shinji had a small, box-like object shunted in his pocket. Asuka may be a fries short of a happy meal, but she knew what to be suspicious of. Following them, she followed them to Misato's apparent. Peaking through a window, she saw Rei, a still with a weird grin on her face, and Shinji, blushing slightly, disappear into his bedroom. Asuka paled. But she had to get more intelligence before passing judgment, she knew that much. Putting on a display of superhuman agility, she ran around to the side of the building, and scaled its side with sheer speed. Climbing to the balcony, she found the door open.

"Asuka must be cautions in her superior's appartment," she muttered to herself. Climbing in through the door, she went over to the room and listened at the crack at the door. Panting. Heavy panting. Turning beet red, she stumbled back, eventually falling backwards over the balcony. Inexplicably, she survived. And, pulling out her mobile phone, she called Gendo.

"MASTER! MASTER! SHINJI'S DOING REI! SHINJI'S DOING REI!" she shouted into the receiver.