Asuka didn't sleep as well as she had hoped. She spent most of the night adjusting her covers, trying to find a position that was comfortable enough to rest. When she did manage to get some shuteye, she was only unconscious for an hour or two before she woke back up again.
She tried to pretend it was because she wasn't used to sleeping on a floor, but she knew the real answer had something to do with Rei. Most of the night was spent thinking about her, and occasionally examining one of the lewd photos she had taken.
But why was she so fixated? It's not like she felt bad about what she did. Asuka thought Rei deserved a little humiliation for being so unsociable. But she still couldn't get the quiet girl off of her mind.
Even though she was obsessing over the picture, in particular Rei's chest, she was unable to realize that she was attracted to her. Asuka grew up only ever crushing on guys, and the concept of liking a girl was alien to her. So she continued to stare, wondering why she liked the image so much.
Before she knew it, her alarm was going off. She reluctantly got up, groggy and more tired than she'd ever been. Passing through the divider that separated her sleeping area from the rest of the house, Asuka was surprised to see Shinji wolfing down his breakfast.
"You're an early bird today." He tried to speak, muffled by the food in his mouth, so he finished chewing. "I have to meet someone before school!" Asuka would've asked who, but she was too sleepy to care. She walked over to the cooler, filling a cup with cold water.
She didn't like coffee. It always made her sleepier than she was before she drank it. Plus, only Misato knew how to work the machine, and she was usually asleep for another few hours. She guzzled the water, trying to let the cold wake her body up.
"See you in class!" "H-huh?" Asuka turned around, only to see Shinji bolt out the door with his backpack on. Wow, he's in a hurry. She probed around the kitchen, eventually settling on an apple for breakfast.
Rei wasn't looking forward to class when she got up. It was the last day of the week, which was nice, but she was still anxious regarding what would happen when she got there, thinking about more harassing letters waiting for her in her locker.
Even worse was the memory of the nightmare she had. Rei dreamt that she was summoned to NERV in preparation of an angel attack, only to find all of the staff looking at the pictures, mocking her.
And above that, Gendo Ikari refused to see her. She kept knocking on his office door, only to be ignored. When the angel surfaced, Shinji and Asuka were deployed, but she and her Unit 00 were held back, forbidden from combat.
She awoke drenched in sweat, a few hours before her alarm. It was one of the more vivid dreams she had had in the last while, and it chilled her. Rei was forced to rotate her sheets off of her old mattress, reorienting them so she could sleep without feeling the sweat on her skin.
Though she tried not to dwell on it, she found herself guessing who took the pictures of her. It had to have been someone in the locker room that day; this fact didn't help her, as she didn't see anyone else.
They were probably female, considering they were in the locker room. It would've been hard to slip in and out without being caught by a girl, or school staff, especially with a camera. Her mind had wandered to Asuka, which seemed like a reasonable guess because of the enmity the German girl had for her.
Why does she hate me so much? Rei hadn't treated her any differently than anyone else. She just wasn't trying to be her friend. For some reason, Asuka couldn't stand that. Everyone in the school likes her. Why does she care if I do?
She was slower than usual to put on her uniform. But she managed. Deciding to skip breakfast, she grabbed her bookbag to leave. When she got out of the door, she turned around to lock it, before someone called her.
"Hey, Ayanami!" Fearing the worst, Rei spun around, only to be greeted by Shinji, happily smiling. She didn't want company, but she supposed Shinji was probably the friendliest person she would meet from the school right now.
"What is it?" "I-I was just wondering, did you want to walk to school together?" She stared at him, trying to read his intensions, unnerving him in the process. Wow, her eyes are intense…
"Okay." The single word made Shinji's heart jump, and she walked past him. He was standing still, caught off guard, so she had to call him. "Hurry." "O-oh, right!" Running up to her, they moved together, matching each other's pace with relative ease.
Rei didn't say much. Nothing at all, in fact. Shinji wondered if she was upset with him for some reason, before remembering she was generally like this. Feeling the inside of his pocket, he was still holding onto the locker room picture that he had gotten off Aida the day before.
"Hey, stop for a second." They were on a public sidewalk, but no one was around this early. Rei blinked at him, before he took the photo out of his pocket. At first, she looked angry, and moved as if she was going to hit him. Shinji jumped back.
"W-wait! It's not what you think. I found this yesterday. I was wondering if you wanted to take it to the principal, or something, to report it." He offered the photograph towards her, and she stopped.
She grabbed it from him, giving it a quick look. "Oh." Rei thought about it for a moment. If she brought it to administration, it'd likely solve nothing. They wouldn't know who took them. It would just draw more attention onto her, and she didn't want that.
So she ripped it, quickly. She shredded it into six different strips, before balling it up and throwing it over the wall next to them. Shinji looked at her, surprised. "I don't really care who took them."
Shinji nodded, and she continued walking. He didn't have to do that. He could've let the photo float around the school. Why does he care? Puzzled, Rei decided to ask. "Shinji?"
"Y-yes?" "Why did you hold onto the photo?" He gulped. "Well, I-I just thought that if I had it, and gave it to you, it would mean no one else would see them." He thought he saw the faintest smile creep on her face. "Thank you." She spoke softly, and continued to walk. Oh man… Shinji glowed.
Aida and Suzuhara had been teasing him ever since he had came to the school about having a thing for Ayanami. And maybe he did. He wasn't obsessed with her body, and he didn't fantasize about her. But he saw vulnerability in her. Something she masked in her cold exterior. It was what intrigued him. And having her show affection, even the slightest bit, made him feel amazing.
They didn't say anything for the rest of their walk. But that was good enough for him. At the very least, Rei had thanked him. She might have even seen a little bit of a friend in him. Maybe she'll want to spend more time with me? He took another look at Rei. Probably not…
Asuka was so fatigued, she could barely get to school. She had almost woken up Misato to drive her, but hoped the fresh air from a morning walk would wake her up. It did not. Not even close.
She felt like a snail, hopelessly trying to get to school before the bell rang. She did manage, just by a minute. Stumbling her way through class, she crashed into her chair, automatically setting her head down on the desk.
Trying to stay awake, she forced herself up. She did a quick glance around the room, trying to see where the teacher was, before she spotted Rei. Within a second, she suddenly had her energy back. Wow, she's cute today! Just as the thought manifested, she paused, wondering where it had come from.
Rei was sitting still, prepping to take notes for that morning. It was arguably the most boring thing someone could be doing, but Asuka was still fascinated. Deciding that the other girl needed a little more negative attention, she opted to pull a prank.
She grabbed liquid glue out of her bag. Asuka hadn't used it since she came to Japan, but she still kept it around, just in case there was a surprise art project. Then she got up, meticulously stepping her way over. Pulling up a chair from an unoccupied desk, she sat across from Rei.
"Oi." Looking up, Rei didn't say anything. At this point, she was only expecting more harassment from Asuka. So the other girl pushed, trying to get some response. "I, um, wanted to say I was sorry. About pointing your photoshoot out to the class."
Rei only blinked at her. "And your book, too." As she spoke, Asuka reached her hands under the desk, undoing the top of the glue. She began to pour it out in globs, making sure to only land it on Rei's skirt so the other girl didn't realize.
"You don't have to apologize." Rei wanted the conversation to be over. "But I do. I treated you terribly, for no real reason. I'm sorry, Ayanami." She had to hold in her laughter. She had managed to drain almost the entire bottle out onto Rei's clothes without her noticing.
"It's fine." Asuka pretended to be reflecting on her actions as she snuck the bottle back, putting the lid back on. "Okay. I just don't want you to feel like I hate you, or anything." She lied, pretending to be genuine to keep Rei distracted.
The girl nodded at her, and she moved back to her seat as the teacher entered the classroom. She checked the glue bottle over, and as she thought, almost the entire thing was empty. Asuka did a little pan back to Rei's seat. From under the desk, she could see her skirt covered in the glue, with some beginning to pool at her feet.
It took a few minutes for Rei to realize. Just as the teacher finished roll call, she shot up out of her seat. "W-w-what? What is this?" Everyone turned towards her, laughing as they the front of her skirt, and some of her skin, stained white.
Not fond of being interrupted, the teacher was harsh. "Ayanami! Is there a problem?" She stared back, mouth agape, with one hand dripping in glue as she tried to wipe it off her uniform. "Good lord. Go clean up!"
Rei left with a stumble, dripping a little trail of glue on her way out. The entire class was laughing, especially Asuka, who felt revitalized after embarrassing Rei once more. Shinji was the only exception, wearing a vague look of concern for his friend.
Twenty minutes later, she still hadn't come back. Asuka raised her hand, asking to use the restroom. She didn't find Rei in the closer one, and instead had to go to the less populated wing of the school to find her.
Rei didn't notice Asuka come in, too intent on scrubbing out the glue with paper towels and water, which wasn't helping very much. She was in only her underwear below the waist, holding the skirt over the sink as she cleaned. Asuka cleared her throat, getting Rei to turn around and look at her.
This time she spoke first. "You did this, didn't you?" She was far angrier than Asuka had previously seen. Her tone had none of the usual coolness. "Mhm." She grinned. "Why?!" Pacing around her, Asuka got a good look at her legs. She found herself growing a little excited.
"I thought it'd be funny." Rei opened her mouth a little, continuing to clean off the glue. "Are you alright? You seem a little mad, Ayanami." She continued to push. Asuka really wanted to see Rei snap.
"Leave me alone." "Or what?" Not knowing what to say, she stopped responding. Rei really didn't have anything to threaten Asuka with. Nor did she want to. So she grabbed her skirt, and though it was still dirtied and wet, she put it on.
She tried to push past and make her way out, but was grabbed by her arm. "Stop." Rei's tone was so sharp, it could cut something. Clearly she was enraged. "Jeesh, you're in some mood. Is it your time of the month?"
Rei ripped herself away from Asuka violently, and she gave way, letting her pass. If she bullied her anymore, the quiet girl might tell somebody. For now, she decided to leave it there, content with the fact that she had gotten her so angry. She smiled as Rei left the room in a hurry.
Two things became clear to Asuka then. One, she had some sort of crush on Rei. She didn't know whether it was an Eva pilot rivalry, or the fact that her hair was a color Asuka always liked. Maybe, she was just gorgeous. Regardless of the reason, she felt something for her.
And two, she had an evident sadistic side. Asuka had become incredibly aroused as she pushed Rei around, torturing her. The fact that she had the power to upset the quiet girl turned her on like she never thought possible.
Rei Ayanami… Why am I so into you? I've never been into another chick before. She took a breath. Not knowing how yet, Asuka resolved to push Rei over the breaking point in her next aggravation. She really wanted to see the blue haired girl snap. I'm going to melt that cold exterior…