Sighing audibly, the boy staggered down the road. He ducked into an alley way in a vain attempted to escape the heat. The narrow and shadowed pathway barely gave any comfort to the boy, the breeze was still hot. He walked between the buildings, his focus shifting back to his search. If he was lucky, Section 2 wouldn't jump on his ass when he found her. Hell, they'd probably shoot him dead if he even looked at the crimson eyed mistress. Still, nothing deterred him from his objective. He needed to find her no matter what.

He'd been walking for hours, appearing to be a lost soul, cursed to wander without a clear destination. A grin formed on his face, only he knew where his path would lead. His eyes glanced to the sky above, the daylight was slowly dimming. He burned through it quickly, not to his surprise considering how long he'd been walking for. Nevertheless, he pressed on.

Emerging from the alley, he scanned his new location. It seemed to be a more industrial type area. Giant cranes and machines loomed over head, they seemed to be asleep for the evening. Fog rolled throughout the place. Unfinished buildings where scattered about, looking like a graveyard of sorts with the cranes picking away at their corpses. As he stumbled in his heated stupor, the boy noticed something peculiar. No sign of any black suits, surprisingly, stalking around. Usually, Section 2 would have been keeping an eye on everything, but at the moment, the security seemed to be more lax. No one has acknowledge his presence yet. He knew he was somewhat of a ghost, no records of his entry into Tokyo-3 existed. The security, known as Section 2, would be none the wiser about his intention either. Just a harmless looking boy with cracked lips and in desperate need of sleep. The boy smiled to himself and walked down some stairs. He went along the lower pathway, until he heard somebody drop something near by. Turning another corner, he saw a folder on the ground and a girl stopped half way up another staircase. He grinned as he walked over to her. At long last, he found her.

It was another usual day for Rei, long and boring. Not that she minded or even cared. She just stared out the window, her mind wondered only to a select group of things. Mainly her duties at NERV and the Commander. The bell rung, letting her know it was time to leave. She moved robotically as she rose from her seat. With a sharp turn and a brisk pace, she left her class room. Rei Ayanami moved through the crowd with ease. No one seemed to acknowledge her existence, neither did she to them. Nameless faces that were of no use to Commander Ikari's project.

Leaving the building, Rei moved through the street. Gripping her folder to her chest. While she walked, it was if she was on rails, unable to deviate from a preset path. The bluenette blinked, not interacting with the world she existed in. Crossing streets and walking down stairs and entered the industrial district, a place she called home or, in reality, just lived there. The sky of blue darken into a deep navy, signaling that night was near. Rei wasn't too bothered by the thought of walking in the dark. She took another turn and kept on her path. The bluenette came across the same stairs that she always took and began her climb. Only for her foot to misstep, bumping against the concrete step, not quite lifting her foot high enough. Proving that she was no mere robot but, in fact, a human with a margin of error.

Her folder slipped from her grasp and smacked against the stairs, sliding down back to the bottom. Blinking, she turned calmly and stepped forward to retrieve it. Rei heard foot steps approach her, but she ignored them and reached for the folder. Another pale hand beat her to it. She looked up to see a boy with messy brown hair. Blood leaked from his cracked lips as he smiled at her.

"I believe this is yours." he said, his voice carried a strange light rasp to it.

She stared at him for a moment and blinked. Without a sound, she took the folder and turned away from him. The strange boy was already a distant memory to her. She walked off in the opposite direction of the boy.

"Hold on a second, Miss Ayanami, First Child of NERV." He spoke up.

Rei stopped abruptly. Her head turned slowly to look at him. She felt her heart leap into her throat, a relativity new feeling for the girl. Rei swallowed her heart back down and calmed herself. The gears in her head begun to grind as she tried to figure out this stranger. Who exactly was he?

The boy had to take a risk to get her attention and let some secret information slip. He smiled, thankfully she stopped. He had to figure out a way to get her to walk him through the font door without a hitch. The boy mentally kicked himself, he didn't just want to use Rei as a means to an end...like some people. No, he wanted her to have some benefits from this exchange, he would do something for her while he worked on his plan. Maybe try to build a relationship of some sort? A friendship, maybe? But that would have to wait for now.

"Yes, I know who you are." he spoke with false purpose. "Now, I think you're probably wondering how I would know such a thing, pilot of Unit-0."

He seemed to have gotten her full attention.

"I do not know who you are. Identify." she stated. Her voice soft yet assertive.

The boy smirked. "I am going to be your new Co-pilot, the Fourth Child. I believe the Third Child will be here within the following weeks if I'm not mistaken." He said. Truth be told he did not know the exact time of the young Ikari's arrival this time around.

Rei paused, Commander Ikari had mentioned the Third Child, but not in great detail. How did this random kid know of anything like that while she didn't? How did he know in general about her and NERV. She spoke shortly after. "I do not recall reading your file, nor was I made aware of your integration. How do you know of the Third Child?"

"The Third Child was to be expected, NERV only has one pilot at the moment. To make matters worse, you and your Eva don't get along, right?" He made sure she knew that he knew what went on behind close doors, making himself look as official as possible. "For who I am, I can't say honestly."

He paused, coming up with an answer, he continued. "Have you ever heard of the term Black Ink?"

She blinked then slowly nodded her head. Some of her history was blackened out from the public eye, was he the same? If this were true, then why didn't the Commander inform her of him?

"I don't have a name, nor do I have an ID or a birth certificate to speak of. I barely know anything about myself as it stands. I am here to do one thing and one thing only, pilot." He explained. "I'm sure you can understand this sentiment, right, Rei Ayanami? Well, that and your other mission. This is like what, your second attempt?" He verbally poked her. Once again hinting that he knew more than he was letting on.

This hint didn't go unnoticed. The boy caught her eyes dilating slightly in surprise. He seemed to have gotten to her. His heart was pounding in his chest, but he kept a straight face. He felt close to convincing her that he was with NERV or with something at least. The ball was in her court now.

Rei stood there, quietly. She did not know what to think. Was he lying? He couldn't have bluffed that, he knew too much information that was kept in the shadows and it appeared as if he knew even more. Was he similar to Mr. Kaji in that respect? Even the special inspector didn't know of the things this boy was leading her on to believe that he knew. She had to make sure that he was with NERV or an associate. How? That was the problem she faced. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw the boy suddenly flushed and wobble on his feet, he caught himself from falling over. Rei tilted her head in more confusion at his display of even stranger behavior.

"Heat." he said one word and one word alone.

Rei blinked at him.

"It's a little hotter than I was anticipating. I lived in Canada for a while, I'm not use to the heat of Tokyo-3 yet" He slurred.

Of all the things that the bluenette expected, this was not one of them. To her, it was pretty cool in the shade. It was almost comical to see him sway and drool lethargically. If she was a little more normal, she may have chuckled. But Rei didn't make a sound. She was focused on the prospects of the boy knowing her secrets. She stared at him for a long while, most people would have called her out for that or get creeped out, but the boy just stood there looking around. He did not seem all too bothered by her odd quirk. He looked to her again.

"It's getting rather late, would you like me to walk you home?" he offered.

"That is not necessary." She responded instantaneously, not missing a beat

"Well, that's unfortunate. I'm not comfortable letting you walk around an area like this at night, so...I'm just going to follow you to the door. Think of me like a escort." The boy smiled at her.

"You are concerned about my well being?" Rei tilted her head again.

"Yes."

Blinking, Rei stood in thought. She eventually allowed him to follow, finding that he was no threat to her physically, not yet at least. Maybe she could keep an eye on him for a bit longer, or even better, get more insight into this new situation.

The boy walked behind her, he sighed mentally. He was finally making some progress. As they walked, he noticed that she was indeed taller than him. In fact, most of the people around him were taller. Well, life isn't fair, that's just something he had to get use to. It was made worse by the the realization that he was a young adult...Maybe? Was he still a teen? The passage of time in memories that extend a few days ago got screwy real fast. He decided that once he drank alcohol for the first time, he would be an adult. A right of passage of sorts.

As the zombie-like boy was thinking of irrelevant things, he noticed a group of rough looking people huddled together, staring at Rei. In a smooth and swift motion he slung his arm around Rei and stood a little taller. He kept his head high and confident, he looked to the group and then back to the path in front of them. Treating them like normal people, even though one had a lead pipe firmly gripped in their hands. He made sure to keep Rei close, giving off the vibe that she was taken and her boyfriend would kick their ass for just looking at her the wrong way. Where the hell was Section 2 when you needed them...

The group of roughians turned to each other, going back to whatever it was they were doing. The boy sighed, he kept Rei close, much to her confusion. Better safe then sorry. She didn't object or care one way or another. As long as she got home, she was content. It took a little while to get to the derelict building, the First Child survived in.

Grimacing at the sight of the decrepit slab of metal and filth in front of him, he helped Rei to the door. The door loosely opened, squeaking on dying hinges. It was one thing to remember it, but it was something else to experience it. This hellhole was simply unacceptable. Breathing in the warm rank air, he lead Rei inside.

"So...this is it?" he asked, knowing the answer full well.

"Yes."

He stood there for a moment and sighed. He had to take another risk.

"I know this is sudden and I'm a stranger, but by any chance can I stay here for the night?" He hummed slightly, "I don't have a place to stay and no way of getting one. One of the many problems with being Black Inked, heh, heh. No money, no nothing."

Rei thought for a moment. Her eye brightened with an idea.

"Yes, you may stay." she accepted his request.

The girl saw an opportunity and took it. She wanted to keep a close eye on the boy and what better way to do that than to live with them? She could make sure he doesn't talk to others about the classified information he carried. This was perfect and tomorrow, she could take him to the Commander and get an official answer to this mess. She would find out if he was with NERV or not. She would find out if he presented a danger to Commander Ikari's project.

The boy said his thanks. Rei eyed him with curiosity, but ended up leaving for the bathroom. She wanted to have a shower and think further on the matter. She left the boy unattended.

Sitting on a rickety chair, the boy in question thought about what came next. There was no doubt that Rei wanted to tell the Commander about him, it really did break his heart to know that she was so loyal and unconditionally loving to a man who would never love her or respect her back. It made the boy absolutely livid just thinking about it. In the next day or so, it would all be better. Like a parasite, the boy would crawl his way through the bowls of NERV and finally get to initiate his plans and by god, he was going to take Rei with him. He would snip her strings and watch her dance on her own free will. Unfortunately, Gendo would never get to see such a beautiful display. Not if the boy had anything to say about it.

For the moment, however, he was just content listening to the shower and the occasional splash of water, letting him know that Rei was still alive and hadn't fallen down. Thirty minutes passed by. The boy heard the squeak of the faucet and the splashing die down. Sitting there, the boy looked around the room. Thinking about other pointless things. Sudden foot steps caught his attention. His gaze met with an...interesting sight. A fully nude Rei stood at the door way and stared at him. He quirked an eyebrow and gave a lopsided grin. His pale face coloured red.

"Um...Ayanami."

"Yes?"

"Why are you naked?" For some reason, He felt dumb for asking that.

"I have recently gotten out of the shower." she replied in a matter-of-fact fashion. Stating the obvious.

The boy sighed. "What I meant was, why aren't you covering up? Where's your towel?"

"My towel is in the dresser. Why must I cover up?" she genuinely asked.

"Well, some people may mistake your intentions. If you're not going to wear anything in, then at least do it in private."

"If I'm not mistaken, it's just the two of us. Isn't that private?"

"...Well, you're not wrong. But, that's a different kind of private."

Rei tilted her head in thought. The boy got up while she was thinking. He decided to get her towel for her. Pulling out the drawers, he found some fluffy white towels. Grabbing one, he carried it to her. She snapped out of her thoughts and reached for it. With a step forward, she slipped. Her foot gave way and slid, due to being wet on a flat surface. She fell, but suddenly stopped. She felt arms wrap around her, cradling her. She looked up to see the smiling face of the messy haired boy.

"Watch your step." He said with a chuckle.

Rei said nothing to this and stood back up. She took the towel from him, grabbing it gently and guiding it out of his hands, instead of just ripping it away from him. She dried her self off in front of him. The zombie boy looked away as she did, trying to look at anything else as she bent over to dry her feet. While avoiding a full moon, he spotted some pills and a cracked pair of glasses sitting on her dresser. This caught his attention. Deep in the recesses of his mind, he recalled a similar sight. It was under different circumstances, Rei's pillow was covered in blood and she was recovering from the injuries brought on by the cyclops known as Unit-0. This time however, Rei seemed to be okay. Well, okay enough for Rei standards anyways.

The nameless, soon to be, Fourth Child walked over to the dresser and picked up the glasses. He examined them for awhile, images appearing in his mind. Images of a smug smile resting behind clasped, gloved, hands. An unbelievable urge to crush the glasses shot through his body. Before he could continue that train of thought, soft slapping of feet quickly approached him. He glanced to over his shoulder to see Rei staring at him, she was closing distance between them. To an outsider, it would have looked like a normal Rei stare, but the boy knew better. It was subtle, but he caught on nonetheless. She was glaring at him with a new found anger. In response, the boy only smirked.

"Keeping something with sentimental value? How...unlike you Miss Ayanami" he said. His gaze met her glare head on.

He extended his hand out, offering up the glasses to her. She, without hesitation, attempted to snatch them. She grabbed them and pulled, only to find the boy hadn't let go yet. The glasses didn't budge in his grasp, the boy's firm hold didn't let up.

"Careful." he said with a low rasp to his voice.

It was a warning. A warning that Rei did not understand. Was he referring to the glasses or...something else? The boy released said glasses back into her custody. The girl looked to the cracked optical correctors in her hand, staring at them for a few seconds. Ultimately, she decided to place them, perfectly, back where they were. She turned her attention back to the boy to find him looking around, no longer interested in the exchange. Her eyes slightly narrowed. This boy was disrupting her routine, introducing an unknowable variable into her world of orderly repetition. She needed to figure out what his plans are and fast. The sooner the better.

With all of that being said, she was still undecided on what to do. He didn't seem to be hostile, her instincts weren't giving her the red alert of danger. She knew her instincts were not as strong as most people's, but they at least alerted her to immediate danger and kept her alive. The boy's intentions have not been shown to be malicious either, leaving the line between friend and foe blurry. He seemed innocent enough, but Rei knew better. Never underestimate your enemies. She was going to keep an eye on him and keep him real close until an answer was reached.

The boy turned his head to see Rei intently staring at him, still naked of course. He sighed.

"Ayanami, do you have any clothes or pajamas to put on?"

"Yes."

"...Okay, could you put them on? As beautiful as your body is, it's kinda awkward for me to have you running around naked."

Rei felt a sudden heat rush to her cheeks, turning them into a light pink. A word rung in her head as if a gong had been struck. Beautiful. No one had ever used a world like that to describe her. Not even her Commander. Why did that effect her this way? She was confused at her this new feeling. She blinked, then nodded. Moving over to the dresser and bending over to reach the bottom drawer. The boy quickly looked away, avoiding another full moon. The girl put on her underwear and pulled up her school skirt. She threw on her school shirt, completing the look.

The boy tilted his head. As to be expected, Rei didn't have any other clothes besides her school uniform. She would probable consider it pointless to go out and get more clothes, since these would suffice. This was the forced and ingrained minimalist life style she lived, if it wasn't needed, there was no use for it. That included some necessities as well. If the water was drinkable, that was enough. If the substance was edible, that was enough. The girl's standard of living was low. Too low for the boy's liking.

He stretched and gave a little yawn.

"I think it's about time to go to bed, we can discuss things further tomorrow if you wish."

"Yes." she responded.

The boy walked over to the wall and slid down it. He sat back and let his head droop forward, hanging lifeless. He could sleep anywhere really. Hell, he came to Toyko-3 stuffed in a suitcase and completely dislocated. Sleeping against a wall was a piece of cake compared to that. He was going to let Rei take the bed, it was a little small for the both of them. It looked more like a hospital cot than a bed, just as small as one too. His eyes shut, ready for sleep to take him. Until a sudden pressure tightened around his wrist. Opening his eyes, the boy felt himself being dragged across the floor. He looked up to see Rei pulling him, one of her hands wrapped around his wrist. She was a lot stronger than he originally thought. With a heave, the boy was tossed onto the cot like a wounded soldier. He blinked a few times in surprise. He turned his head towards the blue haired girl.

"Um...Why did you drag me to your bed?" He asked.

"I would like you to sleep here." She spoke.

"...Why?"

Rei did not answer. She pulled up a chair and sat down. The chair creaked under her weight. The boy looked to her for a second, but realized what was going on. She was going to watch him until he fell asleep. It made sense, he was a stranger after all and he made himself seem like a spy or something to that extent. He shrugged, as long as she got some sleep while she was at it, he was happy. Besides, he knew arguing with her was pointless. When Rei had her heart set on something, there was no swaying her. He just hoped once he fell asleep, she would do the same.

Sighing in defeat, he let his heavy eyelids close once again, allowing sleep to consume him.

He found himself in complete Darkness once again, he walked aimlessly around the void. Every foot step made a ripple as if he was standing in shallow water. He stopped when he heard a giggle. It sounded young, childish in some way. Turning around, he was faced with an odd sight. It was Rei, but a child version of her. She was holding a stuffed teddy bear and looking at him with big innocent eyes, She had a little smile as she stared at him. She giggled.

"Join me." She said.

"...What." The boy tilted his head.

"Become one with us, you don't have to reply, you can't deny me." The little girl giggled once more.

"Can't is a strong word, little Ayanami. I don't want to play with you. Sorry."

"That's okay, you don't have a choice."

"I don't want to play with you." He repeated. His voice was soft but carried authority.

The little girls pupils shrank as her smile widened.

"Why?"

Before the boy could retort, the little Rei started tearing up. Red liquid begun to spill from her eyes and mouth. She giggled uncontrollably as her back arched up with a loud sickening crack. Bulging, her back expanded like a lumpy balloon, until it split apart. Gargantuan white featherless wings unfolded from the girl's back. Causing red liquid to spew every which way. A massive white body pealed itself out of the little girl's smaller one, shedding away from the child, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. The titanous figure angled its head downward to the boy. Revealing that this massive pale body figure was another Rei.

The albino angel had its eye's closed. She was completely naked and her arms folded around her body, as if she were hugging herself. The boy narrowed his eyes at the towering giant. He barely noticed that his feet were submerged in a sea of red. As the boy looked on, the angelic titan leaned forward. Placing her hands on either side of him, keeping her balance. Her head came down to face him on an equal level. Rei opened her enormous eyes, exposing her black voids. Her pupils were a glimmering red, acting like a dancing stars drifting alone in space. A blackened grin stretched across her face.

"We will become one." She spoke in her usually soft voice.

"No." The boy said.

"We must."

"Why, why do you want me?" He asked.

"I wish...to feel whole again."

With that, Her throat swelled and rippled, as if something was coming up from her stomach. her face bugled outwards. Like there was disgusting tumor growing rapidly from underneath it. A red line split down the center of her face. Ripping in two, Rei's head gave way. Another entity exploded outwards. Replacing the face of Rei was the monstrous head of a familiar Evangelion. Unit-1. Her armor was bleached white with muscles and flesh exposed. A horn sat at the front of her helmet, giving of a strange feeling of nobility. Fish-like organic eyes bulged from the Unit's head, the sparkling emerald orbs were mesmerizing. It mouth opened into an expansive yawn, showing off her human teeth. An ungodly roar echoed from her mouth.

In a fast motion the Evangelion-Rei hybrid launched forward. The boy looked to the manifestation. His vision was focused on a singular point in font of him, down the throat of Unit-1. He found himself within the mouth of the Eva within seconds. The last thing he heard before his world went dark, was the sound of the beast swallowing her meal.

The boy slowly opened his heavy eyes. Bright daylight seeped into the rancid metallic room. He woke up sweating, but there was nothing cold about it. The heat of Toyko-3 struck back with vengeance. The true nightmare had begun.

He gaze fell upon the newly lite room around him, showing off the grim, filth, and rust that hid in the night. Turing his head he found Rei. She was staring at him once again, creases under her eyes made it clear to him that she didn't sleep a wink.

"...Well hello again, Ayanami." He greeted with a lazy grin.

"Good morning." she spoke as if her response was automated.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" He asked, fully knowing the answer.

"Irrelevant."

"Irrelevant my ass. Sleep is important damn it! You won't be able to function properly with out it."

"...Understood." She responded. Her soft voice slurred.

Exhaling, the boy threw his legs off the side of the cot and stood up. Today was going to be an interesting day indeed. If luck would have it, the boy would end up confronting the bastard king of NERV soon. A small smirk grew on his face. His gaze fell towards Rei, who was sitting in front of him. Her head bobbed slightly, indicating her exhaustion. Shaking his head, the boy stood up and walked over to the bluenette.

"Here, let me help you up." He said, extending a hand out to her.

"T-hat, that...O-okay." She relented.

With a shaky hand, she clasped his. He helped her sway to her feet. The boy allowed her to lean against him as she got her bearings. Rei stumbled away from him and made her way to the shower. He wondered if he should let her shower alone and with how unstable her footing was, she could fall or something. Just in case, the boy stayed by the open bathroom door, not looking in of course. He was many things, but a pervert wasn't one of them.

The splashing of the water signaled to him that Rei was still moving and hadn't fallen over. Around forty minutes passed by before, once again, a naked Ayanami wobbled out. He adverted his eyes to the best of his ability. The girl limply pulled on the drawer and took out a towel. Halfheartedly, she dried herself off. She pulled out her cloths for the day, but struggle to put them on. The boy eyed her with concern and walked over, giving her something to hold on to. Slowly, she managed to complete her outfit.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked while quirking an eyebrow.

"I am f-functional." She slurred.

"...That's not what I asked."

Rei looked to him and tilted her head. What was he asking then? Most people who asked about her well being only want to know if she was able to do a task or not. So, if he wasn't talking about her ability to do a task, then what was he talking about? Rei's brain was struggling to come up with an answer that satisfied. Her head felt light as if it was empty, thinking in general was becoming a difficult chore. Rei's mismatched thoughts where disrupted by the boy.

"So, what's the plan today?" He raised an eyebrow. Changing the conversation to something a little less thought provoking for Rei.

"We must see the Commander and discuss about you're arrival and integration into NERV. If you are to become the Fourth Child, Commander Ikari will know how to handle it correctly." Rei Replied.

"So...we're going to NERV?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go!" The boy shouted with enthusiasm.

The bluenette blinked and preceded to walk to the door.

"You have just arrived in Toyko-3, I will lead you to NERV"

Nodding, the boy followed behind her.

Leaving the dirty apartment, the two walked down the street together. The boy looked around, able to see his surroundings better now that it was day. As they left the industrial district, the zombie child noticed something that made him a bit unnerved. Black suits. His presence was known now. A man with sun glasses sat on a bench "reading" a newspaper. It was rather blatant and an overused disguise. Rolling his eyes the boy glanced around to see if there were more following him. It was no real surprise to find more skulking around.

Now that he was found out, the clock was ticking. If he was stopped now, he would kiss everyone's happy ending goodbye. But, luckily, they didn't seem too concerned about him … yet. The boy suspected that they were tailing him due to him being so close to Rei. As long as they kept their distance, he was happy.

Rei, on the other hand, was finding it increasingly difficult to think as time went on. Everything seemed hazy and muddled, Her limbs felt heavier as well. She trudged along mindlessly. Her ears shifted focus on the voice that was speaking, dragging he back into her senses. Rei glanced over to see the boy talking to her.

As the pair walked, the boy talked about all kinds of useless nonsense. Rei found it strangely alluring. She never had someone just talk to her or treat her like a person and she would be lying if she said she hated it. Normal, that was how this boy treated her. Even though everything that he said was hinting at the fact that he knew she was anything but normal. It didn't make sense to Rei but, she was too tired to care at that moment as her defences were pitifully low. It may have just been her exhaustion, but she started to look at the boy differently. His aura was calming to her, his babbling kept her attention. She was developing an addiction to him. The way he smiled at her didn't help her feelings either. She wasn't aware that she could even feel these new emotions. Rei's tired mind didn't want to let them go. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, the warmth and comfort was alien to the blue haired girl.

The bluenette studied the boy's face, eyeing his smile. Blood was seen leaking from his cracked lips. Why did he smile at her when it hurt him? Her mind wondered to another smile. The smile of her Commander. She remembered that expression with great detail, cherishing the memory like it was her everything. She saw Commander Ikari's smile, but no comfort was felt as one world rang in the back of her mind. Careful. The boy's voice echoed with in her every time she though of the Commander. She tried to crawl at the memories but found no warmth that she once though she felt. Rei compared the two images in her head, but there was no composition. The boy seemed to smile for the sake of it, that was something that she thought was special. Unlike the Commander, whose smile had an ulterior motive behind it. When she looked at the careless toothy grin the boy had, a new heat brushed her cheeks as if she was sitting by a cozy campfire.

Rei, without thinking, slowed down her walking speed and matched pace with her relatively new companion. The girl didn't understand why she took such interest in the boy, but … it just felt good to be around him. Her mind had no argument with that sentiment, Rei was too loopy to think of any rules or orders to follow that prohibited her having a … friend? Was he her friend? For some reason, Rei wanted him to be. Good god was she tired.

The boy noticed a twinkle in Rei's eyes, it was a first for him. He had never seen that from her, but there it was. Rei's crimson gems glimmered with something new. He shrugged and chalked it up to be her eyes watering from exhaustion. It couldn't have been anything more than that, right? It was too short of a time period for Rei to have any real connection to him, but this wasn't the world he remembered. Things were going to be different. Rei still seemed like the Rei of old so far, but only time would tell. As he looked back to the girl, he saw a ghost of a smile on her face. Her expression was softer then the previous day, instead of a conservative atmosphere around her, she was more … friendly. This confused the boy.

Eventually, they reached the train station. Sitting side by side, the boy looked out the window to take in the sites of Tokyo-3. It was still a marvel to him, how everything worked, the people, … NERV. There was something to be said about it, but in the end, the boy didn't care enough to say. Turning his head around, he noticed Rei's head bobbing. Poor girl was about to pass out. The boy let the bluenette fall on his shoulder, sure enough, she was out cold. He would let her sleep, waking her up once they reached their destination. He ran a hand through her hair, stroking the silky strands. She murmured and pressed closer to him. She must have been really tired to allow anything like this to happen. He felt a little moisture on his shoulder. Looking down at the peaceful sleeping face of Rei, he noticed she was drooling on him. Shaking his head, the boy smiled. She would probably smack him for being to close once she woke up, but for now, he would enjoy the peacefulness of moment.

They would get to NERV in about fifteen minutes. He he had the time to think. He thought about Rei for the most part. The boy had never really seen a tired Rei before, it was interesting to say the least. For this Rei, he had no idea where she was on the scale of socially ineptitude. Considering Rei's disposition, the naked stuff from before, was normal. But what else didn't she know? The few bluenettes before this one, always had a strange quirk about them. He could recall a few who were basically living dolls who didn't really think, all they did was what they were told to do. Luckily, this one leaning against him wasn't that far gone. She actually had a thought process and a form of emotion. Her capability for expression were still lacking, the usual for a Rei. Since she was able to think and feel, somewhat, maybe he could become friends with this Rei. Unfortunately, he gained a lot of suspicion with his secret knowledge stunt from the night before. But, once he became the Fourth Child officially, maybe then she could ease up around him. He could only hope.

The train slowed to a stop. The boy shook the sleeping girl lightly causing her eyes to flutter open. She looked up at him, leaving a strand of saliva bridging between his shoulder and her lips. The bluenette sat up straight and looked around. The creases under her eyes lessened, but still noticeable. She stood up and proceeded to walk to the open doors of the train. The boy sighed, back to the normal less friendly Rei it seemed. He followed shortly behind her.

Walking for a few minutes, they came across a row of turnstiles leading to sealed entrances with numbers written on them. Rei swiped her card through one that had "Gate 07" written on it. A ding of approval rang out as the gate in front of her hissed and proceeded to open. A burst of air pushed past the girl, causing her skirt to billow. The crimson-eyed bluenette briskly entered through the turnstile, it ratcheted as it turned, letting Rei pass. She stopped as she heard a slight chuckle behind her. Looking back, she saw the boy rubbing the back of his head. His pockets were pulled out.

"Remember the whole black ink thing, heh, heh, yeah … I don't have a wallet or entry card." He said. He acted as embarrassed as he possibly could.

Rei only blinked at him. With a swift motion, she scanned her card again. Another ding sounded as the turnstile let the boy through.

" … Thanks, Rei." He said. Showing some of his bashfulness.

She didn't reply and simply turned on her heal and proceeded to walk away from him. Leaving the boy in her wake, slowly following in her brisk foot steps.

Through the front doors they went. The boy smiled. He finally got into NERV. Now … all he needed to do was talk to the bastard king himself. That was going to be an interesting conversation indeed.