"It was my fault. I'll take it over, if you want." Asuka shook her head in response to Misato's offer. "I'll do it. I need to see Rei anyway." "Did she answer the phone?" "She never does. I don't even she has it plugged in."
The loud conversation woke Shinji up earlier than he would like, considering it was Saturday morning. Still in his pajamas, he walked into the living area where the two women were discussing.
"Morning. What's going on?" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Asuka began tying her shoes. Misato spoke. "We had a little mix-up at the laundromat last night. Asuka ended up with Ayanami's uniform."
"Huh? Rei Ayanami?" "I saw her there last night, and offered to cover the washing for her, but I gave her Asuka's by mistake." Shinji blinked. "Oh, I see. Where are you going, Asuka?"
"Where do you think, dummy?" She finished tightening the remaining shoe before picking up the uniform on the chair. "You mean you're going to Rei's this early?" "Mhm." A little puzzled, he paused to think. "But… they're like the same uniform, right?"
Misato laughed, and Asuka's face grew a little red. "Leave it to a boy to not understand! I don't wanna wear the same clothes that were on that girl's body." She spoke with conviction, though she really wouldn't have minded it. Asuka just needed an excuse to see Rei.
Shinji let out a long sigh. "I guess you're right. Well, I'm gonna sleep a little longer." Misato, who was dialing in the coffee machine to finish at noon, nodded. "Same. Have fun, Asuka." Waving them off, she turned to leave before Shinji stopped her. "Oi, Asuka?" "Hm?" "Tell Rei I said hi."
Asuka took her time. What was normally a short walk turned into an entire journey as she took a deliberately long route, clutching Rei's uniform in her hand. What do I say, what do I say, what do I say…
She knew that it was time to apologize for how she had treated her, but she hadn't a clue how to go about it. Saying sorry wasn't her style. And given what she had done to Rei, it would have to be a great apology to make it up.
Why am I such an idiot? Regret was weighing heavily on her. It was a fun little way to express her feelings at first, but Asuka feared she had really hurt the other girl. It would take a lot of work to get her crush to see her as something other than a bully.
As she neared the end of the extended walk, she didn't have any new ideas. She opted to just apologize directly, and sincerely, hoping Rei would understand. Maybe she'll think it was sweet that I brought her uniform all this way?
Up another flight of stairs, down a walkway, and she was at Ayanami's door. She knocked once, receiving no answer. Asuka waited a few seconds, before banging her fist a little harder. Still no answer. So she hit the door again. Come on, you have got to be home, Rei…
Her hopes were validated as she heard the lock inside the door turn. Then another. Lastly, the chain slid out its carriage. The door opened, to reveal Rei, staring at her with nothing but a sheer sleeping gown on. It was obvious she had just woken up.
"Oh, h-hey…" Asuka tired not to stare, but it was difficult. "What?" "I, um, have your uniform. Misato mixed them up last night." Rei didn't respond, and so she shoved the fabric through the small gap between the door and the wall.
Unceremoniously, Rei took it, heading into her home. She came back a few seconds later with Asuka's uniform, stuffing it through the gap once more. As soon as Asuka had gotten it in her hands, Rei slammed the door, locking it back up.
Rei leaned against it after it was closed, breathing nervously. She had just had another nightmare similar to the one before, in which Asuka had humiliated her a variety of ways in front of the class. Having woken up to the girl pounding on her door had almost triggered a panic attack.
To her dismay though, Asuka hadn't left yet. She knocked again. "I'd like to talk to you, Rei. I-I mean, Ayanami." Rei heard her clearly, but continued to put her weight on the door, not wanting to open it.
"Look, I-I was a real bitch to you. I wanna say I'm sorry. For real." Rei didn't trust her. After all, the last time Asuka tried to apologize, she drenched her school uniform in glue. "Come on! Open the door."
Dammit. I went way too far, didn't I? "Rei, I'm really stupid sometimes. I didn't want to hurt you or anything. I just… Misato reminded me that we should be friends, and…"
She was cut off as Rei finally opened the door. This time, all the locks were removed. She didn't look happy about it, but she let Asuka come in. "Come in, before you wake my neighbors up."
Rei lead her inside, and Asuka shut the door behind her. Immediately something about the apartment struck her as odd. It was old, worn out, and filthy. There was used tissues piled up everywhere, many dirtied. Her clothing was all over the place, and…
"Would you like some water?" She was too focused on the horrendous living area to reply right away. "Asuka?" "O-oh, no, I'm okay." She nodded before filling up her own glass and sitting down on the thin couch that was tucked against the wall near the door. "Uh, were you going to change?"
The nightgown she was in was far too distracting for Asuka to focus, but Rei didn't get why. "No. We're both girls." "Okay, Rei – can I call you Rei?" "If you want." "What's with this place? It's…" "Good enough." Asuka took a seat next to her, a foot of space between them. "I'm sure NERV would allocate you new quarters, if you asked."
"Why would I want that?" "I mean, this place is pretty disgusting." Rei looked at her, not showing any particular emotion. "It's all I need." "I guess you're a minimalist, then?" She smiled, trying to break the tension with her joke, but the other girl didn't respond.
They were silent for a minute or two. "You said you needed to talk to me, Asuka." "Oh, right. Um…" She fidgeted, trying to find the correct words. "I was mean. For no reason at all. And I just… want to say I'm sorry, y'know? Like, I know I was terrible and all. But maybe we could be friends, if you wanted to…"
Rei had been looking away from her during her apology, and then made direct eye contact. Her eyes were wide, but she didn't seem unnerved. "Asuka?" "Y-yes?" "Were you the one that took the pictures of me undressing?"
She choked. S-shit… Do I tell her? A bead of sweat rolled down her face. It served as an indicator to Rei that she was the one who photographed her, but even still she waited for the other girl to speak. I need to know why.
"Well, y-yeah… I did." Asuka became unable to meet the other girl's eyes. "Why?" The question was painfully simple. How could she express herself? She quieted for another moment, trying to form a coherent sentence.
"Because, you're…" "What?" The German girl turned herself, forcing to look directly at Rei. She leaned in, ensuring she was close for extra emphasis. Taking a deep breath, she let it all go.
"YOU'RE PRETTY! You're really pretty. And it's FRUSTRATING. Like, I dunno. I just thought, maybe, if I could embarrass you by showing off how pretty you were, I would, like, feel better? I don't know! I don't really know. I'm just, so, so, sorry, Rei! It was messed up. It was…"
"You mean you're jealous of me?" Rei struggled to comprehend her. Why would Asuka be jealous? She's very beautiful, and far more popular than I am. What could she possibly envy?
"S-sure, yeah. I'm jealous." She used the lead to avoid confessing her crush. "Why?" "Dammit, Rei! Just stop asking questions!" Her face had grown redder and redder, now almost matching the shade of a ripe apple.
"My bad. I have no right to yell at you. I'm just… This is hard for me. Saying sorry, y'know." Rei nodded, then made an unexpected gesture. She reached her hand out. Asuka took it, hesitantly. "It's okay."
Is she really gonna let me off that easily? I can't believe it… "Your hand is very sweaty." "W-what?" Asuka pried it away from her and examined her palm, realizing she was sweating profusely. "Oh, sorry…"
"Thanks to you, my school life has gotten worse." "I know. I'm really sorry." Scratching the back of her head, she tried to be proactive. "When we're back on Monday, I'll help you track down the photos. We can get the guys holding them in trouble, or something."
For the first time that morning, Rei wore a smile. "That would be nice." "Oh, and, if you want, you can even snap some pics of me. It'll even things out, and…" Asuka was cut off by a wave and a headshake. "There's no reason for you to embarrass yourself."
Nodding, Asuka finally stood up. "Well, I've said what I needed to say, and you have your uniform. So I guess I'll leave you alone." About to turn away, she stopped in surprise as Rei began turning the outfit back and forth, inside and out.
"W-what are you doing?" She responded with a huge smile. "Just checking for glue!" They both managed to laugh. It was awkward, sure, but Asuka knowing that Rei had good humor about the ordeal relaxed her.
"Goodbye, Ayanami." She headed out, and just before the door, turned around. Rei was cross-legged on the floor, still just as stunning in her revealing clothing. "Oh, um, Shinji says hi." The girl let out a long exhale. "Tell him I say hi back."