Chapter 15
"A werewolf?" Rei asked, "You mean like, you see a full moon, you turn into a raving, drooling—,"
"Hey!" Shinji interrupted, "I don't drool, okay? I'm in full control of myself at night."
"Sorry," said Rei, "But…a werewolf? When did reality become a science-fiction novel? How long have you been…?"
"A monster?" Shinji asked, his tone level, "Rei…God, how can I even begin to explain this?"
"How about the truth?" Rei said.
"The truth," Shinji said quietly, "What a terrible thing it is. The truth is: I've been a werewolf for…my whole life, I guess."
"Then, you've been turning into a wolf for--?"
"Just a couple of days," Shinji said, "Since I turned 18."
"But you said that you've been a werewolf for your whole life," Rei said, confused, "Does that mean you've just not been transforming?"
"It's hard to explain," Shinji said, feeling frustrated, "Especially when you don't really understand it, yourself. What I do know is that I'm a type of werewolf called a 'bornling'. But even that's not a full definition of what I am, since most bornlings transform from birth for their whole lives. I'm…special, for lack of a better word. I was told by another werewolf, who tried to kill us, that I'm an anomaly among werewolves."
"That one that tried to kill us was the one that attacked you, Rei," Misato chimed in.
"I remember him," Rei said, "He snuck into my room last night through my window. At first, I thought it might have been Shinji, sneaking in to see me. I know that you and Misato are seeing each other, Shinji, but…you know…a girl can hope…"
Rei added the last part and blushed furiously. After an awkward pause, Rei continued:
"Anyway, when I turned on my bedside lamp, it wasn't Shinji. It was some guy with long, brown hair and a scruffy face. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out of bed, saying: 'Let's see how long it takes Ikari to find you.' Then, he turned into this giant, hairy beast and bit me in the throat. Oh, god, I can still feel his fangs in my neck!"
Rei's hand shot to her throat and her eyes widened. She shook with terror at the memory of her attack. Shinji pulled Rei into his arms and held the shaking girl close. Misato, too, put her arms around Rei and Shinji and joined in the group hug. Rei actually cried a little bit before composing herself. She huddled closely in Shinji's embrace, feeling very safe while she was so near him. Eventually, Shinji released her and instead stood very close to her.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"Before waking up in the hospital?" Rei asked, "All I remember is seeing another giant wolf standing over me, and hearing someone saying that it was you under all of the fur. I guess they were right. And the more I think about it, the more I'm realizing that it was you, Shinji. The werewolf's fur was the same color as your hair, and when I looked into its eyes, they were the same deep shade of blue that yours are."
"Yeah, it was me," said Shinji, "I came back to try and save you. The wound in your neck that Kaji inflicted, it wouldn't stop bleeding. The doctors didn't know what to do. I went to Kensuke's house and did some research on the 'Net and found a cure for werewolf bites. That's why I let you see my werewolf side. I had to bite your neck in the same spot that Kaji did, and then I had to mix my blood into yours. After I did that, your monitors flat-lined. You died, Rei, and I thought that it was because of what I did."
"And that's why you were going to jump off of the roof?" Rei asked, "Because you felt guilty about me?"
"I wanted to apologize to you in person, Rei," Shinji said quietly, "Although, now that I think about it, I feel really stupid for trying it. I would have broken Misato's heart for my own selfish reasons. How did you survive, anyway?"
"I didn't know that I died," Rei replied, "I had a dream that I was floating, naked, on a red ocean in a small boat. The longer I sat, the lower into the water the boat sank until I was treading water in a sea that stank like blood. All of a sudden, this giant, tentacled thing emerged from the sea and wrapped one of its slimy limbs around my leg and pulled me up out of the water. The thing threw me through the air. I landed hard back into the water and sank down deeply under the surface. I swam back towards the surface, but I got some of the water in my mouth, and it tasted like blood. It made me want to throw up. Before I reached the surface, I felt another of the monster's tentacles grab me around the waist and hold me under. I tasted the blood; filling my mouth and running down my throat into my lungs. Suddenly, I felt myself lying on a white-sand beach. The tentacle creature was dead, floating in a puddle some feet away. I was being helped to my feet by a large wolf. It smiled at me. As the wolf pulled me to my feet, everything faded to white. I woke up soon after that, and the first thing I could think of was finding you, Shinji. And so, here I am."
"Yes, here you are," Shinji repeated.
"We should head back inside before the hospital's security staff starts looking for us," said Misato.
"Yeah," Rei said reluctantly, "well. That means I have to let all of those doctors do all of the tests that they want to do on me. Apparently, they're as interested in why I'm alive as you are, Shinji."
The doctors can say what they like, but I know that the reason Rei's alive can't be explained by conventional medicine, Shinji thought, I'd better put in a call for some more research.
As the trio walked back down to the ICU ward, Shinji pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call to Kensuke.
"Kensuke? Yeah, this is Shinji. Sorry this is so early, but I need some more research done. Uh-huh. Yeah, could you look up the same cure for werewolf bites that we found a little while ago and cross-reference it with side-effects and reactions to the treatment? When you find it, bring a hard copy over to the hospital and find me in the waiting room. Thanks."
Shinji hung up his phone. By this time, the trio had reached the lower floors and found the trio of doctors waiting impatiently. Rei looked back at Shinji. Then, with a great deal of reluctance, she walked over to the doctors and said:
"Do you still want to run those tests?"
"We certainly do," said the older doctor, "if you'll follow us this way, dear."
"Misato, could you go with her?" Shinji asked, "I'm sorta waiting for someone to show up."
"Shinji, please?" Rei pleaded, "I want you to come with me."
"I can't Rei, I'm sorry," Shinji said, looking her in the eyes apologetically, "I'm waiting on some information from Kensuke, and I said I'd meet him in the waiting room."
"Come on, Rei," Misato said motherly, "We'll be fine without him. I'm sure this won't take too terribly long."
Rei allowed Misato to steer her down the hall. While she walked, though, Rei had her eyes fixed resolutely on Shinji. Shinji did his best to look reassuring and nodded in a confident manner. Rei finally turned away and walked down the hallway. Shinji shook his head, a melancholy feeling descending on him. Then, he turned and walked out to the hospital's waiting room. Twenty minutes later, Shinji saw Kensuke walk through the hospital doors and got up to meet him.
"Did you get it?" Shinji asked, "The information I asked you for?"
"Don't I always deliver?" Kensuke asked, a smug smile crossing his features.
"Yeah, you're like the mailman," Shinji joked dryly, "Let's see what you got."
"There wasn't much," Kensuke admitted, handing Shinji ten pages of computer print-outs.
"This is all you were able to find?" Shinji asked, dumbstruck.
"After sorting through all the layers of bullshit that was masquerading as information, yes," Kensuke replied, "Sorry, man, but there just isn't all that much real information out there about werewolves. I don't even see why this is so important to you, anyway. I mean what; did Rei get bitten by one or something?"
"Yeah, she did," Shinji said seriously, "It damn near killed her. That's why I needed information on a cure in the first place. There was something in the werewolf's saliva that kept her wound bleeding. Any longer, and she would have bled to death, despite the doctors' efforts."
"Wow, heavy," Kensuke sighed, "Well, I hope there's something in there that will help you. Is Rei all right?"
"She's fine," Shinji replied, "For a little while, there, I thought she wouldn't make it. But she pulled through. The doctors are examining her right now to make sure she's all right."
Shinji hated to lie to Kensuke like that, but he couldn't risk more rumors leaking around the neighborhood about what happened that night. There was too great a chance that there would be others, like Kaji, who wished to harm either Shinji or those closest to him.
"So, this is all that there was," Shinji said thoughtfully, scanning through the papers, "Yeah. It starts with the article that I read to find the cure, and it expands from there. Hmm…here's something. 'The victim of the werewolf bite, depending on their condition at the time the treatment is administered, may react in different ways. Though the treatment is the only effective way to neutralize the effects of werewolf venom, the treatment is a shock to the system of the person receiving it. If the bite victim is treated quickly, they will only lose consciousness for a short time. But, the more time that elapses, the more severe the shock to the victim's system will be. For example: if the victim is nearer death than life, the victim's vital signs may disappear for a short time.'"
Well, Shinji thought, that explains a lot.
"Thanks again, Kensuke," said Shinji, shaking hands with the sandy-haired boy.
"No problem," said Kensuke, "After all, this is my calling in life."
Kensuke turned and walked out of the hospital doors. A few minutes later, Misato and Rei came walking down the hall and found Shinji. Rei and Misato were giggling about something. Shinji raised a questioning eyebrow, only to be met with Misato waving her hand as if to say "it's nothing important".
"So," Shinji said, "the M.D.s are all through poking and prodding, are they?"
"Yeah," said Rei, "Can we go home, now? I'm bushed, and I'm sick of these hospital pajamas."
"My car's right outside," Misato said, "How fast do you think I can get us back to the cul-de-sac?"
Shinji knew better than to answer Misato. If either he or Rei answered the question, Misato would take it as a challenge. Rei seemed reluctant to answer as well. Clearly, she knew of Misato's driving habits, too. Unfortunately, neither one of the two teens had to answer Misato to learn just how fast she could get to the cul-de-sac. The two teens tumbled out of the car, shaking from head to foot. Misato had gone from the hospital to Rei's house in less than three minutes; a trip that should normally have taken nearly ten minutes, travelling the speed limit.
"You want to ride back to the house, Shinji?" Misato asked.
"No!" Shinji said frantically, "I think I, uh…I think I'll walk."
"Okay," Misato said playfully, "but it'll take you a lot longer to get there than if you rode with me."
"Yeah, but at least I'd get there in one piece with the contents of my stomach still intact," Shinji muttered. Rei, who was much closer to Shinji than Misato was, heard what he said and giggled. She agreed with Shinji. It was much better to walk slowly than risk a heart attack riding with Misato. Misato sped off, leaving Shinji standing with Rei at her door.
"Well, I guess this is good night," Rei said awkwardly.
"Even though it's now technically morning," Shinji pointed out.
"Oh, shoot, that's right!" Rei gasped, "I've got to get back into my room before mom and dad wake up, and that will be soon! See you later, Shinji. Thanks again for saving me!"
Shinji, before he realized what was happening, felt Rei's lips find purchase against his own. And in the short time it took Shinji to register that she was kissing him, Rei broke away and slipped inside her house. This left Shinji standing on the sidewalk in the breaking dawn light feeling very confused about his feelings towards a certain blue-haired vixen. As Shinji walked towards the house he shared with Misato, he ran it over in his mind.
I thought Rei and I agreed that we couldn't be together at this particular time, Shinji thought, and yet, here she is making eyes at me still, and kissing me when Misato's not around to see. Does this mean that she still has feelings for me? Well, obviously it does. But why didn't she just come out and tell me that she still loved me? Women! Men will never be able to understand them. I know I sure as hell don't!