**************
The Crimson Tenshi
by Rei Himura
**************
Disclaimer: Rei belongs to Gainax, FY belongs to Watase Yuu.
**************
Epilogue: How could it be? This is not the end... or is it?
**************
"Ayanami?" Ikari Shinji blinked as he walked past a ward. He moved a few paces back and found the blue-haired girl sitting at the edge of the hospital bed. She was looking down, at the white tiles, humming a soft tune. He moved into the room and waited for her to look up.
"Ayanami?"
"Ikari-kun..." Rei looked up at the fourteen-year old warm-blooded male, a sad nostalgic look on her face.
"I was so worried about you! Then all the Intelligence guys swept the whole of Japan looking for you. Where did you go?" his voice was almost frantic and he had abandoned his book bag and was now sitting beside her. She gave him yet another sad smile. Shinji was puzzled. This was so not Ayanami. Ayanami didn't smile. At least when she did, it was after a battle when she could have died.
"I went to meet a soul mate." came the whispered reply. Rei got up and walked towards the window. Outside, sunlight had touched the rooftops of the buildings in Tokyo-3. An enormous cave-in sat in the city centre, prior to the last and recent Angel attack. Her fingertips trailed the window pane, sliding down until they rested on the sill. Shinji blinked. He didn't understand what the First Child had just said.
**********
"Chichiri! Chichiri!" Miaka shouted and pranced about looking for the blue-haired monk. He was seated above her, on the branch of a tree. He would have been laughing at her antics to find it , but he realised he was in no mood to do so.
Why did you leave?
Why so soon?
His fingers reached his lips, recalling the soft pair that he had kissed a few days back. He closed his eyes and leaned back.
Why was Kami-sama doing this? Always playing around with him. What pawn was he in what kind of game? Couldn't they just leave him be?
He opened his eyes and then took out his kasa before stepping into it. Whatever it was, he would never forget it. He would never forget her.
Not when he knew he had found the one.
*************
"Wondergirl seems to be occupied the past few days." Souryuu Asuka Langley hissed through gritted teeth. Shinji merely nodded his head. The pair trailed behind te enigmatic blue-haired female as she walked on in the direction of school. Usually she just looked straight ahead, oblivious to the sights and scenery which surrounded her. But suddenly, she paused every now and then to look at birds, at trees and even at people as they brushed past her in their hurry to get to work. She even greeted a few with her trademark forlorn smile.
It was all too weird.
"Must have been the trip. She disappeared for a week right Shinji?" Asuka whispered into Shinji. When she received no grunt of approval, she elbowed him and the latter coughed.
"What the *cough* hell are you *cough* trying *cough* to do Asuka?" he hissed back, eyes glued onto Rei as she stopped to look at a squirrel climbing a tree.
"I said, something happened while she was away." growled Asuka. Shinji shrugged.
"How would I know?" came the annoyed response.
"Well you were with her when she went *poof* just like that." argued back the red-head. Shinji rolled his eyes.
"So what if I was? All I did was kiss her and then she was suddenly-"
"You WHAT?!?!?!" Asuka widened her eyes in horror and shock. That blue-haired idiosyncratic female had -dared- to kiss the Third Child? How dare she... How dare she!!!
"I kissed her. Geez, what's your problem Asuka? Not as if you care to begin with." Shinji shrugged off and continued walking on ahead. Asuka recovered from her moment of shock and ran to catch up with him.
"Nothing. I'm just amused wondergirl would kiss -you-." she added haughtily. Shinji halted in his steps and spun around to face her. A look of anger etched onto his face as he glowered back at the German girl.
"What?" she asked, hands on hips.
"You know what Asuka? I think your jealous. Your jealous that I would kiss Rei and appreciate it a whole lot better than when I did kiss you. There was no holding of my nose, nor was there the gurgling of mouth when it was done. There was no utter revulsion on her part. She liked it. I liked it. You, obviously didn't." came the bitter response. Shinji turned back and ran up beside Rei. She turned to smile at him and he blushed back in response.
"Anything the matter Ikari-kun?" she asked innocently and then turned around to find Asuka seething. She faced Shinji again and blinked.
"Nothing Ayanami... nothing." he smiled back and the pair headed off to school.
************
"Chichiri!"
"What is it no da?" the monk turned to find the horrendously floating face of Taiitsukuun. He nearly jumped back and yelled 'eep' but kept his ground. He heaved a sigh of relief behind his mask.
"I have found the reason as to how and why the girl entered the book of the four gods."
"Oh... alright no da."
"We'll discuss this in the prayer room. Come now." Chichiri nodded his head and followed Taitsukuun to the room.
"So what is it no da?" he asked whene they finally reached and some NyanNyans served them tea. Taitsukuun leaned back before speaking.
"She arrived here out of her own free will."
"Free will? How is that possible no da?"
"Please let me continue." the hag responded. Chichiri nodded his head and took a sip of his tea.
"She came here of her own free will. How it happened, I don't quite know. Somewhere and somehow, she was able to foster a connection with this world. One of the reasons was perhaps she had travelled here during an astral journey and opened a link to this world."
"An astral link? She dreamt of coming here no da?"
"Most possible."
"Does this mean she can return?" Chichiri's voice was eager. Rei could come back. Rei could return. She possibly would. Then he would tell her, he would ask her to stay and not go back. He didn't want her to.
"Well I think so... anything the matter Chichiri?" Taitsukuun leaned forward. Chichiri shook his head.
"Nothing no da. I'm alright no da."
"But even so, there's still the explaining of why she came here. Or why she chose to come here. It seems that in her astral journey, her astral projection liked it here. Thus creating a link." Chichiri nodded his head. She liked it here. But which part of here did she like?
"So what do we do now no da? She returned back to where she came."
"Well... we don't know her true intentions. We don't know whether she's on the good side of the bad side. Maybe another trick of the Seiryuu." She's not like that. She;s not evil at all. She's Rei. Rei Ayanami.
"Oh yes... and I think that young ruler of Kounam has another meeting with the seishii. Better get going."
"Yes no da." getting up, the monk took off his kasa and jumped into it. Arriving in the palace courtyard in a matter of seconds.
****************
"Wow... I didn't know Ayanami could play that well." one the the girls commented as the pilot of Evangelion Unit 00 scored another goal in the basketball tournament.
"Yeah... she usually just sits and brood in that corner of hers." added another one.
"Yeah... she's changed hasn't she?"
"A lot." girl number 3 replied. The trio watched Ayanami grin and slap a few high-fives with her team mates.
"I don't think Asuka likes it though." they turned to face Asuka who was red in the face, seething with fury and anger. Her intense gaze was fixated on a certain blue-haired girl.
"How can you tell?"
"Well for one thing, she nearly ripped the basketball to shreds after Ayanami scored her twenty-seventh goal." the referee held on to the fifth ball, refusing to let Asuka hold on to it should she use it to vent her frustrations.
"Gee... she really doesn't like Ayanami does she?"
"No... but I heard she tried to make friends with Ayanami on the first day of school."
"What happened? I wasn't in school."
"Well, Ayanami said what for and she fumed."
"Whoa... Ayanami has attitude."
"Hey look, the boys are drooling again."
"Time we screamed some senses back into them." the group of girls giggled and then dispersed. Touji looked at Kensuke who looked at Shinji who was then watching Rei.
"Well... that doesn't explain the change in mute-girl's attitude." he drawled in his Osaka accent. Kensuke nodded his head.
"Yeah... something happened to Ayanami, released a lot of her pent-up frustrations and inner conflicts. She seems a changed person, this should have happened earlier. Can you imagine what she'd be like then? The whole Shinonome High male community would be at her feet. She's a very nice girl." when he had ended, Kensuke realised Touji and Shinji were looking at him oddly.
"What?" he narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Inner conflict? Pent-up emotions? Where'd you read that crap?" Touji asked as he cracked his knuckles.
"My mom's a psychiatrist remember. She spews this everytime during dinner time." replied the video-camera wielder.
"Ayanami has inner conflicts... why didn't I think of that." Shinji mused out loud.
"Think of what?" Asked Suzuhara and Aida together.
"Remember I told you about the freak unit testing of Unit 00?"
"Well... yeah... but it when berserk-" protested Kensuke.
"They said her mind was unstable."
"Well then, she's got a lot of things on her mind then." announced Touji. But he was as curious as Shinji as to what went on in the blue-head's mind. The trio looked at each other.
"Is it possible to ask Katsuragi-ichi?" asked Touji, he couldn't wait to meet the purple-haired beauty again. Just thinking of her made him salivate.
"Well... I could try. But she's working late again today." faces fell.
"Could we visit her?"
"Out of the question." came the curt reply. Another groan of rejection. The crowds cheered as Rei's team won the match and then began to disperse slowly, but not after congratulating the players.
*********
"Well Ritsuko?"
"What?"
"Anything on Rei?"
"Nothing really. Her disappearance was probably a chance for her to get away from Nerv."
"So how was it that she disappeared from Nerv in a matter of a few hours and -none- of Intelligence could find her?"
"Intelligence is dragging their arses again." Ritsuko replied and typed in a few more commands into her computer terminal. Misato stood beside her, sipping hot and freshly brewed coffee. Her mind was still pondering over Rei's disappearance. She got a nice hour long lecture from Fuyutsuki and Gendou about her job as to taking care of the pilots and tracking their whereabouts.
"And I thought my job was to just kick Angel's arse..." she muttered.
"What was that?" Ritsuko turned to face Misato.
"Nothing... just nothing. I'm going to the cafeteria. Care to join?"
"No thanks... I have work to do."
"Okay. Ja!"
************
Rei flopped onto her bed and looked up at the peeling ceiling. I should do something about it. She turned to her side and glanced at the mess of bloodied bandages on the floor. I should do something about that too. She turned on her stomach and looked at the wall.
"Chichiri..." she smiled to herself, recalling his smooth procelain features, the scar on his left eye and the mass of glossy and luxurious blue hair. She ran her fingers through her own blue hair. It felt smooth. She sighed and then closed her eyes.
"If only I could see you again..." Rei breathed in deeply, the room was warm before but suddenly it was cool. She felt herself floating, her body weightless. She cracked her eyes open a glimpse and then saw herlsef whizzing past a myriad of colours.
"What the...?" she uttered before a look of joy passed her face. Arms wide open, she ran into the welcoming figure.
*************
Fishing was his only solace. Away from the world, away from the harsh and cruelty of life. Oh he had experienced it before. The loss of the two most important people in his life. And now... the lost of a third. But hwo could he say it so soon? He didn't know Rei. Or at least he thought he didn't know much about her. Yet she knew almost everything there was about him. Why did she mean so much to him? What was it about her that attracted him so?
The smile. Ahh... the sad enigmatic smile that reminded him of his own as he often sat contemplating what would happen if he still had Riena.
The eyes. He had never seen anyone with such intense crimson eyes. Or crimson eyes to begin with for the matter.
Her glossy blue hair. Ironic wasn't it? That she nearly resembled him in the aspect of physiology. He recalled the way Nuriko had done her hair during the banquet. It had made her neck look longer and graceful, like that of a swan's.
Her face. Alright... so in general, everything was attractive to him. He fell for her, hook line and sinker. And he couldn't do anything about it. He looked out at the pond, the very pond she had been looking over on that fateful night. He sighed. Closing his eyes, he didn't relaize the temperature to drop suddenly, a gust of wind blowing through his hair. He turned, he gasped, he saw.
***************
"Rei..."
"Chichiri..."
"You came back no da."
"I know. I missed you." she had flung herself on him and he still found it quite hard to believe she was there. Slowly he moved away from her a little, looking at her from head to toe. She was the same as before, only her face more flushed. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a different version of her uniform when she first arrived. He leaned in and smelt her hair... lavender... She smiled at him and tiptoed to caress his face lightly with her delicate hands.
"Don't go back..."
"I won't. I don't want to."
"Good..." and the pair embraced each other in the waning sunlight.
*************
"Sir, this just arrived." Gendou looked up from his computer terminal and received a letter given to him. He adjusted his spectacles and scrutinised the envelope. It was addressed to him. He knew the handwriting. Rei...
"Well... what is it?" asked Fuyutsuki. He was seated across the man behind Nerv, fingers steepled, expression stern and hard. He watched Gendou open the envelope lightly and read its contents before placing it backon the table.
"Prepare Rei. Then send her to the test activation room." Fuyutsuki nodded his head. He understood. He may not have seen the letters contents, but he knew what it meant. He got up and left the room, not noticing an almost fatherly smile on Gendou's face.
************
"Now this was spooky."
"Yeah... three days ago she was Miss Popular and now, look, she's back to square one."
"I wonder what happened."
"Me too." the girls whispered and then hurried back to their seats as Asuka entered class, Shinji trailing behind her. All is back to normal. I'm still popular and I have Shinji wrapped around my finger. She smirked in Rei's direction but the girl ignored, choosing to look out the window.
************
"What about things back home?" Chichiri asked as he stroked her hair lightly. Rei plucked another grape and fed it to him.
"Everything's settled." he blinked back a response.
"You won't miss anyone?"
"I will..." recalling Ikari-kun, Rei smiled softly and then turned to face Chichiri and the placed a playful peck on his cheek.
"I know he understands... even if he doesn't quite know it." Chichiri's arms snaked around her slender waist and he dipped slightly to bite in her neck before trailing kisses to her nose, carefully avoiding her lips. He tickled her and she giggled, he took the exact moment to place a yearning kiss on her lips...
***********
For there never was a story of more complexity, love and joy, than of an Eva pilot named Ayanami Rei and a blue-haired male named Houjun.
**********
Author's Notes: Haha... I love my Rei and I love Chichiri. you didn't think they'd suffer now do you? I know you're itching to comment so go ahead. The review box is all yours. ^_^. A bizarre story of love dedicated to my online friend Polnareff. I think he'd least expect it but... here's your story bro!
[rei]
The Crimson Tenshi
by Rei Himura
**************
Disclaimer: Rei belongs to Gainax, FY belongs to Watase Yuu.
**************
Epilogue: How could it be? This is not the end... or is it?
**************
"Ayanami?" Ikari Shinji blinked as he walked past a ward. He moved a few paces back and found the blue-haired girl sitting at the edge of the hospital bed. She was looking down, at the white tiles, humming a soft tune. He moved into the room and waited for her to look up.
"Ayanami?"
"Ikari-kun..." Rei looked up at the fourteen-year old warm-blooded male, a sad nostalgic look on her face.
"I was so worried about you! Then all the Intelligence guys swept the whole of Japan looking for you. Where did you go?" his voice was almost frantic and he had abandoned his book bag and was now sitting beside her. She gave him yet another sad smile. Shinji was puzzled. This was so not Ayanami. Ayanami didn't smile. At least when she did, it was after a battle when she could have died.
"I went to meet a soul mate." came the whispered reply. Rei got up and walked towards the window. Outside, sunlight had touched the rooftops of the buildings in Tokyo-3. An enormous cave-in sat in the city centre, prior to the last and recent Angel attack. Her fingertips trailed the window pane, sliding down until they rested on the sill. Shinji blinked. He didn't understand what the First Child had just said.
**********
"Chichiri! Chichiri!" Miaka shouted and pranced about looking for the blue-haired monk. He was seated above her, on the branch of a tree. He would have been laughing at her antics to find it , but he realised he was in no mood to do so.
Why did you leave?
Why so soon?
His fingers reached his lips, recalling the soft pair that he had kissed a few days back. He closed his eyes and leaned back.
Why was Kami-sama doing this? Always playing around with him. What pawn was he in what kind of game? Couldn't they just leave him be?
He opened his eyes and then took out his kasa before stepping into it. Whatever it was, he would never forget it. He would never forget her.
Not when he knew he had found the one.
*************
"Wondergirl seems to be occupied the past few days." Souryuu Asuka Langley hissed through gritted teeth. Shinji merely nodded his head. The pair trailed behind te enigmatic blue-haired female as she walked on in the direction of school. Usually she just looked straight ahead, oblivious to the sights and scenery which surrounded her. But suddenly, she paused every now and then to look at birds, at trees and even at people as they brushed past her in their hurry to get to work. She even greeted a few with her trademark forlorn smile.
It was all too weird.
"Must have been the trip. She disappeared for a week right Shinji?" Asuka whispered into Shinji. When she received no grunt of approval, she elbowed him and the latter coughed.
"What the *cough* hell are you *cough* trying *cough* to do Asuka?" he hissed back, eyes glued onto Rei as she stopped to look at a squirrel climbing a tree.
"I said, something happened while she was away." growled Asuka. Shinji shrugged.
"How would I know?" came the annoyed response.
"Well you were with her when she went *poof* just like that." argued back the red-head. Shinji rolled his eyes.
"So what if I was? All I did was kiss her and then she was suddenly-"
"You WHAT?!?!?!" Asuka widened her eyes in horror and shock. That blue-haired idiosyncratic female had -dared- to kiss the Third Child? How dare she... How dare she!!!
"I kissed her. Geez, what's your problem Asuka? Not as if you care to begin with." Shinji shrugged off and continued walking on ahead. Asuka recovered from her moment of shock and ran to catch up with him.
"Nothing. I'm just amused wondergirl would kiss -you-." she added haughtily. Shinji halted in his steps and spun around to face her. A look of anger etched onto his face as he glowered back at the German girl.
"What?" she asked, hands on hips.
"You know what Asuka? I think your jealous. Your jealous that I would kiss Rei and appreciate it a whole lot better than when I did kiss you. There was no holding of my nose, nor was there the gurgling of mouth when it was done. There was no utter revulsion on her part. She liked it. I liked it. You, obviously didn't." came the bitter response. Shinji turned back and ran up beside Rei. She turned to smile at him and he blushed back in response.
"Anything the matter Ikari-kun?" she asked innocently and then turned around to find Asuka seething. She faced Shinji again and blinked.
"Nothing Ayanami... nothing." he smiled back and the pair headed off to school.
************
"Chichiri!"
"What is it no da?" the monk turned to find the horrendously floating face of Taiitsukuun. He nearly jumped back and yelled 'eep' but kept his ground. He heaved a sigh of relief behind his mask.
"I have found the reason as to how and why the girl entered the book of the four gods."
"Oh... alright no da."
"We'll discuss this in the prayer room. Come now." Chichiri nodded his head and followed Taitsukuun to the room.
"So what is it no da?" he asked whene they finally reached and some NyanNyans served them tea. Taitsukuun leaned back before speaking.
"She arrived here out of her own free will."
"Free will? How is that possible no da?"
"Please let me continue." the hag responded. Chichiri nodded his head and took a sip of his tea.
"She came here of her own free will. How it happened, I don't quite know. Somewhere and somehow, she was able to foster a connection with this world. One of the reasons was perhaps she had travelled here during an astral journey and opened a link to this world."
"An astral link? She dreamt of coming here no da?"
"Most possible."
"Does this mean she can return?" Chichiri's voice was eager. Rei could come back. Rei could return. She possibly would. Then he would tell her, he would ask her to stay and not go back. He didn't want her to.
"Well I think so... anything the matter Chichiri?" Taitsukuun leaned forward. Chichiri shook his head.
"Nothing no da. I'm alright no da."
"But even so, there's still the explaining of why she came here. Or why she chose to come here. It seems that in her astral journey, her astral projection liked it here. Thus creating a link." Chichiri nodded his head. She liked it here. But which part of here did she like?
"So what do we do now no da? She returned back to where she came."
"Well... we don't know her true intentions. We don't know whether she's on the good side of the bad side. Maybe another trick of the Seiryuu." She's not like that. She;s not evil at all. She's Rei. Rei Ayanami.
"Oh yes... and I think that young ruler of Kounam has another meeting with the seishii. Better get going."
"Yes no da." getting up, the monk took off his kasa and jumped into it. Arriving in the palace courtyard in a matter of seconds.
****************
"Wow... I didn't know Ayanami could play that well." one the the girls commented as the pilot of Evangelion Unit 00 scored another goal in the basketball tournament.
"Yeah... she usually just sits and brood in that corner of hers." added another one.
"Yeah... she's changed hasn't she?"
"A lot." girl number 3 replied. The trio watched Ayanami grin and slap a few high-fives with her team mates.
"I don't think Asuka likes it though." they turned to face Asuka who was red in the face, seething with fury and anger. Her intense gaze was fixated on a certain blue-haired girl.
"How can you tell?"
"Well for one thing, she nearly ripped the basketball to shreds after Ayanami scored her twenty-seventh goal." the referee held on to the fifth ball, refusing to let Asuka hold on to it should she use it to vent her frustrations.
"Gee... she really doesn't like Ayanami does she?"
"No... but I heard she tried to make friends with Ayanami on the first day of school."
"What happened? I wasn't in school."
"Well, Ayanami said what for and she fumed."
"Whoa... Ayanami has attitude."
"Hey look, the boys are drooling again."
"Time we screamed some senses back into them." the group of girls giggled and then dispersed. Touji looked at Kensuke who looked at Shinji who was then watching Rei.
"Well... that doesn't explain the change in mute-girl's attitude." he drawled in his Osaka accent. Kensuke nodded his head.
"Yeah... something happened to Ayanami, released a lot of her pent-up frustrations and inner conflicts. She seems a changed person, this should have happened earlier. Can you imagine what she'd be like then? The whole Shinonome High male community would be at her feet. She's a very nice girl." when he had ended, Kensuke realised Touji and Shinji were looking at him oddly.
"What?" he narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Inner conflict? Pent-up emotions? Where'd you read that crap?" Touji asked as he cracked his knuckles.
"My mom's a psychiatrist remember. She spews this everytime during dinner time." replied the video-camera wielder.
"Ayanami has inner conflicts... why didn't I think of that." Shinji mused out loud.
"Think of what?" Asked Suzuhara and Aida together.
"Remember I told you about the freak unit testing of Unit 00?"
"Well... yeah... but it when berserk-" protested Kensuke.
"They said her mind was unstable."
"Well then, she's got a lot of things on her mind then." announced Touji. But he was as curious as Shinji as to what went on in the blue-head's mind. The trio looked at each other.
"Is it possible to ask Katsuragi-ichi?" asked Touji, he couldn't wait to meet the purple-haired beauty again. Just thinking of her made him salivate.
"Well... I could try. But she's working late again today." faces fell.
"Could we visit her?"
"Out of the question." came the curt reply. Another groan of rejection. The crowds cheered as Rei's team won the match and then began to disperse slowly, but not after congratulating the players.
*********
"Well Ritsuko?"
"What?"
"Anything on Rei?"
"Nothing really. Her disappearance was probably a chance for her to get away from Nerv."
"So how was it that she disappeared from Nerv in a matter of a few hours and -none- of Intelligence could find her?"
"Intelligence is dragging their arses again." Ritsuko replied and typed in a few more commands into her computer terminal. Misato stood beside her, sipping hot and freshly brewed coffee. Her mind was still pondering over Rei's disappearance. She got a nice hour long lecture from Fuyutsuki and Gendou about her job as to taking care of the pilots and tracking their whereabouts.
"And I thought my job was to just kick Angel's arse..." she muttered.
"What was that?" Ritsuko turned to face Misato.
"Nothing... just nothing. I'm going to the cafeteria. Care to join?"
"No thanks... I have work to do."
"Okay. Ja!"
************
Rei flopped onto her bed and looked up at the peeling ceiling. I should do something about it. She turned to her side and glanced at the mess of bloodied bandages on the floor. I should do something about that too. She turned on her stomach and looked at the wall.
"Chichiri..." she smiled to herself, recalling his smooth procelain features, the scar on his left eye and the mass of glossy and luxurious blue hair. She ran her fingers through her own blue hair. It felt smooth. She sighed and then closed her eyes.
"If only I could see you again..." Rei breathed in deeply, the room was warm before but suddenly it was cool. She felt herself floating, her body weightless. She cracked her eyes open a glimpse and then saw herlsef whizzing past a myriad of colours.
"What the...?" she uttered before a look of joy passed her face. Arms wide open, she ran into the welcoming figure.
*************
Fishing was his only solace. Away from the world, away from the harsh and cruelty of life. Oh he had experienced it before. The loss of the two most important people in his life. And now... the lost of a third. But hwo could he say it so soon? He didn't know Rei. Or at least he thought he didn't know much about her. Yet she knew almost everything there was about him. Why did she mean so much to him? What was it about her that attracted him so?
The smile. Ahh... the sad enigmatic smile that reminded him of his own as he often sat contemplating what would happen if he still had Riena.
The eyes. He had never seen anyone with such intense crimson eyes. Or crimson eyes to begin with for the matter.
Her glossy blue hair. Ironic wasn't it? That she nearly resembled him in the aspect of physiology. He recalled the way Nuriko had done her hair during the banquet. It had made her neck look longer and graceful, like that of a swan's.
Her face. Alright... so in general, everything was attractive to him. He fell for her, hook line and sinker. And he couldn't do anything about it. He looked out at the pond, the very pond she had been looking over on that fateful night. He sighed. Closing his eyes, he didn't relaize the temperature to drop suddenly, a gust of wind blowing through his hair. He turned, he gasped, he saw.
***************
"Rei..."
"Chichiri..."
"You came back no da."
"I know. I missed you." she had flung herself on him and he still found it quite hard to believe she was there. Slowly he moved away from her a little, looking at her from head to toe. She was the same as before, only her face more flushed. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and she wore a different version of her uniform when she first arrived. He leaned in and smelt her hair... lavender... She smiled at him and tiptoed to caress his face lightly with her delicate hands.
"Don't go back..."
"I won't. I don't want to."
"Good..." and the pair embraced each other in the waning sunlight.
*************
"Sir, this just arrived." Gendou looked up from his computer terminal and received a letter given to him. He adjusted his spectacles and scrutinised the envelope. It was addressed to him. He knew the handwriting. Rei...
"Well... what is it?" asked Fuyutsuki. He was seated across the man behind Nerv, fingers steepled, expression stern and hard. He watched Gendou open the envelope lightly and read its contents before placing it backon the table.
"Prepare Rei. Then send her to the test activation room." Fuyutsuki nodded his head. He understood. He may not have seen the letters contents, but he knew what it meant. He got up and left the room, not noticing an almost fatherly smile on Gendou's face.
************
"Now this was spooky."
"Yeah... three days ago she was Miss Popular and now, look, she's back to square one."
"I wonder what happened."
"Me too." the girls whispered and then hurried back to their seats as Asuka entered class, Shinji trailing behind her. All is back to normal. I'm still popular and I have Shinji wrapped around my finger. She smirked in Rei's direction but the girl ignored, choosing to look out the window.
************
"What about things back home?" Chichiri asked as he stroked her hair lightly. Rei plucked another grape and fed it to him.
"Everything's settled." he blinked back a response.
"You won't miss anyone?"
"I will..." recalling Ikari-kun, Rei smiled softly and then turned to face Chichiri and the placed a playful peck on his cheek.
"I know he understands... even if he doesn't quite know it." Chichiri's arms snaked around her slender waist and he dipped slightly to bite in her neck before trailing kisses to her nose, carefully avoiding her lips. He tickled her and she giggled, he took the exact moment to place a yearning kiss on her lips...
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For there never was a story of more complexity, love and joy, than of an Eva pilot named Ayanami Rei and a blue-haired male named Houjun.
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Author's Notes: Haha... I love my Rei and I love Chichiri. you didn't think they'd suffer now do you? I know you're itching to comment so go ahead. The review box is all yours. ^_^. A bizarre story of love dedicated to my online friend Polnareff. I think he'd least expect it but... here's your story bro!
[rei]