Chapter 03: A day at school
Shinji´s gaze wandered aside. Rei was walking to his left, eyes straight forward.
He thought that she was quite attractive, couldn´t suppress these thoughts, not after
the incident at her apartment before the coming of Ramiel. If he wouldn´t be such a
coward he probably would have asked her for a date already... He had touched her lips, but
this such no memory of pleasure, it had been no kiss but a desperate try to safe her life.
He guessed that she had no memory about this moment because of her not talking about that
point.
In his eyes she was an enigma, a beautiful secret.
If he were more like Touji... no, in this case he probably wouldn´t had any chance with
her... but... did he have any?
"Rei, how are you?"
"Well. Why do you ask?"
"I´m interested in your wellbeing."
"Why?"
"Because..."
"Are you interested in me the way the Captain or Doctor Akagi is interested in me... or
the Commander? If I am... efficient?"
"Like father...? No. You´ve said yourself that we are friends... and, uhm, friends care
for each other. And I believe that, ah, Misato also cares for you."
"You are talking very much today."
"Sorry."
"No, don´t. It is just... just a new thing for me, I have never had friends before."
"Never?"
"No, never."
"Uhm, Ayana... Rei, I think that a lot of the children in our class would like to be your
friends if they just had a chance to get to know you."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, uhm, you are clever, smart, couragous... beauti... ah... ful... and you have a
very nice smile."
She stopped abruptly, her cheeks turned slightly red.
Shinji noticed her not being at his side anymore, turned around.
"Aya... Rei?"
"Why were you telling me this?"
"Because... because that´s what I think of you."
"You really think that I am... attractive?"
His throat was dry. But it was said...
"Uhm... yes..."
She blinked.
"Thank you."
"I... uh... not at all."
"That was a compliment, wasn´t it?"
"I... ah... yes."
"And after recieving a compliment one should smile, right?"
"... yes."
She smiled, it was a clumsy smile, but beautiful non the less.
"You have a very nice smile", he repeated.
"Thank you... now... lets go, or we will late."
***
"Thank you... I said thank you, not once but twice... a wort of gratitude, I have never
said it in this way before... And I said it to him... It was so... natural..."
***
When Shinji entered the classroom he was intercepted by Touji and Kensuke.
"Hey, Shinji!"
"Ikari, you old dog!"
"Uhm, what´s up?"
He was confused.
Rei passed them and walked to her place by the window.
"Ha! We saw you coming with Ayanami..."
"And, Touji?"
"Well, you are such a lucky guy, living with Misato-san and walking to school with Ayanami!
I wish I was that lucky! Ayanami maybe a little strange but she looks very good!"
*whack*
"Suzuhara, this is no acceptable way to speak about a fellow pupil", another person interrupted
and flattened the papers she had hit him with at the back of his head.
"Yes, class-representive."
The broad grin wad gone from Touji´s face. He rubbed the spot he had been hit.
Shinji used the opportunity to get to his table.
"Puh..."
Without intention he looked at Rei.
She was watching him, instead of looking out of the window. And without long thinking
about her actions she grabbed her bag, got up, walked toward him and sat down at the free
table to his left.
He was surprised.
Touji´s mouth opened.
Kensuke started cleaning his glasses.
Hikari smiled, told the two stooges than to go to their table since the teacher was arriving.
***
The lesson seemed to be endless, the old teacher repeated once again his version of the
Second Impact while looking out of the window, non caring for the class. The classroom
could have empty - the Sensei still would have run down his monologue.
Touji yawned and slowly sunk down on his desk, placing his head on his arms.
Shinji looked at his laptop where a red light had started blinking. He had gotten a mail.
Since it was a closed system the mail could only have been send by one of the other children
in the class. He opened the mail.
So, what´s up between Ayanami and you?
Shinji looked around, already guessing who had send him the message.
Kensuke grined.
Nothing.
Really?
She has just moved in at Misato´s place.
*rums*
The teacher interupted his monologue, searching confused for the source of the *rums*.
"Aida, what are you doing on the floor?"
Kensuke used the desk to get back into his seat, rubbing his forehand where he had met
with the table´s edge.
"Sorry, Sensei, a carelessness."
"Hm, good, sit down again, but don´t disturb again."
"Yes, Sensei."
Shinji supprested a grin. Again the ´You´ve got mail´-sign appeared on his desktop.
You lucky dog! Piloting an EVANGELION and not only share an apartment with Misato but
now with Ayanami, too!
It´s nothing. he answered and ignored the further messages.
But was it truely nothing?
***
During lunchbreak Shinji handed Rei the box he had prepared for her this morning.
"Ah, and he even cooks for her!" shouted Touji after watching this. "Kensuke, I fear,
we´ve lost Shinji."
"Yes, poor Shinji, I knew him well."
*whack*
*whack*
"Suzuhara, Aida, this is no acceptable behavior!"
"Yes, class-representive."
On the bench, where Shinji and Rei were sitting, she looked at the boy.
"What´s going on there on the other side of the yard?"
"I don´t know... are you taking about Touji and Hikari?"
"Yes, Suzuhara, Aida and Horaki."
"Ach... hm, I guess, Hikari does like Touji a little bit."
"And that´s the reason she´s beating him with a newspaper?"
"I... ah... hm..."
"Does this mean, I will have to beat you, too?"
"Rei, no please..."
He looked at her with terror. There something in her eyes, something new. He understood.
"That was a... joke, wasn´t it?"
"Yes. I would never hurt you."
"Rei..."
Her eyes nearly pulled him magically towards her, he wanted to reach out, pulling her towards
him, kissing her lips...
"..."
"..."
"...what´s up?"
He interupted the eye-contact, turning red,
"Nothing."
She opened the box, started to eat, stopped.
"That´s good!"
"Thank you."
"No, really... It´s not correkt, that I can´t cook anything after living alone as long as
I can remember, but this is delicious."
"Rei..."
He smiled because of the many words from her and the unusual look on her face.
"Wunderful, that you like it. If you wish I will cook for you regularly."
"You would do this?"
"For a friend, yes."
"But this means additional work for you."
"That depends on for who you are doing it."
"Yes?"
"Yes... you are someone very special..."
The next moment he could have bit his tougue. Normally he had himself better under control
but within her presence most of his sorrows were forgotten.
"Do you think so?" she asked softly. "I true mean something for you..."
He couldn´t find the right words to answer.
In a short softly touch her finger were place upon his hand.
"Thank you."
All round them other pupils were fleeing or simply falling over unconsciously, when she
moved her head a bit to the side and smiled. Shinji himself fought a case of nosebleeding,
she looked so damned good...
"Kensuke, we have to rescue Shinji!"
"Yes, Touji, this can´t be Ayanami! Maybe the enemy got her, or she has been kidapped by
aliens and exchanged for one for their own, or..."
*whack*
*whack*
"You will leave the two along, clear?!"
"Yes, class-representive."
***
The rest of the day went over fast, Shinji called back the picture of Rei smiling into
his memory again and again. At the end of the day the two went home fast to put the
finishing touches on the furniture in her room.
The remaining work was minimal, they only had to remove the crates and turn in some screws.
And exactly then the next incident happened...
One of the screws to fix the plate of the desk to the underconstruction rolled out of
Shinji´s hand and under the bed. Shinji didn´t believed himself to be able to lift up
the heavy bed, so he went on his knees at tried to reach for the screw.
"Just a little more..."
He touched the screw with his fingertips, pushed it farther away.
"Ah..."
Rei went to the end of the bed, bowed down and lifted it up using only one hand.
"Ah, good, there it is..."
He wanted to get up again, when he recognized what Rei had done, Rei didn´t look like a
very strong person...
"Ah..."
She put the bed down, saw the look on his face as if he was watching a ghost.
"What is?"
"Uhm, nothing... just... you are stronger than you look like..." he stammered.
She frowned, looked down at her hands.
"Yes... sorry, I didn´t want to startle you."
"No, no, you didn´t startle me, I am just... surprised..."
"I don´t use my strenght often, Comman... your father warned me not to demonstrate to strangers
what I am able to do."
"Yes?"
"But you are no stranger, so it´s okay."
"Able to do? That sounds like you could do even more stuff."
"Yes, for example I quite good with physics."
There it was again, this look in her eyes.
"Ah... would you... would you help me with today´s homework when we are finished here?"
"Yes."
The next thing to do was unpacking the large cardboard-box with her stuff.
"That´s all you have?" Shinji asked, counting eight schooluniforms, a swimsuit, a second
pair of shoes, a batch of underwear he forced himself to pay as little attention as
possible, a small bag with toothbrush and other stuff, a NERV-uniform in light brown
like he had one in his own closett, some schoolbook, a dark jacket and some other things.
"Yes, that´s all I need."
The last thing in the box was a beaker, filled to more than three quarters with water.
She hesitated shortly looking at the waterlevel, and placed it on the desk.
"Uhm, you surely wish to put everything in order. I have to do some chores, after these
maybe we could have a look at the homework?!"
"I am coming in a moment" she wispered without paying much attention.
***
"The glass is fuller than the day I left... my soul... why? Are these the experiences of
the last days?"
***
When Misato came home the two teenagers were sitting at the dinertable, still doing the
homework. While Rei did her best to explain Shinji still had problems to understand
certain concepts.
The bluehaired girl was calm and expressed as little emotions as usual, while Shinji
seemed quite desparate.
"Tadaima!"
"Oh, Misato!" Shinji shouted and wanted to get up - even a bad excuse was better than no
one - but was stopped by Rei grabbing his arm. Her touch was soft, but her strenght still
surprised him.
"Don´t run away, or you will never understand."
Misato looked into the combined living- and dinnerroom.
"Ah, here you two are. Doing homework? - Physics... Rei, are you helping Shinji?"
"I do my best, but he just doesn´t understand." Rei answered and sighed. The sigh had
the same effect as if she had started to cry.
"Rei, are you okay?" Misato asked concerned.
Shinji looked at her startled from the side.
"Rei, I... I promise to do my best, okay?"
She nodded.
Misato blinked.
"Well, I just wanted to change clothes."
Her jacket and skirt were full of dark spots.
"Ritsuko is doing one of her 48-hours-shifts again, living completly of coffee thats
strong enough to eat the spoon - she should really stop with this, or at least pay more
attention not to spill the stuff over other people."
"Put the clothes into the basket in the bathroom, I will wash them later." Shinji said.
"Yes, I know, it was my turn to cook, sorry. But I was shopping, here."
She put down two bags next to the table.
Shinji looked into the bags, one contained beer, beer, and... beer, the other one beer,
beer and really something edible.
"Oh, yes, Akagi has me tell you that she has prepared some training for you by tomorrow
morning."
"What kind of training?"
"Synchrontraining for Rei, targetting practice for you, Shinji."
"Oh."
"You have to learn to shot without the visor´s aid. Now, don´t give me this look, I´m just
the messager. - Ah, and Rei, if you want to, we could go shopping tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes, Cap... Misato."
Misato smiled and went into her room.
Rei tunrded to Shinji again.
"So, this question here..."
***
An hour later he finally understood.
Rei felt a spark of emotion that could only be describes as pride.
Shinji starred at his hoework and asked himself why he hadn´t seen the problem earlier.
"Thank you, Rei, I think I got it."
"Good."
He cleared the table, placed then the beer and the food in the fridge.
"What do you want to eat? Tell me and if the necessary stuff is in the house I will cook
it for you."
"You want to cook for me?"
"Yes, I feel great."
"It´s good when you feel good."
"So, what shall I cook?"
***
"It is strange... he wants me to feel good... and I want him to feel good... I like to
be near him... I want to be near him... why?"
***
A buddhistic temple at the edge of Kyoto:
The monk in his yellow robes looked up when he sensed the arrival of the whitehaired man
and stopped sweeping the templestairs.
diArgio bowed slightly, the monk answered the greeting.
"You are back, Magus."
"Yes, Brother Shan."
"Have Thou seen the things the oracle spoke about?"
The whitehaired nodded.
"May I enter the temple?"
"Of course. You were always a honored guess of the Brotherhood."
"I know, but times have changed, the sixth age has arrived..."
"The impact, yes. Follow me, please..."
The baldheaded monk turned around, walking up the stairs.
diArgio hesitated for a moment before following him. When he stepped apon the stairs his
clothes changed. The grey coat vanished, was replaced by a wide black cape. He wore a
white shirt and dark trousers with kneehigh boots, on the chest he carried an amulett with
the sign of a half-closed eye. For a second tiny flashed surrounded him as he passed the
border of the temple´s circle of protection and a gust of wind caught his cape...
Shinji´s gaze wandered aside. Rei was walking to his left, eyes straight forward.
He thought that she was quite attractive, couldn´t suppress these thoughts, not after
the incident at her apartment before the coming of Ramiel. If he wouldn´t be such a
coward he probably would have asked her for a date already... He had touched her lips, but
this such no memory of pleasure, it had been no kiss but a desperate try to safe her life.
He guessed that she had no memory about this moment because of her not talking about that
point.
In his eyes she was an enigma, a beautiful secret.
If he were more like Touji... no, in this case he probably wouldn´t had any chance with
her... but... did he have any?
"Rei, how are you?"
"Well. Why do you ask?"
"I´m interested in your wellbeing."
"Why?"
"Because..."
"Are you interested in me the way the Captain or Doctor Akagi is interested in me... or
the Commander? If I am... efficient?"
"Like father...? No. You´ve said yourself that we are friends... and, uhm, friends care
for each other. And I believe that, ah, Misato also cares for you."
"You are talking very much today."
"Sorry."
"No, don´t. It is just... just a new thing for me, I have never had friends before."
"Never?"
"No, never."
"Uhm, Ayana... Rei, I think that a lot of the children in our class would like to be your
friends if they just had a chance to get to know you."
"Really? Why?"
"Well, uhm, you are clever, smart, couragous... beauti... ah... ful... and you have a
very nice smile."
She stopped abruptly, her cheeks turned slightly red.
Shinji noticed her not being at his side anymore, turned around.
"Aya... Rei?"
"Why were you telling me this?"
"Because... because that´s what I think of you."
"You really think that I am... attractive?"
His throat was dry. But it was said...
"Uhm... yes..."
She blinked.
"Thank you."
"I... uh... not at all."
"That was a compliment, wasn´t it?"
"I... ah... yes."
"And after recieving a compliment one should smile, right?"
"... yes."
She smiled, it was a clumsy smile, but beautiful non the less.
"You have a very nice smile", he repeated.
"Thank you... now... lets go, or we will late."
***
"Thank you... I said thank you, not once but twice... a wort of gratitude, I have never
said it in this way before... And I said it to him... It was so... natural..."
***
When Shinji entered the classroom he was intercepted by Touji and Kensuke.
"Hey, Shinji!"
"Ikari, you old dog!"
"Uhm, what´s up?"
He was confused.
Rei passed them and walked to her place by the window.
"Ha! We saw you coming with Ayanami..."
"And, Touji?"
"Well, you are such a lucky guy, living with Misato-san and walking to school with Ayanami!
I wish I was that lucky! Ayanami maybe a little strange but she looks very good!"
*whack*
"Suzuhara, this is no acceptable way to speak about a fellow pupil", another person interrupted
and flattened the papers she had hit him with at the back of his head.
"Yes, class-representive."
The broad grin wad gone from Touji´s face. He rubbed the spot he had been hit.
Shinji used the opportunity to get to his table.
"Puh..."
Without intention he looked at Rei.
She was watching him, instead of looking out of the window. And without long thinking
about her actions she grabbed her bag, got up, walked toward him and sat down at the free
table to his left.
He was surprised.
Touji´s mouth opened.
Kensuke started cleaning his glasses.
Hikari smiled, told the two stooges than to go to their table since the teacher was arriving.
***
The lesson seemed to be endless, the old teacher repeated once again his version of the
Second Impact while looking out of the window, non caring for the class. The classroom
could have empty - the Sensei still would have run down his monologue.
Touji yawned and slowly sunk down on his desk, placing his head on his arms.
Shinji looked at his laptop where a red light had started blinking. He had gotten a mail.
Since it was a closed system the mail could only have been send by one of the other children
in the class. He opened the mail.
So, what´s up between Ayanami and you?
Shinji looked around, already guessing who had send him the message.
Kensuke grined.
Nothing.
Really?
She has just moved in at Misato´s place.
*rums*
The teacher interupted his monologue, searching confused for the source of the *rums*.
"Aida, what are you doing on the floor?"
Kensuke used the desk to get back into his seat, rubbing his forehand where he had met
with the table´s edge.
"Sorry, Sensei, a carelessness."
"Hm, good, sit down again, but don´t disturb again."
"Yes, Sensei."
Shinji supprested a grin. Again the ´You´ve got mail´-sign appeared on his desktop.
You lucky dog! Piloting an EVANGELION and not only share an apartment with Misato but
now with Ayanami, too!
It´s nothing. he answered and ignored the further messages.
But was it truely nothing?
***
During lunchbreak Shinji handed Rei the box he had prepared for her this morning.
"Ah, and he even cooks for her!" shouted Touji after watching this. "Kensuke, I fear,
we´ve lost Shinji."
"Yes, poor Shinji, I knew him well."
*whack*
*whack*
"Suzuhara, Aida, this is no acceptable behavior!"
"Yes, class-representive."
On the bench, where Shinji and Rei were sitting, she looked at the boy.
"What´s going on there on the other side of the yard?"
"I don´t know... are you taking about Touji and Hikari?"
"Yes, Suzuhara, Aida and Horaki."
"Ach... hm, I guess, Hikari does like Touji a little bit."
"And that´s the reason she´s beating him with a newspaper?"
"I... ah... hm..."
"Does this mean, I will have to beat you, too?"
"Rei, no please..."
He looked at her with terror. There something in her eyes, something new. He understood.
"That was a... joke, wasn´t it?"
"Yes. I would never hurt you."
"Rei..."
Her eyes nearly pulled him magically towards her, he wanted to reach out, pulling her towards
him, kissing her lips...
"..."
"..."
"...what´s up?"
He interupted the eye-contact, turning red,
"Nothing."
She opened the box, started to eat, stopped.
"That´s good!"
"Thank you."
"No, really... It´s not correkt, that I can´t cook anything after living alone as long as
I can remember, but this is delicious."
"Rei..."
He smiled because of the many words from her and the unusual look on her face.
"Wunderful, that you like it. If you wish I will cook for you regularly."
"You would do this?"
"For a friend, yes."
"But this means additional work for you."
"That depends on for who you are doing it."
"Yes?"
"Yes... you are someone very special..."
The next moment he could have bit his tougue. Normally he had himself better under control
but within her presence most of his sorrows were forgotten.
"Do you think so?" she asked softly. "I true mean something for you..."
He couldn´t find the right words to answer.
In a short softly touch her finger were place upon his hand.
"Thank you."
All round them other pupils were fleeing or simply falling over unconsciously, when she
moved her head a bit to the side and smiled. Shinji himself fought a case of nosebleeding,
she looked so damned good...
"Kensuke, we have to rescue Shinji!"
"Yes, Touji, this can´t be Ayanami! Maybe the enemy got her, or she has been kidapped by
aliens and exchanged for one for their own, or..."
*whack*
*whack*
"You will leave the two along, clear?!"
"Yes, class-representive."
***
The rest of the day went over fast, Shinji called back the picture of Rei smiling into
his memory again and again. At the end of the day the two went home fast to put the
finishing touches on the furniture in her room.
The remaining work was minimal, they only had to remove the crates and turn in some screws.
And exactly then the next incident happened...
One of the screws to fix the plate of the desk to the underconstruction rolled out of
Shinji´s hand and under the bed. Shinji didn´t believed himself to be able to lift up
the heavy bed, so he went on his knees at tried to reach for the screw.
"Just a little more..."
He touched the screw with his fingertips, pushed it farther away.
"Ah..."
Rei went to the end of the bed, bowed down and lifted it up using only one hand.
"Ah, good, there it is..."
He wanted to get up again, when he recognized what Rei had done, Rei didn´t look like a
very strong person...
"Ah..."
She put the bed down, saw the look on his face as if he was watching a ghost.
"What is?"
"Uhm, nothing... just... you are stronger than you look like..." he stammered.
She frowned, looked down at her hands.
"Yes... sorry, I didn´t want to startle you."
"No, no, you didn´t startle me, I am just... surprised..."
"I don´t use my strenght often, Comman... your father warned me not to demonstrate to strangers
what I am able to do."
"Yes?"
"But you are no stranger, so it´s okay."
"Able to do? That sounds like you could do even more stuff."
"Yes, for example I quite good with physics."
There it was again, this look in her eyes.
"Ah... would you... would you help me with today´s homework when we are finished here?"
"Yes."
The next thing to do was unpacking the large cardboard-box with her stuff.
"That´s all you have?" Shinji asked, counting eight schooluniforms, a swimsuit, a second
pair of shoes, a batch of underwear he forced himself to pay as little attention as
possible, a small bag with toothbrush and other stuff, a NERV-uniform in light brown
like he had one in his own closett, some schoolbook, a dark jacket and some other things.
"Yes, that´s all I need."
The last thing in the box was a beaker, filled to more than three quarters with water.
She hesitated shortly looking at the waterlevel, and placed it on the desk.
"Uhm, you surely wish to put everything in order. I have to do some chores, after these
maybe we could have a look at the homework?!"
"I am coming in a moment" she wispered without paying much attention.
***
"The glass is fuller than the day I left... my soul... why? Are these the experiences of
the last days?"
***
When Misato came home the two teenagers were sitting at the dinertable, still doing the
homework. While Rei did her best to explain Shinji still had problems to understand
certain concepts.
The bluehaired girl was calm and expressed as little emotions as usual, while Shinji
seemed quite desparate.
"Tadaima!"
"Oh, Misato!" Shinji shouted and wanted to get up - even a bad excuse was better than no
one - but was stopped by Rei grabbing his arm. Her touch was soft, but her strenght still
surprised him.
"Don´t run away, or you will never understand."
Misato looked into the combined living- and dinnerroom.
"Ah, here you two are. Doing homework? - Physics... Rei, are you helping Shinji?"
"I do my best, but he just doesn´t understand." Rei answered and sighed. The sigh had
the same effect as if she had started to cry.
"Rei, are you okay?" Misato asked concerned.
Shinji looked at her startled from the side.
"Rei, I... I promise to do my best, okay?"
She nodded.
Misato blinked.
"Well, I just wanted to change clothes."
Her jacket and skirt were full of dark spots.
"Ritsuko is doing one of her 48-hours-shifts again, living completly of coffee thats
strong enough to eat the spoon - she should really stop with this, or at least pay more
attention not to spill the stuff over other people."
"Put the clothes into the basket in the bathroom, I will wash them later." Shinji said.
"Yes, I know, it was my turn to cook, sorry. But I was shopping, here."
She put down two bags next to the table.
Shinji looked into the bags, one contained beer, beer, and... beer, the other one beer,
beer and really something edible.
"Oh, yes, Akagi has me tell you that she has prepared some training for you by tomorrow
morning."
"What kind of training?"
"Synchrontraining for Rei, targetting practice for you, Shinji."
"Oh."
"You have to learn to shot without the visor´s aid. Now, don´t give me this look, I´m just
the messager. - Ah, and Rei, if you want to, we could go shopping tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes, Cap... Misato."
Misato smiled and went into her room.
Rei tunrded to Shinji again.
"So, this question here..."
***
An hour later he finally understood.
Rei felt a spark of emotion that could only be describes as pride.
Shinji starred at his hoework and asked himself why he hadn´t seen the problem earlier.
"Thank you, Rei, I think I got it."
"Good."
He cleared the table, placed then the beer and the food in the fridge.
"What do you want to eat? Tell me and if the necessary stuff is in the house I will cook
it for you."
"You want to cook for me?"
"Yes, I feel great."
"It´s good when you feel good."
"So, what shall I cook?"
***
"It is strange... he wants me to feel good... and I want him to feel good... I like to
be near him... I want to be near him... why?"
***
A buddhistic temple at the edge of Kyoto:
The monk in his yellow robes looked up when he sensed the arrival of the whitehaired man
and stopped sweeping the templestairs.
diArgio bowed slightly, the monk answered the greeting.
"You are back, Magus."
"Yes, Brother Shan."
"Have Thou seen the things the oracle spoke about?"
The whitehaired nodded.
"May I enter the temple?"
"Of course. You were always a honored guess of the Brotherhood."
"I know, but times have changed, the sixth age has arrived..."
"The impact, yes. Follow me, please..."
The baldheaded monk turned around, walking up the stairs.
diArgio hesitated for a moment before following him. When he stepped apon the stairs his
clothes changed. The grey coat vanished, was replaced by a wide black cape. He wore a
white shirt and dark trousers with kneehigh boots, on the chest he carried an amulett with
the sign of a half-closed eye. For a second tiny flashed surrounded him as he passed the
border of the temple´s circle of protection and a gust of wind caught his cape...
