Chapter 09 - Concern and Fear
"No, it´s not an allergic reaction... no, it hasn´t happened before... Now, listen to me, my
daughter´s suddenly lost conciousness and I do not have a clue why she did! I´m a doctor myself...
So, will you come to my place, or do I have to bring her to you? ... yes, the place is...
Thanks..."
Like from far away Rei heard her mother´s voice from the corridor, then she slammed the phone
down and return into the small living-room.
"Ah, Mom..." Rei whispered weakly. It seemed to take eternity and use up all her strenght reserves
to open her eyes.
"Shhh. Stay down, dear. The doctor´s already one the way."
"Yes..."
Her head ached as if she had been hit by a heavy object at the forehead.
"I was that terrified... How are you?"
"Weak... and my head hurts... that..."
She raised her head a bit, saw stars and thought the headache was growing tenfold, so she laid
back her head.
"What is it, Mom?"
Ritsuko´s voice was full of concern and fear when she answered.
"I don´t know, the doctor´ll be here soon to bring you to the hospital for a check-up."
"Yes."
Rei suppressed a shivver. She hated hospitals...
***
The checks had brought up no results, the scans of Rei´s skull showed neither injuries nor
bleedings, the bone were whole.
"So, why did she suffer a break-down?" Ritsuko asked the doctor.
The man shrugged.
"Well, the scans do show no physical reasons. The checks of her blood sample should be finished
soon. Was your daughter under pressure the last days?"
"Well, no."
"Well?"
"Now, we just moved to Tokio from Osaka... everything´s new to her, a new school, new faces...
the first boyfriend..."
"Hm, that might be a reason for pressure, but she seemed to me quite resistent to this."
"Yes, she is, that´s the reason for me to be concerned... see, during her childhood she never
was really ill, well, a cold here, a flu there, but nothing serious, yes? And we get along quite
well, she tells me nearly everything."
"You are raising her on your own?"
Ritsuko nodded.
"Shall I call the father?"
"No... I wouldn´t know how to reach him anyway."
"Understood... Ah, the results of the blood checks... hm, everything´s okay, no drugs, nothing
that shouldn´t be there..."
"My daughter doesn´t consume drugs, doctor!"
"I´m sorry, I didn´t want to offend you, Miss Akagi."
"Okay, so, why did she just, well, fell down?"
"To be honest - I don´t know. At best we´ll keep her here for the night."
"I... okay. May I see her for a moment?"
"Sure, just go."
Ritsuko entered the room where Rei was laying in the hospital bed, wearing a white nightshirt
with blue spots.
"Dear, how are you?"
Ritsuko sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her daughter´s hair caressingly.
"Better, a bit. The headache´s no that strong anymore."
"Good. The doctor said physically you are fit, but they want to keep you here for the night.
That means I´ll drive home, take a free day tomorrow and return tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Mom, but you don´t have to take a free day, you just started working at the institute."
"Doctor Ikari´s quite understanding. I will have to compensate by doing an extra shift or
something like this, but that shouldn´t be a problem."
Ritsuko smiled.
"Since the day you were born this is your first night at a hospital. Alas, they won´t let me
stay."
"Thanks, Mom, I don´t know what I´d do without you..."
"Ah, Rei, that... Say, the doctor told me that pressure might have been the reason for your
breakdown, is this possible?"
Weakly Rei shook her head, any stronger movement would have caused her headache to increase.
"And it had nothing to do with this boy, Shinji Ikair?"
"No, Shinji would never give me grief."
Ritsuko frowned because of the conviction and the love in her daughter´s voice.
"Rei... did something happen between you and this Shinji I should know about? You remember the
talk we had..."
"Mom!" Rei said with weak indignation. "I´m not old enough for that!"
Ritsuko blinked.
Beaten by the own arguments... It seems that my daughter is getting too clever for me...
She sighed silently.
"Good. Just promise that you will take your time and don´t let yourself pressed, okay?"
"Shinji never would..."
"You seem to be quite sure of that."
"Yes." Rei whispered.
"Rei, I´m no expert in human relationships, god knows, or you´d have a caring father... but doesn´t
this all proceed way too fast? You do know him just a few days."
"To me it seems like I´d know for an eternity."
This time Ritsuko´s sigh was audiable.
I have a teeny-daughter in love... what have I done to earn this?
"Yes... But I´d like to meet him on occassion, if that´s not asked for too much."
"Mom!" Rei protested, wanted to sit up, distorted her face and herself fall back again.
"Rei, has it got worse?"
"No, but I just though my head would explode."
The doctor looked into the room after knocking at the door.
"Miss Akagi, my shift´s ending in ten minutes, you can stay here for this time, but then I have
to ask you to leave."
"Yes, thanks, doctor."
The man nodded, he seemed to be quite understanding.
"I´ll tell doctor Mizuno of the night shift to look after your daughter once in a while." He
looked at Rei. "And you, young lady, will push the red button by your bed should the headache
get worse."
"Yes."
"Okay."
With a smile on his face he closed the door.
"You heard him, Rei, I have to go. But I´ll be back tomorrow morning and drive you home."
"You don´t need to be concerned for me, Mom."
"But I do, I´m your mother, it´s part of the job. So, and before I forget - I´d like to get to
know your friend, have no fear, I won´t give you a reason to be ashamed."
Rei nodded with a feint smile.
"Okay."
"Well, see, mother knows best."
Ritsuko winked and gave her daughter a goodnight-kiss on the forehead, then she left the room.
A moment later a nurse came in, wished Rei a good night and turned off the light.
Rei laid within the darkness for a while, staring at the ceiling, while the hammering behind
her forehead slowly got weaker. Finally she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
***
Meanwhile Ryoji Kaji had taken position on the corridor, his ID-card of the ministery of interior
and his unusual rejecting face prevented other people from asking questions.
The Chief was quite terrified when I told her the reason for the girl´s stay at hospital...
He prepared himself for long night...
***
The loud beeping of the alarm-clock pulled Shinji Ikari out of his quite pleasant dreams about
Rei and him sunbathing, he had just started to oil her back...
Blindly he pushed the clock from the nightboard, it landed on the floor where it continued
to beep.
Shinji gave a mixture of moaning and sighing when he finally gave up, pulled his head out from
under the pillow, sat up and reached for the alarm-clock.
"And all of this because of Asuka who still believes that she has to be angry at me..."
The day before he already had been late for school since Asuka lived at the floor above, did not
woke him up as usual.
Still sleepy he walked into the bathroom.
While he got ready to face the day he heard the phone ring, than he heard fast footsteps that
seemed to belong to his mother.
"Ikari... Ah, doctor Akagi... yes... hm... yes... yes, it´s okay, take the day free... no, no,
if the reason´s not clear... we mothers have to stick together... yes, good... I will remind you...
´bye!"
Shinji turned around and opened the bathroom´s door.
"Mother, who called?"
Yui stood in the apartment´s corridor and looked at him surprised.
"Oh, you really managed to get up by your own... That was a collegue of mine from the institute."
"Doctor Akagi?"
"Yes, if I remember correctly you and her daughter are visiting the same class."
"Yes, yes, Rei."
"Hm, she just wanted to tell that she won´t come to work since her daughter´s at hospital."
Shinji´s eyes tripled their size - at least.
"What´s up with Rei? What?"
"She didn´t tell me."
"And which hospital?"
"Well, the next one, I guess. Why are you asking?"
But Shinji had already vanished in his room, put on his trousers, came back into the corridor
and put on his shoes.
"Don´t you want to eat something?" his mother shouted.
"No, I have to know what´s up with Rei."
In the kitchen Gendo let go of the newspaper.
"Shinji!" he screamed without warning, at the same moment the apartment´s door slammed shut.
Startled Yui let go of her cup.
"Gendo, why are you shouting?"
"I knew that this girl means trouble, I knew it." he mumbled and got up. "I have to go, my shift
begins in thirty minutes."
Yui suppressed a cursed noone would have thought her to know.
***
In the staircase Shinji nearly ran into Asuka who stood in front of the Ikaris´ door and seemed
to think about ringung the bell.
"Ah, can´t you be careful, Baka-Shiji!" she gave him her common greeting.
"I have no time, Asuka!" he said while passing her.
"Where are you going?" she asked surprised, at the same time to thought to hear Shinji´s father
shout his son´s name from within the apartment.
"Rei... Rei´s at hospital, I have to see what did happen to her." Shinji said, already two floors
lower. "Could you please bring me the homework of today?"
"Yes." she said surprised, then her temperament resurfaced. "Hey, does this mean you are not going
to school? Because of Wondergirl? Why should I..."
The building´s door slamming shut told her that he couldn´t hear her anymore.
"Baka-Shinji... run, run to her... yes, run..."
She didn´t know why she was behaving that rejectingly whenever the topic came to Rei, since she
and Shinji had been good friends who had been grown up together... but why did she always feel
a sharp pain in her chest when she saw the two being together?
***
"Do you have a Rei Akagi here?" Shinji breathless asked the nurse at the reception.
"I look... Akagi... Akagi, Rei... yes, since yesterday."
"Which room?"
"Are you a relative?"
"No", he answered while a small part of himself struggled against it, the part that had seen too
many of the alternate memories to stay neutral.
"Station 12, room 402, but asked the station´s nurse first, yes?"
"Yes." he nodded and ran to the elevator.
Room 402...
Die number made him remember new facts. And he heard his own voice within his head.
An unfamiliar ceiling...
***
When Ritsuko heard somebody asking about her daughter she frowned and turned around.
At the station´s nurse´s desk stood a boy of about fourteen years with darkbrown uncombed hair,
wearing blue jeans and a bright shirt.
***
After the nurse had given him the wanted information Shinji wanted to walk down the corridor.
"I just heard that you are here to see my daughter?"
Shinji turned his head, in front of him stood a woman with brightblonde hair and a birth mark
at the corner of her mouth.
She seemed familiar...
"Ah, uhm, yes... Are you Rei´s mother?"
Ritsuko nodded.
"And you are?... maybe Shinji Ikari?"
"Eh, yes... How does it come that you know my name?"
Ritsuko smiled.
"And how does it come that you know that she´s here?"
"I heard you talking to my mother."
" - and you came her at once..."
Astonishing... and I thought Rei would exaggerate...
Shinji nodded hastingly.
"What´s wrong with her?" he asked concerned.
"She lost her conciousness for a moment yesterday. Do you happen to know what might have been
the reason?"
"N-no", he stuttered.
Another memory? That hard that she had a break-down?
Why is he stuttering suddenly? Does he know something or is he just concerned?
Ritsuko looked at him for a moment then she decided not to asked further questions.
"Come, lets look after her."
When they entered Rei´s room, Rei´s eyes brightened up.
"Shinji..."
In spite of her not very elegant hospital clothing she jumped out of the bed and ran to the boy,
arms spread to embrace him, but she stopped directly in front of him when she noticed her mother
and lowered her arms.
"How..."
"Hallo, Rei." Shinji said and smiled sheepishly.
"Now, look who I met on the corridor. Don´t you say hello to your mom?" Ritsuko said.
"Sorry."
Rei embraced her mother.
For a moment Shinji stared at the low-cut back of her nightshirt, blushed heavyly and turned
his head away. This was noticed by Ritsuko.
Rei turned to Shinji who pretended to look out of the window.
"What are you looking at?"
"Uh, nothing."
Laughing Ritsuko Akagi handed her daughter a bathrobe that had been hanging at the door.
"Better put this on, your friend´s a bit of shy."
"Mom!"
"Okay, okay."
She did a step back.
"And, how are you?"
Rei touched her forehead for a moment.
"The headache´s gone."
"Good, well, I´ll go and ask if you can leave."
She nodded at Shinji.
"So you can talk undisturbed for a moment. But behave!"
"Mom!"
Still laughing Ritsuko left the room after placing a beg next to the door.
Reiu put on the robe.
"You may look now, Shinji-kun."
"Uhm, yes."
"Why do you feel embarressed?"
"It is... I respect you, Rei... and if I´d stare at you, while you... ah..."
"While I walk around like Misato-sensei?" she asked with a crooked smile and sparkling eyes,
sat down on the edge of the bed, showing a lot of her legs.
"Eh, yes, if I´d stare at you that barely would a sign of, uh... respect..."
She looked at him for a moment, then she nodded.
"And what if I wanted you to look at me?"
Shinji turned deep red, stuttered syllables without sense.
Rei laughed.
"Shinji, please, I do not want to embaress you again."
"Yes... Rei, why are you here? Your mother said something about a break down..."
"I felt suddenly a terrible headache, at the same time I thought to hear a loud voice screaming
directly inside of my head... and then I regained consciousness on the couch. But now everything´s
alright again."
"Did you... I mean... did you have another vision?"
"No, no further memories... and you?"
"Neither... or... some pieces, a word here, a thought there."
"Hm, how did you come to know of me being here?"
"Uhm, your mother called mine and I heard them talking and I asked her who had called and she..."
he bubbled.
Rei raised her hands defensivly.
"Okay, okay, I can imagine... And you came at once..."
She looked into his eyes and smiled her very special smile, the smile just reserved for him, the
smile she gave him after the victory over the angel Ramiel at Fugotoyama mountain.
He shook his head.
Wrong... I am seeing this smile for the first time...
"Shinji?"
"Nothing, just..."
"... a deja vu", she finished the sentence in his stead.
"Yes. Don´t worry."
"Shinji, it pains you, so I worry, it´s like breathing..."
"Rei..."
She still was smiling.
"You came at once... didn´t even comb your hair... and a button of your shirt´s still unbuttoned..."
"Äh..."
"Shinji, that´s such a nice thing..."
"I..."
"Thank you."
"I couldn´t do anything else... it was as natural as breathing..."
"And I thank you for it... Shinji, I... I remember... it´s dark and your arm´s around my
shoulders... something just happened, you were afraid for me... and you tell me that one day
we would think it´s good to be alive..."
"Rei, that..."
Her words dug up his own memories of another life.
She´s talking about what happened after I had destroyed Ramiel and got her out of unit zero´s
EntryPlug...
At the moment Ritsuko returned, noticed the strange gaze they were looking at each other with,
as if they shared a common bond only they were able to notice, as if they shared a secret that
wasn´t meant for Ritsuko.
At first she felt dejected and almost jealousy, then she sighed in silence.
The first love...
***
Misato Katsuragi counted her pupils, found two of them missing, identified the missing one to be
Rei Akagi and Shinji Ikari.
"So, her mother called me and told me that Rei´s ill. Can somebody tell me what´s up with Shinji?"
She wrote down a note at her list next to Rei´s name.
"Asuka, do you know something?"
Asuka got up.
"Ahm... Shinji´s ill, too", Asuka explained after hesitating for a moment. "Probably he´s got
the same Rei has."
"Hm, okay, tell him, I want a written excusion."
"Yes, Sensei."
She sat down again.
And now I am lying for that baka!
"He, Asuka", Kensuke who sat behind her whispered.
"What do you want, stooge?"
"Did they spent the night together and were to tired for class?"
Kensuke giggled, imagening it and wishing to have been there.
Asuka only wished for a gun...
End of stage one
*************************************************************************************************
Next: Asuka vs. Rei - Death Match !!!
"No, it´s not an allergic reaction... no, it hasn´t happened before... Now, listen to me, my
daughter´s suddenly lost conciousness and I do not have a clue why she did! I´m a doctor myself...
So, will you come to my place, or do I have to bring her to you? ... yes, the place is...
Thanks..."
Like from far away Rei heard her mother´s voice from the corridor, then she slammed the phone
down and return into the small living-room.
"Ah, Mom..." Rei whispered weakly. It seemed to take eternity and use up all her strenght reserves
to open her eyes.
"Shhh. Stay down, dear. The doctor´s already one the way."
"Yes..."
Her head ached as if she had been hit by a heavy object at the forehead.
"I was that terrified... How are you?"
"Weak... and my head hurts... that..."
She raised her head a bit, saw stars and thought the headache was growing tenfold, so she laid
back her head.
"What is it, Mom?"
Ritsuko´s voice was full of concern and fear when she answered.
"I don´t know, the doctor´ll be here soon to bring you to the hospital for a check-up."
"Yes."
Rei suppressed a shivver. She hated hospitals...
***
The checks had brought up no results, the scans of Rei´s skull showed neither injuries nor
bleedings, the bone were whole.
"So, why did she suffer a break-down?" Ritsuko asked the doctor.
The man shrugged.
"Well, the scans do show no physical reasons. The checks of her blood sample should be finished
soon. Was your daughter under pressure the last days?"
"Well, no."
"Well?"
"Now, we just moved to Tokio from Osaka... everything´s new to her, a new school, new faces...
the first boyfriend..."
"Hm, that might be a reason for pressure, but she seemed to me quite resistent to this."
"Yes, she is, that´s the reason for me to be concerned... see, during her childhood she never
was really ill, well, a cold here, a flu there, but nothing serious, yes? And we get along quite
well, she tells me nearly everything."
"You are raising her on your own?"
Ritsuko nodded.
"Shall I call the father?"
"No... I wouldn´t know how to reach him anyway."
"Understood... Ah, the results of the blood checks... hm, everything´s okay, no drugs, nothing
that shouldn´t be there..."
"My daughter doesn´t consume drugs, doctor!"
"I´m sorry, I didn´t want to offend you, Miss Akagi."
"Okay, so, why did she just, well, fell down?"
"To be honest - I don´t know. At best we´ll keep her here for the night."
"I... okay. May I see her for a moment?"
"Sure, just go."
Ritsuko entered the room where Rei was laying in the hospital bed, wearing a white nightshirt
with blue spots.
"Dear, how are you?"
Ritsuko sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked her daughter´s hair caressingly.
"Better, a bit. The headache´s no that strong anymore."
"Good. The doctor said physically you are fit, but they want to keep you here for the night.
That means I´ll drive home, take a free day tomorrow and return tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Mom, but you don´t have to take a free day, you just started working at the institute."
"Doctor Ikari´s quite understanding. I will have to compensate by doing an extra shift or
something like this, but that shouldn´t be a problem."
Ritsuko smiled.
"Since the day you were born this is your first night at a hospital. Alas, they won´t let me
stay."
"Thanks, Mom, I don´t know what I´d do without you..."
"Ah, Rei, that... Say, the doctor told me that pressure might have been the reason for your
breakdown, is this possible?"
Weakly Rei shook her head, any stronger movement would have caused her headache to increase.
"And it had nothing to do with this boy, Shinji Ikair?"
"No, Shinji would never give me grief."
Ritsuko frowned because of the conviction and the love in her daughter´s voice.
"Rei... did something happen between you and this Shinji I should know about? You remember the
talk we had..."
"Mom!" Rei said with weak indignation. "I´m not old enough for that!"
Ritsuko blinked.
Beaten by the own arguments... It seems that my daughter is getting too clever for me...
She sighed silently.
"Good. Just promise that you will take your time and don´t let yourself pressed, okay?"
"Shinji never would..."
"You seem to be quite sure of that."
"Yes." Rei whispered.
"Rei, I´m no expert in human relationships, god knows, or you´d have a caring father... but doesn´t
this all proceed way too fast? You do know him just a few days."
"To me it seems like I´d know for an eternity."
This time Ritsuko´s sigh was audiable.
I have a teeny-daughter in love... what have I done to earn this?
"Yes... But I´d like to meet him on occassion, if that´s not asked for too much."
"Mom!" Rei protested, wanted to sit up, distorted her face and herself fall back again.
"Rei, has it got worse?"
"No, but I just though my head would explode."
The doctor looked into the room after knocking at the door.
"Miss Akagi, my shift´s ending in ten minutes, you can stay here for this time, but then I have
to ask you to leave."
"Yes, thanks, doctor."
The man nodded, he seemed to be quite understanding.
"I´ll tell doctor Mizuno of the night shift to look after your daughter once in a while." He
looked at Rei. "And you, young lady, will push the red button by your bed should the headache
get worse."
"Yes."
"Okay."
With a smile on his face he closed the door.
"You heard him, Rei, I have to go. But I´ll be back tomorrow morning and drive you home."
"You don´t need to be concerned for me, Mom."
"But I do, I´m your mother, it´s part of the job. So, and before I forget - I´d like to get to
know your friend, have no fear, I won´t give you a reason to be ashamed."
Rei nodded with a feint smile.
"Okay."
"Well, see, mother knows best."
Ritsuko winked and gave her daughter a goodnight-kiss on the forehead, then she left the room.
A moment later a nurse came in, wished Rei a good night and turned off the light.
Rei laid within the darkness for a while, staring at the ceiling, while the hammering behind
her forehead slowly got weaker. Finally she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
***
Meanwhile Ryoji Kaji had taken position on the corridor, his ID-card of the ministery of interior
and his unusual rejecting face prevented other people from asking questions.
The Chief was quite terrified when I told her the reason for the girl´s stay at hospital...
He prepared himself for long night...
***
The loud beeping of the alarm-clock pulled Shinji Ikari out of his quite pleasant dreams about
Rei and him sunbathing, he had just started to oil her back...
Blindly he pushed the clock from the nightboard, it landed on the floor where it continued
to beep.
Shinji gave a mixture of moaning and sighing when he finally gave up, pulled his head out from
under the pillow, sat up and reached for the alarm-clock.
"And all of this because of Asuka who still believes that she has to be angry at me..."
The day before he already had been late for school since Asuka lived at the floor above, did not
woke him up as usual.
Still sleepy he walked into the bathroom.
While he got ready to face the day he heard the phone ring, than he heard fast footsteps that
seemed to belong to his mother.
"Ikari... Ah, doctor Akagi... yes... hm... yes... yes, it´s okay, take the day free... no, no,
if the reason´s not clear... we mothers have to stick together... yes, good... I will remind you...
´bye!"
Shinji turned around and opened the bathroom´s door.
"Mother, who called?"
Yui stood in the apartment´s corridor and looked at him surprised.
"Oh, you really managed to get up by your own... That was a collegue of mine from the institute."
"Doctor Akagi?"
"Yes, if I remember correctly you and her daughter are visiting the same class."
"Yes, yes, Rei."
"Hm, she just wanted to tell that she won´t come to work since her daughter´s at hospital."
Shinji´s eyes tripled their size - at least.
"What´s up with Rei? What?"
"She didn´t tell me."
"And which hospital?"
"Well, the next one, I guess. Why are you asking?"
But Shinji had already vanished in his room, put on his trousers, came back into the corridor
and put on his shoes.
"Don´t you want to eat something?" his mother shouted.
"No, I have to know what´s up with Rei."
In the kitchen Gendo let go of the newspaper.
"Shinji!" he screamed without warning, at the same moment the apartment´s door slammed shut.
Startled Yui let go of her cup.
"Gendo, why are you shouting?"
"I knew that this girl means trouble, I knew it." he mumbled and got up. "I have to go, my shift
begins in thirty minutes."
Yui suppressed a cursed noone would have thought her to know.
***
In the staircase Shinji nearly ran into Asuka who stood in front of the Ikaris´ door and seemed
to think about ringung the bell.
"Ah, can´t you be careful, Baka-Shiji!" she gave him her common greeting.
"I have no time, Asuka!" he said while passing her.
"Where are you going?" she asked surprised, at the same time to thought to hear Shinji´s father
shout his son´s name from within the apartment.
"Rei... Rei´s at hospital, I have to see what did happen to her." Shinji said, already two floors
lower. "Could you please bring me the homework of today?"
"Yes." she said surprised, then her temperament resurfaced. "Hey, does this mean you are not going
to school? Because of Wondergirl? Why should I..."
The building´s door slamming shut told her that he couldn´t hear her anymore.
"Baka-Shinji... run, run to her... yes, run..."
She didn´t know why she was behaving that rejectingly whenever the topic came to Rei, since she
and Shinji had been good friends who had been grown up together... but why did she always feel
a sharp pain in her chest when she saw the two being together?
***
"Do you have a Rei Akagi here?" Shinji breathless asked the nurse at the reception.
"I look... Akagi... Akagi, Rei... yes, since yesterday."
"Which room?"
"Are you a relative?"
"No", he answered while a small part of himself struggled against it, the part that had seen too
many of the alternate memories to stay neutral.
"Station 12, room 402, but asked the station´s nurse first, yes?"
"Yes." he nodded and ran to the elevator.
Room 402...
Die number made him remember new facts. And he heard his own voice within his head.
An unfamiliar ceiling...
***
When Ritsuko heard somebody asking about her daughter she frowned and turned around.
At the station´s nurse´s desk stood a boy of about fourteen years with darkbrown uncombed hair,
wearing blue jeans and a bright shirt.
***
After the nurse had given him the wanted information Shinji wanted to walk down the corridor.
"I just heard that you are here to see my daughter?"
Shinji turned his head, in front of him stood a woman with brightblonde hair and a birth mark
at the corner of her mouth.
She seemed familiar...
"Ah, uhm, yes... Are you Rei´s mother?"
Ritsuko nodded.
"And you are?... maybe Shinji Ikari?"
"Eh, yes... How does it come that you know my name?"
Ritsuko smiled.
"And how does it come that you know that she´s here?"
"I heard you talking to my mother."
" - and you came her at once..."
Astonishing... and I thought Rei would exaggerate...
Shinji nodded hastingly.
"What´s wrong with her?" he asked concerned.
"She lost her conciousness for a moment yesterday. Do you happen to know what might have been
the reason?"
"N-no", he stuttered.
Another memory? That hard that she had a break-down?
Why is he stuttering suddenly? Does he know something or is he just concerned?
Ritsuko looked at him for a moment then she decided not to asked further questions.
"Come, lets look after her."
When they entered Rei´s room, Rei´s eyes brightened up.
"Shinji..."
In spite of her not very elegant hospital clothing she jumped out of the bed and ran to the boy,
arms spread to embrace him, but she stopped directly in front of him when she noticed her mother
and lowered her arms.
"How..."
"Hallo, Rei." Shinji said and smiled sheepishly.
"Now, look who I met on the corridor. Don´t you say hello to your mom?" Ritsuko said.
"Sorry."
Rei embraced her mother.
For a moment Shinji stared at the low-cut back of her nightshirt, blushed heavyly and turned
his head away. This was noticed by Ritsuko.
Rei turned to Shinji who pretended to look out of the window.
"What are you looking at?"
"Uh, nothing."
Laughing Ritsuko Akagi handed her daughter a bathrobe that had been hanging at the door.
"Better put this on, your friend´s a bit of shy."
"Mom!"
"Okay, okay."
She did a step back.
"And, how are you?"
Rei touched her forehead for a moment.
"The headache´s gone."
"Good, well, I´ll go and ask if you can leave."
She nodded at Shinji.
"So you can talk undisturbed for a moment. But behave!"
"Mom!"
Still laughing Ritsuko left the room after placing a beg next to the door.
Reiu put on the robe.
"You may look now, Shinji-kun."
"Uhm, yes."
"Why do you feel embarressed?"
"It is... I respect you, Rei... and if I´d stare at you, while you... ah..."
"While I walk around like Misato-sensei?" she asked with a crooked smile and sparkling eyes,
sat down on the edge of the bed, showing a lot of her legs.
"Eh, yes, if I´d stare at you that barely would a sign of, uh... respect..."
She looked at him for a moment, then she nodded.
"And what if I wanted you to look at me?"
Shinji turned deep red, stuttered syllables without sense.
Rei laughed.
"Shinji, please, I do not want to embaress you again."
"Yes... Rei, why are you here? Your mother said something about a break down..."
"I felt suddenly a terrible headache, at the same time I thought to hear a loud voice screaming
directly inside of my head... and then I regained consciousness on the couch. But now everything´s
alright again."
"Did you... I mean... did you have another vision?"
"No, no further memories... and you?"
"Neither... or... some pieces, a word here, a thought there."
"Hm, how did you come to know of me being here?"
"Uhm, your mother called mine and I heard them talking and I asked her who had called and she..."
he bubbled.
Rei raised her hands defensivly.
"Okay, okay, I can imagine... And you came at once..."
She looked into his eyes and smiled her very special smile, the smile just reserved for him, the
smile she gave him after the victory over the angel Ramiel at Fugotoyama mountain.
He shook his head.
Wrong... I am seeing this smile for the first time...
"Shinji?"
"Nothing, just..."
"... a deja vu", she finished the sentence in his stead.
"Yes. Don´t worry."
"Shinji, it pains you, so I worry, it´s like breathing..."
"Rei..."
She still was smiling.
"You came at once... didn´t even comb your hair... and a button of your shirt´s still unbuttoned..."
"Äh..."
"Shinji, that´s such a nice thing..."
"I..."
"Thank you."
"I couldn´t do anything else... it was as natural as breathing..."
"And I thank you for it... Shinji, I... I remember... it´s dark and your arm´s around my
shoulders... something just happened, you were afraid for me... and you tell me that one day
we would think it´s good to be alive..."
"Rei, that..."
Her words dug up his own memories of another life.
She´s talking about what happened after I had destroyed Ramiel and got her out of unit zero´s
EntryPlug...
At the moment Ritsuko returned, noticed the strange gaze they were looking at each other with,
as if they shared a common bond only they were able to notice, as if they shared a secret that
wasn´t meant for Ritsuko.
At first she felt dejected and almost jealousy, then she sighed in silence.
The first love...
***
Misato Katsuragi counted her pupils, found two of them missing, identified the missing one to be
Rei Akagi and Shinji Ikari.
"So, her mother called me and told me that Rei´s ill. Can somebody tell me what´s up with Shinji?"
She wrote down a note at her list next to Rei´s name.
"Asuka, do you know something?"
Asuka got up.
"Ahm... Shinji´s ill, too", Asuka explained after hesitating for a moment. "Probably he´s got
the same Rei has."
"Hm, okay, tell him, I want a written excusion."
"Yes, Sensei."
She sat down again.
And now I am lying for that baka!
"He, Asuka", Kensuke who sat behind her whispered.
"What do you want, stooge?"
"Did they spent the night together and were to tired for class?"
Kensuke giggled, imagening it and wishing to have been there.
Asuka only wished for a gun...
End of stage one
*************************************************************************************************
Next: Asuka vs. Rei - Death Match !!!