He saw her standing there, the moonlight playing on the color of her uniform. The three of them had gone their after missions sometimes, looking over the buildings. She was now standing there alone.
Suddenly the scene changed. That same surreal image came back... her wings, her bleeding wings. He reached out, grazing the feather tips. The blood smeared across his fingers and he suppressed the sick feeling that rose in his throat. It all suddenly disappeared, and Rei was the same again, but his hand... his hand was touching her back.
She turned around slowly. "Shinji?"
His hand dropped to his side. "I... uh..." His mouthed moved, but the words stuck in his throat. The vision of the blood and now the sensation of him just touching her had left him utterly speechless and confused on the inside. She stared at him, unmoving.
She wondered why he wouldn't talk. "Shinji?" She questioned him again, hoping that it would allow something to start moving in his mind. It seemed to do no good.
Shinji sighed. Why couldn't he say anything? She was obviously waiting for him to talk, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words, or any words for that matter. He forced his lips to move, forming the oddest word... "Blood." He looked down at his fingers. The illusion had disappeared but he could swear he could still feel the cold sticky liquid on his fingers.
"What?" Rei was shocked at his only words to her, but kept that to herself. Why would he ever say that word... that word that she hated saying herself. She shuddered. Red.
He watched her shudder and... he wanted to reach out and touch her again. Why was she shuddering anyway? Well, genius, the word you chose to say wasn't exactly the best choice in the book. He stood there, beating himself internally.
She stared at him. She could see his lips moving slightly... he was talking to himself. I guess he enjoyed talking to himself more that with me... But it didn't matter. Rei turned back around and looked over the scenery. She couldn't... stare at him for long. Those thoughts... the thoughts she wasn't meant to have came back.
He watched her turn around and sighed deeply. Why was he such a screw up? She probably thought he was crazy... everyone thinks he's crazy. He sighed again. What to do now? A silence drifted between them, and he stood there, staring at the back of her. By the time she walked away, he had practically memorized the wrinkles in her uniform.
She started walking down the path. He opened his mouth, "Will I see you tomorrow?"
Rei stopped in her tracks. Odd. "That's a strange question, Shinji." She replied quietly.
"Rei, will I see you?"
"No one ever does." She continued walking.
--
The Angel split in two. Rei could almost feel its pain... when she realized that the wounds she had received herself were just as bad. She could hear... hear someone in the background. He was shouting. "Rei! Come back! Rei!"
"Gendo?" she whispered, the breath hallow in her lungs. "Shinji..."
"Get her back in!" Misato shouted. She saw the whole thing on the monitor, and with the life signs coming from the Eva, it wasn't looking good for Rei. She sighed. Rei seemed to be the one who always got the worse of the beatings. She turned to look up at the glass tower. Gendo glared down, his facial expression never changing. Misato quickly looked away, still uncomfortable every time she looked at that man. She felt there was something more than he was saying.
"Rei..." Shinji looked into the monitor, his heart splitting in two in his chest.
The Eva was quickly brought back in, and Shinji rushed through the crowd, running for the plug. He gently pulled her body out, bringing it onto the floor. The paramedics had already been called... but they of course took their time. It was Rei. She didn't matter. Shinji could feel his one hand balling into a fist. He suppressed his anger.
"Shinji..." Rei whispered gently, the pain writhing in her body.
"Shhh... don't talk." Misato was right there, making sure that Shinji didn't move Rei more than he already had.
"The blood..." Shinji felt the warm liquid flowing across his fingers. Rei closed her eyes. "No! Open your eyes! Open..." He stopped. The dream, the dream was back. The feathers drifted in the blood... He started to thrash around, pushing his hands into Rei's blood that was puddling on the floor. "Her wings... the feathers..." His eyes widened as he made futile attempts at clutching the feathers in his hands. "She's an angel..."
Misato watched Shinji as he played in his delirium. "Shinji, stop! Stop that right now!" The disgust and pure sadness welled up inside of Misato. What... what was he doing? Shinji continued, his clothes now practically soaked in her blood. The paramedics came down, pulling Rei away from Shinji. He screamed, still attempting to grab the feathers. Misato watched in horror.
"Shinji!" She grabbed him and hit his face hard, her slap leaving a red mark on his face.
He took in a gasping breath. "Angel..." He fell lifeless in her arms, looking as if he was stuck in a content sleep.
--
Suddenly the scene changed. That same surreal image came back... her wings, her bleeding wings. He reached out, grazing the feather tips. The blood smeared across his fingers and he suppressed the sick feeling that rose in his throat. It all suddenly disappeared, and Rei was the same again, but his hand... his hand was touching her back.
She turned around slowly. "Shinji?"
His hand dropped to his side. "I... uh..." His mouthed moved, but the words stuck in his throat. The vision of the blood and now the sensation of him just touching her had left him utterly speechless and confused on the inside. She stared at him, unmoving.
She wondered why he wouldn't talk. "Shinji?" She questioned him again, hoping that it would allow something to start moving in his mind. It seemed to do no good.
Shinji sighed. Why couldn't he say anything? She was obviously waiting for him to talk, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words, or any words for that matter. He forced his lips to move, forming the oddest word... "Blood." He looked down at his fingers. The illusion had disappeared but he could swear he could still feel the cold sticky liquid on his fingers.
"What?" Rei was shocked at his only words to her, but kept that to herself. Why would he ever say that word... that word that she hated saying herself. She shuddered. Red.
He watched her shudder and... he wanted to reach out and touch her again. Why was she shuddering anyway? Well, genius, the word you chose to say wasn't exactly the best choice in the book. He stood there, beating himself internally.
She stared at him. She could see his lips moving slightly... he was talking to himself. I guess he enjoyed talking to himself more that with me... But it didn't matter. Rei turned back around and looked over the scenery. She couldn't... stare at him for long. Those thoughts... the thoughts she wasn't meant to have came back.
He watched her turn around and sighed deeply. Why was he such a screw up? She probably thought he was crazy... everyone thinks he's crazy. He sighed again. What to do now? A silence drifted between them, and he stood there, staring at the back of her. By the time she walked away, he had practically memorized the wrinkles in her uniform.
She started walking down the path. He opened his mouth, "Will I see you tomorrow?"
Rei stopped in her tracks. Odd. "That's a strange question, Shinji." She replied quietly.
"Rei, will I see you?"
"No one ever does." She continued walking.
--
The Angel split in two. Rei could almost feel its pain... when she realized that the wounds she had received herself were just as bad. She could hear... hear someone in the background. He was shouting. "Rei! Come back! Rei!"
"Gendo?" she whispered, the breath hallow in her lungs. "Shinji..."
"Get her back in!" Misato shouted. She saw the whole thing on the monitor, and with the life signs coming from the Eva, it wasn't looking good for Rei. She sighed. Rei seemed to be the one who always got the worse of the beatings. She turned to look up at the glass tower. Gendo glared down, his facial expression never changing. Misato quickly looked away, still uncomfortable every time she looked at that man. She felt there was something more than he was saying.
"Rei..." Shinji looked into the monitor, his heart splitting in two in his chest.
The Eva was quickly brought back in, and Shinji rushed through the crowd, running for the plug. He gently pulled her body out, bringing it onto the floor. The paramedics had already been called... but they of course took their time. It was Rei. She didn't matter. Shinji could feel his one hand balling into a fist. He suppressed his anger.
"Shinji..." Rei whispered gently, the pain writhing in her body.
"Shhh... don't talk." Misato was right there, making sure that Shinji didn't move Rei more than he already had.
"The blood..." Shinji felt the warm liquid flowing across his fingers. Rei closed her eyes. "No! Open your eyes! Open..." He stopped. The dream, the dream was back. The feathers drifted in the blood... He started to thrash around, pushing his hands into Rei's blood that was puddling on the floor. "Her wings... the feathers..." His eyes widened as he made futile attempts at clutching the feathers in his hands. "She's an angel..."
Misato watched Shinji as he played in his delirium. "Shinji, stop! Stop that right now!" The disgust and pure sadness welled up inside of Misato. What... what was he doing? Shinji continued, his clothes now practically soaked in her blood. The paramedics came down, pulling Rei away from Shinji. He screamed, still attempting to grab the feathers. Misato watched in horror.
"Shinji!" She grabbed him and hit his face hard, her slap leaving a red mark on his face.
He took in a gasping breath. "Angel..." He fell lifeless in her arms, looking as if he was stuck in a content sleep.
--