Chapter 6: Mystery Girl
Ayanami Rei. First Child. Pilot of Evangelion Prototype Unit 00.
That's all he knew about her. Enigmatic would fall short in describing her. She
was clouded in mystery and secrets, none of which he could ever hope getting
an answer to. Shinji had asked Misato about her, but she could only tell him
Rei had been around NERV even longer than Misato herself. She had also told
him that all of Rei's records had been erased, so she couldn't offer him any
more information.
Except…except for the fact his father cared about her. He had saved her during
EVA 00's activation, burning his hands on the superheated exterior in the
process. His father, who had abandoned him years beforehand. His father, who
had made him come to Tokyo-3 to pilot the…thing they named EVA. His father,
who had told him to leave if he didn't pilot. His father, who couldn't seem to
care less about his son.
His father, who was smiling, and chatting with Rei, next to her EVA.
Expressions she was mirroring. She was smiling, and this was the same person
who, hours before, had not shown any expression as he had proceeded to
humiliate Toji in front of all the girls.
What was she to the Commander? And in reverse, what was he to her?
How could she get him to…open up, when he, the Commander's own son, seemed only
capable of bringing contempt or indifference from the Elder Ikari.
Yet another part of the mystery named Ayanami Rei.
"…Misato cooked this, didn't she?" The blonde scientist asked, grimacing at the
vile taste in her mouth. Shinji nodded.
"Oh, can you tell?"
"Yes, by it's taste. Next time, invite me when it's Shinji's turn to cook,"
continued Ritsuko, setting her chopsticks down. "Shinji, you should move out.
You shouldn't let one bad roommate ruin your life."
"I'm used to it now," answered the boy, looking back from the kitchen. Thought
I heard a noise there…
"He's right, Ritsuko. Never underestimate the ability of the human animal to
adapt to it's environment. And anyway, if he does move…" she continued,
shaking her beer can. She paused upon noticing its state of emptiness.
"Shin-chan, why don't you bring me another one, please?"
"Hai."
"…he's going to have to go through a lot of trouble and red tape," she
continued, her own interruption forgotten. "He just got his permanent security
card, you know."
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ritsuko blurted out. "Shinji, would you do me a
favor?"
she asked, searching for something in her purse.
"What is it?"
"Rei Ayanami's renewal card. I keep forgetting to give this to her. Would you
mind delivering it before you go to headquarters?"
"Sure," he said, taking the card. He glanced at it, checking if there was
anything of interest on the card. The picture was such an item, as it grabbed
his attention and refused to let go. Misato smirked at the boy's actions.
"What's the matter? You're staring at Rei's picture, aren't you?"
"Huhwha? No!"
"Oh, I think you are Shin-chan." She pressed on, grinning even more than she
had been before.
"N-No!"
"Oh come on!" she laughed, holding her hand in front of her mouth. "You're
embarrassed, aren't you? Well, you've got an official excuse to go to Rei's
place now. This is your chance, isn't it?"
"Stop teasing me!" Answered Shinji, sitting down in a huff. Misato laughed it
off.
"But I love teasing you. You always go ballistic!"
"Just like Misato," quipped in the scientist of the group, eliciting an
indignant grumble from it's target.
"I just find it strange that I know so little about Ayanami, even though we're
both Eva pilots," Shinji continued quietly.
Ritsuko nodded. "She's a very nice girl, but she's like your father. She's not
very adept at…"
"Not adept at what?" asked the boy, curious.
"Living."
----
*** Now talking in #Rosengärten
*** Topic is 'Where pigs may fly, someday. || Song of the moment: Johann Sebastian Bach – Jesu
Bleibet Meine Freude'
*** Set by RoterRitter on Mon February 11 12:33:15
*** ChanServ sets mode: +o Momoku
Tchernobyl I command you, as King of the Britons, to stand aside!
Shenalia I move…for no man…
Tchernobyl So be it!
Momoku ?
* Tchernobyl slashes at Shen
* Shenalia parries
* Shenalia counters
* Tchernobyl parries and slashes back, cutting Shen's arm off
Tchernobyl Now stand aside, worthy adversary!
Shenalia T'is but a scratch!
Tchernobyl A scratch? Your arm's off!
Shenalia No it isn't!
Tchernobyl So what's that then? *points towards the arm on the ground*
* Shenalia looks at the arm
Shenalia I've had worse.
Momoku …
Tchernobyl You liar!
Shenalia Come on ya pansy!
* Shenalia slashes
* Tchernobyl dodges
* Tchernobyl slashes back, cutting Shen's other arm off
Tchernobyl Victory is mine!
* Tchernobyl bows down
Tchernobyl We thank thee lord, for in thy mercy….
Shenalia HA! * kicks Tcher *
* Tchernobyl oofs
Shenalia Come on then!
Tchernobyl What?
Shenalia HAVE AT YOU!
Tchernobyl You're indeed brave Sir Knight, but the fight is mine!
Shenalia Oh, had enough, eh?
Tchernobyl …
Tchernobyl Look, you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left!
Shenalia Yes I have!
Tchernobyl Look!
Shenalia Just a flesh wound…
* Shenalia kicks Tcher
Tchernobyl Look, stop that!
Shenalia Chicken! Chicken!
Tchernobyl Look, I'll have your leg!
* Shenalia kicks Tcher again
Tchernobyl Right!
* Tchernobyl cuts off one of Shen's legs
* Shenalia looks at the leg, then back up
Shenalia Right, I'll do you for that!
Tchernobyl You'll WHAT?
----
How long was this going to go ON, wondered Shinji as he watched the events
going on, a smile nonetheless present on his face.
----
Shenalia C'mere!
Tchernobyl What are you gonna do, bleed on me?
Shenalia I'M INVINCIBLE!
Tchernobyl …You're a loony.
Shenalia THE BLACK KNIGHT ALWAYS TRIUMPHS!
Shenalia HAVE AT YOU!
Tchernobyl …
Shenalia Come on then!
* Shenalia hops around
* Tchernobyl cuts off the other leg
* Shenalia looks down, then from one leg to the other
Shenalia Alright, we'll call it a draw.
----
At this point, Shinji could barely hold in the laughter. He knew after all the
time he'd been a member of the channel that those two were always good for a
laugh, even if one of them did have the bad habit of always nagging
RoterRitter.
----
Tchernobyl Come, Patsy!
* Tchernobyl walks away
Shenalia Oh, I see, running away eh? YOU YELLOW BASTARD! Come back here and pay what's
coming to you!
Shenalia I'll bite your legs off!
----
Shinji shook his head. Those two were complete nuts. He blinked as a new window
appeared, from RoterRitter. He hadn't noticed she was in the channel while
those two were goofing off.
----
RoterRitter Hey there handsome, what's up?
Momoku …handsome?
RoterRitter What, can't I call a friend handsome? :-P
Momoku It's not that, it's more that I'm not really used to being called that…
RoterRitter Ah never mind, it's not as if I've actually SEEN you yet :-P Although I want
to.
Momoku Same here, I want to meet you too…
RoterRitter :) Anyway, what's going on over there?
Momoku Oh, nothing much…my guardian made some horrible food tonight...again. I swear, she
couldn't cook to save her life.
RoterRitter There, there, you'll survive :-P
RoterRitter Oh, I've been meaning to ask…guardian? Why don't you live with your parents?
Momoku I don't really want to live with my father…
RoterRitter Don't like him, huh?
Momoku Something like that…
RoterRitter And your mom?
----
Shinji felt his throat tighten. He waited a bit, his feelings warring inside of
him. Part of him didn't want to tell her, but part of him did. He wanted to
share this with his only real …friend…But it was something he had kept to
himself for so long, he wasn't sure if he was ready to let someone else on to
this. His internal debate lasted several minutes, which prompted RoterRitter
to, thankfully, answer her question on her own.
----
RoterRitter You still there…?
Momoku Yeah.
RoterRitter …She's dead, isn't she?
----
She had guessed it. Drawing a deep breath, he continued typing.
----
* Momoku nods
RoterRitter Sorry, I shouldn't have asked.
Momoku It's all right, you couldn't have known.
RoterRitter "All right", like hell it is. You're obviously still hurting…but
never mind that. Let's not dwell on it.
Momoku Okay.
RoterRitter Although…
Momoku ?
----
She bit her lip. Indirectly, he had shared something with her that he
apparently didn't normally talk about. Now, she felt that she had to pay him
back in kind. Her brain screamed at her to ignore the feeling, to just shrug
it aside like everything else, after all, he wasn't important.
Still, she felt that this was someone she could understand…someone like her.
Possibly, someone who could understand her?
She just didn't know.
----
Momoku Are you there? You ok?
RoterRitter Yeah… just had something on my mind.
Momoku Ah, ok.
RoterRitter Say…I'll let you on to a secret of my own…
Momoku ?
RoterRitter After you shared that one with me…
Momoku You don't have to, you know…
RoterRitter But I want to
Momoku …Okay, then…
RoterRitter I'm…just like you.
Momoku …?
RoterRitter I can't stand my father…and my mother is dead, too. I do have a
step-mom, but I hate her.
Momoku Oh…I'm sorry to hear that.
RoterRitter It's all right, I've been managing…and I've told you already,
stop apologizing!
Momoku Gomen!
Momoku er..oops.
* RoterRitter glares
RoterRitter Anyway... I'm glad I told you this. It feels better to share it
with someone, instead of keeping it all inside, don't you think?
Momoku Yeah.
Momoku I'd better go now, though, I have to leave early…
RoterRitter Leaving me alone?? How can you! * sob *
Momoku Gomen! I don't mean to!
RoterRitter Just kidding, just kidding ;)
Momoku Not funny
RoterRitter Bite me :-P why do you have to leave early, anyway?
Momoku My teacher told me to drop something off at a classmates' place…
----
He sincerely hoped she'd buy that…after all, it was NERV stuff, he couldn't
really talk about it.
----
RoterRitter Ah. Homework?
Momoku Yeah, something like that. She wasn't there yesterday.
RoterRitter She?
RoterRitter You're going to a GIRL'S place? Alone?
Momoku Er…yeah?
RoterRitter My my, quite the Casanova!
Momoku It's not like that!
RoterRitter Suuuure. And now you're leaving me alone for her. Hmph!
Momoku No! it's really not like that! She's just a classmate, I barely even
know her anyway! And what do you mean by 'leaving you alone'?
RoterRitter Ah, nothing, nothing. So, how is this girl like?
Momoku Quiet. Withdrawn. You barely even notice she's there…but still…
RoterRitter But?
Momoku But she changes as soon as she talks to someone else…she turns
more…how could I say it…
RoterRitter ?
---
The seconds ticked by as the girl waited for an explanation. As the seconds
dragged into a minute, she raised an eyebrow, fingers ready to ask whether he
was still there, but was cut off when the answer appeared.
---
Momoku Vibrant. Alive. Almost as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep…like Sleeping
Beauty, if you will.
---
She blinked. Could he possibly be…
---
RoterRitter Ah, so she's in love with someone? Who? You?
Momoku No! Nothing like that…she just seems to open up more to this person
than anyone else…
---
The redhead sagged back into her chair, a worried frown on her face. He almost
seemed to be…gushing about this girl.
She didn't like this one bit.
On his side of the globe, Shinji had his own worries. It wasn't only
Ayanami…his own father opened up when talking to her, whereas alone, both
seemed to be chiseled out of ice. He wanted to do the same… be able to make
his father open up.
Hmm…maybe he should ask RoterRitter about this…
----
RoterRitter Definitely some honey of hers.
Momoku No…an adult.
RoterRitter WHAT??? Ewww, disgusting!
Momoku No! What are you thinking of! Not like that!
----
…Or not.
-----
RoterRitter What THEN??
Momoku Guess I better explain the best I can…it all started with my
mother's death.
RoterRitter You don't have to tell me this if you don't want to. Really.
Momoku No, I want to. After she died, my father…left me alone.
RoterRitter Is that a bad thing?
Momoku Yes…he completely left me…let my grandparents raise me since I was a
child.
RoterRitter What??? Sounds like he abandoned you when you most needed him!
Momoku He called me back a few weeks ago…but now he seems different, yet
the same.
RoterRitter And what does this have to do with this girl?
Momoku I'm coming to that. He seemed different in that he's cold…so cold.
He doesn't seem to care about anything…
Momoku Yet he opens up to this girl when he sees her, and she the same…
RoterRitter Still sounds like some perverse fetish to me…
Momoku I heard he's raised her since she was a small child.
RoterRitter ….if he raised her, why didn't he raise YOU? Of all people,
you'd think he'd raise his own son…
Momoku I don't know…I really don't know. But I have to ask this girl how
she does that.
RoterRitter Does what?
Momoku Make him…let go of that coldness.
RoterRitter Sounds like you've got a lot planned for tomorrow. And I best
go myself, now…
RoterRitter Isn't it late over there anyway? You should be in bed! I'd be at that time…
Momoku You're right…I'll go.
RoterRitter Of course I'm right ;) Night!
Momoku Goodnight!
----
Shinji smiled… he felt good having talked, and now felt he could actually do
what he intended.
Talk to the blue haired girl, so he could talk to his father.
On the other side of the world, the young girl hugged herself, a storm of
thoughts plaguing her mind. Had she done the right thing, telling this…boy
what she had kept away from everyone else? And why did she feel…uncomfortable
when he talked about that other girl? Why did she still feel like that?
And why was she so irritated at how he thought about the other girl?
-----
Shinji was aghast. He couldn't believe Rei lived in this dump. She was worse
off than he was, not that he should be complaining. Except for the beer cans,
living with Misato wasn't that bad.
After checking that he was at the right apartment, Shinji pressed on the
doorbell. Noting the lack sound from said doorbell, he stood a moment,
deciding to open the door.
"Uhm…excuse me?" Silence was his only answer. "Excuse me, it's Shinji Ikari.
I'm coming in, Miss Ayanami…" He started down the hallway, pausing only to
remove his shoes. As he entered her room, he surveyed the surroundings.
Dusty. Bleak. Desolate. The fact that some items were scattered around the room
was the only thing hinting that anyone lived here. He noticed a pair of
glasses, and picked them up. "Are these hers?" He mumbled to himself. He
didn't know what drove him to do so, but he put the glasses on.
Which was when he heard a sound…of a shower curtain opening. He slowly turned
around, still wearing the glasses, to face a very…wet and… naked …Ayanami Rei,
who was holding a towel above herself.
"Er..I…well, uhm…" Not good, he thought. Really not good, especially when she
frowned and started towards him. "I didn't mean to," he stuttered, stepping
back as she advanced, pushing against the drawers. She snatched the glasses
off of his nose, causing him to step back even more. Pressed up against the
drawers, he was unable to move back, and lost his footing. He pitched forward,
trying to hold on to something, anything, and grabbed for the nearest hold…the
quite-naked girl in front of him. She, being lighter than he was, didn't offer
quite enough hold to support Shinji, and was pushed down with him, all the
while holding the glasses high, as to not damage them.
Silence reigned for a few minutes, as Shinji gazed directly into Rei's eyes,
forcing himself not to look anywhere else, but at the same time unable to
move. She gazed back in silence, her face blank.
"Will you get off?" she asked quietly, her face still impassive. Shinji blinked
in confusion, then looked down at his left hand. Which was on her right
breast.
"Ack! I-I…!" he said, almost jumping away from her. She looked at him for
another few seconds, and stood up. Shinji immediately backed away, his hand
still in the air as he watched her turn away. Unconsciously, he brought it
back down, rubbing his fingers together where they had touched her.
"What is it?" she asked, while putting on some underwear.
"Well, I mean, I was…" Shinji said, stumbling over his words as he looked away.
"I was asked to, so…" he continued, sneaking another glance at her before
looking away once more. "What was it? The card…" he said to himself "Yo-your
card! It's been renewed! S-so I was asked to deliver it." Why was this being
so hard to say, he thought as he gulped. "I didn't mean f-for any of this to
happen…Ritsuko asked that I give it to you. It's true. I rang your bell, but
there was no reply, and the door was unlocked, so…" he was interrupted by the
sound of a door closing. Rei had left, which puzzled Shinji a moment before he
ran out to follow her to NERV. The entire trip was in silence, the only noise
being Shinji's thoughts.
He figured she must hate him right now, after that…accident. She was being
really cold and distant, staying about a dozen feet ahead of him. He was
trying to think of how to apologize, but couldn't find anything appropriate to
say to the lavender haired girl in front of him. Lost in his thoughts after
stepping off of the train, he didn't notice as she slowly pulled ahead.
He caught up with her as she slid her card in the slot to open the door. As it
failed to work, she looked up at it, and tried again to the same results. A
second card passed in the slot, and was validated, causing the door to slowly
open. Shinji smiled as she looked at him. "This is your new card. Ritsuko
asked me to deliver it to you." His smile faded and she snatched the card
out of his hand without a word. Using his own card to open the door, he
quickly caught up to her on the stairs. Again, he tried to apologize to her.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" She asked, still not looking at him.
For what? Had she forgotten what had happened earlier? Best let the matter
drop…
But he couldn't stop mulling about what he had seen… This girl, and his father,
seemingly chatting together like if they had known each other for years…like a
family. He had seen caring on his father's face at that moment, which had been
the most expressive his stony-faced father had seemed to be since…since he'd
arrived in this city.
Shinji mentally shook his head…No, since before that. Since…since his mother
had died.
He focused back on the girl in front of him. The girl who seemed to see a part
of his father he couldn't, who seemed to shatter his icy countenance.
He had to figure out why.
"Aren't you going to have a re-activation experiment today?" He asked, kicking
himself. He was still running away from his father...However, his temporary
companion's silence intrigued him. "Say, aren't you scared?" he pressed,
walking down a step closer to her. Again, no response. "Aren't you afraid of
piloting Unit 00?" he continued, in a more subdued voice.
"Why?" she asked, answering his question with one of her own.
"I heard you were hurt pretty badly in an earlier experiment, so I thought you
might be…" Shinji drifted off, leaving the rest of his statement open. Again,
she confused him with a question of her own.
"Aren't you Commander Ikari's son?"
"Yeah," he answered, wondering what this could possibly have to do with his
father.
"Don't you have faith in your own father's work?"
…Whaaaat? Of all things, she had to ask that?
"Of course not! How could I trust him?" Hell, the bastard had abandoned him
years ago…why should he deserve trust? He blinked, confused as Rei stepped up
to him, glaring at him. "What?"
The slap she gave him rang in his ears, similar to the stinging pain on his
cheek after she left.
After that, he wondered why he was even watching her re-activation test, and
why he was glad everything had gone all right. He figured that's just how he
was. His musings were dispelled as he heard the announcement.
"Pilot Ikari, prepare for immediate deployment in Unit 01." Another Angel. Just
what he needed…
Shinji woke up, once again in the NERV infirmary. He couldn't really call it
unfamiliar now, considering the number of times he had been in one of these
rooms. He then noticed someone with a mop of blue hair gazing at him.
"Ayanami…" he whispered.
"I'm here to brief you on the Operation Yashima timetable. The operation will
begin at midnight, 00:00 hours," she said, pausing to fish out a small book
from a pocket. "Pilots Ikari and Ayanami will arrive at the cage by 17:30. At
18:00, Units 00 and 01 will activate. At 18:05, both units must be deployed.
They will arrive at the temporary base on Mount Futago at 18:30. There, they
will await further orders. The Operation will begin promptly at midnight." She
reached under the trolley she had in front of her, and pulled out something in
a plastic wrapper. "This is the new one, " she said, as the plug suit landed
on Shinji. Wearily, he sat up in the bed, not noticing as the bedsheets
slipped down quite low. "Don't show up looking like that." Rei continued,
after blinking once.
Not understanding, Shinji gazed at her with a blank look, then looked down.
Turning beet-red, he grabbed the sheets, pulling them back up to cover his
body. "Gomen!" he blurted, and rested his head on his knees. "I've been
apologizing since yesterday," he whispered, lifting it back up. He smelled
something, and looked at the trolley.
"Your meal."
Shinji looked away. "I don't want to eat anything."
"We'll be departing in sixty minutes."
"Do I really have to pilot the EVA again?" Especially considering the fact he
had just been boiled alive in the LCL none too long ago? Which was quite
painful, indeed, but no one had asked him how he felt…
"Yes, you do."
"…I don't want to." He said, resting his head on the bedsheets once more. He
didn't want any more pain. "Maybe you can be so cool about it, because you
haven't had the kind of experiences I've had yet. I don't want to go through
it again." No more.
"Then, you can stay here in bed."
Huh? Shinji looked back at her. She was still gazing at him, her face a blank
mask. "What do you mean by that?"
"I'll pilot Unit 01. Dr. Akagi is already prepared to rewrite the personal data
files."
"Ritsuko is…"
"I'm leaving. Captain Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi are waiting for me." She turned
away, and walked out of the door, leaving Shinji to his thoughts. "Goodbye."
He could stay in bed, while Rei piloted Unit 01? That sounded too good to be
true…he wanted to, but figured it was like everything else. That somehow, he'd
still land in the EVA, whether he liked it or not. He thought he would much
rather do so on his own, than to be forced.
Shinji sat in the changing room; going over the orders they had received.
"Maybe…this is our last day alive." He said to the figure behind the screen,
his confidence shaken by the events of the day. And who was to say she'd
really protect him? After what happened earlier at her apartment…she might be
the type to hold a grudge…
"Why do you say that?" "She said, applying the finishing touches on her plug
suit. "You won't die. I'll protect you."
Or maybe she wasn't, he thought, as he looked again at her silhouette through
the screen.
He sat staring into the dark valley, waiting for the operation to start. On the
other side of the scaffolds, Rei mirrored the action. Listening to the wind,
he tried again to find out more about Rei, trying to pierce her mystery.
"Why do you pilot this?"
He watched Rei look down at her feet before she answered. "Because I am bonded
to it."
"Bonded?"
"Yes, it's a bond."
"You mean to my father?"
"To all people."
"You're very strong, Ayanami."
"I have nothing else."
"What do you mean, you have nothing else?" He thought back…she didn't have a
family, Misato had told him, or friends, as Toji and Kensuke had said the day
before. Yet he still couldn't fathom what she meant.
"It's time. Let's go. Goodbye."
"AYANAMI!" Shinji yelled, pushing the computer-visor off of his head. Unit 01
ripped off Unit 00's dorsal armor, exposing the Entry Plug. It was immediately
released from the Unit, expelling LCL in all directions. Unit 01 grabbed the
plug, and set it down on the ground even as the heat started to melt the
armor. Getting out of his own entry plug, he ran towards Rei's, in a fashion
eerily similar to his father's actions. He struggled, forcing the hatch open,
and leaned in. "Ayanami! Are you all right?" he yelled, as he saw her still
form. "Ayanami!"
Ever so slowly, she opened her eyes, and looked up at him, her gaze focusing on
his face. She saw tears forming in his eyes, but didn't let her confusion show
on her face.
Shinji leaned into the plug some more, a tight, small smile on his face. "Don't
say…don't say you have nothing else. Don't say goodbye when you leave on a
mission. It's too sad…" he said, then started crying. Thank God she's
alive…thank God… He repeated this thought in his mind, as he continued to cry.
He didn't notice Rei sitting up, a the confusion she felt finally showing on
her face.
"Why are you crying?" She asked, receiving no answer from the still crying boy.
She looked away. "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do or feel at a time like
this."
Shinji looked up, tears still welling in his eyes. He thought of something
that, to his knowledge, she had never done for anyone else, except his father.
Something that only his father had seen, and, inadvertently by spying with
Unit 01, something he had seen as well.
"You could try smiling." She looked straight at him, her eyes widening. Slowly,
her lips turned upwards, showing him one of the most beautiful sights he had
ever seen.
Ayanami Rei, smiling.
He still didn't know what drove her, or anything else about her…but now, he
knew with certainty she was a normal girl.
Lying on his bed, Shinji Ikari gazed towards the ceiling, trying to sleep. He
had logged on IRC, but couldn't find RoterRitter. She had talked about an
important message, but had left early. Wondering what it could be, his mind
drifted back to the events of the day. He had piloted Unit 01 again…the thing
that caused him such pain. But today, he had also saved someone. Someone, he
found, that he considered important. Someone he could count on, which was
something rare in his experience.
Smiling, he finally let sleep claim him.
Gloved hands rested on the desk, as their owner leaned back into his chair.
Reports of the interaction between the Second and Third Children lay under the
hands, as the man considered their contents. He glanced at them, his mask
breaking for a moment. Yet it was all that was needed to shatter his image. He
was only grateful no one could see him at the moment, not even the old
professor, who would most likely just crack another joke. The man stood up,
and sighed as he looked out the window, wishing.
Wishing of things that he wanted to be, but never could or would be.