EVANGELION: A SWIMMING LESSON
Chapter Two: The Tutorial/Getting Your Feet Wet
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Now, some of you are possibly wondering about the timeline setting of this whole deal. Well, I'll let you in on it, though it took me some time to figure it out. After all, I can't just mention experiences of the Eva series and not try to figure out exactly when this is all occurring. So, to put all our minds at rest, this story takes place just before the search begins that determines one Toji Suzuhara as the Fourth Child. Hence, the Rei in this story is Rei II. Also, I'm making this a sort of side story to the whole plot, so you won't be seeing any Angel battles here. Just mano-a-mano (or maybe womano, if that can be used as an acceptable term?) as well as those internal conflicts we've grown to love about this series. Well, in my opinion, anyway.
Now that that's settled, where was I in this little tale?
Oh, that's right....the school. ;-) Let the mayhem begin.
By the way, just in case you're confused by my use of quotation marks...
- "This indicates spoken dialogue."
- 'While this is a line that the character is thinking.'
- And here is where written material goes.
-------
Ding-ding-ding-dong....
With the clanging of the bell in that rhythm four times, classes were at an end for the day. And Shinji couldn't have been more relieved. Or could he?
At least he hadn't been given too much homework that he would have troubles handling. It made his nerves a bit settled as he remembered what he had been asked to do...
'That's right. I have to meet Ayanami over at the pool again. But she still hasn't indicated why. Not even at lunchtime...'
All of a sudden, a camera, as well as Kensuke's face, moved into Shinji's immediate view, interrupting his thoughts. "Yee-hah!" He was obviously excited. "Classes are done! Wanna walk home with me, Shinji?"
"Didn't Toji come back from the hospital yet?" the Third Child asked of his friend.
"Not that I know of. He's probably gonna spend the rest of the day there. You know how he is about that," Kensuke replied, setting the camera down on a desk while attempting to check its battery.
Shinji sighed. "Yeah."
"So, you want do to anything?" Ida questioned.
"No, but thanks. Rei's asking to see me at the pool."
"Again? But why? You think she's got a cruuuush?" Kensuke teased.
Shinji quickly went red. "N-no, that isn't it!" Then his face became more solemn. "At least, I don't think it is."
A flash of light near Shinji's eye indicated that Kensuke had finished checking the batteries and was back in his '24-hours-a-day' operation mode. 'When does he ever not use that thing?' he wondered.
"Well, just why does she want to see you there, man?"
"I honestly don't know. She didn't say why."
"Hmm...in either case, you'd better get going."
"Wh...what about you, Kensuke?" Shinji asked, knowing that due to Toji being absent, if the Third Child were to go for the pool, Kensuke would be cannon fodder against Asuka.
"Hey, don't worry about me. I may be going home by my lonesome today, but at least I've got this to keep me company!" With that, he proudly showed off his camera to Shinji.
"Not what I meant. I was talking about Asuka. Don't you think she'll still stalk you for the picture profits?"
"Well, maybe. But you shouldn't worry about it, Shinji!"
"Why not?"
"Because if Ayanami is asking to see you for a third time, it's probably because she has some kinda interest in you. Hence, you shouldn't worry yourself to death about what I have to deal with, ok? You're lucky, Shinji. A lot of guys would kill for a chance with her, y'know? It's just that she's one of those types that isn't easily readable, or approachable. Like a wall of ice that blocks anyone that she won't let through."
"Asuka's like that, too.." Shinji responded, "but more like fire...and it burns."
(Author's note: I'll explain my little analogy at the end of the Chapter.)
"Yeah, that may be. But Rei has already indicated that she wants to have some kind of connection with you. I mean, I've noticed how she's smiled and looked at you during class time. She never does that for anyone else. Not as far as my eyes have seen, anyway. And I'm like a watchdog around here!"
Shinji then smiled. Well, if he couldn't feel totally confident, he was thankful someone else had some faith in him, be it a person as distant as Rei Ayanami or one as curious as Kensuke Ida.
"Alright, I'll get going. But, can you do me a favor, Kensuke?"
"Sure! What is it?"
Shinji moved to the door and then spoke his answer. "Keep Asuka off my tail, if she comes looking for me."
"Not a problem, Shinji!" Kensuke then waved to his friend.
The Third Child smiled and waved back, feeling a bit stronger from their conversation.
He then exited the room, his feet carrying him quickly before he broke down and decided to flee.
-------
5 minutes later...
Going through the locker room to get to poolside was never really an oddity in Shinji's mind. It only made natural sense to him, somehow. Fortunately, he had remembered to bring his laptop from home this morning in his pack, just in case Rei had just asked him to come and watch her swim again. Not that Shinji had anything against watching someone else swim, especially not someone as graceful in the water as her. For him, it was helpful to be prepared, just in case.
'Sounds a bit like my father,' he thought to himself.
So lost in thought was Shinji, in fact, that he nearly bumped into someone as he approached the entryway of the men's locker room. Stopping himself, he looked up, only to have his eyes widen and his heart nearly stop as his gaze fixed itself on a pair of blue eyes staring a hole through him.
'Oh, shit,' was his only thought. 'She found me...but how?'
"Going somewhere, Third Child?" Asuka demanded as she kept her stare on him, wanting him to crack under the pressure.
"Uh...n-not really..." Already Shinji was shaking. At this point, he really couldn't tell which feeling made him more nervous: Asuka when she was after him, or Rei when she was nice to him.
"Liar," Asuka replied with a smirk. "You're here to see Wondergirl, aren't you, hmm?"
Shinji grimaced a bit, already knowing she'd see through a pitiful attempt like that. "W-well, yes.."
"Ha!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "So you do admit there's something going on between you and her!"
Ikari began to sweat. "I...I'm not admitting anything, Asuka...please, just let me go..."
"And if I don't, Third Child?" she said, planting her feet and hands against the entryway to the locker room, in a standing spread-eagle position with no room for Shinji to get past her. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I...well...um..."
"HEY, YOU!" a voice yelled, not far from them as the two heard two sets of running footsteps. "GET BACK HERE WITH MY DOUGH!" That voice was Kensuke's!
"Not on your life, jerkwad!" another voice called out as a teen unknown to the Second and Third Child sped past them. Kensuke followed, but stopped near them and panted heavily.
Asuka laughed at the heavily breathing Stooge. "Serves you right for being such a weakling, like Shinji the dork here!"
"You...gotta help me....Asuka..." Kensuke pleaded, his breaths sounding rather loud in such an empty area.
Asuka scoffed at Ida. "What for? It isn't my problem, you moron!"
"But..." Kensuke continued to huff and puff. "It's...your money...he's...got..."
As one might expect, Asuka's face became rather shocked as she removed herself from the entryway and shook Ida furiously. "What do you mean?"
"The...money from...your...pictures.." he spat out as Asuka stopped shaking him. "Shinji...told me you....wanted half the profits....right...?"
"Damn right, I did!" Asuka then turned back to Shinji. "Looks like you get time with your girlfriend then, Third Child.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Shinji replied as she got moving to catch the thief.
After several seconds beyond her disappearing from view, Kensuke let out a sigh. "Whew! This plan is too easy! But I actually have to pay her..."
Shinji could only stand there, dumbfounded. Then he regained his senses. "Thanks."
Kensuke grinned. "No problem, Shinji. Good luck with Rei." The he spun on his heel and took off after Asuka, using his ears to keep track of her, thanks to her nice little habit of German cursing.
In the meanwhile, Shinji finally settled himself down with a few calm breaths and strode into the men's locker room, then to the pool. Rei wasn't around as far as he could see, so he went to sit at a nearby table to set up for homework. It wasn't until he approached the seat that he saw something.
Moving closer, he saw a neatly folded piece of paper on top of some kind of garment. The note was addressed: Shinji. Naturally, he opened the paper and read the following note.
To Shinji:
Put these on. It's time to get your feet wet.
Sincerely, Rei Ayanami.
Shinji felt his nerve beginning to slip from him. And it only got worse as he saw what the note had been on top of: a pair of dark blue shorts. He quickly identified them as swim trunks.
'No way!' was his first thought. 'She...she wants me to get in there with her and swim? No way in Hell! I can't do it! I don't know how to swim!'
Then he looked over the note again. 'Get my feet wet? Does she intend to teach me..? It can't be....can it?'
As his eyes darted back and forth between the note and the trunks, his mind began its usual overture of fear. 'I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...'
Shinji then shook his head clear of these interfering thoughts. "I'm too far involved to run away now," he said to himself as he set his pack on the table, then grabbed the trunks and proceeded back to the locker room to change.
Had he been looking around, he would've noticed Rei standing in the women's entryway to the pool, watching his every move since he came in.
She smiled. 'I am thankful he chose to come here.'
-------
A short while later, Shinji emerged from the locker room, wearing the trunks. Surprisingly, they fit him quite well. 'Maybe she took a wild guess and got my size right?' he wondered as he walked upon the tiled floor with his bare feet, his clothes jammed into his pack.
'Or....did she know my size?' Needless to say, that thought felt embarrassing. 'No, it can't be. She probably just guessed. Yeah, that's gotta be it. These are generic school swim trunks, after all.' He could easily see this from the kanji markings upon the fabric.
Quietly, Shinji set his pack upon the table where Rei had left the note, figuring that if she was serious about this, he wouldn't be needing anything from his things. At least, not yet.
Then, slowly, he sighted the First Child near the edge of the shallow end of the pool, sitting on a towel. Next to her, another towel had been laid out, as neat and orderly as the one she was sitting on. Gulping nervously, he approached her and slowly sat down on the vacant towel.
Like the lunch they'd shared earlier, there was now another period of unsettling silence, neither truly knowing what to say at the moment.
Rei decided to break the ice this time. "I am glad you came."
"M..me, too.." Shinji offered with a weak smile.
"Are you sure? You do not seem certain of yourself."
"Y-yeah, I know." He gestured back towards the entryways. "Just had a scare with Asuka, y'know?"
"Why was the Second Child here?" Rei asked of him.
"I don't know," was his only response as he looked down, feeling rather ashamed at letting the burning redhead nearly trounce whatever confidence he had gained. Not to mention having been on the verge of a possible ass-kicking, with the Third Child being the presumed recipient.
Rei could easily see that this situation was turning sour with Shinji looking both nervous and possibly depressed. So she gently placed one of her hands upon his.
Shinji's face paralyzed in fear. 'Oh, God, what do I do?' He could already feel himself beginning to panic. "I...um..."
"What is it?"
"I...I don't think I can do this.."
"What makes you say that?"
"Humans aren't made to float." Those very words he had once spoken, when engaged in an odd self-analysis of sorts during his time in the Sea of Durac, before Unit 01 went berserk again and destroyed the 12th Angel from within its spherical form. And just like when he said that statement before, it didn't sound very convincing.
Of course, Ayanami caught this as easily as Shinji did. However, she decided to try a gentler tactic, instead of a flat response. "You can, if you try," she said in a soothing manner, also giving his hand a light squeeze.
This, naturally, gave Shinji a scare. But, also, it made him feel a bit more comfortable. "A-are you sure?"
"Do not worry. I will guide you. I will instruct you." The look in Rei's eyes told Shinji that her intentions about this were completely serious. Then again, he had never known the First Child to ever joke about anything.
Shinji stopped himself from possibly hyperventilating, taking a controlled breath to calm himself. "Alright. I trust you, Rei."
Rei nodded and stood, her hand still holding on to his own as he also rose to his feet. "Then follow me." With that, the First Child slowly walked to the lead-in steps of the pool, Ikari slightly in step behind her.
They stopped at the edge of the first step. Rei's eyes met Shinji's. "Do not be frightened."
"As long as we take this one step at a time." Now Shinji felt determined to do this, though he still wanted to bolt.
"Then we will," Rei responded, gasping just a little as she took her first step into the pool this day. She always secretly derived a small amount of excitement from feeling the slightly-cooled water washing across her toes, and letting that sensation spread all over her body as she immersed herself. Today, she found herself suppressing that desire, but only as a result from seeing how unstable her fellow pilot was, especially now.
A quick look confirmed for Ayanami that Shinji hadn't stepped in yet. She decided to encourage him further, taking another step in herself, finding it a bit more difficult to hold his hand while doing so. "Please, step in."
"I...I can't....it doesn't feel safe..." Shinji said. Then again, in the young Ikari's world, did anything ever truly feel safe?
"Then I will protect you," Rei calmly replied.
"Huh?"
"I will not let you come to harm."
"If you say so..." Shinji finally took one last look at the water and stepped forward.
Upon feeling the water, Shinji slowly felt himself become more at ease. 'Maybe this isn't so bad. It certainly is a different experience from that of an entry plug.'
After taking a few more steps in, Shinji decided to let go, just a bit, as he closed his eyes. In retrospect, he should've realized the hindrance of blinding himself in this situation. He felt his foot slip forward, failing to feel and grip something he couldn't see, much less get a hold of. In reality, he had missed one step, and was thrown off-balance in the process.
Shinji felt himself pitch forward, the water coming in faster towards his freaked-out eyes-
-and suddenly, he felt himself stop.
Not right on the water, nor underneath it. A couple inches his face was from the surface of the shimmering water. Also, he felt a force upon his chest. Shinji blinked a couple of times, then looked over to Ayanami. Her features were displaying a look of concentration as he quickly figured out that it was her hands pushing against his chest that had kept him from a fearful face dive.
Shinji immediately felt bad about the whole thing, and tried to correct himself, but accidentally pushed forward, his arms flailing just a bit, trying to grip something, anything...
But afterward, he felt alright, and re-oriented. But as his gaze affixed itself to Rei, the Third Child noticed her cheeks were red. Redder than earlier times.
It was then that he realized what had happened.
In his haste to restore balance, Shinji had thrown himself towards Rei, his arms having found something to hold on to. Her waist.
Ikari's cheeks immediately felt warm. "I-I'm s-sorry..." he stammered, quickly loosening his arms from her and letting them fall back to his sides.
"It's alright, Shinji. It felt...nice." Rei quickly retook his hand and moved out a bit further, letting him follow at a slow pace. A sluggish pace, in the First Child's opinion, but Shinji was her chosen priority today.
She decided to be thankful that there wasn't anyone around to heckle him. Especially a certain fiery girl. 'Let's hope things go a bit more smoothly, now that he's actually in,' she thought.
-------
2 hours later, the lesson was over. Rei was prompt in this, of course, bringing Shinji out of the water and to their towels to dry off.
"That went well, right?" Shinji asked of her, looking directly into her eyes, feeling a bit worried. And while she indeed was calm and patient with him throughout this whole lesson, which basically consisted of him getting accustomed to the feel of the water, both above and below, as well as simply walking around while immersed.
Rei, of course, had cautioned him to make sure he was holding his breath when he went under. This was pool water, not LCL, after all. And she made absolutely certain to hold on to his hand whenever he did try to submerge himself within the depths. It always seemed to both make him a bit nervous, but also made him physically relaxed, knowing she would not let him be harmed, for many reasons, professional as well as personal.
"Yes," the First Child answered as she worked on drying her hair off. Shinji, having more skin exposed, had more to dry, and so was a bit behind her in pace.
After another minute or so, she stood up and started walking away.
"Hey, Rei.." Shinji started.
Rei immediately turned and faced him. "What is it?"
"Eh..." Shinji felt himself blush, not knowing what to say. He knew he should thank her for this, but he just wasn't sure how to go about it. Then an idea hit him that would make any procrastinator proud of him. "Can I walk you home?"
Ayanami's lips curved upward just a bit. She then nodded slightly.
"O-ok! I'll get changed quickly." The Third Child hastily rubbed the towel she had given him upon his hair a few times, then hauled ass to the changing room, nearly collapsing upon himself trying to get his pack in the process.
After watching this little incident, Rei also got moving, knowing that while he would wait for her to be done, she shouldn't keep him waiting any longer than necessary. A simple idea that applied itself often in her life, both in her life as the pilot of Unit 00 as well as the personal life she had, as newly developing as it might be.
-------
Unknowingly, the mind of the enigmatic First Child let itself wander during her change...
'Water. Clear, yet blue. Water, the life of my thoughts.'
'Wind. A still calm, but also a force. A force that moves things. Wind moves water. Is Shinji the wind? Am I the water? Does the Third Child move me so?'
'The heart. A human organ. Regulator of blood, and vital to survive. but is there another heart? There must be. A heart made of one's soul? One's feelings? Emotions? Reactions and judgments?'
'What is it that I.....feel? Do I even feel at all?'
A mental image of Shinji crossed her mind.
'Shinji Ikari. Son of Commander Ikari. The only one whom I ever call by first name. Why is that? Do I feel something for him? Perhaps this is true. I display and express myself in ways to him that no one else would ever get out of me. I thank him when he is kind to me. My smiles, though I do not show them often, always give him a good feeling.'
'What is this..? What is this that I feel? Is this what one feels in their...heart?'
'Clothes. Garments. Coverings of one's true form. Are they barriers as well? A shield to protect us? But, from what? Our bodies? Or perhaps our hearts? Do we deceive ourselves and others every day so that we need not face our true selves? Is this what these fabrics represent?'
'Unit 00. An Evangelion. I pilot it, and share a bond as well. A bond to all living things. A bond to Shinji, as well? No. That feeling is stronger. Why is this so? Is there a bond between him and myself? Has today's events given us a unity of sorts?
'No, it cannot be just this one day. It is from many things. From the events of the first day we met...despite his shocked state as a result of being protected by the dormant Unit 01 that day, he had nevertheless held onto me after I had fallen off my stretcher...up to the events of today, and though he was clearly afraid of the simple idea of swimming, he chose to try and we found it to be worth our effort.'
'Our effort? Did I just refer to it as an effort of both Ikari and myself? Yes. It was something we both tried at and managed a small success. Highly unlike defeating an Angel, perhaps, but no less gratifying.'
"Rei..."
'Will I do this all again the next day? Yes...'
"Rei...."
'It shall be an effort of Shinji and myself. It will work.'
"Helloooo, Rei...."
'Ikari's voice. It sounds...heavenly...'
-------
"Earth to Rei!" Shinji cried out, waving his hand in front of her face directly, causing her to stop dead in her tracks, her face showing obvious surprise.
"What....is it?" she asked.
"Just trying to make sure you're still with me, that's all," Shinji responded, chuckling a bit.
Rei's cheeks turned slightly red, feeling a bit embarrassed about losing herself in her mind's monologue, which had started when she was in the middle of undressing herself after her tutoring of Shinji, and ending only now as the two of them were no more than several feet from the building that she lived in.
"I apologize. I did not mean to worry you." With that, Rei offered a smile. She never knew that being around him like this could cause her to forget about everything else. It was an enjoyable feeling.
Shinji just grinned at her a little. "It's alright. I get lost in my thoughts or daydream a lot, too."
The First Child nodded in acknowledgement as they proceeded into the building and up to the 2nd floor, all the way to the metallic door that was a portal of sorts to her living quarters. Normally, such a journey would have been a bit taxing upon her system, even with her tolerance for hiking this and other distances, but oddly enough, she didn't feel as tired as she should.
'Perhaps walking with him has made this walk a bit more...invigorating?' In allowing herself that thought, Rei also let slip a sigh of contentment.
Interestingly, for someone usually as dense as lead, Shinji picked up on that sigh. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes." Rei then opened the door and stepped halfway inside before halting and turning back to Shinji. "And what about you?"
"M-me?" the Third Child stuttered, feeling a bit taken aback.
"Yes. Do you want me to keep teaching you?"
Shinji nodded. "Yes, please, would you?"
"I shall do so. Meet me after school again tomorrow, in the same place. I will be waiting for you, and we will resume where we left off."
"Alright. Thank you, Rei. I..."
As Shinji looked up, Ayanami's door was nearly closed. Acting quickly, he caught the door with a hand and stepped inside, slowly. "Rei..."
Again, she stopped and looked at him, awaiting whatever it was that he wanted to say.
"I...I..." Try as he might in that moment, the Third Child couldn't find any words to say. He wasn't sure what he even wanted to say.
Rei slowly approached him, taking hold of his shoulders and examining his eyes. This, of course, made Shinji worry. 'Did I overstep my boundaries? Is she going to slap me again..?'
The pessimistic thoughts quickly dissipated after she moved her face in close to his, so close that he could feel her breath upon his skin, and lightly pursed her lips upon his forehead for but a second before pulling away, her cheeks going red again. For a few moments, Shinji felt stunned.
"I...will...see you....tomorrow?" he questioned. Already in the process of unpacking her suit and supplies, she absently nodded. Shinji then quietly moved himself out of her door, deciding not to risk any further embarrassment.
"Goodbye," Rei called to him as he shut the door.
"Take care!" Shinji said in return. "And, thanks again!" Afterwards, his feet got moving, knowing he had to make dinner tonight.
This, of course, gave him troubling thoughts. 'Will Misato be home? Maybe she's worried? Or what about Asuka? I can guess she wasn't too happy with what went on earlier. I hope Kensuke's alright.'
Knowing that the evening would not be too great, Shinji decided to zone himself out now, slipping a pair of earphones on and activating his SDAT, setting it in his pocket to listen to as he journeyed home. Slowly but surely, the music let his mind slip away from the problems and worries of his world...
-------
Fortunately for Shinji, the moment he entered his humble abode, all was quiet. Little sound made its way to his ears as soon as the SDAT had been turned off. No footsteps, no voices. 'Heck, even Pen-Pen isn't up and about,' he thought to himself as the shoes came off and his eyes wandered the place, noting that things, as usual, were a bit of a mess.
'Then again, I wasn't home to clean earlier, was I?' With that thought came a tiny smirk on his face as he checked out the secondary fridge. Sure enough, the penguin was in there, resting rather peacefully.
Shinji absentmindedly pet Pen-Pen on its head. "I bet you don't worry about things like swimming and girls, huh?"
Almost as if responding to his inquiry, Pen-Pen cooed a little.
The Third Child laughed a little, then closed the door, deciding to let the little guy sleep. 'Well, at least he doesn't cause any problems. What a carefree life. Just eat, walk, move, and make funny noises.'
Shinji didn't keep on these thoughts for long as he headed to his room and set down his pack, as well as the SDAT. Quickly did he make a couple of checks into the rooms of both Asuka and Misato (despite obvious risks involved) to see if either of them were simply sleeping. Neither girl was present.
"I guess I've got the place to myself...."
But when he checked the kitchen, he noticed that a piece of paper had been folded in half and placed upon the table in front of where he normally sat, with his name written on it. Curious, Shinji slowly took the note, opened it up and let his gaze look the words over:
Hey, idiot.
I won't be coming home this evening, so enjoy yourself while you can. If you need to call me (not that you should), I'll be at Hikari's place.
Asuka
The next part looked a bit more scribbled than the rest, as if it had been added as an afterthought.
P.S. ...Sorry about earlier.
P.P.S. Don't tell ANYONE I apologized to you, Third Child. I mean it!
Shinji chuckled a little at the last statement, knowing that Toji and Kensuke would never believe that the "great" Asuka Langley Sohryu would ever apologize to him for anything. He moved to drop the note into the garbage, its purpose having been served, when he noticed some more writing on the other side that he hadn't seen before due to his taking the note immediately after seeing his name on it.
'So, what's this..?' he wondered.
P.P.P.S. Need to talk with you tomorrow after I get home. Have a fun day, idiot.
"She sure leaves a lot of post-scripts," Shinji thought out loud as he discarded the note and proceeded to the living room after getting himself a soda can, seating himself on the floor and flipping on the TV.
TV quickly became boring for one involved in such things as the Third Child. After a while, he just stopped bothering with the remote, setting it aside as he reclined on the floor and let himself fall into a light slumber.
Or, at least, he tried. But as comfortable as he may have been trying to get, he just couldn't slip far enough into sleep...
Then, Shinji heard a shrill noise. 'The phone..?' he thought as he willed himself to move, pushing himself up from the floor and getting to his feet. 'It sounds....different.'
He got his answer to why in a few seconds and another ring. It wasn't coming from the apartment phone. In fact, as his ears tried to distinguish the location of the rather physically annoying sound, he figured out that whatever this noise was, it was coming from his room.
'Did I leave my alarm on again? No, this sounds...higher-pitched.'
Groggy was the Third Child from those few minutes of snoozing earlier as he entered his room, scanning the floor, bed, and desk, trying to locate the damn thing that was making that annoying sound. His eyes soon fell upon the cell phone. The same one Misato had given him a long time ago, not long after he first joined NERV.
Shinji let himself think back on it as he reach for it, his mind seemingly slowing down as his thoughts took over...
Misato had let him have this phone soon after he had moved in to her apartment, which she admitted to having settled here recently as well. Misato's original reasoning had been that he would need it. But Shinji never took it around with him anywhere. It was then that the slender guardian began to realize the Third Child's troubles in making any real friends.
Shinji let the thoughts disintegrate as he pressed a button on the cell phone to receive this incoming call, quickly figuring which end was the receiver and placing that to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello, Shinji." This voice was that of the First Child.
"Oh, hi, Rei," Shinji replied in greeting. Then a question struck him. "How did you know of this number?"
"Major Katsuragi sent it to me, to use in case of an emergency."
"Misato did...?" Well, at least that made some sense to the Third Child.
"Yes."
"So, what's the emergency?" Shinji asked.
"I apologize. It is not an emergency. I was calling to find out if you arrived at home safely."
"Oh, y-yeah," Shinji stammered a little, feeling himself blush slightly. "I'm fine."
"Is Pilot Sohryu or Major Katsuragi there as well?"
"No. Asuka is over at a friend's, and I don't know where Misato is. Probably another late-night shift."
"A natural assumption."
"Yeah." With that, Shinji let himself breathe a sigh of relief, being thankful that Asuka most likely didn't know the number to this phone. He already had to deal with enough of her at work, school, and home.
"What is the matter?" Rei questioned. "You sound distressed."
"No, just shaken. I was trying to sleep," Shinji responded. 'Although sleeping might feel better if it were next to her, and what the hell am I doing, thinking about something like that at a time like this!?!'
"I did not mean to awaken you."
"That's alright. I'd rather it be you than Asuka, at least," Shinji said, cracking a smile.
He also could almost hear Rei chuckling to herself after hearting that. "Yes, I suppose this is true."
"Mm-hmm. So, what are you up to?"
"Dinner. And I wish to ask you something."
"Wh-what is it, Rei?" At this point, Shinji still couldn't guess what was on her mind at times. Not that he minded, for it was at least a nice change as opposed to the consistency of Asuka's temper and subsequent nagging.
"Will we be eating together tomorrow, like we did today?" Was it just Shinji, or was there a hint of joy in her voice? He didn't know, but it still sounded to be a bit more positive than usual.
"Umm...hmm...oh, why not? That sounds great!" the Third Child exclaimed. "I can make another lunch for you, if you like."
"That....sounds wonderful. Thank you!" was Ayanami's reply.
Now Shinji was feeling the stomach butterflies. 'Why does something that can feel so...nice...have the potential to scare me more than this whole swimming deal? I don't understand...'
"Do you think she will try to stop you again?"
"You mean Asuka?"
"Yes. I am sorry I did not tell you, but I watched the whole incident transpire."
"Oh..." Even when distanced by miles, Shinji could still feel hurt from such words, knowing he could more or less only blame himself for being spineless around the redheaded demon.
"I-I'm sorry..." Shinji began.
"Do not worry about it."
"But...but I should worry about it! I was being a coward!"
"You were...afraid?" Rei questioned of him.
Shinji sighed, feeling a bit worse. "Yeah...I...didn't want her to cause me pain."
"And so you sat there and took the treatment she gave you? You did not deserve it."
"Try telling her that!" Shinji cried, raising his voice a bit in frustration.
"Perhaps....perhaps I will." Rei could almost feel the Third Child's pain coming through her receiver as clearly as his words.
"Huh? Are...are you sure?"
"You are undeserving of such pain. I will make this known to her."
"But...but she might...no, she will...get angry at you. Aren't you afraid?"
"I am not worried, Shinji. I will be ready for that contingency."
"I....I...you are kind to stick up for me. Thank you." That statement, at least, gave Shinji some peace of mind. But even as he felt this peace, he also felt a presence in his eyes...one that was pulling him down....calling to him. He then realized that his body now really did require sleep.
"You are welcome. But I must leave now, my dinner is ready."
Shinji could understand that. "Of course. I'll be sleeping soon, hopefully."
"Indeed. This day has been a bit exhausting for the both of us."
"Um, Rei...before you go.." the Third Child started again, knowing that he could easily lock up again at any time.
"What is it?" Ayanami inquired.
However, this time, Shinji had no trouble finding the words he wanted to say. These words felt more like a fact rather than a compliment. "I really enjoyed talking with you."
"And I....with you." The two of them smiled after hearing those words.
"Take care, Rei."
"You, too. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Goodbye, Shinji." Then came a dull click and the familiar droning of the line having been hung up.
Shinji turned off the cell phone and sat down, having been pacing around the room as he talked to her, though he hadn't really known as his mind got so in to their conversation. 'Hell, I don't even talk to Kensuke and Toji like that. What is it about Rei Ayanami that lets me do this? Well, whatever it is, it feels...good...'
"HELLLOOOO-OOOO!" a voice called not far beyond Shinji's walls, accompanied by a large *thump* noise. "Oof! Damn it..."
Quickly, Shinji got to his feet and left his room, only to find Misato sprawled out on the floor, along with some groceries. The whole thing looked silly enough to make him laugh, which he did in earnest, and rather loud to boot.
Misato quickly got an embarrassed look on her face as she had to look up at the giggling Third Child. "What's so funny, Shinji, hmmmm!?!? Do you like when I fall over!?!?"
At this point, Shinji was rolling on the floor, still laughing hard over the situation, so Misato decided not to go after him about it yet. 'Well, it probably was funny as hell to him,' she thought as she regained her feet and began to pick up the fallen foods, thankful that her two 12-packs of beer hadn't been too badly damaged.
'In fact, it's like a breath of fresh air to see him this way.' Misato smiled to herself and got moving for the kitchen, feeling just a bit better after such a tedious day.
-------
Two hours later, both Ikari and Katsuragi were at the kitchen table, eating the dinner that Shinji was lucky to have been able to create tonight, despite the fact that tonight was a night designated for Misato to cook. To the Major, Shinji seemed a bit nicer than usual this evening, as well as appearing to be a bit zoned out from it. It made him look kinda cute, in her opinion.
"So, no Asuka to bother you makes Shinji a happier boy?" Misato asked of the Third Child, getting that look on her face that indicated she was about to start in on teasing him, though he never knew it beforehand.
Shinji blushed a rather deep red. It was enough to clue Misato in that something was definitely different about him today. "No...it's not that Asuka's gone...though that's certainly a plus," Ikari said.
"Well, what is it then? You look so...energized today. Even when you were cooking, you were acting as if you were in your own delightful world. I want to know, how did that happen?"
"It's....well....it's kind of a long story. And it's rather embarrassing."
Misato partially frowned, guessing correctly that Shinji was implying that she refrain from humoring herself. "Please, tell me! I won't tease you."
"Are you sure about that, Misato?" Shinji looked rather skeptical.
The Major offered him her traditional victory sign. "I promise!"
"Well, okay." Shinji then began to talk...
-------
An hour later, Shinji was done recounting the events of the day, from Rei's initial invitation to the first conversation on his cell phone. Misato, true to her word, did her best not to embarrass the boy, though she did ask a few questions as he went along. Though Misato's expressions changed a bit a few times, from shock to stifling giggles to nearly blushing as deeply red as the Third Child was with every word, her overall look gave Shinji the impression that she was beaming with joy.
"I never knew Rei was such a conversationalist," Shinji stated, taking a sip of his soda in what had seemed like an eternity at the table. "And that's about it. I got off the phone with her right before you walked in and fell," he concluded, stifling his own laughter as his mind remembered her rather compromising position on the floor earlier.
"Wow, you had one heck of a day, huh?"
"Something like that."
Misato giggled. "I should take a picture of this. You ought to see the smile on your face. It certainly brightens the place up a lot."
"Thanks, Misato. That means a lot."
"So...are you going to meet Rei tomorrow?" Katsuragi asked.
"Of course."
"And what about Asuka?"
"I'll talk to her after I get home from my lesson. I just hope....that things go well."
"Oh, I'm sure they will." With that, Misato offered a grin, just to keep the Third Child's spirits up. Not long after that did they quickly finish dinner and clean up the dishes.
"I'm tired. I'm off to bed." Shinji managed to say after a long yawn.
"Alright. Good night, Shinji."
"You, too, Misato." The Third Child then entered his room, cleared his things from the bed, and changed into his night wear. He had almost slipped on the earphones for his SDAT when his door opened, and his guardian's face appearing.
"Shinji?"
"Yeah?"
Misato took a long breath, knowing that what she was about to say could be difficult. "Are you afraid...of the connection you've found with the First Child?"
"No....I..." Shinji began, but he knew that Misato would see through him. "Yes," he quickly confessed.
"Have faith, Shinji. Faith in her. And faith in yourself. Whether or not this is just about your ability to swim doesn't matter. You still have found a new bond with someone that few else ever have, do you know that?"
"Yes...but it's still frightening."
"That feeling won't go away easily, Shinji. It never does for anyone. But you must find a way to deal with it. It won't be simple, and it may even hurt at times. But you mustn't run away. Not when you have something that has the potential to be very beneficial for you."
"I...I'll do what I can, Misato. I won't run away." It sure didn't ease Shinji's nervousness, but at least he felt a bit better, knowing that Misato cared in regard to how he felt about this whole situation and was willing to help him.
"Good. Sleep well, Shinji." That having been said, Misato slid his door shut and proceeded to grab a pair of beers from the kitchen before settling down in her own room.
As for Shinji, he slowly removed the earphones, placing the SDAT near his pack. 'Not tonight,' he thought as he nestled his head upon the pillow. Though he had experienced trouble earlier in falling asleep, Shinji quickly feel into a deep sleep now.
...of course....
Without the SDAT to drown out his thoughts, his subconscious mind had lots of thoughts to process while he dreamt.
Some of swimming....
...but mostly of Rei Ayanami. A blue-haired woman with a pleasant tone and angelic form. The First Child, and pilot of Evangelion Unit 00.
Needless to say, tonight's dreams were to be highly enjoyable, as well as unusually erotic.
-------End of Chapter Two
Post-Story Author's Notes: Well, that only took nearly two weeks and a messed-up sleeping schedule. Not to mention finally acquiring the rest of the series on DVD, as well as Death & Rebirth, so only The End is left for me. Now, to address three points of this chapter:
-First, the dialogue shared between Rei and Shinji on the cell phone. Yes, I know that the First Child isn't normally so talkative. None of her incarnations are, as far as I've seen. But, then again, she IS forming a bond with Shinji, and just as his barriers are slowly falling, so shall hers. If I went too far, I went too far.
-Second, I had difficulty trying to figure out exactly how Rei would go about teaching Shinji how to swim. I admit, drawing upon personal experience didn't help, as I rarely swim anymore. But, obviously, it had to have its share of embarrassing moments. That sort of thing is important for Shinji's character, as it forces him to try and overcome his fears.
-Third, the Rei/Shinji/Asuka continuum.
To define the basic parameters as outlined in the story, Rei is a wall of ice. Many view her to lack emotion and to be very selective in her associations. Necessity seems to be the most defining term of her dialogue and outward expression, as well as her biggest roadblock in forming attachments to others. Hence, the way to her heart is blocked by a more or less impenetrable wall of frozen water.
Now, as for Asuka, I paired her with fire. This is obvious, from the orange-red hair to the dynamite temper, as well as her inflated pride or ego, I can't figure out which. But, like how Rei is unable to let anyone through her wall due to the way she is, Asuka is just as difficult, given a troubled past involving her parents, going hand in hand with her solid determination to rely on herself. Hence, she "burns" anyone who may be getting through, out of fear of pain which can easily be compared to that of the Third Child.
So, where does Shinji Ikari fit into all this? Just remember, this is all metaphorical. I see him in this case as a bolt of lightning. When he strikes, it counts. Not just in his battles, either. He always seems to be able to make a breakthrough to either girl where others would not. In essence, his lightning is not only powerful enough to crack Rei's ice, but also tough enough to endure Asuka's severe scorching.
Now, to go on a tangent about Shinji's 'magnetic' personality... :-D
Where does he get this intriguing ability to touch the hearts of the most impossible members of the opposite sex? I mean, we see him being able to make some rather deep contact with Asuka, Rei, and possibly Misato, as well as all the schoolgirls liking him. I would originally believe it comes from his father, as we see the Commander having three different women at different times in his life, those being Yui Ikari, Naoko Akagi, and then Ritsuko Akagi.
Of course, to disprove the theory of it being genetic, remember that in Ep. 21 (The Birth of NERV), Fuyutsuki recalls suspicion that Gendo's overtures to Yui were moreso because of her association with SEELE. Also, in the same episode we see the future Commander having an affair with the first Dr. Akagi. And, according to Rei I, he refers to Naoko as an old hag. Rather insensitive, but it's also a signal that Gendo isn't the most passionate man when it comes to being with women. Even when he interrogates Ritsuko as to why she destroyed the D.P. system, he's all busniess.
Hence, it is also natural to assume that while Shinji may have genetic potential to attract women physically, it's also evident that the whole of his feelings and reactions lend to a rather subdued, but powerful charm for the ladies. So lovable, yet in so much denial. At odds is he to be the one known as Shinji Ikari.
Oh, by the way, if all of this post-chapter ranting seems rather redundant in the fact that I recall many points from the series, it's only to reinforce the background of the characters, as well as to lend aid to the events and reactions I create. Besides, you don't HAVE to read it. :-P
Next-chapter predictions? Of course not. Just potential happenings...and since when did I pride myself on sounding politically correct or using euphamisms? Oops, rambling again, here we go...
-Will the next day be as fruitful for our hapless hero?
-Might Rei melt more and more as she becomes further involved?
-Does Asuka really want to talk to Shinji? If so, about what?
-And, finally...does Misato ever run out of beer?
It's all in the next Chapter, The Frail Heart...well, except for the beer inquiry. She'll never run out. No beer and no Shinji make Misato unhappy woman. And I'll stop rambling now. :-P
Chapter Two: The Tutorial/Getting Your Feet Wet
Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of GAINAX and ADV Films. I don't own them, nor do I intend to utilize them for any profitable purposes. Simply the purpose of writing entertainment.
Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Now, some of you are possibly wondering about the timeline setting of this whole deal. Well, I'll let you in on it, though it took me some time to figure it out. After all, I can't just mention experiences of the Eva series and not try to figure out exactly when this is all occurring. So, to put all our minds at rest, this story takes place just before the search begins that determines one Toji Suzuhara as the Fourth Child. Hence, the Rei in this story is Rei II. Also, I'm making this a sort of side story to the whole plot, so you won't be seeing any Angel battles here. Just mano-a-mano (or maybe womano, if that can be used as an acceptable term?) as well as those internal conflicts we've grown to love about this series. Well, in my opinion, anyway.
Now that that's settled, where was I in this little tale?
Oh, that's right....the school. ;-) Let the mayhem begin.
By the way, just in case you're confused by my use of quotation marks...
- "This indicates spoken dialogue."
- 'While this is a line that the character is thinking.'
- And here is where written material goes.
-------
Ding-ding-ding-dong....
With the clanging of the bell in that rhythm four times, classes were at an end for the day. And Shinji couldn't have been more relieved. Or could he?
At least he hadn't been given too much homework that he would have troubles handling. It made his nerves a bit settled as he remembered what he had been asked to do...
'That's right. I have to meet Ayanami over at the pool again. But she still hasn't indicated why. Not even at lunchtime...'
All of a sudden, a camera, as well as Kensuke's face, moved into Shinji's immediate view, interrupting his thoughts. "Yee-hah!" He was obviously excited. "Classes are done! Wanna walk home with me, Shinji?"
"Didn't Toji come back from the hospital yet?" the Third Child asked of his friend.
"Not that I know of. He's probably gonna spend the rest of the day there. You know how he is about that," Kensuke replied, setting the camera down on a desk while attempting to check its battery.
Shinji sighed. "Yeah."
"So, you want do to anything?" Ida questioned.
"No, but thanks. Rei's asking to see me at the pool."
"Again? But why? You think she's got a cruuuush?" Kensuke teased.
Shinji quickly went red. "N-no, that isn't it!" Then his face became more solemn. "At least, I don't think it is."
A flash of light near Shinji's eye indicated that Kensuke had finished checking the batteries and was back in his '24-hours-a-day' operation mode. 'When does he ever not use that thing?' he wondered.
"Well, just why does she want to see you there, man?"
"I honestly don't know. She didn't say why."
"Hmm...in either case, you'd better get going."
"Wh...what about you, Kensuke?" Shinji asked, knowing that due to Toji being absent, if the Third Child were to go for the pool, Kensuke would be cannon fodder against Asuka.
"Hey, don't worry about me. I may be going home by my lonesome today, but at least I've got this to keep me company!" With that, he proudly showed off his camera to Shinji.
"Not what I meant. I was talking about Asuka. Don't you think she'll still stalk you for the picture profits?"
"Well, maybe. But you shouldn't worry about it, Shinji!"
"Why not?"
"Because if Ayanami is asking to see you for a third time, it's probably because she has some kinda interest in you. Hence, you shouldn't worry yourself to death about what I have to deal with, ok? You're lucky, Shinji. A lot of guys would kill for a chance with her, y'know? It's just that she's one of those types that isn't easily readable, or approachable. Like a wall of ice that blocks anyone that she won't let through."
"Asuka's like that, too.." Shinji responded, "but more like fire...and it burns."
(Author's note: I'll explain my little analogy at the end of the Chapter.)
"Yeah, that may be. But Rei has already indicated that she wants to have some kind of connection with you. I mean, I've noticed how she's smiled and looked at you during class time. She never does that for anyone else. Not as far as my eyes have seen, anyway. And I'm like a watchdog around here!"
Shinji then smiled. Well, if he couldn't feel totally confident, he was thankful someone else had some faith in him, be it a person as distant as Rei Ayanami or one as curious as Kensuke Ida.
"Alright, I'll get going. But, can you do me a favor, Kensuke?"
"Sure! What is it?"
Shinji moved to the door and then spoke his answer. "Keep Asuka off my tail, if she comes looking for me."
"Not a problem, Shinji!" Kensuke then waved to his friend.
The Third Child smiled and waved back, feeling a bit stronger from their conversation.
He then exited the room, his feet carrying him quickly before he broke down and decided to flee.
-------
5 minutes later...
Going through the locker room to get to poolside was never really an oddity in Shinji's mind. It only made natural sense to him, somehow. Fortunately, he had remembered to bring his laptop from home this morning in his pack, just in case Rei had just asked him to come and watch her swim again. Not that Shinji had anything against watching someone else swim, especially not someone as graceful in the water as her. For him, it was helpful to be prepared, just in case.
'Sounds a bit like my father,' he thought to himself.
So lost in thought was Shinji, in fact, that he nearly bumped into someone as he approached the entryway of the men's locker room. Stopping himself, he looked up, only to have his eyes widen and his heart nearly stop as his gaze fixed itself on a pair of blue eyes staring a hole through him.
'Oh, shit,' was his only thought. 'She found me...but how?'
"Going somewhere, Third Child?" Asuka demanded as she kept her stare on him, wanting him to crack under the pressure.
"Uh...n-not really..." Already Shinji was shaking. At this point, he really couldn't tell which feeling made him more nervous: Asuka when she was after him, or Rei when she was nice to him.
"Liar," Asuka replied with a smirk. "You're here to see Wondergirl, aren't you, hmm?"
Shinji grimaced a bit, already knowing she'd see through a pitiful attempt like that. "W-well, yes.."
"Ha!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "So you do admit there's something going on between you and her!"
Ikari began to sweat. "I...I'm not admitting anything, Asuka...please, just let me go..."
"And if I don't, Third Child?" she said, planting her feet and hands against the entryway to the locker room, in a standing spread-eagle position with no room for Shinji to get past her. "What are you going to do about it?"
"I...well...um..."
"HEY, YOU!" a voice yelled, not far from them as the two heard two sets of running footsteps. "GET BACK HERE WITH MY DOUGH!" That voice was Kensuke's!
"Not on your life, jerkwad!" another voice called out as a teen unknown to the Second and Third Child sped past them. Kensuke followed, but stopped near them and panted heavily.
Asuka laughed at the heavily breathing Stooge. "Serves you right for being such a weakling, like Shinji the dork here!"
"You...gotta help me....Asuka..." Kensuke pleaded, his breaths sounding rather loud in such an empty area.
Asuka scoffed at Ida. "What for? It isn't my problem, you moron!"
"But..." Kensuke continued to huff and puff. "It's...your money...he's...got..."
As one might expect, Asuka's face became rather shocked as she removed herself from the entryway and shook Ida furiously. "What do you mean?"
"The...money from...your...pictures.." he spat out as Asuka stopped shaking him. "Shinji...told me you....wanted half the profits....right...?"
"Damn right, I did!" Asuka then turned back to Shinji. "Looks like you get time with your girlfriend then, Third Child.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Shinji replied as she got moving to catch the thief.
After several seconds beyond her disappearing from view, Kensuke let out a sigh. "Whew! This plan is too easy! But I actually have to pay her..."
Shinji could only stand there, dumbfounded. Then he regained his senses. "Thanks."
Kensuke grinned. "No problem, Shinji. Good luck with Rei." The he spun on his heel and took off after Asuka, using his ears to keep track of her, thanks to her nice little habit of German cursing.
In the meanwhile, Shinji finally settled himself down with a few calm breaths and strode into the men's locker room, then to the pool. Rei wasn't around as far as he could see, so he went to sit at a nearby table to set up for homework. It wasn't until he approached the seat that he saw something.
Moving closer, he saw a neatly folded piece of paper on top of some kind of garment. The note was addressed: Shinji. Naturally, he opened the paper and read the following note.
To Shinji:
Put these on. It's time to get your feet wet.
Sincerely, Rei Ayanami.
Shinji felt his nerve beginning to slip from him. And it only got worse as he saw what the note had been on top of: a pair of dark blue shorts. He quickly identified them as swim trunks.
'No way!' was his first thought. 'She...she wants me to get in there with her and swim? No way in Hell! I can't do it! I don't know how to swim!'
Then he looked over the note again. 'Get my feet wet? Does she intend to teach me..? It can't be....can it?'
As his eyes darted back and forth between the note and the trunks, his mind began its usual overture of fear. 'I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...I mustn't run away...'
Shinji then shook his head clear of these interfering thoughts. "I'm too far involved to run away now," he said to himself as he set his pack on the table, then grabbed the trunks and proceeded back to the locker room to change.
Had he been looking around, he would've noticed Rei standing in the women's entryway to the pool, watching his every move since he came in.
She smiled. 'I am thankful he chose to come here.'
-------
A short while later, Shinji emerged from the locker room, wearing the trunks. Surprisingly, they fit him quite well. 'Maybe she took a wild guess and got my size right?' he wondered as he walked upon the tiled floor with his bare feet, his clothes jammed into his pack.
'Or....did she know my size?' Needless to say, that thought felt embarrassing. 'No, it can't be. She probably just guessed. Yeah, that's gotta be it. These are generic school swim trunks, after all.' He could easily see this from the kanji markings upon the fabric.
Quietly, Shinji set his pack upon the table where Rei had left the note, figuring that if she was serious about this, he wouldn't be needing anything from his things. At least, not yet.
Then, slowly, he sighted the First Child near the edge of the shallow end of the pool, sitting on a towel. Next to her, another towel had been laid out, as neat and orderly as the one she was sitting on. Gulping nervously, he approached her and slowly sat down on the vacant towel.
Like the lunch they'd shared earlier, there was now another period of unsettling silence, neither truly knowing what to say at the moment.
Rei decided to break the ice this time. "I am glad you came."
"M..me, too.." Shinji offered with a weak smile.
"Are you sure? You do not seem certain of yourself."
"Y-yeah, I know." He gestured back towards the entryways. "Just had a scare with Asuka, y'know?"
"Why was the Second Child here?" Rei asked of him.
"I don't know," was his only response as he looked down, feeling rather ashamed at letting the burning redhead nearly trounce whatever confidence he had gained. Not to mention having been on the verge of a possible ass-kicking, with the Third Child being the presumed recipient.
Rei could easily see that this situation was turning sour with Shinji looking both nervous and possibly depressed. So she gently placed one of her hands upon his.
Shinji's face paralyzed in fear. 'Oh, God, what do I do?' He could already feel himself beginning to panic. "I...um..."
"What is it?"
"I...I don't think I can do this.."
"What makes you say that?"
"Humans aren't made to float." Those very words he had once spoken, when engaged in an odd self-analysis of sorts during his time in the Sea of Durac, before Unit 01 went berserk again and destroyed the 12th Angel from within its spherical form. And just like when he said that statement before, it didn't sound very convincing.
Of course, Ayanami caught this as easily as Shinji did. However, she decided to try a gentler tactic, instead of a flat response. "You can, if you try," she said in a soothing manner, also giving his hand a light squeeze.
This, naturally, gave Shinji a scare. But, also, it made him feel a bit more comfortable. "A-are you sure?"
"Do not worry. I will guide you. I will instruct you." The look in Rei's eyes told Shinji that her intentions about this were completely serious. Then again, he had never known the First Child to ever joke about anything.
Shinji stopped himself from possibly hyperventilating, taking a controlled breath to calm himself. "Alright. I trust you, Rei."
Rei nodded and stood, her hand still holding on to his own as he also rose to his feet. "Then follow me." With that, the First Child slowly walked to the lead-in steps of the pool, Ikari slightly in step behind her.
They stopped at the edge of the first step. Rei's eyes met Shinji's. "Do not be frightened."
"As long as we take this one step at a time." Now Shinji felt determined to do this, though he still wanted to bolt.
"Then we will," Rei responded, gasping just a little as she took her first step into the pool this day. She always secretly derived a small amount of excitement from feeling the slightly-cooled water washing across her toes, and letting that sensation spread all over her body as she immersed herself. Today, she found herself suppressing that desire, but only as a result from seeing how unstable her fellow pilot was, especially now.
A quick look confirmed for Ayanami that Shinji hadn't stepped in yet. She decided to encourage him further, taking another step in herself, finding it a bit more difficult to hold his hand while doing so. "Please, step in."
"I...I can't....it doesn't feel safe..." Shinji said. Then again, in the young Ikari's world, did anything ever truly feel safe?
"Then I will protect you," Rei calmly replied.
"Huh?"
"I will not let you come to harm."
"If you say so..." Shinji finally took one last look at the water and stepped forward.
Upon feeling the water, Shinji slowly felt himself become more at ease. 'Maybe this isn't so bad. It certainly is a different experience from that of an entry plug.'
After taking a few more steps in, Shinji decided to let go, just a bit, as he closed his eyes. In retrospect, he should've realized the hindrance of blinding himself in this situation. He felt his foot slip forward, failing to feel and grip something he couldn't see, much less get a hold of. In reality, he had missed one step, and was thrown off-balance in the process.
Shinji felt himself pitch forward, the water coming in faster towards his freaked-out eyes-
-and suddenly, he felt himself stop.
Not right on the water, nor underneath it. A couple inches his face was from the surface of the shimmering water. Also, he felt a force upon his chest. Shinji blinked a couple of times, then looked over to Ayanami. Her features were displaying a look of concentration as he quickly figured out that it was her hands pushing against his chest that had kept him from a fearful face dive.
Shinji immediately felt bad about the whole thing, and tried to correct himself, but accidentally pushed forward, his arms flailing just a bit, trying to grip something, anything...
But afterward, he felt alright, and re-oriented. But as his gaze affixed itself to Rei, the Third Child noticed her cheeks were red. Redder than earlier times.
It was then that he realized what had happened.
In his haste to restore balance, Shinji had thrown himself towards Rei, his arms having found something to hold on to. Her waist.
Ikari's cheeks immediately felt warm. "I-I'm s-sorry..." he stammered, quickly loosening his arms from her and letting them fall back to his sides.
"It's alright, Shinji. It felt...nice." Rei quickly retook his hand and moved out a bit further, letting him follow at a slow pace. A sluggish pace, in the First Child's opinion, but Shinji was her chosen priority today.
She decided to be thankful that there wasn't anyone around to heckle him. Especially a certain fiery girl. 'Let's hope things go a bit more smoothly, now that he's actually in,' she thought.
-------
2 hours later, the lesson was over. Rei was prompt in this, of course, bringing Shinji out of the water and to their towels to dry off.
"That went well, right?" Shinji asked of her, looking directly into her eyes, feeling a bit worried. And while she indeed was calm and patient with him throughout this whole lesson, which basically consisted of him getting accustomed to the feel of the water, both above and below, as well as simply walking around while immersed.
Rei, of course, had cautioned him to make sure he was holding his breath when he went under. This was pool water, not LCL, after all. And she made absolutely certain to hold on to his hand whenever he did try to submerge himself within the depths. It always seemed to both make him a bit nervous, but also made him physically relaxed, knowing she would not let him be harmed, for many reasons, professional as well as personal.
"Yes," the First Child answered as she worked on drying her hair off. Shinji, having more skin exposed, had more to dry, and so was a bit behind her in pace.
After another minute or so, she stood up and started walking away.
"Hey, Rei.." Shinji started.
Rei immediately turned and faced him. "What is it?"
"Eh..." Shinji felt himself blush, not knowing what to say. He knew he should thank her for this, but he just wasn't sure how to go about it. Then an idea hit him that would make any procrastinator proud of him. "Can I walk you home?"
Ayanami's lips curved upward just a bit. She then nodded slightly.
"O-ok! I'll get changed quickly." The Third Child hastily rubbed the towel she had given him upon his hair a few times, then hauled ass to the changing room, nearly collapsing upon himself trying to get his pack in the process.
After watching this little incident, Rei also got moving, knowing that while he would wait for her to be done, she shouldn't keep him waiting any longer than necessary. A simple idea that applied itself often in her life, both in her life as the pilot of Unit 00 as well as the personal life she had, as newly developing as it might be.
-------
Unknowingly, the mind of the enigmatic First Child let itself wander during her change...
'Water. Clear, yet blue. Water, the life of my thoughts.'
'Wind. A still calm, but also a force. A force that moves things. Wind moves water. Is Shinji the wind? Am I the water? Does the Third Child move me so?'
'The heart. A human organ. Regulator of blood, and vital to survive. but is there another heart? There must be. A heart made of one's soul? One's feelings? Emotions? Reactions and judgments?'
'What is it that I.....feel? Do I even feel at all?'
A mental image of Shinji crossed her mind.
'Shinji Ikari. Son of Commander Ikari. The only one whom I ever call by first name. Why is that? Do I feel something for him? Perhaps this is true. I display and express myself in ways to him that no one else would ever get out of me. I thank him when he is kind to me. My smiles, though I do not show them often, always give him a good feeling.'
'What is this..? What is this that I feel? Is this what one feels in their...heart?'
'Clothes. Garments. Coverings of one's true form. Are they barriers as well? A shield to protect us? But, from what? Our bodies? Or perhaps our hearts? Do we deceive ourselves and others every day so that we need not face our true selves? Is this what these fabrics represent?'
'Unit 00. An Evangelion. I pilot it, and share a bond as well. A bond to all living things. A bond to Shinji, as well? No. That feeling is stronger. Why is this so? Is there a bond between him and myself? Has today's events given us a unity of sorts?
'No, it cannot be just this one day. It is from many things. From the events of the first day we met...despite his shocked state as a result of being protected by the dormant Unit 01 that day, he had nevertheless held onto me after I had fallen off my stretcher...up to the events of today, and though he was clearly afraid of the simple idea of swimming, he chose to try and we found it to be worth our effort.'
'Our effort? Did I just refer to it as an effort of both Ikari and myself? Yes. It was something we both tried at and managed a small success. Highly unlike defeating an Angel, perhaps, but no less gratifying.'
"Rei..."
'Will I do this all again the next day? Yes...'
"Rei...."
'It shall be an effort of Shinji and myself. It will work.'
"Helloooo, Rei...."
'Ikari's voice. It sounds...heavenly...'
-------
"Earth to Rei!" Shinji cried out, waving his hand in front of her face directly, causing her to stop dead in her tracks, her face showing obvious surprise.
"What....is it?" she asked.
"Just trying to make sure you're still with me, that's all," Shinji responded, chuckling a bit.
Rei's cheeks turned slightly red, feeling a bit embarrassed about losing herself in her mind's monologue, which had started when she was in the middle of undressing herself after her tutoring of Shinji, and ending only now as the two of them were no more than several feet from the building that she lived in.
"I apologize. I did not mean to worry you." With that, Rei offered a smile. She never knew that being around him like this could cause her to forget about everything else. It was an enjoyable feeling.
Shinji just grinned at her a little. "It's alright. I get lost in my thoughts or daydream a lot, too."
The First Child nodded in acknowledgement as they proceeded into the building and up to the 2nd floor, all the way to the metallic door that was a portal of sorts to her living quarters. Normally, such a journey would have been a bit taxing upon her system, even with her tolerance for hiking this and other distances, but oddly enough, she didn't feel as tired as she should.
'Perhaps walking with him has made this walk a bit more...invigorating?' In allowing herself that thought, Rei also let slip a sigh of contentment.
Interestingly, for someone usually as dense as lead, Shinji picked up on that sigh. "Are you feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes." Rei then opened the door and stepped halfway inside before halting and turning back to Shinji. "And what about you?"
"M-me?" the Third Child stuttered, feeling a bit taken aback.
"Yes. Do you want me to keep teaching you?"
Shinji nodded. "Yes, please, would you?"
"I shall do so. Meet me after school again tomorrow, in the same place. I will be waiting for you, and we will resume where we left off."
"Alright. Thank you, Rei. I..."
As Shinji looked up, Ayanami's door was nearly closed. Acting quickly, he caught the door with a hand and stepped inside, slowly. "Rei..."
Again, she stopped and looked at him, awaiting whatever it was that he wanted to say.
"I...I..." Try as he might in that moment, the Third Child couldn't find any words to say. He wasn't sure what he even wanted to say.
Rei slowly approached him, taking hold of his shoulders and examining his eyes. This, of course, made Shinji worry. 'Did I overstep my boundaries? Is she going to slap me again..?'
The pessimistic thoughts quickly dissipated after she moved her face in close to his, so close that he could feel her breath upon his skin, and lightly pursed her lips upon his forehead for but a second before pulling away, her cheeks going red again. For a few moments, Shinji felt stunned.
"I...will...see you....tomorrow?" he questioned. Already in the process of unpacking her suit and supplies, she absently nodded. Shinji then quietly moved himself out of her door, deciding not to risk any further embarrassment.
"Goodbye," Rei called to him as he shut the door.
"Take care!" Shinji said in return. "And, thanks again!" Afterwards, his feet got moving, knowing he had to make dinner tonight.
This, of course, gave him troubling thoughts. 'Will Misato be home? Maybe she's worried? Or what about Asuka? I can guess she wasn't too happy with what went on earlier. I hope Kensuke's alright.'
Knowing that the evening would not be too great, Shinji decided to zone himself out now, slipping a pair of earphones on and activating his SDAT, setting it in his pocket to listen to as he journeyed home. Slowly but surely, the music let his mind slip away from the problems and worries of his world...
-------
Fortunately for Shinji, the moment he entered his humble abode, all was quiet. Little sound made its way to his ears as soon as the SDAT had been turned off. No footsteps, no voices. 'Heck, even Pen-Pen isn't up and about,' he thought to himself as the shoes came off and his eyes wandered the place, noting that things, as usual, were a bit of a mess.
'Then again, I wasn't home to clean earlier, was I?' With that thought came a tiny smirk on his face as he checked out the secondary fridge. Sure enough, the penguin was in there, resting rather peacefully.
Shinji absentmindedly pet Pen-Pen on its head. "I bet you don't worry about things like swimming and girls, huh?"
Almost as if responding to his inquiry, Pen-Pen cooed a little.
The Third Child laughed a little, then closed the door, deciding to let the little guy sleep. 'Well, at least he doesn't cause any problems. What a carefree life. Just eat, walk, move, and make funny noises.'
Shinji didn't keep on these thoughts for long as he headed to his room and set down his pack, as well as the SDAT. Quickly did he make a couple of checks into the rooms of both Asuka and Misato (despite obvious risks involved) to see if either of them were simply sleeping. Neither girl was present.
"I guess I've got the place to myself...."
But when he checked the kitchen, he noticed that a piece of paper had been folded in half and placed upon the table in front of where he normally sat, with his name written on it. Curious, Shinji slowly took the note, opened it up and let his gaze look the words over:
Hey, idiot.
I won't be coming home this evening, so enjoy yourself while you can. If you need to call me (not that you should), I'll be at Hikari's place.
Asuka
The next part looked a bit more scribbled than the rest, as if it had been added as an afterthought.
P.S. ...Sorry about earlier.
P.P.S. Don't tell ANYONE I apologized to you, Third Child. I mean it!
Shinji chuckled a little at the last statement, knowing that Toji and Kensuke would never believe that the "great" Asuka Langley Sohryu would ever apologize to him for anything. He moved to drop the note into the garbage, its purpose having been served, when he noticed some more writing on the other side that he hadn't seen before due to his taking the note immediately after seeing his name on it.
'So, what's this..?' he wondered.
P.P.P.S. Need to talk with you tomorrow after I get home. Have a fun day, idiot.
"She sure leaves a lot of post-scripts," Shinji thought out loud as he discarded the note and proceeded to the living room after getting himself a soda can, seating himself on the floor and flipping on the TV.
TV quickly became boring for one involved in such things as the Third Child. After a while, he just stopped bothering with the remote, setting it aside as he reclined on the floor and let himself fall into a light slumber.
Or, at least, he tried. But as comfortable as he may have been trying to get, he just couldn't slip far enough into sleep...
Then, Shinji heard a shrill noise. 'The phone..?' he thought as he willed himself to move, pushing himself up from the floor and getting to his feet. 'It sounds....different.'
He got his answer to why in a few seconds and another ring. It wasn't coming from the apartment phone. In fact, as his ears tried to distinguish the location of the rather physically annoying sound, he figured out that whatever this noise was, it was coming from his room.
'Did I leave my alarm on again? No, this sounds...higher-pitched.'
Groggy was the Third Child from those few minutes of snoozing earlier as he entered his room, scanning the floor, bed, and desk, trying to locate the damn thing that was making that annoying sound. His eyes soon fell upon the cell phone. The same one Misato had given him a long time ago, not long after he first joined NERV.
Shinji let himself think back on it as he reach for it, his mind seemingly slowing down as his thoughts took over...
Misato had let him have this phone soon after he had moved in to her apartment, which she admitted to having settled here recently as well. Misato's original reasoning had been that he would need it. But Shinji never took it around with him anywhere. It was then that the slender guardian began to realize the Third Child's troubles in making any real friends.
Shinji let the thoughts disintegrate as he pressed a button on the cell phone to receive this incoming call, quickly figuring which end was the receiver and placing that to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hello, Shinji." This voice was that of the First Child.
"Oh, hi, Rei," Shinji replied in greeting. Then a question struck him. "How did you know of this number?"
"Major Katsuragi sent it to me, to use in case of an emergency."
"Misato did...?" Well, at least that made some sense to the Third Child.
"Yes."
"So, what's the emergency?" Shinji asked.
"I apologize. It is not an emergency. I was calling to find out if you arrived at home safely."
"Oh, y-yeah," Shinji stammered a little, feeling himself blush slightly. "I'm fine."
"Is Pilot Sohryu or Major Katsuragi there as well?"
"No. Asuka is over at a friend's, and I don't know where Misato is. Probably another late-night shift."
"A natural assumption."
"Yeah." With that, Shinji let himself breathe a sigh of relief, being thankful that Asuka most likely didn't know the number to this phone. He already had to deal with enough of her at work, school, and home.
"What is the matter?" Rei questioned. "You sound distressed."
"No, just shaken. I was trying to sleep," Shinji responded. 'Although sleeping might feel better if it were next to her, and what the hell am I doing, thinking about something like that at a time like this!?!'
"I did not mean to awaken you."
"That's alright. I'd rather it be you than Asuka, at least," Shinji said, cracking a smile.
He also could almost hear Rei chuckling to herself after hearting that. "Yes, I suppose this is true."
"Mm-hmm. So, what are you up to?"
"Dinner. And I wish to ask you something."
"Wh-what is it, Rei?" At this point, Shinji still couldn't guess what was on her mind at times. Not that he minded, for it was at least a nice change as opposed to the consistency of Asuka's temper and subsequent nagging.
"Will we be eating together tomorrow, like we did today?" Was it just Shinji, or was there a hint of joy in her voice? He didn't know, but it still sounded to be a bit more positive than usual.
"Umm...hmm...oh, why not? That sounds great!" the Third Child exclaimed. "I can make another lunch for you, if you like."
"That....sounds wonderful. Thank you!" was Ayanami's reply.
Now Shinji was feeling the stomach butterflies. 'Why does something that can feel so...nice...have the potential to scare me more than this whole swimming deal? I don't understand...'
"Do you think she will try to stop you again?"
"You mean Asuka?"
"Yes. I am sorry I did not tell you, but I watched the whole incident transpire."
"Oh..." Even when distanced by miles, Shinji could still feel hurt from such words, knowing he could more or less only blame himself for being spineless around the redheaded demon.
"I-I'm sorry..." Shinji began.
"Do not worry about it."
"But...but I should worry about it! I was being a coward!"
"You were...afraid?" Rei questioned of him.
Shinji sighed, feeling a bit worse. "Yeah...I...didn't want her to cause me pain."
"And so you sat there and took the treatment she gave you? You did not deserve it."
"Try telling her that!" Shinji cried, raising his voice a bit in frustration.
"Perhaps....perhaps I will." Rei could almost feel the Third Child's pain coming through her receiver as clearly as his words.
"Huh? Are...are you sure?"
"You are undeserving of such pain. I will make this known to her."
"But...but she might...no, she will...get angry at you. Aren't you afraid?"
"I am not worried, Shinji. I will be ready for that contingency."
"I....I...you are kind to stick up for me. Thank you." That statement, at least, gave Shinji some peace of mind. But even as he felt this peace, he also felt a presence in his eyes...one that was pulling him down....calling to him. He then realized that his body now really did require sleep.
"You are welcome. But I must leave now, my dinner is ready."
Shinji could understand that. "Of course. I'll be sleeping soon, hopefully."
"Indeed. This day has been a bit exhausting for the both of us."
"Um, Rei...before you go.." the Third Child started again, knowing that he could easily lock up again at any time.
"What is it?" Ayanami inquired.
However, this time, Shinji had no trouble finding the words he wanted to say. These words felt more like a fact rather than a compliment. "I really enjoyed talking with you."
"And I....with you." The two of them smiled after hearing those words.
"Take care, Rei."
"You, too. I'll see you tomorrow at school. Goodbye, Shinji." Then came a dull click and the familiar droning of the line having been hung up.
Shinji turned off the cell phone and sat down, having been pacing around the room as he talked to her, though he hadn't really known as his mind got so in to their conversation. 'Hell, I don't even talk to Kensuke and Toji like that. What is it about Rei Ayanami that lets me do this? Well, whatever it is, it feels...good...'
"HELLLOOOO-OOOO!" a voice called not far beyond Shinji's walls, accompanied by a large *thump* noise. "Oof! Damn it..."
Quickly, Shinji got to his feet and left his room, only to find Misato sprawled out on the floor, along with some groceries. The whole thing looked silly enough to make him laugh, which he did in earnest, and rather loud to boot.
Misato quickly got an embarrassed look on her face as she had to look up at the giggling Third Child. "What's so funny, Shinji, hmmmm!?!? Do you like when I fall over!?!?"
At this point, Shinji was rolling on the floor, still laughing hard over the situation, so Misato decided not to go after him about it yet. 'Well, it probably was funny as hell to him,' she thought as she regained her feet and began to pick up the fallen foods, thankful that her two 12-packs of beer hadn't been too badly damaged.
'In fact, it's like a breath of fresh air to see him this way.' Misato smiled to herself and got moving for the kitchen, feeling just a bit better after such a tedious day.
-------
Two hours later, both Ikari and Katsuragi were at the kitchen table, eating the dinner that Shinji was lucky to have been able to create tonight, despite the fact that tonight was a night designated for Misato to cook. To the Major, Shinji seemed a bit nicer than usual this evening, as well as appearing to be a bit zoned out from it. It made him look kinda cute, in her opinion.
"So, no Asuka to bother you makes Shinji a happier boy?" Misato asked of the Third Child, getting that look on her face that indicated she was about to start in on teasing him, though he never knew it beforehand.
Shinji blushed a rather deep red. It was enough to clue Misato in that something was definitely different about him today. "No...it's not that Asuka's gone...though that's certainly a plus," Ikari said.
"Well, what is it then? You look so...energized today. Even when you were cooking, you were acting as if you were in your own delightful world. I want to know, how did that happen?"
"It's....well....it's kind of a long story. And it's rather embarrassing."
Misato partially frowned, guessing correctly that Shinji was implying that she refrain from humoring herself. "Please, tell me! I won't tease you."
"Are you sure about that, Misato?" Shinji looked rather skeptical.
The Major offered him her traditional victory sign. "I promise!"
"Well, okay." Shinji then began to talk...
-------
An hour later, Shinji was done recounting the events of the day, from Rei's initial invitation to the first conversation on his cell phone. Misato, true to her word, did her best not to embarrass the boy, though she did ask a few questions as he went along. Though Misato's expressions changed a bit a few times, from shock to stifling giggles to nearly blushing as deeply red as the Third Child was with every word, her overall look gave Shinji the impression that she was beaming with joy.
"I never knew Rei was such a conversationalist," Shinji stated, taking a sip of his soda in what had seemed like an eternity at the table. "And that's about it. I got off the phone with her right before you walked in and fell," he concluded, stifling his own laughter as his mind remembered her rather compromising position on the floor earlier.
"Wow, you had one heck of a day, huh?"
"Something like that."
Misato giggled. "I should take a picture of this. You ought to see the smile on your face. It certainly brightens the place up a lot."
"Thanks, Misato. That means a lot."
"So...are you going to meet Rei tomorrow?" Katsuragi asked.
"Of course."
"And what about Asuka?"
"I'll talk to her after I get home from my lesson. I just hope....that things go well."
"Oh, I'm sure they will." With that, Misato offered a grin, just to keep the Third Child's spirits up. Not long after that did they quickly finish dinner and clean up the dishes.
"I'm tired. I'm off to bed." Shinji managed to say after a long yawn.
"Alright. Good night, Shinji."
"You, too, Misato." The Third Child then entered his room, cleared his things from the bed, and changed into his night wear. He had almost slipped on the earphones for his SDAT when his door opened, and his guardian's face appearing.
"Shinji?"
"Yeah?"
Misato took a long breath, knowing that what she was about to say could be difficult. "Are you afraid...of the connection you've found with the First Child?"
"No....I..." Shinji began, but he knew that Misato would see through him. "Yes," he quickly confessed.
"Have faith, Shinji. Faith in her. And faith in yourself. Whether or not this is just about your ability to swim doesn't matter. You still have found a new bond with someone that few else ever have, do you know that?"
"Yes...but it's still frightening."
"That feeling won't go away easily, Shinji. It never does for anyone. But you must find a way to deal with it. It won't be simple, and it may even hurt at times. But you mustn't run away. Not when you have something that has the potential to be very beneficial for you."
"I...I'll do what I can, Misato. I won't run away." It sure didn't ease Shinji's nervousness, but at least he felt a bit better, knowing that Misato cared in regard to how he felt about this whole situation and was willing to help him.
"Good. Sleep well, Shinji." That having been said, Misato slid his door shut and proceeded to grab a pair of beers from the kitchen before settling down in her own room.
As for Shinji, he slowly removed the earphones, placing the SDAT near his pack. 'Not tonight,' he thought as he nestled his head upon the pillow. Though he had experienced trouble earlier in falling asleep, Shinji quickly feel into a deep sleep now.
...of course....
Without the SDAT to drown out his thoughts, his subconscious mind had lots of thoughts to process while he dreamt.
Some of swimming....
...but mostly of Rei Ayanami. A blue-haired woman with a pleasant tone and angelic form. The First Child, and pilot of Evangelion Unit 00.
Needless to say, tonight's dreams were to be highly enjoyable, as well as unusually erotic.
-------End of Chapter Two
Post-Story Author's Notes: Well, that only took nearly two weeks and a messed-up sleeping schedule. Not to mention finally acquiring the rest of the series on DVD, as well as Death & Rebirth, so only The End is left for me. Now, to address three points of this chapter:
-First, the dialogue shared between Rei and Shinji on the cell phone. Yes, I know that the First Child isn't normally so talkative. None of her incarnations are, as far as I've seen. But, then again, she IS forming a bond with Shinji, and just as his barriers are slowly falling, so shall hers. If I went too far, I went too far.
-Second, I had difficulty trying to figure out exactly how Rei would go about teaching Shinji how to swim. I admit, drawing upon personal experience didn't help, as I rarely swim anymore. But, obviously, it had to have its share of embarrassing moments. That sort of thing is important for Shinji's character, as it forces him to try and overcome his fears.
-Third, the Rei/Shinji/Asuka continuum.
To define the basic parameters as outlined in the story, Rei is a wall of ice. Many view her to lack emotion and to be very selective in her associations. Necessity seems to be the most defining term of her dialogue and outward expression, as well as her biggest roadblock in forming attachments to others. Hence, the way to her heart is blocked by a more or less impenetrable wall of frozen water.
Now, as for Asuka, I paired her with fire. This is obvious, from the orange-red hair to the dynamite temper, as well as her inflated pride or ego, I can't figure out which. But, like how Rei is unable to let anyone through her wall due to the way she is, Asuka is just as difficult, given a troubled past involving her parents, going hand in hand with her solid determination to rely on herself. Hence, she "burns" anyone who may be getting through, out of fear of pain which can easily be compared to that of the Third Child.
So, where does Shinji Ikari fit into all this? Just remember, this is all metaphorical. I see him in this case as a bolt of lightning. When he strikes, it counts. Not just in his battles, either. He always seems to be able to make a breakthrough to either girl where others would not. In essence, his lightning is not only powerful enough to crack Rei's ice, but also tough enough to endure Asuka's severe scorching.
Now, to go on a tangent about Shinji's 'magnetic' personality... :-D
Where does he get this intriguing ability to touch the hearts of the most impossible members of the opposite sex? I mean, we see him being able to make some rather deep contact with Asuka, Rei, and possibly Misato, as well as all the schoolgirls liking him. I would originally believe it comes from his father, as we see the Commander having three different women at different times in his life, those being Yui Ikari, Naoko Akagi, and then Ritsuko Akagi.
Of course, to disprove the theory of it being genetic, remember that in Ep. 21 (The Birth of NERV), Fuyutsuki recalls suspicion that Gendo's overtures to Yui were moreso because of her association with SEELE. Also, in the same episode we see the future Commander having an affair with the first Dr. Akagi. And, according to Rei I, he refers to Naoko as an old hag. Rather insensitive, but it's also a signal that Gendo isn't the most passionate man when it comes to being with women. Even when he interrogates Ritsuko as to why she destroyed the D.P. system, he's all busniess.
Hence, it is also natural to assume that while Shinji may have genetic potential to attract women physically, it's also evident that the whole of his feelings and reactions lend to a rather subdued, but powerful charm for the ladies. So lovable, yet in so much denial. At odds is he to be the one known as Shinji Ikari.
Oh, by the way, if all of this post-chapter ranting seems rather redundant in the fact that I recall many points from the series, it's only to reinforce the background of the characters, as well as to lend aid to the events and reactions I create. Besides, you don't HAVE to read it. :-P
Next-chapter predictions? Of course not. Just potential happenings...and since when did I pride myself on sounding politically correct or using euphamisms? Oops, rambling again, here we go...
-Will the next day be as fruitful for our hapless hero?
-Might Rei melt more and more as she becomes further involved?
-Does Asuka really want to talk to Shinji? If so, about what?
-And, finally...does Misato ever run out of beer?
It's all in the next Chapter, The Frail Heart...well, except for the beer inquiry. She'll never run out. No beer and no Shinji make Misato unhappy woman. And I'll stop rambling now. :-P