Italics indicate thoughts.

/ Speech /  indicates instant messages.

Still with me?  Great!

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Shinji was aware of girls.  He was aware of his best friend, Asuka.  Beautiful Asuka, popular Asuka, never-have-a-chance-with-perfection-like-that Asuka … as it was, Shinji was grateful enough just being her friend.  That he was the frequent focus of her verbal barbs was of little consequence.  It was Asuka abusing him; in the end, Asuka-abuse was the best abuse a fourteen-year-old boy with little more than hormones and hope could ask for.

            As was usual for the morning walk to school, Asuka broke the peaceful stillness in Shinji's mind.  "Shinji-baka!  You weren't listening!"

            "Yes I was!"  Shinji knew it to be a lie even before he said it.  Every morning was the same:  Asuka talked as Shinji watched her mouth and waited for the words that would not come.  Shinji, my parents left for the weekend and I was wondering … wanna come over?  I've liked you this whole time.  You're so cool, Shinji! 

            Shinji knew better, even as he dared to dream.

            Asuka – not the compliant girl in his dreams, but the waking and walking nightmare – narrowed her eyes.  "Dumpkoff!  You think I'm stupid?  You didn't hear a word I said!"

            "Like it was important," Shinji mumbled.

            "Everything I say is important, baka!"

            Shinji just rolled his eyes.  It was the same conversation every morning.

            Asuka tossed her brilliant copper mane.  Her face had changed; the random fury was gone and in its place was an attempt at sensuality.  Shinji hated himself, that such a childish display of her power over him was so effective.  "Anyway, Shinji-baka, I need you to do something for me."  She turned to face him.   

            He could not blame Asuka.  It was his fault.  She did not even have to ask nicely for his help.  His affirmative was implicit, always there for her to exploit.  No one understood this more than Asuka.  Shinji despised his weakness.

            "What is it?"

            "I need you to show some new students around the school today."

            "Isn't that the job of the sophomore class president?"  Masochism prevailed over Shinji's common sense.  He did not know why he even bothered to feign resistance.  In the end, Asuka always got what she wanted.

            "I've got a date that I've got to get ready for after school!"

            "A date?"  The knife plunged into his chest, threatening to go deeper.  Still, Shinji had to know.  "With who?"

            "Ka … ji … SAN!"  Asuka hugged herself and gleefully skipped.

            Shinji wanted to crawl into the nearest hole and promptly die.  Pondering the mystery behind his need to punish himself by being near Asuka, Shinji hung his head.  His eyes shifted away.

            "So, baka!  The new kids will meet up with you in homeroom.  Don't forget to introduce them to the fabulous and beautiful sophomore class president!" 

            Shinji looked up in time to see Asuka wink at him and walk towards the school.  The school … only a few yards away, Shinji only just noticed that they had already arrived. 

            Every morning was the same.  He walked to school with the girl of his dreams.  The girl of his dreams would tease and taunt and generally make Shinji feel like the biggest idiot walking the face of the earth.  Then, she would wink and wave and walk away.  Shinji could not help but wonder if all girls were like Asuka.  Why did he endure the endless abuse?

            A breeze caught the hem of Asuka's skirt and lifted it; a brief glimpse of Asuka's shapely, cream-colored thighs immediately became visible.  Like a sign of God's benevolence, Shinji saw it and understood.  Everything was worth it.

            Shinji gathered himself, and walked the rest of the way to the school doors.

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            "Class, we have two new students."  Ritsuko Akagi-sensei turned her back to her class.  As she wrote two names on the chalkboard, the two students standing in front of her desk bowed deeply before the seated class.

            The boy was tall and thin and eerily pale.  His hair was silver and gray, definitely an unusual color for a boy his age.  The white shirt was immaculately pressed, yet it fit awkwardly on the boy's lean frame.  His dark pants were also ironed and creased, but still appeared peculiar.  It was as if the boy did not belong in a school uniform … as if he was never meant to wear a school uniform. 

            Shinji could not place why he was noticing the boy, and what that meant.

            "I am Kaworu, Kaworu Nagisa.  Pleased to meet you."

             Stop looking, Shinji admonished himself. 

            Kaworu displayed a grin so wide it seemed unnatural, but was still disarming.  Charming, even.  As Kaworu opened his eyes and the aggressively cheerful grin faded slightly, Shinji noticed Kaworu's eyes.  Red.  The color of blood.

            Those blood-colored eyes immediately found Shinji.  Kaworu's gaze was unreadable, but it grabbed Shinji's attention and did not let go.  Shinji felt his breath catch in his throat.  Like he had seen the strange boy before, he felt an odd familiarity with him.  Deja vu.

            Shinji shook his head.  That had to be wrong.  He would remember someone with such strange features.  He had never seen Kaworu before in his life; that much he knew to be true.

            The grin on Kaworu's face twisted itself into a smirk.

            A girl stood beside Kaworu.  Only shorter by an inch or two, she had bobbed blue hair and waxen skin and red eyes … just like Kaworu.  Her eyes were also red.  Shinji wondered if the two were related.

            "I am Rei Ayanami.  Pleased to meet you."  Her inflection was flat and bland, unlike Kaworu's gregarious greeting only moments before.  Shinji's certainty of the two's relation faltered, as their personalities seemed like night and day.

            Kaworu and Rei seated themselves at two desks in the far corner of the classroom.  Shinji looked back for a moment at the two.  He could hear Asuka – only a couple of desks away to his right – mumbling to Hikari about "the new weirdos".  Opening his laptop, Shinji just shrugged and prepared to focus on the class work at hand.

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            A blinking envelope in the right-hand corner of Shinji's laptop screen provided a much-needed distraction from studying.  It was probably Kensuke wanting to borrow notes or Touji making a comment about a random girl wearing a short skirt.  Shinji directed his cursor to the fervently blinking envelope and clicked.

            / You are Shinji Ikari-kun, right? /

            Shinji blinked.  That was odd.  No one messaged him but Kensuke or Touji … he could only dream of the day when Asuka would instant-message him, though that day had not come.  Suspecting a joke on the horizon, Shinji responded all the same.

            / Yes. /

            / That is good.  Will you be showing Rei and I around school today? /

            Shinji's eyes widened before he even realized it.  This was one of the new kids messaging him.

            / Who are you? /

            / Kaworu Nagisa.  Pleased to meet you. /

            / Nice to meet you, Nagisa-san. /

            / Call me Kaworu, Ikari-kun. /

            A brief glance over his shoulder, and Shinji confirmed that Kaworu was typing on his laptop.  Kaworu's eyes lifted, and met Shinji's curious look with a half-lidded gaze.  Shinji felt his cheeks beginning to burn, so he hastily turned around in his seat and returned to his laptop.

            / You can call me Shinji, Kaworu-kun. /

            / I am glad, Shinji-kun. /

            Kaworu addressed Shinji as if they had known each other all their lives.  It was embarrassing and endearing all at once.  Shinji lowered his head so that the laptop hid his reddening face.

            / Shinji-kun, will you be showing Rei and I around school today? /

            / Yeah … it's really not my job, but I'm doing it for a friend. / 

            Shinji pressed the "enter" key, but immediately regretted it.  His words carried an unintentional air of reluctance.  Maybe Shinji had grudgingly accepted his duty, but he had to admit that being around Kaworu made the chore seem, well, less like a chore.  The other boy was bright and friendly; doubt crept into the corners of Shinji's mind.  He just knew that he had offended Kaworu.  Before he even had a chance to know the other boy, Shinji had ruined everything.  He imagined that Kaworu hated him by now, and that the next instant message would be a cold and cruel rebuff to match Shinji's careless words.

            The envelope blinked again.  With a heavy heart, Shinji clicked on the envelope and awaited a prickly response.

            / What a kind friend you are, Shinji-kun.  How thoughtful of you to help your friend!  I am glad that you are the one showing Rei and I around our new school. /

            / We should meet after class and I'll show you around then, OK? /

            / I look forward to it, Shinji-kun. /

            Shinji did his best to cover his embarrassment from the rest of the class by hiding his face in his hands.  Kaworu saw this and smiled.  Rei looked at Kaworu, then Shinji, and returned her attention to an open textbook.