Title: Neon Genesis Evangelion - Matters of Trust
Chapter: Repatriation
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: All of Neon Genesis Evangelion (just covering my basses)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Do not own Eva. I would buy it but I am broke.
Summary: AU, basically a series rewrite. Shinji must keep a promise he made years ago. S/R pairing. How NGE should be.
AN: Major deviation from Eva Cannon. Timeline elements ignored. Characters are OOC for the series. If you don't like this then stop reading now. You have been warned.
AN2: In this Rei is not a Clone and she is not related to Shinji in any way.
" " denotes speech
' ' denotes thought
~~~~~~~~~~~
Shinji and Rei were walking down the street to the mall, for Rei's shopping trip and for Shinji's trip to the arcade. Shinji was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans while Rei was in her school uniform. Just before they reached the mall Shinji stoped and handed Rei several thousand Yen. Rei looked at him in confusion.
"This was part of the money I raised to get back here. I want you to have it, buy yourself something nice, Rei." he said slightly embarrassed.
Shocked, Rei took the money. They continued to the mall, meeting Hikari, Touji and Kensuke outside the arcade.
"Rei, if you need me, or are ready to go, I'll be in there. Ok?" Shinji said. Rei just nodded, before moving off with Hikari, and watching the boys move into the arcade.
"This is going to be so much fun." Hikari said. "So? How much can we spend on you?"
"Well, I have about one hundred and twenty Yen." Rei said, and Hikari nodded sadly, understanding being broke. "But Shinji just gave me this." Rei held out the money to Hikari, who goggled.
"That is about eight thousand Yen." Hikari said. "We can get you a very decent wardrobe for that."
"But I have a place to hang clothes." Rei replied.
"No, Rei. A wardrobe is also used to describe the range of clothes in your closet." Hikari explained.
Rei just nodded her head as they walked off to shop.
********
Hikari and Rei sat down at a small café to have something to eat. They had only been shopping for about two hours but they need a break for sustenance. Hikari ordered a sandwich and a coke, while Rei ordered a salad and orange juice.
"Having a good time?" Hikari asked with a huge smile on her face.
"Yes, this has been pleasant." Rei said, slowly eating her salad.
They were carrying about half a dozen bags each, which now rested on the other chairs at the table.
"I agree. Sure window shopping is fun, but it's more fun when you buy stuff." Hikari said.
"Window shopping? I assume you don't mean shopping for glass." Rei said in confusion.
"No, window shopping is where you go looking for clothes but don't buy any, mostly because you can't afford them." Hikari explained.
"Ah. As we would most likely be today without Shinji's generosity." Rei said.
"Yah." Hikari said, cautiously. "Speaking of Shinji, how do you two know each other? No, you don't have to answer that. That was rude."
"We knew each other as children. When we were three, his father sent him away and lied to me about it. Until he returned I thought that he had abandoned me." Rei said sadly.
"Oh, Rei. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Hikari said, concerned for her new friend.
"Perhaps we should return to our task of spending Shinji's money?" Rei said with a slight smile.
"Spoken like a true woman." Hikari said with a laugh, as they collected their bags and began shopping again.
********
Shinji was sitting outside the arcade waiting for Rei, who had been shopping for over five hours. Touji was sitting next to him, officially keeping him company but really waiting for Hikari, while Kensuke had gone home over an hour ago. Shinji finally spotted Rei and Hikari coming towards them, carrying about twenty bags each and both with smiles on their faces. Rei had changed out of her school uniform and into a pair of hip hugging jeans and a simple white blouse, to Shinji she looked gorgeous.
"That was so much fun. Shame I didn't get anything." Hikari said.
"If you want, you can borrow anything we bought." Rei replied.
"Thanks, but I think I'm ok." Hikari replied, giggling. "We should do this again sometime and thank you Shinji."
Shinji just nodded before Hikari and Touji walked off together.
"How was your day?" Shinji asked as he took most of the bags from Rei and where Hikari left them.
"Enjoyable. And thank you for the money." Rei replied.
"No problem. But you are going to have to give me a fashion show latter." Shinji said, continuing when he saw he confused expression. "Put the clothes on and show me how they look."
Rei simply nodded and they continued walking. They arrived back at their building about twenty minutes latter and went to Shinji's apartment, as it had a small spare room in which Rei could get changed without Shinji seeing her. Shinji put down the bags in the spare room then went into the kitchen to make tea, and leave Rei alone to change. Shinji heard the door to the spare room open and turned to see Rei's outfit, then immediately turned back with a red face.
"Rei? What are you doing?" Shinji asked, very embarrassed.
"You said you wanted to see me waring what I had bought." Rei said, straightforwardly.
"Um. Yes I did. But I did not mean underwear." Shinji said, coughing slightly after the last word. "I meant dresses and blouses and jeans and such."
"Oh." Rei said before returning to the spare room.
After that initial incident of embarrassment, the afternoon went smoothly. Rei had acquired a nice range of outfits, from house clothes and casual wear to a nice formal gown, and everything in between. At one stage Rei tried to return the eight hundred Yen change to Shinji, who refused saying that it was a gift to her. Money was not an issue for Shinji, he had saved almost thirty thousand Yen during the eleven years he was away, that was in a secure bank account that gave good interest, and he now received the same living allowance as Rei, which was not much.
When she finished the fashion show, Rei had a shower in the bathroom, located next the spare room, and got changed back into the jeans and white blouse that she had worn back from the mall while Shinji cooked in the kitchen, having procured some decent appliances when he got the apartment. They sat in the dining room having a pleasant conversation during dinner, which contained vegetarian dishes only, mostly discussing their day and Rei's new wardrobe.
"I have an idea for what we can do tomorrow. How does a picnic sound?" Shinji asked.
"Sounds pleasant." Rei replied.
"Good. I know the perfect spot. Wear something comfortable, it's a bit of a hike." Shinji said
********
Shinji and Rei reached the picnic area by midmorning. The picnic area was a small valley in the hills that surrounded Tokyo 3. The valley had a small stream running through it, with a small pool at the base of the waterfall where the stream dropped down from the hills. Most of the valley was covered with grass and wildflowers, with a rocky outcropping surrounding the pool at the far end.
The view of the vaulting mountains to one side was spectacular, which lead the eyes up to the cloudless blue sky, a shade darker in colour than Rei's hair, while the hills on the other side hid the metropolis of Tokyo 3. Shinji, dressed in jeans and a light blue t-shirt, placed a tablecloth on the ground, for them to sit and eat off, and then began unpacking the food from his backpack.
Rei, dressed in comfortable jeans, a light blouse held up by straps over her shoulders and a short sleeved, half length, denim jacket, sat down on the tablecloth and watched the scenery; which, in her mind, included Shinji. The pair had a relaxing lunch, laughing and talking about subjects that had nothing to do with school, Evangelions or cold hearted bastards who derived pleasure from ruining the lives of children. (AN: Guess who the last part was referring to. :) )
"That was delicious. Now I know you can't swim with that cast, and I don't know how to, but there is a submerged ledge in the pool." Shinji said after lunch, pointing in the general direction of the waterfall. "Now I was thinking that we could go and relax in the water."
"I don't have anything to wear." Rei said bluntly.
"Taken care of." Shinji said, reaching into his bag and pulling out Rei's swimsuit and handing it to her before searching through the bag again. "Why don't we go and get changer behind those rocks. (Shinji starts to turn then quickly turns back) or you could get changed here and embarrass me horribly."
Rei continued changing but looked at Shinji's back with curiosity.
"Why are you embarrassed?" she asked, innocently.
"Rei. Remember what we discusses when you were showing me the clothes you bought? Well a similar rule applies to getting changed in front of people, particularly the opposite sex. While I'm flattered that you are this comfortable in front of me, you should not do that kind of thing except around a long-term boyfriend. Um. are you changed yet?" Shinji rambled.
"Yes." Rei replied, allowing Shinji to turn around. "You are a boy, and a friend. I have known you a long time, would that not make you a long-term boyfriend?"
"Um. No, not really. Rei, a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship is more than a friendship. You see, dating, which is what you do with you boyfriend, in your case, or girlfriend, in mine, is supposed to be romantic, kind of like a practice for marriage. It is more complex than that, but that is the basics of it. Do you understand?" Shinji tried to explain.
"I believe so." Rei responded.
"Let's go into the water." Shinji said.
After Shinji changed into his swimming trunks behind some large rocks, he and Rei relaxed on the submerged ledge. The pool was notable, once discovered, as it was feed by two sources, the waterfall and a hidden hot spring concealed by the waterfall. The scolding water of the spring mixed with the frigid water of the waterfall that originated in the perpetually half-frozen mountain peaks above to form a warm pool perfect for bathing. The life-long friends sat quietly on the ledge, made timeless by the consistency of the water's noise and the absence of other sounds. It could have been thirty seconds or three hours before the silence was broken by a question.
"Shinji? Why did you buy me all those clothes?" Rei asked.
Sadness, Joy, Grief, Loss, Contentment, Loneliness, Pride, and Love, all these emotions flashed across Shinji's face in seconds.
"Rei, I want you to listen, to really understand what I'm about to say. After we were separated, I focused all my efforts on getting back to you. All that money, and more, was for the trip back to you, to find you again. I know that my leaving hurt you, and I'm so sorry for that, but it was not of my design. Now that I am back here, that money means nothing to me, I would much rather see you happy." Shinji said trying to explain.
"He told me that you did not want to see me anymore. That all my friends would leave me, so I never made another friend." Rei whispered.
"Never, Rei. I will never leave you again, and now he can't make me." Shinji replied.
A while later they left the pool, relieved that the air had been cleared. They made it back to their apartment complex just as the sun set displaying a brilliant red and purple colouring.
TBC
Chapter: Repatriation
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: All of Neon Genesis Evangelion (just covering my basses)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Do not own Eva. I would buy it but I am broke.
Summary: AU, basically a series rewrite. Shinji must keep a promise he made years ago. S/R pairing. How NGE should be.
AN: Major deviation from Eva Cannon. Timeline elements ignored. Characters are OOC for the series. If you don't like this then stop reading now. You have been warned.
AN2: In this Rei is not a Clone and she is not related to Shinji in any way.
" " denotes speech
' ' denotes thought
~~~~~~~~~~~
Shinji and Rei were walking down the street to the mall, for Rei's shopping trip and for Shinji's trip to the arcade. Shinji was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans while Rei was in her school uniform. Just before they reached the mall Shinji stoped and handed Rei several thousand Yen. Rei looked at him in confusion.
"This was part of the money I raised to get back here. I want you to have it, buy yourself something nice, Rei." he said slightly embarrassed.
Shocked, Rei took the money. They continued to the mall, meeting Hikari, Touji and Kensuke outside the arcade.
"Rei, if you need me, or are ready to go, I'll be in there. Ok?" Shinji said. Rei just nodded, before moving off with Hikari, and watching the boys move into the arcade.
"This is going to be so much fun." Hikari said. "So? How much can we spend on you?"
"Well, I have about one hundred and twenty Yen." Rei said, and Hikari nodded sadly, understanding being broke. "But Shinji just gave me this." Rei held out the money to Hikari, who goggled.
"That is about eight thousand Yen." Hikari said. "We can get you a very decent wardrobe for that."
"But I have a place to hang clothes." Rei replied.
"No, Rei. A wardrobe is also used to describe the range of clothes in your closet." Hikari explained.
Rei just nodded her head as they walked off to shop.
********
Hikari and Rei sat down at a small café to have something to eat. They had only been shopping for about two hours but they need a break for sustenance. Hikari ordered a sandwich and a coke, while Rei ordered a salad and orange juice.
"Having a good time?" Hikari asked with a huge smile on her face.
"Yes, this has been pleasant." Rei said, slowly eating her salad.
They were carrying about half a dozen bags each, which now rested on the other chairs at the table.
"I agree. Sure window shopping is fun, but it's more fun when you buy stuff." Hikari said.
"Window shopping? I assume you don't mean shopping for glass." Rei said in confusion.
"No, window shopping is where you go looking for clothes but don't buy any, mostly because you can't afford them." Hikari explained.
"Ah. As we would most likely be today without Shinji's generosity." Rei said.
"Yah." Hikari said, cautiously. "Speaking of Shinji, how do you two know each other? No, you don't have to answer that. That was rude."
"We knew each other as children. When we were three, his father sent him away and lied to me about it. Until he returned I thought that he had abandoned me." Rei said sadly.
"Oh, Rei. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to pry." Hikari said, concerned for her new friend.
"Perhaps we should return to our task of spending Shinji's money?" Rei said with a slight smile.
"Spoken like a true woman." Hikari said with a laugh, as they collected their bags and began shopping again.
********
Shinji was sitting outside the arcade waiting for Rei, who had been shopping for over five hours. Touji was sitting next to him, officially keeping him company but really waiting for Hikari, while Kensuke had gone home over an hour ago. Shinji finally spotted Rei and Hikari coming towards them, carrying about twenty bags each and both with smiles on their faces. Rei had changed out of her school uniform and into a pair of hip hugging jeans and a simple white blouse, to Shinji she looked gorgeous.
"That was so much fun. Shame I didn't get anything." Hikari said.
"If you want, you can borrow anything we bought." Rei replied.
"Thanks, but I think I'm ok." Hikari replied, giggling. "We should do this again sometime and thank you Shinji."
Shinji just nodded before Hikari and Touji walked off together.
"How was your day?" Shinji asked as he took most of the bags from Rei and where Hikari left them.
"Enjoyable. And thank you for the money." Rei replied.
"No problem. But you are going to have to give me a fashion show latter." Shinji said, continuing when he saw he confused expression. "Put the clothes on and show me how they look."
Rei simply nodded and they continued walking. They arrived back at their building about twenty minutes latter and went to Shinji's apartment, as it had a small spare room in which Rei could get changed without Shinji seeing her. Shinji put down the bags in the spare room then went into the kitchen to make tea, and leave Rei alone to change. Shinji heard the door to the spare room open and turned to see Rei's outfit, then immediately turned back with a red face.
"Rei? What are you doing?" Shinji asked, very embarrassed.
"You said you wanted to see me waring what I had bought." Rei said, straightforwardly.
"Um. Yes I did. But I did not mean underwear." Shinji said, coughing slightly after the last word. "I meant dresses and blouses and jeans and such."
"Oh." Rei said before returning to the spare room.
After that initial incident of embarrassment, the afternoon went smoothly. Rei had acquired a nice range of outfits, from house clothes and casual wear to a nice formal gown, and everything in between. At one stage Rei tried to return the eight hundred Yen change to Shinji, who refused saying that it was a gift to her. Money was not an issue for Shinji, he had saved almost thirty thousand Yen during the eleven years he was away, that was in a secure bank account that gave good interest, and he now received the same living allowance as Rei, which was not much.
When she finished the fashion show, Rei had a shower in the bathroom, located next the spare room, and got changed back into the jeans and white blouse that she had worn back from the mall while Shinji cooked in the kitchen, having procured some decent appliances when he got the apartment. They sat in the dining room having a pleasant conversation during dinner, which contained vegetarian dishes only, mostly discussing their day and Rei's new wardrobe.
"I have an idea for what we can do tomorrow. How does a picnic sound?" Shinji asked.
"Sounds pleasant." Rei replied.
"Good. I know the perfect spot. Wear something comfortable, it's a bit of a hike." Shinji said
********
Shinji and Rei reached the picnic area by midmorning. The picnic area was a small valley in the hills that surrounded Tokyo 3. The valley had a small stream running through it, with a small pool at the base of the waterfall where the stream dropped down from the hills. Most of the valley was covered with grass and wildflowers, with a rocky outcropping surrounding the pool at the far end.
The view of the vaulting mountains to one side was spectacular, which lead the eyes up to the cloudless blue sky, a shade darker in colour than Rei's hair, while the hills on the other side hid the metropolis of Tokyo 3. Shinji, dressed in jeans and a light blue t-shirt, placed a tablecloth on the ground, for them to sit and eat off, and then began unpacking the food from his backpack.
Rei, dressed in comfortable jeans, a light blouse held up by straps over her shoulders and a short sleeved, half length, denim jacket, sat down on the tablecloth and watched the scenery; which, in her mind, included Shinji. The pair had a relaxing lunch, laughing and talking about subjects that had nothing to do with school, Evangelions or cold hearted bastards who derived pleasure from ruining the lives of children. (AN: Guess who the last part was referring to. :) )
"That was delicious. Now I know you can't swim with that cast, and I don't know how to, but there is a submerged ledge in the pool." Shinji said after lunch, pointing in the general direction of the waterfall. "Now I was thinking that we could go and relax in the water."
"I don't have anything to wear." Rei said bluntly.
"Taken care of." Shinji said, reaching into his bag and pulling out Rei's swimsuit and handing it to her before searching through the bag again. "Why don't we go and get changer behind those rocks. (Shinji starts to turn then quickly turns back) or you could get changed here and embarrass me horribly."
Rei continued changing but looked at Shinji's back with curiosity.
"Why are you embarrassed?" she asked, innocently.
"Rei. Remember what we discusses when you were showing me the clothes you bought? Well a similar rule applies to getting changed in front of people, particularly the opposite sex. While I'm flattered that you are this comfortable in front of me, you should not do that kind of thing except around a long-term boyfriend. Um. are you changed yet?" Shinji rambled.
"Yes." Rei replied, allowing Shinji to turn around. "You are a boy, and a friend. I have known you a long time, would that not make you a long-term boyfriend?"
"Um. No, not really. Rei, a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship is more than a friendship. You see, dating, which is what you do with you boyfriend, in your case, or girlfriend, in mine, is supposed to be romantic, kind of like a practice for marriage. It is more complex than that, but that is the basics of it. Do you understand?" Shinji tried to explain.
"I believe so." Rei responded.
"Let's go into the water." Shinji said.
After Shinji changed into his swimming trunks behind some large rocks, he and Rei relaxed on the submerged ledge. The pool was notable, once discovered, as it was feed by two sources, the waterfall and a hidden hot spring concealed by the waterfall. The scolding water of the spring mixed with the frigid water of the waterfall that originated in the perpetually half-frozen mountain peaks above to form a warm pool perfect for bathing. The life-long friends sat quietly on the ledge, made timeless by the consistency of the water's noise and the absence of other sounds. It could have been thirty seconds or three hours before the silence was broken by a question.
"Shinji? Why did you buy me all those clothes?" Rei asked.
Sadness, Joy, Grief, Loss, Contentment, Loneliness, Pride, and Love, all these emotions flashed across Shinji's face in seconds.
"Rei, I want you to listen, to really understand what I'm about to say. After we were separated, I focused all my efforts on getting back to you. All that money, and more, was for the trip back to you, to find you again. I know that my leaving hurt you, and I'm so sorry for that, but it was not of my design. Now that I am back here, that money means nothing to me, I would much rather see you happy." Shinji said trying to explain.
"He told me that you did not want to see me anymore. That all my friends would leave me, so I never made another friend." Rei whispered.
"Never, Rei. I will never leave you again, and now he can't make me." Shinji replied.
A while later they left the pool, relieved that the air had been cleared. They made it back to their apartment complex just as the sun set displaying a brilliant red and purple colouring.
TBC