Disclaimer: See the Prologue
Evangelion: Any place can be Heaven, if you let it (A sequel to Random1377's, Crimson and Azure)
Chapter 5
2018
Two years and five months since Third Impact
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At a small ranch twenty miles from the city of Kazuno at the base of Mt. Hachimantai, in the Akita Prefecture, in the Tohoku Region. Three sixteen-year-old friends walked with the rancher over to the stable and saddled up three horses. Asuka secured the saddle like a seasoned equestrian while the rancher assisted Rei and Shinji.
"This is going to be great." Asuka said unable to restrain her anticipation any longer.
"I'm glad you think so." Shinji replied, not attempting to hide his fear of the large animal in the least bit.
"These are my three best horses. All very well behaved. You should have no trouble what so ever." The rancher assured them.
As they walked the horses out of the stable, Asuka turned to address her companions. "Now watch me for a minute. I'll show you how it's done." She mounted her steed and rode slowly around in plain view, giving simple instructions on posture, position, turning and stopping.
Confident they assimilated what they needed to know, the two teens mounted their horses and tried it out. Shinji took to the horse like a fish to water. Riding about and turning left and right without a problem. Rei on the other hand was having some difficulty. Initially failing to pull hard enough on the reins to alter the animal's direction, then overcompensating and pulling too hard which caused the beast to rear up and buck, sending the girl unceremoniously to the ground.
Shinji quickly dismounted and ran to her side but she was standing by the time he reached her, dusting herself off.
"Rei, are you alright? You're not hurt are you?" Concern etched in his face.
"Only my pride." She assured him.
"She's fine. Just don't pull on the reins so hard. That's all." Asuka informed.
"I don't think this is such a good idea Asuka." Shinji looked over to his friend who was still on her horse.
"Nonsense. Haven't you ever heard? The most important thing to do when you get thrown from a horse is to get right back on."
"Why is that?" Rei inquired.
"Because, only quitters give up. You're not a quitter, are you Rei?"
Without hesitation she replied, "no," then walked up to her horse and prepared to mount it again.
"Rei!" Shinji grabbed her arm. "Are you sure about this?"
She turned and covered his hand with hers, reassuring him. "I will be fine my love. Come, we are here to enjoy ourselves." She smiled warmly at him.
He nodded and let her go, returning to his own horse. After they remounted, the rancher gave them the directions to the natural hot springs that rested in the valley between the mountains. They thanked him and rode off.
After riding for about an hour, they came to a stop at the plateau that overlooked the valley. Asuka pointed in the direction of the path they needed to take. "If we follow that path down to the valley, it should take us right to the springs."
"Wouldn't we have a better time just taking in the scenery up here?" Shinji nervously asked.
"What? Embarrassed to share a spring with two beautiful women?" Asuka goaded.
"To be perfectly honest. It does make me a little uncomfortable. I mean you're my friend Asuka. Do you really want me to see you naked?"
'I am unsure I care for the notion of my fiancé seeing you naked, Asuka.' Rei thought but refrained from commenting.
'Steal a peek and I'll clobber ya.' The redhead warned, shaking her fist in his direction. "Now let's go." She turned her horse to the left and began following the path down. Shinji did the same as did Rei but once again she pulled too hard causing the horse to spin around and loss its balance, which in turn caused Rei to loss hers. She fell sideways and extended her hand to break her fall. Her loud scream of pain brought both the other riders back to her in an instant. Asuka dismounted and was by her side first.
"Where does it hurt?" The redhead asked as she slowly ran her fingers over the arm Rei had clutched close to her body.
The blue-haired girl grimaced in pain. "I believe I broke my radius… and … dislocated my shoulder." She managed to say through gritted teeth.
"Alright, just stay still." Asuka instructed.
"Rei! Are you all right?!" Shinji cried out.
"I am afraid not my love." She grimaced again. "I fear I have ruined our vacation." She whispered as she fought the pain.
Asuka got up and ran over to her horse, grabbing her phone out of her saddlebag, she tried to call the rancher's house. "Damn! No service."
Meanwhile, Shinji removed his shirt and used it to secure Rei's arm to her side. "I am sorry my love." She whispered to him as he checked his handy work.
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Accidents happen sometimes." He tried to reassure her.
"But this was no accident."
"What do you mean?" A puzzled expression crossed his face.
"This was caused by my carelessness. I repeated my error from earlier. I should have known better."
Shinji smiled at her and caressed her face. "It just goes to prove that you are human, just like the rest of us."
Rei smiled up at her love before grimacing again in pain.
"Okay, bad news. I can't pick up a signal out here. We're going to have to ride back." Asuka informed them.
"But Rei can't ride like this." Shinji yelled.
"I know. That's way she'll ride with me." Asuka walked over to them. "Can you stand up?"
"Yes, I believe so." Her companions helped her to her feet, and then Asuka mounted her horse and brought it around next to her.
"Now, hoist her up to me." She extended her hands ready to receive her passenger. Shinji grabbed Rei by the hips and lifted her light frame up high enough to reach the saddle. Asuka grabbed her and guided her into position. "Okay now put your arm around me and lean into my chest… Right, like that." She walked the horse around to make sure they were both stable. "Okay Shinji, grab the reins of her horse and bring him along."
Shinji did as she instructed and they slowly made their way back to the ranch. After a few minutes, Rei said. "Stop. Something is not right."
Asuka came to a stop. "What's wrong?"
"I do not now but I am beginning to feel light headed and my elbow is starting to hurt. It did not before."
"Here let me take a look." Asuka began to undo the sling.
"What's wrong?" Shinji asked tensely as he pulled up next to them.
"That's what I'm trying to find out." Asuka said, gently lifting Rei's arm to take a look at her elbow. "Damn." She re-secured the sling. "You're bleeding internally. You bone must have nicked a vein or artery. We don't have time to waste. We need to ride and ride hard."
"I understand." Rei held on firmly as Asuka road as fast as she dared to with Shinji trailing behind.
As the ranch came into view, the redhead slowed down and called over to the brown-haired boy, "Shinji, try and call again. Tell him we need a chopper fast." Then she sped up again.
Shinji came to a stop and called the ranch. "Yes! Mr. Miyazaki, we've had an accident. Miss Ayanami has broken her arm and is bleeding internally. Is there a hospital in Kazuno that has an emergency chopper? Good, call them. Tell them that NERV Eva Pilot Rei Ayanami has suffered a broken arm and dislocated shoulder and is bleeding internally. Tell them to contact NERV headquarters at Tokyo3. Miss Ayanami has special medical needs that only NERV can provide. Yes. Yes, we should be there shortly. Thank you." He hung up and road as fast as he could.
Shinji waited in the hallway for the doctor to come out and inform him of Rei's condition. Asuka, who had to ride to the hospital in the rancher's truck because there wasn't enough room on the helicopter, came running down the hall. "Shinji!" She yelled the minute she spotted the forlorned boy.
He pushed himself off the wall and walked into her embrace, pressing his head onto her shoulder as he struggled to fight back the tears. "What? What is it? Is she all right? What happened?" She struggled to fight back the panic that started to take over her emotions.
"She lost consciousness on the helicopter ride over here. They're trying to stabilize her but they can't give her anything until the supplies come from NERV. I'm scared Asuka. I can't loose her, not now, not like this. I can't, I just can't." Giving in to his sorrow, his tears began to flow freely.
"Shhh, its alright Shinji." Asuka stroked the back of his head and held him close. 'I have to be strong for him. He needs me to be strong.' "Everything is going to be alright. Rei is too strong to let herself fall to something like this. Have faith in her. She'll be alright."
Just then three men in NERV security uniforms came running down the hall, one carrying a medical cooler. Right behind them was Dr. Akagi and Colonel Katsuragi.
"Doctor, please, save Rei. Don't let her die." Shinji pleaded, removing himself from Asuka's embrace.
"Don't worry Shinji. We'll take good care of her." She said as she rushed past him and into the surgical unit. Misato came to a stop in front of her two wards. "Shinji, Asuka, don't worry. Ritsuko won't let anything happen to Rei. I'm sure of it." She gave them a reassuring smile. "How are you two holding up?" She asked, placing a comforting hand on each one's cheek.
"Not so good." Asuka replied after realizing that Shinji was to upset to respond. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
Misato lowered her hands and took each of theirs. "Let's find the waiting room and get a cup of coffee, okay. I know I sure could use some." Asuka started walking in the direction Misato was leading them but Shinji stayed fast.
"I want to be here for Rei. I need to know how she is." He said with a shaky voice.
"Ritsuko will call me on my cell phone the minute she has any news on Rei. Come on, I'll get you some tea. A little tea will do you good." Her guardian reassured him. Grudgingly, Shinji allowed himself to be guided to the waiting area.
The three of them sat quietly at a table, Shinji staring down at his reflection in his tea. 'Who am I? Who am I without Rei? She permeates every facet of my existence. Can I exist without her? Would I even want to try?'
"So what exactly happened?" Misato finally asked.
Asuka responded, "She was thrown from her horse."
"It's my fault." Shinji spoke, still looking down at his tea. "I should have insisted we not go riding especially after she got thrown the first time."
"No Shinji." Asuka shook her head. "It was my fault. If I hadn't insisted on going horseback riding in the first place... I'm sorry Shinji… sorry." She buried her face in her hands.
Watching her two wards slipping deeper into depression, Misato tried to lighten the mood. "Well, at least you guys reacted quickly and got her to the hospital as fast as you could. I'm sure she'll be fine. This is Rei we're talking about." She smiled.
Both children tried to meet her cheerful grin with an equally optimistic expression but both failed miserably. Silence settled over them once again. Twenty minutes later, Misato's phone rang. Shinji immediately jumped to his feet.
"Yes." Misato answered. "So she's okay?" She gave the two teens the thumbs up sign along with a big grin. Anticipating Shinji's thoughts, she asked. "When can we see her? … Really? … That's great. … We'll be right there."
"Can we see her now?" Shinji asked.
"As soon as you're ready. She's in room 606, east wing." Before she could say another word, Shinji was down the hall heading for the elevators.
Arriving at room 606 well before the others, Shinji was taken aback by what he saw when he entered the room. Rei was sitting up, her arm in a sling and her forearm in a cast, carrying on a light conversation with Dr. Akagi. She seemed in good spirits, even smiling ever so slightly at the doctor. "Rei, are you alright?" Shinji asked as he approached the bed.
"Shinji my love, " her smile grew at the sight of her fiancé. "Yes, I am fine."
He sat on the bed beside her and took her left hand into his, caressing the back of her hand to his cheek and kissing it softly. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you my love. I was so scared."
Rei turned her hand over and slid her fingers under his chin, gently lifting his face to meet her gaze. "I am fine my love. Ask the doctor if you must."
"Doctor?" Shinji shifted his gaze over to Ritsuko.
"She's fine Shinji, in fact, she was never in any real danger to begin with." She assured him.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "She was in so much pain and she lost consciousness."
That was simply her body protecting itself. Rei's heart rate slows dramatically while she sleeps. And with her reduced heart rate her body was able to begin the process of mending the injured artery. The internal bleeding had all but stopped by the time I arrived. She needed a small transfusion but basically it was simply a process of resetting her shoulder and setting her arm in a cast."
"Well, thanks for giving us all a good scare for nothing." Asuka announced as she and Misato entered the room having heard most of Ritsuko's explanation.
"Misato, you came as well." Shinji wasn't completely sure but he thought he heard a hint of surprise in Rei's comment.
"Well, of course. I couldn't just sit at home with one of my children injured." She replied with a smile.
This elicited a small but noticeable smile from Rei. 'She thinks of me as her child.' This thought warmed her heart.
"Well, now that the family reunion is complete, I'll be heading back to Tokyo3." Ritsuko announced. "Take care Rei."
"I shall Doctor. Thank you." She replied as the doctor walked out of the room.
The redhead's expression softened as she approached the bed. "I'm sorry Rei." She bowed her head unable to make eye contact with the blue-haired girl's piercing crimson eyes.
"For what?" Rei responded.
'What, are you stupid?' "For insisting that we go horseback riding. If I hadn't, none of this would have happened."
"Asuka, I have no one to blame but myself. I repeated my earlier error and when I was thrown I extended my hand to break my fall." Rei stated matter-of-factly.
Asuka smiled weakly. "Thank you Rei," not fully convinced by the girl's proclamation.
Rei smiled back. "Thank you Asuka, for the experience. I look forward to trying it again."
"You're not serious?" Shinji exclaimed. "You don't really want to go horseback riding again?"
Rei tilted her head looking deeply into his eyes. "Of course. I enjoyed it very much. And did not Asuka say it is imperative to remount when thrown."
"But that was before you were…" Shinji started to object.
"It does not matter that I was injured. I am not a quitter." Rei assured him.
"Well, enough talk about horses, how do you feel? Are you hungry?" Misato asked.
"Yes actually." Rei replied.
"What would you like?" Misato asked.
"Some ramen would be nice." The blue-haired girl replied.
"Okay, anyone else want anything?" The sub-commander asked. Shinji and Asuka both shuck their heads. "Okay, well then I'll be right back." She started for the door but when she glanced back and saw the loving way in which young couple was looking at each other, she walked over by Asuka and whispered to her. "Why don't you come give me a hand."
"For a bowl of noodles?" Asuka snapped.
Misato glanced over to the young lovers then stared over to the door. Asuka got the hint. "Well, we'll be right back." She paused momentarily, waiting for a reaction from them. Seeing them lost in each other's gaze, she sighed and walked out the door to join Misato.
They walked down the hall in silence as Misato stole a few glances at her ward. Finally, unable to take her silent melancholy any longer, she asked, "Is everything alright Asuka?"
Shaken from her muse, Asuka turned toward her guardian, "Yeah… yeah, sure. I'm… I'm just glad she's alright, you know." She gave a half grin.
"Yeah, so am I." Misato replied. 'Okay Asuka, if you don't want to talk about it now, that's fine. But whenever you're ready… I'm here for you.'