Spirits
Rei sat down on her bed, hands folded in her lap, staring straight ahead. A soft breeze blew through the tiny apartment, fluttering her curtains and dancing over her face. Her blood-red eyes closed as she let the wind caress her pale cheeks and a tiny sigh escaped her.
The gentle air seemed almost to pull her up off of the bed, leading her to the dirty window. Grunting with the effort, she pushed it up as far as she was able, leaning her head out. The noise of traffic below was muted and she was able to hear the soft singing of birds in the distant trees.
'I just can't believe it. . .' she thought to herself, resting her forearms on the sill, her head still out in space. 'Less than twenty-four hours ago, this whole city was in utter chaos. And now. . .'
"Shinji. . .I wish you were here. . ." she whispered to the wind. It seemed to linger around her mouth for a moment before sweeping up through her pale hair. Rei let out the softest of sobs, falling to her knees. Burying her head in her folded arms, she began to weep.
~*~*~
Pushing an IV pole in front of him, Narikage shuffled down the tiled hallways, stopping every so often to peer into a room. Finally, he stopped outside of one, his nose nearly pressed to the glass. Asuka was lying in a bed, eyes still closed.
Silently, he slid the door open and stepped inside, his eyes never leaving her small form. His felt slippers made soft scraping sounds as he crossed the tile to stand above her. For the longest time, he just stood there, watching her, listening to her heart monitor beep.
"I am sorry, Asuka-san," he said in a soft voice, reaching out to touch her cool forehead. "Next time, I will get you to safety before I finish off an angel. Promise." Narikage stooped down and gave her brow the softest of kisses. The girl stirred slightly, a tiny noise leaving her throat. As the older boy straightened, her eyes fluttered open, focusing on him.
With a shriek, Asuka sat bolt upright, clutching the sheets to her naked chest. "YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU!!" she screamed, her face as red as her flaming hair. Narikage jumped back a little to get out of the range of her flying fists.
"Asuka-san! Calm down! Please! I didn't do anything to you! I only came to see how you were doing!"
"Get out!!" She picked up the first thing she saw—a part of her dinner—and chucked it at him. Ducking it easily, he took another step back.
"Asuka-san, please, listen to me," he begged in a soft, calming voice. The fourteen-year-old pulled the blankets up around her tighter, wrapping them several times around her torso to make sure he couldn't get a peek at anything.
"What do you want?!!!"
"I told you already: I came to see how you were doing."
"Well I'm doing just fine so you can leave now!" Narikage sighed a little and gave a small shake of his black head.
"Very well, Asuka-san. I will let you get back to resting." He gave her a small bow and started out the door.
"Narikage-kun?" He stopped when he heard the timid voice. Turning back slightly, he cocked his head to the side to show he was listening. "Where. . .HOW did you learn to fight like that?" Her blue eyes were full of confusion and wonderment.
"I didn't. She did all of it on her own; I was just sitting in the seat." Asuka scratched her head, her shapely brows arching downward as she thought.
"Who?"
"Unit 01. She was the one who was fighting. I was just there for show."
"You're telling me your EVA was battling the angel while you just sat there?"
"Hai."
"How is that possible? An EVA is just a machine." Narikage shook his head firmly, turning towards her completely.
"Everything on this earth has a spirit, a will. Every EVA ever built also has a spirit within it. When you learn to control the will within the EVA. . . that is when you are able to sync with it one hundred percent." The girl in bed was silent as she contemplated this new information.
"How do you know all of this?" she blurted, narrowing her eyes at him. "Who told you about it?" Narikage's pale eyes looked away from hers and he was quiet for a long while.
"My mother told me. . .just before she died. Get better soon, Asuka-san." Before she could stammer out another question, he was gone, the door sliding shut behind him.
*~*~*
"Arigato, Doctor. He'll be very pleased to hear the news," Misato said, bowing to the older man. The doctor smiled.
"I'm sure he will be. Bring him back here if there are any complications with his wound."
"Hai. Again, thank you." She swept into another low bow before hurrying out of the office, towards Narikage's room.
"Misato-san! Misato-san, wait up!" The woman's back stiffened as Kaji's voice washed over her and, instead of slowing her pace, she quickened it, hoping to shake him. But the persistent man was not about to give up so easily. "Misato-san!" An iron grip suddenly encompassed her arm, screeching her to an abrupt halt.
"Let go of me," she hissed through clenched teeth, not looking at him. "I do NOT want to talk to you right now, Kaji."
"Please, Misato. I didn't mean to offend you in the elevator. I—"
"You might not have meant to, but you did, Kaji." Somehow, she managed to wench out of his grip and turned to face him, cheeks pink with her suppressed anger.
"Will you at least hear me out?"
"You have twenty seconds." He sighed.
"Look, what I said. . .I didn't mean for it to sound so cruel. I know how much you cared about Shinji and I cared about him too."
"Oh, yes, I'm so very sure you did. You barely knew him!!" Kaji winced at her loud tone.
"I might not have known him like you knew him, but I still respected him for what he did. He was a good kid." All the air seemed to deflate from Misato's body and she looked away, blinking back her crystal tears.
"Yes. . .yes he was," she whispered, hugging herself. The man before her started to step forward, fully ready to pull her into his waiting arms, but Misato danced out of his grasp, her hands out in front of her.
"I-I have to go take Narikage home." That being said, she turned and fled, disappearing from his sight.
Rei sat down on her bed, hands folded in her lap, staring straight ahead. A soft breeze blew through the tiny apartment, fluttering her curtains and dancing over her face. Her blood-red eyes closed as she let the wind caress her pale cheeks and a tiny sigh escaped her.
The gentle air seemed almost to pull her up off of the bed, leading her to the dirty window. Grunting with the effort, she pushed it up as far as she was able, leaning her head out. The noise of traffic below was muted and she was able to hear the soft singing of birds in the distant trees.
'I just can't believe it. . .' she thought to herself, resting her forearms on the sill, her head still out in space. 'Less than twenty-four hours ago, this whole city was in utter chaos. And now. . .'
"Shinji. . .I wish you were here. . ." she whispered to the wind. It seemed to linger around her mouth for a moment before sweeping up through her pale hair. Rei let out the softest of sobs, falling to her knees. Burying her head in her folded arms, she began to weep.
~*~*~
Pushing an IV pole in front of him, Narikage shuffled down the tiled hallways, stopping every so often to peer into a room. Finally, he stopped outside of one, his nose nearly pressed to the glass. Asuka was lying in a bed, eyes still closed.
Silently, he slid the door open and stepped inside, his eyes never leaving her small form. His felt slippers made soft scraping sounds as he crossed the tile to stand above her. For the longest time, he just stood there, watching her, listening to her heart monitor beep.
"I am sorry, Asuka-san," he said in a soft voice, reaching out to touch her cool forehead. "Next time, I will get you to safety before I finish off an angel. Promise." Narikage stooped down and gave her brow the softest of kisses. The girl stirred slightly, a tiny noise leaving her throat. As the older boy straightened, her eyes fluttered open, focusing on him.
With a shriek, Asuka sat bolt upright, clutching the sheets to her naked chest. "YOU PERVERT! HOW DARE YOU!!" she screamed, her face as red as her flaming hair. Narikage jumped back a little to get out of the range of her flying fists.
"Asuka-san! Calm down! Please! I didn't do anything to you! I only came to see how you were doing!"
"Get out!!" She picked up the first thing she saw—a part of her dinner—and chucked it at him. Ducking it easily, he took another step back.
"Asuka-san, please, listen to me," he begged in a soft, calming voice. The fourteen-year-old pulled the blankets up around her tighter, wrapping them several times around her torso to make sure he couldn't get a peek at anything.
"What do you want?!!!"
"I told you already: I came to see how you were doing."
"Well I'm doing just fine so you can leave now!" Narikage sighed a little and gave a small shake of his black head.
"Very well, Asuka-san. I will let you get back to resting." He gave her a small bow and started out the door.
"Narikage-kun?" He stopped when he heard the timid voice. Turning back slightly, he cocked his head to the side to show he was listening. "Where. . .HOW did you learn to fight like that?" Her blue eyes were full of confusion and wonderment.
"I didn't. She did all of it on her own; I was just sitting in the seat." Asuka scratched her head, her shapely brows arching downward as she thought.
"Who?"
"Unit 01. She was the one who was fighting. I was just there for show."
"You're telling me your EVA was battling the angel while you just sat there?"
"Hai."
"How is that possible? An EVA is just a machine." Narikage shook his head firmly, turning towards her completely.
"Everything on this earth has a spirit, a will. Every EVA ever built also has a spirit within it. When you learn to control the will within the EVA. . . that is when you are able to sync with it one hundred percent." The girl in bed was silent as she contemplated this new information.
"How do you know all of this?" she blurted, narrowing her eyes at him. "Who told you about it?" Narikage's pale eyes looked away from hers and he was quiet for a long while.
"My mother told me. . .just before she died. Get better soon, Asuka-san." Before she could stammer out another question, he was gone, the door sliding shut behind him.
*~*~*
"Arigato, Doctor. He'll be very pleased to hear the news," Misato said, bowing to the older man. The doctor smiled.
"I'm sure he will be. Bring him back here if there are any complications with his wound."
"Hai. Again, thank you." She swept into another low bow before hurrying out of the office, towards Narikage's room.
"Misato-san! Misato-san, wait up!" The woman's back stiffened as Kaji's voice washed over her and, instead of slowing her pace, she quickened it, hoping to shake him. But the persistent man was not about to give up so easily. "Misato-san!" An iron grip suddenly encompassed her arm, screeching her to an abrupt halt.
"Let go of me," she hissed through clenched teeth, not looking at him. "I do NOT want to talk to you right now, Kaji."
"Please, Misato. I didn't mean to offend you in the elevator. I—"
"You might not have meant to, but you did, Kaji." Somehow, she managed to wench out of his grip and turned to face him, cheeks pink with her suppressed anger.
"Will you at least hear me out?"
"You have twenty seconds." He sighed.
"Look, what I said. . .I didn't mean for it to sound so cruel. I know how much you cared about Shinji and I cared about him too."
"Oh, yes, I'm so very sure you did. You barely knew him!!" Kaji winced at her loud tone.
"I might not have known him like you knew him, but I still respected him for what he did. He was a good kid." All the air seemed to deflate from Misato's body and she looked away, blinking back her crystal tears.
"Yes. . .yes he was," she whispered, hugging herself. The man before her started to step forward, fully ready to pull her into his waiting arms, but Misato danced out of his grasp, her hands out in front of her.
"I-I have to go take Narikage home." That being said, she turned and fled, disappearing from his sight.