Undiscovered Feelings Chapter 3

Fairy Chess

(After school)

After the students had left, Hikari the class rep stood at the front of the classroom, her drill instructor demeanor had subsided and she read off the assignments each of the remaining students were responsible for somewhat normally.

"Shinji and Kensuke, you two are responsible for the trash. Ayanami and Asuka, you two are responsible for the classroom."

"What about me?" Toji asked, raising his hand in a mock show of respect

"Oh! Ugh…you and I will go to retrieve supplies for the room from the supply closet. Hikari said as she blushed.

"Fine by me." Toji replied as he got up and began heading out the door.

"Wait up!" Hikari said as she scrambled after him.

Shinji and Kensuke followed them soon after to retrieve trash bags for the classroom.

"Okay Wondergirl, I hope you know I'm not cleaning the floor." Asuka said hands on hips.

Without a word Rei retrieved the broom and began sweeping the floor. She didn't mind at all, insignificant things like boiling water and dust particles flying through the air fascinated her.

The hallway was silent except for their footsteps clicking on the tile floor, the afternoon sun shown through the window turning the walkway an amber color. Toji and Hikari had been walking in silence until he spoke up.

"What supplies do we need?"

"Oh! Right!" She said as she pulled out her little blue notepad. "Erasers, chalk, and window cleaner." Hikari was distracted and upset that she was blowing an obvious chance to tell the boy she liked how she felt.

Finding the supply closet, Toji opened the door and stepped in.

"Toji…are you with anyone right now? She hesitantly asked.

"Huh, with anyone? No, not me." He said, continuing to rummage around the closet.

"Well what kind of girls do you like?" She said looking down.

Finding the required supplies he exited the closet and closed the door. "I don't really know. I suppose I like old-fashioned girls. You know, ones that can cook and clean." Toji said as they began walking back to the classroom. "You know, I hear you're a pretty good cook yourself, I'll bet you make a great wife someday."

Turning bright red she couldn't even manage a response.

Toji, however, was oblivious to the fact that he had just made her day and continued walking.

Finding the courage to speak again she said "Ar…are there any girls in class you like?" She crossed her fingers, hoping against hope he would mention her name.

"No, not really." Toji said, the delicate nature of the situation, still unknown to him.

Her hopes were crushed with a few of his simple words. She almost felt like crying, but what he said next stopped her.

"I don't really know many of the girls in class, I have a lot on my mind, with my sister and all." As they neared the classroom he stopped and turned to face her. "I'm sure there are some girls I could get a long with. Like for instance, you seem pretty nice Hikari." Smiling at her, her asked, "So how about you, do you like any of the guys in class?"

"Oh…ugh…well yes I do have something of a crush on someone." She said turning red and looking away.

"I bet its Shinji, huh? Everyone likes Shinji." Toji teased.

"No! I mean Shinji's nice and all." He was nice, he really was, but she always suspected he was nice in a not-so-heterosexual kind of way. He was nothing compared to Kensuke though, or at least that's what the girls' rumors were. "No, the one I have feelings for is yo…"

"Hey Toji!" Kensuke yelled from the opposite side of the hallway.

Shinji and Kensuke had been lightly chatting about random topics while collecting trash from outside the school areas when Kensuke asked the inevitable.

"So what really is going on between you and Ayanami?"

Rolling his eyes Shinji ignored the question and continued picking up trash.

"Oh come on Shinji, I'm just curious. I actually thought she was always kind of cute. Cute in that he liked the way she wore her hair and secretly wanted to wear his the same way. "She's just so closed off. You should consider yourself lucky she's opened herself up to you."

"I know how lucky I am." Shinji said in a hushed voice.

"So what is she actually like?" Kensuke asked.

"Li…like you said, she is closed off, but its not her fault, it has something to do with Nerv. She's been getting better though. When she wants to be, Rei is really sweet and affectionate." He said recalling how they had slept in each other's arms and how tightly she had held on to him. A small smile formed on Shinji's face.

A sly grin slid its way across Kensuke's face. "So, exactly how affectionate have you two gotten?" Kensuke asked giggling, again like a girl. "Have you two made out yet?"

"N…no, of course not!" Shinji exclaimed. "She's not like that."

"Have you tried to kiss her?"

"No, I'm happy that she even talks to me. She probably doesn't even think about things like kissing." Shinji said giving the standard excuse of someone who is actually upset about not getting kissed. However, she did ask if I would kiss her though, maybe she is thinking like that, Shinji thought.

"What about Asuka?" Kensuke asked.

"Wha…what about her?"

"How do you think she feels now that you're interested in Ayanami?"

"She probably doesn't feel anything. Shinji said.

"I wouldn't be too sure. You're the only guy in school she's remotely close with. You're the only one she talks to without yelling the entire time."

"Y…you think so?"

"Believe it or not, you give Asuka a lot of attention. Now that you and Ayanami are going out, who's going to be around to argue with her? She may not show it, but she's going to start missing you."

Shinji only stared at him wide eyed. "Wow Kensuke, you're really deep when it comes to this kind of thing. Hey let's get going, it's going to be dark soon, I want to get out of here." With that Kensuke and Shinji walked back into the building and saw Toji and the class rep. talking quietly with each other.

"Hey Toji!" Kensuke yelled as he ran up to his pal.

And here I thought he was deep. Shinji was normally ignorant when it came to matters of the heart. However, since he started having feelings for Rei he began noticing things. One thing he noticed is how Toji always seemed to be helping Hikari out whenever he could. He obviously had a thing for her. I wonder if he was about to ask her out. Shinji thought to himself.

Hearing Kensuke's voice had interrupted Rei and Asuka from their discussion. At first however, very little was said. Asuka watched with her feet propped up as Rei continued sweeping the floor. After she was finished she left the room for a short period and returned with a bucket full of water and a sponge. When she started scrubbing the floor Asuka said. "You just do whatever you're told huh?"

"Yes."

Getting up from her seat Asuka walked over and started cleaning the blackboard. Looking behind her shoulder, Asuka probed further. "So, if Commander Ikari told you to never talk to Shinji again…would you do it?"

"…"

The silence provoked Asuka to ask her question again. When Rei still didn't answer, she turned around and walked over to where Rei was in the back of the classroom.

"You really do like him then?"

"Yes."

"Why would you have feelings for an idiot like him?"

"He's not an idiot."

Rei's defense of Shinji took Asuka by surprise. "Okay, okay, sorry, but why him?"

"He…cares for me." Rei said without looking up.

"It seems that way." Asuka said as she took an extra sponge from the bucket and began to help Rei with the floor.

"You think so?" Rei said looking up from her sponge.

Giving her a mock sigh and rolling her eyes Asuka said, "Well to any normal person who's not totally oblivious, you know, like you and Shinji, he's totally head over heels for you. I don't see why though, you're not exactly the most sociable person there is."

After finishing the floor Rei dumped the water and returned to the classroom taking a seat near the door.

Drying her hands she too took a seat. "So, did he tell you about our kiss?" Asuka asked with a childish grin.

"Yes."

"How did he like it?" He damn well better have liked it, he should consider himself lucky that she had kisses him, a rare and cherished experience, for him at least.

"He said he didn't have feelings for you." Rei said looking towards the window on the opposite side of the classroom.

"Shinji said what?"

"He said he didn't…" Rei began.

"I heard you the first time idiot! I bet that made your day to hear him say that! Asuka said angrily.

"Yes."

"At least I've kissed him! You probably haven't even held hands yet! You two haven't kissed, have you?" Asuka said with an expectant grin on her face.

"No."

"Why's that?" Asuka asked almost laughing. "You're not scared are you?"

"No." Rei said looking back at Asuka. "I…I just don't know the appropriate time to kiss someone." Rei knew that normally it was the boy that kissed the girl, however in their particular situation she knew it would probably have to be her that kissed him.

"Appropriate time? What the hell are you talking about? This isn't a mission you know. There is no appropriate time, people just kiss when it feels right." Asuka considered herself an authority on this subject now that she had actually kissed a real boy and was through with practicing on her hand.

"I see." Said Rei who really didn't understand but didn't really feel like taking advice from the girl who had kissed the boy she liked.

"Hey everyone, I'm back." Shinji said as he walked through the door, shortly followed by the rest of the students.

"Hikari can we go home now?" Asuka said getting up from her desk.

"Yeah, sure, whatever" She answered with a depressed tone. "How are you guys getting home? My mom is coming to pick me up."

"Let's go Shinji." Asuka said grabbing Shinji's arm and leading him towards the door.

"Wait! Shinji has to walk Rei home. Right Shinji?" Toji said with an eager grin.

"Well I…" Shinji replied, blushing.

"Again, I do know the way to my own apartment."

"Keep quiet Ayanami!" Toji said making a hushing motion with his hand.

"Well it would be dark by the time you're close to home. Rei, would you mind if I walked you?" Shinji asked, walking over to where Rei was seated.

"Then who the hell am I going home with?" Asuka exclaimed.

"We'll walk you to Misato's place!" Kensuke chimed in eager to see if she had put up those curtains he had made her last week.

Letting out a long sigh, Asuka gave up and with her head down slumped out of the classroom. "Let's go Stooges."

As she walked out of the building she took one last look back at Shinji and Rei walking in the opposite direction towards the train station. It's not fair. Asuka thought to herself as Toji yelled for her to hurry along.

The sun was no longer visible as day slowly faded into night. The streets were crowded with cars as people rushed home after work. As Shinji and Rei approached the train station the sidewalk became packed with pedestrians. Waiting in line for the train, Shinji looked over at Rei who was standing silently beside him.

"Can I ask you a weird question?"

"Weird?" Rei gave him a confused look but nodded in response.

"What is it you do on your off time? When there are no tests and you have the day to yourself." Shinji, along with most of the Nerv staff had often wondered this and a small bet was going to see who could guess correctly.

"I…" Rei started, then looked as if she were searching for an answer. "I read."

"Really? I like to read too! What do you read?"

"Instruction manuals." Rei responded with a blank look on her face.

Shinji couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds interesting." He said sarcastically. "Anything else?"

"I tried making tea."

"How'd that go?" He asked with a smile, trying to imagine Rei in a little white apron watching the water boil away.

"Unsuccessful." Rei said as she held up her right hand.

Shinji again laughed as he saw she had a band-aid on the tip of three of her fingers.

Boarding the train Shinji took a seat next to Rei. As the train proceeded on its way Shinji turned to her and asked. "Hey, is there any reason you have to go straight home?"

"No."

"Would you like to come with me somewhere?"

"I…yes." Rei said with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Great, this is our stop." Shinji said getting up and walking towards the door. Without a word Rei hurriedly followed Shinji out of the door.