Chapter #10
"The damage won't be fixed for a while; we weren't expecting something like this. Units zero and three should be fixed relatively quickly, but Units one and two are going to take a bit longer. We don't know how long it will take for Unit two's arm to regrow and Unit one's damage will take a while to heal."
"Well, what if another Angel or Angels attack before Units one and two are finished?"
"Then hopefully Rei and Touji will be able to destroy it, if not, then we may have to send Asuka and Shinji out in their EVAs, whether they are fixed or not. I hope you know what will happen if they fail."
"Yea, Second Impact." Misato shuddered, "Let's just hope our luck holds out."
"At this point, I have abandoned all hope on luck. I just try to make sure that we are prepared for all possibilities. If they fail, we fail, and if we fail, then all of humanity dies. I try to think that our fates aren't dictated to us by some unforeseen force like 'luck'."
"What should I tell Shinji and Asuka?"
"Just tell them the truth. It will be hard for Asuka, but I think this may be good for them. Shinji seems to hate going into his EVA now and maybe some time off will remove some of those harsh feelings. Asuka may handle it differently, but I'm sure that over time, she will grow to like the time off."
"Okay, and Ritsuko, how long will Touji and Rei get off?"
"Well, Rei won't get that much time off, probably only a few days. Touji should get about a week and a few days off. Shinji will probably get about two weeks, maybe a few days more, but Asuka may have to wait almost a month."
"Alright, I'll tell them, thanks Ritsuko."
"It's really only my job, but if there's anything you need, I can try and help you."
"Sometimes I wish Kaji was here."
"It was rather peculiar that Commander Ikari would send him away so early. Do you think he may have been scared of Kaji?"
"I don't think Commander Ikari is capable of any emotion."
"You may be right. I know how close you and Kaji were, but you just have to let go sometimes."
"I don't want to let go of him!"
"I know, but he's not here now and you're just going to have to live with that. Maybe you can go back to him after this is all over, but for now we need you here. Go tell the Children, they need to know."
"Okay" Misato said quietly as she walked off.
"A month?! How am I supposed to wait a whole month for my EVA to be fixed? What if an Angel attacks?"
"Then hopefully you won't be needed, but you may have to fight it without an arm."
"So what are we supposed to do while our EVAs are being fixed?" Shinji asked.
"I don't know, but I'm sure you will figure out something. Rei and Touji have time off as well, so maybe you guys can do something together."
"Yea, but I'm sure Touji will probably be too absorbed with Hikari to even acknowledge us. They seem to spend more and more time together these days."
"It's not like they are the only couple, Shinji." Asuka said, smiling.
"Hey!"
"Ho, ho, you're so much fun to make fun of, Shinji. It's just so easy."
"Well, I don't know why you think we're a couple."
"Rei seems to think so."
"Well, I don't really think we are as close as you might think. I still don't know a lot about her."
"Oh, and I'm sure just friends sleep in the same bed all the time. I guess you must really hate everyone else in the world, then."
"Hey, I didn't mean that. I just think that we are good friends because she pilots an EVA and there wasn't anywhere else to sleep."
"So why haven't you slept in my bed with me?"
"Why would I do that!?"
"I pilot an EVA too."
"So?! I don't think that we're that close."
"Okay, okay, I was just messing with you Shinji."
"Well, I don't think that it's that funny. I'm going to find Rei so we can go home."
"We don't need Rei to go home, you know. She doesn't live that far away from here."
"But our apartment is."
"And?"
"She shouldn't have to walk all that way."
"She's coming over again?"
"Yea, why not?"
"She just seems to live there now."
"That's not such a bad idea."
"Yea it is! There isn't enough room."
"In my room there is."
"No way."
"She won't bother you."
"I personally like quiet nights."
"We are quiet!"
"No way, I don't think that you two should sleep in the same room, much less in the same bed."
"She could have her own bed if she wanted!"
"Would it be what she wants or what you want?"
"I'm not like that!"
"Y…oh, hi Rei, we were just talking about you."
"Rei? Hi Rei, did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"About our time off."
"Yes, I have a few days off."
"Only a few days," Shinji asked rhetorically, "That's too bad. Do you want to come over today? We can do the homework together, all three of us."
"Oh, no, please exclude me. I don't want to witness something like when you were helping her with her music, Shinji."
"You always think I'm going to do something bad!"
"Because you always do!"
"I would like to, Shinji."
"Great, I'll ask Misato right away."
"She won't let her come over."
"Oh, yea? Well, we'll see." Shinji said as he took off to find Misato.
"So, you two seem to be getting along nicely. What did he do to you last night?"
"He talked to me and he hugged me."
"Oh, he didn't even kiss you?"
"No, he did not."
"Okay, maybe I was wrong, maybe Shinji isn't like that."
"I don't think he is."
"Well, I guess I'd better take his girlfriend's belief. No one knows him as good as you."
"Shinji is returning." Rei was right, Shinji was walking towards them and Misato was following behind him.
"Hey, guys, see Asuka, I told you Misato wouldn't have a problem with it."
"Alright, alright, calm down you two. I don't want the ride home to be that unpleasant."
"Just as long as either Shinji or Rei are sitting in the front, I don't have a problem."
"Good, Shinji, you get to sit there."
"Okay, let's just leave as quickly as possible; I don't want to stay here as long as possible." Shinji said as he grabbed Rei's hand and walked ahead of everyone all the way to Misato's car. Shinji opened the door and let Rei go in and then sat down in the passenger seat, leaving the door open for Asuka. Asuka slid in and Misato started up the car. Rei took out a book and began reading. Asuka and Shinji just looked out their windows at the mountains. They finally arrived at the apartment and Rei put her book down for the first time since they entered the car. Shinji hopped out and opened the door for Rei and Asuka before closing his own door and their door. Shinji was very happy all of the sudden; he had been that way ever since NERV. Asuka just figured that he was happy because of the time off. She wasn't far from the truth. Shinji went into his room once Misato unlocked the door and got out his books while he waited for Rei to come in. Although Rei was renowned for being fast, Shinji was nearly bouncing off the walls and was much faster than Rei today. She sat down next to Shinji and pulled her book bag closer to her. Shinji already had his book open and to the page they were supposed to work on.
"You don't need to be so fast, Shinji."
Shinji really hadn't noticed the way he had been acting until Rei told him.
"You're right, Rei, I'm sorry. I'm just so glad that I don't have to pilot that thing for two weeks."
"What page do we need to be on?"
Shinji could see the paper with the page numbers stuffed back into Rei's book bag. He would never understand her.
"Um…it's right here," Shinji said as he opened her book and flipped through the pages until he found the right one.
"Thank you, Shinji."
"It's really no problem. Rei, about last night, why did you lie?"
"What do you mean, Shinji? I did not lie."
"Yes you did, this morning, when you pulled your school uniform out of your bag; I saw your apartment key fall out of its pocket. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't forget that you put your apartment key in your pocket. And where did you put your viola? You may have been able to fool Misato, but I'm a bit more observant."
Rei blushed a little, "I didn't think that you'd notice, Misato didn't. I…I wanted to be with you. I was scared. You are the only one who cares about me. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't imagining it. I didn't want to be alone."
"Asuka and Misato care about you. And father seems to care about you. Lots of people care about you."
"No they don't. Maybe Misato and Asuka, but no one else besides you cares."
"Rei, you can always count on me, I'll always be there for you." Shinji said as he put his arm around Rei.
"They just think I'm an object. They don't think that I'm a person."
"That doesn't matter, Rei. I think that you are a person, lots of people do."
"I don't know, Shinji. No one but you and Misato and Asuka treats me any different than an important document or package."
"Rei, you are not an object, I care about you, don't let anyone make you think differently. Asuka and Misato care as well; I know."
"Are you sure, Shinji?"
"Wait right here, don't move, I'll be right back."
Rei nodded and sat there for a few moments until Shinji came back with something in his hand.
"Misato, Asuka and I pitched in to buy this." Shinji knew that Misato and Asuka had no idea about it, but he needed Rei to know that other people cared about her. He opened the box in his hand and revealed an apple pie.
"A pie?"
"Uh, yea."
"I…don't know what to say."
"Don't you like pie?"
"Well, yes, but, how did you know?"
"I…um, guessed? Everyone likes pie."
"Thank you, Shinji, I…you know, Shinji, you are a terrible liar."
"What do you mean?"
"Misato and Asuka didn't know about this."
"How did you know?"
"I didn't until now."
Shinji was stunned; did Rei just pull a fast one on him?
"Shinji, you didn't guess about the pie, either, did you?"
"No, I didn't."
"So, how did you find out? I don't believe that I have told anyone that I like pie."
"Last night, before you fell asleep, you began to talk about loving something after I said that I…" Shinji gulped, butterflies rising in his stomach, "that I um, loved you. I asked you what you loved and you said that you loved pie, so I thought that it would be nice to get you a pie."
"Shinji, do you really love me, or were you just saying that to calm me down?"
"I…I…I don't know. I think I love you. I've never been in love before, so I don't know if what I feel is love, true love. I like being around you Rei, I don't want you to feel sad or upset. If that's what love is, then I've loved you for a long time, but I don't think it is. I don't know what love is, but I don't want to say something to you and then find out that I was wrong. I feel complete with you Rei. Ever since my mother died, I've tried to stay away from getting close to people. My father abandoned me after my mother died, and I lived with my teacher after that. But no one made me feel the way you do Rei. I…wish that I could tell you that I love you, but I don't know if that's true. Maybe later, but not now. I'm sorry, Rei."
"You do not need to be sorry, Shinji. I am the same way. I've never felt that I belonged with other people. After I met you that changed. I always stayed away from people; I didn't think they cared at all about me. I lived in my own world where no one else was; no one could hurt me there, it didn't matter if they cared or not, because they weren't there."
"I care about you, and other people care about you."
"I did not think so before, before I met you."
"Rei, would you like to know about the place I got this pie? I've known the people there for a long time. It's just a small family run bakery, but the people are very nice. I went there and told them that I was getting a pie for someone special. I was going to take one of the pies on the shelf, it had been made a day or two ago, but they would not let me. They baked me a fresh pie and gave it to me with no charge; they even gave me a card to give to you. It says, 'to Shinji's friend Rei, we hope you enjoy this pie. Shinji seems to like you very much; this pie is from us, but mostly from Shinji. It was made especially for you, so enjoy! Give some to those other people you live with, I'm sure they'll enjoy it to.' You see? They don't even know you aside from what I've told them and they cared enough to bake a brand new pie and make a card. Many people care about you."
"Thank you, Shinji, I…thank you."
"Well, you're welcome, but we better eat some of it before it gets cold!"
Rei laughed a little and took the fork Shinji handed to her. She took a bite of the pie and Shinji waited to see her expression. Rei chewed a little, and then swallowed.
"This is very good."
Shinji sighed, relieved. He took a bite himself and noticed that Rei had a little bit of pie near her mouth. Shinji reached over to wipe it off as Rei put another forkful into her mouth. Just before Rei was finished chewing and Shinji wiped the pie off her cheek, Asuka opened the door and found Shinji and Rei in a compromising position to say the least.
"Damn it, how did I know that I'd find you doing something like this, Shinji? And why didn't you tell me that you had pie?"
"It's special pie."
"Here, Asuka, take a piece." Rei said after she finished her bite.
"Thank you Rei, at least you have manners."
"Hey, I was going to share it later."
Asuka sat down with the piece that Rei had given her and began eating it merrily.
"So, what are you guys working on?"
"We were just about to start on the History homework."
"I hate History."
"How can you hate History?"
"It's such a lie, the Second Impact, sure. A meteor? Please. Now History before that is good. Have you ever read about the two World Wars? Or how about the United States' 'liberation' of Iraq?"
"Didn't Germany start both World Wars?"
"Belgium started WWI and it was because of the Treaty of Versailles that WWII was started."
"Oh, well I've never learned that much about those."
"Well, I don't want to interrupt you; I've already finished my homework. Once you two are finished, why don't we play a board game or something?"
"Sure, those sound like fun, but let's not play for money this time, okay?"
"Alright, I'll be waiting in my room."
Asuka got up with the remainder of her pie piece and left.
"I wish she would close the door when she left. So, how did you like it?"
"It was good."
"Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Hold on, just a second." Shinji pushed the box with the pie in it away and he slid over to Rei. He brushed the piece of pie that Rei had missed off her cheek and tried to wipe the leftover off. Shinji grew agitated and finally gave up. Rei looked at Shinji intensely like she was examining his face. She moved herself closer to Shinji to get a better look and Shinji was getting worried. What was she doing? She brought her hand up and brushed off some pie from Shinji's face. Shinji had forgotten how soft Rei's hands were. She didn't think that she had gotten all of it and rubbed harder. Now she was beginning to hurt Shinji. He grabbed her wrist softly and Rei realized how red she had made Shinji's cheek. Rei looked away but looked to Shinji again when she felt his arm wrap around her and his pant leg brush against her leg. Shinji let go of her wrist and hugged Rei.
"I am sorry, Shinji, I did not realize what I was doing."
"It's alright, Rei," Shinji said as he stroked Rei's hair, "and you don't have to talk so formally, you know. You should use conjugated words more often."
"Okay, I will…I'll do that."
Shinji pushed Rei back and smiled at her.
"There you go."
Rei smiled slightly, but was surprised when Shinji kissed her softly. Rei relaxed, she hadn't realized how tense she had been until now.
"We'd better do this homework; even if we don't have to pilot the EVAs, we still have to do our school work."
"You are…You're right, Shinji. Could you hand me my pencil?"
Shinji realized how much he had pushed Rei back and how close he was to nearly laying on Rei.
"Right, um here you go." Shinji handed Rei her pencil and helped her back over to their books. Shinji placed his pencil on his paper as he began to answer the questions when the lights suddenly shut off. Shinji heard the air conditioner turn off as well. Shinji walked to the window and opened it. He was nearly knocked down by a gust of wind and he struggled to close the window. Once he closed it, he looked out and saw a bolt of lightning streak across the sky. The crack of thunder followed a second later. Rei began to look around nervously.
"It's alright, Rei. It's just a thunderstorm. I guess you may not be able to go home tonight. Just sit there, I'm going to try and find Misato and ask her what to do."
"Okay, please hurry back."
Shinji left the door open as he searched down the hall. Rei sat in the dark, alone. She heard another clap of thunder and she could see the visions of the fake world she created. The darkness crept over her, swallowing her, inviting her back into it. There she didn't have to worry about people rejecting her it whispered invitingly. But she was not human there, there Shinji was not. Shinji was in the real world. She did not want to return. It would not listen, it beckoned for her.
"Shinji, help me," Rei whispered, "Please Shinji, help me."
As if Shinji could have heard Rei, as if he could hear her thoughts, Shinji appeared in the door way. He closed the door and walked quickly over to Rei who was now lying curled up.
"Rei, are you okay?" Shinji said and he tried to pull her open.
"Shinji, is that you? Shinji, please help me."
"Rei, it'll be alright, I'm here. How can I help you?"
"Keep me from going back. I want to be with you."
Shinji tried hugging Rei to comfort her, but it seemed to have no effect.
"I can feel them all around me, just like before."
"Who, who can you feel, Rei?"
"My sisters."
"Rei, snap out of it Rei. No one is here but Misato, Asuka, you, and me. It's okay; I think the storm might be letting up."
Shinji's lie was shattered by a clap of thunder.
"Shinji, they want me to return."
"I won't let you. You don't want to, and I don't want you to."
"Shinji…"
Rei relaxed and came out of her ball. It looked to Shinji like she had been crying.
"Rei, are you alright, do you want me to get you anything?"
Rei laughed a little, "You know that nothing will work without power, Shinji."
"Oh yea, I forgot. Rei, I…you don't have to be afraid of the dark."
"It's different than that; it reminds me of my past."
"It's not always bad to remember the past, it may hurt, I know that, but sometime you have to confront your past."
"I don't feel human when I remember my past."
"Rei, whether you felt human or not then, it doesn't matter. You are human now and if you weren't human, then it doesn't matter. You are as human as I am."
"They don't want me to be human; they want me to return to them."
"'They' can just give up then, because as long as you don't want to, I won't let you go back."
"You won't let them take me?"
"Rei, unless you want it or them to, nothing will take me away from you and nothing will take you away from me. I will make sure of it."
"Shinji…I want to be with the world."
"You are."
"Thank you, Shinji."
"It'll be alright now," Shinji said as he rubbed Rei's back, trying to comfort her, "I'm here. Rei, would you like something to drink?"
"Yes Shinji, I would."
"Okay then, come with me and we'll find something."
Shinji held Rei's hand and helped her off the floor. They continued down the hall feeling their way along the wall. They finally got to the kitchen.
"Doesn't Misato ever prepare for anything like this? I bet that she's probably sleeping. I have no idea what Asuka is doing."
"What about me?" Asuka asked.
"Asuka! What are you doing here?"
"I'd like to ask you the same question."
"Well, I'm trying to get something to drink."
"Good luck trying to find it."
"I know where everything is."
"Hey, where's Rei, did you leave her in your room?"
"No, she's right here, we were both thirsty."
"Oh, right, thirsty, sure."
"You don't believe me?"
"Sure I do, I just find it odd that you two would just happen to be thirsty at a time like this."
"And why are you out here then?"
"I was looking for Pen-Pen."
"Pen-Pen's refrigerator is over there, next to your room, even Rei knows that."
"So I got a little disorientated. It's very dark."
"Yea, yea, just go get Pen-Pen and leave."
"Why? Are you two going to be doing something that you don't want me to see?"
"NO! And besides, it's so dark that you probably wouldn't be able to tell anyway."
"Okay, okay, I don't want to hear anymore. I'm just going to get Pen-Pen and leave, if you don't mind. Pen-Pen, come on out."
"Wark!"
"Good penguin, now come on, Misato is worried about you."
"Wark!"
"God, will you just leave already!"
"Okay, okay, don't get your panties in a bunch." Asuka said as she left a steaming Shinji in the dark.
"Shinji, are you alright?"
"I'm fine Rei; she just makes me really mad sometimes."
"Oh, where do you keep your cups?"
"In the cupboard over there."
"Okay."
"Now where did Misato hide that box of tea mix?"
"Are we going to drink it cold?"
"Oh, don't worry, I have a battery powered heater, we can heat them with that."
"Okay, do you need any help, I have the cups."
"Uh, yea, sure."
Rei walked in the direction of Shinji's voice, but ended up bumping into the table.
"Rei, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
"No, I am…I'm fine."
"Here, take my hand." Shinji said as he waved it around in the dark. His hand landed on something very soft, he figured it was Rei's hand, nothing else he had ever felt was that soft. He tried to wrap his fingers around her hand, but it wasn't working. Shinji stepped closer to Rei close enough to see why he couldn't grasp her hand. He found out quickly why his hand could wrap around her hand. He wasn't holding her hand.
"Oh! I'm sorry Rei; I didn't mean to, it's just so dark."
Rei blushed slightly in the dark and took hold of Shinji's hand.
"Um, Rei? Is this really your hand?"
"Yes, it is Shinji."
Shinji let out a sigh of relief. He led Rei to the cupboard he was searching and she began searching with Shinji.
"I believe this is it, Shinji." Rei held up a box to Shinji's face.
"Yea, your right, once again. Could you fill the cups up a bit with water?"
"Yes, Shinji, I will do that."
"I'll just wait right here, put a cup in my hand when you're finished."
Shinji heard the sound of the faucet turning on and the tell tale sound of cups being filled. He heard the water stop and waited for the cup. Rei could not see a thing. She was sure Shinji was in this general direction, but she hadn't found him yet. Then she stumbled over her feet and found Shinji, after spilling some of the water on herself and Shinji.
"Rei, are you okay?"
"Yes, should I fill the cups back up?"
"No, no, they're just fine. Put your hand on my shoulder so you won't get lost."
Rei followed Shinji's instructions and soon they were on their way to Shinji's room.
"Okay, I've actually prepared for something like this." Shinji said as he searched around and found a flashlight.
"Here, Rei, take this flashlight and shine it towards the ceiling, that should give us enough light." Rei did so and Shinji found his heater soon afterwards.
"Okay, let me have your cup. Good, it will probably take a while."
"Shinji, can I dry my shirt by the heater, I got it very wet."
Shinji turned around and saw just how wet Rei had gotten.
"I'm sorry, I should have filled the cups, and sure you can dry it."
"Thank you, Shinji," Rei said as she began taking her shirt off. Shinji blushed and turned away towards the heater and started stirring in the tea mix. He forgot, however, that Rei had to get close to the heater in order to place her shirt close enough to get it to dry. Shinji gulped as he watched a nearly half-naked Rei place her school uniform next to the heater. She didn't even seem to notice Shinji.
"Okay, Shinji, I've put my clothes next to the heater. Is the tea ready?"
"Um, no, not yet," Shinji said shakily as Rei got closer to Shinji, "But they should be finished pretty soon."
Shinji was getting rather uncomfortable. He had forgotten that the girls' uniform was one piece and now Rei was nearly sitting next to him in only her undergarments.
"Um, how about I get you some of my clothes? I don't want you to catch a cold or pneumonia."
"Okay, Shinji, I'll go with you."
"You don't have to, I'm fine."
"I want to. I don't want you to get something too small or big. I don't want you to make a mistake."
"Um, okay, if you insist."
Rei used Shinji's shoulder to propel herself up and Shinji stood shortly after. He walked slowly across his room and Rei put her hand on Shinji's shoulder to guide herself. They got to the middle of the room when Rei tripped over Shinji's flashlight. Rei had placed it so the light shined all over the room, but now it just served as something to hurt Rei's foot. She fell and hit Shinji's back before hitting the floor. Just before she hit the floor, she put her hands out to stop herself.
"Rei, what happened? Are you okay?" Shinji asked as he turned around to help Rei up.
"My foot hurts, I hit the flashlight. I am…I'm sorry, Shinji."
"I don't care about that stupid flashlight, it was getting old anyway. I just want to make sure you are alright. Hold on, I'll get the flashlight and check your foot out."
Rei sat on the floor and watched as Shinji walked over to his flashlight and picked it up. He turned back around and shone it on Rei's foot. It didn't look hurt, so Shinji picked it up and tried to examine it closer. Rei giggled a little. 'I didn't know Rei was ticklish.' Shinji thought. He moved his hand back and forth over Rei's foot to make sure everything was alright. Her foot was very soft, much softer than Shinji expected it to be. Rei giggled a bit more whenever he moved his hand across the bottom of her foot. Shinji was satisfied that nothing was wrong with Rei's foot and then slid closer to Rei's face. He sat down next to her and shone the flashlight up to illuminate both their faces. He placed his arm around hers and brought her closer.
"Are you sure that you're okay, I've hit a flashlight like that before and it hurt a lot."
"I am fine, Shinji, it really did not hurt at all. Only like a prick from a needle."
"I hate needles."
"We should get up, don't you think?"
"Why? Is there anything that…oh, yea." Shinji said as he remembered what Rei was not wearing, "You're right, here, I'll help you up."
"I do not…I don't need any help, Shinji."
"Okay, if you're sure."
"Please, go ahead."
Shinji nodded as he placed the flashlight back on the floor and stood up. Rei followed suit and placed her hand back on Shinji's back. Shinji walked over to his dresser and began searching through his shirts and pants. Soon he found a pair of shorts for Rei, he never wore shorts so it was merely by luck that a pair was in there, and a shirt for her. She took them from Shinji and began to put them on. Shinji looked away as he blushed and Rei changed, he didn't know why he was acting this way now, if anything he should have done that before when they were on the floor. Rei tapped Shinji's shoulder and he turned around cautiously. Rei had finished putting the clothes on and Shinji felt relieved. He really didn't mind Rei sitting in his room with almost nothing on, but he didn't want to strain their relationship and he didn't want Asuka or Misato to walk in and see her, so…
"Are you better now?"
"Yes, thank you, I am much warmer now."
'I couldn't have guessed,' Shinji thought, "Okay, well, how about we go back to the heater? The tea should be warm enough now."
Rei nodded and they headed back across Shinji's room in silence. A clap of thunder startled both of them. They had gotten used to the sound, but this one sounded like it happened right outside their window. Rei surprised her self more than Shinji when she clung to him at the sound. Why was she so afraid? Why did she seek Shinji's aid? After a moment Rei let go of Shinji and sat down next to the heater. Shinji walked over to Rei concerned.
"Rei, is there something I can do for you? I hate it when I don't know what I can do for people."
"No Shinji, but you can sit down here." Rei said as she pointed to a spot on the floor next to her. Shinji sat down and Rei scooted closer to him. She surprised Shinji even more than herself this time when she laid her head down on Shinji's arm. Shinji wrapped his arm around Rei and brought her legs closer with his other arm. He was nearly holding Rei now, and Rei didn't seem to mind. Shinji began moving his hand up and down Rei's calf in an attempt to comfort her.
"Rei, why do you put up with me? Why do you lie to be with me? Why do you only seem to connect with me? Surly you could be friends with Asuka or Hikari. You always seemed so quiet, but now you seem to be opening up around me. Why me?"
"Why not?"
"I just think that there are plenty of other people that you could connect with, what about Misato? I don't understand why I… I guess I don't think that I deserve to have you open up around me. Sometimes I don't even understand myself, much less anyone else. Why do you do so much to be with me?"
"Shinji, I…I…" Rei buried her face in Shinji's chest. Shinji stroked her hair, trying to calm her, "I…love you." Shinji stopped stroking Rei's hair for a second. He felt his stomach churn, his hand went cold. Rei looked up at Shinji because he had stopped. She took a look at the expression on his face and buried her face again.
"You…do you…you don't…yes, that's it…you don't."
"Rei, what do you mean? What don't I do?"
"Love me. I don't even know if I'm right. I think I do, I hope I do."
"Rei, I…" Shinji looked at the widow despondently, he felt like he was about to cry, "I…I do love you. I didn't know if I did, I guess I was waiting until I knew what you felt. I love you, Rei." Shinji could tell that tears were falling from his eyes onto Rei's head, he just didn't feel them coming out. Rei looked up at Shinji and a few of his tears fell onto her face. Shinji put his hand on Rei's butt and placed her in his lap. He wrapped both his arms around Rei and held her closely.
"I love you, I…I don't know what's wrong with me, Rei. I don't know why I have tears. I should be happy, I've dreaded this day, I've tried to play it out in my mind, but every time I did, it didn't come out right. I'm so relieved that I've finally told you."
"Shinji, I feel safe with you. I think that's why. No one else has made me feel like that except my sisters."
"I don't want you to go back to them, Rei. I want you to stay with me."
"I want to stay here. Please, don't let me go, Shinji. I've never felt like this. I…I like it, I feel safe. I feel like nothing can hurt me."
"I don't know about that, but I'll protect you as best as I can."
Rei pushed Shinji back enough to make him let up on his grip on her. She looked up at Shinji and her cheeks caught a few more of his tears. Rei realized that she was shaking. She looked at her hand, then back at Shinji. She straightened her back out and Shinji found that Rei was actually taller than him while they were like that. Shinji didn't have to really look up to look into her eyes; they were almost the same height. Rei's eyes looked so soft. Rei placed her arms around Shinji, dropped her head down onto Shinji's, and their lips met. Shinji was more surprised than he had ever been, but he used all of his willpower to not let go. 'Is she really kissing me?' Shinji thought. His question was answered when Rei tightened her grip and pulled herself closer. Shinji finally quit worrying; it wasn't like it was their first kiss. Shinji closed his arms back around Rei and they sat like that for several minutes. Shinji didn't know if Rei wanted to stop, but he knew he didn't. He felt almost as vulnerable as he thought Rei was, and he found that he felt safe with Rei. Finally, after what seemed like days, Rei loosened her grip and stopped kissing Shinji. She stretched her legs out and placed her head against Shinji's chest. Shinji rubbed Rei's back gently with his hand. Rei always felt so soft and warm. Then Shinji remembered the tea. He looked over the tuft of blue hair blocking his sight of the heater and saw the cups beginning to steam. He turned Rei so her body was facing his and kissed her softly.
"The tea is ready now, so I'd better get it." Shinji said when he let go.
"Okay, Shinji."
Shinji placed Rei on the floor in front of him and he leaned forward to get the cups. He tried to place his hand on the floor to steady himself, but ended up placing his hand on Rei. Shinji had forgotten that he had given Rei one of his button shirts and it didn't seem like she knew how to button very well. Shinji had also forgotten that bras didn't cover everywhere. For a moment he thought that if he squeezed, that he might be able to guess Rei's size, but his brain quickly kicked in. He slipped his hand back out and grabbed the cups.
"Uh…here, Rei, here's your cup."
"Thank you, Shinji. If you wanted the shirt back, you could have asked." Rei said as she began to unbutton the shirt.
"No, no, you can leave it on, I just um…slipped. Besides, you don't have to sit around with only your bra on." Shinji couldn't believe he had just said that.
"So I should take my bra off?" Rei asked innocently, "I always thought that I should always wear a bra except when I took showers or when I was wearing my plug suit, but if you say so." Rei said as she began undoing her bra.
"No! You don't have to take your bra off."
"You should make up your mind, Shinji."
"You just misunderstood me."
"I did it deliberately."
"What? You deliberately mistook what I said, just to mess with me?"
"Yes."
"I don't believe it."
Rei giggled a little and took a sip of her tea before setting it on the ground.
"Shinji, what does it mean to 'sleep with' someone? Asuka asked me and I said yes, because we did sleep with each other the other day, but she said that that's not what she meant."
"Damn you, Asuka," Shinji said to the wall, "Well, she wants to know if we've…um…well…she wants to know if…if we've…had sex. I don't know why she wants to know if she's always bugging me about not wanting to know what I've done with you, but this is kind of the opposite. I don't even know where she got the idea that we'd ever do something like that."
"Oh, then it is good that I told her 'no'."
"Yea, it is." Shinji said as he took another sip of tea. "Boy, its cold. I'm going to get closer to the heater, if you don't mind."
"That's a good idea." Rei said as she edged closer to the heater and Shinji as a result. Shinji got a little uncomfortable; Rei was almost all over him.
"Shinji, what's wrong? You seem upset."
"Oh, its nothing, really, I'm fine."
"Wait, hold still, don't move."
Shinji froze up and Rei creped up to him. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him to the ground slowly. She moved over Shinji so her arm was locked on his chest. Shinji began to sweat when he realized how loose fitting his shirt was on Rei. She got closer and closer to Shinji's face until Shinji felt that he might be smothered. Suddenly Rei's other hand shot from her side and grabbed a mosquito that was hovering by Shinji's head.
"Did you…kill it?"
Rei opened her hand and revealed the mosquito, completely unharmed. She walked over to Shinji's widow, opened it, and let the mosquito out. She closed the window and walked back to her cup of tea. Shinji waited until Rei sat back down, then took a sip from his tea. He watched Rei take a sip from her tea. Rei's eye turned and saw Shinji staring at her. With a mouthful of tea she put the cup down and looked at Shinji. Shinji nearly broke down at the sight.
'Rei looks so cute when her cheeks are like that.' Shinji thought. Rei tilted her head and swallowed her tea. Shinji sighed and looked at his watch.
"My god! It's already one o'clock!"
Shinji got up and looked out his window. The rain hadn't let up and the power still wasn't on. Shinji couldn't see any break in the clouds.
"Great, well, we'd better see if Asuka will give me back the extra bed roll."
"Okay."
Rei stood and Shinji took her hand. They left the room as silently as possible and made their way down the hall the same way. Shinji stood in front of Asuka's door and knocked. He put his ear to the door and heard the sounds of Asuka snoring.
"My God, oh well, at least she snores softly. Well, I guess we're going to have to repeat last night. Come on." Shinji said as they walked back to his room. Shinji walked over to his bed once they returned to his room and began fixing it up for them to sleep in. Rei sat back down in front of the heater and finished her tea. Shinji finished the bed and sat down next to Rei and finished his tea.
"Rei," Shinji said as he finished his tea, "do you really love me?"
Rei placed her head on Shinji's shoulder, "Yes, I do. You love me, right?"
"Well, yea. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't hallucinating. Sometimes I can't tell if I am or not."
Shinji sat Rei down on his lap again and kissed her softly.
"I wish that we could just go to sleep like this, Rei. Have I ever told you that sometimes I think that you might make a very good pillow?"
"Um…I don't know what you mean, Shinji."
"Well, you are so soft and warm just like a good pillow." Rei smiled and looked at the heater. Shinji brought his hand down to try and turn Rei back around, but she turned back by herself. The position of Shinji's hand didn't change, so it slipped right in between two buttons. Rei didn't seem to notice. She put her head on Shinji's chest and relaxed, or at least he thought she did. Shinji didn't know what to do. Rei was just about lying on him and his hand was in her, well his, shirt.
"Um…Rei, shouldn't we go to sleep now?"
Rei looked up at Shinji which caused his hand to slip further down.
"I think you're right." Rei stood and Shinji's hand slipped back out. Rei walked over to the bed and stopped.
"Which side should I sleep on?"
"Um…I don't care, whichever side you feel most comfortable on, I guess."
"I do not care."
"Okay…well, hold on a second." Shinji grunted a little as he stood and then made his way over to Rei. He put his arms around Rei and turned her around.
"Okay, I'm thinking of a number between one and thirty. If you guess above it, then you sleep on the right, next to the wall. If you guess below it, then you will sleep on the left side. Okay?"
"What if I guess the number?"
"Then I'll just come up with something. The number is… oh wait, you're not supposed to know."
"Okay, I guess twenty-five."
"Okay, you sleep on the right. The number was seventeen."
Rei nodded and got into the bed. Shinji turned off the flashlight and slid into his bed. He turned towards Rei and she was much closer than he expected. His hand again slipped into her shirt. Rei looked at Shinji and he could tell her hands were moving towards his. She buried her head in Shinji's chest again. Shinji began to slip his hand back out when Rei spoke.
"You could have asked, Shinji."
Rei brought her hands behind her and undid her bra. Shinji could feel it lose its entire purpose as it slid off and Shinji was sure his stomach would jump out of his mouth. Rei put her hands over Shinji's hand and she relaxed again. Shinji wasn't sure what to do. Every time he moved his hand, it made him want to leave it there more. Rei almost seemed to be asleep.
"Shinji…"
"Um…what is it Rei?"
"Shinji, I'm scared. The thunder…"
With his free hand he held Rei's head against him and covered her ears. Like that Rei and Shinji fell asleep. Through out the Katsuragi/Ikari/Langley home all was quiet. Misato had fallen asleep long before any of the children had. Asuka had finally fallen into deep sleep and Pen-Pen was dreaming of dancing fish waiting to be eaten by him. Shinji and Rei had found peace. The little room had weathered the storm and the occupants became stronger. Much was left to be mended, but somewhere in their minds they knew all would be alright as long as they stayed together.
Shinji woke and repeated the same procedure he did every morning, well every morning except for yesterdays. He looked at his alarm clock wondering why it hadn't gone off. He was answered by his alarm clock flashing 11:24 in red numbers. Shinji sat up and only now remembered the events after the effects of sleep wore off. Rei was facing the wall asleep still. Shinji was afraid for a moment that he had done something that he shouldn't have. Rei was still wearing his shirt and shorts; her uniform was dry next to the heater which was now dead. The cups were sitting empty on the floor and the flashlight had fallen over. Sunlight was creeping into the room through the spaces in Shinji's curtains. Shinji put his hand on Rei's shoulder and turned her around. 'She looks so peaceful when she sleeps,' Shinji thought. He hesitated to wake her, but he was sure that Asuka would never, never let him live it down. It was bad enough from the first time Rei had slept over, but if Asuka saw her sleeping in Shinji's bed again and wearing Shinji's clothes, he was sure everyone in Tokyo-3 would know thanks to Asuka.
"Rei, wake up, Rei." Shinji said as he shook Rei gently. Shinji could see Rei's eyes begin to flutter open. "Rei, its morning, wake up." Rei opened her eyes and looked around frantically. This wasn't her room.
"Rei, it's alright Rei." Shinji said in an attempt to calm Rei.
"Shinji? W…What…Where…"
"There was a storm last night, you slept over again." Shinji said as he hugged Rei, "did you not sleep well?"
"I…I slept well, Shinji. I do not remember much of last night."
"Don't worry; your memory will come back in a bit. Maybe I can help you remember." Shinji said as he pointed to the cups and her uniform.
"I think I am…I'm beginning to remember."
Shinji picked Rei up and set her on his lap, "Now, don't you remember this? We were like this when I said…that I loved you, remember?"
"Yes, I remember now. I…" Rei shivered as she remembered the struggle she had with her sisters.
"Rei, are you cold?"
"No, I…I remember."
Shinji didn't pickup what Rei was talking about until she latched on to him. Then he remembered. He wasn't sure then what she was talking about and he was equally clueless now. He remembered her talking about her sisters wanting to take her back away from him. Shinji didn't know that Rei had any sisters. He didn't know what Rei meant when she said that she didn't feel human in her past. What did she mean? Rei let go as quickly as she had latched on and slid off the bed across Shinji's legs. Shinji was dumbfounded as to what had just taken place, but snapped out of it when he saw Rei starting to change. He looked away and started making his bed in an attempt to keep his mind off what Rei was doing. He checked over his shoulder periodically at Rei to see when she was finished. Rei finished putting her uniform on and began to walk towards Shinji. Shinji saw this and quickly turned back to his bed, trying to make it seem like he hadn't been doing anything. Rei walked up behind Shinji and began to put her arms around Shinji's neck when he turned around suddenly with a blanket. The blanket knocked Rei off balance and she fell backwards. Before she hit the floor, she put her hand out and sprung backwards. She did a full flip and landed on her feet. Shinji just stared at the amazing feat preformed by Rei.
"What is wrong, Shinji?"
"You just, um…"
"Piloting Eva, you should be able to do it as well. Do you remember how fast you ran before you began piloting Eva?"
"Um, yea, it wasn't very fast."
"Now you can outrun some of the best players on the team. How do you think that is?"
"I just figured that I had naturally gotten faster."
"No, piloting Eva, it…your body, it…that is why we have Sync tests. The better you Sync, the closer you become to Eva. The closer you become, it is almost like you take part of your Eva. Our Eva's, they perform feats of speed and strength and agility that can only be done when we will them to. Once we Sync better, the easier it becomes to make Eva do those things. As a byproduct, as our Eva's grow stronger, so will we. Our minds, they unlock these things."
"So by piloting Eva we become like super humans?"
"No, we have always been able to do these things, just like Eva. Our minds just make it more readily done. The only barrier we have to stop ourselves from doing extraordinary things is our own mind. Eva helps us break these barriers."
"Oh, I wonder if Asuka or Touji have noticed this."
"I do not think Suzahara has, or will have for a long time, this ability. Langley might, but I do not know."
"Okay, well, um, I'm sorry for knocking you down, or over."
Rei smiled, "Shinji, you apologize to much."
"Well, you use people's last names to much."
"It is a force of habit."
"Rei, you can be very strange sometimes."
"'Strange' is just a word and is just as easily transferable between this and that. The only thing that is strange is what is strange in our constitutions."
"Well, I guess you got me beat there, but as long as we are using a unison constitution…I believe that something else is in order, what does our constitution say about this?" Shinji held Rei close and kissed her softly.
"Unless I was not informed, I do believe that that is not against it."
"Let us hope that in these days we have heard the last of conformity and consistency. Let the words be gazetted and ridiculous henceforward. Instead of the gong for dinner, let us hear a whistle from the Spartan fife. Let us never bow and apologize more, Shinji. The only right is what is after my constitution. My Shinji, I do not believe that that is against our constitution, and what is not against it must be after it."
"Do you enjoy being philosophical, my Rei?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's good enough for me." Shinji said as he kissed Rei once more.
"Shinji, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do."
"What's that supposed to mean? And are you saying that I have a great soul?"
"I think that it is not good to be consistent all the time."
"So then, what do you propose that we do?"
Rei leaned forward and kissed Shinji, completely destroying any thoughts he might have had. Shinji didn't like it when he was unable to say something philosophical and everyone else was, but any philosophical thought he had had was now gone.
"I find that a change from the ordinary is sometimes a good thing, Shinji."
"So does that mean you two are going to stop the damn kissing, or maybe you're doing it to make me upset."
Both Rei and Shinji were startled to hear Asuka's interjection so much so that Shinji released Rei and stumbled backwards. Luckily Shinji had finished his bed so there was no trace that they had slept there.
"Um…how long have you been standing there, Asuka?"
"Long enough to hear Rei's flirtation and her attempts to hit on you, Shinji. Long enough to see you two shamelessly kissing each other. I would say get a room, but you already have."
"Asuka, can't you leave us alone when you aren't sleeping?"
"It's my divine right to bug you, Shinji. It's my job."
"Is Misato awake?"
"No, she's still in there."
"So what are we supposed to do? I guess we can walk to school like we always do, but what will she do when she wakes up and finds us missing?"
"I don't know, but it beats sitting around here watching you two flirt."
"Hey!"
"I'm going to eat breakfast, do what you want, but if you come out of there, I don't want to see or hear any of your flirtation."
Shinji was steaming. Rei was growing concerned. Asuka was eating.
"Come on, Rei," Shinji said, then louder, "my darling! Let's go eat breakfast."
Shinji walked out into the kitchen holding Rei's hand and Asuka grumbled a little to herself. Shinji grabbed two pieces of bread and began eating one. The other he gave to Rei. So, in silence, the three children ate their breakfast and were soon on their way to school. After a brief argument between Shinji and Asuka, Shinji had to settle for only holding Rei's hand. Shinji looked at his watch and realized that they had actually left earlier than usual. He was about to bring it up when he saw a sight that made all three of them stop and stare. Around the corner were Touji and Hikari standing in the shade of a nearby tree. Touji was holding and kissing Hikari very passionately. Asuka threw her hands up in the air and huffed loudly. Shinji coughed and Touji looked up. He immediately blushed and let go of Hikari.
"Touji? What's wrong Touji?" Hikari asked.
"Um…we weren't do 'in anything, guys, really!"
"Great, now I have to worry about this at home and school." Asuka said
"What're you talking about, Asuka?"
"Butt out, Touji!"
"It was just a question!"
"Touji, Touji, calm down." Hikari said, "Asuka, what do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing, just that now my best friend and…well, the other Eva pilots are going to be doing the same thing all day long."
"I'm not sure I know what you mean."
"Take a look at where Shinji's hand is."
Hikari looked and said, "Ooohhh, so that's what you meant."
"And this is when I have them subdued; you should've seen them this morning."
"What was Rei doing at your apartment? I always thought that you and Shinji started walking with her after you left."
"Well, we normally do, except when we leave from the same place at the same time. If you want to know why she was over, why don't you ask Shinji? It's his fault."
"It is not!"
"Shinji, man, I didn't know. I guess I never thought you'd do som'then like that."
"What are you talking about, Touji?"
"Well, I know that Rei was over at your place, and I put two and two together…"
"We didn't do anything! It was raining outside and Misato was already asleep and the power went out. We couldn't do anything, so I let Rei stay over."
"Why don't you tell them about the fact that you didn't have a separate bed roll for Rei, Shinji?" Asuka said.
"Did ya make her sleep on the floor?"
"No, neither of us slept on the floor."
"You slept together?"
"Uh…yea, we did. But what were you doing with Hikari?" Shinji said quickly to get Touji off the subject.
"We were, um, walking to school."
"I don't think walking to school involves your mouth being on hers." Asuka said.
"Okay, okay, so we were kissing, and? What's wrong with that?"
"Hikari, do you really like Touji?"
Hikari blushed and looked at the ground.
"Okay, I'll just leave it at that. I don't know what he's put in your drinks, Hikari."
"He can be nice. You shouldn't judge people so quickly, Asuka."
"Okay, Okay, so you like him, I don't know what you see in him, but you're my best friend, so I'll trust you."
"Thanks."
So, they walked to school. Shinji holding Rei's hand, Touji holding Hikari's hand, and Asuka was busy being disgusted by the whole thing.
End Chapter #10