Evangelion Fan Fiction

The Difference of a Life

By Kraven Ergeist

xxxxx

August 31, 2015

The final day of official training ended at the conclusion of summer break. Though the two pilots still visited NERV on a regular basis for sync tests, Shinji and Rei now had much more time to be together.

This last bit had not gone unnoticed by Shinji's parents or by the Akagi's.

"I'm well aware that it's dangerous for the two of them to spend so much time together, but it's what they want," Yui insisted.

Naoko shook her head, twirling the glass of Scotch whisky in her hand. "Are you saying that as a woman, a scientist, or as a mother, Yui?"

Gendo, Yui, and Naoko were seated together in a private sitting room off the commander's office. It was comfortable and luxurious inside, and Yui kept the cabinets furnished with spirits.

Yui shook her head. "I'm saying it as the Commander of NERV. You know just as well as I do that forcing them apart would only decrease their effectiveness as pilots. Captain Katsuragi has repeatedly reported that the two of them work amazingly well together. Separating them will be much more dangerous than them being together."

Naoko shook her head. "That may be enough for now. But what about later, when their relationship goes further?"

"What are you suggesting?" Yui pondered, sipping her scotch. "That they might sleep together?"

Naoko frowned. "Well, yes."

Yui shrugged. "What are you concerned about? Rei is sterile and Shinji's a healthy young man."

Naoko stood up. "Has it even occurred to you that I don't want your son sleeping with my daughter?"

Yui drew back. Gendo looked at Naoko with understandable surprise.

"You know she's not your daughter, Professor…" Yui said, cautiously. "Realistically, she's mine."

Naoko held her nose up high. "Really? Who's been raising her since she was in diapers, then? Who's been taking care of her for the past fourteen years? When you asked me to take her in, Yui, you gave me another child. She's as much my daughter as Ritsuko!"

Yui smiled. "Who's talking as a woman, mother or scientist now?"

Naoko wrinkled her nose. "You should know the answer to that."

Gendo, for his part, remained silent, confident that his wife knew how to work the situation.

"Whether or not you approve is immaterial, Naoko," Yui said, sympathetically. "I'm the Commander of NERV, it's my decision in the end. I'm sorry, but it's in the best interests of NERV that the two of them remain together. Don't worry; Shinji's a good boy. He won't touch Rei without her go ahead."

Naoko scowled. "That's part of the problem. I'm not able to guarantee that Rei won't give him just that."

Yui smiled. "Well, she's your daughter, as you said. As her mother, you are responsible for helping her make choices through life. There's nothing that I, as the Commander of NERV, can do about that. It's on your head, Naoko…not mine."

Naoko frowned. "I still don't like it, Yui…"

Yui sighed. "I know. I'm a little nervous about it myself. Rei is a beautiful girl, and I could understand any boy feeling difficulty restraining themselves around her, and Shinji is no exception."

Naoko shook her head. "Is that supposed to make me feel more confidant, Yui?"

Yui tilter her head. "In the end, it has to be their choice, Naoko. I would have thought, with a daughter as old as Ritsuko, you would have realized that by now."

Naoko sighed, resigning herself. "Yes, and you seemed to have picked up on it rather quickly. You always were the faster learner, Yui."

Yui smiled. "Oh, don't be that way. Why, without you, NERV would still be a hole in the ground."

Naoko swigged the last of her drink and settled it on the table. "Well then, I guess we've decided to settle the matter by not settling it then?"

That was when Gendo Ikari finally spoke out. "Not necessarily…"

Both women glanced his way.

"What do you mean, dear?" Yui asked.

Gendo let a small smile appear on his face. "I've recently been put in contact with the Commander of the first branch of NERV in Germany."

Naoko blinked. "High Commander Soryu?"

Gendo nodded. "It appears he's sending his daughter to Japan…"

xxxxx

As his parents discussed his relationship with Rei, Shinji had taken Rei out to the top of the tallest tower in Tokyo-3. They really weren't supposed to be up there, but a quick flash of their NERV ID had the guards bending like paper clips. They weren't about to refuse them access.

It was quite a sight. They had left early, arriving just in time to see the sunrise. All the various hues of red, orange and pink set into the backdrop, as the tiny yellow droplet of the sun rose below the horizon. A three quarters full moon sunk opposite the sunset.

"Hey, Rei?" Shinji asked. "Do you know why the sun changes color when it rises?"

Rei nodded. "Light is affected as it passes through our atmosphere. When it passes perpendicularly during the day, the amount of atmosphere it passes through is relatively thin, so very little is refracted back. This is why the sky appears to be blue. But when the same light travels through more atmosphere – such as when the sun rises and sets, and light skims the Earth at an angle – then more and more is refracted off, turning the sun orange, pink, and finally red. There are even such phenomena as green flashes, where the atmosphere is particularly condensed in a certain area, and the sun refracts in a very specific green color."

Shinji nodded, smiling. "You sure know a lot, Rei."

Rei tilted her head. "Perhaps, though that particular piece of information is irrelevant to our daily lives. Do we need to know why the sun changes color in order to live life? No."

Shinji shrugged. "It's still kind of interesting. And what about the people who don't just want to live life, and try to venture out and understand it? People like your mom and Ritsuko…and even my mom, when she gets a chance…they look at the world they live in and see it as a giant pool of information, waiting to be discovered."

Rei nodded. "I can respect that. But I do not share their interest in the world around me."

Shinji shrugged. "Then what are you interested in?"

Rei pondered for a moment. "…You."

Shinji blushed, smiling. "Well, uh…thanks… I mean…besides me."

Rei thought longer. "…I enjoy music."

Shinji unconsciously clutched his SDAT player in his pocket. "Yeah…you liked listening to my music before. Maybe I'll get you an SDAT like mine for your birthday."

Rei smiled. "I would like that."

Shinji blinked. "Come to think of it, when is your birthday? I don't think you ever told me."

"You never asked."

"Well I'm asking now."

"I can't answer you."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because I don't know the answer."

Shinji stared. "Wh-what? You don't know your own birthday?"

Rei shrugged her shoulders. "The day I was born has never been important to me."

Shinji looked hurt. "It's important to me! It's the day you came into the world, Rei! How could that not be important?"

Rei looked at Shinji with a blush on her face. "Shinji…thank you…"

Shinji stopped dead in his tracks. "Wh-what?"

"Thank you…" Rei smiled. "Hearing how much you care really makes me feel better about things."

Shinji stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. "Rei…have you ever doubted me? Have I ever once let you down? Rei…you're…you're the most important person in the world to me."

Rei's eyes locked onto his, her breath frozen. "Oh, Shinji…"

Rei stepped closer to him, sliding her arms beneath his and up and around his back, holding him tightly.

Shinji returned the gesture by placing one arms around her waist and one on the back of her head, stroking her blue hair.

"I promise you, Rei…I'll always be here for you."

xxxxx

The early morning sun was shining down brightly, as an airplane from Munich, Germany set down in Tokyo-3.

A particular passenger strode out from the plane, eying her surroundings.

"Humph," she commented. "Dieser platz ist nicht sehr eindrucksvoll."

Her carryon rolled behind her as she set off to explore her new home.

"Hallo…Toyko-3…"

xxxxx

September 1st, 2015

The next day was the first day of school. And though summer had been a welcome relief, with the closing of formal training, Shinji still felt much more liberated than before. Especially since Rei was actually in class this day, a rare event indeed.

Another thing that struck out was all the new faces. While Hikari got all the new students situated, Shinji couldn't help but smile seeing Toji subtly keeping an eye on her between his conversation with Kensuke.

Rei noticed Shinji's attention and looked to where he did. "Is Suzuhara doing something amusing, Shinji?"

Shinji turned back to her. "In a way. I couldn't help but notice how much attention he was paying to Hikari Horaki."

Rei tilted her head. "The class rep?"

Shinji nodded. "I think he likes her."

Rei turned a glance towards her, and then at Toji. She repeated this twice, before nodding. "Yes, I would have to infer that he does seem to be attracted to her. The class rep, on the other hand doesn't seem to pay any attention to him at all."

Shinji was about to agree, when Hikari's loud booming voice was heard from across the classroom, yelling at Toji for some unknown reason."

Shinji and Rei exchanged glances.

"Perhaps not all attention is as it appears," Rei concluded.

"You got that right."

"Rise! Sit! Bow!"

Shinji and Rei, now two rows apart, obeyed in silence, before watching as the new students came to the board. One in particular who stuck out was a foreign exchange students from Germany named Asuka Soryu. Right away, she had the attention of all the guys in the class.

Shinji sighed. This year was not going to be fun.

xxxxx

"So, you two are pilots, huh?" a loud booming voice said over them.

Shinji and Rei were eating lunch together in the shade of a tree, and were being warmly met by a certain red head from Germany.

Shinji looked up at Asuka and nodded. "Uh…yeah, that'd be us." He stood up and bowed. "I'm Shinji Ikari. And this is Rei Ayanami."

"How do you do?" Rei said, without looking up.

Asuka smiled. "I know your names already. They're famous from where I'm from."

Shinji blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Asuka said, pointing a finger to herself. "I'm the Third Child."

Shinji jerked in surprise. "You are? Then…you're here for…?"

"That's right," Asuka said. "It looks like I'll be joining you at NERV from now on."

Shinji smiled and bowed again. "Well, I'm…I'm certainly surprised that you're here already, but I'm pleased all the same. More pilots will only make our job easier."

Asuka blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. "What do you mean, make your job easier? From what I hear, none of you have seen any action yet."

"Have you?" Rei inquired.

Asuka laughed out loud. "Heh, nothing they threw at me back home could even be considered 'action!'"

Shinji exchanged a look with Rei. Her red eyes revealed nothing.

"So…" Shinji ventured. "I'm guessing you trained pretty hard back home?"

"Of course I have. NERV's first branch is in Germany after all."

Shinji smiled. "Well, did you bring a lunch? Why don't you join us?"

Asuka smiled. "Much as I'd love to, I already promised Hikari that I'd eat with her. She's a really nice girl, much more intelligent than most girls here that I've met so far. She's the only one I can hold an intelligent conversation with."

Shinji gave Rei another quick glance. "Well, in that case, you might want to make good on that rain check. Rei and I usually talk about the big issues, and we could use a third party to moderate."

Asuka winked. "I'll do that. Bye now."

Asuka waltzed off, and Shinji sat back down. "Well…she seemed…nice…"

"You find her attractive," Rei said.

It wasn't a question.

"Well…" Shinji pondered. "Yeah. I find a number of girls and women attractive, yourself included. It kind of happens. It doesn't mean I want to go out with her."

Rei nodded. "I didn't say you wanted to date her. I simply said you find her attractive."

Shinji smiled. "And I'm agreeing with you. Strictly speaking, I even find Captain Katsuragi attractive. Hell, even your big sister catches my eye now and then."

Rei looked oddly at him. "…So…what is it exactly that you're trying to prove to me, Shinji?"

Shinji shrugged. "I am a young man. But I'm also a disciplined human being. We all have our urges. The trick is knowing when and when not to act on them. And besides, you can't tell me there aren't any men you know who you aren't attracted to."

Rei shook her head. "No."

Shinji leaned closer. "Anyone?"

Rei blushed. "No one."

Shinji smiled. "Rei? Are you hiding something?"

Rei shook her head. "Nothing."

"Come on!" Shinji teased. "Spill it!"

"Spill what?"

"I mean tell me who it is you find attractive."

"I told you, I am not attracted to anyone other than yourself."

"Don't I count as someone?"

"Being attracted to you was a given."

"Was it now?"

"Yes it was."

"But you're still attracted to someone else. I just know it!"

"I can assure you, I am not."

"You're lying, Rei."

"I…I am not."

"Rei…"

"I…well, I may be…attracted to one person…"

"And…?"

"…"

"…"

"He's the vice commander of NERV."

It took Shinji a few moments to unravel that in his mind.

"…Wait a second…the vice commander of NERV…you don't mean…?"

Rei looked away, a blush rushing unbidden to her face.

"My father?"

"Please…I do not wish for this to change anything between us. Like you said yourself, though you are attracted to others, you know when and when not to act on it. The same is true with me in this case."

"Still…" Shinji gawked, flabbergasted. "My father?"

"Shinji…" Rei sighed. "Remember when you asked me to withhold a particular piece of information about you?"

Shinji though back, cringing. "Uh…yeah?"

"Could I…ask the same of you in this case?"

Shinji sighed, lying on his back. "Ok, Rei, I'll keep it a secret. But, man…who would have guessed?"

"It's the same thing that attracts me to you, I suppose," Rei shrugged, lying down next to him. "What I see in him, I see more of in you. So you have nothing to worry about."

Shinji smiled. "I'm not worried. And you shouldn't be either. Just because Asuka's pretty doesn't mean I'm gonna ditch you for her. You're the most important person in the world to me, Rei."

Rei shifted and placed her head on Shinji's stomach. Shinji let his right hand rest on Rei's belly, stroking her hair with his left.

"Thank you, Shinji," Rei said sleepily.

Shinji said nothing, as he lay in silence.

From afar, a certain redhead had taken notice of the happy couple.

"Asuka?" Hikari asked, setting down her chopsticks. "What are you looking at."

Asuka's eyes narrowed, as she watched Rei lying on top of Shinji. A sly smile graced her face.

"Oh, nothing," she said, returning to her lunch. "Nothing at all."

xxxxx

That afternoon, Asuka found Shinji and Rei walking to NERV, and caught up them.

"Hey you two," Asuka pipped. "Heading for NERV?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah. You going there too?"

Asuka nodded. "Of course. As a fellow pilot, we'll be working together from now on."

Shinji nodded. "Ok." Shinji glanced around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "So…which Eva are you going to be piloting?"

Asuka put her hands on her hips. "Unit 02. It's getting shipped over in a couple of days."

Shinji nodded. "I see. Guess it's going to be crowded at work from now on."

Asuka smiled, before turning her gaze on the blue haired girl. "You're awfully quiet, First Child. I hope I'm not intruding by tagging along."

Rei blinked, but she did not turn her gaze. "Not at all."

Asuka smiled. "Cause I'd hate to interfere with you and your guy."

Shinji cringed. "Um…Asuka…?"

Rei's face reddened. "He is…not my 'guy'…we are simply close friends…"

Asuka blinked. "Oh really? The you two were acting at lunch, I would have assumed you had already rounded third base."

Shinji sweat dropped. "Uh…moving right along…"

Asuka, not about to be stopped, draped herself over Shinji's shoulder, scrunching his face with her hand. "So, this cute little mug of his is available?"

Shinji's cheeks flushed red. "You're…kinda hurting me…"

Rei's eyes flashed. Without saying a word, she grabbed Shinji's hand and tugged him free of Soryu's grip. "Please excuse us," she said, before walking steadily ahead of Asuka, Shinji in tow.

Asuka smiled, her hands laced behind her head. "That's what I thought."

xxxxx

"Rei…don't let her get to you…she's just teasing…" Shinji sighed.

They were in the halls of NERV, heading for the changing rooms.

"She is not 'getting to me.' I was simply removing ourselves from a bothersome situation."

Shinji nodded. "And I appreciate that, though it did come off kind of rude."

Rei frowned. "What she did was rude."

Shinji nodded. "Yeah, well, it's not that big a deal. It was perfectly innocent."

Rei didn't smile. "You seemed to be enjoying her touching you."

Shinji gawked. "Are you kidding? That was the most uncomfortable position I've ever been in since our first date. Bit painful too."

Rei blinked. "You were uncomfortable on our first date?"

Shinji nodded. "Well, yeah. I didn't really know you that well, I had no idea if you'd like me or not. I had no idea what to think."

Rei finally smiled, and took his hand in hers, this time not defensively, but affectionately. "There is no need for discomfort with me, Shinji."

Shinji was about to reply, when the girls locker room door slide open, and out walked the thin frame of Asuka, dressed in her skintight red plug suit.

She noticed her onlookers, and struck a pose. "Well? What do you think?"

Shinji caught himself staring, and sighed. "Oh…um, It's great. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get changed myself; we're already late."

Asuka shrugged, watching Shinji enter. Her eyes fell on Rei, who's face was still unreadable.

"Pilot Soryu? Is it your intention to 'go out' with Shinji?"

Asuka laughed. "Huh? 'Is it my intention?' Who talks like that?"

"The question, if you please."

Asuka shrugged. "Do I wanna go out with him? Well, he's cute enough. But hey, you saw him first. If you want him that bad…"

Rei's cheeks became red. "That is not the issue, Pilot Soryu."

Asuka smiled walking past her. "No, you see, that's exactly the issue. Cause if you don't want to be his girlfriend…then I'm not going to feel any guilt in filling the spot."

Rei inhaled. "Why…why are you doing this?"

Asuka shrugged. "I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary. You're the one who seems to be unable to act."

Rei had no response.

"Bye now," Asuka waved from behind, walking away.

Confused by her own emotions, Rei walked into the changing room.

xxxxx

Shinji had to admit. Asuka was good.

An hour in the training simulation, and she had him beat in every one on one combat simulations.

"Come on, Shinji, I had such high hopes for you," Asuka laughed. "You mean to tell me that's all you got? Ha! I could take on you and the First Child at the same time."

Shinji's eyes flashed. "That sounds like a challenge to me. Rei, would you be up for a two on one battle?"

Rei's face appeared on the screen next to Asuka's on Shinji's screen. "I would."

Asuka flourished. "You just wait! I'm gonna school you so bad, they'll wonder why they even made you pilots!"

Shinji smiled, knowingly. "I wouldn't be too sure, Asuka."

Asuka smirked. "Brave words, Second Child."

An idea flashed across Shinji's mind. "Are you a betting woman, Asuka?"

"Huh?"

Shinji smiled. "I was just thinking we make this fight more interesting. If we beat you, then…Rei, think of something creative for her to do."

"If we beat her, she must cover for each of us for classroom cleanup duty for the rest of the semester."

Shinji sweat dropped. "Is that as creative as you can get?" he whispered.

Rei blushed. "Um…"

Asuka smiled. "Fine by me. But if I win, you have to take me out to dinner. Deal?"

Shinji considered, glanced at Rei's screen. "Rei?"

Rei nodded. "We can beat her. The two of us are unstoppable."

Shinji paused, before nodding. "Right." Turning to Asuka he smiled. "Deal!"

Asuka smiled. "Alright, Shinji! Prepare for the night of your life!"

"Don't count on it," Shinji retorted. "Lemme pick a stage."

"Hey, I already have the handicap," Asuka shot back. "I pick stage!"

"Alright, fine."

"I pick…" Asuka browed through the list of digital playing fields. "Battleship Ocean."

Shinji gulped, and glanced at Rei. She nodded.

Their worst stage.

"Captain Katsuragi?" Asuka hollered. "Load us up, if you please."

Misato, who had been listening intently on the ensuing conversation, nodded. "Alright, guys. May the best pilot win."

Asuka nodded. "I intend to."

xxxxx

Battleship Ocean wasn't so much a playing field as it was just what the name suggested: an ocean filled with battleships.

The virtual Eva's were equipped with Type A equipment, so they could swim in water as well as a human could. They would be bound by the same restrictions that they would face in a regular battle: they had to have an umbilical cable attached for power, and were bound by their battery if not. At full power, the power needed to make a successful leap between battleships, they only had a minute. Anything less than that wouldn't make it.

"Fear not, Shinji," Rei said in private. "I have been observing Pilot Soryu's fighting style. I should be able to deduce a plan momentarily."

Shinji nodded, eying their surroundings. "There are 18 battleships on the map. We each start at three evenly spaced carriers equipped with umbilical cables. Whichever team disables the other wins. If she destroys our Evas, we lose. If either of us runs out of power, we lose."

Rei nodded. "And the same applies to her. And we have the advantage in number."

Shinji nodded. "That advantage doesn't exist when the only level playing field is big enough for one Eva to stand."

Rei smiled. "You forget the water."

Shinji blinked, sensing Rei had deduced a plan.

"Tell me what to do."

xxxxx

"Pilots, ready?" Misato said over the speakers.

"Ready!" all three announced.

"Pilots Ikari and Ayanami versus Pilot Soryu! Ready…fight!"

The game began.

Immediately, Unit 01 dove into the water, while Rei advanced on her target, leaping battleships to get to Unit 02.

Asuka smiled. "She's taking me head on? She's more desperate to lose than I thought."

Rei landed directly in front of Unit 02 on the aircraft carrier, her cord floating in the water all the way back to her carrier.

"Your stance if all wrong, First Child," Asuka chided. "For one on one combat on such tight grounds, you'll need as much balance as your Eva can give you."

"And how might I do that?" Rei asked, cynically.

"Like this…" Asuka crouched down low, rocking the carrier, causing Rei to wobble. With a quick swipe of her arm, she had knocked Unit 00's legs out from under her, causing Rei to fall on her side, landing hard.

Instantly, Asuka was on her, prog knife in hand, knife bared at Unit 00's throat. Rei grabbed Unit 02's arm, stopping the knife inches above her neck.

"You've still got a lot to learn, First Child," Asuka crowed.

"On the contrary," Rei smiled. "You've fallen right into our trap."

Rei twisted her Eva's head out of the way, and pulled Asuka's knife down, jamming it into the deck. Then, she wrapped her Eva's legs around Unit 02's waist, and held her down.

"Shinji, now!"

Like a killer whale leaping for its prey, Shinji exploded out of the water, flipping over Unit 02, swiping his knife, cutting her umbilical cable. He landed his Eva smoothly on a battleship on the far side.

"Sheisse!" Asuka cursed. She yanked her knife out of the hulk of the carrier, and slashed Unit 00's throat. The legs that strapped Asuka to the carrier slumped lifeless to the deck.

"I have been beaten, Shinji," Rei harrowed.

"It doesn't matter," Shinji smiled. "We've already won."

Asuka stood up, sheathing her knife. "You may have caught me off guard. But now, it's one on one."

Shinji smiled. "Well, I've still got a power source."

"One minute's all I need," Asuka glared.

"Not if you can't catch me," Shinji said, dashing away.

Asuka chased after him, vaulting from ship to ship, tailing in hot pursuit.

Rei could see the whole fight on her screen, though she could not interact with anything that happened. "Shinji…"

Shinji was bolting at breakneck speed. Asuka didn't seem to be gaining. In fact, she wasn't even following him at all. Instead, she reached another carrier that, instead of an umbilical cable, hid something else.

Shinji paused, watching Asuka from a battleship a safe distance away.

Asuka glanced at her clock. Thirty-five seconds. She frantically searched the deck of the carrier, until she found what she was looking for.

She stood her Eva up, bearing a pistol.

Shinji laughed. "You expect to knock out my Eva with that?"

Asuka didn't respond. She concentrated on her aim, placing a shot into the hull of the craft.

Shinji laughed. "What are you shooting at? Even if you hit my umbilical cable, I've still got more power than yours."

Asuka didn't respond. Instead she kept firing, missing Shinji by significant margins.

Rei blinked. "Soryu's aim is better than that. She's missing on purpose. Why? Or is it Shinji's she's shooting at…?"

Rei froze, realizing that Asuka hadn't been missing at all. She'd been placing shots into the hull of the ship Shinji was standing on. This was no pre-impact battleships, these were state of the art UN military craft.

Each powered by a nuclear generator.

"Shinji!" Rei cried, even though he couldn't hear her. "Move!"

Asuka cringed, glancing at her clock. Eight seconds.

"Come on…" Asuka bit her lip. "One well placed shot…"

She pulled the trigger. The bullet flew, piercing the hull of the craft, nicking the nuclear reactor.

The resulting explosion was quite a sight to see, even if it was computer generated.

xxxxx

Each child exited their test plugs weary and somber, save for one.

"Hm! I know just where I want you to take me, too!" Asuka smiled, waltzing off.

Shinji sighed, giving Rei a pained look. "I'm sorry, Rei. I should have realized what she was shooting at."

Rei didn't respond.

"We don't know whether or not the enemy will have any knowledge as to the makeup of our military craft," Misato offered. "If it hadn't been for the nuclear reactor, your plan was a sound one."

Shinji blinked. "Uh…Captain? Exactly what is it we're supposed to be fighting?"

The captain shrugged. "Who knows? We have enemies, that's all I was told. They're expecting an attack sometime this year."

Shinji frowned. "I have a feeling my parents know more."

Misato shook her head. "I wouldn't press it, Shinji. Your parents are doing what's right. You can't assume to be the judge here."

Shinji nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Oh, Shinji?" came Asuka's fluttery call. "I expect to see when I come out of the locker room."

Shinji turned and slowly made his way to the locker room, Rei slowly tailing behind.

"Shinji…?" Rei asked.

"Yeah?"

"You didn't…lose on purpose, did you?"

Shinji glanced at her. "Why would you think that? I wasn't even sure how I lost until she gloated to me afterward."

Rei nodded. "You're right. How could you have?"

Shinji smiled, weakly. "Rei…you can trust me. Asuka just wants to be one of us. Now, I'll take her to dinner, we'll have a nice evening, and if she tries anything, I'll tell her there's someone else I'm holding out for."

Rei blushed deeply. "You…you would do that?"

Shinji smiled. "You have to ask?"

Rei smiled, slipping her arms around his back, holding him tightly. "I…thank you, Shinji."

xxxxx

A/N: Wow, longest chapter yet. As long as it was, I was planning to write more for this, until I realized I was already ahead of schedule. I hate inconsistency.

Anyway, this chapter was fun to write. I tried to imagine how Asuka would act if neither of her parents had died. One of my reviewers suggested that I have Asuka's parents and Shinji's parents arrange for their respective children to hook up. The idea sounded appealing, so I'm gonna see where this leads.

Only problem is, now it's not just Yui being alive, but both Asuka's parents as well. I was comfortable assuming that with Yui being alive, that Naoko would consequently be alive in this fic too. But I can't foresee Yui having any effect on Kyoko Soryu's life. So, while the story's called "The Difference of a Life," it would be more accurately called "The Difference of Three Lives." Somehow, that doesn't carry the same tone, so I'll just stick with the title I have and hope that nobody cares.

Also, I'm having a lot of fun writing for the adults in this fic. Naoko in particular is a very interesting character to write for. I hope to include more of them in future chapters.

This is the first time I've ever really written any detail on the fighting that goes on in the training simulators for the Eva's. It's not my strong point, so I hope to avoid it as much as possible, though I don't know how I'm going to do that when the Angels start attacking.

Read and review.

I'm out.