Rei was quickly running up the stairs of the apartment complex where Shinji lived. She had taken a train most of the way, but had been running for almost a mile now. Her face was flush, her breathe just becoming ragged; it didn't help that she was running in her school uniform, either. Her once white shoes, muddied and stained now, carried her up the stairs as fast as they could.
Haste, however, would be the bane of her. Landing her foot a scant half an inch off from the edge of the stair, Rei lost her balance. Falling, she tried to catch herself by flinging out her hands. She caught one on the edge of a stair, the other on the flat of it. Her elbow scraped painfully against the cement, and her knees were skinned clean. Rei cried out in pain, hoping no one had seen her little tumble.
She got up and evaluated her wounds. "Son of a damn!" she exclaimed. She gasped, eyes wide. Did she really just say that? She looked around in case someone had heard her curse, embarrassed as she was about it. Not an hour from being free and she was already swearing—incorrectly, however. Since she had never been exposed to such language (and if she had, she hadn't taken notice), Rei didn't have the slightest clue as to how to curse with eloquence.
Blood was trickling down Rei's legs, staining her socks. Her elbow wasn't as badly injured, though blood still escaped her body, running down the length of her arm. She didn't have anything to sop it up with, nor anything to clean the cuts. Shinji would be able to help her, she was sure. She rushed up the stairs once again, though a bit more cautiously this time.
The room was still hot, the smell of Asuka still oppressive. Shinji sat in a kind of bittersweet agony, not wanting to leave Asuka's side, but not wanting to endure such heat any longer.
After Asuka had put her shirt back on (God only knows why she took it off in the first place!), she had gone back to the game. Shinji was watching, hoping to crack the puzzle wide open before Asuka did, just to show her that he was useful. He stared intently at the screen, squinting his eyes now and then when he had an idea.
"Scheiß…" whispered Asuka. She was getting frustrated.
Shinji was starting to get nervous. When Asuka got frustrated, she usually took it out on him, blaming him for her ineptitudes. The room seemed to get hotter, the air more dense; a thin blanket of hostility slowly floated down upon the two pilots.
The clock read 3:42. Shinji had been in Asuka's room for over an hour and a half now. He wasn't complaining about it, exactly—it was strange that she had let him stay in there for so long though.
A shrill tone was heard throughout the house. Shinji stood, wonder on his face. "Who could that be?" he said to himself. "I'll go see who's at the door," he said to Asuka, who didn't seem to pay him any mind. Shinji left the oppressive room, and turned the corner to enter the kitchen. Plates were stacked upon each other in the sink, all still dirty from last night's dinner, and this morning's breakfast; Asuka had forgotten to do them. Beer cans almost overflowed the garbage can by the fridge, and the beer itself left a pungent odor in the room; Misato had forgotten to take care of those. The table and countertops were clean, thanks to Shinji doing his chores. Sometimes it seemed like the girls didn't do their work because they knew he would eventually get annoyed and do it for them.
Walking to the door, Shinji pressed the 'talk' button. "Who is it?"
From the static of the intercom, but also muffled through the actual door, he heard, "Ayanami. May I come in?"
What? Why is Rei here? We better not have to go back to NERV and do more tests.
The door quickly slid open, revealing a dirty and bloody Rei. "Ayanami! What happened to you? You're bleeding!"
Rei blushed. "I fell while coming up the stairs…" She could feel her cheeks turn a bright crimson. She hoped that Shinji wasn't secretly laughing at her.
"Well come in, I'll get some bandages for you."
Rei followed Shinji into the kitchen where he pulled out a seat for her. He went to get bandages and antiseptic from the bathroom, promising to be back soon. She sat, trying not to stretch her legs or arm too much; clots that were starting to form in her wounds might break open, and she would get blood all over the clean floor. She didn't want to inconvenience Shinji at all, and so she did her best to keep still.
"Shinji, who's here?" Asuka called from her room. Rei tensed up; Asuka would more than likely get angry that she was here. She would get even madder when she found out that Shinji was taking care of Rei's hurts. But what could Rei do? It's not like she could run into another room and hide; that would make her look silly. She could not leave the apartment, not after Shinji had already promised to take care of her. She would just have to take the brute force of Asuka's attacks that were sure to come. Rei hardened herself, steeling off her heart.
"Shinji!" Asuka yelled. She had asked politely already, and Shinji hadn't answered. He was being rude about the entire thing, she decided. It was time to set him straight. Asuka got up, careful to keep her breasts from spilling out of her loose tank-top. That idiot…
She walked out to the kitchen, where she found, surprisingly, a bloody Rei. Trying to hide her shock, Asuka put a grim scowl on her face. "And what are you doing here?"
"I've come to talk with Shinji, that is all."
A fire was lit inside of Asuka. Rei coming all this way just to talk to Shinji? She doubted that. Rei was trying to steal him away from her. If Asuka couldn't have Shinji, then she sure as hell wouldn't let anyone else have him. She had to have him. She had to be better than Wondergirl. Asuka suppressed the fire, though; for now, she had to find out exactly what was going on.
"What's with the blood?"
Rei looked down at her tarnished knees. "I scraped them." She pressed her lips together, making them thin. She didn't want Asuka to know how clumsy she had been, and so said nothing else.
"Hm," Asuka grunted. "Where's my Shinji?"
Rei's brow furrowed. Her Shinji? Again with that? But no, she had to be polite; she didn't want to get kicked out by Asuka before she had a chance to talk with Shinji. "He is gathering bandages and antiseptic for the cuts," she said quietly, but not meekly; she put a force behind her voice saying "Don't try me, bitch."
Asuka noticed the change in tone. So she wants to fight, is that it? She doesn't know what she's getting herself into, the damn wench.
"Alright, I've got the bandages, Rei!" Shinji called from the bathroom, from which he soon emerged. He saw Asuka staring at Rei, and Rei staring back. There was a sort of electricity in the air, humming with enmity. "Oh, Asuka. Um, Rei's here. She hurt herself, a-and I'm helping her clean up."
"No shit, Sherlock," she bluntly replied.
"W-well, um, I can take care of her now. Y-you can get back to the game, alright? I'm sure we've almost got that p-puzzle figured out."
Asuka turned to face Shinji, looking him in the eye. She smoothed her face, and replaced the scowl with a bright smile. She rushed over to him, and closed in, putting them face-to-face. "Alright, Shinji," she purred. "But hurry, 'k? I've got something I want to show you." She licked her lips. "Hurry, Shinji…" Asuka giggled and turned to leave. She shot a hateful glance at Rei, knowing she had won that small battle. She escaped to her room.
Rei was angry now—screw politeness. Asuka had just flaunted herself in front of Shinji just to get her angry, and by Job, it worked. Rei began to stand, but Shinji came and blocked her.
"I've got to put on these bandages first, Rei. Sit down and try to relax, alright?" he said.
Rei sat, frustrated she couldn't go after Asuka, but happy that Shinji was paying attention to her. She turned her chair so that he could crouch in front of her, making it easier for him to put on the bandages.
Shinji received a beaming smile from Rei as he crouched, grabbing for the antiseptic first. It seemed strange on her face; he hadn't seen Rei smile like that since they defeated Ramiel. Shinji showed his own smile, encouraged that Rei seemed to be happy.
"This might sting a little…" he said, slowly rubbing the antiseptic onto one of Rei's knees. She flinched a little at first contact, but relaxed after that. "So Rei, um…why'd you come here?" He looked up at Rei. "N-not saying that you aren't welcome or anything like that. You never seem to come over anyway, even if you're invited. It's just strange, you showing up here." Shinji shook his head, trying to explain. "N-not that it isn't nice to see you, Rei. I-I enjoy your company, when we actually have free time to spend." He stopped talking, knowing he was just rambling.
Rei giggled, holding a hand up to her mouth. It was a foreign sound to Shinji's ears, but it felt like…home. Her laughter comforted him. A warm glow pulsated in his chest, going right in time with the beat of his heart. It felt strange and alien, but so…right that there was no denying its good intentions.
Shinji, not knowing what to do, concentrated on the dressing of Rei's cuts. He was soon done with the job, and stood, taking a step back. "Okay, you should be ready to go, Rei."
She stood, pushing the chair back under the table. She took a step toward Shinji and placed a hand on his chest. "Thank you, Shinji." Rei pressed her other hand against his chest, and laid her head against him. He smelled…nice. He smelled friendly and soothing. All thoughts of Asuka and her jealous anger left Rei's mind, replaced with the overwhelming sense of good that Shinji put in her.
Bewildered, Shinji raised his arms for a moment, a shocked expression on his face. What in the world was Rei doing? First she comes over, beaten and bloodied and with no warning; then she smiles and laughs, something she has never done; and now she wanted him to hug her! What was going on?
Well, what else could Shinji do? So he slowly embraced Rei. First he only touched her, but soon began pressing her against him. She felt good up against his chest. The lavender and rose smell swept itself into Shinji's nose, filling him with a sort of calm happiness. Rei sighed in pleasure, glad that he had squeezed her close. Shinji rest his cheek down onto Rei's brilliant blue hair, taking in her scent in a deep breath.
He soon realized what he was doing, and yelped in embarrassment. He jumped and backed away, all the time apologizing. "I'm sorry Ayanami, I didn't mean to do that! I'm not a pervert, I swear!" Shinji stopped in the hall, looking hesitantly and anxiously at Rei.
She smiled and laughed. "What are you talking about, Shinji? Come back here…" Rei glided towards him.
Asuka had heard the fervent apologies from her room. She put down her controller, got up from her pile of pillows, and started for the kitchen. Arschloch. What's she done with my Shinji? She came out just as Rei was trying to grab hold of Shinji, wrapping her arms around him. "Dreckig Schlampe!" Asuka screamed. "Get the hell away from my Shinji!"
Rei turned, attention on the infuriated German. "Shinji, back away. I don't want you getting hurt."
"W-what? What's going on?" Shinji was confused out of his mind. Why were Asuka and Rei at each others throats?
"Shut up and get out of the way, idiot," Asuka said. She took a step forward, crouching ever so slightly, ready to fight.
Rei did the same, readying her fists. NERV had taught a few classes on self-defense, and she had not forgotten them.
Shinji saw the hate in the girls' eyes. He just didn't know why it was there. "Wait, you can't do this!" He stepped in between them. "This is childish!" He was trying to cool down the situation, trying to disarm the hostility between the two girls; it didn't seem to be working though. Asuka advanced another step. Now, Shinji was the only thing blocking her from Rei. She grabbed his arm, ready to throw him aside.
"Shinji, this is an issue for us girls to work out. You need to leave, or you might get hurt too," she said curtly.
Rei agreed. "It would not be wise to stay, Shinji. Please wait in the other room."
Shinji was almost in a panic. "No! I won't allow this to happen! I can't just watch as you two tear each other apart." He shook his head. "What the hell are you two fighting about anyway?" he demanded.
The girls were caught off guard by this. They had just assumed that Shinji knew what was going on between the three of them. Obviously, they were gravely mistaken. Asuka thought he was denser than ever before, while Rei thought she had failed in expressing her love for him. Both were examples of valid reasoning, but neither fully explaining his ignorance.
Asuka backed down first. "Wait, you don't know?"
"Know what, damnit?"
Rei also took a step back. "You truly do not realize…?"
Shinji quickly shook his head. "I have no clue what the hell you two are talking about!"
The girls looked at each other, then at Shinji, then back at each other. Asuka shrugged and let out a sigh. Rei stood silent, mouth tight.
"You idiot." Asuka said, exasperated. "You can be such a fucking moron sometimes." She turned around and walked to her room. "We'll finish this later, hexe," she said as she closed the door.
Shinji faced Rei. "Can you please explain to me what's going on?"
She looked up into his eyes, seeing he was, without a doubt, ignorant about the entire subject. Seeing this, Rei felt like it was her fault. She hadn't had time to explain to Shinji what a magnificent revelation she had experienced, and apparently wasn't able to express her love for him adequately. She lowered her head, dejected. "I need to go, Shinji." she said quietly.
"Could you tell me what's happening before you go?"
"No, I'm sorry. I just can't do that." Rei snatched back a sob as best she could, but it still broke through. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. "I have to go right now," she said, rushing past a confused Shinji, running to the door and out the apartment.
And so Shinji was left alone in the hall—stunned, baffled, perplexed and mystified as to what in the flying fuck just happened.
A/N: Sorry if my German isn't quite correct. I took a few years of it earlier in high school, but have forgotten much of it. Lemme know if anything is incorrect.