The physics room where Shinji sat was rather large, as the students needed room to do experiments. Counters lined most of the walls, black tops stained and dented after years of chemicals spills and dropped equipment. Cupboards accompanied these counters, latched to the walls right above them for easy access; the students, though, didn't really know what was in them—they were more like decorations than things to actually be used. Sinks were placed every now and then in the counters, as were gas valves and computer stations for the students to take advantage of. A back room held the supplies for both the physics and chemistry classes—chemicals, beakers, thermometers, scales and the like—but only the teacher was allowed back there; the students didn't care what was stored away in there anyway. Only half the room was suitable for the students to be lectured in, as only half the room had seats. Orange-topped tables, able to sit two, were lined in three columns and four rows, all facing the white boards that hung on the wall. The teacher's desk was set in the middle of the room against a wall, also facing the white boards. This way, he could watch the students as they worked, or be readily available when they were experimenting.
Shinji sat twiddling his thumbs at his table as his teacher explained the experiment they were to carry out. Scribbling some key points to take note of on the whiteboard with his spidery handwriting, the teacher told the students they were to design a bridge to build out of manila envelopes. Today, they were to brainstorm such a design that might prove to be the sturdiest, and then next week they would submit the plans and begin construction. He explained that they were to cut and fold the envelopes into suitable pieces once they got to the construction phase. He said that using something like balsa wood would be much too resistant to the pressure they would apply later on, and the whole point of the experiment was to explore the effects of weight on these fragile contraptions.
"Okay, you'll need a partner for this lab. Because I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you guys choose your own. Get to it!"
The students were happy they could pick their own partners, and were quickly all paired up. Kensuke and Toji, who sat at the same table, were together; before Asuka could grab Shinji as a partner, Hikari asked her to be with her; the rest of the class took partners quickly as well. That left Shinji sitting at his table in the back corner, alone and without a lab partner. He raised his hand to tell the teacher of the predicament.
"Yes, Ikari, what is it?"
"Well sir, I don't have a partner…"
"Uh oh. We can't have you being alone," the teacher said. "Does anyone else not have a partner?" He scanned the room, looking for any singles. "Ah yes!" he said, "Ikari, you're with Ayanami."
Shinji turned in his seat to look across the row. Rei sat in the other corner table, by herself as well. She glanced at him, then turned her face downwards, blushing. Shinji, blushing as well, turned back to sit straight in his chair.
"Okay, get with your partner everybody. Sit where ever you'd like," the teacher said as he walked back to his desk. "Keep on task! I don't want to hear talk about the latest fashion or how Yukino wants to go out with Shinichiro!" The gossipy (is that a word?) class laughed at this and pointed at the two students he was talking about.
Shinji watched from the corner of his eye as Rei stood, pushed her chair in, and gathered her things. She walked over to his table and sat down, softly and quietly as a feather. Shinji's breath caught in his throat and he held it there, too nervous to do anything else. The air around them seemed to crackle with tension, the pressure building into an almost visible dome of anxiousness.
After Shinji and Rei had gotten to her apartment on Wednesday, they had sat down and planned out their date. They were going to go out and have some dinner around five thirty, rent a few movies afterwards, then go to Shinji's house to watch them. Asuka would be at Hikari's for the night on Friday, so there was no chance that there would be a fight. After a few minutes of coming up with this plan, Shinji left Rei's apartment looking forward for Friday.
Now, the two could barely sit next to each other. It was strange seeing Rei like this—too nervous to speak, that is. She looked at the table-top, hands folded in her lap. Shinji swallowed, clearing his throat a bit. "A-Ayanami…" he sputtered out, only darkening the growing bubble around the two. He opened up his backpack, searching for a piece of scratch paper and a pencil with trembling hands. "U-u-um…s-should we get s-started?" he asked. Rei nodded slightly, but didn't move otherwise.
Shinji placed the paper in between them on the table. They both looked at it for a few moments like it was going to start dancing at any second, but they were sadly disappointed. It sat there, doing what paper does. You know—nothing.
"We do not have any knowledge on what the best design for a bridge would be," Rei asked, "do we?"
"N-no, the teacher hasn't given us any information about it at all."
"That seems unreasonable." Rei shook her head and sat back a little bit. The bubble weakened and strained.
Shinji laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess we're just supposed to make it up." He sighed. "It seems kind of ridiculous though." The bubble faltered, popping open. Now that some humor was introduced into the two's conversation, the awkwardness of being close to each other was lessened by great amounts. They both sighed in relief on the inside as they started brainstorming.
For the rest of the class, they worked on designing their bridge, though they had no idea as to how to make a good one. Throughout this time, they joked about small things, talked about meaningless stuff, and just had a good little time in general. Once class was over, and it was time for the two to separate, Shinji stood, but avoided looking at Rei. "Um…would you like to eat with me today at lunch, Ayanami?
She blushed. "Y-yes, that would be very pleasant."
"Great! Why don't we meet at…" Shinji paused a moment. "Why don't I just meet you at your locker?"
"That would be fine," she said as she smiled and looked at the table. "I will see you then."
Shinji smiled and waved, saying good-bye. Rei gathered her things and left the physics room after a moment of absorbing the happiness she felt. Shinji was finally paying attention to her! A warm, pulsating glow was growing in Rei's heart, filling her body with joy and a sort of…an ache, it seemed. The ache hurt, in a strange way. Whenever Shinji was around, it went away to hide backstage; but when Rei was separated from him, the ache came back into the limelight, flexing its power, showing off its might. The ache felt good, even though it did cause her pain. What is this? she asked herself. This feeling…it's so strange, so alien. Could this be…? As she was walking to her next class, she stopped in the middle of the hall. Is this…love?
A sudden thought came into her mind. If she had never loved, then how could she know what it was, what it felt like? She panicked for a moment, doubting the emotions that swam through her, so new as they were. Do I love him, or do I not? How do I know the answer? Fellow students brushed past her, shouldering around the strange girl that stood right in their way. Rei finally noticed she was obstructing traffic, and hurriedly joined the flow, embarrassed in her obliviousness.
But wait—if she had never experienced love, then what she felt could really be love. If she wanted to name this thing that coursed through her veins "love," then she had every right to. She entered her next class overjoyed. This is love because I say it is. She smiled to herself.
Across the school, Kensuke and Toji were interrogating Shinji. They stood over him as he sat in his desk, looming like great giants sent by the gods to destroy the heathen thing called "Shinji."
"C'mon, tell us what happened! We saw you two sittin' back there, talking and laughing and flirting with each other. Are you two going out, or what?" Toji demanded.
"N-no, it's not l-like that," but that was all Shinji could say. As he thought about it, they had been flirting with each other, even though it wasn't intentional. He couldn't let his buddies know that, though—there'd be no end to the speculations and questions they'd throw at him.
"From what I saw," Kensuke said, "you two looked just like a couple. Tell us the truth now! You two are going out, aren't you!" It was more of an accusation than a question.
"No, we're not! We're just friends."
"Right, like you're 'just friends' with Asuka. Shinji, you know that you're gonna get burned one of these days if you keep messing around with two girls!" Toji sat on the nearest desk, sighing. "I wish I had two girls going after me…"
With a devious light in his eye, Kensuke asked Shinji, "So what are you doing this weekend? Maybe we could hang out, say, tonight?" He grinned, an evil little thing.
"W-well, I'm busy t-tonight. What about tomorrow?"
"Oh, what are you busy with, eh? Something more important than your friends, Shinji? Tell me, what could this 'something' be?" Shinji shook his head as he tried to get out of the trap that Kensuke had laid. "HaHA! I knew it! You're going on a date with Rei, aren't you!" Again, more of an accusation than anything else.
Toji gasped, standing. "A date? With Ayanami?" A look of wonder covered his face. "How'd you pull that one off? She's always so cold and distant."
Shinji didn't have any time to say anything back to his friends, though. The teacher walked into the room as the tardy bell was ringing, and everyone rushed to their seats. Neither Toji nor Kensuke sat next to him, so Shinji was able to relax a little bit. They wouldn't be able to pester him about Rei for at least another fifty minutes, but after that, he'd be in the fire again.
The teacher lectured the whole period as the students took notes, though a few just dozed off. It seemed like the clock wasn't moving—every time Shinji looked up at it, only a few minutes had passed, if that. He shifted in his seat, trying to get the hard plastic to stop digging into his back. This sucks, he thought. Why can't it just be lunch already? Impatient as he was, Time decided to spite him by stretching out the period longer than it should have been. You have no patience, boy, Time said. You best learn to bide your time now, or things will be very hard later on. It giggled. Look at me, for example—if I hadn't found some kind of patience, I would have gone insane eons ago! Time thought for a moment. Heh, actually, I'm probably already insane, but I just don't know it. Yahar!
The bell finally rang, and the teacher excused the students. Right away, Toji and Kensuke were back at questioning Shinji. Did you ask her, or did she ask you? What are you guys gonna do? You're gonna make a move on her, aren't you! They flung these kinds of questions at him all the way to their next class. Once they got there, though, they stopped, but kept up their smirks. Rei was in this class with them, along with Asuka, and they didn't want to get Shinji in to any trouble with either of them.
Shinji, as he sat in his desk, glanced at Rei with a small smile. She had watched him come in and sit—the smallest of smiles brightened her face, but her eyes showed her contained joy. She was afraid that Asuka might notice her happiness, and glanced anxiously over at her. Asuka wasn't paying attention, though, as she was talking to Hikari. No conflict arose as the teacher began his lecture on the post-Second Impact world.
Today, the lecture focused on the horrible effects of the radical environmental changes in southwestern Asia. Once the axis of the earth shifted, and temperatures were raised in the Northern Hemisphere, much of the snow and ice in the Himalayan mountain range melted. Subsequent floods killed over a billion people in India and China alone, leaving the infrastructure of both countries, though more so of the former than the latter, in shambles. Nepal and Bhutan, the teacher said, were completely destroyed in these floods—these nations no longer existed, he said. Though not all of the snow had melted right away, because of the new, much hotter average temperatures, the majestic Himalaya Mountains, once clad in white crowns and pristine cloaks of ice, were now reduced to ugly, brown spikes, reaching for the heavens with gray tufts on their heads.
All of this talk of destruction and death wore down the class, making the room fill with shadows of sadness and gloom. The teacher, knowing of this change in attitude, ended the lecture early and let the students talk for the remaining ten minutes of class. Toji, along with Kensuke, rushed back to Shinji's desk to talk to him. They were determined to get some solid answers out of this kid, and were prepared to pester him the rest of the day if need be. They asked the same questions they had in the previous class and in the hall while they were in transit: Who asked who out? Are you gonna go on a romantic walk through the park? You guys aren't gonna make out, are you?
At long last, Shinji was saved by the shrill ringing of the bell. His questioners stopped the barrage for a moment, interested in food more than his and Rei's relationship.
An evil laugh erupted from Toji's throat. "Vuahahaha! Thou shalt be devour'd, thou knave Food!" He rushed off for the school store to get his lunch, knocking into a few classmates as he went.
"Well that's a surprise," Kensuke said. "Who knew Toji could be so…archaic?" Both he and Shinji shook their heads, not knowing what else the jock might be hiding away. "So where should we eat today, Shinji? It looks pretty nice out—I'm sure the roof would be nice."
"I'm not going to be eating with you two today." He saw that Kensuke was giving him the ol' "BS,-where-else-are-you-going-to-eat" eye. He swallowed, eyes darting around as he tried to come up with an excuse. His friend was suspicious and probably already had an idea of what was going on, so, making sure that Asuka wasn't listening in, Shinji said, "I'm having lunch with Ayanami today." Rei was just walking out of the room at that point, and glanced at him for a scant second before hastily making her exit.
"O rly?" asked Kensuke.
"Ya rly," replied Shinji.
"No wai!!" Toji exclaimed as he arrived back with an armful of food.
"Yeah, yeah. I need to go now—I don't want to keep her waiting." Shinji shouldered his pack and left the room with his friends analyzing what exactly this meant.
"If they're eating lunch together," Kensuke said once Shinji was out of earshot, "what's next?"
"I bet they do it tonight," Toji mused. "Shinji, you dog." He chuckled and began ravaging his stockpile of food.
Shinji quickly stopped at his locker to grab his lunch. It was a simple assortment of food, today—a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some juice, carrots and some cookies. He hadn't felt like cooking last night, and so whipped up two of these simple lunches for him and Asuka. She liked the idea of this kind of lunch, as this was the kind she used to have back in Germany. He saw that her lunch was already gone from the locker, along with the hat she had worn today. She must be eating outside, then, if she took her hat, he deducted. Best stay inside with Rei today, then. Looking at his watch, he cursed and made his way to Rei's locker.
She was standing there with her own lunch in her hands, looking around for Shinji as he came upon her. "Sorry!" he said, "I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
"Oh no, I've only been here a minute or two…"
Shinji looked about, wracking his mind for a good place to go to eat lunch. "Um…"
"Is something the matter?"
"No, nothing. I was just wondering where we should eat."
"Why don't we eat outside? The weather looked fairly decent when I looked out the window last period."
"N-no, let's not go outside," Shinji said, worrying that Asuka would see them together if they did so. "Why don't we eat in…in…Oh! in the library!"
"I do not think we are allowed to eat in there."
"You're right. Then how about the main foyer?"
Rei looked dubious. "We could, if you wanted to. Many of the students here eat in there, though…" She looked into Shinji's eyes.
"Right. Um…" There was no reaction to what Rei had suggested. He didn't realize that she had basically said she wanted to be alone with him. "What about the stairwell? Not many people go around there during lunch, and I'm pretty sure we can eat there." Or had he gotten her hint, but not shown it?
Rei nodded, saying, "That sounds fine." Shinji led the way off to the west wing's stairwell. It was the farthest away from the main stairs, so only a few scattered kids sat against lockers or walked with friends through the hall. The two pilots got to the stairs, walked up a few, and sat down, being sure to keep a good distance between them. They unpacked their lunches, placing the food in this no-man's land of cold concrete.
Munching on their food, the two didn't say anything for a long time. The tension that had surrounded them earlier that day in physics came back, clouding the air around them with an unsure aura. Rei felt this bubble, knowing it to be something that the two created themselves, and so could easily rid of if they pleased. But it was so hard, breaking the silence that lingered between them. She didn't want to say something stupid or something that he wouldn't be interested in. She didn't want to make a fool of herself, that was for sure. Yet this was no way to spend time together, in such an ill-at-ease environment.
"F-for tonight, um…where will we be dining?" Rei finally asked.
Shinji seemed relieved that the tension had been broken, if only a small amount, and said that he had planned to take her to a ramen place. "I remember you enjoying yourself when we went with Asuka and Misato after we killed the tenth Angel. Well, at least I thought you enjoyed yourself—you didn't say much." Sweat formed on his brow. "I-is that alright? I mean, we can go where ever you want. I just thought…"
"Ramen would be very nice," Rei said, scooting a few inches closer to him.
A grin split his concerned face. "Fantastic. Am I still picking you up around five thirty?" This time, it was he who moved closer to her, leaning on his hand. They were right next to each other, now.
Rei nodded and put her hand on top of his. "I can't wait, Shinji." She put more pressure on his hand, emphasizing her eagerness.
A wide smile covered Shinji's face as he flipped his hand so that he could now grasp Rei's. He gazed dreamily into her eyes now twinkling with bliss. A long moment passed as the two sat holding each other's hand. The bell rang, echoing about the concrete walls of the stairwell. The pilots gave up the grip they had on each other and stuffed the rest of their forgotten food into their bags. Standing, they joined hands once again and walked into the hall. For almost thirty feet they held onto each other before it dawned upon them that it might be a bad idea to be seen like that. They walked side-by-side until they had to part down separate halls; Shinji once again said he would drop by Rei's place at five thirty; Rei once again said, in her own way, that she could barely contain her excitement.
Class after lunch was tedious for both as they anticipated the events that would unfold that night. At long last, when the final bell rang and students rushed out for friend's houses and movie theaters, Rei rushed home, taking a train whereas she would usually walk most of the way. She had to get home and get ready, though the date was still a good two hours off. Once home, she hastily took her clothes off, setting them on the bed next to her new dress, her high-heels on the floor right below.
On Wednesday night, after Shinji had left her house, Rei realized that she had nothing to wear for the date; all she owned as far as clothes went were a few school uniforms and a plug suit—certainly not things she would wear out to dinner. She had a thought, though. If anyone could help me, it would be Major Katsuragi. So she called Misato on her cell, knowing she wouldn't be at the apartment. After informing her that she was going on a date with Shinji, the Major laughed with relief. "It's great you two are getting to know each other, finally!" she had said. "Oh, but you don't have anything to wear, do you? I guess it's time we go shopping! I'll come by the school after you're out tomorrow, and we'll go together. Sound good?" Rei consented, but told Katsuragi to park a few blocks away so that no one would see them and get suspicious. She hung up the phone and went to bed shortly thereafter. It was going to be interesting, shopping with Misato. Rei just hoped she wouldn't end up destroying her bank account.
After school the next day, the Major was where Rei told her to be, and the two headed right for the mall like a bat out of hell. Once there and in the biggest clothes store they could find, Misato asked Rei what kind of outfit she was looking for. Not knowing what kind of outfit would be best, she told Misato to choose for her.
"Then it'll have to be a dress! You don't want to look laid-back and wear jeans—that might make Shinji think he isn't important enough for you to get dressed up. A miniskirt would be too much for the first date, and I don't think you'd like wearing one anyway. The best choice is a dress, then." Rei nodded meekly, following her shopping guide to the dress section.
After looking about for a few minutes, Misato had a couple nice dresses picked out. After trying them on, and a little arguing, they made a consensus on a simple spaghetti-string, A-line, royal blue dress made of cotton. It was elegant, though, and that's what they both liked most about it. Misato paid for the dress, even though Rei insisted that she take the bill. "This is your first dress, so I would be honored to buy it for you, Rei," she had said. Rei finally backed down at let Misato pay, though she still didn't like the idea all that much.
As they were walking out to the parking lot, Misato stopped and cursed. "You don't have any shoes, Rei! Well, let's go back in and get you a nice pair of heels," she said with a grin. So they made their way back in and to a shoe store, where Misato instantly found the perfect pair. Rei put them on carefully, not wanting to break them or fall.
They were black sandals with a two inch heel, straps criss-crossing about the top of her foot, with three more encircling each ankle. "Go ahead," the Major said, "walk around a little bit."
Rei tried to walk around, but ended up almost breaking her ankles more than once.
Misato, all giggles, realized that Rei had never worn heels, so had no clue as to how to walk with them. With a guiding hand (or foot…), she taught the finer aspects of walking with them to Rei, walking about the store with her in tow. Ten minutes of this and Rei was about to give up, fling down the damned heels and just wear her tennis shoes; but Misato stopped the lesson. "You're doing just fine, Rei. When you're with Shinji, just remember to be calm when you walk—don't concentrate too hard or you'll end up falling down, and we don't want your new dress getting dirty."
This time, Rei bought the shoes before Misato could protest. After a mere hour of being at the mall, they were done shopping. Walking out to the car, Misato said that Rei would look beautiful with a necklace, maybe with a little pendant on the end. "Why don't you come with me to the apartment and we'll find you something?" Figuring she knew best, Rei said that would be most generous of her. They made good time getting to the apartment.
After rummaging about in her jewelry box for a good half an hour, Misato found a thin, silver chain with a small cross studded with a few sapphires. "It's perfect!" she exclaimed when she discovered it. "Here, try it on." She handed the necklace to Rei, who then, with minor difficulty, fastened it around her neck.
"It's pretty," she said.
"Of course it is! It's mine after all," Misato said with a laugh. "You can hang on to that for as long as you'd like—I didn't even know I still had it, so I won't be missing it."
"T-thank you," Rei said, unsurely.
"God, look at the time! Hey, do you want a ride home? I'd be happy to drive you."
"No, that's alright. I can take the train."
"Well then, good luck tomorrow! And Rei," Misato said as she went to whisper in her hear, "don't worry. Shinji will see you and be stunned speechless." She walked by and patted her on the shoulder, wishing her good luck once more.
Rei left the apartment as Asuka was arguing with Misato. "Why is she here, then?" Asuka demanded. Rei left before she could hear any more of the fight.
Now she was slipping into the dress after she had taken her bra off and tossed it on the floor. The fabric felt nice against her skin, though still a bit foreign—she wasn't used to wearing it yet. She placed her feet in the heels and started walking around the room, practicing a bit more before her date got there. She practiced standing and sitting, walking sideways and backwards, and was soon feeling pretty confidant on her abilities.
A quick rap was heard at the door. Rei stopped walking and smoothed out her dress as she went to let Shinji in. She took a deep breath, put a smile on her face, and opened the door.
Shinji stood with three roses in his hand, all red as blood. "I-I got these for you," he said as he handed her the small bouquet. He was wearing the same clothes he had on that day in school, but they were surprisingly unruffled and quite clean.
Rei took the flowers from his outstretched hand and bid him welcome. "They're beautiful…" she said as they both walked inside, her in the lead. She went to the kitchen to put the flowers in water as Shinji stayed in her room. Rei was soon finished, and the two left the apartment.
"I know if a good ramen place near my apartment," Shinji said, "so we should take a train there. A nice video store is in that area, too."
"Convenient, that," Rei remarked as they made their way to the station.
Unlike at school, there was no tension between the two now. Even though they were in public, it seemed like it was so much more private than when they were in school. Shinji figured that since there was no peer pressure or fear of being seen together, and consequently being made fun of by classmates, there were no uneasy silences or feelings between him and Rei. They talked as they went to the station, and kept on talking on the train. They spoke of mundane things at first—school, homework—but were soon talking about the strangest things. Things like what they would do if they got stranded on an island by themselves; what they would do if they were the only person left on the earth. Things like if we can see the stars, can they see us; if there is a God, and mankind was truly created in His image, why is there so much death and hate in the world; what happens after we die? The two shared their most personal beliefs with each other, and not being embarrassed or uncomfortable after doing so. In fact, the two believed almost the same things—they both didn't believe in God, but didn't say that there was no possibility of a divine Creator; both believed in a higher calling for man than what he was doing on the earth now, but had just not discovered this calling yet; both thought that there was an afterlife where souls meet each other and that's where future friendships come from when you're reincarnated.
This kind of discussion went through the train ride and the walk to the ramen vendor. After ordering their food—Shinji insisted he pay, and did so—and sitting on a near-by bench, they once again started talking, but just about philosophy now. They discussed Plato, mostly—surprisingly, they were both reading The Republic outside of class, and so were able to discuss concepts that he had written about.
The couple finished their dinner, and Shinji led the way to the movie store. A few blocks later, they came upon "Mac's Movie Rentals", a small place with a bright neon sign hanging above the door. They entered as the door jingled, calling the rental guy to attention.
"Howdy," he said with a grin. He had short, black hair and muttonchops, his square glasses framing his eyes. He was significantly overweight, too, and his belly shook as he walked. "How are ye tonight?" His shirt, one of the strangest both Rei and Shinji had ever seen, was a white dear, silhouetted on a black background, cut clean in half, showing it's red insides.
"Just fine," Shinji replied as he walked to the Action section. He turned to Rei and whispered with a small laugh, "That guy's shirt is weird."
"I agree," she said. "Um, what kind of movie do you think we should get?"
"Well, I hadn't really thought about it. Why don't we just look around for a while and see if anything looks good."
For a minute, they browsed in silence, but it was broken by quiet music coming from the counter from which the rental guy made his deals. Shinji looked over, seeing that the guy was on his laptop playing some techno. He saw Shinji looking, so quickly turned the music off. "No, it's alright. Go ahead and play your music," Shinji called to him.
"Righty-o," came the reply from the grinning man. The techno resumed.
Rei and Shinji resumed browsing, searching through the Action and Comedy sections, and then moving on to the Sci-Fi section. Nothing good seemed to come up, though—were there really no good movies anymore? Shinji kept glancing nervously at the Romance section. Should we get a romance movie, or will Rei think I'm a pervert if I suggest it?
Rei, scanning the back of a movie about a zombie regime taking over the world, also looked at the Romance section. I don't want him to get bored with the movie, so maybe I shouldn't suggest getting a romance, she thought. I don't even know if I'd enjoy it all that much.
After browsing the entire store but the Romance movies, the two had been there for over half an hour. The rental guy finally joined them on the floor, where they were just beginning to look at the Action movies again. "Seems you kids are havin' a hard time choosin' a movie. Mind if I suggest a few good ones?"
"That'd be great," Shinji said with a smile.
The guy made for the Comedy section right away, asking, "Is this your first date together?"
Neither answered, and deliberately didn't look at each other.
"Right, I see. Well then," he said as he grabbed a movie, "this here title should do ye fine." After looking for moment, he took another movie off the shelf. "And this should be a dandy one as well." He handed the movies to Shinji.
"Army of Darkness and The Big Lebowski…I've never heard of either of them. Have you Rei?" She shook her head. "Well, if you say they're good, then they must be. We'll take 'em both."
"Cool. If you'd kindly come to the counter, I'll ring up yer total."
The three went to the counter, the guy going in back and punching a few keys on the computer. After giving him some personal information, Shinji shelled out two bucks for the movies—which was good, since they were so cheap—and thanked the guy.
"You two have a wonderful night, eh?" he said as the couple walked out the door.
Once outside, Rei spoke up. "He is definitely an individual."
Shinji laughed. "Yeah, but I liked him. He was laid back, and seemed to know a lot about movies. I guess you have to when you work at a rental place."
"I suppose so."
"The apartment is about a mile from here. Think we should call a cab?"
Rei, overjoyed with the notion of not walking on her high-heels, gladly said yes. Shinji flagged down a passing taxi and they were soon at the apartment. He paid the driver, wishing him a good night.
"You said that Asuka was to be at Hikari's house for the night, yes?" Rei asked, wanting to make sure she wouldn't have to get in a fight.
"Yeah, that's right. She'll be back tomorrow around noon."
"And Misato is at the apartment now?"
"Yeah," Shinji said as they took the elevator up. "She'll be working though, so she won't bother us too much." Rei looked over at him as he blushed at what he had said. She must think I'm gonna try to make a move on her, now! Damnit, I bet she thinks I'm a pervert!
"That's good," she said quietly, smiling. Shinji looked at her with a light of shock in his eyes, but it soon faded into relief.
The elevator gave its nice ding…ding as it reached the floor the two had wanted. It opened its doors, happy to be of service once again. The couple exited, and it closed its doors, heading back for the ground floor to pick someone else up. Shinji hit the button that opened the apartment door, and invited Rei in. All the lights were out save the one in Misato's room, and Shinji groped around for a bit to find a switch. The kitchen light now on, he told Rei to go into the living room and make herself at home. "I'm just going to let Misato know we're here," he said.
Rei took her shoes off, happy to finally be on flat feet. She walked to the living room—dark now because the sun had set—flicked on the light and sat on the couch, legs crossed. After a moment, Shinji joined her.
"What movie do you think we should watch first?" He put both movies on the coffee table in front of them. They both looked at them for a bit, not knowing which would be better to watch first, since neither had any idea as to what they were about. "Well…how about Army of Darkness?"
"That sounds fine," Rei said. Shinji went and popped in the movie and grabbed the remote.
"Do you want the light on or off?" he asked.
"Off is fine," she replied as he made his way to the switch, where he flicked it off. The TV screen illuminated the dark room, playing shadows across the surfaces of everything. Shinji sat on the couch with Rei, sure not to get too close, and hit the play button. The room went dark once again. An ominous and evil-sounding score was played, and the picture faded into a man in chains, missing a hand, walking through the desert. "My name is Ash, and I am a slave," the man said, sweat and blood dripping off his face. "As close as I can figure it, the year is 1300 A.D., and I'm being dragged to my death. It wasn't always like this. I had a real life, once. A job." Time flew to the end of the twentieth century, showing Ash at his work place. "Um, Hardware, aisle 12," he said to a questioning customer. "Shop smart—shop S-Mart!" he said, not all enthusiastically. On from there, it explained that he and his girlfriend had gone into the woods for a vacation, renting out an old cabin. There, Ash found a recording made by a scientist who was studying the Necronomicon Ex Mortus, the Book of the Dead. After listening to this recording, an evil darkness was awoken in the woods. It killed Ash's girlfriend, and was taking over him before he sawed off his hand where the infection began. He was transported into the past, only with his clothes on his back, his chainsaw-hand, a shotgun, and his car. He was captured and would have been killed, but he overcame the hardships that presented themselves to him.
What came next was a series of ridiculous camera techniques, a chain of hilarious one-liners ("This is my BOOMSTICK!"), and a horde of enemy Deadites attacking the castle where Ash was. In the end, with the help of the king and a neighboring nation's army, they were able to destroy this undead army, and peace was restored. Ash drank a potion, got sent back to his own time, and returned to his job.
Both Shinji and Rei had many a laugh at this movie, and were both glad that the rental guy had suggested it. Shinji was delighted that Rei was enjoying herself, and caught her laughing out loud on several occasions—something that had never happened before. They talked about the movie for a few minutes, recalling funny things that had happened or had been said. Shinji stood to put in the next movie, and Rei followed him with her eyes. She was having such an amazing time with him, she didn't want it to ever end.
"Hey, you want something to drink? We have some soda in the fridge," Shinji said.
Rei grinned. "Groovy."
They both laughed at the awesomeness of Army of Darkness as Shinji went to get some refreshment. He soon returned with it, handing a can of pop to Rei and setting his own on the table. Sitting down, this time closer to her, he grabbed the remote and hit play once more.
The movie started with an old-timey song with a scene of a desert, and a man speaking to the viewer. "Way out West, there was this fella that I wanna tell ya about—fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him. He never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself 'The Dude.' Now, 'Dude'—that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make sense to me, and a lot about where he lived likewise. But then again, I think that's why I found the place so darned interestin'. They call Los Angeles the 'City of Angels.' I didn't find it to be that exactly. But all the while, there are some nice folks there. 'Course I can't say I've seen London, and I never been to France, and I ain't never seen no queen in her damned undies, as a fella says. But I'll tell ya what, after seein' Los Angeles, thisa here story I'm about to unfold—well, I guess I've seen somethin' every bit as stupifyin' as you seen in any of those other places, and in English, too. So I can die with a smile on my face without the feelin' that the good Lord jipped me. Now this here story I'm about to unfold took place back in the early 90's, just about the time our conflict with Saddam and the Iraqis was goin' on. I only mention it b'cos sometimes there's a man—I won't say 'hero', 'cos what's a hero? But sometimes there's a man—and I'm talkin' about the Dude here. Sometimes there's a man—well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude of Los Angeles. And even if he's a lazy man—and the Dude was most certainly that, quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' laziest world-wide. But sometimes there's a man. Sometimes, there's a man. Bah…lost my train of thought here. Look…ah, hell—I done introduced him enough."
This opening speech interested the couple on the couch, though they still were in the dark about what the movie was actually about. Rei wasn't paying full attention to the movie, now—but neither was Shinji. They were more concerned with each other. She scooted closer to him, slowly and carefully, until they were sitting right next to each other. She put her hand out on her leg. Shinji reached down with his own hand, and took a hold of hers. She squeezed a bit, and was answered with a squeeze from her man. They watched the rest of the movie, communicating with their silent hands. The movie was filled with more swearing than they had ever heard in two hours, but also a lot of comedy—as well as some awkward moments which concerned sex. Neither of the pilots were used to the kinds of things that were talked about in the movie, and were embarrassed in spite of themselves.
With the ending credits, Shinji turned on the light. Both the cans of pop still sat on the coffee table, unopened and warm. Rei blinked at the sudden brightness as he turned off the TV. "It's getting pretty late," he said, checking his watch. "Wow, it's almost eleven. Time flies, eh?"
"Indeed it does," Rei said, standing and smoothing her dress. She took a few easy steps toward him, a coy grin on her face. "You wouldn't mind coming home with me, would you?"
"W-what do you mean?" Shinji's face turned crimson, his body tensing up. He saw the come hither look in her eyes, but was unprepared for it.
Rei stopped, shaking her head. "Nothing—I just don't want to be out this late at night by myself."
"Oh! O-of course, I'd be happy to come with you."
She smiled as they went to the door. She sighed a little, scolding herself for suggesting such a thing to Shinji. Come home with me? How preposterous. We are but children…
Grabbing a pair of coats, Shinji put his own on and gave Rei the other—it was chilly outside, and she did not have her own. As they walked to the train, he in the lead by a foot or two, Rei brought the coat to her nose, breathing deep. It smelled like Shinji—such a sweet smell. Ideas swam in her head, some beyond ridiculous, some warming and comforting. Maybe we are just kids, but love can still be had between us. She grew hot as she thought of some of the things they saw in The Big L, and a mischievous grin took hold of her mouth. As they rounded the corner to the train station, she brought her imagination back in reign, blushing at what she was thinking about—it just wasn't proper!
The train ride was spent talking about the movies, remembering the best parts, ironing out anything that had confused them, and critiquing the films. Both ended up saying they liked them both enormously, though they had never seen movies like them before. "I'll have to give my compliments to that rental guy for suggesting those movies. They were just as good as he said they were." Rei didn't respond, but sat looking out at the silent night. Shinji gazed at her, taking in her wonderful hair, the outline of her face—not to mention the look he gave her bosom, though he was embarrassed about that little peek.
The walk to Rei's apartment was not a long one after they got off the train, and the two were soon standing outside her door. She opened it, stepping inside a little. Shinji stayed outside.
"I had a really fun time tonight, Rei. And you were absolutely," he paused a moment, searching for an adequate word, "beautiful."
She blushed. "Thank you very much for everything, Shinji." She stepped outside once again, the moonlight illuminating the dark blue of her dress, twinkling in the sapphires about her neck. I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, she repeated in her head fervently. She nervously wrapped an arm around Shinji's waist and drew herself close, pressing against his chest. Because of her shoes, she was the same height as he, and looked directly in his shocked face. Doubt flickered on the periphery of her mind. Shit shit shit shit! Should I do this? There was no more time for thought—it was now or never.
Rei closed her eyes as she moved her face close to his, the moon hanging in the night sky, waiting for what would come next. Along with all the stars in the heavens, they watched eagerly as Rei's lips softly embraced Shinji's.
Eyes wide, Shinji did not move, could not think. Caught off-guard as he was, he could do nothing but roll with what was happening. After a moment of panic, he pressed his palm against the middle of Rei's back, pushing her against him even more. He finally closed his own eyes and returned the silent kiss he was given.
What seemed like an hour passed as the two embraced in the corridor, the moon and stars applauding their courage and love. At long last, and with a considerable amount of regret, the two separated.
"Good night, Shinji," Rei said breathlessly, quietly, and rushed into her apartment, closing the door just as swiftly.
"Good night," Shinji said to the door. He stood there, dumbstruck and jubilant. He put his fingers to his lips, as to confirm that he was really there, that he had really just kissed Rei.
As he made his way home, the man in the moon grinned down at Shinji. Love, he said, is a mysterious thing—you don't want to make it a trivial thing, but if you make it too complicated, it will lose its meaning. Good luck, boy.
A/N: I know I've never said when Lorelei takes place, and so I took a few minutes to figure it out. First, I said in an earlier chapter that NERV had already killed the fifth Angel, Ramiel—so the story has to take place after Episode 6. For my ideas to work alongside with the Eva series (the whole thing about the ramen), that would mean that NERV had destroyed the tenth Angel, Sahaquiel—so now the story takes place after the 12th Episode. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Oh, and just to be safe, I don't own anything to do with the movies Army of Darkness or The Big Lebowski, though both movies are slices of pure genius. Sorry if the re-enactment of the opening scene of The Big L pissed you off, but hey…whatever, man.