Disclaimer: see chapter 1.
Folded Wings
By Random1377
Chapter 6
Rei had never much liked the Commander's office. It was dark, and gloomy, and just ever so slightly too cold to be comfortable. Rei suspected (quite accurately) that the Commander arranged all of this to instill fear and disquiet in those that dared enter the room, an explanation that also accounted for why his desk was so far from the door.
If you came to visit Gendou Ikari, it would be an effort.
Not for Rei, of course – things like physical discomfort and intimidation really did not bother her all that much.
The Commander glanced up as Rei entered his office, setting his papers aside and waiting for her to explain the intrusion. Quietly, the First approached his desk, setting a single sheet of paper in front of him and taking a polite step back.
She had written the request herself, keeping it very simple and to the point, and had come to the Commander's office fully prepared to defend her position and convince him that letting her stay with Mister Kaji would be for the best.
I must be firm, she thought as the Commander lifted the paper a bit higher, allowing the light to hit it better and scanning its contents with a completely blank expression. I must address his concerns on inappropriateness, battle readiness, and my commitment to Instrumentality. It is not an act of rebellion, it is an act of enrichment – that is acceptable, correct? I only wish to enjoy my life while it is mine… I will still be his when the time for Complementation arrives.
The silence in the office stretched on as the Commander lifted his eyes from the text on the page, gazing inscrutably over the top of the paper at Rei's patient face. Slowly, he lowered the paper to his desk, lacing his fingers together and continuing to regard the First as she braced herself for the upcoming verbal battle.
I will be strong, she told herself, feeling her resolve waver under the Commander's cool, uncompromising stare. It is… not improper to wish for more, is it? I would…
Rei's thoughts trailed off as the Commander turned his attention back to the paper, rereading it… and then slowly reaching into his desk drawer to pull out a pen. The soft scratch of ball-point on wood pulp seemed sharp and harsh to Rei's ears as the Commander scrawled his signature and set the pen aside.
Closing the drawer, he pushed the paper across the desk to Rei, tapping it to indicate – as if she was not watching his every move – that he was done with it before picking up one of the other myriad papers on his desk.
The conversation, such as it was, seemed to be over.
Rei opened her mouth, confused by this inexplicably easy victory… but the Commander chose that moment to raise his eyes, gazing at her with an unmistakable, 'why are you still here?' expression on his face until she gathered up her paper and bowed, making her way out of the office without a backward glance.
Victory, she mused as she quietly closed the door, what an odd word.
She certainly did not feel victorious.
The request for her to move into Mister Kaji's apartment was in her hands, signed by the unflappable Commander in Chief of NERV himself… yet Rei felt that somehow, she had just made a rather grave misstep, a feeling that seemed to solidify into certainty as she regarded the Commander's signature.
Hadn't he seemed annoyed, she thought with some concern, just the slightest bit?
Surely, he would not just allow his most important possession – for she had no illusions that she was anything but – to cohabitate with a known spy, would he?
It just did not make sense.
Rei glanced down at the request, scrutinizing it closely on the off chance that she had somehow taken the wrong paper… but it was clearly the right document, and it was definitely the Commander's signature.
How… unexpected…
Thoughtfully, she made her way through NERV central, clutching the sheaf of paper loosely in her hands as she found her way to the elevators. Catching movement from the corner of her eye, Rei lifted her head… but there was no one there. She frowned slightly, peering down the hallway as the elevator arrived with a soft ding.
She was sure she had seen Ikari from the corner of her eye.
Dismissing this idea as a trick of the mind, Rei stepped onto the elevator, still puzzling over the odd events of the day. First Horaki, and now this. Things had definitely not gone the way she thought they would.
( 0 0 0 )
Kaji pushed his door open cautiously, frowning as he fingered the pistol concealed under his jacket. "Rei?" he said quietly, "Rei are you here…?"
Wary of an attack, he slipped into the apartment, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the interior as he glanced around for any signs of an intruder. Shafts of moonlight leaked through the blinds on the apartment's biggest window, partially illuminating a rather disturbing scene.
Rei was sitting at the kitchen table with her head down on her arms, looking for all the world as if she had simply nodded off – a perfectly normal setup… except for the fact that the light were out and one of Rei's arms was straight out in front of her, as if she had been taken by surprise and killed while reaching desperately for the one item that could save her.
Aww crap, Kaji thought miserably, can someone PLEASE tell me that the First Child wasn't killed in my apartment? Please?
He flushed slightly at the callousness of this thought.
Wouldn't it be more important, he told himself sternly, to see if she's ok, or feel bad that she might be dead? No, you just go straight in for the 'what will this do to me' vibe. What a prick.
"Rei?" he called softly, still glancing around for any sign of an intruder, "Rei, are you alright…?"
Hesitantly, he reached out, lightly touching two fingers to the back of the girl's neck.
Still warm, he thought, sliding his fingers around to the side of her throat and letting out a deep sigh of relief as he found a steady, rhythmic pulse. Oh thank god…!
Feeling suddenly very foolish, Kaji realized that Rei probably did just fall asleep with her head on the table, too tired to bother getting up as she waited for him to come home.
God, I've been in this business too long…
"Hey," he murmured, "hey, wake up… you're gonna get a crick in your neck if you don't go to bed."
He shook the pilot as gently as he could, not wanting to roust her too suddenly… but she did not stir, too deeply asleep, it seemed, to be bothered by his pedestrian attempts to wake her.
"Bed time," Kaji said in a firm voice, "Come on, First Child – closing time… you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"
He chuckled to himself at his little joke, but it turned into a sigh as the blue haired girl slept on. Great, he thought dismally, just great. First the thing with Maya, then the peep show, and now this. I swear, this kid's gonna give me a heart attack.
Quietly, he eased himself into the seat across the table, resting his cheek on his fist and taking the opportunity to study the First without worrying about things like rudeness or insecurity. She was, he determined after several moments, quite a lovely girl. Her features were delicate, but firm and well-shaped – like a china plate that had been reinforced with a thin glaze to protect its structural integrity.
Her trademark blue hair lay perfectly flat, even in slumber, giving an impression of carelessness that made Kaji think of another, darker haired woman… a woman that somehow managed to look devastating even first thing in the morning.
Whoa now, tiger, he thought wryly, comparing your underage boarder to your ex-lover? Hmm, not the best idea you've ever had…
The smile that had surfaced on Kaji's face slowly faded away.
Katsuragi.
Thinking of her always brought pain, even when he thought of the good times. It would come as a surprise to many (definitely Maya) that Kaji could tell you the exact date and time of his last kiss with NERV's operations director.
Wasn't all that long ago, either, he mused, staring at Rei's peacefully sleeping features, I'm getting in pretty deep with Maya, trying to get to the bottom of everything that's going on here, and just starting to think that Katsuragi might give me the time of day again. Rei… now is definitely not the time for you to be in my life.
He was just about to think that it was a good thing Rei would never get the Commander's permission to live there when he noticed the piece of paper resting innocuously under Rei's hand.
"You've gotta be kidding me…!"
Kaji could literally not imagine how the First had talked the Commander into it… but the proof was right there in front of him, partially obscured by the pilot's palm, but readable nonetheless.
How in the HELL did she get him to sign that?
Folding his arms, Kaji regarded the sleeping Child with newfound respect.
If she had managed to make friends – a task he had considered almost as farfetched as the Commander signing a request for her to live with him – then Kaji was going to be eating a lot of crow. He could always go back on his word, he thought, scratching his chin as he frowned at the piece of paper, but he was not a going-back-on-your-word kind of guy. He was a bit deceptive, and he was not above manipulating people to get what he wanted, as Maya would be able to attest someday, but if he agreed to a deal, he stuck to it.
Had he honestly thought the First would be able to make good on his conditions, he may have added a few more.
"I'm tired, Miss Ayanami," he announced loudly, "I'm going to bed now… wake up."
Rei did not stir.
"Wake up," Kaji said a bit louder, "I'm not going to leave you just snoozing on the table, Miss Ayanami. You'll have to go to bed."
Nothing.
"I'll carry you if I have to, Miss Ayanami – I've had a long day, don't think I won't."
Still nothing.
"I warned you."
Rising to his feet, Kaji walked around the table.
"Here I come," he said brashly, "ready or not. Gonna pick you up like a ragdoll and toss you onto the couch, Rei – better wakey wakey!"
By the time he reached the girl's side, Kaji was nearly yelling.
It did no good.
"Aww come on!" he groaned, scrubbing his hands through his hair, "Rei, give me a break! You've gotta go to bed – I can't leave you like this."
Great, he thought with some annoyance, she sleeps like a corpse!
"Well, you asked for it!"
Crouching down, Kaji slipped one arm under the girl's knees, positioning the other around her shoulders and hoisting her up out of her seat.
He hoped this would wake her, he really did… but the First simply lolled in his arms, forcing him to quickly reposition her with her head on his shoulder to avoid hurting her neck. Maybe she's been drugged, he thought darkly, frowning down into the girl's face. No one sleeps that deeply, do they? He stared at her longer than he meant to, again taken with how pretty she was. Damn she's light…
Kaji carried the girl to the sofa, marveling at how frail she seemed in the pale moonlight. He estimated that she weighed less than ninety pounds. Even as dead weight, she barely put any stress on his shoulders. She had curves – he could feel them pressing against him when she breathed – but she was so light Kaji felt like he could have run a marathon while carrying her.
"Here we go," he whispered, laying her carefully on the couch and gently pulling the hem of her skirt back down from where it had ridden up to her thighs. "I swear, you're going to be the death of me, Miss Ayanami…"
Carefully, Kaji pulled the blankets he had given the First up to cover her, bracing himself with his free hand and starting to ease his arm out from under her shoulders.
He froze as he happened to glance at the girl's face and found her staring right at him.
Completely unprepared to find the girl awake and alert, Kaji blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"You didn't lock the door."
Rei simply stared at him for a moment before whispering, "I am not used to it… my apologies."
Extricating his arm, Kaji mumbled, "Well, don't let it happen again…"
"Yes sir."
Kaji turned away as the girl reached for the buttons on her shirt.
"Can you wait until I'm in the other room before you do that?"
"Sorry…"
An uncomfortable silence lapsed as Rei leaned back on the couch.
"So," Kaji said finally, "did you… have a good day?"
"Yes," Rei replied softly. "The permission you requested is on the kitchen table."
"Yeah, I saw that."
"Oh."
"How about the other part?"
Rei averted her eyes. "I am… working on that," she said quietly. "You allowed me until the end of the week, correct?"
"That's right," Kaji nodded, "four more days, Rei."
"I understand."
"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not the best host," Kaji said dryly, rising to his feet and stretching out his back, "I'm not really used to living with other people."
Rei nodded. "Then this will be a learning experience for both of us."
Kaji laughed, shaking his head ruefully as he glanced down at the pilot. "It will be if you can make some friends," he pointed out lightly, "until then, I don't plan to learn much."
"I see."
Kaji knew he was being a bit childish, but he did not really feel inclined to stopping. Hey, he reasoned, she's the one imposing here, not me… I don't have to welcome her in with open arms – I'm doing her a favor, damn it! I-
"Mister Kaji?"
"Hmm?"
"…thank you."
"For what?"
Rei tilted her head to the side, regarding Kaji for a long moment before whispering, "For giving me a chance to remain here. I know that it is more than most would do… and I wanted to thank you for that. Also," she shrugged slightly, "you said that I would need to say thank you a lot if I was to stay with you."
"I did say that, didn't I?" Kaji muttered. "Well, don't say it if you don't mean it… that's worse than saying I love you when you don't mean it."
"Alright."
"Good."
"Mister Kaji?"
"What is it now, Rei? I'm tired."
Rei considered the back of her hand for a moment before softly asking, "Do you love Miss Ibuki?"
Kaji just gaped. "Do I… huh?"
"Your relationship with Miss Ibuki is very interesting to me," Rei murmured, "forgive me if I am being rude by asking…"
Turning towards his room, Kaji glanced at the clock. Two o'clock, he thought darkly, God, sometimes I hate my life.
To Rei, he simply whispered, "I don't want to talk about it, Miss Ayanami… go to sleep."
Though his back was to her, Rei still nodded.
"Yes sir…"
Leaving the girl without another word, Kaji went into his room and closed the door.
Damn it, he thought tiredly, since when did I sign up to have Curious Rei sleeping under my roof? No, I don't love Miss Ibuki, you nosy little fruitcake – I'm pumping her for information, and before you get all hentai, no, not even literally. God… six months ago, I would have had that woman in bed BEGGING to tell me her secrets, and now I'm all 'oh, we don't have to rush things – I don't mind taking my time.'
Clenching his right hand into a tight fist, Kaji finally verbalized a fear he had been living with for some time.
"I'm getting soft…"
Kaji pulled out his pocket planner, scanning the next few days and finding that Saturday night was completely clear.
Slowly closing the book, he glanced up at the ceiling.
Playtime was over… it was time to get serious.
Continued…
Author's Notes: no more author's notes for this story – they seem to somehow create expectations for what is to come, no matter how I write them, so rather than pausing after every chapter to try to drop in some faux-witty comment or build tension with cryptic comments and hints, I think I'd like to try letting the story tell itself. Wish me luck. I'll need it.
Still not being pre-read.
Feedback is always welcome on any site with reviewing capabilities or by e-mailing me directly at random1377(at)yahoo(dot)com.