Disclaimer: see chapter 1.

Folded Wings

By Random1377

Chapter 13

Shinji sat at his desk staring straight ahead and chewing absently at his pencil as the teacher droned on about some aspect of ancient history. In all honesty, he had stopped listening some time prior, and had finally brought his mind around to contemplating his 'date' with Rei.

He put the word date in parenthesis in his mind because he simply could not think of his dinner as a real honest to goodness romantic encounter – partly because Misato and Kaji had been sniping at each other the entire time, and partly because no matter how he tried… he still had trouble seeing Rei in that light.

It's not that I don't think she's pretty, he thought objectively, it's just… it's Rei. I've never… really thought about her like that…

His cheeks flushed, and though he tried to suppress it, his hand suddenly flexed as the remembered feeling of having her breast in his palm filled his mind.

"Oh shut up," he whispered to his hand, "that doesn't count…"

Perhaps, he admitted reluctantly, he might have thought of her that way. Maybe. Once or twice. But in his imagination, he was always the one making the moves. It wasn't like Rei was coming on like a freight train or anything, but she was still the one taking the initiative.

It made him very edgy.

"Hey Horaki," he said, suddenly noticing that the end of class had come while he was pondering his predicament.

"Huh?" Hikari said, looking around as if trying to find someone.

"You wanna have lunch?"

Hikari blinked, giving a soft sigh as she failed to find whoever she was looking for. "Yeah, sure," she said, "why not."

Shinji gathered his lunch and hurried after Hikari before Rei could follow.

Not that she looked like she was planning too, but better safe than sorry.

What am I doing? he thought miserably. I haven't spoken two words to her since we ate dinner.

"Ikari?"

"Yeah?"

"Is um… have you seen S-Suzuhara today?"

Shinji shook his head, taking a look back, but quickly averting his eyes as he found Rei staring at him. "No," he replied, "hasn't been in for a couple days… I don't know why."

"Oh," Hikari sighed, sounding slightly crestfallen. "Hey, should we wait for Asuka?"

Taking the girl's elbow – and missing her look of shock at the contact – Shinji hustled her away from the classroom. "No," he said firmly, "let's just go…"

"A-alright…"

Shinji, taking another look back over his shoulder, did not see the faint hint of color on the girl's cheeks. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have known what it meant.

How could he? His mind was too occupied with avoiding Rei to even think that his actions could easily have been misunderstood.

( 0 0 0 )

Rei checked her wristwatch, watching the secondhand sweep slowly around the face for a moment before letting her arm fall back to her side. She was early, but not terribly... so if she gave it another minute or two, her arrival would not be so premature as to be considered rude.

It was her first time sleeping over at a friend's house, so she was not exactly sure what the proper protocol was.

Why it had changed from a simple hangout invitation to a full blown sleepover, Rei was not exactly sure. All she knew was that, when lunch period was over, Hikari had hurried up to her desk and blurted, 'You want to spend the night? I gotta talk to you.'

I suppose I will find out soon…

She raised her arm to ring the doorbell, but before she could, the door swung open and a small clone of Hikari stepped onto the porch.

Rei stared at her.

The clone-girl did not like this.

"Geez, are you gonna stand out here all night?" she grumped. "You've been out here for like, five minutes!"

Taking a closer look, Rei realized that she was not looking at a clone, but rather, a younger sister. Nozomi her mind supplied, the younger child is Nozomi, and the elder is Kodama. She does bear a remarkable resemblance, though, she mused, taking in the girl's twin pigtails and smattering of freckles.

And in her defense, she did have a little more experience with cloning than siblings.

"Well?"

"Nozomi," Hikari's voice came from somewhere in the house. "Who are you talking – oh, Rei! Hi, I didn't know you were here."

"She was just standing on the porch," Nozomi said scornfully, "and her eyes are red. She's weird."

"Be nice," Hikari said reproachfully. To Rei she said, "I'm sorry… my sister's a little, er, what's that word? Rambutious."

"It's rambunctious," Nozomi sniffed, stomping back into the house, "if you're going to insult me, at least do it right, dufus!"

Hikari winced as the younger girl slammed the door, leaving her outside with Rei. "Sorry," she said guiltily, "she's a real sweetheart when she wants to be… she just, er, doesn't want to be that often, ya know?"

"I understand," Rei said… though in all honesty, she did not.

"Let's go inside," Hikari said brightly, "I've got so much I want to talk to you about."

Rei hesitated for a moment, then stepped over the threshold.

"I'm home."

Hikari gave her a warm smile.

"Welcome home."

( 0 0 0 )

Rei looked curiously around Hikari's room, noting how different their tastes were as the other girl shimmied into her pajamas. There is so much… pink, she thought, glancing at Hikari for a moment from the corner of her eye. And so many hearts and stuffed animals.

"Would you… like some assistance?"

"No, I got it," Hikari grunted, trying in vain to yank her head through the pajama top. "What the hell is… oh, duh! The button was still done up."

Rei very nearly smiled as Hikari fumbled blindly for the button on her shirt, undoing it and pulling her head through with an almost audible pop.

"There!"

The class representative gave Rei a triumphant grin, pulling her hair out if its ponytails and tying it at the back of her neck.

"I like your PJs," she said, nodding to Rei's oversized tee and baggy sweatpants. "They look really comfortable."

"They are… borrowed," Rei said, pulling the shirt away from her body for a moment before letting it fall once more. "I did not have anything suitable, so my guardian let me use them."

"Ah."

Silence fell as the two girls regarded each other for a moment.

Dinner had been a brief, if hellish affair for Rei, as Hikari's entire family (including Nozomi) had grilled her nonstop on her background and tastes, asking so many questions that she barely had a chance to get any food in her mouth. This was not a huge loss, as they were having beef and vegetables, but Rei would have at least liked to have had a bite or two of the parts she could eat.

Ultimately, Hikari had saved her, dragging her up to her room and telling her whole family (including her father) to 'stop driving Rei crazy!'

"Wanna try on some makeup?" Hikari asked suddenly, slipping out of bed and heading to her dresser. "My dad won't let me wear it outside, but he said I can wear as much as I want in my own room. He's kind of strange like that…"

Rei watched as the girl carefully applied lipstick, liner, shadow, and blush, transforming from a slightly plain schoolgirl into a professionally appointed young woman.

"You are… very good at this," Rei said quietly, averting her eyes as Hikari dropped her a playful wink.

"I practice all the time," Hikari grinned. "You want to try some?" She shrugged as Rei shook her head. "Maybe later. Hey, can I do your hair, then?"

Rei reached up, absently touching her short cropped bangs. "I do not have much to do…"

Hikari giggled, grabbing a brush off of her dresser. "It's ok," she said, "I'll just brush it out and put a bow in it, ok?"

"…alright."

"Sit on the bed."

Doing as she was told, Rei waited, unsure of what to expect. She could not recall ever having anyone brush her hair before, so she was a bit uneasy – though not too much, as she trusted Hikari not to do anything that would hurt her.

"Nozomi used to let me play with her hair all the time," Hikari said, sitting behind Rei and busying herself with the brush, "but now she's a 'big girl' and thinks it's babyish to let me do her hair."

"I see…"

It was actually fairly pleasant, Rei decided after a few moments. Hikari hummed as she worked, seeming to be perfectly content with what she was doing.

"So," she said abruptly, "you umm, you know Ikari pretty well, right?"

Rei nodded, nearly getting the brush tangled in her hair. "Yes," she said quietly, "fairly well. Is there a problem?"

"Well, er, no," Hikari said, slowing her movements until she was barely brushing. "I just… remember that you told me Suzuhara liked me, so I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"…I was wondering if you heard anything about Shinji liking me too. He kind of ate lunch with me today."

Considering this for a moment, Rei said, "He often has lunch with you."

Hikari clicked her tongue. "Not with just me," she corrected. "I know you don't like, have a lot of experience with dating and stuff, but lunch with just a guy and just a girl is kind of… kind of a date, remember? And I asked him if he wanted to wait for Asuka, but he said no, so he… I think he wanted to be alone with me…" She smiled a bit sickly at the back of Rei's head. "Sorry," she murmured, letting the hand with the brush go still. "I know you had dinner with him, and I'm not trying to like, break you guys up or anything… I was just wondering."

Rei's brow creased. She had certainly never imagined that Shinji would be flirtatious with other girls while she was trying to gain his attention, though she really could not be angry with him, as she was doing the same thing.

"I… have not heard that he likes you," she said honestly, "but we… we do not talk very much, really…"

"Oh…"

After a moment of quiet, Hikari continued brushing Rei's hair.

"Look," she said softly, "it was probably just my imagination or something. Forget about it, ok?"

Rei nodded… but it was only through force of will that she was able to do as Hikari recommended. There was nothing she could do about it just then, she decided, and she did have other topics to discuss.

She closed her eyes, allowing herself a brief moment of luxurious, decedent pleasure before asking the question on her mind. Surely, she reasoned, it must be some sort of sin to enjoy having one's hair brushed, mustn't it? It was so relaxing – just that simple, repetitive movement, the bristles of the brush parting the strands of her hair over and over, soothing her… relaxing her… making all her concerns seem far away. So… far away…

"Whoa," Hikari whispered, fumbling and dropping the hairbrush as Rei slumped back against her. "Wow," she said softly, "you were more tired than I thought!"

She smiled as Rei stirred, resting her head against Hikari's shoulder and letting out a soft sigh.

"Maybe we should go to bed," Hikari ventured, putting her hands lightly on Rei's shoulders. "Here, just lie down… that's right…"

Slowly, she eased Rei down next to her, laughing softly as the girl immediately rolled over to face her. She's just like Asuka, she mused, watching Rei's tranquil face for a moment before reaching up to find the switch on her nightlight. Once she's out of gas, she just passes right out. They must work their pilots like dogs for them to be this tired all the time. Huh… I didn't even take my makeup off. Oh well, one night won't kill me.

Looking up, she finally managed to find the light switch, but as she was about to turn it, she happened to glance down. "Oh," she gasped, "you're awake!"

Rei nodded, keeping her eyes on Hikari's as she hesitantly said, "There is… something else I would like to ask you, and I did not want to go to sleep before I had the chance. It is about dating."

"Sure," Hikari said brightly, letting her arm fall back to the bed and lying down so she was eye to eye with the other girl. "What is it?"

For a long, long moment, Rei said nothing, as if trying to decide just how to go about asking whatever question was on her mind.

Finally, Hikari put her hand lightly on Rei's waist, gently encouraging, "Go on… just say it…"

Quietly, Rei did.

( 0 0 0 )

Kaji yawned hard enough to make his jaw crack, letting the toilet lid fall shut with a bang and hitting the lever with the tips of his fingers. What time is it? he wondered, running his hands briefly under the faucet before turning the water off and heading out of the bathroom. Test activation's tomorrow… not like I can do any more digging tonight, but I should get as much done as I can since my little roommate's out for the night.

"Ah screw it," he muttered through another yawn, "too tired."

He let his pants fall to the floor, grinning broadly as he indulged a childhood habit and kicked them out of the open bathroom door.

As a bachelor, he always left the bathroom door open when he was alone… it felt to him like a tiny act of defiance, as every woman he had ever been with had religiously shut the door – as if it was ok for him make them scream his name in the bedroom, but heaven forbid he actually see them relieve themselves.

The grin faded as instead of the soft 'flumf' of the pants hitting the couch, he heard a quiet, "Ow."

"Rei?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Yes."

Kaji stepped out of the bathroom, finding the First carefully folding the pants he had just hit her with.

She seemed to be avoiding eye contact.

"Back already?"

"Yes."

"I thought you were spending the night…"

Rei slowly draped his pants over the back of the couch. "I had planned to," she replied quietly, "but I… decided I would rather come home."

"Just like that?"

"Yes."

"Huh."

Kaji considered the girl for a moment in the dim light coming from the bathroom door.

"Is that lipstick?"

Rei blinked, and her right hand twitched as if on the verge of reaching up to check, but ultimately she simply turned away and murmured, "No… it is not…"

"Are you ok?" the man pressed, stepping closer to the pilot. "Your cheek looks bruised… did you fall down or something?"

Turning away, Rei shook her head. "No," she said levelly, "I did not. I am… very tired. Goodnight, Mister Kaji."

"Wait," Kaji said quickly, taking two short steps and grabbing Rei's wrist before she could escape. "Let me see."

With her arm captured, Rei had no choice but to obey. She stood still as Kaji gently took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her face so that more of the light from the bathroom fell on her cheek and examining her closely for several minutes. Though she was not normally uncomfortable with being scrutinized (she did have red eyes and blue hair, after all) Rei still found herself shifting from foot to foot, trying hard not to look away from Kaji's intense, searching eyes.

"Who did this to you?"

Rei met his eyes as levelly as she could.

"Mister Kaji," she said quietly, "there is no reason for you to be concerned."

Kaji still had her wrist clasped tightly in his hand. There was no escape for her. "Answer my question, Rei," he said flatly. "Did one of those guys you like do this to you?"

Shaking her head, Rei tried to free her wrist. "There is no reason for you to be concerned," she repeated, stepping away in the hopes that he would release her. "I simply-"

"If you say you tripped and bumped your face on a table or something stupid like that I'll slap you myself," Kaji interrupted. "I know what it looks like when a person hits another person, Rei – I make a living hurting oth-"

Abruptly, Kaji let her go, making her stumble back.

She had not even been aware that she was pulling that hard.

"Fine," Kaji growled, "you don't want to talk, you don't have to. Just don't come crying to me when it's a fist instead of a hand. I'm going to bed."

As he strode past her, Rei blurted, "I was with Hikari."

"Did she do this to you?" Kaji demanded, his nostrils flaring as he turned back to face the pilot. "I thought she was your friend, Rei – what the hell happened?"

"There was an argument."

"You can argue without ending up bruised," Kaji pointed out. "What happened?"

"It was my fault," Rei said evasively, "I…"

Kaji waited for a moment as the girl searched for the right words. Finally, he shook his head. "You know what you sound like?" he asked coolly. "You sound like a battered wife. 'Oh, no, officer,'" he said in a high voice, "'It was my fault – he just gets so mad, and I just don't know when to stop… it was my fault.'"

Wetting her lips, Rei whispered, "It isn't like that, Mister Kaji, I… I said… something…"

"I'm sure you said a lot of things," Kaji muttered, "You went over there at seven, and it's three in the morning – I'm sure you had lots of time to talk… but what did you say that got her to slap the crap out of you?"

Rei averted her eyes.

"I cannot tell you."

Kaji threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Goodnight."

As he took another step, however, he felt a soft, tentative touch on his hand.

"Mister Kaji…?"

"What, Rei?" Kaji growled through his teeth. "I'm very ti-"

"Please do not be angry with me," Rei whispered, holding his hand loosely in her own as she stared down at the floor. "Your opinion of me has become… important. I… if you will allow me, I will explain what happened…"

Kaji rubbed his eyes, glancing at the clock and shaking his head as he thought, Man, this kid is going to be the death of me.

"Alright, Rei," he said softly, taking a seat on the sofa and gesturing for her to do the same. "Tell me what happened."

By the time the girl was done, the sun was well up… and Kaji's perception of her had been considerably altered.

Continued…