Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.
Chapter 13: Ezra
Deep below NERV, in the very heart of Terminal Dogma, the sound of heels clicking on concrete broke the absolute silence. Ritsuko walked into a circular room with glass on the entire circumference; it couldn't be told from the near-darkness, but the room was a kind of giant aquarium-- the glass housing living objects that could not be seen without proper light. The scientist didn't need to see them, though--not for what she was going to do.
Gendo... If I can't get to you any other way... then I'll hurt you as much as I can.
She pulled out a small remote covered in a dark green hue, then pressed a few buttons. The small screen on the console then flashed a command confirmation request:
ABORT DUMMY PLUG PROGRAM?
She was about to answer 'yes' when she suddenly heard a quiet, lyrical voice from behind her.
"...What are you doing down here, Doctor?"
She nearly snapped her neck from turning around so fast-- it was the Fifth Child, standing there near the door she had just come through. He didn't tone wasn't accusatory or suspicious, he merely sounded as though he was genuinely interested.
She stared at him for a moment, questions flashing through her mind.
How did he get down here? I made sure I wasn't followed...
"Kaworu Nagisa-- I should ask you the same question. You aren't allowed down here, this area is restricted. I demand to know how you managed to gain entrance."
The pale boy merely smiled, his red eyes mere slits. Ritsuko was seething-- he looked so much like...Rei...that she was all but losing her temper.
"If you leave now, I won't mention this to the Commander. Now get out."
Kaworu made no move to leave, he simply strode forward as though he didn't have a care in the world.
"...You're planning to destroy the Plugs, aren't you?"
This time, Ritsuko couldn't hide her shock as she stared at the innocent-looking boy.
"How do you know--"
"It's understandable-- It was for one of these you were made to suffer, was it not?"
He gave her a knowing smile that cut to her very soul. The blonde scientist's bewilderment was quickly turning to anger.
"Fifth Child, I'm losing my patience--If you don't leave immediately, you'll be asked to surrender your pilot status and placed under solitary confinement."
"...Are you trying to intimidate me with empty threats, Dr. Akagi? We both know that the Commander cannot afford to lose another pilot at this point in time."
Ritsuko clenched her fist, knowing that he was right. To her surprise, Kaworu turned around and walked towards the exit.
"...Very well, Dr. Akagi...You know, it's really quite lovely down here-- I only came to suggest that you invite a guest before you destroy the tank's contents."
She didn't say anything, but she suddenly stopped moving and he knew she was listening.
"...What are you getting at, Kaworu?"
He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Ritsuko.
"Nothing...I was only saying that there are people who would...'benefit' from this knowledge, if it happened to fall into their hands."
Without another word, he turned and left. As she watched him leave with a bit of suspicion, she turned the paper upside down.
It was a photo taken from a security camera, showing Shinji and Rei walking together.
A few hours later, dawn broke over the city, bleaching the dark indigo of the night sky with streaks of color until it all melted into a clear blue. The sun was midway to the peak of its daily journey across the horizon when Rei finally awoke with a yawn. She blinked repeatedly in an effort to force herself to cognizance, then looked around curiously until she remembered the events of the previous day.
Oh yes...I'm in Ikari-kun's home now.
She silently picked herself up and walked slowly to the door. Opening it, she turned left into the television room and found Shinji sitting in front of the set. Upon noticing her presence, he ignored his program and paid her his full attention.
"Oh, good morning, Rei!"
"...Good morning, Shinji."
She blushed slighly on remembering what she had done last night, but her male companion didn't notice it. She caught the ghost of red playing on his cheeks, however.
"...What time is it?
Shinji looked at his watch distractedly.
"Umm, let's see... about fifteen minutes to 10:00."
Rei allowed herself a surprised blink. She could not honestly say she remembered the last time she had slept this late... if she ever had at all. She had never found sleeping to be a pleasant experience (or a negative one; it was simply a neccessity of the human condition), but Shinji's bed had seemed so comfortable that she found herself drifting into slumber almost immediately. She felt a pang of guilt at forcing her host out of his own bed; the futon could not have been nearly as pleasant.
"Did you sleep well, Shinji?"
"...Oh, yeah...I, you know, got a fair amount," he lied. In truth, he was up half the night tossing and turning on the flimsy mattress. But he'd put up with it as long as Rei was comfortable here.
"...Where is Misato?"
"Oh, she got called in for the double-shift at the last minute, so, uh..."
"...We will be by ourselves for the remainder of the day?"
"Uh...yeah," Shinji managed to say while blushing furiously at the thought of being alone with Rei for the entire day--and not in a coma, either... He gradually managed to bring his thoughts back to the present.
"Hey, you slept through breakfast-- are you hungry?"
Rei suddenly realized that she was, in fact, quite hungry.
"...Yes."
Shinji got up off his seat and headed to the kitchen. Within seconds she heard the gentle clanging of pots and pans from the lower cabinets. She followed the boy into the tile-covered area of the house and saw him rummaging around, setting out a variety of foods and ingredients.
"I...I do not require anything special..."
Shinji turned his head up when he heard the familiar quiet voice behind him. As he stood up he pulled out a skillet with him from the storage space's depths.
"Hey, it's no trouble-- I'm getting hungry anyway. Do you mind pancakes, Rei?"
She stared at him curiously.
"...What are 'pancakes?'"
Shinji smiled at Rei's 'joke', but when he looked at her properly he noticed she was being completely serious.
"...You mean you really don't know?"
The girl nodded her head in response. Shinji looked at her oddly, as if he had just realized she was a figment of his imagination.
"The Commander required that I keep my diet simple, so as to avoid being demanding."
He somehow doubted that the reason Rei had never eaten pancakes was an effort to keep her from being spoiled. He huffed under his breath angrily, then turned back to Rei smiling.
"Well, then, now I HAVE to make them-- you'll like them Rei, especially with some fruit in them."
Rei didn't complain or assent, but she did grab the box of pancake mix from the counter and began reading.
"Very well. But I would like to assist you this time, Shinji."
Shinji sighed, knowing that there was no arguing with Rei when she got like this.
"...All right."
A half hour and many failed attempts later, the two children were sitting at the table, quietly enjoying a small stack of banana pancakes. Both were covered in batter and flour (Rei considerably more than Shinji), but neither cared. It had quickly changed from Rei handing him utensils and measuring cups to a full-fledged cooking class, Shinji's role reduced to standing nearby and offering help when Rei needed it.
"...Wow, Rei-- these came out really good."
"...They would have been better if I had allowed you to do it yourself," she said a little sadly.
He looked at her from across the table, taking a minute to swallow his food before speaking.
"C'mon, give yourself a little credit-- it was only your first time, and other than how much batter we ended up wasting, these're just about perfect! You're a very good cook, Rei."
"T-thank you..." she managed to say while staring down at her food.
They continued to eat in silence, but it was the silence that comes from perfect contentment, not from hostility or indifference.
When they were finished they got cleaned up (Shinji took care of the dishes while Rei took the first shower) and after both children were clean and dressed they sat down on the couch.
What are we supposed to do now? Shinji thought nervously.
"Um... Rei?"
She turned her head to meet his eyes, which caused him to get even more nervous, but he quickly steeled his nerves before he spoke.
"Well, there's, um... there's a movie theater not too far from here. If you want to, well... maybe we can go...I'm not saying you HAVE to or anything, but--"
"...Very well. Let us go." She silently got up from the couch and went to the door, slipping her shoes onto her feet. "...Are you coming, Shinji?"
He stared for a second, his brain unable to process how quickly Rei had answered him. Then he quickly followed her lead. As they prepared to step out, Shinji absentmindedly grabbed an umbrella, noticing that the sky was starting to look overcast.
"...Maybe we made a mistake with that one."
A few hours later Shinji and Rei walked out of the theater, which was showing pre-Second Impact American comedy matinees this week. They were both quite disappointed with what had been selected for today. Meanwhile the sky had gone from slightly cloudy to prematurely dark during the time they had spent inside.
"I concur," Rei said solemnly. "If this Rob Schneider is a 'comedian', should he not be amusing, at least?"
Her companion nodded, upset that the cashier had refused to give them their money back for their tickets.
"Well, at least we won't need to worry about any more movies from him-- he died in the Second Impact."
"That is something to be thankful for," Rei said seriously.
They were about a half-mile from the apartment when the clouds suddenly thundered open, making the two stare upwards as a sheet of rain suddenly began to pound on them from above. Shinji quickly undid the latch on his umbrella and clicked it open, but he was already soaked by the time he was got it up. It took him a second to realize that Rei was still standing in the rain.
"...Rei! What are you doing?...Aren't you cold?"
She didn't seem to notice the rain, almost as if she was used to it.
"...It is of no concern."
He looked at her, feeling guilty, then handed the unbrella to her.
"...Here."
"...But Shinji..."
"It's no problem, Rei-- I'd rather you not get sick anyway."
She was silent as she considered the umbrella that was now shielding her from the elements, then at the boy who had put her ahead of himself. Shinji nearly jumped as not only did he no longer feel the rain on his head anymore, but a warm shoulder near his own. He slowly shifted his eyes to see Rei leaning on him, holding the umbrella between them.
She's so warm... he thought as his eyes became glued to the profile gazing ahead unfazed beneath that mop of sky-blue hair. Neither one said a word until they got home, both surrendering to the peaceful silence.
After an early dinner, consisting of leftovers saved from last night and a bit of ice cream from the fridge, they changed out of their wet clothes and, with nothing better to do, sat in front of the television set. They still hadn't spoken since they had shared the umbrella in the rain, both too nervous to be the first to speak. Shinji was absentmindedly flipping through the channels when he came across an old, pre-Second Impact film. He had no idea what it was, but he was tired of looking for something else to watch and Rei didn't seem to have any complaints. They both stared blankly as a song Shinji happened to know started to play on the film's soundtrack. He only realized he was humming along when he noticed that Rei's eyes were locked onto his face.
"...Do you like that music?"
He looked at her. "...Huh?"
"The tune you were humming just now-- do you like it?"
The boy suddenly turned a bright red.
"...Is something wrong, Shinji?"
"Uh, no...I just, uh...(didn't realize I was doing that, he said in a whisper)"
"...It's nice," she said quietly. "...but very sad. Do you know what it's called?"
Shinji quietly searched his memory.
"...It's "I Can't Stop Loving You," I think. It's an old song--from an Americanmusician named Ray Charles."
"...I like it," Rei said, and was silent as she turned her attention back to the screen.
The movie was definitely a long one-- an hour had passed now and it showed no signs of slowing down. Shinji was making an effort just to keep his eyes open. He then felt Rei's head fall onto his shoulder, her eyes shut tight as she was plainly asleep. The boy made to move her, but something stopped his hand and he decided to just let her stay where she was. He realized he was staring at her again, the film droning on only to throw flashes of light onto her pale, delicate face. He smiled a little, and gently leaned his head on hers.
This is...nice...
He quickly felt his eyes shut as his fatigue from the long day caught up with him.
He wasn't sure what had woken him up, the only thing that occured to him when his eyes opened was that Rei was no longer sitting next to him.
"...Rei?"
He looked around the couch, but she wasn't there. Nor was she in the kitchen, or the bathroom. He was beginning to panic when he felt a draft coming in from the location of the patio, and looked out to see Rei sitting on a chair with her arms around her knees, staring out at the still-pouring down rain.
"Rei..."
The pale girl snapped out of her reverie at Shinji's voice. She turned her head and saw him standing at the threshold, looking down at her with a concerned expression.
"...What's wrong?"
She looked at him as passively as she tried to hide what she was so pensive over.
"...Nothing is wrong, Shinji."
"No, really, what is it? I...I want to help."
Rei sighed as Shinji walked around her and sat down about a foot away.
Can I really... tell him what is bothering me? She wasn't sure. She definitely trusted Shinji, but she didn't know how to put it into words. She liked the fact that he was being so nice to her now, but something inside her-- perhaps paranoia from living alone so long-- made her doubt his motives.
"Shinji...why are you spending so much time with me?"
He hesitated, not sure he was secure enough to tell her the truth.
"W-well...we're friends, Rei. I...I want to make sure you're okay."
Rei quietly wondered if 'friends' was all he saw them as, but she didn't say anything.
"...So you're only watching me to make sure I'm not...'sick?'"
"...Rei, of course not!"
"You're only doing this to ensure that I am well, and then you'll leave me...like he will."
Shinji was shocked-- what had brought this on? Things had been just fine a few hours ago, but now...
"...I don't want you to be near me just because you feel like you have to..."
"REI, STOP! THAT'S NOT IT AT ALL!"
Suddenly a look of surprise flashed across her face. Shinji was only vaguely aware that he had grabbed her hand and was squeezing it tightly, his face only a few inches from her own. Rei's eyes had widened considerably, giving her the appearance of a deer when it finds itself blinded by the headlights of an approaching car.
"...Rei...don't think that. Don't ever think that again. Th-the reason I'm here...is because I WANT to be here. With you."
She tried to argue, but the overwhelming sadness in his eyes silenced her, and she knew that he wasn't lying. She felt strange looking into his eyes right now-- it was almost like she felt numb, but it was a very warm kind of numbness. He loosened the death grip he had on her hand slightly, but did not let go, much to Rei's quiet happiness.
"I..I apologize, Shinji...I shouldn't have made you upset..."
But to her further surprise, he lifted his other hand to her face and cradled it gently in his palm. He gazed at her, completely at a loss for words, slowly caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"...Rei..."
He hesitantly scooted closer to her, their noses practically touching each other. Her whole body trembled slightly, but she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or not. She was only aware of a blissful, inhibiting fog that was slowly clouding her mind.
"...I..."
Shinji tried to continue speaking, but the words got stuck in his throat as he felt lips lean slowly closer to Rei's...
RING RING RING
The issessant chiming of the telephone broke the spell within an instant. Shinji suddenly backed away from Rei, his face so red he looked like he was having a heart attack. Rei simply sat there, her half-shut eyelids reluctantly fluttering open, a half-dazed look on her face.
"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," he poor boy managed to stutter out, his heart pounding. "I'll just, uh...g-go get the uh...phone..." He practically tripped on the track for the screen door as he stumbled inside, still looking completely flushed. Rei nodded slightly, her eyes out of focus and her own heart racing inside her chest. She felt the place where the pounding was coming from-- she knew that she had an organ called the heart within her that allowed her to pump blood throughout her body, but she had never been so acutely aware of its presence before. The shock of euphoria that had passed through her at Shinji's nearness had left her... strangely disappointed. Rei suddenly realized how much she hated telephones, despite the fact that they had never bothered her before.
She had managed to regain her composure when Shinji walked back in, with a strange look on his face.
"...Who was it?"
Shinji tried to meet her eye, but couldn't even look in her direction without his face threatening to change color again.
"Umm, it was Ritsuko..."
"...Dr. Akagi called for you?"
"Yeah, it's weird. She said there was something I needed to see..."
He stood there, reluctant to leave her side, then muttered something about getting his coat and turned back to the living area. Rei slowly followed him, standing near the open patio door. He was getting his shoes on when she suddenly broke the silence.
"Shinji..."
He turned his head to the girl looking at him with a strange light in her eyes.
"...You will come back...won't you?"
Rei knew she was being irrational-- but deep down she was afraid that he wouldn't return.
I don't...want you to leave me...
He smiled at her.
"...Of course I will, Rei."
And with that, he opened the door and made his way to NERV headquarters, his mind on Rei the whole way.
A/N: The next chapter won't be Shinji and Misato's discovery of Rei's origins-- I think everyone who's seen the show knows it to death, and I don't want to waste people's time with something I wouldn't change anyway. My main purpose in showing the Ritsuko/Kaworu conversation was to make her motivation for showing Shinji clear-- I think she did it to essentially hurt Rei by destroying the only relationship she had with someone who wasn't using her. Whether or not Shinji will stay beside her will be revealed only with time... Oh, and I know the 'Rob Schneider' thing was totally random-- I just hate that guy. Oh well. :)
Rei: Shinji, does it seem as though the author is working us too hard?
Shinji: Yeah, we got off easy with the first few chapters, but now he just goes on and on and on...