The warm, but unwelcome sunlight filtered into the room in the late hours of the morning. A troubled look passed on Shinji's sleeping face and he pulled the covers over himself. He heard quiet footsteps in the room and automatically his mind processed the thought that he was in his own room and Asuka had walked in. He stretched a little. "Asuka..." he mumbled, "go 'way..."
"Good morning" came a pleasant but very male voice. Shinji froze, mid-stretch, and then sat up. Kaworu stood by the window in a fresh change of clothes. However, his hair was messy, rather showing he'd just woken up. Shinji glanced away from him.
"Sorry. I thought you were Asuka..." he mumbled, looking embarrassed and apologetic.
"It's alright," Kaworu answered, smiling as he usually did. "Did you sleep well?"
Shinji recalled the nightmare he'd had and how Kaworu had come to comfort him in the night. He was grateful Kaworu had woken up earlier because he was sure he'd feel strange waking up next to him like that. "Y-yes..." he mumbled, fingering the sheets that covered him.
"I called your guardian, Ms. Katsuragi, to say that you were safe and at my place" Kaworu added. A quick glance around the now lit room confirmed that Kaworu didn't have a phone in sight so he must have gone to a pay phone... When he thought about it, Shinji had to wonder just how long Kaworu had been up for while he was sleeping the morning away.
Kaworu smiled a little wider and tried to keep his mouth shut, glancing downwards with a grin. Shinji tilted his head to one side. "What?" he asked.
"It's nothing..."
"What is it?" Shinji asked, his voice a little more forceful as he watched Kaworu's shoulders shaking a bit. Kaworu finally looked up at him.
"You're funny looking in the morning, Shinji"
The other boy sat, blinking at the bluntness of it. Then he glanced at the mirror where his reflection on the bed was small and not entirely clear. Still, he could see his hair was quite messy and his bangs were sticking straight up in the air. A blush formed on Shinji's face. What a sight he was! He managed an uneasy tittering, running a hand through his chestnut brown hair. "I'm a mess..." he said, regarding himself in the mirror.
Kaworu composed himself after a moment of fighting to stifle laughter. "You needn't be embarrassed; my appearance is equally appalling in the morning."
Shinji narrowed his eyes at Kaworu in mock anger. "But you got up and snuck around early so I wouldn't see you!"
"Ah, well obviously I can't look anything but perfect to you" Kaworu answered, eyes twinkling. He might have been joking but it didn't ease Shinji in the least. He blushed even more now.
"Kaworu... you're so weird..."
The pale one wasn't the least bit offended by the answer. "As are you."
Monday morning before classes had to start and Asuka was bent over the sink in the girl's washroom, holding her hands under the warm water. She looked worn, sort of off in her own world. The bathroom was empty otherwise and very quiet. Outside the window, the sky was an angry shade of grey and rain pattered against the glass like a thousand tiny fingertips. With a sigh, Asuka shut off the water and turned, about to leave, when the door opened and a tall, slender boy walked in.
Asuka froze, staring at Kaworu Nagisa, whom she'd been trying to avoid since he'd first arrived. Kaworu looked mildly surprised to have encountered her, and then his expression softened into a smile. The redhead fumed a bit. "What are you doing in the girl's washroom, you pervert!" she demanded.
"What's a pervert?" Kaworu questioned as Asuka shoved past him.
"What are you, stupid?" Asuka asked, standing by the door. "We don't need you. I hope you know that. Shinji and me, and even Wonder-girl... we're all perfectly fine pilots!"
Kaworu stared at her then his eyes darkened slightly. "Always good to have a replacement on hand, don't you think? It's dangerous work, what we do."
"You think you can act all high and mighty!" Asuka shouted. She opened the door. "You'd better watch yourself, homo-boy." Then he slammed the door and was gone.
"Shinji?" Misato looked up from her paperwork at the girl standing behind her. "Well... I think he's with Nagisa..."
Asuka sighed, sweat gleaming on her skin. The day was hot and she'd mostly sat in her room, fanning herself uselessly. The air conditioner was broken so fans were set up in every part of the apartment. It did little to help. "With him again?" Asuka asked.
"Mhm. Shinji needs a boyfriend, you know."
Asuka staggered backwards in surprise. "What?"
"He doesn't have a whole lot of friends, and he needs more boyfriends" Misato answered, apparently growing bored with the conversation.
"Oh... yeah, more friends that are boys. I guess."
Misato flipped through her papers, for once in her life taking something seriously. Her pen scribbled against the paper, the sound surprisingly loud over the many fans blowing. "What about you?" Misato finally asked when Asuka remained planted in the spot. "Go see Hikari or something?"
"I can't, she's visiting her grandparents" Asuka sighed. The truth was she didn't really know any other girls besides Hikari. Not to say she couldn't get to know more if she wanted. But sometimes Asuka felt like an adult in a child's body and it was frustrating to her that she couldn't find someone who would just... shut up and listen.
"There's always Rei. She never has anything to do." The suggestion offended Asuka.
"As if I'd ever make friends with that wind-up doll!" Asuka said, venomously. She walked off, finding herself wishing Kaji was there. Not that he'd treat her as anything more than a child.
Stepping out into the glaring sunlight, Asuka set a droopy sunhat on top of her head and descended the stairs to the bottom of the apartment building. Summer vacation wasn't for a while yet but the heat wave that had settled onto Tokyo 3 had spanned at least five days and everything was slow moving. The girl hadn't the faintest idea of what she could do by herself but anything was better than talking to Misato.
Her sandals clicked against the sidewalk as she strolled through the city, her eyes eventually spotting an ice cream vendor. Within moments she was sitting on a bench by a lake, enjoying the ice cream that had already become soft and drippy in the heat. She heard footsteps nearby and as the girl finished off her cone, she turned and looked. A short distance away was the doll herself. Rei Ayanami, sitting herself on the grassy shore, occupied with a novel.
Before too long, Asuka's shadow fell over the girl and Rei turned, looking at her. Asuka, on a normal day, wouldn't have acknowledged the girl. But today the heat was getting to her and she'd been feeling... especially nasty. "Hey, First Child," she greeted, a strange smile playing upon her face. She set her hands on her hips and peered down at the pale girl, enjoying the height advantage. "Havin' fun?"
"Good afternoon, pilot Soryu," Rei said with a nod.
"You're pretty pale, you could blister in heat like this."
"Does that worry you?" Rei asked, a simple, innocent question.
"No! I'm not worried about you in the least! In fact, if you were to disappear, I probably wouldn't notice. You'd be much better if you did things of your own free will, you know." Asuka looked upwards, sighing. "But no, you're no better then a doll. A puppet really. Not even a real person, in my opinion. You rather creep me out."
Rei regarded her with red eyes, no expression on her face. "You're like a pet, loyal to it's master. Do a couple tricks, why don't you?" Asuka taunted. With one swift movement, Rei shut the book and was on her feet, suddenly at eye-level with the other girl. Asuka took a step back but glared directly into Rei's eyes. "C'mon. I'm not afraid of you!"
"We are all pilots," Rei said, simply. "We are all a part of one another. Should we not all be able to get along?"
"It's easy for people to get along with you!" Asuka replied. "You don't say a word and you do whatever you're told! Do you have any free will at all?"
Rei paused and than answered, "Yes..."
"That's a lie! But if you can tell a lie, maybe that means you do have a bit!"
"Pilot Soryu, I believe it would be best if you got out of the sun."
Asuka stared at her. Rei didn't give her a chance to retort. "My apartment has air conditioning, it would be good for you."
Asuka finally spoke. "Fuck you! I don't need a doll giving me orders!" But just after speaking those words, her rage seemed to drain from her and she was overcome with dizziness. Swaying slightly, Rei gripped her arm before she could fall over. Rei moved up against her and the only slightly conscious Asuka was aware that the other girl's skin was cool beneath her clothes. Cold, even. How odd.
"I apologize, Pilot Soryu," Rei said. "I'll take you with me..."
Asuka hadn't the strength to fight off the girl and soon after her near fainting spell, she was lying on a black couch, a cool cloth on her forehead. The ceiling fan above her was spinning. The air inside the apartment was pleasant and cool. The girl heard the clinking of glasses and Rei walked from the kitchen, a glass of clear brown liquid in her hand. She set it on the coffee table next to where Asuka was lying.
"It's ice tea, you should drink it in case you've become dehydrated."
Asuka moved slowly into a sitting position, one hand holding the cloth to her head. She took the glass in her free hand and tilted it back, barely wetting her lips with the drink before she realized just how parched she was. She was going to deliberately decline to drink but thirst won over and she downed the contents quickly. She was stubborn but far too tired and worn out to put on a convincing front that she was fine and by the way, still hated Rei's guts.
Asuka felt far from fine but she'd live.
Rei took the empty glass and went for a refill. When she returned again, Asuka only drank half of the glass, then left the rest, her thirst quenched for now.
"You apartment says a lot about you" Asuka finally said. "It's plain and boring." There was further silence, in which Asuka wished that Rei could've gone away, rather then sit at the edge of the couch and stare at her. The redhead sighed. "I guess I owe you something for helping me... but it wasn't as bad as it looked! I certainly didn't need to be carried here! How embarrassing!"
Rei cast down her gaze. "I apologize."
With a heavy sigh, Asuka lay back against the couch again, drained once more of what little energy she'd saved up. The girl turned her blue eyes to Rei, slightly annoyed at her. "Ugh... why couldn't Kaji be here..."
Rei's first instinct was to mind her own business and Asuka would surely tell her that, but she was a little curious. Whether she showed it or not, she did have free will... It just... wasn't as apparent as other's. "Do you love Kaji?"
Asuka whipped her head around to stare at Rei. Surprisingly, she just snorted and waved it off. "Love isn't real. What I feel for Kaji is an attraction. Us in a relationship would be a convenience I think. But I'd certainly not be clingy like some girls." She huffed a bit. "I need my space too." Perhaps dropping a subtle hint to Rei who didn't catch on.
"I suppose Kaji does not feel the same as you do..." Rei mumbled.
"I'm not desperate," Asuka said, with a laugh. However, seeing her with Kaji, her actions told a different story. "I don't need anyone!" Then she flinched, as if she'd just done something wrong or had suddenly felt uncomfortable. The redhead stood up and Rei's eyes followed her. "I should be going, not that this hasn't been fun." Her sarcasm had returned.
"Oh. Yes, I guess you should go..." Rei agreed, getting to her feet.
Asuka smoothed the wrinkles from her dress. "...Thanks, I guess." She walked out of the front door and it closed slowly, leaving Rei alone.
"Goodbye."
Night descended onto the city and gone with the sun, a bit of the heat's intensity as well. Rather, the air was pleasant now, at least in Shinji's mind. The perfect temperature for him. He walked along the sidewalks, Kaworu walking beside him, Shinji's hand grasped in Kaworu's. He didn't remember exactly when that had happened; Kaworu certainly didn't seem to know much about personal space or boundaries. Shinji found himself grateful for that...
"I guess I should take you home," Kaworu said with a sigh. "It is getting late."
"Mm." Shinji nodded in agreement.
Surprisingly they hadn't spent the day doing much of anything, but Shinji particularly felt it had been good. He was closer to Kaworu than to perhaps anyone else. He trusted him fiercely and he felt afraid that Kaworu would somehow end up hurting him. But still, how could he feel so strongly about the boy when he knew so little about him? Shinji wasn't the one to pry into other people's business but he'd almost too gladly shared his life story with Kaworu. After doing so... well he felt a sense of relief. Kaworu didn't judge him or laugh. The way that Asuka might have. No, Kaworu understood, he offered him choices, his opinions, asked questions. Shinji had never met anyone who had ever taken such an interest in him...
"It's a long walk back to your place from where I live..." Shinji mumbled. He had stopped walking and Kaworu had stopped at the same time, dropping Shinji's hand from his grasp.
"Yes, it is."
Shinji turned to look at Kaworu. "It's still a ways to my apartment building, but if we part ways here, you wouldn't have to walk twice as far." Shinji blushed a little. "I'd offer for you to stay over but... well with Asuka and Misato there isn't a lot of room."
Kaworu grinned. "It's fine. I'll see you later, Shinji." The two of them walked in opposite directions from each other. Shinji's sneakers scuffled against the ground as he walked, feeling rather upbeat. The streets were relatively empty in the little neighbourhood he was cutting through, but it mattered not.
Then he heard something, several male voices not too far away, coming from a parking lot. As Shinji approached, he began to feel uneasy. The voices were cruel sounding and there were crying whimpers heard over them as well. Shinji got a view of the parking lot at that moment. Several teenage boys were crowded around a limp body on the pavement. They were punching it, kicking it and the person would cry out in pain.
Shinji swallowed, hurrying his walk. But the boys had spotted him. "Hey!" one of them exclaimed. Shinji avoided looking at him and broke into a run but the other boys seemed to be expecting that. Within seconds, three of them were all over him, grabbing at his shirt and yanking him backwards. Shinji was thrown to the ground where several shoes proceeded to stomp into his back and all over his body. Shinji cried out in pain and tried to fight them off with no avail. He then tried to curl in on himself but found he couldn't do that either.
"Does he have money?" one of them asked. Shinji was forcefully flung over onto his back and his wallet was stolen. He was already rather bruised and bloodied. One of the boys opened his wallet, looking for money and took a wad out. "Not much..." he said, voice sounding rather disappointed. Shinji turned his head, eyes searching for the other victim but he'd apparently gotten up and ran off in the scuffle. Shinji felt hopeful he'd get help for him...
A hard kick in the ribs sent Shinji sprawled on his stomach and he again cried out in pain. The beating began again; apparently they were angry with Shinji because he'd caused the other boy to get away. After several agonizing moments, one of the boys suddenly shouted something. Shinji's ears were ringing and all he could focus on was the pain.
The boys left Shinji for the moment, going off to see something. At that time, Shinji didn't move. He couldn't hear the boys suddenly shouting and then crying out in surprise, pain and finally begging for mercy before they scattered like wounded dogs. A figure walked up to Shinji, kneeling down to inspect him. Shinji's eyes opened slightly and he was mildly surprised to see Kaworu kneeling over him, his face twisted in concern for him before everything went dark.
