Author Note: I was worried about this one. Rei is such a hard person to capture in writing (Not that Asuka isn't but she comes a little easier to me), especially when you're as inexperienced as I am. In all honesty I don't think I pulled it off but I'll cross my fingers and hope. Oh and I think the next one will be Shinji x Asuka but I won't bet my life on it. I'm trying to work through requests.
Title: Winter Chills
Author: NeoChick
Theme: #4 Look Who's on top
Fandom: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Pairing: Asuka x Rei
Disclaimer: Sadly the characters of NGE do not belong to me in anyway or form. They belong to GAINAX.
---
Misato shook her head with an exasperated sigh, listening to the results of the latest synchronization test being read out by Maya Ibuki. As usual Shinji had done exceptionally well, placing him at the top again. Rei, although no where near as gifted as the male of the team, still showed promising scores considering the fact she'd just been through another faulty start up with Unit 00, causing her to fracture her arm and a rib. If the cerulean haired teen was in pain though, she didn't show it. No, Rei wasn't Misato's main concern. The cause to her dismay was her German roommate, setting a personal worse compared to last week.
"Asuka, you need to concentrate!" She barked into the speaker although she knew it would do little good. The Major was greeted with a slew of German that she could barely understand and didn't care to try. "Hey, it's not my fault, at this rate you won't even be able to get the EVA to walk." Ritsuko placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and gently pushed her away in hoped to prevent another meaningless argument.
"That's all for today, please disengage the program Maya. Good work today Shinji and Rei, you can go home now." Asuka didn't fail to notice the absence of her name in the compliment.
---
"DAMNIT!" The red head had decided to take her aggression out on her locker door, which now looked pretty pathetic with a couple of dents decorating the front. Slamming another fist into the door, she winced slightly in pain but didn't pull her hand away. When had she become the one at the back of the pack? Grumbling she fell back on the bench and looked over at the girl she shared the change room with. She was met with crimson eyes, refueling her fury. "What the hell are you looking at?"
Rei, clothed and now re-bandaging her arm, blinked a couple times, tilting her head wearing that same permanent vacant expression that Asuka had come to hate.
"Wow I must really be a loser if I'm being pitied by a crippled doll." Asuka spat bitterly, slapping her bag roughly over her shoulder. She needed to get rid of this inferiority feeling and since Shinji wasn't around; Rei was the next best thing. The second child could have sworn she'd seen a look of annoyance on Ayanami's face, but it was so brief that she might have been imagining things.
"I'm not a doll." Rei's response was smooth, as though she was merely stating a fact.
"Oh did I offend you Wonder girl?" She smirked, taking hold of the opportunity. Rei simply ignored her fiery teammate and pulled her winter coat over her wounded arm. Asuka growled, loathing her indifference. She'd have to fix that. "I bet you think that you're so much better then I am, don't you. Since you're the Commander's favorite." But Rei didn't even bat an eye as she walked towards the exit. "Hey, wait! I'm not done with you yet."
The fragile teen looked over her shoulder as Asuka tossed her own winter coat lazily on her back. "Why do you feel the need to belittle others for your own pleasure?" Asuka's breath caught in her throat at the sudden question. Rei however didn't wait for the answer and swung the door open and left.
Langley came to her sense as the door slammed shut and launched herself forward. "Hey! Wonder girl wait!" Asuka pushed the door open violently and went flying into her previous victim who'd stopped in front of their superior, Major Katsuragi. Rei turned around and offered her uninjured arm to the girl. Asuka grimaced, knocking it away. "I can get up myself." Misato crossed her arms in disapproval but didn't voice her opinion.
"Asuka, just the person I wanted to see. I need you to walk Rei back to her apartment; the men in black so to speak are busy with the up and coming press conference and need to watch over the commander tonight." The red head death panned at the request.
"You've got to be kidding me, can't Shinji do it, I bet lover boy would do it in a heart beat." Yeah that idiot wouldn't think twice. Misato shook her head.
"Shinji is going to be running some more combat training simulations. Now stop the complaining." Rei chose that moment to pipe in.
"Major Katsuragi, if it's an inconvenience I can just go home unescorted." Asuka looked at the red eyed girl with a satisfied nod and decided to ignore the Major; Misato however wouldn't be so easily overpowered.
"Asuka, if you want dinner tonight you'll do as I ask. Besides, Rei I would feel a lot more comfortable if you have someone with you when you're injured." The quiet girl nodded solemnly and walked towards Soyhru. Grumbling, Asuka complied with the request.
"Fine then, let's go Wonder girl."
---
It was currently winter in Tokyo-3, the cold winds running through the girls' hair made sure to remind them of why they wore a coat. It had yet to snow but Asuka could just tell by the chill in her bones that it would be coming soon. They walked in silence next to each other, the red head hoping to make this as painless as possibly while Rei seemed to be off in her own world. Although not completely over it, the second child had decided to put a side her earlier disappointment and focus on the up and coming hot bowl of ramen Shinji had promised to make later that night.
"Pilot Soyhru, may I ask why you decided to walk me home?" Asuka snapped up at the use of her last name, narrowing her bows.
"What are you stupid? I wouldn't have gotten dinner if I refused."
"I see."
"What kind of response is that! I mean really, don't you know how to talk like a normal person. Oh and Wonder girl I have a first name you know, it's Asuka!" She spat, ignoring the hypocritical comment of her statement. Rei stopped in front of her companion and turned to the red head and offered her hand, placidly responding with,
"My name is Rei." Asuka scrunched her nose in confusion, slapping her hands on her hips.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sapphire eyes rolled in her head, "You really are from another planet aren't you." The paler of the two lowered her hand, red eyes seemingly more focused then usual on blue. For once in her life Asuka was the first to look away.
"Why do you place people beneath yourself? Are we not all the same?" It wasn't accusatory but Asuka took the defensive immediately, it didn't help that her toes were becoming numb either.
"Me? The same as you, an emotionless doll? You wish! Don't you dare compare yourself to the Great Asuka Langley Soyhru, the best Eva pilot that the world has ever seen." The team puffed up her chest, masking her uneasiness with her pride. Rei remained still and calm, causing the red head to hiss in frustration, her breath visibly in the air. "Now let's go home before we freeze to death!" The German marched ahead but stopped when the porcelain doll did not follow. "Come on!"
"Do you need to be the best? Why?" It may have been simple curiosity on her part but Asuka saw it as an interrogation.
"Stop asking so many questions! What are you, a detective?" Rei didn't respond, causing Asuka so unleash an aggravated cry, "Oh course I have to be the best! There's no point in doing anything if you're not the best!"
"Then why do you pilot, Asuka?" Asuka realized the insinuation and felt something snap inside of her. She'd been asked this question a lot by Shinji, to which she often replied with confidence that it was to show the world how great she was, but now with Rei, who wasn't as gullible as the male, she wasn't sure anymore.
"Shut up, just shut up Ayanami!" She cried and in spite of herself felt faint forgotten tears under her eyelids. Asuka turned her back and quickly rubbed them away. "Just stop talking." She whispered in a very un-Asuka like fashion. Suddenly one small arm curled around her waist, the other pressed into her back do to injury. "What are you doing now? I don't want your pity." she croaked.
Rei, her voice usually very robotic, softened it, "It is not pity, I was told when someone is upset one should attempt to comfort them." Asuka scoffed but didn't push her off. It actually felt kind of nice for once, seemingly soothing the savage beast so to speak.
"And what idiot told you that?"
"Shinji Ikari."
"Figures." She shook her head and looked up at the sky. It was then when little sparks of white began floating down from above. Snow, it had been so long since she'd seen it last. A small smile crossed her face as she gently pulled Rei off of her. "Let's go before we're drenched in snow." Rei however didn't move, her focus on the small flurries falling, one hand held out curiously as a flake fell on it. "Don't tell me you've never seen snow before." Asuka watched as she shook her head.
The red head raised an eyebrow before taking hold of her hand and dragged the bizarre teen behind her. "Well I'll tell you about it if we hurry up and get to the apartment complex. It's too damn cold out here!" And just like that Asuka switched emotions again, an act that she commonly used and headed towards home as the flakes began dusting her hair.
---
Later that week during another test, Maya watched hopefully as the printer finished with the last page of the report. She flipped through the pages with a smile as the door slid open, the three children joining the staff on the deck. The lieutenant handed the package to the Major as the second child eyed her expectantly. Misato looked up nodding in satisfaction. "Asuka, you're scores gone up 10 points, what ever you're doing keep it up!"
"Oh yeah! Of course it went up. Look whose on top now baka Shinji!" The boy in question knitted his brows together in puzzlement.
"Umm Asuka, your score is still lower than mine-"
"So what! Having the best score isn't everything." She snapped, catching him off guard. She looked over casually at Rei, smiling. As much as she loathed the girl, she'd taught her something important, even if she hadn't realized it. The red head could have sworn that the doll had smiled as well but maybe she was just imagining things. She looked away and stepped closer to Ikari making him uncomfortable. "Are you bragging idiot?"
Shinji gulped, "N…no of course not."
"Because even if your synchronization ratio is higher I could still beat you with both my hands tied behind my back!"
Then again some things never change.