Chapter 6: Take The Pain Away

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. It belongs to Hideaki Anno, Gainax, and Tatsunoko Productions. I only own the characters I made up.

The past few weeks. . .well. . . hasn't been the most fun. Right after my last battle, Misato began scolding. She ranted about how I shouldn't disobey a direct order and that I took unnecessary risks during the mission. I argued everything turned out alright regardless, but she was having none of that. I wasn't going to get off scot-free, so she forced me to do extra chores every single day. When I say extra, I mean every chore available around the apartment, without Misato's help. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. As you can imagine, it's a real pain in the ass!

This brings me to now. It's six in the morning and I'm making pancakes (learned how back home after getting bored) for both Misato and I. Misato's seated at the dinner table drinking a can of beer and playing with Pen Pen. She gives me a playful smirk and I respond with a glare.

It's too damn early for me to make pancakes for two people and she knows it! The process is too time consuming and I'm too tired for this shit. Seriously, it's not as easy as throwing a bunch of eggs into a pan and waiting for the thing to cook. You have to make sure the pancake batter isn't lumpy and make sure the pancakes themselves don't burn. Also, depending on how much you're making, the whole process can take twenty to thirty minutes. Back home, Shane would ask me to make them every day and I had to break it to him that it wasn't gonna happen. When he asked why, I explained that breaking my back creating a few pieces of flatbread everyday, isn't my idea of a good time.

"Are you done yet?" Misato asks playfully, as she takes another sip of beer.

"You know I'm not!" I respond, slightly irritated. "Just wait five more minutes!"

"Uh-oh. Someone's angry." She starts giggling. "I wonder why?"

I can feel a vein pulsating on my forehead. I turn around and yell "YOU FUCKING KNOW WHY! ! !"

Her smug look increases tenfold as she waves her index finger in a disapproving manner. "Tsk, Tsk - You know the rules Michael. Pay up."

I inwardly groan at my stupidity. I dig into my pocket and put some money in a glass jar situated on the dinner table. It's been dubbed, "The Swear Jar".

That's another part of my punishment. Everytime I swear, I put money into the glass jar. The first time she brought this up as a punishment, I pointed out the one flaw, I had no money. She easily fixed that flaw by paying me for all the chores I did. At first, it didn't seem like a punishment. I mean, it would be like having a job. Then I quickly realized how much I swear. Whenever I got a substantial amount of money, most of it would be taken away due to my habit. It's the equivalent of being in a race and collapsing when you're near the finish line. So close, yet so far.

I'm finally finished making the damn pancakes. I gave Misato half the batch while I ate the other half. The next few minutes are silent due to us eating. I'm still pissed that I have to do this everyday. Still, the food tastes great. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but these are probably the best homemade pancakes on this entire planet!

"How's your time at school?" Misato asks in between bites.

"It's been fine."

"Really?" She raises an eyebrow as she adopts a smirk. "What about your grades?"

I take a moment to think about what I'm gonna say. Judging from the way she's speaking, she probably already knows. Well, no point in lying. "Isn't it obvious? I'm failing."

Misato shakes her head and chuckles. "You really need to fix that. It doesn't look good for Nerv if one of our pilots can't pass their classes."

I scoff. "Why the hell should I care? I'm too busy 'saving the world' to worry about class."

Misato continues to wear her smirk as she taps "The Swear Jar".

"Huh? What did I say?!"

"Hell," she simply states.

"That's not a swear word!" I yell at her.

"Don't argue. Just pay up."

I reluctantly put more money into the jar and grumble under my breath "You swear all the time."

"Ever heard of the saying 'Do as I say, not as I do'?" she says, apparently hearing me. "As for your 'saving the world' comment, that's no excuse to be falling behind in your classes."

"In case you didn't notice, I can't read kanji." I respond sardonically.

"Then ask for help," she says. "Get someone to tutor you."

I give her a blank stare. "Then why don't you tutor me?"

"You know I'm too busy to do that."

"Yeeaah, sure you are," I respond while rolling my eyes. "Well, it's not like you'd be any help anyway. You'd probably find a way to make my grades worse."

She glares at me. "Perhaps I should start making you pay every time you make a sarcastic comment."

I become rigid. "I'll behave."

She grins. "Good! Got anything else to share?"

"Hmm. . .I don't think so."

"Are you suuure you aren't forgetting something?"

I don't like this. The way she said that made it seem like I have something to hide. But what could she possibly think I-

She pulls out a sheet of paper from under the table. It looks like it was torn apart and crudely put back together with tape.

My eyes nearly pop out of my skull.

"How the fuuuuuuuuuuu. . . fun?" Please say that doesn't count!

"Nice save," Misato says while holding back her urge to laugh. "Cutting it a little close don't you think? According to this invitation, Parent Visitation Day is tomorrow. Why didn't you tell me about it?

"Well. . .uh. . . I didn't think you'd be interested!" I tell her, trying and failing to not seem nervous.

"Really?" she says, not fully believing me.

"Really! And why would you?! You'd have to sit in class and listen to boring lectures. Don't even get me started on my classmates! They're a bunch of immature brats! Constantly running and screaming. I think for the sake of your own sanity, you shouldn't go!"

"Aww Mikey, you don't need to worry about me," she says in a voice meant for small children. Wait. . .what did she call me?! "But as your caretaker, it's my responsibility to go to this special event."

I slam my head against the table and inwardly curse the situation I'm being put in. Slowly, I get up from my chair, grab my empty plate, and head for the kitchen sink.

Why? Just. . .why?

The math teacher wraps up his lesson right after the bell rings, signaling him to leave. The ten minute breaks between each class give students enough time to catch up with friends or finish some extra work. Weeks of attending this school showed me how well behaved these kids are. Even when the teacher leaves the room, they never act up. Back home, if a teacher so much as looked away from the class (even for a second), the room would break into pandemonium. Then again, the class rep here is always keeping an eye on everyone. It's her job to keep the class in order and she takes it seriously. She can be scary when she wants to be, especially if you piss her off. The fear of getting on her bad side is probably the main reason why everyone behaves.

I'm resting my head against my desk and am refusing to move it from that spot. It's been there for so long, it feels like it's glued there.

"Don't see why you're so upset."

"Of course you don't," I respond to Toji, the desk muffling my voice. "You don't understand the situation I'm put in."

"What's so bad about having Misato visit the school?" asks Kensuke.

Immediately, my head raises from the desk and I glare at him. "Everything! All she's gonna do is embarrass the hell out of me!"

"What makes you say that?" He asks innocently while adopting a nervous smile. "Misato's the nicest person I've ever met."

"Plus she's really hot," Toji adds. "You're lucky to be livin' with someone like that."

Seriously?

"No! She's not nice, or hot, and I'm not lucky to be living with her!" I state. "She's lazy, a slob, and is constantly a pain in my ass! You know she's forcing me to do all the work around the apartment?!"

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Kensuke says dismissively, much to my chagrin.

I nearly pull the hair out of my head before calming down. "Try living with her for one day and see if I'm exaggerating."

"Living with Misato would be a dream come true!" he says as he leans in on my desk. He then begins staring off into space wearing a goofy smile. Toji's doing the same thing. They're both red as a tomato.

"You guys are gross," I simply state.

"Do give us that!" Toji says in his defense. "Come on, don't tell me you haven't had one dirty thought about Misato."

I'm about to respond until the class rep, Hikari, yells at us to keep it down and stop discussing perverse topics. That quickly got us to shut up, along with me becoming embarrassed. Moments later, we began talking again, albeit a bit quieter.

"Anyway, I need to ask you guys something." I tell both Kensuke and Toji.

"Hmm? Sure, what is it?" asks Toji.

"Can you guys teach me how to read kanji?"

"Huh? You can't read that stuff?"

"That's right. So will you guys help?"

"Sorry to tell ya this, but I'm not exactly the best guy to ask when it comes to teaching," he admits.

"Same for me," says Kensuke. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Oh come on!" I yell at them, disappointment laced into my words. "You both need to at least try!"

Toji shrugs his shoulders. "Sorry, I can't help you. Why don't you ask the class rep?"

Kensuke nods in agreement. "She's tutored a bunch of students in the past."

I look over to the brown haired girl. I could ask her but. . .

"No, she seems like she'll be too strict." I then lower my head, partially in disappointment. "And. . .she kinda scares me."

I expect them to laugh, but they only nod.

"Then ask someone else to tutor you," Kensuke suggests. "I mean, you're still pretty popular here. I'm sure no one would mind teaching you a few things."

I look around the classroom and let out a frustrated sigh.

I dislike having to talk to people. It took me awhile to be moderately good friends with Toji and Kensuke. It took me even longer to become comfortable enough to talk to them on a daily basis. So to ask me to speak to people I barely know, is a terrible idea (at least in my eyes). So many things could go wrong. I could say something weird or do something embarrassing. They'll judge me based on what I do, so it's best to avoid initiating conversation. It'll be more convenient if they come to me. That way, all I have to do is react, which is easier than being the initial speaker.

"Hey, why don't you guys as- What the hell?!" I'm about to suggest that Toji and Kensuke do the talking for me, but Toji lifts me off my seat.

"Quit stallin'! Go already!" he pushes me forward, urging me to interact with my classmates. I send a glare his way, he responds with a grin. "Stop being so shy! Also, make sure your tutor's a cute girl!"

I let out a sigh and decide to start searching. Some students give me curious looks, no doubt they heard Toji's comments. I'm gonna make him pay when this is over. But. . .who can I talk to. All this time attending school and I still don't know anyone's name. I never thought I had to. Crap! This is gonna make talking even harder!

My attention is drawn to the back corner of the classroom. There sits Rei, staring out a window. My mind clears as the unease washes away. I think I found my tutor.

I make my way to her corner of the room. When I'm near her desk, she detects my presence and brings her attention to me.

"Hey," I greet her.

"Greetings Hart," she responds.

"Uh, you don't have to call me by my last name."

"It's the appropriate way to address someone, is it not?" she asks.

"I guess, but I prefer it if you called me by my first name. Calling me Hart just feels too. . ." I shake my head. "Nevermind. Anyway, I was wondering if you would be willing to tutor me?"

Rei tilts her head and gives me a curious look. "Tutor?"

"Yeah," I say as I scratch the back of my head. "You see, I'm having trouble reading kanji and it's affecting my grades. That's why I need a tutor."

"And you believe I am suitable to be a tutor?" she questions.

"I don't see why not," I tell her. "You're always reading and you don't seem to be failing your classes. So I can assume you're pretty smart."

While I'm explaining this to Rei, I hear whispering across the classroom. Using my peripheral vision, I see practically all the students staring at me and Rei. The guys are more subtle, only offering curious glances. The girls on the other hand are practically gawking. Some are even giggling.

Right, this is probably the first time they've seen Rei interact with another human. Great, they probably gonna make a big deal out of this. I can hear the rumors already.

"So, how about it? Will you tutor me?"

She takes a moment to think. For a second, I think she might say no. That doesn't happen. Instead, she nods.

"Great! So. . .your place at 5:30 p.m.?"

"That is acceptable," she responds.

I nod and start walking back to my desk. When I get there, Toji and Kensuke won't leave me alone. They ask how I got Rei to talk and how I got her to agree to tutor me. Kensuke kept saying how jealous he was while Toji was congratulating me on getting a cute girl. I just shake my head and try to ignore their antics.

When school ends, I go back to Misato's place briefly. When there, I grab some snacks, extra notebooks then leave. It's only 3:30, but I like to arrive anywhere ahead of schedule. That and it takes about an hour for me to walk to a train station that goes on the route I need to be on. It also takes thirty minutes to an hour for the train to arrive in Rei's neighborhood, so leaving early is the best option for me. Why did I suggest to meet at five?

I arrive at Rei's apartment a few minutes early. I knock on her front door and a few minutes later, she opens the entrance. We greet each other and she lets me inside her home.

I've never actually been inside Rei's apartment, but I knew what to expect. Still, seeing this place in person makes me kinda. . .sad. A small kitchen counter and stove is located next to the front door, as well as a small refrigerator. The sink next to the kitchen counter looks recently cleaned, that or it's never been used. At the far end of the room is a bed located under a large window, the only source of natural light. Cardboard boxes and bloodied bandages are all over the floor. The place is kinda chilly and the walls look like they're made of metal. The place smells like a bunch of chemicals were dumped here. Knowing Nerv, that probably isn't far off from the truth.

This place looks more like a prison than a room.

"So. . .where will we be sitting?" I ask.

Instead of responding, she grabs two stools and places them near her bed. I guess the bed will act as a desk. I take a seat in one of the stools and Rei sits in another. She then pulls out several books from under the bed and places them on top of the mattress.

"Shall we begin?" she asks.

I nod, and the lesson starts.

The first thing we needed to get out of the way was my homework. The math was pretty easy to figure out, the only issue came from solving word problems. Rei helped me translate what the problems were asking me and I did the rest. As for the rest of the homework, that was hell. While we were working on my worksheets, she took the opportunity to teach me about the Japanese language. Turns out kanji has over two-thousand letters! Fucking two-thousand! That's just the kanji alphabet! Apparently, Japan has three alphabets, each used in everyday writing. How am I supposed to remember all that?! Why did Japan have to make writing so damn complicated!

Thirty minutes pass and I'm not done with half the work. It's extremely frustrating! Now I remember why I gave up on anything writing related.

"Rei, I think I need a break."

"But we're in the middle of a problem," she points out.

"I know it's just. . .*sigh* I really need a break or else I'll go insane."

She sees how tired I am and agrees to let me rest. I grab the paper I was working on and look at my progress. It's a history worksheet, half are multiple choice and the rest is a written response. I know I already know the answers, I pay attention to history, it's just I can't understand the questions. The words just look like a bunch of lines and weird shapes. How does the teacher expect me to do the homework? He must realize by now that I can't read the damn language!

I let out a sigh and decide to have a little snack. I pull out one of the snacks I brought over (a granola bar) and start eating. I take care to not get any crumbs on Rei's bed or floor, that would be rude. Another sigh escapes me as I think about the candy I would eat at home. Japan doesn't have a lot of sweets (at least not the kind I'm used to), so I had to eat a bit healthier. If I want something to snack on, I'll eat a granola bar or some veggies. If it wasn't for the occasional junk food - chips and sodas for example - I might've gone crazy!

A growling sound, a pretty loud one, bounces off the room's walls. I look over to Rei and she takes notice of my gaze. Her cheeks turn pink as her stomach lets out another growl.

I look at her then back to my food. I grab another granola bar I had and hand it to her. She looks at me with a confused expression.

"It's obvious you're hungry, so just take it."

She hesitates for a moment, then takes the bar and begins eating.

"Thank you," she says, though it's odd. The way she said it, made it seem like those words were foreign to her.

I take a look at the fridge near the entrance of the room. "Don't you have any food here?"

She nods. I get up and ask if she minds if I check the fridge. She gives me permission and I look inside. There's barely anything in there. Just some bread, water and vegetables.

"This is all you got?!" I ask her.

"It's sufficient," she simply responds.

I return to my seat and stare at her. "Sufficient? There's no way you can survive on that amount of food!"

When she's done eating the granola I gave her, she once again speaks up. "Commander Ikari invites me to dine with him at least once a week. That is where I get the majority of my sustenance."

I scoff at that. "That bastard invites her to dinner, but can't be bothered to actually keep her fridge full so she can feed herself." I muttered, scornfully, under my breath.

"Hmm?"

"Oh! Nothing!" I respond quickly. Good thing she didn't hear me. She'd probably slap me for badmouthing Gendo.

I look around the room once again and frown. How can Gendo keep Rei in a place like this? I thought he had some kind of sympathy for her. Guess I was wrong. Then again, what did I expect from the person who abandoned his son when he needed him most.

"Hey," I start. "How about tomorrow, after school. . .I get you something to eat. That alright with you?"

She looks shocked. "Why would you want to do that?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Because I feel like it. Besides, it'll be easier for you to teach when you aren't starving. So, how about it?"

She pauses. Perhaps not fully comprehending my gesture. Eventually, she gives me an answer. "I. . .accept your offer Hart."

"Kay. Remember, meet me after school."

She nods.

We go back to working on my homework. When we're done, I leave the apartment and return home at around 8:00 p.m. Misato starts scolding me about my absence. Turns out, I forgot to tell her where I was and she almost sent out a search party. Whoops. Eventually, I cleared a few things up and went to bed.

Tomorrow's gonna be an. . .interesting day.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT! ! !" I exclaim in frustration.

"It wasn't that bad," Kensuke assures me.

"No. It was pretty bad," Tojo snickers.

"She just kept getting the teachers to call on me and kept flirting with all the dads in the room!" I continue ranting. "Now you guys see why I didn't want her here?!"

"Hey, it wasn't all bad," Toji tells me. "But your reactions were pretty funny. The look on your face every time Misato spoke! *Snicker* It looked like you were gonna explode!"

Toji bursts out laughing and Kensuke soon joins him.

"Glad my misery brings you both joy." I reply sardonically.

Our group continues walking down the halls to the school's exit. Misato left early (thank god), so I can talk to Rei without her peeking over my shoulder. When we get outside, Toji and Kensuke turn to me.

"Toji's dad is gonna take us downtown to the arcade," Kensuke explains. "You wanna come along?"

I shook my head. "No thanks. I got tutoring with Rei."

"Bummer," says Toji.

A thoughtful expression appears on Kensuke's face. "But, I thought you said Rei agreed to tutor you at around five. It's still three."

When Toji hears this, a smirk appears on his face. He then puts his arm around my shoulder. "You sly dog."

What?!

"The hell?!" I give him a weird look.

Kensuke seems to pick up on what Toji's implying and dons a smirk of his own. "You could've told us you wanted to be alone with Rei. We'll just get out of your way."

I swear a blood vessel popped! "It's nothing like that!"

"Sure it isn't," they both say simultaneously.

"Screw both of you!" I respond, frustrated.

When I'm done ranting at the two, I notice Rei just walked out of the school.

"Guys I gotta go," I explain while walking towards Rei. "See y'all tomorrow!"

"Tell us how your date goes!" yells Toji, which gets me to groan.

"Hey," I greet Rei, "Ready to go?"

She nods before pausing. "Does Suzuhara think we are in a relationship?"

I facepalmed hard. "Just. . .ignore him."

We walk to the nearest bus station and take a trip to a supermarket. During the ride, I'm making a mental list of what we'll need to buy there. My allowance won't be enough to buy the things Rei needs. That's why I. . .borrowed some grocery money from Misato. It's not like I'll need to go grocery shopping for a while, Misato's fridge is always full. Though, she probably will be pissed that I took some money without permission. Well, guess that'll serve as payback for her behavior at school.

We arrive at the supermarket Misato usually sends me to. I don't really know the name of the place, but I guess you could describe it as a Japanese Walmart. Rei and I grab ourselves a shopping cart and got to shopping.

"Let's see," I say, mostly to myself. "You're gonna need some frozen food as well as food you can eat right away. Do you know how to cook? Because if you don't, buying things like raw chicken might prove useless."

"I do not eat meat," she responds.

"Oh, right." Forgot about that. "Guess that's a good thing, it'll narrow down our options. How about we get you some rice."

When I shop, I like to do things as quickly as possible. I never see why it takes some people an hour or more to decide on something simple. Without delay, I found some food Rei would find suitable. Things like a bag of rice, instant ramen (vegetarian), fruits, vegetables, etc. I even bought some things for myself. Mainly shampoo and hair grease. It's difficult to find the brand I like here, with me being illiterate and all. It makes me question if having all this hair is worth the trouble. But I decided a while ago that I'm not gonna cut my hair. It took a long time to get it looking the way it is now.

The cart isn't full, meaning when we leave, we'll be able to carry all this stuff back to Rei's apartment. Good. Seeing that all the items in my mental checklist were crossed off, I prepared to go to the cashier. But, I stop myself. It feels like I'm forgetting something. Then it hits me.

"Rei, do you have anything to wear other than your school uniform?"

She shakes her head.

I let out a sigh. Of course she doesn't. "Well, let's get you something to wear."

"That will not be necessary," she assures me. "The school uniform is sufficient."

I shake my head. Even though I don't care much for clothes, I know that it can't be comfortable wearing that uniform everyday.

"Listen," I explain. "Clothes are more than just something to cover yourself up."

She cocks her head to the side and I continue. "Come on, it must be boring wearing that bland uniform everyday. Trust me, you'll feel better wearing something new."

She doesn't seem to understand, but takes my word for it. We go to the clothing section of the store and start searching.

"So, what size clothes do you we-" I stop myself. That's gonna get awkward real quick. "You know what. We'll just eyeball it." I then point to a bunch of clothing. "Go pick one."

She looks at me in confusion.

That gets a chuckle out of me. "Go on. Pick the one you like."

She looks at me, then to her hands. The way she carries herself reminds me of a lost child. "I've. . .never done this-"

"Don't worry," I tell her. "Like I said, just pick the one you like."

She stands still for a few seconds, then walks off to find something to wear.

"Make sure it isn't too expensive!" I call out to her. I may be encouraging Rei, but I'm not made of money.

It takes about fifteen minutes for Rei to find something. It's a white one piece dress and a large white summer hat. I wanted to leave right then because I felt we spent too much time here. But she needs to try on the dress and hat to make sure they fit (and that they are a good look for her). I guide her to a dressing room and let her try on the clothes.

A few more minutes pass by and I go check up on her. "You dressed yet?"

"Yes," she responds.

"Then come out. I wanna see it!" I try to sound enthusiastic, but really, I'm bored out of my mind. Standing around all day isn't my idea of a good time. I just had to insist she gets new clothes!

She walks out of the dressing room. The white dress was a good choice for her. The color compliments her pale skin quite nicely. As a matter of fact, it kinda gives her an angelic glow. I don't know what compelled her to get the summer hat, but it's a nice touch. It complements the dress and gives her an air of royalty. Overall, it's a simple look, but perfect nonetheless.

"Wow! You look nice."

Rei's cheeks turn an interesting shade of pink as she looks to the ground. Think I might've embarrassed her.

"Alright, get ready to get going," I tell her. "We spent enough time here."

She nods and goes back into the dressing room to put on her regular clothes.

Eventually we leave the store and start heading to Rei's apartment. On the way there, I suggest we stop by an arcade, just to have a little fun. She was hesitant, but agreed to play a few games. It's been so long since I last played a video game, so you can imagine how happy I was at that arcade. I even got Rei to play a few games there. She did better than I expected, you know, after she figured out the controls. As expected, she was a natural at any game that involved piloting a vehicle.

I eventually ran into Toji and Kensuke, much to my chagrin. They tried multiple times to get a rise out of me, saying things like "How was your date with Rei" or "Did you kiss her yet". It was all in good fun, but man was that annoying! In the end, we all started playing games as a group. It was the most fun I had in Tokyo-3.

After all that , Rei and I got back to her apartment. While walking up the stairs, Rei stops.

"Huh? Something wrong?" I ask.

"No," she responds. But the tone of her voice says otherwise. "Hart. . .why are you so pleasant to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You only needed me to tutor you. Yet, you concern yourself with my well-being. And the last time we fought together, you risked your life to save mine. Why?"

I smile at her then decide to borrow something a friend said to me. "You really need to stop overthinking things."

She goes silent. Utterly puzzled at what I said.

"But, if you really need an answer. . .I guess I'll give you one." I tell her. "Heh, it's stupid really. . .I guess I. . .feel like I understand you." My insides feel like they're being stabbed.

"I guess. . . I don't know. I feel like I know what it's like to feel worthless. Like you don't matter." I hate talking about this. It makes me feel so. . .so. . .

" *Sigh* You know what, forget it. It's silly to compare my life to the things you had to endure. Just. . . forget I said anything."

I continue to walk towards Rei's front door. She gives me an odd look, but eventually follows suit.

Yeah. It really is silly.

It's morning. As usual, I'm slaving over the stove making breakfast. But, Misato isn't at the table. Odd, she usually wakes up at the same time I do. Whatever, when she does come from her room, no doubt she's gonna demand breakfast.

Misato's door slides open. I'm about to alert her that breakfast's ready, but my words are caught in my throat at the sight of her. She's not wearing the clothes she usually wears when she just wakes up, nor is she wearing the get up she sports around Nerv. She's wearing a uniform that wouldn't look out of place in a military banquet.

"What's the occasion?" I ask.

"There's a meeting I need to go to at old Tokyo," she explains as she walks to the front door and puts on her shoes. "I probably will be home late. If you're feeling hungry, don't be afraid to order something."

"Aren't you gonna eat anything?" I ask, partially annoyed she didn't tell me this information the day before.

She adopts an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Michael. You probably worked hard making breakfast. But I need to leave as soon as possible. I'll be sure to make it up to you." She opens the door then pauses. "See you later."

The door closes.

I sigh and look at the amount of food I just made. A large smile creeps its way onto my face.

"Well," I tell myself. "More for me!"

The rest of the day flew by so quickly. Classes were a blur and the only memorable things that happened today were my conversations with Toji and Kensuke. They kept asking what it was like to have Rei as a tutor. I told them it was constant work, but wasn't strict. She was also extremely patient with me, even when I got pissed at all the work I had to do. Of course they had a little fun messing with me. It was just too easy for them. All they had to do was hint that me and Rei were doing. . . "extracurricular activities" and I would freak out. It didn't help that all the girls in the class were congratulating me for getting Rei to open up. They acted like Rei and I were a couple. I would simply roll my eyes at their remarks.

When school ends, Rei and I start walking together away from campus. We both decided that tutoring should begin as soon as school ended. That way, I didn't have to keep walking back and forth from my apartment to Rei's. Currently, we're making our way to the train station. That's when a question popped into my head.

"Rei, do you know why Misato went to old Tokyo?"

"Captain Katsuragi and Dr. Akagi were invited to a private company's demonstration of a new weapon to combat the Angels."

That's interesting. "Sounds cool. What kind of weapon is this company presenting?"

"A robot that can face an Angel in close quarters combat," she states.

"What? You mean something like an Eva?" I ask, shocked.

"Nothing like an Eva," she explains. "Based on the information available, it will not require a pilot and has a longer battery life. It does not posses an A.T. Field, but it will also be easier to mass produce. It is designed to replace Eva."

Really? How do I not know about this? Then again, my knowledge of Neon Genesis is pretty limited. So I guess it makes sense there are some things I won't know.

"But it will fail," she says.

I look at her questioningly. "How do you know that?"

She goes silent.

I was gonna repeat the question until I spot a black car in the distance. It eventually comes to a stop next to where Rei and I are walking. The window rolls down revealing a Nerv employee. The guy has combed back brown hair and thick lense glasses. I recognize him. He's Misato's chief aide if I remember correctly.

"Mr. Hart. You will need to come with me immediately." He says in an authoritative voice. Something I'm not use to hearing from him.

"Why? What happened?" I ask.

"I'll explain on the way to HQ. But we need to go now!" he says in a hurried tone.

I nod and bid farewell to Rei as I entered the vehicle.

On the way to Nerv, the driver who's name I learned is Hyuga, told me that the robot being demonstrated in old Tokyo has gone on a rampage. Apparently an Eva is the only thing that can stop the damn thing, so I'm going to be sent out there. Never thought I'd see the day an Eva would be used to fight something other than an Angel.

An hour later, I'm fully dressed in my plugsuit, sitting inside a large jet carrying Unit-01. Across from where I'm sitting is Misato. She's wearing a skin-tight suit with a large helmet resting on her lap. She's wearing a slightly worried expression as she explains her plan to me.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to stop the giant robot long enough for you to climb inside and deactivate it?"

"That about sums it up," she says casually, trying to hide the apprehension in her voice.

"Why can't I just destroy the thing?"

"Like I said, the Jet Alone is powered by a nuclear reactor. If you destroy it, it might cause an explosion. You're Eva will be safe, but the resulting fallout will spread to the nearest city."

"If that thing's nuclear, then it's crazy for you to go inside that thing," I exclaim. "The radiation poses too much of a risk!"

"That's what this suit is for," she says as she taps her helmet.

"It has its limits," I tell her.

"Don't worry Michael." She puts her hand on my shoulder. "Everything's gonna be fine. Just get me close to the robot."

I let out an exhale then shake my head. "You know you're crazy right?"

"Like you're the one to talk," she replied wittily.

We both laughed until the jet's pilot alerted us that we were close to the Jet Alone. Immediately, I make my way to the bottom of the jet, and enter my entry plug. A machine inserts the capsule into my Eva, so now I'm fully connected. Misato climbs into my Eva's right hand, and I gently encompass the fingers around her.

Don't crush her! Don't crush her! Don't crush her!

"Not really something I want to hear at the moment," Misato tells me over the radio.

Huh. Apparently I said that out loud.

The belly of the jet opens up, revealing how high up I was. The locks keeping the Eva from falling come undone. Gravity takes hold, snatching me from the jet and pulling me to the ground. I expected to feel fear on my way down, and I did, but it wasn't the dominant emotion.

"HELL YEAH! ! ! !" For some reason, excitement emerges from this whole experience. I'm laughing like a maniac as I continue to fall.

When the ground approaches, I prepare myself for a landing. I'm initially worried that the Eva won't survive the fall, but that feeling melts away as soon as I touch the ground. The impact was ruff, but I'm unharmed. I command my Eva to start running so it could catch up to the Jet Alone robot. When I got to it, I grab it's shoulder and keep it from moving.

"Crap! This thing's stronger than it looks!" I say while gritting my teeth.

"Remind me to have you drop some money in 'The Swear Jar'," Misato tells me over the radio.

"Oh come on! I should be allowed to say whatever I want on missions!"

"Kidding." I can hear the smile in her voice. "Okay, just drop me on it's shoulder. I'll handle the rest."

Doing as she said, I carefully carry Misato to the Jet Alone's shoulder. I see her jump off the Eva's hand and open a hatch to get inside the nuclear powered robot. When she closes the hatch, I move my Eva in front of the robot to keep it from moving.

"Tell me what's happening," I command over the radio.

"Well, I'm walking through a dark hallway." Misato responds. "*Huff* This place feels like a sauna."

"That tends to happen when you're close to a nuclear reactor," I joke. The Jet Alone struggles to move forward, but I keep it in place. Shit, it's like trying to stop a freight train! Suddenly, part of the Jet Alone bursts and steam hit's my Eva's face. "Shit! ! !"

"Michael, what happened?!" Misato asks.

"I think the thing's about to burst," I tell her as I cover up the area the steam's coming from. "You need to hurry!"

"Already on it!" she replies.

A few more minutes pass when she reports she's in the control room. Great! All she has to do is deactivate the walking powerplant and-

"It's not working," Misato says in surprise.

"What's not working?!"

"The password to shut this thing down!" I hear a crash over the radio. "Dammit! ! !"

More steam exits the Jet Alone as I continue to halt its progress. "Get out of there! This thing's gonna blow!"

There's silence over the radio for a few seconds. The only thing I can hear is heavy breathing. I'm about to call out to her again but am interrupted. "*Huff* It's not over yet. I'm gonna *huff* attempt to push the control rods back into the reactor."

"Don't be stupid, just get out of there!"

"Michael *huff* just in case I don't make it. I need you to *huff* spread your A.T. Field around the robot the moment it explodes. Try to contain the blast." She's having trouble breathing. And what does she mean by "just in case"?

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP! ! !" I yell over the radio. "GET OUT OF THERE! ! !"

There was only silence over the radio. Suddenly my hands begin to sting. The Jet Alone's starting to heat up! The thing's gonna explode any moment now!

I keep shouting over the radio for Misato to get out of there. But she won't fucking respond! Dammit! Why does she have to be so stubborn? She's gonna die! I need to do something! But what can I do? If I try to open up the Jet Alone, it'll explode, killing her anyway. I can't climb in after her because the radiation would kill me!

The robot gets hotter as more steam exits its form.

Why the hell won't she respond?! There's no reason for her not to unless. . .no. She can't be! I don't know what I'd do if she-

The Jet Alone stops moving and begins to cool down.

She. . .she did it!

"Misato? Misato can you hear me?!"

"*Cough* Yeah I hear ya. Now can you please stop yelling?" she responded, laughing a bit.

The panic I had moments ago washes away, replaced with relief.

"You fucking idiot," I say while laughing. "After giving me all that crap about taking unnecessary risks, you go and do the same thing."

"Heh, well I'm not perfect," she replies.

"Just. . .don't do that again." I tell her.

"Aww, you do care Mikey."

"Shut up," I reply. "And don't call me Mikey.

A week has passed since the old Tokyo incident. Misato eventually got rid of the swearing rule after some convincing. Also, to make up for what happened on the mission, she got me a portable game console! I remember freaking out so much when that happened. I never had a modern gaming device before! The closest to modern I had before I got here was a gameboy. The look on her face when she saw my enthusiasm was. . .warm. That's the best I can describe it. Rarely has that look ever been directed at me. It's. . .nice.

During this week, my studies with Rei became more frequent. We didn't just study after school anymore. Anytime there was a break in class, she would teach me how to write some new words or help me with reading. She says I'm progressing faster than expected, and I'm inclined to agree. It's odd. It's like I already knew how to read and write in Japanese but just forgot how. It's like I'm reminding myself how to read and write. . .if that makes sense.

Right now, it's 7:30 p.m. I'm at Rei's place doing homework and practicing writing. Rei made it a habit of giving me things to read then having me write a summary of the story I read. Granted, they were children's books, but I gotta start somewhere. While writing one of these summaries, Rei begins to speak.

"Hart, is it okay if I ask you a question?"

Without looking up from the work I was doing, I respond. "Sure, what's the question?"

"What is your world like?"

I stop writing, and look up at her. Curiosity is painted all over her face.

"Why would you want to know that?" I ask.

"I'm. . .not sure," she responds.

I go quiet for a few seconds. "Well. My world is a lot like this one. The only real difference is the existence of Evas and the creatures you call Angels." I put my hand to my chin. "I also think this world's tech is slightly more advanced than my world's tech. Minus the Evangelions, that's extremely advanced technology. My world's nowhere near building something like that!"

Rei take a moment to absorb all the information I gave her. "Do you. . .miss that world?"

I take a moment to think. "I don't miss the world itself, just some of the people who live there. Almost everyone back home are idiots. They think they're better than one another and are willing to put others down to prove their superiority. The people who aren't like that, are the people I miss."

"Is your family among the people you miss?".

I grow silent.

Why is she so talkative lately? "Just my brother."

"What about your parents?"

"I don't know where my father is, and my mother. . ." I linger at the last few words. "You know what. Let's talk about something else."

"A week ago you told me you knew what it's like to feel worthless," she points out. "Is she the reason you feel this way?

"Just drop it! Okay?!" I snap at her. I know she probably didn't mean anything by it but. . . she shouldn't ask too many questions.

Her eyes widen a bit, before she looks down to her lap. "I apologize."

Room becomes quiet. Dammit! Now I feel like an ass! I shouldn't have snapped at her, she was just trying to understand me. Though, why is she interested in me all of a sudden?

I shift my weight on the stool I'm sitting on then look out the window.

"I'm a screw up. That's why I feel useless."

Rei quickly looks in my direction. Intrigue etched on her face.

"My younger brother, Shane, is one of the best things to happen to me. Heh, even though he can be an ass sometimes. He wants to be a doctor, you know. He believes he can 'save the world' by curing all disease." I let out a sad chuckle.

"It's an incredulous dream, to cure all disease. But you know what, I believe he can do it. He's so fucking smart, yet at the same time, he's so kind. He's the kind of guy who'll help you out, even if you did him wrong."

My fists tighten and a lump is growing in my throat. "Which is why he deserves better. I've. . .never been much of a big brother. In fact, Shane acted more mature than I ever did. He always stood up for me whenever I would run or hide like a coward. I've been nothing but a burden to him. A screw up of a brother."

I can feel tears welling up as I turn away from Rei's gaze. I need to stop, now! I don't want to cry in front of someone! I don't want to feel this. . .vulnerable. But I can't seem to stop myself.

"I don't have a lot of things to be proud of. But Shane, he's the one thing I have the utmost pride for. It makes enduring all the shit I have to deal with back home worth it! That's why I need to go back! I want to see him shine when he reaches his dream. Even though I don't deserve to have someone like him! Even though I don't belong anywhere! I miss him. I miss my home! I-"

My vision is all blurry and my heart hurts. I'm completely turned away from Rei. I don't want her to see me like this! I don't want anyone to see me like this! I don't want anyone to see how pathetic I am! How weak I am! It hurts! It hurts too damn much!

I feel something soft touch my back. At the edge of my sight, I spot Rei donning a look I can't quite understand. Is it empathy? There's no way that's it. She isn't capable of doing that, is she?

I look deep into those crimson eyes of her's. There's no judgement, disgust or false pity. There's. . .understanding? Or, at least what I think is understanding. The level of comfort I feel around her is strange. I feel weird around her, it's silly but. . .she reminds me of a mother.

My last defenses break down as I begin sobbing. I lean into her, and much to my surprise, she wraps her arms around me. I feel so pathetic. Look at me, I'm bawling my eyes out like a fucking child. I'm so weak that Rei of all people needs to comfort me. But. . .it feels right.

Rei Ayanami. Someone who won't judge me or give me false pity. Someone who will listen and try to understand me. Someone who won't look at me in disgust when I'm like this. Someone. . .I can trust completely. I never felt this way in a long time.

I continue to cry my eyes out until I get tired. Eventually falling asleep.

Author's Notes: It was kinda difficult writing this chapter, but I was able to push through and finish it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much I enjoyed writing it. Leave a review telling me your thoughts.

Chapter 6 hint: This one should be easy, I already used this band in previous chapters. "Rudy enjoys dancing", that's the only hint to the band's name (like I said, easy). The name of the song is within the title of this chapter. I only changed a few words so it should be easy to guess the song's name.

P.S: I chose to reuse one of the bands from previous chapters because I really like this one song from one of the bands. This song fits well with this chapter in my opinion.

Next chapter will arrive in a few weeks.