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A Weird Little Love Story

Ch. 23 Making Amends

By Sesshy's Girl 00

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After Hikari and Asuka decided to finish questioning me, it was my turn to question the two of them next. There were some things that I didn't need to ask because I could tell them without my eyes. The most noticeable I would have picked up on even if I hadn't detected it with my mind first because it was so prominent. Hikari was heavily pregnant and her stomach bulged out from under her dress. I could sense that she was eight months along. Asuka on the other hand appeared unusually weak and pale. She had been recently quite ill and was currently recovering from it.

I had known that this world was left in a bad state after Third Impact. However, that did nothing to diminish the sadness I felt at what I was able to learn about this world. I had to remind myself that I could not fix everything for everyone; before I lost myself to the impulse. I recognized that what happened wasn't my fault but that didn't stop me from regretting my part in the incident. I knew that there was a limit to what my powers could accomplish. Yet, that wasn't going to stop me from trying.

Turning to my companions, I knew what I wanted to say to them now. "It's been so long since I have been here and Kaworu's horrible about keeping me up to date. Tell me, what's been going on?"

"Yeah, well, that's Kaworu for you. He's so mysterious and enigmatic a lot of the time. No wonder he can't keep you up to date. What do you want to know?" Asuka asked.

I thought this over for a minute before I gave them a clear answer. "Tell me what you guys have done and plan to do from here. I want to know everything you can tell me."

The pair looked at each other and I sensed a wordless exchange pass between the two of them. Part of me felt offended at not being a member of their inner circle but the rest of me remembered that I had been gone from this world for over two years now. It was only natural that I be out of the loop. If I wanted to fit in here it would take me a lot of time and hard work. Luckily I was used to the extended effort required by such an endeavor.

Hikari blushed and wrapped her arm around her stomach. She looked slightly sick and queasy. "I've done nothing but have babies and raise them." She grumbled unhappily in an sad voice.

Asuka wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders comfortingly. "You've been wonderful Hikari, what are you talking about? I could never handle those two brats the way you do. You have nothing to be ashamed about."

Hikari seemed strengthened by Asuka's praise and kind words. I saw a smile come back to her relaxed face. Hikari continued to speak once she had finished being ashamed and embarrassed by Asuka's words. "I plan to become a teacher or at least help start a schooling system. I hope to do both, to be honest. I've noticed that there are a lot of children wandering around without anything to do and not knowing what they should. I want to leave our knowledge for them so that things won't fall apart once we die."

I was impressed with Hikari's goal for the future. It was an excellent idea that she had come up with. Her plan would also help with the long-term survival of this world. I told her as much and Hikari seemed pleased by my kind words. "I glad you approve. I've been wondering if I could do this."

"I believe you can make your dream a reality. You've always been a natural leader in my mind. Just don't be afraid to let me know if you need my help."

Asuka smiled and nodded as well. "Count me in too. I'll gladly give you any assistance I can."

Hikari blushed vividly in relief and mortification. "Thank-you both so much."

I turned to Asuka and asked her to tell me about what happened to her since we last met and where she wanted to go in the future. She thought my question over intently for several minutes before she gave me a reply. "Baka Shinji and I were the first two people to come back from Instrumentality. So when other people began to show up we became the natural leaders, since we were already established. We've been unofficially in charge ever since."

Asuka sighed and shook her head in bemusement. "I imagine that in the future Shinji and I will be working together to run everything. We'll also have the job of raising our daughter, Nari, and any other children we have."

I was also pleased with Asuka answers as well. It comforted me to know that this world had such able and capable leadership. Maybe things went so bad as I thought. "I imagine Unit Two is part of this?"

Kaworu had told me that Unit Two was in active service since Asuka had climbed inside her over a year ago. I was curious to hear Asuka's thoughts on the red bio-mecha that contained her mother. Asuka beamed before replying. "I've been using Unit Two to help move large pieces of debris, build homes and make areas safer for searching. I imagine that I'll keep doing the same for as long as necessary."

I nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me. I wish you the best of luck with your life."

There was a brief pause of silence before I decided to speak again. "I imagine Unit Two must make people nervous. It is a machine of war after all and a reminder of the pre-impact days."

Asuka sighed and shook her head in agreement. We were former Eva pilots so understanding how the Evangelions functioned was something we both did well. It was like second nature to us. Sadly that was the basis of our connection. Our lives had been dramatically different and we didn't agree on our world views. Those facts caused us to not communicate as well as we should.

"I don't want you to worry about helping out while you're here. This about you reconnecting and relaxing." Asuka commanded.

I smiled at Asuka and somehow we both knew that I would have trouble keeping to her rules. As she would say, I have a bad habit of meddling in other's business. Secretly I admitted that she was right. I imaged that, considering that this was my home world, the urge would be even stronger. I cared deeply about what happened in this world and I wanted to do my part to help it out. I just hoped that I could keep Asuka from being driven crazy by what I did.

Hikari and Asuka pulled me to my feet and led me out of the room. We went back to where the others were waiting for us in the Eva holding bay. The others turned to look as we walked over to them. I could see Sesshomaru watching me quite closely. He looked concerned and relieved to have me back in his presence. I smiled reassuringly at him and held out my hand. Sesshomaru took my hand in his hands and squeezed my fingers tightly. I leaned in and placed my lips against his. Sesshomaru kissed me back.

I could feel the tension leave both of our bodies in response to the contact from the other. Sesshomaru wrapped both his arms around my waist, as we broke apart, preventing me from going anywhere. I glared at him in mock annoyance for his tight hold. He was being far too possessive of me. "You can't keep me forever. I'll escape from you eventually." I warned him.

Sesshomaru smirked back, "You forget about my powers Rei. You never know what I can come up with."

We both laughed at after that at our little barbs. I couldn't help making him mad because it was such fun to poke fun at him. It was okay because Sesshomaru got plenty of revenge for all of mine with his own barbs. So in the end we simply called it even. I turned to the others, still smiling. Sesshomaru had a way of doing that to me; there was no logic to any of it.

I felt Ritsuko glaring at me from where she stood at the far side of the room. I focused my attention on her in an attempt to figure out what she was so unhappy about, without actually reading her mind. I knew that I would make her even angrier that way. I would have to be kind if I were going to get an answer from her. "Ritsuko do you have something you need to say?"

Ritsuko shook her head and pretended to busy herself with the specs for Unit One. I could sense that she wasn't being honest with me. The problem was, I couldn't figure out why. She wasn't doing this out of spite so the question was, what had her so upset?

I decided that it was time to find out so I left Sesshomaru's side and went over to speak with her. She pretended not to notice me at first but once I was standing next to her it was impossible for her to do that. She turned to look at me with a frown on her face and sighed. "What do you want Rei?"

"What is wrong Doctor Akagi? You seem upset." I asked gently.

Ritsuko sighed and turned around to face me completely for the first time in fifteen minutes. For the first time I became aware of the bags under her eyes and how pale her face pale was from lack of sleep. That was when I understood her better to some extent. She was tired and no longer wanted the life she was living. "After seeing you, so… happy and alive, I become jealous because I continue to be stuck down here doing the same thing. When I came out of instrumentality I thought life would be different but it's not. The only change is who I'm working for and the fact I'm not sleeping with them."

Ritsuko's voice drew a sharp edge of anger as she finished speaking her words to me. I knew that I had been right about her. I hadn't realized how hard it would be for someone to return to the same role they'd inhabited from before, after they returned. It made sense once I thought about it however. I knew from my memories that many people desired change in some form or another. Ritsuko had been prominent among those voices I remembered, calling for the chance to alter their paths in life.

I placed my hand on Ritsuko's shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "You don't have to accept the same limits you were under last time. If you want to change your destiny then go right ahead. I wouldn't mind; I want you to be happy." I assured her.

Ritsuko stepped back from me and her eyes went wide. She looked both amazed and relieved by the freedom I had offered to her. I never thought that Ritsuko had felt as trapped as she did, but I was glad to help her feel better. I nodded and placed my hand on her bony shoulder. "Really Rei?"

I shook my head to assure her that I was telling the truth. A small smile curled the edge of her lips. Ritsuko relaxed, comforted that she still had hope. She turned back to the clipboard she had left on the desk and looked at several different pages for a moment. "Rei are sure about this surgery?"

"Yes."

Ritsuko nodded and pointed to a chart on one of her pages of data. "Well, if your sure then I'm going to need some information from you to help me with this."

"What do you need?"

"I understand that you've made some changes to your body during Instrumentality. It would be a great help to the both of us if you tell me what those changes are and allow me to draw some blood, so I can determine your new DNA configuration. I will also need to know where Adam is within your body and why you can't remove him on your own."

I rolled up the sleeve of my kimono and bared my arm to her. "You're first question is easy enough to answer. I gave myself a more stable DNA structure; I now have an angel's core, I repaired my reproductive system so that I can have children and I believe that's about it. The reason I can't remove Adam is because he's using Lilith's blood to tie himself to my body. I can't remove him unless I suppress my angel's blood but if I do that I can't remove him on my own. That's why I need your help."

Ritsuko nodded and made a note of everything I had told her on her clipboard. Once she was finished writing she pulled out the instruments for drawing blood from her desk. She tied a rubber band around my upper arm and began to check it for the right veins. Once she found the one she wanted she swabbed my arm with an alcohol pad. Then she inserted the needle into my arm.

I looked away out of habit but I didn't wince at the pain. Ritsuko had drawn my blood numerous times in the past so this was familiar territory for me. I stayed relaxed and waited patiently until she was done. Ritsuko emptied the contents of the needle into a vile before capping it and tossing it in the trash. Then she put a band-aid on my arm to cover the spot where she had taken the blood from me.

"What about my question on Adam's location? Do you have an answer for that?"

I shook my head in the affirmative. I pointed my hand at my stomach right above where Adam was before explaining. "He's buried himself deep inside behind and below my angel's core. I imagine that will make this harder for you."

Despite my fears Ritsuko seemed calm about what I had said. She wasn't upset at all. In fact Ritsuko was way too calm about what I had told her. There must be something she knew that I didn't or was forgetting. Otherwise she would appear more concerned then she was. I knew that for a fact.

She turned her back to me and wrote down some notes in her file. I watched her quietly, wondering what she was thinking. Ritsuko didn't say anything until she was done with her notes. When she finally faced me once more, there was a look of calmness and determination on her face. "We will have to see if Lilith or one of the other angels would be willing to help me in this endeavor. You should be one to ask them since you know them so well. I'll need them to monitor you during the operation, medical supplies are in short supply around here."

I agreed to go speak to my relatives as soon as I could. It made sense to me what Ritsuko's plan was. The angels would be able to monitor my vitals, keep me sedated and numb while Ritsuko operated on me. This was a perfect plan.

Ritsuko told me that she had everything she wanted from me and I was free to go if I wanted. I thanked her and walked back over to Sesshomaru. He wrapped his arm around me, once I was close enough for him to grab me and kissed me on the forehead. "Did everything go okay?"

I squeezed his hand in response. "Yes."

Sesshomaru smiled. "That's wonderful. So it's going to go okay then?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Silly. Don't worry about it Sesshomaru. Nothing bad is going to happen. "

Sesshomaru chuckled at me and ruffled my hair. I smiled at him happily as we followed the others to the place where the party was. For my own safety we were going to stay inside Nerv where I wouldn't be seen. I would be easily confused for my sister and I knew what the people thought of me. That would all change tomorrow afternoon when I would explain things to the other survivors, until then however I wasn't totally safe.

I watched as the all too familiar walls of Nerv passed by me. For me, they rang loudly with the haunted voices of the past and those who had died here. Of all of the voices however my own memories stood out the most vividly of all. My body shuttered in voluntarily in fear. The waves of fear rolled over me in increasing intensity. I knew that I had to regain control over myself and fast. I attempted to ignore what I heard and concentrate on the positives. The fears slowly began to subside and I could act more normal.

At last we arrived at the rooms where the party was taking place. This was a more comfortable, larger and spacious part of the medical facility. There were many unused beds and chairs scattered around for people to sit in. We all choose a seat and made ourselves comfortable. Shinji disappeared after seeing that we were all in place to find food and drink. While he was gone Asuka organized an effort to clean up the room and decorate it for the party. She even drew Sesshomaru into helping out.

Hikari was tired and remained seated with her feet up most of the time. I was also forced to remain seated by others because they insisted on doing everything for me. I was quite embarrassed and pleased that they were making such an effort for me. I enjoyed watching as the pieces came together but I wished they wouldn't. There must be something more important for them to be doing. I was just one person out of all the others that needed attention.

Shinji returned with several packets of instant food for us to eat. He set them out on the table that was designated for food. Once the food was laid out Shinji poured hot water into the corner of each of them. It took several minutes for the smell of warming food to reach me on the other side of the room. However when it did I breathed deeply in enjoyment. Some of these smells, I hadn't smelled in years. Sesshomaru however looked unsure and tentative at the unrecognizable smells.

"Don't worry. Everything there's edible."

Sesshomaru looked at me and smiled unsurely. I took him by the hand and the two of us walked over to the table and looked over the food that was there. I showed them to Sesshomaru and explained what everything was to him. He listened carefully and examined each of them carefully. He still looked wary of some of the selections but at least he was giving them a fair chance. I was glad for that.

At last he settled on one of the many options, as did I. We went back over to our seats and sat back down to eat. Sesshomaru eyed his food suspiciously while I started to eat. I looked over to see what he had. From my memories I recognized it instantly, a cheeseburger and fries. I smiled encouragingly at him. "It won't kill you, take a bite."

"What is it?"

"A cheeseburger and french-fries. It's good."

Sesshomaru poked it dubiously. "How?"

Sesshomaru looked helplessly at me and I understood what the problem was. He had never seen a sandwich or french-fries before. While I hadn't either I at least had the aid of my memories to help me along. I reached over and lifted the burger in my hands to show Sesshomaru. I moved it until I had it in front of my mouth and then I imitated biting into the burger. Sesshomaru watched me with wonder and interest.

I handed his cheeseburger back to him and Sesshomaru copied my movements to take a bite. He chewed it thoughtfully for several minutes before swallowing. I watched him, waiting to see what he was going to say about it. "Not bad…It's so, well different…" He mumbled helplessly.

"It's American."

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"America is a country from across the ocean. It was settled by Europeans long after your time."

Sesshomaru shook his head and buried it in his hands in defeat. I felt bad now, knowing that I was making him so upset. I would have to go easy on him from now on and remember my superior knowledge of world history. That was the only draw back to being from so far into the future.

I smiled and patted Sesshomaru on the arm. He smiled weakly and turned back to his burger. We ate in silence for several minutes. Sesshomaru seemed happier with his cheeseburger the more of it he ate. I was also discovering the how good western food was. I had chosen a dish of shrimp scampi and broccoli. Neither of these items I had ever eaten before. I was beginning to like both of these. They were as good as my mind said they were.

Sesshomaru looked over at what I was eating with a curious expression. He pointed to my bowl and opened his mouth, "What is that? I don't think I've seen a dish like that before."

"It's called shrimp scampi and broccoli." I explained, "It's also a dish from outside of Japan."

"Which one?" Sesshomaru asked.

"Both of them are from the country of Italy."

Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head. "This is all extremely confusing for me. Where did all these countries come from?"

I thought about the best way to answer his question. At last I decided that I should show him a map of earth. It would be the easiest way to explain what I meant by all the other countries. Unfortunately I didn't have a map in my possession to show to Sesshomaru. After a moment I had the answer. "Asuka? Is there a map around here I could see?"

Asuka turned around with an inquiring expression on her face. "I know where one is upstairs, why?"

"I wanted to show it to Sesshomaru. He's from the past where the current layout of the world didn't exist."

Asuka nodded and rose to her feet. "I see. Let me go find it for you then."

Asuka hurried from the room before I could protest. I turned to Sesshomaru and assured him that as soon as I had that map in my hand, I would be able to show him what I meant by all the other countries. Sesshomaru looked like he was both eager and dreading what would happen when Asuka returned with the promised map. I believed he feared that what I would tell him might be overwhelming. I couldn't blame him; this world must be strange and alien, compared to his.

Asuka came back five minutes later with a map in hand. She handed it to me with a small smile and went back over to sit next to Shinji. I unrolled the paper to reveal the color map on the other side. I spread the map over both my and Sesshomaru's laps so that we could see it easily.

I went slowly through each country, starting with the Asian ones Sesshomaru would be familiar with. To both of our relief he was able to stay with me as I moved onto countries farther away and unknown to Japan during his lifetime. Once we were done Sesshomaru sighed as he took in the expanse of the world. "I never realized that the earth was this big."

"I know it's hard to believe, isn't it.

Sesshomaru waved his hand over the expanse of the map. He was in awe of what he saw laid out before him. "I can't believe how much of it there is."

I smiled and laughed. Part of me understood his confusion. My own world had been small and limited. The rest of me insisted on finding this highly amusing. I rolled up the map and set it aside. "Let it be. The world can be a scary place once you know what's out there."

"I'll agree with that one there."

Everyone else in the room must have heard it because the whole room erupted into laughter. We all cheered noisily for everything bad and good that had happened in our lives. As the silence began to take hold Misato's voice could be heard calling for beer. We all recoiled in horror at the idea of a drunk Misato "No!" Came our unanimous cry.

Misato sighed and shook her head in disappointment. The room began to settle some, after her cry for alcohol had been silenced. "Tell us about how you've been Rei." Suggested Shinji.

"Sure." I agreed.

I told the story of what had happened to me after Third Impact though the events that led to my return here. The story took a long time to tell, and by the time I was done speaking, it was late. It was decided that we should sleep since tomorrow was going to be a busy day. I had convinced my sister to return and I would bring her back as soon as I could. Then I would explain that it was I, not my sister who was to blame with what had happened to the world. I hoped to make that fact quite clear to them so that Rei would no longer suffer.

In the morning I was the first one awake so I found myself with time to kill. I wandered around for a while through NERV. It left me sad to see what had become of the place during instrumentality. Large parts of it had been destroyed or rendered unsafe during that time. There were several cases when I was forced to fly over such areas because it wasn't possible for me to walk.

I didn't intend to go downstairs to central dogma, where Gendo Ikari had kept his secrets, but my feet led me there anyway. I stood in front of the door for a long time, attempting to decide if I wanted to go inside. I knew, not in words but more emotionally, what I would face in there. I didn't know if I could face it or not. I wanted to be able to face that but the thought of what awaited me was almost to horrifying for me.

After thinking it over carefully for several minutes I decided that I could do this. I stepped forward and placed my hands on the door. In my mind I could sense the wiring that was keeping the door closed. I could feel the way it traced back all the way to it's source, the Magi. There was more of a cold emotionless feeling from the wiring then anything else. The computer-the magi, wasn't wholly alive. Yet, there was something of their creator left there. Naoko open the door for me please.

It took several minutes for the door to respond to my request but at last it began to open. Thank you Naoko. I said to the presence from the magi that controlled it. I felt some sort of response that equated to, 'You're welcome.' , from the personage of Naoko Akagi. A small smile crossed my lips, Naoko no longer held anything against me for my role in her demise. I was pleased to learn that.

I wasn't smiling for long because of what I saw on the other side of the door. The smell of stagnant air and LCL hit me with amazing intensity. It took me sometime to get past the odor to notice the rest of the room. Every inch of it was cold and inhuman. The room was almost impossibly sterile and bare. The Reiquarium that stretched across the back wall was completely empty. There wasn't a trace of the identical bodies that had once resided there. I shivered slightly at the sight of the whole place.

There were too many bad memories here for me. This room was forever haunted by what had once been here. Some unconscious part of my mind took control of my body and I stepped over the thresh hold into the room. I kept walking until I reached the center of the room. I looked around and the memories rushed back to me. I could recall all the hours I had spent floating mindlessly in the tube while the dummy plug was created.

I shook my head to bring myself back to reality. That wasn't me any more. I was older, wiser, and smarter then I used to be. Time had helped me move on from this place, and yet here I was again. Somehow this seemed ironic that I had returned here after all of these years. I made my way over to the Reiquarium and sat down with my back to it. The cold glass raised Goosebumps from my skin. I lay my head back and starred up aimlessly at the ceiling.

There was an endlessness feeling to the place. I believed that it would go on, no matter what happened. To my relief I found that I had escaped this tomb. Did that mean that the unending sense this room gave me was an illusion or if I had found a way to defeat it? Either way these walls had no hold on me. I was free. I raised my arms from my sides and held them out like wings. I closed my eyes and imagined myself flying through the air.

For a minute I could feel the sensation of the wind rushing all around me. Then reality returned when I caught a whiff of LCL. I opened my eyes and looked around. For a minute I felt something else there. Then the feeling passed. I shook my head to dispel the feeling and rose to my feet. I breathed deeply and turned to face the LCL filled tank behind me.

When I looked closely I thought I saw the faint remains of blood from my sisters bodies. I blinked, hoping to dispel the image but that did no good. It was still there when I looked again. I must be going insane, there shouldn't be any trace of my sisters left after all of these years. It wouldn't be the first time I had gone crazy. I believe I had been insane for part of my time in instrumentality. It would account for how fuzzy parts of it were. I knew Lilith had tampered with my memories as well so it was hard to gage how deep into insanity I fell. I wished that I had a better understanding of what was going on.

I looked away wondering if I should get myself out of here while I was still partly sane. I took several steps toward the door but then something told me to stop. I heard a whoosh from behind me coming from the empty tank. I watched the tank suspiciously for several minutes wondering what had happened. I was positive that I was imagining things. There were no mysterious sounds coming from there.

After several long moments I gave up and turned around. I closed the door behind me and locked it tightly. I hoped that no one would need to use that room any time soon. There was nothing needed there besides LCL and bad memories. No one should need the medical technology in there, at least as far as I could tell. You never could be sure.

I began walking down the hallway, back to the room where the others were sleeping. I peaked in through the opening to see if anyone was awake yet. A quick glance assured me that no one was. I tiptoed quietly across the floor passed the sleeping bodies. I made it to my futon without waking anyone. I was about to climb back in when something grabbed me by the ankle. I froze and cautiously looked down to see what had caught me.

I saw Sesshomaru looking up at me with a devious grin. I smiled and sat down next to him. Sesshomaru leaned over and kissed me as his arms wrapped around my body. I twinned my arms around him in return. He pulled me into his lap and I curled up happily with a smile on my face. Sesshomaru kissed the side of my neck and I shivered slightly. He ran his hands across my stomach. I sighed in pleasure and lay my head back against his shoulder. Sesshomaru gently tilted my head back and leaned down to kiss me. I closed my eyes and hooked my arms around his neck. I ran my fingers through his white hair. It felt amazingly soft and smooth against my skin.

Sesshomaru pulled at the edge of my kimono folds, exposing more of my skin to air. He wrapped me up in his arms and carried me across the room. I fought back weakly against his grasp but I didn't mind it one bit, so the effort was short lived. When we arrived at the next-door room, he set me down on the bed. He sat down next to me and began to untie my obi. As he worked, I unfastened the buckles on his armor. Once the straps were undone he lifted it off easily.

I took the fluff in my hand and tugged gently at it. It came off easily and lay on the bed. Sesshomaru placed his armor aside and then began to unbraid my hair. It took only moments for Sesshomaru to finish detangling my hair and the long curly, ice blue strands hung unrestrained down my back. Sesshomaru ran his hands across my shoulders and removed my outer kimono with his fingers. I untied Sesshomaru's belt carefully and his top half of his robes came away with it.

Sesshomaru's shoulder was still marked by the scar from where he had lost his original one and Naraku's attack. I fingered the scar gently with my hand and Sesshomaru smiled. He seemed not to mind the touch so I moved my hand back and forth over the skin of his shoulder. Sesshomaru smiled and tugged at the edge of my robe, threatening to pull away my last shield from nothingness. He caressed my breasts and ran his hands along my body. I moaned and tilted my head with bliss. Sesshomaru kissed me tenderly at the base of my neck. I moved my hands down his back to where his waistband was. I tugged at it and it gave way with little resistance.

Sesshomaru grinned and pulled at the fabric of my kimono. We snickered and counted to three, then pulled down each other's clothes. We starred at the other in the darkness. Sesshomaru's skin stood out sharply because of how pale he was. In my mind he was absolutely beautiful. My lower lips trembled as I tried to keep myself from drooling. Sesshomaru seemed even more caught off guard then I was. His eyes were huge and transfixing. I took his hand and placed it against my chest. We could both feel the steady beat of my heart though our connection. He smiled slightly and lifted my hand to his chest. I could feel his heart pounding away steadily between his ribs.

"You look amazing…" Sesshomaru whispered.

"I bet you look better."

"No, never."

"You're wrong."

Sesshomaru smirked and drew me to him. We blushed slightly as our skin came into contact. His was so warm, soft and smooth next to my own. I ran my finger over his purple demon tattoos that decorated his body. Sesshomaru squeezed my breasts with both of his hands. I moaned in happiness and we went from there.

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Hours later I woke up to find myself buried in the fluff with Sesshomaru. I smiled sleepily and kissed him on the forehead. Sesshomaru blinked at me drowsily as he toyed with the end of a strand of hair. I was so comfortable and warm that I didn't mind my lack of clothing. Sesshomaru and the fluff were providing me with more then enough warmth. I leaned over and kissed Sesshomaru on the forehead over his moon shaped tattoo. Sesshomaru squeezed my shoulder with his hand. "How was that, for a first time?"

"Unbelievable."

Sesshomaru gave a half smirk in response. I glared back at him in mock anger. He was mocking me and I wasn't going to stand for it. I intended to take my revenge on him for doing that. Sesshomaru went to reach for me but I caught him first and began to tickle him. He recoiled away from me and began to laugh hysterically. I came after him and continued to attack him mercifully with my hands.

"I give up. I surrender."

I stopped and let Sesshomaru go. We both collapsed into a fit of laughter. It took a long time before either of us was back in control of ourselves again. Sesshomaru got up and found my kimono on the floor. He handed it to me and began to put on his own clothes. I put my kimono back on and Sesshomaru helped me to tie the obi. Then I helped him put all of the pieces of his clothing back in place. Once we were redressed we emerged from the room to face the others. It was late in the morning now and everyone was quite awake and moving about. All their eyes focused on us as we entered into the room.

"Rei, I was getting worried. Having fun?" Asuka teased.

I smiled coyly back at her. "You could say that."

Asuka smiled and shook her head. "I knew you two were in a relationship romantically but I didn't know you guys were in it that deep."

Sesshomaru and I went over to the table and in a search for food. There several left over trays left there. I chose some eggs and toast while Sesshomaru picked out some sausage and biscuits. We sat down together and ate our meal in silence. There were some slightly awkward feelings between the two of us after such physical intimacy. It took several minutes for us to be truly comfortable together.

However the shyness gradually subsided and we began to relax in each other's presence. We were both trying to figure out what we wanted. I linked arms with Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru kept a gentle but firm grip on me. I felt safe and warm with Sesshomaru beside me. I could feel that the others were watching us and I wondered what they were thinking. Sesshomaru and I must look like and odd pair. He was a demon while I was a half angel. True, I wasn't completely perfect but he wasn't pure evil either. So maybe it wasn't so strange that we had ended up in love after all. I guessed that this was only more proof not to judge people right away.

After breakfast was over it was time to change clothes and get started on the day. To my relief Asuka showed up with a fresh change of clothes for Sesshomaru and I. We went back over to the next-door room to get cleaned up and changed. I had an old sweater and jeans with a pair of heavy boots to wear. Sesshomaru had similar clothing to put on as well. However he needed my help to put on the foreign clothes.

Once dressed in the modern clothing Sesshomaru didn't looked right to me. His tattoos and build made him look strange and out of place. I gave him a hair tie and after he wrapped it around his hair, he looked somewhat better after that. I braided my own hair once I was dressed. Then we joined the others. "Are you ready?" Shinji asked me when he saw me arrive.

I nodded assuredly. "I will be fine. Don't worry, Shinji."

He gave me a small smile in response. "Is Rei coming back then?"

"Yes. I'm afraid that she will have to be there so that the people will believe me and cease to blame her."

With that said; he left to find Asuka. I watched him as he went. Silently I was praying that I would see progress in their recovery but there was no sign of it yet. Sesshomaru took my hand forcing me to remember what I had to do. I squeezed his hand to let him know that I was ready. With that Sesshomaru and I went out to the Eva docking bay. I stood in front of Unit Zero. I spread my A.T. Field out and focused my mind on the image of Rei. After a minute her face appeared before me. She looked quite and calm. That was a good thing in my mind. I sensed that she knew what was coming before I opened my mouth. "I am ready. What must I do?" She stated calmly.

"Relax and do not fight me."

She took a deep breath and bit her lower lip. I could feel her well-hidden fear hanging in the air between us. I wished I could explain to her that everything was going to be okay and she had nothing to worry about. However I knew she wouldn't believe me until she saw it with her own eyes. So I concentrated on more important things. I wrapped her in my A.T. field and pulled her through space and time to where I was. The whole process took only a few minutes and was completed easily. When Rei appeared I dropped my A.T. field and the tension went out of the air.

I smiled at her and held out my hand. She accepted it and I enfolded it in both of mine. I squeezed it tightly to reassure her that she was safe. I would defend Rei from anyone that desired to harm her. I made that choice because she was my sister and I cared about her. We were family after all. I also did it because I had the power to keep her safe, and I wanted to use that to do good.

Sesshomaru looped his arm through the crook of my elbow, linking our arms together. I grinned at him and I turned to the door. "Let's go."

I lead the way out the door and down the hallway. I found Kaworu waiting for us at the main entrance - exit out of NERV. He nodded grimly in acknowledgement that he saw me as well. "Good afternoon, cousin."

"Kaworu – Tabris. It's good to see you in person for once. It's been a long time since we could speak so easily."

"Agreed. I have missed you Ayanami."

There was a pause while Kaworu listened to something. "I'm afraid we can't talk more now. You need to hurry, Shinji should be about done with his speech anytime time."

Kaworu beckoned for us to follow and started off in the direction of where Shinji and Asuka were addressing a crowd of people. I hurried after him in an attempt to keep up, while dragging the others along with me. After a vigorous five-minute walk we arrived at an impromptu concrete podium. Shinji and Asuka stood on top of it and were speaking to the crowd that was spread out in front of it. I suppressed a slight shutter at the sight of so many people. The crowd was larger then I had anticipated. There were so many people here.

Kaworu stood with us while we waited for Shinji to finish answering the questions from several people. I used the opportunity to regain control over my emotions and plan out what I was going to say. The moment when I would have to speak came all too soon. Shinji turned sharply and motioned in my direction. I took a deep breath and walked foreword. I still had Rei's hand in one of mine and Sesshomaru's in the other. Bravely I mounted the steps and walked to the center of the stage. I stepped and turned to face my audience when I reached the center.

From where I stood, I sensed a ripple of confusion and hostility run through the crowd. They knew something was up; saw the similarities and differences between Rei and myself. I waited for the people to settle down before I began to speak. "Hello. It is a pleasure to see all of you here this day. As you may know my name is Rei Ayanami. The young woman you see beside me is my twin sister, also known as Rei Ayanami. We are the two surviving clones created at NERV before Third Impact. I have been far away from here for over two years since Third Impact ended."

"I understand that since I have been away my sister has been blamed for the events that instigated Third Impact and Instrumentality. I am here to say that these are false accusations. My sister is not to blame. She piloted Unit Zero in defense of humanity and died to protect them while fighting the sixteenth angle. I was given life after her death and it was by my hands that instrumentality and Third Impact were begun."

I went on to recount as best as I was able to my perspective on events. It was a long, bitter story but I felt that they needed to know it to understand what had happened. The sun had moved quite a bit through the sky by the time I was done. I stepped back and waited to hear what the people would say to my words. I could only hope that they would at least understand my motives for what I did during that time. Sesshomaru placed his arm around my waist and kissed the crown of my head.

"Wonderful job, Rei." He whispered into my ear.

"Thank you."

Sesshomaru was prevented from answering me because a man below had found his voice at last. After I answered his question a floodgate of questions was opened up and the questions poured in. Rei and I worked together to answer each and every one of the questions. I tried to stay calm and level headed during the whole process. It was hard to keep my temper at some points. I was angry that some of them were so dense and remorseless. Rei took their reactions much better then I did. She remained almost completely unphased the entire time.

By the time we were finished answering the last question, the sun had sunk low in the sky. Sesshomaru let me lean my tired body against his as we left the stage. I felt weak from lack of food and ached all over. I hated feeling as bad as this; it made me feel terrible to be such a mess. It was rare for me to be this weak and tired since I was half-angel but it wasn't impossible. In preparation for the surgery I had suppressed most of my angel blood. Sesshomaru, who had been allowed the luxury of a chair, and a full-blooded demon wasn't nearly as weak as I was.

Sesshomaru helped me down the stairs, across the concrete paths. I stumbled beside him my body too tired to function properly. Sesshomaru made me sit down once we were inside. I rested my eyes and found myself drifting away almost immediately. I opened my eyes to make myself stay awake. Sesshomaru returned after a minute with a bowl of soup for me to eat. I devoured it greedily and hungrily.

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Author's Notes:

Drumroll Please...At last the great Sesshy's Girl00 returns! Crickets Okay... I see how it is, you only care about the story...Sesshy cannot blame you for that...

Sesshy humbly appologizes for not updating in so long. She has been quite busy lately. In good news I've almost completed this story and will be posting the last few chapters here soon. Before it is too late, I would like say thank-you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story.

I don't own Eva or Inu Yasha!!! Nuf said.

Please, Please, Please Review, they are highly appriciated. I would love to have many more to read in the next few days.